Hey, this is my new site. Hopefully it will be more interesting then my previous siteI am trying to make it a bit more about me. I am also trying to reduce the amount of 'travel time' spent on my page, by pulling things together on fewer pages. (still working on that.)
This past week has been pretty nutty- feels like a little Eugene in Manhatten. Niels, Marion and Asuka are all visiting the big apple over the Thanksgiving holidays. So that has been huge fun. On the down side, Miwako is very nearly ready to move to Atlanta. Having her go will suck. At one point she was the only person I knew in the City, and was the one that gave me the springboard to move here in the first place.
Also picked up an Xbox, which is pretty spiffy.
I have finished some final tweaks on my portfolio. The QuickTimes are working properly, the Flash examples are now working, and I have improved the descriptions. Had a very nice Thanksgiving, and rolling on into the Xmas season.
Went in to my corner coffee shop the other morning (the Flying Saucer here in Brooklyn) and in the process of asking the counter girl for a Latte, I yawned in the middle, causing it to come out rather strangely. So much so, she made a comment about me speaking "wookie", which was very entertaining. I asked her if she was familure with the Chewbacca song from the Clerks soundtrack, which I happen to have on my MP3 player. She said 'of course,' and went on to tell me about how back when she was in Jersey she was one of the Foley artists who did the sound effects for Clerks. nice.
Well I had a fun and busy holiday season. Traveled a bit, and had a number of visitors. You can't beat the holidays in New York though. ...must be the aroma of those Hot Nut carts.
As far as my quest for the best ramen shop in New York, I may have found a successor to the crown (previously Menkuitei on 55th st.) Its a little place in Chinatown called AJISEN RAMEN at 14 Mott St. Very good and very affordable. But I have also heard of a place on St. Marks place that opens at 10pm that my friend raves about.
Anyway, my big resolution (well, in addition to the usual,) is to be more regular with these updates in '02.
Sorry for the delay in posting - Almost a month. But I think my excuse of going to Seattle/Vancouver & starting grad school is a darn good one.
Seattle is mighty keen, but heavy on the lakes and freeways. Got to check out Microsoft's main campus, and aside from my endless comments about Windows Brain chips, it was actually cool. I am destined to be an odd ball- a designer who prefers PC to Macs. Well, despite that I did get a Mac laptop two weeks ago, and it is might sweet. I really like OSX- perhaps because it uses file extensions like god intended. I realized that the previous Apple machine I owned was an Apple IIe, so I completely skipped over that little "unpleasant" 20 year period where Macs didn't use file extensions. Actually though, the OS and the Apps are really well thought out- and I am a sucker for good design. Plus the Airport card is a hoot- automatically figures its setting out when I am on campus.
Starting the MFA in Design & Technology @ Parsons has been an experience- mostly because I caught the flu on the first day, and also found out that I needed to change all of my classes around, and also had not received the emails telling me about the orientation meetings. So Grad school started as a bizarre surreal Kafka-esq experience as I ran around lost in a feverish haze seeking signatures on incomprehensible forms. oy.
But Now that I have gotten settled in, I have met some really great people, and my classes look to be quite interesting. Now about this crushing workload, on top of my freelance work. again, oy.
Kung Hey Fat Choi (Happy Chinese New Year)
School is going great- am becoming sucked into school life completely... I'm afraid nothing much to report yet. I have a page set up for my school projects- I'll add a link soon, but in the meantime it is here.
Careful, the beverage you are about to drink is extremely hot.
-My coffee cup this morning
yargh. 4 months without an update. I am not so good at this talking thing, ne?
OK, I am deep in the middle of Summer School right now. I am taking Intro to Digital Video, Wearable Computing Collaberation Studio, and the Broadcast Major Studio. Between that, work, the heat, and staying up all hours to watch the World Cup, I am hurting deeply. I don't even reply anymore when people comment on my bloodshot eyes. Ah, well- if I had not wanted to live in Pain, then I would not have gone to Grad School.
