Everything is new

New year. New resolutions. New classes. New shop. New phone. New roles. New habits. New routines. New you?

New Blog

I'm not quite sure what to do with this blog... For me it has run its course mostly... I don't anticipate many people popping on and off here anymore. But I have started a new blog and might start a couple others.

My new blog is at http://shaunfrenza.blogspot.com/ - It's based more for my interests in film, acting, and business... I plan to use it as a tool to build my own networking.

Course Reflection...

Okay... So, I'm just going to start by saying that I'd like an A... but let's be realistic, I deserve, probably a low B or a C. I missed the final... then the review of the final with the professors... (then I went on to miss two other finals because I wrote the times down wrong - I at least got to make one of them up - and one other final I missed, but I was never worried about that one - it was scheduled the same time as our final anyway...)

Anyway, It's been established, I took too many credits this semester... The good news is that I wont have another semester above 12 credits for the next two years to graduation - and that's not just because I've learned my lesson... That was the plan... Two years of too much school so that I could have more time for work in the last two years (in my field work - which is better than McDonald's work for 4 years in my opinion).

What did I want from this class? I have no idea, really. I wanted to learn how to use digital tools for networking and business. I learned a lot on networking and a little about online business, but much more about learning. I fear that I was never "academic" enough to fit smoothly into this program... I had little interest for learning to consume, create, and connect material about history and social development... I still do... To be accurate, I loved consuming the stuff, but very small interest in the following...

However, it's not an all and all failure of concept connection, because I see lots of different ways to develop the three c's in my field of interest. Networking is on the top of that.... And connecting. Well, here's a list of things I'm interested in doing:

• developing a networking site for actors here in Utah
• To be further developed into an acting "school" of my own
• Blogging creative writing projects - posting pages for review and so forth every day or two...
• Which is an interesting concept by itself cause you have to write each 3 pages in sort of a webisode style - a mini story every few pages... or else it would be difficult to maintain interest, right?
• Similar Idea of Blogging/Networking, but for script writing
• Similar idea of networking for the entire development and production of a film - crowdsource the entire thing
• Creating a few video accounts (vimeo, youtube, etc) to post (connect) films and webisodes, etc...
• Podcasting instead of blogging
• Start a twitter account and start stalking my favorite Hollywood directors, writers, actors, etc...
• Direct my blog to start following things that I'm more interested in... coulda done that the whole time.

Anyway, Dr. Burton said that I seemed to be waiting on marching orders... Not really, I think mostly I have analysis paralysis... I couldn't decided - with my limited time - what direction to go in that would have enough sucess to keep going at it... but I'm pretty dedicated to getting started with it all now (that time is more free). I did throw a party utilizing the social networking stuff... I am still putting together a grouply group for actors... and I have an account (for a webseries I'm in) for Kickstarter to help raise some funds... Plus all the great information I got from the class and the assignments just makes dreaming up new creative things to do much easier - because half of the brilliance of creation is in context and context comes from history and current events.

But to fulfill the requirements of this assignment here are some highlights and posts:

 I don't have to highlight my rant - it seems well known. But there was my post about finally doing something - a remix I actually value. I thought that this was a good example of self directed studying as well as this or this. I really can't say how much this class has changed me digitally (and with that ought - can I say how excited I am for the new TRON?).

I will be one of those who continues on to use these tools (I'm super excited for backback 2.0 and the Webconsulting and club 2.0!!!) - watch you'll see!!! you'll all see....

I missed the bus... shoot me.

So, I got let out of rehearsals an hour early Thursday evening... about 5:30... So, I thought, I can go home really quick, change, kiss my wife and kids, eat really quick, and then we can all travel to my digiciv final together - I was supposed to meet them there.

AHHHHHH!!!

So, I finished one final and I have another tomorrow night! I'm super excited about it and I'm not that excited about many of them...

This is going to be a great event where we will be showing what he have gained from this digital civilization course... It is absolutely a must go free event! It is at BYU Dec. 9th from 7-9pm... It will be awesome. Check out an update on the event here.

On the other hand, I have opened a kickstarter account and just about to post the project - I need a final okay from the big wig herself... and my social networking for the christmas party is really paying out!

