charge it

After four little UPS delivery labels, my replacement battery for my Powerbook finally arrived today. So now I have a shiny new battery and the old one is boxed ready for collection. I was beginning to think I had been caught in an infinite loop.

nikab?

A couple of weeks ago I walked past this modernist hoarding, which shows a red veil/nikab/burka in a sort of South Park color scheme. Now, in the UK, there is a considerable debate about whether Muslim women should wear the veil in all circumstances.

I have spent some time in Saudi Arabia, and the hijab (black cloak which covers everything) and nikab(veil) was obligatory for women there, in a country where many companies would not employ women or if they did, they were segregated completely from men.

Western women would don black hijab as they entered the country and usually this included a full head veil.

Women are not allowed to sit visibly alone in public in Riyadh (the capital of Saudi Arabia) and there are special areas segregated away for women and children, with screens around them. The same is true in lines for service in restaurants and, as an example, MacDonalds has a man's line and a separate family line where women can stand. I don't pick on MacDonald's it is the same with all similar establishments.

As another trite example, the early Starbucks in Riyadh changed their logo and removed the woman's face to avoid offence or impropriety.

In the shopping malls, which are modern, air-conditioned and western-looking with Sachs of Fifth Avenue, Niemann Marcus and so forth, there is a separate floor for women, and men are not allowed to shop there. Some evenings the whole mall becomes 'family' and then groups of males alone are not allowed in.

Now Saudi is a deeply religious country and men take prayers five times a day with ceremony and using their prayer mats. Work stops whilst this takes place. The same shopping malls will close at each prayer time and religious police (muttawa) in special brown robes and carrying a stick will patrol to ensure that prayer time is being observed.

So in the UK, this use of predominately black veil has become a major topic of debate since Jack Straw made a few comments a few days ago.

The bigger debate is that in a religiously intense area of the world, there is still a convention that women must completely cover up in public, can't drive and in many cases can't take jobs. Its fair to say that that some of these areas have hauled themselves from the equivalent of the middle ages in the last eighty years, but it does create an inevitable imbalance when moving the conventions of such a country to another area.

video editing

I realised that I've done rather a lot of video posts recently. When I started experimenting with video on rashbre central, I expected it to be quite difficult to get anything to load, but now I've simplified my setup to camera, firewire, computer, final cut pro and an external firewire drive for the content its all become relatively straightforward.

To be really honest, I've hidden a spare firewire half terabyte behind a sofa so that I can just plug it into a Mac laptop when I want to do some editing.

So I suppose this is something of a technical post describing my informal way of working. So typically:

- Capture the video by plugging a camera into the laptop using firewire and capture directly into Final Cut Pro or iMovie
- Edit as required, adding cuts, transitions, and adaptations to the sound
- Render the sequence
- Export as a .mov or use Quicktime to compress for the Internet.
- In extreme circumstances use Compressor to create a special format
- Use iDVD to integrate into a DVD with menus
- Or simply upload the compressed .mov for internet viewing

And to extract snippets from an existing DVD:

- use Mac the Ripper to convert the DVD back into constituent files
- use Cinematize to convert the DVD files (.VOBs etc) into .mov, .avi or whatever for editing
- import the extracted sections into Final Cut Pro or iMovie for editing

And iMovie and iDVD are included on all modern Macs and can do most of what most people want.

So thats a simple learner driver's guide to video.

And just because I like it, here's a little video clip which went through some of the above processes. Its of Michele Shocked playing acoustic guitar and singing about learning to drive in East Texas.

Tag: rashbre, Final Cut Pro, video, vlog, video editing, iMovie

gooble

I saw this video across on Florence's site, which I drop by from time to time. It is a ten minute edit of a lot of different You-Tubers engrossed in their individual videos, with a tremulous violin and piano soundtrack. Its a great 'moment in time' look at You Tube before it becomes Googalized.

And from Florence also, some great toys like these Pimmie Parrots. Do check them out!

discarded plotlines

I havn't really started taking the NaNoWriMo 2006 seriously yet and I certainly won't start writing anything until the 1st November. However, I thought it would be fun to reject a few plotlines and characterisations. If anyone else wants them, please feel free...

SHOT
As the story opens, James, the novel's lead character, has flashbacks to the store he was in when the robbery took place and saw the woman get shot. James froze when this happened and now feels as if his world has been turned upside down and is completely traumatised and unable to go out. James weighs all possible courses of action. Finally, after much careful consideration, James decides to need to recreate the scene in a way that he intervenes by loitering in convenience stores in dangerous parts of town. This is the only way James believes it will be possible to exorcise the trauma, the only course to take. It is this goal that we will see James aggressively pursue, as we watch his spiral into madness all the way to the end of the story.

CURSE OF THE CANALETTO
Peter Braxton, the ruggedly handsome, world renowned Harvard professor of Renaissance Art is summoned to Europe to analyze the mysterious murder of a famous physicist. While there, he discovers evidence of the unimaginable - the definitive and substantial proof of cold fusion. He must work with Isabella, the extremely beautiful and intelligent engineer, in order to beat the clock and unlock the mystery.

Peter Braxton's worst fears are confirmed when he discovers that a contract killer has been murdering innocent victims, including a seemingly unrelated bunch of teenage punks. He and Isabella must rush against the clock, and use their knowledge of obscure art, ambiguous history, impossible computer science theory, and inaccurate theology, as their investigation takes them through the mysterious streets of Florence. They encounter further difficulties when their efforts are thwarted by the director of CERN who has his own plan for solving the mystery and unlocking the secrets of cold fusion.

Peter Braxton and Isabella put their fate into the hands of the director of the CIA who actually turns out to be the one who planned and orchestrated the entire devious plot. As they expose the treacherous director of the CIA they must also face the truth that cold fusion was just a fabrication, and does not really exist. When the director of the CIA is finally exposed, he tries to escape, but tragically dies engulfed in infernal flames, as Peter Braxton and Isabella look on. With his last breath, the director of the CIA explains that his motives were actually good, but got corrupted and twisted by evil ambition. Putting the entire fiasco behind them, Peter Braxton and Isabella kiss in a very romantic and awkward kind of way.

CHALKED
An original screenplay concept by rashbre (this will go straight to film)
A sexy district attorney teams up with a kind hearted prostitute to discover America. In a seedy bar in Nevada they play Russian roulette with four British men on welfare who are on a gambling vacation. This results in a road pursuit which highlights workingclass British prejudices of middle America. By the end of the movie they have fallen for two of the Brits but also hijack several cars and end up winning the admiration of their country, during a media frenzy stakeout in a condo in Miami. Think sex lies and videotape meets Pulp Fiction.

PASSION UNDER STORMCLOUDS
Waiting alone in the humble comfort of old Ben’s hovel, with the far-off clamour of the playing fields wafting in from outside, the terrified Violetta thought once more of Laszlo the Hungarian illusionist, the mysterious stranger with the large dog. He was now, according to her horoscope, on a collision course with the High Council itself.

Then came the thud of fists, a muffled cry, fighting on the stairway, and she shut her eyes tight for one moment of silent prayer. He was here! "We marry tonight, my giddy little goose!" he husked, pressing his lips to hers, and as she melted gently into his embrace, she took a moment to plan some of the details of their pre-nuptial agreement.

UNKNOWN WORLD
From within the gleaming, antiseptic operating theater, with the plaintive braying of the Don’s llamas drifting in, Alicia — she who had always seemed so cold! — thought once more of Lorenzo, the bold bandito who had been so gentle in her arms. He was now, according to father, recklessly endangering her life as well as his own.

A door clicked gently and then silently opened slowly into the room. She struggled in vain with her sudden panic. He was here! "Kiss me, my Oriental pearl!" he said with his eyes (for his voice was now silent for ever), blowing a perfect smoke ring in her direction, and as the music in her heart rose to a new crescendo of happiness, she wondered if this would be a good time to remind him about the books he had borrowed.

So do any of you have ideas for my next plot?

