MPSE Wavelength

4 I M PS E . O R G Many thanks to all of you for your overwhelming positive feedback following the release of our premiere edition of MPSE Wavelength. It is gratifying, to say the least, to hear from so many readers, your kudos and kind words of encouragement. Our summer edition is brimming with more great content I hope you will fi nd to be interesting, informative, and entertaining. So enjoy! Welcome to the dog days of summer. This is the time of season we are drawn to outdoor activities and the three B's of summer are beckoning us—beach, beer, and barbecue ( feel free to substitute with your own three B's). By now, most of us are planning to embark on our summer vacation trips, and the kids are well into their summer sports, but we are in the midst of strange times this summer. Some of us will go forward with preplanned summer agendas, and others will postpone for a future time and make stay-at-home plans this year. Most of the time, I am a work-from-home sound editor and not a lot has changed for me in that regard, other than my lack of weekly social outings with friends, which I miss dearly. Online conferencing software has become the 'new normal' allowing us to routinely carry on with our jobs and education from home, and there have been a variety of topic discussions, workshops, and events pop up to keep us connected, such as with the amazing MPSE "Sound Advice" events. Please check out our Sound Advice events calendar on page 17. My summer plans have been put on hold but the silver lining for me is that I have caught up on a lot of reading, as well as I think every streaming show on every streaming network, and (my favorite) people-watching from my apartment balcony. The other day when I was hanging out on my balcony, I overheard a passerby who was talking on their cellphone use the expression 'dog days of summer.' Refl ecting for a moment on the expression, it made me wonder why it was referred to as 'dog days'? I had heard it used all my life, and I have used it myself in reference to the hottest and most miserable summer days. But why specifi cally 'dog ' days? So I decided to do a little digging... I asked 'Alexa.' As usual, Alexa was full of all kinds of information. ALEXA: The expression 'dog days of summer' traditionally refers to the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere, which coincide with the dawn rising of the Dog Star, Sirius, at the same time or near the same time as the sun. It is also an idiom that means the hottest, longest, most humid days of summer between early July and early September in the Northern Hemisphere and January and February in the Southern Hemisphere, and is also referred to as ' lazy days of summer,' a period of stagnation or inactivity, indicating how the hottest days aƒ ect people not wanting to do much (except to lie around and try to keep cool during those hot sultry months). I was impressed that Alexa knew the word "idiom." But now I wondered when was the expression 'dog days' actually fi rst used? According to the Farmer's Almanac, "In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the sun. On July 23, specifi cally, it is in conjunction with the sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave o• heat and added to the sun's warmth, accounting to the long stretch of sultry weather. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or 'dog days.'" Well, there you have it. All of this talk about dog days, summer, and Sirius has gotten me in the mood for some of my favorite canine, Rom-Com, and Sci-Fi movies. Tonight's menu includes Beethoven (1992), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Be well, stay safe, and enjoy our summer edition of Wavelength! LETTER FROM THE EDITOR CHRISTINA HORGAN MPSE Editor I MPSE Wavelength RICHARD L. ANDERSON Reviewing a Long Career Over Lunch THE SOUND OF AARON HERNANDEZ'S MIND THE MOONS AND PLANETS OF CRAIG BERKEY ORGANIZING YOUR SOUND EFFECTS LIBRARY WITH THE UNIVERSAL CATEGORY SYSTEM SUMMER 2020 T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N o f t h e M O T I O N P I C T U R E S O U N D E D I T O R S SUMMER 2020 ON THE COVER: Richard L. Anderson Reminisces His Long Career Over Lunch

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• 10-13 EIPMA-HEALTH