JKD Studio Talk

Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

2012-02-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

A new adventure every time you buy a box, Doubloon Candies is 8-12 identical chocolate pirate chests (milk or dark chocolate depending on which package you purchase) filled with either straight chocolate or white chocolate blends or nuts, nougat, caramel, and even a 21 or older box sold at liquor stores with liquor infused within. The packaging would be within another larger old world style trunk or pirate chest with the label written in an Old English font. This could easily be marketed to children or teens with a fondness for pirates and adult versions of the packaging for the 21 and older versions as to not allow for accidentally selling a 21 and older version to children or teens.

Besides the milk chocolate, dark chocolate and 21 and older versions of both I don't feel there should be any other indication of the contents within the chocolate chests. A product may contain nuts label is obviously warranted but otherwise there shouldn't be any indication to keep it truly random and a new experience every time you bite into a new bounty ensuring that you have no preconceived notions of what it should taste like allowing you to be disappointed without truly enjoying the treat.

Everyone at one moment or another has dreamed of the treasures of the pirates of old and that dream is finally revealed with your adventure into Doubloon Candies. Who knows what exciting concoctions and flavors you'll experience within.

Week 6 EOC: Me Times Three

2012-02-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Item one on my list of three products I've purchased and rather enjoy and use frequently, my Under Armour Beanie. During anytime the weather goes below even 60 degrees I often use this beanie to keep me warm and even afterwords when my hair is a mess I use it simply to cover up my mop of hair. It's also extremely comfortable, easy to clean and use obviously, and slightly stylish. This wasn't however a product I bought simply to look good, that was never on the agenda; it's used only to keep my hair warm and out of the way when it gets a bit too long.

Next on the list is my watch. For a long time during middle and high school and even the first years of college I rather liked being able to carry just a phone for my Googling needs, my phone calls, my calendar, emails and even keeping time; but as I grew on I realized I still rather enjoy looking at an analogue display kept around my wrist. It might be just because it reminds me of my childhood or my own little way of being overtaken by society and wanting to look like a fancy guy in a suit with his shiny well built watch. Even with my phone out I still prefer reading my watch however to catch the time.

My Gargoyle sunglasses I use nearly daily being in the desert with sun showing 364 days a year and quite brightly at that. Occasionally I need to tighten the screws holding the arms to the main piece but otherwise these have rather resilient lenses and cover a large amount of real estate on my face. They also stay on the head with the slight amount of rubber on the back end of the arms so quick turning doesn't allow them to fly away from my head like some other frail designer glasses which probably cost twice as much although these weren't exactly cheap riding around 50 dollars. These have lasted me quite a long time however, much longer then any other pair I've had from dollar store classes to 120 dollar Oakley pairs.

Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

2012-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

LinkedIn and Monster.com are finally feeling an incline on the revenue from their job postings meaning more jobs are out; specifically 25% more for Monster, and a whopping 170% more for LinkedIn. However these job finding giants aren't alone in their market anymore as Facebook is on the rise again. It seems many people are appealing to the idea of posting and finding jobs via Facebook as the societal platform is an easier and quicker way to make friends with those within your workforce. It's not a complete switch however as several companies and people choose to stay with the purely posting site Monster, or the purely professional site LinkedIn.

"Indeed, Jeff Vijungco, vice president of world-wide talent acquisition for Adobe Systems Inc., said that in focus groups, prospective job candidates were sharply averse to being contacted through Facebook for jobs. 'The antibodies kicked in pretty quickly. They thought it was very invasive,' he said. The company posts job openings on its Facebook page, but Mr. Vijungco said they have had more success finding employees through LinkedIn".

Where this is going to go is anyone's guess but mine is that the more social friendly and less professional companies and employees will be found in the less professional and more friendly atmosphere whereas LinkedIn will always have a base user and company's posting behind it. With Facebook also gone public there may also be issues with legality however in what fashion I couldn’t tell at this time.

