Tech On The Fly

New Podcast: Shutdown

2005-12-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! For a long time now, I've felt restricted by doing a solely Technology-based podcast. And now, I am proud to announce that Lee & Myself will soon be starting up a podcast based on our thoughts and whatever we care to talk about. I have some big plans and hopefully it will be a huge success.

Let me know whether or not you like the logo Lee worked on, and currently he's working on getting the site up. It won't be extravagant or anything, just a simple place to get our episodes, and get the essentials of the show. Kinda like this page right here....
On that note, I've been thinking for some time now about getting a new site, but every time I explore my options, I find myself unable to create an easy-to-use interface like that of Bloggers. So, what I might be doing instead is improving the quality of this site, both in looks and functionality. Please comment on this post if you have any suggestions for the site.

Thanks!

Update on French Laws

2005-12-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

Here's an article I found on Digg Today. You might have heard me talking about the laws under consideration in France right now, that would end up banning all open-source software, podsafe music, and anything without DRM or fees. Click the link below to read the Article!

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/09/business/openside.php

TOTF Episode 015

2005-12-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

Episode 15, released, right on time for the last-minute holiday shoppers. Find out what to buy the geek in the family in this episode, and find out what happens when you click on the FREE IPOD advertisements on websites. Heres the shownotes and links as usual...

Promos In This Episode:

This episode of Tech on the Fly is available by subscription from our RSS feeds & subscription services (eg. iTunes), but the option is always available to directly download this episode alone, using the direct download link below.

Download This Episode

TOTF Episode 014

2005-12-09T15:15:00.000-05:00

I've finally started to work in-depth with my post-production skills, and I believe that reflects even more-so in episode 14, now ready for release. In this episode, I talk about the following...

Promos Featured in this Episode:

As always, our podcast is available in the RSS feeds, and you can subscribe in your favourite podcatcher, using the XML chicklet at the bottom right of this page. No Software, feel free to download this episode directly through our direct link.

Download This Episode

TOTF Promo

2005-12-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Finally! Tech on the Fly has an official promo 30sec clip. I used some new production techniques in this, and you might see some of them applied when I start to work on episode 15. Anyways, below is the link to the Promo, so have some fun, and if you have a podcast, don't forget to play it one or fifty times. (^_^)

http://libsyn.com/media/totf/totfpromo.mp3

How Many Podcasts Left?

2005-12-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

A s my birthday inches closer & closer, I got myself thinking? How many episodes do I have left on the Teen Podcasters Network? And if we figure that I have 4 years left until I turn twenty (on December 25), then that amounts to 208 episodes, if it remains as a weekly release (of course).
Gosh, growing up makes me depressed :(, more and more crap to do all the time. And that seems like such a small number when you see these other podcasts like "The Dawn & Drew Show", having just passed their 200th episode, when only starting last year. But you must then look at the fact that they release an episode daily.
At one point, I was considering possibly having the podcast as a mid-week release & a weekend release, however thats when everything is normal, and leaves no time for busy weeks, so I decided to stay put with the weekly release.
Anyways, I hope you're looking forward to Saturday's Episode 14, and please don't forget to complete my Listener Survey, as it really helps me out!

TOTF Episode 013

2005-12-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

New Episode Time!
Episode 13 has been recorded and released for tomorrow, but post-production finished early so I'm getting it out late today. Heres the shownotes, and as usual, the direct download link, and feed information.

As usual, the direct download link is below, and you can access the feed via iTunes, or by using the XML chicklet at the bottom right of each page.

