I decided to clean out my office desk today after "letting it go" for three years. I found this contract I signed when I was young and stupid. I have since learned from this experience never to make contracts like this. I am putting it here as an example of what not to do when being contracted out for a job. I have also learned that my time is worth so much more money!

Today I spent most of my office hours making exmaples for class homework assignments. This one was an assignment for my intro to digital media rts class that requires students make a CD label.



I used images from to make this cd cover. It was so hard not to cheat. I have only taught them the most basic tool for selection in photoshop. We did layers, the history pallette, layer masks, the eliptical and rectangular marquee, the polygonal selection tool , and the lasso tool. Imagine, no pen tool paths, no filters, adjustments, etc.

This is what i cam up with. The volcano / mountain to the right is actually from van Goh's cypress tree knots.

I don't understand what happend to all the chalkboards. I love chalkboards and projectors with computers equally as much. Both are viable, excellent solutions for classroom instruction. However, the third alternative makes me sick. It is the white plastic chalkboard with markers. Who thought of that crap. It is so toxic and environmentally unfriendly. It must be very dangerous for children. Thos eof you that work with kids in a schooll, do they have them?

Today my electronics instructor was writing on the plastic board and I thought I was going to asphixiate in the small non-ventilated room. I wondered if anyone else felt that way but I didn't want to seem like a complainer. Anyways, why did everywhere switch? Chalk comes in multiple colors!!! It seems to be cheap to buy. It actually erased better. Did anyone ever notice how badly the plastic ones stain the white board?

So what is it that makes them so freakin' ubiquitous these days?

I love my basic stamp and I have barely started using it yet. I am almost afraid because I think I will end up taking my entire electronics collection apart once I am comfortable with it.


I need the bluetooth module so I can get started on my million dollar idea. Somebody please buy this for me for my birthday. I promise a great return on the money invested.

Here is a pic of the dma:390 site which is based on fire chicken.