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Listener Feedback:
7ate9 wrote:
Hi guys,
I got turned on to your show after being a long time listener to “What The Cast”. I’m truly enjoying the show (and going back to hear earlier shows) but was wondering about the sound difference between host and co-host. Are you guys in the same recording location? I thought you weren’t, which seemed to make sense for the quality, but then I got the impression from a recent show that you are. Either way, it’s really tough to listen when I have to turn up my volume to just barely hear Aaron and then I get blasted by Gozer’s audio that’s up too loud. Anything you might be able to look into fixing?
Keep up the great work guys. I promise I’ll keep listening even if you do contribute to my deafness.
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Geek This Week:
Gozer:
Ghostbusters!!!! Crazy Ghostbusters week! Went to the firehouse for my big 30 b’day. Max added to my xbox live friends list, works across from the firehouse in NYC. he said he was actually there on saturday! Filmed a little video at the firehouse with the stay puft marshmallow man. Should have it up on our youtube channel. Ghostbustersishiring.com is doing a fan video contest. you can upload your video to youtube and copy the link on the application on the website. Went to Ninja NYC for dinner with friends and family.
Ghostbusters Game! Went to the midnight launch at my somewhat local gamestop. Full costume! Got there at 11:30. there were four people there. Then at midnight…there were four people there. Upgraded my proton pack with a speaker, amp and 12 volt battery powering everything. Hooked it up to an mp3 player. Played music while waiting and chatting with other guys there. Got home and fired up the game while still wearing my jumpsuit.
360: This is the version i was most excited for. Game starts with the no ghost symbol, then goes to the firehouse where you select game xbox live and or other options. Start off with the opening that has been on youtube. You are a rookie in the firehouse, you can talk to Vigo, toaster on the pool table and listen to messages on the answering machine. Slimer escapes and goes to the sedgewick thus begins our game. Very true to ghostbusters original movie. Particularly with the dialogue. You are a GTA style character in that you don’t talk which is perfect because you aren’t verbally intruding. Gameplay is fantastic. Catching and trapping can be difficult but also very satisfying. I don’t think they could have done it better. I also enjoy the different weapon types:
1:The Proton Stream, go to gun, is the most powerful and best weapon type. left trigger proton blast
2: Stasis beam: Shotgun blast with right trigger and freeze beam with left trigger. Good for ghosts who manifest in a physical form.
3: Slime gun: Similiar to GB2 but green. Right trigger slime and left trigger slime tether. Awesome addition to the game. Great puzzle solving. Wish there was more use for the slime tether for puzzles. Slime tether is also good for tethering a ghost to a trap and trapping it.
4: Meson Collider: Homing gun. Right trigger is like a marker and the left trigger fire homing blasts. ( least interesting and useful gun)
Throw the trap with X. Trap lights up with a tall column of light. Easy to see where it is.
PKE Meter integration is awesome. You really want to and need to use it. Good for tracking hidden ghosts, scanning to learn about them and finding artifacts.
The game is Shandor heavy. Most everything revolves around Shandor. Everything that is going on and you get alot of explanations for past ghosts from the movie.
Played some multiplayer which i can delve into more next week. Tried it out for a little bit. Seemed fun but a little crazy as far as knowing what is going on.
All in all very happy with the game. Just walking around while seeing the proton pack all lit up is so awesome.
Ghostbusters blu – ray. Got it form Amazon on June 16th. Haven’t watched it but went ot some key scenes in the movie just to check it out. The picture looks fantastic but a but grainy at times. The Dolby True HD sound is friggin’ amazing. turning on the pack and firing the proton stream is so bassy, bassy?? Not sure what kinda of extras but i think there’s a slimer mode with pop up facts and a commentary mode. There is also the scene cemetary from the dvd with some great deleted scenes.
Aaron:
Best Buy sucks and I need to stop shopping there. Issues with not only pre-ordering, but also misinformation and arguing with a ‘manager’ without even getting an apology from her. My receipt has that ‘customer satisfaction’ survey on it. Think I’ll call? Hmmm.
iPhone OS 3: Waiting and upgrading. Apple never said what time! Pre-ordered iPhone 3G S, most painless process ever.
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Tech & Gaming News:
MySpace slashes head count by 30 percent
Amid economic woes, stagnant growth, and a management shakeup, onetime social-networking pioneer MySpace has announced that it has cut its head count by slightly under 30 percent in what the company calls a “return to start-up culture.” Well, that’s a nice way to put it.
Reports had circulated that MySpace would be laying off nearly half its employees in a move that had delayed its relocation to a bigger office space in the Los Angeles area. With the layoffs, MySpace’s full-time U.S. employee roster will be down to 1,000 people–which means somewhere just south of 500 jobs were cut.
MySpace said that the layoffs are evenly distributed across all U.S. divisions of the company. Since MySpace also operates a number of offices overseas, it’s not yet clear how they were affected (if at all), and representatives declined comment as to whether international offices would be affected down the road. CNET News has heard rumors that there may be consolidation in some of MySpace’s European offices, something that the company did late last year when it merged its Amsterdam and Berlin offices.
“Today the domestic restructure is the only info we can share,” a MySpace representative said in a phone call Tuesday.
