Online Video Consultants Say the Darndest Things

Trying to keep up with latest video workflows, video codecs, algorithms and the variety of delivery methods for multiple screens can be a daunting task for anyone. Even the experts agree that the process and tools for video content creation, management and delivery is constantly changing – and can be a challenge to master, let alone understand. Not only do we have to know about every possible screen size and resolution, device and platform, network bandwidth connections and constantly shifting “standards" to deliver any content, anytime, anywhere and on any device.

Multiscreen delivery, connected device platforms, hybrid IPTV/OTT systems, HTML5 and Flash Player customization controls, mobile app development, multi-upload content ingestion and management, advanced adaptive transcoding, mobile-ready encoding, intelligent device detection, user moderation and permissions setting, contextual social media extensions, intuitive ad server and network integration, extensible APIs, automated deep linking and media asset syndication, viewer engagement and geographic distribution reporting, etc... it's enough to make your head explode!

As the consultant's creed says, "“If you can’t convince them, confuse them!”



This amusing video pokes fun at the technical jargon that online video consultants say that makes your head spin. The video stars web video experts, Jan Ozer and Lisa Larson-Kelley, and is actually a humorous digital short to market a one-day web video workshop, Encoding, Serving, and Player Development for Multiple Screen Delivery that Ozer and Larson-Kelley are teaming up on again, in New York City on April 10, 2012. This Web Video Workshops session is a joint venture between Streaming Learning Center and LearnFromLisa.com. It's presented in two sessions and covers video encoding and video serving and player development and will provide video compressionists, web developers, content producers, and video professionals end-to-end knowledge to achieve the best playback across desktops and devices.

Ozer, author of Video Compression for Flash, Apple Devices and HTML5, will cover encoding for multiple-screen delivery and review the fundamentals of producing H.264 and WebM streams, adaptive streaming and single file and adaptive playback capabilities of Flash and HTML5 on the desktop, and iOS and Android devices, other mobile handsets and tablets and prominent OTT platforms. He'll also detail transmuxing technologies like those provided by the Wowza Media Server and Adobe Flash Media Server.

Larson-Kelley, author of Flash Video for Professionals and the producer of Lynda.com's Publishing Video with the Flash Platform and Up and Running with Flash Media Server 4.5, summarized the workshop on her blog:

"This workshop will provide an overview of the online video landscape today, map out where its going in the future, and provide clear approaches to achieving the best quality playback on the widest array of screens. I’ll give a detailed overview of the current video capabilities of HTML5 and the Flash Platform. We’ll discuss the various devices on the market today and outline their overall classifications and critical specifications. I’ll also outline systematic approaches to reaching targeted classes of devices, with the aim to provide high quality content to the widest audience."

The session is on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (ET), New York Plaza, NY

More information and tickets available here.

At Long Last… My Interview with Merton, the Piano Chat Improv Guy

It was more than a year ago when Merton, the improvisational piano player, became an Internet sensation when he first appeared on Chatroulette playing piano and serenading the strangers he'd meet on the video chat website. His videos have attracted over 25,000,000 views on YouTube and he has performed in London, Montréal, and he now has a live, interactive, webcam show that airs weekly on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM ET called The Merton Show.

Merton is a self-taught improvisational pianist who lives in the Colorado rockies. He's a quick-witted, friendly guy who conceals his true identity by wearing a green hoodie and fake horn-rimmed glasses. There had been some speculation that he was actually recording artist Ben Folds in disguise – especially with Ben Folds' Chatroulette Piano Ode to Merton video – but while the two have similarities in appearance and musical styles, they both disputed the claim in a recorded Public Service Announcement where they appeared together.



I met Merton last year at NewTeeVee Live where he spoke about his experience as a web celebrity and how he planned to further develop and evolve his improvisational social and musical style. Merton says that he's played piano and done improvisational music for a long time, but Chatroulette gave him the mass exposure to freestyle in real-time with random strangers and become a viral video phenomenon.

"What I'm into mostly is public piano playing. I like to set up a piano in a strange location where people are not expecting it, nontraditional, unorthodox audience situation. I like when somebody is just living their life thinking about "what groceries do I have to buy?" on the way home and all of a sudden here's a guy with a piano singing about them."

