Bruce Haack on Mr. Rogers

Techno Music Pioneer Bruce Haack on Mr. Rogers.


Later,
Paul Parducci

Thanksgiving

Here in a America we will be celebrating our Thanksgiving.

So for my brothers and sisters here in the USA, I wish you all a blessed and happy gathering. And for my brothers and sisters on the rest of our blue-green planet, pull up a chair, there's always room at the table.

For most of us the joy of present loved ones will be mixed with the honey-dipped pain of those absent.

So let's join hands and ask for gratitude for what we have, grace for those we've lost and grit for the road ahead.

Now please pass me a drumstick.

Later,

Paul Parducci

PS: The picture is from the Margaret Fuller House collection.

Don Siegel's "The Shootist"

As far as I'm concerned John Wayne's best movie (which also turned out to be his last.) Directed by American Auteur Don Siegel. With excellent performances by Ron Howard, Richard Boone and Lauren Bacall. This one is a must see. And you can catch it this month on American Movie Classics.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Recession Economics: Keep Your Chin Up.

Like most of us on planet Earth right now I'm feeling the pinch.

Consumer Reports has aggregated a nice batch of info regarding the saving of the green stuff.

I have a bottle cap with a simple message inside: "Keep Your Chin Up." I affixed a magnet to the back and mounted it on my refrigerator door to remind me of all I have to be grateful for and that this too shall pass.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Can Robots Evolve and Become Self aware?

Self Aware Robots

Holy Toledo!

Later,

Paul Parducci

The "Quota Quickie" And The Sound of Hitchcock

In order to resist the growing dominance of American Films, in 1927 Parliament passed the Cinematograph Films Act. The result of which were a large number of films which came to be known as "Quota Quickies."


Nice overview from the Guardian.
Also from Film Reference.

From the Quickie period also emerged the first British Sound motion picture; Alfred Hitchcock's "Blackmail."
Later,
Paul Parducci

Alfred Hitchcock Cameos

Everytime I see Alfred Hitchcock in one of his films I smile.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Psychomanteum

Later,
Paul Parducci

Nightmare Boss #1 Wide Screen "Are You Paid To Drink Coffee?"

Strange But True: Thirty-One Thousand Year-Old Christian Symbol Found

Discovered in 1994 Chavet Pont Du Arc has many amazing Prehistoric Cave Paintings. The most unusual is one that clearly shows a cross. A symbol that (as far as I know) is not naturally occuring in nature.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Apparently Paul Parducci Owns the Lucrative 35-54 Male Demographic!

Paul Parducci Project "MWF" Overalls and Age breakdown

Sample size 182K viewers

Regular readers of this Blog know that I try and keep overt self promotion to a minimum but I just paid a bunch of bills (and I'm in that certain frame of mind.)

In show business you take a lot of meetings. Most of these meetings lead nowhere but you never know. So I always make it a point to suit up and show up.

Lately, I have been hearing how surprisingly well I do with the lucrative 35-54 Male Demographic. (I'm in this demographic and most of the time I don't feel all that lucrative-but that's for another posting)

One distributor even lists my Nightmare Boss series as comedy for "men." I always kind of thought that the folks who paid attention to my work were evenly split between men and women (I mean my wife and my mom seem to like my stuff!) So I checked into it and found out; it's true!

Okay, I guess I better call my agent.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Are Ice Circles The New Crop Circles?

Strange indeed.
More info here.
And here.
Okay that's enough.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Seven Years

God Bless America.
I love this country. It's filled with good, strong, people.
Never count us out.
Paul Parducci

Nightmare Boss #16 "Quarterly Review"

Proof of ESP?

Unfortunately so far the record is very slim on repeatable, replicable proof of Psi.

Regarding this question the work of Susan Blackmore is worth a look.

Skepdic provides this overview.

Try for yourself here.

Later,

Paul Parducci

What's The Deal With Luck?

This is Daniel Pink's article on the work of Professor Richard Wiseman from a few years back.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Oh and the picture? 53 million year old rabbit's foot bones.

Is The BigFoot Body For Real?

I had to post this.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Tracy Arm

Just got back from Alaska and the Yukon.

Here is my mandatory iceberg picture from the amazing Tracy Arm Fjord.

(See the bird?)

Later,

Paul Parducci

My Ultimate Quote Regarding Directing.

Ivan Triesault as director Von Ellstein in Vincent Minnelli's "Bad and the Beautiful"

"To direct a picture, a man needs humility. Do you have humility, Mr. Shields?"

Regarding this particular job in film-truer words were never spoken.

Later,

Paul Parducci

 

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Magic Squares

A Magic Square is a "square" of numbers that add up the same vertically, horizontally and diagonally.
This is from Gaudi's Church of the Sacred Family in Barcelona, Spain. (It adds up to 33)
(I've been to this church and if you're every in this neck of the European woods it's a must see.)
This is a terrific Magic Square site.
Later,

Paul Parducci