Capitalogix

So Bad, It's Good

Microsoft has a new product that people use to create a new genre of really bad music.  I have to admit that I enjoy it, even though it's like watching a train wreck.

Microsoft just released Songsmith, a product where you sing the words as best you can, and its software supplies computer-matched musical accompaniment. The truth is that it probably has some pretty advanced technology.

It has become trendy to take a vintage rock video, strip out the instruments, and then let Songsmith process the classic song in "unexpected" ways.  So, if you want to hear the Police's song, Roxanne, differently than you had before ... Songsmith is the right tool for that job.

To make things worse (or better) Microsoft's promotional video for Songsmith is so bad that it is painful to watch.  It is so campy I suspect it was done intentionally to generate buzz. You've got to see it to believe it.

Here is the direct link. 

For the record, I'm a fan of Microsoft.  It may not be a popular position to take, but I like and use lots of their software.  They come up with many innovative things.  The ad, above, may not be their best effort. So watch and listen for yourself?

Here is the result of Songsmith processing the classic Police song, Roxanne.

Remember, you get to choose lots of options, like tempo, style, and instruments.  So, someone wanted it to sound like this.  Still, it speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Here is the direct link.

Here's one with a slightly better result ... Oasis' Wonderwall.

Here is the direct link.

Here are a few other links worth checking.  Remember, real music sounds better when this stops.

• Here is a link to a Techcrunch article about Songsmith and its ad.
• Here is a link to a collection of other horrific Songsmith versions of Billy Idol, The Cars, etc.
• Here is a link to more strange re-mixes.
• Here is a link to a spoof of the ad that isn't politically correct, but you may find funny.
• Here is a link to Microsoft's product page for Songsmith.
• And if you still want more, search for "Classic Hits by Microsoft Songsmith" on YouTube.

Resonant Chamber

This Animusic video is mesmerizing.  The animation is better than what you find in many video games and adds something to the music, which is pretty good in-and-of itself. 

The video was not animated by humans.  Instead, the studio that created this video invented an animation engine that analyzes the notes in a piece of music and the engine's algorithms animate from there.

Fascinating; check-it-out for yourself.

Here is a direct link to the video on YouTube.  Animusic has their own YouTube Channel.

Data Visualization of President Obama's Inauguration Speech

Here are two interactive ways to look at and understand what was said.

Go to Wordle's site to make one yourself.  You can choose colors and layouts to get the look you want.

Also, here is a Word Tree from IBM's Many Eyes site.  I like this type of tool because you can interact with the data.  Type in any word you see in the Word Cloud above.  This will show you every instance of that word, in context.

Also, here is an embedded link to a version you can interact with yourself.  I suggest you start with words frequently used in the speech like: Nation, People, Today, New and Must.  You can also try phrases like "We Will".

The Word Tree tool is interesting and useful. Also, I can see how it will work in a business setting with business plans, proposals, marketing material, etc.  This is very cool; and it is easy to build a word tree on your own data at Many Eyes.  Have Fun. 

Other Links:

• Word Clouds of Inaugurations Compared (Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Lincoln). (Read Write Web)
• Hand-Drawn Mindmap of Obama's Speech. (Agerbeck)
• Photosynth Image of Inauguration site. (Mashable)
• Another Inauguration site panorama with incredible detail. (Gigapan)
• Pictures of Obama's Inauguration from Space; puts things in a different perspective. (GeoEye)

The Year in Pictures

Browse through some of the best pictures from 2008.  A picture is worth a thousand words; some that come to mind are beautiful, shocking, and surprising ...

It took me way too long to put this list together.  Why?  Because I started browsing and enjoying myself.  Hope you do too.

Here are some Best Photos-of-the-Year sites worth looking at as we close out 2008.

• Boston Globe's Big Picture Series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Stunning Pictures and Photos (Smashing Magazine)
• LATimes Best of Photo 2008 Series.
• A Year in Pictures (MSNBC, Agency France, and DocStoc)
• Pixeteria (Best of 2008 Galleries, People's Choice, Editor's Choice, Weather)
• Reuters has lots of great graphic content (100 Best of 2008 & Different Best of Slideshow)
• National Geographic (Editor's Choice, Best Animal Pics, DCP)

Here are some that are just for fun.

• A collection of "weird" people (Chive)
• A collection of "funny kid" pics (Chive)
• A collection of "perfectly timed" photos (Chive)

Here are some others that are from "artier" sources.

• Flickr's Hivemind
• Some Flickr High Dynamic Range Photos (Set 1 and Set 2)
• Photo.net Picture Finder Filter (Photo.net)
• 10 Picture worth a look. (XciteFun.net)
• Interesting photo hosting site (Pixdaus)

In 2008, many traders felt "over their heads" ...

It was scary for much of the year ...

Still, here is what I'll leave you with ... Winter always comes before Spring.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Photology - A New Way To Find What You're Looking For

Overwhelmed by too many photos?  Too busy to sort and tag them?  Try this.