Download This Episode

FIDO Problems

2005-12-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

Fido...
I'm not sure if they're in the states, or just in Canada. But they're one of the top mobile-phone providers in London Ontario (Canada). I'd like to share with you a bit of grief I've been experiencing with them.
My current mobile phone is the VTech A-700, which unfortunately has a firmware glitch on it. It has compatibility to connect to a 1600mhz network, however it also thinks that it can connect to 800mhz networks (i guess it's just dillusional). Anyways, back to the issue, FIDO recently switched networks and merged with Rogers Wireless (another mobile phone provider). This switch changed the network from a 1600mhz network to a 800mhz/1600mhz mixed network. Now, because my cheap little phone thinks it can connect to 800mhz networks, it tries as hard as it can to connect to the 800mhz signal, and no matter how hard I try, it completely ignores the 1600mhz signal.
Now, FIDO of course realized this, and issued an offer to replace these phones free of charge. It just so happens that we've been renovating for the past while, and my phone got packed in a box and I haven't used it or received any messages on it for a while. This offer was a limited offer, so when I discovered a few days ago that I could get a new phone for free, I gave them a call, and what do you think they told me? Apparently they can't give me one because I waited too long! So, in the mean-time, I've sent a snail-mail letter to FIDO headquarters and hopefully I'll end up getting a new headset.
At this point, you may be wondering what the picture of the Virgin Mobile phone is at the top of the article, so let me now explain this. If by chance everything doesn't work out with FIDO, this is the phone that I plan on purchasing, and the service carrier is of course Virgin Mobile. A couple of my friends have phones on this service, and it seems to work seamlessly for them. And that is precisely what I want to get, another thing is, they specialize on prepaid airtime, cause I hate to sign a contract, and I really can't since i'm 15. So i'll be interested in seeing what happens, but you might see a moblog if FIDO doesn't respond to me...

It's Election Time

2005-11-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

Canada's Elections Begin!

Today at around 6:30, a non-confidence vote took place, and the Liberal party of Canada was defeated. Although the choice is mainly ceremonial, the Prime Minister usually then approaches Canada's Governor General to ask an election be called. I know this has little relevance to the rest of the world (i.e. The United States), but I must say that I rather enjoy election time.

As expected, the campaign begins tomorrow, and the Conservatives are expected to win a minority government over the NDP & Liberal party. News covering this topic can easily be found all over the internet (http://news.google.ca/).

Within the last couple of years, during a switch of Prime Ministers due to retirement, the Sponsorship Scandal has been unearthed. This scandal accuses the Liberal Government of placing pro-canadian advertising money into their own party instead of at Quebec events & locations. The recent Gomery Report has looked into this issue, and has come up with the Liberal party at fault. Although an election was held a year and half prior, the results of this report were not yet released, however during this winter-time election, it is expected that the Liberal Party will be ousted once and for all!

Stay tuned for more details...

TOTF Episode 012

2005-11-26T18:49:00.000-05:00

To go along with my streak of weekly episodes, comes out episode 12. Within the past week I've been researching various production methods, and I believe that episode 12 reflects some of the techniques I've learned in the past while. Here's my shownotes, and don't forget to subscribe using the RSS feeds, an on iTunes.

Featured single from "Pushstart Wagon"
Podsafe Music Network
iPod Nano big hit this christmas
xBox 360 release, Best Buy cheats customers
GoogleVideos on your webpage
What SONY has done for the Music Industry through rootkits
SDP Streaming Video downloader
Online Donations the future of media distribution
DRM Nonsense on online purchased music

Thanks for subscribing, I really hope you enjoy this episode. As always, it can be obtained through the array of chicklets at the bottom right of each of my pages, as well as through the XML feed, and our iTunes Podcast Directory Listing. And as always, feel free to download this episode directly using the link below.

Download This Episode

TOTF Hotline

2005-11-25T23:36:00.000-05:00

Hello All!
As you may have noticed, the side bar now features and promotes the new Tech on the Fly hotline. This line enables listeners to phone in any topics questions or input as an alternative to e-mail, and providing me with the option of playing their recording on the show.
I'd like to talk a little about the service that allows this type of communication to podcasters. K7 is a service that allows any internet user to sign up for a free mailbox phone number. They even allow you to choose your phone number, and provide tools for creating vanity numbers, which I of course used for our hotline. As soon as you sign-up, a phone number is activated for you, along with your pin number (which allows you to change settings). This service boasts a very easy to use interface, with most configuration taking place on the phone itself. They've integrated the phone service as a digital tool very well. As soon as someone calls and leaves a message, you receive an e-mail with an attached wav file of their message. Pretty slick eh?
I'll be recording episode 12 of Tech on the Fly tomorrow, so stay tuned and listen when I get it posted. Right now I'm looking at giving the podcast a new look, but I need opinions, do you like it the way it is? Or do you want to see a more modern feel to the podcast?

Thanks Again!

