Blog Posts - I Was Warned

HARD DRIVE SOLUTIONS FOR VIDEO-EDITING

5/21/2014

Video editing is one of the most demanding tasks you can execute on a computer. A modern video-editing program such as Adobe Premiere requires high performance from the processor, RAM memory, GPU (if using GPU acceleration), as well as storage drives. Choosing a fast storage solution can be a little tougher than picking the fastest computer processor, as there are more tradeoffs involved. The largest drives aren’t always the fastest, and speeds can vary a great deal. This guide was created to help you choose the right storage drive (or drives) for your editing needs, from the small to the large.

SMART QUOTE MAY 21, 2014

5/21/2014

"If you get, give. If you learn, teach."
Maya Angelou
American writer

at&t direct tv deal

5/21/2014

Media watchdog groups were quick to weigh in with statements of concern about more large-scale media assets passing into fewer hands. The National Assn. of Broadcasters and the American Cable Assn., a trade org for smaller cable operators, were blunt in raising objections to the latest Big Media mega-merger, following Comcast’s agreement to swallow up its closest cable rival, Time Warner Cable, in a $45.2 billion deal that is now in the hands of the feds to approve.

Industry observers said Monday that the AT&T-DirecTV combo will only prolong the scrutiny of Comcast-TW Cable.

“AT&T’s proposed merger with DirecTV demands a hard look in an increasingly consolidated broadband and pay television marketplace,” said NAB exec VP Dennis Wharton in a statement. “It is hard to see how decreasing competitors in the pay TV marketplace – while increasing regulatory restraints on local TV stations – truly benefits consumers.”

The ACA said it was “troubled” by the wave of consolidation sweeping its larger MVPD rivals. The Pittsburgh-based org reps about 850 small and medium-sized cable operators, mostly serving rural areas.

“It is increasingly clear that Congress and the FCC simultaneously need to take a comprehensive look at the market that will exist if all these deals are approved, and to decide whether existing rules that govern the current market are sufficient for the new industry order,” said ACA prexy-CEO Matthew Polka.

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Toronto, Ontario - CanadaSeptember 4 to 14, 2014

5/21/2014

In the Spotlight today is the 39th Annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a celebration that has stood for decades as one of the most respected and influential festivals on the annual circuit. With impressive reach and terrific global visibility, TIFF is an ideal launchpad for talented artists who deserve to be discovered, championed, and rewarded worldwide.

Welcoming a flavorful mix of narrative features, documentaries, and shorts, TIFF draws upon the robust artistic community of Toronto to draw dynamic films and filmmakers from around the world. Participants will benefit from access to a broad network of media outlets, a thriving social scene enhanced by the festival's unique energy, and numerous opportunities to discuss their films with audience members, with film buyers, and with fellow creative forces. There's even a "Mavericks" discussion series, providing direct access to some of the biggest names in filmmaking.

TIFF is characterized by audacious selections and by staggering diversity. Cultural discovery is a centerpiece of the eleven-day event, and several visitors return, again and again, to gain new insights into the international market. Every film invited to the festival will be guaranteed at least one private and industry, and at least two public, screenings - a collective benefit that will prove invaluable for talented filmmakers eager to market, discuss, and experience their films with appreciate and powerful audiences from every corner of the globe.

The 62nd Columbus International Film + Video Festival entries until July 1, 2014

5/19/2014

The 62nd Columbus International Film + Video Festival, aka The Chris Awards is accepting entries now through July 1 for its 2014 Festival. Entry form and instructions are available here .

There is a $1500 Travel Award for filmmakers (of any type) to attend the CIF+VF. The filmmakers chosen will attend the Festival and one filmmaker may perform the final adjudication for the 2014 Greater Columbus Arts Council Media Fellowships. The filmmaker chosen to adjudicate the fellowships will receive an honorarium as well as travel funds. These awards are not limited by division, so all filmmakers are in consideration for these awards. The award amounts (travel and honorariums) are dependent upon travel and housing costs incurred by the Festival.

FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINEMA DE MONTREAL Montreal, Quebec - Canada October 8 to 19, 2014

5/19/2014

In the Spotlight today is the 43rd Annual Festival du Nouveau Cinema de Montreal (FNC), an exciting forum for the discussion, presentation, and celebration of innovative new works and creative new artists. With an emphasis on cutting-edge independent cinema and on an exploration of the latest practices in new media, FNC is an ideal place to experience memorable, impactful art before the rest of the world gets buzzing about it.

Programming at FNC is expansive and eclectic, divided among seven categories and comprised of more than 300 short and feature-length films. International films are eagerly encouraged to compete, and locally grown projects from across Canada mix it up in their own competitive category. There's even a competition exclusive to young filmmakers, and another that collects the most avant-garde, indescribable, and invigorating cinema from around the world.

For four decades, FNC has offered the kind of unpredictability, enthusiasm, and reward that keeps film lovers coming back for more. Last year's grand prize winner, Heli, earned its talented filmmaker (Amat Escalante) $15,000 CAD cash and worldwide visibility with which to promote, and profit from, his remarkable work. The film went on to win the Best Director prize at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d'Or.

