total amazement

The Perfect Diet

2009-03-20T07:12:00.001-07:00

A friend that I worked with gave me the perfect diet advice. Both Arlene and I have taken his advice to heart and collectively have lost over 100 pounds.

I now share his advice to the perfect diet.

Eat less, exercise more!

WOW!

Earth Hour

2009-03-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Tweet and update your Facebook and MySpace pages with the latest on Earth Hour.

2009 Oscars were well done for a change

2009-02-23T02:34:00.001-08:00

Each year Arlene and I watch the Oscars and each year we connect online at oscars.com, search.twitter.com and bop around to the various Oscars live blogging locations. We do this mainly because there are always long periods of not so great moments.

This year was different. First, because the oscars.com site could not handle the load, we missed doing predictions, etc. Next, because the broadcast was exceptionally well done.

It moved along at a good pace.

The various entertainment selections were well done with Hugh Jackman providing both talent, humor and a personal touch.

The venue was more intimate and more connected with the in-house audience, which gave the evening a better feel.

And finally, but most importantly, was the manner in which the best acting Oscars were announced. For each nominee, a past winner arrived to give a short testimonial to that nominee. Some sounded as if they were written for them while others came across as personal congratulations from the presenter. It was the first time I felt that the Oscars lived up to the oft stated "I appreciate this award so much because it comes from my peers, people in the business". This year the presentations felt that way and far more personal.

Great job Oscars.

P.S. Really, fix your online presence for next year. It really, really sucked this year.

Trying out Windows Live Writer to post to Blogger

2009-01-19T08:38:00.001-08:00

In testing the Windows 7 OS, I downloaded the Windows Live suite which includes Windows Live Writer. This post was generated using WLW.

This is a picture posted via WLW of my cutie.

This is of course a video trailer for Feeds from Space.

The WLW setup appears to work quite well.

Mind set change: "To get more, want less!" Rich Hand 1999

2008-11-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice

Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.

The 13 Behaviors of Trusted Leaders

2008-10-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Just started reading the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill, not surprising there are many points relevant to the situations we are seeing today. From the Wall Street crisis to the credit debacle to the presidential race, trust is a key point that arises time after time. In addition, the rumblings surrounding these seem to be asking the same questions. Those rumblings include "we need strong leadership" and "who can we trust?". This hit home with me as I watched both the panic within the U.S. stock market and the various headlines and sound bites from the two 2008 presidential candidates.

I found a quick reference handout that briefly describes the 13 behaviors. As you read through these, think about how these apply to you and those folks we are hoping are the real leaders in the world.

Talk straight -
- Be honest.
- Tell the truth and leave the right impression.
- Let people know where you stand.
- Use simple language.
- Call things what they are.
- Demonstrate integrity.
- Don't manipulate people or distort facts.
- Don't spin the truth.
- Don't leave false impressions.
Demonstrate respect -
- Genuinely care for others.
- Show you care.
- Respect the dignity of every person and every role.
- Treat everyone with respect, especially those who can't do anything for you.
Create transparency -
- Tell the truth in a way people can verify.
- Get real and be genuine.
- Be open and authentic.
- Err on the side of disclosure.
- Don't have hidden agendas.
- Don't hide information.
Right wrongs -
- Make things right when you're wrong.
- Apologize quickly.
- Make restitution where possible.
- Practice "service recoveries".
- Demonstrate personal humility.
- Don't cover things up.
- Don't let pride get in the way of doing the right thing.
Show loyalty -
- Give credit freely.
- Acknowledge the contributions of others.
- Speak about people as if they were present.
- Represent others who aren't there to speak for themselves.
- Don't bad mouth others behind their backs.
- Don't disclose others' private information.
Deliver results -
- Establish a track record of results.
- Get the right things done.
- Make things happen.
- Accomplish what you're hired to do.
- Be on time and within budget.
- Don't over promise and under deliver.
- Don't make excuses for not delivering.
Get better -
- Continuously improve.
- Increase your capabilities.
- Be a constant learner.
- Develop feedback systems, both formal and informal.
- Act on the feedback you receive.
- Thank people for feedback.
- Don't consider yourself above feedback.
- Don't assume today's knowledge and skills will be sufficient for tomorrow's challenges.
Confront reality -
- Address the tough stuff directly.
- Acknowledge the unsaid.
- Lead out courageously in conversation.
- Remove the "sword from their hands."
- Don't skirt the real issues.
Clarify expectations -
- Disclose and reveal expectations.
- Discuss them.
- Validate them.
- Renegotiate them if needed and possible.
- Don't violate expectations.
- Don't assume that expectations are clear or shared.
Practice accountability -
- Hold yourself and others accountable.
- Take responsibility for results.
- Be clear on how you'll communicate how you're doing and how others are doing.
- Don't avoid or shirk responsibility.
- Don't blame others or point fingers when things go wrong.
Listen first -
- Listen before you speak.
- Understand.
- Diagnose.
- Listen with your ears and your eyes and heart.
- find out what the most important behaviors are to the people you're working with.
- Don't assume you know what matters most to others.
- Don't presume you have all the answers or all the questions.
Keep commitments -
- Say what you're going to do. Then do what you say you're going to do.
- Make commitments carefully and keep them.
- Make keeping commitments the symbol of your honor.
- Don't break confidences.
- Don't attempt to "PR" your way out of a broken commitment.
Extend trust -
- Demonstrate a propensity to trust.
- Extend trust abundantly to those who have earned your trust.
- Extend trust conditionally to those who are earning your trust.
- Learn how to appropriately extend trust to others based on the situation, risk, and credibility (character and competence) of people involved. But have the propensity to trust.
- Don't withhold trust when there is risk involved.

More information about this book
Courses are available.

Always keep an open mind but a watchful eye.

Pssst! General Mills needs feedback

2008-10-01T19:25:00.001-07:00

Just started a General Mills program called Pssst! It lets participants try out products that have been recently introduced. We will document our experiences and reviews of the various products which we receive and try.

First up, is Romano's Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta.

What will appear in these posts are:

general reviews and comments on both the preparation and consumption of the products
specific information for Weight Watchers participants (since my wife and I are using their method)
details on where to get the products, along with any special offers

Hopefully, this will provide information and perhaps a little entertainment for those who visit.

Pre-testing details -
www.fatsecret.com's info on Romano's Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta. This is the actual restaurant item and is not be representative of the boxed dinner kit. Nutrition facts are located on this page.

The box dinner kit's nutrition and ingredients side panel is shown to the right(click to enlarge). The information is current as of this writing, October 4th, 2008.

Weight Watchers calculated points are 7 per 1 cup serving.

Included in the reviewed dinner kit:

actual retail dinner kit
8 hardcopy coupons to share with family and friends (there may be e-coupons later)
welcome letter which details the program
web reference to get blogging media (pictures like the one above)

Review of Romano's Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta Dinner Kit

This kit was prepared for a Saturday night dinner for two, so we could have leftovers. Review of the leftovers will be added later.

The kit components were clearly labeled and the instructions simple, easy to follow, accurate and overall "spot on". The only substitution was leaving out the butter for cooking the chicken and replacing it with canola oil. Overall not difficult to prepare.

We questioned how thick the sauce looked in the pan, but the instructions covered that, indicating that it would thicken as it rested. To their credit, this to was accurate. The aroma during preparation filled the kitchen and was delightful. Another question was the amount of noodles, it did not appear to be enough for 5 servings, but again this proved accurate and when combined produced the stated 5 - 1 cup servings. It was served with a tomato salad topped with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing.

Served this way, the 1 cup portions were adequate. For you Weight Watchers, the points for the dinner are 7 points per serving and the tomato salad added an additional 1 point (actually 1/2 point but we always round up).

The other thing we always like to check is their truth in advertising. Bottom line, does the home prepared dinner look like the picture on the box. Since we didn't add any fresh basil leaves, it wasn't exact, but other than that it was accurate to the pictured dinner.

We have never tried the local Romano's Macaroni Grill restaurant, therefore don't know how this kit compares with their in-restaurant preparation.

So, how did our testers rate this dinner kit? The maximum is 5 stars.

Appearance:

she = 4 stars
he = 4 stars
Why the drop? needed larger sun dried tomatoes and basil bits

Taste:

she = 4 stars
he = 4 stars
Why the drop? not enough basil

Preparation:

she = 5 stars
he = 4 stars
Why the drop? guys like more pictures

Prior to finding the local price for the dinner kit, the testers were asked:

How much would you pay for this product? The response was $5
What price would make you stock up on this product? The response was $3

After the testing, the local price was determined to be approximately $4.99 (UPDATED ON 10/6/2008 local Fred Meyer charging $5.29 regular price. Was on sale for $3.50), so that would appear to be right on target. The $1.25 off coupons included with sample brings the price to near stock up level. The testers indicated they would definitely try the other selections based on the use of the coupons.

