Podcasts now netcasts?

I had read that Apple might be trying to trademark “podcast” which would mean that my podcast, SimplyTech, could receive a letter from Apple if they decide to go after lowly podcasters.

Leo Laporte has weighed in on this controversy and has suggested changing from podcasts to netcasts. This is something I might consider doing, since as Leo pointed out, podcast is really a terrible name for the “industry”. Many people assume you need an iPod to listen to podcasts, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Also, I hate trademarks and trademark hungry companies.

Unearth Concert Review

I should have posted a review of the Unearth concert awhile ago, but never got around to it. Anyways, it was pretty amazing. The pit was very brutal and aggressive. Actually, I think I can sum the concert up in one wording: brutal.

Hansen and I came back from that concert tired, beaten and bruised. And we didn’t even do any time in the pit. It was great. Can’t wait to see Unearth, Terror and Bleeding Through again. You guys were awesome. Sorry to the 2 bands before them, we didn’t get a chance to see you play. Also, I can’t wait to go to Station 4 again, which might be fairly soon. I am semi-planning to go to the Trivium show there. Then I am seeing Blind Guardian in November.

If any of my 2 readers know of any upcoming metal shows, feel me to let me know in the comments. Thanks!

SimplyTech video podcasts?

For those of you that read my blog and listened to the SimplyTech podcasts, what do you thoughts on SimplyTech video podcasts? Since a lot of what Zach and I discussed were mainly how-to’s, we tossed around the idea of switching the format from a podcast to a video podcast (vidcast). I have the image of the DLtv podcast in my brain. While we won’t exactly that professional, etc, it would be cool to produce something along those lines. Thoughts?

New School, New Classes, New Ways to Procrastinate

Last Monday I started school again, this time around at a new school. I was somewhat sad to leave, as I am leaving many good friends. But at least I am still in the same city. And my girlfriend, Tanya, still attends that college, so she helps me stay close to some of them.

With this new college comes the chance to finally start taking some cool classes. Sadly, I will need to re-take 2 semesters worth of Computer Science classes, as well be slightly bored in the intro CS class I am in now. General Physics and Linear Algebra will be a challenge for me and Technical Communication should be fairly easy since I have a lot of practice in that area.

I must say that I am already hating homework, since I would rather be learning about Python, playing some Xbox 360, or working in Flock’s support forums. This might be the first year where my job is an enjoyable distraction from school work. Hopefully I don’t decide to not do homework to work instead.

On the music front, I believe Iron Maiden comes out with a new album on Tuesday. Hopefully, I will be going to the Unearth concert next Sunday. I really enjoyed their performance at Ozzfest. I am hoping they do just as well, if not better.

On the tech front, I am really enjoying using Ubuntu on my laptop. Me and my roommate finally got our apartment wired, with a few ethernet cables running through the walls. Tonight, I finally got around to securing my wireless connection, which I should have done right away.

Now, I must leave. I am being called to watch a late night movie. Happy Labor Day, cheers!

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Sounds of the Underground Review

I gave Sounds of the Underground a week to sink in and I still have the same feeling I left the show with: It was absolutely amazing.

I went to the show with 2 good friends of mine and a dude I didn’t really know before. We got there an hour after the show started so I first the few 2 or 3 bands. We walked into the place as Behemoth was starting and they sounded pretty good, though I am not sure I like their sound. Other than them, the only other 2nd stage bands I watched were Black Dalhia Murder and Terror. Didn’t really care for BDM too much, but I liked Terror enough that I probably gonna snag me an album at some time. Their bassist really impressed with his stage presence, intensity and overal emotion. We skipped GWAR to wait in line to go to the 2nd stage. That was a very good move.

We were able to get right by the railing for the start of the main stage bands and a friend and I stayed there through In Flames. Cannibal Corpse opened on the main stage and put on a pretty good show, but wasn’t really feeling there music. Trivium played 2nd and were fantastic. My friends and I headbanged and yelled along to every song. It was great being so close to the stage. There was a ton of energy between shared between the bands and us. The circle pit that opened up for one of their songs was just huge and I was very impressed.

Next up was Machine Head. Meh.

Moving on, In Flames was up. They were awesome. Can’t really much more than that really. First time hearing them live (same with Trivium) and I am so thoroughly impressed that I can’t wait to see them again. In Flames, please come back to Milwaukee or Minnesota. I really would love to see you again.

