They're calling it Chasergate now? - A conspiracy theory

A whole bunch has been said about The Chaser and "that sketch".

The show has been put on hiatus for two weeks, the show's creators have publicly apologised and a number of high ranking positions at the ABC are looking increasingly shaky. The Prime Minister even weighed in when he should have been discussing Fitzgibbon.

Without wishing to belittle the issue or fail to take the whole thing seriously, let's wander into the realm of "conspiracy" for a moment (tongues planted firmly in our cheek). Please note this is entirely speculative, and more than a little fanciful. I don't know the Chaser team and have no personal insight into what may or may not have occurred.

The Chaser came back on air Wednesday 27th, with rave reviews over its ratings, if not its content. Then Spicks and Specks beat it the following night.

So the next week comes along, with the previous week's ratings winner up against a little known sports juggernaut known as the State of Origin. Without doubt, even with the two program's viewer bases being pretty well separated, there was always going to be a huge drop in ratings. So the Chaser boys figured they needed a water cooler moment and they needed it now. Hence, the sketch that launched countless complaints, became banned from view on the ABC, but became well and truly available via YouTube (as evidenced above).

If there's one thing the Chaser lads have shown they're good at it's understanding emerging media and making use of platforms other than TV to augment their shows. With a likely ratings drop ahead, and a possible international syndication deal, what better way to keep all eyes on them than with a skit that pushes the boundaries just a little too far, something everyone would be talking about the next day?

The reaction was obviously huge, and possibly a little more than anticipated, but you have to admit it would definitely be considered virally successful.

I floated this idea around the office and found it met with not a small amount of derision and dismissal. "Conspiracy theorist!" they joked. "Next you'll be saying they're secretly working with Elvis." Yeah, fair cop I figured. I mean, the whole incident was enough to push the Chaser team to unreservedly apologise to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and for the ABC to pull the Chaser off-air for a fortnight, returning the 24th of June. Despite what can only be described as creating an air of anticipation to see what they come up with upon their return, it seemed like the kind of response you couldn't, or wouldn't, script regardless of the publicity.

Then I started thinking, "hang on, isn't there some other event on the 24th?"

Of course! State of Origin 2.

[See also "Mumbrella: Why the Chasergate furore is bout the future of the ABC"]

How does Chk-Chk-Boom change News Video online?

Let's talk Clare.

By now anyone invloved with the media in Australia should be aware of Clare “chk chk BOOM” Werbeloff and the Nine News raw video that shot her meme to super Internet stardom. Here it is for those who missed it.



Classy.

I've been following the whole thing for a while now, when a colleague alerted me to the video as "best vox-pop ever". Since then we've seen claims of conspiracy, a publicity stunt, a hoax , the birth of a Facebook Fan page, even merchandise highlighting Clare's inane comments.

Jen Dudley outlined her concerns in her blog (a little tongue-in-cheek I suspect) that it seemed we just couldn't trust what we saw on YouTube anymore, that every meme needed to be viewed through a far more cynical filter looking for the hoax angle.

Now, I love a good meme as much as anyone and I love watching how these things grow and mature. I also love how the internet provides the tools for a meme to not only thrive, but also allow the means for it to be fact-checked and verified almost as easily. But let's step away from the viral nature of this video, or the absurd celebrity status of Ms Werbeloff, and instead believe that this clip was a purposefully created news story, shot and edited by one of this nation's more credible news resources. If so, it highlights some serious shortcomings in the way broadcasters can make news video available online.

The thing that bothered me from the start was the quality of the vox pops. Quite apart from the less than eloquent Clare and her fanciful retelling of the events, the entire story is related to us through the drunken rantings of apparent onlookers who want to make sure we realise that, whatever actually happened, there was "no need for it, eh" and that the gun was "awesome"! We do get a 10 second slab at the end of the clip showing police grappling someone on the road, as if to prove the validity of everything we've just been subjected to for the last minute and a half.

But where's the police statement? Where's the legitimate witness? Where's the obligatory police officer standing there spouting cop language to verify what happened? ("This evening at approximately 2am a male person of middle eastern appearance was allegedly shot by a second male person...) It beggars belief that a news organisation with the history and reputation of Channel 9 could have dropped the ball so badly on this one.

TV News is, by nature, pretty formulaic and any camera operator with some experience will know they're shooting for the nightly news. That means meeting certain expectations on what content is required to create a standard TV news story. To believe there was no official and credible evidence available to verify the story is a little concerning (What's more concerning is the notion this clip may have been made more "internet friendly" by removing its news credibility and turning it into entertainment instead).

Now, TV newsrooms have lived for years using an overnight skeleton crew of single operator camera guys and girls, either staff or stringers, just shooting footage of events while the rest of us sleep. They know there's plenty of time to get the facts together before the footage is finally seen by the public in an update or bulletin the next day. And that workflow is still valid in the environment we have in Australia where broadcast newsrooms are still cautious about "scooping" themselves, letting the footage out before the big money maker at 5/6/7pm. But if you're going to engage with the net enough to warrant a specific "9 Raw" watermark you have to think some thought has been put into this venture. If so, should we see newsrooms putting journalists on graveyard shifts to add editorial verification before this sort of content is put online? Or, and here's a crazy idea, should camera operators and editors be properly trained in editorial guidelines, just the same as journalists, so they can make informed editorial decisions on the run rather than expect they'll pick it up as they go? Camera operators are already having to ask questions in press conferences where a newsroom is unable to get a journo out in time, so why not train them properly?

Of course (stepping down from my high horse and getting back into my cynical suit), despite Occam's Razor it's difficult not to believe the whole thing was specifically created by someone to be what it is; tasteless, vulgar, and as entertaining as a car crash.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Edit - NineMSN's blog response to the hoax rumours]

CCi Digital Futures Report: The Internet in Australia

Confirming the stuff we kind of already knew.

On the Internet and Media consumption;

For users the internet is now their most important source of information. Just under seven in ten users described the internet as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ compared to a third for television and less than a half for newspapers or radio.

Internet users spend less time watching television, listening to radio and reading newspapers than nonusers.

Television watching is the media-related activity most affected by internet use. Four in ten users say they watch less television since access while less than a quarter feel they read newspapers or books less.

Around six in ten users would visit an online news service if either a large international or large local story was breaking. Overall, internet users rate the internet as reliable an information source as newspapers and more reliable than television.

However, on the Internet as entertainment;

The internet is an increasingly important source of entertainment, however it is yet to really challenge television or even radio for most users. The proportion of users who describe the internet as a very important source of entertainment is just slightly less than the proportion for television which points to the potential of the internet in this realm. We would expect that as broadband improves in both speed and coverage that entertainment uses will become increasingly important.

An interesting read to get a snapshot of the state of the Internet nation.

CCi Digital Futures Report: The Internet in Australia

Networks plot online video assault | SMH

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."

Networks plot online video assault | SMH

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.

Wormtooth Nation Episode 1 from Wormtooth Nation on Vimeo.

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.

The Sky is Free - Wormtooth Nation

Websites win right to show Games clips | Australian IT

O.K., here's the main reason I decided to resurrect this blog.

Websites win right to show Games clips | Australian IT

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...

NBC teaming with MSN for NBCOlympics.com | Lost Remote

...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.

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.

GetUp! Campaign Actions

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 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.

kaourantin.net: What just happened to video on the web?

You go away for a few weeks and crazy things happen.

BOOGIE NIGHTS STAR WARS EDITION

Via ReelPop.

All kinds of wrong, yet oh so right.

YouTube - BOOGIE NIGHTS- STAR WARS EDITION

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.

_______________________________

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).

Links what to finish the week with!

My new favourite web series.

Superficial Friends | Heavy.com

On Forbes.com, Rupert Murdoch weighs into the modern media debate.

"Traditional companies are feeling threatened. I say, bring on the changes."

Mixed Media - Forbes.com

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!"

The Long Tail: The Awesome Power of Spare Cycles

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."

Second Life Sketches: Shipwrecked And Abandoned

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."

How to Write for the Web - Lost Remote TV Blog

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."

Build a niche video site and take back online video - Lost Remote TV Blog

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."

The disconnect between consumers and major media - Lost Remote TV Blog

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."

SMEast 2007: Your action items - Lost Remote TV Blog

Second journalism assignment due Saturday. Hope to have it up by the end of the weekend.

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.

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.

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.

Marshall Kirkpatrick » 10 Things You Can Do With Mixed Media RSS

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...

CODEHUNTERS.TV

...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.

What a week!

I'm not even gong to touch the practical upshot of the Virginia Shootings. Enough people doing that already.

Instead, the video player announcements at NAB!

Streamingmedia.com: NAB 2007: Major Announcements from Microsoft and Adobe Shake Up the World of Online Video

Streamingmedia.com: Microsoft Unveils Silverlight To Deliver Rich-Media Experiences

Streamingmedia.com: Adobe Unveils Next-Generation Internet Video Solution

Media Player - Adobe Labs

Microsoft Unveils Silverlight to Power the Next Generation of Media Experiences on the Web: Leading media companies and solution providers announce support for new solution for video and interactivity on Mac- and Windows-based Web browsers.

(Wow! That's an overblown hyperlink!!)

Microsoft, Adobe Set A Collision Course on Web - WSJ.com

On to the RTNDA address at NAB, starring a host of online luminaries. Comments and video follow.

Broadcasters urged to step up online - Lost Remote TV Blog

RTNDA Opening Session « Rosenblumtv

Video: Media 2.0 opening session from RTNDA@NAB - Lost Remote TV Blog

From Steve Bryant at Reel Pop, the question of our time - do we still need a laugh track?

Reel Pop: Hacking the laugh track

And to finish off the week, a story that I found quite pressing on my view of the world.

what is everyone whispering about - yoinked from aberrantvirtue

"When President Bush ordered troops to Iraq, he probably never imagined that he would be ultimately be responsible for what very well could be the very first D&D convention/game day ever held in a war zone. Ziggurat Con, being held June 9 from 1200 to 2100 hours at Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase, is open to all allied military personnel and civilian contractors in Iraq."

I always felt that one of the things D&D/RPG players were undergoing when they played was a sense of wish fulfillment, i.e. a chance to imagine themselves in dangerous and exotic locations performing feats of daring do for noble causes.

What the hell do a bunch of soldiers in Iraq fighting in the War on Terror need any more of that for? A rethink is in order.

(BTW, try and tear your eyes away from that damned LJ avatar on the top right of the page. Where you been all our lives, boy? Who woulda thunk of it?)

MSNBC explains Iraq using Flash!

A great Flash presentation that combines video and interactivity to explain the background to what's going on in Iraq right now. A perfect vehicle to give context to a place that we only get a minute a night about on the evening news.

This is what internet video content should be.

Fighting for Iraq: A regional powerplay - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

Only problem I can think of is that you can't embed the player elsewhere. It's locked into the MSNBC site which does, I think, limit its effectiveness. Other than that, absolutely sterling work.