Scott Bush

How do you spend a rare Saturday not otherwise occupied by family commitments, projects, housework, etc.? Sleep in? Good guess, but no. Catch an early flick? Wrong again. Read a book you’ve been trying to finish for weeks? Close, but no cigar. Try driving down to Puyallup to judge high schooler’s newspaper layouts. Bingo.

Yep, I’m a glutton for punishment. For the third year now I’ve judged at the WJEA state conference. It’s always a Saturday and since it always seems to be located in a far-flung corner of our state (okay, Puyallup isn’t that far), we have to leave early to be there by 11am. I say “we” because my friend and fellow alumnus of the Hawkeye’s banner year, 1995, Larry Harnden came with me on 5 March—in fact, he drove. He, too, judged newspaper/newsmagazine layout.

Why bother?

It really is important, though. As a student, I participated in write-off competitions at the state journalism convention. Getting feedback from professionals in the community is very meaningful even if you don’t win an award. That’s why I tend to write too much, often to the chagrin of my fellow judges who want to get out of there before 3pm. Sure, you can just circle the number next to each criteria, but that’s subjective and frankly, doesn’t help a student learn. Pointers about technical aspects of the layout are useful, while highlighting its positive aspects where deserved really do encourage and teach. That, after all, is why we’re there. (It’s certainly not for the lunch, which again this year was sub sandwiches and again, no vegetarian options.)

The judging

This year the competition (and therefore judging) was slightly different: students were judged on their critique of a very bad newspaper layout in addition to the regular design elements of story placement, column use, photo placement and cropping, printer instructions, font choice, etc. It’s good to introduce a hybrid approach, as not all students are adept at the manual layout method. Okay, reverse that: few students are adept at not using InDesign/Quark/PageMaker for composing their layout. So students who know the concepts of good newspaper design can show that by identifying the obvious problems with a bad layout (and the subtler ones, too). I was excited to learn a few days later that one of the Hawkeye’s delegation, Kat Waldo, earned a superior in that category! Good for her; there weren’t a ton of outstanding entries and from what I remember, the “excellent” ones were quite good. (The juding is against standards, not other students; awards are: honorable mention, excellent, and superior. There can be no more than 10% superiors and 20% excellent awards given. This category had 17 contestants, so only two excellents could be awarded, and only one superior.)

Mini-reunion

The day was a reunion of sorts. In addition to Larry and myself, Mike Watters of Colby Creative presented a seminar (twice!) about working as a graphic designer. Jeff Nusser, now advisor of the Jagwire newsmagazine at Emerald Ridge High School, was the organizing chair of the conference. Also presenting was Michael McLaughlin, whose “Hella Tight” session I was sad to miss (it was about writing concisely, not rap lyrics, though I see where you may have been confused). Jeff and both Mikes are also alums (’95 and ‘91 for the elder Mike). It’s amazing that after all this time we’re still involved in varying degrees to student journalism. Our friend and former (as well as current) advisor of the Hawkeye, Vince DeMiero, probably got a bit of a kick out of that as well. If only Stacey had been there with our negatives…

But still…

It wasn’t all slices of fried gold though. Check out this particularly wonderful image depicting common sense at its finest. Yep, it says “EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY ALARM WILL SOUND,” yet there it was, propped wide open. Especially poignant in a school library, where clearly someone couldn’t read. Or was it that they knew no alarm would sound? Either way it’s not good.

In a fit of rap-inspired clicking, I added Get Rich or Die Tryin’ to our Netflix queue. Last week it arrived and I watched it—to my surprise, with Crystal. I hadn’t expected her to want to see it, being a psuedo bio-pic about 50 Cent, the popular ganster rap star and founder of the “G-Unit clique.” My impression? Watchable (assuming you don’t mind F- and S-bombs and consistent depictions of gun violence), though I have some misgivings.

Plot

The story follows Curtis (hmmm… isn’t that 50 Cent’s real first name, too?), a young boy growing up in the ghetto (of Chicago? St. Louis? Atlanta? If the film said, I missed it) after the murder of his mother. Desire for wealth and power leads him to dealing crack with is crew, eventually “rising to power” among his gang. After a stint in jail, he decides to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper under the name Young Caeser. Rapping is intertwined with his life as a gangster and gets him in trouble with his drug-dealing superiors, Colombian drug dealers, and a rival rapper. Tie all that up with a search for his mother’s murderer, whom he pursues with the same ferocity as OJ’s search for the “real killers,” which is to say not very much. Oh, and there’s a love interest and family drama subplot tacked on.

