posted by Chris on June 9, 2008 5:54 PM in Podcast
Join Weekly Geek editors Ross, Jinny, Qais and Chris this week as they discuss the new iPhone, how Apple may (or may not!) destroy the Nintendo DS, Republicans playing World of Warcraft, in-game ads, how the Atari movie could be an epic of our times, and the art of Adolf Hitler. The only other place you could get such a crazy mix of topics is if you were to be harassed by a meth-addled hobo! Don't let the hobo get you! Download the podcast post-haste!
Note: Due to unfortunate technical disturbances in the force, Ross' audio is at whisper-level. Instead of just scrapping this perfectly decent podcast, I opted to release it anyway for posterity. I apologize in advance for any burst eardrums caused by audio schizophrenia.
I am a Mac-loving douchebag through and through. I drank the kool-aid and I freely pass it around. The kool-aid tastes good you guys, and one of the best things about the Mac is that there literally aren't any viruses for the system. No one is writing them, and the security of the operating system is near-inhospitable for the little guys to propagate. Troika art and design studio, however, have developed what they are calling the "Newton Virus" which uses the Mac's motion sensing software (originally used to brace the hard drive in the event you drop the thing). The effect is playful, and I'd love to see this released as an actual product.
Tailgating Apple's new iPod announcement, two high profile troubles for iTunes probably isn't what Steve Jobs had in mind.
First, UK megastars Radiohead interjected their two cents on why they won't lend their tunes to Apple's popular download service. Mike Schramm from The Unofficial Apple Weblog explains:
Radiohead is choosing not to sell their latest album on iTunes not because their record company is pressuring them out of the deal-- their record company is EMI, and they're more than willing to sell the record DRM free-- but because iTunes is forcing them to break up their album into songs that can be sold separately.
It seems Thom Yorke and the lads have some principles. Chiefly, to screw their Apple-devoted fans out of music all in the name of preserving the sanctity of the album. Now, this sounds a lot harsher than I want it to. I'm an album listener to the core and as such, I understand Radiohead's stance more profoundly than most. The problem lies elsewhere - they're risking alienating fans (perhaps millions of them) for a cause that is fast becoming irrelevant. The album needs to evolve with the digital times. In this case, I'll side with iTunes. Unfortunately though, this might set a precedent for musicians with the same antiquated romanticist ideals.
Secondly, Amazon launched its music download store this morning. The huge draw here is lack of DRM protection on their inexpensively peddled, high-quality MP3s. Rob Pegararo from the Washington Post expounds:
Any venture by Amazon into digital music downloads would be a big deal in the music business, but this one is also DRM-free--every track is sold as a 256-kbps MP3 file without any copying restrictions or controls. You can play them on the hardware and software of your choice.
So far, I've seen songs selling for 89 or 99 cents each and albums going for $5.69 to $9.99--in each case, a decent discount over the prices at Apple's iTunes Store, and in particular the $1.29 Apple charges for DRM-free iTunes Plus song downloads.
There's got to be a catch though, right? Amazon's one downfall, at present, is a small selection. Right now only EMI and Universal are offering their respective catalogs to the service. Ironically though, you can buy Radiohead's music on Amazon via album-only downloads. Even more ironically, the top song since the store launched has been "1 2 3 4" by Feist, the same song Apple is trying to sell the iPod Nano with. If Amazon can bring more music on board, they could soon be the proverbial thorn in Jobs' side. I'll side with Amazon on this one, Apple's got their work cut out for them.
posted by Mike on September 5, 2007 11:04 AM in Music
So eh, I'm positive this has already inundated the internets with alarming speed, but a new iPod was announced today by god, urr Steve Jobs. The iPod Touch. I'll list a few of Jobs' talking points before I get to my point:
• Available this month, $299 and $399 respectively
• Offered in 8GB and 16GB models
• 22 hours of Audio Playback, 5 hours of Video Playback
• Standard iPod connector
• Safari, YouTube, Google & Yahoo Searches all available on the iPod Touch
• Antenna on back for WiFi Connectivity
• iTunes available over WiFi on the iPod Touch
On to my query. Why would I want to buy an iPhone now with all the firepower this thing has? I don't even like talking to people on the phone. Why would I spend $699 and sign my life over to AT&T for 2 Years when I could just buy one of these for $299? It's a strange business move by Apple, but I'm not going to discredit the glory of this device.
If I can manage to mop up the puddle of drool on my desk, I might try to muster the gumption to justify this future expense to my wife.
posted by Mike on August 21, 2007 8:56 AM in Music
iTunes is, as we all know, an instant gratification service. We pay them $10 and, faster than we can blink, we’re the proud owners of the latest album by pretty much whoever we want. Yet there’s been one gaping hole in the smile of iTunes’ catalogue – The Beatles. For 6 years (since the inception of iTunes) arguably the most influential and iconic band in the last half-century has been inexcusably absent from their download lineup. There’s been mixed reports as to when we will finally be able to access the Fab Four’s dynamic cannon in .m4a format. So the benevolent folks at Apple plugged a Chiclet in for their missing front tooth: John Lennon’s solo albums are now available.
posted by Chris on January 15, 2007 6:12 PM in Podcast
In probably the best episode of The Weekly Geek all year, Frodo rants about the Xbox Live Marketplace and how the Wii Connect24 service sucks. The Geek then stabs himself in the face. Ever wondered what would make up the ultimate console? Would you like to hear two geeks talking about Wii colors, the iPhone, spam, killer robots and ramen? You would?! GREAT! Download the show, or subscribe to the podcast, then!
Oh god yes. I haven't had my geek lust sparked this hard since the Wii. Ol Stevie Jobs at Apple is announcing features about the iPhone as I type this, and it looks to be just about the coolest little gadget Apple has ever released. Seriously. From Engadget:
Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's frickin' thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate.
Amazing. I currently narrow my eyes and stare with pure spite at my Sidekick 2 and its two-year contract. Curse you, T-Mobile! I WANT AN IPHONE NOWWWWWWWWWW.
posted by Chris on April 9, 2006 8:58 PM in Podcast
In this exciting installment, The Geek, Frodo and White Mage discuss the Half Life series, and their love of all things Final Fantasy, Disney, and the two mashed together. Then, Frodo answers the mailbag. Here are some notes!
posted by Chris on February 27, 2006 6:05 AM in Podcast
This week, Frodo, The Geek, White Mage and Nevery discuss fast food, give you your regular updates on Richard Dean Anderson and Reggie Fils-Aime, talk about Star Trek Online, terrorism in WoW and more!
Have some delicious show notes.
posted by Chris on February 20, 2006 7:27 AM in Podcast
This week, Frodo, The Geek and Nevery discuss viruses on the Mac, Sony's XBOX Live-like service, Hub, the new DS web browser and they surf IMDB live, on the air for your amusement.
Show notes! They are delicious!
