Catching Up

This post rolls a few things into one in a kinda catchup way, since I've been a little lax in blogging and releasing screencasts recently. First thing to mention is that I appeared on the TechBytes audiocast with Roy and Tim as a guest speaking about Linux Mint and enjoyed it so much that I am now a regular co-host on the show. So far I've appeared on 5 shows.

I often think of ideas that would work in audio or video form but I'm not quite sure the correct outlet for it. In some cases it may suit the Digital Prism Screencast, in some cases it may not. For this reason I recently recorded and uploaded my first HPR episode in ages, it'll be on the schedule to be released at some point. If I have the calendar worked out, it'll be released on Friday the 10th December.

TechBytes is an additional outlet for some of these ideas, as and when they suit. The show is about current events in IT / IT policies and abuses. I do feel after each episode that there was so much we didn't cover but we want to try and keep the episodes at a listenable length, and we always have the next episode to continue themes or relook at subjects. Roy and Tim were still figuring out what TechBytes would be before I joined them, we are still figuring that out, as such it will probably change a bit during each episode as we find our feet.

None of us are presenters, we're just blokes who hooked up a recording via VoIP and have a discussion. We all keep an eye on various news stories as time and interest permit, and a show can happen as quick as 10mins after a suggestion in IRC if we're all available to record. It is a community show, so people are encouraged to get involved. We are hoping to do some more interviews in the near future with people from not only the tech world but the world of civil rights. We also want to keep the show as simple in post production terms as possible so that we can get them out and allow people to listen to them. We also aim to be as fair and factually correct as we can, which can appear negative at times; it reflects the subject we cover and the actions of some of the players involved.

Anyone who has listened to the last two will note the next point; I am currently choked with the cold. Since I record screencasts in a single take monologue, having a cold makes that awkward. I've chosen to hold off recording any more until it's cleared up. I've found that you tend to forget just how many handkerchiefs you go through when you have a cold, as it seems like every 10mins you're reaching for a fresh one. A side benefit of losing your taste buds is that it's an excuse to work through the food in the cupboard that you weren't all that keen on, given that everything tastes terrible anyway.

Starting on Thursday my bathroom suite was ripped out and a new one installed, so I've had cold days sitting indoors with the door open and tradesmen coming and going for different parts of the process. It's passed the half way point and as I type, I have a couple of tilers working away. I have to say the work they've done so far has been very good. They're well behaved and hard working.