We’ve Moved!

Just a quick FYI that The Geekcast is now located at http://www.GeekcastOnline.com. Check the new URL out to see the latest episodes. Hope to see you there!

The Geekcast #133 – Twitter Clients on Linux

The Geekcast #133

Contact info: 206-350-5000 | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note:

This Saturday, April 4th, Gozer, The Stay Puft marshmellow man and I will be podcasting at I-CON 28 in Brendwood, NY. If you’re attending the show, be sure to say hello!

We also have a Facebook group & fan page. Search Facebook for “The Geekcast” and you’ll see the show listed.

This is the last week to let us know if you’re interested in playing Xbox online. We need to know how much interest there is, so we can proceed accordingly, if at all. Right now, we have ZERO interest. Well we did have that one guy!

Listener Feedback:

Shout outs to twitter listeners therealhex & woden325. They let us know they’re fans of the show and we’re grateful to have them on-board with us. Hello to Surtur who listens on his PSP where he gets the show via the RSS feed. Finally, shout outs to Gozer’s new twitter guys: Keyshark, PeterFranken and RunningRambling.

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Geek This Week

Aaron:

World of Goo from the MacHeist 3 bundle is a fun puzzle game where you build structures using pieces of ‘goo’ that stick to each other. The object is to make the structure reach to another section of the map. I tried it on a whim last night and it’s a complete time-sponge.

I’ve really been enjoying Chuck on NBC. This geeky show has really come into its own and it’s not just about an attraction between a nerd and a hot spy. It’s one of the main shows I’ve been looking forward to during the week, now that I’ve dropped Heroes & Sarah Connor Chronicles from my TiVo.

Gozer:

Playing some Gears 2 Snowblind map pack goodness. Lots of snow. 800 points or 5,000 sheckels! 4 maps w/snow: Fuel Depot w/ snow, yes the sniper rifles are still in the tractor trailers and the hammer of dawn switches with the mortar inside the warehouse. ( Annex) Courtyard w/snow, is just a really big open courtyard with lots of small cover. Grindyard w/ snow, more of a close quarters map with awesome sniping spots and lots of cover. One particular spot awesome for horde mode.

There’s a one way ramp that goes up to this balcony where there’s either a boomshot or a mulcher. Put a shield up and you’ll be set. Lastly, w/snow, there is Underhill, with snow, which is visually spectacular. Looks like these multiple garages all parallel to each other. Then opposite of the garages is this big suspension bridge where the sun is setting. Looks fantastic. Also a great spot in the garage for horde mode. There’s basically a big garage door that you have to close and only one way into this small room. Block the one way with a shield and you’ll be good to go. Uhhh….snow.

Guitar hero Metallica! Rock! Opens with all the album covers then goes right into the band playing Master of Puppets. Awesome. Got in single player quick play. Was able to pick from a lot of songs right off the bat. I made a setlist of 6 songs:

#6 The Unforgiven ( off the black albulm), #5 The Shortest Straw ( off and justice for all) #4 Wherever i may roam ( off the black album), #3 For whom the bell tolls (from Ride the lightning), #2 Master of Puppets (from Master of Puppets), and #1 one of my favorite all time songs…Creeping Death (off ride the lightning)

The climax of the song is the personification of death killing the egyptians first born. Die…by my hand…i creep across the land…killing first born man! Goosebumps were felt as i rocked out, blinking strobe lights and all, in the basement by myself. “Lambs blood painted door, I shall pass”

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Tech & Game news:

From Ars Technica:

SeeqPod files for bankruptcy after being sued by record industry

SeeqPod, the “playable search” engine, has filed for bankruptcy after becoming a target for the record industry. SeeqPod has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after being sued by a number of record companies. SeeqPod allows users to scour the Internet for a variety of media (including videos, music, and presentations), turn music tracks into audio streams, and listen right from the browser. It also supports playlist creation and sharing. The issue is that SeeqPod makes no effort to filter out illicit copyrighted content. Any MP3 it finds on the Web is fair game, regardless of what copyrights the original uploader may be breaking. Warner Bros. Records launched a lawsuit against the company in January, 2008 calling SeeqPod an “unlawful music service that directly engages in, encourages, and facilitates the mass infringement of Plaintiffs’ and other intellectual property owners’ copyrighted works.” Since then, EMI and Capitol Records have also filed lawsuits against SeeqPod, but took things a step further by also targeting investors, SeeqPod employees, and even one developer who made use of the SeeqPod API for his own websites.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/seeqpod-bullied-into-bankruptcy-by-record-industry.ars

Onlive announces cloud-based console gaming

OnLive is launching the world’s highest performance Games On Demand service, instantly delivering the latest high-end titles over home broadband Internet to the TV and entry-level PCs and Macs. You will be able to play the hottest current titles instantly on your TV, PC or Mac through your broadband Internet connections. Access to OnLive will be available on PC or Mac via a small browser plug-in, or from a TV via the OnLive MicroConsole. While currently in private Beta, they expect to have an external Beta to gamers around the US this summer. They plan to make OnLive available in Winter 2009.

OnLive works over nearly any broadband connection (DSL, cable modem, fiber, or through the LAN at your college or office). For Standard-Definition TV resolution, OnLive needs a 1.5 Mbps connection. For HDTV resolution (720p60), OnLive needs 5 Mbps.

http://www.onlive.com/about.html

http://www.onlive.com/service/how_onlive_works.html

1UP News:

Harold Ramis Finds Video Games Unfamiliar Territory
Says the game script recording process is a “little weird.”

Harold Ramis has been in the movie business for a long time, but video games are apparently unfamiliar territory. According to a new interview with MTV, he realized as much when he took a look at the script for the upcoming video game adaptation of Ghostbusters.

“It was a little weird. I had no idea because I’m not a gamer. The game scripts are like 250 pages,” Ramis said. “You need all these alternatives so it took forever. A lot of it is just yelling, ‘Look out! Throw that trap, rookie!’ Stuff like that.”

Fortunately, the voice still fits, he said. The uniform though? Not so much.

As for the script itself, Ramis said that co-star Dan Aykroyd “kind of consulted on the project.” The result was Aykroyd having input on a lot of the story, while Ramis “kind of helped him change the dialogue.”

In the meantime, development continues ahead of the game’s multi-platform release. This after Atari rescued it from purgatory following Vivendi Games’s merger with Activision, giving what’s been termed “Ghostbusters 3″ a new home. Expect it on all platforms June 17.

Side note – I heard Sigourney Weaver showed some interest in the game a little too late. Apparently she didn’t know that the original cast was doing the game. Alyssa Milano is going to be the new love interest in the game.

http://www.gametab.com/news/2934612/

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Test A Geek: Enjoy a new edition of Test A Geek on this episode.

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How To: Use Twitter Clients on Linux

If you’re down with the penguin and also getting sucked into the Twitter world, using a Twitter client greatly advances the productivity of the web application. Mac and PC users have many options but Linux can be just as powerful for keeping up with this hyper-network. There are a number of desktop clients available for Linux users which makes using twitter a lot easier. Some of these programs are out on multiple OS’s thanks to Adobe Air, which runs on all three OS’s.

1) twhirl: Thanks to Adobe Air deploying applications over multiple platform is easier than ever. twhirl is one of the most widely used twitter desktop clients out there. It supports multiple accounts over multiple social networks with a decent user interface.

2) twitus: A simple GTK+ twitter client with several distribution specific packages.

3) gtwitter: Inspired by twitterrific and written in Mono/C#, this is another good GTK+ based Linux client.

4) Qwit: Native KDE users will appreciate this twitter clients developed with Qt4.

5) Mitter: A light weight python twitter client which can also be also used from the console.

