Diablopop

DOWN

2006-01-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Clearly this web log is dead... for now.

Baked Pineapple

2005-11-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorites from growing up, so last year I got the recipe from my mom. People always love it, and it's really easy to make. Don't let the name fool you; it's not like a baked apple, but more like a bready pudding. It's an excellent side for T-day, and of course, it always goes well with ham.

INGREDIENTS

      1 can crushed pineapple w/ juice (No. 2 can, 20 oz.)

      5 slices of diced white bread

      3 eggs

      ¼ cup melted butter

      2 tablespoons of flour

      ½ cup of sugar

      dash of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat eggs. Add sugar, flour, salt, crushed pineapple with juice, and 3 slices of diced bread. Mix till bread is soft, then place in a greased (or buttered) casserole dish.

Mix remaining 2 slices of bread with melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. (I put extra sugar on top as well)

Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes till lightly browned.

NL Gamers

2005-11-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

So I’m working on National Lampoon’s Gamers on the National Lampoon college cable network. If you live near a college, you might be able to watch it. Our resources are limited, so be kind.

You may remember a post I made awhile ago about the trouble with video game shows. Our answer to that problem is weird comedy.

Busy, not Lazy

2005-09-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Nothing is worse than a web log entry apologizing for the lack of entries.

Sorry.

I'm working as a Producer, and exceptionally busy. More on that later.

The View After 4 Years

2005-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve got a very special post for you, my two or three loyal readers (Hi Mom!). More work went into this post than any other post in the long and illustrious history of this web log. Granted, all the work was done between 1999 and 2001, but it’s all going to be here.

Four years ago I “released” an album called The View from August 13th, 2001. In total, I probably distributed about 20 copies, and now I offer this album on my website for the modest price of $6. In truth, I probably couldn’t give this shit away... but today, for you, I will.

The album’s broken into three zip files (good for Macs and PC’s), each containing five songs. They’re high-quality 192kbps Mp3 files, so I hope you’ve got a high-speed connection.

I have my favorites, but almost everyone seemed to like “Emote” the best. “Claw Peels” is probably the most fascinating, assuming you’re familiar with the Santo & Johnny song “Sleepwalk” (clawpeels/sleepwalk... get it?).

I hate disclaimers, but I should warn you that I wasn’t the producing genius that I am now. Some of the songs may sound a bit abrasive, and may delve well into cacophony. You’ll also hear some samples used in multiple songs. Tough.

All right, let’s do this...

[Right click (or control click) and select the appropriate action to download the files.]

View-1.zip (16.7 MB)
01 - Bed Sheets
02 - Day In, Day Out
03 - The Layout
04 - Grifter’s Move
05 - All I Know (feat. Henry Membreno)

View-2.zip (16.1 MB)
06 - Plans pt. 1
07 - Drive an 85
08 - Just How Many
09 - Claw Peels
10 - Emote

View-3.zip (23.9 MB)
11 - In Jack's Defense
12 - Dance for Hanky
13 - Motor Go Girls!
14 - Shangri La
15 - Christmas Tree Farm (feat. Jena Kim)

If you like the album, feel free to share with your friends, but I’d prefer not getting linked to on other websites. Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy it.

Interrobang

2005-08-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

I pledge to use this amazing punctuation.

"What‽ Can you do that‽"

Yes I can - assuming it shows up in browsers, I'll definitely use it here. As for my job...

As a reality Script Supervisor, I'm focused on organization and efficiency. Even if I can get this thing functioning without screwing up scripts as they move from computer to computer, probably not. I don't have time to dig through wingding fonts every time its use would be accurate. Plus, executives fear the unusual, and the work I do should appear transparent to them, so it depends on whether or not the executives will ever actually look at the scripts. Finally, I don't want to confuse any "talent" doing voiceovers.

Both The Chicago Manual of Style and my edition of Garner's Dictionary of Modern American Usage are quiet on the subject, so I'm going to take that as a sign it hasn't been trashed.

Thanks to J. "interrobang" for raising public awareness (any comments from a professional proofreader?). More info about this important punctuation can be found HERE. You can use it yourself with the code ‽ in HTML documents.

So, the test: please leave a comment and let me know if you can see this...

‽

Thanks.

50 years, 2 days

2005-08-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Aug. 7th, 1955:
Bill Haley & the Comets appear on The Ed Sullivan Show

While his best music came from a year or two before, Haley's appearance on a show that had massive ratings (only three networks!) is nothing to be ignored. According to this site:

After being used in the hit film about juvenile delinquency "The Blackboard Jungle", Bill Haley & The Comets "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first rock record to top the Pop Charts, holding the #1 position for two months and remaining in the Top 100 for a then-record 38 weeks. It would be 39 years before that mark was broken.

As for what the bass player is doing in these pictures - he still does it. Here's an article about The Comets now.

= awesome indeed

2005-08-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe this site is something that's already been passed around from inbox to inbox, but I've never seen it before. And it's funny, damn it.

Stuff On My Cat

Pod Person

2005-08-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

So I’ve stepped into the ranks of iPod freaks. I’m sorry.

Yes there are cheaper players, and yes there are other products that don’t have a cult of geeks obsessing over them. But iPods are extremely easy and pleasant to use, and I can easily interface it with my car stereo.

Not surprisingly, you’re not likely to see me sporting the earbuds as I jog down palm tree-lined streets at dawn, nor will you be seeing my awkward silhouette bouncing around to some disco-rock hipster music in a wash of flat color. Even when I go on hikes through Griffith Park, I probably won’t bring the damn thing, because I like the relative quiet.

I do like to drive though, and I hope that the passenger seat will never swim in CD cases again. The interface works OK with my car stereo. Once the iPod is attached, you cannot operate it manually, you have to use it through the “head unit” of the stereo. Since the car stereo was designed for a CD changer (and has been retrofitted to accept iPods), it was never intended to search through thousands of artists and songs, so the biggest drawback is that the scroll wheel speed is painfully slow. Not good when you’re driving. To compensate, I’ve started screwing with playlists, and even hesitantly accepting a random shuffle of songs.

I swear I’m getting somewhere with this.

I’ve always liked the album product - I like the artwork and cases to put on shelves – but I’m finding the free-floating, un-holdable music in my iPod surprisingly liberating. Not only am I rediscovering a lot of my music collection, but I’m enjoying the contrasts of Blue Moon followed by Big Pimpin’... Cab Calloway steps off stage and Frank Black steps on… Kid Koala and Led Zeppelin co-headline… you get the idea.

The music doesn’t feel tied to anything other than the quality of its sound, and I love that, even if I have to constantly ride the volume knob on the stereo.

Years ago when I lived in New York, I wanted to make the mix tape of all mix tapes (actually a 3 CD concept soundtrack). It was going to be called Capital City, and I knew exactly which songs would be on it. I could never describe what most of the songs had in common with each other, other then they all seemed to fit some science fiction I had in my head. One of my old film professors, Robert Breer, when reviewing all of a student’s films at the end of the semester, would inevitably say “…and it’s all connected because it all comes from you.” Of course I’m not making the music, but it’s my damn aesthetics at work.

I did make a four-hour playlist called Capital City, but it hardly seems necessary now.

It's Glorious

2005-07-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

It doesn't take a genius to figure out how and why I came across this, but I have to share what may be the best amazon review ever.
--------------------
It's glorious!, October 30, 2003
Reviewer: chatchi (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

My Sasquatch-like nostrils were becoming unmanageable.

The unsightly nose hairs were so long they would sometimes get tangled, causing me extreme, eye-watering pain. During cold and flu season, it was not uncommon for me to get some "leftovers" stuck in my nose.

I needed something that could tame the beast that resided inside my nose.

I needed something that could cut through dense foliage, and not look back.

Who was up for the challenge? Not many.

I tried a number of different grooming tools, but none of them achieved the level of trimming that I desired. The "pretender groomers" (as I like to call them) would either yank out the hairs at an excruciatingly slow pace, or I would be left with stubble inside my nose. The ladies might like the "George Michael" 5 o'clock shadow, but nobody likes a 5 o'clock shadow in your nostrils.

After many failed attempts, I was convinced that there wasn't a tool available that could handle my rigorous grooming demands. I was ready to give up and resort to using my blunt, miniature scissors for the rest of my life.

And then I discovered the Panasonic Nose and Ear Hair Groomer.

This remarkable piece of equipment mows down everything in its path. No pain, minimal motor noise (for those seeking a discrete trim), and it works equally well in wet or dry conditions. So, worry not Seattle natives!

The one AA battery usually doesn't last long enough for me to complete my grooming ritual, but the 90-minute battery life should be more than sufficient for the rest of you. With an ergonomically designed stainless-steel blade that retains its sharpness, the Panasonic Nose and Ear Hair Groomer is the first and last personal groomer you will ever need.

However, I'm slightly disturbed by Amazon's option to buy it used.

Was this review helpful to you?

The Only Joke I Know

2005-07-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Below is the only joke I know. It’s best told very late at night, when everyone is tired, fragile, and ready for bed. I heard it years ago on a camping trip when I was probably 15 or 16, and we almost beat up the guy who told it to us.

---------------
Ted and Ed were racehorses, but more than that, they were best friends. They would spend long hours strolling through sunlit glades with the stable dog bouncing happily through the dandelions at their hooves. As best friends, they would talk about past races or maybe about the latest stable gossip. Sometimes they would stand quietly for long hours, enjoying the shade and eating the tall grasses in the meadows.

One day, the stable boy rushed in to the stable with exciting news. “Ted! Ed! You guys are going to race!”

Ed cast a sidelong glace at Ted and snickered, “Imagine that – the two fastest racehorses… racing.” Ted whinnied and shook his head.

“No, no,” said the stable boy, “You don’t understand! You’re racing against each other in three races this week!”

Ted and Ed looked at each other. In all their long years of friendship, the two had never once raced against each other. Ted was the first to speak, “This is interesting. Let’s go for a walk and figure this out.”

“Good idea,” said Ed.

They walked in silence for a long time, both secretly wondering if their friendship could hold up against the competition. Maybe they were only friends because they had never raced. Maybe two racehorses could never really be friends.

Ed broke the silence that had settled in the pastoral glade, “Ted, this could tear us apart. I really treasure your friendship, and I never want anything to get in the way of that.”

“Oh God,” said Ted, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. No stupid race should ever come between us. I mean, we're best friends!”

Ed spoke slowly and sadly, “So what do we do?” Again silence set into the meadow.

At last Ted let out a blow, and said “I got it! You said it yourself; we’re the two fastest racehorses, right? So no matter what, we’re going to take first and second place. Why don’t we just agree to let you win the first race, I’ll win the second race, and we’ll figure out the third when we get to it!”

“Well,” said Ed, “I’ve never given anything less than a hundred percent out there on the track, but if this is what it takes to keep my best friend, I’ll do it!”

Soon it was the big day of the first race. Ted and Ed were lined up at the gate, and gave each other little winks. The gates flew open and out charged the horses. Ed was right, they were the two fastest horses, and they easily sprinted out ahead of the other horses.

In the lead, Ed raced hard, but he knew his best friend wouldn’t challenge him, so he fell into his stride and charged ahead for the finish. As he came to the home stretch, he turned to give Ted a wink, but something was wrong. Ted’s eyes had glossed over and gone fiery red. The gentle horse Ed knew was gone. Ted charged forward, speeding up behind Ed and then passing him right before the finish. Ted had won the race.

Back at the stable, Ted shyly approached his best friend. “Ed?”

“So that’s your plan? Convince me I won’t have to fight for it then beat me before I can do anything about it? Some friend you are.”

“No Ed,” Ted pleaded, “It’s not like that at all. I feel awful. You’re my best friend, and I would never lie to you or mislead you. I can’t explain it. When I got close to the finish, it was like… I don’t know. I couldn’t control myself. It was like I was possessed. I really feel horrible.” Tears were streaming down Ted’s long face. “Won’t you please accept my apology? Please? You can win both of the next races, I promise. I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

Ed couldn’t stand to see his best friend crying, and he felt tears on his own face. “Okay, Ted. I still feel betrayed, but we can work through this.”

The next day they were back at the starting gates. Ed looked over at Ted, but Ted was so guilt-ridden he couldn’t look his friend in the eye. The gates flew open.

None of the other horses compared to Ed and Ted, and soon enough they led the rest by a dozen lengths. As they raced, Ted yelled over the roar of the crowds, “All right, Ed, this one is all yours. I really am sorry about that last race.”

