Perceptions... Part 3

And right after this, I promise to move on to other things... like the state of the economy or somethin'.

Neither of which, to be quite honest, will ever be quite as distressing to many of us as this was...


::I assure you::

But yeah, we all see things so differently. So many, many variations on the same theme... even though I may have already expressed that thought... as in, perhaps, ad nauseum?

So here are a couple of things that we can probably ALL see the same way on. Even if what we're seeing isn't really what we're seeing. But still, since we think we're seeing it... it still kinda works.

*click for the better illusion*








Somehow, in a funny sort of way, this makes sense to me.

Anyway...Best Blog on the subject so far. IMHO.


Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Perceptions... Part 2

We all see things differently. And generally the way we see them first sticks out in our minds as the only way to see them. But then, sometimes, if we can just let our minds relax and look a little closer, the other way becomes a bit clearer.

Here are a couple of other examples you’ve probably seen before… and so have most likely already trained yourself to see them both ways.

An initial view of something is usually more difficult to compromise.

So that’s what I’m working on now.

The reason for writing this blog is a bit puzzling to me in the first place, because my initial reaction was like.. Yeah, ok… so let’s get on with it.

I thought it would probably take about a day or two for everyone to get over it and then all would all just have some big collective “Yeah, ok” too.

I was really wrong.

There are two parts to this Part Two. The first being the ability to try and understand opposing viewpoints and the second being what caused me to see it my way in the first place. I’ll start with the second one first…

I remember that day during college when my, at the time, bf told me he was gay. I was shocked. Completely! Gay people didn’t even walk the streets. Did they? Didn’t they all just hoard out together in some sort den of iniquity somewhere or something? Keep in mind, this was in the early 70’s. But anyway, despite it all, we still (somehow) ended up remaining really good friends…

It wasn’t long after that that I met another bf, who btw soon became my bff and still is to this day. (haha, you know who you are and I know you are lurking) Anyway, this time I didn’t feel a great need to ask.

Fast forward and with major [snips]… being in collegiate and then professional theatre for years brought me some of the greatest friendships I have ever known. Not to be stereotypical about the profession or anything, but face it, it is rather abundant in there. Still, many of them were women, some of them were straight men (in fact I even ended up marrying one, or two)… but the majority of the friends I've had in my life have been gay.

So during those weeks of watching Clay on Idol (long before I’d ever known about message boards or before I began diluting my mind with delusions and other perceptions) I just pretty much took it as fact. I was completely comfortable. Didn't think much more about it. He was to me, simply awesome! That was all. And it was more than enough.

“Rolling Stone” sealed the deal for me in regards to his candidness. His self-assurity. The b&w picture of gah!.. But I did have to read that one sentence over and over again to be completely sure he’d said what I thought he’d said.

But then… I started “Googling” and came across the LBFCA (Lecherous Broads For Clay Aiken) and it was then that I think my initial perceptions shut down and my pheromones kicked in.

My delusions continued for about a year or so… and then little “things” started making me scratch my head. Even though I kept reverting back to that dang R.S…

And then I remembered how hindsight is 20/20. All of these men who I was bf’s with back in the day, hadn't always been completely convinced of it at the time. There were a lot of struggles with the concept as I remember. I mean, they probably totally knew they “were” looking back, but at the same time sometimes struggling somehow to be “not.” I also lived through a seven year relationship which proves to me this epiphany could be valid. As well, I have had the very mixed blessing of witnessing the tremendous freeing that occurs with final realization and acceptance. More than once.

And so, though I haven’t spoken of it much to anyone but my closest and newest friends, I have been feeling fairly comfortable with this possibility for a few years now. But have also been sensing a true holding back from him. For me, I just had this sensation that something wasn't quite real. That there was something he wasn’t quite saying. But it didn’t seem to be within my right to know what that was. So I continued to focus on the beautiful voice, the snarky wit, the wise-beyond-years soul and the awesome humanitarian. And well, that just still totally worked for me.

But then when I saw those headlines, my heart about burst. For him.

Do I wish it weren't true? Yes, sort of. But that’s only because of my own selfish perception of my own perfect world… The one in which I would have lots and lots of his babies with him. The normal way… haha (but omg, I’m SO far past that possibility!... even WAY long before this past week's news flash.)

And I just can't make myself believe any intentional lies were involved... But of course, then again, that's just me.

If I'd had a different life experience... I might not be writing this. I'm not sure where I'd be. It's possible that I never would have found him to begin with. And that's a thought I don't even want to think about.


And I know I probably could have found more appropriate pictorial examples to illustrate my points …

Still... to me, one of the most ironic things is that he seems even more like the lion now.

As for the second part…

I think the first part was probably enough.


Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Perceptions... Part 1

It’s been a really interesting week in the Clay Nation…

And now that my retinas have been utterly burned and rendered useless by the 7,000 posts I’ve just read over at the official fan site… well let’s just say how very glad I am that one doesn’t need one's eyesight to type. (I love that little raised thingamabopper they always put on the keyboard F & J keys…)

The posts have pretty much run the gamut of A – Z in regards to emotions and opinions, with several finding comfort (or discomfort) zones at the very opposite extremes. But of course there have also been the many voices of reason... with one of the very gentlest being the voice of Clay.

