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Posts tagged paid apps
10 iPhone Apps for Current Art Exhibitions (Part 2)17
Amidst your holiday preparations and travels here are some iPhone apps for current art exhibitions in Paris, London, Zurich, and Lincoln, Massachusetts to perhaps give you a few moments of enriched time .This is the second of two post related to current art exhibition apps. Click here for Part 1.
6. Claude Monet (1840 – 1926)
Through January 24, 2011 – Galeries nationales du Grand Palais – Paris
By my count there are 17 iPhone apps on Apple's App Store directly related to Monet and probably that many and more devoted to French Impressionism in general. I may just have to devote a post or a whole week of posts to reviewing just Monet apps just to explore the various ways developers are approaching the work of this one artist. The app for the current exhibition "Claude Monet (1840-1926)" at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais is : Monet the visit : exhibition at the Grand Palais 2010 – Acoustiguide Smartour. Alastair Sooke writes in The Telegraph that, "Over-amiliarity with the work of Claude Monet has robbed it of much of its potency. Now a new Paris exhibition is looking to recall the dazzling storm the artist caused nearly 150 years ago". For one visitor's reaction to attending the exhibition I recommend Rebecca Taylor's blog post, "Beyond the First Impression: Rediscovering Monet in Paris".
"Monet the visit" is the audio guide downloaded. The exhibition contains over 160 works by Monet and with 43 audio clips this app has an impressive percentage of them covered. I appreciate the improvement of being able to download the audio guide in advance of attending an exhibit, skipping a line to pick up the audio guide, and having it handy after the visit as well. However, to me the audio guide is a nice to have, handy and perfunctorily functional. I like them but I don't love them. However, for the purpose of this blog I'm viewing "Monet the visit" as an app, not to detract from its appeal as an audio guide but to consider what is translating in this app by a leader in audio and multimedia interpretation guides that works within the app experience. How does the app stand alone as an app experience?
What I appreciate in "Monet the visit" is the "Map" view which provides a floor plan for each of the two floors of the exhibition (this is the same format as in Acoustiguide's app for the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco-read a good review by Sarah Dines of that app here). Sure the map view provides the same information as the list view but for me the map view gives a better sense of how the exhibition unfolds. Which painting is located near which? For me the map view gives a better sense at times of which paintings to compare and contrast at times as I might if I were at the exhibition. A nice touch might have been to add an introductory video which included a visual overview of the gallery layout much like in the "Curator's Introduction" on the app for Yoshitomo Nara.
This app, as its name indicates, is intended to accompany a visit to the exhibition therefore it's to be forgiven if when listening to the audio for a particular work the user decides to tap on the image of the work to take a closer look the audio stops. The same thing happens when the user taps the icon for "learn more". Therefore the user has the choice of listening to the audio or learning more but cannot do both at the same time. For the user who is not in front of the paintings being discussed this is a little frustrating particularly when the narrator suggest taking a closer look at a particular portion of the painting. Compare this with more seamless experience in the Infinity of Nations app or the cultY Picasso app reviewed below.
I've already noted that Acoustiguide's Houdini app could benefit from a greater efficiency in the flow of user taps and the same applies here (Interestingly Sarah Dines noted this as an "emerging pet peeve" for her in her review of Acoustiguide's Asian Art Museum-San Francisco) . Jonathan Wegener has a nice post on the economy of taps for interested readers. Lonely Planet, for example, recently simplified its 'City Guides for iPhone' travel app to a 'three taps or less' promise. For a more in-depth read on well developed tap design I highly recommend Tapworthy by Josh Clark and his credo, "Every element of your app has to be tapworthy".
"Monet the visit" works fine as an audio guide, as intended, and at $3.99 is a bargain if you intend to visit the exhibition. However, while the audio clips here are informative I didn't find the overall experience of the app to be engaging for the virtual visitor. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
7. Muybridgizer
Through January 16, 2011 – Tate Britain – London
Muybridgizer is a fun app of modest ambitions that is currently the 63rd most popular photography app in the UK App Store and is also ranked by Applyzer.com in 65 other countries. This might not seem like much compared to a hit game app at present but it really highlights the prospective reach of a creative museum app. Among the apps I have reviewed thus far on this blog this is the most countries in which I've seen a museum app ranked. And it seems really hard for a museum app of any kind at present to break the top 100 in any category. Though I'm confident that that blockbuster museum app is not too far off.
"The Muybridgizer allows iPhone photographers to take pictures inspired by the iconic works of early photographer Eadweard Muybridge. The release of the app celebrates the opening of a major exhibition of Muybridge's work at Tate Britain. The Muybridgizer freeze-frames the moving world, just as Muybridge did with subjects ranging from running horses to leapfrogging boys. In homage to the analogue Victorian beauty of the originals, users can Muybridge-ize their frames with grids and sepia tones, transforming their moving images into striking vitage-style pictures." -From the Tate Gallery's description.
Commissioned by Tate, Nexus Interactive Arts directors Theo Watson & Emily Gobeille have created an app that playfully teaches a little about the man who showed that "horses can fly" by allowing users a chance to create their own Muybridgized photos. First the user selects a grid size of 3×3 or 4×4 and then rather you want a "fast" or "slow" selection. Choose based upon the speed of the movement of the subject you are photographing. After capturing your selected subject the user is presented with the finished grid. Tap on the grid and your Muybridgized sequence is ready for a spin. Swipe the image and your sequence swirls past like an old time Zoopraxiscope.
The Muybridgizer automatically saves your work to a "Gallery" unless you choose to delete it. You can also save it to your iPhones Photo Library but the real fun of these photos is playing them in your Muybridgizer app so I'd group this with your other photo apps such as Instagram (It won't be long until you see a few Muybridgized videos on your friends Facebook wall). Next the Muybridgizer gives you the option of sharing your work on the Muybridgizer Flickr Group, emailing to a friend, or, as mentioned, saving to your iPhones Photo Library. This would be particularly enjoyable if when you received a friend's Muybridgized photos you could play them on your Muybridgizer but that doesn't seem to be the case unfortunately.
What I appreciate in the Muybridgizer app (aside from introducing that Star Trek-ish word into my vocabulary) is how simply but effectively the experience of the app conveys the joy that viewers must have felt when Eadweard Muybridge first unveiled his Zoopraxiscope. Isn't it that type of moment of delight that encourages you to want to explore more? As such I think, modest as this app is, Muybridgizer's effective in giving users a bit of fun rather they intend to visit the related exhibition or not. In either case this app gives the curious a jumping off point for exploring more and for seeing anew the creative leap of Mr. Muybridge. By such simple departure points are muses often inspired.
Muybridgizer is currently a free app (for a limited time) on Apple's App Store. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (4th generation). Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
8. cultY Picasso (EN)
Through January 30, 2011 – Kunsthaus Zurich – Zurich
If I may a couple of housekeeping notes to begin with, cultY Picasso continues the intriguing tradition of naming apps for exhibitions by the vendor's name rather than the exhibition name or the institution (see "Naming your app" for more of this). Seems to me if I had funded the development of an app for an exhibition at my institution I would want the name of the exhibition as the app name if for no other reason than to aid visitors in locating the app when searching on the app store. Second bit of housekeeping, when the app is for an exhibition it is helpful if one of the two links on the app store description links to the exhibition website or at least the institution website. Why have both links pointing to the vendor? And finally, there are two "cultY Picasso (EN)" available on the US Apple App Store, this is the link for the one that is in English.
"To mark its centenary, the Kunsthaus Zurich is paying tribute to Pablo Picasso, the towering genius of the twentieth century, with a comprehensive homage to a sensational show. This was the artist's first ever museum-based retrospective, held in 1932. The exhibition, which ran from September to November of that year at the Kunsthaus Zurich, had been put together by the Spanish painter in person – a revolution in the art world. It was new for the works in a museum-based exhibition to be selected by the artist himself, rather than the museum director. Now, around 100 of the best pieces from that show are on display at the Kunsthaus once again – a unique experience!"-From the App Store description.
The opening screen (to the left) of this app is welcoming and inviting for the viewer. Instantly it conveys multiple paths by which the user may explore and makes prominent that which curator and developer would encourage the user to begin their journey.
Tapping "Picasso" reveals the audio guide and the user has a choice between the numerical order of the audio stops or an alphabetical view (right screenshot). Navigational choice really makes an app more interesting to explore. The question is how to offer choice that is relevant to the exhibition without cluttering the limited screen.
Given that the audio clips here vary in focus between works of art, biographical information and overviews of different periods in the artist's oeuvre it might make more sense to have these as the navigation options rather than "ABC" and "Keypad". "Keypad" seems redundant to "123". While "ABC" might be useful as an index and thus say for returning to a particular piece for further review, it doesn't feel natural as a way to first explore the content of this app. Tapping "Biography" on the home screen takes the user to a screen with a very long scroll of text providing biographical details from throughout Picasso's long life. However, there is only eight pictures which the user swipes in slideshow fashion across the top of this screen and no accompanying audio clips in this section. This is odd given that some of the same pictures accompany audio clips in the audio guide section. Breaking up the long biographical scroll into bite size chunks with more pictures and tying in the related audio might make this content more interesting to explore. As it is it's a convenient but not too inviting reference. Compare this with the navigation options for the Gauguin app I reviewed last week in Part 1.
