Equipped to Succeed

With the Holidays winding up no later than they started for me, I feel slightly less tired, and in some sense, less poor. I made more money in four days alone than I have in my last month of work, yet my bank account has not increased in size, nor is my new wallet swelling. I have purchased an item that was slightly necessary, but mostly indulgent.

The unnecessarily bulky and deceptively heavy hand-me-down television that was recently in my room for no more than half a year had a problem with turning off by itself, not to mention the lights in my room would flicker every time I turned the mammoth on. So by draining my holiday cash fund, I was able to buy my very own, brand new LCD HDTV (how do you like that acronym?). Welcome to the club, right? It's about time. Normally I wouldn't spend so much money on a non-Apple branded electronic item, but it was really like getting two new things at once. Not only is this a hot new TV, but is also functioning as a very large, bright, second monitor for my MacBook Pro. In fact, I am utilizing its wonderful 1680:1050 resolution by writing this blog post on it as opposed to my slightly smaller computer screen (is 7 inches slight? =))

Must have been fate, I took the last one they had at the store. I am so glad that I finally got an HD television, and I had been really wanting a big computer monitor, so I believe it was money well spent. The larger screen real estate will be great for working on High-Def video as well as larger graphics for T-Shirts and such.

One downside to having an HDTV, if there is one, is the fact that everything that looked fairly good on my old TV (basic cable television, my Xbox gaming, etc.,) is starting to show it's age with noisy images and blocky graphics.

My Latest Endeavor

As I do it more and more, the more I enjoy doing it. Lately I have seriously considered some form of Graphic Design as a career option. Well, this is me testing the water. . .

I have opened a free account on CafePress.com, and depending on how successful this is I may pay a little and possibly have my store become a lot more profitable. Make sure to pay my store a little visit if you have some time. Who knows? You may buy something.

http://cafepress.com/youtubejxxnMore designs coming soon! (Hopefully)

Get Well Soon.

Last night I got to witness history. Despite the fact that Barack Obama wasn't who I was hoping to win the election, I still think it is incredible to see how far this country has come.

I don't agree with his political stature, or policies, but his "Yes We Can" is pretty inspiring no matter who you are. This was really the perfect time for someone like him to come along in the political game. George W. Bush has gotten us into a mess and it really is not a good time to be a republican right now. Obama's promises for the American people add more to his likability.



How do I feel about republicans vs. democrats? If I was old enough, I would be a registered republican, simply because I do not agree with the liberal mindset. If we take wealth and give it to the less fortunate, aren't we just handing out freebies? If the government is going to pay for everything, what incentive does that give me to work? I believe that the government should be there to help you out and give you the opportunity to succeed, not the excuse to fail.

But what does a 15 year old know about politics?

Despite McCain's loss, he was very graceful in his speech last night. I could tell he was genuine in his words, and I agree. We need to give OUR new president a fair shake because it will not be easy for him. So for a minute forget the party and appreciate all this man has gone through. It is about our country and we need to give the president our cooperation and support and maybe we can make a difference.

-Jackson Ivey

Recent Sucesses. . .

I have recently felt more successful than practically ever before. You may or may not know that I was recently chosen as a finalist in the Pickens Citzens Video Contest, which is a national contest. As I am writing this, I am currently standing at fourth place with 16% of all the votes. Not bad, considering the fact that I am at least half the age of anyone else in that contest. =]

"We Can Do This"-Finalist



I think I have been getting too much into the voting of the contest and not appreciating that I have one of the six best videos in the entire country. My family and friends have showed a tremendous amount of support, and the emails have been pouring in practically nonstop. The most impressive part about all of this is that the number of views my video is getting continues to blow my mind. Two days ago it had 826 total views, which is a lot more than I am used to in less than a week. Last night it was about to break 4,000 views, which amazes me. Just a couple hours ago it had surpassed my most viewed video, me getting my hair cut. Before starting this blog entry, it was about to blow past 10k. As I was finishing up the post, and went to copy the code to embed, it had just gotten over twelve thousand.

It almost feels unreal that so many people have seen my video, and so many people have liked it. I only wish that the polls went in my favor, but all I can do is sit back and wait for the final results. You can still vote at http://pickensplan.com/videos until Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. My YouTube account is HurricaneJXXN, so that is the name you select if you wish to vote for me.

-Jackson Ivey, youtubejxxn

Back on the Scene.

For the past few months, it seems like it has been very hard for me to finish any video I started. Well tonight I felt like I am really getting back onto the scene. Today I started a video project and I actually finished it the same day.

