And my vote for tweet of the year goes to…

“Every one of us is a potential convict.”

—Ai Weiwei

Terry Tempest Williams on Tim DeChristopher at Ai Weiwei Alcatraz Exhibit.

The Case Against Casey Nocket

Late last summer, 21-year-old self-proclaimed graffiti artist Casey Nocket left her hometown of Highland, New York to follow in the footsteps of many an easterner before her on a grand tour “out west.”

I can not help but wonder, did she pack her art supplies? Did she map out not only the Parks she wanted to visit, but the ones she wanted to tag? Was it the main purpose of her trip? It sure seems premeditated. We know she had companions, someone took the pictures of her leaving her own special version of trail markers along the way (we will question posting them for all the world to see in a minute). Who was this person or persons witnessing these acts, if not urging her on? No one seems to mention them, but I wonder how any friend could watch someone defacing what amounts to a sacred temple almost every stop she made. And make no mistake, they are temples, at least to those of us that worship nature.

I remember listening to a Paiute Tribal Elder and Pipe Springs National Monument Ranger, Ben Pikyavit, giving a lecture on his ancestors at a local BLM “brown bag” lecture here in southern Utah. One of the audience members complained that he was asked not to take pictures of a Native American prayer ceremony on Cedar Mountain. I saw the look on Ben’s face, and tried to put it in perspective for the audience member. I asked him if he thought picture-taking should be allowed during LDS temple ceremonies. The gentleman sputtered a bit and said, “Of course not! It’s a private religious ceremony in a sacred place.” Exactly, sir.

Over the next several weeks, Ms. Nocket crossed off parks and monuments from her ‘to do” list. These stops are documented, even if all of her “art” has not been found. This particular travel pattern is known to southwest natives as “The Golden Circle”, visiting as many parks as possible in a single road trip.

There is even an interactive map showing the dates of her stops, and photos of the “works” that we know of.

From the beginning, it seems she documented not only her "works", but the act itself. She shared these pictures on social media, on her “Creepytings” Tumbler and Instagram accounts. Yes, indeed, they are creepy things. Spontaneous? Doubtful. She fancied herself an accomplished artist and talked about it on social media, saying “It’s art, not vandalism,” she insisted, according to the post. “I am an artist.” Indeed, much of the feedback she was getting at first was positive, from her inner circle, including her mother. One shameful endorsement by Cosmopolitan’s online magazine author, Lane Moore, still has me shaking my head (Gloria Steinem, she’s not).

One friend did ask her if the drawings were chalk, to which she blithely posted, “ Acrylic. I know, I’m a bad person.” Those words will come back to haunt her during her trial, if there is one. 

The Free Dictionary defines society as “The totality of people regarded as forming a community of interdependent individuals: working for the benefit of society.” Ms Casey needed to be aware of the big picture of social media. Not everyone was thrilled.

In September, a hiker found graffiti in Rocky Mountain State Park in Colorado and reported it. It was cleaned up before similar tags starting popping up along the trail of Casey’s trip. Soon reports were coming in from other parks, the outdoor community got involved and posts followed from bloggers in the hiking community. The reaction has been swift and brutal. 

Modern Hiker's post had over 900 comments, most of them angry and demanding the severest penalties possible. Some were ridiculous, and this venomous one from a self-labeled “chief misanthrope “ (and total misogynist) even calls for the ultimate price, suicide.

The National Park Service jumped in and investigated. The original reddit thread posted by Yosemite investigator Steve Yu reads like the minutes of a very angry town meeting, where the pitchforks are being sharpened while the hero is praised for saving civilization. After one week, the NPS issued this statement, naming Ms Nocket the prime suspect. Her social media accounts have been taken down, and supposedly she is cooperating and remorseful.

Are we hypocrites for condemning her when the mess we are in is all of our faults? Maybe, at least this author thinks so. How far do we take this? Should we arrest the grandma being charged for tagging the sugarloaf hill with “Dixie”?

It is hard for me to forgive Casey Nocket, especially when I think about the contrast between her and the woman who recently spent her precious last days visiting those same parks, on a very different kind of journey.

