What the Lady Prefers

Welcome back! Last time, we started a series of blogs dedicated to each ogre’s musical preferences and listening habits. If you read that blog, you now know what kind of music Christopher Davis enjoys and when. You also know he’s a bit of a music snob. This go ‘round, we’re going to discuss the lady ogre’s musical taste.

Nora Jones loves music like no one we’ve ever known. One time, she referred to music as her Xanax. We’re assuming that means it relaxes her and helps when things get too stressful. Either that, or it’s a drug that requires a prescription and she’s hiding her addiction from the public. (Hmm, a daily dose of music doesn’t sound like a bad medication.)

She’s constantly on the lookout for a new band to get into. Relix magazine is a good source for interesting tunes, and their monthly compilation CD showcases the artists featured in that particular month’s issue. Other sources for new music are Paste Magazine’s website, Spinner.com, and Spotify.

There is not a particular genre of music Nora sticks to and her listening is steady across most moods and activities. She has an affinity for punk band members who’ve gone solo and broken away from their punk roots. Among her favorites are Tim Barry of Avail, Dallas Green of Alexis on Fire, and Ben Nichols of Lucero. Though she doesn’t limit herself to one particular genre, bluegrass is far and away her favorite type of music. Her love of bluegrass and interest in punk has drawn her to bands like Old Man Markley, who’ve created an interesting blend of the two musical styles.

Like every audiophile, Nora has a specific preference for when she’s feeling sullen and down. On the rare occasion when something is troubling her, she likes to listen to mellow sounds like Adele or Florence and the Machine.

Alright, that’s two down and three to go. Up next…maybe Chris Dadant.

Do you share Nora’s musical preferences? Get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know.

Thanks for reading.

In One Ear, and In the Other

If you've been with us for more than a week or so, you have probably seen a Facebook post or tweet where we've mentioned the music we’re listening to; or at least what’s been stuck in our head. We love music and it’s always playing in the office. If you don’t hear it when you come in, we probably have earbuds tucked in, each ogre listening to his own jam. There is a lot of overlap when it comes to ogre musical preference, but we all listen in our own way.

Christopher is an eclectic cat in every sense of the word. His musical interests pull from most genres and generations. When he’s working, he likes to listen to music with a constant drive. Among his work-time favorites are Interpol, Common, the Replacements, the Black Keys, John Zorn, the Jam, MandoDiao, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and the Darkness. Christopher is a long-time Black Keys fan, but their newest release, “El Camino” came up short for him.

When the work is done, or at least put on pause, the music changes. For mellow times, he leans toward classics like Steely Dan. He also still revisits his high school years with bands like Dag Nasty, Dinosaur Jr, BlackFlag, X, Hüsker Dü, Social Distortion, The Stooges, and MinorThreat. Music is a constant for Christopher. When there’s no music, he makes his own. Really. He’ll strum a guitar, hum, tap, or listen to the cacophony of an orchestra in his head.

Just between us, he’s a bit of a music snob too. He knows what he likes and doesn’t like. Don’t play what he doesn’t like. One of his biggest pet peeves when it comes to aural satisfaction is when someone changes the music mid-song. It drives the control freak in him crazy.

We are going to write a bit about each ogre’s likes, dislikes, listening habits, and whatnot, but we don’t want to keep you here too long. So, that’s it for now. Anyway, it’s time for a potty break.

There are still four ogres to cover, so look for a series of these to come out in pretty quick succession.

If you liked this post, thought it was crap, or want to find out more about Christopher’s musical preferences, get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

Clever Ogre’s Top 7 Toppy Things of 2011

Preamble

Here we are, at the end of 2011, another calendar year in the books. For some it was a year of accomplishments, for others…not so much. Dictatorial world leaders fell, the King of tech died, the prince of England, Duke of Cambridge, married a commoner, Charlie Sheen proved winning can be as bad as losing, and Kim Kardashian interpreted the definition of marriage. This is the time of year when everybody and his semi-aquatic mammal have a top 10 list of one kind or another. So, why not a Clever Ogre top 10?

