Twitter Dilema

Hello all,

It's time for a random post to fill the void I have left on this blog lately. I wanted to take some time to talk about Twitter which has been my social networking medium of choice for a very long time. When it first hit the web I was apprehensive and didn't understand it completely but that soon changed and I quickly became a fan. Since then I have built solid network, nothing huge, but it's solid and manageable. I follow a lot of advertising and design people/companies which has given me instant access to tons of news and updates in my field. I still think Twitter is extremely beneficial when used properly but lately my interest has begun to fade. I'm not sure if it's just me or if I need to start following more people or what. I like to restrict the list of people I follow to a reasonable number because it gets annoying scrolling for ages trying to catch up with all of the tweets. A lot of what I read on Twitter lately does little to nothing for me. I don't retweet news nearly as often as I used to and I hardly Tweet anything myself.

Is anyone else feeling the same way about Twitter or am I just not "getting it" again? I don't think the latter is the case at all but I'm still curious. There are days when I think Twitter is becoming more and more of a front for people to put on. Buzz words run rampent and some tweets and profiles are just so gaggy. Can't we all be real humans while sharing information without sounding like we're trying so hard? Don't get me wrong though, there are still a number of real people who post quality tweets and links but I tend to notice that the general population on Twitter seems to be going through some sort of intellectual decay or jargon induced stupor. For how helpful and informative the site can be when used appropriately, it's a shame it gets flooded with tweets from the mundane, pointless, or forced categories. Am I horribly mistaken here?

The 100 most beautiful words in English...

...according to Robert Beard: poet, dictionary maker, and compiler of word lists for over 40 years.

Ailurophile A cat-lover.
Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble Deceive.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener.
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk.
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity An inclination.
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Most essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Quick update

I have been blogging pretty minimally lately for a few reasons.

a) I am dabbling in the tumblr blogosphere. So far I like it a lot. It's to the point, easy, and often quite inspiring. I still can't decide if I want to switch over to tumblr exclusively or just add it to the list of social networking mediums I use.

b) It's the end of the semester. I have been pretty overwhelmed with school projects lately i.e. group work, designs, presentations, huge papers, more designs, more stress, etc. etc. etc. Things are wrapping up though. This week is the last week of classes then it's finals week (yay).

c) Various other jargon. I have been taking care of business for my internship, organizing other aspects of my life, and trying to live a little on top of everything going on. I went to a Skrillex concert on Friday. The venue was trash and the crowd was annoying but Skrillex was awesome once again. This was followed by  a massive DJ set I performed on Saturday, it was truly massive.

In other news, my friend comes home tomorrow from his four month study abroad experience in England! I went on the same program last Fall so I'm eager to see him and talk about the experience. I'm sure the posts will pick up on here over the next few weeks but until then, feel free to kill time by listening to my November mix ;)

If you're in the area...

Happy Birthday

 Robert James - RJZNOV by DJ Robert James 

The robots are BACK

The upcoming Tron movie and its Daft Punk produced score have been pretty heavily discussed for quite some time now. I am absolutely thrilled to see my idols back in the game and cannot wait to experience the film. Alongside all of this hype comes a world exclusive interview with these visionaries conducted by London based Dazed & Confused magazine. As if that wasn't cool enough, they went ahead and printed the spread in 3D.

This is apparently the only interview the duo will be taking part in regarding their Tron project, an album  two years in the making. The soundtrack will be released on December 6th with the film hitting theaters December 17th. You can pre-order the deluxe soundtrack bundle which includes 2 discs, a poster, and a digital album at: http://www.tronsoundtrack.co.uk/

Old News

A deliberate anchorman-esque photo taken at BBC Newcastle

A deliberate "Hi Mom, I'm standing in Switzerland in front of the Alps!" photo

1.Your name? ROBERT JAMES (ZARSKE) 

2.Where are you from, has it influenced you at all? THE TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA. YES OF COURSE. 

3.What do you do? LEARN, DESIGN, DJ, LIVE, LAUGH, CRY, SLEEP, EAT, BREATHE, ETC. 

4.How do you do it? SOMETIMES I DON'T. KEEPING A LEVEL HEAD HELPS. 

