Author: John Bollwitt

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Starbucks is going to podcast

I kind of understand the angle they are going for, but for the love of god, why?

Regardless of whether you regard Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX)as an icon of everything good in the corporate world or a harbringer of the apocolaypse, we all have to agree that the coffee company is quite innovative. It comes as no surprise, then, that Starbucks is set to launch a podcast series.

The coffee retailer is rolling out a new “Coffee Conversations” program where the company will provide downloadbable audio on its web site. Starbucks said that the podcasts will cover coffee topics, including home-brewing, specialty coffee, and pairing coffee with foods. [bizpodcasting]

I can’t even joke to say that I’m excited for this. Yes, the idea is innovative. More businesses should consider doing ventures like this to help promote themselves and/or their product.

On the other hand, “coffee topics” by the largest, coffee corporation in the world is another thing. They’ll be able to tell you the best thing you can buy from the display case full of pastries that go along with their menu of drinks. That’s called a “target-cast”; a podcast that is intended to sell you a product.

You can’t throw a brick in downtown Vancouver without hitting a Starbucks. Now you can listen to the podcast while you do it.

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Firefox 2 beta 2 released today

Going along with my recent post about converting over to Firefox as my default browser[post], I thought I would also point out that the second beta of Firefox 2 was released today. The features noted in this Wired.com post makes me anxious for the final version. I’m not too keen on the idea of downloading and running this right now, plus not all extensions are fully compatible with this beta version.

There’s too much to detail about what you can expect from 2.0 when it is launched in its final form, so check out the release notes for more details there.

One thing I will say that I am excited about is inline spell checking! This was the one feature about Safari that I loved the most. Finally, we’ll see it on a Mozilla product.

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That’s the impression that I get

Living in close quarters with a fellow, Vancouver blogger, aka my wife[miss604], we tend to get the same spam. Take the Matchstick stuff for example. We both got that email and have slick, mobile phones at no charge. And then there is email from this guy, who shall remain nameless.

Hey There,

My name is —– and I’m a Vancouverite trying to get more involved in the
local blogging community.

My blog is —————- and I blog about what I’m passionate about,
Reality TV, Politics and Vancouver, an odd combination, but it seems to work
fairly well, at least so far. I update everyday and usually multiple times, so
my blog isn’t going to get stale anytime soon.

Anyways, as I’m trying to get into the Vancouver blogging scene I was
wondering if there would be anyway to get my site added onto your Blogroll? I
would, of course, be more than happy to add Audihertz to my blogroll as well.

Thanks for taking the time out to read this, let me know if you have any
questions for me. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Rebecca got the same email, with a minor change, of course.

Hey There,

My name is —– and I’m a Vancouverite trying to get more involved in the
local blogging community.

My blog is —————- and I blog about what I’m passionate about,
Reality TV, Politics and Vancouver, an odd combination, but it seems to work
fairly well, at least so far. I update everyday and usually multiple times, so
my blog isn’t going to get stale anytime soon.

Anyways, as I’m trying to get into the Vancouver blogging scene I was
wondering if there would be anyway to get my site added onto your Blogroll? I
would, of course, be more than happy to add Miss 604 to my blogroll as well.

Thanks for taking the time out to read this, let me know if you have any
questions for me. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Now, please don’t think I’m trying to be a snob here because yesterday, the same dude emailed me with this thing about free coffee from Starbucks. Certainly enough, Rebecca got the same thing in her inbox. Yes, I’m all about free stuff. However, I never responded after the first email, but it was something I was considering. I’m thinking twice now that I’ve been told that there is a way to get free coffee by clicking on some link in an email that takes me to said dude’s site.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines “spam”[m-w] as “unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses.” Two people, meaning Rebecca and I, isn’t really a “large number,” but I would have to put this solicitation on the spam side of the fence. And if the guy actually read our blogs, he’d know that she gets a lot more traffic than I do, at least in terms of comments. Our writing is different from each other and is not an important topic to get into right now.

I’ve always found that blogger etiquette is to check out other people’s sites, read them, comment on posts, and create an interactive relationship in that manner. This method makes me tend to believe that this guy might be one of those poser blogs. Just a way to get you there to click on the Google Ads which litter his site. Even if you’re not, then this is the impression that you have given me.

“And for the future? You came on a little strong.“

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Tired of the past-present-Kerry politics

I haven’t written a lot regarding politics in the history of this blog, and that could be a good thing. With the coming mid-term elections this fall and the run for the presidency starting to make more than whispers, it’s really hard not to think about. Perhaps I’m finding myself more inclined to talk about it now that I’m no longer a U.S. resident, so you’ll have to bear with me as I try to do more of this from time to time.

