television


13
Apr 22

A totally professional day

I edited a podcast today, and spent time in two different television studios for three different shows. At the end of the day I set up a Disney movie for students. In between, I watched these shows. And, now, you can too!

This is the news show from last night I mentioned. The interview with the new provost is there. It’s an interesting moment to have the provost in-studio.

They talked a lot about bike racing on What’s Up Weekly, because the Little 500 races are coming up next week. Very exciting stuff for campus.

I gotta tell ya, IU Fanshop, now in just its third episode, is growing on me. It’s a show about fans, and as they start to really lean into this, they’re going to find some great stuff going forward. This is fun.

You know what else is fun, photos of people at varying depths below sea level!

Yes, we’re wrapping up the photos today. But I’ll round out the week with more diving stuff, somehow. (We’ve already planned our next two trips, and I’m only a bit sad that neither of them involve diving. Yet.)

Anyway, on to the photos!

Gymnasts, man.

Sometimes I float to one side, sometimes I float behind people. Occasionally I float above them.

That is, of course and without fail, the moment they decide to look for you.

Everything is a-OK on the bottom of the sea.

And sometimes people float above you, too.

Selfie time at a safety stop.

This is probably another safety stop, a designed part of the dive, during the ascent, where you’re allowing your body the opportunity to expand a bit more of the nitrogen that builds up under pressure. This is a planned and good feature. And, clearly, carefully done.

I wonder what she’s looking at here.

Best fish in the sea!

And, also, me.

Yes, I all but blinked during my own selfie. I was on vacation.


11
Apr 22

Hours of video, 10 more photos from the bottom of the ocean

And how was your weekend? Cold and gray Saturday here, sat on the porch and enjoyed the warm of a brilliant Sunday. Took a nice walk. A low-key stretch by all accounts.

More improv comedy from a live production on Saturday night. This should go right to where it starts, but if it doesn’t, scrub your way over to 12:48 to see all the funny stuff begin.

And if you’re not in the mood for young comedy — and how could that even be a possibility? — let’s have some sports talk with another fun episode of the B-Town Breakdown.

And here’s a package on a historic moment in this year’s Little 500.

I hope they did a version in Thai, too.

Let’s look at some more stuff under the sea! This is some sort of pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), I think.

Here’s another juvenile stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) hanging out with some beautiful branch coral.

This is a good place to mention that I updated the front page of the site this weekend. There are now a lot more cool images rotating through. Some of them you might find familiar from recent days here. I have a lot of really nice ones there, so we’ll be able to keep that fresh for some time. Check back often, as they say. (But keep scrolling for now.)

There’s a barracuda just hanging out under this rock. I got to within probably three or four feet of him. He was unfazed by the attention.

I’m not sure what’s prettier here, the color of the ocean, the coral or the the queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris). This species, it is believed, communicates through temporary changes in color. Also, the juvenile fish are a different color. You thought you had difficulty reaching teenagers!

Always look in the vase coral. You never know what you’ll find inside. Like this lobster!

This is a moody picture, isn’t it? There must have been some passing clouds in front of the sun as I passed by this setting.

The light changes everything. You might think this is a lonely or spooky feeling, but you’d be mistaken.

There’s all sorts of interesting things to see and critters to meet, after all.

And if the fish and all of their natural wonders aren’t enough, you also have your dive buddy.

Best fish in the sea!

That is, by the by, the 100th photo I’ve published from the Cozumel dive series. And, if you’re wondering, I can probably get two more days out of this. So stick around!


7
Apr 22

Another brand new show launched, and still more diving photos

Just your average day today. Started with a meeting. Ended with a different meeting. Some things took place in between, I’m sure. I learned something every step of the way. Now it’ll be up to me to make it useful. But that’s the way of things, right?

I got to the house in the daylight which — between my normal abnormal schedule and the still-recent emergence from daylight standard time — still seems unusual somehow. It rained. I rode my bicycle indoors. At the end of what should be a warmup period I was already feeling it. First time I’ve turned the pedals in two weeks. It’s like that with me, and I could do something about it, but I haven’t yet. Maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll ride for a second day in a row. And next week I can start building back up to the mileage that was doing … just last month. Anyway, 20 more sweaty miles were behind me at the end of today’s pedalpalooza. Then it was time to shower, have dinner, and turn, mentally, toward tomorrow.

But first, let’s look back. These are the shows the IUSTV sports crew produced on Wednesday night. (Told ya, this schedule of mine. I really begin to feel it each April.)

This is Hoosier Sports Nite. And, a fun fact I learned after the fact: the guy on the desk, he did his tour here one year and one day ago. And now he’s anchoring sports shows.

(Getting involved early and throughout is a huge selling point for our programs.)

And here’s the talk show. They discussed Major League Baseball at some length. ‘Tis the season.

Some elements of the sports division are also working on this new project. It’s a soft launch new, national sports show, believed to be the first of its kind in, well, this country.

How cool is that? The proper launch is coming this fall.

Being a news nerd I likewise want a national program for that side of things, as well. Perhaps one of these days.

Let’s look farther back. About three weeks, now.

