Cincinnati Labor Day Fireworks 2006

This is a partial video footage which my friend and I managed to capture last year during this time of the year (Sep 3, 2006 to be specific). We watched the show from riverside of Newport, KY. Even though this video is incomplete it includes the ending fireworks sequence, which is a must see for anyone who haven't seen it before.



Following is the you tube user 5chw4r7z's video taken from a height that captured the beautiful waterfall type firework display which both of us missed in our shot.

Voki - Get The Interactive Avatar For Your Website

Hey its me once again coming to you with the finer things Web 2.0 have to offer. Today I've come up with a tool to make your social experience interactive. The site is called Voki.com which lets you create your avatar, aka 'Voki', that interacts with the visitors of your site by delivering your message to them. You can also send the personalized voki to your friends via e-mail.

The site lets you create your voki, which could be an anime figure (like mine), a classic figure resembling real life people, a cartoon, an animal, or simply a random character out of fiction. It even lets you tweak small details such as the color of its hair, its vitality and so on.

Another feature that I particularly liked about the site is that it lets you record the message, you intend to deliver through voki, in number of ways. You can either create your message by uploading your existing audio track stored on your computer, or recording the message in real time through your microphone attached to the computer, use the integrated Text to Speech utility, or even let the voki audio center call you (automated) and get your message recorded through your phone (which would be more convenient to some if they are creating voki for the person who is currently one the road...I guess). Jokes aside - recording via the phone feature is in fact an awesome idea that could have many potential applications especially by other net based companies.

There's more than one way to use voki. Already people have found out innovative usage for it. One RJ, Gary Craig, have used voki in his website to imitate Bill Clinton and deliver message in a hilarious way. There could be millions of use for this type of cool tool. Its your job to figure out.

Well, this is all I have for you right now. Be sure to tune in next time to get more insight on undiscovered tools, tips 'n tricks, and information on other interesting stuff that I come across while exploring the web.

Jamstudio : Create Your "Garage Band" Without The Band

Jamstudio is your destination on the Internet to create your own music, even if you don't have any knowledge on how to play musical instrument. The free version of this flash based application hosted on the site lets you experiment around with the various loops produced by basic instruments such as Drums, Acoustical Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano and Electronic Synthesizer in order to create your composition. But the more interesting loops are available through the sound add-on, that is free for a time being, and is planned to be charged on a subscription basis in near future.


When you visit the site you'll be provided with the Help which will walk you through the entire application in 7 simple steps. Then you'll be set to create your masterpiece. The App lets you save your songs after you've registered (for Free) and gives you the option to share with your friends through e-mail.

...So Rock On!!!

You can download the songs I created with Jamstudio by clicking on the following links. Just to clear the confusion - The site doesn't give you the option of exporting your creation in MP3. I used the application that came with my soundcard to capture the music that was being played back from the Jamstudio and saved it as MP3 manually.

Zombie Clone
Sweetest Melody

Labor Day 2007 Fireworks in Cincinnati

Here are the pictures I shot during the 31st Anniversary of WEBN fireworks that was held yesterday in Cincinnati on the banks of Ohio River. I've been attending this event for past 3 years. Each year to get different perspective, I've been going to the different location from where you can view this spectacular half an hour display organized by WEBN, the Rock Station of Cincinnati. This year I went to Eden Park, located on the top of the hill from where you can get a real nice view of Newport, KY, and Downtown Cincinnati separated by Ohio River. I admit that it can't beat the sensation one gets from watching the fireworks from the river bank itself (which I did last year), but there's no way I could've captured the entire firework as it happened if I was so close to the scene. And the best part is that I didn't have to waste any time on traffic after the show was over. Last year it took about 2 hours just to get home directly from the place of event (via driving route of 15 minutes in normal condition). Besides, I also avoided getting temporarily deaf due to the loud sound produced by the explosion.

So taking consideration of all these things I'd say yesterday's location is definitely worth visiting again.



External Links:

The Kentucky Post: Word of mouth (and fireworks) launched Riverfest
The Enquirer: Cincinnati fireworks going global
WEBN Rock Station
Cincinnati Bell