A Change of Seasons…

Yes, obligatory Dream Theater reference. So – I’m big on nature, as many of you faithful readers (Hi Mom) may know. In particular, seasons and weather. I love thunderstorms. I love blizzards. And I love fall, or autumn. It’s my favorite season by far, and there are a variety of reasons for that. My birthday is in the fall (October). My favorite holiday, Halloween, is in the fall. The weather cools off (damn heat…) and it gets a little windy. And perhaps most important of all, the fall is the season that most symbolizes change for me.

It’s the only season, I think, that you can really see the world around you changing, constantly. Plants are changing color. People’s wardrobes are changing. The temperature is dropping. Ever constant change… a constant reminder that everything is constantly changing. It’s fantastic, and I love it.

Every day I wake up during the fall I tend to have a smile on my face. I’m just happier during the fall. It’s like the oppressiveness of summer heat has been lifted, and I’m free to rejoice. It’s awesome, in the original sense of the word, not the socks and hotdogs sense of the word. So really, what is so special about the fall?

Well… for one, the blatant weather changes make for a huge difference that’s right in your face. And of course, schools start up in the fall… so you have that, especially if you live in a college town. And there’s sports for those of you that care about them. But what else? Why does the fall seem to have that magical feeling, at least for me?

I think a big part of it is the atmosphere. People just seem friendlier. Maybe they know Christmas is coming soon. Maybe it’s the relaxed weather. Maybe it’s the way the leaves whip around in the wind randomly. There’s just something in the air. Besides smog… And of course there’s the fact that sometimes you get a random light snowfall – and snow always seems magic. At least it does when you don’t have to shovel a couple hundred pounds of snow down your 10 foot driveway…

Mmmmm... light snow cover...

But in the end, I think the main thing that makes me love the fall is change… and how obvious it is. That “in your face” brutality/finality of it. You can’t avoid it, and you certainly can’t stop it. It’s just one of those forces of nature…

In Flight

So, I’m sitting in the airport terminal currently, waiting for our flight to board. We showed up a little earlier than we thought (traffic was good) so we have a little over two hours to kill. Well, closer to one hour now – It’s 12:10 (flight boards at 1:20). But nothing exciting so far. If you read my previous post on airport security, specifically the new security machines, you’ll be interested to know that Philadelphia International Airport does in fact use the millimeter wave machines… which are significantly safer than the Backscatter x-ray ones (despite what the TSA claims). One benefit to showing up so early is that we literally sped through the machine – security took us maybe 5 minutes, tops.

So now the waiting time. We ate breakfast(lunch really) and sat around for a bit… but now we’re just sitting back and relaxing. I needed to charge my phone (forgot to charge it last night… I have to screw at least *one* thing up when I fly…) and found an outlet… which doesn’t work. So I’m charging my phone through the laptop right now… ha! Technology at its finest.

That’s all I have to say for now… more updates in flight!

Well, the time is now 2:45 and we are in the air. Something exciting did happen! Our flight was delayed… lol. Only by half an hour, and they expect to make that back up in the air, so our arrival time shouldn’t change much.

It’s been over three years since the last time I flew – Boston to Philly that time. And I have to say, not much has changed. They still go through the same spiel before take-off. The boarding is still the same (backwards… people seated in the rear of the plane should board first damn it… it makes so much more sense… but anyway). And I still hide my iPod and listen to music during takeoff. Because damn it, I want music. Takeoff is boring, uneventful, and if we crash during takeoff more than likely I’ll die… so I don’t need to listen to any instructions. I’ll be too busy waiting for the plane to rip in half so I can try to dive out… haha (you think I’m joking…) And I can do that with headphones in, thank you.

So yeah, flying isn’t that big of a deal. It’s mostly just sitting around, waiting. Kind of like train rides, but at least you have interesting things to look at out the windows on a train. Right now I can see… clouds. Meh. More later if anything interesting happens…

5:40 p.m – or rather, 2:40 p.m. in SF… Just went to bathroom and noticed something… why is there a sign pointing out that there is an ashtray in the opposite lavatory, when smoking is prohibited entirely on the plane? Silliness…

I mean... I assume it's for you to put out your cigarette when they catch you... but still. Why?

7:10 p.m. – or rather, 4:10 p.m. in SF… I swear… there is a constant stream of people going in and out of the bathrooms on this plane. And it’s not like everyone has gone. I think it’s the same 15 people. Insanity. I’ve been one of them of course – but with my eye allergy thing, I need to put my eye drops in. But I mean, damn. I don’t think this many people used the bathroom on my flight to Europe… damn…

Over-all I’d say this was a good flight (so far). Not much turbulence. There HAS been a kid banging on the back of my seat for almost the entire flight, seriously (no stereotyping here)… but considering his dipshit parents didn’t bring any toys for him to play with on a five to six hour flight… I don’t blame him! Some people should be sterilized… I’d be kick seats too… or people… heh. Apparently the kid has been crying/screaming the entire time too… but I’ve had my headphones on for the entire flight, so I don’t care (that’s *one* reason I bring them in the first place…). One more update when we land!

