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March 30, 2005
Feed Error?
It has been brought to my attention that there may have been an error in the distribution of the latest EverythingDigital Podcast (EDP-2005-03-23). Let me know, in the comments, whether or not you were able to download this show successfully with your podcast client.
UPDATE: Everything seems to be fixed. The reference to the file name was just bad.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:03 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
New Audio Comment Line
The EverythingDigital Podcast has a new comment line, located at (206) 666-CHIP. If you call and leave an audio comment, I will be sure to play it on the next show, which I am planning to do either today or tomorrow.
UPDATE: I have also registered (206) 9-THE-EDP and I am planning to use it as the primary audio comment line, since it is easier to remember, and much more specific.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2005
The Egg Hunt Hiding Place Generator
Just in time for Easter, I've got a handy little applescript for helping you find places to hide all those eggs. Just start up the app and it will pick a general region, specific location, and landmark before using these to piece together a hiding place. Click OK and it will serve up one of three hundred other hiding places. I have made the source available, so feel free to add your own regions, locations, and landmarks to the pool. Now, get out there and hide those eggs!
DOWNLOAD: Easter Egg Hider | Easter Egg Hider Source
---Easter Egg Hiding Place Generator
---By Alan Joyce
---http://everythingdigital.org
repeat
set region to some item of {"inside", "outside"}
set location to some item of {"above", "below", "near", "in", "behind", "in front of", "on top of", "under", "beside", "over"}
set insidesubject to some item of {"toaster", "television", "oven", "microwave", "kitchen sink", "fireplace", "computer", "phone", "bookshelf", "stairs", "refrigerator", "bathroom sink", "front door", "garage door", "couch", "washing machine", "dryer", "silverware drawer", "dresser"}
set outsidesubject to some item of {"garden hose", "trash cans", "mailbox", "recycle bin", "air conditioner", "garage door", "front door", "patio", "bird feeder", "driveway"}
if region is "Inside" then
set chosensubject to insidesubject
end if
if region is "Outside" then
set chosensubject to outsidesubject
end if
display dialog "This egg is " & region & ", " & location & " the " & chosensubject & ".
Click OK to generate another hiding place."
end repeat
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:31 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
March 23, 2005
EverythingDigital Podcast 2005-03-23
Podcasting on the verge of the PSP's launch, and talking about it as well as all sorts of other tech-related goodness. Also, a flip through the New York Times Circuits section, and the usual non-RIAA music. Oh, and due to some unknown error, the last portion of the show was recorded only as silence. I'm too tired to redo it, so enjoy five minutes of silence instead of the usual "post comments, vote, email, call the comment line, etc" ending.
SHOW NOTES: HTML | OPML | TEXT
DOWNLOAD THE MP3 | 35:00 | 16.1 MB |
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2005
Don't Forget Your Sunblock!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 05:19 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 20, 2005
P.O.V. Bike Version 2.0
It has occurred to me that simply putting the case modded persistence of vision device on the bicycle like I did earlier is not enough. In order for the full effect to be achieved, the LEDs must be moving faster. This is why I followed drewish's example and put the components between the spokes. Drewish actually made his from scratch, while mine is modded from a pre-existing p.o.v. device, which means it was cheaper and easier, but I didn't get to do as much hacking. I can't wait to take this into public for a real test and see if I get any comments.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
RSS + MP3
Posted by Alan Joyce at 01:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
P.O.V. Bike
I have just posted the pics from my experiment in attaching my case modded p.o.v. device to a bicycle. The bike I've attached the persistence of vision unit to now spells out "COOL" (the default) or any other message entered into it as it moves. Also, it seems I am not alone in the hacking together of bicycle-based p.o.v. devices.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 12:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
EverythingDigital Podcast 2005-03-16
Customizing Google News, the two-button mouse that Apple could be working on, odd emails from Circuit City, the reasoning behind the iTunes phone's delay, the postponement of the PSP in Europe, and the nearing possibility of Google making Gmail public.
SHOW NOTES: HTML | OPML | TEXT
DOWNLOAD THE MP3 | 27:24 | 12.6 MB |
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Case Modding a P.O.V. Device
I have just uploaded the pictures from my recent experiment in fitting the components of a persistence of vision (p.o.v.) device into a golf ball box. I am now planning to attach my new device to the seat of a bicycle and ride around with messages trailing through the air beside me. Should be fun. :)
Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 15, 2005
Customizing Google News
If you have checked out Google News lately, you will have notice the new "Edit This Customized Page" box on the right-hand side of the page. This little tool now lets you rearrange the order in which news sections are stacked, as well as add your own sections based on keywords. Goodbye CNN, hello Google Grid.
