Tuesday, December 12, 2006

ABC News - Wanted: Your viewer submitted video!



Wanted: Your viewer submitted video!

2006 is the year of digital video, and ABC News wants to put the best of the best, the worst of the worst, and the most powerful moments on national TV.
Have you captured an astonishing scene others missed? Has your video helped the voiceless be heard? Have you recorded a life changing event? Caught a celebrity in a predicament? Used the camera in a creative way? Cameraphone. handheld video. Webcam.

Our producers are asking for the most powerful, compelling, emotional video moments captured in 2006. If your video is strong enough, important enough, really meaningful, we will put it on TV. Upload your video or tell us about it.

"Caught 2.0" is airing nationwide on ABC News '20/20' on Dec. 29, 2006.


Submit your video here


Find out more about our special here

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving


Have I ever mentioned what a talented sister I have? Check out this sculpted work of art, and "yes, it is really a cake".

My sister's amazing book is available for pre-order over at Amazon.com. Buy early and save over $5 with free shipping and no tax. The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery


Sunday, November 12, 2006

Vote for my photos please


Submitted to JPG Issue 8: Tourist. Is it a good fit?




Submitted to JPG Issue 8: Embrace the Blur. Is it a good fit? Vote Now!


Monday, October 30, 2006

Regis and Kelly Audience Spottings

ABC TV - Regis and Kelly 9.25.06
Guests: Marcia Cross (Desperate House Wives) and Nelly Furtado


When my friend Kevin visited from Oregon I offered to take him to the broadcast of Regis and Kelly. Perhaps not the most exciting tourist activity, but the show is broadcasted from the building next to my office. It was actually a lot of fun. We were seen in three of the crowd shots and now you can see us too.




This was more a way for me to figure out how to get video online than a real celebration of myself in the audience of a daily talk show.

How...
- Recorded TV show on Time Warner DVR in Standard definition.
- Burned the show to a DVD using my Samsung DVD player/burner
- Imported the DVD video into my Mac Desktop G5 using MPEG Streamclip (Free Software) which converted the DVD VOB video and audio content into a DV-25 file. (Hour show 12GB - 15 minutes)
- Imported the DV file into iMovie HD. Edited out the show minus Kevin and me on TV.
- Exported the edited clip as a h.264 Quicktime file.
- Uploaded it to YouTube and Google Video.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006




Help public school children through this amazing organization.

DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from "Magical Math Centers" ($200) to "Big Book Bonanza" ($320), to "Cooking Across the Curriculum" ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, a teacher impact letter, and an expenditure report showing that their tax-deductible gift was spent as directed.

I love how productive they are.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Juvenile Corrections - Awards

The broadcast I produced about Juvenile Corrections in the state of Arizona has been honored with four awards so far.

- Cine Golden Eagle Award
- Silver Angel Award - Excellence in Media
- NCCD PASS Award (National Council on Crime and Delinquency - Prevention for a Safer Society)
- Communicator Award of Distinction

Sunday, August 13, 2006

ABC News: Should You Buy an At-Home Defibrillator?




Should You Buy an At-Home Defibrillator?
By Eric M. Strauss


I wrote an article recently about the importance of defibrillators. Defibrillators save lives. The Phillips HeartStart Home Defibrillator promises to bring this lifesaving tool right to American homes without the need of a doctor's prescription. At a cost of about $1,250, is this product worth the price? It depends whom you ask. Read more ...

For sale at Amazon.com for $1150 delivered.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Clever Cakes


Elisa Strauss doesn't just bake cakes . . . she bakes dreams. Whether it be a stiletto-shaped vanilla-flavored confection or a sugar replica of your cat, her creations are meant to indulge tongues and eyes alike. Delicious - and better yet, you can learn to make them too.

Read More

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Program Note | Foster Care in America


I've been working on a broadcast about Foster Care in America for several months now. I hope you will watch our show Thursday 10pm on ABC.


I've worked on the full broadcast, but specifically the parts in Louisville, KY.

Here is an article about a social worker I spent time with:
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/FosterCare/story?id=2021066&page=1


Below is a message from Diane Sawyer on ABC News' special series on foster care, "A Call to Action: Saving Our Children." Watch "Primetime" this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET for Sawyer's report.

During the years that I've been covering this topic, I've met children who were in 11 homes, 18 homes — moved from place to place and then moved again. Even though everyone knows this shatters lives — one study says there's a higher percentage of post traumatic stress disorder among these kids than war veterans.

So what if we made a commitment to stop bouncing kids from home to home to home? What if we asked communities to band together, to find homes, to support damaged families, to help these kids have a better chance for a normal life? What if, instead of lurching from horror story to horror story, we agreed to do what works.

We can change their chances. As adults, former foster care children make up 30 percent of the homeless and 25 percent of the prison population. Children most of all want one constant adult to love in their lives. That's why I've asked ABC News to dedicate the entire division's resources to this issue. We are calling it: A Call to Action: Saving Our Children. We hope you'll watch, and join in.

Diane Sawyer

Monday, May 15, 2006

John Stossel's New Book


Do yourself a favor and purchase John Stossel's new book. It is a quick and interesting read. He spells out a lot of misconceptions he believes people have, and most importantly I am mentioned in the acknowledgements.

ABCNews.com has created a cool web site that has some video excerpts from the segments that are in the book.

MYTH: Divorce hurts women much more than men, and many men abandon their kids.

TRUTH: Both men and women suffer after divorce, and lots of men want to give more to their kids.

The media (including the men, for psychological reasons involving guilt or other factors best left to Dr. Phil), see men as inviting, politically correct targets. When experts start trumpeting statistics that add up to "men are bad," reporters listen. For years, I heard bad things about deadbeat dads. They were living it up, while their ex-wives and children had to scrape by. It's a recurring story, and the media regurgitates it regularly. It's also group slander.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

High Tech Orthopedic Surgery by My Dad


Million Dollar Man’s Million-Dollar Machine

NEW State-of-the-Art Surgical Navigation System

New York, NY – Countless people suffer from arthritis pain associated with hip and joint pain. In the past, correcting these problems via surgery meant lengthy tests and less precise procedures that lead to more post-operative care. The idea of being a bionic man through joint replacement seemed less like fact and more like fiction. The Sci-Fi future of joint replacement has now become a reality. Dr. Elton Strauss, Chief of Orthopaedic Trauma and Adult Reconstruction at Mount Sinai Hospital Center, is among the first to use the revolutionary new technology known as the Stryker Navigation System. The mechanism is an interactive operating monitoring system designed to improve the surgical performance and clinical outcome of joint replacement. According to Dr. Strauss, “the computer guided equipment allows me to achieve microscopic precision, while providing a more cost effective and minimally invasive procedure. ”

Developed by Stryker Leibeinger, the PC based navigational system provides accurate decision making for alignment and orientation of instruments, trials and ultimately implants. Unique to other joint replacement navigators, the navigational system provides surgeons with pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative assessments of the patient's joint kinematic measurements. The software features include imageless technology (no CT/MRI images) and provide patient kinematics derived by using motion analysis and bony landmarks.

The system also provides a unique visualization tool for tissue balancing, online visualization of joint angulations and displacement, and step-by-step comprehensive initialization of a patient’s anatomy. In all, the system provides more accurate, faster and easier assessments of a patient’s condition, which assists the surgeon in providing the best care possible. According to a spokesperson for Stryker Leibinger, “the navigation system allows the surgeon to receive completely new insights that can help optimize the outcome of surgical efforts. The smart instrumentation and the software are tailored to the specific needs of the different surgical branches.” Through smart tools and computer vision, it will also allow for the continued evolution of limited incision surgery.

How does it work?

The navigation system uses an infrared camera and markers along with unique instrument tracking software to continually monitor the position and mechanical alignment of the implant and the surgical instruments relative to the patient’s knee anatomy. Wireless instruments send data pertaining to the knee kinematics (movement) to a computer.

The computer analyzes and displays kinematic data on a monitor in the form of charts and graphs that supply the surgeon with the optimum angles, lines and measurements needed to align the prosthetic joint within the patient. The patient receives the best possible outcome in their joint replacement, accuracy to within one to two millimeters is extremely important. Just as a wheel alignment affects the life of automobile tires, precise alignment is key to smooth movement and long-term wear in joint replacements.

“Joint replacement is an extremely successful way to treat patients suffering from arthritis,” says Dr. Strauss. “The new computerized surgical navigation technology allows my surgical team and me to provide the best alignment of the joint, or bone. By doing so, we can increase the expectancy (20+ years) of an implant and give a patient the best possible stability and range of movement, even in difficult anatomic situations.”


Book an apointment to see Dr. Strauss 212.241.1648 Tell them I sent you :-)

Treating the Elderly

For additional information or to speak with Dr. Strauss, please contact Jill LaVorgna at 212.213.6444, or jill@kmrcommunications.com.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Pre-order The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new album, Stadium Arcadium, and automatically receive the new single, “Dani California.” The pre-order also gives users access to pre-sale tickets for the group’s upcoming tour. And they'll be automatically entered to win the band’s complete catalog and an engraved Red Hot Chili Peppers iPod.

RHCP-300x300

Red Hot Chili Peppers' blog

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Article: You talk, It checks on your laundry?


My latest article on ABCNews.com is about speech-embedded smart phones that interact with web servers to return realtime useful information.

IBM claims speach recognition has come a long way since early disipointing dictation programs.

Check out the artcile HERE

Monday, February 20, 2006

Carry On

I was always puzzled by people lugging their huge suitcases onto airplanes instead of checking it and taking the extra 5 minutes at baggage claim to pick it up on the way out. Now I know why.