I think also of the recent passing of Martin Litton, who did so much for the wilderness. “Nature has its rights,” he once said. “It has a right to be here untrammeled, unfettered. Man doesn’t have to screw everything up.” And Wallace Stegner, my very favorite author, who put my feelings about nature into such eloquent words. If you don’t read another link in this post about wilderness, read this one—his “Wilderness Letter,” written to the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission in 1960.

Here and there in this debacle, one can find the voice of reason. Modern Hiker has started a campaign to turn the twitter hashtag #caseynocket into a campaign to clean up trails, sending out prizes to people posting pictures of their efforts to clean up with the hashtag #dontbeacaseynocket. 

Our own Greta Hyland wrote an outstanding piece about what is an even bigger travesty, because the party accused of vandalizing sacred space is none other than Greenpeace. They are supposed to know better, are they not more culpable?

Which brings me to back to my original question. Why would Casey Nocket decide to do this and document it on social media? What is it about our society at this time that compels so many young people to post endless selfies (think Kim Kardashian, if you must) to satisfy social needs that are not being met. What is lacking in our world today that she did not understand that her idea was so wrong-headed in the first place?

The person behind the camera is a part of us as a society. The case against Casey Nocket is still pending. Are we all to blame? 

Thoughts on Edward Snowden and the NSA

Edward Snowden in his own defense, listen to this.

When I first heard that many of the members in my New Social Media class—whom I consider to be intelligent, informed, forward-thinking young persons—did not know who Edward Snowden is, I wanted to weep.

First, let me apologize. I know I sometimes speak out of turn, and I blurt thoughts out without thinking things through. The truth is, I am probably ADD, but more relevantly, I care. I care about the future, I care about you. The world is (quite literally) in your hands, and you should be aware of how powerful you are. Be aware, and speak up.

Today, I have more hope. Recently, I was watching a new TV show on the SyFy channel called “Ascension”, involving a conspiracy involving a faked space launch. One of the characters is threatening to expose the lie, and she says, “We are going full Snowden on this.” When Pop Culture is coining a term like this, I know the story is becoming common public knowledge.




Call Me Ed…

Edward Snowden, in my opinion is—in the real sense of the word—a patriot. He cares about the freedom of his country, and upholding the constitution, more than his own personal freedom.

I have done some extensive research on privacy issues and the history of the NSA. Big Data Mining didn’t start in the USA. If you’d like to know what IBM had to with the Holocaust, and where the surveillance community is headed, I invite you to read my whole paper here.

This is an excerpt…

"The National Security Agency acquired its name officially on 4 November 1952. A mingling of military and non-military interests was expressed in the word national. The production of Comint (short for Communications Intelligence) was declared to be a national responsibility. In place of an Armed Forces Security Agency the U.S. Government was to have a National Security Agency, an organization with the same resources plus a new charter. This new charter made the NSA no longer responsible for reporting to the Armed Forces Security Agency. The Director of the NSA was now responsible to report only to the Secretary of Defense, with the Director of Central Intelligence as advisor. This aura of secret intelligence and closed-door administration started with the cold war and still influences policy today.

Unfortunately, the history of the NSA reads like a Tom and Jerry cartoon, with lawmakers publicly trying to protect privacy while blithely allowing the NSA free rein in secret. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that a warrant was required for “Domestic Intelligence Surveillance.” In 1975, the Senate Church Committee uncovered illegal domestic spying, prompting the “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act” (FISA), which was supposed to curtail NSA eavesdropping on Americans. With the advent of the Internet, the focus of the NSA shifted to data gathering via the web. In December of 2000, the agency mission statement for the 21st century stated “To perform both its offensive and defensive mission, NSA must ‘live on the network’.’ (Electronic Frontier Foundation). Research and development of privacy-destroying technologies by our government escalated exponentially at this time.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed the world, and the NSA, forever. While the USA survived 9/11, the Bill of Rights may not. From the Patriot Act to the recently exposed Prism program, the rights granted in the Fourth Amendment have all but disappeared. Specifically:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Patriot Act initially allowed circumvention of the Fourth Amendment in the name of National Security in order to protect citizens from international terrorism. Rather than making us secure from unreasonable searches, the government has embraced surveillance as the Holy Grail of control."

