Hen House Media Blog

Sometimes the Best Reason to Shoot is None At All

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:19:00 +0000

So we found ourselves in between a couple of big projects and needed to take a small break to hone some skill and just shoot for shooting's sake. It's something we like to do from time to time. In the past it's led to great ideas and projects. Over the last three years, we've shot at the Vermont City Marathon and are now in preproduction and sponsorship phase of a larger documentary project.

Today was a gorgeous day. We'd been in early finishing up some final details on a coupel projects while scripting and storyboarding for a few new ones. We had heard that they were going to be doing a ribbon cutting up at Bolton for the new Wind Turbine up there, so we grabbed the camera and ran with it. Awesome day. And actually they had a really good turn out. Just riding the chair lift was a good diversion, so we knew we'd made the right decision. Got to meet some new people, bumped into friends....

And I don't think we could have asked for a better environment to shoot in. The turbine by the way is incredibly impressive and awe inspiring when you first see it up close.

Whatever you do for your creative career, make sure to take some time every now and then to do what you do for yourself. It's advice we don't always follow, but I'm glad we did today!!

AND THE WALLS...CAME TUMBLING DOWN

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:23:00 +0000

We're honored that Nancy Driscoll Marketing partnered with Hen House Media to produce a new television spot for Booth Bros Milk. We've been in pre-production on the spot for quite awhile.

First came the construction of the set, which was completed right here at the Hen House studios. It was modular by design for easy transport and assembly on set.

What took the longest was making sure we had all of the safety mechanisms in place so no one, cast crews or cows, would be injured during filming.

We rode the weather for most of the summer, each previously chosen date getting cancelled by rain or clouds. We needed sun and blue skies. Talk about a rough summer for this sort of thing.

Luckily, yesterday was beautiful.

The day at the studio started at 3am, and we arrived at the Silloway Farm in Randolph Center by 6am.

The thick pea soup fog we were in for most of the early morning broke by the time shooting started and the sun stayed the rest of the day.

And we're happy to say that when the walls came down in one of the scenes, it went off without a hitch, only a couple of spooked cows.

PS: Cows can be hard to work with.

Video & Social Media help find missing Essex Woman.

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Wow. We got a call from a friend at Comcast who's daughter had been missing from Essex since May of this year. Turns out she had last been seen boarding a train from DC to Phoenix. Her employer stepped up and offered airtime for a PSA asking for information. We produced a simple 15-second spot for her to run in the Phoenix area as well as elsewhere. (Thank you to Comcast for stepping up for one of your own. That was great to hear).

As we were prepping the tapes, we started talking about other things she could do to get the word out quickly and to mobilize people directly. We encoded a smaller version that she could then email, have people post on facebook pages, tweet links, etc.

She's been missing since May. Her mom has been using all the traditional avenues to find her, but has met roadblocks, resistance and beauracracy along the way.

Here's the best part:
In just a few hours today, she had friends forwarding her email with the video, posted on Facebook pages, etc and got the call she had been waiting for.

One of the recipients recognized her face and immediately called the Phoenix Police. She has been found, and she is safe.

That my friends is the power of Social Media. We are thrilled that they have a happy ending.

Thanks to everyone who posted the video, forwarded emails, tweeted. Wow.

My Past Colleague: Bob Ayer

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:08:00 +0000

I lost many people close to me this past month.

Two of them were very close family and one of them a friend.

At some point, I will take the time to talk about my family, but right now I am still too raw and wounded by their untimely passing.

Instead, I am focusing on the friend. Partly because he was an industry colleague and secondly, because I am still in a state of complete shock and therefore find it easier to write.

His name was Bob Ayer and he was an incredible colleague for many reasons. Bob came into my world as my One Inch Tape Operator, the person who set up the ADO to my needs, etcetera. When we parted ways, we did so as fellow producers.

His quiet demeanor and his sly smile were the distractions to his extreme wit. If you weren't careful, you would miss the joke.... most people did.

