tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724552024-03-07T18:13:08.742-08:00Mike's Rewired Geek BlogThis blog has been around in one form or another since 2000. I haven't always been good about posting to it. The name comes from a post-cyberpunk short story collection I was reading when I needed a new username so now I'm the "Rewired" geek. Woo Hoo!Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-81275033554751270942017-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:002017-07-28T14:54:11.496-07:00Fireworks in 360 Degree VideoI bought myself a 360 degree camera to experiment with VR and other immersive types of film making. The camera I bought was the<a href="https://kodakpixpro.com/Americas/cameras/vrcamera/sp3604k/" target="_blank"> Kodak PixPro SP360 4K</a>. I got the Dual Pro Pack so I could cover 360 degrees around and 180 degrees top to bottom, giving me a full sphere of coverage. I did a couple of tests walking around a park but didn't post those.<br />
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So for this I filmed most of setting off some fireworks with my girlfriend and son at my boss's house (she lives in Bothell, WA where it is somewhat legal to shoot fireworks) and then edited it down to eight and a half minutes.<br />
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Of course with 360 footage you can't just throw it into Premiere and get what you want. No the camera records this round / square video that looks pretty distorted. You then use some "stitching" program to join the two videos (one for each side) and when that saves it is in a rectangular 360 view called equirectangular. The footage has to be in this format with some VR tags or Premiere (and presumably other video editing software) won't recognize it.<br />
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So my first problem was that I couldn't get the remote to hook up with the cameras. If this had worked then I would be able to start and stop both cameras at the same time. I need to get this figured out but haven't had the time. So I just hit the start and stop button as close as I could at the same time. Luckily the stitching program has a sync feature that uses the sound wave forms to align the two videos before joining them together.<br />
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The next problem I had was with the stitching program. If you film for too long then you get multiple files: each about four gigabytes. There is a feature to join the files before stitching them but with the Mac versions of the programs this joining feature refused to work. Stitching had previously worked with the smaller test footage so I knew that wasn't the problem. Fortunately I had a PC that I could load the software on. This version had joining down pretty well as well as stitching. When I have time I should bring this up to the developers so they can fix it (or send me the patch if they already have).<br />
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So now I have joined and stitched equirectangular footage to import into Premiere Pro CC 2017 and get down to editing. I'm listing the exact version of Premiere I'm using because I just don't know if any previous version has the VR extensions that make this possible.<br />
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One of the interesting things about the equirectangular format is that it pics one of the cameras and designates that as front and centers that in the middle of the screen. I'm pretty sure when I was stitching the footage I selected camera one and camera two. My hypothesis is that camera one is the default "front view" when the stitching and squashing and slicing and dicing takes place.<br />
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The problem with my footage is that I invariably chose the footage with the most fireworks as camera two. This had two effects. The first is that the viewer has to turn around to see most of the action. The second is that whenever I made a cut, if the other video was turned around then the viewer would have to keep turning to view the "center" of the action.<br />
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Using multiple layers of the video and sliding them around I can control exactly where the "front-center" of the view is. But this is kind of a pain so think about where you want people viewing and which camera will be the best oriented to give you the "front-center" that works best for the shot.<br />
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When I shot this I tried to get as close as possible to the fireworks so you could feel immersed in the action and have to look around and up to see it all.<br />
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This is designed mainly for newer phones that have little gyroscopes in them. With one of these you can just hold the phone out in front of you and move around to see the other sides of the sphere. It works best with a holder like "<a href="https://vr.google.com/cardboard/" target="_blank">Google Cardboard</a>" or something like that.<br />
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So here it is: 360 Fireworks 2017<br />
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<br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-87387748737555699062017-06-26T16:39:00.001-07:002017-06-26T17:03:36.002-07:00Forces of Geek! Review of Kodoku: Meatball MachineThe web site "<a href="http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2017/06/siff-kodoku-meatball-machine-review.html" target="_blank">Forces of Geek</a>" is letting me write for them. The first piece is a review of the movie "<a href="http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2017/06/siff-kodoku-meatball-machine-review.html" target="_blank">Kodoku: Meatball Machine</a>" that showed at SIFF 2017 (Seattle International Film Festival).<br />
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Here's a link to the Trailer for the film.<br />
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<br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-60621350967834916042017-06-23T11:25:00.004-07:002017-06-23T11:25:47.155-07:00Nona-versary For Moving To SeattleNine years ago today I started at Microsoft and moved up to the Seattle area. Nine years is quite a chunk of time and I've gone through many ups and downs during that time.Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-85269754171788314482017-06-23T11:14:00.003-07:002017-06-23T11:17:06.258-07:00Catching Up On The Blog After 16 MonthsEvery once and a while I take a break from my Blog. But I still seem to post on Facebook. I now see that the last post on this blog was February 16, 2016. So it's been almost a year and a half of not posting. But I have been somewhat busy. When last I posted I was unemployed after my Volt contract at Microsoft ended. But by the end of April I was employed as a contractor with Kelly Services working at Alstom Grid Solutions (in transition to GE Grid Solutions after a purchase by, you guessed it, GE). That lasted until March of 2017 where I was hired as a FTE at GE Grid Solutions. So that's where I'm working now, I even updated my LinkedIn Profile more frequently than this blog (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hodge-708a405/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hodge-708a405/</a>).<br />
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I've also reconnected with Laura and we've been dating and testing out living together. And now we are combining our households. If we can survive this then we can probably survive just about anything else.<br />
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I've also been active in filmmaking during this time. While I worked on 10 projects in 2015 and only made 2 short films in 2016, I was the Producer, Director, Editor and team captian on two 48 hour film project short films.<br />
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Transference ( <a href="https://vimeo.com/187087659">https://vimeo.com/187087659</a> )<br />
The Nature of Things ( <a href="https://vimeo.com/175779853">https://vimeo.com/175779853</a> )<br />
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So far with work and moving I haven't done any film projects in 2017. Hopefully that will change soon.<br />
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I also just started writing for Forces of Geek ( <a href="http://www.forcesofgeek.com/">http://www.forcesofgeek.com</a> ).<br />
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So to round out the post and prove that I haven't been in a coma for the last 16 months, I am reposting some excerpts of what I've put up on Facebook during this time. It should be in reverse chronological order.<br />
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 1:56pm PDT<br />
OMG - Suspiria is coming to the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle right before Halloween! Of course it's in Italian with no subtitles so you should watch it a few times in English before then.<br />
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Monday, June 19, 2017 at 4:56pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared Geeky Gamers Unite's photo.<br />
Read or listen to Carrie Fisher's books (actually listening to them when she is reading them is pretty great - she's good at it). Fisher was not perfect but who of us are? We will miss her, remember her and hopefully learn from her.<br />
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Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT<br />
I'm a father. This is a day. My two kids are alive and well. Pretty good day.<br />
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 9:31am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared his post.<br />
My grandmother would be 95 today. She went through a lot in her life; sometimes causing pain, sometimes causing joy. Most of my memories of her are good ones but I choose to remember them all. Because we all are a collection of the good and not so good and the ways that we affect people and are remembered are our true legacy. Happy Birthday grandmother. May you rest in peace.<br />
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 8:49am PDT<br />
This is wrong. Picking up a gun and shooting people is not the answer. Regardless of your political affiliation, this is wrong and should not be a path chosen. This is an assault on the democratic process. Luckily it seems that none of the injuries will be fatal. And I will say it again that it is too easy to legally obtain a firearm that can be used to commit these kinds of crimes.<br />
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Monday, June 12, 2017 at 11:06pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared The 5th Avenue Theatre's live video — with Laura Eachus and Calvin Hodge at Benaroya Hall.<br />
Calvin Hodge's High School Musical "Bring It On" was nominated at "The 5th Avenue Awards 2017" for "Outstanding Overall Musical Production" so they got to perform a medley from the musical live at the awards. If you skip ahead to 2:28:08 you can see the Shorecrest High School performance (can't figure out how to jump to a time code in a Facebook video like you can in one from another provider). And now Calvin can say he's performed on the stage at Benaroya Hall too.<br />
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Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 12:02pm PDT<br />
I'm in the queue for PAX West 2017 tickets. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed. (I got the tickets so my children are happy.)<br />
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at 2:54pm PDT<br />
I got 24 of 25 right. Great job! You really are among the greatest Blazing Saddles experts out there... or as Lili Von Shtupp would say, "Is it true what they say about the way you people are... gifted?"<br />
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 2:21pm PDT<br />
Deadpool, Batman, Iron Man, and Wolverine; I did this multiple times as a test. It appears that after "Analyzing your data" (ie Collecting all of it to sell and market back to you) they then "Calculate your result" (by taking a value from a Random Number Generator). Also since I indicate male as gender on Facebook, I'm pretty sure they only selected from the "male" list. So if you don't like the hero you get, just keep trying RNG luck will be with you eventually.<br />
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Monday, May 29, 2017 at 2:24pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Evergreen Washelli Cemetary.<br />
At a Memorial Day event with Laura.<br />
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Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 2:30pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus and Duncan Hodge at SIFF Cinema Uptown.<br />
Seeing "City of Ghosts" at SIFF 2017.<br />
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Friday, May 26, 2017 at 8:33am PDT<br />
Some days an animal will run out in front of you and you have to stop short. This morning that was an otter.<br />
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 11:35pm PDT<br />
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Friday, May 19, 2017 at 11:30am PDT<br />
Listening to a little ELO this morning.<br />
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Sunday, May 14, 2017 at 11:00am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge updated his status.<br />
Happy Mother's Day! (and to anyone who does not celebrate this day, Happy Sunday!) My Mom, Gayle, has always been special to me. Now that I'm older, but probably not much wiser, I can see that she struggled a lot with who she was and with with her own relationship with her Mom. She's always been the best person she could be and always encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do. We weren't rich when I was growing up (in many ways we could actually be called poor - in money) but we always found ways to have fun and do stuff together. Thanks, Mom, for always being there for me.<br />
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Friday, May 12, 2017 at 12:09pm PDT<br />
Listening to Cake today. This song (Sheep go to Heaven) always makes me think of Travis Scott and Jess Autumn Zelma Scott.<br />
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Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 4:19pm PDT<br />
Went to see PJ Harvey on Friday night with Laura Eachus. It was a great show.<br />
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Friday, May 5, 2017 at 2:28pm PDT<br />
Cinco de Mayo or Revenge of the Fifth?<br />
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Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 3:07pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared CNN's video.<br />
While I don't think even a large crowd will change the minds of the obstinate. Demonstrations like this help energize people to more direct action and help sustain lawmakers who support change and even those on the fence wondering if there is support for this kind of action.<br />
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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 4:43pm PDT<br />
Okay, I'm doing this for real this time: 10 bands I've seen live, at least one is a lie. 1. The Juicy Fruits 2. Eddie and the Cruisers 3. Weird Sisters 4. The Stains 5. The Hong Kong Cavaliers 6. Sex Bob-omb 7. Stillwater 8. The Venus in Furs 9. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem 10. Dingoes Ate My Baby<br />
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Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 10:35pm PDT<br />
The Concert Challenge: Here's a list of concerts I have attended. Is there one I'm lying about? That's for you to see if one of these bands doesn't fit. ;-) The B-52s Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Blue Man Group Bowling for Soup Brian Setzer Orchestra Cheap Trick Cibo Matto Cocteau Twins Concrete Blonde The Cramps Devo Eurythmics Faith No More The Go-Gos Guns & Roses Head East Howard Jones Jethro Tull Jonathan Coulton KISS Lisa Loeb Liz Phair Lucinda Williams Mazzy Star Metallica The Moody Blues Paul McCartney Pigface Pretenders REO Speedwagon The Reverend Horton Heat Sarah McLachlan Shonen Knife Simian Mobile Disco Skinny Puppy Supertramp Suzanne Vega Tori Amos Van Halen Yes<br />
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Friday, April 21, 2017 at 10:46am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge went to March For Science - Seattle.<br />
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Monday, April 17, 2017 at 9:51pm PDT<br />
An interesting opinion piece from Paul Krugman. Hundreds of thousands of lost jobs no one seems to be able to leverage into political gain.<br />
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Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus and Calvin Hodge at Washington State Convention Center.<br />
Calvin Hodge (Deadpool in the unicorn pajamas) made it into the Cosplay Chess at Sakura-Con 2017.<br />
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Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 1:25pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus and Calvin Hodge at Washington State Convention Center.<br />
Calvin Hodge (Deadpool in unicorn pajamas) with a friend at Sakura-Con 2017.<br />
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Friday, March 17, 2017 at 8:08pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge in Seattle, Washington.<br />
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Here's the Corned beef and Cabbage meal I made. Apparently Laura likes it. Hope your day went well.<br />
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 9:21am PDT<br />
Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein! "All things are relative, All relatives are things, Don't let your relatives take all your things." Also Pi Day so have 22/7 of a good day.<br />
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Monday, March 13, 2017 at 4:04pm PDT<br />
"I think that throwing 24 million Americans off of health insurance, raising premiums for older low income Americans, while giving $285 billion in tax breaks to the top 2% is a disgusting and immoral proposal," Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, told reporters. "Thousands of Americans will die if this legislation is passed and we have to do everything that we can to see that is defeated."<br />
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Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 4:25pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared The Other 98%'s photo.<br />
In many ways I see Healthcare for all as an issue of having a health, able-bodied, and ready to learn citizenry that will benefit the country. In many ways this is a national security imperative.<br />
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Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 1:23pm PST<br />