Tap a stop on the audio guide and the audio clip begins automatically (always an appreciated default-tap economy remember). As the audio clip plays the user is free to tap on the image, zoom around and explore the image of the art work in closer detail even as the audio continues uninterrupted. That's really not much to ask for but the difference in experience between those apps that pay attention to this level of detail and those that don't is the difference between static in your headset and music to your ears.
An example of when this app really shines is in "Three Still Lifes". Here the narrator examines "Wine Bottle" (1926), "Mandolin and Guitar" (1924), and "Studio with Plaster Head"(1925). While listening to the short video clip the user can swipe Cover Flow style the three works of art, select one and zoom in and around the selected image, select another and repeat, scroll down and receive basic information including noting in this case that one of the works is part of the Guggenhiem collection in New York and the other is in the MoMA's collection. Something to keep in mind for a future visit to New York as a follow up to this oasis of an art moment with this app. And isn't that how museum apps are likely to be experienced by the virtual visitor? Small moments of suddenly enriched time while standing in line at the grocery store, or the security line at the airport (and many other longer portions of airport/airplane). And all the while, during the user's tapping around, uncovering and exploring the audio continues uninterrupted. (My wish list item to those working on TourML would be that someway I could bookmark these two works on loan from New York museums such that next time I'm visiting New York and these works are back on display I can have an ah-ha moment and make a point of seeing the originals.) The only thing missing from this example is what Hollywood would call the establishing shot. Give the viewer a picture or video of the three works of art in the same space.
cultY Picasso offers hints of an exhibition related app's potential and as such I recommend downloading rather or not you plan to attend the exhibition. Picasso has served as a source of inspiration for many a muse and this app might inspire a few more. This is a free app and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
9. Rubens, Poussin and 17th Century Artists (HD)
Through January 24, 2011 – Jacquemart-Andre Museum – Paris
If like me you've been curiously wondering "what if an app adopted Cover Flow as it's primary means of navigation?" then you will definitely want to download Rubens, Poussin and 17th Century Artists (HD) produced by Culturespaces and developed by Smartapps. For those not familiar with Cover Flow imagine being able to flip through images of the works of art in an exhibition like a photo album (see the first screen shot below). The aesthetic appeal of this method of navigation is immediate. The work of art itself is the most prominent image on the screen and not the stop number of the audio tour, or the title with a thumbnail of the work of art but the art work itself. For the virtual visitor this greatly improves the experience of strolling through the exhibition freely by scrolling through the images. The user has the feeling one does when you walk into an exhibition and follow your eyes. Which painting captures your eyes' attention and draws you in to explore? For the virtual visitor on the go catching a few minutes of art during a subway ride or passing time while a spouse shops etc. the Cover Flow navigation is brilliant. The user experience is such that you are drawn into the art because it puts the art front and center. Your eyes lead your fingers. Like the app for Infinity of Nations the user doesn't spend a lot of mental energy figuring out the technology (or tap, tap, tap, tapping) you are immediately immersed in the art.
The screenshot to the right shows how straightforward and intuitive this app is when in the Cover Flow view. In the lower left is the "i" icon for information, which in this view provides visitor information such as hours the museum is open, address, links to the website, as well as credits for exhibition and the app. In the lower right is an icon for the keypad for on-site visitors. And as you notice the title of the work of art, the artists, and date of the work of art are noted below the image of the art work. Is this not an aesthetically pleasing balance of information that has its priorities in order?
Tap on the image of the work of art in the center and the selected work becomes the center of focus. Controls in the lower left of this view allow the user to stay in Slideshow view and tap forward or backwards or return to the Cover Flow view. Tap the "Play" icon to play the audio, or the "Key Pad" icon to select another number (handy for the on-site visitor) and in this case the "Information" icon displays information pertinent to the selected work of art. Tap the image again and the controls disappear (the default should be to have these fadeout after a few seconds).
However, once you've tapped the image and the controls have disappeared the user can use two fingers to zoom in with great detail on the work of art. Have I mentioned that once the user has pressed the "Play" icon and the audio starts that you are able to continue your exploration of the selected work of art without the audio stopping. From the moment you open this app down to selecting an image, listening to the accompanying audio, zooming around the selected image, everything feels frictionless. The user rarely stops to figure out the technology. In this app it's all about getting out of the users way so they can be engaged with the work of art.
In the spirit of bonus material on DVDs there are three videos available at the beginning of the Cover Flow view which include a "trailer", an "introduction" and a "making of". Savvy institutions will release these online in advance of the exhibition and the app's release to drum up interest in both. The "making of" video here isn't that creative actually and is missing audio commentary from the curator which would be most appreciated in this context.
Rubens, Poussin and 17th century artists (HD) is $3.99 on the Apple's App Store and includes twenty of the sixty works of art in this exhibition plus the aforementioned videos. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
10. Scapes
Extended through the end of the year – DeCordova, Lincoln, Massachusetts
"The Scapes iPhone app is the front-end for a sound art installation by Halsey Burgund exhibited at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. Scapes augments the physical landscape of the park with a location-sensitive layer of audio. This audio layer contains a mixture of instrumental music and spoken voices – contributed by participants – both of which are influenced by the participant's location within the sculpture park. As such, the participant's body becomes the primary mode of interaction with this project; as they move through the park, they control how their individual audioscape unfolds by shifting the instrumental music and "running into" audio left by other participants. It is designed to work fully only while at the museum, so using the app while anywhere else will result in an incomplete experience…sorry!" from the artist's description.
Although we might not get to experience Scapes in situ here is an intro video to give you some sense of how this is experienced.
Scapes Intro from Halsey Burgund on Vimeo.
The Scapes iPhone app has a simple interface. On the welcome screen the user has two choices: "Listen" or "Speak". Tap listen and you will hear the voices of other museum visitors who have contributed their comments.
Imagine that "As participants walk around the sculpture park, the individual path they follow creates their own personal version of the Scapes audio experience. The music is directly influenced by the landscape and is composed using custom algorithms which constantly generate new music; there are no repeated loops." from the artist's Vimeo site.
Users do have some filtering options. Tap "Who" (left screenshot) and uncheck voices you do not want to hear. Tap "What" (right screenshot) and uncheck the questions you don't want to hear answers from.
If on the other hand the user wishes to "Speak" after selecting "Who is going to speak? Boy, Girl, Man, Woman" the app asks "What do you want to talk about?" and gives you five choices:
Scapes is an excuse to talk to yourself about anything at all. Go for it.
Ask a question of those who come after you.
Tell a story inspired by something you see or feel here.
Look straight up and describe what you see.
Tell us about someone you wish was here with you right now. Talk to him/her.
Nancy Proctor recently wrote about her experience with Scapes:
"Over the past decade, I've taken innumerable audio tours and tried a lot of variations on that basic mobile theme at museums and cultural sites on five continents. Inspired by Janet Cardiff and by Antenna Theater, to whose creative vision and innovative spirit I owe my career, I have said for years that it would be the artists who would show us how to use mobile to its fullest: how to push the boundaries of the technology and create truly transformative experiences and content. More recently, I have argued that mobile should be deployed primarily as a social media platform, creating conversations that go beyond the uni-directional, broadcast mode of traditional audio tours. But never did I dare dream that the realization of these principles would result in a mobile experience as profound or as exciting as what I experienced earlier this week at Halsey Burgund's installation, "Scapes," at the deCordova Sculpture Park. I have never left an exhibition so reluctantly in my life." I would encourage you to read her full review of this experience here.
I felt hesitant about including this app because I haven't had the chance to personally experience it on-site as the artist intended. However, it is such a creative and fascinating example of what is possible that I would be amiss if I didn't include it here.
The iPhone app for Scapes is available for free on Apple's App Store. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
10 iPhone Apps for Current Art Exhibitions (Part 1)22
I wish everyday involved an exhibition visit or at least two or three each week. While institutions are putting more and more information about their collections and exhibitions on their websites it is the apps which for me are really making this type of content accessible. With a website I'm very often multi-tasking when viewing but with an app I'm focused on being engaged with that content. Headphones on and iPhone or iPad in hand I'm asking the app to entertain, engage, and inspire me. To take me on a journey.
Here I take a look at 10 iPhone apps for current exhibitions (divided into two posts with 5 each) to see how they compare in their approach to engaging the virtual visitor. Do these apps invite one to attend the related exhibition after viewing? And how well do these stand on their own as an experience for the virtual visitor? I start from the perspective of the virtual visitor because this visitor's travel budget is limited but his curiosity budget is not and with these apps I can attend an exhibition anytime, anwhere.
Although I start from the perspective of the virtual visitor I am very interested in how these apps enhance the on-site experience as well. In some cases these apps have inspired me to plan a visit to the exhibition soon and when I do I will write a post from that perspective. Have you attended any of these exhibits with the app in hand? If so, please share your experiences in the comments. I'd love to know what you thought worked well on-site. (For Part 2 of 10 iPhone Apps for Current Art Exhibitions click here.)
1. Asia Society Museum: Yoshitomo Nara
Through January 2, 2011 – Asia Society Museum, New York
When the Asia Society Museum opened this exhibit for Yoshitomo Nara in September, Roberta Smith wrote a glowing review in the New York Times noting that, "Mr. Nara may be one of the most egalitarian visual artists since Keith Haring. He seems never to have met a culture or generation gap, a divide between art mediums or modes of consumption that he couldn't bridge or simply ignore. His art is highly synthetic, representing fusions of high, low and kitsch; East and West; grown-up, adolescent and infantile; and so seamless as to render such distinctions almost moot."
