my blog.

it turns out i haven’t blogged in awhile

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 21:16:20 -0800

So yeah, I haven’t written anything in about 10 months now. I’m sure many of you have noticed...

Anyways, what a crazy year. I worked at the Apple Store in El Paseo Village for a few months and more recently took up a position as an Executive Assistant at Katalyst Films in Hollywood, California. My position entails a lot of tech company research, which, if you know me, is something that I can really appreciate. I’m getting some great experiences here and having a grand old time.

Also, have been dating this lovely woman named Kelly O’Connell. She’s pretty awesome and I really like her.

Just a quick update. Hope you’re doing well.

the great blizzard of 2010

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:11:29 -0800

This past holiday season, I had the pleasure of visiting my sister in New York City.

okay, now i'm going to austin, texas!

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:52:41 -0700

Yikes. Well this summer has been quite the adventure. It’s all culminating in a decision to move out of Los Angeles and move to Austin, Texas. “Why Austin, Texas?” you might ask. Don’t worry, I’ve been asked nearly 100 times now, so I don’t blame you. And let me just tell you, I don’t really know why. I do love Los Angeles and would have no problem staying there for a long time. I know my way around, my friends and alma mater are there, any connections I may have will probably be there, there’s a good job market for my interest there... I could keep going.

But, Austin is the point of this post. I’ve visited Austin for about a total of four weeks, which actually isn’t too shabby. I have heard a ridiculous amount of positive things about Austin, and I’ll be honest when I say I’m not sure if I’ve met someone who doesn’t like Austin -- how many cities you can really say that for? My boss, who seems like she should be in Los Angeles, told me she once considered buying a house in Austin. Plus, Austin is/turning in to a tech city, which is quite appealing as well.

I can’t help that I’m young, single, and good looking. And guess what I’ve heard? Austin is one of the best places in the country for young single people (I’m not sure if being good looking in a requirement, and I’ll probably find out once I get there, but it can’t hurt). I’m driving there, a 1,300 mile drive, in a few days and am currently in the process of burning classic rock CDs for the drive. I’ll stay with a friend’s family for a few weeks while I look for an apartment and a job and get my feet on the ground, then fly home and drive the rest of my stuff out. Or maybe I’ll just start anew with no old possessions.

gowalla or foursquare?

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:39:18 -0700

I’ve been using both Gowalla and foursquare for a quite a few months now. I wanted to get a really good grasp of both apps before I sat down to write my thoughts on them.

Design:
If you have used either app for any amount of time, I think there would be unanimous agreement that Gowalla is a much, much better looking app. The first thing you notice when you open the app is the color scheme. Social media nowadays has been clinging to a light blue color (twitter, facebook, foursquare, myspace, linkedin, skype) and Gowalla deviates from that. Additionally, with custom symbols, a fun passport page, and items that you can collect, Gowalla is far an away a better looking app.

Ease of Use and Accuracy:
Since the idea of checking in somewhere isn’t inherently complicated, the ease of use for each app is quite high. There are small things, like adding new spots, friends, checking in, etc., that both apps do well. Even though this pertains to design, I think that Gowalla is just a cleaner app, and that makes it a better user experience, which definitely adds to the ease of use. As for accuracy, which is quite important for a location-based app, I’d have to give it to foursquare. There have been a few times that I’ve been inside or close to someplace but haven’t been able to check-in there on Gowalla, as it imposes restrictions on how far away you can be in order to check in, to prevent people from checking in anywhere. I understand the restrictions, but I have been frustrated because I’ve been right there and whoever created the location wasn’t actually that close when they created it. Foursquare deals with this problem in a different way. First, they’re much more lenient with how far you can be when you check in somewhere, but if you are nowhere close, they still allow you to check in, but you aren’t given any of the benefits to actually checking in there, other than that check-in appearing on your history. I really like this idea, as sometimes I forget to check in somewhere, or I didn’t have my phone with me, and I really wanted to have that place on my history, so I’ll check in there later. I know that to a degree, this defeats one purpose of the app, but it also allows me to look back at my history and reminisce over where I’ve been.