SMART QUOTE MAY 15, 2014

5/17/2014

"A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day."
Andre Maurois
French writer

smart quote may14, 2014

5/14/2014

"Think of all the beauty that's still left in and around you and be happy."
Anne Frank
German-Dutch diarist and Holocaust victim

Google Hopes Test Drives Steer Americans to Embrace Its Robot Cars

5/14/2014

(Reuters)

Google Inc's self-driving car technology likely will not be available for several more years. But the Internet company is already beginning the job of making the public comfortable with the futuristic vehicles.

A fleet of Google's robot cars ferried more than two dozen reporters around Mountain View, California, on Tuesday, in 30-minute ride-alongs that showcased their ability to automatically and safely navigate around city streets packed with cyclists, pedestrians and traffic signs.

The demonstrations, along with a morning of press briefings by Google managers developing the technology, marked the company's most concerted effort to date to provide an up-close look at the cars conceived five years ago in its secretive Google X division.

The public needs to understand that a self-driving car is "not something that you need to fear but something you need to embrace," said Ron Medford, a former National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration official who is now director of safety for Google's self-driving car project.

"We do find that when people experience it, we get remarkable results and responses," Medford said at the event at the Computer History Museum, during which Google explained the technology that makes the cars work.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin tout the driverless car as revolutionary technology that could eventually sharply reduce fatalities on the road. But it remains to be seen whether it's ready for widespread use.

Lately, some of Google's ambitious "moonshot" projects have stirred unease. Google Glass, a postage stamp-sized computer screen that attaches to eyeglass frames and is capable of recording video, has raised privacy concerns.

For self-driving cars, consumer acceptance and regulation may be as much issues as perfecting the technology.

Google will not say whether it will build its own cars or license the technology to automakers, nor will it provide a firm date for when the cars will be available. Co-founder Brin has said the technology could be available by 2017.

RIDE ALONG

It would be hard to mistake the gold Lexus RX 450h cars that Google has converted into self-driving prototypes for normal cars, primarily because of the roof-mounted laser sensor that revolves 10 times a second, gathering a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings.

Other drivers who spot the self-driving car often swerve in front of it and tap on their brakes, hoping to gauge the Google car's reaction, according to the two Google staffers in the car's front seats. Another favorite involves car drivers waving their hands in the air, in an attempt to get the Google driver-seat staff member to take his or her own hands off the wheel and prove the car is really steering itself.

"We just laugh at them," said one of the Google staff members in the car.

From the car's backseat, the ride feels little different from sitting in a taxi. The car's speed, the distance it maintains from the vehicle in front and its handling, for the most part, feel completely ordinary.

Changing lanes occasionally feels sharper than typical, and the car slowed down at a green light at one point until its sensors were able to "read" a traffic light that was apparently mounted at an odd angle.

The Google staff member in the driver's seat never took control of the car, other than the initial passage through a speed bump-laden parking lot, and once again on arrival.

Google's cars have never "caused" an accident in self-driving mode, although they have been involved in a few fender benders, such as an incident in which a Google car stopped at a red light got rear-ended, said Chris Urmson, the head of Google's self-driving car project.

Unlike human drivers, self-driving cars never get drowsy behind the wheel, and they can react to unforeseen situations much more quickly, he said.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Gannett Co. today is acquiring six of London Broadcasting Co.’s television stations in Texas

5/14/2014

Gannett Co. today is acquiring six of London Broadcasting Co.’s television stations in Texas for $215 million in an all-cash transaction.

The stations: KCEN (NBC) Waco-Temple-Bryan; KYTX (CBS) Tyler-Longview; KIII (ABC) Corpus Christi, KBMT (ABC) and its digital subchannel KJAC (NBC) Beaumont-Port Arthur; KXVA (Fox) Abilene-Sweetwater; and KIDY (Fox) San Angelo.

Gannett said the purchases do not overlap with any of its current broadcast and publishing properties.

Gracia Martore, president-CEO of Gannett, said: “The addition of these stations will expand Gannett’s reach into some of the fastest growing markets in the nation and furthers our successful transformation into a diversified multi-media company. With more than 70% of London Broadcasting’s advertising revenues driven by local advertisers, this acquisition will provide us access to attractive new markets in which we believe our local digital marketing services group, G/O Digital, will thrive.”

Gannett said it anticipates the acquisition to be accretive to EPS within the first 12 months. The new stations are expected to generate revenue of approximately $50 million in 2014. The transaction is also expected to provide Gannett with certain tax efficiencies following the recent sale of assets associated with KMOV St. Louis. Including expected synergies and the anticipated tax benefit, the purchase price implies a 6.7x average 2014/2015 EBITDA multiple.

The transaction is expected to close this summer, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, the company said.

After closing, Phil Hurley, London Broadcasting COO, will continue to lead the six stations. Hurley will report to Dave Lougee, president of Gannett Broadcasting.

Stephens Inc. is providing financial advice to Gannett on the transaction.