Alana recently linked to a video of some lunatics at Case dropping fifty pounds of Silly Putty off a parking garage. Well, they’re not the only people who’ve been playing with large quantities of the stuff. A group of folks at Google all wanted big chunks of it, so they pooled their orders — and the guy who actually placed the bulk order ended up with 250 pounds of Silly Putty on his desk. Then the fun began . . .
The cost of mailing a first-class letter in the U.S. went up to 39 cents yesterday, an increase of two cents. This was part of an overall USPS rate increase. Perhaps you already knew about this, but I had no idea a rate hike was coming until I stumbled across a reference to it at Lifehacker today.
A couple of months ago, the hard disk on our primary home computer became corrupted, and I had to reformat and reinstall Windows. I was able to do this without losing any data by installing a second hard disk, putting Windows on that, and then using a recovery tool (Active@ UNDELETE) to retrieve our data files from the corrupted drive. After I was sure that I had recovered everything of value from the corrupted drive, I reformatted it and started using it as a backup medium (with Norton Ghost as the backup tool).
That should have been the end of our Windows problems, at least for a while. Formatting the new C: drive and installing Windows from scratch ought to have resulted in a clean, stable system. But something went wrong, because we started seeing odd behavior over the last several weeks. The first warning sign was a folder on my desktop that I could not get rid of — I could drag it to the Recycle Bin and empty the bin, but the folder would reappear on my desktop later. That was annoying, but not really problematic. Then Windows started refusing to shut down, restart, or log out. You could select those actions from the Start menu, but nothing would happen; the only way out was to use the button on the front of the computer. It was clear that our system was unstable, so after making sure that everything was backed up to the other hard drive, I reinstalled Windows again.
If you’ve ever gone through this process (and if you’ve had your computer more than a year or two, you’ve probably had to), you know that the time-consuming part is not installing Windows from the CD, but installing four years’ worth of updates and patches. It takes several hours to get it all done. This time around, it occurred to me that I wasn’t actually doing anything except clicking buttons to tell Windows Update to proceed to the next step. The problem is that after installing each set of updates, Windows needs to restart, but it won’t do so without confirmation from you. And after Windows restarts, you have to manually run Windows Update again to start downloading and installing the next set of updates. In other words, what’s so burdensome is that Windows Update keeps stopping and waiting for manual intervention.
Why can’t the whole process be automated? What’s needed is a Windows Cumulative Update option, which would do the following:
Wouldn’t that be simpler? After installing Windows, you could start Windows Cumulative Update and walk away. A few hours later, your Windows installation would be fully up to date without any further action on your part. I hope Microsoft includes something like this with Windows Vista.
So what podcasts do I listen to that aren’t about technology news? Well, several of them are about games. I stumbled across the Sci-Fi Podcast Network early in my search for more podcasts, and that site provided me with lots of shows to try out. But not the ones about science fiction or comic books, even though those are interests of mine. Money has been tight this year, so I haven’t been going to movies or buying comics. And my volunteer schedule at Raleigh Little Theatre has left me with insufficient time for watching TV. So I have to steer clear of the podcasts about science fiction and comics if I want to avoid spoilers.
But quite a few of the TSFPN shows are about gaming. Not computer or video gaming (which I also don’t have time for), but tabletop gaming: role-playing, board, and card games. And where games are concerned, spoilers aren’t an issue. In fact, I actually want to hear about games I’ve never played, because that’s a good way to identify games that I want to try.
So my exploration of TSFPN podcasts focused mainly on shows about gaming. I started with All Games Considered and Have Games, Will Travel. Those shows provided me with more leads, because podcasters frequently mention other podcasts that they listen to and provide links in their show notes. In this case, I learned about some gaming-related shows that are not part of TSFPN: Board Games to Go, The Dice Tower, and the OgreCave Audio Report.
Of all these shows, my favorite is Have Games, Will Travel. It’s a one-man show that consists of Paul Tevis reviewing, analyzing, and explaining games. The most obvious quality that makes HGWT stand out is Paul’s vocal delivery. He has a pleasant, well-modulated voice and speaks in a relaxed, unhurried way that’s very easy to listen to. His podcasts are entirely free of stammering, awkward pauses, gap-fillers like “uh” and “you know”, or verbal mistakes of any kind. This may just indicate that Paul edits his show very carefully, but I think a lot of it is because he just speaks really, really well. I don’t know whether he scripts his shows, because it’s impossible to tell — every episode is focused and moves along without digressions, but also sounds spontaneous and unforced. All aspiring podcasters should listen to this guy, because they could learn a lot from him.
But it’s not just Paul’s vocal style that makes me love his show; the content is excellent as well. I particularly enjoy his game reviews, because Paul has a knack for explaining the rules and mechanics of a game in a way that’s clear, concise, and doesn’t cause your eyes to glaze over, yet leaves you with a genuine understanding of the game. For example, take the review of the boardgame Parthenon: Rise of the Aegean in this episode. At the beginning of the review, I knew nothing about the game — but when he finished, I felt that I understood it and was ready to sit down and start playing. And that I wanted to, because Paul communicated the flavor of the game so well that I know I will enjoy it.
The other gaming podcast that I listen to regularly is Mark Johnson’s Boardgames to Go. Mark doesn’t have Paul’s natural gift for speaking, but he works hard to make his podcast interesting and informative. I initially sampled his show by listening to this episode about the care and feeding of local game groups — a subject I find interesting, since I’ve been a part of several such groups (some more successful than others) over the last quarter century. I enjoyed that episode enough that I decided to start with the first episode of BGTG and listen to them all in order (my usual practice with podcasts that I subscribe to). As I listened to the first couple of episodes, I started to think that the show wasn’t as good as I thought, but then I realized that Mark had simply started out as a novice podcaster and had improved steadily over time.
And that’s come to be one of the elements of the show that I enjoy: observing as he learns by trial and error (and feedback from his listeners) and hones his craft. (He also shares what he’s learning with us. In fact, this episode is the best tutorial I’ve encountered on how to record and edit a podcast with simple, inexpensive tools.) I do find some episodes of BGTG more interesting than others, but it’s almost always worth my time. And it continues to get a little bit better and more polished with each new episode.
As for the other shows I listed earlier, the jury is still out on them. The OgreCave Audio Report seems to focus more on news about the gaming industry, which I find kind of dull, so I don’t think it’s going to become a favorite of mine. All Games Considered and The Dice Tower seem to be hit-and-miss; I’ve heard at least one interesting episode of each, but then listened to other episodes and found some to be dull, depending on the topic. I probably need to sample them more before I decide.
In my next post about podcasts, I’ll talk about some others I like that aren’t about technology news or gaming.
UPDATE (2 Dec): The folks at Steve Jackson Games posted an item about gaming podcasts this morning, and it spotlights my two favorites.
A few days ago, I was cutting up mushrooms for my salad and accidentally sliced my left thumb. It wasn’t a serious laceration, but I thought I should stick an adhesive bandage on it to protect it while it heals. So I went to the bathroom cabinet to see what was available. There was no shortage of strip bandages, but they were all varieties that call attention to themselves, rather than trying to blend in. My choices were:
I’ve heard that you can get skin-colored adhesive bandages, but I don’t live in a household that stocks that sort of thing. So if anyone’s wondering, that’s why I’m wearing Harry Potter’s face on my thumb today.
UPDATE: According to the official BAND-AID Story, the man who invented the product did so because his wife was a clumsy with a kitchen knife as I am.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Argh. I see that James Lileks wrote about this topic two days ago, making me look imitative and lame. But I cut my thumb before that column appeared, darn it! Is it my fault I didn’t get around to blogging about it until today? Well, yes, I suppose it is. But I have a full-time day job, and rehearsals for the play I’m in that have me getting home around 11 p.m. every night this week. Is it any wonder it took me a few days to find time to write a blog post? Lileks, on the other hand, only has to be a stay-at-home dad and do radio interviews all day long promoting his new book. And write daily blog posts and a daily newspaper column and articles for various other periodicals and websites. And produce a weekly podcast. Slacker.
YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Yes, I know you can buy pre-sliced mushrooms. They’re more expensive than whole ones. I’m trying to be financially prudent here, and if that means sacrificing a finger or two, well, nobody ever promised that being a husband and father would be easy.
If you haven’t bought a pumpkin yet, it’s probably too late. But you can still carve your jack-o-lantern online. There’s even an UNDO button in case you mess up, a feature no real-world pumpkin supports.
The tagline of this blog, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is “Putting words in a row since 2001.” It occurred to me recently that I’ve never explained where that phrase came from.
It’s from a Robert A. Heinlein novel. But not, as you might expect, from his science fiction. Heinlein wrote one fantasy novel, Glory Road, that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. It’s the story of an American soldier, just discharged after a tour of duty in Vietnam, who finds the following ad in the classified section of a French newspaper:
ARE YOU A COWARD? This is not for you. We badly need a brave man. He must be 23 to 25 years old, in perfect health, at least six feet tall, weigh about 190 pounds, fluent English with some French, proficient with all weapons, some knowledge of engineering and mathematics essential, willing to travel, no family or emotional ties, indomitably courageous and handsome of face and figure. Permanent employment, very high pay, glorious adventure, great danger. You must apply in person, 17, rue Dante, Nice, 2me etage, appt. D.
Intrigued, he answers the ad and is hired to escort and protect a beautiful woman (and her manservant) on a perilous journey through a fantasy world populated by ogres, minotaurs, Rodents of Unusual Size, and dragons — at the end of which they must enter an evil stronghold and recover a priceless artifact.
At one point during the journey, the travelers stop for the night and camp under the stars. The protagonist finds himself afflicted with insomnia and appeals to the manservant for help:
But I didn’t go to sleep. The truth is, I’ve got a monkey on my back, a habit worse than marijuana though not as expensive as heroin. I can stiff it out and get to sleep anyway — but it wasn’t helping that I could see light in Star’s tent and a silhouette that was no longer troubled by a dress.
