With each passing year, The Red Bull Word Clash is getting bigger and bolder. Held in Greensboro, NC, and hosted by Monte Smith, the event draws slam poets from across the country to compete in an event some deem incendiary. The poets break boundaries and push buttons as they artfully attack topics like the policies of George Bush, organized religion, racial stereotypes, gender politics, and anything else that gets in their way. Described by the poets themselves as abrasive, revolutionary, violent, healthy, militant, honest, necessary and explosive, their poetry rips at the listener with visceral anger, and, whether or not you agree with their views, their art does what art is meant to do it elicits strong emotion. Love it or hate it, their art does its job. To capture the spirit of the event, Charleston-based artist Kevin Harrison filmed the Word Clash this year and created a documentary of the same name. His film was shown in May at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, where it captured the audience prize for best short documentary. The film can be downloaded via Kevin s web site, and (as a helpful FYI) it s not safe for work. Kevin and I recently had an email conversation, discussing his documentary, his art and his life, and here are a few of the highlights: Being a South Carolina artist, primarily known for your paintings, photography and graphic design, how did you get involved in the Word Clash project? I was introduced to Red Bull back in 2002, when John Duckworth and I had our show for Spoleto, The Great Art Caper. Since then, we have collaborated on shows and events. They sponsored my show for Spoleto in 2003 called The 13th Hour, and since then they have been hiring my production team to film and edit some of their high-profile events. We were hired to document the Red Bull Word Clash in 2005, and it went so well that they hired us again to do the same in 2006. After filming the competition, how long did the editing process take, and can you tell me a little about the process? It is a layered process. Meaning, there are several stages that I have to go through in order to achieve the end result. Total, it took about three months. I edited on my system using software called Vegas Video. I am a bit unorthodox in my approach in that I tend to let creative intuition take over when slicing and dicing the video footage. My producer, Mark Duryee, collected gigs of archival public-domain footage for me to weave into what I filmed, and a Charleston-based musician, Chris McLernon, created the majority of the music. He supplies music spots for clients like Victoria’s Secret and shows like Fear Factor, The Apprentice, The OC, CSI and many other national spots. It really helps to have quality audio to help emphasize the dramatic swells and dynamics of the poets words. Tell me a little about the New York Independent Film and Video Festival. Well, it was a great experience seeing what else was out there. We were fortunate to get a great time slot. We got the opening weekend, Saturday night, 8:00pm time slot, which helped I m sure. The film received a nice ovation, and it seemed to really elicit a strong response from the crowd - during the movie and at the after party as well. We had dinner with the management group who now manages KISS, and they were very supportive and encouraged me to work on a future project with them. I was beside myself. Trust me it s paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe in search of something we haven t tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite, and never outstay your welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. You hope and you dream. But you never believe that something is gonna happen for you. Not like it does in the movies. And when it does, you expect it to feel different. More visceral more real. I was waiting for it to hit me. Your artwork spans different genres. What medium came first for you and how did the progression into other mediums occur? How do you feel the different mediums relate to one-another? They are all related, and the camera is the catalyst. Everything starts and ends with the camera. The paintings start with me shooting multiple images of a scene that catches my eye, usually looking in both directions at the same time. Then I piece the images together and create my blueprint for what I am going to paint. Then I take a digital shot of the canvas before I start, then take one with my first brush strokes, and so on. Eventually by the time the painting is finished, I have about 20 photos of the painting in progress. Then I simply animate those images together and create a short movie with music so that the viewer can watch the painting evolve before their eyes. I tend to view things (everyday situations) in an overly cinematic way. I can t help it. It s a sickness. So it is natural for me to edit images, weather it be video, graphics, interviews, weddings, whatever and help to convey the emotion of the moment. Music is as much a part of the process as the camera, or brushes are. Music is fuel. What music do you listen to when you re painting what inspires you? All music. Anything from early Tom Waits and John Coltrane, to more progressive groups like Tortoise, Low Flying Owls, and The Dandy Warhols. It really depends on what stage of the painting I am at. In the beginning I tend to like more aggressive music because it drives me to fill monster chunks of productivity. I like it dim when I paint. I have a bunch of bendable spot lights that I can position where I need them. That way I can step back and be in the dark and look at the painting in the spotlight. Quite often I like some ambient music to help focus me on the stages where I need to have a steady hand and add the tight detail that makes the painting pop . Being a fan of your fish-eyed cityscapes, I’m curious to know if you’re still painting as much as you used to. I am constantly painting. I am painting three commissions right now. Just laid in another layer this morning and while it s drying, I am up here typing these words on my computer. On what projects are you currently working, and what’s on the horizon? My wife (Cathy O Hara) and I adopted our daughter, Maisie, from China in 2004, and we are half way through the process for the second time. We will be going back to China in the fall of 2007 to adopt again (a sister for Maisie). I m also working on a feature film about the life of a man named Arthur Cravan. He was a 1920 s era poet-boxer who lived a very colorful life. His wife Mina Loy, went on to spark the feminist movement. He was a fierce artist who even fought the real Jack Johnson in the ring for the heavyweight championship of the world in 1918. I am co-directing this with a screenwriter from Paris named Olivier Girard, and we will shoot the film in 4 countries - France, England, the U.S. and Mexico. We have been in the development stage for several months now and the script has been translated from French to English. Shooting begins February 2007, and we need to be done with the shooting in 6 weeks, so that I will be back in time to go to China. Downloads:Kevin Harrison | Word Clash [100mb WAV - NSFW]Chris McLernon | Black Ice [MP3] Kevin Harrison, Artist and Filmmaker Originally from Ashcan Rantings by Charles
Source: littleradio.com

Podcast Transitioning from Technical Writing into Usability
Download MP3 (right-click, select Save Target As) Duration: 30 min. In this podcast, I talk with Theresa Putkey, a usability consultant in Vancouver, about how she transitioned from technical writing into usability. This is part II of the previous conversation with Theresa. Learn more about Theresa by reading her blog. You can also read Theresa s articles on Boxes and Arrows. Topics in this Podcast In this podcast, we talk about the following: How to move into usability Designing user interfaces Contributing towards usability on project teams Compelling reasons to transition from technical writing into usability Whether applications can be so intuitive that they never need manuals Conjectures to the question — Will technical writers ever be extinct? Making content more findable in search Tagging topics with concept keywords to increase their search rating Harnessing related topics, concept keywords, and synonyms for search results Browsing in the table of contents versus relying on search to find content Making content findable in large projects (such as those with 3,000+ topics) Using card sorts to determine user terms for topic names Using focus groups to gather terminology and function lists from users Usability consultant versus technical writer — preferences, purposes, and job satisfaction Whether technical writing is only a transitional field Defining different categories within user experience: interaction design, graphic design, programming/web designer and programmer, information architecture (designing information spaces) Creating navigation that people can use to find information Expanding beyond user interface when it comes to usability The Information Architecture Institute (IA Institute) Content Management Professionals IXD, Interaction Designers Group Human Factors Group Vancouver User Experience Group (VanUE) Organizations and professional groups for usability Choosing your career — technical writing or usability? Teambuilding, including everyone, and communicating regularly Building relationships in your company (the key to success) Collaboration, teambuilding, and communication — breaking down silos across departments Techniques for bringing people together (the importance of the watercooler) The paradox of making friends and winning people to your side Note: Ever wonder why I make such an extensive list of topics covered? Audio doesn’t have keywords like blog posts, so people who search for them on Google never find the audio unless I saturate the show notes with relevant keywords. Podcast Sponsors MadCap Flare is the most versatile XML-based Help authoring tool on the market, with thousands of customers using MadCap products including Microsoft, Google, HP, GE, yahoo and the list goes on. Check out Flare version 3.1 and a host of other new tools at at madcapsoftware.com. Adobe The Technical Communication Suite software offers a complete solution for authoring, managing, and publishing interactive instructional information from technical documents and books to online help systems, knowledge bases, interactive training, and eLearning content in multiple formats and languages. Learn more here. Intro music is Velveture by Ocean Alexander Upcoming Training on WordPress Are you interested in learning more about self-hosted WordPress blog sites? If so, let me know by sending me an email (tomjohnson1492@gmail.com). I m planning to offer some training in the upcoming weeks. Training will cover everything from the basics, such as using posts, pages, categories, and tags, to PHP calls and CSS tweaks.
