raypaw.com

Intellectual property law is something I find very interesting — especially where it intersects with more philosophical concerns surrounding what it means to be creative and how (or if) works of art contain meaning and communicate intent. So it is with great interest that I listened to an NPR show devoted to the brewing legal …

In an interview published in the latest issue of Complex, cover girl Zooey Deschanel says this: My philosophy is that art should be as pure as possible, and as much as there is a separate component of audience reaction, whatever creative things I do should be unaffected. I don’t ever want to do something in …

Unfortunatly, som of th kys on my kyboar stopp working. I just bought this kyboar a fw wks ago to rpla th on that am with my omputr. That on also only work a fw wks. Thn I us anothr kyboar an it also stopp working. This is why I say I hav ba luk.

So I’m reading Art is Work by Milton Glaser. It’s one of those big art books and it’s really excellent in an Understanding Comics kind of way. Here’s an excerpt that jumped out at me. For one thing, it’s about breaking the rules, which is something I am typically interested in. For another, it’s about …

Have you ever noticed the amount of clothes you need to wear is proportional to the distance you have to travel? For example, if you’re stepping one leg out the front door to grab the newspaper off the stoop, you can get away with just boxers. But if you’re going to walk to the end …

Here’s an interesting conversation about online publishing between Bob Guccione, Jr. (a major figure in the magazine industry) and Gaby Darbyshire, VP of Gawker Media (one of the top web publishing companies). One of the best bits: Online media isn’t after all so different from offline media, though: the best content, with the most loyal …

Well, since I can’t currently log in to my freshly Leopard-ized Mac G5 here at the office and thus have to make due with the Adobe Creative Suite-less HP PC that also sits on my desk, I figured I would crank out a blog post. And naturally the topic is going to be those new Microsoft …

…that Google is about to release a web-browser or that they announced it with a Scott McCloud-esque comic book that will make at least two types of nerds leap for joy. As a recent (and somewhat uneasy) convert to Mac, the news that Google’s Chrome browser is Windows-only (for now, at least) is somewhat disappointing …

Silicon Alley Insider has re-posted an email Jason Calacanis, the former CEO of Weblogs, Inc and current CEO of Mahalo (one of those “human-powered” search engines, similar to Indy’s own Cha-Cha), sent to his “Jason’s List” email subscribers detailing why you don’t need a PR company for your startup. From a broader view, it’s also about …

In a crowded market, differentiation is key. Instead of slugging it out over a hotly-contested position, it’s better to find unoccupied ground and plant your flag there. Today I read that, in response to Fox News’s success in owning the “conservative” position, MSNBC is repositioning itself as the “liberal” news network. (I’ve always thought CNN …

Whilst reading an AdAge article on the lessons of marketing in the digital age, I came across the following quote, which clearly and succinctly defines what marketing is all about: As always, you have to gain a keen understanding of your customers and get insights about what’s really important to them. You need to establish …

These days there’s a lot of attention being paid to the decline of the newspaper business. Hundreds (if not thousands) of articles have been written about it and almost never offer up inspiring ideas about what to actually do about the problem. But every once in awhile someone just slightly outside of the game materializes …

Greetings from the men’s restroom at my office. In case you can’t tell, I decided to go with the iPhone. Not only that but, on a whim, I also decided to get a 24″ iMac to go with it. As I was saying, I’m kind of an all-or-nothing guy.

I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time trying to decide whether or not I want to get an iPhone. Well, of course I want an iPhone; I’ve been trying to decide if going through the hassle and expense of getting an iPhone would be worth it. On the plus side, I will no longer have …

Here’s a pretty decent New York Times article about a mini trend in ad campaigns that has them expressing ‘disruptive’ emotions about the state of our world. Example: The campaign has an edge to it, Mr. Pletch acknowledged, but it also has “an empathetic tone that tells them, ‘We understand what you’re going through.’ ” …

In my literary travels, I’ve recently discovered the symbol of the blue flower which is an object of intense desire that promises (at least to its seeker) fulfillment and wholeness. Here’s an excerpt from an English translation of Heinrich von Ofterdingen, the unfinished 18th-century German novel that originated the symbol. (It goes on at some …

Longtime readers of this blog may remember my dismay at Indianapolis Star writers balking at the idea of sometimes writing ad copy as a way to stymie the bleeding in the newspaper business. And while that particular initiative proved not to be one with any staying power, the Indy Star of late has been seen …

