I must be overreacting again. It happens to me often enough that I am not always sure I actually mean it. [if that makes any sense.]
I just saw a full on, legitimate commercial for a “special” medication. Ah! wait for this one, it’s priceless …
Woman can now grow fuller, longer, darker and better EYELASHES!!! It's a miracle.
No more of that “Oh, Boubou, you look a little tired, have you gained weight?”, “Shenee, is this you? OooMaaaGooosh what happen to your eyes?” Or the Nene [Housewives of Atlanta] type answer “Damn Kim, did you get in a fight with some clippers or something? Looks like you lost you eye hair. Well, at least you look surprised and alert, all the time now.“
Please, kill me now. I can’t believe that pharmaceutical companies spend so much money like this. The research, the marketing and the commercial … it’s beyond ridiculous. There are countless diseases out there that kill millions of people all over the world. And if people of America don’t care about the people of the world, well, let me rephrase: “There are countless diseases that kill thousands of people all over America.” [South America and Canada not included in this statement]
I mean, if they really, really want to waste money on useless shit, I can help. I mean it’s true, I rarely come up with something useful, although I myself never though about the eyelashes situation per se. Sounds pretty serious. And it is a genius idea to drop millions of dollars on eyelash rejuvenation. Thank God they made a commercial explaining the crisis. Hiring Brooke Shields was also another genius idea. They must have a few of them out there or was it just divine intervention? Well, however it happened, we definitely need strong, proud and level headed women who are not be afraid to talk about their own eyelash situation.
Anyway, everyone: Enjoy the eyelash commercial. At the end they recommend you go see a doctor, because of course you need a prescription for this particular “remedy.” So, now the doctors and the insurance companies are also sharing in the bounty of our stupidity. Hey, that’s what they do in China. They spread the wealth all around. And from what I hear, it's a country full of really happy people.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
031 The Problem with Lambda
We’re back making architecture this week. The project was introduced to the press, we went public ... Now it’s time to get going [Seriously]. The problem we are facing is that a portion of the design was represented conceptually. There is a major component that is explicit and readable as architectural form. And then, there is another that is suggested rather than clearly stated [it's complicated].Obviously, put the two together and you create a certain ambiguity. For people “in the know,” it’s completely fine and may even be playfully stated, but for the common “man” it is somewhat confusing. They default back to trying to connect the forms to something they know, something they are familiar with . And if our model and renderings mix explicit representation with implicit meaning things just get impossible to sort through. The goal was simple, the intent clear but the resolution was ambiguous.
Friday, September 18, 2009
030 Summer Television Fling
My 2009 summer TV adventures:
Summer is ending this weekend and so are all our summer shows. It wasn't a fling, more like research [and I say this with a straight face] I watched a lot of it for fun. Prerequisite is definitely low brain activity.
Mostly, I am looking for help while on a quest for inspiration: Stuff like good scripts, directing, character developments and good plots. I selfishly try to understand how to put a good story together. I got my own thing going.
Some of the shows feel like fill-ins and miss the mark, others are actually worth something.
And then, there are the guilty pleasures. In general, the summer choices are limited -- I deal with it.
THE CLOSER [season 5]
The classic well acted, well written, witty, funny show I will watch until it ends.
Ooh yeah, I really like that show. I fell into it randomly when I was in Europe. I was just looking for anything that wasn’t dubbed. Even though I speak french, I get angry when I have to watch something dubbed in ANY language really. And French television automatically "dubbs" everything [Is that a word?]. That’s just a shame. I keep thinking that they would be better served by limiting the amount of American shows they keep playing thus avoiding the "constant dubbing effect." Luckily the Dutch are still using subtitles [not enough people speaking that language to justify dubbing the shows] and so The Closer was one of the shows I watched. Once I got back in the US, I immediately added it to my DVR and have been taping it ever since.
Every episode this season was good and oh so deliciously classic. The body stuffed inside the cooler episode just says it all. It really looked like they made a real effort. Just like CSI did after loosing William Petersen [Grissom]. The guys on The Closer are pros, they know what they’re doing and it shows. And now Kyra Sedgwick’s got her daughter involved in this. With Kevin directing, this is becoming a real family affair. The only annoying thing about the show is that Kyra Sedgwick has really really ugly hands. I noticed it a couple of seasons ago [Kim Bassinger has the same problem]. I was kind of getting over it when "someone" who was watching it with me made a comment. THAT was funny.
