2Last night walking home from Allentown with (e:lilho) we were talking about (e:hodown) and I was telling that I am glad I don't live in a big city as it reduces my exposure to excessive amounts of in-your-face advertisments. There is just something peaceful about an advertisment free space.

Think about it, if you live in NYC or Tokyo or Toronto, it is almost like every surface become a monument to consumerism. Every surface that can, hold a message on what to buy, how you should look, etc. From the light up hightech version down to the glued down paper ones. Even on busy street like Allen we don't have much of that besides that one billboard that is so high up no one sees it.





Imagine being confronted by those kind of advertisements in every direction. I think people will say you become numb to it and it doesn't affect you but that can't be right or no one would invest all the money. I think what really happens is it begin sto work subliminally. You no longer consider the implications of looking or even consider the good in the advertisement but then when you are in the market, the message kicks in and you are like, "I do want kodak film." (e:lilho) was saying that in such a place it makes it more difficult to define who you instead of what everyone wants you to be. I think she has a good point



Sorry I really need a new cell phone so I can get better pics. When I first saw this new light up sign on chippewa I was so sad to see Buffalo, get its first glimpse of Las vegas. Strangely, I think some people would refer to it as progress for the city. Is being exposed to all of the advertisements really progress? I like not having to think about all the things other people want me to want. It's just another form of forced desire. I know I could just not look at it. But when it is flashing and spinning and so giant, do you really have any choice. It is human instinct to look. I hope progress in Buffalo doesn't mean it will ever look like those pics above.

So I met with my thesis advisor today and everything seems to be in order but I have to meet with my entire committee very soon and add a person possible. Then I think I need to get it bound.



I also saw Dave Pape today (sorry the pic quality is so bad) and he was playing the Donkey Kong bongo game that I wrote about last night
[inlink]paul,3754[/inlink]. It appears that in addition to drumming you have to clap. I think it works in a simiilar way to my baby swimmies [inlink]paul,2483[/inlink]. You need flash and a microphone to play with them.

We also spoke about doing some mobile to VR project which would be really fun. I cannot wait for the thesis to be over. It is somewhere around 40 page snow but I have lots more info and so few days. I am also taking on another programming job, making children's games for a site. That should pay the student loan bills. So I am back to having four jobs. I guess I do owe about $86,000 so it sounds very reasonable to me.

Has anyone else notice that 99% of computer games are violent first person shooters. I don't understand that. I don't mean video games in general, I just mean PC games. I guess there is the whole there.com, secondlife.com, everquest, sims thing. What do you guys think?

I mean consoles are full of other types of games, which brings me to my title, alternative interfaces for games. Like DDR and the maraca game for dream cast. Today at EB games we saw the donkey kong bongo game and the playstation version of the same thing. I want to try them but (e:terry) says I won't play enough to justify the purchase. Does anyone have these drum games? I want to try it out.

(E:terry), (e:flacidness) and I hit the India Gate Buffet forr "breakfast" today. It was quite delicious although you could tell by (e:flacidness)' ten year old girl portion. The buffet is only $7.99 and it is as much as you can eat with lotss of tasty veggie and non veggie options. I really need a new picture phone.

I was look at another mobile blogging site called textamerica.com and I found this picture which reminded that I missed jacob. I wonder what he is doing now.



(e:shawnr) said that textamerica.com is evil and that they sell their members media to other people. I believe him. Just check out this line from their privacy policy.

Textamerica may share with its affiliates any information provided by you on this website, including your name, e-mail address, usage patterns, credit card account information, and uploaded images and text. from textamerica privacy policy

I think I have made the best posting to Craig's List so far. I would really like to get some more mobile users on the site, so I can start rolling out the mobile social networking pack. Hopefully this gets something started.



My thesis is finally many pages long, somewhere near 40. I didn't realize that we were supposed to double space. I think it just may be all done in time. On another note, my job situation seemed to get all crazy when one of my bosses pointed out he understood my contract differntly than me. I think it is just a misunderstanding, but we have to wait for the other supervisor to arrive back on the scene in order to rectify the situation. I hope this turns ok, because otherwise I am seriously thinking I will be heading out west in about 15 days.

My advice is don't ever trust anything that involves employment. Never believ in anything that is orally spoken. Everything must be in writing in order to verify it's existence. You must always go over things 1000 times in order to make sure that it is all safe and sound. Otherwise you get taken advantage of, and having that happen is not fun. I can't wait till (e:jesse) comes home, it can't be long now.

I decided t was time to shave again. How what a difference it makes in how old you look. No scandals this time, if you remember the last haircut drama.

Before


After

(e:metalpeter) [inlink]metalpeter,399[/inlink] wrote about the Erie County fair today which reminded that I should post some more information about it. If you haven't been to the fair I would suggest checking it out. Last year I attended with (e:matthew), (e:terry) and (e:holly) and got to see all the prize wining farm animals, dances, and yummy food. Here is the web site for the fair.

Here are our journal reports of last year's fair with lots of pictures.
[inlink]holly,84[/inlink] [inlink]paul,1797[/inlink] [inlink]matthew,341[/inlink]

Here is (e:matthew) with a big horse.

I got my official student loan bill. It's 72,000 but with interest it's like $87,000 as long as I pay $709.00 per month till 2016! That is so much money considering the top pay I could get as a non-tenured professor would be about $45,000 and there is about a 0.04% chance of that happening in Buffalo seeing as UB would never hire me as a I am a former student and Canisius didn't work out.



I guess it's time to start forgetting about everything I learned and begin something new. Or maybe it is time I make like (e:southernyankee), (e:ajay), (e:haikuster), (e:hodown), (e:codypomeray) or the other who I am forgetting that have moved away and found good jobs.

Considering I make $27,000 per year working two jobs, it might not work out so well to stay here. I really want some stability before I turn 30. Like health insurance and a job with longterm upwards mobility. I knew I should have stuck with biology or that I should have never gotten that MFA. That was the worst suggestion I ever followed. I really should have thought about the city more and what possible applications that type of training could offer me.

I don't want to work out at a bank! They seem to be the only people that consistently contact me about jobs. For christ's sake I worked at HSBC when I was much younger and I hated being in that corporate environment, that is why I went to college, so I wouldn't have to be there. At least I have this house to rent out.

I really should have gone to ECC for some sort of technical training instead of the useless liberal arts education I ended up with. For some reason I never even saw that as an option. I remember until I was in Germany studying Germanic Language and Literature, I had no concept of studying a trade. There I met lots of people that made that choice at around 6th grade. I wish it was at least presented to me as an option. Somehow, my teachers along the way always made it seem like that was failing, which now I see it is not. I guess it's not too late to switch but now I owe like $90,000.

Then I could just be a professional handy man and rent out houses. If you are 18 and reading this please learn from my error and think long and hard before you go in the direction of liberal arts.

I was supposed to edit my thesis and once again a million things came up. I had to work on the electricity to set up the motion detector light for my tenants. It was a nice alternative to programming, although programming electricity is still my favorite. It also made me consider being an electrician or sommething similar that this blue collar city needs.

Bare Wires



It Works!