The Nature of Change

Change in Nature does not happen slowly and gradually.

Change in Nature is sudden and catastrophic,
on both the macro scale and the micro scale.

Only in the human mind is Change a gradual
and linear transition of state over time.

In Nature, Change is always sudden and unexpected,
totally destroying what was before
and leaving only the possibility of what might follow.



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

The Autism Spectrum

"I'm on the Autism Spectrum.
 These days, it is Hip to be on the Autism Spectrum."
   - Mr. Atwater



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Jesus Christ Superstar and The Gospel of Judas

In the 1980's an ancient manuscript was discovered in Egypt. It was dated to 400A.D. and verified to be an authentic copy of "The Gospel of Judas" -- an genuine Gnostic manuscript that is mentioned obliquely as a heretical text. This Text portrays the Passion of Christ from the viewpoint of Judas - his favorite disciple. Instead of betraying Christ out of greed for pieces of silver, Judas in this text betrays Jesus as a disciple's heroic duty. This is almost exactly the same perspective as in the story in the book of "Jesus Christ Superstar" but Jesus Christ Superstar was written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber almost twenty years before we even knew that the Gospel of Judas really existed. Curious?


copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Music Theory Blues

It is an interesting coincidence that twelve bars of four-four music has the same total number of beats as sixteen bars of three-four music.

12 x 4 = 16 x 3 = 48

Apparently in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there was a "competition" between three-four and four-four music.  Each music had it owns type of lyric and dance that was popular with the devotees. I remember hearing stories about fights in taverns between the different factions seeking to impose one type of music, or the other, on the audience and the entertainers.

This antipathy has largely been forgotten in the present day.   Perhaps the invention and introduction of the twelve bar blues was the solution?  Traditionally most music stanzas are eight or sixteen bars (i.e. measures) long.

According to W. C. Handy (The "father of the blues") all blues songs descend from one peculiar song  that was popular with Sharecroppers in the American South in the 1870's and 1880's.   As itinerant musicians would learn and carry this song to different labor camps, they would add verses of their own creation.  In time, so many verses were added to so many different versions of the original song that they all became unique songs in their own right.

It is difficult to follow the threads of custom through the tapestry of history, but it is fascinating to try. Nevertheless it is an interesting coincidence that:

12 x 4 = 16 x 3 = 48

You could theoretically write two different songs, one in three-four and one in four-four, that could both be played together at the same time and harmonize with each other and yet still be unique individual songs.  Wouldn't THAT be fun?   But when you were done, would it still be the Blues?



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Homeless and Heartless in America

There are at least three times as many structurally sound empty or abandoned buildings in the USA than there are houseless, or homeless people. How can this possibly be described as a "civil society" when so many people are homeless and so many empty buildings stand unoccupied? There are at least 40,000 homeless in Los Angeles alone. We have an encampment on the traffic island in my community. Why do we let this persist and why do we pretend to care at all?

~

I have heard that there are no homeless in Russia. Can you find a single picture of a homeless encampment in Russia that is anything like downtown Los Angeles?  In the Russian constitution, you are guaranteed a place to live. You cannot buy a house in Russia unless the seller has a place to move to. All I can find of homeless in Russia are ex soldiers sleeping on storm grates and small groups of children playing in the alleys. I cannot find pictures from Russia like those of the homeless in downtown Los Angeles.

~

Homelessness is a structural feature of the present USA social organization. It will not be possible to eliminate homelessness without significantly changing the economic structure of the USA society. It can be done, but do we really care? 

And the answer would be, "apparently not."  HA.   Think about it. 

~

What IS it that makes America "The Greatest Country on Earth"?  Our ability to enjoy ourselves tremendously in the midst of pain and suffering?  Our heightened sense of callous disregard for our neighbors (and family)?  Our unequaled and single minded quest to acquire material possessions; no matter what the cost to friends, family, and environment?

In the end the question is always the same:  "Who cares?"

