All posts by Rich Shumaker

Multimedia is what I really love. Combining pictures, sounds, videos, and turning them into one thing is amazing to me. I have had a love of multimedia since I was a kid and as an adult I found Contact Juggling, SpherePlay, Dynamic Object Manipulation, and Flow. I use all of my skills in the worlds of AV and Entertainment.

Vid Fest – Movie Fest – Film Fest – DBMC Festival

Call it what you will, I call them AWESOME!!!

It's For Sale
It’s For Sale

With Phil putting the house up for sale it seems only fitting that we pay homage to the Awesomeness that is the DBMC Festival and the Deep Lake Pictures Theater.

Phil created the Dying Breed Movie Club or DBMC(sounds real bad a#$ huh!?!) and ran it with Dana every month for years.
It was based on the earlier VideoFest’s that were held at the Schmidts.  In the VideoFest days not everyone had a VCR, my family didn’t yet. The VideoFest would usually include 3 or 4 rented movies.  We would watch them all day. In those days you paid a premium for new movies and some new movies were only allowed to be kept for a single day without big late fees.  So the VideoFest was born which spawned the DBMC Festival.

DBMC Festival Items

Friends, Remember your friends have friends.
Party Supplies Including but not limited too Beverages, Snacky Cakey Foody Thingys, Tobacco like a cigar or cigarette or maybe even a cigarillo(kids don’t smoke but make sure you have a great outdoor space for your smokers).

Viewing MethodsWe had a TV in every room including the bathroom not to mention they were at the pool and barn. The main room had a projector and a special sound system that was set up theater style.  Lots of Comfy Chairs and Couches too.

For your Viewing Pleasure you have many things to choose from
including but not limited too Animated Shorts or Cartoons, Serial Shorts, Short Subjects, TV Shorts, and of course Features and 3 of them works best.

Don’t forget you need a THEME!!!

Some Everyday DBMC Festival Themes

Don't Offend Me with that Offensive Theme
Don’t Offend Me with that Offensive Theme
An Actor – Robert Downey Jr.
Director – Steven Spielberg
Year – 1940
Category or Type – Horror
Books Turned Movies – Harry Potter
Movie as Theme – Star Wars
TV as Theme – SNL Based Movies
Anything you can think of can be a Theme, try to keep it understandable, if you can.

You can even have a Theme inside a Theme inside a Theme. So your ‘Birthday Theme’ could be based on a ‘Mystery Theme’ based on the ‘Writings of someone that were turned into Movies Theme’.

HOLY THEMEOLY BATMAN!!!

You will need an Intermission

Phil would create an amazing intermission.

DBMC Intermission

You always need an intermission to get up and stretch your legs.  During the intermission the Theme is used for any special features.  If it is a Star Trek Theme you might have the Saturday Night Live with William Shatner yelling at the Trekies.  Also During the intermission you also have previews for the next months Festival.  Sometimes you may include a discussion of a film or a Theme in general like Film Noir.


SNL Trekkies

DBMC All Day Long

Oh did I mention DBMC Festivals started around 4PM (First feature around 6PM) and ran until after Midnight. YES ALL DAY. Come when you want, stay as long as you like.

Part of the Fun is to Become a Critic

Our Critic’s Rating system don’t have No Stinking ‘Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down’. You need to give us your SOUL or at least a Letter Grade, #hehehe

Even YOU

For every movie you watch you give it from an A+ to an F- yes that is an F-. Some movies deserve that. The number system is from 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, it allows for a wide range of movies to fit in everywhere.

DBMC CRITIC SCALE

A+ = 9.7 – 10
A = 9.3 – 9.6
A- = 8.9 – 9.2
B+ = 8.5 – 8.8
B = 8.1 – 8.4
B- = 7.7 – 8.0
C+ = 7.3 – 7.6
C = 6.9 – 7.2
C- = 6.5 – 6.8
D+ = 6.1 – 6.4
D = 5.7 – 6.0
D- = 5.3 – 5.6
F+ = 5.0 – 5.2
F = 2.6 – 4.9
F- = 0 – 2.5

Most Important Enjoy the Party!

DBMC Birthday Festivals

If you attended 10 Festivals you are eligible for 1 Birthday Festival and if you attend 25 you get another.

My Birthday Festival was in April, December is a busy month with lots of movies to watch so I was pushed a month, or two, or three, wait I mean 4 months, #heheh.
For my Festival I got to choose almost everything as there was a serial that was playing month to month.

DBMC Continuity from Month to Month

 

A Theme ties the day together and the Eposidic Serial TV or Film Short ties the festivals from one to the next, like stitches through time. Typically you choose something that was a cliffhanger to grab the audience and keep them coming back month to month.

 

 My DBMC Birthday Festival

My Birthday Festival Theme was a combination of Firsts and Man V.S. Things. Firsts are important to me as they lay the foundation for the seconds and thirds of things.  In general the Movies I like the most  have a central Theme of Man V.S. ‘Things’ and ‘Things’ can be many different things.  I am sure this comes from the ZOMBIES.

