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The Road to Dragon*Con 2010

Frank — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:07:54 +0000

Well, I can’t believe it, but it’s finally here. Tomorrow night (well, technically tonight), I board a plane to North Carolina. I’m meeting up with friends and driving down to Atlanta for Dragon*Con! I bought my pass way back in November, and already it’s time to head South and enjoy a weekend of fun and geekiness!

Dragon*Con is one of the biggest sci-fi/fantasy/pop culture conventions on the East Coast, featuring novelists, comic book creators, TV and film actors in panel discussions, signing autographs, and just hanging out with their fans. I’ve already been to New York Comic Con and Big Apple Con, but from what I hear, this is supposed to be a very different experience. I can’t wait!

I’m looking forward to getting to know my friends Faith and Ky a little better, as well as meeting my friends Chris and Louis in real life for the first time. It’s going to be great to hang out with these people who I know from Twitter.

But of course, it wouldn’t be Dragon*Con without some good geekery! I’ve loaded up on comics to read while I’m in line for panels and autographs (10 trades and about 30 single issues on my iPod Touch), and I’ve got a mental list of people I need to meet before the weekend is out: Summer Glau, Kevin J. Anderson, Timothy Zahn, Veronica Belmont, Tom Merritt, Brian Brushwood, Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh, and a few others. Also, I’m excited about getting to sit in on some panels and enjoy some great parties. If all goes well, it should be a great weekend.

If things go right, I’ll be checking in here each night during the convention and throwing up a quick post filled with the latest from that day. Can’t wait!

Across the Blogosphere

Frank — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:48:46 +0000

Lately my passion for the Beatles has been flaring up again in a big way. Rather than blog about it to no end here and tweet about it on my main Twitter account, I decided it made more sense to create a new outlet to channel my thoughts on all things Beatlish. The result is @BeatleRamblings paired with beatleramblings.tumblr.com. I’ll be giving my spur-of-the-moment thoughts, comments, and reactions on the Twitter account, and blogging and sharing links, pictures, and other media on the Tumblr page. I’m also looking into starting a Beatles podcast. More on that at a later date. For now, please follow, friend, and comment. Thanks!

Audio Blog: Google’s Gigabit Fiber Network

Frank — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:21:55 +0000

Download now or listen on posterous

Memo.m4a (2425 KB)

My first foray into audio blogging covers Google’s announcement of their plans for a blindingly fast fiber optic network.

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Why I Want An iPad

Frank — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:10:11 +0000

via youtube.com

In my first video blog, I talk about the iPad and why I want one, despite the recent negativity.

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FMF Episode 36 – TornadoCast 2009

Frank — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:56:21 +0000

It’s finally here! Friend of the show Shannon joins Frank for this public service episode of FMF. We hope you will learn much from this totally serious and not at all tongue-in-cheek episode. If you like Tornados, Muppets, Terminators, Texas, or One Tree Hill, then this is the podcast for you!

Listen and Subscribe in iTunes!

Guest Appearances on Castlecast

Frank — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:42:15 +0000

Twice in the last three weeks, I’ve guest-hosted Castlecast, a podcast about ABC’s Castle (starring Nathan Fillion). I’ve been listening to the podcast since it started this summer, and I’ve really been enjoying it. John and Heidi do a great job recapping and discussing new episodes, delivering Castle-related news, and talking about spoilers for upcoming episodes. Heidi hasn’t been able to host the show lately (feel better, Heidi!), so John’s been asking his fellow podcasters to step in. I was on the podcast two weeks ago for Episode 9: Fool Me Once and again this week for Episode 11: Vampire Weekend. The most recent episode was a panel discussion featuring John, Crystal, Larissa, Nathaniel, and myself. I had a great time on Castlecast and I hope to be on it again some time. Thanks John and Heidi!

The Mighty Theater Organ

Frank — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:13:12 +0000

The Life Of Joe Chaminade by Bro. Robert Lahey, S. M.
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The Life of Joe Chaminade.mp3 (2912 KB)

Imagine a time when going to the movies was an all-day affair with no color picture and no sound. Doesn’t sound like much fun, right? You sat in the theater for 3 or 4 hours at a time, the movie was in black and white, and the actors were mute! Was there complete silence in the room while the movie played? No, not exactly. If you were at a cheap theater in a small town, someone would probably play a piano in the theater to provide a live soundtrack to the film. In a big, fancy theater in a large city, a live orchestra would accompany the movie. But in theaters across America, moviegoers enjoyed the sound of a live theater pipe organ, an instrument most people today have never even heard of.

So what’s the difference between a theater pipe organ and say, a modern church organ? Well for starters, many church organs today aren’t pipe organs. They’re electronic organs. They mimic the sound of a pipe organ, but they’re really hi-tech synthesizers with good amplification systems behind them. A traditional pipe organ uses the keyboard to trigger the blowing of air through pipes of varying sizes to create different tones. A good theater organ goes a step further and provides sound effects along with music. This is achieved with actual props that make familiar noises. At my high school, we were lucky enough to have a restored theater organ in the auditorium. That organ has drums, cymbals, whistles, bells, and even an authentic horn from a Ford Model T. The result is a novel and unparalleled moviegoing experience.

Today I actually visited the alma mater for a screening of the 1925 silent classic The Phantom of the Opera. The event was sponsored by the New York Theater Organ Society (NYTOS), a state-wide chapter of the American Theater Organ Society. Just as it would have in 1925, the program opened with a short comedy film. In this case, it was Laurel & Hardy’s “Habeas Corpus.” I’m a big fan of Laurel & Hardy, but I’d actually never seen any of their silent work. I’m happy to say it was as hysterical as any of their talkies. Then after a word from the organist, the feature presentation began.

I saw Phantom for the first time a few months ago, and I enjoyed the film quite a bit, but there’s nothing quite like live organ accompaniment. It was a unique experience indeed. I’ve been to a number of other NYTOS events, but this was by far the best. I was transported back to 1925. The music kept me totally in the moment. If you ever have a chance to experience a theater organ, absolutely do it. The wide array of available sounds makes a theater organ a one-man orchestra.

Even without the benefit of a film, a theater organ can tell a story in sound. Don’t believe me? Listen to the mp3 embedded in this post . I recorded it at my high school during a demonstration a few years back. I love it because it really shows how you can get the feel for a story from the music alone. Imagine adding a silent film into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome afternoon of entertainment!

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Official Beatle Widget

Frank — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:03:00 +0000

How could I resist posting something like this?

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Frank — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Norweigan Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by Frank
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10 Norweigan Wood (This Bird Has Flo.mp3 (3906 KB)

Apparently my Across the Universe was met with something other than disgust, so upon request, I'll post some other covers I've done as well.

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My cover of "Across the Universe"

Frank — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:37:00 +0000

Across The Universe by Frank
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02 Across the Universe.mp3 (4786 KB)

Inspired by the brand new Beatle remasters, here's a recording of Across the Universe that I did about 4 or 5 years ago.

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