Several brilliant people have investigated this issue thoroughly, as should we all. Here are two resources I felt were well done and informative:

• Inside the Mind of Edward Snowden, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Plus some unaired clips from the same interview with Brian Williams.

• Edward Snowden: The Untold Story

Another Ed I highly admire said this a long time ago:

“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”

—Edward Abbey

The Edward Snowden story continues to unfold. I believe history will remember him as a patriot. Time will tell.

Facebook Ads

I will be using facebook ads sometime in the future, both for my graphic design work, and eventually to promote sales for an online vintage rentals and antiques store.



Here is one idea for a Facebook ad for promoting my graphic design work to small business owners in southern Utah:

Here is a sample ad for the vintage rentals business idea, which I would reformat to Facebook ad specs:

And one for vintage and antique sales—a discount offer for the Habitat for Humanity of Southern Utah Women's Build, which I would love to create a Facebook page for next year, along with printed promotional items, such as a coupon ad book to help raise funds. I would create a version to fit specifications for the Facebook ad:

The Facebook Experiment: Outcome and Analysis

Facebook is a fairly new experience for me. I resisted joining until it was a requirement for one of my previous design classes. While that class made it obvious that Facebook, and other social media are vital to any modern marketing campaign, I did not feel I had the practical know-how to successfully engage in it in that aspect. This year, New Social Media has been a fast track to opening up my awareness of how social media works, and the potential and hazards inherent within.

I must say, I am fascinated. I grew up in the era of door-to-door salesmen literally sticking a foot in the door to pitch their wares. To have a direct “one-way mirror” into people’s lives is something they could only dream of. I realize that big data mining is giving huge corporations a tremendous advantage in user data, but Facebook at least cracks the same doors open for me. I must learn to take advantage of being able to engage my own audience, and earn their trust. I must put my best foot forward.

I am pursuing my Bachelor’s in Graphic Design at Dixie State University and plan to graduate this year. It is important for me to build an online presence and get my name out there if I want to be able to make a decent living wage and provide for my family. As such, my Facebook page is a place to show my work, and start actively seeking clients and networking for the future. I was a little hesitant to jump in, but it was time to make a move, and I am glad I did it while I had guidance and feedback. 

I managed to get 67 likes so far. I am not as concerned with how many likes I have at this point, as I am with learning what works, and improving the quality of my page.

Likes

Reach

Visits

Posts

People

   

I tried to post once or twice a week, and if did not meet this, I lost audience quickly. I did manage to post an average of twice a week, which is a bit more than I estimated at the beginning of the project.

I learned a lot about posting times, and once made the mistake of deactivating my personal page for a weekend break, not realizing it would deactivate my design page. As they say, live and learn.

My assumptions about what would draw interest were often wrong, and it quickly became clear that sharing is the golden ticket. Groups are great for making connections. Certain people are natural promoters, and having them support your page can be the ultimate booster for views. I think I am starting to get a feel for how the whole social media marketing thing works, and it will be something I become more involved with in the future. As a result of this class, I am now interested in the career aspect of social media. I think promoting other businesses could be a huge part of my work as a graphic designer. I create brands, not ads.

The insights results for my page were exciting to watch. Some of the biggest surprises to me were the reach of my posts. Almost 1,000 people from all over the world engaged on a post where I asked an opinion on two different versions of an ad. Several posts had visits in the hundreds. Another post that reached a larger audience early on had to do with a book cover I designed, which had a pencil illustration, and also asked a question of the audience. Honestly, I think most people can tell when you are sincerely asking for help.

I will be keeping my Facebook design page up, and trying to improve the quality and message of the posts I create. If I could change anything looking back, I would have been more consistent and selective about what and when I posted, and tried harder to engage my audience every time. As it becomes an effective sales tool for my graphic design, it will be a place to showcase my client’s successes as well as my own.

In addition, I am going to start a new page for my vintage design and antique collecting passions. I am looking into opening an etsy online store, and linking stories and photos from the Facebook page to it. I love to learn, and while I enjoyed all my classes this semester (yes, even math!), I truly consider New Social Media a great investment in my future success.

Sustainable Las Vegas

It’s a gamble…

Areas in need of obvious improvement:

Transportation

Hunger

Energy

Education

Water

Transportation

Bike Paths 

City of Las Vegas would implement safe bike paths—perhaps elevated, walled, or even by using this electroluminescent paint on the bikes—along major foot traffic areas, such as the Strip and Downtown. Self-checkout Bike Stations would be available along the path where bikes could be rented by the hour or day with a credit/debit card or smart phone. Some bike options for children and trailers would be available, also. Each station would have a rent/return option or an option to securely store bikes while shopping/dining touring the hotels. Trained, paid bike patrol “guides” would ride the route to help with mechanical and safety issues, tourist questions, and all-around hospitality.  Initial costs would come from bond tax and hotel taxes, revenues would go to fund city parks and recreation, and enlarging the bike program to eventually include other recreational areas such as Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston. Lake Mead, Valley of Fire, and other bike baths for residents. 

This would cut down on fuel consumption and motor vehicle traffic, and increase healthful, family-oriented recreation on the Strip and Downtown.

Hunger

Hotels and the Homeless

Implement an on-site gleaner program for each hotel

Serve homeless or hungry residents the extra from hotel restaurants on a daily basis (perhaps a soup kitchen type setup somewhere behind the strip, with resources there to talk to people about getting back on their feet, and training for culinary jobs), or at least arrange pick up of extra food from each hotel and take it to the homeless shelters. 

Incentive: Hotels would get tax credits for participating. 

Homeless/poor could be employed to do the gathering, preparation, and delivery of food, getting job skills, experience, and contacts for full time employment.

Greenhouses In Schools

Each public school would have a greenhouse. Starting in grade school, students would learn to plant and grow a garden, using the greens in the school lunch program. This would begin a lifelong education in healthy eating, growing organically, nutrition and commerce. Extra food would go to homeless shelters, to families of kids in need, or sold as a business.

Best practices would be taught, such as building for energy saving (earth berm greenhouses, solar panels, windmill water pumps, recycling garden water into fish tanks, compost leftovers) Kids could also raise chickens for eggs, as an excellent source of protein, while letting them care for other living things and teaching them responsibility.

Students could actually spend after school hours doing something enjoyable and productive. Community members could volunteer for after-school supervision. Many older people have skills, such as canning foods for storage, that will be lost in a few decades if younger people are not taught in schools. The program could grow to include other animals, such as dairy and beef cows, goats and horses, pigs, and even raising bees, making soaps, cheeses, candles, selling honey, and pursuing money-making skills. 

This program would eventually pay for itself in terms of healthful living and employable skills, while building a real sense of community, and honoring and passing on the knowledge of elders.
You can learn more about school gardens and how they work from watching this video.

Education

Eliminating GE requirements at UNLV for some degrees

Offer degrees at UNLV like they do in European Universities. Concentrating on majors, students could show a set degree of competence in general education, either by testing out or showing high school competency scores, thereby allowing skipping two years of generals and getting degrees faster, saving on loans and student debt, while attracting more enrollment, at faster turnover rates. 

This article in Salt Lake Tribune addresses the idea of shortening the time it takes to graduate.

On Retaining Excellent Teachers

Teachers would be required to maintain a level of excellence which would attract enrollment. Adjunct professors that show high promise would be encouraged to get their terminal degrees and continue on as teaching staff.  UNLV would offer full-ride scholarships to selected adjuncts that commit to teaching at UNLV for four years after graduate school.

Energy

Reduce energy consumption on hotel lights

Solar Cloth parking lot covers

Solar panel cloth could be stretched over hotel roofs,  some walkways and bike paths, and large parking lots in Las Vegas, harvesting the abundant sunlight while shading pedestrians, bikes and cars, reducing interior air temperatures in locked, parked cars, which saves on air conditioning. The energy from this new technology of solar cloth could be put into a city wide grid, providing energy during peak hours to hotels and residential areas. Power for hotel lights would come out of the grid when houses are not using as much, reducing stress on the power grid and paying for the extravagant lighting Las Vegas is known for. There should also be designated down times, thereby encouraging some night sky viewing, without all the light pollution. Who really needs to see the Strip 100% lit up at 4am?

Tax credits could be a huge incentive for hotels to install this product, while selling excess energy to the city makes sense in order to get a reduced rate for energy when it is needed.

Bonus topic—Because talking about sustainability for Las Vegas and not mentioning water would be lax.

Water conservation

Not so long ago in the desert, people were grateful to have a well and be able to pump water, which was carried to the kitchen, the garden, and for other needs.The struggle for water in the southwest is not going to be won in the courtrooms, or by spending billions in tax dollars to pipe water from one drought-stricken area to another. That is only going to make lawyers and water districts rich, and taxpayers pitifully overburdened. 

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”

—Edward Abbey         

The answer has to come from conservation. It has to be a sea change in the way we live. No more convenient single-serve disposable plastic bottles (outlaw them now). Yes, turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Plumb houses so that clean gray water, like rinse water from dishes and laundry, goes directly into storage used to irrigate the family garden. These are old ideas, that could sustain our quality of life. Build houses that are oriented to the seasons, requiring less heating and cooling resources. It's not about maintaining the status quo, but changing it.

Water Appreciation Day/April 1st

One day a year, all water to residential areas should be shut down. People should have to store/carry their own water for just one day, in order to create empathy with the people all over the world that have to haul their own water every day. Conservation would boom.

Landscaping

ALL shallow evaporation ponds should be required to be maintained as wildlife refuge areas, or filled in and used for water-wise organic community gardening.

Yoo hoooooo, paging Jiminy Cricket.



Harvard cracks DNA storage, crams 700 terabytes of data into a single gram.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134672-harvard-cracks-dna-storage-crams-700-terabytes-of-data-into-a-single-gram

Fart in the Parks
Mother forgive her, because I won't.
I am so steamed about the attitude of this n̶a̶r̶c̶i̶s̶s̶i̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ i̶d̶i̶o̶t̶ egocentric woman, I may change my contextual analysis topic to her wanton desecration of my temples, just so I can watch her crash and burn on social media (Mother forgive me). Read the original story here.

A fitting punishment would be lifetime banishment from all National Parks and wilderness areas—and 10 years community service in an inner-city area so she can study better artists and hopefully find appropriate canvas. I love great graffiti, but her work is a travesty that does great disservice to the genre.

Now she says she is going to start painting gravestones, because it will be “less controversial”—say what?  Worst of all, Casey Nocket compares herself to Banksy, and she calls herself a feminist.

Mother Nature would disagree.

Critical Analysis Subject

I am still making a final decision between the feminist driven "Pants to Church", "Ordain Women", and the LGBT support movements by members of the Mormon church as a way to show support for members on the fringe, and the gamergate controversy. If one of my classmates doesn't pick gamergate, I feel it should be addressed. I have an 18 year old son who is an avid gamer. While he has been raised by a single feminist mom, he is still very impressionable.

VOTR: The App

“VOTR lets you evaluate each and every candidate for the 36 open U.S. Senate seats, based on everything from education level and military experience to pet ownership and hairstyle.”

1963: I watch the Stars and Stripes flapping in a clear, bright blue desert sky, having just finished reciting the pledge with the rest of my grade school. The principal climbs up on the base of the flagpole (a first) and the whole school goes silent. With tears streaming down her face, she announces that President Kennedy has been shot.

That was the first time I truly felt fear for my country. Since then, I have seen politics devolve into the fiasco of mudslinging, money-laundering, power grubbing partisan electoral college hapless free-for-all it is today. Yes, things are very messed up.

The only way forward I can see is for the generation coming up, my son's generation, to take control. I see them using the internet like a power hose to blast the encrusted filth of politics off our lady, The Statue of Liberty, so that her light and justice can shine again. Before the Universe crushes us like a cockroach.Yes, I'm a very visual person.

Which is why I like this app. It may not be the answer—but if it can pull kids into politics and make them feel they can change things—It's a stab in the right direction.

Bucking the Broken System—

I came across this article in my facebook feed today. It seems to tie in with our discussion on education, so I thought I would share.

