I actually used my long-dormant Yahoo! messenger username to activate a Flickr account just so I could order some Moo Minicards. They’re US$20 for 100, including free international shipping.

Business cards are a great promotional tool, and especially useful as a distracting device when punters approach you mid-set. I have a couple of designs for different occasions, but Moo’s double-sided, full colour cards seem much more relaxed and friendly.

The Moo Flickr Group contains plenty of action shots and positive feedback.

What are you going to do when the revolution comes and power goes out? You won’t be able to fire up your small form factor visuals bomb and knock out storyboard cells for that zombie/nature documentary that’s been orbiting your head all day. Don’t worry though, the GTD nerds have visualists covered too.

D*I*Y Planner have been producing great CC licenced productivity tools for a while now. I’ve been using their Hipster PDA format To-do, Actions, and Grid templates, but somehow I’d forgotten that they also include:

A series of cards to unleash your creative side — Story Idea, Plot Point, Character, Item, Story Board(s), Mind Map, a pocket Photographic Release, and more.

I have to admit, I’ve printed out a nice sheaf of these and have been doing a little brainstorming creative side unleashing of my own. One of the great things about index cards is their shuffle factor, you can put a fragment or idea on each and move them in relation to each other. This would be fantastic for working on story flow or scene structures. Of course there’s purpose built software such as Final Draft, Storyboard Artist or even The Movies, but there’s something comfortable about scribbling on a collection of little cards.

“For me, it’s like a music video,” says Holly. “What I do has more to do with go-go dancing than a DJ. I am the video equivalent of a go-go dancer.”

My story on NYC VJ Holly Daggers (of Eyewash fame) is now available online from Keyboard Magazine:

VJ Holly Daggers: Go-Go Music Videos Go Live [Keyboard music/picture]

Links and story background [CDM]

The key to Holly’s go-go effect is a hardware rig with a camera, Korg Entrancer sampler, and multiple Edirol mixers — no computer. (Check out the rig diagram.) So when the folks at Livid talk about expensive hardware rigs, this is what they mean. On the other hand, a computer can neither replace a camera, nor sample video fast enough for what Holly’s doing, so it’s more of a matter of choosing the right tool for the job (or the tool you can afford) than which is better.

Anyway, enjoy the story, and watch for more VJ coverage; there’s a wide range of aesthetics and appproaches out there.

First off, welcome readers of Keyboard Magazine, which has bravely taken on a new regular feature on VJing for musicians. Don’t read Keyboard? Check out online stories or subscribe at Keyboard’s site.

In the September issue of Keyboard, there’s not only a great cover story on Trent Reznor, but I did a two-page feature on VJ Holly Daggers. There were a lot more links that I wanted to talk about than I could fit into the article, so here goes:

Holly Daggers, Reflective Chroma-keying, and the Korg Entrancer [CDM]

Holly’s rig: Reflecmedia’s miracle surface, perfect for chroma-keying, Edirol V4, the favored 4-channel hardware video mixer of VJs everywhere, and of course the Korg Entrancer, the key to Holly’s setup

VJ resource list from community sites to VJ performance reports [CDM]

Hands-on with the Kaptivator, Korg’s beefed-up new video sampler (Holly? Have they sent you one yet?) [CDM]

Forward Motion Theater, Holly’s collaboration with Eric Dunlap that produces the Eyewash VJ event here in NYC

VJing: Now in convenient book form! Lastly, much to my surprise, we have a new VJ book to look forward to that features the Eyewash crew and many of the other top VJs and video artists, and provides essential how-to information:

The VJ Book [via share.dj]

Not only that, but the writer is Paul Spinrad, who I also get to work with via Make Magazine. We’ll have to all have drinks in the fall when his book, plus my upcoming (delayed) book Real World Digital Audio are both out!

Got other VJing tips or resources to share, technical questions to ask, or just want to brag about your demo reel? Drop me a line, because remember, “I don’t sleep.” (TM)

Search for “VJ” for more coverage at CDM, or check out the latest news.