Here we explore various topics, either related to video production or other issues.
• First, there is our Blog, of sorts
THE PAST
• Why I thought I didn't like history and how public school let me down.
• We have a few notes about the preservation of video recordings, and specifically, the Sony EVO-9850
• Finally, we have a story about "better government" versus "less government." Although it took place in the past, the lessons it contains are perhaps timeless.
Which leads us to, ...
THE PRESENT (& TIMELESS Items)
• Video production topics:
We always have an iPod nano on hand for recording those quick video clips. But there are some things to know about getting the most out of the nano.
It's just as important to know when not to record something, as it is to know when to record something. Our series of articles Why Not Tape? explains why.
A video with lousy sound (or no sound at all) is often worthless. Our article on recording sound may help you think more clearly about sound.
(Note: This document was prepared for an audience of middle schoolers, but it's probably useful for people of any age.)
Other topics:
• We might as well start off with the meaning of life, right?
• Open Eyes Video is based in Arlington Massachusetts. To learn more about the town, please see our "Unofficial Arlington" page.
• Regarding education,
- Why are public schools in crisis? Our page on schools contains a few thoughts.
- one place where some new and interesting things are always going on is Goddard
College.
• There is a spiritual/sexual revolution going on.
- One place to learn more is at the BASSN
web site.
- I'm considering the production of a video documentary on
this topic soon.
- By now, I have given two church sermons on the topic "Sexuality &
Spirituality," in collaboration with others, including Linda
Marks. The first was on August 7th, 2005, and the second was on August 13th,
2006. Click here on the links: 2005 sermon and 2006 sermon to read my portion of the
text, as ".pdf" documents.*
• Closely related to the topic of sexuality is that of gender identity and gender issues in our culture. Although current popular opinion seems to be that men and women are from different planets altogether, the reality of the nature of gender is actually quite controversial. An excellent book on this topic is Same Difference, which I highly recommend. A few other books on this topic are listed on the 'books and resources' page of the BASSN web site.
• When it comes to the world and political process,
- it would seem that the USA is 'stuck' in various wars in the middle
east. Why does no one seem to have a decent plan to reduce hostilities?
The answer is that plenty of people do have good ideas to bring about more peace.
We might want to listen to them and expand our thinking on the matter, perhaps.
Here are some thoughts on Making Peace.
- Part of the discussion about peace, above, includes some perspective
on what has happened to our government that might be of interest.
- Climate Change is a big topic now. How are we doing? A few brief observations
and thoughts.
- In the world of regional elections, fall of 2006, here are a few brief thoughts
on politics.
- Now, the thoughts on politics page has something for 2008.
• About computers,
Some people prefer computers running the Macintosh system (count me in) and
some prefer Windows. Our page on computer platforms
has some irreverent commentary.
THE FUTURE
• Here are some thoughts on our Prospects for the Future.
• Three news items have come to my attention in mid December 2006 that give clues of things to come.
• I gave a public lecture entitled "Future Versions I" on 20 May 2004. A crew made a video recording of the lecture and I plan to edit and present it soon. Click here for more information.
• So-called "health insurance" is a hot topic today. I call today's system one of "medical insurance" because, to me, too often, the current collection of doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and medical device and pharmaceutical companies offer something much more akin to "sick care" - the diagnosis and treatment of disease - than health care. OK, few people will want to refer to it as "sick care" in everyday speech, so let's compromise and just call it "medical insurance," shall we? So, "single payer" plans are nothing more than "national medical insurance" still focused on the treatment of disease. How can we plan for true health together? I offer some ideas and discussion in an "occasional blog" format.
• What about the dramatic increase in the volume of unsolicited email messages, aka spam? By the end of 2006, the amount of spam seems intolerable. Will it get worse? Will it grow to eventually render the entire email system useless? Perhaps there are parallels in our so-called war on drugs. You might want to take a look at some thoughts, Email spam, a different perspective here.
• Miscellaneous (and somewhat irreverent) predictions about the
future, as seen from late 2003.
NOTES:
*Please note: As with any materials available for download on this site, this document is copyrighted and available for personal use only. Any reproduction must include the credit to the author and may only be shared free of charge. To read documents downloaded in portable document format, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. To obtain a free copy of this software, please see Adobe's Acrobat Reader Download Site