My boyfriend: “What was your favorite part in that movie?
Me: “Definitely when the bad guy got high-kicked in the face by a ninja.”
My boyfriend: “Um, actually I’m pretty sure he got punched.”
Me: “Are you sure?”
My boyfriend: “Yes. And it wasn’t a ninja – it was a librarian.”

Aside from establishing how shamefully poor my movie watching skills are, this little scenario also demonstrates the severe fallibility of human memory.    read more...

One of the great advancements in computer animation was the ability to use vector graphics. Programs like Adobe After Effects use both pixel and vector based elements. Since Computer and TV displays are made up of tiny pixels, the quality of any video or photo image is dependent on what resolution it was brought in. If you try to zoom in on it too much it will start to look blurry and pixilated. With vector graphics however, the file stores the lines, shapes and colors that make up the image as a mathematical formula. So you can scale a vector file up or down as much as you want and it will always be crisp and clean. This comes in very handy for animation.   read more...

“Social Networking” is one of the ubiquitous buzzwords of our age.  I’m rather sick of hearing it as I am bombarded daily with invitations to various events and webinars advising me how best to use it.  My professional title is “Sales & Marketing Coordinator” after all, and that is what it has all come down to in Web 2.0.  Selling things to people!  Of course!  I’m writing a blog after all, so I must preface this stating that I have zero grounds to criticize.  Social networking and the advanced global communication the internet provides us have meant many things to many people.  For me personally, the internet presents a much better way to shop and avoid standing in lines.  For some, it offers a way to connect with other people who want to become mermaids and mermen.  At work, I can’t imagine not scoping out companies and personalities by rapidly typing their names in my google search window.  Linkedin.com is my Encyclopedia Britannica.  I’m probably being redundant even covering this topic.   read more...

Many people ride the Leadville Trail 100 every year.

I grew up racing sailboats with this guy in Florida. His wife was in the Navy and they ended up moving away. A few years later she retired and they moved to South Carolina where he worked at a bike shop. A week before Race Across the Sky he was back in Pensacola, Florida for a sailboat race and ran into my parents. He asked how I was and what I was up to. When she told him that I was working on a bike movie, he asked about it. Once he heard it was Race Across the Sky, he told my parents that he already had his tickets and was going to try and get in to race it next year.

That’s one Leadville miracle.

My brother works on a ship in Houston guiding oil tankers to their slip. Each day he works with a new captain. A week ago he worked with a captain who’s into bike racing. My brother asked him if he heard of the Leadville trail 100 and turns out he raced in it, and saw the movie twice.

Bam! This was another Leadville miracle.

Another Leadville Miracle…you can now buy the DVD at www.raceacrossthesky.com

Andrew Moraski

For the past 2 weeks I have been toying around with a new point and shoot digital camera while up at the mountains snowboarding. This little Casio Exilim FC100  9.1 megapixel camera packs a punch, it shoots HD video (1280x720 at 30FPS) High speed video at a smaller frame size (1000FPS, 420FPS, 210FPS). It also has a continuous shooting of still images option at 30FPS, which i know what all you video guys are thinking but this camera actually shoots 30 FPS of still images. Its not referring to the video options on the camera. It does video too, HD 1280x720, which is a bit clunky because of the size of the camera if your not a super steady hand you will make viewers dizzy. It does wonders with action sports, particularly outdoor bright bluebird days at the snowboard park. For $249.00 at B&H its well worth it for a pocket camera.   read more...

Antimicrobial activity of camel's milk against pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. 

Let me explain.  As a researcher for Food Network’s Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin, I talk to some pretty fascinating people around the world.  It takes weeks and weeks to pull a show together and find that one person in the middle of a field of the rural country side of our decided country that is eating or doing something outrageous.   read more...

Networking that is. 

I’m an online social networking junkie- I’m on LinkedIn, Facebook, have three email accounts, went through a MySpace phase, and as of 3 weeks ago… I also have a Twitter account. 

My latest networking craze…. networking events.  Where… bars and restaurants all over Denver.  My partner in crime…. Katie Jewett, our Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Citizen and the person from whom I stole this blog’s curiosity spiking title. 

So why networking events?  Why would I rather meet another business person face to face and have a conversation at a bar, instead of searching them on LinkedIn or Facebook, or maybe typing their name or company into Google, and just sending them an email introducing myself.  What is it about exchanging business cards and a smile that is so different from a friend request on Facebook?   read more...

Being a production accountant who is really into cooking sometimes allows me to cross over into the production world, since we are a video production company that does the occasional local food shoot. Case in point, we recently shot 5 webisodes for Food Network’s website, featuring Melissa d’Arabian, and since I’m staff, the budget allowed (allowed being the operative word) me to help out on the food side for the shoot.  My friends say, “How Glamorous!” but anyone who knows production knows that it is usually long, hard hours…unless you think that being a dishwasher for 15+ hours is glamorous?!

The beauty of production work, however, is that you know you have a set time to get the job done, especially when you are on location. You have X number of days or hours, and limited funds, to get in and get out, so everyone is pretty much “all in.” Mind you, this is usually at the expense of your sanity and health. This set of webisodes started with a crew call at 7:30am in Longmont.  We endeavored, and succeeded, in shooting 5 that day, with some rather lengthy recipes to boot.  So ambitious!  In the end we wrapped and unloaded the set by 1:30am, Thursday, and it was a chilly 7 degrees outside. I know people thrive on production work, and my hat is off to all of you who go at it time and time again, but that was crazy!  Perhaps I am just soft from my cushy, desk accounting job…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/melissas-st-patricks-day-dishes

Heidi Brueggeman

Communication is a key element in the creative industry. Whatever the project may be there are various levels and forms of communication that need to be fulfilled to make the project successful. Knowing how important communication is, this leads me to a form of communication that holds a special place in my heart. Primate communication. The communication between primates and humans has always intrigued me, but as I have learned the importance of communication I am fascinated by these animals and their ability to communicate with humans and each other.    read more...

Let’s face it. No one can resist a snuggly teddy bear who sells laundry detergent, or the puppy who frolics through the living room (causing his owner to spray the room with air deodorizer). No matter what the product, animals are perceived as adorable, cuddly, and friendly. Their innocence often invokes a feeling of empathy and safety. They seem to say “You can TRUST me, I’m a lizard!  Why would I lie?!”   read more...