As this is an online class, I find it quite appropriate to obtain my research from the internet instead of the traditional method...books from the library. Although, for me, the library will never be replaced, we live in a day and age of modern technology where information can be easily accessible. You can now access the Britannica Encyclopedia online on whatever subject imaginable. Instead of trekking around these heavy books, you can print the information out, copy it as a document so you can open it anywhere with access of a computer.
I "googled" and "yahooed" information on Shutterfly or anything relating to digital photography in order to obtain scholarly articles as well as information pertaining to my project. Additionally, I went onto Shutterfly's website to view their company profile along with other information in support of my paper. Additionally, I felt that the best way to further understand first hand about Shutterfly, I interviewed friends and relatives who have had used their website from the initial beginning until now. They provide good feedback to why they use this site along with other similar sites and inquired what keeps them interested in using these sites.
As a photography enthusiast, I thought it would be great to understand how far photography has come from using a film camera to now using a digital camera. I grew up using a film camera in which you would have the roll(s) of film developed by a photo lab and/or print shop. Back then, you can store pictures by keeping the negatives but now, you can store the pictures on memory cards or any other methods. Of course, by shooting with the roll(s) of film, I am very conscience and conservative on what I do and do not take. However, the fascination with a digital camera is the ability to take as many pictures as possible and still have the ability to immediately view them and easily delete them if not acceptable. Plus, I have the accessibility to upload them onto a camera and quickly sent to friends and family for viewing. Not to say that regular roll(s) of film can do that now if you request it.
Digital Photography/Processing must be considered new media as it has and continues to evolve with the times. Shutterfly started as merely as a storage site for photographs, and now, not only can you store photographs, but you can interactive within the site (i.e., upload songs, videos, provide comments, etc.), print out photographs, make albums and send them to whomever you like with the click of a button...in the comfort of your own home.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Privacy
A major part of New Media discussions is the issue of privacy and confidentiality. Social networking sites and blog sites are in particular the center of attention at the moment. Children and young adults are in particular vulnerable to the dangers that lie and wait on social networking sites. Children don’t think, period. They post personal details, photographs and intimate details that should really only be shared with very close friends. People who wish to do them harm use false names and details pretending to be of similar age to the child. This then leads them into a false sense of security and it’s not uncommon for a child to arrange to meet this stalker in person. The ease of internet access makes it much harder for parents to keep track of their child’s online activities.
Wiki So Far
So far on Wiki I have completed the required assignments but have yet to put anything of my own. To contribute to our ever growing class Wiki, I have plans to do something in the sports section. I follow a lot of sports and in particular football (soccer) and golf. I will look at the effect new media has had on them and what the benefits are for the fans.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Next New Thing
I think a cell phone with cable capabilities would be an excellent new media for all those TV junkies out there. Perhaps the phone could be equipped with a longer battery lifetime as you can have the ability to watch your shows live. If that is not an option, perhaps the cell phone will have a “DVR” like capacity where it will have a large enough memory to record your favorite shows which could then allow you to play them back at a later time. Instead of reading a book, they can watch live or recorded shows either on the subway or bus. This would allow people to utilize their time better, and not spend so much of their evenings in front of a TV.
Advice to Baruch College
If I was hired at Baruch College to improve their new media, the first thing I would do is get rid of blackboard and set up Baruch’s own communication board. The blackboard seems to create so much traffic that it crashes all the time. In doing so, it affects the way the students need to utilize it. By creating Baruch’s own board, there should be some program in which Baruch’s board will be linked to the student’s e-mail where they will be periodically notified should anything be updated or given to the students by their respective professors. Hopefully, in using Baruch’s own board, it may minimize on the system crashing as students can easily and quickly check for any upcoming deadlines should they need to defer to the board.
Additionally, in order to maintain the emphasis on “being green,” all assignments, syllabus and any other handouts should be distributed and/or obtained via this system. Yes, it is similar to what we have right now with blackboard but the key factor is that Baruch should be able to maintain and manage its own database instead of having an outside source do it for them such as CUNY. Furthermore, I would also make sure that all professors use the system and not just some. The reason being is that we are living in an age where computers are becoming more and more accessible for everyone. For students who may or may not own or carry portable devices that can readily provide them the necessary information, I suggest that additional kiosks should be available in various locations so students can have the opportunity to check their e-mails and/or board.
