man @ work, cat glimpses

2007-04-03T20:04:00.000+08:00

I've stopped updating on Blogger

Please refer to my blog on wordpress for any new info/updates.

2007-02-09T16:03:00.000+08:00

Avoiding abuse of your artworks/images

Some of you have concerns on people using images of your artworks without permission. I think this is really a rightful worry. Just as much as others who don't like us to infringe their copyrights, as an artist/designer ourselves, we don't want others to use our materials without getting permission explicitly from us.

You can consider the followings when uploading images:

Avoid putting up huge and best quality images in the first place. Size the image to just fit into the blog and keeping dpi as 72.
Add watermark of your name or identity/logo using Photoshop. Set this layer with transparency (say 20%) and appear consistently always in the corner (or even in the middle!).
Use digital watermark in Photoshop by going thr' 'Filter/Digimarc/Embed Watermark'. This will create an invisible watermark that can be used to prove ownership if dispute happen.
Add a copyright statement somewhere, probably on your 'About Me' page.

Of course, if you doesn't mind people to use your stuff, say it clearly in the statement. You can save up people's (for those who care) time of emailing you for permission.

2007-02-02T16:05:00.000+08:00

Some examples of how (good) blogs can become...

I'm concerned for those who are using blog templates (or skins some call it) that are too 'artistic'. While it's always good to explore visually, it's not advisable to use templates that break the order of information (too much), especially for an online portfolio site.

I urge that you get the information up first before experimenting on templates/skins.

The following are some sites that worth visiting. Take a look at how information can be organised and the colors used.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/index.php

http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/

http://mikesdesignillustration.blogspot.com/index.html

http://typeforyou.blogspot.com/

http://www.linearchitecture.com/blog/

http://iris-design.info/

http://abaddon0927.blogspot.com/

http://kanardo.wordpress.com/

http://www.fixins.com/blogtest/fixinsart.html

2007-01-26T14:03:00.000+08:00

LESSON 3

I reiterated two important features which you do when posting:

1. LABEL
To create and tag LABELs to each of the post. Make sure the good work shall have 'portfolio' tag. On the other hand, avoid creating too many labels.

2. EXTERNAL LINK
Make sure links to external site shall launch new window/tab. Insert target="_blank" in the href link by clicking on 'Edit Html' tab (next to 'Compose'). Like this:

before: <a href="http://whatever.com/">LINK</a>
after: <a href="http://whatever.com/" target="_blank">LINK</a>

VIDEO
Also, we had gone through the process of putting video in your post.

1. Register an account in YouTube
2. Re-export video using iMovie. Either:
2.1 Use Preset of 'Web Streaming' OR
2.2 Use Expert Setting with following considerations:

Video Setting -> Mpeg 4 Video
Video Size -> 320 x 240 pixel
Sound -> Mono
YouTube can accept quicktime .mov

2007-01-24T19:50:00.001+08:00

KURT WENNER WAS HERE LAST MONTH

I'm sure even if you don't know who Kurt Wenner is, you should have seen his incredible works forwarded in emails before. He is the famous artist who does anamorphic perspective painting on the street! He was here last month (Dec 2006) and did a painting at the re-opened National museum. This mobile video was taken right behind him.

To upload video, you need to setup an account in YouTube, for example. We need to re-render the video as they are all too huge for uploading. Though quite a number of video formats work for YouTube, there is a preferred spec. The closer we can meet their requirement, the less they meddle with the video, the better the quality seen on YouTube. I tried this video using the default video format from Sony Ericsson mobile in .3GP and it still works.

Do the normal uploading process, follow by copying the codes from YouTube to your blog.

To embed in Blogger.

To embed in Wordpress.

Depending on your template, the standard size of video seems too big here. We can resize the video by altering the width and height html codes by clicking on 'Edit Html' tab.

And, something strange keeps happening to my embed codes after I edit the post and publish again. If you see the same error message as ".... Tag is not closed...", just copy and paste again from YouTube.

2007-01-23T00:33:00.000+08:00

LIVE OR DIE - ABOUT GOAL SETTING

I wanted to keep post in this blog to stay within the scope of our class. But I watched something that was really meaningful and at the same time made me laughed off my chair... well, maybe not to you guys, anyway, here it goes...

I was watching this program on Discovery, the program talks about two guys who survived in a jungle of 17 days for one and 20 days for another. There was also another forest survivor expert who gave tips here and there about things to do and not to do.

He was recounting another survivor story of a man who survived in a desert for like 20 days or so. When rescued that man was asked about what he did to keep alive. The expert thought he was making all the wrong moves, such as moved in the day, drank his own urine and so on, and continue to say that when asked what was his motivation to really persist, that man said that he was filing a divorce and he didn't want to die at that moment so that his wife would get all his asset! Period. I just found this extremely funny and kept laughing, while in my mind I began to get the point. Nothing else count. Motivation, or Goal, is what keep us on course.

