Light it on fire first.
I had to use that exact same unit in high school.
Jury duty this morning. Some of the stuff got cancelled so there ended up being well over 200 of us available when only 50 were needed, and wouldn’t you know it… I was selected.
Needless to say, I spent the better part of today reflecting upon my opinions of the justice system. My hand still hurts from writing so much. I was the last one to leave, and feel like I turned in a novel to the clerk. Obviously, I can’t go into any detail (what little I was presented) regarding the case, but I can say that I now recall a number of coworkers who have been through the system. Let’s examine them a bit. For anyone reading, feel free to list your own thoughts and experiences.
First person that comes to mind is a gal (let’s keep it vague) I’ve been working with lately. She’s a subject in a show I’m working on, so I’ve heard some long monologuous interviews in addition to casual conversation. As far as her story…
She was a foster child growing up. Her mother had serious mental illness problems amidst other abusive habits, so she was taken away.
She went through the foster system, was abused by a foster dad, and eventually ended up with someone who actually cared for her. She was rebellious, and started hanging out with some guy she was advised to avoid. One day, she went into a store for something, and to her surprise, he followed her in and robbed the place at gunpoint. He pointed it at her, and demanded that she get in the car to drive. She was cooperative with authorities, and was sentenced 10 years probation. She viewed this as total freedom, but was picked up a few years later for a DWI, and subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison for probation violation of a crime she didn’t commit, of which she served over 9. She’s out now, and is a delightful person. She has found forgiveness and has moved on in a few short years of being released.
Next guy is the opposite- he did a few years, got super jacked, and is very vocal about his hatred for police and the justice system. I don’t know what he did to get locked up, but in no way did it “rehabilitate” him. The girl from the first story also admonishes the state of prison, saying that it only makes people institutionalized, resentful, and more dangerous. I haven’t seen this guy in several years, but last I heard, he was raising his kid to doubt and challenge authority. He’s always been nice to me, I consider him a friend, and I hope he finds peace, someday.
Another guy I used to work around did 10 years for drunk driving waaay too fast to a booty call and hitting another car on the highway. Not sure if they survived or not (he was seriously injured, himself), but meeting him, you’d never know he lost his 20’s to prison.
Next person is similar- spent two years in state pen and now has moved on to be a very kind and patient person, years later, but I don’t think it was prison that did it.
Next guy I don’t really “know“- just recorded an interview and we spoke briefly. He dealt drugs for a few years as a teen, and after being turned in by his friends and family, was given a 300+ year sentence. He served something like 20 years, before receiving a presedential pardon from Obama. He straight-up Shawshanked it by writing letters until two years passed and he was released, finally being reunited with the son he saw grow up (18) from behind bars. He was also critical of how ineffective these lengthy sentences are, and the way he found the will to get out was by cutting ties with the gangs he was in and attending a bible study. When I met him, he was speaking to kids about the seriousness and impact of their choices.
Next is a bit different- an old friend who had never been in himself, but his dad was locked up long ago for transporting drugs in huge amounts from mexico. Meanwhile his (the friend) mom tragically died of cancer. This spun him into years of emotional turmoil as a young man, and one day he shows me his ringing phone that just says “Dad.” He couldn’t answer it. Not sure what ever happened to him, but he has a family of his own now, and it seems things have changed a lot.
I’m not saying any of this to make a point; just reflecting. There are more, but these are the ones I remember the most.
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Flying out of Utah was beautiful. I spent at least half of the flight just looking outside. Definitely not the kind of landscape I’m used to seeing.
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Been playing this stupid number game 2048 and this is the closest I’ve gotten
I got stuck and the freaking 4 popped down and ruined my game
I started playing it recently while on a flight; my phone was dead, but the game was available on the seatback display.
Now I’m stuck playing it until I win once.
