All Facebook noticed that certain search results in Facebook produce external pages that have been "liked" by users, but that does not a search engine make.(Credit: Screenshot by Tom Krazit/CNET)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Actor's HitRecord lets more artists get in on the act
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--Joseph Gordon-Levitt has certainly benefited from Hollywood. As a young actor, he made his debut in the movie "Beethoven" and had roles in "Third Rock From The Sun" and the movie "10 Things I Hate About You." More recently he starred in a leading role in "(500) Days of Summer." 
But, despite being a product of Hollywood, Gordon-Levitt also thinks that there are plenty of good ideas from people with no access to traditional filmmaking technology. The good news, he says, is that today anyone with a laptop can make movies. "Better stories are going to be told because more people get to tell them," he said in a panel discussion Tuesday. That, he said, is preferable to the world he inhabits, which is, "let's admit it, an often narrow-minded Hollywood industry." This notion of bringing together different artists from around the world was also the impetus for his company, HitRecord.org, which lets all kinds of artists collaborate on a film, eventually sharing in the profits if something commercially viable is made. In an interview after the panel, Gordon-Levitt talked about HitRecord and how technology is changing the face of entertainment. Q: How did you get started with HitRecord.org?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: It started five years ago as more of a hobby of mine and evolved into more of a community. In 2010, it's become a production company. I'm an actor and I am lucky enough to be in a place where I can get projects off the ground. I didn't want to only work within Hollywood. I wanted to also work with any number of people all over the world who are doing all sorts of great stuff. HitRecord is kind of my way to do that. Whether you cut video or you are a writer or a graphic designer or some sort of performer, musician, anything audio, video, image, text. We make all sorts of stuff and we all collaborate together on our Web site. I'm there kind of directing. When I am able to take something we have all made collaboratively and turn it into a money-making production, then the profits get split down the middle. Half goes back to the company and half goes back to the contributing artists. For example, we went to Sundance this year. We partnered up with a company called Getac who makes hard drives. They paid for us to go there. There was enough money left up for some profits. All the different people that contributed to the short film that we screened at Sundance shared in those profits. We sent out a bunch of different checks. Now, are we talking $20?
Gordon-Levitt: A few people made close to a grand. Some people made $4. It depends. If they spent 10 minutes saying hello, as opposed to someone who contributed (a lot). It can be both.
What are some of the most interesting things that have come out of HitRecord.org so far?
Gordon-Levitt: One of my favorite things we made so far is a short film called "Morgan M. Morgensen's Date With Destiny." It started just as an idea for a collaboration. Someone said "Hey, how about we try to write with nonsensical language?" Someone else met that challenge and wrote this short story. I liked the short story so I recorded myself reading it. Then other people liked that so they started drawing the characters. Other people started taking those drawings and turning them into animations. I got together with an actress and shot a live-action version in front of white walls. The whole community started contributed visual elements to go over that. Someone else took those visual elements and remixed them together into this beautiful collage.We did the score collaboratively as well. It ends up this beautiful lush piece of filmmaking with hundreds of people having worked on it. It all took shape organically and with no budget at all. How do you think technology is changing things. Is there an audience or are we all creators?
Gordon-Levitt: I love the (Greek) tradition. That means there's a stage and there's the audience and there's a separation. But there's I think an even older tradition of more communal story telling that probably dates back to cavemen sitting around a fire telling a story. "Oh, I heard it went this way. No I heard it went this way." I think where technology can bring us is a dissolving of that division between audience and performer, where it's less about I've got something to say and you are all just going to listen. It becomes more like "Let's tell the story together and figure out what it is." That's ancient, but now because of technology, it doesn't have to be around a campfire. It can be all over the world among thousands and thousands and really millions of people. Are you more on the Mac side of things or PC?
Gordon-Levitt: I use Final Cut on a Mac and Pro Tools on a Mac, but you know, whatever works. Windows Movie Maker comes free and you can use that. I don't have any real allegiance to any particularly technology. I love the fact people can use the technology to make stuff.
