I bought it either because I had fun trying one at Best Buy, or because I am an iPhone app developer and need one for work purposes. It was probably a little of both, but anyway, I ordered one and got it in the mail last week. So, I proceeded to open it. But after I opened the outside packaging, I thought, wait, I should make one of those unboxing videos, like what you see many people unboxing the iPhone, XBox, Wii, etc. on Youtube. But my will have a puppet in it, of course! So here we go:

About the device

So, did I like the iPad? Yes, I love it. Even though so far I’ve mostly just used it to browse the web and watch videos (something that I normally do on my computer), somehow using a touch screen to do so is quite an enjoyable experience for me. The battery life is excellent. I got it on Monday and did not charge it at all until Thursday night. Of course, when I was watching videos instead of just browsing the web, the batteries would not last as long, but I could still go without charging it for the whole day. Compared this to my laptop that would only last less than two hours or so, that was pretty good and freed me from being close to an outlet. Also, it stays cool instead of heating up like my laptop, so I appreciate that as well. It is a little heavier than I thought, but is still significantly lighter than my laptop. Therefore I prefer using the iPad when I am in a situation in which I don’t have a desk in front of me.

Now, the downside. There is no multi-tasking so I will need to quit one app if I want to start another app. However, if the app is well designed, it will save its state before it exits so you can resume from where you left off. I mostly just use the web browser anyway. It just means that I won’t be checking my IM or Twitter all the time. I guess it also make you focus more on one thing instead of going back and forth. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a different mentality. Also it doesn’t support Flash. It means I will have to wait till I get back on a regular computer if I really want to see that content. As a computer programmer, I believe it’s a good trade-off. It makes the whole device more stable and keeps the battery from draining. The Youtube videos still work anyway, because they have their own dedicated app, and have recently switched to HTML5 for the mobile version, which is supported on iOS devices anyway.

So, overall, it’s pretty nice, but is still a luxury item, in my opinion. At this point, it cannot completely replace your regular computer, but maybe it was not meant to anyway.

About the video

I actually already cut the outside FedEx box open before I made the video, so I just taped it back. My camera isn’t high def, so you can’t tell anyway unless I tell you, which I just did. What you might be able to tell, if you are really observant, is that some parts of the video are fast-forwarded because the puppet hands are really clumsy at doing things. To remove the plastic from the box, I had already cut a slit on the back (hidden from view) so it’s easier to tear. I actually struggled to remove the plastic from the actual iPad, so you saw me bring it to the side of the screen. What I was actually doing was taking one hand out of the puppet so I could actually peel it. Of course, this was fast-forwarded because it took me a while. (I think that particular part was playing at 13x normal speed.) For the introduction where I had the puppet talking, I actually did several takes, but for the actual unboxing, I knew that I could only do one take (or make it an excuse to buy another one? Hm). That was interesting in trying to get everything right in one try.

If you can’t see the embedded video, click here to see it on YouTube.

The premise of the contest was that they provided the green screen footages of Brad Paisley singing the song, and you can use the footages in your video any way you like. I was glad that I participated, because I’ve always wanted to try these things:

1. make a music video
2. purchase and learn to use a sewing machine
3. build more new puppets
4. build puppets that are humans (as opposed to “monsters” and animals)
5. build puppets that have shoulders made out of foam and cloth them
6. build puppets with hair made out of yarn
7. try out new lighting set-up
8. enter a contest
9. overlay several different green screen shots

And somehow making this video has all those elements! Of course, that’s also because I consciously attempt to try out a new technique every time I make a new video, but so many of them at once? That hasn’t happened before. So yeah, it was definitely a good experience. And I hope you all have as much fun watching it as I have making it!

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch Chet for President on Youtube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (29MB)
mov format (10MB)

Now, why would I release a video on election day when everyone is watching news coverage of the election turn-out? Good question, I don’t intend to answer it.

Is Chet a character that I’ve recently created? The answer is no. Chet and these other characters in the Chet 2008 campaign ad are part of the Bubbleboy Films, which is another online series of puppet videos. It’s created by Paul Hokanson and is my favorite online puppet series at the moment. I’m a big fan, so thank you, Paul, for letting me use your footages. To see more of Chet and his friends, check out Bubbleboy Films. I’ll probably write more about it later.

Update: Yes, I just voted.

The background music is Eternal Hope by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Previous episodes:
Episode 16: Insomnia
Episode 15: Godfather Nightmares
Episode 14: Tofu

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In this episode, Mac and Cheese is having a hard time falling asleep. Bottle Monster suggests sheep-counting as possible remedy. And then… I think it would be more fun to watch the video and find out for yourself instead of having me tell you.

