Dove Films

They've done it again. Dove has been busy making some very important short films directed at communicating what real beauty is... and isn't. Here's a great one. It's about 1 minute long.

Go here:
Dove Films

(There are a few more films there as well that are worth checking out)

Drumming For A Lifetime, pt. 13

If you're looking for something different... CHECK THIS GUY OUT. A friend of mine sent this link to me, and man, talk about pushing some limits of technology in drumming and rhythmic expression.

His style may not be your cup of tea (it's not necessarily mine), but it's undeniable how forward thinking and creative this guy is. Hang around on his site for a while.

iPhone, How I Love Thee

...but thou hast come at a great price.


I officially drank the iPhone kool-aid last week, by ending my 30 day trial early and porting my permanent cell # over. It's everything you've heard and more, living up to the "Phantom Menace" sized hype.

So if I'm so high on this marvel, what do I mean by great price? Before defecting totally from Verizon, they told me, "Make sure you don't have any voice messages, 'cause you'll lose what's there." I thought, "I don't have any new voice messages on there, 'cause I've been forwarding my number to the iPhone."

I forgot about my saved ones.

When I realized I lost my saved messages (30 minutes after it was too late), I was broken-hearted. I literally grieved for them. Sounds stupid I know, but let me explain what I lost.

I still had the message when Chana called me to tell me Maddie had peed on the potty the first time ever. It was hilarious, and I can still remember Maddies tiny voice telling me what she'd done, and asking for her treat!

I still had the message when Sky called me just to talk. He was 5, and decided he'd call me to chat, for no reason. I love that.

I still had the message from my Dad when he called me with pride in his voice, because he had received the Emmy I shipped to him.

I had many others, some silly, some more of keepsakes than anything else. My great mistake was putting off recording them to my computer over the last couple of years. I thought about it so many times, but never went through with it; and me, a sound guy for a living... sloppy.

The moment I figured out I had lost them, I prayed for God to embed them in my brain. I don't ever want to forget the sound of those voices. My only choice is to learn from this, and realize that there will be countless more beautiful messages from loved ones... messages that I will backup.

Modern Technology is a Good Thing

Above is a screen grab of a Skype session with my youngest daughter Maddie. I've been at Skywalker Sound all week, and last night she lost a toof (tooth). I am bummed I wasn't there for the fun, but this morning I got to see her, so I'm happier.

Sometimes technology weighs us down, puts a leash on us, and generally drives us crazy. Sometimes it allows us to connect in ways that keep us feeling close, even though we're far away.

Oh, Chana told me she cried, 'cause she swallowed it! Not 'cause it hurt, but because she thought she wouldn't score a visit from the Toof Fairy!

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?

New Responsibilities at WB

I just started back at WB Animation for another season of "The Batman", and another restoration project of the classic "Looney Tunes" shorts. It's good to be back, seeing as they don't pay you when you stay at home and don't work for them. It's been 6 weeks, I hope I can remember what all these knobs are for.

Another exciting duty I've been given this time though, is to keep our new patch-bay connected properly. This is a photo of me reading the diagram, trying to keep straight all those insert possibilities. I'm honestly flummoxed, because it's too darn technical.


What do they expect? I'm an editor, not a rocket scientist! Do I plug it into the one with the glowing light, or just try 'em all? I have to hurry, 'cause Mel Blanc's waiting to start his voice session.

Obviously, I will not last long here unless I get my act together. If you know anything about these new patch-bays, please let me know.

Free Broadband Service From Google

Do yourself a favor, and read up on Google's TiSP.
It's a new (and free) broadband ISP.

It could change the way we get our internet service forever.

It could also be a very funny and creative April Fool's hoax they did, well, on April Fool's Day. They were very thorough in their pitch, and there's even a help group and instructions for self-install.

And if you find a page that says "Not Found", read it. It will link you to the past five years worth of April Fool's hoaxes.

Have We Taken This Technology Too Far?

I saw this short, and it was pretty eye-opening. Tell me what you think about it.

Click here to see the short film. (it's about 1 minute)