Frank Ramblings

I’ve been podcasting like a fool lately. I really love the medium and I’m always looking for a chance to speak my mind on a range of topics, so it really shouldn’t be all that surprising, yet when I look at the hours I spend recording and editing podcasts, it is more than a little insane.

First and foremost, I’d like to announce the start of a new podcast hosted by friends William, Hunter, and myself: Lights, Camera, Podcast. As the title suggests, LCP is a movie podcast. Each week we have a great time making fun of each other while occasionally going into some movie talk, too. While that’s a bit of an exaggeration, we do discuss the biggest new releases we all had the chance to see, as well as any other films — both new and old — that we managed to catch at our leisure. It’s a ton of fun to record and we hope you’ll enjoy listening to it. Our first episode covering Star Trek is already available on iTunes, and a second episode about Terminator Salvation and a number of other films should be up soon.

Then of course there is my most consistent show Echo Alert. Though Dollhouse is off the air for the summer, Andrew and I are very excited about the confirmed Season 2 pickup and will continue the show on a bi-weekly basis through the summer until the show returns. We’ve got some fun stuff lined up including a couple of soon-to-be-announced contests, guest co-hosts, and some other possible goodies, so stay tuned!

I should also mention some guest spots I’ve been doing lately. Both happen to be related to the world of comic books. At the end of each month, I host a segment of the Geekland Podcast entitled This Month in Superman. It’s my chance to spend a few minutes gushing on events occurring in the Superman family of comics. My most recent segment appears in episode 85. In addition to that, just last night I was asked by my friend William (also of LCP) to step in and co-host this week’s episode of Between the Panels, his own comics podcast. It was unexpected and last-minute, but I was really glad I did it, because I had a ton of fun talking comics with him. That episode (number 12) should be out within the next week.

Finally, there is the project nearest and dearest to my heart, FMF. It was my very first podcasting foray, and I’m proud to continue DJ-ing to this day. It’s always a blast when I get a chance to sit down and record an episode, even though I don’t always get a chance to do that as often as I’d like to. I look forward to keeping the show up for the foreseeable future going forward.

So as you can see, I’ve been very busy lately. At least that new equipment I recently purchased is being put to good use. Now I just need to strike it rich and get my own place with a dedicated podcasting studio. What?

I’m happy to announce that frankramblings.tk is now frankramblings.com! This is actually my first .com domain and I’m really excited about it. I’ve been building websites (of varying quality) since about 1998 or 1999 and I always wanted a .com, but I could never afford it. But now thanks to GoDaddy.com, it’s really affordable and completely worth it. I even got a promo code to make it amazingly inexpensive. So the .tk domain will still redirect here, but let’s face it, .com is just cooler! I expect to be making some changes around here and start updating more often, so stay tuned.

Yes, it is possible. Not easy by any means, but possible. I’ve tested it myself and it works. Enhanced AAC is becoming increasingly popular among podcasters because it allows for a more interactive audio/visual experience. AAC allows for chapter divisions and changing artwork throughout the course of the podcast. This is especially useful for podcasts about TV and film because the host can include screen shots to accompany their commentary.

AAC has always been an option for Mac users only. Until now, the only way to create Enhanced AAC podcasts was by using Apple’s GarageBand, which has no Windows equivalent. After lots of Googling, I ran across a little command line application called SlideShow Assembler. SSA makes it possible, if a bit confusing, to create Enhanced AAC podcasts in Windows. The principle is this: there is a text file (with the file extension .pod) that you edit in Notepad or another plain text editor. You type in the location of the audio you wish to use for your podcast, the desired name of the output file, the timestamps where you would like chapter breaks, and the locations of the images you would like to accompany those chapters. Once the .pod file is edited to your satisfaction, you simply drag and drop it onto the SSA.exe file (or a shortcut to it), and your Enhanced AAC file (it’ll have a file extension of .m4a) will be generated automatically.

It sounds easy enough, but the hardest part is editing that .pod file. Not fun. It takes forever. Granted, it gets easier as you get used to it, but it’s still very time consuming. There is a GUI Beta release available, but it doesn’t allow for chapters or changing artwork. It pretty much defeats the purpose. It just lets you apply static cover art to an AAC file, a function that iTunes already has covered. So the only option is to do it manually. When you download SSA, there is an included PDF file with instructions, but it is written in a horribly confusing way that assumes you already know how the program works. I had to figure it out for myself, using the PDF manual for occasional assistance to verify that I was on the right track. Once I had it figured out, the pieces fell into place and the ouctome was great. The two gripes I have with the results are relatively minor ones. First, you have to create a separate chapter for each individual image. I regularly listen to podcasts that have multiple changing images within a single chapter. This might not be a big concern for some, but it could prove to be a pretty big inconvenience for others. If, for example, you want to discuss an episode of TV and include changing screen captures, each screen cap would need to be its own chapter. This means a lot of post-production work for the podcaster. My other minor concern is about links. You can embed a hyperlink in each image, but the problem SSA poses is that once you move on to the next chapter, the link from the previous chapter lingers. There might be a solution that I’m missing, but it seems like once you insert a link, it stays there for the rest of the podcast. The easy solution is to avoid links all together and just include the address to which you want to refer your listeners in the images you use.

