--Radio Interview: ActiveVideo's Jeff Miller Discusses the Deployment

ActiveVideo Networks (formerly ICTV) will announce today that it has deployed its platform with Oceanic Time Warner Cable in Hawaii. The platform, which features "intelligent video streaming" technology that allows interactive Web content to be delivered on TV via any digital set-top box, is powering a range of interactive services for the operator, including interactive TV games from TAG Networks (including Tetris, Sudoku and various branded children's games); home shopping from HSN (including the ability to use Web-based search and navigation to locate merchandise from HSN's online inventory and to then make purchases--all via the remote control); and news, sports and children's versions of P:Mosaic, a personalizable navigation system that ActiveVideo bills as allowing end-users to view, customize and navigate through their favorite channels "at a single glance." In addition, the platform is being used by Oceanic Time Warner Cable to power Web-based channels featuring content specific to the Hawaiian market.

The deployment follows a system-wide trial of ActiveVideo's technologies and services during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The trial presented Oceanic subscribers with a mosaic application that offered multiple channels of broadcast and cable Olympics programming, as well as Olympics news, photo albums, schedules and other content acquired from Web RSS feeds.

In this recorded episode of [itvt]'s talk radio show, "The TV of Tomorrow Show with Tracy Swedlow," ActiveVideo Networks president and CEO, Jeff Miller, discusses the new Oceanic Time Warner Cable deployment and its significance. Topics covered include the various services that ActiveVideo Networks is powering for Oceanic Time Warner Cable; how end-users are responding to those services; why ActiveVideo Networks is now finally gaining traction in the cable and IPTV markets; how the company plans to develop its technologies and services going forward; how it views the US cable industry's ETV/EBIF and tru2way standardization initiatives; and more.

To listen to the show, click here.

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Broadcast #46 : Richard Burrell, director of media operations at QVC UK; Dan Gardner, founder and lead interaction designer at Code and Theory; Terry Green, senior designer at TVWorks and partner at twenty2product; Sam Pemberton, CEO of the Softel Group; and Paula Suthern, SVP of sales operations at Ensequence, discuss tools for developing interactive TV applications, how those tools relate to playout systems and other technologies in the ITV production chain, and how well they are meeting the needs of designers. Topics covered include intercompatibility of tools with popular design programs such as Photoshop; the challenges designers face when working with interactive TV tools; techniques for developing applications for delivery on multiple platforms; the impact of the ETV/EBIF and tru2way standards on the process of designing ITV applications; the "politics" of application playout; and much more.

Broadcast #45 : Steve Tranter, VP of broadband and interactive delivery for NDS Americas, discusses the results of a recent survey of DVR users that NDS commissioned (note: among other things, the survey showed that US DVR owners rank the DVR as the third-most indispensable household item, behind only the washing machine and the microwave). Tranter also outlines NDS's plans for its own XTV DVR platform and discusses the future of the DVR in general; assesses the impact on the DVR industry of the recent appeals court decision in favor of Cablevision's RS-DVR service; describes how NDS is responding to the US cable industry's efforts to deploy the tru2way standard; and much more.

Broadcast #44 : Jesse Alexander, co-executive producer and writer of "Heroes"; Joe Tolerico, senior producer at NBC Universal; Mark Ryan, digital media lead producer at the Disney Channel; Marcelino Ford-Livene and David Jensen, co-governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group; and Geoff Katz, the Interactive Media Peer Group's Awards Committee chair, discuss the winners of this year's Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: The "Heroes" Digital Experience (NBC.com) and The Disney Channel Games Digital Media Event. Topics covered include the importance of designing interactive media elements into a show from the ground up (rather than as an afterthought); the impact of interactive media experiences on viewership; successfully enabling audiences to influence a show; future projects from the winners; and more.

Broadcast #43 : A roundtable comprised of some of the most high-profile designers and design experts in the interactive TV industry--Patrick Donoghue, SVP of strategic product development at Cablevision; John Gilles, VP of media and entertainment at Method; Terry Green, principal of twenty2product; Dale Herigstad, chief creative officer at Schematic; Stephanie Otto, CEO of Brainstorm Communications; David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks; and Suzanne Stefanac, director of the American Film Institute Digital Content Lab--provide our listeners with an overview of the current state of the interactive TV design space and share their insights on what makes for good ITV design. Topics discussed include the most important things to keep in mind when designing ITV interfaces; the potential impact of gestural interfaces, such as that of the Nintendo Wii, on ITV design; how TiVo's and Apple's "game-changing" interfaces have impacted the ITV design space; the areas where the most innovation is currently taking place; the challenges of designing applications for multiple platforms; and much more.

Broadcast #42 : Microsoft TV usability engineer Michael J. Darnell, who is the event chair of uxTV 2008--a not-for-profit academic conference which is devoted to designing user experiences for TV and video and which is organized and sponsored by Microsoft TV--and David Sloo, director of user experience for Microsoft Connected TV, who is part of the team producing the event, describe how uxTV 2008 came into being; provide an overview of the event's sessions and speakers; share their own thoughts on the current state and the future of usability design; and more.

Broadcast #41 : Patrick Barry, VP of connected TV at Yahoo!'s Connected Life division, discusses the Widget Channel. The latter--a joint project between Yahoo! and Intel--is an application framework which the companies claim will allow operators, content providers, advertisers and others to develop Internet-based mini-applications, dubbed "TV Widgets," for broadband-connected TV's and other consumer electronics devices, using Web standards and tools such as JavaScript, XML, HTML and Adobe Flash. The companies--which say that the TV Widgets will, among other things, enable consumers to access Internet videos, track stocks or sports teams, interact with their friends, read news reports, find out additional information about the programs they are watching, and share content with friends and family--have unveiled a line-up of partners that are developing TV Widgets, including Blockbuster, CBS Interactive, CinemaNow, Cinequest, Comcast, Disney-ABC Television Group, eBay, GE, Group M, Joost, MTV, Samsung Electronics, Schematic, Showtime, Toshiba and Twitter.

Broadcast #40 : Dalen Harrison, CEO of Ensequence; Peter Low, president and COO of Ensequence; Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow; Gowri Shankar, SVP of sales and business development at SinglePoint; and Rachelle Zoffer, director of interactive TV at Verizon, discuss ongoing interactive coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Topics covered include an ETV/EBIF application which Ensequence and Verizon have developed and deployed to all subscribers of Verizon's FiOS TV service in Oregon, and which marks the first mass, commercial deployment of an ETV/EBIF app; multiscreen Olympics applications that Ensequence has developed for DISH Network; a portfolio of interactive mobile services that SinglePoint has developed for NBC; how NBC is using advertising to promote interactive services around the Olympics; and more.