Tag: rashbre, NaNoWriMo, novel, writing, plot, screenplay

rather flash

Friend Christina was at this flash-mob event and posted about it a couple of days ago. I noticed this little video in a London newswire which captures the moment very well.

Liverpool Street is a major London train station still busy with commuters at 7p.m. and on the day shown in the video, a set of clubbers were sent a SMS text to flash mob at 19:24 and to start dancing to whatever was on their iPods. Enjoy the rather bizarre moment.

Tag: rashbre, flash mob, London, music, iPod, mp3

Be cool

I've been enjoying a couple of posts over on Maximum Bob, where he's been doing some film deconstruction whilst lesson planning for school syllabus. Bob talks about the difference between production sound (car noises and incidentals with direct relevance to the storyline) and soundtrack (music and so forth) and how they can be interposed and sometimes exchanged.

So tonight I was watching the start of 'Be Cool' which does something similar with dialogue. The actors (John Travolta and others including Uma Thurman) talk about the framing and premise of a film, whilst at the same time being in the one they are referencing. I find it amusing and actually enjoy the little movie asides in quite a few of Travolta's films, probably because of Tarantino's strong influence and love of the references.

So I suppose thats an excuse to reference the scene (sometimes edited out) in Pulp Fiction in Jack Rabbit Slim's cafe where Travolta and Uma Thurman are making small talk about Fox Force Five which includes a woman with a deadly knife/sword skill. Its actually an approximation of Kill Bill which was made some ten years later. I gather that Tarantino already had a partial script for Kill Bill when Pulp Fiction was being filmed.

Its good to have such fun and confidence in writing and production.

Which leads me to the main point, that I just enrolled for another set of writing myself, with the rapid approach of NaNoWriMo 2006.

So now I need characters, a plot, a place, a theme and no doubt some time, but not for another few weeks.

Tag: rashbre, NaNoWriMo, novel, writing, Jack Rabbit Slim's, Travolta

OTA: Death of a President

There's been huge black and white posters in London advertising the controversial docu-drama about the assassination of George W Bush.

Set in the near future, the film has just screened on UK television (and again on Friday) and examines the reaction of America. The feature length portrayal is set in October 2007 and has Bush in Chicago speech-making in light of a polarised electorate. There's a massive anti-war demonstration but Bush goes ahead with his visit but departing the venue he is killed by a sniper.

While the USA mourns, the hunt for his killer swings into action and the investigators try to make sense of this attack on the administration soon focusing on Syrian-born, Jamal Abu Zikri.

And last week in Spooks, the Americans were at the root of the bad guys plotline about arms trade.

And tonight we have the new BBC series about a coalition Prime Minister to replace the outgoing Labour Party, complete with plans to move Parliament north to Yorkshire.

So, legitimate television? irresponsible? disrespectful? headline grabbing exploitation? an attempt at export? anti-Republican? or what?...

Tag: George Bush, Jamal Abu Zikri, mockumentary, docudrama

duomo et mercante

Tonight was a visit to Ristorante Al Mercante for traditional Milanese food. We arrived early by Italian standards and browsed the area around the medieval Piazza Mercanti. This area of Milan just behind the Piazza del Duomo once served as a center of civic activities with a nearby thriving market.

There were eight of us eating tonight and we made a companiable gang as we chatted and ate antipasti, followed by house specialities and in my case finishing with vino santo and cantucci.

And to fall out of the restaurant late evening back to the same cathedral square where we had seen Madonna and twelve apostles in sunlight now set with a moonlit clear sky before bundling back into a taxi to the hotel.

Tag: rashbre, Italy, Milan

black car

One advantage of my time in Milan is that I'm getting driven around in a big black Mercedes. The driver is in a dark suit and wears shades during the day. The car is allowed to go in the special lanes normally reserved for buses and trams and the driver seems to want to drive everywhere at maximum speed. I notice he selects 4 instead of Drive and is always in Sports mode.

I worked in Milan for a while and I used to always think that the cars were never parked, just momentarily stationary and that it was something like a giant arcade game to be a driver. Now I can see the other part, where this professional driver never really stops at lights and coasts slowly so that he can edge forward before the lights change. I also notice that just about all of the other drivers seem to do the same, so theres an extra edginess to the motoring experience. Now I remember the feeling of calm that used to wash over me as I sat on the plane seat on the way back when I was over here a lot.