Guess what? Wilkes University in Pennsylvania is targeting individual high school students with recruitment advertising. Just in case it’s not clear what that means, consider the following excerpt from the linked article: Justin Chung knew Wilkes University wanted him when he got one of its first acceptance letters in February. But he didn’t know how …

Not too long ago, I decided I really wanted a Palm Centro. Unfortunately, the independent Sprint retailer I buy from would not sell me the Centro for its advertised price of $99, even though I had previously purchased from him and was willing to re-up my contract at a higher monthly rate for unlimited data. …

Hot on the heels of their recent print redesign, my friends over at the Indianapolis Star have just given their website a makeover. The timing, of course, strikes me as funny since my friends over at NUVO are about to unleash a redesigned website as well. (Not that I’m saying there’s any kind of connection.) …

Really, really great rant over on the Ad Age site about how marketers (and media people) don’t understand the Internet. The author’s basic point is that the Internet is not an advertising medium. Yet, marketers and media types alike want to treat it that way since that’s how they’re used to thinking about media. This …

Here’s a snippet of a great comment left on an Ad Age article about magazine publishers failing to capture significant web audiences. If magazine publishers could slow down, figure out exactly what their core value is to an audience and then build internal, well funded web strategies around that, then they might find success and …

This morning I’m seriously charged-up because Inc. magazine — which is right up there with Fast Company on my short list of cool business mags — just published a glowing piece on digital billboards. Despite the fact that the article suggests digital outdoor creative is made using Illustrator (which I suppose could be used in …

Today, I thought about the Star Wars prequel trilogy … twice! First, I was wondering why didn’t they have Anakin as a young adult in the first place instead of being a toddler? Why not have Episode I be about new Jedi recruit Anakin falling in love with Padme? Have it end happy and be self-contained …

As many of you have probably already heard, Blu-ray has triumphed over HD-DVD. We live in such a strange time — or I’m such a strange person — that the end of hostilities between rival home movie formats actually seems like cause for celebration. Still, I have to say, I was rooting for HD-DVD. In …

So it is with some degree of self-satisfaction that I read in Ad Age that GoDaddy’s “banned ad” approach is working. This tickles my fancy because it’s almost exactly the same thing I suggested NUVO do with some radio ads about how its redesign will “blow your mind”. The formula here is pretty simple: Create …

Since my recent return to the blogosphere, many of you have written in asking me about my new job and what I am doing all day. Well, today, for example, I have been digesting various articles and reports so our sales people don’t have to. You know, sort of like those people who pre-chew food …

Today, I am blogging from the Dual 2 Ghz PowerPC G5 Mac with 2 GB of RAM with the sweet 23″ Apple Cinema HD flat panel that I use at my new job. I point this out because about three years ago I was so ecstatic about having access to a wimpy eMac with — …

So I have finally seen Rocky Balboa and I have to tell you, it’s really good. Here is a film about being true to yourself and not letting anyone tell you that you’re past your expiration date. As George Eliot said, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” Here, Rocky is …

I was reading today about some guy who is a wizard at buying up undervalued businesses and making them profitable. (Of course, who doesn’t specialize in this anymore?) Anyway, he’s got a bid in on the Tribune Company and it’s looking like it’ll be accepted. Of course, the wizard says that this is a good …

A lot of people seem to be missing the big picture surrounding Apple’s iPhone. They’re all talking about it like it’s just an iPod mixed with a phone. BusinessWeek gets it right: The truly remarkable thing about this device is that it’s practically a paradigmn shift in consumer electronics. But even that is just a …

One place where you can really see how close we are to an exponential explosion in our societal relationship with technology is the supermarket. It’s been a few years now since self-check lanes made their way into our lives. This Fast Company article takes a quick look at the future of the phenomenon and what …

As you know, I have been all over the internet. But never in all my years have I encountered a group of nerds more devoted to an irresolvable knock-down, drag-out, no-holds-barred argument over the significance of arcane minutiae than Legend of Zelda timeline theorists. Zelda timeline nerds will verbally eviscerate you the very instant you …

My mind is currently reeling after reading about how Best Buy corporate has switched to an entirely clockless culture. No arrival time, no departure time, no mandatory meetings — no need to ever be in the office. Simply work when you want, wherever you want. Since your performance is measured only on the results that …

So I was at a bookclub meeting last night to discuss The High-Impact Infidelity Diet, which was a well-paced sometimes humorous, sometimes serious look at fidelity in middle America. The author himself showed up and — in addition to shamefully admitting responsibility for creating the “Jared from Subway” phenomenon — offered us a nice (perhaps …

