There's a couple ways of thinking about Twitter. One is that it's a waste of time, a bunch of people writing about what they ate for breakfast. Yes, there's some of that.

But you can also use the service to monitor news and network for jobs.

I use Twitter as a sort of link blog. As a filmmaker, I follow a lot of movie news and horror genre bloggers to get the latest headlines. Here are some recommended accounts worth following:

MOVIE NEWS
http://twitter.com/Variety
http://twitter.com/twitchfilm
http://twitter.com/slashfilm
http://twitter.com/cinematical
http://twitter.com/Chud_News_Feed
http://twitter.com/DrewAtHitFix
http://twitter.com/rejectnation

HORROR MOVIE NEWS
http://twitter.com/dreadcentral
http://twitter.com/BGhorror
http://twitter.com/BD_News
http://twitter.com/horrorsociety
http://twitter.com/FEARnet

FILMMAKING INFO
http://twitter.com/TriggerStreet
http://twitter.com/FansOfFilm
http://twitter.com/bcfilmmaker
http://twitter.com/scriptmag
http://twitter.com/ScreenplayTips
http://twitter.com/filmlab

FILM FESTIVAL LISTINGS
http://twitter.com/filmfestlounge
http://twitter.com/ominous_events
http://twitter.com/bsidenews

TIPS ON USING TWITTER AND FACEBOOK
http://twitter.com/mashable
http://twitter.com/twfeed
http://twitter.com/MrTweet

I also put out content on a number of blogs. How do I get that information in front of eyeballs? I post promotional links on Twitter... but that's not all. Not everyone is on Twitter, of course. It's growing, but it's nowhere near the size of the growing Facebook or the fading Myspace.

Ping.fm is a site that aims to make the dissemination of information easier. I can post something once to my Ping account and let them repost it to my Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace status updates.

Easy, right? Get ready for the black belt stuff.

With a Twitterfeed account, you can hook up your blog RSS feeds to automatically repost to Twitter... or even Ping. So now I write a new blog post, RSS sends the info to Twitterfeed, which Pings it to all three accounts. This is not for the amateur -- I've run into some glitches, but if you understand RSS, it's worth it.

(I'm not even going to get into how I hooked up Ping to AIM so I could post via chat in Gmail. Yeesh.)

(I'm also not going into detail about FriendFeed, mostly because I haven't quite figured it out yet. Some people love it as an alternative to Twitter.)

The point is, I'm putting things out there. Not all of it is going to interest everybody, but Twitter and status updates are for short thoughts, like headlines. It's a great way scan what others are writing, but also build a personal audience by feeding info about your own projects. An engaged audience can be a powerful resource for you down the road.

...Tweeting like a true Captain of the Internet at http://twitter.com/mikeboas

I love 3D movies.

I love the gimmicky ones like House of Wax and the subtle ones like Coraline. I've seen them from every era: the 50s, 80s, the Imax years, and today. I believe James Cameron when he says that he'll change filmmaking forever with his 3D film, Avatar.

HOWEVER, if there's a new renaissance for 3D, there's some kinks I'd like to work out.

I already wear glasses. Although I wore contact lenses many years ago, I'm not interested in going back to them any time soon. I admit that the Real D company (which provides the tech for current 3D digital projection) has made some comfortable glasses, but it's still putting on a second pair over my regulars. Are the Real D glasses better than the Imax ones? Definitely, but I still get that nose & ear pain halfway into a feature.

What's the solution? I considered going to an eye doctor and getting prescription Real D specs. Can you imagine what that would cost? After surfing the net for "prescription Real D glasses," I found a guy who wanted the opposite of what I want -- regular lenses in Real D frames. Huh? I also found a site that sells Real D compatible clip-ons. Hmm. That might be worth twenty-eight bucks. (Fifteen would be better.)

Which brings me to my next point: cost. I suppose I can understand 3D movies like Monsters vs. Aliens having higher ticket prices. I'm paying an extra three dollars for glasses, right? Maybe if I were to SAVE my glasses to use again, I could keep that money, right? No, not an option. I brought my Coraline glasses to Monsters vs. Aliens, but the ticket seller said "no discount." I paid the extra money and she gave me a second pair of glasses I didn't need.

