Technology

Ozone Nightmare

The Ozone Nightmare covers a wide range of subjects, from gaming to politics, comics to culture. We speak our minds, for better or worse, but we also try to keep the conversation approachable for everyone.

Latest Episodes:

The Wallpaper Contest Jan 31, 2008

Show notes

OK, so here is the details of the desktop wallpaper contest: we're looking for a desktop wallpaper to make available on the show site for anyone to download and use. There are basically no restrictions to the design, we're looking for anything and everything. Below this post you'll find some of the imagery used on the site that you can re-purpose for the wallpaper or make something entirely independent on your own. Once we have all the submissions in, we'll post them here and have the community vote on a winner. The vote will be done by email, a secret ballot of sorts, and the contest deadline is now March 1st since I was so late posting this entry with the details. Entries can be sent to the show email, linked into a blog entry, or made available as a download either Lando or myself can get to. The prize is small but significant: our first show themed silicon wristband and a prominent place as the official wallpaper of the show. Be as creative as possible and email any questions if you have them! Enjoy! Lando Post Art Joe Post Art Header Source Photo Boombox Art

Creative License Jan 30, 2008

Show notes

This week we've got a blockbuster on our hands, an all out action bonanza that will blow you away! Nah, not really, but it was a fitting start to what we are covering: our list of truly notable directors. We go through a good group of old and new directors, some with huge bodies of work and others just starting out, but all quality. Of all the 'list' shows we've done, this one may generate some delicious dissent among our listeners. There are a few obvious choices, as there always are, but I think we popped a few surprises in the mix as well. As always, let us know what you think! Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab

Cults Of Personality Jan 23, 2008

Show notes

This week Lando and I are starting out talking about Scientology, which seems to be popping up in the news a lot lately. Is this really a religion, or simply a cult with a better bank account? After that, we're taking stock of the recent MacWorld Expo, where the big announcement was the slender MacBook Air. The two of us will examine this newest laptop addition to the Apple fleet, as well as the other big announcements of the show. Is the new crop of Cupertino specials worth raving about, or is there really very little to notice this time around? Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab

Pomp And Circumstance Jan 16, 2008

Show notes

This week we're taking a trip through CES after my recent visit in Las Vegas to the monstrous technology show. While it is a true behemoth that is in grave danger of being crushed beneath its own weight, it still produces a few gems among the sewage. Lando and I are taking a look through my notes on the show at some of things I thought were noteworthy, from huge TVs to the Blu-Ray bomb that was dropped. It's most definitely a demented circus that happens out in Vegas, and we're putting it under the microscope. Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab

Ramblin' And Gamblin' Jan 09, 2008

Show notes

Well, our first show of the year did not quite turn out as expected. First off, I'm in Las Vegas for CES and recorded on a rickety internet connection and my old headset, which sounds a bit like a Volvo gunning through a tunnel in first gear, so apologies for the quality on my end. Secondly, we never did make it to the topic we planned, again rambling on for over an hour. If not for the positive email about our ranting and the great flow of these aimless tirades, I'd be worried about us. Hope you all had a good New Years Eve, and enjoy the show! Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab

Update On A Plane Jan 06, 2008

Show notes

Just checking in with a small update. You've probably already guessed that we're not going to have a show this week, which is largely my fault as I didn't anticipate that my traveling would wipe me out so much. We should be back as usual next week, but I'll be at CES in Las Vegas this week so we may have a push there too. My trip back to NY was a great time, got some relaxation in and also managed to hit the most fantastic Chinese Food place on the planet, which I always make time for when I'm back east. I actually made sure to post a very favorable review of the place on my Yelp! page. Yelp! is an awesome little site that has some brutally honest reviews of restaurants, stores and other stuff. I've found that while I have no tolerance for generic social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook, more specific social sites have a lot to offer.

