iPod for Spoken Word as well as/not Music

Kia ora

It seems like I have had an MP3 player for ever, but in reality that’s not true. Years and years ago I have a very small capacity MP3 player, it was so primitive,it used SD cards as memory. Most nights I used to plug the card into the PC and if I was lucky download an album onto the card. An album was about the limit as the card was only 512.

Next came the iPod but only after son #1 had tried it out first. I went for the big one and got a 20GB that would be well enough. Currently I am struggling with 60GB and will at some stage in the future switch to the 120GB or bigger if they have one. Which raises an interesting side issue, why does the big one come in only two colours, I would love a 120GB RED one.

Somewhere along the journey I switched from Musicmatch to iTunes. Until this past two weeks that had seemed like a great idea, and in reality it still is.

When I got my iPod it was just for music, I hadn’t even thought about Audiobooks, Radio, Podiobooks, Podcasts. I didn’t even conceive of there existence. How things have changed, when I get home from work I start iTunes up and most days about 10 podcasts will download. More than I can ever listen to, but I am hopeless at culling! Last year I said I would never have more than 600 podcasts on the system waiting, then I increased the limit to 1000, currently I have 1200 waiting. Apparently it will take me 24.96 days to listen to the lot and in that time about another 200 will come in, that’s if I don’t subscribe to more!

Looking at the stats on iTunes i have

• Podcasts 24.96 days outstanding
• Music 49.58 days outstanding
• Video/Movie 2 days outstanding

On the positive side of this I very rarely watch TV anymore, thats not hard as there is **** all on these days.

I am stunned by the range and quality of content available to stick onto your iPod. Four of the podcasts I currently have on my iPod are

• 5 Live daily – Daily Football podcast (BBC) http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/fivelive/5lfd/rss.xml
• 65 Below – Podiobook by Basil Sands, really enjoying it. http://www.basilsands.com/ 
• Crimewave.com – Noir Crime Stories – http://crimewav.com/
• The Archers – BBC Rural soap – http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/index.shtml

That’s only four of the podcasts currently being listened to!  As mentioned previously

• 5 Live is a daily football update, sharp and snappy about 20 minutes of news and views. 
• 65 Below is an action thriller podiobook based in Alaska, I have really enjoyed it. I will give a brief update / review later in the week.
• Crimewav is a weekly podcast and the stories are crime in nature and often has a noir feel to them. Stories are usually about 30mins which is great timing for me regarding travelling time.
• The Archers, I love my daily rural soap.

Dave A

2008-10-30 ~ The Chess Records Story

Kia ora

In my humble opinion the best site on the web is the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/ , stunning content and the source of information, podcasts and many documentaries. Obviously I was brought up with the BBC both on the radio and the TV, a few years ago I rediscovered the BBC through their web presence especially the BBC digital channel BBC7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/  another great channel was BBC6 the home of many great documentaries. http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/ .

Currently I am listening to a fantastic doco found on BBC6. The Story of Chess records, its fantastic stuff. A small label that broadcast the blues and had such a profound influence on the British music scene. Clapton, Beck, Cream, The Stones The Beatles all have documented the importance of the Chess musicians as influences. The doco consists of 4 30 minute episodes. The narrator is Marshall Chess son of the founder, and one time manager of The Rolling Stones. A highlight so far has to be the Howlin Wolf  version of Spoonful, later done by The Cream, I wonder how many people have ever heard that version? What a group of artists were on the Chess label, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Do Diddley.

Dave A

2008-10-30 Liverpool vs Portsmouth

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Liverpool 1 – Portsmouth 0.

Another victory and an important one. True to form Rafa played a changed team from Monday not sure why so many changes injury’s, tactical, rest ? who knows. The reality is that if we do want to win the league the squad has to perform. With Arsenal drawing 4 – 4 with Spurs we move to 6 points ahead of them. United and Chelsea both won so the gap between them and us stays the same. The top four has changed with Aston Villa in the top four now, unfortunately Chelsea gave Hull a beating.

Next game away to Spurs, that will be a hard one. I wonder if the Harry effect will help Spurs?

Dave A

2008-10-28 Stat Holiday, Liverpool CRUSH Chelsea, Phoenix loose

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You get to the end of a long weekend and wonder what did I do with my time, and contemplate the things you didn’t do. Well not this one, there were lots of things we didn’t do but we were busy.

Saturday  was an around the house day, weather wasn’t that great so I had plenty of time to get some jobsdone. I had a whole week of BBC7 listening to get down onto the hard drive. Trying to sort out iTunes has certainly gotten me behind.