Well the eagle has landed. Or, more accurately – I’m in San Francisco. BOW TO ME CALIFORNIA. Or something…. End of the flight was extremely uneventful. We landed… we got off the plane. Met my Uncle Michael. Aaaand now we’re at his house, relaxing. San Francisco is… foggy. I approve. Michael pointed out something very important though… When you leave the airport, it was 68, and bright and sunny. Michael lives 15 minutes down the road… and it’s 10 degrees cooler, and overcast/foggy. Insanity. My kind of city it seems. Also – the hills are awesome. I wish I had brought my bike.

So now, I leave you. In another time zone… a part of the country I have never been in… and off to do more important things than write on my blog…

~Ian

‘Cause I’m Leavin’… on a Jet Plane…

I know when I’ll be back though…

Just a reminder I’m leaving for San Francisco in a few hours. Here’s the deal – if you can wait till tonight, I’m going to blog my entire flight/trip. I will write my post while in the airport/on the plane. I figured that will be interesting. So stay tuned for my real post later. Just wanted to give you a heads up!

~Ian

The State of Things

So in this crazy world of constantly updating technology, constantly evaporating employment opportunities, and inflation, how exactly is one supposed to keep up with current trends? You can read about them.

 

Guy 1: “Hey, I was just reading about the new Chromebook, it looks pretty cool.”
Guy 2: “I’ve had one since the pre-release dude, they’re alright…”

But that doesn’t work out too well, does it… Well, you could go into debt trying to keep up with owning the latest e-reader, tablet, laptop, ipod, smartphone, hybrid car, laser watch, Internet tv… But then you’ll wind up homeless and talking to tin cans your best friend about how cool that “new-fangled” Android tablet is… Of course, you could always steal it all… *ahem* ANYWAY!

So how do you keep up? Well, a combination of reading about it and purchasing it is your best bet. Obviously that’s a bit extreme in some situations, so what’s your second option? Demo it. That’s right, go to Best Buy and hop up to the display model and play with it for half an hour. Unless there is a line of people just itching to play with the new iPad2 (ha) I doubt they’ll kick you out. So just go nuts. Make it run benchmarking software, look up youtube videos of cats, listen to music, update your blog, watch porn… This way you know what you’re interested in. What you think will be the best suited “new toy” for you. This is how I found out I hate tablets. I can’t stand the full touchscreen input model. Don’t even like it on phones. I have a snap out keyboard for a reason… But that’s just me. Some people love them.

Some of you are probably thinking the obvious question (if you’re even still reading) though… Why bother at all? It’s all going to change in three months. The next laptop that reads your mind for input and has a holographic display instead of a lcd monitor is just around the corner, so why bother?

Because it’s fun. Why not? If you have some free time go play with a new toy. Maybe you’ll fall in love. Maybe you’ll find out you can’t stand laptops with no optical drive. Maybe you’ll find something else interesting in the store you didn’t even go to look at. “Hey, the new Red Hot Chili Peppers CD is out… I should pick that up.” But that’s not the only reason. It’s a good idea to keep abreast of new technology. No one wants to be the old man shaking his cane from his porch. “Darn kids and your long hair and rolling rock music… back in my day…” No… you want to know what’s going on. What’s new? What’s innovative? What can I rack up more debt buying…

And please stop talking to be about your "tube."

So ultimately it comes down to you. What do you care about? What do you want to keep abreast of? My friend Brandon takes random trips to his local Guitar Center just to play with new guitars, fx pedals, etc. Just because he can, and he likes to keep up with what companies are trying that’s new… or just seeing what he likes that is already on the market. It’s a good idea and never hurts. But do yourself a favor and research it for yourself too. Especially if you want to make a purchase. You never want to head to the store and find out you paid twice as much for a knock off of an awesome product… Or got fooled by a store display into buying a crap item…

Bottom line? If you care about innovative technology… read up on it, and try it out where you can. it never hurts to keep up with the changes, and hey, who knows… it could land you a job too…

A preview…

Here’s a… preview, of something I’ve been working on.

Every morning before starting work, but after showering (rarely), and getting dressed (also rarely, as he usually sleeps in his suit), Richard Snow plays Russian Roulette with himself. He loads a single bullet into his Colt Detective Special -a snub-nose .38 special revolver- holds the gun up to his head, and pulls the trigger. He started this practice approximately three years ago, and continues it only on the mornings that he works, being every single bloody day, including holidays. You see, Richard is a private detective, and he does a job that if you did it it might drive you to play Russian Roulette as well. It goes a little something like this…wake up and get off of the couch in the office (yes he sleeps in his office, he doesn’t exactly make enough money to rent an apartment), piss (hopefully into the toilet), splash water onto face and into hair, (this would be the point that Richard tempts death) grab jacket and head out the door. After this, promptly go to the generic corner store down the street and buy a pack of cigarettes and an energy drink that makes the hand shake and heart beat 3 times faster than it should. Smoke a cigarette while walking once around the block, go back to the office, go inside, and sit down… spending the rest of the day smoking, drinking shit flavored coffee (until 4pm, when he switches to scotch) and glancing at the phone once in a while to see if it rings on command. It doesn’t. Anyway, put the gun down, there’s more story here to tell.

