I have had a chance to work on a huge variety of interactive projects. Some sensor stuff, some reactive video, robotics, etc. These are just a few still from work. One is an infrared camera test, the other is a video drawing program.

Ryan and Val came to visit when Ryan received a Young Gun award. We ate at Junior’s and it was delicious.

I have also had the pleasure of seeing quite a few friends come to visit. Stephen, Derek, Ryan, Val, and many more have come to visit. Stephen knows how to karaoke.

So I don’t just work all the time. I do occasionally have fun, especially singing karaoke. Here is a photo of James, the guy I work with at the architecture firm.

So I have lived in NYC for a little over half a year. I live with some friends in Brooklyn and I work for an architecture firm in Manhattan doing interactive objects and installations. My first few months at work I was learning some electronics stuff. My first few months in NYC I was adjusting to life here and learning to do things the NYC way, which is sometimes easier, and sometimes harder.

So, do you ever mean to do something, and then you dont, and then every time you think about it you start going into a guilt spiral for not doing it and eventually you become paralyzed by the passing thought of it? That is what has happened with my blog. But in the spirit of “the best way to begin is to begin, and the best time to begin is now” (bonus points if you know where this quote is from) I have decided to just get on with it and post some things.

I had a good birthday this year. One of the coolest things was that I got a plaque installed at a table at Leo’s Coney Island. Finally, a tangible sign of my dedication.

Some highlights from my trip to NY. I went to B&H. I met Eric Williams and Matt Coolie at Barcade (guess which things this place combines) ate some tapas, drank some papaya drink, ate some pizza, saw a movie. Had lots o’ fun.

This is a shot of some graf from my recent trip to NY. I want to meet this person.

This is my piece for the EMU faculty show. It consisted of a 20x30 inch poster with a video set inside of the frame which played a motion piece. Reaction to the piece was interesting. I didn’t really get anything too constructive though.. mostly just “it made me angry".

I got my Quintessotron project published in the Faculty book that came out this year at EMU (book design by Andy Maniotes)

I did another dada inspired performance at Eastern Michigan. This one played off the social norms of the history lecture. Another student, dressed as me, performed a distorted mirror image performance on the chalkboard with me. There was an interactive projected portion which reacted to our chalk drawings.

Waffle House, Leo’s Coney Island, B&H, I love them all, and so does Bert.

Another fine evening at Leo’s Coney Island. I got some work done. Learned how to make fake fronts with candy wrappers. I did some reading up on NY while I was there. I am compiling a list of things I want to see / do. It is getting filled up pretty quickly. I plan on using this blog to keep people up to date. I am still doing a fair amount of freelance and I am about halfway through the semester at EMU.

I am back on a regular Leo’s Coney Island schedule. I meet people there and I never quite know who will show up. Lots o’ fun to be had. And food. And Coffee.

Elliott Earls had a interesting new performance at the Music Hall in Detroit. Lots of past grads were in town and we had a good time wandering through the halls of our alma matar. Cammtron is a space man and great designer.

Well this is my second semester of teaching fulltime at the University of Eastern Michigan. This is a screen capture from one of my students and I think that it serves as a nice indication of the influence I have had on their design education.

This image encompasses most of what you need to know about Cranbrook. Anyway, I am still going for daily walks and still working at night. I am broke and working on building a flash class library so that when work comes I will be able to haul.

I am back at the Cranbrook, with loud singing frogs and my fortress of isolation. I am working heavily on a new web site and trying to get some freelance nailed down. I am thinking about going to the toronto film festival, anyone interested?

Cas and I went out to explore detroit tonight. We went to Hamtramck and went to this 24 hr. diner. Clock Diner featured an unusual mix of people, egg sandwiches, and bottomless coffee. We ate a ridiculous amount of food and the bill was under 12 bucks. Wow. I love detroit. Then we went to greektown which was in full effect. Party central. I got some cajun peanuts from a woman on the corner. Burning hot. Detroit rulz.

