Mahalo is a company that has made a [very good] human-powered search engine. Check it out at Mahalo.com
One of the things they also do is a daily podcast called, you guessed it, Mahalo Daily. It’s a short 5 minute video podcast about a ton of different topics, most of which are pretty interesting, informative, or entertaining. It used to be hosted by Veronica Belmont (@veronica on Twitter), but she recently left to go to Revision3, and now they’re looking for a new co-host. They decided to have a competition and play it American Idol style, and they’ve narrowed it down to 6 people. Each of those 6 put together their own episode of Mahalo Daily for review.
Here are the 6, in order of my most to least favorite.
1. Kristina Allison
I originally wasn’t too fond of Kristina in her early interviews. She had no real experience, but she pulled through as the “dark horse” as Mahalo CEO (and Idol judge) Jason Calacanis put it. That said, this girl knows what she’s doing. Her questions were fantastic, and her interview skills were great. The energy level was a little flat in this one, but I doubt that will be a problem once she does a couple more, given her previous stuff.
2. Nadine Heimann
I have no strong feelings either way about Nadine, really. Would she make a good host? Sure. This video reminds me a lot of what Mahalo Daily has been in the past. Would I be sad if she wasn’t picked? Probably not, it was good; not fantastically wonderful, but entertaining.
3. Leah D’Emilio
One of the things I like about Leah is her professionalism. Even just by the quality of the narration, I feel like I’m learning something. While I think it’s a great quality, it’s probably a weakness in this arena. One of the things about Mahalo Daily, especially with a guy like Lon Harris as co-host (check out some of the earlier MDs), is that it can be very light and funny. Not to say that she can’t be funny, but I think the contract would be a bit too distinct. If she doesn’t make it here, I think she’d be great on a “real” news program.
4. Michelle Hummel
Michelle started out as one of my favorites. She nailed the first audition, she’s a techie-in-disguise, as it were, and overall she seemed like a great choice. After watching this though, I have the same issue as with Nadine: it wasn’t bad in any way, but it didn’t really shine in any way either.
5. Andrea Rene
I have mixed feelings about Andrea. She’s enthusiastic about the show, and the topic was a good pick, but I have to agree with one of the commenters. Every time she started to turn around with the loaded gun, I winced. If it was just once, not a huge deal, she’s a newbie; forgivable. But she kept doing it, and it gives a very unprofessional vibe.
6. Sarah Atwood
To be honest, I never really liked Sarah, and this video reinforces my position. I think it was a great topic, fitting for Mahalo Daily (“Mahalo” is Hawaiian for “Thank you.”), but the video just did not sit well with me. For one, the use of the Hawaiian music was alright, but when it switched to “Gonna Make You Sweat”, that was a horrible transition, and that song really had no place in this video.
I really don’t mean to be so harsh, but I just can’t see any reason why she deserves to be any higher on my list.
Well, there are my picks for Mahalo Vlog Idol, based on their Mahalo Daily videos. I really wasn’t expecting to put Kristina on top, but a “dark horse” she is, and I think she’d make a great co-host.
I just finished reading Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Invincible.
AMAZING!
1. Troy Denning, you’re my hero. Well done, sir.
2. That said, it was a little short. For being the final wrap-up to a great series, not to mention the fact that it was a hardcover, 299 pages seems a tad low. Whatever, it was still good.
3. I liked what they did with most of the characters. I won’t give any spoilers (the books are definitely worth the read. Go read them. I’ll wait.), but I will say that there were some characters that died that should have lived, and even vice versa to some extent. Ask me about it sometime.
I’m excited that they set it up for two things. The first and main one being the Legacy comic series. Although I have not read them, I’ve read some things about them, and they sound like they’ll be great. Reading this series has really made me want to read them.
The second thing is this: Star Wars: Millennium Falcon! The next Star Wars book, due out December 30th and set after the Legacy book series, follows Han and Leia as they trace the origins of the Millennium Falcon. We all know Han won it from Lando in a sabacc game, but no one really knows too much before that. The preview in the back of Invincible sounds like it will continue the whole Legacy tie-in plot, but it should be an awesome look into the backstory of one of the most beloved hunks of junk in the galaxy.
I <3 Star Wars. Thank you, George Lucas. Thank you very much.
I’ve read a few of the books on there, including Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, The Metamorphosis, and For Whom The Bell Tolls, but I’ve still got a ways to go…
I like how the Bible is on the list, especially for the reasons he gives. Even if you’re not a believer, it’s good to have read the book that much of America’s culture is somehow derived from, not to mention the massive amounts of wisdom contained within.
So if anybody has any of those books, and wants to give or lend them, let me know. =)
(By the way, don’t worry, there will be some original content soon. The quarter’s winding down, so I’ll have more time.)
Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the first day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won’t matter how many times you say ‘I’m sorry’, the wound is still there.”
AoM, along with similar blogs, has started something called the “Manival.” Oddly named as it is, it’s pretty awesome, as it brings together many great blog posts and articles that are useful for men.