Ed spoke back to his friend, “I know, Ted. You got caught up in the moment or something. We’re racehorses after all.” They were on the home stretch, and Ed raced for the finish with ease. “No racehorse likes to lose, right Ted? Ted? Ted!”

Ted’s eyes once again had gone fiery red, and his nostrils flared as he charged past Ed and crossed the finish line in first place.

Later, Ted slowly walked to Ed’s stall in the stable, his head hanging low. When he looked up he saw that Ed wasn’t there. Feeling horrible, Ted walked around the other stalls, dragging his hooves and asking the other horses if they’d seen Ed. He finally found Ed behind the stable, alone and crying.

Ted called out softly, “Ed. I feel so bad for what…”

“Shut up!” said Ed. “What kind of a friend are you?”

“Look, Ed, I know there’s no excuse for what I did. And I can’t stand that I’ve betrayed your trust twice now.” They were both sobbing uncontrollably now. Ted went on, “What kind of monster am I that I could do that to my best friend? I’ve never felt so bad in my entire life. I want to go back in time and do it all over, and do it right. There’s no excuse. I can’t even trust myself now, so there’s no way I could expect you to trust me.”

“You're damn right I can’t trust you,” said Ed. “I thought we were best friends!”

Ted sniffled and blinked away some tears. “We were. I mean, we ARE. I am so, so sorry for everything. At tomorrow’s race, I’m going to come in last place. I’m going to be so far back that I won’t even have a chance of losing control.”

“You’d do that for me?” sobbed Ed. “You'd come in last place?”

“Of course I would, Ed, You’re my best friend and I intend to keep it that way.”

“Oh Ted, I just don’t understand. I knew this would be tough, but I never thought it would be this tough.”

“And it’s all my fault, Ed. I understand if you don’t want to be my friend any more.”

Ed sniffled and shook his head. “I have to forgive you. You’re my best friend.”

The next day Ted and Ed were at the gate for the last race. Ted looked over at Ed and bowed solemnly. He was going to throw the race and put his entire career in jeopardy for his friend.

When the gates flew open, Ed charged out ahead of the other horses, and Ted slowly followed behind them all. Ed looked back to see if he could trust his friend, and sure enough Ted was far behind the other horses. Though Ed couldn’t be sure, it looked as if Ted was crying.

As Ed made his final sprint for the finish, he heard the crowd roar to life. Was this for him? Ed had always been a crowd favorite, but the love he felt in those cheers was… No! Ted was charging up from behind, spitting and wild. Ted’s eyes glowed like a furnace as he dashed past the other horses.

“Not this time,” said Ed. As Ted approached, Ed gave it everything he had and sped like a demon for the finish. But Ted was wild-eyed and unstoppable, and charged past him to win by a nose.

Walking back to the stable, Ted knew he had lost the best friend he could ever have. In the past few days, he had grown accustomed to feeling guilt and shame, but this was an entirely new low. He had to apologize, even though he understood that Ed probably wouldn’t ever forgive him.

Ed’s stall was empty and he wasn’t behind the stables either. Ted found the stable boy and asked him if he’d seen Ed.

“I saw him, all right,” said the stable boy. “Just a few minutes ago I saw him heading up the path to the cliffs.”

The cliffs! A new wave of guilt hit Ted as he dashed for the path. Never in all his years of racing did he run as fast as he did up that path. Nothing from the last three races even compared to the fury with which he charged to his friend. As he reached the top of the cliffs, he found Ed with one hoof over the edge, about to take the final step.

“Noooo!” screamed Ted. “This is all my fault. You can’t do this because I’m such a horrible friend! It should be me jumping off the cliff!”

“Great. Just great! If it isn’t the worst friend a horse could ever have.”

“I don’t know much,” said Ted, “but I do know that I can’t live with myself for what I’ve done to you, my best friend.”

Ed was crying hysterically. “Its bad enough getting beat in the races where I thought you’d let me win, but I also got beat when I was trying my hardest. And all along you just kept lying to me! My mind is made up. I’m going to jump and end it all.”

“Then I’m jumping too,” said Ted. “I won’t let my best friend die alone.”

“Yeah right!” said Ed.

