Creative Implementation

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Kevin A. Barnes

It might be your most creative, groundbreaking idea in years, but if the people responsible for implementing that idea don’t know (or understand) your vision, that idea can fall flat in execution.

A lighter shade of pale
Yes damn-it ... that green is intentional!The script for the original pilot of the television series Star Trek called for a green-skinned “Orion slave girl,” so during pre-production, test footage was shot of an actress wearing green makeup (in order to see how that green would appear on color film). After the first batch of test footage was developed and returned for viewing, however, the actress’ skin appeared normal flesh tone — no hint of green. The makeup artists applied a darker, denser shade of green and shot a second round of test footage. After that test footage was developed, same result . . . no green was visible on the actress. This cycle was repeated for several days, with the makeup artists applying increasingly more green, trying (unsuccessfully) to find a green makeup that would actually be visible on film.

After three days, the makeup artists finally decided to walk over to the studio’s film processing lab and ask the processing technicians if they had any ideas why green makeup was not visible on color film. What the makeup artists discovered was that every time the processing lab started developing some test footage and the actress began to appear green, they quickly “corrected” the color so her skin tone would appear normal. The lab techs were never told that the actress was supposed to be green, so they did everything they could to remove the green tint from the developed film.1  Read the rest of this entry →

Notes:

  1. Source: Gene Roddenberry, The Making of Star Trek, 1968, Ballantine Books [↩]
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Theatre Tweets

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Kevin A. Barnes

The women of Crimes of the HeartThe use of cell phones and social media is normally discouraged during a live play, but the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has begun using Twitter to it’s advantage during select performances. They’ve invited members of Milwaukee’s Twitterati to attend and tweet1 one performance of each play in the Cabot Theatre.

On Wednesday, August 17, 2011 I was one of nine individuals2 who tweeted the Chamber Theatre’s current production of Crimes of the Heart.3 All of our tweets were tagged with #tweetmct so people not attending the performance could follow along.  Read the rest of this entry →

Notes:

  1. This article assumes you are familiar with the basics of Twitter. If you don’t know what Twitter is, check out these basic FAQs. If you’re wondering how to get started, check out the New York Times’ Twitter for Beginners. [↩]
  2. The other tweeters for this performance were @jungbow, @chadschulz, @jennahowen, @cbell23, @timgrove, @laurenmaxwell, @miltownkid and @mdmouse. [↩]
  3. Disclosure: I’ve been a major fan of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre ever since the group was formed. For example, I think their 2009 production of Around the World in 80 Days employed the most creative staging I’ve seen in Milwaukee. [↩]
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JPL Tweetup Highlights

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Kevin A. Barnes

On Monday, June 6, 2011, I was fortunate to be among the 100 or so individuals invited by NASA to attend a daylong Tweetup at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The event included briefings by members of several major unmanned mission teams, as well as tours of the Deep Space Network Mission Control and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility (where the newest Mars rover — Curiosity — is being prepared for launch).

2011 JPL Tweetup Group PhotoOver the coming days, I will post detailed write-ups of all of the main presentations, as well as links to additional information about JPL and NASA’s current unmanned missions. (To view the original JPL Tweetup Group Photo, click here.)

Closeup of JPL Tweetup Group Photo with Kevin A. BarnesHere is the high-level agenda from the JPL Tweetup, including presenters and their Twitter IDs:

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NASA JPL Tweetup

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Kevin A. Barnes

I’ve been selected1 by NASA to participate in a special Tweetup event this Monday, June 6, 2011, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Visiting and touring JPL, which oversees all of NASA’s unmanned space probes, rovers, etc., has been on my bucket list pretty much since I first learned about space travel.

NASA logo on Lobby floor at Kennedy Space CenterAnd the good news is that you can follow along and be part of the excitement on June 6!

2011 is one of NASA’s busiest years in planetary science. Read the rest of this entry →

Notes:

  1. I am one of 100 people selected by NASA from applicants around the world. [↩]
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50th Anniversary of Kennedy’s Moon Challenge

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Kevin A. Barnes

Today marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech where he challenged America to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s.

On May 25, 1961 when Kennedy gave this speech in front of the U.S. Congress, the era of space exploration has barely begun. To put it in context, it was a mere 20 days after the first American had flow in space1 and Kennedy already was calling for us to travel to the moon.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.”

Kennedy’s goal was achieved on July 20, 2969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on another world.

Notes:

  1. Alan Shepard became the first American to fly in outer space on May 5, 1961. [↩]
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