On Podcasting. Again.

I’m toying with the idea of podcasting again. I’ve started the preliminary research. I’m thinking about formats, titles, music, hosting. I’ve even entertained thoughts on a co-host or co-hosts. But I can’t help but think that this endeavor will end up like the last podcasting adventure. Flat on its face after a year & only a handful of episodes.

It will be more difficult to record, because I’m not the only one in the house anymore. I still have my old condenser mic, I could plug it into my MacBook Air & record that way, but I think that’s too cumbersome. Is it worth it to get a recording device that can stand on its own, like the Zoom H1 that’s coming out in just a few days? I can use it for other things besides podcasting, obviously, but it would be its primary function. More portable, by a long shot, easier to just fire up & record things as necessary.

I guess I need to keep thinking about it. If I decide to head into this deal, I do plan on doing things differently from last time.  I never banked up recorded episodes, which is a huge no-no. I never thought about what I was talking about, I just ended up rambling about things, never thinking about whether someone was even interested in listening to me yammer or not.

I’ll make a decision in a few months, after I’ve had some more time to think, and plot, and save funds. Something may have to be cut from my schedule, too, but I’m not quite sure yet. I may be able to sneak recording in around other things I’m doing. We’ll see.

~Jett

Sucked into Trek

Yes, I was.

Star Trek Online. It’s got me hook, line, and sinker, and I have no regrets.

I have pre-ordered the MMO, and have already purchased a Lifetime Subscription. That essentially means I get two more character slots and have to ability to create a “Freed” Borg Drone. I also get to start playing earlier (nyah nyah!) than people who are simply waiting for the game’s launch on February 2nd. There was a promotion being run by a restaurant chain called Del Taco – which doesn’t have any locations in my area – that would give you a code for a small shuttle craft ‘pet’ to follow you around when you fly through space. I had cried on Twitter for someone to get a code for me, and I found out they were being offered on Ebay for about 10 dollars, but I got a friend of a friend to get me a code free.

I don’t plan on going into complaints about Cryptic’s infrastructure, because others more technically minded about those things will do enough complaining for me. I have faith that Cryptic will iron out all the wrinkles and the server disconnects will cease as their full-blown systems are brought online during the official launch.

I am completely blown away by the extensive list of variables for customizing your characters and (to a lesser extent) the ships your characters pilot. I can adjust everything from the size of their eyebrows to the size of their shoes (that variable I’m not particularly sure of, I was initially overwhelmed at the list of variables to adjust and just stopped in favor of diving straight into the game). I can make a character that will most likely never look like any other character in the game.

I am absolutely thrilled to have this game. I’ve been hoping that something Star Trek related would come out as an MMO.

Mind you, I still plan to continue to play World of Warcraft. I’ll talk some about that in a future post, perhaps.

New Tech, How I Loathe Thee

This post is most definitely going to come across as whiny. And well it should, especially since everyone else is, on one platform or another. Google’s new collaboration tool, Google Wave, was launched approximately a week ago. It’s accessed on the web & all the information you dump into it is kept “in the cloud” just like their email, documents, bookmarks, & all the other goodies these eggheads have dreamed up. It’s a fantastic concept, & I’m sure that as it’s explored further, an amazing array of applications for it can be utilized, from academic to business to entertainment to even political.

But the issue remains – how can you explore a collaboration and communication tool when noone you know is able to access it? Another blaring question – once you’ve got company on Google Wave, how do you know if they’ve sent you (or updated) a wave? If you’re not checking Google Wave every 10 minutes (like I did Wednesday) you have no knowledge of Google Wave activity. You don’t know whether your contacts are using the service or not, either. Furthermore, the system is extremely sluggish. “Instant” collaboration is only as fast as the system it runs on. The synching doesn’t always work, and I’ve come across “phantom waves” – the system tells me I have “lots” of Waves when all I see are empty slots where Waves would be if I was awesomely popular & had a ton of active contacts.

All my complaints aside, I have high hopes for Google Wave. It’s a fledgling program, hardly anything is perfect right after initial development & creation. Things need to be tweaked, adjusted, added, & made available to more users. But before the system could even consider more users, the first goal should be speeding things up  & making them more stable. Only then should more users & adjustments be added & changed.

I think I’m content to ride this Wave until it’s more commonly available.

Yours In Tech,

Jett

Let’s Get Physical

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a bit squishy ’round the middle. Now, don’t give me those old tried-and-true lines like “oh, you’re beautiful the way you are” and “that’s all in your head”. Once a girl decides she’s in need of weightloss, nothing short of full-blown idolatry extolling her beauty 24/7 or amnesia will convince her otherwise.

So, being the tech girl that I am, I turned to video games for my exercise tools. I have three games I use: Let’s Yoga!, Let’s Pilates!, and Personal Trainer: Walking. Their uses are obvious enough from their titles, but I will explain how they are “played” for you. All three begin by introducing the system & creating a user profile. With Walking, you create a character that closely resembles a Mii. With Let’s Yoga, you can modify the avatar’s head, clothes, & mat. Let’s Pilates offers no customization that I’ve found.

Walking comes with a small pedometer that can sync to the game cartridge to record your steps throughout the day. It allows you to play minigames with your step count, like connect-the-dots or keeping your house lit. More than one pedometer can be used with a single cartridge, so you can compare and compete with other Walking users who upload their records to the cartridge, or online to the WFC.

