Kreg and Chuck get their first interview in the movie industry. Anthony Mann joins us to talk about his independent film “The Terror of Dracula”. As they usually do, Chuck and Kreg find out more than just movie facts. Have some fun and listen.

So it’s been a while since my last strategy guide. Honestly, I haven’t written anything because the game hasn’t changed much since then. Which is my way of complaining that Zynga has been dragging its feet on rolling out missions and levels for the Android version of Hanging With Friends.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve learned in the last couple thousand words or so.

0. Don’t give up, even when you are down to your last balloon.

1. People just love to play any word that starts with J. I’d guess that around 10% of the word’s played against me will start with the letter J. It’s obviously because J is a 10 point letter and the easiest way to use a particular letter is to spell a word that starts with the letter. And building words that start with J is relatively easy, compared to building words that start with Q, Z or X.

2. If you can build a word that uses all four of your vowels, it is very likely to stump your opponent. This may be because it is hard to squeeze four vowels into an eight (or fewer) letter word. Therefore your opponent is unlikely to keep guessing vowels after the second or third one is found. Whatever the reason, no one has ever solved QUEUE.

3. If your word reveals two or more vowels from the start, it is very likely to be solved. I’d say the likelihood of guessing the word is 90%. Think about it. If two letters out of eight are given away for free, that’s a quarter of the word and you’ve sketched a pretty good map to guess the rest of the word.

4. Some people are now trying to use reverse psychology to build simple words in hope that their opponent will guess high value letters and fail. This can work in certain circumstances, but the strategy is not as straightforward as playing CATS and hoping for the best. The way to make it work is to put yourself into your opponent’s shoes and figure out how you would solve the word yourself. Once you’ve got your opponent comfortable, that is when you zig, where you would normally have zagged.

Let’s take this simple four letter word as it would be presented to your opponent, *A**. If you’ve read my first HwF strategy guide you will start by guessing S. And you would be rewarded with *A*S. Now comes the somewhat random game of hoping to hit one of the blanks with a random guess. You start with T, and then N, and then R, and then … wait you got something, *ARS. Remembering tip #1 from this post, you immediately try J. And you are honestly surprised that the word isn’t JARS. Well, how many other words could it be? BARS, CARS, GARS, LARS, MARS, PARS, VARS…

Did you remember to try EARS and OARS? Probably not. That’s because you were going through words in your head that ended with the -ars sound. And, let’s be honest, EARS and OARS are only 4 point words and who would waste their time building a 4 point word? But the real head fake is the vowel at the start of the word. I did notice that the vast majority of words played in HwF start with a consonant and that there may be a strategic advantage to playing a word that starts with a vowel.

Well, that is enough for now. If you would like to start a game with me, my username is MADMARV.

Now totally expect to see a live performance of this at Dragon*Con.

In this episode…

• A message from the future
• A message from the past
• and a message to put on your do not call list

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback:

• Email from Charles Stell
• VMail from Mark in Memphis

Introducing the team…

• Happy Birthday to:
• 03 – Keao Wright
• 03 – Leon
• 05 – Joe Mieczkowski host of Onthepodcast
• 06 – Amber Pace (not really a listener, but a mother and a wife of listeners)
• 06 – Bill Barbour
• 06 – Steve Bickle
• 08 – Curtis Parish
• 12 – Amanda Huggenkiss
• 14 – JPCJ
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

On This Day In History for May 9, 2012

• 1874 – The first horse-drawn bus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, traveling two routes.
• 1887 – Buffalo Bill Cody‘s Wild West Show opens in London.
• 1904 – The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
• 1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd’s diary seems to indicate that this did not happen).
• 1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle‘s Enovid, making Enovid the world’s first approved oral contraceptive pill.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• 1837 – Adam Opel, German engineer and industrialist (d. 1895)
• 1874 – Howard Carter, British archaeologist (d. 1939)
• 1927 – Manfred Eigen, German biophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• 1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
• 1931 – Vance Brand, American astronaut

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for May 9, 2012
We’ve been nominated for a Parsec!

News

• What would happen if you put your hand in front of the LCH beam?

Hacks & Strange Stories

• It’s now legal to kill bigfoot in Texas!
• Berkeley student automates his dorm room
• Looks like it violates dorm room rules

Remember When

• 1920s engineers believed the electric age wouldn’t last

Media Corner

• MIB Inspired treats
• TARDIS cat house
• A little discussion about the Avengers

What the Chuck

• Sky Mall: Rejuvenate your skin with expensive crap

End of Show Stuff

Promos From:

• It has come to my attention
• Plane Crazy Down Under
• Tales from the Archives – Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

• No show next week – Chuck is traveling (again).
• Next show date is June 6
• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micropayment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.
• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• Join us on Sunday night at 9:30 ET. You must follow Kreg, me, or Technorama Podcast on Google+
• You, for downloading and listening
• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

In this episode…

• A way to grow your double your brain capacity
• The French apologize for everything
• We take a hands on look at the first sentient robot

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes

Introducing the team…

• Happy Birthday to:
• 29 – Shepherd Thom from outside of the known universe
• 30 – Julio Diaz (JulioTijuana)
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

On This Day In History for April 25, 2012

• It was on this date in 1782 that Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
• The last survivors of the Donner Party are out of the wilderness today in 1847
• Also today in 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
• New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates on this date in 1901
• Today in 1939 – DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics – he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.
• Also on this date in 1953 – Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid describing the double helix structure of DNA.
• 53 years ago today – The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
• it was on this date in 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
• Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit today in 1961.
• 29 years ago today, Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto‘s orbit.
• and today in 2003 – The Human Genome Project comes to an end two and a half years earlier than expected.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• Scottish astronomer James Ferguson, born today in 1710
• Also born on this date in 1849 German mathematician Felix Klein
• American aviator John Bevins Moisant, was born today in 1868
• Italian inventor, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Guglielmo Marconi, was born today 1874
• Happy birthday to French astronomer, Gerard Henri de Vaucouleurs, today in 1918
• Also Felix Berezin, the Russian mathematician was born today in 1931
• Hank Azaria, the man of many voices on the Simpsons turns 48
• Firefly actress Gina Torres, turns 43
• as does actress Renée Zellweger

News

• The Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver is now real
• Study: Two beers makes you clever-er

Hacks & Strange Stories

• Did Technorama inspire the handmade particle accelerator?
• Designer nori on your sushi?
• Ever heard of Witzelsucht? Sounds funny … at first.

Remember When

• The Apple ][ just turned 35!
• Why we don’t have robots at restaurants. These guys ruined it for everyone!

What the Chuck!

• Internet idiot of the week

What the Kreg!

• I saw The Three Stooges today

End of Show Stuff

• No show next week for May 2, 2012. Chuck is out of town (again) – sorry
• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.
• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• Your name could be here
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.
• You, for downloading and listening
• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Coming up in this episode…

• News from the Trekverse
• How to use math to get out of a traffic ticket
• Wal-Mart has lowest prices on 10 year old tech

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• 04 – Brian K – My Blog
• 04 – Joel McLaughlin (aka Gorkon)
• 05 – Chad Davis
• 05 – Jon Issler (hsteckylf)
• 05 – Griffin Sylvester (Ildreancipher)
• 05 – Martine Tysmans – citytrips, travelling, jokes… (in Dutch)
• 05 – Ringmaster Greg from Dancing With Elephants
• 06 – Trevor Litecky (future Geek)
• 07 – P.C. Haring
• 14 – Danny Harnish
• 18 – Skaifey (Anthony)
• 19 – Amanda (SusietheGeek’s daughter & Geek in Training)
• 23 – Runtime
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

News

• New Star Trek Phase 2 Episode « TrekToday
• Jack Tramiel passed away- Founder of Commodore
• Physicist gets out of ticket with math

Hacks & Strange Stories

• Apple Macintosh 128k prototype with 5.25-inch Twiggy floppy drive for sale on eBay — Engadget
• Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Internet & PC – YouTube

Remember When

• WalMart selling 10 year old digital camera for $200

Media Corner

• Video of the Day: Star Trek Mistakes Part 6 – The Final Nitpick | TrekMovie.com
• Call of Reach: Episode #3 Lag In Real Life – YouTube
• PAC-MAN The Movie (The Fan Film) – YouTube
• MAKE | 9-Year-Old’s DIY Cardboard Arcade Gets Flashmobbed

What the Kreg!

