Primer – Like a Time Travelers Convention

Last night, Jen and I watched Primer. Its got the same amateur, black-n-white, intimate cinematography as Pi. I like that. Makes the story feel raw and unpolished – real. Though, unlike Pi, I didn’t feel there was a central hub Primer’s plot spun around. I agree with Kottke;

“…that’s ok because the science fictiony stuff was actually not as interesting for me as what happened to the characters in the film.”

During the Q & A session at today’s Push the Future Conference, someone cynically asked about the MIT Time Traveler Convention. Push Singh replied with how brilliant an idea it was; first, there only ever needs to be one convention and second, a time traveler could attend and then not attend cause it was lame. Sounds like a win-win for everyone.

The plot in Primer could have been around high school friends going separate ways, a dot com blowing up, or a son reconciling his father’s death, for the interactions between characters and each characters’ transformation were the good parts. Shane Carruth could have started with the plot and simply removed it at some point deciding time travel was lame. Like the Time Traveler Convention, it would have been just as powerful.

Put the Ask After the Parade, Not Before

A month or so back I got a knock on the front door. It was a couple high school kids asking for donations for the marching band’s new uniforms. I wasn’t thinking about the marching band at that moment. Nor was my wallet right next to the front door.

Tonight, moments before Jen and I sat down for an after dinner movie, there’s marching band faintly in the background. Our town’s 4th of July parade route is a couple streets away and considering it’s Flag Day, I thought nothing of it.

The marching band was getting closer. After pondering it for a few minutes, I went outside, looked down the street, and here comes the St. Anthony Village High School Marching Patriots. Right down my street – not a typical parade route.

Initially, I thought it was a parade (Flag Day and all) yet, as they got closer I could hear the coaches shouting out orders and I noticed all the kids were wearing normal clothes.

It stuck me – this is when to ask for donations. When I can hear the band members, all tattered and worn, trying their hardest to walk and play instruments at the same time.

Yes, other neighbors came out to watch, and yes, they made a second lap. I’m not sure there’s a better time to ask for community support. Yet they didn’t.

First Crack 46. Broadcast Radio and Podcasting with Noah Lamson

Noah Lamson, New Media Director at ABC Radio in Minneapolis and I grab lunch at Diamonds Coffee Shoppe. He’s publishing feeds for 92KQRS, Drive105, and 93X and we discuss the interesting relationship between broadcast radio and podcasting.

If you stop by Diamonds, try the grilled cheese with bacon & tomato. Very tasty.

Listen to Broadcast Radio and Podcasting with Noah Lamson [15 min]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Blow Things Up

Tonight, while another summer t-storm swept through our fair city, Jen and I caught Mr. and Mrs. Smith. First off, I prefer Brad Pitt playing insane people (Fight Club, Snatch, Twelve Monkeys, the Mexican) and his odd body language throughout the movie was just enough insane for me. The his and hers hit squads with Vince Vaughn as Pitt’s buddy made it feel like Dodgeball mixed with Ocean’s Eleven; trash-talking dialogue mixed with lots and lots of explosions. Did I mention the shoot outs? or the explosions? or where Mr. and Mrs. Smith change into something more fashionable before walking into a gun fight?

My disbelief was suspended like an elevator right before the charge on its cable detonates.

Lots of Conversation, Lots of Energy

This week was chock full of conversations with people interested in how podcasting can work for their business. The amount of enthusiasm and energy I consistently received from across the table blew me away. Two other things that struck me:

  1. The people I’m talking with aren’t currently that far away from podcasting. It’s just a matter of connecting the dots.
  2. At least 3 really cool ideas for a podcast came out of each conversation. Ideas playing to the strengths of both podcasting and the organization.

As we all know, there’s still a layer of geek needed for the podcasting magic to happen. I can’t wait until that’s no longer an issue.

To Improv-a-Go-Go We Went

Every Sunday night at the Brave New Workshop presents, Improv-A-Go-Go. $1 buys you 2 hours of local improv. A good deal no matter how hit and miss the comedy.

Tonight’s performance was definitely so:

  • Straight From Uranus started off rough and quickly got their stride. Knowing when to end a scene, improv or otherwise is the biggest gift a performer can offer their audience. This young group knew when to end a scene and they were funny.
  • Resist Butch! answered 2 questions. First, can jumping from dramatic to comedic improv be done well? Yes. Second, can 2 performers pull off playing 3 characters, often switching back and forth, in the same scene? Yes.
  • Perhaps it’s something in the air, some ‘Spy’ meme that’s going around. Late last week, I laughed all the way through Little Gray Book lecture #2 – Secrets of the Secret Agents and tonight the Brave New Workshop provided episode two of their sketch “Spies are Everywhere.” A brilliant idea, take a normally banal scene and put spies in it. Almost as funny as Superheros doing banal things, or people in animal costumes acting normal. I love that stuff.
  • I knew something was fishy when 3 players get on stage, ask for suggestions, proclaim “We’re off to improv, we’ll be back”, and leave. Um. Sure, I’ll play along. An hour and 45 minutes later, Regrettable Breakfast returns with a recording of a dramatic improv far more uncomfortable than watching Eyes Wide Shut with your grandmother. Yes, watching an improv scene unfold in a kitchen is an interesting idea, that’s still no reason to mic the cupboard doors, nor is it a reason to videotape it, inherently disconnecting the players from the audience. Thereby not knowing when to cut the scene.

For a dollar, I’ll be back. It’s far more entertaining than not winning the lottery.

As a final note, Secrets of the Secret Agents is the most recent addition to my Garrick’s Podcast Picks podcast at Gigadial.

Podcasting is Closer to Voicemail than Radio

Yesterday, I listened to the latest from the Podcast Brothers featuring an interview with Todd Storch. You’ve probably gleaned that I don’t see the viability of an ad subsidized podcast. As I’ve mentioned in the economics of podcasting, existing broadcasters have huge amounts of money sunk into transmitters, spectrum, studios, and talent. The easiest way to get a return on that investment is from advertisers. These sunk costs don’t exist in podcasting. So, there’s no financial pain for advertisers to heal.

For the sake of not having the advertiser conversation for a moment, let’s put down the radio metaphor.

If someone calls my phone and leaves a message – I get it automatically. When Dave Winer, Tim Elliot, Cayenne Chris, or Dave Slusher publish a new audio file, I get it automatically.

Phone messages are also very personal, relevant to a topic I’m concerned with, and vary both in frequency and duration. All characteristics of a good podcast. Voicemail also isn’t ad subsidized.

As Doc Searls famously asked in the BloggerCon Making Money session:

“What’s the business model of my telephone?”

Lawyers, accountants, coaches, and other professional consultants stake each paycheck on answering clients’ questions expertly and immediately. What’s the value of a voicemail from your accountant? Depends on the question.

How much would you pay for your accountant to leave a voicemail answering a question just before you ask it?

That’s how to make money podcasting.

In Podcasting is the New Voicemail, Ross Mayfield is thinking along the same lines:

“Soon it will be one of the simplest ways to communicate with groups.”

My Car Won’t Run E85, Maybe Yours?

Yesterday, I noticed the signage at the gas station up the street was showing prices for unleaded gasoline and E85, the fuel made of 85% ethanol and just 15% petroleum. E85 can be made from sugar cane, corn, wheat, just about any starch. Here in the midwest the obvious choice is corn.

As a quick aside, on our last cross-country road trip Jen and I noticed Nebraskan gas stations were promoting the higher percentage of ethanol in the fuels they sold. Next door in Wyoming, the signs proclaimed “There’s No Corn in our Gas!”. With Wyoming not known for their corn production prowess it seemed like a fairly empty statement.

Back to E85, if you’re driving a Flexible Fuel Vehicle like a Ford Explorer or Chrysler minivan, E85 is 30 to 50 cents cheaper per gallon than regular unleaded. Frankly, I’m pretty surprised at the list of Flexible Fuel Vehicles, all trucks and SUVs. Considering how poor their mileage is to begin with, definitely a good thing. Still, I was disappointed not to see the Neon or PT Cruiser on the list.

Minnesota Public Radio’s story on E85.

The IKEA Furnishings Subscription Model

I had a couple of apartments completely furnished via IKEA. As I’m sure you know, once assembled Billy isn’t going anywhere. Drooping and wabbly, the Billy entertainment system lasted – to the day – as my last rental lease. Not a bad thing, I didn’t have to move it. Though it did leave me without a bookcase.

Tonight, browsing their rug selection and picking up a couple things for the office, I pondered again the potential for an IKEA Furnishings Subscription Model. Yes, subscription-based furnishings. IKEA’s furniture prices are low enough where refurnishing is like putting on a fresh coat of paint and like that coat of paint, it only lasts a couple years. Two-years later, when that bookcase is sagging and worn, no worries – it’s replacement has been paid for. The delivery truck will be here tomorrow. Same with the sofa and dining room set and eventually the entire house?