Elsewhere with Meatbomb

16/06/2021

Took me long enough! Please guys, watch, no views = bad karma, so let's spin that wholesome chakra wheel together to bring love and positivity in the universe, all it takes is watching this video! The BEST THING about Uzbekistan! And you won't believe the SUPER DELUXE BONUS CONTENT at the end.

There is plenty more in the can, stay tuned...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H05ONljpFro

If I tell you it will ruin the surprise! And watch righ tto the end for the super exclusive BONUS content shot live for your viewing pleasure in Khiva, Uzbe...

27/08/2020

https://youtu.be/wIamzkSQyCw
Workers of the World, unite!

What's it like working on a highway landscaping crew in China? That is the question that is partially answered within this video.

25/08/2020

https://youtu.be/UmRbE5laOGs
At Sweating Dog Industrial we know that today's media consumers want their content consumption experiences to be cutting edge. That's why we are proud to announce that our flagship product, "Elsewhere with Meatbomb", now comes with complimentary DRONE FOOTAGE in each and every episode. There's no need to ask "would you like drones with that?" - we already know, through rigorous focus group testing, that your answer is an enthusiastic "YES". So sit back and enjoy the unique DRONE FOOTAGE that we now provide, free of any additional fees or surcharges, as a standard part of the "Elsewhere with Meatbomb" viewing experience.

At Sweating Dog Industrial we know that today's media consumers want their content consumption experiences to be cutting edge. That's why we are proud to ann...

24/08/2020

https://youtu.be/PtGynb7nn8o

Not sure how things are progressing in the rest of the world, but here in China the robot revolution is well underway. You'd think labour shortages would not...

23/08/2020

https://youtu.be/T4YfRT-A9p0

As we saw in part 1, the city of Yiwu (like most Chinese cities) is expanding rapidly into the surrounding countryside. We saw what happens to the village as...

26/07/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr91DJrdo78

This is a goodie, guys, check it out!

I have wanted to share this with you ever since moving to my apartment, with this excellent view of urban growth up close and personal. What happens when the...

21/07/2020

https://youtu.be/NuN1IbHjRfI

You won't believe what a strange place I stumbled across! How does this make sense from any perspective?!?

21/07/2020

https://youtu.be/NuN1IbHjRfI

This is a kind of quickie, just a lucky bit of serendipity that I noticed this weird thing. I have to keep up my schedule, I actually have some good stuff in the can and just need to knuckle down and produce!

30/06/2020

https://youtu.be/QiffoodejiI

TOP TEN things I found remarkable about Tajik women's fashion. Number 8 is my favourite! Tajikistan is a lesser-known country in a fairly remote corner of th...

25/06/2020

Mini Research Project

Hey there! One interesting difference I have noticed, in Tajikistan, women will sometimes dress the same - not as in, like, a company uniform but as a fashion statement. Family or friends will buy the same fabric and have outfits made from it, so that they can go to an event, like a party or wedding, all in the same kurta. Sometimes they will do this even just as a normal daily thing. You can sometimes see a group of sisters or friends on an outing, all in the same outfit.

For my Central Asian friends - is it only a Tajik thing, or does this also happen in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan?

And specially to my many Malaysian friends:

I know that there is a similar thing in Malaysia, but I did not pay close attention and did not get the details when I was there. I know sometimes teachers would have, like, a "colour day" when all the female teacher would plan together and show up all in blue, or red, or whatever. Am I remembering it correctly? Can you provide me some photos of this?

And second question, do Malaysian women also do the Tajik style thing, where you will buy the same material and make matching outfits to wear together? I do not mena like the members of a wedding party, but in other more typical daily situations. And again, any details or photos much appreciated!

This will be interesting to Westerners, because in general, in Western culture, fashion should be individual... if you go to some event, and you see another woman in the same dress as you, it is an issue and a problem, maybe a source of embarrassment! So the idea of doing it "on purpose" is unusual from this perspective.

Thanks for your time and attention, anyone helping out with photos or details will be credited in my upcoming video on this topic!

❤️🌏❤️

21/06/2020

Based on the ease of doing this one, I think I have convinced myself to finally tackle "Trends in Tajik Women's Fashion"... this material has been sitting and waiting for more than 10 years now, it is (in my opinion) inherently interesting, and a lot of quirky cultural info I do not think most of my viewers will be aware of!

21/06/2020

Flower and Buhbuh needed COVID tests because of their presence in Beijing a few days ago, fully documented here.

https://youtu.be/hReKsbRq0bE

In this episode we document the procedure we went through getting a COVID-19 test done in Yiwu, China. Have a look and tell us what you think - how does the ...

