NYPD and bicyclist

I don't know enough about this story to comment, but just from the few seconds on video... it just doesn't look right.

I also know little about the "Critical Mass" event(s), but from what I understand, it's a bunch of people who own bicycles, that want to "promote" riding bikes. But, some of their methods may be "controversial" in that they foul up traffic.
Again, I'm just basing this on comments I've read online.
Wikipedia to the rescue!

Argh... I just read this news report via wcbstv.com and it makes it sound like what it appears on video. Officer Patrick Pogan has lost his badge and gun and is on desk duty pending an investigation. But here's the part that burns me...

Pogan told officials that Long was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down.

I'm sry, but the video clearly shows Officer Pogan making a calculated intercept to knock him off the bike! THEN to turn around and charge Mr. Long with attempted assault?! Resisting arrest?! Disorderly conduct?!

Funny side note: So the camera person towards the end says something like "Bita, Bita Move" trying the get the woman in front of him to stop blocking the video. When the other man gently grabs here elbow to pull her aside, she shrugs his hand off like "get your stinkin hands off me!" :)

We're all aliens?

So, a few days ago there was an amazing story on yahoo news about how some scientists got together and performed some tests on a meteorite. They discovered that this meteorite contained the building blocks of life! Some molecules of uracil and xanthine which are present in our DNA and RNA! So, this story has been in the back of my mind the past few days...
1) WHY have I not heard this story mentioned in any other news outlets?
2) This really lends to some concrete evidence that life on this planet may have come from somewhere out there.
3) have WE unwittingly started the life process on either the moon or Mars? ie: We've sent men, and machines to the moon, and just machines to Mars - isn't it possible (probable?) that some tiny cells of bacteria may have survived that trip through space and is now multiplying on the moon or mars right now as we speak?
4) IF this theory is true then (that life originated from another planet), how does this hurt or help the story of creation in the Bible? Can it be justified to fit?
5) IF there is in fact life on other planets, and IF they some day decide to visit this little blue and green swamp of a planet, chances are they are or will be more intelligent than us.
This point number 5 has really been sticking in my head. What would that mean? No really, take a few minutes and think how you would react if you learned that an alien has in fact landed on this planet and is friendly, and is WAY smarter that all of us put together...
Lets say that whoever (or whatever) this life form is that arrives here is lets say 5x smarter than Einstein... How would that make us feel as a species? How many would embrace that we're still relatively stupid now compared to another species? How many would be afraid of the new species then if it were smarter and call it say an "elitist"? What if, before leaving for his or her own planet, it decides to give us the answer to zero-point energy, so that ALL energy is free on this planet - what would that mean? Would we live in a utopia at that point, or will there always be something to fight over?

Just some thoughts bouncing around inside of this ol' noggin.
What do you think?

You have the RIGHT to remain silent

Again,
I apologize for the multitude of video blog posts. I've been lazy with keeping active on this here blog. Well, lazy, and also because there seems to be a lot of personal "stuff" that's clogging my mind lately and I haven't been in the mood to blog here.
Moving on...

I hope YOU, and I NEVER have to use this advice here. But on that slim chance that we are in the position to remember these two videos, I hope I'm smart enough to keep my mouth shut.
(note: I did know the part about what to say when a police officer pulls you over for a speeding ticket... the question is usually "do you know why I'm pulling you over?" wo which MOST people will respond with "well, I must have been speeding", or whatever the offense was... THAT is a confession and a guaranteed ticket. The correct response to that question is: "No sir, I do not."

