I had seen episodes here and there over the last few years, but I’ve really gotten into Battlestar Galactica for the fourth and final season. The show is really well done in every way. As an artist and designer, I can’t help but to draw inspiration from it. You can learn a lot by looking at works from other mediums and bringing it into whatever you do. Chances are your next project won’t be a sci-fi television series, you can still see what was done here and what it represents. From there, you might find certain elements or concepts applicable for your next project.

Galactica has a carefully chosen palette for even the frames of video to give a certain hardened feel to the show. The show has a very consistent set of colors representing the fleet, the twelve colonies and various atmospheres. A scene taking place in the Galactica has a distinct visual look compared to a scene in the enemy Cylon basestars.

Comparing the newly re-imagined series logo to the old one, there are a lot about the forms which are very close. The new logo has the aged metallic look of the ships within the show which have been battered by war. It really makes you see how complete the package of the show is. When creating, do you strive for this strong sense of unity and purposefully derived elements?

I’ve been watching HGTV Design Star which I caught in a marathon today. My favorite is David Bromstad not only for obvious reasons. I have the most in common with him, his aethetic, his background. He’s a trained artist afterall. I hope he wins for sure! I just love talent, passion and charisma. Qualities I try to I dunno, someday become.

Anyway I’m planning on talking about my favorite art books in upcoming entries so stay tuned. I always say I love practical books that teach me what I need to know and guide me. So I figure I’ll start posting my thoughts. First the ones I own and then to the library! Hopefully it’ll be helpful to someone maybe? If not it’ll be something I’ll have fun writing about

Ever notice the second paragraph of these things is usually an “anyway”

I bought the current issue of Playgirl and Home Movies Volume 3 from Borders. Brendon Small, creator of the show is featured in this months issue. Here is the article, but do go buy the issue. There are a lot of great … articles.

It’s kinda embarassing buying this at the store but it’s kind of an adventure. You have to pick it up on a shelf in a crowded section so they all see you buying a magazine with a man with hardly any clothes on. They all know there are penises all over the inside. Oh well that was fun.

There will never ever be an Asian American winner on American Idol.

I can’t wait to see how Project Runway ends! Sorry to see Kara go tonight, but not too suprised. Santino needs to go! No more whickity whack designs. Sure it’s creative and original, but if that explanation was valid it could be used to justify anything. Does it serve the purpose of the design, meet the needs of the client and give some insight about the perspective that the designer is trying to convey? No? Then it’s just ugly.

“This news report will save your life. Watch it tonight. Unfortunately you’ll miss it because you’re busy and therefore you’ll probably die. Sorry.”

Of course, if it’s some inane news they’ll cut into your favorite television programs, but if it’s a major recall or warning that could save your life they’ll let you die if you don’t tune in at 5,6 or 11.

[Dear Diary,] Charles talked to me today. Ahh so cute. Of course I turned into a meek little creature and barely could say a few words. The professor was telling him and the class that I’m playing in the recital “A person in this room will be performing and he’s right next to you.” As you recall I sit next to Charles. He’s like “You’re a professional!” and I’m like “Um uh ah … I guess!” He then says “This is your fourth year isn’t it?” and I say hesitantly “Uh, fifth.” He’s like “You’ve been here longer than me?” and I’m all “Uh yeah.” Short conversation. He’s hot. There’s also this other cute little guy in the class with cornrows. Anyway.

Photography was okay. I used the enlarger and made a print. It took several tries to get one that would satisfy the professor. I may scan it but it looks pretty much like the negative I showed before to me. Jonathan looked quite hot today with his hair grown out a bit all curly and his little mustache. I don’t like the word “mustache” however, it seems archaic. The modern type I describe is so thin and not at all like the burly Tom Selleck look I think of with the word. The other dude what’s his name with the bubble butt… Sigh. Well I find these guys equally attractive and all. Only a few more Monday’s left before the class is over. Oh no.

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Free .info domains.

Anyway, Alex Albrecht (Who?) is now the new host of the G4TechTV show The ScreenSavers. He doesn’t bring much new to the show. The show has a new set and it’s all very kid like. Think Cartoon Network Friday trying to be about computers… Oh well

G4TechTV will be airing the Final Fantasy Dear Friends concert this Tuesday, July 13 at 10:30pm EST on it’s show “CinemaTech” along with Nobuo Uematsu interviews about each piece. [link]

“G4techTV will be airing a special which will be much appreciated by the thousands of fans who couldn’t be there that night – and it’s my pick for the week. Be sure to catch Cinematech on Tuesday, July 13th at 7:30PM PST / 10:30PM EST which features the best of Final Fantasy music, as chosen by Nobuo Uematsu himself before the concert.”

The article doesn’t give the name of the orchestra and chorus–this is G4 we’re talking about so of course they didn’t–but it’s the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale.

I had all these things I wanted to blog about but I’m lazy. To sum it up, sites I visit daily (more like all day long): CritiqueStudio, Wetcanvas, Piano Forum, LiveJournal, TechTV but why bother linking it because it’s now G4TechTV which may or may not suck, Anime News Network, RPG World and the forum therein and then the rest of the time is Google for whatever interests me at the moment and maybe About.com for whatever article. I used to visit MovableType.org but whatever is going on with MT 3.0 is too difficult. I try to check to see that my website’s Gallery and YaBB software is up to date.

Then of course I always have AIM. Yahoo and MSN open. No need to link those I hope. I’m in chat with all my art, comic, PGSM, etc buddies using my favorite IRC client mIRC. I have e-mail programs Juno and Outlook open for e-mail needs. I got the piano here and I try to get some drawing and painting done. That’s pretty much my day normally this summer! Monday though I’m planning on meeting up with gotgroll which is going to be great! I love staying home and doing all this stuff and will never give it up but hey it’s great to get out once in a while. He’s really nice so I’m excited.

Today I wandered into deviantART. Check out my newly updated Sketchee deviantART Page. Also put a note on my friend Jay’s cool deviantART page.

I found this on my schools website among the business department’s syllabi and thought it was a good read:

Here’s some advice Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teaching has created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

RULE 1
Life is not fair – get use to it.

RULE 2
The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3
You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right of high school. You won’t be a vice president with a car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t’ have tenure.

RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

RULE 6
If you mess up it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

RULE8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.