Returning to regularly scheduled podcasting/posting

February 5, 2009

Hey y’all, I want to apologize for my absence from posting, I was sorting out some stuff in my life, and though not fully resolved I am back to podcast some more.
I’ve been thinking of mixing things up a bit with either a podcast, followed by a topic of discussion post. For example: the upcoming [...]

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Heteronormativity (CultureCast #044)

January 21, 2009

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When I market a product to couples, I only market to the largest group: Heterosexual male-female pairings. It’s simple, right?
Simple for those to whom the marketing applies.
After learning about the term “heteronormativity”, it has quickly become my favourite term from queer theory. My favourite because [...]

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Zero: More than a hero (CultureCast #043)

January 10, 2009

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The only time the number zero is important is when zero is your bank balance. The number zero seems so insignificant. It represents nothing, so it must not be important.
Ah ha! It is arguably the most important number, and it may surprise you to know [...]

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YouTube Symphony Orchestra: Classical meets modern

January 7, 2009

I love it when classical ideas meet with modern presentation.
Monks chanting “We will rock you”? Love it.
A-line skirts and skinny ties? Love ‘em.
Orchestral music and streaming video? Love it.
The goal of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to bring people from all over the world to play one piece in a massive internet and eventually real-life [...]

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Ponzi Scheme: Revival of an old trick (CultureCast #042)

January 5, 2009

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The news has been a buzz with the Bernard Madoff investment scandal. Media describes this as the largest Ponzi scheme and largest investment scheme of all time.
But what is a Ponzi scheme? Why is it named so? What goes into a Ponzi scheme?
Find out by [...]

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Denial-of-service (DoS) Attacks: Tool of cyberwarfare (CultureCast #041)

January 3, 2009

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Cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, terms so new that my spell-checker does not recognize them, have actually been around as long as computers.
Motivated by political reasons, anti-capitalist sentiment or just for the thrill, there are many methods of bringing computers and websites down.
One of the conceptually [...]

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Baseball Metaphors for Sex (CultureCast #040)

December 30, 2008

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Ah, I have not updated for a while. I am sorry. If you are interested, I have been catching up with friends and running around being a good little consumerist.
To make up for this transgression, this update is laden, heavily laden, with sex and sexual [...]

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Hannukah Help (CultureCast #039)

December 23, 2008

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Hanukkah is among us. For my Jewish friends, they are well-versed in the traditions that surround Hanukkah, but for the rest of us there are still some lingering questions about the origins and practice of this holiday.
As a side note, I am not pronouncing “Hanukkah” [...]

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Scales and Octaves (CultureCast #038)

December 20, 2008

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Q: What would it take for me to sing online?
A: The desire to educate people about music theory.
Please don’t laugh too hard.
Do you know what a scale is? How about some other types of scales? What song can you use to easily know what an [...]

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Delayed podcast

December 19, 2008

Hey Culture Cats, sorry to say this, but I will not be putting up a new podcast today, mostly due to holiday related reasons: Massive cleaning efforts, snow and poor planning on my part.
I will have a podcast tomorrow though. If you would like to berate me, here is the contact form.
Happy Holidays!
– Joshua

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