My Absolut Favorite Ad

Source

The quintessential campaign for Absolut Vodka has held a special place in my heart since it began in 1980 (on the cusp of my achieving legal drinking age). The first ad in the series showed an elegant bottle with a glowing halo and the headline “Absolut Perfection.” Beautifully lit and typographically pure, it was whimsical and classic at the same time.

Little did I know that the ad marked the beginning of a campaign that would successfully produce compelling ads for the next 30 years, spawning an entire culture of fan sites, merchandise, and even a traveling museum exhibit. It is so deeply engrained in our subconscious that we can identify an Absolut ad by the format alone. In fact, some ads don’t even feature the bottle itself, instead opting to leave the space where the bottle should appear blank. The “Absolut Larceny” ad for example, shows the same perfectly lit background as the original “Perfection” ad, sans bottle. In its place is a padlock and broken chain. So clever.

While the first ad caught my attention, it was the campaign’s nod to art that truly impressed me. It captured a lifestyle that I embraced, from Sunday morning crosswords to Japanese pop artist Chiho Aoshima’s colorful characters. We were in it together; it was an educated person’s campaign, making me feel hip and smart.

In addition to Chiho Aoshima, Absolut regularly had renowned artists and pop culture influencers make works for the campaign. They also created ads referencing famous artists from history. Current and past artists featured included

• Vincent Van Gogh
• Leonardo DaVinci
• Andy Warhol
• Alfred Hitchcock
• Scott Menchin
• Ross Bleckner

So yes, vodka is my favorite spirit. But here’s a dirty little secret: I prefer drinking Finlandia.

Why I like teaching Web technologies

One of my students asked me, "What makes Comm 352, Computer Mediated Communication, a unique and fun class?"

This was my response...

I love teaching COMM 352 because students learn how to create a Web site from the ground up. They learn about organizing content, writing for online audiences, usability and how to do simple code. I think students like the class because they get to choose their own topic, and are able to really explore something they are interested in.

A significant part of class time is spent in a workshop format. Everybody is cranking on his or her iMac, and we listen to music and try to be open and relaxed. You don’t learn if you’re all stressed.

I don't expect students to leave the class ready to be Web programmers; I succeed if they have adopted a fearless attitude regarding learning tech. I can almost guarantee the code we learn in my class will be dated by the time graduates reach the workforce. That’s simply the reality of the industry. However, the ability to approach new technology rationally and confidently, to actually be curious and excited about its potential… that will never lose its relevance.

I get lots of messages from alumni saying how happy they are to have developed that intrepid mindset, and how useful it is at their jobs. While class is intense and time-consuming, students are really proud at the end when they realize what they have accomplished in one short semester.

Blogger not Blogger?

Google has decided to rebrand Blogger with a more Google-esque name, in order for it to fit more comfortably under the Google social media umbrella. Life could be worse; they've decided to dump some of their experimental services completely. At least blogging has made the cut.
I'm curious to see what the redesign will entail. It would be mighty convenient if Blogger was up in my menu bar next to Calendar and Reader when I log into my gmail...

Media Eats Me Alive

OK, so I've been having an incredibly active life recently. Not in the "ohmygodimoverwhelmed" kind of way. But rather in the "woo-hoo aint life grand" kind of way. In fact, I've had so many thoughts I've found it hard to even approach blogging. Which thing should I let come to the surface? What should I focus on?

Well, clearly that approach wasn't working. I never got around to focusing on anything.
So today, I will embrace the flood of ideas and simply give highlights.

1. The Farmer's Market in Shepherdstown has not only nourished my body, but my intellect as well. Bill Mayer humorously pointed out why when he wrote: "The research is in: high-fat diets makes you lazy and stupid. Rats on an American diet weren't motivated to navigate their maze and once in the maze they made more mistakes. And, instead of exercising on their wheel, they just used it to hang clothes on. Of course we can't ban assault rifles - we're the first generation too lazy to make its own coffee. We're the generation that invented the soft chocolate chip cookie: like a cookie, only not so exhausting to chew."
2. Ted Talks are amazing and motivating. Never heard of them? You must check them out. (Confession: I have had a crush on David Carson since I heard him speak back in the 90s. If a video could be dog-eared, his presentation on Design + Discovery would be in tatters.) I want to watch one every day and emerge a smarter person.
   
3. I'm hooked on NPR's podcasts of The Moth. (Yup, my favorite ones are inevitably the ones marked "explicit.")  I found myself at the sidelines of my kids' soccer games on Saturday with earplugs on, cozy in my hoodie, laughing out loud. Sure I got some looks from the other parents, but it helped my soul to hear about Burning Man.
4. Flash can be fun. Especially when it involves animated cows. That's all I'm sayin'.
5. You can use a wiki to collaborate on a dance piece. Who knew?
6. Facebook makes birthdays fun.
   

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-if-america-cant_b_299383.html

The End of Week Two

It is Friday afternoon, and the ground floor of Knutti is a ghost town. I'm the last class of the day, wrapping things up at 1:10. In my office now, I find myself presented with a nice quiet time to reflect on the past week and catch up.

This is going to be a fun semester. My classes have a good mix of returning friends, and enough new ones to make it fresh but not overtax me with learning names. The second section of my Computer Mediated course is almost half football players. Never had that happen before...makes for a lively dynamic. If they learn about my world of technology, I may have to take the kids to a game to be immersed in theirs!

I'm getting a handle on my Game Design class. It was a rough start, especially with gmail refusing any account requests from Shepherd. But we struggled through, and have now (I hope) bridged the abyss between starting a new technology and actually studying/designing games. It takes a lot of thought to try and integrate Globaloria's content with my content, but the payoff will be worth it.

Went to the first Common Reading event, a showing of King Corn on Wednesday night. It told the disturbing story of the impact of corn on our food industry and our health. after the show I had to run to the grocery to pick up a few things. My youngest, Daisy, read the ingredients label of everything I put in the cart. A few of my game design students showed up; I had made it extra credit since we'll be designing games to educate on the topics covered in the Common Reading, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." It was such a good film that I think I may need to order a copy of the DVD.