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Happy Sunday

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday because I’m not. A few days ago their was a power surge in our building and it fried my UPS. So, that’s a bummer. A day or so earlier my G5 started to act strange. It started to have problems remembering how windows were displayed, my passwords for e-mail accounts and lots of other symptoms and just strange things

Also, it has started emitting a rather annoying humming noise. Others have told me that it is probably the Power Supply going bad and I think that is probably what it is too. Whatever it is, its damn annoying on many levels. The main one is that the computer is only about eight months old (which I know is an eternity in computer world) and should not be having issues already but also because I am in the middle of so many other projects that this is not a great time to be without my main machine.

So I am spending my Sunday afternoon re-installing everything from scratch just to see if that has any effect on the noise. I can hear the Windows users in the crowd about to comment but I will save you the trouble. I decided to do this. Not because my computer would not work or because I had a blue screen of death but because I wanted to try and see if it made a difference.

I deal with computers every day and felt that I wanted to try everything I could think of before resorting to taking the computer in for service. It’s not that far to an Apple store. As we are in Los Angeles, there about five within a 30 minute drive. Really, it just comes down to disappointment.

I know, things break. Electronic gizmos fail. I never thought it would happen to Apple computer. I have had at least 10 Apple computers in the last 20 years and only recently did I have any trouble with them. I had an iBook that needed a new logic board about three years ago and now this. At least the computer still works in this case. With the iBook, nothing worked. On the other hand, I have a Mac Performa, purchased during the dark Gil Amelio years, that still works today.

And if it was just me I would not be so disappointed. Unfortunately, I work with people everyday who use macs and the trend seems to be towards more problems, not fewer. My mother-in-law for example had to have her G5 repaired after only owning it for a few months. She had to have one of her two processors replaced. Fun, huh?

I also work with several other people who have experienced problems that required repair. As a guess, I would have to say that at least 10% of the people that I know who use macs have had some kind of issue that required the computer to go in for service. A couple have had to go more than once.

Perhaps my experience is unique or perhaps I am just unlucky and know a bunch of unlucky people. I hope that’s the case. One of the main things that Apple is known for is quality. I would hate for that to change. If Apple starts making computers that are just average and fail with regularity than I may as well start using Dell all the time. At least they are cheaper.

Although, I really do like OSX and its many features and ease of use. And it only runs on Apple hardware. Damn you Apple!

I guess I’ll keep coming back after all. Oh well, happy Sunday anyway.

Later.

In the news today

Here’s some interesting bits appearing in a newspaper or website near you.

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to repeal a state law that requires animal shelters to hold stray dogs and cats for up to six days before killing them. Instead, there would be a three-day requirement for strays. Other animals, including birds, hamsters, potbellied pigs, rabbits, snakes and turtles, could be killed immediately.

Schwarzenegger has told the state Legislature that the changes could save local governments that operate shelters up to $14 million. An estimated 600,000 dogs and cats are put to death each year in California, including 34,000 in Los Angeles alone.

The waiting period has caused overcrowding and forced some shelters to kill off animals simply to make room for new ones, said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance. “Because of space limitations, the shelters are being forced to euthanize animals who are otherwise highly adoptable immediately after the holding time,” Palmer said.

Despite Schwarzenegger’s huge popularity, some political observers think the proposal will meet stiff resistance. “There is no organized constituency of cats and dogs, but certainly the pet owners of America will find this reprehensible,” said Barbara O’Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at California State University, Sacramento.

“Cats and dogs are like mom and apple pie,” she said. “Don’t mess with the pets. Most people prefer them to other people.” The 1998 law is named for former state Sen. Tom Hayden, who said the governor’s proposal “will inflict heartbreak on a lot of owners and people in the animal adoption world.”

Isn’t that nice? Now instead of The Teminator or The Gobenator he can be called The Exterminator. I think people will resist this. Probably not a great move for the Gov. Perhaps he should have announced a few other programs to save money before this one? You know, worked up to it and all. Oh well, the cat’s out of the bag now I guess.

