http://kadlac.com/ en nate@kadlac.com Copyright 2010 2010-05-23T14:39:40+00:00 http://kadlac.com/blog/view/train_brain_wins_minnespark_grant/ http://kadlac.com/blog/view/train_brain_wins_minnespark_grant/#When:14:39:40Z I’m excited to announce that Train Brain has received a grant to start development of its sister app, Bus Brain. Look for more updates on our progress in the coming months. Read the full article here: http://tech.mn/news/2010/05/22/minnespark-ignites-three-winners-with-cash-services/ Technology 2010-05-23T14:39:40+00:00 http://kadlac.com/blog/view/acme_and_comedy/ http://kadlac.com/blog/view/acme_and_comedy/#When:15:14:13Z I went to see a comedy show recently, on a Wednesday nonetheless. The comedian who impressed me most was not the headliner, but the second of the three. He was also about 450 years younger. From the shows that I’ve taken in at my ripe old age of 30, I’ve noticed that younger comedians tend to be more self-deprecating than most, even though it’s prevalent with many talented comedians who are physically, special. I suppose it’s funny to laugh at someone making fun of themselves, but it was a tactic that does wear me out. Comedian #2, characteristically fitting the stereotype of a young, twenty-something nerd (a similar category I put myself in), was the most self-deprecating, but had a surprisingly strong bit. Getting back to the headliner, who has been doing stand-up for 30 or so years, has basically the same act, and fully proud to sell CD’s that are no younger than 6 years old. I’m slightly jaded by living in an era of fast paced communication and technology, and therefore wanted to yell at him for trying to sell something that was 40 years old, in internet years. I wrongly assume that everyone accepts this fast paced era, but I also think that anyone in the entertainment business, is missing out if not taking full advantage of the tools available to us. I’m probably in the wrong on this accusation, but Emo, you gotta get on the ball! 2009-07-20T15:14:13+00:00 http://kadlac.com/blog/view/a_little_bit_about_the_new_site/ http://kadlac.com/blog/view/a_little_bit_about_the_new_site/#When:18:30:22Z I have to confess. We live in an age where technology changes, websites are constantly updated, and new ways of communicating are being developed as I write this. I decided to refresh this site so it would be easier to manage my content, and allow myself to participate in more conversations. In my eyes, this site is far from finished, and the old saying that the real nitty gritty doesn’t start until the day site is launched, still holds true to this day. The site is built using Expression Engine. A CMS I have some client experience with, but something I decided to really take advantage of on my own work. The code was created in Panic’s Coda, and small snippets of jQuery integrated into the experience. Without making a big deal about my attempt at writing again, please feel free to check back often as the plan for the site is to be maintained on a more regular basis, serving as a ground for my work to shine through. Personal, Site 2009-07-07T18:30:22+00:00 http://kadlac.com/blog/view/48_hour_film_festival/ http://kadlac.com/blog/view/48_hour_film_festival/#When:19:26:27Z After watching the 48 Hour Film Festival go by the last couple of years, I was asked by a former boss to participate. I’m sure I scared him off a bit as I was a little too enthusiastic when he asked me, but I felt like it was a great time to do it.  As you can see from my video page, I consider film a serious hobby, but nothing that warrants worldwide acclaim. To start, we picked the genre ‘Romance.’ I’m thinking, “OK, this isn’t too bad, since it could have been worse with a musical, and I’m guessing by our team of 6, that we might have had a tough time pulling it off. Absolutely none of us had previously participated from our team, nor had we worked together in any lengthy amount of time together, so part of the initial time was just getting used to pushing each other around a bit. I’m a firm believer of speaking your opinion, getting things out in the open, because we have zero time to screw around. We met up around 8pm on Friday night, and agreed on an idea by midnight, while flushing out a few of the details. We didn’t do much of a script, as we decided we would do that on the fly as we’re shooting. Saturday night ended around 1:30 wth most of us agreeing that we would finish in plenty of time before the deadline the next day. Saturday morning started early, with everyone meeting at my condo around 8am. I was able to shed my inhibitions and go topless for one of the scenes! Acting baby. We ended up shooting about 12 hours on Saturday, and heading out to Lakeville to work on the sound around 10:30 pm. Sunday started off somewhat slow, with one last scene to shoot, then heading out to Eden Prairie to handle effects, and compile all of the footage. We thought we would have plenty of time to color correct, which wasn’t the case at all. Rendering took the most time, with most of us twiddling our thumbs while the severs took their time. We ended u handing the final product just minutes before the 7:30pm deadline. The whole experience was definitely worth it, as I made some new friends and got to work with some interactive folk to boot. For now, you can view a cut of the actual film we handed in. I will be posting a color corrected version soon. Film 2009-06-14T19:26:27+00:00 http://kadlac.com/blog/view/petes_palace/ http://kadlac.com/blog/view/petes_palace/#When:05:33:56Z My friend Pete, one of the most talented people I know in terms of building anything with his hands, decided to build an Ice Palace in his backyard, over in St. Paul, MN. Pete could probably tell the story best, but one night this past winter he got the crazy idea to build an Ice Hotel, or bar, or something unique. Locally, there is a restaurant/hotel called Chambers, who constructed an ice bar, using ice to create everything inside a small 20x20 cube, except for the exterior which was created with a frosted acrylic plastic. Pete felt he could create something better, and decided to unveil the palace to his friends, and a party he hosted. It took him 2 months of freezing water in plastic ‘totes’, which supplied the foundation, and also used a saw to cut and carve the ice blocks. A custom chandelier was created for the gathering area, and the palace itself had 3 entrances. A mutual friend wanted to shoot a short documentary on the process which you can view here. View more photos here. Design, Technology 2009-02-21T05:33:56+00:00