Thursday, April 23, 2009

PC Mac

I think I've already said how annoying it is that Apple has gone to Intel processors (PCs) yet require their OS to run on an Apple branded machine. They need to catch up with the times because IBM lost the clone war over 20 years ago and it's the same issue. Besides, what part of anti-trust and free enterprise do they not understand?

I didn't jailbreak my phone, after all it's already a refurb so who knows what problems I'd run into, and I'd have to be 10x as careful loading apps. I didn't try to get a hack patch to load my legal copy of MacOS 10.5.6 Leopard on Vista as dual boot, even though it can generally be done.

The used mac I bought a little over a year ago isn't up to date enough to run the latest MacOS, which requires 867MHz processor or better. The used mac I have has TWO 512MHz processors. Do the math, that's 1024MHz total (or 1GHz), and if the OS actually uses them in parallel it's faster with the two.

I haven't gone back to reading the SDK documentation yet but there's plenty of it to waste time while deciding whether to buy another used intel mac or see if I can replace the processor in the one I've got.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

iPhone app developing First Glance

I haven't even gotten my iPhone yet which I ordered Tuesday and should get today, and I am already obscenely disgusted, to the point I might just return the device in the first 30 days and avoid the contract and "Early Termination Fee."

The used Mac I had bought to possibly get into developing for iPhone is no longer supported. Maybe I didn't look into it enough and it wasn't supported in the first version. I have to think about getting an Intel-based Mac. I have more than 4 Intel processors in machines that are fully functional, besides some in partial configs.

Using Windows PC with the same processor supported but not bought from Apple and not containing Apple OS, what about "anti-trust" and "free enterprise" so they not understand?

Why did an iPhone app post turn political? Because they made it political. They artificially limit the device's capabilities in order to create demand so that they can sell new devices every year for 2 or 3 hundred dollars. Either you pay more for the newer model actually using capabilities the old device had but now licensed in the OS or you commit to another long term contract and AT&T (monopoly on iPhone service) pays part of it (as their write-off to advertising) which is likely negotiated much less than what you would pay (or nothing at all considering the business AT&T gets in this exclusive monopoly).

I cannot recommend "jailbreaking" the device. I don't even have one yet. But shouldn't the consumer who paid so much money for the device be free to use all of the functionality of their device? That's really rhetorical but it apparently must be posed as a question. With the new Mac clones, they violate the terms of the OS license that it it not to be installed, used, or allowed to be used on machines not bearing the Apple brand. How absurd is that? Especially since they've begun exclusively using Intel processors, the PC monopoly of processors just now getting some competition after all these years.

Sadly the largest of corporations become more and more like the government. They pretend that they have the right to force consumers to give away Constitutional rights, as if they could be waived. For example giving up the right to sue started with credit cards and now filtered through every "service" contract. Some now add small claims court, as the minimal amount in the Constitution is low, but what of limits by small claims courts, the Constitution says nothing about limits.

What can we do? We can only vote with our wallets. Stop paying companies who require leaching agreements, including using credit cards even if you pay them off every month. It the convenience worth the loss of liberties?

------
PS I forgot to bring up the documentation which contains hundreds of files many with hundres of pages that appear to be a competition on who can wrote the most content and say nothing. They try to be high level new user technical info, then they delve into low level UNIX structures. ???

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

iPhone development

I've been poring through literally hundreds of iPhone SDK (Software Developers Kit) files.

I have a LOT of reading to do.

I can't wait to get my iPhone. I just ordered it and it should be here Thursday.

So it won't be the newest model in a couple of months. Maybe I'll have an app ready before then, who knows.

Monday, April 6, 2009

How to be a Movie/TV extra during a Vacation to LA

Since I lived in LA doing extra work, and actually did my first gig unpaid by paying charity (different rules apply), I know lots of people would love to be an extra on TV or in a film. Sorry but this is for people 18 and older. Some stuff applies to kids as well but there are so many more laws and the legal parent has to be there and I don't know all the details for children. Currently only US residents too or at least legal work tax number not requiring sponsorship.

You might not be able to work on your favorite show and you aren't likely to get to meet any actors. Working as background/extra means part of your job is not to bother the principals (actors). No cameras on set, no picture-taking of celebs, no asking for autographs, etc.