I just got back from a great time in New York. My friend Shirley got married and it was a bit of a Cranbrook reunion as well. I stayed with Noah and Zach and had a great time with them. Ate at Tom’s in Brooklyn where I had some mango walnut pancakes. Ate a bunch of egg and cheese sandwiches, some B & H and bummed around the city. All in all a splendid time. The photo on the right is from the reception, which was both extravagant and wonderful.

Everyday I walk through the woods like a wood nymph. Sometimes I stumble across things and take photos of them.

Ok, goals for the summer.
Put together a motion reel.
Finish a web site about my graduate work.
Finish a new personal site.
Put together teaching materials for next semester.
DONE - Enjoy some time outside.
DONE - Eat some Leo’s Coney Island.

I am starting to feel like I live in a nature show. Animals are everywhere. I am going to NYC thursday to a friend’s wedding. Should be good to see everybody. I don’t know if I am going to be able to keep my blog as updated as I did when i was living in Holland, but I intend to update it much more frequently. Even if it is just photos of my woodland friends.

Well, I am done with school and it is summer at Cranbrook. It is almostly ridiculously nice here this time of year. And so far the summer hasn’t gotten too hot. So, my plans are to do as much freelance as I can, do some of my personal work, take lots of walks, and get ready for teaching at Eastern Michigan University. As far as freelance work, I am almost done with a personal site for Scott Klinker, product design artist in residence at Cranbrook.

As of May 13th, 2005 I have a Master’s Degree in Design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. You may have noticed the huge gap since my last post. Perhaps the stack of empty goods on the right hand of the image will help you understand what I have been up to. My written thesis contained two parts. The first part was an overview of how the philosophical underpinnings of a belief system lead to the justifications for making creative work. The second part was an exploration of how new media can rethink and perhaps offer new forms of cinema.

My final gallery piece consisted of a cut out frame mounted seemlessly into the wall. Projected over it was an interactive piece which consisted of various segments. For instance the top right segment was streaming the news. The bottom portion reacts to the person in front of it. Measuring the shapes of their head and altering the display to reveal the hidden characteristics of the person.

I will be making updates more now. Lots of news this summer.

I have been working on a presentation method using director where I have two sides of a screen that I can move independently. EMU was the first place I was able to try it out. I learned some things about how I would use it in the future, but overall I think it was a great way to present ideas and images.

I was honored to be able to lecture at Eastern Michigan University this week. A friend of mine from MCAD is now faculty in the design program and let me know about the opportunity. I was able to arrive a few hours early and see some of the work that the publication design class was doing. It was exciting to see everyone working off the computer, cutting and pasting image and type into some interesting narratives. EMU was a very gracious host. They took me out for a great meal at a place called Sidetracks. The best thing for me was seeing the faculty there working on their own work. To me that is key to a design program maintaining it’s momentum.

I had to take an impromptu trip to Indiana to deposit a check at my bank (Indiana has the closest one) and I convinced Chris (a native) to go with me. It turned out to be a really good break from school. First off, I got to eat at Waffle House and get my hashbrowns covered and smothered. Also we visited an amazing pirate themed miniature golf place. I think that the photo speaks for itself. We also went to a store called “Butt Hutt” so Chris could buy some cigarettes. It also happened to be Chris’ birthday and I think he had a decent time.

These are some photos from a time that I actually remembered to bring my camera to Leos. One night Michelle tried to teach Justin some Yoga, which ended up being fairly amusing. I basically have 3 choices when I go to Coney. Cheese Omelet, Veggie Burger, or Egg Salad - all fine choices.

So Justin, Keetra, and I went to Noah and Michel’s wedding down in Clarkesville, TN. The road trip was great except for my sleeping passengers. The wedding was really fun. I got to see some old friends, eat some Waffle House, and generally have a nice break from school.

