An Extraordinary Man

I've had a very interesting correspondence over the last few days with people who worked in my father's department at 20th Century Fox in the years before he retired in 1987. My sisters and I have always thought of him as a very decent, caring man, but to hear the remembrances of these individuals was very special. For those interested, I just wanted to share a bit of their memories.

Maureen Pater wrote:

Your Dad had a true appreciation for all his employees. No matter the position or job duties we had, we always felt comforted by Sid Samuels. He would always say "hello" and "how is your day going"? There was never just a quick wave from your Dad. This man was a truly caring individual. We all were family in that department as well as a team. Rich, just a great experience for me that I will always treasure and sorely missed.

Gemma Ribeiro wrote:

Sid Samuels, a wonderful person to have worked for. I was blessed to have had him as a boss...Your father had the love for life...

Coffee at the Office 10-9-09

A "Bollywood Steps" Moment

Still moving ever closer to completion - this is the phase of post-production that is the most intricate and time-consuming- making final structural decisions and continuing to polish the entire program...which means reviewing the same hour over and over again...

Starbucks and the New York Times, 10/8/09, Valencia, Ca

Now Rich is up in the rafters at Raleigh Studios Hollywood

Telecommuting, Part Two

As if to underscore the advantages of working from my home office, I spend an hour and a half in my car on a commute that should have taken less than half an hour. With all of the growth in Los Angeles over the past decades and especially the last few years, leadership (both local and state) have proceeded with barely a nod to infrastructure improvement. Some of the most congested parts of the city are totally ignored, as far as transportation solutions.

• The San Diego freeway, which runs from West Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley, is considered one of the most congested routes in any American city. One would think that a train running along that route would be heavily used. It's never discussed.
• Of course, the train needs to connect with the rest of the Metrorail system - but that system has also virtually ignored the west San Fernando Valley. A route comes out from downtown to the mid-valley, but to get to the West Valley, the city has constructed a busway along the old train route - a much less efficient (and slower) solution. On the other end of the route, in west Los Angeles, there isn't any existing route with which to connect (though there is talk about building a "railway to the sea" someday...
• To be fair, the Los Angeles area has many more rail solutions that just fifteen years ago - but entire sections of the city are being ignored. With many members of the Los Angeles City Council having sold out huge sections of the area to over-development, the area is becoming virtually unlivable.

That's why I'm no longer a Los Angeles City resident. Unfortunately, I still need to work there.

Remember the Telecommuting Hype?

I've been working at home more lately - one of my primary production clients has scaled back operations (the City of Los Angeles!). As always, my work with Freshi Films is a mixture of field, office and what used to be called telecommuting. The remainder of my work is strictly in my home office. At the moment, that means completing my "Bollywood Steps" documentary, and expanding my networking base.

I have a love-hate relationship with working at home. I find it incredibly productive - I can get much more accomplished without the distraction of an office environment, particularly in the case of editing, but I also can become stir crazy! Social interaction is part of the fun of what I do for a living, and when home-based, I have to make specific efforts to balance my home office time with activities that maintain business relationships (and friendships) on a personal level.

After the 1994 earthquake, I visited the home office of a JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) executive who ran a department that was involved in the development of remote desktop technology - the webcam, audio and sharing technologies that today are commonplace. In those days, such technology was very rare, and this executive was one of the pioneers.

(JPL, for those of you that are unfamiliar, is the quasi-governmental arm of Cal Tech responsible for some of the most innovative developments in space exploration. They are responsible for virtually all of America's unmanned space probes, including the Mars landers and rovers, and the deep space vehicles that have been throughout our solar system and beyond.)

The JPL executive had been home in Lancaster, a distant suburb about 40 miles from his Pasadena office. When the earthquake struck, freeways collapsed and travel between the two cities was impossible for several weeks. However, because he had a video-audio connection with his office, he could continue some of his supervisory functions remotely. His employees could remain in touch with him by simply sitting at his desk and communicating with him, face to face. He found the arrangement effective - but only to a point. In light of the dramatic events, he missed the personal touch during a time when his team was going through so much trauma. He couldn't lend 100% of his support.

We don't hear the word "telecommuting" as much anymore - perhaps because we now understand that it's not an end to itself, and doesn't hold a specific definition. Many of us that are self-employed, myself included, work in ways that combine so many different methods that our base shifts constantly. We conduct work in an office, at home, in a coffee shop, and with a smartphone. Keeping the balance between all of these options, I think, is the key not only to being productive, but happy with the challenge inherent in earning a living.

The Source of All Bad Things

We have become a nation of hand-wringers. Everyone's worried and fretting about economy, and threatened by whatever each individual perceives as the cause of All Bad Things. Of course, the determination of just what/who is the cause of All Bad Things varies wildly and ranges from individual to race to political party - and so many other possible sources.

The potential list of That Which Is The Source of All Bad Things is as long as imagination is limitless: Obama, Bush, FDR, Nixon, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Chinese, Japanese, Democrats, Republicans, Neo-Nazis, the Illuminati, the Tri-Lateral Commission, The Rockefellers, Bill Gates, the Military-Industrial Complex, Big Business, the NRA, the anti-gun lobby, obesity, bad American schools that cannot compete in the real world, ignorance, curious children, evolution (and Charles Darwin), the Bible, the Koran, the New York Times, Fox News, Huckleberry Finn, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hollywood, the Bible Belt, suggestive clothing, bad language, lack of discipline, too much control, too little control, the Internet, Global Warming, God and the Devil.

Or None of the Above, which would leave the fretful masses with only one choice: "Go Live Your Life!"

YouTube and the Conspiracy Sub-Culture

Today, I engaged in one my favorite YouTube-related hobbies: entering the word "Conspiracy" in the search feature.

It's never let me down providing some great entertainment! Here are top five results:

1. Top 5 Science Conspiracies, Theories and Hoaxes - This actually comes from a legitimate source - Discovery Networks. This Discovery News segment from Halloween, 2008 lists come outrageous theories - my favorite of which is "The Growing Earth Theory," which speculates that the theory of continental drift is all wrong. Earth's continents seperated as a result of the expansion of the Earth (as a balloon expands). Just where that extra mass comes from, nobody seems to explain! For extra fun, read the comments below the video. The very top comment at the moment (bad grammar included): "there are no aliens at roswell, thats what the Gov wants us think, thats where they test there aircraft and film fake moon landings."
2. Re: JFK Conspiracy? PROOF finally revealed! (with SOUND) - Ahhhh, the New World Order theories - something we can always depend upon for wild conspiracies and nefarious plots. No proof - no evidence: just wild speculation and the reinterpretation of footage we've seen ten thousand times before. Notice the analysis of quotes of Jackie Kennedy and Governor Connally (and others), finding dark "truth" in their words.
3. Penn & Teller - 9/11 Conspiracy Theories - This magic/comedy duo looks at the epidemic of conspiracy theories in the USA - One has to wonder why we don't hear more people pointing out what Penn & Teller discuss here. This is the one sane entry in these links. Of course, if you read the comments, this doesn't convince the hardcore conspiracy...well....nuts.
4. Free Energy - Pentagon Conspiracy to Cover up - Got a great new idea for cheap and safe energy? There's a deep, dark conspiracy to keep it from the world! I know, because of the creep re-enactments, and layering of inconsequential video. It's GOTTA be true. Don't BOTHER me with evidence!
5. Trailer for "The New World Order" This is a trailer for a new "documentary" about the coming of the "New World Order," the dark suspicion that we are about to live under an evil dictatorship. This bit of propoganda, uses standard imagery, scary music, and ominous narration to suggest a wild theory. Central here is a compilation of speeches and newscasts using the phrase "New World Order." Apparently, according to this video, we have reached a time when such political phrases don't change in meaning and import from individual to individual, depending upon their world view and philosophy. I hardly think that Glenn Beck, George Bush I and Bill Clinton meant the same thing when they used the phrase, "New World Order."

Enjoy! And don't be TOO scared!

Shooting up in the rafters at Raleigh Studios

Altered Perception In YouTube Comments

(I'm feeding by blog onto Facebook now - enjoy! If you're reading from there, stop by the Blog and look around, when you get a chance!)

Some YouTube videos can be very entertaining, but some of the comments posted to those videos can be disturbing. For many people, they're an opportunity to express hate, intolerance, and outright paranoia. For the rest of us, it's a display of pure ignorance and gullibility. For example:

When legendary newsman Walter Cronkite died, a comment expresses disgust, because he was a member of a mysterious ruling elite.

Any Obama video, of course, is peppered with comments calling him a Nazi, a communist, a Leninist, even a reptilian member of the "Illuminati," the popular catchphrase for those who believe in a vast enslaving conspiracy (either earth-based or otherworldly) of elites. And I hardly need to mention the racist comments, which are invariably attached to anyone of color.

NASA videos are routinely attacked by those who believe that "IT'S ALL FAKE!"

Some kids and teens comment on their peer's videos with vicious, violent threats and name-calling.

YouTube and the Internet, because of perceived anonymity, can be a refuge for the darker corners of human nature. For some, especially kids, it's an opportunity to be extreme and in-your-face without any consequence - I think some percentage of these online "wackos" are quite the opposite.

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of altered perception on display in the comments area (we'll talk about the actual videos another time), begs the question, "Is this where we're going as a society?"

Coffee at Tarzana Starbucks After Dentist

About 11:30 am.

With my mouth numb, I had to wait an hour to drink this, so I took a picture.