See more clients at linuxhaxor.net. With these programs, you should find one of these clients useful to get your Twitter on. You can also use Twitter Directories like Twellow to look for people with similar interests to follow.

http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2009/03/22/10-twitter-clients-for-linux/

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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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The Geek’s View: Skype for the iPhone / iPod Touch

This past Tuesday, a Skype application was released for the iPhone & iPod Touch. While most of the features aren’t too surprising, there are a few capabilities that are notably missing, but there are a few iPhone-only features as well.

Calls on Skype for iPhone work only if you’re in range of a Wi-Fi hotspot and calls will not work over cell. If you want to chat with someone over text, that will work regardless of the connection. If you have an iPod Touch, you will need will need earphones with a microphone to talk. During a call, you can mute the line, go on hold, or put the call on speakerphone. There is also a “My Info” window that allows you to buy SkypeOut credit online. Some iPhone-only features include taking a photo from within Skype to serve as your avatar image or pulling a picture in from the camera roll. The app also allows you to accept incoming conference calls but you cannot make those calls.

Overall, the program is really nice and is a fantastic way to get voice services on an iPod Touch while saving on minutes from your AT&T account. This can come in handy especially if you’re using the free AT&T hotspots in starbucks or free wifi in other places such as Panera Bread. It runs smooth and it’s a must-have for anyone into VoIP and looking to get free or cheap calls on their device.

Skype for iPhone / iPod Touch can be downloaded for free from the iTunes Store.

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Outtake link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjfunv7HB6U

The Geekcast #132 – Custom Windows 7 Logon Screen

The Geekcast #132

Contact info: 206-350-5000 | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note:

Gozer and I will be podcasting at I-CON 28 in Brendwood, NY. If you’re attending the show, be sure to say hello!

We also have a Facebook group & fan page. Search Facebook for “The Geekcast” and you’ll see the show listed.

Are people interested in playing Xbox online? We need to know how much interest there is, so we can proceed accordingly, if at all

Get your tech question answered on the show! We need content for our Ask A Geek segment.

Would you like a secondary, smaller Geekcast to come out so that you have content twice a week? The show used to be twice a week, so let us know.

Listener Feedback:

paulo_one tweeted: Great show this week. Info overload! Ha ha, love it. Will be watching Galactica with you.

The Geekcast #131 – SelectiveTwitter for Facebook

The Geekcast #131

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: Gozer has joined the Twitter community after much pressuring from Aaron. Be sure to follow him @Gozer360!

Listener Feedback: Twitter user woden325 let us know that there is a great disk wiper available called Dban. This is in reference to the harddrive story we talked about on episode 126. A full review will appear on an upcoming episode of The Geekcast

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Geek This Week

Aaron: This week is the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. It airs on Friday and is a two-hour episode. Aaron talks about the series (with very little spoilers) and how it’s changed the sci-fi world.

Gozer: Resident Evil 5. Background of resident evil experience. Res 1 on Saturn, Res 2 on N64 ( a friend’s) Res Code Veronica + Res 3 Nemesis ( delorean) on Dreamcast, Gamecube deal with Resident Evil 0 and Res 1 revamp. Then one of the best games of all time, Res 4. Played a demo disc of it and was not used to it at first. Bought the game and loved it, played it six times, 4 on gamecube and 2X on Wii. Resident Evil 5 is not as good as 4. Still enjoying it but with alot of frustration. Biggest frustration being the inventory system. Pull up your inventory in real time, more frustrating than intense. you can only hold 9 things, res 4 u had a briefcase that u could make bigger. I do like the quick inventory using the d pad. Sheva – needs to be smarter. Can’t tell her what weapon to use. Gotta play this game co-op. Still enjoying the game and the different scenarios. * spoiler* I just beat an old man version the golem dude from res 4 and some half bat half lobster thing that was fairly easy to beat. New multiplayer is dlc for $5. If it’s just deathmatch, iam not getting it. Just run towards each other, stop and shoot would suck. Gotta do some cool zombie mode like left for dead or something like one player is human and the other sends waves of zombies at him during certain points in the match.