And the answer most often is:  "Nobody.  Nobody at all"



copyright (C) 2016
William Schaeffer

Daily Protein Supplement

"I suspect that a woman's preoccupation with getting enough protein every day has little to do with a real hunger for food." - Mr. Atwater

copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Nobody is interested in your opinion

Talking with a coworker named John last year he explained a principle of life that I was only dimly aware of previously:

"Nobody is interested in your opinion."

John is an intelligent guy that had previously worked in television news organizations for over twenty years.  He had a responsible management position and he was well informed.  He explained that he used to get into fascinating conversations and feel extremely motivated to generously share his opinion based on a good command of the facts, obvious intelligence, and much experience.  John was a nice guy, mild tempered, quiet, and not boastful, obnoxious, or loud.

Then he realized that despite the obvious advantages to the other parties to hear and understand what he was patiently explaining, no one was particularly interested in anything he said.  They were all motivated to make him understand what they were trying to say.  In most cases, their ill formed logic, misinformed facts, and obvious conclusions were just tired retreads of arguments he had heard many times before, but his thoughtful rebuttals went virtually unheard as he listened to the same parties repeat the same positions time and time again.

Finally he realized that it wasn't worth the effort to try and educate other people.  No one listened anyway. Why waste all that effort and emotional stress on an essentially losing game.  Better to just smile and say "Ok." and then listen quietly before  moving to another seat.

People are not interested in your opinion. People are only interested in their own opinions.  People want to educate you.  They already think they have all the answers.


This blog would be a good example.  I have written almost 400 articles.  At least 5 of them have insightful and original thoughts that most people would find useful, and yet I average less than ten views per article.  Why is this?  Who knows?  Maybe the entire body of work will present an amusing diversion for some lonely insomniac in the future?  In the meantime, I remind myself that:

"Nobody is interested in your opinion."

copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

What happens in Computer Graphics?

Sitting in a dark room staring at a computer monitor listening to music for ten hours a day, six days a week, with little human contact breeds sociopathic narcissism, social disfunction, and early death.

copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Three Roles for Men in Background Acting

In background acting there seems to be only three roles for men. Aside from age specific roles, or extreme characterizations, there are three basic roles for men in background acting:


1. The Professor
2. The Blue Collar Worker
3. Military Police

The Professor is upscale, clean cut and conservative looking.  He is generally thin with small shoulders and a mild disposition.  He is very well manicured and has good personal hygiene. He usually plays roles like Doctor, Lawyer, Businessman, Upper Class, Minister, Priest, University Professor, Banker, President.

The Blue Collar Worker is the common man.  He is a little rough around the edges and a little unkempt.  He might have facial hair, or tattoos.  He might be a little fat or muscular.  He dresses down and wears ordinary clothing.  The Blue Collar Worker is frequently cast in roles like Factory Worker, Ex Con, Homeless, Good Old Boy, Farm Worker, Criminal, Clown.

The Military Police is the enforcer.  He frequently is muscular with long legs and broad shoulders.  He is almost always clean cut and clean shaven.  The Military Police is selected for roles like Policeman, Army, Navy, Marines, Security Guard, Tough guy, Super Hero.


It is curious to me that these three types are a rough analogy of the three body types in a form of personality analysis that was popular in the 1970's

Ectomorph   =  The Professor
Mesomorph  =  The Blue Collar Worker
Endomorph  =   Military Police

Note: For background acting, this is not necessarily a critique of you as a person, so do not take it personally.  This is a critique of how you can portray a character that is natural to your innate nature and then you get more work for you to perform more effectively (and get paid more money).

Recently, an unfamiliar person at work called me "The Professor" and so I explained this theory to him.  When asked what type I thought that he might be, I said, "Blue Collar Worker."  And then, he was offended that he was not "The Professor."  He told me that he played plenty of Professor roles.  Oh well.  Personally, I have tried to get roles as a Homeless Man on numerous occasions and I have never been selected, even though I am sure that I have the correct wardrobe.


copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Background Acting Requirements

The most important thing in background acting:

1. Pay attention and be quiet

2. Comb your hair

3. Have a good wardrobe that is appropriate and fits properly

If you are "presentable" according to the above list then there is a role for just about any person of any body type.  You will have to do some independent research and have some "field experience" to determine the appropriate wardrobe.

copyright (c) 2015

William Schaeffer

Background Artist Comb your Hair

The secret to being a good background artist is: Comb your hair

Your hair is the only thing about your appearance that you have much control over.  Your face is unchanging and can only look worse if you are sick or tired.  Your wardrobe is designed by a committee and you usually have only a few different options to choose from.  Generally your wardrobe is not much different from anyone else's.

The one place where you can really stand out is by having well manicured hair and then combing it.

A significant number of male background artists do not comb their hair.  I remember one day in particular when working on "Mom"  I was picked to sit at the counter in the cafeteria right behind the principles.  Prior to that, I had awakened early in the morning to take a shower and wash my hair, I combed it and let it air dry naturally.  Then I drove to work with my windows up to avoid turbulence.  If it is a windy day, I will wear a fedora to keep my hair from blowing around.

On this particular day, I sat in holding with a very personable fellow who wanted to work.  He was wearing a nice suit, but his hair was uncombed.  It was absolutely uncombed like he just woke up. But he was wearing a suit and he looked silly.  I did not feel like it was my place to comment so we chatted about other things.  A little time later we had a line up and were chosen to work in the first scene.  This is when I got placed at the counter in the cafeteria.

It was a short day for me because we wrapped that scene early.  That other fellow was wrapped at the same time and was never chosen to work on anything.  He was discouraged at the lack of results for his effort and his hair was still as messy and uncombed as in the morning.  I did not have the heart to tell him that he should comb his hair, but I was certain that was practically the only difference between his situation and mine.

If you want to be a good background artist, remember to comb your hair.  It wouldn't hurt to wash it on a regular basis also.

copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

The Sun is on the Right side of Frame

The Sun is on the Right side of Frame

In most "natural lighting" outdoors stock photography, the light source is from the right side of the frame.  Adjust artificial shadows accordingly.

This assertion has not been proved, but the logic is as follows:

1. Photographers are naturally lazy people, like the rest of us.

2. Unless they specifically want to capture early morning or a particular time of day, they are just as happy as the rest of us to work in the afternoon.  This gives travel time to the location without too much inconvenience.

3.  Therefore, I assume, the vast majority of nature photographs are shot in the afternoon.  Not only are there more daylight hours in the afternoon (5-8 hours versus 3-4 hours) but the hours are more suited to the nature of the photographer's schedule.

4.  If the photographer wants to photograph anything besides the sun itself, he will want the sun to be behind him as he shoots the image.

5. The sun  always travels on an arc through the Southern hemisphere as it moves from East to West.  If the photographer shoots toward the East, the sun will always be to the South, or on the right side of the frame; even in early morning.

6.  The photographer will rarely shoot towards the South because he will always be shooting into the Sun and the model will be backlit.

7. If the photographer shoots toward the North, the Sun will be on his right for the first half of the day and left for the second half.

8.  In the afternoon, the photographer will rarely shoot into the West, because he will always be shooting into the Sun.

9.  It would be difficult to prove, but the light source from stock photography is usually from the right hand side of the frame.  I first encountered this unconsciously while searching through files of archival photographs in an image bank.  I was looking for an image with shadows being cast to the right with the Sun on the left and all I found were photos with the Sunlight source from the right of frame..  The more I think about it, the more it still seems to be the case:

For whatever reason, the majority of outdoor stock photos (maybe about 65%) have the light source on the right hand side of the frame.



copyright (c) 2016
William schaeffer

Einstein's Compound Interest

"Compound Interest is the most powerful force in the Universe." - Albert Einstein


In response to a reporter's question about the strongest forces of Nature.



