Rushmore: Kind of a let down

A Galaxie Far Far Away Vlog : Rushmore.

Vlog Remix

Milian: Insane Remix.
This is what Creative Commons and remixing is all about!

What Defines Video Blogging as a Subculture?

What Defines Video Blogging as a Subculture?
Exploring the sub-culture of video blogging

Here are my answers to Clare Lyons-Montgomery, a graduate student in the Department of Screen and Media studies at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She is conducting research into the cultural aspects of video blogging.

1. On the Carol and Steve Show website you refer to your show as a 'real reality show'; do you see video blogging as a future entertainment and informational source for the majority of people instead of television or do you foresee another kind of future?

Video blogging is not going to replace television. Television is just a device that people use to get their news and entertainment. With new products like Akimbo, and Windows Media Center, internet content is starting to find it's way into the livingroom and onto television.

Video blogging uses the internet to distribute video content and has the added benefit of being a two-way environment. Not only can the viewer watch a video blog entry, but they can also leave a comment for the video author and start a conversation.

The environment of the internet fosters communication.

I imagine a future where people will watch video content from others either on their TV or on the internet, and then easily be able to create their own video content in response, or their own new video, based on what they view.

Television is a one way medium right now. People just sit and watch it. The only interactivity is when American Idol asks us to vote on a contestant to go to the next round. With Tivo, we can now selectively watch what ever shows we want when we want.

The magic of RSS 2.0 with media enclosures allows us to do a similar thing with videoblogs. I can choose which people I want to see videos from and subscribe to their feed with a desktop video aggregator such as FireANT.

This is personal. I'm not subscribing to a network, corporation or show, I'm subscribing to a person. I want to see new videos from a specific individual. This a a new breakthrough in video distribution.

A small group of video bloggers has formed a community over on Yahoo! groups.

We are even starting to hold regular videoblogging videoconferences.

So even at this grassroots level communities are forming around the process of videoblogging. we are getting to know each other on a personal level from watching each others videos.

I can imagine a future where this will be commonplace and people from all over the world will form communities of shared interests and get to know each other through their videos, have conversations with each other, and bring us all closer together.

2. You use a creative commons licence to protect your work that specifies that no money should be made from your material, what are your feelings on the potential for video blogs to be used to generate a profit by commercial organisations?

Just because I have a Creative Commons license on my video blog doesn't mean that I don't want to make money from it or from my video content.

I'm mainly involved in video blogging because I love it. I'm also excited about spreading information about video blogging so that we'll get a lot more people out their creating video and showing things that we normally never get to see.

The Creative Commons license is there to protect my content by being used to make money by someone else without my approval. I am open to generating a profit from my video blogging. There a a number of ways that that might work, one of which is to help set up a video blog on a consulting basis for others as I have done for Boston City Councillor John Tobin.

Commercial organizations are starting to see the value of video blogs too. One industry is the film industry. We've recently seen video blog reports from movies in production for movies such as Kong is King and Superman Returns.

Independent film companies are video blogging parts of their movie while in production. Green Green Water is one of the first independent productions to do this.

There are a million ways that companies can use video blogging and the most important one is to help them have a conversation with their customers. It won't work if they just push standard TV commercials on their video blogs.

They've got to have real people telling stories, like Robert Scoble is doing at Microsoft. That's an example of one person making a huge difference.

3. What do you hope to achieve in the creation of your own video blogs?

Fame and fortune.

4. There is a debate amongst video bloggers over whether video blogs should be defined as a specific video form or be left open to interpretation. Do you feel video blogging needs a clear definition of what it is and isn't to move forward?

No. Please. Let's not define it. Videoblogging is a growing thing right now and to define it would limit it.

Over at Wikipedia, they are trying to define it, and I'm trying to help keep the definition open.

I'd like to see more people get out there and do it. Let them bring new ideas and methods. Let us learn from those that follow us. Show me something new, a new way of thinking, seeing, and living.

A Comedy TV Network

Comedyexpresstv.com wants to be a comedy tv network.

They want your videos.

They want you to MAIL them in.

I emailed them with some questions.

The email bounced.

Ha!

That's funny.

Video: Vegetable Planting

Steve Garfield's Video Blog: The Carol and Steve Show: Episode 23 - Vegetable Planting:

It's Memorial day and Carol and Steve are out in the garden. Steve is planting the vegetables and Carol is doing some weeding while supervising Steve's work. Carol's mom comes out later to plant her Marigold.

Videoblog | vlog | Video Blog

Ponies like web videos

Apollo Pony.

Macintosh Telprompter Software

Vara Software's Videocue helps you record video for your video blog.

I remember trying this when it first came out.

The cool thing about Videocue is that you can type in the text you want to speak, then as you read hte scrolling text, images and movies can automatically play when you hit certain points in the text.

I'm going to have to try this again.

Video Blog | vlog | videoblog

Vlog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Over at the Wikipedia I'm trying to help write the entry for videoblog.

They've already changed the name to Vlog, which I'm still questioning.

But the discussion now going on is whether or not my video blog should be included in the entry.

I think it should.

Television's New Frontier

J.D. Lasica calls it Edge TV:

The other day on the Darknet blog I commented about Steve Levy's piece in Newsweek about the future of television, something I go into in great deal in Darknet. I call it Edge TV rather than IPTV (which refers to the distribution mechanism), on-demand TV (which refers to consumers' behavior) or file-serve television (the techie name for it), because Edge TV refers to the true revolutionary change in our video diet: this is television being created at the edges.

