Category Archives: Media

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 →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Personal, Review | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Geeking around, Media, PowerPoint, Presentations, Presenting, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Books, Geeking around, Health and wellness, History, Media, PowerPoint, Presentations, Presenting, Technology, Thoughts, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Entertainment, Film, Geeking around, Media, Movies, PowerPoint, Presentations, Presenting, SciFi Fantasy, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Business, Design, Geeking around, Hardware, Media, Personal, Technology, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is GMC In on the Joke?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by ricbret

Allow me to digress. Have to admit that I will listen to a song whose lyrics I don’t necessarily like if it’s got a good beat and I can dance to it. Well, maybe just a good beat, kicky riff, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercials, Entertainment, Media, Music, Organizations, Personal, Random thoughts, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cinequest 2015: Short Catch-Up Reviews

Posted on March 7, 2015 by ricbret

Although I’ve written up a good many of the films I’ve seen at Cinequest, there are several I just hadn’t gotten to yet. Given this is the closing weekend and we have a day of encore showings on Sunday, I wanted to get some notes out to you and hopefully help your viewing decisions. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Media, Movies, Personal | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Cinequest 2015: Bad Exorcists

Posted on March 6, 2015 by ricbret

In the end this film delivers a lot of laughs, mixed with just enough shocks and scares. And that’s exactly what I was looking for. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review, SciFi Fantasy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: The House On Pine Street

Posted on March 1, 2015 by ricbret

The House on Pine Street is both a well-crafted traditional horror story, and a modern exploration of what haunting and haunted actually mean. More than a little is left up to your interpretation at the end. But that’s cool, because a film like this should haunt you long after you leave the theater. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Media, Movies, Personal, Review, SciFi Fantasy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Clew

Posted on February 28, 2015 by ricbret

If you like puzzles, especially those that expose a new puzzle when you’ve gotten past the first answer, Clew is for you. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Astraea

Posted on February 28, 2015 by ricbret

In a market where every post-apocalyptic movie has it’s heart in an alien invasion or zombie uprising, we’re faced in Astraea with an all-too-possible scenario where a disease quickly and efficiently wiped out most of the population. The few survivors are crafty and cautious, knowing that men are far worse danger than any rotting corpse. And that making connections with the few remaining good folks is probably the most precious thing to pursue. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Aspie Seeks Love

Posted on February 27, 2015 by ricbret

Bringing this picture of a different form of coping, admittedly still full of personal frustration and failures, is the real gift of this movie. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

They Called Me Spock

Posted on February 27, 2015 by ricbret

I admired Nimoy for this, and followed his career unflinchingly through everything from Mission Impossible to Fringe. And of course I enjoyed all his characters, as well as whatever speaking engagements I was able to attend, and his writing. But it they never spoke to me like Spock. Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Film, Geeking around, History, Home and Family, Media, Movies, Personal, Random thoughts, SciFi Fantasy, Thoughts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Beast Of Cardo (Bestia de Cardo)

Posted on February 27, 2015 by ricbret

The answer is either ethereal or blunt, depending on your interpretation of metaphor or perhaps a truly disturbing potential ramification of their actions. You can have it both ways I suppose, but like Moira and Hermes I just want to escape Cardo.
Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Afterlife (Utoelet)

Posted on February 25, 2015 by ricbret

So, not exactly Ghostbusters in its scope or plot, but this film does deliver a lot of fun and charm as we watch the dour Mozes struggle through afterlife with father. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Songs She Wrote About People She Knows

Posted on February 25, 2015 by ricbret

Songs She Wrote About People She Knows: The movie musical is a very strange animal. Here is the second of two Cinequest musical offerings, and why even though they’re very different, you’ll want to see them both. @leg_stand #cinequest #songsshewroteaboutpeoplesheknows Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: Booze Boys and Brownies

Posted on February 24, 2015 by ricbret

Booze Boys and Brownies: The movie musical is a very strange animal. Here is the first of two Cinequest musical offerings, and why even though they’re very different, you’ll want to see them both. @bbbthemusical #cinequest Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2015: My Daily Film Journal

Posted on February 23, 2015 by ricbret

For this year’s Cinequest, I’ll be journaling the films I watch to help you decide if you want to catch them later in the festival. A little background information about the festival, Fanboy Planet, and what you can expect. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Personal, Review | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Design vs. Fashion vs. User

Posted on October 24, 2014 by ricbret

I found myself rereading parts of Richard Saul Wurman’s Information Anxiety this afternoon. Last week at Presentation Summit I gave a talk on the Pecha Kucha format. Pecha Kucha is a form of presentation using exactly 20 slides, with each slide advancing automatically after 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Audience, Books, Business, Design, Entertainment, Geeking around, History, Media, Personal, Presentations, Presenting, Random thoughts, Technology, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment