Hulu and iView in the one sentence?
"The fledgling News Corp-NBC Universal online hub for television shows and movies, Hulu.com, is meeting Australian broadcasters this week to discuss an all-broadcaster video portal underwritten by in-program advertising, a move which could stymie talks about ABC's new iView technology being used for a similar venture."
I'm not sure I would have seen iView in that role, but obviously someone did.
I have to admit, the idea of Hulu basically taking over the role of TV's internet portal leaves me slightly disturbed. I keep thinking it smacks of laziness on the part of Australia's broadcasters.
That said, ABC head of TV, Kim Dalton, gets it spot on when he says "The approach we have taken is we want our content on whatever platform is available and people are accessing. We want to be there."
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Sky is Infinite...
I didn't break radio silence for a lot of things over the last few months.
I didn't mention my four days at GenCon Oz, which was just incredibly awesome, and I didn't stop and mention the ABC's launch of iView (although I probably should have - check it out).
But I am stopping to say something about this.
One of the problems with working flat out through the day and being responsible for an 11 month old at night is that you don't have time to really stay up to date with what's happening in the world of online video productions. That's why I was happy to find mention of a thread on Warren Ellis' Whitechapel discussion board relating to a student film production called Wormtooth Nation.
Written as a feature and released as a web series, Wormtooth Nation is (loosely) based on the Bard's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Set in a Steampunk world in an underground city, the inhabitants live their lives from one sleep cycle to the next, never caring much about anything beyond maintaining the city for their "boss", Baron O'Brien. The only things that really break up the monotony of existence are listening to the dulcet tones of their beloved lady Tania on the city's wireless system, and the fear that they might inhale the "Wormy gas", a substance that wipes a person's memory clean.
However, vague, collective recollections of a world outside the city, "the Surface", are sowing the seeds of a revolution, sparked by the mysterious scramblings of an unknown resident known only as the "Grafitti Artist".
The story follows the experience of three people who have lost their memories, slowly unravelling their own pasts and learning the secrets of the city and the history of its inhabitants.
I sat and watch the whole thing yesterday, episode after episode, for 90 minutes. I can see holes and issues with the production and scripting, but the fact is I've spent the whole night thinking about it, revelling in it, which is the first time I've been so engrossed in a TV or film since Serenity, another slightly flawed production that I love to pieces. And I have to say I see a lot of Whedon in Wormtooth Nation, right from the opening titles.
The producers have released the entire series as a feature, both at a cinema release and as a DVD, something I'd like to see to get a handle on how it worked being converted from a series of ten minute episodes to a seamless 90.
At the very least, go to the site and watch it from start to end. Then read the discussion thread about the notion of the "Eternal Now" and how we seem to be seeing it more and more in popular fiction.
I didn't mention my four days at GenCon Oz, which was just incredibly awesome, and I didn't stop and mention the ABC's launch of iView (although I probably should have - check it out).
But I am stopping to say something about this.
One of the problems with working flat out through the day and being responsible for an 11 month old at night is that you don't have time to really stay up to date with what's happening in the world of online video productions. That's why I was happy to find mention of a thread on Warren Ellis' Whitechapel discussion board relating to a student film production called Wormtooth Nation.
Written as a feature and released as a web series, Wormtooth Nation is (loosely) based on the Bard's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Set in a Steampunk world in an underground city, the inhabitants live their lives from one sleep cycle to the next, never caring much about anything beyond maintaining the city for their "boss", Baron O'Brien. The only things that really break up the monotony of existence are listening to the dulcet tones of their beloved lady Tania on the city's wireless system, and the fear that they might inhale the "Wormy gas", a substance that wipes a person's memory clean.
However, vague, collective recollections of a world outside the city, "the Surface", are sowing the seeds of a revolution, sparked by the mysterious scramblings of an unknown resident known only as the "Grafitti Artist".
The story follows the experience of three people who have lost their memories, slowly unravelling their own pasts and learning the secrets of the city and the history of its inhabitants.
I sat and watch the whole thing yesterday, episode after episode, for 90 minutes. I can see holes and issues with the production and scripting, but the fact is I've spent the whole night thinking about it, revelling in it, which is the first time I've been so engrossed in a TV or film since Serenity, another slightly flawed production that I love to pieces. And I have to say I see a lot of Whedon in Wormtooth Nation, right from the opening titles.
The producers have released the entire series as a feature, both at a cinema release and as a DVD, something I'd like to see to get a handle on how it worked being converted from a series of ten minute episodes to a seamless 90.
At the very least, go to the site and watch it from start to end. Then read the discussion thread about the notion of the "Eternal Now" and how we seem to be seeing it more and more in popular fiction.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Someone stole my idea, Gahdammit!!
Via C|Net
Handipoints
The Web site lets parents set a list of tasks for their children--like washing the dishes or filling the dog's bowl--and kids can rack up points for completing the list.
Sounds suspiciously like my DoLE project of a few years ago.
It actually sounds like a great project. Nice to see it put into action, particularly given that all the people I explained my idea to basically dismissed it as "Feh, good luck getting kids to do anything!"
