Shooting the WISB Podcast lets me rant about Force Awakens

Just as they once did when Star Trek Into Darkness arrived in theaters many moons ago, Paul Weimer and Shaun Duke let me back on the Shooting the WISB podcast to share my mildly controversial opinions about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The healthy debate was joined by Rachael Acks, Julia Rios and Mike R. Underwood, all of whom had more cogent and squee-worthy takes on Episode VII than myself. (Well, except Shaun, whose hate has made him powerful.)

You can listen to the complete Force Awakens Shooting the WISB rant-cast here.

(Oh, and if you want to go back and hear everything wrong with STID, that's here.)

Related articles

• Everything Episode VII Got Right
• 10 Best Moments from the "Star Wars" London Premiere
• Who is Kylo Ren? Meet Star Wars' Villain Played by Adam Driver
• 21 great Star Wars: The Force Awakens moments which only superfans will truly appreciate
• Star Wars Fans Are Already Making Fantastic Fan-Art and Hilarious Photo Edits

TechTalk appearance: Ep 406 – Google Grease

SHOW SUMMARY – Coding adventures, using Google to get what you want, and lots and lots of Star Wars Episode 7 talk with Dave and Jay!  Special bonus feature – Kids Talk Tech is back this week with Olivia discussing best sites for free (and fun) math games to play online!

News Items

• Samsung ordered to pay Apple $548M
• WordPress embraces the dark side (Javascript that is)
• Swift is opensourced, and IBM lets you program in it on their servers

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

What was the content of the very first SMS sent?

Coolsites of the Week

• Code Combat – Role playing, programming, swords, Python, heroes, Javascript … Coffescript too? You’re welcome!
• Math Playground – Play cool math games with (or against) your teacher, friends, or even a penguin!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

“Nice Guys” by Niga Higa!

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from MikeRUnderwood, December 14, 2015 at 12:26PM

.@jaygarmon also said very smart things about how to treat Star Trek, around the same time as my 2013 post: https://t.co/qQsm0KLfWO

— Obi-Mike Ar Underwoo (@MikeRUnderwood) December 14, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/MikeRUnderwood

December 14, 2015 at 12:26PM

How to tell if you need a mobile app or a responsive website

You need a responsive website, period.

More people view web content on phones and tablets than on laptops and desktops. If your website looks bad on mobile, your website is broken for most people most of the time.

The question is whether you also need a mobile app in addition to a mobile-responsive website. The answer is no, you almost certainly don't.

You should only create a mobile app if you can't accomplish the same functionality on a responsive website. (And even then, you need a mobile website to sell and support the app.)

There are two hurdles that your application or service must jump before it is worthy of being a mobile app: hardware necessity, and frequency of need. Here's how it breaks down.

Mobile App Requirement #1: Hardware Necessity

Hardware necessity means at least one of the following is absolutely true for every user every time they use the app:

• The app requires the phone's camera
  Photo apps clearly fall into this category, as do some document-recognition apps that use the camera to facilitate OCR scanning
• The app requires the phone's GPS locator
  Map-based apps clearly fall into this category, though you'd be surprised how easy it is to type in an address these days, especially with browser autocomplete
• The app requires the phone's microphone
  Very few apps legitimately use sound or speech as a primary data source, but Skype and Shazam are on the list
• The app requires the phone's accelerometer
  Fitness apps and games are basically the only real entries here
• The app requires a Bluetooth/NFC connection to peripheral hardware
  Fitness apps that talk to fitness trackers make up the bulk of this category, though some toys allow you to use your phones as Bluetooth remotes, and some payment apps use NFC
• The app can and must function offline, without an internet connection
  Can your app actually deliver value (store enough data locally, not update it, and still work) without an internet connection? And will anyone ever really need to use it so badly they can't wait until they get off the airplane? A blood glucose journal for diabetics is an example of an app that qualifies here.

If at least one of those items above isn't universally and constantly true for your application, it doesn't need to be a mobile app. It should be a responsive website.

Mobile App Requirement #2: Frequency of Need

Frequency of need means that your users will access the app so frequently that it merits the improved experience of an app over a website. As Birdly found out, hardware necessity alone can't justify an app. Storage space on phones is precious and, if your app isn't in frequent use, it will get dumped. Screen space is at even more of a premium on mobile devices so, if your app isn't frequently used, it won't earn a spot on a main page of icons, and thus will likely be forgotten in the "other apps" list of bloatware and also-rans.

