This week’s episode is being posted a little later than usual because Joe’s birthday was Saturday and he elected not to do anything even remotely responsible like cooking, cleaning, or posting a podcast.

Disasters happen all the time. Fires, floods, tornadoes, random space junk falling on your house. If you lost everything would you be able to tell your insurance company exactly what you lost and what it would cost to replace it? You would if you had a home inventory prepared (and, of course, a backup file stored off site). The Two Rambling Idiots Podcast, courtesy of Radium Software, is giving you the opportunity to win a free copy of Home Inventory Pro 2011. Don’t let the name fool you, it works with Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP (32-bit or 64-bit), Vista (32-bit or 64-bit) or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit). It has a contemporary interface, it’s easy to use, and it even has barcode support (my favorite feature).

• Manage your household assets
• Calculate the value of everything you own
• Create an unlimited number of locations and items
• Create detailed reports by location
• Create a printed inventory catalog
• Track borrowing and lending
• Print barcode labels for your assets
• Scan barcodes to manage your inventory
• Click here to see a complete feature list

So, how do you win? Well first, head over to www.homeinventorypro.com and download your FREE 30-day trial. Check out how easy it is to get started and see just how much you can do with this software. Second, listen to the show for details on how to enter the contest. (hint: it involves the monkey). Contest entries close on June 4, 2013 and we will draw a winner on June 5, 2013 and announce the winner on that week’s show.

And now, on this week’s show, we talk about exploiting a firmware bug for additional gains while gambling, more whining by the networks over Aereo, the first page of the World Wide Web, and America’s most damaged brains err… brands. You’re listening to the most damaged brains.

Tonight’s News

Completely Electronic Arts free!

• CBS CEO threatening to switch to cable only, could take his toys and go home
• Use a Software Bug to Win Video Poker? That’s a Federal Hacking Case
• America’s Most Damaged Brands
• The Web turns 20!
  • The first public web page
  • The last web page
• The Internet Archive has over 10 PetaBytes stored and a really cool building
  • Plus, they host The Wayback Machine
• New version of Angry Birds for Windows Phone free until May 15

Technology Term of the Week

•  Ad-hoc: Race Condition
• Thunderbolt: a high-speed I/O interface that was developed by Intel and was introduced by Apple in 2011. It is based on the PCI Express and DisplayPort technologies and supports both data devices and displays.

Science Concept of the Week

• Become a Mars Colonist, a reality TV star, and die on Mars for only $38!

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• The supposedly true story of the rocket car
• Robins v Lower Merion School District, a very frightening study in privacy
• The Therac-25 Radiotherapy device, a case study in software quality and design
• The First Saturday Sale
• Judge Tells FBI They Can’t Use Webcams To Spy on People
• The Greatest Iron Man Armors of the Last 50 Years: An Interactive Timeline
• Archaeologists Uncover Hundreds of Mysterious Orbs in Ancient Temple
• Multisensory Version of Iron Man 3 in Japan Is a Gimmicky Waste of $28

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

We have a rare treat this episode – it’s actually UNDER and hour long! In this episode, Barnes & Noble “gets it”, the best Windows PC is a Mac, we learn a bit about human memory, and we find out what happens when you wring out a washcloth in space. Plus, Microsoft tells us to “deal with it” regarding always-online video games, then backs down and disassociates itself from the guy who said it.

Tonight’s News

• Auburn gives up the fight and cuts down the famous live oak trees at Toomer’s Corner
• Barnes and Noble’s letter to the FTC and DOJ complaining about the patent system shows that B&N “gets it”. We rejoice
• The best, most reliable Windows laptop is a 13″ MacBook Pro
• Judge restores faith in humanity by fining himself when his phone acts up in court.

• Understanding the brain of a man with no conscious memory -

  His problems highlight how there are multiple types of memory.

• Microsoft’s Adam Orth makes fun of people who don’t like always-on video games. He suddenly “resigns” later
• Cool video of the week: ‘Tuna Melt’ Could Be the Most Elaborate Rube Goldberg Video Yet
• Check out this wicked cool flashlight that can blast out 3,500 lumens. About equivalent to a conference room video projector.
• Everything Wrong With Iron Man

Technology Term of the Week

•  HTML – HyperText Markup Language

Science Concept of the Week

•  What happens when you wring out a washcloth in space? (Hint: coolness happens)

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• The first honest cable company commercial (LANGUAGE ALERT)
• Bane vs Cable Guy
• Here’s Your New and Improved Hundred Dollar Bill
• What M&M, A&W, and Dozens of Other Acronyms and Initialisms Really Mean
• 10 Terrible Tech Frustrations My Toddler Will Never Have
• 9 Incredible Objects That Prove 3D Printers Are Totally Worth it
• Watch the Top 10 NBA Dunks This Season
• Incendiary NASA Video Shows 3 Years of Sun Explosions in 3 Minutes

