Month: October 2004

  • OBEY ME WATCH THIS

    REVOLUTION: WORLD OF EVIL.

    VIA Unrelatednews.com


  • Geeking out

    Jay has a great video blog post about the PVR/TIVO/DVR media box that Dan Melinger has created. It’s fascinating to me because I’m building one of these boxes myself. A friend and I have been doing some tests of various Linux distros to see which we can make jive with Mythtv. As it stands now Mythtv seems to be more myth than tv. Its not because MythTV is not designed well but rather because I/we know very little about Linux. But hey, we’re geeking out and learning bout it.

    Melinger uses XP and SageTv which seems to be a much easier solution. I know Dan is very tech based on his thesis paper so I’m sure he chose the XP route for a reason. Maybe he chose XP to test the usability for the masses? He could have just as easily done it in Linux. Whatever.

    Why does any of this matter you ask? Is this the future of television/video blogs? TIVO style viewing is not new. What is relatively new is the ability to create a chunk of media and beam it out over the weeb to your tv screen through one of these boxes. How long will it be before you and I share our media alongside the traditional media outlet’s content? Photos/Music/Video on my tv via the weeb using rss enclosures bittorrent etc? Soon? You bet.

    If none of this pseudo geek talk makes any sense to you this will. You and I will soon be able to send each other movies/music/pictures and we’ll be able to watch them on our televisions.

    I’ll say it again: Lean back meets lean forward media.

    More info to come on the boxes we are creating and their unique form factor.

    More info on videoblogging


  • illin like a villain

    Please excuse the hack nature of my posting. I’m quite ill.

    Not so personal notes:

    The blogosphere sure loves to see somebody tell the big networks to “f” off. I’m not allowed to swear on my blog now. Some important readers have said they don’t like my use of the bad words! I knew this would happen.

    Some people are saying that the now infamous crossfire clip has been viewed more times online then during the airing of the show on CNN. I’m not sure if that’s true but its quite interesting to think about. More people watched a CNN segment on the internet then actually watched it live on CNN. Jeff Jarvis’ is pickin up what I’m puttin down. Smokin what I’m rollin or any there clever saying courtesy of my brother. Jarvis suggests CNN (and everyone else) make all of their news/content available for download after it airs. Then monitor what is being downloaded the most and offer some sort of “metadata” based system of what is most watched etc… Just like yahoo and Google’s algorithms do for online news. Tap into the “edgy”/”extreme” pulse of the “internet” and recycle the zeitgeist.*

    My problem with this whole idea is that what people want to see and what is newsworthy are very different. The most downloaded segments would be the trashiest lowest-common-denominator-ish clips. Not that CNN is a highbrow news outlet but if they started taking queues from their most downloaded clip of the moment they’d be Jerry Springer in no time. They’d never do this but nevertheless the idea is very interesting to me. You could have your pvr hooked into the cnn/whatever channel’s most downloaded segments. Then you could pick and choose what infotainment, I mean news, you’d like to see.

    I’d like to think the future of television is akin to TIVO style viewing with RSS feeds to the choice content with some sort of torrent like distribution system. Put all that stuff under some clean/easy to use interface and lean-back media meets lean-forward media. Once this occurs you’ll be situated firmly in “the future”.

    The pvr that I’m currently building has the ability to read rss feeds from the internet. Next step torrentocracy.

    Personal notes:

    I was thinking about how my head feels like its being stomped on. How does one know what a boot to face feels like? Just try playing rugby! Where am I going with this? This feeling reminded me of a George Orwell quote:

    “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

    What if?

    “If Bush steals the election again, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for four more years.”

    Link of note:

    Make your thoughts on Sinclair known.

    *Yes I just wanted to use the word zeitgeist.


  • Heavy.com

    Heavy.com is my new favorite weebsite.


  • Bush is Wired! 2.0

    The other day I posted that Bushiswired thing…. Well here is some proof. Proof from the internet! Everything on the internet is true I swear! This is a funny/scary image gallery making it look like Bush was wired during the debate. Maybe his ear piece was the reason he was so slow to respond! This is a pretty ridiculous idea but its still funny. What is really pathetic is that Bush is so far from behaving like a statesman that people would even come up with this stuff…


  • So many jackasses so little time.

    Bill O’Reilly you jackass! You are finally getting what you deserve, pervert. What goes around comes around.

