Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor pulls out iPhone 5s on stage to FaceTime with dying friend
During a show in Las Vegas last weekend, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor paid tribute to a friend battling terminal cancer by pulling out his iPhone 5s to initiate a FaceTime call with him on stage during his show.
Reznor's FaceTime call brought photojournalist Andrew Youssef virtually on stage in front of an audience cheering his name. Youssef has spent years capturing the live music scene as a concert photographer, documenting acts from Black Sabbath to the Cold War Kids.
According to a report by music site Consequence of Sound, Youssef was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer in 2011, and has spent his time since documenting his efforts to continue his photography while battling the disease in "Last Shot," a regular column for OC Weekly.
His last column appeared October 3, where he described an assignment photographing Depeche Mode, writing, "my strength is definitely not where it should be but with the help of my brother who drove and helped carried my camera bag, I successfully accomplished my mission."
In covering NIN's performance at San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival this summer, Youssef described his emotional connection with the band's music and lyrics entwined in his own battle with cancer.
Reznor began following Youssef on Twitter shortly afterward, and then invited him to a performance at the more intimate Troubadour in West Hollywood, where the two became fast friends. As Youssef's condition deteriorated, his doctor advised against also attending the November 16th show at the Hard Rock Hotel as he had planned.
That prompted Reznor to connected with Youssef via FaceTime as the crowd cheered, sharing the event and dedicating the song "In This Twilight" to Youssef.
Apple's Steve Jobs first announced FaceTime in 2010 as a feature of the then new iPhone 4, and subsequently made the video conferencing system available to the iPod touch and to Mac users by the end of that year. Last year, iOS 6 enabled FaceTime over mobile networks rather than being WiFi only, and the latest iOS 7 enables audio-only calls.
Apple has presented FaceTime in a series of emotionally touching ads that focus on the value of face-to-face communication, including this summer's spot ending with the line, "everyday, more people connect face-to-face on the iPhone than any other phone."
Reznor's FaceTime call brought photojournalist Andrew Youssef virtually on stage in front of an audience cheering his name. Youssef has spent years capturing the live music scene as a concert photographer, documenting acts from Black Sabbath to the Cold War Kids.
According to a report by music site Consequence of Sound, Youssef was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer in 2011, and has spent his time since documenting his efforts to continue his photography while battling the disease in "Last Shot," a regular column for OC Weekly.
His last column appeared October 3, where he described an assignment photographing Depeche Mode, writing, "my strength is definitely not where it should be but with the help of my brother who drove and helped carried my camera bag, I successfully accomplished my mission."
In covering NIN's performance at San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival this summer, Youssef described his emotional connection with the band's music and lyrics entwined in his own battle with cancer.
Reznor began following Youssef on Twitter shortly afterward, and then invited him to a performance at the more intimate Troubadour in West Hollywood, where the two became fast friends. As Youssef's condition deteriorated, his doctor advised against also attending the November 16th show at the Hard Rock Hotel as he had planned.
That prompted Reznor to connected with Youssef via FaceTime as the crowd cheered, sharing the event and dedicating the song "In This Twilight" to Youssef.
Apple's Steve Jobs first announced FaceTime in 2010 as a feature of the then new iPhone 4, and subsequently made the video conferencing system available to the iPod touch and to Mac users by the end of that year. Last year, iOS 6 enabled FaceTime over mobile networks rather than being WiFi only, and the latest iOS 7 enables audio-only calls.
Apple has presented FaceTime in a series of emotionally touching ads that focus on the value of face-to-face communication, including this summer's spot ending with the line, "everyday, more people connect face-to-face on the iPhone than any other phone."
Comments
Grow a moustache and fund research!
Brilliant! Very touching. I'm an expat living in China and bought an iPad for my mother back in the States who has terminal cancer so that we can see and speak with each other regularly. And so she can get to know her 3 year old granddaughter who was born here. Thank you SJ for bringing so much to so many!
Because there was no video chat before facetime ?
Your obviously a brain dead troll **** off and join an Android forum
mausz:
Your obviously a brain dead troll **** off and join an Android forum
Read all of my 219 posts ?
I could also have said I would have saved the $500 on an ipad for medical costs, and just installed a free video chat application on an available computer (which might not have been available)
Because there was no video chat before facetime ?
There was video calling usually of such poor quality people rarely bothered.
Because there was no video chat before facetime ?
I could also have said I would have saved the $500 on an ipad for medical costs, and just installed a free video chat application on an available computer (which might not have been available)
Firstly, who are you to decide for another poster what is the best thing to do with the cost of an iPad when it comes to their terminally ill relative? For goodness sake.
Secondly, you admit a computer may not have been available. Also, we don't know the person's circumstances, but in terms of ease of use and portability, the combination of FaceTime (or Skype) on an iPad is probably the best combination available for someone that might not be as tech savvy as this of us who post here, or even just for hassle-free use. In their situation, being able to communicate easily and reliably (and inexpensively) is the most important thing.
Amongst all the trolling and worse that takes place on this site, your post is actually one of the most offensive I've seen in some time.
Get lost.
Please.
Sure there was, but 1) it sucked, and 2) it sucked. In my view most video conferencing still sucks in comparison to Facetime. I had to use Skype last week for an interview. It took five minutes for the other person to get the audio to work, and the picture was grainy. Finally, FaceTime on an iPad is especially great.
Read all of my 219 posts ?
I could also have said I would have saved the $500 on an ipad for medical costs, and just installed a free video chat application on an available computer (which might not have been available)
I'm with mausz here. He/she makes a valid point that you fanatics would never admit to.
I'm with mausz here. He/she makes a valid point that you fanatics would never admit to.
Thanks, but I should have known once the argument contains sickness or children any criticism is never welcome. Should just have focussed on the part 'Thank you SJ for bringing so much to so many!'.
Nobody is ever thanking others for the work they did, as if mobile networks, arm chips,lion technology, lcd screens etc. just suddenly appeared with the launch of the iphone. They should not be thanked because it was just technological progress, and so was the iPhone. Standing on the shoulders of others to achieve greater things.
I think that it is wonderful how Mac-Daddy and Mausz with no knowledge of the situation can second guess a persons decision. Freerange shared something that was done and was relative to the article. No mention was made of other technology in the article.
Why not just write about the positive news that an ill person's morale was boosted by a good deed, rather than bang on about how wonderful Apple's tech is (which it is, but still...)?
Nobody is ever thanking others for the work they did, as if mobile networks, arm chips,lion technology, lcd screens etc. just suddenly appeared with the launch of the iphone. They should not be thanked because it was just technological progress, and so was the iPhone. Standing on the shoulders of others to achieve greater things.
A chef puts together his kitchen, hires his staff, sources his products, plans his meal and delivers it to his customers. Do you honor the creative effort or the mundane technical skill of the many cooks?
Show this to your mother and ask her what she thinks. She would be disappointed in you.
It's unfortunate that the English language has given rise to the word "selfies," but your comments demonstrate why.
How inconsiderate of you to assume my parents are still alive and the need for you to bring them up in this discussion, while my father passed away 12 years ago (Melanoma (skin-cancer)). During his sickness he had no need for videochats or phonecalls, I took a long leave from my work and stayed with him.
Apple made it matter.
The most usable, best-implemented iteration of tech and tech services are to be found on iDevices.
It's easy to do something. It's harder to do it right.