Archive for December 2009

Year End Wrap Up

December 31, 2009

Looking back, maybe we could say 2009 was the year the playing field got a little more level. It was the year competition seemed to return, the year some of the hoopla subsided and people settled in around the idea that no single application is perfect and that each has its strengths and weaknesses.

For my money that’s a very healthy development, one that can only improve our tools. Competition drives innovation, and our applications are anything but finished. Most of us are eager to see improvements in simplicity, transparency and responsiveness.

In my dreams I hope for an interface like that in Minority Report, with a huge canvas on which to work and a lot of physical feedback. But even without such a fundamental re-imagining, there are big strides that could be made in terms of an interface that’s always on, so you could make changes and continue to work without stoppng video playback. And I look forward to what’s been described as “common timeline,” where all our tools operate on the same sequence and where exporting and importing, when needed, are so transparent that you barely notice them and collaboration becomes a lot simpler.

So, here’s to a brighter year, where our newly flattened playing field will result in significant innovation. I hope you all have a happy, healthy and safe New Year.

Health Plan Kicks In Sooner Than You Might Think

December 29, 2009

One of the most frustrating things about the health care bill working its way through Congress is that if it passes it won’t kick in for years (2013 for the House bill and 2014 for the Senate bill). It turns out that that’s true of the individual marketplace it sets up and for the subsidies to help people purchase plans there. But many other key provisions, some of particular concern to readers of this blog, will go into effect much sooner. One would extend Cobra eligibility for roughly four years. That ought to provide considerable extra peace of mind for people covered through the IATSE. Other provisions that come on quickly eliminate lifetime and yearly limits on coverage, partly close the Medicare drug “doughnut hole,” prohibit insurers from rescinding coverage when you get sick, limit insurance company profits, and force insurers to adopt uniform plan descriptions.

The details are in this NY Times blog post by David Herszenhorn: Health Bill Benefits for the Impatient. Check out the list that starts about halfway down the page. Some of it might surprise you.

Final Cut User Group Videos

December 12, 2009

Video from the LA Final Cut Pro User Group meeting I spoke at is now available for download via the Open Television Network. The meeting covered new features in MC 4.0 and featured presentations from me, Walter Murch and Shane Ross. Details are in this post. The video has been divided into three parts, one for each of the presenters. It’s not free, but the prices are minimal and the quality is excellent. Go to the LAFCPUG page on the Open Television Network and enter your credit card information. Click the link to subscribe to the feed via iTunes. Buttons for all recent episodes will appear in the iTunes podcast page. Take a look at the free previews or download each segment in full. It sounds like a hassle, but it worked well for me and only took a minute or two. You’ll get a signup discount of $5, so watching all three parts will cost you a whopping $2.47.