Michael VanPutten

While working on my undergraduate degree I used to take some time to sit in Waldo Library and read magazines — looking for visual inspiration, interesting ideas, etc. I loved to read about everything. This was during the mid to late 1990s when Wired magazine was at its best, and when I first learned about […]

This morning I was listening to the NPR FreshAir podcast from Feb. 22, 2008. One of the segments on the show, titled “An Oscar with your ‘Ratatouille’?”, presented an interview with writer/director Brad Bird and comedian/actor Patton Oswalt. During the segment Bird describes why he wanted Oswalt to play the role of rat/chef in Pixar’s […]

If you want to see some examples of impressive “impossible” photography, then look no further than Holger Pooten, a photographer who works in the UK and Germany for companies like Nike, Adidas, Vogue, and Intel. I would love to learn more about the techniques he uses to capture images like the one pictured above of […]

This chalkboard wall calendar is a great example of how to have fun while staying productive, focused, and motivated.
Marthastewart.com has easy to follow illustrated instructions and videos on how to create your own chalkboard wall calendar. Simple purchase some chalkboard paint from your local Lowes or Home Depot, mask off a section with tape, and […]

Nicole really enjoys designing her own greeting cards. While searching for other personal card making tools that she might enjoy using I came across a gem called Pop-Up Card Designer. I first read about this simple piece of software while reading through the Make Magazine Web site.
The interface for the software is very simple and […]