IgnitePhilly experience

So, ignitephilly was a few days ago now, and I was hesitant on posting my thoughts about it. On one hand I think it is an awesome idea and event and wish it nothing but positives. On the otherhand, my personal experience was, er, uncomfortable.
First the positives...
Actually, first I should explain briefly what IgnitePhilly means for those who don't know. No, it has nothing to do with Global Warming ;)
It started in Seattle (by a few people, one of which is Bre Pettis, who is one of my e-heros).
In a nutshell... each speaker has 5 minutes to do a presentation. During that presentation is a slide show (like powerpoint), where you have 20 slides that only show for 15 seconds each. The slides automatically forward, so the speakers have to keep up (or in some cases slow down) to match the slides. The topics (and event in general) has a geek/internet connection. A lot of start-up groups, web 2.0, etc. That's about it really - not too complicated.

Ok, the event was held in a section of the city I was not familiar with. Several people, when I told them where it was, gave me the impression that it was not a safe neighborhood. So I was hesitant on that. But once I got there, the neighborhood looked perfectly fine - like any other philly scene. Lots of people walking home from work on a hot day. I really lucked out too, cause on my second pass, I got a parking spot right in front of the bar.
Yep, the event was held at a bar. It was a corner bar, that was much bigger inside* than what it appeared from the front. Their food smelled awesome, but I wasn't in the mood for eating sadly. I went inside to sit at the bar, but it was too hot for me. The winows and doors were open, but it was still hot and stuffy. I ended up sitting outside at one of their sidewalk tables. It was nice to just sit there and enjoy the people watching, the fresh air, and being in a new spot in the city.
The event "started" around 6pm, pretty much right on time. It was held in the upstairs part of the bar, that had another bar, and a small stage, with a small balcony. (my flickr photos are here). After about an hour of "social time" the presenters started.
From what I saw (I left after the intermission), the speakers were awesome. A certain crudeness in trying to present in 5 minutes, which was perfectly fine and part of the charm. Everyone was just pumped to be part of this new experience. The two presentations that really stuck with me were from "Brian Lang at the Food Trust" and from "Brittany Bonnette at Philly Bike Share."
Two awesome ideas getting started in philly. (oh, and Marisa McClellan and Scott McNulty [edit: sry for the typo Scott] from Fork You, were also entertaining ).
Everyone I saw was interesting and I enjoyed hearing about their projects!
So, a few of the negatives for me...
I must emphasize these are my own personal "quirks" so I don't want it to reflect on the event itself.
Problem #1 - I'm not a social butterfly :) I don't like crowds. I get a sort of claustrophobic feeling whenever I'm around people (whether I know them or not). So that whole thing is awkward for me. But I wanted to hear what these people had to say, so I forced myself to go in spite of my awkwardness.
Problem #2 - I don't like the heat - Although the AC was on upstairs, it was really hot still. Mainly because there were so many people jammed together. I eventually positioned myself under one of the AC vents, so occasionally, I'd get a blast of cool air, but it was still too uncomfortable for me.
Problem #3 - I'm a cheap bastard! :) (You may begin to notice that these complaints perhaps reflect on my age. In my youth, I would have no prblem on going to a packed dive bar to see a new local band!) When I first arrived, I had a soda - The waitress told me $1.50, I gave her a $10, she brought me back $8!? I can only assume that she took out her own tip. But $3 for a soda is highway robbery (aka movie theatre prices). So, once the event started, I figured I'd get a beer... they had lots of local breweries on tap. I ended up ordering a "woodchuck Cider" - it was really good! BUT... it was $5 for ONE BEER, plus a tip of $2, so $7 for one beer is like OMG to me. I remember when milk was a nickle ;) - In relation to the beer experience, the first bartender that I approached, completely ignored me! He served the guy next to me, as I'm waiting two other people came up, I'm standing there with money in hand, and he looks me right in the eye, then asks the people on the other side of me what they wanted to drink. Bastard. He was a little twirp of a guy, so I'm guessing he didn't like tall people or long hair or something. I walked down to the other side of the bar, and the other bartender served me with no problem.
LAstly... There were just WAY too many people for this venue*. They had to turn people away at the door because they quickly filled the capacity (I think it was 200 people). There was not a clear path anywhere to walk at all. Then during the presentation, it was shoulder to shoulder, and standing for an hour and a half. Again a sign of my age, cause I could have really used a chair. This guy in front of me had a bulky backpack on that kept pushing up against me.
So, at the first intermission, about half way through the presenters, I regretfully had to leave. I got home in time to go to the website and see the last 2 presenters via their live webcast! Next time, I'll probably just stay at home, with my own $1 beer, my air conditioned apartment, and my trusty computer - call me an ol' fuddy duddy.