AIRLINES & LOST BAGGAGE - An estimated 30 million bags were temporarily lost by airlines in 2005, and 200,000 of those bags were never reunited with their owners, according to an industry report released today. The report by SITA Inc., a company that provides technology solutions for the air transport industry, also noted that "the problem of mishandled baggage is worsening on both sides of the Atlantic." The 30 million misdirected bags comprised only 1 percent of the 3 billion bags processed last year by airports, up from 0.7 percent in 2004, said SITA, which is promoting technology it says would reduce the problem. Last year, mishandled luggage cost world airlines $2.5 billion, compared with $1.6 billion in 2004, SITA said.

Save the NOLA animals, please.


Two of the more impressive attractions in New Orleans pre-Katrina were the zoo and aquarium. They were very beautiful facilities with educational, environmental, and entertaining programs. Protective open spaces with rare endangered creatures.

They were hit hard by the hurricane, but are coming back strong. For the sake of the economy and the children that live there please consider donating. The aquarium alone employed 700 workers and raised $330 mil a year for the city.

It was one of the few, clean, well run, progressive, educational parts of New Orleans and provided a lot of entertainment and enjoyment for me and my friends when I lived there. I donates and got me a sea turtle!

https://secure2.convio.net/ani/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1301

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Are You Ready for some HDTV?


I had the honor of writing a couple tech articles about HDTV leading up to the Super Bowl.

Check them out HERE and some buying advice HERE.



I'm happy with my Panasonic 32" LCD.

Monday, January 30, 2006

PrimeTime : Juvenile Corrections set to air 2/23/06

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Juvenile Corrections update will not air this week. Please standby for a future date.





In August we produced an hour long broadcast on the Arizona Juvenile Corrections Department. We received tons of feedback and viewers asked us to update the progress of the five youth we profiled.


On Thursday, Feb 23rd we will be showing our program again, but with updates on Ashley, Casey, Jerilyn, Jesse, and Conrad.

Make sure to tune in and check it out. ABC News PrimeTime, 2/23/06 at 10pm.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Consumer Electronic Show 2006



I had the good fortune to attend the 2006 Consumer Electronic Show for ABC News in Las Vegas, Nevada. I did some video reporting for ABC News Now and wrote some articles for ABCNews.com.

Check out some of my articles and let me know what you think.

New Kids on the Technology Super Block
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/story?id=1489573

A Glimpse at This Year's Tech Wish Lists
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/story?id=1489513


Dell, Intel Unveil New Concepts at 2006 Consumer Electronics Show
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/story?id=1477380

Sin City Overrun By Tech Geeks
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/story?id=1473241



I received a nice mention in our company wide weekly newsletter:

-----Original Message-----
From: Slavin, Paul
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 18:49
To: ABCNews ALL
Subject: note



2006 is off to an extraordinary start. Our coverage spanned the globe with strong reporting backhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifed up by terrific internal coordination and communication among all parts of the news division. This week – we showed what we mean when we say ABC News is available anytime, anywhere.

OF NOTE
ABC News Now provided regular reports from the Consumer Electronic show in Las Vegas with Eric Strauss on “Ahead of the Curve” and “Inside the Newsroom.”

ABC News content will soon be available on the iTunes Music store. Video podcasts will include daily segments from Good Morning America, the new World News Tonight webcast, as well content from ABC News Now.

*** Thanks to all those that helped me on the ground. Special thanks to my host!

Monday, January 02, 2006

Award Season

It's award season in the network news industry and the Juvenile Corrections program I worked on this summer won our first award.


2005 Communicator Awards:
An International Competition Honoring
Excellence In Visual Communications


Primetime
"Juvenile Corrections"
Award of Distinction
Broadcast News/Documentary
In an hour long investigation, Primetime goes inside Arizona's juvenile correction facilities and meets a group of boys and girls at a critical turning point.


Executive Producer: David Sloan
Correspondent: Chris Cuomo
Producers: Eric M. Strauss; Mark Stanoch
Senior Producers: Chris Vlasto
Senior Editorial Producer: Karen Burnes
Associate Producer: Christina Krol
Production Associate: Jack O'Brien
Editors: Vanessa Cochran; Faith Jones; Gina Pampinella

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Trapped in the Closet



R. Kelly has produced a Hip Hop Opera in 12 parts available for sale on DVD. It is hysterical. I don't think it was supposed to be, but the situations in the opera are just so silly that it's entertaining. Check it out here or here.



My favorite late night host Jimmy Kimmel has made his own version of the opera which is even more fun. Check out the videos here: (Must sit through a quick commercial)


World Premier of "The Pizza"
Episode #2
Episode #3
Episode #4
Episode #5
Episode #6

Make sure to watch them all as they get better with each video (Less inside jokes and more cameos towards the end of the six episodes.)


SNL: Chronicles of Narnia:

But if you really want to laugh plop down $1.99 and check out this SNL music video:
Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell rap about their Lazy Sunday which includes going to see the movie CHRONIC..(WHAT?)..CLES OF NARNIA and buying cupcakes. They would actualy make my Beastie Boys proud!

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