Dateline: Oblivion

Warning: Consuming too much information can make you fat, clueless -- and dead

2012-01-27T13:44:00.000-06:00

The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption
By Clay A. Johnson
(O’Reilly, hardback, list price $22.99; Kindle edition, list price $19.99)

Book Review

We are sitting down too often and too long while we consume information. It pours into our heads from the Web, from TV, from smart phones, from books, and as blather from our car radios while we drive around.

Much of the information we consume is drivel and crap – the digital equivalent of high-fat junk food and raw sugar. And some of us are driving ourselves to destructive distraction through gluttonous obsessions with tweets, status updates, downloads, videos, instant messages, text messages, emails and restless Web surfing.

In this controversial new book from O’Reilly Media, veteran software developer, open source guru and political advocate Clay A. Johnson makes the forceful argument that our current mania for consuming information is killing us, mentally and physically.

For instance, suppose a tweet just went by mentioning some kind of rumored problem with pig populations in Zambia. You idly read it, process it in your head, waste a few more seconds of your life, take another sip of your latte and another bite of bagel while continuing to sit on your butt much longer than you originally intended.

Now you check your Facebook account on your iPhone or iPad, take another sip of your latte, take another bite of bagel, and go back to Twitter. There, you follow a link to what seemed to be a review of a movie you’ve already seen to see. It turns out to be just a lame blog post about how Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich resemble certain characters in Avatar. Then you take another bite of bagel, another sip of latte and check your email and follow a link to something inane about Lady Gaga.

More wasted time. More attention to generally useless information. And more sedentary life has gone by.

We now spend nearly 11 hours a day consuming – frequently gorging on – information, Johnson’s book points out. And it’s driving us to distraction – and killing us.

First, the physical dangers. Johnson notes: “In 2004, one physician coined the term Sedentary Death Syndrome to classify all the diseases that come from the sedentary state. The effects: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and yes, obesity. Some researchers are calling it the second largest threat to public health in America. What are we doing when we’re sedentary? Few of us are meditating. We’re consuming information.”

He continues: “New research points to sitting, especially amongst men, as a leading cause of death. Even if you exercise regularly, it turns out that sitting for long periods of time can be deadly.”

It’s also easy to lose track of time and lose control of time management while distracted by the free flow of information. Something unexpected or surprising or outrageous on the Web grabs your attention, and your carefully crafted to-do list for the day is shot to hell. And, relationships can be affected: “Just a quick check of email when we get home can often end up in evenings entirely lost to LCD screens…” instead of talking and paying attention to each other.

Then there’s the problem of “attention fatigue.” Writes Johnson: “About two years ago, I started to wonder: what the heck happened to my short-term memory? And where did my attention span go? I’ve written a little pithy 140-character tweet, sent it into the universe, and in no more than five minutes, I’ve received a reply. The only problem is, I’ve already forgotten what I wrote in the first place. I’ve had to go back, and look at what I said just five minutes ago to understand what the person replying to me is referencing.”

This book offers more dire warnings about consuming too much information. But the author also offers ideas and recommendations for achieving “Attention Fitness.” You can still have your information and consume it, too, in deliberate, conscious doses that are healthier for your mind, body and your participation in American democracy.

If you pay attention to The Information Diet long enough to actually think about what it points out and proposes, you may figure out how to get healthier again, how to regain your focus – and how to better understand the ways you are being duped by some of the misinformation constantly sucked into your head by your addiction.

You can become a more conscious and proactive consumer of information and not just another wasted – and life-wasting -- data junkie.

– Si Dunn‘s latest book is a detective novel, Erwin’s Law. His other published works include Jump, a novella, and a book of poetry, plus several short stories, including The 7th Mars Cavalry, all available on Kindle. He is a screenwriter, a freelance book reviewer, and a former technical writer and software/hardware QA test specialist.

Need to do a big presentation? There’s a book for that: slide:ology #bookreview

2012-01-24T16:50:00.000-06:00

slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations
By Nancy Duarte
(O’Reilly, paperback, list price $34.99; Kindle edition, list price $27.99)

Bet you were thinking I was about to say: "Need to do a big presentation? There's an app for that!"

There probably is, or soon will be. Meanwhile, consider this book.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just phone in your PowerPoint slides and audio and stay comfortably ensconced at a Starbucks in Waterloo, Iowa, while 50 managers and executives in Boston huddled in a poorly ventilated conference room and sweated while they marveled at your presentation?

Some of you already have developed and honed an iPhone-it-in or iPad-it-in capability. But most of the world’s drafted or “volunteered” presenters have not. They show up at work one day and are told they will have to prepare a presentation by next Tuesday that could make or break their job – or a whole department’s jobs.

“No pressure. You know how to do this, right? Everyone else is tied up with projects and deadlines. So we’re counting on you. Have fun with it. Get creative! And have it ready for review and comments by 4 p.m. tomorrow.”

Published in 2008 and still attracting readers, slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations has gathered an array of pleased fans and good reviews, as well as some scathing reviews from a few detractors.

This is not a 1-2-3 how-to book that can help you throw together a slide show by tomorrow morning. Instead, it lives up, quite colorfully, to its subtitle: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. It delves carefully into a wide array of topics related to the process of preparing slides that can connect with their intended audience. And it is nicely illustrated with many examples.

If you are starting a new job or a new position where you will be expected to make presentations, you should consider spending some quality learning time with this book and keeping it handy. Get a jump now on developing the skills and knowledge you will need when crunch time suddenly hits.

This also applies if you are under increasing obligation to wow the bosses with charts and graphs and bullet points – or if you are thinking of becoming a presentations teacher or consultant.

Developed by Nancy Duarte, a “widely recognized…leader in presentation development and design,” slide:ology is divided into 12 chapters:

Chapter 1: Creating a New Slide Ideology
Chapter 2: Creating Ideas, Not Slides
Chapter 3: Creating Diagrams
Chapter 4: Displaying Data
Chapter 5: Thinking Like a Designer
Chapter 6: Arranging Elements
Chapter 7: Using Visual Elements: Background, Color, and Text
Chapter 8: Using Visual Elements: Images
Chapter 9: Creating Movement
Chapter 10: Governing with Templates
Chapter 11: Interacting with Slides
Chapter 12: Manifesto: The Five Theses of the Power of a Presentation

The author cautions that “presentations all too often reflect the agenda of the presenter rather than build a connection with the audience.”

