I discovered something amazing today. And given some time, I think libraries could change the world.

I know they’ve been around for a while now, I even went inside one in college when I was hiding from a guy trying to get me to sell security systems in Chicago (it’s one of the best markets available). But I didn’t really know what they were all about.

I needed to get a book. The problem was that Whittney and I are on the sort of budget that doesn’t allow for spending money. On anything. So it was either steal a book from Barnes & Gnoble or try the library. Stealing is on my list of things to try not to do along with running red lights and…basically running at all. So with nowhere left to turn, I broke down and went to the library.

In short, I was amazed. First, the xeriscaping and archetecture of our branch is pretty impressive. The you get inside and there are tons of books. But not just books- there’s internet, magazines, newspapers, art, and even DVDs and CDs. The best part? They’re all free. And instead of having a librarian check them out for you, you set them on a pad, insert your card, and the books/cds/dvds you’re renting instantly show up on a touch screen monitor and out prints a receipt. Amazing.

So why go to Blockbuster? Why go to Greywhale? Why go anywhere other than from your couch to the library and back?

I never learned to use the Dewey Decimel System, so I couldn’t find the book I needed- but how about this for progress? Yesterday I thought the internet would kill libraries off. Today, I’m a card-carrying member sitting at home with 3 free DVDs.

We all know and love Pandora. Just a couple of things I wanted to say.

First- the banner above was created by someone at the group SaveNetRadio.org. It’s pretty bad. All of them are- but this one in particular. First, the concept is bad…or maybe i’m just thick. Are they trying to say “Don’t let your radio turn into a piece of bread?” Or maybe they meant toast? I don’t know-but if our radios really did turn into a piece of bread, can you imagine what sort of sound it would make? I can’t decide if it would be a gooey sort of sound, of maybe something more like a little kid jumping into a bunch of pillows and blankets…

Anyway, secondly-it looks like instead of paying for the that bread photo, they did a little photoshopping to take out the iStockPhoto watermark. Notice the diagonal white lines near the bottom… But maybe it’s a good idea- it shows the extent to which they’re financially strapped.

In any case, it’s a worthy cause. Quoting an email from the founder of Pandora, Tim Westergren:

I’m writing today to ask for your help. The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays, and broadcast radio doesn’t pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.

In response to these new and unfair fees, we have formed the SaveNetRadio Coalition, a group that includes listeners, artists, labels and webcasters. I hope that you will consider joining us.

To sign the petition (I hear online petitions are worthless…but worth a try), go to savenetradio.org

I haven’t imported all the ads yet, but my new portfolio is up with a few of them.

I probably won’t give the synopsis of the commercial until I post the actual thing, but the shoot over the weekend went great. Jared and Jacob (the director and producer), and their whole crew did an awesome job. It was great to see the thing go from the concept all the way to production, and so far things seem to have turned out even better than expected. It was about a 13 hour shoot, but we should have a pretty nice 24 and 60 second spot to show for it. The final should be out of post production within a couple of weeks and I’ll post it then.

In the meantime, this is probably the coolest proudcer on the planet, Jacob Moffat, in the best improv show of talent that film has ever seen. Had the concept been a little different, this could have been the entire commercial. It is, as he put it, like the Star Wars Kid grew up and learned to dance.

If you’ve ever wanted to be in the coolest TV commercial ever, now’s your chance.

If you can dance even just a little:

Hip-hop or break
or

Disco
or

Whatever dance they danced in the 40s-50s
or

Swing

We want you. And we’ll feed you handsomely. Plus, you’ll get to work on a real set. The director might even yell at you (ok, he probably won’t, but if you want- I will). We need you Friday March 30th and/or Saturday March 31st. If you’re interested, please email me at brett [at] bcrockett [dot] com.

So I’m on the job hunt again and the job descriptions I’ve seen so far have been awesomeme. Requirements for a graphic designer position in SLC:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.

The employee must exert up to 20 lbs of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Sounds like a dream job.

These are photos taken by friends and family. Thanks to Gary, Jake, Valerie, and others who took ’em.

Click on any one of the three galleries to see the pics. But you’ve gotta have the Flash player. If you don’t, download it here.

Photo by WhittneyLynn

Holy smokes. It’s been two months since Whittney and I got married. It seems like it’s been 2 days but at the same time it feels like it’s been forever. In a good way.

We’ve moved into a cool little apartment in Draper, and are having the time of our lives. In fact, if you’re planning on making a trip to the new Ikea, make a weekend of it and come stay with us. We have carpet for you to sleep on.

A few family and friends have been asking to see pictures, so I’ve put together a slideshow with pictures from our engagement, wedding, and honeymoon- you can see those pics by clicking here.

Anyway, a couple months ago when we returned from our honeymoon, I sat down to write about some of the things I’d learned. Something came up, though, and I never actually wrote anything. In the meantime, I’ve forgotten most of what I learned- but here’s a quick attempt to recap what I do remember.

1- The “Island Lifestyle” you see portrayed in most movies and on tourism commercials from Jamacia is a myth. It’s a fairy tale with maybe-maybe a toe in reality. The country’s landscape and ocean is beautiful, but the living conditions are so 3rd world, I was shocked. We took a jeep safari though a decent chunk of the country, and were able to see what things were really like. The true island lifestyle seems to consist of sitting in the gutter surrounded by garbage with bare feet and a joint. Honestly, it was an eye-opener. The poverty is amazing, and quite obviously a result of the rampant drug trafficing. We swam in a jungle river, and stood under what some believe is a waterfall, and the jungle was beautiful. But the cities were actually shanty towns, and the people in the streets looked hopeless. Whittney and I agreed we were glad we went. It was an educational experience. But we both decided Jamacia was not a place we’d return.

2- A cruise is one of the best vacations there is. I was skeptical at first. I’d been to Europe and Belize, all over Utah and a good part of the United States, but never on a cruise. I figured they were for the old folks, and I preferred backpacking or road trips. After our first day on Royal Caribbean, I changed my mind. It was amazing. Let me just make a few points:

Free food

Free room service

You can have as many entrees as you want

You can eat as much steak as you want

You don’t have to eat fruit or vegetables

You can have as many desserts as you want

You don’t have to worry about finding a hotel

You don’t have to worry about finding transportation

If you get an interior room, you can sleep for 24 hours without being awakened by the sun

You don’t have to make your bed

You don’t have to hang up your towel

You are your own boss

You’ll see places you’d probably never see otherwise

The ship is so big, you probably won’t see all of it

The ship is so big, you probably won’t have time to do all the activities on it

Even though the ship is so big- you never feel crowded

It’s the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever been on

Seriously, I’m sold. It was great.

3- And finally:
Marriage is way better than anyone ever said it would be.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not against global warming. Or the internet. It’s just that if this man decides to run for president, I hope he makes it more interesting than that Earth science video he made.

It was like paying to sit in a crowded gen ed course down at the community college. Again.