Impulse

A good day

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:50:06 -0800

(poster designed by the talented Jonathan Hoefler)

The die is cast; just desserts

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:58:51 -0800

I meant to post this a few days ago after finishing my ballot. It was to be accompanied by inspiringly patriotic text. Now, though, I'm just glued to my browser; too addicted to the statistics and tallies to even go make myself dinner. Instead, I guess I'll just look at this cupcake (from world renowned Trophy Cupcakes down the street).

Thumbing the scales of democracy

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:19:46 -0800

There's a guy standing outside the coffee shop I'm typing away in. He's canvassing our very blue neighborhood, raising money for Democratic candidates in battleground districts throughout the country. I know it's legal and that everyone seems seems to be doing it nowadays (moveon.org and the DSCC are constantly at it) but I don't like it. I don't think it's my place to put my thumb on the scales of another district.

Here's an example: Across the lake from me, Darcy Burner is running for US Congress from Washington's 8th district. I really like Darcy. Instead of just talking the talk about pulling troops out of Iraq, Darcy went and talked to a retired general who had overseen troops in Iraq to get his opinion, and that of other experts. She put this all in an analysis paper she published on the web. That's ballsy, thoughtful, and proactive -- all good traits I'd like to see more in Congress. But I won't donate to her campaign. I don't live in her district (I live in WA-7th), and I don't know if she represents the 8th district's thoughts and values.

I pointed this out to the canvasser. He thought it didn't matter: in DC, they make decisions on a national level, and not decisions specific to a particular district. That's true -- they make national decisions by representing the values of local districts. Each representative applies their local values to national problems. It's the diversity of opinions that makes a plurality work. It's what makes the wisdom of crowds work.

Once upon a time, there was a very opinionated man named Sir Francis Gaulton. Sir Francis believed that crowds just multiplied the ignorance of its individuals, thus producing horribly bad decisions. One day he was at a fair and stumbled upon a contest to guess the weight of an ox. Sir Francis thought that these uninformed people couldn't possibly guess accurately. The guesses ranged across the spectrum and a few were close enough to award prizes. After the contest, he took all the guesses and did some math: he found that the median of all the answers was frighteningly close to true answer. Since then, countless classrooms of students have guessed the number of beans in a jar and, despite class clowns and earnest over-achievers, the median is always incredibly accurate. The diversity of opinions makes this work.

So, back in D.C., if you actually want Congress to work well, you want a broad array of opinions. You get many opinions by making sure that representatives actually represent their home districts. Anything that gets in the way of that representation -- lobbyists, Party dogma, and yes, outside campaign donors -- gets in the way of democratic decision-making working at its best. I really don't see any difference between my donating to a campaign outside my district, and big oil pouring money into campaigns.

(Special thanks to the always fabulous RadioLab for the ox-weighing anecdote above. Listen closely to the episode, and you'll make out Oliver Sacks in the background doing all the voices. There's nothing quite like hearing one of our most celebrated contemporary scientists doing goofy voices).

I am powered by Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:08:14 -0800

I'm convinced that I run on chocolate chip cookies. In the last two weeks, there have been a number of times when I felt unproductive, slow, moody, ill. Each of those times that I then had a chocolate chip cookie, I soon became happy, productive, and loving life.

Proof positive that cookies make Robs go. If I donated blood, it'd probably be 65% cacao.

(And yes, earlier today, I did the calculation of how many cookies I would have if I were paid in cookies instead of dollars (market resources report that the cookie is up vs the dollar and euro in late trading today)). (photo by wenday :D)

The wisdom of cartoons

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:10:39 -0800

It's always entertaining to watch as an adult cartoons that I'd seen as a kid. It can be very disappointing (which is why I'll never re-watch the classic Speed Racer cartoons). Sometimes, though, it's fascinating: seeing all the little jokes and subtext that no child can decipher. Chicken Little just blew me away. Sure, it's the story of Chicken Little, but the political overtones are huge. Watch it and think about politics over the last 10 years, or the recent economic crisis (or any recent crisis). It's a good example of how we retell stories to teach ourselves, and how to make a clear political point using creative media. (Thanks to 4HWW for reminding me of the cartoon).