As usual, this is covered by my CC-NC-SA. I hope you enjoy it…

Obsession, a new scent, by the Blogenning…

Okay, before I go any further, I can guarantee that I wouldn’t wear a cologne invented by these psychos… But anyway! Obsessions. We all have them. Even if you think you don’t… you do. Some people have unhealthy ones (heroin and booze!) and others have productive ones (knitting, writing…) but we all have them. Some of us *cough* have a lot of them.

One thing that has been both my triumph and downfall for most of my life is my wide variety of interests. I act, I sing, I play piano (and guitar, sax, trombone, etc..), I rock climb, I write, I remodel houses, I play D&D, I philosophize, I play around with computers and techy gadgets… and that list barely breaks the surface. I have a lot of interests, and only so much time to spend on them. So I improvise – I focus on one for a while, then switch. The problem with this is that it gets summed up by the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” very well. So how does one get around this?

Bruce Campbell is obviously the exception to the rule...

Focus – Focus on a few interests despite your interest in many. This lets you spend a lot of time on a few… but then you start to feel bad because you’re not stretching your interests. You feel shallow, because you’re not well rounded and exploring new things. This works for some, but not everyone, and certainly not me.

Timeshare – Rotate your interests, as Brandon suggests. Spend a few months on one, then switch. Spend a few months on the new one, and switch to a new one. This works well also, for a number of interests. But when you have “too many,” it falls apart. You end up spending 3 months on one, and then never returning to it.

So how does someone with that many interests handle it? I don’t know… I haven’t figured it out yet . But what I do know is that I love everything I do. And some of them I would consider myself a “master” of… as much as I believe someone can master anything (which is not at all). So it’s not all bad. The real key is to enjoy what you do, I think. I used to play World of Warcraft – a game that many people call addicting, or an “obsession.” And I used to play it a lot. But when I got bored with the game, I simply stopped playing… and trust me, there are a lot of aspects of it to be bored with. It’s a matter of knowing what you enjoy, and doing what you enjoy.

Lovingly dubbed "World of Warcrack..."

In time, many obsessions can be “relaxed.” We call those “hobbies.” But is there really a difference? I’d say no. If it’s something you enjoy doing, and do with some frequency, it can be called an obsession. And on the other side, you can be obsessed with disliking something. I despise a few things… but there are some I’m obsessed with despising. I make sure I know everything about them so I can tear them down. This might not necessarily be healthy… but it sure is fun to come across someone who supports one of those things… heh heh. Yes, I’m evil.

Lately, I’ve finally gotten a breakthrough as a writer. And this is good, because writing is something I’ve never gotten bored with. Sure I’ve taken breaks from it (sadly…) but I’ve always come back around to writing. And now it’s my profession. This I like. I can get comfortable with this. But am I going to sit by contentedly now? No! I’m going to write more! I’m going to challenge myself! Because that’s the other side of the coin for me… an obsession isn’t something you just “do,” it’s something that you constantly strive to be better at.

So what does it mean to be obsessed? A lot of different things… but the trick is to handle your obsessions healthily… and enjoy what you do.

Angry Brain…

I don’t know if I’m necessarily the odd man out in this scenario, but once in a while I wake up Angry. I’m not talking “woke up on the wrong side of the bed” here… I’m referring to uncontrollable “if you even fucking look at me I’m going to gut you with a soldering iron then use your eyeballs for beer pong” anger. Normally this is caused by a lack of sleep, or perhaps hunger (I get rather grumpy when I’m hungry… what?), but some days (like today… HI!) nothing fixes it. And this isn’t really an anger management issue either. I can be civil, and it’s not directed towards anyone in particular… but it’s best to just leave me the hell alone. Aka – I put headphones on, sit at my computer, and rant (Hi!). And people steer clear.

But some day’s that just isn’t possible. For example – with my trip to California coming up this weekend, I have a lot of things to do this week. People to see, places to do. Wait… You get the idea. So I have to run around town, talk to people, get some final housework done, etc. Deal with people. But today is angry stabby-stabby day. So I really don’t want to be doing any of that. Solution? Death Metal and Red Bull. Hop myself up on caffeine and listen to god damn angry music. It soothes the inner beast. Or at least distracts it.

Solution! Or... perhaps the problem in the first place...

So, don’t worry, I won’t stab you today. Though I might think about it… unless you appease me with Red Bull, whiskey, or ciga… crappit I quit smoking… need a new appeasement mechanism!

The Updates! I can reveal them!

So I can finally give some links for these shenanigans! For those of you who don’t know already, I’m now a freelance writer for Technology Review (online), which is a MIT publication. My first article, which is on the augmented reality/GPS navigation Android app Wikitude Drive, went live today. And I’m currently working on a second article. Good times!

Additionally, I’m a staff writer for the gaming/geek culture website The Critical Table, which I have mentioned before. My first interview went up today. It’s with Chuck Wendig, freelance “penmonkey,” and game developer for White Wolf Publishing. For those of you who know my gaming background, I’m a big World of Darkness fan (White Wolf’s main line). Specifically Vampire and Hunter, the latter of which is the game that Chuck was the main developer for. So this was exciting for me on two fronts.

These are my big two announcements this month. Feels good to know that I’m getting somewhere with this writing nonsense… I’m also cracking down on another project, but I won’t be talking much about that on here till it’s completed (probably towards the end of the year). This one’s an even bigger secret… Shhhhhh…. So look forward to that.

Not much else to say today, working on a few things and trying to get myself organized for my trip this weekend. I will be flying out to California on Saturday, then driving cross-country back to Delaware. Looking forward to that, I love traveling.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned tomorrow, when I’ll get something solid up.

Survivor: East Coast Edition

So, a variety of humor comes to mind when considering the events of this weekend. Panic set in, people were scared, and a hurricane swept up the east coast causing… far less damage than everyone expected. And many of us did not take it too seriously. I for one, made sure my family was well prepared, then spent  most of my time mocking the hurricane and playing storm/apocalypse related music on turntable. Including Come On Eileen (Irene), Riders on the Storm, Hurricane… etc. And it did about what I expected it to… rained a lot, and got a little windy. I honestly slept through what was supposed to be the worst part early this morning. And it didn’t wake me up… If you can’t even be bothered to wake me up for your little tantrum Mother Nature… don’t bother.

But in all reality, this was a serious event. Lives were lost, property was damaged, and people were scared, and lost things. And it only goes to prove that we humans cannot stand up against mom. She will continue to prove to us that yes, she (possibly) brought us into this world, and she can sure as hell take us out of it. So respect her for fuck’s sake, please?

I took yesterday off for a variety of reasons. Preparing for the possible storm, talking with friends, and in general relaxing (and doing some work…). But I would also like to dedicate yesterdays “silence” to both those who lost their lives in this event, as well as to the event itself, as it was in fact, serious business.

Sorry, this was the best picture I could find.

So for those of you who were affected far more than I was by this, yesterday was for you.

~Ian

Sorry… Hectic Times

Sorry for such a late post. Things have been busy, what with some work I’m doing advancing, and the hurricane preparations.

Yes, this is my sign for “I’m busy, you only get a post on why I’m not really posting today.”

A few things of note!

Our house is as storm proof as I can make it for now. I’m going to throw emergency bags together for the rest of my family later, just in case.

Work is going well. I am now officially a freelance writer for Technology Review (a MIT publication) online. My first article hits the site Monday (barring some disaster… oh wait…), and I’m working on my second article currently. Awesome. Sauce. I’ll give you a full update on the TR writing job after the storm, and after the article gets posted online.

And that’s why I’ve been busy. And if you don’t hear from me by Monday, I may have died. But don’t worry, If I die I’ll try to let you all know…

~Ian

Disaster Survival

So, this morning I woke up to the news that Hurricane Irene is heading directly towards Delaware. Now, for many this is a frightening experience. Especially for the woman who works with my father who moved here because she lived in New Orleans and lost everything during Katrina… I am sure for her this is a nightmare. But for me it’s actually rather exciting. For a variety of reasons.

• I am a survivalist nutjob. – Yes that’s right. I get excited during disasters. I love researching survival plans and techniques. And I am always prepared. I have an emergency kit put together. I have everything I could possibly need in case of a zombie apocalypse within arms length from my desk/bed. I like to be prepared, and I like to be ready for a worst-case-scenario.
• I like storms. – I have always loved thunderstorms since I was a little kid. They fascinate and delight me. I’m the kid that would get screamed at because I’d run outside in the middle of a thunderstorm to play in the torrential downpour… lightning doesn’t scare me. And this is potentially the worst storm I will have ever experienced. It get’s the blood pumping!
• I like fixing things. – As odd as this sounds, I really like repairing things and the like, so if our house gets damaged, or something goes crazy wrong… I’ll have a blast repairing it afterwards. Unless our house is demolished… I wont be so happy then… no. Bad juju. BAD!

So yeah… I’m excited. Many of my friends know that I have planned extensively for a zombie apocalypse. I had a survival plan in Boston. I have a survival plan here. Not quite as good of one… but that’s because our house is a zombie death trap… one story, weak interior doors, huge windows… ugh. Just not zombie proof. It makes me sad. My apartment in Boston was a different matter though… second story, great doors, a reinforced back entrance with a steel security door on the basement, roof access… it was great. Very secure, very safe.

In case of Zombies, break glass!

So how does one plan for a zombie apocalypse? Well… “going to the tavern, having a nice cold pint, and waiting for this all to blow over” isn’t the best idea – no offense Shaun. Having supplies is. Non-perishable food, renewable water source, weapons, home repair supplies (plywood, nails), and survival/first aid equipment is a must. Having a protected garden (ie – tall fence, preferably not chainlink) is even better. For long term survival the farther south you are the better. Once you lose electricity or heat in the north you are screwed. Unless you have electric heat and a manual-powered generator… which isn’t hard to build. Just time consuming. And you don’t want it IN your house/apartment, so it’s also a potential safety hazard.

