Monday, December 17, 2018
CITY BENEATH THE SEA (1967) NBC UNSOLD PILOT
Later, made into a two hour movie with Robert Wagner as one of the bad guys....
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Why Things At _____ Cost So Much
As always, fill in the blank with your favorite place of doing business, in this case it's Half Foods. While on a leisurely walk past the establishment in question, I noticed a sign. Now, I know how to read, and the sign stated something on the order of "Free Stuff from October 29th through November 4th!"
Cool. I'm into free stuff, so I stop, and continue to read the rest of the sign. Products at deep discounts, other products free if you buy x, etc. depending on the day. For the calendar inclined among you, that's Monday through Sunday, however as previously discussed elsewhere, the week starts on Sunday. Don't quibble or comment, just go with me on this one. Or, read this....
So, I'm liking the promos, and figuring out which day I want to pay for overpriced things on whatever days in order to balance the fact that I'm getting something else for practically nothing, and suddenly I notice an anomaly.
Free Soap on October 27th!!!
As always, I'll wait for you to catch up.
Now, as you may already know, I have a degree in computer science, and I know my days of the week. I even know how to count simply. I'm not an AI, however I may be artificially intelligent. The jury is still deliberating on that one.
In any case, the brain short circuits, and reads the entire sign again. I go inside, and grab someone with a name tag in the hopes that they work there. I mean, why would you wear a name tag at a place you don't work? I'll take comments on that one below, but to continue, I find someone wandering around looking like they're doing nothing, and I ask her to follow me.
We go outside to the sign, and we read. I ask the famous question: What's wrong with this picture?
She says you're right, and proceeds to take the sign out of the signpost, and takes me inside. She even gives me a free bar of soap for noticing the error. I probably could've asked for a free tube of the toothpaste I like, but I'm not a greedy man.
I chose the cucumber soap. I like alkaloids. Sue me. You can Bob or Frank me if you'd like as well. You can Mike me for that matter, but I've already been Miked. Can everybody hear me?
Now my question which may never get answered is simply this: Did they misprint this sign everywhere, or just in this one location?
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly.™
Cool. I'm into free stuff, so I stop, and continue to read the rest of the sign. Products at deep discounts, other products free if you buy x, etc. depending on the day. For the calendar inclined among you, that's Monday through Sunday, however as previously discussed elsewhere, the week starts on Sunday. Don't quibble or comment, just go with me on this one. Or, read this....
So, I'm liking the promos, and figuring out which day I want to pay for overpriced things on whatever days in order to balance the fact that I'm getting something else for practically nothing, and suddenly I notice an anomaly.
Free Soap on October 27th!!!
As always, I'll wait for you to catch up.
Now, as you may already know, I have a degree in computer science, and I know my days of the week. I even know how to count simply. I'm not an AI, however I may be artificially intelligent. The jury is still deliberating on that one.
In any case, the brain short circuits, and reads the entire sign again. I go inside, and grab someone with a name tag in the hopes that they work there. I mean, why would you wear a name tag at a place you don't work? I'll take comments on that one below, but to continue, I find someone wandering around looking like they're doing nothing, and I ask her to follow me.
We go outside to the sign, and we read. I ask the famous question: What's wrong with this picture?
She says you're right, and proceeds to take the sign out of the signpost, and takes me inside. She even gives me a free bar of soap for noticing the error. I probably could've asked for a free tube of the toothpaste I like, but I'm not a greedy man.
I chose the cucumber soap. I like alkaloids. Sue me. You can Bob or Frank me if you'd like as well. You can Mike me for that matter, but I've already been Miked. Can everybody hear me?
Now my question which may never get answered is simply this: Did they misprint this sign everywhere, or just in this one location?
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly.™
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Why I Don't Post Everyday
I keep making the same mistake. I should just write these journal entries as soon as I get up in the morning, however timing is everything, and it takes about 20 minutes to get to this point even when I do that effectively. Today's mistake was reading my email first.
I'm a member of several "Lists", and one in particular mentioned something about being moderated on that particular thread. We all know our industry is incestuous, and at the same time, entertainment should NOT be political. However, most have gotten into this industry for the wrong reasons.
As a matter of public record, I rebelled against this industry for exactly that reason. I could've taken a different path growing up, and then maybe more of you would have heard of me, but as you already know, "Not too many people know that I'm famous."
I use that phrase every once in awhile to humble myself. It's almost hubris at this point, as I have a ranking on IMDb, unlike some of you. It's in the six digits, and it's not going to go up anytime soon, unless those that credit me do it properly. The call sheet should read, "Mike Shields II."
Anyone can find out how I think on a particular day by virtue of social media posts that I make either manually or automagically. That's right. One post in the wrong place, and suddenly all my followers, connections, and the like (not to be confused with "Like") will suddenly vanish. Do I become infamous at that point?
Maybe I am already. I don't know. I just know that I have work to do within the industry that was effectively chosen for me before God and everybody knew that I existed. I also vote a certain way depending on whose running. That should be who's.
The current broohaha or broowaha or however you spell it is simply about television ratings of the latest Emmy broadcast. Why have they dipped from last year a whopping 10%?
I gave my opinion, and started a thread that is currently being moderated. I was lucky enough to give my opinion first on this particular topic simply because no one else thought to reply to all. That's a bozo no no sometimes on these types of lists, as you get scolded by the list manager about a reply that should've gone to an individual via private message when you've done so.
A decision has to be made, and you have a choice. Delaying the decision, or deciding not to decide is still a choice, however after that, it's cause and effect. The Matrix Reloaded explored this very phenomenon. Remember the scene in the restaurant where the owner sent a tiramisu to a woman he fancied?
Ultimately, who decides what's right? Moral relativism is all the rage, and we all want to make money in this business we call show. The needs of the many will always outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one. There's probably a better way to write that with correct grammar, however nobody said this was a grammar lesson. Unless you did, then you're in the wrong class. That one's three blogs down on the left.
So, I'm walking a fine line. I believe in free will, and in this country, I have 1st and 2nd amendment rights. Without those two, the rest of the rest don't truly mean anything to me. My personal preference should not shade what you think about me.
Somehow, I've been put in a position of authority by virtue of my length of time pursuing fame and fortune. Did I ask for this? No. The media does this to me, and by extension, us. Everyone wants fame and fortune, but these days it seems like nobody wants to do the work to get it. Awards shows are great for acknowledgement within your particular industry, and there's a lot of cross pollenization by virtue of the fact that I was literally born into it, but again, I rebelled.
The reality is my education is well rounded as a result, and I have certain opinions that I share on more than an occasional basis, and some of you may read about them here or elsewhere. Getting paid to bloviate is great work if you can get it.
The phone rings. BRB
I could've written, "Be right back", to pad my word count, but I didn't.
So, to review, I have opinions that I write both here and elsewhere on more than an occasional basis, and you may choose to ignore them at your leisure or peril. I may have covered the original reason why I wrote this in the first place, but that's for you to decide. Let me know in the comments.
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly™
I'm a member of several "Lists", and one in particular mentioned something about being moderated on that particular thread. We all know our industry is incestuous, and at the same time, entertainment should NOT be political. However, most have gotten into this industry for the wrong reasons.
As a matter of public record, I rebelled against this industry for exactly that reason. I could've taken a different path growing up, and then maybe more of you would have heard of me, but as you already know, "Not too many people know that I'm famous."
I use that phrase every once in awhile to humble myself. It's almost hubris at this point, as I have a ranking on IMDb, unlike some of you. It's in the six digits, and it's not going to go up anytime soon, unless those that credit me do it properly. The call sheet should read, "Mike Shields II."
Anyone can find out how I think on a particular day by virtue of social media posts that I make either manually or automagically. That's right. One post in the wrong place, and suddenly all my followers, connections, and the like (not to be confused with "Like") will suddenly vanish. Do I become infamous at that point?
Maybe I am already. I don't know. I just know that I have work to do within the industry that was effectively chosen for me before God and everybody knew that I existed. I also vote a certain way depending on whose running. That should be who's.
The current broohaha or broowaha or however you spell it is simply about television ratings of the latest Emmy broadcast. Why have they dipped from last year a whopping 10%?
I gave my opinion, and started a thread that is currently being moderated. I was lucky enough to give my opinion first on this particular topic simply because no one else thought to reply to all. That's a bozo no no sometimes on these types of lists, as you get scolded by the list manager about a reply that should've gone to an individual via private message when you've done so.
A decision has to be made, and you have a choice. Delaying the decision, or deciding not to decide is still a choice, however after that, it's cause and effect. The Matrix Reloaded explored this very phenomenon. Remember the scene in the restaurant where the owner sent a tiramisu to a woman he fancied?
Ultimately, who decides what's right? Moral relativism is all the rage, and we all want to make money in this business we call show. The needs of the many will always outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one. There's probably a better way to write that with correct grammar, however nobody said this was a grammar lesson. Unless you did, then you're in the wrong class. That one's three blogs down on the left.
So, I'm walking a fine line. I believe in free will, and in this country, I have 1st and 2nd amendment rights. Without those two, the rest of the rest don't truly mean anything to me. My personal preference should not shade what you think about me.
Somehow, I've been put in a position of authority by virtue of my length of time pursuing fame and fortune. Did I ask for this? No. The media does this to me, and by extension, us. Everyone wants fame and fortune, but these days it seems like nobody wants to do the work to get it. Awards shows are great for acknowledgement within your particular industry, and there's a lot of cross pollenization by virtue of the fact that I was literally born into it, but again, I rebelled.
The reality is my education is well rounded as a result, and I have certain opinions that I share on more than an occasional basis, and some of you may read about them here or elsewhere. Getting paid to bloviate is great work if you can get it.
The phone rings. BRB
I could've written, "Be right back", to pad my word count, but I didn't.
So, to review, I have opinions that I write both here and elsewhere on more than an occasional basis, and you may choose to ignore them at your leisure or peril. I may have covered the original reason why I wrote this in the first place, but that's for you to decide. Let me know in the comments.
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly™
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Why Am I...
Not awake today, AND I HAVE WORK TO DO!!! I ACCIDENTALLY HIT CAPS LOCK TOO!!!
Bought coffee. One sip, and I'm already jittery. WTF?!? Why isn't WTF in the spellcheck
dictionary? Who am I going to inflict these words on? What was I thinking when I told her
I was going to write a book too, and we'll see who finishes first?
Damn me.
Hell is where when you go there, they have to take you in. Standing up in front of a
crowd of people that you may be meeting for the first time is scary. In fact, fear of public
speaking is a fear that most of you have. I know I don't. My mom put me on stage at
what, three, maybe four years old, and I did okay. I spoke lines in another language as
well.
