Those websites were just small hints about a current phenomenon. It is a trend which has been going on for a few years and which is, every day, showing proof of its existence. It is about the way the Internet, a type of technology, changes our daily life.
Is the Internet a new way to experience art? It is, as least, a way to have a new look at information. Some experiments have been going in that direction, such as the webdocumentaries I studied for another class. Here's an American example: a webdocumentary about Las Vegas, since the city is running out of water.
There's indeed a real potential for new narratives adapted to the web. And that will be my conclusion... for now!
31.5.09
Online Cinema
Video On Demand is growing rapidly. The last few months, the VOD offer has widened and has gotten better. I want to shed light on one of them, named The Auteurs.
The Auteurs stems from an alliance between a very well-known DVD collection (of the American cinephiles) called The Criterion Collection, and Celluloid Dreams, a French film distributor. The result has been named The Auteurs, a reference to the film d'auteur category. Unfortunately their name doesn't translate well into French. Nevertheless, The Auteurs is something hybrid: it has a VOD service featuring rare and independent films from all genres, countries and times, as well as a social network element. Indeed you are able to create your own profile and to interact online with other users about your ideas and film tastes.
As you might already know, I'm interested in experimental film. Ubu collected many works related to that area and made them available online. Another way to discover that area of film is to visit the experimental film cooperative Light Cone in Paris. Light Cone is an non-profit group whose purpose is to save copies of rare films. One is able to visit them to view certain works, and they also program selection of their collection in other cinemas in France and abroad.
Finally, I could do nothing else but to mention the non-profit group I joined a few years ago, L'Etna. L'Etna is a collective cinema workshop, in the tradition of experimental film. There are laboratories to develop your own film (super 8, 16mm, photographs), to edit them manually and to project them. Members and other people gather every month to show their current work and to discuss them.
But what is experimental cinema? That's a good question, and I'm not still sure how to answer it. It's basically another look at how to make films. A good article about experimental cinema - in French - can be viewed here : link.
The Auteurs stems from an alliance between a very well-known DVD collection (of the American cinephiles) called The Criterion Collection, and Celluloid Dreams, a French film distributor. The result has been named The Auteurs, a reference to the film d'auteur category. Unfortunately their name doesn't translate well into French. Nevertheless, The Auteurs is something hybrid: it has a VOD service featuring rare and independent films from all genres, countries and times, as well as a social network element. Indeed you are able to create your own profile and to interact online with other users about your ideas and film tastes.
As you might already know, I'm interested in experimental film. Ubu collected many works related to that area and made them available online. Another way to discover that area of film is to visit the experimental film cooperative Light Cone in Paris. Light Cone is an non-profit group whose purpose is to save copies of rare films. One is able to visit them to view certain works, and they also program selection of their collection in other cinemas in France and abroad.
Finally, I could do nothing else but to mention the non-profit group I joined a few years ago, L'Etna. L'Etna is a collective cinema workshop, in the tradition of experimental film. There are laboratories to develop your own film (super 8, 16mm, photographs), to edit them manually and to project them. Members and other people gather every month to show their current work and to discuss them.
But what is experimental cinema? That's a good question, and I'm not still sure how to answer it. It's basically another look at how to make films. A good article about experimental cinema - in French - can be viewed here : link.
Learning Languages Online
The web has become a major source of information on a whole range of subjects. Among them, the interactive capacity of the Internet has provided a sound basis for people to learn and/or to improve their language skills.
The first tool, which, I'm sure, all of you need, is a translator. To translate single words from English into French, or the reverse, I recommand the website created by the CNRS (National Scientific Center of France). Indeed, it is, in my opinion, the most precise, efficient translator I found. Requests are limited to 500 a day, a limit which I doubt anyone has ever reached. Results are arranged by affinity and come with a list of synonyms and different contexts of use. Besides, I you ever figure out how to decipher it, results can be shows as graphics - which I find kind of cool, even if I haven't really understood the point.
The step further, for English, is an online dictionary. Here, I use the Cambridge Dictionaries Online. They point out various uses for one term and feature actual examples.
You might need to get information about your native language - that is, French. A synonyms dictionary can always be useful when you are writing something, such as the Dictionnaire des Synonymes de l'Université de Caen.
Maybe you are considering learning new languages. Lexilogos is sort of a database about any language you could think of, even obscure French dialects and regional languages. For every language, Lexilogos lists other websites such as dictionaries, local media, history websites... That's another website I recommand. But isn't that what my blog is about anyway?
You might prefer real books, which I understand. Historical Languages Dictionaries are always interesting because they're in between classical dictionaries and etymological dictionaries. They give information about the evolution of a specific term in history. I use the Dictionnaire Historique de la Langue Française by Robert.
