Dictum Ridiculum - January 2005

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Dictum Ridiculum: January 2005

Archived rants and raves from the main page of the Colin Campbell Network.

Saturday, January 29, 2005
Quote of the Day
"The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others."

--Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965. German medical missionary, theologian, musician and philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Oh, so THAT'S the purpose of life. Well, now you know.
For the record: I saw this quote today on the wall of my YMCA, and it reverberated with me. Of course, there's also this Schweitzer classic, which is, in my book, another keeper:
"I have always held firmly to the thought that each one of us can do a little to bring some portion of misery to an end."
Amen!
Happy Saturday!
Transmitted 01:33 AM PST | Link |

Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Inside the Sausage Factory
Who really wants to know how TV shows are made? Especially reality TV shows?
Sadly, I couldn't stop myself from reading this very interesting behind the scenes tale by a member of the band Information Society, talking about his perspective on being ambushed to appear on one of my favorite reality shows, VH-1's Bands Reunited. At one point, he summarizes thusly:

Viacom Inc. has hired a production company called Evolution USA to send out a team of uninvited television production people to accost musicians who have moved on to other things, and invite them to perform services for free, which Viacom Inc. will then own and use to create television products for which they will sell advertising to enhance Viacom shareholder value. (This is not too surprising of a model for a company which, according to the Washington Post is known to flagrantly violate U.S. hiring laws.)
Ooh, and it gets better! If you were disappointed, as I was, that the Information Society episode ended without a reunion concert, reading this detailed behind-the-scenes look may not make you feel any better, but you'll certainly understand a lot more of why things happened the way they did.
It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that it also illustrates why you should ALWAYS QUESTION what you see on "reality" TV.
Transmitted 10:16 AM PST | Link |

Saturday, January 15, 2005
Pretty Well Sums Up Reality TV
This E! News Story about unaired episodes of canceled reality shows finding a new home on network websites included this gem concerning The Will, CBS's latest reality abomination, which was axed this week after airing precisely one episode.

Earlier this week, CBS wrote off The Will, a reality show about kinfolk battling for an Arizona rancher's property, after just one little-watched episode. There was no word on whether the network planned to announce the The Will winner somewhere, somehow. Or if anyone cared.
Amen! Remember when ABC burned out Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and the whole game show genre? We're quickly headed down the same path with reality, because, duh, the majority of the new reality shows suck. And while audiences will put up with a lot of crap on TV (According to Jim anyone?), they rarely tolerate anything that actively sucks.
Transmitted 02:43 AM PST | Link |

Thursday, January 13, 2005
It's Happened Again...
First they got Viktor Yushenko.

Now, someone -- probably a member of the Russian Secret Police -- has apparently given the same poison to Al Gore.

The Gore I remember.

Gore 2005.
This apparently unretouched photo was found here. Yikes.
Transmitted 06:10 PM PST | Link |

Friday, January 7, 2005
You Might Enjoy...
If you are interested in computers and software and stuff like that, you might enjoy the annual Wired News year-end look at Vaporware. As a Monty Python fan from way back, I especially got a kick out of...

8. Apple Computer's G5 Chips at 3 GHz
Intel's in good company. Nobody hit the chip speeds they promised. In June 2003, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said IBM's G5 chips would be at 3 GHz within 12 months. It's been 18.
In response, Justin Evers submitted a "Reading from the Book of Apple, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20":
"Then did St. Steve raise on high the Holy G5 of Cupertino, saying, 'Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine Dell enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the renderings of lambs and toads and tree sloths and fruit bats and orangutans and lickable icons.... Now did the Lord say, 'Thou in 12 months, thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the GHz and the number of the GHz shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two-point-five, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the GHz, be reached, then thine will be great and powerful in my sight, however if thou shall have more than one button on thou mouse, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff thine's life.'"
Kinda geeky, kinda fun ... in other words, a perfect Internet read.

Transmitted 09:45 AM PST | Link |

Wednesday, January 5, 2005
2005 Ball Dropped Uneventfully; Attendance Stable as Police "Lay Off"
San Luis Obispo's longest-running family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration went off without a hitch Friday night, as a crowd estimated at nearly 25 poured in to Downtown SLO for the 12th Annual Xtina Warren Ball Drop.
Weather concerns may have played a part in dampening attendance at the celebration, which has in past years climbed perilously close to triple digits. Rain fell throughout the day, but stopped long-enough for the ball to be dropped in relative dryness. Cold temperatures may have also contributed to the modest turn-out.
The event, conceived and put on by Xtina Warren, her husband Frank, and family friend Colin Campbell, provides a unique counterpoint to overblown, over-hyped New Year celebrations. "We take great joy in being one of the only New Year celebrations to traffic in 'anti-climax' as a primary emotion," said Campbell, who visits from Los Angeles every year for the Ball Drop. Like its more famous East Coast cousin, the event involves the lowering of a shiny disco-style ball as the countdown to midnight approaches. As for the anti-climax, that is usually experienced by the audience when the ball is first revealed to the assembled throng. Passers-by, cajoled in to sticking around for the drop, often expect an elaborate set-up, and are surprised to see such a commotion being made over a ball of relatively modest size. "Let's be honest," said Campbell. "This baby isn't even volleyball size. It's like a softball that's been using The Cream or the The Clear," Campbell continued, invoking the name of the bulk-enhancing steroids at the center of the current baseball controversy.
However, as in past years, ball designer and event co-founder Frank Warren dressed up the object of attention, this year creating a tripartite design that consisted of the original ball, a larger rubber-handled ball draped in reflective foil-like wrapping paper, and a "clamshell" design of cheap aluminum oven roasting pans, into the bottoms of which "2005" had been punctured with an awl. The clamshell was illuminated from within, using special touch lights purchased exclusively for the event, thus creating the celebration's first-ever budget deficit. (Sales from T-shirts and other Ball Drop memorabilia were strictly "at cost" this year, with no profits being made.)
Perhaps the biggest surprise at this year's event was the complete absence of police involvement. In past years, sworn law officers from the City of San Luis Obispo, as well as private security guards, have often expressed their concern in the form of veiled and not-so-veiled threats against the ball droppers. The quasi-public location of the event (conducted from the roof of an open and public parking garage) means the gathering must remain quasi-legal, at least for now. But as the event continues to grow in popularity, organizers may seek a form of blessing from the city. At its current rate of growth, attendance could surpass the 100 mark by the year 2142, at which point organizers have promised to form a committee to study the feasibility of applying for a permit. The feasibility study is expected to last for 20 years, at which point the committee hopes to deliver its recommendation on the permitting process, or ask for an extension.
Herewith, photos of San Luis Obispo's very own Ball Drop. (Not the Times Square Ball Drop, but thanks, Google, for sending all those folks this way.)

Event organizers and co-founders Frank and Xtina Warren pose with children Allison, 9, and Campbell, 6. The children have attended the Xtina Warren Ball Drop every year they've been alive.

Frank Warren poses with the ball, friend John Calandro, and John's son Max. Children, especially, delight in the event, which always has been alcohol-free and family friendly.

Special lighting features are highlighted in this low-contrast night vision shot of the 2005 Ball, designed by Frank Warren. Two aluminum turkey roasting pans were put together in a "clamshell" construction, each pan with puncture holes spelling out "2005", and brilliantly illuminated by specially-mounted interior touch lights.

The image used to promote this year's Xtina Warren Ball Drop, designed by Lydia Campbell. A wide variety of t-shirts, posters, post cards, and other merchandise featuring the logo was available this year.

Transmitted 01:57 AM PST | Link |

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