I'm still attempting to figure out what year that was. Teahouse of the August Moon. Tea
House is two words? Hey, that's great. Sakini. Cho demo'd key word memorization for us
at Van Mar. I wonder why Ivan didn't ask me? Intellectually, I get it. We can't all be on
stage at the same time. Unless we can, in which case, I may have to be the one to write
that scene.
It's the big production number. Phantom has one at the beginning, and one in the middle.
Masquerade has always been my favorite. Paper faces on parade. I guess that's where
my need to emcee comes from. You can be behind the scenes, or you can be in front.
The question becomes, "Can you do both at the same time?"
I know I can. I can compartmentalize too. It's how you make a successful 168 Project film
that goes on to bigger and better things after. Blue Blazes. Seven years ago!!!
Damn.
These morning brain dumps get harder and harder. I feel like I'm writing the same stuff
over and over. What am I selling? My book. Wait! It hasn't been published yet!
Neither has hers. It's not a race. It's a calling. We can all write. We can all read unless
you're like a toddler. At some point, we all know our alphabet. We know how to
pronounce things, and most of us can gain meaning from context. The writing discipline
Bought coffee. One sip, and I'm already jittery. WTF?!? Why isn't WTF in the spellcheck
dictionary? Who am I going to inflict these words on? What was I thinking when I told her
I was going to write a book too, and we'll see who finishes first?
Damn me.
Hell is where when you go there, they have to take you in. Standing up in front of a
crowd of people that you may be meeting for the first time is scary. In fact, fear of public
speaking is a fear that most of you have. I know I don't. My mom put me on stage at
what, three, maybe four years old, and I did okay. I spoke lines in another language as
well.
I'm still attempting to figure out what year that was. Teahouse of the August Moon. Tea
House is two words? Hey, that's great. Sakini. Cho demo'd key word memorization for us
at Van Mar. I wonder why Ivan didn't ask me? Intellectually, I get it. We can't all be on
stage at the same time. Unless we can, in which case, I may have to be the one to write
that scene.
It's the big production number. Phantom has one at the beginning, and one in the middle.
Masquerade has always been my favorite. Paper faces on parade. I guess that's where
my need to emcee comes from. You can be behind the scenes, or you can be in front.
The question becomes, "Can you do both at the same time?"
I know I can. I can compartmentalize too. It's how you make a successful 168 Project film
that goes on to bigger and better things after. Blue Blazes. Seven years ago!!!
Damn.
These morning brain dumps get harder and harder. I feel like I'm writing the same stuff
over and over. What am I selling? My book. Wait! It hasn't been published yet!
Neither has hers. It's not a race. It's a calling. We can all write. We can all read unless
you're like a toddler. At some point, we all know our alphabet. We know how to
pronounce things, and most of us can gain meaning from context. The writing discipline
means that I should be writing something every day, and all the time.
But I can't sit here 24/7. To write what you know, you have to know about it. That doesn't
come from sitting at the keyboard all day. At some point, your brain will be completely
drained. Have I written something that others want to read?
I DON"T KNOW!
That's for you to decide. Do you share this? Do others come here and leave a comment?
Sometimes instantaneous gratification takes too long. Everyone wants success NOW!!!
Do the hard work first, and then maybe you'll find your passion. It took me x years to do
that, and I needed the motivation of several amazing women to get to this point. You
may even meet a few of them in the future.
You may not know that you have. They may not be with me at the time. I could start a
list, or simply post an #FF at the appropriate day, and then you'll figure it out. However,
most aren't on Twitter, unless they are. Have we discussed how Twitter, and by extension all of social media is a drug?
Everyone wants to be famous, however no one wants to do the work. The 'net is the
culprit. By virtue of the fact that there's almost 8 Billion, yes, that's right, Billion with a
big fat B people on the planet, not too many people know that I'm famous.
Communications and the ability to broadcast myself out to the unwashed masses as they
were called back in the day allow us to put words in some semblance of an order to
allow for others to read them.
We all have opinions on how things should work, and most things work the way we want
them to wrote he, before he took another sip of coffee. I may need to write a poem about
the need for tea, or coffee.
What was the movie in the 60's? Coffee, Tea, Or Me? About stewardesses and how they were selling not only over priced liquor onboard, but themselves to the various passengers. 1969 is the year I remember, however that's ayear or two after I became self aware for the first time....
Well, that's the required. This will be posted elsewhere for commentary. Hope to see you
there!!!
drained. Have I written something that others want to read?
I DON"T KNOW!
That's for you to decide. Do you share this? Do others come here and leave a comment?
Sometimes instantaneous gratification takes too long. Everyone wants success NOW!!!
Do the hard work first, and then maybe you'll find your passion. It took me x years to do
that, and I needed the motivation of several amazing women to get to this point. You
may even meet a few of them in the future.
You may not know that you have. They may not be with me at the time. I could start a
list, or simply post an #FF at the appropriate day, and then you'll figure it out. However,
most aren't on Twitter, unless they are. Have we discussed how Twitter, and by extension all of social media is a drug?
Everyone wants to be famous, however no one wants to do the work. The 'net is the
culprit. By virtue of the fact that there's almost 8 Billion, yes, that's right, Billion with a
big fat B people on the planet, not too many people know that I'm famous.
Communications and the ability to broadcast myself out to the unwashed masses as they
were called back in the day allow us to put words in some semblance of an order to
allow for others to read them.
