Rosie O' Donnell, Videoblogger

Did you know that Rosie O' Donnell has her own video blog? It is true, not only does she have her own video blog, but she posts often, unlike some celebrities that have long since stopped posting (Darrel Hanna, I am looking at you).

So, what does Rosie vlog about? Pretty much the same thing as everyone vlogs about. What she does on her free time. Her paintings, her daughter, her adventures to the Zoo. The difference is that it is Rosie O'Donnell, and she is a pro. Being funny helps also, but she is not always funny. Sometimes she is tired, annoyed or happy, just like anyone. I also like that we get to see some of the issues she is faced with, like having to replace the OS on her mac. It reminds me of the US magazine section "Stars are just like US!", but instead of celebrates buying groceries, they have to deal with the headache of reinstalling your operating system. You go geek girl Rosie!

Show to watch: Frontline – Full Episodes.

One of my goals of this blog is to share with you some places to find shows to watch on the internet. Did you know that PBS Frontline posts their full episodes on their site? Yes, it is true. PBS has tons and tons of shows, but it is hard to figure out which ones are available as full episodes. I am still trying to find them all, as the list is very long.

I was not that familiar with Frontline before I started looking for internet TV shows. Now that I have found Frontline, I think it is a very well done show. At least the episodes I have watched that seem to be of interest to me. There are quite a few Frontline episodes that don’t seem to be of much interest, but I might watch them anyway at some point in the future. You know, just because the show is so well done.

What episodes can I recommend? One of the most interesting and enjoyable shows I have seen lately, is The Merchants of Cool. You can view the full episode here. Another episode I found very interesting was the one about the Mormons. Very in depth and lots of amazing facts. Watch the full episode here.

You can't go wrong with either of those episodes, so if you are looking for something to watch, they just might fit the bill.

Heroes posts later on Netflix

Heroes is a show that I like, but the NBC 24|7 player pauses on me and makes it hard to watch. I have discovered that Heroes also plays on Netflix "Watch Instantly", so I am back to watching it. I noticed yesterday that Heroes does not post to Netflix on Tuesday like it does on the 24|7 NBC site, but sometime on Wednesday. What time on Wednesday, I don't know, but I know that it is posted now, so I just might have to watch it now and catch up on this week's episode.

CBS library expands on Joost

I assume that CBS innertube is still stuttering, but I have not been back there in the last couple of weeks to check. Instead, I have been watching my favorite CBS TV show, Kid Nation on Joost. I have noticed that CBS is really adding to joost and there are quite a few shows available. Not only do they have a bunch of CBS channels, but the main CBS channel has lots to see, and is adding more and more daily. I still have not had a chance to check out the Price is Right, but I know it will be there when I am ready.

The GigaOm Show.

The GigaOm Show is another somewhat new show that focuses on the tech industry in Silicon Valley. The GigaOm show is hosed by Om Malik and Joyce Kim and is a weekly video cast. I like the show because it is a little bit longer than the standard 5 minutes, so they have a chance to go into their subject in a bit more depth. The show is very interesting, as you get a look into the " start- up culture" of Silicon Valley. The start-up scene is it's own little drama, just like TV, so it is always fun to keep up on the latest goings on. The GigaOm show makes it seem that everyone is making money and it would be easy for YOU to get funding for your startup. At least that is what it seems. I am sure the reality is much different, but one can always dream.

I have noticed in the latest show that they have increased the font size of the GigaBytes blurbs found in the show. This is good, since I watch the show on my Sandisk Sansa player and the screen is a bit small and it was hard for me to read the itty bitty type. Let's hope they keep this trend, because I always do wonder what exactly they say on the GigaBytes.

Where do you get your daily dose of Internet Culture?

Today we are going to look at three video blogs that are always chock full of internet goodness. The internet is a constantly changing beast and you HAVE to keep up with what is the latest “thing”. So, how does one go about doing this? Today we will look at three video sites that will keep you hip, current and informed.

Site #1- Rocketboom.com.
If you have not heard about Rocketboom and you watch internet video, then you must have been living under a rock. Or, you are new to this whole “internet video” thing. Rocketboom is one of the oldest and most influential sites in the vlogosphere. Rocketboom started in 2005 and has been an innovator from the start. They were one of the first sites to do RSS video enclosures and also to serve up their daily content in multiple formats. Rocketboom is still pushing the envelope of video by now producing a HD version of their daily show. Rocketboom is hosted by Joanne Colan, and produced by Andrew Baron.

What you will see… You never know what you will see on Rocketboom. Sometimes they have a show full on the weird stuff you can find on the internet. Sometimes it is gadgets, funny sites, or whatnot. Sometimes they have a whole show dedicated to one subject. Everything from Rebels in Africa to field reports from Steve Garfield. The episode I watched today was a report from Steve interviewing the folks behind the GM Volt Car. Pretty straight forward until the crazy lady bum rushed the camera and started heckling the spokesman. Funny stuff. I like Rocketboom because they usually bring you stories you have not heard in other places. If you are looking for daily internet video, Rocketboom is a good place to start.