I would love so much to be able to quote his post here, but that’s not within my rights. However, the gist of it was that we should all try to keep an open mind in regards to the many differing opinions and how he knew this would be very, very difficult for some. That we were allowed to say anything we wanted to about him, but that we should more continue to support each other. He also said that as much as he appreciates the intentions… we do not need to defend him. He’ll be okay.

So, why is all of this just breaking my heart? I truly feel it should be a cause for celebration. He’s still the same person he’s always been... except for probably a little happier... eventually. Nothing else at all has changed. Not for me. So I’m confused. I didn’t realize this would merit an upheaval of such great magnitude.

Here are a couple of things I posted on the day the ‘big’ announcement… So just for memrie's sake.

I felt socked in the gut for about 5 seconds, just because that FONT was so big, but then I just felt such a tremendous sense of relief for him. The timing is about as perfect as it could ever get... with the support of his cast right now. And thank God it would all just be over and done with. It just completely makes sense. So much lead up to this...[snip]

Anyway, I really don't know what to say! But whatever it would be... it would be positive.

Gawd, I'm just really happy for him right now. Can't explain it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I know I just posted... But also, just had an epiphany.

I have about 150 comments on my YouTube account which include the word Gayken. So I'm hoping that maybe they will cease and desist a bit now.

Wasn't it he who said "They can’t laugh at you if you laugh at yourself first... blah blah blah." Could somebody help me out with that quote? I'm too lazy right now to dig to the bottom of my tupperware box. It's in "Learning To Sing" I think.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I am just hugely relieved that he finally did this. I think it was about 3 years ago when I just felt that this was the authentic Clay, but I didn't know if I'd live long enough to see him to finally take the step. I think having his precious little baby boy probably sealed the deal for him. I'll bet he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

I don't think I've ever loved him as much as I do right now. The way I look at it, is that when he came off of Idol, he was a "green" nobody from Raleigh who suddenly got thrust onto the national stage with no preparation for how to deal with the media, etc. He probably was given "advice" about how to field certain questions but didn't think about the long-term ramifications of his chosen words. I’m sure he's regretted some of the things he's said over the years in interviews and wishes he could go back and rephrase them a bit. Which I'm sure we've all wished we could do at some point time. In a perfect world…

We just all see things SO differently… It doesn't mean anyone's wrong. Not at all.

Next up… My own E-True Story. hahaha


Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Windows...

That's all I got for now.


Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken

I Wish I'd Known...

This story starts with a little walk down 44th Street on a rather drizzly night. I'd just finished seeing Spam for the third time and me and some friends had met up with my BFF who still lives in Manhattan and we were just running over to her apartment for a while to catch up on some quality time and a little QVC... And somehow the question came up, "So, have you ever seen the movie Billy Elliot?" Out of the blue. Just like that.

"Huh, wuzzit, who?" I asked.

"You're a dancer... and you've never seen it? Seriously? Well you just HAVE to! You'll love it! Trust me!" she said.

Well, that was like six months ago and for some reason it's continued to haunt my mind because of that little dig and everytime I pass a video store I think... "oh gawd, I probably should just rent the dang movie, just so that I can tell her I did."

So yesterday I finally caved... It cost me a about a buck fifty plus tax.

Wow!

Anyway, I'll just let you meander through these videos that I found on YouTube. Luckily, you can pretty much find just about anything these days on YouTube...

Billy Elliot ~ The 2000 film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daltry ~ Movie Trailor


Billy's Dance...


A scene from the West End theatre production 2006:


"Electricity" performed by Elton John:


Billy Elliot ~ Opens on Broadway October 1st 2008!!!

I SO Wish I'd Known! If you get my drift. And some of you probably do...


Technorati tags:
Billy Elliot, Spamalot

Spam... Reheated!

Ok... so I have to admit that I'm a wee bit upset with myself for not making plans to be there tonight. And why do I always do this? Wait too long to move on things! I mean, I thought I was marginally ok with the idea of just logging onto the message boards and getting tonight's scoop. But now, it is such a beautiful night here where I am and I'll bet even a more beautiful night in New York City. On 44th Street in particular.

And then he blogged... on tonight of all nights. Saying that he was FOREVER, FOREVER in love with us!... and then farted in our general direction. And sigh, I guess you just have to kind of understand Clay to realize how he probably thought that would be endearing... And ok, I guess it kind of was in a Clay sort of way. Because I think he knows that we will always love him FOREVER, FOREVER too. Regardless of pretty much anything else... or whichever way the wind blows.

As for the latest contest... The one about him wanting one of us to write his bio? I'm also a little behind on that as well, since today was the deadline. I at least started one though, and it went sort of something like this...

Clay Aiken's talent of turning his feet around has finally paid off... Because he's headed back to Broadway! Best known to the world for his American Idol fame he is also a multi-platinum recording artist with albums such as "Measure of A Man", "Merry Christmas With Love", "A Thousand Different Ways", and "On My Way Here." To his fans, however, the measure of the man (ahem) at times exceeds his many professional accomplishments.