Ted was crying uncontrollably now too. “I’m serious. If you’re going to go, I’m going with you. Whether you like it or not, you’re my best friend, and I’ll do whatever it takes to be there for you always.”

“Well you’re not stopping me,” said Ed.

“Then we’ll go together.” Ted walked up beside Ed and the two horses looked over the edge. Both were crying as they lifted their hooves up and prepared to take that first, and last, step off the cliff.

“Wait! Don’t do it!” cried the stable dog, running up the path toward them. “You can’t do this! You’re best friends!” Ted and Ed paused as the dog ran up to the edge. “Don’t you see? There’s nothing worse then losing friendship, and if you two jump, you’ll never have a chance to be friends again! Don’t you remember the long hours you’d spend with each other in the meadows? All the good times you’ve had? All the happiness you two once shared? Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Ed looked up from the dog, turned to his friend, and said...

“Hey look, a talking dog.”

The Fourth of July...

2005-07-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

...in a Third World Country.

I grew up going to the fireworks at the Mall in Washington DC. In college (and for a few years after) I would see the fireworks in the East River in New York City. I’ve been living in LA for almost 5 years now, and I still have no idea if there are any professional, free shows here.

There is fair competition to the super displays I grew up watching, though. In the past, my attempts to explain the fireworks here were often met with un-amazed reactions, so this year I busted out my camera.

I don’t know who buys them, where they buy them, or how they feel safe launching them in a crowded city, but the streets of my neighborhood are lit by fireworks for at least a week before the fourth – building in intensity until sundown on the big day. And once that sun sets over the Pacific, a barrage unleashes that doesn’t even start to slow until 11 at night. To my naïve ears, it sounds like war.

My only regret is that I didn’t stick a microphone out my window. That’ll be next year’s project.

The pictures that follow don’t do the experience any justice. Low light without a tripod means wide angles, so the pictures I took make the fireworks look small and intermittent. There’s a link to a really crappy movie file at the end of this post that may help with that a little (it's dark and the audio sucks). Oh, you can click on the pictures if you want to see them a little larger too.

And here's that movie [avi, 3.6 MB].

Excuse me

2005-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've been traveling, so I won't have time for a proper post for another week an a half. I know this must break your hearts.

In the meantime, watch this.

Shameless Promotion

2005-06-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

It might be shameless, but you should still CLICK HERE.

Unemployed Pt. 1

2005-05-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I need a job.

Me at E3

2005-05-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering what the geek Mecca E3 is like, I’ll do what I can to paint the picture for you. The LA Convention Center felt a little like an airport, but without the promise of actually going anywhere. The wide corridors between the exhibitor halls were filled with slow-moving, pale, and greasy guys (I can’t deny being greasy, but I hate mall-walking speed). Naturally there were a few Jedi mixed in with them, and I assume they were there to keep the peace and protect the Batmobile from Jawas.

Not my photo.
Inside the exhibitor halls, I found the scene less interesting then I thought it would be. I assumed there would be eye-catching and over-the-top displays showing off all the upcoming games and consoles. The exhibitors tried, but I wanted grander displays - less trade show and more amusement park. There were only two exhibits that I thought lived up to the spectacle I was expecting. EA Sports had a huge 360 degree screen above its space, and everyone that walked in couldn't resist staring up for a few minutes.

Also not my photo.
The other was Rockstar Games. They had an large space fenced off and blockaded with a bunch of tour busses. It just looked cool. A friend told me people could only go in by appointment.

"Really?" I said, "You mean people are actually doing work here?"

I can't imagine that the work was anything other then PR for these companies. Almost every exhibitor had banks of kiosks where anyone could preview and play upcoming video games, but they would also have special closed-off areas with tables, chairs, couches, and whatever for meetings.

As for the big unveilings, the new X-box was accessible, but I didn't have the patience for the huge lines to see the new Nintendo and PlayStation consoles. If you want more info about any of the new consoles, try google and leave me alone.

None of this was really that interesting to me, except... if your eyes could pierce through the hordes of techno-tourists without being too distracted by the sheer quantity of shiny acne, the first things you’d notice are the girls. I’m not talking about the one or two girls actually there to look around, but the models.

Definitely not my photo.
The exhibitors at E3 must have accomplished the impressive task of draining LA of porn-star wannabes. The girls were by far the biggest attraction, and they were treated like celebrities by the guys there. Whether on stage or working the floor, cameras flashed constantly around these barely-costumed fleshbots. Beaming gamers swarmed to pose close to them - closer then they'll ever be allowed to stand next to girls like that again. You could just feel the fatigue behind the models' agonized smiles.

A lot of the guys didn't even get their pictures taken with the girls, they just stood back and shot off snapshots of the posing girls like unnerving Hitchcock characters. I hate to think about the damage that was done to area hotels that night as those guys "reviewed" the day's images.

Anyway, after that morning at E3, the TV show I worked for had a wrap party, so I was able to dim the memories with gimlets on the roof of the downtown Standard.

C! in a Month

2005-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

My brother plays organ for these guys, and their new album will be released on June 21.

PREVIEW!

He's on tour in Europe these days. Must be nice to be a rock star.

DDE & GWB

2005-05-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.

Dwight D. Eisenhower
in a letter to his brother on November 8, 1954
[via snopes.com]

UN vs. Bolton vs. America

2005-05-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

So here’s my theory on why Bush wants Bolton as the ambassador to the UN (because I know you look here for deep political insight).

Clearly John Bolton would not reform or “shake up” the UN, as the neo-cons publicly claim. One angry and unlikable man cannot reorganize a multinational assembly. Democrats and sensible Republicans, on the other hand, are focused on the fact that he’ll further discredit the US and alienate other countries. This is true, but it’s of little consequence to Bush and his people.

He’d really be there to talk shit on the UN, and attempt to discredit it in the eyes of Americans. Most people here are uncomfortable with the thought of the UN frowning on our country. After all, it’s one of the loftiest and most idealistic concepts in politics, even if it does have some problems. But if there were someone who would say the UN is useless, powerless, and scandal-ridden… well, would anyone really care if they didn’t like us? Would anyone care if we ignored their rules?

I’ve said it before, but I’d like to reiterate: the neo-cons are waging a war with the left and “mobilizing their base” with language and words. It doesn’t matter if the words are true, because if enough anti-UN Bolton quotes slip into the media, then they will become apart of the neo-cons’ mythology of how the world works. In fact, even if he’s not nominated, part of the work has already been done.

His nomination is just another maneuver by the Bush peeps to remove public criticism and checks on the regime’s power.

Not Cool

2005-05-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting this weekend. I have an ugly virus-thing on my home computer.

If I ever meet anyone who made, tweaked, or utilizes CoolWebSearch, I will hurt them.

I am getting help, and I hope to have it fixed soon.

Miss you, buddy

2005-05-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

I realize this isn't the place to get heavy, but it's been two years now, and I'd like to think someone may look him up him at some point. The text is the biography we put together for his funeral.

LeRoy Edward Schauer
March 19, 1938 - May 2, 2003

Rev. LeRoy E. Schauer, 65, died on May 2nd (2003) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland after a prolonged illness.

Born on March 19, 1938, to LeRoy and Mildred Schauer, Roy grew up in Baltimore with his younger sister, Janet. He graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and from 1961 to 1965, he taught art to children in the Baltimore city school system.

In 1965, Roy made a decision that would change the direction of the rest of his life. Having learned American Sign Language from a childhood neighbor, he became a lay minister for Christ Methodist Church for the Deaf in Baltimore and began serving as a Methodist chaplain at Gallaudet University - a role he would continue until 1988. In 1969, he began his study at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Roy also taught sign language classes, and in 1970, one of his students, Carole Herlyn, became his wife. That same year he was appointed as the minister of the Brentwood United Methodist Church as well as the Washington United Methodist Church of the Deaf, where he would serve for 18 years. In 1973, Roy received his Masters of Divinity from seminary, and the following year he became an ordained Elder in the Methodist Church.

His first son, Michael, was born in 1972, and in 1974 he and his family moved to Hyattsville, Maryland. His second son, Andrew, was born in 1976. In the summers his family enjoyed idyllic trips to the beach and camping vacations.

