There are no bad ideas

Worth a Look

2012-01-24T18:45:00.003-05:00

With the return of classes comes the return of Worth a Look. Here are some articles from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Diversity in the Booth
Stage Directions: Imagine that someone charges you with the task of hiring a Black production manager. Once you have successfully navigated the why’s, wherefores and “say whats?” that making such a charged request would elicit in our current socio-political climate, you would find that you had very few options before you. Your hiring pool would be extremely meager, albeit spectacularly talented. Your hiring pool would consist of two individuals: David Stewart, production manager and SM instructor for the University of Wisconsin–Madison; and Tayneshia Jefferson, production manager/stage management lecturer for Indiana University’s Department of Theatre and Drama. Us.
Posted byDavidat1/18/2012 02:43:00 PM
The Rise of the New Groupthink
NYTimes.com: SOLITUDE is out of fashion. Our companies, our schools and our culture are in thrall to an idea I call the New Groupthink, which holds that creativity and achievement come from an oddly gregarious place. Most of us now work in teams, in offices without walls, for managers who prize people skills above all. Lone geniuses are out. Collaboration is in.
Posted byDavidat1/18/2012 02:37:00 PM
Should theatre leave more to the imagination?
guardian.co.uk: Ordinarily, the prospect of Rupert Goold tackling CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as he will do in Kensington Gardens this summer, would be a lip-smacking one. From the hellish industrial kitchen of his Macbeth to the tawdry glitz of his Las Vegas Merchant, the places Goold creates are always vivid, inventive and full of high-definition detail. So who better to create the grand landscapes of Narnia, Lewis's fantastical world within a wardrobe?
Posted byDavidat1/19/2012 04:59:00 PM
Stage role for TED
Variety: This week, Broadway types are just as likely to be talking about holograms and genomics as they are about ticketing and "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" lawsuits.
TEDxBroadway, a day-long conference organized by a trio of legiters, aims to get theater folk thinking ahead -- way, way ahead: The theme of the Jan. 23 event is "What Can Broadway Be in 20 Years?"
It's an unusual confab for the small, close-knit industry, which usually focuses more on day-to-day concerns of putting up and running a show. It's also an event that could make waves precisely because the community of Broadway movers and shakers is relatively small.
Posted byDavidat1/21/2012 10:59:00 AM
Beyond the Bechdel Test
2AMt: Soon after I wrote this Forum Theatre post on the Bechdel Test, the question arose: what might be a similar test for LGBT characters? Being both gay and up for the challenge, I gave it a try. Here it is:
The Test – Does the movie have?
1. An identifiable LGBT character
2. Who has a conversation with someone else*
3. About something other than sexuality
Posted byDavidat1/20/2012 03:29:00 PM

2012-01-18T01:05:00.001-05:00

Pretest

2012-01-17T16:26:00.001-05:00

I gave the Scenic Fabrication & Installation class a pretest today. How do you think you'd do?

F&I PretestS12

Everyone in the class has had a year and a half of crew, Stagecraft I, Stagecraft II, and Basic PTM and yet I see a lot of blanks. I may have to do a histogram. Maybe we have some gaps in our curriculum.

This Could Save You Some Time

2012-01-14T15:12:00.001-05:00

First Night 2011-12

2012-01-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Mrs. TANBI and I have a New Years tradition - she goes to work and I hang around like her entourage. It seems like each year the project grows just a little. This year the work crept out all the way down Penn Ave to 9th.

One of the coolest parts of the job is watching other people take photos. This year there were several families where they kids would lay down in the street for a picture. I didn't get one of those, but here's a very meta photo of someone else taking a photo.

Sometimes the pictures aren't really enough to see what's going on...

Of course the end of the evening is fireworks. This time ringing in the New Year was Rusted Root...

Things are usually too busy for me to really make sure I get it in, so once again: Great Job Mrs. TANBI! And Happy New Year!

Ellipses...

2011-12-30T20:56:00.002-05:00

Finally signed up for Skype: david.boevers if you want to be the one to have the awkward first conversation... The news people should be doing a story on how much time they are spending covering candidates they clearly think are ridiculous... Ran by the office for an hour today. Very sleepy in Purnell. Calm before the storm... Just can't get excited about the Iowa caucus. Fairly certain most of these folks can't get the nomination... If you have Twitter and you do like 5 tweets or more in a couple of minutes or less you are a) certainly being scrolled right over in my world & b) probably really annoying people with push notifications or audible alerts. Just sayin... A little bit things are coming apart in the Middle East, aren't they? Heard more about Russell Brand on the news today though... The county just mailed out property reassessments. Apparently our house is up 50% in 14 months. Think I could get someone to buy at that price? Me either... Really sad to hear how badly things are going for Sears. I hope they pull it together... The Local and The Trust are sniping at each other again and it is going to spill over into our New Years. At least it's not too cold this year so far... I think my end of semester cold is finally vacating my person... Today I turned around and drove home to get a club card that when I got to the store they told me I didn't need because it was on file... I'm trying REALLY hard not to gum up the new laptop and have it bog down. I don't think I'll be able to keep that up for long... On that note, does anyone know what MS OneNote is? It came with my new MS Office... Looking for the right things to follow on Pinterest. Not really doing that well (or trying that hard)... 17th Precinct looks good. Too bad NBC passed on it. Like a BSG holodeck episode... I figured out why my Satellite box and my Slingbox weren't playing nice. Now I just have to figure out a way to fix it... There's a mic somewhere on this laptop, but I don't know where... Remember all that consternation over the debt ceiling last time? Curiously absent this time. Makes you wonder why it was such a big deal last time (oh wait, he thought better of it - consternation in January)... Mrs. TANBI is out doing the dancing numbers again. Even bigger and better this year... If I were Samoa I would have skipped a Monday rather than a Friday...

BTW, PIPA not much better than SOPA

2011-12-27T18:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Senator Casey:

Hello.

I just happened across your name on a list of supporters for PIPA today. I wanted to drop you a note to let you know that although I believe some kind of remedy is necessary for online pirating, I believe (like many others, especially those with a working knowledge of the technology) that the legislation as written is too heavy a regulatory hand. The processes laid out in PIPA are too likely to be abused to the detriment of free speech and open networks. The US should not be following behind such regimes as China and Syria for our network policy - that's just embarrassing.

Please work with the other members of the Congress to come up with a better bill.

Semester Reviews Day Four

2011-12-21T21:07:00.001-05:00

I fell behind a day here. My twice annual "the stress is off you can get sick now" cold has settled in nicely and so last night I was for bed.

Here's the folks from Semester Reviews fourth day.

The early session kicks off with Senior PM/SM Liz...

Next up is Senior TD/PM/SM Katherine...

Apparently the dinosaur has gotten a little chilly.

Moving along we have newly declared Sophomore TD Meg...

Rounding out the morning session we have newly minted PM/SM Shannon...

Starting off the afternoon session is Junior BXA PM/SM Brian...

Next up, Senior PM/SM Hannah...

Then we move on to newly declared PM/SM/Sound Designer Becca...

Rounding out the Fall we have Junior TD/Lighting Technologist Robert...

And that's all there is this time around. I hope everyone has a great break.

And We're Back (Semseter Reviews Day 3)

2011-12-19T18:47:00.001-05:00

Monday Monday. Two more semester review sessions.

We start off with Junior PM/SM Devrie and a return to the crit board camouflage...

Second up, newly minted Sophomore PM/SM/Scene Designer Sophia...

Rounding out the morning session, Senior TD Charlie...

Starting off the afternoon session is Junior TD Sonia...

Next up, newly declared Sophomore PM/SM Zoe...

Capping the afternoon session, Senior TD Ethan...

One more session to go!

Fall 2011 Semester Reviews (Day 2)

2011-12-16T18:10:00.001-05:00

Clearly I need some oversite in the composition of the Semester Reviews schedule as this morning we had 7 PTM type folks and then in the afternoon there were 2. Makes for a sort of unbalanced day.

Starting us off this morning was Junior TD Tiffany...

Next up was Senior PM/SM Brooke...

Then we had Junior PM/SM Brian...

Next was newly minted Sophomore TD/Sound Designer Daniel...

and then we had Junior PM/SM Ariel...

Skipping around to newly minted Sophomore PM/SM AJ...

Rounding out the morning session was Senior PM/SM David...

After that we took a break and returned for the afternoon session. This was the first session this year with Frosh - although none of them will show up here as all from are DP's for a few semesters.

Afternoon session PTM 1 of 2, Senior PM/SM Chris...

... Chris mentioned his infographic resume. Super.

Finishing up the late session was PTM 2 of 2 newly declared Sophomore TD Jennifer...

That's all for Friday. We're off for the weekend and back with two more days of reviews on Monday.

Fall 2011 Semester Reviews (Day One)

2011-12-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

Day one of Fall Semester Reviews was a "Grad Day". Overall it went really well with good work and decent crits from all. No tears, although I think one of the students almost lost it. My single biggest observation? Many of the students were wearing black against a black background. It made them look like they were floating.

First up, Grad 3 PM/SM Devorah...

Next is Grad 3 PM/SM Calvin...

Than we have Grad2 TD Dale...

...Dale had a crit that really pout things into perspective.

Next up, Grad3 TD Tom...

That finshed up the morning session. It was a three session day.

This blur is Grad3 PM/SM Brian...

... I'll have to see if I can find a better picture online. Brian will get his own post at the end of crits for a three year retrospective. He's made a point of doing excellent crit boards.

Speaking of finding a picture online. Jake apparently got away without my shooting a photo, so I'll have to use the shot I got with my iPad while live tweeting. If you want to follow tomorrow, the hashtag in #ptmcrits.

So this is Grad2TD Jake...

Next is Grad1 PM/SM Jamila...

And then Grad1 TD Luke...

Next is Grad2 TD Matt...

That rounds out the mid-day session. After that, faculty ran off to the President's Holiday Party. I got stuck at the Tartan Pavilion waiting for the rain to stop.

The evening session kicks off with Grad1 PM/SM Cat...

And then Grad1 PM/SM Jess...

Next is Grad2 PM/SM Taylor...

... one day after class this semester, Taylor came by my office to say "what we did in class today was exactly what I needed." That doesn't happen often.

Rounding out day one was Grad1 TD Wyatt...

The end of a very long day. At least at the end of the day we have the knowledge that the other days will all be shorter.

Ellipses...

2011-12-14T00:46:00.000-05:00

So they're still standing. Really considering a failure pool... These end of semester grading binges always make me feel so good about myself... After 5 emails, a phone call, and 2 extra shipments Dell sorted out my laptop order (and I wound up with an extra copy of Office)... My truck sorta sounds like I feel. I really ought to get it into the shop soon... Looking at a bunch of trips and possible trips: Florida, New York, Chicago, Virginia... The alumni magazine did an article about the shows in Vegas and left out a slew of the people that worked on the show in Vegas, including me... Really I'd rather not hear about Sandusky again until the verdict... I read today that Sears isn't expected to make it through next year. I really like Sears... Trying to decide what I can and cannot install on this new machine. Don't want it to get all bogged down like the last one (although the absence of Widows Vista ought to help that on its own)... Just after I got all worried about the article I read exposing students abusing Adderal I saw an article saying they could take all they wanted. I wish the media would all get on the same page on what we're supposed to be worried about... I don't think they should have suspended Harrison, but I am a homer... Is it possible we really have seen the Republican nominee for President? They have to be able to better... The gift buying thing is getting the better of me this time around... I am staring a list of things I would do if I took a sabbatical. The odds of my getting a sabbatical are pretty long... Was nice to see the President on 60 Minutes. All that Republican TV time with no answer was getting to me... The ads on the TV for UPMC that don't overtly say they expect Highmark customers to get new insurance seem a little disingenuous... Not so happy to hear about Lowes decision on those TV ads... Really, really digging where Homeland is going... One of my grad school profs is retiring. I wish them good luck finding someone that teaches what he's been teaching. It's not a common skill set... The kids wanted to schedule 24 hours of strike. It took them less than eight... The House republicans really want that pipeline...

And Another Dino Install

2011-12-11T21:59:00.001-05:00

So my Tech Direction 3 class is at it again. We picked up a third installation for the Dinosaur pieces we built earlier in the semester. First stop was the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire. Next up was about a month in our lobby at the Purnell Center (someday I'll get some photos of that up). While the large Steg was in the lobby my boss suggested he thought they'd look good on the green roof of the adjacent building. So I send an email to someone else who sends an email and lickedy-split we're loading in onto the roof of a building.

Today we had three goals.

1. Don't kill anyone.
2. Don't wreck someone else's building.
3. Set up a nice display.

On the one side the drop was only about 12 feet. On the other side...

... just a little bit more.

We brought our Stegosaurus. For this piece its the third exhibition.

We also used the Parasaurolophus. This piece has been sitting out back of our building since Maker Faire waiting for another showing.

All in all the call went very well; maybe a trip or two more back to the shop than I would prefer, but on the plus side it wasn't raining.

This is the first extended exterior showing for the large pieces. I've had smaller ones outside for a long time, but not the big ones. Also, these are different from the ones I've had in my yard because they aren't from the exterior plywood. Before we took these out we put on a coat of deck seal, but a little bit I'm not overly confident that they will hold up in the weather. Just going to have to see. Also the wind is a little bit freaking me out, so we ran a safety cable through every piece on each model. Plus we tied the units down to the roof with additional cables.

If you'd like in on the Dino Failure Pool, shoot me an email.

The most surprising part of the whole thing for me was how small these things look in this setting. They could be double their size and still compose. As is they almost disappear. Who knew?

They still do look pretty cool though.

