Google Wave Is Better For The Environment June 16, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in design, interactive, technology.Tags: carbon footprint, change, comparison, e-mail, economics, energy, environment, google wave, green, movement, save, versus
3 comments
Google Wave is the future of networked communication. Well, maybe. If a lot of people embrace the technology and make it common place. There are lots of barriers though, fear of a new interface, businesses where most people use e-mail like software are slow to change and sheer laziness because e-mail is “good enough”. There’s lots of talk about the potential of Google Wave Apps and work flow but I had an interesting thought about a very practical side-effect of Google Wave and a great reason to adopt this software. It’s good for the environment.
I will be upfront and admit that my math is awful and I’m taking a few liberties with my knowledge of complex systems. Please forgive any mistakes.
E-mail is an old system. It involves sending packets of information from one server to another. From one hard drive to another hard drive. Each person keeps a copy of their mail and the response. If multiple people are copied on an e-mail, like all business correspondence, then each person has a copy of every response on their hard drive. So if 8 people have a 30 mail conversation about an internal project, there are 240 copies of pieces of the conversation on 8 machines or inboxes. In my office, we all “reply with history” so people can keep track of where we were in the conversation. Even one word answers. At 1MB average per mail (history adds up), that’s 240MB of replicated data sitting on hard drives. If your company is like mine, 20 exchanges about a project over several months is not unheard of. That’s 4.68GB of replicated data on one company’s servers. A medium size company might have 100 projects a year like this. That’s 468.75GB a year. That’s not including video files, images, PPT documents and the other goodies that need sharing. Which is why Google decided to re-look e-mail I suppose.
Google Wave is different to e-mail. At it’s simplest there is only one copy of the conversation on the company server. The 8 users would access the mail but it would be a common document. There is no replication of the history of the conversation. There is a history time line function, but that’s simply a memory of what came when. So if the same 30 part conversation as the e-mail example had to happen and 1MB of history was accumulated, there would only be 1MB stored on the server instead of 240MB. With 20 conversations about a project over several months there would be 20MB of data stored versus 4.68GB. At 100 projects a year, the company would have to find space for 2GB of Wave storage versus the 468.75GB of e-mail. That’s 0.426% of the data storage needs of e-mail.
Even with 20 times more Wave data, it would still only be 40GB (8.5%). Let’s assume Google Wave only manages to cut 90% of the replication data of e-mail, that’s still 90% fewer servers and 90% less energy consumption (simplistically). I think it’ll be much better than that. Fewer hard drives means less toxic landfill and fewer raw materials used. Fewer servers means less stress on the power grid. The software makes a smaller carbon footprint that anything before it.
I have no idea if Google planned this, but by reconsidering e-mail they have saved themselves some cash and become better world citizens. Google runs giant server farms around the world and as they expand their services I assume they need to increase their cloud storage ability, basically lots of servers. By changing to their own Wave software they could bring their own voracious resource needs under control. Its good business for Google, and the rest of us, to spend less on technical infrastructure.
I work for a large multinational advertising company. We share hundreds of thousands of video files, documents, images and text every day. We could cut our e-mail carbon footprint by up to 99% by simply changing to e-mail software that is Open Source. That’s incredible. I wish it were that simple at a global corporate level, the system hates change, but there’s a better way to work on its way and its time to plan for an upgrade.
I would encourage everybody who cares about the environment and good software to bring this to the attention of their companies (it’s Open Source, they can customise for their own needs) and use it at home. Perhaps my math is vastly incorrect, but I doubt it’s 99.5% wrong.
9 Portfolio Night Chats Later June 12, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in advertising.Tags: advertising, advice, craft, creatives, design, disagreement, gerry human, portfolio night 7, portfolios, young
3 comments
Last night was Portfolio Night 7, a worldwide event where young advertising creatives get to show their books to crusty Creative Directors to get advice and criticism. It was my first Portfolio Night. Normally I see portfolios one and at a time and therefore give one crazy monologue at a time. Not last night. I gave 9 lunatic monologues while recent graduates of Seneca, Ad School and OCAD scribbled furiously in little books or stared at me. I suspect that my non-Canadian accent provided some difficulty to the kids from the suburbs (which is entirely my own fault, being a dirty foreigner).
Seeing 9 random portfolios in a row I noticed kept saying the same things. I endeavoured to be original, but there are a couple of realities that needed to be repeated until my brain hurt. I figured I may as well repeat them here one more time to save myself the effort in the future. For the next few days this will be relevant.
