Visionary: Michael Rubin author of “Droidmaker”

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights.

Michael Rubin is the author of “Droid Maker” a book about the digital video revolution. Rubin states that Francis Ford Coppola, Steve Jobs, and George Lucas were the pioneers of the movie making: special effects, gaming avatars and video editing. The innovations that were created has given tools to everyday people to create motion picture stories in their own homes. This video was created at Macworld in 2006 when Podcasting and video-sharing were just arriving on the scene. The following is a tribute to the pioneers who paved the way for all of us to be able to create movies using the digital format.

- Bendrix

Visionary: Steve Jobs End of Macworld Dynasty?

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

January 9, 2009 marks the end of the Macworld Expo 25 year run.

Its Tuesday January 10th, 2006. I wake up at 3AM with the hope to be the first to tell my story. I am tired but energized by the excitement of the day. Steve Jobs is going to present another legendary keynote and this year its going to be big. For the past 3 or 4 years any news Apple puts out becomes an instant industry game changer. That year I really didn’t care about the big news I just wanted a simple way to express my deepest regard to the atmosphere of the festivites. I wanted to share my video experience with my brothers and sisters back in the east. Our beloved Macworld had ended in Boston 2005. I wanted to be the first of several pioneer video producers and podcasters to promote the event on the web.

I take pride in being an 18 year Apple loyalist. It’s not a blind pride but rather a thankful loyalty to a product and service that has kept me employed and has been part of my personal lifestyle since college. I used to be the guy that could predict the products with 87% accuracy. Its not a gloat, its more of a statement that I took it serious about being an expert in the field the main reason I was astute about my Apple passion. Over the years having that passion has served me well with many opportunities that have been presented due to my Apple gear, software and skills.

Its now 4AM Tuesday, January 6, 2009, I am not at Macworld this year and it happens to be the last of a 25 year run. Apple will no longer host the inescapable Macworld Expo and Steve Jobs will apparently not give his Keynote address, which If i can remember correctly has never happened at the San Francisco event since his return back to the company in September 16, 1997.

i think the world media will be watching today very closely, For Steve not to speak Apple had better have some serious announcement or they will see investor confidence in their stock plunge in a major way. I am no longer that kid who can guess with 87% about the products and services, but I will make an attempt at gauging the enormity of what may happen today:

1. Steve is not speaking because he has been unwell and almost did not speak at his last several keynotes do to his health. People have been rumoring that his cancer may be back and it was evident something was wrong with him at the WWDC in 2008. Investors were nervous then and if that was any indication then I am sure they would be less comfortable now. In this market Apple can not afford to freeze their confidence, because it will be the beginning of the end of their current stranglehold of tantalizing the world with goodies. I believe that Steve will pass the mic off to his protege. A protege that has been around for a while shadowing him. Could it be Phil Schiller the senior vice president of worldwide product marketing or Jonathan Ive the genius who brought award winning industrial designs for the original iMac, aluminum PowerBook G4 (and MacBook Pro), iPod and iPhone. Phill has the marketing savvy but not the showmanship of Steve, I have heard Jonathan speak a few times he’s got the charsma but not sure how he would work out as a Keynote guy. He’s never really been on stage to present and maybe this is the reason why. Anyway whom ever this mystical protege is he/she will have to be so dynamic and assuring that it convinces the Apple faithful and their investors. Steve and company are the masters of secrecy and they will keep us all guessing until the last minute. Will Steve actually retire today?

2. Lets look at Hardware. The basic Macbook, Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro models, the Mac Pro, the iPod nano and iTouch), and the iPhone 3G lineups were all updated during or a little after the summer. Thats pretty much everything form hardware except the iMac, the Mac Mini and Apple TV. I believe that the Mini may be getting phased out if it hasn’t already. Apple TV doesn’t really need a design overhaul and it had a firmware update this summer. Which leaves the iMac. It seems way too obvious that this is the one huge announcement that Apple will make. The last release was in April 2008 which means they are way over due. What could Apple possibly do to make it more appealing than it is… umm maybe they could make a touch screen Kiosk, or better yet they may skip the iMac again because April 2008 was not that long ago and they will wow the world with the worlds first successful “TABLET,” something that the PC world has failed miserably since Bill Gates demonstrated the first public prototype of a Tablet PC version of the Windows operating system at Comdex. Its the right time for Apple to release a Tablet with the growing success of the Kindle and the iPhone, its only logical to think that would be the HUGE news for today.