Back in Seattle

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:51:45 -0800

The Race Across America took a detour to the UK the last few weeks as I headed off to Cambridge. A very nice city Cambridge is; I'd happily spend more time there. The place positively reeks of knowledge & learning. Great ancient buildings (giving it a Harry Potter atmosphere), twisty roads, good curry, and I got to work with very cool people.

In the meantime, though, I'm back in Seattle where a little work on the titles for the movie, and a lot of reading await me.

RAAM: nearly there

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:00:52 -0800

Well, I didn't quite hit my 8/31/08 deadline, but I'm close. I've finished the first pass of color correction (during which I learned so much about the subtlety of that art - I'll blog later about it), and have finished mixing the first act of the movie.

Audio mixing is turning out to be much slower work (1 hour of work for 1 minute of movie), not only because the process is just plain slower, but because I can only do it for 1-1.5 hour chunks of time. Just like during a concert, my ears get fatigued and it's hard to hear the full spectrum of audio. So, I alternate: 1 hour mixing, 1 hour quiet.

Today, I decided to be a little less of a perfectionist, so I suspect I'll be able to go much, much faster now. It's not like I'm trying to make a surround sound, theatrical mix; just something good enough for your TV.

Seeing colors

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:19:09 -0800

I just spent 2.5 hours color balancing 6.25 minutes of my movie. At this rate, I only have 27 more hours to go - and then I get to do the audio. Wheee! Looks a whole lot better, though.

Amanda Koster: Can I Come with You?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:36:12 -0800

Speaking of new works of art, my friend Amanda Koster is coming out with her first book next month. By day, Amanda is a full-time assignment photographer. She dedicates the rest of her time to social documentary (and cooking fabulous meals). This book, made up of her photographs and personal journal entries, describes how everyone use their creative talents to change the world.

I love Amanda's work -- in fact, I have at least 7 of her photos hanging in my house right now -- more than any other photographer (including me!).

Amanda's book is available for presale at her publisher's web site. She's also having a lecture & signing on September 18. Those who buy a ticket get a free book (or, if you prefer, you get a free ticket for buying the book). Either way, go here right now to buy one or the other. I've already got my order in.

RAAM: Locked and Loaded!!!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:06:34 -0800

I hereby declare picture for my first documentary film, LOCKED! Sure, it took 2 years, 1 month, and 28 days to complete the story edit, but hey, who's counting, right? It got done and that's all that matters. Now on to the technical dotting of the i's and crossing the t's: mastering the audio tracks, completing the titles and bottom-thirds ("bottom thirds" are the text & graphics that pop up at the bottom of your screen, used ridiculously often in news programs), color balancing and visual polish, and music.

For the end credits, I'm planning on using some music written by my friend John Pilafidis, to which this film and the race in the film, are dedicated. The song's intro is a little long, but I've got John's master files. Always wanted to learn how to edit music...

I want to thank all of my friends who gave me feedback through the editing process. Your feedback made this a much, much better film. Thanks Amanda, Karen, Becky, Linda, Mike, Will, Susan, Helen, Bernie, Laurie, Tom, Marisa, Mark, and Harvey.

RAAM movie: the final sprint

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:43:18 -0800

I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement! I've just showed my last cut of the RAAM movie to 5 people and they all loved it. Those who'd seen it before thought it was surprisingly better than previous cuts. (One said, "this is a completely different movie") I've just a few minor tweaks based on feedback, and I'll be set for Picture Lock by the end of the day tomorrow. That puts me solidly on a path to FINISHING THIS MOVIE by the end of the month. I'm very proud of how it's turning out. It's much better than I expected.

