Freebies on Research

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/
http://www.synovate.com/insights/infact/
http://www.npdinsights.com/

Life is good

Man, it's been quite some time since I posted anything....kinda miss it actually.
Hopefully I get some more time to do so this year, 07 was hectic....good, but hectic.
Now the little guy is 9+ months old and growing like a weed...has given me a totally different perspective on life and design as well.
Work going better than ever...lots of diverse projects completed and going on at PDT...soft goods, electronics, military just to name a few. Also had a 3/4 products/lines shown off at CES just recently in Vegas with a few more to follow early this year. PDT HQ is also moving very shortly...next week is a matter of fact to our new spot in Lake Zurich, IL...nice space located on a golf course...ah yeah. Will be a nice location for us to continue the trend of growth and development.
Classes going well also...just started back up with a class in Fiancial Accounting last week. Sounds dry, but honestly I think it's going to be quite cool and interesting..excited for it and the Prof. sounds like he is easy to relate to. All in all, will be benefical to get this type of perspective, so that is the postive.
As I continue trying to grow my skill set in design and just overall development, I am continuning my ritual of adding at least 1-new skill set this year. In 08, I will focus on drawing the human form and hands much much more in my work and concepts...always love seeing people that add this element into their concepts...give it a more meaningful look and is way more descriptive.
Anyways, that is my area of focus in my skill set area and I am raring to go...may take a class if I get some time..if not, I plan to practice on my long train rides to/fro from class and home.

Cheers to all.

Update

Currently listening to: Prodigy: Fat of the Land, Notorious BIG: Born Again
Currently reading: No more textbooks thank you....onto The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas Friedman. Digging it so far from a entrepenuerial standpoint.
Currently doing: Chilling out after my first MBA class at DePaul..get my grade posted tomorrow and then I don't start back up till Winter semester in early Jan. Have taken time off from posting to better gauge my time for class....been a tough adjustment, as expected, but I think next semester will go a bit smoother with all the travel downtown and whatnot. Not looking forward to fighting winter to get downtown and home either...we will see, but that is why I only took the 1 class again this semester....will bump up to 2 in Spring and after.

Also, just relaxing after a nice Thanksgiving with the fam....best holiday ever. No traveling this time, which was really nice to soak it all in and enjoy...plus it was our son's first Thanksgiving, so that was cool as well.
Working on a wide variety of programs at work, so that is always enjoyable...new stuff everyday.

Working more and more in Cinema4D as well and loving all of that....photo-realistic rendering and animation work at PDT. Had a tutor session couple weeks ago with this guy in NC who is a C4D guru...was awesome. Just sat at my desk at work and we did the whole screen sharing thing......he opened my eyes up to the depth of the program and showed me lots of goodies. Long way to go to master that program, but I am digging it so far.

Recent

Well, been swamped with work and life as of late. All positive things, just one thing after another lately...no time in between.
Here are some snipits of my recent endeavors (sp?).

Had the opportunity to visit Maddock Douglas 321 Launch...cool innovation company located in Elmhurst, IL. Sweet little office.....here is a pic I took of their building. Their tagline is "We Create" and they have this nice bling bling posted outside...sweet.
Pic of a rencent meal...some good chili with bacon and cheese....mmmmmm.

And a pic of the little guy...growing super fast and starting to "talk" all the time. Amazing experience being a parent and all.


And to top that off....school at DePaul starts really soon. Sept. 5 is my first class....starting off with only 1 to ease my way into it. Applied Quantitative Analysis...sounds like a winner!

What's new

Well, this little guy has been taking up a lot of my spare time when I used to post. All for good though...what a wondeful little gift this guy is in my life...amazing.

Getting pumped for MBA time at DePaul as well...start the first of September, so that is quickly approaching. First class is Quantitative analysis of statistics I believe...sounds like a real joy.
Also, wanted to point out a great software company with exceptional customer service. Bought Okino PolyTrans with the Engineering bundle of Cinema 4D at work for rendering/animation purposes. Have had lots of questions and Robert Landsdale and his team at Okino have been awesome...Very quick response and they know their product in and out. Extremely helpful bunch there in Canada. Just wanted to point that out...so if you're in the market for a CAD translation software anytime soon, check them out for sure.

And yet another cool thing...check out this article
on PDT, the design firm I work for, helping out in the community.

DePaul it is

Just got the word....no go on UofChicago...not a big deal....DePaul is a great backup school, here I come.

ILM behind Transformers

I had the chance to catch the new Transformers movie the other day....totally amazing animation in there.
Kudos to the ILM team....stunning.

DePaul Kellstadt GSB

Wow...really good news to share.
Found out yesterday I have been accepted to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University! I am truly excited about this opportunity....only waiting to hear from another school regarding my application (only applied to 2 schools...after that, I can make my decision. Honestly, either school I would be honored to attend and study at.
Good times...look forward to getting my MBA started and putting that mug to work for me in my career.

Aftermath

Well, took the GMAT recently and I survived.
Not the score I hoped for...far from it, but I studied my butt off for that thing. Guess it's a waiting game now...applied to DePaul and UChicago.
Looking back on it, I should have not used the Princeton Review book, and instead chose to study with the Kaplan 800 one...think that is the name of it.
Heard from quite a few people, that is the book to get to conquer the GMAT.

Propeller / Core77 Bullit

Nice one Gigante/Propeller...your firm getting some props.

Crain's Fast 50

"If business is about growth, these Chicago-area companies know business. They averaged a five-year growth rate of 1,207% and employ 85,300. All together, this first Crain's Fast Fifty reported $18.54 billion in 2006 revenue, up 284% from 2001. Here are their stories, and their secrets to success"

Doomsday tomorrow

My date with the GMAT has arrived...tomorrow, around this time, I will be conquering this test and paving the way to my entrance into Bschool. Lots of studying, but it has all been worth it. Know as much as I am going to know for the test, so just refreshing on subjects now.
(Fingers crossed)

Cinema 4D Textures

Cinema 4D

Check out this beauty of a software I stumbled upon at work looking for a competent Rendering package.
C4D is a very complex, deep program with loads of capabilities...what I particularly like are since I work for a PD firm:
* Engineering Edition comes with integrated Translation software that allows you to open native SolidWorks and Pro/E parts/assemblies....this is HUGE!
* Has ability to save out Renderings in Photohop (PSD) format, for super easy editing later on....again, HUGE.
This software is definetly worth a look if your in Product Development and on the prowl....can't believe I haven't heard of this sooner.
Also has the ability to do complex rendering and save that out into an Animation....ooh...nice.

Oh, and check out this sweet site I was referred to for training...pretty sweet with QuickTime videos you can preview. Think I will go the route of purchasing the DVD for only 100 smackers...seems like a good deal. Lynda

Recent snapshot

Attended an Open House for P/T students at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business center....Gleacher Center to be exact.
Amazing and impressive school...excited to apply and would be honored to attend...we will see..have to finish my app and essays first.

Finally watching "Sketches of Frank Gehry" right now on DVD....very cool. Love the emotion in his work...enough said...very inspiring.

Looking into continuing to learn another 3D rendering program...think I will take a look at Cinema 4D ...looks pretty sweet in the Engineering Edition, you can get it to seamlessly import both Solidworks and Pro/E files...nice. Fits my workflow perfectly.