Aussie Geek Podcast

Aussie Geek Podcast #003 :: Canadian Invasion

AGP #003 :: Canadian Invasion [102:49m]: Read More »

Birdman Video

Here is just a quick post it is to give the video of the post cait just put up, about the birdman crossing the channel.
This is his test flight he made for the attempt.
From the Telegraph:
Yves Rossy completed a 10-minute test flight with an 8ft jet-powered wing strapped to his back, flying more than 22 [...]

Tim | August 25, 2008

Street View Launches in Australia

Well we are an “Aussie” podcast and blog so it only seems appropriate that we mention it. Plus I found the promo video which is actually pretty good.
The video didn’t tell me specifically anything I did not know already but it was cool to see Australian landmarks and an Aussie voice regarding the service. It [...]

Dave | August 5, 2008

And you thought subwoofers were cool…

Some speakers are cool, cooler than others, then there are these babies…
While not actually in production and using a technology that was first coined in the late fifties, a few very nice advancements mean that they soon could become viable speakers for home consumers (or at least a few major rave parties) in the near [...]

Tim | August 2, 2008

Tim’s Quick Tip #2

Welcome to the second quick tip for AussieGeekPodcast.com, this time round we check out how to create disc images inside OS X to reduce the wear and tear on DVD-RW drives.
Using the Disc Utility on Mac OS X is a good way to limit the wear on your system optical drive!
So boot on up and [...]

Tim | July 28, 2008

Tim’s Quick Tip #1

Welcome to the first quick tip for AussieGeekPodcast.com, this weeks focus is on how to play those old school adventure games people have lying around in boxes just waiting to burst out and see the light of day once more.
ScummVM is the software that we will be using to run the Lucasarts games from the [...]

Tim | July 27, 2008

Skype to End Skypecasts

By Dave • August 28, 2008 • No Comments

September the 1st marks spring here in Australia, new beginnings and warmer weather. By contrast one piece of the Internet that gets the lights turned out and put into cold storage is Skypecasts.

Skype have announced that come September 1st; high noon BST, Skypecasts will be shutdown. I am none surprised at the reasons and there was more in what was not said than what reasons were given:

“What we’ve learned by watching how the product is used and through user feedback is that Skypecasts is not quite measuring up to our high standards and expectations for connecting and delighting our users.”

Skype Blogs

Truth is that Skypecasts have become chat rooms of questionable content, spam filled rubbish and content lacking sludge. This combined with the fact that they are provided free to Skype users this is a total loss for Skype and now they realise it. I can only hope that the “retirement” is permanent.

Initially Skypecasts had huge potential, I know I had some awesome conversations and meet some amazing people. This was in the early days of Skypecasts but it didn’t take long to get to the current state of affairs. Right after they became as reliable as a taxi in Deli.

For us here at the AGP Skype is a valuable tool that we use extensively, both for the show and to communicate with each other and our audience. Skype itself is getting to be one hefty application. When I first started using Skype it was 10MB; last count it was over 30, that was a while ago. Skypecasts is bloatware and I’ll be glad when it is removed from the application.

Wise decision by Skype and one that is welcome by this Skype user. Yet again more evidence for the fact that Skype should put it’s efforts into being a killer app for VoIP. That is all that I and many other Skype users want, nothing more and nothing less.

Now that leaves room for my record button.

Thank you Skype.

Categories: News
Tags: bloatware, end, retire, skype, skypecasts, stop

Aussie Geek Podcast #003 :: Canadian Invasion

By Keith • August 27, 2008 • 23 Comments

Welcome to the 3rd installment of the AGP! Great to see the numbers picking up also, thanks for listening we appreciate it and look forward to your feedback.

Please send us your feedback either via email or by leaving your comment right here. You can send us an email or click the MyChingo link to leave us an audio comment that we can include in the show!

Subscribe to this Podcast for Free via iTunes and RSS

OK, we know what is going on with the player! It is the theme. We are still trying to get round it. It has to do with the associated featured image and link up the top there. While we are doing that open this post and the player should be there.

Enjoy the show and please people, be nice to each other OK.

