Author: Teel

So, a little over a week ago I purchased the new Mac OS X v10.2, which is known as Jaguar. I first installed it on my iMac, which already had OS X on it, so there wasn’t much difference in operation there. This weekend I installed Jaguar on my laptop, on which I knew I needed to be able to continue to also run OS 9 natively. For a week leading up to this, I pondered how I would set it up as a dual-boot system and what difficulaties I might have doing so, and so on and so on, since I come from a heavy PC background, where setting up a multi-boot system is a pain in the neck and sometimes requires reconfiguring hardware.

So, I don’t know if you’ve ever installed an OS on any computer before, but on Mac it goes like this: Insert OS CD, double-click on the ‘Install’ icon, Agree to the license, select a HD to install on, and hit ‘Continue’. It didn’t ask me to type in any 54 character alpha-numeric keycode, and it didn’t ask me whether I needed to be able to boot OS 9. It automatically set the system up as dual-boot. I can go into the system preferences and with two clicks set the computer to boot OS9 (or OSX) and reboot into my preferred OS. during any bootup I can hold down the Option key on my keyboard and before it boots it will ask me what OS to boot. OS X can access everything for both OS’s, and OS9 can see almost everything. It’s pretty convenient.

I brought my laptop with me to work today (hoping to get some work done on a project for my 2D Design class before class tonight) and plugged it into the network here. With Jaguar, it automatically started talking to the network, got itself an IP from the DHCP Server, and once I entered the proxy server’s address into System Preferences, my browsers automatically work with no additional configuration. A couple more clicks and it’s easy to switch between this setup and the one for home. If they let me plug in at school, I’ll set up a third profile there just as easily. For reference, in OS 9 special software was required (not cheaply) either on the server or on each mac that needed to be able to access a Windows network. Oh, and for Proxy, I needed to run a re-configured proxy software on my PC workstation because of the way they configure the main proxy server here; that is, my Mac talked to my workstation talked to the proxy server talked to the internet. I blame PC software makers, of course. Only thinking of themselves.

Oh, and iChat is cool, even if I don’t have anyone to chat with. I did get connected to my little brother, but no one else yet. I like how the windows look. I like how easy it is to use and configure. Not particularly happy that it only works with AIM. (I already got everyone I know to use MSNIM, so that would be more convenient for me, or some combo AIM/MSNIM client, but with the ease-of-use and gloss of iChat.)

There was something else… I don’t recall what it was…

Okay. One Hour Photo just started playing at the Camelview in Scottsdale. I know some of you wanted to go see an evil Robin Williams, but I can’t remember who. If you’d like to go see One Hour Photo with Edison and I, please call me or email me ASAP so we can make plans. I know many people are going out of town this weekend, but I’m busy weekdays now, so it has to be on the weekend. Perferably this weekend.

Let me know.

So in arbitrarily picking Drawing for my MW class and 2D Design for my TTh class, I managed to not only get both classes in the Art Building (Apparently the bulk of the core classes (ie: freshman-level) are not taught in the Art Building but instead in the Tower Center. Go Figure.), but also to end up in the only 2D Design course offered with an emphasis on computers. The required text is a website. All the assignments are online, and the first one is my choice of physical or entirely digital. It happens to be something that my digital art experience (and computer hardware at home) is particularly well-suited for, so I plan on doing it all digitally. Sort of. I have actually begun working out some ideas on paper to get a feel for what I want to accomplish. Still, the bulk of the work will be directly digital using the graphics tablet I paid so much for for so little use to date.

The teacher is pretty forward-thinking when it comes to computers, though he doesn’t expect the class to have advance knowledge of how to use them. My impression is that a lot of the class will take place in the computer lab instead of the regular classroom, which suits me just fine. The lab is, of course, a Mac lab, being for Art students. Which suits me just fine. Everything is on OS 9. Which is okay, I guess.

Also, I don’t seem to have to lug a lot of stuff to the 2D design class, which I appreciate, since I have to lug so much to the Drawing class. I even managed to buy an expensive drawing board in the wrong size (likely because I trusted the sales clerk instead of triple checking everything, and was pretty frazzled and late at the time) to fit in the large portfolio (20″+ by 26″+) I bought, so I get to carry those two things and a tackle-box-like device for art supplies back and forth to class Mondays and Wednesdays. I think everything I need for 2D Design will fit in my backpack at the largest, except for that tacklebox full of pencils and stuff, but that’s a lot more reasonable to carry than two items larger than 20″x26″.

So, that’s all well and good and so far, I seem to be doing fine, although I haven’t got any feedback from either teacher on the work we’ve been doing in class. In Drawing class yesterday, I followed along and did what I could to create some Mass Gesture and Line Gesture images, and the teacher was walking around the whole time giving feedback to various students, but never got to me. Now, in a 1hr class, I could understand easily that there simply isn’t enough time to work individually with everyone, or in a 30-seat class, sure. This class is 3hrs long and there are 14 students.

I’ll probably get feedback when I turn it in next week. We’ll see.

“You have to give up. It is only when you’ve lost everything that you are truly free to do anything.” -Tyler Durden

Tyler’s voice has been bouncing around in my head for the last day or two, repeating the same few phrases over and over again. It’s in that part of the memory you usually have a song repeating in. It got there by being part of a “song” for a “video” on the Fight Club DVD that I’ve seen probably a hundred times (I used to put it on repeat). It got there recently because (get this:) I recently redesigned the Beer Club Merchandise, which got my brain going on all things Fight Club.

Feeling pretty low and having a voice repeating “you have to give up” over and over again in my head is maybe not the best thing that ever happened to me. Not the worst, either. I really hurt the last tow on my left foot late last night when trying to get to the washer/dryer to more some laundry around, and it hurts quite a bit. Did you know you can’t limp on a bike?

I also seem to have stopped shaving (my face, my head) a couple of weeks ago. Something about feeling this way makes me feel too tired to go through those motions. Like my arms are too heavy to lift all the way to my head to drag a blade across it.

There’s always a good excuse, too. Well, maybe just a ‘good enough for me’ excuse. Last night’s Drawing I left me physically exhausted. We were creating gestural art which requires thousands of large, whole-arm & body movements, and I was using charcoal that was a bit too hard, so I was having to press pretty hard to get the right effects from it. Not sleeping enough lately may have helped. Tonight, I think I’m going to skip Beer Club in favor of sleeping as soon as I get home from class. Which means I won’t be shaving then, either. Maybe next week.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to actually get your hands on human adipose?

Take a look at The Onion’s Home-Buying Tips, including such helpful tips as this:

“The first step in buying a new home is having much more money than you do now. “

AND

“Make sure the neighborhood has a good high school, one close enough to see with a telescope.”

PLUS

“Avoid purchasing a home that is on fire or underwater. “

I’ll certainly keep tips like these in mind when shopping for a home next year.

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