A few months ago, I reviewed Windows 7 here. At the time, I was using the Beta version. Since then, I've upgraded to the full version that was officially released two weeks ago. I'm happy to say I've posted an updated review over at YuBlog.org, a great blog dedicated to user-submitted content. I hope to continue submitting articles there in the future. You can read the article here. Leave comments!
An Oldie, But a Goodie
Until about a year ago, I was staunchly anti-iPod. I thought Apple's super-dominant portable media player had some good points, but overall I felt like it was meant for non-geek consumers who just wanted a small device that would play their music and a few videos without requiring too much tech knowledge. To me, that meant a less powerful device that would limit me too much. So I turned to Creative Labs for my PMP. The Creative Zen Vision: M is an answer to the iPod Video. It plays MP3s, WMAs, WAVs, and a plethora of video formats that the iPod still doesn't even approach.Though I'm now a huge fan of my iPod Touch, I still turn to the Zen from time to time for its superior compatibility, especially with video. I could buy the video output equipment for my Touch, but I don't really see a reason to do so when I already have the Zen Video Cable, which conveniently plugs right into the dongle already included with the player for USB and AC power. It might be old and sluggish by today's standards, but with a 60gb hard drive, my Zen serves as a more portable Apple TV of sorts. I can load almost any video format I want onto it and watch it on my TV. It's also great for photo slideshows, and of course music. In fact, audiophiles won't be surprised to hear that the Zen's signal-to-noise ratio still puts the iPod to shame. Another small, but neat feature is the programmable wild card button that you can set to perform any function you want. I use it to play the entire music library on shuffle.
Sure, the Zen has its flaws too. The interface is a copy of the iPod Video interface, with the exception that it allows for custom wallpapers and a choice of color schemes. Also, instead of a click wheel, the Zen has a vertical-only touchpad. The Zen is pretty thick, about twice the thickness of a 30gb iPod Video, but if you just use it as a stay-at-home video player, as I now do, that won't matter much at all.
All in all, I still love my Zen Vision: M, if not for its form factor and GUI, then for its compatibility with virtually all popular audio and video formats. I'll continue to use it as my own version of an Apple TV until someone convinces me there's something better for my needs, or until it stops working. Whichever comes first.
Not to make a big deal of it, but I've just realized that this is my 100th post. I set out to write a semi-regular blog and stick with it for as long as possible for a change. I've blogged before, but this is easily the longest-running blog I've ever maintained, and I've been far more interested in this project than in my previous attempts. I owe this mainly to the support I've gotten from readers who have commented here, on Twitter, and on Friendfeed, so thanks to all of you! I hope to keep this going for a long time to come.
Branching Out
Frequent readers of this site (I know, that implies I still post frequently, but just humor me here) will know that I am a Windows fanboy, particularly when it comes to Windows 7. Well a couple of weeks ago I actually did something that I would have thought unthinkable just a few months ago. I bought a Macbook. Sure, it was a lightly used one from a good friend, but it's still a Mac!
I don't have anything against Apple, in fact I love my iPod Touch and am looking to upgrade to an iPhone at the first realistic opportunity (it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon, but you can't take my dreams away from me). Generally, though, I'm not a big Mac fan. I've always said that Windows makes sense to me and Mac doesn't. Obviously that's changed a little bit now that I've had easier access to a Mac, but overall I'm still a PC.
The whole reason I even thought to buy a Mac was for podcast production. I produce podcasts in both standard MP3 and Apple's enhanced AAC formats. The best (but technically not the only) way to produce enhanced AAC podcasts is with Garageband, an application available only for Mac OS. I've always wanted a dedicated production machine anyway, so it made sense to use a Mac for that purpose. And I don't regret it one bit. I love my Mac for podcasting. Garageband is simple yet powerful and it allows me to do just about everything I need. My only reservation is that I prefer Adobe Audition's highly-customizable noise reduction engine to that of Garageband, but I've found a marginally annoying solution to that problem: I do all necessary noise reduction in Audacity before exporting the audio to Garageband for the final editing process.
