During Adrian’s moving extravaganza, enjoy a little whimsy in your day with an outtake episode!

Hulu is designing a new model that will require you to already be a cable subscriber to view their content.  Seattle’s first SUpervillain threatens Seattle’s existing superhero population.  Microsoft dropping DVD/Blu-ray support for Windows 8.  NY Judge rules that IP addresses are not sufficient evidence to identify copyright infringers.  A new smartphone app allows you to register a complaint against the TSA as soon as it happens.  A bug in new Samsung TVs causes them to restart in an endless loop.  A Mexican ad company deploys a machine that trades dog droppings for free WiFi.  The Listserve is a new mailing list where one subscriber per day is randomly selected to send a personal essay to the list each day. Symantec says religious websites are more prone to malware insertion than porn sites.  Venus will make a once-in-a-lifetime appearance next month.  All this plus an Epic Fail, Recent Study, Dumbass Apple News, and Oh Asia You So Crazy!  Plus Ryder says things.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/98

The 100th episode is coming up and we’re bring Ryder out of retirement for it!  Join us live on Ustream on June 3rd at 6pm EST for this auspicious event!

This week, players attempt to destroy the economy in EVE Online.  A 92-year-old bootlegger sens thousands of films to troops overseas.  Axe Cop! is coming to television (insert ubiquitous Fox joke here).  Source code for the Apollo and Gemini programs has been released and curated.  University of Florida has eliminated it’s Computer Science program.  A redditor embarks on a summer-long adventure bouncing around the US to do the things you want him to do.  IBM and Cisco have teamed up to develop the smart city of the future.  Cybercriminals exploit Björk’s Biophilia App To Compromise Androids.  Fort Atlantic releases their new album on an NES cartridge.  Who owns the files on your Google Drive?  All this, plus a Recent Study, this week’s Epic Fail, and Oh Asia You So Crazy!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/97

Play Frogger with real traffic and fake frogs.  DirecTV pulls a bonehead move and locks out a lot of their customers from their content.  Assassin’s Creed may have blatantly ripped off it’s content.  A bicyclist uses GPS to create meta art.  Man gets arrested for going through TSA checkpoint naked.  A group in the U.K. try to make coding more accessible to kids.  All this and this weeks Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, and Ryder Says Things.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/96

A new ISP that takes your privacy seriously.  Google launches “The Power of the Internet” campaign.  A study suggests that violent video games build cooperation and social skills, not violent tendencies.  Kidnap victim rescued with the power of Twitter.  NYC begins replacing pay phones with touch screen computers.  High scool juniors develop flavor strips for astronauts.  Facebook acquires Instagram for $1 billion.  All this and a Recent Study, Dumbass Apple News, an Epic Fail, and this week’s Oh Asia You So Crazy!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/96

Viacom sues Youtube… AGAIN! Richard Clark shows his utter inability to grasp the fundamentals of the Internet.  Google finally shows us what augmented reality will look like.  The US Government uses the kiddie porn defense to keep the Megaupload Servers offline.  Dell acquires Wyse Technologies.  A Federal judge rules P2P users aren’t in a conspiracy.  Video game companies agree to close sex offenders’ online accounts.  Bravo announces a new “I can has Cheezburger” reality show.  Plus, Epic Fails, a Recent Study, Ryder Says Things and Oh Asia You So Crazy!  Also, tell us your ridiculous TSA stories!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/94

A high school senior in Indiana is expelled for a profane tweet. A UK gang netted over iTunes fraud. Qualcomm calls for an end to proprietary drivers. A fungus that eats polyurethane may be the end to non-biodegradable waste. Tron light cycles in less than 226 bytes. A gooey joystick for your smart phone. Alabama wants to protect you from cyberbullying take away your first amendment rights. Plus, a Recent Study, Oh Asia You So Crazy, and Ryder Says Things!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/93

Facebook fights back against nosy employers. UK student extradited to the US for “pirating.” Congress wants your TSA stories. DoD networks are completely compromised. NetZero offers free 4G data. What do neutrinos and satellites have in common? Listen in to find out! Plus, a Recent Study, an Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, and Ryder says Things!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/92

The FBI can’t crack Android’s Pattern Lock. The Sanford Airport says no to the TSA. March Madness will be streamed to all of the Internet. Encyclopedia Britannica ceases production of encyclopedias. People are sending money to the RIAA and MPAA in droves, listen in to find out why. Homeless people in Austin, TX have become 4G hotspots for SXSW. Is your ISP spying on you? If they aren’t they will soon start! All this, and a Recent Study, a couple of Epic Fails, and an Oh Asia, You So Crazy!  Plus, Ryder says Things!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/91