Source: www.idratherbewriting.com

OmniPlan v1.5 rc 2
How to get your project done on time and under budget: Translate strategy into tactics everyone can understand Create summaries of work broken into lists of activities Distribute workloads fairly and efficiently Manage costs as you go Plan, monitor, and control it all with software designed to make your job easier, not harder. With OmniPlan, you can create logical, manageable project plans with Gantt charts, schedules, summaries, milestones, and critical paths. Break down the tasks needed to make your project a success, optimize resources, and streamline budgets. It’s project management made painless. Features User-Friendly Interface We designed OmniPlan to help you spend your time on more worthy pursuits than trying to figure out how to use project management software. OmniPlan’s intuitive approach helps you get things done and stays out of your way while doing so. OmniPlan has several customizable views starting from “simple creation” for basic planning options; when you’re ready for more sophisticated functions, OmniPlan can be configured to meet your needs. Screenshot Movie Easy Task Management Tasks are the activities needed to complete your project (”survey beta testers”, for example, or “drywall the bedroom”). They are summaries of work broken into individual elements, to which you can then assign resources (”Bill”, or “vinyl flooring”). OmniPlan lets you enter tasks quickly in the outline view, in a familiar hierarchical format that simplifies complex projects with summaries and subheadings. You can track the costs associated with your tasks (resource cost, task cost, and total), view task constraints and dependencies, and create milestones that represent completion points in your project all within the outline view. You’ll have a clear understanding of your project’s goals and deliverables in no time. Screenshot Movie Efficient Resource Allocation With OmniPlan’s resource management, you can identify bottlenecks in your project, track budgets, and distribute workloads fairly and efficiently. Resources are defined as Staff, Material, Equipment, and Groups. OmniPlan allows you to assign a cost to each of your resources by use or by hour, so you can keep precise control over your project budget. You can control your resource availability with a calendar, and make adjustments to reflect efficiencies (for example, assign a 75% efficiency to a staff member who can only devote of their time to your project). OmniPlan’s resource leveling function automatically redistributes workloads among resources, so you avoid overallocation. Screenshot Movie Smart Scheduling A good schedule helps you understand the details of your project and improves your ability to keep everything on track. Your OmniPlan schedule shows you what needs to be done, when it can (or must) be done, and who’s going to do it. Tasks can be scheduled according to a variety of rules as early as possible, on a specific date, or as resources allow. OmniPlan’s calendar mode gives you options for determining work week schedules for your resources, and editing specific dates as needed. Once you’ve completed and fine-tuned your project plan, OmniPlan lets you set a baseline (a set of original start and finish dates, durations, and work/cost estimates), which acts as a reference point against which you can compare the actual progress of your plan. Screenshot Movie Visual Timelines The Timeline (or Gantt Chart) view of your project displays activities in a calendar. Durations for each task are shown graphically in a time-phased diagram by day, week, month, quarter, or year. The Gantt view shows task start and stop times, dependencies, resources, or resource usage by task, all on a timeline. You can visually edit tasks and create dependencies (where a certain task can’t begin unless another has finished) by dragging and connecting them in the Gantt view. OmniPlan’s graphical display of your project’s information helps you quickly assess status and proactively manage deadlines. Screenshot Movie Violations and Critical Paths If your schedule has a logical impossibility for example, the scheduled start date for a task occurs before the project start date OmniPlan displays a violation window, with an explanation of the problem and suggestions of possible solutions (and links that automatically resolve the violation). In the Gantt view, OmniPlan displays your project’s critical path, which is the series of tasks that are necessary in order for your project to finish on schedule. The critical path can change as you progress through your schedule; OmniPlan keeps you up to date so you can make informed decisions. Screenshot Movie Options for Sharing Data OmniPlan can import XML project files from Microsoft Project or FastTrack Schedule into OmniPlan. OmniPlan exports information to iCal, CSV, Microsoft Project Exchange (MPX), Microsoft Project (XML), HTML, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and a variety of image formats. You can create detailed HTML reports with OmniPlan, and use filtered criteria for customized printing and exporting options. Screenshot Movie Licensing and Demo Information You may use a demo of OmniPlan as long as you like but while unlicensed you are limited to 20 items in your document. If you need to add more than 20 items to try out OmniPlan then you can use a 1-day trial license. Please visit our online store to purchase OmniPlan licenses. Lost Your License? If you have misplaced your license code just visit the Lost Licenses page to retrieve it. If this does not work for you, please send email to sales@omnigroup.com. Download, or Purchase Now! ShareThis
Source: www.inthemac.com

Moms with a Voice
