:skyecade online

BLOGtoberfest 2006
This looks like it could be a lot of fun. I was browsing through upcoming.org the other day and I stumbled across this event. So far almost 40 people RSVP’d and another handful, including myself, are watching it ever so carefully. I should really check that date.

Speaking of upcoming.org, I almost forgot all about this site. That would have been tragic since it’s such a great concept. The last time I was there though, the site was only a few months old and there really weren’t any entrees for the Boston area. Well, it seems like that has all changed. There’s all kinds of great events listed on the website now. I even joined the Boston Tech Events group. It’s wicked cool.

     

Filed under: Web 2.0, Cyberculture, Zen Geekery, Internet
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Revision3 launched their new website tonight. Or relaunched I should say. Revision3 is an IPTV or vidcast network created buy digg.com co-founders Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson. The site has actually been around for quite some time, but has finally crossed over from the amateur ranks to become a full fledged corporate conglomerate. That may be overstating it a bit, but they are a legitimate business now.

They’re even throwing a party tonight to commemorate this exciting event. I’ll be there in spirit only.

So what’s the big deal about IPTV? Well, similar to how downloadable movies will be the eventual death of video stores (and perhaps even the dvd), IPTV could put the final nail in the coffin of broadcast television. A little extreme you say? I think not! True, broadcast television will always be around, but it will be more comparable to what A.M. radio is today. This summer, broadcast television reached it’s all time lowest viewership in recorded history. This is because more and more people are finding their entertainment on the internet. Whether it be from video sites like YouTube or podacsting networks like TWiT.tv or in persistent online gaming worlds such as World of Warcraft. The latter boasts an impressive 6 million subscribers ranging from middle school kids to business executives.

IPTV isn’t quite ready for the mainstream yet. There is still one missing piece of the puzzle. For the masses to except this new technology, there will have to be an easy way to get the videos from your computer to your TV. This is where Apple comes in. In 2007, they are set to launch a little piece of hardware called the iTV. It’s a wireless box that sits on top of your television and streams video from your computer to your TV with the push of a button.

Like digg.com, Rev3’s current line-up is targeted at the geekculture and the techno savvy. They do hope to expand their reach to other target audiences in the future with new vidcasts. Until then, I’m more than happy watching shows like diggnation, systm, and geekdrome. You can subscribe to all of their vidcasts using iTunes or download them directly to your computer from their site at revision3.com.

In case you’ve never seen an episode of diggnation, here is a little clip of their most popular show on the Rev3 network. The show is a weekly vidcast highlighting the top stories on digg.com for that given week.

     

Filed under: TV / Video, Web 2.0, News, Technology, Internet
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Alright, so maybe I have a soft spot for little girls, but I thought this was very sweet. It’s Steve Irwin’s daughter giving a tribute speech at the Australia Zoo. I was a huge Steve Irwin fan. Not because of what he did, but who he was. He will be missed.

     

Filed under: TV / Video, Life, Random Bits
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I took this little personality quiz which helped me to discover my inner OS. I’m not really surprised by the results.

Which OS are You?

I love the last line in the description. Especially the part where it says “even desired”. So true, so true.

     

Filed under: Apple, Microsoft, Software, Zen Geekery, Technology, Random Bits
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I just installed a Wordpress widget for my Macbook and I decided to give it a spin. If it works like it’s suppose to, I will be able to post messages a lot faster than going through the normal interface.

Granted, I won’t be able do much text formatting. I also won’t be able to add photos or videos to my posts. At least not easily. I do think it will be a great little widget for posting quick thoughts though.

Let’s try it out…

     

Filed under: Apple, Gadgets, Software, Productivity
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Today, skyecade online is exactly 1 year old. Yay! They grow up so fast.

This entry marks my 53rd post to this blog. That’s an average of 1 post per week (I figured this out using a mathematical equation which is far to complex to post here). One post per week is rather pathetic by blogging standards. I was recently visiting another blog which also reached its 1 year anniversary. That particular blogger stated that he posted an average of 1.3 times a day. Not bad.

I think my goal for the coming year will be to reach a minimum average of 4 posts per week. That should be doable.

Happy birthday blog!

