# Hi All!



## derekleffew (Aug 22, 2007)

My name is Derek Leffew and my website is http://www.derekleffew.com. 

I’ve been a guest lurker here for sometime, but just last week bought a new MacBook, built a website, and decided to step out of the shadows. I suppose I heard someone calling “Step into the light, CarolAnn!” All this because Embarq is forcing me to change my Earthlink email address, which I’ve had since 2000. And a colleague told me how I could get registration and hosting and 200 email addresses for $10/year.

As for the metric system, I haven’t read ALL the past posts on the forum. But I will say that the first .PDF on the reference page of my website is a Fractional/Decimal/Metric Conversion Chart that I made in Excel. So I guess count me as “on the fence” until I understand what the ruckus is about.

As for Mac vs. PC, I’ve been back and forth and simultaneous many times. For years I was a closeted Mac user. I had a Mac desktop at home but would carry a PC Laptop for Show Control gigs. But seeing as how it’s the 21st century, and every Lighting Designer I know carries a gray aluminum or titanium PowerBook or MacBook Pro, I’ve decided to come out Load and Proud. I’ll still be ridiculed by some for having a white plastic MacBook with a 13.3” screen, but I feel LAPTOPS should be small and lightweight. When it’s at home, it’ll be connected to an external monitor, keyboard, trackball (hate mice, love the Kensington Expert Mouse, have probably bought ten of them since 1992) just like I did with my first Mac, a PowerBook 180 not C, I didn’t believe in color displays back then—still not sure I like them on Light Boards, other than the Colortran Color Track, of course.

I suppose my first stage lighting experience was in fourth grade, in the 1960s. I was in the school chorus. Teacher had to leave the “gymatorium” and, being bored, I found the Main Circuit Breaker panel on the DSL Proscenium. Three breakers were labeled something like “red x-ray; blue x-ray; white x-ray.” They were off, so of course I flipped one on to see what would happen. Teacher came back about then and said “How did you make the stage red?” I told her “I flipped this switch right ‘chere.” Since I was not, pure of voice, shall we say, I was given the task of flipping on and off the three breakers during the concert. Viola, My First Cue Sheet, coming soon by Fisher-Price.

I had forgotten entirely about that when my next experience happened. July 4, 1976, the entire township was celebrating the Bicentennial festivities when I was pressed into service because I was hanging out in the parking lot outside the high-school auditorium. It was basically "Hey kid, c'mere. Wha-cha-doin'?" “Nuffin’—I’m not doing anything wrong.” Next thing I knew, I was climbing stairs to a light booth and shown a Strong Carbon-Arc Trouper built in the 1960's. "Point it at whose-evers singing, turn it off when they're done" was what the guy told me--then he disappeared and I never saw him again. I believe he was a “friend” of the high school technical director/drama teacher..

That’s enough history for one sitting. Currently, I’m a freelance Lighting Designer/Programmer/Electrician/SpotOp/Stagehand/Box-Pusher in Las Vegas, NV, USA. I have one main house I work in, a large arena hosting rock/country touring concerts, corporate shows, and sporting events. You can guess the Venue (Hint: the entire, massive, building is a distinctive color, unflattering to human skin-tones), but I’m not permitted by my employer to tell you.

As you can tell, I am long-winded and have strong opinions about everything. I also have years of practical experience and a desire to educate. Call me the Martha Stewart of Stage Lighting. No wait, don’t!


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## Van (Aug 22, 2007)

Bon Jour! Leffew ! Glad you came out of the shadows. 
Hey we like long winded around here!


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## derekleffew (Aug 22, 2007)

Then you're in for a treat!

Anyone want to hear the history of USITT DMX-512 (1986)? Go to my website, click on _The Speed of Light _and buy and read the book. Ms. Essig documents the drama way better than I could.

Anyone ever put a baggy in a followspot? Later this week I'll be conducting an experiment and will post the results, hopefully with pictures, on my website.

Want to hear about me standing next to Ricky Martin, him in just his CKs, under the stage? Sorry this is a PG forum.


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## Van (Aug 22, 2007)

derekleffew said:


> Then you're in for a treat!
> 
> Anyone want to hear the history of USITT DMX-512 (1986)? ......................................Want to hear about me standing next to Ricky Martin, him in just his CKs, under the stage? Sorry this is a PG forum.


 
Eh, Gordon Pearlman is on Our Board of Directors, and I've worked with him for years, at ET and in other areas. I've got so much DMX history you wouldn't beleive.......

It's mostly PG, we get a bit R sometimes, try to keep it below NC-17.


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## Grog12 (Aug 22, 2007)

Van said:


> It's mostly PG, we get a bit R sometimes, try to keep it below NC-17.



This is exactly the reason I don't have as many posts as Van


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## Chaos is Born (Aug 22, 2007)

Well... I guess we don't have to catch this guy up on all of the recent topics of choice... except for one question:

Where do you stand on the topic of Pirates?