My fav class so far is DV. Final Cut Pro is just fun to use, and makes me really want to shellout and get a DV camera of my own. Animation class is pretty tough- I am glad I didn't take any animation classes at the UO. I think it is something best left to the professionals. Saw Lilo & Stitch- uber-cute Disney fare. erratic schmaltzy plot, but fun. It is really just the pilot for their new TV series though.
For the month of August I will be teaching Bootcampers at Parsons ActionScripting. That will be cool; I like ranting about stuff like that. Having a captive audience is just gravy.
For a guy who has 8+ cameras, you would think it would take me less then 6 months to finish a 24 exposure roll. Well, I will get those photos from the first half of 2002 up soonish.
My beverage of choice today (7-up) declares to me "NO PUR. NEC." in its contest rules. Is that supposed to be hip street slang in the bottling industry? Very odd.
OK, here are the pictures for the first half of ‛02. They cover the holidays, my trip to seattle and vancouver, Scott & Janet's trip to NYC, and the party after final reviews in my Physical Computing class. Need to get around to replacing my digital camera and take some more shots…
Also my first short film for my DV class is up. Addiction (6.5 megs) was made with the help of my friend Jett, who puts up with a lot of my crazy crap.
Pre-independence day, and it is bloody hot around here. It is supposed to get up to 105° in the city today. ik.
Just figured I would toss out some sites to check out, since I purposely don't have a links page. First off, everyone I know should spend time over at the Booth. It is good for both reading about films, and laughing at the kinds of idiots that like to analyze them. But it is a great site run as a labor of love by my pal Scott. Otherwise I would recommend Coming Attractions, just for being able to read up on film in production. I also have taken to reading boingboing- it is an interesting mix of geek & news.
Laurie sent me a grab bag of music, and so I have been enjoying an old school mix of Metal & Punk on my 'phones. That, and I have been deep into Hindi music since going to see Indian Ocean play at the Paisley last weekend. I dig it— not out of some exoticism thing, but simply because the rhythm and melodies remind me of Bluegrass. (I must be missing Lex, if I am hearing bluegrass in hindi jams…) Most of the Hindi songs I have downloaded are either old Bollywood tunes, or techno remixes of old Bollywood tunes. Mixed in with Laurie’s thrasher music, has made for some interesting musical segues.
yawn. Went to Coney Island beach today with various people from school. Never done that before, and it was pretty fun- the weather was not too hot. came home and crashed, and am awake again. Definitely got some sun, and have that sunburn lethargy now. Otherwise, I have managed to get Office v.X installed, and it is rather dope. OK, off to sleep again.
Hey, its friday. This is mighty good. Too bad I have to slave away all weekend…
One more week until the Apple SoHo store opens. (I have been wondering when they would get to this thing open- the space they rented has been just sitting there since spring of last year.) And I am not a "Mac Lover" as some have asserted. I dig them just as much as my PC. It's the typical elitist Mac user I can't stand.
Also pictures from last week's beach trip are up, here.
Finally, go check this out. It is hilarious.
Hey, I think I just found my dream digital camera. Its all retro style. Too bad I'm a starving student and can't afford it, huh?
Well what with all the explosions and power outages, this has not been much of a going out type weekend. Probably just was well. Got most everything done for the summer term, so chilling out and just reading has suited me just fine.
Well today is my last day at the Godbox, better known as the Inter Church Center. You might wonder what I am doing there- but I have been working for the last couple of months for a department of Columbia U. that rents their offices in this building. Its been an odd experience working in this huge, cubic, Cold War bastion of Christian thought. The high point was riding the elevator with Jesse Jackson… (who makes me feel short.) Will miss the people at this job, but not the 1+ hour commute to Harlem.
As far as what I have been doing this summer, you can check out my iffy Wearable Technology site, and also the Animation I made for Broadcast Design. (each has a couple megs of Quicktime to download, so dialup-ers beware.) I'm not super happy with either project, but they are done done done. Onward, as they say.
Monday I start teaching my class in programming. Should be interesting, Otherwise I will spend the next month trying to relax and iron out my thesis project, and figure out another part time or freelance job to pay the bills.
