Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category

I won’t be attending Blog World Expo this year, unfortunately. But I still remember the fun I had last year. Part of that fun was going to see the amazing Cirque Du Soleil show, O.

Cirque kindly provided tickets in exchange for mention of the show. I tweeted, posted pictures to my Twitter feed, and captured lots of video and Las Vegas pictures. However, an iPhone gremlin showed up on returning from Las Vegas and all my pictures and videos were lost. Yes, they stayed in Vegas. The two images on this post were stored on TwitPic so I was able to resuscitate them.

I’ve had the opportunity to see some amazing shows in my life but had always wanted to see Cirque. I was a bit of a gymnast/climbing monkey in junior high and have always been fascinated by documentaries on Cirque and its members. The cast’s strength, stamina, and grace is awe inspiring.

The ticket prices was in the $200 range so it’s definitely an investment. But if you’re in Las Vegas and have seeing Cirque on your Bucket List, I definitely recommend watching O at the Bellagio while it’s still available. You won’t be sorry.

In case you’re wondering, you are not supposed to take photos during the show but the performers encouraged it before the curtains opened so I captured the image of the two performers with the inner tube. And, there is a great art gallery at the entrance to the show where photos are prohibited but I didn’t read the sign until after I took and posted this photo below so enjoy!

Kevin Pollak (@kevinPollak on Twitter) made me bust up laughing at how he played the interviewee in this bit..oh, wait, it was really supposed to be an interview?

Alan Weinkrantz (@alanweinkrantz on Twitter) plays the “straight man” in this interview snippet at the 140 Conference in Hollywood. The 140 Conference is a unique collection of Twitter related presenters (“characters”) who present on an eclectic set of topics – everything from online psychics to personal online stories to global social media campaigns by major networks.

You can catch Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show here.

I had a great time, met tons of online friends, and enjoyed this interview.

Do you have any favorite 140 Conference moments?

Apple released the iPhone IOS4 software update late on June 21, 2010. The update took well over an hour to download and then sync up with the iPhone but it was well worth it.

Among the many new features, the new IOS4 update allows for the iPhone to work with wireless Bluetooth keyboards. I took the new feature for a ride and started blogging.

Did you find any other cool features in the IOS4 update? Drop a Comment below and share.

Apple unveiled its new iPhone 4 device today during the WWDC Conference.

The features that made me most giddy as a vlogger and iPhone nut are:

Front Facing Video Camera + LED

The front facing video camera allows for video phone calls, what Apple is calling “FaceTime.” Not the greatest name, but a great feature. Apple also finally added an LED light that works as a flash for photos and as a light for video. Awesome!

Hmm, I have visions of live streaming interviews on the go. Let’s get on it, developers!

Three-Axis Gyroscope

The coupling of the three-axis gyroscope with the accelerometer will lead to amazing new gaming applications. This combination will also help take Augmented Reality to new heights. By combining the two technologies, the iPhone will have six degrees of freedom.

The “Gyroscopes and Accelerometers Compared” video on the InvenSense site does a good job explaining how the gyroscope + accelerometer work together.

These were the two main features that made me swoon.

Which features are you looking forward to? Leave a comment and let’s keep the conversation going.

Related articles:

• Apple Announces iPhone 4 with Retina Display, HD Video Recording, More – MacRumors
• Apple iPhone 4 site, including product highlight video

#Vlogchat was created tonight on Twitter out of the #BlogChat after party on June 6, 2010.

The same thing tends to happen every week just after the official #BlogChat hour – little groups of video bloggers clump together and start talking about video. I suggested we start a #vlogchat hashtag and nine of us did.

If you’re not familiar with Twitter chats, they are conversations between many people that include a common hashtag keyword. In this case the hashtag will be “#vlogchat”. The hashtag allows people to view other hashtagged tweets Twitter Web, Twitter Search or via a third party tool like TweetChat or Tweetdeck.

Why #Vlogchat?

1. YouTube is the number two Web site in the world. Video is having a massive impact on world cultures
2. There are incredible things going on in video technology every day, including captioning
3. Video is an important element for all blogs
4. There’s a natural cross-over for filmmakers who may not think of themselves as bloggers
5. So we can also support each other on YouTube and other video channels
6. Because video is Fun!

When is #Vlogchat?

For now, we’ll have #vlogchat right after #blogchat. #Blogchat starts at 8pm Central time. So #vlogchat will start at 9pm Central time and it will run for one hour.

What’s Next?

I’m still going to be an active participant in #blogchat then will facilitate #vlogchat immediately afterward.

Are you a vlogger? Do you have a suggestion for next week’s #vlogchat? Leave a comment below with your #vlogchat topic suggestion and I’ll tweet out the selected topic next Saturday. I love Comments so don’t hold back!

I purchased the Apple iPad on Opening Day, April 3, 2010, but recently uncovered a rare deleted scene from my unboxing experience.

You can discourage future attempts at humor by leaving a comment here and on YouTube.