Broadcast #39 : Integra5 CEO, Meredith Flynn-Ripley, discusses her company's new deployment of its flagship i5 Converged Services Platform with Canadian tier-one cable operator, Videotron, which is initially using it to power an interactive TV caller ID service for its entire subscriber base. She also discusses Integra5's new suite of social media applications, dubbed MediaFriends, which enables real-time communications and community features across TV's, PC's and mobiles. The first application in the suite, MediaFriends Chat, allows viewers to invite members of an online buddy list that they have previously set up on their PC to join a group chat on TV, and participate in the live discussion by sending SMS messages from their mobiles.

Broadcast #38 : Fred Singer, CEO of Anystream, and Russell Zack, the company's VP of product management, discuss its new partnership with NBC that sees it powering the delivery of the broadcaster's on-demand coverage of the Beijing Olympics to VOD, Web, electronic sell-through and mobile platforms. Topics covered include the capabilities of Anystream's Media Lifecycle platform; how the company is using Microsoft Silverlight to enhance the on-demand content it is delivering; the significance of the NBC Olympics project; other projects the company is involved in (including the BBC iPlayer); and more.

Broadcast #37 : Patrick Koppula, founder and CEO of ffwd--a company that recently beta-launched a service that uses social networking to facilitate Internet programming discovery and to enhance the online viewing experience--discusses the service (which is scheduled to launch commercially in September), the thinking behind it, and ffwd's plans for enhancing it in the future; recounts the events that led to his founding ffwd (he previously founded iLike.com and GarageBand.com); shares his opinions on the current state of the broadband TV industry; and more.

Broadcast #36 : In an [itvt] exclusive, members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group Primetime Emmy Awards Committee--Sanjit Das (ABC), Geoff Katz (Code and Theory), Marcelino Ford-Livene (Intel), Suzanne Stefanac (American Film Institute), and Marcia Zellers (Vendaloo)--announce the finalists for the 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media; discuss why this group of finalists was chosen; describe the judging process; explain why the Awards are focusing increasingly on interactive storytelling; outline significant trends they noticed among this year's entries; and much more.

Broadcast #35 : Tom Morgan, chief strategy officer of Move Networks (clients include ABC, Discovery and Fox), provides an overview of that company's technology and strategy; discusses its interest in working with CableLabs' ETV and OCAP standards; details the interactive advertising formats it is now offering; and more.

Broadcast #34 : Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow, and Tracy Swedlow discuss their picks for the most important interactive TV stories of June. Topics discussed include the significance of the tru2way MOU that was recently signed by a number of prominent cable MSO's and CE companies; UK broadcaster ITV's attempts to prevent the use of the acronyms "ITV" and "iTV" in reference to interactive television; the appointment of David Verklin to head up Canoe Ventures, the US cable industry's initiative for interactive, addressable advertising; Microsoft's acquisition of Navic Networks; and more.

Broadcast #33 : Alex Magoun, director of the David Sarnoff Library, discusses David Sarnoff's legacy; outlines parallels between the early development of television and the development of interactive TV today; describes the David Sarnoff Library's work; discusses Sarnoff's and Philo Farnsworth's respective roles in the invention of television; and more.

Broadcast #32 : Sangita Verma, co-founder and CEO of TAG Networks--a company that has developed a games-on-demand service, called TAG, that integrates with existing VOD infrastructures and supports community features and multi-device interaction--discusses the company's trial deployment of the service with Time Warner Cable in Dothan, Alabama (note: according to TAG Networks, during the first four months of the trial, which began last December, TAG achieved a 40% penetration rate among digital households, and the average playing time across digital households increased 238%); shares usage trends and demographic data from the trial; describes the company's technology and marketing strategies; explains its relationship with ActiveVideo Networks (formerly ICTV); outlines its future plans; and much more.

Broadcast #31 : Steven Roberts, SVP of new media and business development at DirecTV, and Tyler Slocum, the company's senior director of ITV and DVR services, provide an update on DirecTV's interactive TV offerings. Topics discussed include usage statistics for DirecTV's various ITV services, the company's ITV strategy, its future ITV and DVR plans, and more.

Broadcast #30 : Michael Finn, VP of advertising sales at DISH Network, and Scott Higgins, the company's director of interactive programming, discuss DISH's new interactive TV advertising deal with NBC Universal, and the company's plans to make increasing use of the DVR hard drive for its interactive TV offerings.

Broadcast #29 : Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3, provides an overview of his company--which bills itself as "an actual TV network for the Web," and which produces its own original, broadcast-quality programming. Topics discussed include funding, download numbers, revenues, demographics, distribution strategy, content strategy, advertising partnerships, new shows, and more.

Broadcast #28 : A panel of interactive TV experts--Steve Borelli, VP of marketing and business development at Integra5; industry analyst, Leslie Ellis (author of the popular Multichannel News column, "Translation Please"); Will Kreth, director of product management for interactive TV at Time Warner Cable; Alex Libkind, founder and COO of Zodiac Interactive; Mike Malcy, VP of marketing and business development at Vidiom Systems; and Gary Sohmers, chairman and president of Interactive Meet and Greet Entertainment (IMAGE)--review the 2008 NCTA Cable Show. Topics discussed include the very well-attended tru2way Developers Conference that immediately preceded the show; what the cable operators were saying about their plans to support the ETV and tru2way standards; noteworthy interactive TV applications on the show floor; the emerging popularity of social-networking ITV applications; what should have been discussed and showcased at the show, but wasn't; and much, much more.

Broadcast #27 : Richard Baker, EVP of sales and marketing at UK- based interactive TV software provider, ANT (note: Baker, who joined the company earlier this year, was previously general manager of technology products and services for the EMEA region at RealNetworks), discusses the company's new multiplatform application development strategy, its new Twitter ITV application, its new proof-of-concept EPG application which displays up to 45 channels on a single screen, the importance of developing hybrid solutions (e.g. DTT and IPTV), and much more.

