Macgirl Media Pick of the Week: PRI Selected Shorts

I love podcasts.  They fill long drives and rides on the train with a blast of knowledge and entertainment (along with a healthy dose of Terry Gross).  I recently started listening to PRI Selected Shorts, recorded at the Symphony Stage in NY.  What a diverse and really powerful source of writings they cover!  The use of skilled thesbians, reading to a live audience, gives this production an intimate and warm feel.  I may not read enough short stories, but now I can listen to them!

TDL Profile: Jake Walden

For singer-songwriter Jake Walden, technology wasn't always a friend. He didn't get his own computer until the age of 25. In just a few years though, Jake has not only joined the online masses, but he's using twitter, facebook, and youtube to self-promote his music, and it's working. Two of his songs were recently featured on ABC primetime shows, and his fans are helping contribute and create unique music videos of their own to his music.

Jake talks about his music, the renaissance of singer-songwriters, and how technology helps him connect to fans:

DoubleTap Episode 12

Yikes, if Apple keeps up this pace of removing apps, we'll be out of apps to talk about each week! Ok, not very likely... This week we look at Auditorium, and Knife Toss (previously reviewed here) and of course discuss Apple's decision to remove thousands of apps. Let us know if there are any you're going to miss:

Spam Masquerading as iTunes Email

A special thanks to "Bill" for sending in this tip. It turns out some enterprising spammers out there have figured out that most of the time, Apple's Mail program (and others) will tend to not mark mail from Apple as spam. (Occasionally, a message regarding MobileMe ends up in my junk folder, but I assume that's the program being super-intelligent.) Anyhow, a recent group of messages that just started hitting our inboxes as well, indicate they are from "itunes@new-music.itunes," but that's where the ruse ends, as the subject tends to be something like "Pharmacy Shop Best Discount."

So just remember "Pharmacy Shop Best Discount" isn't some new, hip band, and you should be fine.

 

Macgirl's Media Pick of the Week: Y Rock on XPN

We'd all like to think we have great taste.  A well-rounded, hip view of music is an important part of your persona, no?  Well I'd like to think its part of mine (I'll take the hip part with a grain of salt).  Which brings me to this week's pick: Y Rock on XPN.  If you're a native Philadelphian you will remember Y-Rock as Y-100, and its demise in 2005.  Thankfully, through WXPN, you can catch Y Rock streaming online anytime, anywhere.  It also broadcasts Wednesday and Thursday nights 8pm-11pm, and Friday nights 7pm-11pm, on 88.5 FM(WXPN).  They have an app as well, but if you're at your computer stick with the stream, it's a higher bit rate...

One afternoon can bring you classics by the The Smiths and XTC to new releases by the Gorillaz, Mike Doughty and The Ting Tings.  I am partial to any station that plays New Order, meaning that Y Rock is streaming on my computer most of the day.  It has the added bonus of discovering new artists and being surprised by what's on next!(oh that crazy radio!)  Check it out next time you tire of listening to your iPod remix (again).