Dave Hakes' – Island Mode

I “ran the rail” for this show (from Nov 26th – Dec 2nd). Basically that means that I was the guy pulling the rope to drop the linesets in so we can move all the sets, drops, borders, legs, and lights in place. One guy I gotta give a holler out to is Vance – this is the guy who was up on the grid loading weight for me (my “grid rat”) – awesome job bra’. I’m not sure if everyone reading this understands this show position (I’ve gotten a few emails about it) so I feel I have to explain the process a little:

We like to go in a day or two before the techs from the incoming show get there to preset lights, borders, legs, and any inhouse drops that the show may be using (make sure they’re on the correct lineset) and to clear any batons (linesets) that they will be using (for their drops, or whatever). This makes it quicker, once they get in the house, for the incoming client to get the stuff in and up and start the tech work (focusing lights and what not)…

Basically, I get a house plot and a show plot. The house plot tells me where everything is when I walk in the door on the first day (and Mark keeps this plot totally up to date); the show plot tells me where everything must be for the show. My first responsibility is safety (of the people on deck), second is the gear/house, and third is making sure everything gets where it needs to be as quickly as possible…

The rail is on the deck at the MACC, so I can stay down with the crew as I move the lines. I usually start upstage and work my way downstage line by line – I have to bring the baton in, take off (or put on) what needs to move, have my grid rat weigh it (take bricks off or put bricks on, from the grid – the bricks weigh 27.5 pounds each, and the grid is 75 ft from the deck) to counterweight whatever we are putting on or taking off the baton, test the weight (take the baton about 35 ft in the air and then down another 10-15 ft just to make sure the weight is even), and then take it out…

Depending on the show, this can be a lot of work. Put it this way, on the weeks that I run rail I don’t have to workout…

Anyway, we get this done, the techs from the show come in and we put their stuff in the air the same way. Then, we set up the rest of the show (stage set pieces, marley, audio, video, lighting gel and focus, etc), we rehearse for a day or two, and then we have a day or two of show. Once the show is over, we “strike” the clients stuff first, and then “restore” to the house setup (well, that’s only true half the time – the other half of the time we setup for the next show)…

The funniest part (funny strange) of running the rail (as a show position) is that the bulk of your work is in the setup and strike – the show itself is usually a piece of cake.

Anyway, that is “running the rail”.