We all have opinions on how things should work, and most things work the way we want
them to wrote he, before he took another sip of coffee. I may need to write a poem about
the need for tea, or coffee.
What was the movie in the 60's? Coffee, Tea, Or Me? About stewardesses and how they were selling not only over priced liquor onboard, but themselves to the various passengers. 1969 is the year I remember, however that's ayear or two after I became self aware for the first time....
Well, that's the required. This will be posted elsewhere for commentary. Hope to see you
there!!!
Thursday, August 30, 2018
These Are My #ThursdayThoughts
Literal day today. Anyone speaking in metaphors will have to talk to me another day. Seriously. I don't have time to translate your memes, even if you think everyone knows them. This goes for acronyms too. By definition, there are 26^3 possible three letter acronyms, and that's just in the English language. Each of those may have multiple meanings that I don't have time to lookup either.
Turns out I have a life outside of sitting in front of this beast we call a computer. I can't be here 24/7, and I'm pretty sure neither can you. I just got a day job wherein the #1 rule is and I quote, "Cellphone use while at post is grounds for termination!" Okay, I added the exclam, but you get the idea. Exclam is short for exclamation point, however I didn't think you'd think it was a former mollusk.
While writing this missive, I'm not going to be going for any particular pie chart changes either. They are what they are. I do remember one time when one of them was 100% affectionate, however I don't know how I did that at this point. I was thinking mostly at that point too.
These mourning pages are colored by what's going on around me on a particular day, and today we have construction going on across the street for about another month or three, and a cooking show that shall remain nameless running in the background that I'm somewhat paying attention to. Yes, I've committed the cardinal sin not to be confused with an ordinal sin; I've ended a sentence with a preposition.
Colors are going to be primary for most of the rest of the year as well. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and finally, Violet. Roy G. Biv, a character name that I will use at some point.
Oh, Crayola in their infinite wisdom gives you six colors plus white and black in their 8 crayon set. I made this observation the other day, and yet again, Indigo gets short shrift. How short is a shrift anyways?
There's a theory out there that the coat of many colors, or the amazing technicolor dream coat for those of you that have seen The Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, tells all stories. Or rather, tells you how to tell a story. Maybe this theory is mine that I'm putting out there for the first time for everyone to see. 7 main characters, and they all have a color. Seven acts and they all have a color. How many different combinations and permutations from here? It's not astronomical like the odds against a royal fizzbin, but we haven't even considered genres yet. PS, those of you that put a "D" in genre need to go back to elementary reading and pronunciation school.
As a magician, I perform pick a card tricks for a living. I have roughly 20 minutes of comedy magic I can perform if someone hands me a deck a cards. I don't necessarily hate the fact that I'm always asked to perform at a moment's notice, however it does get annoying at times. I'm happy to do it if I'm all propped up as it were, but most of the time, I'm just me.
So, I perform impromptu mentalism. Okay, spellcheck, if that is indeed your real name, I KNOW THAT'S SPELLED CORRECTLY!!! Sometimes, you only need three exclams.
Digression is a matter of fact these days in the million dollar minute. It used to be a thousand dollars, however I'm adjusting for inflation. Oh, I'll be on a panel at Alpha Omega Con coming up soon in Downey, CA, and I may talk about some of the above.
So, now that I've paused for reflection, I'll continue.
Contrary to somewhat popular belief, okay, it was kids in a pre-school class last century, the world didn't magically turn from black and white to color like in the classic, The Wizard of Oz. The world has always been in color. I wonder if there's anyone left that dreams in Black & White?
Pretentious film school students want to make their movies in B&W. When I was acting for film school students, I was in a few of those myself. Something for your reel. Well, this is real life, and you only get one take.
In any case, if writing comes downto choices, and the fact that as the writer of a particular script I get to create the world, doesn't that make me a god of sorts?
I'll let you figure that out. If any of the above doesn't make sense, by all means, let me know below....
Turns out I have a life outside of sitting in front of this beast we call a computer. I can't be here 24/7, and I'm pretty sure neither can you. I just got a day job wherein the #1 rule is and I quote, "Cellphone use while at post is grounds for termination!" Okay, I added the exclam, but you get the idea. Exclam is short for exclamation point, however I didn't think you'd think it was a former mollusk.
While writing this missive, I'm not going to be going for any particular pie chart changes either. They are what they are. I do remember one time when one of them was 100% affectionate, however I don't know how I did that at this point. I was thinking mostly at that point too.
These mourning pages are colored by what's going on around me on a particular day, and today we have construction going on across the street for about another month or three, and a cooking show that shall remain nameless running in the background that I'm somewhat paying attention to. Yes, I've committed the cardinal sin not to be confused with an ordinal sin; I've ended a sentence with a preposition.
Colors are going to be primary for most of the rest of the year as well. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and finally, Violet. Roy G. Biv, a character name that I will use at some point.
Oh, Crayola in their infinite wisdom gives you six colors plus white and black in their 8 crayon set. I made this observation the other day, and yet again, Indigo gets short shrift. How short is a shrift anyways?
There's a theory out there that the coat of many colors, or the amazing technicolor dream coat for those of you that have seen The Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, tells all stories. Or rather, tells you how to tell a story. Maybe this theory is mine that I'm putting out there for the first time for everyone to see. 7 main characters, and they all have a color. Seven acts and they all have a color. How many different combinations and permutations from here? It's not astronomical like the odds against a royal fizzbin, but we haven't even considered genres yet. PS, those of you that put a "D" in genre need to go back to elementary reading and pronunciation school.
