August 2008 - Posts
Denver, CO - From one challenge to the next a large crew of us managed to get all the fiber and cable in place. It has been tested twice and all is ready for the grand finale. I am so beat...
The stage is set, the cameras are in place and the finishing touches are being wrapped up.
The production trucks for the pool feed. Most football games don't get that much gear. The new stadium is very nice. I like the underground truck parking. Some of those winter strikes were really rough at the old stadium.
Hail, hail, the gang's all here.
"I think there is a bird building a nest in there."
Aren't there rules about working these youngsters that hard? Actually, these gentlemen worked their butts off. I'm really glad they were there to help.
The theory is that the pictures and sound get turned into light on the field. The light goes through a fiber into this box and gets turned back into pictures and sound that come out on these connectors. At least that is the theory...
This is what John Denver was singing about with the lyrics "But the Colorado Rocky Mountain high I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky."
I'm going to swipe one of those signs.
Tomorrow is the day. I hope all the resources that are going into this are worth it.
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.
Voltaire
Denver, CO - Looks like it is bad luck to take video of lobbyists hob-knobing with the high powered Democrats they lobby.
Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel.
ABC News: ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Taking Pictures of Senators, Big Donors
Check out the video:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5670682So the Brown Palace owns the public sidewalk...
Heh... The City and County of Denver have a pit bull's teeth sunk deep in their hind quarters and they don't even know it yet. This ought to be fun to watch.
"You can't arrest me, I'm a rock star."
- Sid Vicious
Denver, CO - The media screening line to get into the Pepsi Center was long and running painfully slow prior just to Michelle Obama's speech. A foreign crew from just south of the US border became impatient as Mrs. Obama began speaking. So they opted for the over the chain link fence route rather then waiting for their turn through the magnetometers and equipment search.
That crew missed the speech. Instead they spent a short period of time kneeling with hands laced behind their heads waiting for the manager of the network they were renting services from. She indentified them by saying, "They were with us until five minutes ago."
The powers that be yanked their credentials. They were each awarded their own set of bracelets and a guided tour of some of the City and County's finer facilities. I wonder if they bailed out yet?
Screening? We don' need no stinkin' screening...
- Uplinktruck
Denver, CO - Fire sprinklers get very angry when hot lights are near.
Nine News: Part of Pepsi Center flooded by sprinkler systemThis picture shows just how close they got.You gotta love it.
The show must go on
- Who knows...
Preparing for a convention, this is what the convention floor looked like on Friday morning. The Pepsi Center roof was reinforced with additional superstructure to support the weight of the lighting grid.
Aurora, CO - Numerous groups will be protesting in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. There are enormous concerns about security from many possible threats. Groups, like the one calling themselves 'Recreate 68' have security people more on edge then they normally would be.
As a result extraordinary measures are being taken. People living and working near the Pepsi Center are going to find some interesting changes in their lives for the next week.
• Residents (and their caretakers or renters, if applicable) in the small area bound by Speer Boulevard, Wazee Street and 14th Court will receive vehicle placards from Secret Service enabling them to park in their normally assigned parking spots after undergoing vehicle screening at a 24-hour checkpoint. There will be no pedestrian restrictions in this area, so visitors will be able to come and go on foot.
• Residents (and their caretakers or renters, if applicable) and businesses (and their employees) in the area bound by 11th Street, Auraria Parkway, Speer Boulevard and the Pepsi Center will receive personal credentials from the Secret Service, enabling them to come and go by foot with ease. Placards will also be provided for their vehicles enabling them to park in their normally assigned parking spots after undergoing vehicle screening at a 24-hour checkpoint. Individuals renting any of these units during the Convention may undergo the same registration process to obtain these access documents. Residents in this area expecting guests will be asked to meet them on the street and escort them into their building.
CBS4 News - Road Closures Around Pepsi Center For DNC Week
So the people with the bad judgment to live or work near the Pepsi Center will have their personal cars "screened" (That's a nice word for warrant less search) so they may enjoy the privilege of driving to and from their own parking spaces and homes. The outrage I feel at hearing that is almost off the scale.
So here is a what if. Colorado has a concealed weapon law that allows citizens to obtain a permits allowing them to carry concealed firearms for their own protection. How is someone going home or to work carrying their pocket piece going to play out at the 24 hour check point?
Here's another piece of delightful news. On Thursday during Sen. Obama's speech,
I-25 will close from 6th Ave to to I-70 in both directions at 5:30 p.m. and remain that way until well after Elvis leaves the building. The outrage from people in Denver is off the scale. Interviews on TV, talk radio and just plain folk I met are all angry at the traffic disruptions in an all ready congested traffic system.
On the inside of the perimeter work is progressing at a frantic pace. The network that hired me did their first live shots out the facility yesterday. All went well, but there is still a great deal to do before the games begin in full swing on Monday. My gig begins on Monday at Invesco field. Monday is the earliest we can begin cabling in, primarily because the DNC Host Committee did not want to spring for the use of the field before then.
The next few days are going to be interesting. Hopefully not as interesting as that Chinese Curse.