Chatroulette: The Dark and Lighter Side

Chatroulette was created by a 17-year-old high school student named Andrey Ternovskiy and launched in November 2009 as a social video website akin to speed dating, where random strangers from around the world could connect for webcam conversations. The media became obsessed with the site for its prevalence of inappropriate content (e.g. naked guys) and Jon Stewart  lampooned it on The Daily Show. Merton learned about Chatroulette from friends and while he knew about the objectionable content he still thought it would offer him a good opportunity to weave his musical talents with its unique interactions and random nature.

"On Chatroulette, I was always dealing with someone who had basically volunteered – they had a limited set of expectations, they knew they were logging onto this website, someone was going to show up on the other end – but in real life it's much more fun because they're not ready for it, they're not expecting it so I get a different king of interaction."

Merton's Improvisational Musical Style

Merton only plays real pianos. He's not interested in synthesizers or organs and he doesn't bring a piano anywhere. He looks for them in weird places, like the hospital waiting room where people don't expect to be entertained and improvisation is a big part of what Merton does.

"Improvisation for me means making it all up on the spot. There's a lot of different interpretations of improv. A jazz improvisation usually is a set song with a chord sequence, and then you keep using the same chords but you play different stuff over it. Acting improv usually has a format. If you go see Second City Live, or something like that, they'll say let's do the Star Trek sketch, but let's let the audience decide what we're going to talk about. But they still have a framework. I'm interested in absolute pure improv where I'll sit down and someone says, play that Bon Jovi song, I'll play the Bon Jovi. If a guy in a plaid short walks up, I'll play the song about the guy in the plaid shirt. So, I'm interested in really free improv, I think especially because I'm not good at preparing for stuff, and so I walk in with a clean slate, no prep and I get to go from there. So I'm lucky I've become an improv musician."

See Jeremy Scott's musical interview with Merton on Reel SEO for on his improvisational musical style: Reel Songs With Merton, PianoImprov Chatroulette Viral Video Star – Interview Conducted In Song.

PianoChatImprov = The Truman Show?

Merton says he loves to document and archive his experiences and is somewhat obsessive about it.

"I'm very nostalgic about personal memories. I love photos and videos of everything, and in all seriousness, as freakish as this sounds, if I could have a little camera running for every moment of my life I would definitely do that."

Especially, he says that when dealing with strangers, they're a big part of the content. He doesn't think the public is that interested in just seeing him sit down in a plain room perform and make things up off the top of his head.

"The interactive component of what I do and the other person is a huge factor, they're my co-stars."

He says when he's playing on the street or in a public context sometimes magic happens, he says, "and if the camera isn't running, it doesn't count. I don't get to show the results."


So when he's playing on the street he carries three cameras with him all the time and sets up three-point shooting.

"I love to capture the moment because I want to be able to watch it later and show it to people."

He says he doesn't actually like to be the center of attention but he does like to be a catalyst for making things happen. This has led him to several projects over the last year that took him to London and Montréal, where he worked with T-Mobile to play piano and sing to passengers at airports around the UK, and on streets of Montréal.

The Merton Show



Merton recently released his first solo piano music, called "The Montreal Song"available on iTunes: http://bit.ly/k1swwq and launched his weekly live, webcam show where fans can interact with him via chat and video. His advice to artists and performers looking to build their audience and expand their reach is to just do it.

"Video is huge and I don't know if I can say anything that hasn't already been said. But a picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth a million pictures. If you think of a good friend who is no longer around or you get older and change, you have video of a moment of your life is worth so much. You know, you see the person, how they move, their mannerisms, how they speak and it's very different then looking at a photograph. 

And so as far as being a performer, without video and Internet in particular, obviously, for somebody like me, I would never got a record deal. I probably never would have walked into a record office and said, here's my demo tape, here's my photo… But because I was able to make this humble little 5 minute video and put it in a place where millions of people could watch it. I was able to insert myself in the mainstream that way. So, I would encourage anybody who is a performer or artist to just do what you do. Put it on film or take pictures, put it on the Internet and people can find it."

