Video: Thank You!
Thanks to everyone who wished me well on my birthday!
Three of my friends really made my 31st birthday extra special. John David and his boyfriend took me to Nobu 57 for dinner and Tiger Kitten took me to see Boeing Boeing on Broadway.
Video: Subway Searches
Tonight, the police offered me the opportunity to waive my constitutional rights and submit to a search of my property. I declined and was subsequently denied access to the subway and threatened with arrest if I entered the subway afterward.
Needless to say, I had to get into the subway to get home. But I am outraged by the very notion of a random search. This is not a police state! We have rights! We do not have to stand for this!
Apologies to any low enforcement people out there who aren't petty little tyrants taking their fear of being a victim out on the citizenry. I know you all aren't that way, but you know full well that many of you are exactly that.
1Brenda Lee Johnson would be very pleased with this video, and not in a way that bodes well for you. I'm not expressing a legal opinion on the matter, because that would not be legal in my state or yours, but just speaking personally, if I were you, I'd edit out that bit where you tell everyone how you managed to get home after refusing to consent to the search. Like Prof. Duane said in his lecture, anything you say can be used against you. Even things you say in YouTube! video films on the Interwebs.
Unfortunately for everyone, the Constitution no longer protects people against this kind of search. Think about the last time you flew on an airplane, and remember how the search to which they subjected you then was far more invasive and not really as optional as they said it was than the subway searches. The 4th Amendment, like all Constitutional provisions interpreted outside the philosophy out of which they were crafted, is now obsolete, in that today it cannot function the way it was intended. Because a critical component is missing - a philosophy of individual rights and a government dedicated to their preservation. Without this essential component, the text of the 4th Amendment (and, indeed, the whole Constitution) gets repurposed by the courts, in a fruitless effort to preserve its usefulness, to mean whatever is most expedient under the prevailing philosophy. Thus, if the 4th Amendment tolerates airport searches, it surely tolerates subway searches.
It should not be this way. The 4th Amendment ought to be interpreted, not as the Founders intended, but rather as an integral part of a government based on a rational philosophy and dedicated to the preservation of (actual) individual rights. (The fact that the Founders may have intended just that is irrelevant to how the Constitution should be interpreted. Originalism of all kinds is unsound.) But even the most carefully crafted law is not an effective long-term bulwark against irrational philosophy. No law can protect individual rights from a philosophical revolution opposed to individual rights.
It is philosophy, not the Constitution, to which we must turn in order to put an end to this bullshit.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at September 04, 2008 11:30 PM (cpIKH)
For a long time I used to cringe at someone saying "I hate the police" followed by whatever their grievance was. I always thought it was an unfair generalization. But, over the years, I've come to the same conclusion: Screw the pigs.
I can't go 24 hours without hearing some horror story about the police. It's quite upsetting. I have my own stories as well. So does my brother, my girlfriend, my father....
I think you're right that wanting to be a cop often stems from an unstable mentality (bullied as a kid, *was* the bully as a kid--whatever). Although this clearly isn't always the case, it seems to be so quite often.
Although, Qwertz is probably right. I would be wary about what you say in a video. I don't trust anyone enough to even be mildly brazen about any law I've skirted.
Posted by: Matt F. at September 05, 2008 01:56 AM (16nUt)
3
"Security theatre" I believe is the term for this bullshit. Real security would not randomly search people because it would look at the most likely vulnerabilities of a situation and focus resources on those vulnerabilities. I don't think policy makers are smart enough to have sinister motive for this baloney.
There is no reason to sacrifice our 4th Amendment right against unwarranted searches for security. If there is a realistic threat from some individuals there should be evidence to obtain a warrant.
Kudos for refusing to adhere to this baloney.
Posted by: Andrew Baker at September 05, 2008 03:25 AM (/Pip3)
I considered reshooting the video or editing out how I got home last night, but decided against it. If the police want to arrest me for riding in the subway after declining a search, they may do every day of the week from here forward. I rode the subway on the way to work this morning. I will ride the subway on the way home. I will ride the subway tomorrow a couple of times -- maybe more -- and I will probably ride the subway on Sunday, too.
I also jay walk. When I drive, I frequently speed. One need not look far to catch me in the middle of some petty crime.
Posted by: Flibbert at September 05, 2008 07:20 AM (ErOeR)
Video: Dinner at Nobu 57
For my dinner, my best friend and his boyfriend took me to Nobu 57 for my birthday. It was fantastic! I love that restaurant. The food is great and the service rocks.
Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't great for a video and I haven't figured out how to turn the light on in my camera, so this is pretty much a mess.
Probably an irrelevant point but wasn't it the clones who survived while the original would drown to death in the Prestige? So it could be more like suicide and not murder.
