while rendering

Pixar Studio Stories: The Cereal Bar Ok, I’m on a Studio...

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:53:00 -0400

Pixar Studio Stories: The Cereal Bar

Ok, I’m on a Studio Stories kick this lunch break. This one talks about the #1 reason I would want to work at Pixar. Ok, maybe #2.

Pixar Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes In response to the...

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:44:36 -0400

Pixar Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes

In response to the power outage that erased 30 minutes of my work last night, here’s a reminder that it could always be worse…

Work: “Climate Change” Keyart A tagteam effort with...

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:17:49 -0400

Work: “Climate Change” Keyart

A tagteam effort with Colin Harman

Already posted elsewhere earlier, but too cute not to give it...

Sat, 05 May 2012 23:53:53 -0400

Already posted elsewhere earlier, but too cute not to give it another go.

It’s been an interesting month. I’ve been trying to unpack all that’s happened,...

Sat, 05 May 2012 23:52:00 -0400

It’s been an interesting month. I’ve been trying to unpack all that’s happened, and convert that into something resembling eloquent written reflection, but I’m realizing that’s a pipe dream. For now, at least.

As I sit here at my desk on a late Saturday night, watching another wildly improbable Braves comeback (in Denver, of all places), I can only muster a few simple, vague emotions, which I shall funnel into some stream-of-consciousness ramblings.

I’m thankful to be alive. I’m more thankful that my wife is alive. I don’t want to overdramatize what is, in reality, an everyday occurrence– especially here in Atlanta. But having never been in a major car accident, I can now attest that those accidents… they stick around. They mess with you. The doctors told us that we would likely experience sudden and random traumatic relapses (my words), and to not let that discourage us too much. This was very accurate. I spent two weeks plus as a mere shell of myself, haunted by flashbacks, quiet bouts of anxiety and depression, and unshakeable lethargy. Or more simply, I was just “off.” It was like a cold that wouldn’t go away (and I was also literally fighting a cold at the time): never completely debilitating, but tremendously annoying. I just wanted to be “normal” again, but it felt like that wasn’t going to happen.

But, again: thankfulness. If gratitude is the only takeaway from this whole ordeal, then it’s a solid one.

As I distance myself from the accident, and settle back into “normal,” we turn our attention back to the disruption that was already in progress: specifically, leaving Atlanta for Denver. There’s a lot of emotion to unpack here, as well.

I’m excited about our new adventure. I’m terrified to leave the security of my job and my coworkers to become a full-time freelancer. I’m looking forward to getting to know what is, according to most everyone I’ve talked to, an amazing city and region. I’m dreading the cross-country trips and yet another apartment search. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to build something new. I’m lamenting the geographical separation from my family, my friends, and basically everything I’ve ever known. I’m stoked to see Tiffany get to pursue a dream that so many aspire to but can’t make the cut.

It’s a whole mess of emotions that I honestly can’t deal with all at once. It’s going to take at least several months. Which is about all of the time I have.

So, this month has been an interesting one. The Braves have been fun to watch. They’ve been on a tear ever since I wrote my last post. (Coincidence? Absolutely.) The Avengers was pretty awesome as well. I’ve also fully made the transition to someone that actually enjoys guacamole, albeit moderately. See, it’s not all doom and gloom.

Unless you’re a Red Sox fan, that is. If so, I offer my condolences.

The Braves, Braves Fans, and Facepalming

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:37:00 -0400

Four-game losing streaks are ugly. But “0-4” is infinitely more ugly.

So here we are, just four games into baseball’s 162-game marathon, and the apocalypse has come and gone. Or, at least, you would feel that way if you talked to a Braves fan.

It doesn’t help that the four losses have come against the Mets and the Astros, the consensus picks as the worst teams in the NL. And they weren’t pretty losses, either (if there is such a thing).

Meanwhile, the Phillies are 1-3 and the Marlins 2-3. We should probably go ahead and give the division crown to the Mets.

Coming into this season, the Braves looked like an 85-win team. A good team that could potentially be great, but playoffs were certainly not a given. What keeps them from being great is their penchant for slumping at the plate.