Now that your expectations are lowered a bit, you also have to know that you might not be made visible at all, there's a chance you could be hired and never go to set, sometimes they do all day what they wanted to get done by lunch for various reasons, etc. Even if you make it on camera, and it is VERY important to remember NOT to look at the camera unless that is your explicit instruction, it might be edited so that you don't get seen, the scene might get dropped, etc.

Now that I've burst your bubble, there is a chance you could be seen and recognizable in a shot or more than one shot. There's a small chance you could be close to the actors and even interact with them, no speaking of course unless explicitly directed to do so.

Maybe this should be in multiple parts, but I'm going to try to get enough info in here.

Given hiatus (scheduled breaks) the best months to plan such a visit would be August through November and February through April for TV shows. There will be some movie work most of the year except holidays but you never know.

Plan your trip around having an early-on Monday/Wed/Fri at the beginning and about 3 days or more afterward. Whatever you plan to do as a tourist, you will probably want unscheduled so that you have whole days available to be on set, or do sightseeing on days when you don't get hired to work on set.

For non-union (not a member of Screen Actors Guild, or if applicable AFTRA) registration with Central Casting is held M/W/F at 10:30am for about an hour or so. The address is 220 S. Flower St, Burbank CA. Be there early, dressed for a photo to be taken how you would like to appear, business attire or hip and trendy and some might have a swimsuit body and have an additional photo taken (might cost more, not sure).

Street parking only, more reason to get there early. Don't park in the bus station lot or any business lot as your vehicle will most likely be towed. If you don't mind walking a couple blocks there is usually somewhere you can park. As always in the area, check for signs about restricted parking by times/days, etc.

You will need either a photo ID such as drivers license along with Social Security card; or a valid US Passport. The registration fee is $25 cash only. The fee is subject to change, don't flash your cash stash when getting the money. There is an ATM a few blocks away, better to go beforehand.

You will be filling out a registration form and asked your measurements, height and weight, plus chest, hat, shoe, bust for ladies, dress coat for gentlemen. They will probably have measuring tapes for you to get the measurements but probably not assist you in getting them.

There will be someone giving an info talk and possibly questions but limited. You will wait in line (likely two lines) to give completed registration forms to people at computers. Have ID(s) ready. Then you will wait in another line for photo. You will pay the $25 (or current registration) at the counter where you will get your photo taken. Stand at the T, look into the camera in this case, and smile your best until the flash goes off (on and back off). They will usually be helpful to make the photo better but don't waste too much time.

There's a chance that a Casting Director (CD) will be lurking to see if there are model types or something special needed for an upcoming episode. Decide for yourself how much to admit if asked about being added to a specialty list (since you are not local, and they will be less inclined to want you, but I would recommend not lying).

Once you are registered, you can usually call in for work the same day. This is the very annoying part. Although they are not the only background casting, they handle probably 90% or more of TV shows in the LA area and some movies. The number they give you will be a recorded line of available background Casting Calls. Unless they have updated their system, there is a lot of dead air because they cannot skip empty "boxes" when cycling through them. Listen carefully to what is wanted for a call.

Have pen and paper ready when calling to jot down details and especially the number to call to try and get booked. If you hear something that matches you, and be totally honest thinking about your age and don't pretend you look more than 5 years younger than that unless dozens of people who don't know you have told you that.

There is a different line for women and men. They will ask for ethnicity and possibly age or age ranges, height, build, wardrobe, distinguishing features, special abilities (and don't claim to be able to do unless you know you're as good as they say they want, they likely need you to bring the prop or equipment and pay a little extra for that). Sometimes you will hear a call that you might have missed, and they've updated and all they need are a certain number of an age range or ethnicity. They really do have a number from production of how to fill the slots based on gender, age, ethnicity, etc.

Back to hearing something you match, on a show or movie you would like to work on. You might want to hear the message more than once before trying to call in. Sometimes it is a nightmare trying to call in. There could be a LOT of people and only a few slots. It's much easier to get booked on a "cattle call" of hundreds or even a thousand or more, but not very likely that you'll be visible in the final cut.

Don't assume you can go buy wardrobe unless you're disgustingly rich and can make anything happen quickly and know where to look and exactly what to buy for anything didn't bring with you.

If the call is for multiple days, they will usually say so, otherwise it is only for one day. Sometimes they know the Call Time (time to be on set and ready to work) and sometimes you have to assume you'll do nothing else that day and get the Call Time in the evening. One reason for this is that consecutive days have a union turnaround minimum and they decide the Call Time for the next day based on when they wrap that day.

Note that you probably have to keep calling the info line listening for Casting Calls multiple times before hearing something that fits. If you happen to be 18, you won't have to listen as long. There are a lot of calls for "18 to look younger" to play high school, etc.

OK say you've found something you fit and a day(s) you know you can commit to, you call the number that they give and either keep trying for the CD to answer or keep trying so you can leave a message. Always when calling, be ready with "First 5" which is what they refer to as the first five digits of your Social Security number. This is how they look you up in the computer. So have ready or memorize them. They'll want First 5, Name, and Project calling about. Sometimes they're only doing one at a time, other times they have multiple things going.

If they pull up your info and photo and think they can use you for the Call, they will wither give you a call time, or just a Tape # for the other info line. The Tape info line will ask for the number, and you will have to have it so write it down. Have pen and paper ready when trying to call the CD or getting a phone call from them. As I said before, all info might not be ready until the evening so you might have to call the number multiple times and enter the # for the Tape/Box. Again you will want pen and paper to jot info about the job.

There will also likely be a second # for Call Time changes. You will be asked to check that before going to bed and again in the morning to be sure it hasn't changed. Other things to consider are night calls where starting time is afternoon/evening and could run 8-12 hours or more, and location.

Probably the best thing for locations if you can afford it is Rand McNally's Thomas (Bros.) Guide. Google maps is often good enough but the actual street number placement is better with Thomas Guide. They often give page and map grid for Thomas Guide when telling you how to get to a location. If the location is a studio, your name will have been added to a list with permission to enter the studio lot. They will likely tell you where to park. There might be additional security (especially Warner Bros.) before entering the lot. Allow extra time for all of this, and finding your way to the sound stage in the lot (could be a long walk).

You will need to take additional clothes with you. There are various reasons for Wardrobe to choose different clothes and it doesn't matter, just wear one and take two changes or more and be ready to change. If they think you look like a cop or military they might have the wardrobe for you (and haircut and sizes were probably already discussed before hiring you).

Once hired, even if your a billionaire, treat this as a job, albeit paying only California state minimum wage. As background/extra you are about the bottom of the hierarchy so don't have attitude about being told what to do or where to be, etc. Also treat it as a priority to be there (allowing for horrible traffic, etc.) on time and quiet when needed available when needed, etc. Don't wander around a studio lot beyond going where you are supposed to be and the restroom, or commissary if there isn't catering.

This might not be the best time to try and do this with unemployment as it is, but maybe keep the info for later. If you want to do this, I know you will.

Know who and/or where to report to when you arrive on set. Many times you're only given the location and if you're early as you should be eager to be on set, you might wait around until more background show up or Production Assistants (PAs). A PA will usually have the vouchers (work payroll data forms) for you to sign in, and tell you where to be.

If you get an item from Wardrobe or Property (Props) you will usually give a copy of your voucher (at least three "carbon" pages) to hold so that you return the item to be paid. Not taking the pay doesn't mean you aren't stealing if you don't return Props or Wardrobe.

The PA (or possibly 2nd Assistant Director, 2nd AD) will tell you where Holding is. This is where you will sit and wait. Hopefully it isn't too close to set and you can talk, but sometimes you have to stay quiet at least while they are Rolling. You will need to be in this are or the restroom or on set at all times. If you want the option of being seen (maybe don't do the school nerd hand-raising thing) you will want to be available and actually volunteer. Sometimes if you volunteer the PA or 2ndAD will use you more often and/or place you more visibly in the shot. There is a LOT of "Hurry up and wait."

If breakfast is provided before shooting, you will be told where, etc. If you are there more than 6 hours you will likely have a lunch break (payment penalty might be chosen instead and you might be there less than 8, but you still get paid for 8 as you were hired for 8). "Come having had" means that a meal will not be provided before any shooting. There are often different lines for union and non-union food, both meals and Craft Services (sometimes called Crafty). Craft Services will have snacks and water and maybe sodas. Sometimes the different lines have the same food, sometimes they do not. If you want to protest conditions, do something when you aren't on the job as non-union. SAG (or AFTRA) regulates conditions but not for non-union. Sometimes there are state law issues. Try not to "rock the boat" unless there is a real reason to.

