A bit late due to come technical issues on my end, but here at last!

On the show: Kate MacIntyre-Ross, Fred McDonald, Nelson Pecora, and Churba.

Topics:

"Playing to Win" or "Playing for Fun"

Death penalty slowly going away: Now what?

Can you be too happy?

We also go on for a bit about candy, deserts, and pop. Yum!

Tonight on Friday Night Party Line: Churba, Ray, Adam, and one Google Fanboy named Victor.

FBI Unable to unlock Pimp's Android Phone Asks Google for Assistance
FAA May be reevaluating policy on gadgets
Despite recent arrests at Zucotti Park, is Occupy Wall Street fading away?
How do you reuse/re-purpose/recycle your old gadgets?

Churba's Plug: 
Hollywood Shooting Victims Fund

Adam's Plug:
3D Game Lab 

Ray's Plugs:
Slate.com: You Can't Occupy This
Something Becoming Rain 

Victor's Plug:
Old School 

Tonight on Friday Night Party Line, Thead returns! Oh, and Jason and Churba are here too.

Topics:

Thaed's Happiness Update

Mementos:
Now that we can record life digitally, are mementos still relavent?

"Googles Hand Caught in the Privacy Cookie Jar"

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/02/google-safari-browser-cookie/ 

Tonight on Friday Night Party Line, we have special guest Lauren Goodnight, and Ray returns!

Topics:

Should student speech online fall within the jurisdiction of school
policies? Previously, courts have said "no" but now they're not so
sure.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-student-social-media/

Supreme Court says that Congress can Re-Copyright Public Works. What
issues might this bring rise to?
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-re-copyright-decision/

In an effort to bring cars back from "black box" status (a black box
being a closed system not designed with user service or understanding
in mind), Gawker Media blog Jalopnik has started a petition to have
the age old "Check Engine" light replaced with the car actually
telling the driver what has gone wrong.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/01/ban-check-engine-lights/
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/require-automakers-replace-nearly-useless-check-engine-light-display-actually-explains-whats-wrong/n8GH9qqg

Tonight on Friday Night Party Line... Luke Burrage doesn't care, Scott Johnson's walls are held up with spackle, Churba preserves his artistic integrity, and Timo reinvents the Microwave.

Topics:

"Congress authorizes Pentagon to wage Internet war"
Note: The headline says they've authorized it, but they actually haven't yet.

The Aura of Art
Philosopher Walter Benjamin, in his essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", tells us that something important has been lost now that art can be duplicated so easily; that works of art have lost that special quality (or "aura") that comes with context and uniqueness and, instead, have gained "exhibition value".
Is that really the case, or has our understanding of art changed to allow for millions of copies of a single work?
Luke's Painting

Multi-funtion or Mono-function: Is either better?
So many things in our lives are multi-funtion; smartphones, multitools... some mice have as many as 15 buttons. As we work harder and harder to make our gadgets smaller and smaller, we try to cram as much functionality into them as we can, hoping to make our pockets lighter in the process. The problem is that, most of the time, it just doesn't work out. There is something to be said about doing one thing and doing it well.
Is it better to specialize or to consolidate and settle? Is this restricted to things, or do people apply to this as well?

Obligatory New Year's Resolutions Topic

With a few occasional technical glitches, Tonight on Friday Wednesday Night Party Line we have Adam, Viga, Churba, and special guest Varoujan Gorjian, Astronomer for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratories. 

Topics:

Are police becoming militarized?

Mars Rover "Curiosity"

Censorship and Nude Art

The Thanksgiving Question

Ask the Astronomer!

Tonight's Guests: Churba, Scott Johnson, and newcomers Ro (from ATW9K) and Dave (from the UK)

Our topics for the evening:

• (How can we not?) Steve Jobs, In Memorium
• Learning after formal education
• Things kids should learn (even if the rest of the world would rather they not)
  "Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)"
• Ask the Panelists!

Join the conversation on our Facebook Page and follow Victor on Twitter @SonicDH

Dont forget to submit your questions for our Ask the Panelist segment.

If you have comments or would like to suggest a guest, email Victor!

Tonight's Guests: Rym, Thaed, Adam, Jason, and not Ray.

Everything's amazing and no one is happy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk

We have so many incredible technologies available to us, improving our
daily lives in almost unimaginable ways, and yet people seem to be as
unhappy as ever. But maybe there's a better way? How would you
increase overall happiness in the world (assuming someone was already
dealing with the starving kids and such).


Wikileaks v. The Guardian
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/wikileaks-unredacted-cable-release-is-guardians-fault.ars

"Unredacted versions of more than 250,000 US government cables have
been released online after a breach of WikiLeaks' archive servers,
which WikiLeaks blames on the "gross negligence or malice" of a
journalist from The Guardian. As such, the full versions of the
documents are now floating around on the Internet, complete with the
names of informants, sources, and the like. WikiLeaks says it has
initiated legal action against the UK newspaper."


Drop your job!
What opportunity, if presented to you (no strings attached), would you
immediately quit your job for?

Join the conversation on our Facebook Page and follow Victor on Twitter @SonicDH

Dont forget to submit your questions for our Ask the Panelist segment.

Ask the Panelists!

On this very special episode of Friday Night Party Line, we go back in time and rediscover some of the best episodes of season one.

On the show tonight: David, Ray, Scott, Rym, Howard, Viga, Kirsten Sanford A.K.A. "Dr. Kiki", Scott Johnson from Extra Life Radio, Mignon Fogarty A.K.A. Grammer Girl, Lisa Bettany from Mostly Lisa.com, and Thaed

-Using multiple internet identities.  Is there a way to safely merge them if you have a job where they care about what you do online? 

-Klingon, Leet Speak, Nerdish and Esperanto. If we can agree what constitutes a language, are these languages? Should people bother trying to create artificial human languages? Is the goal of a universal lingua franca a meaningful goal? Why or why not?

-Take a look at at this New Yorker article. Are the distinctions made between invention and creation valid?

-According to this article, new software can quantify how many people are at a given place by identifying the number of cell phones present at a location by tying the information to GPS data.  Thus, if a person wants to know where the crowd is on a given night, all he or she would have to do is check online. Is this good or bad?  What other things could this technology be used for?

Sound Effects by:

Gelo Papas, ADCBicycle, ltibbits, Martian

You can find Victor at his website VictorKhaze.com and on Twitter as @SonicDH

Tonights Guests: Adam, Jason, Scott Johnson, Churba, Thaed, and Victor

Now that the last Space Shuttle has launched, what is the future of space exploration? Where do you want to see us 10, 50, 100 years down the road? Should there even be more space exploration within those timeframes?