Photo: thedailycute.com

‘Cause we’re not everybody, and we’re certainly not platypuses. Though, those little critters are cute, in a weird, freak of nature kind of way. What we’re gonna do is give you a top 7. Without further ado…

Clever Ogre’s Top 7 Toppy Things of 2011 

7: Invented 8 ogre-themed games designed to challenge us both physically and mentally. These super challenging, totally awesome games are clip board paddle ball, indoor golf HORSE, hacky throw (kicking is for donkeys), paper airplane flight control, balance something on some body part longer than everybody else (long name, fun game), point and laugh (ok, we didn’t invent this one, but we perfected it), 1-2-3 NOT IT: coffee edition, and the wildly popular, make the reader guess if we’re serious game.

6: Together with the U.S. Navy and the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, we celebrated flight (100 years of Naval Aviation)

5: We entered and got high score in three golf tournaments. As it turns out, we’re great at bashing things with sticks; just not golf sticks.

4: Won an award for every piece of advertising we submitted to the Addy Awards. We’re bad at golf, but we’re pretty doggone good at advertising. Insert Norma Rae reference here. The Addys are kind of like the Academy Awards for the advertising industry. 

3: In the summer, we had an intern from the University of West Florida; then, in the fall we had another student come in and shadow our work for a day. We loves us some free labor, er, students. We love the students. 

2: Moved our office from the corner of Chase and Coyle to 49 S. Jefferson St. We’re now right above Hopjacks, one of our favorite downtown Pensacola haunts. Speaking of haunts, our old office was haunted. Thought you should know.

1: Developed and launched a new, more ogrey (ogreier) website at cleverogre.com. If you were a fan of our old site, you can still find it at cleverogre.net.

And there you have it. Clever Ogre’s list of 2011’s Top 7 Toppy Things. Do you have a list somewhere? Tell us about it on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from the gang at Clever Ogre: Christopher, Chris, Dan, Shawn, and Nora.

City Ogre, Country Ogre, Focus Ogre

Not actual focus group participants

Recently, some of the ogres had the opportunity to conduct a few focus groups. If you're not familiar with what a focus group is, fear not. Basically, it is an arena where a small group of people who have something in common are presented with topics for discussion. From this discussion, a group or individual hopes to gather some insightful data. Sometimes, the person moderating the group has to redirect the conversation, or summarize what's been said for clarification. Apart from that, the participants are the focus of the group. When more than one focus group is held, there is a bonus data set. Neat, right? The bonus data are the observable differences in culture across sample sets. Bet your bottom, it's neat!

What was cool about the focus groups we conducted was the sense that we were in geographically varying locations, when in actuality, we were in the Pensacola metro area.

One of the events was done in a town near Pensacola. The area was wooded and buildings were tucked in and among the trees. The whole feeling was laid back, natural, and welcoming. The people with whom we spoke used the words “open” and “family” freely. It’s safe to say we were taken in, openly, and treated like family. Participants in the focus group were eager to share ideas and willing to hear one another’s views. Information flowed freely.

Another of the focus groups was held in a central part of Pensacola. The tone of the event was quite different from the previous. People we met could be compared to New Yorkers. They knew what they wanted, knew where it could be found, and they didn’t mince words or waste time. Their interaction during the focus group was boisterous and varied. Some participants were lively and animated, while others remained mostly quiet. There was definitely a big-city feeling; not that we were concerned with getting jacked or anything. We were in amazement at the contrast between this and the previous group.

A third focus group was held in what could be considered a borough of Pensacola. Neither in the country or the city, this location proved to be a combination of the two others. Interesting. People were in a hurry, but not so much that they didn’t have time or interest in sharing opinions or giving direction. Participants turned out in overwhelming numbers. Though they clearly had somewhere else to be, they stuck around as long as their voices were being heard.

We’re always fascinated by different cultures, even if they’re subsections of the larger. We would like to hear from you. Have you had similar experiences when working with groups? Let us know here or on social media. We do the Facebookand the Twitters.

Clever Tech Review: OtterBox Defender for iPad 2

Ok, we told you guys to be on the lookout for product reviews from us every now and again. Well, now’s the time for another review. Last time, we told you about the ZAGGfolio Bluetooth keyboard and folio case for the iPad 2. This time, we’re still talking about the iPad 2, but we’ll be reviewing the OtterBox Defender case. Ready? Here we go.