Program Below – Slightly Updated from the Original that Phil sent out – MOVIE DETAILS ARE FROM THE INTERWEB AND I JUST LIFTED IT FROM THE PROGRAM PHIL CREATED Bad Rich Bad!

Rich Shumaker DBMC Birthday Festival at Deep Lake Pictures Theater

Doors Open: 3:45pm Show Starts: 4:00pm First Feature Begins: 6:20pm Bonus Short, Intermission & Discussion: 8:25pm Second Feature Begins: 9:30pm Third Feature Begins: 10:55pm Show Ends: Approx. 12:30am  Discussion Highlights: Rollerball (1975)

Intermission Highlights: (Music Videos, Vintage Commercials, Previews, a couple of surprises)

TV Short Animated: Amazing Stories: Episode #40: Family Dog (Original Air-Date February 16th, 1987) 22 minutes Directed By: Brad Bird Voices By: Stan Freberg, Annie Potts, Brad Bird and Ray Walston Viewed on DVD, Standard Format Color Animated, Comedy In this animated episode of three interrelated stories, a middle-class, suburban family is seen through the eyes of their put-upon dog.  Special Note – Brad Bird Directorial Debut

Looks like my dog Pixel
Quivering Snarling White Hot Ball of Canine Terror
Quivering Snarling White Hot Ball of Canine Terror
 

 

 

Funny enough my puppy looks like the ‘Family Dog’

Before ‘Gerta LaStrange’s Dog Obedience School’

Brad Bird’s Most Recent Film – Tomorrowland – In Theatres NOW.  GO SEE IT. I give it an A.

Serial Short: Jungle Girl: Chapter 11: Dangerous Secret (1941) 20 minutes Directed By: John English & William Witney Starring: Frances Gifford, Tom Neal, Trevor Bardette, Gerald Mohr, Eddie Acuff, and Jay Silverheels Viewed on DVD, Standard Format Black & White Action, Adventure, Jungle Dr. John Meredith has been driven from civilization by the criminal activities of his twin brother Bradley Meredith. With his infant daughter, he settles in the African jungle, where his ability to cure the native ills has resulted in his virtual control of the Masamba tribes, who possess vast diamond mines coveted by a gang of crooks. They use Shamba, a witch doctor jealous of Dr. Meredith’s influence over the tribe, to further their schemes. The natives believe that a sacred amulet is the secret of Dr. Meredith’s power, and Shamba attempts to kill Nyoka, Meredith’s now-grown-up daughter, to obtain the amulet (which actually contains the secret to the entrance of the Caves of Nakros).

TV Mini-Series Movie Special: Battlestar Galactica: Movie Two (2003) 98 minutes

Directed By: Michael Rymer Starring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Format Color Science Fiction A re-imagining of the original series in which a “rag-tag fugitive fleet” of the last remnants of mankind flees pursuing robots while simultaneously searching for their true home, Earth.

Man Creates Machine

BSG is Currently my Favorite TV Show of All Time. This Mini-Series was the start of that TV Show I liked so much.  Without this Mini-Series there is no show.  This was a reboot and not the first BSG.  I think the reboot kicked A#$.  God’s be Damned and Frak Them All.  So Say We All!!!

Short Subject: The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance: Part I (2003) 9 minutes Directed By: Mahiro Maeda Voices By: Dwight Schultz, Dane A. Davis, Debi Derryberry, and Julia Fletcher Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Format Color Animated, Science Fiction A tour is taken into the Zion archives, where the history of the real world and the rise of the machines is shown to viewers.
Man Uses Machine – Rise of the Machines, Wait that is another movie #heheh.

Feature: Rollerball (1975) Poster for Rollerball 129 minutes Directed By: Norman Jewison Starring: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Pamela Hensley Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Version Color Action, Science Fiction, Futuristic In a futuristic society where corporations have replaced countries, the violent game of Rollerball is used to control the populace by demonstrating the futility of individuality. However, one player, Jonathan E., rises to the top, and fights for his personal freedom and threatens the corporate control.
Man V.S. Corporate Machine – Only One Man Can Live in the Rollerball Arena – “Jon-a-than!”

Bonus Short Subject: The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance: Part II (2003) 10 minutes Directed By: Mahiro Maeda Voices By: Dwight Schultz, Dane A. Davis, Debi Derryberry and Julia Fletcher Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Format Color Animated, Science Fiction, With the robot city isolated and it’s ambassadors ejected form the United Nations, a trade war begins to protect the human economy from superior products. When the trade war escalates into war the machines begin a seemingly unstoppable march across the globe.
Machine Uses ManStart of the Matrix

Feature: Evil Dead (1981)  85 minutes Directed By: Sam Raimi Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, Sarah York Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Version, Color Horror, Five friends go up to a cabin in the woods where they find unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon and the taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly zombies. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle the evil dead.
Man V.S. Undead – Special Note – Sam Raimi Directorial Debut

Side Note – Bruce Campbell Rocks!!!!

