Okay so maybe not

Just thought I'd let you all know that betweenthemonitors will no be biting the dust anytime soon, however, I will be adding a new blog called "In Case of a Water Landing..." this will be more of an art geek blog. I hope to have some stuff post on there soon.

Screw you guys, I'm moving....

Yes that's right. Betweenthemonitors is about to bite the dust. I don't like the way this blog is going and I want to start over, hopefully with a more creative flavor to it. A place where I can post some of the stuff I've been working on, video, photography, design, and what not. I'm tired of the ponderous loads of crap. I'll post the new site as soon as it is finished. probably later this week.

Family Roots

Okay so I've been a little bored recently. So I decided to toy around with the Lake family history. I've only been at this for a week or so but already I've found some new info and now I have even more questions. So many interesting events that explain the reputation of various family members. Good stuff.
You know those dreams that you wake up from and you feel more drained that when you went to bed? I've been getting those ALOT over the last few weeks. I wish I could just tell my brain to stop doing the school day dreams. I've found myself in just about every school I've ever attended all involving stressful situations. It kinda sucks. Lay off!!!
Other than that life's been like the weather, cloudy, a little rainy, but at least it's warm.

Dreams and hobbies.

I deleted the ponderous steaming piece of crapola once taking the space on this post. I need to get out more often!

Another week....thrill

Especially when I think about what's coming this Christmas... one of the busiest travel periods I've ever had, including a trip to New York for my grandparents' 50th! So exciting!
Anyway, in other ares life is going as usual, no real surprises, some steady progress. The usual.
That should do it for today... I need my coffee!
Oh yeah, I STILL LOVE NICKEL CREEK!!!!!

NEW SKIN!!!!

So I have the new skin for the blog! It's okay, it still needs a little work. But overall I'm proud of the thing.
I've had alot on mind recently, I guess that's why I haven't been blogging. I don't feel comfortable having this kind of stuff out in public. It has to do with a number of choices I see coming up in the near future, and the direction I want to take over the next 2-3 years. What am I going to invest my time in and when? Exciting times. Exciting steps ahead.

Firefly...

Okay, im making more attempts to get in touch with the inner geek, I decided to take another look into Firefly. I don't know how I thought I didn't like this stuff. Too bad it didn't make it to it's second year. Who ever thought a commentary on post civil war america set in space would work so well. Hopefully it will go through the "Family Guy" treatment someday. Anyway after watching 5 episodes or so it was time for bed, but first I had to install the new router. When all was said and done it was about 2 AM and sleep was easy. Funny thing is this morning was the first time I've overslept in years. I woke up @ 8:30, that's about the time I like to get to work:)

What is the hope?

So this morning in Sunday school (ahem I mean ABF or whatever) we continued our discussion of be book of Hebrews. It's been a great time, learning the deeper truths of our faith from the perspective of history. Anyway, when we came to verse 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." an interesting question came up. What is this hope? After alot of thinking I'm convinced that this is one of those personal questions that one can only answer for one's self. And what is mine? It can be summed in one reference. "Well done, good and faithful servant! ...Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matt. 25:23) The hope is God will give me the wisdom to live my life faithfully in His will. And the promise linked to this hope is found in Proverbs 2:6-11

6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

I guess that's it for now...

On being uncle ben....

So Elijah arrived on Tuesday and for the past 2 days it's been nothing but fussing about him... and it's the most enjoyable fussing I've experienced in a long time. He's been an absolute riot. I can't wait for his personality to really set in. Right now he's very much a sleeper. When he cries, it isn't to bad he's kinda quiet about it. Plus he has a great sense of rhythm about it (DJ Eli anyone?). I just find it amazing how so much person can be bundled up in such a little guy. It seems every time I see him I learn something new about him... and holding the little guy... nothing like it. This kid is messing with me and I love it!

AGHHH! It's been too long since my last post!!!!

Okay so maybe it's been 4 days or so... Anyway, my little sis is having her first kid on Tuesday... yeah can you believe it? So this it going to be one crazy week the families. I don't knew how I'm going to stay focused @ work... oi!

Feeling like a million bucks!

Okay, the huge project was a raging success!
I'm very proud of the work the team did on this thing. We now have a line on 2 production clients and a few possible homeshows on the horizon. I think I will post the thing soon. Once I get my google video thing all set up.
In other news this week is a little on the slow side, but it's giving me some time to start getting familiar with our 3D software. This is my passion, and it's nice to be in the middle of it right now.

In further news, I'm trying to get back into the workout schedule again. Early mornings aren't working anymore so I've been moving it to early evenings. I only hope I have the willpower (dc Talk, Ha ha!) to keep it up for longer than a month. I have clear heart rate goals 165 at 18o (I'll translate that later. It's where I was when I started @ the Enterprise) , though I'm going to be more flexible on the weight goals. Lifting is another question. I love to push myself, but without a SPOTTER THAT CAN BE DANGEROUS :p

Anyway, take care ya'll

I don't want it to be easy, I want it to be right...

I Love Megatokyo!!!

Okay, brief rant over.

continuing life.

Has this year gone by fast, or what!?

Hmm, it's coming up on christmas... YAY!
It's almost time to break out the Mannhiem Steamroller. Christmas lights and other random goodness. This season has been a little strange since I've moved out. I'm still not used not being home. But I guess I'd like to find a way to at least acknowledge it's existence in my apartment somehow. Hmm, something that could be useful all year long. I'll get back to ya'll on that one.
Here's a random Christmas related question for ya'll. WHERE DID THE WORDS "SANTA CLAUS" COME FROM!? I mean really here, why didn't America just stick to Father Christmas or something like that. Anyway, I think I'll Wiki that right now.

Take care peoples,

ON ANOTHER TOPIC...
The Audio Cassette is not dead, as I had once hoped.
As I type I'm making 7 copies of one for an phone system in Toledo. Oh the simplicity of it all. I do enjoy not having to ask:

Me: Do you know what format?
Other guy: Digital
Me: Okay, Do you want this on a CD or can we FTP it to you?
Other guy: We'd like it on CD.
Me: Is this CD going to be played on a standard CD player? Or are you going to copy it to a computer system?
Other guy: We are going to copy it to our computer system.
Me: Is there a specific file type you'll need?
Other guy: I don't know Let me talk to I.T.

Two Days Later...

Other Guy: I just talked to I.T. and apparently we need audio files.
Me: Do you know what format?
Other guy: Digital......

You get the idea.

Ah life is normal again... well kind of.

So here's the deal, that huge ass project from last week is over and I couldn't be happier. I'm proud of the work and one of these days I may just post the thing... and if your up for watching 5 and a half minutes of cooperate presentation you may finally may get to see what I love to do.

As for other stuff. I feel the need for a IKEA run in the near future...I need chairs...and some bedroom stuff. More on that later. Life is good, I slacked a little this week, but that's fine. But I need to clean up some more stuff. My apartment is STILL a little messy from last week. Ugh, it may be time to deep clean the bathroom too. I need a longer weekend. Maybe take a day off. I haven't done that for a LONG, LONG time.

and oh why not...

FAVE MUSIC POST!!!
Not much has changed

JARS OF CLAY
-Redemption Songs
-Jars of Clay
-The Eleventh Hour

DIERKS BENTLEY
-Long Trip Alone

ABOVE AND BEYOND
-Tri-state

OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

CHRIS THILE
-How to Grow a Woman From the Ground
-Not All Who Wander Are Lost
-Deceiver

GAELIC STORM
-Bring Yer Wellies
-Special Reserve

DEEP DISH
-George is On

RANDOM TRACKS
My Doorbell - The White Stripes
Josh Turner- Long Black Train
Santa Fe- RENT Motion Picture Sndtrk
Eleven- Bleach
Montgomery Gentry- My Town & Hillbilly Shoes
Herbert- The Audience
Fidelity- Regina Spektor
Bullet- Mat Kerney
Sarala- Caedmon's Call
The International Friendship Song- Animaniacs

Oh man, this list could go forever.

See ya'll round

wow it's wednesday...

