Ctrl at NBC.com

Ctrl a web show at NBC.com is based on the idea of a magic keyboard. An cubicle bound employee played by Arrested Development's Tony Hale uses the keyboard to torture his boss and co-workers. The show is sponsored by Nestea and is incorporated into the diegesis of the story as a bottle of the beverage is spilled on the keyboard to begin the hi-jinx.

Madison and Vine in a Viral Video

The commercial for the new version of Microsoft Office has reached number 4 on the viral video chart. It seems to be taking notes directly from Donaton's Madison and Vine. It combines a satirical secret agent spot with information about the new office software. Comedy is key in this video as it self-consciously comments on the un-sexiness of a new software package.

Goldblum and Collective Intelligence

Jeff Goldblum Will Be Missed

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I have been reading Collective Intelligence by Pierre Levy this past week and I have been struck by his compelling writing style. I am not, however, convinced by his Utopian assertions. I wanted to provide a link to a recent example of "collective intelligence." Perhaps Levy underestimates the awesome allure of goofing off.

"Evony" a Workspace Media Massive Multiplayer

A desktop game that advertises its utility at "the office" or "the school." It argues that it will fix boredom and avoid detection. The game is similar to the Age of Empires but all of the saved information is stored online so that the user can access their game from whatever portal they can access. The advertising banners use the above appeal which focuses om cleavage.

Pogo.com

TV Everywhere

The Big News this week in the internet video world was the agreement between Time Warner and Comcast to create a content portal called TV Everywhere. The website would authenticate users as Comcast cable subscribers and make available to them cable channel content from Turner, Rainbow Media, Scripps, A&E and Comcast (these are the initial partners). Though the name suggests that the service would lend itself to Workspace Media activity the details suggest otherwise. Reporting by blogs such as PaidContent.org, NewTeeVee and magazines like Wired have explained that TV Everywhere will adopt the traditional television model of full commercial breaks as opposed to the Hulu method of 30 second spots. The strategy is a much more attractive to content providers but privileges a more traditional viewing context. Instead of short clips the content would be like...well watching TV everywhere. I am anxious to see how the service will be marketed and which programs will be most popular. Based on my research on popular online content I would wager that E! and G4 will be most streamed offerings.

Web Series

Episode 6 from The Cheeseburger Show on Vimeo.

Web series such as The Guild, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and Chef Kevin Pang's Cheeseburger Show are a different breed from Workspace Media. They are longer than most internet video and they approximate the style of a television show, a variety show segment or a film. These examples demonstrate that there are all kinds of audio/visual content on the web. Yet I am struck by the similarity in tone between workspace media comedy and these more professional shows.