Playing around with Vimeo

There's one thing I think people can agree with in general and that's YouTube is great for content, but bad when it comes to video quality. Because of this, I decided to play around with an alternative service called Vimeo.

The above video is some shots of the Blue Angels practicing while I was staying in Pensacola in March 2007. It was my first time back in my hometown in 11 years, so I was doing pretty good to have these guys flying directly over my head on my first full day back in town.

But anyway, hit play an you'll see what I mean when it comes to video quality.

Don't mind my drooling...

There's a day in January where I stop everything and block out all the really important things in life. That would be the day Apple CEO Steve Jobs gives his yearly Macworld keynote speech.

Last year, this was the stage Jobs used to announce the iPhone. That gadget (which I still miss very dearly) won Time Magazine's "Invention of the Year". I could almost see that as an understatement having actually used one.

I love Apple. I officially became a switcher about two years ago, after I bought my first-generation Intel-based iMac two years ago. That product was also unveiled at Macworld in 2006. In short, something will be announced today, and only Steve Jobs himself knows what it is until it spills out of his own mouth onto the masses of eager Mac-loving puppies waiting for their treats. So, expect updates later, after I've had an opportunity to watch the keynote about two or three times on Apple's website.

I just wish I didn't have class today.

Japanese Blogging

I’m a subscriber and loyal watcher of the Washington Post’s HD video podcast, which I love because it looks at ordinary life from different perspectives. I was actually drawn to it when I got an email from Apple showcasing some of their HD podcast, which of course means higher picture quality. I like getting the best when possible, so, why not? Besides, it’s free like all podcasts.

Well, one episode I watched recently talked about today’s blogosphere (that’s the world of blogging) and how most blogs are actually written in Japanese, not English. This is actually fairly surprising given the population of Japanese speaking people compared to the larger English speaking population. What I also found surprising is how the general Japanese population blogs.

Where most American bloggers blog to stand out, Japan blogs to fit in. In America, a lot of bloggers will thrust their political views, opinions about life, and many other sometimes harsh sentiments out for the world to see, often in an attempt to draw attention to someone or something. I’ve done this a few times myself. Rarely in Japan will you see a petition drive on a blog. Instead, they often blog about boring everyday life. You know, like how the train ride was to work (as in everyday) or how they met a new friend; things a lot of Americans tend to not deem important.

This got me thinking about a couple of things. First, it occurred to me how hostile of a culture we have at times over here. We tend to wear our stress on our sleeves and blurt it out when possible without regard of how others would like their social environment to be. Japan apparently doesn’t do this, declining to express their stress.

Secondly, this gives me the impression that Japan treats life as it should be treated; as a gift. Again, we treat every day life as ordinary and as a result we tend to miss some of the small things. Japan blogs in an open journal kind of way, willing to let you in to one’s personal life without being extra personal. Really, it’s very similar to the way I use Twitter, a service that simply asks, “What are you doing?”. Seems like a redundant thing, until you actually start using it.

My dad has gotten really good at this kind of writing. Often, I’ll get emails concerning his lunch and how he shared it with his cat, Pixel. I enjoy reading these emails for the way my dad has for describing the simple intricacies of life.

Maybe we should all take a look of life like this?

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