call me rick // blog

tools

the rick — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:33:14 +0000

Imagine a carpenter following live blog feeds from an exclusive craftsman tool event. “But wait…just one more thing. Introducing hammer 2.0″. The crowd cheers and young
women faint.

I must have hammer 2.0.

As a designer, I consider my macbook pro a powerful tool-not a way of life. I don’t sleep with my wacom tablet or get RSS feeds on the latest pen-tips for it. Not yet, anyway.

a speck of sand

the rick — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:15:42 +0000

It’s only been a few months since my formal education has ended and I’m already feeling the hurt. Those painstakingly long critiques, even with their desultory feedback-in hindsight-is better than no feedback at all. Anyway, back to rage against the machine and my (soon to be famous) series of haiku inspired by lunch meat.

on the horizon

the rick — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:16:20 +0000

Very shortly I will be in Illinois, drinking “pop” and eating pizza with the toppings under the cheese. That, or a double cheeseburger from the dollar menu if I can’t find a job soon.

Anyway, while Rach and I have been living out of suitcases in the motherland (read:my parent’s house), I have been blessed with the time to almost complete the vertical navigation site I’ve been messing with off and on since May. Here’s a scaled-down-sneak-peek…though I may tear it up some more…assuming that’s possible.

debt with a side of debt

the rick — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:54:35 +0000

Monday on NPR there was an interesting segment on higher education. Professor Andrew Hacker believes that higher education (in its current state) is a waste of money. It makes for an interesting debate. Why do education prices keep rising steadily in our current economic condition? Will my minor in Womens studies land me a good enough job to pay off all of my student loans? So many questions…

Listen to the Conversation Here
View the Transcript Here

greed and water 2

the rick — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:02:08 +0000

10" x 10" • digital print

i kept thinking about oil and water(and oil in water). and now i’m wondering if greed floats or sinks…

click here for a larger detailed view

greed and water

the rick — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:56:10 +0000

This past spring I spent most of my internship money on…wait for it…books. I saw the light at the end of the (institutional)education tunnel coming, so I was trying to squeeze as much knowledge in the last few months as possible. This is a great book that talks about how design influences and effects culture and why designers should take responsibility for their designs. Berman calls for designers to “take the pledge”, which consists of doing the following…

1. I will be true to my profession.

2. I will be true to myself.

3. I will spend at least 10% of my professional time helping repair the world.

Now, I’m not really a pledgy kinda guy…but this whole bp disaster bothered me. So I decided to do a little piece that may or may not be a part of a series titled, “greed and water”. I’m no expert, but when profit margins take priority over the trivialities of a safety plan…something is drastically wrong. That’s italicized sarcasm.

11" x 14" • digital print

save the date, dood

the rick — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:45:11 +0000

my project manager has been on me like white on rice to finish these:

Front

Back

Orange apples?

the rick — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:46:54 +0000

Over the years I was taught how to color calibrate my display settings to make the screen show colors as close as possible to how something will print. Regardless, there were always color issues and complicated work-arounds to try and get the correct output. The problem could be a number of things, one of which is the type of monitor being used. What I never learned was that certain types of monitors handle colors much differently than others. While this seems rather obvious(duh), there are a number of technical reasons for this that aren’t so obvious.

I’ve been using a Dell 1801FP monitor since late 2004. It was a good monitor back then, but my primary purpose for upgrading from the standard flat-screen was for gaming. And there is a difference between what makes a monitor good for gaming, and what makes a monitor good for design. What I didn’t know back then, but know now…is that this monitor is actually decent for both…which RUINS my point…but I just got lucky back then. I’m writing this because I presume that many people are/were not as lucky as I was.

It all has to do with the LCD panel material.

Most monitors use TN panels, which are cheaper and have sub-par viewing angles.
Other monitors use IPS panels, which offer much better viewing angles, thus better color representation from extreme angles(barely any off-angle color shift) This comes to play especially when you move your head. I suspect most people move their heads.

So if you plan on doing a lot of work on screen that requires correct color (read: photography, design, competitive solitaire), I suggest using an IPS panel monitor. Here’s a great site that lists said monitors on the market. Below is a spec sheet(newegg.com) from the new monitor I purchased, I highlighted things you should be looking out for if you do color specific work…

Brand	HP
Model	LP2475w
Cabinet Color	Black / Silver
Display
Screen Size	24″
Widescreen	Yes
Recommended Resolution	1920 x 1200
Viewing Angle	178°(H) / 178°(V) <— Solid color representation from extreme angles
Pixel Pitch	0.27mm
Brightness	400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1
Response Time	6 ms (GTG); 12ms <— has to do with gaming/movie watching. “GTG” = Grey to grey, the time it takes 1 pixel to cycle through colors. There is no industry “standard”, so technically a company can measure two closest greys and record lighting fast response times.
Horizontal Refresh Rate	30 – 94 kHz
Vertical Refresh Rate	48 – 85 Hz
Panel	H-IPS <— VERY IMPORTANT, as stated above. If this isn’t listed, check the viewing angle. If it is UNDER 178/178, chances are the monitor was made with a TN panel! Back away slowly and call your mom to calm you down!
Display Type	WUXGA
Connectivity
Input Video Compatibility	Digital, Component Video, S-Video, and Composite Video
Connectors	DVI, DisplayPort, S-Video, Composite, Component, SPDIF out
DVI	2
Video	S-Video, Composite, Component
HDMI	1
USB 2.0	6
DisplayPort	1
Power
Complies with	ENERGY STAR
Power Supply	100 – 240 VAC, 50/60Hz
Power Consumption	Maximum: < 120 watts Power Saving: < 2 watts standby; <1 watt off
Convenience
User Controls	Brightness, contrast, positioning, color temperature (6500k, 9300k, custom), individual color control, serial number, display, clock, clock phase, monitor management, factory reset <— Important for calibration
Regulatory Approvals	IT ECO declaration, TCO’ 03, EPEAT Silver
Stand Adjustments	Height, Pivot, Swivel, Tilt
Built-in TV Tuner	No
Built-in Speakers

That being said, I encourage you to do research, read reviews and user reviews if you’re in the market for a new screen. There is no reason you have to pony up a couple of Gs for a monitor that displays accurate color. There are monitors for under 300 dollars that will do just fine, and hopefully make your life a little easier.

TRENDY UPDATE:

I forgot to mention that the iPad uses IPS technology, so you can have those sexy viewing angles when you…wait…what is it that the iPad is good for again?

AUs The Bulletin article, now with more rick

the rick — Wed, 26 May 2010 21:05:30 +0000

A few weeks ago I was contacted for a story that was to be published in Arcadia’s weekly online publication “The Bulletin”, check it out here!

Tetreault Thesis: 35 Days, 35 Articles, 35 Posters

step away from the donut

the rick — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:01:02 +0000

As i make the stupid transition from being a student to being in a great deal of debt, I have been analyzing my lifestyle…mostly because it matters. Seriously.

My sleeping pattern over the last…let’s say 5 or so years has not been a schedule at all. All-nighters, 40+ ounce coffee days coupled with jaw-grinding nights. Weeks without direct contact with the sun(besides walking from the house and to my car)…Now that i sold my car, this is suddenly noteworthy. Plus, I’m moving to Chicago very shortly. I’d like to explore the city in the daytime.

A lot of people have been asking what I’m going to do out in Chicago…and I have no idea. But I know one thing for sure…

I will not be taking a job that I’m not interested in for the sole fact that it’s a job. Once upon a time I was in a situation where drop shadows were the required solution and rounded rectangles were my only “creative outlet”. This will never. happen. again.

I have this book called “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci”. It was for a class and I don’t remember reading much of it-because I didn’t read much of it-because it was for a class. Fact. Anything that is mandatory, followed by a quiz, ruins whatever joy you may get out of said thing. End Fact. What I’m not getting at is Leonardo da Vinci was a renaissance man. Well rounded. I’m shooting for a well-rounded lifestyle.

How can one man be so proficient at so many things?