Posted on Mar 30, 2005
In case you’re not too sure what podcasts are about allow me to re-iterate an earlier explanation:
“If you’re one of those gadget-obsessed, fashion victims with an ipod (or whatever type of mp3 player) then you can plug this rss feed into your ipodder, (or whatever podcast software) and regularly bathe in the gently lilting tones of some brummie podcasting — you lucky souls.”
To put it simply, download a copy of ipodder to your pc/mac and then copy and paste http://www.bongovongo.com/wp-rss2.php as a podcast feed. This will copy the latest Bongo Vongo podcast (an audio file) down to your computer. You can listen to this at this point or, if you have an ipod, you can copy this file (which is in mp3 format) to your ipod and listen to the audio file as you wander along on your daily travels.
From this point on, everytime there’s a Bongo Vongo podcast, your ipodder will know about it and automatically download some dulcet brummie waffle for you to listen to at your leisure. Program notes will always be available as an entry on the blog along with a single downloadable mp3 format audio file of each podcast.
Enjoy the latest entries!
Posted on Mar 26, 2005
I go through these phases, once every few months, where I just need to catch up with the latest developments in t’internet — hence the technical nature of the past few posts. But I’m wondering if all this technical marvellousness at my fingertips isn’t driving me away from what I considered to be the whole point of using technology in the first place.
It’s supposed to make life easier in some way — isn’t it?
I’ve just spent far too long, on a beautiful Spring day, sitting in front of a microphone and a pc in order to produce gibberish. I justify it with the thought that I’m trying to get a handle on the new technology. Why? Because there seems to be a lot of parallel and complementary developments in the field of personal publishing (weblogs, podcasts, moblogs, internet social networks and internet telephony) and I should know about them.
I expect I’ll only be truly happy with the technology when I can pick-up my mobile phone, take a few stills or a video clip with it, attach some text to these, post them to a blog and then phone in an associated podcast. It’s that last bit – calling in a podcast to a blog – that I’m missing now and I expect that that’s already being done somewhere.
But I still haven’t really answered the question why would I want to do all of this. I haven’t really got anything I want to desperately show, write or say that requires such a plethora of media methods. A petty realisation of nascent media meglomaniacal tendancies perhaps? or maybe just indulging my inner geek? I dunno.
Enough already — I’m off for some fresh air … and a kebab. Happy (or merry or whatever you’re supposed to say) Easter/ Shadinota Dibosh.
Posted on Mar 24, 2005
Yes, I know that very clever people have been moblogging for years already but I’ve only just got how all that geekery works (hey, I’m no Joi Ito).
But thanks to some clever cameraphone2blog stuff over at flickr.com I can send live(ish) pictures automagically from my Motorola V600 to here.
Of course, the question remains, what for?
Posted on Mar 17, 2005
Bushra said, “hmm. blogs are so yesterday.“
Who am I to argue — I am a blogger, hear me roar (21:22 min, 21 MB)!
(You can find some context for the roar over at Cinema Minima.)
And if you’re one of those gadget-obsessed, fashion victims with an ipod (or whatever mp3 player) then why not plug this rss feed into your ipodder, (or whatever podcast software) and regularly bathe in the gently lilting tones of some brummie podcasting — you lucky souls.
[UPDATE: 25/Mar/05 - The beeb interviews Adam Curry, a podcasting advocate]
Posted on Mar 10, 2005
The Bhutanese seemed to have stopped hiding out in their mountains.
The little Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is just a stones throw away from north Bengal and nestles awkardly between India and China. Lately, it has been courting the outside world with the energy of a … a young courting thing (they only got TV in 1999 and already Michael Palin’s made a programme about them).
And now the Beeb reveals that the Bhutanese have a thing for chillies … I like the Bhutanese. The article revolves around Dorji Ohm who is writing a book about chillies, Ms Ohm reveals,
“When we are babies, our mothers put a little chilli in our food. And they keep increasing it gradually.”
and the article states that,
Here chillies are used as a vegetable – and the national dish of Bhutan is the chilli cheese curry. It is called ema datshi. Ema means chilli and datshi is cheese.
Did I say like? I meant to say love … I love those crazy chilli cheese chomping Bhutanese.
Posted on Mar 5, 2005
There are exotic parts of the world where you expect to hear about vote rigging taking place in the name of the ruling party against smaller parties who represent the interests of locals. And you’ll get western election monitors and even good old ex presidents popping along, and at the end of the whole process declaring them to have been ‘free and fair’ elections, (or not).
But I would never have imagined that Brum would become one of those places.
Last June, Birmingham held local council elections in what had been a finely balanced council with the People’s Justice Party (PJP) holding that balance of power in the Labour led council. [The PJP really need to get themselves a website!]. A lot of people exercised their democratic right in those elections but not everybody was allowed to vote. At least 40 people were turned away at one polling station and the reason they were given was that their vote had been already cast via a postal ballot – needless to say (but I say it anyway) these 40 people from the Small Heath / Bordesley Green area of the city had known nothing about these postal ballots. This was surely a major contributor in sparking off riots in the area between rival party supporters. (Try to remember that this was going on in Birmingham and just last summer!!)
Later on, in the counting hall three boxes of ballots mysteriously appeared and when a PJP election official checked the contents they all seemed to be votes for one party – Labour. Despite this the returning officer decided to include these votes in the final count anyway.
The allegations began to fly and eventually led to a Special Election Court being convened to hear the case against the three Labour councillors at the heart of the alleged vote-rigging. But it’s possible that all of this is just a case of sour grapes on the part of the PJP and the Liberal Democrats against Labour, particularly as there are General Elections looming. It’s possible but I somehow doubt it and so to, it would appear, do the Labour Party as they are distancing themselves from the three councillors at a rate of knots that would put Steve Fosset to shame. (After all it’s not like Labour to ally themselves with dodgy people now is it?!?).
If the case is proved for the prosecution it could have far-reaching consequences for postal voting at the General Election.
Where’s Jimmy Carter when you need him hey??
[UPDATE: 05/04/05 - It's official -- the Labour councillors ARE crooks]
Posted on Mar 2, 2005
The “Academy of Mobile Picture Arts and Sciences” is proud to present the award for winner in the best 3gpp production in his own tea-time category to Bongo Vongo :
Winner’s speech …
I’d like to thank my mom and dad first and foremost but also Motorola (for their wonderful phone), Sony (for their ever reliable computer) Apple (for Quicktime) and last but by no means least, Matt Croydon (for finding the code).
Without you guys, none of the above would have been possible … (*SNIFF*) … excuse me I’m welling up a bit over here … (*SOB*) … I thank you all from the very heart of my bottom.
