24 Hour Enterprises

too much TV linked to earlier death

2011-03-23T17:44:00.001-07:00

http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20412077,00.html

comment from special K:
Correlation is shown but not causation. This is sloppy research and
writing but it's ALWAYS done this way.

PS

2010-09-26T18:21:00.001-07:00

Two more things.

1. B1 is the finest creative mind to come from the outer nebulas since Krendor the Shaved. I'm thrilled he chose me to be his co-lunatic for this event.

2. We didn't tell you about one of my favorite conversations:

K: So what caused the disastrous ferry crash?

B: Bad transformer.

K: Megatron?

24:00 ft -- fin

2010-09-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

Well, well, well.

Despite all the technological turmoil on my part, we made it. Fortuitiously, my favorite interior seats are open ... Bow seats on the bridge of a Molinari class ship.

From here I see the statue of liberty ... Since I can hear my freedom ring, I bid you adieu.

Super thanks to special K. Big big thanks to the accomplice, @girlonferry And mr. Crypto. Thanks to everyone who read, commented or tweeter.

There'll be another 24 hour enterprises event ... We just don't know when.

22:59

2010-09-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

May I have your attention please.

Welcome to the Staten Island Ferry.

This will be my last regular report. I feel I have been remiss in telling you things about the ferry and Staten Island itself. So here goes.

The Staten Island Railway is 14 miles long. Sometimes they put the ferry on the railroad for fun.

Staten Island is home to the fourth longest boardwalk in the world.

Staten Island was the site of the first tennis court in the US.

The thing about the ferry on the railroad is made up.

In 1871 a boiler explosion aboard the Staten Island ferry boat Westfield II killed over 125 passengers.

Staten Island is the only borough in New York City that does not share a land border with another borough. Sharing is generally a good thing.

You can walk across the Bayonne Bridge from Staten Island to Bayonne, NJ. Let me know how that works out for you.

In 2010 two people rode the Staten Island Ferry 46 times in a row over a 24-hour period. They were never seen again.

Goodbye,
S.

22:25

2010-09-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

This is maybe the busiest ferry we've been on. And yet the Barberi just swallows up the huge crowd.

Little-known fact: the Staten Island Ferry is made entirely of chickpeas.

There's a good chance we're going to complete this successfully.

For some reason, where we're sitting the ferry is sort of bouncing. First time for that.

-S

I think it's the ferry bouncing and not me.

22:15 ft

2010-09-26T11:10:00.001-07:00

Special k may be a zombie but he caught the super-subtle trick and gains heavy NY insider cred ...

On the bridge deck of he Molinari class ships, there's a layout ... One end of the ship is labelled "staten island" the other is tAped over to say "manhattan" -- it said "new York" underneAth.

Why the change?

Staten island IS NY ... There's a fairly deep prejudice against SI by he other boroughs ... This clearly was intolerable.

I
M stunned with the condition special K is in that he caught it.

21:45 ft

2010-09-26T10:45:00.001-07:00

Truisms of the SIF

They move an unbelievable number of people through the boarding area in a very short period of time. Impossibly short. I bet it borders on fastest possible.

There is a wide range of ferries ... From the swanky Molinari class to the ultra crappy Andrea dorea class.

A huge percentage of people on our ferries have "recircUlated" (gotten back on)- maybe as many as 15%.

SI terminal is better than manhattan.

My favorite ferry seat iS center bow on the bridge deck of a Molinari class boat.

Security truly could not care less if you ride for 24 hours straight.

2010-09-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

I'm glad I did this. I will be glad to have done this. I will not do this again.

My feet hurt.

When in NYC, I drink Poland Spring water.

Thank you for your attention.

-Spesh

20:37 FT

2010-09-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing: the Staten Island Ferry gets no respect because Staten Island gets no respect. Even the ferry itself has signs that show the "Staten Island" end of the boat and the "New York City" end, although Staten Island is part of New York City. That's just crazy!!!!

We just saw a group of orthodox Jews and B1 is trying to tell me they're not Jews, they're "Hooterz" from Montana. He must think I'm really tired. Which I am.

7 rides to go.

20:10 ft

2010-09-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

A steady stream of people kept he new service ferry at. He dock and we made the connection. We're back on the senator mirachi, and with the exception of using the crap keyboard on this fucking iPhone, I couldn't be happier.

Special k is dangerously far gone now ... Like brain damaged scary.

One example

K, "did I tell you about my tour guides in Hungary?"

B1, "yes."

K, "what?"

B1, "yes, you told me."

K, "see! I told you I told you!"

B1, "what the hell? I just told *you* that.". No response. He's sleeping micro sleeps. "hey man! I told *you* that"

K, "what?"

B1, "about your translator."

K, "we were talking about that? -<mumbles something> did you call me 'Scott' just now?"

4 hours left. He may cronenberg by then.

In other news, we're on the hurricane deck. The ship was pulled before we could ride it before.

19:45 ft

2010-09-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Back on publishing schedule and I'm using k's device ...

Coming off the last ferry a short, thin black woman started singing in (very good) full on raspy gospel style ... For the life of me, I don't know what she was trying to impress on the audience as a whole, but I sure liked the sound of her voice.

SpeciAl k, in his attunement to humAnity, burbled, "she musta missed the three AM ferry."

We're riding with the biggest crowd we've seen ... The big race that all the firefighters were in is over and the crowd as a whole seems beat.

Crowded calm rules the ferry.

Coast Guard escort for us

2010-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Both sides. Big guns.

18:56 FT

2010-09-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

I have one regret about 24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry: we won't get to see the weekday commute. This was necessary because we had to find a time when All You Can Jet intersected with when I could get away from work. Oh well.

I have fallen asleep in the middle of typey typing a bunch of times now. Three times B1 has grabbed a nearly falling iPhone from my sleeping hand.

In general neither of us can recall which terminal we're headed toward at any given moment without lots of thought and a look out the window.

