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So, it’s been awhile since I’ve really written anything for the Windows Live Clubhouse, and wow….there’s been so many changes and new people.  How amazing is that?  It’s good to read all the great postings from everyone. 

With the introduction of the iPhone 3GS, I’ve really been considering the ecosystem between our mobile devices, our online life, and our desktop or laptop computing experience.  Over the past three years of being in college, working various jobs and getting through daily life, I’ve realized how important my mobile device is in keeping things in order.  It helps me manage my contacts, keep my calendar straight, keeps me in touch by email and text messaging and informed with the news.  I actually really rely on my mobile device quite a bit on a daily basis.  For the past year though because of the particulars of my profession (video and film production), I’ve been working on the Mac platform, so needless to say, my Windows Mobile device isn’t particularly friendly with my new computer.  So now, trying to keep things in sync has become even more challenging than ever.  AND more frustrating as I consider new uses for my mobile device. 

I had hoped, that Windows Live would truly be the unifying point for all services across mobile, web and the desktop into one place.  So far, this has only been partially true.  I would expect that the experience could be more cohesive, unified but so far, Microsoft has not let us in on what it sees as the vision of Life Without Walls. 

Right now I’m using three different services provided by Microsoft to keep things sort of in sync.  It’s not an elegant solution, but it works for most of the time anyway.  Integration between Windows Live and our mobile devices could stand to use SOOOOO much improvement.

I use Windows Live for Windows Mobile to sync my Windows Live Contacts and Live mail to my device, and for the use of the great Live Messenger for Mobile.  This is great, it syncs to my Windows Live Hotmail, and Windows Live Contacts. 

I also use Live Mesh for Mobile to sync some important files across from my mobile device to my desktop.  For example, I keep my working hours on a spreadsheet.  That spreadsheet is synced between my mobile device, and my desktop so it’s always current.  It syncs to the Live Mesh web desktop, which is separate from the rest of the main Windows Live services.  The downside is that I’d rather it sync to the Windows Live Skydrive instead.  Live Mesh for mobile also syncs my mobile device’s photos automatically to my desktop.  Again, like my Excel spreadsheet, I’d rather this sync automatically with my photo albums on Skydrive instead of the Live Mesh desktop. 

(aside)…Windows Live for Windows Mobile will send a picture from your mobile device to your Windows Live photo albums, but it’s a manual process by selecting the photo on your device, then clicking the menu softkey then “Send to Spaces”.  This is not an automatic process like it should be.  Alternately, you can set up email publishing and email your photos to a specific album, but again, it’s a manual thing and not automatic. 

The last little bit to this convoluted puzzle, is Microsoft’s MyPhone service.  MyPhone is more or less a back up service and will back up your device’s calendar, contacts, email, txt messages and so forth to the web.  The website will also allow you to add and delete things like calendar entries and contacts and allows you to share your devices photos to others.  The site is almost so basic as to be unusable, but, it’s nice to know if my device is stolen and I get a new device, I can restore from the web backup and be pretty much in business again.  My question with MyPhone (and I think a LOT of people are scratching their head over this) is why it isn’t syncing with the main Windows Live properties.  MyPhone is little more than yet-another-place to store your mobile information, when it should all be stored in one location –Windows Live--  and it should all sync automatically.

My real question really remains; Why are all of these separate services?  Why are they not a wholly integrated service through the main Windows Live Services?  I’m a fairly technically savvy person, and I find this mess a headache to contemplate and deal with.  I could not imagine to recommend a casual consumer user to try to use Windows Live to make theirs a “Life Without Walls.”

All I’m asking is to sync my life; my mobile device, my online life, my desktop on one service and automatically.  Nothing sucks worse than having your information spread over three services, and not being sure where to find exactly what you’re looking for.  Or to hope that changes you make in one place are also made in the other two.  I shouldn’t have to worry or think about this, as it should be automatic.  I still have to maintain my calendar manually in two places, my Live Calendar online, and my mobile device.  Same with documents and photos and so one. 

I think my wishlist for the next Wave of Windows Live would be a pretty long list.  Perhaps the topic of another Windows Live Clubhouse post. 