So yeah, recently it's been work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep.......
I really hope this project comes off well, it will really help the year finish on a high note.
So busy, can't think of anything to write....

CONSERVATIVES UNITE!!!!!!

I'll post "Big Duck" this evening...

So here I am doing the work of 3 today... fortunately I have the time. As for Big Duck, that's the photoshop project I was goofing off with last night. I needed something to practice pen tool selections and I found the photos from the lake earlier this summer. I was thinking of making "Lindy-zilla" but that would just be mean... although very funny. Maybe I will do that one :)

Anyway, crazy week, stressful at times, but this is nothing compared to what is coming in the next week. The much talked about HUGE project hits next week. I'm a little worried about how it going to fit in the busy week, but I'm certain it will work within the time given. and a little outside the time given. Needless to say I probably won't be posting much.

So I walk into the office today...

To say this week is busy is an understatement. It's one of those deals when everything just comes crashing down all at once. And this morning was no exception. There was a complete power outage from 7:30 to 9:15. Now there are a few things that can be done in these situations. But working for a dot com... yeah it's a HUGE deal! We host ALOT of websites. Not to mention all the video equipment is computer based... so wild excitement there.
I'll probably have more to say this weekend when I have time to think.

On a future of being Uncle Ben

I've been spending some time today looking across the blogsphere looking for references to being an uncle... I'm in trouble. I think this could end up being one of the biggest blessings of my life so far. I can't wait to see Eli. Will he look like Becca or Curtis? Will he live up to his "active" reputation? What is he going to do when I show up to the party? I wonder what changing diapers will be like? What kind of nicknames will he inspire... right now I leaning toward dweeb. How can I spoil him, and lovingly annoy becca and curtis?
I have a tough act to follow. Though I've only seen them a hand full of times in my like my dad's brothers left an impression of what great uncles should be.

take care ya'll

Martinsville tomorrow.

Ah the new projects!!!

I've been spending most of the day do far developing work for the HD projects. I'm very excited about this it's simply HUGE!!! However all of the effects that they are showing on the storyboards are effects that I've been working on for the last year. I want to get started on this so bad!!! This could be big for me.

Movie night!!!

So it's been a while since the last one... Just letting you know that dispite it's haters, I watched The Weather Man.... and I liked it alot. It's an imperfect movie, with a story and an ending I could apprecaite. I don't expect many to like it, it's another hard one.

Okay, So I admit it I'm hooked....

What started as flipping through the radio stations and finding a catchy tune has turned into a favorite style. Yup that's right, artists like Alison Krause, Dierks Bentley (GREAT NEW ALBUM BTW!) and Montgomery Gentry, are right up there with Klay Scott, Ani DiFranco, Jars of Clay, Sarah Masen, Paul Van Dyk, and BT. Shouts to the people who showed me around this stuff, you peoples know who you are :)

Ambition, the next stage...

As I've written before I had a vision of where I wanted to be in 5 years the moment I left high school. And here I am. It wasn't the route I was asking for but I got here eventually. Now I've been carefully considering where I want to be in the next five years. When I'm 30... ish! Anyway, There have been many crazy ideas flying around in my head, career changes, life changes, and of course little change. So here it is for what it's worth. Mind you this is just brainstorming, but the original plan was too. And if God wants to change it he can, He knows more about this kind of stuff than I do...

Career, this was the driving force behind the first five years. Alot of people were saying I was crazy for pursuing video production. To the point of one of my youth pastors joking about me working as a camera man for a Channel 8 for the rest of my life. In stage two career is still important, but I don't think it'll be the driving force... more on that one later.
ANYWAY, I want to get involved in missions. Now, before you all get that vision of me in a pith helmet braving the wilds of Africa let me explain. I want to use my abilities to get the message out about what's going on in the mission fields around the world. I mean God gave me this passion for a reason. If that makes any sense. Now my big question is, how does one make a living doing something like this? Than again that isn't important right now. What is important is asking if this is a wise move and if so how to take the first steps.

This is just the beginning, and there is alot more to it. I'll continue to post on thi topic as it comes up.

!?

I applogize for the following rant.


What is "!?" ?
I've typed it out on numerous occasions.
is it a sound?
an emotion?
I mean I can tell you what :) is
just like I can tell you what :( is
or even what :\ is.
but what on earth is !?
I can even tell you what (_|_) is
but the truth is that somehow !? is universally understood.
I mean it doesn't work with any other punctuation
.?
,!
;.
meaningless, all meaning less, but !? speaks volumes

!?

WARNING VIDEO GEEK BLOG...

The journey of a thousand miles sometimes very badly. True statement... and today I started a technical journey that will hopefully take me into HD land. If it ends badly... we won't talk about that.

First things first... I was wrong about rendering. I used to think that an uncompressed video file was as good as it got... WRONG!!! There is one thing better and larger... it's called a an image sequence. no need to explain that one, it's obvious enough. And when dealing with Progressive HD formats the results are amazing! I cannot speak of how cool this technique is. It's truely digital film.

HD Adventure to be continued...

MORE CHANGES!?

Yea I've decided to change my e-mail account. There are alot of reasons for this, mostly this site and effective networking. I no longer need .mac's features. I never realised how involved this process is! Considering I've only done this once before. It's even further conmplicated by e-bill pay and e-commerce. I'll officialy be launching the new address and AIM accounts on October 18th. So stay tuned for that. It will be g-mail

in speaking of google...

So is Google scarring anyone yet? What's up with the youTube deal? I don't really get it, and I work in video. What about copyright? There are plenty of conflict point between the two libraries. Most regarding the fact that Google has a pay service that hold content that is free for the most part out of youTube. Which brings up another question that's been rolling around in my little head.... can copyright be used as a back door for censorship?

Now, being the self proclaimed white-protestant-conservative-Midwestern-male there are some who would think that I'd be all for censorship. After all, "we need to protect our sacred leader from all forms of dissent" Bull5h17! For the millionth time. Everyone should have the right to say what they want. They just have to be willing to accept the consequences. Censorship is not being disagreed with, or the people acting on that disagreement. If people act in an illegal way then it is up to our court system to deal with . Censorship IS a power move. In government it's the removal of life, liberty, or property in response to ideas it finds inappropriate, without due process of law. If it is done within due process it's immediately under the scrutiny of the first amendment.

Here's a question though. If I'm leaking state secrets in an attempt to expose corruption, what takes the higher priority? This is something that has traditionally been taken on by the press. However, if the so-called corruption is merely a convieninet re-assembling of facts. Then what is it? I wish we could trust the press, I really do. But they always seem hell-bent on some agenda. Whether or not I agree with the agenda or not (An example of this is my firm dislike of Bill O'Reily)... It's wrong. My ideal news source would just be a comprehensive ticker of complete facts about what's going on in the world. But that's not going to happen. I thought google news was a good source, but there have been a number of cases recently that stories have been buried. weird huh?

Organic reveals and such...

Okay I've really got some cool visual effects I've been kicking around. Mostly the simple till you think about it kind. It's been exciting days... except for the undeniable fact that my car "Kitsune" battery ain't holding a charge. I'm not too happy about this, considering it means forking over even more money into a car I can't wait to get rid of. So, I biked to work today. yeah, with construction as it is there is no direct route to my house anymore. That means either taking 70th which sucks or taking State to Hawley which sucks too. So the thrills @ work have been balancing the pain in the ass with the car.

see ya'll later,

I'm back... I dont think I've ever built an effect this distracting... I've been working on my daily work, but I can't seem to tear myself away from working on "Organic Reveal". So what is it? Watch the video for Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and take a look at the growing ink sploch thing. That's the kinda thing I'm working on :) It's too spiffy.

MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY!!!

Okay so this post has little to do with monday, other than the fact it was written on a monday. Anyway, so here I am on lunch break eating my soup about to go on a few rants. BUT FIRST, a moment of self reflection.

I love the stressful moments. Sure I may complain about them in public, but deep down inside nothig gets me going like a short deadline on an impossible project. On to the rants...

NASCAR...
Okay so I'm a litte new to all this stuff, and though I try to proove some knowledge, I'm always proven wrong. But despite that the end of sunday's race was one of the most interesting I've see..yeah yeah I know that's not saying much. But either way, I've got to give credit to Dale Jr. for keeping his composure in front of the camera... something that couldn't be said for some of the drivers. That alone earns him a place among my faves.

WORLD EVENTS...
So North Korea went and did it. Just in time for Shinzo Abe...interesting how THIS will all play out. As I've said before I'd rather have Japan do the dirty work if it comes that. I just don't trust China. I do feel bad for the people of North Korea for what they are about to go through whether it's diplomatic or military action.

THE GREEN BAY PACKERS...
Favre's beginning to look a lot like Majkowski....

Work stuff...
AGH!!!! BRAND SPANKIN' NEW CONCEPTS TO LEARN!!!!! I LOVE THIS JOB!!!!!

guns and stuff

this was my weapon of choice for the afternoon (.40 H&K USP)

Well yesterday the parents came down...mostly for my sister's baby shower. However Curtis, my dad, and I went out shooting. It was a little pricey, but a good time nontheless. Not thought or complaints for now. I will be posting again later today...

Ah this is what I went to school for!!!

Okay so it's a sucky edit, but if it works, it'll be one of the most satasfying edits I've made in a long time... It involves a number of effects, Line 21 data, IRE levels, and some non-traditional technique. It's one of those moments where I hate my job so much I love it.

More later

AGH!!!!

I'm getting really frustrated with work...little errors that aren't getting caught till too late!! Tomorrow I've got to fix a doozie. Agent pic on a 2 week old show. I know how I'm going to have to do it. It just sick and wrong. Oh yeah and the skin update for this site is going to have to wait... My FTP is down!

Just finished watching Oh Brother, Where art Thou.... good movie. One of my favorites...great music.

Don't you just hate it when the people you know are going through crap and you can't do anything about it... I mean you can't even listen... I can try to be optimistic but that usually ends bad. I can try to encourage but that just gets me in trouble. All the things that work for me don't work for anyone else.

Whatthehellman!

So, what is it about Washington that renders people unable to keep their pants up? I always felt that general corruption was a way of life there, but dang... a new level of disrespect has been achieved. So what if he was a republican, I'm sure Democrats are just as bad. Only, like their hero Bill Clinton, they are better at covering it up, or not. Enough about that.

It's Thursday, a very light work day. I've got a number of side projects I need to work on. And there are the BIG 3. I'd love to get to work on the big three, but those are team projects, and the team hasn't moved yet. I've already done enough damage by venturing out on my own and getting stuff done. What do you think the CG project is?

I didn't do movie night last night, because I had a request to host a few matches of Battlefield. I love this game, especially it's mods. The guys, bobos and stretchmarks, seemed to have a good time, but I can't wait to get the dedicated game server up and running. Up to this point, my computer has been the only one that can host these things. So if anyone wants to play I usually get the call.

I'm sure I'll post some more stuff later...

Material and Bones

How long has it been since I last enjoyed goofing off with a 3D modeler!? Last night I was up late...again. working with and newer 3D tool called MODO. It's disturbingly easy to use considering it's made by the rouge designers of Lightwave. However unless one is going to go all out 3D has only minor application today's production landscape. I could see it as a tool for making digital sets or for design elements. But character animation has advanced to a point where if can't do it well, you can't do it. This is an exciting tool though. Awesome layout and design!

With all the video/design stuff aside, I'm finding my self in need of something new. Video is good and all, but I need a new outlet, or experience or something. I'm sinking into the sea of pixels :) Maybe I've been focusing on the tech side too much. This last weekend I gave my "pretty pictures move" speech, and she came back with something I've forgotten. She added ...and inspire. All my work for the past three years has been video for experimentation and my own reasons... when was the last time I aimed to inspire? I mean I'm finally at a point where I can do something like that. What would that project be? Would it be a short film? Uber cool graphics deal? The tools and the skills are there. all I need is the vision.

---Later That Day---
During Lunch I was thinking about how much I miss traditional photography. You know, the kind with film? Sure, I was never able to get a perfect negative, but there's something about doing work I the dark room that I kinda miss. Point and click photo correction has nothing on contrast filters an exposure time :) So yeah, it's been a contemplative week. It's also been a weird as far as sleep... Usually I can wake up without an alarm with no problems. This morning I woke up @ 7:50!!! BTW that's really really late for me. The dream wasn't even all that good :P
I need to stop staying up so late. Things are changing fast. Is this what normal is like? And as always, "I need a woman (lol)".

Pnuma, Psuche, & Zoe

So last night I was intending to dive into the world of life after death and the problem of hell and all that sort of stuff. But I got side tracked first, by the usage and meanings of the Greek words that are translated in English as "life" This was really mind-blowing stuff how these words are being used.
Then I got sidetracked again by a friend who needed some help with a paper on the 2000 election. Of course her questions were twisted in favor of "Saint Gore". All that was really needed was some fact checking. I'm still surprised that despite being in a poli sci class that they haven't handed out copies of our founding documents. I mean can you understand the concepts of Due Process and Equal Protection without reading about them in their original context?

College is truly a strange place. As far as I've heard.

----Later that Day----
Waiting for the computer to finish importing Closed Captioning Data...

So once again it's that time of week, time to select a movie. The rules are known... only one "I have never seen it before". I have some reccomendations, but I've been feeling like a Harrison Ford/Jack Ryan movie. I miss those things! I think Patriot Games is the only one I've not seen. So that's on the list.
I also have The Gods Must Be Crazy II and Lonesome Jim (another 20-something angst film) on there too.

Today went well... had something to do @ every point. It looks like we'll be getting our dedicated homeshow/video content server soon! Looking forward to that. But I really want to get the green light to begin work on the October/November graphics projects. Every day that goes by adds to the stress level down the road.

So yeah <---- I have alot of blogs titled that

The importance of ya'll...I'm a fan of the second person plural. It's a shame it hasn't been standardized in the English language. I still think English sucks as a language too. It's so difficult to say what you mean.

So it's another morning and I'm eating my usual eggs in one form or another (Now, it's eggs in toast). I don't eat breakfast cereals... it's weird, I know, I just don't anymore. I haven't since I moved out here. There are some habit that you strive for, others that just happen.

I have to go to work today...thrill, the weekends are far too short these days. Maybe i should wake up earlier so I can actually enjoy the morning before work. You know, do a little reading, have some tea. But that would also mean getting to bed earlier...phooey! I don't get enough sleep.

A good friend of mine noted that I've been staying up later these days... it's true, I have been. The old pumpkin is dead, and there are reasonable causes. Primarily I have alot on my mind these days. Alot of potential energy going into this winter/fall.

---Later that day---
I never thought a single show could ever take so much brain power!!!! I spent most of the day de-kinking my new process for creating on-screen graphics. It's been in the works for a few months, but this is the second week in applying it to actual projects. This is just the beginning of the next set of projects. This is going to be a crazy couple of weeks. You know I'm going to love it though ;P

HEY! I havn't done a playlist post for a while!
here we go...

Fave Albums recently:

Above & Beyond: Tri-State <---The best Trance album this year!!!
Montgomery Gentry: Something to Be Proud Of (best of) <---Latest country addiction
Jars of Clay: Good Monsters <---Creative christian music...go fig!
Gaelic Storm: Bring yer Wellies <---very primium music
Chris Thile: How to Grow A Woman From the Ground <--- Awesome Bluegrass/Roots
Ani DiFranco: Puddle Dive <--- Old but still amazing (my favorite from her)
Bleach: Space <--- One of my favorite Christian rock albums period.

Wonkey

Yeah things are looking a little wonkey right now... @ least this'll give me an opportunity work on some stuff...re-skin update coming soon.

Must be Ramadan...

It may seem a little strange that a white christian male from the midwest would post something like this but let me explain...

Applegeeks is a webcomic that I follow very closely. For those who don't know, it's author, Hawk, is Muslim. Now for the past three years he has marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan with the appearance of a snarky squirrel that hoards food and taunts him during the day. I mean it's a great idea. Translating a cultural event into a character that I think everyone can understand and enjoy, yet is still respectful of the culture and event.

