Sunny and Steve

Sunny and Steve - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

I am a Ninja Robot

The Ask A Ninja Community NING site goes LIVE today.

I just joined.

Join the Ask a Ninja Community.

Call Kent if you have any technical questions.

iSteve and iJustine

iSteve and iJustine - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Steve Garfield and French Maids

Steve Garfield and French Maids - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Loic, Vin Vin and Me

Loic, Vin Vin and Me - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Terraminds Twitter micro search

I found out about Terraminds Twitter micro search at Guy Kawasaki's 10 Questions with Chris Brogan.

So immediately after finding this I did a search for myself, steve garfield - Terraminds micro search...

...and found this:

juliaroy watching steve garfield on justin.tv very engaging.

Thanks Julia.

I'll have to jump on there again.

The Book of Enemy - By David Wildman

Check out The Book of Enemy - By David Wildman.

Everyone who participated in my video session at PodCamp Philly made it into the printed program for David Wildman's gallery showing.

Our video is on the Book of Enemy site too.

New Eyeglasses

New Eyeglasses - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Since I upgraded to iLife '08, iPhoto 7.0.2 (341) won't recognize the iPhone, and doesn't see that there are new photos ready for import.

iPhoto must need new eyeglasses too.

Spices of Life: Moon Cakes

Spices of Life: Moon Cakes - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Carol joins Nina to learn how to bake Chinese Mooncakes. Watch the video, Best recipe Ever: Mooncakes.

Kathy Griffin Uncensored

This should not have been censored on the US broadcast.

I love Kathy Griffin!!!

Highway

Highway - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Donna & Steve walking to Tropfest

Donna & Steve walking to Tropfest - Originally uploaded on flickr by nserieswomworld.

Circle Line Porthole

Circle Line Porthole - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Wall of People

Wall of People - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Lucky Strike Photos

Tribeca Film Festival-Tropfest

I'll be at the Tribeca Film Festival-Tropfest at Battery Park in NYC all day today.

Gary Vaynerchuck on Ellen

VIDEO: Gary Vaynerchuck on Ellen - Behind the scenes.

The rehearsal was so much funnier than the live version.

Yay Kara.

Lucky Strike Tonight

Just made reservations for Lucky Strike tonight.

One Web Day New York

One Web Day New York - Wiki:

"Where: Washington Square Park, Teen Plaza (SE part of the park)

When: Saturday, 9/22, 3pm to 4pm

Who: Speakers will include Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Andrew Baron (Rocketboom), Birju Pandya (Charityfocus.org), Dana Spiegel (NYCWireless), Lauren Klein (One Laptop Per Child), and representatives of NYC's Digital Expansion Initiative and GatewayToGov.

What: FREE event, Music, wireless, surprises. Please come!"

I might be able to make this...

Then tonight, Steve Across America NYC.

Vlog Soup - Arin Crumley, Four Eyed Monsters

If YouTube Comments Met Real Life Situations

Warning: Not Suitable for Work. Lots of swearing going on in this video.

iSight vs Live! Cam Optia

iSight vs Live! Cam Optia - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

More testing with the Live! Cam Optia Creative sent me. This is a picture of the difference between the iSight webcam and the Live! Cam Optia. Pretty amazing.

It's the only thing I could get to work this morning since Windows VISTA is unable to install the driver for the camera on my HP Pavilion laptop that Microsoft sent over for evaluation.

I've contacted Creative with all the error messages I've been getting. I couldn't get the camera to be recognized by the laptop.

Windows VISTA can't find the driver even though I put the CD in the computer.

I'd really like to try it on UStream.TV, Operator11, blog.tv and Justin.tv on the PC.

Update to the update:
The webcam can work on Mac OS 10.4.9 and above. Previous version of Mac OS do not support UVC properly. However, Creative does not officially claim support for Mac. It has been tested to work well with iChat.

I'm continuing to test to see if I can get the webcam to work on a Mac. Stay tuned.

