Idaho Forest Products Commission T-Shirt is Here

Well, you can finally get your hands on it. The design I created for Arbor Day 2013 for the Idaho Forest Products Commission has been printed, and the shirts are ready for purchase (click the image below).

This was a different approach to design for me, as I hand-drew each individual component, then scanned them onto the computer and put them all together digitally. I think it really gives the design an earthly and organic quality, which works out perfectly for Arbor Day. The IFPC “sees working forests maintained in Idaho forever through responsible management of public and private forests and through an informed public that understands such management. The work of the Commission will help assure balanced and sustained timber, wildlife, recreation and scenic beauty for the welfare of the state’s citizens.” That said, I tried to incorporate different aspects of their vision into the design, and hopefully give people a good idea of what they produce without too much text to clutter it all up.

These shirts are cheap, the money goes to a great company and you’ll get to tell everyone you know that you know the designer, and he is a fantastic fella. This LINK will take you right where you need to go, and once you’re done shopping, check out the IFPC website and see what they’re all about.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Idaho Forest Products Commission T-Shirt is Here

Leftover Salmon: Cajun Slamgrass in Boise

It’s hard to believe that Leftover Salmon was here on the EXACT SAME DAY last winter, but it’s all true, and they rocked Boise’s Knitting Factory once again. With an absolutely unrelenting 2-set, almost 3-hour show, the boys from Boulder threw down like they meant business, and the crowd let them know they appreciated the effort.

Picking up right where last year’s show left off, the band tore up a great opening set, including a couple of Idaho-specific tunes to keep the Boise crowd happy. ‘Idaho Spud’ was a clever take on Johnny Cash‘s ‘Tennessee Stud’, sung with alternate and appropriate potato-themed lyrics. For their debut song of the evening, we were treated to a fast-paced slamgrass version of the Skynyrd classic ‘What’s Your Name’, which was met with a roaring crowd approval.

The second set upped the energy of the first, with the band playing superb music throughout the rest of the night. A band-to-crowd call and response during ‘Hot Corn, Cold Corn’ really connected everyone in the venue, before they wound things up with a stunning ‘Hey Joe’. A surprise ‘Friend Of The Devil’ encore was most enjoyable, and they left the stage with the entire room singing “…Rise Up, Gonna Wake and Bake…”. A great end to a fantastic evening in Boise.

I’d also like to give a little shout out to our new friend Joe, who grabbed a drink with us before the show, then proceeded to put on a da ling display of lights to accompany the music. It’s always a great time when Salmon comes to town, and 16 years after I saw them for the first time, they’re playing tighter and better than ever. Well done, fellas, we’ll see you soon!

3-2-2013 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID

Set One: Voodoo Queen, Steam Powered Aeroplane, Mountain Top, Woods, Idaho Spud*, Shame & Scandal, What’s Your Name?**, Bird Call, Meet Me In The Morning, 6 Days On The Road, Keep Drivin’

Set Two: The Other Side, Li a, Whiskey Before Breakfast > Over The Waterfall, Get ‘Er Rollin’, Lonesome Dave’s Lovesick Blues, Whisper’ Waters, Keep on Truckin’, This Is The Time, Stay Away Monday, Bosco Strumble, Hot Corn Cold Corn > One Love > Hot Corn Love Corn, Hey Joe

E: Going ‘Round The World > Friend Of The Devil > Wake & Bake

* sung to “Tennessee Stud” by Johnny Cash

** live cover debut – Lynyrd Skynyrd

(don’t forget to follow @LeftoverSalmon on Twitter!)

 

Leftover Salmon: Cajun Slamgrass in Boise

The NEW Facebook News Feed and YOU

A new look and feel is coming soon to a Facebook near you, so let’s chat about it, shall we? I’ve been hoping they would do something a little better with the Facebook News Feed soon, and it seems they heard my thoughts from afar. From what I can gather, it will be more optimi ed and responsive as far as the web is concerned, as well boasting a cleaner, more modern look and feel. Apparently, the images will be larger, the text richer and the overall experience will “…try to give everyone in the world the most personali ed newspaper…” possible.

As with any changes made to Facebook, the verdict will be hilarious. Any time there’s a new switch or development, a vast majority of users (from what I’ve witnessed, anyway) immediately hate it, and are not afraid to let everyone they know in on the secret. All-in-all, this is a pretty big step for the company, too, as this will be the first major overhaul of the News Feed since it’s inception in fall of 2006. Insiders speculate that Facebook is trying to make a more photo-friendly environment, along the same lines as Instagram, to attract a younger, image-obsessed generation. For most social media sites, it’s all about engaging the user and having them stay on the site longer, which the new News Feed is hoping to accomplish, without driving users away.

Another new feature of the Feed is splitting it into subcategories: Music, Photos, Games and Friends. This way, users can pick and choose which information they want to focus on at any given time, and not be overloaded with too much visual stimulation at one time. We’ll be able to see what our friends are grooving to via Spotify, and customi e who’s posts and comments you see in any given subcategory.

This sounds like a lot of new stuff to take in…and it really is. When you don’t update one of the most popular websites in the world for close to 2 YEARS, it may come as a big shock to your users. Hopefully, the transition will be a smooth one for the social giant…complainers aside.

The NEW Facebook News Feed and YOU

Back To The Future In 1 Minute?

This is a great animated short, featuring one of my all-time favorite movies, Back To The Future. 1A4 STUDIO has made a hilarious animated film that wraps up all the major points of Marty McFly and Co. in a quick 60 seconds, and does it with ingenuity and comedy. Comment below if you like it, and don’t forget to check out 1A4 STUDIO‘s YouTube Channel as well.

(thanks to Laughing Squid for the link!)

Back To The Future In 1 Minute?

A Great Real-Time Wordpress Blog Plugin

Liveblog is a great plugin for WordPress that lets you cover a fast-paced event with ease, and lets your followers find out what’s happening in real time. This plugin is beneficial in a couple of ways: First, you keep every one of your followers updated on what’s happening as it’s happening, rather than having them read or hear about it after the fact. Second, it will hopefully draw in NEW readers to your site as the word gets around about your live updates, and someone who may not have been able to follow a particular event will now become a loyal reader of your blog.

The plugin itself seems pretty straightforward as far a use is concerned. There’s a great little intro video on the main plugin page, along with screenshots so you can see what your live blog will potentially look like to viewers. Once installed, you can make any post live by selecting a box, and you can even drag-and-drop images from your desktop right onto where you’re writing a post, and then preview the whole thing before you publish. Quite an ingenious little plugin for live blog situations, and one that will surely be used by WordPress enthusiasts the world over.

A Great Real-Time Wordpress Blog Plugin