A Life in the Day of Thomas J.

Play On Playa Playlist

ThomasJArmitage — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:11:17 +0000

Okay, this one is for the guys. The way I look at it, you have three types of these characters… The players. The playa haters. And the dudes who pretend to be players. All of which need some tunes to put ‘em in a confident mood. Enter, this suave soundin’ jam session of some awesome hits from over the years that will help put some pep back into your step. Listen with caution – some of these might have you yelling for some Jeigerbombs. Jeigerbombs. Jeigerbombs…

1) Tech N9ne – I’m a Playa

2) Crucial Conflict – Where the Playas Live

3) Junior Mafia – Playa’s Anthem

4) UGK – International Players Anthem

5) Too $hort – I’m a Playa

6) Rick James – Hard to Get

7) Blackstreet – No Diggity

8) Fabolous – Real Playa

9) DJ Quik – Black Mercedes

10) Outkast – Players Ball

11) The Game and R. Kelly – Playas Only

12) Junior Mafia – Young Casanovas

13) Ma$e and 8Ball and MJG – The Playa Way

14) Big Pun – Still Not a Playa

15) Jermaine Dupri and Slick Rick – Fresh

16) Notorious B.I.G. – The World is Filled

17) Twista and 112 – Don’t Hate Me

18) Ice T – Don’t Hate the Playa

19) Jay-Z - Imaginary Player

20) 3LW – Playa’s Gon Play (okay, that last one is for the ladies!)

Any songs that usually help give you some confidence with the females? Name them below.

Land’s End: e-Newsletter Etiquette

ThomasJArmitage — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:51:21 +0000

I don’t usually buy too much apparel online but I recently had to purchase some company t-shirts through Land’s End. If you haven’t had the chance to use this company, let me assure you that they do live up to the hype. The customer service was phenomenal. A human being answered the phone and she proceeded to be polite, patient and she professionally took care of all my needs, even though my order was complicated with an updated logo and several stitching colors. I was very satisfied – which is why I don’t mind getting their weekly e-newsletters sent to my work email.

The e-newsletters are a small added interactive marketing tactic in their overall campaign. The emails are well-designed and simple. It takes me only a few seconds to browse the latest sale and I can click on one of the links if I want to know more. This one to two message template enables them to get to the point quickly and does not come across as spam. This is more than just a quick summary of their latest gift ideas or clothing options though – they often provide promotional codes for discounts on their goods. This code is only offered to e-newsletter subscribers, so it keeps consumers interested and prevents unsubs. Finally, their social media sites are listed at the bottom and allow subscribers to quickly get involved on their other online channels. I receive quite a bit of e-newsletters on a daily basis, mostly trade publications, but I think Land’s End does a fantastic job with their weekly feature. Simple, easy, attractive, and to-the-point. It works. They also couple that with a small seasonal catalogue that arrives each month. It has a more in-depth look at their clothing/goods options and sales. Do any of you subscribe to a retail e-newsletter? How does it measure up to Land’s End? Better or worse?

* Originally submitted as a discussion post in IMC 615 at WVU

Should Creativity Follow a Process?

ThomasJArmitage — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:42:29 +0000

The world of creativity is crazy, zany and irrational. I’m actually glad that processes exist to help add some order to the chaos, or reason to the rhyme. Like some other classmates touched on, I also think the creative process does follow a specific course like those mentioned by Wallas and Von Oech. However, it doesn’t always necessary flow sequentially.

If I’m thinking of an idea, I might “explore” and do my research first. Then, I’ll go to work and jot down ideas, acting as the “artist.” However, maybe I’ll think of more topics that are worth looking into – so I’ll divert back to step one to do more research. Next, I will give myself some time to relax or mellow out and then begin to “judge.” If nothing seems suitable, I’ll probably resort back to another right brain session. Finally, I will judge again, decide on the best idea and go out and be the “warrior.” The process isn’t always straight line in black and white but it surely exists.

“This process of creativity isn’t just an aimless sort of blue-skying…it’s what author Joseph Heller (a former copywriter) called ‘a controlled daydream, a directed reverie.’ It’s imagination disciplined by a single-minded business purpose” (Sullivan, L., 2008, pg. 22). Of course, the best ideas are the ones that are most out-of-the-box. But without some sort of instruction and order, it will not be spot on. I believe a structured creative process helps to keep the idea relevant to the main objective.

I thought this note from our reading was very enlightening: “The art director is often visual (i.e., right-brained), while the copywriter is verbal (e.g., left-brained). As you can imagine, when left- and right-brained people work together, it can make for a very powerful problem/solution team” (P.I. Reed School of Journalism, 2011). Even though it might seem like wild creative minds are sporadic and free-thinkers, I believe most still follow a very structured process to come up with their big ideas. Or at least the successful ones do. Moreover, as addressed in the above quote, the best ideas come from a combination of right and left brain thinkers. Meaning, those great “big ideas” are the product of cohesive teamwork. People with differing personalities and thinking styles working together is a beautiful thing.

Has anyone ever played the board game Balderdash? It is one of my favorites. To make a long instruction manual short, the object of the game is to make up creative definitions, explanations and movie plots and try to make them believable enough that opponents guess them as the correct answers. Usually the most creative individuals win. Even though one only has a few minutes to think of these answers, I believe one’s brain still relatively follows a creative course. Think from the right side, then put your final touches on from the left to make it believable and [somewhat] sane. Have you ever played the game? What do you think?

* Originally submitted as a discussion post in IMC 615 at WVU

Sources

P.I. Reed School of Journalism. (2011, August 22). Lesson 4: In Search of the Big Idea. Retrieved on November 16, 2011 from: https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Sullivan, L. (2008). Hey Whipple, squeeze this (3rd ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

The Sound of the Future: Google Music

ThomasJArmitage — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:17:02 +0000

It seems many people are getting away from music downloading and starting to prefer music streaming. Just look at the interest levels among Pandora, Spotify and last.fm. These formats are ultra-convenient for people who are not heavy users and love how the software itself suggests music based on the listeners’ preferences. It really is genius software. Not to mention the time and money one can save with not having to download. But what about music buffs who have boatloads song files, wish to set-up their own playlists rather than letting a computer do it for them, or own music that won’t necessarily appear on a streaming site (live versions, underground tracks, etc)?

Enter cloud-based music storage.

Heavy hitters Google Music and iTunes Match launched in November. Both sites offer similar benefits. From what I’ve learned, you upload your own music into your cloud-based account. You can then listen to individual songs, or create custom playlists or have the computer design playlists. Both sites offer music stores so you can instantly buy songs and they get added to your digital online library. The user is streaming the file from his/her own library so it can be accessed anywhere on the go.

This is a life changer for music listeners who manage a great deal of files. Instead of saving tracks on a computer or an external hard drive, you just save them to a safe and secure online account. No crashes, no worrying about dropping an external hard drive or overheating laptop, no transferring files from folder to folder, the list of pros goes on…

The critical component here as to why this is the future of music is the universal access. Picture this in the near future. You upload your songs to your cloud library. You’re at work, you can listen to your music. You’re home relaxing, you can listen to music. You’re at the gym on the treadmill or on the train heading home, you can listen to your music. (And soon,) you’re in the car, and you can listen to your music. As if radio already wasn’t struggling enough, here comes yet another contender. It will be interesting to see how cloud-based music affects terrestrial and satellite radio, as well as CD sales (yes, some people still buy those) and traditional music downloads.

This is all still very new so I’m sure plenty of changes and updates will take place in the coming months for all three major services. As of right now, I prefer Google Music over iTunes because it is free (up to 20,000 songs) whereas Apple charges a monthly rate. However, right now, the main advantage to iTunes Match is quicker uploads. If Apple recognizes that you are uploading a track that it already has in its library, it will use its own file to place in your library instead of adding a new one. This saves a great deal of time. Google Music takes quite a while to upload (I started yesterday morning and I’m still uploading – and I’m just testing it out with a small amount of files!)

Google Music can be used on both Droids and iPhones whereas music from the iCloud can only be played from iOS. No surprise there. If you’re interested in finding one that matches your needs, here is an in-depth review of the top three services: http://mashable.com/2011/11/17/google-music-vs-itunes-match-vs-amazon-cloud-player/.

What do you think? Will you eventually make the transition to a cloud-based music library? Will this finally put non-talk radio in its grave?!?

* Originally submitted as a discussion post in IMC 615 at WVU

The Classic Lullaby Mix

ThomasJArmitage — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:48:08 +0000

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately so I’ve been finding it hard to fall asleep. My body is tired and ready to crash but my mind just seems to wander and still be concentrating on what happened that day or what’s to come tomorrow. I lay there for hours sometimes. With all the activity I see on Twitter and Facebook late at night, it seems that I’m not the only one in this position. Soft music has always helped me shut down and fall sleep. Here’s a great playlist I put together of all slow, relaxing orchestral/piano music. So instead of popping another Ambien, leave this playlist on low volume as you close your eyes and let you mind rest. Zzzzzz…

1) Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings

2) Johann Pachelbel – Canon in D

3) Edvard Grieg – Love Song

4) Ludwig van Beethoven – Fur Elise

5) Franz Liszt – Liebestraum

6) Frederic Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2

7) Erik Satie – Gnossienne No. 1

8) Claude DeBussy – Claire de Lune

9) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet

10) Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonota

11) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

12) Henry Mancini – The Godfather Waltz

13) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto

14) Niccolo Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 2

15) Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2

16) Alexandre Desplat – The River Waltz

17) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor

18) Robert Schumann – The Piano Concerto in A minor

19) Frederic Chopin – Prelude in C Flat Major

20) Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 9 (Second movement)

Are there any that you would suggest for me to include? Please list them below.