Want to annotate any Web page on the Internet? And see other’s comments? Reframeit!, a browser plugin, does the trick. Now let’s see if too much commenting democracy will lead to a hoard of trolls taking over the commons, or if it will reveal intelligent collective wisdom.
DIY Tools
5
Apr 08
Web video gets better
As a media educator one of my big frustrations is that I cannot afford or have access to great documentaries. Thanks to the legions of dedicated media activists out there, though, much of the obscure and out of print is being collectively uploaded to the Internet, apologies in advance to the copyright holders. But hey, you want to get your work seen, que no?
Anyhow, I was alerted to a great new tool which is making my life so much easier and I want to pass that info along to you. Omnisio is a fantastic Web video service that enables you to past together all those movie fragments on YouTube or Google video (BlipTV is also supported) into one continues feed. For my undergrad class I have been stringing together clips so I can view some of these documentaries seamlessly. You can view my channel here, which will grow as I add stuff. Currently I have a documentary on PR and Propaganda, The Century of the Self, and PBS NOW’s treatment of Net Neutrality up.
The only thing I would add is an ability to adjust the width of the embed file. I know it’s possible to do it manually in the embed code, but it’s hard to figure out the correct proportional adjustment for height. If it’s possible to set the width before it generates code, that would be great.
22
Jan 08
A must have resource for citizen media
You can download the guide here.
Global Voices Online » An Introductory Guide to Global Citizen Media:
A change is taking place in how we communicate.
Just ten years ago we all learned about the world around us from newspapers, the television, and radio. Professional journalists would go to faraway places and bring back stories, photographs and videos of the situations they witnessed and the people they met.
Sometimes at dinner we talk about these stories with our friends and family. But ten years ago we rarely, if ever, communicated directly with the journalists themselves. Leading members of society wrote editorials expressing their opinions about various issues, but the rest of us could only share our opinions and thoughts with a small group of friends.
Over the last few years everything has changed. Thanks to new tools like weblogs, it is now possible to easily publish to the Internet. From Turkey to Kenya to Bolivia, everyday people like you and me are starting to share their stories and opinions with the rest of the world.
While this new form of communication is now freely available to anyone, most of the people participating still live in the wealthy neighborhoods of urban cities.
The purpose of this guide is to show that anyone with an internet connection can participate in the emerging global conversation. Our understanding of the world is now shaped not just by the newspapers and television, but also by each other.
19
Dec 07
Against The Stream: Connecting Punk with Buddhism
I have a new article about Dharma Punx up at Reality Sandwich. I have also posted it here.
Against The Stream: Connecting Punk with Buddhism
Was Buddhism the first DIY spiritual path? According to Noah Levine, “Sid” (Siddhartha Gautama AKA Buddha) was history’s earliest punk. He went against the prevailing guruism of his day, eschewing the caste system by inviting women, criminals and the poor into the enlightenment camp. Like punk, Buddhism’s user interface is decidedly personal and open source. Akin to the proverbial Sniffin’ Glue punk dictum—”Here’s a chord, here’s another, now go start a band”—Buddha said, here’s the Dharma, now go get enlightened. Continue reading →
13
Dec 07
Is that a film in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
The Pocket Film Festival is for videos only made with cell phones (click here for the Japanese site). I’m a big fan of utilizing the resources that you have. It’s no longer necessary to make a six digit investment in equipment when your cell phone and a Web site like Jumpcut will allow you to upload your footage and edit online. Then instant distribution. Bingo! There’s no shortage of creativity, but in the online video world there is certainly a lot of noise. I’m glad there’s a festival out there to filter some of this stuff.
PS When talking about new media, Isn’t film a misnomer at this point? And footage?
Technorati Tags: Pocket Film Festival
29
Oct 07
DIY tech revolution in a box
For every insane megalomaniac who makes my stomach churn, there are tenfold amazingly beautiful people who crate projects like NGO in a Box. This is an an open source collection of media tools for any hardworking democrat and rebel fighting tyranny with knowledge and communication. It’s worth visiting the site and exploring more deeply the tools that this little kit offers (you can also download them as well).
What is the Audio/Video Edition of NGO-in-a-box? | Audio/Video Box:
The Audio/Video edition of NGO-in-a-Box is a toolkit that lowers the entry level for NGOs, non-profits and media activists wanting to use audio and video for social change. It is a collection of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) tools, documentation and tutorials that introduce you to the world of FOSS and the low-cost technology that is transforming the balance of forces in the realm of media production.
Technorati Tags: NGO-in-a-box
17
Jul 07
Citizen Journalism as media literacy
H/T to Will for passing on this great post from the Center for Citizen Media. It’s an excellent review of recent trends and has a nice little section on media literacy that focuses on principles rather than techniques. Here is a snip:
Center for Citizen Media: Blog » Blog Archive » Citizen Media: A Progress Report:
* Be skeptical. We need to be skeptical of just about all media. This means not taking or granted the trustworthiness of what we read, see or hear from media of all kinds, whether from traditional news organizations, blogs, online videos or you name it.