Television Reloaded - Next Frontiers - MSNBC.com:

"'Already there is more data downloaded for video over the Internet than there is for music,' says Mike Ramsay, cofounder of TiVo. 'What happens when a 14-year-old creates a BitTorrent browser that's easy to use and plugs right into your TV? You go from 500 channels to 50 million channels.' We soon may find out, as a number of open-source-inspired Internet efforts hope to open the floodgates. 'We have tools to let anyone make high-quality videos to reach millions of people,' says Tiffiniy Cheng of the Participatory Culture Foundation in Worcester, Mass. 'We'll give a channel to anyone who wants a channel.'"

I'm creating the content and putting it on all the channels.

Just waiting to get my first email from someone who's seen my video content on a TV...

Videoblog | video blog | vlog

Song Name = Unknown

Podcasting How-To - ID3 Tags:
podcast411 - Formatting ID3 Tags for your listeners.

Macworld Discount Coupon Code

I just got an email from Dan Berube with a discount code for Macworld Boston. Check it:

Macworld Conference and Expo '05 is coming this July 10-14th at the Hynes Convention Center in downtown Boston, and I just wanted to share that for all those planning to attend, now is the time to take advantage of special Discount Code H0201 to get your free Exhibit Hall Pass and to sign up for the special $99 User Conference Pass (normally $295).

If you register online *before* June 10, 2005 with Discount Code H0201, you can receive any of the following: 15% off the Platinum pass, Power Tools, MacIT or Hands-on MacLabs Conference Packages. You can also use Discount Code H0201 to receive a Free Exhibit Hall Pass.

The best discount going, though, is the $99 Users Conference Pass (normally $295), which gives you access to both the exhibit hall floor as well as access to the FCP, OS X, digital video, music and digital imaging- related sessions taking place in the Users Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, July 13-14, 2005, during the show.

Just a reminder for those who want to get in for free with discount code H0201 and not pass up on a great User Conference deal!

Register NOW with Discount Code H0201 at:
<http://www.macworldexpo.com>

Videoblogger Videoconferences

Here's a schedule for next week's Videoblogger Videoconferences:

* Tuesday, May 31, 2005 at 8 p.m. EST (Midnight GMT)
* Wednesday, June 1, 2005 at 4 a.m. EST (8 a.m. GMT)
* Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 12 noon EST (4 p.m. GMT)

Improv Everywhere Mission: Even Better Than The Real Thing

Improv U2 - Up on the roof:

It seemed obvious that “U2” would have to play an unannounced gig on my rooftop an hour before the doors opened at the Garden.

Check out the video!


NY Times article: Where the Streets Have No Shame.

frees sounds

the freesound project.

Make Way For Ducklings

I came across this scene today at the Boston Public Garden. A group of people were surrounding a gaggle of duckings. They'd been following them for two hours. People were shouting, "Don't touch the ducklings!" "Stay away!" "Give them room!"

As far as I could tell there was no mother duck around, but there were a lot of surrogates on cell phones calling the authorities to help save the ducks.

"You've got to get down here right away!"

"Don't Touch!"

It'd make a great story for the Herald and/or Fox 25!

Free and Open

opensrc.org:

This page is a simple summary of free and mostly open source content that we have come across over the years in approximate order of discovery.

MAKE AUDIO SHOW: DIY News RocketBoom!

MAKE: Blog: MAKE AUDIO SHOW: DIY News RocketBoom!:

In this Make audio show- we interview Andrew Baron, the fellow behind RocketBoom- a daily 3 minute news show produced each day for the web, PSPs, phones and more.

Listen to this podcast to get all the behind the scenes info on Rocketboom.

I'm their Boston Correspondent.

Free teleprompter application

Prompt! is a simple teleprompter application.

New: Mac Uploader for the Google Video Upload Program

Google Video Upload Program: New features and updates:

Mac Uploader and Linux Uploader clients released.

We now have Google Video Uploader clients for Mac and Linux platforms

R.P. Hughes made it.
via [ MacWorld ]

iPod Museum Tours

With Irreverence and an iPod, Recreating the Museum Tour - New York Times:

But the other day, a college student, Malena Negrao, stood in front of Pollock's 'Echo Number 25,' and her audio guide featured something a little more lively. 'Now, let's talk about this painting sexually,' a man's deep voice said. 'What do you see in this painting?'

A woman, giggling, responded on the audio track: 'Oh my God! You're such a pervert. I can't even say what that - am I allowed to say what that looks like?'

Now playing on Akimbo

Akimbo Service to Feature Popular Lifestyle Programming From Videoblogger Steve Garfield.
Steve Garfield's Video Blog and The Carol and Steve Show Join Akimbo’s Growing Library of Programming.

Boston, MA., May 27, 2005 – Akimbo™ Systems, the leading video-on-demand (VOD) service delivered to consumers’ televisions has added Steve Garfield's Video Blog and The Carol and Steve Show to its growing list of mainstream video providers who give programming to the Akimbo Service.

"I'm excited to join the Akimbo lineup to provide Akimbo viewers with some examples of the type of creative and original content that videobloggers are producing," said Steve Garfield, a Boston based video producer, editor, and videoblogger.

Steve Garfield's Video Blog features a wide range of video content including Citizen Media, extended versions of his Rocketboom reports, Professional Video Editing Projects, his Mom and How To's. The Carol and Steve Show is a weekly look into the lives of Carol and Steve. Not desert island or food challenges here, just short glimpses into daily life. People seem to like it.