Week 4 EOC: There's an App for that

2012-01-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

A rather simplistic App for development could be a "What Happened Today?" App. It would update daily allowing you to see what happened that day in the past including famous births, deaths, battles, songs, breakthroughs in science, breakthroughs in technology, perhaps famous shows starting or ending, movies that came out on that day, and more. It could have extensions allowing for purchasing of movies directly through the app that were famous on that day, search functions to see any other day of the year and only certain tidbits show up on the current day unless you purchase the premium version. You could preview music or have links directly to YouTube to hear music from that day or purchase it directly through the app for either iTunes or your Android device. It could have a customizable interface to show you famous births and deaths simply in America or any other perceived country in the recognized history, and you could also customize what you want to show on your daily feed be it only music and movies, a range of things, or only famous births on that day. There's a potential link to genealogy trees from other sites or apps allowing you to see who in your family was born or if you so desired, died on that day, or even more exciting if they invented or achieved anything on that day. There would obviously be Facebook, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Digg links to any and all information snip-its shown on the App. An initial version without any customization or link-ability would be free but the paid version would be no more then 99 cents per, removes ads and allows all the benefits previously described.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

2012-01-23T15:28:00.001-08:00

According to the book, I'm a Millenial Baby; meaning I'm proficient in technology, as well as the chief user of technology such as instant messaging and social networking sites. I would have to agree that most of us Millenials are well versed in technology (some significantly more then others) and use or have used at some point an instant messaging system or social networking site, usually simultaneously.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

2012-01-23T15:21:00.002-08:00

"...last month, video game sales plunged by a record 29% year over year, according to market-research firm NPD Group. Meanwhile, sales of consoles such as Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Nintendo Co.'s Wii plummeted 38%. The steep drops came on top of a gradual sales decline that began in March." - Yukari Iwatani Kane. The headline news not to long ago as there was a steep decline in video game console sales in the industry thought to be decline-proof. The stalwart entertainment industry used to personify the endless strength of the American economy really can falter eventually. A few years ago entertainment took its first hit in a long time starting with the drop in console sales with the downturn of the economy in 2006. Quick to follow was a sharp decline in game sales across the board. "While the videogame industry had hopes of posting double-digit revenue growth this year, analysts now predict flat to 5% growth from $11 billion in 2008. Jesse Divnich, an analyst for Carlsbad, Calif., research firm Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, said he will "be happy if the industry grows." - Yukari Iwatani Kane. The unfortunate side effect is a loss of morale among the largest of these companies including Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard planning on losing out in upcoming years instead of making profits. Where the lack of innovation went and with it, the profits I have no idea. What made these companies and the games they produce so monstrously profitable was fresh ideas and thoughts behind the creation, not updating the graphics engine and slapping a bigger number on the box. "Analysts expect Sony to cut the price on its PS3 by about $100 this year, leading to price cuts by Microsoft on some of its Xbox 360 models. The PS3 starts at about $400, compared with the equivalent Xbox 360, which costs about $300. Though Nintendo has said it won't cut prices on its $250 Wii this year, it is expected to do so indirectly by bundling games with the console." Yukari Iwatani Kane. The first thought to increase sales is to reduce cost on the console itself. Though we know (this being in the past) that the reduced cost on the PS3 to $250 and Xbox 360 to $200 increased sales slightly, the better and more powerful tool is to stop stifling innovation from the independent developers and allow ideas to flow. Sticking to Modern Warfare 5, PGA tour 16 and the 20th Madden to date is not the way to make money in the long run.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

2012-01-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

2012-01-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Audio is an art form for the ear that takes years of practice and diligence to perfect for the listener. My name is Jordan Grable and I am an Audio Engineer working primarily but not exclusively in the voice over industry. Since I was very little I've always had a deeper fascination with the way things sound and the different sounds they make in different environments rather then what they looked like or even what they did. Growing into a fascination for music; during high school I was part of a band and helped out with many off stage productions. After high school bands didn't seem to work out however when working for production companies on movies or editing the audio for news stations I found my new niche. I enrolled in the Art Institute of Las Vegas in 2009 and shortly will have a Bachelors in Audio Productions with which I plan to do voice overs for audio books, dubbed over shows and video games. My passion has grown into a career that I wish to employ making people hear the world in all it’s splendor, just as I hear it.