When we pick up our phones to shoot a video, most of us aren't looking to craft "The Godfather." We just want something that looks reasonably decent that won't be an embarrassment when it gets posted to YouTube or social media.

But while not every video needs to reach Spielbergian levels of production, you might be surprised at how easy it is now to create a video that's virtually indistinguishable from a professional video shoot.

And that level of craft doesn't require video editing software best suited for the U.S.S. Enterprise. In fact, the training in The Professional Video and Audio Production Bundle helps developing video editors use even free app tools to generate brilliant video with crisp, production-quality sound that will make your work really stand out.

Over these six courses, students get a complete overview of techniques for creating, editing and producing dynamic videos and music. 

And the video instruction even starts with a deep exploration of video editing tools that don't cost a thing. The Shotcut + Logitech Capture: Learn to Use Free Video Software course includes almost two dozen lectures on how to capture video or stream it using Logitech's own 

Logitech Capture Software, then edit it with the open source Shotcut editing app. From filters and transitions to keyframes and titles to adding music, this is a solid introduction to basic editing principles on virtually no budget.

Students also get exposure to a different video recording and streaming app in the Record and Live Stream Videos with OBS training. Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is also free and open-source software used to make pre-produced videos or even basic live streaming look fantastic.

Of course, no discussion of video editing can ignore the popular Adobe Premiere app. Now, Adobe has expanded the brand to include the down-and-dirty Premiere Rush — and Edit Videos On Your Phone Adobe Premiere Rush is a full-scale tutorial on how this powerful mobile-based editing app operates.

Even brilliant video can be thoroughly wrecked by bad, muddled audio, so the Audio Production Course: Record and Mix Better Audio explains the basics of music and voice recording. This training goes over the equipment you'll need as well as the tactics used by pros to make video productions, podcasts, music and other audio-driven projects sound amazing.

Then, Audio Mixing + Processing Voice in Adobe Premiere Pro CC centers on how to professionally process voice recordings using Premiere Pro. And finally, Music Production in Logic Pro X : Audio Mixing for Podcasts is a complete guide to using Logic Pro X, a favorite of audio engineers and music producers everywhere.

A nearly $1,200 package of training, you can delve into all this video and audio instruction for about $6 per course, just $40 with the current offer.

Prices are subject to change.

Do you have your stay-at-home essentials? Here are some you may have missed.

For the last few months, I've been making ice cream every weekend. Here's my recipe for low sugar vanilla chocolate chip ice cream. The Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop has come in handy. The scoop is designed to bite into hard ice cream and roll the ice cream onto the scoop. It has some kind of heat conductive liquid inside the handle that's supposed to make it easier to scoop out the ice cream, but I never bother to heat up the handle before using it, as it works fine straight out of the kitchen drawer. It comes in a 2 oz size and a 4 oz size.

Rejoice all ye bakers and lovers of kinder, gentler competition reality shows. The Great British Bake-Off, known to Netflix audiences as The Great British Baking Show, is back for its eighth season. It will premier on Netflix, September 25th.

I love what Boing Boing pal, Steve Silberman, said on Facebook about the show:

The subversive value of this show — which makes it essential viewing in this cursed age — is underrated. As my husband puts it, it's about "people being decent to each other."

A bit more here.

Image: Promo graphic.

This covidiotic gentleman tells police in South Dakota that he will have to be dragged out of a school board meeting before he puts on a mask, and the police officers politely comply.

Full video here:

The Pretenders recorded this Live at Home rendition of "Back on the Chain Gang" for BBC Radio 2. Chrissie Hynde's voice is apparently immortal.

Be honest. How many plastic lids are stashed away in your kitchen? No, seriously…how many? Go ahead and check that black hole of a cupboard down there and find out. We'll wait…

Was the number up over 20? Over 30? More? Now the second question is…could you even guess at which containers actually fit half of those lids? Probably not. 

And if you use plastic wrap or aluminum foil…well, you're not much better off. In fact, most U.S. households spend over $200 a year on wraps and foils. They then become part of the nearly 37 billion square feet of unnecessary waste Americans cast off every year.

Time to straighten up and become part of the solution. The UniLid wants to send all those other coverings to the trash permanently — and they're just resourceful enough that it could happen. 

Funded through nearly $1.4 million in pledges via Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the UniLid is a durable, reusable silicone material that stretches over any bowl, plate, dish or other kitchen container. The set comes in five sizes, ranging from an extra-small 2.5-incher to the extra large 8-inch cover.

Each lid is created to wrap itself over a wide variety of sizes, shapes and materials. Not only does it cover your food, the UniLid's contoured design actually creates an airtight, non-spill seal to preserve its freshness and flavor.

Whether it's leftovers in random Tupperware, the remains of a pot with pasta sauce, or even a half-finished can of soda, you can slap a UniLid on it and it's ready to go in the fridge for later. You can even pull one over a half sliced fruit and keep the rest moist and juicy.

