cine + octo = boo

ok, this Death Star over SF clip is all over the intertubes already [here, here, and officially here] but i have to put this out there…this is the coolest thing Star Wars-related that i’ve seen in a loooooooooong time. period.

if you enjoyed it, do make the jump over to the Official Star Wars blog to read an interview with Mike Horn, the creator of this massively cool Star Wars/SF mashup.

so i’ve had several blog posts stewing about in my head…rather than let them pass off into oblivion, i’m piling them all into the duckpress and mulching them into a fine pulp…for you. enjoy.

thursday’s trainride home was an interesting dive into user feedback. we met up with a chap named [redacted] who really, really, really couldn’t say enough about Current TV. he was a polite, if tired, twenty-something who just finished a shift at an upscale men’s retail outlet in Union Square and was heading home. he was more than willing to chat, and expressed a number of interesting tidbits along the way.

it amazes me how many people latch onto our content. the concept is truly engaging, and people just get sucked in. he couldn’t stop singing praises of SuperNews! and Vanguard, and rightfully so…both are amazing. not much of an Internet user, but seemed intrigued by the concept of web-to-TV.

we really are a strange culture, when it comes down to it…living in such close quarters, mixed behaviors ranging from exuberantly outgoing to introverted isolationism, and yet somehow managing to coexist. i bumped into three people at the grocery store, each jabbering away with bluetooth earpieces. one seemed to be in the midst of a heated argument, clearly talking to someone. another was trying to be much more discreet, mumbling in such a way that initially led me to believe they were mentally unstable. the third would only speak in short bursts, constantly aware of their surroundings and their role as “that guy with the earpiece.” his conversation was frantic blurps, “Yes…..No…….Try it……Not sure….”

this isn’t a conversation, it’s a string of nonsense.

on to hacky fun, i decided to take the plunge into iPhone hackery on friday. i’ve been on the fence, and was finally lured in by Qik’s release for the 3G. tested the process on my 1st gen iPhone first (to be sold on eBay soon, mind you), and it went smooth as silk. so, while waiting for Sanjeev’s plane to land, i decided to just throw caution to the wind and jump in. totally worth it. Qik runs super smooth, and i can already see that i’ll be getting some excellent use out of this going forward. now, if only Current supported…hmmm…

what is the wow? well, i’m not sure. a combination of things really, i suppose. i can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like i’m turning the corner on something that has been weighing me down for some time. i don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but it does seem to be heading the right direction. and the possibilities? oh my, the possibilities!

as i teased earlier, my good friend Sanjeev is in from Boston for the weekend. it’s been ages since we’ve hung out, so it should be fun. i had to part ways with two members of team boo this weekend, and while i’m going to miss them both, it seems like things will be fun.

for kicks, while ranting about all things qik, twitter, seesmic, current, and blah blah blah, i decided to test out qik streaming on Sanjeev. not the most compelling clip, but it just shows that it holds up pretty well…

i’m commonly asked, “what makes a community person a ‘community person?’” it’s an interesting question, and one that is difficult to answer. Dawn Foster recently posted a two-part examination into community management — first tackling how to hire a community manager, and later diving into how to get a gig as a community manager. a few weeks ago, the topic came up again over lunch, and it got me thinking about the latter of dawn’s two posts.

up until recently, actively seeking out a position as a community manager seemed nearly unheard of, and this got me thinking about my own position, how i arrived here, and what steps led me to working in online communities.

i certainly never sought out a role like this, it just sort of happened. i’ve always been a fixer, the type of persob willing to understand the needs of differing groups of people, assess the best possible way to address as many needs of the various sub-groups, craft a solution, and then pull the right people together to actually build it.

this was my approach to product management — which, to be fair, is another one of the oft misunderstood roles in tech. part of this lies in the tendancy to put an MBA who focuses on the needs of one specific group. but when it comes down to it, a good PM is aware that they’re also managing communities. they realize that while their juresdiction requires that they problem solve the needs of internal sub-groups, they must also balance priorities with the external sub-groups in mind.

so when this came up again, a series of events prompted a moment of discovery — i’ve been really working in community for a lot longer than i’ve fully recognized.

i studied film and digital media in school, and my aspirations were firmly planted in using emerging tech to produce independent films. i hoped to break into the industry at some point, and digital media seemed like the way to go. i needed to pay bills while pursuing my dream, so i worked as a db admin for a homeless shelter network in san jose by day, and pined away on screenplays, shorts, and eventually an independent feature-length film after hours.

