The Rant

My 168 Project

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Clipped from: my168project.co (share this clip)

If you're following me here, you should also be keeping up with me there....

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Sometimes, A Well Timed Heckle is all You've Got

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Those that know me, truly know me, in all but The Biblical sense will attest to the following: I've made my living by heckling. In fact, if I were a supervillain, I'd probably be, The Heckler!!! As we know, I'm Batman. Sshhh!!! Don't tell anyone. It's a secret. I read this and had to respond.

Why, you ask? Or maybe you didn't. I don't know. Maybe you haven't even read this far. If you have, three reasons come to mind for a well timed heckle:

To get a laugh
To speed up the proceedings, and finally
editorial commentary

Maybe that last one covers the other two, I don't know. Having performed stand up comedy for most of my life, I can tell you, it's not good when you allow a heckler on a roll. You have to shut them down immediately. Fortunately, as most of you know, I'm able to do that, too. Picking your spots, and using a heckle on an occasional basis, is okay sometimes. You may heckle me by replying, or leaving a comment below. Or a tweet. Unless you see this on Facebook, in which case, you should Like this, really. Like this, like this!!! ;)

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Free Time

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:46:00 +0000

Is an oxymoron.

There, I said it.

Chris Brogan just wrote a post about managing your time, and that it's your business. Allow me to elaborate further. It is a business. That is yours. I'm not going to tell you how to manage your time, that's for you to decide.

I could make this a nebulous Seth Godin-like post and end here, however, I believe that would be a disservice, therefore, I'll elaborate. And maybe expand on a few of the ideas I've read lately, including Chris Penn's. He actually was elaborating on his previous post.

Now, I could make this an elaborate discussion about the various points mentioned in the somewhat referenced articles, complete with bullet points and action items, however, again, that's for you to decide.

Here's how I do it.

Twitter and Facebook are mentioned as distractions, and that may be true. For you. As all of you should know, they are part of, The Experiment, which as always, continues. I recently passed the two year anniversary of same, and so far, it's been successful beyond my expectations. Maybe for the three year anniversary, I'll actually let you in on what it is.... But of course, if I do that, it will taint the results. Something about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle at work.

I have seven blogs that I write for, at various times about various subjects, including this one. I realize now that I should've put this one on my Idea Masters™ blog, as time is an idea that I may have mastered.
"Bow down to me, Time!!! I am, your Master!!!" And when I say that, I'm actually writing it for you to do, as your evil laugh is quite possibly better than mine. And I don't have the time to create the 12 second Twitvid required. Maybe I'll do that later.

We are all time travelers. We move forward, one second at a time. Well, that can be broken down further if you're a computer, but for the general populace, it's a good enough measure. Here's where the business part comes in. I charge for my time. $150/hr, minimum 2. Of course, first contact is free, and I don't expect you to pay me to show up at your party, if you're inviting me. Just don't ask me to pay to be there. I'm not showing up.

There are certain things I do at various times of the day, and I've been pretty successful at compartmentalizing them. Some would argue that multitasking is a bad thing, however, I find this not to be true. While I'm writing this, I'm also tweeting, answering email, listening to the TV in the background, and finishing up a screenplay adaptation I got hired to do.

Some would argue that at any particular second, you can only focus on one thing, and that's probably true, for them. It's a learned practice to be able to do more than one thing at once, and then not think about the fact that you're actually doing more than one thing at once. The five senses come to mind here, as you're probably not actively responding to those stimuli right now, however, you are quite possibly doing at least two or three of them while you're reading this.

So, if you truly believe that you have free time, meaning, time that you're not charging yourself or others for, then go ahead, have fun this week. Or, you can do what I did yesterday. Figure out that time with your family is more valuable than anything you would possibly charge for, and spend time with them. Just realize, you are spending time. Not free.

56 and rainy in Redondo Beach.

Let me know what you think after you adjust your expectations accordingly.

Not My Usual Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaI'm sure this isn't original, however, given that I'm attending a networking event tomorrow, and that I am, after all, a magician (think John Zatara to make this relevant), I've created a simple way to get any contact's phone number with a simple card trick.

And, you're going to hate me for this, however, I'm going to use one of those cliché magician phrases you may have seen in your lifetime. You'll know it when you see it, so, I may flag it for you. This is your basic 'pick a card' trick, which I'm sure you've seen a thousand and one times, but with a twist.

Now, I usually start those types of card tricks with a phrase similar to the following, "We're going to do a pick a card trick. That's where you pick a card, and then I find it. Because, if I picked a card and then found it, that would be, stupid." You'll need to know how to force a card selection, you may use the classic force, or, your favorite method (that's what I warned you about earlier, "Use your favorite method.")

Next, have them concentrate on their card, and ask them to take out their phone. Give them your cell#, and ask them to text you anything, while concentrating on their card. The content of the text doesn't matter, however, you may want to let them know they don't have to text you the name of the card, with a phrase like, "Don't let me read it, I've seen the trick before...."