Please - don't let my negative experiences deter you from checking out this awesome event though. Some interesting things happening in philly - I hope they post the video up soon of the event, I want to see the remaining presenters that I missed.
Oh, and one more thing... this event had an interesting tie in with twitter. There were a lot of folks (including some of the planners) who were on twitter talking about the event. It was neat to pick up on the buzz via that avenue of communication.

Science and Charity

Two youtube videos for you. (I want to blog about my experience at ignitephilly last night, so this is just a reminder to mysefl to do that.)

First the science:
I remain skeptical about this, but if it's true, it's pretty darn amazing! (note: I think it's misleading to say that "time is slowing down" - if they said your cognitive powers of perception become increased during times of stress, I would like that better).



Next up... This guy is pretty amazing (as are the nerdfighters.)

Lazy HOT Sunday

Well, it is another HOT day here on the east coast. Temps close to 100. There is a strong breeze, but it's doing nothing to allievate this heat. And according to the forcast, we still have another 3-4 days of 90+ heat to go.
My air conditioner has been running non-stop no matter how many times I tap the thermostat up to get it to shut off. It's running non-stop just trying to maintain an 84 degree temp in here. It's bearable of course, but I just can't help to think of the poorly insulated ceiling/attic in my apartment that my money and energy is being sucked out into the air. So frustrating. I actually thought today - I wonder if I nailed a layer of foam to my ceiling if it would help.
But, hopefully in a few more hours when the sun goes down, the temps will drop to something a bit more reasonable. Last night it wasn't too too bad. I ventured out to see a movie.

Kung Fu Panda>
Man, I really liked this movie! I'm beginning to think - there's no such thing as a "children's movie". Just because something is animated, or has goofy eye'd characters, doesn't mean an adult can enjoy a good storytelling - unless of course, I only speak for myself. Maybe I am still just a kid at heart, who can get caught up in a story about kung fu warriors, saving a town from a "bad guy", and the underlying message that the power of being good comes from within who we are. Go See this movie! I'm considering seeing it again actually. There was so much detail in the animation that I'd like to go back and see it again. I have not taken the time to look it up, but I could see some influence in the animation of the same artist that did "Samurai Jack" Which I borderline despised. But this animation was 10x better and the use of digital effects were just the right amount (I did just now look it up, and can see no references to anything on Samurai Jack, so maybe I'm imagining things.) AND I gotta give a mighty "tip-o-the-hat" to Jack Black, who did an awesome job on the voice of "Po the Panda" - SKADOOSH!

Lastly...
So, I'm "trapped" in my apartment, not wishing to go out in this heat, other than to take a bag of garbage out, and I'm stuck with trying to entertain myself - my choices, TV, Internet, and books. I know, if I start to read, I'll fall asleep. And after a couple hours of mindless channel flipping, and getting angry at the lack of anything other than "celebrities fighting, 1970's reruns of "hogan's heroes", and pundit news - I finally turned it off. Internet to the rescue!
I watch the first episode of "Astro Boy" on the Hulu.com and was impressed! The music was a nice techno beat, the animation (although simple 12 frame) was entertaining, and the story was pretty good - hmm, just a matter of time til this hits the big screen is my prediction!
http://www.hulu.com/astro-boy

