I have to admit to being less than diligent with my blog postings of late. This has mainly to do with my ever increasing workload (with more responsibility to come in the next few months) and my ongoing moderator position with Adobe at their User Forums. I have to say, with Premiere Pro 2 out it's just amazing how many posts that place runs through every day.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Sydney for the A.B.C. Cross Platform Production Conference at the Ultimo studios. A fascinating mix of international guests talking about what they've been doing and the problems and solutions they've found in this area, followed by the heads of the ABC departments telling us what they've been up to and where they think the Corp is headed in the future. If nothing else, I get to take a look around the new ABC studios. I spent a few months working at the old Gore Hill studios back in 2000, but I've heard wonderful things about the new facility. I'm really looking forward to it. To top it all off, Tuesday marks 1 year since we launched ABC2, so much festivity is to be had that night. I keep thinking I should take a video camera, but I doubt I'd get mine through the door. I do intend to take notes, and pictures, so hopefully I should have some thoughts on that once I get back. If nothing else I'm thinking I'd have been better served with a smaller camera than the XL1-S I currently own.
One last thing. Monday marks the launch of the new half-hour version of Australia Wide. The producer's come up with an interesting mix, and we'll see how it all comes together with her in Sydney and us in Brisbane. If you can watch ABC2, give it a whirl at 5pm and 8:30pm and let me know what you think.
Until then, bat on.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Flash Video FAQ
Figure it out yourself! L.A. video firm Roguish has gone to the trouble of allowing you to compare, side by side, different Flash codecs and encoders using a variety of different video content, from text over colour gradients, to water, to fire, to black & white 16mm. With the new Flash 8 codec becoming more and more of an option for internet video delivery it's a very handy little tool to have access to. Kudos to Roguish for putting that sort of information out there.
Australian Story Online - episode 2
The second of our Australian Story Online specials went up last night.
For three decades Peter Dawkins was the man Australian singers relied on to turn their music into chart-topping, record-breaking hits.
Then, at just 42 years of age, he walked into a doctor’s surgery complaining of various odd symptoms. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Last year, an extraordinary medical procedure that held hope of a better quality of life was offered to Dawkins, but there was a catch – it would cost $35k and Peter Dawkins 'simply didn’t have the money' after being unable to work for so long.
It was at that point the industry that he had done so much for returned the favour in a most unexpected way…Friday, February 24, 2006
Podcasting is IPTV's Killer App | DV.com
Franks Capria makes a pretty good point in this article from DV.com.
I agree that the iPod is a mediocre portable video device. The screen is too small and scratches too easily. I stand too far away from it on the treadmill at the gym. The battery life is too short, lacking the juice for a New York-to-Los Angeles flight. The click wheel, which is an awesome music controller, isn't nearly as intuitive as a video controller. But none of that really matters because I don't think of my iPod as a portable video device. It's an IPTV set-top box.
It's an interesting discussion, running through the current problems facing IPTV and Podcasting, how to create a Podcast and where the money is.
I agree that the iPod is a mediocre portable video device. The screen is too small and scratches too easily. I stand too far away from it on the treadmill at the gym. The battery life is too short, lacking the juice for a New York-to-Los Angeles flight. The click wheel, which is an awesome music controller, isn't nearly as intuitive as a video controller. But none of that really matters because I don't think of my iPod as a portable video device. It's an IPTV set-top box.
It's an interesting discussion, running through the current problems facing IPTV and Podcasting, how to create a Podcast and where the money is.
DV.com - Podcasting is IPTV's Killer App
As always, DV.com requires registration, but it's worth it.
As always, DV.com requires registration, but it's worth it.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Australian Story Online - A week (almost) on.
So I drop in on Martin yesterday to get the lowdown on what I'm sure will be the waves of adulation from all involved given our victory on Monday night.
Nothin'.
He makes a very good point.
"Last night we posted a full version of one of this country's top programs on the internet simultaneously to it being broadcast, and not a peep from anyone."
Comments were then made that if this had been a commercial channel the trade rags would have been buzzing with the news. But that's the joy of working for the national broadcaster.
Nothin'.
He makes a very good point.
"Last night we posted a full version of one of this country's top programs on the internet simultaneously to it being broadcast, and not a peep from anyone."
Comments were then made that if this had been a commercial channel the trade rags would have been buzzing with the news. But that's the joy of working for the national broadcaster.
TV catches the Net video bug | Tech News on ZDNet
After years of the internet being used to show TV programs, it looks like TV is going to start showing content created for the internet.
Because they need something to get the peoples back.
Because they need something to get the peoples back.
Ellis vs Whedon - count the nerdgasms
So anyway, last year Warren Ellis starts posting pictures (Ex. 1, Ex. 2, Ex .3, Ex. 4) taken by his loyal (and devout) readers from the San Diego Comic Book Convention. Some of the images were truly horrifying in a "cross-the-road-to-escape-even-looking-at-you-,-you-FREAK!!!" kind of way, but a lot of fun. So it comes as no surprise that Ellis posted the fact that the site for this year's Con had gone online.
Of course, that's when the fun began.
In response to Warren Ellis' statement that
"there are one hundred thousand hungry people out there who need to attend San Diego Comics Convention in order to walk right past all that comics shit and go straight to sniffing Brandon Routh’s cricketbox, sending bits of themselves to the cast of SERENITY and masturbating ferociously in the men’s stalls while wearing V FOR VENDETTA masks and discounted Hulk Hands."
the page got a response from one Joss Whedon, who was obviously sitting around his office trying to avoid writing the sequel to Serenity.
And thus it began.
"Who is this Ellis guy anyway? He thinks he all that cuz he wroted “Planety”. The facts is, KomiKon is AWESOME becuz people dress up like stuff — but nobody dresses like Warner Ellis, I guess, mister sour grapes. I talked to Sumner Glou and she said nobody ever mailed her body parts except for one time an arm and then a messenger brought her a thyroid gland but big deal, SERENDIPITY fans happen to be the most tastefullest fans who have extra or redundant body parts."
The back and forth went on with gay abandon.
To read the responses from those witnessing it you'd have thought God had dropped in on Lucifer's LJ site to hang some shit before suggesting they should sneak out for a beer later.
"Boys, boys… don’t fight! I have an idea! DO join up, and write some comics TOGETHER. Deliciously twisted plots and characters, touching moments of hilarity… it.. would… be… og… crap. Fangasm. Now I have to change."
"Holy Procrastination! I love it! Hey Joss, as long as you’re slackin’, come over to Whedonesque - we need more - uh - you!"
"I am in the same message thread as both Warren Ellis AND Joss Whedon. I am vicariously famous. Twice."
"Man, this is just ten different kinds off geek-borne happiness right here. Two of my favorite comic-mkaer-people trading teh funnay right in front of me. Thank God for strep."
And on it went.
Of course, the blogosphere went crazy, as it is wont to do.
I mention this in passing because I find it an interesting example of celebrity, the internet and geeks in general. No outrageous statements or insights, but I get the feeling that this will be of further interest to me down the track. With that in mind I continue this blog's stated purpose of being a poor man's del.icio.us so I know where to find it when it becomes relevant to something.
That is all.
Of course, that's when the fun began.
In response to Warren Ellis' statement that
"there are one hundred thousand hungry people out there who need to attend San Diego Comics Convention in order to walk right past all that comics shit and go straight to sniffing Brandon Routh’s cricketbox, sending bits of themselves to the cast of SERENITY and masturbating ferociously in the men’s stalls while wearing V FOR VENDETTA masks and discounted Hulk Hands."
the page got a response from one Joss Whedon, who was obviously sitting around his office trying to avoid writing the sequel to Serenity.
And thus it began.
"Who is this Ellis guy anyway? He thinks he all that cuz he wroted “Planety”. The facts is, KomiKon is AWESOME becuz people dress up like stuff — but nobody dresses like Warner Ellis, I guess, mister sour grapes. I talked to Sumner Glou and she said nobody ever mailed her body parts except for one time an arm and then a messenger brought her a thyroid gland but big deal, SERENDIPITY fans happen to be the most tastefullest fans who have extra or redundant body parts."
The back and forth went on with gay abandon.
To read the responses from those witnessing it you'd have thought God had dropped in on Lucifer's LJ site to hang some shit before suggesting they should sneak out for a beer later.
"Boys, boys… don’t fight! I have an idea! DO join up, and write some comics TOGETHER. Deliciously twisted plots and characters, touching moments of hilarity… it.. would… be… og… crap. Fangasm. Now I have to change."
"Holy Procrastination! I love it! Hey Joss, as long as you’re slackin’, come over to Whedonesque - we need more - uh - you!"
"I am in the same message thread as both Warren Ellis AND Joss Whedon. I am vicariously famous. Twice."
"Man, this is just ten different kinds off geek-borne happiness right here. Two of my favorite comic-mkaer-people trading teh funnay right in front of me. Thank God for strep."
And on it went.
Of course, the blogosphere went crazy, as it is wont to do.
I mention this in passing because I find it an interesting example of celebrity, the internet and geeks in general. No outrageous statements or insights, but I get the feeling that this will be of further interest to me down the track. With that in mind I continue this blog's stated purpose of being a poor man's del.icio.us so I know where to find it when it becomes relevant to something.
That is all.
Eddie gets it!?! (In other news, pigs to commence daily flights between Sydney and Melbourne.)
Newly rewarded (the poisoned chalice perhaps?) CEO of Channel 9, the guy who was all over your TV screen for the last five or so years, Eddie McGuire has his say to "the Australian" about his long term views for the network now that he's got one of the most heavily scrutinised jobs in Australian television.
Maybe he could phone a friend.
All this is yet to come in our brave new post-Kerry TV world...
McGuire admits that while his initial concentration is short-term, his mind wanders over the big-picture issues. Attracting viewers back to FTA is one of them. "We have to be more nimble on our feet, keeping up with what people want," he says. "That can be difficult when on one hand you have people getting their television on tiny phone screens, while others put massive plasma screens on their walls. Television has always been about information and entertainment. Meeting both needs at the same time is the trick."
