We run down some new news on the GameStop coupon fiasco front. We present some technical ideas and best practices for not being “that guy” (who always screws up the fun — or productivity — for everyone) on Google Plus hangouts and Skype conference calls. We review Adagio’s IngenuiTEA, a cheap and easy way to make high-quality loose-leaf tea. And we take a listener call asking about iPad styluses (stylii?).
I’m probably one of the ones that messes it up for people. I’ll try to not have the television up so loud esp when son is watching Mickey Mouse :). I’m still trying to sort out the mic problems as the laptop one is rubbish and causes the buzzing that you guys sometimes hear.
I think I have a mic somewhere around that I can hold. Alternatively would any of the £4.99 mics be any good in the link below.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/computing/pc-headsets-mics-and-speakers/pc-microphones
Also, do you guys have problem running the hangout through Chrome?
Like Juan, laptop struggles sometimes but the desktop generally copes well.
Tea rocks…I do like my flavoured tea…
So it’s really not common knowledge that Gamestop routinely sells opened games as new? Huh. Good on their PR department I guess. Also nicely done ignoring Square admitting fault. Again. But gotta hate on what you wanna hate on I guess! PS3, Gamestop, whatever. =/
Prophet, I’m not trying to take sides here or start a fight. I’m just looking for clarification. Was it you on the Legends Gamer Podcast that said that you use your PS3 more for Netflix, Youtube and other such things and your Xbox more for gaming? Or was that Xer01?
As far as Gamestop goes, I assure you that your information along with the Deus Ex info has me seriously re-thinking using them for future purchases. Especially with Best Buy now moving into the used game resale market. So thank you for letting us know about the employee-used games sold as new.
~Shooter Out
Was me. Not really the point since I’m commenting on the anti-PS3 slant that existed for awhile earlier this year and not my personal preferences in gaming which have a lot more to do with history with a device than quality there of.
Also thanks for listening duder!
Since you mention it, I could be mistaken but I don’t think there has existed an anti-PS3 slant. Yes, there were jokes and ribbing about the lack of proper internet based security and a reluctance to trust Sony’s system again. But I think the main idea was that XBox had more games that they wanted to play in an environment (XBox Live) that you’d want to play them in. The only game mentioned that was better or proprietary to Playstation was Final Fantasy. I’m in the process of starting a complete Final Fantasy playthrough because of that. I even hauled my sister’s old PS One back from Minnesota this year so I could play Final Fantasy 1 & 2. Other than that I’m really enjoying Portal, Halo and Mass Effect now on the XBox when I get a chance to play.
So anyway, my take-away from the GWC podcasts has been that the XBox 360 is more the game platform of choice than the PS3. Not necessarily anti-PS3. Of course I could be completely wrong and Chuck, Juan, Sean and Audra will have to speak for themselves. Remember, I just got back into console gaming this year after more than 2 decades away so my experience and opinions are very limited on this issue.
~Shooter Out
PS - Legends is always great and fun to listen to. Nightwing has done a great job.
Man I don’t envy your slog through some of those early games. Though after 3 they get really good for a long time =D
And I dunno, maybe being sensitive cause I own it or something but I definitely felt a hatin on. Doesn’t really matter just feeling the same vibe I felt then, now.
For what it’s worth Shooter Jr also has both an XBox and a PS3. (I now possess a PS One/PS2 and Xbox 360). For consoles he prefers XBox but actually spends most of his time PC gaming with Starquest. Currently he has neither his XBox nor his PS3 plugged in following his move back to my house for the school year.
I want to get versed in the story so the Halo & Final Fantasy slog is worth it for me. Admittedly YouTube Walkthroughs make it a lot easier but I still play through the games. If anything else I’m learning how to play at the same time as getting emersed in the story and I’m finding out it’s not as easy at 40 as it was at 15.
Also, just an outsiders view - and a personal one at that - but one of the reasons I didn’t buy a PS3 was the price. I felt I got a lot more out of a gaming console with the 360 than the PS3. Remember when the PS3’s were $600+? I had better things to do with that type of money back then. Now it’s more of a time issue.
~Shooter Out
I’m with you on initial price. I think I paid…like 300 for mine last year? I got a used original 60 gig(ironically at Gamestop) for the backwards comparability and haven’t really used it since lol. But still it’s nice to have.
Definitely a fun episode so far. I’m defintiely enjoying this 'cast.
The talk about Skype/hangout best practices was cool. I also have a few things I’ve noticed over the past few years, between conf-calls at work, Talkshoe groups I’ve been a part of, podcasts I listen to and the occasional bit of recording I’ve done.
Laptop mics can sometimes be surprisingly good.
I’ve chatted with someone who was on an EeePC1000 and it was pretty good quality. It was pretty good recorcdable quality, actually. Garageband’s built in filters and a complete amatuer (me) was enough to clean it up to sound passable. The major limitation, though, is if you want to talk and type. (see next)
Separating the mic from the keyboard is a good idea.
Whether it’s a proper mic on a floor/boom stand or just a cheap-ish USB headset, having the microphone being not connected to the typing surface means that you may still get a tap-tap-tap picked up but you don’t get the thump-thump-thump of the whole thing vibrating.
Self-mute is your friend.
Whether it’s built-in to Skype/Google/Talkshoe or it’s a switch or dial on your headset, turning off you mic can be good if you’re in a noisy environment. Or to eat/drink - especially if you’re using a headset mic. It’s also very useful if you’re in a small flat or apartment. The rest of the call does not need to hear your kettle, or the rushing of water through the pipes.
