Animal cruelty or just plain genius?

I'm going with genius:

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From Ordinary Dad to Martin Scorsese

As a 70s child, I have a good deal of round-edged photos that are stuck in between card board and dirty, wax-ish "stuff" that's supposed to preserve pictures (when in reality all it's doing is sealing those precious memories to the cardboard stronger than superglue ever could).

Every so often, I'll look through those photos and see how hideous the outfits were back in the 70s. If I had a dollar for every out of control collar I wore from the ages of 2-8, I would have been a millionaire.

When I look at the collection, I quickly come to the realization that the collection is more like a bunch of bookmarks from my life, i.e. quality over quantity. I attribute that to two reasons: one, my parents were never ones to carry around a camera; and two, technology wasn't what it is today. Polaroids were the Twitter of photography back then.

That leads me to the point of this post.

From the first poop, to the first time they eat peas, to the first time you take them to Fenway Park or walk them down the isle, today's technology makes it very easy for parents to catalog every bit of their kids lives. You can tell from my arsenal of toys that I've done just that with my two kids (girls, five and two):

• Canon Vixia HF10 (high def, flash-drive based video camera.


• Two Canon 30Ds and a variety of lenses (long, imaged stabilized, prime, wide angle, etc.)


• Canon G9


• Mobile devices: Blackberry Storm and iPhone


• Macbook Pro


• Storage: over two terabytes of storage for family stuff

With all this technology and being able to shoot and record just about every second of my kids lives, there are no excuses to miss a thing. I'm able to stream live to the internet via my iPhone and Blackberry to Qik, which is then sent to Twitter and to Facebook. I can post photos to Flickr, videos to YouTube, create DVDs for the family to watch, etc. I've pretty much cataloged every major, semi-major, funny, unintentional moment that my kids have been a part. I've been sticking some sort of recording device in their face since the time the doctor brought them into this world.

Today's tech gadgets make is SO easy for parents to create, produce and share content. These gadgets turn the least tech saavy dad into the next Martin Scorsese. Aim, shoot, download, post and share. That's pretty much the process (with a few minor technical details in between).

The best part of it all is that I love doing it. Not only am I producing high quality images and high def video, I'm creating a treasure chest of memories that my kids will have for their rest of their lives (less any major computer crashes, drive failures, etc. - back-up is a post for another day).

Will my kids appreciate it when they have families of their own? I hope so because I'm having fun doing it. I just hope that they won't mind five cargo loads of external hard drives dropped off at their door step someday.

Some of my favorite memories:

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How YouTube Helps Expand Music Library

For those of you that know me, you know that my music tastes are as eclectic as the variety of things on sale in the super savers isle at Stop & Shop. Check the iPhone/iPod Touch and you'll find anything from Miles Davis to Kings of Leon to Aerosmith to Extreme (yea, that Extreme).

Thanks to my Twitter buddy @johngonnella, I came across this band today. I have no clue what the heck they are saying, the concept is pretty cool - swing and hip hop.

Dig it.

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Playoffs, Championships and Parades

Spring is here and in Boston, that means sports galore. The Bruins and the Celtics are playoff bound and the Red Sox are in full swing.

Bruins

I have a great feeling about how the Bruins will fare in the playoffs this year. They hit a little funk about a month ago, but have come back with vengeance. The last game against the Habs was more like the Haggler / Hearns fight back in the 80s, not a hockey game. I think it'll be the B's and the Sharks in the finals - the two top teams, beating the crap out of each other for the right to hoist that heavy peice of metal over their shoulders. That would be an instant draw and GREAT marketing opportunity for the NHL as Joe Thorton would make his return to Boston to try and beat the team that traded him away a few years ago.

First test will be those pesky Canadiens. B's in a tough and physical six games.

Celtics

If the Celtics are going to repeat, it's looking like their road to another parade might start against Philly and finish in LA (with a pretty good detour in Cleveland). Both LA and the Cavs are playing great ball. The Magic are a threat in the East, but I just don't think they are physical enough to stick with the C's in seven. I do worry about KG's knee and the depth of this team that's taken a hit because of injuries. Then again, Doc might just be holding the walking wounded back so that they come back in full force come playoff time.