I think we'll have to let "the fecal matter come in contact with the rotary oscillator" under the AHCA before a single-payer system has a chance to pass.<br />
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Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 12:12pm PST<br />
Trump distracts the public with outrageous statements while doing some business behind closed doors. Don't let these things go unnoticed.<br />
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Monday, February 27, 2017 at 3:36pm PST<br />
While I was a youth advisor at the First Unitarian Church of OKC, Mark was always a strong ally for the youth and the programs sponsored by the church for them. While Mark finds a way to move forward with his new circumstances, being his ally now is easy for me.<br />
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Monday, February 20, 2017 at 12:06pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge updated his status.<br />
Happy Presidents' Day -- originally Washington's Birthday. Washington embodies the paradox of the creation of America that continues to this day. He fought for liberty and freedom while being a slave holder. But he also had a provision in his will to free his slaves after he and Martha died (Martha freed the slaves before her death about a year after George's death). So do we celebrate him for his place in the founding of the United States or do we revile him for holding others as property? Many of our Presidents had striking contradictions. Nixon was a paranoid anti-communist but also started the Environmental Protection Agency. Kennedy was a womanizer but also started the Peace Corps and inspired the nation to go to the moon. Roosevelt helped guide the country through World War II but also imprisoned over 100,000 Japanese-Americans with no due process. All of this is not some "hey, let's give the new President a chance" message. But I guess it's a reminder that the history of the Presidency is filled with people who have done both good and bad. And if there is a time when the current occupant does something worth supporting, then let's remember that only then is this also worthy of our support. It is still incumbent upon us all to hold the President to account and vocally oppose those things that violate the public trust. But then again, that's always been one of the responsibilities of the electorate.<br />
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Saturday, February 18, 2017 at 8:42pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus in Seattle, Washington.<br />
Dinner tonight is BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls from the Veganomicon.<br />
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 10:48am PST<br />
Someone at work came by and gave me a pink frosting covered dough-nut (for Valentine's Day). This, of course, made me think of Terry Jones' children's book "The Beast with a Thousand Teeth." And who else but Terry Jones could get Helen Mirren to read your book for the internet.<br />
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 8:58am PST<br />
Happy Lupercalia (the Roman festival of the wolf that predates Valentines day for the Ides of February [13-15]) where young men would run around wearing nothing but a freshly sacrificed goat skin smacking people with the pelt of a freshly sacrificed dog. To be hit by the pelt was seen as an aid in fertility so young women would position themselves to get whacked by the pelt. And now you just have to give someone chocolate and flowers; but, I guess that's progress for you.<br />
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Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 11:51am PST<br />
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin; born on this day in 1809.<br />
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Monday, February 6, 2017 at 10:40am PST<br />
Mike Hodge in Seattle, Washington.<br />
Snow welcomed me on my way to work this morning.<br />
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Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 10:11pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared ATTN:'s video.<br />
Not all Republicans are bad (even this one [Arnold Schwarzenegger] his problems). But its good to hear him talk about the Environment and Business in a realistic way.<br />
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 5:10pm PST<br />
My thought on Gorsuch? Filibuster anyone who isn't "mainstream." Want to know who's mainstream; Merrick Garland, that's who!<br />
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Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 12:13pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge went to Film date and location for Celadierion Scene 13.<br />
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Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 9:11am PST<br />
Listening to Die Antwoord today. Moderately inappropriate, but what isn't these days. I like it -- when I'm in the mood.<br />
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Friday, January 20, 2017 at 12:52pm PST<br />
Wrong thinking is punishable. Right thinking will be as quickly rewarded. You will find it an effective combination.<br />
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Friday, January 20, 2017 at 8:31am PST<br />
It's good that the US has to ability to have a peaceful transfer of the administration to a different political party. That said, this is on my mind today.<br />
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Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 4:56pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared Spectrum Fantastic Art Live's photo.<br />
My Mom decorated in books. I've decorated in books. And my kids... well, they'll probably decorate in video games, memes, (and books). OK, Calvin is likely to have some MtG card art on his walls too.<br />
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Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 8:44am PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared Laura Eachus's post.<br />
So I took a lot of pictures at the MLK Day march. But I didn't take any of Laura or me. Luckily Laura got a selfie of us that can be used against us after circles and arrows have been drawn on with a paragraph on the back explaining what this was.<br />
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Monday, January 16, 2017 at 5:11pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge added a new photo to the album: 2017 MLK Day March — in Seattle, Washington.<br />
And one of the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church banner holders.<br />
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Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 12:00pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge added a new photo to the album: Long Exposure in the Daytime Test — in Seattle, Washington.<br />
Looking North from 143rd and Aurora in Seattle. I caught a bus passing by. (This was a Canon T3i at 50mm with ISO 100, F/32, and 2 second exposure with 5 extra stops of ND filters)<br />
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Friday, January 13, 2017 at 11:49am PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared 103.5 The Arrow's photo.<br />
Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb? Mother, do you think they'll like this song? Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls? Ooh, aah, mother, should I build the wall? Mother, should I run for president? Mother, should I trust the government? Mother, will they put me in the firing line? Ooh, aah, is it just a waste of time?<br />
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Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 1:42pm PST<br />
Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I've orbited the Sun for 52 times and look forward to continuing this wibbly-wobbly spiral as our solar system orbits the giant black hole at the center of our galaxy. So far I've traversed 0.293 of an arc second of that orbit (it will take until April 1, 2018 for that to be a whole 1/3 of an arc second). I'd say that I wouldn't be unreasonable to expect 2/3 of an arc second before I shuffle off this mortal coil (but I'm still hoping to go for a full arc second - or more). So everyone have a great 2017, whether its through joy or struggle, and lets keep things in perspective as we hurtle through time and space in the only way we are physically able to perceive.<br />
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 12:24pm PST<br />
I like to think of myself as a music lover. My mom, Gayle Odaniel-goad, started me off with a pretty good collection of LPs. But when I chose to branch out and start buying my own albums, what did I start with. It was a 1975 K-Tel collection called "Music Express." I bought it for the Elton John song "Philadelphia Freedom" but I got 19 other "hits," some of which I still like today (like The Doobie Brother's "Long Train Runnin'"). Here's the whole track listing: 1. Love Will Keep Us Together - The Captain And Tennille 2. Swearin' To God - Frankie Valli 3. Get Down Tonight - K.C. & The Sunshine Band 4. Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band 5. Cat's In The Cradle - Harry Chapin 6. Mandy - Barry Manilow 7. I'm Not In Love - 10cc 8. Poetry Man - Phoebe Snow 9. Chevy Van - Sammy Johns 10. Run Joey Run - David Geddes 11. Rocky - Austin Roberts 12. Jackie Blue - The Ozark Mountain Daredevils 13. The Rockford Files - Mike Post 14. Sky High - Jigsaw 15. Brazil - The Ritchie Family 16. Get Dancin' - Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes 17. Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers 18. My Eyes Adored You - Frankie Valli 19. Dynomite - Tony Camillo's Bazuka 20. Black Superman (Muhammad Ali) - Johnny Wakelin & The Kinshasa Band<br />
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Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at 11:39am PST<br />
Mike Hodge was feeling sad.<br />
It's sad when people leave but good that we can remember them and share the good they brought to us. Fare well Ms. Fisher, David Bowie, Richard Adams, George Michael, Prince, and the host of others that continue to fill our lives with song, dance, literature, movies and being good examples of humanity even after they are gone.<br />
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Monday, December 26, 2016 at 10:39am PST<br />
Someone just used my old Yahoo account name (and password presumably) to try and hack my Steam account from a Russian IP address. Steam notified me of the attempt. This probably came up because I rarely use Steam (just for the boys and such) and all of my previous logins were from a US IP address. So the fallout from the Yahoo security breach is real and remember to change those old passwords because you never know who has them now. And kudos to Steam for having a good security system.<br />
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Sunday, December 25, 2016 at 2:49pm PST<br />
Calvin got some cool metal spin-down d20s from Great Britain. These are heavy solid dice. This goes well with the Planechase Anthology MtG set.<br />
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Friday, December 23, 2016 at 1:51pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared CollegeHumor's video.<br />
Keep Saturn in Saturnalia (and enjoy Christmas or any other Winter Solstice type holiday in any way that works for you and your family).<br />
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 9:03am PST<br />
Have a happy Winter Solstice. The shortest amount of daylight for the year. Don't lose hope. Tomorrow's daylight will be about 4 seconds longer. As the JCL used to say, "Felix Saturnalia."<br />
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Monday, December 19, 2016 at 11:40am PST<br />
Beastie Boys helping me get through the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk&list=PLskG1fUI54m70yNKd0sZ3vnaDanxVpPYm https://www.youtube.com<br />
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Monday, December 5, 2016 at 10:16pm PST<br />
I grew up in Oklahoma in the 1970s. So I've seen more than my fair share of Hee Haw. I'm not a big fan of country music but I did like the stories from Minnie Pearl (and the rest of it too).<br />
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Monday, December 5, 2016 at 4:44pm PST<br />
ROCK LOBSTER! and other B-52s all day long.<br />
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Monday, December 5, 2016 at 1:22pm PST<br />
Loser Trump's plans to take healthcare from millions of working Americans will also give the rich more money. This is what the headline should be. Should also replace the picture of Loser Trump with one of a family in a healthcare setting.<br />
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at 9:58pm PST<br />
An interesting article on reality and how our perceptions of it are probably not what is actually real. Very intriguing; fits right in with Philip K. Dick stories and the new Westworld series.<br />
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Friday, November 25, 2016 at 2:49pm PST<br />
If you care about the integrity of the election process, recounting these states should be on your list of good things to do. But if a recount is demanded then it has to be paid for (the state won't do it for free). So consider donating to help make sure this election wasn't manipulated. (Or if it was then at least it was done well enough to survive a recount.)<br />
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Thursday, November 24, 2016 at 11:46am PST<br />
My contribution to the Thanksgiving meal - Brown Sugar-Glazed Yams with Marshmallows. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.<br />
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Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 1:01pm PST<br />
I've been hearing from some Pro-Electoral College posters that if we got rid of the Electoral College then only California, New York, Texas and Florida would count. I think this is wrong as every vote would count. As the system is now if you vote for a candidate that didn't win in your state then your vote doesn't count. You have been disenfranchised. 33 million people voted in these four states (CA, NY, TX, FL) . Clinton got 18 million votes and Trump got 15 million. That Clinton is winning the aggregate popular vote is validated by the four state totals. The 15 million people who voted for Trump in those four states would have a direct impact on the election, like every other person who voted. As the system is now, the 5.5 million Trump voters in California and New York are disenfranchised as their electoral college votes all go to Clinton. And the 9 million Clinton voters in Texas and Florida are disenfranchised as all of those states electoral college votes to to Trump. With a direct election with one person - one vote, no one (who votes) is ignored; every vote counts whether you win or lose.<br />
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Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 3:44pm PST<br />
1,439,123 -- That's one million, four hundred thirty-nine thousand and one hundred and twenty-three US citizens. There are now 12 states with populations smaller than the vote difference between Clinton and Trump. And the number isn't final. There's probably not much that can be done about this now. But all citizens, regardless of party, should see this as a travesty and an blow to the validity of our electoral process. When the process is seen as invalid then you erode the legitimacy of the office itself. The link has one option (since a Constitutional amendment is unlikely) to fix this. And this is totally legal under our current Constitution.<br />
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Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at 5:04pm PST<br />
This is something we should all be supporting before the new year -- End the Electoral College now; support a direct vote for the President -- one person, one vote!<br />
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Monday, November 14, 2016 at 1:27pm PST<br />
It's time to end this last vestige of Pro-Slavery left in the Constitution. The Electoral College was designed to protect the power of the slave states. By counting slaves (at 3/5 of a person) southern states (most notably Virginia) were able to gather a far greater amount of control than their legal voting population would allow.<br />
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Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 9:51am PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared Timolin Burke's post.<br />
Oh, get rid of the voting rights act, they said. It's not needed any more, they said. This will be the big story of this election season. Voter suppression Trumps us all.<br />
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Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 11:41am PST<br />
For some reason this song (Heaven - Talking Heads) has been my recurring earworm. It started sometime Tuesday night. Don't know what this means.<br />
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Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 8:49am PST<br />
Some aggressive music this morning to calm my frustrated mind while reality comes into focus. Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid<br />
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 9:56am PST<br />
Cory Booker, Secretary Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Tammy Duckworth, Kirsten Gillibrand, and maybe even Pramila Jayapal. “We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light a candle that can guide us through the darkness to a safe and sure future. For the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do." - John F. Kennedy<br />
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 9:42am PST<br />
My morning mantra is: We lost an election, the world didn't end. I'm putting off anything more constructive than that for now. But only for now.<br />
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 11:55pm PST<br />
American Brexit - That's what this looks like to me. Hopefully we haven't elected our own Gaius Germanicus. But then again, he only lasted four years too.<br />
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 1:57pm PST<br />
Be a hero - just for one day! Go vote! And the shame, was on the other side Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever Then we could be heroes, just for one day.<br />
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:03am PST<br />
Mike Hodge updated his status.<br />
