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This blog is done.

As in toast.

Deceased.

See www.twitter.com/ianknox for anything personal I might otherwise put up here.

Website re-vamp coming soon!

Well I know I haven’t been on here for a while and this seems like a somewhat insane way to return, but so be it.

I bought a Popcorn Hour A-110 media streaming device to go with my new TV and I thought I’d write up my initial impressions of the unit. I wish it was all roses but sadly it’s not.

Here’s my wish list for a set top box and how well it worked with the PCH:

• Video playback from an internal HD for many video formats
  Check!
  The PCH played back nearly everything I threw at it (although I haven’t installed a HD yet I was able to use a USB stick). The one glaring exception to this is it flat out doesn’t do Adobe’s FLV format. The decoder chip (A Sigma SMP8635) doesn’t support FLV natively and the processor in the PCH isn’t nearly powerful enough to decode the FLV on it’s own. It’s possible that there will be a firmware upgrade for the Sigma chip that will allow this, but highly unlikely.

• Streaming support over the interwebs
  Semi-check!
  The PCH has support for a number of streaming media providers (You Tube, Veoh*, Apple Movie Trailers, and a bunch more) but it does not support the two most important ones for me, namely Hulu and Netflix. I had originally thought that these were supported but it turns out the Playon software you can buy that will allow this requires that it runs on your desktop as a streaming server. The whole idea behind this project was to eliminate the need for my desktop to handle my media so this was a disappointment. There is hope however that Netflix may be supported in future firmware releases given that the hardware is capable (the the ROKU Netflix streaming box uses the same decoder chip). As of right now there is no remedy for those that want to watch Hulu other than an outright HTPC.

• Serve as a HD PVR/DVR
  Fail!
  I knew going in that there was no support for this. While there is basic functionality for watching TV with a HDHomerun tuner there’s no time-shifting, recording, or scheduling in place yet. There is a distinct possibility that this will be available at some point since the TIVX series of media streamer boxes do PVR and use the same Sigma chip; I’m fairly sure this is somewhat low on the PCH list of priorities though.

• Not piss me off
  Fail!
  I had immediate issues with the unit that made the process frustrating.
  • The Network Browser was unable to access my SMB shares on my windows desktop. I spent a good 1/2 an hour trying different things but ultimately gave in and installed myiHome, PCH’s super-basic UPNP server. I’m sure I could get it to work with some more screwing around but this falls in the this-should-just-work category.
  • It’s menus are not very pretty and not very intuitive. Luckily for the PCH you can completely customize them… but again more time spent screwing around (and in this case writing code) to get a decent result.
  • They provide really poor documentation and support. The PCH operates on software created by Syabas called Networked Media Tank (NMT) The NMT web page is primarily a forum that’s very hard to search and contains a huge amount of incorrect or incomplete information. On top of that it’s very hard to search. There is also a wiki but it is very weak on content.
  • The remote control provides a serious problem that is most likely the deal breaker for me. It has a conflict with my TV. Whenever you press the left navigation arrow my TV switches input to the OTA antenna and return key increases the volume on the set. I do have an off-brand TV so this is probably not going to be an issue for most folks, but this is more or less unacceptable for me since I can’t operate with the set switching sources all the time.

So most likely I’ll be returning/craigs-listing this unit**. I could live with nearly all of it’s shortcomings for the simple fact that it does what it’s supposed to –play media– really darn well, but the problem with the remote control is simply too much to deal with. I’m not sure about the next step, perhaps a Tivx box.

Vee-shall-see.

Bleh, so darn close!

* Veoh support is very spotty and (of course) it doesn’t work with data from affiliate sites like Hulu.
** after further research looks like craigslist– the ebayer I bought it from doesn’t take returns.

Hello there! Quite a day eh? New President and all that. Gosh, I do hope it turns out well! I really really do.

I think it will.

I do.

A quick update– I’ve been doing a show and you should come see it! It’s the People’s History of the United States with the Quest Theatre Ensemble and it runs through August 24th every Friday (8pm), Saturday(8pm), and Sunday(2pm). I have an unlimited amount of tickets to give out to friends… because the show is free (donations accepted, but not required)!

It’s been crazy hard work but a whole lot of fun; only in a Quest show could I play three different presidents, Johnny Cash, and a rain cloud. Yeah that’s not a joke, I play a rain cloud.

Read the reviews (Trib, Reader, Time Out Chicago), come see the show!

Oh and if you are coming. PLEASE make reservations! We’ve sold out every single show so far and we already have some pretty full houses for the last two weeks.

