READING an online CNN article today entitled, “Burnt out and frustrated, Covid-weary Americans try to accept uncertainty as their new normal” (https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/us/covid-19-life-disruption-california-texas-kentucky/index.html) and pondered for a moment just how difficult humans, including Americans, find uncertainty. I have a suspicion that it has something to do with our inevitable mortality. Uncertainty dredges up the “Am I really mortal, and, if so, when am I scheduled t...

IN this world of desired transparency and constant obfuscation, maybe the world COULD use a little more “STATIC.” The K. Simmons Production of the 2021 movie “STATIC,” in which I play lead character Will Gardner, will be airing on Hawaii’s OLELO Community Television (OLELO53):

Monday, Valentine’s Day 14 February 2022 at 6:30 PM

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 at 2:00 PM

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 10:00 PM, and

Sunday, 20 February 2022 at 8:00 AM

Will is a curmudgenous old veter...

IT’S my pleasure to announce that the K. Simmons Production of the STATIC movie will be airing on Hawaii’s OLELO Community Television (OLELO53):

Monday, Valentine’s Day 14 February 2022 at 6:30 PM

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 at 2:00 PM

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 10:00 PM, and

Sunday, 20 February 2022 at 8:00 AM

Won’t you join me in watching STATIC, a family friendly, science fiction/drama in which Susan struggles to find balance in her life as she deals with her practical husba...

LONG ago, I learned there are three great illusory illusions: money, power and fame. To these, I’m happy to add a fourth “real” illusion: “The Perfect Illusion” — https://www.totck.com/the-perfect-illusion — a movie soon to begin filming in which I play the role of the infamous Dr. Stevenson. The “round table” script read is scheduled for early next week, with actual filming by Kurt Ken Kaminaka’s Production Studio beginning soon after. In “The Perfect Illusion,” a sui...

PEOPLE are often generous in advice as to how to “get the most out of life,” humans being mortal and life being finite. But what is it that one should “get the most of” while alive? People who’ve lived in poverty would likely tend to say, “Money!” People whose lives have been determined by overwhelming events, like war survivors, would likely tend to say, “Power!” People who’ve lived their lives and never respected themselves or felt self-satisfaction, would likely say “...

I was recently contracted with Kurt Ken Kaminaka’s independent film studio for the role of Dr. Stevenson in the upcoming film, “The Perfect Illusion” — https://www.totck.com/the-perfect-illusion –. Interestingly, the audition required me to guess how Dr. Stevenson should sound and look while reading the audition script. All I knew for certain was that he is a physician in Hawaii who is credible enough to be tending a comatose patient, has a malpractice case lingering somewhere in hi...

SAVANT Books and Publications, a traditional “no-cost-to-author” full-service book publisher, was recently purchased by K. Simmons Productions, a Hawaii-wood based manga, animation and film production company. With the purchase, writers whose manuscripts are accepted for publication are now afforded the opportunity of seeing their work in printed, electronic and audiobook as well as manga, animation, television and cinematic formats. So what should such an author be called, the panoply of...

THERE seem to me to be two fundamental currencies in human life: (1) love (think co-operation); and (2) money/power (think competition). These two currencies “empower” or “power” our lives respectively. They are often embedded within contemporary female/maternal (creation/agrarian/nurturing) and male/paternal (destroying/hunting/survival-of-the-fittest) archetypes, and played out together in literature and cinema, with one or the other eventually “winning.” In fact, neither alone ...

YEP! Yesterday’s rant about airlines, applies equally to trains, buses, events, grocery stores, churches, tourism, hotels…all those businesses that depend on “crowd sales” and haven’t yet begun to make the move to “individual service.” Can’t say I feel sorry for businesses that can’t make the transition. Savant Books and Publications made the transition 12 years ago, before the pandemic’s “shot across the bow.” I keep wondering how many recurrences are necessary for bu...

REALLY! I’ve heard enough whining from the airlines about how now that the pandemic is almost over, we need to resign ourselves to tolerating those cramped, crowded conditions that make flying an undesirable necessity. The singular value of the pandemic, in my opinion, was that it was the proverbial shot-across-the-bow about the failure of “crowd sales” and the necessity of developing “individual service.” Too expensive? Ha! I’ve heard that one before. Everything’s “too expens...

I’M pleased to announce the audiobook version of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, read by the incomparable Peter Pollock is now available in addition to printed and digital editions from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859. I love listening to a good book (and THE EDGE OF MADNESS is a VERY good book) as an alternative to an evening movie, when in the bathtub and when driving long distance. And, I can say from experience that it’s THE perfect San Fran to ...

I generally avoid making predictions outside my soon to be completed work, “Prophecy,” the sequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor — https://savant-bookstore-honolulu.square.site/product/the-edge-of-madness/136; however, given it’s still early January, I do feel compelled to comment on upcoming 2022. Last year saw the resurrection and meteoric rise of an old anti-ethic, namely the “normalization” of misinformation, be it in government, business or society. Bo...

HAVING been a traditional book publisher for almost 15 years, I’m often asked about the future of books. Are books, like vinyl records destined to be come collectable antiques, or are they momentarily paused awaiting resurrection as national infrastructures like the energy, electricity, transportation, business, shipping, the internet, each succumb to increasing criminal attack. My opin, unfortunately, is neither black nor white, nor that simple.

I’ve been acutely aware the past ten year...

K. Simmons Productions Acquires Savant Books and Publications

Hawaii-independent film production company K. Simmons Productions announces the successful acquisition of Hawaii independent book publishing company Savant Books and Publications

By: Savant Books and Publications

HONOLULU – Jan. 9, 2022 – PRLog — On 1 January 2022, K. Simmons Productions added 120+ outstanding published titles to its current content library. “Why purchase Savant Books and Publications?” asks Kenny Simmo...

YESTERDAY I posted about my passion for authoring and space; today I want to post about my passion for acting (Daniel S. Janik aka Raymond Gaynor of THE EDGE OF MADNESS — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859) and a new film I’ll be in, Artzone Tours production of “The Perfect Illusion.” I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be acting as the not quite so inscrutable, proper Dr.Stevenson, private physician to one of the central characters. Being a retired physician, the role wasn’t a ...

Earlier today, I had the pleasure of watching a Netflix film about William Shatner aka Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, actually going briefly into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin capsule. What struck me was the hindsight he shared with so many former astronauts, about his reaction to seeing the Earth as the fragile “blue marble” it is, traveling at breakneck speed through the dark cosmos. The response is typically so deeply emotional, it makes me think of a new form of spi...

I was asked the other day what “sign of the times” I believe is the most significant one so far in this decade. After pondering the usual unusuals, I have to say that it’s what’s happening “in the gnus” (ha, ha) or more correctly how we get the news. But first, a bit more levity: (1) “No gnus is good gnus” (I’ve already labeled that “fake gnus”); (2) “Read only what’s gnus-worthy” (hey, they don’t call them wildebeests for nothing); (3) “any day a call may come...

FORGET Generation Z; Generation Alpha (folks born 2012 through 2025) is already stepping up to the plate to experience, enjoy and govern our world. Well, at least, some will enjoy it. Others will struggle and many will opt out either by choice or circumstance. The world is, like Douglas Adams once wrote of Earth in THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, “mostly safe,” and, while not particularly descriptive, it’s descriptive enough to say along with Alfred E. “Mad” Neuman, “What, me...