cine + octo = boo

I’m not sure what to make of this meme, in part because the entire thing confounds me. For those of you scratching your heads, Know Your Meme has a pretty decent blow-by-blow.

Tweens posting tell all video diaries on YouTube is nothing new. It’s unfortunate that Jessi has been exposed to some of the things she discusses at such a young age (she’s 11), but that has little to do with the meme itself. However, it does relate to her ability to behave in this manner without full awareness of what she was exposing herself to. Specifically, her parents had absolutely no idea what she was up to online, and regardless of their individual Internet prowess (or ignorance), they seemingly ignored some red flags that should’ve alerted them to dig a little deeper.

First, the fact that she was spending so much time on a web cam that’s connected to the Internet. Now, I don’t expect them to fully understand the culture and inner workings of the Internet, it’s not their thing and I get that. But, if your 11 year old daughter is spending time on a camera attached to something you don’t fully understand, isn’t that a clue that you might want to engage with her? Yes, it can be difficult as someone approaches the teenage years, but still…Some of this could have gone a long way.

Let’s face it, her parents aren’t solely to blame. Everyone involved carries some of that weight. /b/ is certainly responsible for a good portion of the outcome here.

But none of this is what confounds me. What confounds me is that we are all somehow involved in the perpetual meme play that drives this sort of thing in one way or another. I’m not saying this directly drove the bullying and harassment of Jessi Slaughter, but the need for “watercooler” conversations in the forms of links to memes that can be shared to friends does help push this sort of thing along.

My initial reaction to /b/’s involvement here was, “Well, what do you expect from /b/?” But that’s not right. In fact, it’s dismissive in a way that allows this type of behavior to persist. Granted, not all memes are harmful. But an anonymized crowd’s decision to punish an 11 year old girl, regardless of what she’s said or done online, is a frightening concept, and it’s something that we as a culture need to recognize and address.

We spent the 4th of July at my parents’ house and in the evening the court erupted with fireworks. Here’s my take on the day, set to “Giant Steps.” Subsequently, Amelie now loves this song. This was shot and edited on my iPhone 4. Enjoy.

I particularly love how this random shot of the sun, taken midday, produced a spectrum of red, white, and blue. It was one of those “by chance” moments that worked out really well in the end. Here’s a screenshot of the clip I’m referring to:

Like every iPhone release, Apple’s latest entry has created quite a stir. In fact, from the very moment a prototype was misplaced in a bar this new iPhone has enjoyed a spotlight laced with leak-fueled intrigue on top of the usual “what will be released?” speculation.

Not all of the attention is favorable, especially with reports of antenna issues with some units when held left-handed, and Steve Jobs/Apple’s response. On top of it all, Google’s Android OS is enjoying increased prominence as well, with the high demand for the Evo 4G, and the release of the Droid X. Things are certainly heating up in the smartphone race, and it’s exciting to watch.

Dee was kind enough to get me an iPhone 4 as a combination Father’s Day/birthday gift, and I’ve been pretty impressed with it thus far. I decided to take the improved 720p HD video recording (and editing) aspect of the phone for a spin, and here is the result. All video was shot in camera, edited, and then uploaded to Vimeo and YouTube.

Note: I uploaded this video to both services as a means to test out each one for videos such as these. You’ll need to click through to watch in full HD.

Take a look:

Vimeo

Watch in HD on Vimeo

YouTube

Watch in HD on YouTube

What do you think? Did you pick up an iPhone 4? What’s your take of its video capability?

p.s. Special thanks to Amelie, for being a willing (and adorable) subject. I imagine there will be more videos like these in our future.

Rep. Joe Barton’s apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward this morning smacks of concessions, and moreover, was a total embarrassment.

Quite frankly, Barton’s actions align with something that has troubled me throughout the first year and a half of the Obama administration — Republicans do not want to let go. I can’t blame them. But at some point they need to stop acting like someone will eventually step in and say, “Oh, you were right. Obama, you’re out.” It’s not going to happen.

Yes, I’m aware that he placed a caveat by prefacing his statement with a claim that he speaks for himself, and not for the Republican Party. However, he also inserts agenda into his “opinion” by claiming that the same “shakedown” could occur to citizens as well as corporations. The truth is, Obama and Hayward came to an agreement, and despite criminal investigations, BP is still on the hook for damages that have been done to the gulf coast, it’s inhabitants, etc. They needed to be held accountable, and the decision to put $20 billion towards recovery was an attempt at good will, not a shakedown. It’s called accountability, folks.

I know this is completely unrelated, but it astounds me that we are capable of rallying together to find solutions to annoyances like the Vuvuzela bzzzz during the World Cup, yet we are unable to collectively sort through the damage occurring daily to the gulf coast eco-system. Don’t even get me started on the people complaining about their ability to afford the iPhone 4 despite such horrors as AT&T server failures or delayed shipping.

