Call For Help has a price [Update]

As of Wednesday, June 7th, Call for Help will finally be available to
fans in the United States. For $.99 you can download a copy of Call for
Help at http://video.google.com/.  Leo Laporte said on the TWiT blog that it will be free of advertisements and copy protection. Update: They will offer AVI, MP4, and PSP-compatible versions for download.

New Video Podcast

I have decided to take the video tips that I have done and create a new video podcast called Jims Tech Tips.

Worst Tech Products That I Have Owned

PCWorld.com has a list of the 25 worst tech porducts of all times. Well, out of the 25 here are the ones that I have owned.


Timex Data Link Watch - I still own this watch. It keeps good time. But that is about it. It does not work with my Dell monitor.

2. RealNetworks RealPlayer - I used to use this. It was slow and did not look good at all. Now I use a real alternative program called Media Player Classic. Because ever once in awhile you come across something in the real format. Which is not very good to begin with.

4. Microsoft Windows Millennium - Yeah I bought the upgrade version.

8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 - Who hasn't used this. I don't need to say anything about it. Just use Firefox

12. PointCast - I used this program. I don't think it was that bad. It was slow. Thank goodness for RSS.

15. Iomega Zip Drive - I never had a problem with one of these. My old Fujitsu laptop came with a detechable zip drive. I love my iPod shuffle.

20. CueCat - It did not work very well when it was launched. But I use it with a program called Mediaman. It works very well.

X-Men 3

I just got back from seeing X-Men The Last Stand.   It was a very good movie.  The special effects were very good.  If you go and see the movie stay for the credits.   There is a surprise at the end.

Why I use FeedBurner

The reason I use FeedBurner to handle my RSS feed is very simple.   I do not know how to hand code an xml.   They do all this for me.   And they do it very well.   They take care of all the iTunes code for me.   I use FeedBurner because they make it so simple to use.   And the service has gotten much better and faster.

Subscribe

Please subscribe to my RSS feed. It would mean alot to me.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/nYOH

New MacBook

(AppleInsider.com has some good pictures of the black MacBook here)

Edit A OPML file

How do I edit a OPML file? I just want to be able to open it and delete certain feeds and then save it. Thanks.

YouTube: Mobile Video Uploads

You can now Upload videos to YouTube from your phone or PDA.

The Fox is in iTunes

You can purchase the tv shows 24 and Prison Break in iTunes now. Other shows from Fox now in iTunes are Unan1mous, Stacked, and Fox Television Classics. Currently there is nothing to purchase yet.

MacBreak Looks Awesome

I just downloaded the latest MacBreak show and it looks awesome. The file is 960x540 H.264 and it is under 100 Megs. I don't know how they did this but it sure does look good for such a small size. [TWiT.tv]

MI:3

Just got back from seeing the new MI:3 movie.  It was very good.   But it is not like the last movie.   If you have ever watched Alias then you will know what I mean by that.    It starts off kind of strange but gets better towards the middle.  Go see it.

Aston Martin reveals James Bond's DBS for "CASINO ROYALE"

Man, this is a beautiful car. There were news reports that he was going to drive a Ford. I still don't know how true that might be. He gets promoted to 007 in this movie. [Automotoportal.com]

ABC Launches Free Online Episode Streaming

Starting today, you can stream episodes of ABC's LOST, Commander in Chief, and Alias for free at ABC.com. The ad-supported episodes will be available for at least a two-month trial. [digg]

FREE A.V.S.

Does anyone know of any free anti-virus software other than AVG Free Edition?   What do you use for your anti-virus software?   That is if you have Windows.

Free 7up

Sign in to get your free 2 liter bottle of the new 7up which is now 100% natural.

