Emanuel Goldstein - You've Been Made Redundant, Old Chap

It is remarkable the amount of privacy we are willing to give up with our online presence; we open our homes, intimate relationships, and business dealings for all the world to see. (Privacy settings or not, the info will always be found outside the environment if you know where to look and want to put the effort in). 

This over-exposure for the sake of desired recognition in an increasingly congested world is a new phenomenon brought on by the advent of Facebook and Twitter. There is a long history of groups and individuals exposing the salacious and mundane of their daily lives for all to see on the internet as part of what is now called lifecasting. Some of the early provocateurs:

Jennicam – a 7-year project where Jennifer Ringley started with one camera in her, often empty, dorm room to life with cameras in every room of the house, documenting every aspect and function of her life. As a work-from-home ‘web designer,’ she provided both free-(a picture update every 10 seconds) and paid –(update every couple of seconds and eventually live streaming as broadband became more widely available) access, garnering nearly three million viewers a day.  Jennicam was among the first to create and broadcast video blogs, recapping the week or covering events she attended. 

 

AnaCam- unlike Jennicam, where the rhythms of everyday life played out without much planning, AnaCam incorporated daily life into a surrealist dada-inspired performance.  Sexuality and the act of playing a major role in anacam, but to combine it with later sex cam pornography sites is missing the point.  To Ana Voog, art is as messy as life, and life (in a situationist-like philosophy) is art.  The mundane moments of life are here but Ms Voog strives to fill them, sometimes desperately, often with confounding absurdum.  

 

Josh Harris – Josh Harris was an internet pioneer and creator of Pseudo.com, the first internet broadcasting company. Possibly taking his lead from Jennicam and AnaCam, Mr. Harris created a project where he, his girlfriend, and a collective of like-minded internet aficionados lived every moment on camera.  The “We Live in Public” project started with much hoopla and promise and ended with devastating financial and emotional results for all involved.  The project shows just how unprepared society was for the implications of a life where privacy is not expected.

For some, the ability to live in public is a revelation that forces self-examination of values and social mores.  I, for one, entered into this world only after being assured in the comfort of my beliefs (or lack thereof) and, more importantly, the conversations and debates they generate.  Social exposure can be beneficial to others seeking to find kindred spirits, to know that they are not alone. It can also be a tool of the dictatorial, a force for overzealous parental paranoia (it will destroy ya’) and unrepentant theocrats.  

The English have a long and inbred fascination with Huxley and Orwellian foreshadowing’s as Clearly evidenced by the BBC series ‘the Prisoner’.   The Prisoner is a continuation of the show ‘Secret Agent Man’, except now our intrepid hero has decided to leave his profession, only to be kidnapped and sent to a special island.  The Island has a strict hierarchy where every movement is watched and recorded.  Our now captive agent looks to escape but also enjoys confounding and twisting his interrogator's tricks upon themselves. Often, we are left to wonder if he really desires escape or just the challenge.  Perhaps the whole series is a rebellion against the stricture of over-ambitious social rejections and the outrage of enforced boredom.

The band ‘The Get Out Clause’ came into the breach with their video ‘Paper.’ Whether intentioned or not, the video is a nifty encapsulation of my above ranting.  To understand why this video is so remarkable it may be helpful to note that England has the single most extensive network of CCTV ‘public safety’ cameras and street microphones of any country.  The system intends to cut down the time the police take to identify trouble and send units to restore order.  The English public is, as you would expect, both dependant on and frightfully fearful of the big brother in the sky.  In an effort to give the public a feeling of control and assuage fears, lawmakers insisted on making all films on demand.  One must request tapes for a specific location, time, date, and duration.  The result is the following video:

 

 

 

 

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8-bit Nostalgia and Miss September 63's Influence on Tactile Controls.

I love my wife’s new nano, the slickness of the interface, its ease of use and the fluid movement of pages on such a small screen is pretty darn cool.  I almost wish Apple would release a developer’s kit to add a control interface capability. Aww, com’on you know you agree, this would be the ultimate key fob.

