Synthesizers and Employment

I'm pleased as shit over my new softsynth that I got for free. 6 oscilators, hundreds of preset waveforms dozens of effects, dozens of LFO parameters. This was free and it's better than most of my outboard equipment. Best part is that it's in the form of a VSTi plugin, which means I can use it inside Buzz.

It's called Wusikstation, you can get it if you buy this months issue of Computer Music Magazine.

In other news, I've got employment anxiety. I applied for a company that my brother works with. It's been a few days and they havn't called me back yet. I'm not as freaked out as I was yesterday because Ashley just informed me that her sister's work is hiring, so at least I've got a backup plan. I'm just finished with Pizza Hut. Ashley's been wanting me to get another job for sometime now. I wasn't ready before, but now I am. During the summer and fall it was nice out and I was making decent money (still am) and I hadn't been there that long. Now I'm approaching the 1 year mark on working there and I've had enough.

My brother is calling me back in a few with the number to the woman who took my application and resume so at least I can have some sort of answer.

I've got 20 or so bucks left on a Suncoast gift card from Christmas, and I've been carefully deciding what to get. Recently, I have become interested in the new Battlestar Galactica series and investigated the price to find out that season 2 is like 22 bucks or something. At first I thought "wow, what a bargan". Then I realized that this was merely the first 10 episodes (first half) of the second season. I further investigated that episode 2.11 of the series aired only a week after the release of the part 1 dvd. I'm not complaining about the price, 22 bucks for half the season or 45 for the whole thing is six of one'. I'm just not entirely sure this is a smart marketing strategy for the show. We've all noticed the closing gap between the theatrical release of movies and their DVD releases, which in and of itself is causing problems for the motion picture industry. I find myself more and more unconcerned about seeing movies in the theatre due to their short dvd turnaround, and now I'm finding myself less and less inclined to watch some of my favorite shows on their first airing because of the short turnaround. How does this affect what shows get on the air? If say, ABC started releasing LOST in 2 or 3 volumes throughout the year, would the ratings plummet? If so, would TV networks find themselves scratching their heads as to why their ratings are down? Or, would DVD sales make up for lost advertising and show budgets remain the same. Somehow, I think the later is less likely.

24 Season 5

Well, the 4 hour 24 season 5 premier started sunday and wrapped up yesterday and I must say that I am not dissapointed.

This season, Jack is flushed out of hiding when former President David Palmer, and the 3 CTU agents who know jack is alive, are targeted for assassination. Jack quickly realizes that he is being framed for the President's hit, and also those of his friends. The first 4 episodes see Jack investigate the assassinations and curtail a hostage situation at the airport by the terrorists connected with the killings.

I'm not sure how I feel about Sean Astin's character yet. It was probably a bad idea for the first shot of him to be standing next to Chloe and Spenser who were standing above him on the stairs. It just didn't help his Hobbit image.

All in all, a stronger opening than season 4, which took a little while to pick up the pace.

If you're interested in checking out these episodes, try tvtorrents.com. I can't directly link to them here.

Badass DVD Reviews

Today, I wish to review 2 DVDs about the untimely demise of 2 troubled individuals.

Last Days
My girlfriend absolutely hated this; I suppose I can understand why, but I loved it. Just a warning, it is an extremely boring movie. Boring, but it's like watching a car wreck in slow motion. I can't help but stare at it for it's 95 minute duration.

It's about a Kurt Cobain-like rockstar named Blake and his final 48 hours. This guy pretty much has no idea what the fuck he's doing throughout the whole movie and he's practically dead already. He throws himself around his delapitated estate while his friends and bandmates come and go seemingly unaware or uncaring that he's fucked up to no end and on his way out.

My favorite part is when a Yellowpages ad salesman comes to the door selling him another ad for his engine parts business. In all likelyhood, Blake has no such business and this guy either has the wrong house or the visit was meant for the previous tennants. Nonetheless, Blake plays along in a daze and tells agrees that the ad has been effective for him in the past.

To be honest, I didn't buy the DVD, I downloaded the movie. I might recommend doing the same if this doesn't sound like your cup of tea. But again, if you're intrigued by psychological character study movies, check it out.


Grizzly Man

Probably the screwiest documentary I've ever seen. On the surface I know this looks like a nature documentary, but it isn't. It's about a very much insane man and his obsession with Grizzly Bears that eventually gets him eaten by one.

Timothy Treadwell (The person in question) can best be described as a cross between Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) and Hansel from Zoolander (Owen Wilson's character). It's hard to really accuratly describe this man's behavior. He sees himself has the protector of these bears in the Alaskan wilderness and sees everyone else in the world as their mortal enemies.

This film was constructed from over 100 hours of footage from Treadwell himself, and footage from director Werner Herzog. In short, it is a frightening, and sometimes humourous portrait of a very strange and troubled man's path towards his enevitable doom.