Not much to report lately. Teaching, and dealing with the dog days of August have been putting a damper on my sociability. Although today is actually cooler and sunny. When i walked out of my apartment, I was puzzled for a moment, until I identified the strange sensation as a cool breeze. its been a while since that's happened in this neck of the jungle.
Teaching has been going well, although I can't tell if I am going through the material too fast or too slow. This weekend, I did head out to central park with a friend to see cornershop play the summer stage. suffice it to say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but it was still fun anyway.
My sister had a successful phone interview with Herr Baker so she will be heading to Cologne to be a poor starving apprentice baker, which is pretty ambitious, considering that her German skills are pretty rudimentary. Needless to say, I will be heading over to visit over winter break.
Also yesterday in the mail, I received 2 packages. One was a copy of Asuka's BFA project; an interactive CD-ROM on the history of the Kimono. very cool, and very Asuka. The other was a package from Lilia, with an Autographed picture of Coffin Joe, and a CD of Brazilian psychedilia. Both came on my half birthday, which i am not thinking was an entire coincidence. (The half birthday is the day 6 months from your actual birthday. As someone whose birthday falls in the gray rainy winter season, I am a hearty supporter of the observation of half birthdays.)
hm. still need to think of a thesis idea in the next 3 weeks. crud.
Schools out!!!
Oh, wait, I have fall orientation tomorrow. Dang.
Yeah, not much of a summer break for yours truly. The class I was teaching for the fall admits bootcamp finished on Friday, and was followed by much celebrating. Not sure if that had anything to do with my teaching skills. ^_^ Also my friend Marion just arrived in NYC to start this week at SVA to study illustration. If any more Oregonions move to the big apple, someone is going to have to open a microbrewery around here or something…
Lilia showed me this Japanese Manga strip; its called Hana-Usagi - A Day in the Life of a Bizarre Rabbit. Very quirky and very Japanese. (You can roll over the Japanese text, and it will translate to english for you. Also remember that Japanese comics read right to left.)
Speaking of funny, quirky and Japanese, the Japanese toy company Medicom now makes a Kubrick based on the film Amalie. Apparently the film has been a huge hit among Japanese girls, so I am sure that this is just the tip of the merchandising iceberg. You can see an image here (you'll have to scroll down to the bottom.) They are also finally making a Lupin the Third series, much to my joy.
Ok, I will probably be busy over the next week with various school things, but after that I should get back into the groove of updating this thing. It will be cool to see everyone again.
Well, had a good weekend. I went to Virginia to see my sister and my Dad. I also took the opportunity to use my Lomo camera, and you can see the results here. The Lomo is a cheap plastic camera that has 4 lenses and takes 4 small shots on one piece of 35mm film, at about ½ second intervals. pretty cool, even if I did let my finger get in the way. Anyway, it was definitely good to get out of the city.
Otherwise, school is starting, and aside from the usual registration snafus, things are going rather smoothly. So of course I am waiting for the other shoe to hit any time now. Probably in thesis class. With a sickening thud.
ok, its late.
Well, after months of saving, I finally got myself an iPod. It is a pretty sweet little firewire drive with a rechargeable battery, and heaps of space for my files I have to schlep to and from school. Plus I understand it plays music too. Actually, I do have to say that the box it came in is almost as cool. The people apple uses for their packaging design are obviously having a blast. I guess you could say it was an "enjoyable product opening experience" through how the box kind of unfolded around the iPod. Impressive work— for something that is going in the dustbin 20 minutes later.
Check out this new Nokia Phone. cool design. Also take a look at this weird + interesting Japanese Toymaker's site.
Sorry for the silence. I had my friend Lilia visiting from Brazil for two weeks, (Happy Birthday Lilia!) followed in short order by my sister, and then my friend Sarah crashed on my couch for a couple of days before heading off to London and points east. It was fantastically wonderful to see all of them, and I just wish their visits had not fallen over the beginning of my thesis year, so I could have done more. Both seem to have landed in the Olde Country and not surprisingly are doing quite well, being both hideously well traveled.
