Not surprisingly in my circles, all my friends keep asking me what technology I’m bringing and how I plan to document the trip and stay in touch online. I am bringing several cameras (video and still) but I am not bringing my laptop. I will stop at the occasional internet cafe to share some stories with you all but this is not about documenting/sharing. I hope this will be a deeply personal experience for me. I’m ready for it. I am at a point in my life where I need to reevaluate my priorities. I have a lot of options at the moment and I don’t want to jump into the next stage too quickly. This trip is all about slowing down for a while. Sitting back and looking at my life from a distance, as much as I can, through the eyes of another culture. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to do this right now. And I thank all of you for helping me get here. I’ve made some amazing friends in the past year (and reconnected with old ones) and I appreciate you all more than you can know.

OK I’m rambling. If you’re interested in what I’m packing, click on the photo below for details.

Again, if you’re interested, below are the (unedited) notes I’m taking with me which constitute our proposed itinerary. We won’t be able to do it all. But hopefully, this won’t be my last trip to SE Asia. Rumor has it, once you go, you can’t wait to get back.

See you all in a month! Don’t blow up the internet while I’m gone. kthxbai.

BANGKOK:

Hotel: Stay at Shanti Lodge when you get to Bangkok.

- Chatuchak Market (worlds biggest market – only sat/sun)
- River cruise including floating market (book recommends staying overnight to get to market early am)
- Vertigo for drinks (and possibly dinner if your budget can afford it)
- Sukhumvit and Silom for the culture and experience of Bangkok (Middle Eastern & African)
- Lumpini Park and (hopefully Suan Lum Night Bazaar if it’s still around)
- Klong Tom (black market) - Saturday nights near Chinatown
- MBK (Mar Boon Krong) - best shopping
- Lotus Super Store
- Siam Square
- 5 baht market (like 99 c store)
- coconut stand
- Wat Phar Kaew/Grand Palace - emerald buddha
- skytrain
- Boxing: Lumpini Park has one of the most sacred boxing temples. They fight on tuesdays/wed and fridays and advertise the fight outside the main area
- Th Khao San - backpacker ghetto, bars, afterhours drinking
- SLOW boat trip
- Khao San Road - custom-made suits are cheap (negociate first)
- Erawan monastery
- Go to Chinatown - make it clear to tuk-tuk driver that you’re going
straight there and don’t let them stop anywhere first - they have deals
with shop owners where they get commissions - don’t let them trick you
- Walk through Chinatown towards the south to the Indian neighborhood
- amulet market (for monks only hard to find)

—————– CENTRAL THAILAND ——————-

KANCHANABURI
- floating guest houses
- kwai river bridge - death railway bridge
- erawan national park (waterfalls and swimming)
- hellfire pass

If time allows, it’s worth pushing on past Hellfire Pass to Sangkhlaburi — there’s nowhere else in Thailand like it. A very chilled out spot, well off the tourist trail, yet with good guesthouses, a large lake (which submerged the original town and now has a floating village on it) and a large Mon village across the lake. – Stuart at Travelfish

Ubon Ratchathani
Verdell - My uncle and cousin are monks in a monastery outside of Ubon (Ubon Ratchathani), the Wat Pah Nanachat, also known as the international forest monastery. He would love to have you come by and meditate for a day or two. They will hook you up with what you need when you get there.

Sala Kaeo Ku
is just outside of Nong Khai. Sala Kaeo Ku, or Wat Khaek, is a sculpture garden of Hindu-Buddhist mythologies. The statues are enormous and range from huge multi-headed serpents to more traditional images. A diagram of the Hindu Wheel of Life adorns an internal yard and nearby is a tall Buddha sitting under some frightening sized Nagas. Many of the statues that are not part of the Wheel illustrate well-known Thai proverbs. – one hour drive outside of Verdell’s village

BEACHES:
Koh Mak (no bars or stores or anything) - by border of cambodia http://bangkok.metblogs.com/archives/2007/04/weekend_getaway_2.phtml
Ko Chang - quiet resort island w some nightlife but not sleazy - by border of cambodia http://bangkok.metblogs.com/archives/2006/10/weekend_getaway_1.phtml

—————– NORTHERN THAILAND —————-

LOPBURI (monkey town)
- train stop north to chang mai
- night train to chang mai

CHANG MAI
- hill tribe trekking
- elephant rides
- thai elephant conservation center (lampang)
- tea plantation
- Doi Suthep temple.

PAI

Tham Lod – cave w bats and sparrows. The guest house we stayed in is called the Cave Lodge and is close by.

http://www.cavelodge.com
The guy who runs the place is an expert caver and kayaker and knowns the history of the area. Also, be sure to check out the 1700 year old burial coffins if you get the chance. I had to do a hike off an unmarked path of the road, but the results were incredible. The guy who runs the Cave Lodge knows the deets.

Nong Khai
- cross into laos here

——————— LAOS ——————-

VIENTIANE
- most ppl don’t love it here but it’s worth checking out

VANG VIENG
- tubing
- caving (need guide)
- Sarah Lane: Elephant’s Crossing. They charged us $20/night I think, which is high by backpacking standards, but at that point in our trip we needed some creature comforts. As for the caves, some are farther away than others, but we rented bicycles and hit a few of the closer ones. We didn’t have a guide so there was only so far into the caves we could go before it was pitch black and scary. If you’re looking to get deep in a cave, especially one farther out of town, a guide is a good call. Otherwise, the biking itself is great, and the scenery along the way is amazing. You’ll get to see the entire series of Friends in one night if you want. Friends is the biggest thing in town. Almost every bar plays it non-stop. It’s so annoying it’s funny. Also, a few restaurants sell mushroom-based food and drink if that interests you at all.. speaking from experience, you kind of have to ingest a lot of it, but it works.

LUANG PRABANG
- chill but no night life
- Sarah Lane: Great town, you’ll love it. Everybody loves it. You can spend all day drinking coffee and eating baguettes in cafes. Luang Prabang Bakery had the best coffee, but Scandinavian gave free refills as I recall. Lots of silver jewelry for sale. The wats here are unreal. Great place for a bicycle. The nearby waterfall is nice. I wouldn’t say it’s the most spectacular waterfall ever, but it’s worth the trip. Going across the river is worth it if you want a photo of the town itself. We stayed in a small room with a fan for about $7/night. Rooms go for more or less. Luang Prabang actually has a few ritzy spots, but I never saw the insides.