My fixed gear commuter bike was stolen Wednesday night from my locked back courtyard area and I’m pretty bummed out about it. The possibility of getting robbed in a city is always there but I guess you never expect it to happen to you. I’m really surprised at how personally attached I was to that bike, Thursday I alternated between bouts of anger and being on the verge of tears. It had seen me through thousands of miles commuting through Chicago city streets in all kinds of weather and, while it was no prize, it really had come to fit me like a glove. I also had no idea the value of it monetarily until I sat down and totaled up how much I spent on the various parts over the years:

Frame: 210
Wheels: 150
Crank/BB: 100
Pedals: 40
Saddle: 30
Tires: 40
Brakes: 30
Helmet (also stolen): 50
–
$650 in total

And given that I got a lot of those parts and pieces on sale or used my pocketbook isn’t looking forward to trying to replace it. I think finally getting renters insurance is on the top of the to-do list next week.

I guess the upside is I get to go through the joy of finding and building a replacement (not sarcasm by the way, it really is fun to build bicycles!) but it’s not something I have the time or heart for right now.

Bye bye baby, daddy misses you.

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It’s true I probably could but the problem is time. Specifically there just hasn’t been time to blog recently and I apologize for that to anyone who still drops in looking for something new.

A grossly understated summary of what I’ve been up to follows in the form of lists:

I’ve been in some shows

• Feydeau-Si-Deau
• Durango
• People’s History of the United States

I’ve seen some awesome concerts

• The Dresden Dolls
• Billy Branch
• One of the Girls

I’ve seen some terrific theatre

• As Told by the Vivian Girls
• Our Town
• Columbinus

I’ve read some fantastic books

• Gould’s Book of Fish
• Little Big
• Fun Home
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves
• The Neon Bible

I’m soon going to be missing some friends

• Danielle (moving to Montana)
• Glen (moving… somewhere)

I signed up for my third Chicago Marathon

• Here’s hoping the weather is better than last time
• I had to register through a charity because I was slack and didn’t get signed up in time… again

I’m turning 30 in a few weeks

• I’m trying not to feel too old
• It’s not working particularly well

As pointed out in my last post, I’ve been cast as an understudy in Durango with the Silk Road Theatre Project.  This just so happens to be the first Equity show I’m going to do in Chicago; or so I thought.  Last Friday I got a phone call from Theatre Wit asking if I’d like to be in their upcoming production of Chemin De Fer (since retitled Feydeau-si-Deau) which goes up before Durango; they had an actor drop out and needed a replacement.  This is an Equity show as well and what’s even better; Wit takes part in the EMC program so I can earn some weeks towards joining Equity.  Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Silk Road I’ve been able to schedule both shows which will make for a busy but fulfilling summer.

I realize that the 4 or 5 suckers readers of this blog may have no idea how Equity works or even what it is.  Well it’s a bit too complicated to explain fully but in a nutshell Equity (or AEA) is the stage actors union in the US and there are a lot of benefits to joining.  By working with certain eligible theatre companies for a total of fifty weeks I can earn the right to apply for membership in the AEA; this process is called the Equity Membership Candidate Program (or EMC).  Just starting the EMC program gives me a few benefits on it’s own; mainly I’ll be seen before non-Equity members at any Equity audition.

I’m certainly not ready to join up yet but starting to fulfill those fifty weeks feels like a step in the right direction–and I might add, it’s a bit scary; progress always is.

In other news there’s a Lunar eclipse tonight and it’s beautiful.  Maybe it’s a herald of new things; maybe–as most ancient cultures thought–it’s a sign of impending doom.

Only time will tell.

(photo Luc Viatour)

I noticed the other day that this blog hasn’t had anything in it about me for a while. In fact I haven’t written about anything personally significant, save perhaps my rant on the teddy bear thing in the Sudan, since the end of November. While this blog isn’t really a journal, sometimes it’s nice to get what been in your head out on paper and I’ve certainly never shied away from personal topics before.

So here it goes.  December 1st to now, by the numbers.

I spent the early part of December auditioning and taking classes at Act One. The auditions led to some good callbacks but nothing came through until right before Christmas when I was cast in The Paringtons, a workshop put on by the Raven Theatre in early February. I had hoped to get cast as Frank the quirky, rapid fire artist who finds good and beauty in everything he sees; despite a good audition and subsequent callback, I ended up getting cast as two peripheral characters instead.  It was the third leading role I had been called back to in a row.  This is good, and I suppose it means I’m growing as an actor, but there is often a little voice inside my head that says “Really? Well alright then if you’re sure.”  Confidence is quick to loose and slow to build in the business of acting; it’s been nice to be on the building side recently.

