http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php Production notes, technology experiments, and the occasional light banter you've come to love so much. en gino@pixeldustfilms.com Copyright 2008 2008-08-22T21:00:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/sorry_ive_been_mia/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/sorry_ive_been_mia/#When:21:00:00Z Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been slacking on my blog.  The good news is that in addition to training for the Chicago Marathon (which is going swimmingly, or is that runningly, anyway, I digress), I’ve been doing a number of cool Pixelprojects that are only starting to reveal themselves here on the website.  Meanwhile, check out my latest web creation, a brand spanking-new website for a really cool new company called Amerigrease.  Additionally, you can check out a new 5 minute wedding highlight reel I shot and edited on behalf of Bella Pictures.  Just click on “short films” and it will be (as of this writing) the first one that will play. We’re also getting ready to launch video for 2 prominent legal websites where we shot and edited no less than 50, that’s right, 50 clips for use on their current websites.  Pixeldust Films and Interactive will also be engaged in the redesign of all their web properties over time. So, what else?  Well, in short: I’m in the nucleus of the Chicago Marathon training and am up to the 18 mile long runs I am, for the first time in years, trying a new running shoe.  I purchased a pair of Asics Gel Cumulus 10s and will give them their first spin tomorrow.  Maybe a replacement for my go-to Mizuno Wave Rider 10s and 11s, but maybe not!  Only time will tell. I am riding in the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Challenge this coming Sunday.  45 miles on my new Cannondale.  I haven’t yet even ridden 20 miles in one shot.  My furthest ride has been 17 miles.  Uh oh. This year, as a result of the marathon training, I have become an 8:40 average miler with a heart rate that hovers in the mid to high 150s, as opposed to last year, where such a pace would have put my heart well into the 170s... As a result of my marathon training so far (I have yet to miss 1 mile of Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 training program), I have completely destroyed every PR I’ve ever set all the way up to the half-marathon thus far. As a result of how well the marathon training is going at this point, I’ve realigned my goal time to be 4:10 instead of 4:20 and actually believe I will achieve this. This year I am planning to smash my Philadelphia Distance Run PR from last year by over 8 minutes, putting me under the 2 hour mark. For those that want to hear a little music, come check me out LIVE at Ron’s Original in Lionville, PA.  Here’s the schedule. I recently was one of the photographers hired to shoot photography at this year’s SheROX Women’s Triathlon. On the Go, Running and Fitness, Web Design 2008-08-22T21:00:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/livestrong_challenge_philadelphia/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/livestrong_challenge_philadelphia/#When:10:39:00Z Cancer killed my grandmother, Wild Bill’s wife, just before my 28th birthday. She never even got to see Band of Brothers.  The Lance Armstrong Foundation unites people to fight cancer, believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything.  I have therefore chosen to enter the Livestrong Challenge 08 in Philadelphia, PA!  I’ll be riding my new Cannondale bike for the 45 mile ride, which will mark the first time I tape on a number while riding a bike.  I’m pretty pumped about it and it’s a great cause. I’ve signed up by paying the entrance fee, but I’m also asking for donations to help fight cancer.  Read on and help out the foundation!  All donations go directly to the foundation. Through the dollars and awareness that we raise, we can inspire and empower individuals, and we can make life better for the more than 10 million Americans affected by cancer. $10 provides information packets to 16 cancer survivors to offer support, inspiration and hope. $50 provides 35 people cancer survivorship information, worksheets to organize their fight against cancer and support, inspiration and hope from other cancer survivors. $155 provides a cancer survivor one-on-one direct support through the LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare program. $250 provides LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebooks to 27 cancer survivors. Please support me as I make a difference in the cancer fight through my participation in the LIVESTRONG Challenge. Thank you! Click Here to Donate Running and Fitness 2008-06-20T10:39:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/second_week_of_training_chicago_marathon/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/second_week_of_training_chicago_marathon/#When:10:12:00Z Sorry I haven’t been around, folks!  In fact, I was touched to hear that some of you were actually looking for my weekly dispatches only to find them missing from the website.  Well, I can only say I’ve been a little busier than usual, but those are the signs of an industrious life!  In addition to a heck of a lot of activity over at Pixeldust Films, I’m starting to enter into the core training for the Chicago Marathon.  I’m pleased to mention that my good friend Frank will be with me in Chicago, and that means I get a training partner for the entire 18 weeks. Just like last year, when I participated in the Philadelphia Marathon, I’m going to use Hal Higdon’s training plan to ready myself to run 26.2 in the Windy City.  Last year, I tried to do Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Training Plan, but had a tough time adhering to the schedule all by myself.  This year, not only have I picked up a training partner, but I’ve chosen a schedule that in fact is more attainable, and I believe I’ll be able to complete the weekly mileage much more happily, if training for a marathon could ever be such a thing. The primary difference between the Novice and Intermediate programs is the amount of days you spend running.  In the Novice plan, you run 4 days a week and cross train 1 while taking 2 off.  In the Intermediate plan, you run 5 days a week, cross train 1 and take 1 off.  In the end, it’s more realistic for me to do 5 solid days of activity than it is to do 6.  I’m absolutely confident that I can hit my target of 4:20:00 by following the Novice schedule and actually hitting all the targets.  Last year, I missed a lot of the weekly targets anyway, and in the end, wasn’t keeping to the schedule. Oh, and 2 other things... So in addition to having a training partner, this year I’m adding two other variables to my training:  I’m going to lose 10 pounds before October 12, 2008, and I’ve purchased a road bike and will be using it for the cross training.  Last year, “cross training” meant “take the day off and drink beer.” This year, I’m going to be out riding hard for 20 + miles at a strong cadence.  I truly believe that the only way to up the ante from my 2007 racing season, where I PR’d in every major race I entered over 2006, I’m going to have to lose the weight.  I’m thinking of a way to post a “weight meter” on my website so we can all keep track of my progress. More on that as I figure it out. So there it is, folks.  I’ll be posting more on my new swan dive into the world of Road Cycling under a separate series of posts.  There’s just too much to talk about on that one, and I’m just too new at it to know what I want to say (I bought the bike 2 weeks ago). Stay Tuned!  And see you out on the roads! Running and Fitness 2008-06-20T10:12:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/upper_dublin_senior_olympic_photos_online/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/upper_dublin_senior_olympic_photos_online/#When:13:12:00Z I recently had the honor of shooting photography for the Upper Dublin Senior Olympics running event, which took place on May 14th at Upper Dublin High School.  Watching the senior citizens run was inspiring, and a good opportunity for me to do some shooting of moving objects before I undertake a shoot at the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon this June. Naturally, my Father-in-Law was a participant in this event, which was the primary reason I was there.  This was the first event he’s run where he was actually competing solely against other seniors, and he medaled 4 out of 4 events in his age group, which is a huge achievement.  Considering he didn’t run the Broad Street Run this year, this was a great way to make up for it. I was able to shoot over 800 pictures at this event.  I’ve taken the best of the best and made them available in both color and black and white versions.  Visit my SmugMug gallery to view the photos! Photography, Running and Fitness 2008-05-20T13:12:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/random_smugmug_photos/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/random_smugmug_photos/#When:16:59:00Z Since I’ve pretty much abandoned Flickr for SmugMug, and since I want to start featuring a lot of my photography right here on Pixeldust Films.com, I figured I’d try some experiments.  Getting my photos from Flickr to the bottom right corner of the website footer was pretty simple, and I’ll now attempt to do something similar, perhaps even better.  This post will be evolving over the next couple of weeks, as it’s sort of a “live” experiment.  Depending on the day and time, you may find something highly appealing or something highly unusual.  So it goes with all experiments… Refresh the page to see it in action Random Albums This causes some layout problems since not all photos are the same aspect ratio, but here goes: If anyone wants to utilize the last technique, which places your album thumbnails side by side using validated markup with css, here it is: The CSS /* @group Smug Mug */ #smugmug { padding: 0; margin: 0; display: block; max-width: 450px; min-height: 95px; clear:both; } #smugmug img { border-style: none; } .photo { padding: 5px; margin: 0 4px 5px 0; display: block; border: 1px solid #000; float: left; align: center; } /* @end */ The Markup/HTML Here is the markup in a text file. Basically, just use this markup in conjunction with the CSS above and you'll get the layout I've achieved. Naturally, change the html code to reflect your own Smug Mug galleries, and feel free to tweak the CSS! Let me know if you need any help! Photography, Web Design 2008-05-15T16:59:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/broad_streetrun_2008_a_comedy_of_new_errors/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/broad_streetrun_2008_a_comedy_of_new_errors/#When:18:54:00Z This year’s Broad Street Run, 2008 introduced some new surprises, and I have to say that it was certainly different than any other Broad Street (or any other race, for that matter) I’ve experienced.  Culminating with a first-time runner beating me by several minutes, a late start (I was late, the race started on time), and the Garmin watch not finding a satellite in such a way that I could track my splits, let’s just say things weren’t exactly as I’d hoped.  Coming off a Broad Street PR in 2007, I had high hopes, all of which were dashed in just 1:33:47. For starters, I picked up my friend Frank at 6:45 AM in Gladwyne, which forced us to go into the city on I-76.  There was race traffic everywhere, and somehow, my plan to meet a bunch of friends on Franklin field at 7:30 AM was rapidly disintegrating.  In desperate need of a porta potty, I coaxed a parking lot “guard” to let me into a closed parking lot to use one of the many vacant porta potties situated at the far corner of the empty lot (this would prove to be a lifesaver later in the morning)...After using the porta potty, I pulled into Lincoln Financial Field to park the car and walk to the subway for the overly-crowded, sardine-can-esque ride up Broad Street to the starting line. Let’s Ride the Subway Getting on the Subway for the Broad Street Run is a singularly unique experience.  While the subway is free on this particular morning, there are also non-runners who need to get where they’re going as well.  All told, the subway literally has as many people riding it as can fit.  You are smashed up against others for the entire duration of the 20 minute trek, and I can’t possibly imagine that this approach isn’t in some violation of the maximum allowable capacity...This is one of those moments where you realize you’re probably cheating death, and you (or at least I) talk incessantly to take my mind of the fact that there’s no way we should all be on the subway at the same time… 8:30 Start, and we’re 2 stops away For the first time in my short-and-uneventful racing career, it occurred to me at 8:25 AM that we were not going to be off the train for the 8:30 start.  I seemed to be the only one concerned about this, but my theory is that anyone on that particular train was probably not really worried about starting on time (the college girls in front of me were asking me when they were going to get their racing chip.  I explained that it came with their race packet.  They giggled and started fishing around for it at 8:27 AM). At about 8:35 AM, the subway slowed to a stop and the doors opened.  I had no idea what to expect when I reached the surface, but I knew that I had already missed the following opportunities: Meeting my friends on the field.  This year I was meeting up with more people than ever before. Hearing the Star Spangled Banner, which for me is a defining moment and a reminder of why I love to race Getting a chance to focus my energy on what I needed to do for the next 10 miles Lining up in the appropriate corral, which is a big factor in allowing me to keep my race pace Allowing my Garmin 305 GPS to find a satellite so I could track my splits.  The subway isn’t a great place to grab a satellite signal. The race began Underground As the doors opened, it was a little scary, as everyone on the train felt a certain urgency to get off (including me).  I literally started running underground, up the steps, and along the corridor street that leads to the start line.  People were kind of shuffling along, but there was somehow a bunch of people standing on the sidelines, clearly unconcerned with the fact that the race was already underway...My heart rate was up to 145 before I even reached the racing area, and I was in such disarray that I had no idea where I was in relation to those in front of me. Frank’s last words... My friend Frank followed me to “the surface” and stated that he had to make a “quick stop, don’t lose me.” I said ok, turned around, and he was gone.  I looked 360 degrees, looked into the street, looked around once again, and just ran out into the street to begin my haphazard event.  I was sorry not to run with Frank, but, as it turned out, he wouldn’t be behind me for very long, a theme that seemed to play out for me over the next 10 miles with a number of other runners as well. On the road with the Broad Street Gang At mile 4, Frank caught up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.  I was happy to rejoin my friend, and was glad that we were still on pace.  As we rounded City Hall, I could see that Frank wasn’t satisfied with the pace I was keeping, and I told him we were about a minute behind schedule.  I felt, however, that I was where I wanted to be (a decision I would regret at the end).  I told Frank to put the hammer down and I’d see him at the finish.  He did, and I wouldn’t see him again until I logged at least another 4 miles or so of pavement. In the end, I came in about 4 minutes slower than last year.  My FIL, who came down to support us, spoke to another friend of mine who he happened upon while leaving Philadelphia.  He mentioned my time to the friend...This particular friend, who is always brutally honest, looked at my FIL and said, “...that’s a HORRIBLE time for him” in reference to my performance. I believe he was right, and I plan on redeeming myself at another 10 miler as soon as I can find a local one.  I’m going to get my Star Spangled Banner back, dammit, and my PR is going down in 2008. Running and Fitness 2008-05-07T18:54:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/valley_forge_5_miler_holy_hills/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/valley_forge_5_miler_holy_hills/#When:11:21:00Z The Valley Forge Revolutionary 5 Mile Run is a great trek through Valley Forge Park.  With hills fore and aft, it’s not exactly my favorite course (that honor is reserved for The Broad Street Run, coming up in 2 weeks).  Anyway, given the hills, I still ran a race I was happy with. I clocked a 44:42 on the chip, and a 43:55 on my Garmin GPS.  I’m never quite sure how there’s always such disparity between the two, but it seems my Garmin always makes me faster than the chip!  Putting me under a 9 minute mile for 5 miles was a great tune-up for Broad Street, and my Broad Street time from last year was 1:29:37.  Interestingly, my pace for both Valley Forge 2008 and and Broad Street 2007 according to the clock time was 9:07 pace per mile.  With the hills removed, I’m confident that I might actually beat my Broad Street PR. The Valley Forge race was also special because I ran it with my good friend Frank.  This was his first race, and he actually beat me by a minute!  I saw him pulling away a little at mile 3 and was pumped to see him doing so well his first time out.  On the heels of that, we’ll both stride down Broad Street in 2 weeks with a few other folks that I’ve been running with for years.  Should be an exciting time for all! Stay tuned for my results from Broad Street in a couple of weeks! Running and Fitness 2008-04-22T11:21:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/wild_bill_guarnerecom_6_years_online/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/wild_bill_guarnerecom_6_years_online/#When:17:26:00Z It occurred to me yesterday that tomorrow marks 6 years online of my grandfather’s website, Wild Bill Guarnere.com.  The site, as many people know, was in response to the HBO Mini Series, ”Band of Brothers.” Once the series hit HBO, everyone wanted to know the real men behind the story.  So who had the idea for the website, you ask? Well, that honor goes to my father, Gene, Bill’s son.  He thought it would be a good idea to give the website to my grandfather as a Christmas present.  It was kind of funny, actually, that at some level my father and I both thought my grandfather would be excited by having his own website.  Well, he wasn’t.  In fact, he looked at me and my father, shook his head and said “we’re a bunch of internet-NUTS.” Nonetheless, we launched the site on March 29th, 2002 and it has become one of the largest internet repositories in the world pertaining to information on WW2.  The site, to date has 183643 unique posts by over 4200 members from all over the world.  There are usually several hundred users on the site at any given moment, and we have over the years had visits from the actors, producers and historians who were part of the original HBO mini series.  The site has also become an online community of friends who call each other on birthdays from different countries, send each other Christmas cards, and have provided other members with places to stay when members are traveling. Wild Bill Guarnere has hosted 3 Community Dinners, all in Philadelphia, and have brought together several members to South Philly from as close as Pennsylvania and as far away as Australia.  My grandfather has done a few “live” chats with guests over the years, which gave the opportunity for his fans to ask him questions via the internet and get his responses.  Wild Bill’s website has made donations to disaster recovery efforts in the Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004 and has made many charitable donations of Wild Bill Guarnere hand signed merchandise and memorabilia. Wild Bill Guarnere.com has mostly, however, raised awareness about the sacrifices made by our allied forces and has educated the young and old alike.  If you’re a history buff, educator, enthusiast, military personnel or just interested in one of the most significant periods in world history, then Wild Bill Guarnere has probably been a stopover in your internet travels. Wild Bill Guarnere is 84 years old as of this writing and still is active as a guest speaker for many schools and corporations around the world.  He’s been an inspiration to his family and to the world alike.  I’m proud to celebrate 6 years online! Family, Web Design 2008-03-28T17:26:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/chicago_marathon_im_in/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/chicago_marathon_im_in/#When:23:12:00Z Well, like I mentioned in my past post about running, I’m planning on running a marathon each year until I’m dead.  That’s quite an ambitious tradition, and of course, many things can happen that can destroy this idea at any given moment.  However, I think what I really mean is that I aspire to commit to a healthy lifestyle in such a way that a marathon each year is possible.  Chicago looks like a great run:  it’s flat, fast and a city that celebrates food.  For all these reasons, it marks the destination of my second-ever marathon. After having seen Spirit of the Marathon with my father-in-law, I decided the Chicago Marathon was next on my list after having gotten my butt kicked at the Philadelphia Marathon in November, 2007.  I knew it was important not to press my wife too much in allowing me to go to Chicago while we were still waiting for our daughter to arrive, but now that she’s here, today was the day to do the pressing!  My secret weapon was to take my wife out for a full sushi lunch, a food she’s been craving the entire 9 months of her pregnancy, and we ordered piles of the fleshy delicacy today.  While the food was coming out, I said, “...So, hey, ya know I really want to run the Chicago Marathon if that’s ok with you...” As she was pouring the soy sauce in her little dish, she said, “Ok, that sounds great...go ahead.” I didn’t hesitate. Immediately after returning home to the house, I hit the Chicago Marathon website and dutifully signed up for another 26.2 in the Windy city.  I’m planning on taking Kathi as well for moral support, and of course my FIL loves an adventure, so I’m guessing he’ll be along for the ride. That shapes up my 2008 race schedule quite nicely:  The Broad Street Run, The Philadelphia Distance Run, The Chicago Marathon.  I’ll keep copious notes on my training this year, as I have a date with a 4:30 marathon time.  Wish me luck! Family, Running and Fitness 2008-03-09T23:12:00-05:00 http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/its_a_girl_and_what_a_ride/ http://www.pixeldustfilms.com/index.php/main/blog/its_a_girl_and_what_a_ride/#When:21:00:00Z What a ride!  The birth of our 3rd (and final) child was an amazing experience in more ways than one.  I thought I would try, for posterity, to recollect as much as possible, as we went in the hospital on Tuesday, February 26th, gave birth on the 27th, and didn’t leave the hospital til the 29th.  I think I can say that the easiest part for my wife was actually giving birth.  The issues that developed after, however, had me frightened, perhaps more than ever, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the fine doctors and caretakers at Paoli hospital for their pro-active approach to healthcare and getting my wife the attention she needed with no hesitation whatsoever.  When things go perfectly, you tend to forget how skilled these people are.  When things don’t go perfectly, and a doctor is asked to bring out more of his or her skillset than you ever want to see, well, that’s when you realize that most of us can’t be doctors. Tuesday Evening Kathi and I went to Paoli hospital on Tuesday evening for an 8:00 PM appointment.  She was about 1/2 cm dilated and that’s not enough to deliver a baby.  As she was almost a week overdue, the doctors decided that we were going to make this baby come out whether she was ready or not.  I was introduced to a medicine called “Cervidil,” and apparently this is the way to get a not-ready-for-prime-time mother to dilate so she can be brought into a stage of active labor.  Our doctor did some voodoo that I mostly couldn’t watch and walked away saying “we were all set.” Then, I unfolded the amazingly uncomfortable hospital chair into its makeshift bed form and cracked open a bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay, which would serve as my sleep aid, while my wife was utilizing more conventional forms of sleep aids per her doctor’s orders (Ambien was the order of the evening).  I took tons of snapshots of my wife and the general condition of the room, and we were, for the most part, ready to tuck in for the night without much fanfare.  I’m not sure what worked faster in the end, the Ambien or the Chardonnay, but we both ended up asleep, which was the plan in each of our respective-yet-highly-different-cases. Family, The Kids 2008-03-02T21:00:00-05:00