Additionally, in order to maintain the emphasis on “being green,” all assignments, syllabus and any other handouts should be distributed and/or obtained via this system. Yes, it is similar to what we have right now with blackboard but the key factor is that Baruch should be able to maintain and manage its own database instead of having an outside source do it for them such as CUNY. Furthermore, I would also make sure that all professors use the system and not just some. The reason being is that we are living in an age where computers are becoming more and more accessible for everyone. For students who may or may not own or carry portable devices that can readily provide them the necessary information, I suggest that additional kiosks should be available in various locations so students can have the opportunity to check their e-mails and/or board.
Friday, October 30, 2009
My New Media Class So Far
In today’s society, new media is a commonly used term and applies to a lot of things we now take for granted such as Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Shutterfly, Twitter, etc. Technology is also part of the ever changing world of new media. Digital TV, DVR ("digital video recorder") boxes, computers, computer software programs (i.e., Adobe Photoshop) and digital cameras are just some of the technologies that we now use on a daily basis.
The internet is a major factor in making most of the new media possible. Without the internet, things such as blogs, emails, search engines and home shopping cannot exist. The world has now reached a stage where it can no longer operate without the internet and therefore we rely on it heavily. Having all these new technologies have now seen a decline and slowly a decline in old media. Newspaper sales, for instance, are no longer like they used to be. Unlike twenty years ago, people can now have access to any number of sources in which to get the latest news instead of waiting to the following day to obtain the news. With obtaining news online, you can instantly get the latest news. Post offices have also taken a hit as emailing someone takes seconds to arrive unlike a written letter which can take days and therefore is now referred to as “snail mail.”
Old media is slowly, but surely being edged out. Take TV for instance. Earlier this year, all TV stations have changed to digital as it is not possible to receive a signal through the old analogue aerial. Will radio go the same way? The disturbing thing now if the internet stops working, then the world is going to be set back many years as we all rely so heavily upon it. This is not a good thing. “You can watch the TV while you are using the internet, picture and picture, another section of it, you click on picture and picture and a little box appears in the corner, you can be chatting away or whatever and you can watch telly at the same time, you are not missing anything really.” Irish Communications Review Vol 9 2003.
The internet is a major factor in making most of the new media possible. Without the internet, things such as blogs, emails, search engines and home shopping cannot exist. The world has now reached a stage where it can no longer operate without the internet and therefore we rely on it heavily. Having all these new technologies have now seen a decline and slowly a decline in old media. Newspaper sales, for instance, are no longer like they used to be. Unlike twenty years ago, people can now have access to any number of sources in which to get the latest news instead of waiting to the following day to obtain the news. With obtaining news online, you can instantly get the latest news. Post offices have also taken a hit as emailing someone takes seconds to arrive unlike a written letter which can take days and therefore is now referred to as “snail mail.”
Old media is slowly, but surely being edged out. Take TV for instance. Earlier this year, all TV stations have changed to digital as it is not possible to receive a signal through the old analogue aerial. Will radio go the same way? The disturbing thing now if the internet stops working, then the world is going to be set back many years as we all rely so heavily upon it. This is not a good thing. “You can watch the TV while you are using the internet, picture and picture, another section of it, you click on picture and picture and a little box appears in the corner, you can be chatting away or whatever and you can watch telly at the same time, you are not missing anything really.” Irish Communications Review Vol 9 2003.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
Modeling reality with virtual worlds could be used by certain companies to give an indication of how the end product may look like. Take, for instance, a building company may want potential investors to finance/buy into. In order to do so, these companies may lay out a visual idea of how a finished project may look like. If it is potential hotel financiers, companies might want to give them a virtual tour around the hotel. They may provide the layout of what the front desk may look like, location of the pool, fitness center, how many rooms (small or large) there will be in the hotel and anything else that might draw these potential financiers in. This is a great way for companies to sell themselves without having to use a sales agent. The dark side to this would be that not everything you see in this virtual world will turn out as planned in months to come. There may by an unexpected situation or disastrous consequences that may not allow the company to complete the project as planned.
