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There’s no smell or taste in Second Life

To be honest, I’ve never tried Second Life. I did think about it. Even got as far as downloading it for the Mac and installed it. For months it sat on my hard drive, and I finally deleted it.

Create an avatar, a new identity, and a whole other life in Second Life. It’s Sims meets MySpace meets social networking on steroids. That is to say, it’s yet another way for people to sit behind a terminal and communicate with each other from all over the world. Except in the real world, you just sit in front of your computer. In this virtual world, you walk around, teleport, go to parties, meet people, and whatever else some one dreams up. Yes, there is, of course, cybersex as well.

Ok, I don’t know everything that goes on in Second Life, but there is a lot out there to give me insight. When I first heard about it, I was curious and found the idea kinda cool. The fact that this really isn’t a game is where I started to rethink it. Podshow has its own island, Duran Duran is doing something in there, and now Sun Microsystems has joined in the party.

Sun Microsystems knows all four million Java developers worldwide can’t attend its popular JavaOne trade show, but it thinks it might have found the next best thing.

Tuesday, Sun became the first Fortune 500 company to hold an ‘in-world’ press conference to show off its new pavilion in Second Life, the popular 3D online world. Sun said it plans to invest in the Sun Pavilion as a place for developers to try out code, share ideas and receive training.

“Our problem is that every year our largest developer conference (JavaOne) attracts about 22,000 people and we get to meet with them face-to-face for a week,” said Sun’s chief researcher John Gage during the virtual event. He said Sun hopes to reach millions of Java developers in Second Life with training and other support features. [internetnews]

I’ve never been one to be overly concerned if I am missing the boat with all the cool kids, and this is no exception. Sun has done something a little more remarkable with this, but if you really want to get all that you can out of Second Life, then you have to give them your credit card. I guess I’m just the type of person who prefers going out into the real world rather than virtually walking out my front door.

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NPR.org hacked or letting something slip?

NPR.org hacked?Just as I was heading towards bed last night, I made a last dash through my RSS feeds on Vienna. A headline on one NPR.org feeds read, “series hub!” Click on the preview and the body simply said, “It’s almost 1 BIOTCH”. Opening the link to the page, I get the image you see to the left. Click on it to see the full size.

Either NPR.org got hacked or some one is working on a project behind the scenes that shouldn’t have been available to the public. Nothing huge, but I found it interesting enough to grab a capture of and share.

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Exploring the open source road

For the longest time, there have been two main programs that I have used when it comes to doing a lot of my web-editing stuff. BBEdit and Fetch have long been staples in my application library, and that’s pretty much the same two tools that I have been using since I was in high school. I’ve tried my hand at other things, but nothing felt right or as good as lines of code across my screen.

Mmmmm… code.

I decided to venture down the Google way and see what else might be out there in the open source world, specifically for the MacOS. Well low and behold, Open Source Mac was the first site to show up on the list and had the answers I was looking for. I went from just checking a few applications out to making the following programs a part of my permanent library of web tools.

Vienna Finding an RSS application, plugin, or whatever makes reading my feeds easier has been a battle. Safari is good, but not great. Firefox has some good plugins, but nothing has made me happy. Vienna is my first experience with using a stand-alone application to monitor RSS feeds. It works well, imported all of my feeds without a hitch, and looks really nice. “Smart Folders” are super handy, and it’s MacOS native.

CyberduckIf the name doesn’t get you, then the application icon will. Cyberduck is a really great concept for an FTP program. It’s got a simple look to it, but I was instantly hooked with it’s ability to do everything that I needed it to. Let’s be honest though, what more do you want from an FTP program? Upload, download, surf directories, change permissions, and so on. I could use some neat, quacking sound effects though, especially when a download is complete or something.

SmultronSmultron. My final verdict is still pending on this one, but it is a huge step in the right direction. I love the single window with the ability to do split screen editing, and you can trade that for tabs instead. Managing so many files with one program is tricky for any code ninja, but the ability to highlight text to apply a tag is a bit lacking(or maybe I just haven’t discovered that element yet). One cool thing is that it recognizes functions, which makes jumping around your CSS super snappy.

There are more applications that I’m curious about trying out, but these were three that were very impressive to me. Those other programs I mentioned cost money. These other three don’t, and I get a little tired of having to pay for those upgrades, especially when you can get open source stuff like this. However, donate to the developers if you can and give them feedback so they can make this stuff better.