Broadcast #26: Silicon Valley pundit and author, Andrew Keen ("The Cult of the Amateur"), discusses his skeptical take on user-generated content and other participatory media, why he is not a fan of the Creative Commons movement, his views on the economics of broadband video, and more.

Broadcast #25: A panel of interactive TV experts--Patrick Donoghue , VP of interactive TV product management at Time Warner Cable ; industry analyst, Leslie Ellis (author of the column, "Translation Please "); Bill Niemeyer , chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow ; David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks; and Lori Schwartz , SVP and director of the Interpublic Emerging Media Lab --and special guests, Steven Roberts , SVP of new media and business development at DirecTV, and Amy Jacobson Kurokawa , chair of the San Francisco Chapter of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), discuss their picks for the most important ITV stories of April and provide a snapshot of the current state of the industry. Topics discussed include NBC Universal's Digital Studio initiative and whether it can serve as a model for a new relationship between the advertising industry and the cable and satellite industries; the latest developments in tru2way/OCAP; and the upcoming NCTA Cable Show.

Broadcast #24: Mark Goldenson --founder and CEO of PlayCafe.com , a company which streams live, free-to-play game shows that allow viewers to play along, chat with hosts and other players, form teams, contribute questions, and win prizes (note: Ken Jennings, the holder of the record for the longest winning streak on the US game show, "Jeopardy!," recently appeared on PlayCafe.com as a special guest)--discusses the company's offering, its business model, the impact on the industry of the UK participation TV scandal, and new features the company plans to offer, including making it possible for end-users to produce their own shows.

Broadcast #23: Tim Wahlers, founder and CEO of Vidiom Systems, the company's VP marketing, Mike Malcy, its VP of engineering services, Walden Miller, and its VP of strategic initiatives, David Housman, discuss their work with the cable industry on tru2way/OCAP, describe some of the interactive TV projects they are currently engaged in, provide an overview of Vidiom's OCAP testing services, and offer a preview of the upcoming second annual tru2way Developers Conference. (Note: the conference--which is produced by the NCTA and CableLabs, and sponsored by Vidiom--will be held in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th, just prior to the NCTA Cable Show. Areas of discussion will include programming, platforms, consumer electronics, application development, and retail opportunities, and the event will also feature hands-on workshops.)

Broadcast #22: James Joyce, EVP of business development at Netherlands-based international TV formats developer, 2waytraffic (note: the company is in the process of being acquired by Sony), discusses the company's participation TV formats, the challenges involved in bringing its participation TV offerings to the US market, the impact of the recent participation TV scandal in the UK, and more.

Broadcast #21: Marcelino Ford-Livene and David Jensen, co-governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group (IMPG), and Geoff Katz, chairman of the IMPG's Primetime Emmy Awards Working Group, discuss the Academy's newly issued call for entries for the 2007-2008 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media (note: the Awards will recognize excellence in two areas of competition this year: Fiction and Non-Fiction).

Broadcast #20: Magnus Eriksson, chief development manager, and Christian Bjorkman, director of special projects at Mindark, the company behind the virtual world, Entropia Universe, discuss the interactive enhancements the company created for the Swedish television drama, "The Truth about Marika." Viewers of the show--which was recently awarded the Emmy for Best Interactive TV Service by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences--could participate by searching for clues within Entropia Universe that allowed them to solve a show-related mystery. In addition, they could interact within the virtual world with avatars of the show's main characters. Eriksson and Bjorkman also provide an in-depth overview of Entropia Universe: among other things, the virtual world has a "real cash economy," whose currency is pegged to the US dollar (at a rate of 10-1), and which allows participants to earn money.

Broadcast #19: Cathy Hetzel, president of the Advanced Media Information division at business-intelligence company, Rentrak, and her colleague, Dustin Encelewski, the company's director of technological business development, discuss recent developments with its OnDemand Essentials offering--a Web-based ASP service which measures and reports anonymous, aggregate VOD usage data, such as viewership volumes and trends, and which is intended to provide cable operators, content providers and advertisers with customizable reports designed to help them better understand viewers' VOD content preferences. They also discuss Rentrak's relationship with the cable industry, cast light on the company's future plans for its Essentials product line, discuss its competitors, and provide some interesting statistics about VOD usage that the company has gleaned over the past few months.

Broadcast #18: Gary Sohmers, president and chairman of Interactive Meet and Greet Entertainment (IMAGE), discusses his company's flagship Video Queue technology, which allows TV viewers to have face-to-face encounters with celebrities. (Note: Sohmers will probably be familiar to [itvt] readers who are also PBS viewers: he is a regular guest on the popular program, "Antiques Roadshow," where he appraises toys, collectibles and memorabilia.)

Broadcast #17: AirPlay chairman and CEO, Morgan Guenther, talks about his company's new deal with Sony Pictures Television to provide multiplayer play-along mobile gaming for the popular game show, "Jeopardy!"; about some of the other new projects the company will be undertaking this year; about its business model and its plans to scale its business; about his experiences at TiVo (where he served as president from 2001-2003); and more.

Broadcast #16: Phil Bender, CableLabs' project director for OpenCable, and Roger Brinkley, community leader for the Mobile & Embedded Community at Sun Microsystems, provide an in-depth update on the latest developments in OpenCable/OCAP/tru2way; discuss the "OpenCable Project" that recently launched on Java.net; provide a preview of CableLabs' CableNET showcase at the upcoming NCTA Cable Show; and more.

Broadcast #15: Ashwin Navin, co-founder and president of peer-to-peer technology provider, BitTorrent, discusses that company's recently announced agreement with Comcast, which calls for them to work together to address infrastructural issues raised by the growing popularity of video and other rich media on the Internet. In addition, a panel of high-profile interactive TV experts--Paula Byrne, founder and managing director of Pushbutton; Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow; and David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks--discuss their picks for the most important ITV stories of March. Topics discussed include Navic's announcement that its Admira media placement platform now supports interactivity; UK broadcaster Five's abandonment of red-button services; Showtime Networks' launch of a range of multiplatform interactive services to support its high-profile new series, "The Tudors"; the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' call for entries for its interactive Emmy awards; and much more.

