Dishing - The Jamaica Plain Gazette at Boston.com

Just saw this post from the Boston.com Dishing blog, Changes in JP:

"Changes in JP
Posted by Devra First April 4, 2008 06:02 PM
The opening chef at Vee Vee is out. According to co-owner Dan Valachovic, 'over the next few weeks we will be transitioning to our spring menu being created by our new (yet to be named) chef, with the guidance of our friend Andy Husbands of Tremont 647.'

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports that bakery Sweet Finnish is closed. Maybe JP has maxed out on baked goods, with Canto 6, Blue Frog, Fiore's, Quisqueya, Estrella, Ula Cafe, Sweet Christopher, etc.

Speaking of Blue Frog, the Gazette reports the bakery may be moving from Green Street to Centre Street, in the space now occupied by the Christopher Kokoras Insurance Agency. The spot would give Blue Frog lots more space -- and seating!

The Gazette also says the Centre Street City Feed has pushed back its opening date to late May or early June, due to a delay getting building permits."

OK. I know a lot of bloggers re-blog things from media sites, but I don't think the Boston Globe should be basing the majority of a blog posting on content from the Jamaica Plain Gazette.

Let's see some original reporting. That's what we have old media for.

P.S. I'd comment on the Boston.com Dishing blog, but it doesn't allow comments.

Fox cuts away from Red Sox/Yankees for NASCAR

Fox25, you suck! | Universal Hub:

"It's the top of the ninth, Red Sox-Yankees, Sox up 4-3, two outs, nobody on, Papelbon pitching, full count.

What does Fox25 do? They take the game off the air and put on a NASCAR race!"

When you are in a bar, with the sound turned down, and the TV switches to NASCAR, the whole place erupts.

Everyone is yelling at the bartender, "Why'd you switch it?"

The poor guy is saying, "I didn't switch it."

People are yelling and someone yells to tuen to FX. After fumbling with the remote for an eternity, we switch to FX to see the Red Sox win.

Hasn't FOX heard of picture in a picture?

Fox cuts away from Yankees-Red Sox for NASCAR

The long rain delay in Saturday's Yankees-Red Sox game put Fox in a difficult position and led to an awkward finish in which the final strike did not appear on the network but on its sister cable network, FX.

Vika Glasholm Glass Table

Vika Glasholm Glass Table, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Lost in Ikea

Lost in Ikea - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

I was a few steps behind Carol and saw this shot. I yelled ahead to her, "Stop, hang on, I've got to get this shot." So she patiently waited. She's used to it.

I knew the metal wine rack we were looking for was in section 2 33, or 2 36. Something like that. I didn't write that one down.

So we were going down an aisle full of wood products and turned around before going all the way down the aisle. It was down at the end.

We found it by asking a worker. He walked us right over to it. That was a nice move, to walk us to it instead of just telling us the number.

We had a good experience there.

Impeach Beall: No additional tax on beer

Higher state tax on beer - San Jose Mercury News:

"SACRAMENTO - Joe Six-pack will have to pay a lot more to get his buzz on if Assemblyman Jim Beall has his way.
The San Jose Democrat on Thursday proposed raising the beer tax by $1.80 per six-pack, or 30 cents per can or bottle. The current tax is 2 cents per can. That's an increase of about 1,500 percent."

D'oh!

I just read that Gordon Biersch brews beer for Costco and Trader Joe's under contract.

I'll have to head over to my local Trader Joe's and check the label to see if it says San Jose.

Will We Ever Hear Danity Kane on KISS108 in Boston?

Billboard single reviews: Danity Kane, Jakob Dylan - Yahoo! News:

"ARTIST: DANITY KANE

SINGLE: DAMAGED

NEW YORK (Billboard) - With its release last month of second album 'Welcome to the Dollhouse,' reality TV girl group Danity Kane -- the mother lode of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' 'Making the Band' -- became the first female group in Billboard history to debut at No. 1 with its debut and sophomore sets. That certainly sets things up nicely for first single 'Damaged,' hand-picked by fans on the group's MySpace page. The sexy, breathy opening line is enough to grab attention: 'Do-do you got a first aid kit handy?' From there, a notable shift from its previous hip-hop signature to dance/pop showcases strong vocals bouncing along a finely produced pop gem that sparkles and blips over blended harmonies."

Looking at the KISS108 playlist I don't see Danity Kane on there from #'s 1-92.

If you look at Radio and Records Top 40 Chart Danity Kane's Damaged is #30 Most Added up from #35 last week.



When will it start being played on KISS108?

Sean and I want to know.

Danity Kane on MySpace. [ autoplays music ]

Danity Kane Official Site. [ autoplays music - damaged ]

KISS108 Official Site.

Upload Video To Multiple Sites

Jose Castillo and I interview Mark Rotblat from TubeMogul.

Home Depot Inappropriate Sign

Home Depot Inappropriate Sign - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

This sign blocks my view of on coming traffic.

It's probably illegal.

Boston Has an Online Complaint Webpage

Brighton Centered: More On 311 -- And Could It Be Flaherty's Issue in 2009?.

Why Turn the "Mayor's 24-Hour Constituent Service Hotline" Into the "City of Boston Constituent Service Hotline"? Come on, Globe, recognize the obvious reason why the Mayor doesn't want to get rid of the "Mayor's 24-Hour Constituent Service Hotline" by creating a "311 Constituent Service Hotline." Do you detect a word that would disappear from the name? Much of an elected municipal official's work is in constituent services, so they understandably want to claim the credit for their (staff's) work. Why not call it the "Mayor's 311 Constituent Service -- That You Can Also Access By Calling 617-635-4500?" I think that name is catchy.

