Shownotes:
We finally have a price and ship date for the Pico Projector. It’s a handheld projector that you can quickly hook up to your iPod for showing off videos on the go.
Bacon Alert! Bacon + Mayonnaise = Baconnaise. It’s from the same makers as Bacon Salt. I can’t wait to meet these guys!
Marware announced the Game Grip, an iPhone/iPod Touch accessory that we knew was bound to come to market. The wheel holds your iPod Touch or iPhone and has routing for a USB cable and earbuds.
We tested the Zoom H2 Recorder throughout our Little Big Trip. It’s the best audio we’ve gotten for the money. It comes with a windscreen and we recommend using it. Levelator is a free app that works to balance audio levels. Whenever you’re uploading audio, it’s a great tool!
Thanks to the HP MediaSmart Server for supporting The Brief. To find out where you can order one, click here.
Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of SmugMug
Direct Download Links
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November 5th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Cute shirt Cali! I’m adding a Game Grip to my wishlist. :)
November 5th, 2008 at 4:28 am
I believe I coined the term ‘Bacon Alert!’ :)
November 5th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Preface: I recognize your right to put whatever you want in your show and no one is forcing me to watch.
But…
“RIP Capitalism?” Huh?? Unbridled capitalism itself was capitalism’s downfall. The GOP-fueled corporate bailouts of W’s administration are more socialist than anything Obama may enact to help socioeconomic victims. Capitalism needs customers to exist. A $700B bailout doesn’t put money in any consumers’ hands. GOP deregulation damaged capitalism. A dash of socialism isn’t evil or the antithesis of capitalism. See Canada, UK, France, Germany etc.
<3 Carly Fiorina? What’s to love? She totally damaged HP and was a sad apologist for McCain and the pathetic Palin with her crying wolf about sexism by satire of all things. Sad.
All that said and blathered… I know you two are very Christian (Crappy Christians!) so maybe I should expect your brand of politics. But honestly I’m not used to it being paired with tech evangelism! All the tech gurus/advocates/blogs I follow aren’t very conservative and are much more in sync with my left-leaning and secular humanist bent.
The show is well done as always, otherwise, and a great source of geek info. Enjoy your travels.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Kevbo, we try to stay away from politics as much as possible. We needed to let out our disappointment, and now we move on! :)
November 5th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Understood, Cali! Hope my reactions didn’t sound terribly intolerant of your thoughts, but rather spirited instead.
Now, the real reason I posted my (honest) reaction was due to someone’s busy twitter post this week that drew Scoble and associates’ responses about people annoyed by political opinions in tech blogs, vids etc. Don’t know if you saw it.
I don’t mind the injections of opinions on politics in tech/gadget feeds, even if I disagree as above. I love being able to fire back. Tech and politics are forever tied together. More so every day whether anyone likes it or not.
Have you two heard reactions of people to the very few political injections you’ve made in the last couple years? Do you find yourselves in the minority in terms of orientation amongst other tech podcasters, vloggers etc.?
Want. Baconnaise!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:57 am
We’re definitely in the minority of producers and tech people who are on screen, because most of them are in California. :) However, we’re not in the minority of our audience. I have gotten lots of tweets and comments thanking me for speaking up about being a Libertarian when it seems like “all tech people are on the left”. It’s a matter of audience versus people in the industry. Interesting to say the least!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:59 am
D’oh! Lost my reply to the ether!
Understand your disappointment. Ehh. Pendulum swings both ways, I guess.
Did you see that popular twitter msg this week regarding one man’s dissatisfaction to the recent injection of politics into tech blogs, podcast etc.? Scoble was a major respondent.
I replied with my honest opinions here partly out of curiosity about what kind of reactions you get for the very few political things you do slip in. Do most tech blogs/podcasters appear to you to lean toward my end of the political spectrum (left/liberal et.) as I seem to think they do?
Want. Baconnaise. Now!
November 5th, 2008 at 10:02 am
D’oh! Lost my reply to the ether! (Sorry if I’m unintentionally repeatedly submitting this!)
Understand your disappointment. Ehh. Pendulum swings both ways, I guess.
Did you see that popular twitter msg this week regarding one man’s dissatisfaction to the recent injection of politics into tech blogs, podcast etc.? Scoble was a major respondent.
I replied with my honest opinions here partly out of curiosity about what kind of reactions you get for the very few political things you do slip in. Do most tech blogs/podcasters appear to you to lean toward my end of the political spectrum (left/liberal et.) as I seem to think they do?