So hats off to Mohammad Haque and everyone else involved with Applegeeks for bringing some welcome multi-culturalism to the geek world.

<<<>>>

Things my look a little wierd on Friday...version 3 is comming soon!

Vertigo

All I've go to say... this movie was made WHEN? 1958?

First, The Matrix totally ripped opening scene from Vertigo at some points shot for shot, and the soundtrack note for note. I'm not complaining just an observation.

Second, the camerawork and lighting were amazing! Way to tell the silent story.

Third, Great visual effects I still think they hold there own even in tha age of CGI.

Fourth, Graphic Elements!!! How on earth did they do that with film!?

Fifth, A plot with more decent plot twists than I've seen in any modern film.

Sixth, Jimmy Stewart in a half likeable / half uber creepy role. Nice to see him in something other than "It's a Wonderful Life".

This is truely a landmark movie. Kinda like "The Matrix" of it's day. I will be watching it again. I'd say it breaks into my top 20 favorite movies. However, as a sit down and watch movie, North by Northwest still beats it out.

Combustion.. a fresh way of thinking...

WARNING: This is a video geek post... Read @ your own risk!
Every once in a while a piece of software comes around that forces me to rethink the way I do video. The last time this happened was when I was first introduced to Avid NLEs. I had been working with Apple Final Cut, but the depth and precision of Avid completely changed the way I worked in both environments. But that was merely the NLE (non-linear editor). The last tool used to put a project together.
For the past two years I've been trying to achieve a level of mastery with AfterEffects (Adobe's compositer software). I liked the precision of the thing, however as my projects got more complicated AE started to show some weakness. Like all things I overlooked these and created work-arounds.
Then I heard about a piece of software called Autodesk Combustion. At first I wrote it off simply because it wasn't AfterEffects. However, my boss would keep on bringing it up. So last weekend out of sheer curiosity I downloaded the demo and started working with it a bit...
It was a steep learning curve to begin with. In AfterEffects the timeline is the centerpiece. and the clips and effects are added to that. In Combustion the clips and effects are the centerpiece and the timeline sort of builds itself. This opens up a whole new level of creativity. Not to mention the that when you use it on a dual monitor system, it gives you two independent playback screens with a total of 8 source/effect windows. It also has the nifty ability to edit alphas channels in real time, and while we are speaking on the topic of alphas, Diamond Keyer is nothing short of amazing!
The node based composting system is taking a little getting used to. But as I learn more about it the more powerful it gets. It's already surpassed AE in flexibility, but there it still one thing I'm not quite sold on.... the way it handles the timelines. Sure it's uber cool that you can edit any timeline from any connected footage or composite, but I have yet to see the kind of precision I'm used to in AE... It would also help if I could have a larger timeline window. But no program is perfect and I'd like to learn more about this sick awesome program.

Tuesday "Here we go again"

I've never been a fan of the Tuesday. It's usually a dull day. The most boring of the week as far as I'm concerned. I could bore you all with obscure metaphors for what Tuesday is to me, but it can be summed up in two words.
Life continues to be a ride. Recently I've been riding a little higher than usual. Sure, there are a number of "Isn't it ironic? Doncha think?" situations right now. BTW, it's been how many years and I still love that song. I need to start drawing again...

Oh yeah, the movie selection is a little tougher this week. The list of movies I want to see is getting shorter. I got my crazy weird movie fix last week. I wish there were more Charlie Kaufman films. Thanks to Zaar I was thinking "Wall Street". For the Anime fix there is always FF: Advent Children. Then there is the classic film list....that's it! the movie for this week is Hitchcock's "Vertigo". That'll work.

Take care ya'll!

Hey, in speaking of movies....
Check this out. Apparently Baz Luhrmann is back!!!!

The 100th post

Yeah it' s no real big deal, but I've reached post #100. I never thought I'd make it here. But it has come and to my surprise this site is still going strong. The past 100 posts have seen alot happen in my little life. From last december when I was still figureing out how to make it with 2 car payments, to January and my first birthday party in years, to February and it's share of drama, to March and tax fest, to April and julie's wedding, to May and moving day, to June and settleing in and new traditions, to July and outrageous good times, to August and re-evaluation, to September and it's learning expereinces.

Here's to another 100 posts between the monitors.

Oh yeah, Country music update... new favorite artists... Montgomery Gentry! ( have yet to hear a song from them I don't like)

the 99th post

The last tape to roll for the week...

I don't get it...
There is alot on my mind right now. Unforutnately it's stuff that I don't quite feel like posting here right now. Too bad really, but it's more personal stuff that needs to be brought up to those invovlved. Don't worry it's nothing bad, just the aforementioned confusion in post # 95.

Oh yeah, I've also added We Feel Fine to the link list. This is a great site to check out. Another wonderful time burner. It basically searches the various blog services for the words "I feel" or other phrases like it. then looks for the mentioned feeling. Then it presents this information in 7 formats. My favorite is mummers. You can also isolate feeling, age, gender, location, and weather. It's crazy fun.

Hey! I forgot to mention. . . NEW CHRIS THILE ALBUM!!! Oddly titled "How To Grow a Woman From The Ground" This is a decent album. It's what you'd get if you were to stick Not All Who Wonder... and Deceiver in a blender with some great American roots music. This guy could single handedly bring bluegrass to a new generation. If you really liked the O' Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack this my be worth a listen.

The order of things...

What a lame title. It's doesn't even have anything to do with what I have to say today.

I love this time of year! Unfortunately it has a side effect. Yes, allergies, but also everything feels like school. Just right now I was looking at the clock on my computer. When I had the thought. almost out, just 40 minutes. Now, this goes all the way back to high school. When the day would end @ 3:45pm. Something about the way the sun comes through the windows at just the right angle. I don't know. Feeling the sudden urge to hang on the classroom door frame, one of those little joys I miss.
I often write off High School as a dark period. But there were a lot of bright spots. Outdoor art classes, literature classes, one and a half period lunches for both junior and senior years, and photography in a real darkroom. Those were the highlights. I still dream about those years. Though they mostly have to do with being late to class or forgetting my schedule to the point of forgetting about a class for an entire semester (oddly enough this one reoccurs, and is one of the more realistic ones.)
Wow! that was 6 years ago. I don't know if it feels like a short time or a long time but it feels like it was a different universe. Was that me? Did I really experience that? Those are the kind of questions I ask when I look back.

random thought....

Did I ever mention how much I absolutely love megatokyo. Serioulsy! I wish you all had the time to go through it all, but given the fact that it's been updated an avarage of three times a week for nearly 6 years, I don't exactly see that happening.

Movie for tonight is selected. After watching trailers... EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED BEATS ALL! I can taste the sesame chicken already :P I may even buy this one unseen.

Unexpected healing.

Most of the time I tend to think of myself as more or less emotionally invincible. So imagine my surprise when out of nowhere I am contacted by and apologized to by someone who I hadn't heard from for a long time. The thing is that there was a small healing in it. Like when something hurts for so long that you forget about it. Then it just feels weird when the pain begins to go away. It a strange feeling. I'm humbled.

take care ya'll

engh!

It's a sound it's an attitude.

Just got done with a video shoot early. I'm very happy with the results. Good color, good contrast, all with mixed lighting conditions. I'm proud of this one!

As for the engh part. Confusion... more on that later...if at all.

This is the video that me and my friend JAson have been working on for the last week. It's a little rougher then I'd like, just keep in mind we were using iMovie. In other words...
-No log and capture style bin
-no film roll tool
-no more than 1 video track
-no more than 2 stereo audio tracks
-no slugs
-and a whole lot of frustration...

but it got done...check it out!

WARNING:This thing does have some laguage and a whole lot of violent content... IT'S BOONDOCK SAINTS PEOPLE!

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

take care ya'll

Creeping up on post 100!!!

After this there are only 8 to go before I hit the 100 mark.

