Nov 05
Everyone associated with “…Geek, Actually” would like to offer our congratulations to Senator Barack Obama, the new President-Elect of the United States of America.
This was a historic, sweeping victory that I believe will change the future of America. Today, I am so proud to be an American!
Nov 04
Just to let you know, the first two greta wallpapers are now available for download. Click the Wallpapers button above.
Remember to listen to the “…Geek, Actually” podcast on Thursday, we lots to tell you about this week.
Now, why are you sitting here, GO VOTE! :-)
Nov 04
The countdown has begun and polling booths are almost open. If you are a US citizen and you are a registered voter, please remember to vote.
This is probably the most important election the US has had since I have been alive (41 years), America really needs change. If it keeps going down the path it has been following since the Reagan years, America will probably collapse. It needs to find a new, better way of doing things and I think Obama is the man to do the job.
Remember, voting is not a right, it is a responsibility. Democracy is hard but it is the best form of government we have and to make it work, you, the people, need to stand up and be counted.
A vote for McCain is a vote for the conservative government, that is the government that has put America in the position it is in now: two wars, a collapsing economy and a great deal of negative feelings from the rest of the world. Do not let the negative rhetoric of the last couple of months stop you. Let’s just say that if McCain is right and Obama does want to socialise some service (like healthcare for example), is that really a bad thing? There is no evidence to say that some socialised services will lead to communism, in fact that is a pretty amazing leap on behalf of the McCain campaign. Consider Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England and … Oh you know, the rest of the free world! They all have socialised services (including healthcare) and NONE of them are, in any way, communist countries. They are all thriving democracies that love capitalism, go figure. England adopted a free government funded healthcare system after World War 2, it was expensive but the rationale was, if you can find money to kill people (are you listing Mr. McCain), you can find money to help people.
I love America and that is why I criticize it. I keep hearing the right wing argument against people like Michael Moore and Bill Maher that they hate America because they say bad things about it. Wrong. We (all of us free thinking liberals) all love America and want it back, because the America we love was highjacked some time ago by the right wing.
To quote Michael Moore, “Dude, Where’s My Country?”
And to quote John Kennedy, “And so, my fellow americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
What can you do for America? You can show you care and vote, she needs you right now.
Nov 03
Hi everybody,
Just a quick note to let you all know that Weight Watchers has come on board as an affiliate. They are currently helping me lose weight (9kg so far) and they can help you too. If you see a Weight Watchers banner around the site, give it a click, let’s all get healthy.
A few words from Weight Watchers:
Imagine losing weight and feeling great was possible? Imagine no fads, no hunger, just real food – and real results. Follow the plan online in your own time, with the tools and tips at your fingertips to get you looking and feeling great this summer. Sue lost 19kgs with Weight Watchers Online – “When my kids grew up and moved out of home, I kept cooking the same amount of food, only I was eating more, plus I would have 4 slices of bread for lunch and nearly half a packet of biscuits per day. After joining the Online program, I learned how to get back on track using the interactive tools and POINTS tracker.” You to can be like Sue – Get on the program that works! Join our 3 month plan – save $24!
Nov 03
I have noticed that as the popularity of this blog increases, we are not seeing the same sort of increases to our show, “…Geek, Actually”. Although the show’s numbers do increase each week, the increase isn’t as dramatic as the blog’s. So I thought it was about time to write a post to help inform you, the readers, about the show. Call it an FAQ if you like.
What is a podcast?
I’m glad you asked. A podcast (or netcast, same thing) is either an online radio show or online video show. In our case we are a radio show that is downloadable or streamable from the internet.
What is the show “…Geek, Actually”?
“…Geek, Actually” is a conversational internet radio show about movies and tech. But wait, there’s more! I need to qualify the tech aspect of the show. I have people say to me, “I don’t know anything about tech, it doesn’t interest me.” That is probably a good thing as we don’t tend to dwell very much on hardcore tech. I’ll leave that to Leo LaPorte and his group over at TWiT.tv, what we do is approach tech from the point of view of the every person. We try and bring up stories that are either fun or interesting or affect the every day person and then help to demystify the jargon.