Site #2 webbalert.com
Webb Alert is a newish show, but already I have found it to be very good and informative. The show is hosted by Morgan Webb, and I have been quite impressed at what a geek she is. It is very obvious that Morgan knows here stuff and keeps up to date on all the tech news. Yes, this show is mostly about what is going on in the tech world of the internet. Morgan has a “real” job as a tech reporter, and does the Webb Alert on the side at her house. This show is pretty slick, and filmed in front of a green screen, so you get all kinds of cool news like effect.

Morgan mostly reports on things that you have already heard about if you follow the tech news. She gets most of her information from sites like arstechinca.com, techcrunch.com and the likes. If you are looking for a great tech roundup delivered by a true pro, then Webb Alert is a show you should watch every week. Webb Alert is not daily, but usually about 3-4 times a week.

Site#3 tv.boingboing.net/
Boingboing.tv is the newest kid on the block, even though they invented the genre of “Weird internet crap”. I am not sure what took them so long to join the party, but boy, I am glad they came. Boingboing.tv is the video version of the site boingboing.net, which is a directory of “Wonderfull Things” and one of the most popular blogs on the internet. Boing boing.net is the go-to site for cool things on the internet. The things that you find on boing boing are new and obscure, and they never copy content from the other “popular” blogs. On the contrary, all the “popular blogs” always rip off stuff they saw on boing boing. Boingboing.tv will keep you up to date on what is cool and hip, be it the latest LOLCats reference, or introduce you to the “Unicorn Chaser”. If you are looking for one video blog to watch out of the above mentioned ones, boingboing.tv is the one for you.

CBS changes their player to CBSux

Ah, what a cleaver headline. Too bad it is true.

It had been a couple of weeks since I had visited CBS’s innertube site to see Kid Nation, so the other night I decided to catch up on the episodes I had missed. When I arrived at the site, I noticed that they had totally changed the underlying technology of their web player. How did I know this? For one, the show was actually showing up on my TV screen. You might remember my post from a couple of weeks ago how I have Windows Media Edition version of XP, and it is hooked up to my TV. Sometimes, for unknown reasons, the video will not show up on the TV screen, even though you can see it on the computer monitor. You might also remember from that post how I was able to use Real Player to view Kid Nation. While the quality of the video was just ok, the streaming experience was most satisfying- smooth and with no pauses. I HATE pauses.

This however is no longer the case. Now, the video does show up on my TV, but the streaming experience is totally horrible, and you can’t watch it using Real Player anymore. I mean the steaming was soooo bad, I could not even watch it. It just stutters along and is very jerky. I think they adopted the crappy NBC technology instead of the killer ABC technology, but whatever. I tried everything. Pauseing so the stream could catch up, switching to Explorer, shutting down and re booting… Nothing was working!

I just wanted to watch some Kid Nation. So, what is a web TV watcher to do?

Joost to the rescue! Yes, I went on the Joost guide page and searched for CBS. Low and behold, they had the latest episode of Kid Nation on their CBS channel. I fired it up and was treated to a very good night of watching Kid Nation! The downfall is that they only have the latest episode on their channel, so I have to keep on the ball.

The upside of the CBS channel on Joost? The Price is Right! Yeah, that is cool. I did not watch it, but now that I know it is there, I will be.

Oh, so how was this week’s Kid Nation? It was pretty good, even if the topic was religion. That show is totally weird anyway, I mean where are the showers? Do the kids actually take showers? Or wash their clothes? I know I would not do either at that age unless I was forced by the parental unit. How long until the clothes get so stinky and stiff that there is a rebellion? Or, maybe, they have staff that does these things for the kids off screen. Whatever, I still like the show. If you have not seen it (and you have a faster connection than I do), then go check it out on the CBS Innertube page. If nothing else, the show will stimulate discussion in your house.

Heroes

Ok, I think I need to change this blog’s format. All that linking is a pain in the neck, so instead of not talking about internet TV and just linking to what I watched, I am going to switch it up. I am going to talk more about what I watched and do less linking. Maybe that will make it easier to post.

So, with that said, let’s talk about a show I was finally able to watch.

Heroes!

As I reported a couple of posts ago, I was having trouble watching Heroes on the official NBC site. Basically, I have a slow connection and it seems that the NBC player does not stream enough into its queue to prevent it from pausing. It was very annoying! For every 5 seconds of video, it would pause for 1 second. Totally frustrating and we clicked it off after less than five minutes.

So, what is a Heroes fan to do?

Watch the show on Netflix of course! Yes, Netflix “Watch Instantly” has THIS season of Heroes for your streaming pleasure. This is really great, considering that if you want to watch the DVD of season two, you have to wait for it to come out.