Firstly, I have basic disagreement with the way young creatives portfolios are assessed in Toronto. Too much emphasis is placed on tight, developed ideas and not enough on craft. I’ve had this argument with a few locals. They say that “ideas” are the gauge of a young creative, craft can be learned. I say that you either have “art” or you do not. Idea skills can be learned (ask Gerry Human) but you’ll never surprise me if there is no spark. A good idea executed typically is typical. Craft elevates communication (The Copy Book & The Art Direction Book are testaments to this belief). Why would we pressure the most pliable minds in the industry into delivering meat and potatoes ideas? That’s what experienced teams are for. Youngsters are meant to play and make things, pushing the old-timers, not doing their jobs for them. Talented young creatives need to be able to MAKE things. Creative Directors are meant to guide and shape the ideas.
- Repeated Advice 01: More craft. (We create things where there was nothing before. It might as well be stuff worth reading and looking at.) I got great advice when I started: You’re an Art Director, Art Direct! Try stuff, make mistakes, play, experiment, surprise, scare and screw up. Sure, have a couple of straight ads and designs to prove you remember where a logo typically goes, but don’t rely on the Adobe CS4 tools defaults. Be inspired by everything but ads. And force your will upon CS4. It’s desktop publishing design hell. Powerfully easy and it makes us lazy. Be better than the software. And writers, create samples across channels to demonstrate your command of language and tone. The best writers I know all did Literature at university, they read a lot. Read more.
- Repeated Advice 02: Too many print ads. Yes, that’s what school gave you. Print is a good way to learn your craft and now it’s time to expand across multiple channels. I have spent the last 3 years selling campaigns with deep social media components. The work we make is designed to be shared, useful, PR-able, conversational. Young creatives eat and breath social and yet none of the 9 people I saw last night applied what they practice to their portfolios. Their idea of digital was limited to iPhone Apps and microsites (a year after Modernista! dismantled the website). I can lay blame on a few doorsteps for this, but rapid understanding of social marketing is the only way to be relevant. Every young creative should be naturally light years of their CD and demonstrate some of that in their book.
- Repeated Advice 03: Make things that people would talk about, experience or share. It’s the Alex Bogusky test and it’s a good one.
- Repeated Advice 04: Lighten up. Work hard off but remember that if you aren’t entertained, nobody else will be.
I’m sure there was more bad advice I could hand out but we only had 15 minutes to inspire or horrify portfolio carriers. I find my own output increasingly difficult to categorise and I expect that from the best young talent. Which is the point of Portfolio Night.
If you want to add some insights or obvious advice, please do.
Pick Pick Pick Pick It Apart May 7, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in advertising.Tags: advertising, battle, brands, heart, ideas, jj abrams, joss whedon, magic
2 comments
Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly etc) sings a song analysing the analysis of creative work. It starts with the first cave artists who didn’t explain much about their process and ends with the advent of the DVD commentary (which the song was written for) and deleted scenes. It’s a silly song and the man can’t really sing, but his dive into the destructive rationalisation of creativity (JJ Abrams magic box) got me thinking about my creative industry.
I make brand campaigns. My job is to come up with ideas that capture the imagination of the client and most definitely the public. There is nothing more satisfying than releasing a great idea into the room and watching people get caught up with it. I enjoy that perfect moment because I know that for the next 3 months to a year we will spend most of our timesheets in battle. Some people have the task of picking the idea apart and some have the job of defending the integrity of the idea. There are many more people picking than there are people stitching. They use the tools of Research, Integrated Marketing Campaign Meetings, Internal Meetings, Conference Calls, Global Corporate Politics and Powerpoint to deal out the damage. Joss Whedon sings that his Art is picked apart to reveal “the tick, tick, tick of a heart“, which is then promptly devoured by the ravens. Yet nobody in marketing actually wants to kill the fabled Idea. They love the Idea. They all believe they are doing the very best for the Idea, forgetting that it only takes one person, maximum 2, to successfully do a magic trick*. Big groups of people really saw the girl in half.
Whedon as an entertainment creator spends less time trying to make the work he believes to be right, but more time rationalising and explaining after the fact. His published work has a heart that is then picked at. In advertising, you spend all your time up front doing the rationalising and explaining to ensure that some heart remains when it is published. A friend of mine maintains that anybody can come up with a great idea. It’s getting that great idea out that proves the quality of the creator.
Joss Whedon’s song is a warning for art creators to be wary of over-analysis. I say creators of advertising should revel in creative over-analysis. That’s 90% of your career after all.
*Getting the public to like some brands is a magic trick.