But I have, of course, also used the Mac for everyday computing and compared it to Windows 7. I'll admit that OS X is better than I had initially thought. Once I forced myself to learn the OS, it was actually much easier to pick up than it had been in my past attempts. I found some good apps for my everyday casual computing needs. Probably the best is Tweetie for Mac. Since I first tried it the week it was released, I've loved it enough to want a Windows version. Sadly the app's creators atebits Software have said that they have no interest in developing Tweetie for Windows. That's a real shame and a major lost opportunity, in my opinion, but I digress.
The worst experience I've had on my Mac is ironically and without a doubt Microsoft Office. It's a nightmare! It takes a year to start up, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and blame that on my single solitary, lonely little gigabyte of RAM for now. Once the dock icon decides to stop its infernal bouncing and Word actually starts up, it's a complete mess. I can't use it to save my life. It's as if they took the Windows version, took it apart, and put it together again, except inside out. I hate it. A lot. I'm going to have to try OpenOffice (even though I hated that in Windows, but you never know) or use Google Docs as I've done on occasion in the past.
On a side note, I've been very happy with the Mac's battery life. My Lenovo Thinkpad's one-year-old battery gives me under 3 hours in the Windows 7 "Balanced" power setting, but I've been able to squeeze almost 5 hours out the Mac's two-plus-year-old battery when I really try.
All in all, I'm happy with my Macbook, but I'm still a Windows guy at heart. I'm writing this post from my Thinkpad, but when I record my podcasts later this week, I'll be using the Mac. And who knows? I'm not ruling Apple out anymore. They won me over with the iPod after a couple of years of resistance. Mac OS may win me over yet!
I don't have anything against Apple, in fact I love my iPod Touch and am looking to upgrade to an iPhone at the first realistic opportunity (it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon, but you can't take my dreams away from me). Generally, though, I'm not a big Mac fan. I've always said that Windows makes sense to me and Mac doesn't. Obviously that's changed a little bit now that I've had easier access to a Mac, but overall I'm still a PC.
The whole reason I even thought to buy a Mac was for podcast production. I produce podcasts in both standard MP3 and Apple's enhanced AAC formats. The best (but technically not the only) way to produce enhanced AAC podcasts is with Garageband, an application available only for Mac OS. I've always wanted a dedicated production machine anyway, so it made sense to use a Mac for that purpose. And I don't regret it one bit. I love my Mac for podcasting. Garageband is simple yet powerful and it allows me to do just about everything I need. My only reservation is that I prefer Adobe Audition's highly-customizable noise reduction engine to that of Garageband, but I've found a marginally annoying solution to that problem: I do all necessary noise reduction in Audacity before exporting the audio to Garageband for the final editing process.
But I have, of course, also used the Mac for everyday computing and compared it to Windows 7. I'll admit that OS X is better than I had initially thought. Once I forced myself to learn the OS, it was actually much easier to pick up than it had been in my past attempts. I found some good apps for my everyday casual computing needs. Probably the best is Tweetie for Mac. Since I first tried it the week it was released, I've loved it enough to want a Windows version. Sadly the app's creators atebits Software have said that they have no interest in developing Tweetie for Windows. That's a real shame and a major lost opportunity, in my opinion, but I digress.
The worst experience I've had on my Mac is ironically and without a doubt Microsoft Office. It's a nightmare! It takes a year to start up, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and blame that on my single solitary, lonely little gigabyte of RAM for now. Once the dock icon decides to stop its infernal bouncing and Word actually starts up, it's a complete mess. I can't use it to save my life. It's as if they took the Windows version, took it apart, and put it together again, except inside out. I hate it. A lot. I'm going to have to try OpenOffice (even though I hated that in Windows, but you never know) or use Google Docs as I've done on occasion in the past.
On a side note, I've been very happy with the Mac's battery life. My Lenovo Thinkpad's one-year-old battery gives me under 3 hours in the Windows 7 "Balanced" power setting, but I've been able to squeeze almost 5 hours out the Mac's two-plus-year-old battery when I really try.
All in all, I'm happy with my Macbook, but I'm still a Windows guy at heart. I'm writing this post from my Thinkpad, but when I record my podcasts later this week, I'll be using the Mac. And who knows? I'm not ruling Apple out anymore. They won me over with the iPod after a couple of years of resistance. Mac OS may win me over yet!
Just So Much Podcasting
I've been podcasting like a fool lately. I really love the medium and I'm always looking for a chance to speak my mind on a range of topics, so it really shouldn't be all that surprising, yet when I look at the hours I spend recording and editing podcasts, it is more than a little insane.
First and foremost, I'd like to announce the start of a new podcast hosted by friends William, Hunter, and myself: Lights, Camera, Podcast. As the title suggests, LCP is a movie podcast. Each week we have a great time making fun of each other while occasionally going into some movie talk, too. While that's a bit of an exaggeration, we do discuss the biggest new releases we all had the chance to see, as well as any other films -- both new and old -- that we managed to catch at our leisure. It's a ton of fun to record and we hope you'll enjoy listening to it. Our first episode covering Star Trek is already available on iTunes, and a second episode about Terminator Salvation and a number of other films should be up soon.
Then of course there is my most consistent show Echo Alert. Though Dollhouse is off the air for the summer, Andrew and I are very excited about the confirmed Season 2 pickup and will continue the show on a bi-weekly basis through the summer until the show returns. We've got some fun stuff lined up including a couple of soon-to-be-announced contests, guest co-hosts, and some other possible goodies, so stay tuned!
I should also mention some guest spots I've been doing lately. Both happen to be related to the world of comic books. At the end of each month, I host a segment of the Geekland Podcast entitled This Month in Superman. It's my chance to spend a few minutes gushing on events occurring in the Superman family of comics. My most recent segment appears in episode 85. In addition to that, just last night I was asked by my friend William (also of LCP) to step in and co-host this week's episode of Between the Panels, his own comics podcast. It was unexpected and last-minute, but I was really glad I did it, because I had a ton of fun talking comics with him. That episode (number 12) should be out within the next week.
Finally, there is the project nearest and dearest to my heart, FMF. It was my very first podcasting foray, and I'm proud to continue DJ-ing to this day. It's always a blast when I get a chance to sit down and record an episode, even though I don't always get a chance to do that as often as I'd like to. I look forward to keeping the show up for the foreseeable future going forward.
So as you can see, I've been very busy lately. At least that new equipment I recently purchased is being put to good use. Now I just need to strike it rich and get my own place with a dedicated podcasting studio. What?
First and foremost, I'd like to announce the start of a new podcast hosted by friends William, Hunter, and myself: Lights, Camera, Podcast. As the title suggests, LCP is a movie podcast. Each week we have a great time making fun of each other while occasionally going into some movie talk, too. While that's a bit of an exaggeration, we do discuss the biggest new releases we all had the chance to see, as well as any other films -- both new and old -- that we managed to catch at our leisure. It's a ton of fun to record and we hope you'll enjoy listening to it. Our first episode covering Star Trek is already available on iTunes, and a second episode about Terminator Salvation and a number of other films should be up soon.
Then of course there is my most consistent show Echo Alert. Though Dollhouse is off the air for the summer, Andrew and I are very excited about the confirmed Season 2 pickup and will continue the show on a bi-weekly basis through the summer until the show returns. We've got some fun stuff lined up including a couple of soon-to-be-announced contests, guest co-hosts, and some other possible goodies, so stay tuned!
