The Fun Zone: The Fun

Digital distribution of music and video has inarguably altered the landscape of the recording industry, as well as that of television and film producers. Most certainly, I appreciate the ability to go shopping for new songs on iTunes, download them nearly instantaneously, and transfer them to the iPod in a third of the time it would take to drive to Wal-Mart to buy a CD. However, cool as that is, my favorite use for the iTunes/iPod partnership isn't video or music or games.

It's podcasting.

I'm not sure, exactly, what it is about the worldwide dissemination of radio shows and amateur content that has me addicted. Perhaps it's the ability to "time-shift" my favorite programs, sort of a TiVo for Radio, so that I can take my time listening to one over several dog walks, or save up several episodes for a long car ride. Maybe it's the narrowcasting aspect, the fact that I can find a show about any sort of interest, no matter how obscure, and feel connected to like-minded listeners. There's also the ability to learn more about my favorite TV shows or musicians while driving or walking the dog or saving audio files. Most likely, I'm just sick of listening to The Kid's VeggieTales playlist.

As trips back and forth to New Jersey and New York and Boston have become more frequent, my collection of podcast subscriptions has grown significantly. Invariably, I'll be getting ready for a trip of some sort, and won't have any new episodes of my current favorites. So, I'll cruise over to iTunes to get some more. What the heck, they're free, right? Quality is generally good on all of these, but there is some significant variation in regards to polish, content, and professionalism. If you haven't heard of some of these, perhaps you might be interested in trying them out, and if you have heard of them, perhaps you can suggest something similar. I tend to run low at times.

Boardgames

The Dice Tower - Perhaps I'm a little biased, but The Dice Tower is the Cadillac of gaming podcasts. The interplay between Tom and Sam is only the beginning. An array of international contributors provide a dazzling assortment of viewpoints and interests, and the Top Ten lists are a great way to discover games that you may have overlooked. If there's a new episode of The Dice Tower on my computer, you can bet it will be the first thing I listen to.

The Spiel - I found The Spiel when they did a sort of crossover with The Dice Tower, and I've been hooked ever since. Dave and Stephen are a fun-loving pair, and they seem to delight in playing just about anything. The format of their show is a bit more structured than The Dice Tower, with segments like The List, Backshelf Spotlight, and The Game Sommelier appearing in nearly every episode. They also provide some pretty in-depth reviews in the bulk of the podcast. Plus, the Name That Game contest is a fascinating brain teaser.

Garrett's Games and Geekiness - Doug Garrett and his wife Shelley are teachers living in Mountain View, CA, and they play a lot of games. They also have a number of friends amongst the boardgaming elite, so they tend to know the latest information about releases from Essen, for example, or insider discussions with game designers. As a weekly podcast (the most prolific of all of my boardgame subscriptions), GG&G seems the most up-to-date. What I like the most, though, is the back and forth between Doug and Shelley when they talk about a particularly interesting game session. Plus, I won one of their contests, so that's pretty cool.

Boardgames to Go - Mark Johnson produces this "occasional and opinionated" podcast about pretty much whatever he wants to talk about. There's not a whole lot of structure here, just Mark chatting away for a bit. Often, he records the episode while driving, which is fine, once you get past the extra noise in the background. Still, his insights are interesting, and he tends to highlight older games, rather than submitting to the "cult of the new."

Television

GateWorld Podcast - GateWorld.net is the most complete and active Stargate fan site I know. Okay, it's the only Stargate fan site I know, but I've been reading the news updates from the site since the early 'aughts. When I saw that site runners Darren and David had a podcast on iTunes, I tried out a few episodes, and quickly became a subscriber. Each episode contains the latest news about the franchise (casting news about Stargate Universe is the current obsession), as well as a Main Discussion like "Atlantis Deconstructed" or "Are Replicators Alive?" These guys know their stuff, and they remind me of elements of the franchise that I've completely forgotten. Plus, I likes me a good dose of SGU hype.

Public Radio

Car Talk Podcast - Do I need to explain this one? Click and Clack? Car repair? The Puzzler? It's funny stuff.

Satire from The Ungar Report - Former Daily Show contributor Brian Ungar comments on the news of the day, as part of the Day to Day program. Pretty dry, but I got a good chuckle out of it every once in a while. This segment just released its last episode, but it may continue at Ungar's new website.

Sunday Puzzle Podcast - Will Shortz presides over a call-in word puzzle game. It's fun to play along at home, but some anagram puzzles just make my head spin.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me - The NPR News Quiz, with the best current events comedy this side of the Daily Show. If I'm able to answer most of the lightning round questions correctly, I know I've been paying attention during the week.

Michael Feldman's What'Ya Know - I'm still evaluating this one. Feldman's show also centers around a quiz, but it's a much slower-paced affair then Wait Wait. The show also involves a talk-show style guest, a musical act or two, and lots of banter with the live audience. At two hours, this can really drag on, especially when the jokes center around some sort of local politics or geographical quirks that go over the head of the average listener. Years ago, while scanning the radio stations in the car on a weekend, I'd be disappointed if I hit this show (as opposed to Wait Wait or Car Talk), and I'm not sure if my opinion has changed yet. Still, it has a few good laughs, and works well for a long car ride.

This American Life - This too is a new addition to the subscription list, and I'm actually a little bummed I didn't start listening before now. Ira Glass presides over a collection of interviews, stories, and humor on a specific theme. I have to give major props to the show that spawned John Hodgman (his segment on what Star Wars Episode I should have been is simply amazing).

Comedy

The Adam Carolla Podcast - Carolla interviews celebrities from the comfort of his den. I'd say more, but I haven't had a chance to listen to more than one episode. At the rate Carolla's recording and releasing episodes, I'm not sure I'll ever catch up.

The Ricky Gervais Podcast - Once upon a time, there was a series of free podcasts starring Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington that was absurdly, gut-wrenchingly hilarious. If memory serves, it was one of the most downloaded podcasts of all time. Unsurprisingly, they decided to start charging for the podcast. So now, if you subscribe to the free stream, you get 10-minute samples of the latest "audiobook" release. Still, those ten minutes are pretty freaking funny.

Music

Rockapella Podcast - Only one episode of this has been produced so far, and it was essentially lightweight garbage. The guys weren't in the same room, communicating over Skype or another teleconference system. The interviewer didn't introduce himself, and simply read questions off a piece of paper. It was all very forced and unprofessional. I hope they make some improvements if they decide to continue the series.

Thrillercast - I just happened to come across this on iTunes, and subscribed out of pure curiosity. Thrillercast was a series of interviews with major names in the recording industry, talking about Michael Jackson's Thriller album. It was interesting, but started to get a little tiresome, everybody talking about how innovative the release was. Still, every once in a while, there was an interesting nugget or anecdote to be found, and one of the later episodes with "Weird Al" Yankovic was worth sitting through the mediocre ones previously. The series is over, but you might still be able to track them down if you look in the right place.

So there you have it. My Podcast Playlist. On a good day, I know I have plenty of listening options. And if I run out, I know where I can find more... any suggestions?

I've really been enjoying yucata.de lately. I find it very easy to set up and jump into multiple games, and to keep track of what's going on. It's great for me during this particular drought of face-to-face gaming.

So, I've been playing a game of Atta Ants with three other players, one of whom uses the screen name "Atta." That made me a little nervous, because one would assume that "Atta" is someone who really likes Atta Ants. I wasn't sure how things were going to go, as we all acquired four ants, but couldn't find a clear path home to get any more. I was able to steer a few spiders toward the side of the board where I wasn't, effectively blocking several ants from getting home with their leaves. Finally, I found an opening, acquiring my fifth ant, and setting up an unblockable path home for the sixth. Victory was (and still is) in my grasp. Then it was Atta's turn.

He has yet to take it.

Now, this sort of thing happens all the time in play-by-web systems. Somebody gets busy, has to step away for a few days, etc. However, since yucata.de uses a ranking system based on your win/loss record, there are also a few people who try to game the system by not finishing games they think they're going to lose. I didn't really think that was what was going on in this case, but I clicked on Atta's profile just to see when he last logged in.

Atta's real name is Richard de Rijk. The designer of Atta Ants.

And I'm winning against him.

Hee.

