RyanHarne.com

The internet at my summer apartment is totally off now (what?) so I have to walk to campus (or Bollo’s, but the connection is slower) for email, surfing, and web-related tomfoolery. I don’t feel like bothering the helpful (ha!) people at NTC with a call until maybe Monday. In the meantime, a piece of me is lost, or at least severed. Frankly, it feels unbelievably awkward sitting in McBryde 100 at 1:00am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. Really weird. Since there are no windows in this auditorium, with all of the flourescent lights on, I can imagine, any moment now, the doors bursting back and a torrent of blabbering students racing to get to a seat (likely so they can therefore fall asleep during the lecture).

But really, I am only getting one shade of delirious right now because I am very tired and find myself on VT academic territory at some absurd hour because my apartment internet is down. And for some reason, I feel the need to tell the internet. (I miss you, internet).

Having been temporarily back in Lynchburg, I met with Allison and Rianna to catch up, as tradition has now imposed such conditions. None of our schedules have been advantageous for visits during the past semesters, so our semester-segue rendezvous are becoming regular events. Yet, it doesn’t affect the relationship, as far as I can tell; when a friendship is founded well enough, it seems communication can be reduced down to dribbles and the relationship remains fully intact. But, I have missed them both a great deal, to be sure. In fact, there are many people I see once or twice per year that I am constantly wishing more intersections would occur with. Anyways.

So, I have been in Lynchburg for a few days. I stopped in Target to locate some apartment-related items of interest. Having been recently educated on the history of industrial design and trends therein, I wandered that store for hours this week looking at patterns, obscurities, and recurring effects. Michael Graves’ and, somewhat, Starck’s designs are well-represented in the store and seeing their motifs is interesting. Even OXO is neat. But, that’s enough, I simply have been obsessed with analyzing design strategies lately.

Let this be a warning to you: I am entering a De Stijl phase. I actually think that is neat, but the modern trends pull towards metallized everything and minimalistic appearances, while de stijl demands ulitmate minimalism, in effect [within my interpretation].

I dunno. Watching Star Wars again has tossed wrenches into my well being… I think. I finished the Trilogy and immediately wondered what kind of stage I was going through during my Star Wars tweenage obsession. Probably the science-fiction-is-so-unbelievably-hopeful-and-cool stage. Ah well. Let’s hope I recover before my birthday. (That is almost here… May 28!).

Some of my Apple geek behavoir has waned over the past months, some vanishing alltogether. I am still adamant about the company and “movement” (as some would refer to it, recently), but my excitement for the company has been mainly focused on the design and less on the belligerent evangelism of Macs. When I woke up this morning, I was greeted with the new MacBooks. The iBook target market equivalent, these new laptops come white & black.

What a fabulous idea! When Apple was looking to revamp their 3rd generation iPod, there was discussion as to how to make it better. Really?! How could they make such a wildly popular device one notch (maybe, hopefully, even more notches) better? They discovered the answer quickly in brainstorming sessions. The answer was in front of them. The iPod mini was just beginning to sell hotcake-esque, and its Click Wheel was a user interface success. Done. Sold. That’s how we’ll make the white iPod better. (Plus, a few more features that I won’t address here).

Sometimes Apple has to frontier the consumer electronics design world and sometimes a step they took in the past is all they need to do to repeat unbelievable success. Apple’s iPod nano, initially offered in white and black models, replaced their most successful iPod, the iPod mini. Even the thought of fully replacing your best-selling product is brazen, but their next hitter had a much better batting average (or, at least, batting average potential). Among the first figures and numbers being released as to iPod nano sales, 75% of the iPod nanos being sold were the black models. The choice of two colors, even still maintaining the minimalist design (hey, even black is no more obtrusive of a color than white; by themselves, both colors speak the same alluring minimalist language) was a perfect.. perfect idea.

The design department at Apple had only to make the call to release their consumer laptop model, the new MacBook, in both colors and WHAM! major success. This is one lotto number that will surely win, at least for the next four or five years of computer design. I must hand it to Apple for making the design jump from iPod to MacBooks. The Click Wheel was more obvious since it was user interface-focused (far more of a clear-cut decision to make: easier versus somewhat less easy) but the choice of color has bolder implications. Or, perhaps… beautiful implications. I mean, Look At It! It’s gorgeous!

Oh my, and where is the latch to open it? IT STAYS SHUT BY MAGNETS!!!

Oh, gosh, my Apple geek is being manifest, I must flee!!! ApPLe RoXORZ!!1!