Yet, am I alone in feeling that the new nano and even the iPad is well, soul-less? I am troubled- only somewhat mildly mind you (I DO work in the belly of the beast)- by the frictionless gloss of icons.  In fact, in the spirit of true disclosure I have to admit that I do not get surround sound, having compared it to overblown quad some years back on a pro AV forum on AOL.   I still, mostly, stand by that assessment today. 

Which brings me to my main point; I miss the tactile feel of a physical interface.  Perhaps it is simple nostalgia but I long for the clickty-clack-clunk of an 8-track tape, the solid mechanical ka-chunk of open reel tape decks, and the tactile feel and response of weighted gain knobs. I am not sure just why I love these knobs so much, the sheer pleasure of them in my hand – they just feel right, perfectly balanced in my fingers and against my palm.  I could make an innuendo here, which would be apt and very Miss September 63, but I think you get the gist.  So deep is my love for the classic high-end gain knob that I argued vehemently to include a version on a product, I was asked to do some preliminary concept work on. (I also wanted it to have a more ‘retro’ look with a maple or cherry wood front. Perhaps I do have too many vintage Playboys with their Cutty Shark ads).  The product got its gain knob but the front is basic black and silver.  

Additionally I tend to gravitate toward older looking games. I still watch in awe at the offerings G4 reviews and get that reflexive itch when I am near new game consoles but I am drawn by a greater gravitational pull – the text based Zork.  If you have ever played this game, you know what I am taking about.  It is a simple game really; it is a treasure hunt with fighting trolls, endless caverns, singing demons in hades and an abandoned dam.  All of this, and your action commands, are in text for which you have to draw maps if you are to get through it all.  It is work, hands on paper and brain imagining in 3 dimensions. Do you know the old saying, that things are far more provocative when a little is left to the imagination, yeah – Sophia Loren like.

So, why I am blathering on about all this? What point could I possibly be trying to make?  I really dig this video by HOLLERADO:

 The Video is a one shot, one chance to get it right, human analog of effects.  'There was a time when we made things with our hands'

 

 

 

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Team True Blue Rides for a Cure or No Man is an Island

Originally Posted October 1st, 2010

Team True Blue, a charity riding team are riding in the 2010 Bike MS NYC to help raise funds to find a cure for MS. The team- Jeff Singer, Glenn Pernick, Steve Swartzentruber, and Randy Surovy are participating in their second Bike MS NYC event, completely topping their previous fund raising goals. Congratulations guys!  

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society really needs your help to fund the research, to find the cause, provide education, programs and services to those who have been diagnosed and their families.  The  research  funded by these MS events have helped to make some incredible medicaladvances  in the understanding of MS, yet we only have better drugs and therapies not a cure forr the 400,000 people living with MS in America-(some of whom I work with).

Giving back, whether riding in a charity event, helping out at the local food bank or volunteering as a mentor – knowing that you helped make things just a little bit better, it’s the best feeling.

Sunday is expected to be sunny and crisp, perfect weather to enjoy the ride and the fun of a BBQ lunch, live music and camaraderie of friends in raising awareness.  Last year’s event was a hoot and this year is expected to be even better! If you are in NYC on October 3rd join us to cheer on Team True Blue and all the Bike MS NYC participants, or if you cannot make, it follow them at http://bit.ly/cj70up
 

 

UPDATE:  Oct, 4th 2010

Team True Blue  had a great day at the Bike MS NYC  on Sunday.  So far Team True Blue has raised over $2500.00, but the chance to donate is still available to you - just click on the link above.   

Who do we ride for?  We ride for a family member, neighbors, associates and co-workers, in short for everyone as we all know someone who has been affected by MS.  Wether you are diagnosed, related to, or friends with someone who suffers - everyone has someone.   