by SHELLY BRISBIN It s Wednesday night in a Boston suburb. Two friends sit across from one another, sipping cosmos and talking about their day, the season finales of their favorite TV shows and how Erin s kids keep locking her out of the car. There s a laptop, a mixer and a pair of microphones on the coffee table, with a blanket beneath to absorb sound. Somehow, the house is quiet, despite the fact that toddlers live there. It s recording night for The Manic Mommies, a two-year-old podcast for moms trying to do it all…and do it well. In a Virginia living room, Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang are also recording. MommyCast, one of the earliest parent-focused podcasts, has passed its 200th episode. Here, the subject matter sticks a bit closer to parenting, and to topics like adoption and preterm birth. But with seven kids between them, and a podcast that s been in the spotlight for most of its run, it s safe to say that Heninger and Vogelzang know a little something about being manic, too. For podcast trend-spotters eager to see the medium attract commercial sponsors, MommyCast has been a beacon. The show landed one of the first major sponsorship deals in podcasting when Dixie Paper Products inked a one-year deal to sponsor the show for a reported $100,000. The Mommy- Casters have also been visible at industry conferences and tradeshows, telling the MommyCast story, and attracting the attention of major new media players. The tone and subject matter are a bit different, but Manic Mommies and MommyCast have both defied podcasting stereotypes, not only because they are produced by women, but also by being enjoyed by a largely female, non-tech-savvy audience. Each show has also attracted sponsors, another podcasting rarity, along with mainstream media attention that has arguably been good for podcasting in general, as well as for the moms. But podcasting is not a static medium, and as mainstream awareness grows, it s clear that there s room for more than two momhosted podcasts. Mighty Mommy, hosted by Cherylyn Feierabend, is only five months old, and already sits in the Top 10 of the Kids & Family rankings of the iTunes podcast directory a ranking that measures new subscribers, rather than overall listenership. The five-minute weekly show, which Feierabend writes and produces from her Mesa, Ariz., home, is a member of the Quick and Dirty Tips (formerly QDNow) network, whose flagship show, Grammar Girl, is podcasting s latest ground-up success story. It seems that moms have a lot to say, and podcast listeners want to hear it. MommyCast: The Original When marketing and advertising executive Paul Vogelzang decided in January 2005 that he needed to learn about the new podcasting medium, he mentioned it to his wife, Gretchen, who almost immediately had a light-bulb moment: what about a show for moms called MommyCast, hosted by Gretchen and her friend Paige? By March, the northern Virginia moms had a show going the first episode appeared a week after Heninger gave birth to her fifth child and by June, when Apple s iTunes 4.9 introduced podcasting to a much wider audience, MommyCast (www.mommycast.com) had already been approached by PodShow founder Adam Curry to join the new podcast network. When iTunes launched on June 29, MommyCast was a featured show, with episodes hosted on Apple s servers. Traffic soared, and PodShow could point to a network member whose demographic diverged from the network s entertainment, tech and music shows aimed at younger, and more often male, audiences. The show s success took Gretchen Vogelzang by surprise. Really in the back of my mind I m thinking, I m just going to help my husband learn about this medium. We re going to do a few shows and it s really going to be a lot of fun and then I m sure that ll be the end of it. I really didn t have any long-term intentions in mind when we started it. But it was very quick the way the show kind of took off. Even before iTunes and PodShow, Mommy- Cast had early and unexpected success, when a chance decision to review the movie March of the Penguins on the show led to interviews with actor Morgan Freeman, who narrated the film, and Alex Wurman, who wrote the score. On the 200th episode of MommyCast, Heninger and Vogelzang told the story of calling Warner Independent to get permission to use music and images from the film, which the pair loved. The studio agreed, made Freeman and Wurman available, and partnered with MommyCast, which promoted the film. A quote in the MommyCast media kit from Warner Independent s executive vice president of marketing and publicity credits the promotion with 25 percent of our March of the Penguins walk up attendance. The move to PodShow, a company that emphasizes sponsorship by national brands, and an appeal to the largest possible audience, seemed like a good one for both parties, especially when MommyCast announced that it had inked an advertising deal with Dixie in November 2005 for a reported $100,000. Many in the podcasting community assumed that PodShow had brokered the deal, though Vogelzang says that wasn t the case. She says Dixie approached the show, and that the deal was outside of the PodShow relationship. In the fall of 2006, MommyCast quietly split from PodShow. When asked about the relationship, Vogelzang was cryptic and diplomatic. I really am not permitted to talk about what happened. It was just a mutual kind of decision. They were going in a direction that just didn t work for us, and so we just decided that it was time for us to finish the relationship and end it. The Dixie sponsorship, which began in March 2006, was recently renewed for a second year. Other MommyCast sponsors include Nesquik, Cytyc (which produces a kit to test for potential preterm labor) and Oral B. Vogelzang says she increased production from two to three shows per week to accommodate the larger number of sponsors. Moms Workin It Like the MommyCasters, Erin Kane and Kristin Brandt s decision to begin podcasting was a quick one. Manic Mommies (www.manicmommies.com), a podcast for working mothers, began in July 2005 as an experiment: a way to figure out podcasting says Brandt. She and Kane, who work in public relations and marketing, wanted to understand the medium. Brandt, the self-confessed geek of the pair, was eager to learn how to produce a show technically. Manic Mommies started as a monthly show and is now produced weekly. Kane and Brandt have released 71 episodes. With topics ranging from relationships to primetime TV and favorite magazine articles, many of the show s episodes sound like a conversation you might overhear at lunch during a mom s day out. And there are a lot of laughs. [We re] focused on what life is like for working moms. We try to be very honest about our failures and our successes. We try to inject a lot of humor into what could be a mind-numbing schedule, Brandt says. Though it began as a chat session between the two hosts, the show now mostly features interviews with experts who discuss relationships, using flextime at work, life coaching, time management and other grown-up issues. We really don t want to be a kid show. We want to be a show for working parents, Brandt says, noting that she and Kane have almost always been able to snag the guests they want to hear from. I think the quality has remained high as our show has gained popularity. And with longevity has come recognition in the rest of the media world. We are definitely on lists…for publicists now. An early coup was having Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity on the show. She was eager to appear on a podcast, Brandt says, as a way to learn about new media. Leading from the Front author Courtney Lynch, and Tori Johnson, workplace contributor to ABC s Good Morning America, are also among past guests. And despite being a generally adult-focused show, Brandt has also invited her children s pediatrician on the show to answer listeners questions, as well as children s book authors. ITunes smiled on Manic Mommies as it had on MommyCast. When Apple rearranged its podcast categories to create the Kids & Family genre, Manic Mommies got a featured spot on the page, and despite competing with mainstream media shows from Disney and HBO, among others, has kept up a consistent Top-25 ranking. Brandt also points to Manic Mommies 120 plus reviews on iTunes as both a sign of listener loyalty and validation for potential new listeners. Brandt says Manic Mommies averages 125,000 downloads per month, and 3,500 downloads for each show. Though Manic Mommies has not achieved the notoriety of MommyCast, nor the marquee sponsorship, the show has attracted its share of attention from media, including The Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal, and has had intermittent sponsorship deals. A shortterm sponsorship with organic fruit snack maker FruitaBu began in June. Earlier this year, they entered into a one-time arrangement with Yes to Carrots that sent Brandt and Kane to Los Angeles for a visit to the set of the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine. Sponsorship was needed, Brandt says, because the network did not pick up the tab for the trip. Five Minutes of Parenting At an Arizona Podcasters group meetup earlier this year, Cherylyn Feierabend and Mignon Fogarty began talking about expanding Fogarty s podcast network to include short shows on a variety of topics. Feierabend mentioned that she might like to do one about parenting, and Fogarty eagerly agreed. In February, Feierabend, who also hosts a couplecast called Love Long and Prosper with her husband Dan, launched Mighty Mommy (mightymommy.qdnow.com) on the Quick and Dirty Tips Network. True to the network s format, the weekly show is usually under five minutes, carefully scripted, and features quick and dirty tips for better parenting. Partly because of the broad appeal of the subject matter, and partly because of its association with Fogarty s network, Mighty Mommy quickly reached the top spot in iTunes Kids & Family category a position it held for several weeks and remains in the Top 15. Feierabend says the show receives approximately 5,000 downloads per episode. I know that the numbers drive a lot of forces, but I don t see it as a driving force for me. I just like getting information out there and interacting with people, Feierabend says. She develops the content, and produces the show with a post-production assist from her husband. Feierabend also works for Fogarty, collecting and managing statistics for the network. With children ages one and three, Feierabend is active in local parenting groups, and teaches music classes to children in her home. Because she had been podcasting for awhile before launching Mighty Mommy, she felt comfortable with the medium. She says she saw Mighty Mommy as an extension of what she was already doing as a parent and teacher. She has produced 16 Mighty Mommy episodes so far. Her goals for the show revolve around content: tips for parents of teens and preteens, and multi-episode discussions of big topics like potty training. Feierabend says her show has not yet acquired sponsors, but she would be happy if it did. It s likely that sponsorship opportunities would come through her association with the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, which has made short-term sponsorship deals in the past, initially for Grammar Girl. The network s consistent format, branding and visuals from Web sites to logos are reminiscent of what book publishers like Wiley have done to create easily identifiable series of titles including the successful Dummies books. Crossing Moms Geek Barrier While it s too simplistic to say that moms, and women in general, are not predisposed to embrace technology, podcasting moms have struggled with the fact that many of their peers either lack the interest or the time to learn how to find and subscribe to podcasts, or to sync an MP3 player. The MommyCast web site features a page that defines podcast-related terms like subscribe and RSS and walks listeners through the process of subscribing or listening within their browser. Vogelzang says many moms learn about the show from their husbands. Most of the women who listen to our show listen because their husbands have fixed it up for them; have found it, or gotten them an iPod and uploaded MommyCast for them and gotten them started that way, she says. Feierabend agrees that dads are generally more comfortable with podcasting than moms, especially moms she meets in person through her parenting activities. When I start talking about what I do I do this podcast they just kind of look at me with these blank stares, she offers. Moms also often find themselves a few steps behind technologically, which limits the flexibility of podcasters who want to reach them, says Vogelzang. What we re finding also is that they re several iPod generations behind what s out there now, because they get the hand-me-downs from their kids or their husbands. For MommyCast, that means continuing to produce both MP3 and m4a (enhanced podcast) versions of each show. Apple s enhanced podcast format, which is compatible only with fourth and fifth-generation iPods, allows producers to include bookmarks and photographs in their episodes. According to Brandt, the Manic Mommies audience may be ahead of the technology curve because working moms are using technology more during the day. Working moms have more opportunities to use technology because they are commuting or are listening on their computer. We have quite a few graphic designers and they say they listen while the arty side of their brain is doing their work and they need something to keep the other side of their brain going. If you re a stay-at-home mom, you don t have the opportunity to be sitting at a computer or loading up an iPod, she speculates. Feierabend, who says she s very comfortable with computers herself, is a bit frustrated when trying to intro-duce new moms to her show. I hear more often than anything else I use my computer for email . To overcome the disconnect between owning a PC and finding podcasts, she has burned CDs for potential listeners to play in their cars or home computers. I think the only other way to get people to try things like that would be to give them a CD…and then have it be in a location where somebody can pick one up and put it in their car or in their CD player at home, and have a couple of shows so they get hooked. And then have instructions with it…here s what to do if you want to hear more. Vogelzang also believes that busy moms, regardless of their tech savvy, don t find podcasts because they simply don t have time to look for them. But she also says that media trends that have eroded broadcast ratings work to the advantage of podcasting, and require producers to work to get and keep an audience. If I m going to sit down and listen to a show, it really needs to be worth my time. I think what we do see is kind of a movement away from traditional media in a lot of different directions. I think more moms now are getting information from the Internet than ever before. More moms now are forming an opinion that they want to listen to or see what they want to see, and not what networks are willing to dish out to them. Activating Listeners Most podcasters spend some time wondering how to move listeners from content consumer to participant, if only by sending email or perhaps a voicemail. All of the podcasting moms we spoke to say both methods have been important sources of feedback about show content, as well as an indication of who is listening, and how attentively. Controversial topics tend to bring out emails, the podcasters say, and many listeners ask questions that become content for the show. Vogelzang says a listener s email about a child s peanut allergy led MommyCast to find an expert on the topic, and build a show around the question. Feierabend, whose show is still relatively new, says most of her feedback comes from dads, and that she is trying to build a more interactive relationship with her audience. Like the others, she offers a voicemail line and an email address for contacting the show. Kane and Brandt say their listeners involvement has been crucial to their success. Brandt sounds almost maternal when she talks about our moms and how they interact with the show. That s the thing that really astounds me: the engagement level of the audience. They re so engaged, which I love, but it means that if you say something they don t like, you re going to hear about it. Each Manic Mommies episode gets four or five voicemails, and Kane, who s in charge of listener interaction, fields five or six emails from listeners each day, plus contacts from publicists and others looking to use the show as a PR vehicle. In addition to direct communication with the show, Manic Mommies offers listeners a forum on gather.com, a social-networking site. Brandt feels it s important to give listeners a chance to talk to one another. The pair is currently planning a Manic Mommies Escape, a weekend getaway for listeners, to be held in Newport, R.I., in November. They are seeking sponsors who will help subsidize events during the weekend. Our goal is to help our moms, says Brandt. And we really feel like in many ways moms (and working moms maybe a little more) don t take time out for themselves. They ll take time off because it s school vacation…or because someone s sick, but they very rarely take a couple of days for themselves to meet other working mothers, says Brandt. Parenting Payday To varying degrees, sponsorship is on the agenda at Mighty Mommy, Manic Mommies and MommyCast. But as they seek sponsors, or mull offers, all say they want to be sure the company or product is a good fit for their audience, not simply a windfall for the show. We re very careful to choose sponsors…of products we know we can stand behind. Moms…are very discriminating, and they know when you re not being sincere about a particular product. Vogelzang says MommyCast has turned down sponsors for that reason. Brand and Kane have used podcast networks and advertising brokers to identify potential sponsors: they maintain a Podtrac listener survey on their site, and have refused some offers from sponsors they felt didn t speak to their demographic. And survey results confirmed the mismatch between sponsors Brands says just were not appropriate based on what we knew about our listener base. According to Brandt, We re very careful that whoever we talk to really adds value to our listeners. It has to match the demographic. It can t be so far off the charts that it looks like we re trying to cash in. Podcasting hasn t yet lived up to its potential, says Brandt, partly because advertisers and their agencies still don t know how to work with podcasters to promote their brands, and podcasters are stuck using networks and advertising brokers that don t provide enough money to justify incorporating ads. I feel like at some level, podcasts are still undervalued. When I see what a Podtrac is willing to pay, to me it s not worth it. I d rather wait and really establish a solid partnership with a good corporate sponsor that s going to bring some value and also understand the value of reaching out to our audience, she says. For every podcaster looking to get rich, or simply quit a dull day job, MommyCast offered an early example of how to turn a desirable demographic into a corporate-sponsorship deal. And for podcast enthusiasts and promoters looking to extend the reach of the medium outward from the geeky, male province where it s been stuck, shows produced by moms have been a further sign of podcasting s potential to gain much wider acceptance. It remains to be seen whether other mom-produced shows will duplicate the financial success of MommyCast, but for now, their producers are enjoying the ride and talking about the things that matter most. And they don t seem to be worried about the content well running dry. I think we ll run out of content maybe when all the kids are out of the house, says Vogelzang. Pages 20-27 Blogger & Podcaster :: July 2007
Source: www.bloggerandpodcaster.com

The Sights And Sounds Of Lost In Transition
It is getting closer and closer to the time of release for my first book, Lost in Transition.  It is due out mid-summer and as we continue through the process, I am excited to share some of the sights and sounds of the book. First the sight.  This is what the cover is going to look like. We decided to go with a classic look rather than a busy look with pictures/images, etc.  Thanks to Lynly, my graphic designer, for doing such a great job. Now for the sound.  Along with the book, I am also getting an audiobook published through Tate Publishing’s sister company, Tate Out Loud.  We are just in the sampling stage right now but here is the introduction- Download sample_intro.mp3 .   Enjoy!
