Web Expressions - Assignment 1
August 31, 2005 | 1 Comment
Alright People. I’m stealing some ideas from one of my friends - Zach Tirrell - on how I’ll be using the blog for this course.
For each class I will provide an outline of the topics I plan to cover. Hopefully we’ll touch on each of these as well as any side topics that might arise.
- What Course is this? :)
- Discuss the Syllabus.
- What are Blogs?
- How will we integrate them into our course?
- Your first assignment is to read this essay on the creative process. Yeah, its kind of a long read and the way it is written is a little odd (there are things repeated multiple times in the same paragraph…which is kind of annoying). Despite all of that it has some good points.
After reading, answer these questions and bring them to class on Friday. We will discuss this article there and I will be asking a few people to tell me their answers. ;)
Here are the questions:
- When are you the most creative?
- What are the necessary conditions for creativity?
CSDI 1200 - Web Expressions Course Syllabus
August 31, 2005 | 1 Comment
Class: Web Expressions (CSDI 1200)
Instructor: Matthew Batchelder
Office: Hyde 3rd Floor, ITS Offices
Phone: 535-2086
Office Hours: I am in my office most of the time between 8AM and 5PM. However, I will make sure I’m there if you call or email me ahead of time.
Email: mtbatchelder (AT) plymouth (DOT) edu
Required Text Book: The Web Wizard’s Guide to Multimedia, James Lengel (publisher: Addison-Wesley, ISBN: 0-201-74561-5)
Meeting Times and Places:
Monday and Friday: Rounds 206, 12:20-1:10.
Wednesday: Memorial 213, 12:20-1:10 Lab.
Exceptions:
We will not be having class on September 26.
Course Description:
Web Expressions teaches students how to have a voice on the Internet. Our philosophy is founded in the principle that the message is the medium. As a result of this course, students will have the skills necessary to effectively express themselves over the Internet. The class will cover five basic modes of expression, static text, interactive text, sounds, images, and animation. Students will select the content for each mode of expression by researching a selected topic. Students will explore the notion of effective communication by reacting to other similar expressions and peer review. After having explored each mode of expression, students will select subject matter for a larger integrated web project that draws from each mode of expression. Students will be expected to review the web expressions of their classmates and provide constructive feedback. In addition to learning about expressing themselves over the Internet, students will be informed of the potential danger of revealing personal information over the Internet, and informed how to make their expressions anonymous. Other issues such as intellectual property, violating the privacy of others, spyware, cookies, netiquette and other topics concerning creating appropriate web expressions will be discussed.
Course Goals and Objectives:
1. Learn about how the web works.
2. Learn how to create web expressions and receive peer feedback to improve the effect your web expression has on others.
3. Learn to effectively critique creative expressions.
4. Learn about the nature of text, image, audio, video, graphic and animation files.
5. Learn about and create a blog.
6. Learn to effectively create blog content through research and other information gathering techniques.
7. Learn to think critically about blog content.
8. Learn about creating and editing the various media.
9. Learn about various types of files used for web pages.
10. Learn about web-based multimedia and the special problems involved in delivering media over the WWW.
11. Learn about designing effective and accessible web pages.
12. Learn to use a variety of common software packages to complete the above objectives.
13. Learn about ethical/privacy considerations of creating web pages.
Evaluation:
30% - Final Project
20% - Assignments
20% - Weblog
20% - Quizzes
10% - Peer Evaluation/Participation
Grade Scale:
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
93-100 - A
90-92 - A-
88-89 - B+
83-87 - B
80-82 - B-
78-79 - C+
73-77 - C
70-72 - C-
68-69 - D+
63-67 - D
60-62 - D-
below 60 - F
Quizzes:
There will be quizzes on Mondays throughout the semester. These will be used by the instructor to provide frequent feedback to ensure that students are making adequate progress in understanding the material. No makeup quizzes will be given. The lowest quiz score will be dropped.
Creative Thought Direction
People need to be creative in order to thrive in our complex and changing world.
