Archive for October, 2004

So, the other day, after I had dropped Jenn of at work, she called to tell me that she forgot her breakfast at home and could I drive it over to her. Of course I could and I did. As I pulled into the parking lot at her office, the glowplug light on my dashboard started blinking. How odd! I pulled out the manual and found that it meant that there was somthing wrong with the car’s computer and it had switched to backup mode — I’d better bring it in.

On the way back home, to schedule an appointment, I passed a series of bus stops along a residential area. At the second stop, a smart dressed man in a hat and scarf with a breifcase was running out from a side street to catch the bus, but the bus pulled away. As some cars passed him he dejectedly stuck out his thumb. So, I stopped, he jumped in and we chased down the bus a few stops down the street.

Anyways, once at home I called the VW dealership and was told I could bring it right in. The brake light switch had failed — big deal. So they fixed it for free and sent me on my way. I like CitiWest VW, they’re the best when it comes to customer service.

Oh, and I had my windsheild replaced a couple weeks ago due to a big crack from a stone chip. It looks so nice and it’s nice to look through too. Yesterday, I lost my licence plate sticker under the center console in the car. It slipped under when I opened the ashtray lid. So this morning I was taking off the dash to get it out and found a few extras in there too; a business card and some notes I had made on car stereo cables. Right, all this from a blinking light. Time to think of today’s podcast now.

Okay, so good old Dave Slusher from Evil Genius Chronicles visited the site earlier today and I see that I’m listed on Podcast.net. It makes me smile to know that “A Week with a Penguin” is reaching farther than my circle of friends. Anyways, I’ve got to share A Little More Cowbell — those of you young and hip enough might know what it’s about. I didn’t until I heard it, but it’s great! (Especially as a drummer who loves his cowbell!)

A couple weeks ago, I was about to scrap Sgt Pepper’s Army, but before I did, I decided that I wanted to try something out. I’ve been visiting Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator for a number of months and really like the how they pull down the latest headlines from all over the net and, well, aggregate them. I wanted to see if I could do that for Beatles news. More as an experiment because the hpana.com folks run a Beatles news website too. Anyways, I decided that I didn’t want to figure out all the crazy scripting that would be needed, no did I want to get into maintaining the site. So, I investigated RSS feeds and set up a few feeds from some newspapers and even got eBays greatest Beatles junk for sale on the website now. Kinda neat.

Last week, I discovered podcasting — as I’ve blogged about. The key difference between an audio blogs and podcasting is the embeded RSS feed that allows folks to easily set up their computer to download the latest podcasts from their favourite podcaster as soon as they’re available and walk out the door with them in the morning without having to do anything. My podcast A Week with a Penguin, is finally a true podcast because I’ve got an RSS feed for it. In setting up the feed, I’ve been playing with other RSS feeds and now I think it’s just the greatest!

I don’t ever have to check Richard’s Blog anymore because I’ve subscribed to his RSS feed and when I go through my favourite sites with my RSS browser, Rich’s site pops up when it’s been updated! It’s great! Unfortunately, I haven’t got my RSS feed doing the right thing on my blog (musta messed things up with all the “customization” I’ve done.) So, not that I haven’t been itching to re-invent my website lately already, but now, I’ve got even more of a reason to do so.

Yesterday I carved the pumpkin. It was much like carving the turkey, but with more satisfying results. For the first time, I used the stencil method to carve instead of the traditional triangle eyes and toothy grin method. I was quite happy with the results. So much so that after carving the first pumpkin, I went out and bought another — Loblaws was having a two buck pumpkin sale this weekend.

For my first jack o’lantern stencil, I used the Cheat from HomestarRunner.egg. He turned out really well, though the eyes were tough and contributed to some structural integrity problems around his nose — or whatever it is above his mouth. For the second carving, Jenn insisted that I do something more “seasonal”, like a cat on a fence. I decided to draw my own stencil and was very pleased with the results. It took a lot longer to carve than the first because of all the detail, but it was fun. I’d like to do more. It was also interesting for me to see that the carved pumpkin cat looks just like something I’d draw and I’m pleased that I’ve got this style that translates across varied medium.

Robin commented on my last post that audio blogs have been around for a while and that podcasting isn’t new, it’s just a new name. He’s right, but there is a new thing happening with audio blogs and podcasting is what I’m reading people calling it.

