Joe Murphy Memorial Podcast

I didn't get to know Joe Murphy personally, but I enjoyed listening to him on the various Farpoint Media podcasts. He always had something nice to say when I called in to their voicemail line, which encouraged me to increase my presence online and make several new internet friends. If you've enjoyed hearing my voice on various podcasts or appreciated my renewed dedication to blogging, thanks go in part to Joe.

Unfortunately, Joe died of a rare form of cancer on 01 April 2007. It was a harsh blow not only to his real-life family and friends, but also to the many people who had read his reviews and appreciated his zingers on the podcasts. For a lot of folks, Joe is associated with their introduction to podcasting so it was like losing the person who first gave you ice cream.

Several of his friends put together a memorial podcast to share their memories of him. The blog also gives you information about leiomyosarcoma, the disease that took him so suddenly. It may seem strange to listen to a memorial podcast for someone you never met. However, if you have a friend or relative who thinks that the internet is full of nothing but perverts and recluses, point them to this site. The internet has communities just like your church or your bowling league, and people care when one of their own falls.

iPod Convert

The MIL bought M a used 30g video iPod a couple months' ago. The casing is pretty scratched up but it works, so she doesn't care. Anyway, her grades have slipped in Spanish so ABM confiscated the iPod. Guess who is using it until she gets it back in January?

I originally wanted an iPod when it was first released. When I couldn't get one, I told myself that I was earning my geek cred card by listening to music and podcasts on something other than an iPod. Now that I've had a chance to use M's iPod for the past week, I must admit that I am drawn to the ease of use. The iPod and iTunes were definitely made to work with each other. Even before this week, I recommended iPods to my non-techie friends and now I am even more confident in that recommendation. I had very little problem importing my CDs into the iTunes library and loading them on to the iPod. Also, the selection of podcasts in the iTunes store has improved since the first time I wrote about the subject.

This iPod experience pointed out once again that I don't buy a lot of music. I have loaded almost all my CDs and recent episodes of my favorite podcasts, yet I've barely used 5gb of the 30gb storage capacity. As much as podcasters love to tout the fact that terrestrial radio is dying, some of us are still a slave to it. I can't buy enough music to give me the experience I get when I flip the radio dial and hear a song I haven't heard since high school. I like the randomness of radio. I even like the way the ads and the DJ chatter give me a break between songs.

The perfect solution for me would be to stream my Yahoo! radio station through my Treo 700p. I've been fine-tuning that station for almost five years and it is just right now. I would even pay for it if Yahoo! supported my Treo, but the last time I checked they didn't. Ah, well -- I guess I'll be listening to a lot more podcasts :-).

My tiny claim to fame

If you live in the Portland, Maine area and can tune in to WMPG, you have a chance to hear a few seconds of my voice. On Thursday (08 Mar 07), a dramatization of Tee Morris' short story "Reality Check" will air at 1p EST as part of the series Radio Drama Revival. I have a small part as a ghostly voice towards the end. I believe the radio station's website also streams audio, so those who don't live in Maine can join the fun!

Music to give out candy by

If you want a quirky soundtrack for giving out candy tonight, try the special Halloween episode of Bachelor Pad Radio.  It is a mix of cheesy horror movie trailers and Halloween novelty records from the '50s and the '60s with a few swingin' standards mixed in.  Although the show is normally over an hour long, this special is about 55 minutes so it should fit on a CD.  Enjoy!

I'm not dead -- just snowed under

I'm already struggling with the various elements of my current schedule, but did that stop me from adding more tasks? Of course not! That would be too logical.

For the past couple months, I have been a contributor to a netcast called the Bunkcast. The creator of the show pitched the idea as having several female contributors on a rotating basis so that no one would get bogged down. In practice, I ended up as a co-host. Then, after 11 episodes, the creator started having personal issues and had to stop doing the show indefinitely. So, I stepped up to continue the show until she is able to take it over again.

What on earth was I thinking? Producing under obligation has always been a problem for me, whether it is knitting or writing. Once I am expected to do something, I freeze. I enjoy the actual work of creating the netcast but finding the time is stressful. Oh, did I mention that I have to work around ABM's schedule because he doesn't know I'm doing this? Yeah, I really know how to make things hard on myself.

Anyway, if you are curious about this after all my whining, check out episode #12 of the Bunkcast. The show started out with a strong sci-fi flavor, but I am not very knowledgable in that area. While I am helming the show, it will be more like an audio version of my blog with more music and fewer details of my personal life. If you have any suggestions, feel free to throw them at me. My e-mail address for the podcast is dani@karenfromkalifornia.com; you can send me a regular e-mail or an mp3 recording of your comments.

Podcast Talk: Colmination, Podcast Alley

I finally took Colmination off of my podcast list. This was one of the first podcasts that I found, so I guess I was listening for nostalgic purposes :-). It really is not very good. It is one guy, Colm, who spends all of his time wondering why he isn't listed higher in the rankings at Podcast Alley and reading e-mails that say how wonderful his show is. Huh? Oh, I almost forgot -- he also gives lists of what alcoholic beverages he drank while he was out the night before and who he was with while he drank them. I thought that the show was beginning to improve when he started having his friend Quinn act as co-host. Quinn knew how to make a good story out of mundane tasks like getting his tag renewed at the DMV. Unfortunately, Quinn has moved away so the show is just Colm again. The only people this show could possibly appeal to is immature frat-boy types.

Speaking of Podcast Alley, I do not like their voting system. This site is the recognized source of podcast rankings and gauge of show popularity, yet they only let you vote for one show a month. I admit that I don't know how complicated it is to set up this sort of thing, but I do wish that they would let each person vote for her top five podcasts of the month. That would be a more realistic representation of people's listening habits. I haven't voted at all for April because I can't pick just one.
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After visiting Timotab's blog and viewing the progress he has made on his afghan, I had to face my procrastinating ways once again. I think I have known for a while that if I am going to meet my goal, I need to start a new afghan rather than finishing the GRR or the Zinnia. They don't inspire me, and if I am going to make something big I need a lot of inspiration to push me through the boring patches. I don't want to buy more yarn right now, though, so I guess I will have to suck it up and frog the GRR. I like the construction of the GRR but it has gotten to an unmanageable size. Afghan squares worked separately are more practical for an on-the-go needleworker like myself.