• My adventure at Create South 2012

End of Show Stuff

• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.
• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening
• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Coming up in this episode…

• April Fools Stuffs that were floating about on the internet..
• Loose format on this episode
• So, don’t expect much

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

April Fools Links

• Chew On This: Rechargeable Gum – The Blogs at HowStuffWorks
• ThinkGeek :: Star Wars Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass
• ThinkGeek :: Keurig K-cup™ 5-Star Meals
• Google
• YouTube – Broadcast Yourself
• Introducing Gmail Tap
• Google Street Roo – exploring the outback one bounce at a time
• Google Racing
• rock hill weather – Google Search – Update Your Weather
• Google Maps 8-bit for NES – YouTube
• Reddit has a time Machine
• Adblock is showing me Cats instead if Ads (Kreg)
• http://xkcd.com/# Displays a different comic depending on Browser, Location, etc. (discussion at Reddit)

End of Show Stuff

• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.
• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening
• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

In this episode…

• A hill of beans actually does amount to something
• Another perfectly normal thing shaped like a gun
• Have you seen the new iPad? Are you sure?

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• 23 – Steve Riekeberg a.k.a. MissingIntellect of Geek Cred
• 23 – Richard Parkman
• 25 – Nicholas St Gabriel
• 26 – Chuck Tomasi
• 26 – Brina Baird in Hampton, VA
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

On This Day In History for March 21, 2012
This is the 81st day of the year. There are 285 days remaining in 2012.

• It was on this date in 1871 that Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
• Also on this date in 1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
• Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes on this date 49 years ago.
• NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes, March 21, 1965.
• Today in 1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Mayor of San Francisco Joseph Alioto.
• It was also March 21, 1980 – On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant, leading to the catchphrase “Who shot J.R.?“
• and 13 years ago Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• German composer 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, (d. 1750)
• French mathematician 1768 – Joseph Fourier, (d. 1830)
• American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate 1932 – Walter Gilbert,
• The man who plays Alexi Volkhoff on one of our favorite shows, actor Timothy Dalton, turns 66.
• American computer scientist Scott Fahlman celebrates his 64th birthday today
• and finally Ferris Beuller, actor Matthew Broderick, turns 49.

It’s also

• International World Puppetry Day
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• Mother’s Day (in most of the Arab World)
• Truant’s Day in Poland
• International Earth Day

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for March 21, 2012

News

• Unix Creators get their day!
• How do you like your new iPad? Are you sure?
• Cape Cod doctor offers vasectomy and free pizza

Hacks & Strange Stories

• Elaborate Steampunk wine bottle opener
• Old time stock ticker gets new life
• Not just the musical fruit: Beans can be deadly

Remember When

• Scientology’s predictions from the past

Media Corner

• Pics of Katee Sackhoff in the upcoming Riddick movie
• Which Batmobile would win a race, 1966 or 1989?

What the Chuck!

• Bad idea: A camera shaped like a gun

What the Kreg!

• Breaking News.. Ninja Turtles are an Alien Race? Tough, edgy? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles no longer mutants? Really, Michael Bay?

Geek Library

• 10 hours of Darth Vader breathing

End of Show Stuff

• Don’t forget -only a few more days to let us know if you want to March in the Dragon*Con parade with us! Deadline is March 31, 2012. It’s shaping up to be a great team!
• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama [at] chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.
• Thanks to Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

In this episode…

• Think it’s cool to be in a Star Wars film? Think again.
• The stupid things people put on Facebook
• A lot of interesting stuff from yester-year

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• 16 – Michelle Lopez a.k.a. CntrySigns
• 18 – Gregory Lemon of Myth Show and Myth Minute
• 19 – JT Shea of The Gigcast and JT Ukes at 40
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

On This Day In History for March 14, 2012

This is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, there 292 remaining in 2012.

