Nature

Art and Technology

Lewis — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:03:50 +0000

Art and Technology

Lewis Fri, 04/29/2011 - 4:03pm

Everyone has heard the old adage, “The world’s oldest profession. ” But it usually isn’t associated with art or technology.

The First Sofa Size Painting

There is significant archeological evidence that art was practiced by our cave-dwelling ancestors, who were driven to capture their daily experiences by rendering scenes on the walls of their dwellings. The first “sofa-size” paintings started here, and who can say that it wasn’t as much decoration as documentation?

The focus of this article is not about the origins of art. It is about the intrinsic dependencies of art and technology, from that first mark made by man through to the digital world we live in today. When the first cave dweller was inspired to render the memory of his hunt on a rock wall, he had to develop a technology that would allow him to accomplish that.

Just Sayin’

I’m not an anthropologist and have no credentials to support this statement, but I think that the concept of leaving a mark was all around him in his daily life — bird droppings on a tree, blood from a fresh kill spread across the ground, the impression of a wet leaf left on a rock. There must have been a number of ways that it was first attempted as a human expression, but regardless of how it happened, a tool was used. Technology.

From that moment on, the technology evolved in response to the evolving progress of our need to express ourselves. As man’s mind became more conceptual, his expression became richer and more subtle. So did his tools. A constant forward development, one propelled by the other.

Left Brain, Right Brain

I hear you. “What about plain ol' technology? What about hunting tools, cooking tools, metal weapons, machines, computers, cars, airplanes, robots...” They all were designed first, or some conceptual design was involved on the fly. Just as art needed technology to come into being, technology needed art to come into being. The earliest toolmaker unwittingly began exercising those parts of the brain that we now depend on to decide what is beautiful and what is ugly — at least in the eyes of the beholder.

So what has this to do with Internet marketing and websites (the reason you landed on this site I presume)? It is because to understand the root of something is to understand its core purpose. In today’s world it is easy to take things at face value because there is no time to contemplate every object and phenomena that crosses our path.

We need our “tools” to get through the day. We drive to work talking on our cell phones, we arrive and boot up or log on on to our computers, and use any number of apps or websites to get our work done, so we can drive home, talking on our cell phone, arriving to switch on the television or computer, etc.

Did you miss it?

Yes, the computers, the apps, the websites, the smartphones, the television — art and technology. Artists, designers, programmers, engineers, manufacturers, all working in concert together to bring you visually exciting tools that are fun to use. I don’t know about you, but I’ve worked with programmers who disregarded the need for UI (user interface) design, allowing their framework to “shine” on its own. And subsequently I’ve worked with the clients for whom the work was produced, and after taking one look at the UI said “I can’t use that.” We’ve all been victims of bad interface design, and it drives our decision to use or not to use.

Draw This Mastadon

User interface design (UI) is founded on basic compositional principles that are almost as ancient as our original ancestors. Good designers exercise similar concepts that great artists invoke when determining what will make their masterpiece pleasing to the beholder. Yes, there are systems and formulas available that someone with the right drive might use to generate a decent user interface for a website or smartphone app, but here we could use the old adage, “You get what you pay for.”

The good designer assesses the needs first. “Ogg — draw mastadon on wall — in red.”

From this objective they begin a process that is difficult, if not impossible for most people to comprehend. Ok, I’ll try.

At a speed faster than is knowable by humans, probably even outside our perception of time as a thing, every aspect related to the design is tested and vetted for emotional pleasure and the winners stick on top. That is just the start. Then a subtle knowing of how it should all be composed to provide an optimal, pleasing experience begins to be expressed in the designers preferred medium.

On numerous occasions I’ve seen a design or painting that accomplishes a high level of success as it relates to academic understanding. A person with this academic knowledge might ask the artist or designer, sometimes self-righteously, how they came to the particular successful solution now in front of them. From the best designers and artists comes this answer: “I’m not sure” or “I couldn’t tell you.” This remark is usually incorrectly interpreted as the artist having no idea what they’re doing.

I submit to you that this is in fact a sure sign that the artist functions on that subtle level of understanding that has given us the most wonderful paintings, sculptures, cinema, television, websites, and apps, and that makes the drudgery of our life a bit more beautiful.

Slow down and take a look.

Ecotourism Begins in the Marketing Department

Zachary — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:25:29 +0000

Ecotourism Begins in the Marketing Department

Zachary Fri, 11/14/2008 - 11:25am

Ecotourism, green travel, limited-footprint vacationing—call it what you like, more and more travelers are taking into account the environmental effects of their vacation choices. Even the RV world is beginning to get a little green. Promoting your venue or destination to environmentally aware consumers can bring rewards.

With earth-friendly concerns on the rise, we can't help but wonder why the focus in ecotourism seems squarely on the destination or activity. There are a lot of steps in between, beginning with how destinations or attractions market to potential visitors. What's being done on that level in the name of sustainability?

Not enough, we tend to think. Granted, we have a bit of history with visitor packets, but let's face it: traditional marketing techniques—in this case, printed information packets and rack cards—are often wasteful and, perhaps, blunt a given organization's claims to promote environmental stewardship. Yes, we recognize there have been advances in recycled printing materials and sustainable processes; however, we want to focus on how shifting some marketing resources to online techniques can help burnish an organization's eco-friendly credentials—as well as increase ROI.

Use less paper, more PDF

Just don't make the mistake of taking the same brochure PDF you send to your printers and slapping it on your website; as we've mentioned before, online and offline reading habits are different. Instead, design an information packet for the sole purpose of online display—while reducing the number you have printed and mailed. In addition to sparing a small forest and bolstering your eco-cred, there are other benefits:

Efficiency. You can design and post quickly. Changes also can be made quickly and with little (or no) cost. More importantly, visitors to your website will have information immediately available to them, at all times.
Measurability. Direct mail response rates are often low and notoriously hard to identify. However, if you capture contact information from those downloading your online packet, you may see better metrics on your efforts.
Savings. Printing and mailing costs money; in some cases, making a PDF online costs only time. Moreover, it won't cost you an arm and a leg when you inevitably misspell "cryptosporidium" for the fifth time.

In an age when people demand immediate satisfaction, it's hard to expect consumers to wait weeks for a brochure. It's even harder to show environmental sensibility when said brochure reeks of the benzene used in the glossy coating.

Make your website an equal attraction

Posting pretty pictures on a website is easy. What's challenging is using pictures and descriptive copy to create a concise, yet compelling, narrative that intrigues a potential customer who's weary from seeing the same blue waters and room descriptions on every site. Your website isn't a digital postcard; it's an opportunity for your markets to experience a piece of your destination, even when miles away.

What does this have to do with environmental stewardship? For starters, if you make your site compelling and effective, interested customers won't have a need to request that printed packet we already talked about. Better yet, you'll be able to explain the significance of your LEED certification and educate users about its role in sustainable practices.

Email more than reservation confirmations

Want to run seasonal promotions or highlight your eco-friendly spa? Stick with email. It costs pennies compared to direct mail and, like PDF information packets, has multiple benefits. It also won't leave a single golden-cheeked warbler homeless.

Go the extra mile in showing your environmental commitment, and your customers will show their appreciation. You might also just save a penny or two.

Submitted by Guest on Sat, 12/06/2008 - 8:00pm

Good article, I could not agree more on so many points as many businesses pretend themselves going green whereas they are still not implementing common sense measures. Do you have some examples of successful businesses???

Submitted by Zachary on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 9:24am

Unfortunately, much of the tourism industry still clings to traditional—and, in many cases, wasteful—marketing practices. It's hard to give up those glossy brochures and rack cards. The recent economic upheaval, however, may have interesting side effects that reduce some of the green washing.

As is custom, many organizations are cutting back on traditional marketing efforts. Interestingly, many are actually redirecting resources toward online efforts. Thus, the environment may be the unintended beneficiary of the slowdown. What remains to be seen is if these organizations will simply go back to old habits once things pick up.

Fight or Flight

AMac — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Fight or Flight

AMac Thu, 02/21/2008 - 12:00am

In 1915, Walter Cannon theorized that animals react to threatening situations with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. He coined the term "fight or flight."

I know what that guy was talking about.

Take for example a little sparrow, we'll call him Peepers, enjoying a sunflower seed sandwich on a sunny summer day, when all of a sudden I show up with my camera to take his picture. Peepers is only 5" tall and I'm 79" tall, a menacing presence to the little guy for sure. According to Mr.Cannon, this little bird who now perceives me as a threat, will do one of two things. He will fight, knowing his odds of taking me out are slim, or he will flee, which seems like a great idea for Peepers considering he is the only animal that can literally fly away. And I cannot follow.

You see what I'm getting at? Of course you do, say it with me now. How do we combat shutter shyness in birds? How do we paint these wonderful creatures with light if they won't stick around long enough to hold up their end of the deal? I have an answer.

A Phottix Wireless Remote Switch, a Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera (my apologies to Mr.Cannon) and a tripod is all you need to capture intimate pictures of birds like Peepers.

I recently struck gold on eBay when I found this Phottix Wireless Remote Switch from Hong Kong for just 20 bucks. I challenge anybody out there to find a quality piece of modern day photography equipment for $20. This thing is a steal. It works by attaching a receiver to the camera and holding the remote in your hand. Its really that simple. From a distance of up to 100 meters I can take a picture, no strings or wires attached.

As soon as this magic arrived on my stoop I set up shop in my backyard, which means I set the camera on a tripod and slinked back into the house, remote in hand. Not too long after Peepers showed up to snack, just where I anticipated him to perch. With the press of a button I shot the little bird. I shot him several times in fact and he wasn't the only one. I've shot several birds since Peepers and with some luck in the near future I plan to shoot the high-class cardinal that streaks around my backyard like break lights on a dark rainy night.

One more note. I found a great website for identifying birds. Whatbird.com allows you to search through thousands of bird species by selecting characteristics of the bird in question such as location, size, shape, color and many others. One of the more interesting questions I came across, it asks, "Does the bird have a fowl mouth?"

Thank you and goodnight.

Nature

Art and Technology

The First Sofa Size Painting

Just Sayin’

Left Brain, Right Brain

Did you miss it?

Draw This Mastadon

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Ecotourism Begins in the Marketing Department

Use less paper, more PDF

Make your website an equal attraction

Email more than reservation confirmations

LEAVE A COMMENT

Fight or Flight

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