This episode of VFTQ is a 18 minute long ramble through the happenings of the past few days, in which I attempt to explain why the podcast feed, for a short while, was the Occam’s Barbershop feed, among many other things.

Remember: This show runs (mostly) on YOUR donations! If you like what you hear here and want more of the same, don’t donate to me, because I screwed up. Instead, go buy some sammiches and give them to poor people.

I’m really excited to announce that I will be the technology expert on the Marilyn Denis Show! I’ll be showing Marilyn all of the latest gadgets and how to navigate the sometimes complicated and confusing digital age we’re in.

Marilyn Denis’ new show on CTV begins on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 10 a.m. ET on CTV.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet all of the other experts on the show, including Dr. Kymm Feldman (health), Afiya Francisco (fashion), Michelle Mawby (interior design), Lesley Scorgie (finance) and Meghan Telpner (food and nutrition).

Read the full press release here.

Tickets for the show are available here.

Every year there is one big technology emerging on the web. In 2005 it was blogging, 2007 is when online video really became big, and it last year it was social media with everyone getting on Facebook and Twitter. (Like me! @NichM and FB)

What was the big trend in the web though? It has been declared previously that GPS had its year several times, but I feel this year GPS and location based tracking finally became mainstream.

Location based tracking popularity has been driving by the iPhone and other smartphones. While FourSquare, Facebook Places and Gowalla were web services featuring location based tracking, it couldn’t have been used to the full potential with out the iPhone.

Now what is this new trend though? Users check into restaurants, bars, movie theatres or anywhere else with their mobile phone and their friends are notified. Not only is this a great way to know which of your friends are at the bar, but some places are offering discounts to people who check into their store. Location base tracking is great social networking, but also opens a door to local shopping.

Facebook is also a new competitor to this space with “Facebook Places.” Facebook has the obvious advantage with their huge user base, but FourSquare has some talent and features that Facebook lacks. For example on FourSquare, the user who checks into a place the most is crowned “Mayor” Or users who check into certain destinations recieve badges. Even NASA Astronaut Doug Wheelock checked in to the International Space Station and got the “NASA Explorer” badge!

Location based technology has the potential to become huge in 2011, but what will technology trend do you think I’ll be writing about this time next year?

This week on the show, we have the DCU rep for Amnesty International on, to discuss all things human rights. He also takes on the quiz, and fares respectably well.

It should be noted that we REALLY want YOU to take part in the weekly quiz! If you feel like giving it a shot, send us an email at TheBarbers@OccamsBarbershop.com and we will vet you for inclusion in the show! We are attempting to get our hands on a cool prize. One thing to be noted is that you will have to be free between the times of 2PM and 3PM on the Friday that we have you on the show. We look forward to hearing from you!

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occams-Barbershop/137851646263291

Find us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/occamsbarbers

Find us on the web at http://www.OccamsBarbershop.com

Send us an email at thebarbers@occamsbarbershop.com

NOTE - I will get the links up for the show shortly at www.OccamsBarbershop.com

This week on the show, we have a rather science-heavy topic load. Also, a bit of chat about TV up at the front. And I accidentally lied in the intro. Sorry about that!

Topics covered on the show include how NASA has found a new type of life (This Changes EVERYTHING!), some rather cool and scary sounding research the Chinese are doing and how Facebook are attempting to trademark the word Face. Online, at least. Also, a whole slew more!

Sponsor: Visit gotomeeting.com, click the try it free button and use promo code: Podcast.

Remember: This show runs (mostly) on YOUR donations! If you like what you hear here and want more of the same, head over to www.ViewFromTheQuad.com and leave a donation! It can be any amount you want, or a monthly €2 subscription. Thanks!

Occam’s Barbershop is a weekly program on DCUfm, which is podcasted here. New episodes are broadcast live from the heart of the DCU campus online at www.DCUfm.com on Fridays from 2PM until 3PM.

This week on the show, we talk to co-founder of Irish Skeptics in the Pub, Rebecca O’Neill, about the Pub-attending atheists, among many other deathly important matters, such as what sort of funeral she would like and whether she thinks Irish Education is out of place with it’s religion studies. She then foolishly agrees to take part in the now world-famous Occam’s Quiz, and makes a heroic effort to win the grand prize.

