AN UPDATE ON NEW MEDIA 2020

Well you may have read my first post about my nmed 2020 class... needless to say i wasnt very impressed with the class. But today is the day we hand in our first project... the Photoshop self-portrait. This class has taken a turn from what i thought would be a tough class with a tough teacher to a very enjoyable class that perfectly breaks-up the usual days of crunching numbers and writing reports.

Here is my Self-Portrait titled "The Road That Must Be Traveled".

**PLEASE NOTE: This is my first time using photoshop, the program is tough to learn at the beginning but im just starting now to get a good feel for it.**

This is what the picture means to me, and the reason i did it this way....

This picture’s meaning is based upon my University graduation at the end of April. I really wanted to be insightful with this image and began to look deeper inside of me and what I would be feeling at the end of the semester. The more I though about it, the more I realized how tough of a decision I will have to make. I will have so many possible routes to take such as: get a career, travel, more schooling, summer job or Edmonton Police Service. The more I thought about it the more difficult I knew the decision was going to be.

The fork in the road represents the choice I have to make, and the sign with many arrows represents all the possibilities I have. The sign is outlined in gold because all of the choices (paths) are good choices, there will be no wrong choice when I end up making my decision. The flaming piece of paper is a map that means I have no real direction, there is no one that can tell me the correct route to get somewhere because it has to me who must find the right route, even if it takes me more than one attempt.

In the picture of myself I have ripped jeans, facial hair and messy hair. These are supposed to give the impression that my journey (through university) was a long, difficult process. Lastly, my dark body is put into contrast against my bright blue eyes. I wanted the viewer to feel that what was ahead of me was a positive choice, even though the decision will be very tough, I am happy to have to choose it because ahead of me is a promising future.

CHANGING PATHS - ITS NEVER TOO LATE

Yesterday at the University of Lethbridge was the bi-annual career fair. Every semester i seem to sonter through looking mainly at the financial institutions and banks only. As i walk through i think to myself how great my life will be like if everything i worked for in University plays out how i think it will in my head. Out of the corner of my eye i see two women dressed in police uniforms from EPS (Edmonton Police Service). Instantly my path to class changes as i quickly head to chat with them. Instanly i am reminded of my child-hood and teen-age dream to become a police officer. Thoughts begin coming back about how much i would love the job and how great i feel i would be at it.

As i continued my chat with the two EPS officer's I discovered that there was an information session later that night for a few hours... i had to go... even though i had class i could care less, this could be a huge change in my life and my future.

At the hour and a half information session i couldnt help but fall madly in love with the idea of being an officer myself. I began to wonder if my current 4 years of University(that will be up in april) would all be for nothing. How is it possible that i could change career paths this late in life?

Well, one day later i realized how easy it was for myself to change paths and how hard it would be for individuals with full-time jobs, a family and a mortage to change professions. If i decide to go the EPS route i have a tonne of information now about it and a dream that seems to be larger than my Business Admintration Management/Finance Degree.







OR....












Mark Twain once said...

"Don't let school get in the way of education."

Whichever path i choose i will never regret school or going to University. When you go to University you arent just learning about that subject, your learning life skills and finding who you are. I wont feel bad if i never use my degree for what its worth because ive learned 100 times as much about myself and who i am at University. I truly beleive that is the most important thing about going to post-secondary.

THE POWER OF THE INTERNET

Somethings really amaze me. Today i feel particularially amazed at the power of the internet. The amount of people that have access to the internet and its ability to connect two people anywhere in the world. It truly is a virtual world-wide marketplace. This is one story about a 26 year old named Kyle MacDonald. Kyle started out simply wanting a house, there was however, one major problem... all he had was one red paperclip. Using the power of the internet he succefully traded that red paper clip for a pen, then the pen for a doorknob. 14 trades later he traded one movie role for a house in Kipling Saskatchewan.



This is the red paper clip Kyle started with.




This is the house that Kyle ended up with.



If you would like to read more about this incredible story click this link...

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/2005/07/one-doorknob.html

Kyle started something big with his new concept. I beleive he has taken the limit of the internet to a whole new level.

BACK ON SKATES - THE BEST PAIN

Well it was my first time back on skates since last year and it was a big eye opener. I haven't played in a structured hockey league for over 5 years now, mainy just getting time on the ice at local out-door rink shacks. But on Wednesday night my team, The Fighting Semen were able to squeak out a win against Jack and Jills. It was the first game in the University of Lethbridge Intermurals ice hockey league. It was a touch start being down early 2-0. Our team rebounded in the second half (only periods of play) with 3 straight goals to take the lead. With only 22 seconds left and the score now tied up at 3-3, a fighting semen player quickly cut behind the Jack and Jill's last defender on a breakaway. He tried a deke but the goalie stopped him, fortunately he slammed on the brakes, got his own rebound and wired it home. The final score... 4-3 for the good guys.

I had a terrible start to the game forgetting how little cardio I do these days. Only being able to do 30 second shifts before collapsing on the bench. But there is nothing better than the feeling you get the next day. The pain that proves you worked your ass off and lying in bed unable to move your legs without the help of your arms. I haven't been to the gym to workout in a long time because during the summer I have a very physically demanding job and the last thing I want to do after hauling logs and brush is put my body through anymore scrutiny. But I completely forgot how incredible the "Next Day Pain" can feel.

My next game is on Monday, Sept 25th... and im not sure if im looking more forward to the hockey game or waking up Tuesday morning barely able to walk to class. Im back in hockey... and couldn't be more ecstatic!!

INSPIRING MILLIONS

In my first blog I wrote about how I was off to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Sunday, September 17th. All in all, the concert was amazing, an incredible light show with CD quality sound. The only draw back I have is that my favourite RHCP song was not on the roster, they didn’t play “Under the Bridge”. However, I won’t hold it against them since all the songs they chose were great none the less.

During the concert I couldn’t help but stare up in amazement at the glazed over eyes of my fellow concert goers. Everyone at the concert stood up for over two hours hanging onto the every word Anthony Kiedis sang, every movement from Flea, the hard hitting drums of Chad Smith and the wicked solo’s from John Frusciante.

I’m not sure if it was the $7.50 per glass of overpriced keg beer burning a hole in my pocket or maybe it was the small buzz I got from the row of under aged teens in front of me smoking their cheap weed. But throughout the whole concert I kept looking up and asking myself how can four people influence a generation like these four have. Ive wanted to be a rock star since i new what music was, unfortunately for me i have no rhythm and cant carry a tune in a bucket. But staring up at the rock band on stage and looking around at the 15,000+ fans moving to their every sound made me amire them more than i ever have. Musicians have the ability to influence a generation unlike anyone else. Their songs can change moods, emotions and even change the lives of their listeners. Music is a very powerful tool, and with comes great respect from true fans like myself.

EMPTY PROMISES

Well, my name is The Fish Finder and my #1 hobby is fishing, so ultimately I figure that I should do a blog about fishing. This is more of a rant against the new conservation strategy here in my home province Alberta. After skimming back through the old Conservation Strategy that was for the 5 year period beginning in 2000, I am reminded of the empty promises by our Government. I appologize in advance because this is probably going to be a long blog.

Although there are many areas to comment on and argue points such as habitat maintenace, fish-use allocation, funding, protection of waterbodies and the protection of fish. As far as I'm concerned it all boils down to two major problems: Poor Management and Funding. Here is a link to the Conservation Strategy. http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fw/fishing/pdf/FishConservStrat.pdf

I will first discuss Funding. We need to put more money back into the fisheries and manage that money with more care. Unfortunately, the Government believes it should be a "user-pays" philosophy, basically meaning that only those who fish should be forced to pay for it. Now, this system could actually work except for the major problem that all proceeds from fishing license sales go directly into the governments General Revenue category. This dollar amount then gets spread among all areas of government funding, instead of it going directly back into the fisheries department. How are there supposed to be any changes when our money does not even go back into our own division.

Secondly, Poor Management goes hand in hand with lack of funding. Since 2000 there has been a decrease in the amount of conservation jobs to patrol our lakes. So how do they expect to see a decrease in the amount of poaching and illegal acts on the lakes. Here is a small exerpt taken from a local fishing board by a fellow named kinnickinnick. The fine structure "...For offenders [in Alberta has remained] unchanged since 87'. No significant changes of fish limits or size limits to keep older mature fish breeding (one of their biggest points). Derbies and tournaments going unchecked as per their strategy (5 years and nothing, there are still catch and kill derbies). Create more and better habitat (all I have seen in all my looking is stream habitat rehab. One or 2 spawning beds for lakes to which the specie they target are predominantly stream spawners), and no new initiatives..."

I for one, do not keep my fish, I enjoy the sport of fishing and the act of Catch and Release. I continue to be amazed me at the numerous number of times I have seen fellow fisherman abuse the regulations day after day. Pertaining to both size limits and amount of fish to be kept. Basically what I want to say to the Albertian Government is PUT MORE MONEY INTO OUR FISHERIES, THEY NEED IT!!

I would like to end with a rather humorous quote from the same man as before, kinnickinnick. It pertains to the amount of money the government spends on hunting and wildlife regulations and how tough those regulations are compared to Alberta's fisheries regulations.

"Maybe we should graft fur on some of these fish, it seems everything else but fish in this province gets more attention."

A TOUGH BEGINNING

Well, another school year has arrived and I feel virtually the exact same as every other year... execpt one minor detail. THIS IS MY LAST YEAR!! It doesnt feel any different but im sure come April when i walk out of my last final exam it will feel different. A good difference? A bad difference? I have no idea but im sure it will feel different.

Today was the first day of my New Media class. It was a little shocking. When i registered in this class it seems to me like it was going to be an easy GPA booster. Unfortuantely my professor seems rather old-fashioned. We are only given 4 absences total afterwich we are kicked out of class and failed! Im sorry but this is my only Friday class so i was expecting many extra long weekends that i would be able to go home for. Oh well, hopefully all goes well... I wonder how he will react when i have to miss two classes next week for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Concert in Edmonton...

Stay Tuned.