kenekaplan Health, Intel, KenEKaplan, video

The Intel Reader – Accessories, Anecdotes

This is a video I shot with a great guy, Ben Foss, from Intel’s Digital Health Group.  I also edited a shorter version here.
Ben invited me to his and gave me a first-hand look at the The Intel Reader,which takes pictures of text and read it aloud.
It’s designed to provide access to printed text for people with dyslexia, low vision or blindness.
Intel’s Digital Health Group researched and designed the mobile Intel Reader, which is built on the Intel Atom processor and run on the Moblin operating system.
I got to attend the San Francisco briefing today, where I got to see a few great tech writers from sites like VentureBeat, Ubergizmo, TechPulse360 and SiliconValleyWatcher.
Intel Reader - First Prototype and First Product
Intel Reader - First Prototype and First Product
During the briefing, Ben showed the first prototype design, so I shot this photo showing the idea evolve into reality – and a set of photos here.
My take:  it’s interesting to learn about the blend of people and technology research that went into making the device.  It is purpose built and intended to assist people who have trouble reading text.  The ability to “on-the-spot” snap a photo of a newspaper, magazine or voter booklet and have the text read back to you slow or super fast is amazing.
And the fact that you can create a collection of documents and mp3 audio files for sharing (appropirately, not for commercial uses) makes this device ripe for our times.
I think it will help bring together young and older people who need help reading text — people with dyslexia, weak eye sight or other forms of blindness.

 

 

 

 

 

kenekaplan Blogs, Media, video

Boom! Goes the Dynamite on Rocketboom

Breaking into TV or any media for that matter requires…well…a big break. Sometimes the big break is a chance to let the good, bad and ugly out to dry. Lesson here, share your personality…even if it means you’re nervous and can’t read the teleprompter with live cameras gunning at you.

kenekaplan Culture, video

Hoop It Real Good

I really needed this — right thing at the right time today.  Thanks to EveryWhereGirl.

Actually, it was thanks to someone calling Intel’s IT Community “Open Port” Manager Josh Hilliker the EveryWhereGuy.  Good one!  And so is the next connection, because Josh can jump through hoops with the greatest of ease…makin’ connections, findin’ answers and on the scene to make things happen.

Now here’s the thing you gotta see.  A documentary snippet about the Hula-Hoop called “The Hooping Life.” The hoop can do a  mind, spirit and body good!

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The movie trailer site has two more videos showing some cool tricks for us Hoopin’ newbies to try…or teach our kids!

Love the names on the movie bill — Groovehoops, Hoopalicios and Hoopgirl.

kenekaplan Music, video

Rock-Rock to the Planet Rock

A blast from the past that hit the spot.  This was the bomb through my middle school years!

Afrika Bambaataa-Planet Rock Kraftwerk Original Video, which I found on Gearheadgtr’s YouTube site

kenekaplan HP, video

HP in the Groove with Celebs

HP gets lots of kudos for how it works with celebrities to help connect new technology with our personal lifestyles.  We like to look good, carry small and live large.  And we have to have what we want when we want it…that means a device mainlined to the Internet.

This is a cool HP party video.  See if you can spot the Intel inside.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/09/PID_012559/Podtech_HP_Blackbird002.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4131/hp-hits-gaming-multimedia-with-massive-product-launch&totalTime=240000&breadcrumb=2384e1940bb1471890a365b52f1f3440]

kenekaplan Intel, Research, video

Researchers Building People Needs Into Future Technology

Since joining Intel in 2000, a few of my favorite things are:

  • feeling momemtum grow as teams focus on a colective goal
  • marveling at the unfathomable size big and small & economies of scale — everything must scale (will human intelligence scale?)
  • getting to talk with researchers who are pulling up the horizon of the future

From Eric Dishman’s real and personal exploration into getting technology to heal the damaged healthcare industry.

Tony Salvador’s passion about people and how things fit purposefully into their lives, no matter what their background or where they live.

Research@Intel Day is second only to the Intel Developer Forum on my favorite Intel Events List. This year, I saw lots of healthcare projects and research into mobile technologies, like the video blog I posted about playing Second Life wirelessly using a small mobile Internet device.

