Friday, February 23, 2007

YouTuBeIn - The Viral Video Gathering

Last Saturday, February 17, 2007, several hundred members of the YouTube vloggerhood gathered at Pier 39 in San Francisco to meet each other, have some fun, get free stuff, and shoot some video.

During the course of the day I bribed a politician, made up with Renetto (another user who I'd previously called "Satan"), and even got a chance to ask YouTube founder Chad Hurley what he thinks of the competition from LiveVideo.com... really!

This video is my record of the event. Ever wonder what type of people are on YouTube, besides myself? Are they all computer nerds who don't know how to interact with real people or can they hold their own in a mixer situation? How far do people come to attend an event like this? Watch the video and find out...



Many thanks to angelgallardo1, spricket24, pzottolo, groovytimes, latexglovefilms, renetto, uslawyer, johnnycreepy, bryanbarton, zennie62, jesse1701, thehill88, onboardvideo, mysteryguitarman, and, of course, to Mr. Safety (smpfilms) for organizing the whole event. Also introducing Leslie S (Mrs. Kenrg).

"On YouTube" song by PeriUrban

YouTuBeIn title logo by 30andout

NOTE: Yes, I know about the lens flare. I shot this on a digital still camera that does not give me much control over the video settings and it pretty much sucks in direct light. Sorry about the image quality.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

"Not such a bad idea"

The Whittier Daily News had a round-up of independent candidates this morning, giving "humorous awards" to each of the campaigns. The article ended with this little bit
The Maybe This Isn't Such a Bad Idea Award: To David Koch and his running mate Ken Goldstein. Despite their political differences - Koch professes to have a conservative outlook, and Goldstein balances his outlook to the left - they are longtime friends who often debate their political viewpoints. When they conceived their plans to run for president, they found these differences to be an advantage, according to their Web site. Rather than the traditional choice of running mates from similar political viewpoints, they built their campaign with a team with alternate viewpoints. Koch claims the pair has a strange ability "to argue through issues we disagree on and come to common ground." "Neither left nor right, but what is right" is their slogan.
It's nice to wake up in the morning to a little good press! Even if it is from Whittier, birthplace of Richard Nixon.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Edition 2.4

Welcome to the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy, Edition 2.4 - Blogging 'till the secret police take us away. A day late, but every bit as fresh as usual.

Carnival of the Decline of DemocracyD.A.N. presents Religion and Politics: Can We Actually Separate Church and State? posted at Sights & Sounds from the Fifth Column.

Mike Billy presents 15-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Sexually Abusing Herself posted at Reflections From A Rotting Nation.

Rey Thomas presents Bush Foreign Policy Under Seige posted at The Thomas Political Report.

DigitalRichDaily presents Unanswered Questions.

Dave Burdick presents Nonbinding?.

Steven Silvers presents If your advertising agency isn’t getting arrested, maybe they're not trying hard enough. posted at Scatterbox.

Avant News presents Virginia Boy Scouts Stumble on Cheney's Undisclosed Location.

The next edition of the Carnival will be posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 with entries requested by Saturday, March 3rd, at midnight. Submit your blog post for the next edition of the carnival of the decline of democracy using our carnival submission form. More information on future carnivals can be found on our carnival home page.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

The stuff that dreams are made of

Yes, I'm a horrible blogger who's been neglecting his blogging duties for far too long. I've been busy, I tell ya, BUSY! But you don't want to hear about that, do you? You want to know what's happening out in the world, not just with my clients.

Well, I'll tell you what's happening, a robbery, that's what's happening, a robbery. They took the bird, and not just any bird, but the black bird, the one from that Bogart film, The Maltese Falcon - You know - the stuff that dreams are made of.

It had been on display at John's Grill in San Francisco for many years. I know it was there, 'cause I'd seen it there. I was staring at it across a Caesar salad and big slab or rare meet one night. It was there in the glass case, in the second floor dining room.

Now the case is smashed and the bird is gone.

Yeah, the bird's missing and there are no clues as to where it could have gone. But now there's a reward, and where there's cash, there's clues. $25 grand worth of clues should be coming John's way shortly.

And if he can't find his black bird, I've got one I might be willing to let go for twenty-five large...

Friday, February 09, 2007

Unity08 - Grassroots for Silver Spoons

When I first found Unity08, I took them at face value; a group of Americans fed up with the political process and looking to open it up to a wider group of citizens. The movement they appeared to be building was for a consensus ticket, neither Democratic nor Republican, to unite us all and move beyond the divisive noise that passes for governance today. These are goals I can applaud and support, so even though there wasn't a lot of meat there at first, I've kept an eye on Unity08.

And then the paint begins to crack, and we get a peek at who's really pulling the strings behind the scenes, and it's none other than the usual suspects, just wearing a different uniform.

This is not a grassroots movement. And it is not an outside-the-beltway movement. And it is not in any way, shape, or form a movement by the powerless against those in power. It's simply a means to cash in on the frustration that so many of us feel with the system, and get us hooked into an organization that will make sure that the current system is perpetuated with nothing more than the slightest cosmetic make-over.

Thanks to the folks at the Irregular Times, we know that Unity08 is funded in large chunks by the very rich and powerful interests they pretend to stand in opposition to. This is no reform movement; it's a sham.

Want real independent candidates? You won't find them at Unity08.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Edition 2.3

Welcome to the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy, Edition 2.3 - Blogging 'till the secret police take us away.

Carnival of the Decline of DemocracyThere were truly too many good posts submitted this week, so with no further introduction, here we go:

John presents Blogs for Democracy? posted at hell's handmaiden.

Bill Losapio presents In What Dystopian Farce Did We Awake? posted at LWilliamLosapio.com.

Rey Thomas presents The Congressional Black Caucus Should Lead By Example posted at The Thomas Political Report.

Steve Faber presents Could Congress Shut Down Your Blog? posted at Get Debt Free.

Gavin R. Putland presents Nailing down the State Secrets Privilege posted at Bush Lawyer.

Charles H. Green presents Trust, Democracy, and Capitalism posted at Trust Matters.

Avant News presents 110th Congress Passes No President Left Behind Act posted at Avant News.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode to the Great Molly Ivins posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

The next edition of the Carnival will be posted on Monday, February 19th, 2007 with entries requested by Saturday, February 17th, at midnight. Submit your blog post for the next edition of the carnival of the decline of democracy using our carnival submission form. More information on future carnivals can be found on our carnival home page.

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