- The leaves are changing color in New England. Nice video to watercolor effect.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Waltham has a podcast
Waltham the Band, one of my favorites, now has a podcast.
Waltham the Band - Podcast #1. [ mp3 ]
It's actually just audio posted to the web since they don't have it enclosed in an RSS 2.0 feed.
But it ROCKS!
Buy their new CD at amazon.com
Waltham the Band - Podcast #1. [ mp3 ]
It's actually just audio posted to the web since they don't have it enclosed in an RSS 2.0 feed.
But it ROCKS!
Buy their new CD at amazon.com
the blogosphere: video blogs 101
the blogosphere: video blogs 101
Cambridge Community Television
First class: Nov 30, Dec 7
Instructors: Steve Garfield & Ravi Jain
NEW!
What is a blog? What is a video blog? New forms of digital distribution seem to be cropping everyday. i-Tunes can now playback video downloaded automatically from video blogs. How is this new distribution format revolutionizing the way citizens become informed? Explore the idea of citizen journalism in the blogosphere and find out how to have your own video blog.
Steve Garfield featured on The DV Show podcast
Brian Alves interviewed me for today's The DV Show Podcast for October 31, 2005:
Go listen.
Mentioned in this interview:
What is a video blog?
Michael Verdi - RE: "It's too early to define it."
Ryanne Hodson - the story of how Ryanne's vlog started
Where is this going?
FeeVlog
vblogcentral.com
Internet Archive - remix existing videos
Akimbo
DTV
Ourmedia.org - free hosting and bandwith
blip.tv
Pioneer vlogger Steve Garfield gives us tips on how to add video to your blog so you can start vlogging."It was a fun interview.
Go listen.
Mentioned in this interview:
What is a video blog?
Michael Verdi - RE: "It's too early to define it."
Ryanne Hodson - the story of how Ryanne's vlog started
Where is this going?
FeeVlog
vblogcentral.com
Internet Archive - remix existing videos
Akimbo
DTV
Ourmedia.org - free hosting and bandwith
blip.tv
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Looks like a refrigerator to me
Harriet and Mickey, Ink., illustrations by Ann LaVigne.
She told me that this was a dog, but I think it looks like a refrigerator.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Free DHTML & JavaScript code library
Dynamic Drive , the #1 place on the net to obtain free, original DHTML & Javascripts to enhance your web site!
300 search results on one page
The Devilfinder Search Engine.
With DevilFinder you can get at least 300 Total results from a single search query.
With DevilFinder you can get at least 300 Total results from a single search query.
Video: Vlog Soup: Episode 7
Steve Garfield's Video Blog: Vlog Soup: Episode 7.
In this week's Vlog Soup I resisted the urge to dress up in Halloween costumes.
Here are my favorite vlogs of the week.
Friday, October 28, 2005
I Can't Lace My Shoes Faster
Ian's Shoelace Site - Ian Knot Flip Book.
Learning to tie your shoelaces faster is hard.
via [ JoHo ]
She did the Vlogger Mashup
Mom's Brag Vlog: Vlogger Mashup:
"Since I started my videoblog back in May, the number of videoblogs I watch on a daily basis has kept growing. I can't watch them all, so sometimes I have to go through and filter out the ones that I'm just not interested in anymore. There are many, however, that keep my interest with every new post. These are four of them that I have watched from the very beginning that I will probably keep watching until they stop posting."Thanks Erin!
Abby Yelps about her favorite local places
Abby at Yelp.
Centre Street CafeThat host dude is cool.
669 Centre Street
Category: Restaurants
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
"The only thing that keeps Centre Street Cafe from being 5 stars is the wait. The food is wonderful! They use fresh organic ingredients, and the menus is inventive and tasty. SO tasty. I think it's the best place in JP.
How could I not mention the host? He's a TRIP! Oozing with charisma and born to manage a brunch. "Two? Excellent. Excellent. You're sitting there? NICE!" He's seriously amazing. If a film/theatre talent scout ever wanders in, they will hire him for something. I don't know exactly what, but something."
IGN: Scrubs Blog
The TV show Scrubs now has a video blog.
The only problem is that it doesn't have permalinks, comments are not enabled, posts are not in reverse chronological order, and there isn't an RSS 2.0 feed with media enclosures to subscribe to.
One other small thing that bothers me. They call each post a video blog. Each post is not a video blog, it's a video blog post. Well, it is if it was in a video blog, which these posts are not. They are just video on a web page.
Oh, and one more thing. When you click over to watch the video, on a Mac, you are prompted to download a 65 MB file to watch the 320 x 240 QuickTime version. Oh my!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Chicken of the VNC
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Chicken of the VNC:
"Chicken of the VNC is a VNC client for Mac OS X. A VNC client allows one to display and interact with a remote computer screen. In other words, you can use Chicken of the VNC to interact with a remote computer as though it's right next to you."via [ Raines Cohen ]
Archive of American Television
Official Google Blog: A must-see TV archive:
"And starting today, anyone in the world can go to Google Video and watch complete and uncut Archive interviews and learn directly from the legends and pioneers on how it all happened. How cool is that?"Carl Reiner... this is gold... comedy gold.
Note: Click the right hand button and choose to view in original size. Musch better than the default stretched version.
