IdeaJones

Tag: Mark

Mark Jones is co-owner of IdeaJones

  • “We’re Having a Heat Wave…”

    image101 degrees on the front porch, in the shade, for the past two days. And it’s not even mid-June. I hate to think what August might be like. Of course, August might be cooler than usual.

    The thing about climate change is, you never know how it’s going to change. California’s having a drought. Other areas are having a wetter than normal year. After having more intense tropical storms over the past few years, now I’m hearing there may be fewer storms this year.

    Who can tell what might happen next. Meteorologists? They’d be the natural choice, but they don’t have crystal balls, and frankly, even the short-range forecasts don’t seem as accurate as they have historically been.

    Chalk it up to climate change. And don’t try to tell me there’s no such thing. “Global warming” was the misnomer that got some folk thinking this was all a fabrication, because climate change changes differently in different parts of the globe. Warmer, drier here may mean wetter, colder there.

    The only constant is change. There is no stasis. You’re either growing or withering. With climate change, individual choices we make have small, perhaps imperceptible (think “The Butterfly Effect”) influences on our surroundings. Which is not to say it’s not worth making the effort. Meteorologists’ batting averages may be down, but they’re not giving up. Nor should we. We may be having a heat wave, but nobody knows exactly where (or when) this wave will break.

  • June Challenge

    It’s been pointed out that if we don’t update more often, people will forget we’re here. With Joey’s show in San Francisco coming up, and other events on the horizon, RATS nearing completion (currently in final edit), and just a whole lot going on in our lives, my challenge is to make time each day in June for an update. Will I succeed? Stay tuned…

    By the way, as a bit of a tease, remember Simran? Joey’s first sculpted piece in decades was one of two chosen for the upcoming SF show. More on that soon on our Arts page.






    Let the challenge begin!



  • Fresh Intel

    So I’m waiting for the train, and hear, “This is intel you acquired from Frank?”

    Way to pique my interest there, Slick! I’m not a conspiracy theorist, nor do I think they’re out to get me, but I’m not used to hearing that phrase anywhere except thriller/spy movies. Sure, they’re probably talking about some sales contract or a number that got left off a spreadsheet – but, goodness! Doesn’t “intel you acquired” sound juicy?

    Maybe this person didn’t intend for me to overhear that particular bit of intel – maybe it never crossed his mind that anyone could hear. But fella, on a train platform, you never know who you’re standing next to (unless you’ve got some REALLY good intel!), so beware the consequences of your conversation. Maybe I’m not a journalist, but I know a whole passel of ’em who might be interested in following up on some hot “intel.”

  • The Last Stop…

    “The Last Stop.” I’d never seen that message on the train’s destination board before. Maybe because I never ride to the end of the line.

    This morning, I’m not sure I’ll be riding the train at all. Leaving the house four minutes late, I’ll have to jog at least a third of the way to the station to make up time. On the overpass that crosses the rail line, I can see quite a way down the tracks, and don’t see headlights, so I probably have sufficient time to slow to a walk. (Sometimes they trick me and run without lights, but they usually have them on.)

    At the station, we wait. And wait. The next train going the other direction comes through. Not a good sign. Still no headlights down the tracks.

    How long can I wait before trekking back to the house to get the car? Of course, I’ll have to find a place to park away from the office, since first-of-semester college traffic will tie up the roads near the campus and make for a very long drive.

    The train finally comes, making alternate scenario calculations moot. Of course, since there was a missing train in the interim, this one’s twice as full as usual. I rarely sit down on the train anyway, preferring to stand, but usually have space to lean against something. Not this trip. I figure we are half as packed as a Tokyo subway train. Don’t know how they do it. (Yes, I do – they employ “pushers” to shove people onto the train.)

    The doors close. I glance at the destination board. It briefly flickers “Meadowview” (uh-oh – the wrong direction) then says “The Last Stop” before shutting down altogether.

    “Not a good sign,” I say, getting a nervous smile from the woman next to me. The audio system (“the next stop is…”) also shuts down. At least the air conditioning is working. So far.

