June 30, 2008
I've Got the Pen of the Year
Because of mere chance, and the fact that I'm closest to the door in my office and therefore have to sign for all deliveries, I received what is said to be the Pen of the Year. Specifically, it is a Uni-Ball Vision RT, which was given to me for free just because I filled out a little Sanford survey card. The pen did not come along, but was accompanied by a slip of paper detailing its credentials.
The Uni-Ball Vision RT, manufactured by Mitsubishi Pencil Company, is the proud recipient of the "Writing Instrument of the Year" award by the International Stationary Press Association (ISPA). The Association has this to say about the pen:
It is the world first auto-retractable rollerball pen accomplished by inventing a revolutionary refill structure and new ink - the Elevator ink system. VISION RT's refill ink cartridges are available to replace empty cartridges allowing for the body of the pen to be reused to cut waste.
While I haven't had the opportunity to test the pen's touted refill function, I have wondered about the description that the pen is "airplane safe." I suppose that means it won't be taken off of you if you try and take it on vacation; although, I wouldn't be surprised if a security officer recognized the award-winning writing tool and took it for himself. The Vision RT also has an advanced pocket clip that doesn't let the tip pop out if you have the pen clipped on to your shirt. The description sheet had a small illustration of a man's dress shirt with a big blue stain on it. This is, indeed, a serious pen.
I'm not quite sure what fate had in mind, sending me this pen above everyone else in the office. Perhaps it's like the "Sword in the Stone," and I was the only one here that could take it. Or maybe this is more like "The Last Starfighter," and my performance with the pen will determine whether or not I am chosen to help save a dying race of pen-enthusiasts. All I can say is that I'm honored to use the Pen of the Year, and that it's leaps and bounds beyond those mutli-colored, light-up pens I used to get for free in gradeschool.
Posted by MikeRubino at 1:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 28, 2008
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation and Other Home Movies
When I was twelve years old, I was just starting my career as a Cellar Dweller. I had my little comic books that I would draw, and eventually I worked with the Dwellers to make a crude animated cartoon. I can easily look back on these early days and say that I accomplished a lot for my age. Then I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation last night at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
The Adaptation is a shot-for-shot remake of the Spielberg classic, filmed back in the early 1980s by a group of 12 year olds. It took the kids seven years to complete their film, which they promptly shelved and forgot as they moved on with their lives. Time passed, and through a complicated series of events a VHS copy of the tape made its way to Eli Roth, and subsequently, Steven Spielberg. That was 2003, and since then the director Eric Zala has been holding rare screenings of his movie for non-profits and charities across the country. He can't exactly sell the thing, since it borrows heavily from the original Raiders soundtrack and script (which the kids recite word for word), but he's more than willing to share it.
I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going in to it. I had watched some clips on YouTube, but otherwise was going into this screening fairly unassuming. The film, it turns out, is a lo-fi work of art. The sheer amount of skill and ambition on display by this fairly large group of Biloxi teens is astounding! They nailed the opening boulder chase, the fiery bar fight with Marion, the crowded Arab streets, the excavation scenes, the Jeep chase, the submarine, and even the exploding head once the Ark is opened. At times the audience was in awe of what they were seeing--could this film actually be happening? How did these kids pull this off? But most of the time, everyone was laughing. And really, it's impossible not to. The Adaptation is an adorable tribute to a film that many remember well; better yet, the kids play it in complete seriousness, spouting off curse words and killing as many Nazis as the original.
And yet the entire time, I couldn't help but think about other recent films, created by giant movie studios, that hope to capture the same magic and youth that The Adaptation has. I absolutely loved Be Kind Rewind, which featured two lower-class Jersey boys filming their own home movie versions of classic films. And then there's Son of Rambow, which featured two British boys making their own sequel to the Rambo franchise. Mr. Zala also pointed out last night that Paramount is going to be making a feature movie about him making The Adaptation. I'm not about to declare a Renaissance for high-concept, sentimental home-spun remakes (mainly because that's a real mouthful), but the recent frequency of these movies is very interesting.
While The Adaptation was made back in the 80s, I have to wonder if its recent surfacing has inspired movies like Be Kind Rewind. And moreover, would any of these movies even have arrived without the help of YouTube? None of these films really utilized the online service, but the mere idea that YouTube exists, with its countless remakes, remixes and home movies, had to have spurred these three films into pop culture. Or perhaps the timing is just right. There is something to be said that all three movies focus on classic blockbusters from the 80s. Have the films of the new century been so blah that we are forced to reminisce on the greats of the past? On top of that, the children who grew up in the 80s (me included, although I was really only around for the second half) are adults now, and they're able to make and promote these movies that reconnect them with their childhood. There is a lot to consider here, and I'm just happy that The Adaptation made me even consider all of this stuff.
I am very glad I was able to attend last night's screening--an event that I don't think I'll ever encounter again. Aside from rekindle my ever-growing appreciation for the Indiana Jones franchise, it also showed me that sometimes when you're working your butt off for something you love it can really go on to be something great.
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2008
Unity Through Towels a No-Go
I can't say I didn't see this coming: the National Wave, which hoped to "unite" America by making everyone wave "uniting towels" at the behest of Hulk Hogan, has been cancelled. While this may sound strange to an outsider, to the small town of Freedom, PA (in Beaver County), it's been a part of daily life... mainly because the Freedom Group of America, the non-profit organization founded just to promote the event, erected a gigantic countdown sign next to the town's municipal building.
The sign appeared last year at a huge street festival celebrating the announcement of the National Wave. I, along with a thousand or so other folks, came out mainly to see Hulk Hogan and Donnie Iris. Everyone in attendance was given a towel and was assured that more of the same towels would be spread throughout the United States. Then, on July 4th 2008, everyone in this divided and bitter America would come together and wave their towels in one united motion. With Hulk Hogan as the main spokesperson for the event, it seemed like a goofy but possibly successful idea... until the Hulkster got into a number of messy front-page stories involving divorce, reckless children, and reality television addiction. The turmoil in Hulk's life is seeping in to every project he's involved in, including American Gladiators and, of course, The National Wave.
That is the official reason The Wave was postponed for a year (read: cancelled). The secondary reasons all feel more plausible: their plan to distribute and sell the towels across the country put the organization in debt over $200,000, and as of last month they had only produced 1,000 towels (which is about the amount of towels they had on-hand at last year's event). Aside from the really fancy sign, the lack of planning and promotion for the event lead me to believe that it would be doomed. It felt as if the entire county (or at least those who remembered to look at the sign) was awaiting Godot... until Godot's son got into a terrible racing accident and was imprisoned.
I've always believed that the entire idea was fundamentally flawed for one simple reason: America isn't divided. Their entire reasoning behind the waving of the towel was that it would bring this country together, just like we were after 9/11. That unity, however, came about because of a simultaneous feeling of vulnerability and strength, not because some folks sold everyone on the idea of waving a towel. Since then, we have merely returned to the way we were.
America, and the idea of a republic, is based on the ideas of disagreement and competition, cooperation and partisanship. Saying that America is "divided" is just an wimpy way of acknowledging that not everyone agrees on everything all of the time. It's a political buzzword, like "hope" and "change," that's not really founded in fact, but instead is really, really marketable. We merely appear divided because half of America wants less government and a firm commitment to finishing the war in Iraq and the other half wants more government and less involvement abroad. These are worthy sides that deserve discussion, rather than being swept away with the flick of a terry cloth--which in itself may be divisive, since that is the essential way of celebrating something in Pittsburgh but not necessarily across the entire nation.