Worth a Look

2011-12-07T17:22:00.001-05:00

Here are five posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Andy Serkis Makes the Case for An Expanded Definition of Acting
ThinkProgress: We’ve talked about this a bit before, but Andy Serkis makes the case for why he should be eligible for acting awards — which I agree with, I just don’t know that we can nominate him alone
Posted byDavidat12/05/2011 03:58:00 PM
Chinese cancel L.A. Theatre Works' post-play discussion
latimes.com: A theatrical play about the struggle between a free press and government is one thing. A discussion about that same play is yet another order of magnitude, as the producers of L.A. Theatre Works' "Top Secret: Battle for the Pentagon Papers" discovered Friday night in Beijing.
Midway through a performance at the prestigious Peking University, producer Alison Friedman received a text message on her cellphone informing her that a talk after the performance would be canceled for fear of "unforeseen consequences."
Posted byDavidat12/04/2011 06:03:00 PM
Infographic Of The Day: 13 Rules For Realizing Your Creative Vision
Co. Design: Bre Pettis knows a thing or two about getting things done rather than getting them perfect: He's the founder of Makerbot, a company that turns out cheap rapid prototyping machines. No one would say they've been perfectly realized, but a key to Makerbot's success is that it has evolved in the real world, rather than foundering as just another great idea.
With that in mind, Pettis and collaborator Kio Stark gave themselves exactly 20 minutes to create a manifesto encapsulating everything they knew about bring a creative vision to life. They called it The Done Manifesto.
Posted byDavidat12/03/2011 06:16:00 PM
Who says there's no money in theatre?
guardian.co.uk: In the UK, we tell young people going into theatre that they will not – cannot – make money. It's a mantra that makes them begin to feel that they should not; poverty and authenticity become synonymous. There will be a few stars, of course, but most people should expect to graft (as Steven Berkoff puts it) and be rewarded with praise and the knowledge of work well done – but rarely with a living wage. (While union rates exist for directors, actors and everyone else in theatre, the reality is that people frequently work for less, and often for nothing.) Maybe struggling against adversity strengthens determination. But what does it do to aspiration?
Posted byDavidat12/01/2011 12:39:00 PM
How Millennials Can Survive And Thrive In The New Economy
Forbes: “People entering the labor market now not only will face a harder time finding jobs, but they also may have difficulty finding the careers they might be hoping for,’’ warns MIT professor James Poterba, president of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Same goes for income. Entering the labor market during a recession means an average of $100,000 in lost lifetime wages, estimates Yale economist Lisa Kahn. (That’s in present discounted dollars, for you finance majors.)
All this is a rude shock to Millennials, also known as Gen Y and, less kindly, Generation Me. They grew up believing they’d be flying high so long as they followed a well-defined path: Notch a high score on the SAT or ACT, go to a good college, earn a respectable GPA and get a decent job. Work a few years, then go to grad school for further seasoning and come out with a job lucrative enough to pay off those hefty loans.
Posted byDavidat11/30/2011 09:12:00 PM

But Wait, There's More

2011-12-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I just happened to think the convergence of these four articles in one week was of particular interest...

Michael Kaiser: The Death of Criticism or Everyone Is a Critic
Huffington Post: One of the substantial changes in the arts environment that has happened with astonishing speed is that arts criticism has become a participatory activity rather than a spectator sport.
Every artist, producer or arts organization used to wait for a handful of reviews to determine the critical response to a particular project. And while very few critics for a small set of news outlets still wield great power to make or break a project (usually a for-profit theater project which runs longer and therefore needs to sell far more tickets than any other arts project), a larger portion of arts projects have become somewhat immune to the opinions of any one journalist.
Posted byDavidat11/27/2011 06:22:00 PM
On Michael Kaiser and Citizen Critics
Createquity.: Responses are all over the original post and the blogosphere; Andy Horwitz has one of the best over at Culturebot. You don’t need to think too hard to guess at my reaction; after all, I’m on record as saying that I think citizen critics (though I prefer the term “curators”) are the potential saviors of the artistic marketplace. However, that’s not to say that everyone’s opinion matters equally in every context. I believe in experts, I just think that newspaper editors shouldn’t be the only ones who get to decide who the experts are.
Posted byDavidat11/27/2011 06:22:00 PM
There's No Such Thing as Constructive Criticism
The Energy Project: Here's a question guaranteed to make your stomach lurch: "Would you mind if I gave you some feedback?"
What that actually means is "Would you mind if I gave you some negative feedback, wrapped in the guise of constructive criticism, whether you want it or not?"
The problem with criticism is that it challenges our sense of value. Criticism implies judgment and we all recoil from feeling judged. As Daniel Goleman has noted, threats to our esteem in the eyes of others are so potent they can literally feel like threats to our very survival.
Posted byDavidat11/21/2011 04:24:00 PM
Stephen Sondheim: who needs critics?
The Guardian: After a rotten review, you don't remember the good ones. The only pleasure you have is to reiterate, both to yourself and to anyone who'll listen, the bad ones, which you can quote in exquisite detail. Moreover, you have to come to terms with the truth that no matter how doggedly you try to deceive yourself to the contrary, if you're going to believe your good reviews, you're going to have to believe the less good ones as well, unless you're deeply self-delusional.
Posted byDavidat11/21/2011 04:21:00 PM

Occupy Lincoln Center

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

One of the many blogs I cull stories from is one called "Theatre Ideas." The author there has some fairly pronounced thought about how then theatre industry is doing it wrong. Last week he ran a series of articles that is definitely worth a look comparing the 99% movement and rural arts...

Occupy Lincoln Center (part 1)
Theatre Ideas: If there were 100 nonprofit arts organizations dividing a million dollars, it would look like this:
2 organizations would split $550,000 ($275,000 each)
The remaining 98 organizations would each get $4591
The ratio is a about 60:1
In other words, the income disparity between nonprofit arts institutions is nearly twice as bad as the income disparity in the economy as a whole. If the arts are supposed to hold the mirror up to nature, it is a magnifying glass.
Posted byDavidat11/17/2011 05:39:00 PM
Occupy Lincoln Center (part 2)
Theatre Ideas: Yesterday, in the first part of this series, I compared the income and wealth disparities in the American economy to that of the philanthropic support of the nonprofit arts economy. It didn't come out too well. The income gap between the top 2% of arts organizations (those with annual budgets of over $5M) and the remaining 98% was twice a great as the income gap in the economy as a whole. I think that should make us all stop an consider a wee bit, because the situation in the economy as a whole is really, really bad.
Posted byDavidat11/19/2011 02:34:00 PM
Occupy Lincoln Center (part 3)
Theatre Ideas: On October 26th, one of the great pioneers of the regional theatre movement, Zelda Fichlander, addressed the assembled Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in celebration of the 3rd annual award named in her honor. The invaluable on-line journal HowlRound posted the text of her speech, in which Fichlander spoke passionately about the early history of the regional theatre movement and the values that formed its foundation. I take a back seat to no one in my admiration for Fichlander, who has provided strong leadership and a vital moral voice in the regional theatre and theatre education for decades. That said, there is a portion of the speech that is, frankly, inaccurate and one that propagates a myth about the development of the regional theatre movement that supports the lack of diversity that is revealed in the Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change report that has been discussed in the first two parts of this series.
Posted byDavidat11/27/2011 06:14:00 PM

Grover Who?

2011-12-01T00:12:00.001-05:00

I have to admit to being struck today by a political story. Usually I notice things like this before I see them in the press, but I missed this wrinkle.

With the Bush tax cuts set to expire not so long ago Righties were all over the media saying how they couldn't let it happen because letting the cuts expire was a tax increase. They all have this pledge that they've signed with Righty Operator Grover Norquist which basically says that if they ever raise taxes ever they will find themselves without support (read a loss of PAC money and a likely primary challenge).

Now that's just total horse hockey to begin with but that's a different post.

This post is about how now the same Righties are all over the media saying they can't not let the current payroll tax rollbacks expire. Caught up in the goofiness of the regular news coverage I failed to notice that by their own rules this would mean they are supporting a tax increase on the American people.

Where oh where is Grover Norquist? Why aren't these congresscritters afeared of losing their funding or of the impending primary challenges? After all they were so clear that letting a tax cut sunset was in fact a vote for a tax increase.

So clearly it really has nothing to do with an absolute ban on tax increases, just lefty tax increases. Righties can go ahead and tax the 99% all they want. The threat clearly only applies to lefty taxes aimed at the 1%.

Sometimes this country makes my head hurt.

Worth a Look

2011-11-30T19:11:00.001-05:00

Here are some posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

The Legend of Zelda
2AMt: I was a lucky audience member for the Oct 26th SDC Zelda Fichandler Award presentation at Arena Stage (which was given, this year, to Blanka Zizka of Wilma Theater). I wanted to attend, in part, because I had just joined the stage directors and choreographers union a few weeks prior and, in part, to support Howard Shalwitz who was being recognized as the Distinguished Finalist. What I didn’t expect was an education in the significance of the early regional theatre movement and how its principals can guide the theatre of today in becoming a true force in our cultural landscape, once again.
Posted byDavidat11/17/2011 05:34:00 PM
Study: On-Screen Gender Inequality Persists in Hollywood
Backstage: A survey of the top 100 grossing movies of 2009 showed that male speaking roles continued to clearly outweigh female roles and that females showed more skin on-screen, the "LA Times" reported.
Posted byDavidat11/22/2011 12:54:00 PM
From Petipa to Balanchine, Borrowing Is Part of Dance
NYTimes.com: The “Nutcracker” season is almost upon us — but can you be sure who choreographed all of the versions you might see? Last year, as I toured the United States in a “Nutcracker” marathon, I observed how more than 12 American productions featured the Sugar Plum pas de deux that Lev Ivanov choreographed for the 1892 original in St. Petersburg. But in only one case was the pas de deux — whose adagio, early on, features a beautifully spectacular phrase unlike anything else in 19th-century ballet, with the ballerina seeming to peel herself open in her partner’s arms — actually credited to Ivanov.
Posted byDavidat11/22/2011 12:50:00 PM
Good theater is good for the economy, to tune of $1.9 billion
The Denver Post: It will come as no surprise to artists that, for the second straight year, nonprofit theaters contributed $1.9 billion to the national economy in 2010, according to the latest annual survey by Theatre Communications Group.
But it might come as a surprise that no one seems to care. Or at least that figure doesn't hold much sway when it comes to supporting arts-funding measures at the ballot box.
Posted byDavidat11/20/2011 08:39:00 PM
NY Times Discovers The Coming Legal Battle Over 3D Printing
Techdirt: We've been discussing 3D printing for over a decade, including warning that some of the disrupted companies/industries are likely to go ballistic and talk about how they're being "robbed" by this form of competition. Hopefully, enough people realize this is crazy, but it seems doubtful.
Posted byDavidat11/17/2011 05:41:00 PM

Little Help Here

2011-11-28T13:19:00.001-05:00

____________________________________________________________________

Tenure-trackAssociate Professor -- Sound Design

Carnegie MellonUniversity

School of Drama

Pittsburgh, PA

Date Posted:Sep. 8, 2011

http://www.AcademicKeys.com/r?job=31781&o=139210&t=FI111128m-8e

____________________________________________________________________

Tenure-trackAssociate Professor -- Lighting Design

Carnegie MellonUniversity

School of Drama

Pittsburgh, PA

Date Posted:Sep. 8, 2011

http://www.AcademicKeys.com/r?job=31780&o=139210&t=FI111128m-8e

____________________________________________________________________

Assistant orAssociate Professor -- Stage Management

Carnegie MellonUniversity

School of Drama

Pittsburgh, PA

Date Posted:Sep. 8, 2011

http://www.AcademicKeys.com/r?job=31779&o=139210&t=FI111128m-8e

____________________________________________________________________

#theatreturducken

2011-11-26T22:12:00.001-05:00

While we were driving off to Thanksgiving this #theatreturducken hashtag appeared on Twitter - three plays strung together. What else are you going to do while driving all the way across Ohio?

Here are mine and some of the others I saw and liked:

dboevers dboevers

@
@keeboch murder by death of a sales menopause the musical #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dboevers dboevers

In My Life is a Dreamgirls #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dboevers dboevers

Oedipus the King and Aida #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dboevers dboevers

70, Girls 1776 Characters in Search of an Author #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dloehr David J. Loehr

@
@HESherman The Pillowman Who Came to Dinner With Friends #theatreturducken
22 Nov
Retweeted by dboevers

dboevers dboevers

#theatreturducken guys and dolls house of blue leaves
23 Nov

PatriciaMilton Patricia Milton

Kiss of the Spider Woman of No Importance of Being Earnest #theatreturducken #finally
23 Nov
Retweeted by dboevers

dboevers dboevers

Man of La Cage aux Follies #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dboevers dboevers

The Sound of Music Man of LaMancha #theatreturducken
23 Nov

dboevers dboevers

#theatreturducken west side by sideshow

23 Nov

If you click the hashtag you may be able to see the whole enchilada on Twitter.

Thanksgiving Ellipses...

2011-11-24T23:29:00.001-05:00

The folks that make the app I use for blogging on the tablet have updated it, so I guess I should give it a try... I guess I could temporarily suspend my disparaging of this holiday... I got the bird carving duties. I would have given myself a B, but I don't think it dragged the evening down at all... It's one hour until Target opens for Black Friday. We talked about going just to see, but I think we'll be more into sleeping at the moment... This time around I'm hanging pretty exclusively with Mrs. TANBI's family (for whom I am of course very thankful), maybe down the line we can get more folks together... Once upon a time we'd thought of having the holiday at the new place but it was not to be... We had the cranberry sauce that isn't in the shape of a can... Driving from home, at one point we dared to defy the instructions of the GPS. After we did it, instead of just the one green route line there was green all over the place as if the machine was saying: "so that's how it goes, fine, go wherever the hell you want"... In previous years this meal has included peanut butter mini muffins, but this year they were replaced with pumpkin mini muffins. I thought these might make a nice base for a stuffing... Not sure how it happened, but even with three games on TV I barely even watched one... I hate to admit it but there do appear to be one or two items on the Home Depot black Friday ad. Thankfully the nearest Home Depot is over an hour away so I won't be going... I totally cracked up my FIL when I suggested that instead of summer jobs I would recommend #occupy and give extra credit to students that get arrested... It's not about driving and football and shopping though, it's about family and I am thankful to have family to celebrate with...

Two Airports

2011-11-20T23:36:00.001-05:00

Videos I managed to get off my iPhone (harder than you'd think)...

Pittsburgh. Landside to Airside:

Las Vegas. To the C Gates:

Both trains have that jog at both ends so it must be on purpose. I wonder what that's about.

Pots, not Nets.

2011-11-18T18:44:00.001-05:00

Worth a Look

2011-11-16T16:10:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pages from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Ontroerend Goed: Are you sitting uncomfortably?
The Guardian: Alexander Devriendt was at a standup show with his girlfriend a couple of years ago, when the comedian on stage unexpectedly turned on her, calling her a bitch and telling her to sweep up the stage, since that was all she was good for. She professed not to mind, but Devriendt was infuriated, not least because he couldn't retaliate. "Because it would seem like I wasn't getting the joke. I hated that feeling," he says, still bristling. "I felt so unmanly."
Posted byDavidat11/10/2011 01:05:00 PM
Can Julie Taymor Shut Down 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'?
Hollywood Reporter: Julie Taymor's lawsuit against producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark might be a much bigger deal than most people realize. The initial media coverage of the suit Tuesday presents Taymor's claims as a dispute over owed royalties -- which is certainly part of what the director is seeking, but not all of it. In fact, as strange as it sounds, Taymor's million dollar claims are obscuring the potentially billion dollar ones.
Posted byDavidat11/10/2011 01:08:00 PM
Zandra Rhodes' designs mirror personal style
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The florescent pink hair gives her away.
Zandra Rhodes' locks are as vibrant as her personality -- and the clothing she designs. "People often ask me if I am dressed up for Halloween, and I tell them that I actually look like this all the time," Rhodes, the internationally renowned fashion designer, says with a smile. "I have had my share of people calling me 'Cyndi Lauper,' too, and I tell them I am old enough to be her mother. Recently, I have been stopped in airports in the U.S., and people have commented that they like my hair. So, maybe, things are changing. I think young people are more receptive to you looking different."
Posted byDavidat11/10/2011 01:13:00 PM
CMU Drama's Peter Cooke and Jed Harris talk about MAD FOREST
YouTube: CMU Drama presents MAD FOREST
A New Way to Go Green
USITT Sightlines: In 2008, I was the set designer for a production of Into the Woods. It was produced on our main stage, a 51-foot proscenium. It was a big set, done in a fairly traditional way for that show. A local high school was producing the same play a few months after us. We were able to give them a lot of scenery that we would otherwise have thrown away. It was nice to see so much scenery get used a second time.
Posted byDavidat11/09/2011 04:32:00 PM

Worth a Look

2011-11-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Art Talk with Anita Hollander
Art Works: As described by the New York Times, Anita Hollander is “provocative, funny, moving, communicative and beautifully polished…She has a wide range of vocal colors which she uses with dramatic sensitivity as well as comic insight…All this plus a charming presence that flavors everything she does.” Her extensive resume includes notable roles in Cabaret, CATS, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Oklahoma! just to name a few productions. Hollander also wrote and continues to perform Still Standing, a one-woman show that chronicles her adjustment to losing her left leg to cancer in 1977. In addition to her work as an actor and arts educator, Hollander actively campaigns for wider inclusion of artists with disabilities in all aspects of the arts and entertainment industries. We spoke with Hollander by e-mail about her version of the artist life and the challenges of getting the arts to be “truly reflective of the diversity that is our country.”
Posted byDavidat11/07/2011 02:06:00 PM
Goodspeed Musicals Will Open New Artists Village
Stage Directions: You’ve heard a lot in recent years about theatres spending millions to build fancy new theatre buildings, but I believe this is the first I’ve heard of a theatre building new houses for their artists. On Monday, Nov. 14, Goodspeed Musicals will cut the ribbon on their new Artists Village, a collection of 17 new homes of varying sizes (townhouses as well as 3, 4 and 6-bedroom homes) offering 65 fully-furnished bedrooms (each with their own private bath) for their artists. Goodspeed will use these home to offer better accommodations to visiting artists, but they’ll also use the village to offer more time to writing teams to work on a project, and the houses will be an anchor for economic development in the East Haddam neighborhood.
Posted byDavidat11/07/2011 02:06:00 PM
A Playwright’s Playwright
Gwydion Suilebhan: I have been thinking about Ashbery and Bishop ever since I saw a production of Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest at Forum Theatre not long ago. (I have intentionally delayed this blog post so that it appeared after the run of the play was over; I’m not a reviewer, nor do I want to be — I am simply a playwright thinking about his craft.) I have been an admirer of Churchill’s work for some time, ever since my first reading of Top Girls, and I was thrilled to be able to see more of it in person. I’m also a great admirer of Forum, which is one of the most ambitious companies in the DC area. No challenge is too great for them, and they swing for the fences every time.After the show, however, I found myself thinking: this is a playwright’s play. She’s using structure to reflect the psychology of revolution. The first act’s snippets of story are reflective of the way narrative is thwarted in a tyrannical state; the second act’s outpouring of story is the revolution itself, narratives released from their chains; and the third act is what happens after the revolution, when the long-repressed narratives begin to conflict and twist and reveal both their fault lines and their secrets. How clever of her, I decided… perhaps a bit too clever.
Posted byDavidat11/06/2011 01:38:00 PM
'Dusk' deals with end-of-life issues
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Debra Caplan from Allegheny General Hospital wants to spark more conversation about dealing with end-of-life issues. "It's all about listening," says the senior vice president who oversees the hospital's Northside Partnership. To help open some ears, the Partnership, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Forbes Hospice and the Area Agency on Aging on Wednesday will present "Dusk," a 60-minute play that deals with the decision-making process.
Posted byDavidat11/04/2011 03:40:00 PM
10 Minutes of Hobbit-y Goodness

Topless Robot: Peter Jackson's fourth video blog for The Hobbit came out, and holy hell is it a joy. First of all, it's 10 minutes of behind the scenes goodness, and so you get to see Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, all the dwarves, some Mirkwood, all sorts of stuff. Then there's the video's ostensible theme, which is 3-D. I know most of us are sick of 3-D, and I don't know that this will change your mind, but it is fascinating to discover how insane the shooting process is.
Posted byDavidat11/04/2011 03:31:00 PM

I Love This Scene

2011-11-07T13:14:00.001-05:00

Ellipses...

2011-11-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

Been a long time since I've really said anything. I should fix that... I have absolutely no problem believing Herman Cain did some things ultimately NSFW. I also think I wouldn't have any trouble believing it of pretty much anyone... At work on a Sunday. I'm the one that wanted the glamorous life in Show Business... Looks like folks in Connecticut have been without power for 8 weeks. Growing up I can't remember having the power out for mare than 8-10 hours. Why doesn't this bother people? It should... Turns out our new roof is really steep. Seems even steeper while you're sitting on it, and steeper than that while transferring back to the ladder... Trivial things really bother me. Maybe I should see if I can get a spot on 60 Minutes... I am not doing any better at timely grading than in the past. Really doing somehting wrong. Really hard to make a real change... Not for nothing, but I think "chicken pox parties" aren't the best plan... Got a new phone from my inlaws for my birthday. Went from 3G to 4s. Very nice... We're doing a production of "Hair." I wonder if there's a way to tie that to Occupy Pittsburgh... Trying to make safety glasses stick. Not sure I am going to be successful... Even when something is within your capabilities and your budget it is probably a decent idea to ask if it is really worth doing... The TD3 class got the bid on the project we were working on in class. Now they build it and get paid. Interesting new educational model... Watched the movie "How Do You Know?" the other night. It is SO not the movie they were advertising in the trailers... I wonder if it would be possible to put together an entire theatre season around the 99% movement? Start with Death of a Salesman... I bought these Genie towers for the theatre at work and they made this load in much easier, and yet while watching the load in now I want 8 little loadstars... After a few more season two episodes, I think it's clear that the folks doing "Young Justice" would like to be doing a Justice League cartoon. I don't mind that at all. Vacation ideas for Miami? Let me know...

Another Big Greenpage Week

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Once again I can't confine myself to 5 articles:

Unmasking Specter Studios
Pop City: The MTV show Rob Dyerdak’s Fantasy Factory just aired an episode that involved cast members in tiger, leopard and panther costumes. A member of the rock band The Flaming Lips recently donned a bear costume to perform their song Bear on stage. The cat and bear costumes—as well as two more bear costumes that will appear in a Volkswagen commercial to air in the United Arab Emirates and a bear’s head that recently appeared on the cover of Bloomberg Business Week—all hail from a warehouse located on a secluded side street in Sharpsburg.
Posted byDavidat10/27/2011 05:53:00 PM
Same-Sex Marriage Will Lead To Gay Kisses In High School Plays, Conservative Warns
ThinkProgress: The Family Institute of Connecticut’s Peter Wolfgang appeared on MSNBC with Thomas Roberts this afternoon to discuss the controversy surrounding a play featuring a same-sex kiss at Hartford Public High School.
Posted byDavidat10/27/2011 05:43:00 PM
Can DigiFab and Manual Craftsmanship Co-Exist?
MAKE: Among MAKE readers, we’re nearly unanimous in agreeing that the rise of digital fabrication is a complete game-changer for crafters, hackers, and tinkerers of all stripes. Laser cutters, CNC mills, and 3D printers have altered the way we think about design, and raised the bar for quality and precision in our work. I’m a passionate adopter of these technologies, but am also wary of the cultural shift they represent as they become more ubiquitous.I was talking to a friend about this recently, voicing my disappointment in so many talented colleagues of ours who stay strictly within software, afraid to pick up tools with which they could alternatively realize their creations. His response surprised me: “I’m more comfortable with a Wacom and Photoshop. I grew up with computers and I can’t imagine creating with anything else. I think digital fabrication is the future and I want to be a part of it.”
Posted byDavidat10/26/2011 02:36:00 PM

A LIFE IN THE THEATRE: Broadway Carpenter Charlie Rasmussen
Playbill.com: Meet house carpenter Charlie Rasmussen, the oldest active member of Local One of IATSE. Charlie Rasmussen arrived on Broadway as a production carpenter at the Broadway Theatre in 1950. Sixty-one years later, at age 85, Rasmussen is in his office at the Broadway Theatre, one floor below the stage where Sister Act has finished a Wednesday matinee — and where he has been, since 1980, the theatre's house, or head, carpenter.
Posted byDavidat10/29/2011 03:21:00 PM

SAG and AFTRA Condemn IMDb Revealing Performers' Ages
Hollywood Reporter: The Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA struck out at IMDb and its owner Amazon.com on Thursday, condemning their practice of revealing ages of performers without the actor or actresses' permission -- and then refusing to delete or change it even when that person requests them to do so.According to a press release issued by the guilds, there were recent behind the scenes talks with IMDb about this practice that involved SAG, AFTRA and other unnamed guilds, but those talks have now broken down.
Posted byDavidat10/28/2011 12:43:00 PM

Worth a Look

2011-11-02T11:26:00.001-04:00

Here are five articles from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Announces New Research on the Value Added By Cultural Industries
Arts.gov: There are 2.1 million artists in the United States workforce, and a large portion of them -- designers -- contribute to industries whose products Americans use every day, according to new research from the National Endowment for the Arts. Artists and Arts Workers in the United States offers the first combined analysis of artists and industries, state and metro employment rates, and new demographic information such as age, education levels, income, ethnicity, and other social characteristics.
Posted byDavidat10/28/2011 12:33:00 PM
Stephen Sondheim Chicago Tribune interview with Chris Jones
chicagotribune.com: At the top of "Look, I Made a Hat," the second half of his exhaustively detailed two-volume set of collected lyrics to such incomparable musicals as "Gypsy" and "Follies," Stephen Sondheim addresses some of the complaints about the first book, "Finishing the Hat." "The most common of them," he writes, "is that I didn't speak enough about my personal life, 'personal' being the euphemism for 'intimate,' which is the euphemism for 'sexual.'"After saying that he had been as personal as he could be about his creative life — a creative life that, among many other highlights, included early tutoring from surrogate father Oscar Hammerstein II and collaborations with such giants as Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Ethel Merman, James Lapine, Bernadette Peters, et cetera — Sondheim writes that these volumes are collections of lyrics, plus interpolations, not a memoir. "Look, I Made a Hat" deals principally with his work after 1981 and will be published by Knopf on Nov. 22. "If I'd wanted to write a memoir," he writes, "I would have, but I don't, and I didn't."
Posted byDavidat10/31/2011 01:27:00 PM
Artists, Institutions, and the Decline of Public Discourse
HowlRound: My two disturbing moments taken together, in what I will admit is a bleak interpretation, amounted to something like: arts administrators don’t want to be bothered talking about how artists feel disenfranchised anymore because they find the conversation both insulting and passé, and artists don’t believe what arts administrators have to say so why should an arts administrator bother to engage in the first place. All I can think is we’re mimicking congressional politics. We’re all happily ensconced in our immovable worldviews and we’re willing to manipulate whatever the other side says to prop up our own vantage point. This form of public discourse is straight out of certain disreputable news rooms most of us complain about. Our own discourse is no more fact-based, careful, or informed.As artists and institutions, we are actively participating in the decline of public discourse taking over our nation. And frankly, I think we should stop it.
Posted byDavidat10/31/2011 01:31:00 PM
Walk
2AMt: Over the past 48 hours, the culture pages in England have been filled with reports which are all variants of the same story: “Walkouts abound at The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Marat/Sade.” I first spotted this on Sunday in The Daily Mail and since then, the BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph, among many others, have all piled on. Marat/Sade, while an acknowledged modern classic, is a challenging work with content that surely doesn’t appeal to all audiences. So it shouldn’t really surprise anyone that a play about the Marquis de Sade might provoke squirming and even early exits; I suspect that Doug Wright’s Quills, also about de Sade’s incarceration at Charenton, sent some people fleeing from assorted theatres as well. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if artists involved in various productions of both of these plays see the odd hasty retreat as a sign that they’re succeeding, a badge of honor.
Posted byDavidat10/27/2011 05:42:00 PM
Critical Juncture
Theatre Communications Group - American Theatre – September 2011: Whenever I told friends that I was writing about 12 of the most influential theatre critics in America, I made sure to pause for the laugh. Are there a dozen out there? In this atomized age of Twitter and Facebook, with media outlets shedding arts staffers and shredding budgets, what constitutes influence? How was this list compiled? Not scientifically, to be sure. But these 12 journalists made the cut for specific reasons: years on the beat, quality of writing, reach of their voice through syndication, and, lastly, understanding of the field. Another criterion is quite blunt: Many of them are "last man or woman standing" in their communities; after they retire or take a buyout, it's unclear if some blogger or junior critic will step up to fill the void. As such, they form a vital phalanx of critical opinion that chronicles and weighs work that national media outlets are content to ignore. These dozen writers may not be flashy prose stylists or even revolutionary thinkers about their art form. But they have dedicated years to the field—and certainly not to get rich.
Posted byDavidat10/27/2011 05:48:00 PM

You Do It Too

2011-11-02T01:36:00.001-04:00

I just emailed Congress to urge them to oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation, known as the PROTECT-IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. This legislation seeks to give the executive branch power to conduct slash-and-burn campaigns against websites that allegedly host – or even link to – content that infringes on intellectual property rights. That would “disappear” whole domain names, fundamentally undermining Internet security, and/or choke off their financial support. The Internet Blacklist Legislation puts more sites than ever at risk, effectively upending the DMCA safe harbors that have been crucial to the growth of Internet innovation and creativity.