As a magician, I perform pick a card tricks for a living. I have roughly 20 minutes of comedy magic I can perform if someone hands me a deck a cards. I don't necessarily hate the fact that I'm always asked to perform at a moment's notice, however it does get annoying at times. I'm happy to do it if I'm all propped up as it were, but most of the time, I'm just me.
So, I perform impromptu mentalism. Okay, spellcheck, if that is indeed your real name, I KNOW THAT'S SPELLED CORRECTLY!!! Sometimes, you only need three exclams.
Digression is a matter of fact these days in the million dollar minute. It used to be a thousand dollars, however I'm adjusting for inflation. Oh, I'll be on a panel at Alpha Omega Con coming up soon in Downey, CA, and I may talk about some of the above.
So, now that I've paused for reflection, I'll continue.
Contrary to somewhat popular belief, okay, it was kids in a pre-school class last century, the world didn't magically turn from black and white to color like in the classic, The Wizard of Oz. The world has always been in color. I wonder if there's anyone left that dreams in Black & White?
Pretentious film school students want to make their movies in B&W. When I was acting for film school students, I was in a few of those myself. Something for your reel. Well, this is real life, and you only get one take.
In any case, if writing comes downto choices, and the fact that as the writer of a particular script I get to create the world, doesn't that make me a god of sorts?
I'll let you figure that out. If any of the above doesn't make sense, by all means, let me know below....
Monday, August 6, 2018
Flight of the Bumblebee - Canadian Brass
I don't know if you know when you first heard Flight of The Bumblebee, however for most like me, it was part of the theme song for The Green Hornet. Seriously. I fell in love with it then, and still play it every once in awhile. I did some research on the tune itself at some point last century, as I found out that the original lasts a mere 1:10.
There's more to say and write about how music affects us in various and sundry ways, however whole industries are dedicated to it, and you've probably read most of what I have to say about it elsewhere. As this tune is very fast, it tends to get me wound up, and the brass makes me smile.
The arrangement here by Canadian Brass is unique, as they were able to create an almost 2 minute version. Let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Hey! I'm In A Movie!!!
Coming soon to a device near you!!!
THE BIG NOIR 2 from Steve Oakley Films on Vimeo.
All the proceeds go to the filmmaker, so your generous support of several cups of coffee would be appreciated!!!
What do you think of my costume?
THE BIG NOIR 2 from Steve Oakley Films on Vimeo.
All the proceeds go to the filmmaker, so your generous support of several cups of coffee would be appreciated!!!
What do you think of my costume?
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
The Race To 5000
I don't have to tell you times are bad. You have other places you go for that. However, as the recent result of all the new privacy laws trickle through the various sites at varying paces, an interesting phenomenon has taken place. First, let's talk about the purge, not to be confused with the movie franchise of the same name.
This one took place on Twitter, and by extension, the other social media sites as well. At the same time, a proliferation of 'bots has materialized on Facebook, and with my steer into the iceberg philosophy fully intact, I plan to max out my book of the face friends at the titular number.
Other sites play the friends game differently. You can have as many connections on LinkedIn™ as you want, and I'm a LION there. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Most of you are using your social media responsibly, while the rest of the planet is attempting to monetize your experience there. I may be somewhat guilty of this, as I ask you to buy me a few cups of coffee every time I post something new. Coffee keeps the virtual engine running, and if you were around during the 80's, Coffee Achiever is a title that I would gladly embrace.
However, you're not obligated to buy me coffee, or anything else for that matter. Pay Per Click, or PPC, has taken over the entire 'net. Advertising and subscription are the only two valid ways to make any kind of money, and the tech exists for anyone to do both, and the big boys want to keep all of theirs, while giving you crumbs.
Well, I'll tell you, if for no other reason to make some semblance of an arbitrary word count deemed current by search engines this week. Most of those accounts that were purged were NOT real people. They were 'bots programmed to artificially inflate clicks. Someone figured this out, and as server space is at a premium these days, and they decided to do something about it. I've talked about the GDPR elsewhere, and IIRC, May 25th is when all of this started.
It may have started before that with fallout from #Brexit, but I'm only descended from Irish Nobility. I don't live in the UK, and I'm only remotely affected by things they do there, like drive on the wrong side of the street. Of course, from their POV, we're driving on the wrong side of the street, but that's because we rebelled (See:American Revolution).
I don't necessarily know with absolute certainty that A implies B in this case, I just have a notion that it's true. I didn't start getting face requests on Friendsbook, wait. Strike that. Reverse it. Until after the purge that took place, what a week ago?
So, I'm simply going to sit back and allow all the 'bots to request friendship, and I'll let them know that the ship is sinking. Because if the other indicators of desperation are true, it's only a matter of time before the book of faces collapses under it's own weight. Hint: Nothing is too big to fail. They just perform BADLY.
72 and Sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly™
This one took place on Twitter, and by extension, the other social media sites as well. At the same time, a proliferation of 'bots has materialized on Facebook, and with my steer into the iceberg philosophy fully intact, I plan to max out my book of the face friends at the titular number.
Other sites play the friends game differently. You can have as many connections on LinkedIn™ as you want, and I'm a LION there. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Most of you are using your social media responsibly, while the rest of the planet is attempting to monetize your experience there. I may be somewhat guilty of this, as I ask you to buy me a few cups of coffee every time I post something new. Coffee keeps the virtual engine running, and if you were around during the 80's, Coffee Achiever is a title that I would gladly embrace.
