Download mp3

Time for another Podcheck Review v3.0 and it’s a long one, weighing in at around 45 minutes.  Today, we tell you about a Skype security vulnerability, dis’ Windows MediaPlayer 11, and give away the MP3 player. 

(Updated 5/24/2006 8:31am - added a couple of links to the shownotes)

Also, BIG apologies for the crunchy audio on my (Scott’s) side.  I was monitoring the wrong patch, so I overdrove my side of the double-ender recording.  That’s the trouble of not having a dedicated setup, and not having the attention to detail necessary to reproduce all of the settings required.  I am a slacker unworthy of your devotion!

Complete show notes after the jump…

(more…)

Howdy!  I (Scott) have been too busy to put out a solo show, so Jeff and I will hit the mics again Tuesday night (5/23/06).  Meanwhile, enjoy this snapshot from the new “Podcaster Island” in Second Life created by Gary Leland of the Podcast Pickle.

I visited the Podcaster Island and saw that Gary has some large lots available for lease (too rich for my blood at around $15 USD per month), but he also has a number of shops/offices and storefronts in pre-built buidlings.  I also saw some billboards, and the price for a 7-day run was very affordable ($50 Linden = $0.18 USD).  I couldn’t resist!

Gary bought the whole island ($1,000 USD = $300,000 Linden) to build a kinder, gentler place for podcasters to share and show off their wares.  He’s a magnanimous gentleman with great intentions. 

(What happens when a virtual land deals goes virtually sour?)

I have also heard that the Linden folks are developing an in-world proximity-based voice chat system called “Vivox” which will certainly add to the utility of the ‘game.’ 

As neato as this SecondLife thing might be, it is still a huge time sink for me.  I doubt I’ll be playing “Tringo” anytime soon.

Doh!  I screwed up the ID3 tag on Podcheck Review #25.  The file name is pcr_2006-05019_show025.mp3, but the ID3 tag says “PCW 2006-03-24“  Sorry for the confusion, and a big “thank you” to Dennis Duffner for pointing that out.  I’ll get around to fixing it, but will wait until I release the next show. 

Scheduling remains a bit of a trick for Jeff and I, so we’ll do another show next week.  I’ll try to release a quick show before then to go over some listener feedback and update you on some podcasting news, etc.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for all of your feedback on the show!  — Scott

Download mp3

Who the hell is that introducing the show?  Why, It’s Jeff announcing the show number and episode date.  Read THIS POST for information about Jeff, why he’ll rock, etc… woot. 

…followed immediately by an intro from Tom of the FogView Podcast!  Thank you!

And then, we surprise the heck out of people who had not yet read the Podcheck Blog.  We surprise them by introducing Jeff Oestreich (pronounced “A-Strike,” not “Ostrich”) 

It’s a helluva a show, with 11-month old Sophia making a guest appearance towards the end.  It’s an awfully damn good show for being the first Podcheck v3.0.  Read “New Episode #25 is Imminent ” for technical details on the production.  ALL of the show notes in their excruciating detail after the jump….

(more…)

Our internet service is back up!  We recorded the first Podcheck v3.0 show Wednesday night, and hope to release it Thursday night 5/11.  We had a great time, and the shows will get even better as we get more comfortable with the tech, and learn each others’ patterns/quirks/rythyms, etc. The best shows make all of this process and technology stuff invisible to the audience.  We prefer to talk about the process/technology by choice, and not because something just blew up.  Please refrain from calling this first v3.0 show “TrainWreck Review with Scott and Jeff.”  (Gads, that is a catchy title! Awesome!)

The show requires some editing due to a couple of uninteresting technical glitches.  We’re leaving in the other stuff so that you can hear all of the natural confusion.  Jeff has the files now and hopes to get them up tonight.  Some geek notes regarding the execution/production:

