Here. It’s good for what ails you, no matter what that might be. And if you’re ailment-free? Well, then it’s even better.That clip never fails to bring a smile to my face — partially because of the subject matter, I suspect. Partially because of the effervescence and infectious humor of the Sherman Brothers’ tune. And partially because Ed Wynn is such a favorite of mine. But mostly, it’s because Dick Van Dyke always reminds me of my dad. And there’s almost... Read more
I’m still spreadsheeting, so my emotional state is not entirely stable. …OK, yes. “Not entirely stable” is a pretty generous way of describing it. Let’s just say that this Beethoven portrait is an accurate representation of my mood at the moment. So the first (and paramount) order of business this morning was to hunt down a musical antidote to my mood — one that both acknowledged my general dissatisfaction and helped me transition to a brighter outlook. Which means, of... Read more
Over the past few days at work, I’ve found myself neck-deep in spreadsheets. It’s not the first time. Nor do I expect it to be the last. But it still stings. And this time, it’s produced an acute case of Nathanaelitis: “Can anything good come from Excel?” Thanks to 73-year-old Excel artist Tatsuo Horiuchi — Yep. You read that correctly. Excel artist. — I now know that the answer to my petulant complaining is an emphatic “Yes!” (Also, I now know that Excel Autoshape Art Contests actually... Read more
On Tuesday, I took The First Five to see Pixar’s latest, Monsters University. The film struck me as both charming and technically impressive — descriptors so frequently attributable to Pixar’s films that I feel simultaneously unoriginal in using them and ungrateful that I don’t recognize how extraordinary it is for a studio to deserve them so regularly — and it also struck me as walking the fine, weird line of prequelism with confidence and humor. (Prequels always confuse me. I’m... Read more
Having spent the past 24 hours sick enough to necessitate a formal sick leave request (which never happens) while simultaneously discovering that I needed to replace my hot water heater (and then, somewhat miraculously, replacing said water heating unit), I’ll admit to feeling a bit drained. Thankfully, my friend Steven Greydanus (who is known affectionately as SDG by his…well…pretty much everyone) had just the thing for my malaise: “SDG’s Very, Very Little Movie Glossary,” an homage to Roger Ebert’s beloved “Little Movie Glossary,” and one of those... Read more
Here’s a faithful reenactment of my response to Tom Thum’s TEDxSydney video, which I stumbled across for the first time late last night. 1. Winced through the needlessly-suggestive 45-second open, wherein Mr. Thum seemed to be struggling to find the correct balance between “Trying to be funny” and “Actually being funny.” 2. Then a miracle occurred. 3. Paused to pick my jaw up off the floor at the 3-minute mark (or so). Continued. 4. Hit the 3:30 section, and lost my mind. 5.... Read more
When I was a child, I didn’t think much of poetry. Sure, I loved Robert W. Service’s impertinent “The Cremation of Sam McGee” as much as any 9-year-old boy with a slightly perverse sense of humor could. And I was pleasantly tolerant of my parents’ efforts to imbue me with a deeper sense of the power and beauty of the medium. But for some reason, it never really stuck. Yet despite my avowed (and now, lamented) lack of poetic appreciation,... Read more
As this year’s two-month Little League marathon drew to a close, I came to realize something important about myself: When it comes to baseball, I’m just a teeny, tiny bit more …intense than most 9-year-olds. This year, as the manager of Sean (#2 Son) and Mark’s (#3 Son) Red Sox team, I spent countless hours — or maybe I just don’t want to count the hours I spent — pleading with my players to “Stop makin’ dirt piles in the... Read more
I said commentary was unnecessary. And I meant it. But I just can’t help myself. It’s a beautiful short; muted, meditative, and perfectly lit. So it’s in my wheelhouse, artistically. But it’s successful on a much richer, more important level than merely a visual one, and I come away unexpectedly and deeply moved — not just because it looks and sounds lovely, but because it so successfully captures Marcus Daly and his unusual, beautiful work. The short’s emphasis on the hand-crafting aspects... Read more
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No Commentary Necessary — “Phantoms and Waterfalls” Edition
The most amazing thing about this video, at least to me? It was filmed from a DJI Phantom Quadcopter using a GoPro Hero 3. The former runs somewhere in the $700 range, I believe. And the latter is about $400 at the top end. You’d also need a camera mount to do what YouTube user QuestPact (otherwise known as Animation Fascination’s Matt Quest) did, so that’s another $700 or so. Throw in the amusingly-named Fat Shark “radio-controlled first-person-view system” at around $350 (so that Matt can... Read more