In other news. Having watched President Clinton being interviewed and also having just finished his book, I was waiting for this:

LONDON (AP) — Monica Lewinsky said Bill Clinton is a “revisionist of history” who lied about their relationship in his new memoir, according to a British newspaper. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Lewinsky called the former president’s account of their relationship dishonest and said he has missed an opportunity to undo some of the damage their entanglement caused her.

“He could have made it right with the book,” the newspaper quoted her as saying. “But he hasn’t. He is a revisionist of history. He has lied.” Lewinsky, now 30, the former White House intern whose affair with Clinton led to his impeachment (see fact box), said his description of their relationship in his just-published “My Life” made it sound like the dalliance came only at her initiative and was purely physical.

“I really didn’t expect him to go into detail about our relationship” in the memoir, she said. “But if he had and he’d done it honestly, I wouldn’t have minded. … I did though at least expect him to correct the false statements he made when he was trying to protect the presidency.

“Instead, he talked about it as though I had laid it all out there for the taking. I was the buffet and he just couldn’t resist the dessert,” she was quoted as saying. “That’s not how it was. This was a mutual relationship, mutual on all levels, right from the way it started and all the way through. … I don’t accept that he had to completely desecrate my character.”

Clinton wrote that his affair with Lewinsky revealed “the darkest part of my inner life” and led to his temporary banishment from the White House bedroom. He said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he became involved with Lewinsky “for the worst possible reason. Just because I could.”

The Daily Mail said it interviewed Lewinsky, who lives in New York, at an undisclosed U.S. location. The newspaper did not immediately respond to a question about whether it paid Lewinsky for the interview, a common practice in the British press.

Hmmm. The Daily Mail. If it was a newspaper that was a tad bit more respectable and also didn’t pay people for interviews I might give it a little more creedence. But really. I feel like Monica is a little jealous that President Clinton is getting so much attention again. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the last thing she wants is attention. Having never been in that position before I can only guess what it must be like.

I know a few people that could be considered “famous” and some like attention and some don’t. However, they all chose to put themselves in the limelite. Monica didn’t. So for that, I do feel sorry for her. But if you hate the attention so much, why speak out now? Just let it go. Everyone already has their opinions of the things that happened and nothing is going to change that. And if it did make a few people think differently about you, who cares? Let it go. Try to move on with your life. That’s the best thing you can do. Really.

Even as I write it I realize that it won’t happen. At least I tried to reason with her. I hope she finally gets the life she wants. I really do.

Ok, no more talk of Monica or Clinton. Now what are we going to talk about? I’ll get back to you on that one.

Later.

Gotta blog, gotta blog, gotta blog

As I have been doing this particular blog for a few weeks now and did my old one for some time it has come to the point that I feel compelled to make an entry every day. I don’t know if this is interesting to anyone save my immediate family, who find me very interesting and insightful, of course. Or, is this interesting to others as well? I like to think so.

For better or worse I feel compelled to write something so here it is. I am happy to say that I am one of the proud owners of a much-coveted Gmail account. What is Gmail you ask? Why its the new e-mail service from the fine folks at Google that provides you with enough mail space so you never have to delete an e-mail again. Isn’t that cool.

I am one of the people that has been invited to test out the Gmail system and provide feedback. So, kudos to me for being so cool and cutting edge. If you want to send me an e-mail please feel free as I have plenty of space. The address is: cullrich@gmail.com

I would appreciate any comments about this blog or about life in general. Also, the more I use the Gmail service the more invites I will get to send to other people. So, let’s get busy and keep those messages coming in. Thanks.

My friend Tony presented clips from his movie tonight at the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group meeting. I know that’s a mouthful so just call it LAFCPUG, we do. The group was formed by people who use Apple’s Final Cut Pro for people who use Final Cut Pro to get together and talk about Final Cut Pro.

Four years ago the group started out with about 25 member (myself included). Now, it has over 3500 members and chapters all over the country. So, happy 4th anniversary LAFCPUG. If you are an editor using Final Cut Pro or are just interested in knowing more about it, check out the website for LAFCPUG. The group is good and you can learn something.