* Use an internal “trust meter.” But being skeptical of everything doesn’t mean being equally skeptical of everything. That’s why we need to bring to the modern media the same kinds of parsing we learned in a less complex time when there were only a few primary sources of information. Imagine a credibility scale ranging from plus 10 to minus 10. I give a New York Times or Wall Street Journal article an automatic plus 8 or 9; I don’t assume perfection but I do trust that, in articles by most reporters for those publications, a strong effort went into getting it right. An anonymous comment on a random blog, by contrast, starts at minus 8 or 9; it would have to go a long way to merely have zero credibility.
* Learn media techniques. Younger people are getting pretty good at this already. What I suspect they — and almost everyone else — lacks in this regard is understanding how communications are designed to persuade, and how we can be manipulated. We need to teach ourselves, and our children, about how media work in ways that go far beyond knowing how to take a snapshot with a mobile phone or posting something in a blog.
* Keep reporting. No one with any common sense buys a car solely based on a TV commercial. We do some homework. It’s the kind of research and follow-up that journalists do. So let’s call it reporting. We need to recognize the folly of making any major decision about our lives based on something we read, hear or see — and the need to keep reporting, sometimes in major ways, to ensure that we make good choices.
Technorati Tags: puppy
25
Jun 07
Digital divide simulator
Ever wanted to know what it’s like to drive in the Information Highway’s slow lane? The International Centre for Physics has created one so you can see how it feels to be in the losing spectrum of the digital media revolution. Click on the link below to try it out.
ICTP Digital Divide Simulator:
We have elaborated an on-line simulator with which you can experience browsing the web with low bandwidth and compare it with the bandwidth you are used to. To make use of it select the website you want to test, then select the bandwidth you want to simulate, and click “simulate”. You will be presented with two pages: one at full speed and one at the limited speed. You can then compare the two.”
Technorati Tags: digital divide
17
Apr 07
Deconstruction is fun
Click here to how this ad is deconstructed
Ever wanted to deconstruct an ad but don’t know how? The New Mexico Media Literacy Project has some sample ads with decontructions and instructions to give you a sense of the how to do it. Click here to see the gallery. You can also download my free media literacy handouts here.
Technorati Tags: media literacy, New Mexico Media Literacy Project
5
Apr 07
DIY film festival at home
A novel concept: hold a film festival with your friends.
Who We Are
The Film Connection is a community of film lovers, social activists and lifelong learners who use our non-profit online film library to watch, discuss and act on compelling films from around the globe. An initiative of the global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps, The Film Connection offers a growing library of DVDs that tackle the issues facing the world we live in.
The Film Connection was founded in Seattle, Washington in 2003 by a group of social entrepreneurs who believe in the power of film to effect change. In 2006, it became a part of Mercy Corps, one of the world’s leading humanitarian aid agencies, and relocated to Mercy Corps’ headquarters in Portland, Oregon. The Film Connection lets Mercy Corps engage with thoughtful, active cinema fans across the country; meanwhile, Mercy Corps provides Film Connection members an opportunity to take direct action on a host of important issues. To learn more about Mercy Corps, visit www.mercycorps.org.
Our library consists of hundreds of DVDs, and it’s growing all the time. The films include documentaries, dramas, foreign rarities and American blockbusters. We work to acquire entertaining and compelling films with authentic visions and voices that explore the world and the human condition. Using member recommendations as a starting point, we do our best to provide films that approach a broad range of subject matter from a wide variety of viewpoints.
How It Works
Getting involved with The Film Connection is free and easy:
* Form a film group.
* Sign up.
* Pick the films you wish to see, and we’ll ship them anywhere in the United States.
* Return them in our postage-paid envelopes within three weeks.
Technorati Tags: film connection
16
Mar 07
“Everyone’s library”
CteULike is an interesting self-organized library system for researchers and academics. You can create your own library of documents to share with others or simply find articles that others are referencing. Very cool. And it’s free.
CiteULike: Frequently Asked Questions:
What is CiteULike?
CiteULike is a free service to help academics to share, store, and organise the academic papers they are reading. When you see a paper on the web that interests you, you can click one button and have it added to your personal library. CiteULike automatically extracts the citation details, so there’s no need to type them in yourself. It all works from within your web browser. There’s no need to install any special software.
Because your library is stored on the server, you can access it from any computer. You can share your library with others, and find out who is reading the same papers as you. In turn, this can help you discover literature which is relevant to your field but you may not have known about.
Technorati Tags: CoteULike
