May 15, 2013
Life
(Source: screenshotsofdespair)
March 11, 2013
This afternoon, my partner Turtle walked out of our apartment to grab a bite. Before he even left our block, a man called him “faggot” as he passed. Rather than let the guy get away with it, Turtle decided to confront this man about his hateful behavior. And he filmed it.
Notice how well Turtle handles himself in this video. No need to fight hate with hate; calling him “slick hair” is as hateful as Turtle gets (which is hilarious and awesome). He lets that ignorant clown have it with poise and decency. Not surprising, considering Turtle is the absolute best guy around and I couldn’t be prouder of him.
Our neighbors saw this altercation, and told Turtle that this man has been harassing their thirteen year-old son for years, sometimes even calling him “faggot” while the kid was in recess at school with his peers. They know who he is and where he lives. They’ve been too scared for the kid’s safety to do anything about it. But it’s going to end today.
Turtle called the cops and is going to file a complaint tomorrow morning. I don’t know what’s going to happen yet, but hopefully this jerk will learn that we’re not going to put up with this crap in our neighborhood anymore.
On the bright side, this charmer is already in talks with DC Comics to illustrate Orson Scott Card’s Superman story. It’ll be the first comic book drawn completely in douchey hair gel.
Srsly wut the f. Wish I did this for all the peeps who called me a chink when I was tiny
February 16, 2013
Meteorite hits Russian Urals near Chelyabinsk.
Russia’s Urals region has been rocked by a meteorite explosion in the stratosphere. The impact wave damaged several buildings, and blew out thousands of windows amid frigid winter weather. Hundreds have sought medical attention for minor injuries.Incredible
Wow
February 17, 2012
The new Windows logo is out of perspective. Someone teach MS designers some basic perspective. Fixed it for ya.
Edit: There’s a bit of debate whether or not windows are square. The archetype of a window that MS followed is a four quadrant window, usually composed of squares: 
I believe this was the intended design. There are rarely rectangular quadrant windows that are wider than they are tall.
Also, my good friend Linda Dong noted that the horizontal gap should be tapering, as well.
Edit 2: Just learned that it was actually designed by Pentagram’s Paula Scher. How embarassing.
February 12, 2012
Japan WAO exhibit in Broadway. Sick. (Taken with Instagram at Capsule Studio Inc.)
January 17, 2012
January 12, 2012
Quick doodle. Miss concept art sometimes.
January 3, 2012
Some mean kids in the comments. What do I even do for a living?
December 31, 2011
Last week, I read an interview with Ben Barry, a designer at Facebook. He talks about how one of the most important pieces of software a designer has is TextEdit.
Sitting down and getting thoughts in writing about what it is you’re doing, who it’s for, why you’re doing it – once you have that clear understanding, it becomes much easier.
I suddenly realized that I had been doing that for the past few projects. Although not TextEdit, I do use OmmWriter to help me straighten out my thoughts in words. It’s a stress-free environment where I can edit, make comments in parentheses, and not have to worry about it being included in my portfolio as process. Writing’s also been immensely helpful for reflecting on life. I’ve done recaps five times in the past four years, and each time I am really shocked with how much I’ve changed (or haven’t changed).
New York
Last time I wrote, I was about to start my internship at Smart Design in NYC, where I am now a full-time Designer.
Six months later, I am slightly less scared of New York. It is still a gross place filled with crazy people, but I am always wowed by the ease of socializing with people. I grew up in the suburbs of Palo Alto, where I would have to drive to my friends’ houses to hang out. Everything basically closed at 12, and when we went out, we would end up at the same places every time. In New York, I can hop on the Q and meet up with any of my friends within 30 minutes, and not have to worry about driving home.
Still, I sometimes wish I were in the Bay Area. New York is not a design city. It is a fashion and art city. It’s a town of finance, not of technology. Sometimes it is really hard to connect with people – most New Yorkers just aren’t as into it as I am. Good thing there is Twitter. I am grateful that the Twitter design community is so energetic, supportive, and active. At the same time, Twitter can be stressful. I can always find someone who is better than I am.
Consultant
Designing at a consultancy has been an incredible experience. The people I work with are very supportive and nice. There is no hierarchy and I can easily have a beer with one of the directors. Clients come and go, and I’ve been able to work on at least 15 different projects. While it’s exciting to try new things, it’s a bit of hit-and-miss. Occasionally you are stuck with a project that’s not quite what you want to spend the next weeks of your life on. That is when it’s the toughest to carry on. Although I think I have one of the best jobs in the world, sometimes work is work. My amazing coworkers really help me pull through.
Stamina
The past few months I have been working on a personal project with one of my friends. It is incredibly hard to do these skunkworks projects when both of you have inconsistent, consultant schedules. It’s hard to work a 10-hour day and still have energy to think. I tried to finish it this week, but sometimes my brain needs to shut down (also, it didn’t help that I got super sick two days ago).
NeXT
In June, I listed some goals. Some I tried and decided it wasn’t worth my time (going to the gym, blogging about things). Others I accomplished (winning at my internship, enjoying NYC, using my sketchbook more). Here’s what I’d like to work on:
- Sustain my passion for life and design (in that order).
- Use my blog as a medium for exercising my design muscles. (Similar to my entry on movie theater experiences).
- Get out of the US for the first time in 9 years.
- Stop worrying about what others think of me.
2011 was the last benchmark year of my life - the year I graduate from college. I no longer have any more benchmark years. Here’s to a successful 2012.
December 29, 2011
It’s no secret that SOPA is fueled by the entertainment industry, largely because of dropping revenues. They blame the rising piracy, but it’s not a clear cause-and-effect.
Roger Ebert wrote this article yesterday about why he thinks the revenues are dropping. I particularly like point 3 and want to elaborate on it:
3. The theater experience. Moviegoers above 30 are weary of noisy fanboys and girls. The annoyance of talkers has been joined by the plague of cell-phone users, whose bright screens are a distraction. Worse, some texting addicts get mad when told they can’t use their cell phones. A theater is reportedly opening which will allow and even bless cell phone usage, although that may be an apocryphal story.
I am not too bothered by cell phone users, but the theater experience is really miserable these days. In NYC, you stand in line to pay $13+ to be “ushered” by unfriendly staff, struggle to find seats with all your friends in the same row, sit in disgusting chairs… and that’s if the movie isn’t sold out by the time you get to the theater.
His other points include high prices of tickets and refreshments, low quality of films, competition from other delivery mediums, and a lack of choice.
It’s interesting to me that there is no one trying to disrupt this industry. Think about what a movie theatre experience could be like if one of the top design consultancies designed it. It could be a seamless, painless experience from ticket purchasing to using the bathrooms.
The entertainment industry is trying to compensate for a terrible experience with high prices and low-paid employees, when they should be focusing on making people want to be in the theatre. I go to movie theaters with family and friends - why isn’t the experience designed around that? Let me share a private channel to talk about the movie as we watch it, let us pause and resume – take a look at karaoke booths: private room, comfortable couches, table for refreshments, ability to call on staff.
AMC: make me WANT to give you my money. Not because you’re the closest one or the least dirty in the city, but because I want to spend time with family and friends there.
December 29, 2011
One year later… but one day after I uploaded the project onto Behance. Words of advice: put your work on Behance, and make it nice!
December 26, 2011
Follow me! New work coming soon… Modai now has videos of the UI in use.
December 26, 2011
"
Something that is often overlooked with creatives is time management and getting shit done. You can be the most talented designer in the world but if you don’t follow through and get stuff out there, it doesn’t matter.
I have several friends that are incredibly talented. They will start on projects but rarely follow through. They get bored or distracted or discouraged that it’s not “perfect” and give up. Following through and finishing things is one of the most important things you can learn.
One of my favorite quotes is “Done is better than perfect.” That doesn’t mean making crap – I believe you should always strive for the highest quality you can – but you have to finish. I think a lot of my friends in this situation don’t realize how in-demand their skills are. I think if you follow through on projects and just put the tiniest little effort into promoting yourself and have the tiniest bit of self-confidence, you can get the job you want.
"— Ben Barry - http://the99percent.com/articles/7118/Facebooks-Ben-Barry-On-How-To-Hack-Your-Job
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