Obama's Infomercial- Follow up

Obama's commercial yesterday justified the hype. Having enough time (surprisingly), to watch the infomercial in it's entirety, as well as the analysis after, I had time to contemplate many aspects of the work. I've began to really appreciate the effort that went into the subtleties of the video.

Every piece of soft music in the background, and every word that Obama spoke was carefully chosen. Clips from debates, famous addresses, and even small-town speeches were meticulously picked and edited.

Each profile was touching without appearing artificially created. Each of the 4 families profiled was without doubt, carefully vetted, and it's apparent immediately. The families are so realistic, and so believable, that I could instantly relate (which is obviously, what the campaign wanted).

Technically, the video was brilliant. It managed to captivate it's audience, and with it's soft, gentle shots, and Obama's clear, powerful ideas, it was infinitely appealing. The live feature in Florida, at the conclusion of the half-hour, was perfectly staged.

This video may not have moved an amount of Americans substantial enough to justify its cost, but it did what it was meant to do.

At this point in the election, unless McCain makes a shocking eleventh-hour revelation, an Obama win is nearly certain.

Obama's "Commercial"

Tonight, Barack Obama's campaign will air a 30 minute (that's no typo, thirty minutes) commercial. Now that we're nearing the end of the presidential race, it would seem that his staff is attempting to finish off the rest of his massive funds.

The decision marks the first time in 16 years that a American candidate has bought a televsion slot during prime time for a prolonged commercial. The commercial will be shown on NBC, CBS, Fox, Univision, MSNBC, BET, TV One and two cable networks catering to African-Americans.

From a one minute preview shown to the New York Times (although, strangely, not the public), the media has gathered that the video shows gratitious amounts of typical politcal video fare. Americana, Nature, and glorified shots of Obama are probably in the cards.

Costing the campaign in excess of $3 million, McCain doesn't have the fiscal flexibility needed to match this. Also, if you haven't heard by now, Obama is advertising in video games too.

I'll be watching, along with a presumably large portion of Americans, but it makes me wonder. Has Obama gone too far in his media-loving adverts? American voters will have to decide.

An Internet Phenomenon

I had some excess time on my hands today (unusual, I know), so I decided to go Youtube-surfing. For those of you who who are unfamiliar, Nigahiga is one of the biggest, and most popular series of videos on Youtube. Ryan Higa, the creator has warranted serious press coverage, and his own Wikipedia article.

Their often funny, sometimes thought provoking videos represent the power of the internet perfectly. Through creative thinking, and good acting, they've recieved their 15 minutes of fame.

Now, they're starring in a real movie, discovered by a real Hollywood director.

It's amazing to think, that a mere 2 years ago, these teens were nobody. Now, more than 50 hit videos later, they've attained the dream of every youth filmmaker hopeful.

Here's to the power of the net.

"When it's all over, it's not who you were. It's whether you made a difference." -Bob Dole

Trillian

I've finally ditched Windows Live Messenger. In the slow phase out from Windows to Mac that I intend to do over the next year or 2, I've adopted Trillian.


BTW, for a hilarious political platform, see here. It's brilliant.

If there's any blog reviewers here, please go back to July or August for most of my more topical content.

Back to work...

Teacher interviews were last night, and they seemed to usher in more work. I've got 5 pages of typing to do, countless tests to study for, as well as a number of other things on my mind.

If you've been following my workload (unlikely, but commendable), you'll be (hopefully) happy to know I've been accepted into that DECA thing. In fact, out of 70 students, from all grades, I got 1 of two executive spots.

But then again, being an executive is a double edged sword. It unfortunately means more work.

Oh, the things I do as resume padders...

"Man is made so that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labour by taking up another."
-Anatole France

Elections

Well it's another Conservative minority, so there's no need for further discussion. I just hope Stephane Dion is replaced.

Elections Day, and the New MacBook

The elections are today, and it's rather unexciting. Once again, I'm rather apathetic, and compared to the Americans, we're just a backstory.

I actually voted a few days ago, in Elections Canada's Student Vote. Typically, your voting is a private matter, but since I didn't really like the incumbent, or the main challenger, so I just went green :P . It doesn't matter. It's not like he'll win the real thing anyways.

Most polls are predicting a conservative minority, and the general sentiment I'm getting is that it's going to happen. It seems rather unlikely they'll get a minority, and extremely unlikely that it'll be a Liberal government, so that's my official guess. We'll see how I did tommorow.

In Macbook news, Apple's new product was announced today, and true to my guesses, it's a stunner. More information can be found @ Apple's updated site, but it's been given a thorough cosmetic overhaul. It's only marginally more powerful, but hey, innovation comes in small steps.




If you're over 18, and elegible, remember to vote. (if you haven't already) Otherwise, just stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Time!

Btw, the new Macbooks launch tommorow, and I can hardly wait! I'm pretty sick of Windows, and I'm excited to see what Apple has come up with. Will I finally make the switch? More on Mac as I get news.

And just as an aside, has anyone looked @ my profile lately? A few days ago, I was at ~300 profile views. Now I'm closing in on 3000. Anyone know how this happened?

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget
that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live by them.
-John Fitzergald Kennedy

Things are slowing down at school. The rhythm, the "daily drag" has been established, and it's not so good. Altough it means that I'm very familiar with my environment now, the novelty of a new school has long worn off.

My classes have went from "mildly entertaining", to "dreadfully boring". Oh well.

In other news, the $700 billion bailout plan was approved, and the Canadian elections aren't getting any more exciting.

Oddly, there's been a sudden influx of political posters around my school. Just from looking at them, it would appear that the youth demographic seems to favour the Green party. We'll see how this plays out 5 years from now.

In any case, we're holding mock elections, across an unspecified large area (probably Ontario) :P, and the results will be published in The Star. Keep your eyes open for them.

If you noticed, as I did, that my writing quality has been slightly suffering, it's likely because I'm having less and less time to blog, and when I do, it's pretty rushed. Still, a moderate quality blog is better than none.

Money, politics, and their relevancy...

Good news (I think). The bailout plan passed 74-25 last night in the U.S senate. It still has to clear the house of representatives on Friday. I got my issue of Macleans today, and even though I had only enough time to give it a cursory glance, it would seem as if many think this market is going to get worse, before it gets better, regardless of the bailout.

Oh well.

Perhaps in the big picture, it's important, but all this financial Doomsday stuff doesn't seem like it's going to affect me. I mean, sure, maybe the economy might worsen, a few stores close, and some prices increase marginally, but it's no big deal. I think I should be more concerned about finishing school :P.

And today, in politics... :)

The english debate is on tonight. While Elizabeth May's addition may make things less boring than usual, most of Canada is probably going to be watching the Palin VS Biden debate. After all, who cares about Canadian politics when the Americans are talking?