Here is a compilation of some of the fascinating research projects that may somehow, someway help build next best computer chip.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/06/PID_013634/Podtech_Intel_Research_Day_2008.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/5248/researchintel-day-a-feast-for-the-senses&totalTime=455000&breadcrumb=03cb6a18fef14a7c895ed4b95da4761c]

kenekaplan video

E*Trade Talking Baby TV Ad

I come from the world of broadcast.  In particular, I cut my teeth working at a TV news station where I got an appreciates for high quality production as well as the super efficient run, gun and get the news approach to production.

In 2006, I remember talking a lot with many of my pals in TV and with media production chops…about the topic of quality video production.  With YouTube grabbing more people’s attention, it seemed like it was lower the bar for what was acceptable — flash cuts, disjoined edits, bad audio and other flaws — were garnering more forgiveness, becoming more acceible and tolerable.

I believe the debate still continues:  Do we edit a compelling, quality story like NOVA or a Frontline segment…or do we turn on the camera and let it flow with little or no editing.  I like both and both styles will only be used more, refined and used for the right, desired impact.

But I do laugh when non-production savvy folk say:  we’ll just shoot it YouTube style for no or little cost.

I don’t disagree.  But I strongly believe it’s best to balance a “natural” looking video with video projects that require richer production and storytelling techniques.

I wonder if others are facing this situation at work or with their clients.  How are you getting people to consider paying real pros to do quality video stories — at least when it makes sense.

For example, in 2008 I have produced about 50 videos using my own camera and very little editing.  These stories were “on the scene” or “a visit to the labs” look at things my pals at Intel or working on.  But I still fight for producing higher quality videos like the ones we did to introduce new processors with Intel’s 45nm transistors, for the series of Intel Developer Forums.

All this was inspired by seeing one of my favorite TV ads, which blends great editing, audio and staging skills (and TALENT!) with a low quality, grainy look as if the baby is talking live through a Webcam.  Genius!  The first two crack me up every time!

If I can do it, you can do it …

Bad girl…

Clowns are creepy…

kenekaplan Travel, video

Video Sailing Santa Cruz-Monterey

May in the middle on Monterey Bay.  I’m no sailor but I couldn’t resist seeing what it was like to pull into the port of Monterey.

I didn’t have the head or stomach for the travel between, but the enormity of the Bay, the swells, gusty winds and countless water surface skimming birds.

Best part was arriving in Monterey, cruising past the barking sea lions, gray water reflecting pink form the setting sun.  The pace was teaming with wildlife comfortably in tandem with tourist and hometown conservationists.

kenekaplan Intel, Social Media, video

New Gadget Makin’ Friends @SxSW 2008

This is a repost & update — I slipped and deleted the original post from March 2008.

videoplay?docid=-2966930885625283630

I didn’t get to go this year, but I did my best to boost my friends who did go.

Our pals from TDI hosted a bike ride and BBQ during South by Southwest, where our Intel mobility blogfather Bryan brought his new friend the picnic: A prototype Gigabyte mobile Internet device (MID) built with Intel’s soon to be released Atom processor technology.

Voices That Matter — Live! From SXSW with DL Byron.

We’ll see more of these at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai this April.

Here’s a cool video my pal Bryan did with the great production crew at PodTechhttp://blogs.intel.com/mobility/2008/03/inside_sxsw_interactive.php:

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/03/PID_013465/Podtech_Intel_SXSW.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/5023/whats-inside-sxsw-interactive&totalTime=163000&breadcrumb=5731c38bb0f74e03a3e0bc194f8e3bee]

kenekaplan Travel, video

FlipVideo: Pre-Spring San Francisco Drive

In late March, I took some special visitors on a VW Touareg ride around my favorite city, San Francisco. Brought my new FlipVideo along for the ride to capture the steep hill flights of Russian Hill-North Beach and sights of cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, Lincoln Park, Ocean Beach and Haight-Ashbury.

I’m impressed at the FlipVideo Ultra’s video quality, ease-of-use and simple software (a few bugs). But the quality suffers when you upload to YouTube. Might be better to try a different video service.

FlipVideo (30 minutes of recording) can be purchased for under $130 at retail with rebate, or from the Flip site for a little more. For about $40 more you can get 60 minutes of record time.

This video by David Pogue of NY Times is funny and helpful.

Some specs: 640 x 480, Advanced Profile MPEG4, 30 frames per second (constant)