What Would Jimmy Do?

Got a short note from Chris – she wanted to know if movie theaters still used film reels. The question is really do they still use film in movie theaters, and it’s an interesting question. Almost no one uses film to take pictures, or home movies these days – it’s a digital world. If fact, people don’t even take home movies anymore – they’re videos – a term that probably wasn’t even in the dictionary when a lot of our generation was taking “home movies.”

So given that digital technology has already taken over almost all the home entertainment market, one would think that theaters would get rid of film. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of motion pictures continue to be shot and distributed on film, just like they have been for years. Over the years, the film itself and the projection equipment have improved and produce the high quality pictures we see in theaters today.
Digital cameras and projectors are also getting better all the time and probably the biggest boost to the use of digital cinema came from George Lucas when he “filmed” “Star Wars: Episode II, the Attack of the Clones” entirely on digital video. Due to the popularity of the movie, most theaters showed it after it had been transferred to 35-mm film, but a number of theaters played it using digital movie projectors.

Obviously the days of film projection in theaters and even the capturing of the movie itself are numbered – everything will be digital – and fairly soon.
There are lots of advantages to making movies using the new technology – in all aspects of the process, production, distribution and projection. There are also lots of problems or “issues” associated with converting all movies to digital.

Currently film and video have a lot of differences in image quality or clarity, depth of focus and color range, but the biggest difference is frame rate. Film cameras shoot at (typically) 24 frames per second and TV (video) cameras shoot at 30 frames per second – but the big difference is that most video is interlaced (the picture is “printed” by scanning every other line from top to bottom, and it’s scanned again, printing the lines that it left out.) This process is used to reduce “flicker” in the picture. Anyhow, all these factors combine to give video a completely different flavor or look than film. The newer professional video cameras can now shoot at 24 frames per second and can “mimic” film cameras. Things are progressing really fast to make video look just like film..

One of the big expenses in the movie industry is distribution of the film. The movie company has to make many copies of the film (costly) and then spend even more money shipping the heavy reels of film to theaters all over the country or world. If the movie is in digital format, it’s basically just a big computer file that can be written to a DVD, or sent via cable or over a satellite link, so there aren’t any “transportation” costs and it doesn’t cost the company much more to show the movie in 100 theaters than in just one.

Of course digital projectors are getting better all the time too, and now rival the film projectors. One disadvantage of digital projector technology is the fact that individual pixel elements within the projector may become defective and when that happens, it degrades the image of every movie shown on that projector. In the film world, if a film print gets scratched, it’s only that particular print that’s bad – just change the film.

So, the short answer to the question is “yes,” but practically speaking, video or digital is going to essentially replace film -soon. Thats just reality and practicality taking over. Maybe it’s for the best, but old films on reels are considered works of art these days – I wonder if the same content on a DVD will ever be considered to be art…
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Most of you have seen the TV ads that say “there’s an app for that.” Seems like there’s “an app” for almost everything. I was looking at the apps in the iTunes store a few days ago and ran across one called “Confession.” The description of the app contains the phrase, “the perfect aid for every penitent.” I am not making this up. The app costs $1.99 and is “approved by The Roman Catholic Church.”
The app apparently lets you pick a commandment and tick off all your sins associated with that commandment. If your particular sin isn’t listed, you can add your own… I didn’t see any thing that lets you randomly pick sins – I thought that might be handy – maybe in the next update.

It occurs to me that after you tick off a few sins, you might not want to leave your iPhone/iPod lying around – hopefully the app is password protected.
I’ve heard that the Catholics aren’t very progressive, but now with their own app – what will the Catholics think of next? Now you can sin on the go and confess on the go – future confessions will probably sound like, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned, my last confession was yesterday on my iPad.”
I’m thinking that you may see things like iCollectionBox – and – probably be able to use Paypal…

I know I’ve “made sport” of this app a little, but the fact is, it might not be such a bad idea – the church currently uses paper guides and pamphlets for various education programs such as CCD – I think it might be a good idea to provide that information to pre-teens and teens in an e-book or an iPad app.
I’m sure you’ll hear all about separation of church and technology, but who knows – there’s lots of ways to connect to God – maybe the Internet works, too.
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We get an AARP newsletter and I rarely do more than glance at it, but there was an article that caught my eye a few days ago. It talked about how our language is changing and it listed some terms that, beginning now, will actually appear in the new dictionaries that are published. (What with the Internet, I suspect not many people buy dictionaries any more…)

Anyhow, I sort of like some of the new words, like:
automagically – automatic in a way that is magical.
bromance – a close platonic male friendship
catastrophize – to present a situation as worse than it is.
chillax – to calm down and relax.

Of course some of the words aren’t really new – they’re just old words that have taken on a new meaning, like “friend” – one of the new definitions of that word will be, “to add to a list of personal associates on a website.”  And “viral” – which gets the new meaning of, “circulating rapidly on the Internet.”
I’ve heard, and use, some words that weren’t listed, such as:
USian – a citizen or native of the United States of America.
textative – given to text messaging.
whinese – a language  spoken by children or spouses on long road trips.
quadrilemma – a difficult choice among four alternatives.
ebully – one who uses e-mail, blogs, forums, etc. to insult or threaten another person.
flusterpated – a feeling of intense frustration whiled being flustered.

Some words I’ve heard and sometimes use and like, I really don’t have any idea what they mean – of course that doesn’t stop me, I just remain beefuzzled as I send out a big woot to you all….
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Received a HNY greeting and a question from Chris a few days ago:
“Here’s a question 4 u. How did wrapping gifts come to be?”

Well, I turned to the resident expert for help with this one. Claire is one good gift wrapper – the creases and folds are always sharp and fit like they were accomplished with a calculator and T-square. The tape always seems to be invisible – and – they have ribbons and bows, that she usually makes.
On every occasion when I need to wrap gifts, I look at it as a fresh new challenge. I always think I’ll remember the mistakes I made the last time. Over the years I’ve learned a lot of what not to do – not so much as to what to do… In years past, I usually got all the materials together and had a glass or cup or more of eggnog. The end results never seemed to get any better, so I figured it must be the eggnog. After a few years, I switched to wine, but the end results were still disappointing – after I finish, I step back to look at the finished product and **** ####!! What the heck happened? It usually looks like a three year old wrapped it. I’ve kind of solved the problem by using those “gift bags,” but somehow that seems like cheating. However, I’ve recently learned that if you buy your gift from Amazon, it comes already wrapped and ready to give!!! I’m thinking Amazon is going to be getting a lot of my business….

But it seems like I’ve gotten a bit off track here, the question was, “how wrapping gifts came to be?” I guess people have always given gifts – tribal leaders always expected, and received, gifts from their tribesmen as a token of loyalty and love. Over the years, people have given gifts to procure favor(s) – obviously that still happens today. Gifts are given for many reasons: cultural or religious occasions, birthdays, holidays, farewells, good luck, to show love, thank you, welcome and sometimes “just because.”

Anyhow, back to the question – Claire said gifts used to be wrapped in plain tissue paper, but the tissue paper was flimsy and sometimes the paper would fall off or tear before the gift was “opened.” Apparently, history credits Joyce C. Hall, the founder of the Hallmark Company with inventing not only the greeting card, but the wrapping paper used today. The wrapping paper turned out to be a fall-out from the greeting card, so it occurred as an accident, not a real invention.
My own opinion is that like most things in our house, wrapping paper started in China – if my memory serves me correctly, the Chinese invented paper, so that’s were it all started. I think the first wrapping paper that was similar to what we see today, evolved from England, where, in the 1500s, they used wallpaper to wrap gifts.

