Tag Archives: skill

a complete and unabridged introduction to coffee

As I write in the early evening of this burgeoning spring day I do so with a mug of steaming coffee close at hand. The slim ring of bubbles circumnavigating the rim reflects the unforgiving light cast by the small desk lamp. Wisps of steam begin to fade as the coffee cools to meet the cool, nearly uncomfortable temperature of this older home in Southeast Portland. The brown of the desk nearly matches the hue of the coffee I now drink – the blackness of the coffee diluted with a hint of cream. It’s lovely, this cup of coffee that sits beside me, a constant companion, filling my senses with chocolate, citrus and sweetness of plum.

I blame my friend Jon. One harmless afternoon, a year and a half ago, we began talking about coffee, and I just haven’t been the same since. Thank goodness. It’s that conversation about coffee that began my own education – a journey he’s been on for some time now…. Read more…

practical typography for regular people

A conversation with Doug Wilson, a master of the visual art and science of printed and pixelated text.

Please introduce us. What is typography?

Typography is the study of letterforms and text. It is strange, but I just love looking at letters all day long.

If there were three type-related mistakes you could magically keep everyone from making in their documents, presentations, and websites from now on, what would they be?

1 – THINK about the typeface (the correct term for a font) you are using. Don’t use the default typeface of 12 point Times New Roman or Arial just because you are lazy…. Read more…

Discover the photographer within

This article is adapted from a couple blog posts and an article on photography Steve wrote a while back. (-Nate)

Here are some tips on developing your Photographer’s Eye along with simple things you can do to take better photographs. Remember, it’s not the camera that takes great photos, it’s the person behind the lens!

1] The Basics

Simplify the Shot

Define your subject and avoid distractions. Oftentimes this just means moving in closer and filling the frame! This way you will be able to eliminate distracting backgrounds and draw attention to the subject…. Read more…

working hard at looking busy: an office worker’s memorandum

flickr.com/photos/25796513@N08/3640440449/

I bet when you read the title to this article you became intrigued. Now you’re saying to yourself, ‘He’s right. I am intrigued! But why?’ The reason: we’ve all done it. We’ve all tried looking busy at work when we’ve had absolutely nothing to do. You pass papers back and forth across your desk at intermittent times throughout the day to make it seem as if you are reading important documents. We make multiple runs to the supply closet for our fourteenth bag of paperclips. How about swapping out random folders in the filing cabinet, regardless of whether you need them? Checking your Facebook on your iPhone and telling others you’re sending a work email because your computer is acting up. Or turning your screen so no one can see you’re doing the daily crossword on USAtoday.com.

Whether you do one of the tasks listed or all of them in one day, these are only a few of the tactics we employ to fool the upper echelons of our institutions. But for some of us, what we do goes far beyond paperclips and crosswords. It’s much more than that. It’s an art form to such an extent that if you’re not one who is trained in such skills, you would never know we were there just passing the time…. Read more…