Announcing "Bollywood Steps"

After much consideration, i have settled on a title for my upcoming documentary.

"BOLLYWOOD STEPS"

“Bollywood Steps” is an inspiring documentary featuring the story of American-born Indian boys discovering their heritage through the magic of modern Bollywood dance.

They’re the definition of the modern American - enjoying the opportunities that the USA has to offer, but at the same time, celebrating their own culture.

I look forward to sharing more with all of you very soon!

Gadgets, Gadgets!

Since the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, doesn't have any cool gadgets, I've had to seek out my own for the season.

My two favorites are:

The Optoma Pico Pocket Projector, which is the perfect companion to any small video-capable device, such as the Iphone or Ipod.  It's a $350-$400 pocket-size LED projector, and offers almost everything for a great pocket presentation (I say almost because audio is limited to the onboard speaker, or the speaker or audio output on your video device.  It's pretty cool, though.  Here's a fun British demo (with some over-the-top bad hosting):

Another, more practical innovation that will be great news to Iphone users, is the Power Slider Case (below), an enclosure for the Iphone which includes its own battery, and so adds many more hours of battery life (the current Iphone, which also serves as a computer device, sucks up more energy, so the battery lasts barely a day - if that).   Not as sexy as the projector, but much more useful.  It will be available for about $100 starting this Friday.  This is one accessory I'll be adding to my collection.

For you non-Iphone users....more to come.....soon or later!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Things You Wouldn't See Today

I recently came across a 1976 issue of the "Portola Press," my junior high school's student newspaper.  The May issue that year included news on some activities not likely to be found on any junior high / middle school campus today.

One reporter wrote of "Slave Day," explaining that "the boys were to carry the girls' books for four periods to each of her classes. They were allowed to leave five minutes early and arrive at class five minutes late. In return for their services they received a lunch from their slave master."

Another story wrote of "Disco-Skate '76," which featured roller skating in the gym, followed by a dance. "For those who did not want to dance there was ping-pong and caroms."  The story concluded with the mention of a particular student "that did a terrific 'Robot'."

YouTube Live

I watched YouTube Live today, a celebration of all those who owe their fame to the success of their YouTube channels.  If not for the ultra-democratic YouTube platform, most of these people who have remained anonymous in their individual corners of the country (this seemed to focus primarily on American YouTubers).

The performances were amusing, if not all stellar - the show had the feel of a 21st century variety show - with singing, dancing, and outrageous stunts.  Most had achieved internet fame in the comfort of their own homes, so their comfort levels in front of a large audience varied widely.  

Still, the creation, just a few short years ago, of this new outlet for artistic expression hints at an  entirely new entertainment genre.  It will rise and fall organically, and provide a form of entertainment independent in form and design from television or motion pictures.   YouTube is already entertaining, and sometimes even politically relevant - but it's really only the beginning.

Too Much Information

I was a bit under the weather for a day or two, and found myself watching a bit too much news.  At this point in time, we're being bombarded with desperate reports on the state of the economy, and dire predictions of where we're headed.  Watch too much news, and it seems like the Collapse of Western Civilization (or the world!)

If history has taught me anything, it's that there are no absolutes.  As horrible as everything sounds, the likelihood is that this downturn will not be as deep as the Great Depression - nor will the recovery be instantaneous.  

Most people I know are taking steps to prepare for a deeper downturn - exploring job opportunities before they need them, cutting back on spending, and so on.  They're being more creative with their time, and more practical with their needs - in a way, we're developing as a nation the same habits our parents and grandparents developed to survive the Great Depression. I believe the same shift is also occurring internationally, on a governmental level. The world in interconnected like never before - as is our collective response.

This great historical drama in which we're living will, like all great dramas, move in an unexpected direction.  Our future will not be what we expect, or what history has shown us.  This is a unique moment in time. 

I think we're all about to be surprised.

And If That's Not Enough

Here's a look at the technology behind the photo on the previous post.  Immersive Media didn't simply create the photos you can find on Google, they have also created a video technology with the same manipulative abilities.  You can turn the camera in any direction as the video plays.

