Remote Blogging

What is this?! A new post?!

Yes.

I just got a new Blackberry and I wanted to see what thus whole "remote blogging" or "phone logging" or "phlogging" is all about.

This seems like the perfect day in which to do it as my computer is currently being held.hostage by a freelance job. I'm capturing 8 hours of footage and can't do anything else really until it's done.

I need another computer.

The LFTI X-Mas vido is online today. I'd post a link but...

I'm struggling enough trying to type with, essentially, my thumbnails. I look forward to many more hours of thumbnail typing. I anxiously await the phenomenon of my thumbnails growing twice as fast as the rest of my fingernails.

Anyway, look for the LFTI video!

OMG! It Hasn’t Been That Long Has It?!

Oh, yes it has. Long enough for me to turn into a teenage girl and use exclamations like “OMG.”

What have I been doing that I’ve been neglecting this blog for so long, you ask? Well, I’ve been producing an online sitcom! And, I have to admit; I’ve been cheating on you with another blog. The LFTI blog.

There. I’m glad I’ve gotten that off my chest. Now we can work past it. Maybe you can go over to the LFTI blog and see my latest posts? I know, I know, they’re ALL about the dumb show, but that’s the point of that blog.

I will post blogs here again, I promise! I have to be more careful about what I say on the LFTI blog (though I’m not usually), so I want to post stuff here, really I do! I could use the outlet!

I mean, that crazy lady with the 76 kids is popping out more babies and I wasn’t around to say anything about it! Bush is still a dickhead (but really, aren’t we all just kind of coasting to the end on that one anyway, honestly?). Polygamists got busted! Polygamists! There’s a lot of stuff happening in the world that’s ripe for my ire! I just don’t always have the time.

But I WILL start posting here again, I promise. However, in the mean time, why not check out the LFTI blog? I’ve put a bunch of music on there and stuff. It’s great!

TAM

Have You Had All Your Shots?

We've gone Viral!

That's right, LFTI is like an infection. Thanks to Viral on Veoh, a fantastic internet show about other internet shows.

Sunny and co-producer Josh visited the old "set" last month and talked to us a bit. here are the fruits of their labor:



You can watch it here too (higher quality on the Veoh site)!

Aren't we cool?

Thanks, Sunny!


Fun Fact: I'm the most awkward interviewee there has ever been. That's a fact.

Send in the Douchebags

Don’t bother, they’re here.

Well, not here. They’re on YouTube. How do I know? Because Episode 6 of our sitcom “Life From The Inside” was just featured on the YouTube homepage, and nothing brings out the douchebags like a featured video.

Before I continue, I want to say that there are also really great people on YouTube. In fact, most of the people on YouTube are great. Unfortunately, they don’t comment as often.

I’ve commented on a few videos and such, and it can always feel a little self-serving. Like the only reason you’re commenting is to show everyone else how cool/clever/insightful/funny you are. And it’s because of that feeling that a lot of truly cool people don’t post comments. They don’t want to seem narcissistic or lame, or they see that a bunch of asshats are leaving stupid comments and they don’t want to be associated with them.

I can understand that.

Unfortunately, this means that the haters can easily take over any comments section.

See, all it takes is one douchebag to burst the douchebag dam and suddenly the entire valley is being flooded with…well…douchebags. Douchebags up to the eyeballs.

The only way to counter this kind of catastrophe is to put up a retaining wall. A levee of goodwill and constructive criticism. Raise the discourse so that the douchbags can’t spill over the top. It doesn’t take a lot.

Most douchebags are hopelessly insecure creatures. You just have to make them feel like they stick out in the crowd and they’ll shy away.

This brings me to my point. It would be very nice to have the support of real people who actually watch the show! If you have a second, go to YouTube, click on our episode and leave a comment. It doesn’t have to be glowing, just speak your mind. Only speak your mind in an intelligent fashion. Please.

Oh, and don’t forget to rate the video too! Douchebags love to give out low ratings. It doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the video. Normal people rate videos based on a number of criteria (self-prescribed, sure). But, think of a douchebag rating system as an “erection meter.”

Plus, they seem to think that all entertainment should be geared toward them. But really, how much bikini Jell-O wrestling can people watch?

My limit is around 3 hours.