Update: Barton made another statement this afternoon, clarifying his remarks from this morning. He insists that he holds BP responsible, and does not want his apology to cloud that. Whatever, the damage is done. Let’s not ignore that Oil & Gas industries were the #2 contributors to your campaign funds.

“What the ‘eff just happened here?”

The final episode has come and gone, and as expected it’s cracked the LOST fanbase right in half. The great polarization has impacted many, and even within the halls of Fanboy Planet the lines have already been drawn. I’m curious to get Lon’s take on the series and the final episode, although I believe the final outcome will be moot in the end. We’ll see.

I’m going to forego a detailed recap, but we did learn a few things. The sideways was nirvana, or the afterlife depending on where you stand spiritually. The whole series centered on Jack, his trials involved in accepting his role in a very important sequence of events, and his trouble letting go of things after the fact. It was the story of a group of people who came together to prevent the end of humanity, and how they met up after they died to reminisce and let go of the most import period of time in their existence.

Where the great divide is formed lies in one’s need for answers. The producers have long said that they would answer what needed to be answered, nothing more and nothing less. This doesn’t sit well with many folks, but what happened happened. Right?

The concept of the show is pretty interesting. It’s sort of like what would happen if Luke, Leia, Han, Obi Wan, Chewy, R2, and C3PO met up in the afterlife, helped each other remember those times they stopped the Empire from destroying the galaxy, and then ultimately help each other let go of the things that bind them to their mortality, preventing them from becoming one with the force. This is a beautiful thing to contemplate, especially considering our own lack of understanding around our own individual existence, mortality, and what exists in the great beyond…unless you’re too busy asking questions like, “Why does the force exist?,” “Lightsabers, how do they work?,” or “Why are some people eligible to be Jedi while others aren’t?”

The dreaded midichlorian scenes in the prequel trilogy were written for those folks, and thankfully LOST never went there.

“What are the rules, exactly?”

Do we really need to know? There is enough evidence within the series to surmise what these rules are, how they were formed, and why they were formed. But do we need a numbered list of the rules? No.

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The one episode I’ve been looking forward to since we began this whole adventure, and I manage to forego the liveblogging. Disappointed? Sure. But in some ways this may be better. While the episode aired, I wasn’t sure what to make of each development, but the details completely engrossed me every step of the way. Looking back, it would’ve been nice to capture my immediate reactions to each twist, but it feels like this episode deserves a deeper look at things. So here we go, let’s dive in.

His name is Jacob.

We knew this, but what we didn’t know is that he didn’t arrive on the island alone. Across the Sea begins with Jacob’s mother landing on the island post-shipwreck. We witness her give birth to twin sons with the assistance of an unknown woman living on the island. She names one of the boys Jacob, and then subsequently meets her demise at the hands of her would-be protector. Jacob and the unnamed twin (dare I suggest, the Bad Twin?) are both raised by their mother’s murderer, and from that point on we come to know her only as “Mother.”

Is it any surprise that the tale of LOST begin with matricide? Considering the strong thematic loops of children with mommy complexes and daddy issues woven through each season? Let’s speak of weaving. The yarn that has been used to weave this tale all generates from the events that take place within the space of Across the Sea’s runtime.

Birth. Death. Faith. Science. The rules. Betrayal. The con. The guardian. Children with special powers. The candidates. The game.

All of these things, and many more, begin here. Did you miss them? Let’s run through some of the more subtle aspects of the episode.

The game.

One of the most damning complaints I read about this show is the supposed changing of rules “on a whim” from season to season. I hear this more often than I care to admit, and quite frankly the more I dive into why people feel this way, the more it becomes clear. They weren’t paying close enough attention.

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The LOST-pocalypse continues with a Hurley episode! Here are the rules, the liveblog begins below:

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The LOST-pocalypse is poised to tell us Richard Alpert’s story! Here are the rules, the liveblog begins below:

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Finally! The LOST-pocalypse brings us our first Ben episode! Tonight could promise to be huge!! Here are the rules, the liveblog begins below:

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OK Go’s latest video, the second they’ve produced for their song “This Too Shall Pass” sparked this post. My wife was catching up on the goings on around the web this morning at breakfast, and despite having been sent the video 100 times I’d yet to actually watch it. Mind you, I’ve followed the backstory and was totally aware of the motivations behind the move by the band. I’d just neglected to actually sit down and watch the damn thing. It’s good, and I’ve embedded below for those who, like me, were somehow living under a rock all week.

The driving force behind this post was to discuss the band’s deft use of transparency to create viral videos, promote their work, and singlehandedly become a household name through the use of social media and the Interwebs. I’ll get to all of that, because it’s fun. But first, a primer.

Media companies typically wrestle with issues of transparency, and to say that they “don’t get it” is an understatement. There are exceptions to every rule, but most of these exceptions extend from businesses and brands whose core business is closely linked to their consumers and customer support. Before we dive into this, let’s take a look at some of the brands that have successfully jumped onto the transparency wagon in positive and impacting ways.

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