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Livio's NPR Radio tunes more than just NPR, contrary to popular belief
The first Livio Radio hit the scene in April, and now the second one is splashing down in an attempt to draw the attention of those who considering themselves amongst the sophisticated. At first glance, we assumed that the curiously titled NPR Radio would tune into NPR broadcasts only, though our hopes of such a marvelously awesome and useless device were quickly dashed after perusing the press release. In reality, the internet radio functions just like any other web radio (via Ethernet or WiFi, mind you), though it does enable users to quickly store and access their favorite NPR stations with a convenient "my NPR" button on the front of the device. If you're looking to bring a few more fireside chats into your cozy little den, this one can be snapped up today for a penny under $200.
NPR News app updated, improved
The NPR News app [iTunes link] is quickly becoming a jack of all trades for news junkies and those wanting a quick fix of their favorite NPR program. The latest version, 1.1, adds sharing of stories via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. You can now pause radio programs, as well as fast forward and rewind them. Finding local stations is easy by using the iPhone's location services, or you can choose to listen to just about every NPR station in the country. The news part of the app works pretty quickly on a 3G network, but I find the pop-up ads at the bottom irritating. I don't think there are enough news stories on screen at once, an issue it shares with the AP News app. The NPR app has been popular since the moment it was released, and the developers have continued to be responsive and add features on a regular basis. Getting access to NPR programs like Car Talk and All Things Considered is very nice, plus you can listen to any individual news story on demand. There is no search function, which would be most welcome, but overall the app is really useful and continues to improve. If you don't have it, grab it for free. If you already have it and use it, be sure to update to this latest version.
NPR debuts official iPhone app
There are few public radio apps out there, but the official NPR News app [iTunes link] takes some of the best features of these offerings and goes one step beyond. NPR News app was developed by Bottle Rocket Apps, the same folks who brought us Gas Buddy and a number of other well-executed iPhone apps. And, NPR News does not disappoint. When you open the app, you're presented with a layout similar to other news apps. You have top stories, more offerings beyond that, and then a newscast where you can listen to a brief update of the top news of the hour. Along the bottom is a toolbar toggling among news, NPR's programs, a comprehensive listing of NPR stations nationwide with the ability to listen to your station of choice. For that, I tried out WUAL -- broadcast from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- my alma mater. The stream loaded quickly and I was listening to WUAL from my iPhone at a Barnes & Noble in Phoenix, Arizona. Pretty sweet. It's one of the things that I loved from Public Radio Player, and I'm glad to see this feature on the official app as well. Under the Programs heading, you can add stories to a playlist or be taken to its podcast listing in the iTunes Music Store except for programs where you can select individual stories rather than the overall broadcast. If a program is currently airing in your local area while you're perusing the offerings, tap on the "Select Station" icon to pick a station to listen live. While in both program or station mode, the menu expands to expose a volume control if you tap on the arrow right above the time indicator. Other than the lack of some programs, the only other big drawback to NPR News is the inability to scrub back and forth in a program. It's especially hindering if you have to stop the program for any reason because you'll have to go all the way back to the beginning. NPR News is a free download and definitely worth checking out. Edit (7:55 AM PDT): Some programs such as "Marketplace" aren't available because they are not produced by National Public Radio, according to Andy Carvin with NPR in our comments. These programs are available when you tune into a station live, but are not listed under the NPR programs section. He also added that scrubbing and sharing features will come in the 1.1 edition of the app. Thanks for the clarification, Andy!