LUANG NAM/MUANG SING
- trekking Nam Ha Ecotourism Project
Sarah Lane:
We didn’t go all the way up to Muang Sing because we ran out of time, actually. Laos is slow to get around, and transportation gets sparser up in those parts. I’m sure you’ve got it covered, but it’s something to keep in mind. The day we wanted to leave, there just wasn’t a boat, for no reason. So we lost a day and suddenly didn’t have enough time to get up there and then back down to catch connections. Laos is not known for efficient transportation, and no one can be bothered by tourists on a tight schedule.

What we ended up doing was taking a little boat up the Nam Ou River from Luang Prabang to Muong Ngoi (6-7 hours?). Great experience. Intermittent electricity up there at best. Wonderful atmosphere. From Muong Ngoi, we did a 2-day trek to nearby Hmong villages with a local guide. It was awesome. The Hmong kids will melt your heart. Fascinating lives they lead. It was pretty rough though. Lots of leeches on our hike, and we basically slept with pigs. Back in town, basic accommodation can be found easily.

TAT SOMPHAMIT WATERFALLS (southern laos)

Sarah Lane: Didn’t go farther than Savannakhet in southern Laos. If you need to stop there for a day or two, it’s got some beautiful wats and a kind of nice “forgotten” atmosphere. Some local Lao nightlife, but nothing too exciting.

——————– CAMBODIA ————–
buy motorcycles and sell?

PREAH VIHEAR PROVINCE (northern)
- remote ruins
- bantey chmar temple

SIAM REAP
(need at least 3 days)
- angkor wat & other temples (2 days)
- phnom bakheng - highest point in Cambodia - elephant ride $15 to top (sunset?)
- Ta Prohm (tree roots)
- Siam Reap nightlife is cool
- late night foot massage
Sarah Lane: Overrun with tourists, but it’s amazing and you can’t really fault everyone for wanting to go. My best advice for you is to get to Angkor Wat (the most famous of all the temples) itself at sunrise. It’s the only time of day that it won’t be crawling with other people. It’s still awesome any time of day, but the feeling of having it more or less to yourself is something most people never get. We paid for a three-day pass but only got through two. The temples really deserve more than one day, but three full days is a lot. Naturally, you can’t just buy a two-day pass. Get a tuk-tuk driver to take you around all day. A million guys will offer their services on the street as you walk by. Siem Reap itself is sort of blah. Lot of tour groups and souvenir shops. Some sloppy tourist bars. But it’s where you have to stay.

TONLE SAP
- floating villages

PHENOM PEHN
- wat phenom (incense offerings)
- killing fields
- royal place/silver pagoda
- Foreign Correspondent’s Club
- tuol sleng museum
- Russian market - kids will try to get you to hire
them to be your guide - they are generally good kids and can be trusted
- Svay Pa described as “hell” and a lot of thugs prey on the tourists there
- Sarah Lane: Huge, crazy city. The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng museum are heavy and devastating. I found the museum more educational than the fields themselves, which are little more than open space now. The Royal Palace is wonderful. Just total decadence. I also liked the National Museum, which is in the same hood. It’s also worth it to go hang out at the river in the late afternoon and people watch. The whole city seems to migrate there when the sun goes down. The FCC is well-known and cool, a rip-off but that’s expected. You’ll notice a lot of older men in Phnom Penh who supposedly work for NGOs but spend a lot more time canoodling with Cambodian hookers. It’s so weird.

Sihanoukville:
Sarah Lane: I also spent about five days in Sihanoukville, in the south. It rained a lot, which put a damper on beach activities, but even if it hadn’t I think it would have been just ok. The coast is beautiful, but it’s kind of a generic Bob Marley scene if you know what I mean. Unless you love Bob Marley, in which case I’m not judging you. We also spent a couple days in Kampot and visited Bokor Nat. Park. The ride up the mountain was basically driving a car over huge boulders for three hours, but it was really cool up at the top, where there are some abandoned remains of an old British hill station. I wouldn’t say to go out of your way unless you were in the area, though.

—————— SOUTHERN THAILAND —————–

KA TAO (east coast island)
- great diving
- mellow
- nice beaches
- cheap

Krabi
- limestone cave kayak tour (John Gray eco tour
- kind of touristy
(krabi to phang nga and ko pi pi)

Ko Pha Ngan (east coast island)
- home to full moon party (Hat Rin)
- Than Sadet Falls
- dolphin resort at thong nai pan yai

Ko Phi Phi
- limestone cliffs
- pristine beaches
- destroyed by tsunami

Phi Phi Dong
- go to Phi Phi Lei from here

Phi Phi Lei

Well I hope he’s ready. Because the video is awesome. It’s a response video he made with the YouTube elite at Pixelodeon. He challenges the YouTube stars directly, both for their lack of quality content and for cheating on view counts and popular tags. And nothing drives traffic like a little rivalry. Check out YouTube Inner Circle Infiltrated! and decide for yourself. Personally, I think John is incredible. He may not reach the level of fame of some of the YouTube stars enjoy and I imagine YouTube will not be paying him any time soon. But he’s got a real voice and he’s at the top of my very short list of videobloggers I watch without fail. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

John also publishes a zine with his brother called Detrimental Information. You can buy the issues online for a dollar a piece. He gave one to Yuri and I liked it so much, I read it three times.

So bravo, John. You are an inspiration to those of us interested in this medium as a real artform. Keep up the good work.

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If I had to choose one word to describe Pixelodeon (festival last weekend), I would say “optimistic.” Both days were filled with inspiring speakers, mind-opening screenings and helpful DIY sessions. That said, I could barely get myself out of the hallways to attend the scheduled programming. There were so many interesting people to chat with! I can’t wait to follow up with my new peeps when I return from my trip to southeast Asia. All around, it was one of the best professional events I’ve attended. Kudos to the organizers.

I feel really lucky to be a part of this new media revolution. We’re building a new business, a new artform and a new worldwide community of people trying to make a difference. I wanted to explore this theme a bit by asking the video folks 2 questions:

What are you afraid of?
What are you hopeful for?

This video addresses the Fear part of the equation. Is fear our primary motivator? Why do we do the things we do? Do we make the best decisions when you’re trying to avoid something? Check it out and let me know in the comments: What is your greatest fear?

Stay tuned for stories of hope from Pixelodeon… (Hopefully I can get the video finished before I leave!)