That’s it for now. I feel sleep coming on and I want to be sure and take advantage of it. Hope everyone has a nice week or whatever.

Later.

Up again but working on it

It’s earlier than it usually is when I do this. It’s only about midnight so I’m making progress in the fight against insomnia. If only their wasn’t such quality television or video gaming to be had. That also tends to keep me up later than I might wish.

One of the things I used to like to do after a long day in the entertainment trenches was to come home and watch a little Tech TV. I really liked a show called “The Screensavers’“. It’s a show devoted to all things tech and also served to educate while it entertained. All in all a good program with appealing people hosting and doing segments.

One of the people that made the show especially interesting was Morgan Webb. She did Windows tips and various other bits of info and has progressed to become co-host of another show, XPlay. This show is devoted to video games and the like. Her on-air skills have improved. She has come a long way.

But, just so people don’t think she is too much of a geek, she posed in the most recent issue of Maxim Magazine (on newsstands or in your mailbox now). Here’s one of the shots:

morgan-webb-pics-009.jpg

My friend ADD will appreciate this as he is a big fan of her (so am I). She has brains and looks. A great combo.

In other news, i caught both interviews with President Clinton recently. One with Dan Rather and one with Oprah (don’t say it). I must say he comes across pretty well and seems to be fairly sincere in his apologies and in his quest for forgiveness and redemption. Good for him. We could all use a little of that now and again.

I have to wonder though, was Monica the only one? If you believe the rumors he really had trouble keeping his dick in his pants for most of his life. I guess it’s easy to believe the rumors so some people will criticize and judge. I don’t know if he ever got busy with any other interns, staffers or sheep for that matter. It really doesn’t matter.

What matters now is what is happening to this country today. For the first time I don’t feel so good about calling myself an American. Some of the things we do and some of the reasons we do them seem very suspect to me. One big example is the abuse of prisoners in Iraq by our Marines.

We have the Geneva convention for a reason. We need to follow it. Always. Without exception. If we don’t how the hell can we expect other countries or terrorist organizations to even think about following it. It’s simple, they won’t. As we are the leader of the free world (self-proclaimed as it is) we must live to a higher standard.

Because make no mistake, the whole world is watching. 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. 365 days a year. Watching and waiting for us to do something incredibly fucking stupid and have video tape show up on tv.

It makes us look like assholes is what it does. And I don’t want to live in a country with a bunch of assholes. I only hope it isn’t too late. I don’t think it is but then again, I’ve been wrong before. The next few months and years should prove quite interesting. if we last that long.

Later.

It’s late (or is it early?)

Yes, its me. Insomnia guy. Why the hell is this happening? I have limited myself to one Starbucks (or similar) beverage per day and that is usually right after lunch. So that shouldn’t be the problem.

I use it go get over the post-lunch tiredness. You know what I mean. You go to your favorite joint for a bite and enjoy the hell out of it. Then, about an hour later (sometimes less) you start to feel tired. I know I do. Although it doesn’t happen all the time so I really don’t know what to make of it. I have a doctor’s appointment next week and perhaps I will ask about it.

I hope the doctor will have time for my questions. See, its annual physical time and you men out there know what I am talking about. Its’ the one thing we guys have to worry about. Women have many, many problems and ways to get ill. We have one big one that can really do us in if we don’t watch it.

This is one of the main things that can kill us men. I know of two people, my father included, who have had Prostate cancer. Sadly, only one of them survived. It was my father, by the way. As you could probably tell from my Father’s Day posts, he is still alive (or I am very, very tired and see dead people).

So, that’s 50% of the people I know personally who have not survived. Great odds, right? I don’t want to harp on this too much and really don’t want to dwell on the morbid but for those men that are reading this I just want to tell you one bit of advice: Don’t be afraid to let a Doctor stick their finger in your ass. It’s for your own good.

Believe me, its probably as awkward for them as it is for you. I’m pretty sure they are not enjoying it. This is the one thing that we should not be afraid to do. Sure, don’t pay your taxes on time, slack off on taking out the trash, drink beer all day and watch the game, go to strip clubs and drop hundreds of dollars on a stripper named Destiny who you are sure really likes you. Do all that stuff but don’t be an idiot and go get checked.

That’s it. I’m done with the touchy-feely crap. I just don’t want anyone to die due to ignorance. i want them to die in a drunken stupor while doing X in a Jacuzzi with four Supermodels. That’s the way we should all go. (at least the men in the audience).

Check out more info on what I’m talking about. They do good work there and have lots of good information.

In other news, that John Stewart is a funny mofo. If you haven’t checked out his show “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central you are missing out on a great time. Set your TiVo for a season pass immediately. If you don’t have a TiVo, go get one. Now. I’ll wait. If you don’t know what I am talking about at all, ask someone who is cool to tell you. Then, follow their instructions and go get a TiVo.

Ok, that’s better. Now, set a season pass for “The Daily Show”, “Deadwood”, “Six Feet Under”, “The Shield”, “Nip/Tuck” and reruns of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. That should get you started.

I will get into other shows along the way. Right now, I feel like I may actually be able to go to bed. Will wonders never cease. If only I could have done this a few hours ago. Well, you can’t have everything and some things you really don’t want so who knows? It’s all a pretty random cluster most of the time but try to have fun with it anyway.

I know I do.

Later.

One more thing.

I just wanted to see the ease with which I can post from my Windows laptop. Usually, I use either my Apple Powerbook or my Apple Dual 2Ghz G5. At this moment, I am using the Dell Latitude D600 laptop. It’s a nice computer and would be great for me if the Mac wasn’t around. Some of my work involves dealing with Windows so I need to be up on the latest Windows lore.

Besides, even with its problems, Windows still works pretty well for what I am doing with it. I do most of the heavy lifting with one of my Macs so I don’t push the PC’s very hard. I do have another Windows box for gaming and backup for the laptop. I also have an XBox. All of this stuff makes me a pretty large Microsoft consumer. Although I still spend more on Apple products in a year than I do on Microsoft so I guess that’s something.

Well, this is a short one as we need to go watch the latest episode of “Six Feet Under”. It’s a good show. I really miss “Deadwood” already though. Why did those co*****kers at HBO make so few episodes? Maybe they will make more next season. We can only hope. I will get into a further discussion regarding the merits of “Deadwood” at a later time.

Suffice to say, if you can stand that colorful language (putting it mildly) you will really enjoy the great acting, compelling storylines and interesting characters. All in all a fantastic show. Be sure to check it out as it still runs several times a week on HBO. It’s shows like “Deadwood” that make it worthwhile to shell out cash every month for television. You definitely get what you are paying this time.

For some fun reading about your favorite shows, check out the reviews and commentary at Television Without Pity. They really know how to get to the heart of the matter. Most of the time I agree with their reviews and comments. Sometimes, however, they completely miss the mark. Much like life that way, I guess. Either way, good fun.

Later.

Father’s Day

hfu-1

Went to see my father today (and my mum too). This is a picture of him. They are both fine having returned from their trip to see where they are going to be buried. Well, my Dad at least. My Mom doesn’t want to be buried. She wants to be cremated and have her ashes scattered in the ocean.

This was a great lunch conversation I can tell you. I know my parents are going to die someday. We all are. I just don’t want to talk about it too much until it actually happens. It’s all a little more than I wish to think about. I hope they are going to be around to see their grand kids (if I ever have any). I know they would like that too. We will get around to it sometime I’m sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I like kids. I really like them more when they belong to someone else. Don’t write me nasty e-mail and accuse me of not liking kids or being anti-kid or something. It’s not the case. In fact, I spend a lot of time with kids. Well, one kid in particular. Her name is Avalon and her parents are Anthony and Lisa Dalesandro.

To appreciate Avalon, you should take a look at her website (yes, she has one already). She is a great kid and will grow up to be a fantastic person. I’m absolutely sure she will end up President of the United States or something. She’s that smart.