• It was on this date in 1794 that Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
• That same date in 1903 The Hay-Herran Treaty, granting the United States the right to build the Panama Canal, is ratified by the United States Senate. The Colombian Senate would later reject the treaty.
• It was also March 14 1910 that the Lakeview Gusher, the largest U.S. oil well gusher near Bakersfield, California, vented to atmosphere.
• Orvan Hess and John Bumstead became the first in the world to successfully treat a patient, Anne Miller, using penicillin today in 1942.
• 48 years ago today a jury in Dallas, Texas, finds Jack Ruby guilty of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy.
• Linux kernel version 1.0.0 is released today in 1994.
• Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on-board a Russian launch vehicle on this date in 1995

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, born on this date in 1835
• German scientist and Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich, was also born today in 1854
• Also born today in 1863 – American railroad engineer Casey Jones
• A name everyone recognizes, Mr. E=Mc2, Albert Einstein was born today in 1879
• Polish mathematician Waclaw Sierpinski was born 130 years ago today
• Aircraft designer for the Douglas Aircraft company,  Ed Heinemann was born on this date in 1908
• American astronaut and CEO Frank Borman turns 83.
• and finally American astronaut, Eugene Cernan, celebrates his 78th birthday today.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for March 14, 2012

News

• Woman finds husband’s other wife on Facebook
• Mythbusters may be able to save sunken cruise ship
• Personal Note: Going to see Mythbusters in Raleigh in a couple of weeks
• USS Enterprise Takes Its Final Voyage – Slashdot

Hacks & Strange Stories

• The meth king who spent his drug money on comic books!

Remember When

• 1939 – Robot Dog gets kills chasing car
• Behold the biggest prop airplane
• An eReader from 1935
• The first robot brains were made from alarm clocks
• Rocket powered mail… Why not?

Media Corner

• Muppet’s Dr. Bunsen Honeydew congratulates Mars Rover Team
• It’s not easy being young Anakin Skywalker
• Dick Clark is Selling His Flintstones Home | Cartoon Brew

End of Show Stuff

• We will be dressing and marching as MIB again in the Dragon*Con Parade! Let us know if you want to join us in the parade before March 31, 2012
• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Some creative Russians are upstaging all those pesky Americans. They’ve outfitted an RC helicopter to look like a Delorean from Back To the Future.
All we need now is a little rocket and a miniaturized Flux Capacitor.

Coming up in this episode…

• It’s election season and one of our favorites has won
• What ever happened to toys of mass destruction?
• A social network I’ll never be joining – EVER!

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the hangout
• Happy Birthday to:
• 07 – Ben Maddox a.k.a. CptRootbeer
• 07 – Caleb from Dancing With Elephants
• 08 – Ali Zein Yousuf a.k.a. superAL1394
• 08 – BJ Keifer a.k.a bjk
• 11 – Andy Helsby of Absoblogginlutely!
• 11 – Ken Kitzman a.k.a kitzken
• 13 – Johanna Gonzalez a.k.a. MightyJo
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

Feedback

Will Shattuck writes:

“Hey Guys,
Here’s a social engineering hack.  A security expert used several social engineering techniques to sneak in to the RSA Security Conference.  Kind of ironic, huh?
Take care,
Will”

On This Day In History for March 7, 2012

• It was on this date in 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the telephone.
• The German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore today in 1900.
• and it was 100 years ago today that Roald Amundsen announces that his expedition had reached the South Pole nearly 3 months earlier.
• on March 7, 1950, The Soviet Union issues a statement denying that Klaus Fuchs served as a Soviet spy.
• it was today in 1985 that The song “We Are the World” has its international release.
• Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor 26 years ago today.
• and today in 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that parodies of an original work are generally covered by the doctrine of fair use.
• the Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, is launched exactly three years ago today.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• French physicist Antoine César Becquerel born on this date in 1788
• Also born today in 1792 – John Herschel, the English mathematician and astronomer
• Astrophotography pioneer Henry Draper was born on this date in 1837
• American television broadcaster Willard Scott turns 78 today
• Astronomer Alan Hale turns 54
• and finally actor TJ Thyne turns 37

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for March 7, 2012

News

• Bender elected head of school board – REALLY!
• NASA lost a laptop with unencrypted space station codes
• Ralph McQuarrie passes away. Long time concept artist for a TON of Scifi properties

Hacks & Strange Stories

• The flash drive you’ll want to leave home
• Do we really need a cupcake ATM?
• Warp Drives May Come With a Killer Downside
• * Robot Quadrotors Perform James Bond Theme – YouTube

Remember When

• Toy to teach you to drop atom bombs

Media Corner

• How much would it cost to rent the TARDIS?
• Rejected Star Wars Toys
• Concept art: Star Wars light saber rolling papers
• * (from Reddit) – I Judged A Science Fair… - Is terminal velocity attainable in Portal 2?

What the Chuck!

• A location based condom?

Geek Library

• Kid’s visions of the year 2076 from 100 years earlier

End of Show Stuff

• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store

• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening

• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Craig Glassner is a long time Technorama listener as well as a Park Ranger that works at Alcatraz and has for quite a while. He is very knowledgeable and knows all the ins and outs. 

We talk to Craig about the history of Alcatraz and the Hollywood history as well, and perhaps come up with a few things you didn’t know about the place.

Coming up in this episode…

• McFood you didn’t McKnow about
• Strange animal and strange music come together
• Hollywood got it wrong, again?

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• No birthdays on the calendar this week!
• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Listen to the audio stream if you happen to be around. If you cannot make it, you can find us on ustream.tv. Search for Technorama.

Feedback

• Voice mail from Bruce Barr

On This Day In History for February 29, 2012

• It was on this date in 1504 that Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
• Did you know there was a February 30th? Today in 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Old style.
• Also today in 1916 In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
• Bill Keane’s comic Family Circus makes its debut today in 1960.
• An earthquake in Morocco kills over 3,000 people and nearly destroys Agadir in the southern part of the country that same day in 1960.
• Also on this date in 1972 – Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract.
• and 16 years ago today – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, born on this date in 1792
• Also born today in 1840 – Submarine designer and inventor John Philip Holland,
• The man for whom punch cards were named, American statistician Herman Hollerith was born today in 1860
• Film director William A. Wellman, was also born today in 1896
• as was band leader Jimmy Dorsey in 1904
• Vance Haynes, the American archaeologist turns 84 today
• and mathematician Gene Golub was born on this date in 1932
• Finally American astronaut Jack Lousma celebrates his 76th birthday today

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for February 29, 2012

News

• Why do astronauts crave spicy food?
• Check your cables before announcing you’ve made a breakthrough discovery

Hacks & Strange Stories

• McDonalds foods you may not have known about
• Say hello to the Badgermin

Remember When

• Pinball pioneer Pete Kordek dies at 100
• Gorgar
• Disney used to try and license anything

Media Corner

• Indiana Jones, or rather Hollywood, may have gotten it wrong (again)
• Kreg, as you enjoy watching ST:TNG, watch how many times Worf is wrong
• How much would it cost to build the Death Star?

What the Chuck!

• Who thought the iPhone stove was a good idea?

Geek Library

• Some basic lessons on critical thinking and logic
• Midway has come out with the Coolest video game app I’ve found yet

Mentions

• (Kreg) I love The Clone Wars…I see what Darth Maul is coming back.

End of Show Stuff

• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.

• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening

• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

That’s Star Trek Voyager’s Doctor, not that Doctor. I’ve been mainlining Voyager and ran across something actually worthy of sharing. This clip is from season 6 was the first one that got more than a chuckle out of me.

Coming up in this episode…

• School encourages better grammar with a ban
• A job interview test from yesterday
• We’ll make you wish you were dying

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• 23 – Zhadum
• 23 – Keith Hughes(a.k.a. EdGizmo)
• 25 – Norbert
• 25 – Sandi Sheppard (Mark’s lovely wife)
• 29 – Paul Dove a.k.a Eilmer From Malmesbury UK

• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• Listen to the audio stream if you happen to be around. If you cannot make it, you can find us on ustream.tv. Search for Technorama.

Voice Mail

• Bruce Barr

On This Day In History for February 22, 2012

• It was on this date in 1632 that Galileo‘s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published.
• That same date in 1879 in Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of 5 and dime Woolworth stores.
• The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina today in 1904. The islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
• U.S. President Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House. on this date in 1924. (That was two years after President Harding brought the first radio to the White House.)
• and today in 1995 – The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified.
• It was exactly one year ago today that an earthquake measuring 6.3 in magnitude strikes Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 181 people.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• German mathematician Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, born today in 1817
• also born today in 1824 French astronomer Pierre Janssen
• Russian mathematician Nikolay Sonin, was born on this date in 1849
• and on February 22, 1857 German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was born
• this time a SWISS physicist -Walter Ritz, was born in 1878
• Danish physical chemist Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, was born today in 1879
• also born today in 1880 – Hungarian mathematician Frigyes Riesz
• Yeah – another physicist – German physicist Fritz Strassmann was born today in 1902
• The world’s tallest man ever measuring in at 8 feet 11.1 inches (or 2.72 meters), Robert Wadlow, was born on this date in 1918
• The crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin would have been 50 today.
• and finally, one of the two men who brought us the Mortal Kombat video games, Ed Boon, turns 48

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for February 22, 2012
News

• School bans text messaging terms
• NASA ends their mainframe era

Hacks & Strange Stories

• We tried to warn you – texting and walking is dangerous. Now we have proof.
• Always check your eBay items before you sell them!

Remember When

• Rare working Black Apple ][ on eBay
• We really didn’t know too much about space travel back in John Glenn’s days

Media Corner

• I wish I were dying so I could make a wish like this – Drivable R2-D2
• Chuck’s favorite floppy drive song yet

What the Chuck!

• (From Mike Wills and Will Shattuck) Canadian digs out basement using only radio controlled tractors and trucks… since 2005!

Geek Library

• Could you have passed Thomas Edison’s job interview test?
• Great way to troll someone’s windows desktop
• Great juxtaposition (image)

End of Show Stuff

• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.

• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening

• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Coming up in this episode…

• Don’t like what you’re kids are doing online? We’ve got an answer.
• A wedding proposal based on our show sign off?
• Do you remember the first PC game? It’s baaaaack!

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

Introducing the team…

• Shout out to the chat room
• Happy Birthday to:
• 15 – Philip from Australia
• 19 – Scooter in Connecticut
• 19 – Steve in Sumter

• If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.
• We are doing this again on Google+ as a hangout. We’d love to see you there and hopefully one day we’ll get the On Air capability.

On This Day In History for February 15, 2012

• It was on this date in 1946 that ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
• that same date in 1971, The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
• Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time on this date in 1972.
• February 15, 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
• At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people today in 1996.
• and just 11 years ago in 2001 the first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.

Happy Birthday goes out on this day to:

• Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei born on this date in 1564.
• Cyrus McCormick, American inventor was born today in 1809
• Also born on this date in 1812 – Jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany
• Irish Antarctic exploer Sir Ernest Shackleton was born on this date in 1874
• turn 78 today is Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth
• Astronaut Roger Chaffee was born today in 1935
• One of our favorite cartoonists, Matt Groening turns 58.
• and finally NASA Astronaut Leland D. Melvin, celebrates his 48th birthday today

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for February 15, 2012
Listener Feedback

• Matt Beckwith
• Suzie the Geek
• Mark in Memphis

News

• Don’t like what your kids are doing on Facebook? Here’s one way to deal with it.

Hacks & Strange Stories

• There’s no such thing as a free cup of coffee
• Strange binary wedding proposal

Remember When

• 1930s: Robots were killing the music industry

Media Corner

• Space 1999 remake?
• Also available on io9.com
• Lucas claims that Greedo always shot first

What the Kreg!

• Saw Star Wars 1 in 3D
• Saw Space Junk

Geek Library

• First ever PC game now available on iPhone
• How to read menus the scientific way

End of Show Stuff

• Keep listening: Interview with Ranger Craig Glassner from Alcatraz coming up
• We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
• Call the Listener Line: 206-222-CHAT (2428)
• Email: technorama@chuckchat.com
• or on Twitter! @Ctomasi, @Steppek, and @technorama
• Web Site: www.chuckchat.com (forums, swag, webcam, mail lists, links in the show notes, and more)
• How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micro payment.
• Or a review on the iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, or any one of the many podcast directories.

• Thanks to
• Mad Marv for providing the great blog content
• Everyone who sent us links during the week
• Those who joined us in the hangout
• You, for downloading and listening

• This show is a member of Friends in Tech. Find out more at FriendsInTech.com
• We’re also affiliated with FarpointMedia.com  and all the great podcasts over there. Check them out, we know you’ll  find something you’ll enjoy. There are new shows coming on board all the  time.
• If you’re getting this show by clicking on the link on the web site, consider subscribing to get the show automatically delivered to you for free. Drop either one of us an email if you would like more information.
• Tell a friend about Technorama and…
• binary high five

Funny and mostly true…or true and mostly funny things cosplayers say. I think I have heard all of these things said at one con or another.

This the most disturbingly gripping way to show the magnitude of last year’s earthquakes in Japan. I’ve skipped forward to just before everything gets crazy.

What can you say when there’s a teaser trailer for a Superbowl commercial?

This commercial had better live up to the hype.