Technology and the Arts Podcast – Episode 52 (10.19.2012)

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brian

Technology and the Arts – Episode 52 features lightly edited audio from a live Google+ Hangouts On Air session conducted by hosts Brian Kelley and John LeMasney on Sept. 4, 2012. Highlights include John’s poor customer experience at TWO local Best Buys in search of a replacement for his lost FitBit, thoughts on the Apple-Samsung lawsuit, a conversation about a crazy Sony patent allowing TV viewers to skip commercials at the cost of their pride and dignity, and a lot more. File size: 14.1 MB. Time: 1 hr., 1 min., 23 sec. Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.

Show Notes for Technology and the Arts – Episode 52

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brian

Technology and the Arts – Episode 52 (10.19.2012) features lightly edited audio from a live Google+ Hangouts On Air session conducted by hosts Brian Kelley and John LeMasney on Sept. 4, 2012. Highlights include John’s poor customer experience at TWO local Best Buys in search of a replacement for his lost FitBit, thoughts on the Apple-Samsung lawsuit, a conversation about a crazy Sony patent allowing TV viewers to skip commercials at the cost of their pride and dignity, and a lot more. File size: 14.1 MB. Time: 1 hr., 1 min., 23 sec. Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.

Topics of Discussion:

John shared his poor customer experience at two local Best Buys while trying to replace his lost FitBit.
Brian countered with a similar experience at Walmart in trying to pick up an ION Tape Express mp3 converter, which he later determined was a terrible product.
Brian and John shared their thoughts on the Apple-Samsung lawsuit verdict.
Brian brought up a crazy Sony patent for a feature that allows TV viewers to skip a commercial by shouting out the name of the advertiser…or selling their souls, since that’s what it basically amounts to.
Brian talked about a ridiculous verdict and penalty in a Recording Industry Association of America music file sharing lawsuit against former college student Joel Tenenbaum. Brian also shared a Scientific American story on how the movie industry encourages piracy by not making enough popular titles available to view online or in DVD form.
That led to a discussion on how the Star Wars movies—among the titles not available to watch online by legal means—have been destroyed by their creator, George Lucas, over the years.
And Brian shared with John some must-watch episodes of modern (post 2005) Doctor Who.

Here is the complete, archived webcast…

Technology and the Arts 2.0 – Series 1, Ep. 2 (09.04.2012)

(T+A #50) Technology and the Arts-The Finale: 12/24/2008

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Brian

(T+A #50) Technology and the Arts-The Finale: 12/24/2008

In this hour-long, final installment of the Technology and the Arts podcast, hosts Brian Kelley and John LeMasney reminisce about their two years working on the program and share some final thoughts on technology and the arts, including breaking news regarding the recording industry lawsuits against MP3 file sharers. Also featured are outtakes, highlights and other special moments we recorded over the past two years…and more! Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney. File size: 28 MB. Time: 59 min., 55 sec.

Show Notes for Technology and the Arts Podcast #50 – The Finale

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Brian

Related Links:

FriendFeed.com/lemasney – John LeMasney’s FriendFeed profile.
lemasney.com – John LeMasney’s Web site.
FriendFeed.com/bktandem – Brian Kelley’s FriendFeed profile.
Tandem With the Random – Brian Kelley’s blog

***BREAKING NEWS***
After recording the conversation part of our podcast, news broke that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) would be altering its strategy of dealing with peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharers and torrent downloaders. Instead of filing lawsuits against unknowing single mothers and grandparents, the RIAA said it would work with Internet Service Providers to warn suspected downloaders about their activities. The ISPs would limit the users’ bandwidth or shut them off completely if illegal downloading continued. For more on the story, click on the following links:

RIAA to halt lawsuits, cozy up to ISPs instead (Yahoo! Tech)

The RIAA’s About-Face on Lawsuits (InternetNews.com)

John and Brian recorded this final Technology and the Arts podcast at the Crystal Diner in Lawrenceville, N.J.

