TV: Moving Forward, Networks or Not.

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Joost1Janko over at NewTeeVee has a brilliant post about where the actual potential of Joost lies, and what tricks they may have up their sleeve. Sure, the biggest to do has been with their P2P technology, but their metadata chops may be the thing that really sets them apart (and leaves Babelgum behind).

Basically, we may soon see annotated, timestamped programming. So, if now you can watch a DVD with or without the director's commentary, so too could you watch Joost programming with or without viewers' comments attached. Just think how useful and intriguing this could be for shows that have worked the hardest to develop an experience past the initial 60 minutes a week, like Lost and Heroes.

"So what can these metadata frameworks be used for? Timestamped comments and tags are certainly one interesting possibility. Combine this with FOAF-like social networking structures, and you got yourself a whole new way to explore TV programming.

Imagine a personalized TV channel that only serves you shows your friends are literally talking about. Or think about the way this could transform programming itself. What if the Lost folks didn’t do their next Alternative Reality Game on the web, but in Joost itself, allowing you to collaborate with your friends and collect clues while watching the show?"

I've said it before, but we're just now scratching the surface. Stay tuned...

Tune In Saturdays: Annuals

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AnnualsWell, this week was a tough one. I couldn't really find anybody I wanted to share that much, so I'm going with a bit of a give up.  The Annuals are playing here with Blonde Redhead in a couple weeks, so the Annuals it is. Don't get me wrong, they make some amazing stuff. Especially coming from a bunch of kids who can't even get into a bar, yet.

But there's an element of hit or miss, sometimes even within the same song. It's as if they couldn't really decide what kind of band they wanted to be, so they just became lots of bands. I guess that's what happens when the youngins are at the helm.

But, still check 'em out. The highs can get super, super high, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of concoctions come from this band as they continue to mature.

Annuals - Dry Clothes (mp3)
Annuals - Bleary-Eyed (mp3)

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Remembering Sandra Kerley

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Ck_momMy friend, CK, lost her mom a couple weeks ago. I've never seen anyone handle such a tragedy with such grace. She again proved why she's so much of a valued and loved member of our community. For that reason, Cam created this site, and Armano created the badge you see here so that we can commemorate her loving mother, Sandra Kerley, by making a group donation to Habitat for Humanity.

It's the least we can do for someone who has been so good to so many people. CK, we love you, and wish you happiness with all those brilliant memories your mom left behind.

Donate here.

Branding Good Works

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WeddingI took off from work a few hours early today to knock out the tedius bullshit of tracking down a birth certificate, and using that to secure my new passport. A few minutes after jumping in line, a couple younger girls followed up behind me. One of them asked, "You getting married?" I sort of swiveled my head left and right, searching for the partner to whom I'd been betrothed. Thankfully, she doesn't exist.

"Umm, no. Getting my passport. I guess that means you are."

"Uh huh."

Couple minutes go by before I ask, "How old are you?"

"17."

Generally, I'd just bite my tongue, crank the Ipod a couple notches, and go about the business of answering emails. But, for whatever reason, I went on a fact-finding mission, instead. Didn't take much to unearth her huge mistake. He's 26, in jail for drugs, and will be there for the first 4 years of their marriage. He has two children, of two mothers. A real winner.

She wants to go to college, and become a lawyer.

But, she won't. Instead, she'll go from high schooler to mom overnight. Not so easy, especially with an absent father with no job to make money. And, when's his sentence is over, he'll be 30 and almost unemployeeable.

In 2007, we'll spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 275 billion dollars in advertising. But, how much will we spend to improve this stupid kid's path? Probably nothing. Sure, she'll see plenty of ads for crap she doesn't need, and for cars she can't afford. Regardless, that's a lot of money spent, mostly in a desperate attempt to raise a stock price just a little bit.

Maybe it's time, as advertising becomes less relevant, that we spend that money branding the good deeds we do. Maybe her college education is a little more important than that fourth or fifth prime-time television spot. It probably won't have the reach, but at least she may repay you with her attention.

Maybe one thing doesn't lead to the other, but it is something we should consider. We've got a lot of very big megaphones.

Tune In Saturdays: The Postmarks

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ThepostmarksShockingly enough, we've got some more sullen, sweet pop music for you. Reading through the The Postmarks' bio, I see references to Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach and French pop, all of which make perfect sense, creating a happy downer of a record for their self-titled debut. It reminds me a little bit of Camera Obscura, but just a little easier to listen to.

From Pitchfork:

"Tim Yehezkely sings in a breathy inside voice, with echoes of the Softies' Rose Melberg, 60s pop singers like Françoise Hardy or Jane Birkin, and Brazilian Tropicalismo icon Gal Costa. Instrumentalists Christopher Moll (co-songwriter with the 24-year-old Yehezkely) and Jonathan Wilkins draw out arrangements that enjoy the urbane whiff of lounge, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and Sunflower-era Brian Wilson."

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The Postmarks - Winter Spring Summer Fall (mp3)

Below is the video for Goodbye.

The Conversation Age, part 1

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Conversation11As if we didn't know  it already, Gavin and Drew are some smart guys. Now they just went and rubbed our noses in it.

They've spearheaded the creation of what will surely be the greatest ebook in the history of humanity, written by 99 of the smartest bloggers in our fair burg. Oh, yeah, and me. And, we're taking on a subject that's quickly becoming the buzziest of them all, conversationalism in marketing.Conversationage_2_2

But, The Conversation Age is still a work in progress, and we need more good bloggers like you to take part, by contributing one page, about 400 words, to the book. And, you'll get all the warm fuzzies from knowing that you're doing a good deed, as all the phat cash we make will go to buying my first pony Variety Children's Charity.

For more info, go here or here.

The powerhouse bloggers involved include:

So get off your ass, and get writing!

The Future of TV Starts Now. Wait, Now. No...Now.

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Alright, so ABC just upgraded their iptv, making their picture even better, and allowing for full screen. NBC and FOX are teaming up to recreate YouTube's success with professional material by building ClownCo. Video sites are popping up left and right, and even the big boys keep on growing. Google's looking to become a juggernaut past online media by facilitating an SEM-like marketplace in television, too. And, with the Dish Network deal, that fantasy is looking pretty fuckin' realistic. Joost just released the fantastic version 0.9, complete with Viacom content and higher quality picture. Apple, Inc unleashed their trojan horse to kill off Netflix and Blockbuster with the AppleTV. XBox and its media center are selling like hotcakes.

Television2 All this is happening, and more. And quick. It's astounding to watch. This isn't merely a shift in the way we consume media. It's flipping television, and in turn advertising, completely on it's head.

And, in a couple years, it will be unrecognizable in today's terms. Today's video experience will be like reruns of Diff'rent Strokes are now. Cute and quaint, but mostly unwatchable. I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever it is that brings it all together and makes it mainstream isn't here, yet.

And, no, it won't be Joost. It's whatever makes Joost work with YouTube, Revver, ClownCo, ABC, and everything else, easily searchable, on my big screen, without skipping. Tivo, it's your turn. Make it or die.