Green and Orange Lights

My 1 GB iPod shuffle is blinking green & orange lights.   I have tried to reset it and that did not work.   I have tried to restore it using the iPod updater software and it will not recognize it. I even took it over to a friends computer with the iPod updater software on it and it did not work.   My computer recognizes it as a USB Mass Storage device but not as an iPod.  I can't even open it.   I don't know what else to do.   I am going to drain the battery and see if that works.  Does anyone out there have a 1 GB iPod shuffle that you are not using anymore that I could have?   I would appreciate it alot.


UPDATE: HP is sending me a replacement. Their tech support has always come through for me.

Video Hosting

I found another video hosting website. It is vMix.com. What makes them different from YouTube.com? They offer no limits on video length and you can upload 200 meg videos. They support all the video formats.

Google Calendar has launched

I'm in Google Calendar now. I guess it has launched. I took the screenshot below.

CORRECTION: People really do listen to podcasts. Forrester Research WRONG

Forrester came out with a study yesterday that said that no one actually listened to podcasts. Well, that is completely wrong and you can read here for proof.

read more | digg story

New Google Talk released

Google Talk 1.0.0.92 has been officially released. Pictures and themes have been added. There is also a small gmail envelope now at the button to alert you if you have any email. Check out what's new here.

24 Wow

President Logan is the bad guy. Who would have guessed that?

Implosion of the Landmark Tower

Here is video from the implosion of the Landmark Tower in Fort Worth on March 18th. YouTube.com and Google video have some great video of the implosion.

iPod Updater 2006-03-23

The new 1.1.1 software update for iPod nano and Fifth Generation iPod
provides an easy way for you to set a maximum volume limit to prevent
the volume from exceeding a certain level. You can also assign a
combination to prevent the setting from being changed which is ideal
for parental control.

Testing out Evoca

Welcome

I would like to welcome all the listeners of the Geek News Central podcast to my website. Thanks Todd. Good Show.

Podcast and a drive

On my way to the Cotton Patch Cafe. Listening to the Geek News Central podcast on this beautiful day in Texas. Update: I am listening to it on my iPod through my car radio.

Rumored iPod Video a fake

A video documenting creation of the video iPod photo. This person really did a good job with photoshop.



Update: This video could be a fake.

My ear hurts

I have a ear ache. And I can't do anything about it.

I want a xbox 360

On Friday I went to a party and a friend brought over his xbox 360. So I went home and got my HDtv. I have to say that my first experience with the xbox 360 was a good one. The graphics and speed of the console is incredible. I want one now. Chris Pirillo won 2 xbox 360s in less than 24 hours. Now that is just cool.

Update: Chris has won 3 xbox 360s and is on his way to getting the fourth.

Send me a Voice Message

Odeo.com rolled out a couple of new features today. One of the new features allows you to leave voice messages. You don't have to have an odeo account to send a
voice message.

MacGyver Mastercard Commercial

This was awesome. I want a MacGyver movie now. You can also watch an interview with Richard Dean Anderson and the making of here. Google is also hosting some of the Super Bowl Commercials here. CAUTION Or here.



2006 Superbowl commercial for Mastercard (priceless!)

Coolest Toy EVER!!

Built out of kevlar and carbon fiber, this miniature figher jet can reach speeds upwards of 280 M.P.H. The models use small jet turbines, functionally identical to those used in actual full-sized jets to achieve remarkable speeds and flying precision.



[Via: Engadget]

Remember

Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Kalpana Chawla

IE7 Beta 2 Released

Todd Cochrane from the Geek News Central podcast got a interview with Margaret Cobb an IE7 product manager on the release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview for SP2. Click here to download the Beta. You can also watch a preview video over on Channel9.

Inside the Net #8

Amber and Leo talk to Mike Davidson, CEO of Newsvine. [Twit.tv]

CommandN #30

This week on CommandN #30:

- Ads on rooftops - only on Google Maps
- Canada lacking video content in iTunes and Google
- iTunes
- Apple and Postal Service
- Yahoo! Lounges in Sheraton Hotel
- Newsvine
- Surveillance cams
- Hard to find 800 numbers
- Dogster
- Catster



And alot more at CommandN.tv

inFIVE

New show from the creators of Hak.5 called inFIVE. inFIVE is a short, frequent video podcast that covers geek news.

