Miami Hockey
February 6th, 2010
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Survivor Casting Call
January 28th, 2010About a month ago, the folks over at Survivor put out a notice that they were looking for one more player for seasons 21 or 22 and that they wanted one minute videos posted on their website from applicants. I put together a quick submission and it’s on the CBS website. Check back here to see if I make it into the final 10 videos (which will then be voted on by the public.)
Tags: Applications, Survivor, TV
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New Years Resolutions
January 5th, 2010Here is a list I’ve come up with for the new year…
1. Get rid of a lot of stuff.
This is my biggest task. The goal here is to simplify my life, and live a more “portable” life simply by getting rid of a lot of physical stuff. I’m going to spend a lot of time this week going through the big things… clothing, electronics, cables, junk, etc… and donate a lot of it. Beyond that I’m just going to do my best to not keep things I no longer need.
2. Spend time in a foreign country
3. Improve my marathon time and qualify for the Boston marathon. (3 hours and 10 minutes)
4. Gain a deeper understanding of PHP and CSS (programming languages)
4. Renew my passion for photography, and come up with a better way to share my photos here, on my site.
5. Learn how to DJ/Mix well enough to play in front of people out somewhere.
6. Continue searching for professional opportunities and make as many connections as possible.
7. Enrich the relationships in my life.
Tags: new years resolutions
Posted in Life | Comments (2)
The Bloody Beetroots – Rombarama
December 29th, 2009Interesting editing/visual styling in this music video. Italian DJ’s are crazy.
The Bloody Beetroots -ROMBORAMA- official videoclip from Bennet Pimpinella on Vimeo.
Tags: Italy, Music, The Bloody Beetroots, Video Editing
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Google Posts Up on GPS Navigation
December 17th, 2009
Read this article today, and it got me thinking. The essence is that Google is moving into the realm of offering true-form, turn by turn, GPS navigation on their Android mobile platforms. This is slightly different from what’s been available before with Google Maps, on everything from iPhones to Blackberrys. The new development comes in the fact that what Google is offering up is a free service, with turn by turn navigation, and audio directions that approaches territory, which until now, only played host to services which require payment from companies like Garmin and TomTom.
On one hand, it appears as if Google is offering up another service here for us to consume and enjoy, but on the other, it’s important to take a minute and look at what they stand to gain, and more importantly what the market stands to lose from the continuation of Google taking forays into so many different digital service markets.
The huge thing about Google, is that as a company, they’ve got so much money, it’s become really easy for their developers to explore new possibilities and can introduce a free product or service into a market where before there were a few companies ravenously competing for the consumers of that particular service. It’s essentially the Walmart debate of the digital age, except instead of building a large retail empire on “low prices”, Google is building an enormous web empire on “free”.
I find myself wondering if there is in fact a price assigned to free in this case. In 20 years, will Google have permeated so many different markets, offering quality products for “free” that they’ve run the normal market for those products into the ground? If so, will the inevitable death of competition lead to lower quality products for the consumer?
Leave something in the comments, I’d love to know what you guys think about this one.
Tags: Google, IMS-201, Monopolies
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Alexis Ohanian (Reddit) On New Media
December 17th, 2009Here is a TED talk from Alexis Ohanian, one of the founders of Reddit. A user supported news and web content site. (and one of the best time killers on the internet)
His message is short and sweet, but I feel like it’s really on point. The gatekeepers of media are increasingly becoming a dying breed, and anyone who feels like it’s possible to completely control the way their product or service makes it to the masses is delusional. It’s not necessarily a bad thing however, companies who learn to embrace the online conversation surrounding their products are going to be the ones who succeed, and those who distance themselves from free buzz and support, simply because they don’t like the original nature or direction of the discussion, may find themselves dead in the water.
Tags: IMS-201, Marketing., New Media, Reddit
Posted in Business, Media | Comments (0)
DJ Rafik on Traktor
December 10th, 2009Blend of amazing technology, and pure talent.
Tags: DJ Rafik, DMC Champion, Mix, Music, Traktor Scratch Pro
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Survivor App
November 29th, 2009My newest application video for the CBS reality television series Survivor. Filmed in Columbus, OH as well as Glencoe, Scotland. Wish me luck and let me know what you think.
Survivor 21 & 22 Application from Alex Hancock on Vimeo.
Tags: Application, CBS, Survivor
Posted in Shows, Video | Comments (0)
It’s a Mad World…
November 9th, 2009
Last night concluded the 3rd season of AMC’s original series “Mad Men”. I began watching this show after all the praise it garnered at the Emmy’s in 2008, and the show has certainly grown and evolved over the course of three seasons; exploring deeper and darker parts of life then one would imagine before watching the first episode.
Because this show is a period drama, the themes typically explored are those of life and work in the US in the mid 50s on into the 60s (December, 1963 at the end of the third season). This season did a decent job with some departures from the typical setting of the show. In a one episode arc where Don gets the opportunity to travel to Rome to for business with Hilton, a new addition to the season, Betty joins him. She can’t help but be swept away, but upon returning, her desire to be a bigger part of his life becomes painfully evident, and remains a very real issue for her character. As the rest of the season transpires, the strength of their relationship is continuously tested, and much of the suspense is appropriately rooted here.
One of my favorite memories from earlier seasons of the show was the Kennedy Election, which is celebrated in typical Sterling Cooper (The Advertising Agency which serves as the setting for the show) fashion with all night sipping of whiskey and smoking Lucky Strikes in the office. With the passage of time in the world of the show I knew the Kennedy assassination would be drawing near, and sure enough it occurred this season.
When Kennedy gets elected, the mood is jubilant, business is booming, and all is well at Sterling Cooper. When he is assassinated, the ownership and future of the company is veiled in uncertainty, and many of the main characters are finding themselves dealing with domestic disputes or inner demons that consume the entirety of their time outside of work. On a less thematic note, I thought the way they worked the original television broadcast of Kennedy’s death into the show was brilliant. Campbell and Crane are engaged in a consuming discussion in Harry’s office and as such, they don’t notice Walter Cronkite interrupting the broadcast on the television across the room… brilliant.
Near the end of the second season, and beginning of the third, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to continue watching, but I had faith, and I’m now glad I did. The conclusion of two enormous story arcs with the closing of this season was more than enough to keep me thinking about all the things that made this show good in the first place. However, this season in particular I found myself experiencing a much different side of the show.
I always tell friends who haven’t seen this show that it’s a show that “could be set anywhere”, because the scope of the show is far more heavily based in exploring concepts about morality, creativity, and relationships than it ever will be about the endless hustle and bustle of a Madison Avenue office building.
There’s something about Don Draper that keeps us all coming back for more. His life is built on a half-truths, and he spends a lot of time coming to terms with what he’s turned into. His creative genius when dissecting the advertising campaigns and his drives into the middle of the nowhere at night force me to reflect a lot about my own creative process, the time I spend alone, and the relationships I have with people in my life. Some nights I feel like Don, driving out those roads into the darkness, looking for something I can be sure is real.
Tags: AMC, Mad Men, Television
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Review: Gary Vaynerchuk “Crush It”
November 7th, 2009Book I picked up and read this week from WineLibrary TV host and Social Media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. I decided to expand upon my thoughts in a video blog entry.
“Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk from Alex Hancock on Vimeo.
If you haven’t read it, pick it up. If you have, leave some comments, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
Tags: Book Review, Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuk, IMS-201
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