Blog – Page 2 – Gwyn’s Thoughts

June 8, 2026

Rain on a Tin Roof

The sound of rain on a metal roof is unmistakable. High pitched pings and rattling reverberations make you very aware of the actions of the wether outside. I love this sound, it is soothing to me in a way little else is. It takes me back to summer nights at my grandparents house and lazy afternoons spent napping. It feels like home.

Recently I was experiencing one such summer night but this time something was off. The rain was whispering. It sounded like voices just out of earshot on my roof and all around. Whenever I would try to focus in on them they would recede only to once again appear when my mind wandered. I know not of what they spoke but it unsettled me to my core.

The morning after the enigmatic whispers I stood outside looking for their source. It was a fruitless search I knew in my heart yet I did it anyway. While I knew not a sane explanation for their origin I had caught words in their whispers enough to identify their source. They spoke of something forgotten dwelling in the sky looking down upon us all. Perhaps I you would call it a god, although the whispers did not. I fear I have gone mad but I know in my heart they spoke the truth. I suppose revelations are not always kind.

June 7, 2026

Auditory Illusions

Credit

This track is Unravel By TK from Ling tosite sigure converted to a MIDI then visualized using MIDI Trails software as per the instructions in the Auditory Illusions 3 star assignment.

Thoughts

I really like this song as a lyrical piece. It describes a decent into insanity and a slow conversion into something new and inhuman. I think this pairs nicely with the messy audio created by the conversion. You can still hear the lyrics that are not there through the disjointed mess but it feels as though you are the one going crazy. I like the sense of narrative verisimilitude that this creates.

Story

This song was originally created as the opening for the anime Tokyo Ghoul and the lyrics reflect that. the journey of the singer mirrors that of Tokyo Ghoul’s protagonist Ken Kaneki as he spirals out of control and pushes those close to him away to that they cannot see his transformation. Critically acclaimed as one of the best anime openings of all time Unravel is instantly recognizable to anime fans far and wide. I think for this reason that hearing it in this manner is particularly jarring. I have heard this song countless times (I was in the top 1000 listeners last year according to Spotify) so hearing it in this new warped version is almost disconcerting. I think this feeds into the ideas of the song though, as seeing something familiar to you turned strange and foreign is one of the central ideas.

Creation

I had a great deal of trouble getting the file to convert to a .MID as it kept crashing my converter. I was able to bypass this by using a free cloud converter site. I had never done something like this before so it was quite interesting to see how the process works. I would interested in doing something to other vocal heavy songs in the future as the effect is quite neat. I would also be interested in learning how a file is converted to a .MID as to me it seems like it must be magic.

June 7, 2026

Rising Moon

Silver sphere rising overhead, watch me while a lay in bed. Selenic orb of rock and dust see me rest as you know I must. Mother of tides and idol of turtles, bless me with slumber as you know I yearn to. Give unto me your heatless pale glow and let me sleep, make it so.

Reflection

I made this track and poem inspired by the track “Deep Stone Lullaby” from the game Destiny 2. The “Deep Stone Lullaby” Plays as you traverse the exterior of a space station far above the icy moon Europa. It is a really magic moment as you gaze out on the digital beauty of the cosmos. I wanted to make something that gave a similar feeling but anchored in the night sky of earth. The audio assignment I chose for this 3’s A Band restricted me to only use 3 instruments which was challenging but I think ultimately reinforced the simple night time vibes I was aiming for. I was shooting for a loop that could be used as a background for someone sleeping in a movie or game and I think as someone with no musical education I did quite well.

The poem was more in my field of experience. I write short poetry frequently but I typically write free verse instead of rhymes so the rhyming aspect provided a fun challenge. I kind of wrote myself into a corner trying to rhyme something with turtle which is a bit embarrassing. If you would like to read more of my poetry you can do so here.

June 7, 2026

A Night at the Aquarium

Intro

Listening to the intro of Spooks Night at the Aquarium – Classic one thing stood out: The music. Fading in and out the masterful scores contribute to building anticipation but also anxiety. Keeping you expecting a grand reveal for the entire duration of the intro until finally you are hit with the episode title and the pressure temporarily abates. I think this is excellent audio design not only because it stirs the interest of the audience but also because it mirrors the subject matter of the episode. The in and out of the music mimics the rising swells of a wave and then the momentary trough before the next crest surges forward. Thus it not only catches the listeners attention hook line and sinker but also lures them into the briny depths in which the episode takes place.

Summary

The episode follows night guard Kevin Wright as he shares his experiences working at the supposedly haunted Monterey Bay Aquarium. He starts off telling us the history of the location. He then explains some of the legends surrounding the aquarium told to him by other guards. The rest of the episode is then dedicated to him recounting his own encounters with the unnatural.

Sirens Voice

To say Glynn Washington’s voice is anything less than spectacular would be deception of the highest magnitude. But what I think does not get enough credit is his cadence. He paces himself so as to be as fast as the listeners mind is racing and then slow down when he needs to draw out their curiosity. The introductory anecdote is a perfect example of this. he builds up a mix of swirling mix of interest and anxiety before slamming the breaks to deliver his chilling conclusion. His pacing is wonderful, and though it may not take center stage it is a driving factor that puts the wind in his shows sails.

Splish Splash

the use of sound effects in this episode is excellent. The ambient bubbling and splashing of water brings the story to life in a way that may fly under the radar. Instead of being intrusive these sounds truly do blend into the background of the speakers voices, as though you were with them in the aquarium itself. I find that often ambient effects like these can become annoying and detract from the story being told or they are not noticeable enough to even impact your perception of the tale. I think Spook has struck a carful balance here that nets the listeners mind and drags it into the kelp forests of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Creaking Doors and Radio Static

The sound of footsteps and jingling keys build ambiance in a way the takes the experience to the next level. In a manner reminiscent of watching a movie with your eyes closed Spooked builds a mental image of the happenings in their eerie episodes. Much like with ambient effects they make sure not to over do it but instead have just enough to paint their picture without overshadowing the speaker. The ringing of ships bells and radio static when our storyteller recollects speaking over his walkie talkie immerse you in the memories recounted to us as if you were there yourself.

The End

Night at the Aquarium draws the listener in and never lets them go. Through the techniques outlined above the creators ensure that you are hanging on their every word and your heart is racing to reveals of something as mundane as an octopus. They create an image so vivid in your mind that you can see the sardines circling above you, flashes of silver moving like stars in the dark night. Although some of the mysteries are solved the episode leaves you wondering what really happened. Check it out here

Photo of Glynn taken from his instagram.

June 7, 2026

Diamonds in the Rough

One of the things about the Ira Glass interviews that stood out to me most was the emphasis on being picky and the true rarity of good stories. I think this is a theme that can be observed throughout the informational segments of the previous modules as well, being an explicit tip in the photography module and a more implicit theme in the Vagnelli Canon. I think this pattern is indicative of the importance of being picky when making art. If you are not willing to go as far as possible to identify the best base what you build upon it will be degraded by its quality. Much as the leaning tower of Pisa leans because of its less than stable foundation a work based on a less than ideal starting point will suffer its bases flaws.

The second takeaway from the interviews I had was the importance of not talking about yourself. This is a tip that is commonly given on how to be a better conversationalist so it is fitting that it would apply to the interview format. I think that the section about this serves not only to facilitate better interviews but also teach you better interpersonal communication skills which are of course essential to being an entertainer.

The third takeaway I had was the emphasis on endurance. I really liked what Ira said about having to just keep pushing until you make something great. I think it is very easy to get discouraged seeing so many brilliant pieces of art out there and trying to measure yourself by their standard. I really liked what he said about how you don’t see the many failures that were endured to create those gems. Despite the tone throughout many of the interviews being rather terse I think the underlying message was one of perseverance and encouragement.

June 1, 2026

Intro to Design Summary

Overview

I think I learned a lot about design in this unit. I particularly enjoyed reading the Vignelli Canon. I enjoy getting to learn from the greats and I really enjoyed getting to sit and mull over the concepts from the canon. The design blitz was interesting and I enjoyed it as an opportunity to use my critical analysis skills which is always fun. The diversity of choice when it came to picking what to analyze though was almost paralyzing for me. the design assignments were interesting but by far the part of this assignment I cared the least for. While I enjoy creative writing I just found the other sections far more appealing.

