Mars Mumbles

Life on Mars? Yearly Check-in

Well, a year ago - I announced that I'd be taking a podcast hiatus. Little did I expect it would be a year long one. The move I spoke of back then has turned into two, approaching number three. Real Life 2.1 is now at version 5 due to the contant crashes of the previous versions. Not at all what I wanted but as Mick sings "You can't always get what you want.."

I had hoped sometime to get back to this and at least try to do something with the show, but here we are a year later and still no cast. I still want to do the online gaming show - I just need to find a time my guests and I can set aside and get it done. Beyond that is the vast open expanse of topics to do and guests to find in order to break up the monotony of my "mumbles". On that, however, there is a possible light on the horizon.

Recently I learned about a new service called "Talkshoe" which is a Talkcast/Podcast system that provides a no-login streaming listen-only audio feed, and for registered users, a directed/threaded text chat, and access to a commercial grade voice bridge that allows callers to conference live - and record/stream simultaneously. Registration is free and allows both participation in shows, or the ability to host your own show.

So why is this any different that tossing a bunch of people on teamspeak and doing a regular shoutcast/podcast? While you can get quite a few people on teamspeak with a good server, there is a limit - plus Teamspeak has a ton of lag.

Since this service uses a telephone number as its access, you open it to home phones, cell phones, and VoIP with free programs such as Skype and SJPhone allow computer users to dial telephone numbers at zero cost. Also a commercial grade telecommunications bridge could handle hundreds to thousands of callers at once with very little lag! It's a major change to how this has traditionally been done by the average internet talk shows and opens a huge potential base of both listeners and show hosts.

So I've gone ahead and created a Mars Mumbles Talkshoe show. You can click on the Talkshoe button in the left column to get to the show page. I can't promise how active that show will be but I'll do my best to make at least a few episodes.

And I'll see if I can get it all done before Oct 29th 2007 too. ;)marsman@dragonwolves.com

Sony Online Entertainment Releases Planetside Reserves

SOE has released the Planetside Reserves promotion. Planetside is a MMO First Person Shooter, and the Reserves program allows new users to create an account for the game for free, with certain limitations to Battle Rank and Command Rank. Apologies for posting the story twice, but the official link just came up now with a new URL for download.

Check out additional information at http://www.planetside-universe.com Planetside's #1 fansite!

read more | digg story

PlanetSide Buddy Key exchange

Members can now share their 10 day Buddy Keys with this Key exchange program for Sony's PlanetSide - a 100% Player vs. Player MMO Shooter. Try Planetside Today!

read more digg story marsman@dragonwolves.com

Podcast Hiatus

Well I know I said I'd have a Podcast up for this week, but Real Life 2.1 has kicked my butt. My work hours just haven't let me get the time I need to coordinate with my guests for the show and I really didn't want to just toss something together solo.

In addition to all this, I'm moving at the end of this week so that's going to kill any chance of getting a show out for next week as well since my machine may not even be setup in time.

So I'm declaring a short Podcast Hiatus and hope to be back with the first guest show two week from now. By then, I should have the new digs all setup and ready to get down to some serious podcasting and get back on a regular schedule.

Sorry for those expecting a podcast this week but that darn Real Life 2.1 with the expansion pack is a killer. Take care all and see ya in a couple of weeks.marsman@dragonwolves.com

No PodCast this Week

I've decided to take a week off from the podcasts for a couple of reasons. One is that I just started a new job and started out with a six day stretch which left me with very little time to work on the cast. Second is that the format is going to expand on the next cast to include guest(s) which is going to take some addition technical demands - which will take some additional time to configure.

So due to these factors, I felt taking a week off would be better the trying to jam something together at the last minute and compromise the quality of the show. So no cast this week - hope to be back this Saturday with a fresh new cast for your listening enjoyment.

See ya then!marsman@dragonwolves.com

Episode 3 - The Road: Final Part

Welcome to Episode 3 and the final part of "The Road", a personal look at the "Road of Computer Technology" as I've seen it over the last 30 years. In this episode, I look at the last days of the 8-bit personal computers, my very first IBM XT PC, Telephone BBS's, Early Internet, "Packet Racket" - Digital Communications over Amateur Radio and more.

Dungeons of Daggorath PC Port Web Site:
http://mspencer.net/daggorath/dodpcp.html
Game Intro Movie (IE required):
http://www.members.dragonwolves.com/marsman/nsv/

Software we used for R.A.C.U.G.
(Rockland Area Computer Users Group) BBS

Amateur Radio "Packet" Terminal Node Controller (TNC)

A "stack" of TNC's like you would see at a repeater site.

Maine Packet Radio Map ('96): http://marsman.members.dragonwolves.com/96MAP.TXT

Next Week: Subject TBD, but will most likely will be the first show with guest(s).

See ya then!

Podcast: Episode 3 - The Road: Final Part

http://marsman.members.dragonwolves.com/Mars_Mumbles_Episode_3.mp3

Running Time: 34:04

marsman@dragonwolves.com

Episode 2 - The Road: Part 2
We're back with Part 2 of The Road - a personal look at the road of technology as I've seen it over the last 30 years of being around computers.

This week takes a look at my experience in the military and my very first personal computer.

While today's military is far more current technology wise, back when I was in, the computer explosion hadn't quite begun and the military was a little behind.

Here is an IBM 360/30 (NASA used these to put man on the moon). You can see a couple of disk drives on the right with some tape units behind them. The main computer is the large box to the left with a teletype sitting in front.

Below is another picture of the main computer.

I couldn't find any pictures of the Honeywell H16 that I used in the Air National Guard, but it was a single box that looks similar to the IBM pictured here.

Below are pictures of a collator, sorter and a keypunch machine that initially makes the punch cards.

Take my word for it: Be glad we are done with the punch card days!

Here's what got everything started: The Tandy Radio Shack Model I (and II, III, and IV).

And the star of the show: The TRS-80 Color Computer Model I

Here a Floppy Drive and the Controller Pack along with an RS-232 Serial Interface Pack.

Here are some other pictures of Color Computer and some of the accessories available including the original CoCo 1 package with game packs, 1200 baud modem, the multi-pack expansion, a CoCo Mouse, a speech pack, and a CoCo 3 system which had a number of improvements such as 128k expandable to 512k, composite monitor out - 80 char capability and more.

You can see more at http://parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/coco/index.htm
Next Week: The first PC, Phone BBS's, Ham Radio and "Packet Racket" (Early Wireless), Internet, and Multi-Player Gaming.
See ya then!
Podcast: Episode 2 - The Road: Part 2
http://marsman.members.dragonwolves.com/Mars_Mumbles_Episode_2.mp3
Running Time: 37:21

PodCast! Episode 1 - The Road

Well here we are. The very first podcast. "The Road" is about my experiences growing up in an age when computers, as we know them, were born. In this show, I recall my first experience with a computer and what it was like back in the late seventies.

To the left here is a picture of an ASR-33 Teletype which is where I spend a fair amount of my high school years sitting behind. Running at a blistering 110 baud, it's a far cry from computing today but at the time it was quite advanced considering the state of computers at that peroid.

Missing from the picture is the acoustic coupler used to connect the phone that we used to dial up the Digital PDP-10 mainframe down at Bowdin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Here is picture of a stand-alone one. Ours was was attached to the right side of the teletype.

Here is another picture of an ASR-33 Teletype.

Quite the Beast eh?

Pictured below is a couple of pictures of what this thing was connected to...

A Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-10 MainFrame.

Sure glad they aren't this big today!

Next Week: Part Two of "The Road" where I'll talk a little about life after high school, my experiences in the Military and my very first personal computer.

See ya then!

PodCast: Epidode 1 - The Road

http://marsman.members.dragonwolves.com/Mars_Mumbles_Episode_1.mp3

Running Time: 25:29
marsman@dragonwolves.com

Podcast Coming Soon!

The very first PodCast will debut on October 1st 2005

What's this podcast about?

You never know :)

We'll be talking about a variety of subjects which could include Casting, Gaming, Clans, Computers, Technology, Programming, Sci-Fi, Musicians, Amateur Radio, and more.

My first cast is kinda a personal history since I'm an old fart... :)

The series "The Road" will be a general recallection of how I've observed the Road of Technology progress in the last thirty years or so. See ya on the 1st.
marsman@dragonwolves.com

Life on Mars - Yearly Mumble now?

Yes there is life here on Mars. Talk about slacking huh - no posts since almost a year ago even.

Well lots of things have changed. PSU is now gone the way of the dinosaur. Was a great run and I think we did the game of PlanetSide justice as a fan site. We did a lot of very innovative things with AGN as well but it just didn't feel the same when Sporkfire left. In fact PSU lost a lot of steam about the time when SmokeJumper left. I think we all saw the writing on the wall that Planetside's time has come and gone. PSU hung around into the beginning of this year but slowly died a quiet death. I stand and salute the PS dev team, Hamma and the PSU staff, and all the fans which made the heart and soul of PSU and the PS community.

Clan Draconus Lupus continues on and is thriving with World of Warcraft as well as BattleField 2, firmly established as a multi-gaming clan of solid friends who will be playing online games together for many years to come. WoW has been an amazing game so far and attracted an enormously diverse player base. WoW allows for user created addons, one of the more popular collection/compilation is 'Cosmos'. I had been originally assigned as Tactical Assests Officer in CDL back in the Tribes 2day as that game also had a staggering amount of available scripts which sometime can be difficult to manage. As part of those duties, I began to hang out on the Cosmos developers areas and eventually became a "Cosmos Community Helper" helping post in the forums to answer users questions. So from the gaming aspect, that's what keeps me busy.

My personal life has been a rollercoaster ride.

My latest amusement has been with the recent craze of podcasting. The old TechTV folks, Leo, Patrick, Kevin, Alex, and others are all producing shows on the net often distributed by podcasts. http://www.thisweekintech.com is Leo Laport's project and strangle reminds me of AGN's Community Night from it's general format. Shoutcaster have been doing this stuff for years now. It's funny how this is now something "new". Kinda gives me the urge to put something "on the air" from the podcasting side. Who knows - perhaps? I'm pretty sure Hamma gets the urge to dust off the mic as well. We'll see what turns up.

Enough mumbles for now .. podcasting.. hummm :)marsman@dragonwolves.com