the color of infinity

New Blog

2005-05-31T13:44:00.001-07:00

I've moved to Movable Type.

Copyright is cool!

2005-05-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

I thought that this was interesting. The copyright symbol has been popping up all over the place online, and not in the places you would expect. It seems that that the letter C with a circle around it has become cool enough to grace the IM profiles of many a college student. I display two examples of this below:

I'd love to know what the copyfight people have to say about this. Is all your work for naught? Is copyright *gulp* a FAD!?

The Decision

2005-05-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have made my decision. In the fall of 2005 I will become a student at the University of Maryland - College Park.

And my parents made their decision about the apartment.

I will have the most amazing apartment ever. Two bedroom suite on one of the top floors. I'm planning on doing a lot of shopping over the next two months. I want some prints, kitchen things, plants. I'm excited times infinity.

Either/Or: The Schools

2005-05-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

OR

You decide.

Okay, so seriously. I got my money back from American today. I sent in an appeal because it is not nearly enough. In addition to a $5,500 loan I will have to come up with an extra $18,794 a year. That's pretty much impossible. If the appeal comes through, I might be able to make it, but with hella loans.

On the other hand, Maryland should come up with some good money. Even if they don't, there's a chance I could come out with a minimal, or even ZERO loans. This is a big selling point.

On top of this I started looking for apartments and found University View. Apparently these are the brand new apartments that are RIGHT BY the campus.

* Dedicated University View shuttle buses through the University of Maryland Campus
* Walking Bridge directly from University View to the University of Maryland campus
* Pool and terrace with campus view
* 24 hour, 7 day a week concierge service
* Club room with pool tables, big screen TV and fooseball
* Directly linked to extensive jogging/biking trail system
* Fitness Center
* Internet café
* Wifi in common areas
* Study center
* Vending / snack stop
* Parking options
* Electronic access
* Telephone entry system
* Trash chute and garbage removal included
* Bicycle storage with electronic key access

Suite rent includes

* Full size washer and dryer in each suite
* Hi speed internet included
* Direct TV included
* Telephone ready
* Basic utilities included
* Independent heat and air conditioning in each unit
* Electronic keyed access
* Access to University View amenities with pre-opening lease sign-up
* Furnished suite which includes:
Bedroom
o Stylish full size bed
o Desk with drawer
o Desk chair designed with students in mind
o Dresser
o Nightstand
Living room
o Couch
o Overstuffed chair
o Coffee table
o Entertainment center
o End table
Kitchen
o 24"x 48" dining table
o 4 kitchen chairs designed for students
o Well planned cabinets and counter space
* Kitchen appliances which include
o Automatic ice maker with refrigerator
o Full size microwave
o Stove
o Full-size sink with garbage disposer
o Automatic dishwasher

Okay, so we know that that's awesome. The 2 bedroom 2 bath is $735 a month. In all, this comes out to a little bit more than room and board (including cost of food). That's pretty awesome I think.

Now compare that to AU:

And after all that, the next most important thing is academics. Maryland definitely has a lot of choices. Everyone knows it. AU...not everybody knows about it. Both are climbing, but Maryland is a lot harder to get into these days - it requires a 1250 SAT to get into. They definitely have what I want in terms of academics, especially in terms of options with academics.

AU has awesome Multimedia type things, and they're okay with Studio Art. I don't really know about Maryland, but I still think it's comparable.

My counselor said I should go to UMD instead. He said it's definitely comparable to AU, and is more bang for the buck. Who knows what I could do with the extra money? It would make things easier: I could go on summer trips, possibly have better chances of making my technological lifestyle a bit more-so, and most importantly, have money when I go into whatever field it is where I'll not be making much money.

So what do you think? AU or UMD? Let me know.

*Edit*

Altogether (without even knowing money from UMD) it will cost about $18k to go there, books, housing, tuition, transportation, all that. With knowing money (for now) it will cost about $23k to go to AU.

So $18k without knowing aid.
$23k with knowing aid.

Oh and UMD is #56 in the rankings, versus AU at #86. UMD is only four below Pepperdine.

Nestopia

2005-05-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

That's Nestopia from Quicksilver.

And that's Nestopia for real.

It's an awesome NES emulator. There are a lot of good ROMs out there. But I'm trying to think of this game that dealt with jeeps and rescuing POWs. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Heathen PC users go here for it.

I plan on posting more about USB enabled Atari and NES controllers. Sounds good. I will invest in some.

The Big Picture Film

2005-05-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the coolest projects by anyone in school that I've ever seen. I think we should all pay attention to this kid, Kevin Fitzpatrick.

