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TED, the nonprofit that presents “idea” conferences around the world, announced an intriguing new initiative yesterday: TED-Ed. Its goal, described in the video above, is to pair educators with animators, and create a series of lesson-based animated shorts aimed at teachers and high school students. Here’s an example of one of the lessons:

The Next Web has more info about plans for TED-Ed. The program officially launches next month, and they’re already soliciting reel submissions from animators. No word on what type of budgets they offer to filmmakers, but I’m assuming that filmmakers will be compensated for their labor somehow.

(Thanks, @tkraz)

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: TED, TED-Ed

Sunni Brown’s TED talk about the importance of doodling and sketching is no news to us, but let’s hope everyone else learn a little something. 

(via TED: Doodlers, Unite! | Sunni Brown)

On SNL this weekend, Miley Cyrus (cracked wise about the Disney School Of Acting and nailed Justin Bieber’s swagger. She proved her comedic timing, but more important, she made a statement about being a grown-up. In her opening skit, she... Read the rest of this post

I watched this last night and thought I would share it with you guys. It's long but really worth watching in my opinion. The weekend is here so it's a perfect time to watch.

As you all may know J.J. Abrams is the creator of LOST, among many other TV shows and movies. I really enjoyed watching him speak. I tell you, this guy is smart. His mind goes a mile a second and his tongue can't keep up with it.

He has an obvious love for mystery and explains where this all started. I particularly loved the story about his grandfather's mystery box. I also loved the last scene of Jaws he showed to the audience. He's right, that was one amazing scene.

To me this was a hint where I could clearly see how strongly he feels for the characters in a movie. Even if they are playing a role in action or adventure films, he sees beyond that, into the many shades that a character has, and wants the audience to experience it too.

This may be partly the reason why LOST'S characters always came first in a way.

I am going to stop talking now and leave you all to it. ;o)

"David Macaulay's exploratory renderings of architectural marvels throughout history have captivated children and adults alike. With crystal clear drawings and insightful text, Macaulay takes his readers inside these structures, illuminating not just the engineering prowess of the builders, but also their daily lives -- from the rulers and engineers down to the peasants hauling the bricks.


http://www.ted.com/talks/david_macaulay_s_rome_antics.html


Among Macaulay's many awards is a Caldecott Medal for his book Black and White. He has produced an acclaimed 5 part PBS series (and companion book) Building Big, which reveals the engineering wonders of the biggest of the big. His classic work The Way Things Work (and its new edition, The New Way Things Work), was on the New York Times bestseller list for 50 weeks. He is an illustration instructor at his alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design"

“I’m a librarian. What I am trying to do is bring all of the world’s knowledge to as many people as want to read it. The idea of using technology is perfect for us.” Brewster Kahle gives a twenty minute talk about free culture and libraries and digitzation at TED.

I’ve been travelling and working more than I’ve been surfing and sharing lately. That will change this Summer, but for now it’s the reality of what seems to be The Conference Season. Here are some nifty links that people have sent me, and ones that I have noticed over the past few weeks. Sort of a random grab bag.

• Some introspection and questions from a special collections blogger. “Why do this anyways?” If you have suggestions or comments I’m sure she’d appreciate them.
• The MaintainIT project has a guest blogger from the Tonganoxie Public Library in rural Kansas. I’ve pointed to their website before as a way that a tiny library can make use of tech tools to really expand their presence and share a lot of information. Library director Sharon Moreland is detailing her library’s move from Sirsi to Koha and it makes for great reading.
• Speaking of library blogs, Seattle Public Library has one called Shelf Talk which falls solidly into the category of “blogs I’d read even if I weren’t reading blogs for work” Right up top there’s an interview with Cory Doctorow talking about his new book Little Brother. Also noted is every librarians favorite category: lists, booklists to be exact. The blog manages to intersperse library information, local lore and trivia and book topics in a lively and attractive package. It’s a great model of what a library blog can be. Yay team!
• Dear New York Public Library, please do not invade the Andrew Heiskell Library Braille Collection (the only browseable collection of books for the blind and visually impaired in NYC) by relocating the Technology Unit there. Thanks. More info on facebook.
• Original Spiderman origin artwork donated to Library of Congress.
• Not exactly library related, but this TED talk with James Howard Kunstler talking about the despair of suburbia and the importance of creating inspired public spaces as “manifestations of the common good” is worth watching. 20 minutes.

Every once and a while we like to present something other than books to help stoke your imagination. Our video presentation of philosopher Dan Dennett is a great example.

Today we want to introduce you to The World Wide Telescope. It’s a revolutionary technology being given to everyone this spring. Both these videos come from a truly incredible website called Ted.com You should make it a regular stop. (The video is a little dark at the begining, let it continue as it improves quite a bit- also the intro is quite loud)

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On Saturday February 9th, my friend Jen and I met in Salem, MA to shop around at the town's "Salem's So Sweet" promotional day (running for a week)! See photos here.

What I'm reading...

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
I loved his book The Tipping Point so much -- to me, it was so revelatory, and it was a catalyst for big shifts in my viewpoints, on so many things. When I first heard about his book Blink, I was so excited I was jumping out of my skin. But, when it comes to new releases, I'm really patient, since I'd rather read a paperback. I knew I was in for a wait. I don't know when it finally came out in paperback, but I just recently picked it up, and am reading it now.



I also just purchased Golden Legacy, which is a beautiful big book covering the history of Little Golden Books. It's gorgeous, filled with lovely artwork from Little Golden Books, and also shows some other art from the time period when the LGB series was first hatched. I may do a more in-depth post on this book once I start reading it.




What I'm listening to...
I've been in retro-land lately, revisiting old favorites The Sundays , The Clash and The Smiths. On a more contemporary note, I can't seem to get M.I.A.'s newest record out of heavy rotation, and I always seem to end up listening to part of her first record too, while I'm in the M's.


Back to that 'retro-land' note... This morning, I couldn't get the Violent Femme's first record out of my head (oh, so catchy!), so I went to purchase it on iTunes. My mission was aborted though because iTunes doesn't *have* the Violent Femme's first album (hmm... yet, I'm sure). I might just look through my CD's and - surprise! - actually find it hiding away in there...

What are you reading and listening to?

I have been tagged by my friend Andi Butler! This might be the toughest tag yet! I do not "do well" with lists of my favorite movies, music, television. I do have favorites of course, and I do love entertainment, and I am passionate about the ones I love, like most of us... BUT... it's... just... so... hard... to... CHOOSE!!!!

SO, with this in mind, I have compiled a list of movies that I really love, past and present, goofy and serious (although mostly goofy ;) ), and in no particular order. And I cannot say that these are my *Favorite 25 Of All Time*, because, you know, I'm like the wind.

So herewith, Kathy's List Of Pleasing Movies Numbered At 25...

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Kill Bill Vol. 1
GoodFellas
The Departed
Ratatouille
A Christmas Story
Sixteen Candles
Titanic
Finding Neverland
Miss Potter
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Rope
Sunset Boulevard
All About Eve
Mildred Pierce
The Bad Seed
Death Proof
The Shining
The Others
Best In Show
Any Given Sunday
The Devil Wears Prada
Casino Royale
Bourne Identity
Casino

After the fact list...
You knew it'd happen...here are some of the movies I forgot about, that I love as well:

Chocolat
Volver
Notes on a Scandal
Sideways

Now I have to tag people!!

Linda O'Neill (Abby Creek Art) , Rebecca Collins (Art Paw), Jamie Pflughoeft (Cowbelly Pet Photography), Nicole Falk (Halloweenville) and Nancy MacCallum (Nancy Rosetta Jewelry)... Read the rest of this post

...which explains why it's been so quiet around here lately. I am getting better now, and will soon be back up to speed with a little luck (and with a LOT of taking care of myself!)

I hope everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving, and did not get too swallowed up by the malls this weekend. I plan to do as much of my holiday shopping as possible online, and at local businesses. I figure, I am going to spend the dough anyway (which I am, I always do!!), I'd like to help support my local businessfolk, and fellow artists. I'm definitely going to check out Etsy.com for some unique gifting... But, of course, I cannot get away from the biggest online mall of all, Amazon, where I do a ton of shopping, holiday or no. It's just so darn convenient and quick.

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

This weekend I went baby shower shopping with my friend Steph, (the glowing mom-to-be)! We are designing her baby shower so we visited our local Paper Source for some creative inspiration. I had been toying with the idea of a Tea Party theme on and off - - the idea had been brewing for weeks, but I was not sure. Thinking it might be too quaint an idea, I shelved it. So it was serendipitous when we came upon a tea display at the shop. We got to discussing tea, and it proved to be a natural theme for the party! Tea plays a big part in her lifestyle, and it helps that her husband is English, so it was a perfect fit!