Bob was simply the easiest person I had ever been around. He didn't appear to have a care in the world. That is not to say that he didn't care, because he did. He cared a lot. What I mean is, he just simply didn't appear to let the world get to him.

Now, I know that Bob had a lot going on. Probably more than one might suspect, but he was just easy to be around. He was never one of those people that brooded, held a grudge, or broadcasted every one of life's inequities. In the years I knew him, I think he only talked "trash" about one person and in doing so, made it completely clear that his anger was based on his own prejudices.... that was just the kind of guy he was.

As for producer? Bob was just this guy... you know? He never felt that the job he did was anything more or less than what it was. He enjoyed meeting with clients, enjoyed lugging the gear, enjoyed shooting the image, and in the end, I think he just enjoyed being around his colleagues.

I am one hundred percent certain that there were tons and tons of things he hated about the job. But the one thing I know for certain is that when Bob walked in the room, he smiled and in doing so, made others smile as well.

Hey Bob ..... "Bingo-V" had me cracking up for years. Thanks for the memories.

-Bryan

Hen House Tweets

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Which is kind of fitting seeing as we have chickens all over the office. We love Social Media. Chickens are by nature a very social animal, as are the two owners of Hen House Media.

We've been helping our clients navigate these waters as well, eventually showing how all of the marketing efforts really work in tandem together. We'll often see disconnected marketing efforts, many times because of the speed at which things are happening these days. We push our clients to spend an extra 10 minutes to get their ducks in a row. If all the messages are aligned across all media, they'll experience greater success, especially during times such as these.

Hen House Media provides award winning video and digital media production, but we bring all of our disciplines and partners together for the benefit of our clients.

Congratulations to our Friends at BioTek

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Attended VT Business Expo yesterday and caught up with some old friends and made some new ones. At 10am, Governor Douglas announced the Deane C Davis Award recipient for this year. One of our clients, BioTek Instruments, was one of the nominees. While they did not take home that award, in our minds they are winners. They represent what we should all strive to become as businesses in this great state, and it is a true pleasure to know them and to work with them.

We congratulate Seventh Generation and this year's winner National Life as well. One of the great things about the Expo is you get to witness first hand the innovation and quality that is happening all around our state. Over the last few years, we've met companies who are doing some incredible things right in our backyard. Kalow Technologies created, among other things, a 3-D prototyping system right in North Clarendon. LED Dynamics, in Randolph, had some amazing lighting solutions on display. And, of course, BioTek, right out of Winooski, has become a global leader in microplate instrumentation. Can't name them all here, but the point is, we have a state filled with amazing and innovative people. They are creating jobs, great products and in many cases, driving technology.

There are some great opportunities out there right now for all of us to band together and make each other stronger, and by default, Vermont as well. Thank you to the VT Business Expo. I for one am inspired.

Hen House to Attend VT Business Expo. Film at 11.

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:13:00 +0000

For Immediate Release

Hen House Media will be at the Vermont Business Expo. On the agenda will be a tailgate party in the lobby of the Sheraton as the "men of the hen" (phrase coined by Mark of Interrobang Design) paint there faces to root their client BioTek Instruments of Winooski. BioTek is in the running for this year's Deane C Davis award. Good Luck to our friends and we will chanting as if at a South American Soccer game.

After that it's on to the red carpet for mingling, networking, catching up with old friends and making some new ones.

The Expo runs today and tomorrow at the Sheraton. Just $10 gets you in to a great networking opportunity

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters joins the Hen House Family!

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:37:00 +0000

More details to follow, but we are proud to welcome this great Vermont company to the family.

Hen House Media Produces New Series

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:59:00 +0000

More info will follow in the coming weeks, but we are currently in production on a news series that is both television and web bound. It's called Vermont Taste. We are really proud of what we've put together and currently have a sales and marketing effort underway. More to follow!!