Frequency of need trumps hardware necessity when it comes to mobile apps. Messaging apps like Slack, or social apps like Twitter, work just fine as responsive websites. Their mobile apps succeed because users interact with them multiple times per day, if not multiple times per hour. Push notifications become relevant in that situation. Moreover, push notifications are perhaps the core value-add of mobile email apps; I know the moment a new message arrives. Otherwise, I can just check my mail at Gmail.com. The Gmail app earns its value because I so frequently need my latest messages that I want the app to tell as soon as they've arrived, so I don't have to check.

Even if you can show hardware necessity, without frequency of need, your app won't get used, won't make money, and won't justify the constant laborious and expensive upkeep of maintaining multiple versions of your app for multiple releases of multiple mobile operating systems. (This, incidentally, is why your marketing agency wants to sell you an app; they want the recurring revenue of updating it every time Apple releases a new version of iOS, or Google updates Android.)

If what you're selling is an app, and the typical user won't use the app at least weekly, your app will fail. Don't build it. End of story.

Everyone should have a mobile-responsive website. Almost no one should have a mobile app. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool, a liar, or both.

Twisdom from cjwerleman, December 07, 2015 at 05:02PM

You see how one terrorist shooting can radicalize Americans like Trump, but you can't see how 10,000+ US bombs might radicalize Muslims?

— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) December 7, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/cjwerleman

December 07, 2015 at 05:02PM

Twisdom from sacca, November 18, 2015 at 12:25PM

You send me an email asking if you could send a pitch email? Grab my attention with no action? You're not a closer. http://pic.twitter.com/afbX7ZS7N4

— Chris Sacca (@sacca) November 18, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/sacca

November 18, 2015 at 12:25PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 404 – Pedro Domingos’ “The Master Algorithm”

SHOW SUMMARY – Pedro Domingos joins us for a fascinating discussion on machine learning and his new book “The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World.”  Tune in to hear us rap about self-programming computers, David Hume, reverse engineering the human brain, and more as we dig deep into what’s been called “the Bible of data-ism”!

 

News Items

• Microsoft OneDrive eliminates unlimited storage
• WRLR’s iOS/iPhone app is live and ready for download! Install today and listen to WRLR anytime, anywhere!
• Android and Apple Trojan apps
• PHP hacks

Alternatives to OneDrive

• DropBox – Use this link and we BOTH get an extra 500MB free!
• Google Drive – Tons of free storage, if you use their document formats
• Flickr – Pics only, but a full Terabyte offered for free, right out of the gate.

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

What software did you need to listen to the very first radio simulcast?

Coolsites of the Week

• The Master Algorithm – Available anywhere books are sold, and easy to find on Amazon.
• PedroDomingos.org – Find out more about Pedro and his other efforts.
• Machine Learning Classes on Coursera – You can really dive in and learn more here, directly from Dr. Domingos himself!
• PHP Code De-obfuscator – For all those times when you really, really need to know what that malicious code in your PHP headers means
• Stitcher – If you haven’t heard of this most excellent podcast finder and listening app for your phone yet, you’ve been missing out!  ::psst:: you can even get TechTalk on there

Podcast Only Song of the Week

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 403 – It’s A TechTalk Halloween (Again)!

SHOW SUMMARY – It’s Halloween!

News Items

• Apple does well this year – as in best. Year. EVAH!!!
• Still no WRLR Apple app, but only because Apple store (coming soon!)
• Getting the debate, getting weird

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

What was the first “survival horror” game for PC?

Coolsites of the Week

• Sex offender search mobile
• Halloween drink maker
• Digital Dudz!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

“Hell” by the Squirrel Nut Zippers!

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from jaygarmon, November 04, 2015 at 09:01AM

10 years ago, @scalzi used me as an example of what NOT to do with your writing career https://t.co/9o6vLFDTVH

— Jay Garmon (@jaygarmon) November 4, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/jaygarmon

November 04, 2015 at 09:01AM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 401 – XFINITY Sports and Apps with Preston Smalley

SHOW SUMMARY – Preston Smalley takes a break from Comcast X1 app development to share what they are doing today, and how you can keep watching the Cubs (or Bears, or BlackHawks) WITHOUT risking your marriage!

News Items

• Holllly Cooowwwwww! Go Cubs!
• Back to the Future week is here!
• Twitter laying off folks

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

When did FORTRAN stop requiring all capital letters in it’s command structure?