Not being familiar with Yoshitomo's work, even if some of the images seem familiar, this app represents my first introduction to this artist. As such it's an okay, if heavily text based introduction. However, given that this is a paid app ($2.99) it's a disappointing introduction to the artist. Compare this with the paid app (also $2.99) for the Tate's Gaugin exhibition reviewed below. To begin with there's very little multimedia in the Yoshitomo Nara app. The co-curators provide a video introduction giving the user a tour of the exhibition gallery (also available on the website) but that's the only video. Additionally, there are only a couple of audio clips and one of those accompanies the screenshot here in which the image is missing months after the app's last update.
I like the incorporation of social media but here the app falls short in my opinion. For example, I thought a friend of mine would really enjoy the work "Hyper Enough (to the City)" (one of the few that contains an accompanying audio clip) and so I tapped on the quote bubbles above the image of this painting. A generic message about the exhibit populated the text box allowing the option to "enter a custom message" to post to Twitter or Facebook but no email option. In attempting to customize the message I completely erased the generic message and so for any subsequent work I tried to post a message to Facebook or Twitter from this app even the generic exhibition information is missing. What I really would like to see is a way to send a message that links to the specific picture I'm messaging from and which ideally would also include a link for the audio clip.
The Asia Society Museum: Yoshitomo Nara app is $2.99 on the website. I think you'll find the website for the exhibition to be a better value and experience. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later. Rated 12+ for infrequently touching on themes which parents may give pause/or not to exposing younger children.
2. Gauguin: Maker of Myth
Through January, 16, 2011 – Tate Modern, London
February 27–June 5, 2011 – National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
The Tate Modern's app for the Gauguin: Maker of Myth exhibition is a pleasure to explore. The navigation options are simple and straightforward. There are four icons across the bottom: "Menu", "Travels", Gallery" and "Info". The "Menu" icon gives the user five options: "Introduction", "Explore By Theme", Explore by Date", "Biography" and "Copyright Info". Alternatively choose to explore the material on this app by tapping the "Gallery" and the user can choose from two periods of time: "1876-1890" or "1891-1903". By whichever route the user chooses to explore one finds quality video and audio clips rewarding the journey and encouraging the user's continued exploration.
In reviewing the exhibition at the Tate Modern the Londonist wrote, "Abandoning the usual chronological formula, the show pivots thematically around Gauguin, with the work arranged in various rooms around a pair of central spaces which look into the artist's life and influence; one room covering his first trip to the South Seas, the other his second. The meaning is clear: the movement of this peripatetic journeyman is the key to understanding how he felt about himself, and how he reflected this in the art he produced."
Seeing this curatorial intent translated to the app so well in the design by Antenna Audio and Tate really enhances the user experience. This is an app which not only works as a stand alone experience (no small feat) but also seems to have been designed in concert with the exhibitions development and not as an afterthought. In addition to the flexible navigation which invites exploration tapping the "Travels" icon reveals a map (screenshot above) with little boxes indicating places and dates for Gauguin's travels. Simply and effectively the map conveys the extent of Gaugin's travels allowing the user learn a little bit more about the relevance of each to Gauguin and his work. Everything in this app is delivered in delicious bite size chunks.
As a testament to the exhibit and the apps popularity it is worth nothing that this app is currently the 37th most popular "Education" app in the Apple's UK App Store and is ranked in the top 1000 "Education" apps in 24 other countries (though oddly not the United States yet).
The Gaugin: Maker of Myth app is $2.99 on the app store and worth purchasing even if you don't intend to go to the exhibition. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
3. Houdini: Art and Magic
Through March 27, 2011 – Jewish Museum, New York
April 28, 2011 – September 4, 2011 – Skirball Center, Los Angeles
September 30, 2011 – January 16, 2012 – The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
February 11, 2012 – May 13, 2012 – Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin
This app is called Houdini at The Jewish Museum, New York – Acoustiguide Smartour. This mouthful of an app name gave me certain assumptions beginning with expecting this exhibition to be strictly a straightforward presentation of Houdini (whatever I had in mind with that thought). For me at least, I thought of Houdini as an interesting entertainer from the vaudeville era but I didn't really feel excited enough about Mr. Houdini to attend an exhibit. This app though changed my mind. Houdini as an app stands by itself and is worth exploring even if you are not going to attend the exhibition. However, exploring it might also intrigue one enough to catch this exhibition at one of its stops in the next couple of years. Howard Kissel has a good review of the exhibition in his column, The Cultural Tourist.
Acoustiguide and The Jewish Museum, New York do a good job here of storytelling, of interweaving different voices and different elements from the exhibition. I had, I'll admit, expected a bit more dry narrative, something like what I feel the experience is for Acoustiguide's Masada app. However, in the app for Houdini, Acoustiguide has
done a marvelous job beginning with an introduction by The Jewish Museum's Director Joan Rosenbaum. The audio guide is narrated by actor, singer and magician Neil Patrick Harris and includes commentary by Ms. Rapaport; world famous magicians David Blaine and James "The Amazing" Randi and University of Chicago Professor Emeritus of History and Art History, Neil Harris. There's even a "Bonus" audio clip of Harry Houdini himself.
What intrigues me about this exhibition and gives it a different twist is the integration of contemporary art with the historic objects. Artists Jane Hammond, Vik Muniz, Petah Coyne, Deborah Oropallo, Matthew Barney, Ryamond Pettibon, and Ikuo Nakamura (screenshot of his work, "Materialization" to the right) each discuss how the magician has served as an inspiration for one of their works. Including not only their works but also the voices of these contemporary artists within this app really serves as an excellent invitation to the exhibition. How is Houdini relevant and contemporary today? The audio clips and images from these artists do give me pause to consider this and to consider finding out more by visiting the exhibition.
Under each stop there is an icon for "More Info". Sometimes this is worth exploring as there can be additional audio or video clips. But this is kind of hit or miss as often one simply finds a still of the same image on the original screen although tapping this one does allow the user to zoom in and explore the image. Hidden four taps deep in the app is two video clips from archival footage and old movies. (Hint: the two video clips are under "Introduction" and "Celebrity"). Isn't there a design rule that the user should never be more than three taps from any content? The extra video and audio clips here might be made more accessible by locating them under the "More" icon on the bottom of the app.
On a final note the app is Houdini at The Jewish Museum, New York and as I currently understand it there are no plans to make changes to the app for the next three stops on the exhibition's tour. However, it might be nice if the other stops did take a look at modifying the logistical information and gallery map for their respective institutions as I do think this app is a good invitation to see the exhibition where users have the chance.
The Houdini at The Jewish Museum, New York app is $2.99 on Apple's App Store and worth downloading even if you are not planning on attending the exhibition. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
FYI: Thirteen and The Jewish Museum, New York are giving away 50 pairs of admission tickets and more here. Contest ends 1/3/11.
4. Infinity of Nations
Ongoing – National Museum of the American Indian – George Gustav Heye Center, New York
The Infinity of Nations app is an absolutely beautifully designed app. Yes, there are beautiful high resolution photographs of 60 of the art objects from this exhibition included in the app but that's not what I mean. I mean one should stop to appreciate the aesthetics of this design because they are so seamless you might miss them. If you haven't already downloaded this free app by all means do so now. Why? Because you have to experience the intuitive, super easy, visual navigation that the innovative folks at Tristan Interactive in collaboration with Daniel Davis, Senior Media Producer at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and his team at the Smithsonian, with audio content produced by Earprint Productions and NMAI, have created. The beauty of this app begins with the tight integration of the app design with curator Cecile Ganteaume's design of the exhibition right down to the color coding for different sections in the visual navigation matching exactly the exhibition graphics. Now that's attention to detail. But the real beauty is the usefulness of this attention to detail.
When you first open the Infinity of Nations app you are greeted with a menu of four choices "Infinity of Nations Guide", "About This Exhibition", "Museum Information" and "About This Application". This app eschews the traditional menu icons at the bottom as well as any keypad option for entering audio tour stop numbers and replaces these with a simple, elegant visual navigation.
Tapping "Infinity of Nations Guide" takes the user to a list view of the twelve different sections in the exhibition and an introduction. At the bottom are two options for the user to toggle between. Tap the map view and the user gets a map of the exhibition which you can scroll back and forth. Tapping the section labeled "Southwest" and the user is presented a graphic representation of the display case as it is in the exhibition.
The user can scroll along the virtual display case. Numbers and a white boarder around several of the objects invite the user to tap on the object revealing a brief audio clip and an image of the object. The audio starts automatically for the user. The user also has the choice of tapping "Description" for a text version of the information in the audio clip. Tapping the description does not interrupt the audio.
Tap on the image, in this case of a Hopi manta, and the user can zoom in for a closer view and pan around the image to really appreciate the details. Again, doing so does not interrupt the audio. This only makes sense but that isn't always the experience in every app. It's this type of attention to the user experience that really makes this app a pleasure to explore.
Accompanying the text description is a thumbnail of the same image and if the user chooses to tap on the thumbnail then again you can zoom and pan the image. Makes sense but again not every developer pays attention to the user experience the way Daniel Davis and Tristan Interactive have in this app.