Feature: Clerks (1994) 92 minutes Directed By: Kevin Smith Starring: Brian O’Halloran Jeff Anderson Marilyn Ghigliotti Jason Mewes Lisa Spoonauer Viewed on DVD, Widescreen Version Color Comedy, Drama, A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.

 

Clerks V.S. The World #heheh – Special Note – Kevin Smith Directorial Debut.  Kevin Smith’s first film was the first time I heard of someone following their dreams. I loved this first film and without it you don’t get Mallbrats  (seriously that’s the title), which could be shooting in my old stomping grounds the Granite Run Mall.

So that was my Birthday Festival and it was AWESOME!!!

One Last DBMC Festival Note

An interesting thing is that Phil would keep notes during the Festival.  You could tell him things as they came up and he would write them down.  At the end he would ask you if you had anything you wanted made note of.

An example of the DBMC Festival notes

The Movie Festival #17 – Kill Bill
Notes: Phil D.(Not Phil from the Blog Post so think Different Phil when you read Phil D.) said he was too confused, especially during the Kill Bill movies and was unable to give any grades. Rich said that his first cigar sucked a#$.

That’s a Wrap

With today’s watch on demand, on the go, in a car, or on a boat. It would be nice to get back to the simpler times. Seriously VCR’s required you to REWIND them. NO pausing for hours, unless you wanted to break the tape. There was no pausing in one room, and resuming in another.  Luckily the DBMC Festival plays everywhere so you don’t need a pause button, #heheh.  Get out to a Film Festival or have one yourself.  They are an AMAZING way to connect to each other and the world of the Moving Picture.

And Now for the SHOES

Heelless Heels – SAY WHAT?!?

Lady Gaga Heelless Shoes

Noritaka Tatehana is the Japanese Shoe Artists who created these shoes.

Noritaka Tatehana

They were made famous by Lady GaGa

Lada Gaga in Heelless Heel by Noritaka Tatehana

Image from MTV

Noritaka Tatehana shoes are inspirational to me as he took an idea and turned it on it’s head.  KJ fell in love with these shoes so when we saw a ‘knock off’ pair at the store she tried them on.  KJ said they were easy to walk in and now we own them.  I hope to someday be able to afford a real pair of Noritaka Tatehana shoes maybe something like his most recent creation.

Crystal Shoes

So I ask you my reader

Ever been to a Movie Festival?

What would be Your Festival Theme?

What Movies would be in your Film Festival?

Bonus Question – What are your favorite 3 films and do they have a theme?

Thanks for reading my post.  Don’t forget to share it with your Friends and Frenemies.

 

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Be Awesome, Make Awesome, Watch Awesome, You Are Awesome. Find that inner SuperHero and Fly with it (or whatever your Super Power is).

Rich Shumaker

Zombies are Not Cuddly Fuzzy Bunnies you Sleep with

Spoiler Alerts – I talk about the movies Shaun of the Dead, Fido and Warm Bodies, the TV Show iZombie (*), as well as Zombie Runs(**), a Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Drill, amazing Shoes by Alexander McQueen, the artist H.R. Giger, and of course Zombies.

*disclaimer #1 – I have only seen the ads
**disclaimer #2 – Not going to try it

If you have any concerns about me ruining your life experience by discussing the above items,

PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS.

Thank you,
The Management

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Let me be clear that this blog is serious as many will read this while eating popcorn and laugh hysterically. I enjoy your perspective I just don’t share it. Zombies or the Walking Dead as some might call them are as serious as a heart attack. Zombies make horrible friends, neighbors, chums, pillows, or cuddly fuzzy bunnies that you fall asleep with.

I first saw Zombies at the Drive in Movie Theater in the 1968 classic ‘Night of the Living Dead‘.  Zombies took over my nightmares from that point forward.

H.R. Pufnstuf
Witchiepoo

 

 

Up until that point Witchiepoo from H.R. Pufnstuf was my nightmare.

 

 

NOW IT’S ZOMBIES!

SOME RULES BEFORE WE MOVE ON

Rule #1 – If your friend turns into a Zombie, the friendship is over, Shoot Him or Her in the HEAD!

Rule #2 – If you give a Zombie a HUG because they look like they need it, you are an idiot and you should have shot yourself in the head!!

Rule #3 – I think you get the point to the rules, ZOMBIES ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND!!!!

Speaking of friends, I have a friend that is deathly afraid of Zombies. Me I am not afraid as I will cut their head in two. In fact I am concerned that someone that is only “Actin’ a Zombie” might “Roll up on me” and “Get Ginsu‘d in the head“.

