Nostalgic for the analogue age

Like almost everyone working in the field of sound recording, video production and graphic design I use a computer. I often marvel that what once took a room full of one inch video tape machines, a rack filled with character generators and then another room with a 24-track audio recorder, can now all be done on a 13 inch laptop. And all in high definition with surround sound.
But visiting Old Parliament House this week I walked through the former press office and became somewhat nostalgic for the analogue days of audio recording.
The Cuemaster cart machine (pictured) was the only way of playing multiple audio tracks one after the other in radio. The Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder was used to record sync audio for interviews, documentaries - even feature films.
Whilst the digital world provides wonderful versatility, nothing like using a blade and splicing tape to edit radio interviews to help you get a reel feel for the medium.
Ahh - memories ....

At the end of my street ...

This is not an image you'd ever see on a travel brochure or in the window of a travel agent, but its the view at the end of my street looking out over Gray's Point. Whilst it's probably not significant to anyone else, it marks the turning point of my daily walk before I start my day.
Life is made up of such routines and whilst some may think daily or weekly routines are boring, they do help set the rhythm and pattern of life. So much so that when they're disrupted by travel, work or maybe sickness, getting back to them brings the world back to balance, even normal. Apparently its good to have regular routines - walking has an impact on both physical and mental well being.
Looking over the above view each day, or as many times a week as I am able, provides a sense of peace. In a world of sometimes crazy activity, that can't be all bad.

The disconnected 'connected' generation

We are the parents of one Gen X'er and with wives and partners, four Gen Y'ers. And although we're Baby Boomers, we as connected as our children - with one exception. Being brought up on the principle that it's always polite to return phone calls and answer letters, we're pretty good at answering e-mails, texts, facebook posts and even voice mail - their modern day equivalent.
Gen X and Y are supposed to be the 'connected generation'. You know, with an iPod in one ear, left hand sending texts and the right hand answering e-mail on the laptop or iPad.
Trouble is, despite all this connectedness, trying to get them to answer simple questions like, "are you home for dinner?" or, "can you both come to dinner in a week?" are met with nothing. Silence.
I reckon the connected generation is not as connected as everyone says or is that they're just not focused on planning ahead. Rather than commit to a dinner date with parents or parents-in-law (what could be better) they wait until the last minute - in case they get a better offer. (Maybe I could do better)
As frustrating as this is sometimes, we have just learnt to live with our disconnected ' connected' generation.

PS. We love them just the same. Hope they don't read this.
Comments?

Oranges and Sunshine ... a reflection

Just after Christmas, 1960, our family of four - Mum, Dad and my younger brother and I boarded the Fairsky for a five week voyage to the UK. I was eleven and my brother 14 months younger. Spending five weeks on a boat that was making the return trip to the UK to bring more '10 pound poms' to Australia was great for two young boys. Dad was an opera singer and was off to the UK to further his career.
We made the return journey 18 months later - this time the Fairsky was also carrying English families looking for a new life in the 'lucky country'. What I didn't know at the time was that that ship (and others sailing the same route) were bringing some of the 130,000 orphans to a land of 'oranges and sunshine' in a 'scheme of forcibly relocating poor children from the UK to Australia.'
I am the same age as many of these children whose story is now told in the just released feature film starring Emily Watson, David Wenham and Hugo Weaving.
Oranges and Sunshine is a simply told story with much of the detail of the abuse suffered by the children told in flashbacks to interviews carried out by Margaret Humphreys, on whose life the story is based. That both the UK and the Australian governments were party to such an arrangement is appalling. Worse is the treatment and abuse the children received at the hands of charitable and church organisations once they got here.
At last the story has been told in this moving film. See it ... you won't be the same afterwards.

Looking at the world digitally ...

I've been wearing reading glasses for 15 years or so and despite the annoyance of occasionally misplacing them, they're a part of life. On my most recent visit to my friendly optometrist I decided to try a pair of multi-focus lenses. Whilst I knew that would mean wearing them all the time, at least I would have progressive correction as things got closer-which sounded perfect.
The lenses are called digital lenses because of the way they're made. The top of the lense is for distance viewing with the bottom set for close-up work and reading.
The one problem is that the manufacturing process used means that the bottom left and right corners of the lense is blurry - which means a quite narrow 'field of focus' in the bottom of the lense.
So instead of seeing the whole page of a book or my computer screen in focus from left to right, there is a 'hot spot' in the middle which at times only covers a few words. This means I either have to track the book left to right as I read, or move my whole head.
Both options are a bit of a nuisance - so there is one alternative left to try which will give me a slightly wider reading angle at the bottom.
I hope it works ...

Imitation - the greatest form of flattery ....

Newspapers in Sydney this weekend ran a story about a new ad campaign being planned by an Islamic group called 'My Peace'. Their ads (see billboard left) will carry slogans such as ''Jesus: a prophet of Islam''.
The article claimed that: "CHRISTIANS in Sydney will have their core beliefs challenged by provocative advertisements due to appear on billboards and buses in the next month."
The Islamic campaign follows a series of campaigns run throughout Australia from 2005 - 2010 in Adelaide, Tasmania, Canberra/ACT, NSW/Sydney and WA/Perth by Christian churches and facilitated by Bible Society. The 'Jesus. All about life' (JAAL) campaigns used billboards (pictured), television commercials and encouraged local churches in each city or area to support the campaign by reaching out to their local community.
I was actively involved in developing the first three campaigns and laying the ground work for the fourth one. (For media reports, etc - click here)

The news that 'My Peace' are copying the JAAL model (but not the message of course) is not surprising, given the amount of coverage our campaign received by the secular press.
'Jesus. All about life' was favourably commented on by the Gruen Transfer and is also studied in marketing and theological courses. However JAAL varied in one key area compared to this most recent use of modern marketing techniques to promote religion. Our campaign was strongly linked to the 'brand', ie - Jesus. We chose not to denigrate or comment on other religions. We simply stated our position and then encouraged people to find out more by way of a web site or phone call.
My Peace have taken a different approach, claiming that Jesus is a prophet of Islam. Whilst I don't think this will 'challenge the core beliefs of Sydney Christians' it does 'position' Jesus as something other than who he is, in the hope maybe that those who aren't Christian, might want to find out more.
It's a bold move and one that takes the 'battle' if you like, right up to the Christian frontline.
As Bishop Rob Forsyth said, 'it was ''complete nonsense'' to say Jesus was a prophet of Islam. ''Jesus was not the prophet of a religion that came into being 600 years later.'' But the billboard was not offensive, he said. ''They've got a perfect right to say it, and I would defend their right to say it [but] … you couldn't run a Christian billboard in Saudi Arabia".'
I agree with Rob - imagine a 'Jesus. All about life' banner in the middle-east!
That My Peace have imitated our campaign is in one sense flattering, but all we did was use modern marketing techniques, backed by research to encourage people to find out what Jesus said about life. 'I have come to give life and life to the full", he said.
What do you think?

talhotblond ...

No, I haven't started producing inappropriate videos - talhotblond is the name of an award winning documentary about an on-line love triangle which ends in murder. It's a superb piece of film making and the producer/director, Barbara Schroeder, has won a number of awards.
It's the true story of a 47 year-old man who pretends to be an 18 year-old marine in an on-line chat room with an 18 year-old girl. However, all is not what it seems and there are devastating consequences for all involved.
The documentary uses a narrative structure that includes interviews and the actual chat text over muted images. Having one of the main characters narrating his own story is used to chilling effect.
It raises all sorts of issues to do with on-line chats and the inability of the law to deal with what can happen when it all goes wrong.
It's on ABC iView for the next week or so and is well worth a look.

Finding those great locations

Today I enlisted the services of a former employee (when we were both a lot younger). Brett worked for me when I ran Wesley Mission Sydney's Communications department.
Brett Odgers Photography is now one of Sydney's leading wedding photographers who also does PR for showbiz personalities and pop stars. Not sure how I fit into that portfolio, but getting somewhat frustrated with my web site and how it looks, figured it was time for an update - starting with some proper PR pics of me, the owner.
We shot in Sydney's Prymont area, just west of Star City Casino overlooking the revamped wharfs in Jones Street. Great spot.
Interesting that its now about the personality behind the organisation or company that becomes the spearhead of modern marketing.
Results on-line soon - see what you think.

The Apocalypse that didn't happen

As someone actively involved in PR and with a work background in (and personal commitment to) the Christian faith, I was amazed at the response by Australian Media to the pronouncements of a US religious TV show host.
Harold Camping, 89, head of Family Radio, a Christian radio network in the US and with some international stations, spread his message of an approaching doomsday on his stations and by spending a reported $100 million (US) on PR.
Camping spent the money, financed by the sale and swap of TV and radio stations, on a campaign of caravans and billboards touting the end of the world.
Sadly - some people believed Camping and resigned their jobs and waited for the Lord to come and take them home.
In discussing Camping's predictions late last night as the 21st rolled around in the US, I was asked why would anyone believe such a prediction?
Whilst not a Christian, Seth Godin writes a very insightful daily marketing blog and today he captured some of the key reasons why people believe such things:

"If you're reading this blog, then the world didn't end, at least in my time zone. How does one market the end of the world? After all, you don't have a big ad budget. Your 'product' is something that has been marketed again and again through the ages and it has never worked. There's significant peer pressure not to buy it...

And yet, every time, people succumb. They sell their belongings, stop paying into their kid's college fund and create tension and despair. Here's the simple lesson:

Sell a story that some people want to believe. In fact, sell a story they already believe.

The story has to be integrated into your product. The iPad, for example, wasn't something that people were clamoring for... but the story of it, the magic tablet, the universal book, the ticket to the fashion-geek tribe--there was a line out the door for that. The same way that every year, we see a new music sensation, a new fashion superstar. That's not an accident. That story is just waiting for someone to wear it.

And the some part is vital. Not everyone wants to believe in the end of the world, but some people (fortunately, just a few) really do. To reach them, you don't need much of a hard sell at all.

Too often marketers take a product and try to invent a campaign. Much more effective is to find a tribe, find a story and make a product that resonates, one that makes the story work. That's the whole thing. A story that resonates and a tribe that's tight and small and eager. I hope you can dream up something more productive than the end of the world, though." (From Seth Godin - click here)

Good stuff eh?

The Maine Coast - new video site

If you've never been to Maine, in the top right hand corner of the US, you can now through a new web site started by a buddy of mine.
Rob Draper of VisionMill has developed the Maine Video Magazine web site, with some great videos of the Maine lifestyle.
From beautiful images of Maine Lighthouses - shot at 'magic hour', through to Bagels, Coffee and Pasta, there's something for everyone.
Check out the tobogganing videos from the Camden area - love the dismounting style as they finish their run onto Hosmer Pond.
Once you've checked out the site, make sure you visit this beautiful part of the US.

iMovie for Final Cut Pro editors

I've been editing for over 30 years. I started on a Steinbeck, editing 16mm mag stripe positive film for a local news service. I graduated to the Editec system on an Ampex Quad videotape machine, onto CMX in a one inch suite and finally onto Final Cut Pro.
It's great to now be able to do High Definition editing on my laptop - compared to the room full of tape gear that was needed in the old days.
This week I have taken the plunge and delved into iMovie. I had to buy the book to help - but I think I have a handle on it. I've written a Word document that compares FCP to iMovie to help fellow editors get to grips with a program that obviously wasn't written by an editor.
If it helps - let me know. Plus feel free to add to it. It's here. (Click to download)

Video 101 Podcast One

This is the first in a series of Podcasts from my Video 101 Seminar presented at the CMA in May, 2011.

Working under the Rain Cloud

A new web based application that's pretty cool

I've been using a new web based application called Rain Cloud for the past few days and its solved a whole stack of problems in how I manage my e-mail, calendar and contacts.

Here's how I used to work.
I have had a POP3 e-mail account with Bigpond for ages and its the account I've mainly used for my business. I use a Mac laptop and an iPhone 3.0.
On the Mac I used Entourage for e-mail, with a whole stack of rules to sort incoming e-mails. I also have another six or so POP3 e-mail accounts for various links I have with other businesses. I set each of these up in Entourage as separate accounts. When I did a Send/Receive, Entourage collected the e-mails from the various accounts and sorted them into the folders. On my iPhone I set up the Bigpond account as a POP3.
In order to sync my calendar and contacts between my Mac and iPhone, I signed up for a Mobile Me account.

Problems:
1. POP3 on an iPhone is awful. Takes forever to send and of course no synching between my Mac and iPhone mail folders. Mobile Me could have solved that, but you need to use an @me.com e-mail address, which is not that cool for business.
2. I also own a number of domains which relate to my business name but as their e-mail services are just POP3 accounts, I had never really used them for my e-mail.

The Rain Cloud solution
The Rain Cloud, developed by Digerati Solutions, leverages Apple's Microsoft Exchange functionality and provides a better and more flexible service than even Apple's own Mobile Me.
Rain Cloud run a Microsoft Exchange server in their data centre and each user has their own account and secure mail folders. For a small business owner like me, this is ideal as there is no way I would ever install or run my own Exchange server. This way I can take advantage of the Exchange technology without the cost.

How does it work?
Firstly, I delegated the MX mail record for one of my business domains to the Rain Cloud server. I used the DNS functionality attached to my web content management system - dead easy to do. Once that was done the Rain Cloud guys built my profile, creating my username and password.
Then, using Apple's Microsoft Exchange integration, built into the Mac OSX operating system, I created an Exchange account on Apple Mail, iCal, Address Book and Entourage. (We had to download the latest update for Entourage and install their web server version - but very simple)
On my iPhone, I added a Microsoft Exchange account, turned off my POP3 and MobileMe accounts and away I went. The beauty of the Rain Cloud is that all my mail folders, calendars and address books are synchronised across all programs and devices. If I add an iPad one day, I'll just add the Exchange server to its configuration.

I did have to make a decision to set-up a new business e-mail address, but owning the relevant domains made that an obvious thing to do. (Bigpond POP3 accounts don't have this option)
I have gone into the Webmail function of each of my POP3 addresses and forwarded them to the new business e-mail address. Using Exchange rules I then sort these into the appropriate Exchange folders which appear on all my devices and programs.

I can also access all the above via Outlook Web Access from any web connected computer from anywhere in the world.

Pluses

1. All my e-mail folders, contacts and calendar items appear in sync on all my devices and programs and updating the data in one spot replicates instantly across all the others.
2. I can now send e-mails from my iPhone and have them sent instantly, plus have these sent items appear on my laptop.
3. I can use Exchange's out-of-office and other functions across my devices
4. All my e-mails from all my various accounts appear in the one place, without multiple log-ons to each site.
5. The RainCloud guys back-up their server every day, so if I do lose everything, they can rescue me.
   

Negatives

1. I miss the coloured calendar items from iCal. They still work, but not in the Rain Cloud calendar. Limitation of Exchange Calendar.
2. Notes doesn't seem to work across Exchange in Entourage
   

Cost
This is quite reasonable - talk to the team at Digerati Solutions.