Magazines are always a good way to improve your language skills; The New Yorker ranks among the finest American magazines. Every week, you get in-depth articles about a various array of topics: politics, history, international affairs, biographies... it also includes some fiction, poetry, comics and information about the cultural life of New York City - as if you were a real New Yorker.
The first tool, which, I'm sure, all of you need, is a translator. To translate single words from English into French, or the reverse, I recommand the website created by the CNRS (National Scientific Center of France). Indeed, it is, in my opinion, the most precise, efficient translator I found. Requests are limited to 500 a day, a limit which I doubt anyone has ever reached. Results are arranged by affinity and come with a list of synonyms and different contexts of use. Besides, I you ever figure out how to decipher it, results can be shows as graphics - which I find kind of cool, even if I haven't really understood the point.
The step further, for English, is an online dictionary. Here, I use the Cambridge Dictionaries Online. They point out various uses for one term and feature actual examples.
You might need to get information about your native language - that is, French. A synonyms dictionary can always be useful when you are writing something, such as the Dictionnaire des Synonymes de l'Université de Caen.
Maybe you are considering learning new languages. Lexilogos is sort of a database about any language you could think of, even obscure French dialects and regional languages. For every language, Lexilogos lists other websites such as dictionaries, local media, history websites... That's another website I recommand. But isn't that what my blog is about anyway?
You might prefer real books, which I understand. Historical Languages Dictionaries are always interesting because they're in between classical dictionaries and etymological dictionaries. They give information about the evolution of a specific term in history. I use the Dictionnaire Historique de la Langue Française by Robert.
Magazines are always a good way to improve your language skills; The New Yorker ranks among the finest American magazines. Every week, you get in-depth articles about a various array of topics: politics, history, international affairs, biographies... it also includes some fiction, poetry, comics and information about the cultural life of New York City - as if you were a real New Yorker.
7.5.09
Find Everything with Craigslist
Craigslist is a non-profit website which is well-known by Americans. At first glance, Craigslist appears to be antediluvian: its layout hasn't been changed since it was launched, that it, in the late 90's. But that sobriety is essentially what makes Craigslist efficient.
The principle is simple: Craigslist lists ads. You can post ads and read the ads others put online. You do not have to create a profile and to give out your personal information. Craigslist generates anonymous email adresses to put people in contact. When you post an ad online, you use a Craigslist e-mail adress - such as hous-453649231@craigslist.org - and the messages people will send to this adress will then be transferred to your personal e-mail.
There is everything you could think of on Craigslist. There's a page for every big city (city choice can be made out of the list on the right side of the webpage). There's a Paris Craigsist. For every city, categories are the same:
-community: ads for every non-profit activity. For example, to advertise a concert.
-housing: ads to rent, sublet rooms or apartments.
-jobs: ads to advertise a job offer or to find a job, in every area.
-personals: ads for friendship, love and/or sex. There's also a subcategory entitled "Missed Connexions" which I find kind of fascinating. People who lost contact with someone or that fell in love with someone they saw on the bus - but who didn't manage to talk to - post ads in this category.
-for sale: ads to sell or buy items. There's also a "Free Stuff" sub-category (a friend of mine got an old piano for free through this).
-gigs: in English, a gig is a short term job, and is also used for a music venue.
Those are the main categories, and you can see click on the different subcategories to look at the ads. It's mainly used by the American community. Craigslist literally changed my life: that's how I found the two first short films I worked for (both directed by Americans). I bought and sold an electronic piano when I was living in Montreal. I'm about to find my housing in Berlin thanks to CG. So if you ever want to use an efficient way to find anything, and if you are wary of finding reliable people, Craigslist is a major recommendation I can make.
The principle is simple: Craigslist lists ads. You can post ads and read the ads others put online. You do not have to create a profile and to give out your personal information. Craigslist generates anonymous email adresses to put people in contact. When you post an ad online, you use a Craigslist e-mail adress - such as hous-453649231@craigslist.org - and the messages people will send to this adress will then be transferred to your personal e-mail.
There is everything you could think of on Craigslist. There's a page for every big city (city choice can be made out of the list on the right side of the webpage). There's a Paris Craigsist. For every city, categories are the same:
-community: ads for every non-profit activity. For example, to advertise a concert.
-housing: ads to rent, sublet rooms or apartments.
-jobs: ads to advertise a job offer or to find a job, in every area.
-personals: ads for friendship, love and/or sex. There's also a subcategory entitled "Missed Connexions" which I find kind of fascinating. People who lost contact with someone or that fell in love with someone they saw on the bus - but who didn't manage to talk to - post ads in this category.
-for sale: ads to sell or buy items. There's also a "Free Stuff" sub-category (a friend of mine got an old piano for free through this).
-gigs: in English, a gig is a short term job, and is also used for a music venue.
