Greetings, fellow Mooses (Mice?). I know you’ve come to my blog looking for something inspirational and flashy… alas, there is still nothing new for you. However, instead of the days upon days of silence, I’ve decided that it’s time to bring you up to date with the happenings of both Samantha and I…
This first big news is that I’ve finished University! Wow… and I’m still only 28 :) I handed in my thesis two weeks ago and I’m still waiting on the results (though I know I’ve passed). So now you can feel comfortable knowing that you’re talking to a Bachelor and a Master of Information Technology… otherwise known as an ubergeek. The research ended up going well and my paper on “Proximap: A Proximity Based Data Visualisation Metaphor” resulted in the death of a sufficient number of trees - so hopefully my supervisor is happy. You can read more about the research here - www.proximap.net - though it hasn’t been updated for a little while.
The second big news is that we’ve moved to Melbourne! That’s right! We’ve abandoned the semi-working neon-lined streets of the Gold Coast and defected to Victoria. In a word: Awesome! In more that a word: Whilst I loved my time on the coast - for the most part - I knew that it wasn’t the place for me. Having recently discovered my calling (okay, that’s a little romantic… maybe “my preferred career choice”) as a Flash programmer, it quickly became obvious that I wouldn’t find acceptable work on the GC. So a month or so prior to handing in my thesis I started looking into the Melbourne Flash scene - which leads me to my third big news…
I’ve got a job! Not just any job - a brilliant job. Starting next Monday I’ll be the “Digital Developer” at M&C SAATCHI, Melbourne. These guys are an international advertising agency with big (and interesting) clients. My job will be purely Flash programming - how freaking awesome is that?! - on rich websites and viral marketing style flash games. Cool location? Yes. Wear a suit? No! Creative/funky team? Yes. Dream job? Absolutely.
So that pretty much explains everything. Hopefully you’ll now understand my recent blog tardiness. Samantha and I are now on the hunt for a house/apartment/shanty. We’re finding this quite difficult as most places aren’t available until the middle of June. Currently we’re leaning towards an apartment in Southbank which would be ten minutes walk to work for me. Will keep you posted on our progress.
If you’re planning a visit, let me know and we’ll do lunch.
Michael