Vermont-based video production company tells the story  of one of Vermont’s “best places to work”

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:53:00 +0000

SOUTH BURLINGTON, (5/2/09) -- Hen House Media, LLC, an award-winning video production company based in South Burlington, is helping one of Vermont’s “best places to work” tell their story through video.

BioTek Instruments, which received Vermont Business Magazine’s top honor in April as the best place to work among Vermont’s large employers, first hired Hen House Media almost a year ago to “capture the essence of their brand” for the company’s 40th anniversary last August.

No small task, particularly when the client is a large, international company with offices on three continents. But, according to Johnny Mendez, who co-owns Hen House Media along with Bryan Agran, the challenging project was an ideal fit for video.

“The story they wanted to tell was unique and emotional, and impossible to convey in print or in text on a website,” explains Mendez. “They needed video.”

The 14-minute anniversary piece drew from 20 separate interviews with BioTek customers, partners and employees, as well as hours of background footage. All in all, the project took nearly three months to complete, taking the Hen House crew from BioTek’s Winooski headquarters to Washington, DC, and back again.

The final product served as a rousing introduction for the company’s anniversary celebration in Burlington and around the world, and was just the start of a long-term marketing partnership between BioTek and Hen House.

“Hen House instantly understood our message, felt our culture and became a part of our team,” says Julie Murray, Marketing Communications Manager at BioTek. “Their enthusiasm and commitment to our projects has resulted in high quality videos that have become prime marketing tools for conveying the BioTek brand.”

After the August celebration, the anniversary video continued to work hard for BioTek, getting a lot of play on the company website and in sales meetings. In one case, it even helped BioTek recruit a top employee from a competitor. As that employee put it: “Who wouldn’t want to work at BioTek, after seeing that video?”

Mendez and Agran heartily agree, but not by way of self-promotion.

Says Agran: “In the process of making this video, we completely understand why BioTek was voted the best place to work in Vermont.” Mendez adds: “It was easy for us to believe in their company, because everyone we talked to – whether it was someone inside or outside the company – used the same words to describe their experience with BioTek.”

At the end of 2008, BioTek came back to Hen House and asked for a sequel, in the form of a more technical sales piece, which, they assumed, would require several more interviews. But in fact, Hen House only had to shoot one more conversation – with the new employee BioTek had recruited through their anniversary video. The rest of the material came from the original shoots, in which the Hen House crew had thought ahead for just such a contingency.

As Agran explains, “We try to anticipate our clients’ needs by learning as much as we can and asking the questions they aren’t even thinking about yet. This is where our broadcast background, and our experience working with all types of businesses, comes in really useful.”

So from that same original footage, Hen House created a sales package made up of three separate, four-minute videos, focusing on BioTek’s background, customer service, and R&D. Each individual video was designed to exist on its own, but the three parts could also play seamlessly back-to-back.

The design of the piece in three parts allowed BioTek to take full advantage of all avenues of distribution. The separate pieces played well on the web, Mendez explains, where attention spans are shorter and where content is categorized by theme. The video focusing on R&D, for example, was integrated into a website page with more information on that topic.

In addition to formatting the videos for the web and for sales presentations, Hen House also exported them for the iPhone, so that BioTek management could always be prepared for an impromptu sales meeting. As Mendez put it, “This allows the director of business development to carry his brand in his pocket. So if he meets a key prospect at a conference, or even in the hotel bar, he’s ready to market his company.”

That is where Hen House excels, say Mendez and Agran.

“We’re digital media specialists, so of course we can cover all of those distribution channels,” says Mendez. “But it takes more than a familiarity with digital formats to communicate effectively across all of those media,” he contends. “Whether it’s played on the iPhone, on the Web, or forwarded around the world in an e-mail, it takes a well-produced video to elevate a company’s brand. And that’s what we do.”

...And Then There Were Less!

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:58:00 +0000

We had another Chicken loss.

One of the original members of Chez Hen House disappeared.

