On Teaching Star Trek

I had the pleasure of teaching a course on Star Trek to give or take 13 kids this past week at the Cumberland County College’s Summer Kids Camp. For how all that came about see this: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/05/college-camp-class-final-frontier.html, it’s got all the gory details.

There were adventures and misadventures, crafts and conversational Klingon, some young fans and some kids who were just signed into the class because it was open. At the class’s heart; however, was Star Trek and, therefore, hope – and YES I am aware how cheesy that sounds. As I said on the first day of class, standing in the glow of a PowerPoint presentation, “Star Trek is a lot of things, science, history, technology, sociology, exploration; but at it’s core is hope; hope that we don’t destroy ourselves, hope that we learn to live together as a people, hope that we can live in an age of exploration where people Boldly Go into that great and final frontier. I was hired to teach Star Trek and that’s exactly what I did. Of course, when one is hired to teach such a class it really is a history of the future and the history’s future is being written right now and in the last 43 years of history. This is how I approached this class. Case in point; the words, “To boldly go where no man has gone before,” were lifted from a brochure that President Kennedy’s office prepared for congress to make the case for going to the moon. How did we get to the moon? It was through hard work and determination – the Saturn 5 rocket and the Eagle Lander. How was it possible to understand how the rocket would take the men to the moon? The scientists involved with launching such a (dare I say) enterprise had to have a firm knowledge of mathematics, physics, and science; they must have understood Newton’s three laws of motion, Copernicus and Galileo’s controversial heliocentric theories. No doubt the men, not only on the moon 40 years ago, but the scientists who helped put them there had some inkling of an idea who those men were.

After the Star Trek class so did my kids.

But what about now - the Space Shuttle program is ending in 2010, what’s going to replace it? Well if Sir Richard Branson has his way anyone will be able to go into space as long as they can afford a ticket ($200,000). As I am typing this he is building the worlds first consumer oriented spaceport. The V.S.S. Enterprise (Virgin Space Ship) from Virgin Galactic is reportedly 60% completed. Branson based his design off of the X-Prize winning Space Ship One which now hangs in between the X-1 (the plane that first broke the sound barrier) and The Spirit of St. Louis (the first plane to cross the Atlantic ocean) at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Of course NASA has plans too. The Ares program will replace the Space Shuttle in 2020. The Ares rocket will be able to put payloads into orbit such as the new Orion Spacecraft, which has been designed to be a big part in our return to the moon and for our first trip to Mars.

Any parent who asks their child what they did in the class can point to these two very real programs that will take place in the very near future – in their lifetimes and say that they heard it first in Star Trek class.

“Yeah, but did you cover anything Star Trek related?” you may ask.

Have you not been listening? We are outlining the history of the future here! Of course we covered Star Trek but you must understand that Star Trek is based on the world we know – the world in which we live. We are just pre-warp drive society... for now. Other things covered in the class were our solar system & galaxy; how long a year is on Mercury as opposed to right here on Earth, robotics & androids (such as Mr. Data), conversational Klingon (such as Hab SoSlI' Quch! “Your mother has a smooth forehead!”), and just where each of the student’s would sit on the bridge of the Enterprise. We were going to cover dangerous alien species such as targhs, tribbles, & Ceti-eels and have a guest speaker but the guest speaker from an organization that will remain nameless (who is not the SPCA or any of the local zoos) never showed. I choose to believe the no call no show was due to a miscommunication just one or two levels above the woman who told me she would come if it was cleared with her supervisor (whom I also spoke with). Another possibility is that this organization heard that they would be presenting to a Star Trek class and failed to see any connection with what they do. I had an alternate lesson just in case; just in case happened so Plan B went into effect. The kids now know more about robots in today’s world than they do about dangerous animals.

Such is life.

The class was a blast. Still I was surprised at how many non Star Trek fans I had in the class. In my naivety I assumed that I would have a class full of Trekkies; this was not the case and the majority of my kids were just signed in because there was something open. Even though this was the case I think that they enjoyed it too. In my adventures this past week I have discovered a new respect for the profession of teaching. Seriously. It takes a LOT of work to feel comfortable teaching on any topic with any degree of legitimacy. Star Trek I knew I could handle; the science behind it was another story. I stayed up a lot of nights perfecting my PowerPoint presentations and the You Tube animations to back them up.

I hope that the kids had a good time. I think that they did. The last day we checked out an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation, “Hide and Q”, talked about the Ares program and had the Massive Multiplayer Trivia Challenge and it was fantastic. I laughed so hard that I still grin just thinking about it.

It they will have me back at the Cumberland County College’s Summer Kid’s Camp, I would gladly, NAY – Boldly Go! What can I say? It was a hoot.

Live long and prosper, Gentle Reader.

The Facebook Intervention

I love the internet. Seriously. I love it. I blog, I Facebook, I Twitter; I love it. I find it a wonderful little outlet of thought and idea. Since I’d be writing anyway why should I not do so electronically?

I also play poker; badly, mind you, but I play. I sit in on one of the longest standing poker games in Southern New Jersey. It is a group of interesting souls who make up the seven who sit around that table, including yours truly. We meet and play on the first Friday of each month. So, it was no surprise that on 8/7/09, that is where I was. We grilled and it was great. We played cards and that was a lot of fun too. And then came the intervention. After one hand of Texas Hold ‘Em one of my comrades told a story of his wife giggling about some piece of silliness that I wrote on Facebook. Apparently I had used the words, “good night”.

“Why… WHY, on God’s green earth would you say “good night” to anyone on Facebook? I just don’t get it.” Said the man to my left. The man to my left happens to be quite computer savvy and in some circles he is near the top of his game.

“Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense.” Said the man to my right. He is a brilliant man as well.

“I don’t have the time for any of that stuff.” Said the man opposite of me.

“Hey, I just got on to share photos with my family.” Said the man next to him trying to distance himself from yours truly in any way possible for the moment. He could see the tide turn.

“Yeah, you Twitter to, don’t you?” another asked who happens to be on Facebook as well.

“Yes, I do.” I said with a smile.

“You know what I think it is?” the man to my left asked. “It is just a group of people starved for attention. Look at me! Look at me!”

“Like a narcissist.” I said.

“Yes.” He said. So why do you do it? Why do you think that I CARE what you have to say?”

“Well, I think you can make a case for narcissism in some cases when it comes to Facebook.” I said. “But you would be painting with broad brushstrokes.” I understand that whether you care about what is written on Facebook or do not is subjective and up to the reader to decide. “If you don’t like what you read stop reading it. That’s why they make so many flavors of ice cream.”

“Then why?” Asked the man to my right.

“Social networking. It’s a tool.” I said. “Facebook is a wonderful way to be personably impersonal.

“That does not answer the question.”

“Look, I don’t have to tell any of you sitting here at this table how much I despise the phone.” There was a general nodding of heads around the table. They know (and now you do too, Gentle Reader) that I hate talking on the telephone. The contraption just demands entirely too much of my attention at any one time. I like information in digestible, well reasoned, bits – say in an email, on Facebook or on Twitter. It is simple; to the point, and just how I like it. “Facebook is a social tool. How the reader reads it or does NOT read it is purely up to them.” The simple fact of the matter is that’s the way it is with anything. I could tell you that there is a wonderful world to be found in the pages of a book but unless you pick it up and read one for yourself it is pretty much moot. People either will accept a message or reject it. The gentlemen on either side of me remain in a reject it frame of mind.

Oh well. These friends of mine and I just don’t socialize on Facebook. And the world keeps on moving. We socialize while playing cards and that is a good thing.

As for narcissism, “I” am one of my favorite subjects but I am more than well aware that the world does not revolve around me, my blog, my Facebook account or my Twitter feed. These gentlemen were casting aspersions that it did. Ah the power of the written word – even if it is electronic in nature. And, dare I say, even if those casting stones did not have their own Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Que sara sara.

As much as I hate the telephone I wonder how many people said to Alexander Graham Bell, “Why would you ever want to use THAT thing?” Only Bell knows and he’s not saying. I guarantee he heard it though. Fast forward to a hot summer night in 2009 with a group of friends sitting around a poker table some willing to use a different form of communication and some not. No matter what technological advance may come to us now or in the future there are going to be those who resist. Some will get it some will not.

Oh well. Que sara sara.

As for yours truly, Gentle Reader, I know enough about addiction to see that I have not yet hit rock bottom. It is only from the bottom that I can truly make progress and admit that I have a problem. Until then, I’ll see you on Facebook, on Twitter, and right here on the electronic pages of Chicken Scratch – LONG MAY SHE WAVE!

“Bueller…? ...Bueller…?”

John Hughes past away this morning. Here is the story as I found it a few moments ago: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41966.

His movies really hit home for this movie fan growing up in the eighties. Quint from Ain’t it Cool News does a wonderful job of expressing one fan’s remembrances. For yours truly, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, “The Breakfast Club”, and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” were top of the list of films that defined the eighties.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time. Thank you, Mr. Hughes. You had a hand in shaping a generation of movie goers – including me.

The Green Smoothie

A couple of weeks ago I was crawling around searching for a coffee cup just past the crack of dawn. I was groggy but I was able to flip on the TV and navigate to channel 10, my NBC affiliate, for the Today Show. As I poured myself a cup of coffee and took my first sip my senses began to return to me. Some well quaffed gentleman was delivering a news story that by the sound of his voice and the seriousness of his cadence was somewhere on the importance scale of a meteor hurtling towards our planet roughly around the size of Mexico. My head cleared further as I listened…

“…But the custody of Michael Jackson’s children is still in question…”

Next up was a segment with Hoddah and Kathy Lee. “Really?” I said out loud to no one at all. My prognosis was not looking good for getting ANY relevant news of the day from the Today Show so I flipped over to channel 6, my local ABC affiliate to see what was happening on Good Morning America. There I found a health segment already in progress. All of the morning anchors were gathered around a wonderfully honed and Arobisized Beautiful Person. The table in front of them held bunches of green produce, some apples, lemons, pears, a blender and a glass filled to perfection with Green Smoothie. She, the Beautiful Person, turns out to be Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder and she appeared quite knowledgeable on the topic of detoxification of the human body and was firm in her stance that fad diets did not work. She suggested using the Green Smoothie as a meal replacement for three or more meals a week.

Hmm… I’m a fat guy in my forties and know that I have to do something to become less of a fat guy so I listened more intently; besides, who am I to argue with spandex? The recipe is as follows:

Green Smoothie Recipe:

1 1/2 cup of water
1 head of organic romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 stalks of organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1/3 bunch of organic cilantro
1/3 bunch of organic parsley
Juice of ½ fresh organic lemon

Combine the water and chopped head of romaine into your blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the herbs, celery, apple and pear. Add lemon juice last. Serve chilled or at room temperature. This recipe makes about four servings.

“Hmm…” I thought to myself, “I think I’m gonna try that out.” Last night I did the shopping and this morning I made my first blender full of Green Smoothie! After sampling said Green Smoothie I can not help but believe that half a bottle of vodka (your choice) would certainly improve the overall meal replacement experience. The recipe says that it can be served at “room temperature”, I do not subscribe to this theory. Chill it. If it is colder it will go down quicker. My first few sips reminded me of that story from the movie “Creepshow” where Stephen King turns into that plant – do you remember? Well if not, Gentle Reader, then know that the Green Smoothie is as close as you can get to performing photosynthesis yourself.

I do not mean to sound all together negative; the Green Smoothie is healthy and, since it is all pureed together, you really don’t have to digest it! Mmm… I’m going to stick with it though, Yours Truly knows that he has to do something and the Green Smoothie just may be a part of that.

I’ll let you know how it goes.


Recipe and picture of the Green Smoothie were found at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/Story?id=8052138&page=1

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Triathlon

An old friend of mine, Scott Champion, is raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by participating in the “Nation’s Triathlon” down in Washington DC on September 13, 2009. He is on the Team In Training team. As his email to several people including yours truly states the following, “The race is structured beginning with the swim (1.5 miles) in the Potomac River, then transitioning to the cycling portion (approx. 25 miles), and ending with the run (6.1 miles). I believe in the hope and support we can bring to finding a cure through endurance races, such as the Nation’s Triathlon.” This will be the second time that he does this and, please allow me a little aside, as a fat man I am very impressed.

He is seeking sponsors. I have not yet but I will be and when I do I will go to this link right here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/snj/nattri09/schampion where I’m told that it is possible to “donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my (or rather Scotty’s) progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email, and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.”

Gentle Readers if you are so inclined Scott thanks you for your generosity, come to think of it, so do I.

All the best Scotty, good luck and God bless.

Beyond the Dreams of Avarice

It is that time of year again where Geeks the world over bow to the west and worship at the Mecca that is the San Diego Comic-Con. At one time Comic-Con was only about the gushing of fan-boys over all things new, bright and shiny. While that is still the case it has grown to a multi-media, panel discussing, pop culture phenomenon. It is a place where movie makers, publishers, writers, actors, videogame developers, artists and everything in between present their wares for the next year to the world. Those with their finger on the pulse of such things, both buying and selling, recognize Comic-Con as the BIG one.

As for yours truly, I do not worship all things bright and shiny but I am a HUGE fan of storytelling and all of the ways that a story’s plot can be delivered. It is for this reason that Comic-Con captures my attention. …Well that and I am a card carrying Geek. This year I am looking forward to the “Tron 2.0” Trailer, the Doctor Who panel, Tim Burton’s panel on “Alice in Wonderland” and the film’s trailer and any dark horses that might separate themselves from the pack.

The 2009 Comic-Con starts today and runs all weekend.

FOOD on the HIGHWAY

The top three are Coffee, Hot Soup, and Tacos. And here I was pulling for Fondue, Lobster, or Alaskan King Crab legs.

Now Behold “The 10 Most Dangerous Foods to Eat While Driving” from Wired Magazine: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/07/dangerous-foods/. Insure.com has the information presented in a clear, concise fashion too: http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/driver-distractions.html.

People do stupid things. It’s like a moth to the flame. It’s just what we do and driving is no different. It is for this reason that I am petitioning congress to have the purchase and consumption of an Extra Value Meal part of the standardized driving test of these United States. One should be able to safely suck down a cheeseburger on the way from Point A to Point B. If this is too much to ask then you don’t deserve a license. You can join the fight by donating heavily to the cause as often as possible; please make checks payable to Evil Chicken. Together we CAN make a difference.

Gentle Reader; never forget the most dangerous part of a car is the nut behind the wheel.

Happy Birthday Nikola Tesla

One day late... 153 years ago, on July 10, 1856, Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia. He later moved to Paris and then to the United States. Tesla was brilliant, he was eccentric and he, quite literally, changed course of the world.

Nikola Tesla was one of the founding fathers of the harnessing of electricity and how it is used by each and every one of us today. His experiments with electricity and magnetism are the foundation on which our power grids are presently built. Tesla was on the frontlines of the “War of the Currents” between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. This war was to see who would dominate the future, Edison with Direct Current or Westinghouse with Alternating Current. Tesla had, at one time worked for Edison but Edison thought that his ideas for Alternating Current were foolish and could not be realized in the real world. Edison said of Tesla, “His ideas are splendid but they are utterly impractical.” Edison cheated Tesla out of work that he did for him and it was not long before that Tesla was working for Westinghouse. Westinghouse & Tesla won out in the end but that was not before Edison, seeing that his hold on the future was in jeopardy, went on a huge publicity campaign against AC power which included the electrocution of “Topsy” the elephant and the covert funding of the Electric Chair. The “Wizard of Menlo Park” had a bit of a dark side.

Tesla was also one of the original pioneers of Radio and was credited by the United States Supreme Court in 1943 for being the “Inventor of Radio”. Chances are he would have been the father of transatlantic communication via his Wardenclyffe Tower (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_Tower) project but his funding ran out. Wikipedia (my favorite second brain and the main source of the data found in this particular blog) states this: “After his demonstration of wireless communication (radio) in 1894 and after being the victor in the "War of Currents", he was widely respected as one of the greatest electrical engineers who worked in America. Much of his early work pioneered modern electrical engineering and many of his discoveries were of groundbreaking importance. During this period, in the United States, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any other inventor or scientist in history or popular culture, but due to his eccentric personality and his seemingly unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist. Never having put much focus on his finances, Tesla died impoverished at the age of 86.”

I wonder what the world would look like today if the whole Wardenclyffe Tower project was funded and successful. Wireless internet, that glorious modern wonder that we now take for granted, may have been available decades earlier. Yes, I know that’s pure, unadulterated speculation on my part but what if? Tesla was “ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist” and he “died impoverished at the age of 86.” He was too busy envisioning the future to take care of the present. Of his failure to find the backers needed to complete the construction of the Wardenclyffe Tower Tesla said, “It is not a dream, it is a simple feat of scientific electrical engineering, only expensive — blind, faint-hearted, doubting world! [...] Humanity is not yet sufficiently advanced to be willingly led by the discoverer's keen searching sense. But who knows? Perhaps it is better in this present world of ours that a revolutionary idea or invention instead of being helped and patted, be hampered and ill-treated in its adolescence — by want of means, by selfish interest, pedantry, stupidity and ignorance; that it be attacked and stifled; that it pass through bitter trials and tribulations, through the strife of commercial existence. So do we get our light. So all that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combatted, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle."

Nikola Tesla towards the end of his life may have been ridiculed and ostracized but he was a brilliant inventor and innovator who deserves a far better epitaph.

Happy Birthday Mr. Tesla

The E-Reader Blues

Someday, not today but sometime in the near future, from one electronic device you will be able to have an entire library of books in the palm of your hand. It will be a wonderful thing. Instead of lugging around a wheelbarrow full of textbooks or best sellers you will have it all at your fingertips wherever you go and whatever you want to read. Perhaps you will be able to download different books from online libraries the world over or, if you are in college, download the semester’s curriculum in one fell swoop. But that day has not arrived. Perhaps we will be able to procure new E-books from a variety of sources including the big three, Amazon, Boarders and Barnes & Noble – who’s to say? Again, that day has not yet come.

Alas, Amazon has the Kindle 2.0, which has now dropped in price to $299.00 from $360.00, is nice enough but the only place that you can get your E-books from is, shockingly, Amazon. Even with the price drop three hundred bucks is, at least for yours truly, a decent chunk of change; and then there’re all those books to buy at $10.00 a pop – discounted from an honest to goodness book in your hands but ten bucks, nonetheless (see: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/04/kindle-readers/). And that’s just the Kindle. There’s a slue of these puppies hitting the marketplace and there are things to consider if you feel so inclined such at the jetBook (http://www.geardiary.com/2009/03/09/the-ectaco-jetbook-universal-portable-reading-device-review/) and the Cool-er (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/cool-er-e-book-reader-turns-up-the-heat/). You are going to need to know if you can get the books/data that you want to read, you will want to know what formats are supported (very important) and, of course, you are going to want to know how much you are spending. I don’t know what to tell you, Gentle Reader, other than steering you to this nice little article on choosing an E-book Reader that may help clear things up a bit: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/buying-guide-e-book-reader/. If that does not assuage your thirst for knowledge check out what my favorite second brain has to say on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book_reader.

Man, I love me some Wikipedia.

Someday the book publishers and electronic media makers will come to some consensus. When that day arrives I will see about making the jump. Until then I will wait and dream of the titles that I would put onto such a device; several versions of the Bible, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit, the entire Harry Potter and Gunslinger series would be worth rereading. I am also quite fond of Neil Gaiman, Jules Verne, Ian Fleming, Christopher Moore, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, Anne Rice, Shakespeare, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs… the list really is endless and the idea of having THAT library with me waiting to be read on one device is wildly appealing. I’m probably not alone with this little desire for the future.

So on that one day in the not too distant future, just what will be on your E-book Reader?

Sci-Fi Goes to Syfy

Get a good look at the logo to the left; it’s about to disappear.

“Huh?”

Yup. That’s right the Sci-Fi Channel is changing up tomorrow to the Syfy or, perhaps, Syfy Channel.

“Why?”

I think it boils down to the idea that Syfy is copyrightable whereas Sci-Fi is not. Here’s a good article of the nuts and bolts of the decision: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/07/sci-fi-channel-reboots-as-syfy-with-eye-on-expanding-empire/.

So there you have it. Out with the old and in with the new. Sci-Fi is still Syfy its just that now Syfy can be trademarked. I enjoy some of the programming on the network; I absolutely loved Battlestar Galactica and Ghost Hunters is a guilty pleasure of mine. Who knows what’s next?

Ladies and Gentlemen… set your Tivos!

The Best of What’s Around – Summer Movies

Whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we’ll make the best of what’s around. – Dave Matthews

I’m a bit of a snob, come to think of it, I’m also a bit of a slob but that’s not what I wanted to discuss just right now, Gentle Reader. I am, unapologetically, a bit of a movie snob – or rather Movie Geek… yeah, that sounds better. Anyway, last years writers strike has taken its toll at the movies this summer season. IMHO there is a distinct lack of films that are worth the price of admission at the multiplexes this year. I am still voting for “Star Trek” as the 900 lbs Gorilla of the season and I don’t see too many possible challengers to that title; “Up” maybe – possibly “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. “Transformers II – Rise of the Fallen” and “G.I. Joe” are getting so much negative that I’m now just going to wait for the DVDs for both franchises.

That’s not to say that either of those franchises won’t make money. I predict that the Transformers movie will make a LOT of it but understand going in that you are going for a popcorn movie experience. There will be a lot of eye candy but it will leave you with empty calories and you’ll be hungry for the story that just was not included with the Happy Meal packaging. G.I. Joe; however, is going to flop. It is like the second coming of “Mega Force” which was a movie that was designed to sell toys and not to tell a story. I held high hopes for it as a kid in the early eighties and I still remember actually feeling embarrassed for the actors who were attached to this career ending abomination. As a member of the audience in attendance I felt used. I felt abused. It was so significantly forgettable that it is only now – so close to the release of the G.I. Joe movie, that I remember the experience in full and tremble.

So what’s a boy to do? Why you make the best of what’s around. Here is what I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer movie season. Yes, I know that I just did a similar blog a couple of weeks ago but things have changed since then and I have to face the cold, hard reality that I can’t get to the theater as often as I would like to. I’ve got to be picky and embrace my inner Movie Snob/Geekness. That leaves me with these possible options…

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This will happen. I’m taking all of the girls and we’re actually going to the theater and checking it out. It is a great story and I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates to the big screen.

2. Moon. A science fiction character study that takes place (get this) ON THE MOON! Spin is good and it’s right up my alley.

3. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Terry Gilliam is the storyteller. Johnny Depp is in there too as is a last performance from Heath Ledger. Gilliam is pretty solid at being worth the price of admission.

4. District 9. Some guy named Peter Jackson is producing and he put the guy that he wanted to put HALO on the big screen in charge. This will be a cool afternoon at the movies.

5. ??? I just don’t know. Perhaps something of a dark horse will rear it’s head and come from behind. If it happens that would be great; unfortunately, the name of that horse is not on my race form.

Slim pickin’s. Still I shouldn’t complain – good stories are still being told despite the majority of the stuff that Hollywood seems to greenlight these days. Please forgive me, Gentle Reader, that sounded a bit harsh… did I mention that I’m a Movie Snob/Geek?

I’ll see you at the multiplex – not as often as I would have hoped this year but there nonetheless.

Death – the High Cost of Living

The old Circle of Life is spinning at an amazing rate these days. It has been said that “It is not how we die, since all do that, but it is how we live.” I have to agree with that. Life is a precious and fragile thing, lest there be no doubt. It comes for the just and the unjust, the rich and the poor – it does not discriminate. It does not matter if you are some famous celebrity or just someone sitting on a Metro train in Washington DC; it is simply the way of things.

I do not bring this up to bring you down, Gentle Reader it’s just that it is hard not to notice that it’s not a good time to be a celebrity these days. We have very recently lost Bea Arthur, David Carradine, Garry Papa, Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and, now, Michael Jackson? It is not a form of celebrity worship that I speak from they are only human like you and me – flesh and blood; it’s just that in some odd way these people and the rest of us share a history. I used to watch “All in the Family” with my mom and dad, “Kung Fu” was a staple in the seventies, Channel 6 Sports was & will always be Garry Papa’s, “The Tonight Show” was always started with a hearty; “HERE’S JOHNNY!”, that amazing woman on THAT poster was in “Charlie’s Angels” and married to Lee Majors (the Six Million Dollar Man), and “Thriller” was playing on my 33 1/3d record player.

My thoughts and my prayers are with all of those that they left behind – including us. After all, we share a history.

Take care, Gentle Reader. Much love, God bless.



(Picture of Blake’s Tombstone from http://www.bspcn.com/2007/07/21/12-hilarious-tombstones/.)

Curiouser and Curiouser

We’re all mad here… I’m mad, you’re mad. – the Cheshire Cat

I love to see what Tim Burton is up to. I have not preferred some of his most recent offerings (“Planet of the Apes” & “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”) but come what may he is one of those storytellers that never ceases to capture my eye. He has a unique vision and, thankfully, he is at it once more. The first pictures from “Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland” have hit the net. You can see them for yourself right here: http://www.collider.com/2009/06/21/first-images-from-tim-burtons-alice-in-wonderland-updated/.

I’m looking forward to this one. The cast is stellar (that’s Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter) and the story is directly up Mr. Burton’s alley. When March 18th of 2010 comes along you will be able to find me at the multiplex – I’ll be the one remembering what the door mouse said.

Sleeping With the Enemy

Yes, I have officially crawled back into bed with Verizon Wireless and, unlike my previous experience with my Motorola Razor (see: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/03/cast-off-yoke-of-oppression.html for further details) my new LG Voyager is bangin’. It was cutting edge about two years ago but I am in love. It’s got a full QWERTY keyboard for texting and Twitter, and a touch screen – what can I say… Evil Chicken LIKE. So far it appears that there is a distinct lack of the inhibiting software that proliferated and utterly stifled the Razor. I’m still working on my MP3s and pictures; if I get that figured out then it appears I may owe Verizon an apology.

It is in that vein that I mention another fine site that I have to recommend to you Gentle Reader, to http://www.phonezoo.com/Welcome.do. A buddy of mine from church mentioned it to me and now I have to return the favor. You do have to sign up but it’s FREE with no strings attached. After you download what you want to your phone I highly recommend that you make your own from your favorite MP3s that you have kicking around on your hard drive.

Oh yes… I’ve been busy and it’s been too cool. Try it, you’ll like it. Sleeping with the enemy? Yeah, that’s about right – still in the area of the world known as South Jersey they are probably the best game in town with the largest amount of towers.

What’s a boy to do? Enjoy his new LG – that’s what.

Paid In Full

It’s not easy living with a price on your head. You begin to see and hear things in the shadows - footsteps in the mist. One begins to second-guess even the smallest of decisions. Gentle Reader, that was my existence up until this very afternoon.

“I owe a debt.” I said to the woman who politely smiled. Did I see a sultry curve to the corner of her lip? I couldn’t be too sure but I knew this woman held the keys to my future. I passed her my identification.

“Let me see…” she said investigating my credentials. She scanned my bar code. “That will be $1.70.”

“A dollar seventy?” I asked.

“$1.70?!” My wife yelled at me from the next terminal over. “Gallant returns her Library books on time – Goofus does not.” I knew from the tone of her voice just how and to whom the titles of “Gallant” and “Goofus” had been assigned.

I flashed her a smile and paid my fine. My debt to society satisfied I took out a couple of Jazz CDs (Coltrane & Gillespie/Parker) and a Neil Gaiman book, “American Gods”.

I tell you this story as a precautionary tale. It’s not easy to live life with a price on your head. The librarian spies are everywhere. Be mindful where you step and try to remember where you left that overdue book.

Don’t become a statistic.

More Reasons to see Star Trek Again

Go for the Easter Eggs!

“Huh?”

The Easter Eggs; you know, intentional props, people, and personifications slipped into a motion picture as acts of homage? Well, J.J. Abrams slipped a lot of Easter Eggs into the basket that is “Star Trek”. Did you see R2-D2, Randy Pousch’s cameo, 1701-D’s logo on Kirk’s duffle bag, or the how the bottle of Saurian Bandy was used? …No? Well, me neither (hence why I must return to the multiplex).

The folks over at Trek Movie have compiled a list and where you need to direct your attention. That list is here: http://trekmovie.com/2009/06/11/location-of-r2-d2-easter-egg-revealed-more-star-trek-easter-eggs/.

Who doesn’t like an Easter Egg every now and again?

Weird NJ Noyes Museum Photo Contest

Gentle Reader… I do not know how much you are aware of the certifiable WEIRDNESS of the place that we here call home; the great Garden State. I sincerely hope that you have some sort of appreciation of just how interesting New Jersey truly is. If you do not understand what I am alluding to you either have recently moved here, have been blinded to the weirdness, or you have never read the pages of one of the greatest magazines in the entire world (no exaggeration) – Weird N.J. If the latter is true then click here: http://www.weirdnj.com/ and get a feel for what’s just around the bend here in our fair state.

