Visual Nerd

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

2009-05-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Music from Mathematics

2009-03-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.317x.com/albums/i/IBM/card.html

If you can find this album, give it to me!
-Ivan

Beta Version of ohsnapstudios.com released!

2009-01-22T11:11:00.001-08:00

http://ohsnapstudios.com/

Hey everyone, I just released the beta version out. It still has a lot of bugs that I need to address, but for the most part it's functioning.

Things in my to do list:
preloaders!
create a past events link to search for older events, with list and sorting methods.
make sure I embed the DIN-Regular font lol
Install google analytics
Install swfAddress for deep linking
make the News actually link up to a blog
Clean up transitions
Rescale the photo album to fit laptop screens.
centralize all the variables into 1 file, right now i'm using two - one for the calendar, and the other for events with title, description ect...

Long term goals:
create a content management system to make updating the site easier.
A login system for private events...

Well Tell me what you think...
-Ivan

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

2009-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Check it out, it looks way better than the previous design.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

3^3

2009-01-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

1. A thumb piano.
You can play anything on this small, portable, musical instrument. It plays pure and almost meditative.
How to build one
Watch it

2. Rubik's Cube.
It's really not that complicated. Cube freaks are on youtube giving tutorials on how to solve it, try it and amaze your friends.
Watch it

3. Survivor by chuck Palahniuk.
The same author as fight club, this book is a great read. The main character is records his story on an airplanes black box as the plane runs out of gas in the middle of the ocean. Really cool!
Check it Out

From the makers of Helvetica

2009-01-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

MAC BOOK WHEEL JUST ANNOUNCED!

2009-01-07T03:18:00.001-08:00

Volunteer at a Pet Center

2009-01-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

You can go here:
http://www.laanimalservices.com/

If I had extra time I would. They even have rabbits and iguanas =]

Thumb Piano!

2009-01-04T03:07:00.000-08:00

Thumb Piano!

When I get enough liquid money, I'm going to get this =]

New Client

2009-01-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Just got a new Client, Tri National. I still don't know that much about them, but I designed this questionnaire to help that part of process out. Knowing the client's needs is the most important aspect of design. It helps me establish problem to solve.

Here's the questionnaire. Tell me what you think.

6 GIGS of RAM~!

2009-01-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

6 GIGS of RAM can be put in my macbook pro for really less than $300. All I have to do is buy is 4gig and a 2gig memory stick. And if I sell my old RAM, it can be even cheaper! =] This upgrade will be really useful when it comes to After Effects. I'm not sure about Cinema 4D though since some programs usually max out on 2gigs of RAM. But I guess I can have AE running at 4 and cinema at 2 =]

(Evil Laugh…)

Back to sketching on photoshop =]

2008-12-31T02:12:00.000-08:00

Insect Zoo – Natural History Museum

2008-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Insect Zoo – Natural History Museum from ivan cruz on Vimeo.

Gras Snapshots

2008-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

GRAS

2008-12-08T18:17:00.001-08:00

Outside View:
http://visualnerd.net/gras/outside.swf
http://visualnerd.net/gras/grass.swf

Website:
http://visualnerd.net/gras/main.swf

GRASS is starting to grow =]

2008-12-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's starting to come together. It's a bit glitchy right now. I'll upload the swf later on.

The first image is the splash page, it's not final.

I still need to work on the logo, it reads as gros, I think I'm just going add a leaf to it.

Now there is lake view, where you can see how much water the school has saved. Since it's really difficult to portray water I'm thinking of making the fish represent 1,000 gallons of water or at least have them as milestones.

It was worth it!

2008-11-18T00:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.visualnerd.net/gras/main.swf

It's not optimized, but still worth viewing!
-Ivan

AS3 Is getting Harder

2008-11-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

5 hours of actionscript, and I was able to move something. I'm still not use to scripting in AS3. I got stuck in the technical things so I don't have that much to show.

What I have so far...

2008-11-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

http://visualnerd.net/main.swf
work in progress...

I've got the map to work. I still need to work on the graphs. Luckily I found a few sites that have graphs that I can use. It's great because I can use xml to manage the data.

Worst site EVER!!!

2008-11-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.poprockscandy.com/

If you have something that can beat this, post it!

LOL

2008-11-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

I few days ago while I was stuck in traffic, I was thinking that it would be really cool if you can combine GPS with an accelerometer or IRF. And then I read this in macrumors:

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/07/apple-researching-virtual-reality-headsets/

=]

The GRAS Interface

2008-11-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

ActionScript 3 Trees

2008-11-02T23:48:00.001-08:00

http://incomplet.gskinner.com/index2.html#sakura2
http://www.gskinner.com/blog/assets/Elm.html

After searching for how to create trees in AS3, I stumbled upon this. It's really cool, but I don't think i'm going to go this route. Maybe the animation part of it. Still awesome.

