We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I was rummaging through the digital attic yesterday and came across this little gem.
If you weren't hanging around Maggie's during the 2008 presidential election, you really missed something.
The media attention we received was simply fierce.
Ah, they just don't make presidential races like that anymore.
And, unfortunately, that's true. They didn't do a 2012 update, but the above is still active. To make your own, click here. If you want to embed the player on your own site, like above, open the source code of the displayed page and copy the block from <OBJECT> to </OBJECT> to the source code of your own page. It may not be topical, with that glaring '2008', but at least you can file it in your 'Favorite Memories' section.
I present this not only for fun, but as a casual reminder of how easy it's become to overlay video on top of video and have it look 100% perfect. The only scene where they flubbed up was the bus going by, but the rest was excellent.
On the subject, I hereby move we strike the word incontrovertible from the language.
At this very moment, someone out there is doctoring a video to make an innocent man look guilty of murder. This video, the prosecuting attorney will tell the jury, is incontrovertible proof of the defendant's guilt. You will watch the accused murder the innocent victim with (slamming fist on jury box railing) your own two eyes!
It's a word whose time has come and gone.
Looking For Links Dept.
On the subject of video doctoring, I once saw a terrific video on YouTube of a UFO flying along, right there in front of you, big as day. As I recall, it was shot from inside a moving vehicle driving through the brush. Despite years of skepticism on your part, you had to admit that the final proof was right there before your very eyes.
Then they re-played it, this time with a split screen, with the original video on one side and the identical-but-doctored video on the other. When it comes to 'home gimmickry' and the average slob fooling around with modern video editing programs, it was a masterpiece, and I'd like to include it in a future post on the subject.
Also, I have a page of web vids in my Art Gallery where the music really makes the video. I have the half-feeling I've asked this before, but I'll give it another shot.
I once saw a commercial on TV (which I presume has since been videoized to YouTube) that took place in the downtown part of a city, presumably New York. I can't remember if it was a smile or a nice gesture, like helping out a stranger with something small, but it traveled from person to person through the streets, finally making some kind of loop at the end. I honestly don't remember if the music was anything special, but there's a pretty good chance it was, and, if so, I'd like to include it on the page.
Fun post, Doc, and you're right about the bus part. I wasn't around Maggie's back in '08 and was half-buying the whole thing until the bus shot. I thought to myself, "Damn, I've been Mercuryized...again!" Your intros are so smooth that I always fall for your stuff.
As for the split-screen UFO vid, I saw it too, years ago, but just now searched YouTube and didn't find it among the first 4 million hits. You're right, it was outstanding, and the perfect vid to show someone who's just bought into the latest UFO hoax.
Liberty Mutual aired several "pay it forward" commercials. Each featured a different scene and music. Here is one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvLMOoFRH_s
And... this isn't split screen, but I believe it will lead you to the UFO video you're looking for:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/fake-ufo-video/
SD - And thankee kindly. Although that particular 'Pay It Forward' vid wasn't the one I was thinking of, it's definitely the same concept & company, so I should be able to hunt it down.
And while the UFO article didn't help with the other quest, the vid they had was marvelously done.
"You will witness, ladies and gentlemen, incontrovertible proof that aliens exist!"
I'm tellin' ya, we have GOT to get rid of that word!
I found the icky, gooey, sentimental video that dared to suggest we be nice to people, but not the flying saucer one. Saw a pretty cool fake on that above link, tho'.