Spring 2013 Announcements
Photoshop is too expensive, CommLab can help.
Posted April 24th, 2013
Maybe you're a senior, maybe you love the labs so much you want to recreate them at home, maybe you just have too much money. For any of theses reasons or others you're looking at getting some Adobe software only to find out that it is insanely expensive. (Photoshop CS 6 which is what's running in the labs is $699.) There are other options.
- 1. Buy the student version through the Simmons website. The Adobe CS 6 Design Standard package is only $218.60 and includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro, Bridge and Media Encoder. Be warned though, in the past the student versions have not been upgradable. Read the fine print.
- 2. Trust in the cloud. Creative Cloud is a pay by the month service for Adobe. You can either gain access to all Adobe software for $49.99 a month, or any one application,your choice, for $19.99 a month. For other plans check out the Creative Cloud website. Beware that some plans require year long commitments.
CommLabs Closed on Monday April 15th
Posted April 13th, 2013
This is one of those posts where the title really says it all.
Betty Tells Her Story Thursday, April 18th in C103 at 6:30pm with filmmaker Liane Brandon
Posted April 10th, 2013
A discussion after with filmmaker Liane Brandon and fellow panelists Susan Walsh of hookingupsmart.com, Simmons English Prof. Suzanne Leonard, and Simmons students Candace Mullane and Zenaida Peterson.
From New Day Films: Betty Tells Her Story was one of the earliest films of the modern Women's Movement - and it has become one of the most enduring. Made in 1972, it was one of the first to explore women's identity, image and clothing in our culture.
The story Betty tells is a simple one. She needed "the perfect dress" for a very special occasion. Betty describes in amusing detail how she found just the right one, spent more than she could afford for it, modeled it for admiring friends, felt absolutely transformed and then...never got to wear it. The story and Betty are witty, engaging and delightful.
Then Betty is asked to tell her story again. This time the story is strikingly different. While the facts remain the same, Betty reveals how she really felt: her anxiety over buying the dress, her discomfort at being praised for beauty she feels she doesn't have, and her subsequent bewilderment at the way things turn out. Betty becomes withdrawn, sad and vulnerable, and her voice, body and words express the painfulness of the memory. The contrast between the two stories is haunting.
The Invisible War playing Wednesday April 3rd at 6:30pm in C103
Posted March 28th, 2013
A documentary exploring the stories of U.S. soldiers who have been raped by their fellow service officers, and the military's inability to take these cases seriously.
Breaking Through the Clouds playing Wed. March 27 at 6:30pm in C101
Posted March 25th, 2013
A film about the first woman aviators who flew across the country with producer Heather Taylor.
Adobe After Effects CS6 Now on All CommLab Computers
Posted March 7th, 2013
Adobe After Effects CS6 is now available on all the CommLab computers. This includes LEF320 and LEF321.
What can you do with After Effects? The software is commonly used in Motion Graphics and to create title sequences and other special effects. After Effects was used to make much of the opening titles for the show Mad Men.
Mad Men Title Sequence from Caleb Woods on Vimeo.
You can read an article about the making of the titles from the Art of the Title.
Digital Cultures Course Spreads the Meme
Posted February 27th, 2013
COMM-323 creates and shares their take on the Shake meme.
Ellen Grabiner Discussion and Screening of Avatar
Posted February 26th, 2013
Watch Avatar! Eat popcorn! Talk to Ellen! Thursday Feb. 28th 5-7pm in C-103.
President's Day Hours
Posted February 5th, 2013
The labs will be closed on Sunday, February 17th and open normal hours on Monday, February 18th (President’s Day).
Printing in Color with the Epson 3800
Posted February 5th, 2013
Watch this screen cast to learn about printing in color with the Epson 3800 (aka large format color printers in the CommLab).