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

On this episode of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast despite how much we want to avoid even mentioning Electronic fArts because they’ve annoyed us so much with their shenanigans as of late, they’re back in the news and they’re giving the “up yours” to their customers yet again. In other news, Joe learns what a BitCoin is but still wonders why they’re such a big deal, Google says the Google Glass eye-wear they sell you is yours and it better stay that way, how to find a planet and the debate about towing an asteroid, plus Smell-O-Vision!!

Hang on TRIPsters, you’re in for a bumpy ride!

Tonight’s News

• EA Shutting Down Three Facebook Games - NO REFUNDS!
• BitCoins is an environmental disaster (just like metal mining has been)
• And here’s where I learned about BitCoins
• Google says No Selling and No Lending of Google Glass
• 4D-printing, because “4D” will be the next overused marketing term (like Quantum, HD, and e-anything)
• Customers petition Verizon to drop contracts
• Even though they’re extending the upgrade eligibility back to 24 months
• Towing an asteroid
• Iron Man III… in SMELL-O-VISION!
• The “Genes” are patentable outside the body thing

Technology Term of the Week

•  HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol

Science Concept Thingy of the Week

• The transit method of detecting exoplanets, and how it recently revealed two earth-like planets around a distant star

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Windows 8 is the best thing to happen to Apple since Xerox
• Boston Bruins Crowd Delivers Tear-Jerking National Anthem
• From the Burden of Proof department: Court hands another defeat to Viacom in never-ending YouTube lawsuit
• How Famous Logos Have Changed Over Time

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

On this week’s episode, Joe rambles while Kevin does a bang-on impression of Charlie Chaplin during his early movie career. We talk about the latest developments in the Prenda Law case, clueless, child-like broadcasters, and more things not to name your baby. Plus, Joe continues to geek out over the home inventory project.

Review from Benjamin S. T.

Home Inventory Pro 2011 – Joe gives it 4 out of 5 stars

Home Inventory Pro 2011 barcode overview

Tonight’s News

•  Prenda Law says Alan Cooper is off his meds (and a bunch of other things they could have said last week if they’d just spoken up)
• Aereo wins another court battle and Fox is being a spoiled brat about it
• The IRS is eyeing free food options at tech companies as a taxable benefit
• THE NAVY HAS A FREAKIN’ LASER BEAM!!!
• Internet/Tech inspired baby names – really, people?

Technology Term of the Week

• Duplex printing
• Half-duplex and Full-duplex

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Do I Ever Need to Upgrade My Cable Modem?
• Human Statue Fights Back

• 18 of the Best Autocorrect Struggles – LANGUAGE NOTICE – damn funny!

• You Had ONE Job

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

On this thrilling episode of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss an hour goodbye! We wish Joe’s sister, Mary, a happy birthday. Feel free to call in your well wishes and Mab will make sure she hears them [980-22IDIOT]. We also get into some tech news about big honkin’ hard drives (in capacity, not dimension), LucasArts, a bunch of Facebook meh, a totally screwball copyright identity theft misconduct hearing with a pissed off judge, and we bash on Electronic Arts some more about Sim City!

Side note: If you want to record a show slate for us, feel free to leave it on the voicemail hotline or record it and send it via email (tworamblingidiots[at]gmail[dot]com). The standard template is, “This is [insert a name] and you’re listening to the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast. Are you ready to ramble?” Or feel free to embellish in any way you wish. Just remember to include your name (or one you made up), the show title, and end with “Are you ready to ramble?” [disclaimer: By submitting your show slate you give us permission to air it on the podcast, multiple times if we wish, until and unless you submit a revocation in writing]

Feel free, also, to send us any and all questions regarding life, love, technology, quantum physics or any other subject and we’ll give it our best shot at an answer. It may be humorous and incorrect but we’ll answer it.

Tonight’s News

• Seagate shipping 4TB hard drive with 1TB platters!
• Blast is sick of reporting on SimCity 5
• Prenda Law snubs judge’s order to appear in court
• And when they finally do show up, they clam up
• LucasArts shut down, and the Idiots are sad
• The newest memes: Hadouken and now Vadering
• Facebook Home for Facebook Phone a Facebook Flop
• Netflix now streaming Cartoon Network
• Fun video of the week: The Science of Why Cats Do the Things Cats Do
• April Fools Day jokes:
• Youtube is shutting down
• Bacon mouthwash
• Shatner and the Gorn haven’t aged well

Technology Term of the Week

• The 404 or Not Found error message is a HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server, but the server could not find what was requested.The web site hosting server will typically generate a “404 Not Found” web page when a user attempts to follow a broken or dead link; hence the 404 error is one of the most recognizable errors users can find on the web.

