Archive for the 'Technology' Category

• Tagline : The Totally Rad Show is the summer blockbuster of geek news shows
• Website : The Totally Rad Show
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• Parental Rating : 18
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

The Totally Rad Show is one of those programmes that would have thrived on the G4/TechTV cable channel. It’s very down to earth with the very affable Alex Albrecht at the helm, also co-presenter of one of my other favorite Revision 3 shows, Diggnation, with Kevin Rose. Fortunately no grubby cable company has their hands on this or indeed any other Revision3 show and it’s for this very reason that these shows deserve to thrive. Also the fact that they’re also pretty good is another very valid reason.

Of the three hosts, Alex is the one that really holds things together. Dan Trachtenberg and Jeff Cannata, whilst being likable enough, just seem to lack that special chemistry. Admitedly we’re only at show #9, so this is something that can still develop, nonetheless it’s still enjoyable to watch.

The shows premise is to basically review movies, video games, TV, comics and all things geek. Everything seems to be above board, rather than a sycophantic vehicle for PR.

One of the major criticisms I have of the show, is that the sound levels seem to flail all over the place. One minute I’m turning up the sound to hear what is being said and the next, I’m hunting for the remote to turn it down again, especially when our hosts are laughing and joking around.

Conclusion: It’s still the early days for the show. While it’s still a bit rough around the edges, the content is great and I imagine it will go from strength to strength.

• Tagline : A vidcast about technology you already own
• Website : Lab Rats
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

Lab Rats host Andy Walker, another former presenter from G4/TechTV Canada’s Call for Help, joins with fellow respected tech head, Sean Carruthers in a very well produced technology vidcast, which is one of the few I’ve seen that actually breaks for commercials. Now I don’t mind vidcasts having a splash of advertising here and there, you’ve gotta pay your bills, but only as long as they are unobtrusive. These are really bordering on the edge. Fortunately the content of the shows more than makes up for the advertising shortcomings.

An average show spans about 20 minutes and concentrates on a single subject, from replacing a power supply to setting up a wireless home network. On the whole everything is explained in a very down to earth and easy to understand manner, but sometimes they stray from the path a bit, especially when describing the principles of disk defragmentation, in which they use an eggplant and zucchini. Not one of the better shows, but entertaining nonetheless.

With the continual implosion of the G4/TechTV Network, more and more vidcasts are only too eager to fill the void, and on the whole they fill it admirably.

Conclusion : A definite one to watch for everyone out there who wants to know more about that scary box sitting under their desk. Even for more experienced tech heads, this is still an entertaining show and who knows, you may just learn something new.

• Tagline : Tech Web News Video
• Website : commandN.tv
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Originally started as a low key video experiment, I can still remember the very first episode, recorded on an Apple Mac laptop with an iSight web camera. Cerainly not the recommended setup, but it did the job and just look at them now. Originally hosted by Amber MacArthur and Mike Lazazzera, ex co-hosts of the cable show Call for Help, they are now joined by Amber’s brother Jeff amongst others, with Mike now working on other things, but certain to return for the odd guest spot.

So what is commandN.tv? The very name implies something to do with Apple computers. While I think the earlier shows were very Mac orientated, but they now cover much more general technology material. The pace of the show is very relaxed, which has got a lot do do with Amber and previously Mike, who had a great chemistry. I can actually remember Amber in the early days of Call for Help, when the show relocated from the US to Canada. I hope she doesn’t mind me saying, but in those early days she came across as very nervous, but has gone on to develop a great screen presence.

Now up to it’s 73rd show, it’s released on the whole every week, with each show around the 20 minute mark, which I find a very digestible length. The professional experience of everyone involved is obvious, as everything about the production is spot on. Certainly a definite vidcast to subscribe to for anyone with the smallest interest in what’s happening in the technology world.

Conclusion : A great vidcast for the technology geek, with some less nerdy stuff for those just getting to grip with technology.

• Tagline : A three minute daily videoblog based in New York City.
• Website : Rocket Boom
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

If all new readers were as effervescent and bubbly as the host of Rocket Boom, Amanda Congdon, the news wouldn’t suck the life out of you, with it’s tails of doom and gloom. As it is, the news is grey and so’s the bleedin’ weather at the moment, but don’t get me started on that. I’m English after all, the weather is our favorite pastime.

Rocket Boom is a 3 minute, daily vidcast of news, with an arts, science and technology bent. What really makes this vidcast work, is the ever expressive and enthusiastic Amanda. Started in October of 2004, there’s certainly not many vidcasts older and certainly not many released as frequently. You’re not going to hear about the latest murders downtown, or what’s happening with the latest drug busts, but you can be assured that a smile or two is coming your way.

The subject matter covered is diverse and there’s even the occasional guest presenter, which usually means those particular episodes aren’t as light and jovial, but it’s always entertaining stuff.

Conclusion : For a brief respite to the everyday drudgery, this is a great way to while away a few minutes. Even if you have no interest in the days subject matter, Amanda is always a pleasant distraction.

• Tagline : Cooking for the Hapless Nerd
• Website : Ctrl+Alt+Chicken
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

If you ever wanted to see a total spazz in the kitchen, look no further than Alex Albrecht, the Diggnation Demi God. OK maybe that’s a bit extreme, maybe a bit of a tit is more apt. This is a programme showing nerds how to cook the dishes that will please the “Laaaadies!”. Oops and “Meeen!” depending on your jiggy preferences.

The first episode had Alex, ably assisted by Heather Stewart, preparing Chicken Cordon Bleu. I’m not going to spoil the ending, suffice to say, there’s room for improvement. A lot of improvement, with the cooking of course. What really makes this show is the enthusiasm, even if it’s not backed by the requisite skill. However that’s not really needed or required, as this is what makes the show. It’s nice to see a cooking show where everything doesn’t come out perfect. Even the “here’s one I prepared earlier” moments, sometimes don’t go to plan and I love it.

So far there have only been three episodes, but I’m looking forward to many more. Tech shows are great, but the target audience is a lot smaller than for more conventional shows and it’s these shows that will see the explosive take up of vidcasts. Alex is also apparently working on a sitcom, also coming from the Revision 3 stable, the makers of Diggnation, Martin Sergeants’ Infection and Systm, so he’s a pretty busy bunny at the moment.

Conclusion : A great show if you aspire to prepare anything more than cheese on toast, all in the inimitable Albrecht fashion.

• Tagline : Video Tutorials for Mac and iPod
• Website : ScreenCastsOnline
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Let me just get this out of the way. If you have an Apple Mac, you need to subscribe to this vidcast straight away. There, that’s done and I can now get on with telling you all about ScreenCastsOnline.

OK, so what’s it all about. Well usually about 10-20 minutes, but all puns aside, each episode covers some facet of the Apple Mac. From using the Apples’ built in tools, to getting the most out of some of the most popular applications. There’s also the odd featured utility and application, that our host Don McAllister thinks might be of interest to his audience. All of this is presented in a 640×360 resolution QuickTime video file, which is great to watch on your PC (yes you don’t need a Mac to watch) or Mac, but maybe a little small to see all the detail on your iPod Video. However this isn’t some dry man in a suit, extolling the virtues of the Mac, this is a hands-on video covering each subject actually on a Mac. In fact you never see the host Don at all, maybe he has a more of a face for podcasting. What you see is the screen of the Mac, as if you were sitting in front of it. Every mouse movement, and key press. This makes it so much easier to take what you learn and put it into practice.

Some of the recent vidcasts, cover things like .Mac accounts, using Garageband, getting the most from iPhoto as well as numerous other subjects.

For me the thing that really holds these vidcast together is our host Don McAllister. Talk about an effortless presentation style. If there is anyone that can take the techy edge off of computers, it’s Don, which is great as it means you don’t have to be a computer nerd, to get the most from this vidcast. Maybe we’ll see him step over to the dark side, but I’m not holding my breath and thankfully I have a Mac, so I can enjoy the vidcast and actually gain something from it.

ScreenCastsOnline was one of the first regularly produced vidcasts that came to my attention and it’s also one of the first to introduce a paid for subscription model. Now don’t fly off the handle, shouting “Sell Out”, the free edition is still available and every bit as good as it always was, but remember this kind of content can be expensive to make and indeed the amount of money required, is a lot more than your common or garden podcast.