Never understood the hubbub over cloning. As you mentioned identical twins are clones yet their existence has failed to create an ethical crisis for millennia. I suspect that it is just luddites who dislike cloning despite the fact that agriculture has been doing it for a long time.
Posted by: Andrew Baker at September 04, 2008 11:13 AM (/Pip3)
3
You know, in The Prestige, I'm really not sure. He seemed to think his hat remained unmoved, but because the physics of that trick are really unknown, it's impossible to distinguish. Even so, whoever fell into the water and drowned didn't seem very pleased about it, so I am against it.
Posted by: Flibbert at September 04, 2008 12:55 PM (ErOeR)
4
I guess it would be like a cell after mitosis. Which one is the original or copy? Both. So his action should be classified as a murder suicide. Contradictory crime at its worst.
Posted by: Andrew Baker at September 04, 2008 02:58 PM (/Pip3)
5
That movie always irritated me very much due to the issue of personal identity, because there is no continuity of self-awareness between the one who dies and his clone. The clone might be an exact copy of the original with mental content and all, but it is not the original. The original and his self-awareness are extinguished. And the clone is another physically separate person, though identical in terms of content, with his own self-awareness. Consciousness is inseparably tied to one specific body (or, more precisely, one specific brain). It cannot be transferred to another one. So doing that "magic" trick with clones and all is simply crazy... in effect he does indeed kill himself.
Posted by: Sascha Settegast at September 04, 2008 06:43 PM (7Sf1X)
6
The movie irritated me because it has no real theme. It was like watching the The Twilight Zone with a plot twist but without a moral point. I wasn't upset or elated with the outcome because it seemed like a bunch of people behaving bizarrely until it became destructive and the show ended. At least if I didn't like the lesson of The Twilight Zone episode there was some to point to the episode.
Posted by: Andrew Baker at September 04, 2008 07:42 PM (/Pip3)
7
Oh, I enjoyed that movie a lot. I was delighted to be so surprised at the very end.
And there was a theme: it was about the spiritual decay of the two characters wrought by their obsession with beating one another at creating illusions. It had the all the philosophical depth, I think, of a detective story a la Law & Order, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Posted by: Flibbert at September 04, 2008 08:18 PM (ErOeR)
8
I liked the movie, it was quite entertaining. Just the end was a bit shocking to me, not in regard to the movie's theme, but in regard to what it means for a person cloning himself and then drowning in a watertank. Maybe I am a bit too much in love with being conscious.
Posted by: Sascha Settegast at September 05, 2008 06:11 AM (/+rOU)
9
See? You learned a valuable lesson, then: If you find yourself competing with a man who has a secret, identical twin for the best magic trick ever, do not compete with tricks where a secret, identical twin would come in handy or else you may find yourself driven nearly insane and utterly morally depraved to the point of routinely committing murder/suicide for the price of tickets.
And just being hot like Hugh Jackman can't bring you back from that.
Ok. It just occurred to me: why didn't Hugh Jackman clone himself just once and then he'd have a twin for doing magic tricks, too?
Posted by: Flibbert at September 05, 2008 07:33 AM (ErOeR)
Posted by: Andrew Baker at September 05, 2008 04:57 PM (/Pip3)
11
heh heh heh... I actually think it was for a couple of reasons:
1) His moral/philosophical degradation was complete that he no longer saw any value in life when it meant not having magic tricks as good as Christian Bale's.
2) He looked in the mirror and saw that more Hugh Jackman in the world was better than less even if it was in the form of drowned, bloated corpses.
Posted by: Flibbert at September 06, 2008 12:51 AM (xzhy1)
Posted by: colin at August 11, 2008 08:49 PM (WjXmd)
3
You know, I don't much like ferns, at least not the typical Boston types. But there are a zillion different kinds of fern, so I suppose if I saw one I liked, I'd get it.
Posted by: Flibbert at August 11, 2008 09:31 PM (xzhy1)
1
I recommend the movie _Tell No One_.. A French adaptation of the Harlen Coben book..
Posted by: colin at August 07, 2008 08:33 PM (WjXmd)
2
It seems Brett Favre is headed your way to play for the New York Jets. Do you think he'll purchase a Manhattan apartment? Or will he live closer to the stadium. I'm sure life will be much different for him than in Green Bay, Wisconsin or Mississippi.
Posted by: colin at August 07, 2008 08:55 PM (WjXmd)
3
He'll likely purchase a place in Manhattan. I hope it's a place with a good view from the bushes outside because that's where I will be camping.