Aside from companies utilizing this virtual technology, there are people who go on to these virtual sites using characters that they have designed to interact with other virtual users. These "virtual" users are then realistically interacting with others in these virtual cities. What is normally done in real life can now be played out in these virtual worlds too! In this "virtual" world, you can be whomever you what to be. If you are a man and want to live and act out as a woman, it can be easily done in this virtual world.
An article in The New York Times talks about life in the virtual world which, to be quite frank with you, is quite frightening. When I read that a multimedia artist who was interviewed states that "you've experienced it as if it were real, because, in fact it is real" (NYT). Would you agree that this world is becoming a sad and pathetic place when people want to sit at home and pretend that they are at a bar instead of actually being in a bar socializing and interacting with other "real" people!?!?!? Where is the sense of joy and excitement in that? Or the thrill to be able to really sit next to someone and feel them and look directly into their eyes instead of pretending you are doing so in these virtual worlds. The real world can be difficult to deal with, but that is what makes us human. is it just me or is this world becoming a place for total one-dimensional losers!?!?!?
Aside from companies utilizing this virtual technology, there are people who go on to these virtual sites using characters that they have designed to interact with other virtual users. These "virtual" users are then realistically interacting with others in these virtual cities. What is normally done in real life can now be played out in these virtual worlds too! In this "virtual" world, you can be whomever you what to be. If you are a man and want to live and act out as a woman, it can be easily done in this virtual world.
An article in The New York Times talks about life in the virtual world which, to be quite frank with you, is quite frightening. When I read that a multimedia artist who was interviewed states that "you've experienced it as if it were real, because, in fact it is real" (NYT). Would you agree that this world is becoming a sad and pathetic place when people want to sit at home and pretend that they are at a bar instead of actually being in a bar socializing and interacting with other "real" people!?!?!? Where is the sense of joy and excitement in that? Or the thrill to be able to really sit next to someone and feel them and look directly into their eyes instead of pretending you are doing so in these virtual worlds. The real world can be difficult to deal with, but that is what makes us human. is it just me or is this world becoming a place for total one-dimensional losers!?!?!?
Social Networking
Using social networking could benefit corporate companies as it would allow them to advertise their services at a much cheaper rate than through the newspapers or media(i.e., television, radio, billboards, etc.). By companies using this type of technology, they have the opportunity to recruit potential employees geared towards a specific description given by these people. In doing so, these prospective employees are also marketing themselves by utilizing these social networking sites (i.e., LinkedIn, Craigslist, Facebook, Myspace etc.) to further their career. Up and coming and possibly even famous actors, artists and musicians are known to have websites providing fans the opportunity to see into their lives and what they are currently up to.
Companies and potential empolyers can use the opportunity to view these sites to learn more about these individuals and see if they are qualify for the jobs being offered. Also, in the case of corporate companies, if they are seriously condsidering hiring someone, they may run a backfround check as well as see if their personal websites, if any, may tell more or less about themselves.
Of course, to me, the dark side to publicly having these social networking sites is the opportunity for others to view your sites and gaining personal information that may be irrelevant to the company. However, in doing so, these companies may now view and judge you differently. Another negative aspect is the possibility for you to welcome unwanted visitors. For example, if you are underage person and being monitored by an adult, there may be some predators out there preying on innocent victims. What about that horrific incident that lead a massage therapist to her death for answering a craigslist ad.
An online article from Workforce Management states that IBM is already using a program that will allow people to train in virtual environments. IBM hopes to have a "virtual world" technology for emplyee training in the near future. In years to come, I believe numerous companies will follow suit and invest money in virtual technology. Sadly, if we opt for this virtual technology, our interaction with "real" people will become less and less frequent as it means people are opting to connect with a computer instead. What will this mean for the thousands of people whose job it is to train new recruits? There will no longer be "real" people to assist them.