Video of a dog that runs away
David hopes someone will help him catch his dog.
Watch the video: Catch.
via [ Video Journalism Awards Page ]
Watch the video: Catch.
via [ Video Journalism Awards Page ]
The Slackstreet Creative Group
Eric Rice :: Introducing the Slackstreet Creative Group:
"... it's a creative agency, organized like a private farmers' or grocery co-operative. Named after Slackstreet Entertainment, Slackstreet CG is owned and operated by its team members.I'm proud to be part of the crew.
It's positioned to be a world-class agency for those with complex creative needs for nearly every new media requirement, ranging from podcasting, vlogging, blogging, branding, multimedia integration to other unexplored creative possibilities."
Exciting things are happening.
Anti Tivo-borking
Anti Tivo-borking by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
A new service update from Tivo:
We just upgraded your TiVo service with a highly reqqested new feature: Overlap Protection (TM).
In the past, if two of your favorite shows overlapped by a minute or two, you could only record one or the other. New, with Overlap Protection, your TiVo DVR can record both shows back-to-back by clipping just enough from the end of one show.
Flickr for Video?
So you can upload your videos for free and make money at Revver?
Looks like it.
They put an ad at the end of your video and you split the proceeds 50/50.
I'll have to check into this more later.
Thanks [ Abby ] via [ BoingBoing ].
Looks like it.
They put an ad at the end of your video and you split the proceeds 50/50.
I'll have to check into this more later.
Thanks [ Abby ] via [ BoingBoing ].
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Podcasts with pictures. Not Video Podcasts.
Podcast AV by Old Jewel Software
Podcast AV lets you enhance your podcasts by adding links and pictures to them.
Podcast AV lets you enhance your podcasts by adding links and pictures to them.
Best City Council Candidate Q and A Ever
WeeklyDig : > OBLIGATORY AT-LARGE CANDIDATE Q&A.
I won't spoil the entertainment value of WeeklyDig reporter Paul McMorrow's questions to the At-Large Boston City Council candiates.
Go.
Go read it now.
Then come back and comment.
I won't spoil the entertainment value of WeeklyDig reporter Paul McMorrow's questions to the At-Large Boston City Council candiates.
Go.
Go read it now.
Then come back and comment.
Comedy Unveils Motherload Net
Comedy Unveils Motherload Net:
Links to topics mentioned in the article!
Wow.
That's what I've been asking the Boston Globe to provide for a really, really long time. This is so cool.
Oops.
Wait a minute.
Not cool.
Not cool at all.
This sidebar links are just links within MediaWeek.
Sadly, they raised my hopes and now they have been dashed.
"Comedy Central unveiled details on its new broadband network Motherload on Tuesday in New York."In addition to this exciting video on the web goes mainstream and funny announcement, I noticed that MediaWeek has this on the sidebar of thier story:
Links to topics mentioned in the article!
Wow.
That's what I've been asking the Boston Globe to provide for a really, really long time. This is so cool.
Oops.
Wait a minute.
Not cool.
Not cool at all.
This sidebar links are just links within MediaWeek.
Sadly, they raised my hopes and now they have been dashed.
VideoEgg, TypePad Team on Video Blogging
Elizabeth Millard's Publish.com article just came out, VideoEgg, TypePad Team on Video Blogging:
Best quote that got printed:
"The move by VideoEgg and Six Apart has met with positive reaction from some video bloggers, sometimes called vloggers.Some of that quote and all the other things I talked about are over here.
'This partnership looks like it will open the door even wider for people to easily post their videos on the Web,' said Steve Garfield, who runs a vlog using TypePad. 'By integrating a video publishing platform directly into TypePad, nontechnical users will be able to try it out, without having to learn an extra set of video publishing tools.'
The technology interface is welcoming to users who haven't tried video on their blogs before, Garfield added. 'Anything that makes it easier is great, and this is what many people have been wanting for their blogs.'"
Best quote that got printed:
VideoEgg's Kevin Sladek...:;-)
"We're going to see lots of grandchildren and puppies," he laughed. "But that's great, because that's what blogs are all about."
Scott Adams has a blog
Scott Adams just sent me and 474,999 other people and email tellng us that he has a new blog:
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this:
Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.
The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t need to be written anyhoo.
If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t know what will. You can find the Dilbert Blog at
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/
Creating Video Podcasts on Mac OS X
Apple - QuickTime - Tutorials - Creating Video Podcasts on Mac OS X.
According to the Apple tutorial page, the iPod can play this video format:
MPEG-4 video
File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: Up to 2.5 Mbps, 480 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile
Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
My videos are automatically encoded by my host, vblogcentral.com.
These are the settings vblogcentral.com uses for my video podcasts:
Video: MPEG-4, 500 kbits/sec, 15fps, 320x240
Audio: MPEG-4/AAC-LC, 128 kbits/sec
Saved as .mov
Hope this helps.
According to the Apple tutorial page, the iPod can play this video format:
MPEG-4 video
File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: Up to 2.5 Mbps, 480 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile
Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
My videos are automatically encoded by my host, vblogcentral.com.
These are the settings vblogcentral.com uses for my video podcasts:
Video: MPEG-4, 500 kbits/sec, 15fps, 320x240
Audio: MPEG-4/AAC-LC, 128 kbits/sec
Saved as .mov
Hope this helps.
Thank you Verizon
Thank you Verizon for sending me an email, notifying me that my bill is available for viewing online, and including the total amount due in your email.
I've been asking for this for a while.
Thanks again Verizon.
I've been asking for this for a while.
Thanks again Verizon.
Pumpkin, Raisin and Ginger Cookies
I wanna make these Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest: Pumpkin, Raisin and Ginger Cookies
Ingredients:Yummy!
1 (14-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Pumpkin Quick Bread & Muffin Mix*
1/2 cup cinnamon-covered raisins or plain raisins
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Prep Time: 15 min (Ready in 45 min )
Preparation Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine quick bread mix, raisins and ginger; mix well. Add butter and egg; stir until dry particles are moistened. (Mixture may be crumbly.)
2. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from cookie sheets.
Direct Wine Shipments to Massachusetts are legal, for now.
Ramon Soto in Senator Morrissey's office just called to give me an update on legislation to allow direct shipment of wine to Massachusetts.
The committee trying to get out a bill soon. The bill goes to the House for approval and then on to the Senate.
I'm getting an education here on how government works.
After the Supreme Court decision, direct ship is now possible. Current laws prohibiting it have been nullified. [ See Wine Spectator ]
But the government feels the need to put legislation in because we are dealing with an alcoholic substance.
They are in process of figuring this out.
Lawmakers are working on a compromise.
This compromise will allow for small wineries to direct ship, but not other larger wineries.
Lawmakers are trying to say if it's already available in stores they can't ship, while making it possible for direct ship from wine makers that have no presence in Massachusetts stores.
Right now the legislation would only allow any small winery, which produces below 30,000 gallons annually, to direct ship to Masssachusetts.
They are thinking that this gives the smaller guys a shot to send direct.
Ramon told me that discriminating between small and big like this has a precedent because it prevents the big companies to monopolize.
I'm not sure how this restriction will hold up against the Supreme Court ruling. I'd think you'd want to give equal access to all.
At least there seems to be some movement by the legislature on this bill.
I've got to do some more research, including determining the per year gallon production, of some of the wineries that are not distributed to Massachusetts right now.
It's be better for everyone if this 30,000 gallon restriction is dropped from the bill since it also seems like a disincentive for them to grow big because when they hit 30,000 gallons per year production they wouldn't be able to ship to Massachusetts anymore.
The more I think about it, the 30,000 gallon restriction will create a lot of 'red tape'. Let's open the state up to direct shipments for everyone.
I don't think that the big wine distributers are afraid of a little competition. Are they?
Who would be in favor of restricting direct access to wine from major manufacturers?
Right now, wine goes from manufacturer, to distributor, to retail, to customer. With direct shipment of wine from manufacturer to consumer, who looses out?
The distributors and the retailers.
Hmm. I wonder how they feel about direct shipment of wine to residents of Masachusetts?
It's a free market the last time I checked. Let's keep government out it.
Direct shipments of wine for all.
Comments appreciated.
Cheers!
The committee trying to get out a bill soon. The bill goes to the House for approval and then on to the Senate.
I'm getting an education here on how government works.
After the Supreme Court decision, direct ship is now possible. Current laws prohibiting it have been nullified. [ See Wine Spectator ]
But the government feels the need to put legislation in because we are dealing with an alcoholic substance.
They are in process of figuring this out.
Lawmakers are working on a compromise.
This compromise will allow for small wineries to direct ship, but not other larger wineries.Lawmakers are trying to say if it's already available in stores they can't ship, while making it possible for direct ship from wine makers that have no presence in Massachusetts stores.
Right now the legislation would only allow any small winery, which produces below 30,000 gallons annually, to direct ship to Masssachusetts.
They are thinking that this gives the smaller guys a shot to send direct.
Ramon told me that discriminating between small and big like this has a precedent because it prevents the big companies to monopolize.
I'm not sure how this restriction will hold up against the Supreme Court ruling. I'd think you'd want to give equal access to all.
At least there seems to be some movement by the legislature on this bill.
I've got to do some more research, including determining the per year gallon production, of some of the wineries that are not distributed to Massachusetts right now.
It's be better for everyone if this 30,000 gallon restriction is dropped from the bill since it also seems like a disincentive for them to grow big because when they hit 30,000 gallons per year production they wouldn't be able to ship to Massachusetts anymore.
The more I think about it, the 30,000 gallon restriction will create a lot of 'red tape'. Let's open the state up to direct shipments for everyone.
I don't think that the big wine distributers are afraid of a little competition. Are they?
Who would be in favor of restricting direct access to wine from major manufacturers?
Right now, wine goes from manufacturer, to distributor, to retail, to customer. With direct shipment of wine from manufacturer to consumer, who looses out?
The distributors and the retailers.
Hmm. I wonder how they feel about direct shipment of wine to residents of Masachusetts?
It's a free market the last time I checked. Let's keep government out it.
Direct shipments of wine for all.
Comments appreciated.
Cheers!