Look at this gorgeous condy anemone (Condylactis gigantea). They are loners, no colonies of these guys. And they are carnivores. Also, it’s generally considered more mobile than most anemones. It crawls around on its pedal disc, and tends to be quite territorial. I need to add witnessing an anemone turf war to my list of things to do. This species provides shelter to small fish and shrimp, and can be sort of like a car wash for fish cleaning activity.

Of course this stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) turned away just as I took its photo. This fish is a protogynous hermaphrodite and changes its sex from female to male during its lifespan. It will also change color as it changes sex and ages. The timing of the sex change can apparently vary depending on population density, growth, and mortality rates. Based on its coloring here, we can tell this is an older parrotfish.

I wonder what feature of the current, an untold number of years ago, made this little artistic sand draw possible.

Remember the movie, Cocoon?

I’m feeling younger every day. (Except for when I stand up. Or walk. Or generally try to do anything too quickly.)

Sometimes you have to look up, because sometimes there’s something swimming — no? Nothing? OK then.

There’s not a term, so far as I know, for this feeling of the color and the shadows, and the interplay of it all. I’m going to call it Caribbean gothic.

These next two are another example of that issue of taking more than one, and liking more than one.

I’m honestly not sure if the damsel fish scurrying about above and behind the coral even registered when I took these photos.

Our daily installment of the local yellow tube sponge and what I still think is the fused staghorn coral.

And here we are being silly at our safety stop on one of our ascents. (A safety stop is standard procedure. Basically, it is an opportunity for your body to release some of the excess nitrogen that builds up in your system during your dive.)

That’s three minutes of silliness, or three minutes of extra zen — or many more minutes of internal pouting about having to break the surface — every dive.


6
Apr 22

It goes me, Robert, Dan, Festus

Back in the studio this evening, after an uneventful day in the office. We coordinated things that needed coordinating. We tested locks. I wrote emails about plans and set up Google Drive folders for those plans. I edited audio. I booked a podcast interview for next week. I spent the evening in the television studio.

We were also in the studio last night, and I can show you those programs now. Here’s the standard news show.

And there’s the pop culture and events show, as well. The theatre program here is hosting Carrie, and the actor playing the title role stopped by and sang a song. Having seen the classic movie, I was very nice to her and stood well away, just in case.

There are other shows I haven’t shared with you yet, so let’s catch up! Here’s the late night crew.

Following the video that surfaced of Sebastian’s surveillance of the NTL writers room, Sebastian and Mia are forced by IUSTV to show a scene from IUSTV’s newest spinoff show, “The Adventures of Duncle and Snephew.” Additionally, Sebastian and Mia sit down and chat with the Editor in Chief of The Crimson Post, Kyle Reynolds.

Somehow, I don’t think that tongue-in-cheek spin-off is going to make it.

A show with a lot of staying power, it’s been around five years or so now, is the morning show. Let’s check in with those guys. They interviewed two of the riders from last year’s winning Little 500 men’s team.

The show about films has a new episode, too. Behind The Curtain talks to a guy about his first production. It sounds spooky to me.

Speaking of film, fans of the format know of the legendary John Ford. Well, one of IUSTV’s newest programs interviewed Dan Ford, the filmmaker’s grandson, and author of the biography on John Ford.

Dan Ford is from a big Hollywood family. In addition to his grandfather, John, Dan’s father was Patrick Ford, a writer and producer of several westerns. Dan’s aunt was a film editor. He had a cousin who directed dozens of projects. His uncle was Ken Curtis who has 65 acting credits to his long career, most notably in hundreds of Gunsmoke episodes.

No one is ever prepared for the day when they discover they are three degrees of separation from Festus. Sometimes the amazing just happens.

This is the black sea rod or Caribbean sea whip (Plexaura homomalla). It contains an abundance of prostaglandin A, possibly as a chemical defense against hungry fish. Prostaglandin, in mammals, is a muscle relaxant. It also used to be used to induce labour, until a synthetic version was developed in the 1970s. It can also cause nausea and vomiting. The fish don’t like that part, either.

Here’s the black cap basslet (Gramma melacara). It’s a territorial fish, and that’s why you only see one in saltwater aquariums. I’m not sure what that little guy on the left is.

Look! More yellow tube sponge! There’s going to be some more Aplysina fistularis below, and I don’t even want to apologize for that, but I guess we’ll have to get into some new facts for it.

This is an anemone! Macrodactyla doreensis, I think. Don’t touch them, either.

Now back to the tube sponge. Did you know this is what SpongeBob is supposed to be? Now you know.

Look at it, sitting up there all tall and proud. Yellow tube sponges are filter feeders, taking in ocean water, and extracting plankton, bacteria, and dead organic material to consume.

And they must be hungry. Every minute this sponge can apparently pump an amount of water equal to five times its volume.

I like the little bits of reef that just pop up out of the sand.

Also, I like the sand. I’d like to just sit in that little sliver and do nothing for a few hours.

But there are currents! And I must follow my dive buddy.

Did you know I’m putting all of the little video clips on social media? They are getting rave reviews in the twos and threes! If you have some more time check them out on Twitter. You can also find them on Instagram, too.


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.