UPDATE: You can see the exact customization that I am using here.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2005
EverythingDigital Podcast 2005-03-12
Rumors about a handheld Mac and 10.4 Tiger's April release date, as well as a flip through the New York Times Circuits section, along with the usual non-RIAA music.
SHOW NOTES: HTML | OPML | TEXT
DOWNLOAD THE MP3 | 30:56 | 14.2 MB |
Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The AppleScript Countdown
I have created a generic countdown app that can be easily modified to count down to any date (although the default is the PSP's North American arrival day). I have made this app available both as an application file (.app) and an AppleScript script file (.scpt) for editing and open-source development. Mac OS X is required and 10.3 or later is recommended.
Download AppleScript Countdown
Download AppleScript Countdown Source
Here is the source code for the AppleScript. You can copy and paste this into an editor program, or download the source .scpt file above.
repeat
set todaydate to current date
set todayday to day of todaydate
set todaytime to time of todaydate
set todayyear to year of todaydate
set launchdate to date "Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:00:00 AM"
set launchday to day of launchdate
set launchtime to time of launchdate
set launchyear to year of launchdate
set yearsleft to launchyear - todayyear
set daysleft to launchday - todayday
set timeleft to 86400 - todaytime
set totaltimeleft to timeleft + {86400 * daysleft}
set totaltotaltimeleft to totaltimeleft + {yearsleft * 31536000}
set unroundedminutesleft to totaltotaltimeleft / 60
set totalminutesleft to {round unroundedminutesleft}
set unroundedhoursleft to totalminutesleft / 60
set totalhoursleft to {round unroundedhoursleft}
set unroundeddaysleft to totalhoursleft / 24
set totaldaysleft to {round unroundeddaysleft}
set unroundedyearsleft to totaldaysleft / 365
set totalyearsleft to {round unroundedyearsleft}
if totaltotaltimeleft is less than or equal to 0 then
display dialog "The wait is finally over!"
exit repeat
else
display dialog "There are...
" & totalyearsleft & " years,
" & totaldaysleft & " days,
" & totalhoursleft & " hours,
" & totalminutesleft & " minutes, or
" & totaltotaltimeleft & " seconds left until the countdown is over.
This dialog will auto-refresh every 10 seconds, or you can manually refresh it by clicking OK." giving up after 10
end if
end repeat
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 11, 2005
The PSP Countdown's Source
I am making the source of my PSP Launch Countdown App available to all, with the hope that others will expand on the idea and make their own AppleScript countdowns. It's fairly easy to change the code, simply by adjusting the psplaunchdate variable to the desired countdown's end. There are a couple references to the PSP that pop up in the dialog boxes, but those can easily be changed to meet the specifications for a different countdown. Read on to see the source, or download the original ApleScript script file below.
Download The Script File (.scpt)
Here is the AppleScript code used to compile the application. Have fun, and see what other countdowns you can come up with. Be sure to post them here in the comments when you finish them.
repeat
set todaydate to current date
set todayday to day of todaydate
set todaytime to time of todaydate
set psplaunchdate to date "Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:00:00 AM"
set psplaunchday to day of psplaunchdate
set psplaunchtime to time of psplaunchdate
set daysleft to psplaunchday - todayday
set timeleft to 86400 - todaytime
set totaltimeleft to timeleft + {86400 * daysleft}
set unroundedminutesleft to totaltimeleft / 60
set totalminutesleft to {round unroundedminutesleft}
set unroundedhoursleft to totalminutesleft / 60
set totalhoursleft to {round unroundedhoursleft}
set unroundeddaysleft to totalhoursleft / 24
set totaldaysleft to {round unroundeddaysleft}
if totaltimeleft is less than or equal to 0 then
display dialog "The PSP is here!"
exit repeat
else
display dialog "There are...
" & totaldaysleft & " days,
" & totalhoursleft & " hours,
" & totalminutesleft & " minutes, or
" & totaltimeleft & " seconds left until the PSP's launch.
This dialog will auto-refresh every 10 seconds, or you can manually refresh it by clicking OK." giving up after 10
end if
end repeat
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
PSP Countdown App Update
I've made a few updates to the PSP Launch Countdown Application I hacked together earlier. It now auto-refreshes every 10 seconds. It is still available at the same download link
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 10, 2005
PSP Launch Countdown App
I have just hacked together a simple countdown app for telling the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the launch of the PSP. I wrote the program in AppleScript, so it will only work on a Mac running OS X (10.3 recommended). The app really only consists of a single dialog box, but it does the job.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 09, 2005
Dog With GPS and Video Camera
Okay, this is just getting too cool. Master Maker Phillip Torrone posted earlier that he was working on a dog gps project, but now he has expanded the idea with a combination video and gps setup for his dog to lug around (apparently he's got a pretty tolerant dog). Now if we could only apply this method to soundseeing tours, we could send our pets off to record their own tours complete with gps tracking!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 06, 2005
Number 47
Thanks to your votes, the EverythingDigital Podcast has jumped up to number 47 on the Podcast Alley Top 50 podcasts monthly ranking system. Thanks everyone for voting, and keep it up!