Little Boots Has Caught Me April 23, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art crush, culture, music.add a comment
Yes, it’s another Little Boots crush. However, it’s her charming acoustic web videos that have stolen my heart. She’s on her way to becoming rather bloody famous but still finds the time to do a cover of her own single in her bedroom. Her covers of Hot Chip, Cyndi Lauper and Sugarbabes among others are simple and wonderful. She’s not afraid of raw, unfinished fun. There’s a place for production and there’s a place for immediate performance. Can you imagine Bono or the Stones being this unfiltered? This is definitely a sign of another type of audience relationship.
Little Boots plays Jools Holland.
(more…)
The House of Dolls April 17, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art, fashion, figurative art, photography.Tags: aesthetics, exhibition, fashion, miles aldridge, photo, plastic
add a comment
If the world were pretty enough, I’d shoot on location all the time. But the world is just not being designed with aesthetics as a priority.
Miles Aldridge is a remarkable aesthetician. He has a new exhibition at Hamilton’s Gallery in London which I’m rather disappointed to not be seeing. This man brings a steady eye and a subtle worldview to the printed page. His portfolio site is a treasure trove. It’s a real pleasure.
Hamilton’s (click on Current Exhibition before 10 May 2009)
Championship of the Iron Arms April 13, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art, comic strip.Tags: arm wrestling, artists, french, iron arm
add a comment
Here is French drawing at it’s finest. Talented artists take part in arm wrestling competitions to see who has the finest arm in France. Of course it’s a knock out he teeth, tear off an arm, competition. Anything less would be an insult. The line-up of skilled artists risking life and limb is impressive. Even with French as atrocious as mine, you will be entertained and bemused. The effort is quite remarkable.
Boundless Desktop Wallpaper 01 April 10, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art, drawing, female, figurative art, illustration, ivan pols.Tags: boundless optimism, bum, download, drawing, free, ivan pols, model, wallpaper
add a comment
Here is a desktop wallpaper to put some analog texture on your digital surface. The model for this drawing really is 17 feet tall and was found lounging in the veldt of South Africa.
DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE
It includes several screen sizes, including iPhone and PSP.
Visionaire 55 Is Pop Up Stupendous! April 1, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art, book, design, illustration.Tags: 55, design, magazine, paper mechanics, pop up, visionaire
add a comment
This is the new Visionaire magazine. It’s a pop-up book in all regards, from the magnetic latch cover to the individual folios by Sophie Calle, Nicola Formichetti with Gareth Pugh, Cai Guo-Quiang, Andreas Gursky, Steven Klein, Yayoi Kusama, Alasdair McLellan, Steven Meisel, Guido Mocafico, Solve Sundsbo and Mario Testino. It’s a remarkable design. I am inspired today and it’s yours for $250. Not bad for a limited edition art book.
Visionaire 55 (via PSFK)
Boundless Optimism March 30, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in art, drawing.Tags: 1000, 1thousand, art, boundless optimism, digital, drawings, galleries, ink, ivan pols, nudes, one thousand, wallpaper, women
1 comment so far
I have updated my drawing gallery site, Boundless Optimism. It is now expanded to include the 1Thousand Drawing project, (all 1000 drawings are available to view and download, including all the videos that go with it) and several other projects that have been hidden away for the last few years and months.
There are desktop wallpapers available as well in the downloads section. I’ll be starting a “members only” section in the next few weeks so if you want access, let me know. I’ve switched to the a service called SquareSpace. It’s a widget based CSS system that helped me get the first iteration of the site up in 3 hours. It’s fast, simple and seem to be fairly powerful. I will admit to one or two irritating glitches but I suspect that may be my fault. The site is hosting over 1300 images in 25 galleries without a stutter.
Please have a visit: www.boundlessoptimism.org
It’s Where You Take Things To May 20, 2009
Posted by Ivan Pols in advertising, art, comment, culture.Tags: art, celebrate, ideas, jim jarmusch, quote, thievery, youtube
add a comment
CR Blog had a post that raised a traditional issue in advertising and design. Namely the “stealing” of ideas and techniques.
That started a fun discussion. I argued that nothing (advertising, design, art, music) is original. Everything you do is based on the work of someone else. You don’t necessarily have to proclaim from the roof who you borrowed from, but don’t be shy when someone points out that you are not a true original. I like Jim Jarmusch’s quote, “Don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it.” Just remember that you borrowed and will be borrowed from in turn (if you’re any good). Just try make it better and stop feeling so damn guilty. Love your history.
How about this: Love Your Influences As You Would Be Loved. Okay, now where’s that D&AD annual…