So there’s a paid subscription available, what’s that all about and what do you get for your $25? As well as access to the regular format vidcasts, which now include and extra 10 minutes or so of content for paid subscribers, you also get HD (high definition 1280×720, which looks absolutely gorgeous) and ED (enhanced desktop, for computers with slightly less processor power) version for 6 months. During that 6 months, you also get an extra episode each month, that is only available to subscribers. You also get access to all archived shows and a promise that no ads will appear, which do not yet appear in the free version, but may in the future. Last but not least, you also get a DVD of the entire back catalogue, which makes for great value for money.

Conclusion : This is the kind of content, that’s just been waiting for the vidcast scene to explode. Now you can have quality educational content delivered to your computer. Don has taken the leap of faith and now working fulltime at ScreenCastsOnline and we wish him every success for the future, as this is a vidcast that deserves to do well. Fantastic stuff.

• Tagline : NYU student Brian Sandro has a secret: he and his friends pirate hundreds of millions of dollars of illicit Hollywood movies in their spare time.
• Website : The Scene
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

This is probably unlike any drama you will ever watch on conventional television. The show centres around our main character Brian Sandro, a NYU student who pirates movies for the sheer thrill of being the first to release on the Internet, along with his other nameless Internet friends. Collectively they call themselves CPX and are only know to each other by their Internet handles, Teflon, Pyr0, Slipknot, C0da and Trooper. What makes this drama unusual is the way it all unfolds. We have our main character Brian as a sort of Webcam movie in the top left of the screen, the rest of the screen is dedicated to Brian’s desktop, it’s here where we read the messages going back and forth between the group members, Brian’s long suffering girlfriend Melissa and the mysterious Luckychi2203.

Whatever your views on pirating movies, there is would you believe an unwritten code, that says you will not sell out, to make a fast buck. However Brian finds that an offer from the mysterious Luckychi2203 is too good to pass, especially since his father has been taken ill and he is having trouble making the payments on his tuition.

The first episode I watched, was a little slow, but this is mainly because it takes a while to remember how the cast of characters all fit together. Remember the only person you see live, is Brian, but that may change later, I’m so far only on episode 4 and it’s just beginning to heat up, when the group find out that the movie they’re been working feverishly to rip has already surfaced on the Internet. They smell something fishy and it’s going to be interesting to see how the story unfolds.

The first episode appeared sometime in late 2004 and they are still being released every 2-3 weeks. They’re currently up to episode 19, so I have a ways to go before I am up to date. At around 15 minutes, they are around the perfect length, to just squeeze one in before I come to work.

Conclusion : If you are a tech head, you will no doubt really enjoy the format of the show. For anyone else, it’s going to be a case of suck it and see.

• Tagline : Two Geeks and Their Laptops talk Dugg News.
• Website : Diggnation
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

For anyone who remembers the old TechTV cable channel and indeed the ScreenSavers technology show, Kevin Rose will be a familiar face. Indeed for anyone who watched the tail end of the ScreenSavers, Alex Albrecht will also be somewhat familiar. After having lost many of the original ScreenSavers faces after relocating from San Francisco to LA, Alex came in and was at first not a popular fellow. However it wasn’t too long before he won the audience over, only to find, he himself was no longer required, which was a real shame, as the chemistry between Kevin and Alex was undeniable.

Fast forward and we now find them back together again, this time as the hosts of the Diggnation vidcast. Diggnation is the weekly news show, that uses the stories from the technology news site Digg as the basis for each show. In fact Digg is yet another spoke to the Kevin Rose empire, which also includes Revision 3, the IP TV company producing Diggnation, Infected and a whole host of other internet TV programmes more popularly called vidcasts.

The format to the show is very low key, just our two hosts, their laptops and a couple of beers, chewing the weeks fat, or in this case Dugg news stories. For anyone expecting in your face, hard core news, you ain’t gonna get it here. That’s the joy of using Digg as the basis for the show, the diverse range of subject matter, be it technology, science of just the downright unusual.

The chemistry between Kevin and Alex is great, often ending up with one or both of them laughing and straying way off topic, but it works and works well.

Conclusion : If you love technology and a good laugh this is a vidcast not to miss.