May 23, 2011

PodPeople Follow up to the 2011 May Meeting

Hello everyone, Ty here to follow up on the recording the Podpeople made at the meeting last weekend, and, well, it didn’t turn out as well as everyone hoped. It’s my fault really for overestimating the ability of the microphones and not giving enough instruction to the guests. While there are some salvageable parts of the recording, they come out as one-sided conversations that don't make any sense and the volume constantly fades in and out.

I’d like to thank everyone again for turning up for the meeting last weekend and helping out as best they could.

Lessons learned from this experience:

  • Microphone positioning
  • Instruction to the guests on how to effectively talk into the microphones
  • Wire all the mics so the audience can participate. Especially when the guests unexpectedly ask for audience participation.


Lessons that still need to be learned:

  • How to hook into the Writer’s Place’s sound system without causing feedback and blowing out the audiences’ eardrums.
  • How to keep sound levels balanced while converting a Garageband File into an MP3 file.

If anyone would like to take a shot at this and has Garageband, please meet me at ConQuesT, I’ll give you the files. Thank you for your help.

May 10, 2011

News Updates: Laser Rangers Regular Meeting and a Successful Foray to the Storage Unit

"H.G. Wells' Two Time Machines" at Laser Rangers
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011
Time: 4:15 P.M. ("fan time")
Place: The usual.  For directions email David Sooby as shown on the screen at right.
Food Theme: "Food of the British Empire" (This category offers endless possibilities.  Your food choice could be any of these and more: Indian, Egyptian, Canadian, American Colonial, Australian, or even . . . English/UK!)
Captain Laser: Ken Keller
On the Program
For more information about these movies, go to the Laser Rangers website!
The evening will open with a 22-minute short, the Big Bang Theory Season One Episode #14, "The Time-Share Time Machine."  Here is a 2-minute teaser for this episode, from YouTube:

The first feature will be Nicholas Meyer's 1979 film, Time After Time. In a note about the, er, timing of this film, Ken Keller observed that this "is a Laser Rangers' *repeat* showing from *precisely* a decade ago this weekend. (Thus Spake Captain Laser.)"
After that is the dinner break.
The second, "main" feature will be George Pal's groundbreaking 1960 film, The Time Machine.  It won an Academy Award for special effects that year.

Storage Unit Expedition Successful
KaCSFFS has a storage unit at Attic Storage in North Kansas City that provides much-needed space to stow many items the club does not need all the time, but very much needs for some events--especially ConQuesT.  With the convention coming soon on May 27-29, six KAXFEN went over to the unit to inventory and retrieve needed supplies.
The KaCSFFS Storage Unit spills its guts!  Visible L-R are Jim Dowdy's shoulder,
Cindy Norton, and John Platt IV, along with vehicles owned by Jan Gephardt and
Cindy Norton.  Also present: Jeff Orth and Diana Bailey
Can anyone spare storage containers?
Club Director Diana Bailey also sent out a call to the membership for plastic storage tubs that will fit on a shelf that is 15" tall by 18" deep by 30" wide.  The club is hoping for donations to replace some of the crumbling cardboard boxes and heavy, larger totes (that won't fit on the shelves) currently in use.

PHOTO CREDITS: The movie screen frame image is from Psychology Today Online, with added design work by Jan Gephardt.  The clip from The Big Bang Theory is from YouTube and CBS.
The photo from the storage unit is by Jan Gephardt.

May 04, 2011

Laser Rangers Head for "The Wild, Wild West"

The Laser Rangers are set for a The Wild, Wild West
marathon Saturday, May 7, starting at 4:15 p.m.
Captain Laser is Bill Ostrander.
Meeting Essential Facts:
Date:  
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Time:   
Starts 4:15 p.m.; ends ???
Place:   
The usual (contact information below)
Food Theme:   
Barbeque

Join James T. West, Artemus Gordon, and the Laser Rangers Saturday May 7, starting at 4:15 p.m. ("fannish time," so don't look for precision), for a marathon viewing of The Wild, Wild West  episodes.

Actor Michael Dunn played Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless,
mad scientist evil genius.
Jim and Artemus, you may recall, are President Grant's agents, fighting evil with a marvelous array of ingenious gadgets, and based out of a private train.

This month's Captain Laser, Bill Ostrander, has promised two "Dr. Loveless" episodes, as well as "Night of the Juggernaut," among the six selections.  

The steam-powered Juggernaut will be featured in one of
the episodes to be viewed Saturday.
The most likely schedule is watching three episodes before supper, and the other three afterward.  The food theme for supper is barbeque (what else?).

The TV series ran for four seasons, 1965-1969.  Robert Conrad played James West, and Ross Martin played Artemus Gordon. 

PHOTO CREDITS: The graphic from the show's opening credits is from the Classic Forever blog.  The black-and-white image of Dr. Loveless is from Advice . . . with Dr. Julia Chicken.  The color image of Dr. Loveless is from the Two Rags blog.  The Juggernaut image came from The RPF website.  Our thanks to all!