Thanks!

It's been a good weekend to give thanks. The weather was absolutely fantastic. Thursday and Friday we hung out around the apartment cooking, burning DVDs, drinking wine, playing with the cats, watching movies, and smoochin'. It was great to have some time where we have nothing planned, to figure out when and what we want to do.

Last weekend, I took Mandy to Glenlaurel Inn in the Hocking Hills of Ohio. This is the south-eastern edge of Ohio, about 2 and a half hours from where we live. The drive was amazingly fun, especially the last 45 minutes. For this short period, the road goes nuts. It's like driving through the Scottish Highlands, or so I'd guess it would be like. The weekend was great. We ate a 7-course dinner in their wonderful inn and enjoyed an evening of fireside talks and hottub bubblings. This area of Ohio is really interesting.

Years and years ago, my mom, Vickie (my friend Ian's mom), and myself marched up the "Shale Trail." A trail that runs up a flat limerock riverbed that runs about 25 miles. We fought hordes of mosquitos, biting flies, and biting snakes, but eventually made it to the delta at it's end. It was one of the more exciting experiences of my young life: Carying my gear on my back as I waded through miles of Ohio river for three days, I learned a lot about what a person can endure - which, in turn, helped me survive my Austin biking trip.

(Shot at Glenlaurel, in the Hocking Hills of Ohio)

Saturday we cleaned up after the cooking adventure the night before, made breakfast, and headed out. The day was beautiful - sunny, in the lower 70s. We headed downtown Cinci to Zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo is usually counted among the top three zoos in the US. While some of the exhibits had been shut down for the winter ("Sorry! Edgar the Lemur is resting!") the crowd was really small and parking was very decent. The zoo runs a Holiday Festival of Lights thing where they decks the cages and plants with Christmas lights. And, seriously, put a baby Jesus in the petting zoo barn. Alas, we headed out before they charged us an extra $10 to see baby Jesus all aglow with blinking lights. As we left, we noticed the crowd to get in was enormous.

(Damn. Makes me want to watch the amazing King Kong again)

We headed from that side of town to Mount Adams to check out the area. Mt. Adams is a kind of cross between college hanging out and yuppie hobnobbin'. There all kinds of restaurants that contain words like "Bistro" and bars with buzzing neon palm trees. We went to a fantastic Thai restaurant called "Teak." We split an order of spicy tuna and spider sushi rolls, then had a plate of "Spicy Thai Chicken" and a small carafe of sake. It was all amazing and really reasonably priced. I can imagine that this area of town would be great fun in the summer, when the daylight is longer, and the nights are warm. The views from this high vista overlooking the Ohio River, Cincinnati Downtown, and parts of Newport on the Levvy are amazing. We're planning on spending more quality time in this area of town.

(The sushi is oddly transparent)

On our way home, down southbound I-75, we passed the exit to the Cincinnati zoo. It was backed up for miles. I guess we got out of there at the right time...

The Wedding DVD is complete. Finally. After playing around with "Roxio Easy CD Creator 9" and having endless problems, I decided to look into Adobe Encore 2 - a pro tool used for authoring. It's quite a bit more complex, but it is so much more deep in terms of functionality that I'm glad I took some time to learn the basics. When I decide to take the plunge into Mac or PC for hardcore editing, I know I'll be sticking with this tool. We are just printing off labels, cutting, and placing. It's down to rote reproduction, which is a nice change from having to learn new programs to accomplish specific task.

The main thing I learned doing this is: DVD authoring is one of the most annoying things I've ever come across in my 10+ year A/V history. From incompatible codecs to menu linking to DVD player incompatibility, it's a ton of work.

The thing I've come to respect most from doing this: Chad. He's done half a dozen of these films. Not only that, but they were for people he didn't necessarily care that much about. It goes to show the depth of his professionalism when he can go through the 100+ hours it takes to produce a DVD and do them so well, even though he wasn't necessarily emotionally invested is astounding to me. I have a little more understanding as to why he politely brushed me off when I would nag him about starting a wedding DVD production company.

