Wow, I'm tired.
TAB
Coffee House After Hours
Second City Improv
Mudd Room Pottery Party
Tech Urban Adventure Race
Spray can artists
Original Butt Sketch Artist
Movies
TechAnnounce
Saturday, December 8, 2007
TAB, TechAnnounce, and Goodbye
The audio in this podcast is my best, which is great because there won't be anymore. I used the recoding studio in the library to make this podcast, I'd recommend it to anyone because of their better hours. I was unable to save the podcast as a m4v file on the libraries Apples because they lacked that "Share" feature. I don't think the mov file will pose a technical problem, though.
Wow, I'm tired.
TAB
Coffee House After Hours
Wow, I'm tired.
TAB
Coffee House After Hours
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
UMI's Pinata Fest
If you guys like piñatas, you like this podcast. I saw a post on Techannounce about Unidos por un mismo Idioma (the Spanish Speaking Society) and their piñata fest and I couldn’t pass up the story. I met with Jose Luis Calvillo, UMI’s secretary, in the student union building while he was making a piñata. He gave me some great info on the organization and their Piñata Fest event. If you have some time after Carol of Lights, I’d definitely recommend checking it out.
As far as the quality of the podcast, this episode suffers from buyer’s remorse as much as I do. To make sure I’d have a audio recorder on me at all times, I went off to Best Buy and picked up a voice recorder that touted an extra high quality setting, one more than any other recorder I saw. Extra high quality really isn’t all that great as I’ve learned, though. To make up for the downfall, I used audacity’s noise removal feature, it’s actually pretty easy to use. To use this feature, just highlight a part of the recording that has no voice, but still has the background noise you want removed. Then, with the noise removal feature on, press “get noise profile”, and then just highlight the rest of the recording and press “remove noise.” This did remove much of the background noise, but it also gave the recording a high-pitched sound. To counter this, I highlighted the recording and used the “bass boost” effect. What was produced isn’t perfect, but definitely an improvement.
As far as the quality of the podcast, this episode suffers from buyer’s remorse as much as I do. To make sure I’d have a audio recorder on me at all times, I went off to Best Buy and picked up a voice recorder that touted an extra high quality setting, one more than any other recorder I saw. Extra high quality really isn’t all that great as I’ve learned, though. To make up for the downfall, I used audacity’s noise removal feature, it’s actually pretty easy to use. To use this feature, just highlight a part of the recording that has no voice, but still has the background noise you want removed. Then, with the noise removal feature on, press “get noise profile”, and then just highlight the rest of the recording and press “remove noise.” This did remove much of the background noise, but it also gave the recording a high-pitched sound. To counter this, I highlighted the recording and used the “bass boost” effect. What was produced isn’t perfect, but definitely an improvement.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Clay Club
I'm sure many of you recently saw the sign outside of the Art building advertising the Clay Club's pottery sale, if you just didn't have the time to stop on in, I'm here to fill you in on the details.
I interviewed the vice president of the Clay Club, Matthew Wiederaenders. Matthew fills me in on the purpose of the pottery sale, the kinds of students in the club, and activies that the Clay Club participates in.
If podcast 5 hasn't been uploaded yet, check back soon.
I interviewed the vice president of the Clay Club, Matthew Wiederaenders. Matthew fills me in on the purpose of the pottery sale, the kinds of students in the club, and activies that the Clay Club participates in.
If podcast 5 hasn't been uploaded yet, check back soon.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Digital Media Studio: 3D Lab
If you’ve gone to the movie theater recently, you must have noticed that animated films have been on the rise. But it isn’t only the film studios that know the importance of this new media, Tech has also gotten in on 3D animation.
Recently, the Texas Tech University Libraries opened the 3D Animation Lab. I spoke with Chris Starcher, the librarian in charge of the Digital Media Studio (DMS), the facility that operates the animation lab. My interview covers a little history behind the lab, what a student can expect to find there, and how to start making the next big animated hit.
Below are some helpful links to the lab and the DMS.
http://www.library.ttu.edu/3dlab/
http://library.ttu.edu/dms/
Recently, the Texas Tech University Libraries opened the 3D Animation Lab. I spoke with Chris Starcher, the librarian in charge of the Digital Media Studio (DMS), the facility that operates the animation lab. My interview covers a little history behind the lab, what a student can expect to find there, and how to start making the next big animated hit.
Below are some helpful links to the lab and the DMS.
http://www.library.ttu.edu/3dlab/
http://library.ttu.edu/dms/
Monday, October 15, 2007
Diggnation
Diggnation
http://digg.com/podcasts/Diggnation
Why is it important?
Diggnation demonstrates how important user proved content is to Web 2.0. Not only is Digg’s news service completely dependent on its user base, but so is its podcast series. If you’re not familiar with Digg, I’ll sum it up for you. Imagine a news service where there are no editors, the stories are submitted by the users and voted on by the Digg community. The most popular stories make it to the front page of Digg, and it’s these popular stories that make up Diggnation.
Diggnation is a video and audio podcast series that brings to light news stories that would otherwise never see wide circulation. There really isn’t a typical category of news, the stories submitted are just as varied as the fan base, this is why I think Digg is important as a news source. Since Digg does not have editors in the traditional sense, it also lacks agenda setters and gate keeping, I believe it to be a truly democratic news source. The internet as a whole was supposed to function in this manor, but since most people still get their news from corporate sources this ideal was never realized and the few sites similar to Digg before Web 2.0 came around were relegated to obscurity.
Some may say many of the stories that are “dug,” are not serious journalism, those people are not looking at the navigation bar at the top of site. One click on the World & Business topic will lead you to the Business & Finance, Political News, 2008 U.S. Elections, Political Opinion, and World News links.
But, this is Digg, where else would you learn that the houses built in the desert sets of Star Wars Episode 4 are actually being occupied by Tunisians.
http://digg.com/podcasts/Diggnation/2402
http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/diversions/stories/MYSA121006.1Q.starwars.245729f.html
The latest video podcast is recorded in high definition, which is great for the viewer but bad for the hosts who admitted that the previous lower definition quality helped hide imperfections. The podcasts demonstrate a lot of post-production work including good transitions, composite video shots, a high quality intro, and clear audio.
http://digg.com/podcasts/Diggnation
Why is it important?
Diggnation demonstrates how important user proved content is to Web 2.0. Not only is Digg’s news service completely dependent on its user base, but so is its podcast series. If you’re not familiar with Digg, I’ll sum it up for you. Imagine a news service where there are no editors, the stories are submitted by the users and voted on by the Digg community. The most popular stories make it to the front page of Digg, and it’s these popular stories that make up Diggnation.
Diggnation is a video and audio podcast series that brings to light news stories that would otherwise never see wide circulation. There really isn’t a typical category of news, the stories submitted are just as varied as the fan base, this is why I think Digg is important as a news source. Since Digg does not have editors in the traditional sense, it also lacks agenda setters and gate keeping, I believe it to be a truly democratic news source. The internet as a whole was supposed to function in this manor, but since most people still get their news from corporate sources this ideal was never realized and the few sites similar to Digg before Web 2.0 came around were relegated to obscurity.
Some may say many of the stories that are “dug,” are not serious journalism, those people are not looking at the navigation bar at the top of site. One click on the World & Business topic will lead you to the Business & Finance, Political News, 2008 U.S. Elections, Political Opinion, and World News links.
But, this is Digg, where else would you learn that the houses built in the desert sets of Star Wars Episode 4 are actually being occupied by Tunisians.
http://digg.com/podcasts/Diggnation/2402
http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/diversions/stories/MYSA121006.1Q.starwars.245729f.html
The latest video podcast is recorded in high definition, which is great for the viewer but bad for the hosts who admitted that the previous lower definition quality helped hide imperfections. The podcasts demonstrate a lot of post-production work including good transitions, composite video shots, a high quality intro, and clear audio.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Mu Epsilon Kappa
Mu Epsilon Kappa, more commonly known as M.E.K, pronounced mech, is a student organization that promotes Japanese animation or anime. The video podcast is an interview with M.E.K. president/emperor Colby Sites.
The interview was conducted after the October 10th meeting of M.E.K. in the Escondido Theater. The setting I hoped to use was the audio/video room of the theater, but due to the large air conditioner vent in the room, the interview had to be repeated in the theater itself. One problem I realized during editing was the choice of seating for Sites, the lighting was behind him, casting a shadow over his face; lighting is something I'll definitely keep in mind during the next recording.
Overall the interview went smoothly, partly due to the outline I ran through with Sites before the interview. I let him know that the outline was not a transcript, and what was important was that he cover the topics and speak in a logically order. Though, having to repeat the interview helped in eliminating some of the pauses that occurred in the first recording.
Some advice I’d like to give to other people is to record for a minute and then stop and play back the recording to notice any problems that you might not have thought about. Sites didn’t seem to mind having to repeat the interview, others might not be so accommodating. Also, take many pictures and recorded a lot of footage to mix in during the interview so that the video is more than the interviewee speaking.