11-01-07 Los Angeles Times – U.S. Looks To Move From Internet Slow Lane
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11-01-07 San Jose Mercury News – U.S. Tops Survey Of Most Competitive World Economies
11-01-07 USA Today – Nuclear Plant Contractor Had Pipe Bomb
11-01-07 Wired – Google Aims To Break Open The Closed World Of Social Networking
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11-02-07 NOAA – NOAA Launches National Marine Debris Education Effort
11-02-07 San Jose Mercury News – Payrolls Grow By 166,000 In October, Jobless Rate Holds Steady
11-03-07 Maui News – Plan Would Cut Fees, Boost Affordable Housing
11-03-07 USA Today – Cargill Recalls 1 Million Pounds Of Beef
11-03-07 USA Today – States Need New Place For Radioactive Waste
11-04-07 Maui News – Judge To Be Asked To Let Ship Sail Ferry
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11-05-07 SF Gate – Google Dialing For Dollars With Free Cell Phone Software Package
11-05-07 SF Gate – Tech Has Taken Off In The Past Decade
11-06-07 CNN – Cops Find Themselves In Arms Race With Criminals
11-06-07 Los Angeles Times – Google Hopes To Conquer The Wireless World
11-06-07 Maui News – Governor Signs Bill For Ferry To Sail
11-06-07 National Geographic News – Fish Lives In Logs, Breathing Air, For Months At A Time
11-07-07 Maui News – Preliminary Round Today In Superferry Legal Wrangle
11-07-07 New York Times – Causes Of Death Are Linked To A Person’s Weight
11-07-07 SF Gate – Former AT&T Worker Details Federal Internet Spying In S.F.
11-07-07 SF Gate – New Record Low For Dollar
11-07-07 SF Gate – Quality Inspector Sues GM, Toyota Over Retaliation In Fremont Plant
11-07-07 USA Today – Free Online Materials Could Save Schools Billions
11-07-07 USA Today – Sen Grassley Probes Televangelists’ Finances
11-07-07 Wired – Enviros Challenge Dumping Urea In Ocean To Sink Carbon
11-08-07 CNN – Changing Media Landscape Takes Center Stage In Strike
11-08-07 eWeek – Businesses Still In No Rush To Upgrade To Windows Vista
11-08-07 Maui News – Pipe Oozes Oil In Harbor
11-08-07 New York Times – Fed Chairman Says Economy Likely To Slow
11-09-07 CNN – Oil Discovery Rocks Brazil
11-09-07 eWeek – Hackers Scam Thousands With Bogus Anti-Spyware Offers
11-09-07 Los Angeles Times – Oil Oozes In San Francisco Bay After Ship Hits Bridge
11-09-07 Men’s Health – Stop Blaming Saturated Fat
11-09-07 New York Times – Rising Demand For Oil Provokes New Energy Crisis
11-10-07 Los Angeles Times – Clearwire, Sprint Cancel Wireless Deal
11-10-07 Los Angeles Times – Security Consultant Admits To Hijacking PCs To Use In Crimes
11-12-07 CIO Insight – Cyber Bullies On The Prowl
11-12-07 eWeek – Botnet Herder Pleads Guilty To Massive PayPal Scam
11-12-07 National Geographic News – Oil Spill In Black Sea Strait May Be Worst In Years
11-12-07 USA Today – UN – Ignoring Global Warming Is Criminally Irresponsible
11-13-07 eWeek – SCO Guilty Of Lying About Unix Code In Linux
11-13-07 Maui News – Panel OKs Bill To Waive Fees On Affordable Housing
11-13-07 Maui News – Zoning For Hospital Site On West Side Recommended
11-13-07 National Geographic News – Hydrogen Gas Made From Renewable Organic Material
11-13-07 New York Times – After Fires, Homeowners Feel An Insurance Pinch
11-13-07 New York Times – Bad Behavior Does Not Doom Pupils
11-13-07 Technology Review – Stopping Cars With Radiation
11-14-07 CNN – Researcher Sets Saltwater On Fire
11-14-07 eWeek – Thousands Of Unprotected Databases Litter The Internet
11-14-07 SF Gate – Ripple Effect Of Foreclosures Touch Entire Communities
11-14-07 Technology Review – Carbon-Dioxide Plastic Gets Funding
11-14-07 Technology Review – Improving Fuel Cells For Cars
11-15-07 Maui News – Cardoza Clears Ferry’s Way
11-15-07 National Geographic News – Cooling Begins For “Doomsday” Seed Bank
11-15-07 Wired – Did NSA Put A Secret Backdoor In New Encryption Standard
11-15-07 Wired – Hackers Use Banner Ads On Major Sites To Hijack Your PC
11-17-07 Maui News – Coast Guard Looking Into Loose Barge
11-17-07 National Geographic News – Dire Global Warming Forecast Issued By UN Panel
11-17-07 Wired – Welcome To The Age Of Genomics
11-18-07 San Jose Mercury News – ‘Sense Of Urgency’ On Global Warming
11-18-07 San Jose Mercury News – Japanese Whaling Industry Struggles As Hostility Grows
11-19-07 eWeek – Vista Worries Cause Businesses To Consider Macs And Linux
11-19-07 New York Times – Critics Assail Weak Dollar At OPEC Event
11-19-07 OC Register – HB Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
11-19-07 Technology Review – A Wiring Diagram Of The Brain
11-19-07 Technology Review – Superstrong Carbon-Nanotube Fibers
11-20-07 eWeek – Senators Raise Google-DoubleClick Questions
11-20-07 SF Gate – Bay Area Real Estate Symposium Forecasts More Gloom
11-21-07 CNN – Apology As Data On Millions Lost
11-21-07 eWeek – Securing The Laptop – Mission Impossible
11-21-07 USA Today – MO City Passes Internet Harassment Measure
11-22-07 CNN – ‘Al Qaeda Rolodex’ Found In Iraq
11-22-07 CNN – Saudi Government – Rape Victim Had Illegal Affair
11-25-07 Maui News – Increased Security Too Late For Victim Of Attack
11-25-07 NY Times – As Democrats See Iraq Gains, A Shift In Tone
11-25-07 NY Times – In Broadway Dispute, Questions Of Fairness
11-25-07 USA Today – Saudis – Rape Victim Deserved Flogging For Adultery
11-26-07 NY Times – FCC Chief Seeks Votes To Tighten Cable Rules
11-27-07 LA Times – Stocks Plunge On Financial System Fears
11-27-07 SF Gate – Wells Fargo Plunges Into Mortgage Muck
11-27-07 Technology Review – Cleaner Nuclear Power
11-28-07 Baseline – Security Breach Costs Jump 30%
11-28-07 eWeek – Data Breaches Cost More Than Ever
11-28-07 LA Times – US Not Up To Speed On Broadband
11-28-07 National Geographic – Indonesia Planting 79 Million Trees
11-28-07 NY Times – Oil Producers See The World And Buy It Up
11-28-07 SF Gate – New Software Helps Internet Users Detect Web Interference
11-28-07 Technology Review – A Working Brain Model
11-28-07 Technology Review – The Longevity Pill
11-29-07 CIO Insight – World Faces ‘Cyber Cold War’ Threat
11-29-07 CNN – Teen Questioned In Computer Hacking Probe
11-29-07 National Geographic – Fever Outbreak In Italy Linked To Climate Change
11-29-07 National Geographic – Rats Wipe Out Seabirds On Alaska Island
11-29-07 SF Gate – Annual US Foreclosure Filings Nearly Double In October
11-30-07 CNN – Sudan Protesters
11-30-07 Mercury News – China Disputes McAfee Report Labeling It Cyber Warfare Instigator

I ran Cathy Collins Show in the McCoy from the 16th-18th (audio,video, and lighting). She’s a great local comedian/story teller here on the islands – and a great person – so it’s always great to work with her. Of course, she isn’t skimpy on the chocolate as gifts – so, BONUS!

Was on the rail with Dave C (one of my favorite people) from the 8th to the 13th. This show was cool.

I think we actually had the A or B team on this one, cause they were all really good performers – and their riggers were on it!

The best part? It actually rained on the stage! I won’t tell you how we did it, but “Yes boys and girls! It was real water!”

From Nov 1st – 6th, I’ve double dipped everyday. Basically been running between the MACC (Hawaiian Story Telling Fest on the 3rd and a private movie screening last night that I can’t discuss), the Grand Wailea (a corporate gig that I can’t write about), and the Four Seasons (another corporate gig that I can’t write about). Today’s my first day off in a while, so I’m gonna sleep instead of write – been doing 20 hour days…

I have CIRQUE ELOIZE: RAIN starting up tomorrow, and running till the 13th; I also have KATHY COLLINS: MO’ TITA going from the 16th-18th – should be a fun few weeks…