Then, onto something with a bit more substance...
I just finished watching a 40 minute presentation by Bill Moyers to the NCMR conference (not sure what NCMR means). It was a bit tedious for me to watch, and I had to do it with 2-3 breaks in between, but I highly recommend you watch it. In a nutshell, I believe Moyer's is making a powerful and historical speech here in regards to corporate media and the free press. In this speech (and coincidently on reddit), I heard the first warnings of the internet as we know it today - being ruined by 2012 - in that it will be controled by the ISP's who package the internet into advertisement based entertainment - much the same way that Radio has been removed from the people, and Television. That's scary when you think about it. I hope they are wrong.
What led me to Moyer's video, was a link on reddit to Bill Moyers getting "ambushed" by a *ahem* Reporter, from the Bill O'Reilly show. This reporter tried to snag Moyers with some loaded questions and as the reddit headline hinted at, Moyer's countered with his own sharp fired questions, and ended up pwning the reporter from O'reilly.
You can watch the conference talk here on youtube.
And see the "attack journalism" from O'reilly here also on youtube (note: the audio quality is not the best). But try to stick around for the full 9 minutes, because after the reporter and Moyer's is done, some of the other reporters nearby, end up cornering the reporter, using some of the same tactics. (Note: the reporter's name is Mr. Porter).
real quick: I couldn't help but notice the way in which Bill Moyer's delivers his speech - It sounded like a sermon the way he delivered the speech.

Ok, I'm off to find some more "free thinking" content on the internet while it still lasts.

Popcorn Cellphones

Can someone tell me if this is a scam or real? I don't know enough people with cell phones to try myself!

source: via digg to this blog.

new wearable feedbags

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

twitter and movie

Sorry for the lack of daily posts lately. It has been a combination of two things... 1) Not much to say lately. Just sort of plodding along these past couple days. I've not been following politics as much, as I was getting too frustrated, so I took some time off from that.
B) I've been enjoying twitter lately. It's kinda like a mini-blog (I do believe some officially are calling it "micro-blogging"). Some in fact are trying to pursue an open source micro-bloggin - I'm interested to see what happens with this.
So for the past few days, when I get a quick thought of something to say to the world, I'll twitter it, rather than blog it. You can "follow me" here if you like to sign up, or just look in the side bar to the right and you'll see my last two "tweets".

ok, onto a strange movie review...

So back in 1992 (I only know this date based on IMDB's release date for the movie), I was visiting a local video store that was fairly new. It was Tower Records (are they even in business anymore?) At one time, Tower was cool. Lots of indy stuff (both music, video and zines). So I was wandering through the video rentals and picked up one called "Roadside Prophets" (imdb).
Now, for SOME reason, this movie made an impression on me. Over the years, I would recall this movie, mainly due to one actor. It had a cameo appearance of John Cusack in it, and I'm a fan of John's. John's character was an eye patched character who wore leather gloves, and would order a bunch of food at a diner, then shove it all in his mouth and run out without paying for it. I know - weird.
Well, the other day, the movie popped into my head again, and I thought "I wonder if netflix has this movie yet?" (I'd searched before and no luck - that's how obscure this movie is).
Much to my surprise - they had it!
So the other night I watched it.
OMG! What sort of mindset was I in, in 1992?!
It was a horrible movie by today's standards!
I was amazed at how cheesy the wardrobe was from the 80's (along with some lame soundtrack). The main actor was horrible! (sry John). John Doe (yes, that's his stage name! Birth name is John Duchac). And this is where it starts to get weird too... some of the other co-stars in this movie - again, more of just cameo appearances...
David Carradine (yep, the guy from Kung-Fu)
John Cusack (whic hI mentioned above).
Don Cheadle (with the kookiest 80's "erasertop" haircut) who also was nominated for an Oscar!
Timothy Leary - yes - THE Timothy leary from the the 60's drug culture.
Arlo Guthrie - yes, that arlo also from the 60's culture - Alice's restaurant. Son of Woody Guthrie.
FLEA - HAH! I didn't even recognize him from the movie, I just saw his name in the credits. (He's the famous bass player from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers!)
And
The co-star of the movie (who I liked his acting) was named "Adam Horovitz" - I didn't recognize him or his name, but then via imdb, I learned who he is... he's one of the Beastie Boys!
Possibly the craziest cast in a movie I've ever seen.
Maybe that's why this movie stuck with me :)
I will end with saying this...
under it all, I do think the storyline of this movie was interesting. I wonder what this movie would be like if it were remade today.