First Officers on the Zombie Crime Scene in the above scenario

Officer – Why did you stab him in the head?
Me – Duhhh, because you need to destroy the Zombies Brain, everybody knows that.
Officer – So that is why you put a knife in your friends Ear.
Me – He ain’t my friend he’s a Zombie(Don’t you know Rule #1) and I would be careful about getting to close to him cuz he might bite you, you’ve been warned.

Alarming Zombie Trend

In recent years, I have noticed an alarming trend and that is the Cuddly Fuzzy Bunny Zombie. Holy crap right now someone is making or someone reading this will make the STOOPIDEST MOST PROFITABLE kids toy of all time. The Cuddly Zombie Toy Line – It’s as soft as the most Cuddly Fuzzy Bunny but it’s a ZOMBIE, NOOOOOOOOO.

Shaun of the Dead Poster

I must tell you that I LOVEDShaun of the Dead‘ unfortunately the ending is the worst ever. Your friend is not out in the shed playing video games. He is waiting in the shed to eat your brain. Didn’t you read the spoiler alert before reading this?!?

The Alarming Zombie Trend Continues in the Movies

After Shaun of the Dead I thought it was over but it continued with movies like Fido and Warm Bodies. I just can’t believe that the walking dead can be ‘cured‘ or that being undead will get better, just like the Black Knight won’t be playing Tennis anytime soon.

It’s Only a Flesh Wound.

Also if you make a servant out of a Zombie be prepared to be bitten, literally.  You won’t need to worry about deportation just decapitation with your friendly neighborhood Zombie servants.

THESE ZOMBIES ARE ON TV NOW TOO!!!

Why would TV Exec’s make iZombie.  Wait I get it MONEY.

iZombie Star Rose Mciver

I have never seen more than the commercial for this TV show.  I don’t need too see more than that. Your a Walking Dead Zombie, you won’t get better. This TV show would last one episode for me. Oh your a Zombie, Ginsu to Head, Roll the Credits.  Since I had to create a link to the show now Google is giving me stories about it,  NOOOOOO² (That would be No Squared or NOOOOOO X NOOOOOO as I don’t want a Google update about CW iZombies and I don’t want a Zombie Friend).

Run Zombie Run

They have created Zombie Runs, SAY WHAT?!? No you need to destroy the Zombie Walking Dead Brains NOW!!!! I am not running just dicing things up Ginsu Style. I need to get paid for these Ginsu Ads.  Here is an idea for you Ginsu – Zombie Ginsu for all your Zombie Killing Needs.

How no one has gotten hurt on a Zombie Run is amazing to me.

Seriously I would Ginsu this Zombie not run.

The ones of us that are smart enough to avoid the Walking Dead Zombies would NOT be STOOPID enough to enter one of these things.
One day a casual jogger is going to stumble into a Zombie Run and someone is going to get a Zombie Ginsu Lesson. Now that would be funny a guy running through the park with a Ginsu Holster across his chest(I swear Officer this is just in case I see a Zombie, #heheh).

Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Drills (ZAPD)

Several years ago I was sitting on the edge of a stage at SphereCamp. A few friends came dragging out of the dark. They looked bad, really bad, dead actually. They were groaning and moaning and dragging themselves towards us. My friend was sitting next to me saying ‘Aren’t they cute, like Zombies’.
I was already up on the stage and my words fell on deaf ears, ‘Yep Zombies RUN!!!’
She didn’t run and I watched a Zombie walk up, sit next to her, and bite into her.
YEP ZOMBIES, so I did what anyone in this situation should do I grabbed my stuff and ran. I ran all night actually. I hid out and listened. At one point I had a camera but I dropped it.

The next day when I noticed people by the camp stove making coffee, I approached. The Zombie Couple that were the start of the epidemic were laughing over some coffee with others I saw get bitten. That is when I found out that I was just part of a Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Drill(ZAPD). There was only one other survivor of that night and she came out of the woods and had the same reaction I did. Relief, as I was not looking forward to what I was going to have to do next.

Thank Heavens for ‘The Walking Dead‘ as it is teaching the reality of life after the Zombie Apocalypse.  ZOMBIES ARE NOT CUDDLY FUZZY BUNNIES YOU SLEEP WITH!!!

Enough Zombies Lets Talk Shoes

These are NOT RECOMMENDED for the Zombie Apocalypse

The shoe this week is by Alexander McQueen and the artist who inspired the shoe is H.R. Giger.

HR Giger inspired shoes by Alexander McQueen

Giger died a year ago this month and his art was something I was always drawn too.  Alexander McQueens Alien Inspired shoes made me smile when I saw them.

H.R. Giger was an amazing artist and if you are in LA this week you can check out the documentary, Dark Star: H. R. Giger’s World  in the Theatre.

If you miss it in LA then check out the other dates around the US and Canada

Dark Star Dates

So I ask you my reader

Would you go on a Zombie Run?

Would you be prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Drill(ZAPD)?

What do you think about giving your kids a Zombie Doll?

Enjoy your week and make sure to collect as many Ginsu’s as you can, just in case.