Self-mute is your enemy.
If you mute yourself, don’t forget to unmute. I’ve heard several podcasts where people forget to turn their audio back on before talking. It is very easy to forget that you’ve turned yourself down.
On a related note, pay attention to the mic on a headset. I once got asked why I sounded so distant. It turns out I’d flipped the headset boom up, to get it out of my eyeline, and forgotten to put it back to mouth level to talk. Like the self-muting, this is embarassingly easy to forget.
Watch your Bandwidth
Bandwidth-intensive activities can have a very negative effect on your sound quality. During a group call is probably not the best time to be updating your Xbox or downloading your week’s podcasts. Bit Torrent is definitely a no-no, as that can make you sound like an underwater Dalek. Probably as it can hammer your connection in both directions.
- Tiggs
Chuck: Which teapot(z) from Adagio do you use? Do you drink their teas iced or only hot?
Hang on a minute, the Colonials are trying to teach us how to make Tea?
Loved the audio feature, always trying to tweak the sound quality up a notch without spending too much money but I’m gonna have to buy a new headset, this one really does a number on my ears after about an hour, very uncomfortable.
Naw we’re just now getting over that bit of throwing tea into Boston Harbor and drinking it instead…so we’re learning not teaching. 
Yes Tea and Salt have been critical in the birth of nations although can’t criticise as I’m an instant coffee drinker, really hate the smell of fresh roasting coffee and I guess what I drink wouldn’t even be considered Coffee by traditional US sensibilities:)
[video=youtube_share;HgzEBLa3PPk]http://youtu.be/HgzEBLa3PPk[/video]
Yay! Still love this 'cast : ) Great info on the audio, headset and mics. I think my mac cancels out feedback on its own, but I think I’ll start wearing my ear buds that came with my iPhone when I’m on G+ from now on. I have definitely used the self-mute before and have been smart enough to un-mute when I want to talk again, but I could see forgetting and trying to talk without turning myself back on. I literally laughed out loud at work re: Chuck’s reaction to the G+ hangout drinking game. It’s great fun. A good one of note for most of us: if a cat manages to get on anyone’s screen, take a drink. Such fun. I encourage everyone to try it out, it is exactly like having a party without the clean-up, that’s the best description that I’ve heard yet! Now I have a good way to describe it to my RL friends who don’t understand why I would rather hangout on G+ than leave my apartment : )
On the tea front, glad to hear about tea. I used to work for Teavana and Chuck, you hit it spot on. Even having been an employee and knowing everything in and out, top to bottom, I still have to explain away the reasons why I know exactly what I want and that I don’t need extras and other things, just my tea, and not a pound. I’m really looking forward to trying Adagio loose leaf teas, I’ve been nervous about trying other teas since I know that I like the high quality teas that Teavan carries, but if I can get them for cheaper and at the same quality, I’m down! So thanks for sharing that info.
I was asking about styluses (stylii?), glad that got through! I would be using it for drawing and photo editing when I get my iPad and just trying to plan ahead so I know more about how much I should plan to spend on all of the little things that I need to go with one. Good information so far and I’d love it if another listener followed up and had more to say on it. Having an app for iPad 'cast would also be a great one that I would appreciate. I’ve done a lot of research on the Apple site, but you never know til you try, and I would trust Chuck’s and Juan’s opinions more than reviews that people have left on there.
Hi all! I’m also really enjoying the Modern Geek 'casts, and particularly found the laptop V. notebook discussion pretty informative and helpful, since I’m making that decision now and any intelligent input is most welcome!
This ‘cast’s talk regarding Hangout etiquette and tips was fantastic. You definitely don’t want to be the *sshole (well put Chuck) with the dog or the birds or the putting-away-of-the-pots-and-pans. We’re the friendliest people in scifi, rest assured, but we can be mildly irritated. 
Personally, we use a Logitech desktop mic. I’ve found that most Logitech stuff in general is pretty good quality, and this little mic is no exception. It has a weighted base with a nice easy to hit built-in mute button mounted right on the base. And it does get used! The 6’ cord allows us to place the mic well away from the computer speakers, minimizing echo. I haven’t had to resort to headphones yet, but certainly would if my feed became an issue on a Hangout.
I was wondering if anyone else has the issue (as Juan addressed) of Hangouts not playing well with Apple products? We’ve got a Mac and a PC here, and sure as hell the Mac is waaaay more powerful than my old PC, and yet the Macbook Pro refuses to work for Hangouts, while the aging Dell laptop seems to do just fine! Daunting…
Anyhow, keep the 'casts coming!
Since I don’t own apple products except for iPods I cannot comment on your G+/Apple issue. However I have had issues with my Vista desktop machine on G+ so I have to resort to my laptop instead.
Also, I’ll add to your problems. NONE of my computers can stream the Ustream Eff This Week chat. Last night I resorted to using my Droid and was able to get in no problems. This is perflexing since I even attempted to use my Droid as a tethered modem to my laptop and was still unable to get into the chat using W7 & Firefox on my laptop. I checked out some websites that recommended that I open port 6667 in my W7 firewall. I did that and still received the same issue. Anyone have any expertise on how to help fix this issue?
~Shooter Out
My MacBook Pro has no issues with G+, it works fine every time. I have issues with my internet which is why I went and bought an ethernet cord but haven’t had any problems since then. Just my two cents that mine works fine.
Did I say that? To clarify, I use G+ Hangout on my desktop (Mac Mini), which works well, but my Windows 7 netbook is the one that has problems keeping up performance-wise.