LulzSecs leader has been arrested, is this the end for the notorious group?  More and more employers and colleges are demanding you give them your Facebook password.  Reddit forms a PAC to oust Lamar Smith from office, and Mediawiki transfers all their domains away from GoDaddy.  Crowdfunding insvestors is moving closer to Congressional approval.  Warner has a “quick and easy” way for you to rip your DVDs into DRMed digital media that is neither quick nor easy.  NBC will livestream the 2012 Olympics in its entirity for free.  MIT offers a certificate in piracy.  The U.S. government deems that if your domain is a .com, they have jurisdiction to seize it.  The Washington Post hires CmdrTaco of Slashdot fame.  Flying swarms of robots may start to provide WiFi to protestors and activists.  All this, plus a Recent Study, this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”, and another installment of Ryder Says Things.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/90

Find out how Futurama’s Bender became the head of the Washington D.C. School Board. A Frenchman sues Google. Are Railgun’s close to being a reality? The Chinese public wreck Google Plus for the rest of us. Facebook is spying on us. Go grocery shopping with a cart that follows you around. All this, plus an Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, and a Recent Study. Plus, we introduce a new segment: Ryder Says Things.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/89

HUD glasses, self-sanitizing water bottles, and 3D robot dinosaurs, oh my! We discuss these topics, plus is there a Kickstarter for Porn? All this, plus this week’s Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, a Recent Study, and the Question of the Week makes a triumphant return!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/88

This week cancer robots have free range of Nevada highways, Pinterest makess money, EFF fights patents, and Google+ teaches you how to cook.  A fifth grader discovers a new molecule and Steve Jobs wins an award.   Tune in to find out what this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!” is and we’re bringing back an old segment!

The 3rd Annual BasementCast!  If you weren’t there, you certainly missed out!  There was a Bacon Explosion, homebrewed beer, and some interesting commentary on current events.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/86

Yet another outtake episode due to technical difficulties.  Next week is Basement 3.  Come join us at 5pm EST in the basement of 1201 College Ave in Houghton, MI!

Two weeks until BasementCast 3! Adrian is working on getting the live cast working for it so if you can’t be with us in person, you can be there via the Internet.

This week, our fine and well-pedigreed hosts discuss SOPA’s big brother ACTA, 3D printing, a new free college, gnu (and blowjob) scanners, Super-WIFI, and the magic-eye watch.

Sega introduces a crazy new gaming device in Japan which is So Crazy. A would-be adventurer tries to follow in Bear Gryles footsteps (guess how that ends?). Listen to this episode to find out where in P-space Pac-Man falls.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/84

In this week’s episode, Adrian and James discuss the takedown of Megaupload and the raid of Kim Dotcom’s “lair”.  Anonymous shows what they think of the Megaupload takedown.  As if you hadn’t heard enough about SOPA, over 7000 sites participated in an Internet Blackout on Wednesday Jan 18th.  The repercussions of Wikipedia’s blackout were felt all across Twitter.

In the back half of the show, the Russian space program discusses a joined moon base with NASA and the ESA.  In the past we’ve seen manufacturiing jobs move from the US to Asia, now we’re seeing a trend of R&D jobs moving in the same direction.  Google has some detractors in India: this week they vandalize the OpenStreetMap project and have also been linked to the Mocality scandal we discussed last week.  New York City takes an innovative approach to college prep: Software Engineering High School.  Adrian and James both agree that they would have tried to go there if they were still in high school.

This week, Japan is so crazy!  A store selling women’s clothing and accessories has decided to use an interesting ploy to draw in customers… We’ll call it “colorful language.”

Link for this weeks show are available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/83

Google is caught misbehaving by Kenyan startup Mocality.  Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Reddit has decided to turn their SOPA Blackout into a Learn-In.  A new drug has been developed that may keep you sober no matter how much you’ve had to drink.  Amazon will begin collecting Indiana sales tax starting in 2014.  Matt’s dream device – A virtual reality helmet that runs Android.  Japan’s trend in “boob” gadgets increases.  Scientists have found a way to use salmon DNA to create data storage devices that could be cheaper than their inorganic coutnerparts.

Submit and vote on stories at http://whatstherumpus.reddit.com/

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/82

Join the Revolution!

Apparently you can be sued for pirating a movie by the recording industry, even if you don’t own a computer or internet access – a retired woman in Germany found this out the hard way. We talk about SOPA and a workaround that could be used if SOPA is enacted. Universal Music Group shows their hand when they take down a video from Youtube that puts them in a bad light.

Ever heard an explanation of Star Wars in broken English?  This week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!” shows us what that sounds like.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/81

A new beer cooler prevents unwanted photos.  The WtR crew takes a stance on Duckface.  Is the TSA on its way out the door?  The fate of WebOS is finally decided.  Internet censorship?  We say no thanks!  Siri is Apple’s broken promise to the world.  The Rick Perry campaign is apparently not very Internet savvy.  Someone may or may not take an arrow to the knee.

Submit and vote for stories at http://whatstherumpus.reddit.com/

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/80

A Taiwanese man sues two people after one of them clicks the Facebook “like” button for a post the other made.  A pron video was accidentally played on an LED billboard in Wenzhou, China.  Google Maps plans to start charging for usage.  Amazon Prime members will be able to borrow Kindle books for free in the near future.  Giant Lego man washes ashore in Sarasota.  Plus, Science News and an Epic Fail!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/79

Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, this weeks episode is replaced with an outake episode.  Enjoy!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/078

10 things only bad managers say.  The creator of Unix and C died at the age of 70.  Siri says some weird things.  A computer virus hits the US Predator and Reaper drone fleets.  Netflix kills Qwikster.  The bassist from Weezer predicted his own death.  In the vein of the Likeable Consitution, there is now a Likeable Bible.  Plus, an Epic Fail and an “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/77

Steve Jobs dead at 56.  Siri means something completely different in Japan.  PassMyWill allows you to send your passwords to your loved ones posthumously.  A theater professor’s Firefly poster deemed threatening by campus public safety.  Make your own speed vest to show motorists how fast you’re going.  Fakegirlfriend.co is a new service that will pose as your girlfriend.  Psystar loses its appeal in Apple lawsuit.  Plus, this week’s Epic Fail!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/76

OnStar begins spying on customers’ GPS location for profit.  Okite is an iPhone alarm clock app that sends an embarassing tweet every time you hit the snooze button.  The Onion’s joke about “screams and gunfire” coming from inside Congress backfires.  There is a new danger for urban cyclists: Biker’s Lung.  Iran blocks TOR, TOR unblocks itself later that day.  The movie industry’s self-piract proves that IP addresses aren’t people.  Gordon Ramsey’s porn dwarf double has been eaten by a badger.  Will alcohol be available in a theater near you soon?  Also, Science News and “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”  Plus the re-emergence of the Fark Headline of the Week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/75

We’ve been following the plummet of Netflix over the last few months that started with the division of Netflix’s DVD service from it’s streaming service.  Last night Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, sent out an email to those customers who still remain with the service giving a long-delayed and well-deserved explanation about the plans for Netflix services.

Dear Adrian,

 

I messed up. I owe you an explanation.

It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.

 

For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn’t make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us). So we moved quickly into streaming, but I should have personally given you a full explanation of why we are splitting the services and thereby increasing prices. It wouldn’t have changed the price increase, but it would have been the right thing to do.

 

So here is what we are doing and why.

Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever made is published on DVD. DVD is a great option for those who want the huge and comprehensive selection of movies.

 

I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I can watch anytime I want. The benefits of our streaming service are really quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail. We need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolves, without maintaining compatibility with our DVD by mail service.

 

So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.

 

It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”. We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to quick delivery. We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.

 

Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to. It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies. One improvement we will make at launch is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Members have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail has its own team, we are finally getting it done. Other improvements will follow. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.

 

There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!). If you subscribe to both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current charges. We will let you know in a few weeks when the Qwikster.com website is up and ready.

 

For me the Netflix red envelope has always been a source of joy. The new envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo. I know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard. I imagine it will be similar for many of you.

 

I want to acknowledge and thank you for sticking with us, and to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly.

 

Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

-Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix

 

p.s. I have a slightly longer explanation along with a video posted on our blog, where you can also post comments.

 So what do you guys think?  “Appropriate and heartfelt” or “Too little, too late?”

Did Netflix’s price hike kill their business?  Nope!  Chuck Testa!  The U.S. Constitution is now available in a Facebook-likeable format.  An unfortunate typo causes the hero of a romance novel to have an “accident” on his lovers floor.  Heard of the bleeoo project?  It’s an oral history of modems.  The Peepoo is a personal, single-use, self-sanitising, fully biodegradable toilet that prevents feces from contaminating the immediate area as well as the surrounding ecosystem.  Rent out your toilet to strangers using Cloo’.  Buddhist monks destroy a Muslim shrine in Sri Lanka.  Indie devs upload their own games to the Pirate Bay.  Judge rules that employees can’t be fired for Facebook complaints.  Obama admin wants hackers charged as mobsters.  Plus, Science News for the week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/74

FEMA determines how bad a hurricane is by checking if the local Waffle House is open.  Listen in to find out how to determine how old your globe is.  Domino’s plans to open a pizza joint on the moon.  A company has devised a “green” way to dispose of human remains by liquifying the corpse.  Germany introduces “prostitute meters” to collect taxes.  The German ban on Doom has finally been lifted.  The Pirate Bay founders go legit with BayFiles.  Plus, a Recent Study, an Epic Fail, and “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/73

We explain how to use an RJ-45 keychain amd a wall dock to never misplace your keys again.  A man uses Portal 2 as an engine to propose to his girlfriend.  Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple, nothing changes. IBM builds a data drive that can back up the entire Web 60 times.  Donnie and Mark Wahlberg plan to open Wahlburger’s Burger Joint.  Google Street View team takes on the Amazon River.  Listen in to find out the 10 scariest hacks exposed at Black Hat and Defcon.  Fox delays Hulu availability, piracy surges.  CmdrTaco resigns from Slashdot.  All this and an Epic Fail, some Science News, and an “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/72

Henry Morgan’s long-lost flag ship discovered.  All of the Internet went down last week thanks to Amazon Web Services.  Abercrombie and Fitch cancels a customers account for being too loyal.  The Hipster Trek Tumblr is the best site on the Internet.  Anonymous vows to destroy Facebook on November 5th.  The first annual Defcon for Kids occurred in conjunction with Defcon 19 was designed for kids and even had some child presenters. Chuck talks about how much he hates Lifehacker now based on one article.  Plus, this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/071

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?  Skedaddle hides a secret, password-protected file drawer underneath you Mac’s desktop.  Virtual pets starve after bungled resolution to Second Life.  Is itching psychological?  Savvy bettors have learned how to beat the Massachusetts lottery.  A vindictive Walmart security guard accused a couple of shoplifting, gets husband deport, wife fired, and costs the couple their house and car.  PLus, the Study of the Week and this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/70

Malware could be hidden in your smart batteries.  War texting lets hackers unlock car doors via SMS.  A Manhattan man tests the limits of the Apple Store’s hospitality.  Scientists discover that an ancient black hole contains 100,000 suns worth of water.  A new moon is discovered orbiting Pluto.  Plans are in the works to build a solar tower twice the size of the Empire State Building in Arizona.  All this, plus the Study of the Week and “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/69

PETA demands that there be an extra tax on meat.  Police bust tweens for operating an unlicensed lemonade stand.  Jammie Thomas judgement lowered from $1.5 million to $54,000.  Plus, “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!” and the “Fail of the Week.”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/68

Google releases a new social network to compete with Facebook.  Finally!  Flying cars!  NASA’s final mission sneaks up on us.  Plus, “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/67

The title says it all.  Enjoy!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/66

So we’re ramping up from the mega-break to start recording again!  As a teaser, here’s an outtake episode for your enjoyment!  We’ll be posting a new episode in two weeks at the regularly scheduled time (Tuesday at noon), and I have a special surprise for you next week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/65

We try to avoid talking too much about politics, but one piece of news this week caught my eye.  The Libyan rebels, with the help of some Middle Eastern and Libyan-American friends, were able to hijack Gadhafi’s Libyana cellular network.

In the early days of the rebellion, Gadhafi shut off cell phones and internet to stem the flow of information out of Libya.  Since then the rebels have had to communicate via semaphore, and while flag signals are kind of a bad ass way of communicating, it sucks as a primary communication tool. 

Ousama Abushagar, a Libyan-American telecom executive, got together a few childhood friends and raised funding in order to infiltrate Libyana and pirate their cellular signal.  The United Arab Emirates and Qatar both provided the millions of dollars worth of equipment needed to make this plan work, showing their support of the rebel government.  Etisalat, a UAE cellular service, provided use of one of their satellites for the pirate cell phone network.  Eventually the plan rolled out and Free Libyana was born.  International calls are extremely limited currently, but hey… who can complain when all domestic calls are free.  Beat that AT&T!

In Lakewood, CO. an 8 year old was pepper sprayed by local police when they were called to the school to handle the unruly boy.

It’s one of those incidents that makes you double take and say “LOL WUT?” and to be honest, after reading the article, I’m not sure who failed worse: the police or the kid.

I know what you’re thinking: The teachers should have been able to handle an unruly kid.  However, the kid was throwing the a tantrum worthy of Dust Head Hall of Fame.  According to reports, the kid was climbing on teacher carts, spitting and cursing at teachers, and ripped molding of the walls and attempted to stake anybody who came near him.  When approached by the officers he brandished a sharpened stick and yelled “get away from me you fuckers!”

Still not convinced this kid is a whack job?  How about if I told you this was the third time the police had been called to the school about his behavior?

The police fail because they had to use pepper spray on a kid, the kid fails because he’s a dust head without the PCP, he experts fail because they’re blaming TV and video game violence, the mom fails because she thinks the cops were being fascist, and the state of Colorado fails for containing all of the above.

Police Pepper Spray Unruly 8 Year Old At School from The Consumerist

If you’re like me, you have a love/hate relationship with April Fools Day.  Every April 1st, the internet is abuzz with new products, news, and speculation.  Some of these are funny, so are a little too serious, and some of them you can’t tell whether they’re joking or not.  Sometimes, a poor company just happens to make a press release on April 1st about something serious and nobody takes it seriously.  This year showed us some doozies:

• Youtube’s 1911 Mode – Youtube made on option available to its users on April first where you could watch all their content in black and white with no sound… like a classic silent film from 1911.
• Gmail Motion - A concept that follows in the footsteps of the Kinect, users can now control they’re inbox using body motions.
• Grooveshark’s 3D Shark theme – Grooveshark introduced a new theme for their site, hopping on the 3D bandwagon.  Now (assuming you have so old school one-red-lense-one-blue-lense 3D glasses) Grooveshark will now pop out of your screen at you while you listen to your favorite tunes.
• Friday or Die – Funny or Die changed their site to be Rebecca-Black-centric, flooding the site with videos pertaining to the pop star everyone wishes they’d never heard of.
• Apple Store Playset – Every year, Thinkgeek showcases a handful of “new” products.  This years highlight was the Apple Store playset (minifigs included!)
• RFC-5984 – Every year people submit RFCs to the IETF, my favorite this year was RFC-5984: Increasing Throughput in IP Networks with ESP-Based Forwarding which basically outlines a protocol using Extra Sensory Perception to create a zero latency network.

The Red Cross says nurse uniforms violate the Geneva Convention.  A memorial building in Indianapolis might be named after popular mayor Harry Baals.  Scientists plan on being able to clone woolly mammoths within five years.  A new game of billiards using bowling balls… named Knockers.  Stem cells are being used in a new device to treat burns.  Duane Reade infiltrates the Hipster Vatican with the promise of beer.  Four Loko launches its new product – it’s just like the old product sans caffeine.  Robots replace teachers at 21 schools in South Korea.  All this plus more in this week’s episode.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/64

We’re taking a short break until Adrian’s microphone situation is remedied.  Hopefully we won’t be gone too long, but until then here’s a bunny with a pancake on his head.

From the Motorola Xoom to the 3DS to Star Wars Blu-Rays, we talk all things CES.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/63

MAKE announces the winner of their 2010 Zombie Safe House Competition.  Ever hear of the Naga Viper pepper?  Just reading about it will start you on fire.  A researcher at the University of Nottingham has managed to etch the entire periodic table of elements onto a single hair.  The Kinect has been hacked to play World of Warcraft.  Vladmir Putin has ordered the Russian government to move to GNU/Linux.  A man caught UPS tampering with his packages, listen in to find out how.  Plus, the Study of the Week, the Fail of the Week, and this weeks “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/62

CERN scientists successfuly captured “antimatter.”  Scientists at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies have created the world’s smallest battery.  Magent buys the distribution rights to “Hobo Witha Shotgun.”  A man changed his name to Captain Awesome, changes signature to a smiley face and two arrows.  A self-healing polymer has been engineered to use light to rebuild itself.  A man robbed a bank using a super realistic Hollywood mask.  Glow in the dark toilet paper now available.  Plus, the Fail of the Week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/61

A Cambridge computer has identified the most boring day in history.  A woman claims ownership of the sun.  Netflix is willing to pay $100,000 per episode for new TV.  Find out how quickly you can use up your Verizon LTE data allowance.  A new burlesque show will desecrate your childhood.  Root your Nook to turn it into a cheap Android tablet.  All this and the Fail of the Week, the Study of the Week, and this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/60

The TurBaconEpic: The most epic Thanksgiving meal you’ll ever see.  A conceptual door knob that allows you to see who’s at the door.  If an Android phone, a Windows Phone 7, and an iPhone 4 caught on fire, which would last longest?  Google closed the Wave service, but is it dead?  New underwear has been invented to protect your junk in the TSA full body scan.  Netflix has begun to offer a streaming-only plan.  Plus, the Study of the Week, the Fail of the Week, and this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/59

A Chinese woman was sent to a labor camp for retweeting.  We discuss a new concept stoplight.  A little grils hand is cut off and grafted to her foot to save it.  The Stuxnet virus targeted ‘high-value Iranian assets.’  Wikipedia has raised the same amount of donations in a week that it took a month to raise in 2009.  Google is preparing to launch G-Town.  All this plus the Study of the Week and the debut of “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!” and the Fail of the Week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/58

Nintendo seeks to trademark the phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.”  BlackSheep is a Firefox extension that counters the Firesheep extension.  Scientists turn skin into blood.  Plus, this week’s Study of the Week.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/57

In this week’s episode, we discuss distributed development with Chris Steinberg of Rogue Pirate Ninja Interactive.  How does development work when your dev team is spread to the winds?  How do you plan and manage your project?  How does it contrast with a traditional development environment?  Listen in to find out.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/56

Babies think a robot is human as long as it acts friendly.  Japan’s latest rockstar is a 3D hologram.  Marvel comics get Tron Legact varian covers.  Spain holds the first National Siesta Championship.  Hong Kong McDonald’s begins offering wedding packages.  We discuss the myth of the 12 year old McDonald’s hamburger.  Google Street View cars collected emails and passwords.  A japanese engineer built a kick ass robot to kill wasps in his lab.  China now has crab vending machines that vend LIVE crabs.  Warner Brothers wants an Inception sequel.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/54

Due to Adrian moving, outtake episode for everyone!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/53

Chuck’s microphone is mistaken for a bomb by the TSA.  Jailbreaking the iPhone has now been deemed legal.  A vulnerability has been found in WPA2.  DefCon badges let hackers do battle using digital ninjas.  A Nigerian scammer gets the laptop he deserves.  Scientists create an equation for the perfect handshake.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/52

Chuck and Adrian went to see Inception right before recording so they talk about that for a while.  They talk about the John Stamos extortion scandal that occurred in Michigan.  Charlie Sheen likes hookers. All this and more!

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/51

More goofy crap than your brain can handle, it’s time to take some medicine.

I think the best way to explain it would be to say that Old Media is aristocratic, while New Media is democratic. Old Media is about people who are trained in finding, filtering, and delivering something to the general public.  For example, a newspaper reporter has to hunt for a story, find it, determine whether it is truely newsworthy, then write it up, and submit it to an editor.  Then the editor has to review it, edit it (duh), and decide if it will get published.  These people are not experts (arguably) in what they are reporting on; instead they are experts on reporting.  There is a huge distinction here.  A reporter might not know the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground, but they know how to tell whether that difference is something worth telling other people about.  New Media is grass-roots.  People create their own content, then put it somewhere where other people can find it and decide for themselves if it is worthy.  Using the same example of a news story, if a person writes about something that is happening, they can put it on twitter, or digg.com and if enough people retweet it or digg it, then it has been voted on to be relevant for more people to see.  Are these people experts?  Maybe, but not necessarily.  A youtube clip might get 100,000 views even though it is some dude that happened to have a camera with him when something funny happened.  Or, it might be people who worked in television, then created their own network of internet videos to post on their website (Revision3).

Old Media vs New Media is not about where the media is delivered.  For example, a news article on CNN.com is still Old Media, and a TV show on public access is still New Media.  The one is just diguised in the form that traditionally belongs to the other.  I love Hulu.com, but it is Old Media.  iTunes has sold millions of songs, but it is still Old Media music created for a record label in a fancy music studio.  Find a song on MySpace that was recorded in some guy’s basement, who doesn’t have a record contract of any kind, and you are getting to this fancy New Media stuff.

But then, by that definition, a lot of old (chronologically) media could be considered New Media.  Well, I would say yes.  Which is why I say that Old Media vs New Media doesn’t really matter.  New Media isn’t new, its just easier to find now than it used to be.  At the end of the day, I would probably rather watch a movie that was made by a movie studio than by a guy in his back yard.  Of course, there are exceptions, like Film Riot.  I would rather listen to an album that sounds professionally produced than an album that sounds like it was recorded in the lead singer’s garage.  But I am ever-thankful that the band has the ability to put that poorly recorded album up where people can find it, then tell their friends about it.  With enough word of mouth, they can get gigs where they can make some money to spend more time on their next record so they can book more gigs and get more word of mouth, and eventually, if they are good enough, they will be able to remaster that first raw album into something that you can actually listen to without your ears bleeding from the technical mistakes.

We are told that New Media is the next big thing, but that stuff was always there, it was just harder to find.  Of course, the fact that there are more New Media success stories means that other normal people are realizing that they can make stuff, too, which means that the number of New people creating Media is getting bigger and bigger.  Proponents of New Media are starting this Old Media New Media war so that they can draw more attention to it, because attention is what they don’t have.  Old Media has already established a consumer base, so attention is something they already have plenty of.  It doesn’t benefit them to draw attention to the fight.

Will Old Media always exist? Yes. Will New Media always exist? Yes. It will get easier to find New Media, and it will get harder to justify the costs of Old Media because of it, but neither will ever really win.

This week we discuss “old media” vs “new media.”

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/49

This week concludes the Viacom v Google case, so we discuss digital media and copyright on the Internet.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/48

I feel pretty strongly about copyright. For me it started because of “free” software. I’m cheap and I don’t like to pay for things if I don’t have to and I was always happy to try out a free piece of software (and open to figuring out how to use a not-so-free piece of software too). This lead me to find open source software, which at first just meant “open source = free” to me. As my understanding of the open source movement grew, so did my opinion on copyright.

Copyright and patent laws in this country are outdated, outmoded, and generally ludicrous. The fact that Microsoft can patent some of the most basic algorithms in computer science for the sole purpose of suing someone for copyright infringement if they don’t like that product is absurd to me. Copyrighting what can be considered common knowledge or fundamental knowledge in the field is just plain stupid to me and I feel like its a travesty that there are all these worthless patents and copyrights out there miring people in the terrible legality of things. This kind of thing stunts innovation and hurts the industry.

While the open source movement is relatively young and still developing, look at how much innovation has come from that sector: projects like Open Office (an office application suite), Apache (what most web servers run to host web sites), Linux (operating system), GIMP (image editing software) all open source and all very well developed projects.

Each project has a community that builds up around it, drawing more people as it becomes more popular. People report bugs, people fix bugs, the project becomes better, more people start to use it, rinse and repeat. The most insignificant person in the world has a say in the project and anybody with the know-how is capable of patching bugs. If the project wasn’t open source, would things remain this way? Look at the way Microsoft handles things with their products. Most of the time a bug is found its treated the way most of corporate America operates and that is, hush the person that found it, stick your head in the sand, and hope it goes away. There was recently a security flaw discovered in Windows that reaches back to 1993 and every operating system released by Microsoft since then up to and including Windows 7. A 17 year old vulnerability that Microsoft just pretended wasn’t there until somebody made it public. I’m not saying that every piece of closed source software is maintained in the same way, I’m just saying its harder to find and patch bugs when only your people can look at the code.

At this point I’ve made it pretty clear that I like free software and that I don’t want to have to pay for things. How then, in my Utopian world where all software is free, does a developer or company make money enough to justify creating the software in the first place? I honestly don’t know, but I think the Red Hat folks are on the right path. Red Hat creates the Red Hat Linux distribution under an open source license, so its free to use and free to be tinkered with. The way they make money is by charging enterprises for support, and a nominal fee for CD/DVDs (this isn’t required, you can download a copy for free from their site). With a support contract, you can call them up when you have a problem you can’t solve yourself and they’ll have someone help you solve it to the best of their ability. If other companies can come up with similar ways to make money and just let us poor folks have our free software, the world would be a better place.

This is the episode about nothing.  We eventually start talking about websites we frequent and how we consume data on the Internet.

Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/47