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Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween in Boston - A Rock Band in the Street



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Washington Post: McCain or Obama?



Who Are You Voting for - and Why?
See what the Washington Post's Fred Hiatt and National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru say, then add your video post.

This is a great application of Seesmic.

Plus, anyone can embed the video conversation on thier own blog.

CNN Election Results - LIVE

Robots Attack!

Marxism


Marxism, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Multicolor Glass Pumpkin


Multicolor Glass Pumpkin, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Happy Halloween!

Planet Earth Says Vote For Barack Obama


Make your own Attack Ad

I was interested in the origins of this site so I sent off an email with some questions. Mike Demers emailed me back. Here's the interview:

Me: Nice job on that attack ad generator...

Mike: Thanks Steve.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I'm on the west coast, plus all of this interest in the Attack Ad Generator caught me off guard.

Me: Can you give me some information on who coded it?

Mike: I actually threw it together a few weeks ago. I wanted to dig deeper into a few new-ish technologies so I was researching them over the weekend. I happened to be sitting on the couch with my laptop watching CNN at the time and it was just one of those "you got your chocolate in my peanut butter..." moments.

The javascript is all jQuery, the back-end is built in Ruby on a young framework called Merb. It does use Flash but only to play the audio. Everything else is Javascript and HTML. The audio is actually me reading a list of words into Garage Band and applying some sort of "Barry White" filter. The Javascript player knows the timecode for each word and literally just jumps back and forth in the MP3 to (crudely) approximate a narration track.

Me: When did it go live? How much traffic has it seen?

Mike: I published it out on my server a couple of weeks ago and just told a few friends. I really had no intention of promoting it since I'm pretty busy with my day job at a start-up here in Seattle.

I thought that was the end of it for the time being but, of course, the Internet is a strange place and as near as I can tell, an "alternative rock" radio station in Colorado somehow stumbled across it and posted on their site as the "pick of the day" earlier this week. It then picked up more traffic each day after that until today when I started getting emails like this and IMs from friends telling me that it was suddenly on Mashable and Ajaxian.

As for traffic, it started the week getting 6 visitors a day, most of which were probably bots. then 6 became 60, and then 600 and today... I guess it depends how long my server can hold on :) It looks like it just shot past 10,000. Weird stuff.

Me: Tell me more about the ad serving at the end of the ad. I haven't seen that before...

Mike: Heh, unfortunately that actually looks a lot more sophisticated that it actually is. As I mentioned, I was really doing this to learn a few new technologies and the ads are an example of that. I wanted to figure out how to build an "iTunes Store" type carousel with jQuery so I grabbed some images and links from Amazon's Politics section and stuffed them in there. There's no server communication or ad rotation or anything like that. It's just the same handful that loop over and over.

Thanks for the interest. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Oh hey, I see from your blog that you're a Bostonian... GO SOX! My wife and I moved out here to Seattle from Boston 4 years ago (lured by Amazon)... I still haven't gotten used to the fact that I can't get a decent bagel or slice of pizza out here, nevermind the lack of Dunkins. Argh, now I'm getting homesick.

Happy Halloween,
Mike Demers

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Qik Interview with Nashua Telegraph's Damon Kiesow

PA302206

I spoke at the New England New Media Association this morning. Talked about how newspapers should strive to include reader submissions. Gave the example of BostonNOW.



Then I showed some of the technology I use. I did a Qik Interview with Nashua Telegraph's Damon Kiesow.

Then talked about how newspapers could make use of video hosting sites like blip.tv to encourage submissions from readers.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

Early Voting Sounds Practical. Can you vote early in Massachusetts?

I sent this "Can you vote early in Massachusetts?" question into the Secretary of State's office.
Hi,
With the increased interest in this year's election, could people fill out absentee ballots ahead of time even if they are NOT going to be away from their polling place on election day?
--Steve
Here's their reply:
Dear Mr. Garfield:

In Massachusetts there are three reasons for voting by absentee ballot: absence from the city or town during the voting hours, physical disability prevents a voter from going to the polling place, or religious beliefs in conflict with the act of voting on the day on which such election is to be held. Mass. Const. Amend. Art. LXV; M. G. L. c. 54, § 86.

There are criminal penalties for illegal absentee voting. M. G. L. c. 56, §§ 27, 27A.

Elections Division
IT"S THE LAW!

Here's the language for Chapter 56: Section 27.
Absent voting laws; violations

Section 27. Whoever, not being entitled to vote under the laws relative to absent voting, votes or attempts to vote thereunder or whoever being entitled to vote under said laws knowingly votes or attempts to vote in violation thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars and by imprisonment for not more than five years.

I'm not a fan of "We've always done it this way." answers.

Time for a change.

Massachusetts: Question Three - Dog Racing

LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?


This proposed law would prohibit any dog racing or racing meeting in Massachusetts where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of dogs occurs. The State Racing Commission would be prohibited from accepting or approving any application or request for racing dates for dog racing. Any person violating the proposed law could be required to pay a civil penalty of not less than $20,000 to the Commission. The penalty would be used for the Commission’s administrative purposes, subject to appropriation by the state Legislature. All existing parts of the chapter of the state’s General Laws concerning dog and horse racing meetings would be interpreted as if they did not refer to dogs. These changes would take effect January 1, 2010. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would prohibit dog races on which betting or wagering occurs, effective January 1, 2010.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws governing dog racing.

Massachusetts: Question Two - Marijuana

LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?



This proposed law would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations, and would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state's criminal record information system. Offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty. Offenders under 18 and their parents or legal guardian would be notified of the offense and the option for the offender to complete a drug awareness program developed by the state Department of Youth Services. Such programs would include ten hours of community service and at least four hours of instruction or group discussion concerning the use and abuse of marijuana and other drugs and emphasizing early detection and prevention of substance abuse. The penalty for offenders under 18 who fail to complete such a program within one year could be increased to as much as $1,000, unless the offender showed an inability to pay, an inability to participate in such a program, or the unavailability of such a program. Such an offender's parents could also be held liable for the increased penalty. Failure by an offender under 17 to complete such a program could also be a basis for a delinquency proceeding. The proposed law would define possession of one ounce or less of marijuana as including possession of one ounce or less of tetrahydrocannibinol ("THC"), or having metabolized products of marijuana or THC in one's body. Under the proposed law, possessing an ounce or less of marijuana could not be grounds for state or local government entities imposing any other penalty, sanction, or disqualification, such as denying student financial aid, public housing, public financial assistance including unemployment benefits, the right to operate a motor vehicle, or the opportunity to serve as a foster or adoptive parent. The proposed law would allow local ordinances or bylaws that prohibit the public use of marijuana, and would not affect existing laws, practices, or policies concerning operating a motor vehicle or taking other actions while under the influence of marijuana, unlawful possession of prescription forms of marijuana, or selling, manufacturing, or trafficking in marijuana. The money received from the new civil penalties would go to the city or town where the offense occurred.

A YES VOTE would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties.

A NO VOTE would make no change in state criminal laws concerning possession of marijuana.

Massachusetts: Question One - Taxes

LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?


This proposed law would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65% for all categories of taxable income for the tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax for all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010. The personal income tax applies to income received or gain realized by individuals and married couples, by estates of deceased persons, by certain trustees and other fiduciaries, by persons who are partners in and receive income from partnerships, by corporate trusts, and by persons who receive income as shareholders of “S corporations” as defined under federal tax law. The proposed law would not affect the tax due on income or gain realized in a tax year beginning before January 1, 2009. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65% for the tax year beginning on January 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax for all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

A NO VOTE would make no change in state income tax laws.

What is my Massachusetts Ballot going to look like on Election Day?

One of my complaints about voting is that you arrive at the polling place on election day and are surprised by what's on the ballot.

I've had a heck of a time getting a copy of the ballot in Boston, Massachusetts.

I just got a response to an email request and flowed a few links to get the information.

Head over to Elections: Voting ballot information

Enter your address, and click "Find My Election Information"

The resulting page will display what hte contents of your election ballot will look like.

Here are the candidates that will show up on my ballot:



My comments:

Baldwin and Castle sounds like a nice place to stop in for a beer.

Barr and Root sounds like something you'd get with ice cream at a soda shop.

McCain and Palin sounds eratic and mavericky.

McKinney and Clemente sounds unfamiliar.

Nader and Gonzalez. Check out Nader on the issues.

Obama and Biden give me hope and sound transformational.





The only contested races on my ballot are President and Vice President, Senator, and Senator in General Court.

In those races I'll be voting for:

OBAMA and BIDEN

JOHN F. KERRY

SONIA ROSA CHANG-DIAZ

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Lantern parade

Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade Slide Show

Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade


Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade


Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Don Draper's Guide

Arnold Arboretum Boston


Arnold Arboretum Boston, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Oct 26th, 2008 (Sun) 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Fall Foliage Festival
Arnold Arboretum
Hunnewell Building Lawn
Sunday, October 26
12:00noon-4:00pm

Why leave the city to go leaf-peeping when you can come to the Arnold Arboretum for a celebration of spectacular fall foliage! Learn about the best trees and shrubs for fall color, check out the big trucks and specialized equipment used to care for our trees, and take a guided tour of our landscape,ablaze with color. Enjoy apples, cider, and other autumn treats, plus music, leaf crafts, storytelling, and more. Free. Use of public transportation strongly encouraged.

New England Patriots



Going to the Patriots game today!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

More changes at the supermarket


utterli-image

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Staples: FREE 50 Business Cards



A Staples just opened up in Roslindale and sent out an ad saying "FREE 50 Business Cards" Come in October 25 to receive a voucher.



So I went in, and the voucher is for 50 FREE Color Business Cards SKU # 714854.

Valid 10/26-11/15/08.



Minimum purchase requirement of 50 business cards must be met....

What?

That's not right.

Note: Video also on YouTube.

I got a response from a friend of mine that I emailed, who works for Staples:
I followed up on the business card issue you sent me. Thank you for sending it along, you've helped us become better. The issue had not made it back to the operational or marketing team involved with the specific promotion. This morning they were updated and are correcting the coupon text that caused the store confusion. The store was also contacted to address the issue and understand why the specifics had not made it back to the responsible teams. The 50 free business cards are still available and [REDACTED] at the copy center can help you.

Thanks again. Hope that helps and sorry we caused you the inconvience.

They rearranged the supermarket some more




Reporting on the revised produce section at Roche Bros. supermarket in West Roxbury

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Obey


Obey, originally uploaded by hargo.

Jamaica Pond Panorama


Jamaica Pond Panorama, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

New Media Tools for Journalism: Community And Conversation

Looking at places on the web to find and engage in conversation.
Slide 1: Community and Conversation Steve Garfield, New Media Tools for Journalism



Highlights:

Slide 2: Let WBZ know about your blog at www.wbztv.com/addblog

Slide 9: Your Vote Can you bring video camera's into Massachusetts polling places?
Yes. Stay behind the guard rail. No Audio of Names. No Marking Ballots. Do not interfere or disrupt.
Slide 10: Saving a podcast Hosting blip.tv - http://blip.tv Libsyn - http://www.libsyn.com/

Slide 12: Business Social Network
“Build your Business Social Network NOW. Along the way Find your Life's Passion. And then Give yourself a Job.”
-- Jeff Pulver

Slide 14: Meetups
“If you don’t go out, nothing happens.”
Mom

What's happening in your area: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/

Slide 16: Social Media In 3 Steps Dave Peck

Slide 22: Be Authentic Gary Vaynerchuk

Slide 23: Election 2008 http://election.twitter.com/

Slide 24: Twitter Search http://search.twitter.com/

Slide 26: Conversation Seesmic


Presentated at Boston University College of Communication School of Journalism on 10/23/08.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Ron Howard's Call to Action

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Say Hi to my BU class

Say Hi my BU Class

Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off


Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off - Watch more free videos

Please leave a link in the comments to the original creator of this video so I can link back.

Update:

Director(s): David Morgasen , Yaroslav Kemnits (Director of Special Effects)
Writer(s): David Morgasen
Producer(s): Dmitry Lesnevsky (Exec. Producer), David Morgasen (Exec. Producer), Elena Muravina

Link

Headlines from the future: Single Nonvoter Tipped Election To McCain-Palin Ticket

Headlines from the future: Single Nonvoter Tipped Election To McCain-Palin Ticket

Video: Single Nonvoter Tipped Election To McCain-Palin Ticket

Headlines from the future:

Gov. Palin: 'Lookit That—I'm The Second-Most Powerful Person In The World'

World: 'Really? Again? Really?!?'

