Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

Pentagon is Prepping Silent Talk Program (That's Telepathic Communication)

Why does this remind me of the book The Men Who Stare At Goats? The Pentagon is prepping a program they call Silent Talk to train soldiers to communicate telepathically. Of course in that book staring at the goats blows them up.

Maybe all these Twitter and Google failures are making them worried about high tech communications.

Via Wired

Man of La Mancha Diaries: Here Comes The Crazy

It is almost here. In fact I’m feeling it breathing down my neck and see it staring me in the face. Beginning next week I have to literally be in two places at once, directing two shows at once, for two different theatres.

This weekend at Wayside Theatre our new Interns arrive. Actually the first one arrives tomorrow night, and we’re excited to welcome Aviva, David, Cody, Jayson, and Randy into the company. I’m sure you’ll read more about them here on Wicked Stage as the season goes on. Like every year they, like their predecessors, will define the company for this season, Wayside Theatre’s 48th and my 11th as artistic director. On Monday we have a company orientation day to try and get them up to speed, and then Tuesday we begin rehearsals for our season opener, Man of La Mancha. Yeah, we’re dreaming some impossible dreams at Wayside Theatre this season. We’re still hanging on and we’re still struggling, and I’m sure that will continue, but we’ve got quite a few folks pulling for us. (We can always use more, hint, hint.)

After welcoming the new company on Monday, I head that night about 90 minutes north to Totem Pole Playhouse to direct the remount of our production of Cotton Patch Gospel. Yep, the one we just closed a few weeks ago at the end of season 47. My good friend and collaborator, Steve Przybylksi, is jumping on the insane wagon with me and music directing both shows. We’ll do rehearsals for one show during the day, drive 100 minutes or so and then rehearse the other at night for two weeks, before settling into the relative ease of just rehearsing one show the first week of June. We’ll be spending a good part of our life on I-81 these next two weeks. Fortunately the rest of our Wayside collaborators will be able to keep their focus on Man of La Mancha, while we are racking up the driving miles.

If it sounds like a crazy schedule it is. This double up is a big opportunity for us, and right now we can’t afford to not attack each opportunity that opens up.

All in all, it is going to be a wacky time. I’m sure I’ll be blogging less. This post will open up the Man of La Mancha Diaries here on Wicked Stage. I’m thinking of locking myself in my bedroom this weekend and trying to store up some sleep, but I know that won’t work.

An iPhone Orchestra in London

Enjoy.

Via The Creation Engine No. 2

Will My Health Insurance Cover My Prescription for Cheerios?

The FDA sent General Mills the maker of Cheerios a notice saying that the claim that the breakfast cereal can lower cholesterol makes Cheerios a drug.

"Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease."

Guess I’ll have to start my cereal shopping in the pharmacy.

Via The LA Times

Cat Crazy

That’s a lot of crazy cats. Or maybe they are just hungry.

 

Or maybe this is just what it felt like in the Twitter offices today.

Via The Daily Dish

AT&T Responds to SlingBox Crippling, Sounds Like Dick Cheney Trying to Redefine and Defend Torture

Think there’s no heat under the AT&T smokescreen knocking down SlingMedia’s iPhone app on the 3G network? There’s enough heat that it prompted a statement later today from AT&T. Unfortunately it proved the folks who write their press statements are as ineffective as those who manage AT&T’s network. The only thing I’ve heard lately that is more feckless is Dick Cheney’s supposed defense of torture.

Here’s the statement.

"Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.
That said, we don't restrict users from going to a Web site that lets them view videos. But what our terms and conditions prohibit is the transferring, or slinging, of a TV signal to their personal computer or smartphone.
The Slingbox application for the iPhone runs on WiFi. That's good news for AT&T's iPhone 3G customers, who get free WiFi access at our 20,000 owned and operated hot spots in the U.S., including Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, hotels, and airports. AT&T is the industry leader in WiFi."

As I’ve said before, AT&T is covering up that its network does not live up to its promotion of it. They are terrified that the seams in the network will come apart. C’mon AT&T most folks now know that you allow the Slingplayer on your network on other platforms, so you can’t trot this out as a supposed rationale. And there are already other apps UStream that do the same thing.

Feckless.

Via Engadget

Crippled SlingPlayer Mobile Release Proves AT&T Thinks We're All Idiots and Apple is a Coward

The much anticipated and much ballyhooed SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone is scheduled for sometime after midnight tonight. At one point you could have counted on Slingbox users going crazy and downloading the app eagerly, even at the $29.95 price tag. That’s the same price the Windows Mobile app has always been. But at least on that platform, you get a 30 day free-trial. Not with the iPhone version.

The real issue here though is that AT&T has forced Apple (who would have thunk that) into crippling the app and cutting off use on the 3G Network, and thus discriminating against iPhone users. How’s that? Well, you can use the app on the AT&T network on other platforms using 3G. Just not the iPhone.

Look, for some time now AT&T has skated by with a network that doesn’t live up to its advertising claims. Far from it. Urban and rural dwellers alike scoff openly at the claims in the advertising and fume at the inefficiency. Word is AT&T is busy trying to upgrade it before the next version of the iPhone is released. Hopefully they will.

But this latest episode proves that AT&T think we’re all just dummies to be marketed to. Here’s the thing, if they are so afraid of their network collapsing under the weight of media streaming, pull it for all platforms. Stop other apps that do video streaming (I really don’t want to see this BTW) and just admit that you’re selling more seats on the plane than you’ve got available.

AT&T gets to laugh at this, because for at least another year they’ve got a lock on the money train that is the iPhone. They stand to rake in even more dollars here in just a few weeks. Time for AT&T to quit treating its customers like idiots.

This idiot will let this one pass. Sorry, SlingMedia.

The Death Star Destroys the Enterprise

Well, I guess the Star Wars fans need something to celebrate.

Stall Surfing with the Wrong Toilet Paper is Killing the Planet: But There’s an App for That

Apparently we’re killing the planet each time we wipe our butt here in the good old USA. At least that’s what Greenpeace says. Check out this moment of clarity.

But not to worry there’s an app to help us choose the right toilet paper.

Thoughts: Star Trek

Summing up my thoughts here briefly because words fail when it comes to describing the new Star Trek.

Just see it. Brilliant.