Mid May Blog
This week I talk about IMAX, The Middle Seat on airplanes, Nancy Pelosi, Republicans, and some silly Texans.
Welcome to another week in Bogworld. It was a pretty interesting week here behind the scenes. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I was out of town for half the week. Then I was playing catch up with the job and family matters. This week should be a better week for Bogworld...
Lets start now...
Shifting the Blame
There is a hard push from Congressional Republicans to make a really big deal about the possibility that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi might have known about their illegal torture practices but did not say anything.
Seems like an odd shift in logic. For years Republicans in the know passed this off as classified information that could not be commented on for reasons of national defense. But now that the cats out of the bag, they are pointing at Pelosi who might have been keeping the same national secrets and saying she is somehow in the wrong for not telling what she knew back then... When she was sworn to secrecy... Like they claimed to be...
Okay, lets say for a moment that this actually happened...
How does this change that the torture itself, carried out by the Bush Administration and the Republican led Congress, was and always should have been considered illegal? How is it more of a issue that Pelosi might have known about it, than it is for the people who actually ordered, created and carried out the torture?
The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Democrats are adult enough to let their own take the consequences of their actions, where Republicans will pass the buck and deflect blame like children.
If Nancy Pelosi knew this was going on, sure, lets check into that and she should answer to those allegations.
But if the Republicans are pointing at Nancy and saying “She knew about the terrible things we did! She knew about it!” How does this lessen the terrible things they did? In fact, doesn’t this reinforce that the Bush Administration was doing terribly wrong minded things? Isn’t this an admission of guilt? I mean you cannot have an accomplice unless there’s some sort of crime.
Lets review...
REPUBLICAN: Nancy Pelosi knew about our use of illegal torture methods but did not say anything!
DEMOCRAT: Ok. So you admit you were illegally torturing people?
REPUBLICAN: No comment.
The Middle Seat
Every year thousands of young people graduate from engineering schools. Yet for reasons I do not understand, we still put our friends and family member through a unique kind of torture every time we travel by air...
The middle seat.
There has to be some way to put the same amount of people safely on an airplane without having to have a window, an isle AND a middle seat. Don’t you agree?
I mean at least the window seat gives you a window and a wall on which you can lean your head and attempt to sleep during a flight.
The isle seat allows its occupant easy access to the rest rooms and even the simple pleasure of being able to stand mid-flight and stretch out one’s aching spine and limbs.
But there is nothing...NOTHING... Remotely redeeming about being assigned the middle seat. There is no leg room. You don’t even get to lay claim to either arm rests. If you nod off you end up putting your head on the shoulder of a complete stranger. There is no way to stand or stretch. There is nothing to look at but the back of the poor schmoe in the middle seat ahead of you, or the Sky Mall catalog filled with the most pretentious crap ever collected into one magazine. Does anyone really need a bronze Yeti yard statue? I’m serious. Its in the current Sky Mall.
If the flight includes some sort of food or beverage service, this just heightens the torture. My flight only offered peanuts and a soft drink. Trying to open a bag that contains 2 and a half peanuts with your elbows pinned to your ribs is a surprisingly difficult task. Raising a drink to your lips is fraught with danger when you are bumping elbows with the two passengers on either side of you.
Want to make terrorist suspects give up secrets? Book them the middle seat on a cross country flight between two fat people. Not only will they speak before they reach their destination but they will reconsider ever doing anything on or with a commercial airline ever again.
Don’t Mess With Texas
Texas’ Governor is talking about succession again. A recent poll showed that about half of that state’s Republicans would favor the idea of their state leaving the United States.
I’m not going to stand here and say all Texans are crazy. But I sure will say that those particular Texans sure as hell are.
Succession might have been a quaint thought back during the Civil War. But a few things have changed since then and as Mavericky you Texans love to present yourself, the fact of the matter is you could not possibly support yourself as a stand-alone nation. Not even close.
Lets begin with Texas defending itself. Sure there are probably a lot of hand guns and rifles in the hands of the general public. Thats fine. You’ll probably be able to defend yourself against your next door neighbor just fine. But past that, what are you going to do? Think America is going to defend you if you skip out on the rest of us? You’ve still got the Texas National Guard? Really? That equipment comes from Federal armories and the best example you have of a jet pilot is George W. Bush. Good luck protecting and defending yourself.