Thanks for reading my post.  Please sign up and share this blog with your friends and frenemies.  Also check out my YouTube ChannelTwitter and Instagram for what I have been doing during the week. Oh and if we really must be friends for some reason I have FB and G+, #heheh.

Be Awesome, Make Awesome, Watch Awesome, You Are Awesome. Find that inner SuperHero and Fly with it (or whatever your Super Power is).

Rich Shumaker

Ideas Ideas Ideas

This weeks post deals with something near and dear to my heart, IDEAS!!!

First 2 Revisions of the TetraPi
Everyone has them and some of us even share our ideas with the world. I have shared my ideas even when it has caused people to look at me sideways and question my sanity, which is clearly not there #heheh.

One of my classic ideas that pops to mind because my HS friends remind me when they see me(read tease relentlessly #heheh),  is the Vertical Force Transducer. I am sure if any of them read this they will probably be chuckling right now.  The funny part is that the Vertical Force Transducer is not the idea it is just part of the idea.

The idea is to create a Portable Wall that Blocks Sound

You see I had this idea when I had a band playing in my parents house and they were loud, as bands are. I wanted a simple thing I could set up and break down that would create a break between the band, me, and the house.  Since I was in the room with the band it was not ideal for doing tracking.
At the time I had this idea and told my friends they all thought I was batty, how can you negate sound by sending the opposite sound at it? I am sure most of them now own Bose QuietComfort or more expensive ‘Active’ Headphones. These headphones use the exact idea I had for the Portable Wall that Blocks Sound back in the day.

Bose Headphones

What ever happen to the vertical force transducer and the sound blocking wall?  The idea didn’t go anywhere, yet. I found out that I needed more space, more computer power, more transducers. This was a fail before it ever got off the ground. I keep this idea in a box as someday I am sure I will explore it more. Oh and that Vertical Force Transducer makes a great bass shaker. Everybody JUMP on the DANCE FLOOR!!!

Years after the wall idea I determined I needed ‘smaller’ computers for my ideas

Gumstix Computer

Having a tower, laptop, or even a tablet was not small enough. I researched and found gumstix computers but I could not afford them.   I kept my eye out and while I was researching computers in schools I came across the Raspberry Pi.  As soon as I found it I purchased one and waited for it to arrive.  It has been 3 years since then and the educationally driven RasPi has a vibrant ecosystem for learning, and did I mention it is small with a small price tag(BIG BANG low cost).

Tetra Pi - Using Raspberry Pi Compatible Cameras
Tetra Pi – Using Raspberry Pi Compatible Cameras
One of the reasons I wanted the RasPi was to record video from multiple angles simultaneously. That led to the TetraPi.  It unfortunately has been a fail so far. I was able to build it and put software on it and make it record videos and images.  The fail happened when I was trying to get the video footage to be the same visually and stitch it together. I was able to manually adjust the images on all 4 Pi’s and get them ‘close’. Unfortunately I was unable to stitch the video as the software to do that is pricey and time consuming.

I decided when I got to this road block to check to see what had come out since I started. I found several options that were pre-baked and worked way better than mine. DIY sometimes is more expensive both in time and money and less gooder(it’s sad to think that engliz is my first and only language). If you are looking to do something that has a 360 degree image and video here are my recommendations, I like the bublcam and I love the 360cam (disclaimer – I don’t own either and I don’t work for or get paid by either for mentioning them).

Now with me discussing my failures you are probably thinking, did you ever make something that works? That is the point to ideas you remember the failures first and they make you work harder on the next idea that comes up.

Never Stop, Never Give Up, just learn how to tunnel or fly over the walls that are put up!

So lets talk success now as that is more funner(engliz what? Oh yeah Skilz!)

The LegacyCd Virtual  from last weeks post was created to help me and the next generation, do what you might ask?  When I was taught, James called it Contact Juggling.  While learning it, Michael called it SpherePlay. When I was watching TV, they called it Fushigi.  So I created my own name for what I do, I call it “Flow of the Round”.  I am a Flow Artist that uses Round Objects and makes them appear to float (aka FLOTR). The LegacyCd Virtual just came out and I consider it’s release to be a success. It is a complete set of free instructions that can easily be downloaded and used. You can update it, add to it, give it away, and expand it on your own journey.  As they say in Vegas Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner.

Another success I really like is the BalanceCam.

BalanceCam

I like this success as it took a long time to make it work. Once it worked, it was dead simple, and a great launch point for modders.  My original idea was to mirror what I had used on the LegacyCd for first person shooting.  For that I used a lipstick camera and a fishing pole. Unfortunately my GoPro was too heavy for the fishing pole and other things I tried were unstable.  Then one day I saw a Mic Bergsma video and it literally turned things upside down and the BalanceCam was born.  It is not only a tool for filming it is also a new Prop as well.

What’s Next?