"Boy Genius Diagnosed With Autism Has IQ Higher than Einstein"

The Supreme Being Thing
The best argument for intelligent design is nature. I can look at a flower and see that the Universe knows what it is doing.



Yes, I grew up Mormon. I’ve tried to revisit my faith several times. I even donate Fast Offerings regularly, mostly because they are supposed to go directly to helping those in need (as opposed to building shopping malls). Each time I try, I am confronted with a belief system that tells me I will never make it to the top. As a single mom, I can never be good enough. I do not have the priesthood in my home, much less hold it myself. I am not endowed with anything more sacred than wide hips. My child is not baptised, nor will he go on a mission. It’s OK, though, he’s autistic, so he gets a “Go Directly to the Celestial Kingdom” pass. He'll have to come down a notch to see mom in the afterlife, though.

Now I call myself a pantheist. Everything out there has something I can learn from. All the flailing about of mankind is but a ripple in a much bigger pond. As the Grateful Dead said, “All I want to know, is, are you kind?”—that’s good enough for me.

I believe in supremely being.

Education vs. Learning

The first time I met Kenna, she was but a wee beastie. We were at the Zion Canyon Music Festival. Kenna was ignoring the chaos of an influx of hundreds of tourists. Her focus was intent on saving several giant zebra moths that were being chased and injured by less aware kids. She had tears in her eyes for their plight. Finding them on the ground, she would  tenderly place them up in trees, hoping to keep them from being trampled. She has a fierce love for animals, is totally vegan, and will challenge anyone who dares infringe on animal rights.

Yesterday, she rescued a bat. Seriously.

Kenna is a wild child. She grew up in Springdale, Utah, next to Zion National Park. The local grade school is one example of innovative public education. Kids there get to assist the rangers in the park, learn to rock climb, work with local artists and businesses, and in general have a much more open kind of learning. I know a few families whose kids are growing up in this town.

Alex Pelton, by Regina Pagles

One good example is Alex Pelton, entrepreneur, originator of the music festival, owner of the Bit and Spur (scene of the annual local's favorite Halloween extravaganza for decades, and frequent live music performances). He is also the past PTA president,  and father of two very free birds of his own. The residents in Springdale care and are actively participating in the structure of the grade school curriculum.



There is no secondary school in Springdale. Kids are bussed to public schools in Hurricane, where they are confronted with comparative restraint. Kenna’s wise-woman mother did not force this on her daughter. Instead, Kenna un-schooled, deciding what she wanted to learn about, with total support from her mother and much of their community which is nestled next to, and entwined with, one of the most popular National Parks in the world.





Kenna Sava (her chosen name) is the most mature, self-sufficient teen I know. Last summer, she went to Hawaii on her own and lived in a hammock and on the beach for a month. She grows her own food, and makes her own health and beauty products (this week: “100% Organic-Vegan-Coconut-Vanilla-Orange Shaving Cream”). She has also started several successful businesses.

She makes more money—spinning fire, a thing she loves to do and is very good at—in a couple of hours than I can make in a couple of weeks doing freelance design work. And she has way more fun doing it.
She has plans to be comepletely self-sufficient and able to live “off the grid” in the future.
If she chooses to, that is.

This is Kenna Sava now, at age sixteen. The world had better get ready. These "uneducated" kids are going to turn it upside down. And it’s about time.

Among interests and skills listed on her "Bio":

Goals: 
CHANGE

Radical un-schooling/fire spinning/slack-lining/

long-boarding/permaculture/gardening/hiking/running/
photography/pottery/sculptures/modeling/saving and raising animals

