Here’s a great artist I’ve been listening to lately (Dodge & Fuski). Thanks Pandora for putting it in my rotation.
Rethinking Motivation
As part of a homework assignment in a business class I am taking this semester, we were asked to watch a video from the 2009 TED Conference. This video discusses the important scientific findings of the way we react to motivation and how motivation is evolving. I would like to write more on the subject but until then this is Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation.
What if: The Xbox 360 got an App Store?
The App Store mindset has taken over. From the Apple iDevices, to the Android Marketplace, and to Windows Phone 7, it has become increasingly easy to get your App fix from a mobile point of view. But what about the rest of your digital world? Apple recently released the Mac App store that brings the mentality of easy to install and use software to your Mac as long as you are running Snow Leopard or later. But the living room has still yet to see an app store of its own…or has it? More after the break.
Audio Tools: Rogue Amoeba SoundSource
As an audio geek I wanted to talk about some of the apps and programs I have been using that help speed up my workflow. One of those apps is SoundSource by Rogue Amoeba. For a detailed breakdown of what SoundSource does and how it could help you, continue reading after the break. Continue reading →
iPhone 4, Kinect, and Mainstream Video Chat
With the future release of the iphone we are getting one step closer to a world of video chatting almost everywhere we go. This is a major step to bring a face to digital communication as the capabilities of the cellphone are continually enhanced.
But Apple isn’t the only one focused on bringing video chat into the mainstream. Microsoft recently announced Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal). Aside from the gaming features of Kinect, Microsoft takes control of your gaming media center and turns into a point of contact with the ability to video chat with not only your friends on xbox live, but those with live messenger on their pc as well.
Webcams have been readily available at your local electronic shop for almost a decade, although the recent adaptation of bringing the experience away from the computer and to the living room or even on the go greatly changes the way that friends and family can communicate.
Thanks to skype and setting a macbook up on the coffee table, last year my wife and I were able to enjoy the holidays with our families living several states away. This year can be even simpler with video calls straight from the TV or anywhere I go (where there is a wifi connection anyway).
I am not looking at video chat technology as a complete replacement for voice calls. Not entirely. But the practicality of video calls has so much potential to grow into a mainstream way of life. At least keep this in mind, next time you call in sick to work you can show your boss how sick you really are. Or maybe with a bit of camera work, fake it good enough to get a weekend off for that beach trip you have been planning for.
Independent Distribution and Jamendo
For music creators of all kinds, getting yourself heard is getting simpler every day. With so many social network and media distribution sites out there, connecting with people and building a fan-base can be done even when or if you’re not playing shows.
Now I’m not saying your going to get signed to a major recording label by having your mom post videos of you sitting on your couch playing guitar and singing cover songs. Although by posting your music online, people, other than your mom, can listen and critique your music. They will either join your mighty throng of fans or say your music sounds like crap. Either way it should fuel the fire in you to make good music no matter the genre!
As I write this I am uploading the Synapse/Dirty Work album to Jamendo. This is an album I worked on in collaboration with a friend of mine, Steve Ripley. Although it is fully posted and available for download on the music page of this website, this post is about using one of the many social media distribution sites to your benefit and is being uploaded to Jamendo as an example of using their services.
I first noticed Jamendo when they began using Bit Torrent to distribute independent artists music free and legally through creative commons licensing. Although for the most part they have pulled away from using torrents, Jamendo still holds strong to distributing music free of charge. For fans and music lovers this is a great thing! But why would an artist want to give away his or her music for free?
Lets face it, CD sales are down and have been dropping more and more each year. Although this doesn’t mean the general populous interest in music has gone down. Thanks to the growing hard drive space and use of the iPod and other mp3 players, listeners can now carry their entire music libraries with them wherever they go.
My point is if you have a great album and a large collection of fans, you would be crazy not to get your album on iTunes and CD Baby just to name a few. But if you are starting out and just working on getting heard, Jamendo is a great site to check out. And don’t think it all has to be for free. After a bit of paperwork you can begin licensing your sweet tunes and get a donation box placed on your page for loving fans to throw their money at you.
Think about it this way, if you only sold your CD, friends will be friends and let each other rip your album to their computers and acquire it for free. But if they love what they hear, you just got another fan who will probably buy your future albums as well as pay to see you play shows.
So enjoy the great ways that digital distribution can help you as an indie artist, and if nothing else take a listen to a few albums already posted on Jamendo. You might find yourself a big fan of someone else.
Breaking Benjamin: The Making of Dear Agony
Direct from The Shallow Bay, Breaking Benjamin’s home base on the Web, comes two great videos of the making of their fourth studio Album: Dear Agony. Being the studio geek that I am, this takes you into the House of Loud in New Jersey. Its your typical making of video with the band goofing off and thanking fans. Anyway, check it out and get your hands on the new album, Dear Agony.
Get the album on iTunes here
Episode 1
Episode 2
Super Shock Football
App in Review has moved to a much bigger and better location over at DigitalVideoGamer.com.
The year was 1947 and the sport as defined by Tudor Games was electric football. Excitement over vibrating playing fields and random runs hasn’t filled the air like that until now! 62 years later in 2009 Steamroller Studios in combination with Chillingo Ltd has released the latest electric football game in iTunes App format titled Super Shock Football.
Super Shock Football definitely brings the classic electronic football style game right into the palm of your hands. With a slew of entertaining fictional teams the game is at your fingertips to set your plays, make a pass, and by all means hope your player makes a run in the right direction!
This game features the most dynamic camera I have seen on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Just tilt your device from upright to landscape and it smoothly transitions right into a side view of the 3D playing field. While the graphics are more simplistic, it stays close to home with the original feel of electric football. As far as the sound goes, it is jam packed full of tackling, kicking, catching, scoring action all while the crowd goes wild and the band keeps the fight songs going!
For those not as familiar with electric football the rules are a bit different and the controls are a lot more simplistic. Set the play, make a pass if available, and sit back and watch the players move randomly across the table.
Super Shock Football is definitely for the electric football gamer looking to reminisce on the glory days of your vibrating, er um, vibrant career keeping you entertained for hours at a time. For those who have a short attention span, this game is probably not for you. As a reminder this is a graphics intensive game and does take some time to load. Although launching 50% off at $1.99 isn’t a bad way to enjoy this years football season that much more!