 This year True Blue Rides for Donna Allen, Crestron client Representative in the Rockiegh NJ office. When you talk to Donna you would never know that she is fighting MS as she is always upbeat   and happy to see you.  Donna, in her 30's now walks with a cane and stairs can be tricky.  What you and I may see as a road block  only motivates Donna to work harder.   Because Donna will not stop moving forward, neither can we.  Even the riders took motivation from Donnas’ struggle, Glenn Pernick summed it up for the whole team: “There were a couple of times we were going up these killer hills and my legs were burning.  I was in pain and I just thought about Donna and all the struggles she lives with.  She was a real inspiration and gave the ride purpose and meaning.”

Join us in the fight by participating  in fund rasing events,  donating or volunteering at your local  Multiple Sclerosis Society office.

If you are still not convinced that all this really does help, I will let Donna have the final word:  "I have been living with Multiple Sclerosis just over 10 years now and find the best therapy is having a positive attitude, but most of all, having a huge support system. I am so proud and honored that the True Blue Team rode for me. I cannot thank them enough."

 

From my Tumblr Blog - Tucker's Tertiary

 

Five Year Olds Musical Mashup Breaks the Law of Conversation of Mass and Energy

We have played music, specifically John Coltrane’s Black Peals –(Hackensack, 1958. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder – Most likely on a band saw machine)- for my oldest from in utero to the present day. Rooster seems to have an innate sense of musical structure and is drawn to instruments as well as humming song fragments when he is concentrating.

We have introduced a variety of formats and musical genres to him such as Jonny Cash country, bluegrass, rock, pop and a little bit of Classical/ Opera. Some of his new favorites are Etta James and Kidz Bop 12.

Yesterday I happen to catch him half humming, half sing song combining the Black Pearl intro with Sunday Lover. When I asked him what he was singing he returned with a question –‘Dadu’ –(what my kids call me) – ‘do you think Kidz Bop can sing Etta James songs?’ I said I was not sure but we could email them and ask.

I write about this story not to coquettishly point out my son as a prodigy or musical genius but at the power of music, however glancing, can have on everyone but especially a child. Rooster –(my name for my oldest)- hums Coltrane music to his school friends and adults, telling them with a joy only a child can produce who it is and that ‘Trane rocks’. This does not happen every day but enough for me to note it.

It only takes one innocent and joyful person to spread the virus of culture – the joy of learning. So many doors of thought are opened up for me from my children’s honest combining of ideas. Concepts we as adults reject outright because we know that they should not go together are freely combined by children – creating new forms if only transitory in its existence. Perhaps I am simply channeling Art Linkletter in my own way but I am learning so much from watching my children process what we offer them, in return gifting us with fantastical creations we are the better for being exposed to.

A child’s imagination frequently and fragrantly breaks the law of conservation of mass and matter. Much like Arthur dent learning to fly we adults have to relearn that by flying simply as a result of not hitting the ground means that you can. How many interviews with innovative business people have you heard say, if we knew what we were doing – we would not have done it.

The laws of physics be dammed, create your own rules, make your own universes

Like A Left Handed Smoke Shifter - my Alt Blog

I swear - it is like actually finding a left handed smoke shifter. New Posts to my Tumblr blog -Tuckers Tertiary http://tuckerstertiary.tumblr.com/

 

Terrestrial Radio is Dead, Long Live Terrestrial Radio- online at least

 

I am a true radio geek. I have a very special place in my heart for the modus operandi sound of terrestrial radio.  Similar to the vinyl-phile who loves, nay craves, the hiss and pop of records, I find a comfort in the off air sounds of radio.

I have at times railed against the Clear Channel-ization of radio and promoted the full migration to online listening; I still ‘tune into’ Radio IO, Pandora and even Last.fm more often than off air. Yet I cannot completely extricate myself from terrestrial radios grip.  I was nurtured with it as if mother’s milk to my ears and it provided the final blow to my teen angst – see my “Be In My Broadcast”

I have a few choice stations that I tune into regularly which fit my very strict sense of retro-modern radio, by which I mean stations that maintain an old school radio aura but do not live in the past - (admittedly available online).  For brevities sake I am only listing the stations which constantly open my ears and provide me with a mix of music – from the expected to evocative. 