And, if your job includes meeting with customers: “In many instances, presentations are the last impression a customer has of a company before closing a business deal.”

Indeed, elaborate hundred-million-dollar advertising and branding campaigns can be neutralized by a single lame presentation on a laptop computer right at the critical moment, she warns.

You will not want to be the one who created that dud slide show.

– Si Dunn‘s latest book is a detective novel, Erwin’s Law. His other published works include Jump, a novella, and a book of poetry, plus several short stories, including The 7th Mars Cavalry, all available on Kindle. He is a screenwriter, a freelance book reviewer and a former technical writer and software/hardware QA test specialist.

Starting (or revamping) a small business? Three good books

2012-01-12T09:21:00.003-06:00

I have operated a small (very small) business for more than 30 years. I am now in the process of revamping some of what I do and sell.

The three books listed below are proving very helpful to my ongoing efforts. If you are starting or restructing a small business, you may find them useful, too.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinmeir Hansson - A refreshingly snarky alternative to those how-to biz books that have you start out with market studies, mission statements, business plans and rounds of meetings.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott - The recently issued third edition covers digital trends in marketing and public relations. Even if your business will be run from a single laptop or smartphone, you will find good and useful information in this book.

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson - Yeah, everyone and his dog mentions this one. But have you actually read it and considered how and what it means to "Make everything available" and "Help me find it"? within the context of your enterprise? Do you agree with him that "the future of business is selling less of more"? How could you make that concept work in your business?

– Si Dunn‘s latest book is a detective novel, Erwin’s Law. His other published works include Jump, a novella, and a book of poetry, plus several short stories, including The 7th Mars Cavalry, all available on Kindle. He is a screenwriter, a freelance book reviewer, a manuscript editor, and a former technical writer and software/hardware QA test specialist.

Fighting guns and ghosts with bare hands: An action-horror feature screenplay

2012-01-11T08:45:00.000-06:00

RAVINE
Trapped in an isolated ravine, a combat veteran who fears violence must save himself and his family from a crazed gunman, also a combat veteran, who is being driven mad by the ghosts of three men he killed in Iraq.

SYNOPSIS

JAKE WARREN, his wife KAREN and their young daughter KATIE have no idea why their SUV suddenly is being pursued by an unseen driver steering a hulking black van. And they have no time to figure it out. After a short chase that seems like road rage out of control, the black van slams their SUV through a guard rail and into a deep ravine.

The Warrens are all injured, Katie very seriously. And now they are trapped in an isolated area with no way to call for help. The only person who knows where they are is the man who has just tried to kill them: CHARLIE MACKLIN, a disgraced former Marine lieutenant who now lives in a squalid mountain camp nearby and is haunted by the ghosts of three Marines he killed in Iraq by giving bad orders. Charlie has decided to kill three other people, so perhaps their ghosts will replace the ones that have been tormenting him. When Charlie discovers the car crash did not kill the Warrens, he goes back to the ravine with guns.

Jake Warren, meanwhile, is also a combat veteran, a former soldier who did well in Iraq but was injured and now fears violence. Armed only with rocks and his bare hands, Jake must find enough courage to climb out of the ravine through gunfire and fight a man increasingly made murderous and insane by ghosts, while Karen fights to keep her and Jake’s daughter alive.

RAVINE

Feature Screenplay

by Si Dunn

Copyrighted, WGA registered

For more information about this screenplay and its availability, contact Sagecreek Productions LLC, 3800 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 730-131, Austin, TX 78756-4011, sidunn@hotmail.com.

Sometimes, a good Western screenplay needs...a town-saving cavalry charge?

2012-01-10T09:44:00.000-06:00

BATTLE AT BUCK CREEK

by Si Dunn
(WGA Registration: #1118098)

HIGH NOON meets AIR FORCE ONE -- on a moderate budget.

BATTLE AT BUCK CREEK

An Old West town’s new mayor and its free-spirited school teacher must team up and fight a murderous gang that has seized many hostages and will kill one hostage per hour until the mayor’s father, the state governor, releases the gang leader’s brother from prison.

Synopsis

WILL HANSON, troubled son of GOV. JEB HANSON, has been sent into the Texas version of political exile by his father. In a sham election, Will has been voted into an office no one else could be bothered to take: mayor of the dusty, isolated community of Buck Creek.

Will has arrived just as Buck Creek’s townspeople are preparing to celebrate their remote settlement’s 10^th anniversary. But not everyone is happy. In Buck Creek’s telegraph office, free-spirited school teacher ANNA BAIN is pestering the telegraph operator, NASH GRAHAM, trying to convince him to let her send a message. She has been studying Morse Code, she tells him. Angrily, Nash throws her out and takes an incoming message of congratulation for the new mayor from his father, the governor, JEB HANSON. But when Nash leaves to deliver the message, Anna slips back into the telegraph office and receives an urgent message from another tiny community. More than a dozen riders who don’t look friendly may be riding toward Buck Creek to cause some kind of trouble. Anna gives the message to Nash when he returns. But, angry at her insolence, he tears it up without reading it and throws her out again.

As Will nervously prepares to make his inaugural speech and the governor’s telegram is read to the crowd, several RIDERS who seem to be trail-weary cowboys ease into town from different directions, in small groups. They are barely noticed as they gather at the local saloon. Actually, they are members of the BO BARRETT GANG.

When Will was a young sheriff in another town, he managed to help put Bo Barrett’s brother into prison. Now Barrett and his men have arrived with a murderous plan. They will seize Buck Creek’s only link to the outside world, the telegraph office, and take many hostages, including Will. Then they will notify the governor that they have his son, and they will kill one Buck Creek citizen per hour until Bo Barrett’s brother is released from prison and sends a message verifying he is free. Buck Creek is so isolated that the nearest army post is a two-day ride, so the townspeople will not be able get help.

Barrett’s scheme soon is set into motion with bloody results, but Will Hanson, Anna Bain and the previous mayor, JOHN RIDEOUT, manage to escape and hide in the town. And there is a growing chemistry between the mayor and school teacher, but no time to act on it.

