Live Internet Television

New Scientist reports that computers as well as humans can learn from watching television: Software developed in the UK has worked out the basics of sign language by absorbing TV shows that are both subtitled and signed.

A muse has been invented to guide the designers at Ford in better envisioning who their target customer is and what this person will respond to positively. Mother Jones reports based on a Business Week story:

The challenge was to come up with a design that could suit the tastes of consumers around the globe, thus cutting the cost of selling different small cars in every market. So, it made a Fiesta hatchback that has with a rear end that looks like that of a small SUV, a dashboard inspired by a cell-phone keyboard, and oversized headlights that belong on a bigger vehicle.

Ford’s target Fiesta buyer: Her name is Isabella, a name that consistently ranks among the Top 5 baby names for American girls. Isabella isn’t American, though. She is stylishly Italian, a recent college grad living near Milan. She’s a modest earner, hip, urban, creative, and way into social media.

She’s also considering journalism as a career.

In other words, she’s nuts. And entirely fictitious.

YouTube’s doing its best to combat popular opinion and convince people it’s ready for professional content delivered with monetization. YouTube has a mindboggling amount of great and varied content, and is enjoyed by millions. But it is Web-based, which means vulnerability to copyright issues and inherent scalability problems.

PC  Advisor has some good commentary:

These PR folk are clearly following up on last week’s earnings  conference call, in which Google CFO Patrick Pichette said YouTube would be “very profitable” in the not-too-distant future. Questions abound, though, including the amount of money it must cost to run such a massive video-sharing site. The YouTube Biz Blog does not care for such concerns.

…

We’ll concede one debunked myth: that the site’s content is grainy and of poor quality. That just depends on what you’re looking at, and there’s nothing stopping anyone from uploading an HD clip.

Look, until YouTube actually does turn a profit, there’s going to be criticism and questions, and Google has every right to address them. But I wouldn’t call the latest effort mythbusting. Let’s take it for what it really is: spin.

Those are good points, too.

Back in May we were talking about ever-blurring lines between advertising and TV shows. This direction is accelerating as people try to find new ways to make revenue and connect with TV audiences. The latest:

AMC and Banana Republic are offering shoppers a chance for a walk-on role on the network’s Emmy Award winning drama Mad Men.

As part of marketing partnership, the parties are co-sponsoring a contest where customers can enter to win a walk-on role for an upcoming episode, plus a $1,000 gift card from the retailer.

Beginning July 21 and leading up to Mad Men’s third-season premiere on Aug. 16 at 10 p.m. (ET/CT), Banana Republic’s 400 U.S. and Canadian outlets will showcase mannequins dressed in modern takes on classic, iconic 1960s style, along with series imagery and tune-in details.

Banana Republic is also creating a style guide profiling the Mad Men character profiles and images alongside quintessential work looks from Banana Republic. The Guide will also be available in stores, while supplies last and offer U.S. customers a free gift-with-purchase — a free iTunes download of the show’s pilot, as well as an exclusive look at Mad Men style. Read the rest of this entry »

Joost is effectively withdrawing from the online video fray (Thanks, ClickZ).

Joost, a service that features ad-supported movies and other video content, has shifted gears — and its CEO. The company will now focus on selling its online video platform to cable, satellite, broadcast, and other media companies as a white-label service [...]

Joost will apparently continue to offer ad-supported online video programming. [...] But yesterday’s changes are a sign the company is being marginalized by Hulu.com, an ad-supported online video site launched in 2007 by News Corp. and NBC Universal.

It’s great being ivi, doing something completely different from the pack.