Red Sox
It's way to early to talk about the Red Sox because I'm focused on the C's and B's. However, I was able to snatch a couple of opening day monster seats. That experience alone got me thinking about when baseball really kicks in for me, which is about after the NHL and NBA playoffs (once our teams have been eliminated or won). I will mention one thing about the Sox that's ticked me off so far...starting pitching? All the starters look like AAA pitchers, with the exception of Beckett who pitched a gem on opening day but then earned a six-game suspension by throwing at Bobby Abreu's head in his last start.

Championships
Speaking of playoffs and championships, I have to tip my cap to the Boston Unviersity Terriers. It hurts to say that as I'm a Northeastern University Husky, but their dramatic overtime win in the men's hockey national championship was quite a thrill to watch. It also helps knowing that the Huskies were beat by the national champion. (I still owe @jimrattray a 12 of Magic Hat #9s via a Bean Pot bet).

Maybe, just maybe, the Terriers are kicking off parade season in Boston.

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How to avoid being a new media DB

Am I am new media DB?



Hope not. I hope I'm creating content that people WANT to read instead of just pumping out content to gain more followers on Twitter.

What's truth telling about this video is the fact that it's pretty much dead on with about 85% of the new media "experts" out there. Lots of talk. Lots of tagging. Lots of posting. Lots and lots of lots of stuff. Volume, volume and more volume. Those actually something of relevance to you or your company are the ones to pay attention to. Then again, not all content speaks to everyone and as such, not all new media "experts" are "experts" in the eyes of all.

So what does all this mean? Why all the double talk? Well, most of what I read comes across as double talk. This isn't brain surgery here people. Simply find relevance for your content and read people that provide relevance to you. That's how you avoid being a new media DB. Provide value to SOMEONE (preferably groups of people) and you should avoid being labeled as such. Read more!

BB Storm takes bite out of Apple

Funny video, but not reality. Trust me. I know. I have both devices.

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YouTube Friday: Social Activism Marketing

Thinking about doing a "YouTube Friday" schtick as they say. Of course, the first one will be a little self serving - professionally - but that's ok. If you're a fan of Friday Night Lights, the music track over this video will stick in your head for days. Trust me.

Without further ado, here's the foundation of MS&L's Social Activism Marketing offering:



Another video mention during our launch event was this one:



Have you seen Don't Divorce Us?



One of the biggest lessons learned last night for those in attendance was that at the very least, use video in your social media efforts. It's a very powerful tool with little to no investment needed. Read more!

iPhone icon Manipulation via iTunes

Too bad this is just a concept, but it TOTALLY makes sense to be able to manipulate your iPhone icons through iTunes.

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Parents, Video Cameras and Social Media

As I was plowing through my podcasts this morning, I came across CNet's Buzz Report. For those of you that don't know about this podcast, it's basically a quick recap of all the latest and greatest tech news - gadgets, social media, software, rumors, etc.

The piece of interweb they said was clogging up the tubes recently was this video:



This is a prime example of why video cameras are a parent's best friend. Kids are always doing some funny things. In this case, it's a bit different because the dad knew the kid was going to come out of the dentist pretty loopy.

However, once you post a video like that to YouTube, you're bound to get a slew of remixes:













I could keep posting these videos because there are a slew of them. This one takes the cake though...at least for originality.

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How New Years Looks Like With Kids

When you have kids, New Years isn't a drag out, bang 'em up, type of an affair. The adults drink within reason (most of us) and the kids struggle to stay awake (some of the parents fall into that category too).

As for my kids, they were going strong. Here's the evidence.

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Happy New Year, sings Jordan

Jordan was rockin' the mic last night during our New Years Festivities. I think I might have her try out for American Idol (sorry for the poor vid quality):

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Holiday Pageant

Today was my oldests' holiday pageant. Days like this that make you feel like time does fly by. I remember taking her home from the hospital. Now I'm like all the other dads and moms shooting tons of video and taking a zillion pictures. Just imagine the library of content my kids will have when THEY have kids. What's would you say is the over/under on content? I'm putting it at 5 Terabytes and am going with the over.

