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Brian Sawyer 8:46 pm on February 11, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Too Many 40-Degree Days: Thoughts on The Wire, Season 3

I know I’m a little late to the game, but I finally got around to watching The Wire. Like most people who start watching it, I’ve become completely absorbed and managed to watch the entirety of Season 2 over a five-day business trip last month. I just started Season 3 recently and, unfortunately, I’m just not feeling it as much. Yesterday, I revealed this heresy in a quick update via Twitter and expected it to be the ultimate in flame bait, drawing out the faithful with a flurry of arguments as strong as the adoration exhibited when my friends and contacts pounced on my mention that I’d started watching not too long ago.

The Wire

But the responses were much more tame and basically ranged from “Seasons 3 and 5 are the weakest of the lot” and “at the end of the season, you will be raving about it,” all the way to “give it a chance … out of all five, I think it’s a toss-up between Season 3 and Season 1 for best season.”

I posted a note to my Facebook profile to respond (who knew there was a character limit to comment boxes?) and after it elicited a number of comments I realized it was more content than I’d posted to my blog for awhile and that it also stimulated much more discussion than anything seen here recently. So, I figured it made sense to promote it and run it here. I hope you’ll forgive both the duplication and lack of polish.

[Warning to anyone who hasn't seen the series up through Season 3, Episode 3: the rest of the post contains mild, big-picture spoilers.]

My complaints aside, I have no intention of giving up The Wire three episodes into Season 3. As one friend suggested, even a “bad” episode of The Wire is better than almost anything else on television. But from Episode 1, I felt like I’d missed something. Both Season 1 and Season 2 began by assembling the team and establishing the target. And both ended by disbanding the team and pulling down everything from the bulletin board (leaving only The Greek up there at the end of Season 2). Season 3 begins with the team appearing to be back together and working on regular detective work, business as usual. How did they get to that point?

But more than the ramp up (which can be forgiven mainly because we probably don’t really need to see those details this time, as long as we understand the point of what they’re doing together), I’m disappointed in what seems like a lack of purpose driving Season 3. While Season 1 was all about Barksdale, and Season 2 was, ultimately, about The Greek, I don’t see a similar focus yet for this season.

Granted, I’m only three episodes into it now (I’m moving slower, now that I have to Netflix them, and there are only two episodes on many discs), but I seem to remember the other two seasons having a focus figured out by this point, or were at least showing signs of a plan.

Perhaps this will be Proposition Joe’s season, or maybe someone else’s turn, but without a real target (just one guy’s face up on that bulletin board right now, and we all know he’s not going to really be the target), I don’t see the raison d’etre yet.

If the writers have a plan, they’re keeping it very close to their chest so far, and I’d like at least a peak at a few of their cards, just to make sure there’s something there. Without an eventual One Thing to drive the show, these first few episodes have felt to me like, as Stringer might say, “too many 40-degree days” (warning: the following clip features explicit language to colorfully illustrate this metaphor):

It doesn’t help that they killed off the most sympathetic of the “bad guys” in Season 2 (though they seem to be grooming at least one new character to fill this role), but if the final season is really considered one of the weakest, that isn’t a good sign to me.

Still, I can’t get enough, so I’m off now to watch Season 3, Episode 4, and hoping for the return of spring weather …

Brian Sawyer 9:56 pm on February 10, 2009 Permalink | Reply

What Am I Doing?

I’ve been trying (without much success, obviously) to blog more, but I’m beginning to think I’m just much better at keeping my posts to 140 characters or fewer. That is, when I say “better,” I mean only “more reliable,” because I’m not inhibited by the perceived barrier of wit, creativity, or importance when posting to my Twitter account as I am when I stare a blank WordPress window. I use Twitter frequently to say very little (in terms of significance, not just character count), while I reserve my blog to say something a little more significant, the opportunity for which ends up presenting itself much less frequently.

Of course, if you ever check up on my status, the fact that I prioritize quantity over quality in short bites will not be news to you. Here’s a cloud of words you’re likely to see more often than not (as reported by Twitter Grader):

I’m really surprised that neither “snow” nor “driveway” make an appearance in that tedious list, but otherwise, it looks like a fairly accurate representation of what I say when I choose to update my status (via Twitter, but also routed to Facebook and fed to the sidebar of my blog). I rarely talk about work (though the word “work” did uncharacteristically manage to find its way into an update today), my personal life (beyond notifying the world that my child is sick, of course), or much else of real importance, which I guess is a shame when you consider that this seems to have become the primary source of information about my life for some people who are very close to me (I’ll admit I’m not great with the phone or correspondence in general either).