DEFYING GRAVITY [new]
The surprise -- Anonymous show I don’t know what to think of.
This one snuck up on me. ABC never really advertised it and so it came as a surprise when I flipped the channel one day and discovered it. I just don’t understand that. It’s like they want it to fail, just like Virtuosity [this one did fail]. Defying Gravity is one of the new shows FOX studio filmed in Vancouver in order to lower the cost. I have seen all the episodes, thanks to HULU. I have no idea if it will be canceled, although I would not be surprised if it was. [Go there for synopsis]
I hope that this season ends with some kind of answer because I could not handle yet another “Lost Wannabe.” Too many questions and too many unknown can be overwhelming sometimes. I actually stopped watching Lost a few seasons ago for that reason. The last 2 seasons I saw, I actually taped every episode and then watched everything at once because the wait between episodes was just too much. And even then, I was still getting frustrated. Anyway, my hope is that Defying Gravity will have more resolution and answers at the end of the season.
Do I like it? That’s another frustrating thing. Even though I am watching the thing, I still can’t decide. I am currently leaning towards “No.” I do tape every episode or if I miss one, I’ll just watch it on HULU. I skip a lot of parts, as usual to avoid the commercials, but with this series, I have been skipping actual portions of the show. I am not necessarily bored, just ready to move on.
EUREKA [season 3]
The “coup de coeur” -- Better late than never.
This is the revelation of the year for me. I have always avoided it after trying to watch it a couple of times. The problem with SYFY shows, is that they are often a too soft and turn to comedy rather than take itself a little bit more seriously. In this case, it took me a while to get into it and the only reason I started watching it in the first place is because there isn’t much of anything going on during the summer. Most shows are on hiatus and so I find myself “lowering my standards” and exploring the channel lineup a little bit more. That’s how I find little gems here and there … Such as Eureka. The season finale is coming up, too bad. I barely had time to get into it. I have however 2 more seasons of the series to watch and Colin Ferguson, genius that he is, started a Eureka podcast commentary for the show.
WAREHOUSE 13 [new]
The disappointment – that I continue to watch.
Too soft. Way too soft. I mean, I like it but at the same time I feel it’s a little bit of a “quickly put together – summer filler” type of series. The fact that it is doing really well is at least in part due to the fact that people are starving for new material and they [like me] will watch things they would never have considered watching in the Fall or Spring seasons. They are lucky to have come one when they did, because I am not sure how it would have fared against the Fall lineup and Stargate Universe. [Go there for synopsis]
The story itself is not that unique but it definitely allows for a wide range of stories. The problem is that it doesn't know if it wants to be a drama or a comedy which makes everything bland. And yet, I am still watching it.
FLIPPED OUT & HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA
The guilty pleasures someone could watch at night with the shades down.
If someone were to watch any of those shows it would be because they portray people that are so outrageously in denial, completely full of themselves and definitely out of touch with “our” reality, kind of like SciFi. I can’t say too much because I haven’t personally seen it [ah!] but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t get a chuckle out of anyone seeing it for the first time, actually it's much more than that, those shows are hilarious.
The real question is this: If this is so bad, why would anyone waste any time watching this tripe?
Anyway, this is in part what I was doing this summer. Now I wait impatiently for Stargate Universe, Sanctuary, Fringe, House, CSI, NCIS, Dexter, Family Guy, American Dad, Southland, The office and Community. Already annoyed by The mentalist, Parks and Recreation, Dollhouse, The Cleveland Show, Castle, Flashforward, Medium and on and on. Some of these have already started by the way.
Summer is ending this weekend and so are all our summer shows. It wasn't a fling, more like research [and I say this with a straight face] I watched a lot of it for fun. Prerequisite is definitely low brain activity.
Mostly, I am looking for help while on a quest for inspiration: Stuff like good scripts, directing, character developments and good plots. I selfishly try to understand how to put a good story together. I got my own thing going.
Some of the shows feel like fill-ins and miss the mark, others are actually worth something.
And then, there are the guilty pleasures. In general, the summer choices are limited -- I deal with it.
THE CLOSER [season 5]
The classic well acted, well written, witty, funny show I will watch until it ends.
