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.

London pirate radio