Are Video Blogs Ready For Prime Time?

Markmarkmark writes "Is video blogging ready for prime-time? Can Internet talking 'blog-heads' beat the talking heads on Fox? Is the next Andy Rooney-type commentator going to be a /.er? With new technology and a little creativity, this MSNBC article today thinks so. 'The big problems have been setting up lights and a camera in my study properly, so that I don't look dead, or hung over.'" The article is about the software / hardware it takes to set up a microstudio; the author does not really explore much about the video-blogging implications -- but you can.

Comments

Screw Blogs they are boring

[Anonymous Coward]

I want a story about the Radeon 9800.

Leroy on IP, blogs, and origin of "ping"

[Anonymous Coward]

To me, the best summary of Leroy Anderson the person is found in the "Idea Exchange" section of the September 1970 issue of The Instrumentalist. A high school viola player, named Linda, wrote to Anderson complaining about the parts that were assigned to the viola section. Her high school orchestra was performing three of his pieces, Fiddle Faddle, Sleigh Ride, and The Syncopated Clock. She found the viola parts to be "absolutely insulting" to her musicianship. She asked him,

"you must know how frustrating it is to sit through an entire piece . . . while the other sections saw out beautiful melodies. Your parts treat us like a bunch of low-grade, moronic idiots! My five-year-old sister could play our part with ease! I really don't understand why you bothered writing us a part anyway. It's as if you had finished the score and someone came up and said, 'Hey, there's another instrument you forgot.' You shouldn't have troubled yourself because the part isn't worth the paper you printed it on! Please, please, please, give us a break. I'd admire you if I was out in the audience because all your pieces are fun to listen to. But, being a violist I can't help but hate you for the way you treat us."

She closed and signed it with "I hope this letter is not insulting in any way . . . "

Leroy Anderson's character comes shining through in his reply to Linda,

"I was very much interested to receive your letter because I know exactly how you feel. You see, I used to play the double bass, and if you think those viola parts are dull, you should see the parts we bass players have to put up with. Mostly we just go 'zoom, zoom, zoom' all the way through the piece."

Then he explained the process he went through to put a piece of music fixed in his mind to orchestration. How the part a particular instrument is assigned -- melody, accompaniment, countermelody, etc. -- depends on the music. He enclosed three pieces of his music which he said,

"I can assure you that I try to make all the orchestra parts as interesting as possible, including the viola part. If you look at the enclosed viola parts . . . you will see that the violas have a lot of interesting melodic passages. And far from treating you like 'low-grade, moronic idiots,' . . . I have given the violas some pretty difficult passages to play. I hope you will have a chance to play these numbers someday. In the meantime, when you are playing the accompaniment, remember that this is just as important to the music as the melody. At least we bass players and viola players are better off than the poor triangle player who had to count 104 measures rest and then go 'ping!' Thank you for writing and best regards.

Sincerely,

Leroy Anderson

P.S. The triangle player missed it."

Is

[archetypeone]

Primetime ready for Video Blogs?