[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w5weqNhLDM[/youtube]

I have been using the Flip Video for a while now (Flip Ultra) and while I know they have a “HD” version, I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger to get a new flip, instead I was waiting for… something.

And along came the Kodak Zi8 camera.  Not only will it do 1080P HD, but it has a microphone jack!

Now my review video doesn’t do the audio justice, I still need to work on my microphone volume/input – but the fact it even HAS a microphone jack means it is sure to be a hit this Christmas with both the casual recorder as well as bloggers and video podcast producers.

The software, mediaImpression is easier to use than the Flip’s built in software as well.  It also has face recognition and a built in image stabilizer.  Coming it at $179, this little camcorder is sure to please.  But be sure to get a good-sized SDHC card to go with it, as there is very little internal memory.

On Thursday, October 15, 2010 – the world was captivated by the thought of a young boy, dubbed “Balloon Boy” was thousands of feet off the group in an experimental balloon.

Even the fail whale followed the drama.

The book I wrote in 2004, Kids in the Biz, went out of print earlier this year, which is great for several reasons.  First, it means I sold all of the stock the publisher had printed – over 2500 copies.   Second, and most importantly, it meant that all the rights to the book, including digital and reprint rights reverted back to me.

But it also meant the book was no longer available, unless you bought it through one of the “third party” sellers on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

For a year or so there has been a blurb on the book’s Amazon page saying “Publishers: Sell your book for Kindle” so I decided to do exactly that.   Luckily the publisher turned over the production PDF file to me, and I was able to export the book as text, which I then formatted in HTML for the Kindle platform.

I finished formatting the book, uploaded it.  And waited.

And waited.

And… well, you get the picture.

Turns out the Kindle acceptance process has been hijacked by the cracking down on public domain titles.  Apparently, people have been abusing the system, submitting Kindle versions of public domain works in the thousands, all in an attempt to earn a buck or more here and there.   These PD titles sold for 99 cents in some cases.  This was a huge undertaking from Amazon, which I can respect.

However, starting in September, they have cracked down on this practice.  Which sounds great, but it leaves other “real” publishers of content wondering what is going on.

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