Google Introduces Video Chat

It seems like every time I sign into Gmail, Google has introduced some new feature to make my life easier. Yesterday, I installed the new Video Chat feature. Ok, its not mind blowing. I've used Skype and Tokbox and Google Video Chat is basically the same thing. But, as an avid Gchatter, having the convenience of a video chat feature right through Gmail is pretty cool. I have used the video chat a couple times in the past day or so and it works very smoothly. I can't say that ever time I want to send someone a message, I would prefer to video chat over text, but having the option is nice.

Obama's Got My Number

So I thought it was pretty interesting that Obama decided to announce his VP choice via text message. I'm not an Obama supporter (I plan on voting for myself) but I figured that if Obama was going to take the trouble to set up this whole text message thing, I might as well sign up and be the first to know.
Well, I gave him my number to Barak and he made good on his word. He texted me, and sent me an email announcing Joe Biden as his Democratic Vice Presidential candidate. He even emailed me back with some upcoming dates of when he will be speaking after I replied to his email saying "thanks for the update Barak". He even emailed me later in the week telling me about Michelle and some of her speaking dates. Then I started getting emails from Joe Biden. I usually don't like it when people pass around my email to others people or companies don't know, but I guess since Biden could be the next Vice President, it's no big deal.
It just kind of makes me wonder who else Obama gave my info to. How many times does he plan on emailing me in the future? I haven't taken myself off the list yet, but Barak has gotten fairly friendly with the emails. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. There's no doubt it's going to be an interesting election season. I guess I'm lucky I've got Obama keeping me up to speed.

Joshua Delcore

   So who is this guy Joshua Delcore that everyone is talking about? What is his story? All I know is that he is hard to find and that my competition wants him. We will see who gets to him first.

Woodpride is Online

   The end of the year is almost upon us and exams are creeping up. Luckily for me, most of my classes have final projects rather than exams. For my NMIX 4110 course, we have been given free reign to use any or all of the skills we have acquired this semester to do a final project of our choice.

   I have chosen to create a website for my dad's business Woodpride Inc. Woodpride has been located at the intersection of Piedmont Ave. and East Wesley Rd. for over 30 years. They specialize in hand stripping, refinishing, caning, and repairing antiques. The business is run today exactly almost exactly as when it first began: no computer, no credit cards, just the bare essentials. All the work orders are kept track of via business cards that are moved along a cork board. The effectiveness of the system cannot be rivaled by technology. They have never really need to advertise because competition in Atlanta is non-existent or weak. Woodpride's reputation for fine work has always brought in business.

   It's been over 30 years in the making, but Woodpride is finally going online. The main purposes of the website is to showcase photographs of the various services, and provide an interactive map and contact information. The website will have a flash intro and will incorporate such features as an imbedded API Google map, and slideshows from Google's photo service Picasa.  

  
The website is admittedly amateur, but it should look pretty good when it's all finished. The site will be on line within the week.
Woodpride.com.
Check it out.

Polygraph Goes Portable

   MSNBC has reported that the pentagon plans to pop the top an a huge can of worms this week.

   The United States defense department will be issuing hand held lie detectors to troops in Afghanistan. The PCASS, or Preliminary Credibility Assessment Screen System, is a portable device that straps to a person's wrist and measures a subject's anxiety level when asked a series of 20 or so questions. The company that produces the device does not promise perfection and is surprised that the defense department is putting the device into action so soon. Experts say that the device will be significantly less accurate than a standard polygraph.

   The National Academy of Sciences has issued many studies demonstrating the inaccuracy of regular polygraphs tests when administered by trained professionals. The PCASS will be used in hostile areas by regular military personal. Skeptics argue that the possibility of incorrect results puts troops in further harm.

   The defense department has ordered  94 of these devices, each costing $7,500. The total cost of the project at this moment is $2.5 million.

   I certainly understand the need for such a device in theory, but in my opinion, this device is not yet ready for deployment. What happens when a insurgent's rights are violated because the device says he is lying. Or worse, what happen when the device clears an enemy soldier and US troops are killed. $2.5 million is a just a speck in the overall defense budget, but even so, this project seems like a giant waste of money. If I had to guess, some politicians buddy is probably the CEO of the company producing these things and pressured the defense department into a contract in the interest of "saving American lives". I think the military needs to take this gadget back to the lab before they toss it to some GI in the desert.

