(YouTube: Evian Roller Babies Video)

The Evian Roller Babies Interview is also humorous (but not as funny as the previous video — you might want to adjust the volume, it's also louder):

(YouTube: Evian Roller Babies Interview Video)

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Here is the I am Woman video I uploaded to Motionbox. I originally uploaded this video to YouTube a couple years ago. The source file is in 320×240 format so the quality isn't great on YouTube or Motionbox, but that's not their fault. [Note: the embedded video below is limited to 100 views a month. If you can't see it, click on this video link to view the I am Woman video on the Motionbox site.]

Song: I am Woman by Helen Reddy

In comparing the privacy setting on You Tube and Motionbox, I noticed that YouTube has two privacy options:

• A Limited Access URL lets dads and moms share their video by creating a special link that only 25 people can view. I've noticed that when you click on the Limited Access URL, you have to be logged in before you can view the video. Otherwise, you'll get redirected to a Sign in page.
• Private Sharing with YouTube friends gives parents even more security by limiting the 25 people to only their YouTube friends. Moms and dads can choose which friends when they upload the video or change the privacy settings.

With Motionbox, there is an open access option (anyone can view video) and two privacy settings: 1. Protected (only contacts can view) and 2. Private (only you can view). Unlike YouTube, your private video is not limited to 25 people. In addition, your friends and relatives don't have to be registered in order to see the private video. All they have to do is click on a special link in your email invite. In my opinion, not forcing your friends and relatives to register is the compelling reason for dads and moms to use Motionbox for private video sharing.

I signed up for the free basic account, but Motionbox also has a premium account with more bells and whistles ($40-50 per year):

[Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for writing this review of Motionbox.]

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If you can't see the YouTube video, it's located here: Kung Fu Styles. I also included artist and download info in the hopes YouTube doesn't disable another one my of videos for the use of third party content. Shouldn't this video fall under fair use as a parody? Song: Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas

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How to Make a Cool Video

Making a fun video is actually fairly easy. I'm on a Microsoft Windows system, so I used a program called Movie Maker. It's free and should have been pre-installed on your pc at the factory. To make a fun movie, launch Windows Movie Maker and follow the steps below. [Note: the screenshots are from a Vista pc and may look different with XP]

Importing Video Clips

(1) Click on "Videos" (under Tasks, Import)

(2) Locate your video clip and then click on "Import"
(3) Repeat Steps 1 and 2 if you want to use multiple movie clips

Trimming Movie Clips
If you are like me, you will want to remove portions of a video clip. To remove a portion of your video clip, follow these steps:

(4) With the mouse, select the clip you want to edit
(5) Click the play button under the video screen
(6) Hit pause at the point you want to trim the video
(7) Click on the "Split" icon to the right of the Play button (Movie Maker will break the clip into two parts)
(8) Select the clip you don't want and press the "delete" button on your keyboard
[trimming movie clips in Movie Maker does not alter the original video files]

Making the Movie

(9) Drag the movie clips into the Video Timeline at the bottom of the screen. You can easily reorder the clips by dragging them to different parts of the timeline.

Adding Images
I like to add a static image at the end of my videos. To add a static image:

(10) Click on "Picture" (under Tasks, Import)

(11) Locate your photo and then click "Import"
(12) Drag the image to the desire location on the timeline
(13) To increase or decrease the display time, drag the right border of the image in the timeline

Adding Transitions
With Movie Maker, you can easily add transition effects between movie clips. In my video, I only added a "Fan, In" transition before the static image at the end of the movie.

(14) To add a transition, drag the desired transition between two clips on the Video Timeline

Adding a Sound Track

(15) Click on "Audio or Music" (under Tasks, Import)
(16) Locate your audio clip and then click "Import"

(17) Drag the sound clip to the Audio/Music Timeline (below Video Timeline)
(18) If needed, shorten the soundtrack by dragging the right border of the audio clip to the left
(19) Right click on the soundtrack in the timeline and select "Fade Out"
(20) Mute the audio of the video clips by right clicking each clip and selecting "mute" (otherwise you'll hear the original audio from the video you recorded)

Exporting the Movie
To save the video:

(21) Click "This computer" (under Publish to)
(22) Enter file name and change location if needed
(23) Select "Best Quality for playback on my computer" (you can also experiment with different formats)

That's it. It took me longer to write this up than it took me to make the Hawaii 5-0 video.

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This is the year of the Ox. The Ox is suppose to be the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. The New Year celebration lasts from the first day of the first lunar month to the fifteenth day. It's 15 days because it takes almost 15 days to go from new moon to full moon. If we follow tradition, we're suppose to clean the house thoroughly before the start of the new year. That's suppose to wash away the dirt (bad luck) from the previous year and ensure our home is ready for good luck. That's not going to happen. We're not big on traditions involving house cleaning. But we do follow the tradition of giving good luck money in red envelopes. Sorry, you're not getting a red envelope from us. The good luck money is for the kids.

I have had not had time to make another video, so I'm going to recycle a video from two years ago. It's still one of my favorites:

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Bad news: we lost power yesterday evening.

Good news: power was out for less than two hours.