TOTF Episode 011b

2005-11-21T19:13:00.000-05:00

Surprise!
I've found myself some free time, and released episode number 11b, a special Mid-week edition of Tech on the Fly, and quite arguably one of the best episodes to date, following the minimum 40 minute guideline set down by myself, I've created another content packed episode that has been added to the feeds, iTunes, and available for direct audio download. Topics covered in this special edition of Tech on the Fly...

Robbie Trencheny of the TPN has been featured on KFI Tech Guy
The TPN has been featured on DigitalLife.tv as an example of a Podcast Network
sony rootkit explanation and information
RIAA gets behind sony's actions
The pod-safe music community, and RIAA's flaws
pod-safe artist Steadman's featured single on our show
pod-safe songs featured on all future episodes of tech on the fly.
christmas shopping list for your tech geek friend (about.com)
It's an out-dated list but it still gives you the basic idea (which i expand on)
the new iTunes phone, and the supposed new one coming out...
digital camera buying tips for the holidays, which is easiest, which has the highest quality?
advantages of the apple cinema displays

Thanks again for making Tech on the Fly so successful, and I hope you listen to all of our future episodes, along with contributing your ideas and comments via the "E-Mail Me" page to your right. Access of the feeds and other feed-based services including the iTunes podcast directory, can be found at the bottom-right of each of the pages on this site, or you can directly download this episode by clicking the link below.

Download This Episode

Changes

2005-11-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Listeners;
As you may or may not know, there have been recent changes and disputes between two podcast networks of which I either belong to, or have belonged to. After much consideration and extrapolation, I have decided it be best at this point to have a dual membership with RED and the Teen Podcasters Network.
Although my site will mostly promote my membership with TPN, I plan to remain a member of RED, and according to a plan being laid out this Wednesday, there is the possibility of a partnership between the two networks, and possible dissolving of RED to act as the managing body of TPN. None of these proposals have been voted on, as of yet. But I will most definately keep you posted as soon as I get new updates. Please expect changes to the feeds and blog within the next few days promoting membership with the "Teen Podcasters Network"

Yours in Podcasting,
Alex Killby
Host; Tech on the Fly
alex@alexkillby.com

TOTF Episode 011

2005-11-20T01:01:00.000-05:00

Episode number 11!
I've rolled out another episode, so hopefully we can make this a weekly thing. iTunes is a big help in forcing me to maintain the XML by hand, which helps overall by keeping it more organized, to date this is the longest episode I've recorded, please let me know if I ramble on so just leave some comments! In this episode I cover...

As always, the feed (http://ca.geocities.com/alex-killby@rogers.com/mainfeed.xml) has been updated with the new episode, and it is also available by the link posted below.

Download This Episode

TOTF Meets iTunes

2005-11-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

Finally!
After much work at revamping the podcast, Tech on the Fly has made it onto the iTunes podcast directory after only a two-day wait. Our updated chicklet now links directly into the iTunes Music Store to our podcast page. I'm currently working on adding all of the previous archived episodes into the iTunes and the regular feed, so stay tuned.

The iTunes entry for Tech on the Fly can either be accessed by visiting the store and searching for us, by clicking on the iTunes chicklet at the bottom right of this page, or by using this link.

TOTF Episode 010

2005-11-14T18:27:00.000-05:00

Finally!
Another episode of Tech On The Fly has finally been produced and published. After a long time, and thoughts ranging to "Is it dead?" I've finally found the time to dedicate to producing TOTF. And now, I present the dramatic release of Episode 10!

I talk about Apple releases in the past while
Learn more about ipodLinx - http://www.ipodlinux.org/
See you next time!

I haven't really set up a permanent feed system, so heres a link and I'll update you later on the status of any feed I have set up.

Download This Episode

I'm Back... :)

2005-11-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Again;
Long time, no see! I haven't made a post since late August, and I'm ready to get working again. It took me a while to settle into the increased workload of Grade Eleven, but now I'm confident I can dedicate enough time to Podcasting again. Apparently while I was gone, alot happened. I have now become part of the RED PROJECT. A new podcasting network formed by a few people from the Teen Podcasters Network, and I am now announcing my resignation from the TPN Network.

We've gone...

TOTF Episode 009 Released

2005-08-29T19:03:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, I've recorded and released episode 9 of Tech On The Fly, and I've purchased a new headset so hopefully the audio quality is a bit better than before. Heres the shownotes, this turned out to be a half-hour show, which is substantially longer than normal.

As always, my shows are available on the Podcast page to the right, on the feeds, or through direct download from this post. Just click the link below to download this episode right now.

Download This Episode

TOTF Episode 008 Released

2005-08-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Folks;
I've released episode number 8, available for download at the usual locations, here's my shownotes!

You can download it from our podcast listings page available for access at the right side-bar, through our feeds, or a direct download through the link below.

Download This Episode

TOTF Episode 007 Released

2005-08-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Hey There,
I've released episode 7, which I might add is much better produced than all of the previous episodes, so definately listen to this episode if no other. Heres the shownotes

Hope you like this episode, as always it's both available in all our feeds, or directly from our podcast page or the link below.

Download This Episode

TOTF Episode 6 Released

2005-08-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, now that Mark Blasco has created a new themesong for Tech On The Fly, I've decided to release another episode. The list below outlines and links to what I talk about in today's show.

Hope you like this episode, don't forget to comment on it by leaving a comment under this post, and I will be sure to read it. As always the feed is updated with this latest episode, or you can download it direct from our podcast page, or right below.

Download This Episode

TOTF ThemeMusic

2005-08-19T22:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks;
I'm back, and I know I promised to write some articles/reviews while I was away but I just got lazy and I was too busy. But there is some good news: for a while I've been talking with Mark Blasco about doing a themesong for Tech On The Fly. He has contacted me with a completed version for inclusion in the next episode of TOTF. You can download it using the link below, and hopefully I'll be able to release a new episode tomorrow, but I'm not sure how busy i'll be.

Download ThemeMusic

Alex...

I'm Away!

2005-08-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,
Starting today, I'm away for a week, I'll still be writing articles and reviews, but I won't post them all until I get back. So just keep waiting for that day when 7-10 articles are posted all at once.

Alex...

Game Review: MGS II

2005-08-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today I'll be reviewing Metal Gear Solid II for the Playstation 2. I originally bought this game used from Blockbuster, having heard of the Original Metal Gear Solid. I had heard good things about it, so I decided to purchase it. Now, I don't want to spoil too much of the game, so if you hate that, and you haven't played the game, then don't read this article.
When I began to play the game originally, I thought that the graphics were extremely well-done, except for the feel of very computer-controlled cameras. When you weren't in 1st-person view mode, the camera was in a fixed position, and you were free to run around, and go somewhere the camera can't see you. I don't particularly like camera set-ups like this, but I think they made the most of what they had to work with. The only feature I think they should have added, would be the ability to lock your view into the 1st-person mode. If you wanted to use this mode, I think you had to be fixed, and you had to hold down a trigger button in order to stay in this view mode.
The story to the game itself seemed typical when I originally began playing the game, but to my surpirse would change dramatically over the course of the game. It seemed as though every time you completed your major goal (or what you thought), a new one 1000x more important that that one would come up. This game didn't let you rest for a second, the action was constant! There are one or two overly-tedious parts of the game that require no fighting at all, and I found myself replaying the same part in the game over and over until I achieved that small victory against poor design. Although somtimes the camera change locations were incredibly wrong, it didn't degrade from my overeall game experience too much. There is one thing I must tell you however, the game is best played beated without pause, or at least the last 4-5 hours of gameplay without pause, and be prepared for that incredibly long cinematic at the end of the game, it just makes it that much better. If you were to play the game in a straight line, the game would start to freak you out at the end, or at least thats what I felt. Everything I had done to that point in the game had felt useless. I'm sorry Konami, but thats not a very rewarding ending. I rate this game extremely highly, and from my review you may think I would give this game a 7/10, but the fact of the matter is, I'm only pointing out the very few bad parts of the game, and other than that it was the best Playstation 2 Game I've ever played. 10/10

Download: Google Earth

2005-08-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

When Google first acquired Keyhole, the global satellite imagery program, I didn't suspect that Google would actually re-write it and change the basic appearance and functionality of it. But if you never used Keyhole, or now Google Earth, this article will make you start to beg for the download address of the program. One might ask, what is the purspose of this program? Of course, Google tells you that it is the ultimate guide to every city on the planet or something. Google has added functionality to search for just about anything you want to find in any city. For example, lets see what happens when you type in Chinese Food Toronto, Ontario.