Also props to Bill & Jody who are with child, as they say. Actually it is more accurate that Jody is with child, and Bill is with a cranky and nauseous Jody. But I am sure Jody will pull off this whole mother thing with panache. ...and a fair bit of bitching, but still a whole lot of panache.
In other news, I got into the Xbox Live Beta program, and have been able to play online with some beta games. There are some bugs, with the service, but when you do get into a game, it is generally rock solid, and the voice communicator is way cool. I highly recommend getting an Xbox if only for the online play.
I have made a pigLatin translator in flash. You can check it out here. You will need the flash6 plugin for it to work properly.
Also Ian has a site up for his student film The Palace of Broken Glass, which looks to be mighty ian-riffic, if you are familure with his work at all.
As a follow up on Ian's many adventures up there in the wilds of Vancouver BC, that he now has a toy line out and available for purchase. The line of figures are called eMon Stars, and are now available for purchase here in North America as well as in Hong Kong. Definitely check them out, remember, Christmas is but a few short months away, and it is pretty hard to find traumatic episode inducing toys for kids these days. (Man, I miss those old Micronauts, that shot darts that could asphyxiate an 8 year old. That was living on the edge!)
Well, Having passed my first hurdle in my thesis project, (proposal reviews) I can finally relax a bit. Not much else has been going on, except that I got to keep a friends cats for a week. I discovered that am apparently no longer allergic to cats, and while Shazi's cats are super sweet creatures, I am not going to run out and get a cat just yet. I also have launched into trying to teach myself PHP, which is going alright.
Found this article on improving the WiFi range on a TiBook. Pretty cool.
Well, things have been busy around here. Lots 'o school work, thesis stuff, and some freelance has kept me busy. furthermore, I have been trying to wrap my brain around PHP. Also getting on Xbox Live has not helped. Been Playing Ghost:Recon online, which is kind of a FPS sim.
Not much else to report.
Minor update- out of craven self interest, I have added a link to my Amazon wishlist to the sidebar. (In the off chance someone wants to send me material possesions…)
Well, I survived the end of the term, which was followed immediately on its heels by Christmas, So I have not had much time to update. My presentations went well, and my papers and projects were adequate, so all is good. So now I am turning to earning some money over the break, since I am less then dirt poor. More on that and other stuff, as things progress.
I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday
things have been super slow and mellow around here. Have been relishing some time off, and now doing some freelance work. Classes start up in about 10 days, and then the long march toward thesis will hit high speed.
For the last couple of days, I have had a powerful bout of Deja Vu, about every 10 minutes. I think it means either I am getting premonitions of something big that is about to happen, or I have a brain tumor. Either way, its been giving me a heck of a headache. I think it has something to do with that new Indian restaraunt that opened up in my neighborhood…
I have been working on a secret project that will be revealed here soonish. It better be soon, or it will be shelved and forgotten, I think.
The Cartoon Network is showing Lupin III and Futurama at night. Life is good.
Nice bout of snow here last night. Of course now it is going to be below freezing for the next few days making for a fairly slippery experience.
Ada is visiting NYC right now, doing strange and mysterious things for her company up a the International Toy Center. Seeing her all professional reminds me that I need a real job.
Had the thought that the reason I abstractly enjoy programming, is the same reason I enjoy book binding. There is an artistry inherent in the technology that is facinating. But I would not wish to do either for 8 hours a day.
William Gibson is keeping a blog. I guess the Web is now offically 'old-tech'.
from BoingBoing:
For example, the first phone, called SoMo1, gives its user a mild electric shock, depending on how loudly the person at the other end is speaking. This encourages both parties to speak more quietly, otherwise the mild tingling becomes an unpleasant jolt. Such phones, the designers suggest archly, could be given to repeat offenders who persistently disturb people with intrusive phone conversations. (...)
SoMo4 replaces ringtones with a knocking sound: to make a call, select the number and knock on the back of the phone, as you would on somebody's door. The recipient of the call hears this knock (cleverly encoded and relayed via a short text-message) and decides how urgent the call is. How you knock on a door, says Mr Pullin, is freighted with meaning: there is a world of difference between tentative tapping and insistent hammering. SoMo5 has a catapult-like device that can be used to trigger intrusive sounds on a nearby user's phone, anonymously alerting them that they are speaking too loudly.