Ok, well obviously I have completely failed in updating my blog every time that I go to Leo’s Coney Island. First I kept forgetting my camera, then I just finally gave up. I still find myself there about 2-3 times a week. Now that they have wireless, I can’t see any reason to go anywhere else late at night.

So I made a decision to take a photo every time I go to Leo’s Coney Island, since it is pretty much the only time that I leave campus. Also, I love it and I pretty much always have a good time. Michelle and Justin came with me this time. Our water was great.

I am going to try and post photos of each trip to Leo’s Coney Island.

I don’t like the idea of purebred dogs, but I love corgis. If I had a corgi mutt I would name him Mr. Beauford.

Towards the end of the summer I got the opportunity to visit the Minnesota State Fair. Which is great, because I love fried cheese curds.

The spectacle that is airbrush and steel.

Even though I am in Minnesota, I can not forget my heritage.

It has been a very long time since I have posted. My world shifted quite a bit towards the end of this summer when my dad had an accident. He has been in the hospital with a back injury until just a few weeks ago. He has had an amazing recovery and I am happy to have been able to spend some time with him, even if it wasn’t in the best of circumstances.

I saw spiderman in the lower east side. I have also been paying attention to the facades of the buildings in NY.

Drove to Brooklyn to see the gang. Ohio seems to charge an awful lot for their tolls. I was glad to finally find my friends place there on the right.

So, I love Leo’s Coney Island in Royal Oak. You can find me there many nights. Cheap food, great people watching, and bottomless coffee. Also has very friendly waitstaff

We had a long flight. The mustard I brought back exploded in my bag. Gross. I ate mexican food before I even got back from the airport. My studio is wonderful. The picture above is a residency permit for someone in the US to work and live in the Netherlands. I can’t say whether I would ever want one. It is an amazing country, but for now it is good to be back.

Off we go. Presents in hand.

Today was our last day to hang out with friends. We had lunch with Lisa and dinner with Renda at an AMAZING indonesian restaurant.

Enjoying the city on one of my last days here.

We went to Arnhem type school today and met with Karel Martens and Armand Mevis and saw some student work. I was very impressed and they took the time to give us a great tour of the work they have been doing. The woman on the right is holding a diploma she designed which reads “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it".

Lisa is visiting us, so we took a group photo, then we shrank into children and cut our heads off.

Why can’t America have crazy keys like these?

This is the Rijk museum which is about 2 blocks away from our apartment.

We went to the Hague last night to sit in on the final deProgram critique. Renda was the DJ for the dancing afterwards. We cut a rug before heading back to AVL. This is the AVL clubhouse made out of 6 shipping containers sealed together. It gave me a lot of ideas for community living.

AVL can be quite relaxing, especially the breakfast nook. We went on the ‘Spido’ cruise of Rotterdam which was amazing. The largest sea port in europe. Most of Rotterdam’s architecture is new, as Rotterdam was mostly destroyed in the war.

We went to Rotterdam today to stay at AVL (Atelier Van Lieshout) where Cas works. If you know anything about AVL, you’ll understand that it is one of the craziest places I have been. Most of the housing is made out of shipping containers. They start BBQ’s with a torch. They make lots of stuff like the thing on my head.

Still feeling under the weather, but justin and I decided to go to Haarlem to visit my dad and see what was happening there. There was a show called “With Heart” that was AMAZING. Paintings, medical illustrations, books, etc. Probably the best museum I went to here. Teylers Museum, Haarlem Netherlands.

I am still sick so justin and I took it easy by chillin’ at the cafe and drinking coffee. I was also doing some work in my sketchbook. Tomorrow we go to Haarlem and then thursday we are off to Rotterdam.

I have learned something about overextending myself that can best be described from this latin quote on a building in Amsterdam. (Hint: “in ventum” is “the wind”)

Still sick today. All I did was walk to the Apotheek to try and get some medicine. The meds here suck. You can’t buy cold medicine. So no cool photos for today, just this poster promoting a show.