Posted by: Flibbert at August 07, 2008 08:57 PM (xzhy1)
Update: Here are the questions I answer in this video:
3. You mentioned you had a knack for languages? What languages other than English do you speak? Do you like to travel? Have you traveled much abroad? What stamps do you have in your passport.
4. How do you spend a typical weekend?
6. Are you right or left handed? Have you ever dated someone who was the opposite handed than you?
7. Did you pass your on the road driver's test on the first try?
I know just enough Japanese to get myself into trouble. And my German extends only to the lyrics of Petula Clark's Downtown, which she recorded in a number of languages, including German. That one's always fun on karaoke night.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at June 22, 2008 05:50 PM (oXrE3)
2
oh my, I went away for the weekend and I come back to tons of new posts!
We still need to know about your travels and your passport stamps! "Do you like to travel? Have you traveled much abroad? What stamps do you have in your passport."
When I was in college, my friends and I came up with the idea that it would be a good idea to date someone of the opposite handedness if you were keen on holding hands in public. You could both hold hands with your non-dominant hand and have your dominant hand free for other things------like holding icecream cones or cans of soda!
Posted by: colin at June 22, 2008 07:42 PM (0xtkQ)
3
Ummm... I guess it would be good for those things. There are some other very enjoyable things that it would be good for, too.
I'll show you my passport another time.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 23, 2008 12:04 AM (NhUx4)
I thought that was you I saw on TV the other night.I was channel surfing and didn’t realize I had paused on the Tonys.I wondered if I was watching some kind of Inuit Awards Show.When you didn’t get the prize for best Igloo, I got bored are changed the station.
Posted by: Tiberius at June 16, 2008 10:12 PM (6ruqX)
4
I know now that you are both lying AND you didn't watch my video because I've had a haircut and there are no "scraggly hairs" that might lead you to erroneously think I'm an Eskimo without a home.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 17, 2008 03:44 PM (ErOeR)
5
Andrew Baker, I certainly don't TELL the other gays that I don't like musicals. They would totally shun me and not allow me to arrange flowers, dress myself, or talk with a lisp.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 17, 2008 03:47 PM (ErOeR)
Video: Police in Astoria
Last night, I worked late and when I came up out of the subway here in Astoria, the police were all over the place. There were cars blocking intersections, a paddy wagon stopped in the street, and a helicopter hovering overhead with a search light.
It was very noisy.
I still don't know what was going on, but I haven't really looked either.
Video: Boobularity
Diana makes a good point in comments below. I generally assume that my blog is unknown to my coworkers, but that's not exactly a safe assumption, so I've removed the video just in case.
1
If my team leader happened to take a picture of me at an office party that maybe, due to the unusually bright light, perhaps showed the outline of a nipple, my response would be something along the lines of "Meh. Whatever." It's just a nipple, not something really embarrassing, like visibly failing to wear undies upon extracting oneself from a vehicle or flashing a tattoo of Hillary Clinton.
However, if he discussed the matter with numerous friends over the weekend, then posted a video detailing the whole story, I'd be totally mortified, even if I was never named.
Posted by: Diana Hsieh at June 08, 2008 08:17 PM (gaJNQ)
1
Did you wake up your roommates while making the video? Are there rooms nearby?
Posted by: colin at June 07, 2008 07:46 AM (y/jFo)
2
I actually made that video Thursday night around 8. I only just got it uploaded to YouTube last night.
One of my roommates was playing Guitar Hero in the next room with his boyfriend and the other one was at work. My room is on one end of the apartment, next to the living room, while my roommate's rooms are next to one another at the other end of the apartment. So, there's little risk that I would wake them up making videos.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 07, 2008 09:06 AM (vHVEb)
3
Sounds like an everyday ride on MUNI. Now, seeing you on the train would be nice.
Posted by: WillySF at June 07, 2008 05:48 PM (k8goc)
4
Does your roommates' noise in the living room ever keep you up? Are all three of you gay?
Posted by: colin at June 07, 2008 09:10 PM (0xtkQ)
5
My roommates have only ever woken me up once and I was already running a fever and not sleeping well. Ordinarily, I am a very heavy sleeper and sleep through everything. My room faces a big street and it's over a bar, so there is a lot of noise in my room. But I don't usually mind.
Yes, we're all three gay.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 07, 2008 11:52 PM (vHVEb)
6
Yes, Flib, I got the reference. That's two British comedy references in short order. Are you going to throw down some Fawlty Towers next, or perhaps Red Dwarf or Yes Minister? All good stuff.
As for the train - Ha! (You really sold that story, too, with your expression) I'm picturing that one scene from Men in Black where they comment on NYC's weirdness and the two people on the tandem bicycle ride by covered in Christmas lights.
Posted by: Inspector at June 08, 2008 08:22 AM (1R0xM)
7
Does your apartment have air conditioning? If so, is it a window unit or central air? My roommate from university lived in New York when he went to medical school and I was surprised at the number of un airconditioned units in the city. That was 6 or so years ago though.
Posted by: colin at June 08, 2008 10:09 AM (0xtkQ)
8
I was going to go for "Are you being served?" next.
We have window units in our apartment. I am also very surprised by the lack of central air conditioning here in NYC, but there are a lot of stuffy people here who like old buildings. I attribute this stagnation to the rapid ideological decline in politics, particularly with regard to economic policy, seen since the turn of the century, which seem to have accelerated after WWII.
Anyway, air conditioning in residential flats is rare except in the newest construction.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 08, 2008 10:26 AM (vHVEb)
Things you can see on the same subway car while only in New York City:
-Blind guy playing Godfather theme on a mouthorgan
-Guy wearing Andy Warhol hat as well as matching leopard-print vest and footwear
-Queeny Homeless Eskimo
"Oh! these are the people in your neighborhood… in your neighborhood… in your nay - ber - hood.Oh! these are the people that you meet, while you’re walking down the street… in your nay - ber - hood."
Posted by: Tiberius at June 11, 2008 10:39 PM (5/jj5)
11
No, the guy without a shirt on had very short hair. He didn't look like a homeless eskimo at all.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 12, 2008 07:28 AM (ErOeR)
12
I was talking about YOU, you scraggly-haired fry-cook!
Posted by: Tiberius at June 12, 2008 10:23 AM (zm/aP)
Posted by: Flibbert at June 04, 2008 12:29 PM (ErOeR)
3
For years, we've been taking you to places like this and showing you the heartbreak, the homeless Eskimos whose only mistake was being born without a proper igloo. 27 died last night, but dozens more lived because of sponsors who made a difference in their lives, and sometimes actually saved them.
We know you've thought about it. Put it on a nice to-do list but somehow never got around to it even though the phone's right there and the call's free. Maybe it kind of gets lost in how busy you are. Maybe you're just taking your time. But Flibbertchuk and his friends don't have 'til the twelfth of never. They need you today, and you're not busy right this moment, so why not now?
It's not the 80 cents a day, is it? Sponsoring an Eskimo: giving him clean snow, blocks of ice, a proper haircut, and finally a home that's slightly less cold inside than out here in the frozen wasteland. It's the best thing that can happen to three quarters and a nickel. So why not now?
And you don't have to worry about the Christian Eskimo Fund. Eighty cents of every dollar that comes in goes right out to help these poor, scraggly, natives of the North. We are one of America's oldest and most trusted Eskimo sponsorship charities. For over two and a half years, we've helped people like you get together with Eskimos who need someone like you. So why not now? Call now and we'll send you a picture of a freezing, homeless Eskimo who needs you.
Posted by: Qwertz at June 04, 2008 07:25 PM (oXrE3)
And when I throw pottery, I like the wheel to rotate counter-clockwise.
I live life on the edge. A rebel!
Posted by: Flibbert at June 04, 2008 10:28 PM (ErOeR)
10
Do you have a regular barber or do you go to a Cost Cutters type place?
Posted by: colin at June 05, 2008 07:06 PM (0xtkQ)
11
No, I do not go to Cost Cutters or any place like that, but it is on the lower end of mid-range salons. It's called Shears, Hustle, and Blow and my hair cutter's name is Massimo.
I used to go to a salon that was on the higher end of the mid-range salons, but $52 without tip for a rather simple haircut is extreme for me. As it is, I still pay almost $40 for a haircut without tip.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 05, 2008 08:19 PM (ru7wW)
12
I have never really took notice of your hairstyle or what degree of facial hair you have. But I will say you have symetry to your face.
Which is to say that you are classicly handsome, and that's a good thing.
Which neighborhoods of New York City would you most like to live in and what do you like about them? While visiting I've often thought that the UWS or Brooklyn Heights would be nice areas to live if I had enough money. They typically seem quite clean and at least the UWS has some very nice grocery stores.
you repeated yourself a lot too. and aside from HK, you mentioned you prefer UWS and Chelsea... i was totally confused, lol. the constant moving didnt help. it almost felt like cloverfield's sequel
Posted by: roberto M at June 02, 2008 11:17 AM (OquT/)
I Live Near Vampires
I made this video a couple of weeks ago and never posted it. It's kind of dumb, but here it is anyway!
When I first moved into my apartment and saw the sign for "Most
Precious Blood" I immediately imagined that I was moving in next to
some particularly shameless vampires. It turns out that I was just
moving in next to some noisy zombie worshipers.
Colin's Question #10
I know Colin is anxious to see me answer some of his questions, so instead of saving them all up and posting them mid-week, I figure I'll go ahead and post a couple.
Here's #10!
Do you have to shave your face daily or with such light coloured hair can you go a few days? Do you use a blade or electric? I had an electric briefly, but I really missed the foam!
1
My beard is also a different colour than my hair--red and dark brown, respectively and I also love to shave in the shower. My sideburns were occasionally very uneven when I first started since I don't use a mirror either. I'm much better at it now!
I'm glad to see the goatee is gone!
Posted by: colin at June 01, 2008 07:54 PM (0xtkQ)
2
I can't grow real side burns, so I don't have to worry about that!
The lack of a goatee is going to take a little getting used to. I had just gotten used to having it and now I feel like I look like a little kid.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at June 01, 2008 08:31 PM (vHVEb)
I have to preface this comment by complementing your appearance.You are an attractive guy.You have lots of physical characteristics that appeal to me.You have pretty white teeth, a nice body, and a handsome face.
But… I absolutely HATE those scraggly hairs you let hang down in front of each of your ears.I understand that you cannot grow any actual sideburns of your own, but PLEASE don’t style your head-hair down into mock sideburns.It looks awful to me.
For months now, I have been trying to figure out what your scraggly hairs remind me of… and all I can come up with is “Greasy Fry Cook” and “Homeless Eskimo.”As a general rule, I think that men who have difficulty growing facial hair, look unclean and unkempt when they attempt to do so anyway.
Of course this is only my opinion.It is your face… you can do whatever you want with it.I just happen to think that you would look much more attractive if you trimmed your hair short around your ears.
Just a little (unsolicited) advice from one gay guy to another.
Posted by: Tiberius at June 03, 2008 03:18 PM (OKEb7)
4
Those "scraggly hairs" are usually kept tucked behind my ears, but they're at a difficult length. When I get a haircut tomorrow, they'll be gone.
What confuses me about your remarks is that you seem to think I've STYLED my hair to be that way. Seriously, give me SOME credit. I might be lazy about going to get haircuts, but I'm not blind.
Also, in this video, I am freshly from the shower and my hair is not styled. It is merely pushed back out of my face.
You know what they say about opinions: They're like buttholes: everyone has one and they usually stink.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 03, 2008 04:24 PM (ErOeR)
5
I totally made a video about your comment Tiberius. I'm gonna try to post it tonight or tomorrow.
Posted by: Flibbert at June 03, 2008 08:26 PM (ErOeR)
3
Glad to see your lips are working well! Good oral hygiene is a definite plus. Do you like Glide floss? What brand of toothpaste do you use? Do you use a sonic toothbrush or a manual one?
I come from a long line of dentists...my brother and father are in the profession...I'm the odd one out in my family.
How is the goatee being received? I will admit that I think you look better clean shaven...a more clean cut preppy look.
The goatee is getting mixed reviews. Some people really like it and some people don't say anything. I have to keep it trimmed, though, or else it looks really bad -- like in these two videos.
It's a look. I wish it didn't take me two weeks to grow it out to a point where it looks decent at all because I really like how it looks when I'm going for a certain style.
in first video (gross), the sound faded away close to the end and went mute. i thought it was my computer's volume that was going low
the narnia books were written around the same time and used similar mythology as the l.o.t.r. with minotaurs, centaurs, goblins and such. not exactly sure which books were written first - narnia or l.o.t.r. too tired and too late for me to look online
by the way, don't video games also have centaurs and goblins too.
the reason why they may look similar is because WETA, the ppl behind the cgi in l.o.t.r. are part involved in this movie and did the cgi.
i haven't seen the movie yet and i cannot wait to go see it later this week.
i enjoyed the books. if you haven't read them, the books are much easier to read, their vocabulary and understanding is much easier than lets say l.o.t.r.
when i saw the first narnia movie, i didn't enjoy much as i was expecting more and to some extent similar to the book. but hey, no movie ever equals the book. when i saw narnia on dvd though i did enjoy more. i think i had lowered my expectations by then
Posted by: roberto M at May 18, 2008 12:40 AM (ZStxt)
6
Does your floss container get all wet in the shower? Or do you bring in a length of when you start showering? I tried to make one after flossing today, but it was all slimy and it didn't form.
i think you need to let them dry. maybe then it will look like flibbi's - remember that he had left them there a while.
Posted by: roberto M at May 18, 2008 08:58 PM (ZStxt)
8
I leave the floss in the shower. You can actually see it on my shelf on that thing in the corner of the shower behind me. Mine is the shelf with Head & Shoulders, Listerine, a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, and dental floss.
I use Crest ultimate whatever it is.
