One of my favorite Web sites is Ted.com (Technology • Entertainment • Design = TED) where some of the world's greatest thinkers and doers present their stories and ideas.  TED is embarking on a new experiment and hopes that someone like you, dear reader, may help them. 

Here's how: First become acquainted with TED.  New programs are available on a regular basis on this Web site.  I first became acquainted with TED through a link at ExposeKenosha.com which directed me to a marvelous talk by symphony conductor Benjamin Zander .  I later read his book, The Art of Possibility, which he co-authored with his wife, Rosamund, and am currently immersed in Mahler's 9th Symphony, conducted by Zander.  Zander is one of many creative thinkers who populate TED to share their wisdom and humor with you. 

Next, consider holding a salon or book club around TED content.  You could hold this activity in your home, at dinner parties, brown bag luncheons, or at the Kenosha Media Center, where you could screen TED videos on the Center's giant screen.  You could invite your friends and fellow Kenoshans to join you.  Your friends at Kenosha Community Media could help you put this type of activity together.    Anyone interested?

I wanted to share this really cute 8 minute rap at the Silver Hill Rottweiler website, produced by rottweiler lovers, in favor of No Breed Specific Legislation (BSL).
Goes to website:
http://www.silverhillrottweilers.com/news/2008/04/rottweiler_bls_video.html

I have a rottweiler, and I got him at Safe Harbor Humane Society, in Kenosha and I do agree with the No BSL video, as they can be very well trained and very sweet.

You can get a rottweiler at Safe Harbor, too (at least on Nov. 18, 2008 she was there), named Sasha.

Or check out some of their other dogs and cats at the Safe Harbor Cyberkennel.  Or there are more potential pets at hopesafehouse.org in Racine or at countrysidehumanesociety.org, also in Racine. 

                                           KCM launched a co-op program earlier this year entitled Visions of Kenosha.   It airs weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and features quiet images of Kenosha's natural and man-made surroundings.   This program belongs to everyone: that is, anyone who's able to contribute video to it may be considered to join its pool of producers.  

Its purpose is to help ease TV viewers into their day in a quiet, serene way.  Contributors are asked to videotape Kenosha's parks and attractions sans on-air talent or voice-overs.  If human beings are in the video, they should be in the background and not the focus of the shot.  If music is used, it should also be of a serene nature.   Think tinkling piano keys, soft flute music, or perhaps a solo oboe.   Use of ambient sounds--birds chirping, frogs croaking, crickets chirping--is highly encouraged.

Cameras used for this program should be either mounted on a tripod or otherwise stationery.   Pans, tilts, and zooms should be kept to an absolute minimum.   Think of these actions as salt-and-pepper.   A little bit seasons the meal.  Too much destroys it.   

Each shot can be thirty seconds or more in length.   We're not making MTV videos here.  

Ray Forgianni of Harbor Market of Kenosha recently called this programming, "visual perfume".   I like his description.

With autumn wearing its finest colors these days, now is a great time to become a visionary for Kenosha TV by becoming a producer for the co-op program, Visions of Kenosha.   

   Some of us that have been using iMovie for a while may be looking to move on to more complex editing (?) Here are some websites I have discovered where you can learn a little about Final Cut Pro for FREE on your home computer. There are others, I am sure, if you just google for "Final Cut Pro Training Free", like I did. The editing computers in the Channel 14 studio have Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 on them. (There isn't any training available yet for Final Cut Pro at Kenosha Community Media, but some people already know the program and have been using it.)

Some sites work on Macs and some work on PC/Windows, maybe some work on both (you know how that goes)....

http://www.softwaretrainingtutorials.com/final-cut-pro-5.php - this has video & works for Macs (I didn't get it to work on PC/windows, but you might)

http://www.computer-training-software.com/final-cut-pro5.htm - this has video & works for Macs (scroll down and see the "demos" to click on at left of screen)

http://www.hyperteach.com/products/finalcutpro5-video-cd.htm - this works on macs, (scroll down and click on titles of the free samples)

http://www.geniusdv.com/weblog/archives/final_cut_pro_interface_windows.php#more - no video, this works for PC/windows computers (I didn't try it on a Mac).

I'll try and add more to this list in coming months, so check back if you are interested in free Final Cut Pro training sites on the web. Or if YOU (anyone reading this) discover some more, you could leave a comment with the website address. I know "comments" won't actually accept websites, but if you type everything before the .com or .org and then just type "and then you type a dot and com/org"  it seems to work.

  <<< This is Carole & Hans. We should make a 100 second video together for the 100 Second Video Festival!!

Here is a list of videos from previous 100 Second Film Festivals  - you can click on the titles at the left of the screen at that site, and watch most of them on your computer.

Here is one with some African Festivals , one called Arrival or Spring, and another called Dane's Song, and one called dancing - Maybe these samples will inspire some producers to submit their work!

The current deadline is Dec. 15 to enter the 100 Second film Festival, and here is the official entryform.

   For those who like to search out some interesting video that you can watch for FREE on the web, there is lots of it on the research channel at researchchannel.org

There is a good one with with Arthur Frommer, the guy who writes/publishes a lot of travel books.

There is one with Walter Cronkite talking to the communications students at the University of Southern California Annenburg.

And one with  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (former basketball MVP) talking about forgotten heroes of WWII.

and there are many more to explore!

  Check out the third category from the bottom of the WGTD website (of the Gateway Technical College's radio station) for Associated Press and WGTD short videos.  Click on one of the subjects, and you get to a screen where there are lots of choices of subjects, from Local to World, Hurricane Footage, Politics, Health, Show Biz, and other subjects.

One drawback is that you are forced to wait for a 15 second video commercial to play before each video you choose will play.  I made that a little less annoying by turning down the sound of my computer during the commercials.

Another drawback is that I wish my computer would load the video faster. But it’s pretty interesting anyway. Has a lot of potential to be even better, I think, when more video is on it.