This short film from French publishing group Editis presents one vision of the future of books. The video doesn’t represent Editis’s digital strategy regarding the epublishing market, but encourages discussion of future possibilities in the market.

Originally filmed in 2007, this appears to be the latest version with english subtitles. You’ll want to skip ahead to the 45 second mark.

TweetsGiving invites you to bring your grateful heart to the party this November. Scheduled for November 24 – 26, 2009, TweetsGiving is a global celebration that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude.

The 48 hour event was created by Epic Change and encourages us to express thanks using online tools and at live get-togethers across the world. Guest are invited to give to a common cause in honor of those people and things that make them grateful. This year Epic Change will be partnering with Kamptoni in Tanzania to implement a technology lab at a primary school.

Epic Change launched the original TweetsGiving in November 08, with just six days of planning and only two days before the US Thanksgiving holiday, successfully raising over $10,000 to build a classroom in Arusha, Tanzania. Now those students need a technology lab to equip them for participation in a global marketplace.

When 12for12k supporter and friend John Haydon asked me to get involved with TweetsGiving I had no idea what I was getting into. Now I’m on a grand, party planning adventure. I’m searching for a venue for a local TweetsGiving event, entertainment and sponsors. You can find an event to attend near where you live at the TweetsGiving site.

This winter weather makes me want to entertain around an outdoor fire pit.

Frozen rain pelted our roof early Thursday morning, and the sky remained overcast throughout the day. Temperatures have been cooler since. It looks like winter weather is upon us.

Not that I mind, I love the cooler weather and cloudy days. It’s the perfect time of year to sit around an outdoor fire pit, perhaps roast some hot dogs and s’mores, even grill a steak. Outdora, which I’ve recently been happy to discover, features a nice variety of outdoor fire pits on their website.

My favorite outdoor fire pit from Outdora is the Sojoe fire pit. It’s rustic simplicity makes it an excellent centerpiece to an inviting outdoor space. Cutouts in the cold-rolled steel pit add an artistic flair and provide ventilation. (Anyone who has ever choked on campfire smoke knows the benefits of increased ventilation.) There are four designs to choose from, including willow crane, star and moon, kokopelli, and wildlife.

The Sojoe fire pit’s rustic finish never needs painting, and a safety ring encircles the rim. Not only will the safety ring help prevent burns, it also makes a convenient handle. I’m all for ease of use and low maintenance.

Outdora offers many other outdoor fire pits, however. Choices include fire pits, fire rings, chimineas, fireplaces and fire pit tables. Outdora’s elegant fire pit tables make a beautiful addition to any yard space, deck or patio. Bases are composed of masonry, wrought iron and stainless steel, and tops come in a selection of granites and slates.

The fire pit tables are large enough to accommodate friends and family, but just right for someone seeking a place to sit and enjoy their own thoughts, perhaps even write or sketch. They can be converted to a simple table or a tabletop grill. You can even get a ‘cooler conversion kit’ to make it a beverage center.

Outdora’s large selection of outdoor fire pits and fire pit accessories is designed to meet the needs of homeowners and campers alike. They offer fire pit accessories such as protective covers, fireside tools and fire starters. Their site claims the ”highest quality at the lowest prices — guaranteed.”

This is a sponsored post.

This is NaNoWriMo’s 11th season of literary abandon. The annual adventure in noveling, held from November 1 – 31, offers participants the chance to be a part of a vibrant, web-connected community as they create 50,000 word works of fiction.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a project of The Office of Letters and Light, the non-profit organization which also hosts Script Frenzy every April. Their programs combine web and real world components to provide encouragement, foster creativity and build community.

Over 100,000 individuals have signed up this year, eager to be  a part of the seat-of-the-pants writing inherent in the program. Everyone who makes it to the 50,000 word finish line — and has their word count validated by the site — by the end of November is a winner. The forced speed and lack of over thinking fostered by 50,000 words in 30 days encourages participants to just write, ignoring that nagging inner critic which normally slows the process.

This is my eighth year to participate in NaNoWriMo. I’m taking a semi-layed back approach this year as I’m already busy with school, a site redesign and Tweetsgiving, but I know I can make it to the 50,000 word mark with a little effort. If you want to join me in my noveling adventure, you can still sign up at the site.

This struck me as funny after studying the Renaissance of northern Europe in Art Appreciation. Rogier van der Weyden painted a picture of a middle-aged St. Luke drawing Mary (a chronological impossibility), and Matthias Grunewald depicted John the Baptist at the Crucifixion (after John’s beheadment). Artistic license?

Monty Python’s Penultimate Supper may be inspired by Paolo Veronese’s 1573 painting of the Last Supper in which he included dogs, midgets and drunken partiers. The Inquisition didn’t care for his painting.

“I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.”

I’m not sure where to go from here in my efforts to redesign and relaunch The Sky’s the Limit. As I mentioned before, I cut my blogging teeth on Yahoo! 360. I briefly tried Blogger, but couldn’t get along with it. I’ve used a handful of blogging platforms, but the two I like the most are Xanga and WordPress.com. (I hear Posterous is good; I haven’t tried it.)

When I came to WordPress the free version suited me fine for a start. I chose my URL without giving it too much thought. My name and a couple of other choices were already taken.

‘Adamtree’ is a throwback to a time nine or ten years ago when some friends and I discussed creating comic books. We needed a company name, and I made a list to choose from — including Adamtree. We never did make any comics, but I liked the name and began using it on the net.

Now I’ve outgrown it. Not only is it in my URL, but it also identifies me when I comment on other blogs based on the WordPress platform. I would rather be marked by my name.

So here is what I want:

• a registered domain name
• a new URL
• a new blog name
• a new username

It seems my best option is to start with a new account. I can transfer posts, images and even comments. I can’t transfer my site metrics, but I won’t cry over their loss either. The drawbacks to this approach are the amount of time it will consume and the care I will need to exercise in making sure old post addys point to the new locations.

Can you tell I don’t really know what I’m doing? There’s no way to learn quite like hands-on experience. If you have any advice, tips or wisdom, or know of any appropriate resources, please let me know. Thanks for your help. You make this blog worthwhile.

There are so many different mediums available to storytellers. Artist Kseniya Simonova uses a light box, music and sand painting to depict Germany’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.

It’s good to know Big Brother is watching out for us by keeping all those nasty, unscrupulous bloggers in line.

According to The New York Times, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is revising its rules regarding testimonials and endorsements in advertising. Beginning December 1, bloggers who write about products must disclose any connection with the companies which make the products or marketers who advertise the products.

The FTC’s Richard Cleland says, “…we saw a huge problem out there that was imperative to address.” I can’t help but wonder what huge problem he’s referring to.

Laws already exist which regulate advertising. I hope the FTC aims to make the laws more clear and protect consumers, but I’m afraid their goal is to further chip away at freedom of speech, making us subjects rather than citizens.

What’s your take on this issue? Are the FTC’s rule changes a necessary measure to protect consumers from false advertising? Or are they just another one of Big Brother’s tactics to repress basic human rights?

A new month brings a new 12for12k charity. October’s chosen charity is Musicians on Call.

Music speaks to us on so many levels. It can encourage us when we’re down, play on our emotions when we’re up, inspire us to live better lives and draw us closer to God. Music even has the power to restore and heal.

With chapters in New York, Philadelphia, Nashville and Miami, Musicians on Call brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. The organization’s efforts complement the healing process in a number of ways:

• a Bedside Performance Program in which volunteer artist give in-room, live performances
• a CD Pharmacy Program providing hospitals with CD libraries and personal CD players
• the Project Playback Program allowing patients to record and produce their own music

So what can we do to help? It turns out that 12for12k’s goal of raising $12,000 per month fits nicely with Musicians on Call’s recently launched One Song campaign.

For just $10, Musicians on Call can bring one song to the bedside of someone who really needs it. Our donations achieve the following:

• $10 brings one song to the bedside of a patient in a healthcare facility.
• $50 brings 5 songs to the bedsides of patients in a healthcare facility.
• $150 brings music to 15 patients through MOC’s Bedside Performance Program.
• $250 buys 20 “Discmen” for a CD Pharmacy so patients can listen to music in their beds.
• $500 brings the Performance Program for three weeks to a healthcare facility.
• $1,000 brings the Performance Program for six weeks to a healthcare facility.
• $2,500 creates a CD Pharmacy in your name or in honour of someone.
• $5,000 brings the Performance Program for six months to a healthcare facility.
• $10,000 brings the Bedside Performance Program to a healthcare facility for one year.

By supporting 12for12k and Musicians on Call this month we can easily provide patients in a medical facility with in-room, live musical performances for a whole year.

I hope you’ll join me in giving to Musicians on Call. You can donate or get more information at 12for12k.org.

One thing I want to do with The Sky’s the Limit is continue to share interesting videos when I find them. I don’t, however, want to post videos just because I was too lazy to write an entry for that day. I’m thinking of making it an ongoing feature in addition to regular daily posts. Maybe I could post vids on Saturday mornings (idea totally stolen from Bully).

I read about this short film in my textbook for Art Appreciation. Georges Melies’ A Trip to the Moon may be the world’s first science fiction movie.

Remind anyone else of something more recent?

I have no idea what those guys are singing, but the supposed lyrics can be found at LyricsFreak.com.