Stargazer » Video

Yes. I’m Ruining the SuperBowl for You. You’re Welcome.

jules.maas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:40:36 +0000

A REALLY good friend pointed me to this today and my head is still exploding from its Epicness. My girls will never understand why Ferris is just so damn cool, but I guarantee they’ll be asking that question for the rest of their lives because I’m hunting down some way to save this wonderful, silly, special commercial and put it in permanent rotation along with the movie.

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P.S. Long-time readers will recognize the two clips below from Video Wednesday about a year and a half ago. And they will also realize I’m reposting them because I was a idiot and lost the original post during the Stargazer Domain Transfer Fiasco 2010. Because my readers are smarty-pants.

Ferris Bueller: Museum Scene

Ferris Bueller: Museum Scene (John Hughes Commentary)

Angry Laughter*

jules.maas — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:32:53 +0000

This week a friend sent me a video that I wasn’t able to open until about 11 o’clock at night. And now I’m no longer allowed to read email after the girls go to bed. THANKS A LOT, MAIYA.

*Lost? We’re talking about this crazy addictive game. Don’t even try it. It’s way easy. And of the devil. It will take over your life.

The Road to Awe

jules.maas — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:26:48 +0000

Repost of an entry deleted during Stargazer’s Domain Transfer Fiasco 2010

There are a lot of things I don’t like about where I’m from – the drugs, the crime, the politics, the heat. But there are also a lot of beautiful things about the Southwest, of which I was recently reminded when a friend posted these production videos by astronomy photographer Tom Lowe.

Timescapes: “Death is the Road to Awe”

TimeScapes: Rapture (features the International Balloon Fiesta)

By Special Request: An eBay Slideshow

jules.maas — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:49:59 +0000

Friday, I was going reveal the Big Mysterious Impossible Thing that happened to me over the summer. But then I got a request from an eBay Peep that I could. not. refuse.

It seems like something random and unintentional and totally unfair is happening to us lately. Something, that even though my head says it’s not, my heart suspects is a unwarranted galactic nuke sent by ‘Death as Christmas Future’ circa 1428. The solution to which, clearly, is for me to mount a posse to hunt that shrouded bastard down and BEAT HIS ASS.

First, eBay announced the closing of its Vancouver center in September 2009. News that on any other day, for any other company, would be a dime a’ dozen. Unless it’s you. Or SEVEN HUNDRED of your friends.

Then in April, Tim Paine died. I had no idea he was sick. Or how much. It was devastating to see the transformation from the man I knew six years ago, to know how he’d fought and to learn he had lost.

In July, an ex-co-worker and good friend got Breast Cancer. She’s going through chemotherapy right now. It looks horrible and hard and absolutely terrifying. She has a daughter, a husband, a life. And I really wish I could sit by her side just to help glare down cancer with a look that says, “bitch, BACK OFF!”

Jeannie Conklin died at the end of August. I remember the hair dryer collection she kept at her station. (Everyone collected something those days.) I remember she was FIERCE. And devoted. And 100% unstoppable. She inspired us all, reaching far beyond the walls of one support center in Salt Lake City.

Now, one of us has a brain tumor. And I just…I don’t even know what else to type. Except maybe, STOP IT, GOD, WOULDYA?

These are all good, GOOD people. They’re all fighters. They’re all young. They’re all strong and stubborn and smart and precious. They are people who have become a second family to me, and for whom I haven’t got a clue what to do for except to pray. Pray A LOT.

And give whatever I can whenever they ask. Especially if it’s something as simple as spending the weekend recreating an sappy slideshow with no music* that includes a few people I missed the first time around**:

*Apparently, YouTube will strip the sound out of photo slideshows due to unauthorized copyright use, but has no problem whatsoever with non-copyright owners posting full music videos. WHATEV.

**Apologies to anyone who does not appear here. I have HUNDREDS more photos on disk (unfortunately, none of Jeannie) and would love to make them available to other eBay Peeps. Anybody have suggestions on a non-public place we could all contribute? As far as I know, photos from facebook make REALLY crappy prints.

Video Wednesday: Who Needs Words?

jules.maas — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 22:00:25 +0000

Before discovering Pandora, I spent a lot of time on YouTube compiling videos I could use as a kind of radio station throughout the day. For reasons unknown to me, every possible video of Peter Shilling’s “Major Tom” continues to get removed from YouTube except for this one. Sung completely in German and set against the backdrop of HAL’s murderous rampage in the movie, “2001”, I love it because it works as it’s own illustrative story whether or not you know the song or the movie. Although it’s about 1000 times more badass if you do. And by ‘badass’ I mean ‘geek’.