Tables Turned: LulzSec under attack: http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2011/06/dox-everywhere-lulzsec-under-attack-from-hackers-law-enforcement.ars , They fight back: http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2011/07/anonymous-vows-revenge-after-15-arrested-in-italy-antisec-hacks-continue.ars

Six Strikes and you're out!: US ISP's get together with Big Media and make their own laws. White House all for it! http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/07/major-isps-agree-to-six-strikes-copyright-enforcement-plan.ars , http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/07/white-house-we-win-the-future-by-making-isps-into-copyright-enforcers.ars

Ask the Panelists!: From Sammie R. of Burbank, CA: What is your ideal "Get stuff done" environment? How do you get in "The Zone"?

Ask the Panelists! 

Download the Blooper Reel!

Tonight's Guests: Luke, Thaed, and Victor

On tonight's show, Thaed's been listening to a book, Luke asks us to travel back in time, and Victor wonders if we should be telling people where we are...

Tonight's Guests: Rym, Scott, Luke, Churba, Adam, and Victor

The Rapture!

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture

The Washington Post's Outlook section invited 10 writers to sift through the world's clutter and each nominate one thing – an idea, a tradition, a habit, a technology, you name it – that we'd all be better off tossing out this spring. What they got ranged from "The Simpsons" to "Democracy". What thing would you want eliminated?

Original Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/opinions/outlook/spring-cleaning-2011/?hpid=z2

Everyone "knows" that everyone else is a worse driver than they are, so what if we took humans out of the equation? Well, Google has been silently lobbying to allow robots to drive on Nevada public roads. How do you feel about this?

Original Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/science/11drive.html?_r=2

A bill has been introduced into the senate that would give the Department of Justice and individuals new powers to enforce copyright and trademark law against "rogue" and "pirate" Web sites that offer unlicensed copies of protected content or which sell illegal knock-offs of brand-name goods by taking them off the internet. Never mind the questions of the technological feasibility of this bill, what do you think of the possible ramifications of this, if it even passes.

CNET Article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20062419-38.html
EFF Blog Post: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/05/protect-ip-act-coica-redux

You can find Victor at his website VictorKhaze.com and on Twitter as @SonicDH

Tonights Guests: Thaed, Scott "Churba" Gibbs, Jason Gauci, and Victor

We've all done it at least once or twice, either out of convenience or necessity, but Wired Magazine recently published an article asking "Is WiFi Squatting Illegal"? What are your thoughts on the legality, or even morality, of this happy collision of technology and circumstance.

Original article: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/pr_burning_wifi_squatting/


It's almost universally understood that smoking is bad for you and, through second hand smoke, those around you. Almost every state in the U.S. has some kind of ordinance banning smoking within twenty feet of public buildings, but now there are cities like Pasadena, California looking to ban smoking altogether within city limits, including in private residences. They say a "man's home is his castle", so is this an admirable show of progressive thinking or a violation of the sovereignty of one's own home?

Pasadena Article: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_14509079



The DIY revolution is here and it's stronger than ever. Manufacturing technologies that were once available only at an industrial level, such as CNC Machines and 3D printers, are now being brought down to the desktop level. Amateurs and professionals alike are using these tools, as well as rapid prototyping services like Shapeways and Ponoko, to build fantastic new designs. They can then bring them to life with flexible, inexpensive programming platforms like the Arduino. Have you done any of this? If so, what have you DIY-ed lately?

Wired Interview with Limor Fried (LadyAda): http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/ff_adafruit/

Maker Bot: http://www.makerbot.com/

Home CNC Kit: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Toolworks-CNC-Carving-Machine/dp/B002ARTLUG

Ponoko: http://www.ponoko.com/

Shapeways: http://www.shapeways.com/

Arduino: http://www.arduino.cc/

You can find Victor at his website VictorKhaze.com and on Twitter as @SonicDH

Tonight's hosts: Thaed, Rym, Timo, Luke, and Victor. 

 

• What are your opinions on the protests across the middle east and what are your projections on the future?

• Japan has just experienced one of the greatest national disasters in it's history. With the understanding that the situation is still developing, how do you think event will affect the world as a whole?

• The power of the gadgets we carry in our pockets is becoming startlingly greater (Motorola is releasing a 1 GHz dual-core tablet) and their built in cameras rival point-and-shoots from only a few years ago. Digital bar-code tags are appearing all over the real world and even augmented reality, an idea thats been in the technology hopper for at least a decade, is coming to fruition on our mobile devices. How do you see the world the next five years? How about ten? Is the world going to become "a digital frontier to reshape the human condition" or just the status quo, only better?

• Suggested by Churba: Online Identities - Do you have a completely separate alias, Or is your alias essentially synonymous with your real name? Do you find any advantage or disadvantage to using you real name? Do you use both? How has online identity changed since you (and the internet) were younger?

 

Some big news for FNPL: After nearly two years of being off the air, FNPL is back with a new host. Thaed is passing the reigns of the show over to Sonic (Victor), who edited the last episode of the show. 

Note from Victor: 

Back in 2008, after being a fan of the show since the beginning, I emailed Thaed and asked him if I could be on the show. I was only 18 at the time and Thaed had told me that it was his policy that hosts need to be 21 or older. Looking back, I understand his reasoning, but I would have never thought that my first appearance on the show would be as it's host. I am deeply honored for this opportunity and am very excited to be able to take part in the continuation of such a wonderfully intellectual and eclectic podcast with a group of such interesting and creative hosts as it's new host and producer.

-Victor

 

You can find Victor at his website VictorKhaze.com and on Twitter as @SonicDH

Tonight's hosts:  Rym, Scott, David, Jason, Alex, Luke and Thaed.  Thanks to Sonic for coming aboard as our new editor.  Here are the topics:

--Neutrinos, radioactive decay and the Earth's core.
--Steampunk band Abney Park and the nature of this movement today.
Bolt some smelly brass on an ipod and call it steampunk?
--Ask the economist

We had technical problems tonight.  The outtakes are almost as long as the show.

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

--Economic down-turn and Open Source.  Will it help or hurt?

--(From David)  "The big things don't love you back.  They take and
take, and never give in return.  They'll drain your blood, your soul,
and never let you go."  The Postman by David Brin.

--If your lifestyle uses a lot of gas and electricity, but you can
afford it, should you change your lifestyle to conserve energy? Say
you like driving Hummers, your house costs a fortune to heat and you
run a hot tub year round. But you have the money, so it has no impact
on you financially?  Is this wrong?

--In his book "Brain Rules" John Medina advocates putting treadmills
in the classroom because exercise improves mental acuity.  He believes
ancient humans walked 12 miles a day and we should too.  Is this
workable?

--Contests held to improve technology dates back to contests in
England to see who could design the best locomotive.  Now, we have
DARPA prizes, the X-Prize and a host of others.  Should there be a
prize for every single societal problem?  Should we have a cure
malaria prize?  A stop homelessness prize?

--(From Jason) Big corporations are using viral media like "leaked
videos" (which are actually produced) like the Kobe Bryant kiddie pool
dunk video from Nike and the "fake" music videos which pretend to be
indie but are actually backed by a major record label.  Are major
commercial and advertising studios intimidated by the amateur video &
audio movement?

