Book I Can't Put Down

"The Long Tail."

Can't.... Put.... Book.... Down....

Report upon completion. It's genius.

New Material Up

Well, the files are done and encoded. http://www.portagemedia.com/313digital is now live with all the content from Thursdays' event. Enjoy!

Thanks to lots of people

Just a quick note to everyone thanking lots of people who made the 313Digital automotive panel audiovisual and podcast a success, because it took time spread over three weeks to make this thing happen.

First I'll note that we should have the whole thing edited ready for consumption Tuesday (thats two flavours of audio and probably five flavors of video) and I'll be sure to post the link on this page where you can download or watch on demand everything.

As to the thank yous, there are many on the team that did a great job. At the venue, our gratitude goes out to the Baldwin Theatre and particularly Mel Janney, whos' experience with the venue, help with staging, skirting, tables, podiums - really helped make the vision a reality in the short window we had to see the venue that we'd never worked before.

Thanks to Andy Barker and Bob Minchella at Advanced Lighting and Sound. Great place to rent the last pieces of the puzzle and when it comes to installation, no doubt the people to call.

On the 313Digital side, of course, Brandon Rea for his support, Joey Kyriakoza, and the incomperable Shawn McCracken, as well as the countless others who we've met (if we start listing, we'll forget someone and we don't want to do that).

And on our team, thanks as always to audio genius Erik Drader. There hasn't been a set of mics and board he hasn't been able to make sound great even when we're in adverse situations.

I'll be posting links later - we have a weekend of rendering and editing.

And Snakes On A Plane.

Upcoming Event to Watch For

On August 17, we have the pleasure of podcasting the 313Digital Automotive Panel at the Baldwin Theatre in both audio and video form (providing two audio formats, four or five video formats, and also keeping up the iTunes audio and video podcast channels, as usual).

Of course, a podcast isn't just a podcast - just got finished hanging scrim, fixing lights, dealing with projectors, and all the other incidental planning and staging items. Of course, it just means it's going to look better for you all. We're too much of a group of perfectionists to not spend alot of time getting it right, and there will be by the time it's done planning and prep spread over three weeks.

You can find out more about the event here and of course, watch this space for links to the event material within about 48 hours of the event. Go dual core processors, go!

iPod integration in autos

The iPod is going to get a boost in sales because whos' going to get the integration with the car and not get an iPod?

Check out the Freep article here

More good news for those people who create content as it gets easier and easier to integrate the iPod with your life.

Meg Whitman reaches out on Net Neutrality

Got an interesting email from Meg Whitman (of course, computer-generated as I have an eBay account) about Net Neutrality. Apparently, she's for it - which is good. Net Neutrality is a horrible name for an important concept; keeping the internet a level playing field between the big guy and the little guy.

Who was it said that capitalists get together usually to figure out how to get the government to corner the market for them? It's funny - as a person who believes in capitalism - how often such people who profess to want no government intervention continually try to get the government to work in their favour. After all, let's remember politics is just a vehicle to get laws enacted that work in your benefit.

As much as I am for net neutrality, I also know that it is in the best interest of Microsoft, Google, eBay, Yahoo, and others to lobby for it as it's going to increase their cost of business, because they're the ones who can afford and their customers will expect them to pay for the new "fast lane." It just so happens that the smaller and midsized players are also going to benefit from their work to defend their business models.

The telcos want to have a tiered internet to charge more, even though companies such as Google pay millions of dollars in bandwidth for their site to be online every month AND you're paying the ISP as well. I just don't believe we should let the ISPs triple-dip; and unfortunately, there is not a free market in this arena (most places it's an oligopoly) so it's important, as much as the idea pains me, to regulate it.

I also do not buy the argument that they're being priced out of existance and can't make money, since they themselves say they can't provide the bandwidth they promise when you sign a contract with them. Well, quite frankly, that's their fault. Maybe companies should be forced to tell the truth and not hide stuff in fine print.

The bottom line is that all of our costs and business owners and consumers are going to greatly increase if the telcos get their way. So find some way to get your congresscritter to protect your interests this time.

p.s.- Some big changes are coming at Portage Media Solutions. First, we're launching a new website Monday, which I think alot of people are going to like. It'll have more resources, access to all our whitepapers, and a slick design improving on what we currently have.

Also, welcome Adrian to the team. Already in his first project he's been stellar.

Gotta post this

Here's the deal. Don't demo a product that you yourself call "tempermental."

Microsoft has so much potential - but for some reason, they can't seem to ever get the whole show moving in the right way.