🏷️ school

Right now I really want to be working on the site and studying about social networking patterns and the development of computer mediated communication. That sounds pretty reasonable for an MFA student in Media Studies, but instead I spent the last three days trying to get my new laptop even close to the way the old one was set up. Then when that is all done, I have to fill out like 300 forms for graduation all due by feb 24th.

Seeing as their whole grading and transcript system is online, I can't believe that UB still leaves this to hand writing and paper forms. It's actually shamefull on their part considering the department is media studies. If I had known most of the stuff I would be dealing with at that school was so behind the times I would have never gone. From the technology I worked with down to these paper forms, UB just set me back 3 years for a piece of paper. I mean it will probably be worth it but school actually inhibited me from learning.

My favorite example of this is still the fact that I wanted to take the more advanced electronics class in my department, but I couldn't because I "needed" credits from an outside department so I ended up taking electronics in the art department. I probably should have just boughta degree online ;)

Maybe I am just cranky because I miss @twisted

The electronics class was so fun today. It started out bad for me because i drove all the way to UB north campus only to find out that I forgot my eletcornic instrument at home. i also did not have speakers. Luckily, joesphine cam eto the rescue with some speakers for my intrument.

We all went into the atrium and playe dour instruments in the echo chamber of a hallway.







Here is some of the class getting set up.



Here is one of my classmates instruments. She built it inside of a tortoise shell with a deer antler sticking out that controlled a potentiometer.

I added Stephanie Rothernbergs's Art 422 class to the list of classes with a course site running off the estrip engine. I like the new theme. I need to make a whole bunch of themes so I have some to spare. Maybe after talking to the students tomorrow, we can break the 200 epeep barrier again.



I seriously cannot believe the amount of work I did today. I wish I had a mini-laptop so bad so that I could at least tour around while working. I want the sony S360P so bad. They have it here for only $1699.00. I really don't understand laptop pricing. How is it that that same computer retails for over $2000 in other places.

Starting this morning at 11, I will begin teaching a new class I created called DMA 386 - Modeling Physical Environments for Real-time. I am going to be teaching the students to identify important data when exploring an environment with the intention of recreating it digitally.



The physical location I have chosen is Forest Lawn Cemtetary which has a really lame website by the way. We will eb traveling there and measuring, taking phtos, grave rubbings, scans, sketches, etc. Then we will collect all the data and rebuild a specific site in 3D. It seems like it will be an exciting class to teach.

Holly and I are I am hosting a workshop on Sunday at the UB CFA for the collaboration conference. We will be discussing using PHP and MySQL Databases for web collaboration. It is at 12:00ish in the CFA, come check it out.

I heard lots of people talking about htis yesterday. What is up with the massive paper waste with the Collaborative Network conference at UB? It makes me sick that no one had any environmental concerns during its production. I cannot believe the giant font and the many blank areas on 11 x 17 paper. It should have been so much smaller with the rest of it on the web. Especially considering that it is a new media conference.

And only a day after Earth Day!

On another note, I was pleasantly surpised with the work of one of my student's work. They created a really nice shower scene for their homework assignment this week. Here are the images they rendered out for their class journal. In case you know her, it was Jennifer Perry.

I am back working on school projects. At least I finished grading everything at this point. Now I only have to finish my own stuff which is due on Thursday. Sounds like a 48 stretch of work. I am honestly sick of it and would rather be working on adding new features to the site. But I will be busy jumping through flaming hoops. If you want to get a hold of me try the Sidekick links under my userPic and IM me or send me an email there.

I am so excited about Rachels aerial photo find. This is seriously going to be sweet.

You may question . . . why I have been ignoring you . . why I don't pick up my phone . . . why I have black circles under my eyes. . . why I don't' update the site . . why I don't post to my journal . . why I have stopped production just about 100 % on all of my once loved projects. . . why I have no friends except for the few who are stuck with me . . why I can't make any new ones. . Its because I am busy trying to get another certificate proving who I am in some abstract way - just like the first one it is meaningless. . . In fact I would say that getting this certificate of public approval is actually detracting from my artistic abilities. . . fuck you UB and your lame ass busy work.

Missing Image ;(

I have whipped up a presentation about
one of the forefathers of Virtual Reality for my Interactive Environments class. I thought maybe someone els eout there would enjoy it. Here is a direct link to the 3D



. It would actually be all black but i had to add a bit of specular to make it so that you could see the contours of the model.