Health Care Advocates Predict Reform By 2034

U.S Prepares To Invade Russia, China, Iran, Spain, Canada, Local Denny's

Cheney Tapped To Lead New Dept. of Ongoing Illegal Activities

McCain Upset He Doesn't Get Launch Codes Until January

Bush: 'I Am Vindicated'

Election result rests in God's hands

One Lie A Day: Election result rests in God's hands.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Reporting for Rocketboom, The UpTake, BBC and CNN iReport

I'm heading over to Dan Kennedy's Journalism class at Northeastern University today to talk about video reporting.

I'm planning on showing a few examples including an edited report for Rocketboom, live streamed reports via cellphone for The UpTake and the BBC, an a MacBook Pro webcam report for CNN's iReport.

Rocketboom - The Electric Volt Car



Qik - Duncan Hunter - NH Primary

Newest anchors report by cell phone



Qik - Democratic Debates - BBC

BBC: Qik Videos from the US: the debate



CNN iReport - Hurricane Kyle

CNN iReport Top Three Hurricane Kyle Reports

Wash Hands After Voting For McCain/Palin

For Republicans.

Bathroom sign parody by Steve Garfield / SteveGarfield.com

Sign by JustBathRoomSigns

Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years

Palin Clothes Spending Has Dems Salivating, Republicans Livid:

2 Years of Edwards Haircuts
...if Edwards had gotten one of his legendary haircuts every singe week, it would still take him 7.2 years to spend what Palin has spent.
$2,500 per day
Palin has received the equivalent of $2,500 in clothes per day from places such as Saks Fifth Avenue (where RNC expenditures totaled nearly $50,000) and Neiman Marcus (where the governor had a $75,000 spree).
Palin is not like the rest of us
"It shows that Palin ain't like the rest of us," Tom Matzzie, a Democratic strategist told the Huffington Post, when asked how the party would or could use the issue. "It can help deflate her cultural populism with the Republican base. The Plumber's wife doesn't go to Nieman's or Saks."
Four times a plumber's salary
Palin's fashion budget for several weeks was more than four times the median salary of an American plumber ($37,514).
80 years worth of clothes
Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years.
Health care for 15 people
...her clothes were the cost of health care for 15 or so people.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

BU (Lomo)


BU (Lomo), originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

I took this with an iPhone and enhanced it with the iPhone application, CameraBag. Very cool.

CameraBag
www.nevercenter.com/camerabag/

Can you bring video camera's into Massachusetts polling places?

I emailed the Secretary of State of Massachusetts and asked if you can bring video camera's into Massachusetts polling places.

Here's the answer:
In Massachusetts, observers are allowed to be in the polling place, outside the guard rail. Observers, including media, can observe and video the election process from behind this guard rail. However, if there are too many observers to fit in the space, the warden at the polling place may ask such observers to pool their resources. This is generally a bigger issue for a video camera which usually requires additional space for such equipment.

A video camera is limited to viewing only the same as the observers. A video camera cannot be used to record audio of names being checked on the voter list pursuant to General Laws chapter 54, section 76. Also, the video cannot capture a voter actually marking their ballot (no zoom).

Further, pursuant to General laws chapter 56, section 25, it is against the law to allow the marking of his ballot to be seen by any person for any purpose. This includes a voter photographing their own ballot after marking it.

Based on information received from the National Association of Secretaries of State, it is our understanding that the “Video Your Vote” feature is seeking to capture an experience of a voter, using interviews after they have voted and outside of the polling place itself. Interviews inside the polling places in Massachusetts will not be allowed as they would interfere with and disrupt the voting process.

We hope this information is helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Elections Division
I asked because of two campaigns.



1. YouTube - Video Your Vote:
"YouTube's Video Your Vote, a non-partisan program produced in partnership with PBS, encourages American voters to document their experiences at the polls on Election Day.

The Video Your Vote channel is also a one-stop-shop to view exclusive videos from voter registration experts, election reform activists, and state officials, as well as video footage from the PBS archives for a historical look at voting through the years.

You can also see exclusive footage produced by the online team at the News Hour with Jim Lehrer."

"On Election Day this November 4, PBS and YouTube invite you to join thousands of other citizens across the country to document democracy in action. Video Your Vote is a project designed to shed light on voting in America through the eyes of voters like you; and we're asking you to share videos of your experiences on Election Day and upload them to YouTube as soon as you've shot them -- ideally as early as possible on November 4th. "


2. Mass Vote - Eye on Democracy:
On November 4, 2008 millions of Massachusetts residents will go to their local polling places with the intention of voicing their opinion on who they want to be in their local, state, and national government. Most will have no problem casting their ballots on Election Day and will feel empowered. Some however will face administrative challenges that prevent their voices from being heard. Whatever the case may be, we want to hear their stories through you.

Eye on Democracy is a project of MassVOTE in coordination with: Suffolk University, The Hyams Foundation, Access Strategies Fund and The Boston Foundation.
Update - Here's another:



3. The New York Times - Photograph Your Polling Place:
The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

Parker House Schrod


Parker House Schrod from stevegarfield on Vimeo.

Carol and Steve Show makes

Parker House Schrod:

Ingredients
6 (8-ounce) fillets baby cod or haddock
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 pound buttery, flaky crackers, finely crushed
1/2 pound melted butter
1/2 cup white wine
Directions
Marinate fish in milk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, olive oil, and paprika for 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove from marinade and dip each fillet into cracker crumbs. Cover all surfaces well. Place fillets in buttered baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter.

Pour white wine into pan, being sure not to drizzle directly onto fish. Bake until flaky, approximately 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Place under broiler for a few minutes to finish and give color.

via
[ foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/parker-house-schrod-fresh-catch-of-the-day-recipe/index.html ]

Monday, October 20, 2008

Current Fix Interviews Shepard Fairey About His Obama Art




Current Fix has a great interview with Shepard Fairey about his Obama inspired art.

via [ Laughing Squid ]

Muslim McCain Fans Confront Intolerance At Rally


American News Project video seen on Rick Sanchez on CNN.
At a John McCain rally in Woodbridge, Virginia, three people handed out "Obama for Change" bumper stickers with the Communist sickle and hammer and the Islamic crescent, saying Obama was a socialist with ties to radical Islam. Several moderate McCain supporters, Muslim and Christian alike, struck back - relentlessly bombarding the group distributing the flyers until they left the premises.
After airing the video, the McCain campaign wouldn't let McCain staffer David Zuberi talk to @ricksanchezcnn.

I have a potential audience of 3,235,302 on twitter

Twinfluence
www.twinfluence.com/

I'm #30

Most Reach
www.twinfluence.com/toplist.php?sort=reach

McCain Defends His Campaign's Robocalls

When one resorts to smearing, one has already lost… if not the battle, definitely the soul.

McCain Defends His Campaign’s Robocalls (via tpmtv)


via [ Zadi Diaz ]

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Colin Powell Eviscerates McCain's Negative Smear Campaign

Press availability following his endorsement on "Meet the Press." Destroys every McCain and Republican talking points from Ayers to "terrorist" to Rep. Bachmann's rant to "socialism." From MSNBC, 10-19-08.

Q: Sir, what role did McCain's negativity play in your decision?

POWELL: It troubled me. You know, we have two wars. We have economic problems. We have health problems. We have education problems. We have infrastructure problems. We have problems around the world with our allies. And so those are the problems the American people wanted to hear about, not about Mr. Ayers, not about who is a Muslim and who's not a Muslim. Those kinds of images going out on al Jazeera are killing us around the world. And we have got to say to the world it doesn't make any difference who you are or what you are. If you're an American you're an American.

And this business of, for example, a congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America or not pro-America. We have got to stop this kind of nonsense and pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and in our diversity. And so that really was driving me. And to focus on people like Mr. Ayers, these trivial issues for the purpose of suggesting that somehow Mr. Obama would have some kind of terrorists' inclinations, I thought that was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. I think it went beyond. And then to sort of throw in this subtle Muslim connection. You know, he's a Muslim and a terrorist. And it was taking root. And we can't judge our people and we can't hold our elections on that kind of basis. And so yes, that kind of negativity troubles me and the constant shifting of the argument.

I was troubled a couple of weeks ago when in the middle of the crisis the campaign said we're going to go negative and they announced it. We're going to go negative and attack his character through Bill Ayers. And now I guess the message this week is we're going to call him a socialist. Mr. Obama is now a socialist because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have. Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who pay it in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there's nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that makes you a socialist I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate. And I don't want my taxes raised. I don't want anybody else's taxes raised. But I also want to see our infrastructure fixed. I don't want to have a $12 trillion national debt and I don't want to see an annual deficit that's over $500 billion heading toward a trillion. So how do we deal with all of this?

