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Items of Note: We continue to improve our show and today is no different. Gozer has picked up a semi-professional, podcasting microphone! Let us know how it sounds!

Aaron forgot to include the Test A Geek segment in last week’s episode. Sorry about that! Enjoy the Ghostbusters-themed trivia in this episode.

Finally, we’re going to try to curb the length of Geek This Week. Lately it’s been taking up 50% of the show and we know that can be tedious to listen to, especially if it’s on a topic you’re not completely interested in. So, let us know what you think of the abbreviated format.

Listener Feedback:

Matt called us up and talks about a surprisingly good Best Buy experience while buying a TV.

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Geek This Week:

Aaron:

iPhone 3G S is really nice and snappy. I’m really loving it but now I’m having an issue with my Harman Kardon Drive+Play system (Featured in The Geekcast Video Review #1, from 8/30/06 http://www.geekcastonline.com/2006/08/the-geekcast-video-review-1). Audio from the system now only plays on the right channel while the left plays a very low, slight static. I am really unsure why it’s happening and I can’t find anything online. I’ll probably end up calling HK on my day off to see what can be done.

Gozer:

Beat GB. very satisfying ending. Cool storyline. Immediately started on professional difficulty when i finished. Going to go back and round up any achievements i didn’t get. Played alot of multiplayer. Aaron and i crossed the streams and killed each other.

Got a ROKU player for my dad for father’s day. I wrapped it, he opened it up and had no idea what it was. The ROKU player itself is very small. Used RGB cables to hook it it. It does have HDMI. Very simple and clean little device. The remote is also very simple. It has a home button, a play/pause button, fast foward, rewind and a navigation circle in the middle with a kind of select button in the middle.

I also got 50% off from circuit city a Vonage router. It sucks. I tried to call Vonage to see if there was something i could download to make the router signal stronger. The broken english man just tried to get me to sign up for Vonage. Uhhh no. Went out and got a Linksys Wireless G router. Movies on the Roku player loaded in 10 to 20 seconds.

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Tech & Gaming News:

Penn & Teller call ‘BS!’ on video game violence

Penn & Teller are taking aim at the video game violence controversy in an upcoming episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! — an ongoing television series that debunks misconceptions and popular fads.

Earlier in the week, Penn Jillette revealed the video game themed episode had begun filming, via Twitter. Guests interviewed for the episode will include Grand Theft Childhood co-author, Dr. Cheryl Olson, along with her husband and writing partner, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Disbarred Miami attorney, Jack Thompson, will also be featured in the episode.

A Penn & Teller producer told GamePolitics the episode would likely air during the summer, but did not reveal a specific date. We can only hope that Penn gives Thompson a suitable tongue lashing or that the magical duo makes him disappear. Either way, we’re good.

According to Thompson, “If some wacked-out adult wants to spend his time playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, one has to wonder why he doesn’t get a life, but when it comes to kids, it has a demonstrable impact on their behavior and the development of the frontal lobes of their brain.” He also refers to the proliferation of Japanese games on America as Pearl harbor 2.

Do we need to start and F U segment of this show? Best buy last week and Jack Tompson this week.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/penn-and-teller-call-bs-on-video-game-violence?icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_joystiq

Adobe’s Flash to ship on new Android phone

Marking a departure from the world of iPhone, HTC’s new Android-based Hero phone will also come with the ability to handle Flash elements that adorn many Web sites and power YouTube video.

Adobe Systems announced on Wednesday that its Flash Player will be built into the HTC phone, an important step in the company’s efforts to spread Flash to mobile phones. The phone, one of several from HTC to use Google’s open-source operating system, is scheduled to ship in Europe starting in July and in Asia and North America later in the year.

However, the initial version won’t match Flash Player 10, the current version for PCs, which can run programs written with ActionScript 3. Instead, the Android version will handle ActionScript 2 applications written for Flash Player 9 chores, Adobe said. HTC is participating in the Open Screen Project to bring Flash Player 10 to mobile phones through over-the-air updates, though, so Adobe expects fuller Flash support eventually.