Photology helps you navigate the flood of digital photos on your computer by finding photos using simple and intuitive filters like faces, sky, color, location, and time of day ... automatically.

Can't find the photo of you in that pink silk jacket from the 4th of July party on the beach a few years ago? No problem, even with seemingly endless folders of random photos.  You know the expression, "finding a needle in a haystack," right? Thanks to Photology, haystacks of photos will get a lot smaller, making it much easier to find the "needle" you're looking for – even if that needle is an a pink jacket.

How do you do it?  Well, like this.

First stop questioning why you own a pink silk jacket.  Then start remembering what you can.  It was a few years ago (probably 2006).  The photo was of faces.  It was outside.  You were wearing pink.  And It was sunset. 

You can also combine, mix, and match any or all of these tidbits from your memory to find your photo.  It is fast, fun, and very easy to use.

Try it yourself with this online demo.  After the demo launches, try the filter options on the left.

I paid this software - and it was worth it.  Now it is free; an even better value proposition.  I'm still going to use Photoshop Elements for the heavier lifting ... Still, Photology has its place in the toolbox.

So click here to download the software.

Happy Holiday Season Wishes

I put together a short photo album and holiday card.  I hope you'll click this to watch.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a terrific 2009.

"Stand By Me" Music Video from the Playing for Change: Peace Through Music Project

I saw this and thought it was worth sharing.  It is a video of different musicians, around the globe, combining their talents to create a worthwhile version of of the classic "Stand By Me". 

Here is the direct link to the video.

"Playing for Change: Peace Through Music" isn't really a documentary as much as a global concert film, recorded on the streets of New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, Tibet and elsewhere.  The filmmakers (Mark Johnson and Jonathan Walls) traveled across the globe, finding musicians to record versions of "Stand By Me" and Bob Marley's "One World" by themselves, and without any of the individual musicians ever having met each other. The finished project combines these performances to create an a "music video" of these artists playing together on these inspirational songs, as well as playing their own music.

The purpose of the project is to help impoverished people in the areas visited, and to show how music brings people together regardless of their cultural differences.  Find out more at Playing For Change.

Another Type of Image Toy - Deep Zoom

The new Deep Zoom technology in Microsoft's Silverlight is pretty cool.  The smooth in-place zooming and panning that Deep Zoom allows is a true advancement and raises the bar on image viewing. High resolution images need to be prepared for use with Deep Zoom to control the zooming experience.

Here is an example.

Also, here are three links worth exploring about Deep Zoom:

• This is a Deep Zoom site of Hard Rock Café Memorabilia (Hard Rock)
• This is a Barack Obama supporter site using Deep Zoom (Obama)
• And finally, here is a demo of a web site designed for Deep Zoom (Vertigo)

If you want a little more background on this, here is a post about why this technology is new and different.

New Imaging Tools Will Change How You Access Information

Photosynth is a new technology from Microsoft.  It is software that could transform the way we look at digital images. Using still photos (and more), Photosynth builds a breathtaking new form of composite image, and lets us navigate them.  This service turns multiple photos of a scene or site -- say, an art gallery or a building -- into a 3-D scene you can virtually "walk" through on the Web.

Ten-years ago I saw something like this; it was the interface to a game called Myst.  It was ground-breaking at the time.

In the early phase of adoption for Photosynth, I expect to see things like the 3-D rendering of the Canals in Venice.  It is an easily accessible way to explore the concept.  Soon, however, this could evolve into a new way to hyper-link a wide range of data, meta-data, and business information.

To get a better idea of what this can do, watch this video from the Ted Conference introducing Photosynth.

Think about how much the web has already changed how you do research?  Also, because it is so easy to do now, think how much more research you do.  For example, I'm amazed at how often I search Google or Wikipedia. Similarly, I use sites like Digg, Technorati, Regator, and various blogs to find relevant information - even if I didn't know I was looking for it.

Photosynth is different, and in some ways a step beyond, those research tools.  It is graphics-centric instead of text-centric.  And I can imagine a new type of front-end (a new framework) for accessing information stored virtually anywhere.  Consequently, I expect to see a lot more of this, and things like it.

Click here to explore some interesting Synths.  You can make your own, too.  For example, here is a link to a Photosynth of, my son, Ben's dorm room at Duke.  It took him about a half-hour to make it.

Note: you can use arrows on the screen to navigate a Photosynth image; and the "Space Bar" is helpful, too, because it jumps to the next cluster of 3-D images.

Pilobolus: Things Aren't Always What They Seem

In trading, recognizing that things aren't always what they seem is a big part of the game. 

Here is a clever video that plays on that concept. It is from Pilobolus, a talented dance and performance art troupe.

Here is the direct link.

And this one has an unexpected ending.

Here is the direct link

Also, here is a link to their performance at the TED conference. (TED)

And here is an article about the "magic" of Pilobolus worth looking at. (CBS)