On to the trip, my wife and I flew the new Virgin America airline and it was a very interesting experience all around, both good and bad. Let’s start with the bad points, since I prefer ending on better notes when possible. I originally booked our flight on July 7, a full 5 months and 16 days before we were to fly out. I always book long flights way ahead to ensure I can get an emergency seat, since I have a rather severe terror of flying, I get claustrophobic in small spaces after extended periods and I’m about 6’2” with a need for legroom.. Virgin America offers an option to pay $25 extra for “premium seating,” which the emergency row is considered and I gladly paid the extra money for the comfort. I received an email confirmation, and all seemed well. In early November there was a message left on our answering machine informing us that the flight time was moved up much earlier in the morning, which again was no problem. All this time I had been doing nothing but pimping the hell out of the airline, telling everyone how much I was looking forward to it, I think even on the show once or twice. The day before our flight, I logged in to do online check-in, and noticed our “premium seating” had been revoked. No refund of the premium rate, no phone call, they had simply booted us into a standard row and I find out the day before we’re leaving. Clearly, I’m pissed off. I call the Customer Service line and in all fairness, I think I did a poor job of explaining the issue to the woman I spoke to. I think she read my anger as being just at the lack of refund, not the seating change and the lack of notification about the change. If they had properly notified me about the seating change, I might have been able to call earlier and possibly have gotten my seats back or at least been moved to another flight that day with seating available. I called back a second time, and this time explained my issue more clearly to a different person but he offered no help at all beyond an apology. After this I called my mother to let her know the time our flight was coming in, and of course mentioned the seating nonsense. She advised me to check to see if any of the front ‘bulkhead’ seating was open, as it was typically still more spacious than standard seating. I did that, and sure enough there were two seats open and I immediately called VA back and got a really helpful guy in Florida who got everything taken care of for me, which kept my head from exploding. He got my seats changed for the same cost as the refund, although after the failure to notify I felt I should have received the refund anyway, especially since we lost the emergency seats on the flight back which had not been changed at all. Regardless, at least we had potentially better seating. That was the end of the negative part of the experience, but it makes me wonder whether VA will be our first choice for an airline on our future trips. Incidentally, I have not seen that refund come through as of this writing and I will be contacting them on Monday if it hasn’t shown up by the end of the week. Now the flight itself was great. Happily the bulkhead seating was actually better than emergency row seating, and the overall atmosphere of the plane was a very refreshing change. I have posted a Flickr photoset with pictures of the Linux based computer that each seat has, including the available features and some that aren’t quite in place yet. Overall the whole approach to flying that Virgin is trying to promote is fantastic. Three prong power outlets and USB ports in each seat, a flipside remote control that retracts into the seat arm and has a full QWERTY keyboard, on demand drink service and of course the 9” widescreen touch screen computer with a reasonably hefty free selection of movies, TV and reportedly 3,000 or so MP3s. There is also premium content, and it featured reasonably recent movies such as The Bourne Ultimatum and Resident Evil: Extinction. I tested out the chat feature, which would be really useful if you’re traveling with friends and aren’t seated together but otherwise is simply a cute thing to play with for 5 minutes. The drink ordering is a genius move when you think about it. Less of that wobbling cart gridlocking the aisle when you badly need to piss, the ability to get a drink when you’re actually thirsty instead of when they bring it to you. All around, the on demand model is a fantastic way to go for airlines. All in all, a very good actual flight. It’s really a shame that the customer service end was largely negative, because like most people I remember more of the bad than the good about the flight. In the end, will I fly Virgin again? Well, I’m going to send a letter to their customer service department and that answer will depend largely on the response. And not that note, I bring a close to this rambling missive. We are planning to record something while I’m in Vegas, and depending on time I may have something for the 9th. Until then, take it easy.

To Build Or Not To Build (Part II) Dec 26, 2007

Show notes

This is Part 2 of our discussion about whether to buy or build a new computer. In this part we're going over the process of building a computer for yourself. Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab

To Build Or Not To Build (Part I) Dec 26, 2007

Show notes

This week Lando and I are discussing a topic with two very different approaches, each of us being very familiar with one side. We're talking about the idea of buying or building a new computer, and the benefits and risks associated with going either way. Lando has a thorough history in the area of buying pre-built machines, and I have been building systems for years for not only myself but others. This isn't so much a "which route is better" discussion, but instead a study of the inherent factors that play into both choices. Because of the show length and the clear break where we switch from one topic to another, we've broken the show into 2 parts, this first one covering our standard pre-ramble and buying a pre-built computer. Enjoy the show and your holidays, whatever they may be! Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London

Heroic Expectations Dec 19, 2007

Show notes

This week Lando and I are taking a hard look at the sophomore run of one of our favorite shows, Heroes. While Season 1 was an almost ideal example of how to make a superhero show, Season 2 was...well, less than ideal. A minor spoiler warning here, we do discuss in vague detail some major plot points as we examine what went right and what went wrong in this second season. Opening Music: "Fire In The Sky" by Dave London Closing Music: "ET" by Peplab