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The Crazy Canucks #2 – So Let the Season Begin

I was too busy with everything to make a post about episode #1 of The Crazy Canucks when it was released, so I encourage you to go check that out for sure.

In the meantime, we published episode #2 last night.

Finally! The 2006 NHL season has officially started, and we present some thoughts about how the first four games for the Canucks have gone. DaveO was unavailable for this edition, but we covered a lot of ground without him.

Recording took place just after the 2-1 (SO) loss to the Minnesota Wild earlier tonight, so we talked about the game a little since it was fresh on our minds. Additionally, we also cover the issue of being known more as the “Vancouver Luongos”, who else is impressing us this early in the season, and the changes we’ve seen on the bench, namely Vigneault.

Be sure to chime in with your thoughts by leaving a comment or sending us an email, feedback [at] thecrazycanucks.com. Good, bad, agree, or disagree, we want to hear from you!

28:52 minutes
thecrazycanucks.com

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The power of pancake mix

When you instill the fear of terror in everyone, there is no telling what the effects can be. It can happen anywhere, anytime, and no one is safe. That’s what everyone is told, and some folks believe it to the most extreme. There is always reason to be cautious. Afterall, no one is safe.

“Suspicious” powder in Indianola is pancake mix

REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 10, 2006

Three plastic bags containing a suspicious powder found in Indianola on Sunday turned out to be pancake mix.

The Des Moines police bomb unit was called out to help investigate the discovery of the three bags, placed at the intersection of East Fourth and Buxton streets.

Inspection procedures found the items were not explosive devices, police said in a report. “Two bags had broken open and contents were strewn onto the pavement. The items appeared to have been thrown.”

Investigators found no witnesses and ultimately determined that there not only was no health threat, there may not have been any criminal intent.  [desmoinesregister]

It’s not the biggest city in the state by any means.  With a small, private college in the area, I would doubt that it would be a high profile target.  Stranger things have happened.

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Time for Thanksgiving, part one

I’ve known for a long time in my life that there were two things that were celebrated in Canada that we simply didn’t where I grew up back in the states. One of those is Boxing Day, but even that isn’t completely the truth. We had a family friend who was originally from England, and the holiday celebrations we took part in at her home taught me a lot about British traditions as a young kid. Those traditions are commonly found here, so I’m a little up to speed on what’s going on there.

Now, I guess the next holiday I’m talking about isn’t so much the fact that it isn’t celebrated back in the U.S. It’s just done at a different time, maybe even a little differently, depending on culture and tradition. Of course, I’m talking about Thanksgiving[wiki]. Canadian Thanksgiving[wiki], to be exact.

I’m well versed in the history of American Thanksgiving[wiki]. I’ve drawn my fair share of turkeys and Pilgrim hats, watched football games after being stuffed with food, and devoured enough pumpkin pies in my life.

Canadian Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is something that I only know of in its existence. One of those days on the calendar that said, “Thanksgiving (Canada)”.  So, why not dive into what Wikipedia has to say about it together, shall we?

The first and original Thanksgiving comes from Canada. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Canada. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in North America. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him – Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed ‘The Order of Good Cheer’ and gladly shared their food with their Native-Canadian neighbours.

After the Seven Year’s War ended in 1763 handing over Canada to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal (United Empire Loyalists) to Great Britain were exiled from the United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada.

Eventually in 1879, the Canadian Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday in Canada. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

Finally, on January 31st, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed…

“A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.” [wikipedia]

Learn something new everyday, eh? At least I feel better knowing more about the feast we are about to have on Monday.  We will be celebrating American Thanksgiving in our little home when the day comes. However, we’re going to do it our way. I’m going to try my hand at making a nice lamb roast for Rebecca. However, if I am gainfully employed at that point, then we’re heading somewhere super swanky, nice, and making someone cook that lamb for us.

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Bring back the stick in rink

Vancouver Canucks - Original logoI’m not sure where I picked this up exactly, but it’s a really great read. There are so many, non-Canucks fans who look at the original logo for Vancouver and can’t figure it out. Just recently, in fact, Rebecca and I had a Flames fan ask us this question. Even I knew that it’s a “C” for “Canucks”, made from a hockey rink with a hockey stick set inside it, just like you see here(click on it for a larger image).

The story of it is really interesting though.

“For one thing,” Joe explains, “I was a hockey fan. But also I was on my own as a graphic artist and I figured if I ever got this thing [the logo], it would really be something because Vancouver is such a crazy town for hockey.

“I spent about a week doing it,” he recalls. “I took it to Greg Douglas who was then the Canuck’s public relations man. He said that Mr. [Tom] Scallen and Mr. [Lyman] Walters, who were the heads of Medicor, were coming to Vancouver and he’d make arrangements to have me meet them.

“So it was the next day or so that I went to the Hotel Vancouver to see them. They owned an agency in San Francisco that did advertising for their ice shows, and they also had submissions from other people around the States.

“They had a whole pile of designs scattered around the floor, but I really had no time to look at them closely.

“So I submitted mine and left it there after explaining about the blue and green for the water, mountains and trees. There was no price talked about.

“About two weeks later, Greg called me up and said, ‘Joe, they want to go with your design. [sportslogos]

I also love the part where Brian Burke coughed up the cash to use the logo for Orca Bay to use the logo on Vancouver’s third jersey. You wouldn’t think that an organization would be so nice to the creator of a logo like that, but this just goes to show the class that Burke had as a GM. At the same time, there is no arguing that Joe Borovich was the guy who created the logo.

If Orca Bay made the move to make the “stick in rink” logo, including the original colors, the main jersey for the Canucks, then I am all for it. It’s the only logo on any merchandise that I would buy, and Rebecca would probably tell you the same thing.

Update: Not so much to this post, but the Canucks played in Columbus tonight. Great game, taking it into overtime. 3-2 over the Blue Jackets.

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The Levelator is an interesting beta program

I have to stress that point. This program is in beta, so do not count on stability to be one hundred percent. If you are an audio nut, then you’ll want to consider adding Levelator to you audio editing tools.

Do you believe in magic? You will after using The Levelator to enhance your podcast. And you’ll be amazed that it’s free (for non-commercial use).

So what is The Levelator? It’s software that runs on Windows or OS X (universal binary) that adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example. It’s not a compressor, normalizer or limiter although it contains all three. It’s much more than those tools, and it’s much simpler to use. The UI is dirt-simple: Drag-and-drop any WAV or AIFF file onto The Leveler’s application window, and a few moments later you’ll find a new version which just sounds better.

Have you ever recorded an interview in which you and your guest ended up at different volumes? How about a panel discussion where some people were close to microphones and others were not? These are the problems the post-production engineers of Team ITC solve every day, and it used to sometimes take them hours of painstaking work with expensive and complex tools like SoundTrack Pro, Audacity, Sound Forge or Audition to solve them. Now it takes mere seconds. Seriously. The Levelator is unlike any other audio tool you’ve ever seen, heard or used. It’s magic. And it’s free. [gigavox]

I was half inclined to use this on the podcast that I released today, but time was a bit more of a factor. However, I did a slight trial run this afternoon and met some not so good results. I’m not saying this is a horrible program, but maybe you shouldn’t do what I did.

When it installs, try going with the defaults. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I didn’t want desktop shortcuts and all that junk. When it installed, I have no idea where it went, but some careful searching found it. On top of that, when I dragged the AIFF of the episode of RadioZoom I released today[rz#114] into the program, it hung. I tried to cancel it and quit out, but no going. That’s when it beach-balled and showed progress like it was doing something.

When I force quit out, and you can start to see the stupid things starting to happen, the program went away. Something somewhere was still doing something because my hard drive space was being eaten away. I even quit down to where no other programs were running and relaunched the Finder. Eventually, whatever it was, stopped and all my eaten space came back.

So, I stress that this is a beta version of the program, but a great concept for a utility. I haven’t had the opportunity to really see if it works, but I thought I’d pass on the word about this.

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RadioZoom Episode #114 – One Year in Vancouver; The Crazy Canucks podcast; Sounds of the SkyTrain; 1907 Film of Downtown Vancouver

Published this morning, RZ#114 is ready for listening.

I haven’t done anything like this in quite a while, so I decided to take the minidisc and lapel mic with me as I had some things to take care of yesterday. It has been one year since I moved to Vancouver, so I talk a little about what the whole experience has been like. I also hesitate to say that this is the official, one year episode as Rebecca wants to do some recording on the topic as well. A second part might materialize soon.

I also talk about the new podcasting project that I launched this past week. The Crazy Canucks is an extension of the “Hockey Talk” segment from this podcast, but check out the website to get more of the story. Also, I had the opportunity to partake in a project regarding the oldest, surviving film footage of Vancouver from 1907.

56:39 minutes
radiozoom.net