So, do you know something that could make it into the exposition? Would YOU like to throw your hat into the ring? Here’s how you make it happen: http://www.weirdnj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=222&Itemid=55.

As per this page on the Weird N.J. website: “Are you a professional or amateur photographer who enjoys focusing your lens on the more unusual sites in the Garden State? The Noyes Museum of Art and Weird NJ announce a Weird NJ Photography Exhibition to be held at the Noyes Museum. This juried event intends to discover what oddities may be lurking in the woods, under the boardwalk or at the local watering hole all within the state of New Jersey.
Our goal is to gather the weirdest photos of New Jersey. What specifies weird? Is it eerie, strange, historic, crazy, unbelievable, tacky, or forbidden? Photos will be selected for their originality, photographic quality or just plain weirdness. Selected photos will be on extended display at the Noyes Museum and featured on the Weird NJ Web site and in the pages of our magazine.
The deadline for submission is August 7, 2009. For all the details and entry information, visit the Noyes Museum of Art Web site at http://noyesmuseum.org.”

Now I ask you… how cool is that?

The entry forms can be found here: http://noyesmuseum.org/resources/weirdnj.pdf.

Did I mention how cool this is?

So there you have it, Gentle Reader… the gauntlet has been thrown. I’ve already got a couple of spots in mind. How about YOU?

Whiplash Spotted

Rumors in casting from all over the internet the last few months have, ultimately, proven true. AICN had the link that took me to USA Today’s site. Mickey Rourke is going to be Tony Stark’s nemesis in Iron Man II. Check this for your reading pleasure: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-09-ironman2-rourke_N.htm.

This is one movie geek who can’t wait to see the fireworks.

Twenty Years Ago – Tiananmen Square

I remember watching the news feed break into the, “regularly scheduled programming”. I can still see, in my minds eye, Peter Jennings announce that tanks were literally rolling over students who were protesting the fact that they wanted to have democracy in their homeland – that the simple right to gather was being trampled on the other side of the globe.

That was twenty years ago. Here is a pretty good article on the anniversary: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090604/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tiananmen_28.

Twenty years. China, hosted the last Olympics and it truly was a sight to behold. Old and new, ancient and cutting edge; I can only assume that China itself must be, at once, a similar occurrence, a culmination of both of those worlds. Hong Kong has become the epicenter of the financial tsunami that China has morphed into; a truly wondrous example of capitalism at work. I wonder what would happen if some of the principals of democracy were in place there. I wonder what would happen if the people of China were able to be free; free to vote, to gather, to speak their minds, to pursue whatever their desires are for their own lives – what a staggering super power they would be.

I understand that all of the theoretical systems of government look good on paper and I know that we have our own problems right here in our own democracy; yadda, yadda, yadda – but still the very chance to be free, to live free – that alone is worth it.

Who’s to say what the next twenty years will bring? Hong Kong is a prime example of capitalism today. They also have freedoms that the rest of China only dream of. Who is to say, in the future Tibet and the whole of China may be free. One never knows. In the above linked article, Cheung Man Kwong says, “Hong Kong is China’s conscience.” He may be onto something.

So What’s Next at the Multiplex?

“Summer, summer, summertime; time to sit back and unwind.” – Will Smith

I’m a movie geek and prone to enjoy the stuffing out of the summer movie season. Hey, who doesn’t enjoy sampling the wares from the major studios in the summer? So far, for my money, “Star Trek” is on track to be the 900 lbs. Gorilla this season.

“Well, if that’s the case, Evil Chicken, what else is there to look forward to at the movies this year?”

Funny you ask, Gentle Reader. Please allow me to let you in on what I’m looking forward to checking out at the local multiplex this summer:

1. “Up” from Pixar. If I could write for any company Pixar would be the one. They care for character and they make certain that the story is served. I have yet to see a Pixar film that I did not like.
2. “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”. This is Heath Ledger’s last film and it comes from Terry Gilliam. Gilliam has a way of using the medium of film and twisting it into amazing and thoughtful entertainments; check out “Time Bandits”, “Brazil”, or “The Twelve Monkeys”. Amazing filmmaker. I can’t wait.
3. “Drag Me to Hell”. Sam Rami made a new horror movie. Please allow me to repeat that… SAM RAMI made a new horror movie. If you are a fan of the genre then you know the name. Rami is best known for the “Evil Dead” series and, of course, the “Spiderman” movies. “Hail to the king, Baby.”
4. “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”. Yes, I am a Potter-Head. This is a dark one. This sets up the finale to the entire series. It’s a great read and I bet it’s gonna be a great movie.
5. “Land of the Lost”. Make no mistake this will be stupid. It will be a goofy movie but it will also make me giggle and it will spark gushing waves of nostalgia. It will entertain and that’s one of the main reasons that I go the movies for anyway.

What are movies that I may see at the theater that I could wait for DVD:

1. “Transformers 2”. It will be a special effects movie that will sell a lot of popcorn. It will probably be best seen on the big screen but it’s not “must see” for me.
2. “Terminator Salvation”. I’d like to see this more than Transformers but I still have not made it to the theater.
3. “Night at the Musem II”. Eh.
4. “Inglorious Basterds” (with and “E”). Brad Pitt and Quinton Tarantino kicking Nazi butt? Sign me up. I would have put this one in the “Must See” section but after seeing all those movies.
5. “District 9”. Alien rights after their arrival? A plot for Alien slave labor? It sounds very cool. I’ll have to read some more spin on it before I take the plunge.
6. “Public Enemies”. This may easily slip into the “Must See” section. Johnny Depp as John Dillinger? Nice. We shall see.

Movies that I will wait for basic cable or the “Late, Late, Movie”... maybe.

1. “G.I. Joe”. As Randy says, “I’m not feelin’ it Dog.” This reminds me of a movie in the eighties called, “Megaforce”. That was an abomination of a movie designed to sell toys and exploit the masses much like this one. Don’t play into the MAN’S hands! Just say no.

So there you have it; the movies that I am interested in seeing – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

What’s on YOUR list?

Expatriation and Blogging ‘Round the World

It is no great secret; I am a Jimmy Buffett fan. Listening to his music for any length of time and one gets the urge to move to warmer climates and expatriate to places that are full of characters and character. Gentle Reader, I must be honest with you, expatriation has been on my mind as of late. I have been bitten by the bug that transfers the longing for the Gypsy lifestyle. As Keith Richards sang on one of my absolute favorite Rolling Stones songs from the “Some Girls” album (yes, that’s right, I said ALBUM), “I Will Walk Before They Make Me Run.” Tom Waits exemplifies the concept of life on the road (I’m listening to him now on YouTube).

Let’s face it, there is just something romantic about the open road. Anything is possible there, anything goes. This is a great country to, “go on the bum”, so to speak but there are other wonderful possible options that have been slipping into my daydreams as of late including but not limited to; British Columbia, Key West, Southern Utah, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the South of France, Ireland, Italy – these are all spots that I could see transplanting my family and myself.

“But WHY, Evil Chicken?” you may ask. “Why would you wish to do such a thing?”

Well therein lies a very good question which I shall answer partially. Why not? It is no great revelation that life is entirely too short. I know that the good Lord is on the thrown but still it is important to make hay while the sun shines. So I dream. I dream of places far off away from the cares of life in the great Garden State. I have always dreamt of making some sort of a difference but just who is to say that that difference could not be made somewhere so very, very far away from here?

Hmm… Somehow I find this appealing.

Perhaps I should consider some of the nations that some of the readers of this blog call home? There are not many of us but we are mighty, Gentle Readers. Let’s look at where you are from to feed my dreams of expatriation… Number 1 (according to my widget) is the U.S. of A. Most of the readers here are from my homeland. That’s not too surprising since I am an American and, dare I say, proud of that distinction. Number 2 is Canada. Oh Canada, I could easily see myself settling down in your bosom. Number 3 is the United Kingdom. Yes. You and I would have a time, wouldn’t we? Number 4 is Unknown. Unknown? I suppose that the Unknown are the Gentle Readers who have, for whatever reason, have had to hide their location. I’m ok with that; truth be told, I’m a little envious. Know that I am pleased and glad to have you here. Number 5 is Spain; Number 6 is France – welcome my brethren know that I would expatriate to either of your boarders. Number 7 is Taiwan. Number 8 is Mexico, number 9 is Turkey and number 10 is Germany. 11 is New Zealand, 12 Finland, and 13 Hong Kong. You are all dispersed over this great blue marble, Gentle Readers. I’m just thankful to have you here for a brief moment in time; a moment when you decided to kick back, relax and listen to the non-sense that you will find here most of the time.

Wherever you call home, Gentle Reader, thank you for stopping by. Who is to say, perhaps one day we will be neighbors? Rest assured I will be dreaming of it and one never knows.

Do one?

College Camp Class… The Final Frontier

So I’m mowing the lawn – an abhorrent activity that sucks away about an hour and a half – two hours of my life on a laborious and weekly basis this time of year, and I notice out of the corner of my eye Mother Hen. She was wandering in my direction when the engine stalled. The stalling of the engine is nothing new in the weekly sentence of cutting the grass but having Mother Hen outside while I am mowing the lawn is.

“Would you be interested in teaching a class on Star Trek?” she asked.

“What?”

“Yeah, you heard me. The college is hosting summer camp classes. They are looking for a Pokemon instructor and someone to teach a class on Star Trek. Would you be interested?”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“Sure!” I said with a smile. “How cool is that?”

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” She said with a smile and she went back inside leaving me to tend to the rest of the greens. I primed the engine and started the mower once again – now my thoughts were on the class and all of the wonderful possibilities that it presents instead of the lawn; and I was all right with that.

And that’s how it happened, Gentle Reader; that is how yours truly became the instructor for the summer course on STAR TREK! Let me just say, I can’t wait. I am going to be sharing one of my passions with others, getting paid for it, and, my youngest daughter, Chicken Little (Chick 3.0), can take the course for free! I still don’t know how many kids will be in the class but I’m really excited about getting underway. When its over I want the kids to know what to do in case of a warp core breach, just how Zephraim Cochran ushered in the age of warp technology, and the dangers of mind melding with a Horta. More importantly, however, I want them to be aware of a great story that happens to unfold in the 23d century and that they can appreciate the historical, scientific, technological and social context of that story as well. I can’t wait.

“The Human Adventure is Just Beginning.” I will keep you posted on how it goes this August.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog

I came to this party late but I’m so glad I showed. Pop some popcorn and direct your cursor over to here: http://www.drhorrible.com/index.html.

“But Evil Chicken, why would I want to do that?”

Because, Gentle Reader, you are about to be entertained. It is a play in three acts and it runs about 43 minutes. It’s got it all, comedy, tragedy, drama – it’s brilliant. Writer / director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity) put this together back in 2008 during the writer’s strike. Wikipedia, my favorite second brain, says, “The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike.”

Well, he scored a direct hit. The cast is awesome and clearly having a blast playing their rolls. Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Houser) is Dr. Horrible, Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is Penny, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) is Captain Hammer and Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) is Moist.

Will Penny fall for the hero? Will Captain Hammer help to open the homeless shelter? Will Dr. Horrible ever join the Evil League of Evil? Click over and find out!

Better to come late to the party then never at all. Enjoy!

NUTS!

Despair Inc. has been and is one of my favorite little enterprises on the web. They create products that skewer the shady hypocrisy and self-aggrandizing pop psychology of all those bloody “Motivational Posters” that have crept into offices and places of work over the past bakers dozen years, or so. If you have not been there please check them out here: http://despair.com/index.html, you will not be disappointed. I have one of their calendars on my desk and it stands there between my phone and my computer as a beacon of sanity.

Well. Despair Inc. just had their first “Demotivator Caption Contest”. Mother Hen told me about this contest yesterday and I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring today. I wrote one up but I was 1 hour and 23 minutes too late. The contest was over. That’s what I get for checking email as poorly as I do. ...I was thinking…

Independence

Sometimes there is a reason why the Road is Less Traveled.

But it was not meant to be. The winner will be announced in about 15 minutes from now and will win $500.00. Not too shabby. Well, there’s always next time.

What would your caption read?

Star Trek

Let me cut to the chase. Go see this movie. It deserves to be the 900 lbs Gorilla of the 2009 summer movie season. Star Trek is BACK! Bring an uninitiated and unwashed non-Trek fan with you and you will BOTH have a great time at the movies. Be warned, Gentle Reader, whether you think you are or you aren’t a fan of Star Trek – you WILL be after you see J.J. Abrams take on the legend. You may want to tell a friend about the great time you had at the movies seeing the new “Star Trek” movie. This friend of yours may say something like, “Star Trek” and wrinkle their nose as if they have just stepped in something they wish they hadn’t. Take heart – the stereotype pendulum swings both ways. They probably do not deserve to enjoy the wonderful bounty and feast for the eyes that the new “Star Trek” film is. Come to think of it, chances are you need better friends anyway.

But enough about your friends, THIS is about STAR TREK.

A little note about me and not to beat a dead horse but one could say that I have more than a passing interest in Star Trek. More to the point, I am a fan; mostly of the Original Series and The Next Generation with a little Deep Space Nine thrown in for good measure. Treks after that – and with all due respect to Seven of Nine, no thanks, I’ll pass. Now you know where I stand. If you want to know further where I stand I recommend checking here: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2006/04/reenergized-part-i-of-ii.html, here: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2006/04/re-energized-part-ii-movies.html, and here: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/04/enterprise-project.html.

Now that’s out of the way let’s get down to business… Scratch that. I should also say that there will be mild SPOILERS ahead so if you with to remain pure stop reading now. See you next time and thanks for stopping by.

Ok, NOW let’s get down to business.

J.J. Abrams has delivered. He has re-launched the entire franchise by making a Star Trek movie that everyone can enjoy. Not since “Star Trek II – the Wrath of Kahn” has this feat been accomplished. In fact, STAR TREK is even more accessible to the general populous due to the fact that the story itself is like pressing a giant reset button. This is the cadet crew of the starship Enterprise – but they exist inside an altered timeline. In other words that which was old is new again – in a BIG way. Accepted truths from the original series are now no longer set in stone. The characters are, at their core, still the same it’s their future that is WIDE OPEN. This altered timeline sacrifices sacred cows and promises that it will continue to do so into the future. I love this turn of events in the Star Trek universe. Suddenly, I’m not the only one who can hope that “Voyager” and the last few Star Trek movies with the Next Generation cast just never happened.