I have been recently launching into my final term here at Parsons. Big Thesis hootenanny.
I have been digitizing some old reel-to-reel tapes of my grandfather’s. I have made a site of some of my grandfather’s old radio broadcasts. I also made a site for an hilarious speech on the history of Cassius Clay (the abolitionist, not the boxer.) It takes a few seconds for the audio to buffer, so be patient after clicking on an audio track.
More info soon.
I felt a need to post this speech from 3/19 by Senator Robert Byrd WV-D (currently the longest serving Senator). He sums up my feelings better then anyone else so far.
---/
I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marvelled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.
But, today, I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of pre-emption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism.
We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.
After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.
The case this administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.
There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The Twin Towers fell because a worldwide terrorist group, al-Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.
The brutality seen on 11 September and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of Western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names and many addresses.
But this administration has directed all of the anger, fear and grief which emerged from the ashes of the Twin Towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. We will probably drive Saddam Hussein from power. But the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.
The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to 'orange alert'. There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home?
What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?
Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?
I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us.
---/
Update: I successfully made it through final presentations, so now I'm moving on with the documentation, and preparing my thesis for the gallery. Lots of work to finish before June.
Hmm... today it is snowing. Hopefully this is the last of this winter foolishness.
On a side note, here is a link for an SMS game I worked on as part of a collaboration project. If it had come together, it would have been pretty cool.
Well, School is well and completely finished, and currently I am looking in the 5 boroughs for a full time position. The market is pretty competitive right now, but hopefully I will find something soon. I miss having disposable income. :)
I found out that one of my all time short short stories by Terry Bisson is available on his website. It is less then 2 pages long, and was nominated for a Nebula in 1991. Check out They're Made of Meat.
Otherwise, my big plan is to pick up Declare by Tim Powers, and enjoy spending time reading strictly for fun. Alas, B&N does not carry it, so I might have to wait for Amazon to ship it to me. (Did I ever mention that there are no decent bookstores in New York City? Home of the publishing industry, but no stores anywhere near as good as Powells to be found. Go figure.) Tim Powers is up there with Walter Jon Williams as my top Sci fi Authors, by the way…
Anyway, sometime soon, I hope to put up a decent page documenting my thesis, but for the moment personal projects are taking a back seat.
Well, I have gone all guerilla and have set up a Photo Moblog, so I can post pictures to the web with my camera phone. You can check it out at: Visual Static
Well I have not updated much lately, since not a lot happens around here. The job search continues, even though I am having little difficulty finding freelance jobs. It is August in NYC, which means that nothing happens, it is muggy, and no one has energy.
This is cool. This sculpture is apparently going into the courtyard at the Rockefeller Center.
Well yes it has been many months since there has been any activity around here. At first I was busy trying to finish my thesis, then I was busy trying to find a job. But most of the summer I was hanging out saving money and being unemployed. Not really the most interesting stuff to write about. (Also since my site had my portfolio on it, I had been pointing potential employers to it… , which makes it hard to post my usual rants.) But then finally I found a job, and since then I have been crazy busy, and have not had time to really hang out and get back into the blogging groove.
I will try and do better.
I have begun doing a cool volunteer thing for the ADC, early on Saturday mornings. Although helping innocent high schoolers embark upon a career in the soul crushing field of graphic design is a little troubling. But only a little.
I am kind of bummed about the Red Socks losing last night. But the proved themselves the exact equal of the Yankees, so in the world series I plan to see how the damn Yankees do, and assume that that is how the socks would have done. (I really don’t care about Baseball that much, bit living in NYC, it is hard to not get into it, since it is all anyone talks about these days…)
Really though, I still don’t have a lot to talk about yet. Or I have too much to write about all at once. It will take me a week or two to get caught up. But here are some of my recent favorite online reads, for the meantime.
One of my big interests these days is watching the evolving field of democrats fighting for the chance to try and take down Bush. Here is a good update on how things stand as of this week.