Google maps API in Flash!

2008-11-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2008/05/introducing-google-maps-api-for-flash.html
I'm going to incorporate this so people can see GRAS in different cities.

Connect the dots

2008-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

http://visualnerd.net/connectdots_web.pdf

This is research for my calendar project. I'm want to create an interactive calendar by getting elements from an image that has patterns and unified diversity. I will then place dots with numbers and figure out some sort of way to emphasize the weekends by color, scale, and shape. The connect the dot image that will form will complement the image and furthering my concept of connecting the image with the dots.

Circut Bent Vintage Computer Game Console

2008-10-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

I took the Intermediate Circuit Bending workshop at Machine projects. And After two days of extensive mapping and rewiring of the chips inside I came up with my bent computer system. By rewiring and hooking them up to switches and nobs, I'm able to create a wide range of visuals. Eventually I want to ciruit ben a super nintendo and have an audio feed do the bending for me by automatically switching according to the pitch of the music.

Well anyways here are some pictures I took with my laptop. Eventually I'm going to post video and high res pictures of it.

Creative Board: GRAS

2008-10-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

Research

2008-10-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

So I started to browse and I found some interesting links:
http://www.dontclick.it/
https://www.cicatriz.se/AW08/
http://www.ricedaubney.com.au/#/analysis/media-interface/
http://www.selftitled.ca/

More Sites:
http://styleboost.com/tags/experimental/date/2/

Information Design:
http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php
http://www.jjg.net/elements/pdf/elements.pdf
http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000149.php
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3713/is_/ai_n9451819

Wireless Energy Transfer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer

Google Analytics:
http://www.google.com/analytics/

MIT Labs:
http://www.media.mit.edu/

Obama on Technology: Poster

2008-10-20T18:28:00.001-07:00

Obama on Technology: Microsite

2008-10-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

http://visualnerd.net/obama/

Obama on Technology:Creative Brief

2008-10-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ivan Cruz
Obama on Technology Microsite
Interactive Design 2
20 October 2008
“Let us be the generation that reshapes our
economy to compete in the digital age…” Barack Obama.
To achieve this, I wanted to represent the “digital age” as a cloud. This cloud metaphor is used in technical illustrations and also in “cloud computing” where a computer goes online wirelessly. I used the democratic blue color to represent the Democratic Party. This site is about information and I wanted it to be smooth and clean. The words and the paragraphs all come from the cloud—the metaphor of the Internet sending and receiving information. I used the eagle and stars to give the cloud more of a presidential/democratic document feel.
The target audience I wanted to reach is the Blogger. These people have high-speed Internet and have the power to spread the word. They are mostly males around the ages of 20 to 35. By adding the “addthis” button on the lower right hand corner, I am able to reach this audience and in turn get free publicity and media attention.

Rabbantula!

2008-10-17T23:07:00.001-07:00

Rabbantula! from ivan cruz on Vimeo.
I'm going to create a website and a book just for the heck of it =]

Circut Bent Video!

2008-10-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow when I get paid, I'm going to register for this class at Machine Projects. It seems really fun and exiting.

The Silent Disco

2008-10-06T02:17:00.000-07:00

I went to LA DETOUR this weekend. And three things stood out. The Submarines rock, Shiny toy guns suck, and the silent disco was cool. People would get these headsets that have some sort of fm transmitter on them, so you can only listen to the DJ. If you were an outsider, you would see a crowd of people dancing like crazy to no music, yet the crowd were all synced to some sort of beat. The great part is that they would all sing and react to the DJ. The people with the headphones were having a blast--listening to daft punk remixes with 80 songs and top hits. I liked this little experiment even though not that many people showed up for it.

Flash Classes are cool!

2008-10-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

I don't have to do heavy coding anymore =]

Here is a link for Liquid Layouts in AS3:
http://www.blog.noponies.com/archives/53

Here is a link for a Dynamic Text wrap in AS3:
http://dispatchevent.org/roger/dynamic-text-wrapping-in-actionscript-3/

And Here is a link for Filter tweening:
http://blog.greensock.com/tweenliteas3/

Oh Bama

2008-09-29T18:16:00.001-07:00

I'm still in the process of getting the clouds done in After effects. I'm using some action script tweening. Here is a link if you want to see it.

AS2 Tween Class

CUBEFREAK.COM

2008-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Check it out!
It's a website for a speed cubing documentary.
I launched it yesterday and I already got hits from all over the world!

