A Few Things

I couldn't do it, I tried but it just didn't happen so we can't cross anything off yesterday's list as of tonight. I did manage to get a couple of things done. I got a haircut I've needed for about a month, and I set up one of the holiday gifts but all that documentation - less so.

The new class is coming together for me though, percolating. I am a strong believer in creative abrasion, the process by which ideas rub against each other in your head even when you're not actively thinking about them. Last night I think I cam to a preliminary content list:

1. Building Materials
2. Tools
3. Shop & Theatre Safety
4. Woodworking
5. Standard Scenery
6. Basic Rigging
7. Fabricating Scenery
8. Installing Scenery

16 weeks, two sessions per week makes 32 sessions. 8 topics and 32 sessions makes roughly four sessions per topic. I think I can work with that. Each of the topics could likely be its own course, but that's not the point of this class. If need be I could swish sessions around some; I don't think I want to talk about materials for four sessions, and "tools" has probably been covered fairly extensively already. That's good though as it will leave more time for some of the other topics.

I think we'll also continue the NewsPage and bring back the materials report, incident report, and add a "new gear" report. I'm also fairly certain we will solve one scenic piece each class. We'll also probably need "crew issues" which I haven't really needed for like two years. On top of that I am toying with the concept of asking this class to attend each put-to-detail and install scheduling meeting - seeing as how the class is "fabrication & installation" I can't think of any more specific means of bringing production to lab than that. Well that and then having the class available for production projects involving building or installing scenery.

So that's almost a class.

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Here's some unsolicited advice for the people running TV.

I know the writers' strike is starting to play havoc with the available content on air. I can tell by the dwindling new shows in the DVR menu. So a few thoughts...

First, don't make Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do their shows without writers. It's not the same. Even they know it's not the same; Stewart said the first night back "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has writers, without them it's just A Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Here's my thought, instead of their normal shows have them do a one hour Match Game in their place. Stewart could host and Colbert and the rest of their reporters could be the panel. They could bring in their writers as contestants. The game phrases could all be political: "Hilary Clinton it so emotional" (HOW EMOTIONAL IS SHE?) "Hilary Clinton is so emotional, when reporters asked Bill how she was holing up he said: It's even worse then when I blanked!" It would likely be better entertainment and it would draw continuous attention to the fact that the strike continues.

Just a thought.

Then also, I believe we ought to get right on the American version of Ninja Warrior. SpikeTV has the Japanese version of this show on right now and I think they could get decent ratings doing an American version...



... the Japanese version has athletes, celebrities, and even regular people; here they'd have a stable of TV actors, athletes, reality stars/champions, Playboy playmates, society celebrities - it'd be WAY cool. Someone get on that.

And another thing.

There are great shows on some of your more obscure cable channels that in all likelihood most of America hasn't seen that could make nice filler on network. Things like The Closer would be cool. I think Ice Road Truckers or Dangerous Catch would have legs - hell, if he could run I would vote today for Sig Hansen for President.

But the show I think would have the best chance would be Hustle...



It ran on AMC up until recently and is just fantastic. I am sure even I haven't seen all the episodes, and I know I would like to.

Of course, I guess there's also something in the idea that if they don't fix things it's better for us all in the end.

Oh, and Doctor Who and Torchwood wouldn't be bad additions either - but that's just me.

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The end of all productivity.

Tonight I installed a Slingbox on the Cable/DVR we have. It was a gift from my parents and should pretty much mean I will never accomplish anything ever again. For those of you that don't know, this is a device that streams the output of a video device over a computer network.

The upshot? Using our WiFi network we now have TV (and the contents of our DVR) anyplace in the house where we have a computer - as I type I have a crappy SciFi movie running in the upper right corner of my display (right over that annoying ad on the AIM console). So without buying another TV we have TV in my office, Mrs. TANBI's library, the kitchen, the workout room, the laundry room, the garage, the yard... you get the idea.

But wait, there's more!

See the Slingbox also serves the media over the internet, so when I get around to it I can download the player app at work and have cable TV (and the contents of my DVR) on my computer at work. I'm going to need Louis to rig me up dual monitors.

Maybe I should look again at that class up top and see if there's a place for episodes of The New Yankee Workshop streamed to class from my bedroom. Could work nice (and my Dad thought he knew how to use TV for class - ha!)