Moving Update

Things are moving quickly down on 4 Collins Ave. Last Tuesday we started moving in and today, Sunday July 27, our fleet of volunteers and their trucks will help us move our equipment. Big day. I just wanbted to say thanks in advance to every who offered their help showed up today. As they say, "many hands make light work" - and we are grateful. I also wanted to thank Wes Ennis for the photos that appeared in this weekend Old Colony Memorial. We're all actually smiling - yay!

Our new Tightrope Media Systems "Cablecast" playback server and "Carousel" bulletin board systems have arrived so with some help from Comcast we should be up and running on time from the new facility. More on that later.

Well, I'm off to direct the troops - Stay tuned!

Thank You, George

On June 22nd, 2008 the world lost one of the greatest champions of free speech and independent thinking to ever walk the earth. If you Googled his name because you heard he died this weekend (he considered "passed away" an evasion) you've probably read a few very thorough run downs of his career and some brilliant quotes from his broad range of work. I on the other hand, want to talk about why I'll miss him.

George Carlin, made a permanent impression in 1982 when he appeared on an HBO special titled "Carlin at Carnegie". I was thirteen years old and happy to be one of several households on my street with cable TV. One of the selfish benefits of having a hard working Mom and older brother and sister was having a lot of time to myself. Therefore, none of my family members were aware of what was happening to my mind; it wasn't all Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica.

However, my first exposure to George Carlin was through a close friend who had an article of audio contraband known as "Class Clown". Danny DiStephano had somehow managed to make a cassette dub from an LP he got a hold of and I was too fascinated to care where it came from. In home-room, phys-ed and music class (yes, music class) nervously peering over our shoulders every few seconds and riding the volume control on his tape recorder we listened intently in awe of Carlin's craft. Once exposed I had to have more. So, when that HBO special came on, I snagged my soon-to-be step-dad's tape recorder hoping to catch genius in a bottle. I stood it up lengthwise, leaned it against the TV, carefully aligning the recorder's built in microphone with the TV's four inch speaker, pressed record and sat silent and nervous through the entire show - not an easy thing to do. For the next year or so, I secretly learned to mimic the entire performance in perfect time, pitch and inflection. And while it was a talent I couldn't exactly share with my elders, my friends got a real kick out of it.

From then on I faithfully began to follow George on HBO. Interestingly, as my impressions of the world developed George began sharing his own with more depth. His style of comedy and his writing started to take a turn toward more social commentary which I learned to appreciate early on. He always injected his work with straight-out, funny material but it was his keen observations of human nature, particularly American, that captivated me for decades to come. I began to appreciate his profound observations of how people use language which, combined with my own colorful experiences, impacted how critical I am of the words people choose and the intent behind them. I actually find it interesting discerning whether a persons inability to express the truth is a matter of their own understanding of the language or a conscious choice. Some call it cynicism. I call it being aware.

George believed words alone are harmless until the user makes them harmful. It is the intent behind them, the context, that matters. As my career has led me into the last bastion of free speech within the confines of traditional media I realized that this very idea has been at the foundation of my career choices for the last 18 years. Cultural, spiritual and social differences have played a considerable role, both positive and negative, in my life. I find myself drawn to people and situations that acknowledge and appreciate the impact of diversity of all kinds to one's surroundings and way of thinking. Language is a vital tool in human relations. Correct perceptions and clear understanding are crucial to progress. I think its important to consider the other side. You don't need to agree or even go along with them, just consider them. But not in bleeding heart, socially guilt ridden, contrived, ultra left, politically correct do-gooder kind of way. (Sorry. I must be channeling George)

I guess my point here is to express some gratitude for the ideas and joy George bestowed upon us all. To acknowledge how his observations resonated with me and many of my generation. He knew the lasting value of laughter and the importance of truth. And I truly believe that while he was entertaining us he was also, very consciously, contributing to a creating a better world for all of us. His words and priceless facial expressions are ingrained in my mind forever and I will miss him dearly.

Thank you George.

How's The Build Going?

As I promised (to a handful of you publicly) here's my weekly blog on our progress at the Collins Ave site. On my last visit the following work was completed;

• The Studio A addition is completed
• Walls throughout the facility have been insulated, dry-walled and plastered (even the radius-ed, hard cyc walls in Studios A and B - yipee!)
  
• Rough electrical and data has been run throughout the building
• My office is a lot smaller than I realized. Oh, well. Less room for clutter I guess

As with any major build there are items that tend to have a ripple effect on the overall schedule if delays occur. Two major factors are the construction and installation of our new Fiber connection to Comcast's head end and the dis-assembly, transport, resizing and reassembling of the studio lighting grids. Both of these items must be carefully planned and allowed ample time to execute. As our moving date draws closer here's a reminder of our shutdown schedule;

• Studio B:
  Closed June 28th through TBD
• Studio A:
  Closed July 14th through TBD
  
• Edit Suite:
  July 18th through August 3rd
  
• Field/Portable Equipment:No reservations from July 18th to August 3

So while you're all eagerly awaiting our completion, we ask for your patience in advance for any unforeseen hang ups. We're all very excited to provide the community with a fresh new start in a beautiful new home. Thanks for your continued support and thanks for checking in.