This trip is primarily for personal reasons, but I also will be looking into some interesting networking opportunities as well. I am really happy that I get to play a significant role in a traditional Hindu wedding which will be unforgettable! In January, I will be mostly in Delhi and Raipur visiting family and shopping for the wedding. In February, we move to Rajasthan where the wedding will take place. Last time I was in India, I loved Rajasthan but got terribly ill so I couldn’t really do all that I wanted. This should be great chance to have a re-do. In March, I am planning to visit south India (a place I have never been) and also touring different places I have yet to experience.

A lot of my family is in India and I cannot wait to celebrate life with them. I spent most of Q1 of 2006 in India and am really happy to have the chance to reconnect with my loved ones again. I will be blogging/micro-blogging pretty sparsely as I will be backpacking through some relatively rural places. And yes, I am leaving all of my technology behind [besides my iPod]. The less liabilities the better!

I also am stopping by China on my way home for a week. I really can’t wait to see The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and observe the Chinese culture firsthand. Plus, my family and I are huge tea lovers, so I am really happy that we will get to visit some teashops and taste some great tea.

In any case, I will take lots of pictures and will miss hearing from you all on a daily basis [on Facebook and Twitter.] For those of you that do, continue emailing me and I will try to get back to you when I can.

Happy New Year and see you in Q2!

The Bui’s were a lot of fun to work with and I appreciated their creativity and work ethic. You can check out their blog about our shoot here.

I think they turned out pretty well. Here are a couple that I liked:

I’ll be putting more on my Flickr and please do check out the post on the Bui Brothers website!

With the recent fall of Pownce, it is interesting to note what makes a microblogging service sink or float. Twitter had its fair share of users, but that doesn’t mean that others will be deterred from making what may be the next big thing. For those developers wondering what a user wants and values in a microblogging platform, I have developed a short list of strategies that work with the general tech savvy consumer:

1. Avoid creating a caste system

I have never really understood why someone would want to pay to microblog, blog, social network, etc. The entire basis of the internet is being able to acquire resources for free–so why start charging? It also creates an apparent socioeconomic divide and a clique of people who have more access because they pay the arbitrary fee. It is understandable that developers want to profit off of their creation, but seek more creative avenues to do so.

2. Clean house

Microblogging services have become a huge target for marketers, spammers and the like. Protect your community by eradicating the abusers from the systems. Make your users watchdogs and enable them to play part in defending your microblogging society. Wikipedia has strictly stuck to this model and Twitter seems to have adopted similar protocol.

3. Be known in your community

If you have created this new pearl of social networking, make sure everyone knows it. It is important for users to have a go-to person if something isn’t working right or to send kudos. I like associating Pownce with Daniel or Leah, and Twitter with Biz. Since microblogging engages in a communal stream of consciousness, it is always good to know the people behind the product and who they are. It adds personality, credibility and also seems less Big-Brother-esque!

4. Allow customization

Everyone wants to be a “unique and delicate snowflake” when it comes to their space on the internet. Create tools that aid your users to make their microblogging site feel like home. Though a large percentage of people know their way around HTML, but make sure to create some templates for those that don’t.

5. Learn from history

All microblogging sites have dealt with downfalls of their service. Whether it was the Fail Whale, Admiral Ackbar, or some other cute mascot, things do tend to go technically wrong on a daily basis. Find out what frameworks your favorite sites are built upon and what styles you like and dislike. Before taking risks, read about what others have done and the their community response [i.e. Plurk and the horizontal timeline.] It may seem like common sense, but know what is already out there well and in depth.

The list could go on, but to me these five steps would be a good start for any fledgling microblogging site. 2008 has been a crazy year and I look forward to seeing what 2009 has in store for us nerds wanting to share our thoughts on the new presidency, the latest Star Trek movie, and good old-fashioned gossip.

It’s great to have a blog where I can state my opinions, but it’s even better being able to speak my mind using my voice. This Monday [12/15], I will be returning as a guest contributor on the /FilmCast Live podcast, alongside David Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley.

We will be reviewing the new film, The Day the Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connolly. You can read my blog (below) but the podcast will definitely be more in depth and contain a solid collaborative discussion. There is also a live chat room where you can contribute to the dialogue…or just talk smack about all of us!

You can tune in here at 10PM EST on Monday to hear me rant. I hope to see some familiar faces [er...screenames?] in the chat room. Looking forward to it!

It is clear that there are differences as those mentioned above and the ambiance of the film was also unalike the classic. The music, lighting, use of shadows, focus on performance, and pacing were all elements that stood out in the 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still. Also, a line of dialogue that is synonymous with the Sci-Fi original (which was also uttered in cult favorite Army of Darkness) was omitted from the film. There also was an unnatural focus on the “punk son” character who hinders the progress of the protagonist, a plot tactic that was also used in Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. This focus on family dysfunction is understandable as it reflects the innate goodness or ability to change aspect of human nature, but is overused. Some scenes were similar, including the ranging mechanical shots of the moment when the Earth stood still, and Klaatu’s meeting with Professor Jacob Barnhardt.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) is not a bad science fiction flick, but it does not compare to the classic. Some may see it as intensely relevant as the cosmic policing of Earth’s resource-depleting inhabitants is long overdue. For those of you who have not seen either, I would suggest watching the new one then the old, otherwise it may be hard to appreciate the remake. If you know and love the classic, try to walk into the theater not expecting the thrilling tone of the 50’s version. Since it wasn’t said in the new movie, “Klaatu barada nikto!”

