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.

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.

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

Vate podcasts some personal tunes

Vate - 060303For those who listen to the podcast, you have heard me mention Vate more than a few times. He’s a mexican electronic music artist that contacted me some months back about playing his music on the podcast. I have since made his material a permanent fixture by using it in a variety of samples, the main theme being the obvious one.

Vate has been doing the Electronica Mexicana podcast for a while now, but the updates come at various intervals. It’s a straight up feed, served through Webjay.org, and the feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/electronicamexicana. Updating my group of subscribed podcasts today, he released the tracks from his latest album, “060303”.

If you dig the electronic, you should subscribe. I listened through them once so far and really like what I heard. And you know that this stuff will be making its way into the podcast.

RadioZoom Episode #108 – Hockey Talk: VancouverCanucksOpEd.com

A very special episode because this episode was a very fun one to record.

A Skype interview with blogger Alanah Downie from Vancouver Canucks Op Ed, Rebecca and I find out more about the history of the blog, thoughts on the coming hockey season, and plenty about our favorite team, the Vancouver Canucks. It’s one of our daily stops for the latest news and discussions about the team, so having Alanah on the podcast was a lot of fun and a real treat. We hope it won’t be the last time.

This is another venture using Ubercaster, as well as the first Skype interview in the history of the podcast.

47:36 minutes
radiozoom.net

RadioZoom Episode #107 – Six Song Donut Spectactular: August 2006

A selection of tunes that makes me happy, and I hope this episode will do the same for you.

For the month of August, the Six(plus one) Song is here for your listening pleasure. The day started off rough, and with no bandwidth to speak of until this afternoon, I felt like kicking out the jams and rocking out. The only real theme to today is that all of this music is played with direct, artist permission. Please check out the links to the artists and help them out with your support! [radiozoom]

Zazzle, CafePress, or… what else is out there?

I’ve experimented with making t-shirts and other various things that you can stick a nice jpg onto through a variety of screen printing web sites that are out there.  I actually made a shirt with Zazzle about a year ago and wore it just the other day.  I was really happy with it.  There’s something satisfying with wearing something you made and someone saying, “Hey, that’s a cool shirt.  Where’d you get it?”

Talking to DaveO last Saturday, he said something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now.  I should market RadioZoom through apparel, coffee mugs, and what not, and he’s pretty spot on.  It’s just the process of actually getting it done.

I’ve heard that CafePress has some shotty stuff when it comes to t-shirts, and I already like the quality that you can get with Zazzle.  I’m unsure about what else might be out there that is comparable and potentially better.

Are there people willing to buy this stuff and wear it on their body?  I’ll be sure to mention this on the podcast as well.

RadioZoom Episode #106 – Take Two; Celebration of Light; Pride Week 2006; Vancouver Trivia

This was published last night, and with the B.C. Day long weekend, I’m just a little behind making a note about this over here. However, the latest episode is up and ready, just for you.

Long story short, technical issues caused us to completely record a second take. Short explanation, always check to see what your audio input is because it was something I overlooked. Rebecca and I chat “back at the studio” about the Celebration of Light and Pride Week 2006 in Vancouver, as well as play some audio that I captured from both of those events. Also check out the trivia at the end to find out what I know and don’t know about one of the greatest cities in the world. This is another episode that was completely recorded with Ubercaster.

49:06 minutes
radiozoom.net

RadioZoom Episode #105 – Adventures in Stanley Park

I’m happy to report that the second shot at this epsiode proved successful. So download it now and tell all your friends!

Some soundseeing, mobile recording, and messing around while Rebecca joins me for a bit of wandering through Stanley Park. We discuss a little bit of the history of the park, venture into some favorites spots of ours, and head into the bush to see what else there is off the trails. With no plans of where to go, we didn’t know what to expect or what we would come across. FYI, Stanley Park is 1,000 acres, and New York’s Central Park is 843. [radiozoom]

RadioZoom Episode #104 – Celebration of Light; Podcast News; Metroblogging Vancouver; Feedback; Ubercaster

Episode #104 is ready for download, but be gentle. I’m testing a beta version of a new program called Ubercaster, and the quality didn’t turn out so hot. The rest of the program is outstanding. Hope to use it more in the future, but only if the quality gets better.

Tackling the podcast again after the last few mobile episodes, we’re back in the studio in this much more relaxed edition. Lots of news about what’s been happening with the podcast, and you can see some of that in the links here in the show notes. I also take a moment to mention feedback that seemed to have been accumulating, but I feel like I missed some of your comments. This is also my maiden voyage of using Ubercaster to do a podcast. Please give me feedback about how it turned out, especially the quality. The program is in beta testing, so your feedback will go to the guy’s making the program in order to make it better.

41:59 minutes
radiozoom.net