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Tech & Game news:

The Geekcast #130 – Keep Your Mac Apps up to Date

The Geekcast #130

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: Twitter & Youtube channel, Gozer’s theater/gaming room setup & GTA 4 vid

No animals were harmed in the outtakes from last week, Gozer doesn’t squeeze his cats he simply hugs them.

Listener Feedback:

Mike writes: The show is doing good just like old times. Good stuff !!

Max Writes: Aaron glad to see ya back! very happy with The Geekcast thus far, I can imagine that its pretty hard work keeping things going by your self…so nice addition in Gozer. I’ve a couple of requests if you’d indulge me….
I’ve an xbox360… would love to invite you and Gozer in to a GTA game sometime if ya want you can host a geekcast fan night?!?!?

Have you explored the zune? and it’s marketplace… don’t recall if you mentioned this on the podcast but not only does Zune’s Market place, allow for unlimited downloads of music but they also allow you got get 10 free songs a month…I’ve gotta gush about my zune 80, love the device..hope you can get your hands on one it’s pretty good… pity it’s overshadowed by the Ipod touch… but as stand alone players it pretty good….
this ends the microsoft fan portion of my email!

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Geek This Week:

Aaron:

Aaron and Gozer played GTA 4 multiplayer together, lobby is fun just messin’ around ( so funny to try to accomplish something together and then just turn and kill each other without waring) We took a boat from the statue of liberty together to another island and i kept fallin off the dock and when i got up on the dock up the stairs you just decided to 2nd amendment-ed me! Multiplayer is cool at first but then you just feel like your playing alone.

Gozer:

1) Very geeky week!!! Got my flat screen back from repair. Sound still doesn’t work. Pissed. Got my iMac back with new LCD screen and leopard 3 pack $169 for single user. Upgraded to final cut

express 4 for $100 since i owned the old version already. Got a new wireless mighty mouse for free!! Apple rocks!

2) Played Tomb Raider Under world, couldn’t get past the underwater part in the beginning, never gonna play it again. Still lovin’ GTA 4 lost and the damned & Street Fighter 4. Difficulty is nuts and

multiplayer needs improvement. Ninja Blade Demo – Felt like Ninja Gaiden but not as good. Too many separations of gameplay. Fighting into Dragon’s Lair’s esq button pushes. Huge Worm & Spider in demo.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. review & impressions. Controls awkward, left stick up and down and left ad right goes into like a barrel roll. Right stick moves the camera. LB and RB turns the plane left and right.

Sound fx could be better. Resident Evil 5 Thursday night midnight launch.

Went to gamestop and i got a ‘sigh’ from the girl behind the counter about how i am not buying this on PS3.

3) LG Dare on Friday.

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The Geekcast #129 – Time Machine Backups via NAS

The Geekcast #129

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: We have started a YouTube channel to share some of what we’re working on and also the cool tech stuff we geek out to. Check it out at www.YouTube.com/TheGeekcast

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Geek This Week:

Aaron: Heroes and how it’s dropping off

Gozer: F.E.A.R. 2 Demo & Puzzle Quest PSP

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Tech news:

From MacRumors.com

Amazon Releases Free ‘Kindle for iPhone’ Application

Kindle for iPhone allows Apple iPhone and iPod touch owners to read Kindle books using a simple, easy-to-use interface. You can shop for hundreds of thousands of books at www.amazon.com/kindlestore, and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone or iPod touch. Enjoy Amazon’s low prices on Kindle books, including New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases for $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Features include:

- Buy a Kindle book from your Mac, PC, or iPhone using a Web browser and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone
- Read first chapters of any book for free before you buy
- Download the Kindle books you already own for free — they are automatically backed up on Amazon.com
- Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle device

The iPhone client will also allow you to seamlessly switch back and forth between your Kindle device and Kindle for iPhone while keeping bookmarks and reading location synced between the devices. The Kindle is Amazon’s electronic book reader that was recently updated to version 2. Amazon had promised that Kindle content would become available for mobile phones which had led to speculation that they might support the iPhone.