5.Who do you do it with (can be your associates, etc.)? SOLO. 

6.What does your art mean to you and what message would you like to get across to your viewer? IT'S A WAY FOR ME TO COMMUNICATE, TO LEARN, AND TO GROW. ART CAN BE FOUND IN ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. SLOW DOWN AND TAKE TIME TO APPRECIATE THAT.

7.Anything special happen in the last year to you (brand etc.)? THE PAST YEAR HAS HAD ITS HIGHS AND LOWS. I HAVE A GREAT INTERNSHIP NOW, SCHOOL IS GOING VERY WELL, AND I'M READY TO TACKLE THE WORLD. 

8.How do you feel about being where you're at for your age? I’M CONTENT. THINGS COULD ALWAYS BE BETTER. BUT THINGS COULD ALWAYS BE MUCH MUCH WORSE.

9.Have some of your dreams come true yet? SOME.

Thanks for your time, anything else you want to speak upon? GET IN TOUCH IF YOU NEED A DJ, A DESIGNER, PHOTOGRAPHER, OR SOBER CAB.

Albums in rotation: Cudi, Skrillex, and more

I know it has been awhile since I added to this series of posts but I haven't found many albums worth talking about lately. Luckily that changed as of late and I now have some EPs and a few albums to share with you. Let's begin.

Original Sin and Taxman - Penamana EP

I have been waiting for this song since I heard it live back in the spring when Rusko played it during his opening set for Major Lazer. It destroyed the crowd and now it is finally here! Take No More is one of two dubstep tracks on this EP, the other two are drum 'n' bass tracks (not a huge fan of that genre).
Check out: Take No More


Flux Pavillion - Lines In Wax EP

I have been a huge fan of Flux Pavillion's remix's but haven't dabbled into his original offerings as much until now.  When it comes to dubstep, I like it heavy and filthy and that's exactly what this EP delivers. Flux Pavillion's signature sound is found in all four tracks, especially on Hold Me Close and I Can't Stop, two songs that have great drops and dirty noise that will make you smile and headbang simultaneously.
Check out: Hold Me Close, I Can't Stop


Downlink - Emergency EP

The first track I heard by downlink was his remix of Swagga. That was quite awhile ago. What he offers now with this EP is a step up from that remix. Emergency includes four tracks varying in intensity. Each offers something special and something I can appreciate so they are hard to rank. Give them a shot.
Check out: Emergency (the little micro wobbles and womps are where its at), The Night


Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Spirits EP

Skrillex aka Sonny Moore, is relatively new on the electronic scene. He got his start in various post-hardcore and metal bands so it's cool to see that he can cross genres and lay down some serious dubstep. I had the chance to meet him at the Deadmau5 concert in Minneapolis. He's a really mellow and down-to-earth individual regardless of his gnarly appearance and various lyrical choices. This is his followup to the successful My Name Is Skrillex EP and offers nine tracks ranging from completely new to a reinterpretation of With Your Friends from his first EP along with remixes of the title track itself. I loved his first EP and I love this. I really enjoy how he chops and manipulates his vocal samples while adding a poppy synth vibe to an overall aggressive product. Each track is quite fun. No wonder it reached No. 1 on the Beatport charts.
Check out: With Your Friends (Long Drive), Rock N Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain), Scary Monsters & Nice Spirits (Noisia Remix)
Also: Skrillex will be returning to Minneapolis on December 3rd to perform at The Loft in Barfly. Be sure to make it out for the show.

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Kid Cudi's first album will always be synonymous with my time spent in England. Particularly the gorgeous days I spent in the pasture next to the castle I called home. It was one of a handful of albums I could listen to from beginning to end and it always fit the mood, location, or events taking place  at the time. With that said, you can imagine how excited I have been for Man on the Moon II. I have been looking forward to it so much that I refused to listen to the singles that were released over the last couple months because I didn't want to ruin the experience of hearing it all in full. This new collection of songs does not disappoint. The vibe and overall sound is darker than before and reinforces Kid Cudi's skill and ability to differ from the mainstream. The tracks flow from one another and are grouped in "acts" to tell a story. This makes it hard to pick and choose favorites because, like his first album, I can easily listen to it from beginning to end and I suggest that's how it be enjoyed.
Check out: The album in its entirety

I wonder....

