I got a new batch of Australian black cherts in the mail today, thanks to John Linsay. I guess I better get started on all that sample preparation!
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Friday, June 25, 2004
I just found out that you can add your own custom functions to Excel using Visual Basic. This is going to make my life so much easier.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
My brother recently had a guest column published in Variety. Normally, I would put a link on here, but Variety would charge $25 just to read it.
Posted: Tue., Jan. 6, 2004, 9:41pm PT
Tell good stories, B.O. will follow
Guest Column
By ZACHARY LEE DE GREGORIO
As a young filmmaker, I am writing in response to the front-page story in this week's Variety, headlined "H'wood asks: Has pop culture pooped out?"
I am pissed off, because I feel like I'm continuously reading articles posing questions about where the box office grosses are going, why Hollywood studios are suffering, and why piracy is out of control. And I feel the answer to all of those questions is blatantly obvious: Hollywood has stopped making good films.
When studio execs receive a new script, the first thing they do is pick up the phone to call the marketing department. Rather than focus on the script and perhaps getting an interesting, well-crafted story, we are left with a bunch of genre pics we've all seen 20 times before. Also, thanks to a marketing department out of control, all the best films are released within a four-week period in December, leaving the rest of the year a veritable Death Valley of choices at the box office.
Which brings us to piracy. One can debate until blue in the face the effects of file sharing, the Internet, screeners, and disgruntled post-house workers and never determine the impact on the piracy controversy. But the basic premise behind why people are stealing movies (and this is true of music as well), is that we are no longer making a good product and people are pissed off.
If only 1 in 20 movies is any good, people are not going to take a chance by forking out money at the box office. Consumers are going to look for other ways to get the product. If 50% of the films the industry delivered were great (which, in non-Hollywood terms, is a staggeringly poor success ratio), people would return to the theater in droves. If it's a quality product, people will pay for it.
We have proof of this by looking at the figures. Why did "Pirates of the Caribbean" find gold this summer and sequels tanked? Because it was the most original film of the summer. Why is the cable audience growing while network is shrinking? Because cable has the ability and is producing innovative and interesting programming.
Why aren't video games seeing the same piracy problems that music and film are experiencing? Because the video game market is investing so much in creating exciting, innovative, and good products, that consumers aren't questioning paying the cost.
Now I'm not saying that every film should be "Gone With the Wind." But there's room for improvement in every aspect of the industry. There's a difference between "Tomb Raider 2" and "Spider-Man," and I don't think it's the budget, or the stars, or the marketing. It's the product.
What is the most worrying fact is that the industry doesn't see this and is moving farther from the solution. We constantly hear about giant media mergers and newly formed mega conglomerations. Many of the smaller independent studios and houses that were around just five years ago, that could develop new products, are now gone, eaten up by the studio machine.
I know it is not as simple as saying "let's make good films now," but we can be heading in the right direction. Find your good filmmakers. Let the directors direct. Let the writers write. And let the producers and studio execs do what they used to do: Figure out what the public wants, find the right properties, and work on the material. They're no longer taking these steps because its a lot less work and certainly less risky to just pick up the phone and call the marketing department. But the future of this great industry depends on our change.
Filmmaking is story telling. Let's worry less about market share and more about story, and the market share will follow.
Posted: Tue., Jan. 6, 2004, 9:41pm PT
Tell good stories, B.O. will follow
Guest Column
By ZACHARY LEE DE GREGORIO
As a young filmmaker, I am writing in response to the front-page story in this week's Variety, headlined "H'wood asks: Has pop culture pooped out?"
I am pissed off, because I feel like I'm continuously reading articles posing questions about where the box office grosses are going, why Hollywood studios are suffering, and why piracy is out of control. And I feel the answer to all of those questions is blatantly obvious: Hollywood has stopped making good films.
When studio execs receive a new script, the first thing they do is pick up the phone to call the marketing department. Rather than focus on the script and perhaps getting an interesting, well-crafted story, we are left with a bunch of genre pics we've all seen 20 times before. Also, thanks to a marketing department out of control, all the best films are released within a four-week period in December, leaving the rest of the year a veritable Death Valley of choices at the box office.
Which brings us to piracy. One can debate until blue in the face the effects of file sharing, the Internet, screeners, and disgruntled post-house workers and never determine the impact on the piracy controversy. But the basic premise behind why people are stealing movies (and this is true of music as well), is that we are no longer making a good product and people are pissed off.
If only 1 in 20 movies is any good, people are not going to take a chance by forking out money at the box office. Consumers are going to look for other ways to get the product. If 50% of the films the industry delivered were great (which, in non-Hollywood terms, is a staggeringly poor success ratio), people would return to the theater in droves. If it's a quality product, people will pay for it.
We have proof of this by looking at the figures. Why did "Pirates of the Caribbean" find gold this summer and sequels tanked? Because it was the most original film of the summer. Why is the cable audience growing while network is shrinking? Because cable has the ability and is producing innovative and interesting programming.
Why aren't video games seeing the same piracy problems that music and film are experiencing? Because the video game market is investing so much in creating exciting, innovative, and good products, that consumers aren't questioning paying the cost.
Now I'm not saying that every film should be "Gone With the Wind." But there's room for improvement in every aspect of the industry. There's a difference between "Tomb Raider 2" and "Spider-Man," and I don't think it's the budget, or the stars, or the marketing. It's the product.
What is the most worrying fact is that the industry doesn't see this and is moving farther from the solution. We constantly hear about giant media mergers and newly formed mega conglomerations. Many of the smaller independent studios and houses that were around just five years ago, that could develop new products, are now gone, eaten up by the studio machine.
I know it is not as simple as saying "let's make good films now," but we can be heading in the right direction. Find your good filmmakers. Let the directors direct. Let the writers write. And let the producers and studio execs do what they used to do: Figure out what the public wants, find the right properties, and work on the material. They're no longer taking these steps because its a lot less work and certainly less risky to just pick up the phone and call the marketing department. But the future of this great industry depends on our change.
Filmmaking is story telling. Let's worry less about market share and more about story, and the market share will follow.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Monday, June 21, 2004
This was in The Onion this week:
Cryptozoologist Falls For It Again
LUBBOCK, TX—Will Reiser, an expert in the field of unsubstantiated creatures, was duped again Tuesday, when he said he'd finally found proof of the existence of the elusive Chupacabra, a quill-covered creature that feasts on the blood of livestock. "The right shank of the goat carcass I discovered on my doorstep bore the Chupacabra's distinctive cross-hatched fang pattern," Reiser said. "I have to say I'm surprised that the quills poking out of the body so closely resemble those of the hedgehog indigenous to this area." Reiser's next-door neighbor, Dan Swelter, is currently laughing his ass off.
Cryptozoologist Falls For It Again
LUBBOCK, TX—Will Reiser, an expert in the field of unsubstantiated creatures, was duped again Tuesday, when he said he'd finally found proof of the existence of the elusive Chupacabra, a quill-covered creature that feasts on the blood of livestock. "The right shank of the goat carcass I discovered on my doorstep bore the Chupacabra's distinctive cross-hatched fang pattern," Reiser said. "I have to say I'm surprised that the quills poking out of the body so closely resemble those of the hedgehog indigenous to this area." Reiser's next-door neighbor, Dan Swelter, is currently laughing his ass off.
Friday, June 18, 2004
I know it's a little late, but ... I am SO not Laurie. I'm more like the main character on That 70's Show. Stupid quiz!
Monday, June 14, 2004
much that is good about you. You are two-faced... making people believe
you are what you aren't. You will stop at nothing to get your way. But
don't worry... your daddy thinks you are
wonderful!
Which That 70's Show Character are you?
(presented by:
seventhstranger.net)
I'm not joking! I read the quiz to Brad and he gave me his answers. He's a Laurie!
It's difficult to adjust back to normal life and schedule. I feel like I'm just hanging around. I guess I haven't found a new routine.
Friday, June 11, 2004
Well I'm back! Summer Field Camp was pretty mellow this year, there being only seven students and all. Now I have to take care of everything that has been sitting around in the Phoenix heat while I've been taking field naps in the mountains. All part and parcel of TA-ship.
I also want to send out lots of love to Kelly for coming to visit me and talk to me every night on the phone. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have any connection to the outside world.
I also finally finished that Cryptonomicon book, which as you can see I have been reading for six months. It was pretty good, but the story didn't pick up until the second half of the 900+ page book, so it required a bit of patience (hence the six months).
I also want to send out lots of love to Kelly for coming to visit me and talk to me every night on the phone. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have any connection to the outside world.
I also finally finished that Cryptonomicon book, which as you can see I have been reading for six months. It was pretty good, but the story didn't pick up until the second half of the 900+ page book, so it required a bit of patience (hence the six months).
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Last night on the phone, Brad and I went through the Geologist's Lifetime Field List to see how much of it we've done already (not together, just our experiences combined). We have a lot left to do, but I was impressed with how much we could check off. He had some cool geology stuff over me (such as seeing the banded iron formations in Michigan and Mount St. Helens) but I had the crazy weather stuff (tornadoes, hail, floods, hurricanes). It was fun. He seemed a bit jealous that I could check off the Alps. But I'm jealous that he's been inside a lava tube. The things on the list that we did experience together were finding dinosaur tracks in situ and hiking through a slot canyon (I equate this with the joint trail) - both in Canyonlands. The list is pretty good, but I think that it left off a bunch of stuff. I don't think I'll get into it's deficiencies right now. I'm sleepy. Ed is sleeping on my pillows. He's such a bed hog. I hate to move him...oh well. I miss Brad. Only 3 more days, then he will be back in my lovin' arms.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Well, Brad is...
I read the quiz to him over the phone and he provided answers. Unlike me, he knew what all the questions were referring to. How am I supposed to know what cons are?! I thought they were brightly colored high-top shoes. Remember, I am only 5% geek. Brad is five times the geek that I am. :c)
I AM 25% GEEK!  You probably work in computers, or a history deptartment at a college. You never really fit in with the "normal" crowd. But you have friends, and this is a good thing. |
I read the quiz to him over the phone and he provided answers. Unlike me, he knew what all the questions were referring to. How am I supposed to know what cons are?! I thought they were brightly colored high-top shoes. Remember, I am only 5% geek. Brad is five times the geek that I am. :c)
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
oh, I forgot the most important part of the weekend. Brad and I went to the Goodwill and made our annual t-shirt purchase. Brad got a shirt that says "Flagstaff 1987 Special Olympics" complete with the official logo and I got a shirt with the Goonies on it. Score!
I got to see Brad this weekend. We had to hang out with a student that stayed behind at Camp Tontozona which took away from the Brad and Kelly time that I thought we were going to have, but that's ok. He was nice. Due to all of the recent construction, Brad has to re-map highway 260 on the quadrangle. The new road is wider which makes sectors smaller. AND they've totally bulldozed the horribly difficult basement/Martin contact that was north of 260 and east of the fish hatchery road. I can't believe it! Arrrgh! Everybody should have to struggle with that. That was the hardest contact to map. Anyway, I worried about Brad being on the side of the highway while mapping the new route. But he did ok. The students' first sector was due last night so he probably graded all day today. I'll talk with him again tonight, I hope. So far, he's having a good time being away from the heat and surrounded with cool geology.
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