And that, of course, is the trick. Channel 9, the darling of the blue-rinse set over the last 20 or so years, has been accused before of dismissing younger viewers in favour of where the money was. So how does Channel 9 face this brave new world of Generation C while maintaining a link to audience members that have trouble dealing with their remote control? Moreover, given former Nine supremo Sam Chisholm said last year that his view of the future was TV, only smaller, will there be a change in thinking now that the iPods of Eddie's kids have his attention?"I absolutely believe free-to-air television can maintain its mass audiences. There are still a lot of things that haven't changed. TV is interesting in that it's had an image of being new and flash for a long time, but it has also been very conservative.
"People my age have grown up with traditional television, but kids these days are into mobile services, watching television, texting and using the internet at the same time.
"They are now their own programmers, and the challenge is there to try to get that iPod generation to bring their ideas to us, so we can be their portal of choice. The trick is to be relevant to them again. That is not to say you're going to jettison the generation before them, but there's a mix there somewhere."
Maybe he could phone a friend.
All this is yet to come in our brave new post-Kerry TV world...
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
"Welcome to the Super Bowl" | ESPN.com: Page 2
Bill Simmons runs through his experience at the NBA's All Star Weekend held in Houston, Texas. A fun read, written as only Simmons can. Make sure you read to the end to hear his story about sitting at the next table to M.J. and Charles Oakley in the bar at the Houston Four Seasons.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Australian Story Online - The first of many
Those who pay regular attention to KingLeonard - The Weblog will realise that things have been quite quiet of late. This has been as a result of;
I mentioned at the end of last year that we were working on this, and I made particular note of its importance, not from a viewer experience or as an enabler of "folksonomic interactivity", but from the publishing aspect. Well, while this episode has actually been quite a bitch to get done (albeit only taking a day or two from our end), the system is slowly being put into place to automate and streamline the process even further. Flash video plugins for our automated compression system are on order and further tweaks are being made to the ABC's publishing software. The issue here is to create a system that allows other program producers to create ongoing extended editions to allow viewers the opportunity to not only view the entire program at their leisure, but also see extra bits that just can't make it into the show due to the inherent shortcomings of scheduled content. By making this as simple and easy as possible it opens up all sorts of opportunities for these programs to get involved rather than be scared away by the prospect of "compression" and "servers".
Anyway, I took a few pictures to mark the occasion and here they are.
The "Fishbowl" - home of the Brains Trust.
Jessica Daly - She's the one looking after all the content. You can see Jess' small
screen debut at the start of the McInnes Pilot we produced late last year.
Tim Madden - Design Guru and all round genius,
telling his wife he's going to be home late.
Tim making sure the site is running before it goes live.
The idea is that this computer shows us what people are seeing in their
homes and offices, beyond the boundaries of our proxy server.
So all in all a bit of a win. I'll be interested to hear feedback, which will no doubt begin tomorrow, but I think we did all right. Once again, kudos must go to Martin, Jess and Tim who have driven this project forward. Once it's fully operational I can see this being the start of big things for the future of the Corp online.
- Two Weeks Holiday
- A superior workload upon returning to the job
I mentioned at the end of last year that we were working on this, and I made particular note of its importance, not from a viewer experience or as an enabler of "folksonomic interactivity", but from the publishing aspect. Well, while this episode has actually been quite a bitch to get done (albeit only taking a day or two from our end), the system is slowly being put into place to automate and streamline the process even further. Flash video plugins for our automated compression system are on order and further tweaks are being made to the ABC's publishing software. The issue here is to create a system that allows other program producers to create ongoing extended editions to allow viewers the opportunity to not only view the entire program at their leisure, but also see extra bits that just can't make it into the show due to the inherent shortcomings of scheduled content. By making this as simple and easy as possible it opens up all sorts of opportunities for these programs to get involved rather than be scared away by the prospect of "compression" and "servers".
Anyway, I took a few pictures to mark the occasion and here they are.
The "Fishbowl" - home of the Brains Trust.
Jessica Daly - She's the one looking after all the content. You can see Jess' small
screen debut at the start of the McInnes Pilot we produced late last year.
Tim Madden - Design Guru and all round genius,
telling his wife he's going to be home late.
Tim making sure the site is running before it goes live.
What better way to celebrate than wood fired pizzas.
"Ooh! Exotic Potato!"
"Ooh! Exotic Potato!"
I should mention, that guy with his back to the camera is
Martin Southgate, driving force behind the project
and uber-producer.
Martin Southgate, driving force behind the project
and uber-producer.
Martin and Jess check the site once it's live. Despite some misgivings from
certain southern naysayers, the Flash Server held its own through the peak
period following the show.
certain southern naysayers, the Flash Server held its own through the peak
period following the show.
Jess "capturing the moment"
Martin and Tim checking the site through our "Off-Air" computer,
in the heart of the News Online offices.
in the heart of the News Online offices.
The idea is that this computer shows us what people are seeing in their
homes and offices, beyond the boundaries of our proxy server.
So all in all a bit of a win. I'll be interested to hear feedback, which will no doubt begin tomorrow, but I think we did all right. Once again, kudos must go to Martin, Jess and Tim who have driven this project forward. Once it's fully operational I can see this being the start of big things for the future of the Corp online.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Pay up or lose your TV, viewers told | smh.com.au
Not quite so drastic as it sounds. Basically it refers to consumers having to fork out up to $400 for a digital set-top box. Way to beat up a headline.
Nice to see the possibility of sanity prevailing and some of the restrictions that have plagued the Australian TV landscape being lifted. Just think, if they did we could actually start telling people what we produce, rather than just doing it anyway and kind of whistling distractedly whenever anyone scrutinises us.
Nice to see the possibility of sanity prevailing and some of the restrictions that have plagued the Australian TV landscape being lifted. Just think, if they did we could actually start telling people what we produce, rather than just doing it anyway and kind of whistling distractedly whenever anyone scrutinises us.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Lack of posts? - I've been away
I didn't think I'd mentioned this before heading off, but I've been away from any computer for the last week and a half, enjoying time off work up the coast with my beloved wife. No photos, no video, no inclination. Just rest and relaxation.
Not that anyone drops by here on purpose, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Hopefully more content once I'm back at work and we start producing Australian Story Online as a semi-regular project.
Not that anyone drops by here on purpose, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Hopefully more content once I'm back at work and we start producing Australian Story Online as a semi-regular project.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Does the cinema industry suck that badly?
Mark Cuban is a man who could never be accused of saying in a sentence what he can say in a paragraph, yet a lot of what he says does makes sense. In particular I point you, gentle reader, in the direction of his most recent tome regarding his company HDNet Films and their support for Steven Soderbergh's latest film "Bubble". Now, a lot's been said recently regarding this film and its planned simultaneous distribution across multiple flatforms, including cinema and DVD, including one cinema industry spokesperson labelling the practice akin to a "death-threat" for his industry ("Oh, God! The hyperbole. The HYPERBOLE!"). It seems most of the comments made by the cinema industry, and Hollywood in general, have just been reactive claptrap which has led our "fearless hero" to have this to say on the matter.
Which really has to make you wonder about how the cinema industry sees themselves. But then as Cuban himself said a few days ago,
Which to my mind tells me that the news of cinema's demise is greatly over-exaggerated. What it DOES mean is that if cinemas want to be succesful they have to provide value, something I can't get at home. If I'm forking out $15 to see a show, then I want a show goddammit! Good seats, good sound, a professional, comfortable experience. Maybe go back to the days of a short cartoon or short film as a lead-in to the feature, rather than just churning people through the seats.
Now I'm no business mogul. I wouldn't know a BAS statement from a quarterly index return, or even if such things exist. But I wouldn't have thought it was too difficult to realise that for cinemas to continue to make money they need to invest in themselves, to believe in themselves. If I have the opportunity to see a movie at home, or see it on the big screen, the cinema experience definitely comes into play. But if I'm complaining about lumpy or tiny seats, or intermittent audio faults, I'm walking away and not going back. For example, I had exactly that problem at one local cinemaplex. Three minutes into "Return of the King" my wife and I walked because the surround sound kept dropping in and out, which is a pity because I could see the potential of the place if they just looked after it.
Here's what it comes down to in my mind. If you believe in your product then invest in it. Make it all the greater an experience and people will come. Be lazy, look at it as a one-way money funnel and watch the income dry up. Simple, just like me!
"NOT A SINGLE PERSON. NOT ONE stood up and said, “screw him, our product is great. We dont care what he does”. Not a single person said “It could hurt our business, but we will just have to work harder to bring people in to our theaters”. Not a single person said, “It will make us have to work harder and create a better value and experience for our customer”"
"No one even remotely associated with the industry even attempted to spin the situation. No one attempted to leverage the publicity (except for us of course) to their advantage. No one used it as a platform to say a single solitary positive word about theaters and the theater going experience.
They stood up and indirectly said….OUR PRODUCT SUCKS WE CANT SURVIVE WITHOUT HELP."
"No one even remotely associated with the industry even attempted to spin the situation. No one attempted to leverage the publicity (except for us of course) to their advantage. No one used it as a platform to say a single solitary positive word about theaters and the theater going experience.
They stood up and indirectly said….OUR PRODUCT SUCKS WE CANT SURVIVE WITHOUT HELP."
Which really has to make you wonder about how the cinema industry sees themselves. But then as Cuban himself said a few days ago,
"...I can whip up a mean steak, but I still like to go to restaurants. Because I enjoy it. I enjoy getting out of the house with family, friends, who ever...
"Going to a restaurant. Going to a sporting event. Going shopping. Cabin Fever is alive and well. Wanting to get away from your parents, your kids, your job, your apartment, your house, your problems will never, ever go out of style. For the next thousand years the question will be asked…
What do you want to do tonight? For the next thousand years, people will want to get the heck out of the house. The question is where to and why."
"Going to a restaurant. Going to a sporting event. Going shopping. Cabin Fever is alive and well. Wanting to get away from your parents, your kids, your job, your apartment, your house, your problems will never, ever go out of style. For the next thousand years the question will be asked…
What do you want to do tonight? For the next thousand years, people will want to get the heck out of the house. The question is where to and why."
Which to my mind tells me that the news of cinema's demise is greatly over-exaggerated. What it DOES mean is that if cinemas want to be succesful they have to provide value, something I can't get at home. If I'm forking out $15 to see a show, then I want a show goddammit! Good seats, good sound, a professional, comfortable experience. Maybe go back to the days of a short cartoon or short film as a lead-in to the feature, rather than just churning people through the seats.