Companies and potential empolyers can use the opportunity to view these sites to learn more about these individuals and see if they are qualify for the jobs being offered. Also, in the case of corporate companies, if they are seriously condsidering hiring someone, they may run a backfround check as well as see if their personal websites, if any, may tell more or less about themselves.
Of course, to me, the dark side to publicly having these social networking sites is the opportunity for others to view your sites and gaining personal information that may be irrelevant to the company. However, in doing so, these companies may now view and judge you differently. Another negative aspect is the possibility for you to welcome unwanted visitors. For example, if you are underage person and being monitored by an adult, there may be some predators out there preying on innocent victims. What about that horrific incident that lead a massage therapist to her death for answering a craigslist ad.
An online article from Workforce Management states that IBM is already using a program that will allow people to train in virtual environments. IBM hopes to have a "virtual world" technology for emplyee training in the near future. In years to come, I believe numerous companies will follow suit and invest money in virtual technology. Sadly, if we opt for this virtual technology, our interaction with "real" people will become less and less frequent as it means people are opting to connect with a computer instead. What will this mean for the thousands of people whose job it is to train new recruits? There will no longer be "real" people to assist them.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Check Out Social Networking Sites
There are so many social networking sites these days that it's hard to keep up. Common sites that people tend to visit when they are on the internet are Facebook, My Space, Bebo, etc. If they have signed up on these sites, they can easily catch up with old and new friends, old and new, show photographs of their latest night out, vacation pictures and/or contacts as many perspective employers and/or recruiters seem to look at these sites often.
In the beginning it may have been fun, but some people may be waking up to the fact that this may be taking over their lives. I do think, however, that the hype of some social networking sites has passed. Hopefully, people will slowly but surely take a step back to realize that it requires a great deal of time and effort to keep up wtih hundreds of "so-called" friends. Is that really possible? If so, that means you have to forfeit some of your work hours to focus on maintaining your profile on these sites. Better yet, they may have to forfeit their "real" time with friends to be better spent in front of the computer in order to connect with "virtual" friends. To some degree, it's nice to be able to relay news/messages to all your friends at once instead of individually, yet at the same time, you lose the opportunity of seeing them face to face.
In the beginning it may have been fun, but some people may be waking up to the fact that this may be taking over their lives. I do think, however, that the hype of some social networking sites has passed. Hopefully, people will slowly but surely take a step back to realize that it requires a great deal of time and effort to keep up wtih hundreds of "so-called" friends. Is that really possible? If so, that means you have to forfeit some of your work hours to focus on maintaining your profile on these sites. Better yet, they may have to forfeit their "real" time with friends to be better spent in front of the computer in order to connect with "virtual" friends. To some degree, it's nice to be able to relay news/messages to all your friends at once instead of individually, yet at the same time, you lose the opportunity of seeing them face to face.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blogs Vs Wiki
Blogs are people's opinion on certain subjects they feel strongly about. The creators of these blogs are the only people who can make these definitive changes to what they have written. Others may respond by adding to what have been previously posted on these blogs. In doing so, this can lead to a lengthy discussion which runs on for many pages.
Wikis are similar to blogs in the sense that anyone can initially provide their opinion and/or their understanding on certain matter. However, unlike a blog, anyone thereafter, can change what you have previouly written and/or the ability to delete the contents in its entirety. As stated by Jimmy Wales, the public face of a wiki project, in a New York Times article that "we are mostly male computer geeks" but he added that" there might be a measure of diversity, but only in that we are from differnt parts of the world." This goes to show that it is not commonly used by the general public, but instead, these wiki users are basically the computer geeks of the world (The New York Times; Wikifedia Looks Hard At Its Users by Noam Cohen).
Blogs, on the other hand, are written by anyone who wishes to share their thoughts or feelings on practically anything ranging from their love lives to neighborhood watches and anything else imaginable. These various topics, in my opinion, appear to generate a great deal of collaboration from people in similar circumstances and in doing so they're engaging others to provide their opinions and/or ideas.