Sunday started early, # 2 son needed to be at work by 6:50am, so I dropped him off, hired a trailer and headed off to help # 1 move flat. Four trailer loads later and two car loads we had emptied one flat and filled up the lounge in another. He is having to sort it from there. Got home about 12:30pm I was buggered. The afternoon saw us off to the stadium to see the Wellington Phoenix vs Queensland Roar. The first half was some of the worst football I have ever watched (and I have been to an Everton vs Coventry game! ) The Phoenix conspired to loose 0 – 1 and for the first time I wondered why I go, if the players are not going to make an effort why should I.

Monday at 2.00 saw me getting up to watch Chelsea vs Liverpool and we beat them, not only did we beat them but they never looked like they were going to stop us winning. The goal had a element of luck about it, Alonso deflection in the 10th minute. Apart from a 10 minute spell before half time we bossed the game. 0- 1 away from home, the first time Chelsea had lost at home in 87 games over 4.5 years. The league table looks great

• Liverpool top 3 points ahead of
• Chelsea and Hull
• Arsenal 4 points behind
• United 8 points behind.

I’ll take that for now, and the midweek EPL games are back. Wonderful!!!

Late morning we went to Te Papa the national museum, we must have been there for about 5 hours (including lunch ) and really only did the top two floors. It was very informative, educational and fun. Although its nice doing these things with the kids, it was great just me and the boss.

The day was rounded off by a bloody good roast leg of lamb.

Dave A

P.S Spellchecker says no spelling mistake in this update, cant believe that!

2008-10-23 Only a draw in Milan

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Away in the Champions League to Athletic Madrid. At the start of the campaign I would have thought that this was a tough one. Madrid’s form of late has been patchy at best so even though it was away I was expecting a victory in the region of 2 or 3 nil.

It was all looking good when Keanne scored early, a lovely pass through from Gerrard. 0 – 1 at half time and Liverpool looking by far the best team. Unfortunately the team obviously decided the game was over and didn’t get past 2nd gear and as a result A Madrid scored an equaliser and that’s how the game ended 1 – 1. An away draw in the Champions League putting us second in the group.

An average result matching an average performance. On the posative side we didn’t loose and its Chelsea away on Sunday (UK time).

Dave A

2008-10-21 The Weekends Sport

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Well that was quiet a weekends sport, there was no participation from our family’s perspective as #2 son twisted his ankle on Friday night. At least it meant a Saturday lie in!

Friday night the Wellington rugby team (The Lions) beat Southland and progressed to the Final. Wellington will have the home advantage but they are playing Canterbury’s so I am not expecting a win.

Saturday night the New Zealand netball team (yes netball is a sport!) thrashed the English team. Enough said. Yet again New Zealand are good at a sports no-one plays (that’s Rugby, Netball and League).

During the weekend New Zealand cricket team were doing there best to loose the test match vs Bangladesh. Surprisingly today is day 5 and if we hold our nerve we could win when a day ago defeat looked certain. Test cricket is such a great game.

Regarding real sport. On Sunday morning New Zealand time Liverpool came back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 against Wigan. In reality we should never have been two down, but we were and we came back with two goals from Kuyt and one from Riera (his first for the club). This keeps us joint top with Chelsea. Next week we have a Champions League game vs Athletic Madrid and a league game away to Chelsea. I will be more than happy with two wins !!!!

To cap the weekend off, the Wellington Phoenix beat the Central Coast Mariners 0- 1. The first time we have ever beaten them home or away. Stunning result, next game at Wellington Stadium on Saturday we will be there.

Dave A

2008-10-20 The Archers, The Datsuns

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I have just completed a podcast marathon, 21 episodes of the Archers.

The Archers is probably the longest running soap in the world, its certainly the longest running radio soap. The Archers are part of my childhood and have followed me around the world.

I can remember listening to the Archers as a youngster, I was never quiet enough and was always talking over the program and getting told off for it. When I left home it became  of my daily routine to listen. If I missed the daily then I always caught the weekly omnibus episode.

When we moved over to New Zealand, it was to find that The Archers was broadcast on Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Not long after we arrived, RNZdropped the program and I went years without listening, and I coped, no need of therapy at all. In the early 90′s I ended up working with a fellow POME and in conversation he admittted to being an Archers fan, and that his mum in law sent them regular care parcels of Archers episodes taped. Naturally I was in for a chunk of that. Unfortunately the supply dried up when I changed jobs and another dry spell ensued.

In the early 00′s I rediscovered the BBC website, Radio 4 sites and listen again. The Archers are part of the Listen Again program. So I was back into it, the archers over the internet! One continual frustration was that there was no podcast. Well it arrived a few months ago and through the magic of the BBC and iTunes I get an episode delivered direct to my PC six days a week, as its a podcast I can choose when I listen.

As you will know I have had a few iTunes problems (of my making, no doubt). Most of my spare time over the past few weeks has been sorting iTunes and my music/audio library out, so I have a very large backlog of Podcasts to consume, yesterday I consumed about 21 Archers episodes.

