Category Archives: Media & Entertainment

Authentic. Real. Not weird.

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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his daughter Hope at the Minnesota State Fair.

Don’t know who produced this. Don’t know if it was the Harris-Walz campaign (doesn’t look like it to me). What I do know is it didn’t come across as a slick political ad. Whoever is doing the social media stuff for the campaign knows what they’re doing. But this really works because these are two, real, normal people…not mouthing talking points (and looking creepy). NO talking points. Just father and daughter at the state fair.

Now, let’s take a look at how legacy media (WRAL TV in Raleigh, North Carolina) covered Governor Walz and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper when they stopped by Cook Out for milkshakes.

Compare that with the same “event” as it appeared on Tim Walz’ YouTube channel. See how WRAL sucked all the life, all the humanity out of the moment. Why would you ever talk to a local reporter when someone with an iPhone can do this so much better.

Junk

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I was unable to express why I found these piles of junk so interesting. Fortunately my friend Dave got it immediately.

The video gave me very interesting vibes. I became curious about when each piece had been placed, what the intention was for saving it, and what the area looked like when they placed the first piece. And, which was the last piece added. And what became of the person or people who put it all there. And what will become of it. Will it stay forever? Will it all be taken to a different junkyard? Will archeologists find it all someday? 

Everything placed carefully. I can imagine him saying to someone, “are you needing to keep this McDonald’s I’m Lovin’It sticker? May I have it?” 

AirPods at the Olympics

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I don’t watch a lot of TV news these days but when I do happen upon a cable news interview the odds are pretty good the interviewee will have the iconic Apple AirPods in his ear. That’s how he’s hearing the questions from the news guy. It never occurred to me the AirPod microphones might be the source of the audio.

Tonight I watched an interview (on NBC) with one of the Olympic athletes who was using AirPods to hear the questions from the interviewer.

I first noticed this in some of the interviews with family members (of the athlete) sitting in the stands. I’m assuming this works like the earpiece (IFB) news anchors use to communicate with the control room. In every instance (that I’ve seen) they’ve been Apple AirPods when there are probably lots of devices NBC could have used.

As I do with increasing frequency these days, I asked ChatGPT if she had any information on this.

You’re right that NBC and other networks have been seen using Apple AirPods during interviews, including with Olympic athletes and their families. The use of AirPods in these situations is a practical solution for a few reasons:

1.Wireless Convenience: AirPods are wireless, which makes them less cumbersome compared to traditional wired earpieces or over-the-ear headphones. This is especially useful in dynamic or remote settings, like interviewing athletes or their families who may be moving around or in informal environments.

2.High-Quality Audio: AirPods provide good audio quality, which ensures that the person being interviewed can clearly hear the questions being asked. This clarity is crucial for maintaining the flow of live interviews, especially in noisy or crowded environments like those often encountered during the Olympics.

3.Discreet Appearance: AirPods are small and less noticeable on camera compared to larger headphones or traditional broadcast earpieces. This makes them a more aesthetically pleasing choice for televised interviews, where the focus is on the interviewee rather than the equipment.

4.Ease of Use: AirPods are easy to connect to various devices, such as smartphones, which are often used by reporters or production teams in the field to conduct interviews. Their ease of use and quick setup make them an efficient choice for live broadcasting situations.

5.Ubiquity and Familiarity: AirPods are widely recognized and used, so many people are already familiar with how to use them. This reduces the need for technical adjustments or explanations during setup.

NBC’s use of AirPods is a modern adaptation to the challenges of broadcasting in various environments, offering a blend of practicality, quality, and aesthetics.

“More human than human”

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That’s the motto of the corporation in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. The film was released 42 years ago and has stood the test of time. I watched it again last night. For the tenth time? The twentieth? And every time I discover some perfect new visual detail or bit of dialog. Like this from Rachael:

“I’m not in the business. I am the business.”

