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july 8, 2000
There is not a great deal to write about today, the first full day in Flagstaff. What I like so far about living here, is that I can walk places, like to the downtown area, something one can rarely do in a city like Phoenix, where every little event or errand is a trip in the car.

So this morning I was able to easily stroll down to the campus of Northern Arizona University, to where I will be working, the Center for Research and Evaluation for Advanced Technology in Education (CREATE) project. It was pretty quiet there as all of the project managers are on vacation, so I got the introduction from the support staff, Darren and Dena. My corner to work in is blessed with a very new, sleek G4 PowerMac, so I spent a bit of time setting it up, and doing a small amount of online reading related to my project.

today's photos

- all photos   o o o o

o o Flagstaff o o NAU and the CREATE office

I will be able to better explain what I hope to do here as I dive in next week. One part of my proposal was to help with the development of "multi-user" technology that would allow groups of students to collaborate on a virtual chemistry lab. This will be using the Multi User Server technology from Macromedia, and integrating with a web/shockwave interface. I look forward to this as it has been a while since I have been able to be deeply involved with a programming project and it will be a great chance to brush up my skills in Macromedia Director.

In the evening, I attended the premiere of a documentary film "Escalante, Bones of the Earth" highlighting the remote canyon region of southwest Utah. The auditorium at the Museum of Northern Arizona was overflowing with its local audience. The filmmaker, Brian Cass, spoke a bit about his project, which took more than three years, and many long trips backpacking movie cameras into the slickrock country. The film was breathtaking in its capturing of the landscape, both at a grand scale and a small scale, but also was enjoyable for the way it addressed the history and human aspects of the area, through interviews with notable poets, guides, hikers, and photographers who love this region. And it sparkled wiht humor.

My forays into Escalante were few but memorable, and I am pretty sure I saw a scene of the narrows of Little Death Hollow Wolverine Canyon as well as Calf Creek falls. Like many of the people watching the movie, I find something magical about the sandstone canyon country. We all smile at the thought about not wanting it to be portrayed too positively (the thought of drawing more people to a place loved for its solitude, you go Ed Abbey). For some really wonderful images, see Kipp Greene's Slickrock Gallery