People need to understand the creative processes that lead to the generation of ideas and to engage in new interpretations of existing ideas. Creative thought courses encourage students to recognize beauty in its many manifestations and to become aware of formal elements of creative expression.
These courses also encourage students to view themselves as creative beings, to appreciate creativity in others, and to regard creativity as an essential component in all areas of human endeavor. In these courses, students develop and value perseverance and a tolerance for ambiguity. Students are challenged to appreciate aesthetic forms, to use their imaginations, and to develop the skills and attitudes that allow creativity to flourish: independence and non-conformity, the ability to organize and reorganize information, and the confidence to think in new ways.
Creative Thought courses emphasize the skills of critical thinking, reading, writing, listening and speaking, and working with information technology.
Peer Review and Creative Expression:
Students will be challenged to provide constructive feedback in response to creative expressions produced by students in class. The feed back will follow guidelines provided in class geared to creating a productive dialog around developing creative works. Students will read several essays by artists addressing their creative process to better understand the creative processes that lead to the generation of ideas and to engage in new interpretations of existing ideas.
Class Philosophy:
This course is driven by your interests and passions. The nature of this course is to teach you how to most effectively express your ideas, interests, and creations on the World Wide Web. . In addition there are a number of concepts that you will be held accountable for. These concepts are important to your effective use of the Internet, such as ethical and social aspects of using and creating expressions on the web. You are expected to participate in all modes of expression covered in class, but you should not have to memorize large quantities of information. In order to avoid the need to memorize you should keep a good set of notes. All quizzes will be open notes, so it is important that you take notes from your readings as well as keeping notes on how to do a number of technical tasks. You should find your notes useful in the future when you develop other web expressions.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance will not be taken in class or lab. However, every student is responsible for everything covered, even if it is not in the text.
Academic Honesty:
Issues of copyright and attributing original sources are particularly important in this course. These topics will be covered in this course, but it is important to realize from the first day of this course that you must accurately represent work that you have created originally versus work that consists of elements from other authors/creators. A safe guideline is to very clearly attribute the work of others, and use content from other people sparingly in your own work. I reserve the right to individually question students about their homework assignments and labs to have the student explain his or her answers to me. If you are unable to explain your answers when I ask, you will not be given credit for the assignment or lab. Such a situation constitutes plagiarism and you are referred to the Student Handbook for a description of the possible consequences of such academic dishonesty.
(Syllabus format is loosely based off of Evelyn Stiller’s Web Expression syllabus)
Most Popular MMORPG
August 29, 2005 | 15 Comments
Well, as expected, Blizzard has once again created the most popular game of a given category! In a press release on Blizzard’s site they announced meeting the 1 million paying customer mark in the US! Bringing the total of paying customers world wide to over 4 million. Assuming ~4 million customers @ $15/month…thats $60,000,000 every month. $720,000,000 dollars in a year (assuming the membership stays at around 4 million). Thats a lot of cash.
Its just amazing how this industry has been growing…A number of companies have been in the MMORPG market for a while, but it has been Blizzard’s World of Warcraft that has brought the industry to its full light. Blizzard’s followers from the hit Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo series seemed to have simply followed the Genious company into their new realm of domination…and they brought their friends and family :) With numbers this high in the MMO industry (and growing) who knows what this could hold for the future!
World of Warcrack and the future of MMOGs
August 29, 2005 | 19 Comments
Contents:
I began gaming in the early 90’s. Looking back at what gaming was then compared to what it is today causes me to do a double take. Things have changed so much so fast. Of particular note is the Online Gaming industry. What started out as geek-only text-based fantasy games has morphed into a globe encompassing communication/entertainment mega-games….Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). Before I explain my awe when it comes to these games, I’ll start out with a short definition and a little history.
What are MMOGs?