Since 1998, OtterBox has been making hard-core cases for tech devices. Well, they’ve been making hard-core cases for the tech devices of the clumsy and klutzy. They cover just about every device with several levels of protection available. The Defender series is the most rugged in most lines of tech protection offered by OtterBox.

Being the most rugged, the Defender is also the bulkiest offering. A four-piece design consisting of two hard plastic pieces that interlock to cover the device, a silicone skin that covers most of the hard plastic and provides shock absorption, and a hard plastic cover for the touch screen which also doubles as a stand for typing or movie watching.

There are cutouts for all of the device’s ports, including the camera. Silicone flaps cover the headphone jack, volume/orientation toggle, and dock connector port, while the volume rocker, sleep/wake button and home button are completely covered by silicone. Responsiveness beneath the silicone is adequate; however the protection for the home button can make double clicking a bit cumbersome as it’s difficult to tell if a full press has been completed.

The outer skin provides a nice feel and is easy to keep a grip on. With the screen cover snapped onto the back, yes, it works on the front and the back, the tabs provide a nice place for fingers to rest while holding the iPad. Also in any configuration, the camera is always open and available for fast photography.

We’ve used OtterBox products before. Among the ogres, we’ve had experience with the Defender and Commuter case for every version of the iPhone and Defender cases for both iPads. The Defender for the iPad 2 is certainly an improvement over the previous generation’s protection. It’s lighter, easier to install, and easier to use. It does add a substantial amount of bulk to the device, but in return it makes the delicate iPad 2 feel like a tank wrapped in Kevlar. The added size and texture make the device stable in small hands so, if you’re a parent, feel free to let the little ones hold your iPad to watch ‘toons. Short of stepping on the touch screen or hitting it with a solid object, they’re probably not going to hurt your $600 - $900 investment. Not too bad for around 90 bucks.

Overall, if you need or would be comforted by the kind of protection the OtterBox Defender series provides; go get one. The same security is available for other devices too. Though we’ve focused on Apple products, you can get top-notch protection for your device, whatever brand it is.

If you have anything to add, or if you have any additional questions about the OtterBox Defender for iPad 2 get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter. We’re there all the time and we’ll get back with you pretty doggone quickly. Thanks for reading.

Just Another Day at the Office

Sometime around 7:45 am the key enters the lock and another day begins at Clever Ogre. Chris Dadant, coffee in hand, steps into the cave. Over the next 15 minutes, his coworkers, who all require lots and lots of caffeine to be productive members of society, will arrive. His early morning energy is both envied and hated.

The groggy ogres, and the one peppy one, settle into their desk chairs. Coffee is consumed by all as music plays. After the overnight emails have been checked and coffee from home has been consumed, a bit of 1-2-3 not it! determines who will make the first pot of ogre coffee.

Someone asks “What’s on the agenda this week?” – clearly it’s time for a meeting. The group gathers around a table in the great room. A close look reveals pens and paper, a sure sign the ogres are ready to take notes…or at least doodle. After all of the upcoming projects have been discussed, each team member returns to his/her desk. The sound of mouse clicks and keystrokes mixes with the music. Work is happening here.

Dadant is stroking his beard as he’s scouring the internet looking for bits of design inspiration. The reason for this is two-fold; he wants to see what kind of design elements are being used by others to suit a particular client or market, he also needs to be sure Clever Ogre doesn’t produce anything that could be confused for anyone else’s work. “We don’t use stock clip art.” he says as he modifies layers, removes strokes, and ogres up an image.

In the same room, Dan is typing away…and singing. It doesn’t matter if he’s writing website copy, a commercial script, a blog, some pithy social media post, or a storyline for a web video, his stoic demeanor is an odd counterpart to the frequent outbursts of overreaction, laughter, and singing. Inspiration comes from everywhere, except other people’s writing. Not reading is a great way to avoid plagiarism.