Bo Barrett hangs his first hostage, the town’s PREACHER, to show he means business, and the town’s UNDERTAKER is his next victim. Outgunned, Will, Anna and John can only watch helplessly from their hiding place, until Anna convinces Will that she can work a telegraph.

They try but fail to regain control of the telegraph office. John Rideout is wounded. Anna remembers that her older brother, ANDY BAIN, a Lieutenant in the 7^th Cavalry, sometimes trains new recruits about 10 miles outside Buck Creek, with strict orders to stay away from the town. He taught her Morse Code. If she can climb a nearby hill with a mirror, she may be able to flash a message to him.

It’s a desperate and dangerous gamble. But Will distracts most of Barrett’s men by challenging Bo to a showdown, and Anna escapes the town. Will, however, is captured and will be the next hanging victim unless the governor responds.

As Anna climbs the hill with a big mirror, she is spotted by two of Barrett’s men. They chase her. She fights them off , knocking out one and killing the other with part of the shattered mirror. Now she has just enough mirror left to start flashing a plea for help.

One of the raw troopers being trained by her brother sees the flashes. Lieutentant Bain reads the message, and he and SERGEANT HARRIS lead their green cavalrymen on a desperate gallop toward Buck Creek. They charge into town with bugle blaring and swords flashing and do battle with Barrett’s men just as Will is being hanged.

Anna runs into the battle and helps save Will. Barrett escapes the melee, but Will soon chases him down. They fight to the death, and Will is the survivor.

After the day’s many dead are buried, a happier time soon dawns. A high-noon wedding is held in Buck Creek. The mayor marries the school teacher, and they march beneath an archway of flashing cavalry sabers as they leave for their honeymoon.

For more information regarding the availability of this screenplay, contact Si Dunn, Sagecreek Productions, LLC, 3800 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 730-131, Austin, TX 78756-4011, sidunn@hotmail.com.

Hawking Books on the Digital Highway - #amwriting

2012-01-03T10:50:00.000-06:00

Many of the people I follow on Twitter are writers. And many of them, like me, have new ebooks. So naturally, we use Twitter to try to help us sell copies of our latest works.

In a typical two minutes now on Twitter, I often see two or three tweets go by that are promoting ebooks. Sometimes, I add one of my own ebook links to the digital hustle and flow.

But the reality is, trying to sell books this way is a bit like trying to sell them while standing in the middle of a freeway, facing onrushing traffic.

It's hard to get anybody to veer off the Digital Highway long enough to click on a link, look at a cover image, read a book summary and reviews (if you're lucky enough to even have any), and then press the "Purchase" button, etc., etc.

There is just too much other information and interesting or outrageous statements continuously flowing by to help us stay self-absorbed. Also, thanks to easy ebooks, there are now more works available than readers willing to part with even 99 cents. Or zero. As in "Read it free!"

Once in a while, some writers get frustrated with their lack of ebook sales, and they try to do the one-person digital equivalent of Occupy Twitter. They throw themselves into the roadway, kicking and flailing, and hope for some kind of miracle. Or mercy.

They unleash long strings of BUY MY BOOK tweets, offering discounts, freebies, coupons, rewards in heaven, anything they can think of to try to convince someone -- anyone -- to stop, look and click.

By the way, thank you for veering off the Information Superhighway long enough to read this thought-provoking post.

While you've been parked here, I've quietly removed your tires, radiator and distributor cap.

Hey, but I can get you get moving again in mere seconds!

All you have to do is click on this link ... yes, and BUY MY BOOK!

– Si Dunn‘s latest book is a detective novel, Erwin’s Law. His other published works include Jump, a novella, and Anchoring, a book of poetry, plus several short stories, all available on Kindle. He is a freelance book reviewer and a former technical writer and software/hardware QA tester. In an earlier career, he was a photojournalist whose works appeared in numerous regional and national publications.

Creating a book marketing JPEG using PhotoShop, Word and Paint

2011-12-17T10:32:00.001-06:00

Here is the basic cover design for my forthcoming Vietnam War memoir, "Dark Signals." (I'm still tweaking it.)

I used PhotoShop and Word to create the cover, and I pasted the elements into Paint to generate a JPEG for publicity and marketing purposes.

Select All and Paste did not work well from Word to Paint. First I had to copy and paste the frame. Then I copied and pasted the photo and resized it slightly to fit inside the frame that simulates the book's shape. Finally, I copied and pasted the text and moved it into place.

The frame around the cover is not quite proportioned correctly in this example. There will be less white space beneath my name when I rework the JPEG.

The book size will be 6" by 9".

Comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Book review blog: http://sagecreek.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.sagecreekproductions.com/

Playing the Middle Against Both Sides - #politics

2011-09-02T16:12:00.002-05:00

No one is giving Barack Obama much credit for continuing to try to be President of the United States at a time when the nation, politically and ideologically, is split in half.

Despite repeated setbacks and rebuffs, he is still trying to do what he was elected to do: Be President to the people on both sides of the big divide.

So he is not likely to veer sharply left and become President of the Progressives. And those on the right long ago decided to treat him like the Antichrist or, on a day when they are feeling magnanimous, merely as Public Enemy #1.

Personally, I wish the President now would side strongly, firmly and loudly with the Progressives, the liberals and moderates who still believe it is possible to take care of the least among us while also creating jobs, restoring education, encouraging science and fighting our way out of the Great George W. Bush Recession.

But then, President Obama would not be doing the job he was elected to do, which is to serve all of the people, even the ones who have tried long and hard to wreck his Administration at every turn and thus prolong the nation's economic woes for their own political gain.

In any case, a presidential move to the left would only raise the outrage and partisan resistance of the right, widening the great gap even more and further deepening it.

If Barack Obama is not re-elected, the next President -- Perry, Romney, Bachmann or ? -- likely will not try to represent anyone to the left of deep right field, except with sneering lip service.

In that case, the political gridlock will worsen and the right-left divide simply will expand as battered Democrats pull out their now-long list of grievances and seek revenge and full payback for all that the Republicans have done to them during the Obama Administration.

Electing a President in 2012 who is to the right of center will just give us four more years of stalemate and empty, futile political posturing.

Like it or not, America's economic recovery and psychic recovery will have to happen somewhere in the murky center.

It will never happen in the now sharply defined right or left.