One of the beauties of this apps design is that it works well for both the virtual visitor and the on-site visitor and allows for a seamless experience moving from one to another. If after viewing the app there are items I specifically want to view when I visit the exhibition I'll know exactly where they are located. And vis-a-versa after leaving the exhibit if you wanted to explore a section further you would be able to intuitively navigate right to the section.
Another aspect to this design is it's scalability. As the NMAI develops more content for the pieces in the exhibit it will be easy to integrate into the app. An approach that makes sense for permanent collections. I could easily see this becoming the app equivalent of the exhibition catalog.
On a final note I appreciate the absence of loose strings. There are no extraneous half-baked components placed in the app because well, someone on the designed-by-committee said there should be or the app would be incomplete. Everything included in this app works to enhance the user experience of the art. The technology gets out of the way. Form and function fit together perfectly here.
The Infinity of Nations app is available for free from the App Store, has been downloaded more than 1200 times in a little over a month since its release and ranks in the top 1000 "Education" apps in 13 countries (not an easy feat for an exhibition specific app). I recommend that you give it a try. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
For more information on the Infinity of Nations exhibition here is the Holland Cotter's review in the New York Times and here is a review by AP writer Ula Ilnytzky in the Huffington Post. Curator Cecile Ganteaume spoke with Chuck Scarborough on New York Nightly News about the new exhibition and you can watch a video of that here.
5. Tuymans BC
Through January 23, 2011 – Bruges, Belgium
Bruges Central City Festival: "Every five years Bruges provides the stunning setting for a large-scale cultural festival. In this edition creative Belgians and artists from Central Europe take over the city. Along with the art-historical exhibition 'Van Eyck to Dürer', the contemporary art trail 'Luc Tuymans: A vision of Central Europe' will be one of the highlights of this major event. The exhibition curated by Luc Tuymans and Tommy Simoens, gives a unique vision of the arts of an extraordinary region as their influences ripple out all over the world and back again. The exhibition is full of paradoxes: light and dark, East and West, the experience of the past in the present and the pains of history. Spread over 5 locations across the city, it includes the work of over 40 artists." From the festival website.
This app is designed to be experienced as a visitor at the Bruges Central City Festival.
As such it doesn't stand up well as an app stand-alone experience. Essentially this is an audio guide with the content referencing spaces and works of art in a traditional audio guide format but which at times is difficult to follow as the audio and the image(s)are not always aligning in an easy to follow format for the virtual visitor.
The navigation of the app is straightforward. As noted above this exhibition is an art trail at five locations across Bruges. Tapping the "Places" icon presents the viewer with a menu of the five locations to choose from (left screenshot). Selecting one of the places provides a menu of the artists at that location, in this case Grootseminarie (right screenshot). After selecting an artist the user sees a screen with the artist birthday and birthplace, one or more images of the artist work and the option to play an audio clip. Sometimes, as in the case of Katharina Fritsch the app only presents the user with a single thumbnail image which doesn't really allow the viewer to see the work of art being described. In other cases there are multiple images of the artist's work and it's not always easy for the virtual visitor to tell which of these images are in the exhibition and which are provided as additional example of the artist work.
The best way for the virtual visitor to enjoy this app is to abandon thoughts of the exhibition itself and take a moment to uncover the names of contemporary artists of which one might not otherwise have heard. In most cases I don't think there is enough content on the app to give you a good understanding of the artist's work but it is sufficient to discern which ones might of interest for exploring elsewhere.
The Tuymans BC app is a free app on Apple's App Store. Although the app description indicates English as the only language there are French and Dutch options as well. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later. Rated for ages 12+.
(For Part 2 of 10 iPhone Apps for Current Art Exhibitions click here.)
10 New Culture Apps for the iPhone5
November saw the release of a number of culture apps on the Apple App Store. Some were as alive as a business card or flyer but others were very creative, fun and inspiring in their approach to engaging users in this space. Here is a review of ten culture apps which give a representative range of the releases from cultural institutions in the month of November.
1. Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
Does your heart weigh more than the feather of truth? Answer 7 questions correctly and you will unlock the Book of the Dead of Hunefer, one of the many of the British Museum's collection of Books of the Dead featured in the the exhibition Journey through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. Get the answers wrong, and you will be eaten by the Great Devourer.
This app is more of a trailer for the exhibit than an app for engaging in the exhibition. If you are planning to attend the exhibition (which runs through March 6, 2011) and have children then the app journey through the netherworld may be a good teaser to get them intrigued. (Rated for children 9+ for infrequent/mild horror/fear themes).
Given the apps trailer premise my one suggestion would be for the "Events programme" page to be integrated in an easy to read format for the iPhone. Instead one is directed to the exhibition website which while I do appreciate the link it is a bit more difficult to navigate than if this information had been integrated into the app itself.
Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead is a free app compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
2. Bristol: The Blitz and the City We Lost
Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II. The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the waters into the heart of the city.[1]
Between 24 November 1940 and 11 April 1941 there were six major bombing raids. In total Bristol received 548 air raid alerts and 77 air raids with:
919 tons of high-explosive bombs and myriad incendiary bombs
1299 people killed, 1303 seriously injured, 697 rescued from debris
89,080 buildings damaged including 81,830 houses destroyed and over 3000 later demolished.(From the Bristol Blizt in Wikipedia).
This app gives you information on what old Bristol was like, and the effect the Blitz had, through an engaging audio commentary, and using archive photos and film provided by Bristol Record Office, and other pictures from Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery.
Bristol: The Blitz and the City We Lost is a step up from a basic audio tour and something I am seeing pop up on the App Store for many historical areas throughout the world. If you are in Bristol the app uses the phone's GPS to play the right audio clips, and show the right archive images and films in the right places as you walk around Bristol's old city. But for the rest of us there is browse option which I enjoyed. Two things are missing from the browse option: a map of Bristol to help locate visually how the different stops relate spatially; and also, there are no present day photographs of the stops given the design for a walking tour. All in all though I found the app an informative and easy to use bit of history.
Bristol: The Blitz and the City We Lost is $2.99 on the App Store and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
3. Extraordinary Heroes
The Imperial War Museum London opened the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, its first major permanent gallery in ten years, on the 12th of November with Extraordinary Heroes.
The new gallery, paid for by a £5million donation from Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, will house the Extraordinary Heroes exhibition containing the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), which has been established by Lord Ashcroft since 1986. The 162 awards, which range from the Crimean to the Falklands wars, are on public display for the first time alongside 48 VCs and 31 George Crosses (GCs) already held by the Museum. The VC is Britain and the Commonwealth's premier award for extreme gallantry in the face of the enemy, while the GC is Britain's most prestigious civil decoration.
The Extraordinary Heroes app which accompanies the exhibit indicates that one can "explore 29 stories of bravery across 7 different themes" but it does so in the manner of a fancy flyer for the exhibition. One can read the brief descriptions but one doesn't feel really drawn into the stories. On the "How to Use This App" screen there are icons and instructions for audio and video clips but it appears that this is from Toura's (the developer) template, rather than specific to Extraordinary Heroes, as there are no audio or video clips available in the app. Which is a shame. After Bristol: The Blitz I was geared up for more history but found Extraordinary Heroes to be less than ordinary as an app. This is a step down from an audio guide.
Extraordinary Heroes is available for $0.99 on the App Store. Save your change unless you want to make a charitable donation to the Imperial War Museum. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
4. Golden Gate Park Field Guide
This is a really cool app from the California Academy of Sciences and let me start by noting the coolest feature, "Sightings". With "Sightings" "citizen scientist" can search for recent sightings of plants and animals in the park. For example, a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) was spotted on the grassy slope between deYoung and JFK on Thanksgiving day. Users can also upload a spotting with a picture. Unfortunately the picture of the Red-shouldered Hawk wasn't the best and you can't zoom yet on the picture but this is still a pretty cool way to explore the park. However, the field guide tells me that this is an uncommon sighting and even provides an audio clip of the Red-shouldered Hawk's voice. The app also keeps track of your sightings in folder for handy reference.
A field guide highlights more than 170 of the park's animal and plant species, "including a few surprises like wild coyotes and blackberry bushes". An "Adventures" section includes two nature walks, two bike tours, and four scavenger hunts. This app is well thought out and easy to navigate.
The Golden Gate Park iPhone app is currently free for a limited time and then will be $2.99. If you are planning to visit the California Academy of Sciences in the coming weeks show the app at the Academy ticket window for $5 off the price of your ticket from 11/29/10-12/24/10. (Valid for up to four guests.) This app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
5. Acoustiguide Smartour – Masada
"On the cliff of Masada, at the edge of the Judean Mountains, rising over 400 meters above the western shore of the Dead Sea, unfolded one of the most dramatic events in the history of the people of Israel.
When all hope of halting the advance of the Roman forces was lost, Elazar Ben-Yair gathered the warriors of Masada, with their women, their elderly and their young in the square beyond the wall and addressed them, calling upon them to take their own lives…
"…and die we shall ere we serve our enemies in bondage, and free men we shall remain when we leave the land of the living, we, our wives and our children…' " (from the developer's description)
This app from Acoustiguide is pretty much one would expect from a leading provider of audio guides. There are 41 way points and an introduction. Each is accompanied by a still photograph. I had been hoping that there would be more multi-media available to really bring Masada to the user who may not be able to visit. While this audioguide is informative it seems to fall short of really being an app. I wish this app would take a page or two from the National Constitution Center's app.
