As a designer who is used to using up computer storage space quickly, I was happy to stumble upon a unique, inexpensive storage solution recently. I’m speaking of the Thermaltake BlacX USB Hard Drive Dock which enables you to use SATA hard drives as if they were USB cards or plug and play enclosed hard drives. Why is this so great? Well for one thing, the price is unbeatable. With a buy price of $40.00, you really cannot find a better storage solution. Currently 500GB SATA hard drives run roughly $90-100. That means that, with the Hard Drive Dock, you can purchase 1 terabyte of space for just under $200. Wow- that’s phenomenal!

From a functional standpoint its a great option for the designer looking to back up or create duplicates of his/her own work. Rather than having to purchase expensive enclosed hard drives where you are paying extra for the enclosure, housing, and power source, you can simply use ‘raw’ drives that would normally have to be installed inside your computer. Furthermore, you don’t have to shut down your computer to remove the drives like you normally would. Just plug the drive in, do your copying, and then store the data safely.

Designers working in large formats will understand the benefit of running a system like this. Those many-layered PSD files start to really crank up the size when you are working on a high-resolution banner or display project. This system is probably even more beneficial to video editors. Given the current industry shift towards High Definition, demand for cheap storage space is at an all-time high. If you are running your own freelance company and do not have the resources or money available to purchase some of the more expensive data backup solutions, this is a fantastic way to start. Don’t get me wrong, this is no alternative to a redundant array; this is no RAID setup. However, if you need to store footage or files quickly, cheaply, and efficiently, this is definitely worth looking into.

But what about the future?

To be honest, I believe the above method is pretty much the cheapest way to store data currently and I don’t expect that to change for at least 4-5 more years (just my own opinion). However, Blu-Ray disc backup will inevitably replace this method if technology prices drop significantly. For now though, its just not worth using Blu-Ray for your backup needs.

A Blu-Ray burner will run you anywhere from $350-600 and write speeds are still fairly poor in proportion to the disc quality. In addition to this, the media is still incredibly expensive! At the very best you are looking at an individual disc cost of $30-50 for 1 (one!) dual-layer disc that holds 50GB. If you have a Blu-Ray player for your HDTV at home, you know how expensive those discs are to buy. This is why my wife and I use my XBOX 360 to ‘rent’ HD movies rather than investing in a Blu-Ray player and spending money on these overpriced discs (as an aside: You can also rent HD movies for relatively cheap using an iTunes enabled computer that is hooked up to your HDTV or by using Apple’s Mac TV device.).

No thanks… I’ll glady wait for this technology price point to drop- it’s inevitable (for proof of this, look at DVD trends and how that technology price point dropped tremendously as it became more and more standardized). While it’s really not a viable technology for anything outside of HD Movies right now, I do think this is the way of the future provided the cost falls significantly.

I saw our project manager drinking coffee from an unusual starbucks cup this morning. Upon closer investigation I discovered that the logo was strangely different… and brown; definitely not the iconic green and black emblem that we’ve all come to know (for better or worse) on virtually every civilized street corner in the United States. My good friend Mr. Google quickly told me that this was Starbuck’s original logo from the 70’s. A further investigation had me digging up this cool article written by John Moore of Brand Autopsy. It details the development and evolution of the Starbuck’s logo- pretty cool information. As a designerd (yes, that’s right, I’m making up my own words now), I think its really cool to see how time and history effect a company’s branding. Just some graphical food for the thought.

EDIT: I found this article in business week that further discusses the temporary logo switch on select cups of coffee. Check it out here.

My friend Garrett sent me this cool video illustrating a concept design of a ‘3D Film Brush’. Essentially its a real life cloning brush (a la photoshop). The developer says this about it:

“…a new drawing tool to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by “picking up” and drawing with them. I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, artists can draw with the special “ink” they just picked up from their immediate environment”

There’s more about this cool little novelty here. Thought it was cool!

I’d like to encourage you to pray for (and consider attending if you are a young adult) the upcoming BTC Conference which will take place in August. My home church, Grace Covenant, is the one heading up this conference and we are really excited to see what the Lord will do with our efforts. This conference was the original idea of my good friend David Giarizzo, who has been spearheading the efforts to develop and implement the conference. David is currently at the ARBCA General Assembly and will speaking to the pastors and assembly there to follow-up the official announcement of the conference during last year’s GA. Here’s so more info on the conference itself:

• What? Reformed Baptist Young Adults Conference
• When? August 8th - 11th, 2008
• Where? Prescott, Arizona
• Speaker? Pastor Bob Selph

Anyone who knows me, will be able to tell you that I love my day job. Working as a graphic designer for Food for the Hungry has been an incredible experience thus far. I feel so very blessed to be able to utilize my creative talents at a non-profit organization who is dedicated to being the hands and feet of Christ. I have a wonderful team of brothers and sisters in Christ who make my job an absolute joy and the departments I work with here are fantastic (they are known as ‘requestors’ in an in-house design environment as opposed to ‘clients’ in a production-based company).

One of those departments that I get to work with is our Artist Ministry. It really is a blast to be able to create promotional materials for Christian musical artists who have partnered with FH to help get hungry and hurting children sponsored. In my time here I’ve come to really appreciate the artists that truly give back to society and the world at large. Just to name a few: Leeland (this band is amazing and is definitely up and coming- I predict them to be headlining some big name tours in the near future), 33 Miles, Sara Groves (I’m currently developing a display graphic for her to use at shows, see right), Tammy Trent, PCD, etc. These guys and gals are the real deal, and they let their faith shine through their music AND their actions.

Not to jump on a soapbox, but I really do believe in the organization I work for. Food for the Hungry does make a REAL difference in lives throughout the world. We know that, as an organization, we are completely dependent on God. We seek to follow him always, we strive to do His will. We live by the the words of Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” If anyone is curious or wants to know more information about Food for the Hungry, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to give a tour of our facility here in Phoenix and to get you more information.

Please, consider sponsoring a child or getting involved somehow. We have been blessed with so much here in America; may we never forget to share that blessing with those who are less fortunate then ourselves.