THE WEEKENDER :) INCREDIBLE PITCH

JUST A WEE DRAM

The Weekender :) is posting an extraordinary video today.

Watch how it is shot and performed, as one long

movement.  Having directed in the field, I assure

you this is a great piece of work by director,

crew and actor.

Enjoy

Rumble, the band featuring our

Mac Guru and friend Rick Auricchio

on bass, rocked the Cambria Lodge last night.

The place was packed, and then made

more full by attendees of a conference

of trial lawyers. 

Yea, you can image the jokes and comments.

Sorry for picture quality.  Shot on a smart phone in looooow light.

See you down the trail.

DID TWITTER COMMIT SUICIDE? & BIG KIDS AT RECESS

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINE

OF THE INFORMATION WARS

It's probably a result of my decades in journalism,

broadcasting and documentary production,

but I'm super sensitive when there are 

rumblings in the "force," that is

communications and information flow.
Veteran readers may recall a couple of 
posts that shook up a few people-
Posting (link here) about the convenience of algorithms and a kind of "thought control."  
Or about the danger of cyber crime
Read the post by linking here.
Now a new battle line has been drawn.
Here's the Forbes blog on what has set off many recriminations.


Twitter Commits Social Suicide
By Mark Gibbs, Forbes
27 January 12
Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country - while keeping it available in the rest of the world. We have also built in a way to communicate transparently to users when content is withheld, and why.
ith those words earlier today, in a blog posting titled "Tweets still must flow" the management ofTwitter's went over to the dark side and may well have dug their own grave
In what can only have been a fit of corporate insanity, Twitter announced that it has the ability to filter tweets to conform to the demands of various countries.
Thus, in France and Germany it is illegal to broadcast pro-Nazi sentiments and Twitter will presumably be able to block such content and inform the poster why it was blocke
Quite obviously, Twitter's management believes that there is some kind of value in being able to filter in this way but given that, over the course of 2011, the number of tweets per second (tps) ranged from a high of almost 9,000 tps down to just under 4,000 tps, any filtering has got to be computer-driven.
So, consider this tweet:
@FactsorDie Nazi Germany led the first public anti-smoking campaign.
Could that be considered to be pro-Nazi? How will a program accurately make that determination?
What concerns me is that if the algorithm Twitter uses registers a false positive (i.e. determines that the tweet is pro-Nazi when it isn't) and the tweet has any time sensitivity to it then that attribute will be completely nullified by the time the tweet makes it out of tweet-jail if it ever does.
On the other hand if the software makes a false negative (i.e. determines that the tweet is NOT pro-Nazi when it is) then the filtering is useless and Twitter will be held accountable by every political group with an axe to grind.
Now it might be argued that some percentage of false positives or false negatives will be acceptable but what is that percentage? 0.0000o01%? That equates, at a minimum of 4,000tps, to 3,456 misclassified tweets per day or 1,261,440 per year!
And will the filtering software be able to detect irony and sarcasm? I rather doubt it.
And what about the fact that Twitter will be implicitly editing all tweets? Doesn't that attract legal issues in that they are taking on an editorial responsibility and therefore become a lightning rod for lawsuits?
I see Twitter's management having made a huge epic, mistake. In trying to appease the demands of political pressure they've dug themselves a huge hole that they won't be able to climb out of. The mere fact that they have published a blog posting claiming that they can filter seals their fate.
I really like Twitter; it's a unique and amazingly rich social platform but Twitter's management may have just diminished if not wiped out their edge and their global relevance.
You can't service all of humanity if you allow the needs of politics to triumph over the needs of the people. And if you can't service all of humanity, what is your relevance?

What do you think?
It is certainly a different world from when most information flowed from major news gathering organizations dedicated to the proposition of the public's right to know and adamant about the First Amendment. That was of course a time before news organizations were expected to be profit centers and before mergers and group ownership of once competing media.  And certainly before the sophistication of data mining and social media.


DAY BOOK
ANOTHER FLASH MOB BIRTHDAY 
AND THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE GETS A NEW CUPOLA.

The historic San Simeon school has been spiffed up.

While the Friday Lunch Flash Mob has grown to 4 tables.

 With the tradition of a candle in the chocolate chip cookie continues.

