Author Archives: DanW

Digital Movie Barn

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I’ve been out for a round of vacuous movies to kick off the Summer season. It’s not like it was under duress, strapped into a chair with hooks holding my eyelids open. I just realized I didn’t have a higher cause to champion than to endure my failed suspension of disbelief, and I do it every May after a long, dreary Winter (still underway in Utah). Just so I won’t offend anyone who likes shameless merchandising and tastelessly showy CGI spectacles I won’t mention any names (it’s all of them anyway). I went to see one of these movies at Thanksgiving Point, the same place I saw Morrissey and the goat petting zoo. Once the movie got to be too much, and I couldn’t sneak out because I was with a friend, I began to focus on the sound system and on the quality of the projection on the screen. It was a remarkable revelation to me that the “cigarette burn” marks for celluloid reels were absent. The color white looked like it was projecting sharply from the screen instead of diffusely reflecting, and the sound was pristine and clean. Who knew a movie theater next to a barn would have made the leap to digital projection and sound? The next movie I went to was doubly unbearable because the picture and sound were as muddy as the story telling. Continue reading →

Stalking 80’s Bands

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So my campaign to rattle the walls upstairs from me is not winning out. I didn’t exactly get the giant sub woofer I dreamed of (damned conscience). In truth I got pretty much the smallest speakers at the snooty stereo shop; you have to be enormously confident with yourself if you walk out of those places without spending at least a house down payment. I got a pair of B&W “baby” speakers (thanks for the boost of confidence =P ) that have no trouble filling out my TV room. These speakers have an artillery gun bore cut into the back to pump out very sufficient thump thump for upstairs. I could get a separate sub woofer but that’s going to be where I cross the line into petty spitefulness. I’m obviously not there already, right? Continue reading →

Good Grief

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I believe I can make a difference outside of my four walls; so much good within my reach. I’m on the mailing list for ONE.org to stop kicking poor nations while they’re down. I live 3 blocks away from the local Food & Care Coalition. I tip generously if they don’t scowl and mutilate voodoo dolls in front of me at restaurants. I refrain from flashing the international “You’re number .1.” hand signal on the freeway when just edging behind and clipping the corner of their bumper will do. I cheer up my neighbor dog because he obviously doesn’t get much love. And I’m now sharing just the thumping bass register of my new stereo with my upstairs neighbor. Continue reading →

Refrigerator Sized Subwoofer for My Neighbor

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It turns out my best writing comes from being spontaneous. Whenever I set out to follow an agenda I end up feeling like when the bright lights come up after last call. Now I weigh this against the entire reason why I pay webhosting fees and pull myself together for DIY writing therapy sessions. Certain compelling themes well up in my mind to the point that I want to rave like a lunatic in some public place, shouting about the about the apocalypse (as it relates to whiny fake punk emo bands). I have a lot more fun surprising myself with where I end up rather than boring myself with things like planning and rational thought. Continue reading →

“It’s All The Same Thing”

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If I were a kid today I’d probably be wearing bell bottoms and singing “Tom Sawyer”. The shameful truth is that’s what I did when I was about 13. Too bad I was about 5 years behind that trend, so I’m pretty much ruined to this day. There’s still the chance for me to be cool today if I step out on the streets of Provo confounding all the kids with dyed and ratted black hair, skinny jeans, and tickets to see Hannah Montana. One day I realized all we do in pop culture is rebel against whatever gets passed on to us. There are only so many (3 or 4) wild departures we can take, so in effect we cycle through a pretty limited set of variations: long hair, skinny ties, kempt, unkempt, smelly, hygienic. I hold my breath waiting for the foul trends to phase into the decent ones. Continue reading →