With the introduction of the CHIP $9 Computer all new ideas are flowing.  I might connect it to a game controller for the IoT(Internet of Things) to allow my TetraPi Selfie(Oops I said it) to take selfies in 360.  Since it has a microphone this opens a whole new area of exploration and maybe some old walls will be torn down or built up 😉

Funny enough my latest idea was an April Fools joke on the ThinkGeek site this year.

For years I have been collecting equipment and trying to get the space to create this next idea.

I would rather it was stationary then mobile but the concept is the same. Set up an array of cameras in a 360 degree area to capture a person or people in full 3D. I want overhead cameras as well.

You might ask WHY?

The answer is feedback.  It is key to a Flow Artist or any movement artist to see what they are and aren’t doing. Mirrors are flat and don’t allow you to see everything you may or may not be doing correctly or more importantly incorrectly.

And now for the SHOES!!!

This week I am introducing an ongoing segment based on SHOES!!! Being a Shumaker and sometimes a BootMaker(Thanks Rob) I have thought about shoes a bit in my life and even created a few.  So without further ado here we GO.

So the most important thing that happened this week in the world was Charlize Theron returned to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, #heheh.  As always Charlize did not disappoint as she was straight up Hustlin’ and Pimpin’ by putting Jimmy Fallon in Platform shoes with DICE in them. Jimmy picked some sweet platforms for Charlize to wear on the show as well.  The shoe Jimmy picked was cool and a good try at beating the shoes she wore on her last appearance of the show, but not cool enough.

Charlize Theron wore some sickmazing shoes on her last appearance of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

AMAZING

 

 

 

They were Christian Louboutin, Laurence Anyway Shoes.

 

Amazing Christian Louboutin, Laurence Anyway Shoes
Amazing Christian Louboutin, Laurence Anyway Shoes

 Here is an image of just the shoes.

Yes they have RED bottoms.

Not sure what shoes Charlize will wear the next time she is on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon but she has set the benchmark high for herself.

Ideas Come and Go

Grabbing them while they are here is the key. This is why I have a Dream Machine to help me collect them and expand them.  In my last post I discussed the LegacyCd Virtual which was created with the Dream Machine Powered by TiddlyWiki.  I am working on an updated Dream Machine for 2015 to allow anyone with any dream to reach it.

So I ask you my reader

What ideas have you had?

Have you ever been laughed at for something you thought or did that was Amazingly Awesome?

What do you do with your ideas, and do you keep a journal on your journey through life?

Thanks for reading my post and don’t forget to share this blog with your friends and frenemies.  Also check out my YouTube ChannelTwitter and Instagram for what I have been doing during the week. Oh and if we really must be friends for some reason I have a FB, #heheh.

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Be Awesome, Make Awesome, Watch Awesome, You Are Awesome. Find that inner SuperHero and Fly with it (or whatever your Super Power is).

Rich Shumaker

Cinco de Mayo – My Engliz is no goodsky

So this week’s post has a bit of everything. A Mall, a Computer, a Dream Machine, a few new Facebook Groups, a Throwback Video and of course a Cookie Bar.  So lets get started.

For Throwback Thursday I posted a video from CJC2001, it includes some fantastic stuff for all types of Contact Jugglers and Round Prop Peeps as well as some of that ‘throwy’ stuff thrown in.

I especially like what we called the Chandalier by Ferret & Marco.

I created a new name for what I do in the video above and started a new Facebook group for it. Thanks Deb for the idea for the name which is Flow of the Round or FLOTR.  I had to add a letter for Facebook to recognize it and I think it made it even more gooder(mad phat engliz Skilz). Check out this new group if you are on Facebook and like round object flow, FLOTR.

Next up it was Cinco de Mayo this week.  Cinco de Mayo has been a very creative time for me over the years. Here is a self portrait I did several years ago aptly titled ‘Cinco de Mayo’.

Self Portrait - Rich Shumaker
‘Cinco de Mayo’ Self Portrait of Rich Shumaker

This Cinco de Mayo I released the LegacyCd Virtual. If you checked it out during my BETA you may need to FORCE Refresh your browser to load the new version.  That leads to my other new Facebook group that I set up this week and it is for the LegacyCd Virtual.   The LegacyCd and the Virtual version have been something that I have built over the past several decades with the idea to help myself and others. The Dream Machine(new version in process) powered by TiddlyWiki is the basis for the LegacyCd Virtual. It is designed to help anyone on their journey just as Marco from the Throwback Thursday video helped me in 2001. He said you have to keep a journal of your journey. So I started a Moleskine and I found that I needed a place for more than just words, I needed pictures, sounds, and videos. So the Dream Machine was born out of the need for a Multimedia Journal.

Next up this week is the Granite Run Mall. This is a mall I spent MANY hours in over the years, at a Comic and Game shop actually. So it is weird that it is being TORN DOWN SOON. Hopefully not before Kevin Smith uses it to film Mallrats 2, “Mallrats Strike Back”(my imaginary title for the film). Funny enough I predicted that Kevin Smith might use Granite Run Mall a few weeks ago but didn’t know there was already an article about it.  I heard Mallrats 2 was being made in an interview by Kevin Smith and was reading about Granite Run Mall being torn down. Seemed like Peanut Butter and Chocolate if you ask me.

Side Note about Candy – Why don’t they make ‘Left Only’ Mixed Twix – One Peanut Butter and One Caramel Stacked on top of one another in the Left side of the package?  Come on TWIX get with the program.  I am sure I am not the only one that thought about this TWIX conspiracy.

Yummy Twix Cookie Bar
Twix Cookie Bar – BROKEN!!!

Back to the Mall, it would be cool if Kevin Smith DESTROY’S it because he would not have to worry about it being put back together. Since Granite Run Mall is a Tri Sided Mall(yes that would be a Triangle) he could destroy 1/3 at a time and then film an implosion for the ending. It would be EPIC. Side Note to Kevin if he reads this – I think he needs that cool tunnel kid from Mad Max to rove the duct work of the mall (It makes as much sense as needing a GIANT MECHANICAL SPIDER in a movie if you know what I am saying).

Ouch My Hand
Mad Max Boomerang Kid

I hope everyone has an amazing week and don’t forget to check out the LegacyCd Virtual and download a copy for yourself. Mr. Kevin Smith give me a ring if you need a tour of the Granite Run Mall, of course I would need a ride over to the mall as I live right near you in Los Angeles now, #heheh.

Final Note: Just as I was typing this up a new computer named Chip popped up on my Radar.  It is from my Old Cali Stomping Grounds in OakTown and it is $9. Yes I said $9 and it is a computer. So for the price of one Raspberry Pi 2 you could get almost 4. I am checking to see if you can create a Media Center and stream video from it.  If you can I hear VIDEOFEST at PHIL’s, #heheh. Of course the plane tickets to set this up makes it the cheapest / most expensive MovieFest ever.

Don’t forget to share this blog with your friends.  Also check out my YouTube Channel and Twitter for what I have been doing during the week. Oh and if we really must be friends for some reason I have a FB, #heheh.  You can also subscribe to this blog, check out the email sign up in the sidebar Over There – – -> .

Be Awesome, Make Awesome, Watch Awesome, You Are Awesome.  Find that inner SuperHero and Fly with it(or whatever your Super Power is).

Rich Shumaker

I LOVE FUSHIGI!!!

As the title states, I LOVE FUSHIGI!!!

Fushigi Magic Gravity Ball(TM)

Fushigi(TM)
Fushigi(TM)

Now if you are still reading as I have had death threats over saying these 3 words let me tell you why I say them, but first the disclaimer and some history.

Disclaimer: I am not being paid currently or have I been paid in the past by the company that holds the trademark on this prop called Fushigi – Zoom TV Products, LLC

We need to Jump into our Time Machine for the next part of the Story

Jump into the Time Machine STAT!!!
Time Machine

Well this story starts well before this mythical ball even existed. I sat around with friends of the flow world and we dreamed of the day we could have a clear round flow prop with either a color or metal center(I wanted METAL!!!).

Why you might ask?  Our idea was that when lit correctly this prop would create an illusion inside the illusion. Your movements creates an illusion of a floating round prop on your hand and body, then people would look and they would see that it was floating above your hand MAGICALLY.

THAT’S BRILLIANT I WANT 20

We set out to make this Amazingly Cool Round Object and we failed EPICALLY.  Seriously it was a FAILURE of the Epic Variety.  Luckily that EPIC FAIL resulted in some of the most fantastic swirl round props that you have ever seen.  ART not PROP if you ask me, or maybe Art as Prop, #heheh.

Just Swirl Mythical Swirl Sphere

 

We forgot about the idea as we failed and we all went about our lives.  Then  one day, FUSHIGI hits the airwaves.

HOLY CRAP THAT’S IT. That is what I wanted, and still do. So I order up a bunch and I am HAPPY AS A CLAM.  Of course I have to wait for months but I have waited years so that is no big deal if you ask me.

Side Note –  I know that guy in the video I met him at CJC, #heheh.

I get my prop and I am excited.  So now time to jump forward a bit and I post about this amazing new prop that I had been wanting for years.  I use the word in my post ‘Fushigi’ and automagically it is changed to BANANA as the F word has a new meaning in my community.  HOLY CRAP seriously ‘That’s Bananaz’ #heheh. I can’t type the word on the main forum I use to discuss this round contact prop and must resort to F U S H I G I so the spell check doesn’t make this ‘offensive’ word into Banana.

Now is the part you might not expect

That really made me happy 🙂

People hated what was done so much they rebelled against it. It also made me VERY SAD. The newest people to join my group would be hated simply because they liked a prop and said a word, and I liked this prop BEFORE it had this NAME.  The part that hurts a bit is that people hated me indirectly for having an idea of something I thought would be awesome.

Now you need to know WHY they rebelled against the Fushigi.

Why people hated Fushigi

  1. Deceptive Marketing
  2. Inferior Product
  3. Poorly Produced Instructional DVD
  4. Trademarking

So let me start at the end, Trademarking. To make money you need to have a unique product. Watch Shark Tank any week and when a generic product comes out the first questions asked are ‘Do you have a Patent or a Trademark or some other legal protection?’ The reason they say that is without it anyone can make what you did and probably for less. As someone who was the purveyor of Bob’s Balls(Bob Hughes Company) for years I can tell you nothing hurts more than being undercut.  Okay so they got a trademark why is that bad to people. Many consider this an Art Form, which it is, and you shouldn’t profit on art(or at least not until you are dead that is). To me that is BUNK, figure out a way to make it unique and CYA to the 9’s.  Be Original and Sell that by the Gallon, Dozen, BoxTon(TM).

Lets move on to Deceptive Marketing.  The marketing made you think the ball had Magic Properties.  Somehow the Ball was MAGIC and you buy it and AutoMagically you could do it.  A friend of mine said that a kid came up to him and held out his Fushigi and dropped it as he said ‘It’s Broken’ then it hit the ground.  OH CRAP THAT MADE ME LAUGH and CRY!!!  So NOPE the Ball is not ‘MAGICAL’ this is a skill you need to learn. It is like saying ‘Buy our MagicGuiter(TM)’ and you just need to hold it to play like Hendrix(I WISH!!!).  So on this I do blame the company as what you said was a bunch of crap and you paid Pro’s and Semi-Pro’s to make it look easy without putting underneath(Performances by Professionals Your Mileage May Vary).

Jennifaerie put it best by saying ‘The Magic is in You(TM)(©)!!!’

Next up the Poorly Produced Instructions. Being someone who creates instructions(which are poorly produced, #heheh) Mine have low budget look and feel but I think the instruction part is top notch. Zoom made slickly produced crap. I watched the DVD to see if I could learn something and they literally said ‘For my Next Trick you do this and that and Done you get it now.’ Wait you skipped the teaching part. The blind references to non-existent lessons is CRAZY TALK.  ‘In another section on the DVD you can learn X and Y.’  Unfortunately there is no X or Y on the DVD. The funny thing is it cost just as much to produce a horrible DVD as a good one.

On to the last major complaint, the inferior product. I own it, I know it is inferior, BUT it is ‘good enough’. It doesn’t break by dropping 3 feet onto carpet as some of my fragile round objects do. My Fushigi metals does not have a mirror finish.  Still works as a round object does.

UV with Light Fushigi
UV Fushigi Under Lit

My UV one has an off centre center which makes me able to do ‘new’ tricks that I could never do before.  So you take the lemons they gave you and make lemonade.  Not as good as I wanted but they did still make my DREAM ROUND PROP.  Even if it can be a nightmare at times, #heheh.

Glowing UV Fushigi
UV Fushigi Glowing on it’s Own

I don’t think if this prop was perfect they would have stood a fighting chance as they confused the customer and pissed off the group that already existed. So BAD COMPANY BAD!!!!

Zoom TV if you read this you could have been a contender.  I LOVE that a company made money producing a prop. Would have made a WHOLE TON MORE if they did it right. Should have talked to me Zoom you missed that boat.

With all that said, ‘I LOVE FUSHIGI!!!’

What did you just say?

You complain about the whole product and say it is crap and you love it are you CRAZY!!!

Nope not crazy just happy.  Happy an idea I had became a reality.  Happy I can play with this Prop and I can improve it in my head.  I am sure if I invested the Cash and bought 30 I could get a good few and that is not weird to a prop person that tries 17 different clubs before they go out and make one on their own that is better cuz those 17 sux.  Props are fickle and Prop People are fickler.

I LOVE that more people see the Flow Art I love and are exposed to it.  Call it BANANA’s Call it Squishy Salty Crap and I will still DO THIS EVERY DAY, All day if I can.

I LOVE that people dislike Fushigi so much.

Makes me work harder to make people understand what it is really about.  It ain’t about a prop, it is about the people.  It is a skill, an art, a lifestyle.

My only issue is that a community I love has become so bitter again. It happens over and over again and I have learned that most HATE what I LOVE and that is okay to me.

As they say ‘Don’t hate the Player hate the Game’ so ‘Don’t hate the Fushigi Artist hate the Crappy Prop Company’

To me the lesson to be learned here is be more accepting of the NOOBs as you all at some point were a NOOB.  It is not the NOOB’s  fault they were tricked it is our fault for being upset at them for no reason.  It is a word and making it so special creates just another F Word.  So go F yourself F Word here and There and F this and F that.  Wait I like Fushigi so why am I not saying it?

Rich Shumaker – Proud to Own and Use FUSHIGI’s(I mean Bananas)

How do you get off this soap box again?