NioCast: Short Film by Nio

Nio was being extra uncooperative on August 26, 2005. For about one minute he was in a good mood. This video podcast shows evidence of it, even though he was a monster the rest of the day.

MarioCast: Mason's Slice of Life

At Kimberly and Kellie's party, Mason shares a slice of his life in regards to his grandpa's funeral.

Stupid things in Oklahoma #1

I keep meaning to keep a log or podcast of stupid things that I encounter in Oklahoma, but I keep putting it off. Well, enough putting off. Now just to be clear, I do NOT think that Oklahoma is stupid. Just that in the 3 years that we've been here, sometimes we encounter some stupid things that boggle the mind sometimes.
So Gina goes to Goddard Health Center to check to see if we made a September appointment for Nio with one of the doctors. Here's the conversation paraphrased a bit:

Gina: I'd like to check to see if we made a doctor's appointment for my son in September.
Receptionist: Can I see your ID?
Gina: I'm sorry. I forgot my ID. But I know my ID number.
Receptionist: I have to see your ID card before I give you any information.
Gina: Can I call you later and check my son's appointment if I give you my ID number over the phone?
Receptionist: Sure. No problem.
Gina: But didn't you just say that you need to see my ID card before you give any information?
Receptionist: Yes, but that's because you're here in person.
(Gina stands there confused - as most of us would if we were confronted by this warped logic)
Receptionist: If you have a complaint, you can talk to my manager.
Gina: No, that's okay. Thanks.

So if Gina had a cell phone and stood there in front of the receptionist and called her and asked her over the phone for appointment info, would they accept that?!?
Don't get me wrong. Dr. Rice has been great for checking out Nio, and Karen the physical therapist fixed my neck last month when it was all screwed up.
Policies are good in most cases, but sometimes we need to take a look and see why they are there in the first place.

MarioCast 17 August 2005

The next bunch of MarioCast podcasts will be special "Back-to-School" editions of the MarioCast. We will hear interesting stories and tales from some friends here at the University of Oklahoma about what they did during the summer.
Today's episode:
Kimberly talks about how her parents discover the wonders of wireless internet.
Courtney talks about his trip to Germany and what a great driver his father-in-law is.

MarioCast 15 August 2005

Here's my first podcast using the Griffin iTalk attached to my iPod! I apologize for the poor sound quality. Sometimes if you speak too loud or too close to the iTalk, then you get a whole bunch of distortion. I'll try to fiddle around with finding the right distance to keep from the microphone.
More rejections from potential employers, including UNLV which sent me a rejection letter thanking me for applying for the Professor of ASTRONOMY position! I also go off on a rant why UNLV "suks".
Kimberly and Kellie are throwing a piano pedagogy party this Friday at their house.

Accord TV Spot

This video podcast is from a TV commercial that I shot for Steve Davis's Accord Piano Gallery in Oklahoma City. I never saw it on TV, but people said they saw it on ABC and the WB networks. Although I stopped by their website and now they're called Davis and Evans Piano Warehouse. So I don't know if he sold it, got a partner, or what. I should drop him a line and see what's up. Looks like he may have dumped Baldwin and went with Pearl River. Guess I didn't sell as many Baldwins as they liked...
My Odeo Channel (odeo/e9cdf2323ae0f4c4)
I also noticed that if you do a Google search on me, my podcast listing on Odeo shows up at the top. So I decided to "claim" my podcast, but in order to do that I have to stick in the above link. I'm not sure how it works, but let's see if it does.

Technology on Center Stage

Hi again from Chicago (Oak Brook, Illinois to be precise). This is another special experimental podcast. This is the first podcast of one of the presentations from the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.
Timothy Hester presents an "informance" in which MIDI and reproducing technologies like the Yamaha Disklavier are actively used to enhance artistry and effectiveness in practice, performance, and pedagogy.
I probably should have asked permission to record people first, but hey, it's all for the sake of education. Dr. Magrath is ill at home and might even want to hear what she missed!
Pardon the sound quality as I recorded this from about the 4th row with my Powerbook G4. You can even hear me typing notes on the keyboard as the recording goes on. I really could use an external microphone.

Arrived at NCKP

I arrived in Chicago without any bad incidents. I'm at the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Brook, Illinois. I'm at the keynote address where Marvin Blickenstaff is addressing the audience (Isn't wireless access cool?). He stated that there are 300+ people who registered for this pre-conference seminar. Both Louise Goss and Sam Holland were recognized. We're going to break up into 3 separate seminars, and I'll be going to the seminar for Collegiate Teachers of Piano Pedagogy, subtitled Preparing Pedagogy Students for the Future. I got to meet up with Kimberly, Kellie, and Julie at the registration area. Maybe we'll do a podcast later if we find some free time, although the schedule looks packed.