Great in depth reporting by Brighton Centered. There's a lot more to the story than that Boston Globe reported today, Council criticizes complaint hot line.

ONLINE: Mayor's 24 Hour Constituent Service.

CROWD SOURCING A SOLUTION - A Web 2.0 Mashup
I think this would be a good project for a Web 2.0 mashup. You could incorporate Google Maps, photo and video upload from constituents, and allow EVERYONE to see all the complaints and status online.

I'd be like a Flickr/YouTube/Google Maps mash-up.

I bet other cities already have something like this.

If you know of one, post a link in the comments.

Or if you want to webify this city form, take a shot and post a link.

All it really needs added is the ability to see all the complaints and their status. I'd love to see a field to add a photo.

One more thing, I think it would be easy enough to get the email for each city department and send an email to that department when the form is submitted.

Crowdsourcing commence... :-)

Mad River

Mad River, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Mad River

Mad River, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

Waterville Valley Skiing

Waterville Valley Skiing
Originally uploaded by stevegarfield

Spring Skiing at Waterville Valley, NH

Chair Lift



Skiing

Fridget

Fridget
Originally uploaded by stevegarfield

Steve introduces Carol to the new video feature of flickr.

"Everyone's going in their fridge. Nothing is planned. We're sharing a moment."

The first Flickr Video meme: Fridget, What’s In Your Refrigerator?

I've got lots to think about regarding flickr video.

First impressions, it's going to get a lot more people putting video on the web because there aren't any expectations or pressures to have high production values.

It reminds me of the beginnings of video blogging where we shared moments with each other.

This first meme of looking into your refrigerator is a fun one.

Lots of people are going to be asking how to shoot video, get it off their camera and or cellphone and upload to flickr.

That's great.

Seero Features Geo-Tagged Hyline Cruise Ad

Seero Features Geo-Tagged Hyline Cruise Ad - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

David from Seero.com Geo-Tagged my video of the Hy-Line Cruise to Nantucket to display a Hy-Line Cruise Ad with a link to their site.

This is pretty cool.

The page:
www.seero.com/video/stevegarfield_0

Happy Birthday Chris Brogan

It's Chris Brogan's Birthday today.

He writes: Who Am I Really .

As his gift, he wants his readers to share their stories.

Here's what I shared in the comments over on his blog:

Happy Birthday, Chris!

I HAD to be the 4th person in a row to say that. Ha ha.

I love looking towards the future. I look at things as they are and work towards getting them to the next level.

LIVE MOBILE BROADCASTING
So far this year I've been involved in some exciting projects including live mobile broadcasting. I brought Qik together with both Seesmic and Mogulus to produce some groundbreaking election coverage. That excites me.

I'm exploring the differences between all the streaming services and am writing up a post about how they all compare to each other.

I'm also looking into the convergence of personal, mobile and broadcast video.

SPEAKING AND GETTING PEOPLE TOGETHER
I'll be speaking at Streaming Media East and New Media Expo this year. I love speaking at conferences and getting a chance to meet so many people that I only know online, and also love the opportunity to see people I only see once or twice a year.

I also enjoy getting people together to talk about what they are doing in the media space. Boston Media Makers is going strong and I'm happy to see it spread to other cities including Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Denver, Providence, R.I. and London.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
I'm interested in the future of personal content and how we'll be able to share and keep track of it all.

Carol and I enjoy producing The Carol and Steve Show. As you know it enhances the experiences we have. Recent travel episodes have been very popular and we are working on development of that into something more.

I love how you have a book at the proposal stage... Ha ha. Me too. Doesn't everybody?

I like how you have identified three projects to focus on in 2008-2009. That's a good idea.

Hope to see you soon!

Go Sox!

--Steve

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Greg Heffley's Journal Grade 7.

First published for free in blog format on funbrain.com, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is now a bestselling book.

The power of free.

via the Boston Globe, Jeff Kinney's 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' draws on relatable school experiences

Making Your Videos "Spreadable"

Making Your Videos "Spreadable" - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Making Your Videos "Spreadable"
By Steve Garfield
April 7, 2008
Why would a 15-minute video get more views than a 90-minute one? It depends on the content, ease of access, and the ability to share.

My 15-minute mobile video broadcasting presentation was included in a 90-minute video. I extracted that 15-minute excerpt and shared it. The resulting video became something that people wanted to watch, share and write about.

more...

Boston Media Makers 04/06/2008

Boston Media Makers 04/06/2008 - Originally uploaded on flickr by stevegarfield.

Boston Media Makers Meeting Report 04/06/08.

Has Boston heard about off the shelf software

City complaint line lags - The Boston Globe:

"...it could be nearly two more years and $2 million more before the administration has a citywide system to keep track of residents' complaints"

What are these consultants selling the city?

Just did a quick Google search and found this:

Highrise:

Highrise helps you track communication and conversations with leads, employees, clients, colleagues, vendors, or anyone else that matters to your business. With Highrise you know who’ve you talked to, what you talked about, and what you need to do next.

$149/month

At $2,000,000 they could use this for 13,422 months which = 1,118 years.

I'm sure it can meet the City of Boston's call tracking needs.

In fact, the city's needs should be made to meet the features of this solution.

Update:
Adam points over here with this post: $4 million and two years for a database program?

Head over and join the roaring conversation and take a look at Somerville's online solution.