I'll give the National Wave folks credit for trying something bold. They're not admitting defeat yet, but I'll be very interested to see, when July 2009 rolls around, if anyone is even looking at that sign.
Posted by MikeRubino at 6:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 22, 2008
Old Man and the E-mail
John McCain's campaign appears to be doing alright for itself. His adherence to the public money deal of campaigning is especially beneficial since Barack Obama flipped on the issue. Of course, this means that McCain will have considerably less money against Obama's corporate-funded juggernaut campaign; he'll have to rely on unconventional, grassroots campaigning to win the presidency. The biggest aspect of this grassroots effort is apparently e-mail.
I get the McCain Update just about every day, and it's annoying as hell. I don't recall ever signing up for this puffy newsletter, which details McCain's campaign stops aboard the "Straight-Talk Express." I can only assume that he purchased an e-mail list that I used to belong to back in the days of the Bush and Santorum campaigns. This is understandable, almost every political e-mail list can be bought or sold for a considerable amount of money, mainly because it's a lot easier than having folks stand in the street with clipboards. But that also means that supporters of a specific candidate or party randomly start receiving e-mails they didn't ask for. With me, it's John McCain.
This wouldn't be so bad if the Straight-Talk Express was only tooting its whistle once a month or so, but I literally am being spammed to death by the Arizona Maverick. Now, he's getting up there in age (everyone knows this), so I see him as the sort of elderly gent who just discovered how to e-mail people... and he's hooked. John's addicted to sending out e-mails just like parents or grandparents enjoy forwarding along stupid chain e-mails every chance they get. This new-fangled electronic mail is still very novel to John McCain, and I'm suffering the consequences every day.
I haven't read more than a couple of these e-mails, but I'm also afraid to unsubscribe for some reason. I guess it's the same reason why I put up with e-mails from Nestle, Eat n' Park, and Borders... I never know when I may want to read one.
Posted by MikeRubino at 2:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2008
The Key Endorsement
The ever timely and visionary Al Gore emerged at a decisive point in the 2008 campaign today to endorse Barack Obama for President. It was a daring and bold move for Gore, who is likely to make some enemies by endorsing Obama over his stiff competition.
The Nobel-Prize winning private jet enthusiast was quoted saying, "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States."
He also predicted that the Red Wings will win the Stanley Cup, the Giants will beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, and that the sun will rise tomorrow morning.
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 11, 2008
Website Design: Obama vs McCain
The 2008 Presidential Election is really starting to heat up because of one major new development: John McCain revamped his website! Okay, so that's not nearly as exciting as it sounds... and you may have been thinking I was talking about Hillary (finally) dropping out. While as entertaining as that was, the re-vamp of McCain's website is something that sent the graphic design blogosphere into a frenzy. The Vanity Fair blog first noticed the change at the end of last month while they were in the middle of comparing the websites of Obama, Clinton and McCain. Now, with the race entering the general election, these new media powerhouses have to stand up to plenty of scrutiny.
McCain's website went from a serious black and gold to candy-coated blue and red while simultaneously upping his Web 2.0 capabilities. The old website fit John McCain more; it was a grizzly, dark site with black and white photos of McCain that made him look like a general. But for all its fitting tone, it wasn't very friendly, especially in this day and age of feel-good politics brimming with "hope" and "change" (these aren't necessarily good things). His new site is crammed with all the whiz-bang gizmos and widgets that a modern candidate site needs, and some strange social networking thing called "McCainSpace." His new page is also a pretty blatant rip-off of his opponent's website, with bright blue graphics and lots of "sun rays." Yeah, it's a little creepy.
I have no qualm admitting that I was impressed with Barack Obama's website from the first time I saw it. Democrats have had the majority of artists and designers on their side since the 60s, but this was the first time that I actually felt like they were put to work. The site featured some great images and a unified glowing-blue design scheme. It actually utilizes white space and isn't afraid to make people scroll down. Sure it features those doofy taglines at the bottom, like how it's "powered by hope" (and not some web server client), but I'm willing to overlook that for more of those cool eagle illustrations that suggest he's more than a wimpy liberal elitist. Then there's the massive social networking linklist at the very bottom of the page, Obama Everywhere. If it sounds Big Brothery, that's because it is and he will be, but for now it's just an impressive use of New Media that was previously only really embraced by Ron Paul.
Barack's website is actually perfect for him: it's a slick-looking veneer covering up a vapid statesmen with dangerous ideas. His site is great to look at, but the more you read and experience "the Obama," the more you realize that he's not that great. Equally, McCain's site suits him: it's trying to appeal to a young audience, but can't discard its pragmatic, work-horse nature. It features lengthy policy explanations and transcripts of all of his major speeches. Again, the site is an impressive resource for an accomplished politician; but who knows how many people will spend the time to go through it all?
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 8, 2008
Objectivism and BioShock
I just finished BioShock for the XBOX 360, and, aside from being one of the most engrossing games I've ever played, I was surprised to find the game brimming with the philosophies of Ayn Rand. I don't know why I was surprised, there is plenty to read online about the game's connection with the radical 20th Century philosopher, but I never had a reason to look into it before I got my XBOX. Having read Atlas Shrugged and other books she's written, it's cool to see a game wrestle with these heady libertarian ideas and bring them to a bigger audience.
The game begins by submerging you in Rapture, an art deco city built beneath the sea. You are introduced to the world by Andrew Ryan (whose very name evokes that of Ayn Rand), the city's founder and individualist-numero-uno. It's an intriguing concept: take the objectivist-utopian city of "Galt's Gulch" and submerge it under water, then see what happens years down the road. You are thrown into this world and quickly find that it's in shambles thanks to a group of crazy people who destroyed everything--there's a lot more to the story of how Rapture fell, but part of the fun is uncovering the truth with the help of audio recordings you pick up throughout the game.
There are plenty of surface level comparisons between the game and Rand's books, like one of the characters being named Atlas, and Andrew Ryan constantly spouting lines about individualism, invention, and free enterprise. For the average gamer, it's just a cool story that's a little bit off the beaten path. It's not often in games where the main villain or nemesis is a libertarian engineer; usually, it's the opposite, the villain is a totalitarian socialist looking to take over everything. But for someone who have read Atlas Shrugged or The Foutainhead, BioShock takes on a whole new meaning. It's a game that's rooted in literature and philosophy, yet is extremely accessible to the masses. It's also fun to shoot things.
The game does think for itself, however, coming up with a great story about the dangers of genetic engineering. I admit it would be pretty boring to play a videogame version of "Atlas" (you might as well play "Railroad Tycoon" at that point). With a film adaptation and two sequels already in the works, it looks like Ayn Rand is lending herself to a great new videogame franchise.
Posted by MikeRubino at 2:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 3, 2008
The Great Hockey Game
Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins battled for their lives. Caught in the city of Detroit with the Red Wings on the verge of claiming the Stanley Cup, the Pens reached deep; they tied the game with 35 seconds to go, and then essentially played an entire second game of hockey, going in to triple overtime before winning thanks to a goal by Peter Sykora.
