New Short Film

Thomas and I created a new short film tonight, "Mentos, Secret Weapon of WWII". Since it seems everyone else has done a Mentos and Diet Coke video on the net, we thought we'd show the "history" of this scientific discovery and it's military origins.
Enjoy! :)

Meredith-Knight Family Reunion and Poker Tournament

Cousin Doug in the red there as he explains the rules for the first annual Meredith-Knight Family Reunion and Poker Tournament. Needless to say other than a stomach full of wonderful home cooked food I came home empty handed.. :) It was a wonderful time and hope to have more of the family there next year. If you look in the back you can see a PlayStation being projected on the wall and a few of the younger cousins sitting at the table instead of playing! Thomas did pretty well but eventually had to console himself by going back to the PlayStation!

Oh frabjous day, caluou calaui

It's all 'bout the TV...

You just don't get to say that too often and here's why: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963. Babylon 5 Returns!






Also from one of my favorite artists Mike Mignola comes the Amazing Screw-On Head! In a brave new Web 2.0 world you can now watch the pilot episode absolutely free! Wow.





..and Alison Krauss has a new video available (also for FREE) here: http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/krauss_alison/artist.jhtml

Fresh Pasta. I'm a believer now.

Ok. I don't write many if ANY posts on food so here goes. I made fresh, from scratch pasta today for the first time. Not only pasta, by ravioli; one type filled with crab meat and one with gorgonzola. I also made a fresh sauce of tomato, roasted red pepper, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, pepper.boom. that's heaven. The prosciutto wrapped chicken breasts weren't bad either. I like me own cooking and that is a dangerous thing, but I have to tell you if you've never made your own pasta just do it! It's pretty cool and easy with the right tools . It was the best pasta I'd ever had. Seriously. I'll only go back to store bought for convenience, but if I have the time, I'm making my own from now on! I guess I am a believer now!

Another July 20...

Well it's July 20th again. One of those even numbered summer days that I like to celebrate in my own unique way. For those caught unawares, today is the anniverery of the first manned landing on the moon. As some of you know, I'm an avid space junkee and have a small collection of Apollo memorabilia. So today is always spent in quiet contemplation of what might have been , and what is yet to come, in our outward exploration of the Universe. So here's to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. And lest we forget, Michael Collins, who has passed on and was the pilot of the command module and for a while, was the most isolated human in history. God Speed.

Fort-Knight Tonight, Episode 3 (We're back!)

Well, after the camera disaster I thought it would be a while longer before Fort-Knight Tonight returned to the net.. but lo! Thanks to BestBuy and my RewardZone Points I got a new camera and now we're back! Better than ever! Enjoy! Note: usually this would show up through my RSS link to Vimeo where I do most of my video hosting.. but they're having some difficulties so I've posted this to YouTube.

A KitchenAid Moment...

One of the fine ladies at KitchenAid, where I work, creates these wonderful StandMixer characters. I thought somebody out there might appriciate them.


Multimedia message, originally uploaded by johnmknight.

John 1, River 1, DING, your laundry is done!

Seems like my Canon still digital camera survived it's several dunkings in the Pierre Marquet river last week. Sadly, my Canon DV camera is dead. So this score is, John 1, Pierre Marquet 1.

On other tangential job related news (I was working when the camera died) there's been some coverage of a project I was briefly involved with at Whirlpool, LaundryTime. While it's been done before both on the college campus and in the home, the Whirlpool approach's interaction design was quite different. In fact the model for interacting with the appliances could be used in a number of different situations... ah, but that would be telling. ;)

My Old Kentucky Home, Part 3

I had such a short amount of time to visit with family and then go back home. I hate being somewhere and have nothing to do but kill time. What I hate even more, is having very little time and so MUCH to do. This was one of those times that each minute was presious. I packed in as much as I could, this included helping to schedule and attend, if ever so breifly, a little cousin against cousin poker match. It's funny, I had never had a beer with a single one of these men before this summer evening but there we were like long time neighbors/family sitting and laughing and playing cards. Through a cirsumstances that I'll share another day, I happened to have a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon in my car and donated it to the festivities; my contribution in addition to the $20 that my cousins won from me! The evening weather was threatening with thunder and lighting behind the tree tops. We kept an eye on it and the cards. Later, it started raining and each man and lady held his or her ground until the collected bunch agreed to pick up the entire table we were playing on, cards, chips and all, and move it off the deck and into the garage. During all the chatter and cards, I was able to observe my cousins and realize that old truth, that so much of us is defined in childhood, from the way we laugh to the way we enter a conversation or exit a room. I was taking all this in and the one big BOMB of a memory hit me...
I was turning 5, and it was my 5th birthday. This was the one and only big family style birthday I ever had. My aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents had turned out at my Aunt Shelia's house for the party. I had a chocolate birthday cake with yellow lettering. We ran and played on that hot and bright July afternoon. There's a moment that day that was captured on film, and for one obvious reason, I remember very vividly... me bent over getting spanked, my cousins and brothers giving me my Birthday spankings. Each of them lined up behind the other another, my cousin John holding me in place. I laugh just thinking about that inpromptu organization of kids all working towards the common goal of spanking me. The level of work it took to catch me (I was pretty quick when I was five) and the negotiations that led to who would get their turn first. Never underestimate the power of a group of kids with their mind on something...
After returning back to Michigan, my cousin Doug and I have kept in touch. We both agreed that getting everyone together was... well a blast. I also felt that I hadn't had the opportunity to truly show him my card skills so the seed of a poker rematch was planted. Weeks went by and as my 35th birthday approached I thought about traveling over that weekend and visit my family in Kentucky. There was just too much vistiting I didn't get to do. It now looks as though after 30 years to the day I'll have another piece of cake with my family and have some fun underneath a bright and warm July Kentucky sky. This time, I'm making the most of my time and will make sure to have enough time to play some real poker and talk just a little bit longer, and get to know, a little bit better, my family.

I've been spammed!

Well I suppose I've reached a milestone with this blog. I've recently started receiving spammed comments on this blog. I suppose in addition to a few more real people reading (thank you!) that a few bots have joined the ranks. I feel like Steve Martin in the Jerk, "I'm somebody now! My name is in th phonebook!", er my blog has been spammed!

By request, 4th Video...

Not everyone finds the links to my videos so, here's the link to my 4th video.

Yo Ho Ho...

Ok.. I saw Pirates: Dead Man's Chest the other day. I loved it. It's a hard PG-13, so parents ye be warned. I've read several reviews both before and after actually seeing the movie and I have to admit I'm absolutely upset with the LEVEL of quality in most of the reviews I've read. The good folks at AICN.COM can be excluded from this rant. CNN, Detroit Free Press and others.. no so lucky. Here is a sample of the types of critiques the movie has come under: too much action, too complicated a plot, it's a cliff hanger, Captain Jack is no longer Gay, etc. Ok. What the ???? Let's take a look at each representative complaint here.. by the numbers:
1) too much action -- It's a summer blockbuster action-comedy. What did you expect?
2) too complicated a plot -- Ok... if anyone who has actually seen the movie wants an explanation of the plot, please email me here and I will explain it in 20 words or less. NOT COMPLICATED. Now.. the funny part here and my apologies to those who REALLY didn't follow the plot.... Captain Jack is a bit less than DIRECT to his mates when describing what he's up to.. and describes thing a bit convoluted shall we say rather than straight to the point.. see it's suppose to confuse the less than smart other pirates.. not the audience... arrrr I guess we're not all as smart as Captain Jack...
3) it's a cliff hanger - ok.. I can understand why a few non movie critics could be surprised that a money making huge blockbuster had two sequels filmed simultaneously so that the second movie would be a cliffhanger and lead in to the third and possibly last film.. but HELLLOOOO.. if you're a movie critic and can't appreciate a cliff hanger then don't go and see one. It's like this... I don't like sad movies... so I avoid them. I can't critique them well because.. well I get sad. Now if you don't like or can't stand cliff hangers and are OBVIOUSLY biased towards them in this medium... well then DON'T REVIEW IT.
4) Captain Jack is no longer Gay. I never knew he was to begin with. I also didn't know that the sexuality of a character and it's interpretation or reinterpretation would affect the QUALITY of a film... I guess others would disagree. All I can say is that several of the characters in this film become less two dimensional in this film without destroying their core. I guess some people didn't/can't get this.

See.. I liked the movie and admit I'm biased but folks when you write about a movie for your profession (which I DON'T cuz I don't get PAID) you need to have a higher standard for your work than say... someone like me. Now... wait a minute.... Well, then again I guess I can admit my bias so... strike that last comment. Get some standards. Stick to them. Admit your bias or your limitaitons. You can be disappointed in a film if it doesn't meet you expectations but that doesn't a bad film make.

New Haircut, Old Shirt, Happy Birthday America

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by johnmknight.

New Cut

I thought this was a "new" enough hairdew that I'd post it. I'm not that vain to think people are really interested in my hair. I know better. I know for a fact that people around the world just like to make comentary about my hair. So.. this one is for my people. Not to worry.. it will grow out and I now remember why I havn't had my hair this short in 18 years. I look like this guy in the photo.

Old Shirt

Also to all those "SoftArt" people out there... check out the old company shirt. Software Artistry for those playing along at home, was my corporate home for several years where I cut my teeth doing software development. It was my first publicly traded company and where I got my first taste of coporate mergers and acuisitions. I also had the honor of working with a lot of great people, many of whom I'm still in touch with.

The 4th

I have always been a student of history and in particular American History. For those who call the United States home (or not) I encourage each and everyone of you to read the following: The Declaration of Independance, The Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and Calvin and Hobbes. Also you should all listen to a little John Phillips Souza, Elvis Presley, BB King, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Daniels, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffet, Allison Krauss, The Platters, Johny Cash, Frank Sinatra... oh, and anything Jazz, the truly original American Music.

Final (Random) Thoughts

• The British didn't really accept the United States' indepedance until after the War of 1812. Most American Student's have no idea what this war was about or who fought in it.
• John Paul Jones, the first Admiral and Naval Hero of the United States, died in Paris and was exhumed decades after his death and is now intured under the chapel at the United States Navel Acadamy.
• It is a fact that many of the the Founding Father of the United States owened slaves. The fight to end slavery began well before the American Civil War. The political fights and stuggles AND compromises made during the very creation of the country would simmer and cause bloodshed until 1865 and the end of the American Civil War. Ironically the watershed moment of that war, the Battle of Gettysburg would end just before this nation's birthday, July 4th, 1863. President Licoln, months later, would dedicate a cemetary on the location and give the Gettysburg Address.
• The hair will grow back...