Playing the machine
I suppose, to be fair its a bit of a case of swings, and roundabouts, in that if I wasnt off work because of my brain issues, I wouldnt be in a position to accept a one off acting part, but equally, if I hadnt had the last seizure on the weekend I was meant to have my MRI done, I’d possibly have been free by now to fly to the US, and signed off from standard work on the ground of said brain issues, so I could have considered such a role. Ah well…
Mind, even then, currently I wouldnt consider flying to LA to film a short movie, if it wasnt for what the part what. Yes, a female robot! Yes, the request for an actress to play such a role appeared on the most obvious site for it to appear, Fembot Central. I’ve no idea what type of robot he was looking for, because there was no age limit mentioned, and there was no mention of it requiring a ‘sexy’ robot either. No, my big problem was the fact he wanted to get it filmed in the next few weeks, judging by his comments, and strictly I’m grounded at present because of the brain seizures until they find out whats actually causing them. Even allowing for the fact that the MRI is only 2 weeks tomorrow, its still going to take a while after that for the results to be looked at, the neurologist to give me the news, and then get any travel plans sorted out, lets face it.
But yes, I still decided to write, show some interest, but as I suspected, he looking to film it in the next 2-3 weeks, while not mentioning that my age would be a problem. Yes, I mentioned my 35 years of dramatics (including a couple of brief robot playing moments), which lets face it, gives a major clue that I’m not a cute 20 something, lol. I thought that was a neat way of mentioning the age thing, dont you reckon? Didnt seem to concern him, just my immediate availability (or lack of it) that was the problem. Of course, in these ‘sue at any excuse’ days, he may have just used that as a workaround from not saying I was too old! Of course, if the actress is wearing a robot mask/hood, or a full body robot suit, that wouldnt be a concern would it? Given he mentioned a voice track, and playing the robot as separate concerns, not just as one, I suspect the face might well be covered, if not the whole body?
Yes, you’re right, I’d love it all the more, the more I’m a robot, and the less I’m a human, anyway! Thats right, neither previous robot piece got me any kind of chrome body/face covering, shame! But no, I’m too sweet to hope that he might not find anyone for a few months, but anyway…
But yes, I dont deny it, I’d love the chance to do the full robot look (the fuller the better) just once before I accept I have to give up on the acting stuff, because of everything. Either acting, or a convention robot, or well, make an offer!
So yes, it hurts, but equally, if it wasnt for the issue with my brain which needs looking into, I wouldnt think about anything like this, before retirement anyway, ah well…
Oh, I have got a friend going to one of these convention things in Atlanta this weekend, and saying he’ll look for a robot/space girl/alien outfit for me, but I suspect at a sensible price, the latter two are more likely. Mind, they’d be a lot of fun regardless, I must say!
OK, video time. The voice might be the same, but its not the OMD version, its the original Elektric Music one. Yes, Andy McCluskey sang on both! The video is a more recent addition, put together by someone from a 2014 film, Automata.
Living on Social Media ‘reality’
Yes, fine, I’d love to be able to tell you about the ton of Valentine cards that arrived today, but I’d be lying if I did. I did get a couple of nice touches from friends, from online sources, which I really appreciated, but beyond that…? No, was never expecting anything else in truth, though I was hoping that Rotwang, or Dr Frankenstein might offer me a visit to their labs, but…Kidding, fine!
Funnily enough, in the last couple of weeks, I did attract the interest of a guy on Fembot Central, but when he found out I was over 20 years older than him, not a word since. Ah well… Not even a nice robot suit out of the relationship, lol. No, it was nothing more than a few messages, so just jesting on that front.
Oh fine, social media, primarily Facebook. Its fair to say that out of my nearly 300 ‘friends’ on there, I certainly have never met half of them, probably a fair few more than that. But yes, things like vintage movie love, LGBT issues, cricket and the like, where I have a common cause, and they arent blatantly troll accounts, I tend to connect up. But some dont seem to live in the real world at times?
One of these people I’ve never met, and am never likely to meet (I believe connection is through an orange, wig wearing guy, that we dont have fond affections for) put up a picture that suggested he was getting high on drugs, a massive no no for me. He claimed he wasnt really, just pretending, but then again, who can tell? I did comment that I had played parts where I’d pretended to smoke (never have in my life), so it could be true. Anyway, earlier this evening, I visited Facebook, and he’d made a comment complaining that I hadnt ‘liked’ his picture, and that I needed to do so. Yes, the reason I hadnt done so, was simply the image it gave of condoning drug taking, and I dont do that.
So I saw it, I had 2 choices, I could explain why I didnt ‘like’ it, probably get a reply, but why the hell should I have to tell someone I dont even know why I didnt like their picture! So I’ve asked if he is serious about his complaint, and if he is, the ‘friendship’ wont last out the evening. If he has sense, given the way he’s worded it, he will say he wasnt, and I’ll give him another chance.
But sorry, all you Social Media freaks, unless you want to mind control me to do otherwise (and I’m open to offers!), its my choice whether I like, love, or whatever your posting, and not for you to decide if I should, or not? Fine?
Next year, to avoid this, someone needs to take me out for a Valentine dinner, lol! 😛
OK, video time. A little bit of Bon Jovi. Funnily enough, a group called Bon Giovi (one of those tribute bands) is playing at Brighouse in the near future. As someone once said, wouldnt it be amusing if the real star/band turned up, and no one knew? 😉
One of these days, it wont be just talk!
One thing you quickly discover with the internet is that a lot of people are all talk, and no action. In other words, they come up with these interesting (to me at least) ideas, but when people actually show an interest in it, they just disappear again, as fast as they arrived. Yes, this looks like another one, much to my disappointment. Just over a week ago, over at Fembot Central, this headline appeared on a thread
An idea for actual conversion, looking for willing subjects!
So, unsurprisingly enough, I showed cautious interest. No, not cautious as in, do I want to be converted into a robot, because the answer clearly is yes! Even if its more of an organic, controlled robot, than anything more deliciously cybernetic, its a start!
His answers started impressively, answers clearly thought through for many issues, and not what I would call beyond potentially possible nowadays. Yes, EEG Caps, and Brain/Computer interface devices, rather than transformation pods, which fine, I would love, but practically, not going to happen for a while yet, in real life!
Anyway, after a weekend of dealing with the matter, seemingly quite professionally, everything has since gone quiet. So yes, I’m assuming it was never beyond a theory in his head, and is never going to happen in reality. Great shame, but am I totally surprised by this? No, not really! I’d love to be proved wrong, believe me I wouldnt, but I’m beginning to suspect he will never be seen, in a meaningful way again. I did send him a message on Skype, just to get a reply that he was trying to check on a couple of things, and would get back to me, but that was Tuesday, and not heard a thing! No, no plans to contact again, and no expectations of hearing anything now, either.
Fine, I was impressed when I saw it, though I couldnt see the practicality of someone controlling several (as was his plan) organic fembots on a long term basis, but I had to hope. Ah well…
On semi related news, the new book is progressing. I have the edited copy back, and if I can work out a way to buy the cover for it, it could be close to release. Snag is, due to the collapse of the pound, due to the Brexit campaign, I havent quite got enough on my pre paid credit card to pay $7 for the image. Minimum top up is £30 ($40), and the finances really arent solid enough this month for that, but fine, its going to be done, I guess?
Why is it related? Well, there is this thing, that generally, when creating robots, it involves a nice zap of electricity to the mind, or at least in the movies it does lol! And yes, a little bit of zapping might just be happening in my story, though not to transform anyone into a robot. Having got into the whole subject of ECT, its no surprise I decided to develop it into a story. I know, might hurt some sales, but might make others, who knows? Tackling something different might even prove to be a breakthrough moment? More likely make a few sales, and that will be it, knowing my luck! Yes, when available, I will advertise it, believe me!
In case anyone was wondering, no, I never got to do any more research on ECT treatment than I could find online. And I hate to break it to people who are against ECT, but the stuff you see in the movies, isnt general treatment nowadays! Yes, even a placebo walk through would have been helpful, and I did try for that. Not surprised I got no reply from local NHS, but I gave it a go. Yes, a low voltage session might have been even more informative, but practically, I wasnt expecting to get offered that! Bit like the guy offering to turn me into an organic robot, was never likely to happen!
Right, video time. You could jokingly say how a robot might think, especially an organically based one!
The sound of my voice
I meant to post about this in the previous blog, but I forgot…Yes, I’m blonde! So you can have the full length story, covered across from my other blog
Oh goody, you’re in for a video treat tonight. Lets leave it at that, for the length of the blog, at least.
At the beginning of this week, on Fembot Central, someone wanted a woman to do a vocal piece, a half of a conversation between a man, and a fembot. So yes, I said that if no one younger offered to do it, I’d do it for him. I have done these things in the dim, distant past, long before you could record it on to a program, on a laptop, for sure.
And yes, seemingly, its a bit like riding a bike, I soon got the hang of it again, just like reading a script. Fine, its a bit weird, doing your line, waiting a few seconds, and then recording your next line, to give him space to edit his lines into the middle of it. I’ve read scripts before like that, but all players have been there, so its easier to judge the pace. When you’re recording by yourself, hmm?
The other snag I discovered, when it came to do my lines, was exactly how robotic I was meant to be, I forgot to ask. Yes, I know, I was pretty sure he didnt want the monotone robot style, given she was a fembot, created to look like a human. So I played it in a clipped, human way, apart from where she was having difficulties with a malfunction in her system.
Actually, for someone like me, not an expert in technology, I had more fun getting it together, and sending it back to him! I mean, I’m the one who wants to be controlled by computers, not controlling them! Yes, the .wav things (I did one where I used the letter b, one where I used beta, as I wasnt sure which he wanted) I saved them as, was very large, and wasnt going to willingly be sent by email, not even separately. Eventually, the technical blunder girl saved it to her One Drive thing on Hotmail, and sent him the link! Yes, I mean, if we needed it recorded, we were all in one place, and put it on to a tape recorder, or cassette recorder!
Yes, fine, I loved the experience, it was great fun doing something like that again, after so many years. No, I dont think the tape will be going to Hollywood studios, even if it was fun. I’ll see how much he liked my voice, if I passed, I might be doing more. Yes, I’d love a contract, with decent money, for doing these things, but realistically…nope!
So, to that video. In honesty, Ultravox created some great videos. Vienna is the obvious well known one, but the barely known Passing Strangers is one I love, for the whole vintage feel. This one is just plain powerful, and far superior to the other one they made, for this song
stevielounicks 
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