Archive for the ‘Weblogging’ Category

This month, we’re proud to present eight of the best short films we’ve ever seen (ever!) in the Screening Room , our destination for top films from the film festival circuit. While we often program the Screening Room around specific themes (perhaps horror flicks or graphic novel adaptations ring a bell?), this month’s sponsor, Canon’s VIXIA, had just one request for us: skip the theme and bring people some of the finest films out there. So, without further ado, here are the first four…. “Madame Tutli-Putli” is a stunning stop-motion animated film that was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007. The animation took over five years to complete and featured a groundbreaking technique that included adding composited human eyes to stop-motion puppets. “The Mozart of Pickpockets,” from France, was not only nominated for an Academy Award, but actually won the honor in 2007. It tells the story of two hapless Parisian pickpockets who finally hit their stride when they take a young immigrant boy under their wings. Directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi (whose feature film “Eagle vs. Shark” was snapped up by Miramax Films at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival), “Two Cars, One Night” is another Academy Award nominee.

One of our priorities is ensuring that videos always load and playback quickly. However, a consequence of rolling out higher quality video, HD and, more recently, 1080p , is that playbacks might suffer if bandwidth or computer processing power is low. There are also a few countries where bandwidth is at a premium and videos can take several seconds to start playing. Let’s face it: in this age of instant gratification, even several seconds of loading time can feel like an eternity. With all of this in mind, “Feather,” an ultra light watch page, launches today in TestTube , our ideas incubator where we test out new products. As you can see by the below screenshot, the player still features prominently, but will default to standard quality. Related videos, comments and other familiar features from the current watch page are kept to a minimum. All of this results in a user experience that aims to keep things simple and the videos loading and playing quickly. If we see adoption go up along with improvements in latency, we’ll look to roll this out of TestTube and make it more widely available. Take Feather for a test drive here . Chris Zacharias, Engineer, recently watched “TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB – I Can Talk.”

Bron:
Introducing Feather: A Lighter Way to Browse Videos

We’d give you chocolates with it if we could: This week marks the launch of our advent-style calendar counting down some of the most memorable videos of the year on YouTube. This sponsored collection, presented by Samsung U10, will reveal one new popular video each day throughout the month of December. Without giving too much away, you can expect to see some well-known YouTube videographers on the countdown , along with breakout viral videos and a selection of the year’s biggest pop-culture phenoms and memes. During December, we’ll be adding playlists to the channel to dig a little deeper into YouTube’s content categories — because we know that a video doesn’t have to have millions of views to make an impact. So check out the countdown as it unfolds, and see if your favorite clips or personalities are featured. Definitely let us know in the comments what your video of the year would be, whether it’s a blockbuster clip or one that simply made an impression on you. With a limit of 31 videos in the countdown , we know it only just scratches the surface of this incredible time on YouTube. Mark Day, Marketing Programs Manager, recently watched “Beatles 3000.”

Meer lezen?:
Count Down Memorable Videos of the Year

It’s no secret that AIDS is one of the deadliest diseases facing our world today. Since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes. But did you know that some of those hardest hit by AIDS are children? The disease has killed over 2 million children, and in sub-Saharan Africa it has orphaned close to 15 million. That’s why, today, on World AIDS Day, we’re partnering with Alicia Keys and her organization, Keep a Child Alive , to present a live-streamed benefit concert at 8 p.m. (ET). We’re also encouraging everyone to donate $5 to provide the life-saving medication, support, and orphan care to keep these children alive. Learn more from Alicia herself about this important effort: You can make a difference today. Please tune in here at 8 p.m (ET) to watch Alicia Keys and donate to help save the lives of millions of children living with HIV/AIDS. Michele Flannery, Music Manager, and Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits Manager, recently watched ” The Lazarus Effect. ”

Originele artikel:
A Live Stream to Save Lives: Alicia Keys and YouTube Team Up to Fight AIDS