The dental floss isn't under the water, so it stays pretty dry for the most part, but when I'm done, I wrap it up pretty tightly and it stays that way.
Maybe I'll make a video about how I wrap my floss...
9
Please don't. Well, do if you must, and I'll just give it a pass.
I only recently (as in two weeks ago) got around to watching the first Narnia movie - on network telly, because I refused to even put it in my Netflix queue.
The first thing what struck me about the first Narnia movie was just how much of it was lifted, both visually and in terms of dialogue, from the 1979 Children's Television Workshop cartoon version, up with which I grew. There were a few unique scenes (e.g., Peter v. Maugrim on the melting river), but great gulping chunks of it were all but identical.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at May 19, 2008 07:06 PM (oXrE3)
10
I'm not saying I'd film myself flossing, just how I wind up a bit of string. Maybe I'll mix it in with something else that you will find absolutely irresistible. Tell me what that is so I can plan this.
11
Well, since you asked, I should like to see you go somewhere in NYC. We have seen your bathroom and your apartment and the view from your roof, but we don't see the things you really love about the city - the activity; the places; the people. I can't say that that would be absolutely irresistible, but it would be something I would definitely watch with heightened interest.
~Q
PS: Notice how I did that? I picked something that you should do that involves going to a place where you would be most unlikely to want to demonstrate used-floss winding.
Posted by: Qwertz at May 20, 2008 08:13 PM (oXrE3)
12
No, I'm perfectly willing to film the winding of floss in those places... in fact, there's a video coming up that I filmed while walking down the street near Times Square ... but the reason I don't film often in those places is because the sound is usually VERY bad in those places.
If you wanted to see me naked, this is your chance! If you wanted to see something really disgusting and foul that one of my roommates did, well, this is your chance, too.
How many roommates do you have? How did you meet them? Were you friends before you moved in together? How are daily or weekly "chores" handled in the household?
2
Sorry, F, but I am finding myself much more interested in your audio sync problem than your not wearing any clothes problem. It looks a bit better, but still off. I'm going to run some experiments.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at May 04, 2008 05:57 PM (oXrE3)
3
Yeah, the audio issue is a puzzle. I did notice that the rendered video is also out of synch.
I love the editing capabilities of this program, but the audio sync issue is very frustrating.
As for my roommates, that wad of pubic hair has been there for a week or two now, actually. So, do I think he will clean it up? Um. Eventually? The last time this happened, though, I wound up cleaning it up and it was very upsetting.
I have two roommates. I met them through Craigslist. I didn't know them before I moved in.
The weekly chores are handled VERY poorly and every time I've suggesting imposing some sort of order or method for sharing the responsibilities, they've rejected it. So, I try to keep my stuff in my room and as clean as I like it and one of the other roommates tends to clean the apartment once a week. It's very frustrating.
4
Ok. So, I have discovered something interesting: I re-rendered the video using Windows Movie Maker, which is what I was using before and the video is STILL out of synch.
This makes me think something is wrong with the source files my camera is producing. But the camera doesn't seem to have any other settings for video other than the three resolution settings.
This makes me sad.
And, unfortunately, Qwertz, every time I do anything on video that is even remotely sexy, you're getting a shout out. I know that fame can be a heavy burden, but you're just going to have to live with it.
5
Sigh. I suppose I shall just have to bear that burden with quiet stoicism.
In the meanwhile, I borrowed Vegas 8 from a friend, but I am still entirely unable to duplicate your sync issues. If you mail me 1) the file straight off the camera and 2) the file you rendered with Vegas, I might be able to tell you more.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at May 04, 2008 09:09 PM (oXrE3)
6
I don't know your email address and as much as I want to email the Senechal, I'm not sure if that's a funny joke or if maybe there are other people involved there.
So, if you, or anyone else, is interested in this, the files can be downloaded from this link.
CLIP23.ASF = the original file 20080504-pubichair.wmv = the movie rendered from Vegas 8 20080504-pubichair2.wmv = the movie rendered from Movie Maker
In watching the original clip, I do notice some slight desychronization from the video, but not nearly as bad as what is seen in the rendered video.
7
You can find my email address here. Actually, all the other people who work on my blog are neither a funny joke nor actual other people. They're just different mailboxes for convenience.
The recording format of your camera is a bit more odd than I thought, but I don't think that's to blame. I will mess around with these and try to get you a pipeline that works.
Also, turns out my friend only has Sony Vegas, not Sony Vegas Movie Studio, but I can get the latter from the library. Gimme a few days to play with it.
Also: is that ... what I think it is ... in your left ... owch?
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at May 05, 2008 08:09 AM (oXrE3)
8
And by "you can find my email address here," I meant "you can find my email address here."