“Flash Player 10 for mobile platforms that include Android is expected to be available in the first half of 2010. We are working on delivering a beta of Flash Player 10 in the fourth quarter of 2009,” the company said in a statement.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10272261-94.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

One of our loyal listeners, Matt, emailed us about…

Giant Cowboys Stadium LED wall caught playing Xbox 360 during downtime Update: Video!

The 72 x 160-foot LED wall at the center of the new Cowboys Stadium is certainly impressive enough when it’s showing game highlights or concert footage, but no giant screen ever truly earns its credentials until it’s been put to some real use: playing video games. Thankfully, Jonas Brothers video director Steve Fatone somehow pulled himself away from concert preparations to do just that earlier this week, and apparently became the first person to ever play Xbox 360 on the display in the process. As you can see above and in the gallery below, the two certainly seem to be made for each other, although it looks like the controller can get a tad touchy if you stray too far while trying to play it.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/20/giant-cowboys-stadium-led-wall-caught-playing-xbox-360-during-do/

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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 Cyclotron

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:

Max writes:

Hey guys
I’ve been wondering about this for a while. I have a Dell desktop running vista and a Laptop running ubuntu. Is it possible to lock a file from prying eyes? Say I have a folder on the desktop that I want to keep private. How can I make it so that only I get into it?

Answer:

There are a few different ways that you can protect a folder on your computer. One thing you will need to remember is that accessing the files will only be available via one of the operating systems. In Windows, it is easy to do:

Select the folder you wish to encrypt.
Right-click the folder and click Properties.
Click the Advanced button.
Check “Encrypt contents to secure data” option.
Click Apply and then Ok.

This will encrypt all data in the folder and make it accessible only to you. This method only works for your profile.

If your profile is the only one in use on your computer, here are some other options:

AxCrypt – An excellent free encryption utility that enables users to encrypt all files within a folder and not allow those files to be viewed unless a passphrase (password) is known. http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/

Folder Guard – A commercial version of a password protection software that enables you to password protect files, folders, and other Windows resources. http://www.winability.com/folderguard/

In Linux, here is a method you can use:

STEP 1:
Create a new folder anywhere you want, and again create new folder inside that folder. Lets consider we have created two folders “TheChetan.com F1″ and inside that “TheChetan.com F2″. Now put all your important files inside inner folder “TheChetan.com F2″.

STEP 2:
Right click on 1st folder i.e. “TheChetan.com F1″ and Go to properties.
Then select “Permissions” tab. and then select “List files only” in “Folder access” option. If you have multiuser system then do same thing for all users by selecting the proper group.

In just two steps you have protected your files inside a folder, Now when ever somebody tries to open the inner folder he/she will get the “Permission Error”.

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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast

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The Geek’s View: Gran Torino

One word to describe this movie…Hilarious. This is totally not what i expected. This is Clint Eastwood at his best. He plays a grizzled old Korean War vet who just lost his wife. He really doesn’t get along with anyone. He grunts and moans all the time. I would love to watch this movie again and count how many times he grunts. There is this horrible plot line involving these asian gangs and a relative of one of the gang members. The relative of one of the gang members lives next to Clint Eastwood.

His name is Tao and his acting is horrible. Tao has a spunky and sassy sister who is also a terrible actor. All of the asian gangs members are terrible actors. I openly laughed at the horrible acting in this movie. The story goes off on these wierd tangents and i turned to my wife multiple times and said, ” What the hell is the movie about?” Then towards the end, the movie decides to get serious again. Eck. Watch it for Clint Eastwood and his hilarious performance. Don’t expect much else.

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Related Episodes:

1. Geekcast #14
2. The Geekcast #106
3. Classic Geekcast: The Geekcast 106 – Bulk Photo Renaming