Powerloafing Weblog

Technical Difficulties

2008-12-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Powerloafing is offline at the moment, obviously. We're working hard to get back online, and you'll be the first to know when it's back up. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Be Cc'ing You

2007-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Our next episode cost three times as much as a normal episode, and it's also gonna be almost eight minutes long!

But, it's a sure to be a hit, since it's based on an obscure British spy show.

And, we're more of a hit in Britian anyway. They get us more than North Americans for some reason.

We hope everyone likes it, because, like we said, it cost a lot and it was a bunch of work. But, we had fun doing it. Look for it sometime in early '08.

Far out man

2007-11-19T04:33:00.001-08:00

His slacker creation is keeping him busy

2007-09-16T04:26:00.001-07:00

Business News

LA Times - SUNDAY PROFILE

'Powerloafing,' a Web sitcom, has given an Emmy-winning writer a chance to take his talent to another medium.
By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 16, 2007

Mike Upchurch has elevated slacking to an art form.

The Emmy Award-winning writer is the creator of "Powerloafing," an online comedy about a world-class slacker, Cubicle Carl, whose adroit avoidance of work makes him a role model for aspiring office slugs.

"That's part of the definition of powerloafing," Upchurch said. "You're not just goofing off, you're getting away with it and you're convincing all the right people that you're a top worker."

Upchurch creates what he calls the world's smallest sitcom on what may be the world's smallest set -- his Los Feliz district apartment.

Everywhere are props for his comedic endeavor: Carl's cubicle, folded and stored on the porch; a singing fish modified to deliver dialogue via remote control; a mummified corpse in a shirt and tie. (more)

Back on the Net!

2007-09-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

We redesigned our home page and relaunched our URL Powerloafing.com. We totally stole the classy black background from Superdeluxe. Our new home page has all the little gadgets you've come to expect, and a nifty new episode in the hopper. Our goal of helping you to goof off more efficiently just got easier for the both of us!

Dept of Doom!

2007-09-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You

2007-09-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's criminal how long it's been since we've posted. But, we've been busy working on new episodes, we swear, and submit photographic evidence here and here. One of the guest stars for our upcoming episode, "Dept of Doom," is the spitting image of a well known celebrity. Unfortunately, we're not sure who he is, because the guy just showed up in the back seat of our car and then forced us to do an episode.

1984 - Big Boss is Watching

2007-05-07T01:31:00.000-07:00

Miniature sequence

2007-04-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

In our upcoming episode, we simulated a vast cubicle maze with 24 miniature cubicles. Of course, we can't afford expensive computerized camera dollys, so we had to modify a Barbie Beach Cruiser toy to get the effect. Instead of costing thousands, it was about fifty bucks.

It took a freakin' week to get it right, and we had to build tracks, but 60 takes later we finally got it in the can. The sequence is pretty cool and by far the most complicated thing we've done. Stay tuned, it may be up on Superdeluxe soon, and you'll be the first to know.

Our new Studio...

2007-03-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

...Is still a living room. But, it's a better living room than the one we used to shoot in. There are all kinds of improvements: new lighting, a better fake clock pole, and an overall roomier more ergonomic setting.

The snapshots are from our latest episode, 1984, which is rumored to be on Superdeluxe soon. It's got all kinds of special effects and greenscreen. Our half-finished rough edit had to be taken down because it leaked and got several hundred views in a few hours. If that's any indication, it could be viral.

stand by

2007-03-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a still from our newest episode:

The deal is: we got picked up by Superdeluxe.com. They are the most totally awesome website on the web. They haven't launched Powerloafing yet, but they have great stuff over there to check out now. We'll have 10 brand new episodes rolling out over the coming months, and we have all sorts of cool stuff planned. Stay tuned for more news in the next couple weeks. Thanks to all our hard core fans who have sent support and threats during the last few months we've spent offline.

Announcing... something's gonna happen!

2007-01-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, our main URL is blank, and we haven't updated this blog in eons. See, what happened is: Powerloafing got acquired by a media giant, and preparations are being made to bring Powerloafing to every cubicle. Sorry to be so vague, but we are contractually obligated not to blab. But, we can say it's gonna be BIG. Sometime in '07 you will be directed to the coolest URL on the planet. Get ready to go into overtime wasting the company's time.

Huh? Wha?

2006-08-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

Office Guns

2006-08-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

While we don't advocate violence in the workplace, (too much work), we do admire the technical achievement that Office Guns represents. Who knew you could create lethal projectile launchers with the junk in your desk?

Summer Break

2006-08-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

We've taken a bit of a break because the apartment gets unbearably hot when we shoot in the summer. As soon as the lights go on the tempurture rises to over a hundred, and AC is too noisy and messes up the sound.

Thank you for all the emails demanding more episodes. We understand your frustration, and have provided the above twiddling thumbs to graphically represent it. But, there will soon be more powerloafing: we have 5 new episodes which begin rolling out in September, or maybe a little sooner, and several more on the drawing boards. We've also had some very positive discussions with actual brick and mortar businesses, who just might want to be in the Cubicle Carl business. When we officially sell out, you'll be the first to know.

Featured Powerloafer: Jon Greathouse

2006-06-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

The highly infectious tune that begins each Powerloafing episode was composed and performed by our Musical Director, Jon Greathouse. Jon has composed music for network and cable TV shows and commercials, been a studio musician on 15 albums, and is also one of the great composers of low budget horror scores. (Jon coincidentally wrote the score for Dead 7, which happens to star the guy who plays the VP, Joe Myles, as a meth dealer who gets killed by a zombie.) Since coming to LA from Colorado in 1994, Jon has been hard at work in the music industry as a film composer, producer, studio musician and live performer. He also released a great CD of electronic music in 2000.

Happy Baby's Eyeballs Will Incinerate You!

2006-05-18T23:21:00.001-07:00

Viva Cubicle Carlos!

2006-05-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

None of us can speak a word of Spanish, but that didn't stop us from doing our newest episode, Powerloafing en Español to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We translated dialogue using a free online translator from Babelfish. Free auto-translators are notoriously unreliable, so the dialogue makes little sense, and our pronunciation is atrocious, but shouldn't we get some credit for at least trying? We hope this episode makes inroads in the vibrant and growing Spanish language internet.

We also hope nobody gets offended by our blatant stereotypical depictions. However we fully intend to offend millions of spaniards when we say that madadors are gay. Did you hear us? Let our friend Babelfish translate it: matador es homosexual!

VARBusiness!

2006-04-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

Leading business publication VARBusiness has lauded Powerloafing in a recent column by Editor Lawrence M. Walsh. We applaud Mr. Walsh for having the forsight to pick a future industry leader in loafing technology. And, if there are any venture capitalists out there putting smart money in web entertainment, we are available for meetings. Just take a look at the picture of Carl to see the kind of money that can be made. KA-Ching!

Great Idea! Bad Execution...

2006-04-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

According to KCCI in Des moines, a couple in Iowa managed to get out of work by orchestrating a really clever plan: pretending their son was on life support. When they asked for a leave of absence to deal with their son's death, their employer (Tyson Foods) asked for proof, so they posted a fake obituary in the local paper announcing the death. Unfortunatly, their son was spotted by family friends feeding his healthy and completely alive face at a local restaurant, and the cops were called. Now they face possible jail and fines, and it's really going to be hard for them to successfully lie their way out of work for quite some time.

We applaud such intricate, underhanded, and innovative ways to get out of work, but urge caution: this method should only be used in large cities.

Featured Powerloafers - Part I

2006-04-06T01:48:00.000-07:00

We begin our series featuring wonderful performers who donate their time to Powerloafing so you can effectively waste yours with the four regular cast members:
Paul Greenberg: Paul is a busy TV writer and performer when he's not playing the biggest loafer in the world. He wrote and produced the TV sketch comedy Vacant Lot, has voiced a million cartoon characters, inluding for the shows Jimmy Neurton and Invader ZIM. He's also been an actor in Reno 911, and Curb Your Enthusiasm and written for Jackass, The Jenny McCarthy Show, and the MTV Movie Awards. He's also acted in films like Tommy Boy, and he stole the movie As Good As it Gets from Jack Nicholson.

Ron Lynch: Ron, who plays Carl's boss, is a prolific actor, writer, and voice artist. He voiced the principal on Adult Swim's Home Movies, and is a city council member on Tom Goes to the Mayor. He's also a favorite live stage director and performer, with the popular Idiots, and Tomorrow Show both currently enjoying long runs on the LA stage.

Joe Myles: Joe, who plays the VP, is an accomplished actor and film producer. Look for him as a racist cop in the upcoming Wassup Rockers, by noted indie director Larry Clark, and as a DA in the new USA Network legal drama Guilty or Innocent. Before acting in respected film and television roles, Joe had a long career in low-budget horror films as the guy who got killed in the first reel by hot female vampires, and he also got his ass kicked as a coke dealer by Scott Baio in the movie Detonator, (an ass kicking he actually choreographed beforehand.)

