The Right Answer Is... ODEN

Oden or Durant? The question has haunted me for the past few weeks, ever since the surprising draft lotterey where Portland learned that, against all odds, they were selected to land the first draft pick. That would be spectacular news any year, but this year's draft is not just any draft. This is the "Greg Oden Draft" that has been anticipated by pro basketball fans for the past few years. Oden has been annointed as the next great center in the NBA. The expectations are high that he will have a career marked by many championships and legendary accomplishments. This is probably all true, but the arrival of a "rival", in the form of Kevin Durant, caused many basketball experts to question whether or not Greg Oden should really be the first player picked.

Kevin Durant, in fact, may well be the next Michael Jordan. I expect him to match the level of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as an agressive offensive force on the basketball court. He will be a great player, and I know that Durant and Oden will have many fierce battles in the years to come. Durant, wearing the jersey of the Seattle Supersonics, will rip my heart out on a regular basis. The Seattle-Portland rivalry, not much to see in recent years, just got a whole lot more interesting. I really like Durant, and I wish him the very best.

In the end, I'm very happy that Greg Oden is a Trailblazer. In addition to his athletic gifts, he seems to be a wonderful person. He's very easy-going and funny. He will entertain this town in many ways for the next decade at least. I believe the opportunities for championships will come in a few years. The Blazers have begun to build a foundation that is full of character and potential both. And I will be right there with them for the long, wonderful ride. RIP CITY!!!

Un-be-lievable!

You may or may not know this. I am an Oregon State Beaver. Yes I am. And today, my Oregon State Beavers baseball team have won their second consecutive national championship. Last year caught us all by surprise, but this year, in many ways, even more so. The Beavers did not have the remarkable follow-up regular season that many were expecting. In fact, they finished with a losing record in Pac-10 play and were the last team selected to participate in the post-season field of 64 participants. They lost their first tournament game to Virginia, and then, they never lost again. Ten consecutive victories over college baseball's cream-of-the-crop, including Virginia, Rutgers, Michigan, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona State, UC Irvine and finally, North Carolina. By the end, they were like a steamroller. They were barely challenged in their last four games leading to the title. Today's 9-3 win over UNC was a dominant display of confidence and skill, just like yesterday's 11-4 pounding. What a joy to watch the mighty North Carolina Tar Heels, standing on the top step of their dugout, watching the Beavers build a jubilant dogpile... just as they did one year ago.

The great thing is that this is a team of Oregon kids, local kids that played their little league and high school ball right here. Also, most of the team that won the title last year had graduated or moved on to pro ball, so with a small handful of returnees (only two starting fielders) they managed to climb to the very top again. I won't forget these guys... Mitch Canham, Darwin Barney, Joe Patterson, Mike Stutz, Joey Wong, Mike Lissman, Jorge Reyes, Daniel Turpen, Eddie Kunz and most importantly, Coach Pat Casey. I'm a little nervous that we might lose Coach Casey to the major leagues after this coaching performance. I think the Mariners could use him.

I'll be wearing my Orange and Black for the next few days and can't wait to get my own championship t-shirt. So anybody out there think that a three-peat is only wishful thinking? I didn't think so.

Speed, Power and Design

After waiting and waiting for just the right moment, I finally decided to get a new computer. The old Power Mac G4 seemed to be wheezing and coughing its way as I pushed it through sizeable uploads, downloads and video rendering. Every fast big new computer eventually becomes slow, small and old. So now I am the pilot of a Mac Pro with two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel processors, 2gb of RAM and a terrabyte of hard drive space. Huh? What that means, is that compared to what I had, its way better, faster and bigger. I also upgraded to an Apple 23" Cinema Display, which is about as big as I could stand to look at. It seems huge to me, and I can easily get a good look at a two-page spread in InDesign. So far everything is going great, but it really does take a long time to get it all set up just the way I like it. The speed is remarkable. Even my DSL connection seems faster. I can't wait to see where this new hardware can take me as a designer.

