Research + Broadband = Progress?

So, this week has mostly been spent in frustration with my broadband connection. I had decided that the first thing to tackle would be getting my head around the technology and so that meant getting my hands on some software (After Effects) and commencing the tutorials once I had it up and running on my mac. There is going to be a phenomenal amount of learning to be done on this so the process (and progress) will be slow, especially initially.

The problem is that my broadband connection was not up to the task of the hefty download of Adobe's Creative Suite 5 Master Collection (rolls off the tongue doesn't it!). Thankfully, eventually, I was able to request a copy of the disks to be posted out to me from AIT, so am hoping to get them in the next couple of days. I've mostly spent the week watching intro tutorials (but admittedly without the software this was of limited use). This all culminated in a insomniac couple of nights spent feeling desperately out of date on my tech skills and a tad overwhelmed by the amount to absorb, strange to think that some research into neuroscience and cognition provided some light relief!

My research into synaesthesia has been more fruitful and it was serendipity at play reading the Sunday Times Magazine, where leading light into Synaesthesia research, VS Ramachdran, had an 8 page article into his work into neroscience (eventhough synaesthesia didn't get a mention!). His name has come up again and again on the subject and I've found a couple of very interesting and helpful articles by him. I also discovered there is on going research into it happening at TCD, so hope to make contact with the group involves when I've a bit more progress made. (http://www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/multisensory/)

In summary (for those of you still awake through this whine), I've realised the following...

1. I'm not afraid of hard work, and there will be plenty of it

2. I need to polish up on my patience

3. The research stage of any project I tackle is always indepth and seems slow to manifest visual results, but inevitably the final visual piece is all the richer for it.

There's a strong sense of logic in my work and every mark needs to be backed up with meaning.

4. While immersing myself in After Effects and syneasthesia research I need to offset the weightiness with some hap hazard image creation.

Despite how this post reads I'm very enthusiastic, intrigued and optimistic about my chosen subject matter and the creation of the visual piece!