I'm at the Louvre today, enjoying Art - taking the whole day to myself - but trying to hook up with pre LeWeb3 parties that might be going on tonight in Paris - haven't heard of anything, but if anyone of my readers is in Paris, and attending LeWeb3 (or even if your not), leave a comment here (and if you know what's going on Monday night - December 10th … today - you can post it here too … I'll even pass it along to others who might be interested via Facebook).

I arrived in Paris this morning and everything went smoothly except the hotel, which is kinda depressing to be in, I think the next time I'll stay in a Bed and Breakfast instead a 2 star hotel.

Having said that I went to a meetup (via a social network) that I would not have been able to do when I first visited Paris 20 years ago; in fact, even 5 years I would have been hard pressed to find a way to connect up with total strangers the way I did this afternoon at Maxim's Art Nouveau Museum.  The meetup organizer, Chiaki, was very helpful and friendly giving me tips about where to go (see ST. Martin's Canal) and she, as well as others, told me about a nearby Starbucks, where I am now.

To me, Social Networks make possible events like what happened this afternoon at Maxim's - which was a wonderful tour of Pierre Cardin's collection of Art Nouveau art from the turn of the 19th Century.   I felt very much at home at Maxim's; where ordinarily, I would never have gone.

.

And that's part to the value of Social Networks - because I've said that what Social Networks enable is interactions that could not have happened without them- that's, perhaps, the best way to show the effectiveness of a Social Network, in my opinion.

"…I often advise my clients to at least visit
the Musee d?Art Nouveau de Maxim, which
is a huge private collection of the renowned
fashion designer Pierre Cardin who is
an admirer of Art Nouveau as I am when
they don?t have enough time to extend
their visit to Nancy or to stroll around Passy.

This museum certainly can be a good
substitute for those Art Nouveau visits.
As a very successful businessman,
Pierre Cardin has traveled all over
the world and has created this Art
Nouveau Museum above of his restaurant,
MAXIM. Here you may find early works
of Tiffany or some personal belongings
of Sarah Bernhardt and paintings of
Toulouse Lautrec."

Now, let's see how Seesmic.com does (can I go to a party on Wednesday night or even something Monday night that I'd never have gone to save through Seesmic?

Later tonight I'll be on a Airbus 300 traveling towards Paris so my posting will be light - though it would be nice if I was on a plane that had wireless internet and I wrote about that recently in WiFi on Planes (no, it's not Snakes on a Plane).

But honestly, the extent I can post on Sunday and Monday is the extent that I have the time and the wireless internet to use.  My last trip to Paris in late May/June of this year - Paris Trip - Day 1 and the rest of the Trip to Paris plus visiting Aix-en-Provence, convinced me that internet connectivity is uneven, at best, and France seems well behind the US in adopting, providing and using the Wireless Internet, mobile devices, etc.

I'll probably do a few more posts and then finish packing.

Google Blogscoped is live blogged a Google Press Event happening in Paris (actually on Tuesday, June 19th, 2007 - though my Google Reader just picked it up on Saturday - makes me nostogic based on my Paris Trip).  While 90% of the content that Google presented is the same as any other press event they'd give where they talk about Search.

I noticed some emphasis of environmental concerns more important, it seems, to Europeans than Americans (at least, as covered by the Press here).

"…Google is committing to being carbon neutral by 2008. They already use evaporative cooling, Urs says, which according to him results in data centers that use “50% less energy than standard industry data centers.” Google also runs a shuttle service on Bio diesel in the San Francisco area, gives free bikes to employees, uses video conferencing to reduce travel, and has solar panels installed at their headquarter. Urs says that Google is “offsetting what is left,” which he says isn’t always the best, but a “good compromise.” Urs’ speech ties into yesterday’s announcement of Google Recharge, as well as the recent Climate Savers Initiate."

The long video of Chad Hurley and Steve Chen (below) at the Google Press Day event was the most interesting to me, and the longest (an hour!).  When YouTube started in 2005 - it tried to solve a common problem of sharing video - there was no easy way to do that.  As people had the capability to capture video … and now to share it - they did not always want to target it - and the rise of video blogging - and the the rise of a New Entertainment Platform.

In other words, as access changes - new things happen - which intern, create new possibilities - often unforeseen. In fact, Google announced the launch of availability of YouTube in 8 languages (markets).

Another interesting insight that came out of this meeting .. as Google acquires companies like YouTube, the Google Infrastructure team takes over the issues of network availability, up-time, datacenter operations - often making these things better than they were before - and allowing more possibilities of merging the data with other Google Services. 

