television


1
Apr 22

Some videos, and more photos from our amazing Cozumel dives

Before we go back under water, I’d like to share some videos

Here’s a sports show where they are talking about sports — specifically the NCAA tournaments, the final fours and all of this year’s cinderella stories.

And over on HSN they’re keeping track of all of IU’s varsity sports. And there’s a lot going on!

And on their longest-running sports talk show, it’s time for seemingly everyone’s favorite episode, where they highlight The Masters.

I’d say that topic would make it feel like spring, if it wasn’t a delightfully chilly 40 degrees under perpetually cloudy skies as I wrote this.

Also this week, a bunch of students I have had the good fortune to work with won awards at the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters annual conference. One of our seniors won top honors as best anchor — I think he’s won this award three of the last four years, he’s a hard-working and gifted young man. A grad student, who is also IUSTV’s long-running manager and general superhero, earned a second place prize in television copywriting. IUSTV’s news director claimed first place in a television package category. She’ll return in that role for the station next year as well. One of our new alumni took second place in that same category for a piece he produced in his senior year. (Another incredibly talented fellow, He also announced his new job working in summer league baseball, doing media relations and calling games. It’s only a matter of time for that guy.) Four of our wonderful students brought home second-place in the television news program contest, and one of IUSTV’s projects won the short film category.

If you’re still interested in all of this, I figure I have about another week’s worth of photographs to share here. If you’re not at all interested in this, I figure I have about another week’s worth of photographs for you to avoid.

Give or take, I’m sure.

Why do you go diving? You’ll never know what peaceful things you’ll run across below the surface. We shared a few dives with this guy, a young ER doctor from Canada.

To be zen, with bubbles.

Check in every vase. You never know what you’ll see.

How long did it take you to notice the little fish? (It is not in the vase.)

This is a gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) first described in the mid 18th century, this reef fish is, today, quite popular in the aquarium industry. I can see why.

These are beautiful foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus). Lovely shallow water creatures.

Another baraccuda!

This is an American whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus), but it doesn’t have a lot of the spots the species normally presents.

That’s because the filefish rapidly changes appearance. It can go to a high contrast color pattern with a much darker background and many light colored spots, and it’s all about camouflage. They like to hide.

Look at this reef!

Or how about this one, and it’s yellow tube sponge (Aplysina fistularis).

This was an accidental photo, and I love it.

Dive buddy check!

She planned another great trip, and the evidence is all right here.


30
Mar 22

More SCUBA photos

More than a half dozen of my students just won honors from the Indiana Association of Student Broadcasters College, and a guy that graduated in the fall just announced his first play-by-play job. Another day, more successes for talented, hard working young people.

Other students are doing other great work, too. The news show last night was fairly full, there’s no fluff in there, and it also features an important interview as well.

And on the pop culture magazine show they started talking about next month’s Little 500 races.

Tonight still more students will produce a few sports shows. They never stop around here anymore, to their great credit.

Speaking of sports … Let’s go diving again!

Look at this beautiful purple vase. Shame about that damage on the front. I hope that wasn’t from a diver.

I believe that’s a blackcap basslet (Gramma melacara) hanging out among the coral.

Look at this beautiful stack of coral and sponges. What a lovely corner of the ocean.

More miniature purple vase coral.

This is some sort of spotted boxfish, but I’m having a difficult time pinning it down.

Behold! My blurry brain coral!

And it’s time for a buddy check. She’s doing great. (She’s an excellent diver.)

Enjoy this lovely specimen of the yellow tube sponge (Aplysina fistularis).

I did not have anything to offer as a sizing reference, but this is a big vase coral.

And here I am, on my ascent from this particular dive.

Settle in, we’ve got days of photos to work through. But I promise to only show you the average to great ones.


28
Mar 22

A week at full speed

Let’s catch up on what the television students have been doing at IUSTV. Two weeks ago, of course, they were on Spring Break, which means they have to spool back up, which means it’s a little light. But, still, they released three new episodes, including a brand new show. Check these out.

First, the late night crew did a game show.

I’ll need you to tell me if the bit at the end was deliberate, or an accident. I haven’t caught up to the people involved yet to get the … official … version of the story.

This is a brand new show, and it starts with an interview with filmmaker Angelo Pizzo.

I wonder who they’ll book next for that show.

And if you need some sports, here’s some professional soccer talk from the semi-professional talkers.

And let’s check in with the kitties, who haven’t been featured here in two weeks. Two weeks, I’m told by my consultants, is a long time to not highlight your most popular feature.

Usually this is Poseidon’s role, but Phoebe has lately been hopping into the shower.

Her brother likes water more than she does, though. But that morning, I suppose, he was enjoying a few moments in the sun.

It was cold this weekend. How do I know it was cold? These two were cuddling for warmth.

Speaking of cold, this winter Poseidon learned about the joys of the space heater. Because he is spoiled, I have to put a blanket on the floor for him to enjoy.

Ridiculous, right?

A few nights later, the house was still feeling chilled. I tried to set that up for him again. Space heater, blanket, and all of that, but he wasn’t interested. Phoebe took it to the next level, however. And you’ll just have to believe me here, but …

She’s under the blanket, in front of the space heater.

And now, we’re back to it. If you have some more time to kill right now, however, there’s always more on Twitter and check me out on Instagram, too, including tons more videos from diving in Cozumel. And the cats. Did you know that Phoebe and Poseidon have an Instagram account? They do. Check them out.


10
Mar 22

There was basketball

I had a meeting canceled today because the people in the meeting wanted to watch the basketball game. And yet I still somehow had that meeting? Not sure how that happened.

At least they saw a good one?

If that’s not for you, maybe this is. Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, Endurance, has been found after 107 years. This 4k footage shows the preserved vessel almost 10,000 feet below the surface. Shackleton was on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, when his ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed. The crew escaped, camped on the ice, watching their vessel and their means of survival destroyed before them. And then the ice beneath them started to crumble. As it disintegrated, they launched lifeboats, and endured (see what I did there?) a miserable 720 mile, stormy journey to escape. And now, 107 years later.

Also, just last month, the British Film Institute (BFI) released restored footage of that expedition, including when the ship’s mast collapsed. Shackleton was adamant the film be saved, and it’s now a key part of early 20th century Antarctic exploration history.

Isn’t that something?

Here’s something else. More sports! These are the shows the sports gang produced last night. First up, let’s talk-talk-talk about basketball.

And you can also get the highlights and look ahead to all of the other sports in full swing around here.

And here’s still more sports talk, but this time with a broader range of subjects.

And now I have to go do laundry tonight, so I can pack tomorrow.


9
Mar 22

Counting days

I went to a meeting at 9:30 this morning. I left work just after 8 p.m. In between I had to start writing things for next week, set up a meeting, opened a studio for another project, answered every email and probably some that weren’t sent. So a perfectly average 10-and-a-half-hour day.

Spring break next week will be fun. I am looking forward to taking a few days off, to be sure.

But we have to get through a few more days, first. And the studio wrapped up the day. It was sports, tonight.

And there was a lot of basketball. Both of IU’s teams are looking for a spot in March Madness. The women are a sure lock, as we learn from this panel talking about what’s to come.

The women are likely poised to make a deep run in the tournament. The men need to do a little work in their conference tournament to get a dance card. These next few days will be key for them. And those sports shows will be online tomorrow, or so, and I can share them with you then.

Tonight, though, you can check out the two shows the news division produced last night.

They brought in one of the nation’s foremost experts on Russia and Vladimir Putin for an in-studio interview. This is good stuff.

And the dance team is, like the rest of us, dancing toward spring break.

Two more days!