It's been awhile since the last blog, and there are lots of excuses for not writing, but none worth writing about.
A visit to San Francisco was revealing and fascinating. The city by the bay has always been a favorite place to visit. The natural beauty of the surroundings, the bay, the Golden Gate bridge, and the surrounding hillsides full of tall mature trees. In stark contrast to Southern California the green vs brown factor is big. The vibe of the city is still very alive,and as always a little dark. A mid afternoon meeting at the cafe in Union Square, outdoor tables, sunshine with a crisp breeze reminded me at once of experiences in New York and Paris. A bit of nature surrounded by the bustle of the city. My meeting with a CEO of an large corporation was pleasant and productive. It was also interrupted by a well dressed young man, with big sunglasses, and an even bigger arrogance who, in the fenced restaurant area, began smoking with the smoke coming directly into our faces. The no smoking sign on the fence was right in front of him. My guest spoke up first, addressing the man directly. The man refused to acknowledge the request to stop smoking and lit up another. The request to stop became a demand, finally answered by a taunt of "mind your own business." A few more words from the CEO and the smoker got more belligerant. He stood up, clearly angry. We both stood up, unsure of what may come next, pointing out the no smoking sign and the San Francisco law, which is very intolerant of smokers in public places. He finally backed down, walked away cursing at us, and we resumed our meeting, shaking our heads in disbelief at what had almost happened.
The sunshine, otherwise pleasant atmosphere and good company prevailed to make it a great afternoon, but there was also a reminder that some negative, angry people and potentially violent people lurk amongst us. Walking back to the hotel, my situational awareness was higher, and it was still a beautiful day in an amazing city.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Santa Fe 3751, is the last steam locomotive to run in regular service on the Sante fe Railroad, on this same line in 1953. May 1 and 2nd the old steam engine fired up and pulled an 11 car train filled with railrad enthusiasts from LA to San Diego and back. The trip is sponsored by the Central Coast Railway Club, the Pacific Locomotive Association and the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society which maintains and operates #3751. All three groups are non-profit organizations with all work done by volunteers. The San Diego Steam Special is run as an Amtrak train, on the regular main line between the two cities. The work to make a trip like this happen is enormous. All the vintage cars and the engine must meet stringent safety requirements. The insurance alone is a major cost obstacle. In the picture, right behind #3751 is an Amtrak diesel. It's there for several reasons. One is a backup in case the steam engine has a mechanical. Second, it provide the power needed for the eleven vintage passenfer cars, and finally, it can help with addition tracktion power if needed on startup or on any of the steeper grades.
Train enthusiasts young and old came from all over for the train to pass, and when it did, it was "high balling" going as fast as the Amtrack Surfliner when it went by our location. It's such a rare sight to see a big old engine in all it's steam glory.
Cudos to all the volunteers and the Amtrack people who made this happen.
The photos were taken by Karen Wolfer. We ere positioned by the La Costa Avenue (Carlsbad CA) overpass along the coast. I was taking video which we'll link later. If you google Santa Fe 3751 there are some additional pictures and links to various videos.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
3 D Crazy
NAB The National Association of Broadcasters holds an annual meeting in Las Vegas. It's huge, largest in the world, and the exposition takes all of the LV Convention Center and the Hilton center as well.
After several days, looking at hundreds of millions of dollars at the largest video and broadcast convention in the world, the rush is on to 3-D. SONY, Panasonic, Hitachi, JVC, and hundreds of others are rushing into HD. Some looks pretty good, some not good, and headaches abound after watching misaligned 3-D.
Formats abound as well. As best we could figure there are at least 15 different non compatible formats. Of course the best systems are also HD. 3D requires dual images and HD 3-D requires twice the band width.