  Well, that and they all sound great on my home system, car radio and my beloved personally rebuilt 1958 Grundig’s paper speakers.

 

WNYU 89.1 FM :

New York University Radio- There is a lot going on at WNYU with just a many shows as genres one would encounter walking two blocks on St. Marks place in the east village. I fell head over heels for the New Afternoon Show nearly 20 years ago and still listen at least once a week now.  Playing historical true alternative music to the newest acts and underground genres it is a thrilling and challenging listening experience. It was the first place I heard of ‘the seattle sound’ movement back in the late 80’s –(Mudhoney or Mother Love Bone anyone?)  WNYU is an actual college training radio station so the DJ’s are not always quite polished- but that is part of the raw appeal.  WNYU broadcasts from 4pm to 10:30pm Monday through Friday.

WFMU 91.1 FM:

 The seminal free-form radio where shows can range from straight out rock n’ roll to drag racing themed rock a’ billy or thirties cigarette ads.  Every day, every show can inspire and confound you. The station is a true original.

WFDU 89.1 FM:

Honestly I do not know much about the rest of the stations broadcasts, but  Ghosty’s ‘That Modern Rock Show’  show kicks ass.  Playing Old and new alterna-punk, unique interviews and some truly odd ball fare.   His knowledge of music alternative/punk/new wave history, discographies and ephemera is remarkable.  He is the Phil Schaap of modern rock.  The observant reader will notice that WFDU occupies the same frequency set as WNYU.  WFDU only operates from 12am to 3:45pm on Weekdays and on weekends.

WXPK 107.1:

The peak is not one of those radio stations I would naturally gravitate to as it runs the fine line between 'Adult Contemporary' and a true music lover’s station.  I was convinced to take a listen and look at their website by my wife and I thank her all the time for keeping on me.  The Peak plays new music- yes actual new music – and a great mix of rock, blues, dance some pop 40, and live in-studio performances. The stations website is a treat! They feature active playlists which link to video or audio tracks, band sites, live show info and more. I am in love with a mainstream radio station- and proud to admit it.

WKCR 89.9 FM:

The radio station of Columbia University and the single greatest Jazz station on earth. While they play classical, opera, hilly billy country and the music of world cultures. But the Jazz, ah this is just pure heaven.  I listen every morning to Phil Schapps Bridflight – digging Coltrane and the encyclopedic knowledge of be-bop and jazz records Mr. Schapp possesses. I have listened to interviews which the Jazz greats of yore where he corrects them on a timeline placement or a band member who played a show or on an album.  The most common response, after a pause of consideration, is usually a ‘…well you would know better than me, I often wonder if you were there’.

WNYC/NPR 93.9: 

 I would be rightly admonished  if I did not mention WNYC and NPR music. From Sound Check, Spinning on Air, All Songs Considered and the fantastic NPR music site, I listen for hours on end.  The Shows feature new acts, thought provoking interviews, live in studio sessions and album first listens –(usually until the albums actual release date). WNYC is a truly remarkable music resource for the fan of any musical genre – a great deal of classical and opera as well. I have begun to dig some Opera lately, mostly the arias and solos but I have listened to a few ‘full’ production on the NPR site. 

Do youk know of a station that may just save Terrestrial Radio? let me know.

Updated- 5.25

While I do not listen to Sport Radio that often I am duly enamored with Steve Somers – The schmooze- on WFAN.  His opening monologues are erudite, cultural and most of all require you to be up to date on the latest sports, politics, news and cultural  talking points.

I was able to find a Memorial Day monologue posted on YouTube but you should check for his schedule.  He and his callers are a treat.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Apples? / Cold Miser Consumes the Teenage Anarchists.

  *Note*  October 6th, 2011

With the sad news that Mr. Jobs has passed away I feel it necessary to add my condolences to the families both intimate and corporate.  