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at May 05, 2008 08:11 AM (oXrE3)
Posted by: roberto M at May 05, 2008 12:48 PM (OquT/)
13
Ohhh... Yeah, I have my left nipple pierced. That's a long, silly story that but it basically boils down to me wanting a tattoo but not wanting it to be permanent. Or something like that.
Posted by: roberto M at May 05, 2008 02:03 PM (OquT/)
16
Don't get a tatoo. It's too permanent. Do you want to be that fifty year old guy with the sagging skin and faded tatoo? Go for a temporary tatoo if you like, but not a permanent one.
At the video store I rent movies from, one clerk if very into body modification with stretched ear lobes, tons of facial piercings, tatoos, and I assume he must have done some genital piercing too. He keeps his fingernails long and painted. Possibly with white or clear polish. What will happen once he graduates from university and needs a real job?
On the bright side, I did learn how to do what I wanted to do and I improved the quality of the final video. I will try some new tricks next time to hopefully make producing these a bit more smooth.
Colin, I haven't forgotten about your questions, but due to limitations on file size and all that, I'm going to answer those one at a time in mini-videos.
Anyway, without further ado, here's my latest video:
Update: ARRGH! My lips are still crazy out of synch! It's not that way on the output file, or at least it's not as extreme. The de-synchronization seems to be exacerbated by uploading it to YouTube. And it's also blurrier on YouTube! Any tips?
Update 2: Oooo... I'm getting some fun comments on this video!
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at April 29, 2008 12:58 PM (ErOeR)
7
Erm... sorry, I can't help you with the software.
I steer clear of Sony software as it tends to be bloaty and difficult to use. I can offer a suggestion though: Roberto brings up a good point though, when you end a video, let it run for a few seconds after you say goodbye. That way you can cut out the part where you turn off the camera.
Posted by: mchance27 at April 29, 2008 02:46 PM (eh9MR)
8
This software is actually pretty easy to use. I'm slow with it because I don't have a mouse on my laptop, but otherwise, I like it. I just need to figure out the settings to use.
As for the cut off, I did do just as you've suggested. The cut off happened in the editing process.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at April 29, 2008 03:44 PM (ErOeR)
9
Your lips may be out of synch, but I enjoy watching them nonetheless.
Posted by: WillySF at April 30, 2008 09:44 AM (k8goc)
10
Try this: when you go to render out your final file (the one you will upload to YT!), set your audio encoding to use a constant bitrate (CBR), rather than a variable bitrate (VBR). YouTube! sometimes has problems with VBR audio. Fraunhofer's implementation of VBR for MP3 audio contains an error that, if unaccounted-for, can cause the kind of desync you are experiencing.
I can try to look up Vegas to see if I can give you more specific directions if you need them.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at April 30, 2008 06:16 PM (oXrE3)
11
I know the exact setting you're talking about. I will check that out.
Thanks!
Posted by: Flibbert at May 01, 2008 09:21 AM (ErOeR)
1
Both of those sound like encoding issues. I blame YouTube.
So you didn't just go to B&H? They're on 9th at 34th. It's crazy. You don't take your purchases to the counter yourself. The sales agent puts your stuff in a green basket that gets hooked on this nifty system of overhead rails that carry it up to the register. And they have separate lines with female clerks for female customers, because the men aren't allowed to touch women. It's a trip.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at April 19, 2008 08:11 PM (oXrE3)
2
No, I've never actually been over there and they didn't offer that as an option. If I had known they're there before I ordered it online, I would have just walked down there and got it from the shelf.
The closed for Passover thing tipped me off that this isn't an ordinary business.
As for the synching and clarity, it could be encoding. I've been playing around with various compressions, frame rates, and the like. The big challenge is YouTube's file size limit, 10MB.
I can easily render a video with nice clarity and dubbing, but it comes in at WAY over the limit.
So, I'll have to tinker some more and talk less.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at April 20, 2008 08:46 AM (ru7wW)
video looks like a chinese movie where your voice does not match your mouth's movements, hehehe.
ups is very helpful to the person receiving the package, like correcting the address or them holding it for you at their distribution center for pickup. fedex is similar.
however, ups has left packages outside my neighbor's door. the driver would many times "sign" for them if a signature was required. some can be careless. they also have done it to my niece in north carolina. when i called to complain, they told me no signature was required for the package. and finally they have also left packages to people who do not live there. and they have done this at my job. the receptionist just signed for it, thinking person worked there. so it would not have been surprising if your package was left at the other location.
Posted by: roberto M at April 20, 2008 07:55 PM (ZStxt)
Flibbert3 Who is your mother and why didn't she teach you any manners?
senadin I am serious. Go sleep with a guy and get aids, die of miserable death, and let us never hear from you again. You are a plague for the earth.