Some of you will be wondering what is The Archersabout. The Archers is a social soap centered in a mythical village called Ambridge somewhere not far from Birmingham. The BBC have a great website as a resource http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/   . The Archers are the core family that the soap revolves around. One of the things that I really enjoy about the program is the way it tackles both social and agricultural issues. Its almost educational. Above all its good entertainment, because it runs daily they have the ability to drop in significant National or International events. They have also had the time to develop the characters warts and all.

Way back when I went cold turkey and missed great chunks I could cope, not so sure that I could cope now, mind you I am much older and far less flexible of mind.

The Datsuns – Headstunts

The Datsuns are a New Zealand band, based over in the UK I think, and the music they play is definitely not New Zealand music. This is their 4th album and it ranks along with their first album as there best. This is guitar driven rock at its best, plenty of loud fast tracks, its all about the guitar. The drummer fights to be included and in this album he certainly makes a contribution, more than in other albums.

Its not often when you listen to an album first time around that you start on the air guitar, but this album is like that, instant guitar hooks and drive, you cant not start banging the head and jumping around. There must be a subtle track on the album, but if there is I haven’t found it yet. This in my opinion will be one of my albums of the year. I am old enough to remember The Who as a start up band, The Datsuns have that power and feel to them.

Dave A

2008-10-19 ~ Burn After Reading

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This movie has at least four things going for it that ensure I will not like it.

• George Clooney
• Brad Pitt
• John Malkovick
• Its a Coen brothers movie.

Despite those major handicaps, something happened and I ended up really enjoying the movie.

Firstly its not that deep and meaningful, its not a great stretch intellectually (mind you what movie with Clooney and Pitt will be ), but it is entertainment, and that is what I go to the movies for,  to be entertained.

The basic plot is that a couple of personal trainers find what they believe to be top secret information and try to sell it off to the Russians. As this is a comedy heaps goes wrong! This against a background of very confused relationships. Pitt is good as the slightly camp personal trainer and Clooney plays a sex obsessed ex bodyguard. The lead female actors (actresses, what is the PC way these days?), Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand are the real stars of this movie.

I have said its good, its not funny in terms of huge belly laughs but rather quiet chuckles. The humour and the comic situations are layered on top of each other and work at many levels.

Dave A

2008-10-19 David Gibbins – Atlantis

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Quite frankly this book disappointed. I really enjoy books with the mystery of Atlantis at its core, it is one of about a dozen themes I really enjoy. I knew it wasn’t going to be a great work of literature, but I was expecting a enthralling read. Compared with the likes of Steve Berry, John Rolllins and Dan Brown this was a second rate read. At no stage did it maintain its pace or excitement.

The plot is simple, archeology explorer, adventurer finds Atlantis, just after he finds it international bad guy finds it as well. What follows is something out of a B grade James Bond movie.

Usually the hook in this type of book is the mixture of fiction and the odd fact thrown in to make it seem real. This to me has none of it.

2008-10-18 Football Podcasts

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You will have gathered by now that i am a Liverpool FC fan, simply the best football / sports team in the world. Being about as far from Liverpool as it is possible to get on the planet, the internet plays a core role in my support of Liverpool and the sport in general.

From a community perspective I am (and have been for years) a member of Koptalk.

• http://www.koptalk.co.uk

The site has its critics, and like all forums has some real idiots on it, but hey why should that stop me. Its where I go and it does for me.

From a podcast perspective there are 3 / 4 that I listen to

5 Live – From the BBC. 1 have subscribed to the 5 Live Daily podcast. This is daily except Saturday, which in itself is strange as that is the day when you get and need general football news. 5 live is usually around 30 mins and as such is a good listen as I wander into work. Of all the football podcasts I subscribe to this is probably the most serious. ) Well it is the BBC.

Football Weekly Extra – Usually about 35 mins and hosted by Jmaes Richardson. This is a twice weekly podcast, a format that allows it to preview the next weekends game and look back on the last weekends game, although informataive there is a tongue in cheeks aspect to the podcast. Although there is no love for Liverpool its good entertainment. You will find the podcast as part of The Guardians stable of podcasts. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk )

Koptalk.com – Koptalk has an irregular podcast, it is no scripted has low production values, and is Liverpool from a fans (fanatics ) perspective. Definitely not politically correct but a bloody good listen.

Yellow Fever – ( http://www.yellowfever.co.nz ; ) . This is the podcast from the fans site for the Wellington Phoenix. Wellingtons team in the A-League. Its a fans site, and a fan driven podcast (hosted by a professional broadcaster ). Great fun and worth the time.

Anyway that’s all for now.

Dave A