Over in the corner, Shawn sips on a Java Monster as he stares at code. Sometimes it’s hard to make websites do cool stuff without using Flash, but he finds a way. “Why no Flash?” you ask…a lot of portable devices don’t display Flash content. More than 90% of tablet based web browsing in the U.S. is done on Apple’s iPad, which doesn’t support Flash. The voodoo magic he’s creating over there looks like a bunch of punctuation to the average Internet user. Fortunately, we never have to see that stuff; just the cool things he can do with JavaScript.

Out in the great room, Nora is plucking away at her computer, scheduling meetings and keeping all of the ogre children on track. She spends almost as much time out of the office as she does at her desk. She’s a member of this group, that chamber, and just about any network where humans are welcome. The lady ogre is responsible for being the main point of contact for clients, both current and potential.

Telecommuting is Davis. Everything gets run by him before going out. He’s an emailing and phone calling ogre, for sure. Whatever the other ogres are doing, he’s having a peek and providing his opinion and expertise.

Two or three pots of coffee (and 20 or 30 potty breaks) later, someone blurts out “I’m hungry”, gets up, and makes lunch. One by one, stomachs get the better of bodies and food is consumed by all…at a desk, in front of a computer.

It’s not long before Dan decides it’s time for another pot of coffee. “Anyone want some? Cool. Who’s making it? 1-2-3 Not it!” Sounds of “Not it!” come from the remainder of the team. “Nora, you’re it.”

Soon, afternoon fatigue begins to settle in. Dadant leans back from his monitor, eyes red, and proclaims “This isn’t working!” Writer’s block doesn’t only strike writers. Really, it should just be called creative’s block. Like zombies, the other ogres look up from their work. Dazed, they decide to break the tension with a little teambuilding.

Putting contest!

Stress free and clear headed, the ogres get back to work. The last hour of the workday breezes by. Around 4:00, computers are set to “sleep” and the see you tomorrows begin as each ogre packs up lunch containers and coffee cups.

The same key that began the day turns the same lock to end it.

“See you tomorrow, Clever Ogre.”

In the Box and On the Fence

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission" 

– Grace Hopper

We’ve all heard, and are likely tired of hearing about, “thinking outside the box” and “pushing the envelope”. These one-time buzz words are now the standard. Folks just think outside the box now. Very few people are still inside the box or folded neatly and tucked in the envelope. To be innovative now, it’s best to get back inside the box and see what can be done in there that hasn’t been done before. Outside the box and pushing the envelope used to mean something. Now, they’re just cliché.

Enter forgiveness and permission. Once we’ve made our way back into the box we find there are things to be done…but these things haven’t been done before because they seemed edgy and questionable. Now is the time to take that edge and slice up what’s questionable. In the box, the quest for new is on and we are all able. The problem is, everything that’s still in the box is in there because we were afraid to take it out. It could be an ugly monster with biting words and design, or it can be a frog-prince. What was once considered risqué is now tame. This means there’s even more in the boxes than we can bring out today. Maybe later.

So, where does this leave us? Well, sometimes it leaves us asking forgiveness. Several companies have launched ad campaigns, only to be on the receiving end of negative publicity. Below are two examples.

Sony, in anticipation of the launch of the new white PSP, launched a campaign pitting a white model versus a black model. Whether or not the campaign had intended racial overtones can be debated. At their simplest, the ads predictably use black and white. Will the newer, white PSP overtake the black one in sales? Fortunately, Sony was able to save face by pulling the ads and apologizing. Black versus white should probably stay in the box for a while longer.

Another advertising faux pas was committed by Spirit Airlines. In June of 2010 they launched a campaign promoting travel to Ft. Lauderdale, Cancun, and Puerto Rico touting the slogan “Check out the oil on our beaches”. The ads featured a bikini clad woman, drenched in spf50. Seeking to take advantage of the 2010 BP oil spill’s devastation of the north Florida coast, Spirit missed the mark. What could have been an interesting campaign, pitting beach against beach in a battle for tourism dollars, ended with the removal of the ads and a small base of angry potential customers.

There are plenty of cases where a great campaign came from what could have been a bad idea. Many of your favorite ads could have been sink or swim. A wrong first impression and even the most well thought work can be cast aside.

Are there any hits or misses that come to your mind? Let us know about them here, on our website, or on Facebook, or Twitter. We’d love to hear from you.