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What I’ve been doing…
It seems like a monthly ritual over the last year that I write an apology post for neglecting the blog. I’ve been writing here for a shocking five year stretch, the page mutating from drunken nonsense and personal whining, to musing on films and games, to this abbreviated bookmarking of things that catch my fancy. I have no intention of letting the site die, and I plan on returning to regular writing soon. So what have I been up to? My company has entered a lull, and I’ve had to make ends meet with a lot of freelance work- mainly video editing, motion graphics stuff, some sound design, and a lot of tech consulting (I’ve also been trying to brush up on my CSS in case I need it for other jobs, which has me tempted to redesign my own site). I’ve also been (surprise) watching a crapload of movies. I got an Apple TV and I’ve been dilligently ripping my DVD’s with handbrake and transcoding DivX torrents with a turbo 264 (well, the stuff without subtitles anyway). This week is the last week of the downtown location of the Alamo Drafthouse, and there’s been plenty of special events happening in conjunction- blood wrestling before the last Terror Thursday showing of Blood Farmers, The last free Weird Wednesday showing of Snakes with a 32 piece brass band playing along with the film’s bizarre march sequences, and next Wednesday Susan Tyrrell will be here to screen the final film shown at the Alamo downtown- the jaw dropping Nightmare Maker. I’m hoping to get to spend some time with Susan… er.. “SuSu”, since I have a lot of admiration for her and her unique performance style. I’ve also been doing a little bit of video work with my friend Thomas- The alamo regularly hosts video competitions where you have a short amout of time to put together a video on a set theme, usually with a surprise prop to prove you didn’t have the video ready before hand. We won second place for this entry into the “unnecessary sequels” competition:I’ve also been recording keyboard parts for my band, Diagonals, first album. None of the tracks are mixed yet and I really shouldn’t post anything, but here’s a rough version of one of the songs for fun. I don’t know if this is actually the name of the song, btw:Diagonals - ‘Jason’I'm considering trying to record a solo “Doctor Whalemilk” disc after we are finished.I had planned on starting a new video art project this month called “vocabulary”, but money problems and a general lack of energy have made me postpone it till next month. It’s funny, I spent most of today feeling sullen and directionless and beating myself up for not “doing” anything, but I guess I have been doing stuff all along. By tomorrow I should have also finished my program notes for the AFS screening of Invastion of the Body Snatchers. I love the film even though it scares the pee out of me, and I hope all of you in Austin on July 3rd will be able to attend.
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Talking Tech, Friday, April 27th
[[libsyn_player]] 0.30 Mark and Duncan are back (still no Kevin) to talk about the good quarterly results from Apple and Microsoft. 1.12 Is Apple s growth sustainable or is just a fad? Duncan compares Apple to Madonna and thinks that, for now, its growth is sustainable BUT, will the hype around the iPhone bring the whole house of cards down? 2.37 Mark brings up the movie Helvetica and every design person interviewed had their trusty Mac in screen. He thinks that the iPod gave users permission to buy Mac computers and wonders if the iPhone could take that permission away? 3.51 How will the stock options controversy affect the Mac aura? If Steve Jobs needs to step down, Duncan predicts Apple s stock will drop $30 - $40 in a day. 5.27 Mark asks Duncan to explain why so many wealthy, high profile execs back date stock options. Duncan explains that the accounting rules have changed and now back dating options can put a hit on the company s earnings. 7.01 Mark is surprised so many people are so surprised at Microsoft s success, which was largely driven by Vista. Duncan explains Vista s attractiveness to the consumer and reseller as illustrated by Microsoft s software revenues growing 69 per cent. 9.35 Duncan reminds us that the entertainment side of Microsoft s business isn t doing so well its revenues dropped 20 per cent. 10.01 The guys move onto the strategy behind the Nintendo Wii. Instead of competing with high end graphics machines such as the Xbox 360, the company dumbed down its product and went after everyday consumers. Duncan uses this as a classic case of disruption coming up with a just good enough product, rather than a perfect product.  Another example of this is Slacker a satellite radio/mp3 player combination. 12.35 Dalsa lost its CEO this week and this is a great springboard for discussion on the changing landscape of the Canadian tech CEO ecosystem. Duncan doesn t think there is a single CEO of a public company has been in office for more than 10 years and thinks this talks to the need for management talent in Canada. 14.34 Local entrepreneur Randy Charles Morren s RSS email service, Rmail, gets some love from Mark after selling the company to NBC Universal. 12.28 Duncan has a new job at Deloitte as Director of Canadian Research for Technology, Media, Telecommunications and Life Sciences. He ll be writing some original research but will also be Canadianizing global research and meeting with up and coming businesses. Audio or text comments for Mark, Kevin and Duncan can be emailed to heytalkingtech@gmail.com. Our announcer is the lovely Amber Mac and the music is No Mojo by Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke which is available on the pod safe music network.
