WobbleTV on YouTube

Today I uploaded two more animations to the WobbleTV YouTube Channel: Multi Dimensional Eye Virus 1.0 and version 2.2. I think I'll just slowly work my way back in time. Maybe I will eventually even upload the original WobbleTV Broadcast from way back when!

Toxic Assets are Illegal Bets

It is early morning on a Saturday, my son woke us up early, so it is time for some early morning thoughts. Being not quite awake, please pardon me is it does not make sense.

There is something I do not understand about these so called toxic assets that are one of the root causes of the recent financial meltdown. These "credit default swaps", at least the ones where the underlying itself asset is not part of the deal which as I understand it far outnumber the simple re-sold default prone loans, are basically bets. And since the financial institutions that issued them do not have a gambling / Casino license, they are illegal bets. Which makes the solution simple: declare the toxic assets illegal bets (which they are) and therefore null and void. Fine the financial institutions for acting as bookies. The people who (or institution that) bought these assets, who placed the bets, loose their money. But that is a relatively small amount compared to what the financial institutions would have to pay to all the holders of bets on loans that have defaulted or will default in the near future. Some rich people loose some money, the financial balloon lets out some air but does not have to burst.

I must be missing something, since this is way too simple. Oh well, it is a bit of a dreary morning. Should clear up soon.

MetroCAF 2009 Call for Participation video

From the award winning entries to the previous two editions of MetroCAF, the local student animation festival I am chairing this year, I edited this promotional video. Since Google Video is no longer accepting uploads, I now also have a YouTube account (hurray, another username and password!) with the name that I used for my early video work: Wobble TV.

The music is "Wake up" by bluebottle, a creative commons file I found on ccMixter.org

UPDATE: Found out I actually have two YouTube accounts: you can simply sign on with your Google account. Aargh! Anyway, also put my last latest animation "Seeing Red" on YouTube. In HD!

Amiga Warhol

The second computer I ever bought (and the third) was an Amiga. This video shows Andy Warhol doing a portrait of Deborah Harry at the 1985 product launch. When I moved over to the states (again) in 2005 I managed to sell my over ten years old Amiga 4000 with Macro Systems video editing system (including the huge 2GB internal harddrive) so they aged well!

via Drawn!

Wasteful Advertising

All junk mail is waste but here are two particularly useless and this wasteful examples.

Verizon keeps sending us, about weekly, a letter with accompanying folders inviting us to switch to FIOS. The ridiculous part being that, while being mailed to our current address, it explicitly states the address of service: our former apartment

And today I got a great offer from Delta Airlines on flights to New York City. I'm typing this on our porch, and if I stand up and look to the left, I see the Empire State Building. I checked, it is still there. Delta airlines wasted a bit of advertising budget on us once more.

UPDATE: Me and my big mouth! When I threw them into the trash, I mean recycle box, I noticed those Delta flights were FROM New York. It was still SPAM though.