YouTube can be a powerful tool championing the rights of individuals and promoting free expression . This month, during International Human Rights Day, we’re partnering with Morgan Freeman and Amnesty International to encourage you to become advocates for equality and justice, through Video Volunteers . Here’s how you can help. Create a video about the nonprofit of your choice working on a human rights issue that you care about — it could be genocide, human trafficking, refugee protection, gender equality or something else — and submit it to the Video Volunteers channel by December 21. Amnesty International and Freeman, who plays legendary crusader Nelson Mandela in the upcoming movie Invictus , will select three videos to appear on the YouTube homepage at the end of the month. Hear more from Morgan about the importance of taking up this cause: This is your chance to help citizens around the world who often can’t help themselves and to bring the vital work of human rights organizations to light. Join Morgan Freeman to protect the rights of these individuals at www.youtube.com/videovolunteers . Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits & Activism Manager, recently favorited ” To Protect & Serve: Police Brutality in India .”

Lees hier de oorspronkelijke bijdrage:
Join Morgan Freeman to Bring Human Rights Work to Light

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who watch Spaghetti Westerns by themselves and those who watch them with their YouTube buddies. If the latter sounds like fun, join us for a live viewing party of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” at 6pm PT in t he Screening Room . T o the right of the player, you’ll see a Twitter feed collecting real-time tweets from other fans watching the film.

Today, we’re shining the spotlight on the men and women who have bravely served — and are presently serving — in all branches of the U.S. military. Video has become a vital tool for current soldiers who are trying to communicate their wartime experience to the public and for older veterans who want to share their stories from past battles, like Lewis Bennett, the youngest member of the 84th District in World War II: In addition, on the homepage, we’re featuring content from those institutions and organizations that provide much-needed support to veterans. For example, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has created a social network specifically for veterans and their families, while UCLA provides an adaptive sports therapy program for injured soldiers from the U.S. Army, including a regiment of rock climbing, wheelchair basketball, and table tennis. Here’s a preview: To see more video content from soldiers and veterans, please visit www.youtube.com/veterans . Ramya Raghavan, YouTube Nonprofits & Activism, recently watched ” Interview: Army Sgt. Valdez”

Bezoek de link:
YouTube Salutes Vets and Their Supporters

Black Friday is upon us and retailers online and off have brought out the big guns for the busiest shopping day of the year. While most of the doorbusters are long gone, you can still catch some terrific bargains online. We scoured ads, online deal sites, and our Twitter accounts (hey, if we have to work today, we’re going to try to shop at the same time) and found five can’t miss deals. Amazon.com $150 off MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops — Edited to add: Amazon.com has sold out of the regular MacBooks (other retailers offer them through Amazon but not at a discount) so the $150 off only applies to the MacBook Pro models at this time. Lots of sites have Apple stuff on sale today — even the Apple Store — but only Amazon offers free shipping, no tax (unless you live in Washington), and an instant $150 off either the 13″ MacBook ($849 today only), the 13″ MacBook Pro ($1049 today only) and the 15″ MacBook Pro ($1549 today only). If you are looking at getting a portable Apple laptop, think about doing it today. 1 TB LaCie External hard drive — BH Photo Video has the fashionable and spacious Lacie external hard drive for $90. It’s one of the best prices you can find on a 1 TB external drive right now. $30 Canon Multifunction Printer — Office Depot has the Canon PIXMA MP490 for just $30 after a $70 instant savings. The price is good through tomorrow. Print photos, make copies and scan documents. Sony HDTV and Blu-ray Combo — BH Photo Video has a Sony 42″ LCD HDTV (120hz) and a Sony Blu-ray Live enabled Blu-ray player paired together for just $804. If you’re looking at upgrading your home theater this season, this is a great package. $529 Toshiba 40″ HDTV” – Tiger Direct is selling a 40″ Toshiba 1080p HDTV for $529 plus shipping. It’s a great deal for this particular set and Tiger Direct is donating at least $100,000 to the Susan G. Korman Foundation this weekend. What are the best deals you’ve managed to find? Share them in the comments! Reviews: Blu , Twitter Tags: black friday , online shopping

Lees hier het artikel:
Black Friday Deals Online: 5 of the Best Tech Bargains