We’ve seen this for a while now. It’s a lineup full of former and potential All-Stars: Michael Bourne, Martin Prado, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward… on paper, it looks great. But these guys slump, and then they tear it up, and then they slump again. I’m not sure who is to blame for that– or if it’s just the natural ebb and flow of baseball– but we knew coming into this season that it would be feast or famine.

Heck, the Braves are not even two full years removed from a very ugly 9-game losing streak. Boy, was that a fun time to live in Atlanta. Naturally, less than two months later, the Braves sat atop the division, fought their way to a 9-game winning streak, and finished the year in the playoffs.

So, to Braves fans who find themselves scraping at themselves with broken pottery– I don’t blame you, but I have to ask: is this your first baseball season?

Christians and the Needy (and everyone else)

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:12:00 -0400

This may seem like an anti-Rick Warren post. It’s not, I promise. This may seem like a partisan-politics post. It’s not, I promise.

However, in response to a tweet that Rick Warren made today, there are a few things I have to get off my chest, hopefully in a civil fashion.

First, the tweet in question:

And now, some context.

With this tweet, Rick Warren is promoting the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, an international initiative to “mobilize Christian churches in working together to plant churches that promote reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.” Now, I don’t know much about the Plan, but those are all ideas I can get behind (as long as educate ≠ indoctrinate). So I have no beef there.

However, the tweet wasn’t really about the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. Or at least, that’s not the part that screams loudest.

Intentionally or unintentionally, Warren is using Matthew 25 (specifically verses 31-46) as an indictment of the Affordable Healthcare Act, insinuating that it is the role of the church alone to provide care for the poor and the sick.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I absolutely agree with the idea that it is one of the primary functions of the church to provide such care. And we’ve done a terrible job of doing that job in recent decades/centuries.

But the tweet– whether intended or not– took the idea to an entirely different and inappropriate level.

First, the notion that “Government isn’t mentioned in Matt. 25”: OF COURSE government isn’t mentioned. Jesus was giving the command to those around him, a crowd that likely included his followers, some religious leaders, and the average passerby. It’s doubtful that Caesar was in attendance. This is consistent with the majority of Jesus’ teachings as presented by the Gospels. He preached to the people about an entirely different kind of kingdom, and didn’t lead the expected political revolution.

But let’s indulge the idea of government-supported healthcare from the perspective of a 1st-century Palestinian. The idea that the Roman government– an oppressive group of self-interested occupiers that would kill you before helping you across the street– would have any interest in your health would have been completely inconceivable. You could say that about every ancient government. When Jesus said this, we were still many, many centuries away from anything that remotely resembled the “For the people, by the people” government that Americans enjoy today. Governments in that time were symbols of bloody, oppressive authority. So, again, OF COURSE Jesus didn’t mention the government. It was irrelevant.

(Side note: Our government is proposing a plan that aims to provide healthcare to everyone, including the poor and the already-sick…and we want to call THAT tyrannical? It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad.)

Secondly, I want to address the idea that it is the job of Christians and Christians alone to care for the world– that “It’s OUR responsibility.” If you’re not in the club, you have no business helping people. Interesting.

This presents some problems. In America alone, healthcare collectively costs an estimated $3 trillion annually. I don’t think the Christian church can pick up that bill. We have neither the will nor the resources. Should we aspire to have that sort of will? Should we do everything we can to assist? Absolutely.

But until then, we’re going to need some help. A LOT of help.

However, this idea is nothing new. I’ve been hearing a lot about it ever since… well, ever since the Healthcare debate started. It’s interesting that I didn’t hear much about it beforehand.

The unfortunate truth is that a lot of this talk has more to do with a deeply-intrenched anti-Obama sentiment than with the desire to help the needy.

Healthcare reform has been on the table in congress for many, many years. In fact, a large number of the ideas that made it into the Affordable Healthcare Act are actually old, conservative, Republican ideas from the 90’s.

But when President Obama took up the issue, suddenly the idea of healthcare reform became an encroachment upon our freedom, our privacy, and our faith. Government-assisted healthcare somehow managed to transform into an evil akin to Bible-burning in the eyes of many Christians.