RAAM documentary nearly finished

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:18:24 -0800

After working on this project for over two years, it's time to call this thing done. At the end of this month, I will declare this movie - in whatever state it's in - done. That means I'm shooting for picture lock this Sunday. (Picture lock is when I've stopped editing the sequence of edits, and moved on to things like sound mastering, titles, and color balance). I've made some major edits based on test screenings and watching the raw footage over again (incredibly valuable). Benjamin Zander's description of musical phrasing, and the structure of Samuel Barber's Adaggio for Strings have also provided great inspiration. Look for more news in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, try what I did this weekend: unplug the internet. I think I gained at least 3 hours per day doing that. Hmmm... Probably need to do it right now...

Benjamin Zander: on music & leadership

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:53:54 -0800

There's nothing quite like a manically enthusiastic British professor. Benjamin Zander's TED talk is excellent. Switching easily between comic and profound, he demonstrates how classical music can move everyone, and smoothly weaves in excellent lessons on leadership and optimism. I want to grow up to be like him someday.

To finish or to abandon: that is the question

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:24:25 -0800

"A poem is never finished, only abandoned"
- Paul Valery

Many have generalized this quote to apply to all artistic endeavors. On a video for current.tv, Ira Glass pointed out that all artists have excellent taste. They have a clear taste or vision of what work in a particular medium could be, and they create because they are driven to demonstrate that taste. But, there's often a gap between the artist's taste and his skill level. That gap causes endless frustration, and in part gets to the phenomenon behind the above quote. Often, an artist's taste exceeds his skill (or materials), thus can never finish a particular work; only abandon it and move on to the next project.

Tonight, I'm contemplating this choice for my movie. I've been working on it off and on for two years now, and have completed two full revisions of it. On one hand, I could continue pounding my head against it, trying to make it entertaining to general audiences. I'm contemplating a complete re-cut that would help do just that, and I'd learn a whole lot along the way. I have no idea how long it would take given that it's taken me two years to get here.

On the other hand, I could just decide that the audience for this movie is only those who have participated in the Race Across America or are endurance cycling enthusiasts. If so, I don't have to worry about all the exposition that motivates the major re-cut. I could just continue with the current cut and finish in a month or so. And move on to other projects. Of course, this path involves a lowering of expectations for myself - always a bit difficult for me.

Hmmmm..... (where the heck did I put poor Yorick)

While I ponder this like Hamlet, do go watch the Ira Glass video. It's incredibly handy for anyone in the storytelling trade. Heck, I might go so far as to say anyone doing any kind of creative work, but then, I'm a fan. Click the link, then click On Storytelling, then on Ira Glass.

Sticking to first principles

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:35:25 -0800

The FISA Amendments Act comes up for a vote tomorrow in the Senate. For those not in the know: FISA extends the 4th Amendment so that wiretapping or electronic surveillance requires a warrant. The Amendments Act coming up tomorrow guts FISA so that the executive branch can listen to your phone conversations without a warrant. At issue here too is whether or not the telecoms who allowed warrantless wiretaps (even before 9/11!!!) should be granted immunity.

Here's a really interesting video that describes many issues and actually changed my mind on a few things:

Regardless of whether you're for or against this, time is of the essence to influence your senators. EFF has made it easy to find your senators & call them; just type your zip code in here.

Myself, I think that if electronic surveillance were around in 1789, they'd have written it straight into the 4th Amendment. Further, in this world where information is power, keeping FISA keeps a balance of power between government & citizens as well as between the branches of government. As all the identity theft problems have shown: information is more important nowadays than physical belongings - if it takes a warrant to search my physical belongings, why should it not take a warrant to search or tap my information?

I used to think that we should give the telecoms immunity if it means we can keep FISA strong. The video above changed my mind. Immunity means no lawsuits, which means no investigations into what the government did, which means no way to hold the government accountable. We have to hold everyone accountable to hold the government accountable.

I just called my senators and it takes only about 60 sec. Pretty amazing when you can defend your constitution in only 60 seconds (and a whole lot easier than what soldiers in Iraq have to do).