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Episode 42: Childcare Robot, Brad's Vista Update and More!

5/22/2006 2:04:15 PM

Host: Kristin Hatcher
This week on the show Brad makes a triumphant return (i.e., he found his way out of the parking lot and back to our facility). We give you an update on Blue Security, discuss a robot that can take care of your children (see note below) and Apple launching the MacBook. We also talk about two lawsuits: Creative is suing Apple over a patent infringement and record labels are suing XM over a piece of hardware. We also get an update from Brad on what's going on with Vista and his thoughts on the future of OS software.

In gaming news Joel tells us about a stock scam involving an ex-Infinium executive, a planned World of Warcraft movie and a new study that reveals that gamers are getting older. Plus we hear about another game, 'Fear Effect' being made into a movie and the cool game that is kicking Joel's butt this week.

Check it out!

Disclaimer: The views of Brad Wardell are not the views of PowerUser.TV, its sponsors or...anyone, really. Especially concerning the childcare robot. He loves his children and wants to take care of them and spend time with them. But help from robots would be cool.

Note from Brad: To clarify something I said about 32-bit processors, I want to be clear that 32-bit processors support 4 gigabytes per memory per process, not total.

Important Links:
Child Care Robot (A.K.A. Brad's dream come true)
PC World: Creative Sues Apple Over the iPod
CNET: Labels sue XM over music-storing 'mothership'

Download Full Show

21 Comments

Segments : Episode 42: Tech Segment Episode 42: Game Segment

ellianth

5/22/2006 2:13:47 PM

YAY brad's back

. I'll comment on the show later. I just wanted the first post

Neomilan

5/22/2006 2:40:45 PM

yay, the crazy brad is back

ellianth

5/22/2006 3:46:25 PM

Great show as usual. Welcome back Brad. Nice to see you had fun on your little trip (the one you abandoned us for). You guys should stop playing real basketball and play virtual basketball. It's the same boring sport, but no effort, work, or exercise!!! And finally, you guys better get crackin on that video episode. You only have 8 more episodes till episode 50!!

Again, great show and keep up the great work.

tehStealth

5/22/2006 7:30:09 PM

That robot looks pretty cool, though I doubt in this time (or rather, atleast in the American culture) anyone would actually allow their children to be alone with their young kids. HOWEVER, they could turn this into a smaller, sneakier robot, designed to watch teenagers, in which case, I believe they'd sell a LOT more in America. And I emphasize the American thing cuz I'm pretty sure in Japan, kids are being taught, raised, and enslaved at work, by robots.

I have 1GB of RAM, and definitely would not want Vista too eat half of it. Either way, I think I'm sticking to XP for a while, until a new game comes out for Vista only, and I REALLY want it (pretty much the only one that I could see doing this to us is Supreme Commander, which is all I'm waiting for). I'll be trying my best to go Ubuntu-only (ubuntu.com) for everything else, including having Photoshop and Flash running in it. I'm not excited for Vista at all.

New Mac OS, I beleive, is called Leopard.

: "Now that evil capitalists have the technology...(Brad screams) I NEED MORE POWERRRRRR!!. GALACTIC CIVILATIONS: THE MOVIE.

YES for video podcasts! Bring on the CG Brad!

If you could just get a video of Kristen whacking Brad in the head with a ruler or SOMETHING, for Ep. 50, that would be fine.

Cordelia

5/23/2006 8:37:33 AM

If you could just get a video of Kristen whacking Brad in the head with a ruler or SOMETHING, for Ep. 50, that would be fine.

Oh...I thik I could be persuaded to whack Brad over the head with a ruler on video...for the good of the show, of course.

simpilot

5/23/2006 11:02:48 AM

Great, now I've gotta go buy one of those web cams...

tehStealth

5/23/2006 12:38:43 PM

Exactly, for the good of the show...

Well, you don't HAVE to Joel. You could always be one of those mysterious narrator type voices that comes out of nowhere!

Sraf

5/23/2006 12:45:09 PM

Get a speaker with Joel's face on it!

Mr Clump

5/23/2006 1:02:55 PM

Poweruser.tv is THE BEST tech podcast on the net as far as I'm concerned. I gave up on Geek News Central (dull, dull, dull), but this is just sooooo entertaining. And Kristin? Sexy voice!!

Now the bad bit. I was really pleased to hear Brad back as he's normally very entertaining. That was until he started making jokes about Stephen Hawking and his afflication with Motor Neurone disease.

If Brad had ever had to watch a close relative slowly die of this horrible condition he would NEVER make such thoughtless comments. To see someone completely loose the power of speech, have to liquidise all their meals and eventually to be fed by a tube inserted into the side of their body into their stomach is undescribable. I found his comments very upsetting.

Please Brad, don't change as you're very entertaining. But please think a little before cracking jokes that might upset some of your listeners.

Cordelia

5/23/2006 1:39:21 PM

Please Brad, don't change as you're very entertaining. But please think a little before cracking jokes that might upset some of your listeners.

