The Onion has a faux interview with Dave Matthews, in which he says: “I used to be a hardcore Dave Matthews fan. I had all my records and posters. I was so blown away by everything I did—especially my live performances. I remember me and my buddies used to drive for hours just to go to one of our shows.” Awesome. I freaking love The Onion. via nancies.org.
I’m back from vacation. I spent Friday-Monday at The Gorge watching the Dave Matthews Band. They put on an excellent show, and I thoroughly enjoyed all three nights, but Saturday was definitely the best show. Setlists are available at Nancies.org. I’m still catching up on things, so if you’ve sent me an email or there’s a blog post of yours I should have read or watch, hang on and I’ll be getting to it this week hopefully.
pt should be watching my vlog more regularly. In this post on the MAKE Blog, he discovers exactly what I outlined in Clint on Tech, Episode 4. Check out the episode for detailed instructions on how to do this on both the Mac and the PC.
I wonder sometimes why I subscribe to Boing Boing. I’ve rarely found anything on there that I’ve found interesting. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever even linked to them. I guess I’m being a lemming and following the inertia they’ve developed figuring that if I don’t subscribe I’ll miss something interesting. It turns out (even though it may not be worth it, since I’m sure someone else I read will link to this as well) that every once in a while they do produce a gem of content. Today they have an exclusive article, written by Charles Platt, a former Senior Writer at Wired, about Sam Cohen, the inventor of the Neutron Bomb. The Neutron Bomb is a term I’ve not really heard since my childhood, of which I have vague memories of people talking about the horror of the idea. Frankly, I always thought it was interesting, a bomb that would kill people but not destroy the infrastructure. It always seemed like a win/win for me, if we were going to be killing people in the first place. Sam Cohen fought his entire working life to convince people it was the most humane weapon possible, and, as is usually the case, his story, and the story of the bomb itself, is much more interesting and far more compelling than the memoirs and stories of any politician I’ve read. This is a must read. The Boing Boing story is here and the PDF containing the actual story is here.
I don’t spend enough time writing about other vlogs here. I’m starting a renewed effort today. You must see this entry on Ryanne’s vlog. Rock on. Content. Lets talk about it. Start a discussion today. Better yet, lets blog about it, revlog other people’s content. Lets start seeing other people’s content on your blog, or start a blog like Josh did (Josh’s Picks). Content is key, and we’re not going anywhere until we start showing people the best of what we can do. How do we determine the best? One way is better tools, but using the tools now the best way I can see is to use the knowledge of the community to come to a consensus about good content. Lets get people voting with links for what they like and voting with text in their emails for what they like. Lets just get people talking about it. If I don’t say it enough, you rock Ryanne (and I’ll give Jay a little credit too, but not too much 
).
Check out this post from Steve Gillmor on August 2nd (I know, I’m really behind on my reading):
Soon it will be September and a new budget year. Once more the Valley will turn back to flipping startups and serving fish and chips. But this time the deals will be with the new content kids on the block, and Firefox will rule the land. And I shall be editing the new Gillmor Gang video edition, brought to you in part by SkypeSight and InMediaWeTrust.
The Gillmor Gang video edition? I thought I’d die before I saw the day, but if I can make it till next year I might see it (lest we forget that Gillmor and his gang have been known to be video poopooers in the past). Give me a call Steve, my number’s on this site, I’ll be happy to help. We’re always looking for more people on the bleeding edge with us.
God, I love living in the Greater Seattle area (don’t want to say I live there, lest the West-Siders pounce on me calling me a poser ). I invited Phillip Torrone of MAKE Magazine out to the Meet The Vloggers event at the Apple Store on August 6th for an interview for Clint on Tech. While there, Matt & Pete from LeanBackVids and VlogMap.org showed Ander’s Wonderful World video, which he made with Google Earth and VlogMap.org data. It’s a great video, check it out. pt posted a link to this on the MAKE blog, and Scoble, via Daniel Nugent who obviously reads MAKE, posted a link to it on his blog. All this because of a simple email to pt asking if he’d like to show up. I love the fact I live in an area with so many successful new media players. Robert, I think you should be my next interview on “Clint on Tech.” Whatcha think, have some time in the next few weeks?