So that’s it. AAC in Windows is possible, but tricky. I recommend you give it a shot. If enough people use it, maybe they’ll improve it or come out with a better GUI. I really want someone, be it Apple or some random college student, to come out with Windows software that functions similarly to GarageBand. A Windows version of GarageBand would be great, but that seems almost impossible at this point. If someone could build a small, simple piece of software for the sole purpose of drag-and-drop Enhanced AAC podcast creation, I’d be more than happy, and I’d even pay for it if the price was right. But for now, SSA is pretty darn good!

You have to watch this. You don’t have a choice. Period.

So apparently not even two podcasts are enough for me. My addiction for podcasting and my interest in a particular new TV show brought me to the realization that it was time to start a third show. My friend Andrew and I have teamed up to bring you Echo Alert, a podcast devoted to Dollhouse, Joss Whedon’s new FOX series starring Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett. Dollhouse looks like such a promising new show that Andrew and I know we’ll love it. Each week, we’ll discuss the show at length, giving you a recap of the most recent episode and providing our own commentary while speculating on what twists and turns the show may take in the future. At the very end of each episode, there will be a spoilers discussion. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of warning before we start talking spoilers. So please, if you have any interest in Dollhouse, or even if you just want to find out what the show is all about, download our Episode 0 Part 1 entitled “Activated.” It’s a Dollhouse joke. You’ll get it eventually.

Echo Alert Website
Download Episode 0 Part 1 “Activated”
Echo Alert on iTunes
Echo Alert RSS Feed

Wow. I have been — to put it in my friend Andrew’s words — ” a podcasting fiend” lately. Seriously. My name is Frank and I’m a castaholic. Listening to them, recording them, I just can’t get enough. It’s an exciting medium that I think has amazing potential.

For two and a half years now, I’ve run Frank’s Music Free-For-All. About three weeks ago, I teamed up with my friends Tim, Ky, and Faith to create the Obiter Dictum podcast, a TV fan commentary show. And most recently, the aforementioned Andrew and I have started Echo Alert, a podcast devoted to the upcoming Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku series Dollhouse.

Today, I had the pleasure of sitting in on the Entertainment Overload podcast and the Geekland podcast at the gracious invitation of my Twitter friend Willie. Entertainment Overload is a podcast reviewing TV, movies, video games and other entertainment. We had a great time talking about this week’s TV and movie highlights. Smallville, LOST, Scrubs, and Taken were among the many topics discussed. Check out the guys and listen.

Then, on Geekland, we talked comics. I really had a blast with this one, since comics have been a new passion for me. We covered Superman, Final Crisis, Spider-Man, Green Arrow/Black Canary, Trinity, and whole host of other titles and trade paperbacks that we all read in the past week. If you like comics, please listen to Geekland. I started listening a couple of weeks ago and I honestly think the guys have a great show here.

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. There should be a new ODTV and FMF out this week, and a new Echo Alert after next weekend. February 6-8 I will be at New York Comic Con with my friends Andrew, Tim, and Vin. It should be a good time. During and after the convention, I’ll blog my reactions to the panels and other goings-on. We plan to attend the DC Comics panels as well as a few others, including the Dollhouse panel where show creator Joss Whedon and star Tahmoh Penikett will screen the first act of the show’s first episode. So that should give us plenty to discuss on Echo Alert. See you in the podcastverse!

So by now, you probably know that this March, Jay Leno will move to primetime, Conan O’Brien will take over The Tonight Show, and Jimmy Fallon will take over Late Night. But what you may not know is that in preparation for his return to TV, Jimmy Fallon has been keeping a video blog with 5 minute entries posted nightly at 12:35 AM ET, the time at which Late Night airs. The best way to follow the show is to subscribe via Hulu and have it added to your queue. I usually let each week’s episodes pile up and then watch them all over the weekend.