the opportunity to jump from non-profit to tech arose, and my career along with my aspirations took a shift towards the Internet. it was my arrival at yahoo! that i’ve often credited with my entrance into online community work, but i’m beginning to rethink this a bit. much of my time spent working in film was also dually spent organizing resources, people, and interests. participation in online forums centered on production resources, discussing and breaking down new dv technology, and working together to help others complete their projects in exchange for reciprical treatment.

throughout college i helped leverage my cost of living expenses by working as a resident advisor in the dormatories, and i eventually moved into a position as a assistant resident director. both positions were community-centric — tending to both the engagement and moderation of issues arising amongst small communities of residents, and later a community of resident advisors. each group had specific needs, desires, and complications. conflict mediation was a key requirement, and judgment calls based on sets of standards, context, and conflict were made daily. it wasn’t all dorm parties and hall events, some rather heavy stuff arose quite often — from suicide attempts, to depression, and sadly rape as well. it was essentially a meat space version of an online community, and a defacto training ground for the future.

so to answer the original request to define the makings of “a community person,” perhaps it’s a combination of things learned and the innate desire to dive into this sort of thing with reckless abandon. because there are so many intangible aspects to community work, i’m beginning to wonder if there is an aspect to community work that is somewhat of an ingrained trait? looking back, i’ve always been the organizer in my pack — willing to schedule, corral, and reason with a certain amount of self-sacrifice. but it’s not just me. i recognize a lot of these same traits in countless others working in the online community space. late hours, persobal sacrifice, and the willingness to keep on despite the high chance of being dubbed “the bad guy.” many of us say, “who cares” and dive back in.

so maybe some of the more intangible aspects of online community work demand something more than what gets quantified on a resume? or is it some magic equation with multiple components? if so, are these traits limited to being innate, or can some of them be learned in time?

after running through all of our errands early on saturday, team boo packed up and headed off to the san jose museum of art to check out the robots: evolution of a cultural icon exhibit. first, we walked through the superlight exhibit, which was excellent to say the least. there were flying machines made out of recycled computer fans, empty plastic bottles, and plastic bags. so cool.

several pieces explored video interaction — some really interesting feedback/response type stuff.

anyone with an iphone and an interest in robotica should really consider visiting the robots exhibit. the pieces are fascinating, but in addition, their use of iphone/ipod touch technology to fascilitate museum tours is, in a word, geektastic.

after the museum, we walked through cesar chavez park and decided to let amelie run through the fountains. what ensued was an all out blast of waterlogged fun for all. she truly is a character.

this sign is here for a reason

Originally uploaded by [177]

sure, delays are frustrating. no one likes being derailed, and nobody enjoys disruptions to routines. we are all creatures of habit, and when something intervenes our comfort levels get overturned and ire is inevitably provoked.

it’s understandable, but don’t blame the conductors. blame the rail. amidst the chaos and flurry of upset and attitude this morning, the caltrain conductors handled it all in stride — remaining helpful and considerate. most of the times these guys are as helpless as anyone else…things happen. be thankful that they are there to help when things go awry.

the 3G draws a line at the valley fair apple store

the hoopla surrounding iPhone day part deux has been pretty well covered. from server meltdowns to the confusion surrounding rate plans and upgrade eligibility, the day was pretty much packed full of drama. at the valley fair store, crowds were met with disappointment as some learned that they were not eligible for upgrade price, or could not purchase at the apple store because of corporate discounts on their AT&T wireless account. someone even had a seizure in line, which was a pretty saddening turn of events.

of course, skeptics abound — is 3G worth the upgrade? is the iPhone 2.0 software an improvement? are you going to upgrade when the 60gb version is released in two months?

well, the bottom line is the 3G may or may not be for everyone. for me, the opportunity to increase non-wifi data speeds was enough of a draw. here’s the recap thus far:

• the plastic issue: there has been much controversy about whether the new sleaker (yet plasticy) backing is really an improvement. the debate centers around aluminum vs. plastic. it’s true that plastic is less classy, but the advantage with plastic is that it’s easier to grip. while i love the aluminum finish, the plastic finish feels likely to slip out of my hand.
• buggy 2.0 software: sure, it’s fair to criticize the 2.0 release to some extent, but it is a pretty big overhaul. the apps show promise, but some of them miss. lightsaber? c’mon, really.
• the good apps: hands down, there are some awesome apps available. remote is mind-blowing, not because of what it does, but because of what it suggests could be done. ok, it’s remarkable because of what it does, too. twitterific is great, but i’m anxiously awaiting a socialthing app. evernote may actually suck me in with their app. pownce put together an interesting app that allows photo uploading and uses OAuth to validate. just downloaded pandora, midomi, and whrrl — all seem interesting, but so far my experience with whrrl has been a little spotty.