Every animation studio has 3D movies in the pipe. It's a smart move, giving the theatrical audience something they can't get at home, either legit or pirated. (This is similar to how 3D and other advances like Cinemascope competed with TV in the fifties.) I'm also aware that ticket prices in general continue to rise, but I'm disappointed by the significant price hike for 3D. Isn't it enough that I'm spending my cash at the theater? Do I have to pay 30% to 50% more than I would for 2D?

By the time Avatar comes out, I'll probably be wearing clip-ons, but I'll also own half a dozen unopened Real D glasses. And I'll be lighter in the wallet, too. Fun times ahead!

Those of you following my Twitter feed have probably seen my references to Script Frenzy.

I first heard about this online competition a couple months ago. And by competition, I mean a thing you do with other writers not for money, but for the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal. The point of Script Frenzy is to write 100 pages in 30 days. That's 3 1/3 pages a day.

That sounded like something worth trying. Can I test myself? Can I pump out a first draft in one month instead of the year(s) it usually takes? Can I force myself to write every day? Can I ignore the lure of the television?

So far, the answer is... sort of. No, I haven't been able to write every day. But yes, I am getting something done. I'm working at half speed, but there's still time to catch up. And even if I write three pages every two days, I'll have something in two months. Not bad.

What am I writing? It's a sci-fi action movie I've had in the back of my brain for a few years. I already had tons of notes and an outline, but now I'm actually writing the thing. One intimidating factor is the main character -- I'm determined to write a female lead. I've been told to just write the character, don't worry about the gender. Maybe on the second pass I'll put in lots of references to fashion and hair products. (Kidding.)

Naturally, when I started last week, I got all jazzed up about the new internet technology I could use. Maybe if I make this project as public as possible, I'll feel obligated to follow through and finish it! So I'm making the process transparent. I'm blogging about the writing process, tweeting my #scriptfrenzy stats on Twitter, and posting the script itself as it's being written. I'm even using a new cloud application called Zhura instead of MS Word. I can access the files and write from anywhere with an internet connection.

Why not check it out? I could use the support. Visit the Gamers screenplay site at http://maddogmovies.com/gamers

I just noticed that my Brightcove media players for Mad Dog Movies and Animatus are no longer working. Why? Because they're discontinuing their free hosting services.

According to their FAQ, the announcement was made a month ago, then videos went offline January 31st. It's possible they sent me a warning email, but it would have been to my Yahoo account, which I rarely check.

I'm not going to complain. They've got a right to make a buck, and their service is worth paying for... if you've got the cash. To find out the price, you need to call a representative. I don't know what it costs, but you know what they say... if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

For me, however, I'm going to look around for another free service or start building my own Flash players from scratch.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have put all my eggs in one basket with Brightcove. But their media players were just so darn attractive, I couldn't resist.

UPDATE: Since first posting this, I spoke with Caren Cioffi at Brightcove. Although the company doesn't have a current option for small independents like me, that may change in the future. I'll keep my eyes open.

Over the last few years, I've become something of a Lost scholar. After each episode airs, I read commentary from Doc Jensen of Entertainment Weekly, The Tail Section, and sometimes Doc Ardzt. I've spent hours poring over the Lostpedia, and I listen to The Official Lost Podcast, in which producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse discuss the show in a smart, entertaining way.

I think, perhaps, I'm the kind of person that Lost is geared towards. The show is character driven, with mystery, action, and great acting that would appeal to anyone. But it's the dense sci-fi plot that keeps me awake at night.

After the fourth season's finale, I decided to unload my brain, writing down everything I knew and suspected about the Lost universe.

Last night's premiere inspired me to take another look at what I had written. It was gratifying to see some serious time travel, and so far my theories haven't been contradicted -- except for a couple things. I had supposed that Ms. Hawking (the gray-haired time lady) might be working with the sinister Widmore or on her own. Now it appears she's aligned with Ben. Also, I had theorized that Widmore himself once used the frozen donkey wheel, but why then did Dharma excavators find it inaccessible behind a wall of solid rock?

So, before the rest of my ideas are vetoed by events in season five, I figure I'll put this out there for the blogosphere to consider.

Maybe at the end of the season I'll post an update.

Warning: this might be incomprehensible to casual viewers of the show.

Read more