As a U.N.I.C.E.F. Ambassador and advocate for children with special needs and disabilities, Clay spends a good deal of time... away from blogging on his fan site. But we're all cool with it... because when he DOES blog we're all like *SaWOON* and it makes all of the long and endless periods of silence so totally worth it!

Oh yes, and Also, as a much accomplished author, he co-authored the book "Learning To Sing - Hearing The Music In Your Life" which not only gave his fans a huge insight to young Clay but also provided them with a bunch of new yummy recipes. I tried one out last Thanksgiving, but I obviously don't have that southern "touch."

And he's also been on pretty much every TV show imaginable,except "Sex And The City."

As well, Clay loves to issue challenges. Haha, like these. And he knows we'll always at least attempt them, even if we don't always make the deadlines... Remember The Christmas one? I didn't submit it. And there've been a whole lot more of them too.

Anyway, welcome back Clay! We've missed you! And dontcha know there's gonna be a whole new edge to those poopy pants parts this time around?

Yeah, for sure I'm not gonna submit that one either...
Break A Leg Clay!




Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken,
Spamalot

A Contraddiction?... Maybe.

And I'm not sure which one of them would be the most... baffled, perplexed, bothered/bewildered... Mortified?... or just plain "squicked out" by this association. Me? Well I completely get them both. But I guess I'm just a diversified kind of gal... And well, I guess you probably couldn't get much more diversified with your addictions if you tried.Anyway, hopefully neither one of them will ever see this...

Nic Sheff... Beautiful Boy. I can SO understand his father's pain and all he must have gone through to help bring him back to the living. He really was a beautiful boy! Still is. Alive and well... getting better.

Yet he struggles... And he talks about those struggles on his blog daily (long since removed). And I've somehow found myself addicted. To him? His story? His writing? I'm not sure.

But I adore his honesty. I'm so proud of him and bow to his courageous and raw ramblings.

And then there's Clay Aiken...

Who I would still follow to the ends of the earth if I had to. And I kind of HAVE, I mean if Houston counts...

The voice of an angel, UNICEF Ambassador, Advocate for Children with Special Needs, perfect son, indispensable friend, wonderful father, magnet to millions, funny as h*ll, as good as it gets. But who has also been known to be a bit reckless and irresponsible in his day as well. He just doesn't like to talk about it.

So why do I always fall for the bad boys?..

But seriously. There's really nothing at all that I can find to explain why I would be so riveted by two such opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet I am. They both move me. They are both brilliant communicators. With really big hearts. Both on this very earth... at this very time... and each doing his best in his own way. It's just that one of them really likes to blog and the other one really...doesn't.

Clay returns to Spamalot on September 19th!

Nic continues with his writing and recovery.

While I just keep looking forward to incredible things...


Technorati tags:
Nic Sheff, Clay Aiken, Tweak, Spamalot

The Ubiquity of YouTube...

Sounds Funny... What Is It?

Well, unless you’ve been entombed or something over the past couple of years you’ve probably heard of it… Headquartered in San Bruno, CA, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Silicone Valley, YouTube is that wee little, I mean, massively popular and dominant Kleenex brand of the video sharing community. It is also one of the most trafficked sites on the web.

Why Is It So Popular?

I’m not completely sure, but a “Google” of its name will yield you about 1,100,000,000 possible explanations…

With its extremely easy to use interface being available in 18 languages and its endless supply of weird, cool, inspiring and at times even educational content, it is positioned pretty much smack center of the new phenomenon referred to as the Web 2.0 Generation of Technology (the creative and sharing branch of the Web.) Unregistered users can watch every video on the site and a registered account allows a user to participate in all of the many interactive and social networking functions available, as well as upload any work of their own as if he or she was a television producer. (But we’ll get into more about that later…)

In line with the whole reality TV era, users can jump at the chance to share their every little thought, idea or creation with the entire world at only the click of a “submit.” One would be hard pressed to find a topic or public figure lacking an associated video on YouTube. Hobbies, newly developed products or services, expertise, events, clips of one’s family, friends or pets and well… a whole lot of other stuff that I’d probably better not to get into right now...

But best of all, it’s absolutely FREE. That is, except for all those minutes it may cost you at your computer, when you really ought to being doing something else… But who doesn’t have 60 seconds to watch a seven-year old play an amazing piano rendition of… The Minute Waltz? Although the September 11, 2001 home captured video might take you a bit longer.

And then, of course, there’s the unobtrusive advertising, which is also a huge plus for many (but we’ll get into more about that later as well.)

Technical Info (which is probably why we’re here I guess…)

Uploaded using formats such as .wmv, .avi, .mov or .mpg, videos are then converted to Adobe Flash, the standard format supported by most browsers and which can typically be viewed by anyone without having to download any specific software.

Its functions allow users to post text or video responses, subscribe to their favorite videographers, receive automatic content feeds and even embed videos on their own site.

YouTube’s original format made it possible to only view videos on a standard PC or Mac, but recent codecs and applications have now made them available for viewing on Apple TV, iPhone and iPod as well as on many 3G mobile devices.

A recent feature also allows videos to be viewed in High Quality Format. A user has the opportunity to select the “always show me higher quality when available” option from their video settings located in their account tab. YouTube determines which videos are capable of being upgraded based on the standard of the original upload.

There’s a ton more technical information out there which could be discussed, but with only four pages allotted, I better get moving…

Its Founders and Early History

YouTube was founded in a garage in San Mateo, CA by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley; then 27; current CEO, Steve Chen; then 26; current CTO and Jawed Karim; a past advisor who’s recently returned to grad school to pursue his Masters in Computer Science.

Chad: Raised in southeast Pennsylvania, the middle child of a financial consultant and a school teacher, this slightly introverted kid found his artistic interests colliding with technology and business. In ninth grade he won third place in a national electronics competition for building his own amplifier. The hours on-line during his college years dappling in web design, animation and gaming still allowed him to earn a degree in graphic design in 1999. “Computer science was just too technical and mechanical for him” says his dad. Shortly after graduation he landed an interview with a new company called PayPal and after demonstrating his skills by designing a company logo was hired as the company’s first designer. The PayPal logo remains to this day.

Steve: Born in Taipai, he moved to the States with his family when he was a toddler. After completing four years of High School at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (a state funded boarding school) he moved on to the respected Computer Science program at the University of Illinois Urbana, however left a semester and a half before graduating. A secured position at PayPal was the catalyst, where he soon became known as the person who could find the shortest yet cleverest route from point A to B.

Things picked up further for the two of them,along with their co-worker Karim during times on the job when they would kick back and kick around ideas.

There seems to be some debate over Karim’s involvement in the project though both Chad and Steve agree that much of the original goal stemmed from his idea to create a video version of the brutal singles site HOTorNOT.com. He felt it was an incredible pioneer of a website where anyone could upload content that everyone else could view. The idea was eventually debunked for being too narrow and it moved on to the broader spectrum of allowing people to share videos for on-line auctions of anything. But it seems the project really took seed after Chad and Steve had problems with the logistics of sharing a video on-line of footage taken at a dinner party one night at Steve’s San Francisco apartment.

Fast Forward

On February 15, 2005 the domain name www.YouTube.com was legally registered.

On April 23, 2005 the first “official" video was posted on the site when our friend Jawed shared his commentary Me At The Zoo.

In May the official public beta was launched with the promise to give away one free iPod Nano to one particularly noteworthy upload every day until the end of the year.

It was around this time that a slight scuttle occurred when users inadvertently shut down the website of a company called Universal Tube and Roll Form Equipment (http://www.UTube.com) unsure of the spelling of the name. That company has long since changed its URL…

And after that, the site just pretty much took off as a free-for-all as the founders could do little more than sit back and watch. Until October when the site hosted a video that would prove to become a huge copyright issue and one of the first of many brought to light. A CNN “Crossfire” segment with Jon Stewart received millions of views before it was finally taken down. But not before Sequoia Capital realized the potential goldmine in user numbers and invested $3.5 million to the cause.

By year end and with only a staff 20 employees, viewers were watching 25,000,000 videos per day and uploading 20,000. As bandwidth costs approached $1,000,000 per month, which was more than what was consumed by the entire Internet in 2000, Sequoia Capital came to the rescue once again with another $8,000,000.

Second Year

On April 6th 2006 comedian Judson Laipply uploaded what would soon become YouTube’s “Most Watched Video,”
Evolution of Dance. To date this video has been viewed 95,326,047 times and retained the title until July of 2008 when Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend tipped the scales. This due, some say, to Avril’s fans setting up automatic refresher pages to game the system. Who knew that 14 year old girls could be so savvy? But I digress.

May of that year brought an even greater upsurge in popularity even surpassing daily views on CNN.com and outpacing MySpace. And in July its daily unique hits reached 100,000,000 with roughly 65,000 videos being uploaded every 24 hours. This is equivalent to approximately 10 hours of video footage being uploaded every single minute.

Google Purchase

The announcement came within only hours of YouTube unveiling three separate agreements made with media companies countering threats of copyright infringement lawsuits, but still Google bought in, and for only a mere $1.65 billion dollars. On October 9, 2006 co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen announced the buyout via, what you would expect, a home video.

Despite its huge user base, YouTube still remains an unprofitable startup even though the price was by far the most expensive purchase made by Google in it’s eight year history. Yet it was probably cause for Google to celebrate when two months later Time Magazine named YouTube the “Invention of the Year” as well as naming “You… Yes You!” the Person of the Year in recognition of the importance of user driven sites such as YouTube.

How Does YouTube Make Money?

It doesn’t. Right now, they say, it’s still more about building a community. Don’t expect me to understand that, I’m not a “Business Model” scholar, just a humble Graphic Design student doing this project for a required course.

The founders made a decision early on to not force viewers to sit through pre-roll advertisements and so far they have held firm to their commitment, which seems to have proved to be an element setting YouTube apart from its competitors. As of now there is little advertising on the site or at least not enough to be annoying. The video in the top right section IS, although it doesn’t always seem like one. It feels less like a commercial and more like a piece of entertaining content created for the viewers or more recently innovative contests as in the ones I’m about to share.

Chevrolet recently had a success story after asking users to create their own Chevy ads and placing them on YouTube, Chevrolet received over 4 million hits above normal on it’s home site.

Crest did the same thing.

Similarly, Sprint Nextel Corp invited young filmmakers to “sell out” their families by “shamelessly plugging” the Samsung Instinct into their next home movie. For this they paid $20 to the first chosen 1000 and $10,000 to a grand prize winner. And they didn’t even have to own the phone! The Sprint website offered a tool that would allow entrants to embed the image directly into their video.

Then there’s the 2006 clip that appears to be a home video showing a famous soccer star practicing his moves. But close-ups of the Nike Gold Shoes have now been marketed to viewers 24,624,517 times.

YouTube is also looking into major strategies for advertising with the creation of independent “channels” where official sources can sell their products, wherein YouTube then cashes in from the company’s purchase of the channel. Meanwhile, the public retains the privilege of watching all their favorite clips pre-roll-ads free.

According to one article, if even 10% of the annual $54 billion spent annually on TV advertising is directed towards viral marketing in the next few years, the $1.65 billion Google paid for it may end up feeling more like pocket change. It really could end up being a win-win situation for everybody right? Maybe…

The Larger Issue; Copyright (this could be it’s own research paper)

YouTube’s biggest liability is and always has been it’s seeming inability to control the content uploaded to the site. It’s slogan, “Broadcast Yourself” seems almost laughable at times since a huge part of the site’s popularity stems from users being able to re-broadcast videos on other sites and even more ironically, broadcasting material that doesn’t legally belong to them.

Copyright infringement is an issue of mammoth proportion. The site doesn’t prescreen uploads due to the insurmountable task, and because of that they are frequently criticized for not being more proactive in the enforcement of copyright laws. The site still remains an unmediated free-for all.

“Lazy Sunday,” a music video featuring Saturday Night Live cast members Chris Parnell and Any Samburg and which aired in the month the site went live was uploaded and then very shortly removed by NBC, but not before being viewed and forwarded millions of times. If you do a search for Lazy Sunday it’s not too difficult to find the remake of the acclaimed video which, though featuring unknown performers, is so close to the original that you might think it was the real deal. Perhaps many of the 709,780 folks who’ve viewed it DID.

In the spring of 2008, Viacom demanded $1 billion in damages claiming more than 150,000 clips of their unauthorized videos had been viewed an astounding number of times, including their documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” They also felt they were within their rights to be supplied with data regarding those users video habits in order to “compare the attractiveness” of videos that infringe upon content copyrights vs. those that don’t. Privacy advocates nipped that one in the bud but not before questioning why Google would retain all that information in the first place. (But that’s yet another paper…)

And big companies such as Viacom are not the only ones feeling incensed. In August 2006, an independent photographer sued YouTube for distributing his footage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Still, YouTube insists that it goes well beyond its legal obligations, leaning on the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which states that a company classified as an “On-Line Service Provider” retains safe harbor for simply transmitting information over the Internet and only needs to respond properly to a content owners claims of infringement. And YouTube delivers.

A copyright holder, or in fact any user at all, can issue a report of infringement directly on the site and a video will be taken down immediately, at least for review.

It also limits video lengths to 10 minutes to deter users from uploading television episodes.

As well, it has recently employed a back end tool from Audible Magic which allows a copyright owner to “digitally fingerprint” their material , thus preventing any duplicate “fingerprint” to be uploaded to the site to begin with.

And finally, though they feel that the rules regarding copyright are clearly posted some users don’t always realize that the content they are uploading is infringing. So an “educational” text is now sent to the user as well as being posted at the site of the removed video which has proven to sharply reduce the number of infringing videos being uploaded.

But face it, if all of the forbidden is removed, will the site still remain as attractive to the public? Not to mention, what would they do with all the material which is enhanced by copyrighted music, photographs or video clips. I mean, this brilliant and innovative offering of Where The Hell Is Matt? wouldn’t be nearly as joyful or inspiring without its soundtrack. Don't forget to view this one in High Quality...

On the other hand, what about the challenge for advertisers having their ads placed alongside infringing videos? I guess figuring all this out is the reason Google makes the big bucks.

Meanwhile, the executives of YouTube continue to strike deals with such companies as NBC, CBS, Warner, Universal Music Group and Sony to legitimately share their content on the site, in exchange for a portion of its advertising revenue.

Its Future

That will all depend upon YouTube’s ability to increase profits while at the same time decreasing liability. That is by convincing the major media as well as advertising executives of the huge benefits of connecting with the growing number of people who spend the majority of their free time on the Internet.

Will YouTube, as it continues to grow, become as important to the sharing of information as perhaps television and radio did back in their day? With the difference being in that the uncanny amount of information being shared in video clips is able to be accessed on demand. Any time of the day, 24/7. And all that is required to view them is an internet connection and a bit of an interest in just about anything.

According to Alexa, YouTube remains the 3rd most popular website.

Final Note

Although I realize that this may have not been the most “technological” subject I could have chosen I do have a great interest in multimedia and I found this research very fascinating. And besides, if I should ever find motivation enough to ever want to build my own computer or set up my own home network, it’s really good to know that I will always be able to find any of those step by step instructions on YouTube…

Resources:
Associated Press. “Google Buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion.” MSNBC 10 October 2006

Bangeman, Eric. “YouTube’s Future (or lack thereof). ARS Technica 3 October 2006

Boutin, Paul. “A Video History of YouTube.” Slate 18 October 2006

Cloud, John. “The Gurus of YouTube.” Time in Partnership with CNN 16 December 2006

Coyle, Jake. “Users Wonder About The Future of YouTube.” MSNBC 11 October 2006

Fisher, Ken. “YouTube and the Copyright Cops Safe For Now.” ARS Technica 16 July 2006

Holahan, Catherine. “YouTube’s New Deep Pockets.” Business Week 10 October 2006

Neumeister, Larry. “Viacom Alleges YouTube Copyright Infringement.” USAToday 27 May 2008

Press. “NBC to Test YouTube Copyright Monitoring.” Marketing VOX 24 April 2007

Robertson, Mark. “History and Detailed Overview of Google’s YouTube Video Sharing.” Ezine Articles 29 September 2007

Teeling, Erin. “YouTube:Show Me The Money!” The Bivings Report 19 September 2006

UCLA Online Institute for Cyberspace Law and Policy – The Digital Millenium Copyright Act

Vijayan, Jaikumar. “Privacy Advocates Question Google’s YouTube Monitoring.” Network World 7 July 2008

Wikipedia.

YouTube.

Whew!

Submitted for CO 110 on 8/12/2008

Technorati tags:
Youtube, History, Trivia

Parker Foster Aiken!

I know.

I know!.. Legitimately I shouldn't be sharing the exact words from a membership only site. But they just came in as being so honest and direct from his lips, as opposed to all the skewed and spewed ones from the Pooparazzi. So I just can't allow myself to feel guilty.

But okay... second thoughts...

From Clay...

Welcome To Our World!

Hello All...

I know it's been a while. I'm sure you know, it's been a (blank) summer. Sorry we haven't (blanked) in so long. But, I'm sure you know... I hate putting the (blank) before the (blank). Not my way to tempt (blank). But I wanted to stop by, if only for a (blank), so you could be the first folks I (blanked). HE'S HERE!

My dear (blank), Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken (No hyphens. One first name. One middle name. One... last... name.)

Parker was born at a hospital in (blank) just this morning at 8:08 AM. Wow... 8:08 ..08/08/08

Weighed in at (blank) lbs (blank) oz and measured (blank) inches

The little man is healthy, happy, and as (blanked) as his daddy. Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also.

The Aiken family, the Foster family, and the Parker family are all (blanked)!

We'll share more at some point in the future.

(Blanks)... to you all!
C

*sighs* and apologies... As this beloved auntie has still not been sent any (blank) pictures of him to share at this point...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Jaymes Foster, Baby Parker

A Wedding...

Not sure I was ready for this...

Because the door to D's bedroom has been closed for over a year now. She adores her kitties to bits but at the same time has such terrible allergies around them. So I like to try to keep her room as dander-free as possible whenever she's away.

But anyway, I opened the door to her room today just to peek in... and it still smells like her! Clean... and with no scent of kitty at all... *sigh*

Anyway... On the bright side!

She and Jon looked SO happy! They were married on July 18th. Just one week ago last night.

It came as a bit of a surprise to ALL of us, but they managed to pull it off beautifully!



I'll wait until we get the rest of the pictures before making a montage.*g*

And here are a few more. They include the engagement pictures (even though I didn't realize they even WERE at the time), pics from the shower that Whit gave her the week before, and the wedding itself.

And of course, it wouldn't be a proper wedding without a proper wedding song...

Apologies for all of the motorcycle and baby sounds in the background...

I Will Be Here


Clay Content?: Um...

Technorati tags:
I Will Be Here, Wedding Songs

Dancing 'round The World...

Ok, so I needed something to fill in the gap between now and the time that I get back from my daughter's wedding sometime next week... when I'll put up all the wonderful pictures and the montage of their wedding OF COURSE...

But in the meantime, I couldn't think of anything better to ease the stress or to put a smile on my face... In fact, I may call on this one when I need it for a long time to come!

Hope it makes you laugh, cry and smile as much as it did me!


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Clay content?: He can dance with that very same unabandoned bliss when he wants to... and also, I think he's been to a couple of those countries.

Beautiful Boy...

In 1980, David Sheff, on behalf of Playboy Magazine, conducted the very last significant interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This blog has nothing to do with that. Except that it somehow does.

I'm sure at that time he never imagined that 25 years later he'd be writting a memoir entitled "Beautiful Boy... A Father's Journey Thru His Son's Meth Addiction."

I know. This was totally not a book I would have ever expected to pick up off the shelf on my own. It was just one of those things where Amazon gives you one of those sci-fi heads up that if you enjoyed "that" book you might enjoy "this" one? And so I just went with it.


First of all, I'm not a book critic. I wish I had that talent. All I know is that I know what touches me. And this one touched me big time. Have you ever read one of those books that when you finish just keeps you longing for more? I so much needed to know the "end" of this story and yet, as I assessed while reading it, there IS no end to this story. And since I am so behind the times I discovered that it took me only a tiny bit of researching to find that his son, Nic had written an account of his own.

And so I read Tweak... Growing Up On Methamphetamines In fact I read it twice and I'm not sure why I have been so drawn in by this family's struggles or even more by their eventual coming to terms. I can't explain it. All I know is that these two books coupled together empowered me somehow and left me with so much more capacity for the understanding of self awareness and forgiveness.

I read the dad's book first and I would suggest doing it in that order, but who knows? Seeing both sides of this unbelievably heartbreaking story was most powerful... though I probably wouldn't recommend it to the squeamish. But then again...

There is no lack of information out there regarding these books. Just google David Sheff, Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy or Tweak.

And if after reading the books, you feel a need to learn more, here are two more in-depth interviews with David and Nic. They will both move you and startle you and yet leave you with so much more understanding. Or at least they did me.

Memoirs of Meth Addiction From A Father and Son

A Son's Addiction, A Father's Agony


Nic at nine...


A few years later...

Clay content?:.. Well, I guess all I can say about that is that with all this time off I've somehow gotten back to reading. But also rumor has it that he's soon to have a beautiful boy of his own...


Technorati tags:
David Sheff, Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy, Tweak

CANstruction...

Every year Fifth Third Bank of West Michigan (my employer) sponsors a food drive. But it's so much more than that! We get together on different teams and 'canstruct' things out of non-perishable food and household items that we afterwards donate. And we have a lot of fun in the process! Even more than you can imagine!

This year we provided ACCESS of West Michigan over 8,000 lbs. of food benefiting seven different food pantries. The judges for this year's competition included Catherine Behrendt from WZZM-13 Marsha DeHollander of ACCESS of West Michigan among other's from Fifth Third's management team. We were on WZZM's nightly news but I think the link was only good for a week...



This years trophy winners are as follows:

Gold:

Withdraw Hunger was constructed with a whole lot of boxes of mac & cheese and vegetable cans and a dozen jars of peanut butter. The display surprised some who thought it was a "real" ATM! A PowerPoint presentation depicting the dire situation in our inner city ran on a loop.



That was MY team. *g*



Silver:

Just Another Day In Paradise complete with coconut flavored marshmellows hanging from the palm trees and jumping starkist tuna...

Bronze:

Carting Away Hunger - Love the baby made out of packages of pinto beans...


Other Mentions:


Strike Out Against Hunger



Every Second Counts


Buying A Home: $300,000
Building A Home: $250,000
Feeding A Home: Priceless
(The Mortgage Department)



Torch Hunger



Food Pantry



You Can Be A Lifesaver




Pot of Hope


And from 2007:

Gold:

Imagine Life Without Hunger

Silver:

Shine A Light On Hunger

Bronze:

Solving The Hunger Puzzle (My Team)



Why Should Anyone Go Hungry?




Self Explanatory




Clay content?... Well, Clay, me and the ATM have somewhat of a history...

It's Father's Day... again.

I guess I'd have to say that I really never knew my father much, nor did he know me.

Although when I was about ten I distinctly remember submitting an entry for the "Father of the Year" contest at school and I also distinctly remember him being there for the awards... or maybe he was just picking me up. But then that would have been mom...

My dad passed away in 1994 and we were luckily able to spend some time together near the end but at that point, though I know he wanted to, I think he was just too weak to be able to come up with the right words by then. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a "bad" father and in fact he was a very good man, he just wasn't there very much... except for maybe holidays. But he always had a good joke to tell... Unfortunately I don't remember any of them. He loved to take us out to dinner... and always to the very best restaurants. And later when I was on my own he'd call on occassion and want to make up for time lost, but unfortunately I was usually right in the middle of putting a baby to bed.

I KNOW he loved me, and I loved him too. In fact, until I was about 10 I believed he ruled the planets. (See first paragraph) I just don't think he realized how quickly the planets turn. Hopefully the place he's at now has internet because I would love to be able to tell him "I love you dad" again. And I wouldn't even necessarily need for him to answer me back because I know that he does. In truth, he said the words to me plenty.

Meanwhile, Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers in my life!

My Own... who loved me and my sisters with everything he knew how.

David... who has always loved us unconditionally even though we weren't his own.

Brad... who, in spite of it all, is still hands down the best dad ever.

Aaron... who rivals the above and who's love of being a father moves me to tears sometimes.

Rohn... who raised son above.

Ackkk... this has gotten to be WAY all too schmoopy and sentimental!

Please enjoy this "Father's Day" entry on my other blog Schnoogles

Clay content?... If it be true, I believe he'll make an awesome one.


Technorati tags:
Fathers, Father's Day, Clay Aiken

a...5...6...7...8..!!!

I just needed to post this... because if I don't do it now I probably never will. It's been 25 years already.



A Chorus Line... Broadway's longest running show!... (oh wait, that was the first one) will close it's doors on August 17th.

Please don't get me wrong, this is NOT a case of sour grapes. NOT a case of wishing I could still be back there looking as fit, skinny and gorgeous as all of those youngin's up there and doing it all over again. And not wishing at ALL that it had never been revisited. Because seriously... if it hadn't been, just think of the generation that would never have had the opportunity to see Michael Bennett's incredible masterpiece. Because, trust me, the movie didn't count.

I never made it to see it this time around. I wanted to, and tried when I was in New York this past April, but they wouldn't sell me a standing room ticket unless the entire show was sold out, which it wasn't.

I feel really bad saying this...

But, from those I've heard from and whose opinions I trust, they've all pretty much said the same thing... which was that there was something... lacking. Even though I can't imagine it lacking anything... in remembering back to the night I first saw it in May of 1976, before it had even moved to Broadway. At the time I was moved beyond anything I had ever previously experienced. And I wasn't alone.

It must take alot to win every Tony award imaginable and then continue on to be the longest running show ever. Whew... I was just so relieved not to have been all alone in all my fangirliness. Never dreamed, but hoped, that I would someday be a part of it.

Someday... maybe?... later?... we'll see.

So what's the deal? Dunno. Perhaps it speaks volumes about allowing some things to rest in peace. As if some things should just not attempt re-creation. There are other shows which have fared quite well as revivals but perhaps this particular one just surfaced at the right time and in the right place back then. Even though the show was dedicated to "anyone who has ever danced in a chorus or marched in step... anywhere", so it seems it should have remained relevant. But remember, this was back in the day when those stuck in those roles were pretty much destined to remain there forever.

I don't think it's any coincidence that since that time, chorus dancers have become more ambiguous... and that pretty much anyone with a decent amount of talent and wherewithall can now become a star. Those anomolies no longer strike us with the same consternation they used to. And I think Michael, unknowingly, somehow and singlehandedly paved the way for that...

And that's why I don't think this show should have reimmursed. It was all about timing. A one time deal. As if it should be a moot point.


But to continue...

I still don't think that my life would have ever been quite as complete if I'd have had to remain forever on the outside looking in on this one... never having had this incredible experience. I remember singing and dancing all those songs to myself in the mirror for ages. And still, never really... believing I'd ever really be a part of it. And so this next part is mostly for me. Just in order to keep things organized in my mind and all... and of course simply to remember.

I wrote this once. A Simple Twist of Fate....back in the day when all I pretty much knew was how to dance... and didn't know a THING about resizing pictures.

And then after that there was pretty much nothing else to show for it, except for a couple of black and white glossies like this one...

And this one...



Remember, that this was 1979-1983... and right on the threshold of the video age. So unfortunately, I just missed it. But there was ONE professional video taken that I somehow lucked into...



I guess my personal sadness is that the age of technology just came too late. And though I'm not whining for myself neccessarily, this blurry capture of the orignial cast in the Opening Number just does NOT do it justice! It was just so incredible to see it first hand back in the day, especially with my 23 year old eyesight! Still, I'm so grateful to have it now! It was special. Very.


That's not me in front, in the lavender leotard, even though I look alot like Trish which is what everybody always said... which is also pretty much the reason I probably got the part... Oh well.

Anyway, thanks Whit for finally capturing this next one, even though I didn't know you were doing it at the time... You weren't even born when I danced it originally...

Keep in mind that my knees are now completely shot and my flexibility hammered. Not to mention I am now 53 years old and I was attempting to do it in a kitchen between a fridge and a table...and a high chair. So please be kind. But I still surprised myself. It was fun. And my kids are so cute!



Though I can't EVEN remember the tap combination...



Clay content?: Well, I'm pretty sure he could never have learned that tap combination to begin with...

The Longest Line...


...*sigh*


Technorati tags:
A Chorus Line

Sessions. Don't I Wish...

Forgive my seemingly lack of ability to "embed" these at the moment... But I am just too busy, tired and spent to try and figure it out right now.

Here are 5 songs from Clay's latest album "On My Way Here" performed live for AOL's "Sessions."

Enjoy!

After the break...

*** In cases where the original video no longer exists I've done my best to provide a decent substitution... :)

On My Way Here

Ashes

Something About Us

Where I Draw the Line

The Real Me

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, On My Way Here

I Cannot Tell A Lie...

I really, really, really enjoyed these guys... each in their own way. Today reminded me of a Saturday in May of 2003. Downloading... downloading.... downloading.

I will more than likely tuck this away into my "discreet boyfriends" file very shortly. But in the meantime... please enjoy, enjoy, enjoy as much as I have!

David Cook

David Archuleta

Jason Castro

I truly hope each one of them soars!

Technorati tags:
David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro