Tech Support

Lesson of the week...never again complain about tech support in the United States. 

My computer is currently broken (I'm using a friends to quickly write this explanatory blog for why I won't be writing a real one) and Argentine tech support will make anyone sick with frustration. 

First, I had to spend 3 hours on the phone with tech support in the United States.  Then 2 hours with Argentina.  Then another hour with the US.  Then 3 days of exchanging emails, copies of my passport, copies of my visa, etc (all without actually having a computer at my house to do it on...since mine's broken...I still don't understand why a computer repair service would try to use email...but that's a side discussion for another day)  Then another hour on the phone with Argentina tech support.  Then finally 2 hours in the store that was supposed to repair it. 

After a week of waiting, they called me yesterday to tell me that my computer is finally ready and I can pick it up today.  I checked their offical letterhead for their hours and called them and had these hours varified by their answering machine.  Then I went there...only to find that they are actually not open today.

I'm continuing to call and am hoping they will finally decide to open (because in Argentina, nothing actually happens when it is promised...despite declarations and contracts that it will be so).  But I will probably not have access to a computer long enough to watch the videos and post a real blog until Monday.

Everyone abroad--start praying and crossing every part of your body that your computer doesn't break and you don't have to experience the same thing. 

My first video!

Here's my first attempt at movie-making...please please give me all of the constructive criticism you can before the real things!

Helpful Hint for other CLAMmers

Hey all!

If anyone else is having problems with your video stalling while you try to work on it in Movie Maker or Flip or any of 6 other video editing softwares (I'm not even exaggerating), the problem is probably in the type of movie file you're using.  Mine were MP4's and the program just couldn't keep up.

I downloaded this converter (http://download.cnet.com/windows/3055-2194_4-10784027.html?tag=pdl-redir) from a safe website and converted to AVI formatting and now everything amazingly works.  Just thought I would pass it on to save others my intense frustration!

Very excited for everyone's movies!

Decisions, Decisions

First, apologies for this blog being so behind.  I was extremely indecisive last week in deciding what to do my projects on and then went on a trip with the Clemson group to Buenos Aires for the weekend and didn't have my laptop.

Second, here go the ideas as they are right now.  I need lots of feedback (and am about to do the same for all of you classmates!).

Personal:  I am planning on doing a comparison between my life in the States and my life down here.  The city, th the country surrounding, the people, etc.

Cultural:  I am going to focus on student social movements.  It is an extremely interesting culture with protests, graffiti, all sorts of things.

Professional: My dream for the future is to work with policies that affect women in poverty in Latin American countries.  To begin gaining experience in the true needs of these women that have stolen my heart, I am doing an internship with a health clinic that serves women and families that live in the outskirts of the city.  This movie, I hope, will have a direct focus on the women and their lives.  Not exactly a traditional look at a professional job, but it ties in with exactly what I want to do.

What do you all think?