there are few things that justify a comparison to the middle east

And a theatre ensemble is decidedly not one of them.

I'm not sure why he felt the need to compare a simple process discussion to daily terrorism and a longstanding war. I have decided not to respond to his treatise simply because I do not think I hold enough organizational weight to call him to the carpet on his gross misinterpretation. Moreover, his doomsday threats failed in the one thing he asked for - new ideas. Beyond his grave tone and dire comparisons, he asked only for the things that have already been discussed and dismissed. Asking people to forgive (again) is pointless... what we all need is somewhere to go and something to do, two things he utterly failed to address.

I do believe our group will be around in 20 months. Monday's meeting was tense at times and downright comical at others, but overall the attitude was positive. Some key players chose not to speak on Monday - I believe that was a mistake. They perpetuate the back-room dealing that must be abolished immediately.

The group needs a new style of participatory decision-making appropriate to its size, budget, and current staffing (especially considering the unfilled Artistic Director post). My vision for this is a consensus-based ensemble responsible for artistic decisions, an input-driven staff for business decisions, and a board helping to unite the two with ultimate oversight but little day-to-day interaction.

modern comment on ancient symbol

According to The Sun, PAGANs have threatened to perform rain magic to wash away today's modern chalk symbol which has taken residence next to a traditional symbol thought to represent fertility.



My real question is who put Homer there? Is it an ad for the new movie (as the Sun suggests) or did a neighboring farmer just have a stroke of genius? How do you draw the line between censorship and disrespect? It's similar to the discussion of political correctness - something which I think is often overrated.

unwritten law

Saw Unwritten Law at the House of Blues last night. Not a very good show. Scott was either completely strung out, or completely strung out when he wrote the music. Frankly, I'm not sure which.

In either case - he needs to return to his previous state. He's incapable of performing as it stands.

Alternatively, he could look for a new job. I don't think he'll be able to support himself touring. He didn't sell out HoB, even with several local openers. His set lasted about an hour, but only because he talked through half of it. A good quarter of the time spent singing was far out of key.

I wouldn't recommend an Unwritten Law show to anyone at this point.

I'm also down on Metro right now - I went to their box office yesterday during the middle of the day when it is clearly supposed to be open. Instead, I found a sign "Back in 10!" ... needless to say, 20 minutes later no one was around to sell me tickets. I understand the alternative movement and their aversion to commercialism, but then you should just let people come in for free. You can't have a job selling tickets and then not sell them. It doesn't work that way - either you eschew commercialism and you give them away, or you get paid for doing your job and sell me tickets. I will give their box office one more chance, but if I can't buy tickets the second time I just won't go to Metro. I'm not that excited for their middling, commercial-yet-no-dancing shows.

"wait, there wasn't bleach in that, was there?"

What you don't want to hear at a hair salon ...

big love

I don't really watch TV. It's not a big thing for me. My parents have always watched multiple shows (it's on all day) but I've always been far more interested in other things.

I'll leave out the part about trashy television, which I have often turned to when I don't have enough things to do and it's too hot to ride.

In any case, HBO's relatively new series "Big Love" is fantastic. Though I'm not a subscription watcher, I've seen every episode and actually remember to go look for new ones during the season. That's a serious endorsement, coming from me.

This is the second season, and I feel as though the show is only getting better as the characters mature. Following Lost's long-arc format, the show follows a polygamist family living in the modern world. Not only does it challenge basic tenets of American life, it also brings an interesting perspective on traditionalism, consumerism, and what it means to be a family.

I'm not a professional review writer so there's not much else I can do for you except encourage you to watch. It's a good story.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

A report in the Telegraph suggests that short-term memory erasure is actually possible, and moreover, proven. See Article.

Now that's some scary stuff folks - RFID short-term memory erasure dust. Not only will we know you've been there... you won't know it happened.

Now what rights stand up in a court of law?

ratatouille

This past weekend I went with some friends from work to see Ratatouille, the new Pixar animated film. I really liked it! It was really cute, quite humorous, and generally well-put together. I think what makes Pixar films so successful (Toy Story, Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc.) is their phenomenal grasp of the story and the element of surprise, not necessarily the animation.

The relationship between Pixar and The Walt Disney Company is especially interesting - the creative synergies supposedly come from Pixar's computer animation and WDC's long tradition of showmanship, but I disagree. Recent Disney films have utterly failed in showmanship, some even lack reasonable semblences of story-telling.

For example, who actually went to see Home on the Range (2004)? Brother Bear (2003)? What about Treasure Planet (2002)? Even Lilo & Stitch was basically a failure in comparison to more recent blockbusters like The Lion King, Aladin, or The Little Mermaid and I haven't even touched on the original masterpieces like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, or Lady & the Tramp. Those are movies that US children experience as timeless classics.

The Walt Disney Company has not brought story-telling to Pixar; Pixar has reinvented story-telling, brought to you by The Walt Disney Company. But good story-telling is not an asset - you can't buy it, you can't trade it, and you can't force it. WDC acquired Pixar for its people and now must decide how best to integrate their own traditional animators (with a whole host of politics, grandfathering, and routine) with Pixar's celebrated experimental approach.

And there's the question - how do you integrate people? Cultures? Ideas? What does purchased innovation add to the creative process for an existing machine? Can you use an acquisition to get people excited without feeling threatened? I can make the balance sheet work, I can negotiate synergized shipping terms with global distributors, but how can I integrate the people making a fundamentally artistic product on which the entire business depends?

manic sewing circle

I was out on the town last Friday with a few friends and we decided to drop by the Deal's Gone Bad show at Subterranean. While there, I was really surprised by the final opener, Manic Sewing Circle.

Not only did these guys play their instruments well and bang out some good ska, most of them were sporting black Xs ... not because they are straightedge, but because they are under 21. In fact, two of them are under 17. They started as 13 and 14 year olds, rocking out in a basement and have only recently obtained their own cars.

I think this is great. Most of today's classic ska bands are also yesterday's classic ska bands and often, the day before yesterday's classic ska bands hailing from the early 90s. Most ska bands have been playing for more than 20 years.

I'm certainly not criticizing experience and I definitely love Mustard Plug, Deal's Gone Bad, etc. as much as the next guy, but I think it's great that some kids have gotten together and made some really good music. They are really excited, really energetic, and brought out kids to the show who wouldn't have come otherwise. I talked to a few of them afterwards, bought a CD, and told them I thought it was awesome. They're going to be touring with Warped this summer, so they have dates all over the country playing on small stages before they head back to high school.

Nicely done.

iphone hype

PC World has a good run-down of the "in this world" problems with yesterday's hot release.

Notably, short battery life does not play nicely with huge screen accidental touch or proprietary battery construction. Remember, this is your phone. If it dies, you could be SOL since you can't replace the battery and every time it's in your pocket that great big, bright screen is going to light up. I want to see how the accidental touch works, folks.