Sponsored ad:
Download Video to Your TV with Akimbo!
Over 1,000 shows available on demand including - National Geographic, Ifilm, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim, Underground Film, sail.tv and more. Enter to win an Akimbo Player.

vloggers live

Videoblogger Videoconferences:

From time to time, members of the Videoblogging Yahoo! Group organize open videoconferences, most recently via the FlashMeeting server at The Open University

They are fun.

Check out this clip, of the most recent videoconference, where Carol showed up.

Good stuff!

I'm Jake Lodwick, your Tribeca Tour Guide

Vimeo / Tour Guide: Dunkin Donuts.
Jakob Lodwick starts our tour of Tribeca at the Dunkin Donuts.

Tony Christie, Peter Kay and Staff Sgt Roger Parr

BBC NEWS | UK | 'Amarillo' video crashes MoD PCs:

Troops in the Royal Dragoon Guards shot a home video at their Al Faw base of their version of the video sung by Tony Christie and mimed by Peter Kay.

The role of Peter Kay in the troops' video - called Is This The Way To Armadillo - was taken on by Staff Sgt Roger Parr, from Runcorn, Cheshire.

Tony Christie & Peter Kay - Amarillo

Despite claiming Comic Relief should just be called Relief, as “there’s not much comic about it”, Peter Kay and crooner Tony Christie shot straight to the top of the charts this week with Amarillo.

Rocketboom Friday May 27, 2005 - Memorial Day.

I'm going to Hamburg, Margaret

Listen to Benjamin Walker's recent podcast, escape.

I listened to it today while driving in my car.

Podcasts are better appreciated when you are away from the computer and listening to them on a portable device.

That way you can be drawn in to a storyteller's words, as I was into Benjamin Walker's escape.

At times, Walker's melodious voice became more than just words, it was music to my ears. ;-)

And wait until you hear what Margaret's fiance did when he went out to the store to get her tampons.

Brilliant!

Dave ''The Geek' Winer vs. Adam ''Pretty Boy' Curry

Alex Beam writes Bickering among the 'Pod squad in today's Boston Globe:

A high-bandwidth donnybrook has exploded onto the Internet, as two successful entrepreneurs are waging a hissy war over who deserves the credit for ''podcasting,' a new technology that allows computer users to create, and to automatically download, homemade sound files. The files can be played in a car, on a PC, or -- hence the name -- on an Apple iPod. Enthusiasts call podcasting ''the radio of the future.'

In one corner: high-tech legend Dave ''The Geek' Winer, who claims to have launched the first podcasts in 2003 when he was a fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for the Internet & Society. Across the ring: Adam ''Pretty Boy' Curry, a former MTV music presenter, tabloid celebrity in Holland (don't ask), supercool helicopter pilot, and promoter extraordinaire, who just started hosting a Sirius satellite radio show devoted to podcast music, comedy sketches, commentaries, monologues, etc.

Alex has a pretty good recap of the podcasting story, but my favorite part of his article are the names.

iPodderX 3.0 does vlogs

MacMerc.com has a sneak peak preview of iPodderX 3.0.
Now you'll be able to subscribe to vlogs, podcasts and blogs with the same client!


Wizards of Technology - PodCast 44 - 2005.05.26
Interview with August Trometer and Ray Slakinsky discussing the new iPodderX 3.0

iPodderX Version 3.0 will be available for download today at 7:00 PM.

iPodderX - Official Site.

Delivr Digital Postcards from flickr

Now the whole Creative Commons image library over on flickr is available for you to send a Delivr Digital Postcard.



I tried it and it works!
via [ The Presurfer ]

MTV2 Cribs

Pernice Brothers Video - MTV2 Cribs:

There ought to be a show like MTV Cribs for indie musicians/actors. Maybe MTV2 could do it (if they haven't already) and call it MTV2 Cribs. Think about it.

Elgin.. I think.
via [ Schlomo ]

It's the Lisa and Sean Show

Sean's vBlog: Freezer Meat.

Hello world - Show us your freezers!

Ship Me Wine: House Bill 3386

Victor from STATE REPRESENTATIVE JEFFREY SANCHEZ's Office gave me the scoop on the status of wine being able to be shipped into Massachusetts.

There's a bill in the JOINT COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE to address shipping wine into Massachusetts.

It's Bill 3386.

18C. Direct Shipment of Wine:

(1) Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, any person currently licensed in any other state as a wine producer, supplier, importer, wholesaler, distributor or retailer who obtains an out-of-state shipper’s license, as provided below, may ship up to two cases (twenty-four bottles) per month of wine directly to a resident who is at least 21 years of age for such resident’s personal use and not for resale.

So I started calling the members of the committe to see what is happening.

State Representative Martin Walsh - Left Voice Mail.

I also forwarded this information to the Boston Globe reporter.

We are the media, when we have to be.

Bonito Flakes are sweeping the nation!

Vlog of a Faux Journalist: Faux Press Vlog: Love Song of Bonito Flakes.
They look alive when placed on heated food!

The Making of a Sunrise

RichardShow.Com: Sunrise:

This movie is about sunrise at our home in the Ozarks; my life as an independent film channel movie; video blogging and sharing cultures; and other stuff.

I like how Richard explains the making of this video.

Clark Saturn is Funny

Watch Clark Saturn's Commercial Reel [ QuickTime ]

He's funny.

An article that tells me nothing

Stephen Meuse writes Decision clarifies, clouds wine world in today's Boston Globe.

He talks about the Supreme Court ruling that states can not prohibit direct-to-consumer wine sales from out-of-state wineries.

My problem with the article is that it doesn't answer the question, "When can out-of-state wineries start shipping to Massachusetts residents."

Do I have to do my own original reporting here to get an answer?

Update:

Stephen replies:

hello Steve

Thanks for your note. Unfortunately, it's precisely the uncertainty over this question that is the main point of the article. The legislation that restricts
such activity is still in place here, so for the time being about all we can say in answer to your question is "not now."

As I hope the article makes clear, the ruling puts the state under no compunction whatever to allow shipments from out-of-state wineries into the state. It only has make sure it does not discriminate against out-of-state wineries who want to ship to in, in favor of in-state wineries who want to ship out.

As the situation develops, we stay on top of it.

Bonne soif,
Stephen

Can someone give me a better answer?

Here's my reply to his reply:

Can you suggest someone in Government for me to call to get an answer about this?

Seems to me that the Massachusetts laws are now invalid and wine should start flowing.

I've already placed my order.
--Steve
http://stevegarfield.com

Stephen replies to my reply:

You can try the Alcohol Beverages Control Commission, Steve.

According to the website, the commission has three members, one chairman and two
associate commissioners appointed by Treasurer Tim Cahill. The Chairman's
position is held by Eddie J. Jenkins. The Associate Commissioners are Suzanne
Iannella and Robert H. Cronin.

Their main number is 617-727-3040.

Please let me know what they tell you.

-Stephen

This is great. I'm having a conversation with a Boston Globe reporter!

Calling the Government overseers now...

Stay tuned.

Hmm. They transfered me to voice mail. Not sure if that's the right place to call...

It wasn't.

Check this.

FlashMeeting - The One Click Videoconference

The Yahoo! Videoblogging group had a FlashMeeting Videoconference last night.


Here are some notes I just sent them on problems getting started:

I was helping my mom, 79 yrs old, set this up over the phone.

1. She had Video iChat going so there was no camera on FlashMeeting. Took me 15 minutes to figure that one out. Can you make a warning that the camera is in use by another application if that's the case?

2. The Allow/Deny Camera use box is too small to see, and the drop down list is hard for an old person to figure out. After quite a while we figured out that my mom had to choose the IIDV setting , forget the exact name. Can you put in an iSight setting to make choosing a camera a lot more straightforward?

3. People do not get the fact that while they are talking, they can not hear others. They are always saying, "Can you hear me, I don't hear you talking, is this working." So there has to be a better indication that while you are talking you can't hear other people talking. Maybe add a note: STOP BROADCASTING to hear others talk to you.

It's a cool application.

Jonny Goldstein.com gives the Showdown low down

jonnygoldstein.com: Showdown low down:

Shot this video at the Contagious Media Showdown at Eyebeam last Thursday night. The Showdown is a contest to see who can create the website that gets the most traffic within a three week period.

This is a Parody of RocketBoom

The 05 Project: Rocket Booom! - Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?

Record Directly into QuickTime - NEW!

Record Directly into QuickTime:

If you love working with QuickTime like I do (I am actually quite a hardcore QT enthusiast) you will be stoked to learn about the new direct recording option. Now with the addition of this feature you can record video and audio directly to your hard drive with minimal fuss.

Tip: Next time you need to record a voice over for use with your project, use the new Audio Recording option in QuickTime 7.

Apple incorporates the features of a third party application into QuickTime 7 Pro.

Update:
Note : You will need to have QuickTime V.7 Pro installed and registered to do the following Quicktip. Thanks Peter.

Video: A Real Fan

Steve Garfield's Video Blog - A Real Fan:

I took my mom into the Apple Store in Peabody today to get her an iSight webcam.

While we were there someone walked up to me and wanted to say hi.

Video: Betting on Bo Bice

Steve Garfield's Video Blog: The Carol and Steve Show: Episode 22 - Betting on Bo Bice
Here's our watching TV episode, where we talk and comment on American Idol while pausing the show with our TiVo.

Computers will become televisions

The Future of Television by Conan O'Brien:

Computers will continue to be used more and more to watch digital streaming video, eventually turning them into televisions. With no computers available to solve complex math problems, people will have no choice but to return to the abacus. Within a few months, this ancient device will be abandoned when it's realized that there is no good way to make "abacus porn."

via [ Chuck ]

How to subscribe to a videoblog

The FireANT Directory has a list of videoblogs that you can easily subscribe to using the PC version of FireANT.

To subscribe, you just drag the Subscribe button and drop it into Channels.

For Mac FireANT users, Right click on the Subscribe button, Select Copy, then in ANT, Click on the Add Feed button.

After subscribing you'll be in vlog heaven.

The Best Man Won

Brian McGrory writes Defeating their cause:

Respected healthcare executive, Michael F. Collins, a medical doctor and a longtime university professor with a proven record in raising huge sums of money, (has been chosen to) be the next chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Boston...

Here we go again with the race card. Here we go again with the podium-pounding, fire-breathing rhetoric from a group of minority activists who seem constantly to do their cause more harm than good...

As so often happens, Boston's minority leaders focus on an individual, rather than a cause. They would rather see a less experienced, less qualified minority candidate lead a university in which minority students invest so much hope.

In other words, it's easier to rage against small slights than seize big opportunities, which, politically incorrect as it might be to say, is what makes Alkins and Yancey so easy to dismiss.

Jeff Jacoby writes - Minorities, racism, and UMass’s choice:

The chairman of the UMass board of trustees says the choice came down to Collins’s executive experience — while Motley was a dean of student services at another university, Collins spent 10 years running a multibillion-dollar hospital network. But a vocal chorus of disgruntled Motley supporters are calling the decision racist.

Leonard Alkins of the Boston NAACP blasts it as proof ‘‘that the plexiglass ceiling is still there for people of color.’’

Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo denounces it as ‘‘a slap in the face to our children.’

Kimberly Atkins writes - Miffed mayor to stiff UMass:

Menino was slated to receive a special award for distinguished service to Boston neighborhoods at his alma mater's annual community awards breakfast this morning, which Motley will attend. But he has decided to skip it, miffed by Wilson's decision to back Tufts medical school professor Michael Collins instead of Motley.

I'm dissapointed in Felix Arroyo.

To me, it sounds like they made the best decision for our children.

Maybe another good decision would be to take a closer look at the upcoming At-Large City Councillor race?

Turning my mom into a digital video recorder

Boinx iVeZeen looks like it's a great product for my mom.

They provide a product that let's you just click a button to record a movie from your webcam.

The next step I've got to figure out is how to easily get that movie up on the web.

Maybe Vimeo, audioblog or vblogcentral?

Want your old Panther email interface back?

AndrewEscobar.com | Mail Stamps 1.1:

With Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) comes a new and updated Mail application, including a new interface. The new redesign is a controversial one, and has divided mac users. Some love the new look, while others find it hideous. Most controversial are Mail’s new button-styled toolbar items. They are smaller, hard to distinguish, and uglier than their predecessors.

Good thing I haven't upgraded to Tiger yet.

I'll do it after I've finished my current video project. then by that time all the fixes and updates should be out. ;-)

Averting Disaster at the Hatch Shell

On May 1st I wrote this post: Allowing people to park on Storrow Drive is stupid and sent in a letter to the DCR to find out why they inconvinence thousands so that 100's can park their cars on Storrow Drive during concerts.

I heard back today:

Hi Steve,

We appreciate your comments regarding the lane restriction on Storrow Drive during Hatch Shell events. The Department of Conservation (DCR) initiated this practice as a public safety caution during events. The line of cars protects the thousands of spectators at the Hatch Shell from any auto accidents that would occur with passing traffic.

Sincerely,
The department of Conservation and Recreation

It's a blocking manuever?

Do they inform those people who park their cars there that they are providing a public services by sacrificing their cars in case of an accident?

You know, I drove by the Hatch Shell today and the way the road curves, I don't think many cars will be careening out of control into the crowds. There's also a few trees in the way.

Can anyone help me do some research on this?

How many accidents in the past 50 years have there been at the Hatch Shell and how many cars have ended up on the lawn over there?

I'm thinking that maybe we should invest in some attractive barriers carved in the shape of the New England Patriots Defensive front line to protect the concertgoers, in order to leave Storrow Drive free of parked cars.

Howie Carr, what do you think?

Videoblogger Videocasts

Videoblogger Videocast via Corante Events: Feedfest - Alex Williams says:

We're having our weekly videocasts to talk about all things related to videoblogging.

This week, we'll run the videocast for six hours so as people may participate at times convenient for them.

On Tuesday, we'll run the videocasts from 7 p.m. (1900) EST - 1 a.m. (0100) EST.
Link to meeting: http://tinyurl.com/98jr9

On Wednesday, we'll run the videocasts from 9 p.m. (2100) GMT - 3 a.m. (0300) GMT. at times convenient for a European audience.
Link to meeting: http://tinyurl.com/9rw7t

See you online.

Buzz droids on roses and Battle droids on kittens

MovieJuice!: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Obi-Wanderful:

"'If you're not with me, you're my enemy' Anakin tells Obi-Wan as they clash sabers in battle.

'Only a Sith - and the leader of the Free World - deal in absolutes,' replied Obi-Wan.

'I want to rule the galaxy,' said Anakin, 'I just wish it weren't so long ago and far away from the one containing Scarlett Johansson,' he sighed.

'I'm with you, my young Padawan,' said Obi-Wan."

Grease Monkey Adds Functionality to Firefox

GreaseMonkeyUserScripts.

Google Scripts.

I just deleted over 5,000 GMail messages using Gmail Smart-Delete Button
'Smart-Delete' button enables/disables itself, depending on whether or not any items have been checked. It works with all applicable Gmail pages, labels & mail items.

A Boston WiFi Summit Review

Deborah Elizabeth Finn :: The Boston WiFi Summit:

"... a video blog of the summit presentations was posted to John Tobin's web site almost immediately, and that was a cool use of geek tools."

Thanks Elizabeth.

Blogebrity: The Lame List

Blogebrity: The List

Here's an email exchange I had with the Blogebrity people.

On 5/22/05, Steve Garfield wrote:

Please add me.

If I was on the A or B list it wouldn't be lame.

Chuck Olsen is on the B list.

Eric Rice should be on the A-List too.

Thanks,
--Steve
http://stevegarfield.com

They replied:

Dear Blogebrity,

Congratulations! You have been chosen to be featured in our C List.

We appreciate your continued support and hope you'll display a Blogebrity.com link with pride.

Please don't be discouraged, as we index more blogs and rank them with our patented BlogebrityMeter 3000, these lists will change regularly. We encourage you to check back regularly to see your current status on Blogebrity: The List.

C list'ers: You are part of the chosen few....climbing to the upper echelon of blogville.

Best Regards,

The Blogebrity Staff

My reply:

Dear Blogebrity Staff,

Blogebrity is lame.

Your BlogebrityMeter 3000 is lame.

You demoted Chuck from the B list to the C list, added Eric Rice to the B list, and put me on the C list.

Per my previous email to you, your list is now considered lame since I am not on either the A or B list. Now, the only way you will redeem yourself will be by putting me on the A list, where I rightly belong.