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• I Can’t Get Behind That (William Shatner)
• Why ‘The Breakfast Club’ Could Never Happen Today
• Giving a Baby a Light Saber Is Never a Good Idea
• New ‘Super Truck’ Promises Huge Fuel Savings for Big Rigs
• Watch Peeps Get Obliterated in Slow Motion

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

On this episode of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast our rambling devolves into discussions about movies… again… more than once during the show. We talk about T-Mobile finally getting the iPhone and their new no-contract plans. We also talk about denial of service attacks, manteresting.com and Kevin makes a vain and circumlocutionary attempt to explain the Higgs Boson – which may help explain the length of the episode.

Tonight’s News

• Apple adding disclaimer to the app store pages of apps that offer in-app purchases
• Real Racing 3, over $500 in in-app purchases.
• Patent Troll Unilock smacked down by one of the most pro-patent troll courts in the nation.
• T-Mobile to offer the iPhone 5 beginning April 12
• If you’re a Samsung fan, the Galaxy S4 will be available on T-Mobile May 1
• T-Mobile’s new Simple Choice (no contract) plans
• Are the Simple Choice plans really a good deal?
• Government to tax email! Except not…
• Combatting “showrooming” with a cover charge?
• Spamhaus under attack! The rest of the Internet is actually noticing…
• Pinterest for dudes: Manteresting
• Google tries to stop Sweden from using the word “ungoogleable” and makes the word “ungoogleable” googleable thanks to all the articles regarding ungooglable
• Fun mashup of the week: Star Wars & Jurassic Park
• The HOLY CRAP that kid is good video of the week: 6-Year-Old Drumming Prodigy, Performs ‘Hot For Teacher’

Technology Term of the Week

•  Denial of Service Attack (DOS) – An attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. One common method of attack involves saturating the target machine with external communications requests, so much so that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered essentially unavailable.
• Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDOS)
• VPNs: What They Do, How They Work, and Why You’re Dumb for Not Using One

Science Concept of the Week

• Watch glass explode at 130,000 frames per second
• The Higgs Boson, recently confirmed!
• What exactly is the Higgs Boson?

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Facebook adds ‘Reply’ option to comments
• 24 Facts You Didn’t Know About Beer
• Yahoo Buys Coolness From Teenager for $30M
• True Purpose Of DRM: To Let Copyright Holders Have A Veto Right On New Technologies

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/periphrastic?s=t

On tonight’s episode we bash Electronic Arts.. a little bit… again. Nice change from bashing Microsoft (whom we bash a little bit, too), Apple, and AT&T, isn’t it? Surprisingly, there are no Blackberry (née RIM) deathwatch updates. Mab Joe also asks the question, with more companies rumored to be jumping on the rumored “smart watch” bandwagon, do we really need smart watches? Does anybody wear watches anymore?

Other topics include Microsoft offering bribes incentives to developers, the YouTube studio, and Arthur C. Clarke predicting the internet… in 1974 – you go, Artie! Plus, in honor of William Shatner’s birthday, watch any of the 5 Star Trek series on Hulu for free until the end of March.

Tonight’s News

• Apple smartwatch said to be coming in 2013 with iOS and health-monitoring on board
• Samsung confirms it’s trying to beat Apple to market with a smart watch
• Google smartwatch in the works?
• How big might the market be for an Apple smart watch?
  • Apparently, Joe’s views are incorrect as Bloomberg reports, “The global watch industry will generate $60 billion in sales in 2013.”
• EA rejected offline play of SimCity because they’re jerks. Oh, and some other less honest reason
• EA’s CEO stepping down, ostensibly because he lost the company money, not because SimCity 5 was a flop.
• Electronic Arts CEO resigns, effective on March 30 (I told you we bash ‘em a little bit)
• AT&T large data plans for business
• Microsoft copies RIM with their App Store Developer bribery program. What could possibly go wrong?
• First Sale doctrine upheld by SCOTUS
• Youtube (which means Google) has opened a high-tech studio in the old Howard Hughes Helicopter factory.
• A video of Ultra-Ever Dry. This stuff is amazing!
• Tech Time Warp of the Week: Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Internet, 1974
• Greenville, SC is not getting a jetpack store, it was viral marketing
• Facebook might get the hashtag

Science Concept of the Week

•  This Star is orbiting a black hole every 2.4 HOURS

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Howard Hughes
• Will it blend

• Shark Breaks Into Diver’s Cage in Terrifying Video [LANGUAGE ALERT]

• Interesting video: What Happens When You Drop a Hot Ball of Nickel Into Honey

• Video of Kilauea Lava Flows

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

It’s the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast with your hosts, Mab Fairgood and Blast Hardcheese! We’re blaming the XL show on them. You’ll have to listen to the show to figure that one out.