Layout #1 Obama and Biden

2008-09-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

These are the landing pages for the Obama and Biden website on Technology. I started off with a central O sitting on the "cloud." I was really attached to my first layout, but I started to simplify, and I really like the second one. It's so clean.

In terms of flash, I want everything to be a little floaty - I want some sense of depth. I think i'm going to use some sort of zoom mechanism to achieve this effect. I'm also going to add videos of time lapsed clouds and mathematical equations to represent science and the world wide web.

Goggle analytics and flash =]

2008-09-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to share this with you. It's a way to put google analytics in a flash site. Really useful =]

project4x

After Effects Experimentation: Week 1

2008-09-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm doing these little animations based on what we learned in the class in my motion class. So I'm going to be uploading them =]

For this week's class, I had to do an animation using the simple shapes that after effects offers...

So, I posted this video in several sites, trying to find the best quality. Youtube is just bad. blip.tv let's you upload the real size of the video (re-sized here) and Vimeo is really good, I like the frame rate and good quality.

After Effects Experimentation: Week 1 from ivan cruz on Vimeo.

Obama on Technology

2008-09-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

The project is the expansion of the technology category. This new category will have it’s own icons, and imagery but still keep within the Obama branding. The brand is known for change and hope. This extension will develop that idea further into the space travel, education and research by activating the scientific community through blogs.
The target audience is wide. It is based on the scientific community. This includes students, graduates, professors, and those working in the scientific/engineering field. This includes males and females 18 and over. But I am specifically targeting to college students and young adults who are active bloggers and post and share their videos on YouTube.
The visual identity will be based on the same typographical treatment that the Obama campaign is using with the rendered background of vector algorithms, satellites, and space shuttles. These symbols represent the creative chances that scientist must take in order explore new ideas without restriction. Satellites and space shuttles represent the advancement of space travel, and with it, uniting the planet as these accomplishments are met.
This is going to work by using several technologies—Flash, XML, and PHP. With these technologies, it is easier to update the site with current events. Links to YouTube videos and other external links will enable the audience to blog about these issues. The site will be 1024X678, but will be able to conform to any browser using liquid layouts in flash. The hurdles of this project are making it low broadband and accessible for people in rural areas with dial up connections.

revenge on junk mail

2008-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

How to get revenge on junk mail
Officeofstragicinfluence.com

By replying with a brick attached =]

Saul Bass

2008-09-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

While doing research for Type 3 and I came across this link:
notcoming.com/saulbass
Really Interesting

Obama!

2008-09-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.barackobama.com/

For interactive design 2, I have to make a flash version of this site. It's a challenge because it's a great site. Since it was built with social networking in mind, it makes people spread the word. So I'm still brainstorming, what's the next step.
Any Ideas?

Here's some more info:
Campaign stops: Typography

Itunes 8 Visualizer and other Visualizers

2008-09-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

It's just incredible how diverse the visualizer is. The transitions are great. Each song has it's own feeling. It was first programed in Processing. I've used this program before, but I didn't know it was this powerful. Here is a link with more info..
Magnetosphere

I've been on a look out for this transition in a while. The colorful oscilloscope days are over! These are my favorite inspiring flash visualizers that i've seen that are pushing this limit:
Simple2
And this one Flash 3D

Express Card?

2008-09-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

I always wondered what that long rectangular slot was on my macbook pro. I went online to find answers and it turns out to be an express card slot.

A few days ago, I went to the apple store and found an express card that is capable of reading SD memory cards. But at thirty something dollars, it was too expensive. I went on amazon and I found a 21 in 1 card reader for $28! So I bought it. It's a great little piece of hardware. It took me forever to upload pictures from my Lumix Panasonic camera with the USB cable. Now it only takes seconds! It's faster than Firewire 400, and 800.

So what else can the express card slot do?
Multiple screens, Solid State Drive (to use as a scratch disk for Photoshop, After Effects, FinalCut), and USB, eSATA, and Firewire hubs.

Express Card Article
Amazon 21 in 1 Card Reader

100 Year Forecast

2008-09-04T12:14:00.001-07:00

Day two of blogging

2008-09-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Um, I think I'm going to get addicted to this...

Ha! First blog on Blogger!

2008-09-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

So, right now I'm working on a couple of projects:

Updating a Nursery's website
Finishing CUBEFREAK
Restructuring Leonard's Website

I also joined Twitter!
I still don't know how, or why I should use it.
I'll post the link to in later...

I was also thinking of creating an interactive 3D timeline for my blog, I could do it, but I would need to find out how to publish an xml file from a form like the one that I'm using for this one. If I can get it to XML, I can do this! Maybe if I can create a PHP script which takes my blogs from here and hmmm.... I just don't know how to do it, and I think it's too much work, well I'll see....