The Top Threes of 2010
Although the top ten of 2010 has a better ring to it, it would be much too big of a project. Although some things might predate 2010, they are all things that I experienced in 2010.
Top Podcasts.
1. Buzz Out Loud.
This tech podcast from Cnet came with my copy of of Dogcatcher. Frequent updates means that there is always something to listen to on the bus. BOL has taught me a lot and I can credit them with bringing me up to speed on Android once I got my phone. They have the right position on issues like Net Neutrality and Wikileaks. I am far from a tech expert, but I find most of their stories genuinely interesting.
2. Citizen Radio
They are leftist, they are angry, and most of all they are funny. This podcast came to me in December but it has surpassed Democracy Now as my favorite community media project. Citizen Radio discards the "Newsy Professionalism" of shows like Democracy Now and reveals in a much more organic and bold version of journalism fill with expletives and earnestness that is largely absent from news commentary. The show is having a husband and wife team. I am not sure what the wife does, but the husband did stand up comedy. The only problem with this show is that the hosts are committed vegans. While I welcome veganism as a lifestyle, it can hardly be said that I share the passion that the host obviously share for the lifestyle.
3. WNYC's Radio Lab
I like Radio Lab swept in and pummeled This American Life as my favorite podcast from NPR. This podcast offers a large variety of stories that often have to do with sound. They also make sound and sound effect part of the story. Until I was introduced to this podcast, I did not understand why people spend so much on really nice sound systems. This podcast is the only thing in the world that makes me want a super sophisticated system out of all the podcasts, albums, movies, video games, and TV shows in the world.
EPIK Trips
1. Philippines Summer '10
My third trip to the Philippines and my second time to Alona. At 3 weeks this trip was my second longest vacation behind Eurotrip07. PhilSum10 was my most successful diving trip with 25 logged dives. The beach was much more chill than the time I spent there during Chinese New Year, but I met quite a few new friends. Staying at Genesis Divers helped make my trip.
This was a far cry from a whirl wind tour of the Phils. I literally planted my ass on Alona beach and diving and perfecting my career as a beach bum. I only went into town once because every minute that I was in a taxi, on a ferry, or waiting in line was a minute that I could have been laying around on a beach or diving like I mean it.
2. Odo Beach
This is actually many short trips to a beach near Pohang during the summer. During the summer of '10 I had about a month of no classes after my trip to the Philippines. During that time I went to the beach more than I have in the rest of my 3 years in Korea. It was a great way to spend the summer when you have no aircon in your apartment. This is also one of the primary reasons that I want to get a car in March. Odo is also a surprisingly good place for snorkeling.
3. Ugly Sweater Party
In December I was invited to a ski trip that was being thrown by a friend of a friend. The highlight of the trip was an ugly Xmas sweater party with 70 foreigners. For the first time we stayed the night near the resort. This was because Jonny and I convinced Kory to drive the 3 hours to Highwon. Not only did I get to ski more at one time that I have ever, but I also got to try skiing at night which was much less busy. I also bought my first ski jacket.
Top Gadgets of '10
1. Samsung Galaxy S
I wanted a new camera, needed a new iPod, and my phone was a wreck. It seemed to make sense to get a smartphone. I started looking into an iPhone when a Korean friend who works for POSCO told me that his company was providing smartphones to their employees for a discounted rate, plus I could finance it with a two year contract.
Basically it all boiled down to a choice between the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S (AKA Samsung Captivate or Samsung Fascinate in the US). I liked the idea of getting out of the thumb of iTunes and apple. I can throw in a Mini SD card and change the battery, two things that drove me nutz about my beloved iPod. However it turned out that you can edit video on your phone with the iPhone, and you can not do this with Android. With as much as I like messing with video, it became a no brainer.
Alas, it turned out that Korea was facing a shortage of iPhones (manufactured shortage to facilitate the corporate profits of Samsung and LG i am sure...) and it would take 4 months on a waiting list to get the phone. So it became clear that the Galaxy S was the way to go.
I havent regretted it. There are some annoyances like not being able to download games (a Korean issue not a Samsung issue) and the crappy Samsung media managing software. Despite these issues the phone has been great. Having an HD camera, my phone, internet browser, and media play all in one.
Finally I am excited to use my phone in the Philippines because the word on the street is that the phone is unlocked.
2. Xbox
A friend recently loaned me his Xbox and I have't looked back. Its a cheap and effective way to kill some time at home in the middle of nowhere. Castle Crasher, Monday Night Combat, and Fable II have me wondering "who needs a GF when you have an Xbox?" I did consider leaving this gadget off the list because I suffered a Red Ring of Death in December and it has been out of commission while I have been trying to figure out how to get it repaired.
3. Olympus μ
This camera is waterproof up to 3m. This is hardly enough to take SCUBA diving but its a enough to never think about the camera getting wet or sandy. It can me a lot of fun at the beach and the pool. It is a little glitchy and not that powerful but it is more than sufficient for a point and shoot.
Top Apps
1. Doggcatcher
When I got my Android phone I needed a way to sync up my music, or more importantly my podcasts. I tried some tricks to sync up with iTunes but nothing was work. Enter Doggcatcher. Doggcatcher automatically updates your podcasts without using your computer. So far its been great!
2. Gmote
Works like a remote for your computer, they even have a beta to use it like a track pad. For now this app mostly saves me having to put my feet down and lean foward to play the nest episode.
3. News Room
Allows me to check all my blogs and news sites on the go. after a couple months of use I can say this app is worth the $5 price. This app was almost surpassed by Pulse, but pulse is just too slow and buggy to be useful.