As you can see, Google has no problem recognizing regular english, and giving you useful results. It's not so much these cool features that interest me... It's just so much fun, you can go anywhere in the world, like a 5 minute vacation, you can see all the wonders of the world from above, and you can get a neat perspective. Most of all, you learn more about World Geography, i've seen some very interesting things. And chances are, if you live in a fairly populated city, that you'll be able to see your house & yard from space. If we go to Toronto, and go to the harbour, you can see the Skydome, the CN Tower, and you can even see cars driving down the street.
The program offers a visually pleasing interface, featuring animated travel. If you were focused on the CN Tower, then typed in another destination like London, England. The animation would zoom out to the size of the continent, while at the same time travelling across the Atlantic Ocean, then slowly zoom in and stop in London, England. Although a free membership is required, it is the least price you can pay to get free unlimited access to such a service. The pictures are below are some samples of other types of shots you can get on Google Earth. The first on is the Great Pyramid in Cairo Egypt, and the second one is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Just In-Case you're wondering by now "Where do I get this amaizng application", I'll give you the link to Google's Earth Download Page. What, did you think I'd be so cruel as to not give it to you? http://kh.google.com/download/earth/index.html

Episode 5 Released

2005-08-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

I've just finished Episode Five of Tech On The Fly, and it is available as usual, in all the feeds, the podcast page and on the bottom of this post. Finally, I left all my tabs open so I have the right links for the show-notes. In Today's Show...

As usual, please use the link below to download the mp3 file of this episode, if you'd rather listen to it online, please use one of the chicklets at the bottom of the home or archive page.

Download This Episode

Yahoo's Konfabulator

2005-08-11T00:58:00.000-05:00

(If You're Wondering About The Temperature, It's Metric)

When I first heard about Yahoo's Konfabulator, I had my doubts. I Thought, "Why would anyone ever want such a pointless program?" But after installing it today, my opinion has been completely reversed, what a useful program! I love the usefullness of some of the widgets, and I just find the entire program very user-friendly. I have chosen a couple widgets to use on my desktop permanently. I've chosen to use the weather widget, the picture frame widget, and the to-do list widget. I'm sure there a lot more widgets that I would enjoy using, but I don't like to have my desktop too cluttered, so I try to keep the amount of widgets down to a minimum.
Even though most may think differently, it is a very good program for people that like to keep their desktop clutter-free. Not only are the widgets visually appealing, but they take visually to your desktop with transparency options in each widget. One thing I like, but I'm sure other people are getting tired of, is the rubbery look to all the widgets, with my desktop theme, a feature like that fits in perfectly. Although Konfabulator doesn't have the shiny transition effect's of Apple integrated alternative, it sure beats not having anything at all on the PC.
Konfabulator is a very small download that runs an environment for small javascript powered "widgets" to be shown on your desktop. These "widgets" can be developed by just about anyone that has any knowledge writing Javascript, and therefore there are a huge selection of widgets you can choose from. More likely than not, your favourite website has all their latest articles updated every so often on their Widget.
I'm going to be starting a widget project of my own, I will attempt to create a "Teen Podcast Network Widget" which will have the option of showing latest posts, or latest podcasts. And hopefully it won't take too long to figure out the scripting formatting for Konfabulator Widgets.

To sum everything up, this is an excellent program, that no windows computer-user should be without, find out more information and get the download link at the Konfabulator Website.

Episode 4 Released

2005-08-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

Episode 4 has been released, with a long discussion on Apple's future in the Operating System market, and some other fun tech topics. This episode is around 20 minutes longer, quite longer than the rest of the episodes. I eventually hope to have the episode length up to 30 minutes on a regular basis. Boy, mp3's take forever to export lol. In Today's Episode...

Tell me what you think about this episode. Just leave a comment in this post, and I'll be sure to read it. You can download this episode through our feeds at Feedburner or Odeo. Or you can download the episode directly from this post, or the podcasts page.