What did I learn?

I think I learned a lot about the importance of planning when it comes to design. I have ADHD and I tend to jump into things headfirst with no plan, so I think that learning more about how you can plan and pace yourself for a project was very helpful.

What was hard?

I had a lot of on the writing elements . I have had a long week at my job which involves a lot of writing so I was kind of burnt out and really had to dig deep. I think in a way this was helpful though because the type of writing used for these assignments was a nice change of pace from my work writing.

What was easy?

Making the designs for the design assignments was much easier than I expected. I am not very talented at working with visual design programs so I was pleased that my designs came out as well as they did.

What was frustrating?

The digital assignments website was incredibly slow for me. I would take several minutes to load each page and it got to the point where I would get up and leave my computer to do something else whenever I needed to load a new page. This really took me out of my workflow.

What was enjoyable?

As I alluded to in my intro I really liked reading the Vignelli Canon. I had not heard of it before so it was interesting to read and see how the concepts in it influenced so much of the word around me.

Links to my other posts

Vignelli Canon

Design Blitz

Design assignment 1: Address Me Album Cover

Design Assignment 2: Warm Fire, Cold Hearts

Design Assignment 3: Visit Everest

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Visit Mount Everest

YOU yes YOU should visit Mount Everest. Commonly described as the tallest mountain on earth it is a challenge to summit. Unless you are me. Here is a selfie of me climbing my way up in my preferred attire, a polo and an AirPod. The trek up is much easier when you can fly. I heard people complaining about how cold it is, luckily my laser eyes were able to warm me up. The lack of oxygen can really get to you so it was a good thing I had can of Perri-Air™ on me!

Once I wrapped up filming on the summit I had to fly to a meeting with my boss. Being a superhero is hard, but the brand deals ensure you’ll never go hungry. My boss Cecil was not happy that my last fight with the Hippotinator ended up destroying three blocks of downtown LA. I tried to explain to him that fighting three men dressed up as a hippo was really good for my pr because it made me look stronger so that’s why I kept the fight and destruction going but he didn’t like that answer. He said if I did that again he’d send his pet zombies after me, but I think he was just joking.

After that I flew to Venice to get some pizza, but then a dragon came out of the water and attacked. I was like “Come on, can’t the Indomitable Polo Man get a slice without a supervillain attacking?” I don’t think the dragon could talk so it didn’t respond. Considering that I was off the clock now I figured I would leave and let Cecil figure it out. With my pizza plans pooped I flew down to Catania to get some seafood to recover from my challenging day. Filming ads and fighting hippo men isn’t easy you know.

Original Mount Everest image by Michael Clarke on Unsplash

Prompt for the image: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/the-grand-cayon/

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Warm Fire, Cold Hearts is the Best Find of My Book Thrifting Career

When I walked into my local used bookseller on a Tuesday evening after getting off of my shift I did not expect to make the find of a lifetime. As I was walking down the isles of McKays used books I stumbled across a true gem. It was unassuming, a plain black spine and simple white title. But something pulled me to that beat up paperback. Its creased edges and dog eared corners told a story of many readers and many hours spent entertained. I knew I had to have it.

Once I got home I immediately cracked it open. Inside I found an amazing story of intrigue, romance, and cold blooded murder. The main protagonist Jeanine really drew me in with her fleshed out character and appealing narration. She is a rural farmer living the quiet life until the murder of the local pastor shocks her small town. The town hires a private investigator named David Daniel Dawson to investigate and find out whodunnit. To do this he gathers the entire town in the mayors mansion, but as he’s doing this a blizzard sweeps into the town, trapping them all inside. Working together with David Jeanine must find out which of the trapped villagers killed the pastor before they strike again.

