Its hurting right now… its really hurting !
I know the pain will become unbearable and usually when that happens to me – i just switch myself off and give the world an FU and receed into oblivion……

A month left and still a lot lot lot more to do.
Damn! service based companies and their business plans!
Damn Business Plans!

The only thing that i was really glad about today, was the fact that the internet FINALLY got setup at my place and i saw the network status shine with a lovely ‘green’ light for the first time.
Now i don’t have to go down to school just to use the internet anymore..yippee!

Although, on second thought I wonder if thats a good thing or a bad thing…hmm….

Decided to give the business plan a little break and get back to research. I started to work on the main body of the paper and was pleased by the way i resolved some issues today. At this point, Paul Wells’s system of classification seems to have been a godly intervention – it’s given me the structure and a skeleton to resolve many issues that were just floating around in my head for awhile. i knew they were related in some way or the other, but din’t quite know how. At the moment, it seems to make sense – but only for the moment.
Will see how the meeting with david goes tomorow and what develops henceforth. He went past me in the corridor holding up a ‘victory sign’ and telling me that he would work on my feedback tonight .. haha..

Jasmine and Bugs got me this awesome rubberduckie from their vacation at Queensland.
I love Rubberducks – Thanks guys!
So just in case if anybody out there wants to get me some gifts ever – you know what i’d like.

Just to wrap this entry up – i came across a lovely track called ‘Beyond Skin’ by Nitin Sawhney that i really want to animate to one day. Thats a Mental note right there – Nitin Sawhney Website

I noticed today on my walk to school that my favorite buskers Bonacci and Wood had moved away from their original spot in front of HMV on Bourke St and settled themselves down at the crossing in front of POLITIX.
A little short on cash fellas ?
I doubt it though – how many buskers do you know that have a website and have performed in front of Bill gates ?

“Santos was the opening act for Bill Gates’ keynote speech at the Comdex IT Expo 2001, (MGM Grand, Las Vegas), playing to 17,000 people”-Bonacci and Wood Website

On the other hand, this guy doesn’t ever go anywhere. Over the past one year in melbourne, everytime i have passed by this store (atleast it used to be one) on Swanston St, i have always found this fella sitting there, wearing the same clothes in the same position – its like he is almost a part of the architecture.

Been working on Tim’s stuff and its noo fun – just can’t get myself into it. Been visiting other templates of business plans and looking at the way other people have worked around the problem, but its all just too darn presumptious. Really like the idea of being able to deliver media for handheld formats and then later progress into interactive television .. blah … blah .. blah .. but HOW ?
At the moment, me and mr. bplan have lengthy conversations, that goes somethime like this
- “the IT guy will figure it out!”- says i
- “well! he will!” –
- “Won’t he?” – asks i
- “Ofcourse he will, thats what i am paying him for?” –
- “Aren’t i ?” – asks i again
- “How much?” – asks mr.bp

Oh dear me …so many questions .. what am i to do ?

Maybe go watch ‘Lost in Translation’- yup that sounds just about right ! – doesn’t it ?
ofcourse it does !

Took a long walk from Victoria Barracks to school, hoping to impress myself with a few award winning photographs at the end of the day. Didn’t quite end up capturing the award winning moment through my viewfinder but i did end up with a few interesting vertical panoramic shots of collins st and wandered into the alleyway famous for graffs and stencils (between flinders st and flinders lane) – a must see for anybody visitng melbourne.

Been working on the ‘background section’ of the research paper all day and i can finally see the fog in that part of town thin out slightly. Still have to find the interview with Sylvain Chomet in which he comments about his issues about integration and have to figure out if Alexander Stitt’s interview would help or not… i am sure it would be great to talk to him though. The images are missing, cuz i haven’t quite scanned them in or found the time to hunt for them on my hard drive yet – but soon.
Anyway, this is the first draft of the background –>raj_background.rtf

Realized i should really get something going for Tim’s stuff and been trying to figure that out. The introduction week to the business practices was amazing, but after that its all been pretty vague and confusing. Both the examples sent by Tim have dealt only with products and make no reference to services – so i am a little lost really. Tim’s replies are very helpful but it just seems like there are soooo many things that i need help with at the moment, that email becomes pointless.

Anyway, i guess i just have to make the best use of what i do know and try and put something together asap. Been increasingly interested in instructional content development for pda’s on one side and interactive television on the other. I realize that they are two entirely different mediums, however the content development kits for both come from Macromedia – and thats a relief!