Mr Clump - allow me to apologize on Brad's behalf. He certainly did not intend to hurt anyone with his comments, but merely to describe just exactly how lazy he is in what he hoped was a humorous and self-deprecating way. We appreciate your comments and the rational way you presented them. Thank you for listening.

Geckomind

5/24/2006 2:41:18 AM

Now, I believe home recording of radio broadcasts has always been legal in the US under some law which name I forgot. Listen to the latest episode of TWiT Link, they explain it all there. (I hope it's OK to plug another tech podcast here, as Kristin and Brad both mentioned they like to listen to Leo Laporte.)

Great show as always. I love this stuff, keep it up. Oh yeah: We definitely need a TV segment where everybody can rant about TV shows. This is PowerUser.TV after all...

Boz011

5/24/2006 2:48:04 AM

I grew to really love Poweruser.TV. I think you guys are really funny, the only thing I have to say I regret not being able to see the photo of Kristen Hatcher, I have a feeling you're hot cutie. I know you're married so no indecent intentions of course, I hope you won't get offended, just I've been listening to all 42 episodes and it's quite natural to be interested to see the face behind that cute voice. Sorry to other hosts, but you are guys after all.

All jokes aside, you guys are great, keep it up.

Cordelia

5/24/2006 9:49:17 AM

I hope it's OK to plug another tech podcast here, as Kristin and Brad both mentioned they like to listen to Leo Laporte.

We don't mind at all. We encourage people to listen to other podcasts in addition to ours (you don't watch only one tv show or listen to one radio show, right?). And yes, Brad and I have both met and admire Leo LaPorte very much. Personally I think he has one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard. Yummy.

Boz011 - thanks very much for the kind words. Here is a link to a picture of my from my days in Hollywood. http://www.tvsquad.com/images/2005/07/talesfromcrypt.jpg

ScottTykoski

5/24/2006 10:18:17 AM

Bleh, horrible picture Kristin. Seriously, girls in Tuxes...so weird.

tehStealth

5/24/2006 10:52:14 AM

LOL Kristin, I could just see the name of the jpeg to know what was there. But of course, we know you are lying as we've heard you been described on the podcasts multiple times. This seems to be the REAL Kristin:
http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/8400/theforealkristin.jpg

Hugo M

5/24/2006 11:12:55 AM

As usual , great episode.

@tehStealth. i agree with you on sticking with windows XP, because i also think that eating around 700Mb (i've read Brad's Vista status report on WC ) is too much. Maybe i'll upgrade until i see a PC that has it pre-installed and capable of running it.

Cordelia

5/24/2006 11:51:30 AM

This seems to be the REAL Kristin:
http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/8400/theforealkristin.jpg

Actually, that's my mom. Ain't she cute?

Thanks for the comments, all!

dirtboy12

5/24/2006 12:37:16 PM

Just finished the podcast and would like to make a suggestion.

Brad's usual joke tirade at the beginning of the show almost made me stop playing it and unsubscribe from the podcast. It just went on and on and I had just about had enough of it week after week. That would have been a shame because I would have missed the excellent information he provided about Vista shortly after.

So my suggestion would be to get a timer and limit these joke tirades to 30 seconds, or a minute, or 2 minutes would have been fine. But eventually get back to the news and comments. Thats why I am listening anyway.

Not just any timer, but an old fashioned kitchen timer that ticks really loudly so we can hear it.

"DING!"
Brad: "I'm done!"

I've been listening because the show is fun and informational, but the information has started to take a back seat to banter and the informational bits get farther and farther apart. I want to hear what you guys think about the news and I value your real opinions. The jokes I may snicker at, but they are forgotten quickly.

This podcast was one of the best shows you guys have done. It would have been better if you had left out the robot segment altogether.

P.S. If it helps, let Brad know I am a paying customer of Object Desktop

Corris

5/24/2006 12:53:41 PM

hehe, Im so happy i mentioned you guys doing a vid podcast at the start of the comments for 39, i feel i've started something off, Harharharharharharharharharhar....*wheeze*....har

anyway, great show, can never wait for the next one, and its nice to have brad back, maybe you could get umm, dammit!, ive forgotten his name *looks back*
paul, yes, paul i think :S, anyway, u should get you all on, its always cool having lots fo you discussion, its normally leads to a longer podcast

i also would like to see what kristen looks like....err,and the rest of you too, why not

BlueDev

5/24/2006 6:33:51 PM

This was really an excellent episode. I enjoyed the Vista discussion, and found the gaming talk (particularly about the PS3) quite interesting.

As for the jokes, I like the way you guys just sort of let it go where it wants to. Sure, some weeks it is a little much, other weeks it is just right. That sort of happens, and I think that putting external limits on it would dampen some of the chemistry and spontaneity you guys have every week.

Sraf

5/26/2006 9:57:21 AM

BlueFrog (Blue Security's program) may be gone, but BlackFrog is here to save the day!
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/26/1224209&from=rss

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