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/03/04/amazon-releases-free-kindle-for-iphone-application/

From kotaku.com

Celebrate The Resident Evil 5 Launch With A Bloodletting

The Geekcast #128 – Get Hulu Back on Your Apple TV

The Geekcast #128

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Twitter.com/TheGeekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: Welcome to all the new and old listeners who heard about The Geekcast from Twitter. We hope to hear from everyone via e-mail or voicemail.

This edition of The Geekcast is once again co-hosted with Gozer. Together we tackle the world of technology. Send your feedback, thoughts and suggestions on to us!

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Geek This Week:

Aaron: Aaron opens his b’day gift. Gozer briefly describes what it is.

Gozer: Gozer discusses new Grand Theft Auto 4 DLC expansion. “The Lost and Damned” $20 for roughly 1/3 of what the original game was.

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Tech news:

From News.com

Microsoft sues TomTom for patent infringement

Microsoft said on Wednesday that it is filing two separate patent infringement actions against the GPS navigation company. In complaints before the U.S. District Court in Washington and the International Trade Commission, Microsoft is alleging infringement of eight patents.

In an interview, Microsoft deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez said that the software giant has been trying to start licensing talks with TomTom for more than a year.

“They basically never were prepared to have a discussion with us with respect to licensing terms,” Gutierrez said.

A TomTom spokesman said, as a corporate policy, the company “does not comment on legal matters.”

Although Microsoft has been on the receiving end of many patent complaints, this is only the third patent case Microsoft has taken to court. Last year it sued Taiwanese mouse maker Primax, before subsequently settling. It also had a dispute with Belkin back in 2006, which was eventually settled as well.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10172068-56.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

From Joystiq

Netflix planning on offering ‘streaming only’ subscriptions in future

The Geekcast #127 – Home Theatre vs Movie Theatre

The Geekcast #127

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: This edition of The Geekcast features a co-host, my good friend Gozer. Gozer is a big Ghostbusters fan and avid gamer. Together we tackle this episode of the show and there is the possibility of him being a full-time co-host. Send your feedback, thoughts and suggestions on to us!

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Geek This Week:

Gozer: Street Fighter 4 in depth review, just picked it up today (flashback of Street Fighter 2 favorite all time game)

Aaron: BTTF DVD re-relase special features & also BSG.

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Tech news:

From News.com:

Facebook backs down on privacy terms

Facing a federal complaint from a leading privacy organization and a revolt of tens of thousands of its users, Facebook on Tuesday night backed down from what many have seen as an onerous privacy policy. The policy had seemed to grant Facebook perpetual rights to users’ uploaded content, and the threatened complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) had demanded, essentially, that the social-networking service return to its previous terms.

The move came after Facebook had, earlier in the day, polled its users as to whether it should revert to its previous terms. In his blog, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would be asking users to get involved in crafting the next set of terms.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10166456-2.html

The Geekcast #126 – Kindle 2 Review

The Geekcast #126

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: This edition of The Geekcast features a co-host, my good friend Gozer. Gozer is a big Ghostbusters fan and avid gamer. Together we tackle this episode of the show and there is the possibility of him being a full-time co-host. Send your feedback, thoughts and suggestions on to us!

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Tech news:

From AppleInsider:

Apple prepping iTunes Replay on-demand video service

Apple is believed to be wrapping up a new feature in iTunes 8 that will allow users to stream their iTunes video purchases directly from the company’s servers for playback anywhere, anytime without eating up local storage.

Dubbed iTunes Replay, the service would allow iTunes shoppers to build out their digital video collection without worrying about the space needed to store the often hefty media files. It’s unclear whether Apple plans to charge for the service, which is said to support both iTunes Movie and TV show purchases.

One of the main complaints users have with video purchases on iTunes is that they are forced to either throw away their files after watching them, or find a place to store the large files either on their hard drive or by burning them to DVDs. By storing their video content for them and allowing users to stream it for viewing as often as they want, Apple would essentially be offering a media center alternative.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/11/apple_prepping_itunes_replay_on_demand_video_service.html

From ArsTechnica:

Blockbuster Total Access to add games for $5 bump

The Geekcast #125 – USB Key to Boot Your Windows PC

The Geekcast #125

Show Notes:

Contact info: | GeekcastOnline.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note: Welcome back to The Geekcast! We have all new contact information. First, the website is now www.GeekcastOnline.com. Second, we have a Twitter account located at www.twitter.com/The Geekcast. Finally, we want to hear your feedback and questions. Hit up the voicemail line at 206-350-5000! I’d love to hear from you all.

It’s been 18 months and I’m happy to be back. I hope you all enjoy a new edition of the show and look for more to follow.

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Tech news:

From CNet.com

Microsoft offers to just ‘Fix it’

When people encounter a problem with their PC, they often go to the Web and do a search to see if others have had the problem. If they are lucky, someone has found a fix and listed the steps on either a support document or within a user forum. Now, they may have an even better option. Over the past six weeks, Microsoft has quietly added a “Fix it” button to a few of the thousands of help documents on its Web site. When clicked, the computer then takes all the recommended steps automatically. An example of the “Fix it” button that has started showing up in some Microsoft help documents, offering users a one-click solution. “If we know what those 15 steps are why shouldn’t we just script it,” said Lori Brownell, Microsoft’s general manager of product quality and online support. The “Fix it” option is still fairly rare, showing up in around 100 different help documents. The effort is growing rapidly, though, up from just four such fixes when the program quietly began in December.

The first fixes included a number of common issues, including restoring a missing Internet Explorer icon to the desktop, how to enable the DVD library in Vista’s Windows Media Center and more. For now, Microsoft is having to go back and search its archives to see which of its problem solving tips can be automated. Eventually, it hopes to create the automated fixes at the same time the help articles are created.

From Ars Technica

Canadian government eyes open source, asks for feedback

The Canadian government is looking to shave costs wherever it can and is now eyeing open source software as one way to accomplish that goal. The government of Canada has issued an official Request For Information (RFI) on open source software and is looking for feedback and public guidance to help shape procurement policies. This move could be a prelude to broader adoption of free and open source software in the Canadian government’s IT infrastructure. Although Canada has weathered the global financial crisis better than many other countries, its government is looking for ways to compensate for a recent glut of stimulus spending that has generated the country’s first budget deficit in over a decade. To help keep the economic recovery plan on track, Canada’s government is looking for ways to spend smarter.

The language used in the RFI makes it pretty clear that cost reduction is priority number one. It uses the broad term “NO CHARGE LICENSED SOFTWARE”, which it defines as software that is open source or available at no cost. According to the RFI, Canada is exploring no-cost software options on the desktop as well as the server, in categories that include operating systems, office suites, and automation systems.

From NY Times

Digital Pirates Winning Battle With Studios

The Signal #4

The Signal #4

The Signal #3

The Signal #3

The Signal #2

The Signal #2

Unknown Signal

The Signal #1

The Geekcast #124

The Geekcast #124

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note:

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Tech news: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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Test A Geek: Enjoy a new edition of Test A Geek

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How To: Opt out of unsolicited mail, calls and cookies

The New York Times a while back rounded up ways to opt out of solicitations online, from junk snail mail, to telemarketing calls, to Doubleclick web site ad cookies. Here’s a quick list of each type of opt-out:

Phone solicitations: donotcall.gov

The Geekcast #123

The Geekcast #123

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note:

Enjoy “I Love My Mac” by Daphne Kalfon. You fan learn more at www.ilovemymacthesong.com Also,these songs are available in the iTunes Music Store, so be sure to check it out.

This will be a short show due to my hectic schedule.

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Tech news:

iPhone updates & Apple TV.

