"What I remember about first grade was that I learned that my needs, feelings and desires didn’t matter. I learned that doing what the teacher wanted was all that mattered, and I learned that this was impossible to do. I felt helpless, confused, and afraid most of the time. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the class feeling that way. It was my first experience with a classroom setting with desks and all that, and it was a potentially spirit-killing experience."What I remember about first grade is that the teacher made me stand at the front of the class and said I was skinny. She made me have my mother write a note with what I had for breakfast each morning.
"The shows plan largely to rely on extemporaneous speeches from the hosts and extra banter between the hosts and the band directors (about the strike itself, among other topics), according to people who work on the shows. Since much of the 'writing' on these shows consists of generating ideas for skits and segments, which are loosely scripted and then partially improvised on air, producers say it is unclear how much forethought is technically permissible.Maybe?
Other ideas being batted around by producers that they believe don't violate strike rules include man-on-the street and audience interviews; clips from YouTube and other video Web sites; and footage of political candidates, particularly the Democrats, many of whom have declined to cross picket lines in support of the guild."
"We've always talked about how Internet video would be about grandma watching the kid's birthday parties from another city. It's here now, or even more mundane (and potentially more viral) -- here's Laura (of Pistachio Consulting) showing a gift she got (ice cream 'named after her' -- Ben & Jerry's Pistachio Pistachio). (I've been using Internet video for some time now -- Skype and other video conferencing systems, YouTube, etc. -- but this seemed even more lightweight and viral and we were using it casually at a party.)"This all happened at Laura Fitton's Christmas Eve party. It was a special experience.
"WCVB-TV/DT Channel 5 will broadcast in spectacular high-definition the NFL Network presentation of Saturday Night Football on Dec. 29 with the pre-game starting at 7 p.m."This Saturday night's Patriots broadcast has got to be better than the disaster that was broadcast on Channel 7 WHDH HD last night. It was the worst broadcast of a football game I HAVE EVER SEEN. The transmission kept stopping and restarting seconds later.
My longtime friend Justin Johnson from Next New Networks directed, wrote and edited this Holiday Video. Thanks for having me join in!
Happy Holidays Sweater Day!
"TechPresident presents our 2007 Campaign Web Index, a year-end study of which campaigns are best at using the various elements of the web. For the survey we've tapped the very brightest minds working in tech and politics, who happen to be our own bloggers and other friends (some respondents have asked to remain anonymous). Check out their votes and opinions for who's best at online video, advertising, social networking, rapid response, and much more. Some of their responses may surprise you, and some may be entirely predictable.As a contributor to TechPresident, I contributed to the study, but my most important comment about blogging was lost in the compilation of responses.
Our panel judged Ron Paul and Barack Obama to have the best overall web presences, and they also led their respective fields in the most individual categories. Mike Huckabee and John Edwards followed, with each earning strong support from our panel. But while these four campaigns were the leaders, there were many surprises in specific categories. For example, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney scored the most points for their online rapid response work."
"I visited every blog for each candidate and took a look at the first post.I hope it's not too late for hte presidential candidates to contribute to their own blogs. They can write a blog post, record an audio or video... There are so many tools out there that make it easy.
Sam Brownback was the only candidate that had personally written the most recent post.
http://www.brownbacker.com/
Although team blogs are great for getting campaign news out there, the personal blog gives the candidate the opportunity to talk directly to website visitors. Candidates should take advantage of the power of blogging."
"Blogger brought back the option to enter a URL when post unauthenticated comments."Yay.
From what I can glean, half the Democrats are crypto-Republicans and half the Republicans want to establish a theocracy in America. As a friend refers to him, "that Mormon fellow," trying unsuccessfully to channel John F. Kennedy didn't come within light years of JFK's unequivocal, "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute." Instead he told us "freedom requires religion". God save me and our country from all the ignorant religionists in America (and that's not irony).Amen.
I don't mean to single out Governor Romney. All the candidates but one of both parties are smarmy suckups paying lip service to democracy with their carefully crafted non-statements calculated to be empty of substance so they will be beholden to nothing and no one if they are elected.
There is one exception among them, Dennis Kucinich, but the public is not being allowed to hear the lone voice of reality and intelligence in the campaign. The news media almost never lists him in the preference rankings even though he regularly outpolls Senator Biden and Senator Dodd.
And on 13 December, Kucinich was shamefully and shamelessly banned by CNN and sponsor The Des Moines Register from participating in the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses based on the stupendously stupid excuse that he doesn't have a campaign office in Iowa, instead working out of his home. Will someone explain to me how this is different from tyranny where the power elite decide whose voices may be heard.
"Comcast DVR with TiVo is now available"I clicked to learn more, but once you log in, the online system has no way to order it.
Comcast now has TiVo service!
I didn't know it was coming out so soon. Let me check if it's available.After waiting on hold for at least 5 minutes the rep comes back on the phone and says:
"TiVo is available in your area but I have no pricing or codes to order it. Can I call you back within 15 minutes after I talk to a supervisor?"Sure!