When I voted I thought about a catchy phrase to put up on Facebook. I VETOED THE CHEETO! And then I thought, "Hey, Cheetos aren't good for you or anything but do they really deserve the association with the current Republican candidate?" At least Cheetos are honest. They come out of the bag and in every way say, "I'm not good for you but you will enjoy that blast of salty cheese (at least half of which stays of your fingers) and the satisfying crunch (that gets gummed up and stuck in your molars and you try and dislodge it with your tongue). Cheetos don't pretend to cover all of your nutritional needs. They don't imply that "only they" can make you healthy, and possibly even "great." So let's lay off of the Cheetos and focus on defeating the human STD, semi-sentient septic tank, garbage fire that the Republicans have been duped into putting forward as their candidate. I voted for Clinton. I'm proud to have voted for Clinton. If you don't like Clinton then fill out your ballot your own way. Go Vote!<br />
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Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT<br />
Calvin and his friends shooting a music video for his video production class.<br />
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Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 10:24pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared his post — with Antonio Dileo and 17 others.<br />
So on the Weekend of October 7-9, 2016 - I got together with a great bunch of people and made a short film in 48 hours. Friday Night we got the genre "Mad Scientist" and a character with profession, line of dialog and prop that had to be used in the film. By midnight Friday we had a script. By 10pm on Saturday it was all shot and copied to several hard drives (you don't want to lose your data). All day Sunday I edited the film and added a few special effects and some music. By 7:27pm on Sunday we had turned our finished film in. The deadline was 7:30pm. And now you all get to see it.<br />
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Monday, October 10, 2016 at 9:40am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared Seattle 48 Hour Film Project's photo — with Antonio Dileo and 12 others.<br />
I made a short film this weekend with a wonderful group of people. We all worked hard, had fun, ate food, and got bloody. But we turned it in on time. Many thanks to Laura Eachus for making sure I got to the drop-off with three minutes to spare. I'll post the film later this week.<br />
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Friday, October 7, 2016 at 6:19pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Seattle Film Institute.<br />
Waiting for the 48 hour horror film project to begin. Go team "RewiredGeek - First Blood."<br />
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Friday, October 7, 2016 at 9:06am PDT<br />
This morning is all about Celtic Punk with Dropkick Murphys. Maybe later there will be Pogues, Black 47, and Flogging Molly.<br />
Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 3:50pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Calvin Hodge.<br />
Calvin is showing Laura's Dad how to solve a Rubik's Cube.<br />
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Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 3:45pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge added 2 new photos — with Laura Eachus and Calvin Hodge.<br />
Laura's Birthday is today. And we celebrated. She's now 2F years old ( in Hex ).<br />
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Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 8:31am PDT<br />
Happy Autumnal Equinox (First Day of Fall).<br />
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Monday, September 19, 2016 at 11:56am PDT<br />
Aarrgh! It be "Talk Like A Pirate Day." And if ye landlubbers say "Ahoy" at a Krispy Kreme you'll either get a boon of booty in a free doughnut or blank stares that'll make you want to walk the plank (depends if they're a "participating" location). So go get your greasy sugar bomb and dip it in yer grog. Ahoy!<br />
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Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 1:45pm PDT<br />
Calvin playing the Rick and Morty VR game at PAX 2016<br />
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Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 6:09pm PDT<br />
A sea of arms at the PC free play area at PAX 2016.<br />
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Friday, September 2, 2016 at 9:25pm PDT<br />
The Video Game Pianist at PAX 2016 (Classical Piano versions of video game music - very well done).<br />
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Friday, September 2, 2016 at 4:46pm PDT<br />
At PAX 2016 with the kids (Cal is off at the MtG building).<br />
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT<br />
On my tour through Classic Rock I've been listening to all of The Who's albums from "My Generation" to "Endless Wire." Here are 39 songs on a YouTube playlist that I made by tagging songs as they played.<br />
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Monday, August 29, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT<br />
I've watched a lot of his films. I've laughed a lot. Luckily I can watch them again and again. I really liked his take on Willy Wonka. Good Day, Sir! I said, "GOOD DAY, SIR!"<br />
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Friday, August 26, 2016 at 10:10am PDT<br />
Yesterday's music was all about Queen. This playlist is my selection of Queen from across their career. It's 50 videos but these are from the albums I listened to growing up through college. Most groups get one or two songs to stand the test of time and even many of Queen's great songs get overlooked. So here's 50 from Queen. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.<br />
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Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 10:20am PDT<br />
SHOCKING BLUE! - Listening to this interesting band from the sixties and seventies.<br />
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Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 9:36pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared Guitar and Cube's post — with Budi Mulyo and 6 others.<br />
Here's a film (Guitar and Cube) I shot in 2015 as a test of using a GoPro modified with a kit from Back-bone and using an old 6-66mm zoom from a Super8mm camera. I had a small team working with me and wouldn't have been able to complete it without them.<br />
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Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 6:46pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus at Everett United Church of Christ.<br />
Went to a costume wedding with Laura Eachus as a Star Trek couple.<br />
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Friday, August 19, 2016 at 3:54pm PDT<br />
Listening to the "punk poet laureate" Patti Smith.<br />
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Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 1:07pm PDT<br />
This is a great talk about costume and conventions and such. It brought back memories of being 12 and making a papier-mâché Gibson Les Paul sunburst guitar because I was going to be Ace Frehley from the band KISS for Halloween. I've been a silver-skinned space alien and a leather armored Roman soldier and now I help Calvin put together Finn the Human or Ash Ketchum costumes (where I, of course, go as Professor Oak).<br />
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Monday, August 15, 2016 at 9:52pm PDT<br />
#fav7films Blade Runner A Scanner Darkly Wizards Children of Men Brazil Memento Spirited Away<br />
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Friday, August 12, 2016 at 11:47am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge added a new photo to the album: Perseids 2016 Cle Elum Lake.<br />
Went to Cle Elum Lake to watch the Perseids Meteor Shower. Enjoyed staring at a very dark sky for the first time in several years. Saw the band of the Milky Way span the sky and recognized a few constellations - and there were meteors. A great night and a difficult day at work the next day. I took some pictures but Calvin took a lot more than I did. Laura and I mainly enjoyed the show and being together.<br />
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Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 10:13am PDT<br />
Andy Deane - Look what I found in my CD collection. Does 2004 count as a throwback for Thursday?<br />
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Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 6:32pm PDT<br />
A Facebook friend wanted an argument for why he should vote for Clinton that didn't rely on fear or anatomy. So I wrote this. Clinton Is she qualified to be president? Yes, she is a natural born US citizen over the age of 35 that has lived in the US for at least the last 14 years. Does she have the experience to be President? Yes. She served the State of New York for two terms as a US Senator and served as Secretary of State of the US for four years. That’s 12 years of high level Federal experience dealing with both domestic and foreign affairs. It also shows that she knows how to win elections (having won two statewide elections in one of the most populace states, New York). She has also worked throughout her career on children’s and women’s issues and issues concerning legal access for the poor. Should she be President? Yes, In this time where there are great strides being made on social issues like marriage equality and access to health care, there are also many areas of economic equality that are moving very slowly and sometimes backwards. Clinton is now on the right side of many of the issues facing America. Her positions will at the very least prevent an erosion of these issues and set the groundwork for progress in areas of campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, improvements to the ACA, LGBT rights, women’s rights, and immigration policy. Will she be able to get everything done that is on the agenda, probably not. Neither did Obama. But there’s a lot that can be done including nominating better justices to the US Supreme Court. Of course exactly how effective any President can be depends on the make-up of Congress. So it is also important to elect progressive candidates in as many offices as possible. Is Clinton a liar? As a national level politician she says things that are factually true, were once true, are mostly true, have a grain of truth, and that we wish were true. Her mix of these hold up well against others running at the national level. The most often cited measure in this political cycle is Politifact. She fairs very well on this scale. Accept it or not. Is Clinton controlled by Wall Street? I would say no more than Obama. Is Clinton a war-monger? Again, probably no more than Obama. Should you vote for Clinton? I am, and not as the lesser of two evils. I don’t see Clinton as evil. I see her as someone who has dedicated her life to helping others while still maintaining an ambition that has led her to be a serious candidate for the nation’s highest office. But that’s me. You should look at all of this and see what your own heart and mind says.<br />
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Friday, August 5, 2016 at 11:35am PDT<br />
I've read a lot of science fiction, but obviously not all science fiction.<br />
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Monday, August 1, 2016 at 2:40pm PDT<br />
Here's a film ( The Nature of Things ) I produced, directed and edited for the Seattle 48 Hour Film Project for July 2016. It didn't win any awards but we had fun making it and people seemed to laugh at the right places during the screening.<br />
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Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 8:54am PDT<br />
Sometimes my ear worms come straight from classic Broadway musicals. It's not like it's annoying or anything but kind of curious.<br />
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Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 4:02pm PDT<br />
Hillary Clinton is now the nominee of the Democratic Party. I supported Bernie Sanders in the primary season but never disliked Clinton. I will now heartily support her and do everything I can to see her elected. I do not see her as the lesser of two evils. I don't see Clinton as evil. She's not perfect but she has the experience and a lifetime commitment to women, children and workers. While I will continue to advocate for progressive causes and to help move the Democratic party in a progressive direction, I am with her. #Imwithher<br />
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Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 12:13pm PDT<br />
I want to say a short "Thank You" to everyone with which I have had pointed and raucous discussions about the issues facing our nation. Thank you for not blocking me for having a different opinion, for having a sense of humor that can get a little snarky, and for being willing to go back and forth a bit. I know I'm not going to make anyone "see the light" and "change their ways" and it's not about that.You have your views and I have mine and we can talk about what we share and where we disagree. And hopefully have a little fun doing it. But apparently one of my (former) friends felt this video was just too much; and so I was blocked.<br />
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Monday, July 25, 2016 at 9:47pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus and 6 others at SIFF Cinema Uptown.<br />
A picture of many from the 48 Hour Film Project team RewiredGeek. Our film "The Nature of Things" was pretty well received. Thanks to such a great team..<br />
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Monday, July 25, 2016 at 8:40am PDT<br />
I'm not defending Debbie Wasserman Schultz and am glad she is resigning from the DNC but the rhetoric around the email leaks seems overblown. Here's a link to an article examining what has been found (excerpts above link). "So far, journalists digging into the emails have not uncovered any smoking guns." and "The emails seem to confirm Bernie supporters’ general impression that many DNC officials liked Hillary Clinton more than Sanders. What the emails don’t seem to prove, at least so far, is that they used DNC resources to help Clinton or hurt Sanders." and finally "According to security firms who spoke to the Washington Post, that was the work of hackers associated with the Russian government, raising the possibility that a foreign government is trying to manipulate the US election."<br />
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 4:07pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared Seattle 48 Hour Film Project's photo.<br />
Krk Nordenstrom caught Laura Eachus and I having pizza at Sizzle Pie in Capitol Hill, Seattle after turning in the team RewiredGeek entry for the 2016 Seattle 48 Hour Film Project. Amid the punk music, hipsters and millennials, Laura and I had the Don Caballero pizza (sausage, pepperoni, onions and green peppers) with a gluten-free crust and non-dairy Daiya Cheese. We also had a large salad with mandarin oranges, nuts, and a strawberry vinaigrette. A great way to cap off an exhausting weekend having crazy fun with a film making crew.<br />
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 4:00pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared Seattle 48 Hour Film Project's photo.<br />
Here's the picture when Laura Eachus and I turned in the 48 hour film project entry (on time). Team RewiredGeek got Holiday Film and we turned in a little gem called "The Nature of Things." -- A boyfriend is put to the test when he participates in his girlfriend's family's 'Nature Day' celebration.<br />
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Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 7:23pm PDT<br />
This weekend I made a short film in 48 hours. It was super fun and I worked with a great team.<br />
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Friday, July 15, 2016 at 1:29am PDT<br />
I've done a lot of driving around the US. Unfortunately if you added in the rest of the world the only other place I could add to it would be Mexico and really only a bit of that. I'd like to do more international traveling but I never seem to have the money when I have the time.<br />
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Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 4:26pm PDT<br />
For no reason at all I started thinking about "Digable Planets."<br />
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Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 8:35am PDT<br />
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders just endorsed Hillary Clinton. There was no beating around the bush, he used the E word and is currently making a compelling case that this is the candidate Americans should support in the upcoming election in November.<br />
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Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 8:23am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge updated his cover photo.<br />
So this weekend I will be heading up a team to create a short film. What kind of film? What's it about? These I don't know yet. Starting Friday at about 7pm I'll draw a genre out of a hat and will have 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and deliver a short film. It's a fun but intense time.<br />
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Friday, July 8, 2016 at 8:53am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge shared George Takei's photo.<br />
I can find no better words this morning than those of Dr. King. Even in despair, violence should not be the answer.<br />
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Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 10:43am PDT<br />
With the events in Baton Rouge and Minnesota combined with other events that just keep happening, I have a proposal. Disarm the police except for special units for extreme situations.<br />
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Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4:33pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge added a new photo to the album: Seattle Pride Parade 2016.<br />
And the body-positive naked bicycle people as we were leaving (the kids really didn't want to miss this).<br />
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Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 12:15pm PDT<br />
The Governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee, at Seattle Pride Parade 2016.<br />
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Monday, June 20, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT<br />
Happy Summer Solstice! The longest day - Sunrise was at 5:11 AM, Sunset will be at 9:11PM so Seattle gets 16 hours of daylight. Woohoo! Yeah summer!<br />
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Thursday, June 16, 2016 at 8:33pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Laura Eachus at Bloodworks Northwest Seattle.<br />
Giving a little bit to help replace supplies sent to Orlando.<br />
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 12:49pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Maxine Smith.<br />