However, you're not obligated to buy me coffee, or anything else for that matter. Pay Per Click, or PPC, has taken over the entire 'net. Advertising and subscription are the only two valid ways to make any kind of money, and the tech exists for anyone to do both, and the big boys want to keep all of theirs, while giving you crumbs.
What's this got to do with anything?
Well, I'll tell you, if for no other reason to make some semblance of an arbitrary word count deemed current by search engines this week. Most of those accounts that were purged were NOT real people. They were 'bots programmed to artificially inflate clicks. Someone figured this out, and as server space is at a premium these days, and they decided to do something about it. I've talked about the GDPR elsewhere, and IIRC, May 25th is when all of this started.
It may have started before that with fallout from #Brexit, but I'm only descended from Irish Nobility. I don't live in the UK, and I'm only remotely affected by things they do there, like drive on the wrong side of the street. Of course, from their POV, we're driving on the wrong side of the street, but that's because we rebelled (See:American Revolution).
I don't necessarily know with absolute certainty that A implies B in this case, I just have a notion that it's true. I didn't start getting face requests on Friendsbook, wait. Strike that. Reverse it. Until after the purge that took place, what a week ago?
So, I'm simply going to sit back and allow all the 'bots to request friendship, and I'll let them know that the ship is sinking. Because if the other indicators of desperation are true, it's only a matter of time before the book of faces collapses under it's own weight. Hint: Nothing is too big to fail. They just perform BADLY.
72 and Sunny in Redondo Beach. Adjust your expectations accordingly™
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Alas Poor Yoric
I've written about this before. There is a unique hammock of things that exist 30, 60, 90
days out.
My life is scheduled for me at this point. Everything is about Comic Con. Also, 30 day free
trials rule the land. If you sign up for one, make sure you save all your work, and then
cancel your subscription, because you don't want their issues.
The problem with this is, they have your email address forever, and they've sold it. With
or without your consent as it doesn't matter. You want to know why? It's part of the terms
of service, which you probably tossed aside, no pun intended. Most of us that have been
dealing with those for years simply scroll and check without reading, however buried
deep within every boilerplate TOS contract I've seen there's a clause that states
something on the order of, "We have the right to share your email address with 3rd party
services...."
That may be a paraphrase. My point is simply this: If you have an email address, and by
virtue of the fact that you're reading this you have at least one, your information has
been sold, bartered, traded, or most likely clicked on by someone you've never heard of
before. They may be from another country, too!!!
Okay, that comma probably doesn't belong, so my editor will take care of that and make
it look pretty, but she's busy right now, so you're going to see this before she does. It's
why I have a thousand pages of dynamite stuff on how to or more likely not how to make
a movie that's going to be pared downto 300 pages complete with pictures, and
hyperlinks.... How do we do footnotes in the 21st Century? I DON'T KNOW!!!
Wikipedia has that info, and when you sign up for their "free" account, they tell you the
guidelines for how to create your first article. I attempted to create one to honor my
father, however there's not enough info out there.... Sure, we could goto Magipedia, but I
can't d/l because of some arcane agreement between the owner of that site and they
that sold Genii Magazine....
I just want ownership of my father's IP. Am I asking for too much? Maybe I can get
Michael Lovitz on the case....
Okay, so since I'm going to post this elsewhere, before I export I'll have to correct
spelling mistakes. Thanks coach!!!
Action items to boot. However, not for publication.
So, what do we know? Nothing really by virtue of all the information that's out there.
If the 90's were The Information Age, then by the turn of the century and beyond we've
reached The Too Much Information Age. We already have TMI by virtue of the
aforementioned fact: The 'net is forever. My email address that I haven't been using daily
since April is being passed around willy-nilly by those that would do these things.
I made the mistake of signing up for something, and I was greeted with a phone call the
next day that stated I needed hearing aids. NO!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe if I wanted the bionics I could get CA to pay for them, but I already hear too much
already. They tell you that you can't do something because of your age, and I say they're
wrong. I know my capabilities and limitations. As for the latter, I don't have any, but I
have yet to do certain things. Read: The scientific method hasn't been applied.
Currently as far as the 'net is concerned, fully half the information on it outright
contradicts the other half. Who's right? Not for me to say. I'm just another fucking
observer attempting to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Something that may have been buried by those that would bury things is affecting you
today, whether or not you live in the state of confusion. The 'net was declared a public
utility by the government during the previous administration, and by extension owned by
the good ol' USA.
What do we conclude from this?
Hopefully there's some questions left unanswered, however I've got fiction to create
based on writing assignments I was given two, three, and maybe even four years ago.
Never get this far behind, as you may become overwhelmed. This raises the question,
has anyone ever been simply whelmed?
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach, even though it's the hottest day of the year. Adjust your
expectations accordingly.™
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
St. Paddy's Day Village Run 2018
St. Patrick's Day is usually a day that I take off because I'm descended from Irish nobility, however this year it fell on a Saturday, so I took the opportunity to cover the Village Runner St. Patrick's Day 5K held in the Hollywood Riviera section of Redondo Beach, CA.I've lived in this city since '94, and this is the first I've heard of this event sponsored by Village Runner Shoe Store, located at 1811-A Catalina Ave. They also have a location in Manhattan Beach. The race started promptly at 8am, and 15 minutes and 20 seconds later,
 | |
| Juan Paredes |
A little more than two minutes after that, Julia Budniak was the first woman to finish, and took 8th place overall.
 |
| Julia Bdniak as she comes toward the line. |
As I live in Redondo at the North edge of district 2, I felt a walk to the race site was a good idea. I ran into a couple of guys that were jogging to the starting line, and I didn't understand that, however since parking was at a premium, I think all of us had a good idea.
