We struck up a conversation this morning on Newbury Street. Meet Joe and his family visiting Boston from Ireland. They are looking forward to the trailer coming out soon at www.parkme.biz
Monday, June 1, 2009
ODESSA INSTANT SHOE REPAIR
Horn has a new friend. By the way best place to get your shoes repaired or spiffy up.
ODESSA INSTANT SHOE REPAIR
219 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
(Between: Exeter and Fairfield Street)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
How Gilbert mass produces thousands of t-shirts
I wanted to learn how Gilbert made t-shirts so I got the tour through his shop and the process that Gilbert goes through to make thousands of t-shirts every day.
So meet Gilbert. Gilbert owns the Art Shirt Company located at:
228 Lowell Street, Somerville, MA
http://www.artshirtco.com/site
Gilbert first showed me on his Mac computer how he separated Horn’ image that I gave him from a JPG into all the different colors. Horn is a cartoon character that works inside of a parking meter.
Learn more about Horn at www.parkme.biz
So off we went to the processing room where the images of Horn were developed and transpired into the 8 screens. Kind of reminded me of my high schools photography dark room. Gilbert explained to me that he created 8 unique screens to make the front and back images of Horn' t-shirt.
Gilbert' shop
This is Gilbert’ t-shirt manufacturing shop. Gilbert makes lots of different kinds of t-shirts for all different kinds of customers and business in the Boston community.
Gilbert has 15 years experience making t-shirts
I learned Gilbert has been at his t-shirt making craft for better than 15 years. We spent a lot of time together and let me tell you, making t-shirts is a huge amount of work. Much more goes into this business than meets the eye.
Custom mixed each primary color by hand
Gilbert then custom mixed each primary color by hand until he is satisfied with the color.
Lots of mixing is involved
Lots of mixing is involved. Gilbert would mix a color than off load the color onto a screen and then mix the next color up and off load it onto the next screen and so on and so forth.
Colors placed on their respective screens
Oh, then each color is placed onto its very own screen of Horn. The screens are held in place by serious large clamps. They are clamped into a computerized machine. The t-shirts rest on a platform that swivels around the machine and under the screen.
T-shirts placed on a rotating platform
The t-shirts are then placed on the rotating platform. Gilbert is resting his left hand on one of these t-shirt platforms shown here. They rotate below the screen and then are brought automatically up into position to receive the ink colors that Gilbert custom mixed for Horn. Gilbert is programming the computer.
Testing of the colors on a sheet first
Before the t-shirt is run a test of the colors on a sheet is run. This was explained to me as a cost expensive way to determine if the colors are true to the design on the Mac computer. He does this in place of testing the colors directly on a t-shirt.
Great Job Gilbert!
After spinning the back of Horn’ t-shirt around to all of the screens in this machine Horn is then placed in the dryer. Ah! Horn is finally being born, today! And his colors are brilliant! Great Job Gilbert!
The Dryer dries the t-shirt fast
Horn’ t-shirts are then one by one placed in this dryer. This makes the ink on the t-shirt dry very fast. The dryer consists of a conveyer belt which the t-shirt rests on while being heated along it’s journey along the length of the machine. I think this machine is about 10 foot long.
The day I toured Gilbert' t-shirt manufacturing shop
This particular day I toured Gilbert t-shirt shop he explained to me that the woman who usually stands at the other end of the dryer who’s job is to receive the t-shirts and place them neatly on the bench, was out today. Did you know that when you pull your car up to a parking space all the parking rules that apply to that parking space will magically float onto your mobile? That right you no longer will need to get out of your vehicle to read the Street signs in the winter during winter storms or during rainy weather only to learn that parking space is not suitable for parking at.
The Street signs that appear on your mobile will also be accompanied by a cartoon character from one of the episodes of; Meter Maids Eat Their Young. That would be either; Beatrice, Horn, Peacemon, Wrench, Spartan and or Hook. Their pose will have been pulled from a comical situation from one of the episodes in; Meter Maids Eat Their Young. What is more fun seeing the characters on the Street signs on your personal mobile phone or watching the episodes of Meter Maids Eat Their young at www.parkme.biz on your desk top computer? We would like to know. Drop us a line and let us know.
The woman on the other side...
So Gilbert explained from time to time his mother helps him with his t-shirt business. Did you know that Horn’ best friend in Meter Maids Eat Their young is Peacemon? Watch the show at: www.parkme.biz
George Warshaw & Associates
Horn has made many new friends since birth at Gilbert shop in Somerville, MA.