--Ask the economist.

Kelly rejoins the cast including Scott, Rym, Luke and Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--"I let it run overnight" is a fun google search.  What things do you like to let run overnight and with what results?  What would you like to be able to let run overnight?

--What about a computer game for misers and jerks?  It would allow you to amass huge amounts of wealth, palaces and AI bots to order around. You start out by being born into royalty and deal with the intrigue of Louis the XIV.  Or something.  Or just a sandbox where you can horde, order and abuse at will.  AI slaves!  Millions of them.  That's it. If we can't have robot slaves, we can have AI slaves. Would it sell?

--In a cage match between Naomi Klein and Ann Coulter, who would win?

--How the economic crisis is affecting podcasting.

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

And we're back with a record number of co-hosts!  Tonight features David, Ray, Scott, Rym, Viga, Timo, Jason, Luke and Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--What kind of pen do you use?  Do you write mostly in script or print?  Check out:  http://www.penaddict.com/

-- Discuss one interesting side project you plan on working on in 2009.

--There's a famous computer science lecture running around on the
internet that says that you have to almost create a split personality
in your head, devoid of any preconceptions, to properly learn
programming.  The teacher calls this concept "radical novelty."  Have
you encountered it?  What are your thoughts.
http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/EWD1036.html

--Ask the Economist

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym, Viga and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

So once again, no show.  We'll see if we can get one in prior to year end.  If not, Happy New Year!

Ray bought a new iMac so I'm hoping he'll become a regular again.

Tonight's hosts are David, Rym, Scott and Thaed along with newcomers Luke and Jason.  Here are the topics:

--Craigslist is destroying newspapers.  But is it really more of a
question of the interface?  You don't need the paper, you can get what
you want online.  But what happens when we can receive information
wirelessly directly into our heads.  What happens when the interface
melts away?  You don't need television, radio, phones or even
computers assuming brain communication is two-way.  Moreover, if you
can get sensory information this way with greater resolution than your
five senses provide, what happens next?

--Carl Jacobi is known for using inversion to achieve insight and to
solve problems.  The idea is that you look at a problem backwards or
from another person's perspective to work it out.  Have you tried
this?  Does it work for you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustav_Jakob_Jacobi

--In developing AI, where do self-teaching algorithm or genetic
algorithm come into play?  Where is AI development going today?  What
are the latest advancements?  How long before we all have robot
butlers.

--What is the future of theater, concerts, circuses, sports and other
types of live performance entertainment?  Do people need to gather in
meatspace and be entertained?  Is the economy (or the Internet) going
to shut this down?  Is live entertainment doomed?

--Ask the economist.

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

Real life has me traveling around this great country of ours.  My travels will be ending on 11/13 and I will be celebrating.  Until then, it is consuming 100% of my energies.  So we'll be back soon and Ray has promised to join us.

Thaed

We have a full house with David, Viga, Scott, Rym, Timo and Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--Is it best to live as close to reality as possible?  Should you lie
to yourself or believe things because you like to believe them just to
get yourself through the rough spots?  If you don't like your personal
history, should you rewrite it in your mind?
--Is monastic life desirable?  Does it allow for greater focus on
intellectual pursuits?
--How much of randomness in life can be controlled, influenced or avoided?
--Is fantastic wealth a form of death?  If you eliminate the pursuit
of wealth from a person's life, does it kill motivation and purpose in
that person?
--Is it ever possible to step outside one's self to see ourselves as
others see us?  If you could, would you?
--If you were a pig farmer, how would you run your business?
--Ask the economist and physicist.

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym, Viga and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

No show for the 10th.  We are tentatively set to return on 10/24/2008.  This should not be an epic hiatus.

Timo the Physicist is our special guest!  David, Scott, Rym and Thaed round out the cast.  This show is devoted entirely to science and economics tonight.

Here are the topics:

Ask the Economist:  new ideas on alternative currencies
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/23/what-went-wrong.html

Update on the Large Hadron Collider from someone who knows.

Should the government fund pure science?

Is the Black Swan concept important to theoretical modeling?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludic_fallacy

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

David, Scott, Rym & Thaed appeared tonight along with special guest Len from Jawbone Radio.  Here are the topics:

---Do people interact with their neighbors anymore?  Is is seasonal?
Does the internet allow like minded people to seek each other out to a
greater level of articulation than ever before?  Does that destroy the
idea of local community?  Was there ever such a thing as local
community?
---Cool robot videos!
http://ostatic.com/172525-blog/open-source-roboticists-on-a-path-to-c3p0
How far away are we from having robots that do our household chores?
What are the major hurdles remaining?  If you could have a
multipurpose humanoid robot, what would you make it do?
---Creating artificial life
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/biologists-on-t.html
Is this something that is helpful to humans?  How far away are we from
doing it?  Is there any real danger?
---Does Twitter just distract and annoy?
http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2008/09/twitter_distrac.html
---Do kids need to take happiness lessons?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/sep/10/mentalhealth.happiness
---Ask the Economist.  (please think of something to ask David about,
if nothing else we'll talk about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae).

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym, Len and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://jawboneradio.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

David, Ray, Viga, Thaed and newcomer Breukelen Bell give you all they've got this evening.

Here are the topics:

--What dead stars do you miss and why?
--If you had a machine that would allow you to observe the daily lives of an alien race significantly more advanced than humans, what would you be most curious about in terms of problems they solved and interests that they pursue?
--Free speech for high school students?  Can kids express themselves out of school without repercussions?  Should they be able to?
--The Large Hadron Collider goes online 9/10
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/fundamentals/large-hadron-collider/dn14606
What do scientists hope to discover?  Why is this important?  Is there any danger.
--Should you go with your gut feeling?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14615-why-you-should-go-with-your-gut-feeling.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news9_head_dn14615
--The world is now a happier place.  Agree or disagree?
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19926714.100-why-the-world-is-a-happier-place.html?DCMP=ILC-arttsrhcol&nsref=specrt11_head_Happy%20planet

Sites where you can find more information about Viga and Thaed:

http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

David and newcomer Alex and Thaed are the hosts tonight.

Here are the topics:

--A scientist let the fire department in to put out an air conditioner
and lost his home chem lab.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080809/NEWS/808090323/1008/
Should this have had a different outcome?  Why or why not?
--A 24 hour curfew in the United States?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080813/ap_on_re_us/arkansas_town_curfew
The ACLU has threatened to sue.  Does it matter?  Is this an effective
way to deal with crime and poverty?  If not, what should have
happened?
--According to this article, humans are biased toward the beautiful:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19926694.600-humans-are-biased-towards-the-beautiful.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news6_head_mg19926694.600
Is this dampened by the internet where in theory, no one knows if
you're a dog?  Does beauty work its way into everything anyway?
Should something be done about it?
--New Media Expo, SXSW, podcamps, barcamps, PAX do all of these
conventions have any value?  Is social media in general overblown?
Who is making money?
--Blogger lawsuits.  What should bloggers be sensitive to in order to
avoid getting sued?