Thanks for all your support! And I just want to add that as a whole, the experience of being featured on YouTube has been a positive one! It’s hard to sit back and listen to the douchebags spout their bile, but we’ve gotten a bunch of new subscribers and they just keep coming!

It’s nice to know that there are people out there who like the show! And we love our subscribers. Really, great people.

I just wish they’d comment a little more.


Fun Fact: I forgot to update this blog yesterday to let you know that we were featured again on YouTube (after we were taken down, at around 5pm). Sorry. But you know now! And isn’t that the most important thing?

And Tanya’s birthday is Saturday! Happy Birthday, Tanya! Give her some love?

And Part 4 of Episode 6 is still coming Monday, March 24th!

YouTease

Ignorance is bliss. I used to know what it was like NOT to be featured on the front page of YouTube.

Now I do.

The subscribers! The views! The publicity!

But like a nerd taken to the prom by the hottest girl in school as a joke, eventually your bubble will be burst…and in a cruel way.

Life From The Inside was about two inches from being able to sit at the cool kid’s table. So close that we could smell the name brand snack cakes.

Now we are back at the table by the door listening to tales of all-night D&D campaigns and gnawing on Little Debbies.

YouTube featured us on the front page today…for about an HOUR.

I don’t know if there was a glitch or what, but we’re gone now. We did get a bunch of new subscribers, which was very nice. I would have like to have been up longer, but I guess you take what you can?

At least I have a cool screenshot of the event as proof! That’s something! And we can ALWAYS say that we’ve been featured on the front page of YouTube!

And we will.




Fun Fact: The finale of Episode 6 will be posted on Monday! Yeah! And, who knows, maybe we’ll make the front page after all?

BetterTube

Oh what a clever title!

This is just a small post to let you know a little something about YouTube. No, I'm not here to tell you that we've been featured again (Episode 6 Part 1) and that the video has received almost 240,000 views (though we are proud of that!).

I'm here to tell you about a new YouTube feature. One that they haven't rolled out to it's fullest extent yet. The "higher quality" video feature. Yes, now you can actually watch decent quality video on YouTube! It's about time!

If you look closely on some videos you'll see a little link under the view screen that reads: "watch this video in higher quality." Just click on the link and you'll see a version of the video that barely loads any slower (on high-speed connections anyway) but that looks about 200 times better.

Not all videos have this feature - at least in an obvious location.

However, ANY video on YouTube can be watched at a higher quality with just a little extra work from you. When you're on a YouTube page, just add

&fmt=18

to the end of the URL in your browser and you'll be whisked away to better living through bandwidth.

So, now I won't feel so guilty when I ask (beg) you to go to our YouTube pages and rate and comment on the sitcom ("Life From The Inside" see more at lifefromtheinside.com).

So, wouldn't this be the perfect chance to multi task? See the new high quality videos and rate and comment (favorite too!) on some of our videos! I'll start you out with the higher quality link to Episode 6 Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru0KUZP_QKk&fmt=18

Check it out!


Fun Fact: Episode 7 is about 1/3 shot and it's already one of my favorite episodes!

Can't wait to get it online.

Episode 6 is (Finally) Here!

Sorry for the delay. It won’t happen again.



Episode 6 has gone through a unique (unique for us anyway) post-production process, so it took a little longer than usual.

But it’s here now! So why not just kick back and enjoy it?

In fact, why not just kick back and enjoy it at various locations on the web. Sure, you can always enjoy it at lifefromtheinside.com, but you can also see it on YouTube, Revver, Blip, or any number of fantastic websites! And while you’re there, why not rate and comment? We would seriously love you for it.

Anyway, as you may have noticed, this episode if a bit different from the others. We shot it in HD. But the differences don’t stop there! Oh no! We’re also releasing each part one week apart! And Episode 6 has been split into 4 parts instead of just three. That’s like a whole part better! Plus, as you’ll see next week, each subsequent part of Episode 6 will include a little “previously on…” intro.

Fancy.

We begin shooting on Episode 7 this coming Sunday. So watch for that soon too! We promise, it won’t take us a small forever to get that episode up. And it’s a good one.

But watch Episode 6 Part 1 now, and when you’re done, go ahead and watch the previous ones. There are only five others. At 24 minutes apiece. You have 2 hours to spare, right?

