Working in online video, file size and file storage are important. The average rule of thumb is that you get about five to seven minutes of HD video to the gigabyte -- but even that isn't really a rule, because it's all very confusing. Some pro sites even put it about a 1:1 ratio -- 1 GB = approx. 1 minute of high-quality video, as showin in these charts.  The University of Kentucky provides this info:

How Much Storage Do I Need?  To calculate the amount of storage space you will need for a project, remember that uncompressed digital video requires approximately 200 MB per minute of footage, or roughly 12 GB per hour. Once your video is ripped to a storage location, you will also need space for render files and output, so add another 2-4 GB per hour, depending on the complexity of your editing, special effects, output format, etc.

Also keep in mind that you will probably shoot more footage than you will need for your finished project. A good ratio might be 5:2, or 5 minutes of footage for every 2 minutes of edited video. For example, a 3 - 5 minute video will require 4-5 GB; a 30 minute video will require 15-18 GB; a 60 minute video will require 30-40 GB, etc.

 Today we talk about gigabyte files... what's beyond that?

Did you know that when the first Mac shipped in 1984, it came with the luxuriously decadent storage capacity of 128 KB. That's kilobytes. Next, PCs blared through megabyte storage -- MBs -- and today when you go to Best Buy, you're looking for how many gigabytes -- GBs -- of storage you're buying. 

So what's next?  Here's the naming convention, so you can dazzle your friends at parties. Remember, each "jump" increases to the 10th power: a byte is the basic unit; a kilobyte is 10 to the 3rd, etc. (Sorry, Weebly site publishing limitations make it impossible for me to superscript the numbers).



Kilobyte - KB - 10 to the 3rd
Megabyte - MB - 10 to the 6th
Gigabyte - GB - 10 to the 9th
Terrabyte - TB - 10 to the 12th
Petabyte - PB - 10 to the 15th
Exabyte - EB - 10 to the 18th
Zettabyte - ZB - 10 to the 21st
Yottabyte - YB - 10 to the 24th

When do you think we'll be looking at how many Yottabyes of storage we need?????

Nanotechnology. The New Victorians. Future fantasy, grounded in real science...

I am rereading The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson's classic and wonderful book set in a nanotech-centric future. It's a marvel. I read it shortly after it was published, and it amazes me in reading it now how many of the wild, nearly-absurd things he predicted in this book and in Snowcrash, have actually come true. 

Amazing.

The holiday shopping numbers have been analyzed and crunched, and the verdict is in:  consumers went crazy for one big category of tech gadgets:  smartphones, tablets, and eReaders.  Sure, you could make a case that these are in fact rather different groups – but when you think from a consumer’s point of view, they all do essentially the same thing:  hook you up with information that’s not on paper.  Smartphones allow you to actually talk to a person should you desire – but ask any teenager, and text messaging and Facebook are the main communication uses for a phone.  Actual talking is mostly for staying in touch with grandma and grandpa.

A just-released Pew Internet Research study stated that the percentage of adults who own a tablet PC or e-reader nearly doubled during the 2011 holiday season.  According to the survey, 19% of adults said they owned a tablet as of January 2012, up from 10% in December.

E-reader (NOOK, Kindle, etc.) ownership figures increased by the same respective amounts. The poll also found 29% of Americans owned at least one of the devices in January, up from 18% last month.

In addition to tablets and eReaders, smartphones have smashed through the 50% adoption point for many consumer segments.  

According to a Nielsen Research study released in November 2011, while only 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, vast majority of those under the age of 44 now have smartphones. 

In fact, 62 percent of mobile adults aged 25-34 report owning smartphones. And among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54 percent.   

 Given that these devices are no longer even remotely unusual or exotic, we’ll start seeing one simple but important issue that business owners must attend to, and this hits on one of my current pet peeves:  

MAKE SURE YOUR WEB SITE IS MOBILE-DEVICE-FRIENDLY!  

 Pull out your Android or iPhone, and see what your own Web site looks like – if it’s ugly or unreadable (like the example I show, which is the Web site of one of my favorite authors) – fix it.  If you haven’t updated your Web site in several years, or only changed the content on rare occasions, odds are really quite good that it will look terrible.    Think about it – when you’re searching for information from your phone, doesn’t it drive you nuts to find the Web site you want, only to find that it’s nearly impossible to read? 

 Generally, your mobile site does not need to provide 100% of the content available on your main site – you’re free to edit.  Who we are, Contact Us, Directions… make your key information easy to find.  And don’t use Flash – many devices can’t easily run Flash content.  (Another pet peeve of mine – I really, really HATE flashy Flash site openings; it’s usually something that advertising agencies feel they can’t live without, but it drives me nuts.)       

Think of all those newly-minted tablet and smartphone users – and make sure their mobile device interaction with your brand is one that delights them.  That’s the smartest way to go.   

Well, this was interesting!  I ended up at Barnes & Noble this afternoon in search of an led light for my NOOK.  I hadn't been to this store, which is one of BN's top-tier "concept" stores where they roll out new retail concepts and designs.  Lo and behold, in the couple of months since I'd last stepped in the door they had totally renovated.  The Music section was finally gone -- I was surprised it had lasted as long as it had; I mean, who buys CD's any more?  And smack in the center of the store rose a shining new edifice; a NOOK store. A really really BIG NOOK store. 

