The Future Is Nine Weeks Away

On April 29, 2011, I will have officially completed the Creative Communications program at Red River College. This date is only about nine weeks away, and I can't believe how excited I am for it to arrive.

I love my days at RRC, but my career awaits!

I met several people today while I filmed in a downtown firm that reminded me of how much I needed a change from what I had been doing a few years ago. These people genuinely looked happy in their careers–the way every person should be. The job I left several years ago to attend college barely got me out of bed in the morning, and it was ruining my body. I was reminded that it is truly a gift to find something you enjoy and are committed to each morning you wake up.

In the next few weeks I will be in the final push to complete my major assignments. My experiences at the college will soon be over. I already know it's going to be an emotional time, but all good things must come to an end. I've accomplished so much in the last two years, and I have a lot to be proud of. I am convinced its made me a better person.

In the least, its corrected my grammer (grammar, kidding).

The entire experience has reflected a mirror on my own potential. I will leave RRC with more confidence in my ability than I have had in my entire life. The most valuable lesson college has taught me is this;

You're never too old to learn if you're willing to learn.

My "soon to be" novel

In a few short weeks I will present my Independent Professional Project that I have been working on for nearly the past twelve months. Back in March 2010, the students in the program I am attending all had to propose a project that would be professional material upon its completion, and something that would stand out as being a major body of work.

I chose to write the novel you see above. This is just one design I've toyed around with as I have yet to shop it around to a publisher. In the material world, it is yet to exist. But in the next 48 hours, my novel will be a finished story from beginning to end. This is a very exciting thing for me to say becuase I had my doubts at times that I would be able to finish the writing. I kept a separate blog that was associated with OurGlass as well. You can read it here.

There is still work to be done that will carry this project past my graduation (publisher, feedback, potential agent), but I don't mind this reality. It's an opportunity to claim my position as an author. I'm not about to put this amount of effort into a novel and then let it sit on a shelf. I'm going to press ahead and make it happen.

I like writing. Period. If OurGlass doesn't sell, that's fine. There are other ideas that I've had to set aside while I've been in college. The world of publishing is a harsh mistress. That's why I have so much respect for authors who have a book in print. I have a small idea of what it took to get there. It's a long path that's filled with sacrifices. But in the end, you just hope that a few people genuinely like your work.

If I've worked hard and tried my best, that's not too much to ask for.

1958: Two Pet Hamsters

There are times in CreComm that the workload is overwhelming, but I always manage to get it done. Certain projects come along though that don't feel like they'll be work at all.

In a few short days I will have the pleasure of filming Al Simmons, children's entertainer, for my TV Documentary Production class at Red River College. I will be recording a couple of Al's performances during an upcoming festival, and through the film I hope to gain some insight into his 40 year career.

My wife and I saw one of Al's performances a year ago in Winnipeg and we thoroughly enjoyed his blend of whimsy, fun, and cleverness.

I will film Al as much as possible and this weekend he has invited me out to film at his home. Al has been excited about my project from the very start and I think he will be very fun to work with. Through our phone conversations and emails he's been a very friendly and helpful guy.

Our class only received this assignment last week, so I'm glad that its off to a strong start. My finished project isn't due until April, so I'll have lots of time to edit; which could be hard. As this is a short documentary, there is the potential that a lot of my footage won't be used.

Darn...

Start licking stamps, the Internet is used up!

Truthfully, my title is a bit misleading and is only intended for humour. But if someone told you that all the IP addresses in the world had been used up, would you worry? This is the story that I heard in my car on my way home from classes, and when I heard about it my first thought was, that can't be good. Like the constant spikes in gasoline prices, my next thought was that someone could make a killing (financially) off of a problem like this.

The main story I heard on the radio was taken from content I read on this CBC news story.

It's fairly easy to describe the problem using an analogy were all familiar with; the telephone. Many cities and communities have had to adapt their telephone systems over the years because there was a limited number of 10-digit combinations that can be issued. I recall a time from my youth when our family only needed the last four digits to make a local call.

Damn I'm old.

I soon learned that people far more educated than me were on top of this recent problem and quickly developing IPv6, the replacement for IPv4. IPv6 is pretty amazing as its developers have thought big. The new limit for the IPv6 binary code will allow for a, here's a new word for you, an undecillion of Internet addresses. (previous IPv4 address space only allowed for a paltry 4.3 billion unique IP addresses)

With all the technological devices we own and for as many people that own tech devices (very often more than one) it was only a matter of time before these addresses would be used up; each device has its own distinct IP address in order for it to be recognized on the Internet. As emerging economies grow, their technological wants will likely be courted as well.

I'm a simple user of the Internet. I contribute little else to it other than this blog, but like everyone else, I see how invaluable it has become. One consulting group has went so far to make an estimate to how much the Internet economy is worth. With the amount of economic opportunity for anyone in this type of economy, it's easy to see why there's such a rush to get online with as many "toes in the pool" as possible.