Quirks & Quarks, and podcasting

theolster | Blogging/Podcasting | Wednesday, September 28th, 2005

I have recently jumped on the mp3 player bandwagon. Yes, I know I’m a little late, but I’m here! I have a beautiful Creative Zen Muvo TX SE 1Gb. Nice!

I have not really got the whole podcasting thing yet. I must admit that those that I have listened to are pretty pants. I love LUGRadio and have listened to a few interviews that Wil Wheaton has given (links can be found here) but really I want to get hold of is some good technology/science podcasts. I’m sure that there are some good ones out there and the best I have found is Quirks & Quarks, by CBC. Note, I have not linked them as they are currently in a labour dispute, and so cannot listen at the moment. I have also listened to the BBC’s Go Digital but am not that impressed.

OK, so my new mp3 player is little unused for now. If anyone knows of any decent podcasts, please let me know.

Like a Rolling Stone

theolster | Music | Tuesday, September 27th, 2005

Last night I enjoyed what has to be the best documentry ever, Martin Scorsese’s No Direction Home. This was the first half of what is turning out to be a very educational experience for me. Dylan, one of the most secretive & popular artists of the last century, provides a relatively frank interview/narrative to footage recorded in the early sixties. Although it is obvious that he still likes to maintain a secretive edge, and sometimes I wonder if he is bullshitting the viewer sometimes, I didn’t realise how much I needed to see this.

Having said that, I haven’t even seen the second half of this yet! I really can’t wait for tonight. Although I think I may get onto Amazon and purchase this afternoon to add to my DVD archive.

And for the record, my favourite song: When the Ship comes in - for which the document gives an interesting account of the story behind.

Just a Geek

theolster | Geek | Friday, September 23rd, 2005

I’ve had a real weird couple of months. Updates to my blog have been totally non-existent, mainly because I’ve been so busy and no-one was reading it any way, although I did manage to completely loose the first comment I ever received… and that was before I read it! (if that was you, could you let me know)… But this is not why things have been weird.

Things have been weird because I’ve been having a tiny bit of an identity crisis. Although I’ve looked around and although the term identity crisis is a little too strong, I can find nothing better. I have slowly realised that I really am a Geek. So what!? I hear you cry. Well I didn’t know I was one. I didn’t even know that these days most completely sane, normal people actually think that geeks are cool. (according to the girls at work, this makes me cute?!) But there is a bigger story to tell here. At school I was a geek, I hung out with geeks, for a time. Then I realised I had absolutely nothing in common with them. They were materialistic morons, most of them too intelligent for their own good, but so shallow I just hated being around them! Of course at the age of 13-15 I got picked on for being a geek. This bothered me, but I accepted it as part of the territory. Then I discovered that a lot of my non-geek friends were just more interesting. So the fall of my geek label began.

I became a closet geek, in denial at the highest level. I actually began to turn into my dad, and became a ‘music geek’ which is something different altogether - not worse, just different. Anyway I’m using the term geek loosely, so I shall now refer to wikipedia.

Well, after reading that I know I need to specify more! The definition I refer to is this bit:
‘A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media.’ But this had no mention of sci-fi, although I suppose you could encapsulate it into technology.

Anyway, the biggest problem I have at the moment, I have no-one to talk to about geeky stuff. I talk to my wife about the latest Linux news, bloggers, and cool new websites, and although she tries I really don’t think she gets it. But I love her so much for trying. There are a couple of IT guys at work. But really, I could do their jobs with my eyes closed. They are basically the same materialistic idiots I knew at school, but somehow dimmer (maybe I just got brighter?). All they care about is the who has a great link to an Office 2003 torrent, or who has the biggest hard drive. And I think I have issues! I’ve also tried my real friends, but they couldn’t care less. Except when it comes to guitars or chess. But really, I love them to bits but that’s as close as they get.

I read wilwheaton.net, slashdot, listen to LUG Radio and subscribe to Linux Format. Last night I got so desperate I logged into Amazon and ordered ‘Just a Geek‘ & ‘Dancing Barefoot‘. But I need more. And then it hit me. I need to talk about this stuff. There is a great opportunity here, a mass group of people who could/may (if I’m really lucky)… listen. I need to pay attention to this blog, really use it. The time is near. (I hope!)

‘If you build it, they will come.’

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