Coolsites of the Week

• XFinity.com – Start here to find out what you’ve been missing!
• StudioXFinity.com – Get location and service information from the Chicago flagship, make an appointment, sign up for a demo, and more!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

My Roots by Sanchez

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 400 – Verizon’s Paul Ulreich

SHOW SUMMARY – Paul Ulreich from Verizon comes back on-air to discuss home automation, the new data plans, and more! IFTTT your lights? You got it!  Everything you never thought you could use your phone for, and then some

News Items

• Google drive is DOWN! (but find out why neither Mike nor Dave care)
• Have you backed up your data yet?
• Security chat

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

What Int’l treaty keeps our Mars rovers from exploring the newly discovered water areas?

Coolsite of the Week

• EBCD (Linux version, on USB) – You don’t realize how much you need this until you have it!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

New Dorp, New York by SBTRKT

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from MykeCole, October 07, 2015 at 07:19PM

That thing you're waiting for someone else to do for you? They can't. Do it yourself.

— Myke Cole (@MykeCole) October 7, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/MykeCole

October 07, 2015 at 07:19PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 398 – Mike’s Got That Schadenfreude Funk

SHOW SUMMARY

News Items

•  VW intentional software code avoids EPA regulations
• Canadian Minister of Education loses student data – 3.5M records
• More WRLR app talk – giving Mike another reason to hate Apple …
• But Apple’s XCode issues gives Mike a major case of the Schadenfreude

Jay “Geek Trivia” Garmon Trivia Answer

Who are the only 4 authors have won both Hugo and Nebula awards in the same year?

 

Podcast Only Song of the Week

Midnight to Monaco – Suicide

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 397 – How to be a Jerk with Emoji

SHOW SUMMARY

News Items

• Emoji can be used for communicating good, evil, happiness, pain – or for streamlining the process of being a complete jerk. Guess which usage I’m best at?  
• Mark Zuckerberg, live (not) and in studio (also not)!  Discusses the need for a “not like” button …
• Dave and I want to start a support group for people that have actually changed their opinion on social media, because of facts and reason. We’re expecting the participants to be rather lonely …

Cool Sites of the Week

• IMGflip – Easy-to-use meme maker, so you can attach fake statistics and other falsehoods to pictures and share them on social media too!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

You and Me by Disclosure (Flume Remix)!

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from evilrooster, September 16, 2015 at 09:43AM

The dystopia is already here -- it's just not evenly distributed. Yet.

— Abi Sutherland (@evilrooster) September 16, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/evilrooster

September 16, 2015 at 09:43AM

Twisdom from pj_thompson, September 18, 2015 at 01:58PM

"Plot is what gives your characters something to do while they banter." —Elizabeth Bear, Twitter, July 29, 2010

— PanMela (@pj_thompson) September 18, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/pj_thompson

September 18, 2015 at 01:58PM

Twisdom from PeteSpande, September 10, 2015 at 02:59PM

The Onion's rules for content marketing. http://pic.twitter.com/bkcxOIDgXu

— Pete Spande (@PeteSpande) September 10, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/PeteSpande

September 10, 2015 at 02:59PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 396 – Wherein Stan Asks: “What Else You Got?”

SHOW SUMMARY

GEO awards high leads to tons of nostalgia and great memories about the origin of WRLR and TechTalk. Stack and Di.

News Items

• Fake women! (… on the Ashley Madison site, that is)
• Sad Puppies lose, Hugo Awards FTW!
• Lots of nostalgia and good vibes from the recent GEO’s!

Geek Trivia Answer

What were the only 3 websites linked to from the new Google Alphabet website? (Hint: One of them can only be found by looking at the source code)

Cool Sites of the Week

• ABC.XYZ – Google’s new Alphabet website
• WRLR.FM – The TechTalk show’s home station – if you haven’t been there in a while, check it out!

Podcast Only Song of the Week

Chet Faker’s take on “No Diggity!”

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 395 – Mike Miller and Learning to Love Win10!

SHOW SUMMARY

Returning guest Mike Miller joins us to break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of Windows 10.  Mike also tells us that if you’ve been waiting, it’s OK to upgrade now, but listen to the caveats he mentions first!

News Items

• Ashley Madison hack news and update
• Mike tries to say “problems with Spotify privacy policies” 5 times fast …
• Samsung flip phones are back!  (but only in China)

Cool Sites of the Week

• Check out MillerWriter.com for everything Mike Miller!  Links to his most recent books here:
  • Easy Computer Basics – Windows 10 Edition
  • My Google Chromebook
  • My Samsung Galaxy 6 for Seniors

Podcast Only Song of the Week

Brutal Hearts by Bedouin SoundClash

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from jayewells, August 20, 2015 at 01:11PM

"A stereotype is nothing more than a shitty first draft. That’s what a stereotype is, just a story we have that we’ve been handed down .."

— Jaye Wells (@jayewells) August 20, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/jayewells

August 20, 2015 at 01:11PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 394 – Innovation and Technology in Education with JD Pirtle

SHOW SUMMARY

Special guest JD Pirtle from the Catherine Cook School in Chicago talks robotics, 3-D printing, robotics, using Raspberry Pi and playing with Minecraft – introducing innovative technologies in education from Pre-K on up!  Mike tries REALLY hard not to get too wonky, and JD keeps us on topic with great insights into how technology is enhancing and improving education for all the kids at Catherine Cook – even their youngest students.

News Items

• Android Stagefright exploit
• Cyberflashing, sexting, and a recap of Brett Favre’s penis related propaganda
• Windows 10 and P2P updates

Geek Trivia Answer from Jay Garmon

What two components on the original IBM home PC were actually logo’d with IBM?

Cool Sites of the Week

Follow-up on the things we discussed with our guest, JD Pirtle here:

• Catherine Cook Schools
• IDEA-TE Conference

And from the earlier segment of our show:

• Stagefright Detector – If you’re wondering if YOU’VE got stage fright (the malware, not the condition), wonder no more! Free download, highly rated.

Podcast Only Song of the Week

London Grammar’s “Wasting My Young Years”

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 393 – The Politics of Cord Cutting

SHOW SUMMARY

News Items:

• How to get your politics on when you’re a cord cutter (and a little bit on the GOP debates)
• Friend of the show Greg gets us interested in Google Fi
• Cheap laptops and Chromebooks
• Ubuntu vs. Windows 10 and how I learned to love my Vaio all over again

Geek Trivia Answer from Jay Garmon:

What components were IBM branded on the first IBM personal computer?

Cool Sites of the Week:

• Project Fi – Looking for a better way to get cell and data? Go Google!
• Linux Mint – My favorite “flavor” of the Linux Ubuntu, open source OS.

Podcast Only Song of the Week:

London Grammar’s “Wasting My Young Years”

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 392 – CanaDavia Returns!

SHOW SUMMARY

That’s right, Dave “Sparky” Saganaki is IN DA HOUSE! He makes a special trip down from the beautiful Canadian hinterland to get on air with us and discuss these tasty topics:

News Items:

• CCTV vs Drones
• It was tough to watch the Donald – and not just because of who he is
• Ashley Madison hacked, Torontonians are the main ones worried
• Microsoft 10 is stealing your data

Geek Trivia Answer from Jay Garmon:

What comic strip was Donkey Kong actually based on?

Cool Sites of the Week:

• goo.gl – Looking for an easy way to shorten URL’s, and keep track of how many times they’re clicked? Google’s got you covered again!
• Komodo Edit – My new favorite, free webdesign utility! Works on Linux too, so ditch that pricey Dreamweaver already and check out Komodo

Podcast Only Song of the Week:

Breathe and Stop by Q-Tip!

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from MattFnWallace, August 03, 2015 at 07:21PM

Yo dawg I heard you like yo dawg I heard jokes so I put a yo dawg I heard joke in your yo dawg I heard joke OUR SOCIETY MUST BE UNMADE.

— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) August 3, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/MattFnWallace

August 03, 2015 at 07:21PM

Twisdom from fyeahmfabello, July 24, 2015 at 02:31PM

From now on, whenever I get asked, "You're a feminist, so do you hate men?" I'm going to ask, "You're not a feminist. So do you hate women?"

— Melissa A. Fabello (@fyeahmfabello) July 24, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/fyeahmfabello

July 24, 2015 at 02:31PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 390 – Does Craigslist Sell Nostalgia? -aka- Suffering with Sharepoint

SHOW SUMMARY

The show so good, we named it twice!

News Items:

• Craigslist recollections and updates, as EBay drops out.
• Sharepoint woes with Mike and Jay.
• Major android apps open to man-in-the-middle attacks!
• Government hack impact expanded.
• Lastpass, 1Password, and Keychain secure password services also hacked.

