REBECCA E SPITZER » Personal Work

An Exercise in PHP

Rebecca — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:18:45 +0000

We’re learning MySQL, PHP, Perl, and Java Servlets, among other things, in one of my classes right now. As an exercise to explore SQL queries in PHP, I worked up the following site, which explores our handmade “Wellesley Movie Database” in imitation of the IMDB. Later in the semester I’m going to work up a much, much larger website and database – I’m tackling e-commerce! – but for now, I’m already loving PHP. Quick, not too dirty, useful. We transitioned back to Java for class today, though, and I’ve got to say – the cleanliness of Java makes me so happy. I missed it.

Letterpress Broadside Printing

Rebecca — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:43:31 +0000

We’re working on broadsides this month in my book arts studio course; I’m printing a series of quotes about journalism from G Stuart Adam’s essay, “Notes Towards a Definition of Journalism” in Caslon. Of course, I’m using tiny type and setting tons of text. (It may seem as if I like to make my life difficult, but it’s really just what I thought looked the best. So what if it takes forever? It’s worth it.) I have such a greater respect for letterpress after this project; it took me around five hours to set all the type and another five to get it into the press and print. I’m doing a second color run on top of this black run next week; I’ll post updates then!

Finishing up setting my ornaments into my text block. I set all the other type last week.

My black run and my color run next to each other in the bed of the press.

Only the black run now, being blocked into the press with metal and wooden furniture.

Ready to proof!

My two proofs runs.

So many mistakes to fix! Apparently, I always mix up n and u.

First real broadside coming off the press!

Stepping back before I run the other 39 sheets.

Finished pile of drying broadsides. Now, for color! I’m thinking a deep colbalt.

Our Fall 2009 Publicity Materials

Rebecca — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:30:14 +0000

Since most of these postcards, letters, and forms have been sent out, it seems like I can post them now. All designed in InDesign, and all designed at the last second; even with the rush, I like how they came out.

I like to think of these marketing campaigns like a fashion collection (or at least, what I know of a fashion collection from watching Project Runway religiously). The pieces need to all seem like they’re from the same set, and yet they all need to have different elements. I think of programming, too- how can I make an element that can be useful throughout the whole campaign? The calendar, for example, was useful on a number of different mailings, as were the little pink buttons.

First Post on a Broken Blog

Rebecca — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:20:22 +0000

Well, the old blog was deleted. I updated Wordpress without backing everything up, and poof, it was gone!

So. I’m taking advantage of my forced reboot to start things off differently. I’m going to upload a few of my last posts, and we’ll go from there. I quite like the new theme and lifestream plugin, though! Silver lining.

7/21 Update: I’m trying to add some of my old posts… but the formatting is so terribly different here that I’m going to need to do a lot of work to make look okay.

7/30 Update: New theme. This one can’t do images on the front page (I don’t think) but I’m still rockin’ the lifestream plugin, which is more important to me. Maybe I’ll just get a flickr and send you all there. Gosh, the internet is all-consuming. Good thing I see it as an academic pursuit.

9/16 Update: OK, so I’ll be using this for a few more things than inspiration on a whim. Thank god for cateogories! Against my better judgment, I’m keeping the theme. I just really like it.

Photos from Europe

Rebecca — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:38:03 +0000

london: the walk back to my flat from our classroom building. intersection of harrington gardens and gloucester road.

prague: the view across the river vltava

barcelona: the stretch of beach by port olimpic

barcelona: view from halfway down the sagrada familia (towards the south, I think).

Happy Birthday, America!

Rebecca — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:40:05 +0000

I actually find it very strange when people say happy birthday to America on the 4th of July. It just seems wrong.

I was on the Esplanade in Boston for the 4th this year, and the Pops/Neil Diamond/the fireworks were great. A lot of country music, though. (Obviously, country music is more American than all other music.)