Make sure you click on the little VW in the upper right hand corner of their home page, to find out more about where their 360 degrees have gone across the US so far....

Google Maps

I just discovered an incredible feature on Google Maps. For those of you who have been following my blog, you've seen satellite images of the neighborhood where I grew up in New Hyde Park, New York.  Using the Google Earth program (available free from Google), you can zoom in to varying degrees virtually anywhere in the world.

Google also maintains a Google Maps site - a mapping site similar to MapQuest.  What Google has added, in some cases, is the ability to actually see street level images of addresses in question.  Here's what came up when I brought up the street-level view of my childhood home on Country Village Lane:

View Larger Map

What's even more amazing is the ability to pan 360 degrees from this spot, and to zoom in and out. Click on the controls - those features are active on this image!  Take an immersive journey into my childhood world!

Political Firestorm

We're in the midst of a political firestorm.  Our dire (word-of-the-day) economic situation, combined with the election of Barack Obama, has brought us into an era the demands massive government action.  The fight, just beginning, will determine just what that action will be.

As I write this, the immediate debate relates to the support the government should lend (figuratively and literally) to the so-called "big three" automakers, which are on the verge of collapse.  Without in immediate infusion of perhaps $25 billion dollars, they will close in a matter of months, leaving over three million people out of work, and deepening the financial collapse. A bankruptcy of an automaker, according to the New York Times, could cost the economy at least 175 billion dollars.  Some argue that the automakers are suffering for years of mismanagement and should be allowed to fail now, instead of postponing their bankruptcy.  Others claim the they are turning the corner, releasing more hybird vehicles than ever, and should be rescues from the current crisis.

T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman, speaking on today's edition of "Meet the Press," just expressed his primary concern:  "Where does this all end?"  How many businesses can we afford to "bail out?"

We are in an strange time of both optimism and panic - elements that contributed in no small part to the nationwide street festival that broke out on election night when Barack Obama was elected.  

The Obama administration hopes to keep the electorate as engaged as they were during the election.  Any government action will require substantial public support.  Ideas and proposals are already being presented, but until January 20th, we're stuck in a leadership vacuum.  People are waiting to see what will happen.

As a nation, we're terrified  - but hopeful. 

The Gamble Question

There are quite a few challenges in determing the truth about Simon Gamble.

First, in our Google-ready age, "Simon Gamble" is one of those especially British names.  Google him - or, better yet, Facebook "Simon Gamble," and the list is long, making actually finding the right Simon Gamble a challenging task in a world of perhaps thousands of Simon Gambles.   

Second, I am, of course, assuming that "Simon Gamble" is this individual's true name.  Unlike today, when online monickers can take on infinite variations, using a fake name with a street address might have caused too much confusion in mail delivery.  I'm betting he is actually named Simon Gamble.

Now, if I was adequately obsessive and wanted to spend the money, I suppose I could hire an investigator to explore the last known addresses I have for him in the early and mid-eighties, and trace him up to the present day - but I think that would be a going off some sort of deep end....

Picking a random letter out of the pile, written on September 9th, 1981, Simon writes about returning from a three week vacation in Greece.  He'd stayed previously on Greek islands, but this was his first time on the mainland, and in Athens, in particular.  He mentions that he had planned to go on to Israel to stay with relatives, but changing his plans after he "got through more than a huge amount of money" and returned home instead.  He wrote that he had given his notice at his current job in Northampton (where he lived on "Shakespeare Road") and was hoping to find a job in London and move there.  In the meantime, he would be living off of his savings.  He doesn't indicate what the job was - but perhaps other letters will provide clues, particularly if he advanced in that same field (though it's been 23 years since his last letter, so anything is possible).

The Mystery of Simon Gamble

Recently, I re-discovered a stack of letters I received from a British friend, Simon Gamble.  I never actually met Simon; we became "pen-pals," writing to each other for about five years, beginning when I was nineteen.  In 1980, the internet was unknown, and so the world was still a lot bigger.  My sister related her experience with having international friends, and I thought it sounded interesting.  I saw an article in the Cal State Northridge college newspaper about an organization that matched up people with similar interests, and before long, I began writing to Simon.

When we began writing, Simon was living in Northampton. One of his earliest letters discussed the Moscow Olympics (which the US was boycotting),  the difference between his cold English weather and my warm California weather, and our mutual interest in Charles Dickens.  Over time, he would relate the ups and downs in his life, and his progress from living in a remote English city with few friends of his own age, to a full social life in London.

Over the following several years, each of us would write nearly 20 letters.  I'll be recalling some of these letters over my next few blog entries, seeking out clues to a mystery:  After five years of correspondence, Simon abruptly stopped writing to me.  In his last letter, he expressed interest in my upcoming first visit to London, and our opportunity to  meet for the first time.  We would never meet, however.  In fact, I would never hear from him again.

My Kid Landmarks

Since Google Earth has improved it's technology, I thought it was time to revisit my old neighborhood in New Hyde Park, New York - This is where I lived until I was eleven, and we moved to California.  Here's a key to some of my own personal walking tour:

a - This is it...home base!  Though our street was flat, our house had to be the flattest.  Once we had a flash flood and our house was the only one that flooded. I remember looking down into our basement, and discovering that books float.

b - Ridder's Pond.  During that same flash flood, the pond overflowed, and we ended up with a snapping turtle in our backyard.

c - This is where the bus stop to Wickshire School used to be, before it moved across the street.

d - This is the new bus stop.  I don't know why it moved, but we thought it was unfair that we had to deal with the inconvenience of crossing the street.

e - My lemonade stand was usually located here.  I didn't build it into a multi-billion dollar empire.

f - My friend Larry lived here.  He sometimes was my partner in the lemonade business. We usually parted ways over financial issues.

g - I got into a huge screaming argument with Chris on this corner. I don't remember why, exactly, but we ended up yelling "What a friend YOU are!" at each other as we walked away from each other.

h - This is where Chris lived, and where he went when our argument was over.  Notice that we lived over the fence from each other. We built the fence to keep out his St. Bernard, Nard.

i - My Stingray bike was stolen from a bike rack located right here. Larry swore up and down he saw bigger kids with it, and they through it into some flood control channel.  We never turned up any evidence.

j - There's a little police way-station located here.  I remember when they built it.  I thought they build it to catch me.

k - As a kid, I didn't even know this existed.  I still don't know what it is.

My Pal Al

I am very excited to announce that I have recovered one of my long-lost documentary classics.
As a documentary filmmaker, I am sometimes given the opportunity to develop close personal relationships with powerful people. In this documentary, shot at the 2000 Democratic Convention, observe Al Gore and I as we ponder his candidacy.

Evil Plots

I was standing in line at a Fry's Electronics Store today, listening to a conversation just ahead of me about the causes of the worldwide economic meltdown.   The two parties ahead of me - one, an older couple, and the other a guy somewhere in his 20's - were convinced that the crisis was a planned event.  Apparently, in their view, this was all a great manipulation to move us to a One World Goverment.  They see the coordinated efforts of international governments as the precursor to the creation of a true World Bank.  They recalled George Bush Sr.'s pronouncements of a New World Order.  The younger guy reminded his new friends that it's easy to manipulate people when they're down (in other words, while we're all poor and desperate).

I'm always fascinated with theories that involve massive plots that would need to involve legions of co-conspirators.  Usually, these are the same people furious at our ineffective government.  Yet, somehow, that ineffective government excels in only two areas - creating intricate secret plots and keeping thousands of co-conspirators quiet.  Apparently, our government brilliantly conceived a faked moon landing, and staged 9/11, both with a level of secrecy that has disposed of the uncertainty of human beings, and an extra dose of complexity (after all , why simply implode the World Trade Center when we could fly planes into the buildings) simply for good measure.

I suspect we'll see a dramatic rise in paranoia over the next several months as the financial crisis continues to develop.  The greatest danger isn't financial - it's desperation.

Sarah, Sarah

I came across this interesting tidbit of information.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., writing on his blog on the "Huffington Post" website, comments on a writer quoted by Sarah Palin in her acceptance speech to emphasize the importance of so-called "small town values." It turns out the author quoted isn't exactly a symbol of virtue.