It just so happens that lately I've been into this new tea I discovered at Whole Foods - Zhena's Gypsy Tea. The first one I tried was the Rooibos Lavender, and I was immediately hooked! It's somewhere between tea and aromatherapy. Lavender is one of my favorite herbs so I was eager to try it and very curious whether it would work as an herbal tea blend or not. It could have come off 'soapy' but it didn't - it was a great blend!! Aromatherapeutic, but totally drinkable and fabulous! I'm now on my second canister of Red Lavender. I've also tried the Fireside Chai (which has no caffeine, by the way) and the Gracious Green, and love them both. I look forward to trying other varieties! Another very impressive thing about the company that is just as fabulous as the tea itself is how morally upright this company is. You can read all about it on their web site (on this page and also on the Press Page PDFs, one with a more detailed interview). But, of course, the very first thing that drew me to the tea was the packaging. It's fantastic!! This is a company that produces A) Exceptional product B) Sees the value and importance of good design AND illustration (!! Yay) and C) practices not only fair-trade but supplies great benefits for workers and practices earth-friendly and ecologically safe ways of doing business. That's it - - Zhena SUPER-rocks!!!!! Try her tea and sip peacefully.

On our travels, we also hit Vintage Etc., a local shop (in Cambridge, MA, my 'hood) which specializes in clogs, eco-friendly, foot-friendly and people-friendly footwear, and loads and LOADS of socks and tights! The selection of socks and quality of the lines they carry is the best I know of, anywhere. My favorite socks are from a line called Ozone. They not only have the grooviest designs (which look cute peeking out of a pair of clog Mary Jane clogs under boot leg jeans) but the quality is there - - these socks actually last longer than any other sock I have ever purchased. These people know their socks. The fabric they use, the toe reinforcement - they don't look tough and mean at all - they look whimsical and silly, even - but make no mistake - they are built to last! I can't mention socks of any kind without mentioning the coolest socks of all - The Red Sox! YAY, RED SOX!!!!!!! But, in my book (and for my money), Ozone socks come a close second in coolness factor!!

Holli Conger is having a fun & creative Halloween-themed contest called Pumpkin Junkin'!
You get a pumpkin, and then you "junk it" however you want, with found objects, or whatever you have lying around. It's a fun, let loose, get-your-hands-dirty kind of craft project with a fun pay-off: your very own Junky Pumpkin to enjoy!


Here is mine! I'm showing it at a blurry distance on purpose ;) , so that maybe you will hop on over to Pumpkin Junkin' yourself to see the close-up photo of my pumpkin, and see all of the other cool entries! Maybe you will even then decide to have fun "junking" your own pumpkin and entering it into the challenge!! If you need further impetus to junk a pumpkin (as if it is not prize enough to give yourself an excuse to have this kind of fun), there are also three wonderful prizes to be had: the Grand Prize is an original "junk-a-doodle" piece created by Holli, and the Second and Third Prizes are Holli's own "junk-a-doodle" prints!!

A few months ago, I took the plunge and attended a two-day Basic Flash workshop.
Before this year, the last time I used Flash was back in ye olde dark ages of version 4. Me and Flash had had a dysfunctional relationship for awhile, and it finally came to blows (I remember it well - - it was during a Filene's "Glam Jam" ad campaign). Well, we had a bitter break up and, for the next four years, I didn't use Flash at all. This year, I had to jump back in the Flash pool. It was mportant on so many levels, and truly it was just as important for me to do it for personal reasons as it was for professional reasons. So I took a two-day workshop to get up to speed on the basics. The workshop was GREAT, and I learned (and re-learned) a ton. And the most lasting and fabulous thing is that Flash is now a totally different beast than it was back then. In fact, it really isn't very beastly at all now. It's actually tame and pretty friendly. Which is good, because I have to use it every day. Although I havent gotten many opportunities at day job to push the Flash illustration/animation hybrid, I really would like to do more of it so I have to find the time to. Here is one small (very very small, not impressive at all, totally quick and dirty) animation with a little artwork I made with Flash. I was just fooling around. (warning: it's totally basic. really.) It's just cute, I think, and I hope you like it too.

Barbara Johansen Newman tagged me!! So, I get to share some oddities about myself with anyone who happens to be reading, here, all in the name of duty to my fellow-artist-bloggers.... :) To be honest, I'm kind of honored to be asked to share my mental lint.
Here we go..

Eight Things You Never Asked To Know About Me...
(Ok...there is nine...)

1) I have never had the desire to have biological children.
That's not to say that I am non-maternal, or don't ever want to have a kid. I might adopt some day, and I've always thought that if I decided to have human kids, adoption would be the way to go. I love kids (and the older I get, the more I love them!). But, I never felt the desire to have my own biological one. I am an excellent pet parent, though!

2) Speaking of pets, I am a pet portraiture artist.
I'm not sure how many people know this. It's not something I keep to myself but I don't talk about it here very much (I have another blog with pet portrait interests). It is really a wonderful thing to be able to experience getting to know other people's pets in the way that I am lucky to be able to, through the pet portrait process. I really love doing it, and I've met so many genuine and excellent people through the work. I keep in touch with many of them. People who adore their pets are, generally, an excellent bunch of people!!

3) I have been known to catch an informercial every now and again...
Occasionally, I will even (gasp!) try an infomercial product! (Cat's outta the bag!) Sometimes they're crap. But sometimes the products knock my socks off (ProActiv Solution, Bare Escentuals). And sometimes, they are really good (Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty), but it turns out they clash with my other informercial skin-care regimen. But that's another story for another day...

4) I bite my nails sometimes.
Icky habit? YES!!! But, then I stop. Then I might begin again a few months later. Oh well. It's probably my worst habit/vice, so I can't say I'm doing too bad. I think it tops my "decaf coffee" habit...

5) Dark Chocolate - an important food group.
I only really like dark chocolate, and I like to try different "gourmet" chocolates. Two of my favorites are Cote D'Or and Lindt ( I doubt that Lindt is actually considered gourmet anymore - and it probably shouldn't be - but it is a sentimental favorite and is still really good, even with all the newbies on the market). I like 70% dark or more. I live in an area with easy access to the good stuff. Thank God.

6) I don't drive.
It's not that I don't want to. In fact, I'm a pretty good driver, if I do say so myself, for someone who doesn't drive. I took private driving lessons, and I even took my driver's test (twice). I failed both times. The State Trooper even recognized my problem as test nerves. But he still didn't pass me. Someday, I will dutifully go through the motions again. I do want to get my license.

7) I am a shameless TV - aholic.
Okay, maybe TV is my worst vice. But I'm not sure it counts, because my love for TV really outweighs my actual watching time these days. This is a vice is definitely under control. But, I don't just love TV though. I will even cop to watching a fair amount of choice reality TV. Survivor is my favorite show. I have every available season on DVD...and one of the seasons was even bought for me twice accidentally (a gift). This summer, there is a "this-should-hold-you-over-til-next-season's-Survivor" show called Pirate Master which I at least had to check out (not sure if it will stick). Amazing Race is another favorite! This summer I will jump in the mud ( ...or stick a foot in...) and watch new seasons of Hell's Kitchen and Big Brother. (Hey, a girl's gotta watch something while awaiting the new seasons of the "respectable" reality shows!) All of this docu-drama TV chat leads me into sharing a bonus thing...

7, part 2) I have a fascination with Everest.
I read Everest books, watch Everest documentaries. Everest holds endless fascination. Why anyone would be so magnetically drawn to conquer this beast of nature is beyond me. People leave their whole lives behind on a quest to climb Everest, knowing full well that they may not come back at all. If they do make it back, they have a pretty decent chance of having lost a body part to the mountain. I think my obsession with Everest encompasses all aspects of the Everest prism: The human drama! The pushing past human physical limitations - mind over body/matter! The mental anguish! Man against impossible-to-control natural forces! It's the whole ball of wax.

8) I'm crazy kuckoo about any type of asian fare.
Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, you name it. I've never tried an asian cuisine I didn't love. Maybe it is because I was introduced at an early age: my step-mom is Japanese and she introduced my sisters and I to the cuisine at an early age (way before sushi was trendy). I even like (Korean) tofu kimchee hot pot soup. I ordered it a few weeks ago at a Korean/Japanese restaurant. After my order was delivered to the table, I had the distinct feeling I was being watched, presumably to see if I had made a mistake in ordering the extremely spicy hot soup! Nope, no mistake. Just please keep the ice water coming!

I now must tag five...here we go!

Roz Fulcher
Alina Chau
Nicole Falk (Halloweenville)
Elizabeth Seigel (Tofusquirrel.com)
Tommy Kane