I wonder what all of these tweets, statuses, blog posts, "likes", trends, tumblrs, 4square check-ins, follows, re-tweets, memes, hits, @mentions, views, etc are going to mean to us when we are all too old to compute. I wonder what will come to mind when we look back on our digital lives. It's an odd thing to think about. So many of us are getting more and more caught up in the digital realm these days. We are, in fact, the digital generation. There's a lot of cool things about that but there are just as many things, if not more, that are completely pointless and yet we (myself included) take part in them anyway.

I wonder what it is deep down inside of us that makes us continue to use all of these digital outlets so obsessively. Is it the false sense of instant gratification we get? The feeling that we are saying or "doing" things online that other people actually care about? I don't even have a clear answer in regards to my own online behavior. Of course I blog and tweet because I expect other people to want to read what I have to say. At the same time however, I always think in the back of my mind that nobody really cares all too much because at the end of the day I don't really care all too much about other people's online tidbits either since the majority of ramblings and updates are just more of the same. They come and they go. Is this just me? I don't think so. I also blog and tweet because I just flat out enjoy it. We blog, we tweet, we rant, we update this and that, etc. etc. etc. but the average-every-day-you-&-me person isn't all that exciting is he/she? So why do we do it? Why do I care? Why? I don't know. Maybe I should know. I just like to put my brain in a knot sometimes over things not normally considered. I'm an internet junkie. I enjoy internet culture as much as the next person. I might not get into it as much as the next person but I do enjoy it. I'm just intrigued by the reasons why. Perhaps I will come back to this down the road but for now it was a fleeting thought that I had to get out.

Be a part of the 2011 Student Advertising Summit

The Student Advertising Summit (SAS) is an amazing annual event held in Minneapolis for undergrads, grads, and anyone else interested in learning more about the advertising industry. The 2011 SAS, in partnership with Adfed MN, is now seeking candidates for the Brand Ambassador (BA) internship. This BA internship requires you to educate students and professors in your college community about the advantages of attending SAS, create event awareness on your campus and recruit event attendees.

Join me and the rest of the SAS committee and help us prepare the 2011 edition of this great event. We have interns for the Art Institute MN, Winona, U of M Journalism School, St. Cloud State and Miami Ad School and are looking for many more BAs. Junior or senior status is preferred and you must also be available to commit 5 hours per week to SAS. If you have not attended SAS in the past you can still be a part of the committee. This is an amazing chance for networking and growth and the event itself is extremely beneficial. If you are at all interested please contact Liz Murray (lizmurray.sas@gmail.com) or myself (robertzarske.sas@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Deadmau5 in Minneapolis

Regardless of this show being on a Wednesday night and having to drive 2 hours from a long day of classes, the experience was absolutely amazing. I had two chances to see Deadmau5 when I lived in England last fall but it never worked out. To see him in my backyard was such a treat and I was so happy that he brought his cube and stage setup (I thought the venue would be way too small for it). I managed to snag the first spot in the will call line as well but never quite made it to the very front row during the show. The crowd was beyond insane (over 3600 in a 3000 cap venue) and it was basically one giant mosh pit before mau5 even began his set.

There were a few opening DJ's who I had never heard of who took turns for the first few hours. Then Skrillex took the stage and played some face melters to get everyone really fired up. I was really impressed with his set and had a chance to meet him after the show. He is a pretty chill guy and quite unique. I don't think a deep explanation is needed for the rest of the show. Deadmau5 destroyed Minneapolis. I'm reminded of when I went to Chicago to see Justice, these shows are too amazing to be true.

BRAINS - October Mixtape

Halloween is almost here so I included plenty of violent grime in this mix. Make sure to turn your speakers way up on this one. This is not a full quality stream so don't forget to download.