Now I'm no business mogul. I wouldn't know a BAS statement from a quarterly index return, or even if such things exist. But I wouldn't have thought it was too difficult to realise that for cinemas to continue to make money they need to invest in themselves, to believe in themselves. If I have the opportunity to see a movie at home, or see it on the big screen, the cinema experience definitely comes into play. But if I'm complaining about lumpy or tiny seats, or intermittent audio faults, I'm walking away and not going back. For example, I had exactly that problem at one local cinemaplex. Three minutes into "Return of the King" my wife and I walked because the surround sound kept dropping in and out, which is a pity because I could see the potential of the place if they just looked after it.
Here's what it comes down to in my mind. If you believe in your product then invest in it. Make it all the greater an experience and people will come. Be lazy, look at it as a one-way money funnel and watch the income dry up. Simple, just like me!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Current Studio | VC2 Survival Guide
The 2nd last day of last year I mentioned an article at DV.com regarding Current TV. In that piece I said;
And here's why. Available to the viewing public around the world, free of charge, are online videos running through equipment, production, editing, compression, and most importantly, storytelling. While the information is aimed at creating pieces for Current TV (named "Pods") the information is still relevant to anyone wanting to get an idea how this video thing works.
Favourite quote: "If you're on a budget and a 1-chip (camera) is your only choice be sure to spend the $70 on an external microphone. DO NOT USE THE MIC ON THE CAMERA!"
THANK YOU!! FINALLY someone's saying it. The fact is you can get away with a multitude of visual sins if you have GOOD SOUND. The moment the audio levels sound off-mic or they jump from soft to loud and back again you lose the audience who are too busy trying to watch with one hand on the volume knob.
In fact, here's a tip for aspiring editors to fix a simple, rookie mistake: Play some good quality material with proper levels through your editing system. Find a monitor level that seems comfortable for you to hear what's going on. MARK THAT LEVEL ON YOUR SPEAKERS AND NEVER CHANGE IT! If you do, you've still got the mark to go back to. That way, you know that if a piece of audio is loud or quiet it needs to be adjusted on the timeline, not on the speakers. The moment you shift the speaker level you lose your relative position to the other material and you need to train yourself again to know if something's too loud or soft.
I LOVE (with a burning passion) their determination to teach the language of video production to the people, creating a whole new generation of storytellers with the vocabulary to create wonderful content, and possibly push the medium in ways we've not seen before.
And here's why. Available to the viewing public around the world, free of charge, are online videos running through equipment, production, editing, compression, and most importantly, storytelling. While the information is aimed at creating pieces for Current TV (named "Pods") the information is still relevant to anyone wanting to get an idea how this video thing works.
Favourite quote: "If you're on a budget and a 1-chip (camera) is your only choice be sure to spend the $70 on an external microphone. DO NOT USE THE MIC ON THE CAMERA!"
THANK YOU!! FINALLY someone's saying it. The fact is you can get away with a multitude of visual sins if you have GOOD SOUND. The moment the audio levels sound off-mic or they jump from soft to loud and back again you lose the audience who are too busy trying to watch with one hand on the volume knob.
In fact, here's a tip for aspiring editors to fix a simple, rookie mistake: Play some good quality material with proper levels through your editing system. Find a monitor level that seems comfortable for you to hear what's going on. MARK THAT LEVEL ON YOUR SPEAKERS AND NEVER CHANGE IT! If you do, you've still got the mark to go back to. That way, you know that if a piece of audio is loud or quiet it needs to be adjusted on the timeline, not on the speakers. The moment you shift the speaker level you lose your relative position to the other material and you need to train yourself again to know if something's too loud or soft.
Friday, January 20, 2006
ABC chief Balding resigns | ABC News Online
So the boss has made the decision to up and leave a year before his contract runs out to take on a position with the Sydney Airport Corporation. Still, for a guy who was kind of thrown into the job on the back of the hated "Shier" years until "someone better came along" I think he's done a pretty good job.
Favourite Russell Balding moment? Him not showing up to a Senate Estimates commitee meeting and leaving no excuse or apology.
All the best to you Mr Balding in your new job.
So, the hunt will commence for a new boss. Who would I love to see? Someone with a real grasp of what's happening in the rest of the world when it comes to the media. Not just a TV or Radio person, but someone who can really look across the ABC's platforms and see ways to make it work together.
But then again, I'm kind of biased.
More on this as the "Hunt for the New MD" begins.
Favourite Russell Balding moment? Him not showing up to a Senate Estimates commitee meeting and leaving no excuse or apology.
SANTO SANTORO: ...is there a reason why Mr Balding is not here? Did he give you a reason why he's not here?
MURRAY GREEN: Ah, Mr Balding is his own decision-maker. He is not here, and that's all I have to say, Senator.
MURRAY GREEN: Ah, Mr Balding is his own decision-maker. He is not here, and that's all I have to say, Senator.
All the best to you Mr Balding in your new job.
So, the hunt will commence for a new boss. Who would I love to see? Someone with a real grasp of what's happening in the rest of the world when it comes to the media. Not just a TV or Radio person, but someone who can really look across the ABC's platforms and see ways to make it work together.
But then again, I'm kind of biased.
More on this as the "Hunt for the New MD" begins.
From the sublime to the ridiculous
From the sublime...
(via BoingBoing)
to the ridiculous...
(Background: Good Morning Silicon Valley)
A good thing the site's tongue-in-cheek.
While I'm here, what's the deal with a mysterious stranger visiting the grave of American author Edgar Allan Poe's grave every year to mark the writer's birthday? Not why does it happen, but why hadn't I heard about this before?! I mean, it's been going on since 1949 for crying out loud and has apparently been passed on a generation. Roses and cognac? This is just too good not to have known about, and definitely not the sort of thing I want some moron ruining by "catching the guy out."
(via BoingBoing)
to the ridiculous...
(Background: Good Morning Silicon Valley)
A good thing the site's tongue-in-cheek.
While I'm here, what's the deal with a mysterious stranger visiting the grave of American author Edgar Allan Poe's grave every year to mark the writer's birthday? Not why does it happen, but why hadn't I heard about this before?! I mean, it's been going on since 1949 for crying out loud and has apparently been passed on a generation. Roses and cognac? This is just too good not to have known about, and definitely not the sort of thing I want some moron ruining by "catching the guy out."
(Jeff) Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, said early Thursday he had to chase people out of the graveyard, fearing they would interfere with the mystery visitor's ceremony.
"In letting people know about this tribute, I've been contributing to these people's desire to catch this guy," Jerome said. "It's such a touching tribute, and it's been disrupted by the actions of a few people trying to interfere and expose this guy."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Web 3.0 | A List Apart
Jeffrey Zeldman, author of "Designing With Web Standards" (my first textbook for my course) and publisher of the "A List Apart" web design site, has a few things to say about the use of the term Web 2.0, in particular the way it seems to have been co-opted by marketers and businessmen and entrepreneurs looking to ride the hype.
The fact is, I don't really know enough about the technical aspects of things like AJAX to say whether his perspective is legitimate or not, but regardless it's well worth the read for an alternate view to much of the hyperbole on the internet at the moment.
The fact is, I don't really know enough about the technical aspects of things like AJAX to say whether his perspective is legitimate or not, but regardless it's well worth the read for an alternate view to much of the hyperbole on the internet at the moment.
Mass media's last blast | calendarlive.com
Via Bubblegeneration Strategy Lab
An interesting article by Reed Johnson of the L.A. Times regarding the current world of media and how the interactive, do-it-yourself attitude is affecting American culture.
My problem with it? Again, too American in its perspective, with this seeming belief that the internet and new media culture doesn't extend past the east and west coasts.
Now before I start a war about how I'm bagging on the "Big, bad U.S. of A." I understand, fully and absolutely, that this guy is writing for an American audience with a view towards analysing the American experience. No problem with that at all. I guess I'm a little disappointed that we don't seem to see similar articles by Australian authors and academics, viewing how much of an impact this new mediascape has had locally.
For instance, I don't believe it would be remiss of me to say that I don't think Australia is feeling the impact of iPods and Internet anywhere near as much as in the U.S., despite our reputation of being early adopters of technology. Between the stupidity of our telecommunications industry, our totally ignorant (and ignored) copyright laws and the overblown expense of everything, I'm amazed sometimes I can even get a broadband connection out of my house without applying for a second mortgage. But the fact is, I want to hear someone talk about this! In detail!
"Why not you?" I hear you say, oh gentle yet transient reader. Well, maybe one day I'll have some time to sit down and nut out an article of annoyance.
But not now.
Damn. How to shoot down your position in one easy paragraph.
An interesting article by Reed Johnson of the L.A. Times regarding the current world of media and how the interactive, do-it-yourself attitude is affecting American culture.
My problem with it? Again, too American in its perspective, with this seeming belief that the internet and new media culture doesn't extend past the east and west coasts.
Now before I start a war about how I'm bagging on the "Big, bad U.S. of A." I understand, fully and absolutely, that this guy is writing for an American audience with a view towards analysing the American experience. No problem with that at all. I guess I'm a little disappointed that we don't seem to see similar articles by Australian authors and academics, viewing how much of an impact this new mediascape has had locally.
For instance, I don't believe it would be remiss of me to say that I don't think Australia is feeling the impact of iPods and Internet anywhere near as much as in the U.S., despite our reputation of being early adopters of technology. Between the stupidity of our telecommunications industry, our totally ignorant (and ignored) copyright laws and the overblown expense of everything, I'm amazed sometimes I can even get a broadband connection out of my house without applying for a second mortgage. But the fact is, I want to hear someone talk about this! In detail!
"Why not you?" I hear you say, oh gentle yet transient reader. Well, maybe one day I'll have some time to sit down and nut out an article of annoyance.
But not now.
Damn. How to shoot down your position in one easy paragraph.
Rocketboom/Ask A Ninja - the interview!
Having mentioned the wonderfully quirky "Ask A Ninja" last week it's great to see Rocketboom having a play with it, asking the Ninja questions that matter!