Those are the main categories, and you can see click on the different subcategories to look at the ads. It's mainly used by the American community. Craigslist literally changed my life: that's how I found the two first short films I worked for (both directed by Americans). I bought and sold an electronic piano when I was living in Montreal. I'm about to find my housing in Berlin thanks to CG. So if you ever want to use an efficient way to find anything, and if you are wary of finding reliable people, Craigslist is a major recommendation I can make.
New Yorkers Do It Better?
No, Hollywood and the LA area aren't the only places in the U.S. where films are made. One other major center of creation is New York City. In NYC, the art scene is supposed to be more independent-friendly, less money-oriented. And that also applies to media and art in NYC in general.
One example is the experiment led by Flypmedia. Flypmedia claims to be 'More than a Magazine'. In fact, it's a online magazine, but organised in pages like a real magazine. You can flip through it like a paper magazine, but that way, you can also have a direct access to digital content such as videos or multimedia content. I love to read real magazines, but I thought this was an interesting try.
A New-York-City-based company called MediaStorm is a leader in digital storytelling for documentaries. They attempt to come up with new ways of mixing traditional ways of making documentaries and the new narratives on the web. They have collaborated with prestigious traditional newspapers such as the Washington Post, and with NGO (for instance, Médecins Sans Frontières). They also created multimedia content for UN agencies. MediaStorm is frequently cited as a model by the French companies which make the so-called "webdocumentaries", such as Honkytonk films or Narrative (division of the web agency Upian dedicated to the webdocumentaire genre.
Tumblr, the subject of my second post, is also located in NYC.
One example is the experiment led by Flypmedia. Flypmedia claims to be 'More than a Magazine'. In fact, it's a online magazine, but organised in pages like a real magazine. You can flip through it like a paper magazine, but that way, you can also have a direct access to digital content such as videos or multimedia content. I love to read real magazines, but I thought this was an interesting try.
A New-York-City-based company called MediaStorm is a leader in digital storytelling for documentaries. They attempt to come up with new ways of mixing traditional ways of making documentaries and the new narratives on the web. They have collaborated with prestigious traditional newspapers such as the Washington Post, and with NGO (for instance, Médecins Sans Frontières). They also created multimedia content for UN agencies. MediaStorm is frequently cited as a model by the French companies which make the so-called "webdocumentaries", such as Honkytonk films or Narrative (division of the web agency Upian dedicated to the webdocumentaire genre.
Tumblr, the subject of my second post, is also located in NYC.
25.4.09
Online Resources for Music
The Internet has now become a major way to listen to and to discover music. Here are a few websites committed in the so-called "music online revolution".
Of course, most of you are probably familiar with Myspace. Myspace users form a community of about 150 million users. Even though Facebook has now surpassed Myspace, it does remain a database for music fans. Indeed, when you create a Myspace account, if you are a singer, a composer or a band, you can specifically choose to have a 'Myspace Music' webpage. And if you are a regular user, you can still post music online which will be heard by the people visiting your Myspace page. Myspace has proved to be a very efficient way to discover and promote new talents. Music live performers can also announce their upcoming venues.
Other sites are based on the idea of making you discover music. Even if it is not as big as Myspace, Last.fm still has about 20 million users. When you create an account on Last.fm, you are asked to specify bands or music genres that you like. You can then listen to free online 'radios' - that is, streams of music. Feel like listening to the bands you already like? Click on 'Listening to my library'. Feel like discovering new music you might like? Click on 'Listening to my recommendations'. And feel like listening to a certain genre of music, or to music linked to a band? Just do a search and launch the radio that you like. For example, if you like classical minimalist music or if you like Depeche Mode, you would search and launch the radios 'classical minimalist' or 'Depeche Mode'.
Of course, if you want to listen a very specific track or artist, you can use Deezer. Deezer has also a system of recommendations called 'SmartRadio', similar to that of Last.fm, but in my opinion, not quite as efficient. Last.fm is amazing at detecting your musical preferences and making suggestions. Last but not least: Last.fm makes charts of what you listen to. I find them amusing.
But as I am currently discovering, Last.fm has now changed its policy and requires you to pay 3 euros a month to use it. Too bad.
Radios are now turning digital. Traditional radios find new audiences by online streaming. I like listening to the Californian Radio KCRW. KCRW is based in the Community College of Santa Monica, in the LA Metropolitan Area, and focuses on promoting new artists, and hinting at new trends in music.
Those are the legal ways!
My Myspace
My Last.fm Charts
Of course, most of you are probably familiar with Myspace. Myspace users form a community of about 150 million users. Even though Facebook has now surpassed Myspace, it does remain a database for music fans. Indeed, when you create a Myspace account, if you are a singer, a composer or a band, you can specifically choose to have a 'Myspace Music' webpage. And if you are a regular user, you can still post music online which will be heard by the people visiting your Myspace page. Myspace has proved to be a very efficient way to discover and promote new talents. Music live performers can also announce their upcoming venues.
