Design Minstrel - Pop Idol

So, my regent obsession with writing songs about Flash and ActionScript 3 made me an idol tonight. I introduced the entire audience of FlashForward (+-800) to Design Minstrel. They liked my first song so much, they demanded an encore. We had a great time. It was a huge rush and therapeutic because I have really put a lot of effort into getting up to speed on ActionScript 3 and even though my songs are meant to be funny, they are written about stuff I really care about. It was a rush to make so many people laugh.

Flashforward San Francisco 2008

Driving to San Francisco from Salt Lake City was not a big deal! I took my dad along and got a lot of freelance work done while he drove. With all our pit stops - including a 1 hour stop at Donner Pass, and a very long detour coming in from the north through Vallejo and San Rafael, we made it in about 12 hours. We left about 4AM and arrived around 5PM. The time went surprisingly fast. I am excited to attend this year - a little freaked out though about singing on Friday. Weather is great! 

Update: FlashForward is almost over and it has been pretty good but I learned very little about the hands-on stuff though (notice my absence of notes compared to last year). Somewhat good on the inspiration side, but overall, I like the old 3-track format better. There wasn't enough how-to information this year. It was much too general. 

I am singing in a few hours and I'm not sure how it is going to go because two minutes isn't very long. 

Featured in .NET Magazine

I stumbled across this magazine article in .net magazine issue #168. Nitro Circus was highlighted! Here is the text:

Nitro Circus is the home of Travis Pastrana (American motocross and X Games legend) and his films of crazy stunts. Its the first site to use Matt Maxwells own 3D engine, and it sets a new benchmark in 3D Flash graphics and its use in depth of field. The site has a suitably daredevil look, particularly with the dynamite motifs and motorbike parts strewn across the digital landscape, and the 3D engine serves as a way of manoeuvring through the sites sections. Its an ingenious and gorgeous-looking approach to navigation, and something thats sure to catch on in web design styles. No longer is the menu system a 2D affair; visitors really can move through virtual spaces. It looks very much like the tabletop designs that are so common today, but it takes the experience further.

Featured on Communication Arts Home Page

Well, my late nights howling into my webcam have paid off. I have been promoting my new designminstrel.com site as a creative/promotional expression. I wrote a song about Communication Arts Magazine and they featured it as a news item on their home page! Thanks CA. Thats 3 times I have had them recognize me in their prestigious world. The first time it was a letter to the editor blasting a sleezy Corel ad. I tore it out and mailed it to them - with magic marker written across it: "You can have this back. If I see it again in your publication I will cancel my subscription. I also sent a letter separately and they published in one of their issues. The second time was their "site of the week" on their home page. And this third time makes me happy. ...If only I could now get my design work printed in their pages...

Design Minstrel

Many of you who know me are aware that I have been taking voice lessons for a year or so and some of you have already had the occasion to be assaulted by my amateur tones. Well, I have decided to redirect all my passion for design, Flash, and tech plus my blossoming vocal agility (sarcasm there) into a new site called designminstrel.com. I'm not sure why I am doing it, other than I love to write - and sing - and design - and this seems to be a way to combine all those things. Check out my songs and tell your friends! 

John Mayer

So I have been a Speech Level Singing student for a few years now and it has been great studying the styles of various artists. I have learned a bunch of songs from the Counting Crows, Josh Groban, Amos Lee, and John Mayer. When I found out John Mayer was coming to town I got some tickets and we went and saw him perform at the Usana Amphitheater. It was the first time I have gone to a concert where I had many of the songs completely memorized. It was cool to see how his songs have evolved and how he does them live. His singing was shakier than I expected and his personality was a little peculiar, but HOLY COW his guitar skills blew my mind. I have never experienced anything like that. He was amazing. It was inspiring. 

Why You Should Always Wear the Wii Strap

So, you know those straps on the Wii controllers? Yeah. Use em. And those rubber covers that go around the controller? Probably a good idea too. 

We will never know if she got that strike.

So how does anyone know how I properly dispose of a 37" LCD? 

St. Louis AIGA 13 Honors

The Dial60th.com Flash home page that I programmed and co-designed with Propaganda Inc. won prestigious AIGA recognition in the Experience Design category. Like many of my recent sites, it used my 3D engine to give a realistic presence to the site. I also did the sound design with Metropolis Post. 

Vista Bites, Welcome Back Mac

Poor Microsoft. They really have a crappy product in Vista. I liked it at first, then it started getting slower and slower and buggier and buggier to the point where it became unusable. The last straw was when all my contacts got corrupted and there was no way to restore them. I had virus protection and I faithfully backed up my files using Second Copy, so I had all my work data. My new Mac can run Windows XP seamlessly using VMWare Fusion - and get this - it runs Flash animations faster than my windows PC did. So after about a year I put my PC up on eBay and I am back to Mac. I am back in the fold. 

2 Weeks In

So, a lot of people are asking me, "So, how is it being on your own?" I have started to dread this question. Why? Because everything is good about being on my own and people start turning bright green when I start describing my new life:

BENEFITS
1. You may notice from the aerial photo that I am very comfortable - especially now that my armrests are (inventively, I might confess) covered in cotton socks. I highly recommend it.

2. Nap time. My iPhone has a great timer. When I feel a little sleepy, I just set my timer for 15 minutes and sit back in my nearby La-z-boy. No worrying about what the boss will think.

3. The view is great. My office has a nice big window that overlooks the Aspens in my yard and Utah Lake in the distance. I had actually forgotton that birds inhabit our surroundings and that clouds move.

4. The commute is now about 12 seconds (versus 45 minutes).

5. Work hours. I get up at 6am, work til I feel hungry, go downstairs and eat breakfast and spend time with Jami and do whatever I damn feel like until I feel like working again, work some more until I'm hungry again, eat lunch, work a little more and hang out with the rest of the kids when they get home from school, watch TV with Jami happily laying on my chest, then I eat dinner. When I feel like working again after the kids go to bed I work into the evening until I reach a stopping point and eyes start to glaze over.

6. Technology. I have the perfect setup. I have one computer. Everything works. If I need something I buy it.

7. No design by comittee. I am a team of one - plus client. No internal concensus building, no gossiping, no territories.

8. Almost the entire budget goes to creative. Less than 5% of my time goes to administrative tasks. No extra people using up the budget.

9. Hygeine optional (I know- this one's kind of gross)

10. No intercom

DOWNSIDES
1. ... ummm... hm... I have to pay now to enter award shows and to go to conferences! -I knew I could think of one!

Josh Argyle Photography

I just launched the first completed project done by my new company, Matt Maxwell Design Inc. A photographer from Santa Monica, CA noticed my thrillbilliestrailer.com site and followed the link in it to my portfolio site.

This is the first site created in Flash ActionScript 3. I had to completely rewrite my Flash 3D engine from the ground up. I haven't mastered AS3 yet, but I have crossed through the most intimidating initiation phase. It's quite different from the old versions of Flash, but now that I am into it, I could never go back. I am committed to only work in AS3 from this point on.

This site took about 4 working days to complete and is 100% dynamic. The photographer can edit and re-arrange the photos.

Going It Alone

Well, I have decided to leave Richter7 and open a Flash design company. I have number of great clients who will get much more of my time now. They have all now been promoted from "Freelance Clients" to "Clients". Thanks to everyone who inspired me and for giving me the support to make this difficult decision. I will miss everyone ar Richter7, but look forward to working at home. My doors open officially on May 19th.

Nitro Circus gets a National Addy Award!

Booyah! NitroCircus.com just scored a national Silver Addy! My 3D Flash engine and those late freelance hours paid off!

2008 Local Addys Honors

My Nitro Circus and Thrillbillies web sites got local Addys last night. ThrillbilliesTrailer.com got two golds and Nitro Circus got a silver. I was really proud of my design team. They received silver medals for The Dreaded Grove and The Golden Compass Invitation and we got a Gold for Edge Eyewear. Thats a total of 3 golds and 3 silvers!. Our small interactive design group at Richter7 is kickin'!

UPDATE: Nitro Circus, Thrillbillies, and Wolf Peak all got Golds at the District Addys! On to nationals!

Dial 60th Anniversary

Just finished a pretty cool Flash project. I did the Flash interaction design and programming for the main page of Dial60th.com. It uses my Flash 3d engine and I designed the sound with the help of the talented guys at Metropolis, which really makes the experience come alive. It's the first national project I have worked on.

BD Medical Perfect Day

This viral greeting was created for BD Medical to promote usage of one of their catheters. It was specifically targeted to nurses. I really enjoyed concepting, writing, designing, and programming this storybook. I got some help on the writing from David Rathbun and Nate Smith did some of the programming. The greeting was very successful.

AIPTEK A-HD 720P Digital Camcorder

I haven't blogged for a while, but leave it to technology to inspire me (I need to get a life). I was at Best Buy a few days ago looking for a replacement for my MiniDV camera and I was introduced to this device by a salesman. It is actually invelievable. This HD camcorder records to SD cards (a 2GB card can hold 60 minutes of high def footage, and 144 minutes of DVD resolution) and also is a sound recorder, a 5 mp camera with a Flash, and DVR. That's right, you can attach any analog RCA to it and it captures. It creates MOV, WAV, and JPG files that transfer neatly through USB 2.0. The best part? $150! Downside? No optical zoom, no shot-steady.