M.E.K. information:
http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/muepsilonkappa/index.html
Wednesday 7-10 pm Escondido Theater (SUB)
Saturday 6-10 pm Escondido Theater (SUB)
The interview was conducted after the October 10th meeting of M.E.K. in the Escondido Theater. The setting I hoped to use was the audio/video room of the theater, but due to the large air conditioner vent in the room, the interview had to be repeated in the theater itself. One problem I realized during editing was the choice of seating for Sites, the lighting was behind him, casting a shadow over his face; lighting is something I'll definitely keep in mind during the next recording.
Overall the interview went smoothly, partly due to the outline I ran through with Sites before the interview. I let him know that the outline was not a transcript, and what was important was that he cover the topics and speak in a logically order. Though, having to repeat the interview helped in eliminating some of the pauses that occurred in the first recording.
Some advice I’d like to give to other people is to record for a minute and then stop and play back the recording to notice any problems that you might not have thought about. Sites didn’t seem to mind having to repeat the interview, others might not be so accommodating. Also, take many pictures and recorded a lot of footage to mix in during the interview so that the video is more than the interviewee speaking.
M.E.K. information:
http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/muepsilonkappa/index.html
Wednesday 7-10 pm Escondido Theater (SUB)
Saturday 6-10 pm Escondido Theater (SUB)
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tech Gaming League
My first podcast was an interview with Tech Gaming League president, Daniel Sneed. The interview explained the purpose of the organization, its history, and where the president hoped TGL would be in future. The following is a transcript of the interview with Daniel Sneed.
The most notable improvement over the previous podcast was the audio quality. Instead of using my headset microphone, I used the iPod and microphone combination from the Mass Comm equipment room. This allowed me to move the microphone away from my face, I can actually stand to listen to my voice, I hope you feel the same.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am the treasurer of Tech Gaming League, although that bit of information would have been made known by Daniel Sneed. I hope you enjoy the interview and maybe attend some of the TGL events.
The intro and outro music does run longer than 5 seconds, but the podcast overall is longer than required.
The most notable improvement over the previous podcast was the audio quality. Instead of using my headset microphone, I used the iPod and microphone combination from the Mass Comm equipment room. This allowed me to move the microphone away from my face, I can actually stand to listen to my voice, I hope you feel the same.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am the treasurer of Tech Gaming League, although that bit of information would have been made known by Daniel Sneed. I hope you enjoy the interview and maybe attend some of the TGL events.
The intro and outro music does run longer than 5 seconds, but the podcast overall is longer than required.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Background on topic and the first podcast
The topic of my blog is the art and entertainment scene on the Texas Tech campus. The inspiration for this topic came from my experience as a freshman without a car, it was a dull year to say the least. Had I known of all the activities that take place on campus, I would have had a better first year. My hope is that through this blog, people will realize that the Tech campus can be an entertaining place. Although, I am not alone in covering this topic, I will be the only one specifically covering the Tech campus.
My first podcast was an interview with Tech Gaming League president, Daniel Sneed. The time spent with the interviewee totaled an hour, although the audio was roughly 11 minutes long. Due to the casual nature of the interview, the greatest challenge in creating the podcast was editing out all the “ums” and “ahs.” Through trial and error, finding the pauses became easier, but the “ums” and “ahs” that ran directly into other words were still difficult to edit out, if at all possible.
Another problem I encountered was an echo that the finished mp3 file would play back. I never found the solution to this problem, although by exporting the audacity project as a wav file, the echo stopped.
I believe the greatest challenge in creating my podcast series is scripting some dialogue to follow without forcing the conversation. An outline would help avoid a scripted conversation and also keep the interview on course.
My first podcast was an interview with Tech Gaming League president, Daniel Sneed. The time spent with the interviewee totaled an hour, although the audio was roughly 11 minutes long. Due to the casual nature of the interview, the greatest challenge in creating the podcast was editing out all the “ums” and “ahs.” Through trial and error, finding the pauses became easier, but the “ums” and “ahs” that ran directly into other words were still difficult to edit out, if at all possible.
Another problem I encountered was an echo that the finished mp3 file would play back. I never found the solution to this problem, although by exporting the audacity project as a wav file, the echo stopped.
I believe the greatest challenge in creating my podcast series is scripting some dialogue to follow without forcing the conversation. An outline would help avoid a scripted conversation and also keep the interview on course.
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