J A M B U Z Z !!!!

The US Navy blogs. Larry Kudlow of CNBC blogs. I’d say “everybody and their brother” except (1) it’s a cliche and (2) it may be grammatically inaccurate. Dan Rather is only too aware that everybody blogs.

But just as blogging and the blogosphere have become widely accepted, blammo–along comes podcasting.

Just what is podcasting? Literally, it’s broadcasts meant to be played as MP3 files on an iPod or other MP3 player.

Visit the podcasters discussion group on Yahoo! Groups and a dizzying variety of terms confuse: FeedBurner, Skype, GarageBand, iPodder, and the like. Since I’m not yet a podder myself it’s not my intent to weigh the relative merits of the technologies or to discuss how they work together. I’m just here to offer some thoughts on blogging vs. podcasting.

Actually, podcasting seems to have grown out of blogging, and quite often, podders are bloggers who include podcasts in their blogs. The queen of this is Amy Gahran of Contentious.com, who talked about content long before anyone knew what Web content was or (gasp) that it was different than print writing: http://blog.contentious.com/. Amy has a terrific podcast on why more women should be podcasting, and it’s part of her Amy’s Adventures Audio Show.

Amy has an excellent definition of podcasting:

“In a nutshell, podcasting is simply online audio content that’s delivered via webfeed. (Background: What’s a webfeed?) Think of it as radio on demand. However, it gives you far more options in terms of content and program style than radio. While the field of radio has generally settled into few established types of programs, podcasting reflects more of the variety that is available on CDs.

“Plus, podcasting is like TiVo for radio. That is, you can download whatever programming you want and listen to it whenever and wherever you want. You also generally have full access to the audio archives for the programs you like. This removes time, use, and content restraints.”

Plus, as Amy proves, podcasting and blogging can work hand in hand as means of delivering content. There are significant differences between the two as well as similarities. Let’s look at a few.

Unlike blogging, which only involves discussions of RSS, feeds, syndication, and various blog platforms such as Blogger.com, podcasting marries technology, broadcasting and blogging. The technology may be easy to use, but it takes more time than to simply run a Web site or use Blogger.

Also, while bloggers may run into copyright issues, podders may want to use a particular piece of music only to have RIAA and the lawyers come after them. There are also home distractions in a podder’s life that some podders decide to make part of the program, such as children walking in and out. While many of us wouldn’t dream of posting our kids on the Internet because of all the cyberdangers, some podders have done so, sparking some much-needed discussion about privacy issues and what to include in podcasts.

Like everything else, not all podcasts are created equal. That’s why podder leader Julian Doncaster offers the Yahoo! Groups podcast-review discussion group: http://www.herecomespod.org.uk/review/. Even people who have never created a podcast before can critique what podcasters are doing. The technical aspect is just a small part. What is important is whether the content is relevant to listener’s lives. In this way it’s similar to reviewing blogs. For example, I would find no relevance or value in a blog about hating a particular political party (and there are plenty) or religion (also sadly a plethora out there), or for example one about throwing javelins in the Olympics.

A recent review question on the podcast-review group about a podcast exercise show asked questions of relevance to people who do aerobics or a regular workout. This makes perfect sense, like Amazon.com reviews or Epinions.com or Bizrate.com. It’s consumer review and also peer review for podcasts. In our media-driven age, review of everything is vital.

Blogs also get peer reviewed by the Weblog Review (www.weblogreview.com), the Weblog Awards (http://2004weblogawards.com/), and other Netizen sites who police the blogosphere. Peer reviews. Bloggers and podders have a responsibility to review and stand by their products. It’s a pity the traditional mediaopoly of CNN and Ted Turner and the publishing conglomerates don’t have that same accountability. In many respects we’re back to the vernacular printing press and Gutenberg days when moveable type upset the elite publishing monopoly that was held by the only educated populations–namely, priests, monks, nuns and anyone affiliated with the Church. Suddenly, Bibles and Chaucer were printed not in Latin but in Irish/Gaelic and the native tongues of European countries. The leader of that movement was Dante, who wrote his Divine Comedy in Italian, not Latin. Similarly, podders broadcast not in the elite commercial-driven network-paradigm but in the voice of talk radio. Although there have been discussions on turning podcasting into a business. It was bound to happen–after all, bloggers employ Google AdSense to support their addiction to the written word. But podcasting started out as a way to challenge the traditional media.

Not that there aren’t some mistakes in podcasts or blogs. One podcast about the 2004 Oscars mistakenly mentioned Michael Moore was snubbed in the Best Documentary category. Moore in actuality wasn’t snubbed. He submitted “Fahrenheit 9/11″ for Best Picture, and obviously Academy voters thought Hilary Swank learning to box was more convincing than Moore’s flick. But on the whole, you haven’t heard of any podcasting or blogging hoaxes–though a
s Theodore Sturgeon would agree, 90 percent of everything is of dubious quality. This includes blogs and podcasts, though thankfully I’ve only listened to the good 10 percent of podcasts and ignored most of the blogs, not out of any particular bias but out of a time crunch.

The marvelous thing about podcasts and blogs is that you can access them at any point. In our information overload age, you feel as though you have choice again, control over your time. You may not be able to get away from the media bombardment, but podcasts and blogs allow a civilized selectiveness over who you want to listen to. That’s their greatest similarity and greatest gift.

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Playing guitar as a hobby or professionally can be very fulfilling. It is a great outlet for one’s creativity and passion, and is the perfect expression of one’s self. Whether you are a beginner guitar player or not, you could use the following tips and instructions to improve your guitar playing.

1) Good posture is Truly Underrated

While you can play guitar in almost any position, good position is integral to getting the most out of your guitar. Without good posture you could put yourself in greater risk for straining muscles – not to mention that wrong posture is truly awkward and uncomfortable to the player. You could even acquire or exacerbate back pain playing in the wrong position.

In a sitting position, sit up straight and cradle the guitar with your legs. Armless chairs are better for this sort of playing. If you are a classical player you might want to purchase a foot rest to elevate your left leg (if you are right-handed).

While standing, make sure you have good footing, with feet properly spaced. Keep the guitar high on your chest. If you have a guitar strap then you could avoid getting fatigued while playing your guitar.

2) Hold Your Pick the Right Way

If you are a pick player, one common mistake you can avoid is to hold your pick the right way. The proper way to hold a pick is to grip is firmly but not too tightly.

If you hold your pick to firmly, you could get your arm tired real easily. If you hold it too loose you could easily lose your pick during a very vigorous strumming session. The best place to hold your pick is somewhere in its middle.

Choosing the right pick is also another important choice you will have to make. If you are a beginner, you may want to use soft picks for strumming. They are also easier on the arms and do not need to be gripped too tightly. However, most flabby picks do not perform well when used to pluck individual strings, bass strings, or when flat picking.

3) Practice your arpeggios

After giving strumming a thorough work out, try working on arpeggios as they could seriously improve you playing style and will open you up to new guitar skills. Some players start with arpeggios before jumping into serious lead playing or complicated playing.

It also gives your playing much more variety than would be available if you stuck to simpler chord playing. And as mentioned, arpeggios are the gateway to higher level playing skills.

4) D Chord Secrets Revealed

The D-sus chord is a beautiful flourish when used to lead back to the D-chord. It is easily done by adding your pinkie finger to the chord at the third fret. Practice how this chord is used and you will find that it easily integrates into most contemporary songs.

You could also use this with other chords. You may refer to most chord charts to find out how these chords are done.

Conclusion

In the end practice is still the best way to get better at guitar playing. However, you can avoid wasting your time during practice by learning to practice smarter instead of just more. The tips mentioned above will help you get started on this road.

To learn how to play guitar using the easiest to follow method, please visit http://www.Guitar-Playing-Tips.info/

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Video podcasting is a fantastic way to stay in touch with family members around the corner or around the world.

A podcast is an audio or video file distributed by RSS software that can be downloaded on the Internet. But rather than normal audio or video files, which can only be downloaded when the user decides, once a podcast has been created, subscribers automatically receive new episodes.

This is because of RSS software. RSS – which stands for Really Simple Syndication – is a technology that feeds a description of web content with a link to the original content, When content is updated, the RSS feeds a headline and description to subscribers automatically.

When combined with a podcast, it allows subscribers to see when a new episode of the podcast has been created, and it will automatically be downloaded to subscribers.

Podcast technology provides families with the opportunity to keep in touch through multimedia means, adding a dimension email and photos cannot provide. Video podcasting allows family members to feel as if they were there, even if they live across the country.

Video recordings of birthdays, holidays, celebrations, and family excursions are perfect for a video podcast. And rather than family recordings being kept for family get-togethers or anniversaries, podcasting allows families to share their moments almost as they happen.

Are you looking to add a video component to family communications? Podcasting is a perfect option because it is fun, easy to create, inexpensive, and secure.

Podcasts can be password protected so only your family and friends are able to see the videos. You can be assured your memories and precious moments are shared with only those you choose and provide the password to.

Creating a video podcast is quite simple. Once you have a video recording of footage you would like to podcast, export the file as a .mov or .mpeg4, and place the file in new a folder. You will then need to create an RSS file to publish the file.

In the RSS document you will put vital information like subject matter, keywords, website, contact info and other information about the podcast.

When this RSS file has been created, it is placed in the same folder as the audio file on the podcasting server. When you have posted a video file and published it using your RSS file, you have successfully created a podcast. All that is left is to upload it to the Internet.

Once you have uploaded the podcast folder to a server, you can attach a link of the podcast to your homepage, or simply email the link to your loved-ones. Because it is an RSS file, all they have to do is subscribe to the podcast, and they will receive updates automatically when other podcast episodes are created.

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Cool video by JoJo based on the music by Toto…. remember them? Well, she’s made it sound cool, sexy and very, very nice the only way JoJo could do.

Enjoy!

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I was there for the original Halloween movie made in 1978 by John Carpenter. Now, while that may date me a bit, I have to say the hype was very high then for this movie and with the exception of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacres”, another classic, Halloween was the horror movie to see. Set in the Midwest town of Haddonfield, Illinois (which doesn’t exist, btw), John Carpenter’s film scared the crap out of the multitudes of movie goers across the United States. Originally titled the Babysitter Murders, it starred such notables as Donald Pleasence as the troubled, often near-the-edge Dr. Sam Loomis, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and Nick Castle as Michael Myers.

Jump to the present and they’re doing it again. Instead of yet another sequel, Ron Zombie is remaking the original which is guaranteed to have better special effects, a much larger budget and lots more blood and screaming. I am hoping that it sticks to its low-budget predecessor in that much is implied and blood and guts are more or less not shown in direct and gory detail. What made the original so damned scary, could easily be translated into 2007 and with the new effects technology, make a film that scares us right out of our seats. Now, that would be great.

If you don’t know the plot, it’s pretty straight-forward. Evil Has A Destiny. Michael Myers is Evil (actually, a psycho kid at 10 years old) who is committed to a mental institution, where he grows into manhood. After 17 years, he’s let loose to wreck havoc on the world or, in this case, Midwest, Nowhere. He goes after teenagers, who of course are never believed, and with only one psychotic purpose — kill everyone and anyone who crosses his path in the most brutal and frightening way possible.

He’s looking for his sister, Laurie Strode who was played by Jamie Lee Curtis in 1978 and is played by Scout Taylor-Compton in the 2007 rendition.

Here’s a YouTube trailer of the current soon to be released 2007 version:

Halloween the movie has updated and added to the fright aspects of this cult classic, as the YouTube trailer shows, and it looks like it’s going to be quite a movie.

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