Owen Van Natta, CEO of the News Corp.-owned social site, said in a release: “Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company. I understand that these changes are painful for many. They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product.”
Van Natta, the former chief operating officer at Facebook, was hired as CEO of MySpace late in April after a short stint at the head of start-up Project Playlist. Former CEO Chris DeWolfe had stepped down earlier that month, reportedly at the behest of Jonathan Miller, the new digital czar at News Corp. Executive shakeups at MySpace had been happening sporadically for nearly a year at that point.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10265566-36.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
DTV Transition from Analog signal
What Is the Public Benefit of the DTV Transition?
The switch to DTV will offer a host of important public benefits, to include:
Freeing up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications (police/fire/rescue).
Allowing some of the spectrum to be auctioned to companies that will be able to provide consumers with more advanced wireless services (such as wireless broadband).
Allowing stations to offer improved picture and surround sound (enhanced audio).
Expanding programming choices for viewers. For example, a broadcaster will be able to offer multiple digital programs simultaneously (multicasting).
Providing interactive video and data services that are not possible with analog technology.
What Is the Difference Between Analog and DTV Broadcasting?
DTV is an advanced broadcasting technology that replaces analog over-the-air broadcasting. Digital broadcasting allows stations to offer improved picture and sound quality along with a host of other advantages over analog broadcasting.
For example, rather than being limited to providing one analog program, a broadcaster is able to offer a super sharp High Definition (HD) digital program or multiple Standard Definition (SD) digital programs simultaneously. Digital television offers many advantages over analog television for viewing broadcast TV.
A broadcaster also can use its DTV signal to provide video and data services that are not possible with analog technology. Full-power television stations serving every market in the U.S. are delivering DTV programming.
I hooked up 2 digital convertor boxes for my late grandmother’s nieghbor. The signal was extremely weak. I called the DTV number on the box and they said just to bare with it until later that night or the next day. The box is pretty small and pretty simple to hook up. Basically Antenna to digital convertor box then digital box to tv. When the signal did come through i did immeidately notice a reallt crisp picture.
Opera hoping to reinvent the Web by making browser a server
Opera has taken the wraps of a new service called Opera Unite, which allows users to transform their personal computer into a web-connected media and information sharing service. Opera Unite is part of the latest beta version of the Opera 10 browser, and allows inventive web developers to create just about any web app they can imagine, and then enables users to host the app themselves.
Opera Unite basically turns your personal computer into an ad-hoc web server. Various “services” can be loaded and activated via the browser, allowing your machine to share files with friends, stream MP3s, or even serve a full website. One service, Photo Sharing, lets you simply point to a folder full of photos on your own hard drive and serve them as an online photo gallery.
“Today, we are opening the full potential of the Web for everyone,” said Jon von Tetzchner, Opera CEO, in a statement. “With server capability in the browser, Web developers can create Web applications with profound ease. Consumers have the flexibility to choose private and efficient ways of sharing information.”
Ars Technica took Opera United for a quick spin, and it is remarkably easy to set up. First, you need the latest beta build of Opera which has the feature included. Once launched, clicking a small button in the lower left corner activates Unite. From there, everything is configured via a Unite panel. If you don’t already have an Opera ID, a form comes up to sign up for one. Then you are given the option to name your machine. After those steps, which took all of about two minutes, your machine can be accessed with a clever URL scheme: with Opera Unite running on my MacBook, the URL is http://macbook.foresmac.operaunite.com.
Each service can be activated separately, so you only have to run whatever services you’re interested in. The six included services are File Sharing, the Fridge, Media Player, Photo Sharing, The Lounge, and Web Server. File Sharing and Web Server are pretty self-explanitory, and the aforementioned Photo Sharing creates online galleries. Fridge is a virtual refrigerator where friends can leave a note via a virtual stickie, and Media Player streams music files. The Lounge creates a chat room that you can host from your own computer.
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/06/opera-hoping-to-reinvent-the-web-by-making-browser-a-server.ars
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Test a Geek: Ghostbusters edition!
1) Who is the voice of Dr. Illyssa Selwyn in Ghostbusters the video game? A: Allyssa Milano
2) What is the name of the circular part of the proton pack that lights up red in a clockwise motion? A: The Cylclotron
3) Who was originally supposed to play the role of Louis Tully in the original Ghostbusters? A: John Candy with a Canadian accent.
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How To: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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The Geek’s View: Useful Firefox Extensions
Reload Every: Reloads web pages every so many seconds or minutes. The function is accessible via the context menu (menu you get when you right click on a web page) or via a drop down menu on the reload button
Colorful Tabs: The most beautiful yet the simplest add-on that makes a strong colorful appeal. Colors every tab in a different color and makes them easy to distinguish while beautifying the overall appearance of the interface.
Greasemonkey: Allows you to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript. Hundreds of scripts, for a wide variety of popular sites, are already available at http://userscripts.org. You can write your own scripts, too. Check out http://wiki.greasespot.net/ to get started.
TwitterFox: This extension lets you know your twitter status. The extension adds a tiny icon on the status bar that notifies you when your friends update their status. Also it has a small text input field to update your status. You can see more information on http://twitterfox.net/
AutoCopy: Select text and it’s automatically copied to the clipboard.
All of these add-ons can be found at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
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