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Can-Do vs. Can't-Do Culture

Don’t hate, create.

This is an amazing article that everyone should read. 

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Gantt Chart Reflection

Take the decision to study in a different country is always challenging and more if you don’t have an accurate plan. That was my case when I decided to move to Canada and make a Post Degree. I had a lot of problems with my visa and I came 2 weeks late to classes. After been in Canada for 3 months I have not only improved my english but also my skills by attending classes every week day to Centennial College. However to this you need to have a plan. At the beginning of the course I made a Gantt chart and the following words are my reflection.

How accurate was my planning?

Well I wasn't that bad as I thought it will be. I took my time to check every class in my Gantt chart and I have a little bit of everything. What I mean with a little bit of everything ? I have classes that were really well planed and also classes that were a complete chaos. Some of them, the problem was that I didn't have a specific course outline which made very difficult to plan something accurate. On the other hand I had a very specific course outline but my calculates about the time that I needed to complete every single task was wrong. 

This is an approximate chart representing how accurate my plan was in each course.

Production tools 1

This was the only course that I planed totally right. Probably because I’m a developer or because the course outline was really straightforward. I did every assignment on time and following the structure in the Gantt chart. As well made the Gantt chart was easy because all assignments were similar and due to every week.

Emerging tools 

The schedule for this course was simple. Basically a few tumblr posts and a final project. The only problem that I had to follow the schedule on the Gantt chart was the final project. Is difficult to make a plan for something that you don't know exactly the due dates. Also the outline for the final project wasn't very specific at all. 

  Digital Industry

The plan for this course was very similar to the Emerging tools. Very easy to made and also to follow. The challenging part was the final project. No due date in the outline so was difficult to plan something more accurate for this course. 

Experience Design

I planed this course very good in terms of which assignment was required to do first. Each assignment required the finalization of the previous one. On the Gantt is well represented the connection between those assignments but the time required to finish them wasn't accurate at all. Additionally the final project wasn't represented as good as it could be.  

Writing for Int. Media

Writing for Interactive Media and Experience Design share the same structure. Both courses have an structure that requires the finalization of each task before start a new one. That structure is well represented in my Gantt chart as well as the connection between all assignments and the final project. 

Interactive Narrative 1

No Gantt chart at all because at that time I didn't have an outline for that class. In a real situation the best practice is to update the Gantt chart as soon as you get the information.

Skills for Collaborative Work

My plan for this course was the most inaccurate. Half of the tumblr assignments were made out of the plan. The interview with the leader is something that I had a lot of troubles and the Gantt chart could represent that task in a better way. Lack of emphasis in the time required not only to get the interview but also to do it. 

Video and Sound

The schedule for this course was also very inaccurate. The personal video plan is based to hand a task every week however all assignments were handed the same day. Also was difficult    to made a plan for the viral video presentation without a due date. 

In conclusion if I need to make another Gantt chart I’ll take a few considerations before start doing it.

- Have all the due dates for every single task

- If a task depends of more than one person, talk with all the people involve with that task before.

- Take time to think outside the box for extra tasks that could be part of the Gantt chart.

- Update the Gantt chart as soon as any of the initial tasks planed change.

- If there’s no existing schedule for a specific tasks make one as accurate as possible.

In my opinion have a realistic Gantt chart is what really important. Doesn’t matter if you need to change that chart 5 times during your project to make it realistic because probably you’ll do changes to a Gantt chart no matter if it’s the best Gantt chart ever made. Follow a inaccurate plan if going to produce bad results. Hence updates are key to make the project keep on track during it’s execution.

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Reflektor by Arcade Fire

https://www.justareflektor.com

Arcade fire did it again! Amazing interactive music-video !! 

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WHAAAAAAT????

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The Creative Spark: James White, Visual Artist and Designer

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What a great job is doing City of Chicago ! A real good example of how to use Big Data! 

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What do i learned?

The world of software developers is full of variables not only inside the code but also its interpretes. The normal perception is that all developers are those “creppy" guys inside of their basement juggling with their computers and inventing new weird stuff however developers could be more than that depending of their personality, knowledge, style, or even nationality. That’s my case.

