www.aritzhaupt.com

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I have gone Mac… well, not really, I am still going to be using Windows/PC machines frequently. I have a Macbook Pro, which was purchased as part of my contract at UNCW. So far, so good. It has a sheik, clean cover with key lights and an excellent display. It has a large hard drive, tons of RAM, and serious processing power, though, I have not put it to the test quite yet I am re-learning basic ICT literacy skills as I haven’t work regularly on a Mac for about 6-years.

Anyway, I am very excited about it. I am going to force myself to use it these next few weeks (aside from statistical processing) to become a proficient user. I will report on my findings.

Well, my move to Wilmington, NC is complete. I moved in on Saturday (7/5). I am still exploring the region. The area is somewhat different than what I am used to. All things equal, I like the area thus far. I am hoping to establish relationships with some of the local schools and educational organizations to pursue some of my professional goals. That’s all for now.

I spent some time this evening updating my list of academic journals in the field of educational/instructional technology. I have included a few more journals, updated whether or not the journals are Social Science Indexed, and included the organization and/or publisher of the journals. I hope this is an improvement. Please take a look: Academic Journals.

I went to Europe with my father and mother in December of 2007 to January of 2008. We had a wonderful time visiting mostly family and some friends. We visited Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Italy. I finally got around to posting the photographs in online. You can check the picture album. Enjoy!

My brother finally tied the knot. He married Georgette Ackery (a great lady and animal lover). The wedding was wonderful. We were able to see friends and relatives, and we celebrated the special union. I had the pleasure of being best man, so I took the liberty of putting together the photo gallery. I also put together a short video and posted it to YouTube for all to see. Enjoy!

I arrived back from Coral Springs, Florida, yesterday evening. I went to Orlando on Friday with about nine students to visit the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), a subunit of the University of Central Florida that trains game developers. FIEA is a unique program. I especially enjoyed seeing the motion capture studio. One of the art faculty allowed us to use the technology and rig it to existing models. It was a lot of fun.

After lunch with my students and some of the FIEA faculty, I left to James Chen’s wedding in Coral Gables. James and I have been friends for about 17-years. He met his beautiful wife at the University of Florida and they tied the knot on 5/24/2008. The wedding was beautiful and it very nice to see many people from my old high school. We are doing well in our careers and everyone seems to be happy.

Upon arriving back in Jacksonville, I went to a barbecue at one of the my colleagues houses. This was a nice way to end the weekend. Of course, since it is Memorial Day weekend, I still have time to see Indiana Jones. This was a great weekend.

I am sitting in the Heart Institute of Leesburg with my father and sister. My father got out of surgery yesterday. We were not able to see him until today. We were a little concerned as he had not woke up yet, and there was the potential for neurological damage. However, we are here today and he is doing well. He is in good spirit, making jokes, and flirting with his nurse. He is still in a tremendous amount of pain, but that was to be expected. What’s most important is that he appears to be okay.

He should be in the hospital till next week. Afterwards, he is going to take some time rehabilitating at their new home in Leesburg. Afterall, he has to be ready for his son’s upcoming wedding.

I officially graduated and walked on 5/3/2008 at 6:00pm. The ceremony was very nice. Dr. Genshaft, president of USF, presented the presidential medallion to Dr. Antonia Novello, the first woman Surgeon General that served under the George H. Bush administration. Dr. Novello is a dynamic speaker. She provided us with advice, counsel and challenged us to face the world. Overall, it was a very impressive presentation.

The ceremony was nice, but a little long. It lasted a little over two hours. I am glad that I chose to walk as it was a nice bond between my major professor and myself. It felt somewhat reverent with a flair of commercialism. Anyway, here are some of the pictures.

I was very excited to find out yesterday, my graduate students won first place graduate paper at the annual College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction symposium. This was a great win as my students worked very hard on that piece. I was a tad bit embarrassed as I was supposed to be at the awards luncheon, but I totally forgot about it.

Anyway, the symposium was a success. At the actual event, my computer game students alpha tested their products. The purpose of the exercise was to help them understand user testing. I think they received a lot of good feedback as a result of the event.  They certainly won the popularity contest as people crowded around to play their games.

I caved in and bought a beagle at the pet store. She is an absolutely adorable dog. I am going to have to work hard to train her, but it will be worth the time and effort. As you can see, she has those “how can you not take me home eyes”.

I was originally going to purchase a Shiba Inu, but after some complications trying to find a suitable dog, I went ahead with a beagle.