I think it’s the new set of applications that have been coming out recently that allow you to scan for stuff through an RSS feed and have them automatically downloaded to your mp3 player. Also I think (at least what I’m thinking) is that Podcasts would be more like news stories, information or entertainment, and less of the personal kind of blog entry style (of course, that’s exactly what I did for my first ShroomCast.) So, I realize that the ShroomCast can’t be me just going off on whatever, so I think I’m going to try to come up with a unifying cconcept for the show this weekend — probably an enssemble of “characters,” perhaps a serial, hopefully funny (or entertaining at least.) UFG Two?

I think it’s pretty cool, the idea of “programming” my own morning show from a bunch of contributors from all over and listening to it on my drive into work, for example. Even more, I like the idea of others who are using these applications (like iPodder) to find my podcast and make me part of their morning drive.

For your reading interest: Podstar, Newspaper Article, iPodder. That should get you started.

Hey, check it out… the first ShroomCast (1.9Mb)! Two minutes of audio me in mp3! I’m going to try to Podcast the ShroomCast each day next week and see how it goes. I’d really appreciate it if you take the time to listen to this ShroomCast and let me know what kinds of things you’d like me to include — because I want you to listen. I want your friends to listen too, so send them my way, okay? Thanks!

Oh, I think I’ll aim to keep the ShroomCast to under five minutes a day and remember I’m an amature, so don’t get too ambitious with your plans for me! Thanks for listening!

I wanna be a Podcaster! What’s a podcaster? What’s podcasting? It’s like internet radio, but just little bits of it (like a half hour show — or less idealy) that folks create and put online daily (or so.) The users (consumers, listeners) are often iPod users and they download their favourite podcasts everymorning and listen to them on their way to work. Well, they could bring their iPod to work and download them there and listen to them on the way home, or maybe just listen to them on their computer throughout the day. Anyway, it sounds pretty cool to me and it’s just in it’s infancy (like less than 30 days since the term Podcasting was coined.)

In other news, I rode my bike down to Sparks St. (here in Ottawa) this afternoon and peered into the windows of the new CBC broadcasting centre. I was looking for Alan Nele of Ontario Today, but I think his show was pre-recorded today. Actually, he might have been in the Chateau, but I doubt it.

Do you have this memory from when you are younger? You’re watching a kids t.v. show and the song There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is playing and there’s a shadow puppet of the old lady in a rocking chair eating all these animals: the fly, the spider, the bird, cat, dog, goat, horse… Then at the end she blows up and you’re traumatized for life?

Can’t relate? Well, I had this memory suppressed in my head since I was a child. Every now and then it would surface, but I’d push it back down. I was at the point that I didn’t know if it ever really existed — kinda like a cartoon code book, I think I owned. Well, the other day, I saw it on the Muppet Show! I think the most creepy frightening memories I have come from the Muppet Show.

First off, “Hello John and Stefan!” Who would have guessed that two friends I haven’t seen in ages would have found my website in the same week?

Jenn started wearing my gloves last week. They started draining the Rideau Canal over the weekend. Yesterday we had the seat heaters on in the car. This morning I had to scrape the windsheild.

I wouldn’t have denied that it’s fall, but now it looks like winter is on its way too. I like winter — maybe a couple of months worth of it — and not the scary driving part of it. I like fall too — sweaters and jackets, the clean smell that’s the opposite of the spring smell. And it’s time to start thinking of my birthday (uh, oh — and remembering other’s.) It’s also time to start making plans for Christmas. We should be back in Thunder Bay around the 24th until the 31st of December.

Hmm, now to think of a fun Rockin’ Halloween Caption Contest…

Sometimes one gets the giggles in church. Jenn got the giggles tonight. The third Thursday of the month our church switches evening and morning services and we go to the morning service at 4:00 p.m. Earlier in the day we were doing some Sunday shopping and I got a new sweater dirt cheap. When we got home I went to try it on and really liked it and decided to wear it out to church. I clipped the tags and peeled off the sticker that said “large.” (That’s right, I’m wearing large.)

Now, I’m aware that at least two or three people from Grace Baptist read my blog, so here’s a warning for the following content… it may not be suitable for all readers. I stuck the sticker on the fly of my jeans intending to show it off (the sticker, cowboy) to Jenn and get a laugh out of her. But I was so struck with my new sweater that I forgot about it. And off we went to church. It was only halfway through singing (just before the offering) that I remembered what I had done. We had chatted with a bunch of folks and who knows who may have seen what. Jenn saw me peel it off when we sat down and got the giggles. Moral of the story…

If you can think of one, let me know.