And if you aren't sure when you put a UniLid on something, the handy, rotating Day of the Week dial on every UniLid will help you keep track of when that food was covered — and when it should get tossed.

Made from 100 percent food-safe, BPA free and FDA approved material, each UniLid is also microwave-safe and dishwasher safe.

With a set of UniLids, you can start tossing out all those old plastic lids and clearing out cupboard space for good. Right now, you can get three full sets including all five sizes, 15 UniLids in all, for $10 off the regular price, down to just $39.99.

Prices are subject to change.

Do you have your stay-at-home essentials? Here are some you may have missed.

In this video [via Storyful], an armed Federal security guard raises a gun in a firing position toward a group of protesters on September 16, in the lobby of a federal building in lower Manhattan.

An FBI office and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's New York City field office are located inside the building.

Jarrett Robertson was participating in the protest, and this is his video footage of the security guard waving her gun at the crowd of protesters before putting it back in her holster.

"I was shocked what I was witnessing. I've never seen a gun pulled on protesters," Robertson told Storyful.

The protests are in response to a story alleging a doctor performed hysterectomies without informed consent on women at an immigration detention facility in Ocilla, Georgia.

The guard in this video works for the Federal Protective Service, which is investigating the incident, per reports.

VIDEO: Jarrett Robertson via Storyful

Former FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, which is just about one month before the presidential election. The GOP keeps trying to gin up the lie that Comey and the FBI under his direction conspired against Donald Trump in 2016.

From the Associated Press:

Comey, whom Trump fired in May 2017, will be a featured witness in Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham's investigation into the origins of the Justice Department's Russia probe. The president has long tried to discredit that investigation, which concluded with a 2018 report by special counsel Robert Mueller, calling it a "hoax." Graham said he also invited Mueller to testify but that Mueller had declined.

Mueller's probe found multiple contacts between the campaign and Russia but said there was not enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the two. His report also examined several instances in which Trump tried to obstruct his investigation but said he could not come to a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.

More at AP. Be a good thing to watch on C-SPAN on September 30.

IMAGE: This photo published by Alexei Navalny on his Instagram shows Alex and his wife Yulia, right, daughter Daria, and son Zakhar, top left, in a hospital in Berlin, Germany. He posted this on Instagram Tuesday Sept. 15, 2020: "Hi, this is Navalny. I have been missing you. I still can't do much, but yesterday I managed to breathe on my own for the entire day."

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has survived an attempted assassination with the Russian military nerve agent Novichok. On Thursday, Navalny and his team said a water bottle with a trace of Novichok was identified in his hotel room in the Siberian city of Tomsk. Navalny became violently ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow last month, and was placed in a coma. When the Russian government finally relented and allowed his transfer to Germany, he remained in the induced coma state for 2 more weeks, in treatment with an antidote at Charité hospital in Berlin.

From Associated Press today:

The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders to answer questions about the poisoning, urging Germany to provide its evidence.

On Tuesday, Navalny posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed, hugged by his wife and children. "I still can't do almost anything on my own, but yesterday I managed to breathe on my own for the entire day," he added in the post.

The Justice Department announced charges against three Iranian nationals over the hacking of aerospace and satellite tech firms.

Here's the news release from the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia, published early Thursday:

Iranian Hackers Indicted for Stealing Data from Aerospace and Satellite Tracking Companies

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An indictment was unsealed today charging three computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), with engaging in a coordinated campaign of identity theft and hacking on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in order to steal critical information related to United States aerospace and satellite technology and resources.

"We will relentlessly pursue and expose those who seek to harm American companies and individuals wherever they reside in the world," said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "The use of malware, the theft of commercial data and intellectual property, and the use of social engineering to steal the identities of United States citizens to accomplish unlawful acts will not be tolerated. Along with our incredible and steadfast law enforcement partners, the Eastern District of Virginia continues to lead efforts to combat serious cybercrime globally and the charges outlined in the indictment exposing IRGC linked hacking operations in the United States are just another example of the fruits of our seamless teamwork."

Charged in the indictment are defendants Said Pourkarim Arabi, 34, Mohammad Reza Espargham, 25, and Mohammad Bayati, 34, all Iranian nationals residing in Iran.

"For the third time in three days, the Department has charged Iranian hackers," said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "This case highlights the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' efforts to infiltrate the networks of American companies in search of valuable commercial information and intellectual property. It is yet another effort by a rogue foreign nation to steal the fruits of this country's hard work and expertise."

According to allegations in the indictment, the defendants' hacking campaign, which targeted numerous companies and organizations in the United States and abroad, began in approximately July 2015 and continued until at least February 2019. The defendants at one time possessed a target list of over 1,800 online accounts, including accounts belonging to organizations and companies involved in aerospace or satellite technology and international government organizations in Australia, Israel, Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

"Today's charges are yet another example of the FBI's dedication to investigating those who target and attempt to steal data and proprietary information from the United States," said James A. Dawson, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. "Today's charges allege that these individuals conspired in a coordinated campaign with known IRGC members and acted at their direction. The defendants targeted thousands of individuals in an attempt to steal critical information related to United States aerospace and satellite technology. The FBI remains dedicated to protecting the United States, and we continue to impose risk and consequences on cyber adversaries through our unique authorities, world-class capabilities, and enduring partnerships."

To facilitate their victimization of these targets, the defendants engaged in a coordinated campaign of social engineering to identify real United States citizens working in the satellite and aerospace fields whose identities the defendants could assume online. The defendants then impersonated those individuals and used their stolen identities to register email addresses and fraudulently purchase domains and hacking tools for use in the scheme. The defendants then created customized spear phishing emails that purported to be from the individuals whose identities the defendants had stolen, in an attempt to entice the recipients to click on malicious links embedded in the emails. Once a recipient clicked on a malicious link, malware would be downloaded to the individual's computer, giving the defendants unauthorized access to the recipient's computer and network.  The defendants then used additional hacking tools to maintain unauthorized access, escalate their privileges, and steal data sought by the IRGC. Using these methods, the defendants successfully compromised multiple victim networks, resulting in the theft of sensitive commercial information, intellectual property, and personal data from victim companies, including a satellite-tracking company and a satellite voice and data communication company.

Arabi is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, intentional damage to protected computers, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Arabi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Esphargham is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, intentional damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Esphargham faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Bayati is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Bayati faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Smith III, Jay V. Prabhu, and Danya Atiyeh are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Evan Turgeon of the Justice Department's National Security Division.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-217.

And there's more reporting at Reuters.

Twitter added a warning label to a tweet by impeached and unfit U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. The label says Trump's post includes misleading information about the voting process.

"Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to "voters", or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want. Another election disaster yesterday. Stop Ballot Madness!," tweeted Donald Trump earlier today.

From Reuters:

Twitter's warning label redirected users to a curated page, "Voting by mail is legal and safe, experts and data confirm", which contained more information on mail-in voting.

The social network has previously attached labels to tweets posted and shared by the president, including adding fact-checking notices on his tweets

"He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off," Amy Dorris told The Guardian of her alleged sexual assault by Trump in 1997. "And then that's when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything. I was in his grip, and I couldn't get out of it. I don't know what you call that when you're sticking your tongue just down someone's throat. But I pushed it out with my teeth. I was pushing it. And I think I might have hurt his tongue."

Dorris provided The Guardian with photos of her with Trump. Her account was "corroborated by several people she confided in about the incident."

This kind of news delights Trump followers, for at least four reasons:

1. Triggers the libtards. Anything that causes consternation among the snowflakes makes Trump followers happy.
   
2. Proof of fake news. Unless Trump says it or Q drops it, it's fake news. And this accusation is another example of the liberal media's pathetic attempt to take down Trump. Also, here's another crazy woman who just wants money and attention.
   
3. They want to do what Trump does. Trump's open racism, misogyny, fraudulent business practices, and hypocrisy are admirable traits to aspire toward.
   
4. It's a chance to prove unwavering loyalty. To remain silent or, better yet, defend Trump no matter what he does, is a way to show unconditional fealty to their leader.

Trump's lawyers have denied the accusation.

Image: YouTube

Every time a White House official speaks about the pandemic we need a graphic just like this.

Raw Story:

"I was flying my drone in my backyard, when I noticed a large bird in a nearby tree watching intently," says the drone pilot who posted this video. "I flew over to find the bird with the drone to get a closer look, and the bird took off and knocked it out of the sky."

The pandemic has convinced many U.S. workers, especially young tech workers, that going into an office isn't really necessary. If you can Zoom in from anywhere why pay inflated NYC or San Francisco rental prices when you can work from Austin or Atlanta?

From High Society Investors:

Silicon Valley, New York, and other big US tech hubs may see a drain in bright young talent as workers look for affordability and space in the wake of COVID-19.

83% of millennials [and 73% of Gen Xers] currently living near a major tech hub, such as Silicon Valley or New York, plan to or are considering a move to a more affordable city because of COVID, according to new data from a survey of 500 US tech workers by domain extension provider .Tech Domains. It coincides with US tech giants pioneering new flexible working policies because of the pandemic.

Heavily armed men in camouflage have set up at least two roadblocks in Oregon's wildfire-raged Multnomah county, reports The Guardian. Drivers who were stopped said the vigilantes asked them for identification and questioned their reasons for travel. Some drivers reported that police were on the scene allowed the vigilantes to conduct the illegal traffic stops.

[Latoya] Robinson said she was questioned by a "heavily armed" man carrying a AR-style long gun and a visible sidearm. She said the man asked at one point: "You're not from around here, are you?" which Robinson, who is African American, understood as having racist overtones.

Eventually the men let her pass on to her friend's place. On her return journey, she was stopped again. She said she saw two Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSO) cruisers stopped by the roadblock, and an officer talking with one of the people running it. She said the deputies did nothing to intervene in the illegal stop.

Image: YouTube