Your so-called BlogebrityMeter 3000 is not transparent and bloggers don't like that. Hey, we don't even like A-Lists.

We do like being on them though.

I Like Jamaica Pond: The Movie

Videobloggers are making movies of things they like and special spots.

I made mine about Jamaica Pond.

Is this a weed?

Is this a weed? - a photoset on Flickr.
Every Spring when weeding we come upon plants that we don't know if we should pull them up or not.

Are they weeds or are they perennials that will grow into gorgeous flowers.

Sometimes we let them grow and we end up with a flowery surprise or a big old weed.

Please help us.

Is this a weed?

Visit my Is this a weed? photoset on Flickr and let us know in the comments!

Thanks!

Bush condemns science

ABC News: Bush Condemns S. Korea Stem Cell Advances:

"President Bush has condemned stem cell research advances in South Korea and said he worried about living in a world in which human cloning was condoned. He said he would veto any legislation aimed at loosening limits on federal support in the United States.

'I'm very concerned about cloning,' Bush told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. 'I worry about a world in which cloning becomes acceptable.'"

I'm very concerned about President Bush. I worry about a world in which George Bush as president becomes acceptable.

Continue to delight in one another

The Boston Globe talks about bloggers today and David Weinberger has this to say in his blog post - Globe editorial: Good until that last drop:

"The blogosphere isn't a town the professionals can buy up; it's an infinite landscape that will have towns of every sort. We little, irresponsible bloggers are going to continue to find one another and delight in one another. And now and then we're also going to drop in on the upscale respectable towns — well, not the gated ones, of course — and, yes, sometimes we'll be carrying cans of spray paint. But we damn well will not be daunted."

We do have the power to speak truth to power

Over at Greater Democracy, Jock Gill writes Vlogs: The People's TV - Speaking Truth to Power:

The ability of the incumbent powers in the center to control our national narrative, and the when, where, and how it is told, is disintegrating before our eyes. The power of the Right Wing to manipulate turbo capitalism's integration of ownership with government regulations is failing.

We are the media.

Crying, while eating

Crying, while eating
What she's eating:
A soft Taleggio; a semi-firm Garrotxa

What she's crying about:
Pen pal is in the hospital

Videoblogging Week 2005

Videoblogging Week 2005 is a good example of what the videoblogging community is up to.



Take a look:

http://videobloggingweek2005.blogspot.com/

Ryan Hodson put this compilation together and says:

This has been many many days of me in front of the computer
verifying that links work
and grabbing shots of people's headers...
this is my life.

I HAVE WITNESSED VIDEOBLOGGING WEEK 2005 IN IT'S FULL GLORY

and now you can too.

the power of our collaborative....um....POWERS
can be seen
all
in
one
place

http://videobloggingweek2005.blogspot.com/

pass it on people

Rocketboom: Special Report

Rocketboom : May 20, 2005.
While reporting on a building collapse, amanda Congdon follows up on a report of police brutality.

Presenting the twisted films of PES

KaBoom!
Written, Directed and Animated by PES.

This Coinstar ad is cool.

Michael Verdi reviews Star Wars

At the movies with Michael Verdi.

Macintosh 128K

I saw an original Macintosh 128K in a case at the Museum of Science today.

I got it in 1984, so it's now 21 years old. A classic.

I probably have a bunch of other stuff around here that could be displayed under glass at a museum.

The Steve Garfield Show Podcast - WiFi Summit

Here's an explanation of how I recorded video from the Boston WiFi Summit and uploaded it to Boston City Councillor John Tobin's blog in near real time, right from the conference using free WiFi, a GL2 camera, a Macintosh Powerbook, and audioblog.com


MP3 File


One of the most interesting speakers at the Summit was Jock Gill. He's all about citizen media and promoting people to be more than consumers of media. He mentioned Rocketboom.com as the type of thing he'd like to see a lot more of! Then I told him that I was the Boston correspondent for Rocketboom. What a coincidence.

After the conference Michael Oh took out his powerbook and brought up John Tobin's website and we showed everyone how videos from the sessions were already up on the web.

That's true citizen media.

The more people we get out there, using technology to tell stories, the closer we will all get to seeing and hearing what really happened.

Part of what made this possible was the free WiFi that the Museum of Science provided. This is a good example of what access to free WiFi could enable citizens to create. Video reports form all over Boston of all kinds of interesting things.

We are the media.

Podcasting Star Wars: Winer vs. Curry

TDavid writes the history of podcasting as he remembers it in Podcasting Star Wars: Winer vs. Curry:

"Once upon a time, in a podcasting galaxy not so far away, Dave Winer and Adam Curry were buddies. Curry would link to Winer, Winer would link back to Curry, the linklove was flowing. "

I think he's got a pretty accurate version here.

In the article he asks about Dawn and Drew:

As for D&D? I’m surprised those two are still podcasting. I didn’t think they’d make it a year. Not because they are bad people or should fail, rather, if they are real people just doing podcasting and getting all this exposure and not making a business out of it, then what’s the point?

I would suggest that the point is having fun, expressing yourself, and having a conversation with listeners.

Videoblogging from the Boston WiFi Summit

Videoblogging from the Boston WiFi Summit


I'm posting video from today's Boston WiFi Summit at hte Museum of Science.

It's over on Boston City Councillor John Tobin's Blog.

Enjoy!


Boston | Community journalism | video | wifi

Edward Barrett Needs A Blog

Madison Park writes in today's Boston Globe - If most people did this, Boston would be a better city:

"Every Wednesday morning for six years, (Edward) Barrett has shuffled into City Hall's Iannella Chamber in time for the 11:30 meeting, waved to the stenographer, and assumed his preferred spot in the top row of stadium seats.