Merton's related websites:

• Merton, the Piano Improv Guy
• The Merton Show
• Merton on Facebook
• Merton Piano (mertonpiano) on Twitter
• PianoChatImprov's Channel - YouTube

Peter Himmelman, Furious World: Online Video is Key to the Music Industry's Survival

I caught up with Peter Himmelman, independent singer/songwriter, at the Online Video Platform Summit following his panel discussion "How to Choose an Online Video Platform for Your Business", to talk about how video has helped extend his reach and engagement with his worldwide fan base. While Himmelman is not a familiar name to most, he's cultivated a long career as an imaginative rock musician, children's entertainer, TV and film composer, Emmy and Grammy nominee and for the past two year, the star of his own weekly webcast show, Peter Himmelman’s Furious World.

Himmelman is also Bob Dylan's son-in-law, being married to his daughter Maria Dylan, who he counts as one of his many influences. Himmelman is known for his conviction as an independent artist and for his unpredictable performance style (as evidence of this impromptu video interview). Most notably, as an observant Jew he does not perform on Fridays, and turned down an invitation to perform on the "Tonight Show" because it fell on Shabbat.

He broadcasts his musical web variety show, Peter Himmelman’s Furious World, from his Santa Monica, California studio every Tuesday at 7:00 pm PST on Ustream.tv using the Newtek TriCaster. The show features live music and spoken bits by the Himmelman and his cast of regulars, off-the-wall videos, and guest performers. Himmelman says that the portability of streaming production is a key in getting his artistic message out, in lieu of a demanding touring schedule.



As a music recording artist he says that hosting his webcast on Ustream's highly trafficked website has helped increase his visibility and brought him closer to his fans. He's using video because he says that, "the music industry as we had known it is pretty much done, the death knell has sounded," and he decided to try online video as a new and different way to put his product out there.

In an interview with Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt of the Mountain Xpress, he talked about how he got started producing his weekly Furious World webcast.

"It was just a fluke. This guy that works for me, Mark Jacobs, he said, “Hey, there’s this thing where you can broadcast live.” So we set up this camera and thought, “Wow, this really looks good.”  

It hasn’t lived up to where I want it to be right now. It’s not paying for itself, which is a huge problem, and I don’t know if it ever will or not. It’s a really great thing, it’s a cool idea, but without any money coming in — and I’ve done it for two years — I have to constantly say to myself, “What it’s for?”

But I always get letters and a lot of encouragement. Yesterday I met with a guy who was trying to help me with the show and he said (he’s from Israel), “Look, you have to remember what the president of General Electric said: Either fix it, sell it or close it. This is what I’m trying to help you with. Either we’ll fix it, or sell it or we shut it down.”"

Become a Facebook Fan: Peter Himmelman's Furious World
Follow Peter Himmelman's FW (furiousworld) on Twitter

Related:

• Winging it with style: An interview with Peter Himmelman | Asheville Arts and Entertainment | Mountain Xpress
• How-to Create Raging Fans!: Example- “The Song About ‘IV’” LIVE by Peter Himmelman!
• Peter Himmelman - IMDb

More... Life After Death by Powerpoint 2010

As I've been preparing for several upcoming events, I've been spending a lot of time in Powerpoint to create my presentations. I've mentioned before, a reoccurring theme in this blog is the "Death by Powerpoint" syndrome and the challenges that are faced in meeting rooms all over the world. How do we create presentations that engage audiences and get our messages across? In one of my early blog posts I shared a hilarious video Life After Death by PowerPoint Video by Don McMillan, a stand up comedian who has honed his skill at corporate comedy working 12 years as an engineer and manager in Silicon Valley and 18 years doing stand-up comedy. In October 2009, Don was named the #1 Corporate comedian by CBS BNET. This a new and expanded version of his YouTube hit "Life After Death by PowerPoint". Enjoy this little excursion from all the Flash bashing and Google world domination news...



Related posts: ?

Safety Geeks: SVI at The Streamy Awards, Season Two will go 3D and John Cleese to Join Cast!

One of the highlights of my Streamy Awards adventure was to finally meet some of the cast and creative team behind the comedy web series Safety Geeks: SVI, which chronicles a CSI-like team that investigates safety accidents, leaving a swath of comedic chaos and destruction in their wake. According to Dave and Tom, the comedy team who created, wrote and produced the series, imagine Inspector Clouseau as a team of people, trying to make the world safe, and ironically making it more dangerous. Add in a dash of Adult Swim sensibility, and that is Safety Geeks: SVI.

