Scott Bush

Three things you should NOT search for on Google’s Image search (I’ve conveniently made each entry a link to that search to test your resolve. Don’t blame me if you click them…):

1. Bed Bugs
2. Funnel Spider
3. Meth Mouth

I warned you…

Tomorrow morning I’ll be acting in my brother-in-law’s movie Unseen Abilities. Most of the movie is already filmed but tomorrow’s shoot will fill in some missing scenes, one of which is a hospital scene where the main character is treated after an accident. I’ll be playing “unnamed doctor,” and I expect my screen time not to exceed five seconds. But it’ll still be great to be a part—however small—of this project. I’m very impressed with Dustin’s directing and managing of the project, Joe and Eli’s acting, and Joe and Dustin’s joint efforts to edit the film (on a badass Mac Pro, of course).

Not since college have I been in front of a camera playing a role. Two friends and I “starred” in a parody of 1999’s Blair Witch Project we filmed in and around the University of Washington’s computer labs. It was filmed to introduce incoming student employees of the computer lab to the UWired culture. For those who care, it was called The Balmer Lab Project and centered around a “rival” computer lab on campus. (I’ll see if I can dig up some video of that, but trust me: you’re not missing much).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my first big role: a police captain in a classmate’s senior project film: MTHS Vice. Don’t remember much about it except I forgot I was in a scene one afternoon and showed up late, in shorts and a tee-shirt, wearing glasses I’d not been wearing in earlier shoots. Oh well. Lisa graduated and that was that.

I had an opportunity to waste some time on YouTube today and thought I’d share two very watchable shorts. Both are stop motion and let me tell you, stop motion has come a long way from Gumby.

The first, Tony vs. Paul, is better than the second, My Animated World, both in technical precision and overall story. I’ll wait while you check them out.

Can you believe the time these people spent on these films? That fact alone is worthy of all the praise you can lavish upon them. But add to that the incredible creativity of these guys. I’m not as impressed with My Animated World because it’s a bit jerkier and the story isn’t quite as compelling. But of course you have to respect the old-school Tetris and Snake interludes.There are a ton of other stop-motion films out there worth watching. Maybe it’s due in part to new software tools like Boinx Software’s iStopMotion? Or perhaps it’s just this generation’s abundance of free time? Either way it makes for some watchable content on YouTube.

Taking a page from my friend Brad’s bookblog, “Lists make great cop-out posts,” I’m following suit. I’ve not written as much as I’d like lately and my handful of faithful readers (only a few fingers of which are related) are getting annoyed with me. Here you go:

Four Jobs I’ve Had

1. Macintosh computer salesman
2. Computer “preventative maintenance technician” (a euphemism for computer janitor)
3. Technical writer at an internet start-up
4. Online marketing manager

Four Places I’ve Lived

1. Greater Seattle area
2. See #1
3. See #1
4. See #1

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch

1. Seinfield
2. Heroes
3. Good Eats
4. Star Trek (DS9, TNG, VOY, ENT) - yes, I admit it

Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation

1. Angers, Quebec - Canada
2. Hanoi, Dong Ha, Saigon - Vietnam
3. Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima - Japan
4. San Diego, California - USA

Four Websites I Visit Daily (well, often)

1. Macrumors
2. CNN
3. Defective Yeti
4. Various friends blogs

Four Favorite Foods

1. Sushi - rolls, nigiri, tempura, etc.
2. Pho - Than Brother’s vegetarian tofu pho
3. Mexican - Gorditos burritos are excellent
4. Mac and Cheese - the original and best comfort food

Four Places I’d Rather Be

1. At the dojo training
2. At Zoka’s reading and drinking coffee
3. Traveling somewhere and seeing somewhere new
4. Watching a sunset in Edmonds with my wife (awwww…)

“The happiest day in a boat owner’s life is the day he buys his boat. The second happiest day in a boat owner’s life is the day he sells his boat.”

Exchange “boat” for “rental property.”

I’m no fan of fast food, but it’s impossible not to notice all the advertising they put out. Some of it is vapid, unimaginative junk (McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it”); some creepy (anything with Burger King’s plastic, giant-headed “king” character); and some actually funny (Jack in the Box’s ads featuring “Jack”—who also has a giant head).

The other day I was horrified by Dairy Queen’s animated commercial. If you’re fortunate enough to have avoided it, congratulations; let me explain it. An male shrimp is popping fried bits into his mouth from a DQ box. His wife (presumably; maybe they’re just shacking up?) appears and he tells her he’s eating popcorn. Apparently smarter than her exo-skeletal mate, she says “that’s not popcorn, that’s popcorn shrimp!” A pregnant pause, then: “where are the children?!” she screams, and he joins her.

What is DQ saying here? That their food is so good that it inspires not only canabalism, but infanticidal cannabalism? Assuming the shrimp knows what he’s eating, that’s what it means. The alternative is almost worse: that a restaurant has kidnapped baby shrimp (a crustacean version of the Gobblers from the Golden Compass) and knowingly feeding it its customers. Who the hell’s behind the counter at DQ? Hannibal Lecter?

Marketing 101 tells us that this commercial works great because here we are talking about it: “no such thing as bad publicity.” But damn, this commercial is gross and yes, bordering on offensive. DQ, you’ve lost my business! (Sure, I’ve only eaten there twice in the past few years, if you call having a Blizzard “eating.”)