Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Fun With Technology: Girls With Gadgets


I like gadgets, not purely for their gadgetry but for the life and love and memories we pour into them which then spring out of them. There's some of all that right here on this page.

Key to my love of gadgets is Ian Broyles who, I can fairly say, has been at my side for most of my groundbreaking gadget purchases throughout the past eight years.

Most recently, these include an LG enV phone and a Canon PowerShot TX 1. Both of these items fit in my purse!

I love the LG phone because I can check my email on the road and actually answer it without having to know what BRB or G2G means, (be right back and got to go) because the phone flips open to reveal a querty keyboard. You get to type entire words just like in life. It is also a full speaker phone once you pop it open. The phone takes 15 second videos, a feature which I find completely useless. Not nearly enough time to catch a celebrity destroying his career.

But it takes pretty good photos for a phone as I will demonstrate, below...


The Santa Barbara sky was doing something rather weird as I walked to Bricks with my cousin's cousin (cc if you're chatting on a regular phone) so we pulled out the phone and documented it in case NASA calls.


I got a collect call from Inmate Number 6341. I did not accept the call because I am so sick of talking to my Mom. Ha ha, that's a funny joke. She hasn't done time in years. And in case you weren't going to believe that I got a phone call from prison, I took a picture of my phone with my phone.


Fini has a new bit where she talks to a hand puppet. For about five months she was doing the piece while talking to her hand which she was calling "Porkchop." Then she went home to visit her parents and apparantly had a lot of time to sew this puppet which I thought was very close to the funniest thing I had ever seen, so I pulled out my phone and took a picture.


The night "Porkchop" made her debut was also the night that Fini's brother, Devon Goodman made his first and triumphant standup comedy appearance. He was great. Yea, Devon! Good luck ever being emotionally sound now.


Fritz and Corey Coleman were their own stage hands at Fritz's new play, "Tonight at 11" while I stood around and took pictures with my phone.

On to the next gadget. It's called a Canon PowerShot TX1 and it's extremely mini. It's both a video and still camera and it fits in your pocket. (as long as your pants are too big or you're wearing a jacket) But it's really small, about 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches and a little over an inch wide.

I've been taking a lot of photos and videos with it, which those around me have come to find rather annoying. Here are some pictures...



Weezy & The Swish celebrated its 100th podcast by inviting all 99 previous guests. Most knew better than to show up. But many did and left early such as Lisa Arch, Tom Clark, Graham Elwood and Fini Goodman. A few got caught in this photo such as my Mom, Ruthie Palanker, Me, a guy Kyle is coaching, Matt Sigman, Kevin's girlfriend, Courtney, Kevin Cease and Kyle Cease. Smart enough to show up too late was Wayne Federman.


Ian took many cool photos during the 100th podcast, including this one of Me, Siggy and Graham.


And this one of Kyle.

And he shot some video, from which I edited this little 100th episode video blog.



After the podcast we went to the pub where Bob Cowsill and the band were playing. It was a Pink Ribbon Benefit night and I was in charge of auctioning off baskets of great stuff.

I took this picture of Bob through the baskets. Very decorative.


Ian deserved and enjoyed a beer.

If you've read this far, you've earned and should enjoy this last soothing video, shot in Santa Barbara...



For more videos, go to my videos on Vimeo and my videos on You Tube.

If you'd like to hear the Centenial Podcast go to Weezy & The Swish!

Have a safe and healthy week!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Onward


Weezy & The Swish

The Swish half of Weezy & The Swish has moved to San Francisco to work for C-Net which is a wonderful company and we are thrilled for her. How will this impact the podcast? This is yet to be determined so last week the challenge was to find a guest co-host as smart and pretty as Laura. I chose Larry Morgan.

Larry, while taller and hairier than Laura, proved to be a wonderful co-host and excitement was abundant in the studio as we welcomed Famous and Legendary Songwriter, Diane Warren who arrived with Noteworthy Actress, Katherine Narducci who plays Charmaine Bucco on The Sopranos.
Katherine Narducci, Me, Diane Warren and Larry Mortan

Diane, coming straight off an appearance on Oprah was a little disappointed with the hair and makeup dept. at Weezy & The Swish (a bathroom and a mirror) but she rebounded quickly and free from Oprahlistic expectations which include: refinement, elegance, culture and sophistication, Diane showed us the saucier side of her personality which includes: impudence, cheekiness, crudity and dare I say it, the occasional curse word. It’s these qualities in an artist who composes gorgeously poetic and epic love songs that make her a dichotomously complex and fascinating individual who reveals herself more fully on Weezy & The Swish than she ever could on Oprah.
Me, Diane

Oh, what am I saying? It’s sacrilegious. There comes a time when we all must face that we are powerless against against alcohol (and/or podcasting) and give ourselves over to the glory of Oprah.

That being acknowledged, please enjoy this episode of Weezy & The Swish.

Santa Barbara Comedy Nights

The Rocks Nightclub Comedy Nights Experience has moved to Fridays making it far easier for Santa Barbarians to come out and enjoy comedy and much harder for me to drive up there on a Friday night (because of the traffic) Many Los Angelinians, of a weekend, escape the din and frenzy of the big city and head for the idyllic seaside serenity of Santa Barbara. That = Traffic which is why Oprah takes her own plane. Are we back on Oprah? I’m hoping to mention Oprah in this blog as often as Oprah appears on the cover of O Magazine.

Ruby Wendell, Laura Swisher, Tig, Napkin and Me at Bricks

If you do come to Santa Barbara to enjoy sand, sea, splendor and standup, you may experience a little something like this…




Or this…




Have a beautiful week. Be well and safe!