16/06/2020

https://youtu.be/BjyNgk-XPfU

And feedback always accepted without argument or fuss!

Take a look inside! What kind of stuff do Chinese people want to buy on a day-to-day basis? Many things will probably seem quite familiar, while some stuff m...

16/06/2020

Upload ticking away in the background, and thought it would be worthwhile to share a few "big picture" thoughts about this whole "vlog" thing I am trying to do...

1) Authenticity. If you know me you'll know I am a bit of an introvert, fairly serious, maybe a bit of a critic and even an as***le at times. When I watch successful Youtube channels I often see what seems like a formula for hosts - very smiley, very upbeat, animated. One friend told me "they are just kind people". Maybe there is some truth to that? To what extent do you cultivate a specific "on the air" persona? How to do that without being fake? Is there any market out there for watching a grumpy as***le?

2) Theme and Mission. It seems like nailing this down could help. It is not really a "travel vlog" because I am not much of a traveller. I just want to share "normal everyday stuff" from places in the world that Westerners might not see themselves easily.

3) Cultural sensitivity. So I am an old white guy, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Part of my idea is to show that people all over the world are largely the same - by making things familiar we can maybe become more tolerant and open to other people. But part of the whole draw of these videos is "look at this strange / weird s**t". And it is all relative - it is not weird if you are Chinese! No answers here, just a lot of questions really...

Would love to hear thoughts and opinions of anybody on this stuff!

09/06/2020

https://youtu.be/VbIL725s2DU

For those of you in North America, you might still either be in quarantine or otherwise uncertain about how safe and "normal" things will ever be again. Well, this is a short report from the future - in Yiwu, and in China generally, we are now largely past the COVID-19 virus and things are back to normal. Good news - things will eventually get better!

After a tight quarantine and careful tracking life in most Chinese cities is back to normal. In this short video I want to show you how in my city, Yiwu, peo...

01/06/2020

https://youtu.be/cdKFWXEuHtY

This footage is from about 3 weeks back during my trip to Beijing. A quick walkthrough of what it is like inside a modern chain corner shop in China.

In terms of workflow this was a quicker job - a 4:30 video and it took only maybe 4-5 hours to edit and publish from start to finish. I am getting quicker with Adobe Premiere, I am shooting better video, and the basic narrative was clear during shooting and production. No need for much fancy editing or special effects.

Coming soon, it will be "Old People in China" as well as "Local Family-Owned Corner Shop", which should be an interesting contrast with this one.

Thanks for watching guys, hope this is vaguely entertaining and marginally informative!

This is a short walkthrough of a modern chain corner shop in central Beijing. Probably a lot more similar for Western viewers than a "typical" family run cor...

27/05/2020

https://youtu.be/D38FxNgBvQE

I have been strugglinf with my "Kalmyk Village in Kyrgyzstan" video, trying to decide how to balance history and background with the main footage and the immediate narrative. Had to shift gears, and have done this very short and quickie video documenting my presence, many many years ago, at the tank graveyard on the outskirts of Kabul. Not a lot here and it is what it is, now back to larger and more ambitious things! 😀

Just a very short video, from ancient footage. Not much to say beyond "I was there, witness me".

25/05/2020

"Sometimes I impress even myself." - Han Solo

Wow, am I ever enjoying my new life as a film producer! Having a huge pile of 20 year old footage in the edit pile is like a blessing and a curse. On one hand, I am kicking myself for being such a s**tty videographer back then, and cursing the tiny frame sizes of 20 year old camera technology. But on the upside, I am doing much better justice to the story I want to tell than I would have 20 years ago. Funny, no matter how old I get I can look back at my younger self and say "Christ, what an as***le!"... so I guess that means I am improving?

Anyways, it seems that my "Kalmyks in Kyrgyzstan" raw footage has caught my attention, and will be the next thing going into the can...

So, how have I impressed myself? Well, I have figured out how to use Google maps data, in successive layers of zoom, to make almost seamless video as if you are falling from space into a specific locale. Remember the intro and outro to "Burn After Reading"? Yeah, just give me the budget for some weather / cloud effects, and some moving cars and stuff at the closest zoom level, and I can do exactly that, all on my home PC.

Take a look! This will form the initial intro segment to my upcoming video about the Kalmyks who decided to stay behind when the main horde migrated to Kalmykia, coming soon soon.

Satellite imagery via maps.google.com.