I feel I’ve been neglecting Luminary Blur for a while. Normally I’d blame it on procrastination or disinterest or really good TV shows (how about that Lost finale). This time, however, I’ve got some good reasons.
- Building a podcast network. Yes, a network. “Doesn’t a network require more than one podcast,” you ask. Indeed it does, and I’m proud to say that the Kwinix Podcast Network now features two regularly produced podcasts. The first is The Switchcast, which amazingly is up to four episodes with the fifth coming any day now. Mac vs. PC, OS X vs. Windows, iPhone vs. Windows Mobile. It’s always a lively debate and I anticipate more intense discussions as the launch of the 3G iPhone is almost here. The newest addition to the network is Dinner Voyeur, a fine dining podcast featuring Scot T. Kokandy. While the first episode was a solo effort, Scot is looking forward to bringing more collaborators into the mix to create some lively discussions around the finest restaurants in Chicago (and beyond). In fact, if you know of any establishment that begs for Scot’s podcast treatment, send him an e-mail. Finally, to create a more “unified” feel to the network, I’ve created an intro that identifies our shows as belonging to the Kwinix Podcast Network. I’ve embedded it below for your listening pleasure—don’t worry, it’s only eight seconds long.
Kwinix Podcast Network Intro
- Building a website. This is something I used to do a lot and wouldn’t mind doing it more often. I’ve become quite a Joomla expert (I’m currently building a new version of my mom’s Pella Community Day Care site) so when my old college roommate asked me if I was interested in deploying a site for Gonzales Regal Miniature Dachshunds, I jumped at the chance. The site is done for the most part and the first litter has arrived.
I guess that isn’t too much but these two projects have really taken up a lot of my time for the last few weeks. I hope to continue to develop both my podcasting prowess as well as my website development expertise. Thanks for journeying with me.
written by Ben
\\ tags: Dinner Voyeur, Kwinix Podcast Network, Podcasting, Tech, The Switchcast
Yes, I’ve finally decided to actually do an audio podcast as a compliment to my wildly successful video podcast, The Ben Show. It’s called The Switchcast and is essentially a podcast about Apple vs. Microsoft, OS X vs. Windows, iPhone vs. the rest of the phones, etc. I’m serving as the resident Apple evangelist and my cousin Tim Wachowiak is providing the alternative, Microsoft-oriented viewpoint. So far we’ve got one episode up although it’s so far off from what we intend the podcast to eventually become that I haven’t even assigned it a number—it’s just a “feed test.” I’ve included a link below that will allow you to play it inline if you so choose.
Switchcast Feed Test [128 kbps MP3, 11.45 MB, 12:24]
Tim and I had originally settled on a weekly Friday evening recording schedule but we’ve already missed our first Friday so I’m not sure what will happen at this point. Maybe tomorrow we’ll get around to recording Episode 001. The hardest part about a regular show—as I’m sure veteran podcasters can attest to—is finding enough stuff to talk about. I’m trying to come up with a set of “features” that we’ll have every episode. Borrowing from Leo Laporte, I’d like to have a “tip of the week” for both the Mac and Windows listeners. i’d also like to highlight something each of us has found useful in the past week, whether that’s a new app, a web service, or some sort of gadget. I’m entertaining ideas for other segments so if there are any suggestions out there please send them to switchcast@gmail.com.
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written by Ben
\\ tags: Podcasting, Tech, The Switchcast, Web
This popped up in my Rogue Amoeba “Under The Microscope” RSS feed and I think it provides some invaluable information for podcasters so I’ve decided to reblog it here. I’m a paid user of Audio Hijack Pro and absolutely recommend it.
Podcasting has come a long way since it was first mentioned on our blog in 2004. Instead of a separate podcasting app, we’ve worked to improve Audio Hijack Pro, making it the premier tool for recording podcasts. There are now hundreds of podcasts being recorded with help from Audio Hijack Pro and Skype.
Now, Doug Kaye and Paul Figgiani have posted a fantastic tutorial on recording Skype from Audio Hijack Pro.
This tutorial goes into great depth, providing step-by-step instructions for checking your net connection, configuring Skype and setting up Audio Hijack Pro. If you’ve been looking to get into podcasting, or just need to record Skype conversations for any reason, check out this tutorial then grab Audio Hijack Pro to get started.
[From How To: Record Skype Calls With Audio Hijack Pro]
written by Ben
\\ tags: Podcasting, Rogue Amoeba, Skype, Tech, Web