OK now you get called to set, and you will often single-file into a space and play the quiet game. Go where you're told and do what you're told to do. As I said before, don't look at the camera when rolling unless explicitly told to do so. Pay attention to where it/they are so you won't look for them while rolling (if you look for them, you'll be looking into the camera before you realize it). "Back to One" or "Reset" means to go back to the position you were placed at the top of this scene. Usually you'll either be told to sit at a table in the background and pretend to have a conversation, usually without speaking, or make "crosses" where you are walking in/through the background or possibly even in front of the camera. Pay attention to cues, "Last Looks" usually isn't for background, occasionally they do hair/makeup adjustments on background that is seen well, that is usually called for them to make adjustments to the principals (actors). Sometimes "Background" or "Background Action" is called separate from "Action" to have the atmosphere in motion before the action takes place. Background is there to make it look like a REAL place. Sometimes you will get done with any crossing told to do, other times they will have to "Cut" in the middle. "Places" might be called instead of "Back to One" or "Reset." You will often repeat a scene more times than you would like. Unless told to change, you will try to match the same crossing movement so editing will result in realistic, or more realistic results.

Working background you will meet all types. Try not to be judgmental. Many will be more talented than background and networking. Many networking will aspire to be producers or directors. Some will have talent and low budget projects and some might not have a clue what they're talking about. Take some things with a grain of salt but mainly just try to have a good time and be a good employee.

Hopefully I've put enough info in here to actually register and know what to do to get a job, go to it, and work on a show or movie. There's a lot of info. There are all kinds of things that might come up and I obviously haven't covered every possibility.

If you have questions you can leave a comment and I will try to answer. I would love to hear any success stories whether you just loved working a show or movie or were visible in the final cut or anything exciting you want to share.

Federal Government and Ownership

The US federal government has been taking control of more and more companies lately. Some of these companies have assets that include current mortgaged and foreclosed properties. As we fear the government is bankrupting itself, barring its overwhelming debt to China, what will it decide is necessary to keep from going bankrupt when China call in the loans?

In the past, the federal government has made it illegal for citizens to own gold. Any gold was seized and owners who did not surrender the gold willingly were guilty of treason. If the current federal government were to take possession of all of the indebted assets it currently has available, it would not even have to make ownership of anything illegal (as it has done in the past) in order to amass unimaginable amounts of property.

With North Korea testing rocket launching capabilities and lying to its people, and the 6-member council unable to even formally condemn this act, we see China and Russia very likely to align themselves with North Korea if push comes to shove. If they became allied against us, what of the trillions in debt to China.

Consider all of those assets as collateral for the debt.

Remember that even though Putin is not the principal leader of Russia, he still remains in government and could be elected to power again.

Note that Khaddafi (FKA Qadaffi) is the current Libyan president, and the current rotating head of the African Union. One of the African leaders has been found guilty of war crimes and the Arab nations are divided over how or whether that should be handled. A Mediterranean trade group including some Arab nations could split and/or the African Union split in light of these and other developments in the area.

Tensions are growing among and within groups of nations.

What will the assets be worth that the federal government owns be worth if the dollar is devalued beyond our current belief?

There is already too much availability and control of currency value in the global market. It is too easily manipulation by OPEC (oil cartel) and the International Monetary Fund. Currency can be bought and sold and has speculation and betting as any stock or commodity. Recent ads make available currency trading to anyone who is willing to pay fees to do it.

We are coming to the point where all of the nonsense defining what anything is worth is meaningless. Everything that the free market tries to value is already corrupt with lobbying of the government and/or government officers' ownership in companies.

The conglomerated corruptions that have led the global economy(ies) to recession are leading to global regulations to prevent it from happening again. The global regulations will be a global socialist union and then God help us all.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

How to Track a Vote in the House of Representatives

I know this is quite a convoluted process, which is why it has to be explained in the first place.

Note that this information is subject to change, the website look an navigation can and will likely change. The terminology could change (not that they would make it more difficult to find information, right?).

In the past I have seen House votes listed in a meaningful way, like the Senate's votes (which I will cover in a later post), by state is the most useful as people might not know the name of their representative or their name could be similar to another representative.