    Without stop announcements, the train is unnaturally quiet, even though there are many more people than usual aboard. We cruise along in silence, doors opening and passengers readjusting at each station. It occurs to me that wherever a person gets off the train, that stop, for them, is the last stop.

  • Worth The Price of Admission?

    I’ve been trying to figure out what makes a story work (or not). Joey and I regularly dissect movies we watch together (usually after the film – we’re both sticklers about not talking during). Buy a ticket for a roller coaster, and you want a ride worth the price of a ticket. This goes for any entertainment, right? My standards for movies, for example, go: on TV or streaming with commercials, premium TV or streaming, matinee, and full-price. By the time you get to “full price,” I expect to be very entertained. We usually (but not always) agree on what was a very good, or so-so experience. There seem to be some basic areas where an idea has a chance to go right (or wrong):

    AUDIENCE – Who did they think was watching the romance tacked on to the thriller or action-adventure movie, where it’s clear somebody said, “We need a romantic interest!” but nobody asked “Why?” and nobody gave any more thought to that part of the story, so there it is, begging to be fast-forwarded through. Or the goofball comedy that all of a sudden grinds to a halt for The Message, leaving you rolling your eyes. Did the people putting the movie together have a clear picture of who they’re trying to entertain?

    GENRE – Maybe I just wasn’t the right audience for Helen Hunt’s “then she found me” (based on the novel by Elinor Lipman). We saw it because we both like Helen Hunt, and still do, but was it a comedy? It said it was (well, they used the term “dramedy,” but doesn’t that mean you get comedy with your drama?). It wasn’t. I don’t mean “I didn’t get it.” I got it – there were no gags, no jokes, no funny situations. It was a drama. The DVD included interviews with the cast trying to sell me on the idea that what I’d just seen was a comedy. Some really fine actors couldn’t convince me this movie was funny.

    HOOK – In all genres, there’s something akin to the blood-soaked corpse as a way to hook your audience. I still remember seeing the 1970 film “Mark of the Devil” when it first came out. (I know, I’m dating myself – I’ll date myself further by telling you Mom dropped me off at the theater and had no idea what I was going to see. I remember my friend wondering how I could continue to eat my Good & Plentys as the fake blood was squirting all over. Hey, it was fake blood.) I’ve been hooked on horror ever since. (Remember, it was fake blood. Don’t try to make me sit through the nature show where the lion kills the zebra. Yuck.)

    THE “WOW” FACTOR – Bathing beauties or train wreck, a visual appeal is a big plus. I’ll go with the train wreck every time. Joey likes animals, especially dogs. Oh! Maybe nude dog-trainers on the circus train. Or not. (“The Greatest Show on Earth” with Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton and Jimmy Stewart includes a great train wreck. It works even though you can see the crashing trains are little models.)

    RESOLUTION – Tie me a bow on this package. I want to feel that I’ve fully experienced the trip. Which isn’t to say I really wanted to see what Harry Potter looked like 19 years later (although the second time they shot the scene, it worked fairly well).

    TAKEAWAY – In a (good) comedy or drama, there’s usually a scene or character you’re still talking about on the way to the car. In musical comedy, there’s usually a song you’re still humming on the way out the door. I definitely hum the tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber shows when leaving the theater – he’s hit the same theme time and time again, all evening long. (Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. He does write some good stuff.) At least there’s a new theme with each show.

    ADDED VALUE – One word. Easter egg. OK, that’s two words, but you know what I’m talking about. Who hasn’t spent a few minutes (or more) playing the Perry Platypult game Disney developed for the Phineas and Ferb movie. I know I have. Go ahead, you know you want to. Here it is: Perry Platypult Game

    (Warning: This link will take you to a Disney site where you will have to watch a brief commercial before you can play the game.)

    Also, I’m a sucker for those stingers at the end of the movie, that added bonus for sitting through the credits. Tuck in that little bit of “extra,” like the roller coaster that seems to reach the end of its journey, only to take off again (Sea World’s “Journey to Atlantis” ride does this right. A great ride, you think you’re reaching the end, then… yes!).

    So now we try to put all this to work, and try to make the ride worth the price of the ticket.