With Yoga & Pilates, you can choose from either a tutorial/challenge mode, and a ‘free play’ option that lets you choos small workout sets that can be done in as little as three minutes, or as long as fifteen to twenty minutes. Routines can be customized and created using the types of moves you’ve unlocked to make them as long and as difficult as you like. Each game tracks your “play” time for each day it’s used. Let’s Yoga also has a section where you can choose yoga moves that can be done in a chair, for a break at your desk or to relax on a long flight. Both Yoga & Pilates help you control your breathing using audible and visual cues, and give you verbal and written instructions on how to perform the moves in the routine.

I enjoy using both Yoga and Pilates games. I will often pick one or two short sets from Yoga, then switch to one or two short sets of Pilates. I find pilates to be more challenging to me, and I’ve only recently begun to use Pilates alongside Yoga.

I used to use Personal Trainer: Walking every day, when I knew my step count was going to be more than a paltry 900-1000 steps. I used to have a job where I walked almost the entire day, and when I was unable to find a job I used to walk the block. Now, as a receptionist, I should be trying to be as physically active as I can while I’m not chained to my desk. However, it’s scorching hot outside this summer, so walking outdoors is not my first choice of exercise. So until temperatures decide to drop again, I’ll stick to my yoga & pilates.

Yours in Tech,

Jett

Tacos & Tech

Ok, so I’m writing this over lunch, Taco Bell, and I’m expecting to have to clean up grease stains from the keyboard later. Which, surprisingly, I don’t care all that much about. Taco Bell is teh nom. I’ve got a steak quesadilla, a crunchy taco, & a huge soda, so I’m set. Okay, let’s talk tech. Ooooh, gettin’ that fuzzy feelin’ deep inside…

So I’ve determined that I am really bad. Really, really bad. I get excited about tech way too much for my own good. Example? ScanLife. I spent about an hour last night, just pouring over all the things that you can do with those little 2D barcodes. It’s quite awesome. So much information, in those tiny little squares. They’re put up for scavenger hunts, website links, car information, download ringtones or videos, coupon codes, contact information, making phone calls, creating emails, sending text messages… The list really can, and does, go on. It has amazing potential for the spread of information. Take, for example, a promotion a certain author(s) did for their audiobook promotion a few years back. Y’know, where he had his deciples tuck information cards into book of the same or similar genre at bookstores & libraries? What if that had been a ScanLife 2D code instead? Instead of looking at the information outright, having to carry the card around, and potentially lose it, all the finder has to do is take a picture!! It’s automatically saved to their phone, and the code could send the phone to the author’s website, or automatically download & play a clip from the book, and they don’t have to carry around paper to lose – all the information’s stored in the ScanLife application’s history to go back to later. I’m keeping my eye out for codes in the wild, I’m really excited to see where they’ll be found and how they’ll be used.

The ScanLife software can be used on your mobile phone, and you can sign up on the ScanLife website to create your own codes. I made one, it’s got my contact information. It’ll create a contact entry in your phone for you. It’d be great to put on business cards, especially ones that charge per line and character. The software is compatible with  Palm phones, and Java-enabled phones, Windows Mobile, Android, Apple, BlackBerry & Symbian phones. All you have to do is take a picture.

Another great thing about the codes is that once they’re created, they can stay out there without worrying about updating the code. All you have to do is update the site, or information the codes carry, and they never have to be redistributed as “updated” codes! I can change my phone number or email address in my contact information on the ScanLife website, but never have to worry about re-creating the codes themselves. The code will automatically retrieve the correct information.

Let’s try an experiment, shall we? Get the ScanLife software, and snap this code.

I look forward to seeing the results!!

Yours In Tech,

Jett

DS in Review

So I’d like to start off my review of all things DS by reviewing the handheld system itself.

The system itself consists of a clamshell with a screen on each half. The lower screen is a touch screen. It reacts with either a touch of a finger, a fingernail, or a stylus that comes housed in the back of the lower half. There’s a slot in the bottom of the lower half for Nintendo GameBoy Advance games, and a slot at the top of the lower half for Nintendo DS games. There’s a four-directional pad on the left side and four buttons on the right side of the  bottom screen, and two trigger buttons on either side of the top of the bottom half. There’s also a microphone between the two screens.

There are plugs for headphones and charger, power and volume sliders on the sides. I’m tired of talking about the specs now. It comes in silvery white, black, pink, red (but it was a special edition), black & red, blue & black, and ice blue (which was also a special edition). I have the pink version.

The games vary greatly, and use very unique ways of gameplay. Any thing from using your voice (or breath), touching the screen, using the controls on the DS, and (using an attachment in the GBA slot) shaking the system, or using an extra set of buttons.

The DS system is statistically one of the most evenly distributed between genders. Which means that there are almost an equal number of girls who own the system as boys. That is something that no game system has ever been able to accomplish. It is thanks, mostly, to the variety of games that the system carries. With everything from Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, to Hello Kitty Big City Dreams, there is something for everyone and every age group.

I plan on doing reviews on several games in my library, as well as accessories and the new Nintendo DSi coming out in April.

Until then!

Yours in tech,

Jett

Re-awakening

So, since I am not in Second Life as much as I used to be (read: once a month at most), I’ve decided to broaden this blog’s horizons, and re-release it as an overall tech blog. World of Warcraft, Nintendo DS, Wii, computers, electronics, and anything else tech that tickles my fancy. I still plan to include Second Life in this blog, which is why it still carries my Second Life character name.

Besides, it’s much easier to broaden a blog’s horizons than to delete a blog & start a brand new one!

Yours in Tech,

Jett