Geek Trivia with Jay Garmon:

What was the breakdown of Math vs. Verbal on the original SAT?

Cool Sites of the Week:

• Kijiji – The Canadian alternative to Craigslist … it’s a real Canucklist!
• Talking Dice! – Free dice roller available for android phones, with multiple types of die available to choose and uses text-to-speech technology to read the rolls and totals out to you. Great app, I love it! Psst – I am also the developer, so yes, I’m shamelessly plugging this, get over it

Podcast Only Song of the Week:

Every Other Freckle by Alt-J!

LISTEN HERE

TechTalk appearance: Ep 389 – Anuj Saroch of ChoeTech!

SHOW SUMMARY

News Items:

• Ookla the Mok at Aw, Yeah Comix!
• RIP Christopher Lee
• Net Neutrality is in force, starting this week

ChoeTech Links:

• Stadium Qi wireless charger
• 6 port Rapid USB charger
• ChoeTech homepage

Geek Trivia with Jay Garmon:

What was the actual communications device installed on the red hotline, between the coldwar era US and Soviet Union?

Podcast Only Song of the Week:

Doctor Octopus by Ookla The Mok!

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from emokidsloveme, June 18, 2015 at 01:47PM

If only Racism was listed in the DSM.

— emokidsloveme (@emokidsloveme) June 18, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/emokidsloveme

June 18, 2015 at 01:47PM

Twisdom from ManuelMcLure, June 04, 2015 at 10:00PM

@starstryder @scottsigler Jurassic Park is at heart a cautionary tale about the perils of outsourcing IT services.

— Manuel McLure (@ManuelMcLure) June 5, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/ManuelMcLure

June 04, 2015 at 10:00PM

TechTalk appearance: Ep 386 – Autonomous Automobiles Arrive in Anaheim!

SHOW SUMMARY

News Items:

• Robot cars
• Who’s hacking into your plane?
• A fresh look at AOL and dial-up
• Starbuck’s cards “hacked”!

Geek Trivia with Jay Garmon:

How much hard drive space did the original, pre-installed version of Windows 3.0 take up?

Podcast Only Song of the Week:

Le Goudron by YACHT

LISTEN HERE

Twisdom from SwiftOnSecurity, May 31, 2015 at 10:26PM

Remember, adware is just malware with a legal team.

— InfoSec Taylor Swift (@SwiftOnSecurity) June 1, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity

May 31, 2015 at 10:26PM

Armchair Screenwriter: How I'd pitch the Wonder Woman movie(s)

Who Is Wonder Woman? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So the legendary Joss Whedon screenplay for Wonder Woman has been leaked online, so I'm blatantly using this as an excuse to dredge up my old Wonder Woman movie pitch I wrote on June 9, 2009.
---
A while ago, Rich Lovatt wondered whether we hadn't dodged a bullet in not getting a Wonder Woman movie. This week, Graeme McMillan over at io9 asked why Wonder Woman gets no love. Rich answered this first by saying what nobody is ever willing to admit about Wonder Woman, she's the world's most famous superheroine by virtue of seniority, rather than her actually being a great character.

Wonder Woman's origin is goofy, her powers are all over the map, and she doesn't have any great mission other than being a "warrior for peace," which is such a paradox it became a punchline -- from Batman, no less -- in Mark Waid's seminal Kingdom Come.

Batman, by the way, is the elephant in the room during this whole "Why can't we get a decent Wonder Woman?" movie conversation. Dark Knight blew the doors off the box office last summer, and in some measure legitimized superhero movies, largely on the basis of its dark, timely, political tones and Heath Ledger's post-humous Oscar buzz.

Thus, the world is primed for a high-profile, serious, major studio production of Wonder Woman. But, as McMillan pointed out in an earlier post, just because Wonder Woman is popular doesn't mean making a good Wonder Woman film will be easy. Nick Nadel over at Sci-Fi Scanner has 5 tips for making an awesome Wonder Woman movie, and I agree with four of them. Sorry Nick, but I'm keeping the Invisible Jet.

Okay, so enough stalling, what's my take on Wonder Woman?

Twisdom from azizshamim, May 04, 2015 at 01:53PM

OH: SF tech culture is focused on solving one problem: What is my mother no longer doing for me?