How about disaster relief? Last time I checked, Texas has a lot of hurricane plagued coast line. Texas took in billions of dollars of Federal disaster relief money after the last few hurricanes brushed their beaches.
I could go on and on with examples of how Texas... And all other states for that matter... Are locked into this union now. And what a Texas sized whine this is! If you don’t like the current president or his policies? So you’re going to leave ?
How about all the funding Texans get from Federal educational funding? I guess all those young Texans wont be getting a college education.
I could go on and on like this but it boils down to one thing. This is Texas sized belly aching. Come on! We (the rest of this country) put up with Texas style governing for the last 8 years and it almost bankrupted us.
Do you really think its so bad to try a different path at this point? Or is it just plain Texas stubbornness that makes you think you have to go down with your guns blazing just like the Alamo. You do remember the Alamo, right? A bunch of stubborn Texans who decided to die rather than give up. Yeh, that’s nobel in the context of that particular conflict and all, but its stupid if you apply that sort of thinking to every challenge that comes your way. Especially when there are other options.
The election was less than six months ago. Have you Texans already forgotten the basic principal of living in a democracy? If you don’t like the current leadership, in four short years you’ll have the chance to vote for someone else. Seems like a much better idea than packing your bags and running away like some spoiled teenage girl. Show a little bit of that famous Texas grit and work with the rest of us at making the country better rather than contributing to the nonsense that just make things worse.
Catching some dreams...
It’s been a really tough year on me. Its been a tough year for a few of my friends too. Friends losing loved ones. Friends losing jobs. Friends moving on. Its all tough. Especially when these are the times we all need our friends the most.
There have been a few silver linings to some of these clouds.
For example, I have been writing a book. I mean a real novel! And there is a good chance its actually going to be published sometime in the not too distant future. Of course I will keep you all updated on this.
One silver lining I am currently enjoying has very little to do with me. A close friend of mine, who also had a really bad year is finally getting one of his dreams to come true. His name is Alejandro. We simply call him Ale. Don’t ask me to pronounce it because I can never quite get it out right. But this guy’s life-long dream to become a world class singer/songwriter/performer is starting to come true.
His music has just started to become available on iTunes and Amazon. His hit song is called “Too Bad” (search for it at Ale, Too Bad). His web page will be launched shortly and I will be giving you all more details. I urge you to check this artist out. You wont be disappointed. Its nice to have friends who are doing amazing things. It inspires me to do more too.
The IMAX controversy.
There is a pretty heated debate raging online at this moment over whether or not the new IMAX Digital theaters should be billed as “ real IMAX theaters” or not. Well, being a 25 year veteran of IMAX projection I do know enough to have an educated opinion on this matter...
IMAX is known for the biggest screens, the clearest pictures and the best possible sound all married together in one killer auditorium. Most of us grew up with IMAX nature documentaries at our local science centers or amusement parks. Breathtaking experiences at the time to be sure. But these days Hollywood has taken an interest in making the cinema experience something that cannot be duplicated by home theaters with HD televisions and surround sound... The only real way to compete with all that is to make the theater absolutely something that cannot be duplicated at home. In other words... IMAX.
Trouble is, not all auditoriums can handle traditional IMAX screens (which are nearly six stories high) or the giant IMAX projectors and film handling systems that cost millions and millions of dollars.
Then along came digital projection. Digital projection means you do not have to have film handling gear at all because you’re not running film any more. Theaters might not have to pay traditional projectionists to prepare and run these movies. Basically these new digital theaters are mammoth versions of your home theater. Movies played from disks or hard drives instead of film. If properly maintained, these theaters can provide really good experiences close to a traditional IMAX experience.
Close to... But not quite there yet.
The reason IMAX film systems can be shown on much bigger screens is light.
IMAX film projectors often have one, and sometimes two 15 kilowatt xenon lamps pushing an amazing amount of light through the film to the screen. Digital video projectors cannot produce this amount of light yet. Thus they can only illuminate screens about half the size of a giant traditional IMAX screen.