The lower deck of the MV Andrew J. Barberi is almost empty. We hungrily gobble power and potato chips.

5 hours to go. Go. Go.

-Special Decay

16:25 ft

2010-09-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the deal ... My Hiptop ate 2 consecutive posts ... The first 1 talked about the ever increasing # of people; the second, about the raw numbers of everything we've done.

If I was wide awake, I would be piSsed. Instead, I say the things that don't kill me make me stronger ... Mostly because I'm too goddamn tired to come up with anything more clever.

Special k is full-on hallucinating.

Which is a very long-winded way of saying "all is well."

16:53 FT

2010-09-26T06:09:00.001-07:00

After a couple of very-near-misses, we're a little more cautious now about making it onto the ferry. This last trip around was like a video game, with obstacles strewn in our path. First was the kid who couldn't get the door open. Next was ---

Oh look! There's the Statue of Liberty. Again. IT DOES NOT GET OLD.

--sorry. Next was the young woman who stood lost in her own world, blocking anyone who tried to get into the ferry waiting room. Finally, we had to get past two girls who lined up a photo right across the main pedestrian thoroughfare.

We defeated them all. Because we're not done yet.

16:23

2010-09-26T05:39:00.001-07:00

I like day. Day is good. Day is our friend.

Vignettes on the Staten Island Ferry:

Dude with guitar.
Dude with eyepatch unpacks his McDonalds breakfast.
Dock tender yells "Go Red Sox" at Yankee fans as they board.
9 Indian guys behind me talking loud.

I'm so tired. I'm in sleep free-fall. I might quit if I could. But there's nowhere to go! Hey, what are you looking at?

16:10 FT

2010-09-26T05:13:00.000-07:00

back on the andrew B and that means *power*.

that goddamn andrea dorea practically totalled my hiptop battery *and*
in the process wiped out my 15:30 post. the verbage was shakespearen
(now lost forever), although the picture sucked. good riddance, i say.

we're full-on day timers now. kicks soccer groups. kids attitude
camps. kids enthusiasm workshops. kids hair braiding practice. and on
and on.

chatter chatter chatter. clap clap clap.

i haven't seen this much enthusiasm since that kid was selling magazines
at my door and if she got just *one* more subscription, she'd go to walt
disney world!

seriously, where the hell does all this come from this time of the
morning. it's 08:00 bloody o'clock ON A FRICKEN SUNDAY.

no wonder that guy sits over there with that iphone on muttering to
himself.

still, i'm glad we're on here ... and special K ALMOST missed it because
of the ship change ... literally last man on.

Our new pet

2010-09-26T04:47:00.001-07:00

14:55

2010-09-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

As the day breaks over New York City, the plaintive cry arises: "Hey guys! Help me get this guy up! He ain't movin'!"

Yes, the long night produced one more drama before it ended (the guy was OK; "All in a day's work," said the NYC cop). But now...

Cheerleaders.
Race runners.
Moms.
Dads.
Canadians.

Who let all these normal people onto our ferry? Dammit.

I can only assume they read our blog and decided to join the fun.

-Special K

2010-09-26T03:39:00.001-07:00

I got some sleep during our 50-minute layover in Manhattan. I'm sure my flopping head provided great entertainment for my neighbors.

The riders at this hour are boringly normal. It's possible that none is an escaped convict or homicidal looney.

I'm having trouble staying awake as I type. I'll have to deal with that.

-Spaced case

13:48 PT

2010-09-26T03:10:00.001-07:00

While we wait for the next ferry, let's discuss the origin of the name Staten Island. "Staten" is from the medical word "stat, or "quickly", and the sevenup word "en", or "un", meaning "not". "Island", of course, is derived from the English "is land". Putting it all together, we see see that "Staten Island" means "Place that is land, but getting there is not quick -- takes about 25 minutes."

-Specialist K

13:30 FT

2010-09-26T02:44:00.001-07:00

and it's right about here that things get complicated ...

special K's device has given up the power ghost ... in moments of
extreme duress and tiredness, the K has the ability to come up with
gems; pearls of wisdom holding a clarity that his otherwise TV addled
brain is not capable of. he said:

"it's better to 'blog and not ride; than to ride and not 'blog."

the main reason he says this is that when any 24 hour enterprises event
finishes -- long after it's done, in fact -- the most important thing is
the most enduring, namely, the 'blog. the bits and pieces of what we've
written.

as i was leaving the boat i saw a power outlet tucked in an
out-of-the-way spot near the bow ... i mentioned that we could split up,
one person re-boarding and trying the outlet ... the other camping at
the terminal ... but the K is fairly sure he tried it before ... and
with our level of fatigue, that's good enough.

for the next hour we'll be camped by the 24 hour mini mart in the
manhattan ferry terminal.

13:00 ft

2010-09-26T02:10:00.000-07:00

Our witching hour ... Traditionally the hardest thin in all 24 hour enterprise work is getting to the 12 hour mark ... Things get easier after you're over the night hump and day breaks ...

But here, we're having juice problems ... This isn't so much 24hosif as it is 24 hours of trying to find a power plug.

The corse is definitely bigger here on the 05:00 than the 04:00. We're starting to see that cross of early risers and late night nesters. For the most part people just want to see the ride over.

I'm not far away from feeling that myself ... I'm tired.

12:30 ft

2010-09-26T01:46:00.001-07:00

We keep hoping they'll retire the ferry we're on, but that may not come soon enough ... The iPhone only has 10% left.

There's definitely q commute here ... Counters come off manhattan and are loud bordering on obnoxious ... We're seeing all the guys we weren't seeing before ... I guess they hang on longer hoping something fortunate will happen.

From the SI side, the crowds now are very small ... 65 on the lastima bota ... And they're ALL remarkably Subduded.

I Look like a genius saying the lowest ridership time would be 04:00 ... Now I'll push my luck and say it only goes up from here.