My Current Reading List

You might call this my attention deficit reading list - I'm reading all of these in rotation, depending upon my mood.:

• The Real Oliver Twist by John Waller - This has been in my list the longest - it's the story of Robert Blincoe, who very well might have been the inspiration behind the fictional "Oliver Twist." Blincoe is a man who survived the workhouses of late 18th century / early 19th century England and cooperated in a biography of his life.
• We'll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury - The latest book of short stories by the legendary writer. I picked this up after I had the chance to meet him a few months ago.
• Just After Sunset by Stephen King - A book of short stories by Stephen King. This has been out for a year or so, but I just heard about it. I've always enjoyed his short stories (though I'm not too much into his later work).
• Free by Chris Anderson - The author suggests that in today's niche marketplace, companies can often profit more from giving things away than from charging for them. An interesting premise that's been in the news...
• True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy - As the only Kennedy brother to service to write his own story, this is an interesting look into the dynamic, flawed "first family" of American politics.

The Incredible Reach of Google Books

Using Google Books, I recently found a very interesting bit of my father's work history. Google Books allows for the searching of millions of words in perhaps millions of books. In this case, I searched my father's name, "Sidney G. Samuels," and came across a 1950 decision of the National Labor Relations Board involving 20th Century-Fox and their Foreign Versions Department, which my father would come to run six years later. He was already several years into what would become a 45 year career with the company. This item apparently related to the efforts to unionize that department, and the status of the employees, including my father.

If not for the efforts of the Google Books program, this episode would have remained virtually unknown to the family. It really doesn't make much of a difference or reveal anything extraordinary, but it's an interesting peek at my father's early career. If you're interested, go here, choose volume 89, and scroll down to Twentieth Century-Fox (Page 109) and read the PDF.

This Week's Sunday Coffee

Afternoon, about 4pm.
Contemplating a major story breakthrough with my "Bollywood Steps" documentary.

Back To Work On "Bollywood Steps"

Mystery People

Previously in this blog, I've mentioned two individuals that I've come across in my life with whom I've lost track. If my life's a play, they're really minor players, but in this ultra-connected world, I'm still curious what happened to him.

Simon Gamble was a British pen-pal I had in the early 80's. We wrote for close to five years. He stopped writing just as soon as I told him I would be touring Europe, and spending time in London.

Ben Levitan was a friend for all of about ten days when I was ten years old, and my family was on vacation in Miami, Florida. I actually have never mentioned his last name in the blog, but have decided to go ahead and use it - to see what happens. It was an eventful family vacation, the last we took before moving to California, and I suppose I remember Ben because of some old super-8 film in which he writes his name in the sand, and the fact that we wrote to each other for a couple of years afterwards.

I started thinking about these individuals again because Simon Gamble, someone who shared the same name as a pen-pal I had in the early 80's, came across my blog entry. He left a comment just recently on the Simon Gamble blog entry.

That's why I added Ben's full name. I suspect that eventually, one or both of these characters will search himself and discover this minor episode in their own lives. Mysteries will be solved. The world will go on. I've have another story.

Latest Clip from "Bollywood Steps!"

Here's a clip from my upcoming hour-long documentary, "Bollywood Steps"," the story of American-born Indian boys learning to connect with their heritage through Bollywood-style dance - and through a special bond with their teacher, Bollywood-trained dancer/choreographer Yogen Bhagat.
In this clip, Yogen is teaching the boys something new - and Adi's having a little trouble!

This documentary is currently in post-production, with completion slated for early fall, 2009.

See the current trailer athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvAUU...

(All contents copyright 2009 Rich Samuels)

EyePet Vs. Milo

I came across this interesting article on the Kotaku.com website - Author Stephen Totilo speculates on an upcoming 'rivalry' between "Milo" and the "Eyepet," similar to that between Sonic the Hedgehog Vs. Mario Brothers games, which really represented the competition between the Sega Genesis and Nintendo game systems.

Gaming Evolution

Here's yet another development in game technology that is just about popping my eyes out:



In reality, I (and most people) would get tired of this fairly quickly (less than an hour, on the outside!), but like "Milo," what it promises for the future is incredibly exciting. Virtual worlds are becoming more interactive and reactive.

Take what already exists with Nintendo Wii, add in the interactivity promised by products like Microsoft XBox 360's Natal "Milo," and the oddly engaging interactivity like Playstation's "Eye-pet," and the result, potentially, is a uniquely engaging new form of entertainment.

"Worlds of Warcraft," a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is a enormous 3D world bringing millions of players together in a richly-drawn fantasy environment. MMORPG games like "WoW" are already responsible for billions of dollars in revenue each year. Make these games even more interactive, as this new technology promises, and the result is a new form of entertainment that will prove more engaging than any that has come before - and a business that could generate more revenue - and more opportunities - than any form of entertainment in history.