There were plenty of amazing storylines last night: Malone getting blasted in the face by a slapper from Hal Gill, only to return with a bloodied, purple mug to finish the game; Gonchar leaving the game after a shoulder injury, and coming back just in time to play on the game-winning powerplay; goaltender Marc Andre Fleury stopping 55 shots and playing the game of his life; Crosby sacrificing his body and diving in front of almost every overtime shot he saw; and, of course, Peter Sykora telling Pierre McGuire that he will score the game-winning goal... and then doing it! Rightfully, that game will go down as one of the best ever in Pens history.
Driving to work this morning was fun. Sure I'm exhausted, but I found that most of the city seems to be tired too. It's a good kind of tired; strike that, a great kind of tired. I pulled up to the drive-thru coffee place I frequent and got a red eye with a double shot. "Stepping it up?" the barista asked me through the window (they can see me coming a mile away). "It was a long night," I said. She agreed, letting me know how hard it was for everyone there to work this morning after watching the game. While that's a little odd coming from workers who get as much free coffee as they want, it is a sentiment shared by much of the city today.
The Fed-Ex and UPS delivery men, who I see just about every morning at work, were certainly dragging anchor today. Everyone who walks through our door says something along the lines of "How about that game!" It wasn't the longest overtime game the Pens have been involved with, but it may have been the most emotional. The entire city is behind the team right now, and it feels as if everyone in Western PA was up last night, screaming at one in the morning.
I can't begin to guess what will happen in tomorrow's game. Will the momentum from this huge win carry us to Game 7? Or will the Red Wings regroup and come back more focused than ever? Regardless, last night's game shows that the Pens, while young, have heart and are willing to sacrifice everything (in a number of different languages) to win this thing. This city has been blessed with a great group of players.
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 2, 2008
Finally, an Adventure
Time to do some more podcast waxing. So for anyone who is an avid follower of our radio serial Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time, you know that it's been quite some time without an update or an episode. This isn't for lack of trying, I assure you.
The usual routine for our podcasting habits are to get into our recording studio (which consists of some decent microphones, stands, and a Peavey soundboard who's model number currently escapes me) either directly before or a few days after our live Cafe Kolache performances. I then take those studio recordings and edit them with Apple Garageband, taking time to foley some sound effects and add some polish to everything. Unfortunately, this time around, when I went to edit our recordings, I found that they had all been infested with a terrible electric hum (which my audiophile comrade Moses diagnosed as a 60hz hum). The buzz can apparently be caused by a loose wire, inadequate power, or a bad cord. I haven't yet determined which one of those is the culprit, mainly because I've been trying to salvage all the hard work we did.
Sadly, after hours of fiddling and filtering (employing all sorts of techniques with Audacity, Garageband, and Levelator), I came to the conclusion that these files are simply no good. At least that was the artist side of my brain speaking; the logical side was telling me, "You don't get paid to do this thing... just release them online and stop wasting so much of your time!" But I wasn't about to break our track record of pretty-good-sounding podcasts (something we've been able to achieve since like episode 205). So while it will be a few weeks before we get together to record again, I figured we might as well release the live recordings.
Web of the Futurist is the big whiz-bang conclusion to season 4, which centered around our heroes chasing down a mysterious book that shoots fire. The big draw to these last four episodes, however, lies not within the Tome of Fire, but with their back-from-the-dead nemesis, The Futurist. If you spent any time studying Modern Art, you surely can't forget the minute and insane movement called Futurism. This villain, who is stereotypically Italian of course, embodies everything about the movement, from its endless manifestos to its emphasis on originality and war. You don't have to know anything about art to enjoy these latest episodes, but I have a feeling folks who like Futurism will appreciate it on a whole other level.
So, if you are interested in checking out our live episodes first, download Episode 417 now, and check out our Dodge Intrepid blog over the coming weeks for more!
Posted by MikeRubino at 3:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 29, 2008
The Jimmy Stewart Museum
Over the Memorial Day Weekend I had a chance to visit a little treasure tucked away in the small town of Indiana, PA: The Jimmy Stewart Museum. Being that the fine actor is from Indiana, and this past week was his 100th birthday, it seemed like the perfect time to hit up the museum that I had been dying to visit (ever since Karissa first informed me that it existed).
It's a quaint and admirable tribute to an incredible actor. The museum, which is located inside the Indiana Library, chronicles Stewart's films as well as his life achievements; the guy had plenty of both. Aside from starring in some of my favorite movies, like Rear Window and It's a Wonderful Life, he was also an American hero.
One aspect of his life that surprised me most was his dedication to serving his country. Back before the U.S. entered World War II, Stewart tried to enlist but was turned away because he didn't weigh enough. He then went on a covert weight-gaining diet and tried again! This all happening before America was bombed in Pearl Harbor. There were a ton of Hollywood stars who went and fought for our country back then, which is refreshing given the movie industry's current disdain for war since Vietnam.
Not only was he a war hero, but Jimmy Stewart returned home and became a great advocate for the conservative movement, and the Republican Party. While I was at the museum, I caught a clip of him speaking at a Nixon/Agnew rally and then later on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan. I don't know why I was surprised to find him so conservative, it had just been something I never really thought about.
Spending part of a Memorial Day Weekend checking out a museum dedicated to a small town hero like Jimmy Stewart was fitting. If you find yourself in the Indiana area, you should certainly check it out.
Posted by MikeRubino at 9:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Midnight Showing on a Worknight
I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last night at midnight. There was a lot of early talk that this newest installment in the franchise was going to be horrendous (or at the very least, not be worth the 19-year wait). With countless screenplay changes, the lack of Connery, and the general involvement of George Lucas, people may have been right to be skeptical. Thankfully, I can report that there's nothing to worry about.
Roger Ebert had an excellent metaphor for judging this fourth film: "If you eat four pounds of sausage, how do you choose which pound tasted the best? Well, the first one, of course, and then there's a steady drop-off of interest." So sure, it's natural to get tired of the sausage after eating four pounds (even if you have waited almost two decades to finish your meal), but the quality of the actual sausage doesn't change. Indy 4 is a very good film and nicely sits alongside the original trilogy. So if you had any concern about seeing it, know that it's very much worthy of your time.
I'm sometimes annoyed by Hollywood's reliance on sequels, but not when it's for franchises that I like (isn't it funny how it works out like that?). I'm rather enjoying the "fourth installment for action classics" trend, first with Live Free or Die Hard, then Rambo, and now Indy.
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 20, 2008
Movie Synopsis's Written by a Man Who Hates Surprises
MOVIE SELECTION, OCTOBER 1992
Glengarry Glen Ross Dir: James Foley. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey. An adaptation of David Mamet's award-winning play about real estate salesmen. There is a lot of talking, a robbery, and then it ends without anyone really getting hurt. Thank goodness. [RATED R: for lots of swearing.]Mighty Ducks, The Dir: Stephen Herek. Emilio Estevez, Lane Smith. A rag tag group of kids form a hockey team with a has-been CEO, Gordon Bombay. Despite the odds, they make it to the final round and win. It was a close one that came right down to the wire! [RATED PG: for kids overcoming adversity.]
Of Mice and Men Dir: Gary Sinise. John Malkovich, Gary Sinise. George and Lenny come to life on the silver screen with this adaptation of the Steinbeck classic. Two drifters, one smart and one slow, get work on a farm. Then the slow one accidentally kills a bunch of bunnies and has to be shot in the end. It was really sad and shocking, but you can sort of see when it's coming. [RATED PG-13: for Lenny getting shot in the head off camera.]