His masterpiece - The Big Picture Film.

Free Culture

2005-05-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

I've been given an offer to help out with redesigning the Free Culture website. Anyone that knows where my interests lie will know that this is a HUGE deal for me. Free Culture originally came from the book of the same name by Lawrence Lessig, whom I met at the Library of Congress. After his book made huge waves, some bright students at Swarthmore got the idea to create an international student movement out of it. Hopefully I can help start a chapter up at AU if I end up going.

If anyone has any ideas for where I can take the design, let me know. I need some direction here.

The Wandering Into a Strange Russian Movie Syndrome

2005-05-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I decided to take a trip to the National Gallery in DC. I went with my friend Evelina, a multimedia student at American University, and a native of Lithuania. The day started off rather odd. There were two highly excitable Russian men on the 'Metpo' who were talking very excitedly in Russian. Evelina, of course, has a very heavy Lithuanian accent. After quickly moving through the Renaissance we headed into the East Wing, where we made fun of the Russian Mark Rothko. We decided then to wander into whatever short flick they were showing in the auditorium nearby. Over two hours later, it dawned on me that I had just witnessed something very strange. That something was Kira Muratova's The Asthenic Syndrome.

Muratova, the film's director, said in 1990 that, 'Every time I am asked what the film is about, I reply, quite honestly, "It's about everything."' I'd agree that that's a pretty fair assessment. After 40 minutes of a black and white film within a film, the movie suddenly segways into the lives of several very strange individuals. 'Asthenia' is the word for loss of strength, which makes sense when you see what all of the characters in the movie go through. They alternate back and forth between detachment and passivity to extreme aggressiveness. At one point the hero of the film falls asleep on the 'Metpo' due to his detachment. But at other times there is a lot of violence (not much real heavy violence, more the slapping around kind). Thrown in are some little bits about animal abuse and the like.

Overall I suppose it was a very good film. Excellent for describing post-Communist Russia, but also a very good (or bad) commentary on the human condition. I just found it very odd that the one time I walk into the theatre I see that exact film at that exact time. It may be the last time its played in DC for quite awhile, but I certainly hope not.

And, of course, the whole ride back home I listened to the banter of two very irate Ukrainian men. The boy from Texas felt out of place.

Organizing Clutter

2005-05-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Organizing Clutter
Originally uploaded by Josh Smith.

I decided to re-organize clutter. Lots of album art involved. Lots of music. Plenty of good times.

Anyone who loves music and art should automatically get a Mac. No question about it.

Don't Panic

2005-05-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy only sucks.

I probably should've listened to Slashdot and their short but simple blurb on it.

The BBC's review can be summed up in one sentence: '... somewhere in the production process the crew has lost sight of the fundamental aspect of the books - they were immensely funny."

School Mistakes Huge Burrito for a Weapon

2005-04-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

HAHAHAHAHA. via AP and ABC News:

A call about a possible weapon at a middle school prompted police to put armed officers on rooftops, close nearby streets and lock down the school. All over a giant burrito.

Someone called authorities Thursday after seeing a boy carrying something long and wrapped into Marshall Junior High.

The drama ended two hours later when the suspicious item was identified as a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos and wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-shirt.

Marshall Junior High principal was later quoted as saying, "Burritos are no laughing matter, even when giant." I'm glad at least someone is taking this seriously.

PowerBook Gets Clutter(ed)

2005-04-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

For anyone who doesn't know, there's an awesome program for Mac OSX called Clutter. Instead of the boring, black & white, standard alphabetical list you get in iTunes, it literally clutters your desktop with album art. For a lover of both art and music, especially simultaneously, this is tres cool. And with a flick of a key combo, it disappears from my desktop just like that. And with the power of Quicksilver, it comes back all fast again. <3

Sandstorms in Iraq

2005-04-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

I was hanging out online today when I really should have been working, but the upside is that my dad sent me a whole stream of pictures of sandstorms in Iraq via Gmail. I posted two to Flickr.

But here they are for your viewing pleasure:

From a road. MOASS (not sure what that means).

Al Asad. Air Base.

Celestia

2005-04-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

So today I was browsing for apps for my brand-spanking-new PowerBook, and I came across something I definitely was not expecting to find. It's called Celestia. It's a 3D free space simulation that offers exponential zoom and a seamless interface. It is available for OSX, Windows, and Linux.

It sort of reminds me of the old Microsoft Space Simulator "game," but without the game elements.

Included features are downloadable add-ons, as well as the ability to make your own add-ons. Of course this got me thinking - what's the first thing that comes to mind of any geek? - what about Star Wars?

Sure enough, there are some Star Wars add-ons included.