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
The notion of bringing together different artists from around the world was the impetus for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's start-up, HitRecord.org.(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: It started five years ago as more of a hobby of mine and evolved into more of a community. In 2010, it's become a production company. I'm an actor and I am lucky enough to be in a place where I can get projects off the ground. I didn't want to only work within Hollywood. I wanted to also work with any number of people all over the world who are doing all sorts of great stuff. HitRecord is kind of my way to do that. Whether you cut video or you are a writer or a graphic designer or some sort of performer, musician, anything audio, video, image, text. We make all sorts of stuff and we all collaborate together on our Web site. I'm there kind of directing. When I am able to take something we have all made collaboratively and turn it into a money-making production, then the profits get split down the middle. Half goes back to the company and half goes back to the contributing artists. For example, we went to Sundance this year. We partnered up with a company called Getac who makes hard drives. They paid for us to go there. There was enough money left up for some profits. All the different people that contributed to the short film that we screened at Sundance shared in those profits. We sent out a bunch of different checks. Now, are we talking $20?
Gordon-Levitt: A few people made close to a grand. Some people made $4. It depends. If they spent 10 minutes saying hello, as opposed to someone who contributed (a lot). It can be both.
Gordon-Levitt wants to share more than just his Hollywood side with start-up HitRecord.org.(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)
Gordon-Levitt: One of my favorite things we made so far is a short film called "Morgan M. Morgensen's Date With Destiny." It started just as an idea for a collaboration. Someone said "Hey, how about we try to write with nonsensical language?" Someone else met that challenge and wrote this short story. I liked the short story so I recorded myself reading it. Then other people liked that so they started drawing the characters. Other people started taking those drawings and turning them into animations. I got together with an actress and shot a live-action version in front of white walls. The whole community started contributed visual elements to go over that. Someone else took those visual elements and remixed them together into this beautiful collage.We did the score collaboratively as well. It ends up this beautiful lush piece of filmmaking with hundreds of people having worked on it. It all took shape organically and with no budget at all. How do you think technology is changing things. Is there an audience or are we all creators?
Gordon-Levitt: I love the (Greek) tradition. That means there's a stage and there's the audience and there's a separation. But there's I think an even older tradition of more communal story telling that probably dates back to cavemen sitting around a fire telling a story. "Oh, I heard it went this way. No I heard it went this way." I think where technology can bring us is a dissolving of that division between audience and performer, where it's less about I've got something to say and you are all just going to listen. It becomes more like "Let's tell the story together and figure out what it is." That's ancient, but now because of technology, it doesn't have to be around a campfire. It can be all over the world among thousands and thousands and really millions of people. Are you more on the Mac side of things or PC?
Gordon-Levitt: I use Final Cut on a Mac and Pro Tools on a Mac, but you know, whatever works. Windows Movie Maker comes free and you can use that. I don't have any real allegiance to any particularly technology. I love the fact people can use the technology to make stuff.
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/25: What is this?
If you recognize this giant, let me know and you might win a prize in the Road Trip Picture of the Day challenge.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
ICANN OKs .xxx domain name for porn sites
Porn sites may soon be able to tag themselves with a .xxx address now that ICANN has given the new domain name its initial OK.After denying several requests over the years for a new .xxx top-level domain, ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) finally relented Friday by giving the new domain its conditional approval.ICM Registry, which would manage and sell the new domain name to porn sites, has waged a long struggle to get .xxx accepted by ICANN as a top-level domain, only to get a thumb's down at each turn. ICM's Chairman Stuart Lawley has consistently touted the .xxx domain as a way to segregate and safely filter out adult entertainment sites. However, conservative groups have in the past lobbied Washington and reportedly pressured ICANN to deny the request.