My grandmother, Maxine Smith, would be 94 today. She was born June 14, 1922. She passed away on July 8, 2012. She was 90. She lived through the Great Depression (in Oklahoma, no less), World War II, the post-war expansion, hippies, rock, color television, home computers, cell phones and the internet. In the end she learned Microsoft Word and wrote a 194 page book on her life. Happy Birthday, grandmother!<br />
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Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 10:31am PDT<br />
I had a great day yesterday at SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival). I saw the movie All the Birds Have Flown South directed by Joshua H. Miller and Miles B. Miller. It was great and sad with an amazing performance by Joey Lauren Adams. Then it was off to hear Ted Hope, head of production at Amazon Studios (and the producer of many films I like) talk about why we make films and how we can make them better. And then off to a non-SIFF event seeing the docuemtary Just Eat It- A Food Waste Story with Laura Eachus.<br />
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Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 10:09pm PDT<br />
Here's a guy who's not the best singer in the world. But who doesn't want to be doing something like this when they are 82. There's nothing wrong with him, nothing wrong with him, something's gotta give, something's gotta give...<br />
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Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 1:46pm PDT<br />
PAX West tickets are on sale. The bad part is that if you're not already in the queue, then they will probably sell out before you can buy some. I was able to purchase some so I can breathe easier.<br />
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Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 5:52pm PDT<br />
Just saw a documentary about a female Afghan rapper who struggles with her parents trying to sell her into marriage while she's rapping against the practice. Here's her video for "Brides for Sale."<br />
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Friday, June 3, 2016 at 3:28pm PDT<br />
I found this very humorous (and vitally important). Thanks Christopher Dow for pointing this out - BTW - Tabs rule! Silicon Valley - Tabs vs. Spaces<br />
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Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at 12:38pm PDT<br />
Happy Towel Day - Don't Panic!<br />
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Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 5:45pm PDT<br />
Sometimes I doodle during a meeting. Sometimes I just wonder who's looking back at me from the "A-Ha" dimension.<br />
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Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 2:44pm PDT<br />
The genius filmmakers behind one of my favorite short films of all time (Pillow) have a feature film in the Seattle International Film Festival this year; "All the Birds Have Flown South." Make plans and see it while you can.<br />
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Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 4:09pm PDT<br />
I paid $2.22 for gas today. What pop-culture reference went through my head?<br />
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Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 12:15pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge excited about space.<br />
Happy Astronomy Day! My degree (a BS) is in Astronomy from the University of Oklahoma.<br />
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Friday, May 6, 2016 at 11:33am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge with Tamara Hodge and 3 others at Kellogg Frank B Middle School.<br />
Calvin is doing track this year. He has run the 200 meter, 100 meter hurtles, and today the 4x200 relay (the attached video).<br />
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Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 9:36am PDT<br />
1400 - That the number of democratic pledged delegates that haven't been assigned yet. These delegates will be apportioned in primaries through June 14 (with the largest contests being Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California). If you look at pledged delegate totals only, then Clinton has 1452 and Sanders has 1199. There is a 253 pledged delegate gap between the candidates. If Sanders can win 59% of the outstanding pledged delegates then he will have a majority. Can he do it? Well he's not about to throw in the towel now. If unpledged delegates (so called superdelegates) are added then the totals go to a 701 delegate gap and Sanders would need 90% of the outstanding delegates to overcome the unpledged delegate gap. But I don't think this is the right way to look at the situation. If Sanders gets a majority of the pledged delegates, the unpledged will follow the will of the Democratic party electorate (so far they always have). But if Sanders can't get the votes to get a majority of the pledged delegates then there will be very few defections from the unpledged delegate ranks. Either way, in two months we'll know the answers. Then we can unify the party and sit back to watch the Republicans tear themselves apart.<br />
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Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 2:51pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Shoreline Community College.<br />
Being serenaded by Wanz (Michael Wansley) while waiting for the credentials committee to submit it's report. This has to happen before the process can continue at the 32nd legislative district caucus in Washington state<br />
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Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 1:01pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Shoreline Community College.<br />
At the 32nd Legislative District Caucus (in Washington State) as an Alternate Delegate for Sanders. The picture is of the Sanders side of the room (but the Clinton side has a lot of people too).<br />
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Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 10:30am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge added 5 new photos — with Benito Vasquez and 5 others.<br />
More on set photos for #LogCabin.<br />
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Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 12:56am PDT<br />
There you go, "Fighting crime, trying to save the world. Here they come just in time, The Powerpuff Girls." They didn't have a movie camera so I'll do what I can with this one.<br />
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Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 1:09pm PDT<br />
Apparently I'm a little bit nerdy (OK, 100% - a lot nerdy).<br />
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Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 2:05am PDT<br />
Jill Abramson, former Executive Editor for the New York Times and an investigative journalist, has a few things to say about Ms. Clinton. While I still support Sanders (I'm an alternate delegate for Sanders as part of the Washington Caucus process), I really don't like the vitriol that is aimed at Clinton. Clinton and Sanders have worked together on many progressive issues. Once the party nominee is decided, they'll need to work together again (hopefully to get Sanders elected). A vigorous primary contest helps the eventual nominee but getting sucked into a playbook written by Conservative Republicans won't help the Democrats win the White House or retake any part of Congress.<br />
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Monday, March 28, 2016 at 11:43am PDT<br />
Don't let conservative Republican groups set the agenda between Clinton and Sanders. They've worked together for years on progressive issues. Regardless of who gets the Democratic party nomination, the Republican nominee will be a radically unacceptable option.<br />
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Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 2:52pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Washington State Convention Center.<br />
Calvin and Jackson (Ash and Pikachu) chosen for Cosplay Chess Improv at Sakura Con 2016; second year for Calvin to be chosen.<br />
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Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Washington State Convention Center.<br />
Ash (Calvin) and Pikachu (Jackson) at Sakura Con 2016.<br />
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Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 10:17am PDT<br />
Mike Hodge at Broadview Thomson K8.<br />
Caucusing in Washington State today. This is a small part of the crowd with hundreds more coming in. Lots of Sanders and Clinton supporters - but to me they're all winners.<br />
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Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 1:41pm PDT<br />
This is an interesting experiment. Find 10 records that changed your life. Here are my 10 although if you ask me again in 10 years it might change. 1. Pink Floyd - Meddle (While I like most Pink Floyd, this was the album that got me into this super group.) 2. KISS - Alive (I devoted a couple of years in middle school to being a big fan of this band. And my first concert was KISS in 1977.) 3. Jethro Tull - Bursting Out (I lived in an age of live albums and this one I had to buy at least twice as I played one copy until it died) 4. Steppenwolf - Live (Inherited from my mother - along with Jimi Hendrix, Beatles and a lot of other good bands. Knowing the members of this band for a radio contest won me my copy of ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’) 5. Jesus Christ Superstar - Movie Soundtrack (I can still sing almost every song on this album from memory. I remember getting into heated discussions with friends that were fans of the Broadway version.) 6. Bethoven’s 3rd Symphony (This is still one of my favorite classical pieces. That and Bach organ music will always do it for me) 7. The Orb - The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (One of the first ambient techno albums I purchased. Along with Orbital - similar name different band - helped shape my tastes in techno music.) 8. Skinny Puppy - Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse (This album with tracks like ‘God’s Gift (Maggot)’ and ‘Stairs & Flowers’ gave me a great appreciation for industrial noise music. With bands like Ministry and NiN following close behind.) 9. Concrete Blonde - Free (It’s hard to describe the impact a song like ‘God is a Bullet’ can have. It has energy and anger and opened the door to lots of other singer songwriters; most notably Liz Phair. Concrete Blonde was the only band I was able to see at CBGBs while in New York City.) 10. Yello - One Second (Another step in the techno direction that eventually led to bands like Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers. But much of that started with this band and this album - but also Hawaiian Pups and The Art of Noise.)<br />
<br />
Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 4:59pm PDT<br />
Watching the Bernie Sanders Seattle rally live stream (didn't want to fight the crowds) with Calvin Hodge. And you can watch too.<br />
<br />
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 3:29pm PDT<br />
Cal had a hard match today. He wrestled up a weight at 178 lbs and this time his opponent had a weight advantage with muscle and skill. Calvin didn't give up and used good skill and tactics of his own. But in the end he didn't win. Luckily he has another meet on Thursday to get another chance.<br />
<br />
Friday, March 11, 2016 at 12:25pm PST<br />
I used the word "caveat" in a comment on a post. Does that make me an elitist or just a logophile? I mean if you come up with "le mot juste" in a situation without any effort, does that reflect that you've exposed yourself to a wide variety of language and experience and incorporated that into your personal lexicon? Or does the inherent privilege of access to literature and history and an unconscious bourgeoisie attitude, to maintain a status quo that excludes and alienates those who might wish discourse but are intimidated and possibly resentful of unknown words, intrude uninvited into my writing as a culturally elitist position I may not be paying attention to (most of the time)?<br />
<br />
Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 10:24pm PST<br />
Cal got to wrestle at his actual weight class tonight (167 lbs). And he got a win but he had to fight for it tonight.<br />
<br />
Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 10:30am PST<br />
For anyone who says they just can't vote for Hillary Clinton if Bernie Sanders doesn't get the nomination, here's a quote from an actual Republican (found as a comment on another friend's feed), "I'm not for Trump, since Carson is out of the race in backing Cruze. If Trump is nominated I'll cast my vote for him. This election is too important to let someone like Hillary or even worse Sanders into Office." Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't support Sanders (I will be caucusing for him in Washington on March 26) but to defect from the election if he isn't successful really does play into the hands of the eventual Republican nominee. And while I don't agree with their final assessment, the contention that this election is too important hits the nail on the head. Get involved. Be active in your state's primary or caucus. And don't let apathy or non-participation hand the country to someone who could permanently damage the US.<br />
<br />
Monday, February 29, 2016 at 11:52am PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared ComicBook.com's post.<br />
Happy Birthday, Kal-El!<br />
<br />
Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 9:08pm PST<br />
Mike Hodge shared Tamara Hodge's post.<br />
Here's Calvin's first wrestling meet of the season. Because of gaps in the line-up Cal is wrestling up a weight class.<br />
<br />
Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7:44pm PST<br />
While I will be supporting Sanders in the Washington State Caucuses, the idea that Hillary Clinton is barely above the Republicans is not consistent with the facts. She is liberal and had a more liberal voting record than Obama when they were both in the Senate. If she gets the delegates, she will make a fine candidate and a fine President and I will vote for her.<br />
<br />
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 1:00am PST<br />
So I'm sitting in front of my computer after working out and my arms are kind of rubbery and I think to myself, "I haven't written in my blog for a month." And so I did.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-11088590199972903092016-02-16T00:45:00.001-08:002016-02-16T00:45:14.688-08:00February Blog PostIt’s been about a month since my last blog post so I thought I’d write another one. I’m mainly writing a lot of cover letters these days and filling out on-line applications. It’s hard to say how much good any single application does but it’s kind of draining. My favorite are the ones where I can send a resume and cover letter without filling out everything again in an HR application. But those are what most companies are using so I do it.<br /><br />My last job ended on December 31, 2015. It was a one year contract with Volt (VMC) working at Microsoft helping to support the Exchange developers in the Office 365 group. There was some data center work with physical servers and wiring and power and such and there was a lot of sitting at a computer fixing things through an IP KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch. It was kind of neat to be able to log into computers from Oslo, Norway to Beijing, China and fix what was ailing them. Of course most of the servers I dealt with were in one of several buildings in Redmond, WA or California but there were days of international crisis. But that job is over and now I must cast forth and hope a hiring manager smiles upon me. <br /><br />I’m also trying to use my unemployed time wisely and take some on-line training classes, get some writing done, try to make a habit out of working out and maybe even practice a musical instrument. But the main thing is to find a job; a full-time job with benefits and a bright future and time to be creative. <br /><br />I’m in an odd middle ground. I’m old enough that I’m not young; and yet young enough that I’m not old. I have about 20 years to give a company before I can think about retiring. My finances have been beaten up to the point where taking off early and cruising around the world isn’t an option. So I will honor the age-old traditions of trading time for money. Hopefully the time is spent doing things you enjoy. <br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-5859148769080038852016-01-01T21:25:00.002-08:002016-01-01T21:25:28.369-08:00About 2015 and a writing exercise.
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<br />
2015 was an interesting year. I set
some goals and feel like I was able to follow through with them.
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My year started with me working as a
contractor for Volt at Microsoft. I won't say I was working for
Microsoft because I was not a Full-Time employee of Microsoft. No. I
was a contractor working for Volt at Microsoft. My immediate superior
was a Microsoft FTE and I worked on systems in the Office 365
Foundations Labs keeping stuff running that the Exchange team needed
for their Dev testing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I would have four alarms set 5:00 am,
5:15, 5:30, and 5:45. The five am alarm I would snooze. 5:15 would be
my call to kick my ass out of bed and get ready. The 5:30 alarm was a
reminder that I had only 15 minutes until I had to leave. And the
5:45 alarm was the call to leave the house so I could make it to the
bus on time. I would take a 6:03 am bus from Northgate in Seattle to
the Microsoft campus in Redmond and get to work about 6:50 am. I
would then work from 7 am to 3 pm and take a bus back to north
Seattle. I was often very bad about getting to bed on time so I would
nap on the bus. I would always wake up on time to get off at my stop.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I wasn't working I would be trying
to get more into film production in Seattle. I wanted my focus to be
directing and I did direct four short films during the year. Two of
them were for the 48 hour film project and two were in conjunction
with a Facebook group “Weekend Warriors Film Group.” I think
three of the films are pretty good but I hope to do better work in
2016. I also used my sound equipment to record field audio on a
variety of short films. And my camera skills were utilized on one of
my short films and on another project for a different director.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I did what I could to help my boys
whenever I could. There were some difficulties that we handled.