UPDATE: The EDP is now at #35 on the charts!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 05, 2005
3 Votes Away!
The EverythingDigital Podcast is only 3 votes away from being in the top 50 on Podcast Alley, due to a new monthly ranking system that has been put into place. So head on over to Podcast Alley and vote for the EverythingDigital Podcast, or use the voting form in the right-hand sidebar of everythingdigital.org. Thanks!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
EverythingDigital Podcast 3/5/05
It's a rant-a-thon, including rants about the iTunes interface and a bit of DRM stupidity. Also, I play some music from Jonathan Coulton and flip through the New York Times Circuits section.
SHOW NOTES: HTML | OPML | TEXT
DOWNLOAD THE MP3 | 30:24 | 14.0 MB |
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
It's Been Too Long
It's been almost a week since the last EverythingDigital podcast, and while I greatly apologize for the delay, I must say it will continue until tomorrow. My current tiredness and the temptations of sleep are too great for me to overcome and do a podcast tonight unfortunately, but I will try to get one out first thing tomorrow morning. Stay subscribed!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Skype Voicemail Invites?
I mentioned this a while back in the podcast and thought I would put my request up on the site as well. If anybody has spare Skype voicemail invites/vouchers I would really appreciate it if you could send one my way. It would make the audio comment process for the show much easier, plus I would be able to do a review of the service on the podcast. Thanks.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
DRM Stupidity
It all began after hearing the brilliant work of musician Jonathan Coulton on the Wizards of Technology podcast. Following the show's conclusion, I jumped onto the WoT website and followed the link trail through the show notes and into the songs section of Jonathan's site. I scrolled down to pleasantly find that, "Ikea," my favorite song of his, was available as a free mp3 download. But wait! I remembered something about his music also being available on the iTunes Music Store, and thought I would go there instead and buy the song so Jonathan would receive his cut of the 99 cents. I liked the song enough I didn't mind paying for it, so I opened iTunes, did a quick search of the Music Store, bought the song I wanted, and seconds later I was hearing about the wonders of Ikea.
So everything is working out great. I've got a new song to enjoy, and the satisfaction that at least some of my 99 cents went to the artist who worked so hard to make it. I am listening to the song, and it suddenly occurs to me that it would be a great addition to the next podcast. I check Jonathan's site and sure enough, he has a Creative Commons license. Wonderful! I quickly connect my two computers in order to transfer the song over to the one I use for recording the show. I drag the song file out of iTunes and onto the desktop and send it through the ethernet cable to the Powermac.
But wait! I notice a small lock in the corner of the file's icon. I open it in Quicktime and sure enough, the song's DRM encryption informs me that it cannot be played on an unauthorized computer.
So let me get this straight. Had I gone ahead and downloaded the song for free, I would have been able to put it on any computer I wanted and it would play perfectly. However, since I shelled out 99 cents for it, I am now unable to exercise my rights to fair use of the song file I have just purchased. So much for getting your money's worth.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2005
Googling For Network Cameras
I have recently found that by using Google and this query it is possible to locate unsecured network cameras which you can either stand by and watch or seize control of and zoom/pan around the landscape. My favorite camera so far is of a ski resort. You can zoom in close enough that it is possible to watch skiers putting on their boots and to read the distance markers on the slope.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:26 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Finally Stopped It!
After coming back to my computer and seeing about 20 Morning Coffee Notes and other assorted Scripting News 'casts as well as a notification that my hard drive was almost full, I finally got fed up and cancelled the download process. I'm not sure how I'm going to avoid downloading all those files again sometime in the near future, but at least it has ended for now. We definitely need an easier way to control this process, and I'm hoping the next version of iPodderX will help.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Too Many Coffee Notes!
iPodderX has been running straight for the past hour-or-so downloading all the Morning Coffee Notes that have ever been uploaded. I'm sorry for all the bandwidth consumption Dave, but updating to the new, improved MCN feed has sent iPodderX on a downloading spree and I can't find any way to stop it!
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Phew!
It looks like the recent iPod software update (iPod Updater 2005-02-22) knocks out iPodLinux on 3G iPods. The update added some 4G-style functionality, which made me wonder whether iPodLinux would still be functional. My fears were confirmed when I noticed the lack of a Tux icon during restart, but after a quick download of Podzilla and re-installation of iPodLinux, I had my beloved 96kHz recording functionality back.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack