Making Joanne Chang's Homemade Oreo Cookies

Ustream - Motorola Atrix 4G Test

Live stream videos at Ustream

This quality doesn't look as good as the Qik quality. I've got an email in to Ustream to see why.

I'm using USTREAM for Android. Checking to see if I have the most recent version.

Qik - Motorola Atrix 4G High Quality Test by Steve Garfield

Wiley's SXSW Author Party 2012

Wiley's SXSW Author Party 2012, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

WileyBiz: Reminder: Wiley's 3rd Annual SXSW Author Party - Mar 11, 6-9pm at Hangar Bar - t.co/EKBsUM4M (FB) / t.co/HVCC6QaQ (twtvite)

Note:
I added all the people pictures from the RSVP list. ;-)

Motorola Artix Live Stream Test with Qik on HSPA+

Video: Photo Booth Video of Live Streaming with Motorola Artix on Qik


Video: Archived Motorola Atrix Live Stream on Qik

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

Seven ways the New York Times is using social media for 'deeper' engagement

Great read:

Seven ways the New York Times is using social media for deep engagement | Online Journalism Features | Journalism.co.uk

Sony Bloggie Live Streaming at 480 x 270

I just got the Sony Bloggie Live (MHS-TS55) as a gift from Sony.


Image: Sony Bloggie Live(MHS-TS55) Video Camera with 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0-Inch Touchscreen LCD and WiFi Connectivity (New Model) (amazon affiliate link)

Last week I saw it in a Best Buy and noticed that it featured Live Streaming to Qik!


Image: Sony Bloggie Live at Best Buy

Whoa!

My friend Sukhjit at Sony saw my post and sent a Sony Bloggie Live over for me to try out.

I'm excited about this because years ago, I was at Harvard doing a presentation about video. I remember the moment very clearly. I held up my Canon SD100 camera and said, "One day we'll be able to broadcast from the sidewalk with something like this!"

A little while later, Qik came out and allowed live streaming with a Nokia smartphone. I went up to New Hampshire and used the Nokia to live stream reports on the presidential primaries.

I even scooped CNN on a story. I ended up working closely with Qik and investing in the company.


Video: Steve Garfield, Mobile Video Journalist

I love to see the technology progress and am excited to live stream from a pocket hd video camera.

Here's the announcement of this camera on the Qik blog:

Sony Announces New Wi-Fi® enabled Bloggie Live™ HD Camera, featuring Qik™ Video from Skype™:

Stream Live
Using the great new Wi-Fi connection on the Sony Bloggie Live camera, you can broadcast and stream to the web in real-time. View the video on Qik.com, on your favorite social networks like Facebook® and Twitter™, on any website or blog where the live channel has been embedded, and on nearly any device that supports video including: smart phones, tablets and connected through 4G or 3G.*

Here are the specs from the Sony site:

Bloggie Live HD Camera:

Highlights: 8GB, Full HD 1080p video, 12.8-megapixel stills, 3.0" (diag.) touch screen, MP4 video format, Wi-Fi® enabled for easy uploads, live streaming capabilities, flip-out USB arm for uploading/charging

When you open up the Sony Bloggie Live you are directed to the web for easy set up:

sony.net.start/bloggie


After clicking Start Setup, you can click over to Overview of WiFi features.

In there I read this:

Description
* Live broadcasts are recorded at the size set on your Bloggie and stored on the internal memory.
* Notifications of live broadcasts are made according to the Qik web site system.
This is subject to change without notice so please read the Qik web site for details.
* You cannot necessarily use all devices provided with Qik.

* Uploaded images are smaller (movies: 480ｘ270) than the set recording size.

So even though the camera is an HD camera, and Qik does support live streaming in HD with Qik Premium on Android, it looks like the Sony Bloggie Live only supports 480x270 resolution.

That's disappointing, but I'll send a note into Sony to see if HD support is planned.

Until then, some live streaming testing.

Stay tuned.

Update from Sony:

In terms of live streaming, the Bloggie Live concurrently saves an HD copy of the video in real-time, so you’re able to share the HD copy. Plus, streaming in HD can be sometimes be unreliable because of the amount of bandwidth used. We wanted to make sure that the Bloggie Live was as quick and easy to use as possible!