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Petroleum Jelly heals

Petroleum Jelly helps speed healing of cuts and scrapes.  Petroleum jelly is a by product of the oil drilling process.  It was first discovered to have curative properties in the late 1800's when iron workers on oil rigs noticed that cuts on their hands healed faster if they applied this petroleum jelly.


It you have a cut that needs healing -- try applying a coating of petroleum jelly.


In a way this makes sense, because petroleum itself is the remains of ancient one celled plants and animals that have aged and turned into crude oil.  The petroleum jelly preserves the "living essence" of these ancient life forms and condenses it into a usable product that helps heal your injuries (what ever THAT really means).

Try it yourself and see.  Petroleum Jelly speeds up the healing process.

Vaseline and Carmex are the brand names of two products that contain petroleum jelly.




copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Less is more

Apparently, if I shoot video on my cell phone at Medium quality the resultant image looks better that if I shoot at High quality.  At High quality there is a larger screen image to refresh.  Also, the software automatically reevaluates the focus and exposure with more diligence.  Both of these "features" cause the High quality image to have more abrupt changes in the character of the picture than if I just shoot at Medium quality.

At Medium quality the image is a little smaller, but updates faster and the software doesn't recheck focus and exposure as frequently.  The result is a more pleasing video image to watch.

So, setting the camera at a lower specification of "Quality" results in a picture with greater quality.


copyright(c)2016
William Schaeffer

An Amplifier

"Took me almost fifty years to figure out: If people were like electrical components, I'm not really a Signal Generator, I'm more like an Amplifier.  An Amplifier -- I take a signal and I make it stronger." - Mr. Atwater



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Open minded

"I used to be more open minded, but my brains kept falling out." - Mr. Atwater


copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

A Real Square Day - April 9, 2016

A special day is approaching that will not occur again for one hundred years. 

April 9, 2016 - or 4 / 9 / 16 - or 2**2 / 3**2 / 4**2

Each number of the date is a square of the next larger integer.

(i.e. two squared / three squared / four squared) = a real square day.

I know we already have a "Pi day" on March 14, but I think that April 9 should always be "math day" to honor this unique phenomenon.

copyright(c)2016

William Schaeffer

Save your pennies

"Save your pennies, and keep your friends close." - Mr. Atwater


a prescription for difficult times...


copyright(c) 2016
William Schaeffer

A rigged economy

"We have a rigged economy in the USA." - Senator Bernie Sanders

"Get off of welfare and pay your workers a living wage." - Senator Bernie Sanders to Wallmart

March 11, 2016

Happiness Command

Take it easy.
Lighten up.
Relax.
Enjoy.

copyright(c) 2016
William Schaeffer

The Gooch Synthetic Woodwind

In the late 1970's while I was a student at the University of Illinois, I obtained access to work with the Gooch Synthetic Woodwind, or GSW, on the PLATO computer system.  This seemed like a fun opportunity and I took advantage of it.  The GSW was designed by Sherwin Gooch and it was a primitive four voice music synthesizer that used an ordinary square wave as its only timbre. The GSW was controlled by software on the PLATO system.  There was no keyboard.  You made noise by using or writing a simple computer program.

There was a music language code (later called OPAL) that you could use to describe music as a string of alphanumeric characters.  Then you would compile your music program code and the compiler would generate a music binary to control the GSW box.  All the music binaries were stored in the PLATO system and could be recalled easily.  The music department at the University of Illinois took advantage of this GSW system to write many music education programs.

So, once I got access, I started going over to Room 54 of CERL to work on PLATO in the large classroom.  I would check out a GSW and hook it up to the terminal and listen with headphones while I worked.  I learned the music programming language and started writing music.

One neat thing about the music code was it had a random function and I could use this to compose randomly organized music.  For some of the early songs, I wrote different measures of music and then used the random function to choose which measures would occur, and in what order, in the compiled version of the song.  I would sit and recompile the same song over and over to listen to different versions of the randomly organized music.