At events like this in and around Redondo, sponsors are needed, and as a result of that, they get their own booths and tables, and offer free stuff to those in and around the event. Some of the local businesses open their doors and offer tours, and one realtor had Irish Whiskey and champagne, complete with a full continental breakfast with fruit and pastries as well.
A good time was had by all, and it turns out, The Village Runner is about to hold another 5K this July 4th. Hope to see you there!!!
Friday, March 16, 2018
The Cape?!?
Just got finished watching this. My thoughts? I have them. They probably echo yours. For the most part. I could write more, however, I have to give up the computer in seven minutes, so, in no particular order...
- It's Batman.
- Wait, no, it's not.
- A Crime Fighting Magician?
- Oh, wait. That's been done before, too.
- Weird.
I should probably expand on these points one by one, and make this a really pretty bloglike post.
Several have given you a review that rates somewhere on the high side of The Suck Scale, however, I'm here to tell you different. It doesn't truly blow righteous chunks. Chunks, yes. Whether or not they're righteous or not is up to you.
It turns out this never posted, and it's what, 5 years later, and I'm clearing out the Drafts folder as it were, and I remember watching all of these episodes and even the parody on Community as well. My thoughts are the same as they were when I watched it for the first time.
I had a discussion at church the other day about how all shows look the same after awhile, and they're stealing plots from each other too. We all agreed that I was right. The superhero genre will always exist, and the same 36 plots with continue to exist as well. Hollywood will continue to crank out things that the majority doesn't like in the name of entertainment.
We could get into trivial word definitions at this point, however it follows that I will write and get paid for it on a more than occasional basis, and if you read, that's cool. Leaving a comment is better however.
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.
Adjust your expectations accordingly.
It turns out this never posted, and it's what, 5 years later, and I'm clearing out the Drafts folder as it were, and I remember watching all of these episodes and even the parody on Community as well. My thoughts are the same as they were when I watched it for the first time.
I had a discussion at church the other day about how all shows look the same after awhile, and they're stealing plots from each other too. We all agreed that I was right. The superhero genre will always exist, and the same 36 plots with continue to exist as well. Hollywood will continue to crank out things that the majority doesn't like in the name of entertainment.
We could get into trivial word definitions at this point, however it follows that I will write and get paid for it on a more than occasional basis, and if you read, that's cool. Leaving a comment is better however.
72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.
Adjust your expectations accordingly.
Monday, March 12, 2018
What a Crock!!!
There's got to be a morning after.... Maureen McGovern, from the original Poseidon
Adventure. '72? I was 12. Two years later, some song for Towering Inferno that did not
win. Unless I've got the two mixed up. All I know is that I bought the 45.... Today, that
would be an MP3. Anyone want to donate $2.99? You know where the button is....
This raises the question, "Oh, yeah?" I know, not what I was going to talk about, but for
some reason, the need to remember something from my childhood came up. Yesterday,
we performed the archaic task of setting our clocks forward one hour, in order to save
daylight. What a ridiculous concept!!!
There's the same amount of daylight no matter what the clock reads. The fact that it's
still dark outside even though it's one hour later than at this same time two days ago
confirms this. So, why exactly are we doing it?
I'm guessing, but my thinking is that some yahoo in congress decided a long time ago
that the need to have most people working, driving, and doing other things during the
day was and is a good idea. As a result here in the state of confusion, we get more rush
hour traffic than we've ever had before, and that's not only because the peer to peer
services that have attempted to replace the taxicab industry have invaded recently....
Thinking about this further means that I should probably do actual research, and put
names and faces in this beast to make it look pretty elsewhere....
To continue, this has been going on all my life. In case you forget how, "Spring Forward.
Fall Back." People say they lose or gain an hour of sleep, and that's ridiculous as well. You
get the same amount no matter when you get up. The clock doesn't rule you unless you
let it. A good friend that happens to be close as well taught me that. Who knows, she
might even be reading these words that I write on an occasional basis....
The math states that I've only known her for less than a tenth of my life, however I feel
like I've known her always. One day I'll figure out how that works, and at that point,
watch out!!!
The need for speed, and how everything is calculated based on either time, energy, or
Adventure. '72? I was 12. Two years later, some song for Towering Inferno that did not
win. Unless I've got the two mixed up. All I know is that I bought the 45.... Today, that
would be an MP3. Anyone want to donate $2.99? You know where the button is....
This raises the question, "Oh, yeah?" I know, not what I was going to talk about, but for
some reason, the need to remember something from my childhood came up. Yesterday,
we performed the archaic task of setting our clocks forward one hour, in order to save
daylight. What a ridiculous concept!!!
There's the same amount of daylight no matter what the clock reads. The fact that it's
still dark outside even though it's one hour later than at this same time two days ago
confirms this. So, why exactly are we doing it?
I'm guessing, but my thinking is that some yahoo in congress decided a long time ago
that the need to have most people working, driving, and doing other things during the
day was and is a good idea. As a result here in the state of confusion, we get more rush
hour traffic than we've ever had before, and that's not only because the peer to peer
services that have attempted to replace the taxicab industry have invaded recently....
