Inspiration For Pushing The Human Race Forward

About 7-8 years ago, Apple came out with the ad campaign "Think Different". You may remember it. I didn't think much of it (positive or negative) when I saw it at first.

But, in the summer of 2001, we were preparing to move from Tulsa, OK to Los Angeles - a risky move with a full-sized family.

I needed inspiration; I needed motivation. During that summer before moving, I again saw this ad, and the words grabbed me in a new way.

At that time, I needed to hear that doing something out of the ordinary was OK; that doing something risky was not just acceptable, but necessary for me to reach into the depths of my potential. Some people can reach their potential living in one place for their whole lives, but I needed a new environment.

I was fortunate to have a wife in Chana, that was right there with me, dreaming, scheming, praying and planning. If we weren't aligned, I don't think I could've or would've base-jumped into the unknown that is LA.

Here's the text of the ad:


Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
Are the ones who do.

Click here to see the ad on YouTube.

Click here to see an alternate (and creative) version of the ad.

Sometimes it's easy to forget all of the little links in the chain that helped take you from point A to B, and I had forgotten about this one. I'm glad to revisit it now, 'cause it still inspires me.

Think different my friends.

And think big.

Two Great Loves Come Together

I love drums.

I love computers. (er, better just say I love Macs)

I never dreamed of combining them in such a creative way.




Like a beautifully formed Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on acid, Spotswood Custom Computers will build you a computer out of a wooden cylinder, and attach hardware from bass drums (various styles), bringing together two of my favorite things - yes, these two things would definitely go in my version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things".

I don't know who thought of this, furthermore, I don't know who's buying these.

All I can say is God Bless 'Em!

Check out their gallery.

What two things would you like to see blended together?

Western Mania, and Some Other Things to Talk About

What I'm watching right now:



I've always liked westerns, but I'm becoming a western junkie. I've been lapping up all the John Ford/John Wayne classics lately. Chana bought the collection for me for Father's Day. I had picked up "The Magnificent Seven", a John Sturges film, a few months ago, and that kicked off my renewed craze.

Watching these Ford films is teaching me that there has still been no equal to Wayne. (Clint Eastwood and Sam Elliott are great runners-up, but still no Duke)


Steve McQueen is one of the stars of "The Magnificent Seven", and I thought I'd check out some of his other acclaimed work. "Bullitt" has become a favorite. It is the film with the famous car chase through San Francisco.

Chana and I watched the car chase again last night, and I marveled how the scene was riveting through and through, and not ONE special effect was used. Just juicy car footage and gutsy editing.

Another fun part of "Bullitt" is that the style is very reminiscent of Soderbergh's "Ocean's 11". (haven't seen "12") The music, the graphic opening title stylings and a few other factors of "Bullitt" reminded me so much of "Ocean's 11". It made me wonder if Soderbergh studied "Bullitt" and other films of that era to capture the feel of them for his film.


What I'm doing right now:

Final Cut Studio


plus

My new Mac Book Pro 17" (more on this beauty later)



Time off from Warner Bros means I'm trying to use my time wisely and hone some picture editing skills. It's been a treat to actually have some time to invest in cutting picture. I'm actually doing a few projects right now (for pay even!). I've always wanted to cut picture on a regular basis. Well, at the moment I'm definitely getting my chance to focus on it totally.