The 68-year-old has scrutinized the council's every move, because he wants to ''get a handle on things,' and, as he put it, somebody has to keep an eye on government.

''I don't come here for fun,' Barrett said. ''All politics is local, and there's so much waste of money in city government. If most people did this, Boston would be a better city, once they see what's going on.'

Barrett writes opinion articles about terrorism and corruption and sends them to various newspapers, hoping to someday get one printed."

Dear Edward,
If more people covered local and state government AND wrote their thoughts on a blog, Boston and the State would be a better place.

Give me a call if you need help setting up a blog.

You can do it yourself over at Blogger or Universal Hub, Boston's alternative news source written by the people.
--Steve

Lost Remote: The man behind the VJ movement

Michael Rosenblum makes it clear that local TV stations have no choice but to switch from two-person crews to one-man-bands, or video journalists:

LOST REMOTE: What is a video journalist?

ROSENBLUM: A Videojournalist is a television reporter who works alone with a small digital camera and laptop edit the way a print journalist works with a pad and pencil or a laptop. This is about reporting and authorship. As anyone can pick up a pencil and paper and try to write (or a typewriter or a wordprocessor), so we also encourage anyone with the urge and a vision to pick up a camera and an edit system and see that they can make. This is, after all, how most writers get started. TV should be the same.

LR: For a TV newsroom, what are the advantages of VJs?

ROSENBLUM: In a typical TV newsroom, there may be 70-100 employees while fielding 5-6 Betacams. This is as insane as having a newspaper with 70 reporters but only owning 5 pencils.

BitTorrent Goes Trackerless

BitTorrent - Trackerless:

"While it is called trackerless, in practice it makes every client a lightweight tracker. A clever protocol, based on a Kademlia distributed hash table or 'DHT', allows clients to efficiently store and retrieve contact information for peers in a torrent.

When generating a torrent, you can choose to utilize the trackerless system or a traditional dedicated tracker. A dedicated tracker allows you to collect statistics about downloads and gives you a measure of control over the reliability of downloads. The trackerless system makes no guarantees to reliability but requires no resources of the publisher. The trackerless system is not consulted when downloading a traditionally tracked torrent."

I'm glad they simplified it.

All they have to do now is simplify the explanation!
via [ Brendoman ]

I'm listening to Charles Laquidara on internet radio

Charles does a live show on Mana`o Radio KEAO-LP 91.5 FM every Wednesday from 12 - 4 EST.

Hello Rangoon!

The New Internet Blogosphere of Podcasts and Videoblogs

Lesley Scott writes - A Revolution in Realtime, and interviews Eric Rice who says:

"... what you hear, read or watch on a blog is their voice as someone thinks on their feet rather than recites from a teleprompter. "

We are the media.

Then they came for me

Every American may soon be forced to become a government spy:

"... any American who witnesses or learns of certain drug offenses taking place would be required to report the offenses to law enforcement within 24 hours and provide 'full assistance' in the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of the people involved. Failure to do so would be a crime punishable by a mandatory two year prison sentence and a maximum of ten years."

Oh oh.

MediaTuner - Watch Video Blogs and more

MediaTuner.com - Rich Media RSS Aggregator/Player.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA. - May 9, 2005 - MediaTuner in partnership with Funciton Communications, announces the official launch of the World's first Rich Media RSS Aggregator and Player. MediaTuner is a web-based, next-generation Rich Internet Application (RIA), requiring no program downloads or installation. All that is required to use the application, is the latest Macromedia Flash Player, which is installed in 96% of all browsers. MediaTuner runs on either a PC or Mac and all browsers.

MediaTuner, organizes and plays Video Blogs, Podcasts, Live Video and Audio Streaming, as well as text information such as news, sports and blogs, into one easy-to-use browser interface. Utilizing the Universal MediaTuner Player, users can play, listen to,and view, up to 80 different files types, including Quicktime, Windows Media, Real, and PDFs.

David Cronshaw, President of MediaTuner, pioneered Online TV Listings in 1995. He says that this service "will revolutionalize what media content we watch, listen to and read, on the Internet. With self-publishers of compelling content such as Video Blogs and Podcasts becoming mainstream, MediaTuner allows users to organize and easily time-shift their new internet viewing and listening habits. I know that from my own personal experience, I now watch less TV, and everyday logon to watch and listen to my favorite Video Blogs and Podcasts".

Dear Media Tuner,
I just clicked on Premium Feeds and saw my feed there!

Thanks,
--Steve

Note:
MediaTuner is different than FireANT in that you click and choose which videos you want to watch and then MediaTuner plays them for you, getting the media from the remote site.

With FireANT, the videos that you have already subscribed to are sitting there on your computer, waiting for you to view. You can also then grab the video and, if the license allows it, use it to create something new from it.

The Information Revolution - mesh networking

LocustWorld :: The Information Revolution - mesh networking hardware and software:

"The LocustWorld Meshbox is a wireless mesh router and access point combined into a single unit. Meshboxes are used to build large scale wireless broadband networks, and the coverage area of a mesh is typically measured in square miles. Each MeshBox communicates with other MeshBoxes within range, the internet service is passed from one box to the next, over the air, until it reaches the final destination."

via [ media @ LSE ]

Defacto Airmatrix - cooler meshing with fins.

The Boston WiFi Summit will be held this Thursday, May 19th at 8:45 AM at the Museum of Science. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

FireANT Public Beta For Windows

FireANT | Not TV:

The first public beta version of FireANT, an RSS video aggregator and media player, was released on Tuesday May 17, 2005, for Windows XP. FireANT is the follow up to ANT, the popular software application for viewing videoblogs on Mac OS X.

