put me back on my bike

when i ripped this off...

2011-04-15T21:47:00.001-07:00

when i ripped this off of velogogo, his caption was "i almost cried."

L'EROICA (english version) from Edouardi Sepulchro on Vimeo.

i did.

NAB 2011, with the right app...

2011-04-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

and an over-priced harness, what can't the iPad do?

NAB 2011, MobileTV gets a buzz word podium finish

2011-04-15T11:25:00.001-07:00

so, prolly the most "in your face" idea this year was 3D-video (i can imagine the voice over now... "this is News 3-D in H-D at Noon").

rrriiiiiiigt.

the second biggest buzz & the one that has a greater chance of having an effect on us is Mobile-TV. the idea is that over the air broadcast stations take some of their bandwidth and broadcast a signal that can be more readily decoded by "mobile devices" with the right "app." basically, the ability to watch our severe weather coverage live on your iPad or the Masters from the first tee box on your samsung galaxy.

it's basically a response by broadcasters to make more compelling arguments to keep more of our FCC allocated airspace, rather than having it taken away & given to wireless internet/cell phone providers.

Mobile-TV broadcasts are currently happening in a few markets around the country.

this well intended idea is in such a weird place right now... because there are so many forces at work:

first off, people can't even agree on what to call it... Mobile-TV (for some "TV" has a negative context meaning old, traditional, one-way over-the-air communication) or call it Mobile-Video (oh, so pictures but no audio then?)
mobile device manufacturers need to build phones & tablets with the right hardware to receive the signal
programmers need to write applications that can display the content
speaking of content, what is the programming? just a re-transmission of what we already do (IE: CBS or TVW) or a custom programmed channel? ya think CBS might want a little more coin for that re-transmission?
oh, and don't forget we would need to buy a bunch of ATSC-M/H transmission hardware to broadcast that new signal
is this free for viewers, or do they subscribe to this?

in the Morgan Murphy Media group meeting, Brian Burns (who just happens to be a member of the OMVC and the Mobile500 Alliance) said that re-transmitting what we're doing now is the way to begin, then see where it leads from there.

the trick that would make Jane Consumer want this (and therefore lead to an actual business model) is to have it mimic the two-way communication that the internet provides. instead of programing that just magically falls from the sky, have some way to let the consumer select what they can watch on their device, too. the answer to that is a DVR function on the device, which you could record a show onto your iPad. there also may be ways to request a show or segment via the cellular provider, then deliver it to the device's DVR (still a little foggy on how it gets to the DVR... over the cellular/wifi provider or over the air from our transmitter).

of course, all of this centers around the viability of an actual business model... the ability to make money from it. really, that's easy part: just come up with an idiot-proof hand-held device & application that anyone can use then broadcast can't-look-away local programming on it. no problem, right?

NAB 2011, SHOW DOWN: BTi responds

2011-04-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

BTi vs Leader

had a lovely chat with the BTi guys. they're the ones that do our school closings & sports ticker. they showed me their election software. each page can use online or input results; either one during the same election day. it just airs whichever vote numbers are larger. pre-race set up is done by them (Dennis i'm going to repeat that... they program the thing) then we would select from the templates we told them to create. yes, it can do candidate pictures, winner, incumbent, democrat, republican logos. it's got a screen that can be used for talent. it's server based, and one instance can control multiple chyrons (un ike now where leader needs a unique instance to control full screens and the lower thirds. there is no hardware to buy, you can run as many client versions as you like with no additional licenses (so Craig could have one open and the vote tally section could have five open, there could be 4 open on the set for the talent screens with no prob. all in all, it does what leader does, just a little differently two talent screen, will talk to a chyron, to sum it up, it seems to do everything that avid's Leader does, AND it runs on windows7.

they also had a twitter ticker (a "twititker" (i just love making up my own language)). the neat thing about that was that general tweets went into a producer screen for screening purposes, but if you knew thehashtag and password, your tweet could go directly to air. so, basically tweets from a trusted source, say David Douglas out in the field can get to air more quicklier than ones from me.

en sa mémoire: tres enchiladas, tres Tecates & one laptop battery gave their lives to provide you with this day's posts.

NAB 2011, Look Alive Urban, this one is for you

2011-04-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

saw a bunch of small camera (under 10lbs) cradles/shoulder harnesses)

the key is to have a weight for all you're gonna put on the mount (camera, lens, nat sound mic, battery, spotlight, squids, etc), then select the model from there. after that mounts could be divided into two groups, mechanical and just handles.

to me, the gimbled mechanical models seemed to be the ones to have. with the weight of the cameras we're dealing with (Cannon 5dm2), this would give the sexiest results.

the first one i saw i pretty much like the best, it's the Glidecam HD-1000:

it $599, it has a reasonable price.

the next most impressive was the merlin model by steadi-cam. sure, it started with just a handle and gimble, but the price was actually on par with the first one at $899. from there, you can add on the full steadicam vest and arm, (to the tune of like $2,500 however).

two more had more sort of spring-loaded arms that hooked to a belt to stabilze the mount.

this is one from varizoom.

you could just buy the mount and handles, then add the shoulder harness, then the belt and spring loaded pole, or buy as a kit.

of course, dude had run out of the color brochures.

pretty much the same thing from a company called ________:

the others were passive, "just handles" models, like these from Genus.

like anything, one can spend as much as you want, but not as little as you would like.

NAB 2011, wave guide PϴrN

2011-04-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

NAB 2011, Hint: it wasn't 04:50:42

2011-04-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

one guess as to what time this picture was taken

bonus round, what does the manufacturer make?

NAB 2011, Look Alive Mike Evans, this is for you

2011-04-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

LOOK ALIVE MIKE EVANS, THIS IS FOR YOU:

sat through the Maxon Cinema 4D 3d object creation software demo. the thing that stuck out (and the thing they wanted you to remember) is that it really plays nice with adobe after effects.

you can create a scene with lights and a camera move in C4D, then render it. that timeline can then go into after effects and the camera and lights come into the AE timeline too. chyron can also accept that kind of timeline into lyric too, so that might actually be handy on a couple of different levels.

ALSO, what was neat-o was that while cinema 4D was rendering the file, the guy was still able to put it on the after effects timeline & start to mess with it. as more rendered, more appeared on the AE timeline. i could definitely see this as a time saver, especially for my ADHD @ss.

the guy in the demo used an illustrator file and a plug in (which he just happened to develop imagine the coincidence) so it was difficult to sense how easy/hard it was to create your own 3D objects, but all in all this seemed pretty neat-o.

also, in the mevans file, a quick chat with the Flip-Factory kids revealed nothing, or everything, depending upon some testing. on the frame skipping issue, Josh McMahon said:

mpeg's are Upper first

mov's are lower first.

he also gave no "recommended render settings" because Flip-Factory should theoretically handle anything

NAB Day Two: Really, was that day two that just went by?

2011-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

I ran into the Kevin Smith talk at the avid booth quite by accident, but glad i did.

Make no mistake, it was a commercial for Avid, but an effective one.

Very interesting to hear the description of watching Clerks be edited on a traditional 6 plate film editor (gosh, i remember those). then just a couple years later, seeing a friend of his edit another of his films on an avid. it was akin to watching someone play a video game; he basically pushed the guy out of the way and started cutting the film himself.

it also gave him the instant gratification of taking a day's shoot, editing it together that night, returning to the set the next morning and showing the cast & crew "this is what I'm thinking..."

also, in the same vein, how he can edit the final film again and again. his view was that once a film hits home video release, that's the final, final can't make anymore changes cut.

He talked about how the critics always say "his films play to his audience." To which he says, "well, duh." that's a statement you make when you've learned what you can do, what you can't, and are comfortable with the answer.

It was cool to hear him talk. To me, he's more relate-able than Mary Hart (NAB hall of fame lunch). but then again, one prolly relates more to people that you could/want to be (a potty-mouthed niche film director) rather than someone you are not (a female anchor).

gotta go, my monorail pass runs out in 33 minutes, and it's a 20 minute walk to the tram station.

NAB 2011, Day One

2011-04-11T22:21:00.001-07:00

spent about 90 minutes at the sprawling Avid/iNews booth, basically playing good iNews / bad iNews:

YAY! iNews has an iPad app:

BOO!: it's read only. you can't write or edit a script only read it. it seems the ongoing clash between Flash vs Apple iPhone/iPad is standing in the way. but, apparently, the Windows

tablet and blackberry versions are read/write, as Flash & Windows play nicely together.

YAY!: iNews is promising to "revitalize" the Leader software, which they haven't touched in three years. Innovations will start with making it windows 7 compatible.
BOO!: it will not be any easier or more intuitive to set up & program. (sorry Mr. Moran, more confusing & complicated programming scripts to write).

YAY!: a new version of iNews, featuring more rundown color codes. also, more robust searching & organizing tools and the ability to put active email or html links into stories. so, like Rick can cut and paste a google map link into an assignment script.
BOO!: it still can't effectively display scrips in a preview/program kind of mode, which could be used by directors to work more effectively work from an iNews computer & not need to print scripts. (the trees, think of the poor trees).

The new whiz-bang application they were really trying to hook us with is the Avid Interplay Central, which is basically a more mobile version of Assist.

This thing runs off of a server at our house, so in the field you'd be on a notebook PC, editing proxy video from our Interplay. the real deal video would be created upon "Send" by our local servers and saved to our playback server. still sounds like you'd need quite a nice strong, juicy wifi connection to run this:

oh, and a bunch of expensive licenses & another server, too. did i mention the set up and training?

====

interesting discussion at a Mobile Digital Television seminar (i actually asked a question of the panel... he he he, little ole me), but that and other adventures will just have to wait for another time.

ciao

p.s.: Johan VanSummeren... really?

NAB 2011, Day Zero: the search for subtlety

2011-04-11T00:37:00.003-07:00

the sunday before the monday of NAB is always fraught with excitement; what will this year's"complementary" bag bring? with this one, some only see an " 'owl' (brand) deluxe back pack made with 100% post consumer recycled materials... (except for some things like zippers and grommets, but [they're] working on it) and a bunch of hand-bills (printed on pre-consumer paper):
i choose to see nuance.

first off, the items in the orange ovals are for Mike Evans' benefit. WHEN YOU ARE RIGHT, MIKE, YOU ARE RIGHT! KNOW WHAT I MEAN?!

the avid logo in the orange square is noteworthy for its journey. you see in 2008 when i was here, avid was not... well at least officially. they boycotted the official NAB exhibitor floor (as evidenced in this post) claiming it was too expensive to justify the cost of coming. fast forward to 2011 & now they are official ID badge lanyard sponsor. i wonder how much of the money we spent with the new COMMAND, ISIS/INTERPLAY/NEWSCUTTER/AIR SPEED systems we purchased from them went to printing lanyards.

if day zero was this exciting, i just know you can't wait for day one.

NAB 2011...

2011-04-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

i'm planning on resuming my bloggular duties during a visit to the National Association of Broadcasters convention.
until then...

hockey game timelapse with faux tilt shift from al b on Vimeo.

winter bike is finally done & ready to ride

2011-01-05T21:08:00.001-08:00

so, the "Margo Renee" rides again, this time as a winter bike. aluminum cyclocross frame. ideal for this application.

the idea was to build this back up as a commuter, using only parts on hand in the garage.

the two exceptions:

> had to replace the bottom bracket; the bearings were really crunchy
> had to replace the inner chainring; teeth were just too scary

no front derailleur, as i only had one bar end shifter. maybe i'll break the rules & buy one if i come across one later.

6 speed suntour freewheel & mavic MA40 rear wheel

campagnolo nuovo record rear derailleur

went with the "aero" brake levers. it was kind of a toss up between those and the Modolo levers with the cables flapping in the breeze. guess i was feeling 1988 instead of 1958.

of course, i was too impatient to put on the fenders before riding it... and guess what? it snowed after i got to work.

surfing the internets...

2009-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

MUCH RESPECT

2009-03-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

scariest part? Brookfield Police & "City Prosecutor's" complete lack of respect and understanding for Wisconsin law.

act of journalism rating? 8/10.

the good stuff:
> the Milwaukee Bike cop was great.
> how they handled the the "recorded call" with the Brookfield cops, although it seems they couldn't legally use the actual audio, good job.
> the fact that Frings actually followed through on actually taping this stuff commands respect.
> chapeau for disclosing Frings works for MyFox.

the questionable:
> Frings did cross the line with the snowplow incident. I think that's a place where common sense takes over.
> how much of the yelling on the "encounters" is Frings' voice? where does protecting yourself and your rights become egging on an ignorant/distracted/selfish motorist?

> Guess i wanted to see more of an effort to chat with Brookfield officials. for a 5+ minute evergreen piece, i want a little more than "didn't return our calls." (although, THAT would be the folo story... how/why Brookfield thinks it is above state statute.)

Here in Madison, all in all, people are really pretty good. But it only takes one angry/distracted/selfish driver to turn you into a statistic.

please ride safe & pay attention.

Andy Baggot pushes Mike Eaves' buttons.

2009-03-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

so, there's a little bit of WHA's production truck in action, then a little bit of action from the media room's post game press conference.

committing the act of journalism...

2009-02-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

i've discussed this in the past... the lack of journalism in cycling coverage. here's another example, courtesy of cycling news. it wreaks of a bontrager infomercial.
here's why.
first, it's a rumor. rumors are fine for who's dating who on TMZ & ET.

however, i'd like a little more.

how to make it not a rumor? how about a quote from the UCI indicating their intention (or lack of intention) to enforce this 3:1 rule. there isn't even a "the UCI didn't return our calls."

also, who is "awash in panic"? NAMES PEOPLE, NAMES! "we talked with team-XYZ's chief wrench Tullio Campagnolo who said, 'yeah, my DS said...'." geez even a "sources close to three of the teams say," would help.

and then, ?who will have the only legal bikes? wait for it... BONTRAGER. so, some PR person from a manufacturer with deep roots says to James Huang "hey, we're so cool 'cause we designed all our stuff to be rule 1.3.024 friendly. AND... YOU KNOW WHAT I HEARD A UCI GUY IN LINE AT THE PORTA POTTY SAY?"

guess things are tough out there, and a journo's gotta do what a journo's do.

GAK!

Jens Voigt said it best... "It drives me mad."

2009-02-16T22:23:00.000-08:00

"...you work for [such a] long time, to make everything correct... You know, you try to be straight forward... and what you get?"

so, someone nicked some rides...

2009-02-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

looks like some of astana's bikes (including one of lancie's)got ripped off. reminds me of a music video from back in the day...

which was actually a send up of another video.

and you thought that stuff only happened in the slums of Barloworld.

is this cool...

2009-02-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

...or the equivalent of a "baby on board" suction cup sign?

well, the ground hog was wrong.

2009-02-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

average temp over the past few days has been 35f. three days, three rides... the roads are getting wider, the bike paths are getting wetter (me thinks drainage portion of the design got dumped from the initial build), tout va bien.
is my sella italia genuine gel flite (non-cut out model) for me? is there a selle san marco concor in my future? i don't yet know. tires... all i know is michelin transworld city=bad, continental contact=good.

groung hog day

2009-02-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

our meteorologist admitted on the air some measure of scientific plausibility in ground hog day. he said that, if it's clear this time of year, it's prolly cold. weather moves in five to six week cycles, so if it's clear on ground hog day and since ground hog day falls six weeks before the vernal equinox, voila!

Out, out, brief candle!

2009-02-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

sunday: just an hour on the bike, but what an hour it was.

monday: crushed to learn i'd lost (not even podiumed!) BSNYC's The Great Fyxomatosis Photo Parody Contest (sponsored by Boston Whaler Boats--The Unsinkable Legend). i'd even dreamed of mentioning in the acceptance speech that i have actually shopped at Rasmussen's bike shop back in the days when brake cables wistfully flapped in the breeze. the stone that the builder refuse...

who says Iraqis are learning to take care of themselves?

2009-01-30T10:37:00.000-08:00

looks like one politician has mastered double speak:

highlighted area says:
Provincial governor says government facilities can't be used for politics

sounds like this provincial governor has a bright future in politics, as long as he does it on private property.

i hear illinois is looking for a few good public servants.

i'd like to...

2008-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

extend a Laurel and Hardy handshake to all you facebook hipsters out there.

Planet Bike Cup: Saturday

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

gallery from saturday @ the 'cross extravaganza.

Jonathan Page Planet Bike Cup // WCA Cyclocross 2008 Series Race #1

what i don't have a picture of is me running through wal-mart in my full kit (i think i took my helmet off, but i really don't remember...) looking for stove bolts.

after warming up, i went back to the car and decided my saddle was a cm too high. you can probably guess that adjusting it an hour before my race was a bad idea. while tightening the collar, SNAP! stripped threads. (to paraphrase Bjarne Riis, if you don't ever over tighten, you'll never know how hard you can screw.) so, here i am, warmed up at the venue, in full regailia and a floppy saddle. if i tried to go back to madison and get a new seat collar, i'd never make it back. if i did nothing, i wouldn't race anyway. so, i decided to try to go get another collar. while dirving i thought that if i just had a bolt & nut that would fit in the now striped out collar, that'd work. U-turn into walmart and clomp, clomp, clomp past the cart nazi. in what must have looked like the scene from the David Lee Roth music video for yankee rose ("gimmie a bottle of anything and a glazed donut... TO GO!") an employee notices the sort of cross between desparation and cluelessness on my face and offers assistance. "nuts and bolts and things, please?" before you know it, i was respectfully declining the offer for "a bag for that," and was on my way back to the angell park speedway.

20/20 hind sight:
1). don't make bike mods 45 minutes before launch
2). Dan Z. suggested that i prolly could have gone to one of the bike manufacturing tents or bike shop tents & begged.

for the love of...

2008-10-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

could someone please show leonard zinn how to focus his friggin' camera?

More UCI C2 cyclocross in wisconsin

2008-09-29T02:25:00.001-07:00

bike geek shot...

"casual sunday" at the office, so front derailleurs were optional today. (now that you mention it, that'd solve one of my problems...) THIS is what the folks paid to see (ok, it was free but you get the idea...). Todd Wells, Jonathan Page, Troy Wells & Tim Johnson racin' yyyyyeeeeehhhhhhaaaaaawwwww! wonder if the UCI officials gave Johnson crap for no right shoulder bib number?
bib #1 gets a new bike flipped his way
flowers dress up any podium
back to the A bike

Todd Wells got a gapthe Boss went to work
last lap Wellsie. what's gonna happen? i can't watch!
Coming over the top of the last hill... will the title sponsor & personage settle for second?
a respectful fist pump indicates the outcome.

wha?

2008-09-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

am i missing something or does velonews.com not have a live ticker for WORLDS road race? S-H-A-M-E!

Jonathan Page's Planet Bike Cup: Day One

2008-09-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

first round of the 2008 WCA cyclocross series in Sun Priaire, WI. The race bore his name, and he was there.

Brian Matter leads out Mr. Page (to you),

mechanics in the pit wait...

Troy Wells follows Jonathan Baker early on. Baker was having a fine day out until his chairing decided it was time to saw into his leg. Last word from the medical tent "he's a good clotter."
the fans just went ape for the man they paid to see. i mean, look at that enthusiasm.
race organizer Renee Callaway and the winner discuss the win.

Post race, Jonathan makes a new U23 friend:
as for me... you'll have to hear of my wal-mart adventure later.

here piggie, piggie, piggie...

2008-09-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

committing the act of journalism.

2008-09-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

AS a bike-geek poseur (yes, it's truly sad when someone isn't even qualified to be a geek, so they have to be a geek wanna-be), i do get interested when the bike trade show season rolls around.
i will never get to go one, let alone own even the medium-zoot stuff that is on display at these things.
but, it's kinda ironic that the best coverage doesn't come from the journalistic sources that one might assume would know how to capture an event. sources such as velonews, cyclingnews.com or bike radar. their coverage is a hand full of pictures of product from their biggest advertisers and maybe some company who might start to advertise because they've started to supply a pro team. also, the pictures are as bland as the straight from the catalog marketing captions they regurgitate.

second best coverage award goes to competitive cyclist. yes, the discuss the brands they fence, but there is at least some detectable honesty in their commentary.

top podium spot goes to G R E A S E M O N K E Y, a blogger. there's an opinion there (so, agree or disagree or just listen) and the pictures are as much of the event as they are of the stuff you're supposed to drool over (but will never see the light of day in your bike shop's display cases).

as we approach cyclocross season 2008...

2008-09-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

BKW said it well. that fukr doubt.

Armstrong to NY Jets

2008-09-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

well, at least Cadel Evans will have a new excuse.

ok, this was unexpected.

2008-08-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

since forever ago, i've been having a problem with my 'mano 105 front derailleur drifting. shift to the big ring and it grinds against the chain while on the smaller sprockets. reach down, twist the barrel adjuster, and a little while later... lather, rinse, repeat.

i was quite confounded by this. cable stretch? is the cable slipping where it clamps to the front derailleur? is 105 just that bad (ok, this was just looking for an excuse to sink the $$$ into campy stuff)? but why doesn't the barrel adjuster ever completely unscrew?

and finally, the reason. i'm lubing the chain, just happen to bump the handlebar and see this:

if you can't watch the video, every time the bars go right, the cable guide binds on the barrel adjuster and makes it turn a little, thus screwing up the trim on the FD. not to mention making that annoying CREEEEK!

the cause: discovered.

the cure: well, i'd always considered running this as a 1x9. but i am open to other suggestions. maybe a metal cable housing end instead of the stock plastic one?

8 sept 2008 :: BWoUpdate... i replaced the housing and used a metal housing end & lubed generously. now the adjuster turns both directions. not quite the fix i thought it would be, but 105 users can't be choosers.

perhaps i'll just get lubed more generously.

hey fuq-u, get a car.

2008-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

the scene:

My brakes: SQEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Me (from behind the dump truck and accompanying trailor): "Hey @ss h#l&! what the f^$%! was that?"

Me (along side the dumper, eye contact with the "driver," Mr. Witty): "Easy, easy, easy!"

Mr. Witty: "Easy? Hey, fuq-u, get a car."

yes, my initial reaction was combative. he might take a moment, as he's passing me approaching the red light, to consider the differences in the physics of my 30lb vehicle and his 500,000 ton one.

but boy, do i feel put in my place.

i mean, all persons riding bikes should get a car. that will solve everything.

please, all cyclists out there, be careful.

i feel like i'm abandoning old friends...

2008-07-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

so, i have to admit i've been listening more and more to David Harmon & Sean Kelly on euroSport yahoo! for my tour de france (and other races) pxp & color commentary.

if you're in the usa, and am foolish enough to try to follow professional cycling (especially pre-internet age), then Phil & Paul are the voices of the sport. ("gwwwah, and this is life at the back." "yep, when the legs are gone, it's lights out in the engine room.")

i don't know. maybe it's just "different" than who i've been listening to for years. maybe it's Sean Kelly is more of a name than Sherwin. maybe it's the challenge of trying to understand what the %&$# Sean Kelly is mumbling about.

kinda wish my french was better so i could understand Ja-ja Jalabert, 'cause i've read he's a great color man. mais, je ne comprendre pas.

of course, i'd listen to cats being tortured before being subjected to some past TdF commentators, such as James Brown (yes, the NFL studio guy) and Arman Keteyian (unlistenable at any speed). you could just tell that they did it just to write off a summer vacation trip to paris.

googlemaps street view of TdF

2008-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

this will be old news to some, but there is a google maps street view section for the '08 tour de france.

will the camera on top of the google car make it under the inflatable alpe d'huez banner? you'll have to find out for yourself.

see it personally? maybe, someday.

Filter Life Out Error.

2008-04-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

or, "what am i gonna do with all these left over pictures on the memory card?" Security guards on segways outside of Caesar's Palace shopping mall (add your own caption... it will be wwwwaaaay more funnier than anything i can come up with).

I might be sheltered, but this was a new one for me. The mini bar went by the weight of the product you picked up:
it was pretty creepy... i mean, you felt like you shouldn't even look at it because if you just bumped the snack tray and the pringles fell off, you'd get charged $276 for it. i didn't have the guts to even open the fridge part. oh well, at least the ice was still free.

this was the (as in one) cloud that went by in five days, but it must have been a powerful one, since its passing signaled the end of 90s & calm to 60s & windy.

but to imply the weather was miserable would be... misleading.

tax dollars hard at work at just ONE of the DTV areas. spin the wheel and get a pen or pad of stickie notes, or a water bottle, or a hat or...

FloorLife:

Chuck: "Are you sure it works?"

Center Guy: "Of course it works!"

Chuck: "What about with one server?"

Center: "Well, let's ask him. HEY! He'll know hardware. HEY!, 'camhere"

Right Guy: "Well, it should work, but, that's Version next-point-oh, which will be ready later this year, early next at the latest."

Chuck: "What about with the kind of files CBS is working with?"

Right: "Oh yeah, we've been working with just about everyone... and I think CBS too."

after a few days of that, you can feel like your b#llsh$t filter has been hard at work:

but then a hit of Kool & the Gang makes it all OK:

and then again, it is nice to be home.
thanks to Margo, Marlone & Patsy for putting up with me being gone. i love you.
thanks to all of you in the WISC operations department for enabling me to be gone.
thanks to my WISC & WKBT pals for hanging with me while i was there.
thanks to MMM/WISC-TV for sending me.
thanks for your generous donation.
thanks to YOU for tuning in!

NABlog 4

2008-04-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

I never thought one could spend that much time in JUST the lighting section.

Spawned by a conversation Colin and I had about some “adjustments” to the news set, I chatted around with almost all of the lighting manufactures, looking for some low-profile lighting that can change color conveniently. LED lights are cool, modern & sexy… and have the price to prove it. But, there are more reasonable, all be it traditional, options.

I was also looking for an Urban Theater rock and roll lighting wish list and was surprised in a disappointed way when there no rock and roll lighting makers there. Oh well, you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

This is from rosco, the colored gel & gobo pattern (cookie) manufacturer.
It’s a photo of a skyline printed on a scrim for use as a background for a set. You light the front of the scrim to see the day light shot:

Then backlight the scrim see the night shot.

So, you don’t have to hang a different picture to get a different look, just change the lighting. $25 a square foot, and lighting is prolly kinda tricky, but might be useful someday.

this still creeps me out. the big camera manufacturers (sony, jvc, panasonic etc) hire people to sit in these little scenes for you to test their cameras. it's just too much like i said before: "a exquisitely bored young adults section from the San Diego Zoo."

And Colin, you were right about the supaCam booth.

NABlog 3 Headlines:

2008-04-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

On the floor: with Chyron \\\ The "Curse" goes On \\\ On Test: Colin's math skills.

Chyron Camio is a do-hikey that they demoed in Madison last fall, but I missed it… so to the NAB booth I go. Here’s the deal. To replace the HD still store, now-a-days, one just buys two HD chyrons… one to be a lower third machine & one to be a still store. Their camio product would replace control air for font & the still store control panel with one playlist. All the lower thirds AND still store events would then be entered via iNews. there’s also a graphic creation portion, which is pay to play. It acts like a very rudimentary photoshop, where you can slap stock photos on base graphic to make OTS’ & the like from any computer. The idea is that reporters or producers or directors or? could build a still… similar to how lower thirds are “built” typing them in iNews. I’m gonna just let you sit back and imagine that one for a while.
… … …
Welcome back.
I can see us using portions of the full blown camio.
~
One of the points of going to a trade show is to chat with the folks you already use, about things. Good things and well, less than good things.
I thought maybe I’d take the opportunity to find our pals at Avid and try to chat with them about “things.” Problem is, they elected not to by a booth at NAB this year. No problem, rumor has it that they set up shop over at the hard rock hotel. A cab ride later, I’ve got my plan on how to chat with these guys and I begin the search. After two trips to the front desk and a search of the facility no avid folks are to be found. Well, I don’t have any contact info, and the only number I can remember is for Avid tech support. I call & just hit buttons until I get a human. I try to explain to the tech support guy where I am and that I’d just like to meet our new sales rep., since I’m in vegas. The tech support guy tries hard enough, and finally just transfers me to the regional sales manager’s voice mail. So, I just kinda hang for a while, thinking that a sales person would never hesitate to call anyone back. Just as I was ready to give up and leave hard rock, Chuck calls. He has found Avid; they had abandoned the Hard Rock for a hotel conference room closer to the NAB’s convention center. As I wandered Hard Rock trying to make sense of this fiasco, I found the answer WHY:

The Curse of Carlos has struck again.
I don’t know how Chuck’s conversation with Avid went but at least he had one.
~
Parting shot:

Colin does a reality check of dessert. The menu’s assertion that the chocolate cake has 23 layers was found to be:

AND NOW, a word from the sponsor.yes, i'm riding TOUR de CURE this year, brought to you by our MyMadisonTV14. if you'd like to donate money towards diabetes, more info is here.

thanks for reading

NABlog Day 2: "Fruit is God's candy." -Mike VanSustren

2008-04-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

Highlights: hugs from the station owner, the subtle language of managers & a reality check?

breakfast was a presidential punditry session with a groupetto of politicos, namely Sam Donaldson & some dude from CNN, and a bunch of other political webbies. food=weak, conversation=better than the food.
~
Let’s go to the flo-or, let's go to the flo-or, let's go to the flo-or and see some HD stuff!

went back to our new best buddies at Ross corp. (the HD switcher we demo-ed last year... or was it 2006?). ANYWAY... although slightly revised, to the best of my analysis, the changes are for the better. So it’s still VERY in tune with what how we do our shows. We even get a FREE M/E if were one of the first 135 buyers! So, basically what we could do is order a two M/E model and get the third for free. Unless someone out there wants to give a compelling argument for us to keep track of four M/Es... (the Rachel Kisko plug-in is extra).

here’s an chyron product that prolly will be practical to us in HD land… it’s a black box that hangs on the HD MC switcher. It will put things like school watch, sports ticker, time and temp, morning ticker, weather warnings etc. on the air. Of course, this seems to be an all in one solution. But, if a piece of gear has a limitation, we will find it.
~
Have you gotten a hug from your station owner lately?

The afternoon held a meeting unique to our Morgan-Murphy media stations. All of the TV & radio stations got together, mainly to discuss the up and coming engineering needs/wants. Although I’m still new at this, I did pick up on a couple of situations where a particular station’s budget figures, shall we say, “Needs Clarification.”

We went around discussing futurevision from the NAB floor. Then came the February 19th, 2009 checklist. We’re in pretty good shape.

Chuck presented his flow-chart for WISC’s transition to HD news, then HD programming and lastly promo editing. When can we go buy the stuff on the flow chart? Well, that answer comes later.

It wasn’t all engineers there, managers of assorted responsibilities had their take on the proceedings, as well as a discrete management “language.” Here’s an example. This is Scott Chorski, General Manager at WKBT in LaCrosse. Note the position of his sunglasses:
This position= “I understand.”

This position= “Your technical mumbo jumbo has lost me.”

A very enlightening day from start to finish, indeed.
~
Lastly, by way of follow up to the CNN party post: Mickey Thomas performed at the Roscor party. Hmmm, let’s see. Kool and the Gang @ LAX, or Mickey Thomas @ Imperial Palace. Defense rests.

AND NOW, a word from the sponsor.yes, i'm riding TOUR de CURE this year, brought to you by our MyMadisonTV14. if you'd like to donate money towards diabetes, more info is here.

Margo & Marlone, I'll be home soon. -love, me.

"I've only been here four minutes BUT...

2008-04-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

i like this [cnn] party better than the roscor party." "there. i said it and i don't regret it." to paraphrase Dan Akroyd imitating Tom Snyder. the luxor's lax room has that elusive extra added chic that the imperial palace ball room just doesn't.

let's face it: NAB is about the schmooze... soft sell, hard sell... whatever it takes to keep your brand in good stead with clients past, present & future. and apparently, having lavish parties is an effective schmooze tool.

i felt quite like a party crasher; a production geek at the journos' party.

meet and eat... cocktail food, of course, with some nice attendees; Andrew Humphrey (L-weather anchor for Local4 NBC in Detroit), Charlotte Humphrey & Jim Nagy (R-news director, KCSG in St. George, UT).

after the waitstaff blew out the sterno cans under the chicken-kabobs. Kool & the Gang hit the stage. (it's a .mov file, so if it doesn't play... tough).

while i don't know who was at roscor's party this time... i'll bet that they weren't better than K&tG.

guess, i need to say thanks to Mark Koehn... if he hadn't lobbied to get the CNN feed back, probably no CNN party for me. so, thanks Mark!

more on today's developments (and there were plenty of 'em) later. right now=sleep.

Margo & Marlone, i'll be home soon. love, me.

NABlog Day 1

2008-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

while this scene setter shot is eerily similar to the one from 2006...

right down to the 15 story Barry poster plastered on the Hilton, trust me, it's from this year.

highlight of the day was hanging with David Sanks & George Nelson in the big hall of fame induction ceremony & lunch.

yes, it's every one's favorite game show host, Bob Barker

...who was inducted by Buster Poindexter oddly enough.

then four audience members were invited up to spin the big wheel

and play PLINKO!

it just reminded me of how stoked Steve Schultz and Mark Koehn might be to have seen plinko LIVE!

~

lots of seminars today.

frankly, these things can be as boring as they look:

but this one on selling political advertising got my attention when this...

...popped up on the old power point. yay for wisconsin activists wanting lowest unit charge & equal access for their issue ads! oh wait, no BOOOOO! it just reminded me of all the stories Roger Putnam did about issue ads, and how we had like only one 3 second clip of a referee who was part of the issue ad.

this one got a bit chippy when the two lawyers on the panel disagreed with what the guy from the FCC was telling people to do.

Bobby Baker, FCC (panelist second from left in grey suit) "well, what you need to do is have an internal memo plan for how you're gonna handle rate cards and traffic availabilities for political ads..."

Dawn Sciarrino, lawyer (third from left, black hair) was like "um, yeah, I wouldn't want to have that memo floating around if you're ever audited..."

these side swipes sorta continued as they trundled through other issues. then at one point Dawn the lawyer said something and the FCC guy then said, "all of you keep in mind that Dawn represents the only station that I've had to audit [about their political advertising practices]".

basically, this is a time to remind all you MCO's out there... DO NOT under any circumstance let anyone on the phone talk you into changing a political ad on the playlist. Steve Scadden makes these decisions.

yes, this does pass for excitement.

file this one under "because we can." i went to the sony screening room where they showed some HD programming in 3D. i even got to wear special Buddy Hollys:

(apparently, Stuart Copeland was so enthralled, he forgot to take them off for this photo shoot(?))

what they had done was rigged four HD cameras to shoot 3D. each camera had two bodies, two lenses & two video streams, which were then combined using TV magic. they shot some NBA games.

it was very engaging. it felt less like a gimmick and more like the feel of being in the arena for the games. even the pace at which they cut cameras was adjusted. the shots were "allowed to breathe," which added to the spectacle. yes, you do still have to wear special glasses, so how practical this will be in the future... well, not bloody likely. but they're hopeful to maybe sell it to arenas or sports bars. it would be used your home town team is on the road and playing a big game. it's the neatest techie thing i've seen so far.
~

AND NOW, a word from the sponsor.
yes, i'm riding TOUR de CURE this year, brought to you by our MyMadisonTV14. if you'd like to donate money towards diabetes, more info is here.
~

so, Marlone, you wanted to see a picture of me, here you go, straight from my CNN ID badge:

tell Mom and Grandma Patsy i love them both and give them a hug for me (and i love you too).

Late Add...

2008-04-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

Lewis Black can bring the funny. yep.
but now i can't decide who to vote for; Santa or the porcupine.
i like the "advisory" on the ticket...

it isn't often that you get engrish on contents that wasn't translated for your happiness in the first place.

oh yeah! NAB-Vegas day Zero

2008-04-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO N.A.Bolg CENTRAL FOR 2008!

sunday at NAB is get your FREE shwagBag day. this year, in an uber-chic mini-bike messenger bag, two of the fliers were from people we actually use: BDI (they designed our news set) and WideOrbit (they write the traffic software). other stuff included a flier on how you (or your multinational communications corporation) can get your transmitter on top of the Empire State Building, with an associated snappy note pad and pen as well as a tin in the shape of a cell phone full of mints (insert George Carlin bit about a guy who gets pushed over the edge when he gets a sample of scope in the mail here).

biggest innovation so far, the "double-clip" lariat which keeps your hall pass from turning around so the sales people on the floor can't see your name. if this is any indication of how far technology has come in two years, well, i best not wear socks monday when the exhibits actually open, 'cause they're gonna get knocked clean-off!

as you can see in the photo, the green single clip design of 2006 is far inferior.

insert "finishing touch quip" here...

and why yes, i am already sunburned from walking back from the convention center to the hotel. thanks for asking.

AND NOW, a word from the sponsor.

yes, i'm riding TOUR de CURE this year, brought to you by our MyMadisonTV14. if you'd like to donate money towards diabetes, more info is here.

Margo & Marlone, i love and miss you both. i hope you get some sleep.

add video

2008-04-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

why do my heroes end up being such flakes?

2008-04-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

so greg lemond finally pissed trek bicycles off enough to dump him.
i mean, i guess we had all heard that lemond was a bit of a selfish ego maniac. this was confirmed by some of the stuff that he said about trek's golden boy... while it was maybe (probably) true, biting the business hand that makes and distributes your bikes at the height of their marketplace powers is just about the dumbest thing one could do. sprinkle in a little of the landis posse's shenanigans (not his fault per se, but then again, "trouble seems to follow me") and that's a recipe for disaster.

yes, there's freedom of speech and all that, but lemond isn't being censured by the gov't... he's pissing off a business which is in it for the money.

ok, this is funny especially the side swipe at gary fisher

NAB 2008 ramp up begins

2008-04-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

back to vegas for NAB again this year.

here are some test pictures to make sure that all is well.

thanks to Dan for hooking me up with the sweet 'puter!

watch this space for more than just messy office pictures.

2007-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

ohBasso

2007-05-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

so, aparently basso's gonna sing.
it is interesting that his blood didn't have any EPO in it... but Valverde's did?!
i say again... just what were they doing?
transfusions?
microdose epo?
will we ever truly know?

still moron-ulle

2007-04-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

fine. dna sez it was ullrich's blood. surprise!
what were they doing with it?
doping?
trying to find a way to get around doping tests?
trying to raise hemocrit levels to just-under legal levels?
blood-banking for his plastic surgery nose-job & liposuction?
i don't know.
worse, i don't understand why someone would do this.
being a middleaged midwesterner whose never seen a mountain, let alone climed alpe d'huez in a pro peloton, i will still be a fan due to what i saw (which was f'ing brillliant) and what was proven by post race testing (jack squat).

more on ulle

2007-02-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

in eight appearances, Jan Ullrich never finished lower than fourth in a tour de france. that got me thinking... how does his average TdF finish stack up against some other of cycling's luminaries:

Eddy Merckx: 1.85 (7 appearances, 0 dnf's)
Ulle: 2.25 (8, 0)
L.A.: 5.36 (11, 3)
Big Miguel: 15.58 (12, 2)

jaw-dropping numbers indeed.

even more impressive is the fact that he admits to motivational troubles... i wish my "motivational troubles" led to that kind of success.

der kaiser, kaput.

2007-02-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Jan Ullrich retires.

yes, the yellow blur in the far background is... you know who.
photo is from pezcyclingnews.com, copyright CorVos/PEZ, a site that lives up to it's slogan "what's cool in pro cycling."

this STINKS! convicted of zilch and run from the sport. some might say he deserves it for "not living up to his potential..." that's rubbish!

yeah, his career was up and down. but that's what made it so easy to be a fan. he is human. that made it exciting.

did i want to throw my 53T chainring through the tv when he got passed on the opening day time trial of the '05 tour o' frenchie? yep (it's too big for me to tick over anyway).

did i almost weep when he crashed on that 'round-a-bout in the rain at the final time trial of the 2003 tour, and thus sealing yet ANOTHER seat at the right hand of the yellow-wristed one? almost weep? i did weep!

but, most disappointing, was the sport missing out on the 2006 Kopf-to-testa between him and Basso at the tour for what reason? somebody tell me why? ain't got no answer for that one.

people have long questioned his drive, desire and guts. but, through all the CRAP he's been through in the past and now, the headline is that he retired... we've seen far more tragic off-season cycling headlines in the past under eerily similar circumstances.

gutes Glück Jan.

(of course, i want to make a joke about him getting "die mannschaft-ed," but i don't have anything quite ready for release...)

"i don't want to be a lincoln... i want to be a ford"

2006-12-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

another one of these "make a connection with random occurances..." posts:

so we went to grandpa's house for christmas & had a merry old time. he gave my kid some mardi gras coins laying around to play with. they're bigger than a silver dollar, so not a choking hazard, but fun to clink, stack and jingle in your pocket.

amongst the greek gods, new oreleans saints players and other odd & sods, low and behold but who is depicted on one of them... Washington, Lincoln and the ex-president who just the same day had his ticket punched for the GOP convention in the sky, GERALD R. FORD!

i'll actually say "props" to the guy who holds the record for biggest friggin' mess inherited by a president. 'course, that record will be shattered when the drooling moron who currently holds the lease at 1600 pennsylvania avenue nw is deposed in 2008.

i wonder if Chevy Chase will be invided to the funeral... maybe even a pallbearer?

an ordinary average [shop sink]...

2006-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

we have an ordinary average suburban house, with a regular basement laundry area with the requisite shop sink.

so, after washing out some roller covers, this appeared:

GUESS WHO!

i promise no photoshop shenanigans or anything. I SWEAR!
guess it's just something that makes us human. the search for order. it comforts us.

ceci n'est pas une pipe.

i'm gonna just go no further on this one...

there is no language in our lungs, to tell the world just how we feel...

2006-11-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Margo and Marlone came to cheer me on at the final 'cross race of the year at Angell Park speedway in sun prairie, wi. soooo many thanks to them for their support all season. it really means the most to me, in amongst a lot of stuff that i will remember/embellish.

first up, cat.4. this was a good race at a furious pace.

in the latter laps, i caught up with Lewis Clark (above), a rider i usually only see at the start & relaxing at the finish as i trundle on in. after a pass on the flats, he came charging past over the barriers. i chased again, which began a familiar refrain. i beefed it in the grass in the snail (a section of switchbacks). then came the re-mount, chase and prompt wipe out on the most vicious counter camber hairpin. i slid down the hill and under the tape, so i had to grab my bike and run back onto the course before i could even remount! all of this actually came across as FUN!

i then debated for the next 2 hours whether or not to do the 30+ race. i finally decided to start at least. i was actually a little scared, just 'cause the legs felt rather heavy which only added to the uncertainty i felt on the aforementioned downhill 180 degree right hander.

even though off of the start i dropped off like... (ooh got one) an oil can boyd splitter, i'm glad i toed the line. first, i guilted half-a-dozen spectators into cheering for me at the bottom of the course, which they then did during each lap.

then...

there was the beer garden... a tunnel of noise & good cheer that was really new for me... having a bunch of people just scream for you while you ride. friggin' cool.

also, props to a rider i barely know Derek Hay (least, think that's his name, above far right), who out of the goodness of his spirit kept handing me a bottle, each time by the finish straight.

yes, while trying in vein to hold off a chaser, there was a meeting of my elbow and the gravel, but that became just part of the glory.

this season will really be something i will remember and will mumble about in the nursing home in years to come.

props to John Erickson & the rest of the brazen dropouts for a friggin' hard course, even in such beautiful atmospheric conditions.

i also need to say good luck to Richard Moran & Jane as well as Barb & Gene.

can't forget all the organizers & volunteers, too! Renee Callaway, Chris Setter, Ben Milano, Paul Roltgen, Steve Roeder, Jerry Pearce & Neil Swanson.

AND the officials. much respect to the peace-keepers.

odds and sods:

1). did you notice i stopped b*tch*ng about falling off on re-mounts? ok, well you haven't, but i changed my mindset on them. after practicing every day over lunch, i finally decided three weeks ago to quit trying to get rid of my left foot stutter-step and just embrace it. while not the best form, it's still faster for me than not being able to execute a textbook mount and crashing into the bushes all the time.

2). my placings... cat 4 was 33rd of 46 and while 30+ was 15th of 16, that was still good enough to add four to my season point total. grand total: five WCA cyclocross points. maybe next year, i can score enough points that i don't have to spell the word out.

epic.

2006-11-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

gibbs lake 'cross. mud, snow & the beach.

there was this sinister step-down running section next to the lake. the official at the start called it "the beach." friggin' BRILLIANT.

i overheard someone setting up the course say to another volunteer "i can't believe you talked him into this." so, what seemed to be a double-dog dare turned into a center piece for the course.

just a run along the beach:

me courtesy of Renee Callaway/ www.madcross.org :

exiting the beach:

a little snow:cat 3 post race poses:

and...

i GOT A POINT! ME! this is huge. this is Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni going on the break just to get some camera time for the sponsor. me=happy.

oh no. (oh yes!)

2006-11-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

must ... re- ... must resist buying ... disco kit. stayed off ... BANDWAGON for sev-en years. can ... not ... cave ... cave in now!

BASSSSSSOOOOOOOOO!

acting! thank you!

photo courtesy of Graham Watson & http://www.velonews.com/

ah, the life of Graham Watson. so, he writes in cycle sport that he's packed it in for the season and is on holiday until after the first of the year. but, then big tex rings up and sends him on an all expense paid shoot to where ever this is to take some baby-on-the-lawn snaps of the latest signee. guess this is how getting sunburned bouncing around europe on the back of a motorcycle year in year out pays off.

where's my csc club membership card?

please go by something from Graham Watson as a thank you for not suing me for use of these pictures.

...i think we developed a push in turn four...

2006-11-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

estabrook park along the river in milwaukee. really feeling good. had blast last sunday at washington park and a week's worth of drills and rides have gone well.

it was a drag race of a start across the the park, two right handers, over the barriers: tout va bien,

my bike was fine, but as it bounced onto the course, the guy who hit it punctured. i felt really bad, 'cause he was done. i mean what do you say as you ride past? "sorry, one fifty (?)." "it's all right," was is gracious retort.

as the laps went by i was able to gain a few positions. then, after a footrace on the last run up, i decided to ride directly into the right side bushes on the re-mount. "hey guys, wait for me!"

wow. i was really humbled by the whole experience. i mean, feeling bad about crashing someone out, then working to get some places back, only to lose three of them on the last re-mount. oh, did i forget to mention i got lapped right next to the ruins of the tennis courts?

well enough of my pity-party. time to get over myself.

let's play WHO'S AT THE RACES!

here's Richard who rides cat. 4 with me (ok, ahead of me) and Jane. she won some stuff this day. good job Jane!

most of you know mean Gene the 'cross machine (sure he's never heard that one before) & Barb. Barb works with my wife Margo and was quite surprised to find someone who even knew what cyclo-cross was...

maybe next week will be better?

welcome to washington park. don't mind the goose poop

2006-11-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

race #5 of the wca 'cross series at washington park in milwaukee, w'scauny. what a cool place to have a cyclo-cross race! the organizers (Velo Trocadero) really made pate de fois gras out of the space that was available.

the camera made it into the gig-bag this time, so HOORRAAYY! HOLIDAY SNAPS!

in honor of halloween, cosumes were in full swing and these tombstones lined the course:

on the pre-ride, i passed the first one, but stopped and paid respects to Tommy Simpson (whose last words grace the title of this blog), Marco Pantani & il Championissimo. well, not stopping at Jacques Anquetil's ended up being a big mistake. the spirit of the bon vivant got back at me later in the warmups, when his ghost bit my chain in half.

in direct violation of shimano rule #105.FD.9, i was able to piece it back together with a cyclo rivoli tool before the start of the cat.4 race and it lasted through those five laps at least.

the founding fathers of cyclo-cross (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller) looked on rather stoically during the day's proceedings.

this is the centerpiece of this wonderful space: the amphitheater.

here's Richard with his costume (it was way better than my costume):

what's the mark of a good photographer? TIMING!

here's one of me on my way to a 34th finish (of 55) , courtesy of Renee Callaway www.madcross.org

ODDS AND SODS:

1). also, just to clear up a washington park start line controversy, according to the little arrows on the side wall of my michelin cyclocross jet tires, my rear tread was facing the right direction.

2). a picture of Jeff Kao (XXXathletico) & i (again, courtesy of Renee Callaway) from the muddy cam-rock (29th of 35)

medio tiempo... à temps partiel... a orario ridotto... at the half

2006-10-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

well, since i didn't get express written consent of major league baseball, no pictures of cam-rock state park cyclo-cross due to the potential for copyright infringement... ok, fine i forgot the camera again. maybe some ARTIST RENDERINGS will help!

i didn't go saturday to whitewater, but sunday was muddy enough even though it had stopped raining. (throw in obtuse u2 reference for this shot:)

muddy mudskipper was right in it. note the funky carry-the-bike-on-the-drivetrain-side style. (throw in frank zappa as the pope being rescued by powdered toast man reference here:)

due to the blackout restrictions on tv coverage, a courtroom sketch artist daubed together this lovely tapestry depicting the race through the medieval city of cambridge:

ok, that's really courtesy of www.philippeseutin.be

well, cam-rock represents the half way point of the season. i had my soigneur's intern crunch some numbers for me. really puts into perspective where i stand.

this first one compares my finish with the total number of riders in each race:

this one, my average finish percentile,

so, as you can see, i'm really sucking quite handily.

here's to a great second half!

another race, another "incident"

2006-10-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Moe's Burrito Cyclo-Cross race sponsored by CZ Velo Club at Lapam Peak state park in delafield, wisconsin was saturday. cat4. start area was narrow & undulating. you can prolly guess what happened next. no pictures, so... LIFE-LIKE RECREATIONS!

first 50 meters... no problem. just as i was latching on to a wheel to follow through to the actual loop, another rider came up between the rows...

somehow, my front wheel turned 90 degrees, and i spun out. luckily, wasn't going fast enough yet to endo.

i tried to remout right away, but my rear wheel wouldn't turn, the reason
for which wasn't readily apparent. that's when i noticed my knee really hurt and was reminded of the advice from my friend Joe "if you go down, stay down!" of course, i went down 'cause i didn't remember the advice from my friend Hans "just keep pedaling!"

after quite a while of pain, i finally could think straight & found the problem with the rear wheel: a spring lever had spurng, sending the brake caliper into the spokes. since the team car had already passed and there was no neutral service to be found, i got the rear brake re-assembled and was off.

funny thing was that by that time, the spectators who had watched the start (and had been quite nice and offered to help me, but i was too busy swearing to accept any help) were walking the course up to the loop. so, i shouldered the bike and just trotted past through the weeds (er, "prairie restoration"). "excuse me. look out please! pardon!" sorry to the guy i whacked in the shoulder with my rear wheel on the way by.

i'm really not sure where i finished. after thinking about it, i was probably two laps down. i aksed the offical who was at the start if i took anyone else down with me, he didn't think so, so that's good.

in the parking lot, a guy asked "how'd it go?" of course i bitched about crashing during the start. he went on to tell me that he missed the race because of a mess up with when it was supposed to start. i'm told some of the flyers said 10am while others said 10:30am.

so, lesson learned. guess there's always someone a little worse off than you are. oh well. maybe i'll do better at brazen's race on sunday.

my first race. ever. of any kind.

2006-10-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

1 october 2006. i had a blast at BADGER-CROSS cyclo-cross race in Verona, WI, the first race of the 2006 WCA cyclo-cross series. thank-you Margo & Marlone for cheering for me. I love you.
i'm in the red jersey at top of frame:

photo courtesy: Renee Callaway

also, cheapau (as well as photo courtesies) to clinic & race organizer Renee Callaway & all of her volunteers for such a cool event.

photo courtesy: Renee Callaway

thanks to the guy who helped me pin my bib number on the back of my jersey properly... WHILE WE WERE ON THE START LINE!

Mike Meccia (#155) and i duked it out for the balance of the 30 minutes:

photo courtesy: Margo Barcheski

sorry to the guy i ran into during the start (i think it was a stoton rider... well, at least i didn't knock him over, just took him off of his line a little).

note the bad form over the barrier... the seat shouldn't be under the arm, but away from the body. but, at this point, i couldn't have cared less:

photo courtesy: Margo Barcheski

as rider #101, i ran in USAC Category 4. 53rd out of 63 and surprisingly didn't get lapped.

http://www.madcross.org/badgercross06results.htm

unfortunately, i can't seem to find a photo of me crashing into the first set of barriers. (i'd actually pay good money for that).

for those of you who aren't familiar with cyclo-cross, here's a couple more of Renee's pictures that will give a feel for what goes on.

Lewis Clark, a parent of one of Margo's students (small world), portages the sand trap on his way to a 27th place finish:

get off and run some more, this time up hill over some logs...

and be careful on the exit of the chicane:

Category 3 men's race over the barriers:

bike reflectors, a little crome, the right sun angle and a dirty lens maks a pretty cool shot: for more wisconsin 'cross action:

www.madcross.org

www.wicycling.org/

www.cyclocrossworld.com

bike 4 boys and girls club of dane county 2006

2006-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Another charity ride. this time for boys and girls club of dane county. AND, i remembered to bring and to use my camera.
so, with no further adieu... HOLIDAY SNAPS!!!

the engine behind all of our involvement, Jeff V. thanks Jeff for caddying my goodie bag in your car!

Jeff VerVoort, Peter Kleppin, Dan Zweig & Steve Donovan at the start. i don't have a good shot of it, but Donovan's got a sweet Motobecane made back in the day. Fully lugged, vitus tubing, downtube shifters. nice to see the classic still on the road.

some cool scenery between verona and paoli, ya der hey.

three time pro-bowl wide out Al Toon in attendance. much respect to the former new york jet.

just leaving oregon, this groupetto caught me. i begged to get in their pace line and they kindly obliged.

i lasted with them to about the corner of byrne rd & fish hatchery... then i was off the back quicker than you could sing "...turn out the lights, the party's over..." (that's them, the little black dots on up the road a piece... ok, way up the road).

suffering in the saddle in fitchburg. yes, that's chocolate on my chin from a power bar i took two friggin' bites of approaching oregon. of course, i didn't know that i had chocolate on my chin until i had *finished* and was sitting at the beer tent and looking at the pictures on my camera. so, i rubbed my face on my shirt sleeve and sure enough... a chocolate stain. if you know of a bigger DORK than me, i'd like to meet him and compare notes.

this composite is of a group of folks that caught me just outside of madison and i subsequently wheel sucked all the way back home. a big thank-you to them for the escort.

so, after a free beer & a wipe of the chin, it was time to hop back on the bike and head home. the 50 mile ride average was around 18mph non-stop. (in the picture, the smaller-sized number is the avg, reading 30.1kph. yes, my 'puter is actually set up for kilometers, just another indication of the breadth of my dorkdom).

the organizers put on a great, trouble-free event. thanks & i love you to Margo for putting up with me calling her every few minutes going "what's going on with the tour? who's ahead?" thanks for your support of the boys and girls club and/or thanks for just tuning in. until next time... rider 717 is off the back.

Tour de Cure 2006

2006-05-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

i feel like i owe all of you who were kind enough to donate to my tour de cure effort in madison, wisconsin some kind of report back... so how 'bout a BLOG!

bbbuuttt, there's a slight problem. seems director-boy left his camera at home on the day of the ride. so, you'll just have to put up with these "artist renderings"

first, it was time to dig out the old bicycle from the garage:

upon registration at the american family insurance compound, you get a rider number and map (it's actual term is "cue sheet..."). along the route, there were rest stops with water, bananas & "larabars." "apple Pie" larabar=yummy, "ginger" larabar=gak!

Teri Barr MC'ed the event and sent all the riders off with a nice speech.

the american family compound is really beatutiful. a great place for a bicycle charity event send-off:

although western dane county is known for the scenery (because of the hills!), this northern route had some great scenery as well & and the sag wagons were right there if you had any problems:

while i didn't even have a flat tire, i know other riders had "mechanicals"...

Dan Zweig rode a different route than i did so i didn't see him, but he said his ride was nice, too:

all of the riders on my route were really nice:

and at the end of the ride, you got a goodie bag. although, i have to rate the NAB schwag bag higher on the scale (scroll down in this blog for more info):

then, the band rocked the house (er, parking lot)!

so that's it. again, thanks to all of you that donated to the american diabetes association and the madison edition of tour de cure! i'll be hitting all of you up in july for the boys & girls club of dane county benefit ride. until then, laissez le bon temps roule!

(all photos are copyright of their respictive owners, and cannot be duplicated without expressed written consent)

NAB 2006 Post-Game Spectacular

2006-04-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's over. time for a Best of Show… well, for me it’s always a toss up between Caesar’s Palace and the Venetian. But if I had to vote for one it’d be the vene… oh, not the casinos… the actual stuff at the trade show… oh, ummm… yeah.

Most stylish client entertainment area: quantel. Theirs was not the biggest of the high-end enormous manufacturers; that was reserved for sony, apple & avid. But the design was so cool.

Thing WE must have for just $7000: chyron lyric pro. This upgrade allows for super-kool seamless transitions between messages. The duet falls just sort of the lyric pro’s eye-candy animation skills. the kids at chyron assured me that no hardware upgrades to our current duet are needed, just software.

Everything old is new again award: newtek tricaster. Those of you who have been around for a while, might have run into the videoToster in the past. It was an all-in-one switcher, 3d animation system (lightwave 3d was the animation software that came with the box, and aparently kept the company afloat) it all ran on an amiga desk top computer. WELL, this redesigned all in one guerilla field production unit has its own proprietary box (about the size of a regular toaster, actually), a little switcher with a t-bar & all the software runs on windows now. The software also includes a 4 channel audio mixer. The cool thing is that it can stream the audio & video out the back of the machine. Perfect for on location internet broadcasts, or streaming an on-location back to the station via the ‘net so we could air it. I’m not sure all of the infrastructure is quite there yet for streaming NTSC quality video from just anywhere but, intriguing none the less.

Best quote from my seminar notebook:

Thing that became apparent: how “out there” in terms of innovation we really are. Here’s what I mean… one whole day seminar I went to was on MoTV (mobile tv… pod-casting, vod & live tv to cell phones etc.) most of the stuff they were talking about stuff we already do, with our c3ktogo.com news, weather and the other digestible programming that gets put on the site. A lot of the other people there were just trying to get into it. In another seminar about the upn/wb/cw/myNetwork thing, a guy described how their second channel was running Oprah in prime time, after the main channel runs it in the afternoon (sound familiar?). a bunch of people were like “oh, that’s a good idea…” I know I’m kissin’ up a little when I say this, but it’s true.

Shiny Object award: why do i need a pen with a green light by the clip?

Holiday snaps (aka: cleaning off the camera's memory card):

just a fraction of the sea of shipping crates that brought all of this cool stuff to the show...

compared to the huge booths of the big manufacturers, the small ones off to the side are where the real "inventors" are. these are the guys who build very specific black boxes in their garage, in the hopes that everyone will need one someday...

How deals get done: that's Tim Saunders the set designer from BDI that we work with, in a very high level pitch meeting, in a rather relaxing setting.

Final Score:

gambling +/- = what happens in vegas...

thanx to:

Margo & Marlone for missing me.

Jill for sending me to NAB.

Margo's mom for coming to madison to help Margo take care of Marlone.

Kevin & Pat and Chuck & Judy for letting me hang with them after-hours.

Dan & Stan for hooking me up with the thinkpad.

Nicole & Tim for the generous donation to the Tour de Cure

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251

and, of course, YOU for tuning in!

Day V:

2006-04-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

today was all audio boards, all the time. i'll get the other stuff out of the way first:

and now, a word from the sponsor...

on 20 may 2006, i'm riding in a 100km (62mi) tour de cure charity bicycling event in madison, wi. all proceeds benefit diabetes research. if you're so inclined, visit my TdC web site & make a donation to the TdC, or just give me the filthy lucre when i get back. don't like me? Dan Zweig is riding too, so give your donation to him... see if i care.

link:http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251

or go to diabetes.org/tour click "sponsor a rider" -- select "wisconsin" -- select "madison" -- search "barcheski"

the score:

+/-=let's just say i won't be replacing my timex anytime soon.

amount i miss Margo & Marlone=i'll be home later today.

stay 'tooned for best of show and odds & ends coming soon.

board snap shots:

Wheatstone D7 / D10. Instant Gratification: cost: $$$$$$ / Overall Rating :)
a quality board. prooven but pricy. but, the way they do it, you have one set of guts that can get controled by multiple consoles. so, if we buy a smaller D7 as a more robust back up for the oxford, when it comes time to replace the sony, the wheatstone guts are already in-house, and we buy another wheatstone board with more sliders and cooler features as our main board. super clean interface.

Euphonix MaxAir: IG: $$$$$$+ / O.R. :
a very shi-shi high-end board. would be a direct replacement. somewhat of an intimadating interface. in use by CNN, among others.

Lawo Zirkon XL: IG: $$$$$ / O.R. :
this definately could perform as a great oxford backup, but maximum fader capacity tops out at 40. so, it probably would not serve our needs if it was ever called upon to be the main board. very simple looking and feeling interface. will pass 5.1 surround, but can't create it.

Solid State Logic C100: IG: $$$$$$+ / O.R. :)
a really cool and powerful 5.1 surround sound board. this ain't no body's backup. cost is high, but you get a lot.

Calrec (i forgot the model #): IG: $$$$$$ / O.R. :)
a very impressive top-tier board, which has an interesting redundancy plan. it has a PC to help you program the thing, but if the windows machine croaks, you can do everything on the main console anyway.

Klotz: IG: $$$$$ / O.R. :(
very simple design, but no 5.1. right now not a problem, but down the road a problem. would work as a backup, but would be obselete too soon. max of only 16 sliders

Harriston Air 24/7: IG: $$$$$$ / O.R. :
a simple-looking mixer, but too simple. the faders are very far apart, making a 24 fader model unnecessairly huge. could serve as a backup, but it would be iffy as a main. metering had a cool wave form animaton too it. SAS Rubicon IG: ???? / O.R. :( realy a radio board that couldn't be flexible enough to be a main board someday.

Day 4:the legends...

2006-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

big mobile tv conference/panel discussion tusday. lots of guys were talking about what we already do; podcasting & cellphone distribution. also, how geeked people are to get live tv to the cellphone. of course, chaos abounds as everyone has their own idea of how to accomplish this technically (names like DVBH compression, MediaFLO, DMB). if you don't like acronyms, you're in big trouble.

reconed some audio boards, although wednesday will be the serious looking day with Chuck and Kevin for that... stay 'tooned.

a grand party thrown by roscor, a vendor & value-adder of panasonic & grass valley products (among others). mr. "cc rider" & "devil with a blue dress" Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels entertained Pat, Judy, Chuck, Kevin, my self & all the other attendees.

curiously, Aaron Lawler is out here... see pix below:

and now, a word from the sponsor...

on 20 may 2006, i'm riding in a 100km (62mi) tour de cure charity bicycling event in madison, wi. all proceeds benefit diabetes research. if you're so inclined, visit my TdC web site & make a donation to the TdC, or just give me the filthy lucre when i get back. don't like me? Dan Zweig is riding too, so give your donation to him... see if i care.

link:http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251

or go to diabetes.org/tour click "sponsor a rider" -- select "wisconsin" -- select "madison" -- search "barcheski"

the score:

+/-= ballooned to -$26 (i blame roscor for providing the free error-in-judgment refreshments)

you know you've been in vegas too long when: you seriously consider how much work at the craps table it would take to purchase that Tag Heuer Monaco you've had your eye on.

amount i miss Margo & Marlone=think a stage with alpe d' huez, croix de fer, col de madeline, mont ventoux & the koppinger in one day... i miss you & love you very much!

HOLIDAY SNAPS!

(1/top of post & 2): Mitch Ryder can still bring it... much respect to the legend.
(3): almost didn't recognize Lawler when i saw him. he seems to have taken the vegas thing a little far...
(4): ooohhh solid state logic's c100 audio board aaaahhh!

NAB Day III: J.Marty Dormany, the finest chyron product specialist ever. EVER.

2006-04-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

highlights:

WHY? why am i not yet used to the cannon-fire from the girl-pirates vs. boy-pirates show which is right outside my hotel window? i mean, you'd think that at some point one would get used to CANNON FIRE right outside one's window, RIGHT? ("how often does the train go by?" "so often you don't even notice.")

first day of the big cool displays... ran into Marty at the chyron booth.

special tv lunch & ceremony with David, Glen & George. among the honorees was Emilio Nicolas Sr. and the late Raoul A. Cortez, pioneers in spanish-language broadcasting in america, Jack Valenti (you saw him on oscars while he was president of ampas. GREAT speech*) and Regis Philbin.

met with David, Carm, Tom & the set designer from BDI about the new set for the 10pm show on WISC. the theme of that meeting became "back to the drawing board." (get it?! a set designer draws things?!)

after a seminar about the CW & MyNetwork situation, i wraped the day with a trip to the VideoTechnics booth. who's that you ask? the company that built the Aprisa Replay Still store and video clip player. OH, THOSE GUYS! i was nice as i could be while describing the littany of solved and unsolved issues with their "product." 'course, they promised (yet again) to try and resolve our issues... [pause] BUHAUAUAUAUAUA!

and now, a word from the sponsor...

on 20 may 2006, i'm riding in a 100km (62mi) tour de cure charity bicycling event in madison, wi. all proceeds benefit diabetes research. if you're so inclined, visit my TdC web site & make a donation to the TdC, or just give me the filthy lucre when i get back.don't like me? Dan Zweig is riding too, so give your donation to him... see if i care.
link:http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251
or go to diabetes.org/tour click "sponsor a rider" -- select "wisconsin" -- select "madison" -- search "barcheski"

the score:
wins/losses=-$16 (still)
amount i miss Margo Marlone= 3.HC (i love you both)
amount Marlone needs to start sleeping more at night to help mommy=a lot.

*cool thing: Jack Valenti recited the first ammendment from memory:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

6:30am CBS engineering breakfast @ the Bellagio scoreboard:
food=good
time=bad
free=good
cbs off the air saturday AM due to an over-aggressive fire alarm=bad
High Definition CCD's smaller than 3/4"=not that bad
the new sony XDcamHD for electronic news gathering=good ($30,000 body only; no lens)
HD lenses=complicated
the success rates of digital microwave eng trucks=good

and now... holiday snap shots!

(1/top of page): THE J.Marty Dormany, an Arthur M. Chyron Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
(2): another barry manilow sighting
(3): so, sony's booth is HUGE. they have this kiosk surrounded by all their cameras. in the kiosk are these "models" that just sit there all day and make oragami cranes, just so you have something to shoot while trying out their cameras. it's kinda creepy. they get paid to just sit there all day, but they look so exquisitely bored... it's kinda like a stylish young adults exhibit at the San Deigo zoo.
(4): TV geeks as far as the eye can see.
(5). Regis Philbin interupts lunch to yap about his storied career.

NAB Day 2

2006-04-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

now the real fun begins.

first seminar today was on how to hire the best people. NOT that we've hired any duds to date... just wanna insure that i do my part to help keep the streak alive.

the next one drew parallels between hypnosis techniques and advertising scripts/tag lines/ad campaigns. while some of the examples seemed a bit of a stretch, most were at least entertaining (finger lickin' good).

but the highlight was finding the booth where i got to pick up my FREE schwag bag (see pix). when i told my sister that i was going to NAB she reminisced "[NAB] wasn't the one that Dad brought home the cool stuff. The really cool stuff came from the programming convention." well... just check the picture and turn "green..."

dinner tonight was with our intrepid engineering representatives Chuck & Kevin and their better halves Judy & Pat. we ate at the Bellagio's "sports bar/pub/brewery." no newcastle (!?) and service was, shall we say, "minimalist." however, it was very nice of those guys to invite me and a pleasure to hang with them. food was good, too.

early day tomorrow (6:30am CBS breakfast). also, if there's anything on the NAB exhibitor's floor you want me to try to check out... just shoot me an e-mail.

pix below.

and now, a word from the sponsor...
on 20 may 2006, i'm riding in a 100km (62mi) tour de cure charity bicycling event in madison, wi. all proceeds benefit diabetes research. if you're so inclined, visit my TdC web site & make a donation to the TdC, or just give me the filthy lucre when i get back.
don't like me? Dan Zweig is riding too, so give your donation to him... see if i care*. (*that could prolly be classified as "polarity response technique" a kind of reverse psychology that, in the end, gets you to do what is desired, regardless of the way you got there. a very effective advertising tool).

link:
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251

or go to diabetes.org/tour click "sponsor a rider" -- select "wisconsin" -- select "madison" -- search "barcheski"

the score:
wins/losses=-$16

amount i miss Margo Marlone= 2.HC

and now... holiday snap shots!

(1/top of page). not sure whether to use a "Bert" of Bert & Ernie reference or a The Producers reference here... oh, you just pick.

(2): infamous schwag bag. assorted NAB hand bills, a lariette for your back stage pass credential, a pen & a bottle of H2O all assembled in a very smart & stylish soft-sided handbag (one word: prada!).

(3): pacific rim location crew taping something... on betacam sp!

(4). "we're ssssoooo hungry!"

2006-04-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

National association of Broadcasters (NAB2006), Day 1

as most of you know, i'm at NAB2006 in lost wages, nevada.

my plan is to blog a little about what i see & do, just to keep you guys informed involved and in touch with the "ImMEDIAte FUTURE" (that's their slogan) of electronic media.

Unfortunately, this first edition is rather dull, as the floor at the convention center with all of the cool gadgets doesn't open until monday, but hopefully i can find something to do.

check out the pictures posted below...

The Score:
Layover at O'hare= 3 1/2 hours (give or take)

Gambling Gains/Losses (+ /-) = even.

thing that must change = There's no hairdryer in the hotel room. for me, that's like a week of survival in the aussie outback with a pup tent and a grub-digging spoon.

Amount i miss Margo & Marlone (already) = Hors Categorie

shout out to TJ DeLay representing the mountain time zone.

good night and good luck
al b

and now, a word from the sponsor...
on 20 may 2006, i'm riding in a 100k (62mi) tour de cure charity cycling event in madison, wi. all proceeds benefit diabetes research. if you're so inclined, visit my TdC web site & make a donation to the TdC, or just give me the filthy lucre when i get back. don't like me? Dan Zewig is riding too, so give your donation to him... see if i care.

link: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=2803986&pg=personal&fr_id=3251

or go to diabetes.org/tour click "sponsor a rider" select "wisconsin" select "madison" search "barcheski"

and now... HOLIDAY SNAPS! HOORAY!

Barry Manilow (large billboard on the Hilton in back ground) keeps an eye on NAB.

all the excitement that is... NAB LOAD-IN!