Maybe it's something in the air. Maybe they were just having a bad day. Or maybe it was the handful of painkillers they swallowed moments before going on air (right Paula?). But whatever the explanation, weird, awkward interviews seem to be occurring at an ever more frequent rate. The website Double Viking has gathered the top 10 most awkward interview moments of all time.

The list includes such gems as Barbra Walters asking Katherine Hepburn what kind of tree she'd be and Tom Cruise attacking Matt Lauer about Scientology. But by far, my favorite moment is when Vanilla Ice grabs a baseball bat, destroys part of a TV set and makes Jon Stewart crap his pants.



Want to watch these YouTube clips on your iPod? Then check out this tutorial: How to Copy Files Off YouTube and Convert them for your Video iPod

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Labels: video

Want to make it big as a music video director/editor? The band Modest Mouse wants help making a video for their new song "Missed the Boat." With the help of Apple, Modest Mouse posted 12 high quality videos (each shot at a different angle) of them performing in front of a green screen.

The public is encouraged to download these video clips and edit them together into one final music video. Feel free to use your own footage and experiment the green screen.



Why is Apple generously providing massive amounts of bandwidth for people to download these giant high resolution video clips? Apple would like you to use their new editing and sound mixing software Final Cut Studio and Logic, of course.

Once you're finished with your video, upload it to Apple for judging and cross your fingers. The contest ends May 22, 2007. Good luck. More info can be found on the official contest page.

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Labels: apple

Sci Fi.com and Sci Fi Magazine are asking Internet users if they should pick up a new sci-fi comedy called Outer Space Astronauts.

Visitors are given access to 5 vignettes from the show on the SCI FI Pulse Broadband Network and asked to fill out a survey explaining what they think. Sci Fi says it will also take traffic into account when deciding whether or not to pick up the show.

Think you know how to program the American Sci Fi Channel better than NBC Universal? After they started airing wrestling on the Sci Fi Channel... who doesn't.

You can watch the Outer Space Astronauts clips here.

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Labels: video

Recently Bob Garfield, from AdAge, got to interview Bill Gates during the Corbis Creativity 2.0 panel in Manhattan. Garfield asked Gates about a number of topics from Vista to IPTV. He also tried to get Gates to comment on a very sensitive topic... Apple's "Get a Mac" advertising campaign. The campaign features actor/author John Hodgman who looks like Bill Gates and personifies a PC.



As you can imagine, Bill Gates is not amused by the ads. Here's the portion of the interview transcript where Garfield asks Gates about the ads. Enjoy:

GARFIELD: I want to ask you one more thing: Those Mac ads -- how do you feel about the John Hodgman character?

GATES: I can't comment on someone else's ad.

GARFIELD: OK ... but he's you.

GATES: Yeah, I'm not gonna comment on someone else's ad.

GARFIELD: OK, well, Bill Gates, thank you so much for joining us.

(Silence)

GARFIELD: Can I just have a clean goodbye?

(Silence)

GARFIELD: OK, can you just say goodbye? Thank you or goodbye or something like that?

GATES: Goodbye.

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Labels: apple, video

Last week Apple sent out an email (screenshot courtesy of TechCrunch.com) to video podcasters asking them to increase the quality of their productions and start formatting their videos for the big screen. Since the launch of the Apple TV (full review here) in March, Apple TVs have been selling like hotcakes and video podcast subscription numbers have skyrocketed.

Apple TV owners, who don't necessarily want to spend lots of money in the iTunes Store, are gobbling up video podcasts like never before. Even though there currently isn't any HD quality videos for sale in the iTunes Store, the Apple TV is capable of HD video playback. So several popular video podcasters, including The Washington Post, TWIT (MacBreak), Revision3 (Diggnation) and Vintage Tooncast, have decided to fill the void of HD content by distributing their podcasts in HD or hi res quality.

Why hasn't everyone started distributing their video podcasts in HD? Money. Not only does producing an HD podcasts require extra hard drive space (roughly 4 times more), special cameras and editing software, but just hosting these giant video files on the Internet can be enough to bankrupt your entire production. For example, the iPod Video version of MacBreak episode 63 is 21 MBs. The HD version is 93 MBs. To help alleviate increased HD production costs, many podcasters have reached out to HD television manufacturers like Samsung and Panasonic to get them to sponsor their new HD podcasts.

For video podcasters who are still producing content at 320x240 but want to do something to increase quality, there is an intermediary step before going HD. Podcasters can start by migrating their productions to 640x480, or even 640x360 (letterbox). This way their video files will still be compatible with portable media players like the Zune and iPod, but will also work on the Apple TV. If the material is carefully encoded, it will look as good or better than typical TV.



Apple listed the following tips and recommendations in their email to all video podcasters:

• Encode at 640×480 or 640×360. This will look much better than 320×240 on HDTV, and will still port to the iPod. While 720p looks great, they say, it won’t work on an iPod.
• Don’t make two formats for different resolutions - it dilutes the popularity of the podcast and reduces exposure in charts.
• Don’t add letterboxing to make videos to a 4:3 aspect ratio. Leave them at 16:9.

According to both the Taipei Times and Cnyes.com, Inventec, the Taiwanese vendor Apple selected to manufacture the Apple TV, is drastically increasing production on several Apple products including the iPod, iPhone and especially the Apple TV. Apparently Apple plans to sell over a million Apple TVs in the US before the American Thanksgiving holiday, and at least another million by Christmas.

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Labels: apple tv, podcasting

Garmin has finally offered OSX support to users with USB GPS Devices that wish to update their units. The OSX application is called WebUpdater. I was able to plug in my GPS 60CS and for the first time since owning it (3 years), my mac recognized it.

I had tried using the OSX application Parallels to connect my GPS to my mac before Garmin released WebUpdater, but I learned that the 60CS is not supported under Parallels. Therefore, I was at the mercy of Garmin. After they delayed their promised 2006 release of OSX support, I didn't know if I would ever see it...



Although I am happy to see this progress, I am still anxiously waiting for an OSX supported MapSource app that will allow me to install maps using my Mac. Without it, all I have is an GPS that is able to be updated, but not used effectively.

If you haven't used your GPS to Geocache yet, check out the tutorial!

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Here is MSNBC.com's list of the top 5 American TV shows that should be canceled. I have a feeling that a lot of people aren't going to agree with the top three.

Let the fireworks begin...




Disagree? Want to talk about it? You're not alone. Head over to the MSNBC.com Message Boards and join in the discussion.

"The Simpson's stopped being funny years ago." ~ Ghazi

"Lost needs to start getting down to business. It's losing it's appeal. Start answering questions outright already and get to the damn point." ~ primehifi

You can see the MSNBC.com list here: Top 5 TV Shows that Should be Canceled

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Labels: tv

Here's a photo comparison of fast food items and their advertising images. Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately. Nothing was tampered with, run over by a car, or anything of the sort. It is an accurate representation in every case. Shiny, neon-orange, liquefied pump-cheese, and all...


You can see more pictures from the article "Fast Food: Ads vs Reality" on http://www.thewvsr.com


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Labels: photo

Lonelygirl15, the teenage video diary that became a huge hit on YouTube but turned out to be a fiction, is destined for a UK spin-off after its creators tied up with social networking website Bebo.

Lonelygirl15 Presents... KateModern will debut in July with several weekly episodes available exclusively to Bebo users in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The original series of webcam diary entries from teenage girl Bree generated some 50 million views via YouTube and other user-generated video sites like Revver.com.

The popularity of the property remained undented when it came to light that Bree was in fact a character being played by an actress. In fact, the controversy actually helped increase the buzz around Lonelygirl15 and even influenced a line of t-shirts. Now its creators, Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried and Mesh Flinders, are turning their attentions to the UK.


KateModern will expand on the original Lonelygirl storyline, focusing on a university student in London and her "struggle to balance her complex social life with the dark forces that shadow her."

As with Lonelygirl15, KateModern promises to incorporate puzzles and mysteries into the plot, which will carry over into 'real life,' allowing viewers to participate in the storyline through the integrated alternate reality game.

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Labels: video

These pictures of "geek culture" will either amaze or disturb you. Enjoy.


Did anyone else want to kick over that arch of monitors?

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Labels: geek

Google is using its popular online mapping service to draw attention to atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. In a joint effort with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Google has updated its Google Earth application (free download here) with high resolution satellite images and special icons to draw attention to destroyed villages, displaced people and refugee camps.

Google Earth allows users to focus on satellite images and maps of most of the world.

When users scan over the Darfur region, where the United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in four years of carnage, Google Inc hopes to attract their gaze with icons. The icons represent destroyed villages with flames and refugee camps with tents. When users zoom in to a level of magnification that keeps most of Darfur on a computer screen, much of the region appears to be on fire.

Google Earth works with Mac OS X 10.3.9+, Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Linux. Please visit HelpDarfurNow.org if you would like to raise awareness or make a donation to help the victims of Darfur.

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Labels: internet