A list of various locations to purchase this kit will be included later.

Additional comments from the testers:

I am interested in trying the other 3 dinners now.

Really enjoyed this free sample and will definitely purchased next time grocery shopping.

What was the total cost for this dinner (not counting the pennies for the milk and oil)?

Retail price for Romano's Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta dinner kit: $4.99

1 pound of frozen Chicken Breast Tenders from Costco averages $2.50

Total cost was about $7.50

Cost at the restaurant would be great to know, but unfortunately our local restaurant does not offer this on their online menu. The only Romano's Macaroni Grill located near us is

Northgate-Waterloo Romano's Macaroni Grill
401 NE Northgate Way #1103
Seattle, WA 98125
206-838-6009

Given the cost of other items on their menu, we would estimate this dish would range between $12.50 and $13.50

Leftover review update

For the following Sunday dinner, we tested the leftovers. The leftovers were refrigerated for only 24 hours in air tight containers. Several noticeable changes occurred.

First, the dinner dried out just a little, making the sauce less smooth.
Second, the sun dried tomatoes plumped up quite a bit. Which was not the case with the "first run". This may indicate that the sun dried tomatoes could have been placed in hot tap water for 1 or 2 minutes before adding to the mixture. This would add a little complexity to the instructions, which they may have wished to avoid.
Third, the seasonings lightened up in flavor a little, although the basil increased in aroma.

How did our testers rate this dinner as leftovers? The maximum is 5 stars.

Appearance:

she = 4 stars
he = 4 stars
Why the drop? The drier appearance

Taste:

she = 4 stars
he = 4 stars
Why the drop? lightened seasoning taste

Preparation:

she = 5 stars
he = 5 stars
Why no drop? microwaves are great, 2 minutes on high and serve

Hopefully, this review was helpful. Enjoy!

Is AT&T the next Comcast? Wait, they already are!

2008-08-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

AT&T is the sole provider of the iPhone, too bad.
I have been with AT&T wireless for quite a few years, too bad.
My latest phone is a Samsung Blackjack with a Family Plan (voice) and A Data plan called MediaMax 200 (unlimited Media Net with 200 messages).
Recently, I noticed I was always going over my 200 message limit. So silly me, I thought I would check out the various plans to see if I could increase my message limit.

On AT&T wireless web site I found the ability to buy a 1500 message plan.

Simple, huh?

Called customer service to upgrade and the rep found the plans I needed and then he tried to apply those to my Blackjack. Unfortunately, the "system" would not let him activate them. Since he could not see the problem, he went off to ask his supervisor why this wouldn't work. The supervisor told him that those options weren't available for the Blackjack and the only bundle available was unlimited data with unlimited messaging. Instead of the small $15 increase, the total cost would be $50.

What a scam! They have the options but refuse to let you buy them, selectively.

Fortunately, there are other carriers with better rates and options. It is sad that a customer can't purchase exactly what they need rather than what they are force fed.
Currently, I am not too happy with AT&T wireless.

I thought that AT&T had gotten better than this, but I guess not. They have the same customer view as Comcast had. Now here is a shock, that I thought I would never utter, Comcast may actually be getting better. Perhaps the Universe abhors a vaccum, so this may be why AT&T wireless is filling the poor customer service "spot" that Comcast seems to be making available.

Wanted an iPhone, but now, not as long as AT&T is the only provider.

Buyer beware!

a quote passing by on Twitter

2008-08-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

As I wandered through the twitter-verse this morning, I came across an exchange between @DovGordon and @jeffpulver where @DovGordon referenced the Theodore Roosevelt quote shown below. It is shared here because of the "well, hell yea!" moment it evoked.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt, "Man in the Arena" Speech given April 23, 1910
26th president of US (1858 - 1919)

Just joined CoCoRaHS

2008-06-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is a volunteer effort to perform precipitation measurements and report those to a common database. The project is U.S. wide and a large number of states are participating. Here is the CoCoRaHS about us page so you can learn more about this effort.

There is a small cost to purchase the "official" 4 inch diameter rain gauge so that the recordings are consistent. It is available from two location and costs about $30 including shipping.

From their website:

CoCoRaHS is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive Web-site, our aim is to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. We currently operate in many states across the country. If we are not in your state please drop us a line and let us know that you have an interest in participating. This helps us know where a desire exists for the network and where to focus our future expansion efforts.

Download the CoCoRaHS brochure as a PDF. (2.2 MB)

Finally, the CoCoRaHS mission statement.

I am headed to the in-person training soon and have already ordered the rain gauge plus I have decided to commit the 5 to 10 minutes per day to capture and record the data. I am interested in seeing how many people participate in Washington State and what the accumulated data looks like when aggregated in a graphical form.

I hope you get a chance to participate. Enjoy.

UPDATE: June 11, 2008 - I decided not to go to the in-person training. The online training brochure was enough information to get me up and running.

Although, I would recommend the in-person training for the opportunity to meet other "CoCoRAHSers". Or are they "CoCoRAHSians"?

Juggling?

2008-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

The fluid control of this is simply incredible. Nearly an illusion in itself.

Another one with multiple balls

Download Day for Firefox 3

2008-05-29T07:14:00.001-07:00

Cube Farm: The Executive Zoo

2008-05-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have watched Cube Farm for some time now. But the latest video arrives on the near anniversary of my exodus from the corporate world.

No one has ever explained things better. Thank you Kim.

Repost: The Alcove with Mark Molaro

2008-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Repost from The Alcove with Mark Molaro: Climate Scientist Dr. Michael Oppenheimer on climate change. Originally aired at The Alcove in late 2007.

In-depth interview with Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, climate change scientist at Princeton University and one of the co-authors of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

TED Talk- Tod Machover & Dan Ellsey: Releasing the music in your head

2008-05-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tod Machover of MIT's Media Lab is devoted to extending musical expression for everyone -- from virtuosi to amateurs, and in the most diverse forms -- from opera to videogames (Guitar Hero grew out of his group). At this TED he addresses what is coming next.

Speaker Dan Ellsey: Musician
Speaker Tod Machover: Composer, inventor

Economist's View: "The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class"

2008-05-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Economist's View: "The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class" a talk by Elizabeth Warren.

This is one of those, "of course this is how it is" moments that you never think of until someone places it right before you.

The video runs just short of an hour and contains a mass of data and correlations between various trends. One surprise was that more children go through their parents' bankruptcy than their parents' divorce.

This is an enlightening message.

Comcast troubles - proof that the Direct TV commercials are accurate

2008-04-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

So there I was, wanting to upgrade my 2nd Comcast cable set top box from "basic" to High Definition. I analyzed the cost and for a mere $6 increase I could watch HD from either of our TVs. Easy, no brainer, I thought to myself...

This was my first mistake. Never realizing that this simple thought would lead to months of cable hell.

Here's my story of just how Comcast customer service and billing professionals (I use that term very loosely) are helping DirectTV and the Dish Network with every customer phone call.

Back to my story. I called customer service and made arrangements to upgrade to a second HD box. Since I am impatient, I went directly to the local office and picked up the HD box. Brought it home, plugged it in and waited the mandatory 30 minutes for the programming to update as directed by the office representative.

Apparently, that was a false statement. Once connected, you must call the service number to get them to update the programming for the new box so that your "package" becomes active. Minor nit. In seconds after the call, package up and running.

Later that same night while watching an HD broadcast, I noticed that the programming guide wouldn't come on screen when the Guide button was pressed. Thinking this might be a remote to box communication problem I reset the remote and Cable box per the remote's instruction brochure. Unfortunately, this had no affect. The Guide worked when watching non-HD channels, just not when watching HD channels. This was very odd, so a call to customer service was in order for the next day.

Comcast rep of course had never heard of this and questioned my sanity, in a nice way. Eventually, the rep relented and authorized the exchange of the cable box. Back to the local office to pick up the replacement. Upon returning home, I connected everything and immediately called Comcast to get programming updated on the box.

See, he can be taught!

The rep updated the box and immediately the expanded line of channels was active and the guide worked no matter which channel was being viewed. Hurray, successful. My $6 investment was worth it and all was working. Could life be better than this...

Wait, the customer rep noticed something. I was currently paying more for cable and internet than it would cost to have cable, internet and VOIP (internet phone). She suggested we price this out and see if it would help our budget. She took a very long time to figure this out (this should have been a clue for me, but I ignored it). Bottom line was that I could have cable, internet and phone from Comcast for about $20 less than what I was currently paying for just two of them.

Always being the skeptic, I confirmed that I would have all the same channels, same internet speed, they would add internet phone AND my bill would go down! In addition I confirmed that the price drop was not due to a promotion, it was the long term rate. She said yes. So, I agreed. Toward the end of the process, the rep said, okay here is what your next bill will be... $485. This was about triple what I was currently paying, so I questioned why this could be. She rambled through that this was current bill, plus one month advance. Which seemed odd to me since I already paid one month in advance and didn't she say my bill would go down. Confused I asked again for her to detail why the huge amount for the first bill. She proceeded to read off each of the costs for the new set of services and sure enough they total about 1/3 of the first bill. After a number of times where she totaled the monthly costs, adding in the one month in advance which totaled 2/3 of the previously stated huge amount, she would then state, as if by magic, the total increased another 1/3.

Side note: I clearly don't understand how the Comcast billing cycle works, because if they were going to save me money and I pay one month in advance already, why would the first bill be 3 times my normal rate. Wouldn't you expect to pay the same or less on that next bill.... hmmmm, clearly I am naive to the world of billing and cable charges.

Unfortunately, we could never come to agreement on the total and my budget could not really afford the huge initial hit at this time.

So, I said I don't want this offer. I can't afford this right now.

This was my second mistake.

After an eternity, the rep came back on the line and indicated that she had already canceled my existing service and would need to re-establish it. Surprised, I asked if everything would be restored today and was there anything I needed to do on my end. She indicated that they would handle it from their side. No problem. She placed me on hold and went off to do her Comcast magic. I use the term magic, because clearly this is NOT science. As I waited, I tried both cable and internet and as expected neither was working. Patiently I waited and waited and waited.

Eventually, she returned to the line and said the cable had been restored, but that she would need to transfer me to an internet customer rep to get that piece functional. I agreed to be placed on hold yet again. The wait wasn't long and the internet rep had to reset the modem. I needed to reset my router and lastly, I needed to reset the network settings on my laptop. Finally, all was right with the world. I was back in the realm of the connected.

This was my third mistake, thinking that everything was fine.

The next morning, no one received any email, all of our Comcast hosted web sites did not exist. Things did not look so fine.

I called customer service again, this time I went directly to the internet rep. He said everything looked okay on their end. All of our web site files were still there. However, it did appear that all the secondary accounts were disabled. He asked if our service had been shut off for some reason.

Side note: I figure he was being nice asking in that way. I think he was implying that maybe my access was turned off due to non-payment. Which of course, was not the case.

We worked together to get the accounts re-enabled and he did some magic to get all the web site files back in the correct location. {again, with the "magic" phrase}.

Once again, I believed all was right with the world. We had internet access, we could see our web sites, we were getting email and the cable TV was working with all the correct channels per our premium package.

This was my fourth mistake!!!!!!!

Time passed. Over a month. On 4/21/2008 at 0730 Pacific Time, the premium channels stopped working, internet access shutdown. I thought that perhaps we were having a cable outage. This is not unusual and given the fact that street work had been happening over the past several weeks, it seemed like a real possibility.

Since my AT&T cell phone has internet access, I decided to check my email on Comcast via my phone until the service outage was restored. To my surprise, I found an email from Comcast advising me that my request for cancellation of service was received and service would be terminated on 4/29/2008. But wait this was only the 21st and oh yea I hadn't requested any cancellation.

Soooooo, I called Comcast. However, at 7:30 AM PT their offices are not open, but they suggested that I use the automated function to check my account. Cool, I thought. I will go there a check the status of my account. The billing route said that I had an outstanding balance of over $400. This seemed unusual since we have automated payments where they just bill my credit card each month. Since this didn't feel right and our service was now dead, I decided to go ahead and pay the outstanding balance via the automated system. All worked fine. It accepted my credit card and then indicated it would transfer me to a customer rep to complete the transaction. Now, I knew that the billing office was closed, but thought perhaps this was one of those cases where they had 24 hour operations to handle these kind of situations. I was wrong. The automated system simply said it could not complete my call and hung up. So I waited until the business office opened at 8 AM and gave them a call.

This is where the actions of the sales rep from over a month ago come full circle.

In speaking with the customer rep I now had on the phone, she indicated that my account was 2 months overdue. After checking she noticed that we had automated payment and could not figure out why the account would be overdue. I told her about my prior experience and after checking she said that this may have been the cause.
Her advice was to go over to the automated system and pay my outstanding balance then the service would be restored.

Side note: At this point I was angry.

I relayed my earlier experience with the automated system and eventually she agreed to handle the transaction without charging the normal handling fee for paying via a real live person. She also removed the various late fees, since it was clear the automated payment was still established, the credit card was valid and the reason for all this automation not working was not apparent. As a last check, I asked whether or not there was anything I needed to do to make sure things were back to full operation. Did I need to call either the internet rep or the cable rep to reset anything. I was assured that this would not be the case. I requested that she have a supervisor call me since after I requested to speak with her supervisor she indicated that they were not available. So I went away, a bit pissed off, but at least the service would be back and I could continue with my "connected" life.

This was my fifth mistake!!!!!!!

The cable was working. All the channels in our package were working. But the internet was dead. SO, yes you guessed it, I called the Comcast internet rep. He checked my account and once again indicated that the modem needed to be reset and I would need to reset my router and yadda, yadda, yadda. We checked to see if any of the secondary account were disabled and they were not. So after a short 10 minute call I was connected again. BTW, I politely suggested that they update their procedures for the billing department so that they were aware of this final step. He indicated that the billing folks aren't well trained, but would pass along my suggestion. {yea, right!}

Once again connected, feeling grumpy, pissed off and a bit annoyed by having to endure this multi-month ordeal, I proceeded with my activities for the day. None of which were Comcast related. Satisfied in my ignorance that yet another challenge had been resolved and it was time to move on.

Right again, you guessed it.... number six on the hit parade of mistaken assumptions.

Later that afternoon, I got a phone call from Comcast (via our answering machine) indicating that I should call the following number about a service interruption. I wondered if this was related to my earlier discussion or yet another, different challenge. I got onto the internet, checked my email and found another message from Comcast. This one was sent at about 8:30 AM. This was after my morning conversation with the customer rep about the billing issues. This message indicated that they were confirming my request for cancellation of service.

Warning: This is when I got really, really, really angry. About time, don't you think?

Called the number on the answering machine and spoke with a Comcast rep that I assume deals with folks who are delinquent. After several minutes, a few angry words and a review of the several months of interactions, she indicated that they would not be calling again since I was paid in full. And she indicated that since I had automated payment turned on that there should not be a problem in the future.

Side note: I forgot to mention that during my early morning call with a real live person, I had requested that auto-pay be turned off, since it would appear that it was not working. This clearly did not happen. Which as you can imagine, did not improve my mood.

Back to the current phone exchange. I requested that auto-pay be turned off. She said she would do that. I asked whether or not my call log indicated that I wanted a supervisor call-back. She said it did not but she would add that. {once again, this didn't improve my mood}. I finished the phone call with some unkind words about Comcast and their customer reps.

Now, sitting here writing this entry, I am reflecting on my 10 plus years with Comcast service at this location. All the times when there were cable outages and was assured that they would credit my bill (which never once happened) and on each rate hike without any service improvement and on the many times I called customer support and received "the dial-a-dud of the day".

Why have I put up with this?
Why have we become so accustomed to crappy service, horrible support and incompetence?

At this writing, I have not received a supervisor callback and really don't expect to ever get one.
The internet is working.
The cable TV is working.
And, this all started because I wanted to upgrade a single set top box to HD, which would increase my bill by $6.00.

What was I thinking?

You know I heard that if I subscribe to the triple play package (internet, cable, VOIP) I can save some money each month.

I really, really, really hate my Comcast dependency, in addition to not being very happy with Comcast itself!

If anyone has any suggestions on the best way to get TV and Internet to your house, short of moving to another country, I am listening.

Comcast clearly doesn't care, they don't have to.

Rocketboom Artist Spotlight

2008-04-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

RJD2 - "Work It Out"

Exceptionally creative.

Late Hail Storm up Nor'West

2008-04-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

This was one of the more interesting hail storms I have seen in the Pacific Northwest. It lasted for about 10 minutes and the hail ranged from rather soft cone shaped miniature snowballs to hard chunks about 3/4 inch in size. Added bonus was the lightning and thunder. Although stated in the video, it wasn't "the world's biggest hail", but it was pretty good size for our area.

April 1st needs to be more about the serious side of life.

2008-03-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Every year April 1st rolls around and countless people play practical jokes on others. Of course this means that countless people have these, sometimes less than funny, jokes played ON them.

My proposal is that starting this year, in the spirit of international relations and a kind heart towards all of human-kind, we refrain from all these childish acts and spread the word of togetherness.

Roll on over to join the movement and sign-up.

One world, one heart, one song sung together!

Enjoy!

Zen Habits - Leo Babauta

2008-03-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, I discovered a site that hit a chord with me. It is called Zen Habits. Now, at first I thought here comes yet another self help site harboring good advice with no way to accomplish.

WRONG!

This site somehow displays just the right words on the days when they are most useful (well, at least for me).

Wisdom, advice and life tips pour from Leo Babauta. In his short bio, Leo describes himself -

My name is Leo Babauta, I’m married with six kids, I live on Guam, I’m a writer and a runner and a vegetarian and I love writing Zen Habits.

The quote in the "about" page demonstrates the purpose of the site and makes all things possible.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle

I have enjoyed a majority of his posts and his ideas on simplification are both effective and {surprise} SIMPLE.

Enjoy!

P.S. He is also a writer and has written the following ebooks:

Zen Habits for Life Handbook

Zen Habits Handbook for Life is a series of Leo's best articles on making your life simpler, on becoming happier, and on getting more productive.
Zen to Done

Zen To Done takes some of the best aspects of a few popular productivity systems (GTD, Stephen Covey and others) and combines them with the mandate of simplicity. It makes things as simple as possible, and no more.

Circe Link - Armageddon {one of my favorites}

2008-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share.

Armageddon

Note: the link above will take you to the the www.rhapsody.com site and generate a pop-up player so you can listen to the song. If this runs counter to your browsing philosophy or your browser's setup than I am sorry to have teased you with this posting.

However, in addition to being available on Rhapsody it is also available at Amazon.com and can be found on her album Let's Go Together

politics versus inspiration

2008-03-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wonder why something inspires?
Well I have. Up until this point in the 2008 election campaigns I really haven't been inspired by any of the candidates.

It is true that the "Yes we can" music video for Obama provided an emotional response.
However, it wasn't until I listened to the latest music video "The We Are The Ones Song" once again by will.i.am that I became inspired. Within this video is the a phase spoken by Obama -

"We are the ones we’ve been waiting for."

This comes from a Super Tuesday speech he gave and the entire context was -

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for."

Now, before anyone says that he plagiarized some more stuff, it is true that he borrowed it from Maria Shriver, who borrowed it from the Hopi Indians

And its sentiment is similar to Mahatma Ghandi's quote -

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

For me this quote and sentiment was the thing that inspired. Regardless of the source, now is the time that this particular notion needs to be the new reality.

{BTW, maybe we should all look into what the original residents have been saying for so long.)

The video which is over at DipDive is embedded below.

More links: The Wisdom of the Native Americans at Amazon.com

The Green Children Foundation

2008-02-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

I came across this "foundation" recently but know little about it. However, it appears to have some connection with Professor Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

From their "About Us" :

Milla Sunde and Tom Bevan established The Green Children Foundation to support microcredit, education and healthcare. In 2006, The Green Children shot a music video in Bangladesh to celebrate the work of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the father of microcredit and founder of The Grameen Bank.

Think of a song, now play it with Songerize

2008-02-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right, just think of your favorite song or perhaps an obscure one, there is a good chance that Songerize will play it. Of course you also need to known the artist, but that shouldn't be too difficult. However, if you really don't know the artist AND the song title, then just enter what you do know. You aren't guarantee to get the song you were thinking about, but then what the heck, you just found a new song.

Songerize is powered by seeqpod.com, but without the hassle. You can sign up for seeqpod.com and expand your experience, but for me Songerize works well enough and is as simple as type title and play.

BTW, Songerize doesn't just do music. It also can access podcasts.

Enjoy!

P.S. an update on finding obscure songs. Well, it looks like my taste in music is a bit left field. A couple of my favorite artists were not found. Mark Thunderwolf and the groups Maske and Outback did not return any results. So, I guess I will need to be a bit more "main stream". There are probably worse things I could do.

Update: Looks like Songerize does not implement seeqpod correctly, since when I went directly there I was able to find the songs by Outback. The others? Well, still out in left field.

Links:

Rock The Vote in 2008

2008-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

Democrats, Republicans, Independents and all who have yet to decide,let your voice be heard.

Law and Video "audio" podcast by The DVShow Podcast Network

2007-12-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

The Law and Video Podcast started on September 18, 2007, it is provided via the DVShow Podcast Network.

From the L & V web site:

Gordon Firemark is an attorney whose practice is devoted to the representation of artists, writers, producers and directors in the fields of theater, film, television, and music.

His practice also covers intellectual property, cyberspace, new media and business/corporate matters for clients in the entertainment industry.

This is the first live, call-in podcast to clear the air on legal issues for filmmakers and videographers who are looking for answers to questions related to starting a production business, copyright issues, contracts, intellectual property and distribution.

I have listened from the start and it has always been interesting. Similar to the other shows in the DVShow Podcast Network, Brian Alves hosts the broadcast where Gordon FireMark answers call-in, email and recorded audio questions. Each Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET the show is live. A majority of the questions have referenced copyrights but also covered are the use of hidden cameras, recording audio, defamation, DMCA, takedown notices, obtaining releases/permits and contractual impacts, plus much more. Running time for the show is typically between 30 and 50 minutes.

You can subscribe to Gordon's audio podcast via:
Feedburner
E-Mail
iTunes

Be sure to stop by the Law and Video web site or Gordon's web site for more information.

I found this show fascinating and the answers continue to surprise me. Take a listen and enjoy!

Everything old is new again - iYule

2007-11-28T08:38:00.001-08:00

NaNoWriMo 2007 - You Won!

2007-11-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Our word-counting robots have analyzed your November novel, and they've delivered their final, binding assessment: Winner.

You did it! You did it! You did it!

So it's official.

This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest years on record for NaNoWriMo participants. At some point in the literary marathon, most of your fellow writers fell by the wayside. They lost their books to work, to family, to school, and to the hundreds of other distractions and interruptions that tend to shutter creative undertakings like NaNoWriMo.

But not you. Not this year.

This November, you set out with the ridiculously ambitious goal of bringing an entire world into existence in just 30 days. When the going got tough, you got writing. Now you're one of the few souls who can look back on 2007 as the year you were brave enough to enter the world's largest writing contest, and disciplined enough to emerge a winner.

We salute your imagination and perseverance. The question we ask you now is this: If you were able to write a not-horrible novel in 30 days, what else can you do? The book you wrote this month is just the beginning.

From here on out, the sky's the limit.

a million thanks

2007-11-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

Free Rice

2007-11-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

About FreeRice

FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Who distributes the donated rice?

The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good. Wherever possible, the World Food Program buys food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. We encourage you to visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending hunger.

New York Times David Pogue video review

2007-11-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

From olpc.tv

laptop.org

What political humor?

2007-10-17T17:39:00.001-07:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Be sure to stop by JibJab and make your own (Republican or Democrat) zombies.

Mr. Deity is back on crackle.com

2007-10-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

Mr Deity is exclusively on crackle.com. Warning, not everyone will appreciate the humor. However, an open-mind is a terrible thing to waste.

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Intel - Ep 11

KT Tunstall's Hold On AOL Sessions video

2007-10-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

From street performer to worldwide star.

This is the latest song from KT Tunstall's album that has me entranced.

As with some of her other albums the production video for Hold On is excellent (IMHO).
The one above is NOT the actual video but rather one done for AOL Sessions.

Enjoy!

P.S. KT Tunstall website

Stand Up Speak Out Against Poverty

2007-10-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

October 16 + 17, 2007

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT is a worldwide call to take action against poverty and inequality and for the Millennium Development Goals. On October 16th and 17th, be a part of this growing movement of people who refuse to stay silent or seated in the face of poverty. Help us break the world record so we can break the record of broken promises.

Link over to Chris Brogan post

So, do you know NaNoWriMo ?

2007-10-02T03:20:00.000-07:00

Below is the official press release for 2007. Enjoy!

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH:

THE LARGEST WRITING CONTEST IN THE WORLD!

Oakland, Calif. --- www.NaNoWriMo.org --- October, 2007 --- There are some who say writing a novel takes awesome talent, strong language skills, academic training, and years of dedication.

Not true. All it really takes is a deadline – a very, very tight deadline – and a whole lot of coffee.

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month: a nonprofit literary crusade that encourages aspiring novelists all over the world to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. At midnight on Nov. 1, more than 100,000 writers from over 70 countries – poised over laptops and pads of paper, fingers itching and minds racing with plots and characters – will begin a furious adventure in fiction. By 11:59 PM on Nov. 30, thousands of them will be novelists.