UPDATE: Looks like I won’t have time to get around to editing Part 2 of the hope/fear series. I scanned through the footage and it just doesn’t seem worth the time/effort at the moment. I think you can get a sense of what people’s hopes are through the first video. I don’t want to put up another video just for the sake of doing it. This one seems to stand on its own so I’m content to leave it at that. The next video you’ll see here will likely be something from SE Asia!

This weekend in LA:

The first annual Creators Series is a multidisciplinary spring conference dedicated to emerging creativity, presented by the recently founded company Tomorrow Unlimited. It exists to showcase new creative talents rising to prominence on the strength of art and ideas that are pushing the culture as a whole into the future. Set to take place in June 2007 in New York and Los Angeles, the event revolves around a public gallery exhibition containing work from all event participants, and will also include ticketed roundtable discussions, individual talks and presentations, and live performances.

Sarah Rich from Worldchanging will be speaking on Sunday on the Sustaining Change panel. I’m not sure I can make it on Sunday but I’ll definitely be checking out the Participatory Filmmaking discussion tomorrow. Here is the full schedule. Should be a great event!

Moving on…

Tom and I spent the day Wed getting our shit together. We loaded up on meds, got tons of passport photos (for visas), international driving permits (including motorcycle), first aid stuff, mosquito repellent and visited REI where we will return early Sunday morning to catch their used gear sale. We are almost ready to go.

We’ve been receiving tons of feedback on our itinerary. Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories. You are definitely helping us plan the best trip possible. I will post our revised list as soon as I get to revising it.

Oh! And we sat down for dinner with our good friend Verdell who recently returned from a visit to Thailand to see her family. She’s hooking us up with her uncle and cousins so we can spend a few days at Wat Pah Nanachat (The International Forest Monastery). I have no idea what to expect except that I’m nervous about all the bowing and stuff. I hope I can remember all the rules for interacting with monks and that they don’t think I’m some self-centered westerner (which I am). Of all the amazing things we have planned, I am currently most excited about this. This may be our only chance to truly get off the backpacker trail and spend some time really immersed in another culture.

Just like everyone else, I’m currently reading The 4 Hour Workweek. I swear this book fell into my lap at just the right moment. I am re-thinking my goals and how to reach them. My friend Anita swears it has something to do with Saturn. I don’t know about that but I do know that I am so lucky to be able to take a trip like this at this point in my life. I might not come back…

Here is my reading list at the moment:

To finish before I leave:
The 4 Hour Workweek
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

To read on the trip (probably not all of these):
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Beach
Fingerprints of the Gods
Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature

For people who have installed Ubiquity from Mozilla Labs, here’s a user script that enables you to quickly search for words in Wordnik:

makeSearchCommand({
  name: "Wordnik",
  url: "http://wordnik.com/{QUERY}",
  icon: "http://wordnik.com/media/img/wordnik.ico",
  description: "Searches Wordnik for your words.",
  preview: function(pblock, directObject) {
    var searchTerm = directObject.text;
    var pTemplate = "Searches Wordnik for <b>${query}</b>";
    var pData = {query: searchTerm};
    pblock.innerHTML = CmdUtils.renderTemplate(pTemplate, pData);
  }
});

I’ve added Ubiquity meta information to this page so that you should see a Firefox bar across the top of the page asking you whether or not to install/subscribe to this script.

makeSearchCommand({
  name: "jaikungfu",
  url: "http://jaiku.lemonad.org/search?q={QUERY}",
  icon: "http://jaiku.lemonad.org/favicon.ico",
  description: "Jaikungfu search Jaiku.",
  preview: function(pBlock, directObj) {
    if (directObj.text)
      pBlock.innerHtml = "Searches " +
      "<a href=\"http://jaiku.com/\">Jaiku</a> for " +
      directObj.text +
      " (<a href=\"http://jaiku.lemonad.org/\">jaikungfu</a>)";
    else
      pBlock.innerHTML = "Searches " +
      "<a href=\"http://jaiku.com/\">Jaiku</a> "+
      "for the given words " +
      "(<a href=\"http://jaiku.lemonad.org/\">jaikungfu</a>)";
  }
});

Thanks to Håkan Kjellerstrand for teaching me the basics!

Update 2008-08-31: I’ve added Ubiquity meta information to this page so that you should see a Firefox bar across the top of the page asking you whether or not to install/subscribe to this script.

Karin and I are going backpacking in the north of Sweden. The tentative itinerary is to meet Jonathan and Jessie in Kiruna on the 23rd. They’ll arrive at the airport coming from the US via Stockholm. On the morning of the 24th we’ll start hiking from Abisko and follow Kungsleden for a couple of days.

When we reach Sälkasstugorna we’ll head off on the “unmarked” trails up towards Nallostugan. Then follow the “unmarked” trails down to Vistasstugan and up again over the pass at Mårmastugan and back up towards Abisko. We’ll see how it goes ;)

Now, we’ve spent tons of nights in tents while biking but we’re relatively unexperienced hikers so the last couple of weeks we’ve been planning and purchasing stuff to bring. We thought we had most of it but, alas, the checkbook says no, you really didn’t.

Here’s what it boiled down to:

Backpack fodder

Wearing:

Carrying:

Karin’s packlist

Good for one week of backpacking? Missing: Clothes for wearing, towel, peanut butter, soft bread, money and possibly a book.

Click the above to see the Flickr notes on what Karin is bringing.

Say hello if you meet us! Feel free to help us carry our too heavy backpacks ;)

Greasemonkey scripts are great. However, for users and developers alike, they do pose one problem; that of managing updates and bug fixes. There’s no automatic infrastructure set up for it and users might not notice that there are newer versions out—especially if they’re happy with the functionality of the current version. Developers can’t notify these users either since they don’t know who they are.

So to get around that limitation, over the last week or so, I’ve slowly (and painstakingly) made my own Firefox extension combining the two Jaiku Greasemonkey scripts I had previously made (AutoLink and More Context for Comments) with some additional features.

without Jaikungfu

with Jaikungfu

with Jaikungfu (blue marks extended icon set, version 0.1.3)

Integrated search form in sidebar (version 0.1.5)

Integrated channel search form in Jaiku channel and explore sidebar (version 0.1.6)

Inline reading of comments. Click the read inline link and and comments for the presence update are downloaded via ajax and displayed underneath (version 0.1.7)

List of commenters displayed underneath comment edit box. Click to insert @usernames (version 0.1.9)

In order to be able to submit it for Mozilla approval, I need people to beta test it first so I would really appreciate if you would register and download Jaikungfu from my sandbox at addons.mozilla.org. The sandbox is an area for advanced users to test add-ons before they are reviewed for general use. In order to access the sandbox, after registering, you must enable it in your account settings: click the link in the upper right corner that says My Account and check the box that says Show sandbox?. Then click save.. If you’d like, you can read more about it here.

