We hop on a train, and by the time we get off, Jessica Coen’s time at Gawker is done. Starting to understand why more people don’t go Amtrak.
Full J-Co retrospective to follow, after we dust off a few old Billy Joel records and collect our thoughts.
Not quite as mind-blowing as googling Google, but pretty damn close for Gabe Rivera and his crew’s big new announcement.
Notes on Techmeme’s new sponsorship model [blog.memeorandum.com]
Discussion of ‘Notes on Techmeme’s new sponsorship model’ [Techmeme]
Amanda Across America [Official Site]
Won’t You Come See About Her? She’ll Be Alone, Dancing You Know It [Gawker]
Amanda Congdon Video Blogs Her Way Across America For Ford [Adrants]
Earlier today (actually just a few minutes ago) I got the chance to interview Ze Frank. I was riding a bicycle at the time hence, the title of this post ( I would prefer not to tell why in this post, but If you ask I will tell.) Mr. Frank is the host of the show over on his site, which has become a huge hit.
I first asked why he decided to start the video podcast in the first place. He wanted a new way to communicate with the fans of his already popular site, because the regular release of his video shorts and and fun flash apps had slowed and he need something new. He was also interested in the who video blogging concept ( It might have something to do with the fact that he isn’t a very good typist, or so he says 
and he also thought there wasn’t many of them out there, so he started one. He now had a community of views who very active in the show ( see Fabuloso Friday ).
I then asked how the show is produced and if he was a mac user, something I was curious about I turns out that he is a mac user ( I knew a saw a pre-aluminum cinema display behind him! ) which made me very happy. It was no big surprise to hear that the show is created using iMovie, and that he put those clever and catchy tunes together using Garageband. What was interesting, to me at least, was that he uses a little florescent lamp as lighting for the show. I think this style of using what is avalable to you is one reason why the show has gained som much popularity other than it being really really awesome.
One of the last few questions I asked him was why ducks? An odd question, I know but It was something I had been curious about since I started watching the show. He said, “There are many reasons.” The reason he gave me was the way they defend themselves from their predators. Needless to say, I rather liked this response.
Next, I asked if he had any plans to release a DVD or a CD, something views of the show had been curious about. On the subject of a DVD he felt that If he made a DVD it would be less enjoyable because the viewer may not remeber the issues discussed in the episode. I agreed with this statement but said nothing because I was riding a bicycle. As for a CD, it seemed that this would be more likly but in their current state they would be too short or as Ze said, “They would be over by the time you push play.” He would need to revise them in order to make it worthwhile to produce a CD.
The last question I was going to ask him was an amazing, well thought-out, and thought provoking one, but… I forgot it so I just asked him what’s with the League of Awesomeness ( which according to spellcheck is a real word ). The LOA is like the UN says Ze Frank. They control what Ze and what happens on the show and he must listen. That is why this week is Happy Week on the show, which has so far challenged the crafty viewers or Sports Racers to dress up their mom’s vaccum ( When I called Ze was busy judging such vacuums). Happy Week was a request made in the the show forums asking Ze to take a break for a week from all the “non-happy” political news and current event he usually covers, This request was then forced upon Ze by the LOA ( He has to do everything they tell him ).
At that time I felt it was a good time to end the interview as I was out of questions and I had to go out to dinner ( and my legs were getting tired ).
I would like to thank Ze Frank for his time and his amazing show, Thank You.
P.S. Do you know Ray?
Not even going to bother with any pretense, just straight-up baby kissing, in true campaign trail style:
I’ve submitted two panel ideas for SXSW 2007, one of which is entitled “The Rise of the Blogebrity” and quite possibly could change the face of conference panels as we know it.
Head over to the SXSW Panel Picker-o-matic 5000 (you can find my panel submissions easily by viewing the ‘blogging’ category) and hook me up with some votes.
(While you’re at it, you should probably vote for a few other people too. A conference with JUST me is something nobody wants.)
C’mon. I don’t ask for much.
It appears the guys over at Engadget ( Well, Peter Rojas and Ryan Block at least ) are working on something that is set to launch tomorrow.
On his personal blog during a rant about the seemingly endless slew of product announcements this week Ryan Block said, “Especially when our publications may have news to announce ourselves. See you Monday.”
This is way more exciting than any Apple Event.
I’m sorry.
From the Comments: Ryan Block says “it’s probably not as interesting as you guys think it is.”
**UPDATE** Go check out the new site!
The day that snarky music-loving geeks have been waiting for has finally arrived.
After much hype and speculation (led by us), this morning the overlords at Gawker Media have finally pulled the password-protected curtain back and unveiled Idolator.
The launch is accompanied by the Gawker standard-issue snark, largely directed at the very music blogging community that Idolator is joining:
For all the talk about the blogs as an anecdote to the increasingly dunderheaded major-labels, their enthusiasm sometimes does more harm than good, and many of their championed bands suffer from the association. Sure, the Arcade Fire and the Arctic Monkeys may have helped Other Music and Insound stay in business, but where are the overhyped would-be phenoms of the months past–your Nine Black Alps, your Mellowdrones? Most of them are stuck in a half.com limbo, the victims of not only insanely inflated expectations, but also of a cruelly cyclical mentality that builds bands up, before just as quickly knocking ‘em down.
More from the introductory post after the jump; more coverage of the newness that is Idolator soon to follow.
Blogebrity is going to be entertaining some guest contributors (you know, so we can maybe publish more than two posts per week). Do try to be kind to them as they make their first appearances this week.
And of course the offer stands for all of you out there — if you’d like to join the ranks of Blogebrity guest contributor, send us an email at tips@blogebrity.com, and tell us what bloggy-type business you’d like to write about. There’s always room for more at our party.
The folks at Gawker just can’t wait to show us Idolator. So much so, that they keep giving us peeks of the site’s content (or are they decoys?) over at Gawker Clips. Here’s the latest one, screengrabbed earlier today:
That Sometimes, An Empty Cardboard Box Is The Best Toy
This dude made an upright bass out of a cardboard box, some twine, some flooring, and two spigots … and it actually sounds pretty decent. Who said the age of American ingenuity was dead?
“Cardboard Upright Bass” [YouTube]
Proof That Sometimes, An Empty Cardboard Box Is The Best Toy [Idolator -- password-protected]
Because Hugh always says it better than we can:
New York still remains the greatest city in the world. That must really bug America-haters everywhere.
5 Years On [gapingvoid]