Macromedia’s Mobile and Devices Developer Center
Macromedia Flash on Mobile Devices

Content Development Kits

The content development kit for itv has samples for creating content for ITV platforms that include OpenTV and Microsoft – thats another bonus!
In that context, its probably worth looking into OpenTV’s partner program (which includes Brain Juice – the same company that Channel 9 used to develop their itv content)

What’s really exciting when i think back to the seminar on thursday is the fact that if in reality producers are to become broadcasters in the near future – then in a couple of years it may just be possible for anybody to start up their own little channel from their basement – very much like the numerous internet radio stations listed on winamp’s shoutcast website. Can you imagine what this would add to reality-tv?

This has got to be the most eventful day i’ve had after i got back to melbourne this year – kinda shows how uneventful my past few months have been.

Attended the ‘Interactive Television Seminar’ at the Melbourne Museum today morning and although i was hoping that the seminar would touch on itv content development and what independent production houses can do to become a part of this emerging technology – there wasn’t much emphasis on that area – i guess its probably because itv is still primarily in the hands of the big players like Foxtel and other such vertically integrated firms. So – for now it seems like collaboration with such a firm is probably the best way to go. Overall – it was a pretty good insight into itv and where we are headed. The two facts that stood out for me from the seminar were primarily:
1. Producers will soon take over Broadcasting
2. Theatrical releases for movies = Marketing gimmick for DVD’s and merchandise
Sadly, will not be able to attend the next seminar, but these are interesting reads for now.
Australian Interactive Media Industry Association
Mark Pesce’s Site

Research seems to be coming along pretty okay. David stressed again on the importance of establishing our definitions and use of footnotes wherever we may feel that the flow of the paper may get interrupted by new information. Should get around to sorting out my problems of defining and differntiating between style, look and technique – this has been bugging me for a while, because i know that they are not synonymous in my research but there is a very fine line that ties them together. The fact that a technique contributes to a certain look and style is important. However, look seems like a more generic term and style – more personal. I remember andrea bringing up some interesting points about this – might just revist those.

Ok now… for the moooost exciting bit !!!
“RMIT Film & Video Awards 2004″ awarded “Gifted” Best Film

This is such a shocker – and i believe thats the exact words i used when i got on stage and then i thought back and i was like ‘ shock??’ that was soo not the right word to use – but hey you know me and stage panic – we get along really well.
The trophy is pretty coool and i also got this awwesome DVD Writer from Lacie.

This was so unexpected – i remember sitting there one minute sending an SMS to a complete stranger and then the next minute my name being called out ‘Amkrikajhghooptea’ and then for a brief moment all doubts dissapeared – it had to be me – they just messed up my name for the umpteenth time – again.

Apart from my embarrasing stage performance and terrible choice of words, i guess the only other thing that put me on the spot was the time when i quite loudly pointed out that one of the girls interviewed in the documentary ‘Fan Addicts’ was cute and it so turned out that she was sitting a seat away from me. Not sure – if she heard me.
So remember – NEVER COMMENT ABOUT ANYTHING IN A STUDENT FILM SCREENING – thats Gospel.

I thought ‘History’ by Nick McInerney was very well done and ‘Frank’ by Shona Devlin was very very professionally executed on 16mm – very well edited piece that made the transitions in time absolutely seamless – very impressive. Amongst the documentaries, ‘Cut Outs’ by Cassandra Bakic was informative, creatively executed and the right duration when compared to ‘Fan Addicts’ by Krystel Brown which was a rather humorous piece. Marta’s animated film ‘Top Shelf’ was an impressive collaborative piece with Thomas Pullar and the music was very well done on that film.

The table of contents helped me sort out a structure that i am currently feeling comfortable about – but i am sure that this feeling is ephemeral. Once David gets back to me with feedback, i am sure things will change –>raj_table of contents.rtf

Been late with turning in this ‘table of contents’ – originally due last thursday, but i realize that this extra week gave me just the right amount of time to finish reading the library books that have been in my posession for aaages — well ages = long enough for RMIT Library to send my dad a warning letter threatning to fine me 7US$ per day, if i didn’t return the books in 23 days — ofcourse by the time i realized this – it was the 22nd day.

I am getting increasingly tensed up about Tim’s module. It works in my head theoretically, but i seem to switch myself off as soon as i open up those colorful excel documents… errrrgggh!!

Not exactly my favorite diet, but its just too darn cold outside and when i look around my room .. the only edible items include noodles, cereal, bananas and milk. So yea… thats what i’ve been eating mostly..- not too exciting. But on the brighter side of things, i haven’t spent much money and that probably means i can treat myself to an elaborate dinner one of these evenings (when i am not too tensed about the masters paper).

I’ve also ended up collecting a lot of plastic spoons and forks and we all know how handy they are when you have to dig yourself out of captivity.

Captive ~ thats what i feel
Captive and Lost amongst my own words…….. somewhere….