Audio quality is one of the most important elements of podcasting.

I’m sitting here wishing I’d brought my charger for my laptop.  I have a second laptop, but it’s not as flexible as this one.  I always forget something when I travel.

Fortunately, I have my DS and my PSP and a few books to entertain myself.  Maybe I’ll even venture out to Best Buy or some other retail hell today.

I was listening to a show last night that had a big name (in geek circles anyway) guest.  The show was decent enough, but the audio quality was so uneven that I had to keep adjusting the volume on my car stereo.  This is extremely annoying.  It’s one thing when it’s a punk kid show with no content.  It’s quite another when the show is associated with a magazine and the guest is actually someone you want to hear.  I left a much nicer comment than the above diatribe with a suggestion that they start using Levelator.  If you don’t have a producer whose sole job it is to watch the dials on the mixer, you need software to do it in post, especially when it’s a Skype-cast.

Over 40 Gamer Episode 9.

I’m back in the podcasting saddle!
Here’s a partial list of what I ramble on about (not necessarily in this order):

I.Games I’m playing now.
A.    Resident Evil 4.  (PS2)
B.    PS3
1.Rock Band.
2.Eye of Judgment.
C.    Wii Sports
D.    xBOX nothing  red ring problems
E.    DS.
1.Phoenix Wright.
2.Phantom Hourglass.
F.    PSP: Dungeons & Dragons Tactics
II.Games I’ve Finished!
A.    Overlord.
B.    Portal.
III.Gaming articles 
IV.Demos
A.    Ratchet & Clank.
B.    Scene it.
V.Gaming philosophy
VI.Games I want.
A.    Mass Effect.
B.    Uncharted:  Drakes Fortune.  What a dumb name.
VII.News
A.    Finally got a Wii!

Email me at over40gamer@gmail.com.

Subscribe through iTunes.
Direct download: Over_40_Gamer_Episode_9.mp3

Pssst, wanna buy some laptop RAM?

Yep, I’m selling it on eBay.

I don’t usually hawk stuff on here,  but my usual strategy of setting no reserve isn’t working so well this time on the RAM or The Warriors.

I think Overlord is going to sell, though because it already has a few bids.  Even though those bids are sub-market, I’m sure it will be fine by Sunday.

The amazing thing is that this is the Christmas season.  If you can’t sell at Christmas, you can’t sell!

FNPL Episode 20.

After a rough time getting a show done last week, we managed to pull it off this week.

This week’s hosts: David, Kyle and Thaed. We discuss:

–Ask the Economist: given gold and oil are at all time highs and the dollar is at an all time low, what does this mean for the economy over the next 5 years? What can we do about it?
–http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133058.htm Sci fi v. reality, another solar system. What does this mean for humanity’s understanding of space. What does it mean for you personally?
–Income and net worth. http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/103815/Where-Do-You-Stand-on-America’s-Wealth-Spectrum. Look it’s another list. What does this tell you about wealth in America? What does wealth correlate to on an individual level?
–Things that affect daily life are perhaps more important than they seem. Take cracking hands, for example or toenail clippers or ironing. Is there something to elevating the mundane? Are Buddists right in thinking that we should focus on directly experiencing life through the mundane?
–Fab at home. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224759.html. How long before this is actually useful? Will it ever be? Is this the next great advance that will be commonplace in 50 years the way computers are today?
–Name things and industries that don’t seem to have patent squatters. How are patent squatters affecting innovation?

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Direct download: FNPL_Episode_20.mp3

Ford has my number with the new Bullitt Mustang.

I know I should not fall victim to marketing.  I should repeat it three times to myself.  But the new Bullitt Mustang is soooooo cool.  Think about it:  it’s a car based on a car from a 40 year old movie.  It’s not even the first time Ford has done this!  Yet, it instantly turns me into a fanboy.  It might be a car based on a movie, but damn, what a movie!  Watch Bullitt in 1080p.  You won’t be disappointed.

The thing is, I have a sports car that I never drive.  It’s a beautiful sports car.  It’s the kind of sports car that makes people stop and stare and ask me about it if I’m nearby.  It’s nicer than the Bullitt Mustang and I never drive it.  Part of the problem is that I have three cars.  I don’t know how Jay Leno does it.  If you have three cars, one of them never gets driven.  I know people with 5 cars.  These people spend most of their time playing with trickle chargers to keep the batteries functioning.

Just like gaming, I have little time for driving.  I drive to work.  I drive my kids around.  I drive to the grocery store.  The last thing I need is another sports car… but it is pretty cool.

Ubuntu, Servers and fun.

I’m playing with Ubuntu more than ever.  In my four computer KVM, I already have one Ubuntu box and now I’m moving to two.  I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do regarding my NAS needs.  I’ve always coveted a Linux file server.  I envision a dedicated box loaded with as many hard drives as I can stuff into it.

Currently, I’ve got a 500 GB drive attached to my router and I also have a Netgear SC101.  So I have a terabyte of storage on the network now.  I’m not crazy about the USB drive on the router.  The link doesn’t stay up all the time.  I suspect that’s because the settings on the router make it that way.  I don’t want to fiddle with it though.  The SC101 is more stable, but it’s terribly slow.  Ultimately, though, I’m not sure that I need more than these two solutions.

It’s probably just more computer whimsy to want a dedicated box for a server.  I’m full of computer whimsy.  I’ll build computers that I don’t use.  I’ll waste hours and hours in my basement creating things that have no use.  Ugh!  I feel like a freakin’ artist!

Ubuntu has Wobbly Windows!!!

Ubuntu has Wobbly Windows!

Guest on Viga the Otagal.

I like Viga’s show when I get a chance to listen.  She was kind enough to have me on her show as a guest this week.  I rambled a bit about computers and had a good time.   Viga is very knowledgeable about anime and often links to sites I’ve never heard of .  She’s a very energetic and dynamic young lady.   Thanks Viga!