I think the "cash [points] in for digital gear in the site's virtual world, or for tangible goods with a few dollars from mom and dad," may be the big selling point here.
*Sigh* I guess I was just a few years ahead of my time.
:-)
Best of luck to the guys running it. And if they'd like to leave a thanks, or even a job offer, comments are open!
;-P
Of Interest: My Grad Dip assignments links
The Web site lets parents set a list of tasks for their children--like washing the dishes or filling the dog's bowl--and kids can rack up points for completing the list.
Sounds suspiciously like my DoLE project of a few years ago.
It actually sounds like a great project. Nice to see it put into action, particularly given that all the people I explained my idea to basically dismissed it as "Feh, good luck getting kids to do anything!"
I think the "cash [points] in for digital gear in the site's virtual world, or for tangible goods with a few dollars from mom and dad," may be the big selling point here.
*Sigh* I guess I was just a few years ahead of my time.
:-)
Best of luck to the guys running it. And if they'd like to leave a thanks, or even a job offer, comments are open!
;-P
Of Interest: My Grad Dip assignments links
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Websites win right to show Games clips | Australian IT
O.K., here's the main reason I decided to resurrect this blog.
INTERNET sites in Australia will be allowed to show short video clips of Olympic events for the first time during the Beijing Games, following a historic agreement announced yesterday between the Seven Network and the International Olympic Committee.
Basically it's Channel 7's attempt to put some kind of control on a situation that they know they really can't stop anyway. We've seen before that media organisations are going to find ways around a blanket ban, so best to be seen to be allowing some leeway and then applying a parental spanking when they catch the major players inevitably sneaking in past curfew.
Under the agreement, which has been a long time in the making, non-official sites will be allowed to show three minutes of Olympic events a day.
But they will have to "geoblock" their websites so they cannot be seen by internet users outside Australia.
So it's basically the old TV 3x3 agreement (1 minute blocks of footage, no less than 3 hours apart, maximum of 3 times a day) moulded into the web age. I have to say, it's nice to be given at least a little something to work with. During Athens we jumped through hoops trying to give an up-to-date Olympics video news service without showing a single frame of Olympics footage.
Here's where I think there's going to be problems.
Geoblocking any content is hardly 100%, and to be perfectly honest I can see a number of players making only perfunctory attempts at blocking the content from the rest of the world. Even if it does work, separating Olympics video content from the rest of the website is just going to be a bitch. Doable, but a bitch.
But that won't make any difference, because the restrictions only apply (here comes the punchline) to "bona fide news organisations".
Yeah. Right. Because the rest of the population isn't going to record the stuff off-air and stick it all over YouTube. There's likely to be so much of this stuff it's unlikely YouTube will be able to get rid of all of it, no matter how loudly the lawyers of the IOC knock on Google's doors. Then there's all the other video service providers that are going to be having to do exactly the same thing. By the time there's any sort of meaningful response the cauldron will been extinguished, the athletes will have gone home and the doves will have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Beijing'tos pollution.
In the end I can see this Olympics, the first Summer Games of the YouTube era, causing a few rights holders and host broadcasters to examine whether they're really getting value for money in these deals with the IOC. It's been said for years that TV's great strength in the internet era will be live events, broadcast in real time to a mass audience. The Olympics are made for this and in my estimation are worth every cent live. Where there's going to need to be real soul searching is whether there's any value left in a phantom exclusivity after the event.
Let's see how it goes.
[Edit]While we're on the subject...
INTERNET sites in Australia will be allowed to show short video clips of Olympic events for the first time during the Beijing Games, following a historic agreement announced yesterday between the Seven Network and the International Olympic Committee.
Basically it's Channel 7's attempt to put some kind of control on a situation that they know they really can't stop anyway. We've seen before that media organisations are going to find ways around a blanket ban, so best to be seen to be allowing some leeway and then applying a parental spanking when they catch the major players inevitably sneaking in past curfew.
Under the agreement, which has been a long time in the making, non-official sites will be allowed to show three minutes of Olympic events a day.
But they will have to "geoblock" their websites so they cannot be seen by internet users outside Australia.
So it's basically the old TV 3x3 agreement (1 minute blocks of footage, no less than 3 hours apart, maximum of 3 times a day) moulded into the web age. I have to say, it's nice to be given at least a little something to work with. During Athens we jumped through hoops trying to give an up-to-date Olympics video news service without showing a single frame of Olympics footage.
Here's where I think there's going to be problems.
Geoblocking any content is hardly 100%, and to be perfectly honest I can see a number of players making only perfunctory attempts at blocking the content from the rest of the world. Even if it does work, separating Olympics video content from the rest of the website is just going to be a bitch. Doable, but a bitch.
But that won't make any difference, because the restrictions only apply (here comes the punchline) to "bona fide news organisations".
Yeah. Right. Because the rest of the population isn't going to record the stuff off-air and stick it all over YouTube. There's likely to be so much of this stuff it's unlikely YouTube will be able to get rid of all of it, no matter how loudly the lawyers of the IOC knock on Google's doors. Then there's all the other video service providers that are going to be having to do exactly the same thing. By the time there's any sort of meaningful response the cauldron will been extinguished, the athletes will have gone home and the doves will have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Beijing'tos pollution.