Acoustiguide Smartour – Masada is $1.99 on Apple's App Store and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
6. Mori Art Museum Official App
The Mori Art Museum "is Tokyo's highest museum, on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. Opened in 2003, it features state-of-the-art galleries with 6m-tall (20-ft.) ceilings, controlled natural lighting, and great views of Tokyo. Innovative exhibitions of emerging and established artists from around the world are shown four times a year, with past shows centering on contemporary Asian, African, and Japanese art." (from the New York Times).
The Mori Art Museum Official App is the app as business card. There is basic information about the current exhibit, "Odani Motohiko: Phantom Limb" including biographical information about the artist and pictures of six pieces in the exhibition. There is no additional audio or video included. I'm not sure I understand the point of creating this app other than, as I said, as a business card. Odani Motohiko's art looks intriguing but this app isn't going to help the user gain a better appreciation of his work.
Mori Art Museum Official App is available on Apple's App Store at no charge and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later.
7. National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center worked with Drexel University's School of Education to create this excellent app. There are five navigation icons across the bottom of the app. The first icon, "Home", provides the visitor with basic logistical information including directions via public transportation and parking rates. Let's skip the second icon for a second. The central icon appropriately enough is of the "Constitution" and provides a full text of this historic document. The fourth icon is "Newswire" provided by YellowBrix, Inc. a service of BusinessWire. The newsire highlights articles in the news which affect constitutional issues, although not all articles seem to meet this criteria. And the fifth navigation icon is "More" which allows the user to send an email about the app, provide feedback to the NCC or take a survey.
Now back to the second icon, "Tours", which is the heart of this app. Here the NCC introduces an in-app payment system which I applaud. There are four tours, "Art of the American Soldier", "We the People-Constitution", "Signer's Hall Exhibit", and "Ancient Rome and America". Each tour has between twenty and forty-five waypoints and includes rich media. For example, a video of George W.H. Bush, Chairman of the NCC, welcomes the user to Signers' Hall. After a couple of provided preview way points the user can choose to purchase the rest of the tour for $0.99. A very reasonable price considering the content provided here. If the NCC had started with the app being priced at $3.99 on the App Store users might be reluctant to purchase the app. With this model users can download the app and have convenient access to some basic features and then pay-as-you-go with the tours after you've previewed the content of several waypoints first.
Overall I think the NCC did a good job of creating an app that is engaging both for the on-site visitor and the at-home app user. I haven't visited the NCC yet but after viewing this app I'm looking forward to the chance to do so soon.
The NCC app is free to download from Apple's App Store and then charges $0.99 each for four optional tours. Try one and I think you'll agree you're getting your moneys worth here. This app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
The Phillips Collection has released a very professional app with great features, easy to use navigation and lots of content to explore. The audio guide consist of three tours, "Intersections" with 6 stops, "Permanent Collection" with 9 stops, and "TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art 1845-1945" (a current exhibition running through January 9, 2011) with 9 stops. A variety of voices are featured on the audio guide including Museum Director Dorothy Kosinski, artists, curators, and educators. The last time I visited the Phillips Collection the audio guide was available for access via your cell phone, which I find an improvement over many of the audio guide units distributed by museums but still you have to dial the access number repeatedly during a visit which gets old. So having the audio pre-loaded for a visit is certainly an improvement, although some of it seems lifted from a dated audio guide. When I heard curator Vesela Sreteno refer to a work from the "Intersections" series being on view until May 2, 2010 I had to double check to be sure this app had debuted in November.
But the real fun with this app is when you begin exploring the other content available. There's a veritable treasure trove of videos to get lost exploring with content ranging from behind the scenes views of artists installing their works in the museum to visitors commenting on the recent Georgia O'Keeffe Exhibition Abstraction. There really is so many wonderful surprises in exploring the videos included in this app.
A real gem of a surprise in this app is the "Love Stories from the Phillips Collection". I haven't seen anything like this on another museum app and found these stories very touching and really enriched the experience of my time exploring The Phillips Collection app. Do yourself a favor, download this app and take a look at these "Love Stories".
One other feature which I really appreciate on the Phillips Collection app is the donation icon at the bottom of the app. This reminds me of the glass boxes often found in museum lobbies which provide an opportunity to donate what you wish. The Phillips house recently suffered substantial damage from a fire and so they have launched a micro-donation campaign to allow supporters to contribute to make a $5 donation, by texting "phillips5" to 20222 and to make a $10 donation, they can text "phillips10" to this same number. Even if this donation were not for a special cause I do appreciate that the Phillips Collection provided this way to say thanks for a great app experience.
The Phillips Collection app is available for free from Apple's App Store and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
This wonderful app from Central Kentucky's Museum Without Walls Project represents a collaborative effort between Christine Huskisson of the University of Kentucky department of art, Lisa Broome-Price of the Gaines Center for the Humanities, Allison Hosale, a recent graduate of UK with an MA in Art History, and the direct involvement of students from the University of Kentucky and Georgetown College. The design of the app really encourages user involvement with the public art in Lexington, Kentucky. A user can browse a map of public artworks in the Lexington, Kentucky, follow directions on a Google map to the artwork and check-in to earn points (naturally, you need to be in the area for this to work). A "My Gallery" folder allows users to keep track of which art works they have visited. As a result of the check-in feature the Museum Without Walls "team will be able to track which pieces of artwork are being viewed the most and at what times and even by certain demographics, because each user will create a small profile that will give a little information about themselves," according to Brian Raney of Apex Software, who partnered on the app development.
Museum Without Walls has even created a page for lesson plans. The lesson plans were created by Allison Hosale as part of a graduate level assignment and tested in a local elementary school.
The only thing missing currently is audio and I read that there are plans to include audio from "artists and interpretive comments from curators and administrators, as well as those who might simply want to share their experiences".
TakeItArtside! is a free app available from Apple's App Store and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
UPDATE December 6, 2010: The Project Team at Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls informs me that the lessons plans for the current app were designed by Sarah Piester & Jeanette Tesmer, graduate students at the University of Kentucky.
Zahner has produced, what in it's present form is, the app as digital portfolio. This pioneer in the architectural metal industry has collaborated with an impressive list of clients all over the world.
According to their website, "The Zahner iPhone App was designed to give art and architecture lovers a taste of the great works by great artists. Included in the App are many of the best designers, architects, and artists of our day, showing the works they've produced in Zahner metal.
The Zahner App is one of the best ways to get a taste for the projects that Zahner has done around the world. The Zahner App includes several mapped locations so that users can visit Zahner projects completed in their own area. There is no better way to understand the quality of Zahner metal-work than by seeing it in person."
The app as it is now does include hundreds of photos and the resources section contains interesting and useful articles however, the app itself is missing a pulse. There's no video or audio from the artists and architects. No commentary from Zahner on their processes. Nothing. Just a silent digital portfolio of admittedly impressive work. Check out the video on their website for a demo of the app.
Zahner's app is available for free from Apple's App Store. I'd recommend waiting until they add some more engaging content. This app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later


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Obama Owes Us An Explanation
When President Barack Obama takes the stage this week at the Democratic National Convention, inside Charlotte's aptly chosen Bank of America Arena, he owes us an explanation for why the economy has been working so much better for financial behemoths than it has for ordinary people.
He needs to enhance our understanding of why, nearly four years after he moved into the White House, millions of Americans are still threatened with the loss of their own homes. He needs to bring us up to speed on why tens of millions of working-age people are scrambling to find adequately paying jobs.
– read more –

subset: commoncrawl


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This post brought to you by Southwest Airlines Vacations. All opinions are 100% mine.
Las Vegas is a fantabulous place to visit. There was a time that it was full of questionable people and shady dealings. No longer. It's not somewhere you can feel safe to bring your family, whether it's your kids or your granny. However, this Las Vegas Vacations post ain't about that. It's about partying and adult trips to Las Vegas.
When I lived in SoCal, one of our favorite girls' getaways was to head to Vegas. We could fly cheaply on Southwest Airlines, get a room at a fab hotel, and have a good time. A really good time. Even if we didn't decide to fly, it was a fairly short road trip of about 3 ½ hours.
Sometimes we would party at one of the fab pools. Sometimes those are risqué, and sometimes it's like all out debauchery. I mean, there's a reason that the slogan was "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." Other times we'd just go to one of the amazing clubs, restaurants, and/or bars in town. A couple times, the other ladies have had their bachelorette parties in Las Vegas. I can't tell you about that, though. Partly because this is a family rated blog, and partly because details may or may not be a little hazy. *cough*
It doesn't all have to be shady, sketchy details you vaguely remember. Las Vegas has gorgeous golf courses, exquisite spas and salons, and some of the best shopping in the world. Personally, I *always* hit up the fabric and bead stores when I visit. If they have supplies to make the showgirl costumes, that's where I wanna be. I'm totally attracted to the sparklies.
Southwest Airlines has always been known as a budget airline, but in recent years, they've stepped it up. Maybe it's partly the fact that other airlines have started cutting back on services and nickel and diming you at every turn. Whatever it is, Southwest has become one of my top airlines of choices recently.
Now, they've decided to get in the game of vacation packaging. Southwest Vacations has the best deals on Las Vegas Vacations. For example, you can save $100 + 25% on a stay at Bally's Las Vegas. Southwest Vacations has lots of other fantastic deals too.


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GenelLynne is an Atlanta Native, artist and film lover! GenelLynne lives in the bustling heart of the south with her Cat "Avocado". She has a wild and free spirit, and believes in being intentional with every aspect of her life.
