Dear NBC

Submitted to NBC via an online form on their website.

Subject: I don't watch television.

It's a pity NBC has decided to go out on its own about downloadable content. I don't watch television, so as an extreme minority in the United States, I doubt that NBC will even remotely care my opinion on the subject. However, I will extend a warning. You will fail.

I hope you have tons of people policing web video services like google video, you tube, and however hundred others there are right now. Because I bet I'll be able to see whatever content you want me to waste my money buying from you (Ads included) when I could watch it the next day on YouTube for free. Hell, I can watch all of "Farenheit 9/11" online for free.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that you're adding ads to your downloads on NBC Direct... it's the fact that you started NBC Direct.

ITunes is the closest anyone's come to a la carte television. But perhaps the problem you're facing is that if you stayed with ITunes you'd have to work harder to create good content that people will buy a la carte. Perhaps it's easier to stumble on a winning show than to plan one? Well, get used to it. For the most part television sucks... and there's an abundance of suck.

NBC should be excited! Finally, they don't have to come up with ways to fill their air time and what time to play what.... they have to figure out what customers want to buy directly. I'm guessing that's a lot less risk when giving tv shows a prime-time slot. Here's a nugget for you. Use ITunes as your pre-tv buzz. You've got pilots of shows you've got to decide whether to put on your network... so you get a two show pilot, make one free, make the second half a 99 cent download. You can create buzz for possible shows, some revenue from stuff you may never show on the network, and you have a testing ground for your content.

In the end though, I'm not going to spend my time network website hopping to buy and download tv shows. I'm going to go to a one stop shop. Why should I spend $120 a month on 120 stations? I'll spend $40 for a season pass to a show.

So until I can buy good content on iTunes again, you might as well not be producing anything.

Not Your Usual Bottled Water Commercials...

Advice to live by, I think.

Making a Movie Theater

Let us say... hypothetically... what if "Films at the Sedgwick" were to be not at the Sedgwick?

What if instead, let us say... it was in there?

No... it's not an old theater... it is an old bank. I don't know if I'll say more than that.
I'm seriously looking to start a career in film presentation, and my initial thought was: "I'll revive a sad old movie theater right around the corner from my house! Then I'll be so happy with myself and the community will be excited about that 'ole empty thing running again. So I've been working on my business plan, I'm meeting with a SBDC advisor, and I've been reading (quite thoroughly) the Moxie Cinema's Blog.

For one, I've done a lot of research over the last three years, so I knew it wouldn't be enough to have enthusiasm for the project. I had to know what I was getting myself into... When I stumbled on the Moxie website last week, I knew I'd found a way to see what I'm getting myself into- to test my nerve, flex my brain muscles, and batten down the hatches.

So what am I getting myself into? If it's anything like the Moxie ride that Dan and Nicole went on, then it's going to be bumpy... and when it's all over, it will be a lot of work.

So if 23-year-olds can start their own movie theater or shoot Citizen Kane, then why don't I do it then. Because I'm 5 years late? Because Citizen Kane was finished long ago? Because I'm a thinker more than a doer?

all good points.

The American Look (1958) and Archive.org

When I first saw "The American Look" on the Prelinger Archives at archive.org, I said to myself... "man it's a pity this is in three parts." So I downloaded them, recombined the pieces - there. That's nice.

"I bet people would like to see this..." I said to myself. I searched around on Google video and discovered that people were reposting the film already, but in three pieces. "Darn shame," I thought. So, I uploaded the film in its entirety.

This film was beautifully executed... the designs I liked, and the "American look" is popular again after 50 Years.

And so, I sat down and wrote a little blurb about the film. This is how I described it:

A Tribute to the Men and Women, Who Design. A beautiful film highlighting the importance in America of design and aesthetics in every day items. It is interesting to see that this style, and the aesthetic of 1958 is returning to our modern lives... but we're not buying American anymore... we're buying Ikea.

What's funny though is that uploading it seemed to have great timing.

Since posting the film online the film has been viewed 83,104 times. It's rated four and a half stars on Google Video. Now, it's no "The Landlord" or a Panda Sneezing, but honestly, I'm surprised by the numbers. I still get questions about whether they can get American Look from me on DVD. (You can if you like... I authored one - but it is free to download from archive.org in three parts as DVD quality mpeg2s. Part I, Part II, Part III)

A couple weeks later, I discovered it was getting a fair amount notice in the Blog-o-sphere. I couldn't help but feel a but unnoticed. And then I thought, what does Rick Prelinger feel? His work, his collection of public domain films is there for people to re-discover, re-distribute, and re-use.

So when you sit down to enjoy this and other great old films remember that without the collectors, this history is lost. Many thanks to Rick Prelinger and all the good folks at archive.org for their work to preserve these pieces of our history.

What am I doing here?

I... I'm blogging. I'm back posting. How odd. I thought I'd gotten that out of my system, and yet here I am.

Well good luck to me then. I can't imagine what on Earth I'm thinking I'll do here. I don't have a concept or subject to be writing about. Perhaps it will just come to me in a day-dream.

-Dave Titus