The fact is I am a compulsive reader. Thirty-five cents’ worth of Gold Medal Original will put me right to sleep. Or Perry Mason. But I’ll read the ads in an old Paris-Match that has been used to wrap herring before I’ll do without.
I got up and went around the tent. “Psst! Rufo.”
“Yes, milord.” He was up fast, a dagger in his hand.
“Look, is there anything to read around this dump?”
“What sort of thing?”
“Anything, just anything. Words in a row.”
“Just a moment.” He was gone a while, using a flashlight around that beachhead dump of plunder. He came back and offered me a book and a small camp lamp. I thanked him, went back, and lay down.
When I first read Glory Road, that scene stuck in my mind because I have the same problem. I always read for a few minutes before going to bed, and if there’s no reading material available, I have trouble composing myself for sleep. So when I was casting about for a way to describe the process of writing, the phrase “words in a row” popped into my head. Now you know; it’s all Heinlein’s fault.
At a recent gathering of friends, the subject of podcasts came up. I promised to write something about the podcasts I listen to, particularly the ones covering news and information about technology.
If I’m going to talk about tech-news podcasts, I probably should start with the best-known one: This Week in Tech. TWiT is Leo Laporte‘s attempt to revive his former TechTV show The Screen Savers in podcast form, and he did a pretty good job of it. The best thing about TSS was always the rapid-fire discussion of tech topics by the ubergeek cast of the show, and that’s what TWit consists of.
Unfortunately, the show has been getting out of control lately. It was originally recorded in a pseudo-studio format, with the various commentators talking to each other via Skype or some other VoIP connection. This format made it comparatively easy for Leo to edit the show to keep it tight and focused. But recently, TWiT has shifted to a recorded-live-with-an-audience format. The number of people participating also has increased, and the result is too chaotic for me. The participants get excited and all try to talk at the same time, or interrupt each other constantly, and the discussion is frequently sidetracked by irrelevant digressions or inane blather. And Leo doesn’t seem to be trying to edit the show at all anymore. As a result, TWiT has been losing its appeal for me. I still listen to it, but it’s not at the top of my list anymore. When the show was new, I would have given it a grade of A, but nowadays it only rates a C.
So what other tech-news podcasts do I like? Well, first of all, I highly recommend a TWiT spinoff called Security Now! This show came into existence because TWiT‘s new format requires all the participants to meet physically in San Francisco. Steve Gibson had been participating via Skype, but he can’t attend in person. So Leo created a separate podcast that consists of just him and Steve discussing computer security. SN gets everything right that TWiT is doing wrong. It involves just two people (one of whom is a technical expert who does most of the talking), so the discussion is orderly and focused. There’s no live audience to introduce ambient noise that might make editing difficult. The show has a clearly defined topic, so Steve and Leo aren’t tempted to digress or waste time on trivial banter. And the show is short: typically, 20 to 30 minutes devoted to one security issue. Security Now! gets an A+ grade from me.
For broader coverage of tech news, I’ve become quite fond of the Power User Podcast (PUP for short). This show uses a round-table format, so it’s theoretically like TWiT — but only three or four people are involved, so the discussion stays on track most of the time. Host Kristin Hatcher is smooth and professional, and does a good job of keeping the other participants in line (although Brad Wardell seems to slip into standup-comedy mode occasionally). And the shows tend to be a bit shorter than TWiT: about 30 to 45 minutes, which strikes me as just about right. PUP is informative, entertaining, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. I give it a B.
My exploration of podcasts began with technology-oriented ones like these, but since then it has expanded into other subject areas. I’ll write about those in another post.
I encountered an interesting new meme at Neil’s World recently. Theoretically, I should wait until someone tags me with it. But it sounds like fun, so I’m going to go ahead and do it. Here’s the meme:
My archives show my twenty-third post to be Falling stars
, an account of watching the Leonid meteor shower with my children in 2001. The fifth sentence of that post is: “We weren’t disappointed.
” What does this say about me? I’m not sure, except that I enjoy watching bits of comet debris vaporize in the upper atmosphere.
I hereby tag the following people with this meme: Ben, Bob, Gail, Greg, Virgil
I thought about tagging Alana, but her blog is too new to have twenty-three posts. I’m sure won’t take her long to reach that number, and then someone else can tag her.
After I was laid off in 2002, I wrote a lot of stuff in this blog about the experience of losing my job, searching for another one, and returning to the ranks of the employed. The same thing happened again this year, but I didn’t blog much about the process this time around. Mostly that was a good thing, because I covered that ground pretty well in 2002-2003. But it’s unfortunate that I didn’t write anything about those events, because I sometimes use this blog as a reference when I need to know the exact date of a major transition in my life — like the day I started or left a particular job.
When I was using Blogger, I had to find that information by skimming through the archives. But thanks to Movable Type, this blog now has a search function. So I want to go ahead and note a few dates for posterity.
There, now I don’t have to worry about my faulty memory. If I need those dates three years from now, I’ll be able to find them here.