Addictiveness:
I definitely understand the appeal of the whole mayorship aspect, and I readily admit that I will go out of my way to go somewhere to get a mayor position and will return if I am ousted as mayor (and no, I don’t cheat! I only check in if I’m there for a reason or if I’m buying something). Additionally, they have a point system that has been in effect for quite awhile, but has never had any purpose. However, Gowalla’s Passport and Items are much more addictive. I find myself making sure I check in somewhere so I can see if there are any items there that I have yet to find (and hopefully I can swap them for something that someone else needs!). I am a collector at heart, and the ability to go online and see my passport and what items I have makes me happy.

Real World Use:
I’m going to have to lean towards foursquare on this one. They’re already working on incentives to using their service, which involves specials & mayorships. I’ve heard of Gowalla partnering with companies to give random prizes (specifically in SXSW), which has potential to raise their real world use if they work on expanding those types of motivations. I would be happy to see either app expanding their “real world use” as I enjoy using the apps, but I’m a techie and I enjoy them just because they are what they are. However, most of my friends wont use check-in apps because they can’t see any value in them.

Final Thoughts:
All in all, I am much more fond of Gowallla than foursquare. For an action as simple as checking in somewhere, the app has to have other benefits for me. The aesthetics and collecting appeal are huge for me with Gowalla.

electronic entertainment expo

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:01:51 -0700

June in downtown Los Angeles was quite eventful, to say the least. Staples Center was the home of the NBA Finals where the world champion Lakers defended their title against the Boston Celtics , LA Live played host to the Los Angeles Film Festival, and the E3 Expo, the Mecca of video game industry expos took over the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is typically held in the LA Convention Center, taking up both the West and South halls with elaborate booths, costumes, and gigantic screens everywhere. E3 is one of the few conventions you can go to now where you can literally see companies spending major dollars on branding and marketing. You don't get a sense of scaling back due to the recession like at other conventions or trade-shows.
Every June, video game developers both big and small come to downtown LA and use E3 to announce new hardware or their groundbreaking new games, and this year was no different. The big three, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, all made their announcements, mainly pertaining to motion and 3D technology.
Microsoft released a new version of their popular Xbox 360, which is quieter, slimmer, and (hopefully) more reliable. Additionally, they announced Microsoft Kinect, a full body motion sensor, where "you are the controller". Though I wasn't able to test the Kinect, but I was skeptical of the hardware. I have heard both positive and negative reviews of the Kinect, praising it's precision, but criticizing the lag between human and on-screen movements.
Sony's big push this year was their 3D capabilities on the PlayStation 3, as well as their brand new "Wii-like" motion controller, aptly named PlayStation Move. Demoing the Move, I was impressed, but didn't find the technology very innovative. It has been described at "Wii HD", which is a fitting description, it's very much like the Wii, only more realistic.
Nintendo shied away from the console game, showing off some new games for the Wii, but nothing innovative like Microsoft or Sony, but they did make a huge advance in the handheld game, announcing the Nintendo 3DS, a new version of their handheld DS, with a 3D screen that doesn't require wearing glasses. I was able to get my hands on one the 3DS handhelds while at E3 and was quite impressed. The ability to create a 3D picture without needing glasses is impressive.
Though all three of these new technologies have their flaws, these companies know that, which is why these products are all still being finalized and don't ship for a few months at the least, they are just using the E3 hype machine to promote their newest products. But, those companies were far from the only ones in attendance. Hundreds of companies had press conferences and booths, from big publishers like EA and Activision, to IndieCade, an international festival for Independent Games.
E3 is definitely a great experience and getting hands-on with games and hardware that won't be out for months and being surrounded by those who create is awesome. However, lines were long, booths were packed, and things were a bit hectic. In recent years, E3 has shifted from being open to the public to an industry-only event, dropping the attendance at the event from 60,000-70,000 in 2006 down to 30,000-40,000. Even if it means lower profits, this was a good move on the expo's side, as it's difficult to imagine double the attendance AND being open to the public. At events like this, the industry and the media are who these companies are trying to reach, as information will trickle down to consumers, especially in this media age.

