Merton (pianochatimprov), Ben Folds & Chatroulette

While I don't enjoy going on chatroulette, I find it infinitely fascinating, especially when someone finds such a creative way to use it. So when I first heard about Merton (known as pianochatimprov on YouTube) I was very impressed. He has a great way of entertaining people and making funny songs in the process. He set up his piano and a camera, hopped on chatroulette and had some fun. And fortunately for us recorded it. I doubt he really expected the viral nature of what he was posting (his video is currently around 4.5 million views.)

That's where popular singer songwriter Ben Folds comes into the mix. He apparently saw the video and quite like the idea. So at a concert of 2,000 people in Charlotte NC he did the same. Set up with a jumbo video screen and a laptop, Folds improvised songs for each new chatter that popped up in the style of Merton.

Some are speculating that Merton is Ben Folds, but Merton asserts he is not Folds. Blogger Bex Schwartz messaged Merton, and he denied the connection. You can see that exchange here. I also grabbed this picture from Merton's page where he denies it again. Either way, it's a cool way to use chatroulette, and quite funny.

Swimming With The Jellyfishes

So I visited the Tennessee Aquarium over winter break and I really like the jellyfish exhibit, definitely worth checking out if you find yourself in Chattanooga. There's just something about jellyfish that is kind of mesmerizing to me, I really dig them. Any way enjoy the video.

Also if you like the song, please check out the band. They're called 20 Riverside, they make great music and they just recorded their first studio album which will coming out soon. For More info on 20 Riverside check out their Myspace or Reverbnation

Pivot: Interact With Data

So the way we view the Internet currently works ok, but if you're looking for information you can really only view one page at a time, but what if there was a way that you could look more broadly at a topic or set of data, as well as narrow parameters? Cue Microsoft; it recently unveiled a application called Pivot, and it allows you to see the "web" as well as it's tendrils. For instance, if you were to take a look at a specific piece of information (say President Obama) and then pull back and look more broadly (like all U.S. presidents) and then sort by a different parameters (like by religious views.)

I may not have a complete understanding of it, but it looks fantastic. I saw this program first on a TED talk, and I really got me excited. It looks like it'll make research, and studying data much easier and even provide surprising insights you might not have found otherwise. With computing power reaching a peak, what's really going to change is the way we interact with computers and data. Keeping that in mind I'm quite impressed with Pivot.

You can try Pivot for free (PC ONLY) at GetPivot.com Check out the videos below for a better explanation.

I have to connection with Microsoft, I just liked this.

Mmmm... Cappuccino

Watch the process of making delicious Cappuccino.

So I shot this a while back with my buddy Chas for a class, and the topic was to show how to make something with out words. Basically an exersise in non-verbal story telling. We picked making a cappuccino (one of my favorite drinks.) We shot this at the Fremont Caffe Ladro in Seattle. I really like how it turned out, so I hope you like it. Special thanks to Caffe Ladro, the barista and the expert coffee drinker (Chas roberts.)

Movie Déjà Vu and Defending Your Life

Have you ever had the feeling that you've seen movie but you're not sure? Like if it was a dream, or you imagined it up or it was a real you've forgotten. So after having the movie Defending Your Life recommended to me by several people I decided to watch it last night, and it was one of the strangest experiences in movie watching I've ever had. As I was watching this movie I kept having the feeling I'd seen that seen but I couldn't put my finger on it. I know at some point in my childhood I saw this movie, but I only have the most vague memories of this movie. Since it came out in 1991, I would have been around 6 or 8 when I saw it, and it settled deep in my psyche.

Defending Your Life is the story of Daniel Miller (played by Albert Brooks) who dies after crashing his brand new car into a bus. He wakes up in a puragtory-esque place called Judgement City. Here he must defend the actions of his life and show that it was not dominated by fear. Along the way he meets and falls in love with another recently deceased woman Julia (played by Meryl Streep.)

What's strange is that after watching it as a kid, the plot of the movie had stuck with me. I remember growing up with the idea that at some point you'd have to review the events of your life and defend your decisions and not knowing how I got the idea. The bits are super funny, and I laughed a lot. I really liked this movie and would definitely recommend it and to make it more convenient to watch you can stream it right now through Netflix.

Check out the Defending Your Life Wiki here!

The Relative Nature of Time

Since I'm coming up on my twenty-fifth birthday, I've been thinking about the relative nature of time. Essentially I've been musing on why it seems like time goes faster as you get older. Every year feels like it goes by faster then the previous. I remember when I was a kid summer vacation seemed to last a year and now 3 months passes faster than ever.

I guess it comes down to simple math. When you're 5, a year is 1/5 of your life. So it only make sense that they would seem much longer. But now as I'm turning 25 a year is only 1/25 of my life. I can only imagine the years fly by once you hit 40!

Other factors probably account for this feeling as well. Such as the amount of responsibilities we have. When I was a kid I had pretty much no responsibilities but now I have so much to think about and take care of, I can hardly find time for it all. I would think this would have to account for some of the feeling that time is speeding up. Either that or the millisecond we lost from the Chilean earthquake is hitting me harder than everybody else! :)