Heh... So much for the wholesome food thing. Bring on the fat and the cholesterol. WOOT! Actually, I think this is the catering for one of the production or staging companies.
I haven't heard for sure yet, but I estimate there are hundreds of miles of cable and fiber running in and out of the Pepsi Center. These cable bridges, allowing the cables to cross roadways safely, are all over the place.
A view of the Pepsi Center from one of the outside live shot positions. The scaffolding on the left is another cable bridge leading to one of the the media compounds.
A CNN live shot from the convention floor showing the preparations for the convention.
One of the Host Committee House Production photographers with a completely wireless hand held broadcast camera.
The PBS Broadcast booth, apparently in full production.
Tech rehearsal in progress. This stage changes colors a lot. Those LED full motion displays behind the podium are very impressive.
This is simple. No, really...
No matter what you think about the Democrat's, that is one fine stage. For a "green" convention, that is one hell of a lot of power being used up.
Just talk to me as a father - not what the Constitution says. What do you feel?
Joe Biden
Today is 08/08/08.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare.
- Rene Descartes
Huntsville, TX - Last Friday afternoon 213 Democrat members of our worse then useless Democrat controlled congress
voted to adjourn the United States House of Representatives for the summer. This prevented debate or a vote on processing Rocky Mountain Oil Shale or drilling for oil in ANWR or off the coastal shelves until September.
Not one Republican member of the house voted in favor of adjournment.
The list of excuses for the vote are long and distinguished. Vacations are already planned, they need to get back to their districts for a while, etc, etc, ad nausea. But in my mind the answer is simple. No one in the Democratic leadership wants to see gas prices to come down while President Bush is still in office. Several don't want to see them come down at all because they think we drive too much.
When President Bush lifted the Presidential prohibition on Rocky Mountain Oil Shale Production and drilling in ANWR and on the coastal shelf, the price of oil began to drop immediately. It is still falling now just on the chance that our worse then useless Democrat controlled congress may eventually get off their butts and let us use all the vast oil assets available in the United States.
But the Democrat controlled Congress of the Unites States is delaying the game. All bullshit excuses aside, I sincerely believe that Nancy Pelosi and Company are doing this because if gas and fuel oil prices fall, Sen. Obama and the Democrats might not do that well this November. Based on what I've seen and heard from the candidates and their party, the Democrats depend on people that see themselves as victims to win.
I think the Democrats just stuck their hand in a Hornet's nest. If this stunt doesn't come back and bite the party, we are lost forever.
But not all Democrats see it that way. 17 Democrats took a stand against playing politics with our wallets and voted against the party leadership. These men and women are:
| Jason Altmire (D - PA) | Joe Donnelly (D - IN) | Jim Marshall (D - GA) |
| Michael Arcuri (D - NY) | Brad Ellsworth (D - IN) | Harry Mitchell (D - AZ) |
| Leonard Boswell (D - IA) | Kirsten Gillibrand (D - NY) | Patrick J. Murphy (D - PA) |
| Bruce Braley (D - IA) | Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D - SD) | Joe Sestak (D - PA) |
| Christopher P. Carney (D - PA) | Nick Lampson (D - TX) | Tom Udall (D - NM) |
| Travis Childers (D - MS) | Dave Loebsack (D - IA) | |
All these representatives deserve a tip of the hat for putting their constituents above their party while trying to get a vote on lifting the asinine restrictions we have on domestic oil production. Look for these honest men and women to be punished by their own party. Probably in much the same way the Democrats tried to punish Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
The 213 democrats that voted in favor of adjourning congress before the oil situation are listed at the top of the
Final Vote Results For Roll Call 537 under the heading of "---- YEAS 213 ---". These are the representatives that voted to go home rather then face a debate and possible vote on removing the idiot restraints on domestic oil production and some immediate relief for your wallet.
There are a few more errant representatives that deserve mentioning here. Rep. Roy Blunt (R - MO), Virginia Brown-Waite (R - FL), Barbara Cubin (R - WY) and Kenny Hulshof (R - MO) are all Republicans who missed this critical vote. These congressmen and women did their party a vast disservice by choosing to be elsewhere while the matter of adjournment was decided. If any two of them had showed up and voted with their leadership, congress would be working on opening up domestic oil production right now. It would be interesting to hear what pressing business kept them away from the house floor at the appointed time.
If you haven't figured it out yet, your money is in play here. The direct line items in your budget for gasoline, home heating oil and even some plastic products is now a political football. The indirect result in this obscene display of non-government is higher prices on everything you buy. Like it or not, everything you get at the store got there on a truck. It is more then likely those items got to the warehouse before the store on a truck too. Even if those items got there by train or barge, the lack of domestic oil production is still costing us all money.
And now we all get to pay a little more for a little longer to make sure things remain just as rough as they are right now through next November. After all, we can't have the voters feeling good about gas prices and the economy right before an election. I guess we can consider those higher prices as a donation to the Democratic Party Campaign Chest.
Are you tired of high gas prices? Are essentials like milk and meat busting your grocery budget? Do Democrats in congress bragging about how they want to raise your payroll deductions on everything from income tax to Social Security scare you? Are you enraged at having your wallet used as an election year football?