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (a.k.a. MMOG, MMO, MMORPG) are pay-to-play games where a player interacts with an evolving game-world and hundreds (to thousands) of other players at the same time. Within these games, players typically wander around killing monsters, collecting/crafting items, creating organizations, and often times Player Killing (hunting down other players and killing them for experience, loot, or simply just for fun). In addition to the above…MMOGs tend to be highly addictive! I, myself, have been prone to spurts of MMOG addiction :)
A Brief History
I suppose the best way to fully understand these MMOGs is to see where they come from. Back in the ancient days of 1977, the first MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) was born. These geek-only games of sweetness gained popularity due to their ability to connect like-minded fantasy buffs to interact with eachother in a text-based reality, however, the popularity remain primarily in the geek community due primarily to the fact that most MUDs contained no graphics beyond ASCII art. While cool to some, many people found them fairly boring…I mean sheesh. read?!. (I was one of those geeks that played MUDs… EotL to be exact)
It wasn’t until 1997 when Ultima Online launched that MMOGs began to really take off. Ultima Online reached 100,000 users fairly quickly which spurred a whole industry of MMOGs with a variety of gaming engines, rules, and monthly price ranges. Some of the most popular: Asheron’s Call (AC), Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC), EverQuest (EQ), Ultima Online (UO), and the fairly new World of Warcraft (WoW).
Why Are MMOGs So Popular?
Oooo Doggy. Good question. MMOGs aren’t just games for geeks anymore. As the games become more advanced and appealing to the eye, more and more people are buying the games and paying the monthly fees. All types of people! Geeks, teachers, athletes, construction workers, housewives, etc!
- Its a Role-Playing Game.
MMOGs allow us to be an object of our own fantasy and participate in a world with very loose rules that allow us expose us to experiences when we want to experience them. In WoW I have the freedom to create a character that walks around being a bastard to people: swearing at them; stealing their items; player killing defenseless characters (griefing). While at the same time I could make a second character that is the perfect angel. Always willing to help those in need; an active contributing member of a guild; a good party member. I could make a third character with a whole different personality. Thats the beauty of it, you can play how you want with minimal fear of Real Life retaliation. You are simply a character on a screen, nothing more. When you get tired, you simply log off the game and you are back to your real life. A co-worker of mine directed me to this essay that explains this mode of thought:
If you don’t understand the gravitational pull of an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), I’m going to enlighten you with just a dozen words: you get to pick what you look like and what your talents are.
That’s the real beauty of it. The first thing you do in the MMORPG World of Warcraft is design your own body and decide what your strengths will be. You pick your race. What could be more seductive than that, the ability to turn in all of the cards you were dealt at birth and draw new ones from a face-up deck? If you have friends who’ve gotten sucked into the WoW black hole and you don’t understand why they never talk to you any more, this is it. I remember being a chubby teenager with bad skin and astigmatism and pants that didn’t fit quite right. What would I have given to be reborn as a strapping warrior with rippling pecs and armor of hammered silver?
On that kid’s screen now is a dozen noble warriors of exotic races, brandishing elaborate weapons and charging a gigantic demon across a fire-scarred mountaintop. The dwarf next to him is controlled by an accountant planted at his own computer in Cleveland, two babies sleeping in the next room and his pregnant wife on the sofa. The robed priest in the back casting healing spells is actually a 250-lb. ex-gangster, playing from the computer lab of a maximum security prison in Pennsylvania. The elf on his left, sprinting and drawing his mighty magical bow, is the digital body of a wheelchair-bound 12 year-old girl in Miami.
- For some its the social aspect of the game. For example:
I get my kicks from MMOGs for this very reason. Most MMOGs have some ability to create in-game organizations (in WoW they are called Guilds) and from these organizations grows in-game politics. Bylaws are often created; characters vie for rank; hierarchies are established; there are inter-guild events and disputes. It may seem silly at first glance because its “all a game,” but more often than not these organizations are taken very seriously by their members - despite the fact that they may have a guild name like “Vicious Chickens of Bristol” - and many Real Life friendships can be won and lost. So whats the draw? The ability to socialize with people from around the world and organize under one purpose. People are simply drawn to structure and conflict. I am. I love it :)
- Yet another reason for MMOG popularity is the story.