1. Click on links in emails prior to sending them out to make sure they lead to the correct information.Seems logical to me.
2. Make sure that customers can order new products online.
3. Make sure internal systems have the pricing and codes available for customer service reps to be able to process orders.
4. Make sure that people answering the phone and representing the company knew about new products being rolled out.
- She does not see 'the codes' in my account.The way I left it with her is that I authorized Comcast to add the TiVo software to my DVR. Comcast will also drop off my new remote.
- Needs to look into the status
- Coding needs to be put into my account to allow downloading to DVR
By submitting your photo(s) to Boston.com, you agree that such photo(s) and the accompanying information will become the property of Boston.com and you grant Boston.com, The Boston Globe, Boston Metro, and their sublicensees permission to publicly display, reproduce and use the photographs in any form or media for any and (all editorial and related promotional purposes) purposes.. You also warrant that (i) the photo is your original work, or is properly licensed, and does not violate the copyright or any other personal or property right of any third party, and (ii) you have obtained any and all releases and permissions necessary for our intended use. Your submission also allows Boston.com to edit, crop or adjust the colors of the image(s) on an as needed basis.It's a mistake photo, so I don't care if they own it. I'm granting them non-exclusive rights, though. I notified them via email. I hope that works for them.
"Mobile journalismI replied over on his blog:
A few traditional news organizations are experimenting with having their reporters go out as “one-man bands” who write up quick reports, take photographs or video and file them from the road. Gannett has tried to do more coverage of community events, while Reuters is working with Nokia to outfit reporters with gear to get raw footage of live events as they happen.
Strengths: Quick coverage of more events on the fly.
Weaknesses: Poor quality video and photos; not enough time for thoughtful work."
Hi Mark,My comment isn't being accepted over there because of a technical issue:
When you talk about Mobile Journalism, you call it 'poor quality video.'
It's not. Did you look at Reuters fashion show video? It's the Nokia 640x480 30 fps video. It's not poor quality.
http://reutersmojo.com/2007/09/06/badgley-mischka-runway/
You know I've been working with the Nokia N95 for a while now. I think the quality it great. Although it's not as good as something like miniDV or HD, I wouldn't call it 'poor' quality.
That's like saying that all YouTube videos are 'grainy.' They aren't.
I am going to be experimenting a lot more with Mobile Journalism in 2008.
--Steve
Proxy ErrorOops.
The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request POST /mt/cgi/comments.
Reason: Error reading from remote server
"Last night at a little after 7, I found out that a section of 128 was virtually impassable, and had jackknifed tractor-trailers and abandoned cars blocking the traffic. How did I find this out? On satellite radio. I found it because I needed to know what was going on in order to get home safely. I had never listened to the traffic this way before. This bummed me out way more than any steroid scandal. How could WBZ, the region’s station of record, just act like nothing was going on and broadcast a Bruins game?"I replied on Tai's blog:
Hi Tai,You might remember that I was complaining about this problem with local radio earlier.
I agree with you 100%. I was at home yesterday fielding calls from my wife, who was trapped on 128. she wanted INFORMATION and wasn't getting it from WBZ, WRKO or ANY radio station out there.
When she called, I turned on the TV and went to the web. There wasn't anything better out there either.
Reporters were measuring the height of the snow with wooden rulers and interviewing people at rest stops.
There was NO information about what was happening.
My wife was trying to decide if she should attempt to get off at the Route 30 exit, and her only source of information on what was happening there was to look out her car window.
We have got to solve this communication problem.
--Steve
"A live audience in Bali will hear Markey's speech. In theory, the audience will be able to ask the congressman questions, and Markey will be able to respond instantly over the Internet."So funny.
This year, Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, decided to avoid the carbon cost of flying and deliver his speech via Virtual Bali. Virtual Bali is the Second Life, carbon-friendly alternative to this year's UN Climate Summit (COP 13) meeting in Bali December 3-14thIt's cool that they are using Second Life and all, but don't you think a live video stream with chat would be better in this case?
You can meet Congressman Markey and hear his presentation in-world on the OneClimate islands tomorrow at 8 PM EST, 5PM PST/SL and 1:00 AM in the UK. Or you can watch it on the Web.
Blogs: A blog is like a home page you update three or four times a week. Or more. It is a list of the ideas you're thinking about. Some of the best blogs are like op-ed pages where you are the only writer. What blogs are not is quirky outlets for desperate and lonely teens. Blogging takes a big time commitment because organizing one's thoughts into cogent ideas, multiple times a week, takes a lot of time.Everything that I've highlighted above is wrong.
So most of the bloggers are doing it for their career, and blogging requires so much industry knowledge that most bloggers are midcareer. These are great people to network with because they can help you get what you want from your career.
And they're easy to network with because all you have to do is read their most recent ideas, and type out a comment about one of them. After a few comments, you will forge a connection with the blogger.
