Jay Dedman Blasphemes Redwoods

Jay Dedman, my friend from the videoblogging list, recently posted this vblog entry about his visit to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The "Stupid Trees" he's referring to can be seen online in VR. (Even the VR doesn't do the trees justice.) It made me so mad, I had to videoblog my response. To make the offense even worse, he shows me in his closing titles! (I promise not to get too carried away with the talking head stuff, but I think it can be a good way to show an emotional reaction to someone else's video.)

Karate Chimp

An amazing chimp who's been trained in Karate...

Consumer Electronics Association: Camera Phone Code of Conduct

The Consumer Electronics Association has an introductory webpage with a link to a Camera Phone Code of Conduct (PDF). The rules seem reasonable enough to me:

1. Camera phones should not be used where photographic equipment is typically banned, for example: museums, movie theaters, and live performances. Users should look for signs posted in public places. which indicate whether photographic equipment is banned.
2. Camera phones should not be used in public areas considered 'private' by those who use them, for example: bathrooms, changing rooms, and gym locker rooms.
3. Camera phones should not be used without authorization to record and/or transfer confidential information. This may apply within a corporate, government or educational environment.
4. Camera phones should not be used to take photos of individuals without their knowledge and consent.
5. Discretion is advised when using your camera phone to take photos of individuals under the age of 18.
6. Safety is paramount when operating a motor vehicle. Users should refrain from using the camera or video function of a wireless phone when driving.
7. Camera phone users should always respect the privacy of others. Photography of individuals without their consent, when and where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, may be prohibited by law.

I think folks on the videoblogging list have generally been pretty good, but the motor vehicle rule may be problematic.

Rocketboom and Slashdot Naysayers

Just saw rocketboom. These guys (and gal) just rebutted the Slashdot naysayer crowd (who bashed videoblogging) once and for all. (Other rebuttals, are here, here, and here.)

The Slashdot naysayers, particularly as embodied by Chris Wiegel, got me all fired up. For the moment, the quality of rocketboom's vlog (another vote for the word "vlog") is causing me to give up hope of ever becoming a real videoblogger.

They set the bar very high with incredible production values: both video and web. They embody many of the things we've been saying on the videoblogging list. When I recover from the shock, I'll make a long list of everything they are doing right. One critique, though: It seems to not have the individual voice or voices that we have come to value in the blogosphere. I'd like to see Josh Kinsberg and Andrew Baron on camera (hopefully not being arrested), at least a little. It would also be nice to see Amanda Congdon relax and be herself from time to time.

Site that tracks Cease and Desist Notices

Learned of this link at the Law session at BloggerCon: http://www.chillingeffects.org/.

Tofu Tenders

I stayed with friends on the Friday night before BloggerCon and raided their refrigerator in the middle of the night. This was the only ready-to-eat (or microwave) food I could find:

Jay Dedman at BloggerCon

Jay Dedman at the Friday night dinner:
(This was my demo of moblogging for Jay. I added the text later from my computer.)

Oustanding videoblog-like submission for INdtv

So, Al Gore has this new project to create a cable channel, called INdtv and is out looking for the video producers, etc. to staff the channel. A new member of the Yahoo videoblogging group, Randy Mills, posted this self-interview for INdtv.

Frances Cherman at Lulu Carpenter's

Tonight, I ran into Frances Cherman at LuLu Carpenter's.

First Post-Election Political Videoblog.

Human Dog has made the first post-election political videoblog entry that I am aware of.

No matter who you voted for, you'll have to admit that Bush will be the better president for videoblogging.

Election is Over

I had previously said that I hope whoever wins, wins by a significant margin. The margin wasn't big enough to eliminate all questions about vote counting, but it could have been much worse. In the U.S. there is no excuse for an election system that can't compute accurate results within hours of the polls closing. It is in the interest of all Americans to insist upon a better process, and to make sure that any computer technology used in the process has been checked, double-checked, and leaves a verifiable paper trail. We need to pay attention to this over the next four years and hold people accountable.