Thinking about this further means that I should probably do actual research, and put
names and faces in this beast to make it look pretty elsewhere....
To continue, this has been going on all my life. In case you forget how, "Spring Forward.
Fall Back." People say they lose or gain an hour of sleep, and that's ridiculous as well. You
get the same amount no matter when you get up. The clock doesn't rule you unless you
let it. A good friend that happens to be close as well taught me that. Who knows, she
might even be reading these words that I write on an occasional basis....
The math states that I've only known her for less than a tenth of my life, however I feel
like I've known her always. One day I'll figure out how that works, and at that point,
watch out!!!
The need for speed, and how everything is calculated based on either time, energy, or
distance. More likely, a combination thereof. We just have to deal with the outcome.
For about a year and a half, I worked at JPL, while living here in the beach that is round.
For about a year and a half, I worked at JPL, while living here in the beach that is round.
Roughly 4 hours out of my day wherein I was driving and doing practically nothing else. If
I had today's tech, I probably would've been able to dictate most things, and create
beautiful things as well.
The tradeoff would be that most of my ATPM articles would be decidedly different. Maybe I'd have more shorts written as well. Someone to transcribe the musings of a random guy attempting to make it in a messed up world he was born into would be needed.
I could've joined the unions necessary out of high school. I didn't need 'SC. I got the education I needed growing up with two loving parents that knew more than I did. Maybe my father would've lived longer.
God had other plans.....
Time!!!
Rules us all. Doesn't care either. Didn't they introduce the Time Trapper on Legends of
Tomorrow recently?
Villains from The Legion of Superheroes brought into a show that's ostensibly about time
travel makes life a little more interesting. I don't have to buy comic books anymore,
because of the "investments" I made in the 80's..... I need to create my own line, and
I've made a start of that.
I should write another short, and dub it with new dialogue, at which point I'd only need a
studio to record and about 6 hours.....
A radio play at church. That's the ticket....
5 characters in search of an exit. The 6th is the narrator, and the guy at the end that let's
you know what's going on. Rod Serling was and is a genius. CBS cancels The Twilight
Zone, but Serling is still around, so he creates The Night Gallery for ABC. Sundays in the
60's IIRC.
I didn't get to watch that show for whatever reason. Probably because it was on a
competing channel, and dad still worked at CBS Television City. I didn't think I'd end up
here when I started this random rant, however here we are.
I had today's tech, I probably would've been able to dictate most things, and create
beautiful things as well.
The tradeoff would be that most of my ATPM articles would be decidedly different. Maybe I'd have more shorts written as well. Someone to transcribe the musings of a random guy attempting to make it in a messed up world he was born into would be needed.
I could've joined the unions necessary out of high school. I didn't need 'SC. I got the education I needed growing up with two loving parents that knew more than I did. Maybe my father would've lived longer.
God had other plans.....
Time!!!
Rules us all. Doesn't care either. Didn't they introduce the Time Trapper on Legends of
Tomorrow recently?
Villains from The Legion of Superheroes brought into a show that's ostensibly about time
travel makes life a little more interesting. I don't have to buy comic books anymore,
because of the "investments" I made in the 80's..... I need to create my own line, and
I've made a start of that.
I should write another short, and dub it with new dialogue, at which point I'd only need a
studio to record and about 6 hours.....
A radio play at church. That's the ticket....
5 characters in search of an exit. The 6th is the narrator, and the guy at the end that let's
you know what's going on. Rod Serling was and is a genius. CBS cancels The Twilight
Zone, but Serling is still around, so he creates The Night Gallery for ABC. Sundays in the
60's IIRC.
I didn't get to watch that show for whatever reason. Probably because it was on a
competing channel, and dad still worked at CBS Television City. I didn't think I'd end up
here when I started this random rant, however here we are.
The origin of The Black Fox's catch phrase comes from the following syllogism; Timing is
everything. People fear change. It all comes downto this. What is this? Something that
needs to be changed.... Who is this? The Black Fox. What makes the change? The blue
smoke bomb that hides the quick-change....
"This Changes Everything!!!" in Seacoast City, or everyplace else.
There is a change taking place within all of us, and at some point, you'll realize that it has
already taken place within you. I'm not one to tell you what to do with yourself after you
realize that it's already been made.
That's my story. Hope you enjoyed it. May or may not be a major motion picture coming
soon to a theatre or drive in near you. If you don't live near either one of those my advice
is, "Move!!!"
smoke bomb that hides the quick-change....
"This Changes Everything!!!" in Seacoast City, or everyplace else.
There is a change taking place within all of us, and at some point, you'll realize that it has
already taken place within you. I'm not one to tell you what to do with yourself after you
realize that it's already been made.
That's my story. Hope you enjoyed it. May or may not be a major motion picture coming
soon to a theatre or drive in near you. If you don't live near either one of those my advice
is, "Move!!!"
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Sonic Geometry: The Language of Frequency and Form
The need to get this info out there exists, however we're told not to share.
Therefore, you didn't "hear" this here....
Friday, January 19, 2018
I'll Be Talking About It
I've decided to make this a yearly tradition, and to that end, I'll be talking about what happened 36 years ago today in March. Details on the card....
If you'd like, there's a video available too....
Most of what I would write here, I'll be saying in two months time at this show. I hope to see you there!!!
Most of what I would write here, I'll be saying in two months time at this show. I hope to see you there!!!
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