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A certain company has some full time openings for sound design, and for kicks, I may apply. Ten years ago, I would have done anything to get that gig, and now, I’m not sure whether I even want it. Relocating my family across the country is tough to swallow, and it’d be quite the change of pace from freelance life, but my wife is pressing me to apply, so I may do so. I actually have a buddy out there that does audio for said company; I’m trying to contact him just to ask how it is, and whether he thinks it’d be worth it. I do meet the somewhat unique qualifications. Hmm… buy a house here, or apply for “dream” studio gig?
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this one is cut and up now in case anyone is interested in what the hell it was
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Welp, I went and bought a unicomp model M to replace my slowly failing razer keyboard. At the same time, my trackball’s scroll wheel stopped working (opening and cleaning it didn’t work out), so I’m going to replace that as well. Aaaand I’m in the market for a cheap aeron. There’s a nearby university surplus sale every week, and I saw at least one aeron in the “$5 chairs” picture… Yay, ergonomics.
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Desk at the moment (replaced the trackball yesterday and the model M came in today):
I busted out the keyboard and tablet for some design this week. Usually they are put away, and the light bulb is there for another project, not actually for illumination.
I also found this 36U rack today with power and an old kvm inside for $100
which I promptly bought, and had a friend help me move. It’s heavy. Really heavy.
Maybe more pics later when I get some time to clean it up and better light for photos.
I also picked up this chair for $1, though I’m unable to identify it to replace the armrest
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Spotted another lovely piece today after an afternoon’s worth of emails from asst editors unable to sync using timecode.
Timecode.
Also this
Everybody has to start somewhere. These guys should know better, and hopefully, now, they do.
For those wondering, timecode is basically just a common clock value that makes audio/video sync automatic, among other things. It is especially useful for multiple units. In this case, it’s 4 cam and 3 audio.
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Helped a buddy build two PCs over these last few days.
Neither are for gaming, so we went with a 2400G and a 2200G. I only have a few pics from before we finished them. It was great- his first time building, so it was fun and educational for him.
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because Tool
I do recall there being conjecture on whether the matching duration when adding multiple song lengths in 10,000 Days was intentional.
I whipped up a simple python script to check all song duration permutations on Fear Inoculum for similar secrets. I don’t expect anything, but maybe the top few can be aligned.
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Continuing on with a show I’ve been working…
Interesting things this last week:
New Mexico
Hippie bus begging for cash and diesel, but it was a couple with a dog and a kid.
Got a crappy shot before we drove off
One of the talent had a toothache and was slurping a 1/2 gallon of ice cream right from the container (no spoon).
California Chinese Fast Food
Dine In or Carry Out
Everything’s $1.80
Arizona:
Hotel we were at has a gift shop with 90 day layaway?!
So they can sell things like this classy spam book
They also have an all you can eat mutton buffet
Not kidding
Illinois:
Dick … Firm
Meatpacking
-
Bars serve until 4a where we were
-
we somehow got on a first name basis with a bartender on the first night
-
the aforementioned bartender works below a 6’ wide painting of what I can only assume is her - 30 years ago - nude.
-
there was a knife fight right outside and someone was thrown through a plate glass window. Didn’t hear it.
-
a friend went into the men’s room, and a large woman followed him in, held the door shut so he couldn’t walk out, and tried to sell him coke. She couldn’t
convince him. -
in the late 1800’s, something like 80% of the US’ demand for bicycles was within about a 150 mile radius of Chicago. Or something.
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Yeah. That’s Illinois all right
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Went to a museum today before work
Some amusing highlights were:
Actual galaxy brain
Toothpick cigar boxes depicting game of thrones intro cities
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We often use double-sided toupee tape for sticking lav mics onto talent
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Done with Maine, but first the local union heard we were working on their turf and we had to hire 3 more crew members, none of which really knew what to do in their respective positions. One guy kind of knew, but here’s the delicious part…
He tells me about a film he’s shooting. I ask if it’s a narrative, and his response is, “yeah, I guess you could call it that.” 
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