Go to Zion!

I didn’t go to Zion National Park until way too late in my life. It’s just amazing, and I really need to get back to Utah! I think Utah may be one of the most underrated states in the US, at least as far as photography goes. It’s pretty highly rated as far as Mormonism goes. It’s gotta be in the top 10 there.

The Team’s in Town!

I’m excited to have at least some of the Stuck in Customs team visiting Queenstown this week! I wish we could get everyone out here. We’re preparing for the workshop this week, which will be absolutely amazing. The weather should be incredible, and we continually get a great group of people that come to these things.

Has anyone seen “Her”?

What did you think about it?

Why is Google+ required for The Arcanum

All applications and user accounts for www.TheArcanum.com require Google+ to be tied to the profile for a cornucopia of reasons that make everything better! We have built something totally different — a completely new and human way to learn by building on ancient Master & Apprentice traditions and combining with modern tech.

— Google+ Video Hangouts – You will be spending fun time in private Video Hangout sessions with your 19 fellow Apprentices and your Master when you have your critique sessions. Your one-on-one critique sessions, for example, are automatically saved to YouTube and available to everyone else in The Arcanum.

— Google Glass – Many Masters have Glass, and it is very easy to start live G+ Hangouts with Apprentices so that you can ask questions, live. We also are working on specialized apps inside of Glass that make communication and the AR aspect of the magical academy more fun!

— YouTube Videos – All videos in the Grand Library are stored on YouTube as Unlisted creations from the Masters. You’ll be able to view them all from inside The Arcanum, but you’ll also be able to use your own personal YouTube Playlists to keep track of your favorites and view them easily on any device at any time.

— Google+ Login/profile – Even though you will have a specialized profile within The Arcanum, it’s tied 100% to your Google+ login. We layer other things on top, such as the Leveling System for more. This is both for convenience and so that everyone else on the inside can easily link over to your public Google+ account. As we all know, Google+ is a great way to find new friends and share passions with a wider world.

If you already filled out an application right in the beginning, you can go back now and tie it into your G+ account! You can also update your application with additional info if you wish; this may help Masters learn more about you when they begin their selection process.

We’re working hard on all the tools and preparing for an internal test-run with the Masters. What you see below is the new UI that we are rolling in over the next few weeks. We’re all so excited, and I know you are too! 🙂 Thanks again for your enthusiasm — it is helping to drive us all even harder! 🙂

There is a major amount of driving you can do in Utah! I can’t believe how many miles I actually drove through that state… and there were many many many things to stop and shoot. This might have made everything feel longer. I also was happy to have nice and wide shoulders that gave me plenty of space to pull over and take photos. I always get stressed when I want to pull over to take a photo at any old time, but there is just no place safe. Ain’t nobody got time for dat!