When I started this course (late), after my first class I thought that probably the entire semestre will be learning again what I already knew and that’s what happened. Even though I learned new stuff in this course. Is always interesting see how someone with more knowledge than you and more experience deal with the same problems that you could have faced in the past. 

Every single developer resolve problems in a different way but is true that probably one of those solutions is better than the other. In this course that’s one of the things that I learned and it’s very valuable. Learn how to write code not only to satisfy client’s need but also write good quality code that really makes an efficient task.

This idea of learning efficient ways to develop softwares joins with something that ins’t related to the guidelines of the course itself. Right now I know what languages I need to learn if I want more chances to work in the software development industry in Toronto. There are more capable languages available to develop the same things that I do and right now are very popular in the software development community.

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The first 24 hours music video

The music industry is one of the biggest and most influential across the world. However it is  also one of the most damaged by the internet and all the social networks available right now. The days of record stores selling thousands of copies of one album are in the past. Artists have had to evolve and learn new ways to engage with their audiences. Concerts are the perfect avenue to connect artists and fans in a global context where communications are powerful. The use of them is key for success.

     Selling music over the internet is not an easy job. It is too easy to obtain music on the internet without paying a single dime and there are too many people sharing files that make it almost impossible to stop piracy. Understanding this situation, artists around the globe are changing the game and they’re trying to use social networks and internet to circumvent this proce

    Last week the famous singer/producer Pharrell Williams released the first 24 hours music video on the internet from his single “Happy”. This is a great example of the music industry understanding they need to change the way they do business. The idea is groundbreaking and it tries to engage new fans with Pharrell’s music. Using social media, the video managed to spread really fast across the internet. It made a lot of noise on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc. The website http://24hoursofhappy.com  started gaining thousands of users as soon it was available.

            The concept of the idea is a 24 hour video that is always playing along to the song “happy”. The website is a great combination of design and technology, providing the user with the ability to search through the entire video and select the scene that he or she wants to see. Also, the scenes where Pharrell Williams appears dancing and singing the song are well featured. Every single part of the entire 24 hour video is available to share. Thus the video becomes more sharable and went viral more easily. It really succeeded at engaging new users as people were sending their favorite clips to their friends.  

              In addition to this, inside the 24 music video there are other celebrities in it, dancing and singing the song along Pharrell. This addition was also part of the social media campaign. Due to the longevity of the video users spend more time inside the website not only listening to the song but also trying to find who out who were the celebrities involved and what parts are they featured in.

              Pharrell did an amazing job, engaging not only his fans but also the entire social media community with this great concept. It is good to see new creative ways to communicate ideas throughout the digital space. Using social networks as well as interactive media platforms, artists are able to expand their reach and counteract the ills of piracy. It is a really  good example for other artists to follow so hopefully we will see some replication in the near future.

  >>> Spoiler Alert <<<<

List of celebrities

    •       1:28 a.m.: Kelly Osbourne

    •       5:32 a.m.: The Minions from “Despicable Me”

    •       5:36 a.m.: Magic Johnson

    •       11:48 a.m.: Jimmy Kimmel

    •       1:48 p.m.: Tyler the Creator, Jasper and Earl Sweatshirt from Odd Future

    •       4:40 p.m.: Another Minion

    •       5:08 p.m.: Steve Carell (on a school bus)

    •       5:28 p.m.: Jamie Foxx

    •       5:42 p.m.: Miranda Cosgrove

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IDIOTS

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Pharrell Williams - Happy

Pharrell Williams presents Happy — the world's first 24 hour music video.

Transmedia in action !!!! You're a genius Mr. Williams 

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Oculus Rift: Virtual Reality is here!!

Virtual reality has been an interesting idea for any tech-lover or gamer out there. Oculus VR (the company behind the Oculus Rift) has brought the possibility to any who want to spend 300$ to make this a reality. The Oculus Rift is a device that provides users the ability to feel themselves inside of a virtual world as could be “Team Fortress 2”. Using a 7 inch screen attach to the user’s head, an accelerometer and a gyroscope the OR provides an immersive experience to the user completely different than any other before. 

What makes the OR so differently to any other game “accessory" in the market is that literally changes the user experience of games. Right now there’re only a few games available using this technology and most of them are existing games adapted to the OR but it’s a growing technology that’s being accepted for a lot of game developers around the world.

The reach of this technology so far is only for PC and smarthphones but it suppose to be available later for consoles too. To implement the Oculus Rift to a game requires the use of the SDK that comes with the developer kit (available for Mac OS, Microsoft and Linux). Developers need to add some components their to games as “Integrate Rift motion tracking with your character’s view camera transformation” and “Implement stereoscopic 3D rendering and optical distortion adjustment that produces the correct left/right eye image on the device” to make them work with the Oculus Rift.

This is a powerful technology that is growing very fast and with a lot of capabilities that right now are only focused on games but however in the future could be use for more things as web browsing, interactive experience at museums or even treatment for traumas. I will love to see how game developers can merge technologies as Oculus Rift with others as Leap Motion Sensor or Microsoft Kinect Sensor.

[polygondotcom]

Playstation 4: The Video Review (Click for a link to the full review)

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I need to taste this! 

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THE MOST QUOTED MAN IN NEWS

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How a brand can evolve using digital trends

Trends in the digital world are changing a lot from the last couples of year, which means companies need to change the way that they produce content and create engagement with their costumer. Social media is more powerful than ever, social networks are essential for every person nowadays and the customers are getting involved with their brands. Because of this phenomenon, traditional publishers need to pay more attention to these trends and learn the skills to be successful in this market. 

The trend that has been taking off over the last few years is “Mobile”, everything in the market is focused in mobile (smarthphones, tablets, ebooks, etc). Customers are expecting that all their content will be properly adapted to mobile, therefore Apps and responsive design websites are a basic component of all brands when they are building a market strategy.

To go along with to the world of mobile there is another trend that’s becoming key in the market. This trend is call “Freemium”. Almost every game inside each of the biggest mobile markets is using this model. Music apps like Spotify or Rdio use the same model to charge fees to their clients. Basically the user is able to use most functions and services that the Application provides but for extra features or better service they need to pay, this payment could be just once for a single component or a monthly fee depending of the App.

Social media is around us for quite a bit but, everyday the power of these social platforms is getting more useful for brands. Having a fanpage in Facebook, a twitter account or even a Instagram profile is a good way to connect with customers. All these different platforms could be the channel to deliver content in a variety of formats (images, videos, audio, text, etc) and get the customers involve with the brands in a totally different level. 

Data and analytics are both related to each other and are essential to discovering new ways to engage customers to the content that is being produced. The amount of data created over the multiple platforms around Internet is incredibly huge and is important to pay attention to this. Clients that are speaking about the brand or what are competitors doing are two examples of how meaningful it is to have knowledge of this data. Hence having a tool to measure and understand this data is essential. Tools like Google Analytics for example can help any brand to reach their goal with the produced content.

This is just a few of the most important trends that are taking place in the market right now in 2013. There are more trends that companies need to keep in mind to be successful. Having in consideration this trends is the better way to create a good relationship between the brand and its customers.

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Voice and Tone: How a brand speak with the customers

Each company tries to build its brand in the market, which is special thing that is going to make them unique to the customers and push the brand to the top of the market. In this process of making a brand, the voice and tone how the brand speaks to his customers is very important, and shouldn't be treated as an extra feature. 

But what is the voice of a brand?. Voice is the personality of the brand. II is who the brand really is. It is involved in every single piece of content that is produced under the brand’s name. The voice usually stays the same during the existence of the brand. An example could be: Adidas, their voice is always related to sports, quality products, famous players and healthy life. On the other hand, tone changes depending on the situation. For instance: is it normal that someone changes his o her tone of voice when they are speaking to friends or clients? In the first case, the tone probably will be casual instead of the second case, which will probably be very formal.

After the voice is made, the use of the proper tone in each scenario is key for the brand  to communicate correctly the message that it wants, in a way that customers feels respect and also understood by the brand. To accomplish this, there are 2 factors to take care of: “Situation” and “User’s emotional state”. Dealing with the users emotional state is a difficult task, because it  is hard to predict what it would be. When the content is being produced, the company needs to think of what’s going to be the most common situation that this content is going to be received by the user. Therefore the user probably will receive the content in a better way.

Situation can involve any content type. Success messages could be written cheerfully because most users are happy and comfortable when receiving this message. Alerts or error messages, however, needs to be handle differently. The content is better to be written in a more straightforward style given that the user requires and explanations and is looking for very specific information. 

The tone used for a brand could either break or make their content. That’s why it is so important to pay attention to this, specially when the topics are sensitive to the user itself. Topics like private information, forms, FAQ, unsubscribe screens, help docs, etc are situations that the company needs to take care because usually the customer is having a problem with the brand. Talking to the customer with properly tone in these situations is key to keep a customer in the brand or lose him. Consequently when a company’s content provides good information and avoid lose a customer is always a success. 

Voice and tone are a key part of a brand and also vital when used to communicate between a brand and its costumers. It’s always a good practice to try to predict the emotional state of a customer in a any situation that he needs to be in touch with the content, specially in situations that involve frustration or sensitive subjects. Therefore the influence of that content will most certainly be desirable in the customers eyes.

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Fall Tour Interactive 2013: experiences & memories

The Fall Interactive Tour is an event that provides emerging professionals the opportunity to get involved with media companies around Toronto, visit them and learn about the jobs they might be offering.

The FTI 2013 wasn’t the exception, the tour was full with energy students from different college across Toronto, media professionals, collaborators and amazing experiences. We visited 5 different companies throughout the tour (Shopify, S-Trip, Taxi, Derooted and Social Game Universe). We also watched presentations and workshops by media professionals from other companies such as EA, Ubisoft, Get Set, Oddly, Asteroid Base, etc to help us gain a greater understanding of  the media industry in Toronto.

One of the more amazing and inspiring presentations that we saw was from Asteroid Base. They are a small group of guys ( Matt Hammill, Jamie Tucker and Adam Winkels) that are creating a very unique indie game calls “Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime”. The entire group started in a complete different path from the game industry but with a similar passion between each other: “games”. The story began at Toronto Global Game Jam 2012 where LIADS starts. The team has been developing the game since then and also showing it to the community, that gives them excellent comments about it. The game is 2 player co-op platformer inside a spaceship and is very active and colorful. Players work together running back and forth between ship control rooms trying to kill the enemies outsite of the spaceship.

During FTI 2013 we had the opportunity to speak with many media professionals from different companies, developers, designers, illustrators, animators, etc but Tim Willison founder of Oddly and sponsor of FIT was one of the most impressive guys at the event. He was always involved in almost every presentation during the tour, participating and giving us his experience about the topic. He’s very social and incredibly friendly to everyone. In my particular case having the opportunity to share with such a successful person is an incredibly valuable experience and gave me the feeling that I’m able to be part of this industry.

The Fall Tour Interactive is a great event for everyone that wants to have a career in the interactive media industry around Toronto. It gives the change to students and emerging professionals to share an experience with workers in the field and also the chance to see the culture and different companies in the city. The FTI is perfect for anybody that doesn’t have a clear idea of what kind of company he or she wants to work for, as well as the change to build relationships with other students from other colleges that could be your coworkers in the future.

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Google World Wide Maze

HTML5 is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content through the internet. It is the fifth revision of the HTML standard. Its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices.

Thanks to HTML5 improvements to support multimedia is now possible to build products inside a web browser that a few years ago were impossible to do. Google as tech corporation is involve in the development of these products and it give support to developers around the world allowing them the opportunity to show the huge capacity of the new HTML5.

World Wide Maze is a project brought to live by Google Japan and other companies from the same country, the game features abundant use of HTML5 like device Orientation. Inside of the game is also use Web socket to receive the information sent by the smarthphone and WebGL / Webworkers to build the 3D environment where the game takes place.

The game consist in a rolling ball driven by a smarthphone through 3D mazes builded from a any website in the internet, all this take place in a Chrome window in your computer. The goal of the game is to try to score as many points as you can and reach the goal point. The entire experience is stunning, perfectly made and with a shocking level of details. 

Right now is just a experiment that shows us how big could be the web with this new generation of HTML5 combine with CSS3 technology and different frameworks of Javascript. This is not only for games but for any company that wants to create a product rich in UX and technology.