Season One of Safety Geeks SVI is directed by Roger Tonry and introduces P.O.S.H. (Professional Occupational Safety Hazard) team, which is made up of offbeat characters Dave Beeler as Reginald Syngen-Smythe, a retired at birth trillionaire, Tom Konkle as Budwin Yacker, a former head of O.S.H.A. with a safety-scared childhood and Brittney Powell as Dr. Randi Minky, a curvaceous and beautiful former stripper turned abnormal psychologist, Mary Cseh as Sparky Van Der Graaf, the computer expert hub of POSH control and Benton Jennings as Hopkins, the ever faithful and condescending butler to Reginald. In the first episode, the P.O.S.H. team intercepts an emergency call of an unfortunate accident at a warehouse, which sets off a series of more unfortunate accidents that are inadvertently caused by the P.O.S.H. team.

The cast are all professionals in LA who put their heart and souls into this web series on deferred salaries because they believe in Dave and Tom and the project. Safety Geeks was a  nominee for Best Visual Effects and was a winner of two awards in Special Effects, Comedy or Drama Series and Special Effects, Comedy or Drama Series in the Los Angeles Web Series Festival 2010. The show was shot entirely on green screen and all of the backgrounds are either CGI, photo plates or 2D for 3D composites. The visual effects were created by Thor Melsted and Mike Smith who also worked for free and for long hours using their own equipment to create some 1300 visual composite effects shots – more than the first three Star Wars movies combined, very unusually, that's in a comedy. A number made more impressive by the less than $10,000 budget and post-production team of three people.

The series premiered in HD exclusively on Koldcast.TV and was recently released as Koldcast's first web TV movie that reassembled all the episodes into a continuous web movie. Watch it in HD in it’s entirety on KoldCast.TV at: http://www.koldcast.tv/video/safety_geeks_svi_the_web_tv_movie

In this short video from the 2010 Streamy Awards, I caught up with some of the cast and crew of Safety Geeks: SVI, including Dave Beeler, Brittney Powell, Benton Jennings, Mike Smith and Thor Melsted, who shared some exciting news about Season 2. They told me that they are repurposing Season One as a 3D and will be shooting Season Two as a full stereoscopic 3D experience. To their knowledge they will be the first web television series to pioneer this technology. The other exciting news is that new cast members will be joining show, including the great John Cleese, who is actually a fan of the show. Missing from this interview is Tom Konkle, who like Elvis, had already left the building.



Since I missed Tom in this interview, I contacted him and asked him to share what's in store for Season Two, and his thoughts on the evolving web television space. He had this to say:

"I think most important for the Safety Geeks show is exploring the characters now that we know them as an audience and build more absurdity into the situations they find themselves in while creating real relationships between them. This season will be about the team as family and how they work together as a dysfunctional one and how relationships might blossom, especially unlikely ones such as the one Randi and Budwin might find themselves in and destructive ones like the one Reg finds himself in over his head. Adding some exciting new characters and hopefully a few names you'd recognize might up the game as well.

We have a lot of ideas that we are excited about with regard to the production, storytelling and character aspects of the new season. Will they be able to keep the team together? Will he see that he is being manipulated? Can Budwin and Dr. Randi stop more accidents happening and will they be together? Can an OSHA inspector shut down the team? Having to put aside petty differences with Sparky, and using Hopkins knowledge of Reginald’s past as a guide and trap, season two takes the team balls deep into industrial intrigue, a new arch nemesis, and possibly losing forever the founder of the team to the sexy allure of hazardous, workplace practices.

The space is evolving fast. We want to stay in the game and make a decent enough income that we can still do this. Views aren't enough we need our fans and we want to interact and create new fans. I think before big business totally takes over our fans and creative spirit will be the only think that makes them take us at all seriously and we hope they do because we love doing these shows." 