What about fighting? Well… fighting off the zombie hordes sounds heroic, and fun… but think about it from a more realistic standpoint. Do you have the weapons? Do you know how much force it takes to shatter a human skull? Are you really capable of killing another human being, regardless of how “dead” they look? Be honest with yourself on that last one… I’m not even sure I am. And what about weapons knowledge? Are guns your best option (no)? Do you know how to sharpen a machete? Clean a gun? Properly maintain and care for that cheap, decorative katana that will probably break after one swing? Probably not. Do you even know how to properly swing it without throwing yourself off balance? Do you know how to properly defend yourself with a knife? Defend yourself unarmed without exposing yourself to being bitten? It’s tougher than it sounds, or looks. Think about it carefully… maybe enroll yourself in some Aikido or Jujitsu classes…

And what about your family, your pets? Do you know how to care for them when you lose power permanently? Do you have a newborn? Dogs? Even cats? Can you continue to feed them? Dispose of their waste safely? Will their uncontrollable noises attract the advancing horde? Are you prepared to abandon them if they become a liability? If you’ve never been a parent… don’t even think you’re prepared to answer that question in relation to newborns/children. I’m not. And it might be harder to part with Scruffy than you think, unless you’re a cruel, heartless bastard - in which case I hope the zombies get you.

Aw, so cute and cudd... wait a minute... OH NO!

So… are you prepared for a zombie apocalypse? Are you even prepared for a hurricane, flood, tornado… earthquake? Think about it long and hard.

Because the next one might be in your backyard.

Kitties!

So this weeks Blogenning theme is on pets. Easy one for me. Since I was… born we have been owned by cats. Usually a lot of cats. I think we have had 13 at one time when we were living in New York. Insanity! We currently have five. Mew, Beast, Morgwen, Mr. Mistopheles, and Max (yeah… we like “M” names). But, obviously, not all of those cats were mine. My cat is the venerable Mew. Or Mu, depending on my mood. Mew was a cat that we rescued when my grandfathers neighbors called him after they have moved and said “By the way, the cat is still in the house, will you take him to the SPCA for us?” Yeah… fuck you tools. My grandfather called us, and we came and got the poor guy, scared and confused… And I he quickly became his my cat. I say my cat because he follows me around constantly, acts almost exactly like me… and is, in general, a prick (like me). So I’m he’s definitely his my human cat… He’s also the oldest cat we own currently.

Mew: "Okay, what do YOU want?"

I say this because we recently lost our “first” cat, and my mom’s baby, Mim. Short for Mad Madam Mim, and boy did she fit that name. “Oh, you’re petting me. That’s nice, I like that… Nevermind. *sounds of clawing and screams of pain*” She was feisty. And she was also over 20, which is pretty old for a cat – their average lifespan is only 12-16. We’ve always been very attached to our animals, so any passing is particularly difficult, but Mim’s was the worst of them all. We had belonged to her for over 20 years. That’s the majority of my life, and almost half of my mothers. I dare say that Mim’s passing hit us even harder than the passing of our Chow “Drusilla” several years ago (though, I was living in Boston for that luckily, so it didn’t hit me quite as hard as it did my mother).

Mim: "We are not amused."

If we discover the key to immortality I am entirely in favor of granting it to our pets before ourselves… Trust me, when Mew goes I will not be… happy for quite some time.

One thing that has always stuck me particularly interesting though is the grieving period. We grieve differently for animals than we do for humans. Personally I grieve longer. I’ve always felt a closer connection with my pets than with most of the people that have come in and out of my life. Obviously, none of my immediate family or friends have passed, so this is difficult to gauge, but I’ve always been particularly susceptible to my pets. So it’s interesting to observe other people grieving for their pets, and when they hit the point that they are able to be enslaved by a new master pet. Is there a proper period? Does it differ between different type of pets? People tend to be “closer” to dogs and cats than other animals, but does that change anything? It’s a very interesting phenomenon to observe…

Ahhhh but this is depressing, so I leave you with a pallet cleanser to lift your mood. Face-melting cuteness!

That's right... try and escape this black hole of cute.

Work Ahead!

No time to post right now, I have work to do! For science!

In all seriousness though, I’ll try to have something up later. I just felt like posting something silly and random for now.

Sorry.

~Ian

Turntable.fm – Bringing the fez back.

So, It’s been a few weeks since I wrote about Turntable.fm, and I have to say that I’ve gotten some interesting feedback about it. For instance, most of my spam comments go to that post. Most of my new readers read that post. And that post has had more hits than any other (except if you combine my two posts about Google+). So what makes turntable.fm so magical? Well, some say it’s the social interaction while playing music. Some say it’s the fact that you can discover new music from people with similar tastes. I say it’s the fez.

Turntable’s avatar system is fun to toy around with, and is, currently, the only motivation behind racking up DJ points. I recently hit 1,000 points, which opens up the tier of avatars I was most excited about, a monkey with a fez. For reference…

See! Fez Monkey always rocks out.

So why are the avatars awesome? Well – for one thing, you can do synchronized DJ’s. We’ve had rooms with all Gorilla DJ’s, or rooms where we had symetrical gummy bear DJ’s – you get the idea. It’s fun. It’s humorous. And like always, an intensive productivity killer. Though I have been able to manage playing on turntable.fm and writing, which is good. Yay multi-tasking.

In all seriousness though, turntable.fm has become my new favorite website. It lets me keep in touch with groups of friends (at the same time), and lets my friends who live states away introduce me to new music, without having to tell me about bands, let me guess which songs are good and listening to them myself. They can play the song, we can discuss while listening, and I can give my opinions right there (and we all know how much I like stating my opinion…). Turntable has opened up an entirely new venue for keeping in touch with friends, and a particularly fun one for myself and my friends, because we all love music.

So if you get a chance check out the Blogenning turntable.fm room sometime. We’re usually in there in the evenings, playing theme games or just ripping it up with good tunes.

Sunday Reviews: Suspiria

Many of you may know that George A. Romero’s “…Of The Dead” series of movies are my favorites. Not just my favorite horror films, but of all movie genres. Many of you may not know however, that Romero worked quite a bit with Dario Argento, an Italian movie writer/director/producer, who made/worked on such wonderful films like Opera, Once Upon a Time in the West, and of course the two Masters of Horror shorts Jenifer and Pelts. But one of Argento’s earlier directorial works is Suspiria, a horror film about witches at a prestigious ballet school.

Suspiria starts off fairly strong. Good music plays through the credits, then a voice explains the opening plot (remember, ‘70s movie)… then you see a girl leaving an airport to flag down a taxi, and the cinematography masterwork begins. This is one of the finest areas of the movie actually. The camera work is just astonishing throughout, it’s not all fancy (Inception) nonsense, but rather simple yet effective beauty. Argento uses angles and a focus on simple actions (an automatic door’s mechanism opening and closing) to break the flow of movement in a way that actually seems to enhance it. It’s quite impressive, and really adds to the film rather than distracts from it, unlike poorer attempts in other films.

So the movie develops, and you see the girl arrive at her new ballet school. You see a girl get murdered. You see strange things happening! And as all this happens you are drawn in by the soundtrack quite nicely. At times I found myself paying less attention to the screen and more to my ears. The soundtrack of this movie, which was written and performed by Goblin, flows phenomenally, really drawing you in at the right times, setting the mood perfectly. Sadly, the dubbing does not. We were watching the English dubbed version, and I hate to say they did a really poor job with the movie. I need to acquire a subtitled copy. But besides that, the sound editing is amazing and, overall, of extremely high quality. Onward!

One thing I do have say about this movie is that some of the plot points are extraordinarily weak. Primarily the main “twist.” The entire witches idea comes out of nowhere, and could have been easily replaced with any sort of “horror” ideal, like demons, vampires, etc. It was not a well thought out plot point, but it worked. Although, the interpretation of witchcraft is so off base and misinforming that it’s almost offensive… but it was the ’70s. It just seems like they had this great idea for creepy things happening around this school… but thought up a reason for those things to be happening at the last second. An afterthought.

Also, the room full of razor wire? Really? Where did that come from? Why would that even be in there!? Silliness…

Those bales of wire you ordered? Yup! Loosely piled in that storeroom like you asked!

Throughout the film we started noticing certain things. “Why are they using watered-down paint for blood?” Or… “Wow, the movement in the pool scene was very graceful, well in keeping with the ‘dancer’ motif.” Both good and negative. Though we really developed a dislike of the dubbing. The English dialogue does not flow well in this movie… as I mentioned. At parts it makes the movie almost unbearable. So trust me, if you’re going to watch it try to find the subtitled version. But enough repeating… there are certain points of this film that really do stick out, both good and bad. The pool scene, the razor wire scene, the fact that every female basically has the exact same hair type and style… The fact that a young Udo Kier is playing a nice, intelligent psychiatrist (weird!)… Not so much distractions from the movie, but amusing things that we noticed while watching. Or things that add an entirely new level of excellence. It really seems that Argento’s success in this film is entirely in the technical work, leaving a little to be desired on the creative side. Although it’s hard to tell if the actors were good or not… DAMN ENGLISH DUBBING!

Overall, I personally really enjoyed this movie, as an example of excellent storytelling and cinematography in ’70s film. I wish I had the subtitled version, but things being what they were, it’s a good movie. Just keep in mind that its over 30 years old… Also, if you’re not into good horror, but more the slasher-Scream/Jason type, you may not enjoy it. It’s more of a subtle horror.

Creative: 3/5
Technical: 4/5

Sunday Reviews Explained

Sorry for the delay today, we had a power outage this morning, and a few other things going on…

So! I figured that I would lead up to my first review with an explanation of the reviewing process. I am going to do these as a two-fold review, so there will be two rankings per movie – Creative and Technical. Basically, the reviews are going to cover points that stood out to me throughout the film – specific scenes that were good (or bad), specific technical aspects that I took notice of, etc. Also, there will be a basic explanation of the plot, acting, camerawork, etc, as a breakdown of my ranking. I intend to try and keep these reviews as spoiler-free as possible… so at points they may feel vague, but I feel that you as readers are more likely to want to watch the movies I give high praise to if I don’t give away the entire movie in the review. So, to break down the two categories…

Creative – The “Creative” category covers the acting, writing, and plot of the movie. The acting will simply be based off of the skill/talent of the actors involved. I will also be trying to keep my considerations of this within the era of the movie. Movies were held to much different standards in the ’70s than they are now, so a movie that might be considered a bomb today could have been a box office hit in 1975. Things you have to keep in mind… Also, the writing will basically cover the flow of  dialogue in the movie, as well as the quality of the dialogue. Finally – plot will cover just that – the plot. How interesting it is, how well laid out it is, and whether or not it’s well delivered. I will take a “grade” into consideration for all of these categories, and then my final rank will be the average of them.

Technical – The “Technical” category is more definite than the “Creative” one. It will cover things like the sound editing, cinematography, lighting, direction, soundtrack/score, etc. This rating will probably be more strict than the other, as it isn’t as open to opinion as the “Creative” side – aka I hold movies to higher standards in technical aspects than creative aspects, heh. So basically I’ll point out anything I think was done poorly, or particularly well, and at the end give you my rating, which will once again be the average of all the individual grades that make up this category.

So for example – say I watched Fight Club (one of my favorite movies). I think the acting, dialogue, and plot of this movie are fantastic. The plot twists are well done, and the over arching imagination it took to write this movie was superb. 5/5. And on the technical side, the movie is extremely well shot, the soundtrack rocks, the lighting fits well with the themes, and the movie, over all, delivers in every way it sets out to, artistically.  Again, 5/5. So at the bottom of the review you’d see this…

Creative: 5/5
Technical: 5/5

Got it? Good. Now stay tuned for the review of Suspiria!

Changes!

I expect there to be a few changes around here! I expect this place to be kept tidy! I expect you to stop jumping on the bed! I… wait… no.. wrong context. Sorry… Sorry everyone.

So yeah, I know I mentioned changes, and obviously one of them was revealed yesterday, and you’ll get more information on that later. The next change is much less impressive. I’m going to do a little format changing on Aberro Specus here. This includes getting some more regularity in post topics, as well as a higher standard of material. Which hopefully you’ll see less posts with Colbert facedesking, and more posts with lengthy editorials on the Google+ nym wars. I have intentionally had little real content in my posts this week, because A: I’ve been busy, and B: I was working up to this post. Not that this one has much real content in it either, but it’s an announcement for real content coming soon. I guess that counts, right?

So – this is this the first change you’ll see coming to Aberro Specus – movie reviews.

Starting tomorrow, I’m going to review a movie every Sunday. I love watching movies, usually horror, and I might as well put that to good use. Lately I haven’t been watching many movies, so I figure now is as good a time to start as any. There are no specifics in this, they might not be new movies. I like watching old movies. But, for example, I’ve never even seen Citizen Kane. Some would consider that blasphemy. I just haven’t gotten around to it… Hell, if you look at Time Magazine’s list of the All-Time 100 Movies, I’ve only seen… 27 of them. That number goes up on most other lists of “Greatest Movies of All Time” so… Time magazine probably just likes boring movies… but you get my point. I watch a lot of B-Horror, a lot of crappy action movies. I also watch a lot of classics and a lot of thought-provoking films. I also watch a lot of trippy stuff… So it’s not that I don’t watch a lot of movies, I just don’t watch a lot of what most people consider to be “the best.”

So what does this mean for you, the reader (all five of you)? Well, you get to read potentially entertaining reviews. You get to learn about a movie you might never have heard of. And you even get to give input! That’s right. Every Sunday, I’ll be taking recommendations/requests for the next week’s movie. So tomorrow, when I post my review (I haven’t even decided what movie yet), you can make recommendations in the comments as to what you’d like to see my review for next week. This comment thread will be open until the following Saturday, when I’ll make my decision, and watch that weekend’s movie. And hey, maybe I’ll watch Citizen Kane for tomorrow.

I approve! Watch me!

So! Get to thinking. I’ll get to watching, and writing. And let the games begin.

In Other News…

I now have a paying job. Well, as much as a writer can have a paying job.

A pitch I wrote for an online magazine was accepted, so now I have a freelance position with them. I’ll release more information if the story is put out and whatnot (still a chance they will kill the story…)

I am very excited though. This is a great opportunity for me.

In other writing news – The Critical Table is doing well. I should have an exciting new post up on there soon, waiting for someone to get back to me for it though… You’ll see!

Anything else… anything else… Oh. Yeah.

Working on short stories is odd. Right now I have two written, one in the mid-stages of it’s first cut (re-writing an entire page because I just didn’t like the flow of it), and the other in a final edit, waiting for me to be happy enough with the last changes I made.

Why all the edits? I’m trying to get both of them published in magazines, so I want them to be extra-awesome. So stay tuned for news on that.

The movie script is finalized. Working on other things and waiting on scheduling conflicts right now. Also, lazy actors.

One thing that I’m gearing up for is NaNoWriMo this year. Every year I sit down to start it… and then get about 5k words in and die. I think it’s my insistence on perfection, which I’m trying to break. It’s also my “crap, what do I put in here” feeling, which I’m trying to fix. One of the ways I’m trying to fix that is writing on here every day. I figure if I can make myself come up with something at least vaguely interesting for you… I can write 1k words a day in a story I actually care about in November.

Another thing that might help are Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fridays. He does a week long contest every week, winner getting something randomly cool. Just for writing a flash fiction piece on a different topic (he picks) each week. This week is a genre mashup, which I’m considering. If I do it I will probably start doing it every week, just for something new. Besides I pop out 1k word stories like they’re candy… so yay candy!

That’s all for today, if you get the hint from the post… I have writing to do .

What’s In A Name?

With the advent of Google+, there also spawned a great topic of argument. I am referring of course to Google+’s name policy. This has spawned more debate and anger than I’ve seen on the Internet in a while, ranging from people who agree completely with Google, to people with legitimate reasons to be against them… to people who just like to argue. But what does it really boil down to? Is Google enforcing a “real name” policy, or just trying to enforce honesty?Lately I’ve noticed a lot of news sites, like Mashable, are reporting on the name bans, citing the Google TOS (Terms Of Service) as saying that “the policy, designed to fight spam and prevent the creation of fake profiles, suspended several high-profile users for using their commonly-known pseudonyms instead of their real names.” Even the top link on Google when you type in “Google+ Pseudonym Ban” comes up with faulty information. Where the sad fact of the matter is… this blatantly isn’t true.

As more discerning members of Google+ are beginning to notice and point out, Google’s TOS does not specifically ban users from using a pseudonym. Rather, it bans them from using an alias which they are not commonly known by. This would, for example, be like me only going by “ravnos” on there. I am known as ravnos to some people, but not commonly. Ian “ravnos” Muller would be more appropriate. The TOS also bans people from going by only one name (mononym). “Ian” or “Muller” would not be appropriate (more on this later). So what is the actual deal?

The TOS states…

“To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable.”

This does NOT mean you have to use your legal name. That is simply the example that they give. It does mean you have to use your common name, what the majority of people know you by and call you. To use a celebrity example – Lady Gaga. Or 50 Cent. They simply want a first and last name, and what you are commonly known as. Makes perfect sense to me. But is this still an issue?

I'm not even sure how to enter that into the name box...

Well, what about Banksy? Or users with a legal mononym? Or hell… PRINCE (the artist formerly known as…)? How are these people affected? Currently? Negatively. One user, who’s legal name (recent change) is simply “Sai” has had quite a few problems getting Google to recognize this, according to a lengthy post he made on Google+. At this point, however, it seems Google is almost too embarrassed to continue trying to solve the issue – their silence is very telling. Which is understandable, they are being attacked by a very small but vocal community, who has the backing of a lot of angry users.

So, is there a simple way to solve this problem and make everyone happy? Probably not, but the best approach right now would be to make an official announcement stating… basically what I just did. Additionally, it might help Google to access their stance on mononyms… obviously they have hit a roadblock there. My personal suggestion would be to have people list their name, as well as a nickname. Then allow people to control which name is visible to the public vs. Circles. This way I can be displayed as “ravnos” to someone who isn’t already in my Circles, but “Ian Muller” to those who are. I would also be searchable by either name. It makes sense to me…

I think the anger towards Google is misplaced at this point, but I do agree they need to clarify things more. Otherwise people are going to continue to be confused, and other media isn’t helping much.

Sorry about that…

Been busy today, working on a few things, and counting money (literally penny pinching… heh) trying to roll up all the loose change I’ve had lying around for a few years.

So, you still get a post – just a short one. Plus awesome linkage…

Related to yesterday, I ended up watching the documentary Choosing to Die last night, which features the prolific author Sir Terry Pratchett. Pratchett was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2007, and it is a particularly rare form which causes the rear of the brain to actually grow smaller. Initially he was taking this all in rather good form, but as his condition has gotten worse he has had to rely on his assistant to type out his books while he dictates. He can no longer type. And he is only going to get worse.

Sir Pratchett filmed this documentary in 2010, and it was released a few months ago, and in it he presents the idea of assisted dying. In most of Europe, people are in fact allowed to choose to die, rather than live with a debilitating illness. Sir Pratchett would like the option to make this choice for himself, for as he states in the film “When I can no longer dictate (write), I no longer wish to live.” However, assisted dying is still illegal in the UK, where he lives. It is also still illegal in the US.

More or less, it’s an extremely depressing documentary about people choosing to die in a dignified manner, rather than live in agony and/or  die an undignified death in a hospital somewhere once their disease has run its course. And I think everyone should watch it. Because not only do you learn something, but you see what two men who have chosen to die go through on a day to day basis, and they explain why they have chosen this path. You also see Sir Pratchett discuss with them and their families why they made this decision, and why they think that the UK should join with the rest of Europe in allowing assisted dying.

If you have no other reason to watch it, watch it for the simple fact that Sir Terry Pratchett is a phenomenal writer, and a phenomenal human being, which he shows time and time again throughout this documentary.

My grandmother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s a while back as well…