One of the best times to reflect on yourself is at years end or your birthday. Since my birthday is tomorrow, I’ve been thinking a lot about my life this past few months and what really makes me happy. The film Vanilla Sky is on my personal “top 5 favorite movies” list and it poses a simple but poignant question: “What is happiness to you?”

It seems like a fairly easy and basic question, which can yield a complex answer. For some it’s wealth, and a dog; for others it’s having the love of their life, and a Corona. As for me, I know that the well being of my family,friends and self make me happy. It’s also being at the helm of new media production and learning more about the field while growing my expertise. I know that having a special someone can bring joy, but that whole thing is currently on sabbatical.

Right now, I am happy that I have the first part of my happiness–the love and good health of my family and friends. The job market right now is arid and quite honestly, sad. For me and my fellow new media friends, it’s not a very good place to be. As far as relationships, I think I have never been further from finding the right person. In fact, I think I really don’t want that now and it is completely the last thing on my list [I know, jaded much?]

So, as a savvy and (somewhat) wise 24 year old, I can only hope for one thing this year: finding variables I can mold into making me blissfully content. It will take some soul searching, but I hear that is what your 20s is all about. Here’s to another unpredictable [hopefully better] year!

The last day of Pownce will be December 15 and there is a way to import all your notes into Wordpress, Vox or Typepad. I know that Leah will be a great addition to SixApart, and will create some social networking tool that is ever spiffier for all of us. And for all of you Powncers out there, there is always Twitter and Facebook. I know, it’s not the same, but we’ll have to wait for the next big thing. Goodbye Pownce and good luck Leah +team!

For as long as I have been in production, I have been a huge video player geek. One of my MOs at CNET News.com was to get a better video player for the site, because I really felt it affects the viewer experience. You can have video gold, but in a horrid player, it will never get the chance it deserves.

I have seen other sites have great players, like Revision3, Mevio, Hulu, and CNET TV. I also love how everyone is allowing HD uploads, including one of my faves, Vimeo. Let’s hope this upping of the bar at YouTube inspires every video provider to step it up. The only thing I am wondering is if embedding in widescreen is possible. I don’t think you can yet, but would be a great added feature.

In any case, congratulations YouTube on your new super snazzy video player!

Last year, I had a bit of a Black Friday extravaganza, but this year it will probably be more necessity based (hey, I am unemployed!) I am looking for a massive external hard drive, possibly 1 terabyte which will store all my media files. I would like to snag an all-in-one printer, fax, scanner laser color printer, and perhaps a new monitor for my PC. I currently have a Jabra Bluetooth for my cellphone, but will look for an affordable Jawbone. Lastly, some DVDs and thumbdrives that are typically dirt cheap.

I am sure you all will be making the rounds at Best Buy, Frys, Circuit City and other retailers, but there is also the web component where a number of good deals are found. Here are some of my favorite Black Friday sites (in no particular order):

1. Black Friday Ads: Black Friday Ads is a site that I have used extensively in the past. It is one of the most organized sites, with clear navigation and the option to sign-up for the Black Friday newsletter which will email deals to your inbox as they become available. Both electronic and more general items are listed, and the most popular deals are highlighted and starred.

2. Black-Friday.net: This simple blog shows off Black Friday deals in a Wordpress format, and also has categories and store subdivisions. This site includes many retailer ads, a good resource for those of us waking up at 4AM to get those doorbusters!

3.Black Friday @gottadeal.com: blackfriday.gottadeal.com is like a combination of the last two sites. Similar to Black Friday Ads, gottadeal has a newsletter sign-up; like Black-Friday.net is is subdivided by category. They have time line of what to expect on their site as the big day nears and an active forum for gains and gripes.

4. FatWallet.com: FatWallet is a great place to visit anytime you are looking for a deal, but they definitely cater to the Black Friday crowd as well. FatWallet offers an iPhone app to follow BF deals, as well as a Twitter account that everyone should follow. There is also the nice “compare prices” feature that comes in handy when trying to find the best deal.

5. TGI Black Friday: TGI Black Friday captures the spirit of the holiday and provides pictures for a number of the stuff that is on sale. You can make a shopping list by clicking the “add” button, or email it to a friend. There are many tech and non-tech items, as well as discount coupons for popular chains like Macy*s.

Most of the above sites will also continue coverage into Cyber Monday, so check them out again for the stuff you couldn’t acquire on Black Friday. I hope that you all get what you are eying! If anyone sees good deals on external hard drives or printers, please let me know. Happy holiday shopping, readers!

One of the first videos that caught my attention [and is now synonymous with my college experience] was “Milk and Cereal.” It quickly became the anthem of college male roommates across the nation, and a number of different ‘covers’ popped up on YouTube. I saw what I believed was the original in my sophomore year, performed by two UC Berkeley students lip syncing to the song by G. Love and Special Sauce.

My friends and I would listen to the video over and over, and pretty much had it memorized. To this day, when anyone utters the words “milk and cereal” I always want to respond with “cereal and milk, cereal and milk.” The video with the two lovable Asian boys was passed around the campus, especially since they were students at our college. I remember finding out who they were and even friend requesting them on Facebook. How silly is that? Then again, I also am Facebook buds with William Hung since he bangs [and we both bleed blue and gold].

Viral videos were fun, random, and lacked ambition which retrospectively seems refreshing. There were no fakers like Lonely Girl, or complete websites devoted to making ‘funny viral videos’ like College Humor or Funny or Die. YouTube was filled with amateurs, a haven for the new generation of America’s Funniest Home Videos [sans commentary by Bob Saget], not aspiring actors.

My friend Sam showed me a great little time line that shows the internet memes, starting from the 1990s.

Thinking back, what was the first viral video that really struck you? I feel that there are so many great stories here–I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments.