If you have been in New York for long enough, you've probably heard one of the semi-true urban legends about the city. (You can ride the six past the original City Hall Station. Steve Brodie never jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. Rudy Giuliani planned September Eleventh to get back at his half-cousin/ex-wife for painting a portrait of Mary out of Cow dung.)
One of my favoites is this: Queens is the most ethnically diverse place on the planet. A variant of this has it that Jackson Heights, Zip Code 11372, is the most diverse neighborhood in the world.
So for round 3 of the Grab Bag we are going to combine the in-the-street assignments of Vol 1 and the overarching topic of Vol 2 for a one-neighborhood free-for-all. We are invading Jackson Heights!
You know how this works. We want stories. Show us the weirdos, the one of a kinds, the transplants, the nativists. Tell us about the train or the first Garden City Development.
The whole world is fair game.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Volume 3 - Invading Jackson Heights
VJ Grab Bag Vol 2 Wrap Up
Thanks to everyone who came out for the 2nd Volume of the VJ Grab Bag. I've been out of town for a few weeks but I will have the videos up in a few days along with the "Save Me a Dance" Music Video and some info for the next round of the Grab Bag. (Sorry, no pictures this time.)
Also, if you are in the area, stop by the South 4th Bar & Cafe and say hello to the guys who hosted. It was a great venue.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
FastCompany Videos
The Videos are up!
Go here to read the article.
Go here to see video. (Watch watch watch... it's about Spies and You Tube and a bunch of other stuff you know you love.)
Here's the old article which explains what this is all about
I will be shooting a story in Cambridge, MA next week. The story follows the release of a new internet technology called Podzinger. From the Podzinger website:
PodZinger is the only search engine that allows users to find audio and video content based on keyword searches and then skim the results for relevancethe same way they would for text.
This means that Podzinger can transcribe video and audio into text. The applications for this are rooted in the Defense & Security industry’s need to transform audio conversations intosearchable text. It’s a lot like magic, and our video is going to try and capturethat magic.
I saw ‘our’ because I will be working with Adam Penenberg for this project (Thanks Anne!). From Adam’s website:
A journalism professor at New York University, Penenberg is the assistant director of the Business & Economic Program, heads the department's ethics committee and teaches investigative reporting, magazine writing and media ethics to graduate students.
Prof. Penenberg is also a writer for a magazine called Fast Company and he wrote a fascinating article for their February issue. The article follows Jeff Han, the engineer behind a new, multi-touch computer console. This might sound familiar to people who watched any of the Apple iPhone keynote (Use Podzinger to search YouTube for the iPhone and this is what you get). That new toy is essentially using Jeff’s technology.
You can watch a beautiful clip of Jeff’s Multi-Touch Platform at Fast Company.
The upcoming video (the one I will be shooting in Cambridge) is an attempt by Fast Company Magazine to integrate print and internet resources. You know I am going to love anyone who says that sentence out loud.
Alright, so this is all getting a little bit scattershot, but there is a unifying thread here. Each of these toys, the Podzinger, the multi-touch, they are all elements. Tiny steps. None of them are paradigm changing, but they are all paradigm shifting. It takes many tiny steps to create a revolution, and the more of these technologies we have, the more opportunities we have. True, some will fail, but neither of these toys seem likely to become dust collectors.
The Podzinger, for example, has applications totally unrelated to the web, or to government snooping. Imagine an application that can transcribe tapes for you, without you logging them yourself. Won’t get a spy excited, but spend a few hours looking over tapes and you will see why I can’t wait to get my hands on Podzinger.
My point is, integration is key. We are constantly trying to find ways to make technology increase our production. But we are also looking at technology as a way to open new, previously unimagined doors. It’s like we are floating up a mountain and each new technology has the potential to see on top of the next precipice.
Read More......Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Screening! Friday the 13th!
Screening at the fantabulous South 4th Bar & Cafe. You know Bembe? You the Williamsburg Bridge? Right there. Expect food and an extended Happy Hour at the Bar. Tell everyone you know, starting with your pet cockroach.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Updater
It's been a while since I've said something here, but the workload has been madness. Everyone has been working on some fine shorts, and here's a recap of the latest...
Mr. Graham Meriwether will be screening a short about the Pagan Spring Celebration known as the Ostara Ritual.
Mr. O'Hare will shower us with the love of a singing Atheist guy person.
Mr. Bernal, featuring the work of Ms. Kaleem will be contributing a short about non-believer marriage rituals
Mr. Ix and Mr. Zier will give us a vox populi confettit of evangelicals on easter
and... well we will have some surprises for you.