Source: buckpost.libsyn.com

How to Make 3D Text
Click Image to Play Video live.pirillo.com/ - A user in the chat room suggested that Chris make his banner on YouTube 3D. In order to do that, Chris used a program called Xara 3D. Xara 3D lets you create 3D text and easily edit it: make it thinner, thicker, tilted, add shadows and lighting, and other cool effects. Unlike other bloated image editing tools, Xara 3D serves a specific purpose: Traditional 3D programs are notoriously difficult to use and understand. Not so Xara3D. Unlike much modern ‘bloatware’ that offers more features than are ever likely to be used, and take an age to learn and understand, Xara3D has been created to perform one job, and performs that job with style, speed, and slick simplicity. Xara3D is solely designed to create the highest quality 3D text and graphics, such as logos, titles, headings and buttons. It’s the perfect way to add impact to your web pages, mailshots and presentations (all images are fully anti-aliased for that smooth, professional quality). Xara3D can also create awesome 3D animations in seconds - GIFs, AVIs and simple Flash movie sequences - and you can even enhance your desktop by saving any animation as a screensaver! Want to embed My Most Favorite Program video in your blog? Use this code: <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GrYVIgQl9yw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GrYVIgQl9yw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">http://live.pirillo.com/</a> / <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/media/">http://chris.pirillo.com/media/</a> Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4), MP3 Audio (.mp3), Microsoft Video (.avi) Net SexWindows Home Server at CES 2007Ed Bott and Windows Vista Beta 2Erin McGee of MyWireless.orgBijan Yaminafshar on Linksys Network OptimizerBest Photo Sharing SiteMicrosoft Engages DJs with CrossfaderErgonomic Office ChairFree vs Open SourceWhat are Open Standards?
Source: chris.pirillo.com

Current.tv: a Network with Style Part 2 of 2
Brand encompasses so much more than just a logo, it involves the entire experience a user/consumer has with a product. Current.tv has built a brand upon a foundation of engaging user-generated content that is beautifully complimented with unique motion graphics . The fantastic thing about web 2.0 is that it engages the user in a conversation or interaction. This trend has been closely associated with a design style that exploits specific visual elements such as diagonal striped backgrounds, reflections and, “ajax-enhanced” flowing motion. By adopting this web 2.0 “look” that is so closely associated with the web Current.tv is making the bridge visually between web based interaction and broadcast television. Rather than just thinking of Current.tv as a network the viewer subconsciously blurs the lines between the two media types making the cable TV station an extension of the web conversation. According to MographWiki.net Current.tv’s logo was created by MetaDesign, a studio founded by Erik Spiekerman. Spiekerman is well known for his stunning sanserif typeface FF Meta which I had the lovely production experience of implementing in parking garages at my first design studio job out of college. You never forget your first big design project, even if it is just for a parking garage. Meta Design did all the branding for the Adobe Creative Suite which you also may be familiar with. In an article on BoardsMag.com from 2005 Logan, a motion graphics studio was tasked with coming up with the initial “animated on-air toolkit including lower thirds, logo bumpers and 15 animated show packages, including logo design for each (pod)”. When Googling Logan I found a very simple site that showcased their portfolio and clients with very little explanation. I mean…who needs body copy when you have work like this? Since their initial launch Current.tv has continued to produce fantastic motion graphics through their in-house design team. Current.tv has a strong, consistent brand that clearly communicates that they are about the innovation of user generated content on the web and on television. Even if you aren’t a fan of the format, Al Gore, or user-generated content, many designers can appreciate current.tv’s stunning graphics. To view current.tv’s motion graphics reel click here or visit MographWiki.net. Technorati Tags: current.tv, metadesign, user-generated content, user-generated television, internet video, FF Meta, Erik Spiekerman, Adobe Creative Suite Branding, Web 2.0 Design, Web 2.0, motiongraphics
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