In doing this, I realized something. I can't just sit down and make a video anymore, I have to have a purpose. I surprise myself with what I am able to do when I have a final product in mind. Ever since the epic D.C. trip in June, I have been dying to get at it for another year, and my skills and abilities have improved in a countless number of ways. There has to be something inside me that keeps my attention for hours while making videos but I can't during anything else.

Sorry if my sentence structure is a little worse than usual, I am up waiting for my video to upload and I am way tired. But I could argue that this is my best video yet.
Enjoy.



youtubejxxn
Jackson Ivey

WTF Wall Street!?

It's been hard to wake up this month without hearing about another bank going belly-up. I heard the Dow Jones went down %7 today. So What? What does this mean for me? Well, so far, I just sit and watch, wondering what to think about this country. Ever since I have been alive, this world has been in a steady decline, September 11th was the event that opened my eyes, but it is evident now that I have no clue. I have no clue what to expect when I finally enter this "real world" I always hear about. I have no clue what to think about us possibly having a democratic president for the first time since I have became politically aware.

According to the news our economy is going to hell. Meanwhile, I am spending more and more. The truth is that while the free market is suffering, I am experiencing more financial freedom than I have ever had. Yet at this rate, I am wondering if there will even be a free market by the time I turn 18.

In an article I recently had to read for History class, it mentioned that the recession can be merely a figment of our imagination. We believe that our money will not be safe, so we save it. In reality if everybody went out and spent $100 tomorrow, we would be way better off. But instead we sit and wait for the market to correct itself, when really it is the lack of spending that got the housing market where it is, and the stock market down worse than it has been in years.

But I'm only 15, what does my opinion matter? Well I'd like to argue that, but unfortunately it really doesn't matter. These politicians will still go back and forth and continue to be counterproductive. If we all had as much "change" as these politicians claim to bring, we would be one rich country. Excuse the pun, if you caught that one =)

It has Been Long Enough. . . .

A dry well would be the best metaphor for my creativity lately. My hard drive still holds the remains of about three video projects I have started and still not managed to get my crap together on. Between school, work, procrastination, and my social ventures, I haven't managed the time to sit down for a couple of hours and work my magic.

The video I have managed to finish was basically like an assignment. I just considered it as something that needed to get done, something I wanted to get done.

I live in a developing subdivision (well, part of the time), and as houses would go up, gradually filling up the lots around us, my dad had taken pictures of the progression of a couple of them, documenting big steps along the way. The following video is a compilation of said pictures (roughly 30 of them) and my stunning motion graphics and editing skills =) I have titled it "A Home is Born" for lack of more creativity.



Photos: Richard Ivey
Video: Jackson Ivey "JXXN" =)

It wouldn't hurt you to click on those links in the right margin either. Gotta make a livin'. . .

As always:
http://youtube.com/HurricaneJxxn

Same Excuses

What is the excuse you always hear when people online neglect to upload videos and continue to blog? I was busy. Have had to deal with school now. Between homework and my job I hardly have time. The overused excuse of being busy, how about a real reason? Busy and tired, that's a new one. These excuses may explain why this blog post is short and may lack grammatical correctness, correct spelling, or any organization of ideas. I am laying here in bed blogging from my new iPod touch, listening to the song lollipop, which I have heard far too many times.

My Perception of Time.

Isn't it funny how nothing ever seems to turn out how you want it to? My summer has been flying by and I am approaching the start of school painfully soon. As my summer concludes, I can't help but ask myself what it was that I wanted to get out of the summer. Well, a break from school first of all. Aside from the extra rest and none of the work, it didn't fail to stick in my mind that I only had 12 weeks until school started, then 11, 10. . . . now its only 2 weeks away. What happened?

What else did I want to do this summer? Well I went to Washington, D.C. like I planned, worked about 30 hours a week, stayed up late, slept in, and still somehow found time to fulfill my hobbies. School, for me at least, has always felt like it is just a burden. Last year was very awkward for me socially, so maybe that's what I'm not looking forward to. Everyone says it will be better because my all my friends will be going to the same school as me this year. I guess we will have to wait and see.

The work. Everyone says education is so important. I'm all for the gaining of more knowledge, but what about knowledge that matters to me? I understand the math, the literature, the social studies, because those are apparently what we need to know to be accepted in society. Yet somehow all my talents involve nothing I have learned in school. They don't teach creativity in school, they don't teach social skills, yet somehow those are some of the most important things you need to have in order to succeed.