— aziz (@azizshamim) May 4, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/azizshamim

May 04, 2015 at 01:53PM

Twisdom from ebruenig, May 12, 2015 at 11:11AM

Twitter is for ruining relationships with people you don't know, and Facebook is for ruining relationships with people you do know

— Elizabeth S. Bruenig (@ebruenig) May 12, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/ebruenig

May 12, 2015 at 11:11AM

Why May 1 is NSFW

Hat tip to John Scalzi for reminding that today is the official date for enjoying the world's least polite rite of Spring, courtesy of Jonathan Coulton.

My latest TechTalk appearance: Ep 383 – Who Goes There (to the Hugo’s that is)?

SHOW SUMMARY
News Items:

• Apple watch is showing up on people’s wrists – will they be allowed on airplanes?
• What will Tesla reveal next week?  We’re guessing a home battery …
• Comcast TW merger not gonna happen.
• Conglomeration
• Hugo awards done been freeped!

Geek Trivia with Jay Garmon:

Who was the first person in space that was not in the military or have a direct military connection?

Podcast Only Song of the Week:
Roisin Murphy with “Overpowered”

LISTEN HERE

from TechTalk on WRLR 98.3 FM http://ift.tt/1OY8fsq
via IFTTT

Twisdom from KameronHurley, April 25, 2015 at 09:28AM

It's important to have friends who knew you before you had a Wikipedia entry.

— Kameron Hurley (@KameronHurley) April 25, 2015

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1d8cyLE

April 25, 2015 at 09:28AM

My latest TechTalk appearance: Ep 382 – Michael Miller Talks Win10 and IoT!

SHOW SUMMARY
News Items:

• Mike Miller, prolific author and tech polymath shares his insights into Windows 10 and the Internet of Things! Links to his website and all books are included in the notes below.
• Dedicated WRLR Live radio app is coming soon to an android phone near you!
• Canadian Internet still stinks. Also, Idaho.

Coolsites of the Week:

• MillerWriter.com – ALL of Mike Miller’s books, videos, news, contact info and more!
• The Internet of Things – Direct link to the book by Michael Miller (Amazon).
• Easy Computer Basics, Windows 10 Edition – Direct link to the book by Michael Miller (Amazon)

Podcast Only Song of the Week:
Two Door Cinema Club’s “What You Know”

from TechTalk on WRLR 98.3 FM http://ift.tt/1HWE5Ao
via IFTTT

Twisdom from GailSimone, April 12, 2015 at 03:18PM

Just cause a dinosaur is in the tar pits doesn't mean it can't still bite.

— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) April 12, 2015

via Twitter https://twitter.com/GailSimone



April 12, 2015 at 03:18PM

Twisdom from DelilahSDawson, March 31, 2015 at 01:02PM

If your genre can be destroyed by the addition of sexuality or diversity, then you are confusing 'genre' with 'archaic, bigoted worldview.'

— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson) March 31, 2015

via Twitter http://ift.tt/WpFEje



March 31, 2015 at 01:02PM

Twisdom from seelix, March 08, 2015 at 12:38PM

Watching the Firefly pilot for the first time in a while. Jayne is a lot less sympathetic now that I know he's not fictional.

— Emily Sparklefists (@seelix) March 8, 2015

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1j2CZF7



March 08, 2015 at 12:38PM

Twisdom from scalzi, February 27, 2015 at 12:54PM

If you're having trouble understanding the grief over @TheRealNimoy's passing, here it is: Every geek just lost their favorite grandparent.

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) February 27, 2015

via Twitter http://ift.tt/PqFjKA



February 27, 2015 at 12:54PM

Twisdom from mattfugate, February 08, 2015 at 02:20PM

“Former” anti-vaxxers now complaining that they’re being mocked unmercifully.

Sorry, folks. Just take your medicine.

For once.

— Matt Fugate (@mattfugate) February 8, 2015

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1DRRK7r



February 08, 2015 at 02:20PM

The TechTalk episode where we discuss sci-fi authors, snowpocalypse, and the Facebook codebase

This week's name-checks during my appearance on TechTalk Radio include Ray Bradbury, (via Fahrenheit 451), Michael Chabon (via The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) and Mark Zuckerberg (via the secret history of the codebase that went from a churlish "hot or not" application to, eventually, Facebook).

We also, as is newly traditional in the current Ice Age, debate the relative merits of snowmageddon vs. snowpocalypse as descriptor of the horrific Hoth reenactment the midwest has endured this year. But mostly, we talk about using tech to deal with the current rage of the Snow Gods.