Sites where you can find more information about Thaed:

http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

No show this weekend.  FNPL will return soon.

Tonight's show features Scott, Rym, Viga & Thaed.  Here are the topics:

1. Which is worse:  jealousy or greed?
2. Does being in control add happiness to your life?  There were some
nursing home studies involving patients who were able to care for a
plant and others who could control visits from interns doing the study
that indicated that having control is essential to happiness (and well
being)  So we should aspire to control and we should also give people
the power to control?
3. Now that I bought a Kindle, version 2 has been announced for the fall.
How about it?  Are you going to buy one?  Why or why not.
4. What are the top 5 things that every human being should do before he
or she dies?
5. (Rerun from Episode 13)  If you could meet any three celebrities
alive today, who would they be? What would you say to them? How would you like to meet? Over dinner? At an event? In your living room?

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym, Viga and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Lisa Bettany (www.mostlylisa.com) is our special guest!  Ray, Viga and Thaed are the regulars in the lineup.  Here are the topics:

--Esperanto related comments from the last show.

Does having children make you happy?  Not all of us have kids yet, but
this article (as found by Scott Rubin) seems pretty bleak.  What do
you think?

--According to this article, new software can quantify how many people
are at a given place by identifying the number of cell phones present
at a location by tying the information to GPS data.  Thus, if a person
wants to know where the crowd is on a given night, all he or she would
have to do is check online.  Is this good or bad?  What other things
could this technology be used for?

--Video editing.  What is the best software for editing video for
YouTube and home use?  Which hardware is best for editing videos?  Mac or PC  (yes, I want to go there).

--While I think this blogger might not have been serious, what do you
think about this concept of a Transhuman Olympics?  So long as
everyone knows what's going on, would people watch?  Is this
desirable?  Would it help science?

--Here's an article about scientists who were killed or seriously
injured in the line of duty.  Beyond the risks that everyone must face every day by virtue of getting out of bed, would you risk  terrible injury or death for your job?

--You have $5000.00 to spend.  You can't save it, you must spend it.
What do you buy?

--What are you reading this summer?  Plus, Ray creates an image in our minds.

Sites where you can find more information about Viga and Thaed:

http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Grammar Girl a.k.a Mignon Fogarty is our special guest!  Our regulars this show are Ray (who joins us midway) Scott, Rym and Thaed.  Check out Ms. Fogarty's new book: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.

Here are the topics:

--Nature v. Nurture objectively speaking. What dictates human behavior more?

--Klingon, Leet Speak, Nerdish and Esperanto. If we can agree what constitutes a language, are these languages? Should people bother trying to create artificial human languages? Is the goal of a universal lingua franca a meaningful goal? Why or why not?

--Shakespeare v. Marlowe v. everyone else.  Do you think Shakespeare was a real person? Do you think he stole from other playwrights? Which of the plays is your favorite and why?

--Oak Trees that grow as fast as bamboo; corn cobs full of gasoline. Think of at least two things that could be genetically engineered to make the world better if ethics were no obstacle.

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

Tonight's panelists are Scott, Rym, Howard the Venture Capitalist and, of course, Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--What is the nature of sociometry?  How much does attractiveness play a role?  How does this translate to the internet?

--Dependency on oil will stop when:
a) we get a new president
b) the price of gasoline gets high enough
c) inevitably over time
d) it doesn't matter because an asteroid will hit the earth and kill us all.
e) other.

--In a world where information wants to be free, why are lawyers so expensive?

--With cable tv, FM and satellite radio, IP TV, podcasts and god knows what else fragmenting media, what does this media fragmentation mean for content providers and for media companies themselves?

--What will the effect of the pull back in the credit markets be on the private equity world?  Does it matter to consumers?

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net
Follow Thaed on Twitter.

Scott Johnson from Extra Life Radio and The Instance is our special guest tonight.  Our regular hosts are David, Viga and Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--Take a look at at this New Yorker article
Are the distinctions made between invention and creation valid?
--In Monday's WSJ, there is an article entitled: "The Digital Future of Books." With the advent of the Kindle, and really even the web itself, how many years does print media have before it disappears entirely. What other issues come into play here such as can people even tolerate longer reading nowadays?
--What web comics do you you read? How difficult is it today for an artist to create a successful web comic?
--There were some changes suggested recently concerning orphan copyright procedure. If you could could change the copyright and patent system in the U.S., what would you do to it?
--Given higher gas prices, isn't it time to do less traveling and more telecommuting? How much more can be done with telecommuting? Will more employers support it now? How high does gas have to go before more people see the value in virtual interaction? Are gas prices even a factor at all?
--Let's comment on this article on 5 things humans no longer need.
What are some other things that humans no longer need?
--Ask the Economist


Sites where you can find more information about Viga and Thaed:

http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Follow Thaed on Twitter
Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Kirsten Sanford, a.k.a. Dr. Kiki is our special guest!  Our regular hosts tonight are David, Ray, Scott, Rym, Howard and Thaed.

Here are the topics:
1. Using multiple internet identities.  Is there a way to safely merge them
if you have a job where they care about what you do online?
2. What do you think about this article on The Great Filter Theory?
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20569/page1/
3. What is the most efficient way for a human being to absorb information: Video, audio or reading?
4. The Twitter revolution.  Penny Arcade covered it so it must be over,
right?  Are all the tweets just mayflies enjoying their one day or this an
enduring social phenomena?
5. What the hell happened to Ben Stein anyway?
6. How do you pass the time on airplanes?
7. Recently a guy in Pakistan used hypnosis instead of anethetic for surgery on his hand.  Is this fake?  Is hypnosis real?
8. Software Mnemonics.  What do you think about Evernote, Jott and Remember the Milk?

Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Rym and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

We've been on hiatus but now we're back.  This episode was actually recorded a while ago.  Next week we hope to have a very special new show with an exciting guest (or guests).

This lost episode features David, Kyle, Hungry Joe, Neito and Thaed.

Here are the topics:

--Do we need libraries anymore?
--Should the cities surrounding the Great Lakes sell the water to other cities?  (7:10)
--Is Police Brutality increasing in the U.S.? (11:30)
--Is college a waste of time and money?  (22:30)
--Is Canada the land of pot smoking music pirates?!  (34:00)
--What technology in the future will have as much impact as computers?  (45:50)
--Ask the Economist  (54:45)


Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Tonight's episode features Ray, Scott, Viga and newcomers Neito and Hungryjoe.  Here are the topics:

1.  Look at this article on these artificial intelligence guys who killed themselves.  Do you think that there's something about this field that causes people to go crazy?  Do you think that there is a conspiracy here?
2.  I'm very much into playing with AI even though the state of the art is, well, lacking.Do you think we'll ever have software that allows you to interact with your computer in a way that's more than basic voice commands or mouse clicking? How many years away is this? Is it another flying car?
3.  State of podcasting today:  are video podcasters killing the internet radio stars? 
4.  Are we child men (or women?)  Is there any merit to this article?  Why or why not?
5.  Model turned bodyguard gets killed.  Is having martial arts skills meaningful anymore?  If someone has a gun or gets the jump on you, does it matter?  Look at the mixed martial arts guys that are so popular now. Isn't this just wrestling?  And given the fact that boxers do poorly against these guys, shouldn't people just learn to wrestle?
6.  What are you willing to do to extend your lifespan?  Eat less?  Exercise?  Take drugs?  Would you do what Stallone admits to doing?
7.  Watch this TED video: What do you think?  Does he have something here that can help people be happy?  Are outcomes really irrelevant?  What about persistent misery?  Haven't you ever known people who are never happy?  Have you ever met people who buy something and they are never happy with it?


Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Viga, Neito and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.nerdramblingz.com/stc/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

This week's show features David, Scott, Viga and Thaed.  Here are the topics:
1)How much of our behavior comes from other people?  We imitate, we keep up with the Joneses.  How much do we do because other people are doing it?  How much do we do because we are genuinely interested in what other people are doing?    Are we looking for richness in our own lives?  Are we looking for what we should be doing?
2)On some of these house hunter, remodeling shows, you see young people buying half million dollar homes.  Who are these people?  Is this real?  What do they do for a living?  Are these rich, 1st time home buyers the solution to the housing price decline?
3)Zurich Axioms, a 1985 book, was available through Ben's Bargains for free this week and we discuss.
4)Are memories irrelevant?  If you have a fun time at a beach does it really help your life?  Once you get beyond “don't touch a hot stove? is memory useful.  If it's not, then is fun itself only for the moment? 
5)http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13160-upgraded-hubble-telescope-to-be-
90-times-as-powerful.html  They are going to fix the Hubble.  Is it worth it? 
6)What do you think about the fight between Intel and the so called $100 laptop folks? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7178241.stm 
7)Should we all stop being productive and start playing WoW, I mean, what's wrong with us?  Penny Arcade is doing it, why shouldn't we?
8)Are you looking to buy any toys for yourself in the coming months?  If so, what?


Sites where you can find more information about Scott, Viga and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://vigatheotagal.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

No, we're not going on hiatus again, but we won't be back until the 11th.  I am hoping to do two shows a month for the foreseeable future.  Our audience is still growing and people are still having fun doing the show.  Who knows, we may even have a spin-off this year.

Happy New Year!

Thaed

This is an unusual FNPL episode.  We only have one topic and it's really a discussion on the nature of friendship.  It's also Kyle, Thaed and David arguing with Rym and Scott about the best laid plans.  It's youthful optimism versus jaded pessimism at its best.


Sites where you can find more information about Rym, Scott and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Tonight, we have David, Scott, Kyle, Rym & Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--Why do people keep that which they do not use?  You have people with real problems throwing things away in an extreme way.  Their houses are full of what amounts to garbage.  On the other hand, some people throw away something immediately when it no longer has a ready purpose.  Many of us are somewhere in between.  Is it ok to keep something you don't use?

--We now have the scientific capability to track human abilities and illnesses to genetic characteristics.  Should we then score genetic potential in humans the same way we do I.Q.  Should everyone be tested and then receive a gene score?  Would this create new bar-room bragging between the sexes?  Would it create a new line of insults?  Is it horrific or inevitable?  (15:54)

--Excesses in entertainment consumption.  Those of us who were alive in the 80s remember the emergence of conspicuous consumption.  Today, however, I would propose that we have more ways to entertain ourselves than ever before to the point where there's kinds of entertainment that we forgo not because we don't like it, but because there's something we like slightly more.  Is this bad?  (41:08)

--Ask the Economist:  Earlier this month, the offices of the folks who make the Liberty Dollar were raided.  What do you think about this?  Federal law is pretty darn specific about who gets to issue currency in this country?  What's the deal?  How is this different from giving someone a promissory note or a share in stock for example?  Bonus discussion on IRAs and 401ks.  (50:29)


Sites where you can find more information about Rym, Scott and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

This week's hosts:  David, Kyle and Thaed.  We discuss:

--Ask the Economist:  given gold and oil are at all time highs and the dollar is at an all time low, what does this mean for the economy over the next 5 years?  What can we do about it?
--http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133058.htm  Sci fi v. reality, another solar system.  What does this mean for humanity's understanding of space.  What does it mean for you personally?
--Income and net worth.  http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/103815/Where-Do-You-Stand-on-America's-Wealth-Spectrum.  Look it's another list.  What does this tell you about wealth in America?  What does wealth correlate to on an individual level?
--Things that affect daily life are perhaps more important than they seem.  Take cracking hands, for example or toenail clippers or ironing.  Is there something to elevating the mundane?  Are Buddists right in thinking that we should focus on directly experiencing life through the mundane?
--Fab at home.  http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224759.html.  How long before this is actually useful?  Will it ever be?  Is this the next great advance that will be commonplace in 50 years the way computers are today?
--Name things and industries that don't seem to have patent squatters.  How are patent squatters affecting innovation? 

Sites where you can find more information about Thaed:

http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

We tried to get together tonight, but it just wasn't in the stars.  Maybe next week...

Tonight's hosts:  David, Scott, Kyle & Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--Ask the Economist. 
--Reductionism and the enjoyment of life.  Does understanding everything in daily life to a fundamental level destroy the capacity to enjoy it?  Does greater understanding of the universe make life less desirable?  (9:06)
--In a future world of hyper efficiency, what will people do for a living?  (16:20)
--Say you are a billionaire and you want to make your home town a better place.  How do you use your money to make this happen?  (21:03)
--Dave's Stalin Quote:  death of a soldier is a tragedy, the death of a 1000 soldiers is a statistic.  Was this ever true?  Is it true today?  (39:43)
--What will it take for Linux to make really progress in the marketplace against Windows?  (44:21)
--Golf:  is it still how business is acquired?  Do you have to play golf to be successful?  Can you play WoW instead?  (53:21)

Sites where you can find more information about Scott and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Tonight's hosts:  Ray, Scott, Kyle, Rym & Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--Tax evading idiots and blogosphere response.  There were some tax cheats recently captured by the U.S. Government and bloggers went nuts.  Why is it so hard for some people to pay their taxes?
--  Unusual experiences with people you've sold stuff to.  I had a recent
encounter with a very motivated dude concerning a car.  (8:33)
--best hotel rooms you've ever occupied and why.  (16:18)
--8 simple-minded ways to enjoy every day.   (25:59)
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/enjoy-life-each-day/
--Classical literature versus comic books and manga.  Shouldn't you limit your consumption of lowbrow entertainment?  (42:56)
--What questions do you have about life?  Thinking people work out most of the main issues and life isn't really much of a mystery.  Do you even have any and if so what are they?  (59:24)

(I have to make mention of the fact that I had never heard the term Hikikomori until Scott used it in this show.  Thanks for that.)