In her own words:
"Its a process- something I can use to create and capture timeless images that can be kept forever in more than just digital copies. I love capturing life, in all of its rare, beautiful, and vibrant moments. From the start to the end, wether I'm photographing your portraits, documenting the need in Peru, or any of the other magnificent moments in life; you will know that each image was taken with care, catching the little things that make life beautiful and worth while."
Send me a line- I'd love to chat and get to know you!
Still curious to know more about me and my history with photography?
Well, I like strawberries, little cats and big dogs, neutral colors, natural wood, and anything crafted or leather. I love people, and I love honesty.
My unique shooting style is a mix of editorial and photo journalism. My ability to direct a photograph (while still documenting and keeping the emotions true to life) sets me apart from other photographers in the industry today.
I was first drawn to photography at the age of 10, and began shooting weddings at the age of 14. I am in love. At 16 I began to adore fashion and editorial photography. As I realized my passion, I began to study what makes a good image and looked at how and why certain photographs impact me. I now love working with real people, teaching them how to feel beautiful and comfortable with themselves through posing and directing, and using natural light to tell a story.
In 2017 I've decided to dedicate a huge part of my life to helping those in need. Its starting with orphans in Peru, but I don't know where this will take me. I'm hoping to travel, helping those in need, as well as document the beauty and need of those I'm meeting every day.
Today, these are my strengths. I am comfortable in my medium (film), and in my own skin. I have vision for my photos, and I can make them come to life through the emotions and beauty that I always see in people.


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Architectural Gems at the DAM
In a celebration of the annual Doors Open Denver, we want to share a few architectural gems that you may miss on an average Denver Art Museum visit. While the buildings alone—designed by star architects Gio Ponti and Daniel Libeskind—could keep the average architecture enthusiast satisfied for hours, we've revealed a few secret spots not to miss. Find more details on our calendar about what areas of the museum Doors Open Denver visitors can access.
1. What did that sink just say to me?
Level One Restrooms, North Building
Visit the restrooms on the first floor of the North Building. Sure, we have bathrooms on every floor, but these restrooms house a special artwork aptly named Singing Sings, by Jim Green. Wash your hands and hear a lovely serenade of Row, Row, Row Your Boat seemingly coming from the drain pipe. To create authentic plumbing acoustics, the speaker is mounted in a non-functional plumbing pipe connected to the drainpipe. Sounds are activated when you stick your hands under the faucet. Don't forget to try a few sinks at the same time.
2. What did one red tile say to the other?
Stairwell, North Building
The stairs in the seven-story North Building may seem daunting, but if you can explore a few floors by foot, you'll be rewarded. In the stairwells you'll find replicas of the tiles on the outside of the building in yellow, white and, in one case, red. Enter the staircase on level one, walk up about 12 steps and you'll encounter a wall of white tiles with one red tile stuck on the right side. No one can explain who put it there or why!
3. Rocky Mountain Majesty
Level Six, North Building
We're shaking off the construction dust in the level six galleries as I type. It is future home to our textile art collection. The North tower on this level was being used as a collection storage area and exhibition staging space. Through a generous grant from the Avenir Foundation and subsequent donations from area supporters and foundations, the entire North tower area is being remodeled. The new space will house an extensive, interactive Thread Studio space, exhibition space for the textile art collection, a preVIEW area where conservation work can take place in visitors' view, and storage for the entire textile collection. One of the new elements that took my breath away was the stunning windows (and mountain vistas) revealed. Sweeping views of the city and mountains will greet you as you walk into the Thread Studio. The angular windows also showcase Ponti's preference for geometric shapes.
4. What are those blinking tiles?
Atrium, Hamilton Building
Look up and take in the digital artwork of Tatsuo Miyajima, titled ENGI. Commissioned by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, the artwork is actually a piece of public art that calls the museum home. What many people may not realize is that each of the 80 mirrored disks are connected to a community member. Central to the artist's vision for ENGI was the direct involvement of the people of Denver, making it a truly public piece of art. At a workshop on August 9, 2006, 80 members of the community each set the rate of change for the numbers on a device. Miyajima instructed the participants to set the devices as a metaphor for "each individual's life force, "each individual's history" and "each individual's time." The LEDs, with their different colors (blue or white) and speeds, display a microcosm of the city of Denver and its residents.
5. Where to catch a few rays
Level Three, Hamilton Building
Few people realize that we have a sculpture deck in the Hamilton Building. Located off of the level three modern and contemporary art galleries, the deck houses a metal sculpture titled (ironically) Untitled by Donald Judd and spectacular views of the surrounding area. Weather permitting, this deck is a nice breather from the galleries and offers a bit of sun.
Want to learn more about the museum's architecture? Take our docent-led Architecture Tour, offered daily at 10:15 am. Free with general museum admission. Or listen to museum staff and experts talk about the North Building and the Hamilton Building online.
Image credit: Denver Art Museum photo by Thomas Schiff.


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This Is Siberian Husky An award winning sketch duo. "The amount of talent on stage will leave you gasping for breath." Herald Sun "Sketch comedy with a manic edge." Australian Stage
Writers, comedians and wealthy gadabouts Dan Allemann & Simon Godfrey. Ok, we're not monetarily wealthy, but emotionally… eh, we're not that either.
This is Siberian Husky have performed their sketch comedy odysseys at festivals from Melbourne to Canada. Recipients of the 2012 Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Award and 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival Weekly Award.
Audio, articles, shows and the script for This is Siberian Husky's German Opera about a man who walks into a paddock, finds a bore pump and does not much else. Strange, that project never got off the ground...
The Earth is Flat
Simon's one man show about a medieval cardinal who hatches a dastardly plot to convince humanity the Earth is flat. The key to his plan: Clive Palmer. Only the janitor at the Melbourne Museum stands in their way. A story of power, redemption and a big drill.
The Misery Factory Trailer
The White House Tapes
Rise of the Ghostmen EP
Colour In Stereo '10
Colour in Stereo? It's been and gone. You missed it. That was silly of you. How you live with the disappointment from this point is entirely your concern. I suggest some sort of scream therapy – you know, that new one where you scream at owls?
Colour in Stereo was This is Siberian Husky's 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show and was a sensory experience akin to being flogged with a Hammond organ.
Live And Underwater EP
The Moosehead Award winning sketch comedy journey based on a 19th century bicycle. Boneshaker played at the Lunch Room, Melbourne Town Hall as part of the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Tin Whistles
I don't know about this new law banning Irish tin whistles. It seems a little draconian to me. Of course they can be annoying and a choke hazard for those with big necks, but their illegality will surely irritate those who don't have enough talent to play a real folk instrument.
The government has cited an incident where several Irish tin whistles were accidentally dropped into the badger enclosure at the Melbourne Zoo. What allegedly transpired was an orgy of high-pitched dissonant whistling as the badgers blew wildly, their claws unable to completely cover the holes.
While I acknowledge this has happened in the past, it's a rare scenario and banning the Irish tin whistle outright is a little over the top. My research has only found seven similar incidents in the last century. In an accidental whistle drop in 1979, the keepers had presence of mind to avoid aural disaster by promptly throwing some sheet music into the enclosure. Training zoo keepers to enact this type of measure in the unlikely event of Irish tin whistles finding their way into the claws of badgers is a more appropriate response to the recent tragedy at Melbourne Zoo. Other possible solutions include constructing better fencing, giving the badgers mandolins to curb their interests in tin whistles or just slaughtering the creatures wholesale. They're underground half the time anyway. Sneaky pricks.
In 1954 Aldous Huxley chronicled his experience of an afternoon on the psychedelic drug mescaline in his book The Doors of Perception. To celebrate the 57th anniversary of The Doors of Perception, I thought I would conduct a similar experiment and document my own experience. Unfortunately, having only a rudimentary knowledge of pharmacology and having never read the book, I mistook mescaline for mesclun – a salad comprised of leafy vegetables. The results weren't as interesting and to be honest I should have clicked at the unlikelihood of a cafe serving psychedelic alkaloids with their baguettes.
"Well, it's been an hour and can't report much change in sensory perception. I was hit by the reflection of sunlight from someone's watch about twenty minutes ago. That caused me to see see a bright purplely blue colour for a time, but I don't think it had anything to do with the mesclun. I must admit, I didn't expect mesclun to be so darn tasty. Oh hang on, I think the wall just moved. No, no sorry. It was just a rat. Ew. I hope this place isn't rat infested. Come to think of it, tightly spaced alley cafes must have all sorts of infestations. That's a disturbing thought. Surely these places have to meet rigorous food safety regulations? I assume they are regularly inspected, but can you really trust the department of health? Maybe I should write a letter; not complaining about the rat, just to inquire about the stringency of their inspections. But I don't want to be one of those people, you know busybody serial letter writers? It must be so irritating having to respond to their pointless worries day in, day out. It's not my fault people have lost faith in our state institutions, is it? I'm a citizen, if I have a concern, I should be allowed to voice it. There's probably a website they'll direct me to, so I should just check there first. I don't think I should have to. I did just see a rat, surely that entitles me to some sort of personalised response?"
For Which We Stand
There's a distinct lack of tube socks in this country. There are a few locations, a minimal amount of randomly located wholesale outlets that sell them, but it is far from convenient.
I think our hopes would be boosted by the comfortability of tube socks.
In America there are tube socks on every corner, but right now the economy is suffering. We need more tube socks – they could save us all. But tube socks are made in sweat shops and sweat shops are bad because they make children sweat.
I'd like to shake all the sweat shops in the world upside down and take all the poor children that fall out to see Wall-E. Because I think a hard working, under paid child would enjoy the magical worlds created by Pixar…Of course, I can't do that.
Wall-E no longer plays in cinemas
Quadrophonic Kaleidoscope '11
Quadraphonic Kaleidoscope's played at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2011.
With quadraphonic sounds that were only audible by sight, the makers of Colour in Stereo returned with a sketch extravaganza that made all question the validity of any humorous form not created on the wings of synthesisers.
Notes From A Diary
Caught the train to Hampton. It was delayed by half an hour – the suburb that is, not the station. The ground was also wet.
Watched the willow tree wilt outside my bathroom window in the slight chill of the autumn morning air. It was nowhere near as romantic as Keats had made out. Jotted a note to write a blog about it on the back of the magpie that sits perched upon the balcony railing and upload it later.
Monday mid-evening
Magpie continues to prove quite difficult to place securely in flatbed scanner.
Disguised itself as Friday. Shifty son of a bitch, I was looking forward to the weekend.
I planned to eat toast.
Made pancakes for lunch and realised too late that I had used milk procured from the teat of battery cows – How such beautiful creatures could be kept in such ghastly, miniscule cages is beyond me. Damn you Cindy Crawford!
This is unrelated.
It is too fucking bright! It is too fucking bright!
Nothing special to report. Should have stayed in bed.
Want to go back to sleep or die.
Either/or, but the bonus of the latter is that I don't have to change the sheets if I decide to masturbate.
Has been seeing Saturday for several years now and has impregnated it out of wedlock.
Revealed to have been seeing Tuesday on the side
– what a bastard.
Has since moved to Apollo Bay.
Will never love again.
Fuck Friday and that slut Tuesday.
Left trying to decide whether to keep or abort tomorrow.
Recipe for Dead Seagull Chutney
2 Dead seagulls
1 Egg
1 Corncob pipe
3 Quinces
The string section of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Take two seagulls and thrash them to death with a leaf blower. For the environmentally conscious, or those who don't have a leaf blower, a mallet or old lawn mower will do. Throw what remains of the gulls in a mixing bowl and add salt, pepper, paprika and sesame seed oil. Drizzle oven cleaner.
Mix contents until molten hot and stuff in an envelope.
Serves 4
Letting Go
– "But I loved her."
– "You have to move on."
– "But she was my everything."
– "You have to move on."
– "But she was my world, my vision of light, my sweet & tender song."
– "It's time to let go."
– "Goodbye Jane Fonda – your exercise videos no longer excite me.
Maths Can Be Fun!
Take any number and divide it by 7. Wasn't that a treat? I'll bet you're giddy with excitement. Not satisfied? What did you want – a mathematical riddle to dazzle and delight? You wanted to gasp, "Oh you get the same number if you multiply by x and add blah-di-blah!" Well, too fucking bad. Mathematics is a tool with tangible, practical applications; it's not a carnival sideshow for you to throw cork balls at. You want dazzle – burn a magnesium ribbon, you daft creeps, or put a candle in a bottle and suck an egg into it.
You think I like maths? You think I'm happier for spending my adolescence locked in a room memorising times tables? I always wanted to play the clarinet. I could try to learn it now, but you've gotta do that shit while you're young. Mum would trick me by claiming, "People who are good at maths are good at music." But not if you don't have a fucking instrument, mother! There's not a magic correlation between the two. It's not like, "Woo, I've learned 6 x 7 = 42, get me a cello, I suddenly know me some Bach."
But fine, I'm a sport – here's a maths riddle for you.
A quoll runs onto the road and is hit by lightening. Now, take 4, multiply by 8 and fuck off!
Unlock Your Brain Potential
Unlock Your Brain Potential
By Dr. Gerhard Eichmann
It's a well-known fact that at any given time human beings only utilise 2% of their brain capacity, with the exception of 2.5% on Wednesdays and 400% while sleeping. But if between 97.5 – 98% of our brainpower is idle, can we mentally train ourselves to unlock our full potential?
No, not really. We're all born thickies and we'll probably die that way. You could play Uno once in a while and maybe boost it up to 3%, but even that's a stretch. There is absolutely nothing you can do. Healthy diet and exercise will do you no good either. Vegetables, fruit and foods of that ilk are a waste of time. Beer is not as bad for you as you'd think and studies have shown that licking turpentine is good for brain sack health.
But why are our brains so big if only a small portion is being used? Researchers in Denmark set about to answer this question but were too stupid to come up with a reasonable answer. To be honest, they spent most of their days on the project sleeping and playing darts. Hans got quite good at it by the end and is in the national championships next Tuesday.
So, play some memory games if you wish, but all it's going to do is distract you from the nauseous feeling you're experiencing from the turps.
To My Real Father True
Father, Father I am you son,
You can tell by my olive skin and the bridge of my nose.
Father, Father I am your son,
Because I too suspect that the postman has been having sexual intercourse with mother,
It would explain my love of stamps.
Wooden Pegs
Yesterday I found a peg in the grass and it reminded me of a peg I knew in high school – Wooden, strong, popular with all the girls. We were great friends, but it always got picked first for all the sporting teams and relished this fact.
It beat me at everything – football, gymnastics, swimming, the 200m sprint. I was only better at table tennis which it said was a sport for geeks and Asians. It was a peg prone to stereotyping. I couldn't accept this behaviour, so I placed it in my shirt pocket for almost ten years so it would miss out on competing in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games…
That'll teach it I thought.
I lost that shirt on an indoor camping trip to Kmart and with it my imprisoned former friend. This newfound peg of mine is completely different; it treats me kindly, with mutual respect. But like my old peg, it does have a very similar fear of the reigning World Champion Chinese Table Tennis Team.
Sometimes it's nice to wear a suit. They're comfortable, stylish, practical and command respect. Suits of armour are less practical and I still haven't worked out where to put my wallet when wearing one. I suppose I could put it under my helmet, but it seems a bit silly to be walking around with a wallet on my head. I know it won't be visible, but I'll be aware of it and if I'm talking to a pretty girl or a captain of industry, I'm going to be thinking, "This person is important and presently I have $4.30 in coin and a video shop card on my skull."
Fob watches don't look too good dangling from a suit of armour, but I find lances to be a stylish accompaniment to a three-piece suit. You walk onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with a lance and everyone will be following your lead. But of course no one respects their profession enough anymore to wear a three-piece suit to work. When trading on the floor of the NYSE or working part-time in a call centre, I like to wear a full suit of armour, often with chainmail (weather permitting). It makes cold calling so much easier. "Hello, would you be interested in taking part in a survey?"
"Not really."
"Are you aware that I'm currently dressed as King Henry VIII?"
"You've got ten minutes."
However, it's hard to convince tailors to take-in your armour when you lose weight. They usually complain that it breaks their sewing machine needles. Fair point, I guess. But there are just no good metallurgists in the city. Maybe I'll try that cobbler in Melbourne Central. I've got to pick up some shoelaces anyway.
Cane Toads
This week Queensland University presented the Queensland Government with a cutting-edge plan to eliminate the state's cane toad population by introducing a larger genetically modified cane toad named Greg.
Greg is roughly the size of a medium sized Tuscan villa and weighs as much as two and a half Mitsubishi Pajeros. Given its superior size, the giant toad will find it hard to relate to its smaller cousins and will presumably lash out by roaming northern Queensland stomping and generally kicking the toad population about.
Though he's yet to be introduced to smaller toads, trials involving Greg have been underway for two years. In a recent experiment, researchers dressed quolls as cane toads and tested Greg's response. While Greg is generally timid, his reaction to the quolls was reported to be 'somewhat perturbed' and his manner 'slightly irritated'.
"Success is coming in small steps. But we're very confident," Project Head Darryl Pertwy said, "well, Derek isn't… but he's so negative all the fucking time anyway. Seriously, that guy needs to cheer the fuck up."
But not everyone is confident of the merits of the program. Peter Denny of Australians Who Are Retired, Well Some Of Us Still Work Part Time But Most Of Us Have Nothing Better To Do is quick to point out that so far Greg has killed 12 farmers and eaten 20 tons of sugar cane. He is also quick to point out that he once rode a horse into a fence that wasn't even his.
If the research remains on schedule, Greg will be released into the wild some time in the summer of 2157.
Scientific Studies
I was once informed by an acquaintance, if three mobile phones were placed around a popcorn kernel and rung at the same time that the kernel will pop due to the radiation.
I tried this, but the kernel did not pick up, thus I was forced to SMS. The experiment was taxing, and did not produce results.
Another thirty five cents wasted.
I consumed the kernel as it was – who has the fucking money for microwave technology?
It's fair to say we've all wondered what a young child on acid would look like. To appease this quandary, I placed my five year old nephew Max upon a lime, as it is one of the more acidic of the citrus fruits. He appeared nonplussed if not slightly bemused.
I then fed him a tab of LSD and he produced a follow up response to Jefferson Airplanes' "Surrealistic Pillow" on xylophone. His mother was not pleased – It was a stunning recording nevertheless.
New Detective Agency Opens
A new detective agency has opened for business in Melbourne specialising in solving Victorian era crimes that have already been solved. Co-founded of Gothic Revival Revival Detective Agency, Daniel Pendergrass admits working on cases where the perpetrator has already been uncovered makes his job a bit easier, but believes it's still a tough job.
"We're applying reasonably new technologies and policing techniques on cases that ostensibly don't require it," says Mr. Pendergrass. "We're often dealing with culprits who've confessed to the crime, which makes it very tricky to conduct an investigation."
Mr. Pendergrass' description of his agency's policing techniques as "reasonably new" is an apt one as he and his associates only utilise technologies that were available in the early 1980s. A self-imposed lack of access to DNA profiling and the latest forensics, coupled with the use of outdated computers is a further strain on the detectives, but the biggest problem they face is finding witnesses who are still alive.
"The cases we're dealing with are over a hundred years old," explains Mr. Pendergrass. "It can be emotionally draining when you have to approach families and ask for contact details of relatives who have been dead for over a century and who they've never heard of. We spend a lot of time at grave sites hoping our star witness has left a police statement or that they will reanimate."
Business has been slow for Gothic Revival Revival Detective Agency and Mr. Pendergrass is discovering the market for the reinvestigation of open and shut cases is limited, but he is optimistic.
"We don't aim to uncover anything new with our investigations. If the original case resulted in a conviction then we've no reason to cast doubt on it. This is a bit of a problem for us and we do rely on the charm of 1980s detective work to pull in the punters. As yet, we've had no clients, so our work has been pro bono. But as soon as the word is out and we get our ad in the yellow pages, we're confident business will pick up."
Gothic Revival Revival Detective Agency is now hiring if you have and eye for already discovered detail and can supply your own short sleeve shirt.
Young Talent
I was born to be a dancer. My dreams would be prematurely dashed however as I could not articulate the need for arch support in my tap shoes at one week of age. So I shit myself instead. Then wept.
It's a painful truth to accept one's best days are behind them.
Alternative Feng Shui
I'm a non-conformist. I strongly dislike following societal conventions, especially in the home, which is why I refuse to be bound by the traditional expectations of space. Why must a bathroom be a room for a bath, a bedroom a holding pen for a bed? What utter malarky!
It is this very mode of lazy acceptance that wrings our lives of all passion and individuality. Such submission leads to the chokehold of modern day blandness and the dearth of personal expression, not to mention its symptomatic presentation as one of the major causes of erectile dysfunction, aside from ill fitted cock rings.
One must fight against the tides of mimicry lest ye be content to wake at six each morning, collect the paper, arrive at the office by eight, to be home by seven to water the cats and count roof shingles with the neighbours before a less than satisfactory, uninspired bedtime wank – Me thinks not!
That's why my kitchen serves as my sleeping quarters; my living room is my closet. I have installed my washing machine in my chimney. The oven sits snugly in my study, whilst I have a fine garden patch complete with turnips and parsley growing rapidly along the recess of my shower. I use my toilet to store my milk, eggs and other perishables and relieve myself in my freezer which makes for some rather interesting anally formed sculptures. My kids live in our letterbox.
They complained at first as it's cramped in there and they must share three to the space, but they may now receive their own letters directly in hand. It's a much slower method than email, but as our router is currently being housed in our Pomeranian Bessie's abdomen preventing a strong Wi-Fi signal, its snail mail or nothing. Being unconventional comes at a price.
"What the hell are you twerps up to?" // Good question. I probably wouldn't have put it so coarsely, but each to their own. I'm not one to judge the loutish ruffians who use such uncivilised language, but really some manners wouldn't go astray! I've ventured away from the point somewhat.
Tue & Wed 8pm, Thur – Sat 9pm
Tickets on sale here
Festivals allow us to be idiots in a socially acceptable environment. So it is with great delight that I can announce tickets to our idiocy are now available! Bring on MICF '15
Throw money at us through Ticketmaster
The Melbourne Comedy Festival is almost upon us once again. And while Dan (the very short one) is still in the United States entering church bake-offs, Simon (the moderately tall one), will be flying solo for MICF '14.
His show is called The Earth is Flat. It's a one man narrative show, where that bloody show-off talks to himself in silly voices for 50 minutes. But what's it about? Here's the spiel:
One man. Many characters. One epic tale…A medieval cardinal hatches a dastardly plot to convince humanity the Earth is flat. The key to his plan: Clive Palmer. Only the janitor at the Melbourne Museum stands in their way. A story of power, redemption and a big drill. This is Siberian Husky's Simon Godfrey weaves together a host of characters into a tapestry of absurdity.
Hmm, intriguing! Hope to see y'all there.
The festival website is live, have a look here
And follow the show on facebook here
"energetic, satirical and hilarious…truly a must see"
The Misery Factory receives its first Canadian review!
Read review from Bloody Underrated
And there's some lovely Netbuzz from audience. 'ave a read of their comments


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Starting Monday, November 13, the City of Winston-Salem will close West First Street for improvements to the West First Street railroad bridge near Northwest Boulevard. This is a 24-hour closure that will continue through approximately December. There may be traffic congestion so please allow extra travel time for appointments.
View alternate routes when leaving the following locations:
For your convenience, this page utilizes the functionality of Google Maps.
There are 3 parking garages available for patients and visitors – marked A, B, and C on the map. Learn about
parking and garage information.
Print the campus map. (.pdf)
Printable Floor Maps [PDFs]
For patients who need wheelchairs or other special assistance, our patron attendants are on duty at the drop-off area from 6 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday.
336-716-WAKEor 888-716-WAKE
Cold and flu viruses tend to spread quickly in late fall and winter. Please use the information here to keep your family healthy.
Join the Wake Forest Baptist Health Panel to share your opinions and feedback with us. You'll earn gift cards for participating!
Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.


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Last year was full of changes and transitions, the last one happening only last week with Evelyn being born! We knew 206 would be full of changes, and that is why I specifically chose my mission statement–I wanted to try to take the bad with the good, stay positive, and make the best of things. This year, things will be a little more stable: we have a long term contract with our apartment complex, Justin's job is steady, and we are just fine with two kids this year. So, since things have calmed down a bit, I want to dive deeper into the different aspects of my life. I want to
Discover my family.
With a toddler who is continually learning and growing, I want to focus on helping him get prepared for preschool in the fall. With a brand new baby, there will be daily discoveries as she learns and grows. I want to rediscover the passion I had with Justin that was kind of lost during all the transitions last year.
Discover my faith.
At the beginning of the year, as well as 2015, I had a great relationship with my Savior. I feel I've lost that closeness, deepness, and passion with my faith. I want to rediscover that, especially now that I am a now a youth adviser in my congregation.
Discover Texas.
Every time we've moved somewhere, we have told ourselves that we are going to take advantage of all that town had to offer. And every time, we've waited until the very last minute and never succeeded. We want to enjoy and discover all that the DFW area has to offer.
Discover myself.
I've dabbled in past-times and hobbies on and off throughout my entire life. Since I am no longer teaching (which I desperately miss, but won't go back until my kids are both in school), I want to find a solid passion. I want to find my place online: blogging, free lancing, graphic design Etsy shop, virtual assisting. Learning how to use manual mode on my camera and editing photos is also a goal for this year. I also want to get back to my healthy self–my goal weight and intensity in my workouts. Rediscovering myself and seeing how I can change to be a better, happier, more positive person is a priority.
So, this year, I will be using these four areas to center all my monthly goals.
January Discover Goals
Discover being a family of four
- Create a new routine for our family that includes Evelyn
- Spend one-on-one time with Rhys electronic free every day
- Stay patient, positive, and loving
- Scripture reading every night with Justin
Discover balance
- Find a routine/work schedule that works with a newborn and 2.5 year old
- Stay caught up on blogging and freelancing
- Enjoy being present and electronic free
- Read 3 books
Discover a new Tayler
- Create and read through a new secret Pinterest board full of inspiration on what I want to be like this year
- Eat healthy–no Pepsi and no snacks after Rhys goes to bed
- Create mantras for myself
- Journal at least twice a week and be introspective
This year, I will be co-hosting a monthly linkup called One Little Word. The first Monday of each month, this link up will be open for you to join talking about how you are doing with your word of the year, your monthly words, or your monthly goals.


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World Briefs
Bank of Ireland has licensed IBSnet, a trade finance system from Surecomp, Toronto.
Fortis Bank, Belgium, has tapped FXall Connect from Cognotec, Ireland.
Zuercher Kantonalbank, Switzerland, has selected mySAP Banking, a business integration system from SAP, Germany.
Intelligent Processing Solutions, United Kingdom, has licensed Exceptions Express, a back-office solution from Carreker, Dallas, for its check processing operations.
Bank of Scotland has licensed electronic payments software from Bottomline Technologies, Portsmouth, N.H.
Yapi Kredi Bank, Turkey, has contracted with NCR, Dayton, Ohio, for hardware maintenance and support for its Personas ATMs.
Garanti Bank, Turkey, will act as a merchant acquirer for JCB, Japan.
Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany, has activated the Central Banking platform from Trema, Sweden.
Bank of Butterfield, Bermuda, has installed BM+ RECS, an automated reconciliation and exception processing system from IDOM Consulting, United Kingdom.
Bank of Bermuda is negotiating with EDS, Plano, Texas, for banking systems and servicing of existing IT systems.
Banco Itau, Brazil, has agreed to promote a co-branded online service with AOL Latin America, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to its retail customers.