I’m hoping to stay in this area come the end of the year. However, right now the leading contender in the job market (the firmest thing coming) is in Denver. Anyone know what the blogging/vlogging community is like in Denver? Vlogging isn’t nearly as promising as it is here, but I’m a bit ignorant about the blogging community there. I’m not sure I’m in a position to start another company again, that seems like it would be better attempted in another 5 years or so, but I’d be happy to join an early age startup. I’m talking to a couple, but nothing’s firm yet. Anyone in Seattle looking for a New Media Guy & Technologist?
Update:
I love PubSub, Technorati, etc. I posted this less than two hours ago, and Robert’s already responded (check the comments). It’s better than email, really. I’m much more likely to respond to my name mentioned in my vanity feeds than my email, but that might be a volume thing.
Verdi pissed me off tonight with his post to the Videoblogging Group. I love Michael; he’s a great guy who gives himself fully to the community, but his attitude towards people who are looking to make money off of vlogging really grates on my nerves sometimes. It’s not that these people aren’t misguided, a lot of them are very misguided. Most of them will never make a cent, but I don’t see the problem with entertaining them, assuming they’re being respectful, civil and otherwise good community members. Perhaps I’m way off base here. Anyways, since I was pissed off, I filmed this rant, which basically sums up my feelings on the money thing. I want to make a living off of this, in whatever way possible, so I can do what I love doing rather than hating my job. I think most people agree and would do the same, but for some reason I’ve been labeled ‘the money man.’ Anyways, let me know what you think, I’m sure everyone will have an opinion.
At the August 6th Meet the Vloggers, Phillip Torrone graciously agreed to show up so I could interview him. My apologies for the audio quality, I forgot to grab my iPod and lavalier mic and the wind cut feature on my camera is doing weird things with the audio. We discussed a range of topics, and as always pt was entertaining and informative. Thanks so much to pt and MAKE Magazine for the interview. It’s a bit long, over 7 minutes, but trust me there wasn’t any more fat to cut.
Om Malik (who actually responded to my A-Listers slow down post yesterday), has missed the point of releasing products like DTV, which was released yesterday for the Mac. I’m continually amazed at bloggers, who are New Media plays, who are unable to understand the progression of video in the world of New Media and user generated content. If you were to come here and watch my back catalog of videos, you’d rightfully talk about what total shit it is. Honestly, unless you know me or you’re here to learn something from my “Clint on Tech” show, you’re not likely to find anything of value. Video diaries, which are the vast majority of vlogs being produced today, are not the future of user generated content, at least not content that’s for mass consumption. Themed content, including such illustrious genres as cooking shows, news shows, and technology shows are already here, and fiction content, which will entertain the masses, is coming.
User generated content is the long tail, which has been written about extensively. The appeal of user generated video content is the ability to generate content which exists solely in the long tail. With the barrier to entry at virtually nothing (a PC, camcorder and software can be had for as cheap as $700 or $800), the point is that the niche content that will never be produced by mass media now has an outlet. However, right now the community is just coming past the point where we’re getting over the idea that we can indeed put up whatever we want onto the Internet and people will watch it, and it’ll still be 6 months to a year before quality content with production values to rival cheap television production will be had. It’ll be another year or more after that before we can rival television for amount of quality content. Podcasting had the advantage of large amounts of out of work radio personalities, due to consolidation in radio from the likes of Clear Channel, and the talent, time and funding required to produce quality audio quality is significantly less than video. The talent is out there, but we’re still working to recruit it.
The irony in the entire situation is that in 1997 and 1998 (hell, even 2000) when blogs were just starting to attract good writers in droves, the vast majority of people would have looked at them and asked the same question they’re now asking about user generated video, “Who the hell would want to read (watch) this?” Without Radio Userland, Blogger, etc, it would have been impossible to enable the ease of publication and syndication necessary to give the bloggers, who are now accomplished writers, a platform to reach their audience. DTV, and other videoblog related items that are being released now with a dearth of content, are being released to provide the platform for publication and syndication that will be necessary to bring the droves of people into the video longtail.
Om is not alone here, Dave Winer, Steve Gillmor, and others have repeatedly poopooed video, when they not long ago were pioneering the same path. Why is it that bloggers, who were in the same position not 5 years ago, can’t seem to grasp the progression video is going to follow, when it’s so closely paralleled to the path blogging followed?
*** WARNING *** Six Feet Under Spoiler in Video
This video was shot immediately after the most recent Six Feet Under aired. Six Feet Under is a television show that airs on HBO (for those not in the know). The show consistently produces the best Hollywood has to offer. I spend some time talking about our best and their best.