Sure you do.


Fun Fact: This post was cribbed from my post at the LFTI Blog. What I won't do at the LFTI blog is beg you to go to YouTube and subscribe rate and comment. Sure, I'll suggest that you do, but I won't beg.

However, this isn't the LFTI Blog. This is my blog. And I'm not above begging here.

PLEASE go to YouTube and subscribe, rate and comment! Please!

We need you!

That's a fact.

Leap!

Look at this! A new post! I realize that it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but I do think about posting all the time. Isn’t that enough?

The impetus for my foray back into the blogosphere is Leap Day. 40-year-olds everywhere are tricking themselves in to believing they’re only turning 10 today.

I’ve had this blog for quite a while (I’ve been neglecting it for quite a while as well), but leap day only comes around every four years and I couldn’t let this one go without pointing at it and saying “hey look, it’s Leap Day!”

As you may or may not know, quirks of the Gregorian calendar don’t exist unless I recognize them in print.

So enjoy your leap day. Leap! …or something.

It’s a vague request. But then I find the term “Leap Day” to be kind of vague itself. “Leaping” implies some kind of rigorous jump forward (although I suppose you can leap backwards too - if your knees are facing the wrong way). But a Leap Day is most certainly not a “leap” of any sort. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. It’s a catch-up day. A time-stopper. It’s slo-mo on a cosmic scale. Since we’ve adopted this imperfect Gregorian system (just say “no” to the metric calendar), and since we love it as we do, it’s something that must be done. And like every other crazy thing we humans do to compensate for a screwed up system, it should be celebrated.

I case you’re the freak that thinks we should do away with the Gregorian system altogether, I have two words for you: Metric. System. No one (in America anyway) wanted to change that for two reasons:

1. The way the system is now, we have lots of excuses for ignorance (I still have to think pretty hard about how many ounces go into a cup. And as for how many cups make up a gallon? Forget it. That’s what Google is for). But with a metric system everything is in tens. Nice and simple. If you can’t convert measurements utilizing the metric system, you’re an idiot.

2. Hardware stores everywhere would be sitting on thousands of promotional yard sticks (they still give those away right?).

Anyway, how to celebrate Leap Day? Well, since it’s a day designed to reconcile an imperfect system, why not use this day to reconcile things in your life? Apologize for some stupid crap you did to someone else. Or reconcile with yourself. Use today to allow yourself to feel okay that you’ve not even made a dent in your student loans, much less have gotten anywhere near having the job you went to college for. It’s okay.

Because Leap Day is also about procrastination. So, do what I do: Nothing. Tomorrow everything will be back on track. You can just sit at home and stare at your watch and wait (while you’re at it, you can figure out how to program your watch for the Leap Day).

Whatever you do, just be mindful that every 400 years, you’ll have to do it twice.

Happy Leap Day!


Fun fact: In the European Union, Leap Day was officially recognized as February 29th in the year 2000.

And I have in my possession the sixth episode of Life From The Inside! Yeah! We shot the damned thing last July! It will - finally - be coming very soon!

And…I’ve been blogging so long that I have an old Leap Day post for you to read! Special! It’s here.

Writer’s Strike Got You Down?

Well, the good folks at NewTeeVee have a list of quality shows that can help you make it through the dark days. No longer will you have to suffer through hours of “reality” TV. There are plenty of fantastic web shows out there to satiate you.

One show in particular stood out to us at Life From The Inside…our own. That’s right, we made the list! Yeah us.

So why not go over to NewTeeVee and give them some love? While you’re there, why not check out some of the other shows that they mention? Break a leg (a personal favorite of mine), Mr. Deity, The Meth Minute, Buried Alive and, uh…Quarterlife. Don’t feel obligated to watch Quarterlife, unless you really miss Dawson’s Creek, then by all means, watch it (quietly).

But especially don't forget to watch our show! Life From The Inside. It's always on!

Thanks NewTeeVee!


Fun Fact: I appreciate the irony of the fact that the writers are striking because of Internet “broadcasting” and the cure for any strike-related misery is Internet “broadcasting.” But, hey. Watch them anyway.

And yes, I cribbed this post from my other post at the Life From The Inside blog. So sue me.