Home of the GraphicHack©

So me and my fellow photogeeks were planning our trip to Dallas for SPE last night, (more on that later) and instead I got dealt somewhat of a 2x4 to the face.

Thanks to the need for statewide budget cuts, the Board of Regents (the same people who approve tuition hikes every year) have handed down the decision that all of the publicly funded regent colleges (ISU, UI, & UNI) must issue budget reversions for the upcoming school year. So how does this affect mwa? This means that in addition to other cutbacks, there will be less class offerings for students next year, including art & design courses.

These affected classes include all of my upper-level advanced photography courses, which I was planning on taking to graduate by Spring 2010. I have not heard yet as to all of the areas in Design that have been affected, but I am still in shock, and somewhat furious as to why Iowa State is spending millions of dollars on new buildings and renovations, and cutting classes instead. I'm spending more on my education for next year, and getting less classes.

Also, I am supposed to be registering for classes in the next couple weeks, but am not even sure if any of the ones I want to take are still available. All of this on top of the fact that I'm going to Dallas later this week for SPE (Society for Photographic Education)

I will try to have a good time in Dallas regardless of my current situation, and hopefully it will help me take my mind of thinks for a bit. However, at this point my future at Iowa State for next year seems shaky at best. More later. :S

So I recently had the opportunity to see the movie Valkyrie with a good friend of mine, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also came away it with a new found respect for members of the German army, circa World War II. If you have not seen the movie, or are not familiar with the July 20th assassination plot of Aldolf Hitler, I highly recommend that you see it when you can get the chance. Among many things, it helps to provide a fresh view of the situation, and dispel many predetermined ideas that we have associated with the German people as a whole during that time period. While there were indeed many deplorable actions sanctioned during WWII, most of these were carried out by members of the SS, Nazi soldiers, and others Germans who were seduced by Hitler's anti-Jewish sentiment and propaganda. As it stood, the original penned documents for Operation Valkyrie were created for the Führer as a backup plan to keep order in Germany, should something happen to him. With reguards to the original authors of the Declaration of Independence, the key members of the German resistance were basically signing their death warrants, by agreeing to their parts in a plot that twisted Operation Valkyrie against the very man who signed it. These men not only stood in opposition to the icon of the Third Reich, but did so in an attempt to show the world that he did not speak for the entire country. I also found it quite interesting that the five men directly responsible for their parts in the attempt, are still the only members of the German army to be honored within the city of Berlin. While Valkyrie may not be the groundbreaking achievement that Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan was (both directed by Steven Spielberg) in either cinematography or storytelling, it is still and an excellent portrayal of a critical moment in history that could have easily gone either way.

So this is the first real post I have made on this or any other site I am affiliated with, and don't have a good idea on where to start. Trying to layout my whole life up to the present seems pointless, especially since the people reading this probably will have known me for a while. So I guess one of the reasons I am starting to write/post now, is that I have decided to give up FaceBook for Lent, and will be puting my creative energies elsewhere. Posting this blog seemed like a good start towards that endeavor. I will try to post something regularly, whether it be some of my newest photos, current design projects, or just the random thoughts that pass through my head on a daily basis. I am also working on changing the name of my blog, and url address. The one currently posted came to me recently, although it may not be immediately apparent to some of you out there.
(As it stands, most of my circle of friends in Ames have a major or background in computer science, or areas closely related, and are hackers of some kind or another. This is not to imply that any of said activities are illegal in any way, as we are all Christians after all. ;) )

Anyways, I suppose that you have to crawl before you can walk, and this is a good as start as any. For this post I will leave you with a quote from Firefly, a favorite tv show of mine, and one that was unceremoniously canceled by Fox. I highly recommend you watch the series, if you haven't already. It is pretty much amazing, and easily accessible (all 14 episodes) on Hulu.com.

Wash: "Everything looks good from here... (playing with plastic dinosaurs over his console) Yes. Yes, this is a fertile land, and we will thrive."

(as Stegosaurus) "We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... 'This Land'."

(as T-Rex) "I think we should call it...your grave!"

(Stegosaurus) "Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

(T-Rex) "Ha ha HA! Mine is an evil laugh...now die!"

On somewhat of an sidenote, NASA has decided to name their newest module for the International Space Station (ISS) after a name submitted and voted on by the general public. The name with the highest percentage at the time of this post (and for the foreseeable future) is currently "Serenity", which is the name of the Ship on Firefly... that just tickles me g33k! So I'm going to bed now, because I'm tired, and have a busy week ahead of me...Cheers Mate ;)