Broadcast #14: Will Kreth, director of product management for interactive TV at Time Warner Cable , provides [itvt] readers/listeners with an exclusive on OEDN.net, a newly launched OCAP/EBIF developer network. He discusses, among other things, the group's resources and goals, its efforts to reach out to the Hollywood and academic communities, the current state of OCAP and EBIF development and deployment, the relationship between OCAP and Blu-ray, and much more. In addition, a panel of high-profile interactive TV experts--Patrick Donoghue, VP of ITV product management at Time Warner Cable; Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow; and David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks -- discuss their picks for the most important ITV stories of February. Topics discussed include new VOD technologies from SeaChange International that allow advertising to be inserted into interior program breaks and streamed video games; the emerging market for VOD games services; ESPN360's launch of HD broadband video, powered by Move Networks' technology; Ensequence's new Blu-ray Disc partnership with Sony; and much more.

Broadcast #13: A panel of interactive TV experts--Patrick Donoghue, VP of ITV product management at Time Warner Cable; Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow; and David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks--discuss their picks for the most important ITV stories of January. Topics discussed include CES; next-generation remote control and touchscreen technologies; the emergence of cable MSO's as broadband TV content aggregators; new technologies that bypass the traditional set-top box; CableLabs' rebranding of OCAP as "tru2way"; the future of EBIF; new data on ITV from Ensequence, Backchannelmedia and Gemstar-TV Guide; and the persistence of two-screen ITV.

Broadcast #12: Andrew Solmssen, EVP of multiplatform interactive design agency, Schematic, discusses the impact of the company's recent acquisition by advertising and marketing giant, WPP; its work on the ABC.com Full Episode Player, Starz' Vongo service, and other interactive and broadband TV projects; its work on video walls, touchscreens, "Wiimotes" (Wii remotes) and other new interactive platforms; using design to boost the efficacy of broadband video advertising and of content navigation systems; and much more.

Broadcast #11: Steve Shannon, EVP and general manager of product management at EPG developer, Gemstar-TV Guide, discusses, among other things, the company's EPG products and its product roadmap; new features that will be offered by its EPG's over the coming year; My TV Guide, its new suite of cross-platform (TV, Internet and mobile) guidance solutions; its work on social TV and programming recommendation solutions; its work--via GuideWorks, its joint-venture with Comcast--on a new, graphically rich OCAP-based EPG; the future of EPG advertising; and much more.

Broadcast #10: Kristen Fergason is VP of marketing at Maven Networks, a company that offers a software platform which allows content providers and brand marketers to create interactive broadband VOD channels (its customers include 20th Century Fox, Gemstar-TV Guide, Univision, Virgin Records, General Motors, PepsiCo, Gannett, Scripps Networks, and A&E Television Networks). The company recently launched an advertising platform which it bills as introducing a series of new, non-proprietary formats that are significantly more engaging than pre-roll ads (the currently dominant form of broadband video advertising), make for a better user experience, and deliver higher-value ad units for advertisers. In the interview, Fergason describes the new platform and the kinds of interactive advertising it enables; outlines Maven's product-development plans; and discusses the Internet TV Advertising Forum, an industry group that Maven and a number of other companies recently established in order to "solve the challenges and deficiencies associated with current online video advertising models" and to develop new standards and formats for interactive broadband video advertising.

Broadcast #9: Hans Fischmann is general manager of advanced media at Charter Media, the advertising arm of cable MSO, Charter Communications. Since he joined Charter Media in January, 2007, he and his team have launched over 600 interactive TV and VOD advertising campaigns. He describes the kinds of interactive TV advertising offered by Charter Media; provides statistics on the efficacy of the company's ITV ads; describes its efforts to market its ITV advertising capabilities; provides some thoughts on the cable industry ITV advertising initiative, "Project Canoe"; discusses "Did You See It?," a new channel Charter is launching that will be devoted to interactive TV advertising; and much more.

Broadcast #8: Peter Price, president and CEO of the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, one of two organizations that are responsible for television's annual Emmy awards (the other is the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences), discusses, among other things, the relationship between the two Academies, and their ongoing legal dispute over the National Academy's awards for Advanced Media (which were presented Monday at CES 2008).

Broadcast #7: Upstate New York resident, James Cawley, whose background includes, among other things, a stint as an Elvis-impersonator, is the executive producer of Star Trek New Voyages (startreknewvoyages.com), a production company that produces original episodes of "Star Trek," based on the characters from that show's first season (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, etc.). Downloads of these hour-long, fan-generated broadband TV episodes have been in the multiple millions, and their audience base appears to be growing rapidly. Cawley shares his thoughts on producing original, fan-generated "Star Trek" programming for the Internet; describes the events that led to the formation of Star Trek New Voyages; discusses the company's relationship with CBS (the owner of the "Star Trek" franchise); provides a preview of new episodes and new characters that the company has in the pipeline (including "Star Trek's" first gay character); discusses the possibility of making the show interactive or building a social network around it; and much more.

Broadcast #6: Three high-profile figures from the interactive TV space--Patrick Donoghue, VP of ITV product management at Time Warner Cable; Bill Niemeyer, chief of analysis and research at BlackArrow; and David Preisman, VP of interactive television at Showtime Networks--provide a retrospective of the year in interactive TV, present their picks for the year's most important ITV stories, and predict the important ITV trends for 2008. Topics discussed include the rise of user-generated content; the demise of TMG; the significance of the top-secret interactive TV advertising initiative, "Canoe"; the emergence of big-budget broadband TV programming; EchoStar's purchase of Sling Media; DirecTV's purchase of ReplayTV; and much more.

Broadcast #5: Three senior executives from mobile interactive TV specialist, SinglePoint--president and CEO, Rich Begert; VP of industry relations, Doug Busk; and director of marketing, Philippe Poutonnet--discuss, among other things, the company's recent deal with NBC Universal. The deal will see SinglePoint providing mobile interactive/participation TV services for a range of NBC Universal's programming and channels, including NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, USA Network, NBC Sports, and NBC News.

Broadcast #4: Steve Rosenbaum is founder and CEO of Magnify.net, a company that provides a new Web 2.0 service which allows end-users to create video galleries/channels complete with social networks. He discusses Magnify.net's service and the business model behind it; provides examples of how it is being used; outlines the company's current strategy and future plans; and more.

Broadcast #3: Brian Seth Hurst, a well-known figure in interactive TV circles, was recently elected as vice chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the organization behind the Primetime Emmys. His election marks the first time ever that a new media specialist has served in such a senior role at the Academy. Hurst discusses what his election says about the evolution of the Academy and of the television establishment in general; the significance of the ongoing writers' strike for the interactive and broadband TV industries; and much more.