But then, though I ostensibly strive for significance here on my blog, do I ever really reach that audacious goal anyway? (That was a rhetorical question, so please don’t try to answer it.) I certainly don’t ever get too deep into my personal life (the ultimate in significance, by most of the standards I’ve used to evaluate things lately) over here. Is it because my family would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them? Probably not. Originally, I was a little worried about trolls, stalkers, and such getting a glimpse into the lives of the people who are important to me, but that really doesn’t worry me so much anymore. So what keeps me from opening up, especially when it would appear that I have very little to say about the Important Issues in the World?

Honestly, I have no idea. In fact, I’ve lost the thread of what this post was supposed to be about in the first place. It began as yet another excuse for why I don’t blog here more often and a redirect to my Twitter stream, but with so little going on over there, somehow it ended up in a meaningless rumination on the purpose and significance of my online presence, such that it is. Like public navel gazing and realizing I don’t even have a bellybutton of which to speak.

So, the question I never give thought to above the Twitter input box really should inform everything that goes on this blog. Beyond that, it’s worth actually stopping to consider every once in awhile, between keystrokes stolen between rushed moments during any given day. What am I doing?
Brian Sawyer 10:00 pm on January 31, 2009 Permalink | Reply

The Kindness of Strangers

About two years ago, I posted the following video to the YouTube:

As lead editor for O’Reilly’s Hacks series of books at the time, my purpose was to illustrate the audio-visual illusion described in Hack #59 of Mind Hacks, in which Tom Stafford and Matt Webb use a classic illusion known as the McGurk Effect to show how our senses combine to completely change our ultimate experience of perception (blog post and complete transcription available here).

Since I posted this clip, it has had over 50,000 views and 62 ratings that average out at 4.5 stars (on a 5-star scale). Based on the 76 comments generated by the post, I have to believe that the commenting audience must be distinct from the rating audience, because even if you generously tallied up an approximate rating from the comments, I think you’d find a rating somewhere around a single star or lower. But comments clearly must be evaluated qualitatively, not quantitatively (otherwise, the commenters could have simply voiced their opinions with a star rating), so I’ll give the viewers their due and include a fairly representative sample of the feedback I’ve received so far.

Let’s see, where to begin? I actually value the comments that critique the efficacy of the video, such as this one by kated101:

didnt work at all on me, sounded like you were saying ba ba the whole time.

There are even some that report a bit of failure on my part, mixed with at least a little success, like Janedoex0x:

It didn’t work.
I still heard “BA BA…” when I saw him say it.

The olive juice thing looks really real though.

Also, “elephant shoe” looks like I love you too. =)

These are fair criticisms that, given that I’m neither a neuroscientist or a filmmaker, expose me for the amateur 10-minute video producer I am. Heck, even given those handicaps, I get a few unqualified kudos from users like gagaboat:

Thank you. This was the most thorough and well done explanation so far in relaying the power of perception.

But then, there are those who, on no uncertain terms, must feel betrayed by me on a very deep level. People like moxmister2006:

i heard ba ba the whole time [expletive deleted].

and RiddSin:

i just hear bah bah all the way you [expletive deleted] big eyd [expletive deleted]

and moviedragon5000 (to quote just a few):

yeah i heard bababa the firrst time so this is a bunch of bs

Now, I’ve been around the Interwebs long enough to expect trolls, so I don’t expect anyone to think I’m exposing things I think they’ve never seen before. Really, I’m just genuinely dumbfounded by the point when the comments cease to be about the content at all and become ad hominem attacks on me personally. That is, I say they’re about me, though their bizarre content makes it almost impossible for me to really take them personally. What drives a YouTube troll to respond to a demonstration of a neuroscientific audio-visual illusion with:

your mustache is shaped like an “M”

or focussing on my eyes, as at least three commenters did, most recently by kevituz, just four days ago:

[begin comment] you have huge eyes [end comment]

Really, I encourage you to read as many of the comments as you can stomach and share your opinions in the comments. I have a thick skin and will even allow trolls to voice their opinion on this one. It’s not that I’m offended or hurt; I really just don’t get it. If you’re one of these commenters, how is this worth your time? If it’s just to get back at me for wasting two minutes and forty seconds of your life that you’ll never get back, I do apologize, but really, is it worth another 20 seconds or more to you to let me know just how much you don’t like me? Take me at my word when I say I’m not offended and am genuinely interested in hearing a genuine answer that might make one bit of sense to me.