Sadly, these short-sighted and dangerous bills won’t do much to stop online infringement – but they will jeopardize our ability to speak and read online with the kind of freedom we cherish in the offline world. Deep-pocketed Hollywood lobbyists are aggressively pushing to control and censor the open Internet, willing to sacrifice free speech and our Internet culture in hopes of controlling how people view their movies and products.

We need to stop this bill before it goes any further. Will you contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation? Visit: https://eff.org/r.C8A

Now They're in the Lobby

2011-10-28T21:45:00.001-04:00

Goes to show you, leave the door open and you never know what will come in.

The plywood one Is from the batch we did for Maker Faire. The other one has the bones from the ones we did this summer in Precollege. Beth's scene painting class has spent the first half of the semester filling it out.

All My Platforms Runneth Over

2011-10-26T17:38:00.003-04:00

Worth a Look

2011-10-26T14:48:00.002-04:00

Here are some posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

New 'Phantom' to preem in Plymouth
Variety: Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," previously announced in Variety, will premiere at the Theater Royal Plymouth in March 2012 as part of a year-long U.K. tour.
Posted byDavidat10/24/2011 01:03:00 PM
Doris Duke Foundation announces a windfall of $50 million for performing artists.
The Washington Post: These are the kind of numbers artists like to hear. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced Thursday it is launching a new initiative to give $50 million over the next ten years to performing artists.
At a time when the lingering recession has rocked the larger arts community, individual artists have lost essential financial support from both the public and private sector. Duke hopes to fill some of that gap.
Posted byDavidat10/22/2011 01:50:00 PM
Arts Funding Is Supporting A Wealthy, White Audience: Report
Huffington Psot: Billions of dollars in arts funding is serving a mostly wealthy, white audience that is shrinking while only a small chunk of money goes to emerging art groups that serve poorer communities that are more ethnically diverse, according to a report being released Monday.
Posted byDavidat10/22/2011 01:37:00 PM
Does Warner Bros. Really Have Exclusive Movie Rights to a Story Posted on Reddit?
Hollywood Reporter: In the annals of Hollywood, there have been many tales of writers realizing their dreams by successfully pitching a studio on a film. But these days, with many studios getting sued left and right for allegedly ripping off ideas from writers, executives have become a lot more careful about unsolicited submissions.
Now comes the amazing tale of James Erwin, a largely unknown author who successfully got Warner Bros. to buy movie rights to his story about what would happen if U.S. Marines traveled back in time to fight the Roman Empire. Erwin accomplished this by posting a series of stories entitled "Rome, Sweet Rome" on Reddit.com, an online community that allows users to post links and have discussions with each other.
Warner Bros. aggressively snapped up rights to this story upon seeing it, but does the studio really hold exclusive rights to adapt a film adaptation?
Posted byDavidat10/20/2011 12:34:00 PM
Given Age Discrimination, Should Actors Be Allowed To Lie About Their Ages?
ThinkProgress: This is one of those situations where my instincts as a journalist, and my instincts as an advocate for feminism in entertainment come into conflict. An actress is suing the Internet Movie Database for publishing her true age on the grounds that discrimination against actresses over 40 is so pervasive that revealing her age would complicate her efforts to find future employment.
Posted byDavidat10/20/2011 12:33:00 PM

Mini Maker Faire Pics

2011-10-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

More later...

Less than 24 Hours To Go

2011-10-22T14:03:00.001-04:00

Come one come all...

Worth a Look

2011-10-19T14:41:00.001-04:00

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Eat, Drink, and Talk Seriously about the Theater
HowlRound: We ate, drank, and talked seriously about the theater. Mostly we talked about how talking about the theater is as vital to the theater as food is to the body, and that the various strands and strata of the local theater community could benefit from intersecting more often and directly. John said the six of us weren’t nearly enough, that there should be forty people at the table. So a few weeks later we threw a “Theater Salon” for forty invited guests on the stage of Last Planet Theater in San Francisco’s dicey Tenderloin district. To our delight, it went over very well.
Posted byDavidat10/17/2011 02:17:00 PM
Fisher Technical Services Flies High With Spider-Man
Live Design: Probably the first thing to clear up on the performer flight systems for Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark is this: Spider-Man can’t actually fly. “Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man refers to himself as a ‘webslinger,’ which is not the same as flying—he can jump very high and very far, and he can swing on a web line from location to location, but unlike a lot of other superheroes (and supervillians, for that matter) he does not possess the power of flight,” says Scott Fisher, principal of Fisher Technical Services (FTSI) of Las Vegas, NV, who were contacted to provide the performer flight systems for the show.
Posted byDavidat10/14/2011 07:10:00 PM
CPSC Table Saw Rules: Emotion vs. Numbers
Popular Woodworking Magazine: The Consumer Product Safety Commission will be accepting public comments on a proposed rule to improve table saw safety. Comments will not be accepted by e-mail, but will be accepted online via regulations.gov, or through the US mail. Submit your comment to CPSC online through this link. We hope that readers of this blog will choose to make their voices heard, whatever side of this issue they are on. This is an important issue, and we think it deserves careful thought and consideration. Unfortunately, most of the statements made by the parties involved have made use of emotional appeals, supported by numbers that have little basis in fact. Most of the media attention this issue has received, in the woodworking community and in the national media, has been repetition of these arguments. Whether or not we need government regulation for safety features on table saws should be based on a rational analysis of the costs versus the benefits. A lot of people get hurt every year while using table saws. These injuries can be devastating and life-changing, and treating any injury costs a lot of money. But will society as a whole be better off if new technology on table saws is mandated?
Posted byDavidat10/13/2011 01:00:00 PM
The problem that won't go away: Chicago's casting couches
WBEZ: Though sexual harassment is rarely as blatant as “Sleep with me or I’ll fire/won’t hire you,” most workplaces–and theater is no exception–are shot through with male bosses who are too friendly, male co-workers who are implacably hostile, and all the other symptoms of unchecked power to demean and intimidate women. And who has more unchecked power than a director in the midst of auditions?
Posted byDavidat10/13/2011 12:58:00 PM
In the Cut: Salt action previsualization
SALT Previs: Freeway Chase from Joshua Frankel on Vimeo.
scanners: Thanks to Joshua Frankel, who worked closely with director Phillip Noyce and stunt coordinator/director Vic Armstrong on the animated storyboards for the sequence I examined in "In the Cut Part II: A Dash of Salt," for sending me his previsualization sequence.
Posted byDavidat10/13/2011 12:56:00 PM

Wilkins Kitten Committee

2011-10-18T17:19:00.003-04:00

140 Characters or Less...

2011-10-16T21:14:00.001-04:00

21:44 Watching Green Hornet movie. Not the best film I've seen. #
12:08 Furniture repairs can be professional grade, props grade, scenery grade or DIY. I think today I only rose to scenery grade. #
14:34 @andreashock order of quality, yes #
14:36 3rd & 10, 3rd & 10, 3rd & 10... Tough to get anything done that way. #
15:42 Going to a march or a rally yesterday can't be the end. Stay vocal, stay involved. Anyone that runs anything is hoping you disappear: DON'T #

17:13

17:13 Worlds collide #
19:08 If you can't seat us together do me a solid and go for obstructed line of sight #

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140 Characters or Less...

2011-10-15T21:00:00.001-04:00

01:13 Watching Inception again. I think the top falls. #
12:39 Pittsburgh Children's Museum. Maker Orientation. #
19:53 @aerdin I know a few candidates for that last one #

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140 Characters or Less...

2011-10-14T21:00:00.001-04:00

21:08 oops, didn't ask for enough money #
11:20 Studiocraft CAD - coordinates. How many times have I done this? t.co/fmuWNzgH #
15:30 That thing I said I would do Tuesday - just getting to it #
17:38 who is playing on the cut? #
17:40 because it sounds like Melissa Etheridge #
18:24 Iliked it better when facebook sent you to the birthday person's wall #

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140 Characters or Less...

2011-10-13T21:00:00.001-04:00

12:07 Does your shop have a table saw? You need to see this: t.co/gmzllhbP @stagedirections @backstagejobs #2amt #
12:14 Does your shop have a table saw? You need to see this: t.co/gmzllhbP @BlueToolCrew @JamieNoTweet @donttrythis #
14:41 Technical Direction 3 - Maker Faire prep #
15:17 @giantspatula learning anything? #
16:15 PTM Pro Practice - Website Design #

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Also Maybe Worth a Look

2011-10-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

There actually were a lot of interesting articles last week:

Supreme Court Won't Hear Case Saying That You Have No First Sale Rights With Software
Techdirt: We had just mentioned the infamous decision in the Vernor v. Autodesk case last week, in discussing the Psystar decision. If you don't recall, the court in the Vernor case effectively decimated the concept of "first sale" in software, making it questionable if you could ever resell software that you'd bought.
Posted byDavidat10/06/2011 06:13:00 PM
The creative class is a lie
Salon.com: Someday, there will be a snappy acronym for the period we’re living though, but right now — three years after the crash of 2008 — American life is a blurry, scratched-out page that’s hard to read. Some Americans have recovered, or at least stabilized, from the Great Recession. Corporate profits are at record levels, and it’s not just oil companies who are flush. For many computer programmers, corporate executives who oversee social media, and some others who fit the definition of the “creative class” — a term that dates back to the mid-’90s but was given currency early last decade by urbanist/historian Richard Florida — things are good. The creativity of video games is subsidized by government research grants; high tech is booming. This creative class was supposed to be the new engine of the United States economy, post-industrial age, and as the educated, laptop-wielding cohort grew, the U.S. was going to grow with it.
Posted byDavidat10/09/2011 03:21:00 PM
The show will never go on again — the most resplendent abandoned theaters across America
I09: At the blog After The Final Curtain, photographer Matt Lambros documents some of the most majestically collapsing theaters across the United States.Despite the fact that many of these post-apocalyptic auditoriums have been vacant for decades, Lambros' gorgeous photos imbue these now-hidden places with a shred of habitability...even if all the seats have been torn to shreds.
Posted byDavidat10/06/2011 06:12:00 PM
A Nutrition Label For Building Products
Fast Company: Transparency is becoming increasingly important for a number of industries; you probably have some idea about the ingredients in your food, and thanks to sites like GoodGuide, your electronics, cleaning products, and clothing. But the building products industry remains disturbingly opaque. You have no idea what your house or office is made of. Since we spend so much of our time indoors, shouldn't we have a better idea of what, exactly, we're being exposed to? The Building Product Transparency Project, a partnership between design firm Perkins+Will and architectural product company Construction Specialties, is planning to shed a little light on the industry.
Posted byDavidat10/06/2011 06:09:00 PM
Is Kickstarter the best solution for independent creators?
Online Video News: Last week, YouTube star Freddie Wong made tech blog headlines when he launched a Kickstarter project to fund a new action/comedy web series about video games.The fact that he’s using Kickstarter isn’t news — it’s the fact that in 24 hours, he raised $77,000, $2,000 more than his fundraising goal of $75,000. As of Friday afternoon, with 21 days left, over $118,000 had been pledged. This is only the latest example of the thriving Kickstarter economy, which since 2009 has become an increasingly common way for independent creators to fund their projects.
Posted byDavidat10/05/2011 02:50:00 PM

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2011-10-12T21:00:00.001-04:00

10:12 @naavon just dial 9-9-9 #
10:13 @thespophile biz-arre #
10:15 Not my best start #
10:28 Idea for today. Stop buying bottled water. #
11:04 Technical Direction 1 - Shop Survey #
11:52 Democrats should be having monthly televised policy debates as counterprogramming #
12:07 Sometimes he's not completely wrong about everything: t.co/tWJVUiFD Sometimes. #

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Maker Faire

2011-10-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

See there, in the upper left corner? That's my prekies with their dinosaurs. We're doing a repeat with the Technical Direction 3 class for the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire.

I'll keep you posted.