- Tom Konkle Producer/Actor/Writer/Director

Tom also forwarded a few links for all the Safety Geeks fans out there:

• This is the true stereoscopic Safety Geeks trailer for people with 3D computer screens and 3D TVs
• http://store.yabazam.com/Safety_Geeks_SVI_p/dc115100.htm
• Invention with Brian Forbes @ http://www.daveandtom.com/invention.html
• Safety Geeks: SVI @http://www.safetygeekssvi.com
• Archaeology of Comedy @ http://aoc.mevio.com
• The 2010 Safety Geeks Pin-Up Calendar @ http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/featuring-brittney-powell/7970354
• Safety Geeks: SVI | Facebook
• Tom Konkle (SafetyGeeksSVI) on Twitter

May the Source Be With You... The 2010 Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook Exclusive Interview

Every year since 2003, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) has published the Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook, an annual publication for technology managers and executive decision makers who are implementing rich media within their organizations. The Sourcebook, first appeared in print in December 2003, blends a comprehensive directory of solution provider companies with highly practical articles on choosing, installing, and justifying a streaming initiative. It's also Streaming Media's annual double issue and is a yearly review and look ahead at the year to come.

Streaming Media magazine Editor Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen announced the 2010 Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook today and offered a glimpse of the contents of the publication:

"The Year in Review and Futurewatch sections will look back and ahead, respectively, at the enterprise, entertainment, and education verticals as well as at mobile video, content delivery, advertising, and video to the living room. We'll also feature buyers guides aimed at helping you make smart purchasing choices for online video platforms, encoding solutions, enterprise video solutions, and video formats and players. On the how-to front, we'll take a look at deploying a DRM solution, encoding for multiple devices, and optimizing video search engine optimization, among other topics. We'll also announce our annual Editors' Picks—our writers' choices for the best products and services of 2009"

Eric also included this exclusive video interview with a special Streaming Media magazine subscriber who had an interesting perspective on "The Revenge of Online Video."



Subscribe today for your FREE copy of the 2010 Sourcebook at:
http://www.omeda.com/strm/

Full media kit can be downloaded here.
http://www.streamingmedia.com/mediakit/2010SourcebookMediaKit.pdf

See the digital version of the Streaming Media Sourcebook 2009

Dr. Horrible Hijacks the Emmys, Declares "Television is Dead"

In what was a long, drawn out and over-produced spectacle of Hollywood award shows, the 61st annual prime-time Emmys, had an interesting web television moment when Dr. Horrible hijacked the show. Neil Patrick Harris, adding to his hosting duties reprised his role as the evil character from Joss Whedon's acclaimed web series musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

In the middle of the broadcast Dr. Horrible interrupted the program and mockingly declared, 

"Do not adjust your set America. Your so-called Emmys have been hijacked by Dr. Horrible. I have hacked into your broadcast to declare that television is dead. No more corporate entertainment. No more self-congratulatory award shows with athletic and luminous hosts. The future of home entertainment is the Internet."

His arch nemesis Captain Hammer played by Nathan Fillion, also appeared along with cameos from co-stars Felicia Day and Simon Helberg. The hit web television also won a Creative Arts Emmy in the Outstanding Special Class – Short-Form Live-Action Entertainment Programs category earlier in the week. 

In his acceptance speech creator Joss Whedon said, 

"This is our small proof not only that things can be done differently in this business, but that the greatest expression of rebellion is joy.”

On a related note, earlier in the evening Julia Louis-Dreyfus joked that viewers were witnessing “the last official year of network broadcast television." While that may be sometime in the future you can bet that they'll be back next year.

Realted: 

• Wait, Aren’t The Emmys Supposed To Be For TV Shows? | Columnists | Mediaite
  
• » Dr Horrible Wins An Emmy!: Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
  
• drhorrible (drhorrible) on Twitter
  
• Hulu - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Watch the full episode now.
  

Web Video Pick of the Week - The Onion 'Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids'

This week's 'Web Video Pick of the Week' goes to fake news agency The Onion for their social media satire, Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids. (Disclaimer: the video contains strong language and is not intended for viewers under 18 years of age.) 

In this episode of Today Now!, the Onion News Network's lively and informative morning program, 'E-Mom' Gloria Bianco shows co-hosts Jim Haggerty and  Tracy Gil how to use the Internet to monitor your child's every move. Geographical distance is no longer a roadblock to shamelessly interfere in the lives of your college-aged kids when you can stalk them through Facebook and Twitter.  This one scores high in creep factor.

Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids

One giant misstep for Bangladesh News 

Extra points for The Onion for duping two newspapers in Bangladesh this past week into believing their fake news story,  Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked | The Onion - America's Finest News Source, which said:

"Apollo 11 mission commander and famed astronaut Neil Armstrong shocked reporters at a press conference Monday, announcing he had been convinced that his historic first step on the moon was part of an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the United States government."