MMOGs typically have a wonderfully rich background story that explains the hows and whys of the virtual world. World of Warcraft (yes, I’m using WoW as the example again because I love it so :) ) has a very wonderful story line that allows its characters to participate in quests that unfold the WoW story to that user. The quests can be anything from a short delivery quest where you take one item from point A to point B, or it can be a whole chain of quests that build up an epic plot, OR it can be a comedic side story that gives an amusing reward. In WoW there are hundreds of quests and every few months many more are added/tweaked. The world is constantly evolving giving those that thrive on storylines plenty of story to keep them active for months and months on end!
What MMOGs Have Become
MMOGs have become an addiction and a communication powerhouse.
I’m a World of Warcraft addict. I play a Human Priest (named Heuric) and help run a guild called the Crimson Eagles. The scary thing is, is the fact that I get so excited even talking about the game (whether verbally or typing). It has become a very real part of my social life. And before you can ask the question, I’ll answer it: No, it is not my only social life…I spend maybe 5-15 hours a week in the game. Seem like a lot to you? Well, I’m considered an almost non-active member in my guild. There are people I know that spend almost all their time at home playing these games…sometimes more than 40 hours a week!
You see…weekends allow for game play times of 10+ hours straight! I have been known to do this and have also been known to forget to eat because of it. Yeah. I often suffer from the “five more minutes….I just need to kill 3 more” syndrome. Well sometimes I don’t miss just one meal…I sometimes may miss 2 and on a couple of rare occasions I have missed 3. Remember when I said that I am considered pretty inactive? Scary huh? Thank god I have a wife that keeps me in line :) (I only miss meals when I’m home alone)
Its an MMOG addiction. And I’m not alone. There are over 3 Million people in the world that own and play World of Warcraft…and thats just one game!
Ten years ago when I wanted to talk to one of my friends, I’d call them up on the phone. 7 years ago I’d e-mail them. 4 years ago I’d instant message them. Now…I log in to WoW. There they all are, running around PKing in Alterac Valley; questing in Searing Gorge; trading in Iron Forge; raiding in UBRS; or grinding in the Western Plaguelands. (all locations in WoW). Despite the fact that they are all doing their own thing, I can type or pop on a headset microphone and and talk to them. We plan get togethers, discuss work, news, politics, religion, etc…right there in game.
MMOGs have become a source of income (and I’m not talking companies)
WTF!?!?! Yeah. People can play for money. While generally frowned upon by both the companies that produce the games and by the average player, the buying and selling of accounts, items, and in-game currency has become a very profitable business. Here’s an article at TechAngel that talks of a man that makes ~$1,800 a month! In this article at 1up.com they explain how game profiteers are establishing Gaming Sweatshops in China, India, Mexico, etc where people are forced to play outrageous hours farming in-game currency for measely wages ($0.59/hour).
This is bad on multiple levels…first and foremost, the workers work long hours for very little money and are placed in situations where if the quit their jobs they’d lose their homes too. Its also bad for in-game economy. (yes, these virtual worlds have their own economy) These gold farmers jack up the prices of items causing many under-handed players to resort to purchasing money on E-bay and various game currency reseller sites…just to purchase a rare item in game! Its amazing to what lengths someone will go simply for the satisfaction of attaining certain items and a certain in-game status.
Where are MMOGs going?
They aren’t leaving any times soon, thats for darn sure. I can speculate that they will continue to grow in popularity and be taken more seriously. Even now we are seeing how serious some are taking these ‘games.’ MSNBC has an article where one man killed another because an in-game sword was stolen…Its a sad story that shows just how real some people believe these to be:
Qui went to the police to report the “theft” but was told the weapon was not real property protected by law.
“Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him,” the court was told.
More and more online gamers were seeking justice through the courts over stolen weapons and credits, the newspaper said at the time the case went to trial.
“The armor and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them,” Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing’s Renmin University of China, was quoted as saying.