Mike Upchurch: Mike, who plays the dumb guy in the cubicle next to Carl, is an Emmy award winning television writer. Mike has written for HBO's Mr. Show, and the Chris Rock Show, as well as Mad TV, and the George Lopez Show. Mike initially sold Powerloafing to Pop.com, a high-profile failed attempt by Hollywood to take over new media. When Pop imploded, Mike maxed a credit card to buy the project back. Powerloafing now continues on from Mike's small apartment in North Hollywood, and is produced by the four valiant folks featured in this post.

Loafing Cheat Sheet

2006-03-30T01:23:00.000-08:00

iVillage.co.uk put together a nifty beginners cheat sheet on loafing. Although the fake screen saver made to look like a downloading icon is cutting edge, the rest will be familiar to any competent loafer. To make it easier for our user base, we've summarized the cheat sheet ourselves, making avoiding work even easier:

-Keep a messy desk, as though you've been working like a dog, and sigh a lot.
-Always have an important looking excel spreadsheet open on your desktop. Furrow brow, and stroke chin thoughtfully.
-Find a screen saver that looks like you're downloading. If anyone asks why you aren't doing anything just point to your screen and say "I'm waiting for such and such to download..."
-Have a jacket on the back of your chair at all times. That way if you're somewhere you shouldn't be it looks like you haven't left your desk for long.
-If you have to leave your desk to flirt with the secretary, carry a file. It makes you look like you're on your way to do something important.
-Stick a pencil behind your ear - always works for builders.

Inventor of the Cubicle has second thoughts

2006-03-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

According to this Fortune article, the guy who invented the modern cubicle, Robert Probst, says he has regrets about it becoming such a prevalent workspace. We think he's being hard on himself. It's better than the walls of a coal mine, or someone else's hairy arms, as pictured above. Carl has put in a request for a window and a wet bar in his cubicle, though.

Powerloafing set also a kitchen

2006-03-09T02:43:00.000-08:00

This is a view from behind the guest slot outside Carl's cubicle. You'll notice that behind the fourth wall is a kitchen, so saying we shoot in a livingroom is only partially right. A cupboard had to be ripped off the wall and moved to the balcony to make room for one of our cameras. The edge of the cubicle is secured to the kitchen counter, which has a light taped to it. Since we shoot both sides at once we have to get creative with light placement. This is, by the way, a behind-the-scenes shot from "the Insecurity Officer" an upcoming episode guest starring Tom Sharpe as a intense security guard, who's seen here getting ready to interrogate Carl for downloading music.

New Episode

2006-03-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mr. President Goes Powerloafing is up on the mainpage. You won't believe who shows up.

How 2 Make a Fake Flash Camera

2006-03-02T04:13:00.000-08:00

This fake flash camera works for comedy sketches or video projects where a big important looking flashing camera is needed cheaply. It actually works, in that it flashes, however, it doesn't actually take photos.

It's about 25 bucks in materials if you make a few, but since it's made out of macaroni and tea boxes some of the cost was recovered in pasta and tea.

We constructed four fake cameras for the new Powerloafing episode entitled "Mr. President Goes Powerloafing." We'll have it up soon. Sorry so quiet lately, but we're pushing so hard on this episode there's no time for the blog. We hope you'll find it worth the wait, and can build these fake flash cameras in the meantime.

Spike!

2006-02-17T01:57:00.000-08:00

As you can see from this screen grab of our stats, we've had a rather dramatic increase in our traffic lately. The sky scraper on the right is the first half of February, which makes our "spike" in August look like a pimple. Until recently just a few comedy nerds were aware of Powerloafing, but in the last couple months we've reached tens of thousands of people. We're all tremendously excited, and we've rushed a super-gimmicky episode into production that will hopefully make this current spike look like a pimple, and allow us to sell out and cash in BIG time.

Powerloafing Invades the UK

2006-02-15T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Guardian Unlimited selected Powerloafing among it's February picks in the Cyber-cinema section. We at Powerloafing recognize the great historical debt we owe the British, for wasn't it they who helped the US and Canada to kick the butts of the French during the Revolutionary War? We hope that Powerloafing will serve as a symbolic hallway spanning the Atlantic, and uniting the offices of Great Britain and the New World into one big office with a long damp hallway.

Powerloafing Conquers the East Coast!

2006-02-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

The New York Times just wrote a blurb about Powerloafing in their What's Online section. We believe this significantly improves our stats with the literate public. Hello reading citizens! Welcome, and feel free to Irritate the VP. When you go back to work on Monday don't forget to tell your non-literate co-workers about Powerloafing.

Another Blooper Reel

2006-02-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's amazing we ever get any "work" done. To see something even more pointless than our actual show, please click here.

Powerloafing on Screenhead & Metafilter

2006-02-03T01:31:00.000-08:00

Powerloafing was posted on Screenhead, Metafilter, and BBspot, all great websites. If you need take your mind off of something like, I dunno, work, for instance, they will provide hours of distraction. Hello Screenheads, Metafilterers, and BBspotters, welcome! Please help us to realize our dream of Powerloafing in every cubicle across the land. Spread the word, (Just be careful and don't get busted.)

25,000 humans!

2006-01-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

Our latest episode, "2 Boldly Loaf" got 25,000 views. Wow! That's the approximate population of Newport, Rhode Island! Hello Newport!

Fat Hyper Kid Will Kill You For a Cookie

2006-01-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

Mirror trick

2006-01-26T01:47:00.000-08:00

The living room we shoot in is only 12 feet across, so to give the illusion of a big office, we put mirrors along the top of the back wall. We glued 9 of them with some gunk called Mirror Magic and none have fallen off yet. From some angles the ceiling warps in the reflection due to the earth quake damage in the building. The above picture highlights the mirrors in B&W and outlining each 1 x 4 foot mirror.

Carl's reverse angle also presented a problem, since there was a wall 2 feet back with a door and a bookcase in plain view. We used a Final Cut Pro filter called "garbage matte" to insert a reversed image of the ceiling from the other direction. Don't believe anything you see on Powerloafing, it's all smoke and mirrors.

Powerloafing Soundstage is a living room

2005-11-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

Most people don't realize when they watch Powerloafing that it is shot entirely in a 700 sq ft. crackerbox apartment in North Hollywood.

It looks like an office because of the fake florescent lights stuck to the ceiling, and the mirrors which line the top of the wall. We use two cameras simultaneously, and they are fed into a plasma screen in the livingroom, where anyone not currently on camera can watch what is being shot.
Powerloafing has no corporate affiliation whatever, and everyone does it for free. We are gallantly working our asses of so you can heroically sit on yours.

Equal Time

2005-11-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

We've recieved flack regarding the fat dumb bald kid animation below. Apparently, some people feel it's inappropriate and insensitive to slobbering cretins . Well, now we've altered a photo of a genius and made him stick out his tongue and even cross his eyes. We hope you're all happy. Next thing you know there will be a bunch of geniuses freaking out on us also. Get off our backs!

fat dumb bald kid is amused by you

2005-11-14T02:45:00.000-08:00

Is this you?

2005-11-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

All I want to know is how come he gets to wear a suit and carry a briefcase? I'm wearing a polyester shirt and tie, and my wheel squeeks! What the F?

Sites that link to Powerloafing

2005-10-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

JonahRay.com is the personal website of stand up comedian and comedy writer Jonah Ray. Johah will someday be in a Powerloafing episode. His site sends that cool young hipster demographic so sought after by advertisers.

Brodystevens.com is the weblog for comedian Brody Stevens, who is shown here in one of his many self-portraits available on his site. Brody has been know to completely incapacitate audiences with laughter so much that several states now require medics with oxygen standing by during his shows.

Kristenherman.com is the website for commedianne and actress Kristen Herman. Kristen is a rare combination of hotness and hilarity that will make her a force to be reckoned with in screwball comedy.

Dead Dude

2005-10-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is a dead guy who's in the upcoming Powerloafing episode "Dept. of Doom." Jeff Small, (brother of Brendan, who produces Home Movies,) claims he sculpted it from scratch, but there is a lot of suspicion around the set that Jeff merely "procured" it.

CNET Article on Loafing

2005-10-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Stop reading this headline and get back to work!
According to CNET News the most common form of loafing is surfing on the net. Can you believe some reporter got paid to write that? The average worker admits to frittering 2.09 hours per day, among other useless statistics...
Hours per day goofed off, by sector:
Insurance - 2.5
Public Sector - 2.4
Research and Development 2.3
Softare and Internet - 2.2
People in Missouri - 3.2

Outtake Reel

2005-10-08T02:52:00.000-07:00

We have to stop drinking giggle juice before the shoots. To see a Realplayer compilation of outtakes from several episodes please click it.

New Scenes

2005-10-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

We just did scenes for an upcoming episode entitled, "Insecurity Officer." It's gonna be an intense psychological thriller where these two guys mess with Carl, and get a whole lot more than they bargained for.

check 1, thre

2005-10-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

The above graph illustrates possible scenarios that could occur on a multi colored graph. Please memorize, you will be tested later.