In 1982, Roy was diagnosed with a heart disease, and in 1985 he received his first heart transplant from Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early morning of Thanksgiving Day. Due to complications, he required a second heart transplant in 1991. Throughout these trying times, Roy remained active in the Methodist ministry by accepting an appointment in 1988 to Christ Church Baltimore County, and then another in 1990 to Corkran Memorial United Methodist Church in Temple Hills, Maryland. In fact, his transplant experience opened him up to another ministry, and he regularly visited with transplant patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Not letting his illness slow him down, he was also active in the arts. Whether it was photography, water colors, or ceramics, it seemed everything he touched came out beautifully. His sense of adventure and creativity are apparent in his sons today.

Roy continued to minister at Corkran until his retirement in 2000. In 2001, he was diagnosed with kidney failure and received a kidney transplant. Though problems with his health persisted, Roy enjoyed frequent trips with his wife to their second home in Ocean Pines, and rarely seemed to lose his sense of humor.

He is survived by his loving family - his wife, two children, sister and brother-in-law, nieces and nephews, as well as many other family members and friends.

GIS Game

2005-04-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

The pictures are a little small, but nonetheless...

Play Guess-the-Google.

My first attempt - 228. Let's fight.

Frank Lies for a Living

2005-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to write a detailed and vicious attack on this guy for a long time, but the more I look into him, the more I realize it would take an entire book. Frank Luntz is regarded as a republican whiz kid for his "profound" ability to find out what people want to hear, and then apply those words to products and politics. At best his language softens harsh policies; at worst his language is a straight-up lie (think of the "Clean Air Initiative").

I invite you to read an interview PBS's Frontline conducted with him for the show The Persuaders. It simply makes me furious, and I believe that Luntz and shits like him are the only reason for the neo-cons' success in recent years. Here's a sample to tempt your contempt:

Frontline: Talk to me about the Healthy Forests Initiative of President Bush. Isn't calling it "Healthy Forests" obfuscating the fact that it entails keeping the forests healthy with widespread logging?

Luntz: Yes, the Bush administration benefited from the phrase "healthy forest." But what do we know as a fact? If you allow this underbrush to subsume the forest, to get so thick that you can't walk through it, you can't get through it, if you don't touch a twig or a tree and you say, "Oh, let Mother Nature deal with it," then you get these catastrophic forest fires that we saw in Arizona, Colorado and in California. The Native Americans, they know how to thin a forest, and yes, they do take trees out, and what happens? A fire burns, and it stops right where that thinning process took place. But thanks to environmentalists who are extreme and radical in their approach, who say that we must not touch anything at any time in any way, we lose thousands, thousands, hundreds of thousands of acres of forests and all the wildlife that was inside it. And they don't come back again. It takes generations for it to regenerate. So don't tell me about language, because "healthy forests" actually is what it means. And you have to understand the policy, and you've got to understand the product if you want to be able to communicate it. You can't just approach it naively.

You should really read the entire interview.

Just in case you're swayed by his thoughts on forest fires, you should know that it's a century's worth of total fire suppression that makes forests so susceptible to the dangerous monster fires. Think about it: Luntz is not only suggesting that the Native American’s kept all of America’s forests safe from fire, but that environmentalists are now to blame for them.

Finally, for those of you more in touch with your inner cable viewer, The Daily Show took a really, really nice stab at Luntz. CLICK HERE! (Real Media).

Late Night Tuna

2005-04-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves sandwiches!

PLUS: He may have learned a lesson in why it's dangerous to give people with drinks in their hands surprise bear hugs (despite what it may look like).

Music: Richter's Agenda

2005-04-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

A guy I know asked me to score his video that he intended to submit to an online competition. The video was originally done as a part of a twenty-four hour festival, but they recut it for this thing, and the deadline was Tuesday. After he had worked out all of his technical difficulties, I got a copy of it late last Thursday, essentially giving me the weekend to crank it out.

And I did crank it out. I spent all of last weekend doing this (with some help doing twitchy sound effects from my friend, Robert). It's pretty much all atmosphere, so maybe you’ll find a use for it at Halloween or something.

Richter’s Agenda 4.11MB, 128kbit mp3
[Not mastered, though probably finished]

The kicker is that he let me know yesterday that they waited till the last minute to upload the finished thing, and the servers were overloaded (naturally), so they missed the deadline. In any case, I hope to eventually post a copy of the movie to my website.

Incidentally, this was a non-exclusive deal with them, so if you really want some creepy atmosphere for your film, you know where to reach me.