Mama's Love in Second Life

   This past week I went into Second Life to see a live acoustic concert performed by Mama's Love's Patrick Atwater and Thomas Galloway. Mama's Love is a rock/jam band based out of Athens, GA. Recently they have been gaining a following across the southeast. If you have not heard them, you should check them out on itunes.

   The concert was a project for drummer Ben Torbert's Second Life New Media Class. Torbert is my roommate so I honestly went into Second Life just to mess with him. I got on the stage and played their drum kit while the concert was going on. I was, however, curious to see excactly how a 'concert' in second life would play out. My over all experience: Second Life is an awkward place to see a concert. Not necessarily bad, just awkward; it's new to me. I will admit though, I was impressed with the quality of Second Life's streaming audio. I don't know what kind of audio the UGA new media lab is using, but I could hear everything very clearly.

   I am pretty familiar with SL from my own New Media classes. Last semester, I did a semeste-long project in Second Life pertaining to politics, so I am pretty aware of the dynamics of the virtual world. In my opinion, Second Life has a long way to go in terms of user interaction before it can really be a success. Regardless, it cannot be denied that virtual worlds like second life are becoming a medium for social interaction, business, entertainment and now live entertainment.

   This may concert may have been hastily put together for a class project, but it was very well done. Other artists such as U2, Suzanne Vega, Satin, and Mercedes-Benz have been performing live in Second Life as well as recording machinima music videos that are being posted on YouTube. Keep your eyes and ears open because the next place you see your favorite band might be on Second Life.

Stuff White People Like

   This is the first blog I have found (other than blogs for school) that I have found worth adding to my aggregator: "Stuff White People Like". I think that is worth documenting.

This blog rose from obscurity to to over 20,000,000 hits in just a few months. The author has even been offered a book deal. The success of this blog is entirely due to word of mouth. 

Dat Piff Mix Tapes

This is where I get mix tapes. It might not be your genre of music, but I  think the way this site is organized is ingenious. It allows DJs upload their mix tapes on a day to day basis. I am just guessing, but I think the DJs offer their tapes for free in exchange of the opportunity for fans to buy a hard copy of the tape through the web site. As a regular visitor, you can listen to mix tapes, download them, comment, watch videos, etc. Those who are really into the site can pay for a monthly subscription that offers additional features. Open the web site, and you will see a smattering of web ads (around 4 per page). Some how, they don't really appear that intrusive. All the ads are closely related to the content of the site: music, clothes, hip-hop etc. 

Download Mixtape | Provided by DatPiff.com

In any event, Datpiff.com must be making a killing on ads because, people who regularly use this site check often for updated material and stay on the site for a while listening or downloading music. In essence, this is a web community that allows fans, artists, DJs, clothing designers, etc. a place to gather, communicate on web boards, and keep up with trends. If was Google, I would buy this site and make ten more like it for different genres.

Gum Survey

Not exactly New Media (but kind of). Below is a link to a survey about gum that I made for my ADPR 3130 class. If you are actually reading my blog, you might be willing to fill out this survey too. We need 100 responses by this coming Friday. One thing I learned in making this survey is how to incorporate html commands such a line breaks within text being posted online. Knowing a few basic html commands helped me clean up the look of this survey without being fluent in html. Any way, check it out.


Gum Survey

Satellite Radio Will Survive and Thrive

Not only will satellite radio survive, it will thrive. Many people in the media have recently expressed doubts about the potential success of the pending Sirius-XM merger. Dropping stock prices of both Sirius and XM reflect those doubts as well. All this skepticism most likely stems from the fact that, even with each other out of the way, there is a lot of competition in the marketplace. Consumers have so many free options for music, news, and sports. Why would they pay $10/month for satellite radio?  The answer is content and ease.