I know that Warren’s not interested in widening the gap in our current national divide. But I hope he will understand that when he says things like this, he’s doing a lot of damage– intensifying unjustified hatred in the hearts of many of his followers (judging from some of the Twitter responses I’m reading)- and not actually bringing attention to the need for Christians internationally to care for the needy. It’s a real shame.

Photo

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:58:18 -0400

My Third Home.

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:39:00 -0400

My Third Home.

Distractions.

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:50:00 -0400

Distractions.

Regarding the Impending Doom of Mac OS X

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:34:29 -0400

(The following is the result of a sleepless late night writing session. It is long, and if you’re not particularly interested in the future of computers, I wouldn’t waste my time. I should also note that I’m writing from an Apple-using context; I mean no offense to Windows or Android users.)

The computing world is at a crossroads, and it’s going to get awkward.

Down one street is the classic desktop computer at its peak; these machines have never been more powerful or more functional, and they open its user up to an incredible world of creative possibilities. However, it is still reliant upon admittedly antiquated computing paradigms: the Finder, complicated hierarchies, criss-crossing reference files, command-line tweaking, and maddening software/hardware drivers. But for power and productivity, the classic desktop is unmatched.

But down the other street is what we call “disruptive technology.” It is iOS and iCloud. It is Apple (and Apple’s copiers) and the general populace realizing that the classic definitions of computing– a system designed primarily for high-end professionals in the 80s and 90s– is mostly irrelevant for 90% of users. In place of that system is a revolution (to borrow Apple’s favorite “reality distortion field”-ed term): a computing paradigm so simple and so intuitive that 2 year-olds can use them, and yet powerful enough to cover almost all of our computing needs. Almost.

The Tension

Personally, my iPad and iPhone are my favorite devices. I love the “it just works” elegance, the snappy workflow that SSDs provide, the ridiculous portability, the focus of uni-tasking, and the new, robust world of App design. There’s something very utopian about it. Heck, I’m writing this post on an iPad (using a very necessary keyboard case) with a wonderful $3 app called Byword, which will seamlessly, thoughtlessly, and instantaneously sync over iCloud to my iPhone and my home computer. By the time I finish typing this sentence, I can open up Byword on my iPhone, and this sentence will be there. It’s tremendous.

However, I make a living working on “classic” computers– a Mac Pro at work, an iMac at home– which are power-hungry behemoths that need to be able to quickly (relatively speaking) render out highly detailed animations. My projects often contain thousands of individual files and consume 20 GB+ of hard drive space– more than my entire iPad and iCloud account can hold combined. The reference files are often proprietary and may switch hands between three or four applications (which are often produced by different vendors) and rely on dozens of plug-ins (which are assuredly produced by different vendors). It’s all very complicated but at the same time completely necessary. There’s currently no other way to do it.

So what is the problem with this tension, exactly? Can’t we just go on with two systems: one for casual computing, and one for power computing? Theoretically, yes. But we won’t. Or at least Apple won’t.

Money, Trickle-Up, and More Money

My field in particular– designers, video pros, animators– has been relying on Apple, thanks to the reliable and “better-than-Windows” Mac OS, for many, many years. We’ve been some of Apple’s most loyal customers through thick and thin. And Apple loved us very much. But that was before the iPhone. It’s only been a little over four years since the first iPhone went for sale, and they’ve already sold more iPhones than Macs. Period. 28+ years of sales for the most storied computer company in the world shoved out of the way by a phone in merely 4 years. That’s staggering. And iPad appears to be on an even steeper curve.

So what does that mean? It means the Mac is literally financially irrelevant to Apple. This is less true on the low-end, as the MacBook Air is the only upward-trending PC out there right now (and not coincidentally, the only Mac continuing to see any real innovation). But on the high end– the Mac Pros, MacBook Pros, iMacs– these machines give Apple some pocket change, and nothing else. Many wonder if we’ve seen the last of the Mac Pro, which is Apple’s lowest-seller but also the computing cornerstone of the video and design industries. If Apple kills the Mac Pro, the outcry– as well as the continental shift toward Windows– would be significant, at least in the PR world. Financially? Not as much. Apple didn’t become the world’s most valuable company spending decades selling Macs… they did it in four years selling iPads and iPhones.