On tonight’s show we talk about having cake on pi day, Joe muses what it would be like to have an Autobot as your designated driver, and Kevin gets his butt handed to him in Risk.  Tech news includes Sweet Brown vs. Apple, continued SimCity FAILs, a little history of video rentals and congressional confirmations, and 3D printing. Actually, a little too much debate on 3D printing.

Tonight’s News

• Sweet “Ain’t Nobody Got Time Fo’ Dat” Brown sues Apple
• Google Reader getting the axe
• Why U.S. Customers Couldn’t Share Your Netflix History on Facebook Until Now
• Massive holes in SimCity
  • PR Nightmare Escalates
  • And the traffic. Oh the screwball traffic.
  • And hackers gonna hack
• EA once tried to convince us that SimCity would use cloud servers for calculations. Yeah, that’s not happening.
• Automatic Is a Little Piece of Hardware That Tells You How You’re Driving
• Woah. Mars may have once been conducive to life with liquid water. Dr. Manhattan unable to be reached for comment
• Dude Has 75 Percent of His Skull Replaced By 3D-Printed Replica
  • Original story
• Sandboxr, a Kickstarter project, to have a design and ship 3D printing service

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Know your meme: Nicolas Cage
• Holy Crap, Watch Water Bend Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
• Will they switch? The Kid Test: Windows Phone vs. iPhone
• Relive the Analog ’80s With a USB ‘Mixtape’
• Retailer Sues Visa Over $13 Million ‘Fine’ for Being Hacked

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

Ahoy! In tonight’s episode, the twelve year old in Joe’s brain causes spontaneous giggles (a-la Family Guy)… more than once. After getting it under control the boys talk about the shortfalls of Windows 8 and Windows RT, the Shortfalls of E.A. and their ability to launch a new title, eye-trackers in cell phones, why you might not need to spend hundreds of dollars on audio cables, and a tragic Lego accident.

Tonight’s News

• Angry Birds is now FREE for iOS devices! (iTunes links: iPhone / iPad)
• Catastrophic Lego incident
• Evernote User Passwords have been Compromised
• EA’s SimCity 5 is broken
  • Here’s the hilarious Amazon reviews
• Microsoft Reportedly Looks to Bolster Weak Windows 8 Demand With OEM License Discounts
• Windows RT is a Lemon!
• Follow-up: Cablevision v. Viacom, and Cablevision will not save us
• Apple files a patent for A System For The Resale And Transfer Of ‘Used’ Digital Goods
• Samsung will have eye-trackers on their phones to automatically scroll pages
• The old coat hanger versus Monster cable
• Also, cable risers. Good grief.

Technology Term of the Week

•  OSI Networking Model

Science Concept of the Week

•  The pixel of the universe

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

• Science Alert: Old fashioned mechanical engineering gives zeptosecond accuracy (a zeptosecond is 10^-23)
• Microsoft reverses course, says Office 2013 licenses can now be transferred to new PCs
• NASA Unveils First Complete Map of Planet Mercury
• How to use multiple Apple ID’s with one computer and iTunes
• Library of Congress suddenly decides to re-evaluate after the White House agrees with petitioners
• Fresh Off White House Petition Success, Activists Launch Copyright Reform Campaign
• Chinese physicists measure speed of Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’: At least 10,000 times faster than light

Subscribe to the RSS Feed or via iTunes

Hey HEY hey! We would like to say a great big THANK YOU to all of our listeners. Without you we wouldn’t have made it to our first anniversary! That’s right, episode 1 of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast was recorded March 2, 2012. We have a little taste of it during the beginning of the show. We’ve definitely improved… technically, at least. The idiocy hasn’t changed much.

On this episode we discuss cable purchasing deals, cell phone contracts, the downfall of Groupon and tempting fate by replicating the Titanic.