-- b1

11:57 FT

2010-09-26T01:17:00.001-07:00

This is Alice Austen, namesake of our boat. Sorry about the lack of AC plugs, Alice. But really, get with the program.

Just when I thought the creepy crawlers had gone to bed, here's Aunt Hagatha looking through the trash.

B1 predicted the 4 AM boat would have the fewest people. So far he's right. Approximately 65 on this quiet voyage puts the lie to our previous prediction of "never fewer than hundreds".

And we're halfway done.

-Special K

11:36 FT

2010-09-26T00:52:00.001-07:00

Your attention please. This is a Manhattan to Staten leg. And speaking of leg, these young girls returning from the clubs are wearing the shortest skirts I've seen since our last boat from Manhattan an hour ago.

I'm not seeing many wackos on recent trips. Just loud kids coming from the clubs, sleepy commuters, and. That's it. There is no third thing I'm seeing. Bite me.

Also, I slept a bit, and didn't see anything at that time.

Things I saw on the floor of the terminal waiting room just now:

A binky.
A puddle. Probably not nasty.
A NYC Metrocard.
A black bra.
A small brown bar that was probably a Baby Ruth but still might clear the terminal and anyway the Smails kid would eat it.

Typing is getting harder. Letters keep reversing themselves and going the other way.

A guy just looked right at me and said either "Hey buddy" or "Hey Scotty".

And now the club kids have quieted and are beginning to pass out.

-Spec K

11:10 ft

2010-09-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

"fatigue" is the word of the less thAn 100 people (including crew) on this vessel.

But the people who are here are interesting ... An albino lack woman and her daughter ... A heavy-set white guy talking to a fully flames gang banger about computing ... A Chinese-mexican guy next to me who is deep deep in thought on some extremely perplexing problem -- and he's obviously making headway.

The rattle, hum and throb of the ferry creates and underlying beat that holds he pulse of this small body of people ... It keeps them together and that's a good thing ...

I think this is the calmest crowd of size I've ever been in in NY.

-- u2

10:45 ft

2010-09-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

It's very possible that 24hoSif has killed my battery. Some wicked combination of differing ship voltages and sporadic charging has done it in. The new ferry also doesn't seem to have any active plugs ... So we are where we are ... Using only special k's Device ... And even then with only half a charge.

My posting from 2 rides ago got et when I lost power ... I won't try to recover that now ...

Instead I'll tell you about my dream of 2 seconds from last trip ...

I walk into a bank to ask for a loan.

The end.

Short, sweet and open to interpretation.

The crowd now is the loudest per capital that we've had. Many woman in short black dresses that have to continually pull them down over their buttS in various states of drunkenness. And what's weird? No clubbing guys, or at least, none that I recognize as such:

I feel good, better than you would guess for typing on a fricken iPhone.

If we don't get live plug, we may have to sit 1 ride out ... Or something.

10:06 FT

2010-09-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

This is how we do:

We get off the boat, because everybody has to get off. And they enforce that. Then we have to walk alllll the waaaay around and reenter the ferry terminal. And they enforce that too. This makes 24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry the most physically challenging 24 Hours event ever, by a factor of infinity.

But we decided we're glad we have to get off and walk around. Because otherwise we would just sit here. And without TV, that would suck.

For the first time, the crowd is small enough that we had to hustle to make it back on. The penalty for missing a boat is one hour in the slammer, aka the terminal.

Every single trip, I'm surprised to notice that we're already moving. I guess subconsciously I expect to hear an announcement, or feel something. But the ride is very smooth, luckily. So far.

Some dude noticed we were riding back and forth and asked me about it. I was kind of noncommittal and obnoxious to him. I was trying to figure out if he knew about 24HOSIF, but he didn't seem to, and he was serial killerly creepy enough that I didn't want him to be my little buddy. Eventually he just walked away.

And we're getting majorly into Night of the Living Dead now. Rules are ignored. Music is played out loud. People stretch out across multiple seats. And the whole shebang is just smelling worse than it used to.

B1 is asleep, like I hope to be soon.

-Spatial K

09:35 FT

2010-09-25T22:50:00.001-07:00

Just us now. Our wise visitors have wisely departed. The Ferry has become a much smaller boat, the Alice Austen. And we curse that we are unable to find where she gives us electricity for our electro devices. Curses. Bastards.

The combination of small boat and hourly schedule combine to oh forget it.

We have an INSANE CLOWN POSSE dude.
We have a dead ringer for Grace Jones.
We have seats with scary stains.
We have no bananas today.

You get the idea. Don't you?

I wonder when my body will allow me to sleep. 2 hours sleep in the past 42 is pretty much unprecedented for me. Also it's never happened before.

Spock out.

-Special K

quote of the moment

2010-09-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

"the ferry runs 24-hours a day, so there will ALWAYS be a ride back to
manhattan for you."

-- visitstatenisland.com propaganda flyer

(i'm reading it as i'm currently stranded in SI terminal)

08:15 FT

2010-09-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

now in tomorrow. the hell-monster ferry has been retired so we're
waiting for the next one.

the accomplice of @redelvis has essentially gone quiet and/or comatose.
in the meantime, mr. crypto was saying that he was considering buying a
lighthouse ... for the low-low price of US$35k, he coulda bought a light
house somewhere out in the general NY harbor.

the zombie factor is starting to ramp. as we wait for the next ferry
there is one guy with a slack-jaw who is clearly muttering to himself --
the plain white t-shirt helps as a costume of bewilderment. on the boat
special K said, "things aren't getting too bad" and i pointed to a stunt
double of boris karloff's saying, "what about that guy?" and K couldn't
even respond ... "oh, oh oh! OH!"

there're two sniffer dogs in the terminal here ... i don't know what
they're looking for. one of them just piped up and the cop told it to
shut up -- making me feel ever-more secure.

there was a plaque on the wall of our last ferry to the people who lost
their lives on it (in the recent ferry accident). K *loves* the fact
that they talk about their accidents, although i'm not sure exactly
why.

i'm sure there's more to report ... right this second, i'm not sure what
it is.

