Sunday, October 23, 2005

NYC-TV Is On The Air!


Just finished posting the first episode of my videoblog, NYCreative. Between constructing the site and producing the video, it's taken me 2 weeks to get the thing going. So far, so good. Only one problem which I hope to solve soon; I can't compress the video too small or it messes up my transitions. Unfortunately, this makes the video take quite a while to load. (So be patient if you check it out.) Otherwise, everything's cool. The site looks good and I feel good about it.

Ever since I was doing public access television almost 10 years ago (can't believe how the time flies), I wanted to produce a show like this, where I'd cover the NYC arts scene. I did do a poetry show, called WORDS! (this was before Def Poetry), but I couldn't get it past one episode. Thankfully, I discovered videoblogging, as this has allowed me to remain completely independent, with my only limits being what I create. On top of that, I have a global audience. You can't beat that with a stick!

The first episode is just me giving an overview of the show and what I'd like to be doing in the future. I never thought I'd actually find myself in front of the camera, after having been behind it so long, but it's been a good experience. (It's time that I step outside the box anyway.) I might even make other appearances from time to time, but it won't be a regular thing since my focus is on the people and events I'm covering.

Now that the first one's done, I can catch up on my other blogs. (At least until I start shooting the next one.)

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Panthers and Tigers and ANTs … OH MY!

Get Fireant
Last night I finally upgraded to Panther. Yes, Panther, not Tiger. As I'm usually late with these things, I've been using Jaguar for only a few months. (For those who don't know, I'm talking about the Mac OS, not some Seigfried & Roy thing.) Because I wanted to download FireANT, the video aggregator, and it can only run on OS 10.3 (Panther) and above (Tiger), I didn't have much choice. As I'm not about to spend $100 for Tiger, and could get Panther for free, I went that route.

I've been checking out FireANT this morning and it's pretty cool. The main difference between FireANT and NetNewsWire, which I've been using, is that you have to actually download the videos into your hard drive, as opposed to viewing them online through a browser. If you've got the space then no problem, otherwise it could be. What's also cool about FireANT is that it plays any kind of video—Quicktime, Windows Media, Real, etc. I don't have to worry about not having this or that player. One size fits all.

Now I've got an aggregator just for videoblogs. That's all I need, another reason to spend time online!

See video of co-founder, Josh Kinberg, talking about FireANT on xolo.tv.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Interview with…ME!

I got these interview questions from MoDigli's blog a while back. Since nothing new or different is happening right now I figured I'd answer them. It's kinda long, but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought.

1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog?
Sad to say, but I seriously doubt if anyone in my neighborhood even knows what a blog is. Therefore, I'm sure my anonymity is safe. That's why closing the digital divide is so important.

2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered?
Only insofar as cropping and general fixes like brightness/contrast/color. Nothing too artsy. I save that for other sites.

3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you?
Never happens. Unless you call spammers creeps and dorks, which in that case I could do without.

4. Do you lie in your blog?
No. Although I do avoid anything too personal, and I have been known to backdate some posts. (Very seldom though.)

5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog?
No. I'm a journalist. Just the facts. No room for petty emotions.

6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop?
No. Don't like to play silly games with my readers. I'm a journalist, remember.

7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping?
No, I'm not in therapy, although at times I do think I should be. Maybe I could have online sessions, or send my shrink text messages. Would there still be a sliding scale? Would they accept PayPal?

8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?
Never had a mean comment on this site. Got one on my Thurs.Night site from an outsider and killed it instantly. I do delete spam though. Thankfully, that hasn't been an issue since I turned word verification on.

9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after?
Never heard that term before. Esplain, Lucy. (And it better not be nasty!)

10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less?
Don't know. I'm basically the same on- and off-line, although the silly side doesn't really translate well on a blog.

11. Do you have a job?
Not in the traditional sense. (No further comment.)

12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it?
Hells yeah!

13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life?
I'd love to meet MoDigli, since she's my main reader and I love her blog so much. There are also a couple others I wouldn't mind meeting. I've already met some videobloggers. (Cool people.)

14. Which bloggers have you made out with?
None, sad to say. Ask me again in 6 months.

15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have?
It depends on who I'm around. You always have to play broke with freeloaders and cheapskates. But then again, who's playing? I'm broker than a mofo!

16. Does your family read your blog?
My sister's looked at it, but she's not a regular reader. Otherwise, no one.

17. How old is your blog?
6 months and 6 days.

18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care?
No. And no. I wouldn't mind getting a few more though, maybe 10. Any more would be too time consuming. (I spend too much time as it is in the blogosphere.)

19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar?
No, you nosey bastard!

20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing?
Not for writing, but just last week I sent Ryanne, my videoblogger friend, a small donation. She's inspired me so much that I just felt compelled. It's not a regular thing though.

21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes?
What money? What taxes? (No further comment.)

22. Is blogging narcissistic?
No more than any other self-aggrandizing pursuit.

23. Do you feel guilty when you don't post for a long time?
Kinda sorta. I hate letting down my public. (LOL!) Sometimes I just don't feel like writing. Thankfully, I found this interview to fill the gap until I have something important to say.

24. Do you like John Mayer?
I don't dislike him. The new song he did with Herbie Hancock is cute. Why do you ask?

25. Do you have enemies?
Not that I know of, but I do have some former friends.

26. Are you lonely?
At times. But I'm hardly alone in my loneliness, am I?

27. Why bother?
Because I've gotta do something with my life, or what's the point?

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Marry Your Baby Daddy Day

Trust me, it only sounds ghetto!

Photo: REUTERS/Seth Wenig

Last Thursday I skipped God's Love night to help shoot Marry Your Baby Daddy Day in Brooklyn. This was a day when 10 lucky couples got the opportunity to get married with all the trimmings, free of charge. Everything from the dresses, to the rings, to the cake, was sponsored. Unfortunately for me, so was the video, so I didn't get paid. I held out as long as I could from doing it, but when my friend Perry, who I shoot weddings with, asked me to help him out, and couldn't get anyone else to do it, I reluctantly agreed. I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be a very beautiful, classy affair—despite the name.

It was also surprisingly organized, considering you had 10 couples dealing with. Sure, there've been mass weddings with hundreds of couples, but not with each one saying their vows and exchanging rings individually. The organizers obviously worked very hard and planned this thing to the hilt. They even had 10 individual cakes for them to cut at the reception with each couple getting their own photo op.

It turned out to be quite the press event as well, as ABC, UPN, The Daily News, and the Associated Press, showed up, among other local New York outlets. Even Japanese television was on hand to cover this thing. (God only knows why!) During the church service, the whole balcony was full of press, and me.

Overall, I got some pretty good footage. Once it's all edited up I'll post a little clip so you can see what all the fuss was about. In the meantime, you can check out these links:

Marry Your Baby Daddy (the official website)
NY1 News