imnotbored.net

In lieu of such an event actually occuring, I recommend:

Sorry for sounding like a curmudgeonly fool, but in my book, the TV these days can’t top this:

Technorati Tags: comedy, parody, TV

Links and quotes from elsewhere, Italics are my two bits worth. Happy Friday!!

My TV Blew Up - I Think the Universe is Telling me Something

Well I have been asking for a few things like getting better organised, making more money, getting fitter and losing weight - all of which cannot be achieved lying on the sofa watching TV! It’s funny how in the past few days, even over Christmas, I have got so much more done because there is no TV - So I have resolved not to replace the TV and tomorrow I cancel the Sky (satellite) contract. Perhaps 2007 is going to be a really successful year at last.

I’ve long felt TV sucks the life out of people - nice to see evidence that I’m more likely correct than paranoid.

Six Reasons You Should Be A Freak!

Here’s Tom Peters’ six reasons he loves Freaks, from one of his speaking engagements:

1. Because when Anything Interesting happens…it was a freak who did it. (Period.)

2. Freaks are fun. (Freaks are also a pain.) (Freaks are never boring.)

3. We need freaks. Especially in freaky times. (Hint: These are freaky times, for you & me & the CIA & the Army & Avon.)

4. A critical mass of freaks-in-our-midst automatically make us-who-are-not-so-freaky at least somewhat more freaky. (Which is a Good Thing in freaky times—see immediately above.)

5. Freaks are the only (ONLY) ones who succeed—-as in, make it into the history books.

6. Freaks keep us from falling into ruts. (If we listen to them.) (We seldom listen to them.) (Which is why most of us—-and our organizations—-are in ruts. Make that chasms.)

So, be a Freak! Be a revolutionary! Work on your personal brand. Never stop self-teaching. Go out and sell your expertise. Go out and start something. A business, a blog, an initiative, a foundation, a scholarship…ANYTHING. Just do it. And Make a Difference.

I once had a prof in music school who encouraged us to sing along with the muzak in the supermarket as an ear training exercise.When someone asked “Won’t people think we’re weird?” He replied with what has become a classic line:

” Do the math - there are already way too many normal people in the world.”

Old media vs new media

It is understandable that some will hark back to another era in the media. But we cannot pretend that the media is not changing. As with all change, some things are better, some things are worse. I, for one, are encouraged by the possibilities of new media. It all depends on what we do with it.

STOP using it like new version of old media. Old media forms opinions and mass markets. New media creates niches. New media allows information to flow like water, taking the path of least resistance. New media is powered by irony - editorial decisions and distribution become less powerful as they become de-centralized and commonly available.

Technorati Tags: education, geek, Media, entrepreneur, TV

Douglas Rushkoff had an interesting post about HDTV. I’ve followed his postings for about a year now, and enjoy his thought provoking take on..everything. His musings on HDTV, and the comments on the post got me thinking. I had my first exposure to HDTV over Christmas, and was quite under-whelmed.

Over the holidays, we spent an evening at my mother-in-law’s place oggling her massive new TV. The increased resolution in no way compensated for the fact that the programs were not entertaining. Too often prime time programs consist of agendas, icons, and soundbites in lieu of character, story, and dialogue. HDTV seems like over compensation for mediocre content; a tacit admission by an industry that it doesn’t know how to do business as its monopoly shrinks.

HDTV may improve the viewing experience, but I don’t see how it improves television.

Technorati Tags: rushkoff, TV

Ahh, the best of list! Who doesn’t love the opportunity to foist their entirely subjective preferences upon the world? This list doesn’t pretend to be anything more than what I like. Furthermore, some works may not have been produced or released in 2006, but made the list because I became aware of them over the past year. My blog, my rules - deal with it.

TV Studio 60 on the sunset Strip.
Characters with depth, dialogue that doesn’t sound like infomercials or PSAs, and a sense of continuity and pacing. I’m surprised it has lasted this long. I’m not much a TV fan, and when something actually appeals to me you can usually count on cancellation by the third episode.

Podcast CBC Radio 3.
I arrived fashionably late to the podcast party, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have an opinion. This podcast has it all: hi quality audio , multimedia integration, musical diversity, a sense of history, and a host that manages to entertain and inform without being a pandering sycophant. I think CBC has done an admirable job of transitioning itself to a younger demographic by embracing the internet and new media forms.

Jazz Gig Vancouver Inernational Jazz Festival - Electric Ascension.
The most luscious bombast ever. I volunteer for the festival every year, and get access to as many shows as I can handle. The 2006 festival line up made for some difficult choices. The clincher for this gig was Nels Cline and his rhythm section. I had seen this group prior to the Ascencion show, and they blew me away. “Tightest. Rhythm. Section.Ever,” as comic book guy would say. Not to detract from the rest of the ensemble. Some of the brightest, innovative players around took part in this electrified interpretation of a Coltrane classic. Thumbs up to Orkestrovra for making it happen.

Rock Gig Hawksley Workman tied with Todd Rundgren
Hawksley is one of Canada’s most confident, articulate, and intelligent performers. a Linguistic sensibilty worthy of the Algonquin round table crowd, and the strutting, big-cat prowling stage presence reminiscent of Freddy Mercury. And his band? They were tighter than Nuns in January.

Todd took a break from being front man of The New Cars, and put together a quartet to play some of his faves from the back catalogue. What floored me was that at age 60, he still hit all the high notes, both literally and figuratively. Strong arrangements, solid harmonies, and more energy than most performers half his age. The missus is a big fan, and she informs me that he only lowered the key on one tune, and then only by a half step. Far more bang for the buck than a lot of his chronological musical contemporaries, and worth the ticket price if he comes to your neck of the woods.

Movie Little Miss Sunshine
A heroin snorting grandpa, America’s pre-eminent Proust scholar, and a broken down VW van - how could it NOT be a good movie?!?!

Book I am two thirds of the way through Neal Stephenson’s Baroque cycle. Is there any college out there that will give me a degree for reading these books? I love them. Love them enough to teach myself about cryptography and economics every three or four hundred pages just so I could keep up with the action. I am very well aware that I’m roughly two years behind the times on this one, but hey - there are a lot of good books that need reading, and they can’t all be first.

There were more incidents of note, but I don’t want to be a bore. Besides, everyone and their dog will be pushing out a best of list soon, and by keeping mine short and sweet, you now have more time to wade through the rest of them. No ned to thank me, just send visitors this way….

Technorati Tags: best of music film TV