As receivers begin to go portable, consumers are finding it easier and more convenient to fit satellite radio into their lives. It's not longer just for the car or office. Now Sirius and XM can go anywhere with you. Portable handsets can record and store hundreds of hours of music, including mp3s from your own library. Satellite radio is now a legitimate alternative to the ipod. Sometimes, you just don't want to bother with a play list. Satellite radio affords the consumer a world of choices along with the simplicity of regular radio.

Once the merger is complete, satellite radio will have complete coverage of every major sporting event. That alone is reason enough for many to get a subscription. If you are not into sports, that's ok. There is enough content between the two providers to satisfy the tastes of everyone. Think about it: for the cost of ten cents on iTunes you can have a months worth of satellite radio. I am getting subscription as soon as the merger is complete. I suggest you do the same.

That's Not True. I saw it on YouTube.

CBS EXPOSES HILLARY BOSNIA TRIP

This week, Hillary Clinton got called out on the details of her 1996 trip to Bosnia. In a recent speech, she claims to have arrived under sniper fire in a war zone, and have to be hurried away from the cancelled greeting ceremony. In actuality, the greeting ceremony did take place and Hilary ended up singing songs with Sheryl Crow and Sinbad on a nearby USO stage. How did the public find out the real story? CBS was there with their cameras and the clip from 12 years ago ended up on YouTube.

What is the moral of the story? The camera never lies and these days, the camera is everywhere. The next generation of politicians in America will essentially have their whole lives recorded. From the time they are kids playing around with their webcams, to the drunken college Facebook years, and far beyond. Every statement the make can be crossed-referenced and scrutinized and judged. Will we simply have to accept all the flaws, mistakes, and  roughspots of our future leader's past or will we breed super qualified squeaky-clean politicians? I think it might be good for Americans to loose the idealistic expectations of our political leaders. They are human beings too. But I also, think it will foster an atmosphere of honesty and disclosure that will take some of the rhetoric out of campaigning. 

Voice to Text with Jott

Before yesterday, I had never clicked on a Google sponsored ad. Low and behold I was through checking my gmail in class (after I was through checking my NCAA brackets, ESPN.com, Craigslist, eBay, my bank account, E*Trade, and drudgereport: my usual routine) when I still had some time on my hands. I saw a banner ad for Jott, a free voice to text service, above one of my emails. I have been interested in voice to text technology for some time now but I have always been skeptical about how well those kinds of services work. I am a pretty pathetic typer so I have always dreamed of being able to speak my papers instead of type them. Anyway, I clicked on the link and signed up for the service. It took only a minute or two.

Basically, Jott.com lets you call their toll free number and leave up to a 30 second message that will be recorded and translated to text which can be viewed on your Jott page. You can listen to the audio there as well. You can also set up groups on the site so you can dictate messages to other people who have Jott. There is also a message feature that allows you to send yourself little reminders via text or email. I usually carry a pen a pad to take down all my notes and messages to myself, but this week I am going to try doing some jotting.

   

The text translations are not perfect. But so far, I have sent myself a handful of message and have been pretty surprised with their accuracy. Since you also have the ability to listen to the audio, 100% accuracy is not absolutely crucial to me. Once you call in your message, the audio version appears on your Jott page almost instantly and the text translation appears in a few minutes.

Supposedly this service is free to use. It seems almost too good to be true, but the reviews I have read say Jott is legit. We will see next time I get my phone bill. Try it. Let me know what you think.

The Kindle Converted Me

  Amazon Kindle

  

   For years we have been hearing about e-reading technology that will take the paper out of pleasure reading. Companies like Sony, eREAD, and Jinke have tried their hand at developing tablets that store and display electronic reading material. But honestly, all their products are pretty bootlegged. (too bulky, too heavy, lack of memory, lack of battery, lack of material, lack of connectivity etc.) What sets Amazon's Kindle apart is the Whispernet technology it uses to download an entire book in a minute, just about anywhere in the US. Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity for Kindle so there are no monthly wireless bills, data plans, or service commitments; just the one time price of $399. You can even get magazine, newspaper, and blog subscriptions updated automatically. The Kindle also provides access to wikipedia. It really is an excellent product for people who are on the go and read frequently.