Well, there go the training wheels... now, to cut off the feet of my pajamas.

I have really enjoyed this class... It was quite dificult for me to keep up with it all, but I'm so glad its over! I mean, that I was a part of it...

To be honest, I'm really excited about the future of my own digital literacy, but I also am afraid of my own laziness without having a class to prod me onward... But I have a secret weapon. I'm going to be taking a course on social network film making here at BYU - its a special projects course...

XTRANORMAL

Cool online anuimator site... If you're going to be at the Final DigiCiv project you may get a quick snippet of this tool!

The hope is to take what I made and add in pictures to the whole thing... Could be really cool!!!

Thank you! No, really, It's too much...

So, Nominations...

Web 2.0 - i'm really not even trying anymore...

Okay, so due to reading Ariel's blog I decided to mesh progressive movements for both my final, some ambitious projects I loudmouthed myself into and the current topic that I should have written on yesterday...

Hollidays and Stuff

When you do too much you get into highway hypnosis... I think there'a a better, more "real" name for it, but that's the syndrome you get when you've been driving 70 miles an hour and you're so used to the speed that you somehow forget to slow down when getting off the freeway. The point is, sitting around relaxing is just as stressful as over-working... it's like waking up every 10 minutes from a nap thinking, "I'm late for work!"

As for some of my ambitious goals... I am collaborating with a friend on a christmas party... we hit the facebook route, but I'm still desirous to make a good social network program and party collaboration site. I still seem to be locked out of fixing the website for my final project... but, I got time to make it work... and I saw Harry Potter, so... I've got some stuff accomplished.

American World Domination, Hooray!

In light of today's lesson I couldn't help bu think of my Honors English class that was all about Globalization. I couldn't help think back then that it was a natural reaction of "the internet" and that as long as we seek for instant knowledge we also need instant context... We NEED that. And in doing so we need to know other cultures... In doing that we make "friends" (basically really good business partners - enemies make for the best business partners or "friends").

Why I'm excited for the final

So, I've spent the entire semester NOT doing anything and trying to convince everyone that I CAN do the whole Digi-civi thing...

Water, water everywhere, so please... take it for granted.

I suppose I'm cynical. I love to take things for granted - ask my wife. I believe that all the "hype" about starvation, poverty, destruction, and destitution are just made up propaganda by a coalition of mothers (probably instigated by my mother) to properly foster an appropriate sense of guilt.

Worst Blog Ever

It was pretty obvious from his Richie Rich V-neck sweater and his Elder Bednar Haircut that this was going to be a waste of valuable life-time...

Mid-term reflections

So... I guess It's high time I write my mid-term class reflection... I feel like my earlier rant tell a lot about how poorly I feel that I'm doing... But at the same time I feel like I'm learning a lot...

Cryptography

This is a quick post to link you to the Cryptography course I've been taking at BYU. Our textbooks are:

It's been a very fun and interesting class... A lot of "puzzle work." We have a blog page that is definately worth checking out - though it is centered mostly on the lessons and the actual math behind cryptography... but its still very interesting.

Can you balance my checkbook, Mr. President?

John Maynard Keynes (pronounced Kens... like... I have 3 Barbies and 2 Kens - that's not true, I have only 1 Ken because I'm not very fond of playing with boy dolls... I prefer "action" figures).

Are Homesexuals Better Code Breakers?...................................................UNDECIDED.

So, this is a little early I think, but I wanted to talk about good old *GAY* Alan Turing. Okay, that's not politically correct, but its half the premise of Breaking the Code a play by Hugh Whitemore written in 1996.

Post-modern world

Wow... I'm Chicago 1871 right now. I've been reading all sorts of interesting stuff and I'm left with quoting a few... well, quotes, from Carl Jung that I liked.

Celtx and my digital lab

So, I presented a digital lab today - hooah! I'm really proud of that, even though I felt my presentation wasn't well received. The one before me was on a program downloaded from Serif (or Sherif? oh, it's Serif - I googled it)... Free stuff either way... I'll be looking into that. The program takes your photos and combines them to make panoramic pictures - real cool. then you have to crop them.

Mine was on Celtx. Celtx is a Free Media Pre-Production program and it does just about everything!