WBZ Radio Fishy News SNL Report


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CNN interview after Powell endorses Obama



Video: Colin Powell talks to the press after endorsing Obama.

Embedding CNN videos breaks my blog.

I have notified CNN and they are working on fixing it.

The intersection of news, bloggers and victims

Police officer cited for running down baby in Jamaica Plain | Universal Hub:
"David Abel at the Globe buries the lead in this story about that August incident involving a police vehicle knocking a baby out of a stroller at Centre Street and Seaverns Avenue in JP: The officer involved was issued a citation and banned from driving any police vehicle until after completing a driver's ed class.

Also, the mother got so sick of being blamed for the accident, she and her husband are moving to Newton.

The article itself is an interesting rumination on the intersection of news, bloggers and victims (and it shows why we still need professional journalists) but, gosh, couldn't the Globe have reported earlier on the outcome of the case instead of burying the actual news at the bottom of a magazine piece?"

SNL: Gov. Palin Cold Open featuring a lot of Tina Fey



That was funny.

Don't expect a lot from Sarah Palin.

SNL: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

Once again it's all Tina Fey.

And Amy Poehler with the Palin Rap.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

100,000 in St. Louis for Barack Obama

100,000 in St. Louis, MO: "All I can say is, wow."

I'd like to see a photo credit for this.

If you know who took this please comment.



Wow! This one is even better!


The Obama campaign says they've been told by the St. Louis Police Department that about 100,000 people gathered to hear Obama's rally in St. Louis earlier Saturday. (Photo: Matt Hoye/CNN)

Katrina Vanden Heuvel Responds to Bachman's Call for McCarthy like Investigation of Members of Congress



She is responding to this:


Fall Boats: Jamaica Pond


Fall Boats from stevegarfield on Vimeo.

Boats and Fall leaves at Jamaica Pond, Jamaica Plain, MA.

Music: Natalie Gelman

Raise Your Hand: Obama in NH

The Boston Globe wrote about Barack Obama's trip to Londonderry, NH this week, in the article Obama cautions against cockiness and reported:
"...nearly all the hands in the crowd shot into the air when Obama asked how many people made less than $250,000 a year."
Here's a video I shot of that moment:


Raise Your Hand: Barack Obama Mack's Apples in Londonderry, NH 10/16/08. from stevegarfield on Vimeo.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Obama in NH (HD)


Obama in NH 10/16/08 from stevegarfield on Vimeo.

Barack Obama:

It's gonna take a new direction.
It's going to take new leadership in Washington.
It's gonna take real change in policies and politics from the last 8 years.
...and that's why I'm running for President of the United States of America

I noticed that I think this whole change thing is catching on
Halley Suitt went up to NH with me and writes about it here: Obama in Londonderry New Hampshire: Pie Guy.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

McCain Loses It in 3rd Presidential Debate

Where's the door?
via CNN

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY ONE - October 24, 2008, 8:00 - 12:00

Harvard Free Culture and the Internet Company LLC Proudly Presents...

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY ONE
A Gathering Of Boston Tech Like It's 1997
October 24, 2008, 8:00 - 12:00
Berkman Squared, 50 Church Street, Cambridge MA

Boston is full of cool Internet people. Why aren't they meeting each other?

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY is Boston's monthly party gathering hackers, activists, artists, designers, nonprofits, startups, academics and general geekery to hang out and connect with one another.

*No agenda, no networking, no presentations. Just free beverages, food, ideas and cool people.
*Best of all the price is free, like your first 1000 hours of AOL.
*Extra Beenz For Wearing Some Vintage Web 1.0 Gear

With Featured Guests and Organizations:
- Jonathan Zittrain (Berkman Center) (http://futureoftheinternet.org/) (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu)
- Mel Chua, SJ Klein, Seth Woodworth (OLPC) (http://laptop.org/)
- Beth Coleman and Kevin Driscoll (Comparative Media Studies, MIT) (http://cms.mit.edu/)
- Nate Aune and Jon Pierce (Betahouse) (http://tinyurl.com/42w4pt)
- Christina Xu (MIT Media Lab, extrACT Project)
- Diana Kimball (http://dianakimball.com)
- Steve Garfield (Boston Media Makers) (http://bostonmediamakers.wordpress.com/about/)
- The Barbarian Group (http://www.barbariangroup.com/)
- Brett Stilwell (Pecha Kucha Boston) (http://pechakuchaboston.org/blog/about/)
- Alec Resnick (Nublabs) (http://www.nublabs.org/)

Register on Upcoming

Kodak Zi6 Review



Watch at YouTube in High Quality.

The Kodak Zi6 is a nice little HD camera. Records 720p video at 60 and 30 frames per second along with VGA.

I think the HD quality is very good for an under $200 camera. It has a fixed focus starting at 27.6" so if you are used to recording video of yourself at arms' length, you've got to have a long arm... :-)

Here's a video I shot outside:
http://vimeo.com/1971103

When you plug the Zi6's USB interface into a Mac, iPhoto recognizes the camera and imports the video into iPhoto. I can't figure out how to get the movie into iMovie directly. I needed to drag the movie out of iPhoto and onto my desktop, then import into iMovie.

The .mov file created by the camera is also not recognized by my version of FCP 5.1.4.

Obama to Visit Mack's Apples Londonderry NH on October 16th, 2008

Mack's Apples
230 Mammoth Road
Londonderry NH 03053

Derry News: Obama to appear in Londonderry Thursday:

Just 19 days before the election, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the Democratic Presidential nominee, will be at a community gathering at Mack's Apples on 230 Mammoth Road. Gates open at 10 a.m. and Obama is expected to speak at noon.

Kodak Zi6 - Jamaica Pond


Kodak Zi6 - Jamaica Pond from stevegarfield on Vimeo.

Six scenes at Jamaica Pond shot with the Kodak Zi6. Edited in iMovie and exported with H.264, Key Frames Every 30 Frames, Data Rate 2,000 kbits/sec.

Per Vimeo suggestion:
bitcast.vimeo.com/vimeo/assets/images/hd_settings.jpg

I really, really like the fact that the camera saves the videos as .mov and that they can directly edited with iMovie.

You can also download the QuickTime version on the page.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Old People: No more TV for you starting in 2009

The Boston Globe Endorses Barack Obama

Obama for president - The Boston Globe:
"With great enthusiasm, the Globe endorses Senator Barack Obama for president. The charismatic Democrat from Illinois has the ability to channel Americans' hopes and rally the public together, at a time when the winds are picking up and the clouds keep on darkening.

Unlike many of his rivals this year of either party, Obama isn't refighting the political or cultural battles of the 1960s. Instead, he is asking Americans to take responsibility for the nation's problems now; no one else will take care of them, and the consequences of years of disunity and profligacy should not be visited upon future generations.

Obama shows great faith in the possibility of persuasion overseas and in the ingenuity of the American economy. While intransigent rogue states can't be finger-wagged into giving up on nuclear weapons, perhaps they can be talked back from the brink. As fossil fuels become scarcer, and the ecological damage more evident, Americans can put up windmills and solar panels and drive more efficient cars."

Monday, October 13, 2008

HOPE continues at 3:00 PM Tuesday on blogtalkradio

Explorer SuiteNew England
"Hope" (mp3)
from "Explorer Suite"
(Stoneworks)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album



Tune in at http://blogtalkradio.com/stevegarfield

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope


Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

[mp3]

Chris Pirillo: Kodak Zi6: Best Portable HD Video Recorder?



What file format does it record to and how does it work with a Mac?

YES.

Records video in h.264. Mac compatible!

Check this Macworld review - Hands on with the Kodak Zi6.

McCain on CNN

McCain on CNN: "I'm happy where we are. We've got him just where we want him. I'm happy where we are."

McCain on CNN: Lying about William Ayers "Unrepentant terrorist." Wrong.

McCain on CNN on terrorist and traitor comments at McCain rallys: "I've heard the same thing at Obama rally's said about me." LIE. LIAR!

Interviewer on CNN: "Are you feeling well?" McCain: "Thank you for having me on." What?

Share your foliage photos on WBZTV.COM



It's here.

Candy Corn

Candy Corn
Candy Corn IMGP2348 copy, originally uploaded by carlweaver.