Slow day at work today, so I productively used some that time to update my Amazon Wishlist. Assuming anyone wants to get me somethingÂ… ^^
I am super excited about the fact that there are 3 Corto Maltese animations available, (if only in France.) Finally a real reason to get a region code free DVD player. Here is a 5 meg clip from Corto Maltese, la cour secrète des Arcanes... Also avalible are La ballade de la mer salée and Sous le signe du capricorne And while they are PAL & Region Code 2, they do offer english subtitles. That is more then I would hope from the French, considering recent events.
This is both cool and worksafe:
Every Playboy Centerfold averaged into one image, (well, one per decade)
Well the holidays are over, and the new apartment is moved into, so I am on the verge of getting back into this whole having a life thing again. (once I am unpacked- so perhaps late spring...?) The new pad is not physically far from the old brownstone, but is a century forward in creature comforts. (such as a dishwasher) And probably a sure sign of getting old is the fact that the biggest thrill of the new kitchen is having sufficient cabinet space. (my sister gleefully pointed out the numerous similarities between my new apartment and the one in "Barefoot in the Park", but at least there is no holes in the skylight. :)
And to add the true stamp of geek to the new place, between my roomate and I, we have 4 differnt game consoles, and 7 computers. Wirelessly networked, natch.
Kind of bummed about how the Democratic primaries are playing out. I guess this is a rebuilding year.
As much as I dig Peter Jackson (finally) getting an Oscar, I kind of want it to go to Sophia Coppola for Lost in Translation. Jackson made New Line like a billion dollars, which in Hollywood is worth a truckload of statues. Sophia could sure use the Legitimacy. (also appearently no American woman has won Best Director before.)
I saw Fog of War the other night, and I have to day that it was pretty engrossing. It is certainly one of those films that make you feel smarter when you walk out, (unlike say, Shallow Hal)
Otherwise I have been busy getting settled in the new apartment, which is looking fantastic.
More soon…
Way back in the day, there was a short story that ran in the D&D magazine Dragon. I remebered it distinctly, as it painted fantastic image of a world where people played computer games in an online persistent world. At the time I had never heard of a MUD, (this was back in 1985) so the story blew my computer ignorant mind about what a game was, and what networks could do. Plus it is a pretty darn good story that still holds up and did a pretty good job of predicting the world 20 years off. (although apparently we should still be using command prompts for everything still...)
Anyway, with some downtime at work, and a little digging, I found that the author Henry Melton has posted the story online, so if you are interested reading this little bit of retro geek fiction, check out Catacomb.
Starting today it is on the air, and streaming over the inernet, (or on AM 1190 in NYC) you can listen to it using the Real Media Player.
Well I have been pretty slack about posting lately, but there has not been much going on. I might have to start making up stories to fill this page, if this continues. My roommates parents were here from Bangkok for almost 2 weeks, which was an interesting cultural experience. Nagging is the true international language.
Last weekend I took a quick trip to Seattle to recharge my geek batteries. Got to play Halo on the Microsoft campus, and get a cool tour of Amazon, as well as go to the top of the Space Needle. :D Mostly though I just hung out, saw friends and got reacquainted with real beer. At some point I will have pictures to post. (People keep giving me crap for using a film camera. When did that become oddball?)
While in Seattle I hit the MS company story store for my own little geek Christmas. Since there were not really any new Xbox games, and my PC is not able to run any game made after 1999, I kind of randomly grabbed Links 2004. I would never have thought this possible, but I have since become kind of, you know, addicted to golf on the Xbox. It is actually quite fun.
In my thesis class last year, my friend Pedro did his project on golf, being as he is an avid golfer. (it also let him justify traveling to 3 or 4 golf courses as 'research') his focus was on golf course design, and the visual representation of the golf course in maps and video games. Those discussions were what got me interesting in it enough to give it a try.
One interesting revelation was that there are 3 types of golf courses: Classic, Penal, and Heroic. Knowing who designed a course and what type they created apparently makes a big difference to how you can expect to play. Classic is the oldest, and probably the most fun for the casual player. Penal was popular