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Test A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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How To: Access wifi on the go

If you’ve ever been on the road with your mac and needed to find an access point, it can be difficult at times. You could use the airport menu at the top of your screen to check for access points but that is slow and it doesn’t tell you the signal strength until after you’ve connected. An easier way to go is with iStumbler.

iStumbler is a wifi locator for OsX. The program is small but will detect access points wherever you are. The advantage of iStumbler is that it will not only detect wireless internet but you can also use it to detect bluetooth devices and bonjour services that are floating in the air.

iStumbler is small and not complicated to use at all. Once you fire it up, you can see all available networks, their security status and signal strength. The application is clean and blends right into the OsX interface.

Of course, iStumbler is free and can be downloaded at www.istumbler.net

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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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The geek’s view: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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The Geekcast #122

The Geekcast #122

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note: There are currently no items of note.

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Tech news:

Microsoft announces Microsoft Surface. Microsoft on Wednesday introduced Microsoft Surface, code-named “Milan,” more than five years in the making and the first in what the company hopes will be a long line of “surface computers.” The Microsoft Surface tabletop PC, for which the company has created both the hardware and software, is controlled entirely through touch with no mouse or keyboard. To paint, people can pick up a paint brush or just dip their fingers in virtual paint cups. Sharing photos is similarly intuitive. A stack of pictures can be easily sorted through and shared. To resize a photo, just stretch two fingers apart. Pivot the fingers and the image rotates. More than one person can be interacting with the computer at a time. Although consumers will be able to touch it later this year, most won’t be able to buy a surface computer any time soon. The expensive components required to allow multiple users to touch the device simultaneously give it a price tag approaching $10,000. As a result, Microsoft isn’t targeting homes initially, though it hopes consumers can own their own Milan within three to five years. For now, Microsoft is focusing on getting the products into public spaces in the hospitality arena–hotel lobbies, restaurants, and casinos, to name a few.

Apple Introduces 160GB Apple TV for $399. In a press release announcing YouTube videos for Apple TV, Apple also reveals that they will be introducing a 160GB Apple TV for $399. Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, is available through the Apple with a 160GB hard drive will be available now for a suggested retail price of $399. The YouTube feature for Apple TV will be available as a free software update in mid-June.

Dell laying off 10% of its workforce. Today Dell announced that they’re planning to layoff nearly ten percent of the company’s workforce according to the BBC. The BBC doesn’t get specific about where they’ll be job cuts, but we all hope that the cuts don’t come from tech support and customer service departments, as they are already looking bad in public opinion.

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Test A Geek: Enjoy 3 more trivia questions.

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How To: How to Add Music To Your Ipod Without Itunes

The Geekcast #121 – Corrected

The Geekcast #121

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note: Please note this is a corrected version of the episode. The original had minor audio issues.

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Tech news:

iPhone Pre-paid may be available. BoyGeniusReport.com has posted screenshots from AT&T’s accounting system revealing new account codes for three versions of iPhone sales: PostPaid, “Pay As You Go”, and “Pick Your Plan”. While most phones are more expensive without contracts, Apple’s iPhone is rumored to have tossed this business model out by not allowing the phone to be subsidized. This remains unconfirmed, but this means the $499 & $599 price should be the same with or without contract. This would mean that iPhones would be sold without contracts and it would be easier to allow users to buy and unlock their iPhones for use on other networks.

Music industry offers deal to small Webcasters. News.com reports that while facing an outcry over imminent royalty fee increases for Internet radio operators, the music industry has attempted a peace offering. SoundExchange, the nonprofit group that collects fees, said it would give “small” Webcasters the option of paying “below market” royalty rates on the songs they play. These rates are essentially the same as they are under a 2002 law called the Small Webcaster Settlement Act. “The net result of this proposal is that small Webcasters would be guaranteed no increase in royalty payments for 13 years, from 1998 to 2010,” SoundExchange general counsel Michael Huppe said in a statement. Webcasters that fall in the “small” category would be required to pay 10 percent of all gross revenue up to $250,000 and 12 percent for all gross revenue above that amount. Those rates would hold until 2010 and be retroactive to 2006, SoundExchange said.