In the mean time in speaking of the things I'm absolutely passionate about. Take a moment to discuss the latest out of Hollywood. It's a little thing known as Next-Gen DVD. You know, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. My best advice at this point is to ignore these formats. They may look cool, they may have alot of interesting features, I'd love to do work on them, but after going into thier specs all I can see is force-fed Digital Rights Management. If the DVD format was more secure I'm sure we wouldn't be seeing the the Next-gen formats. And what about HDTV? I'll let you in on a little secret... it's all hype. Again the stench of overbearing DRM is in the air.
In fact, I have a prediction. In about 2-3 years we will see the phasing out of all analog connections on media devices (After all, Analog TV will be phased out in April 2009.) Thus locking down all forms of recording to only those that can be controlled. Do I think this is bad or even evil? Not really, everyone has the right to earn money for their work, but what I don't like is the manipulation that's going on. Why can the people involved just admit that they want to secure their property, instead of the "this is the "in-thing" so you have to buy it" argument.

end rant

Chinese Food and another movie... Inside Man...

This was a pretty cool film, not quite as "twisty" as i expeceted it to be. A good thing overall. Good acting, some GREAT actors. Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Christopher Plummer, Jodie Foster, and William Dafoe, WOW! It was a quality "hiest/caper" style film. It had it's share of flim cliches but they worked well. Cool film expereince, but it dosn't make it to my faves.

As for the other stuff.
Work has been a ride, there has been alot of change in the past two weeks and ahead in the next. I'm prepared for it, but I'm still a little nervous. Don't worry it's all good stuff, but it'll be hard to get used to. Change is good :) I went to Bally this morning... it felt good, but my knee didn't care for it that much...I'm going back though. I miss it.

As for the rest of my life... it can be sumed up in two words... Hedgehog's Delemma (Any Evangelion fans out there? I wanna watch those again...)

Hey! I'm posting on the MAC!!!!!

I can post on Nemu now!!! This is just cool!
So, ho have I been feeling this week? A little less depressed, so that's good. I've got some interesting stuff on my plate in my personal life for a change. I just need to apply some wisdom to them. I've been reading alot more, so that's good, and my tiny library is expanding. That's what I get for only buying books I'll read. Life's been good to me. for the most part, I'm still feeling a little angsty artist thing though. I need to kill that.

Ben

So I think it's time for a slow down...

The tone of my last few posts recently have been very political. So, I think it's time for a different direction for a while. Like getting back to my regular blogs...

Unique beverage of the month.... Strongbow Dry Cider...
Okay so I was inspired to try a cider by a Gaelic Storm song that shall remain nameless, those who know, know. It was quite tastey more like a wine than I had expected. Deffinately worth another try in the future.

Movie and Chinese Food... Solaris
This was more of an impulse rental more than anything. I liked it, it had the whole "walk the farret" thing going on with it... I liked that. Decent plot twist. Based on a book by an author I've been meaning to read more of, though his stuff isn't easy to find. The story deals with the nature of reality with interesting interpaly with the nature of alien life. yummy!
I need to clarify one thing. The issue with movies not ending. There is a difference between a non-ending for a sequel and a non-ending with a point. Solaris is the good kind of non-ending (the one with a point). I also think the the Matrix Revolutions has an ending of this kind too as long as they don't mess it up with another sequel.

Who really wants to own the media?

I have not seen The Path to 9/11. I have much more important things to do that sit and watch some made for TV Drama. However the contreversy brings an interesting point to light... Where are the Pro-Bush types asking for edits of the Bush failures in the time running up to 9/11? Why is is it the Clinton types who make all the noise? Why is it that the first ammendment is reserved only for the dissenters? I'm all for dissent, I like the idea that the minority can have a say in our society. However, I believe those like myself who belive that we are doing the right thing should also have an eqaul say! We should not have to be editied! We don't edit Michael Moore! I may oppose reckless thoughtless anti-Bush statements, I may boycott those who speak them but I will never endorse the removal of an alternate point of view in any media. Consiqunces are not censorship. Censorship is the witholding of information. As I've said before the freedom of speech does not guarantee the freedom from consiquence. All parties are guilty let's not think that one political power is above another in this respect. The question is how do the parties respond to this consiquence.

News of the day.

Wow! two good speeches from Bush today!! Talk about cool! It was a good day to be a conservative. A little uplifting for a change. I'm tired of being considered an idiot for supporting our defence and the people of Iraq. I'm tired of beeing looked down upon for thinking that the people of Iraq deserve better than Saddam and terrorists. I'm really tired of the Arab world being depicted a people who don't desire the freedom that all humans crave, who are content under an oppressive dictators or clarics. Today was a good day :)

And kudos to Bush for removing more key Leftist arguments.

Oh wow!

Great music day here...

THE NEW JARS OF CLAY ALBUM IS OUT TODAY!!!!
I love it! I might even go so far to say it's better than the first. Simply amazing!

THE NEW BT ALBUM IS OUT TOO!!!!
I'll be buying the CD on this one so I'll have to review it later. But the samples sound great. It's deffinately more in line with his older stuff like Ima.

Later tonight I'll also be positng my thoughts on The Wise Woman by George McDonald. Think of it as The Prince and the Pauper with the plot depth of Till We Have Faces. It's hard to beleive this story was written almost 130 years ago. All I'll say for now is Its message hit me hard.

uh yeah...again

After what proved to be a very productive day I did watch my movie. It was a dissappointment.

A. Sarcasim is funny in moderation, but it shouldn't be the foundation of any film!

B. Don't put ALL the good lines in the trailer.

C. It's called an ending people, learn it, love it, USE IT!!!!

D. The whole thing felt too ADD for me, complete your thoughts.

E. NPR types probably loved this movie...

So afterward i watched Garden State. One of the best movies I've seen and one of the few I can watch on a semi-regular basis.
Why do I like this movie?
It's very much "What you see is what you get".
It had a good ending, and heaven forbid, it's a happy one.
Of course the sound track.
I love the story, it's simple but very layerd.
Quiet visual gags.
Distinct characters, they don't all run together.
Embraces the oddities of life.

It's just too bad it's been knocked off as much as it has.
I have a few ideas for the next move.. keep ya posted.

I was going to write a rant on techno but....

It's wednesday!!! And one of the movies I have really ben looking forward to is out on DVD this week. I wanted to see it in the theatre but I don't think any Milwaukee area screens had it.
It's a little ditty called, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. It seems to have a good plot, low key sense of humor, and recomendations from the critics that matter.

Oh yeah, and techno is cool just because...

Rolling Tape Break

random rant

I now have a half an hour to sit and jabber on about stuff. My computer is doing all the work right now. Anyway, the subject for this break is country music. I have long had a love/hate relationship with the stuff. For years I refused to listen to to it, because oddly enough I found that I liked it alot. After all, aside from hip-hop it's probably the most hated styles out there. I have no idea why. It's good music, and it's intelligent songwriting. It's proud to show it's heritage, all the way back to it's immegrant roots. It's fun to listen it touches on a very wide range of emotions, and is always willing to laugh at itself. It's always being innovated. And of course it just oozes with the American (see Red State) attitude.
I still don't know who's who, or anything like that. But I can tell you it's great work music.

end random rant

show's almost over... see ya round

So uh yeah...

You know when you get one of those projects that are pretty cool, but you still don't want to do? Okay so maybe you don't. I get that way whenever I'm asked to develop an new workflow. One that will disrupt things no matter what. Kinda like when we adopted Closed Capioning :) It's always alot of fun to learn a new technology. I just know that not everyone shares my enthusiam for such things. Especailly when it involves a little more effort on their part. Despite the fact it's a vast improvement on what we got.
I have no personal projects right now. . . it's nice. . . for now.

I'd like to start over....

Last week was a little wierd... in fact... I still feel a little wierd. I think it's going to stay this way for a while. In the mean time, I'll try to keep this place as light hearted as possible. That may mean fewer public posts...

Another Movie Chinese Food :0

Given that wednesday night was taken up by a very enjoyable Gealic Storm concert with good peoples. I still felt like a movie night. Anyway during that concert one of the people I was with quoted a film line I had forgotten about. In fact, I never really thought of it as that quotable. It was from a film called The Gods Must Be Crazy.