As a matter of fact the entire staff at George Warshaw Associate office love Horn!
And, here is George’ staff from left to right:
Karen, Robin, Sheryl & Noel
George Warshaw is a local Back Bay Real
Estate Attorney as well as Head of Council
and a Founder of: www.parkme.biz
Warshaw Law
77 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 262-7801
Tourist visiting Boston
Even tourist visiting Boston have fallen in love with Horn! I get asked if parkme will work in their city and the answer is eventually parkme will be available everywhere.
Oh, What is parkme? Parkme is a mobile application that helps you find parking and protects you form getting parking tickets
Meet Cristina
Meet Cristina. Cristina briefly interned at Puma and now works for parkme. Cristina is a parkme Founder and the product designer of the parkme mobile application which is coming out shortly on the iPhone 3G. Cristina has been working on parkme for better than a year and half now. Horn loves Cristina!
Fashion Institute students on break
While on break from class at the Fashion Institute on Newbury Street these young ladies posed with their favorite parkme card. All of these cards are different and centered around Beatrice, a meter maid. Beatrice is also the star of; Meter Maids Eat Their Young.
A fashion Institute student on Newbury Street
A fashion Institute student on Newbury Street while on break from class fell in love with Horn.
Don't tell the Boss at BTD!
All the meter maids have been purchasing the Horn t-shirts. Meter maids do not like being photographed. Something to do with their boss at BTD possible?
They were really pissed off too!
These folks got the boot.
So after you let parkme know you have taken a parking space the parkme system automaticaly alerts you to move your car protecting you from situations like this one below. As a mater of fact the sms alerts come with a break down of the possible fees associated with the parking violation. This way you can decide if you want to pay Russian roulette with the meter maids.
Here is where the Boot come from...
The boot guy keeps the boots in this box in the back of their SUV
How to get the boot off your car...
The instructions are on this label on how to get the boot off your car. Its quite simple. Pay all your past due parking tickets and the boot removal fees and voila!, off comes the boot.
Windshield flyer advertisement
Here we go…
The new parkme windshield flyer is advertising: parkme & Meter Maids Eat Their Young. What is parkme? Real time parking intelligence on your mobile. What is Meter Maids Eat Their Young? Comedy spanning the life of a Boston Meter Maid. More about parkme & Meter Maids Eat Their Young at: www.parkme.biz
Meet 2 creative geniuses
Ah, meet some of the creative geniuses behind the show: Meter Maids Eat Their Young. Deniz is on on a full scholarship at the Museum School. Dave is the guy who created all the cartoon characters inside the parking meter. Dave is also a full time student at the Museum School.
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
(Left to right) Dave, Eric & Deniz
The Museum School is part of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) and affiliated with Tufts University and North Eastern University. When a student you graduates from the Museum school I believe they also graduate from both Tufts University and North Eastern University.
This is their favorite parkme card
Their favorite parkme cards. Picture taken on Newbury Street next to Starbucks and JP Licks
Vacationing in Nantucket
These ladies were vacationing in Nantucket and from Connecticut. Now huge fans of Horn!
Ferry Ride from Nantucket to Hyannis
Horn and Beatrice provided this clan much entertainment on the 2 hour Ferry ride from; Nantucket to Hyannis.
Paulo Seller
This is Paulo Seller
Paulo owns the Media Cafe at the New England College of Optometry located at 424 Beacon Street in Back Bay. You would be surprised how many celebrities eat at his café. Even celebrities do not want to get parking fines or have to retrieve their wheels from the tow lot.
Paulo is also a media magnet!
Paulo holds an international press pass.
He interviews all the stars on the Red Carpet.
Visit Paulo at his web site at:
Made you laugh out loud hysterical?
Ok, ever meet a perfect stranger running a quick errand who made you laugh out loud hysterical? Well that’s exactly what happened to me when I was picking up the parkme cards from Copy Cop. Ya, that's where the parkme cards or "Who is Beatrice?" is printed. A trusty good old printer in the basement of Copy Cop on Boylston Street is where Beatrice is brought to life weekly. You see here’s the deal. I had actually made some small talk with this woman earlier in the week when I was picking up the parkme brochures that Jen ran off for me. Jennifer is the manager at Copy Cop, she's great!