Show Notes

Welcome

Technology News

Picnik gets better and better
Seinfeld to Peddle Vista
flickr finally Delivers Slideshows
Clarion’s In-Car Internet Device
Microsoft to Tackle Privacy in IE8
Pandora on the Way Out
IPv4 Days are Numbered
Record Numbers of Whales Sighted

The Break

The Mountain Bike Show
Aussie Travel Books

Applications

LastPass (Win and Mac): Two part password manager, desktop and web for password sync
iSteg (Mac): Send secret messages
Quick Media Converter (Win): Convert media quick and easy, simple GUI

Firefox Extension

Wayback Machine Toolbar Button: Go back to the future (sorry had to say it) and see what websites used to look like.

A Word from The Wise

Sites and Services

GrooveShark lite: Listen, share and download music. Breaking the mould and changing the world
Personal Identity Portal (PIP): Single sign on Identity Management from VeriSign
AppVee: iPhone apps and reviews (website is up now)
Google minus Google: Search without results from Google
del.izzy: delicious search using the power of Google
Unintelligencer: Defies words and Keith’s research is a worry

Feedback

Farewell

Follow us on twitter
Make a Review in iTunes
Payout on Herne and Knightwise

Featured Music

Peter Gabriel, Billy Cobham, The Holmes Brothers, Wendy Melvoin, Arona N Diaye, Jah Wobble
“Burn You Up, Burn You Down” (mp3)
from “Big Blue Ball”
(Real World Records)

Buy at Napster
More On This Album

Categories: Podcast
Tags: application, apps, clarion, convert, extension, features, firefox, flickr, free, identity, Images, iphone, ipv4, iSteg, media, music, password, seinfeld, Software, vista, whales

Birdman to fly the English Channel

By Cait • August 25, 2008 • 1 Comment

In a practice run for his attempt at the English Channel, Birdman Yves Rossy has successfully flown over 35 kilometers in his jet powered wing. The real deal is planned for the 24th of September, if weather allows.

From the geeks here at Aussie Geek Podcast, lots of luck for your history making flight Yves!

* Awesome jet wing photo is copyright FusionMan Yves Rossy

$Cait\'s Signature$

Categories: News, Software
Tags: birdman, channel, english channel, fusionman, jet powered wing, switzerland, yves rossy

Birdman Video

By Tim • August 25, 2008 • 1 Comment

Here is just a quick post it is to give the video of the post cait just put up, about the birdman crossing the channel.

This is his test flight he made for the attempt.

From the Telegraph:

Yves Rossy completed a 10-minute test flight with an 8ft jet-powered wing strapped to his back, flying more than 22 miles - the equivalent of travelling from Dover to Calais.

Mr Rossy, 48, first tested his wings in May after working on the contraption for four years. The self-styled “Rocket Man” flew at 8,200ft for more than five minutes after jumping out from a plane. The wings have four small engines attached to a carbon wing and can manipulated using a lever that controls the fuel.

Categories: Video
Tags: videos

finally… FINALLY!!!!!

By Tim • August 25, 2008 • 9 Comments

Well, well well… isn’t it a long road that the Aussies have to endure just to get movies into iTunes…, something that our American/Canadian and European counterparts have enjoyed for months and years!

Well finally here we are, there isn’t a great number of films as yet, similarly when TV Shows came to the Aussie store, but I’m sure as the MPAA copyrights get extended to International distribution.

Still its brought our store up to code now and finally where we can purchase movies online…

The question is, will anyone actually buy these? They come in at a price between $9.95 (Last Holiday) to about $24.95 (almost everything else) but here is the kicker…

Rental Films.

Looks like Apple has pushed even the rental of films into the Aussie iTunes store now too which start at $3.99 (The Transporter / Mars Attacks) to $5.99 (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem).

I think Apple have broken the mold when releasing films online in this method, and its a step forward in the right direction, but when 90% of these films can be bought in store for either the same price or less on DVD / Blue-Ray then it has a far way to go before it takes over from the cheap wave of DVD releases we have today.

So I throw it open to the people, would you purchase / rent movies through iTunes?