Last week, one of my chickens was feeling rather odd... well, actually, I assume she was feeling on, because I really dont know just by holding her. She felt fine. But, she behaved very odd. Easy to pickup, a little fidgety, but this chicken appeared to have a case of High School "Senioritis". Was present, but didn't seem to give a damn.

A day later, she disappeared. I have to assume scavengers got her. But it is also possible that she just up and left, with an attitude of "who cares" thrown in nonchalantly, but heck I am no chicken doctor. In fact, I am no human doctor either...although my ability to diagnose humans is pretty damn high.

The odd thing is, there is literally no sign of struggle when these little birds go missing. I have to assume if something attacked a bird the size of a football (the bird that is) it would leave some trace... feathers, blood, a piece of denim from their "bad-boy" ensemble. Whatever.

Point is, if something took these birds, it did so in a very clean way. To date, we have lost a handful of these animals and usually under the age of a few weeks, no like this one. this one was a matriarch, which is why it is disappointing to say the least.

Perhaps it was the copy of the Wall Street Journal I left for it. Perhaps that sent this bird over the edge and it ran away, I don't really know.

All I can say is she was muttering Buh Buh Bailout! The last time I saw her.

Something is running foul amongst my fowl and I need to get to the bottom of it.

Good bye little lady, and Godspeed wherever you are going.

Our thoughts are with you.

-B

The Intern's New Website - From The Intern

noreply@blogger.com (B_The_Amazing_Intern) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:23:00 +0000

This would officially be my first Hen House Media Blog posting, high-5 me!

My name is Brian, and for the last few months I have been interning at the HHM studio. If you ever call, I answer the phone as Chris because it gets confusing having Bryan and Brian in the same office. :-) I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia and came up to Vermont to go to Champlain College where am majoring in Multimedia and Graphic Design. In May of this coming year I will be graduating (YAYz) and secretly hope to get a paid job at Hen House (shhh, don't tell Bryan and Johnny).

Last week I finished up with my fall semester and realized that I now have the free time to do stuff that I have wanted to do for 15 weeks, but never had the time. I have a long list of designs and personal "chores" to do for my portfolio that I never had time to do during the semester. Two days ago I finished the first thing on my list, reinventing my website (swichkow.com). I'm excited because it now looks pretty and was optimized to be seen by search engines like Google. Although I do video shooting and editing for Hen House Media, in my free time I enjoy print design and still photography. I created my website as a portfolio piece and to get some freelance work on the side.

Feel free to check out my website and let me know if you think it's as great as I do.

Cluck cluck . . . cluck - cock-a-doodle-doo!

Intern: Over and Out

Strange Days? Heck, Strange Week... Here at Hen House Media

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Strange times call for drastic measures.... sometimes.

Strange times ALWAYS call for unique thinking.

This week at Hen House Media, we were "walloped" by multiple issues and each one was stranger than the previous. Perhaps we owe this to Halloween or the elections. But one thing is certain.... "ain't no Pumpkin Pie" and "ain't no politico in the Oval Office" gonna save Hen House from the "Forces of Strange"

PART ONE: Aye Captain, there be Gremlins in the works!

Okay, early this week, Johnny's desktop hard drive conked out. I believe it was file-structure corruption, but the result was horrendous. We lost access to the drive, and any saved Data on it.

Thankfully, a very decent program was able to "see" the unmountable drive and allow for an overnight data recovery.

This was an awsome piece of software to fix a hardware problem... but it took time. And thankfully , NONE of our client data was lost.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself "Hard drive failure is not strange..." No it isn't. But what is strange about this failure are as follows:

1. We are between 2 massive jobs. - Timing works to our advantage
2. We recovered needed data - But even if we couldn't, no client files were ever in jeopardy
3. This failure came as we were about to implement an entire system overhaul for redundancy purposes.
4. This failure actually exposed one extra vulnerability to point number 3... and that is now part of our implementational "roll-out"
5. We lost time, but nothing more.

As frustrating as this all is/was, no major harm (knock on wood).

PART TWO: Want to get Capone? Here is how you get Capone... use a Bat!