News in other countries? what news?

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/248

Sorry, the embed code brought up a big error in blogger. So only a link.

Think you know what's going on in the world from mainstream media?

Gotta love the TED talks.

Peer Pressure

(Via OpenCulture)

weezer + Internet = cool

Kinda sad how many of these references I am familiar with. Glad to see TWO DaftPunk references ;)

Skype = confusing and misleading

So, I'm not exactly sure why I chose to do this... well, actually it is because I thought I could save some money.
Background:
I don't use my phone that often. No particular reason other than I don't like talking on the phone. I'm much more of an email person.
So when it came time for me to choose a long distance plan, I waded through all the confusing plans, and determined that the best one for me was a one that included a small monthly fee of about $5. Then, all my long distance calls after that are around ¢12 a minute.
Now here's the kicker, to call my sister who lives on the opposite side of the country, it costs me ¢12 a minute... but to call my mom who lives about 15 minutes away, it costs me ¢24 a minute!
What's up with that!?
So, I decided to look into Skype.
I had played around with Skype back when it was free. I liked it, but it felt more like a gimmick, and in all honesty it was easier to pick up the phone, than to fire up the computer, find some headphones, speak into the built in microphone, etc...
Then, like any good drug dealer business plan... Once Skype had people hooked on the free plan, they moved to a subscription based plan. I'm out.
So fast forward a year, maybe even 2 or 3 years, and I'm thinking of getting rid of my long distance plan, and a cheaper way to call my mom.
So, I buy a usb headphone with a built in microphone, and two days ago, signed up for a 3 month subscription plan. It works out to about $1.50 per month for UNLIMITED long distance calls to anyone in the USA. So that part is good!
But then things got complicated...
Through some poorly worded subscription plans, I learn that because I live in the USA, I'm NOT able to get a "skype phone number". Well, technically I can, BUT it costs about $54 per year!!! Now, this isn't a critical part of having skype, If people want to call me, they can still call me on my regular phone. But there are certain benefits to having a skype phone #. One of which is that when I call my mom, her caller ID shows my call as "unavailable", so now she'll not know if she's getting a junk call, or if it's me. Grrr.
So, right now... Skype, you're on NOTICE!
Either get this USA phone number thing straightened out, or you'll lose me (and many others based on your message boards) in about 6 months.

Oh, and the icing on the cake...
I had to buy a USB hub now for the headphones, and as far as I can tell now, it doesn't work with any of my devices. Thanks Belkin!

Awesome Geek Photo

So as a self proclaimed geek/nerd, one of the things I've come to realize over the years is that there are degrees of nerdom/geekdom. What one person considers "You are a total geek" can be totally different from another person's definition. Over the years, I've taken conscientious steps further and further into the geek-lifestyle, only to learn that just when I think I can't possibly get any more nerd-ish, there is someone out there more nerdy/geeky than me.
What I love about this photo, is the sense of pride you see emanating from "Tron Guy". I'm certainly not ready to take this step and make my own tron suit, but I applaud "Tron Guy's" decision to do this.

Tron Guy's Website: http://www.tronguy.net/
Link to Scott's flickr page

Thanks for sharing the photo under creative commons Scott.

This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. If you use this photo within the terms of the license or make special arrangements to use the photo, please list the photo credit as "Scott Beale / Laughing Squid" and link the credit to laughingsquid.com.

ColorWars2008?

