Anthony Mendez' Post-amp

What happens outside of my voiceover studio

Starting Over

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Every once in a while, there are changes that require a "reboot." That picture is from my installation of Ubuntu (a Linux operating system distribution) on my Dell mini 9 netbook. Since last December, I have dumped Windows on all my home computers, except my studio (Mac,) in favor of Ubuntu.

There is something liberating about having my machines run an Open-Source operating system. But with that freedom, comes having to learn how to do essential tasks that I used to take for granted in Windows. A few of those things, as they pertain to my work and marketing, include designing in Photoshop, editing HTML in Dreamweaver, editing video (specifically Quicktime,) and creating documents in Word. It was like starting over - a reboot.

Everybody who knows me is familiar with the fact that although I love technology, I follow a simple "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rule (I still run OS9 on the studio machine.) I felt my previous operating system was broken (Windows' registry can be like a brat throwing a tantrum when things aren't exactly the way it wants it to be) and so I "fixed" it by replacing it with Ubuntu. With that comes some growing pains, but when you understand the benefits and can see the big picture, rebooting (i.e., starting over) is well worth it.

In the coming weeks I'll be "rebooting" my PromoARK blog as I shift gears into writing more about on-air promos. This blog will continue to be a place where I discuss ideas, observations, and technology and their affect on life and work - just not as frequently as before. In other words, the hub of my hub-and-spokes social media presence, will shift. I hope you will shift with me.

-Anthony

It's the experience not the soda

Aluminum-coke

Two dollars for 8.5 ounces of Coke? Heck yeah! Look at that bottle! I felt cool just walking around with it. I even let it hang out of my back pocket (after all the soda was gone) as I walked down the chilly streets of Manhattan this past February. It wasn't about the soda (I used to drink three 20-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola a day,) it was about the experience; How it made me feel and how it stimulated more than just one sense.

What is is about design that stimulates us? As a former architecture student, I can tell you that it's definitely about how it makes us feel. The best architects don't design homes. They create an experience by manipulating light and space. The walls are simply a product of the journey-by-design. In the same way, the experience we create can have a lasting impression on both our professional and personal relationships.

There have been no posts on this blog since November of last year. I was experiencing. I was living. I've made no secret of my intention to not discuss voice-over for voice-over discussion's sake. While I love the field that I work in, most of the discussions around that space don't create much of an experience for me. Instead, I enjoy electronics and how its technology impacts our entertainment. I enjoy entertainment and how its marketing impacts its inherent design (main titles, on-air promos, billboards, etc.) And I enjoy design itself and how the creatives behind it think and, in turn, make me think. Technology and design is what drives my consumption; My purchasing decisions (albeit emotional) revolve around how good those products make me feel (my wife provides the counter-balance or economic justification - in short, she has "veto power.")

So, there you have it. No holier-than-though blog post about how you should focus on the experience you create for your clients and buyers. Just one man's intention to slow down and enjoy those little things created by his fellow, creative, and technical man that bring a smile to his face after plugging them in or opening them up.

-Anthony