-- Si Dunn

Should Texans Bill Gov. Rick Perry for Running for President?

2011-08-27T16:51:00.002-05:00

According to the Associated Press, Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently billed the federal goverment nearly $350 million "to cover the costs he says Texas has incurred incarcerating illegal immigrants in state prisons and county jails."

His invoicing letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano "was dated Aug. 10, three days before the Republican governor formally announced he is running for president," the AP noted.

Meanwhile, Texas is in the midst of an economic and public school crisis, unemployment is up and the state is being hammered by extreme drought and growing water shortages.

Instead of staying in the state and providing serious, hands-on leadership in these matters, Gov. Perry recently announced that he is running for President of the United States. Now he is traveling to other states, at some expense to Texas, so he can extol his "Texas miracle" (which lately has taken on many aspects of "mirage," some critics say). He has moved coast to coast raising campaign funds, shaking hands and making shoot-from-the-hip statements and charges that quickly have had to be "walked back" by his handlers.

So, the question now is, should Texans bill their governor for the state money he is spending outside the state and insist that he come back home, deal with the current emergencies and prove he can resurrect his alleged "miracle" right here where he was elected to serve?

For now, Gov. Rick Perry is the GOP front runner du jour. However, many Texans expect his campaign to implode quickly once the novelty of his running wears off and the realities of his state political record are seen in the glare of the national spotlights.

C-130 Pilot vs. Commander in Chief

2011-08-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not buying Texas Gov. Rick Perry's contention that he is more "military" than President Obama. Yes, Mr. Obama was a community organizer, and he did not serve a tour of duty in any of the U.S. armed forces. And yes, Capt. Perry flew Air Force C-130 transport planes. By the way, thank you for your service, Governor.

Still, there's nothing more "military" than being the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Coast Guard. You head all five branches at once, and you deal daily with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon and assorted military advisors.

You make decisions that send thousands of men and women into harm's way. You also make other life-and-death decisions that far exceed a pilot's responsibilities to a C-130 flight crew or squadron. For example, you give the final go/no-go decision on whether or not to invade a supposed ally's airspace and territory to kill or capture a major leader of international terrorism. You try to convince allies to stay the course as you wind down two unpopular wars you inherited mid-battle. You make repeated trips to Dover Air Force Base to witness and salute the flag-covered coffins coming home from combat operations and overseas accidents. You try to comfort the families of those who lost sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters in operations that you okayed. And you try to decide which defense programs or military operations should continue and which can be curtained to meet both dwindling economic resources and dwindling political and popular support. Oh, and you stay prepared to launch nuclear-tippped missiles in response to an attack on the United States or key allies.

In my view, President Barack Obama has now garnered one hell of a lot more overall military experience than any ex-C-130 pilot currently seeking the Republican nomination.

-- Si Dunn

Is SXSW America’s Best Film Festival?

2011-02-23T11:33:00.001-06:00

I may catch some flak for posing that question. So I'll just stand back now and let the true film-festival junkies fight over which festival, in their opinion, really is number one. (Does it really matter?)

Last year, Indie Slate Magazine sent me to cover some of the moviemaking aspects of the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) film, interactive and music festival in Austin, Texas.

It was the fourth or maybe fifth time I had attended and reported on the film and interactive portions of SXSW for various print-media publications.

The world, of course, has changed a lot in the past year. Print-media gigs -- especially paying ones -- are disappearing faster than globally warmed Arctic ice. And this time, I really don’t feel like spending a thousand bucks or so of my own money just so I can blog about SXSW 2011 to maybe 38 distracted readers momentarily squinting at their iPhones.

Therefore, in case you missed last year's article, I am presenting below a modified and somewhat updated version of what I previously wrote about SXSW.

The general advice for attending SXSW this year is very simple: Bring lots of money to Austin and be early, sometimes very early, for every panel and movie you hope to see.

Everything will be expensive – and crowded.

-- Si Dunn

* * *

SXSW: Is It America’s Best Film Festival?

By Si Dunn

By all standard measures, South by Southwest 2010 was a box-office smash.

SXSW’s three festivals—film, music and interactive – all saw attendances rise sharply over 2009. SXSW Film 2010 scored a 33% increase, with more than 9,500 people and organizations buying badges. The music festival, which typically draws the biggest crowds, scored an 11% increase, with more than 13,000 badge holders. And the high-tech interactive festival soared to more than 14,200 badge buyers, also a 33% gain over 2009.

Meanwhile, SXSW-related sales surged in bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses clustered along Austin’s famed 6th Street and nearby thoroughfares. Popular attractions in South, Central and North Austin also benefitted, as people came to SXSW from across the United States and world.

By some estimates, SXSW 2010 gave Austin an economic bump of more than $100 million.

SXSW has bragged that at its Film Conference panels “world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience.”

Many SXSW 2010 film panels were, in fact, well-attended, and not simply because the panelists were well-known. There was a visible hunger for information, and most panel moderators had done their homework. They posed thoughtful questions and made sure each panelist got turns in the spotlight.

Danny Costa, an independent film distribution consultant and principal at San Francisco-based DeLarge, said that he considered SXSW simply “the best film festival.” While having some “misgivings” about SXSW 2010, he still viewed it as “a success. The programming was strong--though distinct from past years--and there were some really great panels, particularly the crossover panels that included panelists and topics from both interactive and film,” he said.

Victim of Its Own Success?

Of course, whether it’s Sundance, Cannes or Tribeca, every successful film event draws critics and criticisms, as well. SXSW Film 2010 proved it is no exception.

Logistical problems ranged from not enough available movie seats to inadequate access for handicapped festival goers. Some badge holders and ticket-buyers complained, after long waits and being turned away, that the media and filmmakers’ friends were getting almost all of the screening seats in the smaller venues.

According to Eric Kohn in the Wall Street Journal, some film fans blamed the extra-long lines on people from SXSW Interactive trying to check out movies, too.

Karina Longworth, writing in the Village Voice, predicted an ominous future for SXSW Film: “As the once-boutique festival attains a higher profile, the community of idiosyncratic filmmakers it fosters could be at risk of getting glossed over by hype,” she stated.

But she also noted that it has “taken a long time for the masses to care about stuff that SXSW audiences eat up,” such as mumblecore movies starring Greta Gerwig, “…if they ever come to care at all.” Indeed, some movies wildly popular at SXSW never get distribution or bomb at the box office, she pointed out.

