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 My newest love...what took me so long? Recently, I have been migrating from Foursquare to Yelp because I think Yelp is superior in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, Foursquare is very good and I have to give credit to them for coining the term “check-in” in the world of social media. The innovation of check-ins gave Yelp, an already unique reviews based service, new wind. I really like what Yelp has done with places you’ve checked in in the past. It reminds you that last week you went to a new restaurant and asks if you want to review it. Amazing.
Another strength I see in Yelp is that it offers more information about a specific establishment. Yes, you can see who the “Duke” or “Dutchess” is (al la what Foursquare calls “Mayor”), quick tips, and addresses, but you also can see prices, in-depth reviews, and ratings. I also like the numerous profile options they have, it makes for a more rich and content driven social media hub. I want to also use Yelp as a tool to develop a writing style that I don’t ordinarily get to exercise — plus, I want to have fun! I love to eat and I live to eat!
After a few inner-discussions with myself, I have decided to attempt to make Yelp Elite 2012. I need to beef up the number of reviews I have on Yelp, but I feel that my writing style and knack for flavor are strong. I hope to make it big!
With the State of the Union Address complete, it has marked another successful crowdsourced translation project, where the database continues to grow. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, which took place on January 24, 2012, is an event that included subtitles from 10+ languages within hours of its completion. I thought it was interesting since the subtitles was a community based project utilizing crowdsourcing. I have had a recent growing interest in crowdsourcing and having tasks split between a wide array of volunteers, and I wanted to see how accurate a collective of people could transcribe a speach and in such little time. For more information and the evolving transcription of this broadcast, head over to UniversalSubtitles.org. There are currently 10 languages that are 100% complete, and about 12 that are still in progress.
When I was younger, I used to go to this burger joint often (Hamburger Habit in West LA). They would have the news on all day, but muted. Naturally, the TV would put subtitles on. I realized one summer afternoon that there were many mistakes, especially for live news broadcasts. My guess is it was a recorder sitting in a room alone trying to record everything like a court reporter would. I understand that flying solo on a live broadcast and not being able to edit your text can be daunting, which is why I would see many errors during such an event. I think that having multiple people working on the same project with tasks delegated evenly (Crowdsourcing) this type of transcription is a great idea, and I would love to see what people come up with when it comes to translating events live as they happen.
One thing that comes to mind is how the selection process works, but I caution anyone in the UniversalSubtitles.org committee to tread carefully as you could potentially get rogue typists trying to undermine PBS or any other stream and/or broadcast. For a better idea on the ongoing debate of crowdsourcing, read the comments over at ArsTechnica – State of the Union Address to get Crowdsourced. This is an exciting frontier, made possible by progressive thinkers alike, as crowdsourcing gains followers, believers, and supporters.
Watch the video after the jump!
Continue reading President Obama State of the Union Address 2012 with Crowdsourced Subtitles
Today, I woke up as I would any other ordinary work day; I showered, got dressed and was off to work. Upon my arrival, a sudden rush of depression and an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction came over me. I began to think about where I was in my life and career, and how I have not lived up to my own expectations. I pondered and obsessed over how little I have accomplished since my graduation from university in 2008. I was focusing on things I did not have, things I wished I had, and a career I did not want. My pattern of thinking sent me into a spiral of sadness, a feeling I had drifted away from for many months.
My male-instincts to fix the situation soon kicked into gear. I turned to the one person in my life that causes massive chain reactions in my brain and makes bad things melt away like butter in a hot pan; my girlfriend of three glorious years. At lunch, I spoke with her and she made me realize that not everyone is in a place in life where they had imagined or originally dreamt they would be. The conversation caused me re-think my day/week/month and to analyze the aspects of my life that I do have. It opened a door I forgot about; a portal that swung me into a mood of bright optimism. She made me observe details I had been overlooking the past few months and reminded me of the great resources I have. For this I am grateful.
It is convenient and most easy to find certain aspects in life that one does not have to turn against oneself. Negativity never benefits anyone; I find that people who thrive on negativity are only out there to cause harm (Does that really help anyone other than themselves? How selfish). The moment we focus our positive energy to the things that make our lives possible, namely, the people and resources that surround daily life, that we are able to move forward and live to our potentials.
The imagery in Midnight Sun: Iceland is absolutely stunning. The lighting the Midnight Sun produces is simply amazing! Fun fact: Midnight Sun: Iceland took only 17 to shoot and houses over 38,000 images.
Midnight Sun | Iceland from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo
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