My friend Jamie seems to be getting much better results from the Poor Man’s Steadicam, so I have to conclude I haven’t mastered the tool yet. In the short video above, notice how smoothly they come down the stairs and even when Jamie starts jogging, the shot remains very steady. Well done, Jamie and Anonymous Cameraman.
“They’re not talking to you”
“Who would want to be a publisher with only a dozen readers? It’s also easy to see why the audience for most user-generated content is so small, filled as it is with narrow, spelling-challenged observations about going to the mall and pick out clothes. And it’s easy to deride this sort of thing as self-absorbed publishing — why would anyone put such drivel out in public? It’s simple. They’re not talking to you. We misread these seemingly inane posts because we’re so unused to seeing written material in public that isn’t intended for us.”
From Clay Shirky’s “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations” This is a fascinating book that takes an academic –but easy to read– look at social networking and how it’s changing society.
Marantz PMD620
“Oh, you shouldn’t have!” I shrieked, as I opened yesterday’s birthday present. The only way Barb could have known I wanted the Marantz PMD620 Professional Handheld Field Recorder is… I told her.
I’ve been using the larger PMD660 for a year to two but found that a nice home with Jamie. So far I like almost everything I’ve seen and heard about the 620. The built-in mics are just so-so but I’ll plug in an external mic for most work.
The size is what appealed to me. About the size of a deck of cards. And the display is easier for me to read than with the previous model. Download this short MP3 file if you want to hear what it sounds like. I’m using a Heil PR-20 mic.
Doc’s “story none dare tell”
Doc Searls says we need a new leadership narrative:
“…what’s “super” about U.S. superpower — a near-limitless ability to make high-technology war, backed by a fighting force of finite size with few allies — is an anachronism. I’m not sure the people of any Great Nation are ever ready to face the fact that the height of their military and economic powers has passed. Or that the leadership they most need to assert is no longer only a military and economic one.”
If we can no longer win every war we start and our economy isn’t Number One… is it possible for the U.S. to still be “super?” Let’s hope so.
This is a thoughtful and insightful post on America, leadership and journalism. Worth a read.
Political cybersquatting
“The election has “triggered an avalanche of cybersquatter activity,” according to NetNames, a domain name management service. Speculators have registered nearly 2,000 domain names related to presidential candidates as of last week. Names related to Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy made up over half of the registrations, followed by Mr. Obama with 635 and Mr. McCain with 269.” — The Caucus (the NYT politics blog):
I didn’t see a lot of creativity in the domain names listed in the Times story. HillarysFatAss.com and UppityAfroAmerican.com were conspicuous by their absence.