One coolest early early memories of the GSW is a PLATO program that would draw an animated line  segment connecting points on a circle.  As the program progressed the endpoints of the line moved around the circle and the line segment itself got longer.    At the same time the GSW box made some hyper-kinetic bleeping sound that was created from the graphic data of the line's end point positions.  This was a strange primitive sound like nothing you had ever heard before.  Not musical really, but engaging.

I remember one night in particular where a friend and I watched that program for two hours or more;  down in the PLATO lab in room 54 with both of us just sitting there with headphones staring at the flickering screen.

Strange.  That experience is really impossible to duplicate today, even IF you recreated a good simulation of the graphics and sound, because the context is entirely different today and cannot possibly be recreated.   Odd.    Like a parallel universe you can see into but cannot ever visit.

I do think about these events on occasion.  I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity and never thought that one day it would all be a distant and faint memory of an exceedingly primitive computer work environment.  I wish I could do it all over again.

Thanks to Sherwin Gooch and the rest of the PLATO system programmers for making it happen.

copyright (c) 2016

William Schaeffer

Never forget

"One gram of fiber for every one hundred calories." - Mr. Atwater


"Good health is the basis of everything else." - Mr. Atwater


copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

Quotes

"All you need is faith and trust and a little bit of Pixie dust." - Peter Pan

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning." - Peter Pan



"We is stoned immaculate." - Jim Morrison in the "The End"

"A cold girl will kill you in a darkened room." - Jim Morrison in "L.A. Woman"



"I got blisters on my fingers." - John Lennon in "Helter Skelter"

"Take this brother, and may it serve you well." - John Lennon in "Revolution 9"

"Everybody must get naked" - child's voice in "Revolution 9"

The stones in my shoes

"I thought it was the road that was hard,
  but it was the stones in my shoes that made it difficult."
                                                                       -Mr. Atwater



copyright(c)2016
William Schaeffer

Rome will burn

When I look at the photographs of the cities in ruins as a result of the current military conflicts, I am reminded of a story in history.

During the final destruction of Carthage by Roman armies a soldier saw the supreme commander of the Roman forces, Scipio Aemilianus, standing amid the smoke and ruins and he was crying.  When asked why, Scipio Aemilianus replied, "Because I know that one day the word will be given for the destruction of Rome and it will be just as complete as this."


The Roman writer Polybius describes it like this (from wikipedia):

Scipio, when he looked upon the city as it was utterly perishing and in the last throes of its complete destruction, is said to have shed tears and wept openly for his enemies. After being wrapped in thought for long, and realizing that all cities, nations, and authorities must, like men, meet their doom; that this happened to Ilium, once a prosperous city, to the empires of Assyria, Media, and Persia, the greatest of their time, and to Macedonia itself, the brilliance of which was so recent, either deliberately or the verses escaping him, he said:

A day will come when sacred Troy shall perish,

And Priam and his people shall be slain.

And when Polybius speaking with freedom to him, for he was his teacher, asked him what he meant by the words, they say that without any attempt at concealment he named his own country, for which he feared when he reflected on the fate of all things human. Polybius actually heard him and recalls it in his history.^[7]

copyright(c)2016
William Schaeffer

The End

"Fortunately, everything has an end and [in difficult times] we can at least take philosophical solace from that fact even if we may not have the patience or fortitude to last the duration." - Mr. Atwater



copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

.

alternative benediction

"Peace Brother"

"Go in Peace, and may Peace and Love go with you."




.

.

Boredom

"Boredom is a sign of intelligence." - Mr. Atwater

copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer

a crime against reason

"Stop belief without evidence; a crime against reason." - Mr Atwater


copyright(c)2016
William Schaeffer

Start Dancing

"Stop Fighting.  Start Dancing." - Mr. Atwater

copyright (c) 2016

William Schaeffer