The Man In Fluxx

Twestival Promo Storyboard

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:01:00 +0000

In the eleventh hour I found out about the Twestival series of happenings taking place this week. In an attempt to play along with the iJustine collab video I decided to put together a quick motion graphic. This is the storyboard. I have a couple of days to complete this animation. I hope I get it done. If not it is a good exercise and maybe it can be used at a later date. I'd better get a move on....

Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:06:00 +0000

Beef from Influxx Media on Vimeo.

Click to Play

A Short Experimantal Film about a Fictitious Russian Mobster

A man recalls his encounter, and subsequent business dealings with a man of few words but many decisive actions. Looking back he ponders the events that led to his inevitable and eventual demise.

Shot on Panasonic DVC80

Edited in Premier CS3

Designed and colored in AfterEffects

Music recorded, arranged and mixed in Soundtrack

Influxx on Vimeo

DJElectricDaddy on VIRB

Now On DeviantART

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:13:00 +0000

As you can imagine, as a commercial artist, my work is somewhat limited to fit within my clients vision. It has to fit within 'brand guidelines' and 'corporate style guides'. Quite often there is little that could be considered 'artistic' about commercial art. As an artist, this is the internal conflict I struggle with.

Anyway, I have my business website for showing my corporate portfolio. And I have this blog for ramblings and research and other related artworks. But what I have not had was a place to host the initial roughs, the raw sketches from which the finished projects are hewn. Or not. Some sketches never lead to anything. And that's the beautiful thing about keeping a sketchbook. It's an outlet for me, creatively. And great for building a library of ideas and techniques.

Thus I found myself needing an online sketchpad, a place to host my rough pencil sketches and experiments. Hopefully it will encourage me to sketch often and scan, upload and post them here.

Goodbye Nic Harcourt

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:06:00 +0000

I found out this week that Nic Harcourt, longtime host of KCRW's morning show Morning Becomes Eclectic, is moving on to pastures new and will no longer be hosting the show. However, evening show Metropolis host and respected LA DJ Jason Bentley will be taking over the reigns.

I first started listening to MBE and KCRW when I moved to Orange County from London. Back then Chris Douridas was the show host, and I remember the 'new guy' taking over after a couple of years. It felt strange not to have Chris do the show every morning, but it did not take long for the 'new guy' to become part of the establishment of my morning routine. Hard to believe ten years has flown by since then.

Since Nic took over MBE has grown into an epic show, its hard to find a better show anywhere on the internet. As I think back over the past decade, there are so many great moments, great bands, great performances. As has been the case since I first found KCRW my music library has grown brim full of outstanding music I would otherwise not have been introduced to.

So with sadness I bid farewell to Nic and wish him well. I am so happy to hear Jason is taking over, I have been as big a fan of Metropolis as I have MBE. Great to know our mornings are in such good hands.

Boxee : The Killer App For AppleTV

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Procrastinating earlier today, thumbing through the Twitter stream, I came across a link to Boxee. I clicked through to see what the deal was and was greeted with something I have personally been waiting for since AppleTV made it's debut.

When Steve Jobs announced AppleTV at Macworld 2007 I was initially really excited. Finally a chance to watch the gazillions of podcasts on my 61" Samsung HDTV from the comfort of my couch. I had Front Row already on my Mac, but had never used it because, well, my Mac is in my office and my TV is not. AppleTV promised the 'lean back' viewing experience for all the new media I had become partial to. Mainstream TV holds little interest for me outside of a couple of big shows (Lost, Heroes etc) and sporting events. I watch so much more internet content these days but being relegated to the discomfort of my office is a real turn-off, especially having been in that office for many hours already during the work day.

So AppleTV offered the TV experience for web content. Great. Or was it. Unless the content was in the Apple ecosystem there was little chance of getting any other media on the ATV. Quickly this became a point of contention for many who saw the ATV fall short of it's potential. Seemingly everyone who consumed online media wanted what the ATV offered, and more. There was huge demand. I did not take long for some very smart people to hack their way into the ATV OS and install third party apps to play other media, install bigger hard drives to store all this media, and some nifty SSH tricks for managing the whole lot. Trouble was, for the layman, the technically shy or retarded, this was an extremely geeky process to execute. Nothing I wanted to mess with, and risk bricking an ATV.

Fast forward to Macworld 2008 and AppleTV "Take 2" was announced. High Def movie rentals were now an option, something I could not even get from AT&T uVerse HDTV package. YouTube content had already been added, and now ATV could download, store and view podcasts without needing a Mac running iTunes. All great additions to an already slick product. But still, we were limited to content from the iTunes Store. Admittedly there is plenty of content in there to keep any video podcast junky happy for many years, but increasingly, the content I was tuning in to was out of the iTunes system. Videoblogs I subscribe to account for a huge percentage of my media viewing. Hulu was now online and serving content not available on iTunes. ATV still fell short of a truly Last Word Killer App.

Another option that is quite popular with online media fans is using a macMini running Miro (formerly Democracy). Miro can subscribe to and play any show with an RSS feed,which is almost every podcast, videoblog and web show on the internet. It's a great solution. Other than the fact that, like the ATV hacks, is still a bit geeky for everyday use. Basically the macMini uses your HDTV as a monitor, and thusly, interfacing with it is just like interfacing with a computer. This requires a wireless mouse and keyboard to control the Miro (and other) application. I would not be able to convince my wife and kid that this is the way forward to control our viewing experience, and if it this is just for me it's unlikely to ever happen.

Which brings us, finally, to Boxee. Like Miro, it can subscribe and play any media you might find on the web.¹ But it lives inside the AppleTV, activated by a button added to the ATV user interface. This is created after a quick and (relatively) easy hack. A hack I myself would feel comfortable doing. There is a video on the Boxee blog that walks you through setting it up and it looks completely painless. Boxee pulls in content from Hulu, Last.fm, Flickr and much more which expands the AppleTV capability way beyond the iTunes ecosystem. And it is all controllable from the same remote used to control ATV, no other device to stand between you and your media.

The great thing about TV, regular old mainstream media TV, is it just works. You sit down on the couch, click the remote and content pours out of the screen at you. Changing channels is a simple one click process. New media, web media, online shows, whatever we want to call this next generation of audio-visual magic, it needs to be as simple as TV to take off into the mainstream. It's fun to be geeky and hack our gadgets, but most people wont accept that. If new media is to thrive, and get beyond the fringe novelty status² then it needs to be one-click simple. Like TV.

From what I can tell, Boxee makes this possibility one step closer to reality. I signed up for the closed beta list. hopefully I will get an invite and be able to test it soon. It might just be the thing that will make me break down and finally get an AppleTV.

1. As far as I can tell from digging around the blog this morning. There is not a whole lot of info I could find as far as the exact mechanism for subscribing to content. so I am assuming a fair bit here. But it sounds like you can input an rss:// address to view content. I hope you can subscribe to it negating the need to enter that address each time.

2. Yeah I know, its not fringe, everyone you know is watching Hulu or Myspace or BoinBoingTV. That's the way it feels isn't it. But go ask grandma if she watched a Telly Savalas movie on AMC today or if she saw Dr. Horrible. I'll bet I know what she says.

Passing (The Emptyness)

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:50:00 +0000

Click to Play

A new short experimental film based on a poem I wrote 10 years ago. Thus, I am calling this a video poem. As the protagonist sits at a crossroads in their life, they pause and reflect on the inner turmoil, angst and doubt caused by the pschological effects of violent abuse. Time has not healed the mental wounds and the protagonist is unable to move forward in their life. Life is passing by, as he/she waits for some catharsis.

BG plate shot on Flip Digital Recorder
Footage from archive.org
Score composed and recorded entirely in NI Absynth

Designed in AfterEffects

Film : Project Pedal

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:23:00 +0000

I've been following the progress of this indie film for some time now through the production blog. Originally code named Project:Pedal, the film recently earned it's final, permanent name "For Thousands Of Miles". This latest trailer for the full length feature evokes for me exactly what it did for co-creator Amanda Walker who posted this:

"This is Larry. This is somewhere between point A and point B. Where ever it is... I miss it. I miss kneeling on-top of the van, working the crane, watching Larry push through the wind. Knowing that every mile meant something to him... something people wouldn't see passing by in their cars. Something subtle."

Pingback

Teaser 003 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

The other co-creator of "For Thousands Of Miles" Mike Ambs has been a regular Twitterer, which is where I first learned of him and his project. Following the progress, the ups and downs, victories and triumphs of the ongoing project via the Pedal production blog I get the sense that what mike lacks in ego, he makes up for in passion and artistry. He paints the corners of the storytellers strike zone with a battery of pitches. A slow curve-ball to connect directly to the humanity deep within your heart. A fast-ball right down the middle to stimulate your visual senses with rich, beautiful photography. And then a change-up that offers you more personal insight about Mike and Amanda's long history than indie film fans might be accustomed to.

Mike comes across as the kind of guy I'd love to just go and have a beer or several with. His posts on the production blog reek of honesty and integrity. And he has genius artistic and storytelling ability.

Go take a look at the feature film website and make a point of catching up with the production diary and the "64 Days" making of series of films. It's great film-making by true independents following their passion.

Mike on twitter

Amanda on twitter

Design : MCA-I Awards Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:10:00 +0000

I am designing a graphics title package for a local chapter of the Media Communication Association International. I was asked to do some pro bono work by a leader of my local chapter (the LA/OC branch). The logo was supplied as a vector file, but I was given free reign to come up with some interesting designs that broke away from the typical blue/purple swirling background loop and white Arial titles. Green was suggested as a more topical color, especially considering this years event would be held in California. I think it was felt California is a particularly 'green' state.

Taking the green and the nature of the organization into consideration, I picked three alternate background loops. The globe represented the international presence of MCA-I, the flowers were a kind of tongue in cheek nod to the flower power California 60's. The 3D graphic, the colored strands, represented the fabric of not only the multi-faceted organization and it's members, but also the many threads of media in the current digital landscape. Intertwined but woven as one.

These are the 3 sets of designs I submitted. The 3D strands, created in Cinema4D using the always lovely Danel shader, will grow out of the top corner. The background will be a continuous looping texture. The logo will reveal front and center, then fade back up to the top corner. The award recipients name will then appear. This will be run from a DVd player and projected onto a 20' screen.

TRT to be 20 secs.
NTSC D1

Design One : Globe & Logo

Design One : Globe & Title

Design Two : Globe & Title

Design Three : Globe & Title

[update]

The final movie can be found here:

Final Movie

I'll be at PodcampAZ 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:23:00 +0000

On November 1-2, 2008 I'll be up in sun city, Phoenix, Arizona, for this years podcamp. It will be my first podcamp, I'm finally getting to attend one of these events. I usually don't find out about these until I hear the buzz during, or more typically, after the event. This was what happened in 2007. So right there and then, back in November of 2007 I made sure I bookmarked the site, signed up for updates and registered as soon as registration opened.

Considering I will have to miss motion08, the exceptional motion graphics conference in Alberqurque, NM due to financial considerations, I am pretty excited to attend this event. It may be the only other conference I get to this year, after SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles this summer. DVExpo is coming up in December and I have been at that conference for the past 8-9 years. Last year was not so great so I think I will be giving it a miss this time around.

Which leaves PodcampAZ as one of the highlight's of the autumn for me (along with my wife and son's birthdays and NHL hockey resuming). I'm hoping to meet up with some of the great people I know from the internet, getting to meet them face to face will be interesting and probably a bit weird. I hope to learn a few new tricks and verify some assumptions about new media production. I hope to even be able to share some of my expertise and knowledge too. Isn't that the point of the unconference. Ultimately though, I hope to meet new people, make some new relationships, initiate/instigate some new collaborative projects.

If you are going and want to get a drink and say hi, look me up on twitter

New Website Design : Feedback Requested

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:22:00 +0000

It's been a long time since Influxx Media got a fresh lick of digital paint. This has been a long time coming. So finally, between bouts of real paying jobs, we are updating the website and the content.

I'm treating this like a real job, disregarding budget of course, because there is no budget. But I am treating myself like I am my client, asking myself all the usual questions designers delve into with their clients.

I created two alternative look and feels based upon the same content requirements, rather than just design something I might like. But the problem here is that I still cant give myself subjective feedback. So I am turning to my friends in the community to offer honest critique and feedback.

What do you like, dislike? What works? Is it easy to find your way around the page? Is it balanced correctly? Which aesthtics do you like?

I'd really like participation here, so any quick thoughts (I don't need an essay) would be sincerely appreciated.

Many thanks for playing

Influxx Website Redesign : Home Version 1

Rationale:

This design speaks to the more artistic side of my nature, with elements of organic painterly feeling. I tried to acheive a rich, warm layered environment that was very textured and inviting. The nav is large and prominent, but the centerpiece is the large media bucket front and center that will pull a random FLV video from the project vault.

Influxx Website Redesign : Home Version 2

Rationale:

This design is in a more typical and modern style, with a tech, blog minimalist feeling. Keeping colors neutral overall lets the reds and yellow from my brand style jump out. The nav is large and simple, and the focal point is the large media bucket that will play a random project FLV video.