Ooh yeah, I really like that show. I fell into it randomly when I was in Europe. I was just looking for anything that wasn’t dubbed. Even though I speak french, I get angry when I have to watch something dubbed in ANY language really. And French television automatically "dubbs" everything [Is that a word?]. That’s just a shame. I keep thinking that they would be better served by limiting the amount of American shows they keep playing thus avoiding the "constant dubbing effect." Luckily the Dutch are still using subtitles [not enough people speaking that language to justify dubbing the shows] and so The Closer was one of the shows I watched. Once I got back in the US, I immediately added it to my DVR and have been taping it ever since.
Every episode this season was good and oh so deliciously classic. The body stuffed inside the cooler episode just says it all. It really looked like they made a real effort. Just like CSI did after loosing William Petersen [Grissom]. The guys on The Closer are pros, they know what they’re doing and it shows. And now Kyra Sedgwick’s got her daughter involved in this. With Kevin directing, this is becoming a real family affair. The only annoying thing about the show is that Kyra Sedgwick has really really ugly hands. I noticed it a couple of seasons ago [Kim Bassinger has the same problem]. I was kind of getting over it when "someone" who was watching it with me made a comment. THAT was funny.
DEFYING GRAVITY [new]
The surprise -- Anonymous show I don’t know what to think of.
This one snuck up on me. ABC never really advertised it and so it came as a surprise when I flipped the channel one day and discovered it. I just don’t understand that. It’s like they want it to fail, just like Virtuosity [this one did fail]. Defying Gravity is one of the new shows FOX studio filmed in Vancouver in order to lower the cost. I have seen all the episodes, thanks to HULU. I have no idea if it will be canceled, although I would not be surprised if it was. [Go there for synopsis]
I hope that this season ends with some kind of answer because I could not handle yet another “Lost Wannabe.” Too many questions and too many unknown can be overwhelming sometimes. I actually stopped watching Lost a few seasons ago for that reason. The last 2 seasons I saw, I actually taped every episode and then watched everything at once because the wait between episodes was just too much. And even then, I was still getting frustrated. Anyway, my hope is that Defying Gravity will have more resolution and answers at the end of the season.
Do I like it? That’s another frustrating thing. Even though I am watching the thing, I still can’t decide. I am currently leaning towards “No.” I do tape every episode or if I miss one, I’ll just watch it on HULU. I skip a lot of parts, as usual to avoid the commercials, but with this series, I have been skipping actual portions of the show. I am not necessarily bored, just ready to move on.
EUREKA [season 3]
The “coup de coeur” -- Better late than never.
This is the revelation of the year for me. I have always avoided it after trying to watch it a couple of times. The problem with SYFY shows, is that they are often a too soft and turn to comedy rather than take itself a little bit more seriously. In this case, it took me a while to get into it and the only reason I started watching it in the first place is because there isn’t much of anything going on during the summer. Most shows are on hiatus and so I find myself “lowering my standards” and exploring the channel lineup a little bit more. That’s how I find little gems here and there … Such as Eureka. The season finale is coming up, too bad. I barely had time to get into it. I have however 2 more seasons of the series to watch and Colin Ferguson, genius that he is, started a Eureka podcast commentary for the show.
WAREHOUSE 13 [new]
The disappointment – that I continue to watch.
Too soft. Way too soft. I mean, I like it but at the same time I feel it’s a little bit of a “quickly put together – summer filler” type of series. The fact that it is doing really well is at least in part due to the fact that people are starving for new material and they [like me] will watch things they would never have considered watching in the Fall or Spring seasons. They are lucky to have come one when they did, because I am not sure how it would have fared against the Fall lineup and Stargate Universe. [Go there for synopsis]
The story itself is not that unique but it definitely allows for a wide range of stories. The problem is that it doesn't know if it wants to be a drama or a comedy which makes everything bland. And yet, I am still watching it.
FLIPPED OUT & HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA
The guilty pleasures someone could watch at night with the shades down.
If someone were to watch any of those shows it would be because they portray people that are so outrageously in denial, completely full of themselves and definitely out of touch with “our” reality, kind of like SciFi. I can’t say too much because I haven’t personally seen it [ah!] but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t get a chuckle out of anyone seeing it for the first time, actually it's much more than that, those shows are hilarious.
The real question is this: If this is so bad, why would anyone waste any time watching this tripe?