As you know I'm sure, your phone comes with what's called a wallpaper picture, that can be well, anything. Here's the trick prep, use a picture of the card you forced earlier. When you receive the text, you can ignore or whatever, after you hand them your phone, revealing the pic of the card you forced. "Is this your card?" Hopefully, applause or laughter or both ensues, and you can get the contact's name, and enter it into your phone, as you've successfully received their number in a hopefully entertaining way.

I have yet to try this so, let me know how it works for you, or if you think you'd use this in other situations. If you don't know any card tricks, try reading this book, or this one.

I'm Blocked

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Cover of Kill Your DarlingsOr not. Some would tell you that there's no such thing as Writer's Block. Ok, me, and Lynn Mamet for two. And yes, she is related to David. From what she told me, he stole her toys as a kid. I have to wonder if that led to well, any episode of, The Unit. So, what is it, exactly?

As previously discussed, we can't really quantify what it is. But I digress, as Peter David is fond of saying, or as of this writing, writing. What we do know is simply this: If you think you're blocked, that's the problem. You're thinking. Don't do that. Or this, or, the other thing.

Lest these look like morning pages, let me assure you, I'm writing this in the afternoon. And I may have to take a break soon, as someone from my alleged family will want the computer. I'm not alleging that I have a family, but a computer.

The first time I heard the phrase, "Writer's block" I pictured one of those blocks I had as a kid, with letters on up to six of the sides, maybe one of them had a picture of a toy. Or a duck. Why a duck? Why not a chicken? Ask Harpo, he might know. And if you haven't seen A Day at the Races, run right out to your Netflix queue, and rent it. I'm not affiliated with either Netflix or The Marx Brothers, I just thought you might enjoy it. And make sure to bet two dollars on Sun Up.

So, if we are to assume that I'm right, and I don't know why we wouldn't, it follows that you may have written something that you've thought about for a long time, and it's so brilliant that you can't write anything after, simply because none of that could compete. Or, it's ugly, however, you took the time to write it, and you don't want to get rid of it.
I once read a book, by Max Allan Collins, called Kill Your Darlings. It's a mystery, about well, Bouchercon. Which may or may not be relevant to this rant. Basically, it's a book convention, where authors and publishers and fans go to promote, sell and buy, books. Which may be obsolete by the time you read this, according to Seth Godin.

The phrase is relevant, simply because, at one point our hero is told to get rid of things that don't forward the plot. This also helps him solve the mystery of who shot whom, or of whom was shot, not sure. It's a good thing. He stopped thinking, and started doing.

Procedurally, when writing, find chair, plant yourself in front of computer, and start writing. Don't stop. You'll find this method will make your stack of writer's blocks tumble down.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

e You next time.

The Finnegan Factor

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaThis is beginning to be a theme for this blog, actually. Another lesson from Star Trek, specifically the episode Shore Leave. Written by Theodore Sturgeon, no less. He of Sturgeon's Law fame. I'm beginning to believe that it's a conservative estimate, actually.

Where to begin, as all circular stories tend to take a point on the circumference of the circle, and move either clockwise or counterclockwise around it, until of course you get back to the point at where you started; meaning, I can't begin the beguine, as it were.

The beginning would goto the larger issue of, why are we here? As opposed to well say, there? The crew discovers what appears to be an uninhabited planet, while at the same time, needing rest from what we don't actually know, maybe what they went through last week. I don't actually know, simply because they gave the Stardates out of order.

McCoy and Sulu are on the planet, and report seeing lifeforms, where no lifeforms were previously scanned. Odd. Or, strange. Kirk beams down to investigate. Sulu finds a gun, specifically an 'old fashioned' police special, which he was thinking about previous, and amazingly, found 'over there.' Meanwhile, Kirk meets two people from his academy days, Ruth, and Finnegan. Ruth may very well be Dr. Marcus from Star Trek II, however, that's not specifically mentioned in the episode, and furthermore, not the topic of this rant.

Finnegan is a practical joker, not to be confused with, The Joker, from Kirk's past. Kirk was always the butt of Finnegan's jokes. He first encounters Finnegan in the glade, and the taunting continues. A punch is exchanged, and then Kirk has to runoff, in order to find out why a Yeoman is screaming. He again encounters Finnegan toward the end, when he's almost figured out what's going on. What takes about 3 minutes of fighting occurs, interspersed with some witty and relevant dialogue, the most memorable of which is, "You stupid underclassman. I'm still 20 years old, and you're an old man!!" If we are to assume that Captain Kirk is, what, 29, or more likely, 32 at this point, it means he was a freshman, or 17 when he entered the academy.

You'd think I'd remember more of this episode, having just viewed it in its entirety at the above mentioned link, however, I guess I'm suffering from what Kirk was suffering from, at least in this ep. To keep up with everything, both online and off, one must have the wisdom and the knowledge of both Kirk, and Finnegan. The Kirk and Finnegan part of the storyline ends when Kirk finally beats up Finnegan, as it's something that he's always wanted to do.

To wit: People were here before the 'net. And those that would declare the net or the web, dead, are most likely to miss the point. The technology may change, however, people remain the same. Everything I learned in high school is apparently still true today.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

As always, adjust your expectations accordingly.

The Muses

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

All nine of them. The original three mentioned below, shown here. The dictionary.com definition of Muse as opposed to the Wikipedia definition if you follow the link, is as follows:

any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given asAoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme(memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts

Calliope
Clio
Erato
Euterpe
Melpomene
Polyhymnia
Terpsichore
Thalia, and last, but certainly not least;
Urania

Calliope (Calliopeia), the "Fair Voiced" and the eldest Muse, is the muse of epic poetry and is seen holding a writing tablet in hand, sometimes seen with a roll of paper or a book, and crowned in gold. Calliope is known for taking a fancy to Achilles and taught him how to cheer his friends by singing at banquets. She also was called by Zeus to mediate the quarrel between Aphrodite and Persephone over possession of Adonis. She settled the dispute by giving them equal time, providing Adonis some sorely needed free time to himself. By Apollo, she bore Linus, who was slain by Hercules, and Orpheus. Clearly, she had a lot to sing about....

Clio the "Proclaimer" is the muse of history and is often seen sitting with a scroll and accompanied by a chest of books. She has been credited with introducing the Phoenician alphabet into Greece. Clio had teased Aphrodite's love of Adonis, and in consequence of her wrath, Clio fell in love with Pierius, the son of Magnes and the king of Macedonia. By Pierus, she bore Hyacinth.

Erato the "Lovely" is the muse of love poetry and mimicry, and is seen with a lyre and sometimes wears a crown of roses. From here we get the term eros love, actually.

Euterpe the "Giver of Pleasure" is the muse of music and is represented with a flute. It has been said she is the inventor of the double flute. By the river Strymon, she bore Rhesus (no relation to the monkey) who was slain at Troy.

Melpomene the "Songstress" is the muse of tragedy in spite of her joyous singing and is represented by the tragic mask. She is sometimes seen with garland, a club and a sword. She is often seen wearing cothurnes, boots traditionally worn by tragic actors, and a crown of cypress. So, if you ever meet a woman with a boatload of shoes, she should be considered a tragic character. Aren't they all? :)

Polyhymnia (Polymnia), "She of Many Hymns," is the muse of Sacred Poetry and is seen with a pensive look upon her face. She brings distinction to writers whose works have won them immortal fame. She has also been called the Muse of geometry, mime, meditation and agriculture. Polyhymnia is often veiled.

Terpsichore the "Whirler" is the muse of dancing and is often seen dancing with her lyre and a plectrum, an instrument used for plucking stringed instruments. By the river god Achelous, she bore the Sirens. Those on So You Think You Can Dance are most likely inspired by her.

Thalia (Thaleia) the "Flourishing" is the muse of comedy and of playful and idyllic poetry, and is seen with a comic mask. She is sometimes seen with a crown of ivy and a crook. By Apollo, Thalia had the Corybantes, priests who castrated themselves in identification with the goddess, Cybele.

Urania the "Heavenly" is the muse of astronomy and is represented by a staff pointed at a celestial globe. She foretells the future by the position of the stars. So, if you know any astrologists, they probably worship her.

Inspiration is a funny and fickle thing. Recently, I met the living embodiment of all nine Muses, and my life will never be the same. I hope you will enjoy the dramatic left turn my life has taken with me.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Clearly....

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:27:00 +0000

Or, maybe not so clear. Yes, it's going to be one of those posts, therefore, Guy Kawasaki probably won't read it. However, that's a recurring theme from another blog for which I write, unless I were to end a sentence with a preposition, in which case it would be a blog I write for.

Today's advice is, don't take my advice, unless of course it conflicts with other advice which is the same. Which is impossible, which is why I give it. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their blog posts. I say this, simply because it may be time for a redesign. For either this blog, or others that I may or may not have.

Why, you ask? Or maybe you didn't. I don't truly know, however, I can indeed answer my own questions, as Mike Caro has been doing lately. I get the impression from the other sites out there that tell me how to do various things, that I should think of a product launch. Well, I don't have a product, beyond my words, unless moviemaking counts, however, people usually ask me to do that, and pay me quite handsomely for the privilege to make their movie for them. As with all things poker, which indeed have things to do with life itself, I've hit a dry spell recently. Haven't made a film since my recent 168 Project. Which is four months back as I type this, so, maybe, not so recent.

I've been covering various events lately, and using my Flip Mini to do so, however, I'm not really a reporter, although, the fine folks at Soak Magazine would have you think differently. The reality is, I'm a columnist, meaning, I write things like this, and again, get paid to do so. Again, this is dealing with words that I write as well. Supposedly, I must make these words look good, as supposedly, you're going to come here to read them after I write them.

I'd ask you to come here before I write them, however, that would be well, again impossible, which is quite likely why I do it. Getting back to the original rant, er, post, I feel that a lot of advice out there conflicts with other advice, and according to some, I get to pick which advice to take. Great. I'll do that.

What this means is simple. I will at some point, redesign all of my sites, to make them different from the others. I will also start posting more frequently than I have been of late, as apparently, it's the only way to launch a product that I don't have. And furthermore, I'll do this everyday, or not, as I've been told that I should blog everyday, while at the same time, I should only do so when I have something to say.

Yes, That's Right...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:45:00 +0000

I have no time to do all the things I'm getting paid to do. In addition, I'm creating new work for myself, that will at some point generate income. Therefore, to those of you that may read this as a tweet, or a post, or whatever, do know that I will get to everything within the next 12 hours, whether or not you've hired me to do it. Thanks!!!

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Why I'm not currently Tweeting at my Usual Rate....

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Waiting for a film to import to iMovie, and I'm going to watch The Mentalist while it does....

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This is a job for...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:22:00 +0000

Wait, wrong blog. Ok, I'll rant here. There have been several things swirling around my brain lately, and this will be a rant that is random, as opposed to a random rant. Which is still another blog that I have.

Seth Godin believes that you shouldn't watch TV according to this post, but what he specifically describes in his blog, is the TV watching you. I get that. What about those of us that are in the industry? Doesn't it make sense to keep track of current trends, so we aren't accused of stealing someone else's ideas? Furthermore, multitasking is alive and well. While I have the TV on in the background, I'm composing this entry, and tweeting as well. I also have several other tabs open, with various stories that will contribute to other posts either here or elsewhere. He's wrong about this one, that's all I'm saying....

Of course, now that I'm mentioning him in this post, he'll get more link juice, which is a good thing, for him. It may at some point create a larger readership for me, however, I don't necessarily know that I want the larger readership that everyone else says I should have. If everyone is doing the same thing to increase their following, how does one stand out?

I once read that the follow me and I'll follow you paradigm is six years out of date, as of this writing. I came to the conclusion that to stand out, one must lead. If you want to go where I'm going, then by all means, follow. On Twitter :) Otherwise, it's not necessary. At the same time, if you're following me, there should be no obligation on my end to return the favor. I've stated this elsewhere, so, no need to repeat.

I just read something else that says I shouldn't be obligated to post a blog entry everyday. Or is it, every day? I get those two confused, sometimes. Probably because the first time I used the wrong one, I learned the other usage, and get the two confused.

Great, I got distracted. If anything resonates, by all means, leave a comment. This rant is effectively over.

Of course, I reserve the right to post another one, elsewhere, later....

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

I've Noticed a Disturbing Trend Recently....

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:40:00 +0000

About, content. It's what you're reading right now, and what I'm providing for you. I'm creating this content myself, simply because, well, I can. Are you depending on me to create content for you? Probably not. You might be creating your own, or, you might be satisfied absorbing, taking in, reading, or watching content that others create. That's ok too.

What I don't believe to be ok, is to ask others to create content for you, and then not pay for the privilege, like this recent tweet. It would seem to me, that they're asking you for your review on the film in question, and are going to incorporate it into theirs. These guys aren't the only ones guilty of regurgitating content, just the most recent.

There was a column in a magazine that most of you haven't heard of, so, I won't mention it, who's subhead was, "There are 20 people creating for the rest of us, many will contribute to this column." That's a paraphrase, and now more than ever, with the 'net out there, it looks to me like most are relying on their own set of 20 or so people to create for them, and maybe they're not doing anything original themselves.

Think about this for a second. There are for instance, six, or seven major movie studios out there, depending on the outcome of what happens to MGM, that for the most part, decide what you see on the big screen. And until such time as the current distribution bottleneck is cured, (37,000 screens in 6200 theatres as of this writing) this won't change. The answer isn't more distributors, as there are many more than just those above, and the answer isn't more theatres, as even though box office goes up from year to year, attendance itself remains relatively flat, and the $10 ticket you bought last year will mostly likely cost $11 today.

And these people aren't really even making their own films, they're simply making sure that you can see them. I read once that Paramount for the most part, except for maybe its resuscitated Star Trek franchise, is not in the business of making movies anymore, they're simply distributing them.

Was tweeting around the other day, and came across an article about blog scrapers, and how there's a whole cadre of people out there that have 'bots crawling around, grabbing content, and putting it on their own site. The unsuspecting among you might believe this to be original with the site your visiting, when the reality is, someone else took the time and effort to post somewhere else, quite possibly with the expectation that you'd read it there, and click on their links on their blog. Will this madness end?

Let me know what you think, and when you think it in the comments below. That is, if you've read this far, and haven't reposted it on your own site.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

For Those of You That Wish to Tell Me How to Tweet....

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:05:00 +0000

Don't. Ok, that was about 499 words shorter than it should be, so, to elaborate, here's a list:

I'm not here for the same reason you are
No one else is, either
Or, put simply, I'm unique, just like everybody else.

So, now that I've created a list for Guy Kawasaki to read, I shall continue.

Most of this material has been covered elsewhere, so, my 3 readers may stop here, and go back to tweeting. The rest of you, stay tuned, and you might get why it's an art, not a science.

Social Media is the great buzzword(s) of the almost completed 1st decade of the 21st Century. Let's drop the social, shall we? It's media. @1938Media, to be exact. As far as I can tell, he's one of the first that figured out that Twitter should be used to broadcast. He's also called it a link farm. Both distinctions are correct, as anyone can see from observance.

I've stated when I first started with Twitter that it's a global chatroom, and I still stand by that distinction, over a year later. The term "on steroids" could be attached, however, that's been so overused as to become cliché, so, I won't do that. I can have a conversation with a million or so of my closest friends, even though psychologists believe that you can only really maintain 150 or so close relationships, on average. Psychiatrists, on the other hand, have a doctorate, and may think something else entirely.

Of course, as of this writing, I only have a little less than 4000 followers, however, I exaggerate for emphasis, which should always be put on the correct syllable. The point my friends, is that the show never ends. It may not be important that I had coffee made this morning to you, however, the fine folks at an unnamed coffee emporium (because they didn't pay me to mention them) might care. A broadcast can turn into a conversation. I'm currently having one with Warren Whitlock. It might be over by now, however, it's on the record. So, the Twitter Record can be considered to be, the Twecord. Quick, someone goto the Urban Dictionary.

When you talk to a journalist via Twitter, ask that your conversation be off the Twecord, and see what they say. Just a humorous aside, for those that get humor, and asides....

To proceed, and as always, you must proceed according to procedures, the fact that I tweet about things that may or may not be of use to you, doesn't truthfully concern me. If you don't like what I tweet, you should know by now how to unfollow me. I'm not using Twitter to win any popularity contests, as Ashton Kutcher has basically already done that. Why am I using Twitter? It's all part of, The Experiment, which I've talked on previously. You are probably not using it for the same reason, and that's ok. No one else is using it for the same reason you are, either.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Please, Retweet.

Andrew Koenig Missing #HelpChekov

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:11:00 +0000

Andrew Koenig, the son of Star Trek actor Walter Koenig, is missing. The last time Andrew Koenig
was seen was on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Andrew
Koenig never boarded his flight back to the US, and he hasn't heard from since then.

He was last seen at a bakery in the Stanley Park area of Vancouver.

Andrew is white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 135 pounds and has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

Andrew Koenig, 41, was working as the video producer on the show "Never Not Funny" as well as
doing improv in Los Angeles. Best known as "Boner" from "Growing Pains", Andrew also had a role in
"Deep Space Nine", and is a talented actor director, editor and photographer as well as a passionate
activist. In 2008, he was arrested at the Rose Bowl while protesting China's part in the genocide in
the country of Burma.

This is a serious matter that has Koenig's friends and family gravely concerned. If you have seen him,
emailed him or had any contact after the 14th or spent time with him during his stay in Vancouver
please call Detective Raymond Payette of the Vancouver PD at 604-717-2534.

Please share this and send prayers and positive thoughts. If you wish to leave Walter a note, visit his
site at: www.walterkoenigsite.com

This is the canned post from his site. On a personal note, I've met Walter on a few occasions, and I truly believe

That no parent should have to go through this, which is why I'm attempting to get this trending on Twitter.

Do what you can, when you can, I always say.

The USS Constellation Effect...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I've tweeted about this, several times recently, so, I felt it was time to explain. Why haven't I posted this to a different blog? You may ask, and I may answer. Leave a comment. I will respond. Oh, and consider this a nerd alert; Star Trek will be discussed, however, not at length. Really, just the one episode....

The Doomsday Machine, is considered a classic Trek episode by many, myself included. It deals with a giant weapon from another galaxy, wreaking havoc on ours. Of course, our heroes are the only ones that can stop it. Of course, they do, and we get to tune in next week for further adventures of Kirk, Spock and crew. Of course, as a child, recalling this as the first episode of Trek I ever saw, I didn't know that :)

Some classic Kirk lines:

Scotty, you've just earned your pay for the week!
Not with my ship you don't!!!
Spock, you don't know.
I found one, quite sufficient.

Spock gets his as well:

No sir. 97.835 Megatons.
Vulcans never bluff!!!

Commodore Decker, the captain of the aforementioned USS Constellation, replies to that last one, "No, I don't suppose they do..." He's currently in command of the Enterprise at this point, simply because Kirk and Scotty, and the rest of his damage control crew, are aboard the Constellation, attempting to breathe life into Decker's dead ship. They actually manage to do this.

Without giving away the ending, which I'm sure you can find elsewhere, if you don't recall the episode itself, I'll explain The USS Constellation Effect: After Scotty expertly rewires the impulse drive to the warp drive controls so that Kirk can pilot the ship solo from auxiliary engineering, we see the Constellation flying through space. At a reduced speed. It inches across the screen. Slowly. Chugs would be an apt description. How many of you can hear the impulse engines screaming to get up to speed?

Why is this relevant? For those that don't already know, I've been borrowing a PC from a friend, while I decide what to do with my Mac, and it's dead hard drive. Well, I know what to do, it's just going to take time to send the drive back to "failed hard drive company name here" and get back a new drive. My former Mac, and my current borrowed PC, came out at the same time. I could bore you with specs, however, suffice it to say, all computers aren't created equal, and if you thought I was going to espouse the virtues of switching the other way, as Bill Gates would have you believe, you're sadly mistaken. While the CPU speeds are relatively the same, other specs leave the PC sadly lacking. To get it to where the Mac already is, I'd have to spend about another $750, which one, I don't have, and B, it's not mine to alter.

So, when someone tells you PC's are cheaper than Macs, you may either believe them, meaning you've gone to Best Buy and done a price comparison, OR, you can ask those that know. Like me. I mean, I thought 2007 was three years ago....

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

To Tweet, Or Not to Tweet...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune... Oh, wait. Shakespeare said it differently. The result, however, is the same. After going through some outrageous ups and incredible downs this, my first full year of tweeting, I've accomplished some of what I call The Experiment.

I may have posted something similar elsewhere, however, on this the last day of the year 2009, on what many to believe to be the last day of the decade, I figured, why not write something. So, here it is. It might even make sense to those that read it. Or even to those that don't. (Pause for effect.)

Moving on, what will I do in the year to come? I don't know. This has been working moderately well. Write about what I want to write about, which in turn increases my typing speed, if nothing else, although, I have a smattering of followers that may or may not be paying attention, simply because sometimes, the cost it too high.

So, I'm thinking at this point you're saying to yourself, "Self, he's really thinking?" to which I reply, that's for you to decide. Does any of this make sense? If so, you know where the donate button is. If not, there's places to click to actually buy things you might need, as my birthday is coming up shortly. The tenth day of Christmas if you're counting. Or the eleventh if you count differently.

Blogger doesn't give a word count. And Twitter may have destroyed my writing ability. Limiting yourself to 140 characters at a time doesn't seem fair, sometimes. It seems like an arbitrary number, which I've stated in the past. Every once in awhile, I get the feeling that I'm writing the same article over and over, and if I get this feeling, others might too.

I realize now that I don't have a coherent ending to this non story, therefore, I'll leave you with a thought, or three, if you, my three readers have gotten this far....

You can't win.
You can't break even.
And what's worse, you can't even get out of the game.

Depressing. That's right, life's a game. Play the game.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

It Seems Like...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +0000

I'm behind on this whole Twitter List thing. For those of you just tuning in, I was without a computer for two whole months, until someone from church stepped forward and allowed me to borrow theirs. During the downtime, Twitter came up with Lists.

As such, I'm not quite clear how they work, and although I appear on 42 lists as of this writing, I'm not sure whether or not this is a good thing. Also not sure if I should be creating lists of my followers, either, unless this has some value to them, beyond the whole, "Look at me I'm on a list!!!" factor.

So, maybe someone can explain it to me. Or give me a link to follow that explains them. And whether or not any of this has to do with anything real.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Morning Window Frost (B&W)

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Morning Window Frost (B&W)
Originally uploaded by stevegarfield

PULL BACK TO REVEAL:

Two couples, both early 20's, panicked. They breath heavily, and visibly, as the room grows colder. The cute blond screams.

ASHLEY
What are we gonna do!?!?

Thanks for the inspiration, @stevegarfield. Apparently, Blogger doesn't like the spaces that I put in to format this mini screenplay properly. I'd be willing to place a small wager that there's someone out there that's already figured out what I'm thinking. Now, I just have to find them, before I start coding on my own.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

It's not yet 72 and sunny in Redondo Beach, but you should probably retweet anyway....

It's, The Law!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:51:00 +0000

What law would that be, you ask? There's the law of gravity, which for all practical purposes is a constant. And the only constant is, change. Fascinating. Already off topic.

Or, am I?

Today's discussion goes to, The Law of Unintended Consequences, or, as I've defined it quite possibly here and elsewhere, The Law!!! For the three of you that read my every word, you already know about this, however, for the rest of you that may or may not be here for the first time, it states that no matter what you do, or plan for, something will happen either directly or indirectly as a result that you couldn't possibly have foreseen.

Or to put simply, when given a choice, no matter which one you make, you're screwed. Or scrod, using the future pluperfect tense. And yes, I've used that line before. Why? Because it's a good one. Or, because I can. Your choice. There may be a third one that I haven't thought of....

Moving on, today's rant is simply to let you know that I know that you know. What do we know? Well, ultimately, nobody knows anything, and I've talked about that elsewhere as well. Random ranting is very freeing, especially since it's quite possible that no one will read this, and if they do, they might not get this far....

Which means I'm typing to myself. Which gets lonely.

To continue, having defined The Law!!! we can now discuss it, and its myriad forms both on and offline. Or, both online and off. If I had an editor, you wouldn't see one of those sentences. It's the whole left brain, right brain thing. You can look that up, however, as I'm left handed, I'm the only one in my right mind.

Have I made my word count yet? How many words in the typical blog entry anyway? Once read a blog entry that stated it had too many words to be a blog entry, but by that time, I had lost count. Twitter, as we all know and love, is actually a micro blog, simply because you only get 140 characters, not words. As the average word has five characters, well, you can do the math, as it's to early to figure out that's 28 words.... Alternatively, I just found out that the theoretical maximum of a blog is 40,000 characters, or 8,000 words, using the above math. Probably not there yet....

Of course, nobody said there'd be any math, or, did they? It's everywhere, you just don't realize it. The aforementioned gravitational constant is actually expressed in terms of velocity. Without getting into a discussion of physics that I may or may not understand according to my college professors, at least, according to the grades I got, the reason gravity works is that your body is accelerating toward the center of the Earth at an equal rate of speed that the earth is pushing you away from the center of itself.

Very dry and boring, but as I said earlier, the only constant, is change, simply because at higher altitudes, the gravitational constant alters slightly, as you're further away from the center of the earth. A way to discover this is to weigh yourself at different altitudes on the same day. I'll leave that demonstration up to you.

Having discovered that the only constant is change, we need to embrace it, and not fear it. So, if you know what it is, you're all set.

However, if you've gotten this far, you've hopefully come to the same conclusion that I have: You can't know what it is.

Why?

It's, The Law!!!

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

I'm One Full Technology Behind

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Now, this is the story of how I came to be in the industry, and when I say the industry, I'm of course referring to, the business. Which in this case is film. Sentence, or fragment? I'll let the grammar wienies decide, while I move on.

Having successfully buried the lead, here's the thing: Just as I'm about to get to the point where I have a movie that's about to be financed, they changed the game on me. Who are they, you ask? Or, maybe you didn't. I don't really know, ultimately. The 'they' in this case, are them. Who are not us.

According to Guy Kawasaki, I need a list in my blog post for him to read it, so, here it is:

Disney
Paramount
MGM
Sony
Warner Brothers
Universal
Twentieth Century Fox

These are the major movie studios, in no particular order of preference or market share. In case anyone was wondering where my loyalties lie. Or lay. They also have the capability of opening a movie on any particular weekend in a significant portion of the currently available 40,000 movies screens available domestically.

At least, that's the way it used to be, until I read this article, summarized thusly; They wish to be able to stream their movie directly to your desktop, phone, wireless device, whatever you mostly use to communicate online.

OK, that article is mostly about one guy stepping down at Disney, however, the new guy states the above, and there's more.... We already have YouTube, right? Read the other day that the average online video is less than ten minutes. I think that's because for the most part, you can't upload a longer video to the aforementioned site, unless you're famous. And as I've stated both here and elsewhere, not too many people know that I'm famous.

Millions of people have YouTube accounts, only about a fraction of those have a large enough following to the point where they get mentioned on G4TV on more than an occasional basis, and that's not to mention other sites like Funny Or Die, or Vimeo for that matter. And The Law!!! being what it is, most aren't site loyal, and post their vids anywhere they can. Which means simply, any selected video you view may be available whole or in part, on another channel or website.

I see a day where we'll have this giant pipe coming into our house, and the big screen, just like in Back to the Future II, wherein people won't be entertained unless they have multiple movies, TV shows (if they still exist), videos etc. all running at the same time.

I'm thinking by then, I'll have at least two or three produced feature films, at which point you may stream them to your desktop big screen viewing device while you're actually paying attention to iJustine getting no Statusfaction.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Oh, please, retweet.

Santa Ana Station

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:01:00 +0000

Santa Ana Station
Originally uploaded by LA Wad

I just really liked this photo, and I may even use it as my new desktop background this week.... Let me know what you think.

Lock Me In My Room Tonight...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Moon Goddess by thoughts of Ni
Originally uploaded by Bingeye

How many times have you seen a full moon, and remembered this line from well, really any Wolfman movie? I was again reminded of it when I found this photo. I heard the line for the first time when I saw Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, as a child, with some other buddies on a team sleepover event....