So, I'm still not entirely sure what this website is about, other than I know it's run by Ze Frank (a really funny and talented dude). But, it appears they have run this as a contest, and I was just looking at some of the submissions and they are both cool and -i gotta say- a little creepy too.
Basically, take a photo that was taken a long time ago of you as a kid. Then take another photo today, trying to match the same photo. Makes me want to break out the ol' photo album and see what I could do. What amazes me is that in many of the photos, these people managed to somehow capture the same clothes that they wore. Neat stuff...
Check out some of the submissions here.
Or see the winners here.

No video Flickr

So as a big fan of flickr, I'm torn with all the hoopla about their new "feature" that they introduced a couple days ago... Video. Some people are apparently loving it, and some are not. I think I fall in the "not" category, but I'm willing to give it a chance. I read this article on wired, and I tend to agree with one of the comments... Video on Flickr is like "jumping the shark".
I just don't quite get the thinking here. Flickr has a huge LOYAL fan base and their entire service is based on photography. Now, out of the blue, they introduce this video option (with a limit of 90 seconds). Why? I mean Youtube (and a bunch of other online video sharing services (vimeo, bliptv, etc...) have this pretty much covered.
Well, I hope this isn't the spiral downside to flickr that yahoo will taint. (Flickr was a stand alone service, then along came yahoo and bought them out. Now yahoo is in financial troubles - depending on who you talk to - and we get something like this?)
I guess it's time I start looking to google's Piccasa...

photo credit: seldon72 used under CC

Nerd Fighters

I just discovered these two guys yesterday on youtube. I'm impressed. I'm going to have to look into there thoughts and links a little deeper now.
Please watch both embedded videos.
Thanks
Cyen

Tech Tags: nerdfighters nerd+fighters worldsuck bangladesh xbox360 vlogbrothers

itunes - you got competition!

So, lets start from the beginning...
I admit, I've downloaded some songs from the internet back when Napster was new. I discovered Napster just when it was starting to cause all sorts of trouble. I knew it wouldn't last forever, so I grabbed some songs that i felt "justified" in doing so. For example, I had/have a large cassette tape collection. So rather than try and convert all my tapes into an mp3 format, it was easier for me to grab the songs off napster. So in that sense, I paid for them already. I will admit, I grabbed some songs with no justification, other than I believed the record industry had made a TON of money off of my purchases since I was a young teen. I started out with 45's as a young kid, along with some albums. When A young teen, I got back into 45's and albums (my favorite music store was "Peaches"! - now you might be able to tell how old I am now?)
Anyway, When it became clear to me that napster was headed for legal troubles, I stopped downloading. I soon switched to limewire, but I only limited my downloads to songs I could not find anywhere else. In other words, If I could buy them legally, I would, but since I could not find the cd, and any local stores, I would go to limewire.
(we're only talking a few songs here, it's not like I was downloading a huge library).
Then along came itunes.
I started to feel guilty in not buying songs, and I felt, that the new itunes store that offered songs at ¢99 each was a fair price to pay. So since then I've bought all my music via itunes (again, if itunes didn't have what I was looking for, I would see if limewire did - but itunes has a vast library, so that's rare.)
So just last week...
I forget even where I saw it (on the internet somewhere I'm sure), I heard something to the effect of "Amazon.com has gained a foothold in the mp3 selling business and is now #2 in sales".
One of the big selling points of amazon... NO DRM!!! (DRM = Digital Rights Management = I can play an mp3 that I bought on my computer, my ipod, put it into a homemade itunes movie, bring it into garageband, etc, with no limitations. Wikipedia) IF I used an alternative mp3 player, I could play them there too.
Well, tonight, I decided to check it out.
I might be a new convert now.
A lot of their songs are priced at ¢89 (compared to apple's ¢99). AND, on a whim (after hearing my sister's itunes/soundtrack post, and seeing Pink Floyd, I decided it was time for me to embrace Pink again. (That's a whole other story for another time as to why I put a self-imposed ban on myself from ever listening to Pink again.)
So, I stopped over to the amazon store. Guess what... For "The Wall" (which is a double disk album with 26 songs) they were only charging $8.99!! At first, I thought this was a typo, or maybe that was for one of the disks and not both. But sure enough, $8.99 for all the songs. Wow! (I know, you say it louder ;) Itunes was charging the full price of about $26 for the same songs - AND Amazon has the benefit of being DRM free!
So a no brainer there.
It was a little confusing at first, I had to download a small "helper" program from Amazon, and the install/download process is slightly confusing, but I figured it out pretty easily.
So, I think from now on, I'll be checking Amazon first for any new songs I want, then itunes.
Kudos Amazon.
(ahem... apple, are you listening to your customers?)