At the same time, I decided to go for a major software upgrade. Adobe now owns the world when it come to design software. They swallowed up Macromedia about a year ago, so we really have to worship at the altar of Adobe if we want to be digital designers. So, I purchased the Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium Edition. It gave me an upgrade for practically every program I use, and a few that I didn't. It has InDesign CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, Dreamweaver CS3 and Acrobat 8 Pro. I also picked up Adobe Lightroom, which is a photo editing and organizing tool which was recommended by my friend and photographer, Tom Hassler. The new version of Illustrator, means that I say goodbye to Macromedia's Freehand, a program that I have used since it was Aldus Freehand in about 1988. I've only just begun to familiarize myself with all of the new features of these software programs.

Finally, the next upgrade that is coming to my studio will be Fiber Optic cable, or FiOs (as Verizon has named it). They recently laid the cable in my neighborhood, and they're offering good rates to get us hooked up. My current DSL connection is OK, but the new FiOs connection will be 15-times faster than DSL. Combined with the new fast processor speed, the internet will be a whole new ballgame. Video will stream nearly instantly. That will be a huge boost to productivity... or a huge distraction... we'll see which. I'm excited about the new technology coming into the studio. It feels like I've just bought myself a Ferrari. Let's hope I don't hurt myself on a slippery turn.

Cinco de Mayo at Mississippi Studios

Please indulge me as I write this self-serving report. If Marty Hughley (Oregonian) or Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone) won't do it, I guess I will. For those of you that don't know, I play in a band called John Nilsen and Swimfish. We performed two shows this past Saturday night at a wonderful Portland music club called Mississippi Studios. The first show was sold-out, the second not quite, but the audience was enthusiastic for both performances. I have been playing music on and off with John Nilsen since we were both about 13 years old, but that night was as fun as I've ever had playing in front of an audience with him. The band, featuring John (guitar, vocals), myself (guitar, mandolin, vocals) , Mike Snyder (drums, percussion) and Jamin Swenson (bass) ran through a variety of original songs ranging from quiet folk tunes to revved-up acoustic rock anthems. We were joined for part of the show by our great friend and musician, Willy Snook (guitar, vocal), whose addition allowed us all to reach our best form as singers and instrumentalists.
Nilsen was off-the-map with his amazing lead solos and proved once again that no one else around this town can top him as an acoustic lead player. I think all of our vocals blended really well, especially when we closed the show with CSN-style three-part harmonies during John's classic, quiet love song, "The Waves". Swenson and Snyder were solid, as usual, holding up the rhythm section, but its clear to me that they both keep getting better. If the reviews from the audience were any indicator, we played well and found a few new fans along the way. If you have not heard us play, I suggest that you go to magicwing.com to find out when and where we'll be playing next. If you'd like to hear some samples or buy the music, you can find us on iTunes by clicking right here. Whether playing under spotlights on stage or jamming in Willy's basement, this musical journey is a fun one, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I couldn't live any other way.

Where Ideas Come From - Part 1

When I was in art school, I wore out my copies of Communication Arts and Graphis magazines as I scoured the pages in search of inspiration for my next project. Imitation often passes for creativity, especially in art school. Following in the footsteps of the accomplished is not a bad place to start, but a true artist needs to discover an ability to develop their own original vision if they hope to succeed.

One of my graphic design professors in college, David Hardesty, insisted that the development of an idea was a process that could be learned and mastered. Over and over, he challenged us to find the nugget of potential in a rough idea, and then refine that idea step-by-step until it was strong and convincing. Over and over, he helped me discern the difference between a really good idea and a merely mediocre one. By the time I was a senior, I felt like I knew what I was doing. But my education had only just begun.

I once had the good fortune to have dinner with one of my design heros, the great illustrator, McRay Magleby. We got onto the subject about where ideas come from, and he told me that he actually goes hunting for ideas. For example, upon receiving an assignment to create a new poster for a client, he might leave the studio for a few hours, with the explicit goal of returning with the beginnings of his idea in mind. Sometimes he'd go to the grocery store. Sometimes he'd go for a bike ride. Sometimes he'd go for a walk downtown. Wherever he goes, he decides ahead of time that something he sees, or hears, or smells or touches will be the starting point for his design solution. And when you look at his work, you see that his wildly creative visual solutions really could have come from some outside-the-box inspiration.

As for me, I have learned a lot from both of these mentors. I rarely open the pages of CA anymore except to be entertained by the work of excellent artists and designers. Like Magleby, I prefer to go hunting for my ideas, often seeking influence from cultural or geographic sources. Like Hardesty, I like to take a raw unproven idea and polish it until it shines.

The fact is, we are surrounded by potential inspiration. It's everywhere. The scenery of everyday life holds the potential for creative genesis. There's only one small requirement. You've got to open your eyes and open your mind to the possibilities. In other words, you'll only discover inspiration if you are searching for it. You will find ideas... if you look for them.

Album Of The Year – 2006

The music business is changing quickly before our ears. CD sales in the USA are down 30% from a year ago. Local record stores are on the brink of closure. Increasingly, consumers (like me) are buying their music one song at a time on web stores like iTunes. So what is the future of the album, that thematic collection of songs and artwork that has dominated the music scene for decades? That question remains to be answered, but the prognosis looks dire. But for now, I resume my annual look back at the Album of the Year for 2006. Once again joined by my friend, Willy Snook, we weigh in with our opinion about the best that was.

"Firecracker"
- The Wailin' Jennys

My winner comes from Canada. No surprise really, as I've always had a thing for Canadian artists. The Wailin' Jennys simply blew me away last year with their stellar recording, Firecracker. These three female singers, with angelic voices, have a fresh new sound that puts them in a category by themselves. And the cast is new. The very talented Cara Luft left the group and was replaced by Annabelle Chvostek, who brought great songs with her and plays acoustic guitar, mandolin, and violin, and sings, well...sings as good as you'd have to sing to be in this group. Backed by a stellar band, they deliver song after song of beautiful harmonies and great songwriting. Producer David Travers-Smith does a brilliant job in every aspect, as well as playing trumpet, E Flat Peck Horn, Hammond M3, and percussion. Many of the fabulous players from their last record, 40 Days, again appear, notably Kevin Breit and Mike Hardwicke on guitars and dobros, the former additionally on National and mandolin. Christian Dugas is stellar on drums throughout, this time mostly with Joe Phillips on acoustic bass, though three other bassists cameo. In my opinion, every song is a winner. I've listened over and over and over and have yet to tire of this record. That's a pretty good sign that its a winner.

My runners-up, are -
"Life Short Call Now" -Bruce Cockburn
"Into The West" - Pilot Speed
"How We Operate" - Gomez

"Life Short Call Now"
- Bruce Cockburn

Willy Snook has selected this stellar recording, one of my runners-up, by another Canadian, Bruce Cockburn. Willy sends along these comments from the Rounder Records site...

Bruce Cockburn's first studio album in 3 years finds the acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter at the top of his game. The 29th album in a career that's midway through its fourth decade, Life Short Call Now is wide-ranging, playful and adventurous, eager to take chances and happy to push limits. The songs run the gamut from the jangly first single, "Different When It Comes to You," to the classic folksong cadences of "Mystery," and from the vocal intricacies of Ani DiFranco's harmonies on "See You Tomorrow" to the deadpan modernism of the jazzy instrumental "Nude Descending a Staircase." Cockburn's insightful observations on life, love, politics, and the environment are as sharp as ever, and longtime fans and new fans alike are sure to be won over by this sterling album.

Willy's runners-up, in no particular order...

"The Raconteurs" ~ Broken Boy Soldiers
"Corrine Bailey Rae" ~ Corrine Baily Rae
"The Fray" ~ How To Save a Life

Willy also wants me to mention another new recording from 2006, "Love", by The Beatles. Its not new material, so I won't include it for legitimate album of the year consideration. It is, however, an exciting new re-mix of wonderful Beatles tunes done as the soundtrack of the new Cirque Du Soleil show, "Love". The audio quality reveals these old Beatles songs as you've never heard them before. And the re-mix, produced by George Martin and his son, Giles, is a masterwork in its own right. Combinations like, "Come Together", "Dear Prudence" and ,"Cry Baby Cry", into one sequencial song, knocked me out. And there are many others like it. If you love the Beatles, you'll want to hear this recording on a good stereo.

Waking The Blog

After an extended hiatus from blogging, I've decided that its time to wake up Ideapoint. I simply got distracted from blogging by work, music and other things, but I miss writing from time-to-time and people have been asking me what happened to my blog. So its back. At the same time, I'm going live very soon with a new version of my business web site - ideawave.com. If you have time, come over and check it out. As for this blog, I'll keep writing about music, sports, design and other things that catch my attention. I look forward to reading your posted comments.