Author: thad

Disconnect

2012-10-10, 9:12 pm
Categories: Stream of Consciousness, Work

If you've ever been laid off, you've probably experienced this: they tell you that your services are no longer required, and then pile a shitload of extra work on you.

The week ending 9/28, I imaged 25 computers and shipped 36. This week I've imaged 42 and shipped 56, and it's only Wednesday. And that's just the upgrades; that doesn't even include the new hires -- because in the immediate aftermath of being told the company can't afford to hire me, of course I am immediately inundated with a bunch of shipping requests for all the new people they're hiring.

Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. But as I've said before, in the absence of promotion (or even continued work) as an incentive, there's still professional pride and loyalty to the guys I work with. They're not the ones who made the call to lay me off, and they're the ones who are going to have to do my job on top of their own in a couple of weeks. I may as well make that transition as smooth as possible for them.

Plus, if we do huge numbers my last few weeks here and then they suddenly start to fall behind as soon as I'm gone, well, then I've left a handy chart they can show the bean-counters, in the language bean-counters understand best.

Roelof Kiers Documentary, Part 3

2012-10-09, 10:30 pm
Categories: Music, Politics, TV

Still NSFW, for drug references, lady butt, and more open, not-altogether-pretty discussion of rock musicians' sex lives.

But I find the discussion of bloodless revolution far more interesting.

Jobsearchin'

2012-10-09, 9:27 pm
Categories: Stream of Consciousness, Work

You know, it feels different this time.

The last long-term contract I had ended in 2010 and was followed by three months' unemployment (aside from a few freelance Web assignments).

This time I've already had an interview. Haven't heard back from them (they never call when they say they will -- you know, I've often made the unflattering comparison between looking for work and trying to meet women, and I'm afraid it's once again apt here) but I think it went pretty well.

And today I got a cold call. Well, a bulk E-Mail, at any rate. Only for a three-day job, and it steps on the last few hours of my current contract, but I think I can make it work.

Good pay for three days; obviously I'd rather get something longer-term, but it beats the hell out of unemployment.

Seriously, unemployment sucks; I very much hope to avoid it. We'll see...

Roelof Kiers Documentary, Part 2

2012-10-08, 9:44 pm
Categories: Music, TV

More on Frank's influences, Call Any Vegetable, and some time with the family and the GTO's. There's a naked baby Dweezil, in case that's something you're concerned about, and Miss Lucy's frank discussion of being a groupie lands this pretty squarely in NSFW territory.

Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka

2012-10-08, 8:42 pm
Categories: Cartoons, Comics, Stream of Consciousness, TV

Another old Who review. Originally posted Bronto, 2008-07-11. This is about Scream of the Shalka, starring Richard E Grant -- which is timely, as Grant's set to show up in this year's Christmas special.

Scream of the Shalka is an animated Webcast from '03 that was originally intended to serve as a pilot for a new series.

All in all, the biggest weakness is Richard E Grant's Doctor: bluntly, he's a prick. He's got all of Eccleston's sarcasm and condescension, with none of his whimsy or manic energy.

Now, there's a reason the Doctor is a prick, it's just not a very good or interesting one. The canonical #9 and #10 have done the "guilt and isolation" schtick too, but much better; the Doctor covering up his personal pain with constant wackiness is much more enjoyable than covering it up by simply insulting everyone and brooding all the time.

The most interesting element of the series is the robotic Master -- one of very few hints that Grant's Doctor has a sense of humor, and the only thread I would have liked to see developed had this made it to series. (The one brief nod on the current series: Derek Jacobi appearing as the Master in Utopia.) The serial's writer, Paul Cornell, would go on to use a similar idea years later in his Action Comics run, starring Lex Luthor and a robotic Lois Lane.

Aside from that, it's a generic alien invasion plot. The animation is serviceable -- and, since it's properly-done Flash, vector graphics and all, looks great on an HDTV -- but very low-budget; it would definitely look at home alongside any number of current cartoons on Nickelodeon or CN. Animations are simple, backgrounds are practically nonexistent (but lots of Kirby dots!). The animators' later attempts (the missing eps in The Invasion and The Infinite Quest) look a good deal better.

Anyway. It's worth checking out; the price is right. And I'd like to see more animated Who (either new stuff or more Invasion-style fill-ins of missing episodes). But ultimately, it's like the '96 movie: it's an interesting "What-If" for a series that never was, but the one we got instead is much better.

Roelof Kiers Documentary, Part 1

2012-10-07, 9:22 pm
Categories: Music, TV

A Dutch documentary from 1971. In this segment, Zappa talks about being a juvenile delinquent, becoming interested in R&B guitar, and being influenced by Edgard Varèse.

Live In-Person Replication of Freeze-Dried Material -> Milli Vanilli-ism

2012-10-05, 11:32 pm
Categories: Music

You know who knows how to put on a concert that doesn't sound like an album? Bob Dylan. I've seen him a couple times -- you can't even sing along; even if you know the lyrics he completely changes the rhythm and phrasing. (And yes there is an easy joke in there somewhere about not being able to understand Dylan's lyrics. But even if you do!)

You've probably noticed by now that Frank's concert arrangements were not the same as the album arrangements -- and that's without even getting into improvisation.

I never got to see Frank live; he died when I was 11 years old. But I've seen Zappa Plays Zappa some 3 or 4 times, and it's fucking delightful how different it is from what's on Frank's albums. (There are plenty of examples but the one that jumps out at me is Dirty Love -- maybe 3, 4 years ago? Woo woo!)

Can't imagine why anyone would go to a fucking concert to duplicate the experience of listening to a recording. I want to be surprised and delighted.

As One Door Closes

2012-10-05, 10:17 pm
Categories: Stream of Consciousness, Work

Today was the celebration for the end of the project I'm on.

I'll be honest -- I wasn't terribly in the mood for celebration. The thing we were celebrating is the same thing that means I will be filling out an unemployment form two weeks from now.

(That's a little glib. My temp agency has, once again, stepped up; I've already had an interview and even if that doesn't work out they told me they've got another bite. Still and all, the point is that with the project over I've got my walking papers, wherever I may be walking to.)

The boss took us out to lunch. And one of the help desk guys asked me, "So what's next for Thad?"

This is exactly the kind of thing that I would have assumed would upset or depress me -- people actually acknowledging that yeah my days here are numbered. (Ten.)

But it didn't. The way he said it -- friendly, upbeat. Optimistic. Just the assumption in his phrasing -- there is something that's next for Thad.

And that cheered me right the fuck up. After that my day wasn't such a downer.

And then we went and raced go-karts.

Powdered Toastman

2012-10-04, 9:54 pm
Categories: Cartoons, Stream of Consciousness, TV

Featuring Frank Zappa as the Pope.

Ren & Stimpy is available for purchase or streaming at Amazon, or on Netflix. Contrary to the title of the DVD set, the episodes are not uncut; most notably the entire Bloody Head Fairy sequence is missing from Haunted House. This episode, however, is intact and is not the cut-up version shown on Nickelodeon.

(I'm not sure about the streaming versions but have no reason to think they'd be any different from the DVD release.)

Anyway. Zappa loved oddball cartoons, so he fits right in here.

And I'm sure one of these days I'll get to Duckman...