On My Way Back from the Well

jules.maas — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:02:21 +0000

To signal my return to blogging, I originally planned to post something else for Video Wednesday. Something graphic, iconic and universally recognizable even though it’s sung entirely in German.

But first thing this morning, a random tweet sent me to a song I loved a long time ago. And it sang about every topic that’s kept me tongue-tied the last few months. Looking for a job and not getting one. Petty politics on facebook. Loved ones with breast cancer. Friends who have died. Feeling sick as a dog and a little bit scared in the face of the biggest challenge of my life.

Watching the Traveling Wilbury’s ‘End of the Line’*, I was reminded how thankful I am for the people close to me, even if they’re not physically near me, and that really, it IS all going to be okay.

*Embedding of this video has been disabled by the owner, so I can’t show it here. Just click the link – it’s safe – I think you’ll like what you see.

People Are Good: Especially Gay Canadians

jules.maas — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:18:00 +0000

My Seattle area readers have probably already seen this ad nausem, but I just have to share this little story far and wide because as soon as I saw it, I wanted to roll these two up and carry them around in my purse, they’re so adorable. Two weeks ago, Craig and Josh found a really expensive camcorder on their way to the Opening Ceremonies – and instead of keeping it, made a YouTube video to find the owner. Who they found yesterday. And gave back a VERY important memory.

Full original video:

A Little Encouragement

jules.maas — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:04:59 +0000

So, hey. Guess what else happened between August and now? I GAVE UP MY JOB. Not ‘quit’. Not ‘was fired’. No, this one falls inside a very funky-yet-mutual space where I woke up one day in July and said, “Where DID I put that whole Web/Print career path? I really ought to find that. Because also? I NEED A LIFE THAT INCLUDES A VACATION. DURING THE SUMMER.” and a few months later, the City said, “You know, the budget next year sucks (like everywhere else). So…I’m thinking SOMEBODY’S getting canned” and I said, “Ooo! Ooo! ME ME ME ME ME!”

I should just state for the record: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. Three months ago I figured I’d have a *little* bit of a challenge, but not much problem, landing a brand-spanking-new job. In web design. Which in the best of times, is HIGHLY INSANELY RIDICULOUSLY competitive. And for the past three months I’ve been sitting here realizing, OH MY GOD I AM DUMB.

My saving grace may lie in the fact that I’ve been networking like a somebeyoch. Just a tad overbooked with freelance projects, the fact that I’m so busy gives me courage in the midst of all economic nutty-ness, reminding me that I CAN make a living – I just may have to do it my own damn self. Scary, for sure, but not so bad on the days when the universe sends me little messages in the form of facebook friend video updates:

Amazing, right? It’s like it was meant JUST FOR ME. (What are the chances?) These are the kind of ads where they need credits at the end to list the designer because it’s not an ad. It’s an experience.

P.S. As long as I’m on some sort of awesome-graphic-video-kick today, let me also introduce you to typography in action, aka, the Pulp Fiction in Motion Graphic. (Note: This is probably rated R on some internetty parental/work language radar for being VERY VERY bad. Either that or you have to put $15 in the internet swear jar. or something.)

Thankful for You and You and YOU

jules.maas — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:36:22 +0000

Giving Thanks from Jules Maas on Vimeo.

A Day Late…

jules.maas — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:59:34 +0000

But never short. Grandad served in World War II. Although not in this particular order: he taught Women Airforce Service Pilots to fly; he put his friend, Sid (a German Jew) in charge of Nazi POWs, and he met my Grandma in Palm Springs, CA. After an inventory discussion on what, exactly, a ‘flat bastard’ was, he asked her out.

This weekend we visited the Museum of Flight, a place where it feels there are thousands of stories I should know, but don’t. A place where I almost expect to see Grandma sitting on the next bench, ready to tell me a few.

I keep looking. But it’s still quiet. So I wander and wonder and take these for him:

A year, maybe two, before I left eBay, there was a campaign called “The Power of All of Us”. It will always be my favorite representation of the company, because it showed that its specialness had nothing to do with categories or fees or cars. It was the people. Doing good things. For the launch, they took the employees to a local theatre in Salt Lake City and showed us user stories. The kind that made us all feel warm & fuzzy inside, but which I can’t remember now. Except this one. This one made me cry.

Thank you, veterans.