BacklotOPS

Cancellation of "The George Lopez Show", just plain WRONG. Sabotage, is what I would call the "financially" excuse. And though the Geico Caveman is clever as a commercial, I am already tired of it at thirty seconds. Come on. In all fairness there are Hispanics on Cable ( one of my favorites ). But cable TV is not free or inexpensive. Not to mention that this is a proverbial middle finger to a huge demographic. I want real people, not a silly Flintstones knockoff. TV just got a lot 'whiter,' says a canceled George Lopez George Lopez, the first Latino to lead a television series successfully, isn't laughing. "TV just became really, really white again," he said. ABC, he said, has "unceremoniously" canceled his self-titled comedy, which over the years chronicled his personal life from his sad childhood growing up with an abusive grandmother, to his alcoholism and kidney transplant. "The George Lopez Show" will live on in syn...

I am a member of a union. It works well most of the time. There are things that could be improved. Things that need to be changed. But at the end of the day, union membership is the only sure way that workers are protected. As I figure out the voice, tone and topic this blog will present, it makes sense to focus on the spin the Anti-Union side takes and relate personal stories (the good and the bad) of Unions, the leadership and the organizers. The following is from the AFLCIO web site: THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT * Find out whether your representative voted for the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800). * Find out whether your senator is a cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041). * Read the text of the Employee Free Choice Act. * Download a summary of the bill (PDF). It’s Time to Restore Workers’ Freedom to Form Unions America’s working people are struggling to make ends meet these days and our middle class is disappearing. The best opportunity wor...

A couple of days ago I posted about the innovations made in brain scanning or more specific Bio sensor and signal processing systems. Wearable devices will be the norm for film and video crews. A combo, Light/Color Temp/Volt/Ohm/Amp/Phone/Monitor/Computer meter? Maybe I can see a best boy with a handheld or wearable, taking care or all the paperwork, inventory (RFID) and set requirements (power distro and load - yup RFID and IP addressable equipment), The gaffer using the Bio Sensor to THINK the rough in and the DP to THINK the TWEEK. Sound far fetched? Think I'm daft? Read on. Lighting is changing. LED and DMX. It is a no brainer. Speech recognition software is on the desktop. It is not a big leap to have lighting units that use speech commands. "Unit A3, full spot. dim 11% pan right 3 degrees, tilt up 22 degrees." I was reading the gaffer's or DP's mind (ok more anticipation but still reading body language and KNOWING the groove that develops on set) in order t...

Crazy. That is all that I can come up with. When starting a business, there will be all kinds of advice, rules, laws, and practices to follow. Location, location, location. Know what your competitors are doing. Provide products and services that meet consumer demands. The reality is the opposite when it comes to the established companies. WTF! Hollywood Loves the Tiny Screen. Advertisers Don’t. Article Tools Sponsored By By LAURA M. HOLSON Published: May 7, 2007 LOS ANGELES, May 6 — Superman has the power to leap tall buildings. But leaping onto a cellphone screen is proving a little trickier. Skip to next paragraph Warner Brothers recently created a six-episode series of short videos for mobile devices based on the popular Superman television show, “Smallville.” The episodes tracked the history of Oliver Queen, the “Smallville” billionaire mayor who, like Clark Kent, has a superhero alter ego, the Green Arrow. more > In six months the PR will read as if the mobile was invented for ...

This code has been floating around for over 16 weeks. I saw it when it was first posted (or very soon after) and shared the link with a friend so that he could make backups of his DVDs. I have stumbled across the code on other people's sites. It was a cat out of the bag long before it was Digg'd (or Dug?). I'd like to see this setlled in some way other then a court room. I don't think Digg has the deep pockets, so the outcome of this may be the same as Napster's fate. Is this a Custer like stand? Don't know yet. But my opinion is that like the RIAA and Motion Picture Association has repeatedly done (Think Viacom vs Google) they waited too long. Snooze ya lose? Na ... these guys are clever and lawyered, this smells more like a play on the Judicial System to get tougher laws in place. They (HD DVD folks) goofed by not making the protection tougher to crack. But they really goofed by not seeing the writing on the wall in the mid 90's and positioning for the web...

More cool stuff making it's way to the market. "NeuroSky has developed a cost effective bio sensor and signal processing system for the consumer market. Our wearable technology unlocks worlds of new applications such as consumer electronics, health, wellness, education and training...." "New toys read brain waves By RACHEL KONRAD, AP Technology Writer Sun Apr 29, 10:49 PM ET SAN JOSE, Calif. - A convincing twin of Darth Vader stalks the beige cubicles of a Silicon Valley office, complete with ominous black mask, cape and light saber. But this is no chintzy Halloween costume. It's a prototype, years in the making, of a toy that incorporates brain wave-reading technology. Behind the mask is a sensor that touches the user's forehead and reads the brain's electrical signals, then sends them to a wireless receiver inside the saber, which lights up when the user is concentrating. The player maintains focus by channeling thoughts on any fixed mental image, or t...

A lot of gear will be up for sale over the next couple of months as I position for the next big thing. A recent addition is a HP 8500 Lazer printer with plenty of life left (used in a home office). This may fit the need of a small or mid size biz but I'd like to see someone that is freelancing scoop this one up. As always there is a dirt cheap price for a non profit or charitable organization. Google Tops Microsoft as Most Valuable Brand By Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. has knocked Microsoft Corp. from its perch as the world's top-ranked brand, according to findings released on Monday.