24 is back

Wow 24 is just awesome this season. The first 15 minutes or so they kill off 2 important people. It is going to be a very interesting season.

CommandN #29 - MacWorld

This week on a special MacWorld edition of CommandN:

- Mac Book Pro
- Remote + FM Tuner
- More videos in the iTunes Music Store
- GarageBand with Podcast Studio
- iWeb
- Google Earth for Mac
- iTunes - new version release w/a mini-store
- Levi makes iPod controlling jeans



And alot more at CommandN.TV

Inside the Net: Show 7

In this episode of Inside the Net, Amber and Leo visit MacWorld Expo and talk with Mr. Missing Manual, David Pogue about the new Macs, iWeb, and the cult of personality. [Odeo] [iTunes] [TWiT]

InDigital Episode 0 - CES Special 2006

The team over at Revision3 have lunched a great new IPTV show called InDigital. In this episode they look at the products showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show 2006. Trends, products, and fun rolled into one. The host are Andrew Hahn, Diane Mizota, and Hahn Choi. Check out the website at www.InDigitalOnline.com.

BMW has a Vodcast

This is so cool. BMW has their own Vodcast. They are offering it in the iPod and PSP formats.

Windows Live Messenger Invites

I have some Windows Live Messenger Beta invitations to give out. If you want one please let me know.

I have 8 invitation(s) left.

Updated: 2-1-06

iTunes 6.0.2 does automatic video conversion without Quicktime Pro

With iTunes 6.0.2, you can convert videos to an iPod video compatible
format without QuickTime Pro! Just right-click on the video and select
"Convert Selection for iPod". Thanks Apple! [digg]

iPod Updater 2006-01-10

iPod Updater 2006-01-10 delivers iPod Software 1.1 for iPod and iPod nano, iPod Software 1.2.1 for iPod with color display, iPod Software 1.4.1 for iPod mini, iPod Software 3.1.1 for iPod with Click Wheel and, for all other iPod models, iPod Updater 2006-01-10 contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-11-17.

Google Video Adds Download Support

You can now download videos on google video in the Windows/Mac, Video iPod, or Sony PSP format. It looks like they have also started to add tv shows to buy and download. They also provide html code to embed free videos on your website. [digg]

New Template

Do you guys like the new template? It is not easy finding a 3 column template for blogger. I don't know why Google does not update blogger with better templates. I wish they would also integrate video into blogger. VideoEgg.com is pretty easy to use. I guess I will continue to use YouTube.com and Ourmedia.org.

CommandN #28

This week on the first episode of 2006 for CommandN:

- WMF Vulnerability
- Google PC?
- 43Folders Email Tips
- Mail Tags
- MOD Films
- World's First iPod Film Festival
- Wireless in the Wilderness



And alot more at CommandN.TV

Windows Live Messenger

I just got a invite to try out Windows Live Messenger.

CES 2006

Here is a list websites that are covering CES 2006. Some are podcast and IPTV shows.

- YouTube.com - Videos (tag ces2006)
- Geek News Central - Great podcast.
- Slashdotreview.com Podcast
- Technologyevangelist.com - IPTV in High Definition.
- TechPodcasts.com - Podcast and Live GoToMeeting.
- Engadget.com - Website and Pictures.
- Flickr.com - Pictures (tag ces2006) (CUATION)
- Labrats.tv - IPTV
- Wasd.tv - IPTV
- DL.TV - IPTV
- Yahoo CES Blog - News Blog
- Yahoo's 2006 International CES Video Center - Videos
- Robert Scoble - Blog and a Microsoft Geek.
- Your Mac Life - Podcast and pictures.
- Camcorderinfo.com - Videos
- Bill Gates Keynote - video stream
- DivX CES Video Blog - Videos
- PC Magazine - Videos and pictures

More to come.

