Top Gear - Season 13 Monday, June 22, 2009

Tonight is the night I've been waiting for since last Fall. A tradition that Sony and I have been dragged into (actually, most willingly). I'm referring to a get-together we know as "Top Gear Night".

We have a great group of friends here in Knoxville. Most of which attend Christ Community Church with us. The tradition of Top Gear Night basically just involves all of us gathering around somebody's glowing picture box to watch the latest episode of the greatest show ever -- Top Gear. A beautifully produced program on the BBC 2 about cars, Top Gear spares no expense to make quality entertainment with exceptional production quality...and a bit of good ol' British humor.

Now, I'll probably catch a lot of flack from some of you hardcore peeps out there, but neither Sonya, nor I are really "car people". You know what I mean when I say that. Neither of us could talk to you about cars in any intelligent manner...unless we're talking about the Volvo or the Love Boat. What I can tell you is that this show is just fun and pretty to watch! The amount of effort they put into its production is definitely noticeable.

Watch this clip from last season and you'll see what I mean. Be sure to click the HQ (High Quality) button in order for it to play correctly. (If that doesn't work, just click here to watch the video on YouTube.) If you're not a fan of the show after watching this, I don't know what to say.

Improv Everywhere...even in Knoxville! Monday, June 08, 2009

So, while perusing the interwebs, I came across this video on Ken Wilson's blog...

I had to watch it a few times to see all of the people's faces that were not part of this event. Someday, this will be me! I will don my hammer pants (or other mission critical attire) and dance, sing and act like I don't care who's watching...because it's not as embarrassing when everybody's doing it, right?

In watching this video, I was reminded of the whole Improv Everywhere movement (a.k.a. Urban Prankster) and how I still long to be a part of that. Knoxville has a group, which I am a part of, but haven't gotten involved with any such events...YET!

Take some time to check out the Improv Everywhere website and some of the classic missions they've done over the years. Then, find your local Urban Prankster group and make a scene!

Christian, but not conservative Thursday, April 09, 2009

This piece I just found on CNN is so important. It's exactly what I feel about where I'm at politically. I heard Frank Schaeffer on NPR a few months ago, talking about his book, "Crazy for God", and how he and his father (regrettably) were some of the original voices of right-wing politics that are so frustrating to me. It's inspiring to see how Mr. Schaeffer has had such a significant change in view point as he has gotten older. Has anyone read that book?

Never In A Million Years Monday, March 02, 2009

Though this could quite possibly be the biggest rush ever, I don't think I'd ever try it. This video both left me in complete awe and also needing to change my underwear. Enjoy!

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Have you ever done any base jumping or skydiving? If so, where...and why did you do it? If you bungee jumped, don't even bother commenting. That's child's play you big baby!

Final Edition of the Denver Rocky Mountain News Friday, February 27, 2009

As most of you know, I work for E. W. Scripps, the parent company for over a dozen newspapers across the country. I am a project manager for the online department and help to manage and implement pieces of the dot com portions for each of their newspapers.

It is with a sad heart that I write this post. Many of my co-workers (though most I do not know personally) are losing their jobs after today. Back on December 4, 2008, Scripps announced that they would put the Rocky Mountain News up for sale. Unfortunately, a buyer never stepped up. Just yesterday in this press release, Scripps announced that the Rocky was going to publish its final edition today.

My heart goes out to all of these employees. I wanted to thank you all for the dedication to see it through and continue to bring the people of Denver (and the rest of the world through your website) amazing stories and integrity in your journalism. Thank you!

The following video is a beautiful piece put together by the staff at the Rocky Mountain News. I hope you enjoy it and realize the impact this has on SO many people. Not just the employees, but also the city of Denver and journalists across the country.

Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.

Sick Longboarding Action Monday, February 02, 2009

This blog has really been crawling along for the past few years. We usually only write about things that we do or places we go, but no more. There are tons of cool things that I come across on the web and lots of thoughts rolling around in my head, so I thought I'd try and dump some o' dat in you face erry now and then.

I came across this insane longboarding video on one of my Vimeo romps. Check out these two dudes rocking the blue suits and passing the video camera back and forth while they blaze down this hill at ridiculous speeds.


Adam Kimmel presents: Claremont HD from adam kimmel on Vimeo.

If you're going to do something this crazy/awesome/stupid, you might as well look fresh while you do it!