So will I buy one? No. I like to write in my books and although the Kindle has annotation options, I like the freedom of pen and paper. I would, however, buy a Kindle if I could get all my textbooks for school on it. It would be so convenient to substitute 20lbs or more of books for a 10.8 ounce tablet. The books would undoubtedly be cheaper as well. In fact, I think that once text books are available on the Kindle, The University of Georgia should issue one to every incoming freshman. 

Once the Kindle (Kindle 2.0?) has full internet access I will place my order. I am imagining a type of itouch/Kindle hybrid. I would even be wiling pay for service. Certainly technology is moving in the direction. 

700 Mhz, Sold!

   We've been hearing about it for months (especially in NMIX) and it's finally over. The FCC announced today that the 700 Mhz spectrum auction is closed.  After over 200 rounds of bids, $19,592,420,00 is the total. Nineteen billion dollars is almost twice the amount the FCC anticipated it would earn from this auction. The winning bidders have not been announced though most expect that AT&T and Verizon have captured the largest chunks of the air waves.

   I am very interested to hear wether any wild cards such as Apple won any of the spectrum. That would certainly shake things up in the mobile media sector. I think a division of power is key force in driving technology development. If only the usual suspects have control, I think much less money and effort will go into developing cutting edge technology and content. I praying for a dark horse or two.

Edelman Digital Boot Camp @ Grady College @ UGA

   This past Saturday (yesterday), Grady and the PR firm Edelman hosted the first annual digital bootcamp at UGA. The purpose of the conference was to provide a crash course in interactive media for both educators and students in the PR field. My word-of-mouth communications class (ADPR 5990, Dr. karen Russell) had a hand in the madness. From 8:00am to 5:30pm, groups from our class covered the conference via live blog, twitter, fliker, audio podcast, and video podcast. I spent most of my time doing the live blog. The conference was broken up into about nine sections. Within these sections were large lectures, small breakouts, and Q & A sessions. Topics included Client Research, Key Findings, Campaign Planning: Tactics, Implementing Tactics, Student Prep for best practices, and more. The technology discussed included social networking sites, interactive games, corporate blogs, search engine optimization, etc. The cost of the event per person was around $60 I believe.

   

   If you go to edlemandigitalbootcamp.com you can see our coverage of the day. If you look in the Flickr section, you can find a picture of me. The conference was pretty good for an initial run. All the participants seemed interested, even late in the afternoon after a full day of digital media. I am glad UGA decided to host this conference and that I got to be a part of it. it certainly has the potential to draw large crowds in the future as digital media continues to evolve and UGA gains a reputation for being a leader in the field.

   

   

Al Qaeda has Facebook

   http://tinyurl.com/3dm9db

Canadian military officials have recently told soldiers in Afghanistan not to post any personal information on social networking sites such as Facebook. The logic behind this advice is to protect soldiers back home (as well as friends and family in their network) from being targeted by terrorists. 

 

   Exactly what type of "targeting" is the Canadian military worried about? Is this just precautionary, or are soldiers being harassed in their own homes by sinister Al Qaeda operatives protected by the anonymity of Facebook? Certainly enough personal information could expose someone to identify theft. But beyond that, how can Al Qaeda target or attack an individual soldier via Facebook? If soldiers are vunerable, how vulnerable is the rest of the population? CBS reported that an internal memo from the Canadian military states "Al Qaeda operatives are monitoring Facebook and other social networking sites"? There has always been an issue with the degree of privacy that social networking sites provide. Now that terrorists are in the mix, will this change the debate?

   

   I'm sure this will become an increasingly important issue in the coming months and years. For now, I am just trying to avoid a super poke from Osama bin Laden.

Phone Calls From Around the World

   This summer, many of my friends will be traveling overseas. From my experience in the South Pacific one summer ago, I have some advice to give them. Don't buy phone cards. (At least not many)

   International phone cards are expensive. If purchased in America they can have rates as high as twenty cents a minute. Usually it is cheaper to buy phone cards in the country in which you are traveling. However, rates are still around seven cents a minute. Still pretty steep. My advice to those traveling abroad is to open a Tokbox account. Tokbox is a free video mailing and chatting website that requires no download. All you need is a camera on your computer. 