Jamaica Plain: Vigil for 2000 Killed in Iraq
Jamaica Plain: Vigil for 2000 Killed in Iraq
Event Details
Every additional attendee will show the nation the deep sense of concern in our nation over the number of lives lost and war in Iraq. Please sign up for this vigil, or another Vigil for 2000 Killed in Iraq near you -- and invite your friends.
J. P. Vigil
Monument, Centre & South Streets
Wednesday, October 26th, 6:30 PM
Candelight vigil to recognize and mourn the 2,000 U. S. soldiers and thousands more Iraqi civilians who have died in the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The vigil will be held Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Find a vigil near you.
Event Details
Every additional attendee will show the nation the deep sense of concern in our nation over the number of lives lost and war in Iraq. Please sign up for this vigil, or another Vigil for 2000 Killed in Iraq near you -- and invite your friends.
J. P. Vigil
Monument, Centre & South Streets
Wednesday, October 26th, 6:30 PM
Candelight vigil to recognize and mourn the 2,000 U. S. soldiers and thousands more Iraqi civilians who have died in the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The vigil will be held Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Find a vigil near you.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Breaking News: Video Blog Storm Report
Holland Wilde and Wilma [ QuickTime Movie ]
It's all about him.
Or is it?
That was Holland Wilde reporting for video blog watchers everywhere.
Stay safe Holland.
Next up, is anti-bacterial soap safe? Stay tuned.
Update:
This just in from Holland, an extended version of Holland's Video Blog Storm Report
Video: Nantucket - Restless for the Sun
Steve Garfield's Video Blog: The Carol and Steve Show - Episode 44: Nantucket - Restless for the Sun.
This is the final episode from our trip down to Nantucket.
What came first, the Video or the Egg? VideoEgg & TypePad
VideoEgg & TypePad:
"The VideoEgg Publisher is a small browser plug-in that makes it truly simple to capture, edit, encode, and post video online. VideoEgg and Six Apart have partnered to make it easy to post video to your TypePad blog. You can post a short video clip to any one of your TypePad weblogs. "After logging in from a Mac you get this message, "A Macintosh Version of VideoEgg Publisher is currently under development - please check back soon!"
Also, your videos are limited to 2 minutes, and at some point in the future VideoEgg might add advertising.
This partnership looks like it will open the door even wider for people to easily post their videos on the web. By integrating a video publishing platform directly into TypePad, nontechnical users will be able to try it out, without having to learn an extra set of video publishing tools.
I use vblogcentral.com which allows me to drag and drop my video to a desktop app, which also allows me to key in a blog post title and text.
vblogcentral then uploads my video and converts it to windows media and quicktime for both dial up and broadband.
The cool thing about this is that it allows people to subscribe to my rss 2.0 feed and have my videos automatically delivered with an aggregator such as FireAnt.
If VideoEgg converts everything to Flash, do they also support enclosing the Flash video in an RSS 2.0 feed?
If they do support Flash in an RSS feed, it won't help my subscriptions since FireAnt does not support that yet. They are working on it for the next release.
So I won't be subscribing VideoEgg video in TypePad blogs until aggregators can read Flash in a feed.
Having QT or WMV enclosures is better, and in the case of audioblog.com, they convert your uploads to Flash AND soon you will be able to make a video podcast.
That is better all around...
Look for some of this in PCmag.com or publish.com tomomrrow.
Goodyear is Good
Goodyear Auto Svc Center, 1345 Boylston St, Boston, MA on Yahoo! Local:
Goodyear Auto Svc Center
(617) 266-1162
1345 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02215
This place is good.
I'd purchased a tire there in March nad it's been loosing air.
So I called in and they told me to drop it by anytime. No appointment needed.
I dropped it by at lunchtime and it was ready in about an hour.
Good service!
Goodyear Auto Svc Center
(617) 266-1162
1345 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02215
This place is good.
I'd purchased a tire there in March nad it's been loosing air.
So I called in and they told me to drop it by anytime. No appointment needed.
I dropped it by at lunchtime and it was ready in about an hour.
Good service!
Boston's Best Burrito
Lunch today at El Pelon Taqueria, 92 Peterbotough Street, The Fenway.
I had a bean and cheese burrito. Amazing. It was very fresh and tasty.
I give El Pelon Taqueria (5) stars!
Current status of legislation relevant to wine shipments in the Commonwealth
The Office of Representative Jeffrey Sánchez replies to my request for information:
Dear Mr. Garfield:Thank you Victor.
Representative Sánchez received your e-mail and we wanted to get back to you regarding the current status of legislation relevant to wine shipments in the Commonwealth.
My understanding is that at least 4 separate bills have been filed relevant to direct wine shipments. They are as follows:
House 3386, An Act Relating to Interstate Shipment of Wine
House 3399, An Act Relating to Direct Shipment of Wine
House 3407, An Act Relative to Wineries
House 3414, An Act Relative to the Shipment of Wine
You can view the text of these bills by visiting http://www.mass.gov/legis/hbillsrch.htm and entering in the bill number.
I checked our information system for the bill status on these items and all four are still before the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, which I see you initially contacted in your original e-mail, and have not as of yet been referred out.
We have heard from a few individuals in the district regarding this issue and have been compiling information on it should it come to the floor. If you have any materials or other documentation you would like to forward to us, please do not hesitate to do so.
I hope this has been helpful and if we can be of any assistance in the future, please feel free to call (617) 722-2370.
All the best and take care,
Victor Shopov
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Victor L. Shopov
Staff Director
Office of Representative Jeffrey Sánchez
State House, Room 42
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 722-2370 Phone
(617) 722-2215 Fax
Word Verification for Blogspot posts
Blogger is trying to reduce spam blogs. They wrote to me this morning:
Hello,That is cool, but I'd prefer not having to type in 'pnjzd' to make a blog post or 'etxvgxgw' to edit one.
Thank you for writing in about the word verification field on the posting form. This feature is meant to be a spam reduction mechanism for BlogSpot in general, and is applied to certain potential spam blogs by an automated system. Because this is automated there will necessarily be some false positives, though we are continually working on improving our algorithms to avoid these. Having the word verification on your posting form does not mean that your blog will be deleted or otherwise punished if it is not actually in violation of our policies.
We apologize for any inconvenience it has caused and we appreciate your patience as we work on improving this system for our users while also decreasing blog spam.
Sincerely,
Blogger Support
MS Office or OpenDocument?
Galvin attacks software proposal - The Boston Globe:
What good are state documents, stored in MS Office format or OpenDocument format, when they are saved on office worker's hard disks?
No good.
No good at all.
If the goal is to make state documents more accessible to the public, how about putting them up on the web?
Wikipedia - Summary of the Massachusetts Microsoft Office / OpenDocument story.
"Quinn said state offices could continue to use Microsoft Office by adding additional software that would save data in the OpenDocument format instead of in Microsoft's format. He also said embracing the OpenDocument standard would make state documents more accessible to the public."While state officials work on determining which format to standardize on, they should take a look at a file format called txt, commonly know as a text file.
What good are state documents, stored in MS Office format or OpenDocument format, when they are saved on office worker's hard disks?
No good.
No good at all.
If the goal is to make state documents more accessible to the public, how about putting them up on the web?
Wikipedia - Summary of the Massachusetts Microsoft Office / OpenDocument story.
Boston, Massachusetts (02101) Forecast : Weather Underground
Boston, Massachusetts (02101) Forecast : Weather Underground:
"High Wind Warning in effect until 6 PM EDT this afternoon...Snow?
Coastal Flood Warning in effect from 2 PM to 8 PM today...
Flood Watch in effect through this evening...
Today
Rain...heavy at times. Very windy with highs in the upper 40s. Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
Tonight
Rain in the evening...then rain and snow likely after midnight. Little or no snow accumulation. Coastal flooding likely at the time of high tide. Very windy with lows in the upper 30s. North winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. "
Monday, October 24, 2005
This is where Maura Hennigan lost it
Brian McGrory wrote, Clearing the table, in Friday's The Boston Globe:
"During the lunch, I asked Hennigan what her favorite place was in Boston. She said it was Jamaica Pond and added that Menino has pretty much ruined the place by failing to maintain it.This didn't make Hennigan look too smart.
Specifically, what Hennigan said was: ''Let me tell you, at Jamaica Pond, the pond I jog at on a daily basis, the grass was cut twice all summer. The weeds surrounding the banks of the pond were not cut till the beginning of October. The pathways there are crumbling."
In other words, the whole place sounded as if it were in complete disarray."
Behind the Sitcom: Seinfeld's Last Episode
Journal of Popular Film and Television: Sitcoms Say Goodbye: THE CULTURAL SPECTACLE OF SEINFELD'S LAST EPISODE:
"The hype surrounding the closing episode of Seinfeld (May 14, 1998), in particular, elevated it to the status of cultural spectacle."
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Calling in the Attorney General
Emailed the Attorney General:
Hi,
I've been documenting my troubles with a collection agency. They are harassing me now. I want to pay them, but they have failed to send me anything in writing. And they keep calling asking for payment. I tell them I'd be happy to pay and they say they will mail/email me a document but I never get one. Then they call me again. They are incompetent and it is frustrating. It's all for $46 which is ridiculous.
What can you do to help me?
Thanks
--Steve Garfield
Steve Garfield learns some GRR faces
Steve Garfield learns some GRR faces by Eric Rice, uploaded from flickr.
When you are with Eric Rice there is no smiling when posing for photos.
Chrysler, Prilosec and Lost Men
Why do Chrysler and Prilosec think it's funny to have actors portray Lost Men in thier TV ads.
Chrysler - Man driving refuses to use in-car navigation system and gets lost in the desert.
Prilosec - Couple spends one day of their Italian vacation lost in Tuscany.
It's stupid.
Chrysler - Man driving refuses to use in-car navigation system and gets lost in the desert.
Prilosec - Couple spends one day of their Italian vacation lost in Tuscany.
It's stupid.
What’s the status of WINE DELIVERY SHIPMENTS to Massachusetts?
Just faxed this:
Promises are made for call backs.
Emails go unreplied to.
Faxes go unanswered.
Do I have to go down there?
With a video camera?
To:No matter who I contact in the Massachusetts legislature, I can't get a status on what is happening.