After In Flames was done, we left the crowded floor area and rested. We stayed for two songs from As I Lay Dying and left. I like their cd’s but for some reason, they weren’t sounding good in concert.

Outside, my friend got his shirt signed by the lead singer of In Flames and I shook his hand and told them they rocked.

Also, can’t forget two guys I meet at the concert. Nick and Logan (hopefully I got the names right), if you guys read this, it was awesome to rock out and headbang with you guys. Hopefully I see you both at a concert soon.

This concert was by far the best I have seen so far. However, on a sad note, just saw Trivium’s tour list. They are not coming back to Milwaukee. WTF?

technorati tags:sotu, trivium, inflames

Sounds of the Underground, August 4th

Well, a few weeks after loving Ozzfest, I will be at Sounds of the Undergound in 2 days headbangin’ to Trivium, In Flames and As I Lay Dying. Those are some of my favorite bands and I really looking forward to seeing them.

Trivium should be interesting to watch and listen. Especially listen. They have a new CD out in October and listening to a preview track, Detonation, on Monday night, they sound like a 2006 version of Metallica. Immediately upon hearing the intro, my head screamed “Metallica!!!”, which my friend pointed is great for metal, could really bring metal back into the public eye. It will be interesting to see how well Trivium sounds in concerts and if they play any songs off their upcoming album.

In Flames is also one of my favorite bands right now and have been for a long time. I am really looking forward to seeing how many songs of off Come Clarity they play. I am really digging that album, the same with Reroute to Remain.

As I Lay Dying is headlining the tour and I hope their sound in concert is deserving. I really like Shadows are Security, but I am not sure how well their sound will transfer to a live performance. Sometimes metal bands suffer from a need to play so loud that everything is very distorted and sounds like crap. We will see how they do. I am optimistic.

Not sure how I feel about the other bands, as I don’t know many of them. Gwar is a joke band that works for an entertainment comany. Behemoth could be good, they seem pretty black metal to me. Could be fun to watch live. Their pictures on their site seem pretty crazy. I have heard good things about The Black Dahlia Murder before, so hopefully I am impressed. Don’t know Terror, and my friend said good things about Cannibal Corpse. If I don’t know your band, this is a great chance to impress me. I always love when bands I don’t know impress me, but it hasn’t happened yet this summer.

This concert should rock, with 3 of my favorites bands on the tour. I heard the bands are doing a meet and great after their sets, so I might get to meet some of the members of the bands. I would really like to go see Trivium, but it will be hard to pull myself away from In Flames. We will see how that goes down. I wonder where the after party is gonna be. It would be amazing to chill with some of metal’s best.

     

technorati tags:sounds of the underground, in flames, trivium, as i lay dying

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Ozzfest Review

Well, Ozzfest has come and past. I am somewhat ashamed to say that this was my first Ozzfest. I really regret not going last year when Iron Maiden, In Flames and Black Sabbath played. However, this year’s show was great. I had a lot of fun and am planning to go back next year.

One disappointment for me was all the hardcore bands on the 2nd stage. I might be mis-labeling the bands, but a lot of them had hardcore elements and sounded a lot alike. I would have liked a little more variety in the sound of the bands.

I loved watching Unearth though. They were one of my favorite bands there and they put on a great show. I was worried they wouldn’t sound good live, but they definitely did. One of their guitiarist has a great stage presence. He even did a beer bong between songs. His antics were a great addition to their performance. I can’t wait to see them again.

I didn’t really like Distrubed’s frontman taking 5-10 minutes giving the crowd his view of politics. I go to the show to hear music, not your political views.

I wish Dragonforce had a better slot. They were the first band on the main stage and most of the fans hadn’t migrated to the main stage yet. And I think Ozzy was still playing when they started. They were another favorite of mine, but they have to work on their live show. They didn’t draw me in.

Overall, Ozzfest was great. I went crowd surfing for my first time, which was pretty fun. I can’t wait to go back next year. It will be a yearly trip for a few friends and I. I also can’t wait for Sounds of the Underground. That will be a great concert.

technorati tags:ozzfest, metal, music, concerts

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OZZFEST

Tomorrow is Ozzfest, and I am pretty pumped right now. I got a friend driving 5 hours down to Madison to see the show with me. We gonna be on the road around 6am tomorrow to catch the first band at 9am. It is gonna be a full day of hard and heavy bands.

