Our First RubyNation Video is Live
Our first RubyNation video is now live. It features Jim Wierich and his well received "SOLID Ruby" talk. It's been a lot of work getting the RubyNation video production effort off the ground, so it's nice to finally see our first polished video (only 28 more conference sessions to go).

Filming at RubyNation 2010 
It's been crazy lately, first with the run-up to RubyNation 2010, and then getting the video production effort in full swing after the conference was over. We finally managed to get some of the photos from the conference online.

Shooting the Cherry Blossom Festival
Where was I at a ridiculous time in the morning on April 1st? I was at the tidal basin in Washington DC with Don Anderson shooting pictures and video for the RubyNation documentary that we're doing for Arlington Independent Media. I've lived in this area since 1987, but in all that time, I'd never been to see the cherry blossoms. I have to say that the cherry blossoms were a pretty impressive sight and that I can see why they've become a tourist attraction.

Video Production Volunteers Needed
RubyNation 2010 is just around the corner. The conference is April 9 - 10. We've just released a "Volunteers Needed" flyer for experienced video production volunteers in the Washington DC area. We have video production activities that will be taking place on April 8 - 11. See the flyer for further details.

Chad Fowler at RubyNation 2010
Just saw this tweet from Chad Fowler, who was last year's keynote speaker for RubyNation. He'll be at the conference this year as an attendee. How cool is that?

Is Hulu Just a Glorified Tivo?
There's a paradigm shift that's impacting the entertainment industry, and it's already changing how, when and where we watch television shows and movies. For example, I watch most of my movies and television shows on my Mac laptop, either via a download from my Tivo, a show on Hulu.com, a DVD or a downloaded video. Despite this, I don't think the entertainment industry is evolving fast enough, and I think they run the risk of alienating customers (me being one of them, of course).

RubyNation 2010 Interviews
I was in the studio at Arlington Independent Media a few weeks ago taping some interviews for the upcoming documentary, "The Road to RubyNation: The Making of a Conference." Here's a teaser picture of me interviewing Gray Herter, Chief Organizer of the RubyNation Conference. The shot was taken from the studio control room, so Camera #1 (of 3) can be seen in the background on the left.

ExchangesConnect Online Video Contest Site
The ExchangesConnect Online Video Contest site was launched on November 17, 2009. Here's a sceenshot of the web site, which looks pretty cool now that the community has uploaded a bunch of videos.

The purpose of the contest is to help drive up the membership for the Department of State's ExchangesConnect social network, which is focused on promoting cross-cultural understanding around the world. The social network and the contest have been done for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Check out the contest now! There's plenty of room for more participants.

Videotaping RubyNation 2010
I'm one of the founders of the annual RubyNation technical conference, which will be held for the third time on April 8 - 10, 2010. Each year that we've held the conference, we've tried to up the ante in producing a bigger, better conference.

One of the exciting developments for RubyNation 2010 is that we're planning to videotape the conference sessions this year. More than that, we're going to produce a documentary about what it takes to organize and run a conference. I will be functioning as the producer for this documentary, which currently has a working title of "The Road to RubyNation: The Making of a Conference". When completed, this documentary will be shown on public television and will be streamed online.

Online Video Contest Launches in Two Weeks
Since mid-August, I've been working as part of a team to create an online video contest for the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. They operate an online social network called ExchangesConnect that promotes cross-cultural understanding across the world. This is the second year that my company, MetroStar Systems, has implemented and managed an online contest for this client.

ExchangesConnect Introductory Video
Here's the introductory video about the 2nd Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest. This is the contest site that I've been working on with Dave McVicar and Kelly Gifford. Our awesome marketing specialist, Jenny Hubacher, took the lead in producing this video.

Downloads With Tivo
Find out how to download shows from your Tivo box so you can watch them when ... and where ... you want.

Tivo and Your Home Network
Connecting your Tivo box to your home network opens up a raft of new capabilities that can change how, and where, you experience your television programs.

Getting the Most Out of Tivo
Tivo is the gold standard when it comes to personal Digital Video Recorders (DVRs). It also offers some interesting features for the technically-oriented.

The Most Glamorous Job in Accounting
Every year, a team of accountants is responsible for tabulating the votes for the Oscars. These accountants have the most glamorous job in the accounting field. — Originally published by CareerBank.com.