skydiving

Sun, 6 Jun 2010 15:24:24 -0700

Since before I turned 18 years old, I knew I wanted to go skydiving. Unfortunately, can’t go skydiving until after you turn 18. On June 4, 2010, I finally got to fulfill that goal with Chris Lee. Were it not for him, I’m not sure if I ever would have gone, actually. He won a free pass to go skydiving in a raffle at work and when I expressed my interest in going, we made the plan. Our jump was 60 seconds of free fall, followed by a few minutes of sailing with the parachute deployed (I actually have no clue how long we were falling with the parachute, as I wasn’t paying any attention to the time). We jumped over the coast near Santa Barbara, which was spectacular, complete with beautiful views of rolling hills and ocean, as far as the eye can see. The experience with was absolutely amazing and like nothing else I’ve ever done. Right after you jump, when you realize that you’re 13,000 feet in the air (over 2 miles!), reaching terminal velocity, and aren’t connected to any sort of vehicle, you get this awesome natural high.

After 22 years of life, I know my body pretty well and I know that I have a pretty good case of motion sickness. I can do roller coasters (but I tend to get nauseous after a full day of rollercoastering), and as long as I sit in the front seat of a car, I’ll be okay (put me in the back of a bus, though, and I’m sure to get sick in a few hours). I wasn’t really expecting my motion sickness to get to me when skydiving though... I mean, you’re just going down, right? I was perfectly fine until the chute deployed and we started swinging back and forth (for fun, I guess...?). I wasn’t nauseous enough to need to throw up or anything, but I could feel it. So, if you’re thinking about jumping, that’s just a thought.

Scared of the consequences? I wasn’t, but I thought I’d look up the risks involved with skydiving anyways. So, apparently, jumping out of a plane (with a parachute), is roughly as dangerous as 700-800 miles of typical road driving. So, you’d need to go skydiving about 17 times a year to equal how dangerous it is to drive the national average (approx. 1,000 miles / month) for an entire year. So, in essence, every time you drive >800 miles, you’re risking your life more-so than you are when you’re skydiving. Keep that in mind.

I can definitely see how people wouldn’t want to go skydiving, but I have plans to go many, many more times... maybe even get certified so I can jump alone. However, I’d like to offer my advice to anyone going... try not to wear a shirt that has a collar, as my collar was flapping excessively hard against my neck, and it hurt enough to distract me from my jump. Though, collar or not, I would highly, highly recommend this experience to anyone who’s willing to try, as it’s something you’ll never forget.

i’m going to austin, texas! .... or not.

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 11:41:40 -0700

Funny story. If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll know that I’ve been pushing to have a super spontaneous and adventurous summer. Well, this fits right in. My friend from Troy Camp is driving her best friend from high school all the way from New Orleans back to good ol’ Los Angeles.

I’m texting my friend, who tells me that they are going to be passing through Austin, Texas the following day, around noon. I thought to myself, “this is perfect” (perfect meaning fun and spontaneous and something that would surprise other people). I went on Expedia.com and bought my $200 plane ticket to Austin, Texas for the very next morning, at 6:00AM. I get all packed and roll over to the airport that morning and am attempting to check-in. Unfortunately, it’s not working. I’m at the self-serve kiosks and I feel like an idiot because I can’t figure it out. I decide that maybe a real person can help, so I get in line for a ticket person. Turns out, my ticket was for June 14, not June 1, which was the day that I was at the airport. Both the Expedia.com phone operator and the United ticket lady tells me that there are no refunds, but that I could change the date on the ticket for a minimal fee of $150. Deciding that that is probably not the best route, I call Chris to come pick me up. He does. I call my mom, because at this point, I think I made a big mistake. She tells me to spend the $150, rather than going to Austin for no reason and spending $200+ just to get back. I call Expedia to change my ticket date (I’m prepared to pay the $150 and go that very morning). This operator tells me that Expedia has a 24 hour refund policy. I get my money back. I win.

spontaneous summer

Sun, 30 May 2010 16:00:21 -0700

This summer, I am on a mission.

