Posts Tagged ‘MacBreak Weekly’
March 15, 2009
I happened to find myself in a Whole Foods store a week ago and noticed the wide coffee selection. Not being able to help myself, I picked up some single-source beans from Ecuador. For much of the week, I have been drinking it, mostly as espresso, alternating with the pricier Kenyan beans from an indie shop that I wrote about last week as part ofmy ongoing coffee quest.
This has kept me alert through a few hours of an extracurricular project, listening to the audiobook version of “Shantaram,” by David Gregory McDonald, a potboiler set in India. (It was a MacBreak Weekly pick from Andy Ihnatko). Listening to fiction is harder work than nonfiction, and this book, though entertaining and well-narrated in many accents by the award-winning Humphrey Bower, stretches to 43 hours and 3 minutes (I’m in the third hour). Coffee is needed to get through it.
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Tags: America's Top Model, Andy Ihnatko, audiobooks, Battlestar Galactica, Big Love, Coffee!, comics, David Gregory McDonald, Ecuador, Espindola, espresso, graphic novels, HBO, Jim Cramer, Jon Stewart, MacBreak Weekly, NYC, organic, podcasts, Shantaram, The Daily Show, Tyra Banks, Watchmen, Whole Foods Market, Will Ferrell
January 26, 2009
This week’s installment is the Podcast Zeitgeist of second chances, and probably the last such post for a good long while. I’ll continue to listen to a few favorites, but a hiatus is in order. This started as an effort to make some notes about what worked for me as a listener. But it became an exhausting and time-consuming exercise, particularly since I sampled many more hours than I ever wrote about. It was cutting into my Twittering time. At some point I may summarize what I have learned, or not.[See all lists.]
Cranky Geeks 150: Big Wig Bailouts As tech podcasts go, this is one of the best, hosted by John C. Dvorak, with Sebastian Rupley of PC Magazine, Chris DiBonaof Google and Jason Cross of Extreme.com. Topics: Steve Jobs, Bernie Madoff, the fake Belkin reviews scam, disruptive technology like location apps and more. Dvorak keeps it moving. Good stuff. Running time: 31:40 minutes including several ads. Released: Jan. 21.
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Tags: 40-Year-Old Boy, Alex Lindsay, Andrew Horowitz, Andy Ihnatko, Apple, Blogs, computers, Cranky Geeks, Daisy Whitney, Dr. Kiki, economy, Geek Loves Nerd, geeks, idiotboxradio, investing, iPhone Apps, iPhones, iPods, iTunes, John C. Dvorak, Jonathan Larroquette, Leo Laporte, Lisa Bettany, MacBreak Weekly, Monty Python, NYC, Pixelcorps, Podcast Zeitgeist, podcasts, recession, Scott Bourne, Seth Romatelli, Steve Jobs, Super Bowl, technology, TiVo, Twitter, Uhh Yeah Dude, Vomitus Prime, YouTube
January 10, 2009
The list this week is tech-heavy and later than usual, mainly because of the “last” MacWorld Expo. {See all lists].
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Tags: Adam Christianson, Alex Lindsay, Amaze.FM, Amber MacArthur, Apple, Bernie Madoff, Blip.FM, CES, Daisy Whitney, Dwight Silverman, Facebook, Gertrude Baines, gog.is, HP Media Smart Server, John C. Dvorak, Jonathan Larroquette, Ken Ray, Leo Laporte, Lucas County Choppers, MacBooks, MacBreak Weekly, Maccast, MacOSKen, macs, MacWorld Expo, Mall Cop, Merlin Mann, Net@Night, Netflix, Notorious B.I.G., Phil Schiller, Podcast Zeitgeist, podcasts, Robert Scoble, Seth Romatelli, This Week in Media, This Week in Tech, truck antlers, Twit.tv, Twitter, Uhh Yeah Dude, Victor Cajiao, Zunes
January 1, 2009
There has been a lot of chatter about the podcasting business model, and whether it has been a failure. That talk intensified when a major commercial podcaster, Podango, warned recently that its death seemed to be near. None of this is of concern to me: I leave business models to the money people. My interest is content.
I had more free time than usual this week, so the list is longer than usual (in the order I listened). [See all lists.]
Grammar Girl 149: Top Five Pet Peeves of 2008 Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) has a business model, or, at least, some regular advertisers and a dedicated audience of grammar enforcers. The top peeves suggested by her listeners: carelessness with language, misuse of “myself,” overuse of the word “tapped,” the phrase “baby bump,” and the use of “slay” as a noun, particularly in New York Daily News headlines. It’s an idiosyncratic list, to be sure, but all these targets are worthy of scorn. (I also listened to the slightly less interesting Episode 150, about podcasting a book. I doubt I would ever listen to a book in serialized podcast form.) Length: 8:33 minutes. Released: Dec. 19.
Make-It-Green Girl 34: The Story of Stuff A sister podcast to the one from Grammar Girl, with the same “quick and dirty” preaching to the converted. Anna Elzeftaway suggests you stop buying so much stuff and suggests holiday gifts that require no products, packaging or other waste. “Make it special without making a footprint.” The smug message grates a bit. Length: 5:06 minutes. Released: Dec. 24.
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Tags: 2012 Mayan Prophecy, ads, advertising, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, Apple, Barista Exchange, Buddhism, business models, cellphones, Christianity, coffee podcasts, Coffee!, Coffeegeek, Doc Ellis, espresso, Futile Podcast, grammar, Grammar Girl, hip-hop, iFart Mobile, iPhone Apps, iPhones, Jonathan Larroquette, Jorianne the Coffee Psychic, Jun Po, Leo Laporte, Lethal Weapon, MacBreak Weekly, macs, Make-It-Green Girl, Mel Gibson, movies, Oprah, PETA, Podcast Zeitgeist, podcasting, podcasts, psychics, Rinzai Zen, seatbelts, Seth Romatelli, This Week in Tech, Twit.tv, Uhh Yeah Dude, Wall-E, WFMU
December 27, 2008
I’m in Los Angeles with the family this week, visiting the in-laws. I booked the flight kind of late and decided to try Virgin America, which had been getting a lot of hype for its geeky amenities and Jetblue-style business model. The only way I could get three seats together on Virgin was to pay extra for the roomier bulkhead seats, the so-called Main Cabin Select, which came with “unlimited” food and media, a sort of discount business class. The flight was pleasant and as enjoyable as JetBlue, but the geek reality has not yet caught up with the hype.
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Tags: air travel, cheese, Christmas, drinks, Facebook, first class, food, gum, Hancock, Harrison Ford, holidays, hooks, iPhones, iTunes, JetBlue, John Hodgman, Jonathan Coulton, MacBreak Weekly, music, podcasts, pokes, Stephen Colbert, student films, Tweets, Twitter, Uhh Yeah Dude, Virgin America, Wall-E, Will Smith, Witness
December 20, 2008
I subscribe to the feeds of hundreds of blogs through Google Reader (see shared links to some of them at left), but the list of blogs I actually enjoy reading is short. I’m always looking for additions to that list, and here are some strong contenders, in alphabetical order:
Cognitive Daily The “daily” part seems to be a misnomer, but the topics are always fun and interesting. How many tabs do you have open on your browser? Caffeine, memory and the brain. Is it sexist to think men are angrier than women? Another blog from the same site is The Frontal Cortex, also in the same vein and infrequently updated; the author was featured in last Sunday’s NYT Magazine.
Consumerist This is was one of the best blogs in the Gawker Media empire (sold to Consumer Reports on 12/30). And it’s only gotten better since the start of the Great Depression II, despite some staff cuts. Frugal tips from America’s cheapest family. Customer call center horror stories. Crowd-sourcing rumors like the Wal-Mart iPhone. Abuses by the credit-card industry. How to write complaint letters to consumer-abusing corporations.
The Daily Beast Tina Brown‘s ripoff of The Huffington Post is better-written, better-designed, better edited and more provocative than the original. Brown attracts big-name talent, and there’s a coherent editing philosophy (unlike the endless stream of often-predictable blah-blah at HuffPo — 250+ items on Friday alone! More than 60 already today! I need an assistant to read it). The Beast is attractive and well-organized with some cute ideas. Too bad it launched on the eve of the Great Depression II. Just don’t try to turn it into a magazine. I’ve canceled most of mine.
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Tags: 43 Folders, Blogs, bookmarks, Consumerist, David Byrne, Delicious, dlisted, Facebook, Fail Blog, feeds, Flickr, Friendfeed, G.I. Joe, Gawker, Kung Fu Grippe, Last Night's Party, Luc Sante, MacBreak Weekly, Merlin Mann, Perez Hilton, podcasts, The Daily Beast, Tina Brown, TMZ, Twitter, Web browsers, You Look Nice Today
December 19, 2008
Here are more quick takes on podcasts that caught my attention this week, in the order I listened. [See previous lists.]
Posted in Podcast Zeitgeist | 5 Comments »
Tags: ads, advertising, Airstream RV, Alex Lindsay, baby names, Bob Thurman, Canadians, CommandN, Daisy Whitney, Digital Photography Life, driver's licenses, Flickr, geeks, global warming, horror, Jason Calacanis, John C. Dvorak, Jonathan Larroquette, Leo Laporte, MacBreak Weekly, MacWorld Expo, misogyny, nerds, Net@Night, Night of the Living Podcast, Nikon D3-X, Personal Life Media, photography, polar icecaps, Seth Romatelli, Smugmug, Susan Bratton, Sylvester Stallone, The Futlie Podcast, This Week in Media, Tibetan Buddhism, Twitter, Whopper virgins, Wired Gadget Lab
December 12, 2008
I’m mixing it up a little this week, adding some new podcasts from the iTunes Best of 2008 lists [iTunes Store Link], including a few with video under 10 minutes.