So what I suggest is that you spend some time at "Ask A Ninja" to run through some episodes and get a feel for the show. Then do the Rocketboom episode and see which bits they've taken out of context.
Nicely done. Pity about the audio, but Amanda does acknowledge in the comments the obvious problem of miking someone through a heavy brown shirt that's tied around the head. A transcript can be found in the comments a little further down.
So what I suggest is that you spend some time at "Ask A Ninja" to run through some episodes and get a feel for the show. Then do the Rocketboom episode and see which bits they've taken out of context.
Nicely done. Pity about the audio, but Amanda does acknowledge in the comments the obvious problem of miking someone through a heavy brown shirt that's tied around the head. A transcript can be found in the comments a little further down.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
"Oh my, what very experientially stylised teeth you have!"
Via the always wonderful we-make-money-not-art
So back in 2004 as part of my Interaction Design subject I came up with the idea for a room specifically designed for enhancing presence in particular roleplaying games (Hell yeah! King of the geeks!). The idea was that at particular moments the Gamemaster/Storyteller had the facility to play with the experiential elements present in the room, i.e. lighting, music, sound effects, room temperature, etc.
Now Philips comes along with a technology they're calling PML (Physical markup Language) to allow media to influence your physical surroundings. The example they give is a PML version of the children's classic "Little Red Riding Hood."
It's an interesting attempt to break out of the desktop, creating an immersive physical environment using ubiquitous computing elements. Interesting to see where they take it in the future.
So back in 2004 as part of my Interaction Design subject I came up with the idea for a room specifically designed for enhancing presence in particular roleplaying games (Hell yeah! King of the geeks!). The idea was that at particular moments the Gamemaster/Storyteller had the facility to play with the experiential elements present in the room, i.e. lighting, music, sound effects, room temperature, etc.
Now Philips comes along with a technology they're calling PML (Physical markup Language) to allow media to influence your physical surroundings. The example they give is a PML version of the children's classic "Little Red Riding Hood."
"An Ambient Intelligence system can interpret a description in PML in such a way that the devices in its network can jointly use their individual capabilities to render that experience at a given location.
In effect, your whole room becomes a 'browser' that brings the experience to life. For example, PML-enabled lights add to the experience by getting brighter or dimmer, or changing colour. A PML-enabled hi-fi provides an appropriate soundscape..."
"To illustrate the principle, we have developed a PML-enhanced storybook telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood. As you turn the pages of the book, the book knows exactly where you are in the story. The PML associated with the scene described on that page is communicated to the space around you. The many Ambient Intelligence devices in that space then use their capabilities collaboratively to transport you into the world of the story."
In effect, your whole room becomes a 'browser' that brings the experience to life. For example, PML-enabled lights add to the experience by getting brighter or dimmer, or changing colour. A PML-enabled hi-fi provides an appropriate soundscape..."
"To illustrate the principle, we have developed a PML-enhanced storybook telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood. As you turn the pages of the book, the book knows exactly where you are in the story. The PML associated with the scene described on that page is communicated to the space around you. The many Ambient Intelligence devices in that space then use their capabilities collaboratively to transport you into the world of the story."
It's an interesting attempt to break out of the desktop, creating an immersive physical environment using ubiquitous computing elements. Interesting to see where they take it in the future.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Clerks 2 - the Vlog
Kevin Smith vlogs the making of his sequel.
Can't be arsed right now to say more. If it wasn't for what this is you'd get nothing. Be thankful you get this much.
Update: Yesterday was a particularly awful day for me. Went home early, tried to get some rest. Still not entirely over it, but am feeling better than I was.
Can't be arsed right now to say more. If it wasn't for what this is you'd get nothing. Be thankful you get this much.
Update: Yesterday was a particularly awful day for me. Went home early, tried to get some rest. Still not entirely over it, but am feeling better than I was.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
OhmyNews International - A glimpse of an interesting future
From an interesting article in the India Infoline News.
Citizen reporters of OhmyNews, a unique news organization in Korea, now number more than 40,000 and are no stranger to the sensation that comes from producing their own news. It is this transforming and empowering experience that attracts thousands of "citizen reporters" to OhmyNews every day. Kim Hye Won, a long time citizen reporter of OhmyNews, described her excitement when she found her story published on OhmyNews for the first time: “As soon as I saw my article with my name, Kim Hye Won, attached to it, my heart fluttered. A housewife who for the last 18 years has been caught up in housework raising her children has now become a reporter. This was possible thanks to the OhmyNews spirit of ‘every citizen is a reporter.’”
Play Again Games : Monopoly Home Rules
Via the always interesting PlasticBag.org
I've always been a Monopoly fan, ever since I was a kid. It was one of those wonderful, family-gathering type events, with my dad, granddad and brothers huddled around a table enjoying beating each other.
That said, I've always been a purist with the rules. No putting the Tax payments in the centre of the board and collecting on "Free Parking" for me, nosiree. But with this list of alternative rules for the game all that may change.
Finally! An excuse to use my RPG dice in a mainstream game!
:-)
I've always been a Monopoly fan, ever since I was a kid. It was one of those wonderful, family-gathering type events, with my dad, granddad and brothers huddled around a table enjoying beating each other.
That said, I've always been a purist with the rules. No putting the Tax payments in the centre of the board and collecting on "Free Parking" for me, nosiree. But with this list of alternative rules for the game all that may change.
Rule: A player must roll two dice on his turn, but may select any two dice from a set of four sided, six sided, eight sided, and ten sided dice.
Reason: Gives players some control over movement. Players may wish to role two four sided dice at the beginning, since they have a better chance of getting doubles and going again, and then later roll two ten sided dice to move around the board quickly. Larger dice decrease the chance for doubles and thus tend to balance the game.
Reason: Gives players some control over movement. Players may wish to role two four sided dice at the beginning, since they have a better chance of getting doubles and going again, and then later roll two ten sided dice to move around the board quickly. Larger dice decrease the chance for doubles and thus tend to balance the game.
Finally! An excuse to use my RPG dice in a mainstream game!
:-)
A new favourite! | Ask A Ninja
Ever wondered if Ninjas celebrate Christmas? Or where they get their cool, black uniforms? Ever wanted to know the career path to becoming a ninja? Well, why not "Ask A Ninja"?
The first episode's a bit too long, but he's starting to get himself sorted out with the comedy timing. Well worth watching.
The first episode's a bit too long, but he's starting to get himself sorted out with the comedy timing. Well worth watching.
Minnesota Stories: Welcome to the Future
To anyone who still hasn't figured out the big deal about video on the internet, vlogs, blog, tagging, sites like Flickr and del.icio.us, and the general idea about letting people have and organise what they want for themselves, take a look at this video.
MNStories curator Chuck Olsen is on holidays at the moment, but decided to pull this one from his archives. I can remember watching it earlier in the year, but I don't think it resonated in quite the same way it did this time. I guess I'm learning stuff all the time.
Great work and a perfectly made point.
MNStories curator Chuck Olsen is on holidays at the moment, but decided to pull this one from his archives. I can remember watching it earlier in the year, but I don't think it resonated in quite the same way it did this time. I guess I'm learning stuff all the time.
Great work and a perfectly made point.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Great Australian Story Challenge
I should have mentioned this a lot earlier.
The ABC starts, in it's own way, soliciting user generated content. I would have liked something a little less formal, but all in all it's a great opportunity for Australian film and TV students to get a foot in the door, especially given how difficult it is to get a job in this industry.
The ABC starts, in it's own way, soliciting user generated content. I would have liked something a little less formal, but all in all it's a great opportunity for Australian film and TV students to get a foot in the door, especially given how difficult it is to get a job in this industry.
"To celebrate 10 years on air, we're inviting university students from across Australia to produce a five-minute video in the style of ABC TV's Australian Story.
The winner of The Great Australian Story Challenge will receive a three-month internship with the Australian Story team, and finalists' entries will be compiled into a special program to go to air in May 2006, when Australian Story will officially turn 10. This special program will also air on ABC2 and program material will be available on ABC Broadband."
The winner of The Great Australian Story Challenge will receive a three-month internship with the Australian Story team, and finalists' entries will be compiled into a special program to go to air in May 2006, when Australian Story will officially turn 10. This special program will also air on ABC2 and program material will be available on ABC Broadband."
Friday, January 06, 2006
Warrenellis.com » Moblogging: Yesterday’s Internet
Warren Ellis is starting the new year on a roll with the second great article in two days. This time he asks whatever happened to the moblogging movement of a couple of years ago?
Nice to get a fresh perspective.
Here's a thought. Maybe the moblogging movement isn't really stalled at the technology/service provider end. Perhaps it's more that sections of the blogging community have fallen into the mainstream mindset of polished work, fearing that something raw and rough and instant may damage their hard-won reputations. Have the first generation of bloggers gone 40+? Settling down and keeping it conservative? Horrible thought.
Of course, one of the problems is that podcasts and now vlogs do require basic editing to rise above just being raw footage (not that raw footage doesn't have its place). That means the newcomers, eager to impress the old school with their wicked edit skillz, need their desktop, or some serious mobile hardware. Hardly phone and Palm Pilot territory.
Actually, I do think it's more a service provider shortfall. I'd be inclined to make a push to get services like Blogger to sort out the problems getting mobile content quickly and easily onto a site. As an Australian there's all sorts of barriers put in place for me to shoot a pic with my phone annd email it to this blog.
Imagine this;
Now take it a step further. Audio or video file is sent to site. RSS subscription makes this media, and just the media, available to any mobile player. When manufacturers create a media player that's WiFi or WiMAX enabled, we'll start to see it. Author on a street corner shoots and loads their work and in seconds a guy on a street corner on the other side of the world is looking at it. Now imagine a dozen people all looking at an event, each clip disconnected from the context of the website it's coming from, just showing what everyone's seeing. Hundreds of New Yorkers watching the Twin Towers collapse in real time from every conceivable angle.
I can see some good things, and some not so good things coming out of that. But that discussion's for another time.
"The promise of moblogging was very simple: that we all get away from our desks and record life on the move and in real time. The dirty secret of the Web 2.0 movement is that it binds people back to their desks. It’s for people who stay indoors, make lists and shelve their DVDs by cinematographer."
Nice to get a fresh perspective.
Here's a thought. Maybe the moblogging movement isn't really stalled at the technology/service provider end. Perhaps it's more that sections of the blogging community have fallen into the mainstream mindset of polished work, fearing that something raw and rough and instant may damage their hard-won reputations. Have the first generation of bloggers gone 40+? Settling down and keeping it conservative? Horrible thought.
Of course, one of the problems is that podcasts and now vlogs do require basic editing to rise above just being raw footage (not that raw footage doesn't have its place). That means the newcomers, eager to impress the old school with their wicked edit skillz, need their desktop, or some serious mobile hardware. Hardly phone and Palm Pilot territory.
Actually, I do think it's more a service provider shortfall. I'd be inclined to make a push to get services like Blogger to sort out the problems getting mobile content quickly and easily onto a site. As an Australian there's all sorts of barriers put in place for me to shoot a pic with my phone annd email it to this blog.
Imagine this;
"I want to shoot an audio file off my phone. I want to shoot a street video to my blog from the street. This is essentially what I was talking about with the streetbound “feedsite listener” in TRANSMETROPOLITAN. And this requires no more than a phone with email or MMS and a system on the other end to parse what’s being received and stick it on my web page. I’m not a programmer. I don’t know if what I’m asking for is impossible. But, Christ, it doesn’t sound like it."
Now take it a step further. Audio or video file is sent to site. RSS subscription makes this media, and just the media, available to any mobile player. When manufacturers create a media player that's WiFi or WiMAX enabled, we'll start to see it. Author on a street corner shoots and loads their work and in seconds a guy on a street corner on the other side of the world is looking at it. Now imagine a dozen people all looking at an event, each clip disconnected from the context of the website it's coming from, just showing what everyone's seeing. Hundreds of New Yorkers watching the Twin Towers collapse in real time from every conceivable angle.
I can see some good things, and some not so good things coming out of that. But that discussion's for another time.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
The downside to this video iPod thing
Via Steve Rubel's Micro Persuasion.
The perfect example of why big business should not be allowed anywhere near the internet.
PodGuide.tv: Advertisers want your iPods
While "Marcus" has a little interest to it, I find each episode a little long. But at least, despite the obvious Sprite product placement, it's nowhere near as blatant as the Bud Light ones. If you do check them out, see if you understand what I mean when I say I'm not sure exactly who finds this stuff funny. It's a sad commentary on the company that brought us the "Whassuuup!" series of ads.
The perfect example of why big business should not be allowed anywhere near the internet.
PodGuide.tv: Advertisers want your iPods
"I've noticed a few more big name advertisers are starting to distribute short form content via their web sites in iPod format. It's the old “BMW Films” strategy of trying to convince people that ads are interesting by blurring the line between entertainment and advertising. Sprite offer a series of comedy videos entitled Marcus hates his job, while Bud Light brings us the psuedo-documentary about Ted Ferguson, Daredevil."
While "Marcus" has a little interest to it, I find each episode a little long. But at least, despite the obvious Sprite product placement, it's nowhere near as blatant as the Bud Light ones. If you do check them out, see if you understand what I mean when I say I'm not sure exactly who finds this stuff funny. It's a sad commentary on the company that brought us the "Whassuuup!" series of ads.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Lord of the Rings WoW mashup
Joss Whedon Eyes the Future of TV
For those yet to read it, enjoy the sarcasm. Any drier and you could wipe the dust from it.
"Obviously, we'll see advances in technology. TiVo, iPods, streaming video — the way we watch TV is changing dramatically. It's on our phones, in our cars — even projected on specialized eyeglasses. But don't listen to the talk about having shows beamed directly into your brain. That's science-fiction nonsense. Shows will be stored in the pancreas and will enter the brain through the bloodstream after being downloaded into your iHole."
VisitorVille - is this perhaps the most fun interface ever?
So I sincerely doubt that anyone passing through here on their way to a more interesting blog would have noticed that this site gets its stats through SiteMeter. It's a nice, cheap (read: FREE) service that lets me see who's looking at what, how they got here, where they are in the world and how long they hang around. But then I noticed a GoogleAd at the top of the SiteMeter page pimping a service called VisitorVille. With interest piqued, I clicked forth...
The interface, at least at first glance, is just wonderful! Instead of tracking numbers and links, all the information is mapped into a 3D cityscape where the people are your visitors, buses are referring pages and buildings are your site's pages.
I have no idea if the program is as good as it claims to be. And I have no intention of spending the money on a program that would create a virtual ghost town (now there's an idea; skinning it to change the cityscape from modern day to whatever you want, like Western Frontier town, or ancient Japanese village). What I find wondrous is that we're finally starting to put the lessons learnt from games into our work tools.
The interface, at least at first glance, is just wonderful! Instead of tracking numbers and links, all the information is mapped into a 3D cityscape where the people are your visitors, buses are referring pages and buildings are your site's pages.I have no idea if the program is as good as it claims to be. And I have no intention of spending the money on a program that would create a virtual ghost town (now there's an idea; skinning it to change the cityscape from modern day to whatever you want, like Western Frontier town, or ancient Japanese village). What I find wondrous is that we're finally starting to put the lessons learnt from games into our work tools.
Warrenellis.com | Bums On Seats
O.K., enough self-congratulation leaving my edited work at the top of the list. Time to move on to 2006.
The always entertaining Warren Ellis has a few thoughts on where he thinks Hollywood's getting it wrong.
The always entertaining Warren Ellis has a few thoughts on where he thinks Hollywood's getting it wrong.
"...I’ve seen so many trailers this year that appeared just kind of desultorily slapped together. If you’re spending the sort of money on making a film that could cover the cost of sending a probe to Mars, it’s just not right to look down at the ground, kick your heels and mutter that you’ve got this little movie that I might like to see. I mean, jesus, if you’re going to be capitalist running dogs, act like it. Bark and bare your teeth and jump up in people’s faces. When’s the last time you saw a trailer, or even a poster, that made you feel that if you didn’t see the movie an essential part of you would wither and die?
We’re all children when we go into the cinema. The actors stand four times our height and speak louder than we can. We hand over our cash to be told terrible and wonderful things, and to see all kinds of magic.
Is it just possible that some of us skip the cinema and buy films on DVD not only for the convenience and replay, but also because the films of today seem not to deserve to be bigger than us?"
Monday, January 02, 2006
My first foray into vlogging? | 2005 Year in Review
Well, not really. Vlogging is something entirely different, but to that end I'm happy to think of this as a personal reaction to the events of last year.
During the rather quiet week between Christmas and New Years I took the time to edit this together. The people at work seemed to like it so much they found a place for it on the 2005 Year in Review site.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
A word of note for viewers. First up, this video is highly Australo-centric so some of it may make no sense to viewers from overseas. Second, it's a high bit-rate (464Kb/s) streaming video (in line with company policy) so unless you have a 512Kb/s connection or better you may find you get frustrated.
One thing I should mention is that this video is internet only; no TV release for this puppy and other than being able to see it in its native resolution I can't see any reason I'd want it to.
During the rather quiet week between Christmas and New Years I took the time to edit this together. The people at work seemed to like it so much they found a place for it on the 2005 Year in Review site.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
A word of note for viewers. First up, this video is highly Australo-centric so some of it may make no sense to viewers from overseas. Second, it's a high bit-rate (464Kb/s) streaming video (in line with company policy) so unless you have a 512Kb/s connection or better you may find you get frustrated.
One thing I should mention is that this video is internet only; no TV release for this puppy and other than being able to see it in its native resolution I can't see any reason I'd want it to.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Current TV: Think Outside, Get Inside the Box | DV - Features
DV.com takes a look at Current TV, the "experiment" in user generated television content happening in the U.S. Of course, being DV.com the slant is a little more along the technical (not necessarily a bad thing) than the merits or flaws of the system. Still, a good read to get a handle on the basics of the channel without the noise being generated about it on the blogosphere. As someone from a country without the actual channel, but with a distinct interest in the concept, I found it an interesting feature.
My one gripe at this point (again, without having seen the channel) seems to be around the ongoing notion that content only receives legitimacy when it's broadcast on the magic box.
I guess it's just the nature of the times we live in that the majority still views TV that way. That said, I LOVE (with a burning passion) their determination to teach the language of video production to the people, creating a whole new generation of storytellers with the vocabulary to create wonderful content, and possibly push the medium in ways we've not seen before.
Hey, look at that! I just added to the noise in the blogosphere! But then, as I've said before, the editorial team here like to do their bit for Sturgeon's Revelation.
As always, DV requires registration but it's well worth it.
My one gripe at this point (again, without having seen the channel) seems to be around the ongoing notion that content only receives legitimacy when it's broadcast on the magic box.
"The rest—a percentage that Current TV wants to grow—is viewer-created content, aka VC². Some of these videos are polished; some are raw. Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, and some may have no appeal to you at all. But they represent identifiable, individual points of view, and they were all, in a reverse-Survivor strategy, voted onto the island by an online peer-review process on Current TV's Web site."
I guess it's just the nature of the times we live in that the majority still views TV that way. That said, I LOVE (with a burning passion) their determination to teach the language of video production to the people, creating a whole new generation of storytellers with the vocabulary to create wonderful content, and possibly push the medium in ways we've not seen before.
Hey, look at that! I just added to the noise in the blogosphere! But then, as I've said before, the editorial team here like to do their bit for Sturgeon's Revelation.
The Winning Ticket - Google Video
Via the always excellent Lost Remote.
So what happens when you mix an old-skool prank with TiVo and a hidden video camera?
You know, a cruel practical joke seems like a rather apt metaphor to end the year.
Oh, who am I kidding? If I could I'd get Sean and Colin to pull this one on Richard in a heartbeat.
So what happens when you mix an old-skool prank with TiVo and a hidden video camera?
You know, a cruel practical joke seems like a rather apt metaphor to end the year.
Oh, who am I kidding? If I could I'd get Sean and Colin to pull this one on Richard in a heartbeat.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Video crooks come in from the cold | NEWS.com.au
Well, it seems that 2006 will finally bring Australian copyright laws into the 20th Century. Care to try for the 21st?
"The Federal Government will next year legalise the video recording of television shows for personal use, and the transfer of songs from CDs to MP3 players, in a bid to overturn a ban which has made criminals of much of the population.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has flagged tidying up copyright laws by adding fair-use loopholes that will clear the way for private citizens to copy the content without breaking the law."
"We should have copyright laws that are more targeted at the real problem," Mr Ruddock said.
"We should not treat everyday Australians who want to use technology to enjoy copyright material they have obtained legally as infringers where this does not cause harm to our copyright industries."
"In Canada, where similar laws have been introduced, a fee was levied on blank CD and iPod unit sales to compensate copyright owners with up to an extra $32 being placed on the store price of individual machines.
Mr Ruddock's spokeswoman said a similar system had been discussed for Australia, but was unlikely to be introduced."
Bets are now open as to which company complains first about their intellectual property being sold out by the government. My money's on Sony BMG.
More on this to come, you can count on it.
Lost Remote: Stuff I got seriously wrong in 2005
Steve Safran, Managing Editor of U.S. TV and media blog "Lost Remote", takes a look back at some of his less insightful comments from this year.
"BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THE YEAR: The video iPod. In my six years at LR, I don't think I've made as bad a prediction as guessing it would be a minor blip. It was a nuclear explosion. What I didn't count on was the near-immediate adoption of the format by the major networks. When the original iPod was launched, there was no iTunes Music Store at all. Figuring that hardware needs killer content, I decided the video iPod was an incremental step for Apple. After all - how many music videos were you going to buy? How many podcasts did you want to watch? Turns out - a lot."
Well at least he wasn't one of the bloggers that got the video iPod release completely wrong. Now that would just be embarrassing.
"BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THE YEAR: The video iPod. In my six years at LR, I don't think I've made as bad a prediction as guessing it would be a minor blip. It was a nuclear explosion. What I didn't count on was the near-immediate adoption of the format by the major networks. When the original iPod was launched, there was no iTunes Music Store at all. Figuring that hardware needs killer content, I decided the video iPod was an incremental step for Apple. After all - how many music videos were you going to buy? How many podcasts did you want to watch? Turns out - a lot."
Well at least he wasn't one of the bloggers that got the video iPod release completely wrong. Now that would just be embarrassing.
Rocketboom | Reruns!
For those of you yet to get into Rocketboom, Andrew and Amanda are taking a week off between Christmas and New Year's. In their regular place they're running the "best of...", starting with their first episode and showing highlights from the year. On Thursday night they'll tally the votes and proclaim Rocketboom's favourite episode.
Vote early, vote often.
Vote early, vote often.
Dilbert.com - Dogbert's Tech Support
Most days Dilbert's kind of disappointing. But every now and then Scott Adams nails it.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Kerry Packer dies - An interesting way to end an interesting media year
And as always happens in the blogosphere when someone of social stature shuffles on, you get an instant response filled with the loathers, the deluded and the occasional suck-up.
I have nothing to say on the life and death of Australia's richest man. I'm sure the days leading up to New Year's will be filled with retrospectives, analyses and tearful recollections such that anything I say here will just sound poorly researched and self-serving. My interest now is what happens to PBL. The problem is, I really don't think there will be too big a change from the current direction. James Packer, the obvious heir-apparant, has been the face of PBL for the last five or so years as Kerry Packer moved further into the background so you have to question any likelihood of change. You can be pretty sure that any big moves early next year will have been as a result of decisions made under Kerry's watch. Anyway, let's see what the new year holds. Just don't hold your breath for anything mind-bogglingly different (unless James gets himself stuck into another "One.Tel" debacle),
To the Packers, commiserations on the loss of a father and husband.
To the Australian media, 2006 suddenly picked up a small twist to kick off the year.
More Future-gazing - Top 10 tech trends for 2006 | MercuryNews.com
Let's look back on this in a year's time and see how they went.
MercuryNews.com | 12/25/2005 | Top 10 tech trends for 2006Friday, December 23, 2005
2006: The Unbundled Awakening | Donata Communications
Terry Heaton offers up his latest thoughts in his ongoing series "TV News in a Postmodern World". This episode takes a look at where he thinks the media is headed next year. While some of what he has to say is overtly U.S. based (as expected) there are elements that I found particularly interesting.
This is still a little way away here, but give it time. Newspapers have already started sending out VJ's and TV crews have been shrinking for a while. Career that most needs to be concerned for 2006?: News Editor.
Anyone that's been through this site knows how much I love Rocketboom. While it's true they've copped a bit of a pasting from the more hardcore elements of the vlogging community (who consider Mr Baron's and Ms Congdon's contribution to not entirely follow the spirit of the vlogging ethos) I love what they've done and how they've done it. To the cast and crew of Rocketboom I would offer you my best wishes and a warning to keep an eye on falling into "Wayne's World Syndrome" as the money starts to trickle in. The show's what it is because you made it so. You don't need any media consultants to tell you how to "fix" it (and I can already smell them circling).
While we're on the subject of downloadable content, here's a thought. ABC, NBC and the like have been able to offer incredible shows for nominal download fees to show on the iPod. This will come to affect Australia, not as much as some proselytise, but more than others seem to think. Even if these shows don't make it to the Australian version of iTunes, it's not that difficult to get them through the U.S. site. What do you need, a U.S. credit card? As I mention further down, the internet kind of assists people to find others to help. Once that's in place, the idea of holding onto a show for three months before you start playing it (Series 2 of Lost anyone? Channel 7, I'm looking in your direction...) kind of loses its logic. So what do you do as an Australian television channel? Put out your own content for download on iTunes. Really? Blue Heelers? McLeod's Daughters? We've let our industry get to the point where the real money-spinners are American, and we don't have the rights to charge for them! With less money coming in through traditional TV advertising, how do you plug the local production holes? And with less money coming in comes less money for buying local content. Local content that the ABA says you have to have. Another serve of Funniest Home Videos anyone?
I'm agreeing with Terry on this one. It's something I keep coming back to but don't believe I've mentioned here. For the last ten to fifteen years we've been told that the internet is this huge, international phenomenon, where a customer in Timbuktu can buy a swiss watch from a store in Brisbane, or a Danish retiree can discuss his love of Smurfs with a Chinese paraplegic. And while this ability to find and create new communities to overlay our physical communities (Foucault's Heterotopia) has been of great importance to the growth of the internet, there seems to be more and more awareness of the power the internet can hold in the local, physical community. In an Australian TV mediascape that seems to be based around shrinking local participation and content (Channel 10's weekend news, Channel 7 doing various city's news out of their Melbourne Broadcast centre) the need for local voices, local citizen voices, has never been greater. Moreover, the ability to reach those people has never been easier.
And I keep telling myself that, but I still haven't moved...
As someone who jumped ship early, I can only say "here here"!
I have to say, between my work and my university this has to have been one of, if not the most intellectually satisfying year of my life. And so I find myself going in to a new year, two more subjects left to finish up the degree, lots of production promises from the job (I don't think I can call it a "new job" now that I've been here a year can I?) and ideas running through my head on what to do with all this. Let's hope 2006 is a year where I take what I've learnt and finally do something about it.
I'm gone until Tuesday. To those that celebrate it, enjoy Christmas. To those that don't, have a good weekend. No mention of New Year yet because I'm at work all week in a production downtime. Expect something.
I'm thinking a nice "Year-in-Archived-File-Vision" piece is in the cards...
"Despite the fears and anger of many television news employees, the VJ model of newsgathering will spread to more stations in the U.S. during 2006."
This is still a little way away here, but give it time. Newspapers have already started sending out VJ's and TV crews have been shrinking for a while. Career that most needs to be concerned for 2006?: News Editor.
"Online video will be where much of the action is in 2006. ABC and Apple began the explosion this year by offering unbundled programs via download to Video iPods, and the results have been significant. So much so that the other networks, studios and even outside players have jumped on the bandwagon. Rocketboom, the quirky slice of life offered daily by Andrew Michael Baron and the increasingly glamorous Amanda Congden struck a deal with TiVo that makes their vlog available to TiVo users — just like any other television program. This is the final insult to the broadcasting industry — that two young people from New York with a great idea and little resources can compete with their expensive programming. It's only the beginning."
Anyone that's been through this site knows how much I love Rocketboom. While it's true they've copped a bit of a pasting from the more hardcore elements of the vlogging community (who consider Mr Baron's and Ms Congdon's contribution to not entirely follow the spirit of the vlogging ethos) I love what they've done and how they've done it. To the cast and crew of Rocketboom I would offer you my best wishes and a warning to keep an eye on falling into "Wayne's World Syndrome" as the money starts to trickle in. The show's what it is because you made it so. You don't need any media consultants to tell you how to "fix" it (and I can already smell them circling).
While we're on the subject of downloadable content, here's a thought. ABC, NBC and the like have been able to offer incredible shows for nominal download fees to show on the iPod. This will come to affect Australia, not as much as some proselytise, but more than others seem to think. Even if these shows don't make it to the Australian version of iTunes, it's not that difficult to get them through the U.S. site. What do you need, a U.S. credit card? As I mention further down, the internet kind of assists people to find others to help. Once that's in place, the idea of holding onto a show for three months before you start playing it (Series 2 of Lost anyone? Channel 7, I'm looking in your direction...) kind of loses its logic. So what do you do as an Australian television channel? Put out your own content for download on iTunes. Really? Blue Heelers? McLeod's Daughters? We've let our industry get to the point where the real money-spinners are American, and we don't have the rights to charge for them! With less money coming in through traditional TV advertising, how do you plug the local production holes? And with less money coming in comes less money for buying local content. Local content that the ABA says you have to have. Another serve of Funniest Home Videos anyone?
"...citizens media...will continue to be the driving disruptive force confronting all media in 2006. Whether it's blogs competing for political dollars or vlogs competing for eyeballs, citizens media is here to stay... The single most important piece of advice I can give to any media entity in 2006 is to get involved in the local citizens media community."
I'm agreeing with Terry on this one. It's something I keep coming back to but don't believe I've mentioned here. For the last ten to fifteen years we've been told that the internet is this huge, international phenomenon, where a customer in Timbuktu can buy a swiss watch from a store in Brisbane, or a Danish retiree can discuss his love of Smurfs with a Chinese paraplegic. And while this ability to find and create new communities to overlay our physical communities (Foucault's Heterotopia) has been of great importance to the growth of the internet, there seems to be more and more awareness of the power the internet can hold in the local, physical community. In an Australian TV mediascape that seems to be based around shrinking local participation and content (Channel 10's weekend news, Channel 7 doing various city's news out of their Melbourne Broadcast centre) the need for local voices, local citizen voices, has never been greater. Moreover, the ability to reach those people has never been easier.