Considering this is possibly the last semblance of a summer vacation that I may ever have, it is my goal to make it super fun and awesomely exciting. I’ve got a list titled, “Spontaneous, Adventurous, and Often Dangerous, Summer Adventures.”

Here are some of the things on the list:

• Skydiving
• San Francisco Trip
• San Diego Trip
• Happy Cow Car Wash
• La Brea Tar Pits
• Las Vegas trip
• E3

Unfortunately, I can’t show you all of the things on my list, as I want my summer to be rather unique, and if I were to let everyone know what my list included, I can’t be sure that no one else has done that stuff as well.

I’ll try to keep you updated on things I’m doing, between all of the awesomeness, but I can’t guarantee anything.

USC graduation

Tue, 18 May 2010 15:55:57 -0700

This past week, May 14, 2010, I graduated from USC. I’m still not exactly sure what that means, though. For the most part, it just means that my to-do list is slowly getting chopped down to one big item:

- Get A Job.

At this point, nothing else really seems all too important. I understand that grown-ups don’t get summers off like us kids do (unless you’re a teacher...), but I don’t really know if this last summer is my last summer or if last summer was my last summer. Am I still a college kid who is enjoying his summer until August when I finally become an unemployed adult (let’s all hope I can find a job by that point), or am I now officially an unemployed adult?

I suppose it’s the latter, as my economics education has taught me that unemployment is people who are currently seeking jobs. Yep. That’d be me.

Anyways. This was supposed to be exciting and happy, not depressing. Graduation was fun. The family came (Jessica flew out from New York!), some of my co-workers made it, and I got to see friends graduate. The ceremony itself was nothing special, but what it symbolizes is huge. The USC chapter, which has been nearly 20% of my life, has now ended, and I’m moving on. It’s a big deal. I’m excited though. I’m ready to go out into the world and start my life.

LA marathon & my thoughts on running

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:41:53 -0800

I am a runner. I first realized it when I ran my first timed mile in PE in 7th grade -- my teacher? Dave Murphy. Ever since that day, I have been a runner. That first mile led to middle school track, where I snagged a few gold medals in our league. Middle school track led to high school varsity cross country & track. I don’t know how long my running career is going to last. I have found that in times where I don’t have a coach and a team to support me, I am not very motivated to run.

My high school career was probably my peak of my running career, setting all of my PRs (except for the marathon). Even though it’s doubtful that I’ll ever be in that shape again, I am still running, training for my second marathon. I completed the first two years ago, while I was a sophomore at USC, and I am now over halfway through the training for my second one. My first marathon time, 4 hours and 7 minutes, wasn’t close to what I was shooting for (under 3 hours and 30 minutes), but I’m not discouraged, as the marathon is as much mental as it is physical, and I wasn’t fully prepared. My training this year, however, is going much better, and I feel a lot more confident and strong about it. I’m hoping to hit that 3:30 mark, and maybe eventually catch up to my dad, who hit a 3:01 in his prime. But then again, those are big shoes to fill.

pecha kucha

Sat, 5 Dec 2009 00:10:38 -0800

About a week ago, I had to do a presentation in my Introduction to Interactive Entertainment class -- essentially a history of video games class -- but this presentation was a brand new idea that I had never heard of before. We did PechaKucha (pronounced pe-chak-cha) presentations, which are nothing new, but I found them to be rather innovative and fun.

There are different variations of this type of presentation, but the one that we did was 20x20. The presenter gets to have twenty slides, each of which are on the screen for exactly twenty seconds. Due to the nature of the presentation, no matter what happens, you don’t get to stall on a slide or move on faster. They were originally developed to limit Japanese architects from being too wordy about their projects. There is an entire culture surrounding PechaKucha presentations, along with PechaKucha nights where people talk about any subject they want to talk about and the viewers (and possible presenters) get to learn about a variety of things, with a Q&A following.

After running through a presentation in this format, I have decided that it is awesome. It really progresses a presentation along, as you’ll always be able to talk about a slide or picture for at least a few seconds, and if things aren’t going your way, you wont be stalling for more than a few seconds. It also forces the presenter to focus on the important aspects of the topic, rather than going into too much detail. Below is my PechaKucha presentation that I created for my Introduction to Interactive Entertainment class. It isn’t quite as exciting, considering there isn’t any narration, but there is cool music. If you have any questions about the presentation, feel free to e-mail or comment me, and I’ll make sure to get back to you. If you’ve read the Major League Gaming article, you might notice that these are the same video, but I put the video up on both, since they overlap.

major league gaming

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:08:53 -0800

Since coming to Dossier in May, 2008, I have been working with professional Halo in Major League Gaming (MLG). There is an entire culture surrounding pro gaming, from high profile teams, dynasties, and famous pro players to merchandise, like shirts and hats. MLG hosts both live tournaments, called the “Pro Circuit” and online ladder & brackets on Gamebattles. The games that they host on the live tournaments are based on the Xbox 360 & HP Blackbirds -- the games include Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Rainbow Six, World of Warcraft, and some others. Their online brackets, however, are very comprehensive and cover all of the consoles, from Sony Playstation 3 to the Nintendo DSi and cover nearly one hundred games. MLG, which is the only professional video gaming league in North America right now, has been steadily gaining a following and is moving along quite smoothly. My experience is centered around Halo 3, which is MLG’s flagship title and garners the most attention.

When Gilbert Arenas, an NBA superstar and avid Halo player, took interest in Final Boss a few years ago, he wanted to sponsor them. Final Boss, comprised of Walshy, StrongSide, OGRE1, and OGRE2, was a dynasty in Halo 2. They were the best for years and no one could stop them. When Halo 3 came out, no one team could hold a top stop. It has been a battle among the top teams (a few of which are featured on the right) to see who can come out on top. After working with Final Boss for a full season, Arenas dropped the sponsorship. I have taken a keen interest in MLG’s success and have been to a few tournaments this season as well. My connection to MLG now is through Dave Walsh and his clothing company, Kiaeneto.

If you’re interested in video gaming at all, I urge you to read more about MLG and pro gaming -- There’s a good chance that this could blow up quickly and be the next X-Games. Below is a Pecha Kucha presentation that I created about MLG. Unfortunately it isn’t very exciting to watch without my commentary behind it, but watch it (it’s only a few minutes long & it has some good music) and if you’ve got any more questions about MLG, I’d be happy to answer them -- jimmy@jimmyhawkins.com

turtle costume for halloween, anyone?

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 23:26:17 -0800

getting USC gmail on your iPhone

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:24:16 -0700

Having been an Apple Campus Rep at USC, I’ve gotten a few questions regarding this topic.
If you are using USC’s Google Apps and get your USC mail on Gmail via USC’s log-in page and are looking to figure out how to get it on your iPhone, here are the instructions:

1.) Go here:

https://ga.usc.edu

(If you aren't logged into USC's network, you will be taken to this page. Use your normal login credentials)

____________________________

2.) Once you are logged in, you will be taken to this page.

Here, you are given the ability to change your Google Apps password. Your Google Apps password is DIFFERENT than your normal USC login password.

You will only need to remember this password once, in order to set up your email, but if you need to set your email account up on another phone or application, you will need to use this new password (this password allows the application to access the actual Google App).

____________________________
____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

7.) Put in your information.

Name
You choose whatever name you want to be attached to the emails you send
Address
Your @usc.edu e-mail address
Password
This is the password that you set above (your new Google Apps password)
Description
Just a name so that you know what email address it is on the mail screen. I would use something like USC Email

____________________________

8.) It should verify the information, and voíla! You can now send and receive email's from your usc.edu account on your iPhone!

I hope this helps! If you need further assistance, feel free to contact me!