The move is now complete - moved from my own dedicated server to a shared server which should be able to keep us happy for a while and reduce costs quite considerably. Now, I just need to move all my other domains and set up all the e-mails for those domains...what fun.

URL: Equivity.com

We are in the process of moving servers, so if blakex.com doesn't work for you, give it a day or two as the name servers resolve to the new server.

URL: GoDaddy.com

So not only did Real release version 10 of their media player today, but they also unveiled their music store to compete with BuyMusic.com, Apple, Napster, etc. Now, there's a reason I don't have Real player installed on my system - even though, while surfing across the 'net, I do find clips in .ra or .ram format that I'd like to view, it will not be installed. The reason behind my decision is that, quite simply, Real is crap. Their program sucks up system resources, it automatically installs itself everywhere you don't want it to be, puts itself in your system tray, and automatically opts you in to various options you don't want (though version 10 is opt-in rather than opt-out).

So now, they've got this giant piece of software crap that just infects your system and they think you now want to download music in a proprietary format that can only be played on their player? I'm not quite sure how iTunes works, but I think they're the same way as well - but at least the iTunes player is free and you don't have to sign up for some "Super Pass" to access all the features. And then there's Napster, Walmart.com and BuyMusic.com, which feature song downloads that can be played across media players, portable MP3 players and a few other computers. So, I'm just trying to figure this out - why would you download Real? To view a very few videos or listen to a couple .ra sound clips? And then, why would you download music for Real Player that can only be played through Real? It just doesn't make sense...but then again, I've always hated Real, so I might be a bit biased. But, their software has always sucked.

URL: RealOne SuperPass - premium audio and video programming - Real.com

I always knew there were some weird films out there - ones that just made no sense, that were made just to be "art" or something like it. Un Chien Andalou is one of those films. We watched it today in my theater class (Cult Films) and it was just downright strange - from the first scene where an eyeball is cut in half to the last, where they are buried in sand (don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything) - this film is just odd. It was directed by Luis Buñuel, and was his last film in a long career. Financed by his mother, this film features no dialogue, but rather, just a musical score over the full 28 minutes. But, while you may not recognize Luis Buñuel's name, you'll surely recognize the co-author's, Salvador Dali. Yes, the Salvador Dali. So if you just think about it for a moment, just combine Dali's surreal paintings with a director who, on multiple occasions, expressed his displeasure for the Catholic church, you'll just barely start to get a feel for how odd this film was. To say it's a cult film might be going a bit far - though it does depend on your definition. But what I do know for sure is that Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) is just 28 minutes of surreal filmmaking, with no point, no plot, and no purpose.

URL: Un chien andalou (1929)

These first two days of school have been pretty hectic. Yesterday, I left from my apartment at 8:45am (will have to be earlier on Mondays from here on out though - as my 9am class didn't meet first week) and I didn't get home until 9:20pm. It's quite a shock after 3+ weeks of doing nothing. Going to bed at 3 or 4am and waking up at 11am was common place, but now I have to go to bed around (or before) midnight and I either have work or class every day at 10am (Tu/Th, work at 9:15). But...it's my last quarter (yeah, I know I've said that before), but if I pass my classes, and I am almost guaranteed to pass 2 of them since they're quite easy, I'm finally outta here. I'll be receiving that diploma with Arnold's signature on it and get ready to go into the real world. What I'll do there is something reserved for another post, as that's not easy to fit into once nice little paragraph like this.

URL: University of California, San Diego