What happened to PopExperiment.com?

Back in 2007, during my last semester at UCF, the instructor for one of my senior projects introduced me to PopExperiment.com. I was so impressed and intrigued by the collection of artists (photographers especially) that I visited the site at least once a week. Soon afterward, Pop Experiment Radio was introduced through a link to its playlist file on top of each page, and I enjoyed playing it though I-Tunes while working on my computer. It was the kind of background music that felt inspirational but not meditative or distracting and including songs from Shiny Toy Guns (when Carah Faye was still in the band), Styrofoam, Ms. John Soda, Ivy, and Flunk (just to name a few). Then one day, as I was trying to play to Pop Experiment Radio, the file wouldn't play. I tried downloading it again repeatedly and still got the same results. Even odder is the fact that even though I did not know about the website until 2007, all posts made by Zach Garner (and other site Admins) are all dated 2006. Even the radio podcasts are from 2006. This makes me wonder when the site was last updated, especially since the Pop Experiment Radio link did not appear on the site (as far as I know) until 2007 and mysteriously became disabled one year later. I'm surprised that other people, besides me, still log in.

Projects Overrule “Skills”

I will no longer be discussing skills I have learned (or perfected), only projects I have completed. Read more about this decision in this entry in my other blog.

I have also added a new blog to my account to coincide with my new last name: elizabethhossain.blogspot.com. I will continue to post in all three blogs for the time being.

Skills obtained with projects

With all the databasing I've been practicing lately, I can now add MySql/SQL to my list of skills:

Color Theory: Advanced

Photoshop: Advanced

Illustrator: Above Intermediate

HTML: Advanced
CSS: Above Intermediate
JavaScript: Above Intermediate

Ajax: Intermediate

PHP: Intermediate

MySql/SQL: Intermediate

Flash: Intermediate

Adobe Premiere: Advanced
Final Cut Pro: Advanced

Maya: Intermediate

Analog Art Skills and Studies: Advanced
Computer Graphic Art Skills: Intermediate
Computer Web Design Skills: Above Intermediate - Advanced
Computer Web Programming Skills: Intermediate
Computer Databasing: Intermediate
Computer Video Editing: Intermediate
Computer 3D Modeling: Intermediate

Skill Overhaul

Since last October, I have relearned Illustrator, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP and learned Ajax and additional HTML. I have also begun learning Flash, and I still need to relearn MySql.

As of today, here is my list of skills. . .

Color Theory: Advanced
Photoshop: Advanced
Illustrator: Above Intermediate
HTML: Advanced
CSS: Above Intermediate
JavaScript: Above Intermediate
Ajax: Intermediate
PHP: Intermediate
Flash: Intermediate
Adobe Premiere: Advanced
Final Cut Pro: Advanced
Maya: Intermediate

I can see myself becoming more advanced quickly in Illustrator, CSS, and JavaScript with enough practice. I may even be able to learn Flash rather quickly. I definitely need a lot more practice in Ajax, PHP, and MySql. At the moment, I do not need to become more proficient in Maya.

Skills as Second Nature

As I begin building new milestones, I look back on all the Digital Media skills I have obtained over the past 5.5 years, and without a doubt, I have at least 4 years of experience in each of the following skills/programs:

Color Theory
Graphic Design
Photoshop
HTML
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut Pro

I can build almost anything suitable to these programs/skills with very little time and effort, but this list needs to grow.

And it will.

Two weeks from now, I expect to see at least one new skill expand my horizon.