Good news, the extension is out of the mozilla extension sandbox and can now be downloaded without registering—thanks everyone! :)
Kung-Pow! Download Jaikungfu 0.1.5 from addons.mozilla.org (or if you prefer the absolute latest version, development build 0.2 is available directly from my site. Download and open with FireFox/Flock).
Oh, and please remember to remove my previous Greasemonkey scripts before installing Jaikungfu as they probably don’t play well together :)

If you find a bug or have suggestions, don’t hesitate to email me!

• 0.1.3 extends the icon set shown on the Jaiku site.
• 0.1.4 removed some files that was no longer needed.
• 0.1.5 is the latest public version (approved on August 2) and adds a search form to most pages (the search functionality can be accessed without jaikungfu at jaiku.lemonad.org/search/).
• 0.1.6 is the latest beta-version and adds channel search through Rick Measham’s JaikuFans channel search.
• 0.1.7 adds inline reading of comments.
• 0.1.8 adds a list of commenters under the comment box for quick insertion of @username’s.
• 0.1.9 improves upon the list of commenters under the comment box by adding user images. It also fixes a rear display formatting problem with inline comments.
• 0.1.10 just includes some small tweaks to the above functionality.
• 0.1.11 adds a “top” link below comments to quickly return to the top (per request on Jaiku).
• 0.1.12 integrates search and channel search into one form with two submit buttons.
• 0.1.13 includes a number of changes and additions with the main ones being that it now works in Firefox 3, clickable inline comment avatars, and links for increasing size of profile avatars.
• 0.1.14 primarily fixes a very annoying problem for users not using adblock (Thanks again Rick Measham for all the help with finding and solving this! :).
• 0.2 is the latest alpha-version and fixes a minor problem for users not using adblock. I really hope this will become the public version so I rev’ed it to 0.2 :)

This script will create links out of @username and #channel. Before:

with script

After:

without script

To enable this functionality, you will first have to install Greasemonkey. After that, you are ready to install the Jaiku AutoLink script. Please email me or contact me through jaiku if you have suggestions or encounter any problems. Thanks!

Again, Rick Measham’s excellent site JaikuFans has a write-up.

tags: jaiku, greasemonkey, scripts

A while ago I posted a suggestion to the Jaiku #jaiku channel on showing more of the presence titles when listing comments in order to provide more context. Currently, comments are displayed like this:

without script

The thing is that the listing actually has more context information embedded in it but you would have to hover over the link to show it as a tooltip. With my Greasemonkey script installed, this text is pulled out and shown directly on the screen:

with script

To enable this functionality, you will first have to install Greasemonkey. After that, you are ready to install the Jaiku More Context for Comments script. Please email me or contact me through jaiku if you have suggestions or encounter any problems. Thanks!

There’s actually a much better write-up of this on Rick Measham’s awesome site JaikuFans :)

tags: jaiku, greasemonkey, scripts

Forthcoming?

No doubt, a river otter would be the perfect animal for the cover of a book on twitter in the O’Reilly series. Just look at that little hand, perfect for texting.

Karin on Canopy Trail in Santos, FL

Karin riding a skinny on the red trail around the Vortex freeride area in Santos, FL

Karin at the Vortex freeride area in Santos, FL

The camping at Santos in Florida was right by trail which is a luxury we’re definitely not used to. We could ride our bikes to the tent and eat lunch and then go back to the trail for another ride in the afternoon. Awesome - and we had great weather too. Only thing was that we were meeting Jonathan in Brevard, NC so we had to go north at the same time as the a cold front moved in. We went from 85 degrees in Florida to snow and below 32 in North Carolina! We stocked up with an extra blanket at K-mart and actually never got cold during the nights even though we had temperatures around 20 degrees. Perhaps due to ending each day with microbrewed beer and hot dogs around the warm and cozy campfire.

Lots more photos on flickr.

What you might be more surprised to hear though is that Florida seem to have some amazing mountain biking trails too. We haven’t been biking there yet so I’m very enthusiastic about going there if we have the time. The terrain is generally pretty flat which has led to trails being more freeride oriented. I guess it’s also a matter of parks there being confined to smaller areas.

Santos Trail, Florida (via toddsherman).

Anyhow, we’ll be back in about ten days! Ten days of biking and camping so wifi will be limited to sneaking access outside of motels :)

perhaps other peploids also write about mountain biking, pisgah, santos?

In some cases, like in gmail (labels) and in google reader (folders), users will probably use the tags like folders, because that’s how most of us are used to dealing with email and feeds. My guess is that most people will probably stick with this and many of them might even consider the possibility of assigning more than one folder/label to be more of a bug than a feature. In the case of gmail you’re not imposing your scheme on anyone but yourself but on the other hand, you’re not exposed to other people’s tagging either so you’re not conforming. Thus, the term folksonomy is not really applicable here. It’s first when you start sharing your tags that they become interesting.

So take Flickr, which employs what is called narrow folksonomy, where each item has only one set of tags associated with it, whoever adds a tag to an item, adds it for everyone else as well. Here I think is where we’re currently seeing folksonomy at its finest, where it actually works… To a certain degree. Because, when you want to search, do you really choose to do that by tags alone? Or when flickr only had search by tags, did you actually find everything that you wanted that way? Or when you want to find anything from your archives, is the tag cloud your first association?

There’s also broad folksonomy tagging, as employed by del.icio.us amongst others. Here each item is described by each user individually. Depending on if you look at it from an individual user’s point of view or from the items’, you get two different but overlapping tag sets. One is a union of all users’ descriptions of that item and the other is a subset of the former. The interesting part is that with del.icio.us, it actively tells you how to conform in terms of tagging folksonomy. That is, based on how other people have tagged the item you’re adding, del.icio.us is giving you suggestions on how to tag your item.

Great! So now you have all your items properly tagged, conforming with how other people has chosen to tag the same items. Only thing is, they’re all tagged with web2.0 and social! Not very surprising since those were the most popular choices and they were displayed with the biggest font. They were also the most general of the choices and thus wholly seemed to describe the items. Only not precisely so.