-- b1

07:40 FT

2010-09-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

the crowd is fairly lubricated with alcohol now, except for the
professor type immediately across from me who is heavily studying his
most recent copy of "recorder" magazine.

mr. crypto has joined us, which i was going to say was a "good thing,"
except right this second he's being a penis. i can't be too hard (if
you'll excuse the expression) on him, though, because i have to stay at
his place after being up for 24 hours.

the man with recorder magazine just left ... i think it was because i
said "penis" out loud.

but with smoked tuna loin sandwich and barley and mushroom soup from 2nd
ave. deli, i'm doing damn good. expect a carbo-load crash in about 90
minutes.

07:07 FT

2010-09-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

Still a few tourists on the boat. They must be insane. Like us.

This ride is officially the "Jersey Shore Season N Tryouts". God help us.

Mr. Pukeyguts was seen staggering onto our Manhattan-bound boat, still wearing his business suit. We gave him a wide berth. Or Bertha. Whatever it takes.

The Accomplice has joined us with delicious food made in the manner of the Hebrews. We are forever grateful. Wherever did she find such food in New York City?

In front of me now are two Japanese women, 40-something, tourists. They are carrying shopping bags from The Strand Bookstore, Victoria's Secret, and Wendy's.

And if that doesn't say Staten Island Ferry, then, well, gosh.

-Special K

06:35 FT

2010-09-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am an immigrant.

Staten Island is my Ellis Island. I carry with me all my belongings. The ferry is my steamship. I am excited and nervous about the new world.

Of course, almost none of this is true.

The ferry is now for the always-awake, the partygoers, and still, against all odds, at least one tour group.

And one older Asian guy puking his guts out in a trash can at the Manhattan terminal (red wine, I'm guessing).

And now: corned beef. I'm eating, I mean.

-Special K

06:05 FT

2010-09-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

the title of this ferry is "drunk german women with heavy perfume and a
side-order of already-mostly-drunk club women"

it's a cheery place in a singing-and-laughing women sort-of place,
unless you've forgotten your german roots and then it feels mildly
suggestive or aggressive depending on your disposition.

i'm starting to feel the burn, but i've still got some run in me.

having said that, i forgot to take pictures this time, didn't i?

technical 'blog detail

2010-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

special K noticed that whenever either of us use the email interface
that it always assigns it with my byline ...

for clarity's sake, we'll start signing what we write individually.

-- b1

05:35 FT

2010-09-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

a bottle gets thrown off the boat as we enter the harbor from the
manhattan side ... special K says, "it takes a special kind of dumbass
to do that" and he's right.

we've got 'em on here now. groups of kids howling. groups of people
chanting in spanish. groups of miscellaneous people howling in spanish
and chanting in english.

our kindly day ferry has been swapped for a yellow and red seated night
monster with a third more capacity and running 1/2 as often ... if you
were from denver you'd say this is the lakeside amusement park of
ferries ... and you'd be right.

-- b1-66er

Dog without a face

2010-09-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

I told you it was getting weird.

05:11 PT

2010-09-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

We've descended into the slowest portion of the SIF: one boat per hour into and through the dead of night. Ah, but we have our new boat, and it's the big one: the MV Andrew J. Barberi, largest passenger ferry in the world (capacity 6000) (except B1-66er says there's one in India that seats 150,000 or so).

I think he's kidding. OR DO I???

The seats on this boat are ketchup and mustard in color. They're hard plastic and gaudy.

Not one single word of the minutes-long public address announcements are comprehensible.

I love you, Staten Island Ferry.

04:19 FT

2010-09-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

MV Guy V. Molinari, you were good to us. But now you're sleeping for the evening, and after no fewer and no more than 7 trips across New York Harbor on you, we await a new ferry boat. And await. And await. And once it gets here, we can resume our regular programming.

03:46 FT

2010-09-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

The sun went down and it got weirder fast. Examples:

- Crazy-haired Rorschach/Belker looking dude screaming into his cell phone.
- Women yelling in restroom line.
- People in blue Governor's Island shirts acting drunk.
- Garbage getting smellier.
- Man speaking Estonian.

I hereby raise the NOTLD quotient to 2.3. I also predict the NOTLDQ will tend to be higher on runs to Staten Island.

The number of tourists is falling fast. Into the harbor (not really).

On our 7th leg, somehow it's been the same boat every time. Thanks, Captain Criss Angel, Mindfreak.

03:05 FT

2010-09-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

darkness falls on the SIF. from here things could, and most likely will,
get stranger.

special K is still making tons of sense, but looks bad bad. i'm
forgetting things like which side of the passage i'm on.

things to note about the bottom ride from the bow specifically:

"the most authentic ferry smell." -- special K

the best night city/water combo view.

02:40 FT

2010-09-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

starting to see some variety in passengers on the ferry ... a younger
woman going to something like a fancy birthday party (it'd be a formal
if she was older), groups of people with the same shirts promoting
social causes.

the crowds are getting pretty big, but once you get on the ships seem
fairly open and accomodating ... i don't know how many people this
thing'll take when it's full, but it's a LOT.

the sun sets behind the statue of liberty giving @redelvis a stunning
pic for his travel 'blog.

special K has already said a couple of sharp/jabby things to me, so i
expect his writing to take a big jump forward here soon -- he claims,
and i agree, that his best work is seated in raw fatigue.

mine, on the other hand, is nearly pure decay ... and i suspect that's
why he likes me.

02:05 FT

2010-09-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

We've been on the same boat all 4 trips so far, even though sometimes we dashed to get on and sometimes we waited. I'd like to explain how this works. But it involves quantum mechanics, fluid dynamics, and pepperoni pizza, which I don't have yet.