Microsoft releases WMF exploit patch early

Go here to download the patch for your Windows version. Update: It has been added to Windows Update.

Inside the Net 6: Tim Westergren of Pandora Media

Amber and Leo interview Tim Westergren from the Music Genome Project and Pandora, a streaming radio service that introduces you to new music based on your preferences. [Odeo] [iTunes] [TWiT]

2006

Happy New Year!

Newly Discovered & Immediately Exploited Windows Vulnerability

A serious new remotely exploitable Windows vulnerability has been discovered in a highly-used and readily exploitable Windows component. The SHIMGVW.DLL is used for rendering Windows Metafiles, but can reportedly also be invoked whenever Windows attempts to display non-metafile images as well. Click here and go to grc.com to fix the problem until Microsoft has a patch. Also listen to the Security Now podcast to learn more. Update: Microsoft has a patch for it now. It also has been added to Windows Update.

Inside the Net 5: Jeff Fried of 37Signals

Amber and Leo talk with Jason Fried of 37Signals, creators of Basecamp, Backpack, Writeboard, and Ta-da List and, of course, Ruby on Rails. [Odeo] [iTunes]

Christmas Day

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Star Trek enters G4 Galaxy

G4 is about to boldly go where many networks have gone before. The Comcast-owned cable network is close to acquiring the syndication rights to the original "Star Trek" and one of its spinoffs, "Star Trek: The Next Generation," from Paramount Domestic Television, sources said. "The Next Generation" starts Jan. 8 on G4 [Cnet News]

Systm Episode 5 - Asterisk Released

In this episode. What is Asterisk? Asterisk is an insanely powerful, yet easy to use, open source voip telephony toolkit (server software) that runs on virtually any platform. It allows anyone to manage VoIP services in their own home in more powerful ways than the most expensive PBX (public branch exchange). [Systm.org] Please seed!

CommandN #27

This week on CommandN Show #27:

- Top tech stories 2005
- Wikipedia accuracy
- Microsoft adopts RSS icon from Mozilla
- Yahoo acquires delicious
- Del.icio.us Firefox extension
- Cingular Wireless and Time Warner
- Feedemon 2.0
- Top Web 2.0 apps 2005
- Google tunes up music search
- GAIM 2.0

And alot more at www.commandN.tv

Bubbleshare.com

I'm just testing out Bubbleshare.com. A look at my iPods past and present. There is also audio on some of the pictures. You might need to unmute the speaker icon.

This album is powered by
BubbleShare

Inside the Net 4: Protopage

Amber and Leo talk with Andre Parrie, founder of Protopage, a very flexible start page that is one of the best examples of AJAX on the web. [Odeo] [iTunes]

Blog Editor for Firefox

Performancing for Firefox is a full featured blog editor that sits right within Firefox. Just hit F8or click the little pencil icon at the bottom right to bring up the blog editor and easily post to your Wordpress, MovableType or Blogger
blogs. (Credit: Geek News Central)

Writely

Writely is a web word processor. It let's you Collaborate, Publish. Blog. It's Free!

· Nothing to download -- your browser is all you need.
· Collaborate just by entering people's e-mail addresses.
· Publish on the web or post to your blog with a click.
· Pick exactly who can access your documents.
· Upload from Word/OpenOffice & save to your desktop.
· Edit your documents anytime, from anywhere.

TWiT 35: Woz

Steve Wozniak is the special guest on This WEEK in TECH podcast. [TWiT.tv]

Fire at Red Lobster

Our Red Lobster caught on fire. This is very sad. [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

Inside The Net Episode 3

This week Amber and Leo interview Michael Arrington of the fascinating TechCrunch blog. Michael is an attorney and entrepreneur who writes about blogging, RSS, and Web 2.0
[Odeo] [iTunes]

Konfabulator 3.0

There is a new version of Konfabulator. Yahoo has also changed the name to Yahoo Widgets Engine.

Yahoo offers Movable Type for bloggers

Yahoo Inc. and Six Apart Ltd., creator of Movable Type -- the most popular software used to create professional blogs -- said on Sunday Yahoo will be the preferred supplier of Movable Type for small businesses. [Reuters]

CommandN #26 released

This week on CommandN #26:

- Wikipedia makes users register
- Protopage V2
- Skype 2.0
- Bubbleshare
- Cell phone for your dog
- John Gilmore fights secret ID laws
- Get a hoodie (not a sock!) for your iPod

And alot more at www.CommandN.tv

Christmas Lights Gone Wild

My Christmas Wishlist

1. Mac mini
2. Canon PowerShot SD550
3. Falling Up: Dawn Escapes CD
4. $600 for my DSL bill for one year.
5. Star Trek Voyager DVDs (all seven seasons)

Kevin and Alex investigate a Japanese toilet

This is from episode 23 of Diggnation for all those people that just listen to the podcast. [CAUTION]


Upload Video at DropShots.com

Banned Xbox 360 Ad

This advertisement was deemed not suitable for air by Microsoft's lawyers.

New CEO at Microsoft

A fifth grader had a wish to be the Microsoft CEO for a day, and his wish was granted. His visit was documented for the NBC show “Three Wishes” which airs tonight in the US on NBC. [Press article]

Yahoo acquires del.icio.us

Del.icio.us has joined the Yahoo! family. [digg]

NBC, Apple to announce major iTunes deal

There are now many TV shows available from NBC, ABC, Sci Fi, and USA on iTunes Music Store . Including Battlestar Gallactica, The Office, Law & Order, Monk, as well as many classics. And 22 episodes of Knight Rider. [digg]

'Podcast' Is the Word of the Year

The New Oxford American Dictionary have selected "podcast" as the Word of the Year for 2005.

Immedi.at

Immedi.at helps you to keep track of online information as it changes. It sends you an instant message whenever any RSS or Atom feed you want to monitor changes.

Inside the Net Episode 2: Flock

This week Amber and Leo interview Chris Messina, one of the designers of a new browser for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux called Flock, "the social browser." [iTunes] [Odeo]

CommandN #25

This week on CommandN #25:

- Satellite Radio Goes Live in Canada
- Windows One Care Beta Goes Live
- $100 Laptop Video Blog
- Yahoo adds RSS Feeds into Web Mail
- TechTV Holiday Meetup

And alot more at www.commandN.tv

Windows Live Mail beta adds new features

Windows Live Mail beta adds new features:

1. Safety Improvements
2. Fast Search
3. Spell Check as you Type
4. Scrollable message and contact list.
5. Configurable reading pane
6. Resizable panes ***
7. Improved Error Message Discoverability
8. Easier to send mail when you don’t know email address
9. Support for browsers other than IE6 & higher
10. Empty Junk Mail Folder or Deleted Items Folder with one click
11. Print Messages

The worlds first ipod compatible bed

Title pretty much saids it all. [Link]

iPod Updater 2005-11-17

This update is only for the iPod shuffle. iPod Updater 2005-11-17 includes new iPod Software 1.1.3 for iPod shuffle.

Inside the Net with Amber MacArthur

A look at what's new, what's cool, and what's useful on the Internet right now. Join Amber MacArthur and Leo Laporte every Tuesday as they review the hottest new site or tool on the Web and talk one-on-one with the innovators who create it.