But after acknowledging that its refusal to accept .xxx was "not consistent with the application of neutral, objective, and fair documented policy," ICANN agreed to review the proposal once again, according to the Associated Press.On the ICM Web site, Lawley said of ICANN's decision: "It's been a long time coming, but I'm excited about the fact that .xxx will soon become a reality. This is great news." Lawley added that the decision brings to fruition a six-year effort to create a specific Web address for online adult entertainment, and comes on the heels of an independent review that declared that ICANN's previous decision to deny .xxx was wrong.Though ICM is declaring victory, ICANN's final and official approval of the new domain is not quite a done deal yet and faces some red tape that could delay the new domain's debut.In an e-mail to CNET, Lawley said ICANN agreed Friday to check his company's financial and technical ability to run the new registry, which he claimed is a simple exercise. The next step, according to Lawley, would be to negotiate a contract that takes into account recommendations from the Government Advisory Committee, which advises ICANN on issues of public policy. Then the matter would go to ICANN's board for final approval. Lawley said he's hopeful that ICANN will sign the final contract at its next board meeting in October, clearing the way to go live with .xxx domains at the start of next year.ICM said it already has 110,000 pre-reservations from sites looking to adopt the new address and expects that number to increase once ICANN grants formal approval.After final approval comes through, the .xxx domain name would become a new top-level domain, like .com, .net., .org., and .edu. The .xxx name would be strictly voluntary, only to adult sites that wished to adopt it.Lawley expects to make $30 million a year in sales by selling each .xxx site for $60, according to the AP, but is promising to donate $10 from each sale to child protection initiatives through a nonprofit group that he has set up.He's also looking to establish a standard code of practices that adult sites with the .xxx domain name would follow. The code would address such issues as deceptive marketing practices, the use of malware, practices designed to attract children or suggest child pornography, and the misuse of personal information. Lawley believes that the new domain and practices would help porn sites face fewer complaints and enjoy greater customer retention.
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Analyst: Nintendo 'stole the show' at E3
Nintendo 3DS "stole the show" at E3, analysts say.(Credit: Nintendo)
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Google eyes more home energy jobs for PowerMeter
WASHINGTON--Google's PowerMeter is a straightforward application for monitoring home electricity at this point, but the company expects to stretch its features toward managing an array of energy loads in the home, according to an executive. PowerMeter gets data from smart meters or home electricity monitors and displays that data on a PC or smartphone, which helps people better understand electricity usage and leads to clues on how to cut bills. But "we're just getting going" with PowerMeter, said Dan Reicher, director of climate change initiatives at Google, here at the Kema Utility of the Future conference on Thursday. 
"We're starting with electricity and we're interested in moving on to natural gas and other utilities [such as water] in the home," Reicher said, speaking to utility industry executives. Asked afterward about timing, Reicher indicated that there are no immediate plans, but more sophisticated gas and water meters open up the possibility for Web-based monitoring. Google also sees PowerMeter as a way for people to manage when and how electricity gets used in the home. Reicher said that the application could be extended to let consumers take advantage of off-peak rates when using electricity-hungry devices such as appliances. 'Demand dispatch' for appliances and vehicles
On Thursday, Reicher said that Google engineers are doing research and development around what he called "demand dispatch," in which software and the Internet can be used to lower electricity use in the home and provide services to the grid now done by power plants. Specialized power generators push more electricity into the grid to keep a balance of supply and demand or to maintain a steady frequency. The idea of demand dispatch is that small reductions of electricity use across hundreds or thousands of homes can replace supplying more power into the grid. Last year, Google engineer Alec Brooks first described experiments Google has been doing around demand dispatch using its fleet of plug-in electric vehicles. The software Google is working on is designed to slow the charge rate of electric car batteries as a way to curtail load temporarily and maintain grid frequency, he explained. Google sees demand dispatch, through which hundreds or thousands of load reductions are coordinated and communicated to grid operators, as something that can work with big electricity users other than electric vehicles. "It goes way beyond what's going on with a limited number of plug-in vehicles in the near future," Reicher said after his talk. "It's dispatching all sorts of loads in people's homes." For example, a person could start a dishwasher at 5:30 on a hot afternoon and have an option to run it then or pay one-fifth the current rate to have it run at three in the morning. Reicher said there are a number of "simple loads" in the house that can be dispatched to the grid to cut peak-time electricity usage, something that utilities and policymakers are interested in to avoid having to build more power plants. PowerMeter could play a role in this demand dispatch scenario, although Google's work in this area is still in the R&D phase, Reicher said. In March, Google partnered with embedded chip developer Microchip, which said it will use the PowerMeter API to make it easier to integrate products such as appliances. "We're looking at it and we've done some experiments with other kinds of loads [than plug-in electric vehicles]," he said. "Smartphones, smart car, smart house--where a lot of those intersect, there's a lot of opportunities."
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Google PowerMeter on smart phone.(Credit: Google)
On Thursday, Reicher said that Google engineers are doing research and development around what he called "demand dispatch," in which software and the Internet can be used to lower electricity use in the home and provide services to the grid now done by power plants. Specialized power generators push more electricity into the grid to keep a balance of supply and demand or to maintain a steady frequency. The idea of demand dispatch is that small reductions of electricity use across hundreds or thousands of homes can replace supplying more power into the grid. Last year, Google engineer Alec Brooks first described experiments Google has been doing around demand dispatch using its fleet of plug-in electric vehicles. The software Google is working on is designed to slow the charge rate of electric car batteries as a way to curtail load temporarily and maintain grid frequency, he explained. Google sees demand dispatch, through which hundreds or thousands of load reductions are coordinated and communicated to grid operators, as something that can work with big electricity users other than electric vehicles. "It goes way beyond what's going on with a limited number of plug-in vehicles in the near future," Reicher said after his talk. "It's dispatching all sorts of loads in people's homes." For example, a person could start a dishwasher at 5:30 on a hot afternoon and have an option to run it then or pay one-fifth the current rate to have it run at three in the morning. Reicher said there are a number of "simple loads" in the house that can be dispatched to the grid to cut peak-time electricity usage, something that utilities and policymakers are interested in to avoid having to build more power plants. PowerMeter could play a role in this demand dispatch scenario, although Google's work in this area is still in the R&D phase, Reicher said. In March, Google partnered with embedded chip developer Microchip, which said it will use the PowerMeter API to make it easier to integrate products such as appliances. "We're looking at it and we've done some experiments with other kinds of loads [than plug-in electric vehicles]," he said. "Smartphones, smart car, smart house--where a lot of those intersect, there's a lot of opportunities."
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Week in review: iPhone 4's reception
Apple's latest phone hit stores Thursday to lines of people--some of whom waited six hours to buy one. But almost as soon as the device arrived on the doorsteps of customers who placed early preorders came scattered reports of reception problems, discolored spots on the screen, easily scratched exteriors, and issues with third-party accessory connections. Being popular and being perfect are definitely two different things.
• Long lines mark phone's arrival
• Apple acknowledges antenna issue in iPhone 4
• iPhone 4 owners reporting yellow, discolored screens
• Full review: iPhone 4
• Getting a look inside the iPhone 4
• AT&T delays retail iPhone 4
• Apple: White iPhone 4 coming 'second half of July'
• Apple's iOS 4 already hacked More headlines
• Photos: The gear of Road Trip 2010
• Biden to file sharers: 'Piracy is theft'
• Jammie Thomas lawyer not hopeful on mediation
• Congressmen query Apple on privacy policy changes
• ACLU fights N.C. quest for Amazon customer data
• Facebook boosts D.C. ranks with public policy hire
• Twitter, FTC reach agreement on security
• Verizon keeps unlimited data for new Droid X
• Inside the Motorola Droid X
• B&N adds $149 Wi-Fi-only Nook, cuts Nook 3G to $199
• Facebook blocking parts of Twitter's FB app
• Facebook, Twitter no place for the lonely
• Four major holes in Google Voice
• Microsoft shoots for the stars with Bing update
• Microsoft, Hollywood debate future of entertainment
• Adobe moves mobile Flash from rhetoric to reality
• Flash arrives in Google's Chrome browser
• Apple: 3 million iPads sold in 80 days
• Analyst estimates 16.5 million iPads sold by 2012
• Intel, FTC in talks to settle antitrust claims
• Sears, Kmart to offer streaming movie service
• Mars cave opening found by 7th graders
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
• Long lines mark phone's arrival
• Apple acknowledges antenna issue in iPhone 4
• iPhone 4 owners reporting yellow, discolored screens
• Full review: iPhone 4
• Getting a look inside the iPhone 4
• AT&T delays retail iPhone 4
• Apple: White iPhone 4 coming 'second half of July'
• Apple's iOS 4 already hacked More headlines
Road Trip 2010
CNET's Daniel Terdiman is on the road again. This time, he's driving a Porsche loaded down with tech gear and searching the East Coast for the most interesting spots for technology, military, R&D, naval shipbuilding, and more.• Photos: The gear of Road Trip 2010
Google defeats Viacom in landmark copyright case
Judge grants summary judgment in favor of Google's YouTube, deciding that it is protected by the DMCA safe-harbor provision against copyright infringement claims.• Biden to file sharers: 'Piracy is theft'
• Jammie Thomas lawyer not hopeful on mediation
FTC says current privacy laws aren't working
In a preview of what may be in a forthcoming report, a senior FTC attorney says existing U.S. law unreasonably places "too much burden" on people to understand privacy policies.• Congressmen query Apple on privacy policy changes
• ACLU fights N.C. quest for Amazon customer data
• Facebook boosts D.C. ranks with public policy hire
• Twitter, FTC reach agreement on security
Motorola takes wraps off its Droid X
Google CEO Eric Schmidt says the new Android device, made for video, should have people "thinking mobile first instead of desktop first."• Verizon keeps unlimited data for new Droid X
• Inside the Motorola Droid X
Amazon drops Kindle price to $189
After Barnes & Noble drops the Nook's price to $199, Amazon answers back with a price chop of its own.• B&N adds $149 Wi-Fi-only Nook, cuts Nook 3G to $199
Why Twitter still has to get its game on--fast
The media's love affair with Twitter could take a sharp turn for the worse if it continues to crash embarrassingly in the wake of unexpected World Cup victories.• Facebook blocking parts of Twitter's FB app
• Facebook, Twitter no place for the lonely
Google Voice now open to all in U.S.
The Web-based call-forwarding and voice mail translation service has been invitation-only for the past year and a half, but no longer.• Four major holes in Google Voice
Microsoft adds music to Bing search results
An update to Microsoft's search engine adds playable songs and lyrics to search results and expands the Zune Marketplace to the Web.• Microsoft shoots for the stars with Bing update
• Microsoft, Hollywood debate future of entertainment
What's Adobe's 64-bit Flash plan?
Adobe Systems pulled the plug on its only 64-bit version of Flash, an experimental version for Linux. But the project remains a "high priority."• Adobe moves mobile Flash from rhetoric to reality
• Flash arrives in Google's Chrome browser
French regulators: Google snagged passwords, e-mail
Privacy regulators in France determine that Google stored some people's e-mails and passwords when it was collecting data from unsecured Wi-Fi hot spots.How Microsoft foresaw--and still missed--the iPad
In a little-remembered speech from 2005, Bill Gates showed a concept for a tablet much like the iPad. So how did Microsoft miss the boat?• Apple: 3 million iPads sold in 80 days
• Analyst estimates 16.5 million iPads sold by 2012
Smart grid security to become multibillion-dollar industry
Report predicts that a total of $21 billion worldwide will be spent on cybersecurity for smart grids between 2010 and 2015. Also of note• Intel, FTC in talks to settle antitrust claims
• Sears, Kmart to offer streaming movie service
• Mars cave opening found by 7th graders
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Friday, June 25, 2010
Hulu subscription service could come next week
Some of you may finally get a chance to pay for Hulu. The video Web site is finalizing its plans to launch its subscription service, and people familiar with the company say a beta test of "Hulu Plus" could launch as early as next week. If you're in a select group, that is. One person familiar with the site, owned by a joint venture of broadcasters and Providence Equity Partners, says the initial test could be limited to 10,000 people. The Hulu Plus pitch, as I've previously reported: $9.95 a month for access to a deeper catalog of shows than the free service currently offers, plus the ability to watch it on devices other than a laptop or PC, including Apple's iPad. Other reports this month indicate that the service may also be available on Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PS3 game consoles. I'm also told that Hulu's network owners--GE's NBC, Disney's ABC, and News Corp.'s Fox--are still hammering out rights deals for particular shows. So it's possible that the launch could be pushed back, or that the service will have weird gaps in its catalog when it does launch. One example of a possible programming stumbling block: Viacom's Comedy Central, for instance, has rights to older episodes of NBC's "30 Rock." Hulu says it is already turning a profit from ad sales, and is on track to generate more than $200 million in revenue this year. And a successful subscription service would beef up those numbers. But it would also accomplish an equally important goal for CEO Jason Kilar--mollifying his network owners who worry that Hulu is cutting into their existing businesses, including licensing fees, DVD sales, and conventional TV advertising. Hulu and its network partners would split the $10 per head fee, I'm told, though I don't know the formula the JV will use to split up the dollars. No comment from Hulu. The Wall Street Journal is also reporting on Hulu's plans. Story Copyright (c) 2010 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
Source: CNET News (http://cnet.com/)
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