Broadcast #2: Jodie McAfee, who was formerly SVP of corporate development and marketing at The Media Group (TMG), a high-profile interactive TV advertising and programming company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, discusses that company's demise; his new company, BoomerangiTV; the cable industry interactive TV advertising initiative known as "Project Canoe"; the current state of the ITV advertising industry in general; and more.

Broadcast #1: Louis Slothouber and Dan Levinson of BIAP discuss their company's technologies; the challenges involved in deploying the company's interactive TV applications (which include eBay on TV, Yellow Pages on TV, and Fantasy Football and Baseball Trackers); the company's patent portfolio; the current state of the cable industry; ITV standards; artificial intelligence; emerging market opportunities; and more.

I finally got around to watching Fringe, JJ Abram's new series. The new must see, must watch can't miss series on TV. Problem is I've seen it all before. It was the ultimate pastiche of clichés and blatant rip-offs I had seen in years and is completely dispatched from reality.

First the show begins in a plane, not very original JJ, come on. Make a more obvious homage and slap an Oceanic logo on the side of the plane. And oh yeah, anyone with half a brain knows that pilots must undergo thousands of hours of flight training. Yet this plane has an auto-pilot so fucking advanced that it can land itself. Wait, what? It landed itself? Noooooooo. It took me a 9 month pregnant Sydney Bristow drop kicking a prisoner tied to a metal chair out of a window to say « That was too much » with Alias. Well, this is going too far and we haven't even hit the opening credits yet.... Which are a total annoying rip-off of David Fincher's The Game.

Then there's the double-whammy rip-off.  Let's get into the mind of Coma-Guy and have some awesome dream-sequence. Am I the only one who was having The Cell flashbacks here? But wait that's not all Agent Olivia took a nasty cocktail of hallucinogenic drugs and dunked inside a sensory deprivation tank. I swear I was destroying the TV if she came out of the thing as a devolved monkey.  Ripping off Altered States, there's a big fucking no-no.  I actually rolled my eyes and muttered « oh my god »

But what really pumped my nads about this rip-off fuckfest was the entire score from the scene where the APC escapes from the processing station in Aliens. I wanted to just hit my head in a wall. JJ just went all out to Tanrantino this episode.

Then there's the impossible technology that go beyond the suspension of disbelief. The auto-pilot than lands the plane, the neural interface for the interrogation of coma-guy (and later dead-guy - yeah it works on dead people) cybernetic limbs that look and feel like the real deal.

Of course all the clichés are there. Evil Corporation. Government agency with no name. Unlikely characters thrown together by fate that don't like each other at first but work together well. Plot twists that completely wreck the entire endeavor of the preceding story line. Oh and did I mention and MAD SCIENTIST?

Thankfully the characters are interesting and that's enough to keep me watching for a few more shows and who knows it might grow on me. But I think JJ is flying this plane on auto-pilot.

Isis is a Los Angeles, California-based band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997. They have borrowed from and helped to evolve a sound pioneered by the likes of Neurosis and Godflesh, creating heavy music consisting of lengthy songs that focus on repetition and evolution of structure. As such, a great range of musical labels are used to describe their sound, including avant-garde metal, post-metal and experimental rock.

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Technorati me!

It reminded me that I should have said something here earlier. While all this is going on, we're making a concerted effort to mostly report on the European side of things. It's getting a little confusing now and there's a whole bunch of blogs and forums that have a more North American focus, so it's easier for us to stick to EU news on the stages of beta.

But, interesting snippets for me included:

The new Oceanic Beta and the new NA CE Closed Beta servers will be at a different stage of testing than the non-Oceanic servers to allow the Oceanic players to play the Tier 1-3 content while the rest of the Closed Beta testers are currently playing in Tier 4.

We've invited about 10K players into our Oceanic Closed Beta regardless of whether they bought a CE or not. We need some volume down there so we invited both Oceanic CE buyers and non-CE buyers.

NOTES: mandarin, grapefruit, bitter orange, oceanic, herbaceous, chipotle woods

My great-Aunt bought the original Tommy Girl perfume for me not long after its debut in 1996. Although I liked it, and wore it from time to time, I never loved it. However, when shopping for perfumes last weekend, I happened upon a tester and sprayed it, and I find that I like it now much better than I did twelve years ago. As soon as I saw Tommy Girl Jeans for a super low price online, I decided to take the plunge, as it claims to be a fruiter version of the original.

CLASSIFICATION: Oriental/Spicy

AGE GROUP: College/Mature

SIMILAR SCENT(s): N/A

FORM: Cologne Spray

Disappointment of the week, for sure. At first spray (which is more like a blast from a garden hose on a hot summer day), Tommy Girl Jeans is black licorice. That's it. Just black licorice. I felt like I had rubbed Black Jack chewing gum over my wrist after wetting it with saliva.

Luckily, probably because of the concentration of this perfume (Cologne spray), the dry down is relatively quick. The licorice smell began to fade (although it doesn't take much imagination to smell it now, hours after initial application), and I began to detect a more pleasing oriental/spicy note. Keep in mind, I do not like oriental or spicy perfumes, but I do prefer them over the smell of black licorice. Very very faintly, I was able to detect the smell of Tommy Girl original.

A fruitier version of Tommy Girl? NO. A more mature, spicier version of Tommy Girl? YES. Make no mistake here, folks - this is not a fruity perfume at all.

The lasting power, which again is due to the concentration, is not the best. It is better than I expected it to be, though; it is still lingering after well over two hours. The scent has not changed much since the initial dry down, so it is consistent.

Undoubtedly, I will be returning this perfume. I may sample other limited edition fragrances in the Tommy line, although now I am quite scared. I think in this case, for me, it is best to just stick to the original.

REPORT CARD

(We highly recommend reading our guide to understanding our grading system if you haven’t already)

First sniff (bottle): C-

First sniff (skin): C-

Worn scent: C

Scent as compared to note(s): D (licorice?)

Bottle: C

Overall: C-

Recommended for those looking for a more mature, spicier version of the original Tommy Girl fragrance. Please don't get me wrong! - it is not bad for what it is, just not what I was expecting. Again, the internet failed me.

There is a box with Dharma logo onstage. Everyone who asks a question will get a specially selected gift. The first guy just got an Oceanic bottle of water.

Q: When the hatch imploded and the sky turned purple? Did the Island move then?
A: No. But something happened. Prize: Oceanic water bottle.