So a Non-Geek might like the show?
Mirren Lee (one of my co-hosts) is very non-geek. If we can help her understand tech subjects we might be able keep your interest too.
So you said you also talk about movies?
By far the main focus of the podcast is movies. We are all movie fans and have all worked in the film and/or TV business in some way or another. I (David) host the show and I originally trained as a film director/producer before getting heavily involved with tech. I also used to review video releases on Radio 3AW (Saturday Night’s with Yvonne Lawrence). I am also an avid film buff and dabbled in an acting career for awhile (Neighbours, Feds, Mercury a CGU Ad Campaign). Mirren Lee (co-host) is an actress, acting coach, dialect coach and ex-actor’s agent. She has been working in the film and TV industry for 30 years and also ran her own theatre company in Melbourne. Jacob Oberman in an independent producer with a lean towards documentaries.
So what do you talk about?
We discuss current release moves, DVD releases, classics, TV stuff, trends in the industry and hot topic items in the news. We do this all with fun and accessibility foremost in our minds. As an example of this, Mirren is out trivia queen and she brings the latest gossip to the show.
This sounds interesting, but I don’t own an iPod.
No problem. Our show goes out in a stock standard MP3 format, it is playable on any device that supports MP3 (computer, mobile phone, any portable MP3 player, a lot of new car stereos, most DVD players etc.). You can stream it directly from geekactually.com or download it from iTunes (iPod users) or from geekactually.podbean.com (everyone else).
How much does it cost?
Best news of all, it is absolutely free! We do accept donations if you feel generous or if you have some time, try clicking a few of the ads on our site to help pay for it. You don’t have to do any of that though, you can just listen to the show free.
So why listen to the show when I can just read the blog?
This site was set up as companion to the show. I don’t blog all the stories we talk about on the show. I also don’t put many film reviews on the site because, well quite frankly, I like to talk about the films I see. I don’t want to write a boring old review like everyone else. Part of enjoying a film is sharing the experience with others and I don’t think you can really convey a sense of please or loathing with a written review :-)
If you want to get our latest news, trivia, reviews and opinions, you have to listen to the podcast. We blog some of it and sometimes we blog stuff that doesn’t make the show … it’s kind of symbiotic. The blog also acts as a way of communicating with the listeners when we have show news (eg. delays, day changes, release days etc.)
Can I input stuff for the show?
You sure can. Three ways to have your voice heard, 1) Post comments on the blog posts. 2) Post stuff in our forum and 3) Use the contact page to send us an email.
Just remember, keep your questions short and to the point. And not all stories can go in the show.
I just noticed that you carry an explicit tag in iTunes.
Yes we do. Let me explain, there is no middle ground on iTunes, you are either clean or explicit. Due to the conversational, candid approach we take, sometimes the language gets a little salty. I am a great believer in freedom of speech and I think we are too heavily censored in this world we live in. I do not beep out the swearing, so we have to carry the explicit tag. The language we use is probably no worse than you use around the house (most of the time).
Okay, that is it for now. If you have any questions about the show that I haven’t answered, please contact me. I hope you come and enjoy the show as much as we enjoy making it.
Nov 03
Well, maybe the geeks will inherit the world. It seems that iPod Nanos have a special place in the stock market. News.com.au reports that, “CommSec will today release details of its “iPod index”, which measures the price of an 8GB iPod nano in 62 countries to compare currencies.”
The article also says that because of the current exchange rate, Australia is currently the cheapest place to buy a new iPod. Go us!
The Article went on to say,”CommSec chief economist Craig James said Australia had jumped to the cheapest spot after being placed 14th cheapest in July. An 8GB iPod costs $US131.95.”
I think we should look a little deeper as the Australian Apple site has Nanos at $US133 ($AU199), this would still make us cheaper but only by a buck and a half as Amazon currently has the 4th Generation iPod listed at $US134.48.
Still, it is interesting considering we never get cheaper tech than the US.