Jottit

Steve Garfield was here: Home
via [ kino-eye ]

iSight vs Live Cam Optia Pro

iSight vs Live Cam Optia Pro - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Creative Technology sent me a Live Cam Optia Pro webcam to check out. When I installed it I was surprised at the high quality of the image and the added screen real estate that the wide angle lens provides. Wow! The camera also swivels around so that means I could capture video of things that are in front of my MacBook Pro. It's also attached via a USB cable so I guess I could also attach it to my hat and show up on Justin.TV. Ha ha.

Video: Unlocking the Secrets of Tea

New video up at Spices of Life, Unlocking the Secrets of Tea.

Check it out and look for Nina in the New York Times tomorrow!

Steve Across America - NYC 9/22

Meet Steve Garfield from SteveGarfield.com and Donna Suffling from word of mouth marketing firm 1000Heads for drinks and dinner.

We'll meet in the lobby of the SoHo Grand at 7 PM and then head out.

SoHo Grand Hotel
310 West Broadway
New York, New York 10013 United States

Please RSVP at Upcoming.

UPDATE:

Heading over to Lucky Strike for drinks at 7:00

Dinner at 8:00

Macy's Calling My Wife from India

Mr Johnson called from India yesterday to talk to my wife about a personal matter.

I HATE these types of phone calls.

It went something like this:

Mr. Johnson: Can I speak with Carol?

Me: Who is this?

Mr. Johnson: Mr. Johnson.

Me: What is this about?

Mr. Johnson: It's a personal matter.

Me: It can't be a personal matter because we do not do business over the phone.

Mr. Johnson: -silent pause-

Me: What company is this?

Mr. Johnson: HC-unintelligible-L calling on behalf of Macy's credit card services.

Me: Where are you located?

Mr. Johnson: India.

At that point I handed the phone to Carol.

We received a bill with an outstanding balance, and a late fee of $15 with an additional finance charge of $1.00.

Carol asked Mr. Johnson if he could credit us for the late fee.

He said we need to call another #.

I just called.

It's busy.

They don't open until 9:00 AM EST.

It turns out that Macy's has us signed up for three different credit card accounts and I applied the outstanding balance to the wrong account.

I'll be on the phone with them in 47 minutes to clear this up and close all the accounts.

Macy*s - Customer Service - Macy's Credit Card

Update:
I just got off the phone with customer service. They cleared everything up:

"When you open up a Macy's credit card account, you get two credit cards, a Macy's Card and a VISA card. One is for use inside Macy's and one is for use outside of Macy's."

Huh?

I had paid the Macy's invoice against the Macy's/VISA card. They credited me the late fee and finance charge, and are transferring my Macy's/VISA payment to my Macy's card.

I've got an easier idea. Close both Macy's accounts and just use my other VISA card.

Best Electric Blanket?

I just noticed that Amazon.com is accepting video product reviews. Cool.

What's the best electric blanket?

Contrast and compare with a heated mattress pad.

Discuss.

Ref: Amazon.com: Sunbeam Imperial Nights ComfortSet Digital Controller Heated Electric Queen Blanket Willow: Kitchen & Dining

Chinese Fountain of Tea

Steve Garfield's Video Blog: Chinese Fountain of Tea:

"Tea-Meister Bob Heiss shows Nina Simonds a fun and unexpected method to brew and pour tea, Chinese-style. "

This is a video extra from a shoot with Nina Simonds and Bob Heiss out at Northampton Mass.

Check Nina's video blog for the whole interview/demonstration tomorrow.

Mentioned on Rocketboom Today

Rocketboom : Monday Sep. 17, 2007 : Linux, Fair Use, Apple, One Web Day, Memes.

I'm mentioned on Rocketboom today.

Hello, Joanne!

Japan, Vikings, Indians and Irish monks

Mark Cuban's Magnolia Launches Magnet Films.
via [ BuzzFeed ]

Two of his upcoming films:

BIG MAN JAPAN (DAINIPPONJIN)
Written and Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Synopsis: A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisoto's job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems - an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic, but truly unique hero.



SEVERED WAYS
Written and Directed by Tony Stone Starring: Tony Stone
Synopsis: In the 11th century, Vikings, Indians and Irish monks collide on the shores of North America in a historical epic adventure of exploration, personal glory, and religious dominance. Two stranded Vikings wade through a grand primeval landscape as they struggle for survival while still in the grip of their Norse ways. An impressive DIY epic, SEVERED WAYS features a frosty black metal soundtrack, including Burzum, Morbid Angel, Judas Priest and Dimmu Borgir.

Severed Ways Trailer. ( QuickTime )

Mooncakes

Mooncakes - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Carol: Bloomingdale's Model

Recreating a page from the current Bloomingdale's catalog where the model is holding up one of our kitchen chairs.

Massachusetts Casino Bidding War

Patrick to offer 3-casino plan:

Governor Deval Patrick plans to propose as early as tomorrow that the state sell licenses for three full-scale resort casinos in Massachusetts, citing their potential to spur economic growth, create jobs, and generate new government revenue, according to State House officials who have been briefed on his plan.

Patrick will recommend that the casinos be licensed in three regions: Southeastern Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and an area that includes Boston and points north, the officials said. His announcement will mark the culmination of months of study and the end of a long stretch of public silence on the subject of legalized gaming.



All three licenses would be put up for competitive bid, in a process that is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in immediate and direct state revenue, the officials said.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe would have to outbid other competitors if it wishes to quickly proceed with its plans for a resort-style casino in Middleborough, the officials said. If the tribe decides against seeking a state license or fails to receive one in the bidding process, it could still proceed with a longer, more arduous federal approval process that could result in a fourth Massachusetts casino.

The governor will not recommend allowing slot machines at the state's financially struggling horse and dog tracks, the officials said, a decision which is sure to set off protests and a major lobbying push in the Legislature from the politically powerful track operators.

This is great news and a smart decision. I've written about this before. If the state is going to allow casino gambling, it's better to let companies bid for the licenses, rather than just hand them out to the racetrack operators.

BLOGTOBERFEST Boston 10/25

BLOGTOBERFEST: THE TIME IS HERE

Boston Blogtoberfest v 2.007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Pour House
907 Boylston Street
Boston, MA

REGISTER NOW!

NY Times Video Letter to the Editor

NYTimes.com publishes video ‘Letter to the Editor’:

For the first time, NYTimes.com has published a video “letter to the editor.” Filmmaker Charles Ferguson sent the Times a video rebuttal to an Op-Ed piece that L. Paul Bremer III wrote about disbanding the Iraqi army. Ferguson’s a professional, and the video is certainly pro-quality. But this is a fantastic idea for amateurs as well, and local sites should embrace this. Invite video opinion pieces and encourage dialogue.

VIDEO: NY Times Letter to the Editor:

Charles Ferguson, a filmmaker, presents a rebuttal to claims made by L. Paul Bremer III that top American officials approved the decision to disband the Iraqi army.

via [ Lost Remote ]

What's good about this?

The NY Times is posting reader generated content to their website.
The old style letter to the editor gets a refreshing new look.
People get a voice.

What's bad about this?

There is no embed code for the video, only a permalink.
There is no place for comments.
The submitter, Charles Ferguson, gets NO LINK BACK to his movie site, No End In Site.
Having excerpts from a feature film as the first user generated video letter to the editor sets the bar high for subsequent submissions.

Bill Murray = Funny

via [ Boomtown ]

Best Videoblog: Steve Garfield's Vlog Soup

Click to suggest: Best Videoblog: Steve Garfield's Vlog Soup

I Gotta' Love You Rosh Hashanah

My History of Videoblogging

Joel Mark Witt interviewed me at Podcamp Philadelphia 2007. I think this is a great interview where I talk about how I got started in videoblogging, the importance of community and how easy it is to get started.

Me and My Miro

I like the Miro people.

I just did a very cool test with the Miro feedreader this morning. Miro let's you subscribe to videoblogs and have their content delivered to your desktop automatically whenever new videos are posts.

I made up a videoblog with all of my mom's I Can't Open It videos

Each post embeds a YouTube video.

I added a feedburner podcast feed.

Then I subscribed with Miro.

I've got Miro set up to automatically download the most recent video when a new feed is added.



My mom's most recent video showed up right away and I watched it.

HA!

Isn't that cool?

For so long we were complaining that YouTube didn't have .mov enclosures and now it doesn't matter so much, at least for desktop aggregation.

I'm interested to see when we'll have access to YouTube's H.264 QuickTime encodes for delivery to portable media devices.

Get To Know A State: Massachusetts

Eugene Mirman proves that he is the master of comedy.

Vlog Soup - Kathryn Jones and Synchronis.tv

Vlog Soup - Kathryn Jones and Synchronis.tv - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Watch Vlog Soup.

The Great Cheese Steak Debate

Making Friends at Camp

When I was little, I went to Boys Club camp. It wasn't my decision. I was forced into it. For my own good.

At least that was the idea.

There was swimming, boating, and cooking hot dogs on sticks. There was archery and baseball.

We didn't really get any education in the fundamentals of baseball. It was just your typical get out there and play kind of thing.

I think I was put out in right field. The experience wasn't too memorable.


A much better experience was going away to Connecticut to a place called Grand Lake Lodge. My mom just blogged about it. I have fond memories of Grand Lake Lodge. There was a day camp there and councillors taught us things. All the kids ate together in a nice dining room at night. It was a lot of fun and I remember meeting kids from far away and being pen pals with them afterwards.


Skip ahead to last weekend. I went back to camp, PodCamp Philly. It was a great experience from the moment I got the the airport and began my trip traveling with Christopher Penn until my return flight back to Boston.

What stood out for me was the people. Everyone was amazing. Really amazing.

After arriving in Philly I ended up in Whitney Hoffman's van with Mark Blevis, CC Chapman, and Christopher Penn. We headed over to Whitney's for a while and the van trip to her house was like session one of podcamp. Lots of techie talk.

Then at her house Christopher Penn got on the keyboards and upgraded Whitney to Google Earth among other things. Sitting along side Christopher working the keyboard is like an apprenticeship.



The first night's event was held at P'unk Avenue near two Philly cheesesteak landmark's Pat's and Geno's. Mingling inside, outside, heading over to decide which sandwich was best, all added to the night. What a great location. I met a lot of new people who were really interesting. It was a great start.


Thanks to Comcast for opening up the Starbucks for breakfast and break time. Anything you wanted was free. What fun. Everyone had fun with it. Loved the Green Tea Lemonade. Here's a video of registration.



A few people I spent time with and got to know better were Paul Kontonis, Mark Blevis and Jackson West. In the hallways, outside at lunch, and at breaktime. Mark had a good session on audio editing that I enjoyed contributing to. Um, you know what I mean. ;-) Here's a video I made of David from David.com.




It could not have been a better location that The Triumph Brewery for the second night's get together. Beer, food, great people. Lot's of fun. The place was a really good size for the number of people we had. I met a lot more people here while moving from table to table and learned about podcasting novels. Taking the train down there was an experience. Watch the video of my Philadelphia train system experience.



Todd Marrone kicked off day three by creating some amazing art and giving it away. Watch my video of Todd Marrone.

The highlight of this day was the Book of Enemy workshop I ran where everyone collaborated to make a short movie. We all decided what we were going to do, acted and filmed it and then posted it. All within an hour. Fun!


Since coming back home I've gotten a lot of new friend requests on flickr and twitter. New pen pals...