Flipping Video On Edge

Flip Video is hardly the new kid on the block, having been released May 1, 2007. But since its release, the super compact digital video recorder has made leaps and bounds in progression toward one of the easiest, and most effective marketing tools available to the small business owner. Let me explain…

Flip Video is now among one of the must have products I require all new clients I work with to purchase. For example, one organization I work with is comprised of Kitchen Science professionals. While their work in the kitchen is genius, their technical skills in relation to video and internet are non existent. But these folks have a message to share with the public, and need a fast and economical way to spread that message. Enter: Youtube and FlipVideo.

With minimal settings, and easy record/stop/play functions, the flip video is ready at a moment’s notice for even the least technically savvy. And when you’re ready, the simple flip of a switch allows your USB connector to pop out, which you plug into the USB port on your PC. The camera does the rest. With a built in software, the camera directs the user in how to download, edit, and even share the footage they’ve just obtained. Within minutes, a video press release, or important product footage can be uploaded to YouTube and shared with millions. The opportunities are endless.

Putting the Pieces Together

Two years ago I remember sitting in a dusty corner of a garden in Guatemala, watching a family hanging laundry to dry. Like everyone in the village of San Juan la Laguna, the family didn’t have much. But watching them, playing and working together, enjoying every moment of what they had together… it did something to me. I had been feeling sorry for myself. I had been wondering what I was doing in Guatemala and if it was simply a way to hold off making any important decisions about my life through which I seemed to be wandering aimlessly. Watching that family enjoy a simple activity like hanging laundry, one would think they were on vacation in the French Riviera. I could easily venture to say, they were happy.

One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is the various forms “happiness” can take in life. In one moment, for one person, it can be an achievement years in the making. For another, it can be the birth of a child. For me, I want more than anything to find the joy in every moment. This morning I was watching some of my documentary footage from Dia de los Muertos in Guatemala. In the footage, my good friend Samuel Lazo Bautista says, “Death is but an arms length behind me at any given moment. I’m like a monkey in a tree. I don’t care what is an arm’s length behind me, I just keep going. Every moment is beautiful.”

As Mardi Horowitz joins us this week on A Closer Look to discuss his book A Course In Happiness, I look forward learning how I might put the pieces of my life together and look at the whole… rather than the segmented moments of what I thought happiness should be.

Until next time,
Nicholas Beatty

Make A Run For Redbox

Easy $1 DVD Rentals. No Late Fees.


Have you heard of Redbox? It is currently one of my favorite things – and I have to be honest… it is a completely decadent service, offered to the laziest of movie fans. Redbox is a portable DVD vending machine positioned in various fast food and grocery store chains across America. At only $1 a day, and absolutely ZERO late fees, it is the only DVD rental service that doesn’t end up costing me a fortune.

While many people prefer digital, On Demand services, or Amazon’s rental services, Redbox offers those who still like a tangible product an easy opportunity to get the latest releases while at the grocery store. Who doesn’t like to accomplish multiple tasks at the same time? Ben and Jerry’s – check – Princess Diaries III – check!

With a number of weekly promotions, it is possible to even get your movies for free! Try, Free Movie Mondays… or Buy One Get One. Redbox even has a spiffy iPhone application that allows you to view what movies are available at different locations, new releases, and special promotions.

Check out Redbox and let me know what you think!

Twitter At the Box Office

So the results are in, and some folks are saying Twitter killed the anticipated blockbuster status of Bruno, the new Sacha Baron Cohen film. How can that be? With the immediacy of twitter offering the opportunity to make posts during the film, theatergoers could, essentially, be stopped dead in their tracks.

There’s talk of this all over Twitter, and other forums this morning. Check out these sample tweets from the weekend:

@BJMendelson I think Bruno killed Bruno. Highly overrated.

@JennaNunziato do NOT see Bruno with parents or anything like that… LOTS of nudity./really sexual jokes.

While there is no consistency about Bruno comments on Twitter, we are curious about one thing: Would you make a decision on viewing a film based on comments on Twitter?

Until next time,
Nicholas Beatty

Bikinis and Beer Butt Chicken… I don’t think so!

Summer is approaching and I find myself single, and in a new city where weekends mean trips to the beach and going out with friends. While the glitz and glamour of Hollywood may call for looking better with a healthier diet, there is the ever-present & greater call for eating food that tastes good. What I find in reading through Rick Browne’s amazing library of recipes is that fish, vegetables and even fruit are delicious cooked on the barbeque. And why the heck not? It sounds like fun.

Check out this recipe for Grilled Pears and Apples   http://www.barbecueamerica.com/recipes.cfm?featured=189&cat=free

And don’t miss this recipe for Grilled Flounder with Apple Salsa   http://www.barbecueamerica.com/recipes.cfm?featured=161&cat=free

With a plethora of yummy, fun ideas, our show with Rick Brown this week will be sure to please every taste bud, no matter how health conscious.