Creativity is my best outlet, and I hope I will be more accepted because of that.

http://identitymovie.blogspot.com



My name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN

Same Here.

Everything has been pretty much the same for me this summer. I have been working around 30 hours a week, continue to make videos, and continue to enjoy my time off of school. I still have not studied for my test to get a driver's permit, been too 'busy'.

Almost made $8 from AdSense! And that's not just for my blog, but my actual website, projectprodigy.tv, click the link and pay us a visit (it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out our "sponsored links" either :)

Started a campaign to get 100 subscribers on YouTube. Has not been going well : (
Here is the video, if you are interested:


Thanks for reading!
Don't forget to take a look at my ads-------->

The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

Time to make the move. . .

After six months of very much enjoying a standard definition camcorder, and I still continue to be interested in making videos, I think it is time to move up to an HD camcorder. After two straight days of research, I have purchased a new camcorder. It is nothing that special or that great, but it will get me full 1080i HD quality in my videos. It is an older (last year) model of the Sony Handy-Cam, the HDR-HC7. It offers a lot of options for recording, a nice looking design, some touch screen controls, a microphone jack, and a proprietary "hot shoe" for accessories like a light or mounted microphone. I purchased it off ebay for a very reasonable price, and it should be here within a week or so. I think it should go without saying that I am pretty amped.


My second love.

The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

So Close.

I have been working non-stop the past seven days, so I apologize for lack of blog. I did make a video, though, that I think is pretty cool:



So now just two more days before we leave for D.C., and I am getting very excited. As always, be sure to look at the website projectprodigy.tv, and look at the sponsored links. Sorry for the lack of blog, but I thought I better post one, I think it has been like a week since my last blog.


The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

Finally Made it through the School Year!

I mentioned in my last post that Zach McLeod may join Prodigy. Well, I am very pleased to say that everything is final. He has joined us. Here is a video that I think serves as an appropriate "welcoming" of Zach into Prodigy, and a good introduction of him to all of my viewers and other Prodigy fans (all 3 of you):



You may remember the video I made a week or two ago, the one I made to "relieve my stress". Well I decided that video would be perfect to use for this little venture. . .

Trying to give my videos the right "mood" and get rid of the home video look. Let me know how I did with that by voting on my poll:



So yes, school is finally over. . . for a couple of months at least. The next big thing to look forward to will be the trip to Washington, D.C. for NHD. We will depart a week from this Sunday and stay for a whole week. I will probably post lots of pictures, and a huge blog when we get back, not to mention all the video footage we can get! So I'm not the only one that should be looking forward to that trip.

Be sure to check out the sponsored links : )


The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

The Home Stretch

Finally school begins to wind down. I am very happy to say that as of yesterday, I no longer have any more full, real days of school left. Finals week. Happy, yes because it signifies the end, the finale; Happy, no because high stress and in many cases difficult tests.

At my school, during finals week, the whole schedule is a little skewed, which is actually somewhat enjoyable. Normally I go from 8:30 in the morning, to 3:30 in the afternoon, but I am done at 2:00 all week, plus there is a day that my first class does not start until 10 in the morning. This really helps me, because I have a shorter day, therefore less tests, less stress.

I continue to fail to have time to work on any real videos, but my Washington, D.C. trip is coming up in just over a week, so probably a memorable video or two will come out of that.

The friend that I worked with for History Day, Zach McLeod, will obviously be going to D.C. with me, and so we will probably make a video together (hopefully a funny one!). We had a very good idea for a past history project that we never got to actually film, so we will have time for that hopefully. It was a project about Abraham Lincoln, we were going to title it "To Catch a President with Chris Nambla" like making fun of NBC's hit show "To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen". I have no clue where we were going to go with it, or how it would have any historical accuracy, so it's probably better that we are doing it outside of school.A little quick 'photoshopping' I did to get you amped for "To Catch a President". . .

Zach McLeod and I have also been in talking about him becoming a permanent member of Prodigy if we have a hit with "To Catch a President". But there are just a few things to work out, nothing is %100 yet. I am revealing some juicy information to you, just another bonus to the few of you that read my blog.

As I have said, I am sure far too much, merchandise is coming. However it is no longer a matter of 'if' but of when. Black shirts with white font, and as exciting as that is, there may be more.

A screenshot of the website at the moment I am writing this blog. That is a preview of the shirt design that you see. To learn more, visit http://projectprodigy.tv/merchandise


The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

A break from the stress.

Here is what I do to relieve my stress. I create something like this, and hopefully get good feedback on it. Enjoy:



The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

New Website Up and Running . . . Three Day weekend!

