Andrew Venegas is, "The Running Man"

I'm hooked on my new ipod nano.

Small screen size aside, there's been such an advance in the interface and customizability since I got my first ipod five years ago (it was a 2nd generation), that even a normal PC user like myself was humbled a little.

The latest add-on to my ipod, a Nike+Ipod. I bought a pair of Nike Plus shoes today, got the microchip that Apple sells, linked it to my nano, and went for my first run today. I also set the goal of running a measly 16 times over the next four weeks. Piece of cake... of course, now that it's online for everyone to read, I guess I really have to do it. Damn.

And that's the real genius of the new ipod. If Apple can get lazy tech geeks like myself to drool over the possibility of running, well, they may just rule the world one day (and that's coming from a PC guy).

Life in the FAST Lane

So what have I been up to? Where have I been? In what far corners of the internet have I been lurking?

First, I've been doing design like none other. I'm working on an upcoming project involving a international publication that tends to prefer yellow borders and photography. If that doesn't give it away, I can't help you out.

Other projects that I'm working on include the website design for the RTVJ reunion. I can't really take credit for the actual layout either, as it was originally created by another student that was released from his contract at the end of July: enter me and my interaction with it. My job for the last three months has been to keep it updated and keep in touch with alumni from SJSU's broadcast journalism program.

Which brings me to my current project this week, producing a video "newscast" mockup to be presented during the RTVJ (Radio Television Video Journalism) 50th anniversary dinner this Friday. The special guest speaker will be legendary journalist/anchor, Sam Donaldson.

So that's keeping me busy...

Plus I've been doing poster design, and talking up a storm for the upcoming photojournalism trip to Mexico. (Btw, go Blogger for letting me get info up online in a day. The hardest thing was simply unlocking my domain name and switching my DNS address to a Google server. But I digress...)

This past week I just the chance to meet Vanity Fair's David Friend, a man responsible for much change in society's perception of the war in Iraq. A very smart, and friendly man, Friend was on SJSU campus last week to promote his new book and meet with members of the SJSU magazine community.

Oh, and here's a teaser for upcoming events. After traveling to Mexico this spring break with the journalism department here, I'll be traveling to South Africa and Ghana to help produce two more multimedia packages for SJSU and certain newspaper and magazine publications.

AND after that... there's a whole lot more stuff coming down the turnpike for me. I'm starting to get as busy as Kyle Hansen. Ha!

Lastly, I did CampusMovieFest last week, and got jipped if you ask me. Not to brag, but our movie was the Cat's ME-OW (pardon the flash quality).

:)

My Life, Unplugged

As the name suggests, I've been living unplugged and in the dark for the last two days. A virus infected my main computer, wiped it out completely, and quickly spread to my laptop, connected on the same network.

The outcome - I've lost everything. I don't even have a working copy of Windows XP to repair the system files that were damaged by the virus. Not only that, but the virus wiped out most of my drivers on both computers, meaning that I don't have internet access or the ability to download them back onto my systems.

It couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time either; I just started working the 3:30am-8:30am shift at UPS this week! I never thought I'd be saying this, but it looks like I need a sign to hang around my neck, reading, "Will work for Vista." Sheesh.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,
Vista,virus

Today's Space Revolution

If you, like me, read Ars Technica's article about microholography this morning, you may have been blown away like I was. I'm still taking it in.

Ars reported that a group of German scientists have discovered a way of storing up to 500GB of data on DVD-sized discs. Not only that, they plan on doubling that figure by 2010!

The implications of this are mind-blowing, to say the least. Databases with huge amounts of image data can be several terabytes in size, and discs of this size would drastically increase not only their mobility, but decrease their cost.

Translation: information would be even more permeable than it is now, with greater functionality than you could ever imagine.

What's some of the cool stuff you can do with databases when size is not longer an issue?

How about using composite technologies like those Adobe has created for Photoshop Extended to take all the street pictures that Google took for Google Streetview and turn them into a user-manipulatable virtual world. Forget looking at single snapshots of any street corner; now you can walk down the street from your computer.

Or how about doing the same thing for education, drastically reducing the price of classes by providing photo-realistic, interactive courses online, where a school's only real cost would be the price of bandwidth?

Digital historians today could rest at ease, finally, knowing that priceless works of art and digitized records could be stored in multiple locations, in case of thief, natural disaster, or terrorist attacks.

I won't even go into the military implications of this technological breakthrough.

My point: this is another revolution in disguise, and it repercussions are earth shattering.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,
Ars Technica,microholography

Live Earth and the Power of Viral Video

Live Earth was hosted in over a hundred different countries yesterday, and not surprising, viral marketing played a huge part in getting the word out about the concerts.

Also not surprising, Al Gore and the other supporters of this event used cultural icons to imprint the message they wanted on viewers minds.

Finally, corporate America and philanthropists are all beginning to use the tools available to them to push social activism. Power elites beware, your days are numbered.

Blogger's B-B-Q (Brewsky's Included)

I'm sitting here with Burke Shartsis, having just finished an ice cold beer and B-B-Q'ing at my apartment, talking tech. Question posed: where's the best place to be on Earth - RIGHT NOW?

Answer: right here, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Why? Well, hardware and software are just about to burst out into a second Renaissance. And here's some of the cool stuff being developed just down the road from my apartment.

1. AI - check out what Google's doing in this arena.

2. Multi-touch sensing - first reintroduced by Jeff Han at TED, several companies right here are building upon this technology. Just look at what Microsoft's done... and yes, I've seen the iPhone before.

3.Easy and Cheap Production - anyone can create anything they can imagine now, with relative ease at low cost. If IBM and some other corps have their way, these programs will even be open-sourced. Ergo, free production software with a global brain to make things more exciting. (And yes, to any Apple employees that may be reading, Final Cut is easy to use to... here's your link.)

4. The death of physical space - check out what SJSU is doing in virtual space. The cost to operate in the real world has serious economic consequences - education, business, and everyday communication are being digitalized to make way for much efficient purposes to fill real space.

5. The Advertising Renaissance - If you've been in a hole for the last decade, then you might have missed the quiet revolution being waged by Google. And if you don't keep an eye on it, you might miss the changes headed this way by Blip.tv and Metacafe.

6. History is Alive Here - Besides being home to the Internet Archive, it's also the home of Creative Commons, which is allowing more and more people to share the world WITH the world.

7. Wi-Fi Hotspots are EVERYWHERE! - and that's going to become increasing important, as T-Mobile and other VOIP services expand their Wi-Fi plans.

7.1.0. It's always cool here (approx. 80 degrees, F, currently). I know that's not geeky, but it sure beats the hell out of anywhere else.

8. Bay Area News - the word "aggregation" comes to mind. Want to find out ANYTHING about ANYTHING in that Long Tail of an internet, there's plenty of Silicon Valley companies will to find it for you. Search, interface, databases, and so much more are connecting and supercharging everything.

9. The Birth of Oversight - tired of corporations going unchecked with unlimited power? For the first time in the history of man, the same corporations based in Silicon Valley that are empowering people to change the world... are being reemed by the same people that they've empowered. Poetic cyber justice, or just another day in the Valley?

10. People GIVE A DAMN - Now, I know Californians in the Valley get a bad wrap for all being liberal hippies, smoking dope and not showering - and granted, there's plenty of that - but there's also something here that is unique and insanely powerful. It's also THE reason I think that this is the best place to live on the planet, RIGHT NOW. Check out Hugg, TreeHugger, Digg, Myspace, Facebook, MoveOn, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, Cisco, Sony, or the million other corporations and sites based out of the Valley.

You'll find the kind of people that make city life interesting. People that not only WANT to change the world, but PEOPLE with real opinions and hopes and dreams, THAT ARE CHANGING THE WORLD. It's like living in Rome at the height of its empire, except with better sewage treatment and internet access.

Who could ask for anything else?

Sony's New Baby

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,sony,

ZOMBIES?

Long time no post. I've been really busy lately, moving two blocks down from my current apartment, tutoring teachers in Flash, audio editing, and video production, and building THREE seperate websites!

Props to Bob Rucker for his work on the Diversity project, and Doc Cheers for creating a pretty impressive multimedia project for the Gordon Parks exhibition that is coming to SJSU. I'll post that piece here when it's finished.

In other news, I've finished two of eighteen scripts I am writing for another video project out shortly. I'm paying homage to the film legend George Romero and releasing (via the internet and iTunes) a six week long series about a small group of Californians trying to survive a zombie attack. Why?

CAUSE ZOMBIES ROCK! And because I wanted to put all of my skill-sets together and use the end result as a calling card/resume. The website is currently under construction, but believe me when I say that the videos will be the least community oriented part of the site. I'll keep you updated on that.

Phew. And before I forget - congrats to another student at SJSU - Colleen Henry. Check out her awesome blog here.


AFTERNOTE: Yes, I just read the wiki on George Romero, and yes, my heart sank when I found that he may currently be doing a similar project to mine. Oh well, the world could always use a couple more zombie flicks.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,flash,Michael Cheers, Bob Rucker,
zombies,Colleen Henry

Burning the Candle and Loving It!