Reservoir Dogs Dir: Quentin Tarantino. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi. An all-star cast of bank robbers are on the run after the job goes awry. Everyone dies and Mr. Orange is the cop. [RATED R: for lots of swearing and blood.]
Under Siege Dir: Andrew Davis. Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey. It's "Die Hard" on a boat when a naval ship is taken over by a group of terrorists posing as a rock band. Watch out, because Gary Busey dresses in drag. [RATED R: for lots of swearing and blood.]
These movie synopsis's are but a small portion of the films playing now at your local theater. And don't forget to look for next month's theatrical releases, including Passenger 57, Aladdin, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Posted by MikeRubino at 1:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 18, 2008
Improving My Weekend
All this month the Cellar Dwellers (you know, that comedy troupe I'm in) have been performing improv shows all over Western PA to raise awareness for our OnDemand TV show. Although the month is far from over (and we still have one more big improv show on the 31st at ModernFormations in Pittsburgh), this weekend was a killer.
Friday: Our normal FN'Improv workshop at the Beaver Valley Bowl. I wasn't in last week's show because I had to go make sure the Penguins beat the Flyers; this of course meant that the Dwellers would make an effigy of me and proceed to torture it the entire night. But this week I was back, and the show was a lot of fun. Highlight: playing a drug addicted teen and a lumberjack neighbor in the improv game "Four Hats."
Saturday: We performed at the Sheffield Lanes Fallout Shelter, which is a real fallout shelter converted into an intimate and awesome performance space. The walls were made to look like stacked crates, a la that warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Arc. The Dwellers performed two back-to-back shows, one at 8 and one at 10. We were also joined by the hysterical musical duo Bait & Switch. These two, Sean and Addi, are part of the elite group of musicians that the Dwellers have invited to the Beaver Valley Bowl, and this was their first time coming with us on the road. They were amazing as usual, performing twisted covers like "Stayin' Alive" as a Mexican mariachi tune and the theme song to "Jem" as an epic opera. Highlight: James suggesting that his loins become the lead singer for Queensryche.
Sunday: Capping off the weekend was something new for us: a wedding show! A long-time fan of the Dwellers hired us to do an improv set at her wedding, and of course we were honored to oblige. It was a small reception, which lent itself to improv (because no one wants to try and compete with a DJ or a hyperactive ring bearer). Oh yeah, and the reception was held in a castle (see photo). Highlight: getting to re-enact the bride and groom's first date, which included hanging out on a boat dock!
It was a great weekend for improv.
Posted by MikeRubino at 7:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2008
Hypothetical Representations of an NHL Game with Play-by-Play on Versus
Reality: Sidney Crosby skates down the left wall into Flyers territory, banks the puck off the far corner to Gonchar who fires one from the blue line right past Marty Biron!
VS Commentary: Sidney Crosby has really been facing a lot of adversity as of late. Mainly because they say he's a diver and a winer. There may be some truth to that based off of the reports we received from the Flyers bench. The Penguins scored.
Reality: Malkin is coming off the bench for the penalty kill, when Marion Hossa sends him a two-line pass into the Flyer's zone. Malkin, all alone on the breakaway skates up to Biron and fires a blistering slapshot eight feet from the goal!
VS Commentary: You know what's funny about Mike Richards? He's good friends with Mike Modano from the Dallas Stars. Both of those guys are named Mike, but with very different last names. It's amazing that people from such different families can still be friends. And the Dallas Stars used to be called the Northstars when they were in Minnesota. I guess when they moved south, they had to drop the "north!" The Penguins scored again.
Reality: After copious amounts of trash talk exchanged prior to faceoff, Tyler Kennedy and Scottie Upshall decide to drop the gloves and fight. Kennedy is like a wild ferret, throwing punches left and right. The fight is so ferocious that the second the two players fall to the ice, they spring back up and keep at it. Eventually, they tire and are escorted to the penalty box for 5 minutes each.
VS Commentary: You're watching the NHL on Versus in high definition! Make sure you tune in tomorrow night for the next match in the Detroit and Dallas series. Boy, is that a great series or what? I mean, both teams are evenly matched, and neither are as cocky as those Penguins. Don't you just hate that the Penguins are so good? Man... talk about excessive excellence. Oh well, at least the two teams in this Eastern Conference Final come from towns with great signature sandwiches. I'm talking about, of course, the Philly Cheesesteak and the Pittsburgh ham sandwich. That's it, right? The ham sandwich? We go now to a bar in Philadelphia, where fans are cheering for some reason! Did something just happen on the ice?
Reality: The shot clock is winding down, and the Rangers have pulled their goalie. The blueshirts are trying to set something up in the Penguins' zone, but the puck is stolen by Jordan Staal! He skates it into the neutral zone and shoots is calmly into the Ranger's net for his second empty-net goal of the playoffs.
VS Commentary: This VS broadcast has been brought to you by Amp'd Energy drink. From all of us here at the VS Network, we're really glad you found us and were able to tune in. Thanks a whole lot. Seriously, that's really great of you for sticking around. Get it? I sticking around? Eh? Eh? The game is over now, and I think the score changed at the end.
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:14 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
May 6, 2008
Brief Thoughts on "Outland"
I've been watching a fair amount of small, largely forgotten, sci-fi films thanks to the kinda-like-Netflix Blockbuster program. The most recent of which is Sean Connery's 1981 film Outland. The film is a blatant rip-off (or you may argue "homage") of the classic Gary Cooper film High Noon. It was this notion that first peaked my interest in the movie after a friend recommended it simply by saying "It's High Noon in space!"
This statement is partially true, but the film has little of the respectability or pacing of High Noon; because this is a sci-fi film, they have to first establish all of the rules of the setting/time before launching into the classic "last man remaining" storyline of the classic Western. Lucky for the film, they were able to just move into the leftover sets from the 1979 film Alien. Oh, and they were able to use the space suits. And the art director. And every other bloody idea aside from the actual alien itself. It's clear the movie was trying to capitalize on the new slow-paced, sterile space station flick that Ridley Scott pioneered two years prior; and while Western storylines are largely universal and can be translated into a number of other genres, I don't know if I would have set it in the claustrophobic world of Alien.
Outland borrows even further from Alien with its promotional tagline. Alien's tagline is "In space, no one can hear you scream." Outland's is "Even in space, the ultimate enemy is man." Aside from the fact that their tagline is inferior in its bulkiness, it also tells me that Outland thinks man is the ultimate enemy on Earth. That's pretty presumptuous, Outland. Perhaps the film would have been better served with a tagline like "Mining Jupiter's Moon Can Be Just as Dangerous as Earth Mines," "Sean Connery's still trying," or "Hey, It's High Noon in space."
The film has some good qualities to it... like lots of exploding heads. Sure, the fact that people's heads explode because of bad scientific logic, but who's counting? There's also a pretty good score by Jerry Goldsmith, who did the music for Planet of the Apes, amongst other things. And let's not forget Peter Boyle as the greedy mining boss.
The only remaining question I have about the film is this: why is Sean Connery the only one up there with an accent? Everyone else on Jupiter's Moon is American, and then here comes this Scottish marshal. No wonder no one respected the guy.