Still a pretty big screen though. Roughly three stories tall. In a 300 or 400 seat venue that’s still a pretty impressive screen. But that’s where the complaints are coming from. People are lining up for film IMAX experiences but getting smaller digital IMAX experiences.
Oh and believe it or not, the other advantage film has over digital projection is darkness. You might notice it if you see Star Trek in a digital theater versus a film theater, IMAX or not. Digital projectors always project something. Even in dark scenes, its sending a little dim light to the screen. Film can be absolutely opaque. Film can cut light completely off when you are watching a space scene or maybe the darkness of a scary movie.
How do you know if you are going to have a good IMAX experience? When you look at the middle of the screen and it goes beyond your peripheral vision. That is to say, you do not see the edges of the screen when you are looking at the center. It really doesn’t matter what size the screen is if the theater is designed properly. You can have an awesome experience even in a smaller IMAX theater if the seating platform is well matched to the size of the screen.
Hey lets just be glad that Hollywood is trying to do something... Anything... To make the theater experience better for us.
Lack of Perspective
This week The Arizona State University and The University of Notre Dame have both invited President Barack Obama to speak at their graduation ceremonies. Both schools have decided to launch protests. That’s right. They invited the President to speak and then they decided to protest it. Its a little like inviting someone to your dinner party but then telling them they cannot eat. What the hell?
Notre Dame’s protestors feel Obama should not be speaking because of this views on right to life issues. This is a bit ludicrous because even the Vatican has given their approval to the Obama Presidency. Last time I checked the Catholic rule book, it said the Pope was infallible. So where is this coming from Notre Dame?
I get that Arizona might be a little sore over the beating their home boy McCain took in the election. But still. They’re withdrawal of an offer to give Obama an honorary degree just comes across as... Well... Redneck. And more than a little racist.
I have watched interviews of Arizona’s students who smugly recite “Well what did he ever do to deserve an honorary degree?”
As if actually earning a degree... Not an honorary one... From Harvard was nothing. As if becoming the head of the Harvard Law Review and graduating top of his class was nothing. As if coming from a truly meager background to become the first black American President was nothing.
Come on Arizona State. Even if you don’t like the guy. Even if you voted for someone else. You should still at least honor the office. That’s the American thing to do. Snap out of it and join the rest of us in the present day. This sort of petty backwards thinking just tells the rest of us Arizona might not be a good place to go to college.
Lets start now...
Shifting the Blame
There is a hard push from Congressional Republicans to make a really big deal about the possibility that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi might have known about their illegal torture practices but did not say anything.
Seems like an odd shift in logic. For years Republicans in the know passed this off as classified information that could not be commented on for reasons of national defense. But now that the cats out of the bag, they are pointing at Pelosi who might have been keeping the same national secrets and saying she is somehow in the wrong for not telling what she knew back then... When she was sworn to secrecy... Like they claimed to be...
Okay, lets say for a moment that this actually happened...
How does this change that the torture itself, carried out by the Bush Administration and the Republican led Congress, was and always should have been considered illegal? How is it more of a issue that Pelosi might have known about it, than it is for the people who actually ordered, created and carried out the torture?
The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Democrats are adult enough to let their own take the consequences of their actions, where Republicans will pass the buck and deflect blame like children.
If Nancy Pelosi knew this was going on, sure, lets check into that and she should answer to those allegations.
But if the Republicans are pointing at Nancy and saying “She knew about the terrible things we did! She knew about it!” How does this lessen the terrible things they did? In fact, doesn’t this reinforce that the Bush Administration was doing terribly wrong minded things? Isn’t this an admission of guilt? I mean you cannot have an accomplice unless there’s some sort of crime.
Lets review...
REPUBLICAN: Nancy Pelosi knew about our use of illegal torture methods but did not say anything!
DEMOCRAT: Ok. So you admit you were illegally torturing people?
REPUBLICAN: No comment.
The Middle Seat
Every year thousands of young people graduate from engineering schools. Yet for reasons I do not understand, we still put our friends and family member through a unique kind of torture every time we travel by air...
The middle seat.
There has to be some way to put the same amount of people safely on an airplane without having to have a window, an isle AND a middle seat. Don’t you agree?
I mean at least the window seat gives you a window and a wall on which you can lean your head and attempt to sleep during a flight.
The isle seat allows its occupant easy access to the rest rooms and even the simple pleasure of being able to stand mid-flight and stretch out one’s aching spine and limbs.
But there is nothing...NOTHING... Remotely redeeming about being assigned the middle seat. There is no leg room. You don’t even get to lay claim to either arm rests. If you nod off you end up putting your head on the shoulder of a complete stranger. There is no way to stand or stretch. There is nothing to look at but the back of the poor schmoe in the middle seat ahead of you, or the Sky Mall catalog filled with the most pretentious crap ever collected into one magazine. Does anyone really need a bronze Yeti yard statue? I’m serious. Its in the current Sky Mall.
If the flight includes some sort of food or beverage service, this just heightens the torture. My flight only offered peanuts and a soft drink. Trying to open a bag that contains 2 and a half peanuts with your elbows pinned to your ribs is a surprisingly difficult task. Raising a drink to your lips is fraught with danger when you are bumping elbows with the two passengers on either side of you.
Want to make terrorist suspects give up secrets? Book them the middle seat on a cross country flight between two fat people. Not only will they speak before they reach their destination but they will reconsider ever doing anything on or with a commercial airline ever again.
Don’t Mess With Texas
Texas’ Governor is talking about succession again. A recent poll showed that about half of that state’s Republicans would favor the idea of their state leaving the United States.
I’m not going to stand here and say all Texans are crazy. But I sure will say that those particular Texans sure as hell are.
Succession might have been a quaint thought back during the Civil War. But a few things have changed since then and as Mavericky you Texans love to present yourself, the fact of the matter is you could not possibly support yourself as a stand-alone nation. Not even close.
Lets begin with Texas defending itself. Sure there are probably a lot of hand guns and rifles in the hands of the general public. Thats fine. You’ll probably be able to defend yourself against your next door neighbor just fine. But past that, what are you going to do? Think America is going to defend you if you skip out on the rest of us? You’ve still got the Texas National Guard? Really? That equipment comes from Federal armories and the best example you have of a jet pilot is George W. Bush. Good luck protecting and defending yourself.
How about disaster relief? Last time I checked, Texas has a lot of hurricane plagued coast line. Texas took in billions of dollars of Federal disaster relief money after the last few hurricanes brushed their beaches.
I could go on and on with examples of how Texas... And all other states for that matter... Are locked into this union now. And what a Texas sized whine this is! If you don’t like the current president or his policies? So you’re going to leave ?
How about all the funding Texans get from Federal educational funding? I guess all those young Texans wont be getting a college education.
I could go on and on like this but it boils down to one thing. This is Texas sized belly aching. Come on! We (the rest of this country) put up with Texas style governing for the last 8 years and it almost bankrupted us.
Do you really think its so bad to try a different path at this point? Or is it just plain Texas stubbornness that makes you think you have to go down with your guns blazing just like the Alamo. You do remember the Alamo, right? A bunch of stubborn Texans who decided to die rather than give up. Yeh, that’s nobel in the context of that particular conflict and all, but its stupid if you apply that sort of thinking to every challenge that comes your way. Especially when there are other options.
The election was less than six months ago. Have you Texans already forgotten the basic principal of living in a democracy? If you don’t like the current leadership, in four short years you’ll have the chance to vote for someone else. Seems like a much better idea than packing your bags and running away like some spoiled teenage girl. Show a little bit of that famous Texas grit and work with the rest of us at making the country better rather than contributing to the nonsense that just make things worse.
Catching some dreams...
It’s been a really tough year on me. Its been a tough year for a few of my friends too. Friends losing loved ones. Friends losing jobs. Friends moving on. Its all tough. Especially when these are the times we all need our friends the most.
There have been a few silver linings to some of these clouds.
For example, I have been writing a book. I mean a real novel! And there is a good chance its actually going to be published sometime in the not too distant future. Of course I will keep you all updated on this.
One silver lining I am currently enjoying has very little to do with me. A close friend of mine, who also had a really bad year is finally getting one of his dreams to come true. His name is Alejandro. We simply call him Ale. Don’t ask me to pronounce it because I can never quite get it out right. But this guy’s life-long dream to become a world class singer/songwriter/performer is starting to come true.
His music has just started to become available on iTunes and Amazon. His hit song is called “Too Bad” (search for it at Ale, Too Bad). His web page will be launched shortly and I will be giving you all more details. I urge you to check this artist out. You wont be disappointed. Its nice to have friends who are doing amazing things. It inspires me to do more too.
The IMAX controversy.
There is a pretty heated debate raging online at this moment over whether or not the new IMAX Digital theaters should be billed as “ real IMAX theaters” or not. Well, being a 25 year veteran of IMAX projection I do know enough to have an educated opinion on this matter...
IMAX is known for the biggest screens, the clearest pictures and the best possible sound all married together in one killer auditorium. Most of us grew up with IMAX nature documentaries at our local science centers or amusement parks. Breathtaking experiences at the time to be sure. But these days Hollywood has taken an interest in making the cinema experience something that cannot be duplicated by home theaters with HD televisions and surround sound... The only real way to compete with all that is to make the theater absolutely something that cannot be duplicated at home. In other words... IMAX.
Trouble is, not all auditoriums can handle traditional IMAX screens (which are nearly six stories high) or the giant IMAX projectors and film handling systems that cost millions and millions of dollars.
Then along came digital projection. Digital projection means you do not have to have film handling gear at all because you’re not running film any more. Theaters might not have to pay traditional projectionists to prepare and run these movies. Basically these new digital theaters are mammoth versions of your home theater. Movies played from disks or hard drives instead of film. If properly maintained, these theaters can provide really good experiences close to a traditional IMAX experience.
Close to... But not quite there yet.
The reason IMAX film systems can be shown on much bigger screens is light.
IMAX film projectors often have one, and sometimes two 15 kilowatt xenon lamps pushing an amazing amount of light through the film to the screen. Digital video projectors cannot produce this amount of light yet. Thus they can only illuminate screens about half the size of a giant traditional IMAX screen.
Still a pretty big screen though. Roughly three stories tall. In a 300 or 400 seat venue that’s still a pretty impressive screen. But that’s where the complaints are coming from. People are lining up for film IMAX experiences but getting smaller digital IMAX experiences.
Oh and believe it or not, the other advantage film has over digital projection is darkness. You might notice it if you see Star Trek in a digital theater versus a film theater, IMAX or not. Digital projectors always project something. Even in dark scenes, its sending a little dim light to the screen. Film can be absolutely opaque. Film can cut light completely off when you are watching a space scene or maybe the darkness of a scary movie.
How do you know if you are going to have a good IMAX experience? When you look at the middle of the screen and it goes beyond your peripheral vision. That is to say, you do not see the edges of the screen when you are looking at the center. It really doesn’t matter what size the screen is if the theater is designed properly. You can have an awesome experience even in a smaller IMAX theater if the seating platform is well matched to the size of the screen.
Hey lets just be glad that Hollywood is trying to do something... Anything... To make the theater experience better for us.
Lack of Perspective
This week The Arizona State University and The University of Notre Dame have both invited President Barack Obama to speak at their graduation ceremonies. Both schools have decided to launch protests. That’s right. They invited the President to speak and then they decided to protest it. Its a little like inviting someone to your dinner party but then telling them they cannot eat. What the hell?
Notre Dame’s protestors feel Obama should not be speaking because of this views on right to life issues. This is a bit ludicrous because even the Vatican has given their approval to the Obama Presidency. Last time I checked the Catholic rule book, it said the Pope was infallible. So where is this coming from Notre Dame?
I get that Arizona might be a little sore over the beating their home boy McCain took in the election. But still. They’re withdrawal of an offer to give Obama an honorary degree just comes across as... Well... Redneck. And more than a little racist.
I have watched interviews of Arizona’s students who smugly recite “Well what did he ever do to deserve an honorary degree?”
As if actually earning a degree... Not an honorary one... From Harvard was nothing. As if becoming the head of the Harvard Law Review and graduating top of his class was nothing. As if coming from a truly meager background to become the first black American President was nothing.
Come on Arizona State. Even if you don’t like the guy. Even if you voted for someone else. You should still at least honor the office. That’s the American thing to do. Snap out of it and join the rest of us in the present day. This sort of petty backwards thinking just tells the rest of us Arizona might not be a good place to go to college.