On this first show. Mike Shaver and Mike Beltzner of Mozilla join us to talk about today's release of Firefox 1.5 and what's ahead for Mozilla.[iTunes] [Odeo]

Firefox 1.5 released

Mozilla has officially launched Firefox 1.5 at mozilla.org What better way to compliment the event than a brand new site and design @ www.mozilla.com! [digg]

CommandN #24

This week on CommandN:

- Microsoft Xbox 360
- Smash My Xbox
- CBS and Google or Yahoo?
- The Ultimate Guide to Google Services
- iTunes among top 10 retailers
- Protect your iPod
- Top 10 cold-weather laptop tips
- The Ultimate Geek Gift Guide
- Fear of Flying
- Walk the Line

And alot more at www.commandN.tv

Make a Free 5G iPod Dock

Found this in the iLounge.com forums. Make a 5G iPod dock out of a Apple box and the dock adapter.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

CommandN #23

This week on CommandN Episode #23.

- The Emmys & New Media
- Amazon inserts tags
- Amazon
- Yahoo Shopping
- Google Base
- Panna II Indian Restaurant
- Google Analytics
- Measure Map
- 10 blogging hacks
- Typepad
- Tod Maffin Podcasting Meet-up

And alot more at www.commandn.tv

Black iPod

I got my 30 GB black iPod tonight. More to come later.

CommandN In HD

Canadas most downloaded tech video Podcast released a special high-definition (HD) segment on November 17 featuring
Mozillas Mike Shaver, making it the first vidcast to release content in the HD format. [More here]

Use a Sony Camcorder Cable with the iPod video

sony_ipod_cable
Originally uploaded by shufflehacks.

I found this over on shufflehacks. Use a sony camcorder cable with the iPod with video. Turns out that you have to plug the red into the video. And the yellow and white for the audio. I have a JVC cable. I wish I had my iPod to test this out. I guess I can wait.

Feedburner Adds Digg Splicer

Feedburner now supports Digg feed splicing. Combine your blog and digg feeds with a single click! "Share collected links in your feed, too! Splice your blog feed with your links feed from one of the popular link collection services listed below. [digg]

CommandN #22

This week on CommandN Episode #22:

- Google Hybrid
- Google Risk
- Yahoo & Tivo
- 1 million Apple Switchers
- Video Chart
- Apple iPod
- Movies for my Pod
- MacCast

And alot more at www.commandn.tv

YouTube (FREE video hosting)

With YouTube.com you can upload tag and share your videos worldwide! It is like flickr but for videos. This website is great to share those little digital camera videos that you have. Do you have a vidcast or video blog? Then this site will give you script code to put a player and stream your videos on your website. It is FREE! Check it out here.

USB 2.0 upgrade

I won a Belkin 4 port USB 2.0 PCI card on ebay. I have been using a USB 1.1 card since time began. And everytime I plugged my iPod shuffle into the USB port I would get a yellow balloon telling me that it would transfar alot faster if I had USB 2.0. I needed to upgrade for the iPod with video that I hope to get sometime this month. I think I am going with the black model. It just looks so cool. I wish the earbuds came in black.

CommandN #21

Amber and Mike have released commandN #21. Amber got a iPod with video. She got one on loan from Apple. I can't wait for the review. In this episode they talk about:


- Microsoft Windows Live
- Microsoft Office Live
- Windows Live Messenger
- Apple iTunes Music Store Video Sales
- Invisible Shield Video
- Real User
- Yahoo Maps
- Yahoo’s Top 100 Weird Sites
- Smart Coffee Lids

And alot more at www.commandN.tv

New Yahoo Maps

Yahoo has launched Yahoo Maps tonight. It uses flash instead of AJAX. It is in beta. I found that when I double click on the map that it zooms in very fast and smoothly. The info for towns and streets appear very clearly. You can also print or email the maps. Well, that is all I got for tonight.

CommandN #20

Amber and Mike have released commandN #20. They shoot this episode in a garage with alot of great light. Good show. In this episode they talk about:

- Open Office 2
- Lifehacker - Start a del.icio.us video feed in iTunes
- Revver - get paid for your videos online
- Boing Boing - Revver review
- Print Flickr photos
- Moleskine Pocket Diary 2006
- Treehouse design magazine
- Particle Tree
- Firefox
- Mozilla Add-Ons
- Firefoxy

And alot more at www.commandN.tv.