Steady Progress

I've been making steady progress towards finishing the wedding video. The DVD printer, ink-jet printable DVD blanks, and jewel cases have all arrived. I have gotten as far as opening the boxes to verify all the items are the ones I've ordered, but I have yet to install the printer and try it out on a few disks and paper. That will come with the wondrous, swiftly approaching four-day holiday weekend. I hope to have the DVDs mastered by Friday and packaged by Sunday. That will allow me to clear the 100GB+ of video files off my computer and onto my Lacie drive, freeing me to work on my reel and the video diary of Sue and Casey's cross-country trip.

Special thanks to Mr. Chad for helping me choose a printer and such. The model is Epson Stylus Photo R340 Inkjet Printer. It's a 6-tone printer designed for printing photos and discs. I'm sure I'll be bugging him for suggestions and help on many other video and printing related questions. Expect many shout-outs in the coming months.

I'm still debating on whether or not to start investing in a Mac and legit software to run on it. The advantages to building a PC are numerous: I can make a computer that is much faster than a Mac for 1/4 the price. They're much easier to upgrade, they run all types of software, and can play games. The downside is I can't run Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack, Pro Tools, Motion, or Adobe products that don't have half of their features stripped out just so they can work on a Windows platform. The other problem is I so fucking hate Microsoft that I'm willing to spend more money just to avoid having to install Vista on any computer I own. Granted, Apple isn't exactly championing consumer rights, but at least they aren't trying to cram the trusted computer architecture down people's throats... yet. The Direct X 10 stuff I've seen does look awful purdy, but if it comes at the expense of owning my computer vs. leasing it Microsoft, I'll have to look elsewhere for my gaming fun.

The thing that sucks most about having to pick one is the same problem with the current state of politics in America: I'm stuck between one of two options that are so close they might as well be the same. Sure, I could go with the Green Party or Ubuntu and be really proud of myself, but neither will help me get a decent editing suite up and running.

That's it from this side. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Intensity

Been back for a while now. We've been making lots of fantastic food recently. A friend of Mandy's made us some authentic Indian ghee (clarified butter) and we've been making crazy-good food with it.

This past weekend we basically hung out, cleaned the apartment, cooked, and bummed around. This past Saturday we made shrimp and chicken tendori and watched Serenity again, damn good movie that it is. Mandy just completed My Sister's Keeper and claims it's a fantastic book. I'm still plowing through The World Is Flat and catching up with the last two editions of Discover Magazine.

I finally decided to put a bit of initiative behind some film ideas and start on a couple outlines. I bought a DVD printer, 100 count inkjet printable DVDs, and 100 jewel cases. I will have the wedding video completed by the end of Thanksgiving and my demo reel designed and storyboarded by Christmas. My goal is to have the 100% of the footage shot by mid-January and the site and demo material publicly available by February 1st. I think with some sound planning and Mandy's watchful gaze keeping me in check, I will be able make this deadline. I can't wait. When that's all said and done, I can start applying for all of these wondrous post-production jobs I keep seeing.

There is a Christmas letter being sent out to people with limited access to the blog dealing directly with our stance on gift-giving this holiday season (hint: It's the same as last year). There is a permanent link to the Christmas letter on the left navigation of the blog. It's imaginatively labeled "Christmas Letter." I've also added a long-overdue link to Seeking With Jon, a great blog maintained by a good friend who writes about laboriously plowing through Seminary at the prestigious Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I know he'd appreciate you checking it out and laying down some sweet-ass comments.

That's pretty much it from this side. As nice as it may have been to be in GR these past few weekends, it's been awesome to hang out around here, just the two of us, for a weekend and do nothing.

"The universe loves a drama, you know; and ladies and gentlemen... this is the show."
-Paul Simon

I don't feel like dancin...

No sir, no dancin' for me.

A quick call out to everyone who attended Mandy's party this past Saturday. It was great to see everyone and spend some time hanging out. I know Mandy had a great time and was happy so many people came out to celebrate.

After traveling for three weekends straight, we're going be sticking around here until around Christmas. We will be back for Christmas for about a week and a half when we do come up. We're still trying to determine the holiday schedule, but there's plenty of time before we head back up.

Been listening to lots of really good music recently. Angie and Mark mentioned a CD by a band called the Scissor Sisters called "Ta-Da!". It's insanely catchy, disco-pop sounding music. It's really odd and cool. I've also been listening to a CD I keep hearing on a local radio station called "TV On The Radio." It's also amazing, but in a more subtle and less, uh, flamboyant way. Good stuff all around.

P.S. The subject is wrong. I actually do feel like dancing, both Rummy and DeVos are out.

