It's an Anti-Social, Virtual World

What do you say in a world where millions live a virtual second life, where video games are the leading entertainment medium, where mobile, always-on communicators keep us connected ... but isolated in our own bubble.

Take the typical home environment ... individuals plugged in to different devices, participating with different screens, and not communicating directly. Today's teens form and break relationships online, they have plethora of social networking services available, and they communicate with an increasing variety of electronic mediums - text messaging, instant messaging, and now a virtual world, Second Life and Teen Second Life.

Organizations are using Second Life as a virtual meeting place - watch out WebEx - but, what does it say on a societal level that people are so unhappy with their day-to-day, that they need to spend hard-earned $$$ on a virtual existence?

HMR is first to admit - we haven't spent too much time in SL or playing MMO (massively multi-player online games) - so perhaps we're speaking out of turn. Perhaps today's realities of Middle Eastern strife, genocide, and American political unrest demand a new form of escape. But if society is moving toward a virtual lifestyle, what happens to 'real' issues?

pulvermedia: conferences, alliances, petitions oh my!

Jeff Pulver and his pulvermedia inc. are all over the wild west of online media. Self-billed as:

the leading integrated media company that specializes in building communities and providing marketplace access through its unparalleled blend of trade shows, publications, web channels, and progressive cutting-edge media,

pulvermedia is now in San Jose hosting the Video on the Net Conference. In addition to some usual speakers and panels (Niklas Zennstrom from Joost, Jeremy Allaire from Brightcove, iconic Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla), pulvermedia and VON have launched an aggressive industry initiative, the Video on the Net Alliance. The Alliance is

a global consortium of Internet-based video content and application providers, vendors and enablers, and other affiliated entities and individuals helping to drive innovation and deployment of Internet-based video. The Video on the Net Alliance is committed to fulfilling the promise of Internet-based video by promoting a pragmatic and light-handed regulatory approach and public policy environment based on self-governance and public-private partnerships to address social issues in the use of Internet-based video.

In parallel, Jeff Pulver's Network2 - an attempt to provide law & order, or at least accessibility, to the plethora of online video offerings - filed a petition with the FCC this morning saying in part:

Network2 respectfully petitions the Commission to declare that Internet Video, including in particular the service provided by Network2, is not subject to regulation under Titles III or VI of the Communications Act as broadcasting or cable services, and that the Commission does not intend to impose new regulations on Internet Video.

THR recommends hopping on pulvermedia train by reading Jeff's blog, or signing up for a newsletter. Alongside Mark Cuban, we can't think of a more active voice in the online media industry today. Jeff is certainly out to make a buck, but his various endeavors are also attempting to impact policy of the 21st Century's entertainment and information delivery medium - the internet.

REVIEW: Old Media goes Vlog --> onBeing

Every once and a while, we uncover a gem amidst the morass of online video available these days. In this case, our gem wasn't shining from a new broadband service or IPTV channel - instead, it's buried in the online version of the venerable Washington Post.

OnBeing represents the new form of journalism, from some seasoned pros. It's personal, it's thought provoking, it's insightful. From the writer and producer Jennifer Crandall and the onBeing site:

onBeing is a project based on the simple notion that we should get to know one another a little better. What you’ll find here is a series of videos that takes you into the musings, passions, histories and quirks of all sorts of people. The essence of who they are, who we are.

There will be a new video every Wednesday, so check back often. In the meantime, feel free to add your thoughts to the comments section and tell us about someone you’d like to see in onBeing. Over time, we should end up with a pretty cool community.

Here's one our favorites from the series (so far!):
http://specials.washingtonpost.com/onbeing/#010207-4v-GioE.1

Peer to Peer Power

You've surely witnessed the red carpet reception that Joost has received (see our review of Joost's Beta, codename The Venice Project). Over the past few months the P2P brainchild of Skype founders Niklas Zenstromm and Janus Friis has been a feature in nearly every single web publication. However, Peer to Peer technology is being harnessed by several other promising CDN underdogs- featuring a variety of features from high definition capabilities to exclusive content partnerships. Here a few notables:

Bit Torrent: powered by Bit Torrent

This original P2P network is making a second coming- this time with a new user friendly interface and the ability to rent mainstream movies and television shows from select studios. This revamped version is sure to be a pleaser for both Hollywood as well as the users who already downloaded the software in BitTorrent's freeloader days.

Jaman: powered by Cascade

Jaman provides an online community that features an impressive library of global cinema. The content is sorted uniquely by country and offers many films that would be hard sought after without this service. Jaman also provides group creation for world cinema connoisseurs to discuss and recommend genres and films.

Open Media Network: powered by Kontiki

OMN is a non-profit that provides a ton of free and premium content that ranges from pulp video blogs likes Rocketboom to high brow public access programming like Scientific American. They also offer a variety of educational and entertaining kid's shows from public access.

Zudeo: Powered by Azureus

Zudeo touts partnerships and content from BBC Worldwide, G4, A&E and National Geographic. They have an easy to use browser that contains everything from movie trailers and computer animation to short films.

Web TV gone green

EQ.tv, or the Equilibrium Project, is a burgeoning web TV site with the purpose of raising awareness and funds for ecological sustainability. Harnessing user-contributed content, EQ.tv plans to inspire a digital movement toward a better global environment.

Currently the site is not fully functional, with only a few dozen films available for viewing. However, the site’s environmental enthusiasm seems very large. With the promise of upcoming community features to connect eco-friendly users around the world and easy to use playlist capabilities, EQ.tv has the potential to become a giant green advocate.

EQ.tv works in conjunction with two other Oregon-based sites: ‘The Mobius’ and ‘The Equilibrium Institute,’ which respectively provide support in digital production and eco-awareness. EQ.tv is sure to be a forerunner in a mass of other internet TV sites that realize the importance of delivering significant online content. With so much trash floating around the web TV world, it’s really nice to see some sites dedicated to cleaning up the real world.