John KerryThe thing that pains me the most right now is the thought of John Kerry[wiki] running for president again. I haven’t liked the guy since he first came on the radar for the ’04 elections. I have this problem with politicians in general, but something about Kerry left me feeling less than impressed from the day he stepped up to bat.

The one issue that I keep coming back to is how Kerry would consistantly say what he would have done if he was president when (insert significant political issue or event, that occured prior to the date of making said statement, happened during the Bush administration, and occurred before the ’04 vote, here). This is what we call hindsight, and it was also banking on the anti-Bush sentiment that ran among those with the “anyone but Bush” method of voting.

It almost seems like his tactics haven’t changed.

Sen. John Kerry didn’t contest the results at the time, but now that he’s considering another run for the White House, he’s alleging election improprieties by the Ohio Republican who oversaw the deciding vote in 2004.

An e-mail from Kerry will be sent to 100,000 Democratic donors Tuesday asking them to support U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. The bulk of the e-mail criticizes Strickland’s opponent, GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, for his dual role in 2004 as President Bush’s honorary Ohio campaign co-chairman and the state’s top election official.

“He used the power of his state office to try to intimidate Ohioans and suppress the Democratic vote,” Kerry says in the e-mail, according to a copy provided in advance. [cnn]

The article goes on to say that there have been groups not affiliated with the Kerry campaign contesting the results, even into present day. Granted that he lost and fighting the issue in Ohio might not have changed anything, don’t think that this won’t come up in the ensuing run up to the ’08 vote.

Here is what I want from a presidental candidate, and I mean candidate. Not an elected president, but from the people who want to be the final group of folks looking for the vote. Continue reading “Tired of the past-present-Kerry politics”

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You’ve got questions, they’ve got batteries

There is one thing about being laid off from a job, but it’s a whole other story when it comes down to the way it’s done.  Even having Donald Trump give you the news would be better than this.

RadioShack Corp. notified about 400 workers by e-mail that they were being dismissed immediately as part of planned job cuts.

Employees at the Fort Worth headquarters got messages Tuesday morning saying: “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately, your position is one that has been eliminated.”

Company officials had told employees in a series of meetings that layoff notices would be delivered electronically, spokeswoman Kay Jackson said. She said employees were invited to ask questions before Tuesday’s notification on a company intranet site.

Derrick D’Souza, a management professor at the University of North Texas, said he had never heard of such a large number of terminated employees being notified electronically. He said it could be seen as dehumanizing to employees. [breitbart]

No kidding!  400 people is not that big of a number.  They couldn’t even make the rounds by phone?  Even though I loathe going into a RadioShack[wiki], I feel for the folks that work there.  It’s the Kmart[wiki] of electronics stores, and I have yet to meet some one who doesn’t have a horror story about shopping there.

But an email telling you that you’ve been terminated?  That’s cold.  You’re not an employee.  You’re just a machine with a number, a name, and an email address that gets a paycheck.  Getting fired electronically is like setting an electronic time bomb to go off.   Some one secure the stapler.

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Recording with the Vandigicam group tonight

I was contacted last week on a podcasting request. This might be the first time that anyone has specifically requested me to do a podcast regarding a certain topic or event. Needless to say, I was excited at doing some recording during the Vandigicam Flickr group outing this evening for the Official Portrait Throw Down III.

Here’s some more info on the group:

Anyone is welcome to join the Vandigicam group and post topics and participate in discussions but we’d like submissions to the group pool to be limited to shots taken during a Vandigicam meetup.

The Vandigicam flickr group is a handy communication medium for those of us who are meeting through flickr. We post notices of upcoming meetings here, as well as notices of interesting events that are worth photographing.

We welcome ALL camera users – digital and analog! Vandigicam is not meant to replace the more general Vancouver group, it is just something extra.

If you’d like to contribute images to the pool please join us at one of our outings. We always welcome new members! [flickr: vandigicam]

Checking out the Vandigicam FAQ, anyone with any type of camera is invited to be apart of the group and attend their meetups.

My plan is to approach this in a similar manner as I did with the Metroblogging Vancouver episode[radiozoom#103] that I did about a month ago. With hope, no one will be too afraid of the microphone, and I stand a chance of learning something new.

And if you have any ideas about what I should be doing with the podcast, I am always up for ideas and suggestions. Head over to the RadioZoom site and let me know.

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WILT: Filmspotting

I recently re-discovered this podcast. Meaning, I’ve know about it for a long time but never listened in. And as you may or may not know, I have a thing about critics. Film, music, TV, or what have you, they tend to not be the types of folks that I pay not a lot of attention to. It’s a complete love/hate relationship that I have because, yes, I am a critic myself. How hypocritical of me.

During my days at KRUI, there were only two film review programs that I really enjoyed. The content was good, the personalities were enjoyable, and for putting together a weekly program without pay, they did an incredible job. I saw others try to do it and fall short. Some actually crashed pretty hard. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled onto this podcast.

Filmspotting.netFilmspotting[wiki] is hosted by Adam Kempenaar and Sam Van Hallgren from Chicago. They do a weekly podcast about, you guessed it, movies. They review the latest releases as well as discuss films they love, new and old. You can really tell how much these guys love not only what they do, but their passion for film is apparent in every episode. The production and overall quality of the podcast is superb, and the relationship these two guys have are visible each minute.

Interestingly enough, Adam was host of “Burn Hollywood Burn” during his days at KRUI around the same time I was there. In fact, I recall teaching him how to use the phones so he could put callers on the air during the show. So much of what was “Burn Hollywood Burn” has made it into the podcast, and it’s even better than I remember during his days on the radio.

However, this just isn’t a podcast. Once a month, these guys get to put their chops on air over Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ. The Top 5 and Massacre Theater have both made it to this project, and it’s something that any movie lover can come to appreciate. I can’t fail to mention that they do give away contest prizes, and free stuff always makes things better.

To me, this is how movie reviews should be. You can like or dislike the latest and greatest releases, but when it comes down to it, you can all agree that movies rock. No matter how much you complain about the price you pay at the box office, your love for the big screen will keep you coming back. And now, Filmspotting is a podcast that movie addicts can come together for and share that experience.

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RadioZoom Episode #109 – Matthew Good: Last night in Vancouver and a private performance

This episode was a long one, but I think you will understand why when you listen to it.

Matthew Good invited us into his home for a private concert on the last night that he would be a resident of Vancouver. Rebecca was fortunate enough to not only get an invite, but Good asked her to live blog the event for the world. Only 20 fans were invited, some from the local area while others grabbed a flight to be there with barely 24 hours notice. This episode is our attempt to share more of that experience. If you are a fan or a listener of this podcast, I hope you understand why we did this episode and maybe learn a little more about Matthew Good.

68:08 minutes
radiozoom.net

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This is for my pal, Brian, in New York City

Brian, this is where I live (Google Maps)

And this goes for all the rest of my friends and family. Vancouver is on the west coast of Canada. No, I don’t live in Toronto, nor is Vancouver located in same area of Toronto.

And if you come to Vancouver, please drop me a line, eh? Brian, you’re my hero and good friend(from our days back in college radio). However, if I ever find out that you come up here for a weekend and we are within 500 meters of each other again, I might have to fly out to NYC and kick you in the ass, hard.

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Guinness is an acquired taste

And I have happily acquired it. This might seem sad to some, but it’s taken me up until yesterday that I have my first, real taste of Guinness. It was my father-in-law who has opened my eyes up to this new experience. I think that’s the only way to sum up this first, and far from the last, chance. They say that it’s good for you, too. I say, bonus!

For years now, I’ve been less than a fan of beer. That whole time, people have told me about the differences between good and bad brews. I’ve never doubted this, and there are times where I have backed down from my stance. More than likely, it was when the price was right, meaning free. Quality, on the other hand, has long been lacking.

Every so often, I would feel nostalgic for my days in Japan, grab some spicy tuna rolls, and pick up a liter of Sapporo after a long day at the radio station. Now I live within walking distances of numerous sushi bars with more Asian brews that I probably still don’t know exist. I can’t fail to mention the soft spot that Asahi has in my heart, and that other brand that had kanji all over it except for the one phrase in english, “Good Value and Quality,” which is what I have referred to it as since. Beer machines on the street and long train rides are responsible for my low level knowledge of Japanese brews.

To say that I like beer is too broad of a statment. I’m finding pale ales to be among more of my favorite, and it really comes down to enjoying, not chugging, a pint that isn’t just suds and water. This is combined with the truth that I have discovered from moving above the 49th. Canadian beer is some good stuff, Granville Island and Okanagan Spring being my top favorites. Guinness, obviously not Canadian, gets a slot towards the top.