Cory Doctorow is the Man

This was working when I tried a test post. I hope the actual post shows a video and not a bunch of useless code.

I love this guy. Point of fact, I would totally consider having his children, if he were so willing. His writings (both fiction and non) have been inspiring me to interpret the world through a completely different lens. Mayhaps this internal change will translate to a film, internet, or writing project of some sort. I love it.

Le Denouement Wins!

This was a good weekend. We headed out of town Thursday afternoon and spent the weekend hanging out with friends and having a genuinely good time. It was a jam-packed weekend that really underlines how little time there is in a day when you try fit everyone in. For those we didn't get a chance to see, we'll be back down next weekend for Mandy's big 30th party, and we're looking really forward to catching up with everyone.

The big rush of the weekend came Friday when we all attended the 7th 24 Hour Film Festival. The top ten films (out of 21 entries) were selected and shown in the enormous theater 1 at Studio 28. For anyone who doesn't know, Theater 1 is the large house in the state of Michigan, seating over 800 people. It's also acts as a kind of Mecca for film geeks (specifically sci-fi geeks). It draws people for all over the state for opening night screenings of films. I've seen more movies in this theater than I can remember, dating back to my earliest movie-going childhood memories. I love this theater.

When you submit a film for the competition, the acadeny doesn't tell anyone whether their film made it to the top ten cut. You have to go to the theater and see if yours was selected. The films are shown in random order, with judges comments between each piece. Until your film shows, you sit in anxious anticipation, hoping the next piece to play is yours.

Ours was shown last. Oh man. When they started screen 8 and 9, I figured we were doomed. Then, after the title card "Film 10" faded out and I saw Mr. Croissant's name appear, I felt such a rush of elation. Everyone cheered and the whole of Theater sat in rapt silence as Jean-Baptiste's brilliance unfolded before us. They even showed me and my friend's little documentary about the film afterward - it was totally gratifying.

So, it was a blast to see something I helped create appear on the enormous screen. It something else altogether to win an award and be asked by my peers to stand before the mighty screen and say a few things on everyone's behalf. It was a very surreal / wonderful moment.

Sadly, director Jean-Baptiste Croissant wouldn't attend the screening, saying something about film festivals being too "Bourgeois." I accepted the award on his behalf, and if things go well, I should be able to reach him at autumn residence in Quebec, Canada. Ah, I love Skype and how it allows me to make free calls. I'll try to record the call and post it. It's one thing thing to see his films, it's another thing altogether to hear the genius speak.

I've included the video at the bottom of the post. It doesn't really do Mr. Baptiste's film justice to see it YouTubeized - but you should get the gist.

Le Denouement

Singularity - A discussion with Jean-Baptiste Croissant

This past weekend, I had a discussion with famed film director Jean-Baptiste Croissant. While is most famous for the cult film "Le denouement", he is less known for his studies in economics, religion, and philosophy. We struck a chord with the idea of technology changing culture and I mentioned both Chris Andersen's "The Long Tail" and a concept called "The Singularity" that is getting picked up primarily by the speculative fiction crowd. I only mentioned these ideas in passing because A) My voice was so destroyed that I could barley speak and B) I don't know enough about either to carry on a meaningful discussion with a person of such intellect (he was reviewed in the Morlin Monthly!). I bring it up now because in the few days following the discussion, I have come across it again and again. I thought I would post some helpful links for anyone, famed director or not, to look into it if they're interested. I think the idea has some merit, but I'm cautious to jump on the "The singularity will be the greatest thing ever!" bandwagon, despite how much my geek-nerves might tingle at the prospect of augmenting my brain with crazy super-computers.

A simple synopsis from SSS:

"For over a hundred thousand years, the evolved human brain has held a privileged place in the expanse of cognition. Within this century, science may move humanity beyond its boundary of intelligence. This possibility, the singularity, may be a critical event in history, and deserves thoughtful consideration."

1. First, the actual '93 white paper by Vernor Vinge wherein he lays out the idea.
2. The Stanford Singularity Summit (SSS) where top writers, journalists, and hackers gather to discuss the idea.
3. An interview with Cory Doctorow (amazing author of Down and Out In The Magic Kingdom) at the conference.
4. "Nano Comes to Clifford Falls" a great short story / audio podcast featured on EscapePod arguing the pros and cons of the idea (with great commentary by Steve Eley)
5. The Transhumanist Manifesto (reformated into a FAQ) published on the 'World Transhumanist Association' website.
6. And of course, for full-disclosure, a collection of articles that are highly skeptical of the idea.

