Siteseeing

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Betty Francis (January Jones), Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka), Megan Draper (Jessica Pare) and Don Draper (Jon Hamm)

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VinePeek

óè vinepeek.com

YOU may have heard about Vine, a new mobile app from Twitter that handle pictures and short, looped video clips. While you will see lots of videos of pets, kids, sports and random weird stuff, almost overnight, the new service was also deluged with risqué videos, and hashtags like #sex and #porn were quickly rising up the ranks. Not all the videos being uploaded are inappropriate, but there aren't enough mechanisms in place to stop the current trends. It's not all about porn, but, like Chatroulette, you can see how this service could be taken over with inappropriate video.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about and are willing to risk the unknown, VinePeek gives you a six-second look at every video being uploaded to the service. Buzzfeed has already called it "the most addictive new site on the Internet." It's like ADD TV for the Internet generation.

"We thought it would be cool if you could see the latest vines (short looped videos) from around the world in real time, so as a 'Friday project' we put together a quick web application to string vines together in a continuous reel," explains Peter MacRobert, co-creator of VinePeek. "We were immediately struck by the mesmerizing and addictive effect of watching several seemingly disconnected vines in quick succession: a 'peek' into people's lives all over the world."

Mad Men Returns

óè bit.ly/Mad_Men6

With Season 6 of the period drama Mad Men set to return to AMC on April 7 with a two-hour season première, the network has released four black-and-white teaser shots through the Hollywood Reporter. While no plot lines were revealed, it should mark the beginning of a long and carefully planned viral marketing campaign that the network has used in the past couple of years to ramp up attention for the popular show.

Video of the Week: Royal Canoe

óè bit.ly/Royal_Canoe

When Beck released his latest album as sheet music, some wondered if was just the latest project by the unconventional artist or if he would actually inspire musicians to accept the challenge to learn and recreate his songs. As part of the WSO's New Music Festival Pop Nuit series, Winnipeg's Royal Canoe will be presenting its interpretations of Beck's newest songs at the late-night portion of the fest at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre on Feb. 2. Montreal's video DJ Tasman Richardson will open the show. Local favourite Rob Vilar will close out the evening. Tickets are $15.

Track of the Week: Boats -- Great Skulls

óè bit.ly/great_skulls

Winnipeg's Boats are one of those bands you either love or hate. Frontman/band leader Mat Klachefsky's unique vocal delivery, along with the band's ramshackle indie vibe on its third album, A Fairway Full of Miners, isn't something you hear every day. With quirky pop songs about getting old, death, girls and glowing bears, Klachefsky -- along with the latest incarnation of Boats that includes Ashley Roch (keyboards/trumpet), Rory Ellis (guitar), Louis Levesque-Cote (bass) and Luke Bergen (drums) -- is ready to hit the road in support of its third album, which is coming out on Portland, Ore.'s respected Kill Rock Stars label. The group will officially release A Fairway Full of Miners at the West End Cultural Centre on Feb. 2. Tickets are $12 in advance and $17 at the door.

Anthony Augustine is a freelance music, technology and pop culture writer who spends way too much time in front of a computer. Got a site you think he should see? Email him at anthony.siteunseen@gmail.com or follow him at twitter.com/anthonya

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 31, 2013 c17