Well the website isn't exactly new. But the webpage is new, I will say that. I used Wordpress so that it would look nice, especially because I know nothing about css or html. But that is not all we are doing. New YouTube channel just for Prodigy will be up soon, plus a new ebay store, possibly.

I am pretty amped, personally. Check out our website at www.projectprodigy.tv

Here is a screenshot of the new website on my computer. Notice the generic banner image, I'm going to work on that for sure. Plus I got google ads on it, so I might be able to break even after hosting and domain name.


Memorial Day is on Monday, so that means three day weekend! But I am scheduled to work like 12 hours over the weekend, plus end of the year school work. Still if I am feeling a little ambitious I may attempt to add more to the website, or make more videos, or whatever I feel like.

After school gets out on June 6, I have like a week before I leave for D.C. (for National History Day Competition.) If I don't have to work a whole lot, I will be making videos like crazy. I hate how school can actually take away from my potential sometimes. I spend too much time trying to be proficient at school work that it takes away from the time I have to actually improve on what I could quite possibly be doing for the rest of my life (I hope!).

Plus people at school get on my nerves, some annoy me, some are rude to me, some hate me, some make fun of me. Gets pretty old. Plus I feel like nobody at school appreciates my talents. I can make a video better than at least 90% of the people at my school, but I can't shoot a basketball or throw a football, therefore I am a loser.


The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

A very cool recognition.

About a month ago, a friend and I placed second at a state "History Day" competition. (Don't worry if you don't know what that is, I will explain it.) Well, last night, we got to stand up in front of the school board and be recognized for our accomplishments, along with other winners from the same school district. I don't know about you, but I find it extremely refreshing to see people recognized and honored for accomplishments other than athletics.

That's my friend Zach McLeod on the left and I'm the ugly one on the right.
(Taken right after we had won)

National History Day is [what I guess you could call] an organization that is sponsored by The History Channel. They have competitions for students grades 6-12. There are five different categories to compete in; Exhibit, where students develop kind of like a science fair board with info on their topic; Documentary (the category we competed in), which is where students basically develop a documentary video (think of the things you see on the History Channel) on their topic; Paper, basically where you write a research paper on your category (Ugh!); Performance, which is like where you act out your play; and new this year, the webpage category, where you guessed it, make a website on your topic. Each student can compete individually or in groups of 2-5. For more info, visit their website.

This year's logo for the theme "Conflict & Compromise in History"

Right before we presented

Here is our actual project titled
"Conflict and Compromise: The 1980 Miracle on Ice":

The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

Only Three More Weeks!

Three weeks does not sound like a tremendously long amount of time, but when that is all that stands between me and three months of freedom, it feels like an eternity.

As the school year comes to a close, it gets more and more crazy as the days go by. The weather outside turns a little more friendly, the teachers get more tired and stressed, as do the students, and on top of that, it is the time of year that the pointless projects, mind-numbing district assessments, and every assignment you ever missed over the course of the semester all come to bite you on the @ss.

Whether that sounds negative or not, it really is the truth, and as you look ahead to summer, you pretty much are ready for school to be over, which makes the workload seem even more impossible.



The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

Happy Birthday to Me! Thanks Everyone!

I just don't have time to thank everyone that helped wish me a happy birthday this year. Every card meant a lot to me, every present has been special, and all the money was very helpful :)

Tasty Birthday Cake (Mmm! Thanks Mom!)

The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.

Awesome new Apple Mighty Mouse (Thanks Dad and Pam)

Sweet Mariokart Wii and an extra Wii Wheel! (Thanks to Mom, Bo, Dave and Kay!)

Wonderful new tripod "Joby Gorillapod" (Thanks Mom & Bo!)

Thanks to EVERYONE!!!

I had an amazing birthday weekend! Believe it or not, little Jackson Ivey is 15 years old!

My first blog post

Congratulations, you have made your way to my blog.

Today is the day after my birthday, and since I have the day off work, I have been trying to find something to do. I do have a website, but unfortunately I have no experience in making websites, so I thought I would give this a try. You most likely watch my YouTube videos since you have came here.

I had tried to get Google ads on my real website, but that didn't work, so maybe I can get them on here and earn a little extra dough. : )

This blog will mostly be for; 1) people who watch my videos, 2) people who know me personally, or 3) people who care about the daily happenings of a 15 year old living in quite possibly the lamest state in the country.

Here is one of my latest videos that seems to be pretty popular:



Enjoy!


The name is Jackson Ivey, but you may know me as JXXN.