I know I know, don’t mention the A-List. I don’t care how you define it, but at least with my A-List, which includes such people as (not linking to them since most of them are on my sidebar over there and I don’t feel like typing out a dozen links) Jeff Jarvis, David Weinberger, Om Malik, Robert Scoble, Steve Rubel, etc, I wish they’d write less. Blasphemy! It really doesn’t have anything to do with the content, it more has to do with the fact that I’d like to keep up with these people but the volume is just too great, especially if you’re busy for a week or two. I need to learn to skim better.
Steve Rubel blogs about YouTube today. YouTube is interesting, but unfortunately they’re competing in a space with better alternatives, including, but not limited to, Blip.tv, OurMedia.org and Videobloggers.org, all offering free hosting. The difference? The ones I listed above don’t have license agreements which require you to sign your rights away to them in perpetuity merely for getting hosting. YouTube’s license states:
By posting or sending a User Submission, you expressly grant YouTube
a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide
license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, edit, translate,
distribute, perform, display, and make derivative works of such User
Submission, and your name, voice, and/or likeness as contained in your
User Submission, in whole or in part, and in any form, media or
technology, whether now known or hereafter developed, including the
unfettered right to sublicense such rights, in perpetuity throughout
the universe.
Not only that, but these guys seem mainly interested in hosting one-off Internet video. They are not making efforts to cater to the vlogging community, and the guy that’s involved with them that does frequent mailing lists I’m on is not incredibly personable. Overall, I just can’t see why you’d give away your content, giving YouTube the right to create derivative works and resell your content w/o your consent with other sites will honor whatever license you choose to release your content under.
Update:
Check out the comments below where Steve from YouTube responds to this post. This is the beauty of the blosophere and the tools that have been developed (Technorati, Pubsub, etc). I have concerns (even though I’m not a customer) and YouTube is addressing them.
To update this, in response to the concerns elicited by the vlogging community YouTube has modified their license. I hear they’re still watermarking their videos, which I would prefer they branded their player and not their video, and they’re still working to allow syndication of video. The point is people have concerns and YouTube is listening and joining the conversation, which is something every company can learn from. Kudos to YouTube.
In response to Steve, I’m not sure who I was thinking of about impersonal relations on the mailing list. Best guess I can give is that I was thinking of Charles, but I’m not exactly sure why I wrote that.
Check out the ad on the right side of pvrblog.com. Akimbo’s advertising for me! Awesome.
Scoble’s taking a break. Good for him. No way I could keep up with his kind of volume, well unless I decided to read and send a lot less email from/to the Yahoo! Videoblogging Group. Make sure it stays fun, Robert. Hey, if you’re in town this weekend, come out to Meet the Vloggers. I’d really like to get a photo and some video of you at the Apple Store :).
Think I’ve fixed the problem this time. No idea why Apache is finding it necessary to spawn so many spare servers, but I’ve capped it at 10 now, which should be more than enough. For some reason I had it set at 150 (don’t know if that’s the default or if I mucked up the settings).
I’m in Miami and searching for DAT72 (DDS-5) tapes. When Wayne bought this tape drive he picked up the wrong kind of tapes. So far, I’ve been unsuccessful in finding anyone who carries DAT72/DDS-5 tapes, but TigerDirect does have an outlet store down here. I’m doubtful they even carry the things, but I’ve now went through two phone calls of 20 minutes where they ended up hanging up on me and now I’m on my third call that I’ve been on hold for 30 minutes.
I don’t care how big of a retail outlet they are, there is absolutely no excuse for this kind of performance. Rick Segal writes about this kind of stuff all the time, and I thoroughly enjoy his insights. I’ve got a few of my own, and I’m going to start posting them here more regularly. If you’re a company that’s the size of TigerDirect (who does a booming catalog business), there’s no excuse to have outlet stores that are poor performers that will tarnish your brand. Their $7/hr an hour retail employees which obviously couldn’t care less about their jobs have ruined the TigerDirect brand for me, and I’m very unlikely to order from their catalog now. All the controls they’ve setup to make sure their catalog phone centers are for not if the retail stores can’t handle their phones properly.
How do people live here? It’s oppressively hot in the summer. The whole area outside Miami is all sprawl. Nothing much taller than a story. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent so long driving when I wasn’t stuck in traffic.
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