    On another note: Why the hell are all these pro-Kerry blogs echoing the fact that the republicans are upset that Kerry mentioned Cheney’s daughter? Who cares? Move on! Anyone who actually watched the debate an Kerry’s remarks we’re not inappropriate at all. Rove and his peeps just like the idea that Kerry could look bad for mentioning Cheney’s daughter. If they hammer it hard enough people will forget BUSH LOST THE DEBATE. That is the people that are easy to manipulate, AKA those that have no interest in the debates and only hear the sound bytes…

    Keep the pressure on Sinclair folks. Don’t let them air this propaganda piece the night before the election. Also, Sinclair’s website is blatantly lying, the film has been shot, you can download it from the “stolen honour” site. Salon.com’s Eric Boehlert notes that “The right-wing network’s decision to force its affiliates to air anti-Kerry propaganda is one of the lowest moments in the history of television news, says the former head of the FCC. And it may unleash a backlash.” Well in my opinion it already has unleashed a backlash…

    Searching photos on Flickr is a great way to procrastinate.

    Retropod: Shut Down. Sony sure is doing a great job of making themselves look even lamer!

    E-voting. Yes its going to fuck up.

    William Gibson is blogging again.

    10 years of the weeb. 10 findings that are not particularly surprising

    Get your .mov on: (mov rhymes with groove) Daily Show Comedy Clips Archives and undergroundclips are both pretty sweet. Speaking of sweet, check out these shirts: founditemclothing.com

    I haven’t gotten into podcasting yet but you can get your podcast on here: podcast repository

    In case you didn’t know Ann Coulter is an ass, and an anorexic one at that.

    The huge white spot is at the top left of the site is where the Google ads are supposed to be… The folks at Google got all pissy that I was giving away Gmail accounts to people who sent in funny photos. I emailed them and they realized that I was in fact promoting Gmail. Maybe it was just a bot that halted the ads? Whatever, either way that big white spot will soon be back to its full sell out glory soon. The ads are meant to pay for the hosting of this beyotch and they do that and more!


  • Links of Note

    Hard Working George (mov)

    Homeland Security Designer (mov)

    Google Desktop Search Download

    Bill Gates on TV.


  • Kerry 3, Bush 0.

    Bush “not concerned” about Bin Laden…(~2MB .wmv)


  • The power of blogs

    The power of blogs?  Hmm lets see if they have teeth:

    Remember the Sinclair Broadcast Group?  Well the people at this network are planning on airing a piece of anti-Kerry propaganda the night before the election.  Bloggers are saying fuck that!  This is propaganda NOT NEWS and we will not stand for it!  Bloggers have taken to calling companies that advertise on the Sinclair stations and saying we’re not going to buy your products when you advertise with these schmucks…  Seems to be working.  Hit them where it counts, the bottom line.  Want to take actionTry here too…  Contact the local companies that advertise with them and speak with the Sales Manager.  Tell him/her how you aren’t going to buy your car from them anymore if they continue to advertise with Sinclair.  Is this just rumors on the internets? No!

    Will this be another victory for the blogosphere?  More on this:

    Or email Sinclair’s CEO: [email protected]

    Or Contact the FCC

    StopSinclair.org

    List of companies that advertise with Sinclair:

    Sinclairwatch.org

    Sinclair under fire for Kerry film.

    Sinclair: ‘Attackumentary’ = News.

    Talking Points Memo

    Sinclair’s VP suggested that the other networks decision to not show this POS film is akin to holocaust deniers.

    Holocaust Remark by Sinclair Exec "Inappropriate"

    Daily Kos :: Sylvan Learning Center pulls ads from Sinclair

    TV channels to rubbish Kerry on eve of poll



    Receptacle

    What are other bigidybloggers sayin about this Sinclair Fiasco?

    An FCC commissioner has already denounced this piece:

    Drudge:

    "FCC COMMISSIONER COPPS CRITICIZES SINCLAIR CORPORATE DECISION TO PREEMPT LOCAL STATIONS FOR POLITICAL BROADCAST

    Commissioner Michael J. Copps reacted to reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group will preempt more than 60 local stations across the country to air an overtly political program in the days prior to the Presidential election.

    Copps stated: “This is an abuse of the public trust.  And it is proof positive of media consolidation run amok when one owner can use the public airwaves to blanket the country with its political ideology — whether liberal or conservative.  Some will undoubtedly question if this is appropriate stewardship of the public airwaves. This is the same corporation that refused to air Nightline’s reading of our war dead in Iraq.  It is the same corporation that short-shrifts local communities and local jobs by distance-casting news and weather from hundreds of miles away.  It is a sad fact that the explicit public interest protections we once had to ensure balance continue to be weakened by the Federal Communications Commission while it allows media conglomerates to get even bigger.  Sinclair, and the FCC, are taking us down a dangerous road.”

     

    Links of a lighter note:

    Gothamist: Commute By Pod

    Core77 and Timex present 2154: The Future of Time Design Competition

    Second life weirdos stream the debate

    Funny images: 1 2.

    Martha’s Jailhouse Hooch.  Sik.


  • Pick Your President

    Pick Your President