   

   Buying time at an internet cafe is much cheaper than buying minutes on a phone card. Plus, most of the computers in internet cafes (at least in my experience) are equipped with video cameras. You will most likely be checking email, facebook, etc. anyway. You might as well leave your family a video message rather than spending your precious euros, pesos, pounds, and yuan on international phone minutes. Skype works well as a video chatting site, and may actually work a little bit cleaner than Tokbox. The disadvantage of Skype is that it requires a download.  Computers in internet cafes usually have tight security and you will simply be out of luck if the particular cafe doesn't allow downloads.

Free Research Through Video Sharing

   It is no secret that Super Bowl advertising is a national event. It can be argued that almost as many people tune in for the commercials as the actual game. Much to the delight of advertisers, Super Bowl commercials can now be viewed again and again on video sharing sites like YouTube. People are sharing these videos with their friends and even ranking their favorite commercials. Every time one of these commercials is viewed represents a brand contact point. This in itself is very valuable to advertisers. However, the video sharing phenomenon has value far beyond mere brand contact. The real value of commercials on the internet (especially in regards to Super Bowl commercials) are the comments and discussions that surround these videos. Advertising agencies pay good money for research on advertising effectiveness. What the internet provides is a platform for the consumer to voice their opinion, with out any cost to the advertiser. Each Super Bowl commercial on YouTube alone has dozens if not hundreds of comments on it. While some are positive and some are scathing, each comment represents an insight into the consumer's perception of an ad and its effectiveness. What is more, all of these discussions are available to anyone who wants to see them. Message boards, blogs, and video discussions are not straight forward research, but they do offer invaluable insight into the consumer mind.

Microsoft + Yahoo = Google Dominance

   Earlier this week it was announced that Microsoft intends to acquire Yahoo for $44.6 billion. That's a lot of money.  This partnership could theoretically create an alliance that could finally challenge Google's dominance in the field of search engine marketing. However, what sounds good in theory, may not work out so well in actuality. The process of acquiring Yahoo may be long and painful for Microsoft, with little payoff. Microsoft's interest in Yahoo may spark other media companies interest. Time Warner, Comcast, AT&T, and News Corp may also be interested in placing a bid. While it is likely that Microsoft can outbid any competitor, the interest of other companies might drive up the price. Regardless, it can be assured that these other companies - especially Google - will be doing everything they can to prevent this merger. Google's lobbyists in Washington already have a strategy to fight this transaction. If Microsoft is not allowed to acquire Google, they will have spent a lot of money for nothing. Even if they are finally allowed to purchase Yahoo, the process will have taken months, during which time Google will continue to grow, and  draft a strategy for dealing with a major competitor in the marketplace. Google and Yahoo are two non integrated companies who's combined search engine use does not even come close to Google, especially overseas.

    

   When it is all said and done, this deal looks like it will cost Mircosoft much more than it is worth. I do not discount Microsoft's tenacity in making deals work. They are certainly a force to be reckoned with in the media industry. However, unless they have some serious tricks up their sleeve, I see this deal going south real fast.

Qtrax: Can Advertising Save the Music Industry?

   It seems like music industry has finally thrown in the towel in the online file-sharing war... or is it just the opposite? A new service called Qtrax will offer 25 million songs for legal download. What is more, users can burn the songs to a cd or upload them to their mp3 player (probably not compatible with ipods) with no limit to an individual's number of downloads. The catch: the program will feature "limited amounts of advertising". 

   Over the past decade, consumers have come to expect free downloadable music. With cd sales down, Qutrax certainly seems like the recording industry's last ditch effort to hold onto what money is left to be made in the sale of recorded music. There have been countless devices and services that have emerged and subsequently flopped in the the past decade that promised to save the music industry, but Qtrax seems to be the real deal. Microsoft is an investor, and a program like Qtrax could provide the platform needed for Microsoft to finally take on the ipod. There is a big difference between free unlimited downloads and 99 cent per song.

   With a virtually unlimited selection of legal downloadable songs (Qtrax will include bootlegs and live versions) users will no longer have a reason to risk using programs such as Limewire and Morpheus. Despite their wide use, contemporary and past peer-to-peer sharing programs have many shortcomings that would potentially be solved by a legally regulated service: there is the ever-present danger of viruses, corrupt files, long waits, questionable quality, as well as legal trouble.

   As long as the advertising is not overly intrusive, I believe Qutrax could be the compromise the Napster generation and the Record Industry have been looking for. However, I'll have to see it in action to believe it.

   

Why Blu-Ray (and HD DVD) will change the way movies are made

   Why will the next generation of high definition video formats change the way movies are made?... Because they just look too good.

  

  I had my first exposure to Blu-Ray video's 'full' potential the other day while I was walking through a Best Buy. In the television section, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean was playing. As I watched a bit of the movie, I was stunned at how clear the image was. Every detail was visible; much more so then when I saw the film in the theatre. While I'm sure the future will bring about unimaginable advancements in video technology, I can't see how the picture can get any clearer.

   

   The longer I watched, the more I noticed: the individual hairs on Kiera Knightley's arms, the grains of sand on Johnny Depp's face, the stitching of the clothing. In watching for only a minute or two, it became impossible to imagine these characters as pirates in story. It was quite obvious they were actors caked in makeup, stomping around freshly designed sets, under artificial three-key lighting. Now maybe other people might have a more forgiving imagination, but to me, the clarity of the image blinded me from the fantasy that the story attempted to crate.

   

   I remember the first time I saw regular HD, and I was very impressed with its quality. Now I watch shows in HD all the time and I don't have that same attention to the visual element that I once had. Perhaps, the same will happen as I have more exposure to Blu-Ray. However, I anticipate that filmmakers will find it necessary to tone down makeup, utilize more natural lighting, and pay more attention to set and costume design now that everything is so strikingly visible. There is simply less room for traditional movie magic. There is no doubt that the industry will find new tricks to 'make movies more real', but for now we can see it all; for better or for worse.

    

The Dark Side of Mobile Media

   It is the question that no one really wants to ask: What exactly is the physiological effect of all those electromagnetic messages whizzing through our brains, twenty four hours a day, at every imaginable frequency? Few people would likely assume that all those cell phone calls, wifi networks, and everything in between could be having a positive effect on our bodies, but then again, mobile media has such a positive impact on our day to day lives that it couldn't possible be hurting our bodies in the long run, could it?

 

   A new study shows that radiation from cell phones can cause headaches, confusion, stress, and loss of sleep. The study shows that mobile phone use before sleep can significantly impair the bodies ability to repair damage suffered during the day. This study, while the most comprehensive of its kind, is labeled "inconclusive" by critics. However, other studies around the world indicate that cell phone use most likely has a measurable effect on the brain.

   

   I anticipate this subject to be a 'hot button'  issue in the not so distant future. In our lifetime will we see low radiation cellphones, cell phone bans, fines for second-hand radiation? Only time will tell.

   

Advertising on XBOX 360

   Product placement in video games in nothing new, but just recently I saw something I thought was pretty innovative. 

   

   I was playing Madden 2008 with a friend on his XBOX 360. As we were playing, I noticed that the "jumbotron" in the arena had an advertisement for the movie Walk Hard. I thought it was strange that a studio would take the trouble to advertise a movie on a video game. At this point Madden 2008 was several months old and I figured they must have spent a fortune to grab that ad space in the game as well as have planned the ad placement way in advance. What is more, the advertisement will virtually be worthless in a few weeks, once the movie has gone in and out of theaters, and a new version of the game would not come out for almost a year.

   

   When I realized what was going on,  I really had to applaud XBOX.  Even though we were not playing online, the ads in the arena we being automatically being updated through the XBOX live connection. I assume that XBOX does this for all sports games as well as for some other genres. I am sure companies jump at the chance to advertise to the demographics who play XBOX 360 with an online connection. Additionally, the ads do not seem intrusive to the gamer because the updated ads only ad to the realism of the arena. 

Way to go XBOX.