Archive | General Interest RSS feed for this section

Subscribe to Your Favorite YouTube Channel

By on May 26, 2011 in General Interest, YouTube

Do you need a simple way to include your favorite YouTube clips in a blog post or to share on social media? Easy. Just “Subscribe” to your favorite YouTube movie maker’s channel. You can stay abreast of their latest creations and use the “Embed” code to include their video in your posts.

More specifically, the Embed code is used to post the operable video on your blog site. If you’re a member of a Ning social media site or other similarly styled custom social media groups you can typically embed the entire video there as well.

You’ll use the regular web URL to share on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Comments { 0 }

Use Media.IO to Convert Files

By on May 23, 2011 in animation, General Interest, MAYA

Multimedia producers and digital artists. Need to convert your MP3′s to a specific format required by a particular piece of software? Give Media.IO a try.

I had to convert a MP3 to a WAV file to finish a short animation in Autodesk Maya and it was quick and simple. Great converter for a wide variety of audio options.

Comments { 0 }

WordPress Updates to 3.1.2

By on May 11, 2011 in General Interest

WordPress recently upated to 3.1.2 so if you’re behind on the revision be sure to download it today. According to WordPress.org “This release addresses a vulnerability that allowed Contributor-level users to improperly publish posts.”

If you self host be sure to download the latest from WordPress.org or click your update buttons if you buy your hosting from a company. Of course if you use WordPress.com then the latest has been updated for you.

Comments { 0 }

Insights from My LinkedIn Event at the Wright Institute

By on May 9, 2011 in Blogging, Business, Entrepreneurs and Work From Home, facebook, General Interest, LinkedIn, social media

If you ever get the opportunity to attend anything sponsored by the Wright Leadership Institute  don’t ask questions just go and take plenty of cards with you. I went to the Connect to Success with LinkedIn Networks and Training Event at their headquarters in downtown Chicago on Thursday May 5th and received a wealth of information.
 
The evening began with about a half hour of networking before the presentations. Mine actually started in the elevator bay on the way up to the event. I met a good handful of interesting people in that time and in fact that was one of the questions we were asked when the formal meeting began. How many of you met a few new people in the back of the room before the presentations started? That was the key to building our network “hubness”.
 
Dean DeLisle is well known in the social media realm especially on LinkedIn and he gave the first presentation. He is also the social media coach for the Wright Institute. Dean gave great pointers on how to maximize our LinkedIn profiles. His keys points for me were:
 

  • When prioritizing which social media platforms to use LinkedIn should be your first focus. Here’s why. It’s the one that most fully rounded profile of you as a person and professional. From there you can cut and paste details to Facebook, Twitter and any others you belong to. That makes your social media presence consistent throughout.
  • Also search your name online to verify the thoroughness of your profiles. Your social media profiles are always the first to appear on search lists.
  • Use LinkedIn for the 2nd and 3rd degrees of separation. It’s not just 6 degrees of separation as in the popular literature but only 3 the LinkedIn way. Any updates to your profile (information edits, blog post feeds, updates you type in under your profile picture, connections) go to the feeds of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd level connections

On average 4% of your network (Those 1st, 2nd and 3rds mentioned above) sees what you post so the more connections you make the more people will see and will potentially want to connect with you.
 
Here’s an example of LinkedIn hubness showing the primary connections and 2nd and 3rd degree connections that extend from them. Still don’t think it’s important to have a LinkedIn profile? Fill in the gaps in yours and grow your indirect connections (4% of 13 million is 1,690,000) by millions.

Dr. Bob Wright , cofounder of the Wright Leadership Institute gave the second half of the presentation. Cranes Chicago calls him a top executive coach so these tips come from a guy who knows what he’s doing.
Some of Bob’s major pointers for me were:
 

  • One of the New Laws of Networks is that You Must Give to Get. In other words you must be a net giver. Give more than you want. It’s known as the “host strategy”.
  • One of the keys to ultimate success is knowing Network Science. You want to go from being a Node (individual) to a Hub (a major connection source). LinkedIn can help improve your “hubness”.
  • Here’s a question to ask your clients. “What are your five major challenges?” If you want to know how to help them just ask.

There were lots of other good pointers but you’re going to have to check out their upcoming free events and determine what value you can apply from the experience.

Comments { 0 }

Is Chris Brown Overdue for A Life Coaching Intervention?

By on March 24, 2011 in General Interest

I believe so. This young guy blew his top at the wrong time after his interview on Good Morning America the other day. As one Facebook friend said he needs mentoring. Denzel Washington, I nominate you. Just as Michael Vick had a Coach Tony Dungy giving him wise counsel over an extended period of time Chris Brown needs someone in his world to play the same role for him. I can’t think of anyone more stable minded, worthy and respected in and outside the entertainment world than Washington who can relate to sustaining a long term career in that realm.

denzel-washington.jpg

Now, I try really hard not to comment on entertainer foibles unless there’s a larger principle at work (there are almost always more important things in life) but young Mr. Brown’s tirade after the Robin Roberts interview has me pissed off at him for a number of reasons. So until somebody in his world does get a hold of him, shakes him really good and makes him sit down and listen, here’s what I, a slightly older and much more mature man would suggest to him, just in case this post link finds its way to him.

chris-brown-gma.jpg

At some point this young brother has to realize and internalize some basics:

(1) Composure, composure, composure at all times. (I hope your mother, a teacher or somebody taught you this when you were a kid and maybe you’re just working on “short fuse” issues as a young adult.). In lieu of or maybe in addition to a Denzel mentorship, do as one person said on a Facebook feed about you earlier today, get a good media coach who can prep you for interviews and events. This will help you gauge your responses and emotions more responsibly.

(2) A certain segment of women will always have a particularly hateful perception of you. You will never escape their vitriol so you cannot continue to give them free ammunition like this. Get over it young man and quit doing stupid things that allow the past to be rehashed (whether you think it’s being rehashed in an interview or not – see #1).

(3) Your daddy’s last name isn’t Sheen/Estevez so you don’t get the crazy pass like some other entertainers. As a young Black man you still have to carry yourself in a more reserved and refined fashion. Some Black people won’t like seeing this or thinking it is still the case in the 21st century. Some others will be simply be offended that I dare to say so but hey, that’s just reality. Prejudice still does exist. Man up and deal. You are great at your craft so still do well and live your fantasy life but don’t actually fall for the fantasy.

(4) I’m happy for you that your restraining order was lifted but, STAY AWAY FROM RIHANNA!!! DO NOT GET BACK WITH HER!!! LET HER BE SOMEBODY ELSE’S HEADACHE!!! Listen-very-closely-to-me. This woman is not your wife. You have not made a life covenant before God to love and keep her until the end of your days SO DON’T, MAN!!! You are two of the most immature, co-dependent people ever. Stay away from each other and move on.

(5) And lastly, I don’t know where you live but if it’s one of the typical young entertainer hot spots – Los Angeles, New York or Atlanta – take a tip from Harrison Ford and move to Idaho…or any other boring low key place where you can live closer to a sense of normalcy when you’re not working.

Look Chris, a lot of us who aren’t even fans are pulling for you just because we hate a train wreck and love a comeback. Get off the crazy train and simply work your way back.

Comments { 0 }

Create a YouTube Branding Channel

By on March 21, 2011 in General Interest

Want to know an easy way to expand your online video presence? Create a YouTube channel to compliment your Facebook page, Twitter page, blog site and web page. Then you’ll have no less than five venues to share your expertise and spread your brand. We’re building our Aqueduct Media Corp. channel this week. Subscribe now to Aqueduct Media Corp.’s YouTube channel and be prepared to receive the feeds of our video projects over the last year or so.

admc-youtube-tag.png

Comments { 0 }

TransAfrica and the Return of Aristide to Haiti

By on March 21, 2011 in General Interest

Lot’s of hub-bub on twice-ousted President Jean Bertran-Aristide’s return to Haiti. Haven’t heard much about TransAfrica since the Randal Robinson era and the fight against Apartheid in the 80′s. Maybe I just lost track of them. Well these days, among other things, they are involved in helping Haiti to reconcile itself as a nation with Danny Glover at the helm as their current chairman.

glover.jpg
Lots of fuss since President Obama’s request to the South African government that Aristide not be allowed to return from exile there, supposedly because he might be a distraction to the current election process.

storyaristidecloseupafpgi.jpg
They pretty much disregarded that and Aristide’s people joyously anticipated his return. The former president and his wife were accompanied by Glover from South Africa to Toussaint L’Overture Airport in Port-au-Prince last week. This one will definitely get more interesting, not less so.

Comments { 0 }

Share YouTube Clips In Multiple Ways

By on March 15, 2011 in General Interest

Do you need a simple way to include your favorite YouTube clips in a blog post or to share on social media? Easy. Just “Subscribe” to your favorite YouTube movie maker’s channel. You can stay abreast of their latest creations and use the “Embed” code to include their video in your posts.

martybizembedexample.png
More specifically, the Embed code is used to post the operable video on your blog site. If you’re a member of other Ning or Xing styled custom social media groups you can typically embed the entire video there as well.You’ll use the regular web URL on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Comments { 2 }

Feeling Kind of Bond-ish

By on March 7, 2011 in animation, General Interest, YouTube

I’m working on my final project for my Visualization Stylization in  3D Animation class and I’m going with an action adventure theme. I’ve had James Bond movie theme music ringing through my head for the last two weeks, solid. I have to determine which 15-20 second section of a famous Bond track I want to include as the audio for the animation short.

In my research of YouTubing 007 hits and sifting through Wikipedia background on some of the movies I came across this one for series author Ian Flemming including his career literary credits. Turns out I’ve been a Flemming fan all my life. He wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as the Bond novels and short stories among others. Amazing that an author can write all time favorites for kids and adults.

But back to my homework. The assignment is to create a short with the theme displayed in two different styles. I’m starting off with a 3 dimensional spy boat on a 2 dimensional background and then transitioning to a full 3D scene – similar to the 2D flat scene – to end my short movie. The first draft which is due tonight is purely to get an overall sense of timing. It’s coming together decently and I should get some pretty good feedback from class critiques tonight.

I’ll post it on my YouTube site when it ‘s done in a couple of weeks. In the mean time go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube Channel, martybiz, and check out some of my other animation work. Leave comments here or there and tell me what you think of them.

Comments { 0 }

Time to Out Lisa Madigan?

By on March 3, 2011 in General Interest

So this is the latest game our elitist Illinois legislators want to play? Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to reveal the names of FOID (Firearm Owner’s Identification Information) card owners using the excuse that it’s “public record”. No, it’s about private ownership rights but let’s assume they proceed with their naive, kumbaya logic. By the way, thank you Governor Quinn for showing more of your true colors by the day. Now we know the true reason you instituted the FOID law in conjunction with Chicago Mayor Richars Dailey’s illegal gun ownership laws imposed upon city residents (more on this in a minute).

I have a solution. Let’s take pictures of Lisa Madigan’s home and family in the name of public record. I don’t see any reason politicians should have more privacy rights than the rest of us. Besides, she’s an actual public official so everything about her life should be transparent, right? Here’s what we’ll do. Lets take surveillance pictures of her family’s comings and goings and take them viral on all the social media venues. The Madigan family lives at…oh, did I jump the gun on my plan?

Some of the politicians in this state have the minds of kindergartners. This is nothing more than a continuation of outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Dailey’s illegal response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that city residents have the same Constitutional right to defend themselves as Americans everywhere. No city or state law can negate the 2nd amendment. It’s every bit as critical as the 1st amendment but I digress, only slightly though.

Just as we can do with fewer Daileys, we can obviously do with fewer Madigans too. If she proceeds with this I think prosecution for abuse of power is appropriate at this point. Time for Eric Holder and Wayne LaPierre to have a chat about shenanigans in the Land of Lincoln. Let’s sic the Justice Department on Dailey too. He has the blood of thousands of murdered law abiding citizens on his hands.

Everyone from our incoming mayor to our existing governor are trying to make Chicago the San Francisco of the midwest in too many ways. All of us don’t think that’s a great idea. Time to take action and begin to turn the tide.

Comments { 0 }