365 Journal Entries

I'm frequently amazed at modern designers who have total disregard for my time. They absolutely have no concern. I can tell by the manuals that come with the incomprehensible devices they create.

These modern electronic devices have shrunk in size while the manuals for the tiny things have the heft of a New York City phone book. Worse, they expect me to read them.

Camera phones

I tried to turn off my Blackberry's camera sound, which is absolutely annoying. I don't understand why the designers of these digital devices insist they need to make the noises their mechanical grandfathers made. It's absolutely ridiculous. I spent 30 minutes searching through the menus and then another 30 minutes in Google.

However, I should't have bothered trying to discover how to shut the sound off as . . . there is no way to do it!

Are you kidding me? What if I mute the phone? No? Not!

So what designer thought of this clever feature? Who designs this stuff? Kids? What a total waste of time.

A chair

I went to OfficeMax to buy a chair. I sat in several leather chairs checking for comfort, tilt, and swivel. I found the best in the bunch. It was on sale. It had a piston mechanism that allowed for height adjustment. The only thing it didn't have was tilt. All the other chairs had it. I couldn't imagine this one didn't.

I tried the knob under the chair but that didn't do it. I tried forcing myself back in the chair, thinking that if I just pushed hard enough it would disengage the stiff back and let me rock backward, but it didn't. I was frustrated and started to leave. I didn't care how much of a discount there was, if it didn't tilt back I wasn't interested.

But then I thought about my thin wallet of little cash. I needed a chair for the office. I needed this chair. So I flopped back into its buttery soft leather pillow seat and inhaled the wonderful fragrance of the chocolate colored tanning finish. I've got to get this wonderful piece of furniture.

My hand dangled downward in complete surrender and hit the lever I'd been playing with and suddenly the chair rocked backward.

What did I do? How did that happen? I sat forward, leaned over and jiggled the lever again to see if it was just an accident. Suddenly the chair back stiffened again.

What on earth? What's happening?

After 30 minutes I discovered what I was missing. I had to pull the lever outward to release the back. Ohhhhh...you pull the lever outward. I get it. Clever design that.

Who would have ever figured that out? I only did by accident.

This is what drives me crazy. A simple embossed arrow on the plastic handle could have given me a clue.

But the designers either didn't think of it or were too busy to bother. I can hear them in the R & D lab:

"How can we make the seat rock backward without adding another lever and mechanism?"

"Let's just make this up/down lever double as the back release."

"Hey, what a great idea. Think of the money we'll save. Less hardware, more markup."

"How do we give the user a clue as to how this will work."

"Ah, let them figure it out."

Designers waste my time.

...dave
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who don't have it. - George Bernard Shaw

Labels: design, sketch, sketch journal

I have a friend that likes to tell me stories. They are sometimes long stories but they are interesting nonetheless.

He told me the story of his long stay in a hospital. Next to him was a biker laid up from an motorcycle accident. His friends would come to visit him dressed in leather jackets, tattoos, and body piercings. My friend, Kevin, is a friendly guy and so he soon struck up a conversation with the biker and eventually they got to know each other very well.

Eventually the guy really took a liking to him and told him one day that he'd like to give him a gift. He said that he'd like to give Kevin a house. He'd inherited it from his father but didn't like it much. He wanted to do more traveling. So he sold Kevin his house for about half of what is was worth at the time. (Really a gift considering the California housing prices at the time.)

Kevin told me: "I learned this from that: Never judge a person on face value and always show genuine personal interest in other people."

I failed at that. I had a friend that actually worked on my team for about a year. He later went off to another team and we'd see each other occasionally. I'd make it a point to go see him and ask about his family etc.

One day during our quick catch-up talk he said: "You seem like a pretty happy guy Dave."

"Yeah, I am. Love my family, my job, my friends. You seem like you have a good sense of humor too Ted, like that story you told me about mowing your lawn."

"Yeah, I guess, but I do get a little down sometimes. Maybe we can get together and talk?"

"Absolutely, anytime Ted. We could do some lunch this week if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'll call you."

But Ted never did. And I never followed up.

And now he's gone. He took his life just a few weeks ago.

I go over and over his words to me: "I get a little down sometimes." How I wish I could rewind the tape, push the replay on the remote of life, and redo my response. But he's gone now and so is the opportunity.

The sadist thing for me is that I didn't even tune in. I was totally clueless of how deep his depression had become. How could I be so ignorant?

I learned this from that: Live in the now. Tune in. Realize when a friend needs your help. Reach out to them. Don't let the daily noise of life distract you from tuning in to your friend's voice.

...dave
Mistakes are often the stepping stones to utter failure.

Labels: suicide

I've been experimenting with simpler designs. I want to develop a freer hand and a looser style, especially since I enjoy washing my ink sketches in watercolor.

What's in the mix?

In order to obtain this freer style I find it's best to simplify what I carry in the bag. In going back and forth to work, I need to carry a notebook PC, an 8.5 x 11 work journal and lunch, that's heavy, and I haven't even added any of my sketch paraphernalia.

Mix in a moderate amount of art supplies

The only thing that I add to the heft of my work bag is my 5.5 x 8 journal, a waterproof ink pen, travel watercolor kit of half pans, and a water brush.

A pen?

For the pen, light, quick, and easy are the watch words. Oh, and it must absolutely have waterproof ink so that the page will accept watercolor washes. I usually bring my fine nib Waterman fountain pen, loaded with Bulletproof Noodlers. That's usually what I have with me going to work.

Sometime though I just carry several UniBall Vision Micro pens. I don't care if I loose one, they are easy to clip to my journal without falling out, they have a 0.5 point rollerball tip, and they are filled with jet black water proof ink.

Where to sketch

So when I stop off for breakfast or lunch I simply bring in my journal and pen. (I leave the other stuff in the trunk.) If I'm able to outline some scene in the restaurant with ink, I'm happy. Later at home I try to remember the basic colors of what I saw. However, I often change the colors to be more pleasing. I prefer muted colors in my sketches so I'll often adjust what colors were actually there.

This process gives me the ability to sketch anywhere, without too much notice, and without spending too much time. I want to develop a quicker eye that can capture the essence. It's not necessary to build up so much detail, the eye will fill it in. Color, balance, and interest is what I'm trying to achieve.

Speed Chess

When I was a teen we'd play five minute chess. It's very crazy. I had to make split second decisions given the position of the players on the board at that moment. There was no real thinking ahead other then a few moves. The strategy was that if I played speed chess I'd sharpen my game. First because I could see immediately the success or failure of each move. Second, I'd play more games in any given allotted time.

Quick sketching is like speed chess. You have to make quick decisions with limited tools in a limited time.

So, what's in your bag? Lighten and loosen. If you do, you'll sketch more frequently and you'll soon have more higher quality sketches to share.

...dave
The only difference between bloggers and homeless people who talk to themselves is . . . the the bloggers have computers.

Labels: illustrated journal, work

I'm committed to slowing down, no matter what it takes.

I'm maxed, slammed, throttled, and choked with calls, voice and SMS messages on my cell phone. I'm tired of it interrupting my life. My life was fine without the thing, as far as I remember.

So, I'm tossing my cell phone. I don't need it.

Yep, I'm quitting technology . . . for good . . . permanently, well, except for work. I kinda need technology at work. It's just, what I do.

But I'm serious about the cell phone. I've been without it now for a week and a half and nothing bad has happened to me.

And I didn't receive any vital calls. Just to make sure, I check my cell's voice mail when I get home from work. Nope, nothing urgent. The world didn't come to an end while I was out.

And I haven't needed to call anyone from my car to help me find my way. I haven't gotten lost. Except, I did get a little turned around last night. But I recovered nicely on my own without needing a friend to guide me out of the subdivision maze.

And I haven't needed anyone to rescue me from the side of the road or help me with a flat tire or fetch me a gallon of gas. That little out-of-gas light in my dash is a no-brainer. It gives me a clue when I'm running low. It's nice that the car manufactures provide that so you don't need to call someone from your car when you run out.

Yes sir, I've done quite nicely without the cell phone. And think of the money I'll save when I cancel my service.

I know, I know, you're thinking I've lost it. Cell phones are so necessary you say. Hogwash.

The way I see it, they ain't. If I did need a cell in a public place I could always borrow a cell from someone else. They're everywhere now. In fact, I can't get away from the stupid things.

Today I went into Borders with my 40% discount coupon but some guy was screaming into his phone about all his insecurities. Dude, find a shrink. It was so disruptive to my train of thought, I had to leave the store. I simply couldn't concentrate on what book I wanted to buy. A very rare occurrence.

I think technology has become too invasive. We can't even visit face to face with our closest friends without being startled by the thing ringing, buzzing, or vibrating from a call, SMS, or twitter.

And don't get me started on twitter. Talk about invasive. I just don't get it.

...dave
You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

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Labels: cell phones, illustrated journal, technology