Despite my Vitriol below I have admired and desired nearly every product Apple put out under the tutelage of Mr. Jobs.    I still stand by my statement that he and  the company had (and most likely have permanently ) forgotten their free for all, crash the gates beginnings.  

Thank you Mr. Jobs, for all of it. 

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Whether you are a fan of Apple or, more specifically, of Jobs and his dramatic itinerant tenures  at the helm, together they have created some of the most technologically innovative and visually stunning products.  When a new Apple product is announced you either sit on pins and needles waiting for yours to arrive or pine for a version by someone other than ‘The Fruit’ –(usually too long and without the panache Job’s baby has).   

Apple has always had a passionate community who extolled the virtues of the products and who built support infrastructures, on their own time, where millions evangelized for them, keeping the faith and business in the black. Apple owes its very current day existence to this formidable army of crack volunteers, for without them Job’s company would only be an asterisk in the book of computer and online media history – just above Be OS and just below the Amiga. 

I was amongst the faithful for years, helping out with local user groups and brandishing the rainbow apple on my board, skates and car. My distance from the group simply came as my professional life led me into working with applications and programs that did not –then- run on the Macs. I still proudly maintain my Powerbook 540 (active matrix screen!), I still use my 2^nd generation iPod nearly every day and dream of the day I too can work on an Apple widescreen display.  My point being that while I drifted from a daily use of apple products, I always maintained a respect or perhaps a worshipful admiration for Mr. Jobs and his company.  

The last couple of weeks of embarrassingly draconian actions by Jobs have left me wondering - When did Steve Jobs become Mr. Cold Miser?

 

Mr. Jobs history of secrecy and his reputation as a demanding and harsh task master is well discussed in the media, but the recent actions attributed to him have caused me to rethink my opinion and to hold my wallet. From the seemingly random approval or rejection of iPhone apps, to the letting loose the dogs of war –and the police – on the Gizmodo editor and most recently attempting to trademark iPhone icons (the style, look, etc), I have to wonder if Jobs has lost his mojo.  

Updated 5-22-----------
Steve Jobs now procliams to be the tech worlds moral compass http://huff.to/bzBz6o
My issue with this new side of Jobs is not his anti porn stance persay, but his presumption to to limit an internet acess tool into a moral compass.  I wonder if there is an app for that? (Actually, there is)
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I have previously commented on what I have begun to see as the danger in letting one charismatic company become the sole – for all intensive purposes – conduit for which mobile media is accessed and viewed.  To be sure the iPod/Phone/Tunes business model made the mp3 and podcasting a viable social movement and I feel we are better –(and better informed) for it.  I wonder aloud if Jobs has succumbed to the same claustrophobic paranoia Adam Curry -(father of the Podcast movement)- is fabled for.

Don't you remember when you built illegal Blue Boxes? 

 

Hey Steve, Baby- Don’t you remember when you were a teenage anarchist?

 

 

  

The Birth of Modern Music, The Value of History- a mini tribute to Raymond Scott

Our time is one  of daily paradigm changes  in  the technological, cultural and philosophical  arenas, where today’s internet superstar product is granted 5 minutes of fame only to be usurped at minute 4.5- often by the same creator or venture capitalist.  Despite the contributions to the revolution most of these individual –(and companies)- have made, they are destined to be remembered by only a few associates or researchers of the arcane.

I have been fortunate to have had many mentors –direct and incidental- who helped create or were involved from the onset in the early days of multi-image, AV and music recording.  Most of their names would be unknown or, perhaps, considered irrelevant to current installers, content creators or even heads of companies in the industry, yet they practice or build on the architecture and processes that these folks established.  I was also fortunate to have teachers in trade school who thought it was of great importance to at least expose us some of the history of the art and technology we were learning to handle.   While much of the education in the glory of my ‘forbearers’ was somewhat erudite, I did get  hands on training on split line RCA boards, refurbishing a Mellotron and the odd art of multiple projector slide shows. Much in the fashion of car restorers or mechanical archivist I was granted the oral history and hands on practical from these guys.    