(Also, for space buffs, there's plenty of other galaxies, asteroids, planetary systems, etc. included. First download for me is Andromeda.)

Apple Store

2005-04-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Apple store right now. I'm waiting for them to finish installing a 512MB SO-DIMM to up the RAM to 1 gig. Hopefully they'll be ready with this ASAP.

God damn, I can't wait to get home.

I am, most certainly, the proud new owner of a PowerBook. Go me.

Post Secret

2005-04-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

So my friend IMed me yesterday, a girl I've never met who lives in Massachusetts, and told me that there's this site called Post Secret. She said it seemed like a pretty good idea. I checked it out, and what do you know? It is pretty cool.

Apparently a lot of people know about it. My friend at American said that someone in her Mass Comm. class wrote a paper on the site.

The strange thing is, the posters live three minutes away from me.

Google goes RSS

2005-04-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

As Slashdot is reporting, Google seems to be going the way of RSS within Gmail. While this is great for people that would like this (including me), some worry about the advertising problems that RSS could entail.

But rather than making advertising more of a hassle, it could possibly make advertising/subscription-free sites a lot better. As a personal lover of the New Yorker magazine, I wish they'd have started going with RSS feeds a long time ago. Add to that the possibility of having an entire online-only ad free user base, who can even get more New Yorker style material, and you'd have quite a few interested buyers, poor college students like me included.

I think RSS means many good things to come for the internet. Those who don't go the way of RSS should be outcasts, the dark fringes of an otherwise clean internet. Who says capitalism has to be a bad thing?

An addict

2005-04-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

I've become addicted to Slashdot, and Sage, and Firefox.

Anyone have any opinions on Google AdSense? I know nobody comes here in the first place, but it seems like a relatively okay idea. Then again, maybe not.

I'll post more later. For now I'm happy with the new slightly changed look of the blog, and I must be headed off to bed. Probably another loooong day at work tomorrow being a monkey. Boing Boing told me that chimps smoke. Maybe I should take up the habit.

Flickr

2005-04-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've joined the craze. I am now a Flickr Pro.

A Freshman...again

2005-04-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's unofficial. I'm going to be a freshman - again - and hopefully at American University. Freshman Day was yesterday, and I'm quite happy to say that I met a great many cool people. Got some s/n's, chatted it up, and just had a general good time. Student panel was the most honest thing I've ever seen (with some fake ID advice included).

Also, I met the new head of Multimedia, a subject I would've thought I'd never be interested in at just first glance at the name. The guy's Randall Packer, and he seems to be generally into the same things as me. Lots of talk about Joi Ito, Steve Mann, and the like. Too bad we never got around to discussing transhumanism. Then again, I probably would've had a heart attack on the spot. Oh well. I could use a Pacemaker anyway. Then I can finally join my brothers, like Dick Cheney, who are already part of the borg.

Other than that, they just better be giving me some good moneys. I'm excited.

In fact, I got so excited that I went out and bought (or had my mom buy) The Outlaw Bible of American Literature. It features such literary greats as Jack Kerouac, Ray Bradbury, Sylvia Plath, Jack Black, DMX, and Tupac. r0x0rs.

Tiger love

2005-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Before I post anything else, I love Drawn! for bringing this to my attention.

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.

Composed of three hardcover, four-color volumes in a sturdy slipcase, this
edition will include all Calvin and Hobbes cartoons that ever appeared in
syndication.

Go shawty?

2005-04-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I turn 19. I am so ashamed right now.

DJ Collab?

2005-04-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yo, I just talked to this dee-jay who lives downstairs, showed him my site and all of that. He's into digital video and stuff, and it looks like we may possibly do some work together.

I'm excited. Are you excited? I am.

I think I might show him Ghostmilk and Convert the Wack via Dubelyoo, you know, show him where my interests lie.

I got fooled

2005-04-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks much, Zach. At least your stupid April fool's joke made me make a new website.

April 2nd: If It Was Cool To Be A Fool
Don't worry gang, there is no plans for a "Garden State" sequel! If you believe the story posted yesterday then you were fooled on the foolish day of the year, April Fools Day. If you got fooled, don't take it hard, we even fooled a contact we have within Fox Searchlight that wanted to know more and why FOX hadn't been informed on a sequel.
Of course, now I'm left to wonder what the boy will do next.

Brand new site layout

2005-04-03T03:13:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that I got a brand new site layout up. After realizing that Zach Braff had just announced a sequel to Garden State I figured that it was time to get off my ass and accomplish something or other in life.

One whole hour was just randomly lost due to daylight's savings. Kinda trippy.