--

Oh, hey, yucata.de recently added Arkadia to its list of games. I know some of you have enjoyed that one in the past. If you fancy a game, just invite amazingintern to the party. You know you want to.

Some time ago, I talked about some of the play-by-web options that are out there for playing board games. As getting out of the house to play has become more difficult, this option has become far more attractive. Imagine, then, my excitement at finding two more ways to scratch that gaming itch without needing to set aside a big chunk of time.

MaBiWeb was suggested to me by a friend after we had played a game of Amun Re at SpielByWeb. He suggested that I learn to play In The Shadow of the Emperor so I could join a game they were starting up. MBW is very similar to SBW, with a limited number of games (9). In addition to ItSotE, MBW features Richelieu (a great two-player game based on Web of Power), Hansa, and Samurai. The interfaces for the various games are very close to the board versions, and it's very clear what you need to do on each turn. My only complaint comes with In the Shadow of the Emperor, which runs very slowly for me. It takes a minute or to to make each move. Other than that, though, the system works very well.

Yucata.de is a new discovery of mine, based on a link from MaBiWeb. The basic site's in German, but a simple click switches everything over to English. There are more games here than at MBW, including Atta Ants, Masons, and Hey, That's My Fish. The interface has a different feel that what I'm used to, but so far the system works quickly, and you can't beat the game selection. There's even a ranking system and simple chat window on the home page. I'm looking forward to exploring this system further.

So... anybody want to play a game? I've started a game of Samurai for four players at MaBiWeb. You can use the link on the sidebar. Here's the info:

Title: The Zone of Fun
Password: funzone

Come on! Let's play!

If this is what a boardgame trailer is supposed to look like, I'm not sure they're a good idea.

The game is pretty cool, though.

I want to be the very best,
Like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause.

I thought I was done with the world of Pokemon. Yeah, we did it in college, but that was a crazy time, man. Sure, we traipsed down to the local mall to watch Pokemon: The First Movie on opening night, staring in disbelief at the incomprehensible short that preceded the feature, but that just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Trading cards? Of course! We accumulated decks and booster packs like fiends, but didn't everybody back then?

That was a long time ago.

The cards are now safely tucked away in the back of the game closet. I haven't even looked at them in years. The DVDs of the first two films sit on the shelf unwatched. I've been vaguely aware that the franchise has continued, sans Wizards of the Coast, but the details have certainly been beyond my sphere of interest.

Then somebody on Facebook sent me a Pokemon.

I don't even remember who, really. It seemed innocent enough. Sure, I'll accept that Bulbasaur. Hey, look, I can send a Squirtle to a bunch of my friends! Neat. How droll! Yes, at first glance, the "Send Pokemon" app is much like many other social networking programs on the site: the more stuff you send to your friends, the more you unlock for yourself. And that's exactly what happens. But then I noticed that you can actually train the Pokemon that you have. And challenge friends to duels. And go on a world-spanning adventure where you spend your hard-earned Poke-bucks on transportation and Poke-balls and battle items. And before you know it, I'm flitting about cyberspace, petting the Pokemon of strangers (the most efficient way to earn Poke-bucks), sending Pokemon to everyone I met, and building a small army of the little critters for my very own.

I needed to step back. I needed help. I needed... to just suck it up and purchase an actual Pokemon game. Enter Pokemon: Diamond Edition. I'm now happily exploring the Shinoh Region, trying to decide whether my Chimchar should evolve or not. This is my first adventure in the franchise, and so far I'm quite happy. There's a real Dragon Quest vibe to the whole thing, and the team-building options are simply staggering. Plus, I don't have to deal with the Facebook advertisements or annoy my friends in order to play.

Well, not completely. It does seem like some of the most interesting features involve multiplayer options: trading Pokemon, tunnel exploration, Pokemon dress-up games, etc. There are in-game characters who will trade with you, but I'm sure I could level-up my team more efficiently if I had a real-life buddy to trade with (anybody have Pokemon: Pearl Version? Huh?).

At any rate, while I thought I had moved on from Nintendo's ever-growing menagerie, a stupid little Facebook app has pulled me back in. I'm an addict once more, and I spend my days with the PokeRAP running through my head:

Articuno, Jinx, Niderino, Beedrill,
Haunter, Squirtle, Chancy, Pokemon...