3. Lets look at Software. This is a labyrinth of an undertaking. Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard came out in June of 2008 I doubt they will update it this soon its still very new. The iApps will get a push, The Pro Apps will get no push at all, because its a consumer level show not for us uber geeks. What may happen is they will probably make more Mac products windows compatable like iMovie and iPhoto, or they might just make Cloud computing a reality and have these applications for use online just like Google apps. Thats pretty far fetched but its the 25h year anniversary they have to do something that ultra cool like that. OH wait iTunes, could get its big day in the sun, I have always thought of it as a do it all application. I think it will merge with Safari as the media browser of the future. if not this year its coming soon.

4. iPhone enhancements – I think the gaming community has found a new home. I think that the PSP and the Nintendo DS may be in trouble this year. Apple will become a gaming platform in a big way this year starting with the iTouch and iPhone. I do think there will be some cool features of both products but its gonna be mostly about the games.

5. Big announcement that Apple will do some type of big partnership with some cool company, maybe like Google. Shhh you didn’t hear that from me.

Ok its now 5:57 and I’m tired of all this guessing. I just want to post this. Keep in mind I have deliberately avoided chatting with my Mac pals and the Mac rumor forums so I have no idea what they are thinking. I’ve lost my edge a bit. we shall see later on around 12 AM EST. In the meantime Njoy a trip down memory lane, of the videos that I constructed. I woke up at 4AM to tape people who had been waiting on line since 2AM. I bet there are people in line now as i write this at 2AM PST.

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Visionary: Brian Maffitt baffles After Effects Group

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

iPhone Photo taken by Bendrix

On Thursday September 27th, the New York City After Effects (AE) meet-up group was treated to a master session from the master of motion graphics. The legendary Brian Maffitt graced the stage and presented a 45 minute demo on a filter called “Vanishing Point.” For those of you that don’t know, Brian is a pioneer and the original trainer for the AE Total Training DVDs and since the mid-90s he’s been one of the leading world authorities. His alpha tests and contributions over the years have helped to make the AE environment a powerful and more easily understood application for the rest of us mere mortals.

More on Brian in a bit… SO!!! Back to this demo… Vanishing Point is a filter found in Photoshop that maps out a perspective grid within a the selected Photoshop window. An example would be a newly opened file like a PSD, TIFF, JPG, or PICT. Basically the key or ideal photo should be high resolution with lots of pixel information and there should be some kind of perspective object relationship between the foreground and its background. Once this photo is selected >>> go to the filter section and select “Vanishing Point” >>> it will bring up a special window pane that provides tools to map out a grid on this flat surface plane. Once a perspective grid is mapped out on the various foreground and background planes within this photograph >>> “export for After Effects CS” and it will create a series of PNG files, where ever its chosen to export.

Next open After Effects and import this series of multiple PNG files >>> Create a Composition window. When the imported PNGs recompile in this composition window a 3 dimensional texture map is generated onto a 3D plane allowing for each of the elements to be operated within the various x, y, z axis. For the astute pixel pusher and effects whiz, its absolute eye candy. It tricks the eye into believing that one is navigating within a 3D space. Due to the mathematical averages of this filter effect, there is a limit to the distance the image position can be zoomed into before the background pixels start to wash out and loose their resolution. The ultimate goal is to subtly create a 3D experience using a mere photograph. Brian then went a step further to show us how to animate text on a 3D path. That was a killer tip that everyone was also fawning over. Yes there were lots of “I can’t believe its!!!” and people doing Lord of the Rings jigs in the lobby afterwards.

I cannot stress how meaningful it is to witness Brian’s mastery of AE. His value to the motion graphics community is immeasurable. If I were to equate his parallel I would say that Brian is to AE what Jonathan Ives and his engineering teem is to Apple. The whole look and interfacing of an iPod, iPhone, and many other product innovations from Apple in the past 11 years are all Johnathans doing… Actually this is how I equate Brian in the realm of AE. If you are into motion graphics and want learn more about After Effects, go to the totaltraining website, do a tour, check out the online demos. From novices to intermediates to the pros everyone that uses or wants to learn AE can benefit from these tutorials.

Even though I generally do not post tutorial segments, I think this demo was so enchanting and inspirational, that I had to write about it. I did ask Brian to see if he could release an example or two for my blog so I could post it up and show these undisclosed demo’s to the rest of you. To be honest I totally did not do it any justice with this post. This is something you just have to see in motion. Whenever I get these samples I will be sure to post them up on the blog. Till soon…

- Bendrix

Visionary: The iPod-Touch my 17 year quest

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

In the 1990 my freshman year at college I used to carry 2 book-bags and a portfolio case. In one book bag I carried my books and a Kinkos Customized Notebook that included my To Do List, Calendar, and Notes. In the other book-bag I carried music cassettes. Yep you heard it cassettes not CD’s!!! In the portfolio case I carried all of my graphic art work. It was all ridiculously heavy and I began to gripe about my mobility. I wanted a more compact mobile lifestyle.

In November 1999, I was among the first to get a Handspring Visor. Negating from Apple’s Newton it was the worlds first official multi-platform PDA on the market. It was 2 MB and I was absolutely geeked to finally get rid of my custom Kinkos notebook and manage my To Do List, Calendar, and Notes. I was finally able to micro-organize my life. Since 1999 I have gone through 5 Handsprings and 2 Palms.

On August 16, 2002 I was among the first to purchase the worlds first ever 20 Gig iPod. I specifically held out for the 20 GIG because I was looking for a pocket sized device to store my files and applications. Not to mention listen to my 150+ GIG’s of music. Since 2002 I have gone through 3 iPods.

On July 7, 2005 I was among the first to purchase the Palm LifeDrive Mobile Manager. It was the first of its kind. I was specifically looking for three things with this device: 1). It was the largest PDA on the market, 4 GIGs 2). I wanted to play music 3). I was looking to showcase my video portfolio and visual art graphics. The photo and video capabilities was key because it took 15 years for Palm to create my ultimate dream device. Alas the PDA was buggy and eventually died within the year. Foolishly I did not have the extended warrantee. Even worse lack of support that Palm provided. Three months later the video iPod came out and lacked some of the major features that the Lifedrive had. I was disgruntled once again and that was the last device I purchased until now …

On September 21, 2007 at approximately 7PM, yet again I am among the first to purchase the worlds first iPod-Touch. I somehow avoided the long line brewing at the Apple store on 5th Ave and got there 1 hour after it went on sale. It is now 9PM. For the past 17 years I have been searching for this very Apple specific pocket sized device: PDA, Video, Photo, 8 GIG Storage, Bluetooth, Wifi/Web capable dream machine. I believe I’ve met my match.

I admit that I am a gadget geek, I admit that I love being on the bleeding edge, but first and foremost I aim to make my life simple and efficient. No longer do I have to carry 2 bookbags and a portfolio case, everything is at my fingertips. I am a digital lifestyle junkie and I wish to communicate to the world as I open the box and unleash it from its plastic underpinnings … Stay tuned!!! I will have a full report sometime next week.

- Bendrix

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Visionary: Google Acquires Grandcentral

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

On Monday July 2nd, I received a phone message about a new Google offering. I ignored it… On Wednesday July 4th I got that same message but this time in the form of an email… Still ignored it. So earlier today I finally checked both of these messages and it appears that I am a little late with the news, but I certainly won’t be the last to blog about it.

You see I have this huge Google fetish and I love it whenever they come out with a new beta application or acquire a new company. Well there happens to be this company called Grandcentral and it was acquired by Google sometime within the past week or so. This is truly awesome news because I have been testing out Grandcentral since November 14, 2006. I absolutely love the service and brag about it to friends and colleagues all the time; but don’t take my word for it, because once Google gives the stamp of approval to something then you know its got to have some value.

Grandcentral is this online application that allows you to input phone contacts and keep that information hosted on their server. Why is this cool? Suppose you loose your phone or your computer dies or you loose your little black book? If you don’t have a backup plan, then you’re out of luck. Several months ago both my computer and my cell phone died around the same time and I lost all my contact info (well I still had the business cards).

Another good reason to join, free phone forwarding. When you first sign up for the service you must choose a city and a virtual phone number… This virtual number can be linked to your home, cell, work, or any other phone you choose (up to 7 numbers). If someone calls you, you can send them directly to your virtual voicemail. You can be listen to messages on your phone, through your Grandcentral web page, or via. email. Another reason why this feature is cool is because you are no longer tied to your home or business office. Lets say you have several employees who all have cell phones, all you have to do is input all their numbers at the Grandcentral site and elect to access that number. That number can represent your main office number and any one of your employees can either answer the call or let it go to voicemail. There can be many ways to implement the technology in the home, the office, or among groups, this is just one example.

Another awesome feature is that you can record your conversations. The average person may find this an unnecessary feature, but to a podcaster or a video blogger this could be the killer interview application they have been looking for. Its an all in one solution, no extra’s or burdensome instructions. You just inform the party on the other end that you are about to record them… when they consent… just press the number “3″ button on your phone… talk, talk, talk… and when you’re done, just hit the “3″ button again. Its that easy and the audio files reside on your Grandcentral profile page in the form of a downloadable MP3 or you can listen to the steam from the page itself.

Go see for yourself. My prediction: Grandcentral will be among ‘the’ hot new web technologies for 2007.

- Bendrix

Codedsignal.com is a Digital Media Network featuring: Beneath the Beat: Hip Hop | Beneath the Beat: Electronica | Shanxi Nan Lu: Travel | Digital Media Tips: Web Culture – and hosts a variety of other related media properties.

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Visionary: Apple Store 5th Ave iPhone Debut

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

On Friday June 29th I traveled to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City to witness the pandemonium over the iPhone. I have been present at both the SOHO and 5th Ave Apple Store grand openings, about 9 Mac World Expo’s, and a slew of Apple product release events. Let me just say that this was a crowd that stretched a full city block and the largest police presence and gathering of news teams that I’ve ever witnessed at an Apple event. So why all the madness and what exactly is the value of this product?

Some people are interested but think the $600 price tag is steep. Others ask what’s the big deal over a stooooopid gadget that is nothing more than an indulgence. Others are griping about the exclusivity with AT&T.

The significance of this event and this device marks the beginning of a Telecom revolution. Just like the iPod+iTunes and now AppleTV are revolutionizing digital downloads and the way we view our entertainment – the iPhone will do the same. Apple will make the cellular networks and device makers step up their game – forcing them to offer services and innovations long over due. I will be blogging more on this topic over the next few weeks… stay tuned and check out the mayhem on the video clip below.

- Bendrix

Visionary: Apple Store SOHO iPhone Debut

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights.

Yesterday I traveled down to the Apple Store in SOHO New York City and saw the first line brewing for the iPhone. Its absolute madness, in order to be first in line you would have had to have been there on Tuesday June 26th before noon. Some people have been camping out for a few days, but today Friday June 29th is the release date of the long awaited iPhone. The revolutionary device that I predict will change the face of the telcom industry just like the ipod is doing to music, and what iTV is about to do the broadcast and film industries.

Being a tech and mac geek I tend to have a first round adopter mentality but a second round adopter practicality. I think I am going to have to sit this one out. I am very interested in the iPhone but at a $600 price tag and the AT&T subscription, its just not exactly what I’m looking for. Actually, I’m not really the phone that excites me… its the video capabilities, the touch screen simplicity, Bluetooth, and the internet.

I will be taking a trip to the Apple store 5th avenue within the next few hours. I gather the madness is probably more intensified there… The real geeks go to SOHO the wannabe’s go to 5th Ave that’s gonna be my theme over the next few days… stay tuned and check what I post over the next 48 hours and peep this exclusive clip below

- Bendrix

Visionary: RSS Pioneer Bill Bercik Passed Away

Visionary is the celebration of extraordinary individuals, innovations, ideas and events that offer progressive or foretelling insights. Bendrix highlights his thoughts and other lunatic fringe thinking.

I am in deep mourning because my RSS and Web Stats provider Bill Bercik died on May 2, 2007. I never met Bill face to face, I purchased his webpasties.com service back in September 2005. Bill and I have been working together since then to make his service a viable alternative for podcasters and video bloggers. Webpasties is the best RSS and statistic analysis application that I’ve located since I began podcasting.

I called Bill several times a month, soon our tech talk evolved into a friendship. I really enjoyed his gentle nature and I admired his innovative ideas. Bill was a MAJOR influence in my career, because it was his service that enabled me to podcast and he mentored me on several career altering pursuits. I am deeply saddened by his passing and offer his family and friends my condolences.

“Bill” was born on April 14, 1964 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and passed away on May 2, 2007 at the age of 43.

Bill graduated from Spartanburg S.C. High School. He received a B.S. degree from Clemson University and attended graduate school at California State University in Chico, Ca.

He was employed for 20 years as a computer programmer at the U.S. Navel Air Station in Patuxent, MD., the Navy Post Graduate School in Monterey, Borland, Corp in Scotts Valley and was presently working as a consultant Bercik Software. He published 2 books on computer languages and was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity.

Bill is survived by his parents Robert and Mildred Bercik of Stuart, Fl and Dulthe, Ga., a sister Mary Bercik and two brothers, John and Jim Bercik and his two beloved nieces, Bailey and Samantha Bercik.

Bill was an adventurer. He loved to travel and biked throughout Europe, North America and Central America. He loved sailing, wind surfing and hiking. He was happy in California and loved his friends, family and 2 birds “Gus and “Greta”, and his beloved companion April Hyder.

A Memorial Service will be held on May 8, 2007 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St Santa Cruz, Ca.

He was dearly loved and will be missed. In lieu of flowers, friends may donate in his memory to their favorite charity.

- Bendrix

Codedsignal.com is a Digital Media Network featuring: Beneath the Beat: Hip Hop | Beneath the Beat: Electronica | Shanxi Nan Lu: Travel | Digital Media Tips: Web Culture – and hosts a variety of other related media properties.

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