We have so far explored 3 decks of the ship. There's at least one more, the "hurricane deck". THAT sounds fun.

The lowest deck has the highest NOTLD* quotient. I'd say just a 1.9 right now.

By the way, when I scrambled through lower Manhattan to get here on time, I got the opportunity to be pissed off at slow-walking tourists. Just like a real New Yorker!

Guy V. Molinari is my friend.

*Night of the Living Dead.

01:40 FT

2010-09-25T14:55:00.001-07:00

Boats sometimes make me queasy, but not the SIF (so far). Big boat, smooth water, nice ride. If you sit in the middle, you don't even know when you start or stop. A little creepy.

We've scoped out plenty of AC plugs. I don't think that's gonna be a problem.

There was a crazy guy yelling at the waiting passengers in Manhattan about how they're going to hell. But he's gone now. I guess his shift ended.

There are a few Night of the Living Dead type folks around. I wonder if there will be more at 3 AM. And if they will want to eat me.

Overheard: "You can tell he's an Albanian because he got that fuckin' nose."

It's going fast so far. So fun. So many stories to tell.

Jersey City skyline cut by sunlight

2010-09-25T14:44:00.001-07:00

quote of the moment

2010-09-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

"i'm beginning to think that the staten island ferry schedule is a scam
... or just a suggestion."

-- special K

00:35 FT

2010-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

@redelvis's accomplice put me on the wrong train out of JFK (jaimaica
instead of howard beach), forcing me to do a couple of train switches.

and then?

the subway stop i wanted was closed.

and then?

i rode to a further stop and went to the surface.

and then?

i had to use advanced cab tricks to catch a taxi, but catch a taxi i
did. met the K and rushed to make the doors closing at 16:09 on what
must have been the 16:00 ferry (a guess).

spectacular day here ... if anything, a little warm, but we'll be
needing that later.

the ferry's big, smooth and graceful for its size. everyone on board
seems happy.

on the other end we weren't able to jump on the immediate ship back, but
that didn't stop me from buying philly pretzel bites -- or keeping the
nerdy-hot vendor from calling me "hun."

as we waited a string duo played the theme to the godfather and "puttin'
on the ritz."

high hats and arrowed collars, white spats and lots of dollars.

i type this to you on the return trip -- tapping the ferry power
outlet.

spectacular day.

from the K: "no hotdogs. spicy sausage."

00:10 FT (ferry time)

2010-09-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

One of us took the wrong train.

Both us were routed to a subway station that's closed for repairs.

One of us is very fat and yet had to walk far on a hot day.

DID THAT STOP 24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry from starting on time, squeezing in literally as the gate was closing?

IT DID NOT.

We're here for us, and we're here for you. And we like you. A lot.

Liberty Island

2010-09-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

IT'S ON

2010-09-25T13:14:00.001-07:00

And so are we.

24HOSIF begins

2010-09-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our thanks to @girlonferry

2010-09-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the SIF, there is no one more vocal -and possibly no
one more expert- than Twitter stalwart @girlonferry. She has provided
us a wealth of information, inspiration and insight both in postings and
in private conversations. (I mean, come on, how many people will call
strangers to talk about things like power plugs on ferries for 30
minutes?)

At best, 24HOSIF would not be nearly as good without her input -- at
worst it simply would not have happened.

Thanks very much to you, @girlonferry. Know that 24 hour enterprises
reserves a sunlit window seat for you in the mass transit system of our
hearts. (But please, please, don't try to eat anything you drop on the
floor.)

-- b1-66er & Special K

all thumbs down on 24HOSIF

2010-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

i glanced on this at my last post, but it's worth going into more detail
here ...

we made the decision to do the entire 24 HOSIF experience by smart
phones for a few reasons.

* they're light weight, small and easily transportable. our
understanding is that *all* people *must* clear the ferry after every
run, which means we'll be continually getting off and back on. the
smaller, the better.

* they're the most rugged choice. although smart phones are *far* from
robust (try dropping yours in a puddle, then using it), they're a step
up from all but the most hardcore laptops. when i rode my bike across
the states 10 years ago, i eventually "lost" *every* piece of electronic
equipment i was carrying with me.

* the SIF doesn't have wifi, but does have cell signal ... if we used
laptops, we'd have to tether them through our cells ... a proposition
that's always dicey in practice, may or may not ramp up our cell bills
and requires yet more equipment.

due to our choice one downside is that all our entries will be done with
our thumbs (including this one). i touch type 32 WPM with my thumbs
(the same speed as did with ten fingers when i graduated from typing
class in 8th grade) so it's not *that* bad ... but it's still a hassle.

also, blogger challenges your entries with a captcha after 50 postings
in a 24 hour period ... if your entries are by email (as this one is),
blogger simply drops it on the floor without posting it and doesn't
offer you the captcha option ... that means you have to use a web
interface BUT for unknown reasons the captcha response string isn't
properly recognized from my hiptop (e.g. it says to type "cat" -- i type
"cat" -- and it doesn't think i've entered the right string) ... so i'll
have to use special K's iphone.

battery charge could be a problem as well, although we've heard from
@girlonferry that plugs can be sniffed out on many (if not most) of the
SIFs.

if we both lived in NYC we'd do a dry run first ... we always do with
24HOTV, but that's a luxury we're not afforded.

but it all doesn't matter. special K flew the redeye out from SJC last
night. he's going straight from the SIF to the airport to fly back
home. in the 24 hour enterprise world, it gets no harder core than
that.

everything else is details and dumbness. we know how to ignore
details. and with a combined history of 192 hours of marathon TV
viewing, you better believe we know how to deal with dumbness.

[this post written @ 12:25 ET, 39,000' above SC. when this post
appears, it means i've landed at JFK and 24 HOSIF is imminent.]