Welcome aboard Matey!


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## derekleffew (Aug 22, 2007)

I'll probably answer wrong, as I don't understand the question (still investigating gafftaper's issues with the metric system,) but...

I was Head of Lighting and Sound and Show Control for a little pirate show here in the desert for over five years and sank the British boat over 5,000 times. So you could say I approve of pirates?


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## gafftaper (Aug 22, 2007)

ARRRR!!! Pirates are definitely approved around here... and if you would like Van will hook you up with a pirate band to listen to. 

I just want to say I don't have issues with the metric system. It's just an unnatural abomination against God and the memory King Henry's foot size. The ancient Sumarians sure didn't use the metric system... they used the foot. Did the Egyptians need the metric system to build the great pyramids? NO they used the foot!! It's VOODOO I tell you VOODOO!!

Oh yeah and officially welcome to the booth... That place you work at wouldn't by chance have a large golden carnivore out in front would it?


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## gafftaper (Aug 22, 2007)

Can we have a Wiki entry titled "Pirates and the Metric system"?


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## Chaos is Born (Aug 22, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Can we have a Wiki entry titled "Pirates and the Metric system"?



I don't see why not, its a major topic around here.


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## derekleffew (Aug 22, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> ... and if you would like Van will hook you up with a pirate band to listen to.
> 
> That place you work at wouldn't by chance have a large golden carnivore out in front would it?




Thanks Van, but I don't listen to any bands unless I'm paid to run their lights.

I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a large golden carnivore at my place of employment. I haven't even seen it in years, as I go in the back way. Oooops. Doh!


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## gafftaper (Aug 22, 2007)

I love this Vegas rumor... One of the random casinos that Derek clearly doesn't work at... built this giant Lion out in front and you walked between it's paws and under it's huge head to enter the casino... It was gorgeous, massive... must have been 40 feet high and looked like it was polished gold. However, they immediately noticed a drop off in their asian customers. Turns out that it was considered really bad luck to walk underneath a lion to enter a building and gamble. SO, they tore the thing out and put in a still large but much smaller lion statue that you now walk around instead of under. That mistake must have cost millions.

It sounds like you might work in a place that one can buy jello shots on the walk in from the car to work. That could be a little dangerous. 

I love Vegas. Wouldn't want to live there but it's a great vacation... although if I got to run the pirate show I might reconsider moving down there. Although I'm sure that gets really boring 7 times a day.


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## Van (Aug 22, 2007)

derekleffew said:


> Thanks Van, but I don't listen to any bands unless I'm paid to run their lights......................................................


 

I like that philosphy. 
Good line.


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## gafftaper (Aug 23, 2007)

Van said:


> I like that philosphy.
> Good line.



Yeah but can you stop at a jello shot/daiquiri bar and buy a few thousand refrigerator magnets on the way from your car into work?


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## derekleffew (Aug 23, 2007)

I don't know what you people are talking about. I've never had a jello shot in my life and the only thing between where I park and where I work is the lot filled with 53' trailers waiting to be unloaded/loaded. Tim and Faith had 23, I think. So much fun being in a truck with big, sweaty guys, unstacking motorboxes, when it's 110°F outside. The glamour of show business.


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## gafftaper (Aug 23, 2007)

derekleffew said:


> I don't know what you people are talking about. I've never had a jello shot in my life and the only thing between where I park and where I work is the lot filled with 53' trailers waiting to be unloaded/loaded. Tim and Faith had 23, I think. So much fun being in a truck with big, sweaty guys, unstacking motorboxes, when it's 110°F outside. The glamour of show business.



Ouch. Summer in Vegas is a special kind of hot. My Brother In Law lives down there and keeps his AC set at 90 degrees to save money. Up here in the Pacific NorthWET we start melting if it gets above 75.


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## Van (Aug 23, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Ouch. Summer in Vegas is a special kind of hot. My Brother In Law lives down there and keeps his AC set at 90 degrees to save money. Up here in the Pacific NorthWET we start melting if it gets above 75.


 
75! Man you guys are tough up there in Seattle. I look at a thermometer that's over 65 and start feeling heat stroke. < even if I am wearing shorts at the time>


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## gafftaper (Aug 23, 2007)

Van said:


> 75! Man you guys are tough up there in Seattle. I look at a thermometer that's over 65 and start feeling heat stroke. < even if I am wearing shorts at the time>



Dude if it's over 50 I'm in Shorts. I stop wearing them some time in late November and break them out the first sign of sun in February. Got to tan while you can. Is there a more tell tale sign of a true NW native than shorts and goretex coat (preferably Columbia) on a rainy day... Umbrella? Those are for Californians.


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## Grog12 (Aug 23, 2007)

derekleffew said:


> I don't know what you people are talking about. I've never had a jello shot in my life and the only thing between where I park and where I work is the lot filled with 53' trailers waiting to be unloaded/loaded. Tim and Faith had 23, I think. So much fun being in a truck with big, sweaty guys, unstacking motorboxes, when it's 110°F outside. The glamour of show business.



Bah 110 is an easy day in Vegas.

I hate heat...especially the wet heat I live in now.


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## Chaos is Born (Aug 23, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Dude if it's over 50 I'm in Shorts.



Used to Chicago Winters... it gets above freezing i'm in shorts shoveling snow.


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## Logos (Aug 23, 2007)

Of course in Australia if it gets above 40 most people are wearing shorts, but we are running into the metric war again here. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100, what is this 32 degrees being the freezing point of water rubbish.


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## Van (Aug 23, 2007)

Logos said:


> Of course in Australia if it gets above 40 most people are wearing shorts, but we are running into the metric war again here. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100, what is this 32 degrees being the freezing point of water rubbish.


 
We're just more sensitive than you Anitpodeans. That's why we have 180 degrees between boiling and freezing. You guys are too busy fighting crocs, and dingos, to notice the difference. We can actually tell the difference between 32 and 33 degrees.


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## derekleffew (Aug 24, 2007)

[-]

charcoaldabs said:


> My understanding, though my Trivia is way off, so feel free to correct me, is Mr. Fahrenheit tried to reproduce the coldest temperature he could, salt and ice in the correct proportions. He wisely assumed it was the coldest possible temperature, so he made it zero, because, hell, it can't get colder than zero, and the earth is flat and the center of the universe, goddammit!
> 
> The rest is history.



But wait...there's more. One of my TiVo's recorded a suggestion on the History Channel last night. Here's my synopsis of the re-enactment:

...then Baron Kelvin stopped by, and said "I can make it colder than that!" while pulling out his dewar of LN2. At that very moment, Ms. Celsius and Mr. Centigrade rang the doorbell. When they saw what was going on, they pulled out their thermometer, they seemed to always carry thermometers, and sure enough, it read "-273.15°C." "I can't wait to text gafftaper with this news! He'll be so excited!" exclaimed Ms. Celsius.

But she only had one bar on her cell, so she emailed him instead.

Commercial for "Extenze," which I fast-forwarded through. Then my MacBook bonged, letting me know another message had been posted to one of my many threads on ControlBooth, and I got involved in that, and never got back to the TiVo.


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## gafftaper (Aug 24, 2007)

I was just watching a show on the History Channel from one of my six TIVOs, about lost passages from the Bible. A recently found manuscript details the great battle in heaven before time began between God and Satan. It turns out the reason Satan and his followers got themselves banished from Heaven was that he insisted Heaven convert to the metric system.

I know! It was quite the surprise to me too! Apparently God hates the metric system as much as I do.


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## Logos (Aug 24, 2007)

At what temperature does the Fahrenheit and Centigrade thermometer read the same temp.


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## Chaos is Born (Aug 24, 2007)

Logos said:


> At what temperature does the Fahrenheit and Centigrade thermometer read the same temp.



Aprox -39 degrees


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## RingLady (Aug 25, 2007)

Hey Derek,

Like the website. That one picture is just wrong. I may never eat mice again.


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## derekleffew (Aug 26, 2007)

RingLady said:


> Hey Derek,
> 
> Like the website. That one picture is just wrong. I may never eat mice again.




I still haven't decided if it's funny or sick. I told my sister, who's a Surgical Nurse, I thought it was "kinda gross." She said "not from what I'm used to." Time for a new picture.


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## derekleffew (Aug 26, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> I was just watching a show on the History Channel from one of my six TIVOs...


 Are any of those TiVos the new Series3, HD model? The one that records time in metric units?


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## Radman (Aug 29, 2007)

derekleffew said:


> Are any of those TiVos the new Series3, HD model? The one that records time in metric units?



Metric time? Never heard of it. I've heard of game time, go time, miller time, the 4th dimension: time, Greenwich Mean Time, powdered thyme, bed time, bad time, double time, and hammer time, but never metric time. You're yankin my chain.

On another note, "Apparently God hates the metric system as much as I do." reminds me of South Park:
--- I knew it! Meecrob! [the word is shown in close-up] Meecrob is a curse word! God must hate it as much as I do! ---


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## Van (Aug 30, 2007)

Radman said:


> Metric time? Never heard of it. I've heard of game time, go time, miller time, the 4th dimension: time, Greenwich Mean Time, powdered thyme, bed time, bad time, double time, and hammer time, but never metric time. You're yankin my chain...................................................
> 
> quote]
> 
> ...


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## gafftaper (Aug 30, 2007)

Van said:


> Radman said:
> 
> 
> > Metric time? Never heard of it. I've heard of game time, go time, miller time, the 4th dimension: time, Greenwich Mean Time, powdered thyme, bed time, bad time, double time, and hammer time, but never metric time. You're yankin my chain...................................................
> ...


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