Posted by MikeRubino at 11:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 2, 2008
Futurism Returns
I first discovered the radical Italian Modern Art movement known as Futurism during my first art history course with Seton Hill's marvelous Maureen Vissat. Futurism had a brief life as a formal movement in the early 1900's (until most of its prolific members joined in the fun of World War I and bit the dust), but continues in some form or another to this day. Emphasizing speed, war, progress, and originality, the Futurist movement was pretty extreme (although it shares a lot of its aesthetics with Cubism and Dadaism). While I think these guys are absolutely insane, I'm fascinated by the movement... and thought it would make for a great villain in the universe of Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time.
James and I created a character, simply called The Futurist, that would embody the entire movement. He first appeared back in the third set of episodes we produced, when Dodge discovered that his library was suddenly flooded with manifestos (a form of expression that the Futurists loved). Those episodes, which can be found here, left the Futurist stuck in the 1400's, presumably dead.
Or so everyone thought!
Because there's nothing more original than having a dead villain return to life for revenge, The Futurist is making a big comeback at our upcoming show: The Web of the Futurist. Our last adventure, Fireside Assassins, ended with a startling discovery that the Futurist movement was alive and well in the 1940's. Now, Dodge and Pluck must infiltrate the Futurists, eventually finding their leader who has somehow remained alive for over 500 years. Their quest will take them into a bleak future and into the ancient birthplace of Western Civilization. It's pretty darn epic for just four episodes!
So if you find yourself in the area of Cafe Kolache, in Beaver, on Saturday, May 10th around 7:00pm... you should make sure you check out the new adventure. We'll also be podcasting the episodes in the coming week.
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April 29, 2008
My Guess as to the Ingredients of Utz Pub Mix
- Chunks of Pretzels
- Melba Toast
- Sour Dough Bread dusted with Garlic Powder
- Old Cheez-its
- Old Cheez-its dusted with Naga Jolokia Pepper Power
- Shards of Owl Bones
- Captain's Wafter Crackers
- Cashews
- Dry Leaves
- Torsos of Dead Praying Mantises
- Triscuits
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April 25, 2008
Live Sound Tomorrow
[Shameless promotion post END.]
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April 22, 2008
The Primary, The Trib, The Chaos
This is the first time that I can ever remember a PA Primary actually being important (at least for more than weeding out the ever-competitive race for prothonotary). This year, the race for the Democratic nominee is (still) up for grabs, and shows no true sign of slowing... that is, until Pennsylvania goes for Barack Obama. But, thanks to the pigheadedness of Hillary Clinton, the work of Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos, and the blue-dog folks of Pennsylvania, this thing shows no signs of stopping. Far be it from me to make any predictions for a Democrat election, but I've been doing my part (honking for Hillary when I see the sign holders on the streets).
There has been considerable to-do about the endorsement of Hillary Clinton by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Trib is owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, who has been called the originator of the "Vast Right-Winged Conspiracy" back during Bill's impeachment trial. Now, the Trib has been faced with the tough decision of breaking their usually-conservative op/ed M.O. and endorsing one of the two Dems still in the race.
Their decision to endorse Hillary was an understandable one for a number of reasons. According to an interview one of their reporters gave on WDVE this morning, the Trib invited both candidates to come and meet with the editorial board, as well as Senator McCain. Hillary was the only one who responded (but to be fair, McCain has already received the endorsement from the Trib, and really didn't need to be there). Considering that the Trib's main rival, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, endorsed Barack Obama, it would also seem smart commercially to Clinton.
I would like to also think that Scaife is perhaps playing his role as a "vast Right-winged conspirator" and endorsing Hillary while participating in Operation Chaos. In case you have no clue what I'm talking about, Operation Chaos is a plan devised by Rush Limbaugh to keep the Democratic nomination going as long as possible. This means supporting Hillary when Obama is winning, and vice versa. Because their egos are so big, they will see this support, regardless of its origin, as a mandate to stay in the race. So if Hillary does moderately well today, as well as winning or doing well in the remaining primaries, this race could be decided at the Democratic Convention... which would either lead to some shady back-room deals or pure anarchy. This is a concept that was originally thought to have been an issue in the Republican nomination process, but after McCain swept so many states (with some help from Democratic voters), the party sorted itself out right quick. Hillary Clinton doesn't appear to be the Mitt Romney-type who will bow out of the race in order to have party unity.
Voting as a Republican in Pennsylvania will continue to be easy. We have a couple choices for some local offices, some completely vacant races, and then a confirmation of the one remaining GOPer for President (unless someone in a Guy Fawkes mask makes me vote for Ron Paul). Democratic voters have a good deal of other choices to consider... like whether or not they want to end this thing.
Posted by MikeRubino at 9:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2008
The Pontiff Visitor's Guide
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is making his first trip to America today. His trip will feature stops at Ground Zero, Washington D.C., and two baseball stadiums to hold Mass (and maybe throw a first pitch). While he's here, however, I hope that he would take some time to visit some great locales in the New York and D.C. areas. Afterall, he'll celebrate his birthday while he's here, so it would be nice for him to have a little bit of fun.
Here are a few ideas for the Pontiff, just in case he's reading:
The Carnegie Deli. If you're going to be in New York, you might as well make sure you have the best cheesecake in the history of the world. You may want to consider splitting it with someone, because that cake his as big as a miter. Now, if you're going to go for an entire meal, then I recommend the cheeseburger, which is somewhere around fifteen pounds of beef (I'm pretty sure). You'll also get a whole bowl of pickles to munch out. The best part is that while you're there, you'll be able to sign a photo of yourself for the famous wall of people. You just might edge out Mayor Giuliani, Woody Allen, and Bill Clinton!
The Apple Store. The Apple Store on Fifth Ave is certainly one of the coolest hangouts in the Big Apple. The large glass cube is easy to miss, but once you're inside it'll be hard to leave. Since the Popemobile follows a similar glass-enclosure design, you'll surely appreciate the setup.
Rockefeller Square. If you're in a hurry and want to check out something fairly brief, I recommend the famous ice rink at Rockefeller Square. It's such a tiny, unimpressive space that you can whiz right by it and still get the full effect. It always looks way bigger on TV, especially during those NHL on NBC specials (which I'm sure you've watched). But if you time it right, you may be able to sneak into the NBC Studio Tour and get yourself a photo behind Conan's desk!
Little Italy. You'll definitely find friends in Little Italy, which is just teeming with Roman Catholic imagery and faith. Your arrival may even inspire some sort of street festival. Just don't accidentally wander into Chinatown, which is situated just a few blocks over. You'll know you're getting close when you start smelling fish and knock-off handbags.
Once you're finished in New York, there are certainly a couple good places to check out down in Washington D.C.
Open City. While I was in DC for C-PAC a year and a half ago, I visited a hip corner coffee shop every day I was in town. Open City made one of the best Americano's I've ever had. They also serve a great dinner if you're looking for a small candlelit spot to eat. There are plenty of coffee shops and diners in DC, but Open City is one of the best.
World War II Memorial. There are plenty of memorials and monuments in Washington, but the WWII memorial is one of the newest and best. It's a massive, patriotic spectacle dedicated to the greatest generation. It's pretty impressive to see everything designed in the appropriate style of the '30s and '40s.
The Capitol Steps. If you're looking for a cool place to take a photo, you can't do much better than the steps of the U.S. Capitol building. Tell the photographer to stand at the bottom of the steps, and if you stand at the top, you can probably position yourself like you're leaning on the Capitol's dome. It's awesome!