But there’s another trend at work here, and it’s turning the industry upside down. I like to call it “trickle-up.”

Traditionally in the computer industry, innovation works its way from larger, more capable machines down to the smaller machines. The slow march from room-sized computers to the desktop PC to the laptop is well-documented, not to mention the ill-advised attempts to shoehorn a desktop operating system into a phone (may Blackberry rest in peace). But Apple switched things up.

They introduced the iPhone, and brought with it (with some borrowing) a completely new way of interacting with computers: Multi-touch. Location-aware programs. The App Store. Information that is instantly and continuously at your fingertips. And so on.

The iPhone became an unprecedented success, and then Apple upped the ante (and size) with the iPad: larger screen, more robust apps, more potential. Suddenly, we were seeing articles asking whether or not this device can replace a laptop (and for a lot of people, it did). And the iPad became an unprecedented success.

It’s not difficult to predict the next step in this dance. An iOS desktop device is assuredly coming– maybe even this year. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome; for example, Steve Jobs himself said that a direct touch interface doesn’t particularly work on a device you can’t hold in your hand (I agree). But this is Apple–revolutionary, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that user interfaces is what they do.

(But I’m betting that the “hover and touch” surfaces we’re seeing pop up could come into play.)

With an iOS desktop device, the circle is more or less complete, and the Mac is pushed further into obsolescence. iOS devices will cover the needs of the vast majority of homes, and even many businesses. And Apple makes a LOT more money.

But what about the rest of us?

iOS Falls Short

I’m convinced that iOS will continue to evolve, and that one day, it’ll be a mature enough operating system to cover most needs. But we’re still at least few years away from that.

Steve Jobs famously wanted to kill file management, and the combination of iCloud and iOS is the first step. However, it’s far too simple and the storage space far too sparse to tackle even moderately complex workflows. Managing a dozen or so Pages documents? No problem. Cross-referencing massive libraries of Photoshop, Illustrator, Cinema 4D, and Final Cut Pro documents and all of their variations? That could get ugly.

And then there’s the issue of multi-tasking… real multi-tasking, that is. I was considering the other day whether or not it would be possible for my wife to work on her dissertation on an iPad. Pages could possibly do an adequate job, and this keyboard is actually pretty pleasing to type on. However, there’s one glaring shortcoming with the setup– she can’t reference her notes and her document simultaneously. That is, unless she plans on buying a second iPad. Apple needs to figure this out; and if they need some ideas, they should take a peek at Windows 8.

Yep. Windows 8.

And then there’s the issue of Apple’s walled-garden approach to iOS software. If you want to use an Apple product, you’re going to have to get used to it. Meanwhile, the development community will be forced to innovate on these new terms. For the user, it’s a nice, tidy system; for the developer, it’s a nightmare. Perhaps Apple’s stubborn determination to control the user experience will lead to a thriving Linux community.

Limbo and Disruption

Under these circumstances, the Mac must survive. But when iOS accounts for 90% of Apple’s revenue (which could happen, oh, tomorrow), what motivation is there to continue to invest in the product?

The writing is already on the wall. Gizmodo recently noticed that on Apple’s leadership webpage, you’ll find a lot of guys with “iOS” in their title– and none with “Mac.” Many of the Mac OS X’s longest-termed programmers have moved on. The only innovation the OS is seeing is, well, making it more like iOS.

Mac OS X– the world’s best operating system– is dying a slow, quiet death. It’s going to be an awkward period of limbo; it’ll stick around, but it’ll largely be ignored. Power users will have some tough decisions to make in the meantime.

New technologies aren’t fun for everyone– ask anyone in the PC, video game, consumer camera, publishing, or paper businesses. They’ve all been effectively replaced or displaced by iOS and Android. The iPod did it to the CD, the Television did it to the theater (and the radio star…), Email did it to the Postal Service, Amazon is doing it to the brick-and-mortar retailer, and so on. That’s how progress works. Enjoy the ride.

Or at least hang on for dear life.

Opportunity

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:43:00 -0400

I’ve never been an overly ambitious person.

