Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Will the real Vasco de Sousa please stand up?
Ok, so Vasco de Sousa is an unusual name. So why do I find so many Vasco de Sousa's out there?
I love playing guitar. So it thrills me to find professional fado musicians who share my name. If only I had taken my guitar with me when I moved to Arizona...
I used to be a pre-law student. So it was exciting to see an article about a sports lawyer with my name. The article wasn't favorable, but have you ever seen a favorable article about a lawyer? Maybe I don't regret leaving that professional after all.
I love history, and I'm a writer. So it's great to see myself as an author of history books. Alas, the books are in Portuguese. Maybe I should study my "paternal" language a bit more.
There are a few others out there, and they all have something in common with me. Don't we all have something in common?
Did you ever find anyone with your name? Did you say hi? I feel like saying hi, but I'm a bit shy.
I love playing guitar. So it thrills me to find professional fado musicians who share my name. If only I had taken my guitar with me when I moved to Arizona...
I used to be a pre-law student. So it was exciting to see an article about a sports lawyer with my name. The article wasn't favorable, but have you ever seen a favorable article about a lawyer? Maybe I don't regret leaving that professional after all.
I love history, and I'm a writer. So it's great to see myself as an author of history books. Alas, the books are in Portuguese. Maybe I should study my "paternal" language a bit more.
There are a few others out there, and they all have something in common with me. Don't we all have something in common?
Did you ever find anyone with your name? Did you say hi? I feel like saying hi, but I'm a bit shy.
Friday, June 12, 2009
New address
The old address I may have listed on previous posts is way out of date. The Crisalis Business incubator closed down, and all us little small businesses who were in it have moved a long time ago.
The sign is still up there. On the off chance anyone wants to send any post, I'm setting up a PO box (Ptara is planning on moving to a larger premises). More details when its finalized at http://www.ptara.com .
p.s. (2017) We have moved, to Loveden House. We've been there for over a year. We may move again, just check the Ptara Website for the latest contact details.
The sign is still up there. On the off chance anyone wants to send any post, I'm setting up a PO box (Ptara is planning on moving to a larger premises). More details when its finalized at http://www.ptara.com .
p.s. (2017) We have moved, to Loveden House. We've been there for over a year. We may move again, just check the Ptara Website for the latest contact details.
Ok, so that's all over and done with
So, I had a blog to promote my business, spent some time in eBay. I had some successes in eBay, and if I were single and never had guests over, I might have continued, but it was a real pain.
It all depends upon what you are selling. I was selling, mostly, used books and DVDs. A few new books, a few self-published books (not my books, but by other authors I know), some other odd things like software, but mostly used books and DVDs.
The books were unique, so I wrote a review for each one. Some I made nice little pages for, and some of the photos I took were pretty good. But the sales prices weren't high enough to justify the time commitment.
I didn't have a lot of time to pursue my other business interests much (like filmmaking), and then there are things like having a life.
I liked to make sure everything was done correctly, and got great reviews from buyers. But keeping up such a reputation can be stressful, especially when you're talking about something that takes up as much space as a used book.
Then a two year old visited the house. Luckily, she didn't touch anything that was currently being bid on or even watched. But she did get hold of a marker, and did start drawing a little.
In order to prevent our home from being blocked off to children, and because the financial (and emotional) reward wasn't big enough to warrant renting out a warehouse, the business was winded down, and I started concentrating again on what children like, my fiction.
Other things, like eBay's continuing changing of terms and conditions (most of which were for the better, but which just meant more time input for diminishing rewards), items supposedly getting lost in the post, and the general low level of profits in the niche that I preferred, must have influenced my decision.
So why say all this well over a year later? (has it been two years?) Well, today I attending a little seminar on business finance and we went over viability (or whether it's worth staying in business or better to wind up).
It just made me think, had I continued with the business, where would I be? I'm glad I got out when I did.
It all depends upon what you are selling. I was selling, mostly, used books and DVDs. A few new books, a few self-published books (not my books, but by other authors I know), some other odd things like software, but mostly used books and DVDs.
The books were unique, so I wrote a review for each one. Some I made nice little pages for, and some of the photos I took were pretty good. But the sales prices weren't high enough to justify the time commitment.
I didn't have a lot of time to pursue my other business interests much (like filmmaking), and then there are things like having a life.
I liked to make sure everything was done correctly, and got great reviews from buyers. But keeping up such a reputation can be stressful, especially when you're talking about something that takes up as much space as a used book.
Then a two year old visited the house. Luckily, she didn't touch anything that was currently being bid on or even watched. But she did get hold of a marker, and did start drawing a little.
In order to prevent our home from being blocked off to children, and because the financial (and emotional) reward wasn't big enough to warrant renting out a warehouse, the business was winded down, and I started concentrating again on what children like, my fiction.
Other things, like eBay's continuing changing of terms and conditions (most of which were for the better, but which just meant more time input for diminishing rewards), items supposedly getting lost in the post, and the general low level of profits in the niche that I preferred, must have influenced my decision.
So why say all this well over a year later? (has it been two years?) Well, today I attending a little seminar on business finance and we went over viability (or whether it's worth staying in business or better to wind up).
It just made me think, had I continued with the business, where would I be? I'm glad I got out when I did.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
cv, now out of date.
ok, this is an old cv, still up in case it's linked from anywhere, but out of date and probably badly written.
Vasco de Sousa
narrative designer
1996-Present
Freelance: Narrative Designer
Pre-production, business plans, treatments
Wise Yogurt Directories (Short Film). (design, filming, direction, voice and editing, narrative, photoshop)
Artificial Stupidity (Feature film) pre-production, business plan, screenplay
Screenplays: Jack and Molly's Houseguest, The Sorrows of Deirdre
Non fiction articles on narrative design
Vote Attila website (design, research, Flash, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, writing)
New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival of 2006 (design, promotion, html, css, Photoshop)
Dead Germans Website (Flash, Photoshop, HTML, CSS, design, research, writing)
2007 - 2008
Web presentation and promotion of items to be sold. Researching and acquiring stock. Planning and delivering.
British Telecom: Customer Advisor (employed through Manpower)
-
Entering information into and maintaining correct information in database
-
Three times regional nominee for employee of the month, once awarded for contribution of phone script
Designed greeting cards, websites and books related to films produced by Udigrudi and the film society.
Published and edited magazine. Ran the Udigrudi shop and oversaw film productions.
summer 1997
Administrative work placement: European Union Directorate of Research
Writer and producer of films, co-founder of company
Education
2006- 2008
University of Wales: continuing education
2006
Sagasnet Workshop: Developing Narrative Games/Online Worlds
In small groups of three, designed three online worlds for games
2003 - 2003
PGCE course in teaching French at secondary school level - withdrawn
University of Wales, Aberystwyth: BA in Film and Television Studies with French Language and literature (Joint Honours, 2:2)
Courses include: Studio Production (graphic design, writing, direction and production), Montaigne and the Renaissance (Designed Flash animation in place of one of the essays), Introduction to Java
2001- 2002
Université de Caen, Haute Normandie: Erasmus exchange program
Courses in theatre, film and history
Coleg Ceredigion: Office Skills and Technology
OST level 3: Word Processing, OST level 2: Spreadsheets
Pittmans level 1: Bookkeeping and Accounts
1996-1997
Pima Community College: Courses leading to AS in Communications
Friday, February 8, 2008
Why do governments like borrowing money?
When we borrow money for school or a home, the loan dies with us. But when we borrow money as a nation, the loan goes on for generations. The debt just gets bitter. It isn't fair to the next generation to decide how we spend their money. But that's what we're doing by borrowing. That's what savings bonds are.
It's future inflation. It's future national problems. It's just putting things off for the next generation to fix.
It's future inflation. It's future national problems. It's just putting things off for the next generation to fix.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Gostas de eBay?
Que? A palerma vendo uma filme para 1p? Não, não és verdade.
És Verdade. Não gosto dos filmes que vendo, eu quero que não tem na casa. Vendo para 1p no eBay. Si um pessoa quero compro para sol um p, eu vendo a ele.
Para Halloween, dou doces as crianças. Para Natal, dou presentes. Qual e a diferença?
Eu necessito do espaço para minha guitarra, para minhas outras coisas, espaço para mim.
És Verdade. Não gosto dos filmes que vendo, eu quero que não tem na casa. Vendo para 1p no eBay. Si um pessoa quero compro para sol um p, eu vendo a ele.
Para Halloween, dou doces as crianças. Para Natal, dou presentes. Qual e a diferença?
Eu necessito do espaço para minha guitarra, para minhas outras coisas, espaço para mim.
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