Opinion:
As a producer/director I like 3-D for certain projects, but in general I don't like it. 3-D is a production pain in the neck. It's a lot more more expensive, more difficult to shoot, and often gets in the way of story. Avitar thrived on it, and the 2D version is not nearly as good. The story in Avitar is generally considered to be not nearly as good as the 3D images. (It's pretty much "Pocahontas" in space). The 3-D made it Avitar an amazing achievement. It should be noted that animated and computer enhanced projects make the best 3-D images.
For the business production it's a cost and production nightmare. The change to new equipment with the associated increase in costs is a lot more than HD, which is still not fully implemented. About 90% of the "industrial production" out there is still standard definition. We shoot in HD but finish in standard definition because our customers simply don't have the capability of HD playback and don't want to even pay extra for HD at meetings. It's a slow transition to HD, and will be slower to 3-D.
Blue Ray is the HD standard for DVD, but it's predicted DVDs will go away in the not too distant future. I did not see any special 3-D playback machines. I think they are doing special encoding for Blue Ray for playback or use other specialized systems. Home 3-D means all new everything, screens, receivers, playback, and of course special glasses to watch TV.
Currently there is zero compatibility between systems and formats, and each requires different different kinds of special glasses.
For production major investment will be needed in new or expensive upgrades to edit systems requiring twice the memory capacity. For now production it takes two cameras instead of one and they have to be mounted on cumbersome rigs requiring special alignment for every shot. Oh yes, don't forget the lenses have to be perfectly matched, as in consecutive serial numbers, so the glass if from the same batch. Don't shoot it perfectly and the audience will get a near instant headache. In a small percentage of people 3-D actually triggers epileptic seizures. Call the lawyer- Joe goes to the corporate meeting and they give him a seizure!!
It is neat, looks cool and is absolutely the latest fad. Conversion from 2-D to 3-D is going on. The 3-D purists hate it, but there are some failures as well as very successful conversions. One of the conversion companies is going to covert some scenes from Proud American for a 3-D test. Of course we'll have to go to a specially equipped studio to see it! But it may be part of our release in theaters.
3-D IS coming, and the technology will get better, a little cheaper and more readily available, but it will be a very slow transition.
As a gimmick I love it. As a storyteller, in it's current form, it tends to get in the way.
The only constant is change. Yes indeed.
After several days, looking at hundreds of millions of dollars at the largest video and broadcast convention in the world, the rush is on to 3-D. SONY, Panasonic, Hitachi, JVC, and hundreds of others are rushing into HD. Some looks pretty good, some not good, and headaches abound after watching misaligned 3-D.
Formats abound as well. As best we could figure there are at least 15 different non compatible formats. Of course the best systems are also HD. 3D requires dual images and HD 3-D requires twice the band width.
Opinion:
As a producer/director I like 3-D for certain projects, but in general I don't like it. 3-D is a production pain in the neck. It's a lot more more expensive, more difficult to shoot, and often gets in the way of story. Avitar thrived on it, and the 2D version is not nearly as good. The story in Avitar is generally considered to be not nearly as good as the 3D images. (It's pretty much "Pocahontas" in space). The 3-D made it Avitar an amazing achievement. It should be noted that animated and computer enhanced projects make the best 3-D images.
For the business production it's a cost and production nightmare. The change to new equipment with the associated increase in costs is a lot more than HD, which is still not fully implemented. About 90% of the "industrial production" out there is still standard definition. We shoot in HD but finish in standard definition because our customers simply don't have the capability of HD playback and don't want to even pay extra for HD at meetings. It's a slow transition to HD, and will be slower to 3-D.
Blue Ray is the HD standard for DVD, but it's predicted DVDs will go away in the not too distant future. I did not see any special 3-D playback machines. I think they are doing special encoding for Blue Ray for playback or use other specialized systems. Home 3-D means all new everything, screens, receivers, playback, and of course special glasses to watch TV.
Currently there is zero compatibility between systems and formats, and each requires different different kinds of special glasses.
For production major investment will be needed in new or expensive upgrades to edit systems requiring twice the memory capacity. For now production it takes two cameras instead of one and they have to be mounted on cumbersome rigs requiring special alignment for every shot. Oh yes, don't forget the lenses have to be perfectly matched, as in consecutive serial numbers, so the glass if from the same batch. Don't shoot it perfectly and the audience will get a near instant headache. In a small percentage of people 3-D actually triggers epileptic seizures. Call the lawyer- Joe goes to the corporate meeting and they give him a seizure!!
It is neat, looks cool and is absolutely the latest fad. Conversion from 2-D to 3-D is going on. The 3-D purists hate it, but there are some failures as well as very successful conversions. One of the conversion companies is going to covert some scenes from Proud American for a 3-D test. Of course we'll have to go to a specially equipped studio to see it! But it may be part of our release in theaters.
3-D IS coming, and the technology will get better, a little cheaper and more readily available, but it will be a very slow transition.
As a gimmick I love it. As a storyteller, in it's current form, it tends to get in the way.
The only constant is change. Yes indeed.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Shake Rattle and Roll
Its a beautiful Sunday afternoon, three of us sitting at a bay side restaurant, clear blue sky, warm sunshine pouring in through the open beam ceiling, palm trees gently sway with the fresh ocean breeze , lots of sailboats cruising San Diego bay; it is a "chamber of commerce postcard." Then a rumble and the entire restaurant and deck we are on starts to sway. I turned to Karen and daughter Michelle and together we said, "earthquake." As California people we are used to small quakes now and then, but this one continued longer, and got stronger. Moments later I said go go go - outside now. The patio we were on is on pilings, some 10 to 15 feet over rock and water with wood open beam ceiling and heavy outdoor heaters suspended overhead. The exit from the patio to the parking lot, an open area with no power poles, is just 20 feet from our table at the edge over the water. Most waiters and patrons are looking at each other wondering what to do. A few waiters move to the doorway. There is no panic, no shouting, just a lot of people wondering what to do. We walked very fast to the exit, followed by about 20-30 others. Once in the lot we watch as cars lurched back and forth. As the rocking subsided we jumped in our car and headed out of the lot, turning on the radio as we drove for higher ground. The is a major fault line running off shore San Diego, and if the epicenter was under the ocean nearby, it would likely generate a huge tsunami. Within a minute the radio announced it was a major quake centered inland, near Calexico Ca & Mexicali Mexico. No tsunami, so we returned to the restaurant, went back to our table and our glasses of California Chardonnay. There were three more aftershocks over the next thirty minutes, none big enough to cause another exit, all big enough to be felt by everyone.
Once at home we found one vase broken, and some small items on the floor, but no real damage. Other neighbors had a few broken items as well. The folks in the town of Calexico California near the epicenter fared well considering the quake was larger than the one which struck Haiti. Calexico had major structural damage only to some older downtown buildings which had not been earthquake retrofitted. All the more modern structures held firm. Mexicali, a few feet away across the border, was much harder hit, with many building collapses. Building codes are important. Many commercial structures built to American standards in Mexico remained sound, and it's been reported that several of Mexicali's public buildings sustained major damage. Public buildings there were apparently built to a lesser standard due to cost cutting and corruption according to some reports. Regardless of the reason, as in Haiti, the damage was more severe than it should have been. So far two lives were lost and hundreds injured in those border communities.
The lessons for us; continue to live every day to it's fullest. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wild fires, lightening, all take their toll and are beyond our control. Traffic accidents are more common, and often more deadly. Celebrate living in a country where the standards are higher, the corruption lower, emergency response superior, and most people do care for one another.
It's a beautiful day, with an aftershocks now and then to remind us of the limits to our "control." Is that rumble a truck going by or...
Its a beautiful Sunday afternoon, three of us sitting at a bay side restaurant, clear blue sky, warm sunshine pouring in through the open beam ceiling, palm trees gently sway with the fresh ocean breeze , lots of sailboats cruising San Diego bay; it is a "chamber of commerce postcard." Then a rumble and the entire restaurant and deck we are on starts to sway. I turned to Karen and daughter Michelle and together we said, "earthquake." As California people we are used to small quakes now and then, but this one continued longer, and got stronger. Moments later I said go go go - outside now. The patio we were on is on pilings, some 10 to 15 feet over rock and water with wood open beam ceiling and heavy outdoor heaters suspended overhead. The exit from the patio to the parking lot, an open area with no power poles, is just 20 feet from our table at the edge over the water. Most waiters and patrons are looking at each other wondering what to do. A few waiters move to the doorway. There is no panic, no shouting, just a lot of people wondering what to do. We walked very fast to the exit, followed by about 20-30 others. Once in the lot we watch as cars lurched back and forth. As the rocking subsided we jumped in our car and headed out of the lot, turning on the radio as we drove for higher ground. The is a major fault line running off shore San Diego, and if the epicenter was under the ocean nearby, it would likely generate a huge tsunami. Within a minute the radio announced it was a major quake centered inland, near Calexico Ca & Mexicali Mexico. No tsunami, so we returned to the restaurant, went back to our table and our glasses of California Chardonnay. There were three more aftershocks over the next thirty minutes, none big enough to cause another exit, all big enough to be felt by everyone.
Once at home we found one vase broken, and some small items on the floor, but no real damage. Other neighbors had a few broken items as well. The folks in the town of Calexico California near the epicenter fared well considering the quake was larger than the one which struck Haiti. Calexico had major structural damage only to some older downtown buildings which had not been earthquake retrofitted. All the more modern structures held firm. Mexicali, a few feet away across the border, was much harder hit, with many building collapses. Building codes are important. Many commercial structures built to American standards in Mexico remained sound, and it's been reported that several of Mexicali's public buildings sustained major damage. Public buildings there were apparently built to a lesser standard due to cost cutting and corruption according to some reports. Regardless of the reason, as in Haiti, the damage was more severe than it should have been. So far two lives were lost and hundreds injured in those border communities.
The lessons for us; continue to live every day to it's fullest. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wild fires, lightening, all take their toll and are beyond our control. Traffic accidents are more common, and often more deadly. Celebrate living in a country where the standards are higher, the corruption lower, emergency response superior, and most people do care for one another.
It's a beautiful day, with an aftershocks now and then to remind us of the limits to our "control." Is that rumble a truck going by or...
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Freedom of Flight
Of the many things in my life I am grateful for, family friends, a really fun career, flying is near the top of the list. It's a little bit about learning and keeping the skills sharp, you are always learning in aviation, and it's far more. When I fly I experience an elation, a freedom born of childhood dreams. To fly is to see the earth in new perspective. My own problems take on lesser importance. The beauty of nature, and man's accomplishments are seen very differently from the air. And yes, the best views are seen from the pointy end of the airplane. Mankind's quest to fly is legendary, and we as humans are so fortunate to live in a time when we can fly literally anywhere in the world quickly and safely. We also have so many choices available to us as individuals. It is relatively easy to become a pilots, and be able to fly all around this amazing country, or the world, limited only by imagination, skills, the current weather, and your pocketbook. Some choose to buy a Harley, or a vacation home, a motorhome, or an airplane. Did you know you can buy a used Cessna for about what a luxury car costs? You can. It's all about choice.One of the great things about America is the freedom allowed by private aviation.
Assuming you have a pilots license, you can rent a plane (after a checkout by an instructor) and fly pretty much anywhere. The weather reporting system and ATC in the USA is excellent and today's small plane navigation systems would be the envy many an airline of not that many years ago. There are thousands of airports across the country, providing access to many communities which would be very isolated without an airfield. The ATC system (air traffic control) is funded by taxes on fuel, so the more you fly the more you pay. Other countries have fee systems that charge very high fees for every flight plan filed, or every time you call for an approach to an airport, and after landing fees and taxes abound. Nearly all smaller airports in the USA have no landing fees for small planes. You are welcomed by friendly people who would like to sell you some fuel, engage in "hangar talk," offer a free cookie and coffee, and generally help you out. Find yourself halfway across the country, at an unfamiliar airport and something needs fixed, you'll find competent, friendly and helpful people. Mechanics and shops are honest with very few exceptions. People will bend over backward to help you out.
On one cross country trip for business a few years ago the old radar on my plane finally gave it up. It was summer in the Midwest, with lots or storms to avoid, so I really wanted a working weather radar. At a small regional airport, the guy who owned the avionics shop took a look and confirmed the diagnosis-it would an easy fix, but would take a few days for parts. He had a compatible unit on his shelf ready to go so he offered to put his radar in and repair mine, so I could continue my trip. We would square up and swap back units via UPS when the repairs were done. No lawyers, no contract, just a handshake. When I returned from the trip, his bill was reasonable and my home shop swapped out the loaner and put in my unit in less than an hour. This is typical of the community which exists in aviation. It exists in other communities of like minded people as well, restoring our faith in human fairness, and kindness.
After some 4,000 hours in various cockpits, flying for business and pleasure, I've come to truly appreciate the American system. In places like Mexico you have to carry a wad of cash to get things done. Europe is so over regulated, and expensive, many European and pilots from many other countries come to the USA for training. We often take for granted the freedom to go where we want when we want, mostly unfettered by government and locals, in the air or on the road or even on the water.
The FREEDOM to go where you want to go, when you want to go there, is part of the heritage of freedom Americans enjoy. Don't ever take it for granted. It's just one of the things that makes this country special.
Fred Ashman
I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. ~James Madison, speech, Virginia Convention, 1788
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Finally, I highly recommend the blog by my friend Rolland Smith http://www.rollandsmith.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Satellite Technology
Amazing Satellite Technology
One of the amazing new technologies we have provides the ability to obtain high quality music and information via satellite. Think about it, the 100 plus channels are sent up, bounced off a satellite, and returned back to earth where our little receivers in cars or homes pick up the signal, unscramble it and play very high quality music.
The same technology bundles a separate signal which the receiver in an airplane captures and displays in color on a moving map. The map is driven by a separate satellite derived GPS signal, the same signal used in cars and boats and handlheld GPS for hikers.
The information displayed in the cockpit is a composite of all the national Doppler radar sites. It gives us pilots something we could never get with our on-board weather radar; a picture of the weather anywhere in the country. On-board radar is good for what is in front of the airplane out to about 40-60 miles, but it cannot show what lies behind a rain shower or thunderhead; it might be good weather or a bigger storm to avoid. The satellite signal also gives weather alerts and even TFR- (temporary flight restrictions) so we don't fly into a restricted area that just popped up. TFR's are no fly zones around big fires, presidential flights and other major events.
Flying is safer than ever with these severe weather avoidance tools, not to mention navigation is far more precise with GPS and moving map displays. And yes, I do get satellite radio on the headsets too.
Cruising with the tunes playing. Whenever ATC (air traffic control) or another airplane uses the radio, it automatically mutes the music- so you don't miss radio calls or fly past Minneapolis....
All made possible by integrated circuits and ever smaller, more powerful computers. One more thing to be grateful for.
Fred
One of the amazing new technologies we have provides the ability to obtain high quality music and information via satellite. Think about it, the 100 plus channels are sent up, bounced off a satellite, and returned back to earth where our little receivers in cars or homes pick up the signal, unscramble it and play very high quality music.
The same technology bundles a separate signal which the receiver in an airplane captures and displays in color on a moving map. The map is driven by a separate satellite derived GPS signal, the same signal used in cars and boats and handlheld GPS for hikers.
The information displayed in the cockpit is a composite of all the national Doppler radar sites. It gives us pilots something we could never get with our on-board weather radar; a picture of the weather anywhere in the country. On-board radar is good for what is in front of the airplane out to about 40-60 miles, but it cannot show what lies behind a rain shower or thunderhead; it might be good weather or a bigger storm to avoid. The satellite signal also gives weather alerts and even TFR- (temporary flight restrictions) so we don't fly into a restricted area that just popped up. TFR's are no fly zones around big fires, presidential flights and other major events.
Flying is safer than ever with these severe weather avoidance tools, not to mention navigation is far more precise with GPS and moving map displays. And yes, I do get satellite radio on the headsets too.Cruising with the tunes playing. Whenever ATC (air traffic control) or another airplane uses the radio, it automatically mutes the music- so you don't miss radio calls or fly past Minneapolis....
All made possible by integrated circuits and ever smaller, more powerful computers. One more thing to be grateful for.
Fred
Monday, March 22, 2010
What's to be Proud Of
As a boy of 13, a journey began which led to an appreciation of the unique positives which make America special. The belief in the individual, in free choice, and in a country which honors freedoms with responsibility.
Riding in a New York taxi the driver, who's name I could never pronounce. This was the happiest taxi driver I ever met. Smiling, friendly, and humming as he moved in and out of heavy NY traffic. Quite a contrast to the usual grim faced cabbie with anger just under the surface ready to burst out at the next car that cuts him off. This mans name was unpronounceable, at least to me. After about five minutes of "extreme smiling" I asked him why he was so happy. His answer; "I live in America."
Oh, good was my somewhat confused reaction. That's it?
"My daughter, my daughter can go to school. For free."
Uh huh I said. He looked at me like I was not too bright. Still smiling he went on.
"And we are safe. People do not come in the night to kill you like in Somalia. And I work, and keep the money."
Surprized, and humbled I fumbled for words, finally just said the first thing i could think of, Welcome to America.
It hit me then there are so many reasons to appreciate what's good about this country. We hear the about all the problems, the warts and the complaints, but not the good all the time. Yet the positives of a free society, with nearly unlimited choices are part of our daily lives, are usually not appreciated, taken for granted by those of us born here.
In this blog I'll share experiences and examples of what I've seen and people I've met, with different perspectives and examples of what makes the USA a great country.
I encourage comments and adding your own experiences. This is my first blog, so I'll endeavor to make it relevant and interesting. I'll also comment on the progress of our planned re-release of Proud American in theaters nationwide.
Fred
Riding in a New York taxi the driver, who's name I could never pronounce. This was the happiest taxi driver I ever met. Smiling, friendly, and humming as he moved in and out of heavy NY traffic. Quite a contrast to the usual grim faced cabbie with anger just under the surface ready to burst out at the next car that cuts him off. This mans name was unpronounceable, at least to me. After about five minutes of "extreme smiling" I asked him why he was so happy. His answer; "I live in America."
Oh, good was my somewhat confused reaction. That's it?
"My daughter, my daughter can go to school. For free."
Uh huh I said. He looked at me like I was not too bright. Still smiling he went on.
"And we are safe. People do not come in the night to kill you like in Somalia. And I work, and keep the money."
Surprized, and humbled I fumbled for words, finally just said the first thing i could think of, Welcome to America.
It hit me then there are so many reasons to appreciate what's good about this country. We hear the about all the problems, the warts and the complaints, but not the good all the time. Yet the positives of a free society, with nearly unlimited choices are part of our daily lives, are usually not appreciated, taken for granted by those of us born here.
In this blog I'll share experiences and examples of what I've seen and people I've met, with different perspectives and examples of what makes the USA a great country.
I encourage comments and adding your own experiences. This is my first blog, so I'll endeavor to make it relevant and interesting. I'll also comment on the progress of our planned re-release of Proud American in theaters nationwide.
Fred
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