One of the many quirky personalities and remarkable innovators I discovered by association (and have loved to read about and explore his work to this day) is Raymond Scott.  In a similar vein to the just as unique and visionary Joe Meek, Scott had a special relationship with music that helped change it forever. In fact he should be as well known as Les Paul for his contributions to music and the AV industry in general.  Jazz musician, inventor of the sequencer and the person nearly every sound a vending machine, ATM or ring tone makes can trace its roots back to, in one way or another.

 

 

Like Alan Turing, Raymond Scott has posthumously developed a cult following for his remarkable insight and contributions. Turning may have saved the world and Scott may just have saved music. There are a number sites –which I list below – dedicated to the work and times of Raymond Scott, if you want a one example proof of his influence- chew on this.  Mr. Scott had in his employ for some time a young electronics maven who he set to work helping finish and build circuits for his ' Electronium; that young man was none other than Bob Moog.

 Even ‘dead’ technology has something to teach and knowing where things came from provides fodder for innovation and creative thinking.  Are you teaching this information to your young wire guys and installers?  Do you, or they, know about UNIVAC? Or why we call it a ‘ Bug’ when code is erratic?

 I highly suggest finding the video collection of the ‘Connections’ series hosted by James Burke whose Scientific American essays the shows are based on.  They may not answer the previous questions but it will start you on a path to thinking about ‘just how did we wind up doing it this way’ or ‘how anyone ever thought to do that!’

The past is not dead, we live it every day, we just have to where to look.

I have linked key words in the post  with links, but i have been often asked to send the group via email. 

Raymond Scott website: http://www.raymondscott.com/

Raymond Scott synopsis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Scott

Robert Moog overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moog

Joe Meek: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=joe+meek&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&fp=4bd1efb53b2bf9c5

Alan Turing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing

UNIVAC http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/UNIVAC.Weston.html

The Electronium and Clavivox    http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=Electronium&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&start=0&social=false

James Burke- Connections: http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=james+burke+connections&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=DBSUS--IBZC1tgeItvDUCg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CC8QqwQwAw#

Mellotron  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR6D1ZH2CMk

Fahrenheit 0° – The Microblog Killed the Cerebral Star

Fahrenheit 0° – The Microblog Killed the Cerebral Star

http://tuckerstertiary.tumblr.com/post/398742746/fahrenheit-0-the-microblog-killed-the-cerebral-star

Being and Nothingness or why Bing is my new search tool -(a phenomenological thought thread)

Google has been a revelation, of sorts, to me and I fear I may have reached the point where I could no longer live without it. It’s not just that all of my productivity, creativity and social interactions can and do revolve around intellectual examinations and conversations the cloud allows me explore. In short my consciousness is on Google, it knows me, offers me suggestions and provides me another sense with which to behold the nothingness in its beauty and absoluteness.

Google is a funny thing, once it knows it cannot un-know. Being for-itself prohibits a true denial of the world itself –( I may never know what it is to be all knowing in-itself, but I cannot not examine, identify and categorize). 

All this knowing makes me uneasy- so much freedom can induce nausea. But this only serves to let me know I am alive.

All knowing.

Bing is –for the moment- just a search engine. It does not seek to provide me with the grand unified being through thematical negation. Bing does not know about me in the same all consuming way, or least it does not confront me with the same polemic.  

I would shutter to concur but what if Max Cohen was right?

 

 

 

 

 

Pico Projectors and the Perfection of Flesh Tones- A Cautionary tale

You have may well notedthe ads for the cell phones with Pico projectors on television the last couple of weeks.  Now that this these units are in the wild and inescapable, the era of forced viewing has finally arrived.  Even the product ad seems to promote this with a scene where a third co-worker enters a lunch room proclaiming the that everyone must see the latest trailer from Avatar.  Oh, joy now not only must I endure the over-hyped chatter about this movie, I can no longer escape random showings of this or any other video.  To be clear- I think this is a very cool technology but the social ripple of unintended consequences great. 