As a child, I idealized Superman above all other heroes. My mother tells (and tells and tells) a story about how when I was but two years old and we were stranded on the side of the road, just when all hope seemed lost I said, “Don’t worry, Superman will save us.” As you might …

Finally got around to seeing X-Men: The Last Stand this last weekend. How did I like it? Well, in judging its merits, the question really is: Should it be compared to the other X-Men films or should it be compared to other superhero movies? If you compare this movie to other X-Men films, it doesn’t …

You tell me what this means — The other day at Starbucks, I get a cup containing the following wisdom from no less than Bruce m.f.-ing Campbell: “If you’re worried about getting a job — or keeping one — start a company of your own. By doing so, you’ll reap the rewards of your hard …

Was anyone else left unenthusastic by the big announcement at Macworld? I mean, x86 Macs? That was well-known, like, nine months ago. So I’m scratching my head as to why I’m supposed to be eager to plunk down $2,000 for another sip of Apple’s Kool-Aid, even if this new batch has Intel inside? If it’s …

I know that ASIMO is really not much more intelligent than that R2-D2 toy that I used to have follow me around. But check out the videos of him on the official US Honda ASIMO page and tell me that it is not uncannily close to passing for human. At this rate, imagine what kind …

My good friend (and future roommate) Mike Z. has been on me for awhile to download a recent Diane Rehm episode devoted to futurist Ray Kurzweil and his book The Singularity is Near. Tonight I relented and I’m glad I did. For one thing, I always take pride in accomplishments by people named Ray. Even, …

Broad Ripple is a strange place — quite like Joyce’s Nighttown, I think. Of course, I’ve never read Ulysees so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Case in point: Earlier tonight, I was thirsty and I wanted to go get a Coke. So I set out on foot for the local McDonald’s. …

Batman and I go way back. The first birthday cake that I can ever remember was Batman-shaped. My first action figure — at least the first one that meant a damn — was Batman. Ditto pajamas. And I’m pretty sure somewhere there’s a photo of me dressed as Batman for one of my first Halloweens. …

Alright, I admit it: I’m super-pumped about Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Even though, yes, it does look like Anakin and Obi-Wan duel while surfing on lava and, yes, probably Yoda farts. I even have serious doubts that Mace Windu will be revealed as a Jedi traitor — but so what? …

Greetings from sunny Broad Ripple. This is actually my first time blogging from this location despite living here for the better part of a year. It has only been recently that I have procured an internet connection thanks to a $100 wifi antenna. So, I just wanted to let you all know that I am …

So I have completed my two-day tour-of-duty as an elimiDATE production assistant. I come out of this experience a little wiser, a little hardened, a little disillusioned, a little bit country, and a little bit rock-n-roll. I made up those last two. Though “production assistant” was my official title, me and my compatriots were known …

My grandfather passed away a few days ago. I wish I had something eloquent to say. I don’t even have that many memories of him, though he was a constant and reassuring presence in my childhood. Wait, there is one. It’s coming to me just now, as I write this. You see, years ago, before …

On my way in to work tonight, I noticed my very favourite piece of flair in the world — a rectangular button promoting the DVD release of Charlie’s Angels in 2000, one featuring a rather inspiring view of a spunky, red-headed Drew Barrymore, the Charlie’s Angels logo and the word “DYLAN” emblazoned in a rollerrink …

I’ve got it! I’ve unlocked the sociopolitical meaning of Transformers. Cybertron is a metaphor for America — a giant, living machine. Indeed, its own citizens literally transform themselves from humanoids into the very cogs that drive Cybertron. No one Cybertronian can understand his impact on the planet itself, but by doing his job, the entire …

INT. BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO – DAY The store is quiet. RAY is standing behind the counter preforming a menial task. SCHULER, the store manager and a British expatriate, flanks him while preforming a slightly less menial task. SCHULER I watched that bloody School of Rock movie. What tripe garbage! RAY Well I liked it. SCHULER If …

TIME magazine is finally giving some mainstream press to an issue that I’ve found interesting for a long time: the relative quickness with which my generation has become nostalgic for a childhood we’re not even entirely done living in the first place. The TIME article is mostly focused on those VH1 I Love The ____ …

Lucky Wander Boy is a novel about connections, about the invisible threads that bind together the seemingly unrelated ideas and objects that make up modern life. For the novel’s protagonist, Adam Pennyman, classic video games represent the most tangible connection he has between his inner-self and the external world, and, in many ways, the book …