Yet, distribution deals have never been the point at SXSW’s film festival, Jay A. Fernandez argued in The Hollywood Reporter. In his view, the “laid-back Lone Star love-in” atmosphere just helps film fans and industry people enjoy “a new crop of films without the pressure of marketing concerns.”

Simon Rumley, writer-producer-director of Red White & Blue, could have had the feature’s North American premiere at a festival other than SXSW. But, after shooting in Austin, he decided it made “100 percent sense for us to come back and help celebrate and promote the film with the people who supported it and helped make it.”

The Sweet Side of Success

Still, SXSW Film has had several noteworthy sales successes during its 17-year run. The Hurt Locker, for example, debuted at SXSW 2009 and later won six Oscars and numerous other awards.

Austin producer-director-writer Reagan Peterson expressed disappointment with some SXSW 2010 panels. “I learned some stuff, but I think the Austin Film Festival has better information,” he said. “A lot of it [SXSW panels] feels like a rehash of what they heard at Sundance.”

But did he agree that SXSW may now be America’s best film festival? “In terms of film, yeah,” Peterson said. “The best way to get the bang for your buck [at SXSW] is to get a film pass and go to every movie you can.”

Film-Interactive Trade Show

Several moviemakers and movie fans expressed dismay that display spaces at SXSW’s Film-Interactive trade show were now become almost completely dominated by high-tech companies pushing hardware, software, networking services and “solutions.”

The Louisiana and Texas film commissions both had high-profile booths highlighting state production incentives. Montana and Nevada also had displays. Kodak had one of the few other movie-related booths.

DeLarge’s Costa, however, saw this as a natural outgrowth of social media tools such as Twitter. The growing ability for “filmmakers and other creatives” to share information online “takes some of the necessity away from having a physical presence at the fest,” he said.

The Future?

Costa in 2010 predicted continued success for SXSW.

“SXSW has shown itself…to be an ideal mix of productivity and pleasure with a healthy dose of genius--from the minds of creatives, innovators and businesspeople alike--thrown in for good measures,” he said.

Many other festival goers echoed his sentiment, even as they grumbled about the bigger crowds and higher prices.

As for SXSW 2011, some of the 2010 attendees offered straightforward advice: Bring lots of money and show up early--for everything.

-30-

Si Dunn is a screenwriter in Austin, Texas, and owner of Sagecreek Productions LLC.

Revisiting the Classics with a Kindle

2010-12-29T07:07:00.000-06:00

Owning a Kindle has made it easier for me to revisit some of the so-called “classic books.” And, this time, I am actually reading them all the way through to the end.

For more than 30 years, I have collected and stuffed my bookcases with hardback and paperback copies of many old and ancient books. These have ranged from Aesop’s Fables and Aristotle’s Poetics to Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare’s plays and poems, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, to name just a few.

The volumes have looked very good and very scholarly up on my shelves. Sometimes they have even provided handy sources of quotes for some of my writing. But I have not actually read most of the books, at least not completely. Most of them I bought and promptly shelved with every intention to read them someday, later, maybe, when I had the time.

My wife gave me a Kindle as an anniversary present recently. When I discovered (1) that Kindle editions of many of the “classics” are available for free and (2) that a Kindle will hold more than 3,000 books, I made three decisions.

First, I downloaded a few of the $0.00 public domain classics and read them. The first ones I finished included John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress and Aristotle’s Poetics, books I had long ago started in hardback but never completed. Somehow, they just seemed easier to stick with on the Kindle screen.

Then, I downloaded another dozen or so free classics. And I pulled the corresponding hardbacks and paperbacks from my book shelves. I gave away some of the books and sold a few of them to a used book store.

Now, suddenly, there are a few open spaces on my once-crammed bookshelves – spaces for some photographs, plants and curios, as well as esteemed books.

Owning too many things, I believe, can drain away valuable psychic energy. This includes owning too many physical books that spend most of their time gathering dust and cobwebs in my office.

Of course, many of the books I treasure do not have Kindle editions. So those I will keep, read and continue to display in hardback or paperback editions.

But I intend to replace most of the classics I own with free or inexpensive Kindle editions and gravitate toward buying Kindle editions of new books, when possible.

My Kindle could hold nearly ten times as many books as I currently own. But it is not the size of the digital library or physical library that matters.

What matters is that I actually read the books I possess.

I really can’t explain why I now enjoy reading some of the world’s oldest books on some of the world’s newest digital reading technology.

I just do.

Now excuse me. I hear my free copy of The Divine Comedy calling.

-- Si Dunn

'Machete' Incentives Whacked by Texas Film Commission

2010-12-09T00:37:00.000-06:00

This was bound to happen under Texas' flawed production measures that offer state incentives to producers of movies, television shows and game programs.

As reported by Charles Ealy in the Austin 360.com movie blog, Robert Rodriguez's controversial 2010 movie "Machete" -- which took a fictional whack at some of Texas' and Austin's images -- has had its state grant application rejected by the troubled Texas Film Commission.

The film commission's head recently announced his resignation, and Texas' production incentives will be easy political targets early in 2011. That's when the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature returns to session and faces a massive $24 billion, two-year state budget shortfall.

Specifically, "Machete" was hit by the "negative fashion" clause in the incentives statutes. A Republican-ramrodded clause enacted into law in 2007 forbids Texas state incentives to any kind of film, TV or game project that contains "inappropriate content or content that portrays Texas or Texans in a negative fashion, as determined by the [Texas Film Commission] office, in a moving image project."

Apparently, Utah is the only other state that takes a similar, thin-skinned approach to try to "protect" its image and how its people and places are portrayed in movies, TV shows and electronic games.

Charles Ealy reported that Rodriguez's Austin, Texas-based Troublemaker Studios could have reaped a refund of about $1.75 million on the estimated $10 million spent in Texas to make "Machete."

