Neha Tiwari Pvt. Ltd.

People have been livecasting for years, starting from the late 90s. From JenniCam to the more modern iJustine, many people had no reservations on letting people into their bedrooms, cubicles, and lives. I was always skeptical about the whole livestreaming idea–until now.

I remember when I was at TechTv, I used to see Sarah looking into her webcam and addressing the public. Sometimes it was direct (most of the time is was pretty indirect or “fishbowl communication”) but I knew it was very popular. With the advent of Flip video camcorders and Qik for mobiles it seems that almost every Tom, Dick and Horatio is livecasting to anyone who will watch. There is no shortage of sites enabling this lifestyle like Livestream [formerly Mogulus], Seesmic, Justin.TV, and Ustream. I have started using Ustream and enjoy livestreaming in a controlled manner so far.

I liked Ustream above the rest for one simple reason–the number of “creepy people” seems to be surprisingly low. I tried Justin.TV last year for research purposes and once I hit broadcast, there were already five creepy strangers in the chat room talking about getting my number. I’ve only broadcasted with UStream three times, but each time my viewers were either Twitter followers or at least knew who I was. The amount of inappropriate comments was low, which continues to motivate me to do it more often. Video chatting live with people who watch my work was great and it was nice to hear someone saying that they liked seeing my “more low-key and natural” side. I also made sure to reaffirm I was a dork [for anyone thinking otherwise] by showing off my Mr. Potato collection, all Star Wars, Spider-man and Transformers themed!

Ustreaming was probably easier for me than some of my predecessors since I already have a good repertoire with my participants, thanks to Twitter. Technically speaking, I think that Ustream worked pretty well except for it dropping my video every few minutes. The sound quality was good from what I heard and the video quality [when it was up] was fine. I plan on scheduling a Ustream sometime soon as they recommend that for more viewership. I do appreciate that people wanted to spend their Friday night watching me chat about Street Fighter IV or just answering questions they may have for me. If you were skeptical like me before, I would recommend giving livestreaming a second try as it’s a whole new level to communication which I like. Will I be taping a camera to my head any time soon? Nope. But I will show you my Mary Jane Barbie doll the next time you stop by NehaLive!

Earlier this week, my friend Brooks showed me a minute of a movie called Sita Sings the Blues. After seeing the artistry and listening to the toe-tapping indo-fusion music of the beginning clip, I knew I had to watch the rest.

Sita sings the Blues is an animated movie that chronicles the life of New Yorker Nina while juxtaposing the classic Hindu text, The Ramayana. Music from the jazz age is interjected into the plot to describe the emotions of the protagonists in formulaic Bollywood style. What makes Sita Sings the Blues all the more interesting is that it’s available in its entirety [10 parts], in HD on YouTube.

The creator/director, Nina Paley, has become a Creative Commons beacon with her choice to use non-traditional commercial copyrights with her work. Sita Sings the Blues has been out for a little more than two months and has been shown around the world at festivals and parks. It’s an entertaining, beautiful, and informative watch which I would recommend to those who like something a little different. Check out the screening list to see if Sita is visiting a town near you.

People use micro-blogging service Twitter for a plethora of reasons. @Oprah (Oprah Winfrey) uses it to talk about tick remedies for her dogs. @Apulsk (Ashton Kutcher) tweets about international politics. As for me, (@Nehalia) I mostly talk about cool stuff I discover on the the internet, tech, music, food, and fitness. At the end of last year when I was going through a tough time, I thought of a better way to use Twitter: to track how grateful I was for the life I lead.

It all started with being really upset about how events were unfolding beyond my control and trying to find a way to be positive when the chips were down. In January of this year, I left for India and realized how fairly easy we have it in the US with just the basics. Sure, I had thought about this before; the difference was that I wanted to not only remember but note all the things I am grateful for. Since I chronicle most of what’s going on in my brain on Twitter, I thought a hashtag would be the best way for me to file my positive thoughts and thus #tigf [things I am grateful for] was born. Just reading back to all my past #tigf’s is a great retrospective; many parts of India that I was tweeting from did not have electricity or running water all the time. I also noted the wonderful things about being there, like spending time with my adorable nieces. All in all, it’s been a great way to truly document moments of happiness or extreme gratitude for elements in my life.

Like many of you out there, I am receiving unemployment checks and trying to find a great full time gig. Other than #tigf, I’ve made a number of other positive changes in my life like adopting the life of a teetotaler and exercising regularly. Ever since I was in college, I was living the life of the overachiever and never really made time for myself. Now, I feel balanced and truly happy even without a paycheck, which has definitely been a journey that has taken me from here to India, China and back. Positivity and morale is low with the general American workforce and I think something as simple as a hashtag could possibly make you think differently. I encourage you to try joining the #tigf movement and would love to hear some of the things you are grateful for in your lives. It can be as simple as having a pair of warm socks to being blissfully employed and leading your dream life. Try on the #tigf movement for size and let me know what is fueling your happiness!

A while back, I saw this commercial featuring Heroes starlet Hayden Panettiere:

That was my first inkling of curiosity for the LG Xenon GR500, a slider cell phone which doubles as a fun smartphone. When my Blackberry’s charger port lost a couple pins [plug in your mobiles with care!], it was impossible to charge/sync and as good as gone. I quickly needed a new phone, and after having the Blackberry Pearl for a few years, I figured trying something new wouldn’t hurt. At first, I wanted to try the Samsung BlackJack II as I thought it would be an easy switch from Blackberry. Because the price was important to me [hello, recession], I decided to go with the more modestly priced and fresh on the market mobile, the LG Xenon. Plus, the LG Xenon is rumored to be an incarnation of the flashy LG Prada phone which was the hot item a couple of years ago. What’s not to like about Prada?

With a novel touch screen interface and a much cheaper data plan with AT&T, the LG Xenon has so far been a welcome change. I don’t miss the SIM Card Error message that I would frequently get on my Pearl and I really love the smooth QWERTY keyboard on the slider. As I was discussing with my friend Erica a couple of weeks ago, LG phones tend to have a nice spring tension with their keys [she owns an LG enV]. I also like how the picture can rotate on the screen when I am looking at any media or when I open up the slider to compose and email or text. The touch screen is different than the Apple iPhone or the Google Android. Xenon’s touch screen is a little more jerky and not as sensitive as the aforementioned phones. It does, however, provide the same wonderful make-up sponge capability as the iPhone and Android. Another drawback is detailed selections on the screen [i.e. links, buttons, etc.]; if you have fingernails or small fingertips, maneuvering through the web, menus and address book may not pose a challenge. If not, you may want to invest in a stylus.

For a price point of under $100, I would recommend the Xenon to any data lite consumer. It’s adequate for emails, chatting, texting, Twittering, and visiting basic websites. It also has a microSD slot that supports and additional 16GB, 2MP Camera with VGA capabilities, MP3 player, and applications that can be useful. I’ve had the Xenon for almost a month now and I am happy overall with its performance. The LG Xenon is more cost efficient than most smartphones on the market, and may not have full smart capabilities, but is close enough for this (former) Blackberry girl.

One of the most anticipated movies in years had its opening night yesterday. Star Trek, a franchise that has been around for more than four decades, has amassed a number of fans through the iterations of Gene Roddenberry’s vision.

I have been a big fan of Star Trek since I was a child. I loved all the movies with the classic cast and religiously watched The Next Generation. I followed Star Trek on to Deep Space Nine and less so to Enterprise, and felt that the saga had ended with Nemesis, one of my favorite films of the series.

Along came J.J. Abrams with his big ideas to revamp the sci-fi classic, a risky move by my account. I have always felt that Star Trek had a very unique tone, something that has never been replaced by any new space travel show, and quite possibly one reason I have never gotten into series like Battlestar Galactica. Star Trek is the epitome space travel drama and Abrams did a brilliant job of maintaining that level of class.

There are many reasons why Star Trek went beyond my expectations as I was slightly skeptical going in to the film. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should go see it and rest assured that our beloved franchise is in good hands [In no particular order]:

5. New faces: Sure, who doesn’t love Matthew McConaughey’s mug? Although seeing well-known, established actors can sometimes be a comfort, it can also become stale. Star Trek has an ensemble with some who are recognizable, but many who are fresh to the big screen and a large audience. One of my main worries about Abram’s film were how well the characters I have become attached to would be cast. After seeing the film, I have no doubt that he did an excellent job as did the actors in studying their characters. There is little to no annoying factor with this group of talented players.

4. Strong plot: Whether you are into space travel or not, a strong story line can go a long way in a film. The Star Trek movies in general have done well with having some solid plot direction [Insurrection excluded], and this is no different. There were little to no holes in the story and the actual premise was very interesting. The way the movie was stacked as far as plot elements was logically and creatively executed.

3. References galore: What would a new Star Trek movie be without the old phraseology? References run rampant in this film and are done in a beautiful and sometimes touching way. Abrams knew his audience had a relationship with the old story lines and cast members, so he brought all those little quirks back in this film. The dialogue in Star Trek was well written and said by each character and the references were just the cherry on top. Each throwback appears naturally and as a viewer, you can only *nerd snort* all along the way!

2. Spectacular special effects: ILM did a masterful job with the special effects in Star Trek. The USS Enterprise has never looked as sexy and I could only imagine how thrilling some of those Intergalactic battles looked on IMAX. The action sequences were a good balance between old styles and new technology and was overall thrilling. Also, the costumes and makeup are all expertly done which transport the viewer into the time and place.

**Warning Spoiler Ahead**
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