Technorati Tags:
web design

Review : Macromedia Captivate

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:55:00 +0000

Some notes and observations after testing the screen capture software Macromedia Captivate this morning.

It is very Flash like in its construction. Place sprites on the stage and does its best to automate the animation of them. Audio can be recorded at the same time or later, either directly or imported. It recorded ‘events’ not frames and they are placed as objects on a Flash-like timeline. Everything is editable and can be further customized after recording in Captivate or Flash. It creates presentations that are similar to this:

http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/demo/index.html

This does a kind of animated approximation of the user experience. Cursors are tweened, windows are made visible and hidden as objects on a timeline, etc..

What Captivate does not do is create a frame based recording. That is every frame is recorded as a unique flattened image. The sequence of images are then played back in a linear fashion as am movie. Techsmith Camtasia is a type of product that creates a recording as such, usually in Windows Media, but can be converted to any format. It creates presentations that are similar to this:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/assistance/asstvid.aspx

(note, this only works on PC)

Microsoft distinguishes these 2 styles of demo on it's site as, respectively, Overview Demos, and Task-based Demos.

Captivate tries to bridges these 2 styles actually. It attempts to make a ‘task-based’ demo by using low bandwidth sprit-based animation used in ‘overview’ style demo’s. Very interesting. Obviously it is a huge plus to be able to export to Flash for further enhancement, which is almost definitely necessary as it does not always capture the exact motion you were hoping for. A lot of post work would be in order to complete a ‘task-based’ demo with Captivate, whereas with a frame-based capture you get exactly what you see on screen with the caveat you lose any ability to enhance after the fact.

Technorati Tags:
software, review

Lumiere : Frisco Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:25:00 +0000

Click to Play

A sixty second fixed camera shot, in the style of Lumier filmaking. This however was colour-corrected in post, nullifying it as a true Lumier in the strictest sense. This shot was taken sitting outside the chocolate shop on Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco. We sat for quite a while watching the people come and go. The clouds raced across the sky in never-ending motion.

Lumiere : Golden Gate Park

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:24:00 +0000

Click to Play

A sixty second fixed camera shot, in the style of Lumier filmaking. This however was colour-corrected in post, nullifying it as a true Lumier in the strictest sense. This shot was taken on a log by the lake on strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park. The boaters were a lucky accident.

Lumiere : Ghirardelli Square

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:22:00 +0000

Click to Play

Lumiere : Noe Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:20:00 +0000

Click to Play

A sixty second fixed camera shot, in the style of Lumier filmaking. This however was colour-corrected in post, nullifying it as a true Lumier in the strictest sense. This shot was taken sitting outside a shop in Noe Valley. The pair of gemtlemen who sit down to adjust their shoes was pure serendipity.

Large American Portions

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:59:00 +0000

Click to Play

The leftover waste from our typical Californian lunch could feed a small African village. Co-incidentally, youth obesety is on the rise.

Semanal08 : Week 3 - Elegy To A Land Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Click to Play

I awoke one morning to the sound of clanging metal and heavy equipment. Looking across the street that runs behind our house, a monster had risen from the dirt. It's steel skeleton was glowing in the morning sun, majestic and unforgiving. This is progress. This is the future.

NaVlopoMo 2007 : Band Of Traffic

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:05:00 +0000

Click to Play

Stuck in heavy traffic driving home last week I was mesmerized by the lights. Brings to mind the song 'Vagabond' by New Model Army..."Following the taillights out of the city. moving in a river of red". Despite the negatives of being stuck in traffic, there was something beautiful about the colors pulsing in and out.

Apple iPhone Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:45:00 +0000

The day Apple released the iPhone the consumer world went mental. I wanted to try to capture this landmark event. I was banned from using my Panasonic Prosumer Camera in the mall, so i was forced to get what I could with my cell phone.

Click To Play

The Rock 'n Roll Phone Is King

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:16:00 +0000

Today was P-Day. June 29th 2007 may or may not go down in history for any great significance. But for geeks and tech consumers, it should be remembered as the day Justin Timberlake and his kind were usurped by a gadget. Yes, today was the day the iPhone was finally baked, out of the oven and served up to the masses by Apple.

And masses there were. If the blogs and rumor sites (not to mention the twitter buzz) were to be believed, with their live webcams and UStream feeds giving us up to the second accounts of all the activity outside every Apple Store across the nation, then every mothers son, brother and uncle were in line to purchase the little gadget that could.

The live feed from the Mall of America was covered by Justin.tv and Technology Evangelist, amongst many others, where the throng of onlookers was bigger than the line of customers. And the clapping and cheering and general warm fuzziness generated by someone else's purchase of consumer electronics seemed strangely disproportionate. It was like a Bizzaro World Beatles concert, or the Red M&M showing up for a book signing. And being several hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone, the scene in Minneapolis was a portentous look ahead to what was possible here in California.

So I decided to go down to my local Apple Store and see if iPhone fever had made it beyond the Orange Curtain. I wanted to see if a place as safe and harmlessly boring as Orange County would succumb to the gadget groupie madness witnessed with our Eastern brothers. I had heard stories of people camping out overnight at area Apple Stores, and when I arrived at the South Coast Plaza mall at noon, there was a queue trailing back and around the block up to the food court, complete with sleeping bags and camping chairs. These people were hard core. OC has some spunk after all.

I took my video camera along, intending to vlog this thing, by interviewing some of the eager early-birds, to get a feel for what made this gadget the Mick Jagger of cell phones. But as was expected, security was out in numbers and on the scene in seconds. I had barely rolled tape when I was asked turn off. Company Policy. I could go down to the office and ask for a media pass and was politely shown the way. The management office was also very polite and understood the event taking place upstairs was newsworthy, but that independent media (bloggers) were not issued media passes. Company Policy.

Not to be deterred I went back up to the line and did things the old fashioned way. I asked questions and listened to answers. The answers I got revealed some interesting, well maybe not that interesting, patterns. Everyone I spoke to said they had been there since 4am. Admittedly I only got halfway down the line before I had to cut out, but that is quite a crowd of dedicated shoppers.

Most people were already Apple product owners. There were dozens of MacBooks in line keeping their owners busy with blogs and email. Many people owned some kind of Mac computer. Not surprisingly almost everyone already had at least one iPod. Many had two or three different models or generations. There were a few PC owners in the crowd, Andy from Huntington Beach had several PC's at home and a 2G iPod. He was more tech savvy than most of the non-geek consumer crowd there. Andy also carried a BlackBerry with him, which he vowed would be retired this evening.

When asked if they liked their current phone, the people I spoke to almost universally said they hated, or at least disliked, their current phone. Angela from Orange was a T-Mobile customer and would not be buying a phone today, but was there with her daughter who was. Angela was not a fan of Cingular/AT&T and like several people I spoke to had reservations about that particular facet of the deal.

There was also an enormous favoring of the 8GB model. None of the interviewees I spoke with said they were buying the 4GB model. I wonder how many 4GB were left on the shelf, or were grudgingly taken home because that's all that was left in stock. Many of them, a rough estimate of 50%, said they were buying two iPhone's today, at $600 a piece. "Aaah, so you are going to make some money on eBay?" I wondered out loud. "No, it is for my uncle/brother/father/friend." I was corrected. Interesting.

Strangely enough, there was no real pattern as to what was the killer app, the deal-breaker feature that made this product a must have for them. It was the general Appleness of it, the ability to manage voice-mail more functionaly, the ability to browse the web in a real browser. No one thing was commonly outstanding. Not the camera, not the ability to play video, not the built-in YouTube. Not the Yahoo Maps in your pocket. Not the multi-touch interface. It seemed everyone was just glazed over by the hype. Must-have-iphone-be-hip. Interesting.

When I returned to the store at 6pm in time for the reopening, the line now wrapped around the food-court and was winding its way back out into the avenue. There was a throng of onlookers, cell-phone cameras and consumer video cameras in hand, waiting to be a part of someone else's epic, life-changing retail transaction. When the first in line were let into the store, a great cheer was initiated by Apple employees, and joined by the onlookers. These scenes mimicking what I had witnessed online across the nation earlier in the day.

An Argentinian gentleman in the crowd was taking it all in, fascinated by the sociological implications this scene exposed. A local woman walking by, trying to get back to her car after innocently shopping in a nearby store, wondered what the heck was going on. Were the Rolling Stones doing a signing? What was with all the security? "A cell phone!!?" she exclaimed when I informed her of the event taking place. "Yes, but it's a pretty cool, nothing-else-like it kind of phone" I tried to convince her. "Sure it's cool, but it's still just a phone." She left, dumbfounded, obviously not having taken the KoolAid Apple has been pushing the past months. To some, rock 'n roll is still reserved for musicians. But for a bunch of people today, rock 'n roll was personified by a gadget.

Technorati Tags:
media, internet, Apple, iPhone, rock 'n roll

My Top movie List direct from Flixster

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:46:00 +0000

Thanks to Movie Social Networking site Flixster I quickly compiled a widget for my favourite movies of all time.

Classic tunes at a discount price

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:19:00 +0000

Apple, in it's unfaltering wisdom, has seen fit to offer classic albums from the ages (1920's – 2000's) at the discount price of $7.99. Looking through the list of albums on sale, there are some great, truly classic works available. Many of these I already own, particularly from the 80's and 90's, on tape cassette or vinyl.

Now I have been trying to get my collection out of the analogue domain for the past year with little success. I started by digitizing my tape collection, which I decided after 6 cassettes was a futile exercise that would take me an eon to complete. The problem is the vast collection of tapes I own, and the fact they have to be digitised in real time. CD's rip to MP3 in minutes, analogue tape takes an hour. As for vinyl, my hi-fi equipment is in one room and my computer is in my office. I have yet to devise a means of getting the signal from my Systemdek into my Mac.

So, what I have been doing as a workaround is this. The legally questionable online music store AllOfMP3 has literally thousands of albums for sale for $1-2. For $10 I could get 6-7 albums digitized and into my iTunes library in a matter of minutes. To keep things on a somewhat moral ground for my own conscience is to ONLY purchase music I already owned in an analogue form. I have bought this LP or Tape once. The artist, the record company, the record store all made their profit from the money I gave them once. I already own the rights to play that music. For a while this worked out very nicely for me, but as with all things good, they eventually come to an end. AllOfMP3 is being squeezed out of existence by the record companies, probably quite rightly you could argue. So it's back to the the record deck for me.

But now Apple has made things interesting with it's Classic Sale. At $7.99 it is not a no-brainer. If they were $5 I would be all over that, but 10 albums is $80, a bit too steep for music I already paid for once. Maybe I'll get one or two of the best, and hold out for a resuscitation of AllOfMP3 in the future.

(this article originally posted on Tumblr)

Technorati Tags:
apple, itunes, music, ipod, allofmp3, classic

Notes on High Definition TV

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:24:00 +0000

Some observations on the merits and perils of HDTV having lived with our upgraded cable service for a couple of weeks now. MLB Baseball and NHL Hockey are stunning to watch in HD, just like being at the game. Every chip of ice. Every blade of grass. Clear as a whistle. Of course I exagerate some, but you get the picture. Or do you? In comparison, NHL Hockey in SD is total garbage. My team (the one I follow, not the one I own), The Anaheim Ducks, are like the gypo-didicoys of cable sports TV. Unable to find a regular home they bounce between FSN Prime Ticket, Versus, and the local channel KOCE. None of these stations broadcast in HD, the local KOCE signal looking like a VHS cassette that has been recorded over several times too many. Thankfully HDNet shows 2 or 3 NHL games a week and now I'm spoiled, everything else is completely unsatisfactory.

FSN manged to broadcast the opening night game of the Anahiem Angels MLB game in HD, and it was the first time I had seen anything on the FSN-HD channel. Usually they are mysteriously "off the air". Sadly, tonight was back to 'normal' with the Angels game back down the dial in quaint old SD and the blank off-air signal back on FSN-HD.

So I wonder, just what is the FCC doing to "force" the broadcasters to finally catch up to the consumers. Supposedly we were all meant to be watching HDTVs by now, with our funny old 4:3 sets used as planters. Many of the people I have spoken to about HD whose only reservation for holding off on upgrading their system (other than the obvious cost of a new set, which is drastically less than this time last year) is the lack of content to watch on the big, expensive screen.

Of course, not everything about HD content is great. Watching the last episode of Raines on NBC, we were treated to Jeff Goldblum spraying his spittle as he delivered his lines. It was unfortunate the scene was backlit by the sun pouring in through the window behind him, highlighting the saliva droplets. Thanks to the clarity of HD they were really really glaringly obvious.

And some actors now look much more wrinkled and pock-marked than they might have done in old Standard Def. I'm sure there are some casting agents and artist representation agents getting an earful of whining about how the talent didn't look so good in the last episode. Sadly, there is not much the FCC can do about that.

(This article originally posted on Tumblr)

Technorati Tags:
HDTV, high definition, television, cable, broadcast

MGLA. The winners choice...

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:29:00 +0000

Last night, as I do every second Tuesday of the month, I braved the rush hour traffic on the 5 freeway, and dragged myself from Costa Mesa up to Hollywood. At the Barnsdall Art Gallery the After Effects user group known as Motion Graphics Los Angeles meets to discuss, share and show. The drive can take as long as 2.5 hours and at the end of the work day it's a pretty draining task. With the sprinkling of rain we got yesterday as a motivating factor, I considered blowing this months meeting off.

Fortunately I dismissed that notion. The traffic eased up pretty quickly and I made it to Hollywood in about an hour, and actually caught the beginning of the meeting for a change. There was a great presentation on using Flash as an animation tool for broadcast TV, with examples and working files to show technique. Then there was a really nice presentation on using Expressions to add and control random behavior to create a swarming effect.

But the big attraction is always the world-class, high-quality big prize raffle. One ticket is given to each attendee (last night was a fairly low attendance, better odds eh!) for a chance of winning one of the 25 or so cool products donated by the MGLA sponsors. Prize value ranges from $50 up to $1500 usually. Last night, for the second time in 10 years, my number came up. 371 was called third. My choice of prizes; After Effects utility Nucleo Pro by Gridiron Software. Thanks you boys, and thank you MGLA for a great evening well spent.

(this article originally posted on Tumblr)

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MGLA, motion graphics, software, after effects, render

Podcast Top 10

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Mercado) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:35:00 +0000

Well it was my intention to be more frequent with this thing but here we are many months later and, well, not much doing. I had intended to post a new year/end of year round up of the best bits of 2006 but it just never happened. Too many other things going on. I will do a software "best bits" at a later date, as I have found a few good utilities that have been a real boon. And for those readers that dont get MacBreak (where I find most of my top tips) I pass on what I learned.

But this post will be about Podcasting. Its proven to be a humongeously popular medium in the short time it has been around and there are seemingly now dozens of shows on every subject matter. So for those of you who have not jumped on the podcasting wave, I will review and list the ten best shows that I can't live without. And I'll finish off with a short-list of shows that fall into the "dont' bother" category. Maybe you are one of the many people who think podcasting is purely for iPods. It's a huge misunderstanding that you need an iPod to enjoy these free shows, borne out of the name of the medium no doubt. It is not true, any computer can download these shows. And whilst an iPod is great for taking your media everywhere you go, there is nothing wrong with leaving them on your home/office machine and enjoying your media there.

The List : Ten Top Podcasts (as recommended by Influxx)
1. TWiT (This Week in Tech) - Audio
I love TWiT as it epitomises everything podcasting should be. High-quality, niche content by respected professionals in its industry. Leo Laporte runs the TWiT network, responsible for many great niche shows, and he hosts TWiT, the flagship show. About an hour in length, it features a round-table of regulars and special guests, who blabber on unrelentlesly about the recent goings on in the technology industry. Always insightful and extremely entertaining, you soon get to feel like you know these guys and you have all been locked in after hours at some basement bar sucking down brandy's and shooting the shit.
Very Highly recommended *****

2. Diggnation - Video/Audio
Hosted by Web2.0 Golden Boy and Digg co-founder Kevin Rose, this weekly show is like visiting a tech frat house. The reparté between Kevin and co-host Alex Albrecht is hilarious and usually pretty x-rated. They are rarely sober, often shooting off-topic but always, always entertaining. They (alegedly) cover some of the top news stories posted on Digg, recommend beer, expose personal misadventures amongst other random shenanigans.
Very Highly Recommended *****

3. CreativeCOW AfterEffects Tutorials - Video
Hosted by Ahahron Rabinowitz, this quick but very helpful podcast offers users of Adobe AfterEffects tips and productivity tricks. The information is always on track and Aharon's style is really accessible. He manages to keep the pace moving without skipping steps, good for beginners and pro's alike. Nothing in this show is wasteful, everything can be used in day to day AE usage.
Highly Recommended *****

4. This Week In Media - Audio
With FX meister Alex Lindsay (PixelCorps/DVGarage) at the helm, TWiM looks at the issues facing content creators, producers and media professionals. In a similar roundtable of regulars format, the panel discuss the technology, tools and distribution of digital content in the 21st Century. They tend to waffle on down ratholes and off at tangents, but it makes for great listening. Very witty, insightful and mostly relevant with more of a geek bent.
Well Recommended ****

5. MacBreak Weekly - Audio
Leo and his TWiT army are also responsible for this Apple focused show. This weekly roundtable of eccentric, crackpot Mac-o-philes is less informative than other TWiT shows, but more relaxed, freeform and offbeat. In a Mac sort of way. Covering all the Apple news of the week, which usually revolves around the iPhone, the panel spotlight new software and hardware breakthroughs. If you can bare with Merlin Mann's monopolizing A.D.D. rantings the show is always worth a listen through to the end.
Moderately Recommended ***

6. MacBreak - Video
Again, from the PixelCorps fold, hosted by an assortment of Leo Laporte cohorts and indusrty experts. They showcase a different Mac application or technology in quick and easy over the shoulder lessons. Nothing is terribly in depth, but the show is kept short and the guests are always expert enough to whet your appetite. From there you are invited to investigate further through hyperlinked lower-thirds. Shot and delivered in beautiful 1080p HiDef.
Highly Recommended ****

7. The Mac Observers Mac Geek Gab - Audio
Another in the style of informative yet entertaining geekery. Dave Hamilton and John Braun blab and gab at length about all things Mac Technology. Offering esoteric networking tips and answering listener questions, the MGG has helped me figure out ways to keep my Mac running smoothly or fix it when it doesn't. The banter between Dave and John is light and friendly, but still pretty polished. These guys know thier stuff.
Well Recommended ***

8. CommandN - Video
Web2.0 darling and internet socialite Amber Macarthur presents the latest in web news, gossip and tips in this weekly show. It has a more homegrown flavor than some of the others here, and that is definitely part of its charm. Shot in various locations around the city of Toronto, it always looks fresh and AmberMac and her motley crew of Canadian web geeks have a friendly and accessible manner.
Well Recommended ****

9. NYUB (Not Your Usual Bollocks) - Audio<
One of a few music podcasts out there I subscribe to, this one is easily my favourite. Brought to you by MK, an Aussie DJ in London, this hour long monthly show features some of the greatest unsigned and independant music out on the ether. Focussing mainly on dance, electronica and indie genres there is always something cool and new you won't hear anywhere else. If you like finding new artists to listen to, you will find plenty here.
Very Highly Recommended *****

10. CNET Buzz Out Loud - Audio
This show, of indeterminent length, comes at you every day. Thats a lot of content to digest certainly, but it is the kind of show you can pick up every-so-often when you need it. Hosted by Tom Merritt, Molly Wood and Veronica Belmont host this, one of several tech-focussed shows under the c|net umbrella. Dispite its daily schedule the chirpy hosts are never short of something to say, commenting on web, technology, consumer electronics, gaming - the gamut of geekery.
Highly Recommended ****

The Short List
Other shows I listen to regularly that did not make the Top 10 but are worthy of a mention

The VFX Show - Visual Effects artists review and breakdown a Hollywood effects feature film
The Merlin Show - The omnipresent Merlin Mann interviews some interesting subjects
XLR8R - Cool dance grooves remixed from techno mag XLR8R
Ravegression - Remixed DJ sets, the rave without the field
CreativeCOW Serious FX - Andrew Kramer's sporadic AfterEffects tutorials
KCRW Presents - A multitude of radio shows to listen to at my convenience
Media Artist Secrets - Once-great show no longer updated covers the business side of creativity
DV Gear - Quick but insightful hand-on product reviews of video related equipment
Ask A Niinja - Popular comedy skit involves advice given by a Ninja of indistinguishable origin
Ricky Gervais - The Guardian-hosted original series (now a CD) is priceless comedy

The Scratch List
Shows I have listened to that I honestly can't reccomend for one reason or another. They are too long, off topic, poorly recorded or poorly hosted.

Photoshop TV - Way too much poor comedy and idle banter between the useful bits
Photoshop Killer Tips - Way too much self-promotion, like one big commercial
MacCast - Adam Christiansen repeats too much of what you've already heard elswhere
GeekBriefTV - Cali Lewis the same news MacCast does, more of the same
ExtraLife Radio - Pointless waffle from unengaging hosts, I don't get the hype
Daily Source Code - Adam Curry is just way too full of himself

Well there you have it. By no means definitive. I'm discovering new shows all the time, and the time required to consume them is getting very thin. To find your fave podcasts, and to rate them, a good place to start is the Digg podcast page.

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media, video, audio, podcasting, radio, internet, broadcasting