Empowering and humane, cubicles seemed to create a workplace with a soul.

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It's been a few days and here's what you've missed...

@michellej oooh, muxtape. I'm going to play with that tonight. 11:27 AM March 25, 2008 from twitterrific in reply to michellej

GOOD Magazine made a muxtape: http://goodblog.muxtape.com/ 10:09 PM March 25, 2008 from twhirl

and, my muxtape. All 2008 releases, none of which I've talked about anywhere yet - http://misterjt.muxtape.com/ 10:48 PM March 25, 2008 from twhirl

Alright, the muxtape is updated. It's a Gray Sky Saturday Kinda Mixology - http://misterjt.muxtape.com/ - And now, we escape the APT. about 17 hours ago from twhirl

finally digging into iLike. The instant playlist thing is the only thing that's a killer app so far. Everything else I get from last.fm. about 12 hours ago from twhirl

It's like the Casey Kasem American Top 40 version of last.fm. Lots and lots of poppy myspace kids driving the music charts there. A little different from the UK/indie heavy focus of my favorite website.

spent the afternoon with Dick Sherman. Feeling inspired and Mickey Mouse Proud: http://www.theboysdoc.com/ 05:06 PM March 26, 2008 from twitterrific

Wednesday was one of the best work days I've had in a while. I spent the afternoon in the Old Animation Building listening to half of the duo that came up with It's A Small World and all of Mary Poppins and nearly a thousand other Disney songs. He told us Walt stories and about what it was like to work at Disney in the 60s and also shared insights into teamwork and relationships and creativity and having a positive view of the world. As he said, "The other way is too easy."

Of course, I ate it up.

@tiffanybbrown I'm naturally an introvert, too, and people are shocked to hear that. 06:35 PM March 26, 2008 from web in reply to tiffanybbrown

my bumper sticker of the day: introverts do it one on one. 06:43 PM March 26, 2008 from twitterrific

@gillianr I'm INTP 06:44 PM March 26, 2008 from twitterrific in reply to gillianr

and, if you ever want to shrink me, this is kind of perfect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik... 06:45 PM March 26, 2008 from twitterrific

I like to know stuff. I'm generally convinced I know more than you do. I don't hold that against you. Also, I'm too busy trying to know more to call you on the phone or put away these dishes.

That's me in a nutshell.

a funny thing happened on the way to book reading in the great outdoors, planet bboy and hurry curry in old pasadena. Double bonus. about 13 hours ago from twhirl

Undercover Black Man wrote about the film earlier in the week and there was a discussion about it last weekend during the Poketo revelry. It's worth the hype. The stories of the b-boys are emotional (there's a whole mess of daddy issues). The transformational power of hip hop and breakdancing in the global community is inspiring to watch. Oh, and the dance moves are sick. Someone on twitter asked why there was this rash of dance shows on TV these days and I think this movie distills why. Dancers don't make any money. They put their bodies through extreme training all for one reason -- they love it. They can't imagine doing anything else. When they are dancing, they put their souls on display. In those moments of sweat and movement, they know for sure that they are alive. How can you not watch that and feel just a little bit of the same?

I nearly broke into an uprock while walking out of the theatre. True story.

Also, some other independent films to remember to go see:
Young@Heart
Jellyfish
Red Belt

Video chat is the business. Now to get a bunch of stuff electronically powered done in the next 53 minutes so I can read/nap at earth hour. about 12 hours ago from twhirl

time to light some candles and power down some ish. about 12 hours ago from twhirl

whilst walking my 'hood during earth hour, was reminded that my orthodox neighbors are earth hour compliant every shabbat for a full day. about 10 hours ago from twhirl

my earth hour compliance? I powered down/unplugged everything except for tivo. I read for 8 minutes and walked for 52. Did use iPod on walk. about 10 hours ago from twhirl

post earth hour? microwave, printer, heaters and fans will stay unplugged until needed. about 10 hours ago from twhirl

Earth Hour was last night. It provided some good perspective about our role in keeping this a sustainable planet. I point out that going an hour without electricity isn't really a very big deal not to put a smack down on those participating but to remind myself that the hour itself is symbolic. No matter how many of us participated, we saved no real measurable energy. And, while we can do our part to be green as individuals, the real change comes when we're serious about changing our mass consumption - the ways our food is produced, the ways we travel, how and where we construct our buildings.

But, you know, that's way too heavy to think about, man. It's easier to just be a feel-good green shopper.

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Here Come The 123s (with Bonus Tracks and Video) - Amazon.com Exclusive [CD/DVD]

They Might Be Giants

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Michelle's Consuming Louisville post about her local radio station's UGC photo promotion prompted a pretty impassioned response from me in her comments so I figured the topic deserved a longer treatise from me here. I should be working right now but the Holidays have already captured my brain.

And I will open this with a caveat - while what I'm going to discuss is informed by my work at the mouse nothing I'm going to say is specific to any of our current, past, or future projects.