Field Report: Madison, WI

I am on a mini-vacation in Wisconsin visiting a friend in Madison and soon heading to Milwaukee. Conveniently, I forgot to bring my camera so I have no pictures to show (yet) but I do have some words to share. I arrived yesterday evening and after settling in we took a walk around the city. We stopped for dinner at Great Dane, a pub downtown, where I feasted on a portobello mushroom sandwhich that reminded me of the one I ate at The Villager in Edinburgh, Scotland a year ago. It was delicious and the pub was nice.

Later in the evening, we roamed around the capitol a bit where I was grabbed by a random man who asked me to take a picture with him. It was one of the most awkward situations I have ever been in. This guy came out of nowhere and looked nice enough but still had a massive creeper vibe going on. I had no idea how to respond to him and before I could say anything he was pulling me over to a fountain for the photo. All I could think of was "what website will my face end up on?" and "am I going to die?" I ended up turning away completely ruining the photo in an effort to conceal my identity and he was absolutely fine with that. It was beyond bizarre.

The evening ended in a very nice pub serving a massive quantity of worldly ales and lagers that brought me back to England. I spent most of today down by the lake reading The Onion and listening to a DJ who was playing in the park (which I thought was random but it was pretty cool nonetheless). It's been a very refreshing escape from the realities of my hectic life even though I am only five hours from home. Tonight we will be heading to Milwaukee so expect another field report soon.

CONTINUED...
Milwaukee was a blast. It was my second time there and the evening included some great company, good laughs, German lager, nice weather and of course, some hammerschlagen. The following morning I feasted on a Canadian favorite... poutine. For those of you who haven't heard of it, poutine consists of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds piled on a plate. Trust me, it's quite amazing. The remainder of Saturday included a walk near lake Michigan during some phenomenal weather and a trip through a haunted forrest back near Madison later that night (where I screamed like a baby). All together, it was a great weekend and a much needed break. As with most fun outings, I wish it lasted longer buts it's nice to be home and I am looking forward to the Deadmau5 show on Wednesday.

Cassius: The Rawkers EP

The new Cassius EP is finally here. I raved about the single, "I <3 U So", a few posts back when it was in my head for close to 24hrs a day that week. What a tease/wait it has been since I first heard that song in DJ Mehdi's summer mix. 

There are six songs on this EP which are all very different from the Cassius vibes I am used to. The Rawkers is far less poppy than the album, 15 Again but each track maintains the Cassius touch. My favorite of the bunch is still "I <3 U So", but the remaining five tracks are impossible to rank right now. I am looking forward to what I'm sure will be some extensive remix treatment in the near future.

Get your copy of The Rawkers on iTunes here

DIPLO

This guy inspires me. Been a fan for quite some time but I'm liking his work more and more.

Now Playing

The Saturdays - Missing You (Azedia Remix)

Deadmau5 - Raise Your Weapon

A nearly 10 minute epic yet to be released. The first half is typical Deadmau5, the sweet spot is near the 5 minute mark

Neon Hitch - Drop It Like Its Hot (Snoop Dogg vs. Alina Orvola)

Unreal cover

A new perspective on kerning

From typecastcreative.co.uk (Sept. 21, 2010):

There are lots of tips on the best way to perfectly kern a piece of type. As with all design, kerning can be subjective, but some is just plain right or wrong. One trick that stuck with me was from the esteemed Maggie Lewis who was the Head of Typography at J.Walter Thompson for many years. She was fondly nicknamed the “Queen of Type” by the industry. I had just finished college and was pounding the streets of London meeting as many agency Type Directors as I could. I was quite nervous about meeting Maggie, but she was fantastic, gave me lots of critique without making me feel I was on a hiding to nothing and was generous with her time. She paid particular attention to the kerning on my layouts. Before the mac, headlines were usually set on a typositorand were cut up by skilled paste-up artists, even to the point where serifs might be shortened to create a better space between characters. Something that can and should be done in Adobe illustrator today.

Anyway she said the hard thing about kerning a word is that you know what it says, and so the subtleties of bad character spacing aren’t immediately apparent. She suggested turning the type upside down, that way you don’t read the word, you merely look at the shapes the characters make and the space that’s created between them. On the computer you can even flip the word as I have done above.

It was a great tip, and one I still use today.