Offically Moved

OFFICAL NOTICE: FEBRUARY 1ST, 2007.

Hello guys!

Okay, everything has been offically moved and I’ve already started posting to my new blog!

Edit your bookmarks and subscribe to the new feed [everything's listed on the blog].

Thanks! And thanks to the help of WordPress.com support team to get the rest of these posts deleted!

…Logan!

 

When Friends Go Bad: Part …[Who Gives A Fuck?]

Wow. How low can you go? And I’m not referring to the slutty dance or the child’s party game. No, I’m talking about how low can someone go so low as to make others laugh on their friends’ behalf? I feel insulted, unwelcomed, and like some of my friends have abandoned the very cause I live for.

It was in the library today where this all took place. I was in the newsroom getting ready to do the morning broadcast when I heard “someone” talking to a group of my friend about a party next weekend.

She started going over the names of people who were going to be there. And she said “yeah, I was just going to invite everyone to bring their ‘suffigant other’ to the party, but we had a problem…. Logan would bring his boyfriend and no one wants to see what’d they’d do.”

I was shaking I was so mad.  If it weren’t for Cunningham and the other people, I would’ve went off on her.

I could understand it a little better if my boyfriend and I were disgustingly slutty or just plain slutty. But we’re not. Another thing, it’s not her place to even tell who’s going to be invited and not invited. It’s not her fucking party.

Grr.

*end vent*

…Logan

 

Second Thoughts

Hey.

I’ve been working my ass off the last week or so on my Parson’s application. I haven’t gotten an interview with McBride and my time is quickly fading away. I’ve pretty much finished the site. I’m no where near completion on my collections.

Over the last day or so, I’ve been heavily debating with myself about early admission. This means finishing four academic credits in the next 4 months, pretty much impossible. But that’s not why, I have willing teachers who want to get me in. I have to finish around 21 full-size garment sketches for my collections in the next 10 days or so, again pretty much impossible. But that’s not why either, it’s feasable if I put my mind to it. I have a creative and rather mind-boggling admissions essay to complete by the 1st, definatly impossible on top of finishing my collections. But that–again–not why, I could use my favourite and most thought provoking peice and write about it.  I have to find $100,000 to pay for tutition, woah. But that’s not why, I can apply for grants or get a student tutition loan.

The reason why is because of a couple of people. Namely, Mary. I’m going to miss her. I think I realized how heavy of an impact it’s going to be not to walk down the field to recieve my diploma with my peers. Or not going to my graduation party. Or not attending my senior prom. Or [maybe] not cheering in the 07-08 Powder Puff game.  Or not watching my senior year Homecoming game. Or not spending countless days in the work room of the library with my friends goofing off.

It’s not what I have to do, it’s what I’m going to be leaving behind. I’m fully able to acomplish my goals. But am I fully able to leave my simpleton, Alabamian life for a fast-paced, Yankee life without the closeness of my best friend? Sure, I’ll have my boyfriend–whom I love dearly–but he isn’t Mary. I haven’t known him for 10-odd years, he doesn’t know all of my deep down secrets, he hasn’t been with me through my coming out or other times associated with that.  Maybe in another year. When I’m better prepared and ready to move on and out of Alabama. Maybe.

<3!Logan

 

Google Checkout

I was reading my daily digest of Slashdot stories this afternoon and found this little article about a survey by JP Morgan Investments that said Google Checkout had poor customer satisfaction verses PayPal.

In June 2006, Google released the beta–meaning it’s the first release of a computer program and will have continious updates and many bugs that will be found by users to be fixed–version of Google Checkout. Google Checkout is a pioneering way to shop online. You shop and add items to you Google Checkout shopping cart and when you’re ready to checkout, Google Checkout uses the financial and contact information you provided to pay for your items. The store never sees your information [except, of course, shipping information].

According to the Arstechnica article, many customers have been complaining giving Google Checkout a ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’ rating 18% percent of the time.

The way I see it, the press shouldn’t be so harsh on Google Checkout just because of the bugs and such that rittle the service. The main complaint is the delays in the actual process time of the checkouts. These delays are caused by the anti-fraud review performed on transactions. In a PC World article from August 2006: “[Google Checkout users] applaud antifraud efforts, users of this high-profile service…say Google needs to speed up the review proces…” This is the whole point of the beta software, to find and fix bugs.

Although, I can also see where the press is coming from by critizing Google. Unlike Gmail–Google’s highly rated, high profile e-mail service–when they allowed only randomly invited and member invited users to join the service to assist with bug reports and such, Google jumped the gun with Google Checkout. It gained 6% of the market share against their rival PayPal in less than 6 months with the use of numerous promotions.

Google Checkout has also been complimented by many people saying without the checkout delay, the service would end up killing it’s rival PayPal. It’s a matter of opinion. I don’t plan on using the service anytime soon.

 

Is Faith Too Much To Ask For?

I’m applying for a huge fashion college in New York. My biggest dream is to, instead of having my senior year in high school, go to Parson’s School of Design. My biggest obstacle is just getting it approved and getting the credits to allow me to do so, it’s only 4: Economics, English 12, Anatomy [or] Physics, and Pre-Calculus.

I’m stressed right now, since the fall semester deadline is February 1st. So, I walk into the library this afternoon and was like “God, I’m so tired,” and pretty much fell into the chair.

My friend was like “…What are you so tired for?”

I was like “All this college stuff. I’m ready to get it over with.”

She was like “…Do you think you can really make it? You think too big…”

That started 3 people acousting me for dreaming me. How shitty is that? I don’t see them out there trying to conquire their dreams.

I understand that maybe this is a big dream. But it’s something I want to do. They decided to go “well, last month you wanted to go and live in London… Is this just another dream like that?” Yeah, last month I wanted to go London, before I knew I could get into Parson’s early and graduate at 21. And I still want to go and live in London after I graduate.

I know this is just a huge baby-ish rant, but my God, give me some credit.

<3!Logan

 

Commercialism In High School

Today, Juniors and Seniors had a “special speaker” that spoke to us about “Making It Count.” She spoke about looking, applying, and financing college. Her presentation was very clear cut, informative, and riddled with advertisements from the program’s “endorsers.” These “endorsers” include: US Navy, The University of Phoenix Online, an American oil company, and many others. The main sponsor of “Making It Count” is Monster Worldwide, parent company of the famous job search engine Monster.

The sales pitch/presentation focused on Monster’s MonsterCampus.com and FastWeb websites and programs. It wouldn’t have bothered me if the packet of information they gave us didn’t include a large, full-page advertisement from each of the “endorsers” and she ended the program with “And I’d like to thank all of our endorsers…”, followed by each of the endorsers and a slogan.

Giving Monster the benefit of the doubt, I visited their MonsterCampus.com. I shouldn’t have. At the top of the page, a link: “Information for Advertisers.” [Wayback Archival].

Put your brand directly into the hands of over 1 million high school and college-bound teens.

You’ll reach a large, targeted, captive teen audience with our guaranteed hand-to-student delivery.

Build your customer database by leveraging highly targeted, qualified leads captured in real-time during the FastWeb registration process.

That’s a sample of the information found for advertisers. By the looks of the Wayback Machine, MonsterCampus.com just a way for Monster to make money, and for advertisers to “reach their target audience.” Just search the Wayback Machine for “www.monstercompus.com” and look at the version for May 27th, 2003. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

If I didn’t know better, many of these member schools have a financial incentive to allow the “Making It Count” program to be presented. It’s no different than drink and snack machines.

Those machines, operated mainly by PepsiCo [our's is anyway], gives the school a 25-cent kickback. “Oh, twenty-five cents is nothing to be blabbering about commercialism,” you say. Oh? Consider this, it’s estimated that 30% of our students [that's 240, thanks] purchase either a beverage or a snack daily. That’s $60 a day, $300 a week, $15000 per year.  That’s not bad for just allowing PepsiCo to put drink machines [plastered with their name and logo] in our school.

I remember my elementary school years, back 10 years ago, I was intrigued by the sheer majesties of the “Surge” advertisement posted in the “snack building”–a portable shop used to house our drink and snack machines. The bottle was contoured, the drink was energizing and sweet, and the name was just awesome. The advertisement drew me to it. Although, as high schoolers, we’re not as apt to choose a beverage by the look and name, but we’re still vulnerable to such commercialism.

I don’t see the point of commercialism in school. It leads to unnecessary spending of our parents’ money. No matter how necessary it may seem.

 

I’m Moving…

Well, cyberly, I’m moving.

Yes, finally. I’m moving the blog. But I’m defiantly going to miss the WordPress.com infrastructure. It’s brought quite a few visitors to my lil blog and new friends from other corners of the world.

Anyway, my blog will be moving to www.alittledistraction.net.

If you’re subscribed by Feedster, you’ll still be subscribed and will not need to do anything… How awesome, right? ^_~

<3!Logan