This video was made after breakfast, reading Sylvain Carle’s chapter from the book with the coolest flash widget EVER (which you can see on the right if you’re on the blog).

Anyway, check the fucking video.

P.S.: If you’re looking for an album to buy this week, consider Killah Priest instead, which you can listen to on my new episode. (Yeah, I still do a podcast. I’m just as shocked as you are, frankly.)

P.P.S.: Clyde Smith is saying we shouldn’t buy any albums until more of a stance is taken on the Jena 6 issue.

Have you ever seen something like this? Likely, you haven’t, and you never will– but have you ever considered why that is?

Next time you see someone singing on a subway, or in a public park, consider your reactions to it: the most basic of human activities, suppressed, now mostly reserved for television.

Notice how enthusiastic the metro riders are at the end, however. It’s likely they won’t see anything like this performance for a long time, and they know it.

Fear of shame, derision, and alienation control so much of our lives– but it’s pretty hard to be remarkable, and get noticed, if you can’t get past it.

That said, here’s this awesome video I came across a second ago. By the time you rea this, it may be across 5-10 other blogs you read– or not. Either way, its statistics are shocking.

Something weird is happening here at SXSW. Videoblogging is well-represented here, but podcasts, definitely not. I don’t see any huge podcasters either on panels, or in the audience. 2007 is definitely about video, and if you’re here, you see it clear as day.

Is audio over?

Podcasts will always have their place, but I do think audio is/was quick to be replaced as the exciting medium. We’re already in such a visual culture– it seems inevitable.

Radio is still a huge industry, and podcasts will be too– this, despite all of the options for television, film, and other visual means of communication. If you love audio, there is still a place for you in podcasting. But the opportunity, I think, isn’t as huge as it was.

As a business, I suspect that getting into video would likely be smarter than simply having a podcast. That said, some ideas are better expressed via audio than video. So, making a decision based on the audience you want or have is wiser than basing it on what’s hot right now.

I suspect that, in the future, the MVPs in this space will simply be media producers, not just podcasters or vloggers. Having some hands-on experience in both will likely be very helpful in the coming years– especially for those who, like me, live and breathe web media.

Before I had a podcast, I used to be scared of people seeing me look stupid. I couldn’t have anyone know about a fight with my girlfriend, say something utterly dumb, or have embarrassing stories told about me. I went to great lengths to prevent people from seeing that I made mistakes.

The reality, of course, is that we all look stupid from time to time. The freedom to do so is something that we rarely allow ourselves, but living online has given me the ability to be comfortable with it like never before. Now, I would never go back to the shame of things remaining private.

These days, I live my life as if a camera is always on me. It means honesty is always on my mind, because anything could potentially come back later. And when a camera actually does show up, I really couldn’t care less what it records– after all, what people see really will be me. I’ve mostly gotten over shame, so how could that be a bad thing?

Over time, we’re going to see more and more people do this and, as they do, the level of trust people will have in them will increase. If you’re an online personality, the best thing you could do is open this gate. Take a look at the results; they may surprise you.

Stefan G. Bucher is doing an amazing videoblog – every day he creates a unique monster, using only ink and pen. It’s addictive.