That isn’t Impact. It’s Bureau Grotesque.
Categories
Month: February 2011
Although the title of this post (hopefully) conjures up memories of Douglas Adams’ excellent short dialogue about them, which (in my quick search of Google) doesn’t appear to actually be posted anywhere on the Internet, this post is more about my experience with the pesky little buggers.
My experience is more the following: the likelihood of things going wrong is proportional to the proximity of a deadline.
Take my current situation. I’m working to one of the tightest deadlines I’ve ever had; a video that was shot this morning needs to be edited, graphics added and audio post done, and burnt onto a DVD by the end of the day. Yes, this is for the pregnant woman.
Unusually, I am not currently the weakest link in this equation.
Currently, I’m writing this blog, because Final Cut is rendering the almost conclusion of this day. Motion has been throwing tantrums and quitting all over the place, and Soundtrack Pro has spent most of the afternoon sulking in a corner because I asked it to remove the noise from a dozen audio files.
Once Soundtrack has cheered up enough to actually save the work it’s done, I’ll then have to run a second render (the current is for the video shot on Wednesday, that accompanies today’s piece). Then I’ll have to deal with Compressor which has also been very moody lately and been refusing to work.
Most of this, I am very aware, makes little sense to anyone not familiar with Final Cut Studio. Nevertheless, you get the idea: a deadline is very close, thus the technology is rebelling.
Wish me luck. I’m going back in.
Categories
Running the Risk
Once again the police have decided they want to clamp down on lawbreakers without analysing the reason why so many people are taking such risks.
I’m talking of course about the new police monitoring vans which are being set up to catch motorists and pedestrians who are running red lights at level crossings.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I approve of such monitoring – of motorists at least – and I’m not arguing the legality of running reds anywhere, especially at level crossings. Unlike speeding, this law actually makes sense.
The problem is that the police have decided they are going to clamp down on such behaviour without asking one very simple and incredibly important question.
Why?
Why would people risk their lives to get across a level crossing, knowing full well the dangers?
For the first twenty years of my life I lived very close to a level station. I crossed it every day on the way to school. When the lights started flashing, I would make a run for it, along with many other people.
The simple problem is the timing at many level crossings are badly set up. When you get caught waiting for a train at the lights, it can often be five minutes or more before the train goes past. There’s no reason I can see for that; these days the technology exists to know exactly where a train is and where it’s going, and I don’t know why it hasn’t been incorporated into level crossings.
And it’s five minutes if you’re lucky. Often two trains will go past, adding ten or sometimes even fifteen minutes to your journey. And that is if the gates don’t get stuck down.
The best way to stop motorists risking their lives at level crossings is not to ‘inform them of the dangers’ – because that isn’t working. Maybe monitoring the crossings like this will, but I’m sure it’ll only work when the van is there and visible. No, the best way to stop motorists running the risk is to improve the operation at level crossings so they are less of a nuisance for people on the roads.
Of the blogs that I curate, Creative Splurges is my favourite. I love what it stands for, and what it encourages me to do. I like the idea of The Whimpering Pen too, but that needs work to get off the ground and update regularly (in fact, don’t even bother clicking that link, there is no content there to speak of).
Somewhat annoyingly though, the blog that seems to be getting all of the traffic is Outdated by Lunchtime. Well, in this case ‘all’ of the traffic is about ten hits today, and fifteen on a day earlier this month. I guess this unexpected flow of traffic (for an unpromoted blog) is down to the subject matter; people like to read about technology, and I have made use of tags such as ‘iPad 2’ which must interest people. It is worth noting that most of the hits today seem to have come from Google, although that may be because I almost managed to get a scoop this morning.
It’s not just views, though. ObL has had two mentions elsewhere on the internet; one chap seemed to present the blog as the best source for a roundup of the iPad 2, and the other, apparently a meta-blog, has put the entire iPad 2 round-up post on its site. The latter seems to be spam, the former I can’t really tell.
Having really only just started out with regular blogging, it is quite encouraging that people seem to be visiting the site. Even if it’s just a few spambots, it’s a start, right?
Categories
Back to Speed Cameras
This morning BBC news (or at least, BBC Breakfast) returned to the subject of speed cameras. More are being switched off as a cost cutting scheme; this time due to the austerity measures and less a statement by individual councils.
Breakfast, as they often do, asked for peoples’ thoughts, and since very little has changed since I made this post last summer, I basically copy and pasted it wholesale into their Facebook comments page and left it at that (I probably should’ve proofread it first, but hey-ho).
I actually received quite a positive response; it is (at time of writing) the most liked comment on the subject, and someone actually agreed with me enough to send me a message saying how much he agreed with me.
I guess that means I’ve reached the first important milestone for a blog: people actually care about what I write… now, the next step, which is… um…
Categories
Planning is Key
I received a video recording request at work yesterday. This in itself is not unusual, nor is the fact that they wanted to record a talk in our studio and add in some PowerPoint slides, nor the fact it has to be in Germany in a couple of weeks. We’ve done this sort of thing at this sort of notice before.
What I am finding hard to fathom, however, is the reasoning behind why we have only a little over a week to complete this project.
We have often been called upon to film a lecture to be sent to a conference elsewhere, usually because the lecturer concerned finds themself unable to travel due to unexpected weather conditions, prior engagements or the likes. This, as I said, is not unusual, and we often find we have little time to prepare when the unexpected happens and people are unable to travel.
Unfortunately, the reason why our current client finds herself unable to travel is because she seems to have unexpectedly become eight and a half months pregnant.
Now, I know conference speakers are often booked long in advance. I fully understand that this sort of thing may not have even been on her radar when she signed up for the job. But surely, there comes a point when planning around this sort of thing needs to be considered? This woman is so ready to drop that we might have to take a break from recording her talk to film the birth. Perhaps she should have considered she would be unable to make the trip slightly more than 14 days ahead of time?
I wish this woman the best of luck for her baby. Because if she’s this disorganised about the rest of its arrival I doubt she has anywhere to put it.
My Blog Thing 