For the purposes of this conversation, let's consider UGC this - copy, images, and video created and submitted by website guests who do not have a formal relationship, state of employment, or contract with said website or it's parent company.

Professionally generated content in this conversation is material sold to or produced in partnership with a website or it's parent company. It can also be content that passes the "professional" smell test and/or has it's own brand. UGC content is 99% of what gets posted to youtube. The other 1% like Epic-fu and Tiki Bar TV is PGC.

Understand this about Traditional Entertainment Mainstream Media Companies and UGC promotions: for them, user-generated content is almost never about the content.

Let me write that again: for them, user-generated content is almost never about the content.

MSM gets much more value from professionally generated content. It's extendable, distributable, licensable, and has tried and true copyright agreements around it. In the online space, professionally generated content is thought of the same way. Professional content makers that are selling their existing products or producing in partnership with MSM websites bring with them their own cache - built-in audience, expertise in the online content model, and the level of creativity and "professionalism" that is the equivalent of their television or movie content creation counterparts.

So, what does MSM get out of user-generated content promotions? If they are smart, they are getting what good UGC models provide - a dedicated and invested audience, increased page views, increased time spent on the site, a committed community to market to and sell advertising against, and, lastly, interesting enough content that passive users like to see (although probably not pay for). MSM is not looking for professional work to come in from professionals through UGC promotions and, in fact, have to protect themselves against those kinds of submissions in their disclaimers and terms of use.

A fan or hobbyist wants to participate. A professional wants to get paid. UGC is for that first audience and explicitly not for the second.

Also, realize that in the online space, it's cheaper to get professional content, particularly copy and photos. UGC promotions/applications are expensive to create and manage. Professionally generated content has set costs. I can buy one photo from a pro for what? $50, $500, $5000? How much does it cost me to sort through and manage complicated usage rights for 5,000 user-submitted photos? 50,000? 500,000? And for how long?

If I'm MSM and I want pro content, I'll hire a pro. It's quicker, costs less, and doesn't come with huge legal hurdles.

Understand this as a person who creates content, you don't get to be both. You either are an amateur or you're a pro. If you're a pro, copyright your material, protect your intellectual and creative property, determine your own rules about distribution. I post my pictures to flickr under a creative commons license that pretty much marks me as a hobbyist. You can take my pictures and do what you will with them as long as I get credited. If, at some point in my life, I decide to become a professional, I would change my license and probably limit the amount of work I have available online for free. I'd understand, though, that my material from before I considered myself a pro, is probably open season.

I don't post my writing anywhere without a prior agreement about that work. I don't consider writing a hobby. I've been paid for my writing, hired for my writing, speak about my writing. It's professional work. I give it to you for free here. I'd fight it's appearance elsewhere tooth and nail if I thought it was without permission (this gets a little hinky with RSS feeds but that's for another day).

As I said on Michelle's post, don't look for a MSM company or website to protect your rights. They are far too busy (and scared) protecting their own.

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If you’ve watched Live before, you know the top of the show is usually the most entertaining. That’s the part called “Host Chat”, when Regis and Kelly tell you the news, their opinions, and their crazy lives. Well, now if you miss that part of the show, it’s being streamed online. Not too many syndicated shows stream their content online. I’ve been told it’s usually due to contracts with affiliates. It’s nice to see those walls finally coming down.

- Live with Regis and Kelly streaming online, Lost Remote, 07.17.07

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At least my former employer doesn't:

Amp’d Mobile has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to statement released by the company. In the release, Amp’d writes: “As a result of our rapid growth, our back-end infrastructure was unable to keep up with customer demand. We are taking this step as a necessary and responsible action to sustain and strengthen our momentum in the market place.” Engadget isn’t buying the, well, strange excuse: “…since when does growth and consumer interest in an MVNO’s service equal business-rattling financial problems?” 24/7 Wall Street writes: “That may be the oddest excuse for a Chapter 11 filing ever spoken.” Amp’d has 200,000 subscribers and MocoNews points out that the company owes creditors $100 million.

I worked for Amp'd for about 4 months creating a now defunct social network called blognet. I actually think that amp'd has a very cool service. The quality of the video is amazing and it was one of the best phone interfaces I've ever seen. That said, I never believed before they launched, while I was working there, or after I left, that Americans used phones in the way this business model requires. I live in LA where everyone has a cell phone and is on it all the time. On it talking. And, more recently, on it texting. I never, ever, see anyone using their phone to watch video. No one shows me video they've downloaded to their phone. Oh sure, they show me their kid and pet and cutesy cat photos and videos (that they've taken themselves) but nobody ever shows me that music video they bought or that UFC fight they are streaming live.

And, specific to Amp'd, I've never seen anyone walking around with an Amp'd phone. I've seen Helio (don't call it a phone) devices a lot more in recent months (nerds are all over that Ocean joint which does, I must admit, look hella cool) but not a soul has an amp'd phone and I spend a hell of a lot of time with early adopters.

Maybe Amp'd will get it together and come around...I'm still just not convinced.

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The digital side of Disney is starting to bring in some serious revenue. The Walt Disney Internet Group says it will hit $1.5 billion in revenue for 2006 driven largely by ecommerce ($800 million) such as travel and merchandise. WDIG President Steven Wadsworth says the company is pursuing a range of revenue models, yet the overall strategy is to use free, ad-supported content to lure consumers into subscription deals.

- Disney Internet expects $1.5 billion in revenue, Lost Remote, 05.25.07

I've got a replay of the webcast here.

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I'm in my favorite coffee shop. This woman is about to perform. She just walked in. She's wearing some crazy next level Uggs but I'm trying not to judge.

It's been awhile, dear VOXers. Here's my world right now:

1. Everything's Broken! - Earthlink DSL in my apartment isn't working. My car has an electrical short somewhere. My iPod is starting to show the telltale signs of a slow descent into notworkingness. My cell phone's mini-usb port broke (which is making me strongly consider the iPhone sooner rather than later but I don't want to switch to Cingular/AT&T). Electronics are conspiring against me.

2. I work @ work - For the first time in my career (in my life, really), I have more to do than I have time to do it in. I've always been a fast worker. As a kid, it was important for me to finish tests first and to do my homework before I got home from school. I like free time. I like a leisurely pace and space to let my mind wander. Right now, I work 11-12 hour days with barely a free moment. I don't get to VOX. I don't get to keep up on feeds. I'm always well behind on my personal emails. I'm going to have to hire a housekeeper to keep my place in order. I almost feel like I need a personal assistant to take care of my personal life. I really do enjoy my job right now but damn. By the way - Disney Mix Central, Live with Regis and Kelly, Disney Rewards just to URL a few.

3. I'm Broke - Well, broke is relative but you would think that with my recent title change and merit increase, I'd be rolling in the dough. Not yet. With car bills and unexpected payouts and Jet Blue screwing me over, my dollars are not long right now. I'm the poorest well paid man you ever did see.

4. Screw You Jet Blue - So, remember when Jet Blue stranded Baratunde and a cast of thousands in February? Well, I was supposed to fly to NYC that weekend. My flight (and all flights from BUR to JFK) got cancelled on my departure date. A few days later, Jet Blue issued their customer bill of rights and also announced that everyone with a cancelled flight during those crazy 4 or 5 days (beginning on February 15th, the day I was supposed to fly) could collect a full refund up until some day in May. Unfortunately, over the last two months, every time I tried to call JetBlue they were experiencing extremely high volume and I couldn't get through to collect my refund. Today, I was able. The customer care guy was rude to me immediately: "You were supposed to fly two months ago and you're just asking for your refund now?" Yes.  "May I ask why?"  Because your customer care has sucked every time I called over the last two months. "Well, I dont' think we can give you a refund. We will give you a credit and charge you a $30 cancellation fee." But you cancelled the flight. "No, the computer says it was delayed an hour and then arrived late by an hour." But you website said all flights out of BUR to JFK that day were cancelled. "That's not what it says now and tell me again why you've waited so long?" Because your own customer care policy says I can, Douche Bag. "We can only give you the credit." Fine. But that'll be the last time I fly with you, buck-o.

5. I'm Going to be in the Bay Area next weekend - Friday night to Sunday night. Holla at your boy if you want to hang out. I'm trying to pack everybody in. I suspect I'll be out partying and getting arrested with rowdy social justice chicks Saturday night but otherwise my schedule is clear. Oh, help me put together a bay area playlist for the week to get me appropriately amped. I've got my e-40 and Too $hort and MC Hammer (Don't hate, Gwen) standards but what else is poppin' off in the Bay-eezy?

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1. It takes three times the time to get to work by bus than car. I drive here in under 10 minutes, taking the orange line (which includes walking to Chandler and Laurel, walking from Lankershim and Chandler to Lankershim and Magnolia and bus waiting time) is about 30.
2. I should wear tennis shoes instead of loafers. Loafers should go in my backpack just like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl. I don't think, however, that I will be wearing velcro Reeboks and puffy socks.
3. I also shouldn't forget to bring my work ID.
4. Interesting people of note at the bus stop: the cute girl with the sparkly pants and military cap reading some Ken Follett and the drunk looking guitarist who strummed and yelped at inconsistent intervals and looked like he smelled bad. He didn't get on the bus with us.
5. Best thing about taking the bus: Getting 10 pages into Love Is A Mix Tape which is already funny, sad and thoroughly engaging. I'm going to blow through the book. I'm also going to finally listen to my last.fm recommendations and give Pavement a try. And make a mix tape to do chores by which will include lots of songs with familiar lyrics that I can belt out. I'm guessing Louis Prima will hold position #1 in some form or fashion. When I'm dusting, I like to sing out, sister.
   

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Yesterday was a beast but today? Today is going to be my...

Lucky Day

Faith Evans

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