For more background on the "negative fashion" (also known as "negative light") controversy, here are links to my previous blog posts about the flawed and troubled state production incentives in Texas:

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2010/04/texas-production-incentives-will-they.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/07/texas-needs-to-rework-its-movie-tv-game.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/06/fiction-is-as-fiction-does-waco.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/06/censorship-issue-remains-alive-in-texas.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/05/waco-movie-controversy-takes-new-texas.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/05/texas-movie-incentives-censorship.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/05/texas-movie-incentives-texas-movie.html

http://datelineoblivion.blogspot.com/2009/05/waco-production-company-on-texas-we.html

-- Si Dunn

Fake Blood 101 (and how to clean it up!)

2010-10-31T14:31:00.001-05:00

The Quick Fake Blood How-To Guide

By ErinJennifer Dunn

No matter if it is Halloween or just a simple fight scene, fake blood is popular! Back in early cinema, they would use molasses as fake blood. When cinema turned to color, they often used pigs blood. The movie Carrie features a scene where they used more than 50 gallons of pig's blood.

Many people have ethical and moral objections to using animal blood of any kind in movies or on stage for special effects, so here are some easy ideas for your special-effects needs, including Halloween!

Fight scene: Nightstalker blood is used for vampire effects, but it works well for a bloody nose, bloody lip, cuts and bruises because of how well it oozes and how well it shows up on HD cameras.

The alternative choice is usually Karo syrup and baker's strength food dye, but if you are using HD and you zoom in on the blood, you can see the air bubbles in the syrup.

Full gore: The best blood to use for a full gore effect, is a mixture of the Nightstalker blood and Karo syrup. But, if you are going for puss and oozing, like in Aliens, then use KY Jelly and your choice of food dye color. If you are making a scene where someone's arm gets cut off and you want a fountain of blood, use a spray bottle filled with water and red Kool-aid.

For low-budget movie squibs, there are many affordable options. For a fight scene where someone's lip gets busted up, use a blood capsule. These are manufactured for Vampire and Zombies and will work fine in the actor's mouth. You just have to coordinate their mouth with the punch.

For gunshots, use a snack-sized Ziploc bag. Poke a tiny hole in it above the blood fill line. When impacted, it will explode, causing the fake blood to go everywhere.

No matter what kind of blood you are using, never wear any article of clothing that you do not want to get stained. Even Tide Acti-Lift formula cannot lift the fake blood off of clothing! If you are shooting a scene with fake blood and know that you will need to do several takes, buy more than one of the piece of outfit that will see the most blood, like a shirt.

Fake blood does stain the face but washes off with hot water and Dawn soap. If you are shooting the blood scene from a different angle and need to re-apply the blood, please keep in mind that your makeup artist will have to first clean up the actor, re-apply their makeup and then re-apply the blood. Really think out your shots to save time and to stay on budget.

Fake blood can be found year round at most costume supply stores either online or in your city. There is no right or wrong way to make blood, so experiment! If it looks real to you, then use it and have fun!

Makeup Artist Resource, Austin, TX:ErinJennifer Dunn: http://www.rawkstarglam.webs.com/

Makeup Artist Resource, United States:
http://www.slatecast.com/

Fake Blood Resource, Austin, TX:
http://www.lucyindisguise.com/
http://www.costumeworld.com/

Fake Blood Resource, United States:
http://www.costumesupplyhouse.com/

Movie Project Update: "Criminal Conversations"

2010-10-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Actors Wes Studi, Maura Dhu Studi and Anthony Arkin are now attached to star in my screenplay, Criminal Conversations.

Logline: A man meets up again with his ex-wife while his current spouse is dying and his ex-wife's current husband is suing her for divorce and trying to prove she is guilty of adultery.

California-based movie distributor FilmWorks Entertainment, Inc., has delivered a letter of intent (LOI) to distribute the movie, which will be directed by Stephen Jules Rubin.

The character-driven romantic dramedy is seeking additional funding and donations, and the movie is scheduled to be shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in January, 2011.

The one-sheet is available here. A recent draft of the script can be read here.

Donations of any size can be made via Paypal to si@sagecreekproductions.com.

Donors will receive on-screen thanks in the movie's ending credits. It is not necessary to have a Paypal account to donate.

For more information on this project and how to become involved in it, please contact:

Si Dunn
Sagecreek Productions, LLC
3800 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 730-131
Austin, TX 78756
sidunn@hotmail.com

Poetry & the Recession

2010-10-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

I retired just before the Great Recession steamrolled the national economy. Now I am back at work, self-employed, selling off some of my unneeded stuff on Amazon and eBay while also writing two books and several screenplays and waiting for producers to find enough money to shoot some of my optioned movie projects.

Almost nobody buys poetry, even in good times. In the midst of a recession, it is an even harder sell.

Yet millions of us write it and try to get it published and wish someone would pay us for it.

I actually made a few bucks from poetry a number of years ago. Rolling Stone paid me $10 each for a couple of poems when Joe Esterhaus was still their poetry editor. Equally long ago, the Denver Post paid me a few dollars for a couple of poems used as fillers.

There were a few other small sales, and sometimes, someone passed the hat when I did a reading in a bar or coffeehouse. The biggest take, I recall, was $6.

Over a period of 40-plus years, I would estimate that I have made about $300, at most, from writing poetry and selling copies of my poetry books. That averages out to about $7.50 a year, or maybe enough to buy a hamburger and eat my words.

On that note, I would like to announce that I still have available three autographed copies of my first poetry book, "Waiting for Water." Want one? You can use Paypal to send $1.25 plus $1.75 shipping and handling ($3.00 total) to si@sagecreekproductions.com.

If I sell all three and bring in $9, I'll consider this a banner year for poetry. And, once again, I'll probably buy a meal and eat my words.

Thanks!

-- Si Dunn

#

PTSD and the story behind my novella

2010-09-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

I saw some combat during the Vietnam War. Saw some.

"Saw" is the key word. There is a big difference between witnessing combat up close and actually taking part in it.

I saw some death. I saw some destruction. And I saw several scary situations while I was in the middle of events that could have gotten me killed.

Yet, my tour of duty in the Vietnam conflict was a calm Sunday family picnic compared with what our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have been experiencing and are still experiencing.

I came home from the Vietnam War with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It affected me strongly for many years afterward. It still affects me sometimes today. And mine was just a mild case.

With the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq still dragging on and on, we now have thousands upon thousands of veterans - men and women -- who are experiencing, or who soon will experience, PTSD and the various, unnerving ways it can affect individuals, families, co-workers and others.

