April 2008 Archives

Ok, this is ‘A Nerd in 3D’ revisited, well, in a strange way.

I own a device that allows me to make videos in 3D. Not the old fashion, but still loved, anaglyph 3D movies (you know the kind where you need the red and blue glasses) but in glorious field sequential 3D. (You know the kind where you need the electronic shutter lens glasses.)

Anyway, I have a huge pile of tapes of just random stuff that I had shot over the years in 3D and I came across this silly video I did back when Shrek 3D came out on DVD. Now, I don’t have a clue if the compression on YouTube will effect the 3D quality at all (don’t worry you can still watch it in 2D -its just not as fun) and since I am on the road I can not test it out with my 3D equipment. Come to think of it, it would be nice to have a 22” 3D Monitor from iZ3D to view this 3D video clip ….hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more, over at MarketSaw.

So, enjoy this

There is a new 3D movie coming out called 1.8 days, starring Gary Busey and drummer for the band Collective Soul, Will Turpin.

I am not sure what the movie is going to be about but it doesn’t matter with a promotional poster like this one - I am totally sold on this film.

But if you want a plot summary,

Two hustlers, their ex-fiancé, a ruthless crime boss, and a bounty hunter, all intent on killing each other, suddenly find themselves in the middle of an “invasion.” The lifelong enemies must band together to defeat the (what the hell are they!?). They just have to stop fighting each other long enough to survive.

I am going to be here in NYC for a while, working on the horse drawn carriage ban. So, I thought I would introduce a film that was just completed not too long ago, (it should be released soon) that talks about the NYC horse drawn carriage industry. The documentary is called ‘Blinders - The Truth Behind the Tradition.’

I had a chance to screen this documentary and it is amazing because it really takes a deep look into this industry and takes viewers behind the scenes to expose the truth behind the tradition.

I recommend ‘Blinders’ to anyone who wants to know about the horse drawn carriage industry here in NYC.

Here is the trailer.

Yesterday, I arrived back in NYC to join forces with the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States, The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, PETA and several other groups and individuals to put a stop to the abusive ‘tradition’ of the horse-drawn carriage industry.

We have seen for years, it is impossible for any agency to monitor the horses in the carriage industry properly and ensure their health and well-being. No amount of regulation can protect the public from the danger of horses who bolt when they become frightened. New York City has the highest horse-drawn carriage accident rate in the country, and horses suffer lung damage from inhaling exhaust fumes.

According to a NYC comptroller’s audit, which found a litany of problems in the carriage industry, from lax veterinary care to infrequent inspections. The audit also found that the horses were not provided with enough water, were at risk of overheating on hot asphalt and were forced to stand in their own waste because of inadequate drainage.

Vets even say that ‘Lameness and hoof deterioration are inevitable when a horse spends its life walking or jogging on the unnaturally concussive asphalt of city streets’

On Sat, April 27 we held a meeting for locals who are concerned about these horses. At the meeting, Daniel talked about the history of the horse-drawn carriage industry and what people could do to help raise public awareness.

After the meeting, we all went near the hack lines (hack line is where the horses/carriage stand, with no shade, while the driver attempts to grab people to go for a ride.) with posters and post cards for people to sign to voice their concerns about the abusive industry.

It was a very productive day we talked to hundreds of people and they were very supportive of the ban on horse drawn carriage in NYC.

New York City Council Member Tony Avella introduced groundbreaking legislation that would ban the abusive horse-drawn carriage industry in the city. So the time is now for us all to let the city council members know that this cruel and outdated industry needs to end.

If you are in the NYC area and would like to help; please let me know because I will be here in the city working on this issue. (If you do not know how to contact me, please just leave a comment below.)

As you know, I LOVE 3D movies, it does not matter what type of movie it is -just as long as it is 3D.

When I tell people I collect 3D movies and created a home theater just for 3D movies people think I am crazy. Then as we continue to talk -they mention that they have never seen a 3D movie and that is where everything changes.

I invite them over either to watch a 3D movie or take them to the nearest theater, IMAX 3D preferred for the first timer. After the movie, they always ask, “Why isn’t every movie filmed in 3D, that was awesome!!” (I am suddenly no longer the crazy 3D guy.)

When people ask me why isn’t every movie filmed in 3D - I am sadden because I don’t have the answer but then my happiness returns because I remember the HUGE list over at MarketSaw. Jim, the blogger at MarketSaw, keeps his finger on the pulse of the 3D movie industry and has a growing list of all the Upcoming 3D movies. Check out MarketSaw’s Upcoming 3D movie list.

I have always wanted a 3D Youtube style website. Since one does not exist yet. I thought it would be fun to see if anyone is posting 3D videos on YouTube. - Guess what? There are so many and they range from really good to awesome. (You know, awesome like a very bad b-horror movie)

So, I wanted to share with you my Top five most favorite YouTube 3D videos ever! (to fully enjoy these videos you will need 3D glasses - if you need some add a comment below and I will hook you up with some )- and yes, I am sitting in front of my computer wearing 3D glasses.

Let the count down begin!!

NUMBER 5

This video is pretty much all effects, nothing special- I just like how dramatic it is with the music.

NUMBER 4

Ok, this is lame - the user disabled the embedding option for this video -so you will have to visit this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhWip-Hrxe8

The reason this video is in my Top Five is because - when you watch the video, the guy is blowing into a party blow thing (I don’t know what they are called) to create a 3D effect, but he blows into it so much he loses his breath and has a hard time talking. Its great!

NUMBER THREE

NUMBER TWO

NUMBER ONE

Sony Films is opening today, in selected theaters, a new movie called 'Zombie Strippers' - Starring Robert Englund and Jenna Jameson. You have to like a movie that has Robert England, well because he is the star of one of the all time great horror movies, and Jenna Jameson, well, you know why... because after seeing the film 'Earthlings' she has become a voice for the animals.

Anyway, you know this is going to be good chesse-y, please give me my 80 minutes of my life back, type of movie, with the tag line, "They will dance for a fee but devour you for free."

So here is the Synopsis for the film;

Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund and worldwide media sensation Jenna Jameson star in Zombie Strippers. When a secret government agency lets out a deadly chemo virus causing the reanimation of the dead, the first place to get hit is Rhino's, a hot underground strip club. As one of the strippers get the virus, she turns into a supernatural, flesh-eating zombie stripper, making her the hit of the club. Do the rest of the girls fight the temptation to be like the star stripper, even if there is no turning back? Also Roxy Saint (of the Goth band Roxy Saint and the Blackouts) and Ultimate Fighting Champion Tito Ortiz, Zombie Strippers is a sexy, bloody, hilarious good time!

So here is the official trailer - enjoy!

Do not ever let people tell you that you do not have time to do something. I hear people all the time saying, "If I had more time I would do ... (insert something to do here)"

I know- I have found myself saying that exact phrase. In fact, I am sure we all have said it at least once, maybe twice or even an hundred times. I found myself saying it earlier today and I get frustrated when I find myself saying it, because I do not want to use that phrase as an excuse for not doing something. It can become so easy to write the things off with that simple phrase. We only have a short time in this world to spend with our loved ones, seeing the world and meeting new people and there is ALWAYS time for those important things that make our lives so much better.

So in the interests of the old saying, '...Take time to smell the flowers' - I will share with you my past seven days of making time to do...

It was Sunday, April 6th - Mylie and I woke up early and packed up for the day to take a road trip. Our first stop was at Trader Joe's. I will not go into details about Trader Joe's because if you have been reading Psychosomatic Rants you already know how I feel about this place.

Our second stop was at the Williamsburg Winery - This was my first time ever to visit a winery. I am not a huge wine fan, well; I really dislike the taste of wine. I went in hopes to see if the wine I had that was not good or if I really do not like wine. We arrived at the winery, it was cold, cloudy and rainy - a perfect day.

From the Williamsburg Winery website;

The tour includes a video presentation on grape growing (viticulture) and winemaking (oenology), a stroll through the barrel cellar and a visit to the production area. In our museum you will enjoy a collection of unique and rare vintage wine bottles with a grand finale tasting of seven of our wines in an etched wine glass that is yours to take home as a keepsake

Before I go on, it must be noted that you can NOT put Mylie and me in a room with a video presentation. We both find these videos beyond hilarious. To add the odd and very funny videos that tours create is the fact that not everyone who is on the tour with us finds the humor in these videos so out of respect we try to keep our comments and laughter to ourselves. That is very hard for Mylie because she tried to hold in her laughter - her face turning bright red - tears falling from her eyes - her body begins to bounce do to the force of her holding in her laughter. Then as I try not to laugh at her laughing, a clip of the 'wine master' comes on the screen. This person's face was flushed - with rosy cheeks and he begins talking about the art of wine making. It is clear that this wine master is totally drunk in this video. So my laughter kicks in and so here we are Mylie and me in a room of people who think drinking wine is a upper society and very proper both of us trying to hold in our laughter with Mylie making squeaky sounds in-between her laughter that, I think is her saying, "Stop, I cant take it anymore, stop!'

The twelve-minute video is now over, the tour guide enters into the room, and that ends our video presentation of the tour. Now on to the wine making....

At the end of the tour, we had the privilege of tasting seven different wines. It is important to note here - Mylie and I left our house around early morning and at 2:30pm, we started the tour - we had not eaten anything all day. No breakfast, no lunch, we had a couple handful of popcorn and Mylie had some coffee.

So on with the story - The tour guide poured us the first glass of wine while giving us the history of that wine. Then came the second glass, then the third, and then I noticed that Mylie was starting to get a buzz going - I looked at her and she had this HUGE smile on her face and as she looked at me she said, "This is good!" with a little giggle in her voice. I started to laugh and said, 'You are drunk' She said, 'No, I am not - but we can't drive once we are done here.' We reached our seventh glass of wine in a fifteen-minute span and we were feeling pretty good. - I found out that I still do not like wine -but the desert wine is pretty good.

Then we went on to Richmond, VA to eat at Panda Veg - All I need to say here is ALL YOU CAN EAT VEGAN BUFFET!

Fast forward a couple days later....

I found myself hanging out at horse sanctuaries - way out in the middle of nowhere. (I am sure it is somewhere for the people who live there)

I spent the rest of the week grooming horses and learning about their individual stories. Some were rescued from horse tracks, from PMU farms, carriage horses, and from slaughter.

Spending time at these horse sanctuaries was amazing. I learned so much about these wonderful animals and how horrible the horse 'industry' can be - for example, the horse drawn carriages in NYC are sold to slaughter instead of being retired after a life of hard and miserable lives pulling people through the crowded streets of NYC.

Now it is 11:25pm on Saturday April 12, 2008 and I am standing looking out my window at the city below and asking myself - "What will I make time for, tomorrow?"

Yes, Zombie Popcorn TV is back and better than ever.

You can view ZP TV at anytime by going to the 'Page' section to your right and click 'Zombie Popcorn TV Player' There are several videos up already and I am going to be loading several more over the next couple of days. I am also working on more content, so if you have any suggestions, comments, or if you want to work on a video together- Feel free to let me know. Hope you enjoy the re-birth of Zombie Popcorn TV!

Ok, maybe not taste it - I don't think I want to encourage people licking their screens.

I have been working on giving Psychosomatic Rants a new look and feel.  I received several comments over the past year that  it was hard for people to find  older  posts on  here.  So, I changed the navigation  - now you will be able to find a post via, comments, month, author, date,  and archive index. Also, the trackback links are in full working order - I know we had issues with them in the past.

So here it is - I hope you enjoy the new look and feel. If you have suggestions, comments, or problems please let me know.

Before I go, a fellow blogger over at Heathens Online - is thinking about attending Ringling Bros and is leaving it up to their readers to help them decide on if they should go or not.  So please go over and leave nice comments about why they should not attend animal circuses.

Thanks!