Twitter: Twitter is like instant messenger, only you never shut up. You can tell people what you're doing all day long. Small tidbits of your life condensed into even smaller sentences about where you are or what you're doing.Please Shut Up
One of the hardest parts of building a network is the upkeep. Letting people know what you are doing so that they continue to feel connected with you even though you are not hanging out at bars together on the weekend
The other nice thing about Twitter is that it is largely output. You don't have to listen. When introverts are overwhelmed, they shut down. Twitter makes it easy by not requiring a lot of listening - only reporting.
Customer Call Details Dec 6 2007 14:54Here's their reply:
Just because it`s not supported does not mean it does not work.
It works. It just does not stay in the slot.
I guess it`s a MacBook Pro hardware problem. Just wanted you to help me rule out a problem with the card.
But it sounds like you don`t do that.
--Steve
Belkin Response Dec 6 2007 17:26They fail to address the problem with the card not being able to remain seated in the ExpressCard Slot.
Hi steve,
Thank you for contacting Belkin Technical Support.
We understand that, You have a FireWire ExpressCard, and this product is not compatible with MacBook Pro. This product doesnot support MAC Operating system.
If you need further assistance please feel free to write back to us and we will be happy to assist you.
steve, if you have any other questions or problems you may also call us toll free at 800-223-5546 (Extn. 21). Alternatively, call us on 310 898 1100 Ext. 21.
Regards,
Nixon.
Belkin Technical Support
"In recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning . . . It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of secularism. They are wrong," he said.That sounds to me like he is intollerant of secularists.
"God bless this great land," he concluded. "God bless the United States of America."Ironic.
Customer Call DetailsOK.
Dec 3 2007 20:31
FireWire Express Card does not stay seated in my MacBook Pro. It used to click in and stay there, but now it just keeps popping out. Thanks.
Belkin Response
Dec 6 2007 13:59
Hi steve,
Thank you for contacting Belkin Technical Support.
We understand that, You have a FireWire ExpressCard, and this product is not compatible with MacBook Pro. This product is compatible with Windows® 2000, XP, 2003, or Linux® 2.4x, 2.6x.
If you need further assistance please feel free to write back to us and we will be happy to assist you.
steve, if you have any other questions or problems you may also call us toll free at 800-223-5546 (Extn. 21). Alternatively, call us on 310 898 1100 Ext. 21.
Regards,
Nixon.
Belkin Technical Support
"Congress first authorized a reference to God on a two-cent piece in 1864. In 1955, the year after lawmakers added the words 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance, Congress passed a law requiring all U.S. currency to carry the motto 'In God We Trust.'"NorCal Atheist Takes Pledge Case Back To Court:
(Michael) Newdow claims the references to God violate the constitutional ban on government establishment of religion.Michael Newdow - Wikipedia.
"One of the issues Towes and I cover is the shift from delivering what has been traditionally thought of as low-def video on the Net (and on-demand) to hi-def. What is hi-def video on the Net? In the TV world, hi-def is thought of as being at least 720 lines of vertical resolution if not 1080. But on the Net, the definition of hi-def is the subject of some debate. In the the interview, Towes defines 480 lines of vertical resolution as being hi-def for the Net, a full 2x the lines of vertical resolution found in the 320x240 sized video windows that were once commonplace on the Net, but are now less so (YouTube video windows are approximately 480W x 362h). Just for grins, take a look at ABC’s self-described HD channel for streamed content. I’m not sure how they do it (well, it involves a plug-in), but they do it well and wouldn’t it be something if all Net-based video-on-demand involved as many bits and full-screen video without caching problems."
"City Councilor John Tobin lights the fireworks. He proposes term limits for both Mayor and Councilors. What's to gain, what's to lose and can he get people to sunset themselves?"Listen LIVE at 2:30.
"E-mail From My DadDoes Ricky's Dad have a Tumblr blog?
On the same page today on Drudge:
-“Muslims want death penalty for teacher for naming doll Mohammod.”
-“Pope says world ills caused by atheism.”"
"Steve Garfield Boston, MA 'Videoblogger, TV Host, Emerging Amateur Filmmaker, Speaker, Listener'That should say:
Steve’s 2007 Most Memorable New Product Launch Picks: iPhone, Nikon D40/D80 (blogger program participant), NOKIA N95 (blogger program participant), Canon HV20 HD Video Camera, BostonNOW, Vimeo.com, Utterz.com, ZeFrank, Onion News Network, ComVu PocketCaster, Tumblr, ImageKind.com, Ustream.tv, blogtv.com, Justin.tv, Mogulus, iJustine streaming on Justin.tv, Daisuke Matsuzaka joining the Boston Red Sox, BarackObama running for President, Amanda Congdon debuting on ABC, ICA Museum’s new location on Boston’s waterfront, Naked Conversations, Everything is Miscellaneous, The Myth of Invention"
My mate Steve Garfield (who I met through social media) took a photo of me and some of my closest US friends and colleagues (again, all of whom I met through social media) at Podcamp Boston. By the time I got back to NYC that night, he’d uploaded it to Flickr. It was mum’s birthday back in Oz so I sent it through to my sister and she had it printed and framed as a present - just hours after it was taken. You gotta love it.I love it.
