This week I left a really great company that I was employed at for four years, Perceptive Software and began working at a really cool mobile start-up in Kansas City called Front Flip. I will miss all of the great people at Perceptive and I will remember my time there fondly.

Front Flip is a cutover engagement platform for the iPhone and Android devices that helps businesses connect with customers in and out of the store. It has an online portal for the businesses to help bring the together with their customers utilizing a fun, free mobile app in which users scan a QR code or Flip Code in-store, they then gain access to a Digital Scratch Card, much like a lottery ticket so that users can win a prize. Business may also push gifts to customers via a push notification. Currently, Front Flip is testing in the Kansas City market with 500 customers but hopes to go national in early 2012.

I was brought on board as the Director of User Experience to create a UX team and I will also be playing the role as Creative Director. I couldn’t be more excited for this new adventure and if this first week proves anything, it’s gonna be a blast. I’m sure I’ll post more on Front Flip in the coming months but in the meantime, enjoy our first commercial that will begin running on television and in movie theaters this weekend throughout the holidays.

Steven Paul Jobs

February 24, 1955 — October 5, 2011

He left a dent in the universe and it will notice his loss.

Jack Conte is probably best known for being one half of the YouTube sensation, Pomplamoose, but he also has a large body of independent work. I particularly liked this mash-up of two of my favorite recent soundtracks: Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy and Hanz Zimmer’s Inception.

Dana Tanamachi is a graphic designer and custom chalk letterer who hails from the Lone Star State, but currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She enjoys crafting, reading, walking, and especially listening to Country music from the 1990s.

In June 2008, Dana moved to New York City and began working at SpotCo designing posters for Broadway shows. Currently, she works at Louise Fili Ltd, a NYC-based studio specializing in logo, package, restaurant, and book design.

After hours, Dana moonlights as a custom chalk letterer, creating large-scale chalk installations in New York City.  She also applies her chalk lettering to a wide variety of uses for publications, packaging, and apparel.

“Where is My Mind” is one of my favorite Pixies songs. Some guy called The Petebox has done a really unique cover using only an acoustic guitar, his voice and an RC-50 loop station. I liked this version so much, I downloaded it and threw it on my iPhone.

Oklahoma State University graphic design student, Jacob Gilbreath, created a stunning piece of animated typography using Conan O’Brien‘s farewell speech from the Tonight Show as the backdrop. Amazing work for a student. I’d hire him.

A couple of weeks ago, I tore the tendon of my right bicep that connects at the elbow on the radial bone while in karate/jujitsu class. The bicep  brachii muscle is tri-articulate which means that it works across three joints. The most important of these functions is to supinate (or rotate) the forearm and flex the elbow. According to Wikipedia, these joints and the associated actions are listed as follows in order of importance:

• Proximal radioulnar joint (upper forearm) – Contrary to popular belief, the biceps brachii is not the most powerful flexor of the forearm, a role which actually belongs to the deeper brachialis muscle. The biceps brachii functions primarily as a powerful supinator of the forearm (turns the palm upwards). This action, which is aided by the supinator muscle, requires the elbow to be at least partially flexed. If the elbow, or humeroulnar joint, is fully extended, supination is then primarily carried out by the supinator muscle.
• Humeroulnar joint (elbow) – The biceps brachii also functions as an important flexor of the forearm, particularly when the forearm is supinated. Functionally, this action is performed when lifting an object, such as a bag of groceries or when performing a biceps curl. When the forearm is in pronation (the palm faces the ground), the brachialis, brachioradialis, and supinator function to flex the forearm, with minimal contribution from the biceps brachii.
• Glenohumeral joint (shoulder) – Several weaker functions occur at the glenohumeral, or shoulder, joint. The biceps brachii weakly assists in forward flexion of the shoulder joint (bringing the arm forward and upwards). It may also contribute to abduction (bringing the arm out to the side) when the arm is externally (or laterally) rotated. The short head of the biceps brachii also assists with horizontal adduction (bringing the arm across the body) when the arm is internally (or medially) rotated. Finally, the long head of the biceps brachii, due to its attachment to the scapula (or shoulder blade), assists with stabilization of the shoulder joint when a heavy weight is carried in the arm.

So when I was given the choice of surgery to reattach the bicep or no surgery at all, it was a no-brainer–surgery. Not repairing it would essentially prohibit me from karate as well as the simple act of turning a screwdriver.

I found a really good article on the tendon reattachment surgery that was performed on my arm, however I did not have the achilles graft that is pictured at the end. Everything is healing nicely and I am in very little pain, as a matter of fact, the injury itself did not hurt very much at all. It felt like being snapped with a rubber band. The cause of ruptures distal bicep tendon is usually attributed to chronic wear of the tendon more so than an injury. So most likely, my tendon just wore out from overuse, which in my case, can probably be attributed to drawing with a pen and mouse 6+ hours a day and it just so happened to have snapped during class.

Artist Andrew Myers has an interesting take on relief sculptures/paintings by using ordinary drywall screws. He creates the relief by adjusting the amount that they are screwed in and then paints on the screwheads. I wonder how many times he has to charge his power screwdriver.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Myers

Last year you may remember I was the poster child for Dodge for a Cause 5. I had the pleasure of helping develop the concept for the Dodge for a Cause 6 ad campaign for Perceptive Software‘s annual charity dodgeball tournament benefitting the Kansas City chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). You’ll notice I made a cameo as the limo driver. Also, another big thanks to Ron Berg Photography for another amazing image! Registration is open now at the Dodge for a Cause site.

View the .pdf here

Louis Paul Castro

October 3, 1936 — January 28, 2011

Louis Paul Castro, 76, Kansas City, Kansas, passed away January 28, 2011. Louie was born October 3, 1934, in Kansas City, Kansas. Visitation will be held Tuesday, February 1, 2011, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 11311 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS, at 10:00 a.m. with Mass at 11:00. Louie is survived by his wife of 53 years, Donna, three sons; Mark, Frank (Julie) and Paul (Callie) Castro, and three daughters; Valerie (Richard) Lumley, Andrea (Chris) Gillett and Lisa Martin. He leaves 14 grandchildren; Richie, Lindsey, Ashley, Mallory, Alyssa, Courtney, Kyle, Austin, Garrett, Hunter, Andrew, Mia, Taryn and Sophie, along with his one great granddaughter Amiyah and great granddaughter Payton who will arrive in February. He is also survived by a brother, Joe Castro and sisters Carmen Castro and Margie Ibarra. Husband, brother, dad and “Pompo” will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to American Cancer Society , 6700 Antioch Rd., #100, Merriam, Ks., 66204. (Arrangements: Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri, 8837 Roe, Prairie Village, KS 66207; www.kccremation.com, 913-383-9888.)