Special Topics: Convergence

The Lost Experience

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:48:00 -0400

The creators of Lost are launching a game that involves:

-- web sites
-- telephone messages
-- billboards
-- email
-- TV

Hmmm... does this concept seem familiar to us? They are leveraging the world that they've created to develop new experiences. This will be interesting to check out! And it's not essentially a marketing tool (though of course, to some effect it is), in that the show creator's are behind it (and not the ABC promotion dept.)

New York Times article
E-Online article

Reading period meeting

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:56:00 -0400

A reminder that we will be meeting tomorrow morning at 8:00 in 303 to run through final projects in anticipation of next Thursday.

I'm "illing" a bit (I'm hip with the kids' lingo), so don't know how long I'll last, but I was thinking we could run through from 8 until 10, with everyone doing about a 20 minute presentation (with Kristin leading off!)

Jain out!

04/13 class

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:43:00 -0400

It's Donut Day (ie. last class).

Post your donut wishes, else get a plain jane donut in the a.m.

On hand for tomorrow:

1. Fill out teacher evaluation forms (no connection to the donuts, I assure).

2. I'll do a full-semester recap -- I'd like to touch upon some of the themes that we first explored in the first few weeks and restate what our goal/definition of the "Convergence of Media" and the challenges (and opportunities) for creating content that spans across media/distribution.

3. Final Project Presentation Plan discussion (still thinking Tuesday, 4/25 at 5 pm)

MIT Convergence Culture Consortium

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 6 Apr 2006 10:56:00 -0400

I've added the MIT Convergence Culture Consortium blog to our sidebar -- some engaging posts with links/references to projects that tap into some of the issues we've discussed during the semester.

Pulse Point Wish-list

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 6 Apr 2006 09:13:00 -0400

Hot on the heels of our gabfest/noshfest with DC Denison last week, I throw out the question to all of you:

What would you like to see in a Pulse Point if we could set one up on Campus?

What ideas do you have about content?

links for 04/06 class

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 5 Apr 2006 22:34:00 -0400

Some links for customizing blogger templates:

-- Google Groups: Blogger Help Group
-- Blogger for Dummies
-- Blogger Help Pages
-- Paul Stamatiou's How To Make A Blog Header Graphic

QuickTime Tutorials
We'll be looking at using Text Tracks in QuickTime Pro (to add chapters and URLs)

DIY classcast 04/06

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 5 Apr 2006 10:25:00 -0400

Okay kids, here's your chance to create a "live classcast" experience. Follow these easy steps:

1. Put on some funky ambient music
2. Fade music after 5-10 seconds
3. Say, "This is the Special Topics in Multimedia Classcast for April 6th"
4. Fade up music for short blast then fade way, way down.
5. Say, "It's all about final projects from now on. We'll go through some demonstrations that can help you with your final projects: a look at how you can customize your blog templates and some more things we can do in QuickTime Pro and TextEdit to add chapters and/or URL links to your video files. After that we'll have lab time and I can answer any questions you may have. Remember we should have 'an arm' done by now!"
6. Slowly fade music back up.
7. Say, "We'll see you tomorrow... Jain out!"
8. Fade down music.

03/30 Class -- Field Trip

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:30:00 -0500

We're closing out March in high fashion with a Newbury Street field trip for tomorrow's class.

We'll be meeting with the Boston Globe's technology writer DC Denison at Trident Cafe to talk about the Pulse Point project at 9:00 a.m.

Please bring laptops, if you have -- and I'd like someone to sign out the class camera to bring. We'll get the lay of the Pulse Point land from DC and then create some content to post.

We'll wrap up class at 11 to give people time to get back to campus.

In light of the 75% absence rate of last class, I need everyone to confirm attendance by commenting on this post. DC's taking time out of his schedule to meet with us and I've assured him of full attendance!

Update
Clarification -- We will meet at 9 am at the Trident Cafe.

Classcast?

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:35:00 -0500

Was the classcast *just* a first half phenomenon?! No ClassCast today kids!

Get your paper walk throughs together for tomorrow's class. We'll also talk about digging into blogger templates to customize your blog. And we'll discuss Pulse Points which will lead us into a field trip next week (March 30th).

Oh -- and if you have laptops, bring them tomorrow please!

Second half of semester

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:48:00 -0500

I don't have our classcast together -- I've been a bit under the weather! I'm also rejiggering our syllabus for the remaining few weeks of the class...

So perhaps classcast tonight? Or perhaps not!

Also -- FYI, I've been having some difficulty loading images with blogger.

VideoString

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 17:05:00 -0500

"An interactive Flash application allowing users to explore the evolution from written language to video communication by creating linear, syntactical, 'sentences' out of short video clips."

Check out Serra Shiflett's thesis project -- VideoString. I told Serra that our class would check it out -- she has a survey set up on the site.

In fact, this is a good example of project planning/user testing, which is going to be the focus of our class on Thursday (I'm rejiggering the syllabus).

Cell Phone content query

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 2 Mar 2006 07:21:00 -0500

Mark Glaser solicits readers as to what type of content they want on their cell phones. Let's discuss in class!

Classcast -- 03/02/06

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 1 Mar 2006 09:24:00 -0500

As promised -- a Wednesday a.m. delivery!

Christopher Monks blog

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:43:00 -0500

Here's the post about Christopher Monks' Star Jones piece that we looked at (note the link to the permalink!)

Classcast -- 02/23/06

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 22:01:00 -0500

The classcast returns!

BFPUG meeting

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:34:00 -0500

The Boston Flash Platform Users Group is having a demonstration on Flash Lite 2 and developing content for mobile devices (a topic of focus for us after the break) this evening at the New England Institute of Art.

02/23 Assignment

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:26:00 -0500

Read this two part article on podcasting from nefilm.com

Part two is here.

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:20:00 -0500

Leave it to the Beaver

Watch the video

Ravi bonds with Shintaro Miyake aka The Beaver.

No classcast

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 23:23:00 -0500

No classcast tonight kids! Video fun tomorrow!

Classcast -- 02/09/06

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 8 Feb 2006 23:31:00 -0500

No time for an enhanced cast this week kids! Just a plain vanilla mp3.

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Tue, 7 Feb 2006 20:51:00 -0500

Vlogging at CCTV

Watch the video

Here's a video from the videoblogging class that Steve Garfield and I are teaching over at CCTV tonight.

Podcasting links

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Thu, 2 Feb 2006 07:03:00 -0500

I've found the official Garageband manuals to be helpful. And here's a good overview of podcasting posted on nefilm.com

Class Podcast -- 02/02/06

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Wed, 1 Feb 2006 22:03:00 -0500

Here's the podcast preview of tomorrow's class.

Update:
I've posted an enhanced version of the podcast here (not an mp3, but an mpeg4)

NBC series airs on web

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:06:00 -0500

Per this post on TVguide.com (scroll down to JESUS LIVES! AND APPARENTLY HAS DSL), the canceled series Book of Daniel will have its unaired episodes broadcast on the web.

Also check out the official site for the show -- one of the characters has a blog, with open comments from visitors (which mostly bemoan the cancellation).

Note: the site says Windows only... I'll check this on a Windows box today.

Cell Phone Film Fest on NPR

Your (optional) podcast author email address (Ravi Jain) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:58:00 -0500

Listen to this NPR piece from this morning about a cell-phone "film" fest. We'll talk more about this stuff when we get to mobile video.

Also -- let's talk about how many of you can shoot video on your cell phone... again when we get to that (but remind me if I don't bring it up!)