I know that will surprise some people, with my overwhelmingly fiery nature.
(Sarcasm notation needed)

In grade school, I was never driven by anything in particular, except perhaps the expectation that I was supposed to do well. In college, I never had any dreams of achieving great success during or after my studies, save for a stretch where I aspired to be an undergraduate religion professor. Oh, the irony…

However, when I was roughly 20 years old, I found an intense passion for design. I enjoyed it immensely. I at least thought I was good at it. People left and right encouraged me to push forward. And so I spent nearly all of my free hours in Photoshop and Motion, trying out new techniques and making flyers and silly videos for campus organizations. I had no idea what is was exactly, but I knew I was building for something.

That period of ambition, along with some great (divine?) timing and connections, ultimately helped land me my current job. This job has pushed me so much further than I dreamed back then, simply through daily challenge and being around talented people.

But it’s been easy to get comfortable.

Not too comfortable, mind you– there’s always the next challenge to tackle, and always the chance that the rug will be pulled from under me on a given project.

But I admit that I’ve settled in some. I know what’s expected of me and I’ve gotten used to the flow. The months and art start to blend together. Sometimes I’m good at keeping the attitude of a student, and sometimes I’m just trying to get everything done. Deadlines and downtime. It’s the cycle of the design world. At times it unfortunately keeps me from pushing.

Now I’m staring at a big unknown once again– a chance to build something. If I’m going to make it, I need to tap into my 20 year-old self once again; the person who had everything to learn, everything to prove, and nothing to lose (though that last part isn’t remotely accurate this time around). I need to have ambition.

It’s interesting that ambition has become a dirty word. Understandable, but interesting. We often associate ambition with success for the purpose of accumulation– people who follow big ideas for the sake of making more money than the next guy.

But on the other side, I see good people who avoid ambition like the plague. They don’t want to be pushy, they don’t want to risk, or they don’t want to disturb the status quo. And so a lot of good things are left undone.

I’ve seen the fruit of good ambition, and I’ve seen the barrenness of its absence. I think God prefers the former. And I’ve been holding out.

The opportunities are always there, but right now it’s screaming at me. I’m just not yet sure of what it’s screaming.

Photo

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:32:11 -0400

Sharing: What is That to You?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:16:46 -0400

wilcomoore:

I’m a fairly insecure person. It could be some people-pleaser oldest child syndrome or some INFP stuff. Regardless, I’m always curious about what other people are doing, what other people are thinking, and where I line up on those spectrums.

Unfortunately, social networking and blogging has made chasing those questions all too easy. So I chase, absorb, and dwell on this information. I worry sometimes that my mind is like an episode of Hoarders. All this stuff building up inside and one day my sanity is going to be found rotting under a pile of Jesus-y tweets from megapastors.

There is much floating out in the internet that make me feel like a stranger in my own faith. And it hits closer to home when those things that make me feel strange have been cast out to digital sea by people I have known.

Of course, it’s not just the fights. I feel insecure when I see the beautiful things people are doing with their faith. They are using their God-given talents to help those in need, minister to all kinds of people, and create deep-reaching art. I feel very ineffective when I look at those people even though I know in my head that they are just as flawed as I am.

Read More

Photo

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:13:07 -0400

Fun moment this morning- couldn’t remember how old I was. Had to use math.

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:44:32 -0400

Fun moment this morning- couldn’t remember how old I was. Had to use math.

Sharing: “Cummulus & Nimbus” A cheery animation...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:24:54 -0400

Sharing: “Cummulus & Nimbus”

A cheery animation test created by the brilliant minds at we think things.

Sketches: WALL-E 3/14/12 Literally done “while...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:32:00 -0400

Sketches: WALL-E

3/14/12

Literally done “while rendering.” Hopefully these will get better as I spend more time with the iPad/stylus combo (and spend more than 10 minutes on an attempt).

“Random pictures I found on my SD card that I used to test...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:51:00 -0500

“Random pictures I found on my SD card that I used to test iPhoto for iPad”

TED – Andrew Stanton: The Clues to a Great Story

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:41:00 -0500

TED – Andrew Stanton: The Clues to a Great Story:

My favorite storyteller talks about stories.