As these incidents occur (and mark my words…more will come) what laws will be birthed because of them? Southeast Asia tends to be on the bleeding edge of gaming/tech culture and obsession. It is here that many of the ‘firsts’ occur (such as the murder mentioned above). Because of these incidents they are attempting to prevent them with some interesting laws:
- China limits MMO time to teens
- Woman Arrested for deleting MMORPG items
- Man arrested in Japan for Virtual Mugging
What laws will carry over world wide? Will there be Real Life implications for what we do in game? Only time will tell…and I will be watching the clock with curiosity and a wary mind.
UPDATE (9/7/2005):
It seems that Slashdot has a post going on how WoW is now the 800-pound gorilla in the room…the big question from the New York Times:
WoW is now the 800-pound gorilla in the room. I think it also applies to the single-player games. If some kid is paying $15 a month on top of the initial $50 investment and is devoting so many hours a week to it, are they really going to go out and buy the next Need for Speed or whatever? There is a real fear that this game, with its incredible time investment, will really cut into game-buying across the industry.’ What is the Slashdot opinion on World of Warcraft’s impact on the gaming industry?
Organic Light-Emitting Diode
August 24, 2005 | 2 Comments
Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) - for those of you that don’t know - is an LED based off of an organic compound (called a luminophore). Its a cheaply fabricated LED. I have heard about this technology off and on over the years but recently as I have been salivating over LCDs and crying over their costs, my focus has been turned towards this technology with curiosity and a longing for it to be mainstream. Oh, and when I refer to the sexiness of OLEDs, I am actuallyreferencing Cambridge Display Technologies’ (CDT) implementation of them as Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes (PLED). So, what are the advantages of OLED displays over LCDs?
- Cheap - this means flat panel displays, if this technology catches on like we can hope it will, will become MUCH more affordable…they are expected to have a 20-40 percent cost advantage over LCDs
- Thin and Flexible - OLED can be printed onto flexible material allowing for ultra-thin, ultra-bendy displays! Wikipedia mentions roll-up displays and displays embedded in clothing.
- Contrast - Unlike LCD, OLED doesn’t require backlighting! Backlighting in LCDs prevents those displays from possessing a true ‘black’…in the absence of backlighting, OLEDs are able to achieve a large variation of contrast, color, and viewing angles.
- Efficient - OLEDs are NOT power hogs. Due to the fact that they emit their own light and do not require backlighting, they do not consume the power that their LCD cousins do.
This technology sounds very very sexy…why hasn’t it become full mainstream yet? Well, like all fairly new technologies there are kinks to work out. OLEDs have a few glaring problems:
- Color Lifespans - It seems in OLEDs, colors have a lifespan. The colors Red and Green have achieved lifespans of over 20,000 hours (over 2.2 years) but blue supposedly hasn’t done so well. CDT claims they have a blue OLED with a lifespan of over 100,000 hours. (thats ~11 years)
- Patents - As always, new technologies are held back by patents. Kodak is the culprit in this case. For now, any company that wishes to use OLEDs needs to acquire a license.
It seems this display technology has promise and is overcoming its limitations. I look forward to the cheap, disposable displays of tomorrow but also shudder to think what revolutions to the advertising industry this may birth…with a flexible and cheap display, just imagine where companies will think to put their dynamic ads.
In the mean time, there are some companies that are moving forward with actual devices that make use of this technology…one that I am particularly excited about is the Optimus Keyboard
(other OLED sources: OLED Info, OLED Today, Overview of OLED Display Technology (pdf))
ASCII Star Wars
August 24, 2005 | 8 Comments
I’ve never seen this…perhaps I’m a little late. Fine. I’m about a decade too late. Star Wars Episode IV done in complete animated ASCII art. Very cool. Being such a huge Star Wars fan, I’m unsure how this escaped my radar completely but it did until my co-worker Jon received a sweet e-mail telling how to access it which he graciously forwarded to me. w00t!
Instructions:
- Open a telnet window (a windows Command Prompt would do fine)
- type: telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
- watch and enjoy :)
For more sweet Star Wars video action, you should check out the video a bunch of us at work thought of and created: Watto Pr0n!
Ducky Chicken Finger
August 18, 2005 | 3 Comments
My wife Abby and I have an old cat (Scout). She’s 13 years old and is a house cat-turned outdoor cat-turned house cat. With our new apartment on the third floor, Scout has to stay inside most of the time and seems fairly bored…even with people in the apartment. Abby and I have been discussing getting another cat but had been stalling for one reason or another…until tonight.
I went to Zach’s house with Jon and Zach (obviously) after work today to work on our sweet website MasterWish. While there, Sara (Zach’s wife), brought home three homeless kittens (Black, Red, and White-ish Red)! They were fairly dirty so promptly received baths and afterwards I held the black one in a towel to keep it warm. As it sat in my hands our eyes met, a flea jumped onto my hand (which I promptly killed), and it was meant to be. I grinned to my friends as I picked up the phone and called my wife. The conversation went something like this:
Me: “Hi Wife. I’m holding a wet kitten, can I keep it?”
Wife: “Um.”
Zach (in the background): “You should have said you had your hands on a wet pussy.”
Me: “Hi. I have my hands on a wet pussy. Can I keep it? Do you want to drive down to Z’s house to see these three kittens that Sara brought home so we can have one?”
Wife: “Sure. See you in a few minutes.”
Abby agreed that the black one was a keeper (the other two will find their way to a Humane Society) and we were left to think of a name. Now, when the kittens came out of their baths, Jon named them Chicken Finger (the black one), Duck Sauce (the red one), and Crab Rangoon (the whiteish red one)…well, we weren’t too keen on keeping Chicken Finger for our little black cat (save for making Chicken Finger its middle name) so debated all the way home on what the little fur ball’s name would be. Abby thought of the name ‘Ducky’ and it seemed to fit as the kitten has a gimpy left hind leg and waddles like a duck when it walks (sorta). So…the official name of the new cat is Ducky Chicken Finger
Deleting the Internet
August 18, 2005 | 4 Comments
I am always talking about deleting the internet. I have finally written a script that will traverse the ENTIRE internet (regardless of security) and delete everything. We’re talking images, video, text documents, pdfs, security files, EVERYTHING. It took me a while to code, but I believe it will work. I have not yet tested it as I don’t want to be the one targeted by the media. If you feel so inclined to test the script: click here.
(photo courtesy of: FreeWebs.com)
Nummy Nummy. Cultured Meat.
August 18, 2005 | Leave a Comment
Imagine:
“Its Tuesday morning, you crawl out of bed, shower and dress. Today is a good day. Just yesterday you received that promotion at work putting you in charge of the whole north wing! After quickly showering and dressing, you head to work with a smile and a cup of coffee.
You pull into your assigned parking space and walk into the building and head for your office. You wave to Jon and Cliff as you pass, they grin and wave then turn back to their sheets of meat they had just been exercising. Ah…you love your job. You grow sheets of homegrown meat. Goodbye to the days of yesterday when Butchers were kings! HELLO to today, the wonderful world of Cultured Meat!”
WTF?! Yeah, you read that right. Cultured meat. I read an article on Gizmag about this very thing. NASA started it all with experiments showing that with a single cell, small amounts of meat can be cultured for human consumption. Now if that doesn’t sound appetizing, I don’t know what is. This idea is picking up some steam and being taken semi-seriously in the fake-meat-market (check out this organization: New Harvest). NASA began with small amounts of meat, but imagine this being mass-produced! Huge meat shops where processed meats are grown on a sheet opposed to harvested from live animals. Despite all the weirdness of this, there may be some “benefits.” The meat could be altered in a way to provide healthier doses of nutrients with each slice of bacon; the growth of this meat may be more cost effective than growing/killing livestock; etc.
One of the biggest hurdles…getting the meat texture right. Humans are big suckers for wanting their steak to feel like steak rather than having the texture of oatmeal or tofu chunks. But just because we can grow it, doesn’t mean the meat won’t have to exercise. That’s how they plan on getting a chicken leg to feel like a chicken leg…exercise it. At least you’ll be able to bite into a cultured burger knowing that it wasn’t a couch potato.
(other references: MSNBC.com and FoodProductionDaily)
(photo courtesy of Univ. of Maryland)
WTF? Dinosaurs?
August 16, 2005 | 20 Comments
Wow. I came across this over at Qwantz. It seems this guy has a comic that uses the same image for each edition…all with different text. The one below is by far my favorite.
The Saga Continues
August 16, 2005 | 3 Comments
I received a reply back from my “non” Mennonite “friend” in Canada that I introduced in Don’t Use the Internet. His reply was quite entertaining and many of my co-workers were very happy to share the e-mail around the office. Of particular note, this “friend” wishes to create a new internet! He also went through lengths to tell me of his credit situation, his religious background, etc. I asked that he elaborate more on his New Internet and I look forward to his reply. Check DontUseTheInternet.com for those ongoing e-mails :D
In all actuality, the guy seems nice enough…he’s just e-mailing some entertaining stuff!
Whee.
Managerese
August 15, 2005 | 1 Comment
So my manager decided to make a sweet pep-talk video. Check it out here (its a Real Media file) He was hoping to mimic the manager from The Office. This is quite the funny video around the office and we all sit with fingers crossed that there won’t be a sequel :D
Don’t Use the Internet
August 15, 2005 | 1 Comment
Oh man. Friday I bought the domain name DontUseTheInternet.com. The purpose of the site will be to blog all kinds of complaints as to why we should boycott the internet…on the internet. Anyhow, that same day I purchased the domain, some dude up in Canada was looking at that domain name too. He saw that I had purchased it and decided to send me the following e-mail:
Hi, Matt.
I’m D____ F_______, from ________ Canada, … and I love using the internet, and often look for interesting domains.Wow, I couldn’t believe it as I had a brainwave to suddenly check out your domain name, just to see if someone bought such a unique domain name such as yours of …
www.DontUseTheInternet.com
And guess what, I see that just yesturday, you bought it, too … wow, what coincidence.
I doubt if I would have ever bought the name, myself, but who knows, and if I would have, I would have been so dissappointed that I missed buying it by one day.
Anyway, I suppose I am curious just as to why you would actually buy a domain such as this?
Is it just for unique novel purposes (such as to what I would have used it for), or is it that you actually do not believe in using the net, if I may ask?
Ok, well pleased to have made your aqquaintance, and if you don’t reply, well I will just have to return to your site, sometime and check it out to see what you will put up on it (as at present you only have the “parent dir” on it).
bye for now, D_____
To which I replied:
Hi, D_____
I don’t believe in using the internet. Everytime someone uses it, God kills a puppy.
-Matt
Domain Name Junkie
August 12, 2005 | 3 Comments
I’ll say it right out. I’m a domain name junkie. It didn’t start out that way…heck I owned only one or two domain names for my entire time at college. It was about a year ago that I began my problem. I’d get an idea, no matter how unbelievably stupid/odd/etc and then head straight to Go Daddy and buy one. Why? In case I’d ever have the urge to go forward with that idea and try to make a buck or have a few laughs. (watch for SeeMeGroan.com) I’ve purchased/renewed 19 domains this year costing my about $151.05…and the sad part is I use less than half of them. Here are the ones I use:
Abby Batchelder
BorkWeb
Crimson Eagles
Don’t Use the Internet (this one will be used by this weekend)
Master Wish
Matt Batchelder
Uber-Geeks
Is having so many domains a problem? Well, maybe. It hurts my wallet at times but on the flip side its nice to get an idea and grab my spot on the internet before someone else does. That way, if I ever get around to making something that makes me money…well, it’ll have a home!
Site Revamp
August 12, 2005 | Leave a Comment
Ok. So I’ve owned this domain for almost six years and I have never done anything with it save for hosting other sites on subdirectories…I have decided to change that. It will now be home to my blog. You must feel lucky having read this. That is all.