First thing that struck me was how crude the filmmaking was. But shortly after getting into it this became more charming than anythng. I could see how this could be an offensive movie to some because of the depiction of the bush people. In fact, I was waiting for the "curtain to be pulled back" to see the real people, but to my surpise this never happened. Another riminder that this film was made in another time. Before it was society's job to jade children by the time they turn 10.

Another surprising moment was the funny depiction of African power stuggles. Especialy when I think about the recent situation on Somalia. I admit I did chuckle a bit during the attempted coup scene. And the good old, old school slapstick. Always good to see in moderation.

All in all i liked the film, it isn't one for the collection, but does deserve it's place among the frequent rentals.

One more thing... I'm not much of a special features person. I don't really care what combination of technology a filmmaker used to do this or that, or what one actor is thinking at any given moment. I watch a movie to hear a good story or learn something (or best of all both). Not to be blown away by special effects (but if it adds to the story, fire away). The Gods Must Be Crazy was an exeption to this rule... At the end of the film I was curious about how the flim was made... it had to have an interesting story behind it... and I'm happy to say the DVD delivers.

Next week.... don't know

The next week FINALLY "Finding Humor in the Muslim World" comes out on DVD!

take it easy ya'll

Whoa! Nice surprise here.

So there is a brand spanking new portishead track floating around out there on iTunes. Apparently it's on some tribute album. Anyway this go me to checking out thier website...there is a new album in the works. WOOT!!!! So that, a new BT album, and a new Celdweller album are the ones I'm waiting for right now.

Another Geek Post....and cats

Here are the parent's cats. Riot and Kuzco

Okay, so I'm looking at what it would take to upgrade Yagi recently...uh people. Why did I buy a Socket 754 motherboard? I can get a an AMD X2 3800 for $150, or even a Athlon64 3700 for under $100. However I'd need to get a 939 mobo and new RAM as well that's about $300-400 total.

Anyone wanna buy a 754 motherboard with a Athlon 64 3000+ and 1GB on RAM?

There are so many different things I want to upgrade on the system too.

well, editor's block knocked down...

This is another photo from the playground @ Summit Elementary where I attended fourth grade

I've been able to get a good head start on the three big video projects for the week. And I'm very satesfied with the progress on all of them. It's some really cool stuff. Now i just need to keep everything on track. Not much to that, just try to keep everything going at a quick steady pace.

On to the next bit o' fun for the week: Gaelic Storm part 2.

Deer in the headlight moment...

I love this shirtFor all those without 20/20 vision the lower line says. "Without angst there is no art".


Ah it's a calssic. When you look at all you have to do in the week ahead and have no idea how to do it. There's no schedule that you can make for it, no timelines, no processes. Just a list of things that need to be done by the 18th. Creative work can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Especailly when one is running low on ideas. I need a creative jumpstart...

Oh yeah interesting song to listen to on the wierd electronica front..

The Audience by Herbert.

very catchy

Day 2

I love it when I can get a really deep sky blue in a photograph.
Day 2

This was a pretty good one, Lots of photo taking, a little sunburn, and ending with one of my favorite movies... doesn't get much better than that!

The photo hunt took me all over the area to places I haven't been to in years. I've got plenty of interesting shots to post for a while now. Very cool... however all this running around led to a little sunburn, but I don't mind. I like to think a litte burn shouws that your doing something :)

Finally Chocolat, one of the best films ever made... Good message, Good Filmmaking, Good story, Graet choices in actors. For those who haven't seen it...SEE IT!!!!!! I would even like to see it possibly become a FourTwelve film. Hey P. Mike used it more than once :)

Day 1

Well, It's been a good morning so far Picked up the ticket for tonight :) :) :)
I'll also be helping with some kitchen demolition this afternoon. Taking down the ceiling in the basement...I know it souds wierd but it does make sense.

Til later.

later that day

Gaelic Storm had a wonderful show, good on-stage schick, and crazy good perfomance solos! I can't wait to see them again.

The basement/kitchen demo went great... I'll be posting some photos, but I think they'll only matter to Becca and Curits.

Tomorrow (or later today) I will be working on special photo project. Kind of a retrospective of the key places of my childhood. If all goes well it'll end up being a digital collage of some kind.

take it easy ya'll.

travelday!!!!!

Work can't get over fast enough!!!! I think I'm going to try to get there as early as possible, with out being insane of course. Maybe like 7:30 or something like that. that way I'm out @ 4:00 ish. I'm so excited about this trip! I may even try for getting out @ 3:30...

Oh yeah... I'll also try to be back in time for FourTwelve.
And I will be posting some photoblogs over the weekend.

Ben

walk the line...

Quality film... Coming into it, I had no idea what to expect. What I found was another really great, well told story. I liked it, it was a little more imperfect, a little rougher around the edges than I expected and all the better for it. A very quiet film. Walk the Line deserves a place in my small collection.

I'm going to buy this one.

...

Another good morning all! It's wednesday, the week is almost over and I couldn't be happier. Just two more days till Gaelic Storm show #1! And it's also a movie night. Tonight I'm still deciding between 3 Walk the Line, Nemesis (shout out to Jo), and a new one on reccomendation from the parents, Cassanova. Right now I'm leaning toward Nemesis simply because I admit my aversion to it to this point has been unfounded. Just that I didn't think the Star Trek movies could ever recover from Insurrection.
So yeah to work again.
I'm getting way too much spam on .mac. I guess it's time to update the rules... *_* yay...

A few minutes to nutsness....

As most of you know I'll be going back to La Crosse this weekend. Can you tell I'm excited! It's funny that I have a really hard time calling it home. Cuz home really has become 'tosa. Yes in a matter of a few months I think I'm finally in a position to put down some roots. Something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but never saw the opportunity. Well on to another crazy day in this 4 day work week!

Another new site you must check out!!!!!
www.wefeelfine.org
Takes a little explaining so check out this podcast from Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything.

Having a "day". Trying to get ahead of the list of crap to do, then I get stuck. Becuase somthing goes wrong with something I have no control over. So yeah, running around in circles here. I have a doodle I may post later today.

It's that time of year again...

Yes, it's that time when mac fans come together and listen to what t3h Jobs has to say. Yes it is the day of Jobs' Keynote during the Apple WWDC. I have no idea what to expect here, I know what I want to see, but the best part about these things the secrecey surrounding them. Is an iPodAV on the horizon? Or maybe a new MacPro based on the Core 2 Duo (or a couple of them). Are we going to see Adobe dive into Universal Binary? Is MacOS X Leopard going to show it's self? All I want to hear is 4 little words..."and one more thing"

on second thought...
Zzzzzzzzz...

It's been 6 years and I still love what I do!

It's been 6 years since I started exploring this crazy video thing. Working on this project for some good firends I realize I still absolutely love it.

Sure some of the office drama may get a little tiring. Then there's the fact that technology is changing so fast. But still, there is nothing like sitting in front of a video editing system with a bunch of blank files and a bunch of ideas to fill them and all the tools I'll ever need. Even what I'm doing right now, something as mundane as resizeing 300+ photographs is kinda cool, cuz I know what it's going to be in the end. I don't deserve my life, I don't deserve any of this. I think that's the point though.

It's funny, I remember this sculpture in High School. It was the only thing that I made those years that I liked. It was one of those plaster hand sculptures. It was two hands, one was on a computer mouse the the cable of the mouse went into a computer monitor, and on the other end of the mouse cable was another hand holding a paint brush facing out from the monitor. I never thought how true it would be.

Back to work

Another reason US Cellular rocks.

Last night was kinda wierd. I was talking to someone on my cell phone. When it sudddenly cut out. And wouln't turn on again. Took it to the tech @ US Cellular (Bonus points for excellent service, again!!) Found out there was a short in the charging system in the phone and he fixed it on the spot for free. I love this company! It's nice to have the thing working again.

