All Good Things

Yes. ALL good things in my world at the moment.

Got a full time job today as a graphic designer.
Less than two months till I go overseas.
I am conditionally approved to graduate. (On the condition I hand in my next two assignments due this week.)
My website is up - a flash version but I decided I didn't like it enough so I'm nearly finished my new one... Better get in quick to see my flash one. It will be no more in about... 3 days. www.sammiehall.com
AND
I am finished 3 years of University as of next week! Thank you for my degree Griffith University!


As I was researching for my Design, Technology and Society essay, I came across this which amuses me greatly. Not sure if it will you or not.

Save the Planet - Pass the Moet (an extract) By Connor O'Brien

NEVER let a stranger rifle through your pantry. I did, the other day. A friend of my housemate - they wanted toast. Big mistake, letting a stranger rifle through your pantry. HUGE mistake.
What you throw in your pantry is your socio-political statement. Your brand of cereal is your bumper sticker, broadcasting your politics to any and all potential pantry-raiders within snooping distance.

And it's so much worse if your pantry-raider is a post-materialist.
``Oh. Uh. So you, uh, don't have Fair Trade coffee?'' my stranger asked me, picking past the jam and condiments. ``Your eggs are free range, though. Right?''
I wanted to say, ``What do you bloody think? I consider `Woolworths Select' a prestige brand. I shop exclusively on the bottom shelf. My T-shirt is a dish rag, and you're standing in running sewage because we can't afford to fix the pipes. We're not billionaires.'' (Mum, Dad - I'm fine. Really.) Instead, I mumbled, ``I used to be a vegetarian''.

Post-materialism is champagne socialism for the global warming generation. Post-materialists are wealthy and outspoken pseudo-environmentalists. Prius drivers. Hypocrites. Complete tossers, really.

Post-materialists have huge spending power, but don't think of themselves as ``consumers''. Consumers are brainwashed by advertising and buy products they don't really need - post-materialists buy products to save the world! They're like superheros. (Captain Planet, eat your heart out.)

Post-materialists chatter about the evils of ``rampant consumerism '' over chilled glasses of Cascade Green and platters of organic cheese. They've got new digital widescreen LCD televisions in every room, because LCD TVs use less energy than CRT. And the new car? Well, it's battery powered, baby!

A few years back the media jumped on ``downshifting'' (and then just as promptly jumped off) - individuals taking fewer hours at work, buying second-hand, or just buying less.
For the record, downshifters are cool (hey, I can't diss on everyone). Downshifters grow their own veggies, ride bikes everywhere (even though bike-riding is terrifying), throw great house parties, and generally mind their own business. Downshifters don't fly frequently or obsess over whether a product is organic-Fair Trade-free range blah blah blah, because they don't have the cash to worry about it.

Yeah, downshifters are basically all hippies. And they basically all smell of manure. But at least you know it's manure from their veggie gardens - and you know their tomatoes are going to taste delicious.

Post-materialists are high salary earners who couldn't bear to downshift because then they couldn't afford to purchase organic-Fair Trade-free range blah blah blah. Fine. But, dear post-materialist stranger, don't bang on loudly about your eco-credentials when you're the one causing the damage - it's downshift, or be nice about my pantry.
The poorest members of our society are the greenest, not because they give a stuff about saving the environment, but because they can't afford to muck it up. And they drink instant coffee!

*Note I did not write this Connor did

Graduate Catalogue

Want to see my year's beautiful catalogue in all it's glory? Well here's a photo of it anyway. I didn't design it. The very talented Porsha Marais did :) Don't you just love the paper texture and UV? I know I do.

Ultimate Branding

Yes it really is. Rebrand awards! I have just stumbled over this website in my favourites after who knows how long it has been there. I favourite everything I want to look at further when I do not have the time and usually I continually find more stuff, so it never gets looked at. Consequently, millions of favourites in a folder I take with me everywhere.

Now today I have a bit of time to clean it up a bit. Bit mind you - it is a BIG job.

So getting back to it. The amazing Rebrand website. It has images of elements of the previous branding and then the entire rebrand. Very nice. Though I will admit, a few of them that one over the distinctions baffle me.


http://www.rebrand.com/2009-winners-brands

So take a look and see for yourself!

In other news I've nearly graduated! 3 weeks to go!

Website coming really really soon! http://www.sammiehall.com/

FTP Confusion

So you need to send a file via FTP. You have either never done it before or like me it has been so long you cannot remember the software you used to use and the advantages and disadvantages of different packages.

Well I had this problem today. I move between PC and Mac Platforms so that also comes into play... Well for now I have just found one on PC that I like very much.

SmartFTP is so easy to use, I like the layout and until I find something better (I looked at Filezilla and a few others today that just frustrated me) I'm stickin with this for the next 29 days of my trial and then I'll see what else I have found better in the meantime.

SmartFTP is so simple but it also has tutorials on their site which makes me extra happy. So give it a go if your having troubles, I'm sure after this you won't be any longer.

http://www.smartftp.com/

Awesome Retoucher

Hello avid readers... I'm not in denial, I just hope I get some soon!

Today I have the link to an amazing retoucher. Watching how he edits fashion photographs has definitely improved my abilities. Observing how he has used burn tools and shadowing etc. I think I have enough content to make a small retouching section in my portfolio now as I was inspired. So here he is for all to be inspired by!

Yahor Shumski - freelance photo retoucher
http://www.euphoria-imaging.com/

Check out his portfolio - its wowzers!