Here goes:

To get the proper info "from the horse's mouth" so to speak, start at

http://www.house.gov

Along the left side is a menu list. Under the "Resources" find "Clerk of the House."

Click on that and it takes you to http://clerk.house.gov .

On the navigation bar across the top of this page:

About the Clerk's Office
Member Information
Committee Information
Legislative Activities
Art & History
Public Disclosure
House Library

Hover over Legislative Activities, and the frame underneath changes accordingly.

Under Legislative Activities should be:

House Floor Proceedings
Congressional Schedule
Roll Call Votes
House Documents

Click on Roll Call Votes.

That should take you to a page called "Legislation & Votes."

On the right side of the split layout is "Roll Call Votes." Under this, click the current Congress which right now is

111th Congress, 1st Session (2009)

That will take you to an index, currently http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/index.asp with the most recent votes up to 99 or 100 per page.

The table contains the following items:
Roll Call Vote Number
Date
Issue (e.g. resolution name and number)
Result (P = Passed, F = Failed, A = Agreed-to)
Title/Description

These are labeled on the table.

For results prior to the most recent items, there are links at the bottom for each grouping, e.g. 1-99, 100-199 (to date it is only up to 192). Click on the link and you get a table of those entries.

Then to navigate, use Back because those pages do not have links back or to other pages.




Now, for example we want to look at the vote on House Resolution 1 (first resolution for the 111th Congress).

Click on Roll Calls 1 Thru 99 [sic]

Now scroll down to at least Roll 70 which was 13-Feb and you will see H R 1 underlined as a link. Note that the vote # is also a link to the tally (which is currently a table of names, first and last separate and state listed in parentheses with last name, i.e. a mess).

Click on H R 1 and you get the THOMAS Library of Congress listing with a descriptive title and links to all kinds of good information about the resolution.

Clicking on "Major Congressional Actions" will take you to a timeline of actions in Congress.

For this particular item, you can see the House and Senate vote totals for each time it was brought to a vote. If you click on Roll no. ### you will get the jumbled table mentioned from the Roll # link above.

The Senate vote tallies are also listed along with a link to their vote (Record Vote Number: ### which can also be found starting from the senate homepage). Note how these tallies are actually useful in multiple ways.

The final Txt or PDF is currently not available, but if you go back to the H R 1 info page you can click on Text of Legislation which brings you to an index of all forms and the last is the most recent (though no dates appear on the index). For this one you can see #8 is listed as passed by both House and Senate).

The link takes you to yet another outline of links for the text, but there is also a Printer Friendly Display link which is more of a document form but I wonder if it is the entire text.

Warning: looking through the index table can be nauseating, especially looking at some of the items time is wasted on when they don't bother to read or even give time to read $X trillion spending bills before passing them.

What If

If someone had told you 2 years ago that a simple status update logging site with an additional direct message (both only 140 chars) and followers/ees would be offered $500 million, you would have said they were crazy.

Twitter turned down that offer. You might say that's more crazy, especially with it's "value" at $250 million. (2 more things you wouldn't have believed.)

In the Twitterverse/Twittersphere I ran across an interesting concept for social media and social networking that is just starting out.

It's free to join and you get 100 "shares" for signing up. That might be worth only 10 pence now but imagine if you had that or more in twitter before it might sell for more than $500 million.

You also get bonus "shares" for referring people. The people will later have to complete the sign-up process which will include address as required for share certificate by UK law, and verified as unique individual (no signing up other email addresses as fraud to get more shares).

The video on the site is a bit cheezy and not-so convincing, but if you do the preliminary sign-up you see the experience backing the development of the site.

Imagine a global social network that is also a global marketplace and entertainment centre. After seeing a lot of the bits and pieces, and some conglomeration of them and competing efforts and seeing how all of the things you want to do requires several site registrations so why not make a place to do it all in the same place?

http://me2everyone.com/376203 wants to be that unified place.

Consider signing up and you could own shares in the next Twitter or FaceBook or MySpace that might even replace them. Nearly 400,000 members are already signed up worldwide. As a shareholder you would benefit from profit but not be liable if there are any losses.

You have nothing to lose and might just be ahead of the curve signing up for the next big thing before it makes it big.