Well I kind of got the cold shoulder at first from this woman but then having bumped into me a few more times at the check-out counter at Copy Cop I could tell she was slowly warming up to me. If you want to see a few examples of the parkme cards you can quickly navigate to them. (Their are 52 unique parkme cards. Each one funnier then the next!)
Scroll up this page slightly.
Off to the right you will see in light grey color, a heading called; "BLOG ARCHIVE"
Click on: "April"
Scroll down through the earliest posts until you come to;
"parkme cards"
They are all about Beatrice, a local Back Bay Boston Meter Maid
She actually approached me this time
She actually approached me this time and initiated the conversation by saying; "you’re the guy with those parkme cards, right?" Yes I said; " you’re the woman who loves elephants". This gal has everything elephants so she says in her residence.
T-Pose
So then she drops her guard completely as if were old friends and starts to tell me what she thought about meter maids and let me tell you I could not stop laughing. I realized right then and there she had to be written into a episode of Meter Maids Eat Their Young!! I begged her to let me photograph her on the spot. At first she was unsure about being in the episodes. She was afraid of being sued by a meter maid she explained. But after much back and forth comforting by both Jen, the Copy Cop manager and I, she agreed to allow me to photograph her. So I demonstrated the “T-Pose” which is the position the animators require to understand the character’ form. So standing in front of her with my arms stretched out like an ostridge bird, she then copied my pose. I quickly pulled out my iPhone 3G and took these pictures below.
I wrote down everything she said
I wrote down everything she said and let me tell you we’re all in for much fun when the "Meter Maids Eat Their Young" EPISODE comes out with her and her lines that I captured at Copy Cop that morning. I guess as a writer you never know where the inspiration will come from. This time it happened at the check out counter at Copy Cop.
Coming soon: Meter Maids Eat Their Young
View Teaser at: www.parkme.biz
Friends of Horn
Friends of Horn staying at the Newbury Guest House on Newbury Street.
Horn is a charcater that works inside a parking meter from EPISODES of: Meter Maids Eat Their Young
ALso
Did you know that parkme will be available in every city soon?
That’s right, you can pull up to any parking spot and all the parking rules that apply to that parking spot will float onto your mobile just like that! No walking to the end of the block only to discover during a monsoon that the parking space is not legal.
Parkme really puts the power of parking in the palm of your hand.
parkme and Trailer coming soon at: www.parkme.biz
Newbury Guest House
261 Newbury Street
Boston, MA
800-437-7668
http://www.newburyguesthouse.com/accommodations/index.cfm
Parks True Value Hardware is great!
Horn especially loves all these great guys at Parks True Value Hardware Newbury Street. These guys are so attentive and really know their stuff. Definitely one of my favorite neighborhood stores in Back Bay!
(Left to right: Alphonse, Eric, Mark Brandon & Eric)
Parks True Value Hardware
233 Newbury Street
Boston, MA
617-536-0913
(Corner of Fairfield Street)
http://www.backbayhardware.com/
Alphonse & Mark
There is a scene in Meter Maids Eat Their Young that required me to film a woman Salsa dancing down Newbury Street. To get the shot off, I barrowed a HD JVC Video camera from Paulo and purchased duct tape and a wooden utility pole from Parks True Value Hardware. I even stuck a caster wheel on the bottom of the stick so that I could roll it down the Street.
The wooden pole allowed me to keep the video camera steady during the shot of Pie and at the correct height of a parking meter. If your wondering all parking meters are approximately 4’-6” high (Pie is a Student at Harvard University as well as a talented Choreographer)
In this particular scene of Meter Maids Eat Their Young we view the scene of the woman dancing down Newbury Street through the eyes of Cowboy and his work mates looking through the glass of the parking meter.
The Goblins that work inside the parking meter are Middleville cartoon characters. Their jobs are to authenticate the currency (quarters) as they come into the parking meter and repair the clock.
You know a parking meter is basically a big piggy bank. Boston collects over $10 million per year from approximately 7,000 parking meters. Boston also collects $100 Million in parking fines. $40 Billion per year globally in parking fines.
(Left to right: Alphonse & Mark)
Parks True Value Hardware
233 Newbury Street
Boston, MA
(Corner of Fairfield Street)
617-536-0913
http://www.backbayhardware.com/
Getting paper and scotch tape
The meter was broken so from the back of his vehicle he dug out of a box some scotch tape, paper and a pencil.
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