What Am I Doing? « Brian Sawyer is discussing. Toggle Comments
Brian Sawyer 11:59 am on January 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply

It’s All Downhill

In an effort to begin posting here a little more often than once every few months (call it a desire beginning in 2009, but something short of a resolution), I thought I’d lower the bar for creativity a little bit and see what happens when I don’t feel the need to write something important. We’ll see how it goes, and I hope my few remaining subscribers will appreciate the updates. If not, I can’t imagine I have many more readers to lose at this point, and I figure having anything current to read on the front page is better than months-old content. Either way, I feel the need to get my writing juices going again, so even if it’s just for me, I figure it will be worth doing.

With that in mind, here’s a little of what’s been keeping me busy since Christmas:

This Twist & Rail marble run from Quadrilla (a difficult-to-navigate site, because it’s primarily German) is one of the more versatile sets you can get (others sets include just Twist, just Rail, Basic, and several Expansion kits), and it provides hours and hours of fun, including both setup and actual “play.” I highly recommend it to anyone, with or without kids, but it makes an especially great toy for parents and kids to share.

The construction is complicated enough to require adult help (or at least an older child working alone), but it provides a bigger feeling of accomplishment as well when it’s time for the marbles to start rolling. The building and the anticipation really ends up being exciting for even the most impatient of kids (based on a sample of one, granted, but I think it’s fairly representative), and it’s a much more active and stimulating game than many, many others I can think of.

As a nice bonus, the components are all sturdy and well-constructed wood pieces (similar in look and feel to the fine Melissa & Doug toys), which makes them durable (helpful for when a run gets knocked down, which is not infrequent) and attractive enough to keep you from feeling ashamed when leaving them set up in your living room for days (as I’ve been doing lately without complaint in the household).

Here are a couple other models I’ve completed (a few more pics here), with a little help and equal enjoyment from my four-year-old:

I’m back to work tomorrow, which I guess means that my son will be getting some of his new toys back.

In the meantime, does anyone know of any additional proven designs? I’ve executed all the ones that came with the instruction booklet for the set, but I don’t have the expertise to wing it with new creations just yet.
Brian Sawyer 7:32 am on September 17, 2008 Permalink | Reply
Five Years, What a Surprise
On this day, five years ago, I started this blog. When I began (at a different location, with a different name, explained here), I didn’t have much more in mind for it than an online diary, which was all most blogs were back then. I’d never kept a diary before, but somehow, like everyone else, I thought I’d have something interesting to share on a regular basis. Interesting or not, I certainly was regular, for a while at least.

Then, I actually got something of a focus, and I fancied myself something of a literary blogger, commenting on the world of publishing, reviewing books, etc. I even started getting review copies from publishers, until I stopped having the time or follow-through to actually review the books I was getting (at which point I stopped accepting them).

After that focus faded, I added some old philosphy papers to my online home, and then turned the site into something of a craft blog. But since losing my way even with that focus, I must admit that I’ve gotten out of the habit of posting, and I’m still searching for something to give this blog a meaning worthy of bringing people here regularly. To be honest, I’m really not sure how many people will read this. I go so long between posts now that I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d dropped out of most people’s feedreaders or bookmarks for sites to visit regularly.

What I do know, based on my traffic stats, is that my one strength is a certain article I wrote for Make magazine, then posted to a wiki, and then finally moved over here in an effort at consolidating my various online projects. To date, here are the search terms that have driven the most traffic to this site, in order:
1. book binding
2. diy book binding
3. bookbinding
4. bookbinding tutorial
5. bookbinding tutorials
6. book binding tutorial
7. diy bookbinding
8. brian sawyer
Yes, all but one of those search terms land on this page (actually, I think at least some of them land on my roundup of tutorial links), which has been viewed over 38,000 times since I moved it there. (Incidentally, though those searchers likely won’t read this, because they bypass the front page completely, they might be interested to know that the article may end up almost ended up appearing in a really interesting book sometime soon.)

