At Webcom I gave an interview after my talk about the virtual immortality project. It goes on for a while, but it was a fun interview to do.
For More interviews from Webcom check Christian Aubry's page.
Last week at Webcom in Montreal I met a lot of great people, and saw some old friends. One of the friends I got to catch up with is Marc Canter. Now Marc has always been ahead of the curve. He was making the first synthesizers himself. He created Director to be able to create his multi-media musical extravaganza art pieces and performances. Director later became Flash and then Macromedia (now Adobe). Since then he's been doing a lot as well as building the first social networks that we know today.
Marc has been a Paul Revere when it comes to open information, and allowing the users to choose what information goes where rather than the networks we give the information to. When I traveled to MIPTV a couple years ago we shared a cab from Nice to Cannes. While in the cab I asked him why he was doing so much work for Open internet and information. He told me that because he made Flash proprietary, he was paying for his sins now by going the other way. I guess it is kinda like when a smoker stops smoking, they are worst non-smokers than the people who never smoked.
In any case, we got to have dinner in Montreal together with Patrick Chanezon from Google. Marc was talking about all kinds of stuff with me and Patrick. One of the stories that really got me excited was the idea that his wife did with the teacher and class using BroadBand Mechanics tools. Broadband Mechanics is the current company Marc has built which is a Social Network tool set and service. The service is being used by a number of big clients such as some government groups, education institutes, media corporations, and non-profit organizations, as well as ordinary people because it is free. Although if you want to custom stuff, that will cost money. Which is a sound business plan as long as there are not too many glitches in the source matrix.
In any case Marc explained this idea using his wife's story as an example in what I can only refer to as "Proxy Social Networking". I'll try to explain. Imagine I start a Social Network for some of my classes. I know that a number of my students understand the social networks, but maybe not all want to get on it right away. On this social network I could be placing assignments, links, photos, a knowledgebase in a way. Other students could be uploading the homework, interacting with each other on assignments, etc. etc. Now when I create the network, I add all my students in with a profile. After a while those students who didn't want to be on the network at the start, can evaluate the added value and then decide to join on. However when they do join on, they already have thier profile setup with credits in assignments, videos, etc. Half the work was already done for them.
Now this becomes even more interesting when you think of a talk that (I think Robbert Scobble but I could be wrong) did at Next Web last year. He explained that sites like twitter, facebook, and other social media sites are no fun if you have no friends. Kinda like in life I guess. Well except for freaky porn sites. You don't really want to have too many friends on theier when you first enter. Along the way fine, depending on your preference. But I digress... But there is a point that twitter, and the like only become fun once you have a few friends already.
Now to get rid of a lot of Social Network fatigue that people are getting nowadays, this could be the solution. I mean, to go and invest in porting sections of my firends to a new social network service is a big undertaking nowadays. I mean, do I really have too? That's what a lot of people think. At least in an older generation. It turns into Social Network Fatigue. However if I join and there are already friends there filled in as well as stuff I was in, such as in the example when my students decide to join, that fatigue goes down real fast.
So by allowing people to create Social Networks with the ability to Proxy members, this could be a way that prevents the fatigue that users experience when entering the network. Now if I could only find a way to do this with new girlfriends and meeting my family, that would be excellent! Or as as Marc van Woudenberg says, integrating illegitimate brothers and sisters.
Here is an interview with Marc Canter at Picnic
After coming back from Webcom where I gave a presentation on Virtual Immortality, I opened up my monthly photojojo time capsule and am floored yet again. This month I see pics from when Nuno and Nikki came to visit last year. I just got back from visiting them in Canada this weekend.
Not only that but I see pics of the wedding of Hans and Neltje from last year, on a boat where this week other friends of mine will be getting married on that exact same boat.
I twittered earlier that "blogging allows me to appreciate the present, by allowing me to see through my eyes in the future, and appreciate the past which is now." Now I realize that everything becomes more cyclical in life than I had realized. As I said in my talk in Montreal, "THE APPLICATIONS AND DATA WE CREATE TODAY WILL BE OUR COMMUNICATION WITH FUTURE CULTURES AND BEINGS," and now I beleive ourselves as well.
I really loved the new campaign that Universal Music Group has put out. It starts with a segment from Lady GaGa "Poker Face". When you see the video on youtube it explains very easily that you must try to play the game. What is the game?
Watch 20 sec. of Universal Music Videos of artists and answer a trivia question of what you saw.
There are some great roots in the Viral and I suspect that the agency saw some viral hits like this awareness test video.
Test Your Awareness: Do The Test
Did you enjoy that? UMG feels it can capitalize on that idea and sell records. Great, do it. However It would be a HELL of a lot easier to spread this if they allowed people to at least embed the first video (the entry level) onto thier blogs, facebooks, etc. I'll put it in old school marketing terms for ya UMG so you understand. The first video in this sequence of interactively linked Youtube videos which create a game needs to have a point of entry. Not just people search Lady GAGA on youtube. Allow the mebed and it turns into an old school banner! You will not endanger the copyright more, you will not be loosing out. You will gain by opening up. Of course I admit I am proud of you for taking these first steps. Very good, you have your training wheels on now. Time for dad to take them off and push you down the hill. What are you afraid you will get hurt UMG?
This video is a compilation of a daytrip to Toledo, Spain in the late summer of 2008 with Catalina, her cousin Jules and GabeMac. It was a beautiful day, with a horrific storm at the end. A day to remember.
I had a wonderful weekend trip to Salamanca, Spain with Sabine. This is some video from the trip together with some live performance I saw of "The Script" in Pacha in Madrid, Spain.
So people think it is strange that I dance out on the street in the middle of the morning. If you do, then you must not be French. Check out this music video for "Make the Girl Dance". Although I am rather disappointed that none of the girls actually dance. Even still, I suspect it will go Viral. Why? Viral Recipe for Video: 1 shot Simple VFX of um... tracking... (I wonder where the uncensored version is) 3 naked women A juxtaposition of reality Plus I think I saw Tony Hawk's name there somewhere
Last week my dad was showing me his new toy the Logitec Pro Webcam over Skype. I grabbed a screencast of this hilarious and awesome video chat together with my father. All I can say is he is an amazing man, and I love him so much. He’s one of my heroes for sure! He talks about diet, surviving in the corporate world, credit crisis and tech support. My dad is just trying to keep it real in a virtual world. How do you communicate online with your family?
The Vondel Park is where we go to listen to music, rides bikes, and be Amsterdammers. It is part of the culture here. Many times the spring comes, easter time, time for friends and family. The video is from when I went one day with my friends and surrogate family Marc, GabeB, Stephan, Kim and Suze to the park. There is nothing like it. In the video we see the typical Dutch lifestyle with a variety of bikes zooming around, some stopping to listen to the music. It is so common to hear live music in the park. Like GabeB in an upcoming video. And the song is perfect. A version of Englishman In New York.
Vincent Everts is a trendwatcher and tech guru here in Holland. Last week I went over to his house to "catch up". I've got a video interview of him is coming as well. Just need to finish some videos for The Next Web first.
GabeMac, how much he learned from his Vodcast business errors?
"Gabemac is one of the first passionate vodcasters I know. He started in 2003 and has been an video enterpreneur since 9 years. He build huge audiences with his XoloTV, started to build a software platform for videocasting, that failed, he went to spain and did a daily show on www.mobuzz.tv which drew millions. Now he is back in amsterdam, does Viral Video Creative Consultanting, creates video's (for thenextweb amoung others) and plans his next show & exciting venture. What did he learn from his mistakes since he said he made many. It was a little hard because he continiouly talkes about his strength (passion, creativaty etc) rather then his lessons learns but in the end they show up. Who is Gabriel"