Duncan and Calvin are both moving forward with their lives. Duncan is
about to visit friends and Calvin is studying Japanese in school.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My second marriage ended in 2014 but it
was this year that the paperwork was finally submitted to the proper
authorities to have the marriage dissolved (Washington State's term
for divorce). So that's final.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Near the end of the year I started
dating again. I won't go into any details. I'm not sure what I want
but I'm pretty sure that alone isn't it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So the year has ended. And my Volt
contract at Microsoft has ended. And I'm now 51 (I was joking that
I'm now 33 in hexadecimal or 110011 in binary). What the new year
brings will be new.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'd like to continue with film. I think
I'd like to focus on a feature but I have such a block sitting on my
head that I can't think of anything to write. The ideas I have are
sitting there caught in the mud; not sinking away but not jumping up
demanding to be written.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Write about Sunday Afternoon </b></span><br />(a
daily writing exercise for January 1 from the book “A Writer's Book
of Days.”)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What is a Sunday Afternoon. Most
weekends you sleep late after staying up late on a Saturday so Sunday
Afternoon is the morning. A late breakfast or a jump ahead to lunch
and the slow crawling dread that tomorrow is a work day. And even if
you love your job the start of a work week kind of sucks. So you rush
out to do something to grab the day to squeeze the last bit of juice
from the fruit of the weekend. And you run into everyone doing the
same thing. The mall, the traffic, the park full of people and kids
and dogs, the movie theater with lines to get in and lines for
popcorn and lines for the bathroom and after spending the last of the
day out you go home and figure out what to eat for dinner. As you
pick through leftovers and boxes of mac and cheese you remember the
times when your mother would make a roast with all of the trimmings
for Sunday dinner. You'd remember getting up early for church and
wearing your good clothes and being shuttled off to Sunday school
while the adults went off to arcane places. And the day would be
spent running around after church with all of the neighborhood kids
getting into all sorts of mischief and dirt and scraped knees and
trees to climb and the day would last forever and then the whistle
from your Mom calling you home because no one had cell phones or
computers or anything with technology. And you'd go home to dinner
and a large TV in the family room that was controlled by the adults
with all of four channels to choose from. And then off to baths and
jammies and bed way too early and promises that you'd stay up as late
as you want when you're an adult. And as an adult you go to bed early
because you have to get up and get to work in the morning.</div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-36729225652369139112015-02-20T11:10:00.001-08:002015-02-20T11:14:20.816-08:00Thoughts On Why I'm Doing Film and/or WritingWith all of the twists and turns my life has gone through recently, I started re-evaluating what it was about film making or novel writing that makes me want to be involved in it. I mean I can watch movies and read books and evaluate and appreciate the nuances and subtleties of each form and each piece without devoting time to creating new content. Additionally I’m not going to count on or pine for clawing my way into the blockbuster/tent pole arena that seems like a natural ‘pipe dream’ of an aspirant film maker. So why do it?<br />
<br />
I’ve thought a lot about this from a philosophical and a personal satisfaction viewpoint. I’ve been writing off and on for over 20 years and actively expanding my knowledge and participation in film making for the past five. Both activities have elements that are solitary and elements that are social. Writing is solitary, reading is solitary, being on-set is social, showing a film is either social or solitary, interacting with people who have read your stuff or seen your film is social. <br />
<br />
Without going too deeply into a personal philosophical treatise on external motivation, self-awareness, the indoctrination of cultural norms and how these affect the relationship of the individual to society, mediated reality, and the question of free-will, I can say that I get a great deal of personal satisfaction creating stories and characters and settings and scenarios and would do this even if I were alone on an island (or space station) for the rest of my life. But I also enjoy the social aspects of debate and feedback and egoboo (ego boost) of others appreciating that you’ve done something well or at least in a way that made the experience fun for the group.<br />
<br />
I also am a geek that likes to learn about, study, replicate and tinker with hardware, software, and techniques used in writing and film making. <br />
<br />
So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to try to tell some good stories in an interesting way and work with fun people to create stuff we can all be happy about. And if that makes money or becomes a full-time endeavor, that’s OK too.Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-11042120281248160582015-01-29T07:38:00.000-08:002015-01-29T07:40:34.668-08:00Four Months and the World Turns Over<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been four
months since my last post and a lot has happened.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<ol>
<li>
I am now a contractor for Microsoft getting up at 5:00 am to keep servers
running for a dev team.</li>
<li>I am no longer in school. I loved my classes and looked forward to more of
them. But I was burning the candle at both ends (every end possible) and looked
like I would be doing that for at least a year. So I applied for a job I didn't
think I would get; and got it. And because I was using unemployment to go to
school, I couldn't turn down a job offer. So I did a "happy dance"
that I would be making more money doing something I enjoy (and thought I had
closed that door pretty firmly).</li>
<li>I made it though the holiday season on my own. It may not seem like much but
during this time last year my life was in such turmoil that this is a personal
victory. I could go on and on about the turmoil but there's no point and I'd
rather not. But having more money let me be more generous than I thought I was
going to be able to be.</li>
<li>Now I'm figuring out what I'm doing with my time. I still want to tell
stories. I'm still pretty sure that film making will play an important role in
that. I had to pull back from the Seattle film making community while in school
so I'm doing what I can to reconnect there. I'm working on a short film script
that may extend to a web series or a feature. I have two features in outline
form that I'm working on under the constraints that these will need to be
low/zero budget level productions. I'm geeking out over cameras and such because
that's another aspect of film making I enjoy. </li>
</ol>
<div>
So I'm moving in a direction that I'll call forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-19471533479461435382014-10-11T00:34:00.001-07:002014-10-11T00:34:58.898-07:00Back in School and Still Alive<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Well, I'm back in school doing another
semester at Shoreline Community College learning about Animation and
Multimedia. Last semester (summer 2014) I had Photography, 2D Design
and Basic Image Manipulation. I would have also had a class on “How
To Use A Mac” but I tested out of it. I made A's in all of my
classes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So this semester I'm taking four
classes: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Drawing and Game Design.
I'm having loads of fun in each class but am most intimidated by the
Drawing class. I have a lot more confidence in my ability to be
creative with words and through film making but I need to get better
at drawing (at least illustration for storyboards and animation).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I also have a part-time job to help
extend the Unemployment training benefits through the end of my
program (there's a complex set of rules as to how much you can work
before you're considered fully employed and I'm staying on the right
side of the equations). So far it's just enough work to help pay the
bills without getting in the way of school. It does get in the way of
me doing film production on the weekends so that's kind of a bummer
but roof over our heads and food on the table through December of
2015 is also a good thing. That's when the schooling should be over
and I can hopefully become gainfully employed with my new skill set.
We'll see.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm still taking a break from
relationships. I've been thinking about this and right now I just
don't know what I can offer to someone as far as a relationship. I
mean, yes, I do miss physical companionship. And it would be nice to
eventually find someone to share my life with or at least talk to and
do stuff with. But there's time and effort that goes into a
relationship. Right now I feel kind of mentally blocked in my ability
to devote time and effort to a relationship.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So that's where I'm at right now. I
know the thousands of people following my every move will be
satisfied that I'm updating the blog. </div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-4936048064274546902014-08-29T13:51:00.000-07:002014-08-29T13:51:07.745-07:00Hangry - The 48 hour film challenge for SeattleThe short film I was Director of Photography on "Hangry" is now up on the internet for all to see. It was made as part of the 2014 48-Hour Film Challenge in Seattle. It didn't win any awards but we did get lots of good comments from viewers. My son Calvin also made his debut on a film set as the Script Supervisor. He also got credited as the Assistant Director.<br />
<br />
Enjoy.<br /><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/104747197" target="_blank">Hangry on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/104747197)</a><br />
<br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-57922804318136258922014-08-23T13:12:00.000-07:002015-02-20T11:06:22.238-08:00The Death of Robin Williams and My Thoughts on Suicide.
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There was a time when I had very little
sympathy for suicide. It seemed to me like a cop-out, a giving up
that was more about hurting those left behind or a way to get
attention. I was detached from the experience, had no real exposure
to depression and was pretty full of myself (being in the young and
invincible stage of life). I remember a test in High School sociology
class where the likelihood of suicide was 'measured.' I was in the
group that wouldn't kill themselves because they didn't want to
deprive the world of their presence. I thought that was pretty
accurate.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over time my understanding of suicide
changed so that I could see how depression was a chemical imbalance
that could sometimes be corrected with medicine. And sometimes it
could not. And sometimes medicines that worked in the past would stop
working and while looking for a new fix the depression would wreck a
person's life. I also saw research that concluded that many suicides
were impulsive and if the impulse could be interrupted then the
attempt could be put off for quite a while; sometimes permanently but
not always. The depression was still there; I'm not saying there is
some miracle intervention.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But still I had little connection to
what could drive a person to seriously consider acting in this way.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then recently I went through a very
difficult time. My entire life seemed to fall apart. I had what I
call a mini nervous breakdown. My marriage was ending, my job was
ending, my likelihood to continue working in my field seemed nil, the
amount of time and money I had spent getting to this point was
overwhelming, my skills in my previous profession had aged to the
point where I couldn't get a job there either. I say my marriage was
ending but it was a lot more than that. I had had one marriage end
before and it didn't affect me this badly. I won't go into details
here but this was the most painful time of my entire life.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I started walking, daily if possible,
while listening to loud techno music. It seemed to help but not
always. Sometimes my mind was a record that was skipping; running
over the same things, the same thoughts 33 times a minute.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And on one of these walks, late at
night, I saw it. Lots of oncoming traffic and the opportunity to step
out in front of it. I watched it, saw what it was and knew. I knew
about Spalding Grey. I knew about Kurt Cobain. I knew about David
Foster Wallace. And I knew that if I could not resist this urge I
would join them.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I did. I made it past. I walked that
same stretch of road and watched similar traffic many times and
thought about how close I came.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And so I hear about Robin Williams and
I'm sad but I'm not judgmental. But I do remember a younger me that
would have been. Reading recent comments from Henry Rollins brought
me back to remembering a mindset I used to have.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don't have an answer.</div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-72329060288667891602014-07-31T20:56:00.002-07:002014-07-31T20:56:33.835-07:0048 Hour Film Challenge – A test of my resolve to be a film maker.<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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I've joined a 48 hour film challenge
team and will be the Director of Photography (DP or cinematographer)
on a short film being made this weekend. Initially I was contacted to
do sound. Luckily I had just acquired sound recording equipment and a
boom pole and microphone. Then the DP had to drop out to take a
paying gig (can't blame him for wanting to get paid) and I was bumped
up to the DP role. Yeah me. But this also meant that some of the
camera gear I had on my list needed to be acquired more quickly so
I'd be ready to shoot.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0btEJ5UwQT5wTL_tSlJVbfe96Wx314AC-AuuukRRajE_s1-EzKGhFFW0whsCZdyyloqkEbYT3Zby_NbMTXUBG_pioyWKZHQ8eqa8bI7YjdDARDcOGVcB9RmDN8dYdr2cgL8/s1600/T2i-Camera-Rig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0btEJ5UwQT5wTL_tSlJVbfe96Wx314AC-AuuukRRajE_s1-EzKGhFFW0whsCZdyyloqkEbYT3Zby_NbMTXUBG_pioyWKZHQ8eqa8bI7YjdDARDcOGVcB9RmDN8dYdr2cgL8/s1600/T2i-Camera-Rig.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Canon T2i with Magic Lantern, a cage, follow-focus, matte box, and shoulder mount rig]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've been taking various parts of my
life that I'm not using and converting them to money on eBay to
finance the filmmaking venture. As I mentioned I have sound recording
stuff now and with these acquisitions, I should be able to shoot some
video 'footage' and have it look pretty good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At least that's what I'm planning on
happening. The world of cinematography can be tricky and I make no
claims to being be best at shaping light or creating the best shots.
I know about coverage, crossing the line, getting things in focus and
hopefully enough about lighting and camera movements to get something
usable and possibly even good. But I'm still somewhat nervous.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've come a long way from March of 2011
when I made the choice to pursue filmmaking. I'd spent the last 15
years doing IT work and I was pretty satisfied with all of that. I
mean, I'm a big old geek that does like playing with computers and
since I was getting paid for it, all the better. But after two
layoffs in two years, I felt it was time to re-evaluate what I wanted
to do. So I took some re-training time and money and went to Seattle
Film Institute to learn how to make, edit, and write movies. And I
think I did a pretty good job of absorbing lots of information and
taking advantage of the opportunities to get experience. I found that
I do like the standard writing and directing that every film maker
aspires to do. But I also really like shooting the film (or video)
and editing.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For a year after film school I was able
to work full-time as an editor and DP and just about anything else
they wanted me to do (build sets, move storage, investigate color
correction systems, etc.). But that job is over and now I'm revamping
my skills to include more graphic design, multimedia, motion graphics
and 3-D animation.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A lot has happened since March of 2011.
Much of it good and some of it bad. I collaborated on a short film
that got into the Seattle International Film Festival. I went to film
school. I spent all of my retirement 401-K. I got to work on some
amazing projects during 2012 and 2013. I had a small nervous
breakdown. My second marriage ended. I went through a four month
period that was the most painful time in my life.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I built a lot of bridges over the last
three years and I'm sure I've burned a few too. Didn't mean to but
I'm sure it happened. But now I have a new life, new school, and am
building toward creating things with film and video.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So this is the first film project since
my last job ended (OK, it's the second, but still the first as DP).
I'm taking steps in the right direction and moving forward.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-71868124968512454122014-07-12T19:02:00.002-07:002014-07-12T22:31:35.675-07:00Hot Heat and a Fountain Denied (and Regained).<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Seattle is pretty hot right now. It's
only in the upper eighties so the really hot parts of the country can
still scoff and laugh at how the delicate flowers of the Pacific
Northwest wilt at the first sign of a real summer. And while that's
primarily true, its also true that almost no place in the Pacific
Northwest has air conditioning. So while the person in Phoenix or
Atlanta can sit in the 90+ heat (with added humidity for Atlanta) and
mainly be cool in the air conditioned comfort. That just isn't an
option for the Seattleite. There are some air conditioned buildings,
I stumbled across one that I'm writing in now. But when I go home
there will be no AC. And the half-million dollar house down the road
will also have no AC. But tonight it should get down into the 50s so
don't pack away that jacket just yet.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I really wanted to get out of the house
and do something but sometimes its hard. The boys are in Oklahoma
with their Mom and I don't have any scheduled activities. I've been
doing school work and puttering around the house (I should have some
photos from an Aperture assignment to put up on Facebook soon). I've
been watching some old movies (sometimes multiple times); Five Easy
Pieces, The Conversation, and The Long Goodbye. Its interesting to
see what movies in the seventies looked like and the camera movements
and lighting used. I also went and saw the new Captain America movie.