(On the shoot with Mr. Croissant himself)

This American Life - PODCAST

Ever since my good friend Josh turned me on to This American Life, I've been trying to convince people to listen in. TAL is an amazing National Public Radio show that, each week, takes a basic theme and tells mini-documentary style stories based on that theme. It's gripping, funny, and incredibly well produced. Being a big fan of documentary, I've gone out of my way to see quite a bit of what's out there. So, I can tell you from experience that This American Life ranks as one of very, very best.

Today they announced that the shows are going to be released free, in podcast form. Each one is about an hour in length and makes for some of the most compelling listening around. If you're at all interested in audio documentary or compelling real-life stories, I would highly recommend subscribing to the feed and listening to some of the episodes.

Here's a link with more information and official press release.

Special K 's new cereal sucks!

I need to eat breakfast everyday, this is just a very obvious thing for me. The other thing that I need is a good source of protein in the morning - to give me an extra boost. Some people rely on coffee, for me it's breakfast.

If you know me, you know that I love cereal. I know I've got a good kind of cereal when it tastes great in a bowl with some Silk (or milk). I know I've got a great kind of cereal when you can eat it dry, right from the box. I eat all kinds of cereal, and I will try anything once...thus what leads to my rant.

It seems that Special K has a new cereal called Special K Protein Plus. Special K, which I like to eat, with added protein - needless to say I was sold. I was very eager to try some this morning when I woke up. As I poured it from the box, I grabbed a couple of flakes, popped them in my mouth and began to chew. BLEEEHHHH!!! I stared down at the bowl for a couple of seconds. It doesn't look like Special K, but I finally resolved that this was just a cereal that I would not be able to eat for a snack in the middle of the day.

I poured the Silk on and dove it. Oh my!!! Yuck!!! What is this cardboard, no flavor, hard as a brick cereal suckiness that I have in my mouth. GROSS!!!! I am thoroughly disgusted now, but as I no longer have time to get anything else I dumped some honey on it and choked it down.

This post is not only about me ranting, or having the opportunity to use the work suckiness. In fact, I wanted to get this out on the internet with the hopes that no one else would be subjected to such a horror of a breakfast.

Maintenance

Two quick things:

1. I never posted the link to the Jaron Lanier article in Discover I mentioned in the Sept 25th post. It's a good summary of what I was saying (or trying to say) about the reductionist trend in culture, espeically surrounding geeks. It's also an argument against the idea that we can reduce all human interaction, thought, and existence to information, so that it will neatly follow the classical world. I like the article because I mostly agree with him, and it has a cool wit about it. Check it out.

2. I was listening to Coast to Coast this afternoon while testing an application. A subject was consciousness so they had an anestiaologist for a guest. In the fourth hour, when they take calls, a listener had this to say about a recent Roger Waters concert. I agree that there was a communal feeling about the event, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it was the single most amazing experienece ever. I just thought it coincedntal and interesting. Here's the clip.

(I love that the artist drew Homer with only three fingers)

What is there to explain?

(It's obviously Christopher Walken floating in outer space.)

Oh by the way...

Which one's Pink?

I can finally check off a major item on my list of "Life's To-Dos." Friday night I saw Pink Floyd lead man Roger Waters perform, among other things, the entirety of The Dark Side of the Moon. The weather turned cold and rainy as the weekend approached and it was raining and in the low 50s when we got into Chicago. Mandy and I went to a local sushi bar and had a great dinner while we waited for the concert to start and the rest of our friends (Chad, Megan, and Josh). The rain stopped and a very cold breeze started up as we headed out to the concert area, parked, and waited by the gate. When everyone else showed up, we headed in, found a spot high up on a hill and beheld the genius of Floyd play the greats.