I already pontificated on this in an earlier post - I reprint it here.

When properly lit and shot on film, this makes for the best test of flesh tones one can find." -TW

It is indeed interesting what one finds whilst trolling manufactures websites – Yeah, I know I need to get out more.

3M has announced a functioning video projector designed to fit into a mobile device (Cell Phone, Blackberry, and Digital Camera).  The 3M site http://www.3m.com/mpro/index.html states the unit is

"Roughly the size of a wireless earpiece, and a half inch thick..."

can project an image of

"VGA 640x480 Resolution"

And - most interestingly or curiously

"Projects sizes 5' to 50' or more"

The 3M description markets this as a social tool for sharing photos and videos; I see the break mobile content providers have been looking for in particular the WiMax folks.  All those arguments against people watching content on their phones because the screen is too small just may have gone away. 

Taking a futurist POV, imagine a time when there are no 103" plasmas just your mobile content device which projects an HD image of up to 60" or 70".  Aside from a central sever for storing your terabytes of content you take it all with you. (that which you could not store on the mobile device could be accessed via a slingbox like connection) oh, and it can make phone calls as well.

While the techie in me gets all worked up about the above being possible and I am intent on finding system diagrams to figure out how this works, the luddite in me bemoans the loss of regionalization. With the advent of cable, Satellite TV and the Slingbox type devices we no longer allow ourselves a chance to see local programming. Often locals do not see local programming - aside from the 6:00 news. Accents are becoming homogenized, Story lines all the same. Instead we arrive at the hotel, set up our PC to connect to the Slingbox and watch all our shows including our local news-(not the local news of the place we are staying). I do have hope that IPTV and sites like YouTube will always provide an outlet for truly regional culture; does anyone know exactly what happened to the Manhattan accent you last saw in 40's movies?

There are a number of troublesome possibilities as well:

·       Those lovely folks who seem to think the rest of us are utterly fascinated with their lives and use their Nextel or speaker phone on trains have a new way to invade personal space.

·       The potential for showing images you would really not rather- or I'd rather not see.

The lure of showing something elicits in a public manner -even if just as a laugh- can be quite strong.

In the days of the first single gun LCD projectors a number of techs-(including me) and a projectionist stayed late putting a new unit through its paces. The company I worked for rented several floors which had windows on two side streets and the main ave. Initially we pointed the projector out one of the open windows facing a block long side street wall to see just how big an image the projector could actually produce.  The image was big and damn bright! As it grew later on an early summers day we became even more impressed as the video engineer tweaked a few things and was able to produce a super bright image of about 20' (remember the throw was just a Manhattan side street width).  The projectionist wondered aloud if this 'data' projector could moonlight as IMAG support - (IMAG commonly is the projected talking head of the on stage speaker).  Someone mentioned that it must be fairly inefficient in handling flesh tones. 

Here is where the title of this entry comes from. Our ever resourceful projectionist placed a tape in the SVO deck and hit play. Up before us leaped to life a 20' super bright image of a couple in flagrante delicto. Yeah, you read that right.  There in full color was a 20' porn playing. We laughed, snickered, and thanked our stars that this was an industrial area after 8 pm on a Tuesday night. Then we heard a Yelp, expletives and our desk phones started to ring.  It appears two senior management types had stayed late as well and were just at that moment crossing the side street when our impromptu show had started.  Suffice it to say, the next few days were a bit tense in the office. Those who know the story, who’s initial are credited to the quote and just why we had ready access to the content will completely understand why I still find it hilarious.

We were some high tech geeks with access to very pricey toys and took a moment to misuse it. It was a one off event unlikely to happen again for some time.  Now anyone with a penchant to cause a ruckus could do nearly the same but all from his \ her mobile device.

Considering the two leading specs quoted above from the 3M site. 

640x480 is just tolerable looking at a 5' image, any bigger and you lose all definition.  I see no way the "..up to and above 50' image" is plausible.

Original Post Link here: http://bit.ly/8O3Zov