of course, the iPhone has never been perfect, and the 3G is no exception. here’s a list of wants:

• copy and paste — they improved this issue by adding an “email a link to this site” option in the bookmark tab on safari, but that isn’t the only instance that copy/paste would serve.
• MMS — ok, come on…really? let’s get on this, ASAP.
• video — qik has already proven that it’s possible, now all we need is an app to do the trick. hopefully, these crafty apps won’t be doomed to jailbroken phones because Apple refuses to approve them…hopefully.
• GPS turn-by-turn directions — telenav is all over it, but i’m still chomping at the bit to get my hands on this.

these are software-based, and two of the three have been solved by developers already, so this gives me hope. any others to add to the list?

inglorious “basterds”

so, the news has hit. quentin tarantino has laid down the gauntlet and after years of interview mentions his WWII epic finally appears to be getting some traction. yep, you know the one he swore would star adam sandler and brad pitt? yeah, the 4-hour two parter? yeah, that one, only it’s been scaled back considerably.

it’s also the film that i (along with many others) assumed would never get off the ground. think along the lines of the vega brothers, casino royale, and countless others (ok, casino royale lived to see the silvery beauty of projected cinematic glory, but not with quentin at the helm).

every time he name-dropped inglorious bastards, he was always amidst “research” or “refinement,” but my gut impression was that this was another one of those qt things that would wash away over time.

as of july 8th, tangible evidence has surfaced that proves that things are progressing along. plus, quentin has been vocal about getting this in the can in time for cannes 2009. tall order.

either way, the script is out there (for now), and it seems fairly legit. i’ve been devouring it, and in my opinion, if it’s a fake it’s a damned good one.

there has been much discussion about the blatant misspellings (e.g. “heer” in place of “heir” and “Basterds” in lieu of “bastards” to name a very small smattering), and they are true. pure comedy, but true nonetheless. the enigmatic thing about quentin is that his misspellings may be legitimate mistakes, or they could be 100% intentional. who knows.

even now, reports are rolling in that financing has been secured, so things should get underway shortly, as long as brad pitt’s recent news doesn’t pose a problem with getting production rolling.

has anyone else read the script? i’d love to discuss.

[update with links] for those inclined to page through the script, someone posted it in two parts over on rapidshare. snap up part 1 and part 2, give them a read, and let me know what you think in the comments. if you missed out, drop me a line.

a friend of mine passed this video along, and all i can say is, “this is absolute insanity.”

no, really. watching this video makes me nervous, but part of me is compelled to see this in person. check it out for yourself.

supposedly the video was shot during a hike through the Caminito del Rey in Spain. i’m curious, would you walk the path?

if you haven’t already caught on, the pookies are the next big thing. seriously.

here’s some info to get you caught up to speed.

a review from bitchfork: (click image to read full review)

and a new track, titled Chabot Space and Science Center.

don’t blame me if you miss the pookies train. all aboard.

post-WALL•E screening

yesterday we woke up bright and early to take amelie AMEL•E to see WALL•E. after a night of socializing at the Pownce 1 year anniversary party, i was surprised to find myself so eager to jump up and get going. it has something to do with the way the girl lights up when she see’s that animated robot zip around, and i just know that the geek within is fueling that spark.

plus, i love pixar films. so, there’s that, too.

all of this aside, it’s been reassurring to be associated with so many geek girls in the realm of tech lately, from co-workers to colleagues. i was discussing this with a co-worker, and she shared how her parents used to give her gifts like electronics kits for birthdays, etc. if amelie continues to show this sort of interest, i’ll be sure to keep that in mind.

i know that as she grows older, she is going to have a slew of positive role models to look up to — from those involved in geek girl dinners to women who tech, the dedication to making this a priority is out there and i’m thankful for it.

but role models extend well beyond the tech field as well. as a mother, denise’s impact on amelie is much more closer to home. she is somehow able to juggle so many things — 100% mother, 100% student, and 100% professional. i’m constantly in awe. honestly, i can’t quite figure out where she gets the strength to do it all, but she does, and it’s truly inspiring.

so, while we were watching WALL•E in a darkened theater, i was catching glimpses of amelie’s reactions, and thinking about what the future will hold for her. after the film was over, which was excellent btw, we enjoyed lunch at cafe campbell and soaked in a pretty relaxing afternoon.

dee had plans to hit a spa with a bachelorette party for some much needed r&r, and i spent the evening with amelie, continuing to revel in her sense of wonder at anything electronic or puzzling. i just hope i can continue to foster her sense of wonder, while allowing her access to the things she needs in order to succeed.