Things I like this week: May 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

White Hills at Memory Burn PsychFest

Another amazing video journey by Ego Sensation! Check it out or miss out on a wonderful short video that makes me want to feel the burn...........

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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Canon Rebel T2i 550D demonstrates 1080p video mode-Engadget

via engadget.com

Hmmm, still no sync audio. Like this video, but how come it's seeming impossible to find good sounding video from one of these cameras? Thinking about it, but I need to see a good example. Know using a Zoom H4n digital audio recorder could be a solution, but then I will have to have another set of hands to work both audio and video-like in the old days when shooting film!

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Sunday, May 23, 2010

Nike – Write The Future - fechnerk's

via fechnerk.posterous.com

Like this ad a lot. Reminds me of Tom Twyker's Run Lola Run as we see the potential futures' of a number of it's star players. This is cool and the cinematography is luscious. Like sports filming of course as it's dynamic and the music is cool with it's refrain being repeated for each character.

Love the section where they print out the newborn's name tags with the name Wayne and the youtube view counter's rise, but the end all is the piece with Homer in The Simpsons. In my opinion, if you make it into a Simpsons's episode, you've made it. I guess I can still dream on.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

Beer and Checkpoints in the West Bank - Video Library - The New York Times

via video.nytimes.com

This is a great story. Love the characters and hearing from them about sharing a little beer and having people coming together to enjoy it. Love the checkpoints aspect as this is the real issue here. How do you get your beer out to people if it takes all day to travel 10 miles because of how long you wait at checkpoints?

My brother loves this beer and they stock it in their fridge in Ramallah. The footage of downtown Ramallah is great too. Zachary and I were there in 2000 and it had roughly the same feel although it looks a lot busier now. Good news for my brother and his USAID Micro finance and Economic Development program too as this is the key. Having people invest in this country is the only way out of the stalemate.

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Bangkok Update by Phanat Xanamane

My friend Phanat is living and teaching in Bangkok at the moment and sent this map and description of the political unrest there at the moment. He's a designer and architect and is teaching at Chulalongkorn University in the International Program in Design & Architecture. I think he gives a poignant view here that goes nicely with what I am listening to on WNYC right now on the BBC World Report.
Dearest Friends and Relations,

If you've been following the news in Southeast Asia lately, then you've probably heard of the political turmoil and chaos that has been brewing in Bangkok for the past 6 weeks. Over the past few days the violence has reached very dangerous levels. The media has shown many images of the clashes between the military and the red-shirt protesters. I've received many messages of concern from many of you. I write to assure you that I am safe and well. I've attached a map showing the distance between the embattled zone and my apartment (approximately 5 miles). The green and blue lines show my usual commute walking and on the BTS skytrain. The school I teach at is at the edge of the red-shirt "controlled" zone. Life outside the red-zone has been very quiet and for the most part has been normal. . . so mom, aunts and uncles - stop calling me at 6:00am in the morning to tell me to get on a plane. I'm fine.

The semester ended last week and we are on a quick break before summer classes start next week. During all this I've been staying inside my apartment, ordering delivery pizza and going to the mini-mart in my building for daily essentials. I've had time to finally catch up on many projects that have been put-off to the side. But staying inside all-day by yourself can get kinda boring.

The most frustrating aspect of this has been the instability and uncertainty surrounding the future of Thailand. It makes it so difficult to teach, do my job, and plan ahead. I've had to cancel classes on several occasions and reschedule to meet in public places like Starbucks and high-end shopping malls. Many of my students do not show up to these meetings or even regular classes because the situation has prevented them from leaving the house. I've already announced my pending resignation if the situation here does not improve by the time I must review and renew my contract which will be soon. As of now, I see no end to the madness in sight.

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

It's magic, act II ( the disappearing! )

via flickr.com

I think when I see this stuff, it makes me want to buy the Canon EOS Rebel T2i http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139...

My only question is the audio. Can you really record great sounding dialogue with this kind of set up? Makes me want to watch some more. I think maybe it's going to be important to go back to recording audio separately and then synching in post. I used to do it in the film world and even in the cable TV world, we did it separately until a few years ago. Maybe a camera like this is good for some things, but not all. Don't know how steady you will be able to hold while walking, etc.

I got to Lambros Kazan because he commented on my Flickr stream.

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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Last Day Of The Empire

via flickr.com

The Empire Diner closed yesterday and today was the final party and farewell. Our friend, Michael Hallenbeck worked there for way too many years to count. It was nice today, sitting in the sun and hearing about those golden years of this Tenth Avenue hot-spot. Michael is a photographer too and was snapping shots as well as showing small albums of the good old days before Chelsea got crowded.

The owners of the Coffee Shop in Union Square have bought the place so we all wonder what it will retain of one of our favorite eatery's pluses.

I like this photo that Zachary took because of how people look in their dark glasses. Especially the white haired guy in the window. It's old-timey feel is cool and makes me wonder what the sidewalk cafe tables looked like in the 1970's.

Thirty-four years of serving burgers and coffee is something to celebrate I think. I heard years ago that tips were pooled at the Empire and know that detail is why the place is so memorable. To wait tables is an art-form and to collectively get people coming back is the key. The whole crew of waiters and waitresses at the place will undeniably be linked to this period in my life.

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Two

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Inches That Matter: NY Times Video

I thought this video was pretty good because it gets you in the middle of it. C.J Chivers is an embedded journalist who is capturing just how difficult this war is going at the moment. I like that when I watch it. because there is nothing except the war going on, you can't escape it. Hairy footage and moments captured. Very interested to know what kind of camera he is shooting on here. Like how matter of fact he is and how the story is rounded out so well. Don't even care that it's a month old, it's worth seeing.

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Monday, May 10, 2010

Taranto vecchia by Luca Napoli

via youtube.com

Luca is one of my Flickr friends and I like his work a lot. Saw this little movie and it took me away. Nice shots and the music is perfect. He really captured the spirit of the place. His street portraits are just right and when he is shooting down a long corridor of old houses, he creates some nice depth. Love the blacks in these photos as the contrast is just right too. Just a little taste of a place far away.

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