Category Archives: blog
KC Design Week Jan 27, 10
I’m happy to announce that I’m a presenter at the first annual Kansas City Design Week on Thursday, February, 4.
I’ll be presenting with couple of other guys from work; we’ll be talking about the impact of design on business and how a the perception of a brand is shaped by the design of products, user experience and messaging. We’ve had a few calls with the organizers of design week and quite a bit of brainstorming amongst ourselves. After a breakthrough today, it feels like the presentation is finally starting to come together… excitement is building.
KC Design week is all about celebrating the value of design, including graphic design, industrial design and architecture. There are a bunch of cool design-related events throughout the week (all of which are free), so head over to KCDesignWeek.org to check out the schedule and reserve a space for yourself. From what I’ve heard, about 90 people have registered for our session, which means we’re *this close* to a sold-out show.
And if your at the AIA building on the 4th, stop by and say ‘hi!’.
Posted by Kyle
iPhone 365 – 2009. Fin. Jan 1, 10
I participated in an iPhone365 project in the 2009. It was much more difficult that I thought it would be. Even with a cameraphone by my side at all times, there were days I forgot to take a picture, days where I wasn’t inspired to take a picture (those days: Wake up, go to work, come home, repeat = yawn) and towards the end of the year, I just didn’t get around to taking any photos.
When all was said and done (yesterday), I came out with 198 photos — an admirable effort, but well short of the goal. It’s still a blast to look through the photos and see where I was (or where my head was) throughout the year.
With that in mind, I made a quick movie of all the photos set to the song I listened to the most in 2009, Radiohead’s “Gagging Order” (199 plays, according to iTunes). Enjoy!
(and if you want to participate in 2010, it’s the perfect time to start. I’ve already posted my first photo for 2010.
iPhone 365 – 2009 from Kyle Johnston on Vimeo.
Posted by Kyle
Freestylin’ on Fallon Jun 2, 09
Thanks to an email blast courtesy of the Beastie Boys, I tuned into Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week—they did an amazing rendition of So What’cha Want backed up by The Roots. Check it out about 19:35 into this episode.
I decided to tune in again Friday night, and was treated to—dare I say—an even better performance. Here’s the setup: Fallon asks members of the audience for a few details of their lives, then challenges The Roots crew to freestyle a song on the spot. Even better, they have to match a specific style or genre of music. It’s incredible to hear what they come up with in a pinch. The clip below is about 10 minutes, and you’re in for a treat if you have time to watch the whole thing. Hint: The Roots channeling Paul Simon.
I have to say, this show is really growing on me.
Posted by Kyle
Urban Photo Safari 2009 Jun 1, 09
The 2009 installment of Urban Photo Safari is coming up on June 13th and this year Homer’s Coffee in downtown Overland Park is the starting point.
For those new to Urban Photo Safari, it’s a free event created to encourage you explore KC, get creative with your digital camera and—most of all—have fun (friends, family and non-creatives are welcome, too).
I’ve Safari’d 4 times now (’03, ’04′, ’06 and ’07)—it’s been a blast every time.
You can find the location, rules, tips and more at UrbanPhotoSafari.com. Hope to see you there! Until then, enjoy some of my shots from the ’07 Safari in Lawrence:
Posted by Kyle
Idea: Smaller as better? May 28, 09
A line in this interview with Alex Bogusky caught my eye:
“I’m always surprised by how wealthy people gravitate to huge homes. Who wants to walk a half block to get a midnight snack? But smaller alone isn’t really the whole story. Smaller and higher quality is really the opportunity.
This is something I often think about when I drive by high-end homes… outside of major cities, it seems like bigger is the only option available for non-retirees. What if builders offered smaller homes with better features?
Offerings I can think of off the top of my head:
- Higher-quality building materials
- Pre-configured wireless network (with or without tech support)
- Home wind turbines and solar systems
- Include a car, maybe a Hybrid in an exclusive model or color
- Include bikes, Segways, or other low-impact modes of transportation for quick errands near the neighborhood
- Neighborhood services like chefs, nutritionists, personal trainers or pet sitters
Ultimately, I think the offerings would need to appeal to self-interest and sense of status to be successful. Green features and community enhancement sound good on a list, but my cynical side isn’t sure they would translate into big business.
What do you think—is there an opportunity here?
This has been the second in a series of random product/service/whatever ideas that pop into my head… ideas that I think are viable from a business and/or usage standpoint, but probably don’t have the time/desire/resources to implement.
Posted by Kyle
Would You Like a Pony? May 26, 09
Excellent hidden-camera style spot from ally bank.
On a totally unrelated note, this blog has been woefully neglected over the past few months in favor of—in no particular order—getting Creative Cohort off the ground, a couple of extensive freelance projects, gobs of activity at the regular gig and livin’ life. More posts to follow soon, probably a short burst of activity followed by another month or two of dead silence. Such is life.
Posted by Kyle
Slow Jam the News Mar 5, 09
If you hadn’t already heard, Conan O’Brien recently left the spot he’s been holding down since ’93 and Jimmy Fallon took his place (or time slot at least).
I probably wouldn’t have been inclined checked out the new show, but Mr. Fallon managed to secure The Legendary Roots Crew as his house band. After watching a few minutes of the show, I started to doubt they could be used to their full effect. Then, they started to slow jam the news. Faith = restored.
Posted by Kyle
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