Here's hoping that your trip to America is both productive and inspiring. But don't forget, it's good to have a little fun as well!
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April 14, 2008
My Weeks and the Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a part of my life since I was a wee boy. As a toddler, my parents used to make me perform at their Penguin parties since I had the savant-like talent of naming every player on the team if you merely gave me their number. Now, fast forward fifteen years or so, and I'm planning my entire day around the Pens' playoff games.
This year is the first in a while where we actually have a chance at the Stanley Cup. The team has matured some from last year, they have deeper lines, and the have managed to harness the phoenix-like path of destruction known as Gary Roberts. And while tonight is merely Game Three, it feels like we've been in the playoffs since February. When the games start, everything else on my mind stops and my heartbeat clicks up to a constant 9,238 beats a second (or so... I don't really know how fast it's supposed to be beating).
Last Friday, the Pens almost caused the Dwellers to cancel our improv workshop. We had decided to meet at seven in order to watch the game in its entirety in the bowling alley beneath our theater. We were confident after the Pens sprinted to a three-goal lead, but then began to panic when that lead faded to a tie. If this game went into overtime, the first period of OT wouldn't start until after 10, well into the first half of our show. As people began congregating in the hallway in front of our theater doors, we began sending up friends to get the theater open... none of the Dwellers could leave the TV. And just as we were preparing to march upstairs and break the news to the audience ("Sorry, folks... but the Pens and Sens just went in to OT"), Ryan Malone pulled off a move that only works in videogames: the wraparound. It was insane. We pumped our fists, let the clock rundown, and then did a helluva good show.
Tonight is Game Three, and the Pens (who are currently crushing the Senators 2-0) show no sign of slowing down. This means that my weeks, already filled with work, theater, and DVD-reviewing, are about to get busier as I make room for hockey games that cannot be missed. Now that the City of Pittsburgh has finally decided to get behind the team full-force (I think it was that Steely McBeam D.U.I. thing that did it), the Pens' success can't be ignored. I don't mind having to drop everything for an awesome game, especially if this streak of success continues all the way to the finals.
Go Pens.
Posted by MikeRubino at 2:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 12, 2008
Obama Explains It All
I can only assume that Barack Obama's condescending, offensive, and repugnant comments about small-town Pennsylvania are beliefs that he's held for as long as we've all been barefoot and jobless in the Keystone State. Reported originally by the Huffington Post, and then passed along by Politico and Drudge, Barack Obama marginalized almost the entire state of Pennsylvania (and much of rural America) in a speech he made to some San Friscos last Sunday.
In the speech, Obama says, "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them..." Obviously, he's talking about the steel jobs that left the area in the '80s (not counting USSteel, and the other specialty steel factories still in business here). Let's set aside the fact that PA has become a leader in a number of other areas, like healthcare, and focus on the issue at hand: we should thank Barack Obama for the free therapeutic advice.
Continuing in his speech, Obama says, "And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Ah yes! That explains it! The occasional bout of frustration or angst I feel is brought on by steel jobs that left my area three years before my birth! Barack Obama has created an astute and wise observation that explains why we aren't all like him and his pseudo-intellectual liberal colleagues. I would have wasted countless hours and dollars on therapy trying to figure that out, and here he is just giving it away!
We here in Pennsylvania take great pride in our religious convictions and our Second Amendment rights, but I've never been sure as to why. I always chalked it up to the fact that we are socially conservative, working-class people that are rooted in the traditions of our founding fathers. Little did I know that it's because we're all bitter, frustrated people too xenophobic to go outside of our homes (huzzah!). Thank you Barack for that explanation.
It's not often that PA becomes a deciding Primary Election State, and yet here we are with the burden of trying to sort out the mess of the Democratic Party (okay, some of us are, not necessarily I). Between Hillary Clinton becoming an honorary Steeler and Barack Obama devaluing our religious beliefs... it's shaping up to be a tough call for a lot of voters.
Posted by MikeRubino at 12:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 4, 2008
That Bottom Junk
The lawless world of the Internet has always employed a slower version of Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest" than the real world of business. Whereas in modern business, if a product or idea isn't popular, or inferior, it more often than not fades away into obscurity. The Internet works in a similar manner (Pets.com, Friendster, ICQ, etc.), but at a much slower rate--not to mention the fact that any dead service or idea can come screaming back to life at any second (Napster). I see this lack of competitive elimination all over the web, but right now the best example of it lies at the bottom of my news articles.
Around the same time, or shortly after, that RSS feeds really became popular, other online services were created to sort of piggy-back on the idea. People suddenly began subscribing to blogs and writers, and then sharing articles with friends. Then websites like Digg.com came around, allowing people to share articles and then comment and rank them. Not a bad idea, until all sorts of other services doing essentially the same thing popped up. Now, instead of a website having the normal "E-mail this article"; "Print this article"; and the occasional "Digg this article" link, it's got a slew of other services. You have the option to "FARK" something, "StumbleUpon" something, or "Redd" something.
Because no service is emerging as the clear victor (and other services keep cropping up), websites are forced to include everyone out of fairness. Sites are going to such extremes that they can no longer fit all the little icons along the bottom, causing them to include the "more..." button. Not only is it all confusingly unnecessary, but it's also ugly design-wise since not every logo is of the same quality. The Del.icio.us logo is hideous, especially next to the Facebook or Digg logos; the same goes for Fark. Media websites that feature large amounts of articles and features aren't always going for the most aesthetic design, but junking it up further with all these little icons (not to mention the ridiculous amount of comments at the bottom of every article) is just a mess.
The best way to fix this is to take all of them off entirely, forcing the user to instead get a toolbar plug-in for the service of their choice. Not only will this make things cleaner, but put the control over the service in the individual's hands (especially if their article-sharing service of choice isn't listed). It will have to happen eventually, as services slowly disappear, go bankrupt, or become victims of corporate buy-outs. News sites need to stop jumping on every online trend, and instead wait for the users to sort it out all through competition.
Posted by MikeRubino at 2:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 27, 2008
To the Impostor
Dear Kid Who Looks Like Me,
I think the time has come for you to stop exercising in public. While I, personally, have never witnessed your feats of athletic endurance, many around town have. In fact, your insistence on public displays of long-distance jogging have created an urban falsity that I "work out."
Let me get one thing clear: I don't work out. Perhaps I shall some day, when I have the time or physical need, but at the moment I simply don't have the interest. There's too much investment in the work-out lifestyle, all those stretchy clothes and iPod armbands... but that's neither here nor there.
The fact of the matter is, ever since you have begun your out-and-about exercise, people have been seeing you and thinking that you're me. While I can't vouch for how your looks compare to mine, I can only assume that you must be running so fast that people can't get an honest view of you. You've been spotted running across bridges, powerwalking on main streets, and, Lord knows, probably doing bench presses on your roof. Stop. Join a gym. Get a different hair cut.
While I don't mind the fact that people come over to me and ask "Was that you jogging across the bridge last night?" I can't stomach the disappointment in their eyes, or their pitying judgement of me, after I explain that I don't really work out. I can only imagine what they think of me after knowing this.
Perhaps a membership at the local gym or YMCA would suit you? There are also plenty of national and state parks in the area with perfectly secluded running paths.