A couple of weeks later I flew down to North Carolina to visit the family for the holidays. It was a rough holiday season. My grandmother who is now ninety three (or is it ninety four?) was pretty sick and my dad spent most of the holidays taking care of her.  We did our best to remain cheerful and festive but having a very ill loved one casts a cloud over everything going on.  Every hour I was there I kept wondering how she was doing, and just as importantly, how the rest of my family was doing.  Strangely I found I was more worried about them than I was about her.  It seems unfair to worry more about those that aren’t in danger of dying than those that are; I guess dying after a full life of ninety three years seems less tragic than loosing your mother.

The trip had one silver lining; I got to hang out with my brother for a few days. I hadn’t seen him in nearly two years, which is far too long between brothers.  He seems to be doing well, in fact he seems happier than I’ve seen him in years. I also saw my friend Donnie while I was in NC. For Donnie, life doesn’t seem to change much, but he too seems happy. Some people are made for that life I guess.

The trade off to seeing my brother over the holidays (I had to be there early to catch him before he returned to Phoenix) was that I ended up spending the 25th in Chicago alone.  I expected Christmas by myself it to be really weird but it wasn’t. The entire holiday spirit seemed to have already passed by; it was just another snowy winter day in Chicago.

New Years Eve happened with the usual excess followed by a brain bruising headache and oaths of becoming a teetotaler. The party I attended was a bit of a disappointment crowd wise, but we had a good time. The highlight of my evening was a great snowball fight consisting of ten really drunk people dressed to the nines pelting each other up and down the three flights of stairs in the back of the building.

In mid January I found out I had been cast as an understudy in a show at the Silk Road Theatre Project called Durango. I’ve never had an understudy gig where I wasn’t also part of the show so this will be something new for me.  I’m really looking forward to working with people who actually do theatre for a living; maybe some day I’ll do it too.

Also in mid January I started rehearsals for The Paringtons. I have to say that it was the strangest show experiences I’ve had in a while. I was only in three scenes and, because we had a very short rehearsal schedule, I only attended four rehearsals before opening night. It felt very surreal and unconnected to be involved so little in the production.  Ultimately, I felt that the show worked out pretty well though. The script was very solid and by the last two performances (of our three show run) we were starting to do it justice.  I really hope that the Raven considers picking it up as a full production next year.

The final night of our show was Super Tuesday, and boy was it super.  I could write a hundred page blog post about this year’s presidential race, but for now suffice it to say that I’m:
A: Pleased as punch to have such strong Democratic candidates
B: Extremely entertained and even a bit inspired by the entire process
C: Supporting Obama

Since The Paringtons closed I’ve been in the gym almost every night trying to get into better shape for Durango.  One of the four characters I’m understudying is a super hero and if there is even the remotest possibility that I’ll be on stage in Spandex I want to be ready for it.  The current regimen is five miles on the treadmill every day and then weight lifting (flys, curls, crunches and whatever else I can endure) every other day.

It feels good to get back into the gym but I’ve noticed that it doesn’t always feel good.   Every time I really throw myself into my workouts like this I start to crave gym time, especially the running.  By about 15-20 hours from my last workout I feel jittery and  irritable; it feels like nicotine withdrawal.  I know from experience that pretty soon it’s going to start effecting my sleeping patterns and make me feel… just not like myself.  I’m not sure if there’s anything that can be done about this but wait until my endorphin levels sort themselves out.

And finally, I’ve decided that I need to get away from “media” for a while.  Movies, TV, and music are all great but I’ve been over doing it a bit recently.  So as an experiment I’m not watching any TV or Movies or engaging in internet time wasting for a week.  Instead I’m going to spend my free time reading, writing, and going to the gym.  The first draft of this post–which was a complete jumble of stream of consciousness BS I might add–took almost exactly an hour.  On any other night that hour would be taken up by The A Daily Show and maybe an episode of M*A*S*H.

Yep this was time better spent.

I just signed up for a lifetime subscription to LibraryThing.  It’s a very nifty online book cataloging site that keeps a nice record of all of the books you own and with the purchase of a $13 CueCat bar code scanner you can just scan the bar code to import books into your database (no typing!).

If you’d like to see the books I have on my bookshelf just check out my LibraryThing public listing.  Of course I just signed up a few hours ago so it’s just got what I could remember I have off of the top of my head, I’ll be busting out the CueCat soon!.

I also embedded a little searching widget in the sidebar of my blog so you can search my library from here.  At some point when I have time for projects I’d like to build a simple loaning application that would allow me to track who I’ve loaned my books to so I can get them back– I imagine it would be fairly straightforward coding wise.

P.S.  If the person who I lent His Dark Materials to is reading this, please bring it back when you’re done.