Cephalopodcast

Today is Cephaloblog maintenance day. Please pardon our sediment.

Just like Sony to use intellectual property without attribution

The term Cephalopodcast was used on the April 14th episode of the popular television game show Jeopardy!™. No producers or researchers from the program contacted me.

Apparently there is quite an enthusiastic fan-base for the show, and they have meticulously documented nearly every nuance of the program, from the order of questions picked to the contestants’ point spread throughout the game. You can check it out at J! Archive. Because of their effort, you can see all the tentacly questions and answers for the Cephalopodcast topic here.

If anyone has a screen grab or a video sequence from this episode, please let me know. It would be nice to have for archival purposes. Can one order individual episodes of this program?

• J! Archive: Show #5441 - Monday, April 14, 2008

Tip of the tentacle to Eric for the lead.

Siesta Key self-portrait, © Jason Robertshaw

I listen to a lot of podcasts. Most are pretty much topical ephemera. I would expect them to enter into my brain and depart as quickly as a joke on late night television. But there is this weird phenomenon whereby I remember segments from certain podcasts as I am walking through my day. It is as if the memory of the audio is stimulated by being in the place where I first heard it. For instance, here I am in the condiment aisle of my local grocer, deciding on which brand of mayo to buy and vividly recalling Robert X. Cringely talking about how Cisco reinvents the mainframe. Or back in 2006, here at this spot on the nature boardwalk, I remember listening to Richard Vobes mentioning his trip to Arundel Castle. Or a few steps later, recently hearing Ira Glass talking about getting his Testosterone checked. But if I try to recall them later, at a different place than where I first heard them, it is not nearly so clear or intense.

To me it is a sensation akin to Déjà Vu. Or is it Jamais Vu? Or something? Anyway, I need a name for this experience and for lack of a better appellation, I am calling it Déjà Entendu (not to be confused with the band).

And I am curious if anyone else has experienced this too. I also wonder if there is anything neurologically interesting about it that is worth considering. There is already plenty of evidence for the linkage between smell and memory. Can the same be true for audio?

Just testing the connection between MarsEdit and my updated Wordpress blog.

Please standby. I am updating my Wordpress blog to a new version today, Sunday, 3/9/2008. Some services may not be restored until after 5:00 p.m. (EDT)

This is a test to see how easy or difficult it is to use Wordpress via iPhone. Verdict: pancakes.

[via WOW2]

Tonight I was listening to a webcast featuring David Warlick. He uses an interesting blogging hack. After composing a blog entry, he has the computer read it back to him before posting. This is a cinch on the Mac (Hightlight text, then look under Application Menu>Services>Speech>Start Speaking Text).

Adding that and spell check should help with my grammar. Now, if only it made coming up with the content easier.

• Women of Web 2.0
• David Warlick
• Mac OS X Services (the menu you never go to)

I’ve finally got a replacement AC plug for my Powerbook G4. This allowed me to reinstall the OS and get it cleaned up for sale. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me.

For sale

PowerBook G4 15-inch (Double Layer Super Drive, DVD+RW/CR-RW)
CPU Speed 1.67 GHz
Airport Extreme Card & Bluetooth
100GB Ultra ATA drive @7200 rpm
Serial Number: W85448L4SX2
Purchase Date: 31-Oct-05

Applecare Expiration: 31-Oct-08

Included:
-new AC plug
-new AC cord
-new battery (replaced during recall)
-2GB of RAM (third party, crucial.com)
-Installation CDs (Disk 1 & 2)
-original box and packaging

Bonus
-Stash Card

Note: Cosmetic damage on bottom lower left and right.

Asking price: $599.00 US

UPDATE: SOLD

I’ve added a new item to the Cephaloblog sidebar. You can now see upcoming events posted to the Cephalopodcast Events calendar.

In addition to events directly related to the Cephalopodcast, I am also adding various celebration, anniversaries, festivals, happenings, holidays and activities related to science education and ocean information. For example, did you know that there is an Ocean Film Festival in Savannah, GA in September? Or that the NC Science Blogging Conference is on January 19, 2008? Well, sign up for the Cephalopodcast Events calendar and you will be in the know.

Also, if you have any events or annual observations that you would like me to add, drop me a note. Or leave a comment on this post.

• View the Cephalopodcast Events calendar online
• Subscribe to the Cephalopodacst Events calendar (.ics)
• iCal Events Plugin for Wordpress

Upgrading the Cephalopodcast blog to WordPress 2.2.2. Molting our old shell and pumping pixels into our digital skin.

After purchasing the new iLife ‘08 suite, it occurred to me that I only have ~10% left on my laptop’s hard drive. Rather than wait for things to get wonky, I reinstalled the OS, eliminating all the cruft and dander that’s accumulated around the edges. But restoration is slow going. All my apps are back, but the data is taking longer to replace. At least I have a SuperDuper! back up.

It is nice clearing off the deck though, taking the time to re-evaluate which applications, newsfeeds and podcasts are really worth my time and resubscription.

Also, I received jury summons for tomorrow. All this means I may not be as responsive to email or blog posts for a little while.

We are gearing up for some video productions at my day job. While working on pre-production, the issue of shooting crowd scenes came up. In many cases, you have to get clearance from anyone who appears in a scene. For video in public venues, where people are part of a crowd scene, it is often required to place notices about the presence of recording equipment. A typical example is available here [doc].

But what about the gonzo, DIY videographer who is on the move? You would think the presence of a large video camera would be enough indication that recording is taking place. But I wondered if a more portable disclaimer would make a difference. I still don’t have an answer. But I added an example to my CafePress shop for your consideration:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

IF YOU CAN READ THIS SHIRT, THEN YOU ARE IN PROXIMITY TO AN AREA WHERE VIDEOTAPING IS TAKING PLACE AND YOU MAY APPEAR IN THE PICTURE.

BY ENTERING THIS AREA, YOU GRANT TO _______________ THE RIGHT TO PHOTOGRAPH YOU AND RECORD YOUR VOICE WITHOUT COMPENSATION IN CONNECTION WITH THE VIDEO: _______________ AND ITS DISTRIBUTION AND EXPLOITATION. YOU RELEASE _______________ AND ITS LICENSEES FROM ALL LIABILITY. _______________ ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR INJURY TO YOUR PERSON, OR DAMAGE OR LOSS TO YOUR PROPERTY.

The use of camera or audio recording equipment is prohibited. Thank you.

I am not a lawyer. This shirt is for entertainment purposes and (probably) does not consitute a legally binding contract. But you can grab a Sharpie™ and fill in the name of your video production to see if it works.

Upgrading the Cephalopodcast blog to WordPress 2.2.1. Molting our old shell and pumping pixels into our digital skin to test out the new one.

Mingle is a Web 2.0 dating site. They have a marketing ploy that’s got the blogosphere buzzing. It’s a rating system for blogs based on the MPAA rating system. The MPAA’s system is proprietary, so I don’t think Mingle will be allowed to continue this for too long. And the automated results are also somewhat questionable. It just seems to scan the text for objectionable keywords. A more effective system would also consider what sites a blog links to and what sites link back to it.

More importantly, there are better, less gimmicky ways to rate your blog. If you have control over your metatags, consider adding your own rating to the header.

Attributes:
<meta name="Rating" content="text">

Safe For Kids	G
General	Roughly equivalent to PG
14 Years	PG-13
Mature	R rated more or less
Restricted	X rated

Of course, there is no uniformity or consensus on what constitutes objectionable material. This metatag can also be replaced by the more targeted PICS tag.

• How To Label Your Pages With PICS Meta Tag

[via digg]

myIPneighbors is an IP search that shows who your neighbors are on a shared host. The Cephalopodcast has hosting at LaughingSquid.net. Here are some of the more tentacly of my 160 other neighbors.

• Talking Squid, scientific romances and other curiosities from the antipodes.
• Squid.us, squid news and culture from the mother squid herself.
• Chuckling Cthulhu, a Cthulhu LARP troupe in Northern California
• Tendrils, ceramic pottery creations from Sarah Becker

And some other honorable mentions:

• Exploring a Sense of Place, guidebooks and programs for reconnecting to the natural world.
• Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Gulf of the Farallones wildlife and habitats.
• Xeni Jardin, A-list blogger, journalist and blonde

I am scheduled to interview Dr. Clyde Roper later today. Anyone have questions they would like to ask of a scientist that studies Giant Squid? Email me PDQ at pulpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.