Blogumentary [chuck olsen]

New Xacti films underwater

Wow this is sooooo cool. Via Tajee:

Mall of America on Rocketboom

Check out my "Maul of Amerikka" report on Rocketboom. Hopefully you can't tell I shot and edited this in a very tight timeframe. A lot more could be done, of course, but it's a nice little taste of our consumer empire with a light anti-consumerism message tossed in for good measure.

What makes good political video?

There were lots of highlights at the intense Personal Democracy Forum in NYC last weekend. I have some video to post later, including clips of NY Times Thomas Friedman interviewing Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

I'm most interested in political video. Pew Research says 21 million people have watched a political video online as of Feb 2007. Here are a few tips from YouTube's Steve Grove. There's a lot of experimentation out there, which is great, but he recommends:

1) Keep the camera rolling, get as much footage as you can. Capture authentic moments when they happen - if you don't someone else will.

2) Keep content fresh, post new videos, esp. since new videos will show up for people subscribed to your YouTube channel.

3) Reach out. Online video is not just a shrunken TV screen; be two-way. Ask supporters (and enemies?) to respond. Respond back.

4) Be personal. Not necessarily hip/edgy. YouTube's demographic is 18 - 55. More real compelling content, more authentic and personal.

Blip.TV's Dina Kaplan was another highlight for me. She challenged political parties to try building a 24-hour online video channel. An interesting idea, for sure.

Abbott Northwestern hospital rocks

Last night I went to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) Urgent Care to get my weird recurring headache checked out. After getting bounced between Urgent Care and the Emergency area, they finally decided I belonged in Emergency. Long story short... they convinced me to get an injection of Droperidol, which is a tranquilizer banned in Britain and infrequently used in the U.S. because of potentially lethal side effects. I didn't want it, but they said it'd make me feel better and may break the pain. Plus? They let me drive home after being doped up.

I'm so angry with HCMC for this terrible diagnosis and unnecessary, potentially dangerous, treatment.

The last day of my life has been lost to an anxious, disconnected dope fog - far more uncomfortable than the problem this was meant to address.

After reading about how dangerous droperidol can be, and that continued lightheadedness or anxiousness could indicate a problem, I ended up going to Abbott Northwestern to have it checked out. They were 10 times better than HCMC. Absolutely stellar.

I was in a room after about 5 minutes getting checked in. Then a team of 3 people, including the doctor, showed up and very thoroughly questioned me about my problem and examined me. The the doctor told me all about this drug, and how they don't use it anymore because of the side effects. He even described what I was feeling better than I could - the "heeby jeebies" and "ants in my pants - like you have to go someplace but don't know where." Yes, exactly that anxious feeling.

The most likely solution was Benadryl, which they offered to give me there but said it could make me drowsy. Unlike HCMC, they were concerned about my drive home. I decided I'd just by some over-the-counter since that's be cheaper and I could take it when I got home. I was out of there within an hour, just amazed at their efficiency and competence.

So friends, we know you have a choice in Twin Cities emergency medical care. Next time, make it Lowenbraü. I mean, make it Abbott Northwestern.

Vote 4 Chuck!

VLOG DEATHMATCH is on! We all made some killer music videos.
I chose DEVO and, uhh, the genocide in Darfur??? It's what my brain threw up. VOTE here.
Lotsa killer vids from the peoples.

I'm going to Pixelodeon!

I'm so excited! Vlogger lovefest in L.A., here I come.
Big hugs to a certain vlog couple and their couch.

PUSH back

Coming to Minneapolis in June: PUSH conference

I got an email from the conference, inviting me to participate: PUSH is where business leaders go to get a first-look at the ideas, technologies and people that are inventing the future. If your work belongs in this category, and you’d like the opportunity to demonstrate its promise to our audience, we invite you to apply for one of up to eight 6-minute slots on our program.

We are looking for people whose work has real break-through potential. Through MNstories.com and your blogging and vlogging, you connect your audience with interesting and talented people.

I was honored that they thought of me, really. The only problem is it would cost me $1,295. I was actually shocked until I realized that's also the price of attending the conference. Essentially, you're paying for the conference and the chance to spend 6 minutes demonstrating your work for an influential audience.

Still... maybe it's my ego here... but they should be paying me $1,295 to share my work with their influential audience. The Push audience of "investors, journalists, bloggers, potential strategic partners" are paying to learn what's next. I'm what's next baby! I don't need them to tell me that, and I sure as hell ain't gonna pay them to tell me that.

"BE HERE. OR DISAPPEAR." That marketing pitch is aimed at people afraid they'll miss out on something. I'm not missing out on anything - I'm creating creating creating.

Well, okay... I'm missing out on a great lineup of speakers.
Maybe I'm just bitter that I can't afford to attend cool events like this.

Happy NO PANTS Day!

Bush to American people: "I am a fuckwad"

Citing ‘Rigid’ Deadline, Bush Vetoes Iraq Bill

President Bush vetoed the Iraq-war spending bill this evening, calling it a blueprint for failure and defeat and intensifying a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Mr. Bush said the bill was unacceptable because it set “a rigid and artificial deadline” for American forces to withdraw from Iraq, in that it demands that they begin leaving by Oct. 1.

“It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing,” Mr. Bush said at the White House, where he vetoed the bill after the signatures of Democratic legislative leaders were barely dry.

The president said the bill would demoralize the Iraqis and send them and the world a terrible message: “America will not keep its commitments.”

Instead, President Bush is going to bleed us dry. Bleed us of money (on projects that are crumbling), bleed us of... blood, the blood of our soldiers. A never-ending commitment to continued failure in Iraq. Why bother putting any pressure on the Iraq government, or the training of their soldiers? Why bother having any measure of accountability or success? "Give it a chance to spiral into deeper chaos," Bush says. "For I am a fuckwad."

Bush talks of what makes sense to the enemy. Has he seen their appointment calendars? Is this two thousand year-old animosity, now in a state of civil war, holding off on carnage until we get out of the way? No. About 80% of insurgent attacks are targeted against coalition forces, and the Iraqi population suffers about 80% of all casualties. Who benefits from this tragic state of affairs?

President Bush, you are a blueprint for failure. You're on the wrong end of democracy, and the wrong end of history.

You're fired.

Mooki meets the N93

I've been playing with the Nokia N93 lately (thanks to Steve G). I really love transferring photos and videos to my MacBook via Bluetooth. I haven't quite succeeded at connecting the Nokia to my airport network, but then again I can be an idiot with new toys.

Here's a little video clip of Mooki in my dark living room. The camera performs admirably in "Night" mode, which apparently is a high-gain black-and-white mode. The full size video is 640x480. It looks much better with enough light of course, and I have some video coming from the Bent festival. My N93 photos are pretty good too, certainly putting my terrible Treo camera to shame.