Q: What is the fate of Jin and Locke?
A: Jin will still be on the show in some form. You've not seen the last of either of those characters. Prize: Jin panda bear.

Q: Best episode and best season, in your opinion?
Carlton: The Constant is my favorite episode, and season one.
Damon: Exodus and the raft launch before the show disintegrated into utter despair. I also like season four. Prize: Apollo bar and Apollo bar T-shirt.

Q: What's up with the reflection in the season four promos where the city was in the reflection in the water?
A: That was all about the Oceanic Six getting off the Island. Prize: Heroes DVD

Q: Will there be a Rousseau flashback?
A: We will see Rousseau's story, to use the word flashback might be disingenuous. Damon: We're steering away from the flashes. Prize: I am Lost luggage tags.

Q: What's up with the actors strike?
A: We're supposed to start in three weeks at least until further notice changes that plan. Prize: Photo of Nikki & Paolo

Q: Any special guests this year?
A: No actors. Sorry. Prize: Actor-signed DVD box set.

Q: What happened to Vincent?
A: What about what happened the Island and Sawyer and Juliet? Vincent's OK and will appear in season five. Safe to say: Vincent's gonna make it to the end. Prize: Polar bear.

Q: Are Jack and Kate your show's OTP?
A: Carlton: Personally I like those two, professionally I'm going to take the Fifth. Prize: Jack action figure

MATTHEW FOX arrives. Crowd goes crazy!

Q: Will Kate ever see Sawyer again?
DL: Not if Jack has anything to say about it. CC: Yes. Kate will see Sawyer again. Prize: Signed poster

Q: What happened to the blown-up boat?
A: They dead. Faraday probably gonna be OK. Prize: Authentic Faraday tie.

Damon Q to Matthew Fox: Do you know the meat-socks/redshirts, i.e. those who died on the boat?
MF: Yep. They're always there and very professional.

Q: Is there a limit to how far the flashes can go back and forth in time?
A: We're going to tell stories in a new and exciting way. This year, when season five starts, you're not going to know when and where you are. CC: There will be storytelling both on and off the Island and in different periods of time. Guy who makes wooshing sound will remain employed. Prize: Hanso Foundation hat.

Q: Just between me and you, how does this show end?
A: It ends well, we hope.
Q: Can I have some Jin?
DL: The alcohol or the character?
Prize: Dharma beer

Q: How old is Richard Alpert and does he have six toes?
A: Not tellin'. We will see Richard Alpert barefoot in the very near future and that's pun intended: the very near future. Prize: "I asked a Richard Alpert question and all I got was this lousy T-shirt" T-shirt

Damon Q to Matthew Fox: How old you think Richard Alpert is?
MF: 125 years old. DL: Wrong.

Q: Regarding Locke's pseudonym of Jeremy Bentham, and one of his big things was the panopticon, are the people on the Island people being watched and by who?
A: Good question. [Interrupted by new Martin Candle video drama.]

One of the Dharma winners just jumped on stage and said LindeCuse aren't telling us "sh**," and says he has video to show us from the Dharma booth. This has to be totally scripted. We're watching the video now. Will faithfully report its contents momentarily. Or Jen will.

--The kid took the camera into the booth and now we're seeing video of Marvin Candle. His real name is Pierre Chang. He is a professor of physics from Ann Arbor. And he says we are receiving the message 30 years in the past. He says that GWB is President and talks about the Internet. He and his colleagues are dead. There has been a purge. We have to reinstate the Dharma Initiative. Time is not just of the essence, it is the essence, he says. And now the Dharma guy is cutting off the panel and withdrawing sponsorship.

Watch the panel here (flash won't work here so follow these links)

LOST Panel, 2008: PT. 1

LOST Panel, 2008: PT. 2

LOST Panel, 2008: PT. 3

LOST Panel, 2008: PT. 4

LOST Panel, 2008: PT. 5

LOST Panel, 2008: Marvin Candle/Pierre Chang (Francois Chau) video.

Question: Is that Faraday or Ben or someone else performing the interview with Marvin? What's your take? Post in the comments. I think it may be Faraday. Who is the baby? Is it alive in the future? Will Chang be featured next season?

LOST at Comic-Con with G4

Source: Twitterstreams of @Hawaii and @Tvsquad and Liveblogging by Kristin Dos Santos of E! Online and By Liz and Jen of Celebritology.

Photo: Damon and Carlton answer questions by: ewen and donabel on Flickr, CC License.

Um Why? -

So far 6 pages of Forum text has been filled with..  "Anyone from.. "   and "Why do we have our own  forums"

So after wading through people looking for  various cities in Australia or Suburbs to 'represent.. '  the question as to why? is remaining un answered.  Speculation and desire for our own servers here in Oz  are rampant. Complaints about lag, and Ping,   There is even a "All Aussies are criminals thread.."  guild recruitments and players looking for guilds  threads are just starting..  now this is in addition to our realm forums

I would have rather seen Server Specific guild recruitment forums,  not another place for random discussion.

Another Blizzard social experiment..?  Lets see what they do with it,  who will be the trolls that we love and hate on this forum,  will the regulars from the realm forums try and assert their trollness onto these forums? Who will start the  " This is not a guild recruitment Forum.. "  thread.

 It seems an odd thing to do..  unless we are getting more local servers...   - Please ! Pretty please with Vegimite, and Toast on top,  with Pavalova, and Kangaroos in the top Paddock..  Please or we will send a drop bear from the gumtrees to get you....   ( Jokes..   the drop bears aren't dangerous!  )

- dormit 4h – trezit la 5 dimineata dar nu din cauza petrecerii in toi

- adormit la loc si trezit peste inca ½ h - doamne, ce greu trece timpul!

- privit pe pereti si imaginat puncte timp de 2h pentru a putea adormi la loc - tentativa esuata pentru ca punctele refuzau sa se materializeze pe tavan

- pregatire pentru plecat de acasa si sustinut examen -1h

- ½ h mers spre facultate - tananana, i still feel good!

- 1h si ½ h asteptat intrarea in examen – profii luau micul dejul din protocol

- ¼ h sustinere examen licenta – bla bla bla si bla

- 1h vorbit la telefon – ragusit teribil, exprimat emotii, pareri, aruncat blesteme, facut planuri de cucerire a orice se intrezarea a fi stralucitor si nestemat

- ½ h mers spre casa – uuuuu, sunt licentiata, sunt licentiata! Dar inca nu stiu nota, uof!

