Expensive and complicated tools that were once only available to multi-media companies are now showing up in your pants pocket. It is no longer about who has more money, but about who has the better idea. How socialist and grassroots this digital era is becoming!

A perfect example of this can-do-with-less attitude is the Flip Video Recorder. While its specifications suggest quality somewhere in between surveillance reconnaissance and cinema verite, it will easily satisfy most non-union filmmakers that are usually posting to the web where compression rates make most videos look the same.

Truly this camera is a wonder with all that it does NOT offer. No menu, no settings, no memory card, no cords. How does it work? Push a button to start recording, push the same button to stop recording. Push the PLAY button to review on a 1.5 inch screen. Push a garbage can button to delete. That's it. I could write the whole manual on the back of your hand.

Even though it has the design sensibility that makes it look like the Italian sports car of video cameras, it's price is more in line with an economy hybrid with a $149 list price that makes it one of the best selling video cameras on Amazon. It's worth serious consideration when looking for a simple and easy to use video camera.