I hope everyone had as good a Thanksgiving as I did!

So. Much. Food.

Totally my favorite holiday. Friends, family, and karaoke for the win!

But there’s a dark side to the joys of tasty turkey goodness. And State Farm, in a moment of brilliance, decided that William Shatner was just the person to warn us all about the dangers of turkey fryers.  Who’d have thought that there could be so much drama frying a turkey?

The best PSAs actually make you remember the message they impart. This is one of the best…

Adults, children, fish, and crows all share an affinity for shiny things. While fish and crows are happy with the simple gleam of a metal object, humans often have a more sophisticated palette for visual objects. My friends are often doe eyed over the latest technological gizmos. Children, once enraptured by a jingling set of keys, now become enthralled by the flashy hypnotic screens of an iPhone or tablet. Is the increase in consumption of shiny digital media by our children a problem?

There is certainly little doubt that humans are growing more visual across the board. We are exposed to more and more visual stimulations online and in digital technology. Our screen options are a lot like our shirt size: small, medium, or large. However we choose to digest this media is really up to us, but unless you’re like a Geico commercial and live under a rock, you’re exposed to some form of digital media.

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When I tell people that I have the (totally enviable) plum job of finding the weekly Viral Video here on the Flip, they often give me suggestions–which is ever-so-groovy. I love when people give me video ideas–it’s so much more fun to get the video virally than it is to find it on a “what’s popular this week?” web search. It makes me feel like some big-game video hunter, stalking my prey in its natural habitat–the Facebook status update.

This would be one of those videos. Not even a month old, and almost two million hits. Boy-howdy.

Thanks to this video, any parent who has ever been at their wit’s end (which means, every parent) now has a new weapon in their “oh-please-just-make-it-stop-crying” arsenal: The Notorious B.I.G.

Enough time has passed since the publication of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs that I think it’s safe to give away the last line of the book. Besides, Isaacson himself reveals it in his extensive 60 Minutes interview. (Here’s a tip to those who don’t have time to read the book: just watch the 60 Minutes profile; it remarkably captures the essence of Isaacson’s reporting.)

In the final passage, Jobs is reflecting on mortality and concedes that he’d like to believe in an afterlife.

“But on the other hand, perhaps it’s like an on-off switch,” he said. “Click! And you’re gone.” He fell silent for a very long time.

Then he paused again and smiled slightly. “Maybe that’s why I never liked to put on-off switches on Apple devices.”

Much can be observed about the late Steve Jobs from this statement: his obsession with simplicity as he oversaw the design of Apple’s remarkable devices, his lifelong connection to digital technology (from pioneering personal computing to creating a market for the “fourth screen” of tablet computing), and how he integrated his soul with the devices that he created. He wanted to make a “dent in the universe” and at least in our gadget-infused, content rich world, he did.

Jobs’ products made a huge dent in my world as a visual storyteller: when I acquired a Powerbook in 2003 with its integrated content creation tools (Final Cut Pro, DVD burning, soundtrack production) I suddenly believed that I could become a filmmaker. Perhaps, I had entered Steve Jobs’ so-called “reality distortion field,” because against all odds, his technology did transform my creativity into a viable content that made its way to the masses.
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Ivan Pankararú and Leandro Pataxó representing the Pankararú and Pataxó indigenous peoples of Brazil traveled to the Pacific Northwest to join with the Puyallup on this year’s annual Tribal Canoe Journey. The two traveled to this corner of the globe in order to seek knowledge, build relationships and connect with the theme of this year’s journey:  “Loving, Caring, and Sharing Together.” They started their canoe journey at Owen Beach and carried on through Alki Beach, Suquamish, and Tulalip with the final landing ceremony at the host site in Swinomish.

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Rose Egge is a 25-year-old MCDM graduate and a web producer for KOMO News. She is currently writing a blog about her treatment for acute lymphoblastic lymphoma “Stronger Than I Think I Am: A reporter’s fight against cancer.” You can find more updates on Rose’s treatment on her Facebook page - Rose Egge KOMO.

I am not brave.

People have said that I am, but I’m not. I am surviving cancer the only way I know how – by leaning on others. When I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma I had a secure job, health insurance and an arsenal of family and friends ready to step in with anything I might need. Mine has not always been a graceful journey, but it is one I shared with the family, friends and people I don’t even know who have reached out to carry me in my moments of weakness.

Whether you are my parents, who paid for $8000 in fertility treatments to ensure I could have kids someday, my boyfriend who held me during more than one emotional meltdown, or someone who is taking a moment to read my blog and listen, you have had a hand in my survival. I am alive today because of you.

As I near the end of my treatment, I would like to help those who are not as lucky I am by establishing a new non-profit for cancer patients age 18-30. And MCDM community, this is where I need your help. Read more…

Sometimes inserting technology and digital media into a conversation can alter the outcome in a negative way. Having bright lights and cameras inside of an intimate setting intrinsically alters the flow of the discussion. But often, the stories that are told in intimate settings deserve to live on if you can find the right balance.

Such was the case with deciding whether to film last week’s heavy-hearted conversation between Olympia-based singer songwriter Kimya Dawson and Detroit-based writer, and filmmaker dream hampton. Both are highly analog individuals with strong presences online. They have an engrained understanding of the need to switch between hyper-connectedness and simply turning everything off which created an important paradox for us. The natural inclination for many of us in the MCDM program is to capture stories with authenticity. Given that MCDM is now partnered with Michael Hebb’s salon style Night School events, filming portions of them are key for the story to live on, but having a camera running the entire time changes the nature of the events themselves.

Luckily, we found a happy balance. Below check out footage that Scott Macklin pieced together from the green room sessions of Kimya and dream laughing about motherhood as Kimya sings a personal ode to her five year old daughter. It’s precious and only a handful of us witnessed this in person. After that check out a full live stream of the green room session itself with nuggets of wisdom galore from both of these women.

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I was turned on to this video by one of our esteemed editors (Hi, Jonathan!). And I love it.

This is why we’re here–at the crossroads of media, culture, and technology. It’s so easy to sit and click on the “donate now” tab on the social change fundraising page, but quite another to endanger your life because you post a music video on YouTube.

A little background: Beygairat Brigade are three young Pakistani men whose satire video “Aalu Anday” has become a huge success in their home country as well as now being forwarded around the world. Not only does it have a meaningful message about the dangers of extremism, but it’s a really good song, too.