Broadcast Flag hearings turn on iPod use (Engadget)

Name that Flickr Tag (LifeHacker)

And, finally, because its Friday - Beer + Robot = Marketing Goodness…if you like beer and/or robots. (Boing Boing)

Arstechnica discusses the possibility that Amazon will be getting into “Buy a DVD and download/stream the movie while you wait for the mailman to come.” This is funny, because I was just looking at my Netflix queue this morning and wishing that I could watch about half the movies in it right then, via download. Granted, there is a difference between renting on Netflix, and buying the movie outright on Amazon, but the “get it now and later” idea is close to how I use both iTunes video and Netflix, and the (rumored) Amazon model is a hybrid of the two that I really like.

As many of you know, I really love to download video off of iTunes, but I’ve often wondered, as I look at the MASSIVE amount video content in my iTunes folders - 1.5 Seasons of Battlestar Galactica, Season 2 of Lost and the first five episodes of Surface - how long I’d keep them, either in my iPod or my laptop. Right now I’d hazard a guess and say that within the next few months, I’ll decide which series I will purchase on DVD, and which ones I’ll delete for good (to make room for all those new downloads I haven’t thought about yet).

I use Netflix similarly – I rent DVDs (mostly TV shows on DVD) and either send them back with a “Gee, glad I didn’t get THAT” or I run out and buy the DVD shortly after I’ve returned the disc. Using Amazon’s (rumored) method won’t save me from buying something crummy, but if they (or others) could adapt to the “try and buy” method, I would be right there with them.

At the same time, the “buy and download while you wait for the mail” method gets over another hurdle I have with downloadable video – which is sometimes, its nice to have the DVD right there in your house. Until we have a fully converged media-web-home system (on which you can get the same entertainment you can get on DVDs now), I, at least, will want the option for both.

Why is it the busiest days are Tuesday and Thursday? I ask you? In light of all the busy, here’s what caught my eye today (evidently I have gaming on the brain):

Video Games influence music sales (including reference to best band name I never listen to, Fall Out Boy) (Ars Technica)

Portable Xbox Rumors (Business2Blog)

“We Messed Up Google Video Launch” (Micro Persuasion)

Like Alternative Reality Games? This is an exciting little interview. (BoingBoing)

New Women’s Social Networking Site (MediaPost)

AdAge launches a podcast (Micropersuasion)

Using The Movies to make movies (Wired)

I’m rarely an “on the spot” convert of tools I find out and about. However, last night I was listening to Inside the Net (which you’ll find on This Week in Tech) and they were highlighting a tool called Protopage. I listened, I checked it out and I am sold on how useful this can be. So, I decided to pass it on to a friend this morning, and his reaction was instantly “This is so amazing!” And so I’m passing it on.

Essentially, Protopage is a personal startpage - as they put it “personalized news + sticky notes + weather + bookmarks, all on one page.” You can get your RSS feeds, a set of quick links, get the local weather and write sticky notes to yourself (and others) - and you can keep changing and/or updating the content based on your needs. They’ve recently just added a way you can include video or audio on your page as well. Currently, I’m using it for an RSS reader, a weather updater, a to-do lists and a “hot link” to places I go every day (like New Media Sense, or Amazon, etc). However, on Inside the Net, they discuss a husband and wife team who use it to trade notes and email when they’re apart, and that people are using it to supplement personal pages or Social Networking pages. The best part (the part I like the most) is that you can made a page “private” - for your own personal use, or public - in case you want to update friends or a group about a project you’re working on. It seems like the possibilities are endless and its interesting to me because its one of those applications that is what you make of it.

Disney buys Pixar (CNET)

iPod = the next fair use battleground? (Slashdot)

Fastcompany takes you on a tour of India (Fast Company)

Finally, its the closest thing we have to an Oscar (until Oscar gets a new media category). The 2006 Bloggies were annouced.

Must.Keep.Breathing. - Supreme Court Won’t Hear the Blackberry Case (Engadget)

Super Bowl/Online convergence (NY Post)

Sundance focuses on mobile video (CNET)

Micropersuasion had a post about a recent study di3scussing that online video had its “Big Bang” following the Apple/iTunes annoucement and suggests that the industry will grow by 89% through 2010. That’s a LOT of growth. A lot of annoucements have been made over the last 3-4 months regarding different video programs, and I’m wondering which ones will stick, merge and/or change between now and 2010 - during that time of growth. What factors will make the leader (or leaders) emerge between now and then?

Lawrence Lessig creates “anti-Lessig” wiki (Lawrence Lessig)

Really neat use of a company using their website for a niche market - Knitting for the blind (bling…whatever)(Seth’s Blog)

Even more “Rooftops as Ads” (CNET)

I came across a post on Business2Blog earlier this week about a new trend called MyWare, which caught my attention, and has since expanded into an article on CNNMoney. It caught my attention so much that I found myself coming back to it every morning this week to take another peek at the post (which means I suggest that everyone read it). Essentially, there are a few startups (such as Root Vault - which is in beta) that let consumers track their clickstream data and use it as they see fit. While some consumers could/would use it to track where they go and figure out what they’re doing and their interests, others could potentially sell it to companies interested in using data to provide tailored offers or marketing/advertising specifically for consumers. Another site that I spoke about recently, Last.Fm, does this with music by tracking what members are listening to on iTunes, etc.

I like this for two reasons: one, it gives consumers a view into the types of data that others can collect on them, which can be handy. We all keep lists about our “to dos” or books we want to read, or movies we want to see (or that could be just me), and it would be great to have those reminders of interesting things you’ve found or were looking forward to inside your clickstream. Second, I like that consumers can take an active participation in their data and how they do things.

Somehow the day got done and all I have is time for some short stuff.

Bill Maher + Amazon = Infomercial? (B2Blog)

One less line at the theater to worry about (engadget)

Downloadable TV = Better Ratings? (Slashdot)