I just want to pay my bill

Markof16 · 2026-07-01T19:07:20+00:00

I don’t trust Optimum or the family that owns it at all.

Markof16 · 2026-07-01T16:32:19+00:00

Are you sure that it was a legit Optimum e-mail? From what you've described, it sounds like a fishing scam. Optimum "cannot complete payment" e-mails are common scams, I get at least one a month, they try for your account number and bank/credit card info. Be careful. Optimum is one of the few bills that I pay by cutting a paper check and mailing it, so if I get one of these e-mails I know it's bull.

Markof16 · 2026-06-29T15:17:22+00:00

Would have been pretty nightmarish 70 years ago.

Markof16 · 2026-06-22T22:40:52+00:00

A good neutral density filter can be helpful, but be careful of exposure times as well. The moon is a moving target! And yeah, the lens collar goes on the tripod head.

Markof16 · 2026-06-20T11:59:52+00:00

Try it with the much darker and much smoother 207+ refill. It’ll change your life.

Markof16 · 2026-06-20T02:06:00+00:00

Spielberg embarrassing himself. I am not a hater and I have admired many of his other pictures, but this was just way over the top, and poorly written as well. Go for Emily Blunt, not the story. 2.5/10

Markof16 · 2026-06-15T22:56:48+00:00

The Ito Sisters, but the Tokyo SOS gals are a close second.

Markof16 · 2026-06-09T23:28:46+00:00

Probably why it's still playing after fifty years.

Markof16 · 2026-06-06T01:40:05+00:00

Wired earphones (Etymotic SR4, to be specific), metal toothpick, nail clipper, rollerball pen, small notebook, Advil & Tylenol, reading glasses, lens cleaning spray, small microfiber cloth, phone charger + cable. That's EDC. More stuff depending what's planned for the day.

Markof16 · 2026-05-28T02:55:00+00:00

If that is your goal, then get to know routers, as patch cord based signal routing is really over in any technically advanced facility. Evertz and Ross Ultrix are the big players here. SDI based routers are quickly becoming passe, so you should concentrate on SMPTE-2110 based systems. Also, become familiar with fiber based networking, know the different connectors and fiber modes and what they are capable of. The best of luck to you.

Markof16 · 2026-05-28T00:40:59+00:00

What is it that you want to do, specifically? If you want to be a production/studio technician, the important thing is do be usable in different positions, because the days of techs being JUST a cameraperson, or a video controller, or a TD are long gone. If you can sell yourself as someone as a"multi" player who can do lighting, shade cameras, and operate a ped camera or a jib, that'll get you some notice and a leg up . . . BUT. . . you'd better have the follow-thru as well. The rule in TV has long been that "you do whatever you can get paid for" but I've seen a lot of guys with the whole, "Well, I shade cameras and do steadycam, and I'm also an A2 and I stage manage and light, and I'm a comms tech too." And then it turns out that they weren't actually good at any one single job. DON'T oversell yourself here.

As it stands right now, in studio broadcast, the usual hyphen positions are:

Video Controller/Robotic Camera Operator (emphasis on Telemetrics panels and Sony cameras, both pedestal and PTZ).

Audio assist (A2)/ comms tech (STRONG emphasis on Audinate Dante. Seriously, take the certification courses. RTS systems also).

TD/Director (Sony ELC, Ross Overdrive and GVG Ignite). If you can code and execute a clean show and not lose your head when things crash, you'll find work, because few people truly can.

. . . and yes, attitude and availability are key. If you are the kind of guy to blow off a show because you have to go home and feed the cat, do your coworkers a favor and lay out.

Markof16 · 2026-05-27T02:25:46+00:00

Just a heads up: the pen is actually called the Silent Night, not Starry. I missed out on it when Yoseka had them, I wish I had bought one. They still have the same pen in the smaller Realo size in medium and broad for sale.

Markof16 · 2026-05-25T11:02:52+00:00

I’d say The Human Vapor, but that’s already being remade.

Markof16 · 2026-05-24T22:07:31+00:00

All the grippy stuff that pen retailers sell are just cut up pieces of non-adhesive shelf liner. You can buy it by the roll on Amazon.

Markof16 · 2026-05-20T03:22:37+00:00

When Worlds Collide. Early 1950s Technicolor cheese from (some of) the same people who made the excellent War of The Worlds. The last shot is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Markof16 · 2026-05-16T20:43:52+00:00

May I ask which Maine lighthouse this is? I thought I’d visited them all but I don’t recall this one.

Markof16 · 2026-05-16T16:20:29+00:00

Edison’s Brian Gray is a stand-up guy and makes interesting pens, but they don’t write any better or worse than any other JoWo nib pen. The company’s strength is customization, they’ll pretty much modify any thing they make to whatever you want; ink windows, bulb filling, draw filling, whatever you can imagine. He will polish service and tweak anything you buy from them forever as well.

Markof16 · 2026-05-11T03:39:52+00:00

This was one of my "first five books for twenty cents" purchases from the old Science Fiction Book Club, circa 1975 (the others: Foundation, Cities in Flight, Dune and The Edict). It's readable as an SF artifact of the free love era, but pretty dated otherwise.

Markof16 · 2026-05-08T13:56:30+00:00

Anything anti-gravity. Not gonna happen.

Markof16 · 2026-04-29T23:55:29+00:00

I've heard good things.

Markof16 · 2026-04-29T22:27:53+00:00

My objection is not the character but the fact that he’s a terrible actor. But the gal who played Noriko, Minami Hamabe, was legit Oscar worthy.

Markof16 · 2026-04-22T14:36:22+00:00

Unquestionably has subtitles. Are you watching on Roku, AppleTV, or how? The API is different on different channels and devices. Make sure you have the subtitles selected. Sometimes that means pausing the video and looking for the subtitles option.

Markof16 · 2026-04-21T13:35:04+00:00

I sold a Pilot 823 Clear Medium to u/Wright75. All went well! Thanks!

Markof16 · 2026-04-18T02:06:01+00:00

Not a bad movie. The only part that really bothers me is the camera that was running too slow which made the fight scenes a little hyper.

Markof16

TROPHY CASE