NaNoWriMo is the largest writing contest in the world. In 2006, over 79,000 people took part in the free challenge. And while the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, sixteen NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including Sarah Gruen, author of New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants.

Around 18% of NaNoWriMo participants "win" every year by writing 50,000 words and validating their novels on the organization's website before midnight on Nov 30. Winner's receive no prizes, and no one at NaNoWriMo ever sees the manuscripts submitted.

So if not for fame or fortune, why do people do it?

"The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creative potential like nothing else," says NaNoWriMo Director (and eight-time NaNoWriMo winner) Chris Baty. "When you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both. Also, it's a great excuse for not doing any dishes for a month."

For the past eight years, Baty has sent out weekly pep talks to participants in November. This year, he's passing the pep talking torch to established authors, including mystery writer Sue Grafton, master storyteller Tom Robbins, and renowned fantasy writer Neil Gaiman.

If you would like more information about National Novel Writing Month, or would like to talk to participants from NaNoWriMo chapters in your area, please visit our website at www.NaNoWriMo.org, or contact press@nanowrimo.org.

Why Tuesday?

2007-09-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

I watched this video in amazement. Colonial Williamsburg has an "actor" playing Thomas Jefferson. He was interviewed as TJ in character.

Now I ask you why can't our president be this coherent!!!????

The video below is a longer version of the TJ interview as presented on Rocketboom.

Below is a shorter version mixed with Why Tuesday details.

Read more about Why Tuesday org.

For a little background on why the Federal Law makes Tuesday election day see the following non-authoritative sources:

Neatorama Why Tuesday

Wikipedia entry for Election Day

BellaOnline

And finally, here is some interesting reading on how the Constitution defines the election of a president and vice president. (The 12th Amendment to the Constitution). You can see how this was used in "the 1824 scenario" within the information about presidential elections

Just thought you might be interested, if you made it this far.

BTW, since you are still reading... do you know how many times the president was elected without having a majority of the votes? We remember the election of 2000, but did you know that similar ones occurred throughout our history? Take a look at the election results chart on the presidential elections reference noted above.

Enjoy!

A long time ago, in a galaxy.... no wait this is an ad for digital....

2007-09-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

A very long time ago I used to be a computer geek using DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) equipment. Later simply known as "digital", they had advertisements for all aspects of their company. You may recall seeing their ads on PBS. They were famous for sponsoring those shows.

But I digress...

I was recently reminded of one of their ads via a post on AdMBlog.

Take a look.

Along with many other companies from that time, digital on longer exists. Consumed by others, their ideas and products seem to have been tossed on the wind... there will once again come a new renaissance.

"Break A Leg" is it really a sitcom?

2007-08-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

There are tons of videos out and about. With all this harvest there is a lot of chaff. One site stands out as something different. This one is http://breakaleg.blip.tv/.

Good writing, good sound, good camera work and last but not least good personalities.

I am not sure why but what they have published over on blip.tv is quite engaging. Even the bloopers are fun and interesting to view, although at times they feel a bit long. Like that favorite bag of chips, I just can't "eat" just one.

If they get going with this sitcom, it should be one of the best.

Here is their description:

About the show:

www.breakaleg.tv

DAVID PENN just got his first sitcom, Groommates, picked up -- the problem is, he may not live long enough to see it succeed.

That's right, aside from the regular trials and tribulations that come with shooting a sitcom, David has one other problem -- he's going to die at the end of the season. How? That remains to be seen. Why? That's another important piece of information that David has yet to figure out. But as he narrates his story from beginning to end, one fact remains -- he will die, in the storage room, with a gun to his head and the sounds of a fake laugh track in his ears.

A show not only about show business, but relationships, fame, entertainment, and death -- BREAK A LEG is a mix of The Office and Arrested Development with a bit of murder thrown in, just for good measure.

P.S. I enjoy the eastern European flavor. Thanks David.

The Scary Guy

2007-08-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

I came across this "Scary Guy" in the Grasshoppers group. Until then, I was unaware of his existence. His goal is

Put only love on this planet. Eliminating Hate, Violence and Prejudice Worldwide.

Now that's a tall order.

For most people the first order of business is to get past his tattooed and pierced exterior. Once past... if that is possible, you find a man on a mission!

Give it a go, get past the exterior. Embrace the exterior. LISTEN!

Here is another video from the show "The Bell". Tells more about the "how and why" of the "scary guy".

The Scary Guy's Mission

Matt Danzico's Around America video blogging project

2007-08-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

This kind of project has sort of been done before, but this one is a bit different.

There is this guy who wants to travel around the United States for free, but he really does have a purpose.

Excerpt from his website says:

At its foundation, this is an experiment about human interaction and whether relationships formed on digital platforms can transcend into the physical world. The project, seeks to answers to three questions:

1. What level of trust can be carried from social networking and video sharing platforms to the physical world? Are digital relationships condemned to a life on the Internet?

2. Is a cultural flattening phenomenon occurring among America’s youth?. (i.e., Is Joe Brooklyn really that different from Michael Wyoming?) If so, has Web 2.0 contributed to it and how?

3. And, the basic question: will people give their time, money, and effort just to connect with a person they only know digitally? Meaning, are online users actually interested in meeting the individuals that contribute to the deluge of profiles and video clips that comprise Web 2.0 or is their interest founded in the safety of anonymity and geographic separation?

Be sure to check out his introduction video, either on his site or below.

Click To Play

Video request

Enjoy America!

Morgan Webb's new webbalert.com

2007-08-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

The ever so famous Morgan Webb (the good looking half of G4's X-Play Show) has her own semi-daily video blog... yes she really did say video blog.

It is another techno news oriented short report that actually caught items that others missed. This post will always have the latest episode, so feel free to stop back.

Better yet head over to webbalert.com and subscribe (using RSS or iTunes) and maybe even drop her some cash on her tip jar. Remember she still has a day job, but like the rest of us can always use a little extra spending money.

BTW, that's webb with two B's of course.

ysabellabrave on envy and jealousy

2007-08-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Below is a video created by ysabellabrave (mentioned her in a previous post regarding her singing).

The subject is Envy and Jealousy. The way she talks about it, really make sense to me.
So, I thought I would share it here.

Of course, her YouTube channel already has globs of viewers so the few people that actually watch my blog may already know about this. However, I just needed to post it.

I hope this also touches others.

P.S. This particular video is actually from her ysabellabravetalk channel

Viddler - yet another video upload site {YAVUS}

2007-07-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well does the world need YAVUS? Maybe! Viddler.com appears to be the same as all the other upload sites, but with a twist.

It allows you to upload videos via file or record a webcam (or attached digi-cam). Nothin' new here.

However, it does provide a few new twists. Specifically, it allows you or others to tag the video. What's new about that you say? Well the tags appear in the timeline of the playback as the video is viewed. Okay, that's new to me at least.

You can share the vid with friends.... not new? Perhaps the fact that they generate a secret URL that you can use to send to friends for viewing is. No longer is the vid published so everyone can see just because you want to share with one friend. Or you can email that special video to someone including the secret URL and they see it even if they are not a member of viddler, no login required. This feels different. Now soon everyone will being doing this, but for now viddler.com is a very nice way to share videos, easily.

Some other features that I think are interesting are:

ability to insert tags and comments in the video timeline
ability to set pic at any spot in video
ability to insert video response in the timeline

A secret video is included

I found it entertaining, it may actually be a bit useful as well. We share see.

Life and Music by Alan Watts

2007-07-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

This video says it is from the recordings of Alan Watts. Now I don't know if this is an advertisement or a piece taken from an actual audio of Alan's. I share this here because it is a point near to my heart.

In addition, I point you to Alan's site to learn more. There is also an Alan Watts' podcast.

Trivia: It was animated by the creators from South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

The Sunpilots - "Spotlight in the Sun" (MUSIC VIDEO)

2007-07-19T09:01:00.001-07:00

Must be something in the Australian water that keeps producing these musicians!

The Sunpilots site

Blogged with Flock

Flock - the new and improved version!

2007-07-19T08:15:00.001-07:00

The original Flock browser was released in 2005 (I believe). At that time it didn't grab much attention, well at least not my attention. The latest release is worth a new consideration.

This release has a number of features that provide easy access to social networking accounts and publishing blogs, etc. Check the supported services page.

If you have tried Flock in the past, please give it another try. You won't be disappointed.

BTW, I have found that Flock crashes less than Firefox in situations involving Quicktime plugins and other media displays.

http://www.flock.com/

Download Flock

What others are saying about Flock's newest release:

Blogged with Flock

11th Hour - Turn mankind's darkest hour into its finest

2007-07-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Description from the Apple site:

”The 11th Hour” is the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment — how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet and people.

View the Apple.com trailer

Excerpt from 11th Hour press kit:

Leonardo DiCaprio's “The 11th Hour” is a feature length documentary concerning the environmental crises caused by human actions and their impact on the planet. "The 11th Hour" documents the cumulative impact of these actions upon the planet's life systems and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity. With the help of over fifty of the world's most prominent thinkers and activists, including reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, “The 11thHour" documents the grave problems facing the planet's life systems. Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans' habitats are all addressed, and their causes rooted in human activity. The combination of these crises call into question the very future not of the planet, but of humanity.

However, the most powerful element of “The 11th Hour” is not a portrait of a planet in crisis, but the offering of hope and solutions. Scientists and environmental advocates such as David Orr and Gloria Flora (note: these names can be interchanged for any of the experts) paint a portrait for a radically new and exciting future in which humanity seeks not to dominate the earth's life systems, but to mimic them and coexist. “The 11th Hour" calls for a future now within our grasp that is both sustainable and healthier.

Additional links:
11th Hour - the film
11thHourAction.com
leonardodicaprio.com

Four Eyed Monsters: Entire Film extended through Aug. 15th

2007-06-20T06:12:00.001-07:00

Four Eyed Monsters film available until August 15 on YouTube.

Arin and Susan continue their quest of paying off debts and possibly making a new film.
Note their mention of spout.com and how you can help. Their site is foureyedmonsters.com

FEM is not for everyone. It is a refreshing look at people, documentary film making and the bizarre but close relationship that two people can have.

Enjoy!

sixdegrees.org - And your Bacon Number is?

2007-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Over the past several days I have found many new things.

First, I was on MySpace and quite happy until I talked with some folks about Facebook.
Well, I moved over to Facebook, because it felt more like a community rather than a popularity and advertisement fest.

On my Facebook, I found an app called iLike which lets you find new music along with finding people with similar musical tastes. iLike led me back over to my old GarageBand.com podcast account, where I found even more music and got my music quest running again.

On iLike I found someone named Josh who had a high "iLike compatibility index" with me. He has a web site which I popped over to and I found that he vacationed in Japan and ended up staying. This was something I had planned on doing on my way to Australia... all this was set aside by my time here in the Pacific NW.

Back on Josh's web site was a ""badge" for making donations to the "Make a Wish" Foundation. The badge had the sixdegrees.org link on it. I, of course, clicked on it because for the past week or so I have been entertaining myself with the six degrees of separation that is represented by the Kevin Bacon "game".

To my surprise, on sixdegrees.org, there is a video by Kevin Bacon talking about both the cause badging and the Bacon Number game. Yikes. Everyone is only six degrees away from everyone else.

Making a long story even longer... take a look at sixdegrees.org and see what's up.

AND if you really want to get crazy, take a look at the real "Bacon Number" (BN) calculator over at the University of Virginia called "The Oracle of Bacon at Virginia" it is truly incredible how many actors are within 2 BNs of Kevin. I tried even actors from India, Hong Kong and China, then I tried actors that are new and others that were dead and it simply did not matter...

Enjoy! And remember your Bacon Number after you stop over at sixdegrees.org!

By the way, by reading this post you are now only 1 away from me... like that matters.

i'm making a difference

2007-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit.

So any time you have an i’m™ conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about, including poverty, child protection, disease, environmental degradation and animal protection. It's simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. We'll handle the donation.

There's no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is.

P.S. The button above is where I am contributing. You can select from any of the following causes.

a picture's worth a thousand words! ???

2007-06-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Or perhaps a thousand points!

Now we all know that Google search works pretty darn well. They also seem to be getting into just about everything. But now, for the first time (well as far as I know), Google has combined the power of the populus with folksonomy and a gaming style metaphor.

Yes, that's right you too can play

Google Image Labeler

{fast paced marketing music plays here}

What the heck is the "game" Google Image Labeler? Here are the rules and how this action adventure gets going.

First head over to the "game board" at http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/

Next, select your nickname (you know the one you use in WOW or something)

Then carefully read the game rules...

You'll be randomly paired with a partner who's online and using the feature. Over a two-minute period, you and your partner will be shown the same set of images and asked to provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see. When your label matches your partner's label, you'll earn points depending on how specific your label is. You'll be shown more images until time runs out. After time expires, you can explore the images you've seen and the websites where those images were found. And we'll show you the points you've earned throughout the session.

For example, this image can be described by the labels: sky (50 points), bird (60 points), soaring (120 points), or frigate bird (150 points).

"Paired with a partner". This is not a fight to the death, but rather a cooperative guessing game to see if you and your partner come up with the same labels for the images on the screen. And there is a time limit. Gotta get through the maze before it fills with water and you drown. No, I must be thinking of another game.

Wait, is there scoring? Like any good online game of course there is scoring!

SO why the scoring? That's how you are ranked to see if you qualify to appear on the "leader board" for today's pairings OR could it possibly happen, that you could be one of the "all time contributors"? Oh, be still my heart!

Leave it to Google to take one of the more boring jobs in the world of cataloging the lookup words for something and make it into an interesting online competitive experience. What the heck is up with these guys? Don't they take anything seriously?

Oh yea, that making money thing seems to be working.

TTFN

Wanna Work Together? (creativecommons.org)

2007-04-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

For a quick intro to Creative Commons, check out this short video, entitled "Wanna Work Together?"

Project Hope International

2007-04-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Christina Arnold of Project Hope International talks about the root causes of human trafficking in Southeast Asia.

The original post is located at:Andy Carvin's Blog

Reference to Nicholas D. Kristof New York Times

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: projecthopeinternational, thailand, cambodia, trafficking, prostitution, videobloggingweek2007, 07ntc

Barbara Kingsolver - author, activist, mother, independent soul

2007-04-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

During one of my now reoccurring sleepless moments, I turned on our public TV channel. There was an author named Barbara Kingsolver talking about her life and writing. Now of course with a name like Kingsolver, I tarried for a moment and was instantly hooked.

She talked of Kentucky, Africa, Europe, and Arizona. All places she had lived for one reason or another. The more she spoke and read from her books, the more I was engrossed. She talked of how she would labor for 32 years only writing in the margins of her school books and notebooks. Writing technical papers, making money but not really finding her voice. She intentionally "lost" her accent and moved beyond Kentucky. Listening to her tell her story was intriguing. The more I listened the more I wanted to hear.

The show aired in our area at 2 AM on 4/9/2007. Created by KETV (I think), this was an older show.

If you have a chance check out her many works. They can of course be found at all the familiar book sellers and at www.kingsolver.com

I leave you with an excerpt from The Bean Trees

I have been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Hardbine's father over the top of the Standard Oil sign. I'm not lying. He got stuck up there. About nineteen people congregated during the time it took for Norman Strick to walk up to the Courthouse and blow the whistle for the volunteer fire department. They eventually did come with the ladder and haul him down, and he wasn't dead but lost his hearing and in many other ways was never the same afterward. They said he overfilled the tire.

Checkout the complete excerpt from The Bean Trees

Looks like I will need to expand the bookshelves just a little bit more.
Enjoy!

Mr. Deity, Mr. Deity. Paging Mr. Deity!

2007-03-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Now, I know many people are not too keen on religious humor, but really mr. deity isn't that... religious, it is definitely is funny!

Check this out via their web site or in iTunes.

Ever wonder why there is so much evil?
This and all your other questions are answered, "one day at a time".

I've fallen (into twittervision) and I can't get up!!!!

2007-03-18T11:48:00.001-07:00

Damn you Scoble!

Bet you can't eat just one!!!

This has to be the best time waster ever!!!!!!

Hi. My name is Rich and I'm a twitterholic!!!!

Want a twitter account?

Join for Free!

What the crap?

2007-03-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

You figure it out!

Mission 1

Mission 2

HitandRunArt.com

How many have always wanted to do this, BUT never had the time?

2007-03-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

For those who need to know what they can do with all that free time brought on by retirement....

More at eepybird.com

KEXP - Seattle, Washington

2007-02-27T21:06:00.001-08:00

So there I was just listening to the radio and not finding anything worth lingering on.

That is until I found KEXP 90.3 !!!!

For those of you not driving around Seattle, checkout the following:

KEXP MySpace

KEXP.org

KEXP Podcasts

Taylor Mali on what teachers make

2007-02-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

Taylor Mali performs "What Teachers Make," one of the most powerful, inspirational poems ever written, at a slam poetry competition. This poem may give you chills. It will definitely make you think. I guess he is always teaching...

Enjoy!

30 Seconds to Mars

2007-02-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I am way too old for this kind of music.
But I really loved the video!
Maybe I am not as old as the calendar indicates. Enjoy!

The source of this video can be found at 30 Seconds to Mars MySpace.

In addition, they have a web site.

(RED)

2007-02-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

(PRODUCT) RED (tm)

I was recently introduced to the concept of (RED). It is an interesting method of painlessly helping others. You can of course read more about the project at the blog location noted above.

However, in a nutshell the concept is -

when you buy things you need and they are (RED) labeled products, 50% of the "profit" goes to help others.

No matter who you are, you most likely "buy" things. So this means that literally everyone can help someone else.

Overall not a bad concept.

If you are a MySpace junkie, Product(RED) here!

Don't Download this Song - Al

2007-01-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

White and Nerdy

Excerpt from www.weirdal.com :

DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS SONG!

Well, actually, you can download this song... for free... here or here! And you can see the video for "Don't Download This Song" - directed by the great Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton - here, here, here, here, or here! (GNU/Linux users try here)

By the way, the video was recently nominated for an Annie award for Best Short Subject - congratulations, Bill!

“Humanity Lobotomy” Net Neutrality Open Source Documentary

2007-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Humanity Lobotomy

Save the Internet | Rock the Vote

2006 Year-End Google Zeitgeist

2006-12-28T03:25:00.001-08:00

Google Press Center: Zeitgeist

Once again Google tracks the pulse of the world's "geekdom".

Amateur Travel Podcast - new find, but its been around!

2006-12-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this Podcast, perhaps you will too.

The player shown above is dynamically updated, so whatever episodes exist, they should appear there. Just select an episode and click on the "play" button.

Cheers!

Feeds from Space has found a new home!

2006-12-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

Feeds from Space has received its very own home. All the old posts will be included there as well as the new ones.

FfS will no longer be posted here, but look to the right sidebar for the link to the latest FfS post.

Thanks for watching.

Art Face Off

2006-11-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Are you an artist?
Do you like art?
Have you seen art?
Have you heard of art?

If the answer to any of the above questions is YES, well then stop by

Art Face Off

As they put it in their "about us" -

Art Face Off is a new online home for the global art community. Everyday we have more and more people join our movement – possibly the most important movement in the art world of the information age – the development of a democratic world art community, flourishing and energized by the vigor of healthy competition.

Video Archive of mefeedia stuff

2006-11-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

Using the instructions published by Ryanne Hodson, you can create a video archive of your mefeedia stuff.
Also check out the video tutorial.

Video archive by Mefeedia

Short attention span? Try 60 Second Science!

2006-11-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

For the longest time I have believed that I have ADD (attention deficit disorder). I further suspect that the United States is just chocked full of other ADD folks. I mean come on, our ancestors and those coming today were and are just impatient with where they are and just gotta move...

Well, I digress... I came across this wonderful "sound bites" of science hosted at the Scientific American Magazine web site. Yep, "60 Second Science" is just the prescription for those of us who find reading an entire science magazine is just too much effort.

Sciam.com, as they call themselves in their URL, provides both an RSS feed and the ever popular iTunes feed OR you can simply listen straight from the site. Check out the latest articles page and pick your method.

I find the "just over 60 second" broadcasts are the perfect distraction for those boring corporate meetings, while being able to answer when asked about your iPod earbuds ... "oh I am just listening to the latest Scientific American's podcast". Now, doesn't that just sound so intellectually snobbish? AND, you get to listen to something new every minute or so... for an ADD embracer, this is heaven.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dance

2006-10-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Watch the video

video of what carved pumpkins do when you are not around.? short, no audio. feed from the surveillance camera.

2006-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Video the Vote 2006

What would happen if everyone had a video camera and we watched all those we suspected were watching us?

Here's a darn good reason to check at YouTube!

2006-10-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was browsing around YouTube for music and I came across this wonderfully honest, brave, talented person. She uses a nick name her father gave her ysabellabrave

I have subscribed to her postings and enjoy both the singing and the dialog she shares.

Give a listen and I don't think you will be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Feeds From Space - Plein Air Art Festival 2

2006-10-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of the volunteer effort performed by Arlene for her college work. It is the first year of the Lincoln City, Oregon Plein Air Art Festival. This is the second of two videos on the subject. It covers the participation of some of the entertainers and the artists. also watches over the shoulder of one of the artists (Tom Allen) who participated in the Artist Quick Draw.

Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Background music by Ken Chan of Ken Chan Music, Perth W Australia. He can be found on MySpace Music.

Feeds From Space - Plein Air Art Festival 1

2006-10-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of the volunteer effort performed by Arlene for her college work. It is the first year of the Lincoln City, Oregon Plein Air Art Festival. This is the first of two videos on the subject. It covers the setup of the booths and a short walk through as a spectator would see the artists.

Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Background music by Daren Woodall via& http://www.garageband.com/artist/dwoo

Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Are you a West Coast Podcaster?

2006-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Do you podcast?
Do you want to be part of the new media revolution?
Do you listen to and/or watch podcasts?

Are you still breathing?

Well then, you may be interested in the next PodCamp. Check out the PodCamp wiki

There is one planned for the West Coast, some time in November 2006.

Check out PodCamp West.(date TBD pending a venue).

Feeds From Space - Drama of a Change Agent

2006-09-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Slideshow and audio of the story written by Arlene Hand called "Drama of a Change Agent.

Drama of a Change Agent, Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films

"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films
Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Drama photos by Arlene Hand

Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Amazing Photo of the Moon

2006-09-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

This image is a mosaic of 15 separate and slightly overlapping 8.2 megapixel images from a Canon EOS-20D (unmodified), taken in Raw mode and converted and stitched together in Photoshop CS2. Stunning!

read more | digg story

Feeds from Space - Light Dance

2006-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

click here to download

This is a short video by the newest member of Handmade Enterprise's Video Department.
Jen shot this with her Samsung Digimax 350 digital camera in video recording mode.

Video of the Light Dance, Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films

"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films
Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Feeds from Space - baby and bubbles

2006-08-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of the baby and bubbles

"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films
Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Background music by D?o Ravera-Scott via http://www.garageband.com/artist/Duo_ravera_scott
Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Feeds from Space - the Artist at Play

2006-08-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of the artist at play
Video taken using an Olymous SP310 in video mode.
"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films
Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Background music by D?o Ravera-Scott via http://www.garageband.com/artist/Duo_ravera_scott
Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Feeds from Space - a Sunday off

2006-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of a Sunday off, just painting Thank You cards.
Video taken using an Olymous SP310 in video mode.

Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films
Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Background music by Dúo Ravera-Scott via http://www.garageband.com/artist/Duo_ravera_scott
Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Next step, Feeds from Space becomes two instead of just one.

2006-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today is July 8th, 2006. As part of moving to the next step, "Feeds from Space" is now a 50-50 proposition. As the Richard Show has its new editor, Feeds from Space has a new source of inspiration.

Today, I present a modified version of the "Blessings of the Apaches" that I read to my best friend today.

"Now we will feel no rain, for each of us will be shelter for the other.

Now we will feel no cold, for each of us will be warmth to the other.

Now there will be no loneliness, for each of us will be companion to the other.

Now we are two persons, but there is only one life before us.

May beauty surround us both in the journey ahead and through all the years, may happiness be our companion and our days together be good and long upon this earth.

We will treat ourselves and each other with respect, and remind ourselves often of what brought us together.

We will give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that our connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear assail our relationship – as they threaten all relationships at one time or another – we will remember to focus on what is right between us, not only the part which seems wrong.

In this way, we can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in our lives – remembering that even if we lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.

And if each of us takes responsibility for the quality of our life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight."

Over these past years, I have known a friend like none I have ever known. Today, my best friend became my partner for life. She has brought to my life a love I have never known. Hopefully, I can return this love with enough care and tenderness to demonstrate how much she means to me.

Thank you for being Arlene. I love you.

Documenting everyday life in video. Why?

2006-07-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Is it narcissistic to make a video and publish it on the Internet?
Why do we capture every day happenings and share them?
Do we like to see ourselves?
Is it for family, friends, neighbors?
Is it controversial, political, or propaganda?

Funny, silly, serious, emotional, down right boring!
Short, long, blurry, silent, overwhelming!

No matter the reasons, the quality, or purpose, each video shows something about life. Yep, everyday life.

What if?

What if everyone in the world had access to the Internet?
What if everyone in the world could make a video and show what it is like for them each day?
What if everyone in the world could see what other people are like everywhere else?

Would they see enemies?
Would they see friends?
Would they be shocked?
Would they be bored?
Would they be touched?

Yep, and probably dozens of other emotions and experiences.

I hold the thought that if the people of the world saw the daily struggles, happiness and emotions of everyone else, they might understand more about each other.

