Blogumentary [chuck olsen]

MY NEW FAVORITE MOVIE

My new favorite film is Caveh Zahedi's I Am a Sex Addict. Both for style -- a sort of self-effacing feature-length vlog -- and for the content. Ultimately it's Caveh's authenticity and humor that won me over. I think David Hudson nailed it on the head in his Green Cine review:

"Unlike Hollywood, which tries to tell us that the fantasy we're seeing is real, Sex Addict is honest about its dishonesties. But it's also true to the nature of memory, which is almost a dream state."

After seeing this film at M-SPIFF, we came home and I had to watch Waking Life again. I got more out of it this time. It rewards repeated viewings. I love the scene where Caveh has a "holy moment," then slowly turns into clouds.

MY NEW FAVORITE SHIRT

ON THE WAY

I've got a Canon EOD 20D on the way from eBay! Now we really can be nature photographers. I can't wait to get the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. I want to make a real splash. Heh heh, heh.

VIDEOBLOGGING - THE BOOK!

This is incredibly exciting! Secrets of Videoblogging is published. Congrats to Michael Verdi and Ryan Hodson for their countless hours of hard work translating all this knowledge into book form, and for being so inclusive. Check it out, here's Minnesota Stories in the section about citizen journalism:

I gotta tell ya, it makes me all tingly. Way more than being in WIRED magazine even. This is the real deal, everything you need to know to start vlogging, and my friends made it. How fucking cool is that? Buy it on Amazon.

FEELING HUGH-ISH

(Apologies to hugh for personalizing this one)

You know, I really don't like computers all that much.

I'd rather sit in a meadow and take photographs. At least, that's how I feel at the moment.

Of course, I'd want to immediately upload those photos to Flickr, so who am I kidding?

PINK'S "DEAR MR. PRESIDENT" VIDEO

YouTube video: Pink performs Dear Mr President Live in NYC. It's a controversial song from her new album that all people should hear. I'm sorry, but no. This song sucks ass. Sure, it's a fine message. Unfortunately it's delivered in such a smug, pandering, self-important package that I must protest with my own vomit. It's like the unwanted sequel to If God Was One of Us. I'll take Green Day's brand of political protest over this claptrap any day of the week. But obviously this is what the teen girls go for, and I'm all for turning the teen girls against Bush. Therefore I shall permit the festival of ass-sucking to exist, and indeed I wish it upon the ears of all Republicans. Me? I'll be listening to Seona Dancing.

BUSY VLOGGIN'

I've been taping heaping vlogloads of stuff lately.

LAST WEEK was all about the Franken.

YESTERDAY I interviewed Jon Rawlinson about the Nata Village blog he setup in Botswana. That finished piece is intended for Rocketboom. Last night was of course Geek Prom [pics]. We were late for that due to excessive preening, but I think I have enough good stuff for Minnesota Stories and maybe even a Rocketboom blurb.

THIS MORNING I taped a really stellar interview with the famous science blogger PZ "Pharyngula" Myers deftly conducted by lefty astro-podcaster Michael "Lolife" Koppelman.

THIS AFTERNOON, Lorika and I went to Stillwater to film an interview and book reading by Jamie Lee, who wrote a book called Washaka - The Bear Dreamer [read a chapter]. Her husband Milt Lee is a fellow Rocketboom correspondent in South Dakota. We met them both in Aspen a few months ago and they are very wise, creative and independent people.

WHEW! It's shaping up to be a great week of videos, if I don't keel over from editing.

VLOGGING IS FOR WEIRDOS

I was recently asked about the goals for Minnesota Stories. Turns out it's for cool weirdos and mundane heroes.

4:20 on 4/20 DUDE

Too bad I don't partake of the ganja. I do feel spacey, though.

I'M IN WIRED MAGAZINE!

I used to dream of getting mentioned in Wired magazine for something, then I gave up on that dream. Now it's happened! That's a valuable lesson - give up on your dreams. Also in this issue, my buds Al Gore and Devo:

WIRED Magazine: My Favorite Vlogs [by Amanda Congdon and others]

Watch for it in the May issue, not yet on newsstands. Look for an article on Rocketboom in the current issue of Rolling Stone. Lastly, I'm mentioned in this article about collaborative advertising. Sorry.

Amanda's original submitted list of fave vlogs:

ASK A NINJA You ask, the ninja answers. Can a Ninja catch a cold? "A better question," he points out, "would be, 'Can a cold catch a Ninja?'" The answer, of course, is no.

THE SINGING WOODCHUCK VARIETY MINUTE Adam Quirk has a show on his videoblog, Bullemhead, about a talking Woodchuck. It's not like those talking babies in commercials. This is funny. REALLY funny, in a kinda weird, out there way. Cross still photos of a couple of woodchucks with computer voices saying seemingly random but I'm sure carefully calculated things such as, "Ok, I'll bail her out right after I finish this sandwich I got from Grizzlebee's. It has bacon sausage bacon bacon fat bacon sausage cheese biscuits three kinds of gravy and biscuits and cheese, plus bacon" and you've got yourself a hit.

THE RICHARD SHOW This is a vlog about a silly guy named Richard, his lovely wife, Maureen (who he jokingly refers to as "Richard's Wife"), and their life in the Ozarks. They have the ultimate love story! Not a Hollywood love story, but true love.

VLOG SOUP Steve Garfield, also a Rocketboom correspondent, brings you on a weekly tour of the vlogosphere. Watching Steve's show is the most efficient way for me to keep up with new videoblogs. Plus, Steve's unwavering enthusiasm and good-natured playfulness always make him a joy to watch. His 80 year old mom, Millie, is interested in internet culture too. She has a blog-vlog hybrid called Thoroughly Modern Millie… I'd say!

TIKIBARTV Each episode you learn how to make a cocktail while kicking it with Dr. Tiki, Johnny Johnny and Lala. Slapstick humor at its finest.

MINNESOTA STORIES Rocketboom correspondent, funnyman and super all around nice guy, Chuck Olsen, produces a daily videoblog out of Minneapolis. Some days Chuck creates the videos himself, often with his charming girlfriend, Lori, and other days he plays videos he receives from people all over the state of Minnesota. Each video tells a different slice-of-life, "Minnesota story". One day you could be watching an interview with a local band, the next you could be learning all about broom hockey, and the following you could be watching a grown man climb a tree. I have a personal preference for the videos starring Chuck himself. Especially the Vlog Santa series. It's exciting for me to watch Chuck pioneer the local videoblogging effort. It will be neat to see when every city has a dedicated videoblog telling its stories.

IT'S JERRY TIME! This is a strangely entertaining animation vlog created by two brothers, Jerry and Orrin Zucker. It follows the mundane life of Jerry, including such events as an hostile encounter with a barmaid and a nasty landlord situation. The visuals are very unusual… but the stories are perhaps so funny because of how familiar they seem to be. Jerry's got "the everyman" shtick down pat.

HOMESTAR RUNNER Not really a videoblog, but one of the longest standing animation shows on the web. Consistently sidesplitting. Another set of brothers, Matt and Mike Chapman, works on this show out of Atlanta . I love Strong Sad!

THE SUPER SECRET DANCE SOCIETY or SSDS Shhhhhhh! It's a secret… I really can't talk about it other than to say…. pink spandex is back!

ONE AMERICA COMMITTEE Ok, I'm biased because I helped set this up, but this is the official videoblog of Senator John Edwards. People can send him their video questions and he will respond via video! I love that Senator Edwards has the cajones to really grab new media by the horns. The guy has a blog, podcast AND a videoblog!