As I watched the movie again last night I was aware of the phone by my hand and the AI chatbots within. I asked ChatGPT about the “More human than human” line.

The line “More human than human” from Blade Runner is quite intriguing. In the context of the film, it refers to the replicants created by the Tyrell Corporation, which are designed to be almost indistinguishable from humans but are often superior in physical and mental capabilities. Philosophically, it can be interpreted in several ways:

    • Creation and Perfection: It suggests that the replicants are engineered to be better than humans, embodying idealized qualities that surpass natural human limitations.
    • Identity and Humanity: It raises questions about what it means to be human. If replicants can think, feel, and even surpass human abilities, what distinguishes them from humans? It blurs the lines between creator and creation.
    • Irony and Critique: There’s an irony in the phrase, as the replicants, despite being “more human,” are denied human rights and treated as mere property. It critiques the ethical implications of creating life and the responsibilities that come with it.

Overall, the phrase encapsulates the film’s exploration of humanity, identity, and the ethical dilemmas of advanced technology.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Scott called AI a “technical hydrogen bomb” and warned about its potential dangers.

Hotel California guitar solo

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Chen is one of the daughters in a “family band” from the Philippines. She —and what I assume are her two sisters and father— perform amazing covers of hit songs. The still to the right is from a 2 1/2 minute video of her playing the guitar solo from The Eagles’ Hotel California. A couple of things about this short video grabbed me. Her obvious proficiency with this guitar solo but even more was the blissed out concentration that you see in the faces of the best guitar players. In the zone?

A couple of questions popped into my head: How long did it take her to master this iconic solo… followed by, Who wrote and first performed it. I went to Perplexity for the following, including reference sources:

According to interviews and accounts from Don Felder and others involved, the iconic guitar solos and dueling guitar parts on “Hotel California” by the Eagles came together in the following way:

  • Don Felder originally composed the music and recorded a demo for “Hotel California” at his home studio in Malibu in 1976. On this demo, he improvised and recorded sample guitar solos and parts that he envisioned for himself and Joe Walsh to play on the final recording.
  • When it came time to record the guitar solos and leads in the studio in Miami, Felder and Walsh initially started improvising new parts together. However, Don Henley stopped them and insisted they learn and play Felder’s original demo solo parts note-for-note.
  • The problem was Felder didn’t have the original demo tape with him in Miami. He had to call his housekeeper back in Malibu, have her find the cassette, play it over the phone, and Felder re-learned and transcribed his own improvised guitar parts from the demo.
  • Felder estimates that over half of the iconic guitar solos and dueling parts on the final “Hotel California” recording came directly from the original demo he recorded at home, with him and Walsh splitting up and learning those parts.
  • Specifically, Felder played the first half of the ending guitar solo, while Walsh played the second half. They then combined for the harmonized finale section.

So in summary, while Felder and Walsh did collaborate and split the guitar solos, a significant portion was actually Felder improvising alone on his original demo, which Henley insisted they recreate faithfully in the studio.

Blog maintenance: Video

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When I started blogging in 2002 it was really hard to include video in a post. YouTube was still three years away. Google had a video player for a while but streaming just wasn’t a thing. The first video files I uploaded were tiny because they had to download before they could be watched. But all that changed with faster computers and more bandwidth. And, of course, smart phones that could record video.

YouTube made it very easy to upload and share video from a website like mine. I have 677 posts on this blog that include video. Most of those were created by someone else but I’ve created a couple of hundred. My first was in February of 2006.

There are other streaming platforms besides YouTube. Vimeo, TED Talks, and WordPress has a player for streaming mp4 files. Fifty-nine of my posts use something other than a YouTube embed.

My posts with video now fall into several categories under Media & Entertainment:

Of the 200+ videos that I’ve posted here, 44 of them were me talking to the camera. Not sure these would be considered “selfies.”

Audio

Seventy-nine of my posts include audio. Interviews, funny songs, old radio jingles and commercials, etc. Some of my favorite stuff.