My Geek World by Randy Morrow

Do you drive a car?

Ride a bike maybe?

Work out at the gym fairly regularly (I am trying!! arhg!)

Or, rather, just sit around and do nothing?  (come on - get up - do something!)

Well, if you do any of these things - and I bet you do - then tune in (or rather) log on to your favorite podcast website and check out all of the very cool - very free - content that is just waiting for you to do the pick’n!  Yep - you can listen to some very clever banter while you do any of those things I’ve listed above.

Now, unless you have been living in utter seclusion - I am sure that you have heard of podcasts - so, I am not going to explain them (just search in yahoo or google for’em).

Me?  Well.  I have been an avid podcast listener for about 5 years.  I have seen some podcast burst on the scene and I have seen some just plain burst in flames.

That being said - I thought I would share with you some of the pod casts that I have, and continue to, enjoy.

By the way - you can find the links to these in Podcast Pickle or ITunes - all of them are listed in each!

Ok, let me break it down by category.

PURE GEEK PODCASTS

1)  Check out “PC MAG RADIO”

This one has become a favorite of mine over the past 3 to 4 months.

Why?  It’s all thing computers.  Very balanced reviews.  Insight on new tech.  In a nutshell - it keeps me  informed on all things happening in the computer world / tech world.  My only problem - every time I listen I hear my current computer age creak up!!!  Uhg!  If I only had the dough to by everything they talk about!

2) Check out “Maximum PC No BS Podcast”

A stable of mine for more than a year now.

Why?  Very similar to the above PC Mag Radio - however they throw a lot more gaming in.  Basically, this is a fun podcast that does a fantastic job of making you feel like you are one of the gang - like you are sitting around with all of your tech buds and chatt’n about the latest video card or motherboard (yes, these do excite me!).

3)  Car Tech Podcast from CNET

New listener for past 2 month.

I know this one has been around a bit, but I just hopped on in the past few months.  Everythign Techie when it comes to rigg’n your car.  This is a nice quick listen.

4)  Geek News Central Podcast

Listener for about 2 and 1/2 years

Todd Cochrane has been a stable of mine for quite some time.  This guy has it all - lives in Hawaii and gets to talk about geek stuff all the time!  The show comes out twice a week (1 hour shows) and provides a real plethora of tech news - from Nasa to Cable to Wireless to Computers to Mobiles to you name it.  Very cool show!

5) Slice of Sci Fi

Do you like sci fi?  (if not - stop now and go back to your knitting!)

Ok - you wanna know what’s going on in the sci-fi world - then check out this podcast.  I am a listener that goes back about 3 years now with this show - back to the days  of Micheal and Evo (yes, I still miss Evo’s insight).  You will love this!

NEWS JUNKIE / POLITICAL PODCASTS

Ok, I am also a bit of a news junkie.  Have always been - ever since my first quarter in college (wow - that was a long time ago!).  Plus (isn’t there always something else) I truly enjoy following politics - although it can and usually does - piss me off.

1) Wall Street Journal This Morning Podcast

Why?  Well - this is almost as good as reading the Wall Street Journal every day (my favorite paper).   Check this out - it has it all in a very nice, concise - non commercial format.

2)  Common Sense with Dan Carlin

Why?  This guy is just plain clever.  You gotta love how he explores politics.  I promise - after one show - you are hooked.  Go sign up for this now!!

3)  This Week in Barron’s

Why?  This is the ‘mini’ version of the Wall Street Journal podcast - for those of you that only have about 10 minutes to spare!

OTHER PODCASTS TO CHECK OUT

Ok, I will have to explore some of the se further in the future - but for now, I wanted to quick run down a few others that you might find interesting - I do.  They are not necessarily ‘geek’ in nature - but are a great listen!

1) A New Beginning with Greg Laurie.  As a Christian - I find that this is a great podcast designed to help you continue to build on your faith!

2)  Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase.  This is one funky chick.  She is an airline stewardess that tells stories from pilots, passengers and other stewardess’.  A super fun listen!

3) Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.  This is great!  One of my most favorite!  1 hour of pure history loving!

4) Archaeology Channel - Audio News from Achaeologica.  Yep. Believe it or not, I dig (ha!) archeology.  And, with this 25 minute show every week - you will to!

—–

Ok…there you have it.   A quick peek into my Podcast world.  Actually, now that I think aobut it, I probably spend WAAAAY to much time listening to this stuff.  Oh well.  That’s the geek in me!

Randy

Raise your hand if you like Stargate Atlantis!

Yeh, that’s right - you rose your hand!

I am not sure if this is accurate or not - but I have become a junkie for this show.  So much so that I have gotten my wife hooked on it as well (yeah, I am a pusher too!).

I realized that there are 3 things that have caused me to gravitate towards it:

1)  Scifi

I am truly a scifi nut and they have it all.  You may even consider me one of those guys that wished - at least on the surface - to somehow transport to one of these alternate realities and check out what it has to offer.  Hmm…

C’mon.  You gotta dig the aliens, the off world travel, light speed (yes, it is possible) and everything techie.

**DIGRESSION**

Ok…I digress.  Light speed.  When I was in 12th grade I had a physics / science teacher that made the claim that light speed was not possible for humans.  First off - it pissed me off.  Second, I figured Einstein was a nut job and I set out to disprove him.  So, there I was, all 12 years of school’n crammed inside of me working in unisom to discover how humans can travel faster than light. Then it hit me.  It’s all relative.  (hmm, where have I heard that before?)  Anywho, I figured if I was travelling away from an object at 50% the speed of light and it was travelling away from me at 50% the speed of light - then, voila, shouldn’t I be travelling at the speed of light - relative - to the object.  Point made.  Case closed.

2)  Great Stories

This is what truly makes the show.  Great story telling.  Even though this show is an offshoot of another - and - a slight offshoot from the original movie - I find that I truly do get involved with the plot.  Ahh!

3)  $129

Huh?  129 bucks? Yes, thats right. I have spent 129 bucks to purchase the first 4 seasons of the show and now have a financial position in this.  So.  There is value beyond the plots, characters, etc.

All in all, it is worth it though.  We have been watching them nearly every night, and finished 4 seasons in about a month and a half (WOW!).

Some may say “wasted time”.  Me. Well.  Oh well.

Randy

Huh?

Yes.  I am responsible for saying that little three letter word - waaaay too many times.

About 14 years ago, right when I got married, my wife told me that I ‘just don’t listen very well’.

Actually, just the other day she said the same thing.

(Note, however, that would’nt she be suprised to know that I listed to her 14 years ago and remembered her telling me that I don’t listen!  Heh!)

Of course, I don’t remember ‘why’ she told me I don’t listen.  So.  We will call that a draw.

But I do find that I talk a littel too much and truly don’t listen as much as I should.  The things I have heard - well, they have, in many ways, been profound, funny, sad, loving, scary and everything in between.

So, I am making a true effort - no kidding - to listen more.  Heck, I figured I have talked enough to last me a few years in the future - so maybe I should just kick back and take it all in for a while.

Hmm… what did I say?

Randy

Earlier this week I received a call from my mother.  She explained that my grandmother passed away.

Dial back just 4 weeks earlier - and I recall, vividly, my mom and I sitting down with my grandma and enjoying a great bit of conversation.  Even though she was in her nineties - she was amazing.

Sharp as a tack.

Still living in her own place.

Smiling.

And reminding us all that she is a believer in Christ.

I headed down to South Carolina for the funeral.  It was short and to the point:  Grandma is now in a better place.

I truly believe that.

-Randy

I realized today that I am a little bit of an oddity.  Ok.  That might be a bit strong.  But consider this.

I like trees.  However, I havn’t done anything necesarily to save any.

I prefer to walk or ride my bike everywhere.  Yet, my car makes it way to easy.

Save the whales.  Sure.  Whales are a big part of humanity - and quite necessary for our survival (didn’t you see Star Trek IV?!?!).  But, have I done anything to save a whale?  No.  Not that I can think of.

I enjoy - no love - talking about politics.  In fact - I have an opinion about all of their decisions (mine are better by the way).  And, yep, you are right.  I have not gotten into politics (although I have chatted it up a bit with a few friends - they say go for it, but my non-activist profile always pulls me down with that not so slight slap on the head).

Heck, I even liked country when country wasn’t cool.  Oh.  Well, maybe I was an activist back then.  But, I couldn’t help it, Barbara Mandrell made it easy.

Save the planet.  Watch the owls.  Protect the ozone.  Buy Fair Trade.  Organic.  Kosher?  Eco-Friendly practices.  Uhg.  Too much.

Don’t misunderstand.  I want to do what is right.  I want to be part of the solution.  I am not sure why I don’t just bite the bullet (oh- hand-gun control) and jump in.  I won’t even wear a bathing suit. 

I guess it really comes down to the fact that I feel that I a just a little scared.  I am not sure why.  Perhaps I will fail at any of the parts that I play.  Perhaps I will bungle it even more so that where the issue started when I first got involved.  Hard to tell really. 

All I do know is that I am only here for a short while - like everyone else out there.  And, I better damn well make the best of it.

- Randy

I have an Ipod.  Oh.  And I have an Alpine stereo system in my truck.

VERSUS 

Here is how it is suppose to work.

Plug Ipod into cable that comes from the back of the Alpine.  The Alpine says, “Aha!  There is an Ipod attached to me.”  At that time, the two should feel very close - probably too close if you ask me. 

Then, all I have to do is hit the Ipod button on the stereo, and on-screen in on the Alpine is a layout very similar to my Ipod.

This worked many times - until recently.  And, like most men on the planet, I decide to start hitting nearly every button on the Alpine to determine what the problem is (ok - to define the problem - the Alpine would play the music on the Ipod, however, I twould start at song #1 of 800 - every time.  And, you could not change the song, move forward, backward, search…nothing!!!)  Very iritating. 

So again, back to the button pressing.   After 10 minutes of hitting buttons and changing settings on the Alpine that will most likely take a lifetime to change back - I have been able to get the Ipod to search and play the songs I want.

Now I am so tired at pressing buttons I don’t care, and I turn them both off in disgust and go inside.

Where’s my Peroni!

-RM

Wow!  How did the month of May dissapear like it did?  One day it’s May 1st - and the next - well, here we are on May 29th.

In a way, I feel like I took a ride in a Tardis (if you don’t know what that is - wikipedia it).  Zapping along from one time to another.  Which, of course, brings me to a new show I have been watching.

But, before I go there, take a ride back to the 70’s for a moment.  Do you remember Tom Baker from the old Doctor Who series.

No?

Well, here he is.

I believe that I am pretty much like the majority - but he is (or was) my most favorite Doctor.  With that funky looking scarf and mass of hair (mass = muchos) he had a personality - a light air of unawareness or lack of caring that made his Doctor one to enjoy.

Now - zip back to the year 2008.  I just purchased the first two seasons of the new Doctor Who - updated and stylized.  And wow!  I like it.  In fact - my wife has starting to get into it as well (by the way - this was no small feat.  I did my share of begging, pleading, yearning, crying, wimpering, etc. etc.) If you get the chance, log online or stop by the book store and pick up season one of the new Doctor Who.  You will love it.

-RM

Shall I say it?

Yes.   Spring is finally starting to show itself around here!  It actually got over 60 degrees today - in which my brain registered - “get your damn bike out of the garage and take it for a spin!”  I complied.

Except for the wind - it was fantastic.  

Anywho - let me explain my bike for a second.  I have a very funky looking bike. 

“You don’t say”, you say.

“I do say”, I say.

A solid 80% look at me in a very odd way when I ride past them.  I think many of them are just curious - however, I am betting that a few are saying things like, ‘what the’ and of course the perrenial favorite ‘is that a bike?’.

Don’t believe me?  Check this out.

Pretty shocking isn’t it.  Well, it shouldn’t surprise you considering my ‘geek status’ and all.

Actually, the cool part about the ride today (other than the brisk wind) was that the bay looked amazing!  I have dropped in a photo and a video to check.

Here is a photo of bay.  Ahhh!

And, for those video philes - here is a quick vid (just click the link).

bay-video

I take most of my shots with my Sony DSC-T200.  Has the touch screen and very cool options.  This is probably the best digital camera I have ever had - and if you ask my wife - I have owned way too many!).

Ultimately - I can’t imagine being and living anywhere else.

-Randy Morrow

Have you ever gone to church and find that your mind wandered a bit?

I know…I know.  You shouldn’t.  But, well, sometimes it happens.

I started thinking today how church, in a unique way, puts everyone on the same level.  Yes.  Everyone is equal - on the same playing field.  No bosses.  Employees.  Managers.  Owners.  You name it. 

Yep.  Ultimately we are all the same.

- RM

Oblivion.

Ok.  If you know what game that name stands for - then stand up and count yourself one of the lucky ones.

Well.  Maybe I go to far. 

Over the past few weeks I have found myself wrapped up again in this well written - graphically beautiful - computer  adventure game.  I think what got me to load it back up on my computer was, oddly enough, the passing of Gary Gygax.  Gary was one of the co-founders of TSR (or Dungeons and Dragons).  In fact, way back in the day, a few friends and I would gather around and play for hours (when I say hours - I probably mean days.  Oh.  And let’s just say that every time we got a group together to play you probably saw a spike in the stock prices of nearly every pop and snack food company that traded on the Dow!).  This was one very neat - very different game.

So - I decided to load the game back up.  Actually - with my newer system running an 8 seiries Nvidia card and a dual core processor - the game becomes absolutely beautiful.  I am not kidding!  Here…check this shot from the game…

Yep.  The whole thing is like this.  In fact - I have played nearly every adventure style game and this one comes the closest to achieving Gary’s vision (at least in my humble opinion). 

Well.  Enough of my chatting.  Ok.  Now back to the game.

- Randy Morrow