Daily Bits

Online Video

This Is How Commercials Should Be Like

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TV commercials are a pound a penny, but every now and then, you will find a rare gem. That’s exactly the case with this Batelco commercial, which will not fail to capture your attention for its entirety.

This commercial was created by Spy Films directors Alex & Steffen for Batelco (Bahrain Telecommunications Company), and while it may not place the focus on the telecommunications industry, the imagery is definitely bada**. Watch this video for yourself, and do look out for the awesome dragon (which, in my opinion, should have been shown for a tad longer).

Now tell me, what are you thinking? They couldn’t have ended that in a better way, could they?

Funny-Serious Video: Hug a Developer

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Let’s have a little fun on a Friday and watch a video, shall we?

I don’t know what you do for a living, but I am pretty sure that while a good number of just might be software developers, there are also a lot of readers like me – people who usually deal with the finished products. As consumers, we do have to admit that sometimes, we may overlook the hard work that goes into a piece of software. We might not even be aware of it in certain cases.

Now I came across a YouTube video, courtesy of a developer friend naturally, and it does give you a different perspective on the life of a developer. Whether you are working as one or you only have an inkling of what a developer does, you ought to take a minute to watch this. Now don’t blame me if you feel your eyes tearing up or if your chest starts getting a little tight along the way… 😉

As far as I know, there is no official Hug a Developer Day yet (or maybe I missed it?). What do you say to starting a movement?

For the developers out there: what can you say about the video?

The Johnny Cash Project

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Here’s something for those who appreciate good music. While not everyone is into Johnny Cash – I can actually count the people I know personally who listen to him with one hand – you can’t really deny his genius. This man has been called the one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, and rightly so! He’s probably known by most as a country singer, but his fans know very well that his music spans a whole lot of other genres.

So what is The Johnny Cash Project all about? Does the name Chris Milk ring a bell? He’s the music video director behind some of the greatest videos of our time. He has worked with artists such as U2, Kanye West, Green Day, and Audioslave, among others.

This year, he embarked on this project, which one can very well call “music video crowdsourcing.” What he did was to take the last song that the “Man in Black” recorded in the studio: Ain’t No Grave. Anyone who has heard this song will probably agree with me in saying that it is one of most haunting songs you’ll ever hear. The song, by the way, is part of the posthumous album, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, which was released in February 23 of this year.

More than merely creating a music video, though, Chris Milk decided to call upon the resources of the countless Johnny Cash fans out there. He created the web site and encouraged (encourages) people to share their own rendition of a Johnny Cash portrait. These portraits are then put together to create the video. As the project is a continuous one, you can imagine that the video is an ever changing work of art.

I have to tell you – this is one moving piece of work! I won’t even dare to describe it – you can watch it for yourself below. Trust me, it is the perfect video to watch on All Saints’/All Souls’ Day.

As I finished watching that video, I couldn’t help but remember some lines from the movie The Book of Eli:

Eli: It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s faith, it’s faith. It’s the flower of light in the field of darkness that’s giving me the strength to carry on. You understand?
Solara: Is that from your book?
Eli: No, it’s, uh, Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison.

Yeah, Johnny Cash can inspire you like that, and Chris Milk did a pretty good job with this project as well!

For more information on the project, or if you want to join in, visit the official web site of The Johnny Cash Project.

Skype and Facebook to Merge?

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Got the new Skype for Windows yet?  If so, you probably have noticed that there is a new tab – a Facebook tab.  This is the result of a collaboration between the two companies.  The presence of a Facebook tab in Skype 5 for Windows implies a lot of things.

One, Skype users will be able to interact with their Facebook friends directly from Skype.  This can be done in a variety of ways – updating of status messages, commenting on other people’s status messages, and “liking” other people’s status messages and posts.  They can also see the news feed directly from Skype.

Two, there is a Facebook phonebook feature in the new Skype that will allow users to directly call – and send text messages – to their contacts from Skype.  If anything, that should be a more convenient way of getting in touch with one’s friends.

Three, group video calling is also available in beta version.  As of now, this is available on a free trial basis.

Experts have noted that this collaboration has been in the stars for a while and that it is but a logical turn of things.  Skype and Facebook have been at the forefront of their respective fields and putting their resources together is the only way to go forward.

For now, only Windows users can enjoy this integration.  For Mac and Linux users, we have to wait indefinitely.  I say indefinitely as there is still no announcement as to when they will release this version of Skype for other platforms.  I just hope that they actually do!

Afterthought: I wonder if they will be able to integrate Facebook chat?  Now THAT would be a definite improvement, don’t you think?

Old Spice’s Isaiah Mustafa to Gizmodo & Kevin Rose

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You’ve probably seen the videos by now – they have become a viral hit in a matter of months. The hunky Isaiah Mustafa made his debut in this viral marketing campaign in February, and is now as recognizable as any other male model or actor out there – perhaps even more so for people who [do nothing but] watch videos on YouTube all the time.

Now, they are stepping things up a bit. Mr. Old Spice himself is taking on questions from his countless followers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The idea is simple: you ask him a question and he just might reply to it via a special video dedicated to you. [Read more…] about Old Spice’s Isaiah Mustafa to Gizmodo & Kevin Rose

PlayStation 4 In The Works?

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Sony has had a lot of success with its PlayStation series – from the first version to the third (with lots in between – mini-upgrades and portables). With the release of the PlayStation 3 Slim last year, more and people were snatching up their own consoles. Here’s the clincher: it looks like we’re going to see the fourth generation soon!

I am sure that all of you have been thinking about the next generation of PlayStation consoles, even if you’re still thoroughly enjoying the PS3. Well, perhaps your dreams just might come true before you even realize it.

Earlier this month, someone leaked videos on YouTube. The account used was named SCElabs. Go figure what this is supposed to mean. Let me take a guess…How does Sony Computer Entertainment Labs sound? For sure, this is what whoever is behind the videos was trying to do – get people like you and me to think this way!

So anyway, enough of that. Here’s the first video, titled PS4-Playstation 4-Leaked Viral Video.

And here’s the second one, dubbed PS4-Playstation 4-Leaked Launch Trailer.

While Sony’s official stand is that these videos are FAKE, there is much doubt about that. For one, it was simply a rep that released the announcement: the video is NOT from SCE. We all know that PR people do NOT know everything, and that they basically say what they are told to say. Another reason is that these videos seem to fit the rest of Sony’s marketing campaign for the consoles. More so, they are made quite well.

I don’t know – what do you think, are they “real”?