Teaser Preroll video

One day last week, my coworkers informed me of a contest that starts on April 2010. The prize giveaway was the biggest ever in the history of the radio station. I felt I needed to at least create a "teaser video" for our radio streaming product in order to peak the interest of our audience and convey some hype.

The prize involves "water" so I created some water bubble effect video to serve as the background. Then, it was a matter of finding the right music, and creating the teaser text to accompany it.

A few edits here, some effects there, and below is the result.



For some reason the text display timing is off - it should appear with the music's downbeat. Must be some Blogger encoding artifact

The life of an Xbox Ambassador™

I recently became fortunate enough to be granted Xbox Ambassador status on Xbox/Xbox Live.  To start, this is an honor and I'm happy to participate in a program devoted to helping people.

Along the way, however, I've read and heard some misconceptions about what an Ambassador actually does, is supposed to do, and what their primary duties are.

As an XA, my primary goal is to help others.  The fact that I inherently do this actually makes my role easier.  I'm no different than any other gamer/subscriber.  I yield no magical powers, I have no special privileges and most importantly, I am not a Mod(erator).

In return for my help, I'm granted a forum game card symbol (seen above) that serves as a signal to others that "I'm here to help, any way I can."

Contrary to any belief, XAs do not get discounts, prizes, games, Microsoft Points, LIVE subscriptions codes, swag (T-shirts, caps, mousepads etc.), nor do we expect any.  Individuals interested in being Ambassadors have chosen to be in the program because of their willingness to help others.

I am not an employee of or contractor for Microsoft/Xbox, yet because I can be perceived as a "representative", I obviously do my best to showcase the positives on all fronts. However, I am an individual and am encouraged to be myself on XBL and the forums.

With that said, if I come across a healthy discussion with an opposing view, my role doesn't prevent me from disagreeing - but, common sense does prevail as it always has.  I will engage a discussion in a tactful, constructive way that shows respect to both the parties involved and the company I represent.  This is how it should be anyway, and does not necessarily reflect on my Ambassador status.

I am not a Mod, as stated before, but, should I come across an issue on the Live service or forum, I report it appropriately.  But, I don't purposely "police" the service or forums.

As mentioned, no rewards, but there are some perks: Having people seek you out (and thank you) for your help and making new friends along the way.

Should you ever find yourself needing help, feel free to send me an Xbox message or forum PM (GT: JAriel) - or hit me up on Twitter - @jag731.

Enjoy Trance?

While rummaging through my hard drive, I found this little gem.

A Trance mix I created way back in 2005. I had come across an awesome mix by Toby Doran, and got inspired. It's about 45 mins long.

Featuring music from Cass, Delerium, Peter Lazonby, Armin Van Buuren & others.

Right click here and "Save as" to download. (~41M)

Enjoy!