WoW.com running an instance live on Vocalo.org tomorrow at 4pm central
I've been working in coordination with a group called Vocalo.org here in Chicago for the past few weeks -- they're a community-oriented division of the public radio station WBEZ (the same station that produces NPR shows like "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" and "This American Life"), and I've been doing some interviews with their in-studio host. A few weeks ago, we talked to a psychologist friend of mine about video game violence and addiction, last week we chatted with da_bears, a professional gamer here in Chicago (who recently got into World of Warcraft), and this week, we're doing something extra special: I'll be running an instance together with a five-man group live on the air. It'll start up at 4pm central both live on Vocalo.org (and live on the air in Chicago at 89.5FM). As I run through the instance live on the air (I haven't decided which one yet, though I'm thinking Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle or maybe Heroic Old Kingdom), we'll be talking about WoW and other MMOs, why these games are so fascinating, and what it's like to run with a group of five different people, all playing different roles with different abilities.It should be interesting to say the least -- while the segment will likely be directed at people not as familiar with World of Warcraft as you guys, I'll be sure to keep it interesting even for veteran WoW players (and if we wipe, you can at least laugh at me for being a noob Hunter). I believe we'll also be taking phone calls in the middle of all of this, so if you want, you can probably call up and talk some WoW with me as well.This all begins tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon at 4pm central time, both online at Vocalo.org and live on the air in Chicago, so if you're available to tune in and give us a listen, please do. I have no idea what will happen (has anyone ever tried to run an instance live on the radio before?), but it should be a lot of fun.
Public Radio app updated and renamed
The much beloved Public Radio Tuner has been updated, and now sports a new name. Public Radio Player [App Store] is your easy way to get to most of the NPR stations in the country.This new version, which remains free, also allows you to find archived shows, like Car Talk, Speaking of Pets, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air, and many others. This allows on-demand service of your favorite Public Radio programs. You also can get a station's current schedule when you start to stream. Some stations don't support it, but if the metadata is there you'll see it in the app.A couple of things to note at this point: Since the app has been renamed it may not appear when you check for updates at the App Store. However, when you run the older Public Radio Tuner, it will advise you of the new app and download it, leaving your older app in place. The new app won't have your favorites, so those will have to be added in manually. There is a search function so you can find what you want by station name, call letters, frequency, city, region or category.I find the new version a bit sluggish, and this is reflected by many other users comments. It's a bit slow to respond on either Wi-Fi or the 3G network.Some of the stations appear in the list without their location, so it looks like the database should be cleaned up a bit. The app also has to my eye a rather sickly green color. Not a favorite of mine, and I think many people won't be wild about it. Note: The App Store page shows different, better colors (my view) but you can't get them on the release version.Finally, I had some problems installing this app. On first run it said 'loading' and spun a gear for more than 10 minutes. I bailed out, re-booted my iPhone and it came up fine. If you see something similar, try re-starting your device and see if it solves it.I love the new features in this app, but it has some rough edges. Luckily it doesn't write over the original version, so you can retain your favorites. I'd like to see a quick update and bug fix for this app, but as it is, it improves on the original feature set and should make Public Radio fans happy.Here are some screen shots:%Gallery-68520%
Adam Sessler and Jack Thompson debate GTA on NPR
Adam Sessler, host of G4's X-Play, went mano a mano with video gaming super-villain John Bruce (Jack, to you) Thompson on today's Talk of the Nation to talk about all the great ways video game companies are being responsi ... oh, who are we kidding? They were chatting about violence in video games (again) – this time with a focus on Grand Theft Auto IV.Thompson comes across as paranoid crusader (go figure!), sticking with his usual mantra that the game is "mentally molesting minors for money" before being rather promptly booted off the air ("I'm done?"). Though Sessler and Thompson never really go at each other (don't you see enough bloodshed in your "video games"?) it's as even-handed a treatment of the controversy as you're likely to see in the mainstream press.
NPR takes a condescending look at stories in games
Did you know that video games have stories? Oh, you did? Well, apparently NPR's Chana Joffe-Walt didn't, which only partly explains her condescending -- borderline inflammatory -- piece on Bungie's Joseph Staten, who wrote the latest Halo novel, Contact Harvest. Throughout the piece, Joffe-Walt takes unfair jabs at video game fans, questioning their literacy ("Do gamers read?") as well as their general sophistication. Near the beginning of the interview, Joffe-Walt asks Staten, quite sincerely: "Isn't gaming all just, like, shoot-em-up? Why do you need story?" Clearly, she might not have been the best choice to do a piece on video games. In the future, NPR, please leave the video game stories to Heather Chaplin, whose recent piece "Video Games that Got Away" offered a positive and mainstream-oriented look at games, as opposed to a negative, narrow-minded one.