I think one problem is that we’re not all biologists. Nor economists, nor linguists. A folksonomy, if employed by a larger population, will conform towards the generic, not the specific. To a flower, if you will, and not a rose. In the fields where there’s already an established taxonomy, folksonomy will water it out. In the fields where a clear taxonomy not yet exists, such as in web applications, folksonomy through tags as they are employed today will not create one. After all, most people aren’t really setting out to be taxonomists, they just want to add an item to del.icio.us and be done with it. If someone says it’s web2.0, who am I to argue—who even cares?

However, tags came out of the need for something that was a bit more free than categories and folders, yet still more strict and powerful than plain text. In actuality, tags also came out of the real-world problem that freetext search in big and constantly updated databases was not feasible. Powerful as tags were meant to be for both the generic and specific, they were the most powerful when it came to drawing the broad strokes: to show trends and what is currently popular. Pair a very general tag with a current event or product release and suddenly it becomes crystal clear what it means.

In a sense, applications that use tags based on their popularity are doing their users a disservice. Because it really only aids them when they are adding an item, not when they’re later trying to find it. And if they’re not storing things in order to find them later in the first place, there’s no basis for folksonomy and shared tags could be skipped altogether.

What can be done though? In theory, perhaps the following:

Separate the broad from the specific.

Aim for the benefit of the long tail. If you can’t get them to work for that, your shared tags are probably not working at all.

Separate search from tags. They should not just be a subset of search.

Exclude popular tags and those shared by many users.

Keep filtering until your tag cloud is both intriguing and surprising.

In practice, it’s not going to be that simple. However, that’s where the creative people in your staff come in, go put them to good use, give us tags 2007!

20070319: What about a bell type curve?

Continue reading “on making a change”…

Continue reading “this place”…

Continue reading “on the subject of freeways”…

editing the videoblog in DC coffee shop

It’s taken a trip to Crawford, Texas for me to find the time reflect on the tremendous response to the blogging, Twittering, and video blogging I did from my round-the-world trip with the Secretary of Defense. It was an endeavor that I can describe, with certain resignation, as Rosenblum-esqe, as I managed to do my network pool camera crew thing AND a sidebar videoblog. MSNBC.com ran my videoblog as a two-part series. Part one took us from DC to Singapore, and in Part two, we visited Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and France. Must-read TV industry blogs, TV Newser and Fishbowl DC both ran very nice posts on my efforts.

Jim Long shoots Defense Secretary Gates boarding CH-47

It was a long, arduous journey, but it was made much more pleasant by the community of friends that were with me every step of the way. I blogged and Twittered from the trip and was inspired by the great group of folks I’ve come to know through Twitter and other social media. Every time I checked my Twitters, I was struck by all of the messages of encouragement. I wonder what I would do without Twitter and my network of friends there. Recently a friend made this observation about all of these hyper-connected relationships that transcend time and space.

Isn’t it great (crazy) to feel so connected to people you’ve never met–cheering them on, giving/getting advice
-Twitter friend

This Twitter friend had really pointed out the strange duality of this Contiuous Partial Friendship (David Weinberger’s nod to Linda Stone’s critical theory on social media, Continuous Partial Attention) While I won’t delve into the pros and cons, it is both great and crazy, or curious at least, why people who’ve never met feel such affinity towards one another. People who I’ve never met genuinely care about what I’m doing, just as I care about them. This affinity, which Leisa Reichelt describes as Ambient Intimacy, helps us stay connected across time and space and build unique bonds using online social media tools.

that sense of connectedness that you get from participating in social tools online that allow you to feel as though you are maintaining and, perhaps in fact, increasing your closeness with people in your social network through the messages and content that you share online - be it photographs or text or information about upcoming travel.
-Leisa Reichelt

Deb Schultz lyrically describes this type of this type of hyper-connected online behavior as “weaving”. In this post she points out how this “weaving” will be crucial to businesses trying to stay relevant and successful in this environment where markets are growing faster and smarter than most companies.

Jon Swanson described how we create community and relationship with these tools.

Because of twitter, I learned of a guy named Jim Long. Jim is a camera guy for NBC news and twitters throughout his day. Recently he spent a week traveling around the world. He is producing a two-part video travelogue which is wonderful. Part one is here. What is so compelling is that he gives a human side to the people who are doing the media work and the government work. It is about relationship.
-Jon Swanson

In Hawaii, social media merged with social life, where Roxanne Darling of Beachwalk met up with the weary Pentagon press at Alan Wong’s restaurant in Honolulu. Roxanne was a delightful counterpoint to the old media guard. She videoblogged about our discussions on mainstream and emerging media

Beach Walks with Rox #439 - Take a Blogger to Work

Videoblogging pioneer Steve Garfield gave a nice hat tip to our efforts, as did colleague, contemporary, and wordsmith Stewart Pittman. Atlanta blogger and social media leader Grayson Daughters questioned the resources applied to shooting a bunch of far-flung photo-ops, and while, she does raise a valid point, I hope I have provided context in her comments section. My DC Media Maker posse wonders when i’m getting that promotion from NBC. I’ll wait for that Twitter from @CathleenRitt.

Connie Reece discussing social media with NBC News team

Back here in Crawford, social media merged once again with social life. Connie Reece of Every Dot connects - one of my Twitter friends - stopped by the White House Press TV workspace in Crawford for a mind-share between old media and new. It was really a pleasure to meet face to face with someone I’ve come to know on Twitter, and Connie is even more delightful in person that her online persona betrays. Nothing can beat the human connection of direct face to face human interaction, but I do believe all of these social media platforms can help create vital bonds. On my grueling round the world adventure, It was these relationships that truly buoyed me throughout the journey. We really all made that trip together. Thank you!

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Gates arrives in Kabul

Gates’ plane touched down around 1930 local time, and we accompanied him to Camp Eggers. The Secretary had made on the record comments on the flight from Singapore, expressing cautious optimism about progress on the ground in Afghanistan, so traveling press headed right to the PAO to file their stories. We had to shoot a standup and take a voice track for CNN correspondent, Jamie McIntyre and then get the tape to a local “fixer” who would ship it to the feedpoint.

Jamie McIntyre, soundman Johnie Roth, Jim Long

Kabul nightlife

Afterwards, some of us unwound outside our housing talking with great young soldiers before we called it a night. While accommodations at the base weren’t quite as nice as the the Shangri-La we’d just left in Singapore, I slept well and was up at 0500.

Waiting to get a shot of Gates boarding his helo

Monday was a big day for the Secretary. Boarding helos, we choppered to Morehouse Commando Training Camp just on the outskirts of Kabul, where the first ever Afghan Special Operations Force battalion. We followed Gates as he reviewed the training and spoke with Afghan commanders. Afghan National Army Lt. Col. M. Farid Ahmadi spoke with Gates as he toured the training camp. He was very proud of the his men saying they were the best people for the job. CNN’s Jamie McIntyre interviewed him about the Army’s progress.

Jamie interviews Lt. Col. M. Farid Ahmadi

Then it was back on the helos to a flight back to the LZ in Kabul. Gates met with US commanders before we moved to the Presidential Palace, where the Secretary would later meet with President Hamid Karzai. Security at the palace is thorough to say the least. After being screened, we did the typical waiting associated with these types of events and then lined up for a shot of Gates arriving at the palace. Commander Greg Hicks had kindly pre-set my tripod for the joint press conference between Gates and Karzai, so my only challenge was positioning myself for the photo op with the two leaders. This is all about a burst of pure physical speed up the stairs, elbowing past what seemed like 15 local camera crews. Good thing I’ve got a long stride! In the press conference Gates and Karzai touched on a number of topics ranging from reconstruction, to Afghanistan’s suppression of the Taliban’s rumored spring offensive, to Iran’s involvement with the emergence of sophisticated new IED’s.

Next, we were off to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan, where the Secretary met privately with troops, to get “ground truth” from the boots on the ground - labeled as a free and open discussion about what works and what doesn’t. We were allowed what felt like 30 seconds for a photo op at the top. I think at this point in the trip the Secretary of Defense had grown tired of seeing me and more than once remarked in this photo op that as soon as they could speak freely (hint for me to leave!) they would begin the open dialogue. I always try to eek out as much video as possible from these events and don’t like to try the principals patience. As much as the OSD bristles at comparisons between Rumsfeld and Gates, I must say this Secretary of Defense has yet to scowl at me. I’ve been to these events with Rumsfeld and at a very precise point in the photo op, Rumsfeld would shoot an unmistakable look at the camera crew, which unequivocally meant LEAVE THE ROOM.

We left Afghanistan that evening flying out of Kandahar on the C-17 that brought us there. This was my first trip to Afghanistan and it was a truly unique experience, but I am quite content that we’ve left and are on our way to Normandy for D-Day memorial ceremonies.

NBC producer Courtney Kube

At this point it’s important to note that, working to coordinate all of the logistics, update editorial elements, and generally make sure things run smoothly, is a tremendously hard-working, capable, and talented colleague of mine named Courtney Kube. Long after we’ve all gone to bed she’s on the phone coordinating satellite feeds, writing ediorial notes and doing it all with personality and energy that are miles long.

Flying from Asia to Europe, we’re watching Saving Private Ryan on the plane as I write this. Fitting as we gear up to cover the Secretary’s participation in D-Day ceremonies at Normandy.

Here’s what my traveling buddies filed From Kabul.

Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times

Kristin Roberts, Reuters

Peter Spiegel, The LA Times

Donna Miles, Armed Forces Press Service

Jamie McIntyre, CNN

Robert Burns, Associated Press

Ken Fireman, Bloomberg

Jim Mannion, AFP

Guy Raz, NPR

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Friend and social media rock star Chris Abraham once told me that I blog in the “rarified air” from my perch as a network news cameraman. Today, I blog from the very thin air, 35000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, en route to Singapore with Defense Secretary Gates.

Secretary Gates and Admiral Keating brief press at Pacific Command HQ

NBC News is the US TV Pool traveling with Gates, which means the video I shoot will be used by all five of the big networks. We are flying on this impressive aircraft,
the Air Force E4B.

Air Force E4B on the flight line

Of it’s long list of operational capabilities, the one nearest and dearest to the heart of this blogger is that it has broadband! Now all it needs is a global coffee chain franchise. Lord knows it would fit! I’ve been able to sneak out a Twitter or two here and there, in flight. Pretty cool!

Recently, friend and blogging cameraman Lenslinger, bristled a bit at some of the new media musings of myself and some of my contemporaries, proudly proclaiming his determination to lug around his old camera and continue his Quixotic quest to tell well crafted, lovingly shot television stories as he’s done for years. Well on this journey, I’m equally entrenched in the trappings of old media. So much so that we’re actually carrying two Ikegami HL-V55 cameras, both in their “autumn years” - one PAL, one NTSC.

With us on this trip is veteran CNN Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Jamie is filing stories for CNN, and as the pool crew we’re responsible for getting him on the air.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN Pentagon Correspondent

Jamie and I are both videoblogging our journey and I’m eager to see what he puts together. (frankly I hope he’s not a better shooter than me!) So I guess then, it’s not a strictly old-media junket. In fact, we had dinner last night with Roxanne Darling of Beachwalks at Alan Wong’s in Honolulu. Beachwalks is a soothing online TV show that is life instruction for stress free living. Roxanne was a wonderful addition to the group and a refreshing diversion from echo chamber discussions of missile defense, Iraq and other Pentagon chatter.

I’ll keep you posted on the Round the World With Secretary Gates videoblog. I’m looking forward to getting home as we continue our westward journey.

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This week, I had another opportunity to gain this type of perspective. We did a story on soldiers who have lost limbs in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, using golf as both physical and mental therapy. Golf pro Jim Estes and his friends at the Salute Military Golf Association provide free lessons, clubs and venues for vets to learn and play golf. After spending two days with Jim and the soldiers, it’s clear they both come a way with a great deal from the experience.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the day with living history. Frank Buckles is the 20th century. At age 106, Buckles is the last surviving WWI vet to serve overseas. Tonight, this spot, crafted by Bob Faw, will air on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Producer Andy Gross has a preview of the story on MSNBC.COM.

It’s an honor I don’t take for granted, that I often find myself in the presence of truly courageous people, whose indomitable spirits are part of what makes this nation great.

~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Bob Faw piece on Frank Buckles is available on MSNBC.COM

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To create opportunity, I believe you have to think beyond the limits of the traditionally defined media roles of cameraman, producer, or talent. I think the emergence of the micro media mogulis emblematic of this shift, a shift that is blurring, if not erasing the line where media jobs fall above (executive and management) or below (crew and production staff). So as media workers begin to chart a new course in these re-defined roles, they are faced with a number of questions. Not the least of which is how much entrepreneurial fire do they have in their belly. Are you as passionate about the art of the deal as you are about the art of your media? Or do you prefer the comfort of steady paycheck?