If so, let them know how you feel. This November, vote Republican. If not, keep your head in the sand where it is safe.
Honest discussions - even and perhaps especially on topics about which we disagree - can help us resist hypocrisy and arrogance. They can also help us live up to the basic ideals, such as liberty and justice for all, on which our country was founded.
- David E. Price
Corsicana, TX - Many people don't like road food. Whether that is Mcfast-food or upper end chains like Red Lobster, a few simply prefer their own cooking. Others don't want to spend the money. Still others don't want to get up and drive again after they check into the hotel.
One of the common alternatives to buying prepared meals on the road is a small charcoal grill. For those of you that use those on the road, I have some safety tips.
- Select a grill with a wide foot print. Top heavy or easy to tip over is bad. (Like the one shown in the back of the pickup truck)
- Place the grill on a non-flammable surface. (Unlike the corrugated plastic bed liner in the truck shown above.)
- Make sure that surface is flat and solid. (Unlike the corrugated plastic bed liner in the truck shown above.)
- Don't leave the hot coals unattended. (Unlike the grill shown above.)
If you don't follow the above safety tips, remember that the fire extinguisher powder may put out the flames, but the coals are still going to be screaming hot. You will need to hose the remaining charcoal off to ensure it is cold and ready for safe disposal. (As shown above.) One other note, the yellow powder from the fire extinguisher is abrasive. Don't wipe it off painted surfaces, wash it off with a hose.
It has been an interesting few days in hotels so far. Can't wait to see what's next.
Dinner isn't done until the smoke alarm goes off!
- A sign on the kitchen wall.
Dolly... She broke my truck.
Austin, TX - Hurricanes are dangerous critters. Even seasoned veterans of many a cat three or greater storm can be fooled. When that happens your formerly safe location might now be the wrong place to be.
Dolly came in following her projected path toward the Texas-Mexican border. About thirty miles off shore she came to a complete halt. For two and half hours she sat off shore spinning and drinking in the power from the warm water below her. Once she made category 2 status, Dolly began drifting off her projected course toward South Padre Island. The eye wall came within 8 miles of the island shore when she turn north. At a speed roughly equal to an easy walk Dolly strolled north, her counter-clockwise rotating battering the island with 100+ MPH winds.
During the height of the storm, flying debris and high winds punched out the passenger side window in the cab of the truck. Based on the path and narrow track of damage leading to my truck, I suspect a small tornado, but the National Weather Service has not confirmed one in the area we were in. The damage occurred while I was hunkered down in the condo waiting for the winds to subside to the point we cold get the dish back up safely (also can be read as taking a nap.) It was as if someone took a fire hose, set it to wide spray and let it run in the cab for a couple hours.
The result was completely soaked interior. The seats were so bad that even two days later you could press your hand in them and have water form around your hand. Everything, including the dash board had to be pulled out, cleaned and dried and replaced. This process is especially important to the electrical system in the truck. My understanding of what the Freightliner dealer told me is there is a local area control network in the truck. This is how the computer monitors and controls the truck. As I understand it if there is any corrosion on the connections for this network, chaos can and usually does follow. If the local area control network gets bad data from those corroded connections, mean little gremlins will come to play in my truck. They can do things like make the gages read wrong, turn on idiot lights without a fault, set false fault codes in the computer, even go as far as shut down the engine because the computer wrongly thinks is is protecting the engine from a catastrophic failure.
As a result the body shop took the cab down to the metal, cleaned all the dash board and door panels inside and out. They cleaned all the electrical connectors and then coated them in an anti-corrosive water repelling grease product designed for that chore.
What an incredible amount of labor. But it is being done right and work is guaranteed. To be honest, I wouldn't even know where to begin to remove the dash board from that truck.
Among the losses from the cab are:
- The sleeper matress
- The data and power cable for the GPS
- The XM radio antenna
- The CD/MP3/AM/FM foot stompin' radio
- Several books including the latest Artemis Fowl book
- My sleeping bag
- A 500 watt 12 VDC to 120 VAC power inverter
- My log book (No great loss there...)
The theory is that I will get my truck back sometime today.
Our photographer's vehicle (his personal vehicle, not a rental) didn't fair much better in the storm.
The inside of the photographer's vehicle was both soaked and peppered with broken glass.
UR sign, epic wind fail!
Producers, Mr. Rob LaForty and CBS Morning Show weather anchor Dave Price at the leading edge of the storm.
For Sale: One 19" TV set. Needs some work.
It is amazing that the hurricane took the side of this hotel off and left the pitchers on the shelves.
The lights will be out for a while. Looks like a low impedance problem between hot and ground.
The photgrapher's camera had a moisture problem in the lens. They ended up doing live shots with the little cam-corder we keep on the truck. What the heck, it worked.
CBS correspondant Joel Brown between rests live shots.
The basket ball and tennis games will be postponed until further notice.
No one was seriously hurt so it was a good job.
Bad weather always looks worse through a window.
- Tom Lehrer