Some of the bands I am really looking forward to:

• Unearth. They seem to be one of the few American metal bands I like right now. They mix what I love about European metal with the best of American metal.
• Dragonforce. Their brand of power metal is quite interesting and they have a good vocalist. I want to watch and see how they achieve their incredible sounds.
• Ozzy. He is one of the founding fathers of metal. Even though he getting older and older each year, I look forward to seeing him. I am sure he will put on an awesome.
• Hatebreed. They are very much one those very heavy bands that goes all out. The pit will definitely be going crazy when these guys play.

I don’t know much about many of the other bands, especially those on the 2nd stage. I am pretty hopefully though. Many of the bands from the 2005 Ozzfest now make up my favorites. I can’t wait to watch some great music and maybe get in the pit as well.

technorati tags:ozzfest, music, concerts

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Summer in Full Swing

Well, this summer has started off quickly and I have found myself little time (or want) to write blog posts. But today, I have found myself with some motivation to update people, maybe it’s because I am drinking caffeine again after a few days with very little. Wow, did those days suck.

Anyways, the summer is going good. This past weekend, my roommate and I finally found a place to live so I was quite excited about. I even paid for his meal when we went out to celebrate. While, ok, my dad gave me money for the weekend, but still. That whole weekend was a lot of fun as I got to see a lot friends who I hadn’t seen since school got out for summer.

I have also been enjoying playing World of Warcraft while some high school friends. It’s fun to use Skype’s conference call option to talk while raiding a dungeon. It’s great fun to share the WoW experience with some friends. I would have to say as fun as WoW can be, I don’t play that much unless I am grouping with some friends. I need the multi-player feel.

Oh, last night I bought a laptop online. That might be the most exciting part of the summer so far. It will be nice to have the laptop with me at school since I am off campus this year. Also, I am going to love working outside, on the couch, etc with it. I haven’t decided what operating system I am going to install on it. I had thought about running Ubuntu, but I want to try some other Linux distros. Any suggestions?

One thing I am not so happy about is the Slayer concert. Actually, I am pretty upset not to be going. A friend convinced me that it wouldn’t sell out and we could get tickets there. But it sold out, and now I am missing one of the best concerts of the summer. Oh well, that’s the last time I will trust him.

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Thoughts on Tech Support

I have working tech support for close to a month now and have been enjoying most of the experience so far. Though, I have to say it’s not always the easy, laid-back job my friends think it is. I have found a few parts of the job a little challenging.

The first part is one I did not truly consider until this past weekend. My girlfriend, Tanya, and I were traveling to Minnesota to find an apartment for the fall, and queued the podcast I had recently recorded where Jake Dahn and I interviewed Will Pate. We discussed a lot different topics related to Flock, and during the course of the podcast Tanya would ask some questsions. So I would pause the podcast and answer her questions, no big deal.

However, it wasn’t until that car ride that I realized something: I should really be approaching support requests as if I am talking to Tanya or my parents. Not to knock their knowledge of computers, but it pretty basic. I think I should really be answering their questions as if my dad was asking the question. But then again, would my dad really be using Flock? No, he wouldn’t. So how much prior knowledge do I expect the users to have? While I think most Flock users are your average techie, how can I know for sure how much knowledge they have?

Another part of the last 4ish weeks has been finding answers to problems I cannot reproduce on my machine. When I am able to see the problem myself, or have seen it in the past, I am usually pretty good at helping people out. But when I honestly cannot seem to open up my mind to think of all the possible problems. It has just been somewhat difficult to think through all the possible problems when I don’t even know what could be causing the problem (don’t know the code). Hopefully this will come with practice.

Also, I haven’t looked at this article on the assumptions of tech support thoroughly yet, but it looks like something I should look at. Any suggestions for reading on tech support and/or QA, I would be glad for the advice. Eli Goldberg already has added Cem Kaner’s Testing Computer Software to my list. I should see if it’s at the library and spend an hour a day reading it. But that would mean giving up an hour on WoW, and I don’t know if it’s worth it. I mean, it’s summer.

Anyways, any suggestions/comments/feedback would be appreciated.

technorati tags:flock, tech support, qa

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