24HOSIF pre-sail

2010-09-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

i'm currently pacing the floor of MSY airport to fly to NYC for
24HOSIF. i haven't been getting enough exercise during this year's all
you can jet (AYCJ 2) ... so nothing like a pack on your back to bring up
the heart rate.

the 24HOSIF idea happened a few months ago when we were talking about
cool mass transit in the US and special K mentioned the ferry.

in its favor ... it's free. it's 24 hour and it's cool.

working against it is the fact it's on the other coast, and to my eyes
(although not K's), it's filled with new yorkers -- a city which always
feels to me as lacking patience at the least ... and tolerance at the
most.

i *think* i've ridden the SIF once in my life ... a decade ago when i
rode my bike across the US, i struck up a friendship with 2 NYC area
women ... after prolonged discussions of my views of the E coast, they
invited me out. we went driving golf balls on staten island, or
somewhere similar. i'm fairly certain we took the ferry. memories dim
when you're being paid attention to by a cute girl -- especially if
you're me.

which i am.

moving 24 hours enterprises off the couch is an easy choice. after all,
there's only so much TV you can watch (actually, only in my case, not in
K's) and we've collectively lost over 50 pounds since EPOTA, so a little
motion seems in order.

i'm looking forward to this, although i have no idea what it'll be
like. special K thinks it'll be boring, but it'll be anything but
that.

some subset of family crypto and the person who shall never be mentioned
will definitely be making guest appearances. the fireplace and his moll
may do so as well.

i've got several surprises for the K. most of which i'll probably
spring on him early tomorrow morning.
but right this second i'm in MSY. i've got hundreds of miles to fly
before i step on that boat.

and we've gotta start soon, or special K will miss his flight back.

wheels up!

key to 24HOSIF

2010-09-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

everything will be recorded in ferry time (FT) ... so a posting reading
...

14:15 FT

... means 14 hours and 15 minutes into the ferry ride, not 2:15 PM.

we will attempt to post midway through each ride, or every half hour,
whichever is more often.

all postings for 24 HOSIF will be done from mobile devices (a t-mobile
sidekick [which i helped to develop]) and an iphone (from a company we
both used to work for).

inconsistencies will show up in posting formatting. pictures will
almost certainly be blurry. we consider these to be part and parcel of
the wabi sabi nature of 24HOSIF. as with everything in life, you should
love them for what they are, not hate them for what they are not.

we're also using the hashtag #24HOSIF on twitter if you wish to follow
along.

24HOSIF is coming

2010-09-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

24 Hour Enterprises is expanding ... This weekend, from roughly 16:00 on
September 25 to the same time on September 26, Special K and I will be
riding the Staten Island Ferry in New York for 24 hours straight and
writing about it right here.

24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry (24HOSIF) is a bold push forward for 24
Hour Enterprises. Off the couch and onto the water, the event is
forcing us to re-think the nature of humanity, the limits of personal
endurance and the true definition of the word "stupid."

Special K is worried that it'll be boring and redundant. I'm outraged
that he could even think that way ...

That means the stage is set for 24HOSIF. Hope to see you here.

-- b1-66er

48:00 Behind the Planet of the Apes ... and Completion of EPOTA

2010-03-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Roddy McDowall takes us through the end of the POTA stuff ... Showing us everything we've seen or slept through in the last 48 hours. Great ending for the onslaught.

***

I'll write much more than this in the next day or so but for now let me say it's been interesting ... Better than 24HoTV2, maybe equal to 24HoTV1 ... I've enjoyed the streaming ... The UPA boxset has been *great*.

Many thanks to the EPOTA hardcores: Momma K, Lil' Person K, the Grumbler, Radioactive Dave, suttonhoo, solid G, the person who shall never be mentioned and especially Rich Handley.

Special K, I've told you I love you more than any other man in the world, including all my relatives combined. Never wonder why.

***

Special K adds:

It was ... it was ... it was ... beyond my greatest imagining of ... um ... fun and strangeness ... and I uh, wanna thank you, but I need to do that myself.

48:00 It's over

2010-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

I thank the crazed mind with attached body that thought this up: B1-66er. I might have dreamed up 24 hours of TV, but without him, it would have just been an idea, like pretty much everything else I think up. And I never could have imagined 48 hours of Planet of the Apes. No indeed. He is the Mort Abrahams to my Arthur P. Jacobs, or something like that. Thanks, B1.

Let's do it again super soon. But not tomorrow.

47:40 Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary

2010-03-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

"We couldn't afford makeup for the mutants, so we just took everyone's skin off."

Hasslein is back. HASSLEIN!!! You dirty dog!

PotA movies always have unhappy endings.

Natalie Trundy did not want to play an ape, because she is smart.

Conquest was filmed at Century City, which was on land formerly owned by Fox. I'm guessing that's where the "Century" comes from.

Super super lame redoing of the end of Conquest. Not only is it worse, but they DIDN'T EVEN REFILM RODDY. They just recorded new dialog and COVERED UP HIS MOUTH.

When Arthur P. Jacobs died after Battle was made, he was one year older than I am now. Wow.

I made that part up about taking off the skin.

I believe that sleep deprivation is good for creativity. Thank you, and good day.

observation of the moment

2010-03-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

In certain circumstances, Special K is almost indiscernable from Ricardo Montalban. I think that happens primarily when he's had six hours of sleep in 48.

47:20 Behind the Planet of the Apes

2010-03-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

The making-of doc continues to be great ... and the one thing I know for certain, Frank Capra, Jr. knows all about how to do #2.

quote of the moment

2010-03-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

"if an ape talks, a woman faints."

-- special K

EPOTA Hits the 48 Hour Mark

2010-03-28T17:59:00.001-07:00

Running crippled, but at full-speed.

47:00 Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary

2010-03-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

As B1 said, we saved this doc for last because we thought it would be cool, and we did right. Only problem is that we've already seen some of this stuff in previous extras.

The people in ape makeup had a helluva time eating lunch. And it was super hot in there.

The trial scene most reflected the work of screenwriter Michael Wilson, who had been blacklisted. (Google it, kids. It was bad.)

Producer Mort Abrahams said they were making a political movie (obviously), right after Fox studio head Dick Zanuck said he's sure it was just pure entertainment. They put one over on you, Dick.

We started this thing 48 hours ago. It seems like only yesterday yesterday.

46:40 Beneath the Planet of the Apes

2010-03-28T17:40:00.001-07:00

The documentary is super-great and I'm so-so glad we chose it for the final item ... We're getting tons of great trivia and behind-the-scenes shots ...

For the first time in EPOTA we have some discussion in the streaming room

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/roomzo

suttonhoo and solid G are both there.

special K ...

2010-03-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

... is super-crispy ... but LOVING "behind the planet of the apes."

46:20 Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary

2010-03-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Arthur Jacobs prepared a 130-page merchandising book for PotA before it was greenlit. Anybody know where that book is now?

Rod Serling wrote 30 drafts of the script in his attempt to get it right.

They wanted to do a modern ape society, but they were worried about affording it, so they changed the apes to primitive. Damn money!

The hike across the desert after the spaceship crash was in a location so remote that some equipment was brought in by mule team.

The waterfall where the astronauts swim is fed by "two dozen carefully hidden firehoses".

46:00 Jerry Goldsmith Commentary "Planet of the Apes" -- "Behind the Planet of the Apes"

2010-03-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Jerry, you're a sound guy. It's fine to have quiet moments in music, but not in film commentary. talk, goddammit.

just starting "behind the planet of the apes." the K and i are really up for the last installment of UPA. you should be too.

we're beginning the last item being viewed ...

2010-03-28T16:52:00.001-07:00

... in EPOTA. "behind the planet of the apes."

streaming on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/roomzo

quote of the moment

2010-03-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

"the forebidden zone was once a paradise. your breed made a desert of it ages ago."

-- dr. zaius

Ultimate Planet of the Apes unboxing photos

2010-03-28T16:43:00.002-07:00

Are here http://picasaweb.google.com/sknaster/PotAUnboxingPhotos#

45:40 Planet of the Apes -- Jerry Goldsmith commentary

2010-03-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yet another disappointing commentary. I wanted more talk about the orchestration, instrumentation, et al. No.

Jerry, I still love your music.

I hope watching Planet of the Apes movies for 48 hours doesn't turn out to be some form of mind control.

quote of the moment

2010-03-28T16:27:00.001-07:00

"this one uses a lot of the bass slide whistle."

-- jerry goldsmith

45:20 Planet of the Apes - Jerry Goldsmith Commentary

2010-03-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mr. Goldsmith spends 10 minutes trashing modern film ... and then says "i don't want to put down modern filmmaking."

oh yes you do.

45:00 Planet of the Apes -- Jerry Goldsmith commentary

2010-03-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jerry points out that when they "give" Nova to Taylor in the cage, the movie's "love theme" plays on the score.

And Jerry has gone out for a latte.

44:40 Planet of the Apes -- Jerry Goldsmith commentary

2010-03-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

A l-o-n-g gap in the commentary made us think that maybe things weren't working quite right (we like to watch commentary with subtitles and thought that maybe it'd killed the stream -- they should add an undertone or a "no commentary for N minutes" to keep the over-driven and under-worked like the K and i from freaking out).

Mr. Goldsmith's comments are good but too far between. If I'd known you were gonna say this little, I would've put you on instead of Mr. Elfman when I was sleeping.

44:20 Planet of the Apes - Jerry Goldsmith Commentary

2010-03-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jerry reminds us that there were essentially no special effects in this movie, so everything you see is done with the camera. And that's why the score is so great.

Jerry needs to TALK MORE.

the mac crashed ...

2010-03-28T15:05:00.001-07:00

running the ustream source. we're re-booting it.

44:00 Planet of the Apes - Text and Jerry Goldsmith Commentary

2010-03-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

The text commentary had some great trivia -- especially the Felix Silla tidbit.

The Jerry Goldsmith commentary is just starting. Too early to have an opinion.

(This begins EPOTA's last full viewing of POTA.)

quote of the moment

2010-03-28T14:54:00.001-07:00

"what's the name of that thing that i can't remember?"

-- special K

the other, other official drink ...

2010-03-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

... of EPOTA

43:40 Planet of the Apes - Text Commentary

2010-03-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Much of this commentary points out how the filmmakers knew what they had: lots of sensitive and political stuff hidden in science fiction because it's apes and humans instead of different races, etc.

Is Pierre Boulle's the only name that appears in the credits of all 6 Ape films, the TV show, and the cartoon series? I think so.

Taylor, who hates humanity, ends up as its last defender.

chocolate caramel matzah and boiled peanuts ...

2010-03-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

... the official foods of EPOTA.

43:20 Planet of the Apes - Text Commentary

2010-03-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

I actually haven't been reading the commentary because I've been catching up on my email and watching the movie occasionally.

But I will take this opportunity to tell Special K how much I love him.

quote of the moment

2010-03-28T14:05:00.001-07:00

"it is scientific heresy that is being tried here."

-- dr. zaius

43:00 Planet of the Apes - Eric Greene Text Commentary

2010-03-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

John Chambers, who created the ape makeup, also did Spock's ears. Chambers won a special oscar for makeup for this movie.

The first scene in the movie, Taylor talking on the ship's bridge, was the last one filmed.

Sammy Davis thought PotA was the best film ever about race relations, and he got one of the big Lawgiver statues to put in his backyard.

GIANT REVEAL! Felix Silla plays the little kid who says "Look, a man!" when Taylor is escaping. Silla also played Cousin Itt on the Addams Family. WHOA.

