Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Bing. Is it a sound or just a pain in the arse always taking you where it wants you to go when you search for something?

Search engines are just supposed to allow you to find the crap you are looking for on the world wide web...right? Remember Ask.com or how about Ask Jeeves.com? There was a rendering of a plump butler (Jeeves) and a browser box in which to input your search parameters. That was all and it was enough.

Google got in the act and suddenly you are flung into the world of invasive e commerce feeding you offers and sites based on previous browser data which has nothing to do with your research of mountain climbing or how to tie your shoes. That is the proverbial "but" to the vast amounts of information you are now able to access via your fingertips. Enter Chrome and Opera and Firefox and Microsoft Edge and Apple all sucking up your personal data and likes and interests and shopping patterns and contacts...the list of stored intrusions into your life is endless. Then it becomes a commodity and is sold (don't let them fool you...no matter what you are told it gets around) to those who will use it to attempt to steer your searches to their partners or their own enterprises in hope of capturing your business along with more data to sell...I mean share.

Have you ever noticed when you search the ads pop up before you ever get to the place you were asking for? Bing is the worst. If I key in the search blogger.com this is what I got: ...






  3. Now, to be fair there was a big ad with the blogger logo to the right side of the list and it appeared more as a info center rather than direct access but my point is it tried to get me to go through all the other sites before I even saw what I expected in the list. You never seem to be able to get where you want to go without being subjected to attempts to bend you to their will. 

  4. Chrome seemed like a good idea until the scammers figured a way to trick your computer into adding fake extensions and addons to the browser that actually slip past spam filters and are not susceptible to your security software. 

    We need to get back to simpler times. We need to go to the store. We need to interact with people. We need to help each other. We need to play ping pong and not just pong. We need to stop living vicariously through the trials and tribulations of others via social media. We need to read a book. We need to...we need...we ne.... Just a minute.  Got a Facetime call and messenger just pinged. Hey, I'll hit you back in a few. Just remember...Bing sucks. TTFN!

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Monday, August 9, 2021

Interview With The Director Of Peninsula Community Theatre's Production Of The 39 Steps

 August 9, 2021 Off Top Of My Head Interview with Mike Diana the Director Of Peninsula Community Theatre's production of “The 39 Steps” live onstage now for the next two weekends (www.pctlive.org for tickets and information). 

OTMH- Good Morning Mike 

MD- Morning, I must say feels like I am talking to my mirror. 

OTMH- Get over it. 

MD- Right. 

OTMH- Your show opened this past weekend and garnered rave reviews from those who attended. 

MD- Yes it was great to have an audience and they certainly did enjoy themselves. 

OTMH- Why The 39 Steps?

MD- I've always wanted to do the show, but the technical aspects of mounting it as well a finding the right 4 actors to pull it off has always been a concern. With the COVID mandates making open auditions somewhat perilous due to gathering restrictions as well as the possibility we could be forced to shut down at any moment (no audience more than 10-20 would make it fiscally impossible to succeed) put added stress on the enterprise. 

                                        

 OTMH- But you did find the 4 actors you wanted?

MD- Yes. With the assistance of my production manager we were graced with two perfect additions to our cast based on her recommendation. She also was instrumental in our indispensable Stage Manager and Lighting Designer joining the company. We were ready to get going. 

OTMH- What was your overall concept for the show? 

MD- I wanted to give the audience the feeling of watching a 1930's film. I felt that in noir movies of that period the music and sound effects enhanced that experience so I wanted to add a soundscape to what was taking place on stage. 

OTMH- Isn't that an unusual addition for a stage play?

MD- The usual things like birds chirping or bells ringing or gun shots find there way as sound effects, but I wanted a soundscape with film and related period music. I also asked for foley-like FX, along with “stings” for dramatic moments and swells of strings for romantic moments. It was undertaken by Brian Murray and over the months we crafted a wonderful soundscape that lifts the production to new heights. It certainly adds to the experience. 

OTMH- How did you manage to cover all the scene changes and locations in the movie? 

MD- My creative team was crackerjack. After my initial design was completed I enlisted the aid of my Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, Costumer and Assistant Director to bring those designs to life. And they did a hell of a job. We managed to cover just about every theatrical convention with a few surprises thrown in to boot. Very happy with result. 

OTMH- It sounds like it. Has COVID changed your approach to performances and cast interaction?

 MD- Actually all of our cast, crew and staff have been fully vaccinated and the theater has gone through extraordinary additional steps to ensure cast, crew and audience will be in a clean environment, even to the point of using commercial grade disinfectants and equipment to treat the bathrooms, lobby and auditorium between each performance and ensuring all CDC guidelines are followed. We feel good about being in the building. 

OTMH- What about distancing? 

MD- The house is only being sold at 65% capacity. Seats are being reserved for those who would feel more comfortable with a bit more distance in the seating. Anyone can move before the ` show. 

OTMH- So, what are the 39 steps? What is the plot of the play? 

MD- What are the 39 steps? That's why one needs to see the play. It's all about finding out what they are. Let's just say it is a 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller based on the novel written in 1915. In the early 21st century it was adapted (taking great license) as a comedic stage play(multiple award winner) and has been performed on the West End as well as on and Off Broadway.

OTMH- What we can expect watching the show?

MD- Oh...well...there are surprises galore and some great bits of slapstick and, while homage is paid to various Hitchcock films, anything and everything is fair game for a laugh.

OTMH- Sounds great. Thank you for playing along with this bit of tomfoolery and taking the time to offer some insight into your production of The 39 Steps to potential readers as well as potential audience members. See you in the mirror real soon.

MD- It's been my pleasure. It would be grand if everyone came to Peninsula Community Theatre to
see our production of The 39 Steps. I guarantee a belly laugh or two.

GO TO WWW.PCTLIVE.ORG FOR TICKET AND INFORMATION

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Wednesday, November 18, 2020

ZOOMing In On Live Entertainment COVID style....

My how things have changed since the first of the year. When did you last go to the movies? Have you been to see live theater lately? Those trips are rarer than a serving of beef tartar and that hard to imagine! (look it up) Theater regulations for operating are more stringent than restaurants and bars have ever been mandated to observe. Live theater presents an even more restrictive set of requirements than the others. 

A 25% occupancy maximum will never support royalty based productions. A 300 seat house would allow up to 75 seats to be sold, however the distancing requirements might mean only 50 seats could be occupied. There's little chance of recouping expenses if one could stage even a non musical production.

Don't forget. Distancing goes for those on stage as well. Actors, in the act of speaking with their mouths wide open, can inadvertently spray saliva into the air in the direction of either their cast-mates or the audience. (I've been told that while singing from the stage the spray can reach distances exceeding 10-15 feet.)

Years ago my wife and I watched Gary Morris, as Les Mis's Jean Valjean, emotionally spray the front row and beyond with glinting arcs of spittle when he sang "Bring Him Home" from the apron of Broadway's Imperial Theater stage. Yup. It's a real thing. Those droplets you imagined having felt on your cheek or head at a show could have been ingenue or chorus spittle. Might want to wear a hat or scarf when next you go.

The on stage distancing makes life difficult to actors, directors and crew. It does, however, present opportunities ("Desperate times call for desperate measures" Sweeney Todd) to explore performance from outside the proverbial box. 

Hello Zoom and applications of a similar ilk. Virtual shows done via streaming...kinda like PBS and  others have done. Now production values wl not be the same but professional and even theaters need to keep their doors open. The bills haven't stopped coming due for those mega million dollar productions whose theater marquees went dark back in late winter/early spring 2020. There is no subsidy for community playhouses to assist in keeping the lights on and the rent paid. Hundreds of theater groups have shut down...closed up shop...given up the ghost. You have to adapt to survive.


Welcome to the world of streaming on YouTube! Breaking out of the proverbial box and being open minded when it comes to approaching producing entertainment as media.  It requires finding material within your capabilities to afford, rehearse, stage, record and edit as viable content for streaming. Once that's been accomplished creating a channel to upload your content comes next and then you must be able to promote and "sell" your new approach to your patrons.  Sounds daunting but in truth it's something that should have been on every theater group's radar for years. 


Content is rather easy to find and some playwrights will even forgo royalty if you follow certain guidelines when doing their material (of course you must make sure they own the rights to what you want to produce). There are also tons of radio scripts from the golden age floating around. Some could be available in the public domain but it's always smart to contact the rights holder for permission.  You do what you have to do. 

I'm in the process of editing three shows for streaming. The process is the culmination of the efforts of cast, crew and production staff who were willing to suffer through Zoom rehearsals, mapping out the technical details for filming, editing and promoting the production. Without the COVID restrictions this would be a breeze and the community groups that have the capability should see this as an avenue for the future. Sometimes you gotta color outside the lines.

The arts are the first cuts in funding when times get tough. That's the American way. In Europe and other regions of the world arts make up a large percentage of their national identity.


That reverence isn't shared here. We have classic plays and films we might include in our lexicon of things "Americana" but nothing that can define us as a nation. Are we too diverse for that notion? We just went through the MAGA propaganda period, but I don't recall feeling we were in need of that hype to start with. We don't refer to this as the "motherland" in our culture (whatever that is). So entertainment is just that. Something to keep us occupied in our unproductive periods during the day, week or month.

In this the worst of times we need the release of tension. Our fears come alive daily whether in the news or via social media. Political unrest and a relentless viral attack have been the focus for most of us for months. If you hear about one of your local playhouses streaming a show tune in. Most of the time there is no cost to a ticket. Donations are certainly appreciated. Help keep the lights on and the stages lit.




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Monday, November 16, 2020

PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE and a bite of the Apple

My iPad has slowed down. It was my pride and joy and a wonderful gift from my bride who had endured my complaints regarding my painfully unresponsive Sony tablet.
I had resisted becoming Apple reliant eschewing iPhones and MACbooks in favor of the PC/Android standard. Microsoft Windows tablets weren't in the mix back then. It did take some time to get used to, but I thoroughly enjoyed the iPad until recently. It just doesn't work as well as it did just a few short

months ago.

I swallowed my pride and decided to make the pilgrimage to the local APPLE store to see if they could help me understand what was happening. When I arrived the joint was crawling with Apple owners I had to give them my phone number and wait for a text message letting me know I was on deck to see a tech.
That cheery millennial informed me with a smile that my 4th Generation was unable to update to the latest operating system because it was too old. Too old? TOO OLD! It had just turned three! What in the hell were they thinking!? I could hear Steve Jobs belly laughing from the exclusive Trillionaire's clouds in Heaven (I hear they get more legroom and the seats are puffier).They said I could keep using it or they would take it in trade for a $50 credit toward a $400+ brand spanking new one. As my grandmother used to say, "I REMAINED"! The entire trip was a waste of time. It was a travesty...an insult. Why I never.

At home I removed several apps from  my crippled, antique device and emptied the cache in all the rest in hopes of regaining some of the speed enjoyed in it's youth. In other words I had decided to make do.
One afternoon an application I use regularly said it was required I download and install an update in order to use it. What followed was a cascade of apps requesting updates that my rickety ancient iPad would not do. Now what would any normal person do in this situation...scream...yell...fling it against the wall...park the dang thing and read a book or take a walk or go work out? Nope! Gotta haunt the ads in search of the best possible deal on a newer, better, up to date, and readily available replacement that won't break the bank. The issue is you do this knowing that at their whim what you buy will be outdated and require replacement in relatively short order. Apple is a ravenous beast when it comes to pooping out new and ever newer updates requiring you to repeat your previous purchase in order to keep up! Look at the lean and hungry look of those waiting in line for the latest and greatest iPhone! 
Planned obsolesce! They took away the headphone jack! Wow! I gotta have that! Now it comes in blue. I gotta have that! The super duper version goes for $1,000. It can tell if you're pregnant or need a hair cut as well as tell time. I can't afford food but I got to have that! Obsolescence will eventually trickle down to body parts and marriages. Body parts will evolve to include expiration dates...wedding prenups will feature a freshness date (like beers) after which marriage begins to leave a bitter taste. It's just business. The number of iPhones and iPads being bought and sold and shelved is staggering.  Why should this be a concern? Actually, aside from depleting one's discretionary income and forcing one's involuntary keeping up with the Jones, there's little to worry about. Businesses succeed on sales and sales require products and there are items that just take too long to break or require replacement. They need help falling in line with things that break down and wear out mechanically. No moving parts equals long life of usage...unless....

I am enjoying my new, bigger, more powerful and fully functioning iPad I managed to find at a rock bottom price. It races from app to app and has almost all the bells and whistles. Am I a victim? Yes. Does it matter? Apparently not. If you want to keep up you gotta be willing to part with your hard earned wages or savings or credit. Every business gets a taste as you strive to make yourself happily connected in this modern age.
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Bing. Is it a sound or just a pain in the arse always taking you where it wants you to go when you search for something?

Search engines are just supposed to allow you to find the crap you are looking for on the world wide web...right? Remember Ask.com or how ab...