Download This Episode

Presenting TOTF Webstore

2005-08-10T01:04:00.000-05:00

The Tech On The Fly webstore has been released, and you can now purchase Tech on the Fly Merchandise. Featured above is "Techie The Bear" which sells for 17.99. I've put a lot of clothing up there sporting our logo, and some other fun things, like beer steins, magnets, mugs etc. Check it out by using the link to the right, or by visiting the address below. And remember, all profit from the sales goes towards making our site and podcast that much better. Right now i'm looking to get a better microphone, and Paypal donations along with store sales could make a better podcast happen.

http://www.cafepress.com/techonthefly

Episode 3 Released

2005-08-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

I've just released Episode 3, which I think is much better (Might I add), than the previous 2 episodes. I've included some more media into the program this time. You can download it off feedburner, odeo, or the bottom of this post. Contained in this episode...

Discovery lands This Morning.
Preteen Cellphones
Calling The Cops on VoIP
Home-Brewed XBox 360 Game
Diggnation Removed From iTunes Podcast Directory

Hope you enjoy this episode, and please leave your comments in the comments section of this post. I'll include links for the bulleted items above in a while, unlike last show I actually saved the article URL's for the shownotes. Enjoy!

Download This Episode

Genuine Advantage Scrapped

2005-08-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Microsoft has sent it's developers back to the drawing-board with the Windows Genuine Advantage Program, after discovering that hackers have bypassed the software check with a simple javascript command. However, what interests me, is that Microsoft claimed that the program was never intended to do what most believe it to be made for.

"However, he added that WIG was not designed to catch counterfeiters or
prevent hacks anyway." Article

What exactly was the program intended to do then? Microsoft claims that they use it to protect the interests of their partners.

I personally don't understand any of these attempts by software giants to prevent users from doing anything using a simple software blocker. There will always be a way around everything, there is no true protection against circumventing things like this. Even with hard-ware security devices, such as Apple's recent Security-Chip attempting to prevent the end-user from installing Mac OSX on Personal Computers is futile, someone will figure out a way around it. You'd think that by now, software Giants like Microsoft & Apple would realize that it is a waste of their money to try and prevent something they don't want people doing.

Touchdown!

2005-08-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

Early this morning, the Shuttle Discovery touched down in California about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, after a smoothe but questionable mission. NASA officials chose to land Discovery in California after persistant bad weather over Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to the article, NASA prefers to land shuttles in Florida, apparantly it costs them $5,000,000 to process and ship the shuttle back to Florida on NASA's modified Boeing 747 Jet.
After reading news reports on this Shuttle Mission, my feelings about NASA, and their Shuttle program has worsened. If NASA Engineers re-built a custom external fuel tank specifically designed to correct the problem Columbia had, then why do these large chunks of foam still fall off from the tank. And then you hear all of this news about extra space-walks to repair pieces of the under-side of the shuttle. That gives me the feeling that most of the time they were up there, all they were doing is repairing the shuttle. And now, news that NASA has put the shuttle program on hold until the problem can be fixed. Will it be another two years before the shuttle is launched again? I certainly see that as a possibility. The shuttle program is already over twenty years old, isn't it about time that NASA developed a new vehicle for travelling into Space?
NASA & The States' Plan to return to the Moon, and continue on to Mars seems a little further in the future in the past week. With the problems the shuttle program is experiencing, hopefully NASA will realize that not much more can be done for the Shuttle program, and if it wants to save money and continue on with their plan for further exploration in the Solar System, they should begin developing the new space vehicle now.

Online Advertisement To Skyrocket?

2005-08-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

In this online article published by CNet News, it predicts that online advertising, and sales resulting from that advertising is likely to skyrocket by 2010. The problem with this is, that when I am browsing a website, my brain finds all of the ads and automatically ignores them. And according to a study, most online users that are experienced on the web do the same thing. So I don't really understand what this prediction is based off. Will developers have new ways to distribute advertisements to it's users? Will there not always be software to circumvent these advertisements? I mean really, do you ever click on ads on a site because you are genuinally interested in what they have to offer?
The only reason I would ever click on an ad, if it were a Google Ad and it were a site that I wanted to support. I understand that Online Advertising is a big part of why most of the content on the internet is freely available to the public. But there are better ways to do it, than to just throw a huge advertisement picture in the middle of your webpage, and have it's topic completely off of what the page it is on is talking about. Google's Adsense has taken a great step towards improving the way advertisements are delivered online. Although some people consider Google's solution a privacy-invasion, I think it is a rather ingenious system that helps people reduce the amount of irrelevant information they have to throw on their websites. I use it myself, and I find it much better than the numerous other affiliate programs out there.
Just recently, Howard Stern has sued Google's Adwords, claiming that Google uses a flawed budgeting system for collecting fees from advertisers. The article opens some interesting discussions and feelings on Google's aims for user privacy etc.
Even with all of the recent speculation on Google's World Domination, I still find them a very respectable company with the best online toolset for information management online. And I like the step Google is taking in terms of making online advertising more user-friendly.

Episode 2 Released

2005-08-08T14:01:00.000-05:00

Episode 2 of Tech on the Fly has been released. Lee from the Leer podcast has joined me via Skype on this episode to discuss technology issues for this week.

Time Warner Brings TV To computers - Using RealPlayer?
Podcast From Space - NASA.
iTunes Music Store Released in Japan.
White House Blurred Out? Airforce Base Not?
New Cellphone Chips - Phones only 20$?
Apple's Security Chip
A new way around Microsoft's Genuine Advantage Restrictions

I apologize for this episode, I was lazy and didn't read too much into the stories I was talking about (^_^). But I think we got some good discussion in on these topics, and I'm looking forward to another episode coming out at an undetermined date. I just found out that it can't be next monday (I'll be gone). So maybe on Friday or something I'll do episode 3.

Download It Here

Google Takes A "Hissy Fit"

2005-08-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

In an article from Google News itself (which i find quite ironic), it reports that Google got angry with CNet over an article they published regarding end-user privacy using any Google service. Google apparently has cut CNet News off from any press information for 11 months. In June 2006, CNet news will have it's first press release from Google.
The big arguement is over, was the article an invasion of privacy against the CEO of Googe? In my opinion; no. The best part about it is, that all of this information was found researching topics on Google. This reaction from Google seems kind-of out of place to me, and kind of hints at the fact that Google might be hiding something, or actually collecting everyone's personal information. I personally don't have a problem with them knowing what type of food I like to eat. But reading my e-mail (I don't use GMail by the way ^_^) does seem like an invasion of privacy, and if I'm not mistaken, breaking the law. I'm not so much opposed to them knowing what I'm searching if we take it down and just focus on that. But what baffles me the most is; when Google is writing all of these internet applications, why do they take the extra time to write code to store everyone's personal information?
Will Google take over the internet? The world? lol (Read the article)

First Episode Released

2005-08-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

I've released the pilot podcast episode for Tech On The Fly. You can access it for now on Odeo, by clicking on the link "TOTF Podcast" on the right side of this page. I've covered only the blog entries to date, and i've discussed their advantages/disadvantages more so than on the Blog entry.

Minority Programmers
iTunes RSS Feeds
Open-Source Victory
Podcast Information/Planning

Please let me know what you think about the pilot, by commenting on this blog post. Hopefully for the next episode i'll get some guests that can help me discuss these topics, rather than just hearing my opinion on them.
Hope you enjoy the pilot!

Download It Here

Big Win For Open Source

2005-08-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

I was reading another article on Digg talking about A university attempting to ship 300,000 computers to all the students over the next year. And to save money on it, all of the computers are being shipped with Linspire, a verison of Linux. What a victory for open-source! If all the students at this school are using Linux, that means anyone studying computer science, will intimately know the workings of Linux. This school-system has done a big favour for the open-source community. But lets take a look at the other side. What about students that aren't going into computer science, but computers are an integral part of their career? What will happen when they get into the work-force? Will they be required to use a Windows machine, or a Mac machine by the company that they work for?

I think mostly about the students in the graphic design field. The primary operating system in this field is the MAC. Do you think that there is any correlation between Linux and Mac? It's built on Unix, and it's not Windows, thats about all they have in common! We'll have to see how this plays out, but my feelings on this are; that it will be good for some, but overall it will teach students an operating system, that mostly isn't used in the business world.

iTunes RSS Feeds

2005-08-06T00:51:00.000-05:00

With the recent release of iTunes 4.9 featuring Podcasting directory and capability on iPods, brought the release of Apple's "new" xml format? I've heard everyone complaining about the way iTunes manages it's podcasts and how they decipher xml feeds. Suffer no more, while browsing through MSN search, I came up with a program called "Feed For All". This program overcomes the boundaries of Apple's new format. This programs works for creating any type of feed, including iTunes. One thing I found nice, was the fact that it lets you easily add a graphic to your podcast. I have never used XML before, so I could be a little behind. But for someone that is just starting out with XML, this is a great application to get the job done quickly, and keep the feed updated easily. Although this program does cost a bit, this is definately a program that I would purchase. Visit http://www.feedforall.com/ for more info!
This should be a great help to the Podcasting community!

