Category Archives: Media

Review: Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds

Posted on April 20, 2020 by ricbret

Can I tell you about a unique book experience? I’m going to work hard to spoil none of the book’s surprises, while telling you why this is a book you should enjoy. Consider a prolific writer, now long passed, whose … Continue reading →

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The Digital Dissolve…

Posted on July 1, 2019 by ricbret

Put another one on the list, and this time it’s significant. I’m talking about e-books. Particularly your rights and ownership of “your copy.” That’s confusing, I know, but bear with me. The short of it is that Microsoft will be … Continue reading →

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Why I Judge Books by Their Cover

Posted on April 17, 2018 by ricbret

Book Judgement is someplace where I can review and express my love for the manufacture of books, the binding, typography… Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2018: Peaches

Posted on March 3, 2018 by ricbret

We all know the rules of time travel by now. Never travel to a time and place where you’re sure to meet yourself. Never do it twice at the same time. Three times is a very bad idea. And a dozen or so… well that could be real trouble. Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2018:
Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out

Posted on March 2, 2018 by ricbret

This is one of those cases where you’re best prepared when you’re unprepared. 
Trust me. This film is what film festivals are for. Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2018: Hunting Lands

Posted on March 1, 2018 by ricbret

The Hunting Lands invites us along for a hunter’s pursuit, stalking a killer of a different kind. Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2018: How to Cinequest!

Posted on February 28, 2018 by ricbret

As regular listeners to the Fanboy Planet Podcast know, San Jose’s award-winning Cinequest film festival opened last night.  Opening night at Cinequest typically features an independent film that has or is expected to shortly gain general distribution, and last night’s … Continue reading →

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How Many PowerPoints in the World?

Posted on August 9, 2017 by ricbret

“How much PowerPoint is there in the world?” Does it matter? Should be bother trying to figure it out? And who does it help in the end? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Geeking around, Graphics, Media, Organizations, Personal, PowerPoint, Presentations, Presenting, Random thoughts, Software, Technology, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Dark Tower – Defending the Rose

Posted on August 6, 2017 by ricbret

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
Probably the best opening line in literature. Yeah, better than Call me Ishmael.
(Seriously Ishmael, I was just asking you for a name to write on your coffee cup!) Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: Encores and Last Chances

Posted on March 12, 2016 by ricbret

We’re down to the wire at Cinequest! Late last night, the Cinequest encores were announced.  These make up the bulk of Sunday programming in the festival’s final day. As I predicted, there are still too many great films to see them all. … Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: Catch-up Reviews

Posted on March 10, 2016 by ricbret

Reviews from Cinequest 2016: Demimonde, Eye in the Sky, Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends, Lost In Munich, Parabellium, The Phoenix Incident Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: Embers

Posted on March 3, 2016 by ricbret

It’s a quiet armageddon. Every day you wake with a limited knowledge of the world, of yourself, and of those around you. Some smaller things do stick, but the cohesiveness of what we were, of who we were, is gone. Waking experience teases some of this out to consciousness, but we still see a stranger in the mirror. Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: Sight Unseen Recommendations

Posted on March 2, 2016 by ricbret

Now that Cinequest is fully upon us, I need to touch on a small subject of interest to those of you going to the festival. There are WAY too many great films to see everything. Way too many. And some are terribly hard to review for reasons that will be obvious in a few paragraphs. But luckily those same programs are very easy to recommend, and do fall on my “Don’t Miss” list.
Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: The Brainwashing of My Dad

Posted on March 1, 2016 by ricbret

A longer commute, talk radio, a loving father turns into an angry, bitter, obsessive… brainwashed by a poisonous media. Continue reading →

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Cinequest 2016: Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends

Posted on February 29, 2016 by ricbret

My first must-see entry from the Cinequest film festival is a sexy story that takes the “friends with benefits” motif to the next level. Continue reading →

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A Favorite from Cinequest 2014: Nothing in Los Angeles

Posted on January 27, 2016 by ricbret

Cinequest never fails to bring in a ton of innovative, inspiring, thought-provoking, and amazing films to San Jose. Here’s one I missed reviewing in 2014…
Continue reading →

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PowerPoint Tip: Stacking Artistic Effects

Posted on January 11, 2016 by ricbret

Normally your photos can only have one Artistic Effect at a time, but with this very simple process, you can combine them to create whole new effects in your PowerPoint presentations. Continue reading →

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What does Bill Gates read?

Posted on December 7, 2015 by ricbret

I find Bill Gates fascinating because he’s always surprising me with some new way to think about something we all think we already know. Continue reading →

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Star Wars VII trailer: Storytelling & the invisible structure

Posted on September 25, 2015 by ricbret

Storytelling and structure from Presentation Zen master Garr Reynolds by way of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and a priest named Father Roderick… Continue reading →

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Pebble Time Unboxing

Posted on June 3, 2015 by ricbret

I love the unboxing experience, even when it’s simply unzipping a package and unfolding the cover… Continue reading →

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