[EDIT: Comment from Ben:

No.

Just -- no.
Don't let the pocket monsters eat away at your brain. We were young and stupid, man. It was just a fleeting -- thing. Some people have marijuana or X, others have huffing paint thinner, still others have the food in the Haven dining hall, we had Pokemon. There was a lot of stress in college, and we needed something to make us laugh uncontrollably rather than freak out about the stress, and so we watched. And watched. And got addicted. And some of us (not naming
names) actually went out and bought the freaking CARD GAME. And actually participated in card battles. And the whole time we were all laughing uncontrollably. It was nitrous oxide in the form of creepy animal-like creatures that can only say their own names and beat each other up for our enjoyment. But that's all it was. Laughing gas. Don't get back into it. Leave it behind, man. Leave it behind.

If you ever have a moment of weakness, just remember that we're all here for you and that you most certainly DON'T gotta catch 'em all.

Just... breathe.

BR]

Don't hit me! It's not like I'm playing carols already!

It's time once again to sign up for BoardGameGeek's Secret Santa program. Coordinated by the illustrious Mr. Vasel (not trying to suck up, boss, really!), the BGG Secret Santa is an international game gift exchange. You put your name in the giant digital hat, and somewhere around mid-November, you get your target's name. You research their BGG profile, learn about their tastes in games, and select something from their wishlist to send to them. There's lots of anonymous posting and cross-posting, puzzles and taunting situations abound, and everybody has a great time. Plus, you get a game in return. It's a great way to share the holiday spirit.

To join in the fun, click here.

So it's been a few months since we signed up with the U-Verse service, and I've had a little time to evaluate the features (as well as time for us to get over our TiVo abandonment issues). In general, I'm very pleased.

The Good

DVR - AT&T recently performed an upgrade to the system, called their Total Home DVR, that allows Stef to watch shows in her stamp room that were recorded on the DVR in the living room. That's pretty cool. Also added were several TiVo-like functions that I appreciate, like a folder menu structure and an automatic backup when you hit play while fast forwarding. It's still not absolutely perfect, but it certainly seems like they're trying to improve. The four shows at once ability has also come in handy on more than one occasion, especially on Thursdays at 8pm, when it records My Name is Earl, Survivor, Smallville, and Hole in the Wall simultaneously.

Online Functions - I can check voicemail online, as well as schedule and organize DVR recordings. I can also see who called me (a function also available through the set-top TV box), for when the battery in the Caller ID box dies (which it does often). When connected (see below), data transfer seems faster than our old DSL connection.

The Not-So-Good

Picture Freeze - We upgraded to HD shortly after getting the service, and most of the time the picture is quite lovely. Occasionally, though, the picture will glitch out for a moment. It's not a big deal, but it's a little distracting when you're in the middle of watching something.

Wi-Fi Connection - As I mentioned when we installed the service, the way the tech connected my two desktop office computers to the network was by using a couple of WiFi antennas to connect them wirelessly. This makes a certain amount of sense, as running two hard wires from the living room to the studio would have been a big hassle, and might have required all sorts of drilling and crawling around. Plus, when he left, both computers seemed to have a stable connection to the internet. The problem is that often that connection will drop out completely. The computer just gets no signal from the network. This often happens at the most inopportune times, like when I'm trying to transfer a large audio file to a client, or attempting to beat Lindberg's score in Who Has The Biggest Brain? on facebook. It makes me wonder if, since the internet connection is now via a USB antenna rather than a hard network connection, increased processor load will cut out the connection. Or maybe I just need to boost the Wi-Fi signal somehow. I've seen homemade solutions like tin-foil parabolas and antenna dishes made of wire colanders. Any other good methods for increasing Wi-Fi reception? I'm tempted to pick up a "wireless range extender," but I've read they're a huge mess to set up if you have any sort of access security enabled. Oh, and yes, I could set through the tech support queue at U-Verse, but I'm not sure how much they'll do for me. I actually had one tech tell me that because I was using XP, the connection may drop out from time to time. That doesn't quite make sense to me, but I really have no idea. Help?