As I am not an avid wiki user, I don't know if this may exist already, but perhaps wiki would be good for live sport. For someone like me who was living in Scotland and now living here, I would love to read what wiki users throughout the world have to write/say when a major key event is currently being played out live in their country. The ability to have these people update scores and leader boards as they change would be cool.
Wikis are similar to blogs in the sense that anyone can initially provide their opinion and/or their understanding on certain matter. However, unlike a blog, anyone thereafter, can change what you have previouly written and/or the ability to delete the contents in its entirety. As stated by Jimmy Wales, the public face of a wiki project, in a New York Times article that "we are mostly male computer geeks" but he added that" there might be a measure of diversity, but only in that we are from differnt parts of the world." This goes to show that it is not commonly used by the general public, but instead, these wiki users are basically the computer geeks of the world (The New York Times; Wikifedia Looks Hard At Its Users by Noam Cohen).
Blogs, on the other hand, are written by anyone who wishes to share their thoughts or feelings on practically anything ranging from their love lives to neighborhood watches and anything else imaginable. These various topics, in my opinion, appear to generate a great deal of collaboration from people in similar circumstances and in doing so they're engaging others to provide their opinions and/or ideas.
As I am not an avid wiki user, I don't know if this may exist already, but perhaps wiki would be good for live sport. For someone like me who was living in Scotland and now living here, I would love to read what wiki users throughout the world have to write/say when a major key event is currently being played out live in their country. The ability to have these people update scores and leader boards as they change would be cool.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Old Media vs New Media
How do we distinguish old media from new media? The difference between old media and new media, for me at least is that old media requires you to leave the house. Whether it is to post a letter, pickup a newspaper/magazine or simply to do some shopping, all these things require time and effort to achieve.
New media, on the other hand, appears to take place via computer. Everything from shopping, keeping in touch with friends, catching up on the latest celebrity gossip or simply perusing a newspaper can all be done with a click of a button without ever having to leave your house.
I think anyone who is over a certain age will easily identify old media from new media. The funny thing is that the younger generation will probably describe our new media as their old media when they grow up!!!
New media, on the other hand, appears to take place via computer. Everything from shopping, keeping in touch with friends, catching up on the latest celebrity gossip or simply perusing a newspaper can all be done with a click of a button without ever having to leave your house.
I think anyone who is over a certain age will easily identify old media from new media. The funny thing is that the younger generation will probably describe our new media as their old media when they grow up!!!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shutter Fly
The modern media company that I'm going to research is Shutterfly.com. Anyone who is reading my blog will surely have heard of Shutterfly and what they are all about. I'm going to research the demands from the public on a modern media, what they are doing to keep up with ever changing technology and meeting their customers' demands and expectations.
What is new media?
New media. A word that has become quite common in the 21st century, but what may you ask is considered new media? New media, for the most part, is internet-based. In fact, without the internet, most of the following companies would not exist. Companies, such as, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Shutterfly and Blogger.com, are examples of new media.
New media has definitely changed the way the world works. It is now possible for companies to exchange important documents with the click of a button, or for families to instantly share photographs with each other no matter how far away they are. The down side to all this is that companies such as the post office and photograph development stores suffer as people no longer rely on their services to provide letters or photographs when they can easily send e-mails, instant message or print their pictures from home because now they have a reliable but inexpensive printer. Bars and restaurants also suffer since people no longer seem to socialize outside of their homes. Instead they prefer to sit in front of a computer screen and chat with virtual unknowns disclosing personal things they normally would not do in public or face to face.
Our world is indeed becoming a sad place where people no longer feel the need to go outside their homes to have actual physical contact. Could this be one of the reasons for the growing obesity problem especially amongst teenage kids?!?!? Or the possibility that people prefer a computer over a human beinng??? What do you make of this?
As Joyce Hanson wrote on Crainsnewyork.com, the old media such as news papers and the music industry are being hit hard as new media takes over. It can only be a matter of time until things that we take for granted will suddenly become obsolete. What are some of the things you see already that is becoming obsolete?
New media has definitely changed the way the world works. It is now possible for companies to exchange important documents with the click of a button, or for families to instantly share photographs with each other no matter how far away they are. The down side to all this is that companies such as the post office and photograph development stores suffer as people no longer rely on their services to provide letters or photographs when they can easily send e-mails, instant message or print their pictures from home because now they have a reliable but inexpensive printer. Bars and restaurants also suffer since people no longer seem to socialize outside of their homes. Instead they prefer to sit in front of a computer screen and chat with virtual unknowns disclosing personal things they normally would not do in public or face to face.
Our world is indeed becoming a sad place where people no longer feel the need to go outside their homes to have actual physical contact. Could this be one of the reasons for the growing obesity problem especially amongst teenage kids?!?!? Or the possibility that people prefer a computer over a human beinng??? What do you make of this?
As Joyce Hanson wrote on Crainsnewyork.com, the old media such as news papers and the music industry are being hit hard as new media takes over. It can only be a matter of time until things that we take for granted will suddenly become obsolete. What are some of the things you see already that is becoming obsolete?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Dealing with Landlords
My girlfriend and I recently moved into our current apartment. It was, by far, more stressful than I had first anticipated. The fact that she had lived there for six years clearly demonstrate she had accumulated more than her fair share of things. From her three piece sofa to the rest of her furniture (i.e., bed, wardrobe, bookshelves, night stands, tv stand and any other assembled things she have) to her thousand of shoes, we didn't get enough boxes and time to pack.
You see, we started looking at the beginning of May to get "an idea" how much prices are in our area as well as "an idea" of what kind of an apartment we want this time around. Looking too soon is a major mistake because the landlords/owners don't want their apartments vacant and therefore wants you moved in either on the 1st or the 15th of the month. If your lease is not up then you are surely to lose your deposit. We then stopped looking altogether and agreed to start looking towards the end of July. At least that gives us at least over a month before we had to officially move out.
We found some wonderful places and some okay looking apartments. They may be nice but simply out of our price range or far from the train station. Finally, one day, while checking out craigslist.org, we found a listing for an apartment in our favorite building. Each apartment has a working fireplace and if lucky, a nice terrace. In this case, it had both but when we met up with the realtor, which my girlfriend was adamant about not using since she refuses to pay finder's fees. Anyway, we went to see the apartment and it was more than we imagined but simply too small. Rich, the realtor, told us that he has several apartments available with lesser rent and bigger spaces. We took him up on his offer and set out to check out these places. To our surprise, he was telling us the truth so we agreed to view more apartments. With that said, we found one that we extremely fell in love with and had the perfect layout.
Luckily, for us, we found out that we landed ourselves a rent stabilized apartment but unfortunately, we had to wait a few extra days to find out the "new" rent price since they renovated the entire kitchen and did some minor fix-up in the bathroom. When we found out that we had the apartment, they wouldn't allow us to move in sooner than the 1st. Sadly, we found out during this time period that my girlfriend's grandfather passed away so between the packing, we were attending to relatives who came from afar, to helping out her relatives with some funeral arrangements and being there during the wake and funeral. What made it more difficult is the non-understand current landlord who was being a real piece of work by not being sympathic at all! He inquired when our departure was and if we plan to leave a few days earlier than the 31st. He wanted to paint the entire place for the new tenants and took no consideration to us. What made us mad is that when my girlfriend moved in, he did absolutely nothing to the place. The former tenant moved out either that day so that left no time for the landlord to clean the carpet and do any other minor repairs or fix up.
The fact that she thought the place was cleaned was too late to do anything. She had already taken her things from storage and moved everything into the apartment. Too little too late to do anything. Now, after moving out, we found out that the old landlord is demanding $1000 to pay for a new carpet. Is this guy for real?!?!?! After 6 years, I think everyone would expect some wear and tear. The funny thing is the carpet should have been replaced and cleaned before she first moved in! The carpet is basically the kind you find at those office buildings that don't want to spent too much on any kind of expenses. You would imagine that he would be excited for us to leave so he can jack up the rent. Even the new rent was more than reasonable but for some reason, he didn't want us to leave. He had spoken to us about negotiating the new rent but we knew it was time to leave. Come on, she had lived there for six years!!!
A few weeks later, he even suggested taking his other apartment which was across the hall for our apartment. But we flat out declined his offer and told him, once again, we were leaving. We made every attempt to avoid him so we don't have to hear him trying to convince us to stay. He made our lives more difficult as the time came closer to move out. Now, we came up with that flimsy excuse that we messed up his carpet and in demand of $1000 in damages!!! Absolutely absurd!!!
I told my girlfriend that he has a thing for her so he's making both our lives miserable! And now that we've moved out, we still can't get rid of him. Wouldn't you imagine that the landlord would be pleased that we left so he can make some money on his place?
You see, we started looking at the beginning of May to get "an idea" how much prices are in our area as well as "an idea" of what kind of an apartment we want this time around. Looking too soon is a major mistake because the landlords/owners don't want their apartments vacant and therefore wants you moved in either on the 1st or the 15th of the month. If your lease is not up then you are surely to lose your deposit. We then stopped looking altogether and agreed to start looking towards the end of July. At least that gives us at least over a month before we had to officially move out.
We found some wonderful places and some okay looking apartments. They may be nice but simply out of our price range or far from the train station. Finally, one day, while checking out craigslist.org, we found a listing for an apartment in our favorite building. Each apartment has a working fireplace and if lucky, a nice terrace. In this case, it had both but when we met up with the realtor, which my girlfriend was adamant about not using since she refuses to pay finder's fees. Anyway, we went to see the apartment and it was more than we imagined but simply too small. Rich, the realtor, told us that he has several apartments available with lesser rent and bigger spaces. We took him up on his offer and set out to check out these places. To our surprise, he was telling us the truth so we agreed to view more apartments. With that said, we found one that we extremely fell in love with and had the perfect layout.
Luckily, for us, we found out that we landed ourselves a rent stabilized apartment but unfortunately, we had to wait a few extra days to find out the "new" rent price since they renovated the entire kitchen and did some minor fix-up in the bathroom. When we found out that we had the apartment, they wouldn't allow us to move in sooner than the 1st. Sadly, we found out during this time period that my girlfriend's grandfather passed away so between the packing, we were attending to relatives who came from afar, to helping out her relatives with some funeral arrangements and being there during the wake and funeral. What made it more difficult is the non-understand current landlord who was being a real piece of work by not being sympathic at all! He inquired when our departure was and if we plan to leave a few days earlier than the 31st. He wanted to paint the entire place for the new tenants and took no consideration to us. What made us mad is that when my girlfriend moved in, he did absolutely nothing to the place. The former tenant moved out either that day so that left no time for the landlord to clean the carpet and do any other minor repairs or fix up.
The fact that she thought the place was cleaned was too late to do anything. She had already taken her things from storage and moved everything into the apartment. Too little too late to do anything. Now, after moving out, we found out that the old landlord is demanding $1000 to pay for a new carpet. Is this guy for real?!?!?! After 6 years, I think everyone would expect some wear and tear. The funny thing is the carpet should have been replaced and cleaned before she first moved in! The carpet is basically the kind you find at those office buildings that don't want to spent too much on any kind of expenses. You would imagine that he would be excited for us to leave so he can jack up the rent. Even the new rent was more than reasonable but for some reason, he didn't want us to leave. He had spoken to us about negotiating the new rent but we knew it was time to leave. Come on, she had lived there for six years!!!
A few weeks later, he even suggested taking his other apartment which was across the hall for our apartment. But we flat out declined his offer and told him, once again, we were leaving. We made every attempt to avoid him so we don't have to hear him trying to convince us to stay. He made our lives more difficult as the time came closer to move out. Now, we came up with that flimsy excuse that we messed up his carpet and in demand of $1000 in damages!!! Absolutely absurd!!!
I told my girlfriend that he has a thing for her so he's making both our lives miserable! And now that we've moved out, we still can't get rid of him. Wouldn't you imagine that the landlord would be pleased that we left so he can make some money on his place?
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