Thanks for your understanding.
Posted by MikeRubino at 4:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 24, 2008
The Complete Fireside Assassins
Today I podcast the final new episode of Fireside Assassins, the latest adventure in my radio serial Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time. We first performed the show last February 16th, and then recorded the episodes in our "studio." Now, after diligently editing them each Sunday evening with Garageband, they're complete.
Fireside Assassins is the latest adventure in the fourth season of the show. As you may know, each "adventure" is usually broken up over four episodes. Much of this season has been spent talking about the "Tome of Fire," a new mystical book that the characters discovered in Europe. In this latest set, Dodge Intrepid and Pluck Gumption (the heroes), have been called down to Washington D.C. to help their nemesis Buick LeSabre (Dodge's former college roommate) in deciphering the book. While they're there, they discover a terrible plot to assassinate President Franklin Roosevelt.
If you have yet to hear these episodes, I highly recommend them... mainly because I made them, and they're really funny. Now that the newest studio episodes are online, I'll be podcasting our live recordings of the show from the 16th; which should lead nicely to the new live performances we have planned for late April and early May!
For more information about the show, check out the Dodge Intrepid "Library Aids" blog, or become a fan of the show on Facebook.
Episode 413
Episode 414
Episode 415
Episode 416
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March 19, 2008
Robots Lie About Global Warming?
For decades, we have been warned to be cautious of putting too much trust in robots and computers for they can turn on us at any second. And while there has yet to be that defining "self-awareness" moment where Asimo turns on his Honda maker and rips out his throat, it's clear that the tides are slowly turning in favor of the machine. The latest instance of robots one-upping us can be found in the latest news out of National Public Radio, which reports that perhaps global warming isn't really occurring as drastically (or at all) as people once thought:
Some 3,000 scientific robots that are plying the ocean have sent home a puzzling message. These diving instruments suggest that the oceans have not warmed up at all over the past four or five years. That could mean global warming has taken a breather.
Now, NPR says that perhaps scientists don't know how to read the robots correctly; that through some crazy fluke, the people that invented these machines lost the manual that they personally wrote to understand the readings that are coming back to them. It seems unlikely, but perhaps that's because they refuse to believe that global warming isn't really the threat they think it is... or is it? What if global warming is worse than ever before and these "fact-finding robots" are covering it up, trying to make us let our guard down so that we are swallowed alive by our oceans? That, to me, seems like the more likely scenario.
Really, we should have seen this coming. If robots are going to evolve in their artificial intelligence, I would hope that they in turn become smarter than we are. Why rise up into massive armies and attack the human race like in I, Robot? That's just how we would assume they would do it, because we're humans thinking about human things. But robots are going to be a lot sneakier than that; they're luring us in to a false sense of security, getting us to trust them for our oceanic measurements, and then slowly killing us by lying about the made-up environmental crisis we've come to embrace.
We're doomed.
Posted by MikeRubino at 2:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 17, 2008
Green Confusion
The "Go Green" environmentalist fad kicked in to high gear over the summer with all sorts of ugly shirts, benefits and ads. Suddenly everyone from NBC to JCPennys was "going green." As fun as the sounds (not), I never thought it would lead to such confusion around St. Patrick's Day. I saw "go green" everywhere this weekend but I have no idea if it's in reference to the environment or the Irish.
I started to see this train wreck of slogans coming when we got copy for an ad at work selling a bus trip. "Go green to get green" the ad said. Usually we would assume this was some sort of public transportation slogan about saving gas, but since it was falling on the weekend of St. Patty's Day, it ended up being about the holiday. Of course, the messages and the design of these ideas are two totally separate things (only one of the two will feature leprechauns). Although I can totally see someone showing up with their "No Blood for Oil" signs and Priuses at the St. Patty's Day parade.
Hopefully this will be the only year that this "go green" confusion is around, and the pop-culturization of environmentalism will go the way of Furbies and POGs (I know, it's not likely, but I can dream can't I?).
Posted by MikeRubino at 3:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
A Good Night to Visit Starbucks
Tonight's dinner was especially filling, so to offset the eye-drooping effects of digestion, I packed up my iBook and headed to Starbucks to work. I needed to write a new DVD Verdict review for the release of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, and I couldn't afford to fall asleep at the keyboard. Apparently, as I was told later by a barista, I picked a good night to go to Starbucks.
When it comes to Starbucks versus local coffee shops, I have no qualms splitting my attention; I like both places, and usually prefer the local places. The thing is, those local shops close early (at least the ones conveniently near my house), so I'm left with nary a choice but the Seattle behemoth. Lately, as you may have read, Starbucks is working on their image; they're revamping the way the store disperses coffee and espresso and actually training baristas, rather than settling for minimum wage coffee jockeys. As part of this effort, or so I was told, is an attempt to help educate customers on coffee. Tonight was one of those nights.
I walked in to Starbucks and saw almost two dozen people sitting in a circle talking; I wondered if I had stumbled on to some AA meeting or something. Then I noticed that the person lecturing them was the store's manager, who also happened to be handing up cups of espresso. I didn't know what kind of strange cult-like rituals they were up to, so I kept my eye on the prize. I got a medium (sorry, grande) cut of Espresso Roast coffee and grabbed a table.
I was just getting in to the meat of the review (and wondering how to properly spell lagomorph) when a barista hopped over. "Would you like to try a cappuccino?" I looked up at her and saw that she was thrusting a small (sorry, tall) cup of froth at me. "Sure," I replied, looking over at my coffee and realizing it was still too hot to enjoy.
Okay, so a free cappuccino, not something I would normally order but I'll take it. There's something about the aftertaste of cappuccino (maybe it's the frothed milk) that I just can't seem to get behind. This one is better than usual, but perhaps that's because it was free.
Pretty soon I'm half-way done with the cappuccino and the barista returns, this time with a smaller cup with whipped cream poking out the top. "Want to try a cafe mocha?" she asks. "Uh... yes. Yes I do." I probably sounded like I had never had one before, it was my natural instinct that had kicked in when an offer to try something I always have presented itself. I now had three cups of coffee at a table that could barely hold my 12inch iBook to begin with; I must have looked ridiculous.
I sat there and worked my way through the cappuccino first; I contemplated dropping the mocha into the cappuccino like some sort of coffee "car bomb," but then I was afraid of ruining everything. After finishing the cappuccino, I moved on the mocha and downed it in a few brief swigs; I knew I needed to get to the coffee I paid for before it became too late. I moved on to the grande Espresso Roast and its temperate was just right. By this time it was after eight and I had already essentially had one and a half cups of coffee caffeine-wise. I've sort of built up a tolerance for that much caffeine, but still, it felt excessive.
I finished up my review with the quickness of a doped bicyclist and got out of there. While I was working furiously, another barista actually came over and offered me a honey cafe latte. I declined, but only because it had honey in it... and I find that gross.
Posted by MikeRubino at 9:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 12, 2008
Another Reason to like David Mamet
It's always reassuring to hear such a public, respected figure talk about their awakening to conservatism. I think of it as a public turning that illustrates that exact moment that Churchill was referring to when a person loses their heart and picks up a brain (in other words, grows out of childish bleeding-heart liberalism into mature conservatism). The latest example coming in the form of Pulitzer-winning playwright, director, and producer David Mamet, the man responsible for Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo, and the CBS series The Unit.
