Saturday, July 24th, 2010
I just got a Canon 7D, and got to put it through its paces working on a little movie called “Late Night Worker.” The thing was conceived of and directed by a guy named Kenny McNett. You can check our more of his shenanigans over at his website at www.streetsmartcomedy.com. We shot on June 25th in the middle of the night, and debuted the movie at the LA1/SM3 movie night on July 17th. When Kenny has the movie posted on his YouTube channel, I’ll link to it. In the meantime, here are some photos I shot of the cast and crew while we were getting ready to go make the movie.
Late Night Worker Gallery
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Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Hey, all. I’ve just put several new videos up on my website at gurustump.com. Three of them in particular are rather interesting because they are entries in an online contest at filmaka.com, and thus far have done very well. Here are some links to the individual movies:
After Hours
This was our first round submission. Though it didn’t do well in the popular voting, the judges apparently liked it enough to get us into round 2.
Office Clash
Our second round submission took second place, and thus grabbed on of the three slots available to entries from our month to compete in the final 2007 competition.
Granny’s Day Out
This is our entry in the final competition for all entrants from 2007. We have yet to hear back whether we have won anything.
So there it is. I’m a bit excited by how well our movies have been doing, especially as I understand the prize for winning the final competition is rather more substantial than the bits of cash we have been awarded so far. So enjoy the movies, and I’ll let you know if we win anything.
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Saturday, March 1st, 2008
I’ve been musing about and hoping for this one for a while. While Activision’s Guitar Hero has been gaining greater and greater popularity out there, making gamers of people who previously thought an XBox was only for 35-year-old bacherlor’s in their parents’ basements and 10-year-old kids, I’ve been lamenting that there isn’t a game that actually helps you learn how to play a real guitar. Given that my own current guitar rig can be plugged directly into my PC and I can even get a tuner to pop up on my monitor, I knew that the technology already existed to make a computer able to tell what note you were playing. Now all that needed to happen was that someone had to take the scrolling notes of Guitar Hero and merge them with the real neck of a bonafide electric guitar.
And hooray: someone is doing it. The name of the game is “Guitar Rising” (guitarrising.com). You’ll be able to plug any electric guitar into your PC with simple USB to 1/4 inch interface. You’ll get 30 rock songs to play along with, at five levels of difficulty, and even with variable tempos so you can learn at your own pace. The first release is due out in time for this Christmas, and I’m sure if it’s successful, you’ll see expansion packs with more and more songs.
So for all you guitar heroes who wish you could translate your gaming skills over to actually performing real songs for your friends, get excited. This game is for you.
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Friday, October 26th, 2007
Were you ticked off when all the Daily Show clips were removed from YouTube? Redemption is at hand. Comedy Central has posted every episode of the Daily Show ever made on their own website for your perusal. Enjoy.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/index.jhtml
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Friday, October 26th, 2007
Recommendation 5:
Podcasts
For those of you who have heard of them but haven’t yet figured out what they are, podcasts are basically the internet version of Tivo. Most podcasts I am familiar with are very similar to radio talk shows: a group of people just talk about something interesting for an hour or hour and a half. The thing that makes them podcasts is that you don’t have to tune in at the time the show is broadcast. Instead, you use a program like Apple’s iTunes to “subscribe” to the podcast. When you turn on your iTunes, it simply downloads the latest episode of the show, and you can listen to or watch it whenever you want.
I have three recommendations for Podcasts available through iTunes.
ONE
This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte
If you’re a technology geek, but you get tired of having to read the trades to keep up with the latest news and gadgets, this is the podcast for you. Every week, Leo Laporte and a panel of select technology journalists get together and just yap about whatever has happened in technology during the week. They’re up to date on the latest new devices that are getting buzz in the industry, as well as the legal, social, and political issues that come up in internet and technology circles. Best of all, they keep it funny. Recommended for all ages, but if you didn’t really care about the release of the iPhone, this probably isn’t the podcast for you.
TWO
Diggnation
The founder of Digg.com, Kevin Rose, and his goofy actor friend, Alex Albrecht, spend an hour each week discussing the most interesting stories that have appeared on Digg since the previous show. They do it while consuming a very large amount of alcohol (which was generally donated to the show by fans or sponsors). If you don’t know what Digg is, see my earlier (Oct. 20) post about it. Kevin and Alex manage to keep it pretty funny, although sometimes they’re just dumb and somewhat poorly informed. This is a good podcast for those of you who can plug your earphones into your computer at work and need something to keep you awake while you execute the daily mindless process your job requires. Be forewarned: these guys know some harsh language and aren’t afraid to use it.
THREE
Keith and the Girl
If you were offended by the language in Diggnation, you’ll think Keith and the girl are the anti-christ and his girlfriend. Keith Malley is a New York area comedian who, with his girlfriend Chemda Khalili, discuss news, events, and just the vicissitudes of their own lives. Keith’s parents are devout Christians, while Chemda’s family are a mix of Persians and Israelis. Neither set of parents has ever heard the incredibly raunchy podcast their children currently produce, and Keith and Chemda often discuss their need to keep it that way. The two tend to wax very direct as they discuss their sex lives, use of controlled substances, violent altercations (though not with each other), crappy day jobs, and often poorly informed opinions.
Most episodes have a guest-host, such as gossip queen Patrice, aging (and often drunken) rocker Brother Love, or advice guru Dina (who is actually just a hick from upstate New York). Read more...
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Recommendations for people who spend too much time online, Part 5: Podcasts.
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