Week 9 — What a Difference a Week Makes

Well, I'm a bit late this week with my update, but  I have been very busy trying to ameliorate the situation with The Freelance Guide and I feel like the emergency is quelling down a bit.  I tried, in vain, to get in touch with the original holders of the mis-cited content— and to my surprise only one out of more than a half dozen contacted me.  In some cases the source website doesn't even exist anymore, and in other cases (after checking) the original content was actually taken from somewhere else, which is public domain material.

The one who did contact me, Peter Woodford, advised me I could use the content from his site http://www.creatework.com, and he also sent me a fantastic video about something he is working on: Layar, the world's first Mobile Augmented Reality Browser.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08&feature=player_embedded#

Everyone who knows me in the classroom knows about my rapt devotion to the notion of "locative art." This is the closest thing that I have seen to that — more about that after I speak more to Peter about it.

I also got in touch with Tim Frick, the author of my introductory text (Managing Interactive Media Projects, Cenage Publishers) and we spoke about me using some of the content from that text (with his approval and permission) to fill in the gaps that I have in The Freelance Guide.  It was so good to speak with Tim after teaching from his text for a couple of years, and he was truly supportive and helpful.  He is working on another text that he hopes to finish for an April 2010 publish date.  I hope to actually be able to use that book in my e-commerce and marketing communication course, and he is sending me an outline of that book so I can take  a gander at it — exciting stuff!

Well,  a week ago the citation violation was at 52%.  I put the document into  "turnitin.com" again today, and after deleting things, re-writing things and getting permissions — the total is now at 38% with known permissions.  I will have to  look at the actual analysis to feel good about that number, but as I said, I now have various permissions and if need be — I have learned that I am a pretty capable writer myself.

hmmmmmmm?

One last thing.  I haven't been really talking about the personal things that I have been doing for myself during this period and one of the healthy things — in addition to eating more  healthy — I have been doing is a regular practice of yoga.  Not only that but when I have had free time I have actually been studying the practice of yoga (not just doing it).  I can see myself some day, turning to this as a side-line.  It  grounds me, makes me more focused, makes many of my aches and pains go away, and sometimes, just sometimes — when I am doing a perfect downward facing dog pose I think I am 40 again.

It must be paying off as I have been doing this daily since the end of August and I recently had a physical exam and ALL my numbers, I mean all of them, came back great!  Weigh (lost 5 lbs) Blood sugar, liver function, cholesterol (both good and bad where they should be), psa and vitamin levels — all great.  Hey!  My next vacation may be in an Ashram!