aMused Life

Imagineering moves forward.

2006-01-25T00:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it is pretty much official. Disney just bought Pixar which makes Mr. Jobs the largest shareholder at Disney and secures him (at a minimum) a seat on the board and most likely a very active role in shaping Disney's future. This is big news for Disney and Apple and the continued expansion and access to digital media. Personally, I see some pretty bright things on the horizon for all three since Mr. Jobs will now have complete control of two and partial control of the third. It is a great fit. Eisner being replaced by Iger made this dream team deal possible.

Remember, once again recently, Apple broke the digital media barrier with the video iPod and began selling digital video on the iTunes store. Groundbreaking because it also enhanced the market of the shows aired contrary to studio expectation. And, Disney was the first to sign up through their media outlets such as NBC.

I was pretty excited to see this move. This is truly visionary and what, imho, has made this country great..... independent thinkers that are willing to create outside the box. It is about seeing the possibilities!

Katrina Benefit October 12th.

2005-10-07T16:10:00.000-04:00

One World Wednesday

2005-10-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

Mike, Teresa, and TJ enjoying a little One World Wednesday at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

The journey toward sentience.... what really was the Christian message.

2005-10-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

Those that love to 'preach' exclusion are often those that feel the most excluded within themselves..... they really don't see the world in it's beauty, magnificence, and diversity. We are NOT all the same and that is the wonder of it. To abide by a few 'interpretations' in the bible is myopic and misses the point. If one is a 'Christian'.... one cannot pick and choose the verse that suits. You either get Christ's message or you live by virtue of dogma and dictum (the easier road for some). And, that was certainly not the point. The one passage in the bible about "not lying with a man as you would lie with a woman" was interpreted very differently prior to the 1900's.... it prescribed women as not being equal to man. Women were property and owned. Their role was that of servitude. So what are the evangelicals to do in this day and age.... chain their wives to the bedpost, kill a calf in sacrifice on every third sunday, etc.

The bright spot we see in this cloudy world is shone on the ever evolving magnificence of that great gift we were given..... sentience.... we are evolving.... despite the contrary and frightened rantings of those that are so afraid of that evolution.

WCET Halloween Party: Wicked.

2005-09-30T10:13:00.000-04:00

I am one of the hosts again this year for what should be a great event at WCET Studios...... Wicked. So don your best costume and join me for this 'fun'draiser:

Saturday, October 29, at CET, as we celebrate creativity, originality and a bit of daring at Wicked... A Party for Individuals who want to Be More!

Wicked, the place to be for fiendish Halloween fun, is an evening full of spooky delights and fun-filled antics where guests can vie for the honor of best original costume, groove to the tunes of The Kevin Fox Band and nibble on countless treats stationed throughout the
CET studios.

The event kicks off at 8:00 p.m. and runs well past the witching hour until 1:00 a.m.!

Tickets are $20.00 and only a limited number are available. Don't wait, make your reservation now using our secure online reservation form... if you dare!

Working hard...

2005-09-24T11:45:00.000-04:00

Santiago Calatrava

2005-09-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

By far one of my favorite Architects today.....Santiago Calatrava is an artist, an engineer, a sculptor, a poet, and foremost, one that brings us works of incomparable beauty and repose.

His two latest works of intrigue reside in NYC and Stockholm.

The work in NYC sits at Eighty South Street and allows it's residents the opportunity to live within a piece of living sculpture. As in many of his works, this one defies imagination as it climbs toward the sky seeming to break the boundaries of gravity.

The next work that caught my attention will grace the skyline of Stockholm, Sweden. It is called Torso Tower. And again, is a work of art in which to live. Can you imagine, living within something of such timeless beauty and elegance.

Another great work in progress is his transit station for WTC in New York. One of the only pieces of the project that truly seems to work. This great Architect approaches each project with the humility that only one who loves his craft (and not his ego) could deliver. Hats off to such a courageous artist.

Steve's 75%

2005-09-15T10:23:00.000-04:00

“What’s really been great for us is the iPod has been a chance to apply Apple’s incredibly innovative engineering in an area where we don’t have a 5%-operating-system-market-share glass ceiling,” Jobs says. “And look at what’s happened. That same innovation, that same engineering, that same talent applied where we don’t run up against the fact that Microsoft got this monopoly, and boom! We have 75% market share.” - Steve Jobs

Apple: I love you!

2005-09-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

In a world of sameness, pop culture, and inferior quality and poorly designed products...... Apple always seems to be out in front giving us great products, great support, and of course, sexy industrial design.

Well, today they did not disappoint. They introduced the HOT new iPod nano. It will replace the mini and what a replacement it is. Almost miniscule in scale, yet it's appearance approximates that of the iPod itself. Check it out.

In addition, and in cooperation with Motorola, they also introduced the first iTunes phone called the ROKR. You can now carry 1000 iTunes songs in your pocket...... on your phone. And the phone automatically mutes when a call comes in and then restarts your song when you hang up. Very cool.

Lastly, Apple introduced the latest version of iTunes. We are now at iTunes 5.0. The interface is slicker with a few more bells and whistles. Yet, as always, they resisted the temptation to mess with something good. iTunes is the BEST jukebox software out there. Period. Visually simple and easy to use.

Apple and Jobs: Keep up the great work.

Honda movie for the new Accord

2005-09-07T02:32:00.000-04:00

This Advertisement for the new Honda Accord was shot in real time with no CGI involved in the sequence. It required 606 takes and cost $6 million to shoot and took
3 months to complete.

The equipment was so precisely set up that the crew literally had to tip toe around the set for fear of disturbing things, which led to some unexpected problems. "As the day went on, the studio would get hotter," says Steiner. "It meant that the wood would expand and the cog or exhaust that spins around would move slightly faster." These tiny changes made big differences to the precision set-up of the equipment......

.....The sequence where the tires roll up a slope looks particularly impressive but is very simple. Steiner says that there is a weight in each tire and when the tire is knocked, the weight is displaced and in an attempt to rebalance itself, the tire rolls up the slope

HBO's Rome

2005-09-05T23:19:00.000-04:00

Watching tonight's installment of Rome on HBO was almost painful. What a great opportunity to use one of the greatest stories depicting the development of human civilization and translate it to the small screen. Unfortunately, the reality is very different. It plods along with bad dialogue, choppy scenes, and little depth. And, I assure you that in ancient Rome there was plenty of plot that could have been culled. I also greatly question the liberties that were taken to spice up the show's plot line. How far they go adrift from truth is at great question and at what cost to the show's integrity.

We all like a little spice in a production, but this one is heavily laden with gratuitous violence, sex, and well, sex. I have no problem with sex mind you......but when it does not add to the storyline it just gets in the way. Tonight the show was sloppily cut from one sex scene to next without dialogue or seque.

In addtion, what is up with the ridiculous need to always have Romans speak with a thick British accent. This is hard to understand considering the Romans spoke Latin, the precurser of Italian. Would it not make more sense if they spoke English but with the proper accent? One that was descendant of a romance language? It drives me crazy to hear cockney spoken in the slums of Rome as if this were written and directed by Shakespeare and was performed in Piccadilly.

The only things I find truly worthwhile are the beautifully erected and somewhat authentic sets that were built and the beautifully elaborate costuming. They add greatly to the series and in some ways carry it.

In tonight's episode the entire fate of the Roman empire and it's decline into civil war was predicated upon the accidental mishaps of two rogue soldiers. Oops. Not at all inspiring. Sounds like the far-fetched fable of Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

I will continue watching, I suppose, but find it a shame that this great opportunity was missed to update a tale that is the basis of western civilization. This is not up to HBO's standards... especially considering all the wonderful series we have been given in recent years by this adventurous producer.

Emerson

2005-09-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tennis Anyone

2005-08-19T02:45:00.000-04:00

We went to the ATP last night mainly to watch Roddick and Ferrero's match. And, we were not disappointed. Ferrero had Roddick on the defensive throughout the first round and beat him. Unbelievable. Then the next two rounds Roddick pulled it out. Very close in all three though. Roddick's serve is simply amazing, and as the game progressed he kept getting faster and more accurate. He was hitting around 130 to 150 mph on his serves, aceing repeatedly and driving the crowd wild. Since I tend to cheer on the underdog, it was hard to watch the crowd so pulling for Roddick. Poor Ferrero, imagine being on that court and not feeling the crowd. But, he put on an excellent show regardless.

Our seats were great, thanks to Cynthia, she pulled in some excellent tickets through her company. Love ya, Cynthia, you take such good care of me, baby. And, in her inimitable style, she, of course, had VIP everything for the evening. That girl only lives one way and that is first class.

We saw many friends out for the tournament. It was a social mecca for Cincinnati for a Wednesday evening.

Lastly, did I mention how incredibly great Roddick looked. HOT. HOT. HOT.

What a great night in Cincinnati.

www.andyroddick.com