Probably too common and mundane to repeat this kind of stuff, but nonetheless the basic lesson, an important one indeed.

2007-01-19T14:07:00.000+08:00

LESSON 2

There are a few stuffs I need to highlight here for today class. Class 2B please take note, especially those who are not present.

1. FIREFOX
While using mac, please download and install Firefox web browser. Some functionalities will lost if you use mac Safari at lower version when blogging using blogger.com.

2. PROJECT BRIEF
2.1 Please do get a copy from Class Rep or make a copy from classmate if you don't have one. Be reminded that I'm already checking your progress and first assessment will be immediately after 2nd Feb.
2.2 Include Artist Statement and Resume.

3. TODAY CLASS
3.1 To set up minimum 3 set of blogrolls.

3.2 To create/add tags to each post. Blogger call it 'Labels' which can be seen right below where you compose your post. Wordpress call it 'Categories' which appear on the right. Both are for the same purpose: to make your posts easier to be sorted and searched by your blog visitors. Care should be taken not to create too many categories however, as too detail segregation is as good as no segregation.

3.3 Make external links to launch new page by adding "target=_blank" after href codes.

3.4 Colors and Legibility of text. Be aware of colors used and their contrast. Think in terms of gray scale. Legibility of text is the utmost importance in publishing. Look at the ToolBox list on the right. Color Scheme Tool is really useful and interesting tool to explore. It will help you in deciding your color scheme, and don't forget your powerful Photoshop!

3.5 Usability/Accessibility. Blog itself is a rather simple thing to setup, however, fine details should be given when writing post such as pt 3.3 for better usable webpage. Pt 3.4 concern not just general public, but handicap people, who maybe color blind, other forms of visual impaired, hearing impaired etc.

4. AVATAR IMAGE
Please be more creative to create the image to represent yourself. Use Photoshop! Leave space! Give some character to it!

5. PORTFOLIO IMAGES
5.1 Ensure images to be taken at the highest possible resolution/quality. Make them min 150 dpi if need to print using deskjet printer, and 72 dpi is enough for screen display in Blog.
5.2 Remove all necessary fringe object around the work, or background etc. Keep the image just the work itself. Again, use Photoshop! Ask me if you have problem.

6. TODAY MARKING
Ensure at least the followings are done by end of the day:
6.1 Profile text (short one) and Avatar image
6.2 Minimum one group of Blogroll
6.3 Minimum one post

2007-01-13T05:06:00.000+08:00

LESSON 1 : BACKGROUND INFO

What's required to setup a website?

Register domain name (www.yourname.com)
Engage a hosting service (a server space)
Create/Write content (text, images)
Design/Code these content into html and upload to server
Programming involve if information is dynamically updated and the site served as an application (more than just presenting information)

This process involved many professionals from different fields each possess their area of expertise. Even for a simple site, they require someone who are trained and with lots of patience to resolve sometime teething problems, which can also seem to be trivial and mundane.

Individuals started maintaining web journals as early as 1994, but gaining rapid growth and popularity in last few years, mainly because new software and blog hosting providers allow easy creation of blog site.

How easy? Basically you don't need:

visual design
page design
interaction design
information architecture
any programming, or
server maintenance

The term 'blog' is derived from 'Web log' (1997), splitting it as 'we blog' (1999). 'Blog' can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Mr. Brown is one of the earliest blogger in Singapore, as early as 1997.

It looks like Blogging is a phenomenon to stay.

BLOG
A blog is...

a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order
commonly personal journals/diaries and are used to comment on all sorts of topics depending on the interests of the blogger (author)
usually updated frequently, maybe monthly, weekly or even daily, it all depends on the blogger.

Most blogs enable the visitors to post comments and/or suggestions allowing interactivity between the blogger and the visitors.

Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

BLOG SOFTWARE
1. User hosted : Software packages installed by weblog authors to run on their own systems:

Greymatter
Movable Type
Wordpress etc

2. Developer hosted: Software services operated by the developer, requiring no software installation for the weblog author:

LiveJournal.com
Typepad.com
Blogger.com
MySpace.com
Wordpress.com etc

ETHICS
From CyberJournalist.net

Be Honest and Fair
Minimize Harm
Be Accountable

Read another short interesting article by Melissa Waters on Blog Etiquette. The keypoints are covered in lesson slides, but read it to get the original source and ideas.

LEGAL

Two ethnic Chinese were imprisoned under the country’s anti-sedition law for posting anti-Muslim remarks in their weblogs.
Another person by the name Chad posted some images that were deem offensive.

Offensive Post - Self Regulation, well, sort of...

The Wee Shu Min Affair