This week began with a bang as Jimmy practiced his interviewing skills on celebrity guests. Monday night, he welcomed Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht of the popular web show DiggNation to Late Night for a great chat about new technology and communications. Tuesday night, Jimmy hung out with the lovely Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and The Guild for a hilarious little chat about World of Warcraft and online gaming. Watch the clips below!

Alex & Kevin from DiggNation:

Felicia Day:

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Jill Biden let it slip on the Oprah Winfrey show that President Barack Obama gave Joe Biden a choice between being Vice President or Secretary of State. This would indicate that Obama wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about having Biden or Senator Clinton filling either of their respective roles in his administration.

The 30 second version for the impatient…

…and the full version for those with a bit more patience. The relevant part begins around the 0:45 mark.

But here’s the best part. Though Biden didn’t deny his wife’s comments on the air, a spokeperson released a statement denying Jill Biden’s remarks just three hours later. Change we can believe in?

So where do we go from here? Where will the second half of Season 8 lead us? Well, as someone who refuses to read anything even resembling a spoiler, I can’t say for sure. I find that I just don’t enjoy TV when I know what’s going to happen. Half the fun is the element of surprise. So what I will share with you next are my theories and wishes for the remainder of Season 8.

[WARNING: "LEGION" SPOILERS AHEAD! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE EPISODE YET, STOP NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE!]

At the end of “Legion,” it wasn’t clear whether or not Chloe’s healing ability was back. Personally, I think it could be. It’s possible that BrainIAC merely suppressed her ability rather than totally removing it. Now, since that lovable Interactive Construct has been removed, it’s entirely possible that Chloe will once again find herself able to heal. Another valid argument states that BrainIAC sucked the healing ability out of Chloe during their face-off in “Arctic.” I could really see this going either way, but for now, I’m going to say that her healing powers could very well have been restored.

Clark will battle Doomsday. I just hope it isn’t a battle to the death. Clark ahs died several times already, including once this season. I would prefer to see an epic battle in the streets of Metropolis, similar to the one in The Death of Superman. How amazing would it be to see Doomsday beat Clark to a bloody pulp and then endanger one of his loved ones (preferably Lois), pushing Clark over the edge and giving him a second wind? Clark could begin pounding on Doomsday, burying him deep underground in an effort to prevent such a distaster from ever happening again. This would set things up perfectly for the future as laid out by DC Comics.

Also, Clark should continue his steady path towards Supermandom. The next step I think he needs to take is to acquire a pair of glasses, something that should have been done in Season 3 when he found himself temporary blinded after using his heat vision on a pair of green Kryptonite earrings. That would have been the perfect excuse for Clark to don spectacles, but alas, it was not meant to be. Yet. Now could be a good time for him to pick up a pair of bifocals to remove any suspicion that he might be Metropolis’s “Red and Blue Blur.”

Lois has been falling for Clark pretty hard. I think the romance has been progressing a little too fast. Erica Durance isn’t supposed to appear in the next couple of episodes, so maybe things will cool off for a while. I am glad to see the most iconic romance in comic book history beginning to take shape. I just don’t want them to actually be together until after the series has ended, or at the very end of the series at the earliest.

Jimmy, while injured and receiving care in Star City, will clearly turn out fine. The question looming in my mind is how the Olsen-Sullivan marriage will pan out. How is it that the Legion had heard of “even Jimmy Olsen,” but had never heard of his wife Chloe? It seems a bit odd to me. That is a sign that the marriage may not last, whether it’s due to irreconcilable differences or a death. As much as I hate to admit it, there is also the slight possibility that Geoff Johns may have written the show into a plot hole, but let’s change the subject, shall we?

There has been some speculation that Davis Bloome is no more and Doomsday is here to stay. That seems silly. Why hire Sam Witwer and make him a season regular only to have him in a monster costume the entire second half of the season? Doesn’t make sense. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing more of Davis in human form. After “Bride” and “Legion,” he clearly knows what he’s become. From this point on, we’ll probably see him trying to deal with his other half. Will it be a situation where his good side tries to fight his bad side? If so, will the good side win for now? Or will they go a different route and show his good side succomb to the dark side, as with Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith? Perhaps Davis will be so distraught by some traumatic turn of events (like Chloe’s rejection) that he will embrace evil as a means of revenge? We shall see. There are many different directions they can take this character and I’m eager to see where things end up.

Well, my distinguished readers, this is all I have to say about Smallville‘s Eighth Season for the moment. I’m sure there are a great many things that I have neglected to mention, but that is where you can step in. Discuss whatever I failed to mention in the comments below and perhaps I’ll write a supplemental post. Let’s talk Smallville!