The Ramblings of Some Audio Guy: google

Showing posts with label google. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Erik Weiner Googles Himself. Do You? (Maybe a little COMPLETELY NSFW...)

I've written about Erik before (actor, rapper, writer, voice talent extraordinaire).
He's a pretty fun guy.

This video made me "EL-OH-EL".
It's pretty dirty though, so no watching at work.

Famous Last Nerds (dot) Com

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Google and Creator of ‘Family Guy’ Strike a Deal for Online Distribution of Original Content

New York Times is reporting on Seth Macfarlane's new show 'Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy' which is now set to be distributed solely through Google online.

From NYT:

The innovative part involves the distribution plan. Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for the Family Guy target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

700MHz Auction Starts Today!

Say "goodbye" to TV over the air, and hopefully "hello" to a faster, more competitive, easier to use data environment.
It all depends on who wins this auction, and the FCC will be posting info on their site.
With the USA falling farther and farther behind every other industrialized country in terms of broadband reach AND speed of our network (coupled with the fact that with no true competition in the ISP arena thanks to a collusive market, we pay more for less), it's getting more and more depressing to think that we invented the damn thing (the internet that is ... I know I know CERN and all that other mess... but come on).
This auction could be a watershed moment in the history of telecommunications. It could radically change how we consume data, how we pay for it. It could help spread fast cheap access to even the most disadvantaged or rural.

Or it could get gobbled up by some mega-corp and we'll continue to pay more for less, subsidizing these industries with tax dollars, paying for horrible service, and languishing behind the rest of the world.

I'll push it even farther. This could seal our irrelevance to the rest of the world. There, I said it.

Anywho, check out the auction at the FCC site, and if you really want to learn more about the players involved, and what impact this could have on us Amuricans, Gizmodo had a great write up that you should check out.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Top Ten List NerdGasm! Lifehackers Top Twenty Top Ten Lists!

I'm a SUCKER for Top Ten lists, and Lifehackers Top Twenty Top Ten lists doesn't disappoint!

Whew!
I think I need a cigarette...

Thursday, December 20, 2007

News Sound Bites - Vox in Second Life, Bionic Ears, iTunes add ons, your web security

Vox Daily has an interview with Ari Ross, a trailblazer voice over artist using Second Life as a springboard for his voice over career. It's a pretty interesting read on an example of where this business is going (like everywhere). You might recognize him from the CSI/NY episode about SL.

Engadget's got the scoop on the Carina hearing aid being developed at Envoy Medical. doodoodoodoodoo (lame attempt at writing out the bionic woman ear noise)...

Lifehacker has their list of the 23 best iTunes add ons. Some cool stuff, like album art plugins, automation tools, and digital radio.

Are you paranoid (like I am) about your web security? Me TOO! Good thing Google has these handy videos up on Youtube about protecting your web privacy!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Google to Offer Refunds for their Premium Video Service

Quick follow up to a story I posted last week, Google will be offering refunds to customers that had purchased content through their premium video service.

"We planned to give these users a full refund or more. And because we weren't sure if we had all the correct addresses, latest credit card information, and other billing challenges, we thought offering the refund in the form of Google Checkout credits would entail fewer steps and offer a better user experience. We should have anticipated that some users would see a Checkout credit as nothing more than an extra step of a different (and annoyingly self-serving) kind. Our bad. Here's how we're hoping to fix things:"

This is all well and good, but really I'd still have liked to see some effort made at changing up this business model. I know Google's hands are tied by the studios, but some push into unlocking the DRM would've been nice. I mean, this content will just be gone once it's no longer supported.

I just find it sad that the music industry is just starting to figure out how to make money on audio again, and instead of the movie industry learning from that, we'll all just have to wait while they stumble around for a couple more years...

Read the rest here @ Google's Blog

Monday, August 20, 2007

Google's Video Service Teams up with Seth MacFarlane

Right out of Variety,

I missed this last week as it came out on my B-Day, but apparently MacFarlane will be teaming up with Google to release video content featuring Raven Symone.

"Projects will involve a set of videos for MacFarlane, who will
create about fifty digital shorts centered on non-"Family Guy"
characters, some of whom will recur.
Symone will create how-to content in areas such as cooking and crafts; execs described it "Martha Stewart for teens and tweens.
Videos will be syndicated to sites that fit the creators' demos.
Deal
offers an example of how new media cos and content providers can take
advantage of online-video opportunities while staying within their
areas of expertise.
While portals like Yahoo have begun creating
original content, and traditional entertainment congloms like News
Corp. and NBC are trying to jump into the online syndication biz,
Google-MRC pact allows each party to handle only one side of the
equation."

Pretty cool stuff! I'll have to keep my eye out for it. Sounds like Raven's contribution will be similar to the beta site Videojug.

Story @ Variety

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

This is what happens without Net Neutrality! ISPs to BBC: We will throttle iPlayer unless you pay up

Yeah,
This is no longer academic.
This is no longer theoretical.
Without Net Neutrality the ISP's have been given carte blanche to pretty much black mail anyone they want over bandwidth consumption.
We're only just seeing the beginnings now:

"Network neutrality debates aren't theoretical in the UK, where ISPs have banded together to tell the BBC that its iPlayer TV "catch-up" service will destroy their networks. The choice: be throttled or pay up."

read more | digg story

It made me SO angry watching that Ted Stevens video (where he explains to us proles that the internet is a "series of tubes"), and then watching the FTC cave on Neutrality. A lot of businesses are going to be pissed when their bandwidth bills surge.

Do you like online shopping (at major marketplaces such as Amazon or Ebay)?
Those sites use a lot of Bandwidth.
Do you like streaming movies and music (Youtube, Netflix, iTunes)?
Those sites use TONS of Bandwidth.

All of these services and many more are going to become substantially more expensive unless Neutrality is protected.

Just for a little levity, here's the Ninja's explanation of Net Neutrality:

Monday, August 13, 2007

The need for DRM circumvention | Google selleth then taketh away

Google is pulling their premium video service.
Did you buy anything from them? I had an episode of Macgyver just to check it out.
Well now that's all gone...

Google just demonstrated how completely bizarre and anti-consumer DRM technology can be. Most importantly, by pulling the plug on its service, Google just proved why consumers have to be allowed to circumvent copy controls.

So with no way to get around DRM, we'll forever be perpetually renting our media. Fun!

Should be interesting to see how the Universal Music/Google team up will be since those files will be drm free.

read more | digg story

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Be on the Look Out Aug21! Google and Universal Partner up to Fight iTunes

Just read off of Gizmodo.
Google will be teaming up with Universal Music to offer DRM free tracks at .99 cents. This will undercut iTunes on copy protection free tracks, and will give Universal access to Google's advertising might. Just image Google's adwords linking directly to a song at a buck. This could be the first real competition for iTunes, and will work across ALL music players (including the iPod).
I'm all for MORE competition. KEEP THE PRICES LOW!

Here's Gizmodo's write up.

Here's Forbes' story.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Google plans YouTube "Irrelevance" Launch for September

...or at least that's what the article SHOULD be titled...

Quick write up from Techspot:

"Google’s YouTube is preparing to launch
its long-awaited and much-promised recognition technology “hopefully by
September”, in an effort to stop copyrighted videos from being posted
on the popular video-sharing website, according to YouTube lawyer
Philip Beck."

So apparently copyrighted materials will be "fingerprinted" and content found to be violating copyright will be removed.

While I'm happy that GOOTube is policing itself, I'm still not entirely sure I love this idea. Other similar measures tend to break more content than it protects. Also I'm not entirely sure that the short clips of copyrighted content (especially of TV shows), don't serve to drive more sales of that content. Sort of analogous to the early days of Napster driving sales of CD's (until Metallica started suing their fans).

So what do ya'll think, does this drive Youtube out, or are we happy enough with skateboarding dogs to keep watching?

Here's the Techspot Article.
someaudioguy some audio guy voice over voiceover demo recording production mp3 animation

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Quick follow up to Youtube vs Viacom

Well Techdirt is saying that since Viacom can sue Google for what people put up on Youtube, that content providers should be able to sue Viacom for illegally removing content that doesn't infringe on Viacom copyright.

This is kinda interesting again...

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