This geeky test tube light makes me feel a little giddy I can’t explain why. (No, nothing to do with rainbows and the fact I just said “giddy”) I think it’s just simply no matter how hard I try…there will always be a little bit of a nerd in me. Believe it or not, I once was pursing a medical career in college and so I had to take a lot of courses like Organic Chemistry where labs, bunsen burners, and test tubes were par for course. One of the cool things about science labs were always mixing up funky, smelly, colorful liquids together and seeing the result. I’ve always been fascinated by mixing liquids to the point it matches my 3-year-old boys fascination with running tap water. I could just stare at it for hours.

Add that to the simplicity of little glass objects of varying sizes and shapes, it sung to both my now-apparent design sensibilities and geeky side alike. Anyway, here Polish designer Pani Jurek has designed a bunch of light fixtures using test tubes. I want!  Don’t know where I’d put it…but I want! (via Gizmodo; Pani Jurek)

I got this list from a friend’s Facebook post this morning. I thought it was fairly true:

How to feel miserable as an artist

1. Constantly compare yourself to other artists
2. Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on
3. Base the success of your entire career on one project
4. Stick with what you know
5. Undervalue your expertise
6. Let money dictate what you do
7. Bow to societal pressures
8. Only do work that your family would love
9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor asks
10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals. To be accomplished by tomorrow

I’ve been guilty of doing a couple of these till this very day. As a student of the arts or as a new business owner, you’ll fall into these traps I assure you.

Very creative way to get yourself noticed in art these days. Another one of those, “that person is so much more patient than I am” demonstrations of artwork. (Artist Hong Yi; via Gizmodo)

I’ve never really liked drum solos. I mean, they’re cool and all. Until you realize they’ve taken up about 5 – 10 mins of precious concert time I’ve rather have listened to the whole band. Is it musician envy? Perhaps…they don’t usually give dedicated time to bass soloists, but still, all drummers do is hit things! (yeah yeah, I’m a jaded bassist, go ahead and tease me)

Until this video comes along putting a visual rendition of a drum solo into 3D space. I’m captivated. Perhaps drummers are worth something after all. (via Gizmodo)

I’m pretty impressed at digital artist, Sanna Dullaway’s, photo restoration and color work on these historical photos. While I have a good grasp of the process of doing this type of work in Photoshop, knowing how to do it, yet doing it GOOD like this is another story. *bow down* (via Gizmodo)

Ever since I’ve used computers back in the Mesozoic Win3.1 era, I’ve always been fond of wallpapers. I remember back in the day it used to require a lot of hackage to customize a computer GUI. These days it’s almost a 2-second affair. One of the first things I do when I get any new personal computer is to create a wallpaper or find one online that I’d be comfortable staring at all day long. I mean, come on, it sucks enough having to stare at a computer screen all day…why not find something that’ll get you inspired at the same time too right?

I’m really picky about them too. I usually want one that is native to the resolution of my computer so it’s not all grainy looking or distorted, and I typically want one that won’t compete with the icons I might have on my desktop. Nothing worse than a desktop graphic that ends up making all your icons blend in like chameleons.

Anyway, like a good restaurant, when I want to find them, no wallpaper site comes to mind. That’s why I was grateful to find LifeHacker making a good list of the Five best Wallpaper sites

This may come across as a very typical thing an old guy would say, but the pace at which technology progresses is just staggering when you think about it.

Take today for example…the past two weeks I’ve been laboring on my class material teaching my Art 112 class online for the first time this Semester. I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of tools in trying to make the class engaging for the students but at the same time, I’m trying to look for ways to make MY life easier at the same time. So I’ve been doing a lot of videos lately despite the fact I sound nasally and croakey in some of my vids because of my bronchitis.

I digress.

This morning I thought to myself…what’s the fastest way I can show the students how to go use the computer lab equipment?  So I get off my desk, pick up my iPhone, walk over to the lab, record a 5 minute video, return to my desk and let it upload this video via WiFi to YouTube.  10 minutes later I had this video up on my class blog. It was so freaking easy it was criminal. I love it.

Yet it wasn’t so long ago (within the just 10 years) where even just the thought of streaming a video was an effort that required dedicated computers, fancy encoding procedures, and a heck of a lot of time to produce. The cost of both the equipement and labor prevented a lot of people from doing it routinely at the time. I remember once in my last job, it was a HUGE deal to stream a live talk-story show out to online viewers. Nowdays pre-teens are shooting up daily videos to YouTube for free!

I’m just old enough to be able to appreciate how easy everything continues to get.

Today I stumbled across this infinity pool image found at the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore. I’m fascinated with infinity pools…never been in one yet. I’ll have to add that to my bucket list. (via National Geographic)

So another Holiday season came and went. Had a good time despite the fact I didn’t feel as relaxed as I wanted to the whole time (typical). My brother and sis-in-law was in town so we made sure to get in some good family time the whole time. At out so much I feel like a fat slob.

Got a few goodies for Xmas, my bro got me a Kinect…which at this point is being used solely to my amusement watching little Kingston play with his Kinectimals “training” his online pet tiger how to jump and play dead. He’s a little too young yet to understand it fully…but it’s still amazing watching a near-3-year-old control the xbox GUI with little Jedi-like hand movements.

I didn’t quite finish prepping my new semester’s online class yet…but I made some progress. There’s a surprising amount of work converting a normal class into an online class. It’s not just simply recording lessons online, but it’s also trying to organize the content so it makes sense to students who may never see you at all the whole semester. I’ll probably be busy the whole week trying to get that set.

Meanwhile I still got a cough from Kingston. We’ve both had this for over 2 weeks now it’s getting a little old. Been on codeine for about a week now but decided to ween off of that stuff before work starts so I don’t go in like a zombie.

2012…you better play nice to me this year!

I just heard word that an old classmate (whom I haven’t kept in touch with but I know friends who do) had his mom pass away the day after Christmas. Apparently she went swimming with the family and she complained about chest pains…then that was it. I didn’t ask for more details beyond that. I have no idea if she just suffered a heart attack in the pool or just shortly thereafter. Suffice to say it was quick and unexpected.

Sucks that it happened the day after Christmas, but then again, is it ever a good day for a loved one to pass away?

I don’t want to be pessimistic about it all. But as good as my year has been this 2011, it’s stuff like this that reminds me how life is often stacked up like a house of cards…how easy it can suddenly fall. Makes me appreciate good times all that much more.

To my old classmate…I can only wish you my condolences and wish that you find a good time to let your heart mend after this.