V for Vendetta

KICK!!!
Really good film period. Kind of an 1984, meets X-Files, meets a bit of The Matrix (for obvious reasons) and a whole lot of doing it's own thing. The "maskless" Hugo Weaving at the end was a nice touch too. I love the style behind it all. Solid charaters, knives beat guns, and shocker...a really good story. (oh yeah and cool explosions too)

It could have done without some of the cheap shots reguarding current events, but it's hollywood and for them to leave those out would have been a real disapointment. Unfortuantely they do date the film as well, which really is too bad.

But all that aside, V for Vendetta gets my thumbs up and bonus points for style as well as a few more extra points for including Stephen Fry in the cast. AND it gets the Ultimate Super Point for actually ENDING (and ending well at that), no obvious attempt to lead into a sequel!!!

one more thing... even when you can't see his face Hugo Weaving is still an amazing actor!

and another thing... It's great to see Natalie Portman moving out of her Star Wars image. Now let's just hope some Star Wars fanboy doesn't have a bald fetish :) I know I'm probably the millionth to say that.

This film deserves a place in my list of faves in the neighborhood Kill Bill and Underworld.

Chinese and a movie.

This week has been so crazy! I feel like I've done a week of work in the first 3 days alone. @ least I get to enjoy what is becoming a great mid-week ritual. The chinese food and a movie night. Up for tonight is V for Vendetta. I missed in the theatre, so release week is the best I can do. I just hope it isn't like The Matrix where I was kicking myself for not seeing in the theatre. Well, lunch is over and it's back to the insanity!

On a more gooder note!!!!

New Gaelic Storm album today, just what I needed.

I love Johnny Tarr! (the story does continue in the album)
Plus the instrumentals are just INSANE!!! love it, just love it.

Ah crap not again!!!!

EDIT:
That was too depressing... see above post... how can I be in a bad mood!

Productive

It was an okay weeeknd, spent saturday at church working on video stuff. It wasn't the project I wanted to work on but it was still cool. I love doing the flanel board animations. Okay that may take a little explaination. Uh, never mind. I'll post one up here so you can see it for yourself:)

Ben
Currently listening to: Caedmon's Call- Share the Well...great music, great message. Really good work music.

FRIDAY!!!

It's the weekend! I get to sleep late again!!! I need a book to read in two or three nights. Something different and kinda long. I'll let you know what I get.


Thought to think about.
...time is God's way keeping everything from happening all at once.
A book I like alot.....

Ladies and Gentlemen!!!!

After much hassle and frustration I think I've got the beginnings of the new look. Now, it dosn't seem to work quite right in Internet Explorer. However, Safari and Firefox present it just fine.
For those on IE all your missing is the frame for the blog entries. This really is just a test run and I hope to do more of these as time goes on.

I'm going to bed now.

Cool update delayed...

Okay so I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board....apparently IE 6 dosn't support .png transparency... dorks!
So yeah. It was a great idea, it's just no one would be able to see it. Let's try something else.

Agh!

Big Changes in store for Between The Monitors

Good morning ya'll,
I'm just sitting in the office right now making plans for the rest of the day. It's a moderate load with something to do at all times. I've got "Chicago" to work on and "Columbia Updates" to complete if approved by the client. I also may just have to tidy up in here it's getting to be a little messy.

In speaking of tidying thigs up, I will be developing a new "skin" for this blog...the code isn't too difficult to work with and I've always wanted to personalize the thing. So be on the lookout for Between the Monitors v2! IT will definately be unique, in a good way!

Also, it seems like quite a few people are dealing with life crap right now. Which really sucks, cuz no one likes that. Truth is, I've found Jeremiah 29:11 can only take me so far. It's a comforting truth, but I find the real healing and comfort comes from the Psalms (followed by a heathy dose of Proverbs). There you find more than a pat answer for all of life's ups and downs. You will find people, just like us, coming to God with thier fears, worries, joys, and passions. The situations may not be the same, but thier reactions and emotions often are. You could almost think of Psalms as the first blog written in a place where it would remain archived and relevant forever :) So explore this book, and find yourself in it. It's well worth the ride.

take it easy peoples.

Just waiting for tapes to roll

With all the FourTwelve bloggers coming together over the last few days, I'd just want to get an idea of how we want to link all these things together. Should it be a list of links that everyone has on their pages? Should we have a central community blog? If this network gets off the ground should we hook it up with the Ridgewood web site? Do ya'll want a FourTwelve icon to go on your sidebar? (I should be able to get that set up) How do we open this up to those who don't blog and want to be a part of it?


I'm almost done capturing the tape. I'd like to hear some ideas.

the pretty pictures

Here it is peoples the IRL photo post!









This is Dan Wheldon with the kids, he's really a geat guy.









The only real wreck of the race!









I caught this guy napping before the race.









My newest "cool thing". It's my ticket signed by driver Dan Wheldon.









Pretty picture... I couldnt resist!











Preping #10 for the race...











This is my favorite car (Marco Andretti's NYSE #26) it just looks great

Breaking geek news!!!!!!

Yeah I went to the IRL Race yesterday, I'll be making a superpost with pics when I get the time. But first, I just read about this tidbit this morning.

AMD to buy ATI

This could be good...

The beer post

Don't expect this again anytime soon, it isn't very often that I find a bevarage I need to post about. Guinness, I guess it's one of those things you either love or you hate... I for one love it. I try to taste a different beer every month and this month the dark smooth goodness was the choice. First thing I noticed was the relatively light taste (compaired to the usual dark beer I've tried). Then there was that great little bite, and then there was the real surpise, it's really smooth. Very drinkable, very dangerous, it's goes down like Iced tea :) If you haven't tried it, try it, it's way better than Green Beer ya'll.

Take it easy and be responsible. Next month: Liene's Sunset Wheat.

Crash...Well deserved Best Picture

In Hollywood there is this need to put a fairy tale ending racially driven movies. Crash ends with a smerk. It ends with one of the movie's "sane" characters slipping into the same hole that everyone seems to slip into. There is no pure character, everyone take their turn being the good guy and the bad guy. The networks between the people and the people themselves are wonderfully complex.

After seeing this film I needed to write and get everything out on paper. It's a question of where does one see themselves, and how much does one really know? It's about stories, and how those stories form the perspective of the person. The only story one can truly understand is their own, and most importantly every story is valid. It doesn't matter if your a majority or a minority, male or female, your story matters. Assumptions are the mother of all screw-ups and in this film it rings as true as ever.

As for my favorite scene... It's a two parter, when Sandra Bullock's character says, "I'm always angry, Every day I wake up angry" then later recognizes that her maid was the only one there to help her when all her friends were "busy".
In the end, as much stupid hatred there was in the film there was also an air of forgiveness in an odd sense. There was an element of ingnoring the past and being in the present. I was not expecting that, a pleasant surprise. Too often in the racial debates, the past is all we look at.

I think this is an important film for this time. The civil rights movement is over and for the most part equality has been reached in a legal sense. The work now is to figure out how to live together. Live life with no assumptions, take one day at a time, accept everyone at face value, and be willing to forgive others ignorance (cause in the end you are ingnorant too).

Ah Vacation....

Sure it was a little less than 2 days, but I just had the best vacation I've had in years! It was just a little hop up to Minoqua, WI with some friends, but really, it was perfect! Absolutly nothing to worry about, no real drama, and sarcasim was kept to the light playful kind. I was introduced to a new musical addiction "Gaelic Storm", and I finally felt I might not be crazy after all. I wish I could write all the little cool things that happend down, but that would take forever.
(But I'll try)
- Fighting Ducks
- Towing a Jet Ski
- Thunderheads in the distance
- Floating on the lake for hours
- Apples to Apples
- Reading through Philippians...again
- Impromtu Fireworks
- Good peoples
- Staying up till 2am talking geek with awesome (that's a million hot dogs "AWESOME") peoples.

It was one of those weekends where you'd wish you could have just one more day of it, but not having that extra day is what makes it so great.

Dang I love "Johnny Tarr"!

Oil Prices.... some thoughts.

Okay, so raising oil prices based on risk from hurricanes, Iraq and Iran is perfectly reasonable. It's just a reality of living today. But the latest stint of price hikes are getting a little silly. Basing a price hike on North Korea or Isreal is just a bit far fetched.
So I have this to say to the futures types in the international banks...

Give us a break, give our oil companies a break, grow some balls, and stop flinching on every little world event. If nothing happens your little bubble is going to pop and that isn't going to be good for you or your investors. Uh oh Bush just caught a cold.. That's it! oil's going over $80 /barrel. The state of New York will love that one (gas tax there is based on price, not on quantity, how's that for gouging!). This could become a great game! Name a world event and estimate it's effect on oil prices.

edit-
So I guess I could see how North Korea and Isreal could have an effect actual oil prices in general. But seriously though, I still think the market is overreacting badly.

Why can't I post on my mac?

It's an interesting point. I cannot post on blogger from my mac, go fig. No great loss, that's why I put the PC online :)

The insanity is almost over here @ work and you know it wasn't all that bad. In fact, I may be able to get away with a little experimental graphics stuff at the end of today. On paper the last two days looked awful, but with some slick planning and effective back-up plans everything got done AHEAD OF TIME...WE ROCK!

The break really did break even, I mean I had the parents down and the fireworks were fun. But I was sick for the whole weekend with a killer headache. I wich I could have it back :) I tried to make the most of it.

Take it easy ya'll

Hey I can dream can't I?

Okay so I really want to see a next-gen iPod. The current gen is getting a little old and it is about time for an update. I mean a real update. Like a PSP type update. A 16:9 touchpad screen would be nice. Ability to export video to a larger screen onboard, an onboard iSight camera all with the good old apple sense of style, Safari Mobile web browser. It wouldn't have the "pocket size" image. Rather it would be a digital lifestyle device. Ideally it would combine Movies, music, books and online information sharing.

Then I got to thinking about it and realized for the most part this device kind of exists in the Nintendo DS Lite. All they really need to do is make a little deal with Apple to develop a version of iTunes for DS (they already have a deal with Opera. Now wouldn't that be interesting? It could happen, two companies that seem to have similar attitudes and cultures. Innovation, (recently on Nintendo's part) great design, and simplicity seem to be @ the heart of both compnaies.

Besides. I think a portableGaming/Media system would be a whole lot more apealing than an uber cell phone. Packing all that crap in a cell phone (i.e. the iTunes phone) is one of the most misguided concepts out there. PSP had the right idea, but unfortuantely it's made by Sony. They have great ideas but thier implimentation and DRM rules suck! Apple's rules are firm but simple, Sony's rules are just ridiculous.

I'm going to go out and get a DS lite now. I'll let you know how it goes.

PS: BTW Burnout 3 is the best game I've played in a really really long time.

So it's been about a week

Yeah it's been a week since my last post, and what a week it's been! Alot of leaarning, a little humbling, all sorts of good stuff. Finding new weaknesses, as well as new strengths. And for the first time in a while I can honestly say I'm happy with life. Plus I've found a some new scripture that has really helped. Check out Psalm 108. Sure some of the imagery dosn't exactly work with 21st centuray america, but the ideas and truths behind it are amazing and encouraging.

Take it easy ya'll

Unique, just like everybody else

Initially I thought I was going crazy, but the more I look @ it the more true it is. I'm staying up later and sleeping in later too. Never thought that would happen. for the past year and a half or so I developed a reputation of being an early to bed early to rise type. But something snapped and I'm back to my midnight creative binges of the WWTC days. Not that I'm complaining. In fact it's kinda nice. I just wonder what it is that causes these shifts in natural pattern. hmm

Now let me draw your attention to the links section!

I've added two new ones. Threadless.com (As far as I'm concerned the best T-shirts on earth!)
And Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything.
ToE is a weekly podcast that I have come to love. Sure he is an NPR lib type, but he not a snob about it (Maybe that's why he couldn't get a contract with them). Somtimes his shows can be a litttle edgey othertimes they can be LOL funny, sometimes they are did-he-just-say-that funny, comtimes they are thoughtful, and on occasion they can be offensive. No matter what, I know it's going to be a great ride and well worth the 10-30 mins.

take it easy.

Music Moment

Good news. That new Nelly Furtado album just came out. BAD NEWS, I'VE CHANGED MY MIND. This album sucks beyond all reason. I was initally a fan until I popped in some of her older stuff. What happend!? She's just like everyone else now! What's with the Spanish? Before she sang in Portuguese. Sell Out!
In other music release news. Paris Hilton has, in fact, released a single. Out of curiousity and a total disreguard of my well being I listened to the iTunes clip. I will be regretting that for the rest of the day. ugh.

And now for the current playlist:
Circles- BT
Land of my Sojourn- Rich Mullins
Tragedy- Celldweller
International Love Song- Caedmon's Call
(insert random 90's alternapop tunes here)
On Ice- Chris Thile
La Vie Boheme- RENT
Dissapear- Jars of Clay
Modulation- Ani DiFranco
Real Life-Aurora

So that's it for now.

Thoughts on National Events

Okay so this journalist guy is out there saying that terrorists were going to gas the New York City subway system...but they didn't. Now you'd think that this was an example of success in America's war on terror, but no! This is somehow a bad thing, or a neutral thing or I don't quite know what he's trying to say. The media is treating it like some kind of a scandal. No wait I get it... this has to do with the anti-terror funding reduction in New York. I get it. I don't think you can find anyone outside of Washington D.C. or on the editorial pages of the papers who would be pissed about this.
Let's look at the facts here. This revelation proves that the government wasn't off it's rocker when it elevated the orange alert on New York in 2003. It shows that there is a possibility that our intelligence gathering does work. And maybe just maybe the terror alert scale may just work not only as it was designed, but also as a deterrent.
I love this country. (rolleyes)

Okay

So it's been a while...

Hey ya'll It's just been a kickin' week here. Mostly good news on all fronts. Except for the car thing, but I plan to find out about that this weekend. I just hope it isn't the gaskets.

Anyway I usually don't do this but perhaps I shout start. Here is my news quote for the day. It was found in The Jerusalem Post (AP): (in the process of going through the debris of the recent air strike against al-Zarqawi they found a number of of items including a thumbdrive.)

When asked how he could be sure the information was authentic, al-Rubaie said "there is nothing more authentic than finding a thumbdrive in his [al-Zarqawi's] pocket."

The whole story is really good, I recommend the read.

That's it for now, Have a great day!

A little prayer request here...

Today @ work I found out that I acciddentaly shipped a project Ground instead of Next Day Air. So we shipped it again today via NDA + Saturday delivery. Now, the TV station that we are shipping to requires a number of steps in order to recieve that package on Saturday. If the delivery doesn't happen I have a lot of work to do,.and alot of unneded stress. So yeah it's kind of a practical prayer, but I'd really line the package to arrive on time and as planned. I'll give you an update as soon as I find out.

So yea, eventually everything panned out. It took a while with a number of moments of near disaster, but it really did work out.
Now I need to eat and put together some new furnature! I love Ikea!

-Ben

Yes another week...

That's it another work week is in the can. It's been a crazy one, but I hope things get back to normal next week. I feel like I've been walking on eggshels for the last two weeks. Between moving and work drama I'm craving a little stabilty to return. Sadly though I have some new drama on the horizon reguarding my car, Kitsune. It's been leaking coolant recently and I've been reluctant to take it in to get looked at. This could be really really bad news.
I will be making a run to Ikea tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to that! I'll be getting a TV stand a coffee table and possibly a large floor rug for the living room.
As for video projects, I'll be completeing the photo sequence project for Ridgewood tonight, and that will give me the time I need to start working on Tood & Julie's Wedding project seriously. YAY! I can't wait to finish that one. After that project comes the next flanelboard project! Double YAY!

Two Cents on World Events

The media will deny, the left will downplay, the fringe will cry foul, but in the end it looks like one of the greatest enemys to both Iraq and the Coalition is dead. Hats off to the units who managed to pull this off, you have put new optimism in the hearts of those who believe in freedom and justice for all in all corners of the world even in the ones that seem impossible. Also congrats to the Iraqi leadership in approving the final posts in their new government. This is a great day.