It's like big kids at recess!
See you down the trail.

SPRING TIME IN AMERICA? & THANKS SEALS

HOW WE LOOK AT THINGS
There's been a little uptick in the general
vibe. A few economic indicators
are showing signs of improvement. 
The Republican Party continues to
demonstrate it knows how to
stage an entertaining and spirited
chase for a nomination.
America's reputation in the world
continues to improve.
And those amazing Navy Seals
once again demonstrate efficiency and 
capability.  The hostage rescue
in Somalia, following the 
the taking down of Osama Bin Laden,
should be a source of great pride.
American military expertise and knowhow
used in proper proportion.
In a world where it is legitimate to ask
do you see a glass half full or half empty
there's one more vote for half full.
DAY BOOK

HINTS OF SPRING
As a now five year California resident, I continue
to be amazed that spring can arrive in January.
To all my friends and family in those 
regions where January means the grip of
winter, we send these images of 
the season of rebirth.  It just
happens here first.

The magnificent California poppy is back-

so are the bees.

This the first Lupine of the season

Pussy willows are opening

Spring is on the way-
or here!
See you down the trail.

A WORLD APART

TORO CREEK ROAD

This new walk offers great vistas. You might find it hard to believe it is only a mile or so from the Pacific Ocean.

"It's the California I grew up in" was the comment from a

couple of hikers.

It's cowboy country to me, like scenes

from the old westerns.

You can find it off the Pacific Coast Highway

between Cayucos and Morro Bay.

Whatever you are dealing with today,

take this walk in a peaceful valley.

 Accompanied by the sound of birds, the creek and wind through the trees.

 Post card scenes of California that many do not know exists.

 Below, the sun splashes off Toro Creek.

 An old ranch homestead.

 A combination of cattle country and agriculture.

Below, old gourds wait to enrich the soil.

 Typical to ranch and farm country-a kind of museum of

old implements.

Probably some life left in this old boy.  Just waiting till it is needed again. 

 I particularly like the frame below.

Five layers of mother earth

including a fault line.

See you down the trail.

A JEWEL, GOLD AND A DIAMOND

PRECIOUS- 

TOLD, FOUND, OLD

*Thoughts on an extraordinary new film

*A day of discovery

*A Neil Diamond encounter

REEL THOUGHTS

EXTREMELY LOUD AND OUTRAGEOUSLY CLOSE

I want to add a few more oxymorons to the title 

of the film-

uniquely extraordinary

powerfully moving

hauntingly reassuring.

This is not one of those big name (Tom Hanks,

Sandra Bullock, Max Van Sydow, Viola Davis)

formulaic and predictable films. Director Stephen
Daldry(The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot) keeps you off balance from the unsettling opening credits. He has a lot to work with.  Eric Roth's screenplay (Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Forest Gump,The Insider, Munich, Horse Whisperer)
is the latest in a series of brilliant scripts. He worked with
actor/writer Jonathan Safran Foer's  (Everything is Illuminated) book Extremely Loud and Outrageously Close.  These are some of the brightest, most
talented, gifted and cerebral people in film making.
What you get is a film that works on you in a 
special way.  The premise, a possibly near Asperger's syndrome nine year old, finds a key belonging to his father who died in the 9/11 attack. That launches him
on a search mission that leads viewers into a 
wonderful discovery of humanity and love.
Thomas Horn, the nine year old, carries this
film in a way that only seeing can convey.
Hanks and Bullock are again superb.
But Max Van Sydow, as a speechless man, is so good
he will etch a memory.  He uses no words, just
expressions,his eyes and body language. Wow!!!
It is an odd film, hard to categorize, makes you laugh,
cry, feel desperation and then joy.
Yea, guess I'm saying this is one you want to see. It's a jewel.
GOLD?

It was on this date in 1848 that gold was discovered

at Sutter's Mill, pictured below.

 Gold flecks in this creek set off what became

the gold rush of '49.

California was forever changed.

If you'd like a quick tour of California's Gold country
link here for an earlier post of the Mother Lode Highway.
A DIAMOND MEMORY
Noting that today is Neil Diamond's birthday
reminded me of an encounter years ago.
I was a college student working at a commercial station
that hosted a "Caravan of Stars" concert headlined by
Mr. Diamond who was just then breaking out. It was still very early in his career.
  Most of the tour traveled on a bus but we were told that Neil was traveling by motorcycle and would arrive later.
I had been scheduled to do dressing room interviews
with the singers as they were changing into their
performance outfits.  
Diamond arrived back stage, got a notice from the producer he was to be interviewed by me.  He came over to where
I was set up.  
"Hi I'm Neil, I'm here for my interview." 
"Nice to meet you.  I like your music, " I said.
"Would you like to change before the interview?" I added.
Diamond looked shocked, perplexed.
"What's wrong with this?" He said looking down at 
his jeans, boots and rubbing his leather jacket
over a ruffled shirt.
We did the interview.  I apologized in some mumbled manner
about insulting him.  He passed it off like it was no
big deal.
I soon noticed that more rock stars abandoned blazers, mohair suits and the like for "real" clothes. 
In his autobiography Keith Richards tells how the Stones
made that transition.  It was just a few months after the Diamond encounter the Stones
toured the mid-west and I was assigned to
a news conference with the lads.
No costumes for them.  Lots of cigarettes though. 
They had made the change.
Neil Diamond was the cutting edge of that cultural change
which just took a little longer to get to Muncie
Indiana in the mid '60's.
Thanks for the lesson, Neil.  Sorry again.
Happy Birthday.
See you down the trail.

CREATIVITY, WINNING & SHAKING IT OFF

HOW WE AMUSE OUR SELF

Like millions, I pumped a little anxiety into

the atmosphere this weekend.  I had invested an

emotional hope into the efforts of the Harbaugh brothers,

thinking what a great Superbowl that would be.

I've known Jim since he quarterbacked the

Colts and became a racing team partner

of two long time friends. Jim is an 

inspirational guy.

I can't help but feel bad for the Raven's kicker

and the 49ers receiver who had their big chance

turn into ashes.  I suspect the coaches

Harbaugh have met those emotional wounds

with something Jim said they learned at home

from their father, a coach.

Win or loose you have 24 hours to

either celebrate or feel bad, and then

you put it behind you and move on.

Jim and John Harbaugh are doing that

and I hope the players do as well.

IT WAS QUITE A PARTY

The sun came out and so did many friends

this weekend for Lana's Artist's Reception

at Windward Vineyard.

 You can see and read more about

her series of Plein Air Oils

Wandering the Central Coast

here.

I remain her #1 fan.

REEL THOUGHTS

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

This is John Le Carre captured on film.

I'm a fan of his work, though have often found 

myself rereading pages and even making notes.

His plots are intricate, complex and cerebral. So are

his characters. I can't imagine a better George Smiley

than how Gary Oldman nailed the role.  John Hurt

as Control is brilliant -pained, overwhelmed, fatigued,

byzantine and long suffering.  Benedict Cumberbatch,

who is getting a lot of attention at Sherlock in the PBS

series, shows his range as Peter Gulliam.

Director Tomas Alfredson somehow managed to

capture the arcane world of Le Carre.  The 

look of the film is spot on perfect as to how

I imagined the world Le Carre painted with words.

But, as in the case of the book, you need to 

pay attention to this film. It is a cerebral exercise,

which is what many of us like about Le Carre.

It may even make you long for the old cold war!

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) SURFS UP

A CALIFORNIA VIBE

There's a kind of acknowledgement around Cambria that

if you hire a painter or carpenter who surfs

you can expect them to arrive early (after the

morning ride) and leave by late afternoon

(to catch the afternoon waves).

Teachers, business people, counselors and

others do likewise.  

Unlike most states there is a real surfing legacy

here.  It is part of the lifestyle.

I worked with a fellow from upstate New York who

never surfed until he moved to California. In his

40's he became addicted to it.

When visiting SoCal we used to play around

on boogie boards.  That was a thrill which

only heightened my respect for those

who surf, long boards or short.

So THE WEEKENDER :) shares this

extraordinary video, sent along by my

friend Jim who has years of watching

the surf, surfers and who watched as his

own son became a talented surfer.

For those of you in winter locked regions of the

planet, take a California break.

See you down the trail.