Small mouse dropping suddenly make you aware that you might have a small rodent problem. Right?

WRONG?

At Hen House Media, the video production company near Burlington, VT, we know that small rodent droppings indicate that you have a problem. It is up to you to determine the size of the problem. May not be small.

We noticed chocolate sprinkle sized mouse droppings on our window sill, right under our AC. The neat thing is, we were going to remove our AC for the winter anyway, so we knew that we could seal up the hole that may have helped the mouse gain access.

Now, we are two stories up, so this must have been one industrious mouse... right?

Hmmmm.

As we removed the AC, the thought became clear: Are we going to find a nest? Are there going to be babies? Are there going to be carcasses? Who knows, but we continued with the uninstall. We needed to remove acustom wooden frame that held the unit.

As we did so, the idea crossed our minds (collectively): Could this be a bat?

As we carefully opened the wooden frame, we found nothing. Nothing but a pile of those little chocolate sprinkles.... which indicated -- Home for a mouse.

As Johnny removed a beautiful cross piece of wood, we heard the noice... and it will haunt him forever.

He heard the sound of a small grunt. That grunt of a very disturbed little animal, or perhaps that of a small, but tough truck driver. Then he saw it.

The body of a well fed bat.

This bat was still sleeping, but not happily, and not for long.

We quickly called in ALL reinforcements from the business next store, and with a four person crew (three working, and me holding a rolled up magazine, ready to protect myself if need be) we replace the inner wood, knocked out the outer wood, and allowed the bat to seek new refuge without much fuss.

He left the Hen House with no further coaxing.

We felt disgusted, but also happy that Hen House Media had given safe harbor to a bat that was healthy, strong, and a dedicated member to the fly-control population.

In a time of Bat die-off in the North-East, we felt somewhat relieved to know this bat was doing well and all we now had to worry about was the Hantavirus we had been breathing in all summer long.

f

Hen House Media: Chicken's EVERYWHERE

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:17:00 +0000

What was once described by a client as a place with "...chickens everywhere," in reference to our offices has now become a description of my home life.

While in the midst of building a modest hen house for four chickens (and we only had two) this has suddenly become an insane venture to house six little cluckers, and all before time runs out. Why? because they are living in my house.

Oh, one turns out to be a rooster. ¿Did I mention that?
So, actually, I have six chickens, one hen, a partially built hen house and a house over run with these cute, but foul little fowl.

And now, the wife likes them to stretch their little scaled feet, so she lets them around the small, but functional house. And me, chasing them around with paper towel, oxy clean, and a nagging desire to get them back in their cage because "break time" is over birds... back to being birds.

Thankfully, my older child sees the madness and my younger child sees my panic as she explains that what they really need is little chicken diapers. That might solve everything.

Hen House - The construction, continues.

-B

Hen House: The Build

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:57:00 +0000

Hen House Media strives to "right the wrongs" of video production. By working with clients, we create a more synergistic approach to media, but enough of that. I am not here to pitch media and content creation.

I am here to show my exceptional skills as a Master Carpenter, Farmer, Blogger, and Chicken Owner. I figure, that if everyone is trying to be a video producer and post to the web, perhaps it is time I try to do everyone elses job.... Lets see how I make out.

Day 1 of the build:

I framed a nice chicken coop and plan to make a "chicken tractor" to move about my lawn. This will enable my birds to run with grass between their webbed toes. While I only have two at the moment, my wife plans to get two more.

Since I forget the type of chickens, I will have to report on them later... this is a crime and I am mildly embarrassed.

Dimensions:
So, I framed a 4' wide, by 3' deep structure, with the front 4' tall and the back 3' tall. Why? I dunno. I am the expert on this project, so I do what I feel like.

Actually, it made some sense at the time. A structure with four birds, a lamp for the coldest of days, a heated water tray for the same, a nesting box and a roosting bar. All tolled, I figure a base of 4x4 should be more than sufficient and the height is for safety of the lamp.

If anyone understands this, then you are probably more well versed than I am.

Specifics:

I want a sliding snap out tray for the bottom. This will hold newspaper. There will be chicken wire 2" above the "floor" so poop will fall through.

One side will have a sliding 1-1.5 foot door through which I will load food and water. It will slide and lock. Maybe plexi.... So the little buggers get light and I can see that they are not by the door trying to get out.... Thoughts anyone?

There will be ventilation screens at the top with flip down wood, covering. Can be propped open on warm days, shut on winter days.

Back will come completely off via snap latched. Why? Cleaning in the spring. That thing is gonna be way too dirty... will need to be hosed out I suspect. But then again, I have no real idea.

The back will also have a hinged backplate that accesses the nesting box. Eggs my friends, eggs

Ohhhhh, Bantams. I am raising Bantams and it just came to me. Small eggs, but good from what I gather.

Okay, looking down from the top. Front on the bottom. Here is the proposed layout.

Door is bottom center

Bottom left, water and food with slide door on the left wall to access

Straight back left to a little past center is nesting box. One big one. Behind that is a hinged door with clasp lock to access eggs.

The to right, against the wall, is the roosting bar.

Sound good?

More to Follow.

-B

Hen House: The build (Media)

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Gonna Build me a Hen House (Media)

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:41:00 +0000

Hi All,

Looking for good, simple plans to keep a few chicken alive this winter.

I will post construction images when they occur.

Please keep in mind, small land size, lots of hills and lots of predators.

Thinking full frame of chicken wire and a smaller coop inside.

Frame of 1x3's? Then a small building within the frame of wire. Make sense?

-B

Jet Li, Make Way for Jet-licious

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:25:00 +0000

For this post, and complete understanding, we need Sam Elliott to narrate and Jeff Bridges to Star...

STRANGER

The Dude got out of his car at Exit 16 off I-89 in New Hampshire. He was one for fillin' up the gas tank, only after the needle got so low, you had to crawl under the dash to see where the little red hand pointed. But the Dude was also aware that while things needed a fillin', others needed the opposite of care.

DUDE
(Entering Exxon/Mobile talking to people at register)

Hey, you guys got White Russian Green Mountain Java? No? Damn. Allright, point me to the head if you'd be so kind.

STRANGER

Now, of course, the Dude would have no way of knowing his own destiny as he entered the restroom to take care of business. But upon completion, personal hygiene was about to give way to the discovery of a lifetime. So, after thoroughly washing his hands, the Dude reckoned that the little metallic push button on the side of the hand blower was as normal as normal gets.

DUDE
(Exiting Bathroom chuckling like a little girl)

MY SKIN -- IT RIPPLED (raising hand to face). It rippled like one of those space guys in a centrifuge... you know man? There cheeks get all ripply. That was me, only it was my hands. Whoa, where can I get me one of those hand blowers.

TRUST ME FOLKS, EXIT 16 BATHROOM OFF OF I-89 in NH. The Hand Dryer is worth it!!!!

We Love Space Chickens at Hen House Media

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:10:00 +0000

'Nuff Said!

Bat Die-Off in Vermont - Cause - Prevention - Disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:07:00 +0000

We live in the North East Corridor and are beginning to see a problem with serious ramifications.

There has been an immense and rapid die-off of the local bat population. It appears that the bats are emaciated, flying during the day, not hibernating, and speckled with a white fungus. In short, the one's stricken with these symptoms are already dead, they just don't know it yet.

This leads me to be consumed by the short sightedness of the scientific community. They are desperately trying to find out what the sickness is. And perhaps in doing so, they have forgotten the very basics of scientific insight.

As I suspected early on, scientists now believe the fungus is a secondary symptom and not the cause of the die-off.

This lead me to beg for two more paths of inquiry:

1. Look at changes in the food chain... not necessarily disease, but any element that would cause the bat to slightly shift its dietary habits. Much the way ciliac disease causes absorption incompatibilities, is it possible that the bat is not getting nourishment because what it is eating is preventing absorption. This wouldn't necessarily be a symptom of disease, but of a mild dietary shift

Unfortunately, it is easier to study this element in hindsight.

2. When looking at the food chain, has there been ANY significant die-offs, population control above or below the food source. This requires scientists that are not studying the bat populace, but more importantly, the insect populous. In other words, invite the entomological community into the discussion and have them focus JUST on that element in the food chain.

3. That brings the discussion to the fungus. Look at the safety catches that keep that fungus in check. To know the nature of the fungus life-cycle/food chain, may provide more valuable in connecting the dots.

4. Don't actually expect to connect the dots. Think about the human condition. If suddenly a huge portion of the population went crazy and we made the connection to prions in our beef supply, voila.... we would have a solid connection point and could back it up by observing the behavior of vegetarians. But if vegetarians suffered the same fate, it wouldn't necessarily rule out prion interference. However, prions in the beef would be part of the over-all situation.

Whatever is happening to the bats may exist on many levels. By all means, see if there is a pathogen. Study the blood samples, hair samples, etc.... but by not having a dedicated team of scientists studying the food chains of the foods supply and the fungus itself, we are heading down a very dangerous road where all we may do is shrug.

The way I see it, we have a very short time to unravel this mystery.

-B

Irresponsible Journalism? Meat Recall and Local/National Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:45:00 +0000

Far be it from a "blogger" to report inadequacies in our journalistic brethren... but since Hen House Media uses a blog as an online diary, and not to pontificate (okay, we do in fact pontificate regularly), I think it is time to take a nice little potshot.

Yesterday, all major local and national media outlets talked about one of the largest recalls of Beef in US history.

NOT ONE OF THEM.... talked about how it affects the local market.

So, scare me, why don't you.... But don't give me enough information to help myself.

The "sick" animals are being fed into the food chain with potential disastrous results, and the consumers are not being given ANY information to help.

I expect that the national broadcasts would not go into depth on how it affects the local marketplace, but I expect more from our local CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates.

I truly hope for the sake of all of us, that the local news organizations have already started the ball rolling on in depth reporting. If our health is at risk, we need to be given the tools to protect ourselves. That comes from knowledge. I rely on my local news station to provide me with that.

Please forgive me if I am jumping the gun here. Lets hope the next few days yield better coverage.

-B

Instant Karma got us... at the Hen House!

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Okay,

So within 24 hours after laughing at "Mr. Technology" crying his eyes out on the last post, Hen House gets blasted with NO TELEPHONE SERVICE.

I'm not cryin', but I am feeling very uneasy. So, for the Karma Demons out there, I repent, I repent!

I get it.

So can you now restore our phone service?

Please.

-B

Cell Phone Lifestyle

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Hah,

I still don't have a cell phone (although I love my skype).

If you are an addict to the techno-lifestyle, watch this.
You will need to commit some time to watching, but not as much time as a returning emails on your Blackberry.

Redbook Magazine Turns to Hen House Media

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:27:00 +0000

Okay, the title is not misleading, but might contain a bit of hyperbole.

RedBook magazine, the February 2008 edition, asked me, what I thought was important in the way a woman looked. While the questions were varied and intense, my answers were not.

Simplicity. Its all about looking natural and looking like yourself.

I suspect this is good advice for all of us. Heck knows that I am no fashion plate, so I prefer not to be against the ropes when I answered.

I suspect that we all (male and female) want to look as good as we can. It's when catering to that look starts to take a front seat to everything else...thats when we get into trouble.

I enjoyed my encounter with RedBook. Nice people, good questions, and very respectful.

We didn't make this, but should have!

noreply@blogger.com (Hen House Media) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Hen House Media prides itself on having a bit of fun with its clients, customers, friends, and family.

...And while life may not always allow for it, we try to get really stupidly creative in our free time (as well as on the job).

Below is a video link that a friend sent us (Thanks Brian B.) We did not make this, but should have.

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

-B