Perhaps this is Google's real killer app - the ability not only to buy up all these services (like YouTube and AdScape, etc) but the merging of them all under one common datacenter architecture and one common front end, the Google OS!  

Perhaps, in this way Google also beats Yahoo and Microsoft, in that, as sophisticated as the are, Yahoo and Microsoft probably can't pull this kind of merging of services, and leveraging of them…. to pull it off as well. 

Search may the the entry point, as CEO Eric Schmidt says (read further down) the "Killer Application" - but it does not stop at Search … it just begins there.

Another point was CEO Eric Schmidt's statement about Search being the "killer application" for now and the foreseeable future.  As long as Search is viewed this way, no competitor has a chance of beating Google, except in specific niches markets and applications.

“Search was, and is, and I suspect will be for many years, the killer application. We have more engineers working at Google on search than we do anything else. …."As the web gets bigger, you need a bigger index … It’s like looking for more needles in larger haystacks.”

"…Personal search is the next big phenomena, Eric says. The best search is a personal search – one that we arrange, we control, etc. This is going to become the theme of Google as they move forward, Eric proclaims, stating that (and this surprises Eric) iGoogle is exploding in its use. Eric likens iGoogle to a ring-tone as people love to personalize it."

There's YouTube Videos that are now posted on the Google Press Day event - sorta wish I was there - no so much for the event as just being back in Paris.

Nikesh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxWX35BsQg
Chad & Steve:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDG2JKuHjLc
Marissa Mayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRE5x-V-sQUrs

Marissa Mayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRE5x-V-sQ
Urs Hölzle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uvTIKe-CMo
Eric Schmidt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgQGBl0T-A

Here are the first videos that I have processed and made into movies today - there's about 20 minutes of footage that cover 4-5 hours of actual time I spent touring Bibémus in Aix-en-Provence with Christine Boulet, my guide on this tour.

Part 1 - Entry into Bibémus

• Pilgrimage to Paul Cezanne -My visit to the rocky plateau of Bibémus in Aix-en-Provence with Christine Boulet
• Trip to Paris on 5-30-07 - Getting There
• Trip to Eugene Delacroix’s Studio on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
• The Louvre, Monet and various Paris sights on June 1st, 2007
• 5 Studies from Aix-en-Provence - France

Cezanne, Paul
Bibemus Quarry (La Carriere Bibemus)
c. 1895
Venturi 767
Oil on canvas
25 5/8 x 3I 7/8 in (65 x 81 cm)
Museum Folkwang, Essen

Came back last night from Aix-en-Provence where I spent the last 5 days of my trip; did not want to leave and next time I'll spend more time.  Even so, I managed to get 5 Studies from Aix-en-Provence - France and make new friends, consisting of people I met in the art tour in Paris and Aix-en-Provence. 

My overall observations around Internet and mobile usage is the French are less focused on mobile technology, less into gadgets and high end electronic gear and laptops - and more focused on enjoyment of food, physical beauty, health (a lot of walking) and perhaps, politics (but that did not come up much, at least, not for me).

And while the Second Life Census seems to indicate a strong element of Second Life users living in France, I saw no evidence of it with anyone I met. 

I have a lot of footage that I need to process and put up, including more on Cezanne's studio and motifs and a one day, unforgettable walk around Mont Sainte Victoire via the rocky plateau of Bibémus that I have a good hour of video footage on thanks to my local tour guide and friend, Christine Boulet who also took a few of us (Thomas, Wendy and me) up to Mont Sainte Victoire on Tuesday night (near dusk). 

"…Situated between the Tholonet and Vauvenargues roads, the rocky plateau of Bibémus has been quarried for stone since ancient times and was extensively used for new buildings in Aix in the 17th and 18th centuries. By Cézanne’s time, however, the quarries had been virtually abandoned and he was able to rent a hut where he could keep his canvases and stay overnight, too, if required."

And now I'll go back to my regular posting and put up video footage as I can (when I feel it's ready, that is).

I've often said the task of Web Analytics is not unlike the task of an artist, and what Paul Cezanne did - making order out of sensations (data) from Mont Sainte Victoire and the rocky plateau of Bibémus is also what is needed to make order out the massive mountains of data we, as web analysts, face - because people don't want all the data, they want the meaning behind it.

I spent the majority of the day going over to Eugene Delacroix's last studio - the one he died in - managed to get in some decent footage - except for the noise.

I've enjoyed this part of the trip but I'll be glad to leave for Aix tomorrow.  On the way out of Delacroix's studio I made my way over to a nearby church and saw a science fair going on with a lot of youngsters and some really interested youth and parents.

It made me think how much science is encouraged here - and is not treated as if it's the domain of "nerds" - I think that's how science is treated in the United States. 

I took some footage of the event but did not upload it to YouTube yet.

It's been kinda hard to post that much while I'm vacationing in Paris - and just seeing everything that's here in the city - and even, while still thinking and talking about Web Analytics - just don't have much energy or time left to post about it.  I'll be going to Aix on Sunday - looking forward to that and seeing where Paul Cezanne painted, etc.

Been taking videos everywhere I go - maybe too many - to the point the activity of recording my experiences started interfering with enjoying being here and others enjoyment of it - so I decided if observing the experience of being in a place changes the mood too much, it's best not to film it.

Tangentally, I started thinking about how website traffic and engagement is tracked by Web Analytics - Same thing could be said - were tracking site events we alter the normal experience someone has when they come to a website - then tracking needs to be improved so it's does not interfere with the experience of the site; I had not thought about it quite that way before - took the javascript tags put in place as a given - the least we can do for almost any site.

Anyway - here's some videos from day 2 of my Trip to Paris - most are not that good as recordings but might be OK as raw material.  I have not edited them in any way - I'm just putting them out as a way of documenting my experiences, that's all.

Day 2 - a couple of interesting experiences - esp later on in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKX6yXZXg2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdq9m0_YzBc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOiFPo2TC_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1xqJA6yN7M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiaJM8-sIJQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS6PvnK5MC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1tGClfJ5_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHLWESyU5yc

Day 3- The Louvre - just the beginning of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4DRGVePEk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qZgapOhl1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGEpAWw3Kl0

A long, long day that's finally ending with some well deserved sleep  - I filmed much of my first day in Paris but was unable to get the software working that would make larger movies so…. here's all the clips in case anyone would like to see what's happening in Paris, at least, for me.

But then, I figured it all out and decided to put most of my Paris Trip Movies all on one page, for easy reference - this page.

In fact, I decided to also add the link for more detail on each video - and most of these are on http://www.artnewyorkcity.com/ - you'll also find the same video there as here.

Trip to Paris on 5-30-07 - Getting There for Marsha Wooley's Painting Trip to Paris and Aix-en-Provence.

First Day in Paris - May 30th, 2007 - Went on a boat ride, viewed Effiel Tower and had a great dinner.  After dinner - went up to the large church, near our hotel and heard a lot of singing.

Au Lapin Agile Cabaret in Paris and other stuff on 5-31-07 - there's a whole story around "The Agile Rabbet".

The Louvre, Monet and various Paris sights on June 1st, 2007 - I was late and the group I was with went to the Louvre ahead of me … I had to find them but could not - so I gave up and enjoyed the view.  Finally, around lunchtime I hooked up with some of my party and found out where the rest were.

Trip to Eugene Delacroix’s Studio on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 - I want to say that I had a sense of the most profound peace while sitting in the garden of Delacroix’s studio; perhaps, I have only felt such peace once or twice in my entire life.

Visiting Paul Cezanne’s Studio and my first day in Aix-en-Provence  - I made my way to Paul Cezanne’s last studio and managed to touch his robe, cap and cane.

At the base of Mont Sainte Victoire at dusk with my friends - We went right up to the base of Mont Sainte Victoire at dusk, and that led me to cancel my trip to Nice the following day and accompany Christine Boulet on a tour of Bibemus plateau which I have a lot of footage I just published.

My trip up rocky plateau of Bibémus, Paul Cezanne's motifs - My guide, Christine Boulet, was wonderful company - but little of that is really translated in this movie and yet, I hope all of that comes though, past the limitations of the medium of Online Streaming Video - via YouTube.

My trip up rocky plateau of Bibémus, Paul Cezanne - Part 2 -

After the first hour, or so, of our walk, we had the sandwiches and Pepsi Light (we brought no water - or sunglasses) - the heat got to be almost unbearable and when we reached a midway point there was a water fountain - near a dam - and I got my shirt all wet, just to deal with the the intense heat/sun.   But then, as the afternoon progressed, it cooled down and rained and that was magical.

Rocky plateau of Bibémus & tree breast & Restaurant later -

Video Part 3 (the longest segment) - also note the Tree Breast at 1 minute into this clip - it’s special and way off the path (you have to climb down to it and it’s not seen from the road). Also, there’s some footage of the best and most expensive restaurant in Aix-en-Provence, Le Clos De La Violette, at the end of the file (but the URL link does not seem to work).