What if you’re somewhere in the middle of those two options? An innovative media company called Next New Netwoks offers unique opportunities to those whose passions are weighted more on the side of media maker, rather than media mogul. I inadvertantly gave them kind of short shrift the other day when I asked this:

I have to wonder though, what is the value (read deal) for the content creator/micro-media-mogul, of aligning with a Next New Network.

Looking back, my wording seems a bit dismissive. Purely unintentional, as I truly wondered precisely what the deal was. Next New Network’s Tim Shey contacted me with more details about what an agreement with NNN looks like. Independent media makers can leverage their creativity for a regular show based fee by entering into licensing agreements with Next New Networks.

We create and build networks which are fully owned Next New Networks properties,
and then license or commission shows to run on those networks. Show
producers who work with us get a guaranteed, regular fee for the
right to run their shows, upon delivery, whether we sell advertising
or not (in other words, it is not rev-share dependent).

This model isn’t necessarily a perfect fit for every producer, but
we’re here to work with the people for whom that is; there are lots
of other options in the marketplace (YouTube, Revver, Blip,
Brightcove, Videoegg, etc) for people who want to bootstrap their own
independent network and have someone work with them for a rev share,
as well as companies like PodShow which will work in a joint
ownership / partnership model.

-Tim Shey via email, published with his permission

Next New Networks’ impressive leadership roster brings together a strong list of executives drawn from old and new media. In a media landscape of ever expanding opportunity for savvy, independent media makers, Next New Networks provides unique and creative arrangements for those who want to make a living doing what they love.

So where do you fit in to all of this? Are you a micro media mogul, or a media worker? Or maybe somewhere in between?

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Click To Play

CNET reports that it was CBS Interactive president, and former Silicon Valley M&A maverick, Qunicy Smith that sealed the deal. In a NewTeeVee article by Liz Gannes, Wallstrip’s distribution and syndicaton are reported as favorable considerations in CBS’ decision to buy the show. As Wallstrip puts it: “Watch Wall Strip where YOU want!” Here’s a snip of Wallstrip chief Howard Lindzon’s reaction to the deal:

I am dipping my toes tomorrow. I like their syndication strategy and I am bullish on Quincy and the Interactive Division of course.

I am looking forward to making Wallstrip better every day. Congrats to the Wallstrip team for their hard work and our investors for their sheer genius. Awesome day.

-Howard Lindzon

This points to two trends that this content creator hopes to take advantage of:

Now big media companies can sit back watch while savvy media makers bootstrap their content business models, and then simply come by waving cash and cherrypick the best. Call me old fashioned, but I like the sound of that! Here’s a sneak peak at one of the niche market content plays Verge New Media is creating.

Click To Play

Another emerging trend in the niche market content space is the rise of the aggregators like Network2.TV and Next New Networks. The team at Next New Networks seems very happy with their recent tip of the hat from TechCrunch. Surprisingly TechCrunch made no mention of Jetset, which I’ve often praised here as very smart interntet community TV. Next New Networks describes their model this way:

Next New Networks had some simple goals in launching: be authentic voices of the communities we launch networks around; build networks around online emerging television with web features that allow others to share, contribute and distribute; and be dependable and reliable

I have to wonder though, what is the value (read deal) for the content creator/micro-media-mogul, of aligning with a Next New Network. Wallstrip is an example of going it alone and bootstrapping. Maybe there is merit in that strategy for the entrepreneurially inclined.

So who will be the next small TV acquistion headline? Maybe it will be the surreal, sexy, sci-fi stylings of Galaciticast, or the hip, twenty-something web comedy Something to Be Desired. I think niche market web content is a HUGE sandbox that is creating tremendous opportunity for micro media moguls. I suspect content that Verge New Media has in the pipeline will be part of that mix, creating value in niche market content.

Finally, Amanda Chapel, of Strumpette, was recently sighted on Twitter describing value like this:

value is based on standards; standards are vetted by hierarchy. A bank is a bank for reason and that’s where the money is
- Amanda Chapel via Twitter

Privately, she added this: (and agreed that I publish it)

branding, seduction, under promise and over deliver. Ya can’t go wrong.

Apparently value, and money, can also be found in niche market content created by savvy, agile new media startups. Look for more of that from me and form legions of other media makers. Who do you think are the new micro media moguls to watch this year?

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Mobasoft President Michael Bailey blogged on the vexing nature of corporations overcoming their fear of the transparent nature of social media.

Once they seem to be getting it, how difficult is it to let them know that it is okay to be human, without giving away the store, another way of saying that would be that you don’t need to divulge company secrets to let people know what is going on within the company.
-Michael Bailey, President, Mobasoft LLC

Considering the increasingly confrontational mood at the fringes of the new media/old media dialogue, it’s no surprise that many companies are shying away from the transparency and openness of social media. Some companies are setting those apprehensions aside in favor of comprehensive branding strategies that include social media. In an interview with Intel Internet Strategist Bryan Rhoads, Pod Tech’s Jeremiah Owyang gives us a compelling case study for big companies harnessing the conversational power of social media. While it would be patently absurd to suggest that a big media company replace the promotions department with legions of Twitter-ers, I believe a a healthy mix of traditional an non-traditional branding will be key to spreading the brand across millions of channels.

I don’t know if people in big media fully understand the power of the one on one, human connection that social media enable. I was in the newswroom talking to one of my favorite NBC News correspondents the other day about Twitter. I’d emailed him my feed, and ultimately he asked, what most people who’ve given Twitter only a cursory glance typically inquire: “Who cares?” When I was first introduced to this “attention director” I felt the same way. Evidentally, people DO care about what I’m doing, and I care about what they’re doing. It’s strangely addictive, to the point where I go back through a day’s worth of Twitters to see what my friends have been up to.

What’s perhaps unusual about the nature of my Twittering is that I do it from the “rarefied air”, as friend and social media guru Chris Abraham put it, of my perch as a network news cameraman. My posts range from my need for fresh coffee to the chopper landing of the President of the United States. I’ve come to discover that people in this early-adopter, social media influencer, ecostystem have really become intrigued, by the very simple, human observations of a worker-bee toiling in the salt mines of TV news. Many of my friends who follow me on Twitter have told me that they’ve rekindled their interest in TV news because of my enthusiasm for what I do. I guess I do have a pretty cool job. At least that’s what my Twitter friends tell me!

