Sneak Peak: The CrowdCrowd Podcast Episode 2

Noah J Nelson on Thursday, May. 23rd

Get a Sneak Peak at the next episode of The CrowdCrowd at 5:15PM PDT today.

Get a Sneak Peak at the next episode of The CrowdCrowd at 5:15PM PDT today.

For this week's edition of our weekly show about crowdfunding news and trends we're joined by returning panelists Etta Devine and Jonathan Portisky, Crowdfunding 201 columnist Lucas McNelly and filmmaker Jason Cooper who is working on a documentary about crowdfunding: Kickstarted.

Join us LIVE at 5:15PM PDT to see us record the show, then check back here afterwards for the show notes with links to what we talk about.

Subscribe to The CrowdCrowd podcast via RSS or on iTunes.

Follow Noah Nelson on Twitter (@noahjnelson)

The Weekender: We Steal Secrets

Noah J Nelson on Thursday, May. 23rd

I still get hyped about movies, even if it takes a bit more to move me than it did before blockbuster season was five months long and filled with copious, if dubious, 3D CGI wizardry.

I still get hyped about movies, even if it takes a bit more to move me than it did before blockbuster season was five months long and filled with copious, if dubious, 3D CGI wizardry.

This weekend is the traditional start of the summer movie season (i.e. when it used to start 20 years ago) and there are two big films coming out… and one small film that I truly care about.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is director Alex Gibney's (Taxi to the Dark Side, Client 9) look at the controversial website that aimed to force governments and institutions to be more open by creating a secure dead drop where anyone could leak secrets.

Read the rest

Interview with AR Game Dev Corey King

Noah J Nelson on Wednesday, May. 22nd

ON-AIR HANGOUT ARCHIVE BELOW

Corey King of Winnipeg-based game developer ZenFri joined us to talk about the campaign for Clandestine: Anomaly, a GPS powered augmented reality we first mentioned on last week's edition of The CrowdCrowd.

ON-AIR HANGOUT ARCHIVE BELOW

Corey King of Winnipeg-based game developer ZenFri joined us to talk about the campaign for Clandestine: Anomaly, a GPS powered augmented reality we first mentioned on last week's edition of The CrowdCrowd.

We talked about the design of the AR game and the challenges they’ve face with their Kickstarter campaign.

Follow Noah Nelson on Twitter (@noahjnelson)

Image: Power A

Image: Power A

REVIEW: MOGA PRO Game Controller for Android

Kenny Foster on Wednesday, May. 22nd

The Moga Pro game controller for Android devices aims to take mobile gaming to the next level.

The Moga Pro game controller for Android devices aims to take mobile gaming to the next level. The Pro brings a more traditional-controller feel with its dual analog sticks and rubber like grip when compared to its predecessor.

Read the rest

Amazon Gets Into The Fanfic Biz With 'Kindle Worlds'

Noah J Nelson on Wednesday, May. 22nd

Blame E.L.

Blame E.L. James.

Anyone who watched how much money flowed into the pockets of the Twilight fan fiction writer turned New York Times bestselling author for her 50 Shades of Grey series knew that it wouldn't be long before someone found a way to harness the fanfic impulse for cold hard cash.

That it is Amazon leading the charge should come as even less of a surprise. Which is how we wound up today with the announcement of Kindle Worlds, a revenue sharing plan that is the equivalent of the YouTube cover song deal, but with written works of fan fiction.

Here's how it works:

Read the rest

Turnstyle Hangout with Filmmaker Adam Cosco

Noah J Nelson on Tuesday, May. 21st

ON-AIR HANGOUT ARCHIVE BELOW

Adam Cosco is a American Film Institute graduate with mission.

ON-AIR HANGOUT ARCHIVE BELOW

Adam Cosco is a American Film Institute graduate with mission. His vision: to make a his debut feature Personal Demons–a film about "two neighbors with haunted pasts" who'd "kill for a second chance–through Kickstarter, all while taking the crowdfunding site back for indie filmmakers.

The crowdfunding goal: $100,000.

The hashtag: #takeindieback

Cosco's concept trailer and directing reel showcase polished, confident work. The premise of the feature looks rock solid. Yet has he bitten off more than he can chew? Is the story really indie vs. celebrity?

We aim to find out tomorrow in a LIVE Google Hangout, right here at this very URL.

Follow Noah Nelson on Twitter (@noahjnelson)

Image Source: Apple

Image Source: Apple

Apple Executives Grilled By Senate As Corporate Tax Code Comes Under Scrutiny

Noah J Nelson on Tuesday, May. 21st

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

Being the most profitable technology company in the world makes you a target for everyone: corporate rivals, pundit haters, and Senate permanent subcommittees on investigations.

For Apple that has meant coming under heavy fire by the U.S. Senate for the way that they handle their cash. Ars Technica sets the scene wherein Apple CEO Tim Cook faced the political heat:

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the Senate subcommittee where Cook testified, opened the proceedings today by suggesting that Apple has avoided paying $9 billion in taxes with strategies like those seen at the Irish subsidiaries.

Cook and company attempted to get ahead of the story over the past few days, even releasing the full testimony they set out to give to the panel. What's at stake isn't the reputation of Apple, but the structure of the entire U.S. corporate tax code, and perhaps the corporate tax codes of the rest of the world as well.

Read the rest

Crowdfunding 201: Kevin Smith’s Missed Opportunity

Lucas McNelly on Tuesday, May. 21st

Recently, Kevin Smith took to Reddit to do an AMA, and because people were already going to ask whether or not he’d use Kickstarter, he had this to say in the introduction:

As for funding the flick – we nearly Kickstarted the budget back in November (talked about at great length here: http://smodcast.com/episodes/giant-sized-annual-1-clerks-iii-audience-0/).

Recently, Kevin Smith took to Reddit to do an AMA, and because people were already going to ask whether or not he’d use Kickstarter, he had this to say in the introduction:

As for funding the flick – we nearly Kickstarted the budget back in November (talked about at great length here: http://smodcast.com/episodes/giant-sized-annual-1-clerks-iii-audience-0/). But now I’m feeling like that’s not fair to real indie filmmakers who need the help. Unlike back when I made CLERKS in ’91, I’ve GOT access to money now – so I should use that money and not suck any loot out of the crowd-funding marketplace that might otherwise go to some first-timer who can really use it. So if I can get away with it, I’m gonna try to pay for CLERKS III myself. As much as I love the crowd-funding model (and almost did it myself in early 2009 with RedStateGreen.com), that’s an advancement in indie film that belongs to the next generation of artists. I started on my own dime, and if I’m allowed, I should finish on my own dime.

Fair enough. He’s (mostly) wrong about crowdfunding’s dynamics and macro-economics, but it’s not like this is his job. He’s an indie filmmaker (sort of). And being an indie filmmaker means that you get to make your movie however you see fit, whether you’re a kid in Montana or Neil Young. That’s what “indie” means. So when fellow filmmakers rail on someone like Zach Braff, it strikes me as incredibly selfish and hypocritical. Anyway, if he wants to finish the Clerks trilogy on his own dime, that’s 100% his call.

Read the rest

Microsoft Makes Its Case For the New XBox

Noah J Nelson on Tuesday, May. 21st

Mainstream.

Mainstream.

That's the watchword out of today's reveal of the new XBox One console.

(You may want to read up on the bullet points before going further. This is an analysis piece.)

The Redmond giant set itself an impossible task today: make the case for a new piece of gaming hardware to hardcore gamers, the cynical gamer press, and a general consumer base that–at best–is barely recovering from the longest economic recession in decades.

There is already much gnashing of teeth amongst gamers and gaming pundits on Twitter about the lack of games revealed, and even the order in which they were shown.

Which is just this side of ridiculous.

Read the rest

Everyone's Excited About The New Flickr

Noah J Nelson on Monday, May. 20th

From Daring Fireball to The Verge everyone is excited about the big images, free terabyte of space, and basically the idea that the “new” Yahoo!

From Daring Fireball to The Verge everyone is excited about the big images, free terabyte of space, and basically the idea that the “new” Yahoo! seems to know how valuable a piece of Internet real estate Flickr can be.

Everyone but the users commenting on the official page, that is.

Pitchforks! Fire! Change BAD!

Follow Noah Nelson on Twitter (@noahjnelson)

8660308376_b8c5c2b357_z

Stop Whining About Glass

As you all undoubtedly already know, Google Glass is finally here.

Sponsors

freeq

Hangout w/Jesse Vigil, Game Designer [Freeq]

Now streaming: the archive of our Google Hangout On-Air with Jesse Vigil of Psychic Bunny, one of the designers of the new audio adventure game FREEQ (iOS/Android).

luck1

Watch This: To The Last, Dir. Matt Luck

We’ve featured dancer Matt Luck’s work before.

via: Sifteo

Sifteo Cubes: Blurring the Edges of Play

I first encountered Sifteo Cubes back at IndieCade last October, and spent some time playing around with the little blocks which I first mistook for iPod Nanos.

lighting

Lighting Is An Underestimated Art

Over the weekend I was having a conversation about the new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum that’s been announced.

placeholder

Contributors

All Day Play • Youth Radio • First Love America • Closet Tour • The Recollective • Davey D's Hip Hop Corner • Tilapia Film • Of Note Magazine • Favianna • Discolorations • Youth Speaks • Jonathan Poritsky • Lucas McNelly • Angry Asian Man • Mike Belleme • Black Folk Don't • Vocalo Very Smart Brothas Us Ordinary People Son of Baldwin • Radio Pocho

Partners