Well, after my cruise yesterday down the Rhein I got sunburned. Not too bad, but it feels like I have a heat pad on my arms all the time. Oh, and I got sick. Some sort of cold. Oh, and there was a hurricane like storm here when I walked to the grocery store. It sounds worse than it is however, because I got the take the ICE high speed train home and I am back at my Amsterdam apartment writing to you. Good to be back.

The photo on the left is the enemy. The enemy won, and I am now sunburned. The photo on the right was the bait that the enemy used as I sailed down the Rhein river.

Cologne Germany has a cathedral that took 800 years to build. Cologne was one of the northern settlements of the Romans. Their museum has a collection from the Russian Avant Garde, László Moholy-Nagy collage work, and of course, Mr. Beuys.

Hundreds of different beers are made in Belgium. As well as good typography.

One of the very few Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy. A sign of Brugge’s past days as a center of trade. This city is a poster child for europe. The cathedrals here were the highlight of my trip so far. Sorry, no photos allowed, or else they would be here.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I found myself too exhausted to run out to internet shops at the end of the day. Photo: The square. A cafe with no internet access. Statue near the Palace of Justice.

Amazing waffles, incredible chocolate. But Brussels is a tough town. Don’t believe me? Ask the “Muscles from Brussels”

This is a light fixture from the Tuschinski Theatre in Amsterdam, the most amazing cinema I have ever seen. I am leaving for Belgium tomorrow so I probably won’t be able to post photos for about a week or so. I will try to do some text updates. Tot ziens.

Oude Kerk (Old Church) and the Hidden Church.

So after today I decided that typography must somehow be in the Dutch gene. The top is some hand done type from the Old Church in Amsterdam, the bottom is some graffiti on Vijelsstraat.

Wow, for nerds like me, this was a dream. It is beautiful.

Cas came to visit today. We went on a boat ride, we hung out with larry, and went for a walk through Vondelpark. Justin leaves for Germany tomorrow, so I think we are going to go out tonight and be social. I had my first fresh strupwafel today. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I also walked through Albert Cuypstraat market and got some frites. Also good.

Went to the “Heineken Experience". Wow, it lives up to its name. I got to experience being a bottle, and delivering bier via horse. Also went to the Van Gogh museum. It was aiight. Expensive. I wouldn’t go back. But good to see once, so that when people ask me whether I went there I can just say yes.

Went to the Rijkmuseum, which is mostly closed down and took this creapy photo of a dollhouse. Also went to the Stedelijk Museum. Saw some Malevich, Schwitters, and posters that were very inspiring.

Amsterdam has plenty to be ashamed of. This is a photo from the execution hall of the Koninklijk Paleis. My latest shame is that I am completely addicted to siropwafel cookies. Don’t watch me eat.

I got up late because I hadn’t slept for 2 days. I went for about a 4 hour walk and took photos and oogled houseboats. Pirates would win if this city had a pirate vs. ninja war. No doubt about it. Ate some good Indian food. Now I am watching some German rap on tv. Word. Wort.

For some reason I find this pose captivating. I just kept looking at the sign and thinking how funny it was that I was as captivated by the sign as the character was by the button.

Another victim lay dead in the streets. Take Warning.

I just woke up on what will be my first full day here. This is the second time I have been to Amsterdam, so I know my way around quite a bit better. There are more people here this summer and I am enjoying the people watching. Justin and I joke about how this place could not be more different than Detroit. We ate some frite with fritesaus (special mayo sort of stuff) last night that hit the spot. On our way home we found some cheap Indian restaurants we are excited about. I don’t think I would find it to difficult to live here.

Justin and I moved into our new place in Amsterdam today. It is in DePijp (a great central location) on the backside of the building in the photo. I have already had some cheese sandwiches and siropwafel cookies. Yum! I haven’t slept for 2 days so I am going to keep this short. Love all of you.

Ok, here it is, my latest half done web site that I have been working on. I hope to continue to grow it so that it becomes meaningful.