World peace, hugs, and the #140Conf in NYC

Sometimes everybody just needs a hug. And no, I promise, I will NOT get all squishy gushy on you although I very well could so WATCH IT

**for first time visitors, I have been known to be mildly schizophrenic. It’s what brings the goodness**

In any case, every since I moved to Paris and realized :

1. How cold Paris can be sometimes — and I’m not talking about the temperature
2. How much I miss the physical and yes, spiritual warmth that you get from a hug

I have become convinced that if there were more hugs in the world…it just might be the answer to world peace.

Tuesday cool thing geek – Move over Flip, the Kodak Play Sport isn’t dead yet

Hello!!!

Well, back from vacation and into the swing of things. I posted a couple of videos last Friday here in case you didn’t get to see the California wine bus,  the radio station that knows no end, tumbleweeds in Arizona, (SUPER FUN), and suicidal baby ducks. They weren’t really suicidal…but it did look like it..

AND! upon looking back I also wanted to write a note about the Kodak PlaySport I got to test out on my vacation. It was the first time I ever got SENT something “just to test”, and so I wanted to thank them (because what video blogger DOESN’T want to test every camera that moves?) with an objective post of what I liked, what I didn’t and why.

Tuesday cool thing geek : video blogging materials

Seeing as I rarely do a post about what I actually use for filming and editing my videos but spend a lot of time looking at what other people do, I thought I’d finally write a post about what I use (that may get added to the “about” page after the request of a reader 🙂 and also thank all the other vloggers for their help. I’m just in the beginning and learning so much all of the time from all of the video-making/podcasting/directing/filming/etc experts that I get to meet and chat with. So here goes on my side, just to get yours after 😉

First things first : SOUND.

Both Cedric and Cyrille said, “there’s no point in making a video if you don’t have good sound. No one will watch it”
Thank you for that advice. Since then I invested in an Azden SM-2 and Zoom H2 thanks to

Steve Garfield – great test of the Azden SGM-2X shotgun microphone — unfortunately I found out AFTER ordering that you have to order the cable and/or the wireless set-up directly from Azden or you’ll end up walking a half hour in central London during a conference trying to find a cable…my bad..
Matthieu Blanco – his test of the Zoom H2 microphone convinced me in a second that it was my microphone to be

Have you heard of “Daphnée”? the iPhone/iPad app !

I was just reading one of my favorite blogs when I came upon a new application for learning French — listen up all you people coming to visit Paris !!! — Daphnée !

You can just download the application and listen to the 1-hour videos that talk about Basics and greetings, Culture, Shopping, Cafés and restaurants, Nightlife, Seduction.

Sadly, nothing yet about learning how to luge down the hill behind the Sacré Coeur or basejump off of the Eiffel Tower, but I’m sure those lessons are on the way..

Also according to the site you can ask her a question about something you’re learning and you’ll get a response within 24 hours.

Have you tried it?
Is her name really Daphnée?
Can someone exchange her French lessons for Twitter lessons?
Does someone need this in San Francisco?.. (just kidding!!! :D)
And what does this mean in terms of data roaming for foreigners that would actually download it on their iPhone while in Paris?….

When being a geek can be incredibly helpful. Enter: the best ad in the world

Sometimes being a geek can be incredibly helpful. Especially if you’re thirsty, only have a piece of paper, and have just spotted a digital ad that is actually useful.

Good one on ya, Carslberg… good one on ya

My only question is — where can I find a piece of paper? All I see are screens.

Geek thing of the week : Ringing in 2011 from abroad

Sorry about this I just realized it’s almost the end of Tuesday here in Paris, so I only have a bit of time left for my Tuesday geek post, but I just discovered how I CAN watch the ball drop over Times Square — and no, not by finding the one bar in Paris that will be showing it at 6 am

It’s the New Year’s Eve Earthcam

Tuesday geek : Taking pictures while live bodyboarding

For some reason I feel like everyone has heard of this app, but i just recently took ti the iPhone app

Instagram

Easy-to-use, cool filters, and wickedly easy to share in a couple of spots at once (like my very flowerful birthday yesterday! :D)

The only downside is it doesnt srem as though you can store photos for later, so unless you plan on posting it right then, tough luck buster.

Charles Liebert also tipped me off to

ReelDirector

which, although cheap, ill admit im waiting until im going to use it to download it because i know myself and otherwise it’ll get arbitrarily deleted because ill have forgotten that i paid for it. It looks groovy though– creating vids on your iPhone and in a pretty high-tech way.

Thank you, iPhone

And finally, but dear goodness definitely not least, Matt lepar shared the

REDBULL TV app

So if i havent watched TV in eons except when “someone” decides to dust off yhe remote, i can now watch LIVE BODYBOARDING thanks to Redbull. Seriously, until you watch their competition i thought bodyboarding equaled “i cant surf but i can lie on a board which is super swell” , and then redbull enters and theyre flying upside down and f you and get out of the water if you cant do a triple spin over that wave while waving hi to ma.

Any other apps to share?? 🙂

5 apps that would make holiday shopping a whole lot better

If there are 5 apps I could have RIGHT NOW, I have to say I’m wondering why no one has invented :

1. The Go-Go Gadget Reindeer App

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the “go go gadget”, first of all, take a trip back to memory lane to rediscover Inspector Gadget, and then imagine a reindeer sled popping out of your hat and flying all of those presents to all of your family and friends…especially those that are overseas. I give you :

Inspector Santa

BONUS : you don’t have to figure out how to pile up 4 large bags and an overstuffed backpack onto the back of a scooter just to get them home.

2. The Invisibility Cloak

There  are multiple benefits to all of these, but for this one it mainly involves no longer waiting in lines to :

• try clothes on — you can share and they’ll never even know
• buy stuff (handy-dandily pulling it off at the last moment when you actually get up to the cash register)
• use the facilities (sorry, but true..especially for girls)
• buy yourself some hot wine and cannelés
• buy Christmas cards; postage stamps, or a box to fit 80 lbs of Christmas gifts

3. A virtual reality add-a-Like-to-anything app

We already have the technology to identify objects using virtual technology à la Google Goggles, how much harder can it be to take that, mix in a Facebook Connect, and BAM I have already liked my sriracha sauce, so family can please send me more for Christmas. This could also be integrated into shopping sites, obviously any type of social media, you could receive your family’s “like” lists to make holiday shopping a whole lot easier (Anna- just to make sure – you wanted the sausage baster or the duck thermometer?..)

4. Lose-10-pounds-in-2-days app

I figure, if it worked for the Kardashian sisters, it can work for an app…ESPECIALLY around holiday times when who doesn’t want to indulge in a little extra fois grois or apple pie and be able to download an app that radio-waves your extra jiggle away?..

5. Captain Planet app

This may seem like the m&m that isn’t quite the same color as the bunch, but think about it. Santa only gives presents to children that are good. And you have most likely been naughty seeing as you’re probably an adult. Clean up the earth a little bit this year and maybe Santa will leave you lots of nice presents

Disclaimer : I actually am not a fan of the gift-giving part of Christmas, and yes that pertains to the “getting” side. Especially being so far from home I’d rather just have my family come visit me than send me things. Things come and go. People stay.

That being said, what apps would make your life easier? (Real ones are welcome, too 😉 )

LeWeb! 2400 Participants, 60 countries and how you can win some champagne

LeWeb, for me, is Silicon Valley come to France. It’s hosted by Seesmic’s Loic and Geraldine Le Meur and this year is in the north of Paris.

Check out LeWeb program and if you’re not going in person, no worries – it’s going to be livestreamed on UStream and you can always follow the hashtag #leweb on Twitter, and there’s a huge list of “official bloggers” that will be posting about the event.

Gary Vaynerchuck will be there – host of the infamous WineLibrary TV that boosted his family’s company with his crazy fun videos that showcase his knowledge of wine and his fun spirit and that clearly if you watch just one of his videos will see why I’m a huge fan.

My friend Matthieu Blanco is also going to be there podcasting with Christopher Ramel (aka Kriisiis) at LeWeb for NetVibes and broadcasting videos in almost real time.

I have to admit, I’m not 100% sure what to expect, but I’m pretty excited. See you there 🙂

UPDATE

A colleague has bet me a BOX of champagne if I can meet with Carlos Ghosn.

Luckily, it seems as though there’s an in :

If you or anyone you know can introduce me to Carlos Ghosn…I will share my champagne with you 😀

Twitteur — A French view of Twitter

And first I have to apologize to my non-francophone friends that follow me on Twitter and have to put up with my half-English, half-French tweets (and then I have to point out that there IS a translating option on Seesmic ..and Tweetdeck and CoTweet-although CoTweet’s translations can be a bit iffy but that’s beside the point )

….although I do think Twitter should always be made into a bit of a party

In any case, 37 different authors coming from very different fields came together for a 2nd French version of Twitter, including 11 interviews as well (and trust me when I say that all of these authors are well-known in France 🙂  — it is a huge honor to be among them).