• We tried half of the show as a double-ender, and half as a regular Skype setup.  (Double-ender means that both hosts record their voice separately in high-quality audio files, and then edit the two sides of the conversation together during post-production.)  We’ll see if there’s a big enough difference in quality to warrant the editing of the file each week.  (What!!?!?!?  Each week?  As in “weekly?”)
• I used a two-computer setup to separate Jeff’s Skype audio from the main program audio, but to still allow him to hear the program audio, and to allow me to hear him along with the program audio. We refer to the two computers as the “Production” computer and the “Link” computer:
• I set up the Production computer with my standard MixCast Live configuration, mixing in my voice into the program feed. I recorded the resulting mix using Goldwave rather than relying on MixCast Live.  I trust Goldwave’s stability during recording more than the current version of MixCast Live.
• I connected the audio output of the Production computer to the input of the Link computer (a laptop running Skype).  I plugged my headphones in the laptop’s headphone jack.  This allowed me to monitor my mix AND hear Jeff.  Likewise, it allowed Jeff to hear the production mix.  Again, the production mix contained my voice and the music/sfx.
• I had to run the laptop on battery while recording the show because the laptop’s AC power supply was injecting horrible noise into the audio.  The laptop battery ran out after 50 minutes, and you will hear the failure in the show.
• I had my youngest daughter on my lap for about 5 minutes towards the end of the show.  In case you’re wondering, it really is a challenge to produce the show while an 11-month old baby is sitting on your lap, grabbing the computer mouse, and banging on the keyboard, and interjecting “goo-goo” and “baa-baa” during a conversation.  She really had some good points and took Jeff to task on a couple of issues, so we’ll definitely have her back on the show again sometime.

Thanks for staying subscribed and being actively involved in Podcheck’s continuing evolution! When we nail down this whole “co-host” thing, we’ll add yet another element to the soup.

ALL feedback is welcome - both positive and critical.  We love your audio comments, so feel free to e-mail MP3 files to show - at- podcheck.com, or use the Podcheck Listener Line at (206) 424-4763  — (206) GAG-iPOD

Š

This blows.  Jeff and I are unable to unleash our Podcheck Kung-Fu tonight due to internet problems on my end.  We have rescheduled the show for tomorrow (Wednesday) night as soon as Insight fixes their cable modem problems.

UPDATE 2006-05-10: Apparently, I’m not alone: “Insight apologizes for Net problems
Upgrades play havoc with connections“

Insight Communications provides high-speed Internet to the palatial Podcheck Studios, and they have torn down thousands tens of thousands of customers’ service today over the last week, including mine.  Insight’s e-mail had indicated that they would disrupt service for a few hours early in the morning while upgrading their backbone here in the city.  Now, some 19 hours later, I am typing this on a computer 10 miles from my house.  The cable modem at the house is still blinking “are you my mother?”  (Please don’t ask if I’ve unplugged/reset/check cables, or I might just have to kill somebody.) 

I called the Insight service number, and I have gotten the “All Circuits are Busy” message for three hours.  I imagine that there are a lot of pissed off people today. 

We expect to see you tomorrow!

ID3 Podcast magazine delivers a blow to the podcasting community by indicating that they will not be printing physical copies of their magazine.  They also say that EVERYONE who purchased a physical subscription will get a full refund.  Read their full story HERE:

http://www.id3mag.com/features_solo.php?myID=129

Major bummer, but not a tradgedy.  After all, it would be like saying “Sorry, but we’re not going to broadcast publish the Podcheck Review on CBS Radio 33 RPM Vinyl.”  While paper has that sexy and tangible gravitas, we certainly don’t need a bound set of pages to legitimize our consumer-created content.

Still, We here at Podcheck Review are bummed.   Hold me.

It is my honor to announce that Jeff Oestreich has accepted my invitation to co-host the Podcheck Review.  We’ll begin the new shows next week (around May 9th, 2006).  While the format is changing a bit, our mission remains the same: Provide podcasting news and commentary, deep fried and wrapped in bacon.

You might know Jeff from his own podcast “This and That - with Jeff and Carol,” as well as from other appearances around the podcatasophere.

I ran into Jeff while doing a guest spot on one of his shows.  He was well-prepared, personable, insightful, and provided an anchoring presence on the show.  I knew that if I could get him to co-host Podcheck Review, Jeff would offset my own personality and bring a new quality to the show.

There are numerous benefits of being/having a co-host:

• Share the show-prep and production responsibilies.
• Give each other a chance to think while the other is speaking.
• Give the producer/host a chance to press buttons and queue up audio while the other is speaking.
• Explore alternate perspectives of topics.
• Having a kind of “workout partner” helps to keep a production schedule.

This is Podcheck 3.0, and we will have a great time doing it.  We will not devolve into an off-topic ramble-fest.  We will not flap our pieholes for the sake of hearing ourselves talk.  Jeff and I will endeavor to be your one-stop shop for news, commentary, and trend-spotting that affects you, our fellow podcasters.  All, with the fresh taste of lemon.

(By the way, Jeff’s last name is pronounced “A-Strike,” and not “Ostrich.”)

Thank you for staying subscribed, and we hope that you find some additional value in hearing us describe the changes as they happen.

–Scott