PS> Music is amazing! I've not heard some of these Floyd songs in over 20 years, yet as I listen to them now as I type this, I can remember most of the lyrics like it was yesterday! Music and memory are a powerful combination.

PS2> I'm aware apple has toyed with some DRM free songs. But I still don't understand it. Something about having a choice, or paying extra or something? anyone understand it, please leave a comment.

Tech Tags: amazon.com itunes apple music mp3 drm

Lazy Mind?

So, I've been thinking lately about a few things, one of which, is how do I motivate myself to learn more? (which in itself is some weird logic loops, because by thinking about this and hopefully someday figuring out the answer, I will have learned something!)
But I've been mentally frustrated over the past month (maybe longer), about my inability to learn. Is it a physical limitation? (ie: I'm not that smart), is it an age limitation? reaching that point in life when you start to feel "comfortable" with having thought a lot and can accept what you know as your limit know (which is scary).
Is it a time limitation? There is SO MUCH that I want to learn yet! That I feel overwhelmed. There is no way that I'll have enough time to learn it all - therefore, how do I pick and choose where to best put my time?
Finally, (which I think is the root of my problem) I'm lazy. I'd much rather watch the season premier of Battlestar Galactica (which was awesome by the way), than to pick up a book, or jump on the web, and learn about what does a "volt" mean in relation to a 9 volt battery?
I enjoy being entertained! I don't enjoy the "process" of learning (somethings).
So, I think I've figured out now:why... my next process is... how do I "fix it"?
Well, that turned out to be a self reflective rant that I didn't intend when I started this post.
But, in this post, I hope lays a glimmer of an answer...
TED talks. I've blogged about this awesome event before - and how it's awesomex2 that they post some of the talks FREE on the web, so that joe schmoe's like myself can watch them.
I watched two this morning...
Possibly one of the smartest man alive - giving a talk about such things as "universe", aliens, and the future of the human race (Stephen Hawking!)
Then I just watched this talk, which was amazing!
I wish I had .003 percent of this guy's energy!
I'll embed Clifford Stoll's talk here, but I also enourage you to watch Stephen's talk too...

Tech Tags: ted ted+talks stephen+hawking clifford+stoll mind lazy learning

youtube - being corporatized

So, maybe it's been a slow process where I had not noticed before, but this morning it hit me like a ton of bricks...
Youtube is being (has been) corporatized!
So, it was only a few days ago, that I noticed youtubes new policy of putting advertisements into the videos. They "pop up" about a quarter to a third of the way into the video. I know... this is a capitalist society and all that, but it saddens me to see websites that started off as a "grass roots" project for users to share video content turn into just another large advertisement for big business.
Today's youtube page was nothing but Rolling Stone's videos, to promote (that's code speak for "advertise") their new upcoming film.
I stopped over at the youtube advertising page, and sure enough, they have a whole section dedicated to putting more ad's on their sites, and embedding them into the videos.
It's just a matter of time, until the people get tired of being advertised to, and they'll move to a new technology for sharing videos.
I'm also curious... I don't know yet if youtube is forcing their ads into the videos of the users without them having a say or not. I've not uploaded anything recently so I don't know if there is an option for this or not.
If youtube forces an ad onto my video, and then doesn't pay me for it - I won't be using youtube anymore.
Remember youtube/google - Don't be evil.