At worst it could be part of the New World Order but in that case might be the only means of global capitalism left.

Backing by the UK government displays an effort for entrepreneurial reform to bring some health back to the global economy. This could create millions of jobs for individual entrepeneurs whose companies get big enough to hire more people to keep up with business.

Friday, April 3, 2009

A New Age of Narcissism

I saw Dr. Drew on Carson Daly's show last night. There was some good stuff. Although it isn't totally new for kids to want to grow up and be Britney Spears or whatever teen idol, it has reached epic proportions. "American Idol" and other reality contests and shows are so popular because of that which was already present, yet feeds on it to amplify it.

One major difference in recent times is that we know more and more of the celebs' private lives. So all of the new shows about teen idols from the 70s and 80s and their drup problems and antics are new to most people who saw them when they were stars. These days we usually find out a lot of the worst details that seem to try and destroy careers of the most famous. The problem is that they just linger those careers on much longer after they probably would have been forgotten, replaced by the ever-next best thing.

Dr. Drew was talking about some of the ways current culture promotes this and a shot of twitter was on his computer screen though the name was never mentioned. Perhaps this was a Legal Department recommendation, just in case. However, twitter has obviously plugged into people's desire for others to want to know everything they do down to the slightest detail.

Twitter is not alone in giving voice to the narcissist, as all of the social media sites allow exhibition qualities to go into overdrive. The sites themselves are not to blame for the best or worst uses, though it begs the question whether playing to these desires escalates them.

Dr. Drew tweets his own horn a bit, but he is doing good and helping and trying to help people, and there is a balance with motivation to better oneself. Much unlike such celebs as Ashton Kutcher who use it as a self-controlled paparazzi feeding fans the details they want from tabloids, which he condemns for doing the same thing mainly because he cannot control what they publish and when they might catch a candid, unprepared shot, and he doesn't get profit from it, well not directly as a royalty though it feeds his fans who keep alive their desire to know more about him and keep alive their following him through buying movie tickets and watching advertised shows that he actually does make money from. How much is the performance in a movie or television show worth? The market seems to derive it from what advertisers who waste billions every year are willing to pay, sometimes resulting from what movie-goers are wiling to pay.

All of the social media sites give a venuw for people to share their everyday lives, their passions, their hopes, their boredom. Site allow and are even devoted to home video, some more professionally edited video to showcase ability or lack thereof, to albums of photos for the same purposes or lack of purpose.

The problem is people's addictions and self-delusionment which can lead to serious problems. There is a natural balance to every system known or not yet invented and these things eventually balance themselves out. The problem is that the extreme victims of self will get a balancing blow that they might not survive.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

ER: The End of another Era

OK, so it's just a TV show but how many TV shows last 15 years in prime?

It's been on so long that I've watched it "regularly" at least 3 non-contiguous times. One of the great draws was the frenetic pace with tracking shots of the fast-paced Emergency. Dr. Michael Chrichton envisioned the revolutionary approach to showing the reality of an E.R. many years before they were technically prepared to tackle it.

They wanted to show the ensemble with real relationships and faults, but struggled with the balance of medical drama and soapy drama. I think they got carried away with drama lines and ebbed and flowed in a pendulum of this balance.

As most things are, it was its best when the balance was more even.

Many writers haven't discovered what these guys have in making strong characters, not flat but with some duality, and enough story to build on genuine emotion. The writing made the performances better, and maybe that cycled continued into better writing.

I haven't been following ER recently but it has been interesting how they have worked in bringing back the biggest characters during the last few episodes.

ER and Chrichton (who recently passed) will both be missed, but the show will go on, DVD and possibly further syndication, but mostly in episodes available online, as we move to new media.

I was fortunate enough to be an extra on episode 11.14 (season 11, episode 14) "Just as I Am." Laura Innes and guest star Frances Fisher were on set on-location in a church. I was only there briefly (would rather have been singing in the choir) and was barely seen. It's cool to (almost) be a part of something that big that touched people in such a way. The episode I worked dealed somewhat subtly with a hypocritical notion of churches' welcoming all without judgement, when there is actually more judgement even from family members. In a very natural way it showed a touch of the real pain in emotion beside the physical pain of the patients.