After two years, the Technology and the Arts podcast comes to a close with this hour-long installment filled with memories, outtakes and other special moments from the series. It has been a good ride, but John and I felt it was time to “close the curtain” for a final time on this venture.

We still have more to say on the topics of technology and art, but we find ourselves with very limited time to do so in this format. Each of us will still have our FriendFeed profiles (see above) and we will continue to share information with the world that way.

Also, this blog will remain…and there is always the chance that we may post something — a blog or even a special podcast — at various points in the future. However, we decided that it was time to end the program before it suffers the fate of similar podcasts…one day, without explanation, it disappears.

We wanted to go out with something special and we feel this is worthy of a series finale.

Before we go, John and I would like to express our thanks to the guests we have had on the podcast since we first started doing this on December 13, 2006

Jonathan Feldschuh, artist – TechArts #1 (but never recorded)
Susan Kaprov, artist – TechArts #1
Patricia Lay, artist – TechArts #1
Sally Davidson, exhibit curator – TechArts #2
Alan Goldsmith, exhibit curator – TechArts #2
Barbara Osterman, artist – TechArts #2
Sharon Libes, artist – TechArts #2
Perry Cook, Princeton Laptop Orchestra – TechArts #3
Ge Wang, Princeton Laptop Orchestra – TechArts #3
Donald Ambrose, Rider University – TechArts #4
Sigfredo Hernandez, Rider University – TechArts #4
Tim Westergren, Pandora – TechArts #5 and #15
Gregg Taylor, Decoder Ring Theatre – TechArts #6
Christian Beach, singer-songwriter – TechArts #7
Eddie Kramer, rock ‘n’ roll producer/engineer – TechArts #8
Guests/Attendees at Trenton Computer Festival 2007 – TechArts #10
Janie Hermann & Evan Klimpl, Princeton Public Library Poetry Podcast – TechArts #11 & #12
Marsha Loftis, blogger/podcaster – TechArts #13
J.G. Birdsall, independent sci-fi filmmaker (“Venus Rises“) – TechArts #14
Whitney Hoffman, blogger/podcaster – TechArts #18
Veronica Yankowski, photographer – TechArts #19
John S. James, editor/publisher of “AIDS Treatment News” and computer programmer – TechArts Special: A Night with Pandora in Philly
Chris McGrew, videographer for Pandora and drummer for the band Griddle – TechArts Special: A Night with Pandora in Philly
Kevin Seal, host of the “Pandora Presents” podcast and Griddle vocalist/keyboardist – TechArts Special: A Night with Pandora in Philly
Barbara Mink, Light in Winter Festival, Ithaca, N.Y. – TechArts #25 & #26
Kip Rosser, thereminist – TechArts #34

And, finally, John and I would like to thank our listeners for the past two years. You made this all worthwhile.

And since it is that time of year, please have a safe and happy holiday season and wonderful new year!

Take care,
BK

(T+A #45) Technology and the Arts: 10/8/2008

Posted on October 8, 2008 by Brian

(T+A #45) Technology and the Arts: 10/8/2008

In this installment of the Technology and the Arts podcast, we share some interesting news, web sites and online resources we have come across recently, including enhancements to TiVo, the Tekzilla podcast, the Netflix set-top box developed by Roku, and a Picasa Web Album update. Plus, we’ll discuss an RIAA setback and some digital music royalty decisions involving Pandora and iTunes. In addition, we discuss John’s recently stolen car…and more! Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney. File size: 16 MB. Time: 34 min., 45 sec.

Show Notes for Technology and the Arts Podcast #45

Posted on October 8, 2008 by Brian

Note: Sorry for the delay in getting these Show Notes online…but better late than never…and Go Phillies!