One has to wonder what Palin's values are, if this is the sort of author she reads....

Final Weeks

We're in the final weeks of the presidential campaign - perhaps one of the most interesting campaigns in recent history.

I find it fascinating how people can see entirely different people in the same candidates, depending on whom they support.  Sarah Palin, of course, is the ultimate example.  During her interview on CBS News, Katie Couric asked Palin what newspapers she reads.  She couldn't clearly answer:

Palin's answer, to me, seems nothing short of bizarre.  It's really a simple question.  One or two titles would have sufficed.  She couldn't - or wouldn't answer.  

Others have complained that the media is engaged in a hatchet job on Palin - it's hard to see how such a "soft" question could be construed as confrontative or even manipulative.  

Palin did better than expected during the Vice Presidential Debate with Joe Biden - but that's a situation that reflects, for both candidates, a week or longer of cramming for the big night. 

It's the little things that count.

Early Connection

There are some kids that I was friends with very early in my life.  By early, I mean kindergarten or first grade or so, but not much beyond.

I remember attending the birthday of one of my friends in the basement of his house, where his mother sang "I knew an old lady who swallowed a fly - I don't why she smallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die."  I think they moved to Texas shortly thereafter.  I don't remember much - or even anything- about the boy himself.   I think he's in a class picture I have from nursery school.  I guess I must have thought His mom was cool.  If I knew what cool was.  

Crossroads

After nearly a decade of crisis after crisis in this country, beginning with 9-11, we're at a crossroads. The current financial disaster still feels distant - but there's chilling agreement across the political abyss that our economy is  headed for disaster without dramatic action.  Even with the  action, which requires the government spending perhaps a trillion dollars, the final impact on all of our lives remains uncertain.

What seems more certain, however, is that we are living through a critical moment in history - a convergence of events and political energy probably unequalled since 1968.   In some uncanny ways, 1968 and 2008 share a crisis atmosphere.  An unpopular war.  An unpopular President.  A sense of polarization in society.  And, finally, a visionary call for change.   In 2008, we have a chance for what kids would call a "do-over."  

Maybe this time, we'll get it right.

Stuff I'm Stuffing My Brain With

I tend to read (and listen to audiobooks) in clusters - that is, I simultaneous read and listen to two or three books at a time.  

This time around, I'm enjoy three books that are directly related to ongoing interests of mine.

In my car, I'm listening to an audiobook of "The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America," a recent book tracing the violently abbreviated Presidential campaign of RFK.  It's actually surpisingly relevant 40 years later, considering all of the issues we're facing today - it also reveals the beginning of an evolution in race relations in this country that has culminated with Barack Obama's candidacy.  Some of Obama's campaign style, in fact, is inspired by Robert Kennedy.

Yes, I'm also reading actual books!  

"The Real Oliver Twist - Robert Blincoe: A Life That Illuminates A Violent Age" is an historical biography of a workhouse child turned human rights activist whose story may have inspired Charles Dickens to write Oliver Twist.  The truth about workhouse children - the ill-treated young  slaves that drove the industrial revolution - is even more brutal then Dickens portrayed in his book, which was meant as social commentary.

Finally, I'm reading "Devil May Care," the newest James Bond novel.  Author Sabastian Folkes is the latest in a succession of estate-approved authors to adapt Ian Fleming's immortal British Spy.

All in all, it's a good selection this time around.  Something for every occassion, as it were....

PIrate Princess

My friends Kim Turney and Lynette Privatsky are in the midst of launching their new web series, "The Perils of the Pirate Princess." It's a lively, entertaining, engaging - and addictive new take on web entertainment! Take a look at PiratePrincessProductions.com

Web entertainment is still in its infancy - there's no set formula on how to make it work (read: to make money), but there's a lot of opportunity for independent artists to make an impact - this is something that feeds the public's appetite for pirates.  It's niche marketing - watch and see what happens! 

And while you're there, go to " The Scuttlebutt" - the site forum - and tell 'em Captain Bligh sent you!

I finally know who I am.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/01/18/zac-efron-richard-samuels/