In the end I can see this Olympics, the first Summer Games of the YouTube era, causing a few rights holders and host broadcasters to examine whether they're really getting value for money in these deals with the IOC. It's been said for years that TV's great strength in the internet era will be live events, broadcast in real time to a mass audience. The Olympics are made for this and in my estimation are worth every cent live. Where there's going to need to be real soul searching is whether there's any value left in a phantom exclusivity after the event.
Let's see how it goes.
[Edit]While we're on the subject...
...And we're back!
Greetings gentle reader!
Much has happened since my sign off late September last year.
The Broadband unit concluded its move to Sydney to become the "CNC" unit and has since received media coverage following the MD's announcement of a 24 hour continuous news service.
I moved from being an Adobe Community Expert for Premiere Pro to the newly created Video on the Web.
I'm enjoying my new role in the News Online development area looking at allowing quick and painless rich media creation for an institution that spans a continent.
After doing everything I possibly could to avoid the collectible card game fad that started over a decade ago, I have discovered Shadowfist and have become an avid player and collector. It has definitely changed my view on gaming.
My little boy is fast approaching 8 months old and fills me with joy every day.
Life is good.
:-)
There won't be a huge number of posts, but I should get back to using this blog for the reason it was originally designed for; a poor man's del.icio.us where I can spout on about what I find interesting on teh Intuhweb.
Much has happened since my sign off late September last year.
The Broadband unit concluded its move to Sydney to become the "CNC" unit and has since received media coverage following the MD's announcement of a 24 hour continuous news service.
I moved from being an Adobe Community Expert for Premiere Pro to the newly created Video on the Web.
I'm enjoying my new role in the News Online development area looking at allowing quick and painless rich media creation for an institution that spans a continent.
After doing everything I possibly could to avoid the collectible card game fad that started over a decade ago, I have discovered Shadowfist and have become an avid player and collector. It has definitely changed my view on gaming.
My little boy is fast approaching 8 months old and fills me with joy every day.
Life is good.
:-)
There won't be a huge number of posts, but I should get back to using this blog for the reason it was originally designed for; a poor man's del.icio.us where I can spout on about what I find interesting on teh Intuhweb.
Friday, September 28, 2007
One Final Thing Before I Go...
The new GetUp! viral ad parodying the government's climate change campaign. It's being pushed to hit $250K to get it on the teev for the AFL GF this Saturday.
While I understand that television is where the people are, especially during a grand final (it's always been understood that TV's greatest strength in an on-demand media world is live sport), I'm a little disappointed that more emphasis isn't being placed in its online presence. I suppose that the main audience this ad is targeted at are traditionally television watchers, so it makes sense.
At least they've listened to previous advice and made the video player able to be embedded.
While I understand that television is where the people are, especially during a grand final (it's always been understood that TV's greatest strength in an on-demand media world is live sport), I'm a little disappointed that more emphasis isn't being placed in its online presence. I suppose that the main audience this ad is targeted at are traditionally television watchers, so it makes sense.
At least they've listened to previous advice and made the video player able to be embedded.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
This blog is on hiaitus
Between fatherhood and ongoing work changes there's just no time to give this blog the updating it needs. For the time being consider this a deadzone. I may resurrect it in the future, but until then feel free to check the archives.
No one visits anyway so I doubt there's going to be much of a furore, a whimper, even a peep.
Pax.
No one visits anyway so I doubt there's going to be much of a furore, a whimper, even a peep.
Pax.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The rundown on the newest Flash player
Tinic Uro from Adobe runs through some of the new features of the newly released Flash Player Beta.
Let's put together some thought up scenarios I would imagine are important:
You go away for a few weeks and crazy things happen.
Let's put together some thought up scenarios I would imagine are important:
- You created a pod cast for iTunes and happily distribute over this channel. Now you want to add value to it and easily make it accessible over the web without special plug-ins, reaching an audience which does not have QuickTime installed. Well, this new feature will allow you to do this. You can take your existing podcast in .m4a format and present it on any web page through the Flash Player. Add more value by adding interactivity and branding if you want to. The possibilities are endless.
- Your media company has made or is about to make a significant investment into web video or video archiving. You are wondering what format you should choose. Video for Flash reaches everyone now, but the format is not an 'industry standard' so you have the fear that content you will create will become obsolete and unsupported at some point. Flash Player 9 Update 3 comes to the rescue: MPEG-4 is an extremely well documented ISO standard and completely vendor independent. And by using the Flash Player now you get instant gratification for viewers.
- You want to get best the possible quality out of your video and do not want to be tied to a particular encoding solution. You also like open source software to do all of the work you need to do to encode video. A combination of libfaad, x264 and MP4Box which are all licensed under the GPL will do exactly that, albeit with little usability and requiring lots of expertise. But it will now play just fine through the most distributed run time in the world, the Adobe Flash Player.
