Searching for Bitcoins

If you’re like me you understand the concept of Bitcoin as a virtual currency, but not the finer points, you do not pay for anything with Bitcoins, nor would you know where to GET Bitcoins (it’s called mining, by the way), let alone would you invest in them.  

 

According to the Wikipedia definition: Bitcoin as a concept and the network is spelled with a capital “B”, the actual currency “bitcoin”: no capital “B”.  I’ll try to keep them straight…

 

TechCrunch wrote about a guy on February 28th, who was stopped for further search by the TSA looking for Bitcoins in his carry-on, which is beyond hysterically funny.  And of course it’s not, especially if you, like me have been on the road so much you’ve slept less than half the time in your own bed for a year.

Five Not So Easy Pieces

I just sat through all five documentary shorts that are up for an Oscar on Sunday night. And, who would have thought, I learned a few things (thankfully).

Artistry and compulsive obsessive disorder are cousins if not siblings and can save you or kill you, much like madness and genius share a thin line.

Panna Cotta Recipe for Cook-o-Phopes and Kitchen-Adverse Production People

Crazy Creative

No clue whose car this is. Found it on Saturday on Central Park West in the low hundreds. Funnily enough: once I started taking pictures (unfortunately the inside pix didn't turn out) a whole bubble of other passersby took the time to stop and take pictures too.  Why did they need the license to take a picture by watching me? Maybe they didn't want to be 'left out', or didn't think to take one until they saw me pull out my phone?  It prompted a few fun exchanges about the "craziness", the possible message of the car and whodunnit?  To me the message was, that we as New Yorkers took a moment to stop our hurried (yes, even on a Saturday) lives and interact and smile at each other. I think that in itself is mission accomplished.  Thank you to whomever so lovingly decorated the car.  

Documentary Distribution Update

Peter Broderick, an independent film distribution consultant and strategist posted this month on getting ready for festivals, with Sundance about to start.  Getting into Sundance is something many of us dream of and so few achieve.  Needless to say, the advice goes beyond festivals and also provides a good check list, and primer on independent distribution windows, strategies and current trends; a definite must read if you’re about to, in the midst of, or thinking of distributing anything with pixels, consecutive frames and sound...   

 

Peter links to a post by Thom Powers Distribution Advice for 2014 – a must read, especially for doc filmmakers and to Ted Hope’s blog who in effect has curated a list about all things festival – and distribution – and this list is being updated as we move along! That should keep you busy for at least a while… once you’re done, why don’t you share what you learned here?

Where to Hide? Part 2

In “Where to Hide? Part 1”I talked about finding people online without much information to go by.  The story to follow  talks about the ‘other’ direction; being found.

It’s early 2008, the world is still in order and people go to work at Lehman Brothers:  I had a conservative client who apparently was close to circles that where close to the pope… kinda one, or two degrees of separation.  This just to make the point in what way the client was conservative.

I was working as a media consultant for the CEO. After a few months Clock Wise’s role was to be expanded into producing video content.  Since it was a sizeable budget Clock Wise needed to be vetted.  With nothing to worry about, I foresaw no problems.

Where to Hide? Part 1

I’ve written a bit about on-line privacy in the past months, and how can one ignore the topic with the N.S.A. scandal and the Snowden leaks.  In this and the next post I want to share a story each of on-line privacy issues from opposite directions.

 

The first and most recent story begins with a conversation I had over dinner with a guy who told me about his ex (which wasn’t all that “ex” as it turns out, but that’s a hole other topic and not for this blog). From the conversation I had gathered the following information: