There’s a Web site called Movavi that provides free video format conversion. Sounds great, but I have no use for it, because the original file must be no more than 100 MB. That Popeye cartoon in my last post was converted to FLV from AVI. The original file is 1.5 GB. To convert to Flash Video I use Riva FLV Encoder. [Link]
Popeye’s Alien Abduction
There was a major Sci-Fi craze during the 1950’s, helped along by the UFO sightings that began after WW2. Another 50’s fad, a brief one, was 3-D movies. The 1953 cartoon “Popeye, The Ace of Space” was released in 3-D. Keep that in mind while watching the video.
This cartoon contains a couple scenes of “alien experimentation” that upset me greatly as a child, despite Popeye escaping unharmed (thanks to spinach, of course). Scanning through some of the later Popeye cartoons released by Paramount, it seems that someone at the Famous studio had a real sadistic streak that crossed the line from cartoon mayhem into something darker and more disturbing.
Eye-Popping Popeye
As mentioned previously, I was big into Popeye cartoons as a kid. This sentiment was mostly based on the black and white cartoons produced by the Fleischer brothers, Max and Dave, and not the color cartoons done by Famous, after Paramount took over the studio. But I watched those too, and last night my FiOS TV DVR caught one that I haven’t seen in 40 years.
It’s “Peep in the Deep,” from 1946. Watch and see how the cartoonists set up a particular gag and got away with what they did, still earning a “G” rating by today’s standards. I got a real cheap thrill out of this one as a kid.
Even as a little kid I was bugged by the logical lapses in underwater cartoons. For example the air hoses go nowhere (I knew about SCUBA gear from Sea Hunt), and Popeye blows smoke from his pipe, etc.
Toby Keith is a Big, Fat Idiot
I only vaguely have an awareness of country music singer Toby Keith. About all I can recall is the feud he had with the Dixie Chicks — who turned out to be right, of course, about George Bush. Stephen Colbert had Toby Keith on his show tonight. If Keith isn’t putting on a front, this guy is a total moron. The song Keith sings is the usual sort of unoriginal, by-the-numbers crap that guys like him do. Hey, talent like that goes only so far, y’know? Steve Earle he ain’t, musically or politically.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUN07/ColbertJUN19.flv 400 300]
America at a Crossroads
PBS has a series called America at a Crossroads, hosted by Robert MacNeil. [Link] One of the shows is Frontline’s Gangs of Iraq, which I’ve watched online and recommend highly.
Tonight, one of the local PBS stations re-ran Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime, a collection of stories told by soldiers who have been fighting in Iraq. A variety of storytelling techniques are used in the show, including one that is best described as a video comic book. Not quite a comic book, and not quite a cartoon, this packs a lot of punch, don’t you think? Here it is. The drawings were done by an artist named Christopher Koelle. [Link]
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUN07/AmericaCrossroads.flv 400 300]
Verizon FiOS TV Revisited
Before my database blow-out I had a couple of posts, now lost, about getting FiOS TV installed. I’d mentioned that Verizon screwed up two install dates, which didn’t please me, but my initial impressions of the service were positive.
Now that I’ve had it for a few weeks, I am plenty pleased with Verizon FiOS TV. A columnist at Network World magazine (which I drive past every day on my way home from work), Paul McNamara, has some complaints with his service [Link], but so far my experience has been 100% positive. Over on the DVR Chatter site there’s a lengthy positive review of FiOS TV. I agree with his comment about the standard definition picture quality. It’s perfect! [Link] Totally clean and noise-free, with dead-on accurate color.
I’ve put some screen shots below. Click the thumbnails to see them in full 640×480 size. To avoid making them look soft I didn’t de-interlace them, so keep in mind that the jaggies aren’t seen when watching TV, except when freezing the image using the DVR.
Comcast gave me a real sell job, albeit a soft one, to keep me as a customer. I had their analog service without premium packages, and no set top box. Reception was horrible on all of the local channels. Often they wouldn’t tune in at all. Yes, I had called for service, but they could never improve it and I gave up. Those same stations on the analog band that FiOS provides in addition to the digital channels come in perfectly. There’s just no way I’ll go back to Comcast.
When I canceled service with Comcast I asked for a final total to close out the account. They gave me the amount and I sent it in. A few days later I received this note, along with a business card. Obviously, I must represent a trend. I could practically smell Comcast’s fear! Then today I got a bill for two months’ service! Grrr. I called Comcast and they acknowledged that payment had been received, but the rep said I still owed two dollars and change! Sorry, I told her, but I was given a total and I’d paid it. She agreed and said she would cancel the charge.