Thirtyfootscrew’s Blog

More and more these days I find just surfing the Internet to be a little dull on it’s own, I’m sure this is another symptom of the Attention Defecit Disorder that modern technology provides but I always find myself needing to do something else beyond just surfing.  So what do I do?  If I can get hold of one of my friends on Skype I’ll do that but sometimes if noone’s available or it’s too late at night to be talking I’ll just fire up TWiT Live and listen to Leo.

For those of you that don’t know, Leo Laporte is a broadcast journalist who has had a long career in radio and television (see his Wikipedia page for more info) and who now runs a succesful network of podcasts spearheaded by This Week in Tech (other podcasts available here).  A while ago Leo started moving from podcasts to doing live video with his TWiT Live initiative allowing viewers to watch Leo live as he records his podcasts.  The clever part is that it goes way beyond just watching a guy wearing headphones talking into a mic, Leo has the equipment to have double-screen video showing guests both in and out of the studio as well as graphics, lower thirds, screen casting and so on.  All of this adds an extremely interesting dimension to the video and give me something else to do, although I will admit that I don’t always watch the video (and Stickam provide a facility to pause the video to save bandwidth).

written by thirtyfootscrew \\ tags: Communications, Internet, iptv, Laporte, Leo, leo laporte, Media, podcast, This Week in Tech, twit

I know it’s cheesy but I thought I’d do a little roundup of 2006 and then later on a series of predictions for 2007. The lists are all Top Fives and are based on techie stuff unless otherwise stated.

1. Podcasting
I had a look in 2005 and there really wasn’t any great content out there, I came back in 2006 and it was like the whole ‘industry’ had exploded with some well established shows as well as some new favourites, this was really the year the podcasting became established.

2. Video Gaming
With the Xbox 360 released in December 2005 (but generally available March 2006) and the December launch of the Wii and the PS3 (US only) this really has been the year for gaming. More than that Nintendo have performed an amazing feat by pulling games out of Geekdom and into popular culture, not only with the Wii but with this year’s release of the DS Lite and the wonderful Brain Training.

3. Beta Releases
I’m not sure what’s happened but in 2006 nobody wants to release a product without having a public Beta, this has been true for games (Phantasy Star Universe + Final Fantasy XI on the Xbox 360), PC software (Office 2007, Windows Vista) and everything regarded as Web 2.0.

4. Video & Broadcasting
This year has seen a fundamental change in the way people watch and interact with video, of course nobody missed the popularity of YouTube and its acquisition by Google for $1.65bn but the I find the complementary changes in the broadcast industry to be even more interesting. Many major players have been trying to get into the User Generated Content (UGC) market ranging from pointless attempts by people who just don’t get it (MTV Flux) to well-done but still distinctly old-media (BBC’s Your News).

5. High Definition
In 2006 we saw the launch of both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, heralding a new era of home cinema – let’s just hope that one of the two competing formats wins sooner rather than later so consumers can buy with confidence. 2006 also saw the introduction of Sky’s High Definition Satellite service, sadly it was over-priced, delivered late and has limited quantities of genuine HD content. This year also seems to be the year that people started to buy HD TVs in great quantities, at the end of 2005 I didn’t know anybody with an HD TV, now over half of my friends either own or are seriously considering an HD TV and the prices still keep on tumbling.

Well, I’m convinced I’ve missed something but that’ll have to do, I think I’ll go to bed now and hopefully dream of 2007, if I do then you’ll have my predictions tomorrow!

written by thirtyfootscrew \\ tags: beta, ds lite, nintendo, Podcasting, ps3, Video Games, wii, xbox

Do you listen to podcasts?  Are there any you’d recommend?
Inspired by Alex.

I love podcasts, they’re the best thing to happen to broadcast media since the web became popular back in the 90s.  On average, I’m quite confident that I spend more hours per week listening to podcasts than I do watching television.

I’m not sure where I come down on the podcast vs netcast debate but I agree that a new name is needed.  One thing that I’d love to be more widely known is that you don’t need an iPod to play podcasts!

My favourites are definitely the TWiT netcasts from Leo Laporte and the gang, they’re professional and informative.  I love the discussion from the panel of This Week in Tech but I really think that awards should be give to Security Now, that show has taught me so much about IT security that I’m somewhat of an expert amongst my peers (and I do work in IT).

Other favourites are the Video Game Show from the guys at Gamercast Network, it’s informal but the guys really know their stuff and the last episode was so funny I was practically in tears.  Another hilarous but informative show is the MeanDawg Top 5, each week the guys pick their Top 5 movies in a given category and debate eachother’s choices.
Oh, and as a final word – you can’t forget Ask a Ninja.

written by thirtyfootscrew \\ tags: ask a ninja, gamercast network, leo laporte, netcast, qotd, security now, twit, video game show