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Well, there are a few pictures from Pride this year.  I guess in the last few years I’ve just not really been in the mood to take pictures, but instead just wanting to enjoy the parade. 

This year was different in that the Bf was singing with the Chorus at Center House at Seattle Center, when usually we go home rather early.  We’re not the ones to hit the bars much anymore and in fact, don’t think we’ve been to a bar on Pride in three years.  Guess we’re old stick-in-the-muds.  Perhaps when we’re both on our feet again and gainfully employed we’ll do more adventurous stuff like being social.  Going out always seems to involve at least $40 each time.  Damn this economy. 

Even though I Tweeted that I was out and enjoying the parade, I didn’t in chance run into anyone.  Though there definitely appeared to be even more people than last year in attendance.  Next year, we’re going to do the proper thing and get there early and save ourselves (and some friends) some space along the street so we can enjoy things proper like.  Wanna join us next year?

Two more weeks. That is all that is left of this phase of my college career. What have I accomplished? I got the first year of undergraduate studies done to get my transfer degree to go on to U.W. for my Bachelors. I will have done an A.A.S. degree in film & video communications. And I will have racked up approximately $30k in loans. Wee. I have accrued lots of headaches, LOTS of grey hairs (really, true!), and I will have gained some educational experience in the film & video industry. Where will I go with it? Honestly, at this moment, I really don't know.

My graduating project has been to create a travelogue of Seattle and area, and while at first I thought it was going well during filming, once I got to sit down with the footage and start the assembly edit, I realize...it's quite the albatross. Where did I go wrong? Several places, a little too numerous to go through one-by-one. Suffice it to say, that at least it was a learning experience and at that, my graduating project will not be complete by graduation. Definitely not by the showcase (which had to be turned in today-Tuesday.) The reason I chose a travelogue, is that the Bf and I have talked frequently of doing travel programming. I love to travel, he does too and even though we don't travel far or wide very frequently, we would love the opportunity to do so, and earn money while doing it, even if it means working ten hour days while in Paris. So this travelogue was to be a sort of pilot show for the real thing. Or at least the opportunity to begin work on a pilot show.

We spent four, ten-hour days of filming for the majority of interview and dialogue stuff. Then, as I started getting to the edit, I came to several realizations. Interviews would need to be re-shot, dialogue would need to be re-shot, and I needed tones more b-roll footage. After meeting with my instructor today though, I have several other realizations regarding content, and keeping interest. It was dull, boring, and visually not very interesting. In other words....it sucked. I can be honest. So, I need to rewind, retool and reshoot the whole dang thing. If Rick Steves can shoot a half-hour (hour?) episode in six days, and I can't even shoot a ten in four days?! Anyway... I'm going to be kinda stuck as in two weeks, I will not have any access to school equipment ever again. Not that I need a camera or tripod, that's taken care of, but I have been using the wireless audio equipment for the whole of the shoot (another albatross altogether). Renting is probably not an option, nor is purchasing since we just don't have the money to go buying two wireless packs for the camera.

I guess now the focus of my life becomes finding and/or finishing my internship. I'd definitely like to get into of a more production environment, specifically geared towards small unit productions, small scale distribution. There is a local company here that definitely works on that scale, but I had applied to them last summer and did not get accepted as an intern, so I guess it may be unlikely that I will get to be an intern this summer either. But I do need to get into the job market quickly, even if I'm only schlepping around Starbucks as a barista or something. At least it's income, right?

It's been really hard to write. Our instructor insisted we write once a day each week and turn in "journals" at the beginning/end of the week. I've been too tired, or too angry, or too discombobulated to think clearly and make anything out to make sense. Take this same entry for example. Four short little paragraphs, but nothing really a complete thought. i think it's several factors, stress and depression included. I guess I just don't have anything very positive to say lately so it's just better to not say anything at all. I'm trying not to neglect this space, just....I don't have anything to add for the moment. I wonder if the instructor comments on journal entries? He said he's going to give them all back to us at the end of the year. Would be interesting I guess.