Related Links:

FriendFeed.com/lemasney – John LeMasney’s FriendFeed profile.
lemasney.com – John LeMasney’s Web site.
FriendFeed.com/bktandem – Brian Kelley’s FriendFeed profile.
Tandem With the Random – Brian Kelley’s blog

Here are some things John talked about:

Educause – Educause 2008, a conference dedicated to the use of information technology in higher education, will take place in Orlando, Florida, Oct. 28-31, 2008.
Presidium – An IT help desk solution that John checked out during a recent business trip to Kentucky.
Bella Vista Beverage – John visited this South Philly beer and soda distributor to help celebrate its grand reopening on Sunday, Oct. 5…
…and then John had his car stolen while he was there. If anyone sees a 2005 silver Toyota Sienna minivan — possibly still with the New Jersey plates on it — in the South Philly area, please contact us at technology.arts@gmail.com.
T-Mobile G1 – John talked more about this Google Android-powered phone from T-Mobile.
Garmin Nuvi – John had a good experience with this GPS device while on his trip to Kentucky.
The Aleuminati – The “not-so secret” society of beer drinkers.
Budweiser American Ale – John recently reviewed this latest offering from Budweiser…and he doesn’t think it’s all that bad.
Avery Brewing – At the other end of the beer spectrum from Bud’s American Ale are Avery’s The Maharaja and Salvation.
TiVo – John discusses a recent update to this fantastic technology.
Tekzilla – A Revision3 podcast hosted by Patrick Norton and Veronica Belmont.
Netflix Player by Roku – John talks about this set-top box that streams Netflix movies directly to your television.
Picasa 3 – Google has updated its Picasa Web Album and John likes the new features.
Neat Company – Simple, efficient paper scanning solutions.

Here are some things Brian talked about:

Philadelphia Phillies – Brian is completely preoccupied by his favorite sports team’s playoff run to the National League Championship Series.
Christian Beach – Brian plugs some upcoming shows by his friend Christian…October 23 at Triumph Brew Pub in Princeton, N.J.; October 29 at Triumph in Philadelphia, Pa.; and December 5 at Fergie’s Pub in Philly.
RIAA suffers legal setback – A federal judge in Minnesota threw out a $222,000 verdict against single mother Jammie Thomas, who had convicted of illegally sharing songs on a peer-to-peer file sharing service. The judge ordered a new trial. (Source: Information Week)
Congress passes webcasting bill – Both houses of Congress passed legislation that will help webcasters like Pandora and Live365 reach a deal on reasonable royalty rates with SoundExchange, the organization charged with collecting royalties from digital music. Read more here and here. (Sources: Pandora, AP via Google)
Royalty rate unchanged for iTunes, other download services – After Apple threatened to shut down the iTunes Music Store if royalty rates were increased, the Copyright Royalty Board decided to keep mechanical royalty rates (for songwriters and publishers) at 9.1¢ per download. There was speculation that the rate could increase to around 15¢ per download. (Source: Ars Technica)

(T+A #44) Technology and the Arts: 9/24/2008

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Brian

(T+A #44) Technology and the Arts: 9/24/2008

In this installment of the Technology and the Arts podcast, we share some interesting news, web sites and online resources we have come across recently, including Tunecore, a service that helps independent musicians get their songs on iTunes and other online music stores; and a recent conference on digital music analysis held at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Plus, we discuss a new digital media licensing agreement and the G-1 from T-Mobile, the first phone to use Google’s Android mobile operating system…and more! Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney. File size: 8 MB. Time: 16 min., 52 sec.

Show Notes for Technology and the Arts Podcast #44

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Brian

Sorry for the delay in getting these show notes posted…been a hectic time for me. – BK

Related Links:

FriendFeed.com/lemasney – John LeMasney’s FriendFeed profile.
lemasney.com – John LeMasney’s Web site.
FriendFeed.com/bktandem – Brian Kelley’s FriendFeed profile.
Tandem With the Random – Brian Kelley’s blog

This was a solo podcast by Brian…here are some things he mentioned:

Hair Apparent – Main Man Records’ tribute to 80s hair bands is available for pre-order at www.mainmanrecords.com. The CD features a bluegrass version of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” recorded by Brian’s friend Christian Beach (Brian plays accordion on the track).
Tunecore – This service allows anyone to put songs for sale on music download stores like iTunes, Amazon, eMusic and more for a rather low price. Read about Tunecore at Ars Technica, and about Tunecore’s movie service for independent filmmakers. (Ars Technica)
The Digital Media Association (DiMA) has reached a licensing deal for certain models of digital music distribution with organizations representing songwriters and musicians. However, the deal does not affect the staggering royalty rates being faced by Internet radio services like Pandora and Live365. (Ars Technica)
A recent conference on music information retrieval held at Drexel University in Philadelphia — and featuring former Technology and the Arts guest Ge Wang and the Princeton Laptop Orchestra — looked at ways to harness the power of computers to analyze and manage the world of sound. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Google and T-Mobile have introduced the G-1, the first phone to run on Google’s open-source Android mobile platform. Here is a first impression. (Yahoo! Tech)

(T+A #42) Technology and the Arts: 8/27/2008

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Brian

(T+A #42) Technology and the Arts: 8/27/2008

In this installment of the Technology and the Arts podcast, we share some interesting news, web sites and online resources we have come across recently, including spreeder, ma.gnolia’s decision to go open source, and our own John LeMasney’s “prevail whale.” Plus, we discuss some interesting sights on Google Maps Street View and Google Earth and a possible last stand for Pandora and the webcasting industry…and more! Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney. File size: 17.5 MB. Time: 37 min., 09 sec.

Show Notes for Technology and the Arts Podcast #42

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Brian

"prevail-whale" by lemasney

Related Links:

FriendFeed.com/lemasney – John LeMasney’s FriendFeed profile.
lemasney.com – John LeMasney’s Web site.
FriendFeed.com/bktandem – Brian Kelley’s FriendFeed profile.
Tandem With the Random – Brian Kelley’s blog

Sorry about the delay in getting the full show notes up…here they are (8/28, 8 p.m. ET):

Here are some things John LeMasney mentioned:

Spreeder.com – A free online speed reading application.
FoodGawker.com – A site devoted to beautiful food imagery.
ma.gnolia.com – A social bookmarking site that announced plans to make the platform open source with the hope to become “the WordPress of social bookmarking.”
FaceYourManga.com – John refers to “Manga Me” in the podcast, but I believe this is the site he used to create his anime likeness…that’s the one I used after he talked about it. But if John wants to correct any of this, I’m sure he will.
“prevail-whale” – John took the infamous Twitter “fail-whale” and turned it into a symbol of success (see photo above)…and it got noticed around the Internet.
John’s Southern Tier Back Burner review – Here is his opinion on this barleywine style ale on one of his side projects, beercritic.wordpress.com.

Here are some things Brian Kelley mentioned

Grand Welte Cottage Orchestrion – Check out this musical playback device from the early 1900s that Brian saw in action at the Asa Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Classic “Doctor Who” on iTunes – Some episodes of the original “Doctor Who” series from the 1970s and 80s have made their way to iTunes — even for Americans — and some of these are not even available on DVD yet.
Happy Birthday, iMac! – August 15 marked the 10th anniversary of the release of the original Bondi blue iMac.
DIY Indie Bands in the Digital Age – Ars Technica reports on how indie bands are using resources available to them in the digital age to make it without help from record labels.
ScanMyPhotos.com – The New York Times’ David Pogue reviewed this service, which scans your old photographs and puts them onto DVDs, and had good things to say about it.
Some strange things can be found on Google Maps Street View, like a drunk guy passed out on a curb and a house burning down. Also, check out The Strangest Sights in Google Earth.
Pandora to pull the plug? – Pandora’s Tim Westergren recently told The Washington Post that the Internet radio service was on the verge of making a “pull-the-plug kind of decision” in the face of increasing royalty rates. Also, check out this story…and this one…and for more on the plight of webcasters, visit SaveNetRadio.org.