Part of what was interesting to me was to see what was filmed versus
what was added in post animation. It seems to be a stark contrast
from some of the deep action that happened in older films like
Oliver. Modern films like Children of Men seem to still use the
concept of multiple layers of background action to capture on the
film much of what you see on the screen (not that the same director
didn't make Gravity where much of what you saw on the screen was
composited and animated).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So I packed up some camera stuff and my
laptop and hit a bus from North Seattle to downtown. I was going to
take some pictures of the International Fountain at Seattle Center to
experiment with shutter speed and its effect on moving objects (water
from the fountain for today). I took some pictures and video out the
window of the bus to see what it looks like but I don't expect any of
that to be any good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I got to Seattle Center I found a
Polish Festival. Walking around that I found a tall fence with a
green screen blocking the view about eight feet up. Walking around
this to get to the fountain I found the “Chive Fest” that was
going on at Seattle Center also. After walking almost all of the way
across the Seattle Center area I saw a sign saying the fountain was
not available unless you paid to enter Chive Fest. Since the tickets
were almost $80 per person I opted not to do this. Off in the
distance there was a smaller fountain unrestricted by the Fest. It
was also packed as many families had the same idea as me only they
wanted to give the kids an opportunity to play in the fountain and
cool off. They still had a fountain, albeit smaller, but the kids
didn't seem to mind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjkDCYvINY4pYzCz5Hjbw3cD9C5JSxlegTxxv8BH_fvJNio1bcPW45cLrIfS1YajFJf94A8x-1-jcgJxx7Lz6UoNfeIu7tvOB_9gv_E7o9fOauWagRYERBqDOYevo69E4e4c/s1600/IMG_7216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjkDCYvINY4pYzCz5Hjbw3cD9C5JSxlegTxxv8BH_fvJNio1bcPW45cLrIfS1YajFJf94A8x-1-jcgJxx7Lz6UoNfeIu7tvOB_9gv_E7o9fOauWagRYERBqDOYevo69E4e4c/s1600/IMG_7216.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I got lots of photos of the water in
various states of motion. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bugow4OdoUr-pvKs5_w20M3DArvbVRbTPNSvhJ-Co_FSH7jC_ByfF8K4wu4vu5P1P7vEtst8G_udhYNO7l_cMYmW3PI6kLZ_pwlsFQh8QdeucNcrJYewQU6_3MpTMX_PxtA/s1600/IMG_7194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bugow4OdoUr-pvKs5_w20M3DArvbVRbTPNSvhJ-Co_FSH7jC_ByfF8K4wu4vu5P1P7vEtst8G_udhYNO7l_cMYmW3PI6kLZ_pwlsFQh8QdeucNcrJYewQU6_3MpTMX_PxtA/s1600/IMG_7194.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(300mm; F5.6; Shutter 1/4000 Sec; ISO 1600 or 3200)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaR9l5_2T4ic1XTgFUY4i0HvDo4HZ-OTXp6RrK-Y5OQ6E57zDXHuLjZovuR1EO-iRvr779vetmuRLAp6jiiO-bd0PddS-IkRmaAJ6vEVM83XtBEvSlkM_HSU4noGriny-UWKg/s1600/IMG_7210-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaR9l5_2T4ic1XTgFUY4i0HvDo4HZ-OTXp6RrK-Y5OQ6E57zDXHuLjZovuR1EO-iRvr779vetmuRLAp6jiiO-bd0PddS-IkRmaAJ6vEVM83XtBEvSlkM_HSU4noGriny-UWKg/s1600/IMG_7210-cropped.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(28mm; F16; Shutter 1/8 Sec; ISO 100)</div>
<br />
Then went and got some tea from Starbucks
and relaxed at the Polish Festival. A man came around and gave me a
sample of some sausage (with a pickle slice). I could probably eat
about a pound of that without any problem at all (it was good).<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So tomorrow I'll meet up with with the
48 hour film challenge team and talk about what we're going to be
doing with that. The contest goes from August 1-3 with filming on
August 2. We'll see what we can do.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-48404065631569586132014-07-02T00:13:00.001-07:002014-07-02T00:13:11.393-07:00Summer School and Practical Effects
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The boys and their mother are off to
Oklahoma for a couple of weeks and I'm here in Seattle continuing my
education. I'm a lot busier now that school is in session but my life
is still basically boring. Of course that won't keep me from
describing my life in excruciating detail. Being somewhat lazy and
not wanting to write several thousand words before going to bed will
keep me from describing my life in excruciating detail.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So here are some highlights. In 2D
design we finished our Tangram assignments. I used three Tans (the 7
item set that fits in a square and is used to make silhouettes of
objects). I had two Tans using a four inch square (one orange and the
other light brown) and one Tan that was from a two inch square (also
light brown). With these objects I made a man playing a guitar. The
item was well received.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We now have to take a letter and cut
out the spaces around the letter and then rearrange those negative
space cutouts as a separate art piece to illustrate the way the mind
works with foreground and background areas even when they are not
part of something immediately recognizable.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I know there are actual design concepts
that are being covered but I sometimes feel like I'm doing the arts
and crafts equivalent of “Wax on, wax off.” But then again,
Daniel listened to Miyagi and won the fight at the end of the movie.
So I do the work, pay attention and take notes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've chosen the letter M and have a
version of that letter that I think will work very well for this
assignment.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Photography is going well but is
somewhat more frustrating. I'm working on the Photograms and I'm
trying to get layers of objects in a way that simulates distance. I
think I've got it down.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I guess I should post some pictures to
the blog at some point so all of this excruciating detail will have
some context.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm really into the photograms and when
that's done I have to shoot some black and white film in a depth of
field experiment. I pick a scene with objects in the foreground and
background. Set the camera at 50mm focal length and adjust the
aperture and shutter speed to get the same picture with different
depth of field (deep focus). After about 8 scenes with 3 apertures
each (a roll of 24), I get to develop the film, make a contact sheet
and select 2 or 3 (I forget what the requirement is for the
assignment) and make prints of those.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, I've gone through the filmmaking
program at Seattle Film Institute so I'm no stranger to aperture,
focus, ISO, and the such. But I've never worked with film in a
darkroom so this is all pretty exciting stuff for me.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've also been watching Sci-Fi and
horror stuff from before the age of After Effects. Some of the
practical effects and the way things were shot and lit in those
movies lends itself to lower budget filmmaking. There's a great doc
about Peter Jackson's - Bad Taste which he shot on a wind-up 16mm
Bolex (I don't think he did much with sync sound on that one). But he
did make a lot of masks for practical special effects and built his
own camera crane and steadycam rigs that he used in the filming. In
some scenes it's “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” level of special
effects but it did screen at Cannes and sold in many markets. And
then he's done a few things after that too.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-5260330445380531552014-06-25T01:44:00.002-07:002014-06-25T01:44:23.873-07:00Tangrams and Photographic Film.
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I just finished Day Two of the Summer
session at Shoreline Community College and now I gotta go buy some
stuff. I'm currently in three classes (tested out of the basic “How
to use a Mac” class). I have 2D Design, Photography and in four
weeks (after some Mac noobs finish learning how to point and click)
I'll have a class on preparing graphics for print. I almost tested
out of that class too but missed it by a couple of questions so I'll
just suffer through a description of the difference between 8-bit
color and 16 or 24 bit color.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In 2D Design, the first assignment
involves creating an image using tangrams. I need an X-Acto knife, a
straight edge and a felt tip pen. I've been studying tangrams (both
the game and the art people do with them). Not sure what I'm going to
do for my tangrams but it probably won't be of a NSFW nature. I was
thinking of doing something with filmmaking or music. The main point
is to learn how to cut straight lines, be creative and learn the
process for presenting portfolio pieces for critique and a grade.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Photography looks to be interesting
with the first half of the class using film and darkroom techniques
before moving on to digital cameras. I have to buy some photographic
paper so I can do some direct exposure art photographs. I'm thinking
of doing something with tools as I have a lot of them. The idea of
building up something through multiple exposures and creative masking
is interesting.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was able to borrow Tamara's Canon
film camera (EOS Rebel XSn) for the other film projects. There's
still some ASA800 film in the camera from a while ago. The camera
will take the Canon EF lenses (and the M42 lenses with the EF
adapters) that I already have so I'm looking forward to playing
around with this. All of the projects use Black and White film so I
won't have to worry about the color temperature of the film (or
setting a while balance). I have to see if I need to pull out a light
meter and tape measure to get my exposure and focus correct. I may
and try to do some forced perspective pictures or something with
ultra long exposures at night. We also get to learn how to develop
our own film. So stinky chemicals here I come.
</div>
Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-16546458618643698962014-06-23T09:48:00.001-07:002015-02-20T11:06:22.234-08:00A New Chapter Starts Today<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Today I start on a new chapter in my life. I start school at
Shoreline Community College in the Animation and Video for Multimedia program.
This is unemployment retraining and I’m hoping that after I’m done I’ll be able
to complete my separation from the IT world and spend some time doing
animation, motion graphics and video (for money) as I work and build experience
in narrative film (live action or animation).<br />
<br />
I say this is a new chapter but I’m already several months into
this chapter. My marriage of three and a half years is over (might rack up to 4
by the time the paperwork is finished – but we’re separated and divorced in all
but decree and both moving on). My last job ended in January. I’ve moved into
my own place in Seattle (about 2 blocks south of the city boundary with
Shoreline). So I’ve been busy getting all of this set up so that Unemployment
will continue to pay me during school and that programs available to cover
tuition and books are all properly in place.<br />
<br />
This should cover me until about June or September of 2015
and then I’ll need an actual job to bring in money. It’s an anxiety inducing
thought but one I don’t have to deal with yet. I should have a pretty good
portfolio to show prospective employers by then and another feature of the
changes in my life should help me accept a lowly position at the beginning of a
new career.<br />
<br />
I’ve been paring everything back and now live on less than I
have for about 20 years. Less money but more time is actually both intoxicating
and sometimes boring. It’s not something most people think about but a 40 hour
a week job really keeps the time from building up. It actually makes me kind of
guilty when I don’t do something with the time. Everyone is always complaining
about not having the time to do everything they want. Of course, I do have that
time now (but not the money). But some things like writing and learning new
things and beginning projects are all available to me. So when I sit and watch
a movie or three, I feel kind of guilty that I wasn’t writing my own movie. Not
to say that I haven’t written or that I’m not making an effort to making
writing a habit (hey, I wrote a blog post today), but on the days when it doesn’t
happen… well, you know.<br />
<br />
So I was able to install MAYA a professional level 3-D
animation program with a student license (only good for three years) and I made
a very nice bouncing ball. I know I’ll have an actual class in Maya at some
point but I want to get a head start and with all of the extra time, I can
afford to make a few bouncing balls or walking sponges or whatever.Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-24841014248675725812014-03-11T02:25:00.000-07:002014-03-11T02:25:40.370-07:00Another One Bites the DustAs of Feb. 11, 2014 my marriage to Kim Voynar is over. There's a lot more to write about this and I probably will soon but for now I felt like I wanted to put up a short note so that when I read this blog in the future, I will know. This is when it happened.Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-64928086525829298112013-10-21T12:12:00.001-07:002013-10-21T12:12:27.161-07:00A Video PortfolioHere are some links to work that I have done since redirecting my career into film and video production.<br />
<br />
Hostile Work Environment:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/HostileWorkEnv" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/HostileWorkEnv</a><br />
The "GenCon: Behind the Screen" videos were all edited by me using Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The videos have a narrative short piece at the beginning and a talk-show segment at the end. I was the 1st AC on the narrative sections and Director of Photography and Technical Director on the talk-show segments.<br />
<br />
The First Paladin<br />
<a href="http://thefirstpaladin.com/" target="_blank">http://thefirstpaladin.com/</a><br />
This is a series of videos based on a role-playing game run by Peter Adkison and set in the world of Chaldea. Peter has been developing the world since the early 1980s. I did a variety of jobs on these videos (camera operator, technical director, etc.) and edited most of the segments. The early segments were done in Final Cut Pro with the latter segments in Adobe Premiere Pro. These gave me a lot of experience with multi-camera editing. There are also some motion graphics done either in the video editing software directly or in Adobe After Effects.<br />
<br />
Kickstarter Videos<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peteradkison/the-devil-walks-in-salem?ref=live" target="_blank">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peteradkison/the-devil-walks-in-salem?ref=live </a><br />
"The Devil Walks in Salem" -- a short film based on a story gaming session set in the times of the Salem Witch trials. I filmed and edited the video for the successful campaign.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1173248192/dicke-katze-and-friends-fat-cat-plush?ref=live" target="_blank">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1173248192/dicke-katze-and-friends-fat-cat-plush?ref=live</a><br />
Dicke Katze & Friends Fat Cat Plush -- Dicke Katze is German for Fat Cats and this campaign will enable the creation of fat cat plush dolls that are super cute and everyone should go buy one. I filmed and edited the video for this successful campaign.<br />
<br />
Seattle Film Institute<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/rewiredgeek/videos">http://www.youtube.com/user/rewiredgeek/videos</a><br />
Here are some of the projects I did while redirecting my career. I liked SFI because many of the projects were shot on film. This introduces a discipline (partly because you have a limited amount of stock to shoot he project) that translates well into the organizational skills needed for video projects.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/51115983">http://vimeo.com/51115983</a><br />
TV Boy - This project isn't on YouTube so I have to link to it separately. I was the DP on this 16mm film shoot. But I like it also because I made the TV heads the two main actors wear. It seemed kind of sad that we had these two beautiful actors and the first thing we did was ask them to replace their heads with TV sets.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-9671716820290225192013-03-28T01:36:00.000-07:002013-03-28T01:36:33.694-07:00Sakura Con is comingSakura Con is starting on Friday.<br />
