TV - Nothing but entertainment

Everything shown on TV is done for its entertainment value. If it's not entertaining you, then you most likely won't watch. Even documentaries are broadcasted firstly because they might entertain you. It might be the filmers idea to teach you something, but the broadcasting company airs it because its entertainment value might attract viewers.

Because everything is done for entertainment, it should come as no surprise that what is shown is spiced up to increase its entertainment value. That's why Formula 1 races need a mixture of fast and slow cars. Drivers overtaking each other is more entertaining. And that's why you need car crashes every now and then. And it might be the same reason that professional cyclists are forced to take drugs to increase their performance. Its more entertaining to watch someone go up a mountain very fast than it is when a group of cyclist are taking it easy.

Since the entertainment factor required of TV shows is such a big issue it is very strange to me that people fall over confessions like these, where the BBC has a short list of things they've edited for entertainment purposes.

Please take the blue pill and relax. Let the TV entertain you and be informed via other means.

Zaaf

Remember to let it go

Have you ever had the problem where you're busy walking around with your hands full and the task you're doing becomes even more complicated? Just let it go. Drop the stuff you hold in your hands and place it somewhere safe. Finish your task and pick it up again.

It happens to me all the time. Say, I've just picked up the mail of the doormat and as I walk back to the living room, I notice that my shoelace is untied. First I start to retie it with the mail still in my hands, but after a couple of exasperating tries I give up, let the stuff go and finish tying my shoelace. And it's not just me, almost everyone in my surroundings has the habit of not letting go of the stuff in your hands. The other day my wife went to the supermarket by car. She picked up the car keys and came back to get the recyclable glass in order to dump in the glass recycle container. She grabbed a plastic bag and proceeded to put the glass in. All this time the car keys where still in here hand. And just as I was starting to tell here that it might be a good idea to let go of the car keys, the inevitable happened and a glass jar shattered on the ground.

From personal experience I know it's hard to force yourself to let go of the things in your hands, but doing one thing well is so much easier that, to me at least, it's worth the extra effort of putting down and picking up. So now I'm always remembering to let it go.

Zaaf

Bejeweled

It's the game I play the most on my iPod.
powered by Google
This version is from iGoogle.
The only reason I put it up on my blog is because iGoogle tends to refresh every half hour or so. This will reset the game, which is rather unfortunate when you're in a winning stride.

Zaaf

The Mob Stories

This morning, Tuesday, I listened to Adam Curry's Daily Source Code podcast and one of the songs he played was called Lost Opportunities by The Mob Stories. A six person band with two funky ladies. Give 'm a listen if your into funk.

Zaaf

Silence is Golden

Three weekends ago I, together with some other musicians recorded the music to 6 choir tracks. Two weekends ago, the choir voices where recorded. Last weekend, amids the busy kids, I edited the video clip for one of the songs, called "Maak het Stil", or "Make it quiet" / "Silence is Golden". With two video cameras and spread over two weekends, I took 71 minutes of video with 171 separate clips. The bulk focussed on Maak het Stil. It took me 10 hours to learn Final Cut Pro and edit the clip into something worth viewing. It is still in draft, so don't be too harsh.



Zaaf

Holidays are coming (holidays are coming, ...)

The holidays are upon us. The kids are off from school for the next six weeks and, boy do they need it. Last Friday afternoon marked the end of this school year and my kids were in a hyper-active frenzy. Shouting and yelling and not a moment of peace and quiet in their buts. On Saturday we had friends over for lunch and they brought their kids so the four of them could release a bit of their penned up activity.

But since the kids are off for six weeks and we poor adults can take only three weeks, we have some weeks to take care of. So that's why my in-laws came on Sunday morning. They have abducted our two precious kids for the coming week. Luckily, they had a good nights rest and their frenzy had worn of a bit. Now my eldest is on a 4-day knights course with is grandpa and my youngest is on a 4-day Dame course with her grandma. That left us with a whole Sunday-afternoon at our disposal.

So we went to an outlet centre to buy some clothes for the coming holiday where my wife completely astounded me by buying both a pair of jeans and a pair of shoes in less than half an hour. Apparently, we are so tuned to do everything very efficient that when the moment is there to relax, we have to do that quick. And always, in the back of our minds, we keep a look-out for the kids. Even dinner went quick. We went out to a pizzeria where we had both a pizza and a desert. And at eight 'o clock, we were home again. Which would be almost in time to put the kids to bed.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how we will cope with being childless again for the rest of the week.

Zaaf

Smile and you will be smiled upon

Just a small observation.
Say you walk around a crowded area, let's pick a train station during the morning commute, did you notice that when you have eye-contact with someone and you pull up the corners of your mouth to a "smile" position, that in most cases the other person is smiling back at you? It brightens my day every time I do it. It's so nice to be smiled to. :-) And I can't help but think that I've, in a very small way, brightened up the day of that other person.

Zaaf