Whatever – Claire’s gifts will continue to look spectacular and professional, mine will continue to look pathetic. But I’ve always heard it said that, “it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” I think that’s true – not what’s in the box – what’s in the heart of the giver…
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Too often we let special events in the lives of our friends just slip by without remembering them. I know it happens to us a lot.
Today, I just want to remember our friends George and Martha Washington (you may know of them – he was Father of Our Country.) Today would have been their 252nd wedding anniversary.
George and Martha were both 27 years old when they got married on January 6, 1759 in New Kent, Virginia. Martha had been married before – to Daniel Parke Custis – when she was 18. However, Daniel died seven year later; Daniel and Martha had four children. George and Martha did not have any children.
The newly married George and Martha spent their honeymoon in Williamsburg, Virginia. They made a nice couple – happy anniversary to them both.
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Claire has asked me two or three times in the past few days if I’ve made any new year resolutions. I think I answered her with something like, no – but I guess I probably should. Every year, with the beginning of a new calendar, or year, people “resolve” to do, or not do, things in the coming year.
A study done by the University of Washington in 1997 found that 47 percent of the (estimated) 100 million Americans that make resolutions give up their goal(s) after two months. My suspicion is that if the study was done today, that percentage would be much higher.
I guess that the making of resolutions is a cleansing ritual of sorts where one makes an honest self assessment and vows repentance and a desire to do better, and if the intent is to be successful, it demands personal honesty.

The first symbol for the new year wasn’t the “baby” that we usually see, it was Janus – a mythical king of ancient Rome. You may have seen his image more recently used by Janus Insurance/Investment company – Janus is always depicted with two faces – one on the front of his head and one on the back. The Romans believed he was the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. With two faces, he could look forward and backward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

All the places and cultures of the world don’t celebrate New Year’s Day on the same date, but it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year.
So – not being one to break tradition – I decided that I should come up with some resolutions for 2011. This year I decided to be practical and only make resolutions that I have a good chance of keeping.

Here goes – in 2011 I resolve to:
• Watch more TV – it’s very educational (watching more means seeing more of the program before falling asleep…)
• I will never speak or text “LOL” – no matter how funny the joke or story is…
• Draw up a list of people that were nasty to me last year – I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the list – yet…
• I will not tell the same story every time I’m around a group of people…
• I will get a haircut – probably more than once…
• I won’t yell at so many inanimate objects….
• I will always remember to specify that any drive-through order is “to go.”
• I will play more computer games – scientists say they’re good for you and improve your visual skills…
• I will be more imaginative…
• As I do annually, I vow not to tell anyone if I see a UFO….
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Happy New Year to everyone – and happy Fourth to Emily.

She’s four months old today – probably a big party tonight!!!
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Well, here it is time for my annual Christmas blog. Well, ok, maybe not annual, but I fully intended it to be annual – and after all, it’s the thought that counts – right?
Anyhow, every year about this time, everyone gets caught up in the activities that seem to peak between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Obviously, that’s too bad, because that’s not what Christmas is (supposed) to be all about.

I got to thinking about all the Christmases that I can remember – and I’ve been around for quite a few. Some stand out more than others, but I think each one becomes more special than the last.
I remember that when I was small, I thought Christmas would never come, the days leading up to it just dragged and dragged. I couldn’t wait for all those toys that I just knew would be under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. I’m not sure exactly when my idea of Christmas changed and it became something more than about “things.”

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend Christmas many places over the years. A couple of the places might make you cringe and think that those must have been the worst Christmases ever. But not so – as I said before, all were special in their own way. I’ve witnessed and participated in Christmas traditions in some strange places and in some strange ways.

I often hear it said that Christmas is for children – but – it’s for grownup, too. A lot us find ourselves doing a little something extra for someone this time of year. There is something mysterious that happens to most of us around Christmas – we seem to have feelings of joy, good-will, etc. that we don’t most other times. Christmas is magic – and intangible. It seems to weave a spell and even though everyone thinks of it differently, it always becomes a day of remembrance and it increases our courage for the present and hope for the future.