This makes sense.

In fact, Standard Definition (SD) live video streaming looks really good, and I usually stream in SD to save resources on both the computer and network.

I'd be interested in testing out HD streaming on the Bloggie Live if they ever implement it in conjunction with Qik.


Disclosure:
This was a gift from Sony
cmp.ly/2

Gary Vaynerchuk joins HubSpot’s Advisory Board. (GOOD) S**t @GaryVee Says.

Gary Vaynerchuk joins HubSpot’s Advisory Board
Image: (GOOD) S**t @GaryVee Says. via HubSpot

Register for INBOUND 2012

YouTube Tips for Joe Kennedy 2012: I'm Running video

Video: Joe Kennedy III 2012 Congressional Campaign Announcement Video - I'm Running

Great video.

I've got a couple of points that might help Joe get seen:

Title
I'm Running

OK.

You're running. But that's not the most descriptive title and won't help in YouTube searches for your video.

Let's see the results for a YouTube search for "I'm Running"


Image: YouTube search for "I'm Running"

Maybe something like this would be better:

I'm Running. Joe Kennedy III Announces Run for Congress

URL
In the YouTube description filed it says:

I am running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District. Please watch my announcement video and visit my website at JoeKennedy2012.com.

Would be better if it had http:// in front of the URL, like this:

I am running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District. Please watch my announcement video and visit my website at http://JoeKennedy2012.com.

That makes URL's clickable on YouTube.

Update: They made the link clickable. Nice.

Captions or Transcript
A great way to help your video get seen is to add a captions or transcript track.

In addition to helping people with poor hearing, this text is very valuable in YouTube search.

Live Streaming Test for #TVnext at the ICA Boston

Live Streaming Test for #TVnext, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

I went over to the ICA in Boston today for a live streaming test for the upcoming Hill Holliday #TVnext summit on February 27th. The schedule looks great!

It's a beautiful location.

Here's a look at what my live streaming control panel looks like.


Image: Ustream Pro

I'm streaming with a Canon GL/2 using Ustream Pro on a MacBook Pro. They internet connection is an AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE device. It performed really well. I even had the high quality stream going.

Take a look at a short archived video:



I'm streaming with music from my friend Natalie Gelman. She lets me use her music in exchange for a mention.

This gives you a good sense of the quality of the audio. That's what's most important with live streaming. Good quality audio.

Now I'm looking into the different Ustream plans to see if we need to upgrade from the free account.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour

Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

This is one of the most delicious beers I've ever had. Love it!

AT&T Communication Manager Sends and Receives Text Messages

AT&T Communication Manager Sends and Receives Text Messages, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

When you have the AT&T Communication Manager running, you can send and receive text messages.

Whoa!

You don't even have to have it connected to the 4G LTE network as your internet connection.

I need a moment to get my head around this.

Uploaded with Skitch

Ustream: How to Edit the Title of Archived Videos

Ustream: Go to Dashboard > Channel, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Image: Go to Dashboard on Ustream

In order to edit the title of your archived Ustream videos, you have to, click on your username, then go to your dashboard, then click on channel.

Ustream: Go to Username > Go To Dashboard > Channel

www.ustream.tv/dashboard


Image: Video listing on Ustream

Then click on Videos, and a list of your videos will be presented.

Then you can click Edit to edit your video information. The edit page is nice because you can play the video to help you edit the title and description.

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE vs. Verizon 4G LTE MiFi

I'm doing some testing to compare the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE to a Verizon 4G LTE MiFi.

Download speed edge seems to go to AT&T, while the upload speed seems reasonably close.


AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE

Down: 28.19 Mb/s
Up : 7.84 Mb/s


Verizon 4G LTE MiFi

Down: 19.36 Mb/s
Up : 6.73 Mb/s

In initial testing I've had some trouble getting the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE to be recognized by the computer. I've downloaded the most current version of AT&T Communication Manager software, and will continue testing on both a MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Note:
I also have and AT&T USBConnect Shockwave 3G. It's results are a lot slower:


AT&T USBConnect Shockwave 3G

Down: 5.11 Mb/s
Up : .95 Mb/s

Here's a live streaming test with Ustream Producer Pro and the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE:



In the video the question of cost came up.

Here are the answers:

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE Pricing - click on “USB Modems”



AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE Data plan

$50 for 5GB.
$10 per GB beyond that.

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

Pinterest: Using Skitch to Take a Screenshot

Image: Pinterest Screenshot Using Skitch, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Have you ever wanted to take a screenshot of a web page that's longer than your current browser window?

You can do it with Skitch.

How To
Use the menu command Capture> Snap Safari.

Available on Mac or Android. iOS coming soon.

Uploaded with Skitch

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE - Speed Test. Whoa!

Image: AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE Speed Test

Just did a speed test with the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE that I got as an evaluation unit.

Whoa!

Download Speed 30.72 Mbps
Upload Speed 9.35 Mbps

I think that's faster than my Comcast wired connection.

Hang on, let me plug the internet cable back in and run the speed test again.

...


Image: Comcast Wired Connection Speed Test

That's the Comcast Wired connection test.

Download Speed 35.27 Mbps
Upload Speed 5.44 Mbps

Download speed with Comcast is a little faster, but the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE is faster on upload by about 4 Mbps.

That's going to be very important when I do some live video streaming tests.

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G LTE - Device components

AT&T AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G* - Device components, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Just got this device in from AT&T to do some Live Streaming testing.

It can either plug directly into the USB port, or it can plug into an extension cable that is provided along with a clip to attach it to your laptop screen.

There are two lights on the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G Device. ONe for power and one for data.

When I plugged it in I saw a power light immediately. No data.

So I confirmed that the SIM card was inserted correctly based on the online help page.

I plugged the device onto a Mac and A PC. Same thing.

Then I had an online chat with AT&T support and they suggest a reboot.

So I rebooted my MacBook Air.

The data light came on.

A Reboot always seems to fix things.

Up next, a speed test.

Disclosure: http://CMP.LY/4 ;-)

Masterpiece | Watch DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 2: EPISODE 5 Online for FREE | PBS

Masterpiece | Watch DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 2: EPISODE 5 Online for FREE | PBS, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

For some reason, on Superbowl weekend, my TiVo recorded a repeat of Downton Abbey instead of the new episode.

So I went online to see where I could watch last week's episode.

Turns out that they are online at PBS.

Watch: DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 2: EPISODE 5 online.

Livestreaming @MassMouth with Ustream Producer over WiFi at Doyle's Cafe

Here are a few selected videos:

https://www.facebook.com/people/Domingo-Guyton/100000265276385



Janelle Coizianni



Here's Violet Maxfield singing two songs at the break:



Note on live streaming over WiFi and MiFi:

For hardware a Panasonic HD video camera with HDMI out to a Blackmagic Ultrastudio 3D box which converted the HDMI to Thunderbolt Out. That went into a MacBook Air. I didn't use any additional miss since the room sound was amplified.

At times the WiFi bandwidth dropped too low and the live stream stopped.

When the stream stops the archiving also stops, but starts back up when the stream starts up again. It's just a short time to restart. A little longer if the app has to reboot.

I tried lowering my output bandwidth to stay on Doyle's WiFi but it got to a point where I had to switch to the Verizon 4G LTE MiFi.

That unit was actually better and didn't drop the connection.

Why no (Applause) for a peaceful resolution?

Bad option on the table

Saber-rattling on Iran may be popular, but the results may prove dire

By James Carroll | GLOBE COLUMNIST FEBRUARY 13, 2012

THE PUBLISHED transcript of President Obama’s State of the Union address is striking for the way in which the parenthetical rubric “(applause)’’ punctuates almost every one of the dozens of paragraphs. That is true of the first half of what the president said about Iran: “Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. (Applause.)’’

Almost as an afterthought, there follows immediately one of the rare paragraphs from which (applause) is missing: “But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.’’ What gives? The transcript underscores what a number of commentators noted upon watching the speech - that the president’s hawkish tone drew more response than the dovish. Why (applause) for “no options off the table’’ and nothing for “a peaceful resolution’’ being “far better’’?

There's plenty of white space at the bottom of this Boston Globe Opinion piece for a QR code.



Would make it so much easier to share printed Globe articles.


Illustration: What a QR code would look like on the Boston Globe Opinion page