Minority Programmers

2005-08-05T23:48:00.000-05:00

I was digging through digg (no pun intended) when I came across a story labelled "Minority Programmers", so I read the story, and it turns out that software companies prefer underrepresented minorities. I had thought I had read something like this before, when I remembered that Microsoft has a High-School Internship program I was researching. However in order to qualify you should be an unrepresented minority in the country.

"Recruiting efforts for this program is geared towards outreach to schools and
organizations that serve underrepresented minorities (African American, American
Indian, Hispanic), young women, individuals with disabilities, and students from
economically disadvantaged families." Microsoft

And I think to myself, wow... Isn't that being a little discriminatory. Sure, 80% of people in the computer software industry are white, but programs designed to promote Computer Science as a career are being limited to Minorities? I find this outrageous.

Just the other day, I was watching an on-demand webcast off bill gates' webpage, and I heard him talking about that in the future we dont' have enough students interested in Computer Science as a career, and that they were desperate, and would hire basically anyone out of university/college with basic qualifications. So why is he butchering programs like a High-School Internship program. Won't that make people less interested in the career?

First Post...

2005-08-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

Hello There,
Welcome to Tech On The Fly! A tech podcast "under-construction" for now, but hoping to get up there on the iTunes charts in the future. The basis of the show will be discussing (each week) fascinating tech updates, and have a thorough discussion on the topic. Hopefully we'll be able to get regular guests, and some special guests from the podcasting community that want to share their ideas on some of today's tech issues. Please don't hesitate, if you have any suggestions, or would like to be on the show for the pilot episode. Please contact me via e-mail. alex@alexkillby.com

Looking forward to doing the show!

Thankyou!

2005-07-31T23:01:00.001-05:00

Thankyou for purchasing an item from the Tech On The Fly webstore. Your purchase will help our podcast grow and develop. All transactions are managed through Cafepress, and you should take up an inquiries with them.

Thankyou!
Alex Killby
alex@alexkillby.com

Thankyou!

2005-07-31T23:01:00.000-05:00

Thankyou for donating to Tech On The Fly. Your one-time donation will go towards purchasing equipment for the show, and domain and other web costs. If I get my hands on any special promotions, discounts, offers etc. on the Internet, i'll be sure to forward them to you! Upon donation, you will receive one (1) GMail Invitation. Also, if you filled out the "Ask A Question on the Show" field, I will try answer your question on the next episode.

Thanks Again,
Alex Killby
alex@alexkillby.com

Podcasts For Download

2005-07-31T23:00:00.003-05:00

All downloadable Podcasts from Tech On The Fly are available for download on this page. Click on a podcast to open up a download dialogue for the mp3 file for the episode.

WikiContributions

2005-07-31T23:00:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to promote Tech on the Fly, whilst making a valuable contribution to the WikiPedia organization, I've started to make audio recordings of their articles, which are featured as a (listen to this article) option in the top-right corner of the article. Listed below are the articles which these recordings have been done for. (Newest At Top)

If you have any suggestions as to articles I should narrate, please comment on this post.

Contact Me

2005-07-31T23:00:00.001-05:00

Hey There;
Thanks for your interest in Contacting me, please send all your questions concerns and suggestions through the submission box below.

Thankyou!

2005-07-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Listener;
Thankyou graciously for contacting me, and please be assured that I have received and will read your message. If a response is required, you will most definately receive a response usually within 24 hours.
Any suggestions for the Podcast (Tech on the Fly) will not be discarded and will be seriously considered, and, if used, will be credited to yourself.

Again,
Thankyou for contacting me, your input is valued.

Alex Killby
Tech On The Fly Host
A Part of the Red Project
alex@alexkillby.com