As you know, the word lunatic comes from the Latin luna, or moon.

I'm playing poker tonight at a charity event. It's my understanding that we'll have a full moon this evening. Wish me good variance....

I truly don't know what any of this means, although, when one attempts to look for connections, they'll usually find them.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Please, Retweet.

Words Mean Things

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

Different words mean different things. Taken out of context, and misunderstood, they can mean something else. I write these in an effort to explain a recent situation that occurred between me and someone else on Twitter, who shall remain nameless, simply because I don't want to have to issue another faux apology.

Most of you reading this know that I hold in contempt those that would call themselves social media experts, or gurus, or 'scientists', however, this specific person did not know that, and when his name came up in a conversation I was having with someone else, he chose to get involved, because he took offense. This was not my intention. It was simply me reiterating what I believe to be true.

Others may find his advice helpful, and on occasion, so have I, however, for the most part, I've rejected it, simply because he doesn't know why I tweet. Do you? You may make a guess, there's a blog entry out there entitled “The seven types of tweeters” or whatever the latest nomenclature is, and I'm sure most of the “social media experts” have written one of there own. In the case of the alleged one I just referred to, I'm #8. Put simply, no one really knows why I'm using Twitter, and sometimes, I don't even know myself.

But I'm not going to let that stop me.

Please, Retweet.

Fiber in your diet...

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:01:00 +0000

View Larger Map

What, not that kind of fiber? Then what are you talking about? Oh, wait.

I live in Redondo Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles, so, you'd think that I'd have access to all the latest and greatest technology almost immediately as it becomes available. I thought so too, when I heard Verizon FiOS was available in my area, I went to my local Verizon kiosk in the mall, and signed up right away.

This was in January of '08.

I still don't have it.

Why, you ask? Or, maybe you didn't, I don't know.

What I do know is this: I live in a 24 unit apartment, and Verizon is my phone company. I'm currently a Time Warner Cable subscriber, but not by choice, as when I signed up for cable, I was dealing with a company that no longer exists. Maybe you've heard of Adelphia, but that's not really the point. When TWC took over, the service went significantly downward, to almost unacceptable levels, and the price went up. So when the opportunity to combine all three services, phone, internet, and cable TV into one, with a significant monetary savings as well came up, I jumped at the chance.

I filled out all the forms, and notified the on sight manager of my desire to bring FiOS to the building, in an effort to bring it into the 21st Century. Then I waited. Patiently at first, until such time as I was informed that they couldn't do the install, as it wasn't available in my area. This did not sit well with me, as part of the initial order process conducted a search, and showed that there was a customer 3 buildings away with the service.

About a month later, a saleswoman came to the door of the apartment manager, and didn't take up too much of his time, and offered to install and upgrade the wiring to the building, at a significant expense to the company, for free. Yes, you read that right. Free. At no cost. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Here I am at the beginning of September, almost 2 years later at this point, without FiOS. I can only speculate why the owner of the building doesn't want it here, maybe he's getting kickbacks from TWC, I don't know. What I can tell you is this: I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Please Retweet.

Oh, almost forgot.... This is for the Fiber for All contest that ends this evening.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled internet.

If you listen closely you hear....nothing..

noreply@blogger.com (Batman) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

If you listen closely you hear....nothing..
Originally uploaded by soleá

Something about this photo reflects how I feel. I can't explain that, it's just that this pic inspired me to write. Why, you ask? I don't know, my answer.

Have several things going on all at once, and a need to be everywhere at the same time. Ever get that way? Oh, today is day ten on the set of the movie I'm not in, I was reminded of this when the AD mistakenly sent me a call sheet.

What this tells you is, I'm still amped about this situation, however, out of respect to the person that got me the part, I've promised to keep quiet until principle photography wraps.

Stay tuned.

The Rant

My 168 Project

Sometimes, A Well Timed Heckle is all You've Got

Free Time

Not My Usual Thing

I'm Blocked

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The Finnegan Factor

The Muses

Clearly....

In conclusion, or to make a long story short, which at this point is much too late, I give you the same site design I started with, simply because I like it. However, I reserve the right to change it.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

e You next time..

Yes, That's Right...

Why I'm not currently Tweeting at my Usual Rate....

This is a job for...

I've Noticed a Disturbing Trend Recently....

For Those of You That Wish to Tell Me How to Tweet....

Andrew Koenig Missing #HelpChekov

The USS Constellation Effect...

To Tweet, Or Not to Tweet...

It Seems Like...

Morning Window Frost (B&W)

It's, The Law!!!

I'm One Full Technology Behind

Santa Ana Station

Lock Me In My Room Tonight...

Words Mean Things

Fiber in your diet...

If you listen closely you hear....nothing..