There is some actual tech talk in this TechTalk episode, I promise. Give a listen.

Related articles

• Facebook's App Now Makes Addictive/Annoying Little *POP* Sounds
• App Allows You To Pay For Snow Plow Services On Your Phone
• Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg on Internet.org: barriers to connectivity, why ads are not a priority at current stage, more (Bloomberg Business)
• Facebook Launches Free Mobile Internet Service In India
• And Now Someone Can Inherit Your Facebook Account After You Are Dead

The TechTalk episode in which I discuss M.A.S.H., The Super Bowl and the tyranny of edu-tech

So, they let me back on the radio again, and the result is a crazy mashup of Super Bowl stat debunking, railing against the Neilsen ratings system, the perils and promise of mind control via edu-tech (how we didn't reference The Diamond Age in this whole deal is astonishing), and eventually I ask a TV history question.

Anyhow, the rest of TechTalk Episode 373 is worth a listen, especially if you skip over my parts. There really is a good discussion of managing security and access within educational environments vis-a-vis Internet access and trust with mobile devices.

As always, the unabridged grimoire of my podcast atrocities is laid bear here.

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• Super Bowl Statistics
• Millennials, Generation Z and Getting Ready for Generation A+ in #highered
• Uncovering Security Flaws in Digital Education Products for Schoolchildren
• Amazon's Kindle Convert Can Turn Your Paper Library Into E-Books

Twisdom from MaryRobinette, December 17, 2014 at 11:01PM

It's not about adding diversity for the sake of diversity, it's about subtracting homogeneity for the sake of realism.

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) December 18, 2014

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December 17, 2014 at 11:01PM

The most popular links I shared in 2014

These are the 10 links I shared last year that got at least 50 clicks across all my social media platforms. (According to Bit.ly and Buffer, anyway.)

1. "The single phrase (and every variation of it) that time and time again repels clients away from us" (261 clicks | Jan. 31)
2. Yeah, but what has @louisvillemayor done about the Frost Giants? (50 clicks | Feb. 6)
3. Scammer tries to unload LOTR toys on gullible Christians. LOTR fans troll back with epic Amazon reviews (56 clicks | Feb. 16)
4. Okay, Calgary's mayor could teach seminars on how to win the battle against twitter-trolls (307 clicks | Feb. 25)
5. Hottest. Geek girl. EVER. (447 clicks | Feb. 27)
6. "Because many are unaware of exactly how odd my career has been, I'll just take this moment to remind everyone" (85 clicks | Feb. 27)
7. Accurate. Horribly, horribly accurate. (217 clicks | Jun. 2)
8. "Hester exulted that he was wearing his Gail Carriger suit, which he hardly ever gets to wear."(57 clicks | Aug. 18)
9. Nuanced motivational posters (83 clicks | Oct. 8)
10. There, I fixed it: Now Barbie IS a computer scientist (293 clicks | Nov. 20)

Twisdom from MykeCole, January 13, 2015 at 09:47AM

I get frustrated with the focus on finishing novels. It's an accomplishment, to be sure, but it's the baseline. It's where the work starts.

— Myke Cole (@MykeCole) January 13, 2015

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January 13, 2015 at 09:47AM

The TechTalk Radio episode in which I predict the future (and talk Congressional astronauts)

One of my New Year's resolutions was to note here at my blog when I appear on TechTalk Radio. I call in most Saturdays, so I got out of the habit of reposting the shows here (and Mike, the show's host, got out of the habit of posting the podcasts so I could link to them). We're (both) going to do better in 2015.

So here's our first swipe of 2015: TechTalk Ep 371 – Prognostications and Prevarications for 2015!

My contributions include predictions about how cyberwars will escalate to open combat this year, and a quiz about the intersection of US Congressmen and the NASA astronaut corps. It's more nerdy than it sounds. Give a listen.

And if this short stint doesn't satisfy you, my (admittedly incomplete) history of podcast appearances is available here.

Related articles

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• Researchers examine role of 'white hat' hackers in cyber warfare
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• 2015 Predictions: Cloud and Software-Defined Technologies
• Why Astronauts Eat Tortillas In Space, Explained In One Comic

Twisdom from neilhimself, January 07, 2015 at 11:16AM

How important are free speech and satire? Important enough that people will murder others to silence the kind of speech they don't like.

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 7, 2015

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January 07, 2015 at 11:16AM