There are no easy solutions or quick "cures" for PTSD. Most of those who have it now likely will need assistance of some kind, possibly for years to come. You don't just take a pill and return to "normalcy" after you've been to war.

One way I have dealt with PTSD is by writing: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenplays, articles, reviews, blog posts.

I recently wrote a book that, at one level, has been another way for me to confront and deal with the PTSD ghosts still floating around inside my head. It is fiction, but many parts of it are drawn from real events in my life during and after my time in the Vietnam conflict.

The book, a novella titled Jump, recently has been featured in "The Spark," the Harvard University Extension School's blog. Here is the link: http://harvardextension.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/si-dunn-story/

The posting explains some of the background behind the book's creation.

-- Si Dunn

#

Almost (Poem and Photographs)

2010-09-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

Almost

(Near 92 Champs-Élysées, Paris)

Thomas Jefferson lived here

And slept here, it is rumored,

With a slave (not commemorated).

But wait, there’s more!

Corporal Robert Birlinger died here

Just two hours before Paris’ liberation.

The fireman turned soldier

Dared to cross

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Leading a squad to fight

Blazes and German snipers.

Always a bad combination.

He almost made it.

Shot in the leg, he

Gave up too much blood

For France,

While those who could help him

Were pinned down.

Some critics of Birlinger's small plaque

Tell a less heroic story:

A tank shell simply

Blew him apart.

But this all avoids the essential question:
Just before Corporal Birlinger died here,

Had he read the plaque above

What later would be his,
And realized that

Thomas Jefferson always

Made it across the street?

-- Si Dunn

From the forthcoming book of poems and photographs by Si Dunn:
The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower
(Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.)

The Story Behind the Criminal Conversations Screenplay

2010-08-23T16:31:00.003-05:00

By Si Dunn

The screenplay for Criminal Conversations explores several areas that intrigue me. (Here's the logline: A man meets up again with his ex-wife while his current spouse is dying and his ex-wife's current husband is suing her for divorce and trying to prove she is guilty of adultery.)

First, I am interested in what can happen when two people who have had a previous, unhappy history together suddenly need each other again, yet they are constrained by forces both inside and outside their new circumstances.

The youthful marriage of Ted and Alexandra ended badly several decades ago, and the two of them moved on to separate, successful lives and new marriages.

Now, they are in their fifties, and happenstance has brought them back together just at the time when their current lives are crumbling.

They could try to be friends or lovers again. They both need someone who understands them and they are increasingly are aware of their own mortality and how time is beginning to run out in their lives. But both of them are still married. There are strict limitations on teacher-student relationships. They have the feelings of their own families to consider, and they are being spied on Alexandra’s estranged husband, Frank.

One wrong move could cause them both to be sued for “criminal conversation,” an old legal term for adultery.

How can they be close again and helpful to each other while maintaining what the law and society would consider a “respectable” distance?

Secondly, I am interested in exploring how two people who once loved each other can find enough forgiveness to overcome the transgressions that tore apart their marriage. They cannot go back and change the past -- anyway, they would not want to give up their children and the careers they have formed since they went their separate ways.

Yet, their new circumstances have thrown them together in a way that causes them both to face a choice: Can the one who was wronged forgive the one who bears the most blame? And, can forgiveness, contrition and the healing passage of time lead to a renewed relationship--one that can succeed this time?

In a third area of interest, the Criminal Conversations story examines how sudden new realities in peoples’ lives can turn their lives in unexpected – and sometimes unwanted – directions that ultimately prove beneficial. At the same time, these changed directions may be limited or misinterpreted or exploited by others outside the new relationship.

Fourth, Criminal Conversations also explores greed and deceit in a divorce setting. It looks at student-faculty relationships in a college or university setting. And it deals with the process of teaching and imparting knowledge.

As all of this unfolds, the major characters in Criminal Conversations confront matters that include their feelings about life, life after death, faith, courage, and love in the face of death.

I think you’ll be surprised at how it all turns out.

For more information:

The project's one-sheet is available at: http://bit.ly/9JNu6N.
A recent draft of the script can be read at: http://bit.ly/c4VEAX.
A video about the screenplay can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4sPZasOf1o.

Donations of any size can be made via PayPal to si@sagecreekproductions.com. Donors will receive on-screen thanks in the movie's ending credits. It is not necessary to have a PayPal account to donate.

Movie Project 'Criminal Conversations' Gains Distributor

2010-08-23T06:40:00.005-05:00

California-based movie distributor FilmWorks Entertainment, Inc., has delivered a letter of intent (LOI) to distribute the movie project Criminal Conversations, which will be directed by Stephen Jules Rubin. The screenwriter is Si Dunn.

Logline: A man meets up again with his ex-wife while his current spouse is dying and his ex-wife's current husband is suing her for divorce and trying to prove she is guilty of adultery.

The character-driven romantic dramedy is seeking additional funding and donations, and the movie is scheduled to be shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sometime this fall.

New versions of the movie's one-sheet and business plan are now available.

The one-sheet is available here: http://bit.ly/9JNu6N. A recent draft of the script can be read here: http://bit.ly/c4VEAX.

Some of the story behind the screenplay can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4sPZasOf1o.

Donations of any size can be made via PayPal to si@sagecreekproductions.com. Donors will receive on-screen thanks in the movie's ending credits. It is not necessary to have a PayPal account to donate.

For more information on this project and how to become involved in it, please contact:

Si Dunn
Sagecreek Productions, LLC
3800 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 730-131
Austin, TX 78756
sidunn@hotmail.com

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1918688/

On-Set Security? Even No-Budget Movies Need It

2010-08-20T14:10:00.002-05:00

The first time I worked on a movie set, I was a featured extra in two crowd scenes. I played a photographer in one scene, and I got to use my own cameras. It was a friendly set, and I was able to get some pictures of the stars. The next scene, however, did not require my cameras. So I left them in the big "extras holding" room where we were supposed to stash our personal belongings.

That room was unguarded and unlocked, of course. And someone who was assumed to be one of the hundreds of extras entered it while the new scene was being shot. All of the set's security personnel were busy protecting -- or gawking at -- the stars. Meanwhile, the room-entering "extra" just happened to have a criminal record for thefts and burglaries. He grabbed my camera bag, plus numerous wallets from coats and purses, and left the set unchallenged and unnoticed. The thefts were not discovered for almost two hours.