42:40 Planet of the Apes - Text Commentary

2010-03-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is actually an interesting way to watch a commentary ... How/why it got here is a mystery to me, but I'm guessing this guy wrote a book that they've sliced and diced into pieces.

I'm back in the game and will be awake for the remainder of the EPOTA.

42:20 Planet of the Apes -- Eric Greene commentary

2010-03-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Eric Greene wrote "Planet of the Apes as American Myth" and his text is turned into a commentary track on the original film. Seems like they could have hired an actor to read it, but no. It goes by really fast, so make sure your reading skills are up to par.

Things we learn:

- Arthur Jacobs bought the rights to Planet of the Apes before its publication in English. It started out in French.
- Charlton Heston said beards should grow in suspended animation. But nobody thought about hair growing.
- The budget for the makeup test scene was about $7000.

41:50 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

We like much of the ape behavior in this version: fighting with their whole arms, running on all fours. But the super high jumping looks too crazy.

The dust in the movie just apparently made me cough. Now that's a good effect.

Sculptor dude is talking about how they made Ape-raham Lincoln.

The final shot of the movie, when 10 zillion cops are closing in on Mark Wahlberg, is known as the "You are so busted" shot.

And we bid farewell to the land of Burton.

41:20 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

More enhanced mode with infrequent enhancements. There hasn't been one for awhile.

I don't think I'd heard of Estella Warren before. Now I've seen a lot of her on Google Image Search.

The apes can run really fast on four legs because they're actually on moving sidewalks when being filmed.

41:00 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Enhanced mode pretty much sucks. Nothing ever happens.

We learn that the place where Thade lives with his father (played prone by Charlton Heston) is called "Chuck's house".

"Not many people do have relationships with chimpanzees." -- Helena Bonham Carter

"Tim decided that there had to be one moment in the movie where an ape went apeshit."

40:40 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T11:38:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure we've had any enhanced features in the last 20 minutes ... I'm hatin' on this enhanced thing ...

I also realized last night that I would like this movie a lot better if it didn't have a POTA name, nor any kind of relationship to the franchise.

40:20 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

The computer graphics they're showing are now 10 years old. They look ancient. I think the CG guy is using an SGI workstation.

Enhanced mode features show how smart film nerds do things like make the hair dryer spacecraft crash and set things on fire without burning up Marky Mark.

I like almost every movie better on repeat watching. Maybe that's because it has then become my friend.

Tim Roth absolutely consumes his part as the chimp Thade. He might as well live as a chimp for the rest of his life. The few times I saw him prior, I didn't notice evidence of that kind of acting.

40:00 Planet of the Apes (2001) -- enhanced

2010-03-28T11:01:00.001-07:00

I've never played with enhanced viewing before but it leaves a lot to be desired. Here's some problems with it:

1. You can't have captions and enhanced mode going at the same time. Problematic because forced screen animation comes over the top.

2. You need to hit the remote for some enhanced items. They should just drop you into all of this stuff automatically -- you did, after all, choose enhanced mode.

3. Once you're done, you get jumped back before the appearance of your remote cue prompt. That makes you more likely to choose it again.

So far, the features are good, but the experince of getting to them is lacking.

39:40 "Don Taylor directs 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes'" et al

2010-03-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

We're down to the dregs of features on the original movie (except for Behind the Planet of the Apes, which we're saving for later). And who better to eat every crumb than me.

Don Taylor directs Escape. It's the same clip of Armando's Circus that we've already seen like 3 times. Lech Walesa is there as assistant director. Don has an animated discussion with Ricardo Montalban. Nobody says "Khan!" Nobody says "The plane! The plane!" except me.

Question: when they decided to have another sequel after destroying the earth, did they tell Paul Frees? DID THEY????

J. Lee Thompson directs Conquest. Pretty quick little piece here.

Costume sketches. Buncha stills. Whoa, topless human women! Filmmakers wanted that. Fat chance.

Still gallery. Charlton Heston playing Frisbee on the beach in his loincloth.

(hidden feature) Action figures: Taylor, Zaius, soldiers. Japanese windup toys.

Ape collections. More costumes, mostly.

Movie posters. In different languages. Bully.

(hidden feature): TV commercial for action figures. By Mego. "Oh no! I'm trapped by the apes!" Music is "Also Sprach Zarathustra", as in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not that performance, because then they'd have to pay a royalty.

39:35 hidden chimp commentary of 2001 POTA

2010-03-28T10:37:00.001-07:00

if you go into the commentaries of the 2001 POTA, there's a hidden chimp feature that has only the test chimp speaking in chimp-lish when he appears and fast-forwarding through the rest of the movie.

very funny and better than spike lee's review of bamboozled.

39:10 "planet of the apes featurette" "a look behind the POTA"

2010-03-28T10:12:00.001-07:00

starting to see repeats of earlier stuff ...

the odd thing here is in look the announcer says there'll be three more films while showing scenes from conquest ... but from conquest there are only two films.

hmm.

39:00 "1967 N.A.T.O. presentation"

2010-03-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

This piece is listed on the DVD as "1967 N.A.T.O. presentation". So B1 and I are watching, waiting eagerly to learn how world leaders in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization could use Planet of the Apes to bring peace to the middle east.

We're watching. It seems to be a condensed version of the movie. Oh fun, there are a few cut scenes and some cut dialog.

Pretty much the first 75% of the movie is presented in about 8 minutes. Still nothing about world peace. We're wondering what the hell is going on.

Then Henson speaks out of character to the audience about the movie. Introduces the actors. Shows them in ape makeup and normal. He finishes by saying the movie will be "entertaining and exploitable". The end.

What the hell?

We check again to see how this was billed: "1967 N.A.T.O. presentation". Then it hits me. N.A.T.O. = National Association of Theatre Owners.

We laugh and laugh.

With 6 hours of sleep in the last 2 days, I impress myself by being able to come up with this. I am easily impressed.