This flip video is so simple to use folks are leaving their fancy camcorders at home and taking this one in their pockets instead. It even comes with a bicycle attachment so you can record your biking tour vistas.

The flip video went from a no-name to beat Sony's camcorder. It's not just it's simplicity to record (press red button to start, press again to stop), it's the simplicity of uploading to your PC. Confession time, how many of us have shoe boxes of video cassettes or mini-DVs in our closets, because we haven't figured out yet how to upload them to our PC to edit and share it with friends and family? With the flip video, you, errrh, flip the USB cable and plug it into your USB slot on your PC. Just like that. Play the video below to see demo.

Prices of these Flip Videos (now in designer colors) have dropped again at least $20 at Amazon.

Watch the video below to see a review by USA Today.

I never buy a gadget without checking out what users say about it. Click here to check out what Flip Video users sayabout this really simple gadget.

I recorded this scene at my work place. It was a weekend afternoon and I had to go into work for something I don't even remember anymore. Anyway, I brought my two kids in and they played some fooz ball while I worked. Then I gave them each a dollar bill to choose whatever they wanted from the vending machine. She wanted Twizzlers. I happened to have my video camcorder.

This video should be required classroom material for any college psychology class. How about you? Did you get the Twizzlers of your life or did someone talk you into having something else instead?

Click To Play

Related Video: How to Hug a Baby

When families think of making home movies, they think of one style of movie chronichling an event from start to finish. I like to think there are 3 types of home movies:

• Video stories
• Video vignettes
• Photoshows

What’s a Video Story?

A video story is a 3 to 5-minute video that covers a significant event in your family life, the "major event" of the year. Examples are graduations, family trip to Hawaii, a retirement party and big holiday events. A video story is a well-choreographed sequence with a beginning, middle and end. I like to include more details, close-up interviews, more contemplative scenes, etc. Aim to do 1 video story a year.

What’s a Video Vignette?

A video vignette is about 1-3 minutes long. Vignettes are not stories with beginning, middle, and end. They capture small moments of our lives. It’s the little everyday things that usually just pass by and are remembered no more yet they are the little things that make your lives rich and precious. Examples are a child’s first attempt at riding a bike, house renovation, junior’s first haircut, a swim meet, Grandma teaching your daughter how to knit, etc. Aim to do 2 video vignettes a year.

And a photoshow, what’s that?

A photoshow is a lot of fun and easy, easy to make with the right software. A photoshow is a bunch of photos strung together into a movie-like video with music, captions, transitions and special effects. They take minutes to do and bring back the memory to life just as powerfully. If you have not created a photo show before, there is a link at the end of this article to a video tutorial on how to create photo shows in minutes. The software is even free if you are a Comcast Internet subscribier.

There are several reasons why you want your collection to have a variety of video stories, vignettes and photoshows: vignettes and photoshows are a lot quicker to do if you are time-pressed, a variety of short and longer videos keep the audience excited, and finally, the variety stimulates your creativity instead of getting stuck on one style.

Another piece of advice I also always give to families wanting to start video editing: Keep Finished Movies Short & Sweet

Useful related articles:

How to Share your Videos on the Web