Time for bed, but before I go, here’s an amazing short. I think this short internet movie (actually long by 2009 standards) is one of those major serious signals of a shift in content creation, sharing, consumption and distribution. The movie industry better watch and learn, or fade away (as should all media bigwigs).
Kids these days… Alexander Vladimirovich Semenov, 21 years old and from Murmansk, Russia created this short with his Canonn 550D, the standard kit lens, a 50mm 1.8 and a Nikon for some shots. And a lot of editing, modeling and animating. Pretty amazing what is possible these days with a basic setup and a lot of time.
Google TV is generating some great embedded CE support with a bunch of CE companies announcing embedding Google TV and android into their TV systems, hot on the heels of the Apple TV announcement of last week. You can see Google taking the role of Microsoft in this case (supplying the “OS” and not worrying about the hardware) and Apple, well, Apple is just Apple, wanting to control the whole aspect, both software and hardware. I wonder if Apple’s attitude will keep it relegated to the “niche high margin Apple cult market”, while Google pulls a Microsoft and takes over the CE market?
Right on the heels of the new Apple TV announcement, Plex, the Mac Media Center software of choice, today announced it inked a deal with LG to have their software embedded in future LG HDTV’s and Bluray players. Having it embedded in HDTV’s is what I have been waiting for, no need for another box and just control it through your Plex iPhone app. Wonder if Apple is developing their own line of HDTV’s…
Why Ping, Apple? Why do you want your own social network on top of your proprietary media distribution platform? Do you really think you can do it all? Why not focus on what you do well and partner with, let’s say, Facebook? Integrate Facebook with iTunes and use the “like” and “follow” functionality, post reviews on Facebook with a link to iTunes and vise versa. Don’t be like Google in this case, trying to do everything yourself, but use the most popular social network out there to grow your own base of iTunes users. Or am I missing something, it isn’t the first time that’s happened.
With today’s Apple event, I’d like to come back to some of my older posts about gadget consolidation. It’s interesting to see Apple’s latest update on its hobby; Apple TV. This is a logical next step in gadget consolidation, but we’re not there yet. That will be the day when my iPhone will take care of streaming my content to my stereo and TV, without the need for another box (even if it’s this small and a cheap $99.00). But with Apple TV streaming content from a small, convenient box we’re that much closer to where I’d like media distribution to be. Can’t wait to see what Apple TV II – iOS 5 will be like.
Seems like it, if you look at the weather here in the Lowlands. Seems more like early fall. Oh how I wish we had an indian summer coming up late September, early October. Who knows, we might have a climate shift in the right direction for a change… With summer vacation over though, it’s time to start working full time again, and not a minute too soon. Looking for a couple of new porjects, hopefully one or two in which we can implement our new CMS, which is looking better by the day, thanks to the great work of Patrick. So if you’re looking for a team of kick-ass developers, look no further and drop me a line. Also working on W24B, ramping up the marketing and aquisition part of that new venture. Site should be done this week, after which we’ll start knockin’ on some doors here and there. W24B is turning into an ever evolving network of people who know eachother and have their own specialties, and one thing in common; a strong vision on how to use the web as a solution for a meriad of problems, with an emphasis on Social Media.
Lots of things going on at the moment. Just got an office space in Strijp-S here in Eindhoven. Started a new company with 2 friends and am working on our own CMS under my web development company. Fun fun fun… busy busy busy… Hope to be able to post some thoughts on the upcoming elections some time soon, maybe it will have to wait till after… we’ll see…
A girl smiles inside a makeshift tent in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince February 28, 2010. Seasonal rains and hurricanes spell trouble for Haiti in the best of times, but with hundreds of thousands of people living in flimsy makeshift shelters after last month's earthquake, this year the dangers are much greater. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Another installment of photographs covering the situation in Haiti. I hope the media will keep this story under everybody’s attention, as Haiti still has a long way to go…
Haiti, 70 days later – The Big Picture