Other sites are based on the idea of making you discover music. Even if it is not as big as Myspace, Last.fm still has about 20 million users. When you create an account on Last.fm, you are asked to specify bands or music genres that you like. You can then listen to free online 'radios' - that is, streams of music. Feel like listening to the bands you already like? Click on 'Listening to my library'. Feel like discovering new music you might like? Click on 'Listening to my recommendations'. And feel like listening to a certain genre of music, or to music linked to a band? Just do a search and launch the radio that you like. For example, if you like classical minimalist music or if you like Depeche Mode, you would search and launch the radios 'classical minimalist' or 'Depeche Mode'.
Of course, if you want to listen a very specific track or artist, you can use Deezer. Deezer has also a system of recommendations called 'SmartRadio', similar to that of Last.fm, but in my opinion, not quite as efficient. Last.fm is amazing at detecting your musical preferences and making suggestions. Last but not least: Last.fm makes charts of what you listen to. I find them amusing.
But as I am currently discovering, Last.fm has now changed its policy and requires you to pay 3 euros a month to use it. Too bad.
Radios are now turning digital. Traditional radios find new audiences by online streaming. I like listening to the Californian Radio KCRW. KCRW is based in the Community College of Santa Monica, in the LA Metropolitan Area, and focuses on promoting new artists, and hinting at new trends in music.
Those are the legal ways!
My Myspace
My Last.fm Charts
14.4.09
Tumblr: the ultimate blogging platform
Now that you're all familar with blogging, the step further: Tumblr (pronounce: "Tumbler"). Tumblr is also a blogging platform. But the essence of Tumblr lies in its simplicity and its user-friendly design. Want to share a thought, a quote, a video, a photograph, music, a link, or a chat? Bored of the ugly Facebook blue-ish page? Just select one of these and post it online. And as on Twitter, you can also follow and be followed by fellow users. Precision: you cannot mix different types of posts in one entry. That is, you cannot have a text and a link and a piece of music in the same entry, for instance. You just post one type at a time. Sim-pli-ci-ty: that's what Tumblr is about. Last but not least, the interface is easilty customizable and the design is both fresh and efficient.
My Tumblr: http://pokoj.tumblr.com/
My Tumblr: http://pokoj.tumblr.com/
Twitter: the new phenomenon
Don't you Tweet? I found out the other day that many of you are not familiar with Twitter. This is a short explanation so that you don't feel uninformed the next time you hear about it...
For many months now, and especially since the last U.S. presidential campaign (Barack Obama had a Twitter account), Twitter has received a huge media coverage, and has been labelled by many as 'the new Facebook'. But what is Twitter? Twitter is something hybrid, at the crossroads of blogging and social networking. When you create a Twitter account, the principle is that you post a short text (less than a 140 characters) to inform others about your current activity. You answer the simple question "What am I doing?". Then, other Twitter users are able to follow you, and will be informed each time you post a new "Tweet" (the noise made by birds when they sing). On the reverse, you are able to follow others and be also informed about their updates.
But what's the point? At first sight, Twitter is just another online time-consumer, in short, another Facebook. But Twitter has opened new horizons to the live treatment of events. When the plane 'landed' on the Hudson River, some people witnessing the event instantly posted their own live coverage on Twitter from their mobile phones - faster than any press agency. And Twitter recently launched a new option called 'Twitter Search' which, this time, might be the new Google. And guess who's interested in buying Twitter? Google. So be aware: the next time you'll remain silent when there's a conversation about Twitter, you'll be... out of touch! Or out of "Tweet"?
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/pokoj
For many months now, and especially since the last U.S. presidential campaign (Barack Obama had a Twitter account), Twitter has received a huge media coverage, and has been labelled by many as 'the new Facebook'. But what is Twitter? Twitter is something hybrid, at the crossroads of blogging and social networking. When you create a Twitter account, the principle is that you post a short text (less than a 140 characters) to inform others about your current activity. You answer the simple question "What am I doing?". Then, other Twitter users are able to follow you, and will be informed each time you post a new "Tweet" (the noise made by birds when they sing). On the reverse, you are able to follow others and be also informed about their updates.
But what's the point? At first sight, Twitter is just another online time-consumer, in short, another Facebook. But Twitter has opened new horizons to the live treatment of events. When the plane 'landed' on the Hudson River, some people witnessing the event instantly posted their own live coverage on Twitter from their mobile phones - faster than any press agency. And Twitter recently launched a new option called 'Twitter Search' which, this time, might be the new Google. And guess who's interested in buying Twitter? Google. So be aware: the next time you'll remain silent when there's a conversation about Twitter, you'll be... out of touch! Or out of "Tweet"?
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/pokoj
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