If all kids were like her I would have one tomorrow. Sadly, they aren’t. With my luck, i would end up with the spawn of Satan or something. I don’t know if I’m ready to chance it quite yet. Although, it being Father’s day and all, it has a certain logic to it. In other words, maybe I should get to the baby-making right now.

Oh, happy Father’s day to all you dads. Have a good one despite how your kids may act. You deserve at least one day when the kids treat you well and you maybe get some respect. Every other day belongs to the Mom so enjoy. And have a cold one on me.

Later.

Father’s Day

hfu-1

Went to see my father today (and my mum too). This is a picture of him. They are both fine having returned from their trip to see where they are going to be buried. Well, my Dad at least. My Mom doesn’t want to be buried. She wants to be cremated and have her ashes scattered in the ocean.

This was a great lunch conversation I can tell you. I know my parents are going to die someday. We all are. I just don’t want to talk about it too much until it actually happens. It’s all a little more than I wish to think about. I hope they are going to be around to see their grand kids (if I ever have any). I know they would like that too. We will get around to it sometime I’m sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I like kids. I really like them more when they belong to someone else. Don’t write me nasty e-mail and accuse me of not liking kids or being anti-kid or something. It’s not the case. In fact, I spend a lot of time with kids. Well, one kid in particular. Her name is Avalon and her parents are Anthony and Lisa Dalesandro.

To appreciate Avalon, you should take a look at her website (yes, she has one already). She is a great kid and will grow up to be a fantastic person. I’m absolutely sure she will end up President of the United States or something. She’s that smart.

If all kids were like her I would have one tomorrow. Sadly, they aren’t. With my luck, i would end up with the spawn of Satan or something. I don’t know if I’m ready to chance it quite yet. Although, it being Father’s day and all, it has a certain logic to it. In other words, maybe I should get to the baby-making right now.

Oh, happy Father’s day to all you dads. Have a good one despite how your kids may act. You deserve at least one day when the kids treat you well and you maybe get some respect. Every other day belongs to the Mom so enjoy. And have a cold one on me.

Later.

Quick bit

Here it is around 2 AM and I’m still up. Another bout of insomnia or something. I have the oddest sleeping habits of anyone I know. Sometimes I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. Mostly I just stay awake until I am very tired and then can finally get to sleep. It’s a bit of a pisser, really.

What I wouldn’t give for some sort of regular schedule. Although, I have never really had any sort of “regular” schedule in the past, for anything. So why should this be any different?

Oh, before I forget, I was watching “Pirate’s of the Caribbean” earlier and I have to say I really love that Keira Knightley. What a babe and a good actress too. She will have a long career I’ll wager. And she’s only nineteen. Isn’t that special?

kn3

Well, I guess I will try to hit the rack and get some sleep. Or, I could go play some Xbox live. I wonder what I will choose? Anyway, those of you that can sleep, have a great night. You lucky bastards.

Later.

How time flies

It’s been two days since my last entry here. Time goes by fast. I actually had to do some work on Friday and was pretty tired when I got home so I went to bed. See, when you get older you can’t stay up as late as you used to (unless you have help). Something to look forward to.

What kind of work you may ask? When I am not working on various film and tv projects I have another company that does Technology consulting. I may have mentioned it before. Its’ called The MAC Authority. We help people get the most out of their computing experience and do consulting for companies who want to network or do anything that involves both the Macintosh and the Windows PC. It’s fun. And, its a great excuse to buy new gadgets all the time.

I pretty much know how to do two things well. I know how to make movies and keep them on budget and on schedule and I know how to work with computers and other technology. Which do I prefer? Right now, I am having a great time working with technology and am taking a break from the other business. I did it for some time and when you work that intensely on something there is a tendency to get burned out. At least there was for me. Hence, the break.

I still keep my hand in and most recently have been producing some commericals for a friend of mine. He is a very talented Director named Anthony Dalesandro. If you want to see some of the commercials, go check them out at his website. Other than that, we have some movie projects that we are working on and may or may not go somewhere. The trick that took me several years to learn is to make sure that you have another business to work in between gigs on film and tv shows.