Telling a story on film is a collaborative art. The director and the cast has to have a story that they can hang their hats onto. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are the ones who helped lift the “Star Trek Movie Curse” (only the even numbered ones are good). Although this STAR TREK has reset everything, technically it is the eleventh in the series. The curse has been lifted. They did not forget that anything with the title of Star Trek should foster hope.

“Hope?”

Yes HOPE! Hope for a great many things. Hope that in the future we don’t blow ourselves to kingdom come, hope that the future is one where people have learned to get along – as human beings and, in a greater a scope, in a universe that is teeming with life, and hope that humanity has a place in the cosmos. Star Trek is about a great many things but, rest assured, the greatest of these is hope. Orci and Kurtzman used this to their advantage. I hope that they continue to do so in the future.

The cast is superb. Going into the multiplex, as a fan, you hope for the best, well, the best was what this fan got. In an odd way this film is like welcoming back old friends. All of the principals nail the dismount here. Christopher Pine’s James Tiberius Kirk unites arrogance with ability. Zachary Quinto’s uncanny performance as Commander Spock underlines the emotions of the emotionless and the loneliness of being the character he is. Zoe Saldana’s Uhura is just a joy to behold. Karl Urban channels DeForest Kelly as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. John Cho is the folding Katana wielding Mr. Sulu. Anton Yelchin is the 17 year-old math whiz, Ensign Pavel Chekov. Simon Pegg is Engineer, Montgomery Scott. Pegg’s “Scotty” is a force to be reckoned with. Pegg chewed up every scene he was in and made his role, somewhat of a memorial to James Doohan. There is a scene where Scotty is sitting next to another man in the transporter room – that other man is Jimmy Doohan’s son. Brilliant. Then there is Leonard Nimoy as an older Ambassador Spock from the future. I’m smiling as I type this because I know that the director, writers, and actors must have had a great time with working with Mr. Nimoy and the Older Spock character.

I could go on but you should really see it for yourself. The curse has been lifted. STAR TREK is BACK! “The Future is Beginning” at a theater near you.

I’ve Got a Problem with that Bub

The Summer Movie Season has now started! “X-Men Origins – Wolverine” opened this weekend making it the first of the big summer box office movies to grace multiplexes from sea to shining sea and around the globe this year.

“So, Evil Chicken how was it?”

It was all right.

Now that I have answered this question let me tell you why I absolutely hate those four little words, it was all right. You see when I see a WOLVERINE movie I don’t want it to be “all right” or even “Good”; no, I want it to rock my world. I want Logan himself to slash his way out of the movie screen, make me spill my popcorn all over the place, grab me by my shirt, and ask me – “Do you gotta problem with that, Bub?” I want to smell the smoke from his cigar. I want to know that he is the best there is at what he does and that what he does isn’t pretty.

But, It was all right.

I don’t wish to discourage you from seeing it especially since the work print of this film has been pirated and released onto the net about a month ago. I would really like to support this film because by supporting it in the theaters will go a long way to a studio – even like FOX to throw their hat into the ring for another go round. And, next time, I want a Great Wolverine movie. One where ideas and characters are not throw away; one where the director and writers have a passion for the characters that are entrusted to them and they actually want to tell a decent story. The actors, including Mr. Hugh Jackman do their utmost to make this work but they lack the guiding leadership for everything to gel. They are trapped in a world that is not of their making.

Look, if your expectations are not too high and/or you have no idea who the characters or their back-story are you’ll have an ok time at the movies. If you’re a fan of these characters, you would like to see them develop into something more than one dimension on the big screen and you expect more from your Wolverine movie than an average to sub-average action flick you’re gonna walk away unsatisfied.

I really don’t mean to sound too harsh but… But… SPOILER… Deadpool? ...Really?

Oh man.

It was all right.

I want GREAT. It looks like I’m going to have to wait.

Script Frenzy 2009

I won. My script stands at 113 pages (WORD Template) and 102 pages (PDF file – verified).

Mischief Managed.

This was my third Script Frenzy but my first as a Municipal Liaison. I posted something similar to this on the Municipal Liaison’s forum yesterday. We did not have large numbers but you ARE out there and I thank you for participating. Know that I have stickers just waiting for you. You know who you are. I know who you are too – YOU are scribes, playwrights and writers. You ROCK. Although we didn’t have large numbers in the South Jersey area this time out I had the opportunity to network with some really great North Jersey people and I look forward to the chance to do it all again next year for Script Frenzy 2010.

My plan for next year includes putting out my feelers, finding and networking with a Municipal Liaison for the Philadelphia area while nurturing an interest here in Southern New Jersey via schools (any teachers out there interested in having their class participate in 2010? Just give me a call) and local media outlets.

30 Days, 100 Pages – Are you in? Think about it. It just may be time to stop watching and to start doing. This year was great but next year – the sequel – is gonna be jaw dropping.

Bea Arthur

Man, I hate cancer. Bea Arthur passed away today at the age of 86. Here are the details: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_en_mo/us_obit_arthur_14.

When I was a kid I never understood why my mother and father laughed so hard at “All in the Family”. Oh I tried to get what was going on but I was just too young to see the genius. Time passed and I rediscovered it in the world of re-run television. Norman Lear and Co. really had the tiger by the tale with this one.

Then there was “Maude”. And then there was “The Golden Girls” and, as a casual viewer, you knew right then that Ms. Arthur was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Amazing woman, amazing voice. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this time.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

An Ode to 9 Teen Years

(Today marks 19 years of US – Mother Hen and Evil Chicken. This was my gift to her and it was performed at Bogart’s Books this afternoon. Gentle Reader, I thought I’d pass it along for your reading pleasure. Happy Anniversary, Lady!)



An Ode to 9 Teen Years

I can’t afford too much these days
The economy’s ransacked my purse
I didn’t know what to get you
So I thought I’d write a verse

I began to wonder just what does one give
To honor such a day
Styrofoam, cork, or paperclips
Just what does Hallmark say?

Well…

Twenty years ago I met her
In a bookstore at the mall
9 teen years ago we married
Oh so young as I recall

She was a fiery red head
With a sparkle in her eye
With curves I found quite memorable
Don’t judge me, I’m a guy.

But I knew this one was special
I knew she was the one
To spend a lifetime’s afternoons
In the meadows ‘neath the sun

I could see the future in her eyes
Of hopes and one of dreams
This was obviously the product of
One of my more insightful schemes

A marriage is quite like a dance
Life’s tempo fast and slow
Deciding who leads and who follows
Well, such sacrifice makes you grow

We’ve done some growing in our time
Oh, the things we’ve seen
I can’t envision that time without you
Those years, the past 9 teen.

I see the past, the present, the future
When I look into your eyes
I can’t imagine a life without you
Our paths are that entwined

You’re the mother of my children
Three hopes of things to come
They are the sun, the moon, the stars
One for all and all for one

Once there was me and once there was you
Those children are gone now you see
In their place there is only US
And that’s the place I want to be

These first 9 teen are over
My lover, wife, and friend
I’m eager for the next 9 teen
I would do it all again

For you’re still that fiery red head
With that sparkle in her eye
I’m thankful the Lord gave you to me
My confidant, my wife.

Happy anniversary, Lady.

The Enterprise Project

Yep. I am a Star Trek fan. I bleed GEEK. So when I heard about “The Enterprise Project” I gushed a bit. It’s pop art through the eyes of pop art. As per the website…

Respected graffiti, FX and pop artists from all over the world have designed their interpretations of the USS Enterprise. These 34-inch-long replicas of the USS Enterprise from the upcoming film were cast from the 3D digital models created for the film by Industrial Light & Magic. These models will begin touring the world in March – see the location details on each ship to find its current location.