Until next time,
Nicholas Beatty

Why is a celebrity a celebrity? What makes a classic a classic?

I am thrilled to have Bobby Vee on the show this week! To be considered a living legend, and to have so many songs credited to one’s name… what does that feel like? His songs are classics that will forever be associated with a both vibrant and tumultuous period of American history. Listening to his library of songs, and reading some of the material that has been written about him over the years, I can’t help but wonder… What makes a celebrity a celebrity, and what makes a classic a classic? 
 
How do Vee songs such as The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, and Devil or Angel  rate when compared to Timberlake’s Sexy Back? Will Sexy Back be remembered 50 years from now?

I am curious what YOU  think. In the last decade, who do you believe is most deserving of celebrity status? And more importantly, why do you believe they are deserving of celebrity status? Share your thoughts with us here.
 
To find out what others have to say on the subject, feel free to browse some of the following articles about the definition of celebrity status.
 
How Celebrity Is Celebrity

Until next time,
Nicholas Beatty

9-11 Stories

I find myself, so many years later, blocking all references to 9/11 out of my life. When Pam mentioned an interest in doing a 9/11 show, my initial reaction was one of not only reluctance, but complete disinterest. Why do I have these feelings? What is it about 9/11 that I feel I need to distance myself from any mention of it?

I found this interesting article about the psychological aftermath of 9/11 by Scientific American Magazine, and though it was written not long after that fateful day in New York City, it is still very relevant.

How were you affected by the events of 9/11? Were you, or someone you know in New York on 9/11? Share your stories with us here.

What if 9/11 Never Happened: New York Times

Psychological Aftermath of 9/11: Scientific American

9/11 Lingers in Mind and Body

Until next week,
Nicholas Beatty

Misterios, La Casa de La Mente

I am passionate about Hispanic and Latin American culture, and have spent many months traveling, studying and creating friendships in Mexico and Latin America.

While there is indeed much beauty, there is also much need. We’ve all seen the Christian Children’s Fund ads, heard the pleas of missionaries working in remote villages, and so on. But earlier this year, I had the great fortune of meeting a young man, of the Mayan Tz’utujil tradition in Guatemala, named Fredy Perez Hernandez. His heart is in teaching children about their ancestry, something that seems to be falling by the wayside.
 
I’d like to introduce you to a program Fredy and I have created, called Misterios, La Casa de la Mente. The program was created to in an effort to record the stories of the ancianos, the elderly people in Fredy’s village of San Juan la Laguna who are watching their Mayan traditions evaporate before their eyes.
 
I’d love to share a video with you, explaining our program, and invite you to view the website Fredy and I are working on. We will soon be launching a fundraising campaign to earn the necessary funds to purchase the video camera, audio recorders, and other materials necessary to archive the stories of the elderly of Guatemala.
 
Let me know what you think of our little project so far!
Nicholas Beatty

How Sacred Is Your Space?

“Sacred Space can be as small as the breath taken in during prayer, as large as a cathedral or as expansive as an ocean view.” – Author Unknown

I’ve read the articles in the checkout aisle about creating healthy Feng Shui in your home, and what colors to choose because they carry this significance or that meaning… but really, I ask, what is there to creating sacred space? What is a sacred space? And do you have to be high on incense and 24-hour meditation to really care?
 
I am in the process of moving from one environment to another. From an unhealthy environment to one of, I hope, peace and creative expression. I’ve been perusing the aisles of the bookstore to find out what it is that really makes a home. And I have found some great articles, which I will share here.

Creating a Sacred Space

Homes That Nourish the Soul

What is Feng Shui?

So, with this in mind… what is it that is required for you to feel vibrant and healthy in your space? We’d love to hear your feedback, and will keep it in mind when researching this subect further.
 
As always, thanks for listening!
Nicholas Beatty

No morning coffee? No morning paper? Are you kidding?

These days, with the Green Living fad sweeping the nation, I have found it completely fascinating to see how far people take their Green lifestyles.
 
GREEN TO THE EXTREME
I saw this bumper sticker on a Hummer last week. How Ironic is that? 
 
Households worldwide are now making sustainable living an important factor in their day to day lives. Some go as far as getting rid of their cars, only eating locally grown unprocessed and organic foods, and foregoing common household items such as toothbrushes and the morning newspaper.
 
What would you do to go Green? Are you tired of all the hype surrounding Green? And do you know someone who has taken the Green lifestyle just a tad bit too far? 
 
I did a little research and found some stories about people who have done just that. Take a moment to check them out. You might find one of these people lives right next door! 
 
Freegans Live on Garbage
Is it Wrong to Live a Minimalist Lifestyle?
Yale – Green Living Quiz – Check this out! 
 
Have a great week!