<br />
There is a rush of cosplay activity at the house as all of the youth (minus Duncan) get costumes ready for the Con. Duncan will be using the "American Teenage Gamer Geek" costume that he wears just about every day. Calvin is going as Scout from Team Fortress 2. Jaxon is going as Red, the Pokemon trainer from the original Pokemon Games (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green). Veda and Destiny are going as two of the female characters from Pokemon but I can't remember which ones (I'll update when I know). Deanna will be going as Mabel from "Gravity Falls." Luka will be cosplaying but I can't remember what it is (again, I'll update when I remember - or am told again; which is more likely). And Leon probably has a different cosplay for each day that is coordinated with the group he hangs out with at these cons; but alas I don't know which characters he will be going as.<br />
<br />
Kim may cosplay something. She has a lot of wigs, goggles and other items to put something together if she wants. I will be cosplaying "Guy with a pork-pie hat." I've been perfecting this cosplay every day for almost two years now so I think I can make quite a splash.<br />
<br />
I'll take pictures and update the blog as I am able (which probably means that I'll put up a post in about six months saying I'm sorry for spacing on the blog again).Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-47801349794298136792013-02-09T18:34:00.001-08:002013-02-09T18:55:12.435-08:00Sitting in a mall - looking at all of the peopleI'm at Crossroads mall in Bellevue Washington, near the entrance to a QFC grocery store. There used to be a giant chess set at this entrance to the mall but it has been replaced by a painting of a pond on the floor and a quarter kiddie ride in the shape of an old motorboat. <br />
<br />
I'm waiting for Leon to finish buying something at Joann and some snacks at QFC before taking him to Devyn's house. <br />
<br />
I have a bunk bed in the back of my minivan but I may not need it any more. Luckily it was given to us from Freecycle so if we don't need it, we can find someone who does and give it to them. <br />
<br />
I also worked on the minivan this week. It was a week ago Friday that the minivan stopped working. I was just driving down the road and the engine cut out. I was able to pull over to a side road and roll to a stop out of traffic. A AAA call later and the van was on its way to the shop where they confirmed my suspicion that the fuel pump stopped working. <br />
<br />
So to fix the car they wanted a little over $900 and said it was about half and half for parts and labor. I paid the $120 diagnostic fee and accepted the detailed report of everything that needed fixing on the car and had AAA tow it back to the house. <br />
<br />
I took a day to find and organize my tools and coordinated with my father-in-law to come over and help me with the work. <br />
<br />
I spent about $200 on parts including a five gallon gas can and a siphon pump and a Chilton manual on fixing the Plymouth Grand Voyager. <br />
<br />
The work on the van went slowly but smoothly. I put the car up on jack stands, took off the spare tire, and started looking at getting the gas out of the tank. I know a gallon of water weighs about eight pounds so I figured every gallon we got out if the tank would make it easier to deal with. But it wouldn't work. I tried several times to get the siphon pump hose down into the tank and I was just sticking a little short of the tank. <br />
<br />
Eventually I gave up and we moved on to lowering the tank. But that was also not happening. The bolts on the gas tank straps were pretty solid in not moving. Luckily Jim, the aforementioned father-in-law, thought to get a box wrench and use that as an extension to the socket wrench and I was able to break them free. <br />
<br />
The tank lowered and with all of the gas in it was pretty wobbly I only sloshed a little gas on Jim before getting it stable enough to use the siphon pump. We got a lot but not all of the fas out and moved on to the replacement end. The fuel filter was also on the top of the gas tank (not where I would put either item). So it wasn't too long before everything was replaced and we were ready to put the tank back up. <br />
<br />
At this point we realized that lifting the tank up is harder than lowering it. And eventually we put a jack under the tank (with a two by six between the tank and the jack to help stabilize the tank. This gave us a lot of leeway to get the work done without killing ourselves or sloshing too much gas. <br />
<br />
The car started fine and has run well ever since.<br />
<br />
And Leon is ready to go so I will leave the mall and end the post. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfu_yNhYt_Bj-bgEYcEXPoWm2qcrVy3qd7WAe7cFkVs1799ik3Q7snqm2O91glJehOawuS2HHx5pZG49WEwcByh6nbVoFerEaver3y5Z_0zEu8fzNc97rLC2uC3aHn6ZSchE/s640/blogger-image--1210096389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfu_yNhYt_Bj-bgEYcEXPoWm2qcrVy3qd7WAe7cFkVs1799ik3Q7snqm2O91glJehOawuS2HHx5pZG49WEwcByh6nbVoFerEaver3y5Z_0zEu8fzNc97rLC2uC3aHn6ZSchE/s640/blogger-image--1210096389.jpg" /></a></div>Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0Crossroads Bellevue47.622732 -122.132244tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-19256295457153491242013-02-01T12:31:00.001-08:002013-02-01T12:31:40.594-08:00The minivan is ill and I'm stuck ay the homeschool coop."The minivan is ill. AAA is taking it to the car doctor. It may be the fuel pump."<br />
<br />
So that's my facebook status update and the tweet that happened after the minivan stopped working today. But where does that leave the full-blown blog. So I've micro-blogged and fed the social media and now I wait for retweets or @ responses or likes or comments wishing me condolences in lieu of liking something negative. <br />
<br />
So here's what happened. I was driving some youth to the homeschool coop here in Bellevue, WA and driving down 140th the engine turns off. The car is still rolling so I fight the sudden lack of power steering and pull off to a side street. After letting the car sit for a bit, it looks like it will start back up. But almost immediately it sputters and stops. At this point it seems plike it might be the fuel pump or a fuel filter. So I call the auto shop, call AAA, and walk down to the homeschool coop. Now we wait until Kim can pick us up. <br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocQoszywztsefLgYkf2pb29vKuTgX_W69H49nb4belboWBDvuTJeE3Q5BD7C2d4AIf-a7hjpab1tuANv1rQz_o_TWOsNj-ORqWwcOYNDF3hCvoiZSzYIe3i5hr6pQ6Ij2ezw/s640/blogger-image-2071946481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocQoszywztsefLgYkf2pb29vKuTgX_W69H49nb4belboWBDvuTJeE3Q5BD7C2d4AIf-a7hjpab1tuANv1rQz_o_TWOsNj-ORqWwcOYNDF3hCvoiZSzYIe3i5hr6pQ6Ij2ezw/s640/blogger-image-2071946481.jpg" /></a></div>Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-87655987374344741842013-01-29T10:15:00.001-08:002013-01-29T10:15:07.754-08:00Editing Video at StarbucksSince leaving film school, I've been working with Peter Adkison on some of his video projects. I'm editing one of those at Starbucks this morning. I'm using Premiere Pro CS6 to do a multi-camera edit of a game that will go up on Peter's "How We Role" web site. I've been using Final Cut Pro 7 but we're moving to the Adobe suite for a variety of reasons (FCPX, PC and Mac interoperability, integration with Photoshop and After Effectsj. <br />
<br />
Then it's off to lunch with Cal and his parent-teacher conference. <br />
<br />
This blogger app is pretty cool. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1GNwSmzUaFG2802LR6GLajwUVsaYvWK_x5karWnPONFXnIdEVGwhnwmIumXrbMaQOBLUW42Y64JiJV8pahrgpx3dqleSd0-tXUyICmD6YLjj2lzSTqsr3hAm6gTe-hTUbb0/s640/blogger-image--1566188280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1GNwSmzUaFG2802LR6GLajwUVsaYvWK_x5karWnPONFXnIdEVGwhnwmIumXrbMaQOBLUW42Y64JiJV8pahrgpx3dqleSd0-tXUyICmD6YLjj2lzSTqsr3hAm6gTe-hTUbb0/s640/blogger-image--1566188280.jpg" /></a></div>Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0North Seattle Seattle47.728887 -122.314716tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-2162309937786479052013-01-29T09:54:00.001-08:002013-01-29T10:02:46.634-08:00Here's what's happened in the last year and a half from FacebookWow! I just downloaded everything I've ever done on Facebook. You go to the gear icon in the upper right of the screen and then to "Account Settings." At the bottom of the list of activities is a link for "Download a copy of your Facebook data." You get an option for a normal download or the "expanded archive." The normal download is small and has very little in it. But the expanded archive has everything; it is a complete backup of your Facebook activity. It had everything from August 2007 -- when I joined Facebook.<br />
<br />
Here are some excerpts from the last year and a half when I wasn't posting on my blog:<br />
<br />
There are the "Happy Birthday" messages.<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Happy Birthday, Clarity!<br />
January 28, 2013 at 11:26 pm<br />
Mike Hodge Happy Birthday, Kristin!<br />
January 28, 2013 at 11:25 pm<br />
Mike Hodge Happy Birthday, Joe!<br />
January 28, 2013 at 11:25 pm<br />
Mike Hodge Happy Birthday, Steve!<br />
January 28, 2013 at 11:25 pm<br />
<br />
And the Status Updates (there are actually more links than original updates but I'm lumping them all together):<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge At Portage Bay Cafe with Kim and her Dad. One of the best breakfast places in Seattle. http://www.portagebaycafe.com/<br />
March 19, 2011 at 12:01 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Something tells me this was the tree Alan Greenspan was sitting under when he gained enlightenment (for his own sole personal benefit, of course - you can get your own dang enlightenment you socialist slacker).<br />
Highly Recommended Thing Of The Moment: The Objectivist Tree<br />
April 14, 2011 at 11:43 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge At SakuraCon with Kim and all of the kids (and some friends). Yesterday Jaxon and Luka did well against much older opponents in the Pokemon DS tourney. Today Calvin has made it to the 2nd round of the Halo Reach event. Later is Yugioh and Black Ops.<br />
April 23, 2011 at 12:39 pm <br />
Mike HodgeThe teen girls are hitting the more traditional anime events (for an anime convention).<br />
April 23, 2011 at 12:43 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Upbeat day at SIFF Press Screenings; first a doc on Alzheimers and now one on assisted suicide in Oregon. I may need a "feel good" movie after this - maybe 28 Days Later.<br />
May 11, 2011 at 11:01 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge So enjoy yourself, do the things that matter; Cause there isn't time and space to do it all<br />
May 11, 2011 at 8:20 am <br />
<br />
Leon J. VA "Well, I'd have to draw the line on sawing someone into small pieces with a chainsaw. I don't currently own a chainsaw." -Mike Hodge<br />
May 18, 2011 at 8:49 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge www.filmthreat.com<br />
Film Threat - Rewired Geek: Rapture Day 2011 With Disaster And Post-apocalyptic Films<br />
Celebrating 25 Years of Truth in Entertainment! Conversations about independent movies, top movies reviews and film festivals.<br />
May 21, 2011 at 9:58 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Happy Towel Day! Celebrate the work of Douglas Adams and remember, "Don't Panic."<br />
May 25, 2011 at 11:32 am<br />
Mike Hodge: It's also Geek Pride Day to mark the occasion in 1977 when the first Star Wars<br />
movie opened. But most Star Wars fans celebrate on May the fourth (because the pun lends<br />
more meaning to the day than any actual event).<br />
May 25, 2011 at 11:43 am<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Finished with the bike ride with Calvin. 7 miles total and no heart attack for me.<br />
June 25, 2011 at 3:09 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Standing in front of the Majestic Bay in Ballard waiting to see X-Men: First Class. Also wondering what X-Men: Coach would be like.<br />
June 25, 2011 at 8:33 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge At Seattle Pride parade with Kim and a bunch of Unitarians: Standing on the side of Love.<br />
June 26, 2011 at 10:29 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Saw The new Harry Potter movie and liked it. Now I'm waiting for "Hogwarts: The Next Generation." They should get Patrick Stewart to be the headmaster.<br />
July 15, 2011 at 3:15 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Seeing Trollhunter with Kim Voynar.<br />
July 27, 2011 at 8:16 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge This is the weirdest super happy four minutes you'll see all day.<br />
きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ - PONPONPON<br />
中田ヤスタカ(capsule)プロデュースにより 8月17日(水)ミニアルバム「もしもし原宿」でデビュー!!<br />
July 27, 2011 at 10:28 am <br />
Mike HodgeHere's a description of what this is with lyrics in English and Japanese.<br />
http://superhappyawesome.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/hengao-pon-pon-pon-lyrics-and-a-chance-to-meet-kyary-pamyu-pamyu/<br />
July 27, 2011 at 10:31 am<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Seeing Captain America in Redmond.<br />
July 24, 2011 at 6:25 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Please copy & paste this to your status if you are constantly being asked to copy & paste something to your status by friends who copy & paste things to their status. Many people won't copy & paste this but my true sarcastic friends will copy & paste it because they know this was copied & pasted from a dear friend in need of more stuff to copy & paste...thank you! And don't forget the heart... ♥<br />
Definitely the heart!!!<br />
September 15, 2011 at 6:45 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Nearing the end of the first week of film school. It's pretty awesome. I'm totally freaked out by what to do with 3 minutes of super 8 film<br />
September 22, 2011 at 7:21 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Oh, I see a man at the back<br />
As a matter of fact, his eyes are as red as a sun... It's a BALLROOM BLITZ here at the Safeway.<br />
September 26, 2011 at 3:55 pm <br />
<br />
Kim Voynar Aki-Con this weekend! Neve has her Sif cosplay ready to go. To do list: Jaxon = Pokemon trainer, still need to hand-paint his ball cap. Veda = Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. We bought a Jiji plush and Donna Nolan is custom making her dress, still need to buy her red bow, red ballet flats, and a broom. Cal = Ben 10, just need to pull that one out of the cosplay tub. Luka = Flapjack. Pants and sailor cap in a bag, red-and-white striped shirt in progress. Duncan = gamer teenager, no cosplay needed. Mike Hodge and I will likely go as worn out parents ... but I am wearing my purple wig regardless. The family that Cons together, bonds together.<br />
October 6, 2011 at 10:34 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Someone sent me the book "Writing movies for Fun and Profit" (with Fun and crossed out). There was no sign on the box from Amazon telling me who granted me this boon. Thanks.<br />
September 30, 2011 at 6:21 am <br />
3 people like this<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Just saw Captain America singing White Wedding. I think I even saw a sneer on his lips.<br />
October 8, 2011 at 9:39 pm <br />
1 person likes this<br />
Mike Hodge: Now Mario and Luigi are rockin' "Carry On My Wayward Son."<br />
October 8, 2011 at 9:43 pm<br />
Mike Hodge: Tristie, I was at a Japanese Animation convention in Bellevue over the weekend. A man in a Captain America costume was playing the game "Rock Band" and singing "White Wedding."<br />
October 13, 2011 at 8:48 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Now Neve, Kendra, Veda and Calvin know how to do the Cupid Shuffle.<br />
October 8, 2011 at 10:02 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Finished filming my second short film as part of my course load at the Seattle Film Institute. I'm currently only shooting 8mm silent B&W films but should soon graduate to color and sound.<br />
October 30, 2011 at 11:25 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge My hands are green. They were purple earlier. Paining is fine; staining sucks.<br />
November 5, 2011 at 5:59 pm <br />
<br />
Melanie Lynn Addington Mike Hodge built this! Crazy. Follow along with Bunker as we update our progress on set and then in post..and then find out where you can see it in 2012!<br />
(no photos transferred over but it's a wooden entertainment center needed for Kim's film shoot).<br />
Timeline Photos<br />
November 11, 2011 at 8:45 am<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Seeing "The Frog Prince" at BellevueYouth Theatre with Calvin and Jaxon.<br />
November 18, 2011 at 6:55 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge I'm at The Posies concert with Calvin at The Neptune theater near the University of Washington. The opening acts will start soon.<br />
November 19, 2011 at 8:40 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Just saw "Curtains for You" and "Star Anna." The posies are just starting up.<br />
November 19, 2011 at 11:02 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge The Posies are over. Calvin made it almost all the way through the concert before getting too tired. He had fun and asked when we were going back to Bumbershoot.<br />
November 20, 2011 at 1:45 a <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Here's how I spent my first anniversary with Kim Voynar and many other friends.<br />
Bunker_a short film by Kim Voynar<br />
November 22, 2011 at 8:35 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge I'm out for Thanksgiving break. Now I only have to finish editing and designing the sound for my second short film and come up with an idea for my third. I think there's supposed to be Turkey in there somewhere.<br />
November 22, 2011 at 8:38 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge The factors of economic fairness outlined as the demands of OWS (blunt Citizens United, reinstate Glass-Steagall Act, and reform corporate lawmaking) form a coherent populist message. Combined with economic fairness (raise taxes on the top 1%) and you've got a revolutionary idea for fixing America that has almost no chance to getting passed.<br />
<br />
The shocking truth about the crackdown on Occupy<br />
Naomi Wolf: The violent police assaults across the US are no coincidence. Occupy has touched the third rail of our political class's venality<br />
November 26, 2011 at 11:53 am <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge I've begun my quest to avoid the 520 bridge and its outrageous toll charges.<br />
December 30, 2011 at 12:50 pm <br />
<br />
(I didn't write this but it says so many nice things about me, I had to include it)<br />
Kim Voynar Today is Mike Hodge's 48th birthday, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about why I love this man. He is a terrific dad to his sons, Cal and Duncan, doing whatever he has to do in order to have them with us half time. He gently but firmly keeps Duncan on track with his online schooling, cuddles Cal whenever he needs it, negotiates sibling disagreements with fairness and a steady calm, and tries his best to make sure everyone's needs are being met.<br />
<br />
He's also the best stepdad, tirelessly there to "fix" the internet when it's not working, or to run to the store, or tuck sick kids in bed, or help with dinner, or schlep them to play practice or school. When I asked him how he felt about taking in a friend's daughters for a while until things settled down at their own home, he didn't so much as hesitate before saying, "Of course we'll help them, it's important to you. We'll make room." Because that's the kind of man he is. <br />
<br />
When Mike lost his tech job nearly two years ago, the easy thing to do would have been to just find another boring tech job right away, so he could make the same amount of money and keep everyone happy. Everyone but himself. Instead, when I encouraged him to consider whether keeping everyone else but himself happy was really the life path he wanted to keep taking at 46, he carefully considered it, and then took a great leap of faith in himself and went to film school instead, to make a new life path that would also make HIM happy. It takes a great deal of courage to change your life course in your mid-40s, but not only did he finish film school as one of the top students in his class, he met Peter Adkison at film school, which in turn led to both me and Mike working now for Peter's fledgling production company, Hostile Work Environment. <br />
<br />
So nearly two years post-layoff, Mike is finally in a job doing what he wants to be doing, working on creative projects, fearlessly leading our tech team and writing screenplays and getting paid to do it. It's not an easy thing, when you are the kind of man who has gotten so used to just doing what has to be done to keep everyone else happy, to take a chance as he did, and do something you really want to do for yourself. It takes courage to make that kind of change. Mike's faith in himself that he could do this has paid off for him, and I couldn't be prouder of him for being brave enough to step off that cliff of uncertainty and fear and even disapproval, spread his wings, and fly.<br />
<br />
Mike is an excellent partner, and we make a great team, whether at home cleaning up the house for a party, or coordinating kid schedules, or working on projects together for work. When I'm being prickly and need space, he backs off and gives me space. When I need to snuggle, he's there for that, too. He is kind, and generous, and loving, he tries very hard to avoid conflict even when others are antagonistic. And he strives, with me, to make our home a peaceful and happy one where the young people feel supported and loved, but the adults also make time to take care of each other -- because one day our children will all be out on their own, and there will be just me and Mike here, and we want the connection between us to be more than just the day-to-day work of keeping things together for the kids.<br />
<br />
My Mike is not a perfect man, no. He snores like a pair of frigging rhinos mating until I elbow him enough times that he rolls over. He's not always on time, usually because he's doing other things up until the very last minute. He gets wrapped up in his work and forgets housework -- but he's also always willing to stop and help with whatever needs doing, whether folding a load of laundry or chopping up a salad to have with dinner, or running to the store for that one thing I forgot to put on the list. I am not perfect either, I am a challenge at times to live with, I know this. As he accepts me with my many, many flaws (not least of which are the bad temper I have to constantly keep in check, and the manic energy that keeps me moving, moving, moving until everyone around me is exhausted), so I accept him with his, and am enormously grateful to have him in my life.<br />
<br />
Happiest of birthdays, Mike. I love you greatly and deeply, and hope we have many more of your birthdays to celebrate together. XOXO<br />
December 31, 2012 at 1:32 pm<br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Wow, I found "The Hobbit" on youtube. Not the Peter Jackson one but this one is well worth the watch. If only it were subtitled.<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m0l3Yr1B50<br />
<br />
Хоббит / The Hobbit (СССР / USSR, 1985 г.)<br />
Subtitles in progress: http://www.universalsubtitles.org/ru/videos/YpJbaasMOKiN/info/khobbit-the-hobbit-sssr-ussr-1985-g/ Scenes: 1. Dwaves 0:18 2. Orcs 0:27...<br />
January 4, 2013 at 8:26 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge This is a very interesting experimental video. I think it could be the start of a new artistic movement.<br />
Chocolate Bunny<br />
January 10, 2013 at 11:32 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge My dog, Max, is laying on the bed behind me snoring loudly (I think he's also farting too while asleep). The joys of pet ownership know no bounds.<br />
January 11, 2013 at 3:13 pm <br />
<br />
Mike Hodge Jonathan Coulton gets ripped off by GLEE. This is outrageous that they would lift his arrangement and be under no obligation to even give him credit. Fox has apparently done this to other artists too. So much for Glee being for the underdog. If you're a fan of Glee and JoCo then contact Fox. Public relations shaming is the only thing large corporations respond to.<br />
<br />
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/01/jonathan-coulton-glee-song/<br />
Jonathan Coulton Explains How Glee Ripped Off His Cover Song -- And Why He's Not Alone | Underwire |<br />
Jonathan Coulton, photographed by Dale May. Fans of indie musician Jonathan Coulton were incensed last week when an alleged Glee version of "Baby Got B<br />
January 25, 2013 at 1:33 pm <br />
<br />Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-16722923769400804632013-01-28T11:07:00.001-08:002013-01-28T11:12:12.035-08:00My love - hate relationship to this blogI seem to have a love, hate relationship to this blog. I've been writing off and on since the year 2000. I've not written anything in over a year and that puts a burden of guilt that can, in and of itself, make it harder to post. But I have been posting on Facebook. I'm going to see if I can pull my status updates and post a backup of most of them here. With that update I think I'll feel more comfortable about putting new stuff here. <br />
<br />
I realize a value to myself in having some sort of chronicle but I also know that most stuff on the internet is somewhat eternal and uncontrolled in a way that can come back and bite you in some unknown future. <br />
<br />
I continue my lifelong struggle with writing. I like having written and I like it when I'm writing and the words are coming easily. But I'm also pretty distractable with both important and mundane activities. Since I'm on my phone right now (on the Blogger iPhone app) I'll have to wait to see if any of the plans for extracting my status updates from Facebook will actually work. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHjFPVuisUT9lGaZqrEkaLLaWvC1jYgib67U9nNWM5h0h2j9zqNVxmkRBmgc7D1SKP-YWEDIfgs3_2yUyOGq15wZgCFCQNjuzFMbEy47WlfxwohUUAqY7RtHKA2bFsO_7dIw/s640/blogger-image--1660776103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHjFPVuisUT9lGaZqrEkaLLaWvC1jYgib67U9nNWM5h0h2j9zqNVxmkRBmgc7D1SKP-YWEDIfgs3_2yUyOGq15wZgCFCQNjuzFMbEy47WlfxwohUUAqY7RtHKA2bFsO_7dIw/s640/blogger-image--1660776103.jpg" /></a></div>Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0Greenwood Seattle47.694167 -122.35643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872455.post-21473371872786755862011-04-11T19:21:00.000-07:002011-04-11T19:23:19.586-07:00Sucker Punch: I liked it better than you did.The other day I was talking about movie reviews and how hard it would be to add something new to the thousands of reviews that get written by professionals and amateurs alike. But sometimes you just want to write about a movie regardless of anything new that might be added. After seeing Sucker Punch, director Zach Snyder's follow-up to “The Watchmen” and “The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” I felt like I had something to say. I've seen a few reviews that pan the film as all flash and no substance but I didn't see it that way. In this film I saw Snyder using an overload of fragmented pop-culture images and references to portray multiple layers of mental disintegration as the character of Baby Doll (Emily Browning – The Uninvited) tried seemingly in vain to fight her way back to reality.<br />
<br />
In many ways this story reminded me of a mash-up of “Inception,” “Kill Bill” and “Moulin Rouge!” The layers of Baby Doll's psychosis, the manic quest-oriented violence and the inclusion of popular music in an obviously anachronistic way helped create a scenario where WWI zombie steampunk germans, giant robo-mecha, orcs, dragons and robot fighters could all coexist without seeming incredulous to the viewer.<br />
<br />
In this story Baby Doll has been forced into a psychiatric hospital in an era when ice pick lobotomies were still practiced (but the year was left vague). Her evil step-dad engineered the procedure illegally with the help of orderly Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) so he could control the wealth she and her sister inherited after her mother died and didn't leave the money to him. In the prologue the little sister met a bad end when Baby Doll accidentally killed her while trying to stop the step-dad from making untoward advances. This trigger for the mental unraveling and the ticking clock of the impending lobotomy set the scene for the fantastic journey through the movie.<br />
<br />
Sucker Punch was not a character study where the mental and emotional issues of Baby Doll were examined and dealt with. This was a deep-dive into a mentally unbalanced realm from the unreliable viewpoint of the unbalanced. We saw the way she constructed a world to compensate for the disintegration of her life. There was not analysis, progress or breakthroughs. Baby Doll was caught in a vortex clawing her way out.<br />
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In the first shell of unreality, the hospital was transformed into a nightclub and the inmates were then showgirl/sex workers imprisoned against their wills by the owner of the club; the transformed orderly Blue. When asked to dance, she shifts into the second layer unreality where everything moved like a video game/music video. This unreality was very task and goal oriented with the girls in her cohort ; Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), her younger sister Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung) kicking butt and taking names to a soundtrack of Bjork's “Army of Me” and covers of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and Iggy Pop's “Search and Destroy.” The music was paired with the action so well that there was very little need for dialog in these scenes outside of Scott Glenn’s Wise Man setting up the scenario. A welcome moment of comic relief was added to the fantasy sequences when Glenn got to deliver some pretty cheesy lines with a straight, yet desaturated, face.<br />
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We never saw Baby Doll dance and that made it a mystery for your head to fill in. If Snyder had showed Baby Doll dancing, the magic she cast on the inhabitants of her psyche would be ruined. It was a bit of misdirection that both fed into the need for action as she desperately battled her inner demons, giants, zombies and robots and upheld the mysterious nature of hypnotic dance moves.<br />
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Emily Browning did an OK job playing Baby Doll but did a better job with her cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” that played over the prologue. While this wasn’t her first movie or her first time playing a mental patient, she’ll always be remembered by me for playing a different resourceful orphan, Violet Baudelaire, in “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.” But that could be because I’ve been reading the book series to my kids and just showed them the movie.<br />
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The biggest surprise about Sucker Punch for me was that Snyder was able to pull all of this off and still maintained a PG-13 rating. For me it was a bit obvious that they weren't talking about what the girls did with the clients in the private rooms and that there was a noticeable lack of blood and guts in the battle scenes. But even here the mixing of video game sci-fi tropes helped Snyder preserve mayhem without crossing the line into R rated territory. With steampunk zombies you can shoot them and have steam spurt out like hot blood but since it was steam coming out of the hole you don't get dinged like it was blood. And you could kill dozens of robots in what would be horrific ways if it were humans and get away with the PG-13 because it is not a human that was being chopped to bits. Even when there was violence in the more realistic segments it was stark and brutal enough to hide the fact that it had been sanitized in exactly the right way to keep the movie with its more profitable PG-13.<br />
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I won't give away the ending but I will say that Snyder bucks a major Hollywood trend with the ending. I found the departure somewhat shocking but in line with elements planted earlier in the story.<br />
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I'm not going to comment on the sexism or empowerment issues or the deconstruction of pop-culture. Not that this analysis wouldn’t be worthwhile but I think those elements were tangential to the story Snyder was telling. The story was internally consistent enough that you should be able to enjoy the ride whether the pop culture meter was set to chop, blend or puree.Mike Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12201608936835807580noreply@blogger.com0