And I keep telling myself that, but I still haven't moved...
"But the remarkable thing about these enormous changes in our business and our culture is the opportunities that exist for all of us. More people will lose their jobs in the industry next year, and some will be forced to learn new skills and think for themselves in a different way. It will be the best thing that ever happened for them.
There's little about change that we can control except the way we react to it. We can fight it or accept it; it's really that simple. Those who accept it will find a fascinating world awaits their skills and abilities. For those who continue to cling to old beliefs and old ways of doing things, it won't be pretty."
There's little about change that we can control except the way we react to it. We can fight it or accept it; it's really that simple. Those who accept it will find a fascinating world awaits their skills and abilities. For those who continue to cling to old beliefs and old ways of doing things, it won't be pretty."
As someone who jumped ship early, I can only say "here here"!
I have to say, between my work and my university this has to have been one of, if not the most intellectually satisfying year of my life. And so I find myself going in to a new year, two more subjects left to finish up the degree, lots of production promises from the job (I don't think I can call it a "new job" now that I've been here a year can I?) and ideas running through my head on what to do with all this. Let's hope 2006 is a year where I take what I've learnt and finally do something about it.
I'm gone until Tuesday. To those that celebrate it, enjoy Christmas. To those that don't, have a good weekend. No mention of New Year yet because I'm at work all week in a production downtime. Expect something.
I'm thinking a nice "Year-in-Archived-File-Vision" piece is in the cards...
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Nothing of Note
I don't seem to have anything to say of late, which I find a little disturbing. Actually, that's not entirely true. It's not that I haven't had ideas. Honest, I have. Follow ups on previous posts, comments on issues regarding Sydney, and the things that bug me about driving, but unfortunately I'm finding that bringing them to fruition to form an intelligent and logical argument is more effort than I'm willing to expend at this time of year.
Perhaps this malaise will disappear in the new year. We'll see.
By the way, new Tiki Bar TV episode. That'll lift the spirits.
Perhaps this malaise will disappear in the new year. We'll see.
By the way, new Tiki Bar TV episode. That'll lift the spirits.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
HammerFest '05 | GrinnerHester.com
My boy Grinner Hester, editor extraordinaire, continues his series of "Show Me Your Mods." I'll let Grinner set it up.IN a nutshell, we have a character on lxforums with over 6k posts. He knows every in and out of every car you can imagine and always has some comedy or wisdom in his words. After thousands of posts, somone asked him to post a pic of his LX car. These are magnums, chargers and 300s. He mentioned he didn't have one and was trying to save up for a down payment for one. Someone chimmed in and offered a donation towards a down payment for him, then someone else did and over about 6 months time, the forums members came up with over 4 grand for him to put toward the car of his dreams. People travelled from all over the nation to meet in Nashville to watch him pick it up. It was a fun, heart-warming experience. This is what custom cars are about for me.. a comradery made between people of all walks of life bringing them together under an umbrella of a common intrest. It's an awesome thing and I hope I captured some of it in this piece.
HammerFest '05
People using the internet to do something good in the real world. That's what it's all about.
Some thoughts on "jadelr's notebook" as a companion piece to "Chasing Windmills"
Matthew Clayfield from Esoteric Rabbit points us in the direction of "jadelr's notebook", the companion blog to the excellent web drama "Chasing Windmills".Chasing Windmills' sister blog, jadelr's notebook, is excellent as well, an up-to-the-minute, behind-the-scenes videoblog comprised of outtakes, posts about production methods, and shout-outs to supporters. The notebook is essentially Chasing Windmills' special features disc—the windmill chaser's official companion.
As I mention in the comments to his post, I've visited jadelr's blog once or twice but never really got into it as a "behind-the-scenes" additional material resource. I think this is because my natural instinct is to watch the story, without external influence, through to the end before going back and watching or reading external content. Due to the nature of Chasing Windmills as an ongoing serial style drama, this means waiting a while. My comment there was that while an author may create content with a view towards a particular method of access and integration by the audience as a whole, the individual has the ability to use the elements as they see fit. Really, the point of the Video on Demand lifestyle. Power to the people, the individual as consumer and creator, that sort of thing. It's just that in a world where digital distribution allows all manner of additional content to be produced to help sell a product to the audience (giving them a "richer experience") I found it interesting that when I really thought about it I discovered I wasn't really interested in that sort of stuff during the run of the show.
Then again, maybe that's because I'm getting old. A product of the previous generation of media consumers.
By the way, so long as I have you here, I'd just like to follow up on an article I posted a link to yesterday.
The more I think about it, the more I dislike the use of the term "Hive Mind" to describe what's happening with social networking, particularly the concepts of folksonomies and tagging. I find the term evokes images of mindless automatons, all performing the will of a greater authority by following others without question (yes, for the protection of the society I will concede). The beauty of tagging is that while it does work towards concensus, it allows for great individuality as well. Community subsets, subcultures, even individuals can create connections between items with meanings that are known only to them. While I agree wholeheartedly that tagging has problems when it comes to effectively searching for specific content, the ability to refer to things on your own terms, and discover others who think similarly, is a wonderous thing.
The individual mind as part of greater society and culture. Individual thoughts, experiences, backgrounds, thought processes, all working together, explicitly or not, to create something larger. It's a wonderful concept to me.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Lifehack Your Books | The Glass is Too Big
Who says hypertextual and social networking techniques are only valid in a digital environment?
"The first taboo I think everyone should just plain get over is the taboo of writing in books. I write in most of my books. Notes about the content, things the content reminds me of, etc. When you just plain write in the margins, inside the cover, etc. there's no way the notes for that content will get lost. They'll forever be attached to the text they refer to."
Even better, the very tongue-in-cheek response from Wired boss Bruce Sterling.
'The first taboo I think everyone should just plain get over is the taboo of writing in books. I write in most of my books. (((It's the PRIMROSE PATH TO HELL!! ))) Notes about the content, things the content reminds me of, etc. When you just plain write in the margins, inside the cover, etc. there's no way the notes for that content will get lost. They'll forever be attached to the text they refer to. (((He's creating the NAPSTER OF PAPER! All is lost!)))
And to finish it up, a pretty good run through the pros and cons of folksonomies.
"The advantages to top-down hierarchical taxonomies for library collections are without question. For cataloging the Web, however, they just aren’t feasible. The new, “voice of the people” approach of folksonomies emerges at a time when attitudes about information organization and retrieval are shifting and the technology is developing to support them. The opportunities for learning about user behavior as well as the implications for improving and/or complementing existing taxonomies that these systems can provide are of no small import. We are on the cusp of an exciting new stage of Web growth in which the users provide both meaning and a means of finding through tagging."
Given where my mind is currently taking my upcoming Shadowrun game, this is good stuff to have in the back of my head.
"The first taboo I think everyone should just plain get over is the taboo of writing in books. I write in most of my books. Notes about the content, things the content reminds me of, etc. When you just plain write in the margins, inside the cover, etc. there's no way the notes for that content will get lost. They'll forever be attached to the text they refer to."
Even better, the very tongue-in-cheek response from Wired boss Bruce Sterling.
'The first taboo I think everyone should just plain get over is the taboo of writing in books. I write in most of my books. (((It's the PRIMROSE PATH TO HELL!! ))) Notes about the content, things the content reminds me of, etc. When you just plain write in the margins, inside the cover, etc. there's no way the notes for that content will get lost. They'll forever be attached to the text they refer to. (((He's creating the NAPSTER OF PAPER! All is lost!)))
And to finish it up, a pretty good run through the pros and cons of folksonomies.
"The advantages to top-down hierarchical taxonomies for library collections are without question. For cataloging the Web, however, they just aren’t feasible. The new, “voice of the people” approach of folksonomies emerges at a time when attitudes about information organization and retrieval are shifting and the technology is developing to support them. The opportunities for learning about user behavior as well as the implications for improving and/or complementing existing taxonomies that these systems can provide are of no small import. We are on the cusp of an exciting new stage of Web growth in which the users provide both meaning and a means of finding through tagging."
Given where my mind is currently taking my upcoming Shadowrun game, this is good stuff to have in the back of my head.
Wired News: I Dance, Therefore I Am
Hmmm, what an interesting article.
Read it. You'll see what I mean.
Read it. You'll see what I mean.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Penny Arcade! - One Day In The Future
That'll be me one day, I can see it...
Image removed to facilitate good relations should anyone from Penny Arcade ever pop by.
Go look it up. It's still relevant.
Image removed to facilitate good relations should anyone from Penny Arcade ever pop by.
Go look it up. It's still relevant.
Monday, December 12, 2005
I am an Australian...
...and today I am ashamed.
I don't know what else to say. I'm shocked. Ashamed. Saddened. Not because of this one incident, vile and abhorrent as it is, but because we've let our country come to this.
Then again, maybe this needed to come out. It's only by bringing the darker and filthier elements of our society into the light that we can target them.
I don't know what else to say. I'm shocked. Ashamed. Saddened. Not because of this one incident, vile and abhorrent as it is, but because we've let our country come to this.
Then again, maybe this needed to come out. It's only by bringing the darker and filthier elements of our society into the light that we can target them.
Rocketboom gets the Tivo Treatment
Let's celebrate!
Regular visitors to King Leonard - The Weblog will know that the editorial team are huge fans of daily vlog Rocketboom, the quirky news show out of NYC by Andrew Baron and Amanda Congdon. Hats off to them and their crew on getting TiVo, the "I wanna watch it now!" kings of video content, to put them on subscription. Between that and a recent New York Times article the only way is up for these guys.
Congrats to the team! You are an inspiration to a generation of media producers.
Regular visitors to King Leonard - The Weblog will know that the editorial team are huge fans of daily vlog Rocketboom, the quirky news show out of NYC by Andrew Baron and Amanda Congdon. Hats off to them and their crew on getting TiVo, the "I wanna watch it now!" kings of video content, to put them on subscription. Between that and a recent New York Times article the only way is up for these guys.
