CETPA, first full day

Hear my ramblings about the first day at the CETPA conference.

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Traffic, CETPA and PodCacher Growth

Drove up to Santa Barbara today for the CETPA conference. Hear my ramblings about the car pool lane and the HUGE spike in PodCacher listeners.

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Audio Problems

I've been stumped. I can't figure this one out. An audio, sound engineering conundrum.

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Back from the PME

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Just got back from the ultra geeky and very exciting Portable Media Expo.

I'm trying a new audio version of this blog. You can listen to it on the computer or download the file and listen to it on an MP3 player. You can also subscribe to this blog as a podcast (the feed link is on my main page) and get new shows when they are posted.

Too Much Time

... on someone's hands.

Why?

Go here

What do you need?

This is funny. Here's a free online fortune cookie or crystal ball.

Go to Google.

Type in "X needs" (including the quotes)

In place of X put your name. (i.e. for me it would be "Sonny needs")

It's hilarious to find out what you need.

Artificial Intelligence vs Natural Stupidity

I read to completely unrelated things today.

Several months ago I posted here about a new gadget that I got, the 20Q handheld device. It was a "game" that could guess what you were thinking about in about 20 questions. The online version was very impressive. It used a very complex system hooked up to a massive database to be able to guess what you were thinking.

Here's the link to the online 20Q game.

Apparently it's an experiment in Artificial Intelligence. According to the creators, the game "learns" as more and more people give it input. Scary, fun but scary. I wonder how long before it becomes self aware and decides that it doesn't need us puny humans any longer? :)

A fun, cool, geeky version of the game is here. You'll especially enjoy this version if you are a Star Wars geek like me. Turn up your speakers!

Okay, so much for the Intelligence, now for the Stupidity.

Have you been to the Darwin Awards website? The site is full of stories of people who have killed themselves and thus removed their DNA from the gene pool. The thought is by removing genes for stupidity from the human gene pool, the human race will evolve ... into less stupid humans ... over time ...

Here's another story that tells me it's going to take a long time ...

iPods and Hearing Loss

This Sunday I went walking / jogging in my neighborhood. I was headed down a "larger" street in the area: Over 2 lanes wide with a grass area divider between the two streets. Trees are planted in this grassy divide. On the OTHER sidewalk going in the other direction was another walker / jogger. I wasn't looking directly at him or paying any particular attention, but as I got closer, I could hear a sort of "hiss". Again, I wasn't paying attention to anything in particular, but this sound made me wonder. It sounded like a faint steam hiss. As I began paying attention I realized there were rhythmic beats in the "steam", sort of like tic, tic, tic ... I started looking around and realized that the sound was coming from the guy across the street ... I then glanced at him and realized that he had some white earbuds in place and was walking while listening to his music player (probably and iPod). He didn't even look at me, he was groovin' to the beat. I could hear from ACROSS THE STREET! I couldn't tell what song or distinguish any lyrics, but I could actually hear that he was listening to something!!! Whoa.

Read this


.

Crab vs Pipe

This is a video taken in 6000 feet of water. An undersea robot is sawing a 3mm wide slit in a pipeline. The pressure inside the pipeline is 0 psi, while the pressure outside is 2700 psi, or 1.3 tons per square inch. Then a crab comes along.... Link

TechnoFrustration

I'm sure that there are some of my non-techie friends out there get the impression that I never have trouble with technology. I know that some of them are really luddites at heart and would be happy if we could go back to the days of the carrier pigeon and making our own soap. I know that many of that many of them have experienced frustration with technology and probably think that I never do. The truth is, I often do. Most of the time I just push forward with persistance and determination because I need to do that to get the job done. I've encouraged them to do this and I try and model how you "usually" can win against the technology gremlins ... most of the time.

Yesterday, I got fed up and felt the techno-rage well up inside me. Within 48 hours the following things happened.

The back button on my browser would not work while I was working on Cal State work. No explanation.
I couldn't log on to AOL. No explanation.
Zip file wouldn't extract on one computer. No explanation.
iPod wouldn't connect. I think the HD is going bad. No explanation.
Car wouldn't start.
My new Palm has software install "issues" and kept losing data.
A CD jams in the powerbook while I am teaching at Cal State.
Couldn't find a paperclip to eject the CD. I later realize that the new PowerBooks do not have a manual paperclip eject feature anyhow.
Palm won't turn on in the morning. Not at all. I had to do a hard restart.
HD on the work iMac won't mount. I think it's fried.
Now my iPod connects fine.
CD finally ejects out of computer fine. A few seconds later I find a paperclip (ironic).
Student's midterm didn't upload to WebCT. I saw the student do it. Student failed to have a copy of the midterm as instructed.
Another site person has moved forward with technology without approval again.
The iPod starts making clicking noises.
My OPTICAL mouse cursor was sticking (like a mouse with a dirty roller / ball) ... But there is NO roller! ... and yes, it was on an "optically viable" surface. No explanation.
The iPod mounts irratically.
My brand new Palm will not turn on at all. It's fully charged and the reset button will not even bring it up.

GPS The Movie???

Geocaching in the media becoming “mainstream”?

I was just sent this tip from one of our podcacher.com listeners (Borten): GPS The Movie

Several months ago, geocaching was apparently part of a story in the TV show “Law and Order”. I didn’t actually see the episode, but I have heard that the show did a poor job of representing our “sport” by having the cache container actually buried. (Caching veterans know that this is a no-no and goes against the rules).

I realize that Geocaching is a growing sport and may not have yet reached the kind of critical-mass-awareness to consider it mainstream just yet. I often wonder what “outsiders” (or muggles as we cachers sometimes call them) think of this arguably odd hobby?

I’m sure many of you have had the same experience: At some point you are talking to someone and the topic (Geocaching) comes up. They are curious (or you just want to share) and you try and figure out a way to explain it. At first they give you a polite smile and nod their head: you realize they still don’t get it. So you try to use metaphors and examples. Some of them may become intrigued enough to try it, and ONLY then do they really “get it”. Has this happened to you?

I took a peek at the movie trailer and it seems as though they are trying to sell it as a suspense thriller. From what I gather from the clip, there is some kind of crime committed and people are going to get hurt. … Great, just what our hobby needs … bad press about “weirdos” going through the woods on a hunt with the threat of danger, death and scary music ever present. I realize they are in the business of selling movie tickets and that a movie about a wholesome family with kids going out to interact with each other, excercise and enjoy the outdoors may not be a big seller, but … come on!

What do you think about this? Is this the kind of image we want to present about our community?