RitzBitz

·    The recently-ended PMA Australia 2008 Imaging Technology Show, held in Brisbane, Australia is covered in the most recent DIMAcast. The new DIMAcast features Bill McCurry’s PMA Australia Marketing Idea Exchange, recorded live at the show. Hear some of the most successful ideas in photo retailing from Down Under by downloading the podcast. A transcript of this week’s show, filled with pictures, is also available on DIMAcast.com.

·    This week, the AIE Imaging Executive Podcast presents an interview with  Luis von Ahn, assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. Ahn and his team have developed what they call “Games With A Purpose” (GWAP) to help improve computer intelligence. The site provides what they say are fun tasks that are easy for humans — but beyond the capability of computers. Among them are two imaging-specific games. In ”ESP,” players guess what words another will use to describe an image, which helps create descriptions of uncaptioned images. In ”Matchin,” players are asked which of two images they like best, which helps computers recognize what images people prefer.

·    IPIX , a division of Minds-Eye-View Inc., Cohoes, N.Y., licensed key 360-by-360-degree, immersive media patents, to French company Realviz, which was in turn purchased by Autodesk Inc. The license accrues to Autodesk. Autodesk now has certain non-exclusive rights under the seminal Oxaal patent portfolio, covering, among other things, 360-by-360-degree, immersive media applications, and more broadly, the ability to “Lookaround” in electronic media. Lookaround allows a Web surfer to interactively look up, down, and all around in a picture or video by using the mouse.

·    Bogen Imaging, Ramsey, N.J., a distributor of photographic support products and accessories in North America, announces a free introductory lighting webinar titled “How to Overcome 5 Common Problems When Shooting Outdoors.” Held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on June 6, this course targets beginner or amateur photographers. The speakers for the webinar, Christopher Abbiss, Elinchrom and Lastolite associate product manager, and David Fisher, Metz product manager, will explore some common techniques photographers can utilize to help overcome problems they may face when shooting their subject outdoors. Those interested can register for the introductory lighting course for online.

·    The Morrison Hotel Gallery, New York, N.Y., and Sony BMG’s ICON Collectibles, New York, N.Y., announced an exclusive joint relationship to exhibit and sell images from Sony BMG’s music photography archive of more than 1.2 million images. Opening July 16 at the Morrison Hotel’s Soho gallery, the first exhibit drawn from the archive will feature candid, in-the-studio photographs taken mostly by Columbia Records’ in-house photographer Don Hunstein. The exhibit will feature fine art prints of singular artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday, Muhammad Ali, and Miles Davis among others. These photographs will also be available for sale at www.morrisonhotelgallery.com.

·    Fotolia LLC , New York, N.Y., announced a program that makes available a free collection of 500 images and illustrations to Microsoft Office customers through Microsoft Office Online. Microsoft Office customers can currently access a large library of free Fotolia stock photos, illustrations, sounds, and animations.

·    PixFusion LLC, New York, N.Y., creators of photo and audio-personalized video products and services, launched Kideo Australia through a distribution agreement with K.I.D. Productions Pty. Ltd. Using licensed content from several children’s brands, Kideo creates and sells photo-personalized DVDs targeted to children ages 1-7 years old. Under the new 3-year agreement, which covers Australia and New Zealand, K.I.D. Productions will retain exclusive distribution rights for select DVDs within the Kideo library. They have also secured the rights to PixFusion’s patented technologies and services, and will establish a manufacturing facility using Rimage 7100, the DVD burner used by PixFusion. Kideo DVDs are sold direct to consumers through www.kideo.com. Kideo Australia plans to launch its site within the next 2 months through www.kideo.com.au and www.kideo.co.nz. 

·    The Santa Barbara Museum of Art presents “Made in Hollywood: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation.” The exhibition, running from July 12-Oct. 12, will showcase more than 90 original vintage prints by photographers working in Hollywood from 1920 - 1960. The collection of works in the exhibition are chosen from The John Kobal Foundation, a fine art archive of more than 4,500 original vintage photographs featuring the major studios and stars from the late teens until about 1960. The foundation is the legacy of John Kobal, who was among the pioneering generation of Hollywood historians and among the first to examine seriously the photographs taken to promote the stars, the films, and Hollywood as place.   

·    Webbsight Imaging Peripherals Inc., Oakville, Ontario, Canada, has been appointed the Canadian distributer for Heliopan Filter products and accessories, effective June 1. Established in 1949, Heliopan is known for manufactured photographic filters featuring Schott glass with brass rings. The new Heliopan PMC series features eight optical coatings on each side and takes the premium position in the Heliopan line up.

·    Circuit City Stores Inc., Richmond, Va., will lay off 123 employees nationally from its firedog division, which repairs, installs and optimizes digital devices, reports a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch article. The positions being cut are in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The layoffs represent slightly more than 4 percent of the cable-installment unit’s workforce of 3,000. The cable-installation segment of firedog was shut down because it did not meet goals or expectations, the company said. The employees are losing their jobs on July 21. They may apply for other positions in the company and those who don’t find work are entitled to separation pay. In March, the company announced it would lay off 67 employees who sold, installed or managed programs to wire and install electronics in new single-family homes.

·    PhotoChannel Networks Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, signed an agreement with Kodak (China) Investment Co. Ltd. to provide and operate Kodak’s imaging network in China. At the end of April, PhotoChannel signed a similiar agreement with Kodak Australia. PhotoChannel’s network and software expertise will enable Kodak Express stores in China to transmit digital versions of personalized photo products created in the store to a Kodak production facility. The products, created on Kodak Software, are delivered by the PNI software solution through direct connection with the Kodak Software in the store for transaction, credit clearance, and transport of the digital copy to the Kodak production facility whereby the physical product is created and shipped back to the store. There will be 800 Kodak Express stores connected to the platform in 2008.

·    Nikon Inc., Melville, N.Y., announced the “Nikon D60 Moving Moments Photo Contest” in conjunction with the D60 DSLR advertising campaign featuring actor Ashton Kutcher. Consumers can upload an image with an accompanying description to www.ashtonsd60.com for a chance to win the grand prize of a trip for two to Los Angeles to attend The Hollywood Style Awards sponsored by Nikon and a new D60 camera kit as well. Sixty first prize winners will also receive a new D60 camera kit. One-hundred and twenty semi-finalists in the contest will be chosen beginning June 21 by a panel of judges based on the interpretation of the theme, their accompanying description, and photo quality. The 60 winners will be determined by consumers visiting and voting on their preferred picture online between June 25-15.

·    Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography, Turners Falls, Mass., is hosting its third Annual Spring Exhibition & Benefit Print Sale, June 19-29. The museum is collaborating with volunteer students from Hallmark Institute of Photography, to benefit Doctors Without Borders. Showcasing more than 200 photographs by students from the Class of 2008, the graduating professional photographers have donated their photographs to the cause. All proceeds from the print sale will benefit Doctors Without Borders/Medecins san Frontieres (MSF), an international humanitarian medical organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and manmade disasters, or exclusion from healthcare, in more than 70 countries around the world.

·    MyWedding-Online.com, a search engine developed to locate wedding photographers, was recently launched online. Free listings for photographers are available online at www.mywedding-online.com/signupsimple_start.html.

·    Target Corp., Minneapolis, Minn., donated $25,000 in support of the relief efforts for recent tornado damage in the United States. Donations were made to the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Target has provided large scale product donations such as sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, food and water to support the immediate recovery efforts and to aid those families impacted by the storm. In addition, Target team members are volunteering in the recovery efforts.