April 2012

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Fine Tuned Delivered: Motown anticipates homecoming of restored piano

April 27, 2012 in Historic Preservation, Music, News | No comments

Sir Paul McCartney and chief curator Linda Stephens during the former's visit. Photo: Motown Museums

By Sheryl Davis

The original studio piano of Hitsville USA will soon return home to Detroit following its restoration at Steinway & Sons in New York. A visit to the Motown Historical Museum prompted Paul McCartney to commission the effort.

Before his concert at Comercia Park last July, McCartney paid a visit to Motown, or “the holy grail” as he referred to it later when reflecting on the experience.

While in Studio A, he requested to play the 1877 Steinway grand piano he recalled on many of the records he listened to as a kid in Liverpool, England. “He was disappointed when we told him it didn’t play,” remarked Motown Historical Museum CEO Audley Smith, Jr.

When McCartney learned of the instrument’s fragile condition, he immediately offered his assistance, calling the museum a day after his concert. In October 2011, the museum officially announced McCartney’s support and the Victorian rosewood piano was carefully transported by train to Queens, New York.

The Motown Historical Museum’s chief curator Lina Stephens accompanied McCartney on his tour and received the call from him later about his excitement and confidence in the project following a conversation with Steinway & Sons.

Myriad recently connected with Ms. Stephens to ask her about the forthcoming special occasion.

Myriad: What are your thoughts as curator on the piano’s restoration and anticipated return? Will there be any special events for its homecoming or have there been any changes at the museum to prepare for its arrival?

Stephens: I am very excited about the return of the piano. The restoration is only a plus as the piano will be playable with the sound quality a Steinway piano should have.  As far as a special event to mark the homecoming of the piano, there have been many things talked about, but nothing concrete.

Myriad: Will the piano now take a more active role in the museum’s tour experience?

Stephens: I don’t think the general tour will change with the return of the piano.

Myriad: Is there any chance that Sir Paul will return to Motown to inspect the restoration work for himself?

Stephens: We would love for Sir Paul McCartney to come back and see the piano, but there are no plans for that to happen.

The piano contributed to the “Motown Sound” on recordings from 1960 to 1972, including tunes such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “What’s Going On” and “Tracks of My Tears.” It was last featured on The Commodores’ “Machine Gun” album in 1972.

“Steinway & Sons is honored to restore the historic Steinway piano that was used by such legends as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder – and to do so in the very same New York factory where it was originally built in 1877, “ said Ron Losby, President of Americas, Steinway & Sons. “We’re especially proud, as an American company, to help the Motown Museum in preserving the legacy of the Motown Record Company, whose artists and albums played such a vital role in one of the great eras of American music.”

Submit your knockout artwork to Capcom

April 26, 2012 in Briefs, News | No comments

By Jeremy Kahn

Capcom’s popular series Street Fighter is approaching its 25th anniversary. To celebrate, Capcom is calling out to their fans to help make this momentous occasion even bigger.

As of now, there’s no real information as to what’s being planned to commemorate SF’s 25th.But fans can help get things started.

 

By going to http://www.streetfighter.com/SF25Art/ you can submit fan art to be showcased at some point during the year as the big 25 approaches.

The general theme that Capcom is looking for is “one of reflection and nostalgia – tailor your art to the idea of “anniversary” and it stands a better chance of being used down the road (more on that later).”

You can find more details at the link above. Pretty much all types of artwork are being accepted. From traditional, to digital, even photography or physical art. The submission is open to all mediums.

Adding to the fun is the option to submit a two to five-minute musical piece fitting under two categories, remixes or fully original songs. Of course they have to be “inspired by the Street Fighter series in some way, either through theme, lyrics, or some other aspect.”

For more info on submitting a musical piece, go to this link http://www.streetfighter.com/SF25Music/ .

The deadline for both submissions is 11:59pm PST on Friday, May 4, 2012.

What’s in a name tag?

April 23, 2012 in Reports From the Field | 3 comments

Something as simple as a name tag can lead to good connections. Photo by Raazia Hussain

By Raazia Hussain

I admit it. Before I started working here, I didn’t know the prestige that was attached with wearing the Disney name tag. At our Traditions (the Disney equivalent of orientation) Mickey Mouse himself brought our name tags in a blue box.