This book really reminded me of the classic clue movie. The premise of a frantic investigation of snowed in villagers really ups the stakes of the mystery, and the tenuous firelight sets the perfect stage for romance. The camp vibes are definitely strong with this one, so come prepared. If you are an enjoyer of literature from the mid century USA this book will scratch that itch for sure. I give it a 10/10, it was entertaining, at times comedic, and all around a trip to read. I think this book is a great reminder to buy used, because you never know what gems you will find.

prompt for story and image: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/noirpulp-book-cover/

May 31, 2026June 1, 2026

Address Me by Dead Elephant is a Punk Classic

The debut album by indie punk band Dead Elephant will go down in history as one of the greats. This album has soaring riffs and soulful lyrics addressing the environmental, social, and economic issues around animal trafficking. By making heavy use of distortion on their vocals the band symbolizes how we often mistake good environmental news as the everything being fine, instead of as hard tough victories in an ongoing struggle. The bands leader and vocalist John Kissmen as you can imagine is a lifelong environmentalist who wished to create something for the 100th birthday of his hero David Attenborough. Kissman is quoted saying “I wanted to do something special to honor the life and legacy of a man I have looked up to my whole life.”

The focal point of the album is the poaching of elephants, which is paid homage to both in the name of the band but also in the title of the album. The title of the album calling upon the well known idiom acts to present the bands message as the proverbial elephant in the room, and in this case the elephant is dead. This cleaver wordplay by the band goes beyond the title of their album and extends to their track titles and lyrics as well. With tracks such as “See You Later Alligator” and “I can’t Bear It” the band makes it clear that they have a great love of connecting common sayings to environmentalist themes.

African elephants in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park (AFP/Getty)

One of the inciting incidents that determined the focus of the album and inspired the name of the band and title was president Trump lifting the ban on importing elephant hunt trophies. This greatly upset Kissman who became inspired with the focus of the album. Kissman has took several trips to Africa while creating the album, having local musicians perform with traditional instruments on many of his tracks. To conclude give Address Me by Dead Elephant a listen, it is well worth your time and you will feel motivated to make a change in the world after doing so.

Original album cover Photo by Geranimo on Unsplash.

prompt for story and image: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/create-rad-album-art-from-photos/

May 31, 2026

Design Blitz

Apple Pay Ad

I think the design of this Apple Pay ad falls within Apple’s brand identity of minimalism. Most of the ad space is white, putting more focus onto the text and phone. The phone also acts to display the function of Apple Pay as a tap to pay service. Combine this with the minimalism and Apple invites you into a narrative that places Apple Pay as a simple and easy way to pay. By using an uncluttered and minimal design for their ad they imply that by using Apple Pay for your transit cards you can declutter your life to more resemble the minimalism they have associated with luxury.

Tokyo Ghoul: re Illustrations

I really like the cover of this illustrations book for one of my favorite series. I think the design makes good use of its space, using almost all of the cover space to showcase some of the artwork it contains. This also acts as a demonstration of its function, its a book of illustrations so it is fitting that the cover give you a taste of what you will find inside. I think by having most of the cover be a dull gray it establishes the dominance of the title text which immediately stands out from the background. I think by having the largest characters in the illustration looking to the right it shifts the balance of the cover and conveys a feeling of forward motion, which is one of the central themes of the work the illustrations are from.

Stray Kids: 5 Star Album Cover B

I think this design has a strong sense of rhythm. The twisting shape of the dragon conveys movement that. defies the static page. The curling patterns of the clouds combined with the patterns on the border further solidify and reinforce this rhythmic effect. This use of rhythm connects the cover to its purpose, it’s an album cover for music and thus rhythm is central to its contents. The design also plays into ideas of proportion, with the central dragon design taking up far more visual real estate than the name of the band or album. This further centers the feeling of rhythm that I discussed above.

Kashi GO Granola Box

I believe that the design of this cereal box fully embraces the function of its contents in its design. It puts the product front and center and the large text “PROTEIN + FIBER” centered on the box clearly communicates that the cereal has added protein and fiber. Also by playing with proportion and making the cereal larger than life the box attempts to convey that you are getting lots of it for the price. I think the design somewhat fails in being overly cluttered with lots of added amounts of small text that I believe detracts from the overall design.

Credit

Thoughts

Story

Reflection

Intro

Summary

Sirens Voice

Splish Splash

Creaking Doors and Radio Static

The End

Overview

What did I learn?

What was hard?

What was easy?

What was frustrating?

What was enjoyable?

Links to my other posts

Apple Pay Ad

Tokyo Ghoul: re Illustrations

Stray Kids: 5 Star Album Cover B

Kashi GO Granola Box

Photo Gallery