Desert Bound

Pray to the dogs of hot

I’m off to frolic in the desert and put first life on the back burner, so to speak. I’m bringing video gear so I may even try to capture a sliver of the madness. In the meantime, check out the daily video updates over at Current TV.

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Vote for my panel at SXSW 2007

SXSW 2007 The good peeps over at SXSW have a nice interactive proposed panel picker thing up now. I submitted a proposal for a web video panel titled ‘What Does the Future Hold for Video on the Internet?’. Please go vote for me and pick 9 other proposed panels (of a possible 173) that look interesting to you. Mine is under ‘web audio / webvideo’ and looks like this:

What Does the Future Hold for Video on the Internet?
We are on the cusp of a sea change in how video is produced and consumed. Cameras, processing power, bandwidth keep getting cheaper. Broadband is ubiquitous, hosting is free. Editing tools are cheap and easy to use. Can this last? Will a two-tiered Internet emerge and stifle innovation of the past 2 years? Will incumbent big media companies figure out what the Internet generation wants depriving independents from access?

Vote for me and I’ll buy you a beer next time I see you. It’s all about freedom and democracy, just like beer.

Have Money Will Vlog

Have Money Will Vlog

HMWV is a really, really cool project that some of my friends are involved in. It’s a grassroots way for creative vloggers or would-be vloggers to raise money and execute a project they’ve been itching to do. It’s a way to pay for the resources to get the video done by allowing community members (anyone who comes to the site and takes an interest) to buy into the project. A fundraising goal is set and a time period to raise that money is set (usually 30 days). If the goal is reached in time, then the project takes off. So far, HMWV has funded two projects and is on the cusp of funding a third.

This third project is called The Sustainable Route and is the brainchild of Ashley Hodson. Ashley wants to drive around the country and find out from regular people how they are engaging in sustainable practices. This really is awesome because there are a lot of people out there living sustainably in ways that most people have never heard of, much less engaged in.

The questions Ashley asks are “There is a lot to chew on these days when it comes to making simple decisions. Where is our food coming from, how do we get electricity, what is the impact of our lifestyles on the world around us? What are average people, like our selves, doing in their communities to define and work towards ’sustainability’? If you are interested in helping Ashley discover how people are answering these questions for themselves then please donate. She’s 87% of the way to the $2000 goal. I just threw down a Jackson and so should you.

If you have a project you want to get funded, check the HMWV guidelines for more info. This really is the power of the people (on the Internet) to make good shit happen. A little bit from many adds up to a lot.

UPDATE: The Sustainable Route has reached their fundraising goal and will be on the road soon.

Josh Wolf jailed for standing up for my rights

Josh Wolf

My good friend Josh Wolf was jailed yesterday by a federal judge for standing up for the right of a free press, something that is guaranteed by the First Amendment. It all started when Josh filmed a protest around the G8 summit last year and posted part of it up on his blog. The mainstream media saw this and reproduced it for their newscasts without Josh’s permission. So he sent them a bill and got paid.

Then one day the FBI knocks on Josh’s door and asks for the complete unedited version of the tape that Josh has. He refuses and is eventually subpoenaed before a federal grand jury investigating the burning of a SF police car during the protest. Josh is well within his rights as a journalist to not have to give up his source material. In fact, there is a shield law in California that guarantees this. Except that this is a federal case, and the feds don’t believe in shield laws or the First Amendment. The feds claim that since the SFPD gets some federal funding that the police car in question is federal property and it’s burning is a federal crime. This is such ridiculous bullshit I don’t know where to begin. Under normal circumstances, the local police department would and should be investigating this. Since the feds have taken on the case, the normal rules don’t apply. Josh and his lawyers believe this is a witch hunt and that the feds really couldn’t care less about the burning police car. Josh has stated that he has no footage of the burning car incident and even asked the judge to see for himself. He declined.

The bottom line is the video tape is Josh’s property. He should be under no obligation to be compelled to give up this private property. By doing so, all journalists are automatically deputized by the police to collect evidence for them. That’s not Josh’s job nor should it be.

I just donated $100 to Josh’s legal defense fund and I would encourage anyone reading this to give what they can. Josh is one of the nicest and most principled people I know. Not many people will go all the way to the mat on principle. Josh is a rare exception. Unfortunately, we need more rate exceptions as our freedoms slowly erode.

UPDATE:

  • Josh’s own blog is being updated by his mom and has the latest news on his situation
  • Free Josh Wolf blog has been setup
  • Former NY Time’s reporter Judith Miller tried to visit Josh, but was denied (video)

Testicle Festival

Testy Festy Apparently testy festies are all the rage across the heartland.

“A fresh calf testicle tastes like lobster. You never had anything like it. Bull nuts taste like shoe leather. You can have ’em.”

–Bob Zeier, 75 year old cattle rancher

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Presented GETV @ the Apple Store

Eddie @ Meet the VloggersLast Friday, I was one of a handful of videobloggers who presented at a Meet the Vloggers session at the Apple Store in SF organized by Josh Wolf. It went amazingly well, surprisingly. Public speaking isn’t really my bag but I’m finding it’s not hard to talk about GETV. Plus, showing a 5 minute video means I really don’t have to say much. Fellow videoblogger Jason Buckley, the genius behind Washington Interns Gone Bad, put together a highlight video of the session.

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Lunch Inside the 12 Galaxies

I came cross this great little documentary of San Francisco’s favorite notable icon, Frank Chu. Frank was born in 1960, his father is 98 and is still alive, his mom was murdered by the CIA and 12 Galaxies or maybe there was some natural causes. He’s been in and out of jail, the Oakland cops almost murdered him a few times. He starts his routine at 8am downtown everyday and likes to break for lunch at Jack in the Box.