Each person has needs - survival, family, love, safety, music, art, and a feeling of belonging.

We aren't that different. Maybe if we saw that fact, everyday, we would understand. If just the "everyday" happenings, challenges and joys were shared, perhaps it would be a little more difficult to hurt and to hate one another.

Okay, I admit that a hundred different versions of the Numa-Numa dance may not bring about world peace, but it sure enough isn't causing anyone to go to war! This little ditty has been performed in oh so many places around the world. Could it be that we all have the same stupid sense of humor? Ah, common ground!

If a video makes you feel something, happy, sad, angry, frustrated, sympathy or love, what a way to communicate. If it calls to action or discloses truth or exposes, should not this capability be shared with all.

Well, I got a bit off track. All I am saying is no matter what your motivation is for making and sharing a video with the world, you are documenting something of life. The sharing may mean that someone else understands more about you. Who knows where that could lead.

For now, I will continue to make my feeble attempts at making videos that someone may watch some day. My hope is that everyone can do the same. Perhaps then we will all be a little closer.

With a wink and a smile, enjoy!

Feeds from Space - The Prequel

2006-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of finding your vlog voice. The prequel to the vlog.
"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films

Theme music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Background music by Daren Woodall via http://www.garageband.com/artist/dwoo

Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Addictive Flash Game Makes You Smarter Without You Knowing

2006-06-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

The object of this game is to plot paths from each color block to the matching color block with color paths. They get really tricky after level 11.

read more | digg story

What Frequencies can 'you' hear?

2006-06-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

This was of interest to me because of a recent article about kids in school setting their cell phone ring tones to high frequencies so only they could hear their phones ring.

The older "teacher" ears could not hear the ring tones. Sound unbelievable? Test your hearing with different frequencies of the same noise at the same volume.

This was an impressive demonstration and has really cool practical value for being sneaky...

Enjoy!

read more | digg story

Amazing Optical Illusion of a B&W photo that colors a picture in your brain

2006-06-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

Stare at the X on the black and white picture for 30 seconds, move the mouse cursor and the picture appears to be in full color, then fades to black and white again as your eyes adjust! Amazing!

read more | digg story

Feeds from Space - Uptown Glass Harvest Gala

2006-06-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Video of the glass experts creating the "Harvest Gala" artworks and of course our attendance. We actually got the opportunity to create two ornaments. This was the first time we had made anything using blown glass method. Wonderful dinner, good entertainment (live band), great people and quite an interesting experience. I would recommend this to anyone. If you are so inclined, contact Uptown Glass Works

Uptown Glass Works
230 Main Avenue South, Renton, WA 98055
(425) 228-1849

"Feeds from Space" by Handmade Enterprises films

Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK

Images via NRAO VLA collection addition attributions provided via
http://wwwmain.cv.nrao.edu/imagegallery/

Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

Feeds from Space - Evergreen Aviation Museum

2006-06-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

click here to download

This video was shot during the summer of 2005. It covers a side trip to the McMinnville, Oregon Evergreen Aviation Museum.
This is where the Spruce Goose is housed along with a variety of other flight related items. In particular the B-17 was the highlight for me.

Details:
Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films - Evergreen Aviation Museum
Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Images via NRAO VLA collection additional attributions provided via VLA images page 1 and page 2
Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

Enjoy!

Feeds from Space - Rain

2006-06-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Once again, this video was made with the Olympus SP-310 digital camera in movie mode.
This short video captures a few seconds of a heavy rain in the Seattle area.

Details:
Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films - Rain
Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Images via NRAO VLA collection additional attributions provided via VLA images page 1 and page 2
Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

Enjoy!

Feeds from Space - new format test

2006-05-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Quite some time back, I said that I wanted to get more videos posted and thus start vlogging. Well, it looks like I am getting started, finally.
This short video is just a test of the new video layout for "Feeds from Space" (see previous posts 2005-05-15 one and two )

Details:
This is a test for the new format of Feeds from Space by Handmade Enterprises films
Real content to be included soon!
Music by BeatFreak via http://www.garageband.com/artist/BeAtFrEaK
Images via NRAO VLA collection additional attributions provided via VLA images page 1 and page 2
Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

Enjoy!

What's Important Project Interview - Arlene 2006-05

2006-05-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

click here to download

As I have mentioned in past postings, there is a effort by Ken Chan from Perth, Western Australia to document the opinions and important factors in peoples' lives around the world. It is called the What's Important Project (WIP). Not much has happened in the recent months, but Ken is trying to get more videos and assemble them into a library of shorts that may be of interest to others.

To that end I have joined the ranks in trying to capture some of this footage.
I don't have the video skills that Ken delivers, but what the heck, everyone is vlogging so how hard could it be.

Besides the challenge of finding enough time to perform the video shoots, the editing and finally getting it uploaded somewhere, there exists the uphill battle of getting people on camera. You would think that everyone would love to get their face, their opinions and their voice plastered all over the Internet. Surprise, it just isn't so. Hopefully, now that Arlene has shown that it isn't embarassing nor lame to say what you believe, perhaps it will be an easier task to get even more wonderful thoughts on what's important from many more interesting people.

Enjoy!

What's Important Project - www.whatsimportant.tv

Information: Seattle, WA USA 2006-05

Interviewer: Rich Hand

Comment: Arlene's interview was the first in the series from Rich Hand.

How to create an Awesome Logo

2006-05-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Learn how to create really good logos with an in depth step by step "how-to" in adobe photoshop, with the guidance of a really well regarded designer.

read more | digg story

How to create a speech in less than 10 mins?

2006-05-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Most of us don't really have the luxury of creating speeches weeks in advance. And even if we do, we tend to leave it till the very last minute. I'm definitely guilty of that. This entry talks about how you can create a speech in less than 10 mins that is equally effective and to-the-point (without all the fluff!)

read more | digg story

Sights and sounds of the Seattle Arboretum

2006-05-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Quick video snippet of the Seattle Arboretum.

BTW, I just wanted to say that this video and the previous Japanese Garden one in another post were made using the movie option on an Olympus SP-310 digital camera.

Just happened to have it with me and surprise they came out quite good for a 640 by 480 15 fps digital camera capture. This surprised me because I have a wonderful 3 CCD Panasonic DV camcorder and have yet to do regular posts to my videoblog. So to get started, I plan on carrying Olympus camera everywhere (not able to carry the camcorder all the time) and capture whatever...

Who knew? Okay, probably everyone but me...

Enjoy!

Japanese Garden - Koi Magic

2006-05-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

click here to download

On a wonderfully warm Sunday in May, we went to the Washington Parks Arboretum. The day was filled with flower sights and smells, birds flitting and chirping and of course dozens of folks enjoying the day as we were.

However, part of the day was spent at the Japanese Garden which turned out to be one of the best days in a very long time. This very short video demostrates the "magic" of the day.

Enjoy!

Videoblogging, is everyone doing it? No, why not?

2006-05-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

The question above is actually a bit rhetorical, since thousands of folks are in fact videoblogging. Everything from the musings of a teenager in her room talking to the world as if they all knew her (or even cared) to the daily posts of dozens of news-like knock-offs.

Please don't get me wrong, I am addicted to listening to all the podcasts I can get my hands on. Also note, that in previous posts I have rambled on about freevlog.org and on and on...

All that said, there are two things that if everyone knew about them, thousands more would be videoblogging away.

First, there is an application which I may have mentioned previously, but bears mentioning once more. It is called VLOG IT by Serious Magic
. Of course, you don't absolutely have to have VLOG IT. You can do everything manually and probably get as good results... well maybe. It kind of depends on your techno factor. Some times it happens that techno and artist aren't compatible or even a desire on the artist's part. If this is the case, take a gander at VLOG IT.
You will still need some sort of video input device, but hey, why are you reading this if you're not serious about it.

As mentioned above, freevlog.org is a great source for information. Well, they went one better. Michael Verdi and Ryanne Hodson wrote the book "Secrets of Videoblogging". It is pretty basic, but crammed full of great information and an insight or two for those wishing to get started. This would make a great resource for a video blogging course... wait, I bet it is ...

The book covers everything from finding videoblogs to listen to... to what software, hardware and camera you can get. It also covers some of the lesser thought about issues like getting permission to film places and people (with a great hint about using the video to record permissions). And many subjects in between like - videoblogger collaboration; video compression; finding your story and attracting an audience; adding free music to the video and of course how to setup RSS feeds to spread your story. Don't have a techno fit, Michael and Ryanne make it all understandable and you don't need to work for NASA to figure out a single bit of the book. Really!

Well, that's about does it for now. I think these two tools will finally be the push I need to get off my lazy arse and start producing real vid's instead of just "talking" about it.

Enjoy!