So, as I said, I'm pretty happy, though there's one issue that I really need to fix. Not really sure if that's U-Verse's fault, though. For now, I'm still giving U-Verse a thumbs up.

Anybody want to buy a slightly used* TiVo?

It's been a good four years or more since we first fell in love with the TiVo. It's Rob and Katie's fault. They showed it to us upon our first visit to their apartment. We immediately (the following weekend, if I recall correctly) ran out to get our own. Everything about the device was revolutionary: the interface, the performance, the ease of use, and the ability to follow your favorite shows automatically when they changed dates or times without your knowledge. It was the rare device that did exactly what it claimed it would do. It changed the way we watched television.

But that was four years ago. A lifetime in technological terms.

A couple of weeks ago, a salesperson from AT&T stopped by, offering to upgrade us to their new U-Verse fiber optic system. This would transfer our existing phone and DSL service to a digital phone and wireless gateway-based system, as well as offer us a wealth of digital television options. Plus, they'd give us a free month of service, and a hundred bucks. "Um..." I said, "Let me think about it a sec."

I've been resisting the upgrade of our standard analog cable hookup for a long time. Our brief experience with a cable box in Fishkill did not go well. Often, planned VCR recordings would fail because the box was tuned to the wrong channel, or turned off entirely. The TiVo has the ability to interface with a cable box, but only through a IR-based system, one that isn't 100% error free. I wasn't excited about adding an extra technological layer to our system. Still, if we ever plan on upgrading to an HDTV setup, we'll need digital cable, and Comcast just keeps raising the price of analog while removing programming from the analog lineup (last I checked, $56 a month for "extended basic"). Switching to the AT&T bundle would save us about $40 a month.

Oh, and the new system comes with a DVR. I didn't really pay attention to the specs, because I intended to continue to use the TiVo though the cable box, but in the back of my mind I heard the words "...can record four programs at once." Hmmm... interesting, I thought. We don't really need a DVR, but I guess it will be worth wading through the clunky UI as a backup to our VCR setup. I told the sales guy okay, and we set up an install date.

We got the system this past Friday. It took longer to get up and running than anybody expected, so I didn't really have a chance to fiddle with things until Saturday. Still, the TV worked, our standard Friday night recordings were being picked up by the new DVR (since the TiVo was technically blind at that point) and both of my studio computers could access the internet (though not each other, more on that in a sec), so I was pretty happy to start with.

Then I tried setting up the TiVo. Hookup cable box output to TiVo input, check. Rerun TiVo setup, uh-huh. Zip Code stays the same... Do I have cable, or satellite? Um... neither? Okay, let's try cable. Wait for it to call home... nope, the only cable option is Comcast. Okay, back up, and choose satellite. Wait for it to call home again... DirecTV or Dish Network? No, I have U-Verse now, TiVo. Where is that?

The TiVo suggested that I go to the support forums online. The official FAQs didn't help a whole lot, but a Google search soon located some other forums that addressed what I needed. See? All we have to do is call TiVo, and they'll give us a zip code that DOES include the U-Verse info... but it's not 100% correct. Oh, I can request that they update their lineup on the TiVo website, but that takes 2-3 weeks. What's this? People can't seem to get the IR blaster to change the channels on the U-Verse box. What? Need to buy a third party IR cable? Huh? Don't point it at the IR port on the cable box, but about three inches to the left of it? And remove the front cover first? What? The best results were found by holding the IR emitter two inches above the box, over the left-hand corner, and rotating it 45 degrees? Oh, and the U-Verse box has a habit of falling asleep when it's idle, requiring user input to return to programming, so you often end up with a recording in the TiVo marked "Doctor Who" that's just an hour's worth of a screen saying "Press OK to continue?"

My head started to swim. This wasn't going to work. Even if I could get MacGuyver some sort of setup that worked most of the time, there would always be that doubt in the back of my mind that something wouldn't record because the two boxes wouldn't communicate properly. We're going to have to cancel the U-Verse. We certainly can't abandon the TiVo! Our TiVo.