The two Bangladeshi newspapers, the Daily Manabzamin and The New Nation, published the story which appeared on The Onion website last week which they believed was a genuine news site. It was translated into Bengal and ran in both newspapers on Wednesday and Thursday and attributed to Onion News Network, Lebanon, Ohio. Both have since apologized to their readers for being so gullible. 

The associate editor Hasanuzzuman Khan of The New Nation told Agence France-Presse:

"We thought it was true so we printed it without checking. We didn't know The Onion was not a real news site." 

An embarrassed Manabzamin printed the following apology:

"The report has drawn a lot of attention. We've since learned that the fun site runs false and juicy reports based on a historic incident. The moon landing one was such a story, which received numerous hits on the internet. The truth is that Neil Armstrong never gave such an interview. It was made up. We are sorry for publishing the report without checking the information."

Chalk this week up to The Onion for the 'Web Video Pick of the Week' and possibly a new feature, 'Hoax of the Week'! ;-) 

Related:

• Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
  
• BBC NEWS | South Asia | One giant slip in Bangladesh news
  
• The Onion Keeps On Embarrassing Newspapers
  
• The Onion Beats Investigative Journalism On Google News
  
• The Onion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vote for Comedy Duo Dave & Tom's "Fate of the Duel" on Atom.com's Star Wars Fan Film Challenge

Longtime online sketch comedy duo Dave Beeler and Tom Konkle (better known as “Dave & Tom”) know how to make comedy and in own their words, like chocolate and peanut butter, "they are two great tastes that taste great together." Dave & Tom started performing together in 1999 in the seminal British comedy revue, Beyond the Fringe and went on to form Pith-e Productions in 2005 to create comedy content for the emerging new media of online video. With over 12 million aggregate views, their work can be seen on over 200+ web portals and their new comedy web series, Safety Geeks: SVI which chronicles a CSI-like team investigating safety accidents, leaving a swath of comedic chaos and destruction in their wake airs exclusively in hi-def on Koldcast TV.

In a recent New York Times article, Dave & Tom spoke about the success of original web television series and the rise of web video viewership and growing attention spans. Tom told Brian Stelter that, “A few years ago, three minutes ‘watching’ your computer felt like a novelty; now, it’s as familiar as your television set.”

Their latest online short "Fate of the Duel" a Star Wars parody, was selected as editor's pick on Revver and is a finalist on the Exclusive Star Wars Fan Film Challenge at atomfilms.com. There's still time to vote for their fanfilm, follow the link to the voting and look for their video at the bottom center of the page. Be sure to vote and clicking the thumbs up is not a vote for the film. The voting continues until July 10th at 12:00 noon PDT and opened on the 1st. Watch it and rate it and you'll be helping Dave & Tom make George Lucas laugh.

Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Spoofs | Star Wars Fan Movies

The video is about a lone Jedi (Dave) who is abandoned to his fate on a Sith world, where he encounters a dark Sith (Tom). Tom says this is a fan film done with great love and affection for Star Wars, one of the films that made them want to entertain for a living. He also pointed out that it is truly a two man operation. Tom directed he film with no help other than Dave. No one else was there at the video shoot. Tom set up all the shots and did all the video recording and all the sound later. When Tom was in the shot he set it up and stepped into the frame while Dave hit the record button on the camera. Tom also did all the post production editing and sound and Thor Melsted did the composites of the buildings and lightsabers.

They'll be at ComicCon International in San Diego promoting Safety Geeks:SVI and, as finalists, have been invited to the Awards Presentation by LucasFilms.

Follow Dave and Tom on Twitter:

• Dave and Tom (SafetyGeeksSVI) on Twitter
• tom konkle (TomKonkle) on Twitter

Press inquiries:
Dave Beeler
dave [at] daveandtom dot com
323.464.4728

Macworld 2009 Fake Breaking News: Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard (From The Onion)

While this fake news item has already made the rounds on the web I still thought it was worth sharing. It comes by way of the Onion and follows up on Apple's last keynote presentation and appearance at Macworld Expo taking a humorous jab at their sleek simplicity and devoted fans who will buy anything shiny and new from Apple.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
The MacBook Wheel lets consumers accomplish everyday tasks like typing with just a few dozen spins and clicks of a wheel.

