A Festivus For The Rest Of Us (Video Bloggers) at Mediaite

YouTube,
Yahoo, MySpace,
Metacafe, DailyMotion, Blip.tv, Sclipo
and Viddler


Mediaite's one of my favorite online destinations as they take an interesting look at media and the movers and shakers that shape the formation of news today. Mediaite's Festivus on "Media Influencers" caught my eye today, because we're in a unique and fascinating period in media where New Media is not just replacing but outright destroying Old Media.

But Mediaite's take on who's doing the influcing was missing some key names and the photo's one hint. I shared my view with Mediaite Editor-at-Large Rachel Sklar and she encouraged me to offer my video-blog-based view.

Here it is: A Festivus For The Rest Of Us (Video Bloggers)

Richard Heene - Balloon Boy dad and wife should not be jailed

Richard Heene, the Balloon Boy Dad, and his wife, have been sentenced to 90-days in jail for what was really a stupid hoax of a stunt of having the industrialized World believe his six-year-old son was trapped in a weather balloon far in the sky. Wrong, of course. Bad, totally. But jail time? Nuts.

Richard Heene

I'm not at all saying he shouldn't have been punished. Not at all. But ordering Richard Heene to do jail time is too simple, stupid, and wasteful of tax dollars. The judge who laid down the sentence didn't give the matter a moment of creative thought. He just bent to mob rule. Reminds me of Frankenstein, where the screaming masses of bubble-headed town folks wanted nothing but the burning-at-the-steak of the so-called "Monster."

Nuts. And if you're angry or thinking of writing some weird comment at this point, then you're part of the horde I'm complaining about. Richard Heene should have been sentenced to make a reality TV show about a non-profit organization helping battered women recover from domestic violence assaults and violent relationships.

Yep.

My point is if Richard Heene wants to be a star, so what. Let him become one in the process of helping others rather than himself. See? There are scores of domestic violence prevention programs and organizations that go unnoticed except when a star like Nicole Kidman goes to Congress to talk about the problem.

Richard Heene could have put his considerable skills to work in getting those organizations publicity and funding.

I'm personally sick and tired of seeing people like Lil Wayne or Richard Heene punished for the sole reason of saying "They're just like anyone else." Why is that important? It's not true to start with. Moreover, expressing that point of view is the byproduct of many an unhealthy ego. But it does nothing to improve society. Moreover, it may not even curb Richard Heene's desire to be on TV.

It'll just delay it 3 months.

Geez.

BART - a plug for the wifi service much needed in Oakland

I read at SFGate.com where the new BART Transbay Tube wifi service is off to "a weak start" but I'm really happy the system's being expanded in that way. I use BART Wifi to upload my videos on the go; it's that powerful.

In fact, it's so strong I've uploaded a 350 mgb video in less than 10 minutes. That's a video of about 20 minutes in length. Frankly that kind of power is expensive to obtain so BART's a really useful tool for this vlogger. That written, I've figured out a way BART can use this to its revenue advantage.

An Internet Cafe at Embarcadero and Montgomery Street stations, and Oakland City Center, 12th Street Station.

There's a huge expanse of unused space in the very front of the platform at the Embarcadero BART Station, and similar areas in Montgomery and Oakland City Center. They're perfect for small, four table, Internet cafes where people can have coffee or tea.

I know BART currently doesn't want you to have drinks on the train but they need to get rid of the rule in favor of this cafe approach. For one thing it helps create jobs and allows people who work online to have one more great place to hang out.

Such a plan means expanding wifi to Oakland. Even station agents in downtown Oakland say such a service is long overdue. Moreover, BART should work some kind of deal with the City of Oakland and the Oakland Chamber to help spearhead a fund to pay for the wifi service.

The 21st Century workplace is mobile; BART can earn revenue and become the place of choice for online workers.

Tiger Woods PGA Player of The Year

A quick note of congratulations to Tiger Woods for being named "PGA Player of The Year" but in light of this current scandal-plagued episode of his great life, I think the PGA should have renamed the award "Golfer of The Year".

Player of The Year

Or perhaps the PGA was engaging in a cruel joke on Tiger Woods.

The term "player" has several meanings in American culture today. According to The Free Dictionary, they are:

1. One that plays, especially:
a. One who participates in a game or sport.
b. A gambler.
c. One who performs in theatrical roles.
d. One who plays a musical instrument.
2. An active participant: a major player in world affairs.
3. The mechanism actuating a player piano.
4. A machine that reproduces recorded audio or audio-visual material.
5. Slang One who actively seeks out sexual partners and carries on a number of sexual affairs at the same time.

Guess which of the definitions applies to Tiger Woods? Hint: more than one.

Regardless, Tiger Woods is The World's Greatest Golfer. Period.

NY Times picks Utah over Cal in Poinsettia Bowl - Grrr...

I just read the NY Times' take on this evenings Poinsettia Bowl matchup pitting 9-3, 23rd-ranked Utah against Cal. Most of their team of bloggers picked Utah to win because of Cal's poor performance in, as one blogger put it, some games.

He forgot the Big Game, where Cal, not given a chance against the Tiger Woods-backed Stanford Cardinal, beat the Cardinal 34-28 at Stanford Stadium and kept Stanford from a trip to The Rose Bowl.

That game plan Cal used was its best of the year. All Cal has to do is avoid falling in love with the deep pass. A varied short passing game, play action using Running Back Shane Vareen, and occasional gadget plays, combined with Vereen runs off-tackle will move the chains.

But Cal Head Coach Jeff Tedford and Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig must show they have the discipline to execute that kind of game plan. They got away from it against Washington and the result was a pasting by the Huskies.

I certainly hope Tedford does this.

GO BEARS!

Top Ten Reasons to Hella Love Oakland in 2009

[by Aimee Allison, Executive Producer OaklandSeen]

By now, you've likely seen the whining from a certain columnist calling 2009 one of Oakland's worst years ever. Um, no. The OaklandSeen team compiled our own list and we're happy to report that good news abounds.

Here are OaklandSeen's top ten reasons to Hella Love Oakland in 2009.

1. Schools Comin' Up: East Oakland's Urban Promise Middle School and Fruitvale's International High School were nationally recognized. The School of the Arts gets a new home at the Fox Theatre and a waiting list around the block.

2. Better Democracy: Oakland finally gets instant runoff voting – now, you'll get to rank your choices in the November election, saving the city 800k, bringing in more candidates and making incumbents play nice or be #2.

3. Good Times ahead for BART: The Bart Police Chief Gary Gee is gone. He should've been fired for his mismanagement of the department, and mishandling after the shooting of Oscar Grant. Instead, he retires silently into the night. Good riddens and we welcome to the opportunity to pick a new and better head of this troubled department. This goes double for the Oakland Police Department.

4. How We Roll: Town Park opens in West Oakland, the city's first skate park. Kiddie skaters all over Oakland are aglow. Just look at what committed community and generous donors can do; thanks to K-Dub and other amazing community organizers.

5. Finally, Oakland is a Destination with big “D”: Uptown is hot: Somar, The Ave (2022), Mimosa, New Parrish, Mua all give us something to do after dark. The new nightlife in Oakland does us proud. Incidentally, a recent visit to the Mission in SF was a stark contrast. The neighborhood was dead, ChaChaCha empty by 10pm on a Thursday. Where are they? Yeah, across the bridge.

6. Government Sometimes Works: It's mostly a secret, but the city economic development team successfully attracted green business First Solar(www.firstsolar.com).

We also got the good news that food manufacturers are making a comeback - manufacturing that's lifeblood in our city. Plus, the first crop of green jobs training graduates complete their innovative course. We gotta put our hands together for Oakland taking a national lead on the new economy. Good use of our tax dollars.

7. We Eat Good: Despite suggestions to the contrary, Oakland has eaten well many years. Now we have even more good restaurants to add to the mix: Camino, Pican, Ozumo, Commis, Adesso, Sidebar, Marzano on Park, Barlata, Burma Superstar, Cafe Trieste. For those “discovering” Oakland – welcome and enjoy the food coma.

8. Festivals are Back, Big Time: The Eat Real Festival found a new home in Oakland (relocated from windy Fort Mason, SF). It went from a pricey fete to a free festival infused with the Oakland vibe. Oakland at it's very best.

OaklandSeen is a compelling mix of radio broadcasts Friday 8am on KPFA-FM 94.1, social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/oaklandseen) and Twitter(www.twitter.com/oaklandseen), and a group blog rolling out in February 2010.

Tiger Woods, Brittany Murphy autopsy photo in high demand

Being Tiger Woods neighbor can make you rich. Being a physician working on the Brittany Murphy autopsy can score you a lot of money. Welcome to New Media, where a Tiger Woods and a Brittany Murphy autopsy photo is in such high demand you could earn $300,000. That's the current going rate for a photo of The World's Greatest Golfer; a rate so high it could turn close friends into enemies.

It almost sounds like a George Romero movie - Invasion of the Image Snatchers - but in this case if your Tiger Woods, the blood suckers could be your friends, taking a photo to score big bucks. Again, Tiger Woods' seclusion and silence is fueling a market for his image and allowing others to frame who he is. All for money.

Tiger Woods friends want something...

 If Tiger Woods wants this bad movie to stop, there's only one answer: he has to talk and to show himself. But that does not explain the late Brittany Murphy.

For some of the same reasons, there's a massive demand for even one Brittany Murphy autopsy photo. That image would gain about the same money as that given for Tiger Woods, but I've got to ask who want to see such a thing? I don't. Do you?

Who would show it? Why?

The New Media

I'm frequently surprised that people in media don't understand that the industry has changed from artistic to technical. The future of media is demand-driven and sometimes that window of demand is only a moment - an hour - long. Who captures it consistently is king of New Media.

But more than that, the persons that do that can be black, white, Asian, Latino, young or old. The problem of lack of minorities or women in the newsroom is a thing of the past. A person who knows how to make an online media platform, develop a coordinated content strategy, and gather a group of like-minded folks to work with wins. Job title is meaningless; technical knowledge rules above all.

But I digress, sort of.

If Tiger Woods had people around him who understood media in the way I discuss, this story would have been old news. But he doesn't and so it goes on. Want to score $300,000? Friend of Tiger? Get out your cellphone camera, and hurry before someone else does!