GeekNights 090223 - Tech News Roundup

Apreche

Tonight on GeekNights we try out a new segment, and do another tech news roundup. We discuss all sorts of stuff like Adobe PDF flaws, Citrix going free, public photography laws, the vista capable case, Firefox 3.1, Netflix offering streaming plans, and more.

Scott's Thing - The Crisis of Credit
Rym's Thing - Pixel Cookies

Cremlian

So Netflix is the only company that understands what is the business.

Starfox

"Pillow talk with Rym and Scott" now featuring role-play?

Viga

"Pillow talk with Rym and Scott" now featuring role-play?

You make it sound dirty. :P

I think I am going to attempt those cookies!

Funfetus

I haven't been listening to the show lately, but I listened to this one, and it was a lot of fun. No reason in particular, really, it's just fun to listen to you guys talk. And dammit, I feel like I had something I wanted to say, but I can't remember now.

Rym

I haven't been listening to the show lately, but I listened to this one,

We're trying to change it up to avoid Penn Radio Syndrome. Slowly but surely now, all four nights will evolve along with the coming of the web site and our new style of convention shows.

Anastius

The Comments link links to the MP3 and there's no link for the MP3.

Li_Akahi

We're trying to change it up to avoidPenn Radio Syndrome. Slowly but surely now, all four nights will evolve along with the coming of the web site and our new style of convention shows.

So is the show ever going to go back to a 4 show a week schedule? If it isn't, you guys should change the outtro. It gives people the idea that that schedule may come back.

Apreche

I've wanted to change the outtro for a long time. Rym is emperor of procrastination land.

Rym

It gives people the idea that that schedule may come back.

It will come back once we have 10,000 listeners. ^_~

Starfox

Well, going by the 90% rule, you should have 10,000 listeners when there are 1,000 people in the forum. It's at 973 right now. So you have 9.730 listeners. It's a scientific fact.

Rym is emperor of procrastination land.

As you may know, I've been working on the new website for the past two days.

Scott, could you add a link to StS on the forum sidebar and the front page?

Wait for new website.

Apreche

Well, going by the 90% rule, you should have 10,000 listeners when there are 1,000 people in the forum. It's at 973 right now. So you have 9.730 listeners. It's a scientific fact.

There are many people registered in the forum, but only a fraction of them post regularly. According to the database, only 95 unique people have posted in this forum in the past 7 days. Looks like the 90% rule is right. 90% of the people who sign up for the forum don't contribute.

Andrew

The new website does indeed exist. Trust me.

Loganator456

I've wanted to change the outtro for a long time. Rym is emperor of procrastination land.

Agreed. There are some things that need to be changed/updated. Keep the music though: it's still awesome.

Dkong

Where did you guys go skiing? Have you guys been up to Bristol Mountain in Rochester? That place is pretty damn sweet. Probably the best place I've skied at, and it's way better than the garbage skiing places we have around here in Ohio.

gomidog

Hunter Mountain. It was SO AWESOME!

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

New segment, keep it.

Li_Akahi

I also enjoyed the new segment, and it should definitely get better with time and practice.

Starfox

Also, might I suggest Rym watch (or at least listen to) a couple PTIs, if he hasn't already?

Tyashki

"Do you know how far away the internet is!?"

Oh god that was hilarious. People in the cafe were looking at me funny with all my laughing. This segment is awesome, keep it.

Dkong

I like the segment, but as you guys said, it will get better with practice...or rehearsing/scripting it beforehand.

As for the playdough thing. It may be nontoxic, but I remember puking a lot after I ate a bunch of playdough as a kid once...

Reol

I just want to start out by saying that I don't post very much, but I do visit the forums semi-regularly. For a few months now, due to a change in my job and a much shorter commute, I've slacked off on listening to shows. I've caught up on back episodes and have been going with the current episodes for about two weeks now.

I felt compelled to comment on this episode.

The news bit was absolutely hilarious, and I think that you guys were having as much fun recording it as I was listening to it from the sounds of things. You may want to consider making this a regular or semi regular segment, at least once a month.

Just my 2 cents.

Dkong

Also, with PDFs, to get around the issue, how about not using Adobe? I use foxit (one of them open source ones you were talking about) and it works great.

lackofcheese

Foxit is free, but it is not open-source. However, it is indeed a lot better than Adobe Reader.

As for PDFs themselves, I think they are quite a useful format. They're not a format in which you would actually want to make anything originally - as you said, PDF editors plain suck - but they are an excellent format to export to. As an example, I'll cite LaTeX documents in particular - sure, the LaTeX code itself is the critical part, but let's say someone just wants to look at it without screwing around with a compiler. In fact, LaTeX is probably the best way to make a PDF document, and it just makes good sense to choose PDF as the output format for LaTeX. It also makes sense with other document formats, where other people might not have the software you used to make the document, and converting it to other formats might simply break it.

mike

I will make more, and regular donations if you bring back the old 4-a-week format.
;-)

beefturkey

I will make more, and regular donations if you bring back the old 4-a-week format.
;-)

Unless if your donations are in the proportions of either: 'allow Rym and Scott to live off' or 'make them "rich"' the four shows per week schedule is dead and buried. We may get an extra show now and then when they stuff up the alternations.
With the current schedule we may get longer shows of higher quality, possibly made with greater thought and innovation. Furthermore it allows them time to work on other Geeknights related side projects like making the proposed t'shirts available to order as an example.

Dkong

allows them time to work on other Geeknights related side projects

Cause that's been coming along so nicely.

Unless I'm really out of the loop, have they even made those videos they were talking about...other than like 2 episodes of Scott's Box?

Nine Boomer

And what about the new website? It's going to come out some day, I suppose.

gomidog

Unless I'm really out of the loop, have they even made those videos they were talking about...other than like 2 episodes of Scott's Box?

That's all him, dude. I want to steal his video camera and make some videos with it. But I'm already making videos, so there.

And what about the new website? It's going to come out some day, I suppose.

It's done! It's been done! Now the three of us have to sit around and do boring data entry all weekend and so obviously, we have been procrastinating.

making the proposed t'shirts available to order

Do you want me to just put them up on etsy? I have some other Non-geeknights designs I was thinking of getting printed, so maybe I should just do that. The box of shirts is just sitting there...I'll talk to the boys about it.

Dkong

Cafepress store too difficult/shitty for Scrym?

mike

I will make more, and regular donations if you bring back the old 4-a-week format.
;-)

Unless if your donations are in the proportions of either: 'allow Rym and Scott to live off' or 'make them "rich"' the four shows per week schedule is dead and buried....

Frankly, if half the people who listen to the podcast donate as much as I have, and did so each month, they would easily make enough to live off. But that would never happen, so whatever.