It was really surreal. I've been to a bunch of concerts (I actually saw REM and Wilco at the same venue with my sister, bro-in-law, Josh, and Jon several years back) and I can say I've been to a concert quite like this. For starters, the concert was outdoors and it was freezing. Up to this point I've been fortunant enough to be holding lawn seat tickets on days when it was sunny and warm. This was freezing. Second, and most important, is the concerts I go to are always being held by people who are still actively creating music. When I go to see The Lips, Coldplay, or Sigur Ros it's because they've recently come out with a new album and they're touring to help support it. Even a Steely Dan concert Jon and I attended was performed to support the album "Two Against Nature" (which won the Grammy for album of the year). Steely Dan was a band that was around during Floyd's prime, but they're still producing music. I've never been to a show where the exclusive purpose of attending is to hear the studio versions of the songs that are, in most cases, decades old. To his credit, Waters did perform a new song, but it seemed really out of place. He wasn't fooling anyone, let along himself. Everyone was there to hear Pink Floyd songs and that was it.

I'm glad I saw him, but in a strange way it wasn't because of the music. In fact it's difficult for me to even hear the music. I've heard Dark Side so many times, both for personal pleasure and for business (I used to run laser light shows), it's difficult for me to even hear the music anymore. I've heard it so many times that it blends into the ambiance as a kind of sonic background radiation.

The concert experience was an affirmation of love for the man who helped create the albums that first opened my eyes to wonders of music. Before I fell in love with Pink Floyd, I never really enjoyed music. I tolerated or laughed at it, but I never "got it." I never could get why anyone would want to venture into different genres or look forward to album releases - ideas that are now so prominent in my life, it would be hard for young me and old me to have a meaningful conversation about music. I primarily listened to Weird Al and the Moody Blues and loathed the radio.

For me and many others, The Dark Side of the Moon was the album that finally gave me a reason to explore music. Pink Floyd stands, and will forever stand, on a musical plateau not great than, but apart from other bands. While my interests have changed, and I have found bands that are, in different ways, better my respect for the band remains untouched. They will always be the greatest band, not because the music is better, but because of the profound effect they made on my life.

Despite the cold and the distance from the stage, it felt good to pay my respects to the man who played a large part in shaping my musical interests. And judging from the thousands of people joining me on the cold hilltop, I wasn't alone.

("The time has come, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say...")

Don't forget Beck and The Killers have new CDs coming out on Tuesday!

Waterfront

Nothing today. A good day, but long. We watched Monty Python's "The Meaning Of Life". Classic stuff. It's thundering and raining like crazy out, so I should keep this short then turn of the computer.

Here's a really interesting link about agregating lots of images into one meta-image. Check it out (even though it has Playboy in the URL, it is safe for work). I find it amazing that the images even have flesh tones in them considering the number of images that had to be blended together.

Droplet of Sound

I don't really have a ton to update today. I dropped a reel off to a place here in town that might be interested in a fulltime video producer, so I'll keep y'all informed about that. Mandy has a supah-fly interview tomorrow with a cool, anonymous outfitter here in town. If she gets it, she'll be testing middleware in a growing QA department and assumably making considerable bank - so send her good vibes for her interview tomorrow.

Here is the link for now...

This is a sweet-ass video of a droplet of water being affected by sound waves. There's also a woman with a cool French accent saying important, unknowable things about said droplet. I love fractal fluid boundaries. Stirring ice-cold creamer into hot coffee, watching steam roll off a hot cup of tea, or smoke drift away from a smoldering stick of incense are all good examples of this effect. The coolest thing about fluidic boundaries is that they cannot be predicted or modeled it can only be known to be true as some percentage against chance (like quantum theory). Chaos Theory (or unknowable behavior that emerges from super-complex systems) is something that's come into vogue recently. There's an increasingly large group of engineers of the computer persuasion that think emergent social systems can be modeled using chaos theory. I'm not sure about this since it seems to assume that human interaction is totally reductive and can be represented in every way be our current understanding of information. I'm not so sure. There was a great article in Discover a couple months back argued against theory that reduce mystery. I'll post a link to it, if I can find one. Anyway, check out the droplet. It rawks my sawks.

The Point

Cedar Point ended up being a bust due to weather. Mandy and I left Friday afternoon and drove through to Sandusky. It rained a little on the way and kept up through the night. The next day, Cedar Point day, it continued to rain and be nasty through the morning. We decided early on that the looming thunderstorms would probably keep us from going to the park. We all didn't want to spend $40 and not be able to ride more than a couple rides. It ended up not thunderstorm, but we had a good time hanging out. We got some really good Hibachi and played a bunch of cranium. It was fun to hang out with Jess, Mike, Lyza, and Noah. We all caught up and had a fun, relaxing time.

This week is going to be busy with the preparation for the Roger Waters concert in Chicago. I'm excited about that one as I finally get to make amends for not going to see him when he was in Grand Rapids. I'll post some video of the concert if I can snag it on my powershot.

Mad Crazy

There's a really good article on Wired about some new, sweet services that cropping up around the fringes of that oft used term "Web 2.0." It's really cool to see the strong collabrative power of the internet bringing more and more people, places, and things (read data) into one, huge, searchable monster. The data can say amazing things about people and their interests. Check out the article, it's really worth a read and a few clicks.

The Wired Article You Should Read

There's quite a bit going on on this end. Mandy and I have been working out more. She's still recovering from her first soccer game. I have an interview(ish) with a company just down the road that's looking for a full-time video producer, so I'm whipping together a reel. We're preparing for a trip to Cedar Point this weekend (pics and video will follow along with a better update). Last night I finished my Dark Tower trailer - When I find a place to host it, I'll post it. We've gotten our first cold-snap down (down to a chilling 55 at night).

That's about it. The blog's been sparse recently, but after this week of craziness, and next week's preparation for Chicago and the Waters concert, and the 24-Hour Film Festival, the screening, a Halloween party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, I'm sure I'll have tons of time to post!

I kid! I kid, 'coz I love. I'm going to try to post everyday next week to get back in the groove. Keep it real, y'all!

Craigslist is...ouchsome!!

Since we moved to Cincinnati, OH Matt and I have been visiting craigslist.com very frequently. Besides finding job opportunities, and friends I found a post for a soccer league. Without thinking about it too long, I wisked my money and pic away and....woosh! I am all signed up to play.

Yesterday, I played my first game. I was quite nervous for many different reasons, but they quickly faded away. I was suprised that many of the women there had not played in this league before. I figured that I would be one of the only a few newbies, but I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. One of the other things that I was nervous about was not playing in like...um, 12 years or so. I know it seems like a lifetime. The lucky thing is that many of the women on my team are in the same boat.

All in all, I had a great time. It was so exhausting and extremely fun. By the time I was done, I knew two things. First, I know that I would love playing with this team. Everyone seems very friendly and enthusiastic. Second, I knew that I am not 20 years old anymore. When I got done playing, I immediately felt muscles that I had not used in awhile. This did not give me much hope for the days following.

Which leads me up to today. I am incredibly sore. The entire day at work was very hard, especially the walking part! Every step I can feel a different muscle from my glutes, to my hip flexors, calves, to my back.

I like changing, so I am excited to feel sore for the rest of the fall and then some!!

Specs pt. 2

This was a crazy weekend. We did some errands around the house and helped the cable guy hook up the cable. I'm just going to list a few quick things to get everyone caught up.

1. We finally got the cable hooked up. It's really weird to be connected again. Other than a month at 3-mile, I haven't lived in a house with cable I moved into Camelot, about 5 years ago. It's crazy how much the content has changed. There's a ton more, but the ratio of suck to good is still about 90:10. The HD content is amazing. I watched the amazing Baraka in HD and was mesmerized.

2. Cincinnati is made out of Germans and football freaks. Mandy and I went downtown on Saturday to hook up with some friends and check out Oktoberfest. It was pure madness. Crazy German food (we ate metts, garlic mushrooms, and potato pancakes) and drank us some beers. People were everywhere, crammed together on Fifth Street running along the river. Apart from the alcohol-fueled madness, I bring it up because it was the first time we really got a sense of how damn big the city is. I've been to plenty of street festivals and fares, mostly in the Grand Rapids area, and for some reason thought that was a good measuring stick. Every time I thought the stretch of beer shops, food marts, beer kiosks, accordion players, and beer vendors would end, it would snake in a different direction and continue on. It was good fun.

(Mandy sneakin' a smooch on the sly.)

3. My specs are officially here. Mandy told me that I will remember my first day of wearing them forever, and I agree. It's so hard to describe how close the ground seems and how the proportions of everything are just a little off. Well, not off so much as on. My vision is significantly improved. I can stare at my monitor for several-hour stretches without my sight blurring. I can read street signs way off in the distance and the contrast of the black lettering against the white background on my iPod (40GB, video, suckah) is amazing. It's really cool.

("Spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch.")

4. I'm nearly finished with the wedding video. I just have to append the credit sequence and finish the cover art, then it will be ready to print. After that, my main video projects will include my demo reel and the 24-Hour Film Festival coming up in October. I've been firing off the video resumes as fast as I find the jobs (which ain't so fast) so I'll just keep playing the odds until I land one. The demo is more of a long-term project, but I need to get something out there to point people towards.

5. This is a reminder that Christmas is not far off. Mandy and I are going to be in town over the holiday and are trying desperately to not be stretched thin running all over the city. We're hoping to get our plans settled within the next month, so if you have something going on (or plan to) for X-Mas or New Years, let us know soon.

"After ten cups of coffee and bacon!"

Specs

I've been plagued by "floaters" or little dark blips that slide in and out of sight for passed year or so. Early in the year (February, maybe) I had an eye exam. It was my first since, well, ever. The doctor recommended I pick up a pair of glasses for driving at night and my constant computer use. I never took her up on the offer since we live in a country where even the slightest a community-based approach to health welfare (business models are the best way to do everything, haven't you heard) I didn't have the money to plunk down on a new pairs of specs. So I went without.

Being exposed to constant phosphor glare of a bad c. 20001 CRT monitor for eight hours a day has begun to wreak havoc on my poor peepers again. I decided to have another eye exam here and the conclusion was the same. "You legally aren't required to wear them or anything, but they would take some of the strain off your eyes and help with headaches and glare." Said the tall woman adding up the total for a single pair of glasses. While I am graced to worked for a company that sees it their duty to provide their employees with a scant modicum of health insurance, they see eye care as a luxury only the elite should enjoy. So, we have to pay for the pair out of our own pockets. Nearly $300 later, the optometrist office sent off my order for new eye-wear.

Today they arrived. I, the last holdout in a family of sight-impaired people, finally have a pair of glasses to call my very own. I have only just received the glasses and I would assume my eyes, having spent the past the 27+ years compensating on their own, will give me some amount of hassle in having to learn how to see through these things.

(I'm planning to model my entire look after my new pal 'Heino'!)

Ad-o-Licious

Mandy and I bought a couple cans of Pringles with jokes somehow printed on the chips. The creepy part isn’t that someone came up with the idea. Marketers also came up with the ‘Oozinator’, so who knows why they think they way they do. The strange part is that the text is so amazingly legible. I can clearly see the little serifs at the tips of the characters… printed on a potato chip. The flavor is the same crunchy, oily, salty delight I’ve come to expect from the brand that once popped cannot be stopped.

Nary a place exists where advertisements have not encroached. I cannot drive down a road, pee in a urinal, or watch a movie without being inundated with ads for all manor of things I would never consider buying. I can’t blame companies for taking these increasingly obscene approaches to marketing their wares. The internet is fast becoming the driving force in marketing goods to the highly valuable 18-45 male demographic, and these giant lumbering corporations have an extremely adversarial relationship with risk and change – two things the internet thrives on.

These creepy delights started my mind pondering the future of writing on food. Not just the packaging per se, but the actual food itself. You don’t get a copy of “On The Town”, “Recoil” or “City Beat” for free. It costs insane amounts of money (insane compared to online publication which is essentially free) to design, print, and ship even simple fanzines or newsletters. That money is recouped through the selling of ad space. So instead of you paying $5-$15 per copy the advertisers pick up the tab and you ignore the ads on the back pages of the paper. I don’t see this ad model can’t be applied successful to the distribution of food products.

Instead of the lame joke printed on the chip pictured below, why not print, “Think Different: iPod” or something witty like “I would go well with some Kraft brand Cheeze Wiz!” and not charge anything for the chips? The money for making, shipping, selling the chips would be recouped through the sales of ad space. I really don’t think this is such a bad idea. Pringles aren’t even food. Since no one is actually confusing a processed, salt-coated Pringle with actual food, I don’t think an ad would really make the chip any less dignified. I would totally pick up a can of Pringles if it had no monetary charge. I could ignore the ads, just like I do on TV, newspaper, and on the sides of the roads and enjoy the unfood without having to spend one penny of my hard-earned moolah.

(Or, it could read, "Visit dropmystraw.blogspot.com and be amazed!")