ss_blog_claim=5f03e3e7fa6ca8c951b6fbd30fa71c10 2008 July | Digital Pivot

Monthly archives

Internet of the Future vs. Television of the Future

The stream of digital gadgets, technologies, and ideas explored on this blog make it easy to imagine the new media revolution is here.  It isn’t.  The technology isn’t ready.  When the “old media” of television begins transmitting next year on the digital spectrum, there will be extra transmission space for an ultra-fast wireless Internet.  Digital signals take up less airwave space than analog signals.  So the buffer zone of empty bandwidth that prevents two signals from interfering with each other will grow larger. That means more buffer room between signals for additional transmission.  Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Samsung and others are working…

The Next Generation of Billboards

Kudos to Leo Burnett (Chicago) and McDonald’s.

They have taken flat, boring billboards to the next level. Hopefully, this trio will light a fire under other agencies/ creatives/ media teams to be more innovative with their outdoor billboards.

Figure 1: Sun dial (July 2006)

Figure 2: Fresh Salads (October 2007)

Figure 3: Hatching Egg (July 2008)

FCC Ponders Future of Internet

An unusual and notable event occurs today at Carnegie Mellon University. The entire Federal Communications Commission appears at 4 p.m. at the Pittsburgh university known for film, media and new media studies to hear opinions on the Internet’s future. As a former Washington correspondent, I can attest to how very rare it is for all five FCC members to appear together outside Washington. Expect arguments for universal access, ensuring a choice of providers, protecting free speech and establishing a free market.

Speakers will include small businesses, bloggers, filmmakers, educators and others with a stake in where the Internet is going. Certainly don’t expect the phone and…

Web MD (RT) may take a whole new meaning for the world. A company wants doctors to visit with their patients online to get treatment for their conditions. Check out the video:

Now, as cool as this sounded here are my problems with this set up:

1. The most active (and costly) users of the health care system, at least in most places in the world where access is a guarantee, is the elderly. Think about your grandfather trying to use a cell phone or DVD player, do you really want his health to depend on his technical skills?

2. Doctors can observe…

Since I showed you the bad press…

Here is some of the good press that a social networking site can get:

Of course, you’ll also get coverage if you upgrade as well:

And just when I thought that I understood the media position on social networking. (My current working thesis was OK, for adults, but bad for the kids, another video zinger comes my way.

The addiction scare.

You know, I went and pulled up and DSM-IV (the standard for what psychologists use to diagnose a mental disorder) and I found no mention of an internet addiction at all. So how can you diagnose a Facebook or Myspace…

Social Paranoia

Apparently, CBS thinks you need to be. In and about the last month they have been sending out warning after warning to parents about the ‘hidden dangers’ of these sites.

They have trotted out a new version of the ‘Don’t say too much online’ warning speech for the next generation. Check it out:

It is amazing how they are making it sound like something new. I remember these lectures being give as early as 1997.

If that’s not enough to scare parents, CBS San Francisco is willing to give us the big news that the internet is a business, and that…

A Day In The Second Life

I cannot escape from social media and I must admit, I am not running very fast either. This Presidential campaign season has shown that the internet is now more important than ever when it comes to elections. Barack Obama, part of the first generation to grow up on software, has shown his web chops time and time again. Unlike John McCain, Obama actually uses these social tools and so does his campaign.

This election year, I started to see real political movement and serious campaigning in Second Life. Netroots Nation (previously titled YearlyKos after the political blog, DailyKos.com) is a yearly…

Video For PowerPoint

Everyone who has tried to work with video in PowerPoint know it’s a nightmare. Recently, I had a problem getting a .wmv (Windows Media Video) to play in PowerPoint 2003. I imported the file, clicked the slideshow and could only hear the audio.

You would think a Windows file would play in a Microsoft product, but hey, it is Microsoft. I did find this helpful tip: 

  • Import the original .wmv file in Windows Movie Maker.
  • Drag it to the timeline.
  • Export it back out as a .wmv file again.
  • Import the file into a PowerPoint slide and play the slideshow.

Viola! Weird, but it works! 

Craig Myers is a Multimedia Specialist II with…

When To Have Dedicated User Chatrooms

Having a full time dedicated user chat room can be a good thing, provided you have the people to sustain in. If you have a large group of people who will fill the chat room on a regular basis then it may be worth integrating the features into your site. You can find a lot of free chat room codes, or sites where you can pay a nominal fee to have your own chat room if you want to.

If you only plan on using your chat room for special events or say, once a week, you may be better…

How To List a Podcast in iTunes

So, you want your podcast to be easily accessible to millions of people, well, why not list  it on iTunes? That way people who don’t get their podcasts any other way, and there are quite a few of those, will have access to your broadcast.

Here is your Step - By- Step

1. Get your RSS feed URL, you will have to have it on hand.
2. Open iTunes, or if you don’t have it download it, then open it.
3. Go to the iTunes store.
4. From the pull down genre menu, choose podcasts.
5. Find the ‘Publish a podcast’…