Viddler

Let’s be honest, national and international holidays don’t receive much acknowledgment for the reason they were created. Christmas and Easter have become less about religion and more about spending money on gifts and candy. I’m sure Jesus and Moses are making millions in royalties though!

Just in case you don’t know, the 4th of July is Independence Day in the United States. It’s a federal holiday. Independence Day is also a film starring Bill Pullman. If the 4th of July occurs on a weekend, then a public holiday is given on the closest weekday; yesterday was a public holiday for many Americans.

I just learned that the 4th of July is all about the fireworks and not so much that it signifies the day when America declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776. There’s far more importance on the fireworks today than on New Years. In Australia and many European countries, New Years is the day of the year where the most money is spent on firework shows.

As always, Awkward Kids (subscribe) have made a perfect holiday video for today. Enjoy!

Sparkle it up, everyone!

Happy 4th of July from all of us at Viddler!

About the production

Awkward Kids is a Los Angeles sketch group born out of boredom, “Kindergarten Cop”, female appreciation for moustaches, and an obsession with snails. Michelle Glavan, Dana Pacheco & Christiann Castellanos created Awkward Kids.

Don’t forget to follow Awkward Kids on Twitter and become their fan on Facebook to keep up with their projects. They also have an amazing website with lots more info: awkwardkids.com

One thing I know really well about living in Australia is being distant from my friends overseas. Gosh, I hardly even see some of my local Sydney friends for months or even years. Friendship is a must-have in life, but sometimes it can be tricky for people. I know that I cherish every friend I have and never take them for granted.

The friends I keep close to me are the ones that are online (IM, Skype, or even Facebook) often. When I was in high school it was a little different because I saw my friends there every day. But after high school many friends go separate ways. Whether it’s their hobbies, job, or location; they become distant. I imagine the ways my parents kept in touch with their friends after high school (in the days before the Internet) must have required more effort. In my opinion, the Internet has made retaining friendship much easier.

These days you can video chat with people across the other side of the world for free (computer and Internet connection required). Video chat is currently the closest thing to being together in person. It can be used for business, fun, or just knowing there’s someone there so you feel more connected in your lonesome office or bedroom.

Meg Liz Miller (friend her up!) has a best friend named Devan. They grew up together but are now separated and on opposite coasts of the USA. While that’s a much shorter distance than Australia to America, it’s still far enough that they can’t just pop over to each others’ place from time to time. Alas, the magic of iChat’s video function allow them to see each other to have frequent dance battles!

And with that I bring you today’s Friday Fun!

Who thinks Meg Liz’s branded player is awesome? It looks mighty fine on her sexy website!

Meg Liz’s Twitter bio says: Graphic Designer, Artist, Model, Dancer, Cheerleader, LFL Football Player, and Fitness Fanatic! I’m a really big DORK, but you’ll probably LOVE ME - I love dorks, so that works.

Just in case you’re not aware, the LFL is the Lingerie Football League. Girls playing contact football in minimalistic outfits. I just discovered that. While your mind is in the gutter I’ll leave you with the following question:

What kind of fun do you have with your friends on video chat?

For such a simple service Twitter has spawned hundreds, if not, thousands of services that use its open API. Many of these services have large amounts of funding, employ several people, and are used by many consumers on a daily basis. Some companies adapted their service to work with Twitter, while others were created completely for use with Twitter.

You’d probably need every one of your fingers to name just the photography services that interact with Twitter. And that’s just the popular ones. TwitPic, Brightkite, yfrog, Radar… you get the point. The point is: I only have four fingers.

Now that the iPhone 3GS can record and upload videos many services are offering small video uploads. (Yes, Viddler is working on supporting iPhone uploads.) We’ll get to that in a moment though.

A recent addition to the list of Twitter photo sharing websites is TwitSnaps. It does actually offer some unique features that other services don’t have. One neat feature is a magnification box on the image page which shows you to see the full-size magnification of the photograph. If it’s a 20-megapixel image, you’ll see huge magnification. If it’s a 3-megapixel image, you won’t see as much magnification. You can also upload images up to 10MB — most other services limit you to around 5MB.

Robert Scoble (friend him up!) interviewed TwitSnaps founder, Simar Sing, about the site and his business.

I found it interesting that Simar’s main company creates smaller ones and sells them off. I guess it’s like making different models of cars; you design them, create them, and sell them on to others. Okay, not the best analogy, but you get the point.

Robert linked to all the Twitter photo sharing services, as well as some great reviews of the services by Rev2.org and Mashable.

For those wondering: Yes, Viddler will soon support videos uploaded from the new iPhone 3GS. Thanks to the Viddlerers that have uploaded their iPhone 3GS test footage. Once we upgrade our encoders we’ll let you know when it’s good to go!

As always, if you have a fabulous video you’d like featured on the Viddler Blog, then just let me know by sending me a message or leaving a comment on this post.

If you’re like me and hardly watch television, then I’ll inform you now that there’s a new show on MTV called It’s On with Alexa Chung. Now, that’s the American MTV; I checked, and Australian MTV doesn’t have it (yet..). The daily talk and variety show is broadcast live from their studios in Times Square, New York, and features celebrity guests, musical performances, and all kinds of goodies from the Internet.

Now that you’re hip with the show you’ll be delighted to know that our good friend Philip DeFranco (subscribe) was asked to record a small segment for a recent episode of the show. Entitled The Last Word with Phil DeFranco, he basically recorded his usual entertaining show and the editors of the show used the parts that are allowed on TV. Ahh, we have so much more freedom on the Internet.

Phil mentioned on his blog that this could become a regular thing on Alexa’s show or other shows, but also that he’ll always keep producing his show and website because that’s the heart of the ‘DeFranco Nation’.

You can follow Phil on Twitter, read his blog, or watch his daily show. Hint: the last choice is the best one.

If you’d like a giddy video featured on the Viddler Blog and front page, then make sure you send me a quick message and tell me about it. We enjoy all kinds of submissions!

There’s no doubt that mobile gaming has increased in popularity since the release of Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. There’s thousands of games which range in price from FREE to around $20.

Personally, I’ve only tried free versions because I’m not much of a gamer. That said, I’m interested in trying old classics like Myst (currently $6)! Free games are usually limited in gameplay and leave addicted players wanting more, hence there’s usually a ‘full’ or ‘pro’ version.

One of the best ways of finding new and fun iPhone/iPod Touch games is through word of mouth (read: Twitter). Justine (subscribe) is notorious for tweeting about her iPhone game obsessions. I recently downloaded the free version of a game she mentioned and I finished the game in a few minutes. I’m using all my strength not to buy the full version. It’s tough, but I’m managing.

Summer (friend her up, yo!) just reviewed face-paced iPhone/iPod Touch game called Eliss Lite (opens iTunes). Yes, there’s a full version for $3. The aim of the game is to create supernovas. Although the official app description words it differently: Your job is to keep up harmony in an odd universe made of bendable planets.

However you choose to justify the gameplay of Eliss, I’m sure you’ll be addicted after the first sector.

Go forth and enjoy your universe.

I must say that Summer’s branded player also looks mighty awesome! The colors go very well together and her logo is just kick butt!

Don’t forget: You can suggest a video to be featured on the Viddler Blog and front page just by sending me a message or leaving a comment on this post.

“My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas is a catchy song with some deep bass. It made it to #1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. I certainly listened to it hundreds of times during 2006 and probably a fair amount in 2007 too! Cranking it in the car to 11 with friends; good times!

At the beginning of April, 2007, Alanis Morissette released a parody of “My Humps” in the style of a ballad and it became a viral hit online; getting millions of hits on her website.

Wikipedia cites that Fergie (the lead singer of “My Humps”) thought that Alanis’ parody was “hilarious” and “genius”. Fergie also said that she sent Alanis a cake in the shape of a “derrière”. Ha! I would have loved to see that! Anyone have photos/video?

Thanks to LoopyTube (subscribe), I can share this fantastic music video with you. Laugh. Enjoy. Share it with your mom!

LoopyTube is a video sharing website that contains funny, wacky, and viral videos. If it went viral, they have it.

Do you have a video you’d like featured on the Viddler Blog and front page? All you have to do is send me a message and tell me about it for me to consider it as a feature. Simple, hey!

There are endless possibilities in the way music can be created these days. Not only have computers allowed us to be able to create entire albums without even picking up a physical instrument, but the instruments we do pick up have evolved in to amazing musical devices.

Anything that makes a sound could be considered an instrument. Is a falling tree in an empty forest an instrument? That depends whether or not you think it’s a sound.

Blue Man Group is a great example of a successful band (they call themselves a creative organization) that has stepped outside the box when it comes to their chosen instruments — mostly comprised of PVC pipes.

Ellis Guitars (subscribe) is an Australian company — based in Perth — that makes acoustic guitars and acoustic stompboxes. If you’re a musical newbie like me, you may ask: What’s a stompbox? Well, it’s a small wooden box that you can stomp on to make music. Stompboxes create a subtle but unique sound that can fit well in all genres of music.

While watching this video I noticed that I tap my aluminum MacBook Pro in the same way that the guy in the video taps the stompbox. Surprisingly, my MBP makes a similar sound. Maybe I could make music with it… Maybe not.

Have you seen an awesome video on Viddler lately? Did you link up all your friends to it? Then, you should definitely link me too! The front page of Viddler gets seen by same amount of people that live in Perth. The majority of people have two eyeballs. So that’s A LOT of eyeballs! Millions and millions, yo!

It’s been less than 24 hours since Michael Jackson left Earth to be with the likes of Elvis Presley and Farrah Fawcett, but no doubt you’ve heard or seen all the juicy news about it. Even if you don’t have a television or the Internet (highly unlikely), you would have heard people talking about it in passing, at work, or even your friends calling you.

When my sister told me this morning, it felt exactly the same as when I heard about the Twin Towers collapsing; it took me a while to wrap my brain around it.

If you do happen to have a T.V. then you’ll have access to a plethora of programming featuring the life and times of Michael Jackson. I knew who Michael Jackson was when I was younger, but I didn’t grow up in his ‘era’. As much as I don’t like watching T.V., watching news programs about Michael’s life makes me connect better with him and his music.

For the next few days Viddler will be spotlighting videos related to and inspired by Michael Jackson. If you have any such videos you’d like to share, just send me a message.

Here’s a fantastic version of the Thriller zombie dance which occurred a couple of years ago in San Diego.

You rocked our world, Michael! <3 Everyone at Viddler.

Update:
Here’s a tribute from Bradley (friend him up, yo!). He talks about the awesome legacy that MJ left behind and what you’ll leave behind as your legacy.

Earlier in June the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) held a minitrade show — named CEA LineShows — in New York City. This event wasn’t as big as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is every year in January, but the CEA felt it was important to let the media and analysts know what technologies are on the horizon.

David Begun from HotHardware (subscribe) stopped by the event to take a look at what new technologies companies were showcasing.

Sandisk shows off their new slotRadio™ player which can hold 1,000 songs per microSD card — cards will only work in slotRadio-compatible devices. The player is a little larger than an iPod Shuffle, but have a screen where you can see the song data — which the iPod Shuffle lacks.

Bre Pettis (friend him up!) explains what a MakerBot is and how almost anyone could afford to begin making things with it! I really want to save up for one of these, but it’s still just a little too expensive. Especially, when I don’t quite know what I’d make with it. What would you make?

Smartfish Technologies has an ergonomic keyboard that moves depending how much your stressing yourself by typing. ST states that they have created an intelligent and healthy range of “injury avoidance” ergonomic devices. Those keyboards the separate the left and right side of the keyboard aren’t comfortable to me. I can’t imagine it would make typing easier. I wonder if it will actually make me look healthier though… If anyone tries out one of these keyboards, let me know what you think.

FLO TV is a service available for smart phones which allows you to watch live, time–shifted, and simulcast programming over the the air thanks to MediaFlo’s owned an operated television broadcast network. MediaFlo, which is owned by wireless chipmaker Qualcomm, has built a mobile TV broadcast network using wireless spectrum that was previously being used to broadcast analog TV signals in the United States.^[1] FLO TV is currently being resold through AT&T and Verizon in the United States. They expect to be in over 100 markets soon. The $15 dollar a month price tag is a little steep. Especially, when I highly doubt Australians will get to watch LIVE U.S. television broadcasts and vice versa.

The Lightglove is the an innovation phase of a Minority Report style of interaction with a screen. It’s cool, but looks a little cumbersome in its current iteration.

Contour Design make several ergonomic computer peripherals such as keyboard add-ons like the RollerMouse as well as right AND left-handed mice. I’m left-handed, but I can use a mouse with both hands. A well-sculpted ambidextrous is something I would like to see.

Storage Appliance Corporation has a really simple way to backup your data. Many companies are trying to make backup as simple as possible. I suggest trying as many as you can. Especially if they’re free! Storage Appliance Corp. offers a combined hardware and software solution in the form of Clickfree™. Check it out!

There’s some pretty neat stuff in there. Do you think you’ll want any of these for Christmas? I’d like MakerBot, please. Drop it off under the Viddler tree.

Footnote
[1] FLO TV gets high marks on Inauguration Day - CNET

As always, feel free to send me a message if you have a video you’d like featured on the Viddler Blog and front page.

Logos. Whenever anyone creates a company or identity there is often a logo that goes along with it. Sometimes the creation of a logo takes months of research, designing, and reviewing. Is the logo really that important though? Some companies have very basic logos, yet they are very successful.

Shawn Hickman (he’s the guy wearing the awesome monkey outfit) created a website to learn and discuss such things. It’s named Yagglo (subscribe). (Now there’s a name that stands out! Although, I keep thinking of Yahoo!.) Yagglo is videos aimed at simplifying the web for anyone that’s new to it. Mostly comprised of tutorial screencasts, the videos are only a few minutes long an teach one step at a time.

For most people that already use the web on a daily basis Yagglo’s video tutorials will detail things that are second nature to you. That said, there are some hidden gems like the following rant that might teach even the experienced web user a thing or three.

I’m sharing this rant/discussion about the importance of a good company logo because it’s relevant to just about anyone. If you’d like to check out Yagglo’s Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and other tutorials, I’ll have links below the video.

Being unique these days is difficult, but very possible! Think different. Think big. Rock it!

Yagglo has tons of videos teaching simple things like learning how to send an e-mail in Gmail to an explanation of @replies, ReTweets, and DMs are on Twitter. The videos are all neatly categorized on the Yagglo website, but you can also view them all on Viddler.
These videos are great for first-time web users like elderly people, young adults that only check Facebook, young kids, cave people, and extraterrestrial aliens.

Of course, you can follow @Yagglo on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and see more methods of contact on Yagglo’s contact page.

The Viddler Community Spotlight shines on members of the community that are doing an exceptional job at embracing interaction with people through their videos. If you feel someone is doing a tops job at this, feel free to send me a message and tell me all about it.