Topic: Media
Making movies seems like magic. Behind every magic trick there is a secret. In this case, part of the secret is MySQL. Milton Ngan of Weta Digital discusses their need to track hundreds of millions of files. Data needs to be made available to literally thousands of machines over high-speed networks. Not only is performance critical, but the sanctity of the data as well so many of the new features in the recent releases of MySQL have been eagerly awaited.
Denise Howell talks with science fiction author James D. Macdonald who tested the distinction between a traditional publisher and a vanity press when he tried to get "the worst novel ever written" accepted by PublishAmerica, a company that claimed to be a traditional publisher, but published nearly every book offered and derived most of its sales from the authors themselves. Macdonald also discusses his later experience with a true vanity press, as well as his views on copyright and the impact of technology on its enforcement.
Bottom up content development and user generated submissions have triggered an intriguing pop-phenomenon. Anyone can be a video programmer and upload their creative effort for the entire world to see. But this initial growth stage in the Internet as a platform for video may only prove to be a precursor of what is to come. There are a mixture of relevant legal, technical and business issues that loom ahead, most significantly Hollywood's desire to protect its content at all costs.
Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps issues a call to arms to small, medium, and large technology firms to get involved in the net neutrality debate. This issue is a part of a much larger national discussion over media consolidation, which currently poses a threat to innovation, diversity, and the independent voices critical to maintaining a robust civic dialogue in any democratic society. He states very clearly that all is not well in Washington when it comes to technology policy and there is a need to get involved and do something about that.
Who owns the rights to user created content on the internet? The IPG Emerging Media Lab is trying to answer those, and other questions companies have about the interactive web. Lori H. Schwartz and Jeff Berg, director and content editor at IPG, talk with Denise Howell about providing innovation and thought leadership to companies trying to engage users in a fragmented media marketplace.
Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine, speaks with Dr. Moira Gunn about his new book "The Long Tail," and answers the critics.
Podcasters may unexpectedly find themselves on the wrong side of the law. In this audio interview with Denise Howell, Colette Vogele talk about a free guide for podcasters on their legal rights and responsibilities that she and her colleagues have developed to demystify the legal dangers raised by the blossoming of audio and video podcasting.
The inaugural Podcast and Portable Media Expo was a surprising success. With the second event on the horizon, Tim Bourquin, the expo's organizer, discusses the trade show with Behind the Mic host, Michael Geoghegan. Tim explains his speculative interest in podcasting and why he took an enormous risk to build the expo around a medium which was so young and volatile. He also outlines what will be different at the upcoming event and why podcasters should attend.
Michael Geoghegan interviews Doug Kaye, IT Conversations' creator and Executive Director of The Conversations Network. Doug describes the history and evolution of IT Conversations, and gives us an in-depth description of the processes and technology that he built to power IT Conversations.
Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Mark Cotta Vaz, the author of "Living Dangerously -- The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong." He relates the daring exploits of Cooper, the World War I flying ace, who went on to create "King Kong," the 1933 movie which was so far ahead of its time.
