In early 2000
I got my first chance to truly understand all the
hype surrounding these super-fast internet
connections. I'd seen some people with it back in
Columbus, and remember thinking: "How lazy do you have
to be to pay $50 a month for a WEB PAGE to
open quicker". Here in LA though, I was pulling off
video entries and realizing how difficult that is on a
dial-up connection. Then at Hollywood Screentest
I realized the necessity of the technology for
true 21st Century entertainment on the net. I saw DSL
in action and realized that full screen movies could
be played INSTANTLY. The second you sit down with this
kind of speed for an hour, it all makes sense. This
isn't just for lazy people, this is the future. This
doesn't speed-up the internet, it completely changes
it.
I had
roadrunner (cable modem) in June and July while
I was with Hollywood Screentest. Being that it
was free, I didn't try to use it to my advantage.
I just downloaded a bunch of mp3s and mpgs for
entertainment purposes. We then moved out of Time
Warner's range, and got screwed. Quicknet was gonna
install the dsl and Hollywood Screentest was gonna pay
for it. Quicknet stalled for over 2 months, and by
that time HST was dead.
Finally I got
a flyer for DSL from MSN: Free modem, Free
installation, Free 1st Month, and $39.95 a month. Best
I'd seen. So I ordered it, but now I was
paying for it. This couldn't just be some luxurious
form of entertainment. I had to use it to further
my career.
So first up was
the long task of making all my stuff into mp3s, log
onto Napster, and spread the word. That's the joy of
DSL, you're up 24-7. Well the mp3 task was a bit more
daunting then I realized. I figured I might
as well make mp3s of The Late Show CDs as well as the
original music. So how many files do you think
I have? Try 311. That's right, if you take all of
my CDs and Boyles episodes, I have well over 300
different files of music and comedy.
SON OF A BITCH. I still haven't
included the 30 Listener Bits from CD101. If you'd
like to download some of these, all you need to do is
log onto Napster and do a search on my name. If no
matching files are found, just disconnect and
reconnect, and you'll probably hit the server I'm
sitting on. Most people have gotten it within 2
reconnects. So far I've had 40 downloads from
strangers and even sold 1 Star Wars Blew CD online
(gotta love paypal).
Of course many are
wondering about that - you're really hitting the
artist where it hurts by taking EVERY SONG he has
as opposed to paying $10 for a CD. Well, I have to
admit, I need that money...BUT...I want to be
known much more than I want to be rich. I think
the songs on Star
Wars Blew
have great potential to become underground hits if I
can get enough people to download them. EXPOSURE,
EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE. So please log onto
NAPSTER
(while it's still free), and download away...but if
you can afford it, please buy the cds.
Every CD I have is only $10 and your support
is more than appreciated.
The other great
advantage of being online 24-7 is actually kind of
goofy...but can serve a few purposes. The Live
ADAMCAM. Yes, you can now watch exactly what I'm doing
24-7. It just might be the most boring thing you ever
watch. All I do is work on this computer. LOL. I
must admit, I thought awhile about doing this.
It's a little awkward and a bit egotistical. I decided
to do it not because I think people will actually
want to sit there and watch me, but because when you
first go to the site and see that section - it's a
cool thing to hit. Your first impression is: "COOL! A
webcam! Hey there's Adam!" That's really about it.
Another reason is accessibility to me and 4tvs and the
whole concept of the site. I really want to motivate.
I really want to effect some kid in Columbus who has
doubts. I believe that my story can do that, and
by making my life accessible to others, I think I
can help more people. This is a bit of a stretch being
where I am in January of 2001. But I pray it all
makes sense in about 5 years.
Perfect point: 4
people in the last 2 weeks have actually read every
entry from "The Journey" and watched all the movies to
catch up to the present. Someday, the journey will be
one complete story and someone will be able to go
through it and see what happened from beginning to
end. Moving to LA and trying to make it, in whatever
field, won't be such a big UNKNOWN. So by letting
people click a button and see what I'm doing, the
story of 4tvs is that much more
accessible.
And finally, it's
a technological jump - and I'm a TECHNO GEEK.
I love technology, I love all those movies
about the future, and want it here
NOW NOW NOW. Video conferencing can happen
today and now. Instant Messaging, can be Video Instant
Messaging NOW. It's the power of Broadband. In time,
this webcam will actually be streaming video you can
watch, as well as have an AUDIO feed. I'm having some
trouble getting into my DSL modem because of firewall
issues, but once those are overcome it'll be quite
cool. As well I'll allow you to access all 311 of
those MP3s without going through Napster...giddy-up.
Of course there is one tiny problem in this
cheerier-technologically-advanced entry:
I HAVE NO DSL CONNECTION
That's right, no
DSL whatsoever. Everything is down. I've had an
incredibly difficult time with MSN and my phone lines
out here. I orderd DSL in October and finally got it
installed in late December. It didn't work. Then 10
days later...it all the sudden worked - for 12 hours.
Then more people came out and it worked for 4
days...then it went out. Finally last week the guy
came got it up and running, and 5 minutes after he
walked out the door, it went down again. They set up a
meeting with pacbell to come out and find out exactly
what's wrong. They came, said everything was perfect,
but never bothered to knock on MY DOOR to see if
I could get on. They left me a message saying it
was all dandy, and it's SHIT. I've been on hold all
day TODAY with them - and they're more clueless than
before. And here's the kicker: I've been on hold with
MSN for 16.73 hours. That's right nearly 17 hours of
being on hold trying to get them to escalate this.
It's FUCKING INCREDIBLE. I'm about to shoot
someone. I'm completely out of control and have wasted
soooooooo much time on the phone.
There
was one positive to being on the phone all
FREAKIN day, I got to beat Super
Mario Bros. again on the original 8-BIT
NES System. My GOD that game is
short, I can't believe how much games
have changed lately. Anyway of course I
made a video...heh, I had more than enough
time since I couldn't do any web
work,
and
this
one'll bring back many
memories
for ya...
So all this great
news with a nice kicker in the end. Days and days of
work completely shot. What kills me is I did all
this while only having DSL for 4 days. Imagine if it
actually WORKED!!! I may just have to suck it up and
go with cable which is unfortunately $44.95 out here.
But at this rate, I can't wait much longer. So
keep clicking the links, it'll work here one of these
days...
Oh and the links!
I finally think I'm done with the site redesign. As
you can see at the bottom of this page, I added some
shadowing and made all the colors white and grey for
the text - I love it. I think it looks NIFTY. The
only change from this point on that I forsee is
making the videos link "MP3s and VIDEOS". We'll just
see if I can get my DSL modem to work...I'd put
them all on the site now, but they're taking up a
little bit of space...about 800 MB. LOL. A gig of
my own personal mp3s. You'd think I was a
superstar...no, I'm a production factory lately. I
mean, christ what an amazingly productive 5 years I've
had...now if I could just make some
money...
And that's where
the link in the middle comes in: 4tvs Productions.
It's blank now, but it will be the subject of my next
entry and hopefully a gateway to many more projects in
my future. A Digital Production Company for the little
guy. Thought you didn't have a need for one? After the
next entry, you just might think
otherwise.