Tag: rashbre, Italy, driving, Mercedes

runway

Milan today, which I usually also associate with the great fashion shows.

Actually, the fashion shows are in Paris at the moment for the Spring 2007 season, although I love the vibe of Milan when its fashion week. You see, Milan is just the right size for the shows to totally dominate the town. Every hotel is rammed with models and events and all of the bars and clubs are similarly inhabited by the fashionistas during the evening.

So instead of a picture of Milan's rather smart Dom, the picture above is from the forthcoming Balencia collection, currently previewing to the in crowd in Paris for Spring. And don't forget to check out the stunning Diane von Furstenburg colours (black, pink, gold, white) which should liven the start of next year.

Oh OK, here's Diane's runway show video. Hot Fuscia lips and Eve's sin.

You can tell I was in King's Road yesterday...

Tag: rashbre, fashion, Milan, Diane von Furstenburg, balencia, Spring 2007

eight daze

Debra asked me to write 8 things about myself and so I'm mixing it with some of what happened today.

1) The day started with a visit to Chelsea - which is an area of London I really enjoy wandering around. We were rendezvousing at a particular riverside location where we were to meet David. We all arrived within about ten minutes of one another, literally meeting by the number 137 bus stop.

We spent some time looking at aqua and jade soft furnishings before heading back to where my car was parked right on the riverfront along the Thames. John noticed how clean the car looked; this is because it has just been serviced by the garage, who always clean it when they have it in for work.


2) The garage took two attempts to service my car, because they needed a spare part. They kept calling me once the part was in. I didn't know what the piece was, but it turned out to be a new turbo. I think that is quite a large part of the engine, but it seems to drive properly again now. Four of us then drove the short distance to the Kings Road, where I found a pay and display spot which needed around £9.40 to cover the remaining time until 18:30 when the meters and yellow lines switch off. This worked out to around 20 pence for 5 minutes.

3) We walked from the car back to Kings Road, with a plan to stop for a late lunch. We were aiming for a certain favourite restaurant, but unfortunately took the wrong direction. We were nearly at Peter Jones (the department store) before we realised we were walking the wrong way. Undeterred we turned back through what was a very busy throng of shoppers.

4) I noticed the trees were still looking like late summer, rather than autumn, but many of the shoppers had slipped into the colours of the autumn season and several people were wearing chunky fur-look boots. It looks as if the fashion is changing faster than the season. As I passed the Chelsea Registry Office, I noticed a wedding in progress, with a smattering of people in stylish full Indian outfits and a few men in equivalently stylish Scottish kilts.

5) We found the restaurant and a selection of strange looking cocktails appeared (strawberry, vodka and Ginger ale, for example). I didn't partake, because I knew I'd be driving. An animated lunch finally finished around four in the afternoon. We all split up as we left the restaurant, with a variety of missions to accomplish around the west end before the shops closed.


6) I used my Oyster card on a 211 Bus to go to Sloane Square, where I had to visit Tiffany's to get a silver bracelet adjusted. I'd bought it in New York, and they told me it may have to be sent back for adjustment because the silver blend in USA is different from UK. I have never heard of this but decided not to argue. The bracelet has been unwearable since I bought it as a present, and a few extra weeks won't make much difference. At least it will have a story afterwards.

7) The discussion 'upstairs' in Tiffany's meant I was late for my next errand which meant I had to grab a cab to Bond Street. Not as easy as it sound and I had to resort to the trick of knowing where a taxi is likely to drop off a passenger in order to get one.

8) Mission complete, I then cabbed back to King's Road and by enormous good fortune, the taxi used the same short cut as me and drove right past my car saving me time because I couldn't remember the name of the street I'd parked. I then drove back to the Royal Court, to find Julie, who arrived with a clutch of expensive looking carrier bags.

Well, I think there's about 8 things about me in there somewhere; along with a partial account of my day. Tomorrow I'm off to Milan again.