Were George Lucas directing his fantasy of Star Wars just two decades earlier with a few less capital ventures under his belt, so to speak, he would have been known as Ed Wood. I just finished watching Lucas’ first Star Wars, so full of errors, mistakes, unedited scenes that I can’t help but analogize his efforts to Ed Wood’s neverending array of theatrical flops (some of which I have also seen recently enough to recall details).

Ed Wood didn’t have money; Lucas was able to pull together a meager but ample stream of income for his film, but was by no means doing well. Ed Wood was able to get the assistance of a famous [burnt-out] actor, Bela Lugosi, while Lucas opted for no-names (something Wood also had to pull together throughout his career). Both directors had chimeric epiphanies for gigantic epics. Were Lucas doing his work in the 1950s like Wood, the two directors would be indistinguishable.

Lines like, “Visits? That would indicate visitors!” and “Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don’t care what you smell!” both reek of second-guessing scripting. Times when actors gaze off into the distance while waiting for their respective director to cut the scene flood the films. Neither director had much sense in trying to work out their epic (granted, not many do), apart from the passion to fulfill it. Lucas had the edge on film editing and special effects technology, yes, but his work doesn’t show the expected results to differentiate his movies from Wood’s.

I used to be enamored with Star Wars and there was a time in middle school when I played those VHS tapes weekly (pre-Episodes I, II & III). But after revisiting the film that enraptured me through a tumultuous time in my life, I ask myself if this was the source of my ensuing insanity. Or, at the very least, some of my awkward writing from that time period must have reflected the bent-genius of Lucas as he pursued after something unattainable, yet pursued with an unquenchable fire.

Right now, this realization of my hero-turned-ragamuffin is comical, but it actually makes me want to watch the other films. Things can only get better right? (Just wait until I watch Return of the Jedi again; I may cry in shame).

With the semester over, having been moved into a new apartment (new-for-me), I am still recovering from the various side effects of all-lot-of-things-at-once. I have been slack with the webcam for a while because I haven’t had a chance or opportunity to put to it. Even my usual camera usage has plummeted this past semester. That is a sad thing for me, actually. Alas, the time is coming when I can take afternoon walks around campus for some photos!

But these past couple of days have been a whirl. Though, waking up in a new location is fun. My walks to campus are great as well. However, seeing the endless car population around me when I leave the apartment makes me shudder. There must be 100+ people living in this complex who drive to school everyday, while I will be making the 8-minute walk. Even walking in the rain yesterday was wonderful, or peaceful, I should say, despite the traffic all around me (something I am looking forward to experiencing for a long portion of my life once I am urban-centered).

Anyways, I am waiting for commencement ceremonies to pass (tonight and tomorrow) so the town will be much more quiet and desolate. The good desolate: the remotely-located tropic, mild-temperatured desolate island, complete with espresso bar.

But I will make you a few promises. You, the mysterious second member to this writing relationship. #1 I will start effectively using playlists on my iPod. #2 I will take more pictures this summer and will upload them with greater frequency. #3 If you stop by my apartment, you will be treated to something I took home with me from Bollo’s (maybe some honey whole wheat or a blueberry scone), and perhaps a drink made by my very self. Good. Fine. And we might watch a movie.

The semester is over. Spring Semester 2006! is through but I am having a difficult time removing my apprehensions for staying up while I still tell myself there is an exam tomorrow. Or worse - homework I’ve forgotten. Actually, I do have some official business to handle tomorrow morning-ish, so an extra late night would not be feasible.

After helping me move into my summer flat/apartment/pad, Erin called me a hipster. I wasn’t positive on the meaning of the term she threw at me, so after some less-than-fruitful discussion on the true definition, I decided to seek the assistance of the almighty compendium of knowledge. Wikipedia describes hipster as someone I’m not, basically - someone who actively seeks to veer apart from mainstream popularity in search for the true independence, particularly in regards to culture and consumer goods. I think her statement was an overexaggeration of a few exhibited traits of mine; but it provided a great conversation foundation and also an informative night of internet searches. Thank you, Erin, for calling me a hipster, and for helping me move.

Walking from my apartment to campus tonight was different. More different than I can textually describe, though I will try nonetheless. I’ve had three years of walks that frequently ended up around Hokie-stone buildings with numerous sodium-vapor lights burning. Now, my walks back to the apartment, while technically similar, suggest a new mood and approach to living. It could sound trite (and I no doubt think it does, to some extent) but our home or residence is a significant part of our being; altering one aspect of it, particularly the general location of home-base existence, forces a redefinition of who we are. But, for my case, the feeling is great and relieving. Perhaps more redefinition will come as the summer approaches (only 11 days until Summer Session I 2006!). That could be a good thing.

Who knows. Maybe I’ll become a hipster. Not likely. Who knows?