I've been taking a break from my online blogging role as of late to final the semester and the new MCOM 105 website - not to mention the new Soapbox Prophet blog.

Don't worry, I'll be back at full bore in another two weeks. I apolagize to regs (Andrew, there's regular readers?) who may be missing a cheap laugh or geeky article.

Sidenote: I've started several other side-projects for this summer, including writing, filming, directing, and broadcasting a six week, made for the internet mini-series.

Some of the highlights: a TOTALLY interactive website featuring wikis, forums, chat, blog, and several other features for users to discuss the show and have fun. Sound ambitious?

Well, after "Let's Talk About This" is done, I can't imagine this endeavor being much harder. I'll be putting my editing skills to the test, and learning lots of JAVA and Flash in the process. Wish me luck on that one.

Further, I'll be chronicling the project with behind the scenes footage and posts as show is produced, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on how its going.

And speaking of projects, my first baby- the creation of STEM - is fast winding down for the semester. This Wednesday will be last meeting of the school year, and as such, elections will take place during this meeting to decide on next year's officers. So make sure to come out, indulge your geek one last time, and be a part of American history.

As always, STEM will meet at 4:30 in the Academic Success Center (formerly Clark Library).
I hope to see everyone there!

P.S. Has anyone noticed that Ryan Sholin is addicted to Twitter?

Cyber Days are Longer then Years

I was up until 4:30 last night coding - whatever. Today I demoed the new MCOM105 site: "Let's Talk About This". I think it turned out alright. Tonight I'll be adding forums, a couple more CMS systems that integrate nicely with Joomla (the coolest CMS ever), and basically living in PHP code. Cool.
Sorry about the geek-speak. Speaking of new websites, check out the 150th anniversary site too.

Growing Up Online is Hard to Do

I've had a pretty good go of it on the free hosting service that Blogger has provided, but I think I am ready to grow up a little and host my content on my own server. So goodbye Blogger, farewell and Godspeed!

Tonight I purchased "thesoapboxprophet.com" and forwarded "andrewvenegas.com"(I already owned that one) to it. Yes, so it seems that The Soapbox Prophet shall be my calling card from now until I die - I just couldn't give up the Google juice I get using it.

Now the existential crisis I face, which can turn friends into cold blooded enemies - Wordpress or Blogger!?

While I know that Wordpress has been around longer, thus having a larger support and plugin base, I've been extremely happy with Blogger thus far. I'm torn, and frankly, I'm in need of some advice. Which do you think I should use, and why?

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog

THE WORLD STOPS BY SJSU TO TALK!

Image taken from Ryanishungry.com.

Last night Jay Dedman and Ryanne Hodson stopped by SJSU to talk about video-blogging. They should know a bit about it. They're pioneers in the field, working for PodTech and creating really interesting content.

Today, CEO of Adobe, Bruce Chizen, stopped by SJSU to talk about how American students (SJSU grads) can compete globally and get a job with tech companies like his. His pointers: know the technical skills that everyone else is learning (C, JAVA), and then take some internships abroad and find out how the rest of the world lives. Good advice.

Image courtesy of Axis Design Studios.

Oh ya, he also said that the browser will hopefully be taking a backseat in the future because of the work they're doing at Adobe. I asked him what he meant by this statement, and whether Adobe was hedging its bets in CS3 by integrating all the cool video goodies for vloggers like myself who traditionally use browsers to transfer content onto the web. Hedging its bets against what? Perhaps relations between Adobe and Google aren't as cozy as one might think.

Chizen replied that Adobe and Google are partners, and for now, not in direct competition. He said that he was referring to the hope that clients like Apollo will take on greater significance as they develop. Chizen jokingly described Google as Adobe's "heat shield from Microsoft".

Hmm.

On a side note, I had a brief encounter with Holly Campbell after Chizen's talk, who runs Adobe's Corporate PR. My suggestion to her was that STEM and Adobe team up, Adobe providing software and training to students, and in return, receiving great press and ideas from students/ future employees. We'll see how that turns out. Hopefully, we can make it a win-win situation for everybody.


Last bit. I promise.

Dr. Bob Sutor, VP of IBM's Open Source and Standards division, also came to SJSU to speak today. His message, "Things are changing." Sutor talked about how most companies use some Open Source code in just about everything, and how there is a shift in the way today's "post-Napster generation" sees copyright laws compared to the last generation.