FireANT is the first software application that comes complete RSS subscription, Video Search, and the ability to sync media onto the Sony PSP and Apple iPod. It was produced by the ANT's Not Television team, which includes New Yorkers Jay Dedman, Joshua Kinberg, and Erik Radmall, and Amsterdam resident, Daniel Salber.

"This is a brand new media platform," says Dedman, a videoblog evangelist and community TV educator with Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN). "Its really about expanding the possibilities of communication through video. FireANT is like an open stage for digital filmmakers, video artists, citizen journalists, videobloggers, and anyone who simply wants to share their home movies with friends and family."

"The amazing thing about FireANT is the way it transforms the chaotic and distributed world of Internet video into something that is both cinematic and interactive," says Radmall. "I can now browse, search, subscribe to, and consume a vast array of media content never available like this before! Then I can sync to a PSP and carry it in my pocket!"

This is exciting news for Windows XP users.

Get FireANT, Subscribe To and Download some RSS 2.0 feeds with enclosures, and Watch the videos that will automatically be delivered to your computer as they are produced by your selected feed producer.

Note:
If you are using some old carppy browser like Netscape 7.1, RIGHT-CLICK on the download link to save the install file to your disk.

Also, FireANT DOES NOT RUN ON Windows 2000. :-(

The Carol and Steve Show: Episode 21 - Freezer Cooking

This week Carol and Steve clean out the freezer and then cook some NEW Ore-Ida® Extra Crispy Easy Fries.



Watch the video on my video blog!

Hello Napa, Start Shipping!

Supreme Court Lifts Ban on Wine Shipping - New York Times:

In addition to New York and Michigan, six other states permit direct shipment by in-state wineries while restricting it for others. They are Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio, Indiana and Vermont. Thirteen others are known as reciprocity states, which permit direct sales only from wineries in states that in turn permit out-of-state direct shipments.

Under the court's analysis, which lamented 'the current patchwork of laws' that Justice Kennedy said was 'essentially the product of an ongoing, low-level trade war,' those laws are also now invalid.

First the Blue Laws are repealed and now this!

Happy days are here again.

FeedBurner now supports Yahoo! Media RSS

Burning Questions - The Official FeedBurner Weblog: Cool New SmartCast Feature:

Attention podcasters and vloggers: FeedBurner's SmartCast service now supports Yahoo! Media RSS. If you enable the 'Media RSS' option in SmartCast, FeedBurner will automatically generate the appropriate Yahoo! Media RSS elements and submit your feed to Yahoo!'s rich media search index.

Yipee! or should I exclaim, Yahoo!

Add QuickTime movies to your HTML pages

PAGEot is an application which generates EMBED and OBJECT code for the QuickTime Plug-in.

WiFi Community Forum Video

Neighborhood residents interested in the future of wireless technology in Boston attended a WiFi community forum on April 19 at the Boston Public Library to contribute to the planning of the city's first WiFi Summit.

I just posted a video from the forum over at Boston City Councillor John Tobin's Video Blog.

Open-source ad server

phpAdsNew is an Open-source ad server that pc4media is trying out.

I used to maintain a number of ad serving software installations for a past client. Some were home grown and some were web based. I might just check this one out.

It requires PHP and MySQL. I just got an account over at Dreamhost to try, so I might set this up over there.

You'll know I tried it if you start seeing banner ads for my favorite videoblogs, reality TV shows, and friends start showing up in the sidebar.

Read Magazine & Newspaper Articles Online For Free

With a Massachusetts library card you can read Magazine & Newspaper Articles online for free:

Read the latest AND back issues of your favorite magazines and Massachusetts newspapers ranging from Time, Newsweek, The Economist, Science News, Forbes, the Harvard Health Letter, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Ranger Rick,The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, and The Worcester Telegram and Gazette. The latest magazines are often online BEFORE they even hit the newsstands!

Block that pesky content

Google Content Blocker
What is Google Content Blocker?
Google's mission is to organize the world's advertising for maximum exposure to Web users. Unfortunately, annoying Web content often overwhelms the page, causing many users to become distracted and overlook the ads.

VloggerLobbyBarCon: Seattle June 25th at 6:00 PM

I'm going to Gnomedex in June and will be in Seattle June 23-25th.


Any Seattle videobloggers want to get together on Jun 25, 2005 at 6:00 pm for an Eric Rice inspired VloggerLobbyBarCon?

Seattle Marriott Waterfront Lobby Bar

Seattle Marriott Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98121 USA
Phone: 1-206-443-5000

Entering the Bayosphere

Dan Gillmor's new blog home | Bayosphere.

Blogger Word Verification!

Why is Blogger sometimes asking me to verify my posts with word verification?

Update 05/16/05 - Blogger responds:

Hello Steve,

Thanks for writing in and for bringing this bug to our attention. Please
be assured that it has been resolved by the development team and that you
should no longer be experiencing the same issue. I apologize for any
inconvenience it may have caused. Please let me know if you have any
additional concerns.

Sincerely,
Christine
Blogger Support

BSS: The Documentary, direct to DVD

Jason Scott's BBS: The Documentary is now available on Amazon.com.

Cool.

Jason interviewed me for BSS: The Documentary back on 2002. I told him all about my exeriences with Bulletin Board sytems. I used to run a BBS called Mac Boston. I also told him about the first time I ever encountered someone else online in real time. Fun stuff.

BSS: The Documentary - Official Website.