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch Insomnia on Youtube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (22MB)
mov format (7MB)

I actually got the idea for this episode when I was sort of dozing off. Also, filming this one made me realized something: it’s probably a good idea to get a small TV to use as a monitor. See, with the bed scenes, I was operating one puppet on each hand. And that can get pretty awkward already… especially when Mac and Cheese was in bed and Bottle Monster was supposed to be on the side. AND I had to twist my back and neck just enough so that I could actually see the camera’s tiny LCD screen. Since I like to find the easy way out, I think I should probably get a monitor so I don’t have to look at that small screen. Heck, it’s easier than becoming a contortionist!

In case you are wondering what’s that book Bottle Monster was reading, it’s Marisa Haedike‘s What Are You Going to Be Today, Olive?

The tracks used are Earnest and Hamster March, both by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

PS. What’s a little odd is, the video and audio are slightly off in the two downloadable files. But when I uploaded the file to Youtube, it seems to be free of that problem. Weird.

Previous episodes:
Episode 15: Godfather Nightmares
Episode 14: Tofu
Epiodse 13: Tis the Season to be Charlie

To subscribe:
By RSS
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And you can also find all the episodes on iTunes!

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch Godfather Nightmares on Youtube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (23MB)
mov format (7MB)

The tracks used are Serpentine Trek and Mystery!, both by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

By the way, Kevin made a bunch of holiday sing-alongs. You can download them at his website Incompetech.

PS. I actually had some problems with YouTube this time. I normally upload the m4v version, which is 23MB in this case and takes a few minutes to upload. However, when I upload this file onto Youtube, the video and audio became all out of synch for some reason. So I uploaded the DV file, which is 422MB (!!) and took a few hours to upload. The video did come out better though, so I might do that again for future epiodes. I don’t like the black bars at the top and bottom though…

Some Links:
Episode 14: Tofu
Epiodse 13: Tis the Season to be Charlie
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See related post here: I won a book!

In this episode, Mac and Cheese and Bottle Monster answer questions about tofu and soy milk using shadow puppets. It was my first attempt at making and filming shadow puppetry! Did it turn out perfect? No. But it was fun to do nevertheless.

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch it on YouTube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (24MB)
mov format (14MB)

The background music is Joy to the World arranged by Christopher Baker. It’s licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic. No, he didn’t write it but he did arrange and produce it. The original Joy to the World is by Isaac Watts and Lowell Mason. And of course, the lyrics is by moi.

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch it on YouTube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (40MB)
mov format (15MB)

The music is Deck the Halls by Kevin MacLeod. It’s licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. No, he didn’t write it but he did arrange and produce it. The music was made up by some ancient Welsh dude while the lyrics were written by me. Just look how stupid the lyrics is and you wouldn’t even think someone else wrote it.

By the way, Kevin made a bunch of holiday sing-alongs. You can download them at his website Incompetech.

Oh yeah, here is Charlie the Unicorn if you haven’t seen it.

PS. I just realized that there’s a typo in the video, but, eh, too late to change it now.

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch it on YouTube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (52MB)
mov format (20MB)

When I was in UCLA, I joined a theatre company called Lapu the Coyote that Cares. It’s a student-run theatre company that produces their original shows. All the scripts are written by its cast members, and the directing and acting are all done within the group. I’ve seen many student theatre companies on campus but this was the only one that’s consistently putting on shows every single quarter. My college life would’ve been really different without LCC cuz it was such a big part of my college life. I love being silly and I love being creative. I have really random ideas that just need to go somewhere. This group certainly encouraged creativity, and I learned a lot about making visions come true. It taught me a lot about taking an idea and then somehow turn it into a project and then finally a product. The product might be good, might be bad, but what matters is, it gets done.

Up till the previous show, I was performing with LCC. This is my first show as “the wise alumni that come to see the show”. Who knows how the show will turn out to be? But that doesn’t change my love for student productions. Maybe I’ll write more about that later. For now, here’s the show information:

LCC presents…
Enchant This!
A night of drama, comedy, and improv.

Date:
Monday, November 19th and Tuesday, November 20th
Time:Doors open at 6:30pm, Show starts at 7:00pm
Location: Northwest Campus Auditorium (near Sproul Hall)
Price: FREE! Just show up! Bring your friends!

If you can’t see the embedded video,
Click here to watch it on YouTube.
Or download Quicktime movies here:
m4v format (40MB)
mov format (15MB)

And this video used lots of graphics generously licensed by their original authors through Creative Commons licenses. There are so many that they deserve their own table:

Graphic	Usage	Author	License
Office Buildings	Bobby’s narration background	Sylvain Racicot	CC Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic
bank at night	Moostifer night vitamin background	Carsten Tolkmit	CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
A car drives by in the night	Moostifer’s solar power car	Ben Watkin	CC Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic
A discovery	Dinasaurs talking	Denise Chan	CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Comet McNaught	Comet	Steve Crane	CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

This is also the first episode filmed during day time (except the outdoor UCLA video) using natural daylight, which fits the theme, although it’s not intentional. In fact, I didn’t realize that until just now. Filming in the dark certainly has some weirdness associated with it.