Mamet published a lengthy, thoughtful essay in the Village Voice titled Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'. Rather than proclaiming a switch to the Republican Party, or a newfound love for President Bush, Mamet looks at the subject more on a personal, social level. Modern liberalism, he describes, is the pursuit of perfection in society (a utopia, if you will); but because that is essentially impossible, liberals see everything negatively, broken, and in need of fixing no matter the cost. Conservatism, rather, doesn't attempt to think of every person as inherently good and moral, nor does it see the government as the solution to every issue in society. Rather, the idea behind conservatism is liberty, individuality, and the belief that people will solve their own problems in order to have a better life. He recounts his revelation saying:
I wondered, how could I have spent decades thinking that I thought everything was always wrong at the same time that I thought I thought that people were basically good at heart? Which was it? I began to question what I actually thought and found that I do not think that people are basically good at heart; indeed, that view of human nature has both prompted and informed my writing for the last 40 years. I think that people, in circumstances of stress, can behave like swine, and that this, indeed, is not only a fit subject, but the only subject, of drama.
His ultimate conclusion is that we are best fitted to work things out for ourselves. In the free market. He doesn't deny the fact that governments, corporations, and armed forces are imperfect and open to corruption, but that's because they are run by imperfect humans. Everything we do is imperfect, but that's alright so long as we're not merely settling. Mamet asks how we will be able to work out our problems without the intervention of the government, and his answer is quite brilliant: we just seem to. His reasoning for abandoning the liberal-utopian thinking of the '60s wasn't brought about by watching FOX News or getting yelled at by talk radio, it came from common sense and pragmatism.
I write this not because I'm tallying conservatives in Hollywood or entertainment versus liberals, because obviously we'll forever lose that count, but rather because Mamet presents an argument for conservatism not often addressed. Nice one.
Posted by MikeRubino at 8:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 28, 2008
Teapots and the World that Doesn't Work
There's a lot in this world that is supposed to work but doesn't. Be it faulty design, poor planning, or the stubbornness of physics and gravity, things just don't work right. Case in point, the teapot. While infinitely better for creating hot water than, say, the microwave, the teapots that I've encountered have one fatal flaw across the board: they can't pour water.
For reasons unknown to me, the teapot, when tilted to release water into my mug, produces a small dribble that runs down the spout. Aside from getting water all over the counter, it also creates the opportunity for me to get burned beyond recognition. Perhaps there are physics and science majors out there can explain this phenomenon to me. Is it because the water is too hot? Is it because I don't know how to pour water (despite being able to perform the task with out water-pouring tools)? Or are all teapots made with scandal-inducing defects?
Pouring liquid cleanly isn't an impossible or unreasonable task. My French coffee press does this just fine. As do many buckets. My mug does not pour water well, but it wasn't really made for that. The heart of the matter is that there are plenty of other things that know how to pour water without spilling it everywhere; why can't teapots behave the same way?
I'm not the only one to experience this, either. A local coffee shop gives their customers small teapots to steep their teabags in. A friend of mine detailed his horrid experience with the pots as not only he, but everyone else in the shop, spilled hot tea water all over the place each time they wanted to refill their mugs. And the reaction is always the same, no matter how many times you have spilled water with a teapot: "What? What? Where the hell is this water coming from?" Every time.
We have been raised as a society to understand how a teapot is supposed to work ("here is my handle, here is my spout... tip me over and pour me out"). When are they are going to start making affordable teapots that work the way they're supposed to?
Posted by MikeRubino at 10:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 27, 2008
A Man from Yale, with God
While Pittsburghers are presently mourning the loss of the great sports writer Myron Cope, conservatives across the country are focused elsewhere: on the death of intellectual pioneer, William F. Buckley Jr., who passed away today at the age of 82.
William F. Buckley is perhaps the most important figure in the modern conservative movement that arose out of the ashes of World War II. After graduating Yale, and publishing his monumental God and Man at Yale, he founded the bi-weekly magazine National Review. His intellectualization of traditional conservatism (a mix of anti-communist foreign policy and free market economics, with a dash of cultural-religious tradition) inspired people across the country, and eventually seeped into the then-moderate politics of the Republican Party. His influence could be traced then to Senator Barry Goldwater, who changed the face of GOP politics as we knew it. Buckley, along with Goldwater's presidential run, went on to inspire and influence Ronald Reagan, who brought true grassroots conservatism to the federal government. In essence, it was Buckley's conservatism that eventually ended the Cold War, amongst other successes.
I never had an opportunity to see Buckley in person, but I feel like I knew the guy merely from his excellent, and often extremely biting, writing style. Although he left the National Review as editor in the early 90's, and retired to private life in 2004, he continued to write up until his death. The last book he published was Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription: Notes & Asides from National Review, although he was also finishing up a biography of Goldwater. His son, Christopher Buckley, is perhaps better known in pop culture, having written Thank You For Smoking and most recently Boomsday.
A NPR commentator on FOX News this evening made a very astute observation about Buckley's passing: it could not have come at a more interesting time in the conservative movement. It's a time when we conservatives find ourselves in the cold, fighting off the politicians who wish to redefine exactly what it means to be "conservative." Buckley never entered the world of politics (although he famously ran for mayor of New York, promising that if he won he'd demand a recount), but instead stayed back, philosophizing and criticizing. It's my belief that every good political movement needs to have a rooted intellectual and philosophical background to guide it. Republicanism has been guided by Federalism and conservatism since the beginning, but it was the minds of William F. Buckley Jr., Russell Kirk, Barry Goldwater, and the like that made it so successful. It will be interesting to see what modes of thought prevail going forward.
Buckley was a writer, a talk show host, an editor, and a philanthropist, but above all he was a warrior of ideas.
Posted by MikeRubino at 6:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 21, 2008
My Poster on Live with Regis and Kelly
Since I've been working as a full time designer for just a short while now, I've already had some great experiences. One of the best yet, however, came this morning, after we got a call in the office saying that my advertisement for an upcoming event at Mountaineer Casino was on Live with Regis and Kelly!
I designed billboards and posters for the event, which features Regis Philbin alongside Don Rickles for a grand night of comedy. I never expected Regis to actually get one of these posters, and proceed to hold it up on his show. Hilariously enough, he points out the same thing I said when I started working on it: that his photo was much darker than Don's. Of course, a designer can only do so much. I was just honored that he got one of the posters!
Watch the entire segment here, and look for him to bring out the poster around the 4:00 mark.
Posted by MikeRubino at 3:34 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
February 20, 2008
Total Eclipse of the Heart
With this evening's total eclipse, I decided it was a perfect night for some experimentation with my Nikon d40 DSLR. So I got out my tripod and my zoom lens (nothing fancy, just the 55-200mm lens kit that I got extra with the camera) and set about snapping photos. At first I wasn't having much luck taking photos of the moon out my bathroom window; the double-paned glass was created a weird ghosting effect. So then I took things outside and got serious.
With the tripod ready and the camera aimed upwards, I set the mode to manual, with a shutter speed of 1second and an aperture of f5. I don't mess too much yet with ISO settings, but to anyone who's interested, it was 400. The big issue with these settings is that even the slightest camera shake (like just pressing the button to open the shutter) can create a blur. I had to set it to a 10 second timer, that way I could press the button and step the heck away from the thing before it took the picture. What resulted was the best picture of the night:
Posted by MikeRubino at