I am watching the clip/interview show and then the final 2-hour episode, that is said to be a closing (denoument) mirroring the introduction (exposition) of the first 2-hour episode.

No spoilers for the west coast people who will get to have their final (all-new) ER experience later tonight.

I'm hoping severe weather doen'st interfere too much with the show tonight.

Tea Party 2009 attire

I made a design with a catchy slogan I came up with and used a photo I took of the flag at Liberty Island (where the statue is).

http://www.cafepress.com/Tax_Go

There are cheaper options than the national one. I didn't put local city/state though. (Hopefully to be generic for nationwide, and all year long).

The April 15 event for Tax Day is set to be #2 of 10 events.

Here's a parking map (including lot with black marker circle not pin-tagged) http://twitpic.com/2nuh4

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Laptops

I usually buy behind the curve for cheaper products but my last 2 laptops were a display model discounted, and a mail-order higher-end with A/V upgrades.

The first had some problems but was usable for about 3 years, the usual lifespan of technology but one would hope the hardware would last longer. This laptop was around $1600 I think and besides the odd problem or few the hard drive had a failure in the boot sector. I recovered almost everything from the hard drive but got rid of the laptop.

I mail-ordered a slightly discounted 17" laptop that was about $2100 brand new. This one died after about a year and a half. I think the video card overheated and burned up.

Well I thought I would refuse to buy refurbished, display, and mail order but I've ordered another 17" that was around $800. I also thought I'd never buy a Celeron but when the off-lease desktop I got to dedicate to my business which I incorporated as required by some idiots who don't know up from down arrived DOA.

I gave some tips to an acting lady I knew in LA and she bought a similar model without some of A/V features a few months after my last one for about $500 or more cheaper.

Back to the Celeron which I am currently using. It was purchased brand new. It's slow as Christmas and keeps getting slower. Part of the problem might be the free antivirus software. Though it was a lot faster when I loaded it (maybe it slows down when they think you should have upgraded to paying even though they don't require it).

I did finally get the off-lease Pentium 4 fixed (it was bought mail order). The refurb people said it would be tested. It arrived working but with a broken DVD-ROM player. This might have been broken already but since it would not start up, there was no way of knowing.

Wish me luck with the new laptop that should arrive Friday. Lots of memory and HD space, Core 2 duo, so I should be lightning fast, at least compared to this thing. I need to get an underneath fan to keep it from overheating. Larger laptops are mostly stationary. Someday I'll be able to afford a real portable powerhouse. :)

Twitterverse

I kind of participated in a #peptrends event of Twitter.



1732 tweets in 90 minutes.



Some people were not at all on topic. Many good thoughts were retweeted (RT) probably dozens of times.



I wonder if many got much out of it except seeing what happens. The

Twitter

I've recently joined twitter and it's highly addictive though often quite annoying.

I've been trying to follow a chat type session on #peptrends and it's like jumble update on uppers. I posted (and someone said they know someone working on it) that I want an app that can do timeline threading a conversation, back and forth exchanges.

Granted when more than two are involved it becomes a question of what to show where and how but it's not a new concept, just new to twitter which is a simplified version of Status keeping public updates. Replies/mentions are public when it isn't something private. Of course some people probably forget others might be peeking in on their exchange, but most use DM (direct message) when it's not intended to be public.

Categories

So does blogspot not have categories?

I was going to separate threads of posts by category: Computers (multiple subs), social media (I have too many registrations!!! and I’m not on half the SM sites), movies (multiple subs), acting, poetry, music, songwriting, photography, politics.

Blogging for the Software Engineer

I had signed up for a WordPress blog account. I thought I had a blog set up on here but if so it's lost. Maybe it was another site. WordPress doesn't allow JavaScript at all unless you want to pay $500 or more per month, and that's if they want to "let" you pay it.

Anyway, I guess the WP blog will die a natural death as I won't be using it anymore. I could get paid hosting and setup a full database and a ton of crap that I don't want to mess with just to allow script. I don't think so.

Here's the URL if it's still up http://channin9.wordpress.com.

Here's my MySpace page with some older political blogs http://www.myspace.com/channinghumphries.

Here's my personal website http://channing-humphries.com .

Here's my profile as (an) Executive Producer for "The 1 Second Film" http://www.the1secondfilm.com/producer/3364.

I'm searchable in your favorite search engine. :)