Tonight’s News

• Cablevision sues Viacom and maybe we’ll have a la carte cable sometime before the heat death of the universe.
• T-Mobile is rumored to start changing the way we think about purchasing and using cell phones
• Groupon’s CEO fired, and he was refreshingly honest about it
  • All because Groupon’s board is ticked that the company lost a bunch of money and their stock tanked. Bunch of wusses.
• An Australian billionaire is going to rebuild the Titanic

• MYO Armband controllable by your muscles. This is seriously flipping cool

  • And the website where you can reserve yours even says you can “Unleash your inner Jedi”. Seriously, how cool is that? There’s videos and everything!
• Speaking of Jedi, the President made his most serious nerd gaffe ever. #JediMindMeld indeed.
• The WAY COOL video of the week: 21-year-old Ravi Fernando solves a rubik’s cube… while juggling! Which means he also does it one handed
• Fun video of the week: Schoolhouse Rock’s “Interjections”… Star Wars style

• Gallileo restoration progress report

Things are getting back to normal. Joe’s PC is back to full functionality. Tonight we have meteors, genetic patents, a practically unserviceable tablet, and ZOMBIES! Plus, Kevin does a mime show. It’s really fantastic. Really it is. You’ll have to listen to believe it.

Tonight’s News

• Meteorite explodes over Russia
• And Congress wants to hold a hearing about why we didn’t know it was going to happen
• Australian court says genes are patentable
• Administration urges SCOTUS not to hear file sharing appeal
• MS Surface Pro a sticky tablet to repair
• Home Depot says bye-bye Blackberry
• EAS gets hacked with zombie attack alert over Montana television stations
• Watch a coin rolling on a treadmill
• Cool video of the week: A bazooka that shoots ping-pong balls at Mach speed
• Listener link from Carl: No good deed goes unpunished
• Listener link from Carl: Emergency Alert System devices vulnerable to hacker attacks, researchers say

A comedy of arrows (yes, I meant to say that) has kept us from our appointed rounds. Between work and family obligations, illness, and computers losing some of their magic smoke we’ve had a hard time coordinating the production of the podcast. We explain a little more in depth in the opening segment.

Tonight we talk about increased capacity and stolen storage, blocking the used game market, double-double DNA, net neutrality violations and companies making an exit from the consumer segment.

So grab yourself a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot, and let us entertain you as we stumble through a makeshift recording configuration.

Tonight’s News

• When playing Monopoly you will now have wrinkled clothes with cat hair on them
• 2.2 Petabytes in DNA. Oh heck yes.
• And a quadruple helix found in humans.
• More cowbell! Apple releases 128GB iPad
• Microsoft seems to have missed math class in favor of marketing
• Small Pennsylvania cable company about to get painfully schooled in “net neutrality”
• Next-gen XBox will reportedly attempt to block the second-hand software market
• Newegg saves our butts and keeps a patent troll from eating online shopping carts alive
• Philips Bows Out of Consumer Electronics Business
• Intel Bows Out of the Motherboard Business
• A  comparison between data rates of the Internet and FedEx from XKCD
• Creator of Yoda has passed away at 98
• JJ Abrams Wants to Make ‘Half-Life’ and ‘Portal’ Movies
• A fan-made J.J. Abrams-esque Star Wars with EXTRA LENS FLARE!
• I’m switching to AT&T U-Verse because I was tired of this crap

Kevin’s been swamped at work and Joe’s been down with a sinus infection so that didn’t allow us much opportunity to scour the news as we normally do. We have a few significant stories, however, that we felt compelled to ramble upon. We talk home networking (and home computing in general), illegal things to do with your smart phone, and Star Wars – now with more lens flare!

Plus, tonight we fired up the web cams and actually had some face time. Not that you’ll be able to participate because this is an audio-only show. And we promise not to do it again.

Tonight’s News

• Belkin to acquire Cisco home division – including Linksys
• Dude! He thinks he can “save” Dell
• Unlocking your smartphone is now illegal
• Consumerist reports: Epson is a bunch of jerks
• Consumerist reports: So are all of the other inkjet printer manufacturers
• J.J. Abrams Will Reportedly Direct the Next Star Wars Movie

Yowza! We rambled quite a bit on this show. I suppose if we had one of our shortest shows that covered a large amount of news last week we should have a show that’s the longest to date and covers very little news this week. The full-length show is almost two hours and we cover passwords, outsourcing (you’re doing it wrong), old stars (celestial), death stars and, inexplicably, hairdressers and horoscopes. We also have some listener feedback that takes us almost 20 minutes to cover because we just won’t shut up. If you want to listen to the short(er) version sans the listener feedback, you can get it here.

Tonight’s News

• Aaron’s Law
• Aaron Swartz, internet pioneer
• Oldest star ever found. Still not as old as Joe (not funny, Kevin!… well, maybe just a little)
• Bad Grammar Make Good Password
• The Augmented Reality display we’ll all be not wanting:
• Developer Outsources His Job to China (and another version)
• Milky Way galaxy home to 17 billion earth-sized planets!
• White House Says “No” to Death Star
• Petitions now require 100,000 signatures to get a response
• Facebook had an announcement! It was a dumbed down search engine for facebook only. And there was great meh-joicing

Wow there was a lot of news that we covered tonight. And it seems that we managed to cover it in less time than we usually do. Lots of news from the US Consumer Electronics Show (CES) including gadgets that are nifty, odd or make you just want to tell them “NO!”

Plus, Joe and Kevin talk about pet peeves such as verbal hashtags (#stoopid!) and conjugations that aren’t real words.

Tonight’s News

• Because it just makes sense that these upstanding innovators deserve $1000 for every office that’s ever used a scanner
• DOJ Tells Companies to Stop Seeking Sales Bans for Standard Essential Patents
• CES 2013: The phabulous phablet has grown in size 
• Kingston: Behold the 1-terabyte flash drive
• 5 fun and odd gadgets from CES
• The $4,000 fridge that is completely pointless
• An oven that runs Android. Yes I’m serious
• The Not Safe for Work (or Podcast) Bluetooth Stylus that’s also NUFA (Not Useful For Anything)
• New TV’s are being driven by software and streaming, not pixels
• Time Warner finally decides to join the 21st century with the Roku
• Amazon to Provide CD Buyers With Cloud-Based MP3s For Free
• Hulu’s CEO stepping down. It’s as if a million Hulu users cried out “Now what?” and were expectantly silent awaiting news
• “Faulty” iPhone racks up $30,000 data bill
• Verizon Math website
  • The audio clip itself
• Ultimately, CES is a dud (just like every year)
• The Top 15 Companies With the Worst Customer Service
• COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK: ‘Baby’ Is the Most Overused Song Lyric Ever

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

We’re baaaaaaaack! It’s a bit of a lengthy episode as we spend some time catching up. We talk about surviving the Mayan Apocalypse, our family holiday visits, the gadgets we got for Christmas and Joe reveals the most horrifying phrase he’s ever heard.

In tech news we talk about retired technologies, using technology while flying, Windows 8, and how to make  mundane technology sound cool plus some cool technology that actually uses the cool-sounding prefix.

Tonight’s News

• Have eBook readers run their course?
• Netbooks appear to be done as well and for the same reason
• Good night, Sweet PS2, and may a flight of angels sing thee to thy rest
• Why Microsoft redesigned Windows
• And Acer seems to be in their corner
• More relaxation of in-flight gadget restrictions, Wi-Fi, and certifications, FINALLY!
• Facebook to sell the right to perfect strangers to send messages directly to your inbox
• Cool-sounding technology that’s actually cool – Quantum Radar
• T-Mobile Doesn’t Believe Loyal Customer Will Really Leave
• Cool video of the week: One guy does a six-part a capella version of the Super Mario Brothers theme

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

During the wee hours of the morning Todd will usually open the floor to anyone who is hanging out to ask questions, talk about their show, or discuss anything having to do with podcasting or new media. Joe was lucky enough to be invited to Skype in and talk about the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast. He discussed a bit about starting the show, where we are now, and the next steps we want to take. Todd will be posting the video from the different segments of the show over the next week or so but Joe recorded the audio while he was on and has edited it down a bit for you to listen to, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. It’s only about 10 minutes long so enjoy.

The audio file can be downloaded here.

WOW! What a big night. Not only are we recording Episode 42 but also we’re recording it on 12/12/12. We talk about nanophotonics, “growing” oil, and, as the title would suggest, Apple’s maps app. Plus, as an extra-special bonus to you and to us, we received TWO feedback items. On the same show! Can you believe it?

Tonight’s News

• Sapphire Energy: Growing green oil
• IBM manufactures light-based ‘nanophotonic’ chips
• Even FCC thinks in-flight gadget bans are dumb
• Australian Police Are Telling People to Stop Using Apple Maps
• Saving the Bridge (of the Enterprise)
• Apple and Google join forces to buy out Kodak patents
• Throwing cold water on Apple’s made-in-the-U.S.A. Mac
• Funny video of the week: The Meow Choir

Technology Term of the Day:
Deep Thought -  is a computer that was created by the pan-dimensional, hyper-intelligent species of beings (whose three dimensional protrusions into our universe are ordinary white mice) to come up with the Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

Joe and Kevin wax nostalgic about Pinky and the Brain. Star Trek references abound. We don’t mention Apple AT ALL. And you can help build a Death Star!

Tonight’s News

• You Only Have [Had] Until Dec. 6 To Claim Portion Of $1.1 Billion LCD Price-Fixing Settlement
• V’Ger is leaving the solar system
• Teen bank robber from Nebraska brags about crime on YouTube video
• Petition to “Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.”
• How to get targeted ads on your TV? Try a camera in your set-top box
• Flash memory breakthrough
  • Distinction between NOR and NAND flash
• Time Warner Cable CEO Says It’s Time To Thin The Cable Channel Herd
• SCAM ALERT!!
• Teaser: Star Trek Into Darkness
• McAfee arrested in Guatemala
• Starbucks $450, super, limited edition, specially etched, steel gift card
• Sundance Film Festival to debut Ashton Kutcher’s portrayal of Steve Jobs

Virtual Machine (VM) – A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a computer that executes programs like a physical machine. Utilizing virtual machines has become increasingly popular as technology has improved and energy costs have increased. It allows companies to reduce their energy costs by running multiple virtual machines or virtual servers on a single physical server. This also helps reduce data center density.

A good, lighthearted episode full of murder, mayhem and… SPAM! Joe gives a first impression of the new iTunes after using it for approximately 1 minute and 42.53 seconds. Another nail in the RIM coffin (at this rate, it’ll be hermetically sealed when they finally kick the bucket), HP’s $8.8 billion writeoff and the resulting investor lawsuit, and two burning questions: Can you ever think of Microsoft as a hardware company? and Do you really own that eBook  Plus, Joe and Kevin discuss the ineffective, irrelevant foolishness of posting a general copyright notice on your Facebook profile.

Kevin’s cousin’s podcast and radio show, Pure Imagination

Tonight’s News

• iTunes 11 Released
• HP Writes off $8.8 Billion
• And their investors sue them over it
• But HP claims to have “extensive evidence” of illicit accounting
• Papa John’s Facing $250M Lawsuit Because Text Spam Is An Awful Pizza Topping
• Microsoft shifting toward hardware & services?
• These Internal Videos Show Why The Microsoft Kin Was Such a Total Disaster
• BlackBerry CEO goes on another BlackBerry 10 media blitz, read the highlights
• But will it do any good? RIM loses patent battle to Nokia (thanks for the extra link, Carl)
• Software Pioneer John McAfee in Hiding over Belize Murder: ‘They Will Kill Me if They Find Me’
• B&N won’t let you re-download that ebook if the CC you paid with has expired
• Posting That Legal Notice In Your Facebook Timeline Doesn’t Do Anything To Protect Your Privacy
• Never Ask The Internet For Photoshop Help

Extra Links (stuff we didn’t get to and bizarre references we made)

—- SHAMELESS DONATION REQUEST —–
Movember continues. Your donations are greatly appreciated (and tax deductible).

As an extra incentive I am offering the following to donors:

- All donors will receive my thanks
- For every $25+ donation I will post a photo of me with a goofy moustache cutout
- For every $50+ donation I will mention you on the podcast
- The first person to donate $100 gets naming rights to my moustache
- If I reach $500 in donations I will dye my mo ($50+ donors are eligible to choose the color)

To donate you can go online to http://mobro.co/joefusco OR
Write a check payable to ‘Movember’, referencing my Registration ID: 4260065 and mail it to: Movember, PO Box 2726, Venice CA 90294-2726
—————————————————–

Kevin and Joe enjoy some sophomoric humor, that started before the recording, throughout the show. Actually, the sophomoric humor started pretty much from the day they met.

In this episode Joe highlights some features he likes about Server 2012 and Windows 8. We talk about Facebook, cyber security, Google maps for iOS, and… AOL disks at WalMart?

Tonight’s News

• Los Angeles man sues Microsoft over Surface storage claims
• Share and Enjoy with the new Facebook mobile app
• The Last Vestiges Of Circuit City To Disappear On Dec. 31
• Why passwords won’t protect you anymore
• Text messaging falls for first time in U.S.
• Google Maps iOS app one step closer to reality
• Raiders Of The Lost Walmart In The Temple Of America Online (follow the rabbit hole links at the bottom)
• Funny, if tasteless, video of the week: College Humor’s Your Momma’s so fat sketch

Philosophy Question/Concept of the Week:

Now that Kevin is back you get to hear the entire discussion on the Disney/Lucasfilm deal… and the conversation somehow veers off into idol worship for Joss Whedon before Joe can get them off the subject. But we do have tech news! And – SURPRISE! – most of it is NOT about Apple. RIM gets more deathwatch cred, there’s new battery tech to go along with the amplifier tech we talked about last week, and someone has created Star Wars origami.

As an added bonus, we engage in some Inside Joke Theater!

Movember News

You may recall from last week that Joe is participating in Movember to raise awareness for men’s health. In order to make a difference I need your help. My commitment is to grow a moustache for the month of November and by changing my appearance, raise vital awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

I am asking you to help support my personal journey by making a donation. The size of the donation isn’t important, every little bit helps Movember continue its funding of world-class programs.

Please donate to me by:
*Donating online at: http://mobro.co/joefusco
*Writing a check payable to ‘Movember’, referencing my Registration ID: 4260065 and mailing it to: Movember, PO Box 2726, Venice CA 90294-2726

For more details, take a look at the Programs We Fund section on the Movember website: http://us.movember.com/about/funding-overview/
Thank you in advance for supporting my efforts to change the face of men’s health.

Movember is a registered 501 (c)(3) charity, donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Tonight’s News

• Blackberry 10 May be D.O.A. – Deathwatch continues
• Staples Agrees To Let New Best Pal Forever Amazon Install Lockers In Its Stores
• MS to Retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype
• Exclusive: Microsoft Office for iPhone, iPad, and Android revealed
• Researchers @ Rice University Triple Lithium-ion Battery Life
• Apple fined $368 million for violating VirnetX patents in FaceTime
• Hacking in a Virtual Environment
• Star Wars Origami

Zettabyte: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zettabyte
More information on SI Prefixes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_prefix

The movement to make “Hella-” the new SI prefix:
http://blog.makezine.com/2010/03/02/petition-to-establish-hella-as-si/

Kevin is out this week with some family obligations and the week just kind-of slipped away from me. We have some Star Wars news, a little bit of Apple news, and I learn why it pains me to do math. Plus, your smartphone may soon get better battery life using the same batteries. It’s a shorter show than usual but what can you expect when only one idiot is rambling?

Help support awareness and research for men’s health issues
————————————————–
It’s Movember and time to make a difference.

Men’s health is a cause I am passionate about but in order to make a difference I need your help. My commitment is to grow a moustache for the month of November and by changing my appearance, raise vital awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

I am asking you to help support my personal journey by making a donation. The size of the donation isn’t important, every little bit helps Movember continue its funding of world-class programs.

To highlight the importance of what I am doing, take a look at these statistics:
•  1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
•  This year 242,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed
•  This year 8,290 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer

If you’d like to help change these statistics, please donate to me by:

• Donating online at: http://mobro.co/joefusco
• Writing a check payable to ‘Movember’, referencing my Registration ID: 4260065 and mailing it to: Movember, PO Box 2726, Venice CA 90294-2726

For more details, take a look at the Programs We Fund section on the Movember website: http://us.movember.com/about/funding-overview/

Thank you in advance for supporting my efforts to change the face of men’s health.

Joe Fusco

Movember is a registered 501 (c)(3) charity
donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
————————————————–

Tonight’s News

• Disney buys Lucasfilm!
• iTunes 11 delayed
• Facebook said to be tweaking timeline
• I knew it! Math anxiety causes physical pain
• Tech breakthrough may double smartphone battery life
• Scott Forstall and Apple part ways
• Pentagon joining those abandoning Blackberry
• Cool video of the week: The Top 250 Movies of All Time in Less Than 3 Minutes – With a really awesome soundtrack

Today on the TRIPcast we ponder the necessity of wearing pants, Joe uses the word asymptotically, and we discuss Bacon Decorating Month (submit your ideas here), celestial eructations, Kevin’s DVR, the relevancy of The Doctors, Bob Newhart, and Crowning Moments of Awesome. And most of that is before we ever get to the news!

Tonight’s News

• ALPHA CENTAURI HAS A PLANET!
• Microsoft launches Windows 8 
• … with excellent upgrade pricing
• One Windows to Rule Them All
• Is Microsoft About To Unleash A Kraken Of Suck On Consumers?
• The Next Hot Thing We’re All Gonna Want In Our TVs Is Ultra HD
• Apple announced the iPad Mini
• Wired tells us what we need to know about the iPad Mini
• iPad Mini doesn’t win the spec war
• iPad Mini screen resolution leaves a bit to be desired
• Apple also announced the 4th generation iPad
• So you can get a 3rd generation iPad at a bargain price
• Approximately half of iPad owners are angry at Apple for releasing the 4th-gen iPad so soon
• Apple is a cult-like religion
• What Happens If You Try To Hold A Board Meeting In The Office Chair Department Of Staples?
• Zynga CEO Mark Pincus: Boston closing, Austin reducing, 5% of full-time staff laid off
• Fun video of the week: Cat gets caught barking