tuesdays and thursdays

tuesdays and thursdays: intro to communication in the morning and basic concepts of new media in the afternoon.

this morning was on hollywood film history -- early nickelodeons, silent movies, the studio system, and the hollywood ten. then, a group discussion about hollywood genres. for a large lecture (95 students), the students are really engaged and have a lot to share -- a ton to share. on thursday, we'll watch some films. i told the students to bring in their favorite dvd's and hopefully they will.

the afternoon class, basic concepts of new media, is a great, weird course. we've been reading popular and academic articles about cyberculture and are now beginning to transition from critiquing to creating. we're using facebook as our platform. there's a creative vibe among the 25 students that is extremely interesting and exciting.

travel --> i will be in LA this weekend, at usc. with luck, i will also be able to see my sister, brother in law, and nephews. with big luck, i'll see them all plus the ocean.

looking toward march 11

today, sarah, john klockner, and i had a great meeting to discuss the september project. mmm, sushi. mmm, new ideas.

sarah presented a new working design for the site. we are trying our best to integrate useful general information with dynamic content.

klockner updated us on his work with google maps. he's been working like crazy on it and has now integrated automation to the process. klockner also got us thinking hard about what a multi-lingual site can and should look like. as the september project continues to grow globally, we are constantly reminded of the importance of language -- or, rather, languages. if klock can implement half of his ideas, the project will not only be spread internationally, it will be accessible internationally.

oh, and we agreed that the september project 06 will launch ... march 11.

launch!

the launch has commenced!

the purpose of this blog is still taking shape but i hope it will be a space where i can share my ideas and experiences in teaching, researching, building, and living.