I'll be attending Macworld on Thursday and report back if I see any products like this at the show.

HBO Premieres ‘Flight of the Conchords’ on Funny or Die

HBO has launched an online video campaign to promote its new season of Flight of The Conchords by premiering the first episode of season 2 on Funny or Die. The episode is set to air next month on HBO is January 18, 2009 at 10:00 PM, and will available online from Wednesday, December 17th until Sunday, December 21. The video is only available in the US (see the description below.)

I've embedded the video below and will most likely replace it with a still image once the video is no longer available. Enjoy it while you can!

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Description:
Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only)
Bret and Jemaine are back and finally so is The Flight of the Conchords. Sorry guys, the video only works in the US. We all want the WHOLE world to be able to watch Flight of the Conchords, but to be honest, legally we only have rights to stream the video in the US. But there will be other opportunities internationally to watch it. HBO.com Canada (http://hbocanada.com/) will be streaming the premiere episode of Flight of the Conchords Season 2 in 6 days starting on Tuesday December 23. For other international FOTC fans please check your local providers for additional details regarding when the episode will be broadcast in your area.

About the online video premiere Chris Spadaccini, VP for advertising and promotion at HBO said, “After the success of last season, we knew that online sampling would be the most effective way to energize the ‘Flight of the Conchords’ fan base and generate excitement for season two,” and added , “FunnyorDie has emerged as the go-to destination for great online comedy content, and the decision to partner with them to launch the new season was an easy one.”

HBO has also launched a Flight of the Conchords' LipDub Fansterpiece contest for fans to enter with the chance to be featured in a HBO screening. For more information go to: http://www.flightlipdub.com/

Related:

• Tilzy.TV » HBO Tests Digital with Flight of The Conchords and Funny or Die
• Tilzy.TV » ‘Flight of the Conchords’ Premieres on Funny or Die
• Flight of the Conchords Premieres a Month Early Online | The Underwire from Wired.com
• Flight of the Conchords season premiere lands early online » VentureBeat
• HBO Previews ‘Conchords’ Online at FunnyorDie.com - TVWeek - News

Santa Delivers Using ONLINE VIDEO for Christmas 2008

This bit of holiday humor comes by way of Joel Unickow, Publisher, Streaming Media:

Santa Delivers Using ONLINE VIDEO for Xmas 08

NORTH POLE, Dec. 8, 2008—In a press event webcast today from his workshop, Santa Claus announced his new business strategy. "Due to economic restraints, our workshop is turning to Online Video to reduce costs over the holidays. We've found in reading the Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook that we can reduce the time and expense of elf toy-making training," he said, adding that he discovered the benefits of online video the old-fashioned way. "Being able to read a resource like the Sourcebook, away from the computer, when I have time to research and strategize, is a real benefit."

Claus pointed to increased competition as a driving factor in his decision to go with online video training. "We've found that Ikea furniture, especially, has caused a real strain on our product assembly market. Having access to assembly video will really speed things up. Not that my elves aren't skilled, but there's a real advantage for the 'monkey see, monkey do' factor here."

The move to online video is part of Claus' efforts to both cut costs and reduce his workshop's carbon footprint. "Although some travel will be maintained and mandatory, such as Christmas Eve itself, I'm limiting my appearances in Shopping Malls, and instead will be setting up video kiosks. These video kiosks will allow for live, two-way video and audio communication and will interfaced with our main website and our toy and gift wish selection database," Claus said, adding that he was looking forward to not having to deal with candy canes stuck in his beard by mischievous children.

"We've also found that by having pre-roll and interstitial video advertising, similar to television commercials, we've been able to generate a new revenue stream from major manufacturers and services, as well as retail," he added. "While a percentage of the funds, which we estimate at over 1 billion, will be dontated to major charity, we will be using these funds to to bring better LAN lines and wi-fi to most areas of the North Pole. Plus, I can finally afford to pimp out my sleigh."

To advertise with Streaming Media contact:
Joel Unickow
Publisher, Streaming Media
Office: 250.716.8815
Mobile: 778.386.5635
Email: joel@streamingmedia.com
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