It should be noted that we REALLY want YOU to take part in the weekly quiz! If you feel like giving it a shot, send us an email at TheBarbers@OccamsBarbershop.com and we will vet you for inclusion in the show! We are attempting to get our hands on a cool prize. One thing to be noted is that you will have to be free between the times of 2PM and 3PM on the Friday that we have you on the show. We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit Irish Skeptics in the Pub at  http://skepticireland.com/sitp

http://www.religiongonecrazy.com/crazy-appointment-with-death-cards-shocking-for-elderly/ – Crazy Appointment with Death Cards Shocking for Elderly

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1113/1224283236782.html – Priest banned from writing

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occams-Barbershop/137851646263291

Find us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/occamsbarbers

Find us on the web at http://www.OccamsBarbershop.com

Send us an email at thebarbers@occamsbarbershop.com

If you are having issues with the video downloading slowly in the flash player, please be aware that I am working on this with my content distribution network. It should download like the clappers if you simply download the file though.

Edit 2 – I have replaced the flash player with a HD YouTube player instead, until we get this sorted out.

No episode of View From the Quad this week because I’m tired out. Instead, have some front-of-the-line reporting on the snowpocolypse 2.0 from DCU! Filmed in iPhone 4 HD, a little bit shaky, but fun none-the-less.

Interesting fact: Every single thing about this video, other then the uploading, was done on the iPhone. Recording, editing, all done in iMovie on the iPhone. I’m rather impressed, myself!

This week on the show, we talk to co-founder of Irish Skeptics in the Pub, Rebecca O'Neill, about the Pub-attending atheists, among many other deathly important matters, such as what sort of funeral she would like and whether she thinks Irish Education is out of place with it's religion studies. She then foolishly agrees to take part in the now world-famous Occam's Quiz, and makes a heroic effort to win the grand prize.

It should be noted that we REALLY want YOU to take part in the weekly quiz! If you feel like giving it a shot, send us an email at TheBarbers@OccamsBarbershop.com and we will vet you for inclusion in the show! We are attempting to get our hands on a cool prize. One thing to be noted is that you will have to be free between the times of 2PM and 3PM on the Friday that we have you on the show. We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit Irish Skeptics in the Pub at  http://skepticireland.com/sitp

http://www.religiongonecrazy.com/crazy-appointment-with-death-cards-shocking-for-elderly/ - Crazy Appointment with Death Cards Shocking for Elderly

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1113/1224283236782.html - Priest banned from writing

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occams-Barbershop/137851646263291

Find us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/occamsbarbers

Find us on the web at http://www.OccamsBarbershop.com

Send us an email at thebarbers@occamsbarbershop.com

This week on View From The Quad, we have a rather packed show for you, including something that hasn’t been on the show in a fair while, rambling and story telling! (Not fiction, but still, we are getting there!)

In news stories, we cover how Facebook can trigger asthma attacks, how Richard Branson will serve as an air hostess (note ‘hostess’. I explain in the show.), I tell you how mad the TSA searchings are getting (in the show, I’m not quite sure what TSA stands for. Turns out TSA is a Polish hard rock and heavy metal band.), the single biggest threat to net neutrality, why you just can’t stop at a single slice of cheese, whether 4Chan may have finally met their match, and much more!

Sponsor: Visit gotomeeting.com, click the try it free button and use promo code: Podcast.

Remember: This show runs (mostly) on YOUR donations! If you like what you hear here and want more of the same, head over to www.ViewFromTheQuad.com and leave a donation! It can be any amount you want, or a monthly €2 subscription. Thanks!

You can contact Cian by emailing cian@viewfromthequad.com.

Follow Cian on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cianmm and follow Scodio Studios at http://www.twitter.com/scodio

Leave a comment on the show at www.ViewFromTheQuad.com and phone the voicemail line at 001 206 203 4610

VFTQ’s themesong is DoubleQuick by Blue Stahli. You can find it at http://www.FixtStore.com

Click ‘More’ to check out the links related to this show!

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-facebook-induced-asthma-attacks-20101118,0,3964165.story?track=rss – How Facbook can create asthma attacks

http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/australia/4350721/Branson-to-serve-as-air-hostess – Richard Branson to serve as an air hostess

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/11/18/another-tsa-outrage/ – TSA outrage

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/11/16/net-neutrality-expert-calls-apple-the-number-one-threat-to-inter/ – Apple is the #1 threat to net nutrality

http://stritar.net/Post/Apple-Has-Enough-Money-To-Buy-Slovenias-Entire-Yearly-Production.aspx – Apple can buy Slovenia

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/VhYb3vFgF5Q/cheese-addiction-exp.html – Cheese addiction

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-11/15/4chan-vs-tumblr – 4Chan vs Tumblr

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228 – LHC creates mini big-bang

I’ll be the first to admit that I made a mistake. Not just any mistake, but a big mistake that is going to follow me for a long time, and at this point, there is nothing that I can do about that, but take 100% responsibility for my actions.

I made a critical error in my judgement that could have been easily avoided, and I take full responsibility for my actions that put myself, and others in harms way. I’ve learned a valuable lesson from this entire experience, and hope that not only can I grow from this, but others will be able to learn from my mistake, and hope that they don’t have to go through something like this.

Specifics aside, I took advantage of a previous relationship that I had, and engaged in an extremely inappropriate conversation that should have never occurred, and now we can all see what happened. What happened has happened, and I can only look back, and take responsibility for my actions.

Going forward, I have become smarter and more self-aware and conscious about my decisions when I talk to people. There is a fine line between what’s okay to say and do, and what is not, and I clearly crossed that line further then I should have been.

I can’t turn back the clock and change what I did, but what I can do is only move forward and keep my head up, and make sure I never make a decision like this ever again.

I can’t say enough about how sorry I am for my actions earlier this year. I made a very stupid decision that cost me more then just a job; it cost me friendships, respect, and trust from people I respected, and looked up to.

To my family, and closest friends, I sincerely and deeply apologize for everything I have put you through this year. From here we grow and don’t look back.

As Euripides, an ancient Greek dramatist once said, “Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.”

Right so, I’m writing these shownotes in a kitchen filled with smoke, possibly from burnt sausages or something, and my eyes are starting to sting, so let’s get this over with nice and fast. This week, I tell you how Dublin Zoo are making a monkey’s of stoping bullying, how Hasbro’s new 3D iPhone gizmo is going to fail horribly, the next biggest world ending disaster that will strike the world in about 30 years and how you can’t keep a good file sharing network down.

Sponsor: Visit gotomeeting.com, click the try it free button and use promo code: Podcast.

Remember: This show runs (mostly) on YOUR donations! If you like what you hear here and want more of the same, head over to www.ViewFromTheQuad.com and leave a donation! It can be any amount you want, or a monthly €2 subscription. Thanks!

This week on the show, we start off with Occam's Razor Quiz (thanks to the wonderful hosts of Ying and Yang for playing along with our madness) and then move on to the stories, interrupted only by a half an hour-long technical fault with the live-stream, which has been conveniently edited out for your listening pleasure.

Our topics the week include how Global Warming won't kill us because God promised Noah, how heterosexual sex subjugates women, bin Laden's secret underground cave and the story of how a mom stuck up for her son who wanted to dress up as a girl for Halloween. Also on the show, Richard Dawkins reading out some of his own hate mail.

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occams-Barbershop/137851646263291

Find us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/occamsbarbers

Find us on the web at http://www.OccamsBarbershop.com

Send us an email at thebarbers@occamsbarbershop.com

Click 'Continue Reading' for the links!

http://www.guardian.co.uk//world/2010/nov/09/german-feminist-alice-shwarzer?mobile-redirect=false - Feminist claims heterosexual sex subjugates women

http://www.religiongonecrazy.com/crazy-politician-john-shimkus-the-planet-wont-be-destroyed-by-global-warming-because-god-promised-noah/ - The planet won't be destroyed by Global Warming because God promised Noah as such

http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/nether_fictoid3.htm - Bin Laden's fake secret underground hotel

http://nerdyapplebottom.com/2010/11/02/my-son-is-gay/ - Women sticks up for her gay son

This week, we have a bit of a chat with Alan Regan, DCUfm's assistant manager, after we were, for the second week running, stood up by our planned guest. We then introduce a new element to the show, Occam's Razor Quiz, in which we grab everybody we can find in and around the studio and ask them "Is this true, and why?".

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occams-Barbershop/137851646263291

Find us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/occamsbarbers

Find us on the web at http://www.OccamsBarbershop.com

Send us an email at thebarbers@occamsbarbershop.com