That’s the life of a freelancer. You work quite a bit but then there are times when you don’t work at all. Sometimes those no work times last a long time. So, you need something to do and earn some money during the lean times. That’s the trick I mentioned above. Have another job. It’s that simple. Things are quite a bit happier when you have some money.

Even though I say bad things about money sometimes I’m not advocating that you get rid of it completely. You still need it to live. Unless you live in a monestary or something then you probably don’t need money. The rest of us do. Just don’t get too caught up in the pursuit of riches. It will usually end in disappointment. Not all of us can be Trump. The world needs ditch diggers too.

And last, but certainly not least, a very interesting article from Wired News:

A Pentagon effort to persuade Congress to allow military intelligence agents to work undercover in the United States met with resistance in the House Wednesday when the provision was left out of the highly secretive intelligence funding bill. However, the Senate’s version of the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2005 still includes the provision, which exempts Department of Defense intelligence agents from a portion of the Privacy Act, a 30-year-old law that outlaws secret databases on American citizens and green-card holders.

The bill would allow Pentagon intelligence agents to work undercover and question American citizens and legal residents without having to reveal that they are government agents. That exemption currently applies only to law enforcement officials working on criminal cases and to the CIA, which is prohibited from operating in the United States.

Pentagon officials say the exemption would not affect civil liberties and is needed so that its agents can obtain information from sources who may be afraid of government agents, such as a green-card-holding professor of nanotechnology who formerly lived under a repressive government. The military has increased its focus on antiterrorism programs within the United States, most notably by reorganizing its command structure in 2002 by creating the Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The command is tasked with preventing and defeating threats and aggression aimed at the United States and helping civil authorities in the event of an emergency.

Such investigations should be conducted by the FBI, and the Department of Defense should not be engaged in widespread intelligence gathering in the United States, say civil liberties advocates, such as the American Civil Liberties Union’s legislative counsel Timothy Edgar. “This would allow military intelligence officers to undertake what amounts to undercover spying on Americans,” Edgar said. “This clearly should be in the purview of the FBI and state and local law enforcement.”

David Sobel, the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s general counsel, said that while the Defense Intelligence Agency does have responsibility for providing intelligence about attacks on domestic military bases, the agency should not be engaged in covert domestic spying. “Why can the DIA work undercover (in the United States) if the CIA can’t?” Sobel asked. “This is about the DIA playing an undercover intelligence role in the U.S.”

The DIA disputes it wants to collect information on Americans, saying the information exemption is intended simply to help its agents cultivate sources. Edgar, however, pointed to a recent controversy at the University of Texas as an example of how the current rules keep intelligence-gathering operations aboveboard.

In February, Army intelligence agents improperly sought information about attendees at a University of Texas law school conference about Muslim women. Conference organizers refused to provide a videotape of the event to the officers and publicized the request, leading to an apology by the Army. The Pentagon’s push for an exemption from the Privacy Act comes even as questions remain about the Army’s compliance with the Privacy Act in its homeland security efforts.

In September 2003, Wired News reported that Torch Concepts, an Army contractor ostensibly working on a base security project, was secretly given JetBlue’s entire passenger database in 2002 for a study of passenger profiling. There is no record that the Army published a Privacy Act notice about the data-mining effort, which sorted individuals’ social security numbers, family size and income to find potential terrorists.

The Department of Homeland Security’s chief privacy officer, Nuala O’Connor Kelly, admonished Transportation Security Administration employees in February for facilitating the transfers of personal information and breaking the spirit of the Privacy Act. The Army has yet to release the inspector general’s finished report, nine months after the revelation of the data transfer.

The Senate bill is now before the Armed Services Committee, which must finish its deliberations by early July before sending the bill to the full Senate floor for a vote. The bill is one of 13 remaining appropriations bills that must be passed by Congress by the end of the current session. If the provision remains in the Senate version and is not added to the House version before a vote, its fate will be decided in a closed-door House-Senate conference.

Interesting, right? This is something that probably isn’t a very good idea. Also, check out the good folks at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who fight the good fight. See what else you can do to get involved and stop crap like this from happening.

That is all.

Later.