STATE SENATOR MICHAEL W. MORRISSEY
State House
Room 413-D
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: (617) 722-1494
Fax: (617) 722-1055
From:
Steve Garfield
Dear Senator Morrissey,
What’s the status of WINE DELIVERY SHIPMENTS to Massachusetts?
US District Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled in favor of a Connecticut winery looking to ship wine to Massachusetts customers.
So what is happening?
Thanks,
--Steve Garfield
Promises are made for call backs.
Emails go unreplied to.
Faxes go unanswered.
Do I have to go down there?
With a video camera?
No Free WiFi at Logan
As a Comcast subscriber, why can't I get free WiFi at Logan airport on the Comcast WiFi network?
Why not roulette in the Hynes?
Looks like the Mass Legislature is planning to give the state's racetrack owners a windfall, although the governor will probably veto the bill.
House To Vote On Slots Bill.
The governor should veto it. Why give four racetracks a slot machine business when lots of companies would pay dearly for gambling licenses?
How about a downtown casino at the Hynes Convention Center?
How about converting Sailsbury Beach to an area for casinos?
House To Vote On Slots Bill.
The governor should veto it. Why give four racetracks a slot machine business when lots of companies would pay dearly for gambling licenses?
How about a downtown casino at the Hynes Convention Center?
How about converting Sailsbury Beach to an area for casinos?
Lost Links: The Hanso Foundation
Joanna Weiss writes a very interesting and informative article about the TV show LOST in today's Globe, Who's running the show?
As with the majority of online versions of Globe articles, the URLs of websites mentioned in the story are not active links on Boston.com.
Typical.
Here are the direct links mentioned in the LOST story:
The Hanso Foundation
Television Without Pity
The Fulselage
The Society for the Study of Lost
Lost-TV, the unofficial fansite for the hit ABC drama series Lost
Here are some topics mentioned without URLs:
LOST Rhapsosy - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' LOST Video Remix
42 Entertainment - The Beast for AI.
Last Call Poker.
Henry Jenkins - Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Intersect.
Here are some LOST links that I've found:
Wikipedia has an entry for The Hanso Foundation. In it, there's a link to the orientation video for The Dharma Initiative.
As with the majority of online versions of Globe articles, the URLs of websites mentioned in the story are not active links on Boston.com.
Typical.
Here are the direct links mentioned in the LOST story:
The Hanso Foundation
Television Without Pity
The Fulselage
The Society for the Study of Lost
Lost-TV, the unofficial fansite for the hit ABC drama series Lost
Here are some topics mentioned without URLs:
LOST Rhapsosy - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' LOST Video Remix
42 Entertainment - The Beast for AI.
Last Call Poker.
Henry Jenkins - Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Intersect.
Here are some LOST links that I've found:
Wikipedia has an entry for The Hanso Foundation. In it, there's a link to the orientation video for The Dharma Initiative.
Boston Globe features DriveTime with Ravi Jain
Adam Gaffin writes in today's Boston Globe, Crosstown cyber traffic:
"Ravi Jain of Jamaica Plain is looking for guests on his new video blog, DriveTime. One caveat: You have to be willing to drive with him from JP to Allston in the morning (or from Allston to JP in the evening) -- he videos the show while driving to and from work. Don't worry -- he's rigged up a camera mount so he mostly keeps his eyes on the road."
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Free Pumpkins on Boston Common - NOW!
The Life is good Pumpkin Festival 2005 is over and they are bringing in the dump trucks to cart away thousands of pumpkins.
Want one?
Head on over to Boston Common right now and grab as many as you can.
You'll be making it easier for the clean up crew and extending the life of a pumpkin.
Want one?
Head on over to Boston Common right now and grab as many as you can.
You'll be making it easier for the clean up crew and extending the life of a pumpkin.
links for 2005-10-22
- Combining digital video with location-based and social-networking features, optimized for mobile media devices
- Author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other's values.
- Ravi Jain does his first video interview in his car while on the way to work
A Jewish Deli on Connecticut
Welcome to Rein's Deli Restaurant:
"Centrally located between New York, Boston and Heaven is Rein's Deli - a full service delicatessen and restaurant serving traditional New York style Jewish deli fare...food that feeds the soul and warms the heart!"
Upload your videos for free at vMix
vMix - Where The World Comes To Watch.
Greg Kostello, CEO of vMix Media Inc. says:
Greg Kostello, CEO of vMix Media Inc. says:
"The people involved with vMix.com are artists, musicians and even some industry folks who were looking for a new outlet and we thought up vMix. Turns out the space went absolutely crazy in the last six months when we were revving up. We plan to bring some of that "old school" learning to the new medium. :)"Kinda fun to browse the newest and most popular video content.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Casual Content Creators
Dave points us to Evan Williams The Odeo Blog: Podcasting for Regular People:
"The idea of casual content creation in the realm of audio is a powerful one. And I think it's a yet-to-be-duly-recognized segment of the (potential) podcasting world."In the comments to Ev's post, Doovie says:
"as podcasting evolves, there will be different genres; from personal, casual podcasts, to more serious, broadcast-type podcasts."I'm glad this discussion is taking place.
Steve Garfield at Apple Headquarters
Steve Garfield at Apple Headquarters by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Out in the visitor parking lot of Apple headquarters, people gather to take a picture in front of the building. Here's a snapshot that a fellow visitor took of me after I took one of him. Nice place.
Video:
Watch the video of me outside of Apple headquarters.
Video Comment System on a WordPress blog
Blog Cheese is testing a system that lets you record and post a video comment to a blog.
Cool.
Andreas explains why video comments won't work this way.
So if you want to leave a video comment on this post, here's what you can do: record your video, post it somewhere, and post a link in the comments. ;-)
Cool.
Andreas explains why video comments won't work this way.
So if you want to leave a video comment on this post, here's what you can do: record your video, post it somewhere, and post a link in the comments. ;-)
Thursday, October 20, 2005
GET LAMP: THE TEXT ADVENTURE DOCUMENTARY
GET LAMP: THE TEXT ADVENTURE DOCUMENTARY:
"GET LAMP is a documentary about Text Adventures (later Interactive Fiction), the storytellers who created them, and their unique place in the history of computer games. It is being created by Jason Scott, director of 'BBS: The Documentary', located at bbsdocumentary.com."
It's Video on an iPod
It's Video on an iPod by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Meet the Vloggers at The Thirsty Bear, San Francisco, October 19, 2005.
Sean Gilligan shows of his new iPod with an episode of Vlog Soup.
Eric Rice
Eric Rice by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Eric Rice attaches a camera mount to the hood of his truck.
Vlog Soup Video Podcast on iPod
Vlog Soup Video Podcast on iPod by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Sean Gilligan encoded the most recent episode of Vlog Soup in Quicktime 7 and put it on his brand new iPod for us to see. The quality is amazing. It's the best video quality I've ever seen. Better then on my Powerbook. Sean is going to re-encode all my videos so they'll be able to be played in the iPod.
Watch a Video:
View a short video clip of my Vlog Soup video playing on the new iPod.
Two Chairs at the Golden Gate Bridge
Two Chairs at the Golden Gate Bridge by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Look what I found near the Golden Gate Bridge, two chairs. It was a beatiful day in San Francisco, no fog. Eric Rice tells me that it's rare.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Let the Gravitas Begin
Comedy Central - Shows - The Colbert Report - Videos - Most Recent:
Watch "Let the Gravitas Begin"...
Watch "Let the Gravitas Begin"...
Ma tko ?e još pisati blogove!
KLIK Magazin - New Clips on the Blog:
"Steve Garfield želi svojim blogom konkurirati ve? etabliranim medijima. U pogledu banalnosti, može se re?i da je uspio u svom naumu."
How to Buy Wine
Reason Gone Mad by Bill Shein - How to Buy Wine - Part 1 (3/16/05):
"Few understand the obtuse language used to describe wine, and fewer still know what the word 'obtuse' means. For example: 'The wine's deft touch of smoky oak and hints of ripe pear combine to offer a sleek finish that's crisp and focused.' Huh? Is wine made from wooden crates used to transport pears at high speed?"That's a somewhat dry yet fruity explanation that dosn't atrtack my palate.
You can try to wwwwwatch CurrentTV on Google
"google current" - Google Video.
It stutters over here.
It stutters over here.
iPodvision - David Pogue on Video Podcasts
David Pogue writes in today's New York Times,
An iPod Worth Keeping an Eye On - New York Times:
An iPod Worth Keeping an Eye On - New York Times:
"Call it the iPod Paradox: with each successive version, Apple’s 30-million-selling music player gets thinner and thinner, but its feature list grows longer and longer. By next year, no doubt, the iPod will act as a radio, remote control and coffee stirrer, but will be thin enough to roll up into a tube."Nice article.
A second look at Barry Diller and the Video iPod
USATODAY.com - IPod deal, in-demand AOL show Diller's no birdbrain:
"Jobs didn't launch the video iPod as a way to watch video blogs about life as a Porta-John delivery guy or music videos made in someone's garage. He launched it as a way to carry around big mass-market hits — the kind that, with few exceptions, are made by major studios with A-list talent."This makes sense.
On The Fence Films
Evan Coyle-Maloney writes:
We have a new website to announce:He does good work.
http://onthefencefilms.com/
Currently, we have two videos posted on the site, and more will follow. As we proved from making "Brainwashing 101" available on the (now retired) AcademicBias.com site, you don't need to be part of the Hollywood machine in order to get your work seen by millions. Technology is forcing changes to the movie business, and those changes are producing great opportunities. We plan on being at the forefront.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Collection agency called again
I know you guys like to hear about my problems with this collection agancy.
They just called back again.
When we last spoke, they were going to imnmediately email me out their address so that I could pay them.
I never got an email.
Now remember that I am wasting all my time for a little $46 charge that I shouldn't even be paying. The whole history is in the archives. I'm saving it, in writing, because that's how these people operate. Except when they need to either email or USPS mail me.
Then they fail.
So I got a nondescript message to call them and I immediately called.
Here's the phone conversation which I keyed in verbatim:
Them: What phone # did we call you at?
Me: 617-nnn-nnnn
Them: 617 ... Please repeat the last 7 digits of your phone #
Me thinking: (Hello... whay do I have to repeat myself?)
Them: This call relates you a collection we are trying to make for Boston Sports Clubs for $46.85
Me: The last time I talked to you I told you that I was happy to pay and that I needed something in writing. I gave you my email. I am waiting for you to respond.