“Grammar Girl Video: Irony“ Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips are usually audio, but this six minutes of video is worth watching for its excellent explanation of the frequently misused words “irony” and “ironic,” using to good effect the infamous Sarah Palin turkey-pardon video. Here’s the gist: Irony is all about incongruity and always in the eye of the beholder. Palin and her critics both might have thought the event was ironic, but for different and legitimate reasons. Writing that something is “ironic” says more about you, the observer, than the events themselves, and it is open to misinterpretation. Watch, understand, then use these words properly, or not at all, especially if you are a journalist trying to be fair. Length: 6:29 minutes. Released: Dec. 5.
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Tags: "All My Internet Friends", Amanda French, Attack of the Show, brocabulary, Buzz Out Loud, CNET, grammar, Grammar Girl, iPhones, iTunes, Jonathan Coulton, Jonathan Larroquette, MacBreak Weekly, music, Podcast Zeitgeist, podcasts, Scientific American, Seth Romatelli, This Week in Tech, Twitter, Uhh Yeah Dude, York Pa., You Look Nice Today
December 5, 2008
There are 8 million podcasts on the naked Web. Each week, I listen to 10 or more of them and write some reviews. Here’s the latest survey of independent audio featuring assorted nerds, geeks, freaks, mystics, fans and experts talking about the things they love. In the order I listened this week:
“TWIT 171: Chocolate Sox” Not a great week for news and information about tech. Leo Laporte makes good on his threat that his This Week in Tech podcast is “unscripted, unplanned and sometimes completely off the hook.” He is joined by John C. Dvorak, Andrew Horowitz and Sarah Lane. They discuss Beaujolais Nouveau, insult Adam Curry, taste chocolate, reminisce about Tech TV, brag about how many Twitter followers they have, complain about AT&T customer service, plug a useful Web site (Gethuman.com), discuss the financial crisis, demonstrate an ignorance of journalistic practice and browse a few tech headlines. It’s entertaining, if not enlightening. Length: 1 hour, 42 minutes. Release date: Nov. 30.
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Tags: Ant-Man, Apple, Bob Thurman, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Cat Power, Coverville, Daisy Whitney, John C. Dvorak, John Hodgeman, junk mail, Karl Pilkington, Keith and the Girl, Leo Laporte, Lower East Side, MacBreak Weekly, Marvel Comics, Merlin Mann, Podcast Zeitgeist, Postal Service, RIcky Gervais, samadhi, Sarah Lane, Seth Romatelli, This Week in Media, This Week in Tech, Twentyhood, Twit.tv, Uhh Yeah Dude, Uma Thurman, You Look Nice Today
November 28, 2008
Here’s my weekly roundup of podcasts from selected geeks, nerds, kooks, freaks, comedians, self-styled tech gurus and other denizens of the audio Web, in the order I listened this week:
- “Extra Life Radio, #202, #203, and #204” “Geek tested, nerd approved!” A likable group of geeks and nerds, Scott Johnson and his friends are Web comics artists who talk about films, TV, gaming and comics, among other topics of a certain type. The first episode (“Vacillating Two Oh Two”) encapsulated what I value in a podcast — a deep and serious discussion that makes me care about a niche interest, in this case, Web comics. The next episode (#203 “Spinimal!”) was a wide-ranging discussion of movies. The Thanksgiving episode (#204, “Choot the Turkey”) was the least compelling, more movie talk and a long, easily skipped conversation about soccer parents (they often take a good 15 to 20 minutes to warm up). This podcast was the winner in the general category of the mostly meaningless 2008 Podcast Awards, sponsored by the marketing company Podcast Connect Inc. The contest bases the awards on how many fans repeatedly click on an unscientific online survey, as Mr. Johnson, to his credit, notes. He and his co-hosts also won for a “World of Warcraft” gaming podcast, The Instance. Length: Ranging from 1 hour, 7 minutes to 1 hour, 32 minutes. Released: Nov. 12, Nov. 17 and Nov. 25.
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Tags: Alex Albrecht, Andy Ihnatko, Brian Stelter, brocabulary, Daisy Whitney, Diggnation, Extra Life Radio, I Want Sandy, iPhone Apps, iTunes, Jonathan Larroquette, Leo Laporte, MacBreak Weekly, macs, misogynists, movies, Podcast Awards, Podcast Zeitgeist, Seth Romatelli, Stikkit, The Bugle, This Week in Media, This Week in Tech, Uhh Yeah Dude, Uli's Talking Moose, Vomitus Prime, Web comics, You Look Nice Today
I happened to find myself in a Whole Foods store a week ago and noticed the wide coffee selection. Not being able to help myself, I picked up some single-source beans from Ecuador. For much of the week, I have been drinking it, mostly as espresso, alternating with the pricier Kenyan beans from an indie shop that I wrote about last week as part ofmy ongoing coffee quest.
