Radio Active #73: The Cold Touch of Autumn

[img_assist|nid=2708|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=125|height=125]The kids are getting over colds and we've got another round of home improvement under our belts as Nuketown Radio Active returns for more adventures in geek parenting. In this episode I've got a run down the video games I'll playing over the next few weeks, I take a look at Green Ronin's new Wizards and Warlocks role-playing game and find kindergartners playing chess with spaceborne astronauts. Rounding out the show is a review of Apple's iPod touch, the one geeky gadget that could conceiveably replace my trusty black iPod...

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Show Notes

• Nuketown News
  • Sick Kids.
    • Three weeks of sick kids, sick moms and sick dads. And is anything more miserable than a sick 2 year old?
  • Home improvement strikes again. This time ... winterizing!
  • Hit Sonic for the first time! (
    • The Lehigh Valley got its first one in Nazareth, near Route 33 and 248.
  • Newsletter Poll is done.
    • So far 8 votes in favor (9, if you count twitter)
    • Have a solution in mind that works with Drupal.
  • Currently playing: LEGO: Batman
    • If you like LEGO games, or just want a superhero themed game you can play with the kids, this works (esp. on superhero side).
    • Read my review of LEGO: Batman on SCIFI.com
• Promo: RPG Podcasts
  • http://www.rpgpodcasts.com
• Netheads
  • Wizards & Warlocks Design Journal #1
    • Green Ronin is releasing a fantasy RPG based on its Mutants & Masterminds rules. This could be made of AWESOME.
    • http://www.mutantsandmasterminds.com/super-vision/000610.php
  • NASA, U.S. Chess Federation to Begin Earth vs. Space Match
    • The chess team at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash. is facing off against the crew of the ISS. Each day the kids pick four possible moves to make, then the public votes on which one should be sent up to the space station.
    • NASA, U.S. Chess Federation to Begin Earth vs. Space Match
  • Star Wars: Delusions of Grandeur
    • The blog of Star Wars RPG freelancer Sterling Hershey, who's worked on KOTOR and a bunch of the upcoming source books.
    • Keeps fans up to date on the mini and RPG games.
    • Has news about his new stuff, like the free adventure "Iridonian Darkness" for KOTOR.
    • http://blogs.starwars.com/silverforce
• Promo: Canon Puncture
  • http://canonpuncture.blogspot.com
• Review: iPod Touch
  • Been using a 1st gen iPod touch for a few weeks now in testing for work.
  • Using it to check mail, view calendars (which I'm now happily syncing with my Mac via Google Calendar, details about that can be found on Nuketown).
  • Video looks great on in; perfect for watching video podcasts, movies, TV, etc.
  • Compatible at least some of the peripheries of other iPod device (it works with our kitchen music station).
  • Web browser is nice. Nothing you'd want to spend hours working on, but useful for quick hits.
  • Great if, like me, you continuously live in a wi-fi field, but have crappy cellphone coverage (or just don't want a dataplan for your cell)
  • Apps:
    • Stanza: Book reader for iPod Touch
      • http://www.lexcycle.com/iphone
    • AIM
    • Pandora
      • http://www.pandora.com/
    • Twitterific
      • http://iconfactory.com/twitterrific/
    • TouchTerm
      • offers SSH access (including support for private/public key authentication0 to servers.
      • http://www.jbrink.net/touchterm/
    • Mach Dice: Dice roller for the iPod Touch
      • http://www.machwerx.com/apps/machdice/
  • Haven't driven with it, but I expect the interface would be more difficult to use than the standard iPod (which is what I hear from friends with the iPhone as well)
  • Lack of storage is a challenge (16 GB is probably adequate for a mix of podcasts, videos and music, but 32 is the sweet spot in my opinion ... and more expensive for it.
  • And oh yeah, it plays music too.
• Promo: SF Audio
  • http://www.sffaudio.com
• Outro
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