Start Time

Anal Update:

"The Serenity Now" started at exactly 8:59 pm est. The week before, it was 8:59:30. The overall net length of these shows were the usual 22:35 plus/minus a few seconds.

It's now clear to me what NBC is doing: Jamming extra commercial time WITHIN their hottest show w/o violating FCC rules on total commercial time per hour!

In fact, I've verified that the center commercial block last night was 1 minute longer.

The Anal Retentive Video Librarian

I noticed this as well. How do you guage your time like 8:59:00? What clock do you use to set it yours by? To me it seemed like the show last night started around 8:58 or so.

It makes sense for NBC to do this as they can garner a *lot* more money for ads placed in Seinfeld than in their other Sitcoms.

Matt

This will give my enemies still more ammunition about my anal, overly observant quirks -- but I can take it, so here goes:

I use synchronization software on my PC to call THE atomic clock at the National Institute of Science and Technology in Boulder, Colorado every Saturday night. (I have a life, it only takes 30 seconds to do this.) Software will display the exact time on my screen to within the resolution of the PCs internal system timer, roughly .055 seconds! It even accounts for modem latency and tests for signal delay over the distance of the phone lines. I know that my wristwatch is about 1 second a week slow, so Every Saturday, I set my wristwatch 1/2 of a second ahead, thereby minimizing average error on a random day of the week. Of course, at some magical time during Wednesday morning, I am, in essence, wearing a "virtual duplicate" of the Atomic Clock! Most people call Wednesday "hump day", I call it "the timekeeping sweet spot".

I have won MANY bets on who's watch is closer to exact time ($100 the biggest), my only stipulation on how to settle the bet: we use the median error of each watch according to the phone time service in 7 different states, since some of them can be a "few" seconds off. (They are obviously not as careful as I am, even though they bill themselves as the "exact time".)

So, the 10/9/97 "Seinfeld" started at 8:59:00, not 8:59:01, and not 8:58:59!

Remember, Matthew, YOU ASKED!

And to all other readers, sorry, but HE ASKED.

In article ,

Pffft. What a crappy system. My Unix boxes sync up the time with the atomic clock ever 30 minutes automatically.

Why do you have to do it manually every week? That really sucks.

Daniel

My system is also rather complex. I turn my VCR on and put in a tape. Then I press record and pause and turn on NBC. Then when the episode is about to start, I press the pause button again (in effect, 'unpausing' the VCR), and I press pause once more when they are about to break for a commercial, then another 'pause' when they return. 2 more pauses and a 'Stop' later, and I pull the tape out and store it on the shelf until next week.

[email] (Dave) wrote:

that's a beautiful story...if only all of us would be so lucky to luxuriate near the TV and VCR each Thursday night. alas some of us are not so near those fine machines...some of us have night jobs, some of us are in bad blues bands, some of us work the 3rd shift at Plymouth or Chrysler or something, some of us simply have a FREAKING DATE!

ratboy, next Thursday when I'm doing one of the above (anyone want to guess), I'll think of you, poised on your remote like a frightened squirrel, while my VCR spins quietly at home, recording (as always) from 7:55 to 11:30 (just to be sure, you know?).

stay at home, tvboy...I'll be out dancing...hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

whew, I'm winded...

Cheers, WT

Alright, alright. Just cause my Thursday nights are free doesn't mean I'm a homebody. I get up for work every weekday morning at 4:30 AM. This means I gotta be in bed by 10:30 PM at the latest or I'm no good to anyone at work the next day. My weekends are for whooping it up. (And if you work the 3rd shift at a car lot, and can STILL get a date, well, then, more power to you.)

BTW, with my method, every single minute of every single tape is 100% Seinfeld. No filler, no commercials, no "last 5 minutes of the show before Seinfeld", nothing but the pure product.

[email] (Dave) wrote:

Hahahahaha. Frightened squirrel is a perfect line.

I've seen "you people," you remote control/paus/record people...you get all jumpy and nervous...is that a station break, or is the show starting? don't wanna miss that first line? car commercial, still paused...wait, wait....is that jerry in an AmEx commercial, DAMN, I'm STILL PAUSED....oh now...that's ELAINE...START IT START IT...DAMMIT, that's clairol...wait...wait.....

And hey, don't drag Liz into it...she doesn't strike me as a remote control/pause freak...but I may be wrong!

Best, WT

WT Pfefferle, Ph.D. wrote:

Some of "us people" aren't afraid to blow some serious coin on a high-end VCR w/ Electronic-to-Electronic Editing AND then learn how to use it (even more important than parting w/ the $ to begin with.) You simply tape INTO a commercial, back up to the middle of the "black space" before the commercial (the VCR will display picture only while letting you dial individual frames at any speed in any direction), and return to pause w/o ever leaving record mode. You then intentionally false start at the end of each commercial, when you verify it is NOT Seinfeld, one button jumps you back to the very frame you were on before you false started. Repeat as needed. Through the miracle of twin flying erase heads, you have a seamless commercial edit.

Alex Andreadis wrote:

Nice, what's a VCR like that run you? Maybe if I ever move to a location where my reception is decent I'll spend some money to get a good collection. What do you do in the case where you aren't at home to remove commercials; just wait til' it comes on again?

In article , matthew michael wright wrote:

location where

Look, if you're going to be serious about this, tape to 1"....

Dave v1.0 wrote:

Now you're talkin' ! Also, a sattelite dish not to deal w/ CATV defficiencies.

Hello, Dave and Doc,

Hooray, I have figured out how to put my post before my quotes!

Well, you guys sure keep *me* entertained! It is funny to watch you spar.

People talk about *female* hormones! I say, show me a couple of guys pumping testosterone and I'll show you entertainment!

ahem.

Well, since this is my court, I make the rules, and find that ratboy has invoked the jursidiction of the court.

Doc, you took the first shot. Go to your room.

Ratboy, you have redeemed yourself by showing restraint.

You have no right to appeal this decision.

MsLiz
_____________________________________

Summary of above sub-thread, with much editing: [this is funny stuff, BTW]

I forgot who wrote this:

And "ratboy" comes out of his little hole in the baseboard to venture:

Dr. WT stood at the lectern and aggressively ; ) retorted:

ratboy couldn't resist another nibble on Doc's cheese:

[email] (WT Pfefferle, Ph.D.) wrote:

END OF QUOTES, email me if you read this far! [email]

Although Ms Liz has denied me even the OPPORTUNITY to appeal (and listen, I watch Law & Order), I must say one thing.

I DIDN'T START IT...smart ass ratboy was bragging about how he simply waits for the commercial and then presses pause and so on.

I took that comment with great affrontrage. His "leisure class" sensibility is not in sync with my class-less dream for a socialist nation.

Therefore, I throw MYSELF upon the mercy of the court...

WT

Hold on there, Doc. I cannot be held responsible for the manner in which you 'took' my post. I was trying to be humorous by poking a bit of fun at the Anal Retentive Episode Taper who, if you'll let him, will detail the complete 294 step process for creating a Seinfeld collection. If this response offended you or your Socialist dogma, well, then I suppose you can call this an apology, but you've been here long enough to know you should take all of my posts with a grain of salt.

[email] (WT Pfefferle, Ph.D.) wrote:

Petition for certiorari granted.

Case taken under advisement.

Issue: Whether it is a legal defense to a charge of cyber-mayhem that

the accused is a Texan.

"You people". Ouch. Anyway, it's not that tough. I guess I'm lucky in that the station I tape from ALWAYS gives me a 5 second "coming up on the 10:00 news" commercial right after the break and right before the show comes back on. Instead of "coming up on the 10:00 news", I hear them saying "Get your finger on the Pause button. Ready? 3... 2... 1..." Perfect results every time, PLUS I get 16 episodes per tape.

Daniel Baker wrote:

My home PC is only on once or twice on each weekend, almost never during the week. Does your Unix box sync up every 30 minutes when it is OFF?

Does it matter if I set 12 timepieces or 13 manually? Does your Unix box also set your VCR clock, microwave clock, car radio clock, wristwatches, answering machine clock, yada, yada, yada... Get the point?

Alex Andreadis wrote:

Actually, you are continually rising on my coolness meter. This is the type of behavior I think we need more of in the world today. I think I will start doing the same.

MsLiz wrote:

It's too bad that just a few (I think we know who) users can ruin a great group. However, there are still a few quality posters. One thing I wish people would learn is that some people (I won't name names, but his initials are Justin Tribble) are obviously trollers. Instead of just letting people post nice things about episodes, he has to reply to every nice post saying he hates the show now. People need to learn the best way to handle someone like this is to completely ignore them (ie. killfile, as many have hopefully done). I admit I don't even really like objective crticism, but it is accepted since the author obviously has thought about it. Trollers don't care and only wish to a) get you to argue with them or b) waste your time. When you reply, even with something like "Please Stop", then you include what he has posted and it gets by my killfile, thus making me have to read his (and others') nonsense and fulfilling their need for recognition (hint hint ratboy. Although I understand your anger, it doesn't help to reply).

Take care Liz and keep trying to put people in line, so we can have excellent conversations about Seinfeld. Posts such as "Quote of the Day" and others are definite highlights which keep me flippin' through the ng despite the large noise to signal ratio. That, and the fact I can still get questions about episodes and such answered here.

Matt

Hey pal!

I got two words for ya!

Lou and Zher. Put em together.

JOOKY!

Here's my definition of what an "average American savant" is (read the below post):

"Jooky!" wrote:

Alex is right and Jooky is probably 8 years old.

Frank

Jooky! wrote in article ...

was

time

1

NBC will suck the American people for all they've got. NBC is smart - they can see that crap-ola shows like Seinfeld and Veronica's Closet will appeal the average American savant and they don't have to worry about the American people taking a stand against poor writing or acting on sitcoms.

Justin T.

Alex Andreadis wrote:

I... don't work in publishing... but I will tell you... that there is a rule in the English language... that you don't use ellipses... for no apparent reason...

Corrina "You can be a bitter woman or you can be a better woman." -1997 Miss America Contestant I chose bitter.

On Fri, 10 Oct 1997, Michael wrote:

In article , "Corrina O. Parry" wrote:

Ahhh...but we're not publishing here...we're "talking"...and they serve so well in place of pauses and allow one to dangle thoughts...