Worth a Look

2011-10-12T13:29:00.002-04:00

Here are some posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Taking Note: The National Arts Education Standards
Art Works: The College Board, in partnership with the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), recently released two research reports designed to support the revision of the National Arts Education Standards. Building upon the 1994 National Standards, which were the result of a collaboration of professional associations representing dance, music, theater, and visual arts teachers, the next generation of arts education standards will describe what students should know and be able to do as a result of a quality curricular arts education program. According to the NCCAS wiki, the new standards will “support the 21st-century needs of students and teachers, help ensure that all students are college and career ready, and affirm the place of arts education in a balanced core curriculum.”
Posted byDavidat10/07/2011 03:29:00 PM
"As Above, So Below" as part of Immersive Surfaces.
NOTCOT.ORG: “Immersive Surfaces” is a publicly presented video projection installation onto the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn during the Dumbo Arts Festival from September 23 - 25, 2011. The multi- part video projection, created by over 20 international artists and curators, will cover over 30,000 sq. feet of the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage, Archway and the surrounding cityscape, through the use of cutting-edge video mapping technology.
Posted byDavidat10/07/2011 03:26:00 PM
Fair play: should gender equality in theatre be mandatory?
guardian.co.uk: But Pascal has a more interesting – and perhaps more controversial – argument: that the woman issue can be better addressed through Arts Council England. "I think unless we have equality being demanded at funding level, equality of employment for women at all levels, this is not going to change. I think the arts council needs to demand that this is implemented. I think it is purely financial – nobody will change unless they are forced to. There has been a massive push for disability equality, but there hasn't been the same for gender."
Posted byDavidat10/07/2011 03:23:00 PM
Are drama schools training actors for real life?
guardian.co.uk: In an era of job cuts, the redundancy of navy personnel and the perilous future of hospital services, it seems perhaps frivolous to expend pity on young actors – but spare a thought for the people who could be the artists of the future. The people who would, if they were only able to develop, bolster our tourist industry and entertain our hearts in the depression and hard times on their way. Theatre, said Lorca, is the measure of a nation's greatness. Our theatre is a jewel, and we are throwing its future on the dung heap.
Posted byDavidat10/06/2011 06:28:00 PM
Rediscovering the Lost Art of Research
Sightlines: For theatre artists, research is central to their work –particularly visual research. It can also become one of those problem areas to teach. Professors may ask, "Why don't my students get it?" and students chime in, "Where am I supposed to find it?" Hearing these questions and seeing students turn in undersized, pixilated images makes it an important topic worth addressing.
Posted byDavidat10/05/2011 02:55:00 PM

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2011-10-11T21:00:00.001-04:00

00:34 sad. "@GreatDismal: 39-percenter t.co/dO3cMiLB" #
11:45 @ellenjuhlin good job. #
14:45 Technical Direction 3 - Arduino Wrap Up #
18:45 Nice dinner with the folks from Flyspace #
18:46 Anyone using Tweetdeck? Anyone getting a weird "updating Tweetdeck" window? #
19:14 Greenpage Weekly Top Five: t.co/nBmqgAFm #
19:24 Can always tell from my Twitter stream when there' s a Republican debate on #
19:33 @bethsemler at least you have a pen #
19:56 photocopier, dead, of course. #

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2011-10-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

23:12 Occupy Pittsburgh? It's a thought. #
23:24 Own a home, save 4 retirement, insure your family, provide education 4 kids. Maybe Mitt is middle class. Thought I was too. Maybe not. #
23:59 @naavon have now moved all the cats and still no clamps. #
10:22 Stair Porn t.co/7uYIgXhU is somewhat less exciting to me now that I am more familiar with our local building codes. #
10:23 @iSparkle_Bee what track? #< /li>
12:16 Check out my friend Mark on the Today show: t.co/NibYLVou #
13:17 @jhuntington the xmas machine can't be stopped. #
13:23 What are they doing by the fence. #
16:43 @euromandy what show? #
16:50 Technical Direction 3 -Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire Dinohack production meeting @pghmakerfaire #
17:03 We could do a dozen dinos, couldn't we? I think so. #strangeclassassignments #
19:13 Seagull Black #rejectedpaintcolors #2amt #

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Ellipses...

2011-10-10T00:37:00.002-04:00

This Saturday there is an "Occupy Pittsburgh" event. Seriously considering going... River Song was a very ambitious and really interesting writing arc... I left over 50 points on the bench for my fantasy team, It's possible I shouldn't play fantasy football... I got through the whole weekend without the need of an ambulance. That's a marked improvement from last year. It didn't go unnoticed... There's a Greenpage article this week about if Drama Schools are properly preparing students for *life*. Everyone commenting is responding as if it were about if Drama Schools are properly training students for *the business*. Not the same... Often it worries me how little coverage the war(s) seem to get on TV. I mean, yes, bullying is important Andersen but we have troops in the field... Some students and I did a favors for some friends of mine. It seems to have come out nicely and everyone seems to be happy... I can now say I am fine with not having seen "Money Never Sleeps" in a theatre... I have to decide what we're bringing to Maker Faire. I'm thinking maybe 8 pieces, but there's someone inside me that thinks maybe more... Mitt Romney called himself middle class. I got to thinking about it and it's possible we're wrong... That play today, when Redman went into the pile, and then after an instant the whole pile surged forward, that was awesome... There are a lot of people I ought to call more often... Having watched four seasons of "Damages" I think it is possible season one is still the best... What would you do on a vacation to Miami or Fort Lauderdale? Now taking suggestions... It's got to the point where a day in the shop requires an equal or greater time for things to stop hurting. I could be wrong, but I think the answer might be more time in the shop... The students have really taken to the Arduino workshop. Guess I should make it a permanent addition to the curriculum. So much for "doing less"... Following the 99% tumbler really makes me worried. Really I don't need any help with that... My laptop. The worst. I wonder if it would run Windows 7... That cat we were going to put down - we haven't... The CPSC is going to wind up making table saws much more expensive (or lead to many current models to disappear from American shelves). Maybe I'll buy one next weekend just in case - after the rally...

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2011-10-09T21:00:00.001-04:00

00:16 Now wondering if next season Ellen will represent High Star against Patty. #damages #
12:33 Anyone seen my quick grip clamps? #
12:34 @pegele03 ouch. Don't do that. #
12:36 @giantspatula I am currently rewatching all of X-men #
13:33 I knew I should've played Garcon #
15:00 And that's that. #
17:30 @AskDocG you're most welcome! #
17:32 Install complete! #

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2011-10-08T21:00:00.001-04:00

21:53 I'm not sure the center of that story was supposed to be "Good people die." #
08:37 And now part two. #
19:54 Fabrication complete. Install tomorrow. #

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2011-10-07T21:00:00.001-04:00

22:47 @pegele03 clearly I am spacing something #
23:56 Bummer @donttrythis , really would have liked to have seen that cradle go. #
09:13 @giantspatula yes #
09:19 @giantspatula I think they do that to try to help convey period #
09:27 @KendraSerra what's most striking to me there is all the health problems, if it's a representative sample we are a very unhealthy country #
10:49 StudioCraftCAD - more basics. Tired students. Slow CAD installation. #
11:55 Doesn't "Record corporate profits" also mean "record available corporate capital"? #
12:54 THE MAN took my dollar changer off the soda machine. #
12:54 @CBPittsburgh woohoo - thx! #
13:03 #youmightbegandalfif your bumper sticker reads "my other car is Shadowfax" #

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2011-10-06T18:25:00.000-04:00

This was on Boing Boing in my feeds, but is gone from the site.

Soon it will probably be gone from here too.

Worth a Look

2011-10-05T15:06:00.001-04:00

Here are five posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

I know what it’s like to have failed, baby
2AMt: Over nearly twenty years of striving, struggling and occasionally thriving in the theatre, I have honed my strategic approach to rejection. If it’s a biggie, I give myself 48 hours to pout, weep, question my fundamental decency as a human being and eat raw cookie dough with a large spoon, but then I have to get on with it.
Posted byDavidat9/30/2011 02:32:00 PM
The Playwright's Dilemma
WSJ.com: Tony Kushner can't make a living writing for the stage. America's most prominent playwright confessed in an interview published in Time Out New York earlier this year that "Angels in America" doesn't pay the rent: "I make my living now as a screenwriter! Which I'm surprised and horrified to find myself saying, but I don't think I can support myself as a playwright at this point. I don't think anybody does." So far as I know, Mr. Kushner is right. I don't know of any American playwrights who earn the bulk of their living writing plays. Many of the older ones teach, while a growing number of younger ones write for series television. Itamar Moses, for instance, has written for "Boardwalk Empire" and "Men of a Certain Age," which isn't stopping him from turning out stage plays (his latest effort, "Completeness," just closed Off Broadway).
Posted byDavidat9/30/2011 02:27:00 PM
Public Comments Next Step in Table Saw Safety Rules
Popular Woodworking Magazine: The Consumer Products Safety Commission will meet on October 5, 2011 to decide whether or not to continue with an "Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" to address table saw blade contact injuries. If the commission decides to proceed, the next step will be to accept comments from the public on this issue. Comments will be accepted online or by mail.
Posted byDavidat9/29/2011 06:36:00 PM
Coaching a Surgeon: What Makes Top Performers Better?
The New Yorker: I’ve been a surgeon for eight years. For the past couple of them, my performance in the operating room has reached a plateau. I’d like to think it’s a good thing—I’ve arrived at my professional peak. But mainly it seems as if I’ve just stopped getting better.
During the first two or three years in practice, your skills seem to improve almost daily. It’s not about hand-eye coördination—you have that down halfway through your residency. As one of my professors once explained, doing surgery is no more physically difficult than writing in cursive. Surgical mastery is about familiarity and judgment. You learn the problems that can occur during a particular procedure or with a particular condition, and you learn how to either prevent or respond to those problems.
Posted byDavidat9/29/2011 06:34:00 PM
The Louisiana Model
Below the Line: From King Kong on the Empire State Building to Marilyn Monroe on the subway grate, New York will always attract filmmakers. From the green Pontiac Steve McQueen chased off the 19th floor of Marina Towers in The Hunter, to the baby carriage Brian DePalma pushed down the steps of Union Station in The Untouchables, filmmakers will always gravitate to Chicago.
But Louisiana?
When Louisiana became the first state to pass entertainment industry tax incentives in 2002, no one could have known that in less than a decade the state would be the third most popular film and television location in the U.S. Indeed, Louisiana has a chance to log a record 150 filming applications this year and to see local film and TV in-state spending for the first time top $1 billion.
Posted byDavidat9/28/2011 02:13:00 PM

We are the 99%

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

So I've been reading these:

We Are the 99 Percent

There are about 50 more every 12 hours, sometimes more. It's become the most active feed in my RSS. It is monumentally depressing.

Sometimes you read one and you feel like... ok, you made some mistakes. Other times I am thinking... right, well no system is going to be able to account for that. But mostly I think... damn, there oughta be a law.

And then I think a lot about my bank balance and the security of my job.

Truth be told many of these people, even the disastrous ones are better off than others. Most of these folks went to college. Most people don't go to college. Most of these folks appear to be fairly technically knowledgeable. Many, many people are not. As a sample it appears to be a fairly well educated mostly left leaning group. But one wonders if that only means that it's barely the tip of a monumentally depressing iceberg.

Some things just leap out at you after a dozen or so posts:

It is unquestionably time for single payer federal health insurance. These people with huge medical debt, or insurance deductibles with five digits - we're better than this. It's time to get it done.

As an aside, we need to better promote the CHIP programs. Reading about people saying their infants can't get health care because they don't have insurance while knowing that there are governmental programs in existence that the writers must be unaware of is tragic.

If we can't get universal health insurance then we need some kind of government lending program. 30 year loans at 0% for health expenses. You'd wind up owing your soul to the company store, but it's gotta be better than tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt to go to the doctor. Dental ought to be covered too.

There should be unlimited unemployment hardship forbearances for student loans. Can't pay if you can't find work.

We should get together and have the government liberate people from underwater mortgages. The buyers ought to get a piece of the money they put in back - not all of it, but something to work with. The government should put the screws to the lenders to settle for pennies on the dollar - or just a flat write off for the companies that were bailed out at taxpayer expense. Can't have people who could find work elsewhere unable to move because they can't sell their house. The government can sell the houses or donate them to not for profits. People got rich selling houses we didn't need to people that couldn't afford them and then the profit takers got bailed out when the scheme collapsed. We need to help the people on the ground.

There ought to be a tax credit for taking anyone into your household. Adult child, parent, grandparent, anyone not able to stand on their own two feet.

Apparently something needs to be done around divorce settlements and support. People ought not be able to walk away from debt, leaving it to their ex. Maybe support should be like a mortgage, where you borrow the whole amount up front to guarantee it and then pay it back over time, or maybe not the whole amount, but something like 24 months in an escrow account. Something so there is a backstop against missed payments.

Oh, and did I say we need single payer, universal, federal health insurance? Yeah. Now.

I read this thing day after day and get more depressed and scared. It's time for something substantive to be done.

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2011-10-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

22:31 Moneyball. Two thumbs up. #
15:46 Hard to score points without a pocket. #

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2011-10-01T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:35 @narcosislabs should have followed my own initiative #
20:37 @bethsemler sure, judge away. No comic-sans. #
13:12 Seen this? t.co/44cIClIY you should. Make sure your representatives do too. #

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My House

2011-09-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

Ridiculous.

Ellipses...

2011-09-30T21:54:00.001-04:00

Man, the weeks just flash by these days. I swear it was just Tuesday... Is there a specific temperature for turning on the heat? Today I decided 65... Happy New Year to those of you of that flavor... Today I started following that "we are the 99% site. It's a little depressing... Still have a cat for a new home. Two really... We're in the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire. Gonna have to make some new dinosaurs... Typing on this thing would be easier if it wasn't constantly thinking I am hitting the space bar... We had a whole lot of people out to the house for ice cream. A good time was had by all... Yale lists like a dozen faculty members in Stage Management. I know many are in all likelihood adjuncts, but still, tough to live up to... Sometimes I wonder if when students follow my advice that it's really a good course of action... Birthday coming up. Guess I should figure out if I want anything... My house by the way: ridiculous... What would have been in your room in that hotel on Doctor Who? I think it's better not thought about (now that I've asked)... I bet the weather is nicer in Vegas. In Pittsburgh it's been a lot like April, but cooler... For a few hours there I was even interested in what was going on in baseball... Are any of the new fall TV shows any good? We still have a DVR full of summer stuff... Florida making me feel like I should post my primary plan again. Just what we need, an even longer campaign... I think a little bit we're not paying enough attention to the protestors in NYC... Arduino workshop next week in TD3. Seemed like a good idea that the time... Dude fixed my watch. Almost costed more than the watch ran in the first place, but dude fixed my watch... At least it's not snowing...

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2011-09-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

10:20 Left services without an ambulance #itsthelittlethings #
12:55 GOP hopefuls, since you keep telling seniors not to worry about your social security plans, at what age should voters worry? #
14:03 Budget meeting. #
14:59 I get this magazine "Practical Welding" The more I think about it, the more I think I'd enjoy "Impractical Welding" more. #
16:27 @kernelbrooklyn I can't tell #
16:28 @PghDramats looks like it #
16:28 @fiatluxs4 thx! #
16:28 @RobertJF I've worked with people from there, but not with them. I'll check it out. Thx! #
16:35 @kernelbrooklyn definitely has potential to be working, also cold #
19:03 enough #

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2011-09-29T21:00:00.001-04:00

21:20 @VintageVickyy I am CMU faculty, so I have a high opinion. What do you want to study? #
21:22 @caryatiddreams stress much? You'll probably do a few more shows #
15:47 3 classes back to back to back is a lot #
16:31 Design Forum - I can't tell you what to cut #
16:49 @stagedirections what about STAC? #
16:56 Technical Direction III - Company Biography Draft #
16:58 @andreashock yeh, guess I need to make some #
17:03 To whom it may concern, if you do allow telemarketers to call cell phones with bots I will just never answer my phone again. KTHXBI #
17:18 @andreashock there is a website, but there isn't much info there. #
17:18 PTM Pro Practice - Liability Insurance #

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2011-09-28T21:00:00.001-04:00

21:05 @matt_dollinger I dvr'd it. Worth watching? #
23:08 One hour of Archer off the DVR. Like me some Archer. #
09:19 Facebook has gotten my friends to enter info I wasn't going to enter. Now if I don't confirm I look antisocial. Well played Zuck. #
12:04 Technical Direction 1 - Put to Detail, Spitballing & Why I Hate Zebras #
12:06 Like Firefly? t.co/qfUPFhpt #
16:34 @Vintage Vickyy whatcha want to know? #
16:49 Looking for Scene Shops again. Know about a shop I should know? Let me know. If you've got a list email me! #2am #
17:07 effin Yale #

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Worth a Look

2011-09-28T13:45:00.001-04:00

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. On Racism in Hollywood
ThinkProgress: At an event the Congressional Black Caucus put together to honor the Tuskegee Airmen and to promote George Lucas’s new movie about them, Red Tails, the movie’s stars, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., had some pointed things to say about the way Hollywood approaches black actors and directors. Howard said that Lucas had put together the movie with his own money, and that it would be a critical litmus test for a system that systematically devalues black actors and black stories.
Posted byDavidat9/24/2011 03:45:00 PM

Visual Effects Society issues bill of rights for the industry
latimes.com: Visual effects artists and technicians still don't have a union, but they can at least claim their own bill of rights. The Visual Effects Society, a trage group representing visual artists and practitioners, on Wednesday took the unsual step of issuing an "Industry Bill of Rights" to "recognize and address numerous industry wide issues affecting its membership."
Posted byDavidat9/23/2011 04:23:00 PM
Pa. school pulls 'Kismet' after 9/11 complaints
CBS News: A Pennsylvania school district has decided not to stage a Tony Award-winning musical about a Muslim street poet after community members complained about the timing so soon after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Richland School District in Johnstown had planned to stage "Kismet" in February, but Superintendent Thomas Fleming said Tuesday that it was scrapped to avoid controversy.
Posted byDavidat9/23/2011 04:22:00 PM
Lighting Designer Noah Mitz! @ TeamCoco.com
Team Coco Podcast #41: Our Emmy Nominated Lighting Designer Noah Mitz talks rocking out for work, the difference between on camera & real life, what it's REALLY like at The Emmys, and much much more!
Posted byDavidat9/21/2011 03:30:00 PM

Punchdrunk? Try petrified – gaming gets the immersive theatre treatment
guardian.co.uk: Scrambling up a narrow stairway, I momentarily pause for breath only to hear a blood-curdling groan a few paces behind me. I daren't look back. A hand, or at least what I think is a hand, grabs at the bottom of my trouserleg. Usually, this would be the point where I press pause, make myself a cup of tea, and wait for my heart rate to slow back down before re-entering the world of video games. But this isn't a game. This is a piece called "… and darkness descended", the latest project from immersive theatre pioneers Punchdrunk. Collaborating with PlayStation for the upcoming release of Resistance 3, Sony's flagship sci-fi horror series, the company has created a terrifying and brilliantly authentic-feeling world beneath the railway arches at Waterloo station. Enter at your peril.
Posted byDavidat9/21/2011 03:29:00 PM

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2011-09-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:47 Haven't I seen "kids trapped in a car with dinosaurs outside" before? #
14:19 @keeboch don't touch... #
14:19 Technical Direction 3 - more enormous cove molding #
17:08 Greenpage weekly Top 5: t.co/Dg3WXSX0 #
18:18 Wanted: 1999 Tech Expo Catalog. Hook me up? #

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Hidden Treasure

2011-09-27T19:23:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine who was previously in my line of work was cleaning his basement when he cam upon this:

Actually he came across exhibit guides from 1987, 89, and 91. Since he's out of the business he offered them to me, and amazingly I think that gives me a complete set (1987 was the first instance). This is of particular significance as I'd once heard at a meeting that even the institute doesn't have a complete set.

It's even more interesting for me as one of the item in the 1989 show was Greg Bell's "Shop Build Pneumatic Lift Casters." I was a student of Greg's at the time he entered that into the expo and I did a drawing for his display and article:

If I have this drawing anyplace in my possession it is likely on a 5.25" floppy disk that would need some version of MSDOS that no computer alive would still read - so having the hardcopy is nice. Also, this would count as my first published work, so that's cool to have too.

(ok, I just checked my office and I have all but one of the catalogs. I'm missing 1999. Anyone out there have one and willing to part with it?)

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2011-09-26T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:05 That looks like Steeler football #
20:38 First down Brown #
20:39 @euromandy we have HBO and I'm not watching it either #
20:54 @matt_dollinger rrrrrrrrrrr #
20:54 @euromandy um, I live in Pittsburgh #
15:47 I am 106 years old and have a zit on my eye. Any of you out there hoping acne just stops at some magical age, I have bad news for you. #
16:20 Tech Direction 1 - Saying "no" #
17:52 @AskDocG the other day I got one from Leon Panetta #
17:52 @aerdin landlocked? #
17:56 If possible I think I'll have a do over #
19:49 @AskDocG I was worried I'd spelled it incorrectly #

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2011-09-25T21:00:00.002-04:00

21:49 Swell evening out with great people #
22:53 TwitCleaner said I was awesome! Check yourself here: t.co/Je28LK3e #
09:34 @narcosislabs I used their thing, thought they deserved a shout. (would have been more useful if it had screened my followers) #
18:48 And it's a wrap. Thanks for coming everyone. #
18:50 @aerdin @mboevers thanks for coming #

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2011-09-24T21:00:00.001-04:00

11:57 @aerdin be thankful you don't live in Las Vegas #barsneverclose #
16:35 sometimes you post something and you just KNOW that's where the comments will be: t.co/t4OZuBqs #

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2011-09-23T21:00:00.002-04:00

20:00 PDAC meeting #
20:02 @stagedirections isn't that the same? #
11:05 You guessed it, forgot my phone #
11:29 Might not be speaking English #
13:03 Studiocraft - Units, Limits, Layers #
15:44 Anyone remember the travel arrangements we made for CM last time? #
15:54 Forgot my phone, so no pic of the Quiddich practice on the cut (as the Ultimate player inside me dies just a little) #
16:27 NPR running a Saw Stop commercial. #

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2011-09-22T21:00:00.003-04:00

13:50 Technical Direction III - Prototyping exercise #
15:33 PTM Professional Practice - Cover Letters, Elevator Speech #
16:28 @stagedirections yes #

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2011-09-21T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:59 Who is DPswag? #
10:26 sometimes this time of year I think a box of dental floss exploded #
12:20 Technical Direction 1 - Finding the version of the design that fits the resources #
15:07 there are now 14 folders in my "Production" directory - could be too many #
16:39 Production meetings #
17:16 15213: rinse #

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Know Anyone Else?

2011-09-21T15:01:00.002-04:00

Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, seeks a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor of Stage Management.

The responsibilities of this new position will include teaching classes within a growing BFA and MFA conservatory training program in Production and Stage Management, as well as mentoring students in production. Applicants should hold MFAs or equivalent professional experience (including membership in AEA and/or AGMA) and also be able to provide instruction in production management, as well as, ideally, the stage management of opera, dance, commercial/events or other related areas. Previous teaching experience is desirable.

This position is based in Pittsburgh.

The start date for the hire is Fall 2012.

Please send cover letter, detailed CV, teaching philosophy and a list of three references, by October 17, 2011, to:

Search Chair, Tina Shackleford
School of Drama
Purnell Center for the Arts
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

drama-relations@andrew.cmu.edu
412-268-2068

Worth a Look

2011-09-21T14:53:00.001-04:00

Here are some posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Emmy Nominations
Carnegie Mellon University: While many will be tuning into the 63rd Primetime Emmy awards live this weekend, two Carnegie Mellon University alumni are already celebrating their Emmy victories.
Douglas Huszti (A'94) won an Emmy for art direction for "Boardwalk Empire," and Robert Dickinson (H'05) won for lighting design for the "53rd Annual Grammy Awards."
Posted byDavidat9/15/2011 01:24:00 PM

How Diverse Are The Directors Of Your Favorite Television Shows?
ThinkProgress: The Directors Guild of America has some new numbers out about the percentage of episodes of each major show that are directed by men. And they’re impressively terrible: white women directed 11 percent of the 2,600 episodes the guild analyzed, while women of color directed just 1 percent of episodes.
Posted byDavidat9/15/2011 01:20:00 PM
News: Carnegie Mellon in Rwanda
Inside Higher Ed: Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, came to Pittsburgh Friday to officially announce that Carnegie Mellon University would open a branch campus in his country, where it will offer a master of science in information technology.
While many American universities have opened branch campuses abroad, most have been in Middle Eastern or Asian nations with deep pockets to support the ventures. (Carnegie Mellon is among those universities, with a branch in Qatar.) Only a few American colleges and universities have degree programs in Africa, and they have generally not attracted the fanfare of efforts in China, Qatar and elsewhere.
Posted byDavidat9/19/2011 03:15:00 PM

National Dating Abuse Helpline » 43% of College Women Experience Violence and Abusive Dating Behaviors
Love is respect: Love is Not Abuse, a program of our founding sponsor Liz Claiborne, has revealed the findings of their recent study of dating abuse among college students. The results? Dating violence and abuse among college students is more prevalent on college campuses than previously believed.
Posted byDavidat9/15/2011 01:17:00 PM

'8' courts aud with gay-marriage issue
Variety: A star-filled courtroom drama makes its stage debut on Monday, but the intent of this one-night Broadway outing isn't boffo box office but public influence.
The play is "8," Dustin Lance Black's account of the Prop. 8 trial that unfolded over three weeks in January 2010, eventually leading to U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling declaring California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. With a cast that includes John Lithgow, Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, Rob Reiner and Anthony Edwards, the reading at the Eugene O' Neill Theater will benefit the court effort to overturn Prop. 8.
Posted byDavidat9/16/2011 02:18:00 PM

Up On the Roof

2011-09-19T23:05:00.001-04:00

Today I started my workday on the roof of the Convention Center. A friend had brought me in to help lower some equipment off the roof.

Over the weekend I had assembled a bag of tricks. I'd been told they were placing a derek and pulley and that they would have a rope, but I didn't want to get up there and not have something I needed. I got myself a rope and some beeners and a figure eight. I pulled rescue sheaves and some slings and spansets, some accessory cord and a half dozen shackles. I even recruited a helper.

When we got there we saw a rig you might associate with scaffolding and bricklayers, not necessarily what you'd choose for moving a PANI projector. We looked over the gear and figured out what we were going to do. We rigged the line to belay from above and added a muling sheave to keep the line from riding into a bind. We tested the rig with one of the lighter loads and were fairly satisfied.

Then we met the building manager, took all of our stuff apart and rerigged it his way.

Without diagrams and a long discussion suffice it to say I listened to what he had to say and even if I thought my way was ultimately safer I decided that his way wasn't patently unsafe and that his saying: "I'm the safety officer for the building" didn't leave me much room to move.

Sometimes I think we over think things. The theatre business doesn't have the same safety standards as other industry. I wasn't fond of the anchor, the connection, the sheave, or the rope, but it was his building and it worked fine. Better to work together and get the gig done as harmoniously as possible as opposed to throwing down over the difference between a 4:1 and a 8:1 design factor (or to risk being called "Poindexter" for even saying "design factor").