The NOOK store sells Nook books and magazine subscriptions by displaying the original printed versions.  It's probably the smartest way to do this!  For example, there's a new biography of Queen Elizabeth on display.  It's hardbound, and it's thick; I hefted the book.  Probably 2+ pounds of dead tree pulp.  I thought of buying that old-school book, and the "responsibilities of ownership":  Bookshelf.  Storage.  And ultimately, when we move to a new place -- schlepping the heavy thing from place A to place B.  Nope.  I LOVE my NOOK!  

I did spot one book on the shelf that caught my attention, though -- because it absolutely defines what I decided to do a few months ago.  The authors of Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career & Life by Taking a Break lead readers through the four phases of a career reboot:  creating space, reconnecting, exploration, and reentry.  

I have been blessed to have the wherewithal to do exactly this!  I'm now at the Reentry point, and am looking forward to the next chapter.  This has been the smartest thing I could possibly have done.  

I'll have to see about a NOOK version of this book!

 TABATHA Coffey’s Tabatha Takes Over premiers tomorrow on Bravo.  This woman is in my pantheon of modern-day gods and goddesses; she is the Mars aspect of business in a female-dominated industry, and she is one tough boss.  Tabatha goes into underperforming hair salons and whips them into shape, a reality TV model perfected by Gordon Ramsay with Kitchen Nightmares and other shows. She’s steelier in the salon than Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen!

Hair salons and spas have a lot in common.  Although I haven't worked directly with hair salons, I was fortunate to partner with the esteemed spa industry expert, Nancy Griffin, for a few years before she sold industry insider site SpaTrade.com to American Spa Magazine. Nancy has a lot of the same toughness and practicality that Coffey exhibits; one thing I adored about working with Nancy was that she was ruthlessly matter-of-fact about the foibles and follies of spa owners -- who, like hair salon owners, tend to still be more mom-and-pop operations than major chains.    

The biggest point Nancy Griffin made to me, along with her colleague and friend, Peggy Wynne Borgman (president of Wynne Business Sps Consulting, whose company provides the best Spa Director management training courses available anywhere) is that when you ask spa owners what sets their business apart from the competition, the answer is most commonly "our customer service is the best".  No, it's not.  You cannot use customer service as your key differentiator if (a) every competitor also claims it as what makes them better, and (b) if it's a baseline expectation of your customers!  Can you imagine Sprint's CEO saying "what sets Sprint apart from other carriers is that we really do connect your phone calls" -- ???

That's why I love watching Tabitha, and Ramsay as well:  they don't let small business owners give them any BS about "what makes them special" -- and they call the owners on very fundamental issues of mismanagement, like demanding basic hygiene.

Tabatha has a new book out, and I grabbed a few excerpts from her Web site -- how can you not admire this sort of honesty?  Talk about knowing who you are and being comfortable in your skin!

Excerpted from  http://tabathacoffey.com/book:
 I always made it a point to say what I needed to say in order to accomplish what I needed to accomplish. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I don’t suffer fools easily and that I won’t hesitate to speak my mind. The irony of people’s reaction to my candor is that I just say what most people want to say but don’t have the balls to say. I tell the truth.

If, along the way, I’ve been called a bitch for being honest, I haven’t taken this personally. I developed a thick skin very early in life.

So I reclaimed the word “BITCH” as someone who is Brave, Intelligent, Tenacious, Creative, and Honest. And because I am all of these things, I now proudly own the title…

Bravery—Mine is derived from being a risk taker, personally and professionally, and from always being willing to face my demons head-on.

Intelligence—I’m no idiot. Despite having left school early to pursue my career, I’m well read, well traveled, street savvy, and I’m a successful businesswoman with a strong gut instinct. What’s more, unlike many women who don’t want to appear intimidating, I never downplay my intelligence. I believe women can be both smart and beautiful.

Tenacity—If I’m really passionate about something, I never give up. I’m like a pit bull with a bone. I have always battled for what I want and what I believe in, and if I have to dig deeper for the energy to keep going, then that’s what I do to achieve my goals.

Creativity—If I didn’t have this quality, I certainly wouldn’t be writing this book! I thoroughly enjoy expressing my creativ- ity in all aspects of life, whether I’m experimenting with a new haircut, sporting a new couture outfit, or adapting to a new challenge. Creativity keeps me engaged and makes my life that much more interesting while I am coping with whatever comes my way.

Honesty—I think I’ve already covered that, haven’t I? It is the key trait that makes people perceive a woman as a bitch—it intimidates people and rubs them the wrong way. Although this reaction is often due to sexism, women are more than capable of being intimidated, too. For me, honesty is saying what I think to the people around me, but it’s also about being honest with myself. If I can’t do that, then I can’t be honest with anyone.

The more I thought about my own positive spin on the term “bitch,” the more I realized that, on some level, everyone would like to be a little braver, or exercise a little more intelligence, or be a little more creative, or tenacious or honest. The truth is, all of us, women and men, have an inner bitch. We just have to choose how much of it to let out and when.