Local musician Evan DeVries produced this little 360 video shoot showcasing one of my favorite towns: Bellingham. I thought it was delightful.
What do you think?
Author: Carl Setzer
A Behind The Scenes Look At The Clone Wars: The Phantom Apprentice
I have really enjoyed the final season of Star Wars: Clone Wars. The animation is amazing, and the stories, well, for me at least, perfect. I’ve reconnected with the characters enough that it’s going to hurt when Order 66 goes down.
Last week’s episode, The Phantom Apprentice, was powerful. Part of that was bringing back Ray Park, who performed Maul in the Phantom Menance, and an exceptional martial artist. The team used motion capture to create this dynamic, engaging piece of film (can I call it film if it’s only digital?).
Below is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the episode. Well worth watching if you’re fascinated by the production of movies and tv.
Why I’m Launching A New Career In Web Development
Just over a month ago, I learned I was being let go from my current role. I’ve wandered this path before, so I, initially, wasn’t terribly concerned. However, the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became. Mainly, I’d been laid off twice in less than a year. Thinking further, since 2009, I’d been laid off 4 times. I’m a bit tired of that. Yeah, even being a tech-savvy executive assistant/project coordinator, that work is too easy to outsource. Plus, with digital assistant growth, the lessening of friction for scheduling, the ease at which most folks can book their own travel, and you see the recipe for a dying career. I’m ready to be, shall we say, more essential.
Pretty much all of my life I’ve had a fascination with technology. As a young boy, my love of robots and radios (I had a particular fascination with shortwave radios), evolved into space and aviation, then into computers. Early PC games and BBSs then morphed into a vocational certificate in Information Processing (mainly databases and spreadsheets). Looking back, my biggest contribution to most of my past roles has been digitally based. Whether it’s my ability to fix a copier, 90% of PC issues, set up and manage a network, use things like Photoshop and AutoCAD, or build a website, those were the things that added the most value to the world around me.
I believe that the web holds our future. We will interact with most systems and data with web tools. SaaS models are already driving there…in the fast lane. Web development is a fast-growing path (projected 27% growth over the next 10 years), with decent salaries to boot.
So, it looks like fun, and there’s a need, which seems like a great combination. Thus, off I go.
Getting Takeout: helping our beloved local restaurants stay afloat
Today we went and got take-out from one of our favorite local places: Mel and Mia’s (they’re offering takeout and curbside pickup). In the madness of these times, it’s critical to support our local businesses. Especially those that you adore.
Check out the macaroon Rebecca crafted! Isn’t it stunning? One of many reasons why I love these folks.
Getting Takeout: helping our beloved local restaurants stay afloat
Today we went and got take-out from one of our favorite local places: Mel and Mia’s (they’re offering takeout and curbside pickup). In the madness of these times, it’s critical to support our local businesses. Especially those that you adore.
Check out the macaroon Rebecca crafted! Isn’t it stunning? One of many reasons why I love these folks.
Life With Coronavirus Update
With covid-19 disrupting so very much of life, I thought I’d take a moment to rehash what I’m working on to keep busy. My family has been home due to school closures. I have been unemployed since the February 28th.
First, I’m signed up to study web application and cloud development at Edmonds Community College starting next quarter. There are still pieces to pull together, but I’m moving forward. Classes start on April 13, so it’s coming quickly. I also need to get my math skills back up to snuff. I struggled mightily on an assessment test and was pretty mad at myself. Then it hit me: the last math class I took may have been calculus, but it’s been several decades since. One of the folks at the school connected me with a website to help that along, so I’ve been working on getting those skills back up to snuff.
Also, I’ve spent time refreshing some skills. I had purchased a CompTIA training bundle last summer that I haven’t had a chance to start with yet. And I have a Adobe Creative Suite bundle as well. I’ve been carving time for each of those as I can. I also discovered IronCAD, which apparently has a free download, so I might try and squeeze some more CAD work in as well. That’s one big thing I miss from my Eagle Country Construction days.
As for entertainment, I’ve been binging on “Traveling Robert“, a YouTuber traveling the US with his trailer. I really have enjoyed the show. There’s a genuineness that’s delightful. I discovered him via YouTube’s algorithm. It dished up his trip to Seattle this past summer, which I found nice.
There’s plenty of other things that I’ve been working on, too. Keeping several websites up to date, as well as a couple of email communication campaigns (about the covid-19 closures and such). And I’ve helped a few folks with their WordPress sites, and with setting up Facebook business pages and trying to pull together some kind of marketing plan in the midst of the pandemic. I mean, how do you market in such a way that you’re being, well, a decent human being.
Skagit choir suffers devastating losses
So, a choir gathered for their regular rehearsal. Before the more draconian restrictions were set. They limited physical contact, practiced limited social distancing. Covid 19 is quite cruel. We’re seeing that it may be able to transmit through the air between people who showed no symptoms, which makes it that much scarier.
Anyway, I feel it’s important to point out the choir was following the promulgated protocols at the time of their last rehearsal.
The story had gone national. This link is to the local paper, The Skagit Valley Herald.
Bellingham News: Police seek public’s help to identify body found on WWU campus
Sadly, a young man’s body was found on the campus of WWU. If you have any information, please call the Western Washington University Police at 360-650-3555, reference case # 20-0148.
WWU Campus Advisory: Police seek public’s help to identify body found on WWU campus from Bellingham
Music’s Place In My Soul
Listening to Rufus Du Sol, reminded how much I enjoy electronic music and one of my regrets: when I had the chance to study music formally, I opted not to. Insecurities spoke too loudly, drowning out passion. I loved studying music theory, exploring the way audio elevations interact with each other. Memories of improvisation workshops, and the compliments I received for my commitment to rhythm.
Now, though, my poetry echos my musical tastes. Symmetry, rich harmonies, layers, textures, all blending into something far greater than the sum of the parts.
The difference between music and poetry: in poetry words flow in single streams. Together, yet alone; they can’t interact. Several words flowing together at the same time create a pile of textual vomit. Music allows multiple people singing multiple lines simultaneously with their interaction making them greater. Much the way different colors blend into new colors, different feelings, telling a story with each dab.
I often play with the idea of restarting this path. Of exploring all that can be done with today’s computers, today’s sampling gear, today’s synthesizers. I could create words, sung, standing upon each other, blurring, blending into something greater, into something beyond whatever could be imagined. Words building upon words, interweaving with tones, textures and rhythms, pushing through feelings, ideas, the power of souls intermixing and exploding with something more powerful than any human element could be, do, express on it’s own.
With all this, when I was younger I listened to music deeply, richly. I listened to the chords, the words, exploring what the composer communicates with that interplay. Did the pleasant, kind words take on irony with the minor or diminished chord interwoven? Words stacked with changing chords, showing tension, motion, landing on a major chord, resolution, release.
Then there’s the blending of older music, ancient music, such as Enigma, taking ancient chant, interweaving new tones and auditory textures, creating something linking the ancient with the rising sun, with a newness of being, something that both exists from antiquity and yet is brand new.
Lesson: passions drive live, make it beautiful. Explore them fully, deeply, richly. Humanity needs no more bitter business people, soul’s stripped of joy. No, we need more passion, joy, aliveness.
Bring that into being, my friends.
Here is the song by Rufus Del Sol that got me going. Enjoy!
Another YouTuber Exploring Seattle
Traveling Robert, a YouTuber out of Miami. He and his RV have made their way throughout much of North America. In this video, he’s in Seattle. I love finding videos of folks discovering Seattle and hearing their insights.
Robert’s pretty positive about my favorite city, so I’m pleased with his recap. Give him a watch!