Friday, April 3, 2009

Video Streaming and Sharing

The YouTube site is familiar to almost anyone with access to high speed internet, but this is the first time that I subscribed to the site. One bugaboo I have is the amount of PERSONAL information that these "service providers" want to collect and use. This reminds me of the problems we've run into in the past where retailers and even governments were all trying to track people using their SIN numbers. Once the information is collected, the user seems to lose any control over it, or, the legal disclaimers and agreement policies are so filled with legaleze that the average person can't be bothered trying to understand what they are agreeing to do....

Anyway, the site is fun to browse, and has some educational as well as entertainment value. The last time I checked however, the day continues to have roughly 24 hours and my number of hours of life continues to decrease. I think you get the idea.

Too much stuff, not enough time....

I watched a video about a crow that takes on a mothering/friend role with a feral kitten--what unlikely playmates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo

The quality of the videos varies tremendously. For example, authors reading in an outdoor tent at Toronto's Word on the Street fair, shot with a cellphone or similar small camera do not make for great quality.... Like so much of the internet, YouTube has few gems and lots of dross.

Better get back to the library literature that I'm supposed to be reading.
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