Bringing it with Plyometrics and P90X Wednesday, December 03, 2008

In case you didn't already know, I've been doing P90X. It's basically a 90-day workout challenge where you follow these videos for 1 hour every day. I've always had a difficult time staying motivated, but this video has really helped to provide a framework for me. Going to the gym, I was stuck in a routine and felt like I had reached a plateau. P90X provides a great schedule and I've actually enjoyed the workouts so far. Plus, I've got 2 friends who are also doing the program, so that helps with accountability, too.

Yesterday, was day 2 of week 3. The video du jour was Plyometrics, or "jump training". Some say this is the "mother of all workouts". This is the third time I've done this routine and I can honestly say that it's getting easier, but it still kicks my a**.

Here's a little video I put together to show what I put my body through every day. Keep in mind, every one of these exercises lasts 30 seconds (some are 1 minute) and they go back to back with only maybe 8 30-second water breaks in the whole hour workout. Needless to say...it's INTENSE!

P90X - Plyometrics from Erik Luchauer on Vimeo.

Outtakes Sunday, September 21, 2008

Outtakes from the Rootclip intro for the Traverse City Film Festival. I still laugh EVERYTIME I watch this...


Outtakes From the Good Luck Intro from Rootclip on Vimeo.

Isle of Skye, Scotland Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sooo...I've been a lazy bum and just NOW got this video put together. This is only of Scotland from our trip to Europe back in March. At this rate you can expect to see a video about London in 2010 and one for Paris in 2014...but don't hold me to that!


Scotland from Erik Luchauer on Vimeo.

Jesus loves you...even when you look like a _____! [fill in the blank] Friday, September 12, 2008

Wow! What else can I say? Check out these interesting videos that I found on YouTube. Surely, God still appreciates this kind of worship...even if it's hard for me to watch. Hahah!

Though he reminds me of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, I can't help but see this guy being in one of my all-time favorite movies Breakin'? Pay attention at 1:58.

On this next one, note the phrases at 0:55 and 1:50. Classic!

Politics, Theology and The Daily Show Thursday, September 04, 2008

Interesting bit on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart about how some GOP pundits are changing their stories since Sarah Palin has come onto the scene.

I'm saying this to myself as much as all of you, please think about where you stand on the issues at hand in this election and don't assume that any specific news channel or political talking head has all of the facts. I'm often tempted to repeat what I hear somebody on the television/radio saying about politics because it think its clever or interesting, but often times, I haven't done all of my research and come off just being a mockingbird who doesn't know what he's really talking about.

For this election, I'm going to overlay each issue with my theologies and see how they stack up against what I believe about God, His people and the world in which He has allowed us to live and serve Him. I hope that you will do the same and not just ride the coattails of any specific party without knowing where they're going.

Wow, who knew you could mix faith and politics in one blog post?!

-Erik

Language Barrier Thursday, April 03, 2008

Moosee from Erik Luchauer on Vimeo.

So, I totally forgot about this video when we first got back and for those of you that missed it on my facebook, I thought I'd share it. Enjoy!

RootClip.com - Friends and Family Beta Launch Monday, February 11, 2008

Hey gang!

Not unlike my brother-in-law Kevin, I too am shamelessly self-promoting the launch of our new website RootClip.com.

Last year, we came up with the idea of creating a website that would build a community around online video, but also challenge people to get creative and collaborate on projects. Our collective brain-child was born and we named him, RootClip. (awww!)

In short, we create a video that starts a story. From there, users (that means all of you) watch the video, then go and shoot their own version of what happens next in 1-minute increments. Think choose-your-own adventure meets YouTube.

Obviously, you aren't going to have our actors, but that's the fun of it. Get creative and use whoever you want, but try to keep them in similar clothing so that the story has some linearity. (Whoa! Linearity is actually a word!! Must remember this for Scrabulous.)

Every 2 weeks, a winner is chosen based on positive votes for their submitted video and that video becomes the next minute in the story and the next 2-week shooting/voting period begins to continue the updated story.

The coolest part about RootClip is that every 2 weeks, we give away $250 to the winner and they become eligible to compete against the other 2-week winners to create the final scene and take home a $2,500 VISA gift card. Cash, money, what?!

So, what are you waiting for? Check out RootClip.com, watch the video, create the next minute, then vote for your favorites. You could win over $2,500!!