I should also mention some guest spots I've been doing lately. Both happen to be related to the world of comic books. At the end of each month, I host a segment of the Geekland Podcast entitled This Month in Superman. It's my chance to spend a few minutes gushing on events occurring in the Superman family of comics. My most recent segment appears in episode 85. In addition to that, just last night I was asked by my friend William (also of LCP) to step in and co-host this week's episode of Between the Panels, his own comics podcast. It was unexpected and last-minute, but I was really glad I did it, because I had a ton of fun talking comics with him. That episode (number 12) should be out within the next week.
Finally, there is the project nearest and dearest to my heart, FMF. It was my very first podcasting foray, and I'm proud to continue DJ-ing to this day. It's always a blast when I get a chance to sit down and record an episode, even though I don't always get a chance to do that as often as I'd like to. I look forward to keeping the show up for the foreseeable future going forward.
So as you can see, I've been very busy lately. At least that new equipment I recently purchased is being put to good use. Now I just need to strike it rich and get my own place with a dedicated podcasting studio. What?
Windows 7: Best OS Ever?
Everyone has his or her operating system preference. I like Windows. I like the customization and technical aspects. I like to take things apart and see how they work. Windows just works for me. I understand it and I'm able to produce results with it. I think Macs are great for certain people, but they're just not my thing. The Mac OS is counter intuitive to me. I can use it, but I work much better with Windows. I just wanted to get that out of the way before the Apple fanboys show up at my door burning torches, brandishing knives, and threatening to hang me. I don't hate Apple; I love my iPod Touch. I just think everyone has something that works for them.
If you'll remember, I reviewed Vista a few months back when I first partitioned my hard drive and installed it. Well, I've done it again, this time with Windows 7. I wanted to give it a spin ever since I heard the beta had leaked on to Bit Torrent, even before Microsoft made it publicly available. The only thing stopping me was getting rid of my Windows XP partition. I still wanted to keep that around for emergencies. At the suggestion of some Twitter followers, I installed a copy of Norton Ghost and backed up my XP installation to my external drive and installed Windows 7 Build 7068 x64 over it.
I was impressed right away. First, I noticed that it booted up noticeably faster than other freshly-installed OSs. Once it was booted up, the first order of business was to see what all the "new taskbar" buzz was about. I didn't think I'd like having a bigger taskbar take up a larger portion of my 14-inch screen, but I actually don't mind it. In fact, when I opted to use smaller icons, I found that I was less productive. The main attraction of the new taskbar is a slew of new mouse-over functions. It operates a bit more like the OS X Dock, but it still maintains a distinctly Windows character. A single icon not only opens an application, it also serves to minimize or maximize that window from the taskbar. Placing the mouse cursor over an icon for a minimized application brings up a thumbnail for each minimized window of that application. While this function existed to a certain extent in Vista, Windows 7 improves on it by allowing you to click a thumbnail to bring up the corresponding window. In addition to this is a new preview capability. If you place the mouse cursor over a thumbnail, a full-size preview of the appropriate window will pop up. Move the mouse away and the preview disappears. This is extremely useful when dealing with multiple instances of an application such as Word or Adobe Acrobat. In Internet Explorer 8 (I know, I hate IE too), each individual tab gets its own mouse-over preview. Other browsers don’t have this capability yet, but I imagine that when the final release of Windows 7 ships, Firefox and most others will probably add it.
The overall look of 7 is very crisp and clean. It’s very pleasing to the eyes. The notification area (you know, those annoying icons down there by the clock?) is much improved. For starters, all the Windows-native notification icons are white. It may not sound like a big change, but you’ll be surprised how much less distracting it is. Microsoft is finally listening to the outcries of Windows users everywhere. They’re giving us an operating system that is simpler to use and stays out of our way. It makes everyday computing a breeze.
Now one of the biggest grievances had with Vista was User Account Control (UAC). The constant pop-ups asking me if I was sure I wanted to go forward with every single action got old fast. The only way to be productive was to turn off UAC all together, obviously a less-than-desirable solution. But that was then and this is now. In 7, there are more degrees of UAC customization. You can decide exactly how much control UAC will have over your system. Personally, I prefer to have as few notifications as possible, so I set it to the lowest level possible without turning it off completely. I know what I’m doing. I don’t need to be asked if I’m sure I want to install iTunes or AIM or any other perfectly harmless application. Since I finished going through the initial phase of installing the programs I use most and setting things up to my liking, I haven’t seen a single warning message. And that’s exactly how it should be.
Basically, Windows 7 is everything I wanted in a new operating system and more. At first trial, 7 feels the same as any version of Windows. But after a few minutes, you start to realize that it’s just working the way you want it too. It doesn’t freeze. It doesn’t have driver issues. It doesn’t crash. I’ve yet to hear of a Blue Screen of Death in 7. The first release candidate (Build 7100 for those in the know) goes public today and I fully intend to install it as soon as I have a chance. The version I’m running now (Build 7068) is near perfect; I can’t imagine how much better 7100 could possibly be. If you’re interested at all, Build 7100 will be available for download directly from Microsoft from May 5 (today) through June and won’t expire until June 2010. That’s a whole year to test out Windows 7 legally and for free. How can you possibly beat that?
If you'll remember, I reviewed Vista a few months back when I first partitioned my hard drive and installed it. Well, I've done it again, this time with Windows 7. I wanted to give it a spin ever since I heard the beta had leaked on to Bit Torrent, even before Microsoft made it publicly available. The only thing stopping me was getting rid of my Windows XP partition. I still wanted to keep that around for emergencies. At the suggestion of some Twitter followers, I installed a copy of Norton Ghost and backed up my XP installation to my external drive and installed Windows 7 Build 7068 x64 over it.
I was impressed right away. First, I noticed that it booted up noticeably faster than other freshly-installed OSs. Once it was booted up, the first order of business was to see what all the "new taskbar" buzz was about. I didn't think I'd like having a bigger taskbar take up a larger portion of my 14-inch screen, but I actually don't mind it. In fact, when I opted to use smaller icons, I found that I was less productive. The main attraction of the new taskbar is a slew of new mouse-over functions. It operates a bit more like the OS X Dock, but it still maintains a distinctly Windows character. A single icon not only opens an application, it also serves to minimize or maximize that window from the taskbar. Placing the mouse cursor over an icon for a minimized application brings up a thumbnail for each minimized window of that application. While this function existed to a certain extent in Vista, Windows 7 improves on it by allowing you to click a thumbnail to bring up the corresponding window. In addition to this is a new preview capability. If you place the mouse cursor over a thumbnail, a full-size preview of the appropriate window will pop up. Move the mouse away and the preview disappears. This is extremely useful when dealing with multiple instances of an application such as Word or Adobe Acrobat. In Internet Explorer 8 (I know, I hate IE too), each individual tab gets its own mouse-over preview. Other browsers don’t have this capability yet, but I imagine that when the final release of Windows 7 ships, Firefox and most others will probably add it.
The overall look of 7 is very crisp and clean. It’s very pleasing to the eyes. The notification area (you know, those annoying icons down there by the clock?) is much improved. For starters, all the Windows-native notification icons are white. It may not sound like a big change, but you’ll be surprised how much less distracting it is. Microsoft is finally listening to the outcries of Windows users everywhere. They’re giving us an operating system that is simpler to use and stays out of our way. It makes everyday computing a breeze.
Now one of the biggest grievances had with Vista was User Account Control (UAC). The constant pop-ups asking me if I was sure I wanted to go forward with every single action got old fast. The only way to be productive was to turn off UAC all together, obviously a less-than-desirable solution. But that was then and this is now. In 7, there are more degrees of UAC customization. You can decide exactly how much control UAC will have over your system. Personally, I prefer to have as few notifications as possible, so I set it to the lowest level possible without turning it off completely. I know what I’m doing. I don’t need to be asked if I’m sure I want to install iTunes or AIM or any other perfectly harmless application. Since I finished going through the initial phase of installing the programs I use most and setting things up to my liking, I haven’t seen a single warning message. And that’s exactly how it should be.