In a post entitled “Why I Switched to NBC News”, consultant and social media evangelist Connie Reece uses podcasting tools to describe how my “rarefied air” twittering has influenced her news viewing habits, with her lovely Texan radio voice.

Last week I was asked to be Brian Williams’ cameraman as he anchored NBC Nightly News from our Washington bureau. I took this opportunity to give my Twitter friends a behind-the-scenes look at live network news. Take a look at these responses.

I had a similar response when I was a guest cameraman on the set of Meet The Press, with Tim Russert. Take a close look at the comments section of that post. At a time when ratings battles are decided by margins of thousands, any effort to engage one more passionate user of your product is worthwhile. If the response of my Twitter friends is any indicator, putting a human face on your brand really does make a difference. Ironically, I use Twitter to direct attention to my blog and new media venture. But because my day job is so demanding of my time, I “tweet” a great deal about it. I’ve been genuinely surprised by the positive comments I get about NBC’s efforts. I truly believe that I help people understand that a lot of dedicated, talented people work very hard to put together the news product.

I’ve blogged about how, in a world of unlimited choice, it is now incumbent upon journalists to promote their own work. Twitter and other social media tools allow you to direct peoples attention, using links as marketing tools. For me, this is about connecting with people and building my brand. Turns out, it’s becoming precisely that for my current employer. As the fragmentation of media continues to sour the economics of being technical worker in my chosen field, I continue to seek out the attendant opportunity created by this disruption using social media tools. Fortunately, we both seem to benefit from it!

So I wonder, do any of my assembled readers engage in socail media that inadvertanly champions the brand of their employer? Is that type of “unauthorized” discussion welcome? I’m kind of out on a limb here. While I simply talk about what I’m doing on any given day. Just so happens that I Twitter about a lot of high-profile stuff. The likely outcome of this little experiment (The people I work for watch what I do) would be one of the following:

I’ve listed those outcomes in order of desirability. I’ll Twitter the results.

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Based on the quality of the camerawork, lets just say that Markey maintaining his seat in the House, and I keeping my day job as a news cameraman are both good things.

What’s interesting, and very meta, is that Jonny Goldstein was there recording the event and gives us the reverse angle!

Testifying before Markey’s committee were a who’s who of media heavy-hitters including Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube, Thomas S. Rogers of TiVo, Benjamin N. Pyne from Disney and ESPN Networks, Blake Krikorian of Sling Media and Mark Cuban, co-founder of HDNet.

For my assembled readers here in the metro DC area, Jonny will be at a meeting of the DC Media Makers tonight, and will show a clip or two of the hearing.

Ann Broache of CNET has a complete report of the hearing with some interesting atmosperics.

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From bloggersblog today, a link to this rant against blogs from South Africa’s Sunday Times, calling blogs “the air guitars of journalism” And from my favorite contrarian Strumpette, some snarky satire on the introduction of MLB’s “Citizen Player Program”

Chris Brogan lends his typically keen insight and measured criticisms to discussions that took place at AlwaysOn, Hollywood. His concerns that “we” (people who create media independent of large corporate infrastructure) are living in a fishbowl. Brogan then takes the informations he’s gathered and builds a very smart roadmap for moving beyond amateur media. Chris “gets it”…big time.

In almost no time, “talking about nothing” shows are going to dry up. You have to deliver value. In video, audio, and even a blog, if you want to bring your message into a larger circle of people, you’re going to have to give value back for what you’re doing.

Most of this discussion seems to be framed in an either/or construct, which I believe to be a false pretext. Those who believe that Web 2.0, social media, and citizen content will completely evaporate are wrong, just as wrong as those who believe that the democratization of media spells the demise of large corporate media. What I see happening is that the “amateurs” are building relationships with their audience, and with corporate media. There, you’ll find the winners. Don’t believe me? Then why are guys like Jeff Jarvis having dinner with Rupert Murdoch and making deals with Washingtonpost.com?

For those of you who believe that bloggers don’t have juice, how do you reconcile CNN’s decision to release Presidential debate footage under a Creative Commons license? Clearly they were bowing to the outcrys of the “air guitar” players of the blogoshpere.

Much of what is taking place in social media space is all about buzz, and in-the-moment, viral types of content. This is the type of media that I believe will be the shortest-lived. They are also easy targets for critics as the sum-total of ALL new/social media. The below-the-radar people in this space are sometimes the most successful. At VON07 in San Jose, I met Nicholas Butterworth of Diversion Media. His firm has built two successful social media sites, Travelistic and Snowvision. Butterworth says that the key to social media success is community and relationship.

Coverage of VON07

Butterworth, and other micro media moguls like Zadi Diaz and Steve Woolf of Jetset are defining a new class of crossover talent. Media makers who understand the community nature of social media/Web 2.0 and have the business savvy to grasp the value of that community. The fact that they’ve partnered with Next New Networks demonstrates that savvy and sets them apart from the “air guitar” set. Amani Channel of My Urban Report is another example of new media being courted by old. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has expressed interest publishing content from his blog. Again, the gates aren’t being stormed so much as being opened by smarter old media firms.

The bottom line is that the marketplace will decide the winners and losers of traditional vs. social media. I’d keep an eye on the ones creating value for their communites and the ones who build tools for participation.

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NAB 2007 has been over for two weeks. The press continues to reflect on trends and technologies presented this year with new reports every day. The following four part summary is a reflection of my NAB/ BEA conference event experience.

Throughout the convention floor, it was easy to see podcasters in action covering the conference. Their presence up significantly from previous years, when an occasional still photographer would make the rounds. As you would expect, the gear they carried and new tools showcased by vendors interested me the most. HD cameras, hard disks, and solid state audio recorders were seen in use by most podcast production crews. I had a chance to talk briefly with the crew from Veoh.com.

Interview with Mark Bealo, New American Standards. shooting for Viral The Show who talks about the tools he uses to create “the internet show about internet shows”.

People, web sites, and tools mentioned in the podcast:
Tim from French Maids TV, Kelly from Smidgets.com, Panasonic HVX-200, Panasonic HVX-200 review, FireStore, Reflectmedia, Apple Final Cut Studio, Color, Shake, and Final Cut Server.

Solid state audio recorders were hot at NAB:

Nagra Ares-M

Korg MR-1
Korg MR-1000

Sennheiser - HHB FlashMic

Futuristic Blogger Bots and Drones.

Photo encounters with podcast producers.

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