     

Filed under: Cyberculture, Zen Geekery, Random Bits
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And I’m really looking forward to it! Get this, I’ve been sick now for exactly 3 weeks and 1 day. Yeah! I finally got off my stubborn ass and went to the doctor today. To top it off, life has been extra hectic the last couple of weeks. A nice relaxing weekend of watching TV and playing video games with my daughter is just what the doctor ordered. Not the real doctor of course, he put me on Zithromax.

There are two specific things on this weekend’s agenda that Cameron and I are particularly excited about. By the way, it’s a beautiful thing when you and your 8 year old daughter start getting excited about the same things. She’s turning out to be quite a geek. But I digress.

Friday night is the season premier of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and boy do we love Avatar. Cam and I watched seasons 1 & 2 religiously. I know what you’re thinking, it’s a cartoon, but trust me, it’s great. I don’t watch many cartoons, let alone look forward to them, but this show is close to perfect. It has an ongoing plot that really keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it never gets too serious. There’s action, lore, humor, a surprisingly deep storyline, and best of all, it’s great for all ages. So to recap; season premiere, great show, don’t call us Friday night between 8:00 and 9:00.

Next on the agenda at Geekfest 2006 is Lego Star Wars II for the Nintendo Gamecube. Oh yeah! Cam may have turned me on to Avatar, but I introduced her to the ever so exciting and titillating world of Star Wars. What do you get when you combine Star Wars with Legos and the Gamecube? Hours of brainless stimulating fun. Needless to say, we blew through the first game in no time. Like Avatar, Lego Star Wars is great entertainment for all ages. It really is. We can’t wait.

So this is our lazy rainy weekend. Not too shabby, huh? After this it’s back to business, so we better enjoy it while we can. Oh, and we will.

     

Filed under: TV / Video, Life, Zen Geekery, Mind, Body, Soul, Gaming
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I had to post this. This is picture is 100% computer generated. Of course, if this was a really detailed computer generated picture of a sweaty lumberjack, chances are you wouldn’t find it on this blog.

BTW, here is the artist’s step by step instructions on how he created this painting in Photoshop CS2. Pretty impressive stuff.

     

Filed under: Design / Development, Random Bits
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With Amazon’s Unbox service, you can purchase (or rent) movies and TV shows online and have them downloaded directly to your computer. Services like this will be the final blow to companies like Netflix and Blockbuster, not to mention the last surviving video store chains hanging on by a thread. These types of companies will slowly start to disappear. To quote Agent Smith “It’s inevitable.”

This won’t happen over night. In fact, we are years away from services like this taking hold at all. There are still plenty of obstacles to overcome. You see, when you download a video from Unbox, you are limited to watching it on your computer or portable video player. That’s great for a small niche group of people, but it won’t impress the the majority of consumers out there. Especially the ones with 50″ plasma TVs. Pricing is also an issue. Why would I buy Braveheart as a digital download for $13.17 when I can buy the physical DVD for the same price? Is this service targeted at the spontaneous buyer who wants to watch the movie immediately? Perhaps. That’s still a pretty small niche though.

Digital rentals, however, have more of an appeal to me. I can justify spending $1.99 or $2.99 on a rental. Once you download the rental, you have a set amount of time to watch that movie until it becomes inactive. I believe that number is 30 days right now. Again, though, I have Windows XP Media Center with a very large monitor and digital 6.1 speakers. I’m in the minority. Most people have small monitors and crappy speakers. Who would want to watch The Matrix on that set up?

It will be interesting to see how Apple competes with this. To tell the truth, I’m a bit surprised Amazon beat Apple to this at all. I’ve been hearing rumors of Apple’s movie service for weeks now.

One thing is for sure, the world of media is changing at an increasingly rapid rate. I often think of how we will tell our children and grandchildren about things like network television and the TV Guide. How we had to sit in front of the TV at the exact time a show started or you would miss it, perhaps never to see it again. Or how you had to sit through an entire network news program while they spoon fed you stories you didn’t want to hear, all because of the fear of missing the story you did want to hear.

Thank god we live in the age of the Internet!

     

Filed under: Web 2.0, TV / Video, Apple, Music, Cyberculture, Movies, Technology, News, Internet
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I would definitely wear something like this. I picture myself walking down the street with a big glowing “loser” plastered across my chest.

What happens if it rains out? Do you get electrocuted?

     

Filed under: TV / Video, Gadgets, Zen Geekery, Technology, Random Bits
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