The police later caught him trying to pawn my cameras -- I had kept track of the serial numbers. But people's money and most credit cards and identification documents were not recovered.

I remembered this disturbing incident the next time I worked on a movie with crowd scenes. In this production, I was a different kind of extra. My headshot was used as the photo of a murder victim. So I was given a day's pay, but I could not appear in the movie at any other time. With plenty of hours on my hands, I volunteered to help a friend -- one of the casting assistants -- as an assistant's assistant. I sat in and guarded the room where extras stored their personal belongings. All day long, cell phones rang and pagers beeped in coats and purses. And some of the real extras periodically entered to check messages, grab something, put something away, or find new wardrobe items for the next shot.

But the real extras and crew members were not the only ones who entered. I sat in a corner where I could not be noticed at first. Twice that day, people I did not recognize as extras or members of the movie crew suddenly slipped in. Just as they started to poke around, sizing up what was accessible, they realized I was watching them, cell phone in hand.

"Sorry, wrong room!" the first one said. He didn't ask where the "right" room was as he hastily departed.

The second one just said "Shit!" and ran out the door.

Movie production companies are notorious for disdainful and rude treatment of extras and featured extras. Yet even on a no-budget movie set, there is no excuse for failing to secure the belongings and identification papers of cast, crew and extras, when necessary. You expect and need people to bring certain items when they report to the set. But they can't watch over their belongings once they are in camera rehearsals and scenes that are being shot.

Someone you implicitly trust should be given this important (and hopefully paid) security job. Various PAs can take shifts, if necessary. But whoever is room guard, he or she should be supplied with an accurate list of who is authorized to store items in the location and retrieve them. Brief notes on what each person is storing -- purse, make-up bag, laptop computer -- also could be helpful.

And if there is a question, the room guard should be able to quickly contact someone by radio or cell phone and verify that Extra X is indeed Extra X, not some ex-con looking for unwanted ways to make some money off your movie. A little attention to this simple security detail can help minimize some potential major headaches for your production.

-- Si Dunn

Low/No-Budget Movie Makeup Tips

2010-07-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

By ErinJennifer Dunn

Looking to make that next indie hit? And suddenly realizing you’ll need makeup for your actors? You frantically look at your budget, and you only have maybe $100 to put toward the makeup/hair/wardrobe department. Is it possible to make your actors look the part with $100 or less? Of course! These few easy tips and links can help you meet your makeup needs on a low-to-no-budget project.
First, figure out how many actors you have. Male actors usually require little to no makeup. Women, however, do require makeup. If your movie is set in a certain era, you'll need to add about $50 more to your budget to help get the right looks. It is always important to match makeup with skin tone. Most female cast members will have their basic foundations that match their skin tone. But if you are going for a classic look and a cast member has dark eye shadow for a dramatic clubbing look, you'll have to invest in lighter tones.

Consulting with a makeup artist before buying anything is a good approach. Offering a small fee or buying them lunch can be an easy way to get a good consultation out of the deal. A makeup artist can take a look at the headshots or photos of your actors and suggest what products to get for each look, depending on time period your movie is set in. For special-effect makeup such as bullet holes and gore, fake blood is a must, along with molding wax and liquid latex. These items are easy to find online and at good prices. A little bit of each goes a long way.

To create a custom makeup kit at a reasonable price, check out:

http://www.youravon.com/edunn

http://www.cinemasecrets.com/

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/Default.asp

Key items to include are: (1) a gentle cleanser and moisturizer; (2) face primer, and (3) translucent powder.

For special effects makeup kits:

http://www.mehron.com/default.asp

http://www.fxsupply.com/

Ben Nye Special Effects foundations are widely used, but some may find them overly oily. They often are highly recommended for Halloween makeup and photo shoots.

Special-effects kit essentials are: (1) molding wax; (2) liquid latex; and (3) translucent powder.

More and more moviemakers are shooting in HD, and there are many HD makeup items out there, but they can be expensive.

http://www.makeupforeverusa.com/runaways/
Look for their High Definition line of products, which run about $40 apiece.

http://www.smashbox.com/
Smashbox's Photo Finish FX is the best HD coverage. However, all Smashbox products should work well in an HD environment.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/
Supplies many HD products, but at A-list prices.

For makeup artistry consultation:

Austin, TX:
http://www.rawkstarglam.webs.com/

National:
http://www.nomausa.com/artists_please.htm
http://www.makeupartistdirectory.com/country/33/United_States/
http://makeupmag.com/web/

When putting together your makeup/hair/wardrobe department, remember that it is best to simplify your looks and use what your actors may already have. You don't have to hire a makeup artist or a hair specialist to get the looks you want. (But you definitely should if you can afford it!) Check with your cast and your friends to see who has a willingness to help out. Always be sure to credit people for their help, including any kind of consultation you may get. Never forget the “little people.” Even with just a hundred-dollar budget for makeup and the help of your cast and friends, your indie movie could become the next hit on the big screen.

ErinJennifer Dunn is a makeup artist, consultant, writer and actress in Austin, TX.

The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower (poem and photograph)

2010-07-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

The One-Trillionth
Picture of the Eiffel Tower

Yes, I took it.

This is it. Look

at it. What do

you mean “Give

or take a few

hundred billion”?

This is it. This one

image. I swear it:

The one-trillionth

picture. How do I

know? Because

all of my life, and

well before it,

I have been keeping

very, very, very

Still Life with Life Still? (Poem and Photograph)

2010-07-01T19:52:00.002-05:00

Still Life with Life Still?

Not for long. The blossoms
Soon will discover their blood

Miraculously has changed

Itself to tap water. And their roots

Have voted to remain
Behind with their own kind.

The fruit, fortunately,

Does not yet know how to scream.

Yet, if you listen very carefully,

You may hear it attempt

To sing.

Now at the Louvre (Poem and Photograph)

2010-07-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

Now at the Louvre

What does art see

When it stares back at us,

Sculpting its own blindness

With framed eyes?

Are we the vision

Or merely the stone?

The murderous paintbrush

Or the reticent chisel?

What does art see

When we blink? When

We think we understand

Yet never listen

To the endless shapes

We incessantly create?

-- Si Dunn