If it weren’t for the strength of my backlist, I’d start wondering if it was worth keeping this site up at all, but I’m happy to see that people are finding something they like here, even if it isn’t fresh content. But if you are reading this, thanks. Please let me know why you’re still following me, because it might give me some idea of what I might be able to offer around here with a little more regularity.
Kim Gibson, and Sandrine are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Sandrine 8:47 am on October 23, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  You’re right ! I found your blog by the article you wrote about bookbinding I really would like to learn more about bookbinding (handbound) and here in Belgium this is totally unknown No books or tools to learn/do So I had a look here ! But see, I’m reading your recent post and it’s a real pleasure ! So please still di it like this ! And congratulations for your appearance in this intersting book ! You deserve it ! Read you soon Well I have to study now for being able one day maybe to create longstitch or coptic stitch for my futur albums LOL
- Kim Gibson 6:29 pm on December 12, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Irregularly, but yes, I do look… where are you?
Brian Sawyer 4:22 pm on July 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply

Kishy the Rhyming Poke Snake

Kishy was a poke snake. He had pokes on his back. He also could fly. He flew all the way to India.

In India, he met his friend Vvvv, who was a lion. They decided to play a rhyming game. Kishy said, “word.” Vvvv said, “bird.” Kishy said, “snake.” Vvvv said, “rake.” Then they went to sleep.

The End

Brian Sawyer, and Kristina are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Kristina 4:34 pm on July 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Plagiarist! I know for a fact that Kishy the Rhyming Poke Snake was written by one Henry Sawyer.
- Brian Sawyer 4:38 pm on July 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Lies! I came up with the story of Kishy in the summer of 1997, years before Henry was even born. I just might have to sue you for that libelous accusation.
Brian Sawyer 2:40 pm on July 6, 2008 Permalink | Reply

You Got to Know When to Fold ‘Em

A couple months after quietly releasing me from their employment (due to circumstances beyond either of our control), Hollan Publishing quietly released a new craft book with my name* on the cover: Napkin Origami. For a number of reasons that probably aren’t worth getting into (you don’t really need to know how the sausage is made, do you?), this book was particularly challenging from beginning to end, but it really gave me a chance to both flex my editing muscles and test my crafting abilities.

The challenge I’m perhaps most proud of overcoming was the need to learn and perfect (well, at least become pretty darn good for some more advanced examples) a craft I’d never attempted before, all in the matter of a couple short weeks. Yes, as craft editor, with no previous origami experience, I was called upon to fold each of the 25 projects in the book–featuring traditional and original origami creations, using paper and/or cloth napkins exclusively–for final photography.

And how did I find myself in this predicament? Well, as curator of an entirely contributed volume of projects from various artists, there really was no one but me to take the lead. That said, I had hoped to enlist some assistance from experienced folders, but a couple unexpected problems stood in my way. First, I had no idea how expensive it would be to contract professional origami artists (the book budget couldn’t even afford the retainer required by the couple experts I contacted). And second, I underestimated the time it would take to iron all of the cloth napkins needed for the book, bringing me up to the wire for the shooting schedule and leaving me without time to hunt through the amateur organizations to find adequate help.

After taking several passes with spray starch and iron to get a single cloth napkin to the appropriate crispness for folding, I knew I couldn’t do them all myself on my deadline. But I was quickly rebuffed by a couple local dry cleaners, who told me rather matter-of-factly that they couldn’t do the job in less than a week. So, we hired someone to come into the office and do nothing but starch and iron for a complete workday, while I feverishly folded the specimens for photography, all of which I completed within about a week (folding the last couple while the photo shoot was in progress).

I guess it’s a good thing I was a fairly quick study, though that isn’t to say there wasn’t a fair amount of cursing involved throughout my steep learning curve. Here’s a prototype for one of the easier projects in the book (designed by Francis Ow), folded out of regular decorative paper and photographed by myself on my own kitchen counter early in my self-taught training:

Pretty basic, I know. But still, as it was pretty much the first origami creation I’ve ever attempted (at least, it’s the first one I remember, though I’m sure I must have fooled around with folding paper in some capacity before), it was pretty satisfying, and at least my son got a kick out of it (and still does, by the way, since he’s kept it as a kind of reusable Valentine).

How gratifying, then, to see my heart on display in its finished form, folded from a colorful cloth napkin (chosen, as all napkins in the book were, by myself and creative director Wendy Simard), embellished with simple but creative styling by Jennifer Dunlea, and beautifully photographed by Allan Penn:

A few of my favorites in the collection include the traditional shirt and tie on the front cover, Rick Beech’s bunny:

and these cute baby bootees by Nick Robinson (who also provided the excellent step-by-step folding illustrations for every project in the book):

My son’s favorite was probably the carousel, but the fact that he got to keep the toy horses probably biased him a little:

Finally, as a little warning for the timid or a challenge for the brave, I’d like to give a little shout-out to Edwin Corrie, who designed the hardest project in the book, especially when created using napkins. This swan had me struggling right up to the moment we had to shoot it:

Some complicated precreasing and a couple tricky inside- and outside-reverse folds made it hard enough, but I cannot stress enough the need for thick, stiff luxury napkins for this design. While every other project in the book works great with the cloth or paper napkins specified, this is the only one that I think works significantly better with regular paper. Still, if you can pull it off (as I evidently managed to do, somehow), the results can be pretty impressive.

* Disclaimer: Though I collected a salary while working on this book, I didn’t get anything extra for getting my name on the cover. I’d of course love for everyone to use and enjoy the book, but I will never receive any royalties or anything, so I have nothing invested in it besides my pride.

Of BristleBots and Folding Toilet Paper: Finding Inspiration and Controversy in Common Bathroom Materials « Brian Sawyer, rejane, Jody and 2 others are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Sunday Baker 8:24 am on August 27, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Hi there!
  I just saw that you had commented on my blog with my post showing this book. I love it! Beautiful work and if you read my blog, you know how much I love details like these! THanks!
- Beth Kobus 8:26 am on September 25, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  I’m waiting for my local B&N to get this in so I can get it.
  
  Love Ya,
  Beth
- Jody 5:16 pm on December 27, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Love it, love it, love it…
- rejane 1:02 pm on January 23, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Que pena ser em ingles ams amei vou tentar fazer oarabéns ficou muito criativo
Brian Sawyer 4:31 pm on March 1, 2008 Permalink | Reply

Sick of Snow

After an early snowfall in December, followed by a lousy January and the snowiest February recorded in many years, March already seems to have something of its own to prove. This is the side of the driveway that isn’t bordered by a stone wall or bush:

This snow is sitting directly on my lawn, which I haven’t seen since early December. Any wagers on when I’ll see it again?
And now, I’m going to my happy place–my living room, to be precise–for my much-needed moment of Zen:

Ophelia Rising is discussing. Toggle Comments
- Ophelia Rising 6:31 pm on May 6, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  And now, it’s GORGEOUS out! Nothing like couple of months or so to get one’s mood swung around. Although, I do miss the warmth of a fire…
  
  Just to let you know, I ran across this person’s blog recently, and thought you might be interested.
  
  http://knitting.thomaslaupstad.com/
  
  See you soon,
  Mary (Jack’s mom)
Brian Sawyer 9:05 am on January 25, 2008 Permalink | Reply

Editor/Author Relationship as Marx Brothers Routine

Sometimes, an editor/author relationship stands out as a model to emulate, while others, as well-intentioned as they may be, just don’t quite work out as well.

I’ve posted before about Merlin Mann’s description of our failed book project, in which he describes me as “a character out of a 30s screwball comedy.” But in the comments thread of a more recent post, he actually provides a spot-on illustration of the routine formed by him, myself, and his coauthor Danny when the whole arrangement started to unravel beyond hope of repair.

In the following uncanny preenactment of our travails, I’m the lemonade vendor and my coauthors are played by Chico and Harpo:

I hope you find this illustration edifying as well as humorous. I always knew that someday we’d be able to look back on our troubled circumstances and laugh, and I’m happy to see that day came earlier than I’d expected for me.

Nancy, and The Vendor's Wife are discussing. Toggle Comments
- The Vendor's Wife 10:18 am on January 25, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  that explains why you’ve been doing that weird thing with your leg ever since the book was canceled.
- Nancy 12:27 am on February 10, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  Hey Brian – Thanks for running with us again!! It’s great to have you. Should see a full race report at my blog sometime on Monday.
Brian Sawyer 8:35 am on December 19, 2007 Permalink | Reply

Master of My Domain

After over four years of maintaining this blog with URLs that included first “blogspot” and later “wordpress,” I’ve finally upgraded to my own top-level domain: briansawyer.net.

Everything seems to be redirecting correctly, and I assume my feed will do the same, but if you subscribe, you might want to update to the new feed anyway, just to make sure you never miss a single revelatory word (whenever one might come).

Brian Sawyer, Tiffany 2, and Tiffany are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Tiffany 8:07 pm on December 22, 2007 Permalink | Reply
  
  Welcome to your new home! =)
- Tiffany 2 7:16 pm on January 6, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  “Master of Your Domain” is about as appropriate as you can get..if you know what I mean
- Brian Sawyer 7:30 pm on January 6, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  
  I think I know what you mean, and I agree. The same could be said for this whole blog, though, so I think everything fits.