Top Podcasts.
1. Buzz Out Loud.
This tech podcast from Cnet came with my copy of of Dogcatcher. Frequent updates means that there is always something to listen to on the bus. BOL has taught me a lot and I can credit them with bringing me up to speed on Android once I got my phone. They have the right position on issues like Net Neutrality and Wikileaks. I am far from a tech expert, but I find most of their stories genuinely interesting.
2. Citizen Radio
They are leftist, they are angry, and most of all they are funny. This podcast came to me in December but it has surpassed Democracy Now as my favorite community media project. Citizen Radio discards the "Newsy Professionalism" of shows like Democracy Now and reveals in a much more organic and bold version of journalism fill with expletives and earnestness that is largely absent from news commentary. The show is having a husband and wife team. I am not sure what the wife does, but the husband did stand up comedy. The only problem with this show is that the hosts are committed vegans. While I welcome veganism as a lifestyle, it can hardly be said that I share the passion that the host obviously share for the lifestyle.
3. WNYC's Radio Lab
I like Radio Lab swept in and pummeled This American Life as my favorite podcast from NPR. This podcast offers a large variety of stories that often have to do with sound. They also make sound and sound effect part of the story. Until I was introduced to this podcast, I did not understand why people spend so much on really nice sound systems. This podcast is the only thing in the world that makes me want a super sophisticated system out of all the podcasts, albums, movies, video games, and TV shows in the world.
EPIK Trips
1. Philippines Summer '10
My third trip to the Philippines and my second time to Alona. At 3 weeks this trip was my second longest vacation behind Eurotrip07. PhilSum10 was my most successful diving trip with 25 logged dives. The beach was much more chill than the time I spent there during Chinese New Year, but I met quite a few new friends. Staying at Genesis Divers helped make my trip.
This was a far cry from a whirl wind tour of the Phils. I literally planted my ass on Alona beach and diving and perfecting my career as a beach bum. I only went into town once because every minute that I was in a taxi, on a ferry, or waiting in line was a minute that I could have been laying around on a beach or diving like I mean it.
2. Odo Beach
This is actually many short trips to a beach near Pohang during the summer. During the summer of '10 I had about a month of no classes after my trip to the Philippines. During that time I went to the beach more than I have in the rest of my 3 years in Korea. It was a great way to spend the summer when you have no aircon in your apartment. This is also one of the primary reasons that I want to get a car in March. Odo is also a surprisingly good place for snorkeling.
3. Ugly Sweater Party
In December I was invited to a ski trip that was being thrown by a friend of a friend. The highlight of the trip was an ugly Xmas sweater party with 70 foreigners. For the first time we stayed the night near the resort. This was because Jonny and I convinced Kory to drive the 3 hours to Highwon. Not only did I get to ski more at one time that I have ever, but I also got to try skiing at night which was much less busy. I also bought my first ski jacket.
Top Gadgets of '10
1. Samsung Galaxy S
I wanted a new camera, needed a new iPod, and my phone was a wreck. It seemed to make sense to get a smartphone. I started looking into an iPhone when a Korean friend who works for POSCO told me that his company was providing smartphones to their employees for a discounted rate, plus I could finance it with a two year contract.
Basically it all boiled down to a choice between the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S (AKA Samsung Captivate or Samsung Fascinate in the US). I liked the idea of getting out of the thumb of iTunes and apple. I can throw in a Mini SD card and change the battery, two things that drove me nutz about my beloved iPod. However it turned out that you can edit video on your phone with the iPhone, and you can not do this with Android. With as much as I like messing with video, it became a no brainer.
Alas, it turned out that Korea was facing a shortage of iPhones (manufactured shortage to facilitate the corporate profits of Samsung and LG i am sure...) and it would take 4 months on a waiting list to get the phone. So it became clear that the Galaxy S was the way to go.
I havent regretted it. There are some annoyances like not being able to download games (a Korean issue not a Samsung issue) and the crappy Samsung media managing software. Despite these issues the phone has been great. Having an HD camera, my phone, internet browser, and media play all in one.
Finally I am excited to use my phone in the Philippines because the word on the street is that the phone is unlocked.
2. Xbox
A friend recently loaned me his Xbox and I have't looked back. Its a cheap and effective way to kill some time at home in the middle of nowhere. Castle Crasher, Monday Night Combat, and Fable II have me wondering "who needs a GF when you have an Xbox?" I did consider leaving this gadget off the list because I suffered a Red Ring of Death in December and it has been out of commission while I have been trying to figure out how to get it repaired.
3. Olympus μ
This camera is waterproof up to 3m. This is hardly enough to take SCUBA diving but its a enough to never think about the camera getting wet or sandy. It can me a lot of fun at the beach and the pool. It is a little glitchy and not that powerful but it is more than sufficient for a point and shoot.
Top Apps
1. Doggcatcher
When I got my Android phone I needed a way to sync up my music, or more importantly my podcasts. I tried some tricks to sync up with iTunes but nothing was work. Enter Doggcatcher. Doggcatcher automatically updates your podcasts without using your computer. So far its been great!
2. Gmote
Works like a remote for your computer, they even have a beta to use it like a track pad. For now this app mostly saves me having to put my feet down and lean foward to play the nest episode.
3. News Room
Allows me to check all my blogs and news sites on the go. after a couple months of use I can say this app is worth the $5 price. This app was almost surpassed by Pulse, but pulse is just too slow and buggy to be useful.