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Okay, so now I get podcasting
This weekend, I finally got into podcasting properly. It all just
clicked into place. I have started using Ipodder to update
subscriptions properly, and started listening to a couple of shows I
hadn’t given time to yet. And I am very glad I did.So what is podcasting? As far as I see it, it is a combination of a few technologies, namely audio-files and RSS feeds, using some of the same ideas that have helped to advance blogging. Someone can upload an audio file onto their web-space, and then use their RSS feed to let other people know that they have put their latest file online. I use a popular program called Ipodder which goes off and gets me those files. There are a wide away of podcast shows, music shows, talk shows, audio blogs, and much more.
I had actually updated to the latest version of Ipodder on Thursday,
and downloaded some new shows to try. But it was when I was shopping on Saturday morning, catching up on the latest Adam Curry’s Daily
Source Code that I think I became properly hooked. Stuck on a bus in a traffic jam, this is the sort of downtime that you want to be exploiting properly.Commuting, all the stolen time from your life.
Sure you can read, and yes I do need to that more. For me though, I quite enjoy reading sat at home, with a strong cup of freshly brewed tea to one side. When I am commuting (and in Oxford I am very lucky, my “commute” is 20 minutes bus and walking in the morning, and the same back, or if I am behaving myself, a 30 minutes walk) I am generally not in the mood to read, or am walking.This is where the ipod has come in. It has also coincided with my
gradual move towards talk radio over the past year. I always liked
Radio 5, but Radio 4 has started to become important to me
as well, always listen to their news on a morning, and then to several
comedy shows on Listen Again over the course of a week.So it has been quite an easy transition into listening to Adam
Curry’s show. I won’t go into his history, you can let him explain it
to you if you want. I have to say, I am finding it rather enjoyable. -
And back to work
A most enjoyable weekend. Let me try to summerize here. The flotskyfolks came up to visit on Saturday, and we went for a fantastic meal at my favourite Oxford restaurant of the moment, Next Door . Great food, and a very relaxed atmosphere, set the tone nicely for the rest of the weekend.
I did some gardening, which is much need. I must post up a picture of the flotskygarden some time, partly in order that I might motivate myself to tidy it up more.
Bought Gran Tourismo 4 at long last this weekend. Wow, what a driving game. If I am honest, if someone who had never played a racing game before wanted the best game to play, I would advise them to get Burnout 3. Gran Tourismo isn’t instant fun, in fact, it is quite a slog. And GT4 seems like it is going to be the biggest slog of the whole series. But then the scale this time around is part of the appeal. I’m hooked, basically. I bought GT4 Prologue when it came out, and it did seem a bit of a change from GT3. It seems less of a leap of logic now. And also having had a chance to see more tracks in use, it is fair to say it looks a lot better.
And finally for now, my tooth is almost painless, and I feel sane again. This is a very good thing
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International Nekkid Blogging Day
is today . I am not nekkid at present, as I think my colleagues in the office would object strongly, but I may later.
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Even saner now
Slept well, so now am at a higher plane of sanity. Which is nice.
Its the weekend (soon) so tonight I’ll have a little meal and a couple of glasses of wine somewhere with Mrsfb, and then tomorrow my folks are coming to visit. So I may need to tidy a bit. Okay a lot.
I have been listening a bit to Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code , podcast by an ex MTV VJ, perhaps the definitive Audio blog. Very interesting to listen to, guy has a lot to say. Kind of condusive to working, have it burbling in my ears right now. Give it a go.
Have a look at Ipodder.org if you want to find out more about podcasting, I am listening to a few different shows via it now, its good stuff.
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Saner now
Feel less like my tooth is trying to drill upwards into my head. Which is a good thing.
I promise to write something about anything other than teeth very shortly.
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Its very very late
and my dodgy tooth is still keeping me awake, like my head is being drilled into. Ouch.
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How I got into Motor Racing Part 1
Was thinking about this just the other day. I have no idea when I started watching Formula 1. According to my mum, I begged her to teach me to read when I was 3, because I wanted to be able to read the tv listings in the newspaper. I can only presume it was in order to watch sport, seeing as that has been my viewing of choice ever since. I am pretty confident that by the age of four I was a fairly regular viewer of BBC’s Grandstand and ITV’s World of Sport. I can clearly remember seeing Niki Lauda’s crash on the news, and seeing James Hunt win the world championship a few months later. And since then, I have been a devoted fan of it.
Except for one year. I believe it was the Belgium Grand Prix, in the early 80s (probably 81-82). There was an accident on the starting grid, where someone broke down before the start. A mechanic rushed out to assist, but then the race was started. Circumstance led to a car hitting the mechanic directly, breaking both his legs. It was pretty horrific, and I had nightmares about it.
I had, up until then, enjoyed seeing big crashes, and thought no more of the consequences. For some reason this hit home to me, I understood properly the dangers involved, and it really put me off for a while. I came back a wiser fan of motor racing, more appreciative of the drivers and what they did. Also having James Hunt starting to commentate over this period meant I learnt a hell of a lot (best colour commentator ever).
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Big Blogger
So Big Brother 6 has now reached the stage of fruition. We now have several groups within the house, all plotting and planning against each other. It is a powderkeg waiting to be lit. And I hope to catch it doing so on the late-night live coverage. As long as there isn’t anything good on Eurosport at the time.
Tooth is now almost fixed, bit sore, but getting there.
The US Grand Prix was a incredible race, for all the wrong reasons. Only six cars started, and the only excitement was when Schumacher nearly smashed into his teammate. My take on the disaster was that it was all Bernie Ecclestone’s fault, and that hopefully this farce will speed the decline of his control on Formula 1. Somehow, I don’t think it will though.
Also, hello to the mighty Wonderduck, who I see from a couple of comments has come over to visit here from his blog I mentioned a few posts ago. Good to see you fella.