Producing Interactive Television (Charles River Media Internet & Web Design)

The concept of Interactive Television (ITV) is not an easy one to pin down. It has taken many forms, spurned good and not-so good connotations, and has confused the public and experts alike. Producing Interactive Television aims to unravel the confusion by taking an in-depth look into how the merging of digital and Internet Technologies is changing the way people receive, watch and react to TV, and the way TV producers plan and develop productions. For easy understanding and clarity of the topic of ITV and its content development process, the book is divided into three parts. Part One offers the necessary background information on ITV's origins and future. Part Two is a start-to-finish guide to the enhanced TV development process, including hands-on lessons for the prototyping and HTML implementation of ITV interface designs. In Part Three, TV producers and ITV developers share their real-world ITV projects, providing insightful advice on the pitfalls and successes of ITV content creation and the overall industry.

What do you get when you cross the interactive abilities of a computer with the information delivery power of a television? No one is quite sure, but Annesa Hartman attempts to define the field, the process, and the experience of not just viewing but Producing Interactive Television.
Hartman presents a history of the development of television, the rise of the computer as entertainment, and the events taking place that are merging the two. Then she covers the technical process of developing an ITV project--the necessary ingredients, the tools used, the process involved, and the various delivery and execution methods.
Tools and methods change over time, but the information in the last section of the book is timeless and valuable. It is a showcase of real-world ITV projects, including images and interviews with the creators and producers of such projects as SpinTV, Spiderdance, the AFI Enhanced TV Workshop, and Showtime Networks. Not many people are producing ITV projects, but rest assured that everyone is watching the field.
There are certainly some major issues yet to be resolved on both sides of the screen. The formats for an interactive production are far from standard, and the definition itself is still up for grabs. Producing Interactive Television validates and defines this new medium, shedding light on a growing innovation. This book should be read by anyone who sees that the future of entertainment and education lies in the elusive offspring of the television and the computer. --Mike Caputo

C Street. Virginia City, Nevada (Virginia City Historical District) The Territorial Enterprise was one of the American West's most important newspapers during the 1860s and 70s. William Jernegan and Alfred James founded the publication on December 18, 1858, in Genoa. Nine months later, the Enterprise moved to Carson City where Jonathan Williams eventually became its sole owner and editor. In October 1860, he moved his business to Virginia City, then barely a year old. Within a few months, Joseph Goodman and Denis McCarthy joined Williams as partners, with Goodman becoming editor-in-chief and eventually sole owner. The Territorial Enterprise grew into a profitable daily newspaper with engaging writers reporting on the mining industry to regional, national, and international investors. In addition to its legitimate news, the paper became known for outrageous journalistic antics. Reporters William "Dan De Quille" Wright, James "Lying Jim" Townsend, and Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens perfected the art of the western tall tale with articles that became legendary for their wit. The juxtaposition of clever writing and the financial importance of Comstock mining gave prominence to the Territorial Enterprise, which would have otherwise been an obscure publication for a mid-sized western city. Although Comstock journalism produced many rival businesses, the Enterprise rose above them all as the quintessential mining town newspaper of the West. In 1874, Goodman sold his interest to William Sharon of the Bank of California. Before that, the Territorial Enterprise had produced opinions that effectively opposed Sharon's first bid for the U.S. Senate. Sharon was running again and wanted the newspaper to plead his case. He hired Rollin Daggett as managing editor. The tone shifted, Sharon became a senator, and Daggett became Nevada's congressman in 1878. A succession of editors shepherded the Enterprise through the following years of failing mines and declining population. In 1880, the job of editor fell to Fred Hart, formally of Austin's Reese River Reveille and a noted proponent of the tall tale. Within a few weeks, reaction to his mischievous style forced him to flee Nevada. On January 16, 1893, the newspaper ended publication with the final note, "For sufficient reasons we stop." Nevertheless, the Enterprise sputtered to life several times through the turn of the century. Its final issue appeared on May 30, 1916, when it merged with the Chronicle, a rival newspaper. In 1946, Helen Crawford Dorst revived the Territorial Enterprise, which appeared irregularly for a few months. Five years later, newly-arrived eastern writers Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg acquired the moribund Virginia City News and resuscitated it as the Territorial Enterprise and Virginia City News. It premiered on May 2, 1952. Drawing on the nation's literati, Beebe attracted renowned writers for his weekly. For eight years, the newspaper gained widespread fame and reestablished the name Territorial Enterprise as an important journalistic institution. Beebe sold his interest in 1960, after which the newspaper stumbled throughout the decade on its way to oblivion, ending production on March 28, 1969.

THRACO-MACEDONIAN TRIBES, The Ichnae. Silver. Oktadrachm. 29.41 g. Ca. 480 B.C.E. I-X-NAI-[ON]. Herdsman leading two oxen left, one with head lowered, the other with head raised / Four-spoked wheel in incuse square Condition: Very fine. Published: Asyut 41. A.C.N.A.C. 5, J.P. Rosen Collection 122. Provenance: Asyut Hoard (I.G.C.H. 1644). Numismatic Fine Arts II, 1976, lot 107. Bank Leu 22, 1979, lot 66. J.P. Rosen Collection, New York. Numismatic Fine Arts X, 1981, lot 94. A fascinating okatdrachm of the Ichnae Tribe: found in a hoard from Middle Egypt. The early fifth century B.C.E. saw a number of large silver denominations minted by the somewhat shadowy tribes whose territory lay inland to the north of Macedonia and Thrace. The coins, with denominations as high as dodecadrachms, were some of the largest coins produced by the ‘Greek’ world up until that time. The Ichnae Tribe lived to the west of the river Strymon, in the valley of Axios. The production of such large silver coins suggests that the tribes had access to the rich silver ores of the area, and that their coins can be regarded as a means of exporting silver bullion. They have frequently been found in hoards throughout the eastern Mediterranean. This piece, for example, was found in the highly important hoard discovered in Asyut in Egypt. HUNT III, 8

A sports-crazed kid from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Gary David Goldberg never imagined he’d end up in Hollywood, let alone make it big there. But as a twenty-five-year-old waiter in Greenwich Village he met Diana, the love of his life; followed her out to Northern California; then moved in and never moved out. He also, without realizing it, put himself on track to found UBU Productions (named after his beloved Labrador retriever) and become a successful creator of such family sitcoms as Family Ties, Brooklyn Bridge, and Spin City.*

In Sit, Ubu, Sit, award-winning writer/producer Goldberg tells the mostly upbeat, sometimes difficult, and frequently hilarious tale of his improbable career and the people who have filled it.

A love story and a rare behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry, Sit, Ubu, Sit proves that it is possible to be creative and successful while holding on to your integrity, your family, and your sense of humor.


*with Bill Lawrence


From the Hardcover edition.