If you haven't already, you should subscribe to Bill Rosenblatt's Copyright and Technology blog. Bill runs GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies and does a great job of leveraging his expertise across different segments of media - from digital images, to movies, to music.

A couple of recommended posts:

• HP Snapfish gets into the Stock Image business: utilizing the LicenseStream platform from one of Digimarc's partners.
• Early Release Window: A guest post from our partner Veramatrix, about the movie early release window.

And if you are in need of business stategy or technology architecture advise, Bill is your guy.

If you're a photographer and/or like cool tech, I hope you've heard the chatter about Lytro's Light Field camera launch. If the samples (be sure to check out the window shot with the frames) are indicative of what's delivered, I think we're getting a peek at a revolutionary and possibly game-changing technology.

CNET's video of Lytro's CEO Ren Ng shows a lot of possibilities. Shoot first and focus later is the big one, but single lens 3D, holography and maybe even security cameras (that really can resolve the fuzzy person in the background - just like on TV!) are in our future.

Pretty boldmove by making your own cameras, but glad to hear that licensing is under consideration. That's an iPhone upgrade I'll consider. Can't wait to try one!

I sure wish I could have written a "Complete Photography Guide," but Lifehacker did such a great job it seems silly for me to duplicate (wishful thinking as well I should add).

So if you want to learn:

• How your Digital Camera works
• What the automatic settings are supposed to do
• Manual settings – explained in English
• Some good tips for composition – if you don’t know the rule of thirds, now’s the time
• Post production – lots of good info, just hope you have Photoshop

Be sure to check out their links under additional resources at the bottom of the main page. If you’re looking for hardware, a NAPP membership will deliver good deals in addition to their Photoshop tutorials.

For hardware reviews, I like DPReview.com and friends like Steves-Digicams.com. A game changing possibility that was just anounced is Lytro's really cool lens technology. Hopefully this recommendation won’t look too silly in a couple of years.

And of course, don't forget to watermark images you post to the web and those you print!

In the interest of full disclosure: Digimarc and I work with the NAPP folks, but all the other websites mentioned are ones that I just happen to like.

Oneupweb's "Straight Up Search" blog just wrote a post about the supposed upcoming world domination of QR codes... or not. It's going to be a crazy world plastered all over with those little tags, except Lawrence concurs with the benefits of digital watermarking.

True, true, nobody wants to get a digital watermarked tattoo applied to their clavicle, but otherwise there's a compelling argument for the fresh persepective and advantage of imperceptibility (brand preservation, multiple links, etc...).

"Discussions" regarding visual watermarks; those lovely "embossed" copyright symbols, artist signatures and website listings you see on many artist portfolio images can be entertaining. Thomas Hawk has a particularly good rant discussion going in his blog "On Watermarks and Signatures" and his "You Are a Thief" motif is an excellent example of going over the top with a visual watermark. It looked like fun, so I made my own.

As Thomas Hawk points out the primary issue really comes down to overall purpose:

• As Thomas Hawk feels about it, are you like many just making "an advertisement for your work?"
• Are you using visual watermarks like "photo signatures to stop the 'photo thieves?'"

Our web guru likes to fancy up our blog titles, he's just that type of guy.  So I figure I need to put "monkey", "soccer" or something alcohol related to meet his approval. [Kevin, watch yourself. -Ed.]

Verimatrix, a Digimarc partner, has announced StreamMark. This powerful new solution was developed in collaboration with major film studios and is specifically designed to enable early release windows for premium video on demand (VoD) content.

StreamMark provides studios additional piracy protection for first-run, early release movie content.  For consumers, it enables them to get Hangover2 and their favorite movies at home sooner. 

Verimatrix will be demonstrating StreamMark at CableNet, a technology showcase co-sponsored by CableLabs® and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, June 14-16 in Chicago.

Yes, I'm one of the print diehards that continues to enjoy spending a Sunday afternoon thumbing through my favorite magazines. I have an iPad and Kindle, too, but the experience isn't the same. I like lightly pinching the upper right corner and gently flipping the page. I enjoy the feel of the paper on my fingertips — especially the higher-end magazines that understand the pleasure of a silky white paper stock that makes images pop and is so smooth to the touch. As a marketer who dabbles in graphic design, I appreciate the typography, design and layout that enhances my experience and increases my enjoyment of the stories and even the ads. As much as I love technology, alternative reading options just don't satisfy like the printed page.

This is one of the reasons I'm so excited about the new, interactive experiences that are now accessible from print using our mobile phones. Who hasn't seen a 2D barcode, QR code or tag in a magazine or newspaper? They're cropping up everywhere, but still somewhat sparingly. We see a dozen or so here and there in the New York Times, USA Today and Sports Illustrated — to name a few. They've been used on signage, product packaging and at events. For those of us with capable smartphones, we're able to instantly experience an entirely new dimension of rich media and interactive content, and take immediate action when we see something we're interested in. Very cool and exciting stuff! If you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

Introduction

Today we interact with Internet media nearly as routinely we checked our wristwatches to read time-of-day fifteen years ago. While the conversion might seem radical to consumers from 1996, the advent of portable connected devices such as smartphones and tablet computers implies an even more fundamental change in the future. In short, all media shall become interactive – not just Internet media.

At Digimarc we talk a lot about Digimarc Discover and the role of your smart phone as a "seeing and hearing" device. And the more media objects that are enabled - with digital watermarks, QR codes and other technology – the more opportunities consumers have to be connected from a media object to a compelling online experience.

Near Field Technology (NFC) is getting a test run in Portland thanks to “Recommended on Google” window stickers that are starting to appear at local storefronts. These are not your ordinary stickers, rather an interactive sticker with NFC technology. Users on select phones with NFC capability simply touch their phones to the sticker to find out more information about the business.

This test is a long way from a viable widespread solution as not all NFC readers can read all NFC chips, but it's another example of progress towards a world that is enhanced by a seeing and hearing device.

When comparing NFC to digital watermarking, a few thoughts come to mind:

• With digital watermarks you can use a wider range of smartphone; you just need one with a camera, rather than the less common/less available NFC chip decoder
• With digital watermarks you can use standard printing processes; there's no need to insert chip$ into objects

Thanks to everyone that participated in our "Open Beta", providing the feedback we needed to build a product that works well for our customers. If you haven't checked out the service yet, it's not too late to try as we now offer a 30-day free trial to anyone. It's simple to turn your printed content into an interactive, rich media experience. Go here to sign up or learn more on our website by clicking here.