I am now caught up on Heroes. Yep, I watched all three episodes on Netflix this weekend. Boy, that is a good show and it looks like this season will be great. Watching Heroes on Netflix is even better because there are NO commercials. On the official NBC site, Heroes has short commercials, so it is better than the broadcast version. Watching Heroes on Netflix is even better than that, as no commercials are better than the 30 second ones they add to the streaming site.

What I watched 10-7-07

Well, it has been a little while since my last post. That is ok I guess since not too many folks have been checking out this blog.

I did watch stuff on my Sansa this last week. I even got a bit of geek envy on the bus I think. I was watching stuff and this business man sat next to me. Pretty soon he busted out his blackberry, and tried to do fun things, but no video. He checked his email and read some webpages, but still no video. Haha!

All the while, I watched..

1)Ask A Ninja, Question 55 "Celebrity Weapons"

2)Bicycle-Sidewalk 303rd Post - The girl, the light, the shoes - Fukuoka Tenjin Japan

3)Boing Boing.TV Boing Boing tv: same old BB, but with talkies.

4)Boing Boing.TV Trailers From Hell/Lobotomy

5)Better Bad News REPORTS OF NEO-CON MILITARY COUP UNLIKELY IN US MEDIA

6)Geek Entertainment TV Halo 3 Launch Eve

7)The GigaOm Show - Silcon Valley's Own Microsoft

We also watched some internet video on the television. We watched some ABC shows. We watched some Ugly Betty and also checked out the new show Pushing Daisies. ABC has the best player hands down. It looks great and streams even better.

We would have been watching more internet TV, but we got sucked into some DVD action via Netflix. We watched The Real Housewives of the Orange County. That show is addictive. Growing up in Orange County 20 years ago, I see things have not changed much. Yes, this stuff really happens.

Joost is now out of beta...

Joost is now out of beta. That means that anyone can go to the site and download this cool program. 15,000 shows on 250 channels. That is a lot of stuff to check out. If you are not sure what to watch, you can always check out the joost guides at the official joost "What's On" page, or you can check out Joost List. Joost has really improved a ton since we first got the beta invite about 7 months ago. This is a really quality way to watch great video content on the internet, so go to Joost and download the player!

What I watched 10-2-07

Today I was on the bus, so I watched my Sansa. I watched…

1) Brick Films THAC 2007: Storyline Buildup

2) Bleeding Edge TV 186: A Look at HP’s New iPaq Line

3) Out On the Stoop Ethics of Reviewing Restaurants - A Discussion

4) Mike Moon Drivin' (Remake)

5) Rocketboom Monday October 1, 2007 : Japan, iPhones, MIT, Rainbows & Iran

6) Wallstrip 10-1-07 Guess the Stock Price Contest WINNER!

7) Webb Alert October 1, 2007

Last night we TRIED to watch Heroes for the 3rd, er, 4th time. It is official. The NBC 24|7 site sucks for folks with a slow connection ( 1 mbps). This is a bummer, because there is many great shows there. Basically, the streaming technology pauses for one second after 5 seconds of video. I thought if I pressed pause, it might let the video download a bit so it would not pause. However, this is not the case. You press pause and the player stops downloading. Last season, the NBC player worked great! This season… It sucks. Come on guys! Don’t make me limewire it.

What I watched 10-1-07

Ok, let's see what kind of internet video I have been watching the last couple of days.

Today on the bus, I watched my Sansa. I watched..

1) Bicycle-Sidewalk 302nd Post - Pottery, Rotation, Japan, Summer, Spacey, Indigo, What did he say?

2)Mike Moon Memory is a Filing Room

3)LO Fi St Louis Episode #193 Record Show!

4) LO Fi St Louis Episode #194 Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers

5) Rosie O'Donnel's Vlog imagine that

6) Rosie O'Donnel's Vlog hana

7) Ryanne's Video Blog Ash and I at Amy and Dave's Wedding

8) x360 Journal Into Belgium & Circumnavigation Completion

9) x360 Journal Weather Most Foul

This last weekend, we also watched some streaming video. We watched shows from all the major networks. We watched Kid Nation on CBS, the season premier of Ugly Betty on ABC and the season premier Bionic Woman on NBC. The shows were all good, but who had the best on-line viewing experience? Well, CBS's video player does not display video on the TV screen in Firefox. Luckily, the RealPlayer plugin allows us to view the video using realplayer. The quality is not that great, but we can press pause and the video keeps downloading, so when we play it, no pauses. ABC's video player is the best I think. The quality is great, and the video seems to stream really well with our slow connection. It seems that it looses a bit of quality in places instead of pausing. NBC's video player is not that great. The quality is really good, but we could not get it to run on Firefox. When we used Explorer, we were able to actually view the show, but there were still lots of pauses.