NPR covers 2007's games that got away
NPR's All Things Considered has been spending a moment each day this week reflecting on "the ones that got away." Whether it be books, which they covered on Monday, or television shows, which they covered on Wednesday, or video games, which they covered on Christmas day (a present from them to us? We think so). Journalist Heather Chaplin, author of Smartbomb and friend of the 'stiq, discussed three games which may not be getting the attention they deserve as the year wraps up. While BioShock is busy mopping up nearly every single game of the year honor out there, we're glad to hear a mainstream outlet like NPR take the time to honor ought-seven's unsung heroes of gaming. When area/code's Frank Lantz refers to the "rococo" aesthetic of modern games relative to Portal's minimalism, you can practically smell the title bout between the aforementioned BioShock and Valve's infectious puzzler, which Lantz calls one of his favorite games of all time. But Portal wasn't the only onetime indie game on their list to make it to the big leagues: they also covered Everyday Shooter, the IGF finalist turned PlayStation Network title, and Desktop Tower Defense, the addictive web game that recently won its own game of the year honor. It's a great listen, even if they're preaching to our choir.
NPR on Mac hacking-- a little FUD, a little fact
NPR hits up the issue of Mac hacking (the bad malware kind, not the good kind), and suggests that Macs are supposedly becoming a bigger target for exploitative folk.While this is a topic that could easily (and does often) degenerate into complete misinformation and FUD, NPR basically acknowledges that Macs are showing up in more and more places (and that includes the iPhone, where even Apple is concerned about security), and that means that they're becoming a juicier target for malware developers. Fortunately, however, a familiar voice shows up later in the report (dig those dulcet tones!) to remind everyone that throughout five iterations of OS X, the malware problems have been hard to find. Malware developers may be trying, but it ain't working.Of course, we can't let this go without noting that this story was inspired in the first place by a PR report released by... you guessed it: an antivirus company. The people who profit off of programs that supposedly prevent malware are claiming that malware is a bigger threat than ever before? Go figure.
Breakfast Topic: Is WoW the new Cheers?
NPR has touched on World of Warcraft before, but with less than pleasant things to say about the game. This time the game was featured the report was given in a better light, largely in part because of the fact that the reporter interviewed her own guild. That's right, she's a player, and so provides an overview of the game from the perspective of someone that knows it intimately.Celeste Headlee, or as I prefer to call her Rosetta of the guild Vengeance, talks about the social aspects of the game. Rosetta interviews members of her own guild, and includes chat sessions in her piece from a particularly bad Prince Malchezaar fight (and might I say the in-game voice chat she uses sounds a lot clearer than when I tried it.) She says that WoW is the modern-day Cheers, a meeting place where players gather mostly to socialize. This game may even be a model for a future virtual workplace, where people log in to meet about their projects using an avatar in a game like WoW instead of a video conference call. While I think the idea of the modern Cheers is a bit silly, I do have to agree that I log in to spend time with my friends. No matter where I move to or what job I happen to get, those friends I have met in WoW will be there for me whenever I need them, and vice versa. It is the social aspect of an MMO that makes it so enjoyable, and I have made more friends in WoW than I have in any other online game.
NPR goes to Video Games Live
We're glad to see Video Games Live getting some attention from National Public Radio, and it's nice to hear some of VGL on their broadcast. But we have to admit to being a little bit perturbed by the tone of the reporter, who appears to be mystified by the idea that anyone would be in the seats. "Why is video game music so compelling to these people?" he wonders aloud, the disdain deliciously audible.We would kindly remind NPR that the only way that orchestras in many areas can fill seats is by promising to play the hits of Andrew Lloyd Webber or selections from Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Star Wars. The chamber halls ceased long ago to be the domain solely of Mozart and Beethoven. We understand that video game concerts are novel, but is the reasoning behind them really so puzzling? [Thanks, Jenn]
Prairie Home Companion introduces 'iGod'
It's an interesting coincidence (or... is it?) that on the same week New York magazine goes with a cover slug of 'iGod' for its Steve Jobs/iPhone article, Garrison Keillor (that handsome devil on the right) and the gang of upstanding citizens behind public radio favorite A Prairie Home Companion do a joke with an similar punchline. On the June 16th program, during the Guy Noir (PHC's resident detective) sketch, one of the characters suggests a perfect gift for Father's Day:Tim Russel: Well, I read about this new iGod they're putting out. Garrison Keillor: iGod? TR: The people who put out the iPod. It plays sermons and you just delete the parts you don't like.Hmm, sermon editing on the fly, very nice. Since my wife is going to be a rabbi, and my father-in-law was just elected bishop of his Lutheran synod, this audio player would really come in handy for me. Too bad I didn't get it for Father's Day this year!You can read the script of the Guy Noir sketch here, or listen to it here (starts at 19:45 in).Thanks Heidi!
NPR sympathetic to goldfarmers
When Friiv tipped us to the recent NPR interview dealing with goldfarming, I was eager to take a listen. Finally, a non-gamer media outlet will hear our frustration. How wrong I was. The interview, which ran on May 14th takes a completely different view of the goldfarming phenomenon. A lot about what bothers me about goldfarming is imagining the conditions in which the farmers must be working, and indeed the interview did liken the goldfarming companies to Nike sweatshops. Tens of thousands of Chinese workers sit for 12 hours shifts hunched over computer screens, standing in the same spot in game and killing the same monster over and over. The gold they make in a day's work goes for around $13.00 in the , but would only sell for $4.00 in .
NPR hails Kutaragi and smacks PS3
National Public Radio on Friday's episode of All Thing Considered did a piece on the "retirement" of Ken Kutaragi. In less than thirty-seconds into the piece focus shifts from Kutaragi leaving to the PlayStation 3's less than stellar sales.NPR beats the same drum as every other media outlet at this point. Finding a group of gamers in a GameCrazy store, it turns out that none of them own a PS3. When NPR asks the men why the PS3 isn't selling well, one responds, "Its just the price, the only thing that kills it is the price. Six-hundred, seven-hundred dollars out the door, that's a lot of money. If it was the price of the Xbox -- I'd get one." Another gamer says that all the good titles aren't exclusive to Sony and that all the games he likes for PlayStation are all on the PS2. NPR tempers it all by saying we're only six months into a cycle that'll last many years.
John Hodgman on being recognized as PC
This past week's episode of the best thing on the radio, This American Life (available free via the podcast until Monday, then streaming or via audible.com) features longtime TAL contributor and 'PC' John Hodgman on the perks and perils of being a TV personality. Hodgman's segment, the first one on the hourlong show, features his observations and experience now that he's recognizable.Best moment? His description of his rock star reception at the Apple Store Soho. Priceless.Thanks to those who sent this in.
NPR commentator: Wii Sports bad for self-esteem
First Newsweek's Stephen Levy alleges that Guitar Hero is "dumbing down musicianship," and now this. NPR commentator Kelly McBride recently aired her fears that Wii Sports is artificially inflating the self-esteem of her Wii-playing children. According to McBride's logic, children used to effortless success with minimum effort in Wii Sports tennis will be frustrated when they pick up a real tennis racket and aren't immediately experts. She has a point -- mastering a video game simulation is often much easier than mastering the real world activity it mimics. Just ask a fighter pilot or a world leader. But while the barriers to success are lower for many video games, the rewards for success are also lower. While schooling someone in virtual basketball might let you hear your opponent's moan of defeat over a headset, the real look of anguish when you take someone down in a hard-fought game of real basketball is infinitely more satisfying. There's something about the physical exertion and human interaction of real sports that makes it compelling in a way that's totally different from sitting alone playing a video game. Even jumping around and playing Wii Sports with friends isn't quite as interesting as taking them on in a real sport (though it's often more practical). This is why paintball hasn't gone away even though Halo is popular and people continue to ski even when Alpine Racer might be available at a nearby arcade. Sure, children will often be more interested in the instant gratification of a simple game than the complex rewards of real competition, but as they get older most mature adults will come to realize the importance of sticking with something and attaining new skills in the real world. Video games aren't a replacement for real world activities. They never have been and they won't start to be now just because Nintendo lets you move your arms a bit while you play them.
How David Kestenbaum iMet his neighbor on iTunes
Are there any established rules of etiquette for meeting people through iTunes? NPR has a sweet story about David Kestenbaum's attempt to meet his musical "soulmate," a neighbor who piggybacked onto his WiFi connection and accidentally left her shared library accessible from his computer. The story proves to be part wish-fulfillment, part stalking, and partly poignant. It says something about the separate lives we lead in today's society and how computers can, or could, or maybe even can't, bring us together. If a total stranger rang your doorbell and said he admired your music, would you let him in? No? Me neither.
NBC and NPR feature iPhone humor
Thank goodness that mainstream comedians have jumped in with bits on the iPhone introduction; us funny geeks are deeply grateful that the cavalry has arrived. While CBS's Craig Ferguson weighed in with an iPhone/Zune comparison, the competition at Late Night with Conan O'Brien gave us Thursday's slightly risque iPhone advertisement above (it's a sonogram! It's a prophylactic! It's Mace!). Today, NPR's tongue-in-cheek news quiz Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! featured an impression of Steve Jobs' now-legendary prank call to Starbucks (4,000 lattes) by newscaster Carl Kassel. The coffee quote comes in the show intro and again in the "Who's Carl This Time" segment (about 45 minutes in) -- too bad the player misidentified it as the launch of the "Microsoft Phone." Host Peter Sagal suggested that the second version of the iPhone needs to come with a vital nerd-friendly feature: a woman who would be really, really impressed with it. Sagal also asked the panelists how cell companies would compete with the iPhone: best answer was from Adam Felber, who suggested that Verizon would introduce a new music player where you could play your favorite song "by pressing only a dozen buttons, and get to listen to almost half of it before it drops out." Wait Wait is a personal favorite of some TUAW team members (we love panelists Felber and Paula Poundstone), so check the schedules page for your local broadcast time or haul down the podcast from iTunes.Thanks, Eric!
NPR chats up older gamers
NPR's Alex Cohen spoke to some older gamers recently on Day to Day and she found out, courtesy of Nintendo's George Harrison, that seniors play games differently than the 18 to 34 year-old demographic. Well, duh. They cut his sound bite short however, because he starts going into his standard boilerplate speech about how games have gotten so complex with multiple joysticks and buttons, but they want to change all that with the Wii, etc etc. Cohen goes on to find out how arthritis keeps a 70 year old woman from playing Guitar Hero, but she manages to kick butt with her grandson in Final Fantasy XII. She has 13(!) grandkids and goes on to say that she thinks playing games keeps the mind active. Gamer grandma kicking your ass, FTW!Here are some interesting facts from the piece: 25% of all gamers are over the age of 50 A third of all Baby Boomers polled want a next-gen system for Christmas That hot buxom blonde you play with in Guild Wars might be older than your mom You can listen to the show here. Of course, if you're over the age of 50 and reading our site, you probably heard this show on NPR already, right after catching Matlock. We keed! We keed! Everyone knows that Murder, She Wrote is far superior.
NPR takes on This Spartan Life
It seems like every other day there is a news story about how those newfangled games are becoming, like, culture or something. Elitists that we are, we stare at the screen and snicker as Al Roker waves his arms around, trying to understand the madness before him. We laugh heartily as an unknowing reporter asks the lone girl why she is waiting in line for the latest "game" (AKA the PS3) with all those boys. Sure, it's funny, but we have to give credit where credit is due. NPR has been fairly consistent in its coverage of videogames as an actual (God forbid) cultural medium. NPR has explored e-commerce in MMORPGs, reviewed Katamari Damacy, and even started a gaming podcast, Press Start. Luckily, someone at NPR seems to like all the videogame coverage, as more stories keep popping up.On the latest episode of Studio 360, host Kurt Anderson interviews Damian Lacedaemian (Chris Burke) of This Spartan Life. For those unfamiliar with This Spartan Life, it's a talk show filmed exclusively inside Halo 2. The host invites guests to chat inside the game. The show, despite its frag-friendly locale, is actually quite serious. Some readers may remember This Spartan Life's video about net neutrality for example. In the latest Studio 360, Damian and Kurt discuss Halo's gaming space as well as the community that games (and Live) have created. Of course, there are still a few things that will make the average gamer snicker. Kurt's "newb" status is definitely apparent as he struggles to come to grips with the game and its mechanics. Still, the fact that he cares to even try speaks volumes. Frankly, we wish more people from the older generation would take the time to understand and appreciate games and the culture surrounding them. You can watch Kurt's interview session with Damian after the break.