Congrats to the team! You are an inspiration to a generation of media producers.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Friday, December 09, 2005
How It Should Have Ended - alternate endings to favourite movies
Via Articulate, the ABC Arts and Entertainment blog.
While I'm linking to cool videos, here's a couple of interesting animations that try and "re-edit" the final scenes of some of the most iconic films of the last twenty years, such as "The Blair Witch Project", "Se7en", "Braveheart", "Star Wars", "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Matrix: Revolutions". Very clever stuff.
Includes low res WMV's and higher quality Torrent files.
Coming soon, "The Lord of the Rings".
While I'm linking to cool videos, here's a couple of interesting animations that try and "re-edit" the final scenes of some of the most iconic films of the last twenty years, such as "The Blair Witch Project", "Se7en", "Braveheart", "Star Wars", "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Matrix: Revolutions". Very clever stuff.
Includes low res WMV's and higher quality Torrent files.
Coming soon, "The Lord of the Rings".
Yahoo Combines Australian Business With Seven Network | PaidContent.org
This kind of came out of the blue. I am a little disappointed at my old freelance employer for, in a way, wimping out, but then I guess it makes sense for traditional television companies not to try and reinvent themselves, but rather team up with those that have the know how. Yahoo's been pushing more and more into media this year, moving up from its origins as a search engine (sound like another booming online company who shall remain Google?) so it makes sense. It's just got us a little shocked is all.
The question now is, how will 9 counter? This sounds a little more dedicated than ninemsn, or their previous deals with Optus and Telstra for content.
The question now is, how will 9 counter? This sounds a little more dedicated than ninemsn, or their previous deals with Optus and Telstra for content.
Another trailer remix | A Christmas Gory
Via Boing Boing.
Not the funniest or cleverest of these we've seen, but still cute. And, just in time for the holidays!
Side note - I've never seen this movie. I guess it must be a U.S. thing...
Not the funniest or cleverest of these we've seen, but still cute. And, just in time for the holidays!
Side note - I've never seen this movie. I guess it must be a U.S. thing...
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Australian bloggers muzzled | SMH
Well Australia, you voted for it, you deal with it.
No I'm not talking about the rather vapid series of Australian Idol or Big Brother from this year. I'm talking about something a little more important. As a result of the government's end of year legislation grab (17 bills in a fortnight? Of course the government's not abusing its majority) we now find ourselves stuck with the "Anti-Terror" laws, including the contentious Sedition provisions.
"How does that affect me?" I hear you ask. Well, lots of ways, but speaking particularly close to home...
"Many local bloggers are unaware that they may be liable for everything they write on their sites, not to mention all of the colourful comments made by contributors.
Our new sedition laws will make this worse.
Blogs fall under the same defamation and other laws that regulate all media organisations in the country.
While US bloggers are protected by a freedom of speech clause in the US Bill of Rights, new sedition laws passed by Australian authorities may make life even tougher for bloggers."
What happens when you mix an expanding world of popular voice and opinion with legislation designed to squash dissenting points of view? Let's watch and find out as the new year unfolds.
No I'm not talking about the rather vapid series of Australian Idol or Big Brother from this year. I'm talking about something a little more important. As a result of the government's end of year legislation grab (17 bills in a fortnight? Of course the government's not abusing its majority) we now find ourselves stuck with the "Anti-Terror" laws, including the contentious Sedition provisions.
"How does that affect me?" I hear you ask. Well, lots of ways, but speaking particularly close to home...
"Many local bloggers are unaware that they may be liable for everything they write on their sites, not to mention all of the colourful comments made by contributors.
Our new sedition laws will make this worse.
Blogs fall under the same defamation and other laws that regulate all media organisations in the country.
While US bloggers are protected by a freedom of speech clause in the US Bill of Rights, new sedition laws passed by Australian authorities may make life even tougher for bloggers."
What happens when you mix an expanding world of popular voice and opinion with legislation designed to squash dissenting points of view? Let's watch and find out as the new year unfolds.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Adobe Completes Acquisition of Macromedia | Adobe Press Room
This is just the prelim stuff. The fun kicks off when Adobe figures out ways to really integrate the two product lines beyond just sticking the Creative Suite and Studio 8 into one big box.
I mean really, Photoshop AND Fireworks? Each using proprietary formats? Overkill?
I mean really, Photoshop AND Fireworks? Each using proprietary formats? Overkill?
Uni results - two subjects to go!!!
Final results for KIN810 - Information Architecture have been released. Despite my initial fears I find myself walking away with a very respectable 6, meaning an ongoing GPA of 6.667. Not bad for a guy who hates coding as much as I do. All in all an enjoyable subject in its way. It was just a pity the Post-grad students got stuck with the undergrads.
It's also a pity that the marking for these subjects are based on some application of a secondary training rather than what gets taught in lectures. Hopefully this is one of the things that the new Comm Design restructure will address.
Next year I'm stepping away from the warm and enveloping bosom of Communication Design to step into the harsh, cold world of IT and Journalism. The IT subject, Systems & Networks, is a means of getting a little more practical knowledge with the physical side of my job. Another subject I "should" do rather than one I really want to do. Similarly, the journalism subject, Newswriting, is a means of getting my head around where my colleagues are coming from (sitting in an office surrounded by journos. Know your enemy!). It's also a means of getting me back into writing, and maybe it will help with my blog posts as well. We'll see.
Finally, just wanted to give a huge congrats to my lecturer for this last semester, Simon Perkins, who is heading to the U.K. to pick up a job, kind of similar to the one he's leaving, just with less practical code writing and more academic theory and application. If anyone would be perfect for it it's him. I felt all semester that he was being held back trying to teach us all PHP. The real interest for me was what he was trying to teach us in the lectures; information management, information structures, the interesting stuff.
All the best Simon. Go forth and flourish.
It's also a pity that the marking for these subjects are based on some application of a secondary training rather than what gets taught in lectures. Hopefully this is one of the things that the new Comm Design restructure will address.
Next year I'm stepping away from the warm and enveloping bosom of Communication Design to step into the harsh, cold world of IT and Journalism. The IT subject, Systems & Networks, is a means of getting a little more practical knowledge with the physical side of my job. Another subject I "should" do rather than one I really want to do. Similarly, the journalism subject, Newswriting, is a means of getting my head around where my colleagues are coming from (sitting in an office surrounded by journos. Know your enemy!). It's also a means of getting me back into writing, and maybe it will help with my blog posts as well. We'll see.
Finally, just wanted to give a huge congrats to my lecturer for this last semester, Simon Perkins, who is heading to the U.K. to pick up a job, kind of similar to the one he's leaving, just with less practical code writing and more academic theory and application. If anyone would be perfect for it it's him. I felt all semester that he was being held back trying to teach us all PHP. The real interest for me was what he was trying to teach us in the lectures; information management, information structures, the interesting stuff.
All the best Simon. Go forth and flourish.
Emergency Naptime Procedures Implelented - Serenity in a nutshell
Thanks to Steve D for the heads up on this one.
The Hand Puppet Movie Theatre Presents
Serenity
For those that want the highly edited version.
The Hand Puppet Movie Theatre Presents
Serenity
For those that want the highly edited version.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
TheFeature :: It's All About The Archives!!!
Just discovered that all those articles I've posted here in the past from Mobile Technology website "The Feature" can still be accessed, even though the site (owned by Nokia) is no longer running. The comments have been tossed away, but the info's still worth a read.
That is all.
That is all.
Google: Ten Golden Rules | MSNBC.com
In the ongoing effort to use this blog as a poor man's del.icio.us, here's a link to an interesting article on Googles business rules. Interesting stuff. I just wish I owned a business big enough to even contemplate having to use them.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Tiki Bar TV - More funky podcast action!
It's happening!
That is to say, it was already happening and I've only just caught up.
As a prelude, I already know what I want for my birthday (forget Christmas. That's already sorted). A new wardrobe!
A Rocketboom T-Shirt,
and now a Tiki Bar TV T-Shirt!
For those who have yet to enjoy the pleasures of the Tiki Bar, get on along and have a drink! Dr Tiki has just the prescription for you.
I will buy a T-Shirt and wear it proudly! Especially if I know that the money is going to buy some more microphones (only flaw so far).
The other podcast/vlog I'm slowly coming around to is Help My Patients, a daily "reality" show where a fictional psychiatrist records his fictional patients' therapy sessions then opens up the comments section for people to give advice.
I have to say, I'm finding all this stuff inspiring! Time to get off the pot and make some ideas I've been having start to happen.
That is to say, it was already happening and I've only just caught up.
As a prelude, I already know what I want for my birthday (forget Christmas. That's already sorted). A new wardrobe!
A Rocketboom T-Shirt,
and now a Tiki Bar TV T-Shirt!
For those who have yet to enjoy the pleasures of the Tiki Bar, get on along and have a drink! Dr Tiki has just the prescription for you.
I will buy a T-Shirt and wear it proudly! Especially if I know that the money is going to buy some more microphones (only flaw so far).
The other podcast/vlog I'm slowly coming around to is Help My Patients, a daily "reality" show where a fictional psychiatrist records his fictional patients' therapy sessions then opens up the comments section for people to give advice.
I have to say, I'm finding all this stuff inspiring! Time to get off the pot and make some ideas I've been having start to happen.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Warrenellis.com | Just Like Christmas
I love it when Warren Ellis comes out with this sort of stuff. Inspired. And just in time for Christmas too!
“What did you expect? Guy with a big beard breaks into your house at night to leave suspicious packages. Only a matter of time before he crashed that sleigh into an office block..."
As always with Ellis' stuff, not for the easily offended or those with a conservative political bent.
Chasing Windmills - O.K. guys, you got my attention
Anyone remember how the other day I said that the stories in Minnesota-based web series Chasing Windmills didn't appeal to me? You do? Well, all that changed over the last few days and has peaked with today's episode.
Congratulations guys, you got me hooked. See you again tomorrow.
Congratulations guys, you got me hooked. See you again tomorrow.
Chasing Windmills | Bath
By the way, as a side technical note take a look at the address where the files are stored. Nice way to save on streaming and storage costs.
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