Them: The email was sent to you with a payment address.
Me: I never got it. I'm happy to pay
Them: We emailed you on the 8th.
Me: Please email again
Them: I will make sure
Them: We sent out a letter too on the 8th
Me: I never got it
Them: The contents of this call will be used to collect your debt
Me: What does that mean?
Them: blah blah blah blah
Me: OK. I'm happy to pay you just please get me something in writing via email or USPS mail and I'll gladly pay. Goodbye.
Note:
I agreed to pay because this is taking too much time to resolve and each time they get me on the phone it takes more and more time. They are wasting MY time and I am going to start billing them for wasting my time. Boston Sports Clubs is lame for sending a $46 amount to a collection agency for a month that I did not even use the club. Again, I canceled my membership, but htey bill you for a full minth even though you are injured and not using the club. When I canceled I was told that I was not going to be charged for hte final minth since I did not use the club, but since , as hte Attorny Generals office of MAssachusetts says, I did not get that promise in writing, I have to pay. So that is why I am requesting something in writing from this collection agancy. Unless I get something in writing, I am not going to pay. As you know, I like irony, but this is insane and I hope you all learn a lessaon from this record of my dealings with Boston Sports Clubs and the collection agancy which has some mumbled collection of letters which I can never get clear. BTW, Boston Sports Clubs never returned my call and for that lapse, I am also very unhappy.
They just called back again.
When we last spoke, they were going to imnmediately email me out their address so that I could pay them.
I never got an email.
Now remember that I am wasting all my time for a little $46 charge that I shouldn't even be paying. The whole history is in the archives. I'm saving it, in writing, because that's how these people operate. Except when they need to either email or USPS mail me.
Then they fail.
So I got a nondescript message to call them and I immediately called.
Here's the phone conversation which I keyed in verbatim:
Them: What phone # did we call you at?
Me: 617-nnn-nnnn
Them: 617 ... Please repeat the last 7 digits of your phone #
Me thinking: (Hello... whay do I have to repeat myself?)
Them: This call relates you a collection we are trying to make for Boston Sports Clubs for $46.85
Me: The last time I talked to you I told you that I was happy to pay and that I needed something in writing. I gave you my email. I am waiting for you to respond.
Them: The email was sent to you with a payment address.
Me: I never got it. I'm happy to pay
Them: We emailed you on the 8th.
Me: Please email again
Them: I will make sure
Them: We sent out a letter too on the 8th
Me: I never got it
Them: The contents of this call will be used to collect your debt
Me: What does that mean?
Them: blah blah blah blah
Me: OK. I'm happy to pay you just please get me something in writing via email or USPS mail and I'll gladly pay. Goodbye.
Note:
I agreed to pay because this is taking too much time to resolve and each time they get me on the phone it takes more and more time. They are wasting MY time and I am going to start billing them for wasting my time. Boston Sports Clubs is lame for sending a $46 amount to a collection agency for a month that I did not even use the club. Again, I canceled my membership, but htey bill you for a full minth even though you are injured and not using the club. When I canceled I was told that I was not going to be charged for hte final minth since I did not use the club, but since , as hte Attorny Generals office of MAssachusetts says, I did not get that promise in writing, I have to pay. So that is why I am requesting something in writing from this collection agancy. Unless I get something in writing, I am not going to pay. As you know, I like irony, but this is insane and I hope you all learn a lessaon from this record of my dealings with Boston Sports Clubs and the collection agancy which has some mumbled collection of letters which I can never get clear. BTW, Boston Sports Clubs never returned my call and for that lapse, I am also very unhappy.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Golden Gate Bridge
Gloden Gate Bridge by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
My picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, taken out the passenger side window of a flaming blue 2006 Mazda 6.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe
The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe. | evolvetv.tv:
"Duncan Black and Graham Allison discuss nuclear terrorism."
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Video: Nantucket - Bikes to Beer and Wine
Steve Garfield's Video Blog: The Carol and Steve Show: Episode 43 Nantucket - Bikes to Beer and Wine.
Carol and Steve's trip to Nantucket continues with a bike trip to Cisco Brewers.
Mmm... Beer.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Video iPod Driving Directions
Back in 2002 I developed these video driving directions from Jamaica Plain to Route 9.
You know what they say about the Boston area, "You can't get there from here." It's actually true.
Now, with the release of Apple's iPod with video, you'll be able to easily take these video driving directions with you in the car.
If you are in the Boston area, and want some video driving directions created for you, please contact me.
Not from Boston? Contact me anyway and I'll find someone in your area to help.
Video blog integration with Google maps coming soon.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
We need more Steve Garfield's
This is cool.
On today's Daily Source Code, Adam Curry is talking about how big media is going to be available on the new iPod with video.
Then he says, "We need more Steve Garfield's." [ mp3 ]
Oh yeah.
He's talking about me and you.
Learn how to tell some stories with video blogging.
Video: Butterfly on Daisies (on Vimeo)
Butterfly on Daisies (on Vimeo) by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.
Captured in it's natural environment, here is a butterfly flying around and landing on daisies.
View this video clip on Vimeo.
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