2009 Modeled for Chums catalog
2009 Began ‘Hippie Chick’ business selling eggs (registered business name) I had over 250 chickens.
2010 Began ‘Hip Bee Honey’ business selling honey
2010 Began ‘Poi-Zen’ fire spinning classes & events
2011 Have performed with The Shakers, Rising Lion, Yesouisi, Jazzy’s, Casa de Amigos, Whiptail Grill with the Marcia Ishalimar dance group, and Pamela Mortensen at the O.C. Tanner amphitheater
2011 Fire spinning for Zion Adventure Company’s 15^th anniversary party
2012 Fire spinning for Elan Women’s Magazine anniversary party
2013 Fire spinning for Ragnar Relay races video
2013 Began ‘Kenna Sava’ and ‘Sava’ photography
2012 Modeled for Chums (Japan) catalog
2013 Modeled for Chums (Japan) catalog
2013 Employed by a large permaculture farm
2005-2007 Sold sculptures with Kriston Mognett
Studies:
2005-2007- Studied under Jerry Anderson (bronze metal sculpture artist) Assisted on the life-size sculpture of ‘horses, carriage, cowboys’
2013-present Study under Eva Pelton (clay sculpture artist)
2012 Native American flute school (5 days) scholarship
2012 Shaman workshop (3 days) scholarship
2013 played guitar & sang with Glass Submarine at The Red Coyote for a benefit for starving children
2007 Biathlon in Bryce Canyon (archery and running)
2010 won first place in the ice-pick/crash pad hanging contest at O.R.
2013 Worked on a large permaculture project ($18/hr)

2012-present Street performer (fire spinning & guitar/harmonica)

It's Here…

Tesla's new automated driving system revealed.

"The idea is to change the relationship between human and machine."

The European Express Lane

"Heads Up"

The BMW i8 heads up display is here…

Some other useful future tech for cars…

Hackers gonna hack…

The self-driving Google car…
and why we need it.
This video is two years old, but well worth watching if you haven't seen it.

 How Silicon Valley is Creating

Extremely Mobile Devices

Interesting bit of backlash effect? "Google declined to comment."

Websites Are Wary of Facebook Tracking Software

"Some Businesses Block Sharing of Data, Fearing Social Network's Increased Clout"

Content is King. 

So, what exactly makes it compelling? This article from Fast COmpany is riveting. Really.

Photo from the article by Flickr user Andrew Morrell

Your Brain, Crack, Phantom Itches, Narcissism, and More.  Oh My.

5 Crazy Ways Social Media is Changing Your Brain Right Now.

Ready. Set. Go.

https://www.facebook.com/KFergusonDesign

It's go time. I am feeling like a fish out of water, which is great. I have to use my noggin and figure out how this whole Facebook as a promotional tool thing works. Perfect timing, by the way. I graduate this semester, which means playtime is over.

So far the plan is to wing it until I figure it out. Just keep swinging 'til I get some hits.

I know a picture is worth a thousand words. I will post snippets of work every week. I can already tell there are optimal times for posting.  I know there are many more tricks and tips for promoting on Social Media—I will learn as I go.

I think I will have to develop a website for my business sooner rather than later. While I love the idea of being scooped up by the mother ship of all employers, I also know I may have to paddle my own canoe for a stretch. I am grateful this class showed up on my horizon at just the right moment. I can't see the rapids yet, but I can definitely hear them.

I like this idea. Think of the possibilities for ecommerce…

It’s what you say, and how you say it. 

By nature, I am a visual thinker. I like taking my clients identity and business ideas to a level that adds professional credibility to their brand. I believe any business can profit from good visual communication.

Here are three potential client profiles:

Jane is a young, talented jewelry designer that specializes in “geek” design. She sells her math and science based earrings, necklaces, rings, tie bars, and other accessories at venues associated with geek and nerd culture. This year, she is attending Comic Con in San Diego. She needs advertising materials that conform to the specifications set by SDCC, and she needs to stand out in the sea of vendors attending. She needs to be found.

Shane is a yoga instructor starting his own small studio in a medium-size city. He needs a brand that sets him apart and will appeal to his particular target client. He needs not just a logo, but help with designing the studio located in an old warehouse, a website and Facebook page,  and print collateral (business cards, letterhead, brochure, postcards, t-shirts, totes). He needs his entire image to be coordinated and clear.

Happy Valley is a small community next to a major National Park. They are starting to hold more events to entice the huge flow of tourists that drive by on the way to camping into stopping and spending their vacation dollars in town. They need banners to hang over the main thoroughfare announcing different annual events, which can be re-used each year. They also need posters for the annual music festival and Fourth of July celebration, which will be custom designed each year.