You go away for a few weeks and crazy things happen.
Friday, August 10, 2007
It's a Boy!
It's a boy!
Alexander Ronald King, born 9lb at 20:30, 09 August. Mother, son and father all doing well.
[Pics deleted - It's a weird paternal instinct I get when I realise people are googling these pictures.]
Alexander Ronald King, born 9lb at 20:30, 09 August. Mother, son and father all doing well.
[Pics deleted - It's a weird paternal instinct I get when I realise people are googling these pictures.]
Friday, July 13, 2007
Mission Stencil Story
I had intended to break radio silence with a long post on all the shit's that's been happening over the last few weeks, but I had to link to this for later reference.
The mission stencil story is an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure story that takes place on the sidewalks of the Mission district in San Francisco. It is told in a new medium of storytelling that uses spraypainted stencils connected to each other by arrows. The streetscape is used as sort of an illustration to accompany each piece of text.
The mission stencil story is an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure story that takes place on the sidewalks of the Mission district in San Francisco. It is told in a new medium of storytelling that uses spraypainted stencils connected to each other by arrows. The streetscape is used as sort of an illustration to accompany each piece of text.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Burst Culture | warrenellis.com
I hate jumping on this stuff so long after everyone else, but it's a post worth pointing to.
"I’d like you to ignore, for a while, anything that smacks of Web 3.0, or even Web 2.0, or any of the other dumb ideas that distract from production of actual content on the web. Instead, consider these simple things:
* The hurdle to credible publishing on the web, now, is the nine dollars it costs to buy a domain name from GoDaddy, which can be mapped on to a free Tumblr or Blogger space...
* Bursts aren’t contentless, nor do they denote the end of Attention Span. If attention span was dead, JK Rowling wouldn’t be selling paperbacks thick enough to choke a pig, and Neal Stephenson wouldn’t be making a living off books the size of the first bedsit I lived in."
"I’d like you to ignore, for a while, anything that smacks of Web 3.0, or even Web 2.0, or any of the other dumb ideas that distract from production of actual content on the web. Instead, consider these simple things:
* The hurdle to credible publishing on the web, now, is the nine dollars it costs to buy a domain name from GoDaddy, which can be mapped on to a free Tumblr or Blogger space...
* Bursts aren’t contentless, nor do they denote the end of Attention Span. If attention span was dead, JK Rowling wouldn’t be selling paperbacks thick enough to choke a pig, and Neal Stephenson wouldn’t be making a living off books the size of the first bedsit I lived in."
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Own Story 2 - Expert warns users to beware Vista upgrade
Here it is. My second story for Newswriting, this time as a video/TV item. There's nothing amazing or innovative in all this. It's just a standard TV style which is definitely one I'm used to.
Thanks to Harry for putting up with me shooting video of his computer in his bedroom, Ray Shaw for taking time to guide an inexperienced student through the interview when most people aren't even interested to talk if it's not going to be published and mother-in-law Kay for letting me know about the story in the first place.
Expert warns users to beware Vista upgrade
Computer users have been warned to think twice before upgrading to Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista.
While the computer giant has been working hard to convince users to make the switch, one expert says there’s no major benefit in doing so.
Intro: Computer users have been warned to think twice before upgrading to Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista.
While the computer giant has been working hard to convince users to make the switch, one expert says there’s no major benefit in doing so.
Voice: Harry Vogler was happy when told his recently purchased Media Centre computer was eligible for a free upgrade to the newly released Vista operating system.
However his happiness turned to frustration when what should have been a simple operation caused his computer system to stop working.
The unexpected fault left Mr Vogler with no way to recover his computer’s contents.
Harry Vogler: I didn’t back it up like I should have. It’s half my own fault. I should have backed up but I didn’t expect there to be such a catastrophic failure and in the process I lost pretty much everything.
Voice: Mr Vogler’s experience doesn’t come as a surprise to Brisbane IT expert Ray Shaw who found similar problems during his own Vista upgrade testing. He says XP Media Centre was never designed as a premium product.
Ray Shaw: To get Media Centre in Vista you have to buy the Home Premium version, and it works pretty well. But try and put that on a system that ran XP Media Centre and it won’t work. I don’t know why.
Voice: He agrees with Microsoft’s claims that Vista has better and more relevant Internet security than XP, but says most users shouldn’t upgrade operating systems during the life of their PC.
Ray Shaw: It’s the old story. It it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Voice: Microsoft wouldn’t comment on Ray Shaw’s findings but said it was genuinely pleased with sales of the operating system which had sold 20 million copies worldwide in its first month.
The company has made several online tools available on its website for those considering an upgrade.
Even with this assistance Harry Vogler has some advice for those considering making the switch.
Harry Vogler: Back up everything and do a clean install. It’s the only way you’ll get everything working properly.
Voice: The first major Vista update, Service Pack 1, is expected to be released at the end of this year.
Additional resources
Microsoft Press Release - Windows Vista Debuts with Strong Global Sales
Microsoft Australia - Windows Vista Home Page
Microsoft Australia - Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
Extended Interview with Ray Shaw (MP3 - Dur: 11:50)
Ray Shaw's Home Page
Comments, as always, are welcome (but not expected).
Thanks to Harry for putting up with me shooting video of his computer in his bedroom, Ray Shaw for taking time to guide an inexperienced student through the interview when most people aren't even interested to talk if it's not going to be published and mother-in-law Kay for letting me know about the story in the first place.
____________________________________
Expert warns users to beware Vista upgrade
Computer users have been warned to think twice before upgrading to Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista.
While the computer giant has been working hard to convince users to make the switch, one expert says there’s no major benefit in doing so.
_______________________________
Transcript
Intro: Computer users have been warned to think twice before upgrading to Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista.
While the computer giant has been working hard to convince users to make the switch, one expert says there’s no major benefit in doing so.
Voice: Harry Vogler was happy when told his recently purchased Media Centre computer was eligible for a free upgrade to the newly released Vista operating system.
However his happiness turned to frustration when what should have been a simple operation caused his computer system to stop working.
The unexpected fault left Mr Vogler with no way to recover his computer’s contents.
Harry Vogler: I didn’t back it up like I should have. It’s half my own fault. I should have backed up but I didn’t expect there to be such a catastrophic failure and in the process I lost pretty much everything.
Voice: Mr Vogler’s experience doesn’t come as a surprise to Brisbane IT expert Ray Shaw who found similar problems during his own Vista upgrade testing. He says XP Media Centre was never designed as a premium product.
Ray Shaw: To get Media Centre in Vista you have to buy the Home Premium version, and it works pretty well. But try and put that on a system that ran XP Media Centre and it won’t work. I don’t know why.
Voice: He agrees with Microsoft’s claims that Vista has better and more relevant Internet security than XP, but says most users shouldn’t upgrade operating systems during the life of their PC.
Ray Shaw: It’s the old story. It it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Voice: Microsoft wouldn’t comment on Ray Shaw’s findings but said it was genuinely pleased with sales of the operating system which had sold 20 million copies worldwide in its first month.
The company has made several online tools available on its website for those considering an upgrade.
Even with this assistance Harry Vogler has some advice for those considering making the switch.
Harry Vogler: Back up everything and do a clean install. It’s the only way you’ll get everything working properly.
Voice: The first major Vista update, Service Pack 1, is expected to be released at the end of this year.
__________________________________
Additional resources
Microsoft Press Release - Windows Vista Debuts with Strong Global Sales
Microsoft Australia - Windows Vista Home Page
Microsoft Australia - Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
Extended Interview with Ray Shaw (MP3 - Dur: 11:50)
Ray Shaw's Home Page
____________________________
Comments, as always, are welcome (but not expected).
Friday, May 18, 2007
Links what to finish the week with!
My new favourite web series.
On Forbes.com, Rupert Murdoch weighs into the modern media debate.
"Traditional companies are feeling threatened. I say, bring on the changes."
Chris Anderson with an interesting thought.
"Web 2.0 is such a phenomena because we're underused elsewhere. Bored at work, bored at home. We've got spare cycles and they're finally finding an outlet. Tap that and you've tapped an energy source that rivals anything in human history. Solitaire Players of the World Unite!"
Warren Ellis with a haunting piece on the deserted sections of Second Life.
"The wind whistles through the brick canyons of Welles City. You strain to pick up more sounds, but there’s nothing. Ten-storey buildings with no one in them. An empty church. Apartment blocks, one after the other, with no sign of life. It reminds you of 1980s documentaries about the neutron bomb, that would kill all organic life but leave all the buildings standing. Streets with no people.
"Lots of people have had lots to say about the recent hype surrounding Second Life, but very few have addressed the basic experience of the world — that you’re incredibly alone there. You can spend eighty percent of your time walking through immense, labyrinthine castles that no one lives in. Visit a seemingly endless string of shops with no customers."
And finally a bunch of articles from the ever thought-provoking Lost Remote.
How to Write for the Web
"FOR YEARS web producers have handled the tedious process of converting TV scripts for the web. But today the demand for more timely and comprehensive online coverage has led many newsrooms to assign TV staff to write for the web. Even with the growing popularity of online video, written stories still attract the vast majority of traffic."
Build a niche video site and take back online video
“You would think the one place video could win online would be in video.” I usually don’t quote myself, but it’s a line I use in my talks and I wanted to repurpose it here. And why not? There is a way to use your archives to start making money online. So far the TV stations have ignored it. And that’s one reason why the local TV stations have lost vast amounts of money, both real and in opportunity. There’s one more chance, and once again it requires one simple act: let video be video."
The disconnect between consumers and major media
"John Jurgensen, Digital entertainment reporter, Wall Street Journal: It’s important to note that “yesterday’s consumer” is still with us. That puts people like Jim (Sexton, SVP Interactive Brands, Scripps Networks) in a pretty tough position. People are gravitating to a sense of ownership to sites and services because they got there early or found a niche. If they feel they own it they put time into it, they write reviews – it’s a real passion for some people. Any way you can tap into that aspect of ownership by recognizing those people by rewarding or honoring those people – that’s important."
SMEast 2007: Your action items
"I loved the example from Mariana Danilovic, the VP of Business Development at MediaZone. She talked about how MediaZone helped take the traditional Wimbledon coverage and turn it into a multichannel event. How do you “long tail” Wimbledon? “We’re (putting) professionally-produced media onto broadband media that wasn’t available before,” said Danilovic. “We’re putting up the world feed of Wimbledon – nine simultaneous video feeds, longform video highlights, archival footage, (and) player interviews – lots of new ways to get information you don’t get on television.” Locals probably aren’t covering the Wimbledons of the world, but they do cover local events - marathons and such - and they use a ton of resources for the TV product. Putting a few of those resources into multicasting would do worlds of good."
Second journalism assignment due Saturday. Hope to have it up by the end of the weekend.
On Forbes.com, Rupert Murdoch weighs into the modern media debate.
"Traditional companies are feeling threatened. I say, bring on the changes."
Chris Anderson with an interesting thought.
"Web 2.0 is such a phenomena because we're underused elsewhere. Bored at work, bored at home. We've got spare cycles and they're finally finding an outlet. Tap that and you've tapped an energy source that rivals anything in human history. Solitaire Players of the World Unite!"
Warren Ellis with a haunting piece on the deserted sections of Second Life.
"The wind whistles through the brick canyons of Welles City. You strain to pick up more sounds, but there’s nothing. Ten-storey buildings with no one in them. An empty church. Apartment blocks, one after the other, with no sign of life. It reminds you of 1980s documentaries about the neutron bomb, that would kill all organic life but leave all the buildings standing. Streets with no people.
"Lots of people have had lots to say about the recent hype surrounding Second Life, but very few have addressed the basic experience of the world — that you’re incredibly alone there. You can spend eighty percent of your time walking through immense, labyrinthine castles that no one lives in. Visit a seemingly endless string of shops with no customers."
And finally a bunch of articles from the ever thought-provoking Lost Remote.
How to Write for the Web
"FOR YEARS web producers have handled the tedious process of converting TV scripts for the web. But today the demand for more timely and comprehensive online coverage has led many newsrooms to assign TV staff to write for the web. Even with the growing popularity of online video, written stories still attract the vast majority of traffic."
Build a niche video site and take back online video
“You would think the one place video could win online would be in video.” I usually don’t quote myself, but it’s a line I use in my talks and I wanted to repurpose it here. And why not? There is a way to use your archives to start making money online. So far the TV stations have ignored it. And that’s one reason why the local TV stations have lost vast amounts of money, both real and in opportunity. There’s one more chance, and once again it requires one simple act: let video be video."
The disconnect between consumers and major media
"John Jurgensen, Digital entertainment reporter, Wall Street Journal: It’s important to note that “yesterday’s consumer” is still with us. That puts people like Jim (Sexton, SVP Interactive Brands, Scripps Networks) in a pretty tough position. People are gravitating to a sense of ownership to sites and services because they got there early or found a niche. If they feel they own it they put time into it, they write reviews – it’s a real passion for some people. Any way you can tap into that aspect of ownership by recognizing those people by rewarding or honoring those people – that’s important."
SMEast 2007: Your action items
"I loved the example from Mariana Danilovic, the VP of Business Development at MediaZone. She talked about how MediaZone helped take the traditional Wimbledon coverage and turn it into a multichannel event. How do you “long tail” Wimbledon? “We’re (putting) professionally-produced media onto broadband media that wasn’t available before,” said Danilovic. “We’re putting up the world feed of Wimbledon – nine simultaneous video feeds, longform video highlights, archival footage, (and) player interviews – lots of new ways to get information you don’t get on television.” Locals probably aren’t covering the Wimbledons of the world, but they do cover local events - marathons and such - and they use a ton of resources for the TV product. Putting a few of those resources into multicasting would do worlds of good."
Second journalism assignment due Saturday. Hope to have it up by the end of the weekend.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Two thought provoking articles
First up, let's step back to David Foster Wallace and his comments on television.
"TV is not vulgar and prurient and dumb because the people who compose the audience are vulgar and dumb. Television is the way it is simply because people tend to be extremely similar in their vulgar and prurient and dumb interests and wildly different in their refined and aesthetic and noble interests."
With this in mind, it's interesting then to see where people go when they are unleashed from the restraints of mass broadcast.
"Of the top 10 podcasts, 7 are from public radio, PBS, CNN, or in one case - an instructional podcast in learning Spanish. And in the audiobooks section, you don’t find the kind of entertainment Hollywood thinks we want. 14 of the top 15 audiobooks are non-fiction. People want to hear about Einstein. They want to hear from the Dalai Lama and George Tenet. They’re interested in the teachings of Abraham and in Stephen Colbert."
Maybe there's hope for us all yet.
Second, in light of the Virginia Tech massacre how do we define a journalist? The camera-phone footage shot by student Jamal Albarghouti has been designated journalism, and there's even been comments that Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter, should be considered a journalist for creating his own content to be sent on to NBC.
But surely such activity is less that of journalist and more that of a documentary maker. Or, in Cho's case, a Public Relations officer creating a press release package. I think it does both journalists and those who just happen to be in the right place at the right time to capture an event a great disservice to lump everyone under the same title.
I am constantly the first to spring to the defence of untrained journalists and those who look to perform the act of journalism outside the sphere of a reconised media outlet, but I can't resolve a role as observer or documenter with the analysis and contextualisation required for what I define as journalism.
"TV is not vulgar and prurient and dumb because the people who compose the audience are vulgar and dumb. Television is the way it is simply because people tend to be extremely similar in their vulgar and prurient and dumb interests and wildly different in their refined and aesthetic and noble interests."
With this in mind, it's interesting then to see where people go when they are unleashed from the restraints of mass broadcast.
"Of the top 10 podcasts, 7 are from public radio, PBS, CNN, or in one case - an instructional podcast in learning Spanish. And in the audiobooks section, you don’t find the kind of entertainment Hollywood thinks we want. 14 of the top 15 audiobooks are non-fiction. People want to hear about Einstein. They want to hear from the Dalai Lama and George Tenet. They’re interested in the teachings of Abraham and in Stephen Colbert."
Maybe there's hope for us all yet.
Second, in light of the Virginia Tech massacre how do we define a journalist? The camera-phone footage shot by student Jamal Albarghouti has been designated journalism, and there's even been comments that Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter, should be considered a journalist for creating his own content to be sent on to NBC.
But surely such activity is less that of journalist and more that of a documentary maker. Or, in Cho's case, a Public Relations officer creating a press release package. I think it does both journalists and those who just happen to be in the right place at the right time to capture an event a great disservice to lump everyone under the same title.
I am constantly the first to spring to the defence of untrained journalists and those who look to perform the act of journalism outside the sphere of a reconised media outlet, but I can't resolve a role as observer or documenter with the analysis and contextualisation required for what I define as journalism.
"Jamal, a Palestinian, says it was his exposure to professional journalism while living in the West Bank, that gave him the courage to record the terrifying events of April 16th 2007. It’s interesting that he has such pragmatic view of his role while others hold him up as the future model of TV News."
"i’m not a journalist, i just did this. i was there and i took the video. Traditional media was important, seeing how professionals worked allowed me to do what i did. i would’ve never thought of doing that at Virginia Tech."
-Jamal Albarghouti
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Oz in 30 seconds - The GetUp.org UGC Political Ad
With an election coming up it kind of makes sense to take our current love of all things UGC and work it for a good cause.
"This is a chance to show us your Australia by making a 30 second political ad, which we will air on national prime time television during the lead up to the federal election."
Nice idea. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.
"This is a chance to show us your Australia by making a 30 second political ad, which we will air on national prime time television during the lead up to the federal election."
Nice idea. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.
GetUp | Oz in 30 seconds
[Edit] Just noticed something I'm finding a little incongruous with the supposed (God, I hate myself for saying this) "2.0" vibe of the project. If you're going to put a Flash video promo on the front page of your site, at least make it embeddable so it can be shared around. Hmm, dropped the ball.
My First News Story
What follows is my first story researched and written for my Newswriting subject. It's not perfect, but it's mine.
And as my tutor mentions, it's my intellectual property, so I can do whatever I want with it. Including posting it here.
As a side issue, I should note that the local Councillor, Catherine Bermingham, is a pretty good person. I didn't intend for her comments to make the alternative view to this story, however apparently it's the Transport Minister's policy not to speak to university students. Unfortunately I wasn't told this in time to get an alternate view, and I didn't feel it was ethical to play the ABC card which means her comments had to play that role. A pity, but it doesn't make the underlying story any less valid as far as I'm concerned.
And as my tutor mentions, it's my intellectual property, so I can do whatever I want with it. Including posting it here.
______________________________________________
Busway compensation deal not so sweet.
Paula Cleg, owner of the Party and Confectionary Shop at the Coorparoo Mall, is concerned that as a result of a downturn in trade some businesses in the area may not survive that long.
“It’s completely like a ghost town now,” said Ms Kleg. “There’s just no one coming into the area.
The centre’s major tenant, Harvey Norman, left the site several months ago.
Ms Kleg is currently working six days a week at the Coorparoo business, and spends Sundays selling confectionary at local markets to supplement income from the shop.
The State Transport Minister’s office refused to comment, however Councillor for the East Brisbane Ward Catherine Bermingham believes the project will be a great benefit to the local area.
“Some of the local residents were concerned at first and now they see the benefits of it,” said Councillor Bermingham.
“They now see there’s an opportunity for a mixed use site which means their property will be worth more money.
“We’ve only really had maybe a half a dozen negatives about the bus tunnel.”
Paula Kleg welcomes the future benefits to the local community however she wants the state and local governments to realise the dilemma currently facing business owners.
“I think the government needs to come in here and have a look and have a bit of care for the shops that are here right now,” she said.
The
__________________________________________
Associated Links
Proposed Coorparoo Junction Station Concept Plan
Coorparoo Junction Before & After Artist's Impression
___________________________________________
As a side issue, I should note that the local Councillor, Catherine Bermingham, is a pretty good person. I didn't intend for her comments to make the alternative view to this story, however apparently it's the Transport Minister's policy not to speak to university students. Unfortunately I wasn't told this in time to get an alternate view, and I didn't feel it was ethical to play the ABC card which means her comments had to play that role. A pity, but it doesn't make the underlying story any less valid as far as I'm concerned.
Friday, April 27, 2007
10 Things You Can Do With Mixed Media RSS | Marshall Kirkpatrick
Let's just step past the rather inane definition of "Media RSS";
My definition of a mixed media RSS feed is this: it's a feed created for the delivery of video, photos, audio files and other media items all together by RSS.
and consider the implications;
Today, we're the only company that provides a way for you publish a channel of mixed media content (video, photos, audio and more) that's subscribable by RSS and can be displayed in an embeddable player.
There's some great possibilities that we're looking at here.
My definition of a mixed media RSS feed is this: it's a feed created for the delivery of video, photos, audio files and other media items all together by RSS.
and consider the implications;
Today, we're the only company that provides a way for you publish a channel of mixed media content (video, photos, audio and more) that's subscribable by RSS and can be displayed in an embeddable player.
There's some great possibilities that we're looking at here.
Codehunters
Via Steve Bryant's Reel Pop, who lays down the background of the story and production.
"The story: Vigilantes in a failed Pacific Rim state search for the indestructible but hidden remains of Krai, a superbeing who can manipulate DNA and, hopefully, return order to the ruined port city of Lhek."
Worth watching on the official site with better res and bit rate...
...but for now here's the YouTube version.
Just a beautiful piece of animation. I'm looking forward to the possibility of a heap more in the future from this franchise.
"The story: Vigilantes in a failed Pacific Rim state search for the indestructible but hidden remains of Krai, a superbeing who can manipulate DNA and, hopefully, return order to the ruined port city of Lhek."
Worth watching on the official site with better res and bit rate...
...but for now here's the YouTube version.
Just a beautiful piece of animation. I'm looking forward to the possibility of a heap more in the future from this franchise.
When things just fall in your lap.
A great topic to put to the Federal Opposition Leader should he drop by for the Newswriting Press conference assignment in a couple of weeks time. Isn't it great when this sort of stuff, which is right up your alley, just pops up at the right time?
Via Joshua Gans' excellent Core Economics blog.
A great piece of investigative journalism by the Canberra Times' Peter Martin. On his blog no less.
"The Labor Party's boast that its national broadband network will expand the Australian economy by as much as $30 billion a year is based on an obscure and dated report that fails to substantiate the claim.
"The Department of Communications cited the Accenture study in its Broadband Blueprint prepared launched last year by its Minister Helen Coonan. The department, too, had been unable to locate a copy until late last week when, after repeated requests from The Canberra Times, it found one on a disc in a box that contained the records of its 2003 Broadband Advisory Group inquiry."
Sometimes I love the fact that the country is being run by people who are no smarter than I am. At other times it scares the shit out of me.
And the follow up piece in today's SMH where opposition communications spokeman Senator Conroy responds.
"Senator Conroy yesterday insisted the economic benefits remained 'in the billions of dollars'. He defended Labor's use of the $30 billion figure by pointing out the Government had used it first. 'The accuracy of this number has been good enough for the Government to frequently cite the number itself, most recently in its much hyped broadband blueprint,' he said.
"But she said it first!"
"I'm gonna tell mum on you."
Via Joshua Gans' excellent Core Economics blog.
A great piece of investigative journalism by the Canberra Times' Peter Martin. On his blog no less.
"The Labor Party's boast that its national broadband network will expand the Australian economy by as much as $30 billion a year is based on an obscure and dated report that fails to substantiate the claim.
"The Department of Communications cited the Accenture study in its Broadband Blueprint prepared launched last year by its Minister Helen Coonan. The department, too, had been unable to locate a copy until late last week when, after repeated requests from The Canberra Times, it found one on a disc in a box that contained the records of its 2003 Broadband Advisory Group inquiry."
Sometimes I love the fact that the country is being run by people who are no smarter than I am. At other times it scares the shit out of me.
And the follow up piece in today's SMH where opposition communications spokeman Senator Conroy responds.
"Senator Conroy yesterday insisted the economic benefits remained 'in the billions of dollars'. He defended Labor's use of the $30 billion figure by pointing out the Government had used it first. 'The accuracy of this number has been good enough for the Government to frequently cite the number itself, most recently in its much hyped broadband blueprint,' he said.
The Minister for Communications, Helen Coonan, quoted the figure in a speech last August, but yesterday she said of Labor's broadband plan: 'Australians deserve better than a hastily cobbled together piece of flawed economics which delivers nothing more than an empty promise.'"
Scary. Both sides acting like children.
"He said it was worth lots of money and he was wrong.""But she said it first!"
"I'm gonna tell mum on you."
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