- 1h facut bagaj – aruncat una in ghiozdan, aruncat alta, hai inca una.

- ½ h drum spre gara - soare torid, vant inexistent, senzatie de topire

- 3h tren – ploaie si racoare in sfarsit, picaturi pe maini, fata si geam larg deschis, tanti cu parfum ieftin, vanzator ambulant de ziare

- ½ h autobuz spre casa – vrum, vrum, misca-te nene mai repede!

- Casaaaaaaaaaaaa!

- 2h – despachetat, aruncat toale prin pat si alte bazaconii

- 1h mail, jucat online, conversat – urari, urari, uraaaaaaaaaari

- ½ h telefon – amuzat copios, aventuri pe dealuri, antene, logan 4X4

- conversatii, alte urari, orhidei firave, bomboane, coniac .... hmmm, nu-mi mai amintesc?! – alte 2 h si se facu de 20

- mai raman inca 4 ore, de somn sau alcool ori limonade si planuri pentru ceea ce o sa fie de azi inainte ... vorba aia, restul vietii mele ... am dubla azi, mai am voie odata cu zarul, inca o aruncare ca o moneda in fantana ce indeplineste dorinte

- chiar, e ziua mea, am voie o dorinta.

- o dorinta, exact ca la 17 ani ... exact ca atunci ...

* Simon Webbe - Seventeen

The fact that this is a campaign for Lost on Fox got my attention straight away. I love the show and i also love what they have done here too. I think a really cool teaser campaign would have been the perfect compliment to this campaign. This would have created additional hype to a seemingly successful campaign.

Lost starts when flight 815 of Oceanic Airlines had an accident in the jungle. They decided to build a piece of a plane, at real size, and place it in one of the most transited and strange spot where you can find a plane: the Tropical Garden of Madrid's main train station. Over 100.000 daily impacts at the Atocha Railway Station. 40.000 visits on Youtube during the 15 days of campaign. Mentions on web sites, forums and blogs. Coverage on radio, print and TV.

for those who were too young, think the flashback scene in 'human traffic'. whistles, vicks, big fish little fish cardboard box.

actually i was too young but on the odd night i managed to sneak out to a rave, at legendary south coast club sterns, with my older boyfriend who had delusions of dj grandeur.

this mix is a nod to the inbetween years - post-acid house but more balearic and trippy than hardcore. when rave wasn't a dirty word.

this was true warehouse rave. dancing in a field until 6am before that idiotic criminal justice act. the prodigy, autechre and orbital all protested by releasing non-repetitive beats and printed digs at the new law. where is it now?

download here

final cut - take me away

bug kahn and the plastic jam - made in two minutes

rhythm on the loose - break of dawn

cartouche - feel the groove

turntable hype - set you free

digital boy - gimme a fat beat

cola boy - 7 ways to love

oceanic - insanity

bizz nizz - don't miss the partyline

adamski - n-r-g

bowa - different story

nomad - i wanna give you devotion

t99 - anasthasia

lfo - lfo

plez - can't stop

lennie de ice - we are ie

bizarre inc - playing with knives

quadrophonia - quadrophonia

Si ce-mi lipseste cel mai mult e hoinaritul pe strazi la 4 dimineata. Din Overpoortstraat unde Lys-ul se strecoara pe sub podete ... pe Clarissenstraat, in statie la Stelplaats apoi stanga, trecand pe langa parcul luminat difuz unde se balacesc lebede, ajungand pe Braemkasteelstraat, pe Meersemdries unde autobuzul de noapte ma petrece si inca putin pana pe Emiel Claeyslaan la nr. 34 exact in Gentbrugge ... Descui usa si pasesc tip-til pe scarile ce scartaie indreptandu-ma spre locsorul meu. Intru, imi arunc hainele pe scaun, aprind lampa de pe birou si dau drumul la pc ca sa se stie ca am ajuns in siguranta, dupa ce am strabatut tot orasul la 4 dimineata cand doar nightwikel-urile sunt deschise.

Apoi deschid usa de la miniatura-mi de balcon si ... si deasupra acoperisului roscat al casei de peste drum privesc cerul asteptand sa se crape de ziua.

Acelasi cer pe care-l am si acum ... dar strabatut de cabluri de retea.

*Pantera - Forever tonight

Priveste-o cum gandurile-i zburda aiurea, cum privirea-i se pierde in gol ... si-asteapta.

Uita-te bine la mainile ei lipsite de viata dar calde.

Urmareste-i pulsul abia perceptibil si simte-i racoarea.

Priveste-o in timp ce se pierde in umbra, in timp ce viseaza ...

Poart-o cu tine oriunde ai merge ...

E fata din Luna!

*Patrick Swayze - She's like the wind

- Vin in top. In top si blugi. Sper ca e bine! Sa ma astepti si tu.

- Mere, placinte cu mere! Facem ca doar am promis!

2. No matter how many times you try to beat the weather, there will always be a delay.

3. The guy wearing the "Oceanic" sweatshirt from LOST will most definitly be on my flight...and it is not a funny sweatshirt on an airplane.

4. The little kid who looks under the airplane seat to find that "do not pull this red tab at this moment" red tab is cute and funny.

5. That same kid that was cute and funny is no longer those as he screams bloody murder at 35,000 feet for no reason at all.

Trec peste partea de basm in care sociologul este un om bun la toate, trec si peste povestea de dragoste dintre sociolog si departamentul de cercetare in care si-ar dori el sa lucreze, ajung la partea tragi-comica in care sociologul iesit de pe bancile scolii ar vrea sa faca, stie sa faca (usor stangaci ce-i drept) dar nu-l prea doreste nimeni, pentru a ajunge in final la pelicula horror in care sociologul este de fapt personajul negativ pe care indiferent cum ai incerca sa-l opresti, va reveni in partile 2 si 3, mai fioros si plin de energie ca niciodata.

Acestea fiind spuse sociologul este de fapt un bandit sau mai bine zis, sa ne imaginam vestul salbatic.

Imbracat in haine ponosite, cu pintenii strambi si cu palaria gaurita, sociologul nostru soseste in oras pe o magareata. Intra in bar, cere tarie, o da pe gat dupa care tuseste putin. Toti pistolarii se amuza pe baza ispravii sale si deja il catalogheaza ca fraier.