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2011-09-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

22:49 Crazy Noam birthday party! #
22:50 @AskDocG couldn't find you on our way out. Great party! Thx. #
14:40 Up 20, half a quarter to go, why are the starters in? #
15:06 Maybe the Bears should throw it in for the day. #
16:24 working. on a sunday afternoon. #

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2011-09-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:12 The brewery on the southside, not the quietest place in Pittsburgh #
20:14 @keeboch I miss all the good parties #
21:11 Thanks for using the Linda Carter WW theme #braveandthebold #
00:05 I want my FIOS back #dslsux #1stworldproblems #

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2011-09-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

22:07 No more free swim for Rolaren #
22:08 Oh good, he got the gyro joke #
11:52 had to go back for my phone #oops #
12:00 @andreashock they ask me too, not sure you can arrive at any conclusions #
12:01 @giantspatula nap? #
14:17 and now begins an onslaught of MAILER DAEMON bounces #needabetteraddressbook #
15:00 @caryatiddreams nearsightedness #whatacoincidence #
16:33 some nice looking stuff here: t.co/hUcNrHtg #

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2011-09-15T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:43 @AskDocG forget to bring a charger #
10:30 nice when you discover you do know how to fix something (even something trivial) #
15:41 Technical Direction III - Studio Rigging #
16:43 PTM Pro Practice - Infographic resumes #
16:58 Total schedule fail. Doesn't matter if it's in Oracle if you don't go. #
17:20 @bpeoples I hope the line precesses quickly #< /li>

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Know Anyone?

2011-09-15T17:56:00.000-04:00

Carnegie Mellon University - Sound Designer Position

Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, seeks a full time Associate Professor
of Sound Design (Tenure Track) for start in August 2012.
Ideally, applicants will hold an MFA or equivalent professional experience, including national
and international sound design experience. Previous teaching experience is desirable.
Besides strong, proven conceptual design skills, candidates should have
knowledge of digital audio technology (mixers, control, delivery), networking, Max/MSP
and audio analysis software (EASE, Smaart, etc.). The responsibilities of this position
will include teaching conceptual design, craft skills, and audio technology within a BFA
and MFA conservatory training program as well as mentoring students in production.
This position is Pittsburgh based.

Please send cover letter, detailed CV, teaching philosophy, and list of three references
by October 17, 2011 to: Search Chair, Joe Pino, School of Drama, Purnell Center For
The Arts, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
15213. Inquiries by email to or 412-268-2068.

www.drama.cmu.edu
Carnegie Mellon University is an AA/EOE employer.

Worth a Look

2011-09-15T13:02:00.000-04:00

Here are some post from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Is Policing Plagiarism At A University As Counterproductive As Trying To Stop Copyright Infringement?
Techdirt: We've talked in the past about how multiple studies have shown that greater enforcement efforts to stop copyright infringement aren't particularly effective. One of the reasons for this is that they tend to piss off and anger the biggest fans, which has significant ripple effects and unintended consequences. A few months ago, there was an interesting article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, which I'm finally getting around to writing about, all about one NYU CS professor's experience in trying to catch and deal with cheaters on tests.
Posted byDavidat9/09/2011 05:32:00 PM
Why Is Television Losing Women Writers? Veteran Producers Weigh In
AOLTV: As the fall TV season approaches, it's worth taking a closer look at the people who have created and written the scripted fare you'll see. In the 2006-2007 television season, 35 percent of the writers of broadcast network, prime-time programs were women, according to an annual study by San Diego State University's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. In the 2010-2011 season, that number had dropped by more than half, to 15 percent. What happened?
Posted byDavidat9/09/2011 05:39:00 PM
The travails of a Honduran immigrant in Pittsburgh inspires the play 'Camino'
Post Gazette: The heart of a new Pittsburgh play called "Camino" is invisible.He flits in and out of scenes, and converses with other characters in the production by the Hiawatha Project, a Pittsburgh theater company. His unfinished journey is central to the plot, but the character Camino -- an injured bird cared for by an imprisoned illegal immigrant -- will not grace the stage during his namesake play's run Friday through Sept. 24 at the Dance Alloy Studio Theater in Friendship.Nor will Milton Mejia, the 23-year-old Honduran immigrant whose story inspired the play.
Posted byDavidat9/11/2011 07:00:00 PM
No Beatles for you! EU adds 20 years to music copyrights
arstechnica: It took three years of doing, but the music industry has finally won its European battle to lock up in-copyright sound recordings for another 20 years. Looking forward to The Beatles' music entering the public domain as the 50-year copyright terms expires? Not going to happen.
Posted byDavidat9/13/2011 03:10:00 PM
PLASA Launches Safety in Entertainment Website
Theatre Safety Blog: PLASA announces the launch of the Entertainment Industry Safety Initiative website, now live at www.safetyinentertainment.org. The site is designed to raise awareness of safety in the live event production industry among companies and individuals by providing information and resources regarding safe work practices, record keeping, accident reporting, and more. The site currently focuses on codes and regulations in the United States, but will be expanded to cover other countries in the future.
Posted byDavidat9/08/2011 06:24:00 PM

140 Characters or Less...

2011-09-14T21:00:00.001-04:00

10:06 @PghDramats have to get around to applying first #
10:30 one of our cats is hiding #
11:57 @bpeoples send me an email and I will forward it to my peeps #
12:02 @PghDramats you could use pics from precollege anyway: t.co/DiAC5lc #
12:04 Technical Direction I - "work it out in rehearsal" #
13:20 hope for humanity: t.co/3Uw1QKa #
15:03 Note to self. Do not speak. #
15:42 @SarahKSilverman are you sure it's your dog? #
16:36 Production Meetings #
17:31 I wish Marketplace meant it was time to go home. #

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Ellipses...

2011-09-14T00:37:00.003-04:00

Well, the Steelers didn't really impress on the first outing... I did the walk to work thing, followed by the walk home thing. Have to see if I can make it stick... They sure jammed through that NC Marriage Amendment, didn't they? I continue to winder what these folks are afraid of... We finally got our scaffolding. Only took like three months... I added Best Week Ever to my RSS feeds. I'm happy with that decision... We still have an extra cat. Email me if you'd like to adopt her... That debate the other night, I had to stop watching... Speaking of, if there was going to be a debate so soon after the last one, was it really necessary for the President to reschedule his speech? Just asking... Thinking about a new computer. Also thinking of waiting for Windows 8... Looking to build a mailing list for the Weekly Greenpage Mailer. If you are interested, please let me know... I read a thing yesterday that suggested that the California State University system is pretty much a state school in name only... The end of Torchwood was kind of a letdown, or at least abrupt... Considering contributing to Elizabeth Warren's Senate Campaign. You should too... The end of the True Blood season left us pretty much where we were at the end of last season I think, minus Tera (or maybe not)... Thinking of bringing some Dinosaurs to the Pittsburgh Maker event. If I can remember to apply... It's great when you can get things that are full of angst behind you... I have a fantasy football team, but its on a new system and I don't know what I am doing... I think the house is just about finished (or at least we're pretty much to the end of what we planned)... I wish I could fix the Loudtwitter thing. Maybe I will turn it off for a while... Watching all of SportsNight on Netflix. Having a complete TV series available for streaming could be a very serious productivity problem... One of my mentors had a heart attack this weekend. I hope he's feeling better... Think I've just about got the TD3 schedule figured out: Flyspace, Arduino, 3D Printer. Might need one or two more things... If the House Republicans renege on the August deal I think I might just lose my shit...

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2011-09-13T21:00:00.001-04:00

21:12 @tcschwa you're welcome #
22:55 Couldn't watch that debate #
09:55 and we're going to another meeting #
11:20 @sdeutsch designers do a thesis that is much more than "doing a show" and I think Directors also do a fairly rigorous companion document #
11:21 @bpeoples perhaps the keyboard was shaking due to seismic activity #
11:24 @giantspatula ask Narelle to put it in Business Practice #
14:02 Technical Direction III - The Way Home put to detail #
14:04 Finally: t.co/DjB9tP1 #
14:06 @stagedirections stay away from that Charleston underpass #
14:52 no commenting on the procrastination article on the day the assignment is due #
15:40 SRC Meeting #
17:00 RT @bpeoples: Annnd... WQED's doing a story o n Lightshow Spectacular in December =) #
17:55 Greenpage weekly top five: t.co/nEsYOlc #

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2011-09-12T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:19 Rex does look a little more like the Face of Boe than Jack #
23:17 Did you notice any of this? If I did I forgot it after they flipped an effin semi on Canal Street #
23:32 missed this in my last: @ebertchicago:A shot-by-shot analysis of a famous chase in "The Dark Knight." Emerson is exact. t.co/AEQHNaW" #
12:30 Technical Direction 1 - What really is a "significant issue"? #
13:27 @ellenjuhlin I'll take a look #

14:43

15:07 Thesis ideas for production managers? #tubessolvemyproblems #
18:48 and that's one xoption meeting in the books #

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Nineeleven

2011-09-11T21:02:00.001-04:00

Lots of September 11 stuff today. I suppose that's fitting since it is September 11th. I keep thinking that people's hearts are in the right place, but the "We'll always remember 9/11" T-shirts on sale by the door today at the Michael's just made me think we're possibly overdoing it.

Ten years ago I had started the day with a doctor appointment and had made a stop at the bank to make a deposit on my way into work. The bank had the news on in the lobby and I'd walked in a few minutes after the first strike. I remember hanging out in that lobby for a while. I remember thinking that is was really unlikely that something like that would be an accident. I remember somewhat dysfunctionally that a westbound transcontinental flight would make a good weapon because of the fuel (something I heard over and over on the news later in the day).

I remember thinking "I hope the missiles are already in the air."

The second strike was sometime after I got to the office. I think it's possible I had a TV in my office then and I may have watched some coverage there. They had TV and cable in the treehouse and were watching the news there, a small crowd all day long. They sent all the kids home. There was buzz about how work was high up on some target list because of research contracts. Can't imagine how that could be true.

I remember thinking about my friend Peg, whose commute took her right through the area every day (she'd gone another route that day). I remember thinking about my college friend Michael, who I was certain worked for a company in the Trade Center (he came through fine, although I don't know the whole story). I remember thinking about my friend Stevie, who worked fairly high up in the Sears Tower in Chicago (they evacuated just I case). I wondered about other friends and family in NYC.

I remember hour after hour and day after day of news reporting and thinking maybe some cartoons might be a good idea.

My folks had stayed in California after a wedding. Several of my extended family had done the same thing. My folks had been scheduled to fly the next day. They wound up with a much longer trip then they'd intended. One of my cousins rented a car and drove all the way from LA to Chicago.

I remember fondly how spirited everyone was and how for a moment it seemed like everyone in the US was on the same page.

And I remember that not lasting long.

I'm sure many of the details of the experience have faded. I guess maybe a few minutes to try to remember more each year isn't a waste of time. It's easy to get caught up in the notion of how much I may have agreed or disagreed with actions that were taken in the aftermath. But today I think I'll hold to being thankful that so many of my friends came through ok, sorry for those that didn't come through and their families in their loss, and grateful to everyone that tried to minimize the suffering.

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2011-09-11T21:00:00.003-04:00

10:03 DVR the game and go out? #
12:26 This NFL Sunday Ticket thing could be a problem. #
12:32 Oops #
13:09 @scoutfinch2271 ??? #
14:11 With the new rule, kicking it out the back out to be a five yard penalty. #NFL #
14:20 Four scores in one quarter? Not impossible. Not likely either. #
14:51 When they said 9/11 was a day to "give back" they weren't talking about the ball. #notetosteelers #
17:51 @matt_dollinger you should see the DirectTV NFL Game Mix channel - although I guess for you it'd look a lot like work #

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2011-09-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

19:06 @mattigray see anything useful to steal for MMX? #
19:07 @billmaher I once watched a friend blow through $200 on craps in the Orleans because we were a half hour early for a movie #
19:08 checking in on the install #

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2011-09-09T21:00:00.001-04:00

20:30 @naavon it's possible that's the sum total of my knowledge of the subject #
11:29 Studiocraft CAD - Introduction #
12:08 Option Coordinator Meeting #
13:37 I saw a @FeeFighters add in my RSS reader today #
13:41 WHY!?!?! is it so hard to buy scaffolding? #
13:43 @bpeoples actually seems to have little to do with campus #
14:54 Would yo u have any interest in getting this as a weekly email newsletter: t.co/NOBS1cU #
16:03 @bpeoples first they REALLY want to rent it to you #
16:03 @bpeoples then they NEED to know you are qualified #
16:03 @bpeoples then you have to PROMISE not to misuse or modify it #
16:04 @bpeoples and then after all of that they will be out of stock #
16:50 m omentarily had thought I'd accidentally deleted the 50 odd messages in my "To DO" folder. honestly couldn't tell if I was upset #

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2011-09-08T21:00:00.001-04:00

09:28 @naavon long time since calc... slope of the curve? Rate at which the trend is changing? #
09:29 @keeboch gonna have to add aerobics at the end at that rate #arewhatyoueat #
09:33 @AskDocG look into feefighters t.co/l5xUysA @feefighters #
10:41 BAM! Beth's folks kicking it up a notch: t.co/i2FoL0a #
10:45 @Johnzuiker i think one side will be fleshed out liv ing dino and the other will be skeletal #
11:29 Good News everyone! t.co/r8bnfqJ #
11:30 @tcschwa I believe so, yes. #
11:31 Really can't wait: t.co/Lsgkxgg #
13:55 That'll let the air right out of your balloon: "To have our order manufactured as ordered will take no less than 4-6 weeks." #
16:22 Technical Direction III - Commercial paperwork #
16:54 PTM Pro Practice - Resume Roundtable #
19:27 High Level Brown! #

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2011-09-07T21:00:00.001-04:00

09:27 Well. That's a lot of cabbage. #
09:28 and... forgot my phone. again. #
10:00 Nothing in the Morewood lot either RT @keeboch: Crazy day for parking (@ East Campus Garage) t.co/3nKsgQ5 #
11:54 Technical Direction 1 - and more estimating #
12:07 Weekly Newspage Top Five: t.co/rSlMSpT #
17:25 @keeboch crap, walked away too soon #
17:28 @bpeoples 9mm Glock? #
17:30 tee hee hee "The researchers who caught the crabs" t.co/7x7Imoc #

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Worth a Look

2011-09-07T13:13:00.001-04:00

Some posts from the Greenpage that might be worth your time...

But What’s The Audience For?

HowlRound: So, after a quiet cry in my studio, I realized that my artistic faith demanded that I question why it is that mainstream American theater has such a strong tendency to limit the audience’s role, to feed them a performance without demanding (or even leaving an opening for) any vision on their part, to create work that is only marginally different from what that audience might see at the movies. And, eventually, I began to wonder if the linear nature of traditional American theater-making is partially at fault and if my way of working as an artist isn’t contributing to this problem.

Posted by David at 9/05/2011 05:20:00 PM

Record Biz Braces for Legal Battles Over Copyright Law

Rolling Stone Music: Starting in two years, the rights to classic albums by some of rock's biggest acts, including Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town, Billy Joel's 52nd Street and the Eagles' The Long Run, could revert back to those artists. The change threatens to upend the music business – putting more cash in musicians' pockets and less in those of the labels. "It's something I've thought about on and off for a while, and it got put on the back burner because it wasn't timely," says Eagles singer and drummer Don Henley, who founded the Recording Artists Coalition, which advocates for artists' rights. "And now the time has come."
Posted by David at 9/04/2011 06:58:00 PM

Looking back at the cultural impact of 9/11

Salon.com: The second entry in our slide show series about pop culture after 9/11 covers three years, 2002-2004. It was a dense and lively period that saw movies, TV, music, literature and comics shifting out of a numb, somewhat disconnected state and becoming more reactive, then provocative, and by 2004 -- an election year -- combative.
Posted by David at 9/04/2011 06:48:00 PM

Wacom Inkling May Become My Favorite Gadget of All Time

Gizmodo: Being an obsessive compulsive sketching bastard, I'm all shades of erect looking at the new Wacom Inkling. With an exquisite design and 1024 levels of pressure, it looks like the perfect device for anyone who sketches anything, from illustrators to architects.
Posted by David at 8/31/2011 01:31:00 PM

The Creativity of Anger

Wired.com: At first glance, this cultivation of anger and criticism seems like a terrible idea. We assume that group collaboration requires niceties and affirmation, that we should always accentuate the positive. Just look at brainstorming, perhaps the most widely implemented creativity technique in the world. In the late 1940s, Alex Osborn, a founding partner of the advertising firm BBDO, outlined the virtues of brainstorming in a series of best-selling books. (He insisted that brainstorming could double the creative output of a group.) The most important principle, he said, was the total absence of criticism. According to Osborn, if people were worried about negative feedback, if they were concerned that their new ideas might get ridiculed by the group or the boss, then the brainstorming process would fail. “Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud,” Osborn wrote in Your Creative Power.
Posted by David at 8/31/2011 01:25:00 PM

Time Tracking

2011-09-07T00:32:00.001-04:00

We have a "too much" problem at work. There's too much work, too much class, too much crew, just too much. A long time ago we decided that we'd attack the problem by capping the required course load. CMU uses this fairly good system of "units" rather than the normal credit hour. One unit is one hour for a course on average for the whole semester. So if a class is six units then you can expect to spend six hours per week on the class over the course of the semester. Everything a student does should be class and every task for class should be unitted, so if you are honest one ought to be able to handle their load pretty precisely by capping the required units. We picked 56 units. That makes school for the average person just a bit more time consuming than a full time job.

So far I think that's worked fairly well. It did however turn out to be just one facet of a truly complex problem. We would learn that capping the required units would only begin to address the issue.

Even with the load capped we still have the "too much" problem. It does seem like there is not longer too much class, and the question of if there is too much crew would be a lively discussion with people on all sides of the issue. It still does seem though that overall there is still too much. Another metric for too much class though would be rooms and we discovered that capping a student's load does nothing to assure that our offerings fit in our building.

About a year ago I started to think that the next thread to pull on the thing was how much each teacher is teaching. My thought was that were we to discover the faculty were overloaded, and do so in a way that was quantifiable and verifiable, we might be motivated to reduce the number of course offerings and thereby get ourselves to fit in the building.

Fit in the building is actually an oversimplification. The reality of the thing is that the course schedule is so dense as to leave no room for improvisation. Moving one thing necessitates moving so many others as to feel like it necessitates moving everything else. So there's that, and we don't fit in the building.

Anyway it's this last thread that has brought me to time tracking. My thought was that each faculty member is supposed to be be doing some amount of teaching, service, and research. That should allow one to look at the time they need to be spending for service and research, deduct that from the total number of hours, on average, we're supposed to work, and be left with the actual amount of time available in a schedule for teaching. That number of hours could then be broken back into individual courses.

My suspicion was that for an average faculty member teaching classes that are necessarily evolving, so as to require ongoing prep, and that include project work that requires grading there would likely not be time available to teach more than between 2 or 3 classes per semester.

The quick math looks something like: base 50 hour week, 10 hours research (thin BTW), 10 hours service, leaves 30 for teaching. In my world "production" is teaching and production advising would take half of that 30. That leaves 15 hours for class. Two classes would have six hours of face time, three would be nine, six leaves nine and nine leaves six. That remainder is all the prep and grading. I'm not sure that six hours of class requires nine hours of outside time, but nine hours of class could certainly use six. The sweet spot is someplace in the middle. That initial 10 and 10 is a fairly arbitrary assumption. If we're to follow through on this we'll have to come up with better guidance there.

FWIW this semester I am teaching: TD1, TD3, Studiocraft 1, Studiocraft 2, PTM Pro Practice, Thesis, and Stagecraft - but several of those wouldn't count as a full class.

So last week started time tracking. After one week I have learned:

1. I am working the total number of hours I thought I was.
2. I do not spend enough time on research.
3. In the first week I spent nearly equal amounts of time on teaching and service.
4. I do not like time tracking.

The first week probably isn't very indicative of the whole semester. Guess we'll just have to keep after it to see.

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2011-09-06T21:00:00.001-04:00

00:01 where do I requisition another off day? #
10:07 not really anxious for today's menu #
10:35 @BirdbrainLabs maybe like this: t.co/H49cbMZ #
10:41 and... we're back to double posting - oh loudtwitter why hast thou forsaken me? #
13:51 Tech Direction III - Some more commercial bidding #
15:00 Thesis meetings #
17:59 tequila? don't mind if I do. #
18:25 @PlasaOnline what does PLASA stand for? #
18:26 @PlasaOnline never mind - found it! #
18:48 SRC Meeting - The Joy of Tenure #

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2011-09-05T20:40:00.001-04:00

20:28 @AskDocG not. gonna. happen. #
20:30 "American people poll more like Iranians or Nigerians than Europeans or Canadians on questions of evolution" t.co/ddforYT #
23:20 @AskDocG ooh, read that wrong, much better #

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2011-09-04T21:00:00.001-04:00

13:47 Tiny kittens: t.co/6RVdGMz #
15:15 Waterfront supping excursion complete. #
16:24 Supping, shopping, whatever. #
17:25 Quick surprise visit with Jonah and April! #
17:53 Don't leave food in the building!!! RT @sspuh: just discovered that a cockroach had taken up residence in my model box at school. #
19:06 Vegas. Booked. #

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Grinds my Gears

2011-09-02T22:12:00.001-04:00

The other day in class I went off on a jag against Thanksgiving. It must have been pretty good because it got tweeted and talked about in my absence and those sort of things never happen to me. The substance of the thing is that I might just be done with Thanksgiving.

Lets start with the notion that if e story of the first thanksgiving is a true story, it is a woefully inadequate memory of those settlers' lives and their interaction with the indigenous population. The true story is that almost all the people died and that it was the start of a fairly dark relationship with the Native Americans.

Then maybe it's worth discussing that the contemporary thanksgiving is a fairly significant display of excess in a world where many live without. Rather than having the staple of the holiday be food stuffed with other food (and no, I'm not talking about a turducken, but thanks for reminding me), maybe on that day we should go without food to demonstrate our thankfulness for the food we have every other day of the year, and empathy for those that go without more often.

Those are shallow though compared to where this really comes from in my head. Mostly for me it's because it has become a holiday about travel. I guess it made more sense when extended families were fairly closely located to each other. Now though when a HUGE number of people travel across the country for two or three stressful days of demonstrated excess... Isn't their something better we could do with that time? Wouldn't doing away with thanksgiving be the green thing to do? The carbon footprint of all of those airline flights must be staggering. And for what? Many times in my adult life when I've made the trip we can't even seem to make the event last into the evening and wind up running off to the bar or the movies, or watching that third NFL game (maybe it just feels like three).

Many of the folks traveling are students who get three days off for thanksgiving. Then they come back to school only to turn around and go home again two or three weeks later. I've got an idea: blow off the holiday and make winter break start earlier.

That's a fairly uncritical view of the travel as well. Truthfully the problems start well in advance of the holiday. If you're from a family with an established tradition and a default location more power to you. But if you are in that situation let me clue you into the experience the rest have. They have to decide where to go for the holiday, and inevitably the family they decide to not visit are made upset by the decision. A fact only compounded when the jilted family also has to make the trip to the other location to have the holiday. There was movie, right? That showed one family that had to do four holidays to accommodate marriages and remarriages. Unbelievable. Wasteful and unnecessary.

Maybe the movie was for Christmas.

Don't get me started.

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2011-09-02T20:50:00.001-04:00

10:43 @naavon they are coming here, you should visit #
10:46 @CMUClusters should this have a link? Or do I have to go IRL? #
10:54 @aerdin maybe if you laid off the smack #
12:44 archiving the last of last year's email #
13:03 When I purge deleted email in Outlook, it only purges half. I have an email hoarding computer. #
13:04 @SenatorReid How was the play? #
15:00 Thesis meetings #
15:41 Scheduling meeting #
15:49 Class with many many guest presenters is hard to schedule #
15:54 special delivery for my wife in my office - hope it makes it home. #
17:24 today's twitter aggregation will not be as interesting as yesterday's #
18:30 Air? #

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2011-09-01T21:00:00.001-04:00

23:04 Too busy to listen to the President mister Speaker? Really? #
23:34 The Bacon in the Rye #replacebooktitleswithbacon #
23:36 Are You There Bacon? It's Me Margaret #replacebooktitleswithbacon #
23:37 Ethel the Aardvark Goes Bacon Surveying #replacebooktitleswithbacon #
23:38 The Satanic Bacon #replacebooktitleswithbacon #
10:09 Gridlock Scheduling Committee - go team! #
10:10 @stagedirections fire treating, fire retarding, trouble with that whole "proof" thing #
10:12 @mattigray so much for your discretionary spending decisions #
10:19 @andreashock tease #
10:57 anyone added a "send to" in Google Reader for Evernote? #
11:36 @stagedirections have to read it first, I am sure its super #
13:31 Should the big dinosaur go to Maker Pittsburgh? #
13:32 Should the inflatable Scotty Dog go to Maker Pittsburgh? #
13:38 @Mboevers @sdeutsch @andreashock "Brian Thesis Meeting 1:00pm-1:30pm PCA 205" #
13:42 Technical Direction III - The Way Home bid meeting, Maker Pittsburgh discussion #
14:30 @kernelbrooklyn here's hoping the end of that lesson wasn't this morning. #
14:30 PTM Professional Practice - content outline, requests, crash planning. #
14:32 Upgrade Achieved! #
14:41 That new Vader "Noooooooooo" is barely a "Nooo" and isn't such a big deal #getoverit #
14:49 Oh yeah, that too... RT @Mord4k: @dboevers asks that we all do our part to end the evil known as Thanksgiving #
16:27 Scheduling meeting #
16:29 Radio says downtown traffic is a mess. #
17:46 Just realized I can now scan my whole historical hoard of draftings. #
19:47 Another surprise Steeler game #

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Ellipses...

2011-09-01T00:30:00.001-04:00

Peg wants posts, Peg gets posts... I am having real trouble trying to figure out the basis behind the fear that motivates so much of public discourse these days... Apparently Huntsman finally sounded like a Republican today. Too bad... Got a November appointment in Fabulous Las Vegas. Have to make travel plans... Three days into the semester, so far I think I am doing ok... I filled out a form at the doctor today that, when I was done with it, did not look very good... Not sure I can get behind Sears rolling out Craftsman tools to other retailers. Having it only at Sears made it special (David can hear someone in the distance saying "special don't pay the bills!")... That's sure a lot of marks in a row... With the mother of all reboots happening today I am thinking about taking up some comic books. One of the Batmans maybe? Suicide Squad looks interesting. I wonder if they have an app... The speaker of the house told the President of the United States that Congress couldn't be available for a joint session. A new low in American political discourse... Took the bus to work the other day. Still haven't done the walking thing. Soon, maybe... The cats are still in kitty jail. A least one of them is definitely over it... Found a junior high Facebook page for the school I went to. I wonder if I could find people that didn't make it to HPHS that way... Is it me or is it getting hot again? Was real nice there for a few days... Sometimes I wonder why we do any pre-planning at all at work... I'm in the midst of a time tracking project. I forgot how much I dislike filling in a timesheet... It's extremely Yinzer to say so, but I am more than ready for regular season Steeler games to begin... Which says nothing about the quality of my Fantasy team which I predict will be out of the running by week two... The greenpage is up and running with student comments again. You should check it out...

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2011-08-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

13:08 Visiting the firm of Winkle, Gilboa, & Fox #
15:15 Well, that took longer than I thought. #
16:05 School of Music production meeting. #
16:35 Good Person production meeting #
17:25 Scheme scheduling meeting #
18:18 Better do some Ellipses or something #

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2011-08-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

23:35 And the mountain of rehearsal reports begins. #
00:51 Obsessing about something that isn't tomorrow. #wasteofsleep #
09:34 Not driving today. See how it goes. #
11:27 Fishing for technical design projects, got something good? send it my way. #
12:02 (on the 2nd floor) "how do you get to the first floor" "um, go down the stairs?" #
13:52 Technical Direction III - Class as company concept #
16:26 @caryatiddreams like what? #
16:27 Stagecraft I - Orientation #
17:03 Crazy Scheme Orientation #

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