As we picked them up we were told to wear them on the left, right above our heart. That was the first time it set in for me that I was finally part of the ‘club’, the people who make the magic happen.

The name tags, as shown here, have an intern’s first name and the name of their college (for other employees, their hometown replaces the college’s name). The first name lets people come up to you and call you by your name in a warm way, making you feel like you’re meeting an old friend.

It breaks the ice for you, and lets you get straight to business. Bilingual Cast Members can show their language expertise, which could be used in any Guest situation.

As for the college name, I cannot begin to tell you how many meaningful conversations I’ve had with people who were either interested in knowing more about SCAD, or had heard great things.

One day I was waiting for a friend for lunch, and another Cast Member at the table next to me said, “So you went to SCAD?” I jumped a bit thinking, “Does this guy have psychic powers?!” before remembering I had my name tag on.

He continued to tell me that he had toured the Savannah campus some time ago and planned to some day apply for his Masters there. Another girl who saw me at the Magic Kingdom Park passed me by, and came back after going about 8 feet.

“You’re from SCAD? Me too!” We were both so excited to see each other.

It really is amazing how a little nugget of information can connect you with so many people. Within that little canvas, Disney has also found ways to create even more unique identities of their Cast Members, celebrating their diverse backgrounds, showcasing some different lines of businesses (Imagineers sport a Sorcerer Mickey) and how long they’ve been with the company. But I’ll elaborate more on that some other time perhaps.

Signing off now, from the happiest place on Earth!

For the student with a tight budget

April 22, 2012 in Technology | 8 comments

Jeremy Kahn guides you through the world of tech. Image: Jeremy Kahn

By Jeremy Kahn

If you haven’t learned by now, art classes can be expensive. Art supplies and computer software can cost you tons and tons of cash. If only there was an easier, and legal, alternative.

Well, just sit right back and ready your credit card, because this article is about to tip you off to a little secret. That secret is, OEM.

OEM stands for “original equipment manufacture”. Without getting complicated, companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Final Draft and many more, provide distributors with serial codes to their products in bulk.

Because these serials codes are bought in bulks by distributors, the purchase price is very low. In turn, the distributor can sell them to the consumer for cheap.

For example, a $249.95 copy of Final Draft 8 can be sold for $79.95, or a $229.95 copy of Final Draft 7.1.1.19 can be sold for $35.96. Since the distributor buys these products in bulk, they can sell them at a discount.

Now, the down side is how the products function. When you buy an OEM from an authorized distributor, there are many false ones out there, you are essentially buying the serial code for the product. The serial code you buy is good for a one time use.

This means, you can only install the product once. Also, the product can’t be updated, and there is no customer support for the software either. In sort, the software is tied to the computer it’s installed to, can’t be updated, and isn’t supported by the manufacturer.

Still, for the amount you save, you can’t really argue.

When purchasing an OEM, make sure to keep an eye out for the seal of approval on the site you’re buying from. All approved sites have a Verisign or a Microsoft Approved seal.

As mentioned above, there are many fake sites out there that say they sell OEM, but really are just sealing pirated copies. There are some sites without the two above seals that are okay, and even some with the seals that are not.

Usually you can tell if the site is okay from the layout. A bad site looks bad design wise. If in doubt, do a Google search, and you can normally find a review for the site that can clear up any concerns.

Good luck, and happy savings.

An article made on demand

April 22, 2012 in Reviews, Technology | No comments

Jeremy Kahn guides you through the world of tech. Image: Jeremy Kahn

By Jeremy Kahn

As we move further and further away from brick and mortar stores, new avenues pop up for willing consumers. Digital and online providers, who sell products for far less than their brick and mortar counterparts, are dominating the market.

Still, even with the option of online exclusivity and digital distribution, some companies see no reason to release products that have a low demand.

If they were to release products to the mass market, no matter what route they took, there would have to be some profit. Even with just digital distribution, a company usually has to fork some money over to the digital service to host their product, or provide bandwidth for them to transfer it to the consumer.

With this in mind, how can a company make a profit off of something deemed unprofitable? A new method answering this question has become available the last few years in the form of MOD, or Made (or Manufactured) on Demand.

Let us start with Amazon. For a while now Amazon has had a special section of their site allowing companies to sell old TV shows and movies to consumers without the risk of losing a profit. This service is called, CreateSpace.

The way it works is, a company, let’s say Paramount, knows there is a fan base for their old Nickelodeon cartoons, such as Doug. Yet, they believe this fan base isn’t large enough to warrant a retail release, as the amount made off of sales would never be enough to warrant a profit.

The alternative is to make the show available as a bare bones release, essentially having the fans pay for the manufacturing. In this scenario, Paramount tells the fans, “We have the first season of Doug available, but we aren’t willing to release it as a actual product. Instead, you pay us, and we’ll make you a personal DVD with the entire first season on it.”

For many old TV shows and Movies, this has been welcomed with open hands by many fans. Following Amazon’s lead, companies like Warner Bros., and Shout! Factory have begun making titles available exclusively through their online sites.

Titles that normally would never see the light of day. For example, consumers complained that Shout! would start DVD sets for series, but due to lack of profit, never finish them. With this new alternative, many of these unfinished series are now being completed, such as COPS and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Warner Bros. is doing the same thing through their Warner Archives service. As many know, WB owns the Hanna-Barbera library and at one point was churning out DVDs of their properties. Due to lack of sales, these releases eventually stopped. One of these sets happened to be “The Jetsons,” which stopped at Season 2, Vol. 1.

Through their Archives, WB has now released the final volume of “The Jetsons,” as well as many old Hanna-Barbera titles that normally would have a hard time selling (“Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos”).

This new way of getting titles to fans may turn some off, as you are basically paying for a DVD with a movie, or a bunch of episodes burned on to it. In some cases, there is no cover art on the case, or disc, the menus are static, if there are menus at all, and you could probably get better production values through bootlegs.

What we have is being done mostly for die hard fans. Granted, there are releases that do go all out with a good quality release like you’d get through a retail purchase, extras included. The thing is, this is still a new way of doing things. Given time, and more companies realizing the potential, I’m sure what is purchased through MOD will become just as satisfying as any retail purchase you may make.

 

From student to student: An introduction

April 21, 2012 in Advice, From Student to Student | 4 comments

By Carla Laplaca

Being new to Myriad, it is fitting that I begin with an introduction and explain a bit about why I am here.

A home-schooling mother of two, I began SCAD’s e-learning program in winter of 2010.

Currently a senior, working towards a BA in Visual Communications with concentration in Graphic Design, my interest in the intricacies of communication has grown considerably and I have discovered how crucial student involvement is to the success of online learning.

Over the past two years, my network of peers has grown to include many talented students, a handful of whom have become close friends. I am here to encourage you to reach out to other students and benefit from one of the most valuable resources your time at SCAD has to offer.

Along the way, I hope to offer up some tips that will make your online courses go smoother and guide you towards success in the SCAD e-learning environment.

As we find ourselves well into Spring Quarter and at the end of our first discussion grading period, mention of the dreaded discussion board is in order. I use the term ‘dreaded’ sarcastically. In reality, the discussion board can be a wonderful tool should you choose to use it to your advantage.

Not only a resource for strengthening your own projects based on critiques, each post you author provides an opportunity to practice and develop communication skills that will serve you well as you deal with clients, superiors, and employers in real world situations.

Plus, it’s a great place to regurgitate the terminology and information you have read in the course materials, which can only increase your understanding (not to mention quiz scores).

Blackboard Instant Messaging is one of my favorite e-learning tools. If you haven’t installed this one yet – why not? Not getting enough feedback on the board? Pushing a deadline and need a second set of eyes fast? This is the place to be.

Many SCAD students are instantly accessible at just about any given time and I have never met one who wasn’t willing to help out where able. The program can accommodate one-on-one chats or study group scenarios.

Some professors use this platform to meet with students as well. The program is downloadable on Blackboard Learn and available to all students. Take advantage of it and don’t be shy!

I am looking forward to the opportunity Myriad has provided to reach out to e-learning students and communicate on a whole new level. My goal is to is to share what I have learned over the past two years, in hopes that your SCAD e-learning experience will be as fulfilling as my own.

Consider this an open invitation to voice your questions and suggest e-learning topics you are interested in. What are you waiting for? RSVP now!