Isi ia si sociologul o camera in oras si iese la plimbare mai pe inserat cand birturile sunt pline.

1.etapa de cercetare a.k.a acomodare in oras: studiaza cladirea bancii, biroul serifului, sediul primarului, casele celor pierde-vara din oras si in final, ca orice “sociolog” se opreste sa arunce o privire si la bordelul din colt.

Sociologul tre sa aiba faima, bani si femei.

2. etapa de construire a unei comunitati bazate pe un interes comun a.k.a gasca, banda, cardasie : dupa ce a constatat ca orasul prezinta interes economic, iar banca si seriful nu reprezinta nici un obstacol de netrecut, isi pune la punct strategia de dezvoltare personala.

3. etapa de recrutare, selectare si integrare a lichelelor orasului in noua “comunitate” : cunoscandu-i in prealabil, sociologul nostru se imprieteneste cu ei si si-aduce aproape. Intocmeste fisa psiho-caracteriala a fiecarui recrut si are grija ca printre oamenii sai sa fie si un viitor lucrator la ziar.

4. expunerea filosofiei de viata pe care se bazeaza gasca: sociologul adopta principii morale si etice specifice vremii: imbatatul in birtul central, chiuitul noaptea si trasul cu pistolul pentru a-si arata barbatia, calaritul fara sa si fara haturi.

5. construirea planului de atacare a bancii: se utilizeaza tehnici de manipulare in gasca, discurs persuasiv si sublinierea punctelor forte ale bandei, respectiv a punctelor slabe ale bancii. Se intocmeste o lista cu obiectivele principale: intratul in banca, imobilizatul serifului, luarea unei femei insarcinate ca ostatic, golirea de bani a seifului, impartitul banilor si mutarea in alt oras.

6. punerea in aplicare a grozaviei: se distribuie sarcini fiecarei lichele in parte, el, sociologul fiind cel care va pune in final mana pe bani.

7. spargerea este incununata de succes, nu se inregistreaza victime si stima de sine a fiecarui viitor puscarias creste considerabil. Deja se vorbeste despre posibilitatea de a continua activitatea aducatoare de profit.

8. cel ce era un viitor lucrator la ziar da publicitatii isprava comisa in minunatul lor oras

9. impartirea prazii si calcularea viitoarelor costuri de gasca. Sociologul se gandeste ca daca o face de prea multe ori, o sa fie prins si situatia nu o sa fie deloc roz. A-mbulinat-o!

10. anunta ca treaba lui aici s-a terminat si isi vede mai departe de viata implicandu-se in alte feluri de jafuri cum ar fi: deturnarea bursei, trisatul la pariurile de cai, investitul in industria titeiului si evident, femei.

In cele mai bune cazuri, sociologul dupa cateva jafuri repetate isi va lua o vacanta binemeritata pentru a reveni apoi in forta. (asta o stie de la Erasmus, vacanta de 3 luni pe banii statului).

Si, pentru a ma face inteleasa precizez ca tot ceea ce face micul bandit sociolog nu este in afara legii pentru ca o cunoaste foarte bine. Poate mai bine decat ar trebui?!

Eh, oricum ...

Jos palaria mea prafuita si la mai mare!

Ben killed some more people right when we thought he was turning a leaf, and he moves the island to who knows where. A shame to see Jin go out like he did. Glad Desmond made it out to Penny, that was pretty cool. What happened to people on the little boat, did they move along with the island? As for the Six, what the hell happened to Jack? I know he thinks it was his fault, but come on the dude is a mess.

The whole finale we were hearing about Jeremy Bentham, and that he was contacting the Oceanic 6 and even Walt (great to see him back). The the big shocker Jeremy is actually Locke, and he was the one in the coffin. WHoaaaaaaa!!! But is that really Locke or is something fishy going on because all the characters were calling him Jeremy and not John. And now Ben says everyone has to go back to the island because something bad is happening.

The next season has to be about what happens to the people remaining on the island (Locke, the others, Sawyer, Juliet, Bernard, Rose). In addition, I'm sure there will be news on what happens to the Oceanic 6 during those 3 years they were off. Why Jack & Kate aren't together anymore, and what exactly Locke (Jeremy) did when he went off the island. Either way this was a fantastic season. It answered alot of questions that were out there and we still have alot to go with the remaining two seasons. Enjoy the 9 months of waiting for Season 5.

LOST Season 4 DVD on Sale Decemeber 9th, 2008

ps..can we please figure out what the smoke monster is? And who the hell Jacob is?

Recap to follow tomorrow.

E cald, e insuportabil de cald, toropeala ... desi te asteptai sa fie racoare de la copacii din jur. Aerul conditionat nu face fata asa ca mai bine tii geamul deschis.

Nu e vant, e doar un aer fierbinte ce-ti fura si ultimul strop de vlaga. Si ai impresia ca nu te mai misti de multa vreme. Acelasi verde, acelasi asfalt, aceeasi bucata de cer translucid, aceleasi urme de alb, acelasi miros de iasomie peste tot.

Franturi violente de lumina strabat prin frunzele ce zac nemiscate pe crengi si-ti dai seama din pricina culorilor proiectate pe pleoapele ochilor inchisi ca inca te mai misti. Rosu de foc, rosu spalacit, portocaliu intens, portocaliu anost, galben lamaie, galben bolnav, alb verzui, alb albastrui si iar rosu de foc si iar rosu spalacit ...

Atatea tonuri cat sa te apuce ameteala. Si daca te apuca ce? Mai rau de atat nu ai unde sa cazi. Gandurile iti sunt furate ... visele sunt pe drum ... muzica de la radio inca o mai auzi din departari ...

Si fieratania asta incinsa inca se mai taraste ca un balaur ...

Katze!? Trezeste-te din amorteala ... am ajuns ...

Noua mea obsesie e de fapt mintea mea.

Fragmente de ganduri: sunete deranjante si simfonii boeme; silabe nearticulate, cuvinte neterminate, cuvinte sofisticate, combinate aiurea si propozitii fara topica; idei alandala, o bucatica de ceva apoi subit un alt ceva peste; rupturi de realitate si treziri bruste, alergaturi si cazaturi cu genunchi juliti si ochi in lacrimi, un toc cui infipt in ceafa, un desen mototolit apoi intins si inramat. Taieturi de pelicula intocmai ca la montajul unei piese.

Piesa mea, viata mea.