Want. Baconnaise. Now!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
The political spectrum is often compressed into a line that goes radical — liberal — conservative — reactionary, that is oversimplified in my opinion. Libertarianism seems to be more an approach to implementing your ideals, than a set of ideals. There are right wing libertarians and left wing libertarians. I think most techies are actually left leaning libertarians, not simply left, but I may be projecting on that point.
I am more interested in the zoom H2, so capitalism is safe for a little while. I read some reviews that the mic input was noisy. Have you guys tried the mic input at all?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I should be clear I mean the mic jack, not the builtin microphones.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Hey Cali! Not sure if you were aware but 3M released and has already shipped their own Pico Projectors. I happen to have 1 sitting right next to me. It does resolutions up to 1280×768 and it looks great when I hook it up to my Macbook or my iPhone and watch GeekBrief. It has both VGA connections, and RCA. The best part is you can get it now, and for $80 less than the Optima!
Check it out at http://www.3mmpro.com
Thanks for the great podcast. Too bad there wasn’t a meetup when you were travling through/ near Denver, maybe next time.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Go Cali! I’ve never seen a socialist country make an Ipod or a Drobo!
November 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I think the biggest problem Lefties (like me) have with Righties is really not about genuine fiscal conservatism, but rather with Neo-conservatism. I honestly appreciate Libertarians because, like Jehova’s Witnesses (and to a lesser degree, Catholics), they’re at least honest about their beliefs and typically adhere to the principals. Neocons, on the other hand, talk about “personal freedom” but are into everyone’s business. They want to socialize risk but privatize profit. Uh uh. Can’t have it.
Myself, I think there’s room for pure capitalist bullshit. The “market” should be on its own. GM going out of business? Sucks to be GM. Buh bye. At the same time, there should be things that are 100% socialist – education, health/safety, defense, etc. There should be minimal influence by capitalism into these realms. And there should definitely be ZERO religious influence on these (or anything, if you ask this practicing atheist).
November 9th, 2008 at 1:31 am
There is a classy way to show dissapointment and then there is the way you chose to. Do you really believe capitalism is dead? The small quick statements drew more attention to themselves than if you had made an outright statement. The effect is something to the effect of “Did I just read that?”. One of those offhand remarks meant to take people off guard. You then make a comment in the reply section about people in the audience agreeing with you and it made me curious as to whether I was in your audience as I am definately not a producer. After I watched the interview with Rep. Michelle Bachmann in which she was constantly smiling while insulting people I remembered that just because someone is smiling does not mean that they are friendly. I did not connect you with her until this show.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:39 am
And again we see why tech and politics cannot mix. Just like the firestorm a few weeks ago after a snide comment on CrunchGear about Palin’s “folksiness”.
I think everyone hopes for the best. We all hope that the new guy will go to Washington, clean up corruption, improve our lives, strengthen our stature in the world, make America the shining star admired by the rest of the world.
200+ years, still waiting.
Look ma, no partisan remarks!
November 9th, 2008 at 11:29 am
In GBTV 458 the video accompanying the audio sample recorded with the Zoom H2 had straight lines on the map that “shimmered” with panning. Why does that happen and how can you avoid that? Thank you.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Luria said she was going to vote. She made a sour grapes comment about the death of capitalism even though this election was just in the United States and not the world. No comments about wishing everyone the best and all of what JarOfsonicMen wrote. “It’s a matter of audience versus people in the industry. Interesting to say the least!”/ That is not a hope for the best comment, it is a “We know who the real Americans are!” comment. An us versus them comment. Oh and all of the guys drooling over her because she is pretty probably are not going to point that out. Then her comments about voting for her for best podcast really stand out. Hope she does not get too upset if she does not win. Maybe that would be her final proof that capitalism is dead.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Kevbo – you’re a product of our nonfunctional education system here in the US.
Bush’s bailouts are indeed a problem – but their source is the leftism that has crept into our political and economic system over the last 70+ years, as are the problems the bailouts are attempting to solve.
Sadly though – Cali’s little blurb at the end o the episode is right – the recent election is going to bring us major restrictions on what few freedoms we have left here in the US, be they economic, religious, or otherwise. Hate speech ring a bell? Fairness doctrine? European style labor laws basically criminalizing firing an employee for any reason?
December 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
JarOfSonicMen
Nothing to do with mixing of politics and tech.
Problem is leftie morons with computers.