Bad news: it was annoying having to reset all the electronics afterwards.

Good news for me: I finished editing my Halloween video on Saturday.

Bad news for you: I get to torment my readers with another video. You're welcome.

That's one of the fun part of being a dad — making fun videos of the kids (and eating their Halloween candy when they are asleep). One of these days, the kids will be embarrassed by the videos. But right now, the videos make my kids laugh their little heads off.

Addams Family (2007)

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I also want to go on record to say my son really is a boy and not a girl. I have no idea why some people might think he's a girl:

If you are reading this post in Bloglines, you can see the video here or click on the image below:

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While my wife was out of town, I let the Little Princess dress up in Halloween costumes. She had a blast and so did I. Did I mention Halloween is the best holiday in the world? Well, it is. The Little Princess likes Halloween almost as much as I do. Check out her video. I used the theme song from the Addams Family. They are my kind of family. I wish our family could be as spooky as the Addams Family. That would be so cool.

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The video is one of my favorites because it captures a rare moment when Spiderboy and the Little Monkey are playing well together. Usually, Spiderboy is chasing after the Little Monkey because she took one of his super hero toys. It's a bit funny watching him chase after his sister because my wife told him to ask for the toy back instead of ripping it out of his sister's hands. Now, he screams at the Little Monkey. "PLEASE!!! PLEASE! I said PLEASE! Give it back to me! OK, no friend!" Well, because you asked so nicely, of course you can have your toy back. BTW, "no friend" means they can't be friends anymore — as if they were buddies to begin with.

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I like the Rolling Stones, but have never been to one of their concerts. Watching their A Bigger Bang tour on DVD is not the same as going to the concert in person, but it's probably the closest I will ever get to being at a Rolling Stones concert. This is one of those DVD where having a good sound system is essential. I played it on a TV with its itty bitty speakers and it didn't sound so great. Then I played it on our big screen TV with digital surround sound. Awesome!

According to the information sent to me, A Bigger Bang, is the best selling concert tour of all time. The seven-hour Biggest Bang DVD box set features two full length concerts and includes two behind-the-scenes documentaries. [Question: Would I be considered a geek if I liked the documentaries? After seeing hundreds of people setup the concert, I can see why tickets are so expensive.]

The Biggest Bang will be available next Tuesday on June 12th for $29.99 exclusively at Best Buy in the United States. The Biggest Bang will be released internationally in mid-summer.

I was planning on giving away the box set to one of you, but my wife said she wants it. My wife, the queen of hip hop, is a closet Rolling Stones fan. After all these years of being together, I'm still learning something new about my wife. [Another Question: Can I count the DVD as a birthday present for my wife?]

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As a parent, I also feel the need to infect my readers with photos and videos of my kids. Below is my latest video (1 minute 26 seconds). This time, I spliced together several clips and added a sound track. The sound track has a few bad spots because I pulled it from an old video tape.

When I was putting the video together, I couldn't help but notice what it means to be Asian American…the blending of two cultures. In this case, the blending of the Chinese fire pig dance and ballet.

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I've learned a few things during these snow days. First, the school district administrators know less than I do about parenting. Otherwise, the district would have cancelled school in a timely manner instead right after the kids have arrived at school. It must have been a lot of fun contacting all the parents — especially the parents that have already left for work. And what do you say to the parents whose kids were stranded on a school bus because it got stuck in the snow? A real mess. In our case, our school bus didn't even show up, which turned out to be a blessing.

I've also learned that if your SUV needs to be repaired in the winter, it's a good idea to have it repaired right away. Otherwise, you will not have any transportation when you run out of milk and groceries. Then you will be forced to hike 20 miles up a mountain in a blizzard because you're no longer allow to give beer to the kids as a milk substitute. And in the process of getting milk, you will be threatened by speeding 4×4's, polar bears, and killer penguins. [Note to my kids in the future: Here's proof that I really did hiked 20 miles up a mountain to get milk for you. I didn't make up the story...because if it's written in a blog, it has to be true.]

You know what else I learned these last few days? Spiderboy thinks mommy is in charge. Listen to the video below and hear for yourself. Sorry for the low resolution; I didn't notice my camera was set at low-res video until it was too late.

Did you hear it? I told Spiderboy he couldn't go down the slide, so he asked mommy instead. I'm at the center of my son's universe, so why would he think mommy is in charge? It goes back to the snowman. I'm a failure.

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My son also sings another version of Happy Birthday. It goes like this, "Happy Birthday to you. You live in a zoo. You look like a monkey and smell like one too." I think he learned this version from the movie, Madagascar. The problem is, my son sings the zoo version at real birthday parties…at other people's houses. It's funny, but a little embarrassing too.

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On Saturday, they sang Old MacDonald in Chinese. Below is the 30-second version. The video and audio are not great because the stage was dimly lit and having a good sound system was not a high priority for the church. Princess M seems a bit shy on stage and a little confused. I don't think she will be a public performer when she grows up. She was also shy and a little confused in her school's kindergarten musical last year. Princess M is the one in red.

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As you can see in the video (29 seconds), my son is no longer Spiderboy. He's now Captain America and he has stolen my shield.

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