All homos should be send to the camps and systematicly exicuted. That includes you as well.
Flibbert3 I haven't questioned your seriousness or your ability to conjure images of all sorts of hideous foolishness. But if you were serious about it, one would be obliged to ask why you think commenting on random YouTube videos is the best way to promote your cause.
But I'm not even curious about why you're so stupid.
What I asked is why you can't mind your manners. And does your mother know you behave this way in public?
Flibbert3 OH! And you should subscribe to my channel so that you know whether or not I take your advice.
Since you're my first hate-mailer, I'll probably mention you.
And after this, we started this email exchange.
From:senadin Subject: wake up and chenge - Body: Filibbert3,
I dont know what you deal is, but you know very well that the lifestyle which you chose is detrimental to society and your own well being. I urge you to come to your senses, straighten up, get your self a women or even have your own family.
Don't argue with me or try to debate me. Just do what you need to do in order to get better. You have a mental disorder acting on impulses which makes you commit evil acts with males. This is a crime against nature and man as well as God. We don't have all the answers as to why this is the case, but we know that being part of it, is not in any of the divine religions or customs. I am sincerely advising you and you should look in to Islam as one form of a cure for your illness.
WWW.ISLAMTOMORROW.COM
Do you want to show up on the day of judgment in front of your maker and answer for all the sodomy you have done? If God created you like that then why did he forbid abomination with men in his holy scriptures such as; Quran, Bible, and Torah? Thats seems to be a contradiction on your part where Homosexuals claim and believe that it must be genetic and therefore nothing can be done to stop it. I say no, it's not genetic but it is somehow inbeded in to every men and women, and somehow the society makes you cross that line and commit evil acts with other men. That is precisely why God forbade it and ordered you not to commit those acts of distraction.
If you fail to take my advise and change then your account will be settled on the day of judgment, a promised day, a day in which all of us will stand in front of our maker and he will ask us what we used to do. On that day the true wages will be paid in full.
Attached video:
From:Flibbert3 Subject: Re: wake up and chenge - Body: Are you trying to tell me that you don't have a mother or that your mother is a barbarian like yourself?
You are a silly person with very bad manners.
By the way: I'm an atheist. I don't believe in fairy tales about magic people in the sky and final judgment and all that.
-3
From:senadin Subject: Re: Re: wake up and chenge - Body: You are pretending to be an intellectual on Youtube and now you cant even argue with me on any of my points.
People like you have lost in this life, and in the next life will as I said, be paid in full according to what you used to do.
From: Flibbert3 Subject: Re: Re: Re: wake up and chenge - Body: You told me not to debate you on your "points."
You're not even happy when I do take your advice, so why should I listen to you on anything else?
-3
From:senadin Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: wake up and chenge - Body: It's alright, lets hear what you have to say. Just dont tell me its genetic. Please, there is no Gay gene.
From: Flibbert3 Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: wake up and chenge - Body: Did you listen to my video at all? I already talked about that.
Anyway, I don't have anything to say to you. You're an idiot and you have very bad manners. You should be ashamed of yourself.
-3
Note to self: copying things from YouTube will TOTALLY eff your website template.
1
You must ask yourself, is Hell really that bad? I mean, you HAVE to read Satan's description of Heaven in Letter II, Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain, just to see the alternative. (Actually, read the whole of Letters from the Earth, since it's so delightful.*) Do you really want to give up your sinful ways to spend eternity in a Church-in-the-Clouds filled with self-righteous assholes? If that Muslim you corresponded with is going to be there, I'd take Hell for sure. Think of who's going to be there. You might get a chance to talk to Ayn Rand!
Posted by: Tom Rexton at April 12, 2008 10:33 PM (lRQG+)
2
Oh no, I definitely do not intend to give up my sinful ways, but the Lord works in his own mysterious ways, so I still think everyone should subscribe, just to see how things turn out.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at April 13, 2008 12:12 AM (KApsF)
3
Do not feed the trolls, they say. And you didn't. Your refusal to debate, or better said, "bate" this individual is truly stunning.
Posted by: WillySF at April 13, 2008 06:40 AM (k8goc)
4
Wow. The crazy just tumbles out of these people, doesn't it?
Great video as always, Flibby.
And the video the psycho embedded in his email was pricesless. Aaaa-llluuuuhh-aaaaahhh! Oh man.
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I steer clear of Sony software as it tends to be bloaty and difficult to use. I can offer a suggestion though: Roberto brings up a good point though, when you end a video, let it run for a few seconds after you say goodbye. That way you can cut out the part where you turn off the camera. 