Anyway, this is in part what I was doing this summer. Now I wait impatiently for Stargate Universe, Sanctuary, Fringe, House, CSI, NCIS, Dexter, Family Guy, American Dad, Southland, The office and Community. Already annoyed by The mentalist, Parks and Recreation, Dollhouse, The Cleveland Show, Castle, Flashforward, Medium and on and on. Some of these have already started by the way.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
029 Lifer
Before the vacation
Did a presentation on parametrics in the office. Talked about what it means to integrate those intelligent models in the early phases of design. Talked about education as it relates to parametrics. Good times.
The vacation
Went to the beach, got some sun, played with the dolphins,swam in the ocean and ate a bunch of good stuff … the typical vacation package.
After the vacation
Coming back to our dark, hot workspace in Santa Monica, I had a revelation … I feel worst coming back. I keep thinking this vacation turned out to be the biggest teaser ever. Just like prison. I get a 24hr pass to get out and do whatever I want. Knowing what’s on the outside can do more harm than never really experiencing it in the first place … I don’t think I really thought about it before, but I haven’t gone away in a year and a half. Definitely pathetic and slightly embarrassing.
Too much work in this country. 50-60 hours a week on average including many, many weekends. What do we live for then? Most people I know can’t say no. Fear is the name of the game. Shit, I say no all the time about everything, one would think I should be able to handle it.
The script is moving along. I finally got a title which I won’t reveal, it’s taken me 4 months to come up with it. Could still change, but I am confident this is going to work. I’ve marked the occasion by carving it in a bracelet. It’s not a tattoo but cool anyway.
I used to have a good full story written from start to finish, but with all the changes I have made recently, I am back to the first half outline and still puzzled as to what I am going to do with it. It’s an I’m excited but freaking out moment.
The enemy is back to a generic entity although it has some specific characteristics that will drive the story [Good stuff]. The main character is much better but too weak right now, I have to rework him – urgently, it’s driving me nuts.
In a moment of inspiration I have decided to start on some of the Maya [dynamics] animations for the ship and the station. There's not enough time, I really need to figure out a way to make it part of my R&D at work. Kill two birds with one stone … Or whatever that expression is.
I got yet another interview done for the guys. This one is again with Joe Flanigan. He was good in SGA but with the exception of a guest spot on Warehouse 13 he hasn’t done much – That’s unfortunate.
Did a presentation on parametrics in the office. Talked about what it means to integrate those intelligent models in the early phases of design. Talked about education as it relates to parametrics. Good times.
The vacation
Went to the beach, got some sun, played with the dolphins,swam in the ocean and ate a bunch of good stuff … the typical vacation package.
After the vacation
Coming back to our dark, hot workspace in Santa Monica, I had a revelation … I feel worst coming back. I keep thinking this vacation turned out to be the biggest teaser ever. Just like prison. I get a 24hr pass to get out and do whatever I want. Knowing what’s on the outside can do more harm than never really experiencing it in the first place … I don’t think I really thought about it before, but I haven’t gone away in a year and a half. Definitely pathetic and slightly embarrassing.
Too much work in this country. 50-60 hours a week on average including many, many weekends. What do we live for then? Most people I know can’t say no. Fear is the name of the game. Shit, I say no all the time about everything, one would think I should be able to handle it.
The script is moving along. I finally got a title which I won’t reveal, it’s taken me 4 months to come up with it. Could still change, but I am confident this is going to work. I’ve marked the occasion by carving it in a bracelet. It’s not a tattoo but cool anyway.
I used to have a good full story written from start to finish, but with all the changes I have made recently, I am back to the first half outline and still puzzled as to what I am going to do with it. It’s an I’m excited but freaking out moment.
The enemy is back to a generic entity although it has some specific characteristics that will drive the story [Good stuff]. The main character is much better but too weak right now, I have to rework him – urgently, it’s driving me nuts.
In a moment of inspiration I have decided to start on some of the Maya [dynamics] animations for the ship and the station. There's not enough time, I really need to figure out a way to make it part of my R&D at work. Kill two birds with one stone … Or whatever that expression is.
I got yet another interview done for the guys. This one is again with Joe Flanigan. He was good in SGA but with the exception of a guest spot on Warehouse 13 he hasn’t done much – That’s unfortunate.
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