Claire will tell you that I’m not a big fan of messes – and there are a lot of them in the world, but one mess that I don’t mind is the mess created in the living room or family room on Christmas day – it’s pretty cool and I don’t mind if it doesn’t get cleaned up too quickly.
There is no universally ideal Christmas. This will be a great Christmas for us – it’ll be our first with the newest member of our family, Emily. Christmas is personal – but its a good time for all of us to reflect on our values, desires, affections and traditions.

Merry Christmas to all….
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This is usually a busy time of year for everyone, but the newest member of our family, Emily, has been especially busy the past couple of months.

Besides getting used to her new home in Leesburg and settling in with three dogs, she got her first round of shots, made her first trip to West Virginia to see her grandparents, went to her parents favorite Mexican restaurant, had her first sleepover (at our house) while her mom took care of some dog business, started going to the baby sitter while her parents worked, took her first airplane ride to California to see her California grandparents over Thanksgiving, and visited the beach for the first time.
She also got her first (and second) ride in an ambulance  – and scared the jeepers out of everyone – and is now busily charming all the doctors and nurses at Fairfax Hospital. As you can see from the picture, the charming part comes easy.

(UPDATE: Emily is now at home – and especially glad to see Riot, Cisco and Berkeley… and sleep in her own bed.)

I was just thinking that she’s not even four months old and she’s already done things that I didn’t do until I was an adult (or never have done.) I told you she was special!!
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Got a note from Nephew John that read, “Chris is baking Christmas cookies and the question of the day is what came first the chocolate chip or Hershey kiss? I am sure you will need to taste the cookies as well and if there are any left I will make sure she sends you some!”

Well, you’re probably already thinking the same thing I am – IF there are any left doesn’t instill a lot of confidence that I’ll be getting any. Obviously any nephew in awe of his uncle would have said, I’ll be sure that some are on their way to you as soon as they come out of the oven – sigh – it just seems to be all about me with this younger crowd….

Anyhow, he does pose an interesting question and I know the answer without resorting to my extensive research. When Kelly and David were young, we took them to Hershey Park, and I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Hershey’s chocolate, and being a big fan of chocolate chip cookies, I’m very familiar with the history of chocolate chips.
It’s interesting that both of the items asked about are products of names that you still see on the shelves in stores – Hershey and Nestlé.

To go back a ways, the Mayan civilization (at least the rich people) consumed a chocolate drink made from Cacao beans. It wasn’t until 1847 that Joseph Fry discovered a way to create a paste that could be pressed into molds. Until then, people drank chocolate and didn’t “eat” it.
Some people believe that the first chocolate bar was invented by the Cadbury Chocolate Company in England, but probably Joseph Fry did it first.

Anyhow, let’s just say that around about 1847, we had chocolate bars. It wasn’t until 1933 that someone came up with chocolate chip cookies. That someone was Ruth Graves Wakefield that worked in the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Ms. Wakefield took a Nestlé chocolate bar and cut up little chunks, and added it to her cookie dough. Well, needless to say, the cookies were a big hit.
(Ms. Wakefield made an agreement with Nestlé to add her recipe to the wrapper of the chocolate bar in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate.) In 1939 Nestlé started selling the chocolate in chip, or “morsel” form to save people the trouble of chopping up the bars. (You’ve probably already figured out that Toll House cookies were named for the Inn where Ruth worked.)

So what about the Hershey kiss? Hershey introduced the Hershey Kiss in 1907. So the kiss was around more than 30 years before the chocolate chip. Sure seems like someone should have come up with the idea sooner – after all if you sit a kiss and a chip side by side the kiss just looks like a chip on steroids. In fact, I’m guessing that if you used Hershey kisses for chocolate chips and made the cookie proportionally bigger, you’d have a really good thing – probably couldn’t eat more than two or three. Someone once said,there are two kinds of people in the world – those who love chocolate, and communists. That’s probably true, but not important now – I’ll be on the porch waiting for the delivery from Chris and John.
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