People such as Jim Lee and Robert Rodriguez each have submissions. It would be fun to see them all together in one place for now, however, you can check ‘em out here: http://www.startrekmovie.com/modelgallery/. There will be more Enterprise interpretations coming soon.

This might be able to hold me over until the first 12:01 showing on May 8. We shall see…

So How Are Things with YOU?

Gentle Reader, it’s been too long. My time has been drawn to Script Frenzy recently and I have not had a chance to write a decent blog entry. That’s ok though; please take heart in knowing that progress is being made (34 pages as of right now 8:32 PM) and that other amazing and cool things have been happening – such as Geocaching.

This past weekend we (the EC-5) had a blast. We went places and saw things and learned things that we just never knew about the South Jersey area. That is just plain cool. We saw the oldest house in Atlantic County, learned about the woman who repelled the English Navy at Beasley’s Point and discovered the Clara Glen Pet Cemetery in Lynwood. There are about 3,800 animals buried there and it 2 plus acres are hidden by suburban “progress”. Very cool though – if it hasn’t been in Weird NJ yet then it should be.

Well, I’ll talk soon; right now I have to get back to writing my script.

Talk care!

This Mystery Man’s Kung-Fu is Good

Gentle Reader, submitted for your approval: http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/. If you have an interest in film and in writing for them then you owe it to yourself to visit this blog, soak in what you read there and check out his Writer’s Resources section. There is a wealth of information to be found here.

I read about his blog while checking out Ain’t It Cool News a few weeks back. Harry had posted something about a long conversation between three filmmakers (Kasdan, Lucas & Spielberg) and how “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was birthed. It is a great read, which can be found here: http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html.

I post the Mystery Man’s blog because I think that you just might find something that you read there helpful for YOUR Script Frenzy (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/). There are some nice little resources out on the net and this blog is a gold mine for anyone who wants to learn the craft of writing for the movies.

April is just 4 days away. 30 Days, 100 Pages, Are YOU in? I am and I wouldn’t mind some company.

Cast Off the Yoke of Oppression

In days of yore there was no such animal as the internet and its myriad of online applications; nor were there cell phones, digital recordings, or GPS units. It was the seventies and the eighties and it was just around the time that yours truly was growing up. Over the past 30 – 40 years some pretty amazing things have taken place in the realm of electronic wizardry. Technology has shrunk the world. Paul Simon once sang, “These are the days of miracle and wonder. This is the long distance call. The way the camera follows us in slow-mo. The way we look to the stars. The way we look to a distant constellation that is dying in the corner of the sky. These are the days of miracle and wonder and don’t cry, baby, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

Ah Graceland – great album. Please forgive the musical interlude, Gentle Reader. I got carried away. Still I think you get the idea. It’s not as easy as it once was to find people who want to return to the “good old days”. They all have their own websites and Twitter feeds now. A common theme that surrounds times of technological growth is will our technology outpace our humanity. I would argue that our humanity benefits from the inclusion of new technologies and, in fact, creates dynamic and new forms of socialization and communication between, well, humans. The popularity of Facebook, MySpace, Geocaching, Twitter, X-box Live, and the other worlds of the Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming (MMOGs) sites are shining examples of how technology and human interaction are no longer mutually exclusive. So much for dehumanization; right here, right now in the latter years of the first decade of the twenty first century – change is good. Change is our friend. If we make friends with change we won’t stagnate in a pit of nostalgia and depression at how good things were so long ago. The world has moved on. We must move with it.

“Why are you telling us all this stuff?”

I’m telling you this, Gentle Reader, because while I love the new and emerging technologies and all the wonders they can bestow, I detest being nickeled and dimed for functions on an electronic device that is theoretically owned by me.

“Huh?”

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m talking about Verizon Wireless. I have a state of the art (5 years ago) free cell phone from Verizon; it’s a Motorola RAZR V3. Motorola, with the RAZR made one of the most popular cell phones ever. The product itself is capable of taking pictures & digital video, playing MP3s, internet browsing, and you can even make phone calls with it. Yeah, that sounds like a pretty neat gadget; unless, that is, your little 5 year-old electronic marvel of a cell phone happens to be using Verizon Wireless as its carrier. You see when you take a picture with your phone Verizon will charge you for you to send it to your own email address. It’s the same thing with videos. Do not think for a moment that you can remove the SD ram chip and insert it into a card reader to download your 300 plus pictures – oh no, Verizon has assigned a Electronic Serial Number (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Serial_Number) to block the use of free applications. Please allow me repeat that in all caps; “BLOCK THE USE OF FREE APPLICATION!”

Ladies and Gentlemen, exhibit A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_RAZR_V3. Please direct your attention to the Verizon Wireless version of the phone; and I quote from Wikipedia my favorite second brain, “Verizon Wireless disabled certain features on the V3m including the ability to transfer data files to and from the phone via Bluetooth (a specific protocol called OBEX). Verizon has also blocked the transfer of most data over USB, such as ringtones. These phones also run Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW), which signs each application to the phones Electronic Serial Number, or ESN, thus preventing the use of free applications. The equivalent models offered by competitors (such as the V3t by T-Mobile) still retain these features.

Verizon also installs their own user interface instead of the default Motorola interface that they used to use in the past. This has led to many Verizon Wireless users to resort to using their own artificial means of reverting their phones back to an original Motorola condition, or to that of a Verizon phone that has some of the disabled features enabled. A newer Verizon version of the phone has been upgraded and features limitless video capture, easier laid out menu system and the ability to customize the external screen. The phone is still unable to sync to a computer via USB cable for anything other than charging, unless a software such as Bitpim is used to access files.”

All of those things that you thought your cell phone could do – it can but only with other providers; now on Verizon? Not so much. You have to pay them for the basic functions that come natural with the basic programming of your phone. What a deal. Do not even get me started about the Verizon web browser.

Perhaps in the distant future there will just be a monthly Data Fee that would be set / adjusted on the amount of bandwidth you use. You no longer would have a cable bill, cell phone bill or internet bill. The Data Fee would encompass them all. A world without double, triple, quadruple dipping – a world where the market decides what products and services the populous uses. This Data Fee would cover your phone and digital television too – hey it won’t be that long before you will have an HD projector on your wrist anyway and when that day comes how many bills do you really want to pay? Charge for bandwidth used; that will be the future.

What about the now? To be fair Verizon has a lot of towers in the South Jersey area. That translates to clear signal strength. These are the “days of miracle and wonder” and I am truly excited about what the near future just may hold for the micro personal computer and mobile electronic and information community. While the short-term financial gains that come from replacing a user interface may be appealing to companies such as Verizon Wireless the long-term prognosis is pretty weak. Case in point, I have four cell phones through Verizon Wireless, 700 minutes a month, and on two of those phones I pay extra so that two of those phones can Text without being charged per each Text message. We do not use the Verizon web browser since the interface is clunky, it is entirely too expensive to do so, and, quite frankly, we prefer the real thing to Verizon’s alternate universe version of the internet. As each one of our cell phones reaches the end of its contract I will take said number and I will leave. Four, Three, Two, One, Zero. I will cast off the yoke of oppression one cell phone at a time.

Can you hear me now?