This post was originally an obituary of sorts for Stage6, but I have added to it over the last few days and brought in a strand which looks at online video in certain areas in more depth. I also suggest some ideas in a Q&A with myself at the end!
Stage6, the high quality video hosting / sharing site operated by DivX withdrew it’s service last Thursday (28/01/08). This was sad news for the community of users who had used the site to share videos over the last year and a half or so. I’ve been meaning to post this over the last few days, but was waiting to see if there was any other developments. On Monday last (25/01/08) the news was sent out that the video site Stage6 is to close down. Tom (aka Spinner) was the messenger who broke the news which was displayed as a blog post on the front page. Continue reading ‘Exit Stage6 & the way forward…’
In the style of Will I Am’s Yes We Can tune backing Obama,
comes a remake closer to home from Morgan C. Jones and friends at The 1989 Show. It was time for Bertie to get some treatment…
I was sitting in a recording studio one day wondering…”if they can get a song out of a relatively inexperienced newcomer like Obama…imagine what I could do if I used the honey words of the greatest statesman of them all, Bertie Ahern?” Imagine no more.
And now for a more in depth post. I was sent a link by Mr. Gudenfast to this really cool video on Youtube a few days ago. It’s about using the Nintento Wii for more innovative VR type purposes. I’m really interested in the Wii as a new type of interface and have been eager to try it out for a few things. The application I am beta testing for VJ-ing, VDMX has the functionality to control parameters using the Wii and also with bluetooth devices. I have controlled it using my K750i phone after a tipoff from Artificial Eyes and thought that was pretty cool until I seen what they were doing with the iPhone as an interface. So now I’m hungry for a Wii and an iPhone, although I would wait for Apple to implement 3G before I though about that and more to the point, would wait until I actually had some money in my pocket!
So anyway, back to the Wii and the cool video(s). Well this is amazing sock knocking off stuff, what you are about to see here… Johnny Chung Lee presents some of the really cool projects he is working on, first up, well, the title say it all….
Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote
Makes you wanna Wii doesn’t it?!! Fair dues to him on this. EA have now picked this idea up for commercial release on a game. But he’s not getting paid for this, it is his passion he is about advancing technology and is happy to see his ideas implemented. He will go a long way.
So naturally after seeing this great work I had to see what else he was up to. Next up…
Automatic Projector Calibration with Embedded Light Sensors
Congratulations to Glen, Marketa and the team behind the movie Once. They picked up the Oscar for Best Song just a few hours ago in the 80th Academy Awards…. Well deserved and a great achievement for independent music and film.
Glen Hansard:
Thanks! This is amazing. What are we doing here? This is mad. We made this film two years ago. We shot on two Handycams. It took us three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred grand. We never thought we would come into a room like this and be in front of you people. It’s been an amazing thing. Thanks for taking this film seriously, all of you. It means a lot to us. Thanks to the Academy, thanks to all the people who’ve helped us, they know who they are, we don’t need to say them. This is amazing. Make art. Make art. Thanks.
Marketa Irglova:
Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we’re standing here tonight, the fact that we’re able to hold this, it’s just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it’s possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along way. Thank you.
Here is the moment…
…and below is the performance clip
Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly (live at the Oscars)
I’ve just finished watching the second installment of ‘Steal This Film‘. Put this on top of the first part and it is a damn good look at the ‘culture of copying’ which has existed (as a form of communication) since the dawn of time. I met with one of the makers behind this worthy project at Picnic Network last year and was very impressed with the idea behind the film. It does the necessary job of putting into motion pictures the issues surrounding copyright which are being written about so much these days by forward thinking scholars. The first part focuses largely on the debate surrounded piracy online and in particular the story of The Pirate Bay. This recently released second part takes a closer look at the history of ‘copying’ with good sections on the printing press (which was accused of being black magic on it’s dawning!) and on the rise of the internet from it’s inception as a reaction to Sputnik.
Anyway I won’t ruin the film, that would be worse than stealing it…so go ahead and download it!
