Google Goggles

I thought this was pretty cool as far as advanced technology goes. Here is a link to a CNN article about it. I haven't downloaded the app yet for my new Android phone, but I probably will once I get the time to look for it. I think that eventually they could adapt it to maybe blind people so that they can see.

Japan Toilet games

here is the Link to information on the Japanese toilet games, brought to you by Sega. If you google "japanese toilet games" it will pop up a lot of options, but the link I found shows better images of it.

Cool interactive thing...

I found this link on Fark. Its an interactive timeline of the events in the middle east starting in December. You can direct the movement a two ways (dragging the date on the top, or pulling the ball by the word "navigate"). Then there are different icons to highlight various events to read the first few lines of the article on that event, if you click on the icons it gives you the whole article. Its really interesting to see the events on a timeline like this as you can see how things are changing and where.

The Path of Protest

Sundance!

Just thinking about film, I wanted to post something about my experiences at the 07 Sundance Film Festival. It was the most fun I had with going to  movies. I saw about 2 premiers and just missed the premier for "Black Snake Moan". I was under 21 at the time so I couldn't go to some premiers and parties. It was really fun because everyone there was passionate about watching and making films. Some films had panels and Q&A portions after the films with actors and directors. I suggest everyone watch "Four Sheets to the Wind", "Year of the Fish", and "Black Snake Moan" (I missed the premier, but I just think that it was awesome that I was at there). I think anyone who even thinks that they want to make movies should go, they have so many discussions and panels that talk about new technology and methods and just all the networking that can go on there.

Early movie watching....

The earliest movie I remember seeing in the theater was Aladdin. We went and saw it with some cousins. That's about all I remember from it. My family liked to go to movies a few times a month. So I saw all the Disney movies and a few other kids movies growing up. I've grown to like more chick-flicks and artsy/dramatic movies.

Money in twitter...

I thought that this was interesting, apparently celebrities can charge for their tweets. Kim Kardashian, for example, charges $25,000 for mentioning certain products per tweet. This could be a big business for the future. I really wonder how much other celebrities get paid for their tweets. I suppose that there could be other consequences if people tweet about products without getting paid.

My newspaper experience

Well, in junior high, my English class had Carpe' Diam day every Friday. All we had to do was find something interesting in the papers and write/talk about them in class.

I have been in the paper for almost every theatrical production I have been involved with since high school. Not really anything major, just pictures and my name. They were just the local "Star Tribune", or the ones by my school in Belgrade

I wrote for the Trojan Times for about a year. I pretty much hated it, because, really, there wasn't much going on and I had to write about something. I got a few good articles, for the Virginia Tech shootings, for the school having a ridiculous virtual tour, and my experience going to Pine Ridge on a mission trip. The one thing I liked about those major stories, is that I got some major feedback from the readers and even Dr. Knowlton.

As for reading papers, at home my parents always had an ongoing subscription to the "Star Tribune", so there was always something to read. I mostly stuck with the funnies. At college, I don't personally have a subscription, but I have bought a paper or two depending on what is going on locally.

I do have a deep hate for the "Argus Leader". I hate their stories, I hate their headlines, I hate their bias, I hate their editor. Their stories have little depth, and lately I've been seeing more AP, USA Today articles than local writers. Their headlines are extremely sensationalized, and when they weren't sensationalized they were biased. Like one that stands out in my mind is "Noem Identifies with South Dakotans". It chose words that sway readers, they could have used any other word than "Identifies" to describe her luncheon with some city. People assume that what they say is fact, and if Kristy identifies with South Dakotan's, then Stephanie in turn does not. I can't even open the Argus during election periods, because any article on a candidate is almost like free advertising.

Klout

I discovered a website the other day that can tell you how popular/influential you are on the social web. I only saw a spot for twitter accounts, so I'm not sure if it also works on facebook or linkdin. I didn't register, so I'm not sure if registering allows more networks to be analyzed. It lists the top influential people on their front page for different categories:



I clicked on Moondustwriter to see what kind of analysis this website actually does and this is what I got:

There is more in depth analysis on another page, but I couldn't see it because I'm not registered. But it seems like an interesting tool if you were a heavy-duty tweeter.

New Show "Bar Karma"

Current TV's 'Bar Karma' puts viewers in control
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer Frazier Moore, Ap Television Writer Thu Feb 10, 9:08 am ET

NEW YORK – A man (or woman) walks into a bar.

Where the story goes from there has been a topic of interest for weeks among online video auteurs, as they help brainstorm Current TV's new user-generated scripted series, "Bar Karma."

Clearly, this isn't just any bar, nor is it just any TV show.

The live-action "Bar Karma" has been described as a blend of "Twilight Zone," "Twin Peaks" and "Cheers," with maybe a little "Lost" thrown in.

Meanwhile, its barroom setting is described by the network as "a mystical watering hole that travels through time and space." Its proprietors (series stars Matthew Humphreys, Cassie Howarth and William Sanderson) are poised to greet each lost soul who happens in the door.

Once there (wherever "there" is), the patron has a crack at changing his or her fate.

"Think of it as a karmic rest stop," says James, the 20,000-year-old barkeep (played by Sanderson, known from "True Blood," "Lost" and "Deadwood").

Happy hour arrives Friday at 10 p.m. EST with the premiere of "Bar Karma."

The series was the brainchild of executive producer Will Wright, the video-game guru who created Spore and the best-selling Sims franchise. His big idea was to rally an online community to do the creative heavy lifting. And it has, contributing series ideas, debating them and voting on the best. The sci-fi world of "Bar Karma" evolved through lively give-and-take among the thousand-member beta community he convened a year ago.

Then, when Current's online Creation Studios opened wide to the public last fall, everyone was welcome to register and take part in creating any aspect of a "Bar Karma" episode: characters, narrative, promotion, even the graffiti in the bar's bathroom.

Step by step, each episode met with the community's approval, in collaboration with a professional team headed up by executive producer Albie Hecht, a TV veteran who was formerly the entertainment president at Nickelodeon. It's a development process he has termed "user-generated meets Hollywood."

The episode then goes before the cameras. At a studio facility in Newark, N.J., a production crew and actors turn the collective vision into TV.

Story lines selected by the voting public for the second and third episodes have been announced:

Episode 2, submitted by Jason Lee Holm of Barberton, Ohio, is about an author who travels into the future, where he discovers the political fallout from his children's book is destined to cause a global meltdown.

Episode 3, submitted by Moses Silbiger of Austin, Texas, showcases a famous actress in her 60s who, after entering Bar Karma in a hospital gown, is forced to re-examine her relationship with her son.

Meanwhile, this innovative venture into media crowd-sourcing continues on the Current website. The fourth episode is now in production and "the fifth and a little bit of the sixth episode" have been scripted, Hecht said. The rest of the 12-episode season, he said, "is TBD" — to be determined by viewers.

Friday's premiere (with no fewer than 168 names scoring on-screen credit as developers) sets the stage for the series.

A man walks into the bar. He's in his briefs. He's Doug Jones (Humphreys), a dashing Internet mogul and perhaps the luckiest man alive who, only moments before, was in bed with a beautiful blonde.

"I get it," Doug says, trying to make sense of what's happening. "Naked ... bedroom turned into a bar ... I'm dreaming."

"There's a 500-year-old dress code here," replies sassy waitress Dayna (Howarth). "Put your pants on."

What Doug is about to be informed is that, the night before, he won the deed to Bar Karma in a poker game. Even more odd, the dealer in the game was bartender James.

"You have the opportunity to help a lot of people," Dayna tells Doug now. "And you have a chance to help yourself."

But how? That remains to be seen in future episodes. Everyone's invited to help decide.

___

Current TV is owned by Current Media.

___

Online:

http://current.com/shows/bar-karma/

Other offensive Groupon ads

Welcome to YouTube

Bo Burnham, comedian-musician. I thought it might be something to share because it's another look at what YouTube is.

My Video

Update: I forgot to mention that I used my HD Camcorder. It has a time-lapse setting that I used at either 1 or 2 second setting (I can't remember which). Then I edited the film in windows live movie maker, that program had another setting where you can either speed up or slow down the film. Then I went to Wordle and used their advanced developer to make images with the text "English for New Media".

Even news people use wordle...

Even the Economist uses wordle. They took the State of the Union text and analyzed what the output was. Its sort of interesting that you can tell what side the website leans towards just by focusing on what words weren't mentioned and which were. But I noticed that one of the biggest words, "people" the article didn't have anything to respond to; but, they made sure to mention that China wasn't mentioned and even drew the conclusion that working with china was an underlying message of the speech. I guess it is interesting that people can take any form of analysis to prove whatever point they want by framing it.

Social Networking Leads to Sex Faster? (Seen On Yahoo! News)

Quotes from a yahoo article that I thought was interesting. It discusses how social media has influenced the way that people interact, and how their relationships progress faster because of it.

"Nearly four out of five women and three of five men say they believe texting, Facebook and other social networking tools cause new couples to jump into bed faster, a survey released on Monday showed."

"Texting is the No. 1 way lovers stay in touch, the survey found, with men texting 39 percent more often than phoning and women 150 percent more."

"Once the relationship clicks, 72 percent of women report scouring a current partner's ex-girlfriends' Facebook pages."

Even in the heat of passion, some people just can't get enough of their digital devices, the survey found. When a call or text comes in during sex, 5 percent of respondents said they glance to see who is calling and 1 percent say they stop to answer the phone.

MM

"The Medium is the Message" the way you get the message is actually part of the message...

YouTube Vid... From last semester... made by mr.broz

Different media and electronics...

Well, for me I have two digital cameras (one new one old), one digital HD camcorder, I have one cell phone, two laptops (one from freshmen year, one from last year), I suppose the Blu-ray player would count (it has apps, Pandora, Netflix, Vudu, etc.), my husband's Ipod, PS3, Wii... kind of seems like a lot...

How's this?

Questions? Comments? You be the source, send me the message, I'll decode it and receive it.