Framed Tomato Aspective

Today's stream of consciousness:

1: I don't really like raw tomatoes. I eat them occasionally because doctors say that they promote overall prostate health. A favorite (but dearly departed) aunt once served me and my bride a heaping of tomato aspic. We were polite.

2: Standard definition television screens are slightly wider than they are tall. The ratio of width to height is 4:3 (this is called the aspect ratio). High definition televisions have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is why most of us need new cabinets to house them. Blu-Ray DVD's mostly have an aspect ratio of 2.4:1 in order to match the ratio in which most modern film is recorded. This means frequent surprise when owners of new equipment see the black bands at the top and bottom of the screen when watching Blu-Ray technology. Film purists insist this allows us to view the film as the artist/director/cinematographer intended. Technical purists insist also that this reduces artificial compression of the source material thereby providing sharper resolution of the images.

3: I have performed a fair amount of amateur video editing, mostly for my church. I use computer software to "capture" video shot on a digital camcorder, rearrange it, add music and scene transitions, and print to tape or dvd. Hollywood film is shot at a frame rate of 24 feet per second (fps). Broadcast television is at 30 fps. But, digital video is 29.97 fps. Most major Hollywood productions today (excluding works such as Blair Witch Project) are shot on film at 24 fps but edited on a computer at 29.97 fps. Thus, the computer software is capable of syncing the data even though it exists in two different mediums. Using this software exponentially reduces production costs because it allows the director and editor to work non-linear: they can drag and drop scenes on the computer and then allow the software to produce the film based on the time-code sync of the two formats. In the good old days, editors would literally cut and splice film. Inefficient directors often shoot 3 or 4 times the footage that ends up in the final production, so the ability to edit using non linear software technology (plus the ability to easily add computer generated animation or CGI) greatly reduces production costs. That's why you see some independent productions that match the quality of big budget Hollywood.

4: I have seen 2 state fairs, both US Disney wonderlands, the Empire State Building, the Sears tower, NASA, Cape Canaveral, the Liberty Bell, the White House, the Grand Canyon, Fenway Park, the Rose Bowl and Augusta National Golf Club. I have personally met two US Presidents, several Fortune 500 CEO's, notable celebrities and sports stars. I have travelled a fair amount outside the US. In short, life is pretty good. I have experienced a quality of life unfathomable by my grandparents. I believe there are a lot of Americans who feel as fortunate as I and refuse to let the portrayal of current world events, howsoever dire they seem, belie my belief in truth, justice, and the American Way.

Thank you.