Basically, Windows 7 is everything I wanted in a new operating system and more. At first trial, 7 feels the same as any version of Windows. But after a few minutes, you start to realize that it’s just working the way you want it too. It doesn’t freeze. It doesn’t have driver issues. It doesn’t crash. I’ve yet to hear of a Blue Screen of Death in 7. The first release candidate (Build 7100 for those in the know) goes public today and I fully intend to install it as soon as I have a chance. The version I’m running now (Build 7068) is near perfect; I can’t imagine how much better 7100 could possibly be. If you’re interested at all, Build 7100 will be available for download directly from Microsoft from May 5 (today) through June and won’t expire until June 2010. That’s a whole year to test out Windows 7 legally and for free. How can you possibly beat that?
Enhanced AAC Podcasts in Windows?
Yes, it is possible. Not easy by any means, but possible. I've tested it myself and it works. Enhanced AAC is becoming increasingly popular among podcasters because it allows for a more interactive audio/visual experience. AAC allows for chapter divisions and changing artwork throughout the course of the podcast. This is especially useful for podcasts about TV and film because the host can include screen shots to accompany their commentary.
AAC has always been an option for Mac users only. Until now, the only way to create Enhanced AAC podcasts was by using Apple's GarageBand, which has no Windows equivalent. After lots of Googling, I ran across a little command line application called SlideShow Assembler. SSA makes it possible, if a bit confusing, to create Enhanced AAC podcasts in Windows. The principle is this: there is a text file (with the file extension .pod) that you edit in Notepad or another plain text editor. You type in the location of the audio you wish to use for your podcast, the desired name of the output file, the timestamps where you would like chapter breaks, and the locations of the images you would like to accompany those chapters. Once the .pod file is edited to your satisfaction, you simply drag and drop it onto the SSA.exe file (or a shortcut to it), and your Enhanced AAC file (it'll have a file extension of .m4a) will be generated automatically.
It sounds easy enough, but the hardest part is editing that .pod file. Not fun. It takes forever. Granted, it gets easier as you get used to it, but it's still very time consuming. There is a GUI Beta release available, but it doesn't allow for chapters or changing artwork. It pretty much defeats the purpose. It just lets you apply static cover art to an AAC file, a function that iTunes already has covered. So the only option is to do it manually. When you download SSA, there is an included PDF file with instructions, but it is written in a horribly confusing way that assumes you already know how the program works. I had to figure it out for myself, using the PDF manual for occasional assistance to verify that I was on the right track. Once I had it figured out, the pieces fell into place and the ouctome was great. The two gripes I have with the results are relatively minor ones. First, you have to create a separate chapter for each individual image. I regularly listen to podcasts that have multiple changing images within a single chapter. This might not be a big concern for some, but it could prove to be a pretty big inconvenience for others. If, for example, you want to discuss an episode of TV and include changing screen captures, each screen cap would need to be its own chapter. This means a lot of post-production work for the podcaster. My other minor concern is about links. You can embed a hyperlink in each image, but the problem SSA poses is that once you move on to the next chapter, the link from the previous chapter lingers. There might be a solution that I'm missing, but it seems like once you insert a link, it stays there for the rest of the podcast. The easy solution is to avoid links all together and just include the address to which you want to refer your listeners in the images you use.
So that's it. AAC in Windows is possible, but tricky. I recommend you give it a shot. If enough people use it, maybe they'll improve it or come out with a better GUI. I really want someone, be it Apple or some random college student, to come out with Windows software that functions similarly to GarageBand. A Windows version of GarageBand would be great, but that seems almost impossible at this point. If someone could build a small, simple piece of software for the sole purpose of drag-and-drop Enhanced AAC podcast creation, I'd be more than happy, and I'd even pay for it if the price was right. But for now, SSA is pretty darn good!
AAC has always been an option for Mac users only. Until now, the only way to create Enhanced AAC podcasts was by using Apple's GarageBand, which has no Windows equivalent. After lots of Googling, I ran across a little command line application called SlideShow Assembler. SSA makes it possible, if a bit confusing, to create Enhanced AAC podcasts in Windows. The principle is this: there is a text file (with the file extension .pod) that you edit in Notepad or another plain text editor. You type in the location of the audio you wish to use for your podcast, the desired name of the output file, the timestamps where you would like chapter breaks, and the locations of the images you would like to accompany those chapters. Once the .pod file is edited to your satisfaction, you simply drag and drop it onto the SSA.exe file (or a shortcut to it), and your Enhanced AAC file (it'll have a file extension of .m4a) will be generated automatically.
It sounds easy enough, but the hardest part is editing that .pod file. Not fun. It takes forever. Granted, it gets easier as you get used to it, but it's still very time consuming. There is a GUI Beta release available, but it doesn't allow for chapters or changing artwork. It pretty much defeats the purpose. It just lets you apply static cover art to an AAC file, a function that iTunes already has covered. So the only option is to do it manually. When you download SSA, there is an included PDF file with instructions, but it is written in a horribly confusing way that assumes you already know how the program works. I had to figure it out for myself, using the PDF manual for occasional assistance to verify that I was on the right track. Once I had it figured out, the pieces fell into place and the ouctome was great. The two gripes I have with the results are relatively minor ones. First, you have to create a separate chapter for each individual image. I regularly listen to podcasts that have multiple changing images within a single chapter. This might not be a big concern for some, but it could prove to be a pretty big inconvenience for others. If, for example, you want to discuss an episode of TV and include changing screen captures, each screen cap would need to be its own chapter. This means a lot of post-production work for the podcaster. My other minor concern is about links. You can embed a hyperlink in each image, but the problem SSA poses is that once you move on to the next chapter, the link from the previous chapter lingers. There might be a solution that I'm missing, but it seems like once you insert a link, it stays there for the rest of the podcast. The easy solution is to avoid links all together and just include the address to which you want to refer your listeners in the images you use.
So that's it. AAC in Windows is possible, but tricky. I recommend you give it a shot. If enough people use it, maybe they'll improve it or come out with a better GUI. I really want someone, be it Apple or some random college student, to come out with Windows software that functions similarly to GarageBand. A Windows version of GarageBand would be great, but that seems almost impossible at this point. If someone could build a small, simple piece of software for the sole purpose of drag-and-drop Enhanced AAC podcast creation, I'd be more than happy, and I'd even pay for it if the price was right. But for now, SSA is pretty darn good!
New York Comic Con Day 1
This past weekend was the most fun I've had since I went to Disney World last summer. New York Comic Con came to the Javits Center, and I was there the whole weekend. Early Friday afternoon, my friends Andrew, Tim, and I arrived at the convention center, checked in, and waited in line for the 1:00 opening. When the giant metal doors swung open, we and thousands of our fellow geeks poured through and scattered across the Con floor. The Con is comprised of two sections: the main floor and the panels. The main floor is home to hundreds of booths for various comic book publishers, retailers, authors, and artists, as well as related media like science fiction print novels, movies and TV shows. The panels are on a lower floor where there are a dozen or so rooms big enough to fit several hundred people. On the same floor is the IGN Theater, which is where most screenings and larger panels take place, seats about 3,000 guests.
Andrew, Tim, and I are especially big fans of DC Comics, so we focused most of our time on the DC panels. Our first order of business was a panel entitled "Superman: Building a Better Tomorrow." The panelists included the editors, writers, and artists currently working on the various titles in the Superman family of comics. We were really excited because we had the chance to meet most of the panelists afterward. The next item on the agenda brought us back to the Con floor for an autograph signing by Geoff Johns, who writes Green Lantern, will be writing Superman Secret Origins this summer, and until January was writing Action Comics featuring Superman. He is my absolute favorite writer right now, so I had to take the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for the great work he does. I feel like he is one of the few writers who understands the character of Superman as well as Clark Kent. At that point our friend Vin joined us for the day. He's not a major comics fan, but he wanted to come along and see what the con was like.
At that point we walked the Con floor for a while, doing some shopping and taking in the sights and sounds from the booths. We met the artists from explosm.net, who were offering free doodles to anyone who stopped by. We took advantage of that, of course. Next, we headed over to the autograph area where we met Peter Mayhew, better known to Star Wars fans as that lovable Wookiee, Chewbacca. It was really cool to meet him and I made sure to tell him how much I appreciated his work. I feel that he is underappreciated just because he didn't speak in the films and wore a costume that obscured his face.
Next, we went off to the Podcast Arena to meet Sean Whelan and Jim Segulin, the hosts of Raging Bullets: A DC Comics Fan Podcast. This is one of my favorite podcasts and I just wanted to quickly talk to the guys and tell them to keep up the good work. They were very friendly and seemed very glad to talk to a fan. At that point, we headed back to the panel area for the DC Nation panel. We sat in on the end of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold panel, which was especially cool because Phil Morris was there. Morris is best known for playing the roles of Jackie Chiles on Seinfeld and the Martian Manhunter on Smallville. We tried to meet him, but he was in a hurry to get to another panel so we didn't want to bother him. I did manage to snap a picture, though. Then began DC Nation. Many the major writers, artists, editors, and staff of DC Comics were present. They discussed everything happening in DC Comics, with a special focus on Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis. There was also an audience Q&A session, which was especially entertaining. At the end of that panel, we were excited to meet DC executive VP and editor Dan DiDio and renowned artist George Pérez. That ended Day 1.
Andrew, Tim, and I are especially big fans of DC Comics, so we focused most of our time on the DC panels. Our first order of business was a panel entitled "Superman: Building a Better Tomorrow." The panelists included the editors, writers, and artists currently working on the various titles in the Superman family of comics. We were really excited because we had the chance to meet most of the panelists afterward. The next item on the agenda brought us back to the Con floor for an autograph signing by Geoff Johns, who writes Green Lantern, will be writing Superman Secret Origins this summer, and until January was writing Action Comics featuring Superman. He is my absolute favorite writer right now, so I had to take the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for the great work he does. I feel like he is one of the few writers who understands the character of Superman as well as Clark Kent. At that point our friend Vin joined us for the day. He's not a major comics fan, but he wanted to come along and see what the con was like.
At that point we walked the Con floor for a while, doing some shopping and taking in the sights and sounds from the booths. We met the artists from explosm.net, who were offering free doodles to anyone who stopped by. We took advantage of that, of course. Next, we headed over to the autograph area where we met Peter Mayhew, better known to Star Wars fans as that lovable Wookiee, Chewbacca. It was really cool to meet him and I made sure to tell him how much I appreciated his work. I feel that he is underappreciated just because he didn't speak in the films and wore a costume that obscured his face.
Next, we went off to the Podcast Arena to meet Sean Whelan and Jim Segulin, the hosts of Raging Bullets: A DC Comics Fan Podcast. This is one of my favorite podcasts and I just wanted to quickly talk to the guys and tell them to keep up the good work. They were very friendly and seemed very glad to talk to a fan. At that point, we headed back to the panel area for the DC Nation panel. We sat in on the end of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold panel, which was especially cool because Phil Morris was there. Morris is best known for playing the roles of Jackie Chiles on Seinfeld and the Martian Manhunter on Smallville. We tried to meet him, but he was in a hurry to get to another panel so we didn't want to bother him. I did manage to snap a picture, though. Then began DC Nation. Many the major writers, artists, editors, and staff of DC Comics were present. They discussed everything happening in DC Comics, with a special focus on Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis. There was also an audience Q&A session, which was especially entertaining. At the end of that panel, we were excited to meet DC executive VP and editor Dan DiDio and renowned artist George Pérez. That ended Day 1.