Sites where you can find more information about Rym, Scott and Thaed:

http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

Tonight's hosts:  Ray, Kyle, David & Thaed.  Here are the topics:

--After Alan Greenspan's interview aired on 60 Minutes, the price of gold has gone up.  He predicts future double digit inflation.  If hyperinflation happens in this country, does it make sense to to keep $5k in gold coins just to buy bread?  Silver is another option, but it's more volatile.  What do you think a person should do by way of currency in the face of world wide economic chaos?

--Does your source of news color your world-view?  Geeks generally get news from a variety of sources, but what if your only source was CNN, Fox News or your local newspaper.  Would the particular agency viewpoint make you see things only in that light?  (11:15)

--Do Not Want.  You've seen the meme, but what things in life do you actively avoid?  (25:07)

--There was an article on Digg about a guy who was active on the Something Awful forums who killed a couple of people.  Is it strange that they bothered to link a killer to a forum?  Are forums new ways to associate people?  Are forums the new Masons?  Or is it more like the Sharks and the Jets?  (36:16)

--Teh social networks.  Do you use any of them?  I had someone find me from High School yesterday on Facebook.  I've had some good discussions on Linkedin.  But is there any real point to it and can you explain how Facebook could really be worth more than $1.95 instead of $10 billion or half what General Motors is worth?  (46:41)

--If you could own and operate a manufacturing plant, what would you make?  (51:58)


Sites where you can find more information about David and Thaed:

http://wholegarden.wordpress.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

I'm doing a lot of traveling so no show this week.  We should be back next week, though with new show goodness.

Tonight's hosts:  Dave, Nathan, Scott & Thaed.  Here are the topics:
 
--Is it possible to get paid for just being you?  Does a job exist where you do whatever you want to do and getting paid for it?  (2:13)
 
--Is Steampunk bunk?  Is there any point to it?   http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/26/the_age_of_steampunk/?page=3      (8:42)
 
--David's topic:  Did you see that the kid who hacked the iPod got a Z Car?  http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/08/28/iphone.unlocked.ap/index.html  
Plus, what do you think of the iTouch?    (15:17)
 
--Have you guys seen the Pleo?  Is this going to be a hit?  Will it be better
than the Aibo?  Worse?  (25:37)
 
--What things do you do on the weekend to make your week go more smoothly?   (29:14)
 
--What are your thoughts on skyscrapers?  Should they still be built?  Are they a good use of space?  Will they continue to be built?
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070902/SPECIAL/109020044
/1001    (38:49)
 
--Female traveling willberries:  Who would you pick to be an all female rock band from mature female singers? (41:14)

--Oobuntoo?  (45:59)


Sites where you can find more information about Nathan, Scott and Thaed:

http://saturn49.blogspot.com/
http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

After a little more than a year off, we're back!  Here are the topics for Episode 15:

--A quick down and dirty explanation of the sub-prime lending mess in the U.S.
 
--Is geography important?  I know a woman who, when she finished school, moved to the city where she wanted to live and waited tables until she found a job in her field.  Most people normally do the opposite:  the job dictates where you live.  Does it matter?  (9:16)
 
--There's a video about a guy who collects apple computers:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/08/08/mac-collector.ap/index.html Are you this way about anything?  C'mon, you've really got 400 GI Joes, don't you? (20:06)
 
--Home theater:  where do you stand now, what do you want to get, what do you recommend.  What did you pick Blu-Ray or HD DVD? (30:57)
 
--Modeling human behavior has become more advanced.  There's a huge market for being able to predict human response to a given stimulus from a military, corporate and political perspective.  How far do you think we are really and how far do you think this technology will go?
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/invention/2007/08/strategy-predicting-software.html (45:02)
 
--We used to talk about futurism a fare amount on this show.  What signs do you see that indicate major technological progress in our society?  Do you think we'll have a singularity event by 2020?  2050? Ever? (51:37)

--Editing podcasts:  a primer.  (1:01:12)

Sites where you can find more information about Nathan, Scott and Thaed:

http://saturn49.blogspot.com/
http://www.frontrowcrew.com
http://www.mentalinterface.net

Subscribe via iTunes.

Email Thaed at thaed@cox.net

That's right folks.  It's coming back!!!  Check out my main blog, www.mentalinterface.net for more details.  Look for the first new show on 8/25/2007.

As you might have heard, I have a real life project that's going to take up all my free time between now and the end of the year.  So we're going away for awhile.  I very much want the show to resume, so watch this space for details.  Thanks for all your support.

Thaed

http://www.mentalinterface.net

Here are the topics for this week.  Thanks to Kelly, Nathan, David and Ray.  The Geeknights Promo plays at the end of the show.

–What is the hardest physical labor job you’ve ever done?  Did you enjoy it?  How did you get the job?  Why did you leave?  (5:50)

–What is the nature of motivation?  Is it genetic?  Does the environment cause it?  Why do we like to do the things we like to do? Why do we like to do some things and then move away from them and on to other things?  (15:47)

–Schadefreude means taking delight in the misery of others.  Have you had this experience lately?  Tell us about it.  (23:21)

–Planes, trains and automobiles (and also bicycles, snow mobiles, etc.)  Given all the time in the world, what’s you’re favorite mode of transportation and why?  (30:08)

–Speaking of transportation, China launched it’s Sky train this week connecting Bejing to Tibet.  At some points, it is 16,000 feet above sea-level and rests on permafrost.  What great engineering projects would you like to see the U.S. government undertake?  (37:43)

–Did you see fireworks on the 4th of July?  Did you light your own fireworks?  Do you like fireworks?  What’s you’re favorite?  (44:12)

–According to O’Reilly radar People like Mark Pilgrim and Cory Doctorow are switching from OSX to Ubuntu.  Is Ubuntu the operating system to rule them all?  Will security threats to Windows drive everyone to Ubuntu?  (Co-incidentally, I’m setting up an Ubuntu box this week). (47:37)

–YouTube = star maker?  I heard on Cranky Geeks that NBC gave a consulting deal to a girl they found on YouTube that recorded herself doing the Numa Numa dance.  Is this the new reality tv?  If you want to be a star, should you just put yourself on YouTube?  Should we all shoot ourselves now?  (54:10)

–Home improvements revisited:  If you could do one thing to your house or property (or apartment) and you had a $150,000 budget, what would you do?  Why?  Would you do it yourself or hire people to do it?  (58:32)

–Poolside reading (or just summer reading in general).  What’s on your list?  How are you making time to keep up on your reading?  What have you read so far?  (1:04:20)

Thanks to Kelly, Nathan and David for being on the show!  Here are the topics we covered this week:

–Is podcasting a medium that’s here to stay? Have any shows you listen to podfaded? What do you think the future holds for it?  (7:03)

–I read an article online about a guy who went undercover as a car salesman. I’ll talk about what he found out, but what’s your personal strategy that you use in dealing with salesmen when you buy a car.  (13:59)

–Both HD DVD and Blu-Ray players are out now and the word on the street is mixed. Are you planning on buying one of these? Who do you think will win the format war?  (19:47)

–How many domain names do you have registered? When did you start doing it? Has it worked out for you?  (23:34)

–If you could meet any three celebrities alive today, who would they be? What would you say to them? How would you like to meet? Over dinner? At an event? In your living room?  (30:19)

–Who are your top 3 least favorite celebrities and why?  (34:00)

– You’ve heard old wives tales as to treatments such as chicken soup for what ailes you. What’s your favorite wives tale or old country remedy that you still use to treat what’s bothering you.  (42:06)

–What was your favorite collection? Stamps? Comic books? Beer cans? Why did you do it? Do you still do it? What made you stop?  (46:38)

Sites where you can find more information about Kelly, Nathan and Thaed:
http://hibelu.typepad.com/yoga_coffee_outlook/
http://saturn49.blogspot.com/
http://www.mentalinterface.net

This is a best of show with bits taken from the first 9 or so episodes.  When we first started, we were using different audio equipment, so the sound quality varies from segment to segment.  If you are new to the show, this is the episode for you to listen to in order to hear what the show is about.  Thanks to all who participated over the last 13 weeks.

Here are the topics for this week's FNPL.

First we discuss some updates from prior shows regarding Fo.rtuito.us, Mechanical Turk and Scooba.

(10:30)  Is the art of the party dead?  When was the last time you went to a good party?  What made it a good party?  Where was it?  How often are there even parties to go to anymore? 

(18:00)  Do frozen pizzas still suck?  What is your favorite pizza?  How do you rank pizza from Pizza Hut, Dominos, Geppetos, & frozen pizza. 

(25:57)  What was your most memorable road trip?  Was it positive or negative?  When did it take place?  What kind of vehicle was it?  Where did you go? 

(33:04)  What's the worst place you've ever lived?  Why was it so bad?  Who did you live with?  How did you end up there?

(40:20)  There was a NY Times article that equates not breast feeding a baby to smoking or riding a mechanical bull.  Do you agree? 

(44:35)  What are your favorite podcasts, part II?  We are going to play some podcast promos as well. 

(55:00)  Are you excited about music anymore?  We have so many ways to find out about bands now:  My Space, American Idol, Rolling Stone, podcasts, FM radio.  How do you hear about new bands these days?  Do you still go to concerts just to see a specific band? 

(59:55)  When you fly, do you ask for aisle, window or middle?  Do you mind Southwest's seating policy?  Have you every flown first class?  Have you ever ridden in a Grayhound bus?  What did you think? 

For more information:
http://hibelu.typepad.com/yoga_coffee_outlook/
http://thaed.wordpress.com/

This is a promo for Friday Night Party Line.

It got wild and wooly tonight and Ray's daughter even made her presence known.  Thanks to Kelly, Nathan and Ray for being guests!  Here are the topics we covered:

What are your favorite internet memes and where can we find them?  I'm going to play parts of two of my favorites.  These can be new or old, it doesn't matter.

Have you seen Amazon.com's Automated Turk project?  Essentially you can labor intensive work at low cost throughout the world.  I am working on setting up a project under this program.  Have you ever done any work like this or assigned work out through the internet?

Fortuitious follow up.

Should movies made from books, stories or even comic books stay true to the original source material or should it be free to go way out on it's own?

Did you ever have a difficult boss?  Why was this person difficult?  Share some examples with us.  What did you do to cope with this person?

Who were your role models growing up?  How about now?

How much time do you spend on line every week?  Do you visit the same sites all the time or are you always looking for new ones.

There was a big blow to the Space Elevator recently when it was discovered that carbon nanotubes might not be able to handle the job.  What do you think about the Space Elevator concept?  Will it ever get off the ground?

Sites where you can find more information about Kelly, Nathan and Thaed:
http://hibelu.typepad.com/yoga_coffee_outlook/
http://saturn49.blogspot.com/
http://thaed.wordpress.com/

Here are the topics for Friday Night Party Line, June 2, 2006.  Some of these are from last week because we didn’t get to them.  Thanks to Allie, David, Nathan, Indy and Josh for doing the show and setting the current FNPL record for the most guests in one evening.  It was a lot of fun!

Imagine yourself being 10 years old again.  Would your 10 year old self find you to be cool today?

I wonder if what one really enjoys in life can be distilled to one day. Can you describe your ultimate day? Can you think of how you would take the things you enjoy in life and put them all into one day, assuming you could do anything you want?

People are putting up videos of their children being born on YouTube.  I'm all for childbirth and all that, but do we really need to see the live event??   Would you do that?  Have people send such video links to you?  Have you seen these things?

There is a new friend making service called fo.rtuito.us.  It's not a dating site.  It gives you a new friend every 4 days without regard to gender, age, etc.  You communicate with this person back and forth and decide if you want to keep them as a friend.  Would you try such a site?

There is another website that just came out called stalkerati.com.  From the digg.com website:  “You type in the name of a friend and it will run searches on MySpace, Friendster, Facebook and more. Create profiles on your friends and save them to your "buddy list", then you can just click their name and see all their profiles later on! The buddy list also shows you who's online by checking their IM statuses.?

Have you ever written a complaint to a company about something?  Do you do it often?  Have you ever gone further and filed a complaint with the company’s regulator?  How did it work out for you?

At the University of Florida, the police there have become a fan of the fiction of a certain graduate student.  After reading his horror fiction on Live Journal, they've asked him to submit fingerprints and DNA.  What are your thoughts on this?

http://thaed.wordpress.com/

Kelly, Marc and Scott (from the Geeknights podcast) appeared on the show.  A big thank you to everyone; we had a lot of fun tonight.  This is what we discussed:

Have you played with the new free Skype out yet?  We called various other podcasts to test it out.

What are, in your opinion, the three worst magazines out there today and why?

Are you polychonic or monochonic?

Digitizing your life: what do you think of the MyLifeBits project, Gordon Bell and the SenseCam?

Has someone ever asked to go somewhere with them to help them (when you really haven't wanted to)? What did you do and why didn't you want to go?

It's almost summertime and the living is about to be easy. Or is it? What do you do in the summer that you don't do in the winter? Do you spend less time online? Are you a warm weather person or a cold weather person? Does your city have any seasonal activities that makes it special?

Have you ever built your own computer? Have you ever overclocked anything? Would you ever want to?

Links to sites mentioned:

http://hibelu.typepad.com/yoga_coffee_outlook/
http://www.tcrebel.com/
http://www.frontrowcrew.com/
http://thaed.wordpress.com/

Friday Night Party Line is on hiatus this week.  We'll be back next week with interesting topics and excellent guests.

A special thank you to our guests:  Molly, Kelly & David.

Here are this week's topics:

1.  The summer blockbuster movie schedule is fast upon us.  There's lots of mutant and superhero action coming and plenty of comedy and adventure too.  What movies are you looking forward to this summer? 

2.  Do you do any sort of exercise or physical activity that requires training or special skills?  How did you come to take it up?  What makes you keep doing it?

3.  I had the occasion to see Itzhak Perlman play this week.  In my mind, he defines the term virtuoso.  He takes his natural gifts and fulfills their potential.  What examples of virtuosity have you seen in your experiences?  Is it ultimately better to be a master of something or to be merely good at many things?

4.  Do you ever think humans will be able to stop the aging process?  Would you take advantage of it if we had the technology?  Would you have surgery to make yourself look younger?  How far would you go?

5.  Few people would run their lives based on astrology, yet just as we have fun opening fortune cookies, most of us know our our astrological signs.  Some of us may even know a bit more.  Do you ever say "that explains a lot" when you find out someone's sign?  Do you read your horoscope at least every once in a while?  Why does astrology still have enough pull today to appear in the newspaper?

6.  On NewScientist.com, there's an article about a new robot suit "that could help older people or those with disabilities to walk or lift heavy objects."  This suit is sleeker and less cumbersome than some of the bulky things that have been available in the past.  Is the age of the iron man here?  Have you seen the YouTube video of the guy with these spring stilts on his feet jumping around Las Vegas?  It's just another example. 

7. Men and cartoons.

8.  There's an article from the AP this week that says women can look at a guy's face and tell which guy is interested in becoming a father.  Then they can also which ones they are interested in for "short term romantic partners."  Is this real?

9.  Generally speaking, women live longer than men.  I have an article that claims to know why.  Why do you think that is?

10.  I put up a link in my del.icio.us to peekvid.com.  It's television shows that you can watch online.  They have 24, Boston Legal, The Daily Show even Thundercats!  I'm not sure that that site is particularly legal, but there are lots of sites that are.  I have a computer hooked up to a television upstairs.  Is the average person going to start watching TV from his or her computers with content delivered from the internet? 

For more information:  http://thaed.wordpress.com/

Here are this week's topics:

From normal pets to extreme pets; from 1 or 2 pets to hundreds, what is it about people keeping animals?  Does it go back to ancient man as herder?  Is it companionship?  Is it a human need to care for something?  Why are we so focused on our pets and willing to spend so much money on their health and well being?

Do know or work with or are friends with a person obsessed with shoes?  Normally this would be a shoe girl, but it’s possible (in theory anyway) to have a male in this category.  What is the driving nature of this passion?  Is it harmful?  Should it be encouraged? 

There is a well publicized story out now of a guy who is trying, through a series of trades, to trade up from a red paper clip to owning a house.  Where is he now?  Will he have tax consequences?  Can anyone do stuff like this or is it just a gimmick?

Has English become the Lingua Franca to people of all nations?  What about Mandarin?  What about Spanish?  Is there a case for bringing back Esperanto (with William Shatner as it’s spokesman?)

What is your commute like every day?  How do you pass the time?  Do you subscribe to the philosophy of live where you work and travel to where you play?  There was an article recently about a guy who commutes 186 miles each way to work 5 days a week.  Would you do this if the money was right?

Panasonic has a 103 inch plasma TV out now.  How big is too big?  How large a living room would you have to have to comfortably watch something like that?  What is your ideal TV size.

In the spirit of further multi-monitor use, have you seen the new Matrox Triplehead2Go card?  This card allows you to use three monitors with one computer even if the display only supports a single screen output.  Would you use this?  Is it going to be common place for people to have three screens on their desk?  Why not six?

Blackberries, Treos and Sidekicks, oh my!  Business people love their convergent devices.  What’s the all round best multi-use phone?  What do you use?  What do you wish you could have in such a device?

For additonal info, see  http://thaed.wordpress.com/ and http://saturn49.blogspot.com/

Which of the following celebrities has the coolest house and why (you have to do a little HOME work on this one—google the houses):

-John Travolta

-Oprah Winfrey

-Ted Nugent

-Bill Gates

What (or where) is your sanctum sanctorum? Where do you go to do your best thinking or working? Where is your fortress of solitude?

What city has the best food in the world and why?

You have a $50,000 budget to buy a car. What do you get? Why? What options and gadgets do you put in it?

There are now 10 online video post to the internet companies led by Youtube. Have you used any? For what? Are they real businesses?

Is myspace inherently evil? Do you use it? What are the alternatives?

Have you seen some of these videos from emo people online? Can someone explain the whole emo thing to me?

Harvard has a new SETI telescope that looks for laser beams. What do you think of the state of the SETI movement right now? What is the prognosis for future efforts?

Did you see the tank missile defense system video? They were billing it as a force field, but it’s really just a gun that shoots missiles before they hit the tank, right?

Surfing theme: What's your favorite junk food while surfing? Test your junk food knowledge. Do you think you could pick out the following potato chips in a blind taste test? Pringles, Lays (classic), Ruffles, Grandma Shearers and Snyders of Berlin?

Surfing Fashion: What do you wear while surfing, gaming, blogging, etc?

What are your favorite shopping sites online?

Can you name one good thing Martha Stewart has brought into the world?

Korea has promised a robot in every home by 2015 or 2020. Can they do it? What are the challenges?

There is a new cell phone use and brain tumor study. Do you still stick your phone against your head?

How Bill Gates works. If you knew how a billionaire worked, would you change your ways to emulate him?

Why is Bose audio equipment so popular? (From Home Theater Blog).

What are your favorite Internet radio stations. Do you have any internet radio guilty pleasures?

Re: favorite retro tv shows. With the advent of online distribution, what would you like them to bring back?

This weeks topics are:

-What did you think of the DARPA race coverage on Nova this week?  What do you think about the field of robotics generally from the Asimo to the Scooba?
-Have you seen some of the Blogging trends lately like the 13 list and other things which seem to be the next evolutionary phase of the chain letter? Where is this going?
-Where has depth gone in our society and why don't people want to dig deeper into things anymore?
-Are adults who watch Anime weirdos?
-Should we wait for more 1080p options or buy an HD TV now?
-Will you buy all your movies again in an HD format when they come out?
-What are your favorite mixed drinks?
-What are you reading these days?
-They say that you should imagine what you would do if you won the lottery to help establish your goals in life. What would you do if you won the lottery?
-What’s on your you gadget buy list?

In this episode, we talk about the new TiVo Series III, home remodelling, beer, hybrid cars versus electric and hydrogen, internet social gatherings and the delay of Microsoft's Vista OS.