August 23, 2004

Most of the time I spend developing websites is spent creating ways to present information in useful and/or pleasing formats. And most of the work is hidden … which can get frustrating at times. People know you’ve spent hours in your office hacking away… and then they ask to see your work and you show them that you made a menu appear or an icon move a little.

They often give you a look that Doctor Frankenstein probably got on a regular basis. I swear I don’t deserve it!

A moment of truth came last night when I posted the newest renovation to the Noise Auction website. I almost always feel great satisfaction when unleashing a new site… as it validates all the time I spend working in the background. Go take a look… Noise Auction is one of the most talented group of musicians I know. I love their music. Along with some other talented bands (Soma, Liquid 6teen, Eightdaze, Undivided) in Central Ohio, Noise Auction shows that the creative spark is alive and well in our area.

(I’m just glad the band never saw the golden retriever photo I forgot to remove from their pages until about 12 hours after launch… if anyone saw that please blame Miller High Life or general dementia.)

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I have a challenge for everyone this week. I’ve been studying works dealing with thought, intelligence and creativity. Something I’ve pondered is what the world is like through the mind of animals (like dogs). I work from the assumption that the primary difference between us (minus all the technical advances in cerebral mechanics of humans) is effectively language. I have attempted to think for an extended period of time without using words in my head… but I fail almost immediately. I cannot make myself think without using words. For example, if I am walking and challenge myself with this feat, I immediately fail when I see grass and think “green” or “grass”. I cannot get myself to think of impressions and feelings alone.

I assume all normal humans will have this same result. But it is at least a fun challenge that might shed a little light on how your brain works.

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I have some new zoo photos coming this week. Jenny already added some of her photos from our trip to the Columbus Zoo.

My article on Undivided is in this month's CMH Magazine publication. The full article is on this site at www.shawnolson.net/a/737/.

Have a great week.
Shawn