Glorifying the lifestyle?

After a few days’ digestion, I still couldn’t decide whether the film glorified this violent lifestyle, fueled by drug money and a desire for power at all costs. I asked myself: If I was a teen living a difficult life in the city and saw this movie, would I want to emulate it? Tough question for me; but I’m only imagining myself as someone else. An answer may come a lot easier to someone struggling each day.

On one hand, you see Curtis murder, rob, steal and in turn be shot and have friends (and his own monther) killed. Not really an advertisement for the good life. But the movie glosses over these events, which would be all-consumingly negative. For example, one of his crew is shot and is paralyzed. The movie follows Curtis and the others as they seek revenge; later, we see the one who was shot acting as a lookout for the crew during a robbery–from his weheelchair. When Curtis himself is shot nine time, we see the surgeons working on him and then recovering in a nice house we’ve not seen before. Clearly, these guys don’t have health insurance… so who’s paying for this? Where are the bills, the police investigations, the other unfortunate facts of life that would accompany these horrific events in real life?

On the other hand, Curtis seems pre-destined to greatness despite his acts of violence and lawlessness, which seem to have no negative consequence. (Even is stint in jail resulted in further confidence in his rapping and the serendipitous meeting of his future manager.) When Curtis is shot multiple times, the final bullet misses his head by a chance. His beautiful girlfriend (with whom he grew up) seems oblivious to—or choses to ignore—the terrible things he does. They have a son, yet never are we shown any morning sickness, pre-natal medical care, the birth itself, or any of the responsibilities of parenthood. The final scene is the pinnacle of this “path to greatness” theme. Curtis, or rather “Young Caesar” prepares for a concert in his old neighborhood when he’s approached by the leader of his former drug gang. Of course there’s an altercation and his enemy is shot and killed by Curtis’ entourage, but not before it’s revealed that the very same man also murdered his mother. Not a problem for Curtis; he turns his back and starts rapping to his adoring fans. Very well done indeed. Oh, and how is it that he’s so ripped when he never seems to work out?

I know it’s a bio-pic and rappers aren’t exactly known for their humility. But the overall message seems to be: do what you need to do to get what you want; damn your family, friends, the law, common sense, self-preservation, morality, etc. to get it. Not exactly the message I’d want my teen-age kids (if I had them) to take away. It’s not all bad, though. Young Caesar does advocate making protein shakes with Cristal, which I must admit is classy.

The other day I visited a friend’s house to troubleshoot their e-mail connection. We’d done all the basics over the phone, such as rebooting the router, etc. without much luck. They reported that there was just one amber light on the cable modem, so I decided to take a look myself.

Some facts: the modem was a Motorola Surfboard on Comcast’s network. All its indicator lights were dark, save one: the standby light at the bottom. Thinking it was the device, I rebooted it again (as though me unplugging it would somehow be different then my friend doing it). It came up, cycled through the lights, then went to standby again. Hmm… perhaps its Comcast’s network? I was about to go call Comcast when I spied a tiny button atop the modem. Lo and behold, it was a standby button. It had been accidentally pressed, essentially putting the device to sleep. Another press and the lights cycled up and connectivity was restored, reinforcing my reputation as a tech “genius.”

But really, this had nothing to do with technology—it was just poor design. Now, I’m sure there’s a technical reason for this standby mode. But there’s no excuse that the button would be so easily pressed and so poorly marked given the impact on the user: it breaks “teh intarwebs”! Let’s go over it:

• Current/bad: black button on a black modem; its hard to notice it’s even there.
• Redesigned/good: use a yellow button instead; it’d be visible and the yellow not only matches the amber standby indicator, it’s the universal color of warning.

• Current/bad: miniscule, engraved “standby” text label.
• Redesigned/good: use a contrasting color text label instead; its easier to see and might offer a quicker resolution to troubleshooters.

