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Steam Studios has been kicked off Gil Scott Heron's Christmas Card list. Again.
Once you get to our "Cool Sites" section, you'll probably notice a theme. Oh, okay... two themes. Namely: blogs and multimedia.
As part of our mission of providing you the most hilarious informative newsletter in the world of design, we strive to keep you informed of the truly important things.
And right now, on the world wide web, nothing's more important than blogging and multimedia.
 Blogging is the perfect example of technology as democracy. Every day people are breaking news, sharing insight and adding to all of humanity's knowledge base. And it's not just reporters, teachers, critics and historians that are having all the fun. It's average Joes and Janes with nothing more than an internet connection and something to say.
Think about it: Right now, you can post something online that anyone with an internet connection can read, watch or interact with. That means you can reach into every corner of the world without ever leaving your house. Right. Now. (Whoa!)
And now that more people have broadband connections than those with dial-up, internet multimedia is finally coming out of its infancy. Sure, there'll be growing pains for a while, but just today, we watched the latest episode of "Lost" on YouTube.com, downloaded "Cat Stevens' Greatest Hits" from the iTunes Music Store (more on that later) and finally learned how to tie a necktie into a double-windsor courtesy of a Flash animation. All at the point of a mouse and click of a button.
We know what you're saying: "Okay, Steve and Sam, that's all well and good, but what exactly is  your point?". Our point is this...
It's finally happening! Remember that old phrase "The future is now!"? Well, guess what? It truly is! We're not getting to work in rocket-cars, nor do we have robot maids doing our dishes, but the whole "access to worldwide information through instantaneous communication" thing? We're living it! These are
exciting times and we just want to make sure no one misses the boat.
And as much as we love him, it turns out that famous poet/singer/activist Gil Scott Heron was wrong. The revolution will NOT be televised.
It'll be delivered to our in-boxes.
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Cat Stevens: 1; Steve McCain: 0
 In March, Steam Studios artist Steve McCain had the pleasure of auditioning for a new gameshow entitled "The World Series of Pop Culture". The show will air on VH1 in July with 3-person teams duking it for geek-supremacy and $250,000.
Steve, along with teammates Kris Kay and Lisa Applegate (known collectively as team "Kulture Klash"), managed to crack the Top 40 teams (out of over  1000!) and got a shot to compete in a preliminary version of the gameshow in Atlanta. Sadly, their hopes of getting onto the actual televised gameshow were dashed when the announcer inadvertently discovered Steve's Achilles Heel: the discography of 70's folk singer Cat Stevens. Steve was reported as saying, "You may have won this battle, Cat Stevens... but the war is far from over!" Afterwards, much sobbing and cursing ensued.
In
other news... Samson is now a newly minted uncle! A hearty congratulations goes out to Sam's sister Jessica and brother-in-law Keith. And a hearty sigh of relief comes from Samson now that his mom has promised to stop pestering him about "getting her some grandchildren". For now.
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Joining the Multimedia Revolution
So all this talk about "blog this" and "multimedia that" has got you itchin' to get in on all the action, but you don't know where to start? You're saying "Gee, I'd love to be a part of the technology zeitgeist, but I'm not as tech-savvy as you Steam Studios guys."? Don't worry, we're here to help...
1. Blogging:
There are a zillion ways to create a blog: Build it from scratch, coding everything yourself; download some blog software (like Wordpress, which we featured in an earlier newsletter), thereby cutting your work-time in half; OR say to hell with it and get right to the blogging! Thanks to sites like Livejournal.com, all you have to do is sign up, follow a few simple steps, and Voila! You're  sharing with the world wide web.
For our money, Blogger.com is the way to go. It's easy, fast and free.
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2. Podcasting:
It's no secret that we love Apple, and podcasting just adds to the love. In case you didn't know, a podcast is simply anything episodic in nature (like a weekly talk radio show, for example) that's been recorded with the purpose of being played on an MP3 player (like an iPod). News shows, radio playlists, spoken-word slam battles... all can be made available for countless people to listen to, anywhere in the world and on their schedules.
All you need is (1) a computer with an internet connection, (2) a microphone that can plug into your computer and (3) podcasting software.
For a great and easy-to-follow tutorial, check out Engadget's "How-to" on the subject. It'll guide you through EVERYTHING you need to do, point you towards free software that you can download, AND introduce you to some of the best podcasts on the web.
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3. Video (Blogging + Video = Vlogging):
Creating a vlog or just uploading that hilarious vid of your cat dressed up like Groucho Marx has never been easier.
All you need is a computer with an internet connection, a camcorder with digital recording capabilities (nowadays most camcorders are digital), and... that's it. No, seriously. If you own both a computer and digital camcorder, the hardware and software needed to download films you've  shot will be included. You just need to install said software on your computer, follow the instructions and you can post the finished product on your own blog, website or an aggregator site like YouTube.
If you're fortunate enough to have a Mac, don't even bother with your camcorder's software. iMovie makes the already insanely easy task of digitizing video even easier.
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And there you have it... Joining the technology revolution is as easy as figuring out what you want to say and how you want to share it. Now get out there and get fightin'!
Extra Credit: Got any cool Blogs that you'd like us to check out? Please let us know.
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Pop Candy
: blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/
Move over Entertainment Weekly, there's a new sheriff in town. Her name's Whitney Matheson and with her blog (which she pens for USA Today), she delivers the latest news in movies, music, TV and the web. It's up-to-the-minute, witty and, unlike most blogs, relatively snark-free. |
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Ask a Ninja
: www.askaninja.com
Sure, we here at Steam Studios often go to Rocketboom for our dose of daily news. But when it comes to our most urgent inquiries, we go to our other favorite vlog: Ask A Ninja. Why? 'Cause if you've got questions, ninjas got answers.
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iFilm
: www.ifilm.com
The grand-daddy of internet video, iFilm's stronger than ever. Movie trailers? Check. News clips? Check. Viral Videos? Check. The ability to destroy your social life with its easy-to-navigate interface guiding you into a realm of time-wasting digital entertainment? Check with a capital "C".
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For (lots) more multimedia madness, check out Wired Magazine's "Guide to the Online Video Explosion".
Normally we like to be the ones sharing the cool links, but Wired has a HUGE list of the best of the best. News, entertainment and pretty much everything under the sun that you can watch, listen to or interface with. What more could you ask for? (Besides a life away from your computer. Which you won't have once you check out some of these great sites... Don't say we didn't warn you.)
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Steam Studios | 5590 Pats Pt. Winter Park, FL 32792 | Visit us at: www.steamstudios.com |
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