"Open Source creates innovation," Sutor said. True dat. Check out the whole of Sutor's discussion here.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,flash,STEM, Axis DS,Axis Design Studios,Burke Shartsis, Adobe, Bruce Chizen,Holly Campbell,Bob Sutor, IBM, Ryanne Hodson,Jay Dedman,Ryan Is Hungry

STEMing from Last Week's Talks

Burke Shartsis from Axis Design Studios will continue his demonstration of basic Flash today at 4:30PM, in Room 116 of the Academic Success Center.
I hope to see everyone there!

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,flash,STEM, Axis DS,
Axis Design Studios,
Burke Shartsis

Memorializing the Dead

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,Second Life,Jeremy Kemp,YouTube

Preserving the Future with Our Past

It looks like I may be taking on another side project next semester - archiving every Spartan Daily article every written in a massive, searchable online database that's open to everyone.

Before running to the press with this one, I should mention that I still have to talk to some important people before anything can be done, but the desire is there in the j-school already.

Tomorrow I'll talk to Dr. Briggs and others to greenlight the project, so cross your fingers.

Just imagine, students having a database that reaches back to 1934, when the Spartan Daily was first published. The database would share historical records dealing with WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the moon landing - the record of where we come from and how we got here - all at the fingertips of anyone with a thirst for knowledge.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,Spartan Daily

Creating Conversations from Static

I've been coding this week more than usual. Hopefully, Bob Rucker's MCOM105 class will have its new diggs up and running within a week.

Complete with video and picture galleries, forums, blogs and news, the site should be host to more than another basic PHP page - it'll be a two-way conversation about diversity, the media, and where SJSU students fit into the mix.

Last month, I made this video to promote the upcoming site. It looks like some of my work is finally paying off. Wish me luck before it launches!

Click To Play

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,
MCOM 105,Bob Rucker

Responding to Virginia Tech

Two days after the tragic shooting, the media has begun to respond. Video from the shooting made its way to YouTube, and a flurry of responses blew across the internet.

Here's just a few links to some of the local bloggers who joined the conversation.

Shaminder Dulai: on the media.
Kyle Hansen: on the Daily's response.
Steve Sloan: on what should be done at SJSU.
Caroline Skinner: why it happened.
Richard Sim: on his concerns for the Korean community.
Mike Park: his thoughts on the shooting


Here's Wikipedia's EXCELLENT entry on the event.
and here's the Daily's article on the shooting.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,
Virginia Tech,school shooting

Video Editing Tutorials; Flash Tutorials

First off: yes, I've got the sniffles. I'll be fine.

Second.

Still need help creating videos online? The people that brought us Democracy Player have created a pretty awesome site with tutorials for Macs, PCs and Linux. Check them out and tell me if they were helpful at all.

Third: don't forget to attend STEM's meeting today. Burke Shartsis of Axis Design Studios will be going over the basics of flash - a must have tool for future journalists looking for a leg up on the competition coming out of college.

STEM will be meeting today, as every Wednesday, at the Academic Success Center (formerly Clark Hall) at 4:30 PM in Room 116.

Bring a friend. See everyone there.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,flash,STEM, Axis DS,
Axis Design Studios,
Democracy Player,
Make Internet TV

Learn Flash at SJSU

Next week's STEM meeting will feature an intro into BASIC FLASH. Our guest teacher, Burke Shartsis of Axis Design Studios.

Burke is a bit of a pro at the whole flash thing, but don't worry, we've asked him to go over the basics from the perspective of someone who's never opened the program before.

WHAT: Intro into Flash
WHEN: 4:30 PM, Wednesday, April 18th, 2007
WHERE: The Academic Success Center (formerly Clark Library), Room 116

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,flash,STEM, Axis DS,
Axis Design Studios

Adobe: One Man Design, Editing, and Production Suite

I just got back from a demo of the CS3 suite at Adobe in downtown San Jose. WOW!
While I can't say much, as they had everyone sign a confidentiality agreement, let me just say that the video capabilities built right into the CS3 suite are mind-blowing, as are some of the AJAX inspired plugins for still images.

For the sake of FinalCut's employees, I hope they're sprinting towards integrating their system with everyone else's.

And for all you up and coming journalists out there that are contemplating getting an Avid, FinalCut, or other editing system, I'd advise you hold off for a week or two to check out the capabilities of this new system. The keyphrase of the demo was INTEGRATION.

HINT: If you already know that you're getting CS3 when it comes out, make sure you get the Extended edition of Photoshop. Trust me, you'll love it.

San Jose ,SJSU ,Soapbox Prophet ,Tech ,blog ,,Web 2.0,,Andrew Venegas,New Media, journalism,Andrew,Venegas,vlog,CS3,Adobe