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Bill Simmons and I finally agree

This isn't a crap on Bill Simmons post, but really a post about how I agree with him finally, specifically about The Killers new album:

I don't want to say The Killers are going in the wrong direction, but their third album made their second album sound like a cross between "Born in the USA" and "Nevermind" ... and I'm currently using the second album's CD as a coaster for ginger ale.

I couldn't agree with you more Bill. Why don't you try this album out for size?



Yes, I know, I have issues with this album. I can't get it out of my iPod rotation. Read more!

Obama Weekly Address, Dec. 6, 2008

I enjoying watching President Elect Obama's weekly address...on YouTube.

How strange is to say those two words in the same sentence - President-Elect and YouTube?

Obama's use of social media is a case study in the making. Twenty-five years from now when weekly addresses via web 10.0 are the norm, we'll be looking back at Obama's ground-breaking strategy to use every communication channel he can to get his message out there.

This week he hits on critical issues like the economy, technology in the classroom, infrastructure and healthcare - all issues that no matter what side of the isle you are on, you can resonate with.

He talks about the importance of upgrading all schools in this country so they are state-of-the-art. Now, I know that's a very tall task, but imagine an infusion in cash that rebuilds all schools in your city/town? There would no longer be a battle by parents to get their kids in to the best looking schools from a brick and mortar perspective (though what's happening inside is probably more important). However, Obama also talks about putting the best technology in the classroom possible. I couldn't agree more. He states that in order for our kids to be competitive in this global marketplace, they are going to be tech-saavy - and when I say they, I mean everyone - not just privileged kids.

Watch the video. It's short and to the point. Not that I want to fast forward time, but I am looking forward to seeing how this man will impact our country and, in turn, history.

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Need a job? Check with your peeps...PeopleAhead

I have a friend of mine who launched a job search firm called PeopleAhead. They have their typical start-up pains, i.e. no budget for a blow-out marketing/PR campaign like some of their bigger competitors. However, they are doing things the way it should be done in today's overcrowded, consumer-minded media landscape and that is diving head first into the social media scene. They are launching some very creative videos to promote their business via YouTube.

Here's one clip that I thought worked well:



Check out their YouTube page and heck, if you're looking for a gig in this crappy economy, why not let PeopleAhead find you a gig. Read more!

Freaky, just plain freaky

Freaky, just plain freaky.

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#80 on the field, #1 in your hearts

Seems as if Troy Brown, one of the most loved Pats in recent years, will be retiring finally. The guy was an incredible asset for us and contributed to the rise of the dynasty. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the game Troy. Can't wait to see you on TV, analyzing your peers.

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Red Sox and DRays all tied up

So here we are, middle of September and the Red Sox have caught up to the once running away with it Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This has GOT TO piss some people off - especially those Boston haters. Did you watch Kazmir last night? He looked more like Matt Clement.

I think the Sox will sweep the Rays down at the Trop during this trip and totally embarrass them in the process of taking over the lead in the AL East. It will be demoralizing for this young club and I'm going to love every minute of it. It could only get better if the DRays were the Yankees.

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Re-post: The Creative Process

I posted a little something about this over at the PR Finish Line, but I had to re-post it here for my other blog readers who might not follow me over at the other site.

If you've ever worked for an agency, hired an agency or worked on a creative project before, you'll appreciate this YouTube video.

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Why Red Sox fans are hated

We all know that Sox fans are passionate. Sometimes, however, there are fans that do things or in this case, create things, that make us normal Sox fans look like morons.



Now, seriously, why not just post something to a blog that talks about your passion for the team. Why make a stupid rap video - which sucks by the way - to get your point across?

This is an example of how social media can be a bad thing. Lots of stupid content is created because of boredom. That's how I'm filing this one, under boredom. Read more!