Or could we? After all, the U-Verse included a DVR, one that, while different, wasn't all that bad. What was I trying to do? Get my four-year-old box to interface with the brand new unit so I could get it to do exactly what the new box was capable of doing on its own. And the new DVR can record four shows at once. No more priority lists. No more VCR backup. No more needing to watch anything live ever again. Plus, it has video on demand, picture in picture channel surfing, and the ability to browse menus while the video continues in the background.

It slowly dawned on us (it took me longer than Stef). This was okay. We'd gotten our money's worth out of our TiVo. It was time to move on. Then we checked eBay. 80-hour Series 2 units with lifetime subscriptions are still going for several hundred dollars. Well, that settles it.

So, nearly all of our season passes have been migrated over to the new DVR. The TiVo's still connected, as there are a few more shows in there that we'd like to watch, but it's not set up to record anything anytime soon. Actually, it thinks it's attached to a DirectTV system and that it's able to change channels and everything. I just couldn't bring myself to tell it the truth.

This isn't to say that everything is peaches and cream with the U-Verse system. My two studio computers, which used to be hard-wired to a Linksys router in the old DSL setup, are now connected to the wireless gateway in the other room via USB wireless antennas. I'm still fiddling with the antenna positions, and I do occasionally lose the connection. My shared folders, which used to be visible between the two computers, are now missing as well. From what I can gather, it's likely a firewall issue, but I haven't had the guts to dive into both the Norton and Windows firewall settings, armed with port numbers and IP address ranges, to make it all work. Not sure what I'm going to do on that front quite yet. Do I need to call the Nerd Herd?

On the whole, though, we're pretty happy with our upgrade. Plus, since we get the first month free, we have the super-deluxe package, with, like, eight HBOs. Yesterday, I watched some classic Doctor Who on Demand. No, I'm not talking Christopher Eccleston. This is Patrick Troughton, Doctor Number Two, from 1968. Odd.

Goodbyes are so hard. Later, TiVo!

*Okay, moderately used** TiVo.

**Fine. Ridiculously overused TiVo. But well loved.

Link: http://www.drhorrible.com/

Again, I think I'm behind the curve on this one, but this is just too awesome not to share:

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Whedon. Harris. Fillion.

Super-villains. Freeze Rays. Musical Theater.

And it's a love story.

Act I is up now. II and III on the way.

Once again, Penny Arcade has convinced me to purchase a video game. Last time, it was Puzzle Quest, which led to not only my purchase of the game, but a system to play it on. This time, caving in only cost me five bucks.

Here is the comic. The game is Song Summoner, an iTunes download for click-wheel iPods designed by SquareEnix. It's an FF Tactics-style turn-based RPG that uses the songs on your iPod to create your in-game army. Through some mysterious process, any song on your iPod can be transformed into a "Tune Trooper," with a specific job class, strengths and weaknesses. You can then train this warrior, power it up, and take it into battle. You also get credit for listening to the songs that spawned your creatures outside the game. I'm not sure what happens when you earn enough of these credits, but my in-game mentor says it will be good.

The comic in question makes fun of using wimpy songs to create your creatures, so I decided to put it to the test. My iPod contains songs for the whole family, so I had a wide range to choose from, and I've found that the so-called "manliness" of the music doesn't necessarily translate to stronger troopers. Both Sepheroth's Theme and Nightwish's "Ghost Love Score" produced only average fighters, a mage and a knight respectively. Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," however, created a very powerful warrior that I'm still using. I haven't yet built up the courage to try a Raffi song in this context, but I bet it will be awesome (and think how much credit I'd get for playing it!).

The game itself seems pretty tough, at least from a limited resource perspective. Each trooper can only be deployed a certain number of times, and only the use of a very expensive item can replenish that number. Dying in training or battle will also reduce deployment stats, so I'm faced with a dilemma regarding how much I invest in a particular trooper who I may not be able to use later in the game. I can always make more, I suppose, but it's a bummer if I get attached to my favorite "Captain Turbo." and I simply can't use him anymore.

Still, it's an interesting diversion, and the price point makes it an instant recommendation. Just don't wander too far from a power source. The iPod isn't nearly as efficient at running the screen at full brightness as the DS is. That dwindling battery icon will become nearly as important as your magical defense stat when you go into battle.