• Current/bad: single-state (and too easily pressable) button.
• Redesigned/good: use a toggle switch or a raised/lowered button that provides visual feedback of the standby state (in addition to the standby indicator light).

A redesigned modem implementing even one or two of those suggestions would be very helpful in these situations. Sure, this topic is probably covered in a users’ guide or a knowledgebase article on Motorola’s or Comcast’s site—but how many people actually have the user guide? And how can they go online when their modem’s on standby?

Omakase is a Japanese word meaning “to entrust” or “to protect.” More importantly, in a sushi restuarant it means “let the chef decide.” Today was my first omakase experience and it could not have been more spectacular. (I realize this entry breaks the titular rule of Nobody Cares What You Had for Lunch, but this meal was too awesome not to talk about.) Served on a platter probably two feet in diameter, the spread included:

Sashimi

• Tuna (bluefin)
• Tuna (albacore)
• Salmon (sockeye)
• Mackerel
• Scallop
• Octopus

Sushi

• Tuna (yellowtail)
• Salmon
• Halibit
• Crab
• Sea urchin
• Sweet shrimp (raw)

This raw-seafood extravaganza marked my final day as an employee of CESNW/SSP. The lunch was a very generous going-away gift, one I won’t soon forget. As I shared the platter with my colleagues, I recited a haiku I’d written the night before as a way to say goodbye. (I tend to ramble, so being limited to 12 syllables forces me to be succinct.) Here it is, titled “New Job”:

My colleagues—nay, friends
Hard to leave for the unknown
Change renews us all

Happily, I will continue to work with CESNW/SSP as a consultant for web and some design projects. Maybe I can have them pay me in raw fish?

Finally saw The Wicker Man last evening. I’m a fair-weather fan of Nick Cage, and I love a good horror/thriller flick. So it was with some excitement that Crystal and I sat through this 100-minute film. All I can say is… well, there was a bit of bait-and-switch at the end. Oh, and it goes without saying this is a spoiler so watch out if you haven’t—and plan to—seen this one.

Premise is good: small town cop witnesses a freak accident, goes a little nuts, and then finds himself on a quest to help his ex-fiancé find her daughter. (It’s set on an island in the northwest, so there was a little bit of home in the movie.) In typical thriller fashion, it has lots of allusion and foreshadowing with Cage’s character’s dreams. The missing little girl and the girl killed in the accident that opens the film seem linked. Are they the same? Is one or the other diabolical? Hard to tell, but as he searches out the mysterious island and its matriarchal inhabitants, it promises to be a creepy, pagan-ritual filled ending.

And it is… sort of. I give the movie credit for its brutal and totally untraditional ending. Here’s the spoiler, so look away if you’re not prepared (I wasn’t): the Wicker Man is a two-story effigy that needs a human (along with several animals) sacrifice before it is burned to appease the gods (of bees and honey, from what I can tell). Cage’s character is duped, cornered, and stung with bees (to which he’s allergic), then resuscitated with adrenaline before having his kneecaps busted with a mallet á la Kathy Bates and James Cahn in Misery. Truly horrible to watch, especially with Cage doing his best to prove he’s in pain. He’s then strung up and drug to the top of the Wicker Man, which is set alight by none other than his “missing” daughter. Hmm… is that irony or just messed up?

As an aside, I was annoyed at the DVD’s menu, which promised a “Shocking alternate ending,” which was no where to be found on the disc. What a rip!

It’s been a busy week, and it’s only (late) Tuesday! I’ve not been posting as much lately because I’ve been busy absorbing the information at my new job as the online marketing manager for Quadrant Homes. Well, absorbing and sitting in traffic. They’re in Bellevue, just off I-90, so my commute is well… a commute.

My move to this position came about thanks to my colleague and former boss, Chad Estes. While at Echospace, I worked closely with the folks at Quadrant to build the Online Selection Sheet. After Echospace shut down, Chad consulted with Quadrant for a few years, and when they needed a new person to fill the role, he talked me up. A few weeks later, I’m dressed in business casual and using my electronic keycard!

That’s not to make light about leaving CESNW/SSP. It was a very hard decision to leave such a wonderful group of people doing good work. But I trust we’ll find a good replacement (I’m helping to find my replacement) who can help keep them running smoothly.