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Test A Geek: Enjoy 3 more trivia questions.

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How To: Remove your phone number from Google Search

The Geekcast Video Review #2

The Geekcast Video Review #2

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note: Enjoy a video review of the new iPod game iQuiz. It costs only $0.99 and is available from the iTunes Store.

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Tech news: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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Test a geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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How To: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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The geek’s view: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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The Geekcast #120

The Geekcast #120

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast

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Items of Note: There are currently no items of note.

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Tech news:

Apple rumored to be working on iWeb Pro. According to an unconfirmed report via macrumors.com, Apple is working on a higher end web authoring application to complement iWeb. “iWeb Pro” is said to offer an easy to use web authoring interface for small to mid sized companies. While the current version of iWeb is more of a complementary tool to .Mac, “iWeb Pro” is said to be a complete stand alone product.

Vista sales propel Microsoft’s profit to $4.93 billion. Microsoft Corp. posted a 65 percent rise in quarterly profit, topping Wall Street estimates from better than expected demand for the Windows Vista operating system.
“The strength of Vista is really driving this,” said Kim Caughey, analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group. She added that the company had set “manageable expectations for the full year 2008, which generally allows them some headroom.”

March NPD sales data shows Nintendo beating competition. The Wii has dominated hardware sales in January and then performed a repeat performance in February. Nintendo has gone three in a row, as they dominated the competition for a third straight month with both the DS and Wii. The hardware sales break down to the DS selling 508,000 units and the Wii selling 259,000 units. This brings the Wii to a total of 2.1 million consoles. In comparison, the PS3 sold only 130,000 during the month and its total is almost half of Nintendo’s at 1.2 million consoles. The Xbox 360 sold 199,000 during the month, for anyone keeping track.

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Test a geek: Enjoy 3 more trivia questions.

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How To: Get Vista Taskbar Thumbnail Previews in Windows XP

It was only a matter of time before people started cloning Windows Vista features and adding them into Windows XP. One of the more favorite Vista features is the thumbnails that popup when you mouse over the taskbar. And now you can use them in XP as well.

The utility used for this is called Visual Tooltip, which is a hybrid dock / thumbnail applicaton. With a few tweaks to the settings, we can make it work just like Vista thumbnails.

To make your thumbnails look the same as mine, just follow these couple of steps.
Download and start the application, and open up the options from the tray icon.
Increase the size of the sliders to make the thumbnail bigger, and then uncheck the option for “Size proportional to the target window”.

Click on the Display tab, and then uncheck the “Show window title”

That’s all there is to it.
Download Visual Tooltip 2.1 at http://chsalmon.club.fr/index.php?en/Visual-tooltip-about

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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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Hack:

MAC: Make Skype video larger, for free.

Skype video is great but if you want to get a bigger picture, it’s not so easy. Luckily with a few small changes to configuration files, you can make your video instantly bigger.

You need to upgrade to the latest Skype release (2.5.0.85 or later for mac and 3.0.0.216 for PC), quit Skype, and then edit the config.xml file in your settings directory (“~/Library/Application Support/Skype/[skypeusername]/” in OS X).
You should see an entry that looks similar to:

   Built-in iSight

Modify that to read:

   640
   480
   Built-in iSight

When you’ve finished, your contacts will be seeing you in glorious 640×480 instead of the standard 320×240.

PC:

Install the latest public version of Skype 3.0 or newer for Windows.
Open config.xml in Skype settings directory. Find the section under /. Add the following additional parameters in it. (It probably already has some other settings in , just leave those there.)

480
640
ATI T200 AVStream Analog Capture
25

https://developer.skype.com/SkypeGarage/SkypeForWindowsExperimental/HighQualityVideoCalls

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The geek’s view: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.

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