what's new...

Well, it has been awhile since I have had time to post much, so I though I would give everyone just a general update as to what has been going on.
The semester is coming to an end and my trip is getting closer. I picked up my travelers-diarhea pills and I am currently taking pills for typhoid fever...these are making me feel a little loopy :) My malaria pills also arrived, however they are a little more expencive than enticipated (about $240...) so since I dont hvae to start taking them until the day before I leave, they will just have to sit at student health until I have some more money....I also bought a lonely planet (a travele guide) for india and am so excited to go and see all those places....but i think mostly, I am soo excited to take my camera and take many, many pictures. And I am also very excited, because I will actually be able to buy a laptop before I go, so that I will have a place to download my pictures to and to actually work wiht them in photoshop.
Also, maybe this will actually give me something to do on my lloooooooooooooong flight:)

Pepsi and Facebook ?!?

Will Facebook attract big name companies?
According to this article, facebook is letting selected companies register for the service. With this extension and companies like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and even Pepsi and The Gap joining them, it would give facebook a much broader base that would exceed the current user base of students. I personaly don't know how much these companies will profit from this relationship, but like I said before, in today's world, they almost HAVE TO try......

The corporate toll on the Internet

Could we, just like China, soon be faced with restrictions as to what we can do on the Internet...According to this article, yes. AT&T just announced plans to charge online services for using the internet. This is a HUGE problem, and it would destroy everything the internet stands for -- a democratic, free, and equallly-available-for-everyone-service...This would favor big companies, as they would be able to pay these fines and it would restrict the availability and content of the internet to the user. If, indeed, AT&T will be able to charge web compaines some kind of toll in order for them to use their fast-speed DSL connection, then this will make AT&T "a gatekeeper in your home." I think this is a very scary development and everyone should be concerned with this. If the big compaines start "owning" the internet, than the internet will not be what it is now...It will not allow the user to search for anything without restrictions. Even more distrubing might be the fact that they can not only restrict certain conenet, but they can prioritise certain web content, therefore putting more money into the hands of the big companies and making it impossible for the small companies or even the private users to use the internet to its fullest capability.
I think AT&T needs to be stopped, before they take over the entire internet.....

Broadcasters focus on Challenge from Web

This article disscuses the issues many networks and television broadcasters face, trying to keep up with the always-developing technologies. The challenge for them is to make the content interactive and offer multimedia content, in order to keep their viewers and thier revenues. They are not sure that they can profit from this, but they have no choice but to try.
Their efforts include selling popular shows like "Lost" on the Internet. Networks are trying many things to try and grab on the advertising dollars, which have shifted from prime time TV to the Internet.
Out of these efforts, however, arise many other problems. According to this article, controlling the content and censorship of inappropriate material becomes a big issue and if caught doing this, networks will pay big fines. Networks also face the issue of how to present live content on the web and making sure it does not contain inappropriate material.
I think that television broadcasters definitely need to make content available online, in order to keep up and in order to keep their "viewership." Also, censorship should be a big issue, especially on the internet, where kids are figuring out how to get through all kinds of blocks and web filters. I think that it will definately be a challenge for the networks to control this kind of content, especially if it is presented live.

now it is official :)

now it is official :)
Originally uploaded by thompson83.

Wendy and her uncle

Wendy and her uncle
Originally uploaded by thompson83.

The happy couple...

The happy couple...
Originally uploaded by thompson83.

The Bride and the....Bride :)

The Bride and the....Bride :)
Originally uploaded by thompson83.

Wendy&Vicki.

Wendy&Vicky
Originally uploaded by thompson83.

Wendy is Tim's sister and she just got married to her long time girlfriend Vicki. They are he cutest couple and both wonderfull and very strong women.

traffic in India

This is what driving in India is like ( I think the rules are a little different there, IF there even are any...) But like I said, this will definately be an ADVENTURE...OH BOY!!! :)

I just got the final courses that will be offered in India this summer and I found one that I would really like to take. I think i am required to take the "Contemporary India" class, whihc is kind of like an Introduction to the culture, politics and traditions of India. Well, now I found out that there is a class called: Ethnographic Approaches to Indian Society...The Course Objective is:
The objective of this course is to provide some basic ethnographic skills to students and give them opportunities to apply those skills to study different aspects of Indian society. Students will be introduced to methodological strategies such as participant observation, in-depth interviewing, note-taking and analysis of qualitative data. The course will pay particular attention to insider-outsider issues in research and will seek to sensitize the students to problems in studying cultures other than their own. This course intends to help students observe carefully and understand the new cultural milieu. They will learn techniques of ethnographic research and undertake a particular project.

This sounds very interesting i think...especially because I love watching people...BUT, I can only take 6 credits, so if I take this class, I won't be able to take Hindi...I don't know what I will do yet.
I did decide to stay in the Guest House though, simply because of all the bugs...I wouldn't say I am a horribly picky person, but I do NOT like bugs...and if i get there and the ladies hostel looks fine, I can switch, but if I chose the Ladies Hostel, I wouldn't be able to switch to the guest house when I get there...
So many decisions to make :)

President Bush...

Here is a link to a speech (scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Question&Answer session) President Bush gave at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington April 10...this is kind of interesting, because it is not all pre-approved questions at a press conference...this is real students asking about real issues and at times the president was rather speechless....

chat box

EVERYONE,
I finally got my chat box to work...so start chatting..
also, please add yourself to my little Frappr-map...
THANKS!!!

"I know I am not alone"

Everyone,
There is a screening of this documentary today (04/11/06) at 8pm on the SDSU campus at Rotunda E. It will last about 80 minutes…I think it will be very interesting!

Armed with an acoustic guitar and a video camera, musician Michael Franti takes us on a musical journey through war and occupation in Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Along the way he shares his music with families, doctors, musicians, soldiers and everyday people who in turn reveal to him the often overlooked human cost of war.

With its guerrilla style footage captured in active war zones, the documentary is unlike the many academic and politically driven pieces in the marketplace, instead offering the audience a sense of intimate travel and the opportunity to hear the voices of everyday people living, creating and surviving under the harsh conditions of war and occupation

Indian Visa...haha funny!!!

Ich dachte mir ich könnte ja wohl auch mal in Deutsch schreiben....mein trip nach Indien ist schon in weniger als 2 Monaten...sehr aufregend:) Ich habe meine Impfungen, meine Flugtickets, meine Unterkunft, und jetzt habe ich auch mein Visa.....und das ist echt der Hammer und wird mir keiner glauben...da haben die doch glatt auf meinem Visa White-out benutzt (Tipex...ist das das richtige wort?) Ja...und dann einfach die Initialen daneben gesetzt...HIHIHI...das werde ich gleich wenn ich zuhause bin mal einscannen und es auf diese page laden....Ich hoffe ja die Amis lassen mich mit sowas auch wieder rein ins Land....bei den Amis wäre sowas mit Tipex auf’m Visa ja unvorstellbar....aber echt, so schwer ist es ja nicht das Visa noch einmal auszudrucken...naja....wie gesagt – es wird ein ABENTEUER....ich kann es echt kaum noch erwarten....

Well, I feel bad writting in german without letting all you english speaking people know whats going on...so...My trip to India is only a little less than two months away...very exciting :) I have my immunizations, my plane tickets, my accomondation arrangments, and now I also have my visa...and this is hillarious and nobody will believe this..on my Visa they actually used White Out...Yeah, and then they actually intialed next to it (like when you screw up on a check and they make you intial it next to the mistake....)HEHEHE....So, I will scan it in when I get home and put it on my page...I hope the Americans will let me back into the country, I can’t imagine the INS...or I guess the CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) ever using White Out on a Visa ;) ...really, it can’t be that hard to just print out another sticker-visa-thingy...owell...like I said – it will truely be an ADVENTURE...I really can’t wait...

guestbook

hey eveyone,
just wanted to let everyone know, that I always enjoy comments to see what everyone else has been up to...also I added a music player, which has just a few songs on it so far and one video...but check it out, it's kind of fun. I am also trying to add a guestbook but the server is having problems...so I will try to add that ASAP also, so then I can keep up on what everyone else is doing...

Guest House or Ladies Hostel?

Well, I am trying to make my arragments for where I want to stay on campus when I am in India - either the Ladies Hostel or the Guesthouse...
From what I understand, the Ladies Hostel are the normal "dorm-like" facilities for the Indian students, and they have just the basic facilities, no air-conditioning, beds with mosquito-net and basically a few bucktes for the morning shower :)....the food supposedly is not great, but ok. However, it costs only 50$ to stay there for the ENTIRE time (2 months)...The Guest house, is for the international students. It includes rooms with air-conditioning and a computer lab and also has their own kitchen facilities. The food here is much better, from what i hear. Here it costs 35$ a week (280$ for the entire stay).
I think I will try the ladies hostel- I think that will also make the experience more real, and feel less like I am just another "tourist" staying in a hotel-like accomodation.
The nice thing is also, that even if I decide to stay in the Hostel, that i can still eat in the guest house for about 35$-40$ a week. This includes 3 meals a day plus afternoon chai tea every day.
I can't believe that it's only about 2 months away...I have my plane tickets, my Visa application is being processed in Chicago, I got my Hepatitis A shots and my Malaria pills ordered...I AM SO READY TO GO!!!