My Chipotle Choice

In my opinion, Chipotle as a company does so many things right. I know the sodium content of their burritos is horrendously unhealthy (near 100% of the DV, so those with hypertension shouldn't eat them often), but they have an INTERACTIVE nutritional information page on their site at ChipotleFan.com that allows you to choose which ingredients you have put in your burrito of choice, and it calculates the nutrition information for that meal.

For example, I have a steak burrito bol with rice, black beans, lettuce, tomato salsa, tomatillo green chili salsa, and cheese. This is the results the page gives for that meal:

Chipotle Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Burrito Bol Amount Per Serving Calories 755 Calories from Fat 258 % DV* Total Fat 29g Saturated Fat 11g Cholesterol 81mg Sodium 2201mg Total Carbohydrate 74g Dietary Fiber 8.5g Sugars 3g Protein 51g Vitamin A 120% Vitamin C 50% Calcium 25% Iron 6%

Chipotle Nutrition Results provided by:
Chipotle Fan.com

Wild Swan

I translated this image posted to Flickr. Here's the translated image (I got kind of lazy at the end, and didn't label two steps on the right half. There is a 3-frame "how to," and the first frame's blue text says "affix it" and the second says (I think...but one character is illegible to me) to tear away the water seal strongly. Via Digg.

Your Nick in Japanese

After seeing someone mistakenly claim that their Digg name was Japanese for something-or-other, and being absolutely incorrect (as in: using words that don't exist in Japanese and poor grammar beyond that), I figured I'd do a service to the Digg community and extend an offer: over the next week or so, comment here or on the Digg story I am about to post, and I'll translate any nick you designate (please, only 1) into Japanese. I figure my attempts will probably be better than other Diggers (barring native Japanese and JLPT level 1s).

Also, you may optionally request a transcription instead of a translation. The difference is thus: "Kyle" is Gaelic for "stream" or "strait" and "Goetz" is the pet form for "God" in German. Thus, "Kyle Goetz" may be written "Ogawa Jin" (小川神 -- which happens to sound like an actual Japanese name, including extremely popular family name "Ogawa"). This is a translation. For "mage of death" ("magimashinu" on Digg), a translation would be "shi no maji."

A transcription is a phonetic representation. For example, "Kyle Goetz" is "kairu gettsu" (カイル・ゲッツ) and "magimashinu" is マギマシヌ.

I figure I'll just post my translations as soon as I can here, on my blog. The smartest thing to do would probably be to just add the Atom feed of my site to Opera, Sage on Firefox, or whatever RSS reader you use, and after I post my translations, take the feed off. I hardly ever blog anymore, so you most likely don't have to worry about getting some other blog post showing up in your RSS reader that you don't want to read.

Also, note that I don't use any kind of advertising, so I'm not doing this for monetary gain. I just don't like seeing people use languages incorrectly, and since I speak Japanese, it might be kind of fun for me to help out some hapless users.

A couple more caveats: I'd prefer to not be translating someone's actual name (unless you provide me with the meaning of your name) because it's harder than translating a phrase such as the aforementioned "mage of death." The other caveat is that you should not expect your name to be translated as perfectly as mine can be, because I just lucked out. Granted, there are Japanese people who can do a transliteration of your name into kanji that give a new meaning (such as a professor in Japan who gave me 海留 for "kairu," meaning roughly "across the ocean"), but I am not comfortable doing this, as I'm not native in the language. I could probably do it, and you may ask me to, but I do state openly that it may not have any kind of beauty to it.

OK, I'm getting rather long-winded. Request away!

Oh, and if I get 1,000 requests, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to do 1,000 translations (this is supposed to be fun for me, too). However, I'll do as many as possible. However, I figure, since I don't think I have any Diggers watching what I digg, there probably will be only 4 diggs or so, and I won't have anything to worry about.

My American Accent

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The West
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Of course this outcome is because I play around with English. I also never adopted the speech of Victoria, I think. When I go home to visit my family, I really hear the accent. I expected to find I have a Midwest Accent, because that is "Standard American English," and I've always felt drawn to SAE. Thank God I can do Texan, though, because my role in Assault and Flattery's spring production requires it of me. Go take the quiz and let me know how it turns out!

The Term "Podcast" Pushes at its Borders

A scan of a German Swiss newspaper article (from the Tages-Anzeiger) has appeared on Leo Laporte's site, and since I'm basically not using this blog for anything, it seems, but Japanese translation nowadays, I figured I'd translate the German article and post it here and give Leo the link. Perhaps some will find it helpful. Note: I am not a German (although my last name is!) and am not a professional translator, so caveat lector!

Der Begriff "Podcast" stösst an Grenzen

Statt des bereits einigermassen etablierten Begriffs "Podcast" wünscht sich der bekannteste Podcaster der USA eine Umbenennung in Netcast.

Von Roger Zedi

Es tönt wie eine totale Schnapsidee. In einer Phase, in der ein noch nicht einmal zweijähriges, frisches Medium gerade zum Sprung aus der Freak-Ecke in Richtung Mainstream ansetzt, entfacht sich ein Streit über dessen Bezeichnung. Doch die Kritik am Namen Podcast hat beim genaueren Hinhören durchaus ihre Berechtigung.
Auslöser ist der Umstand, dass Apple zunehmend aggressiver den Begriff "Pod" für sich beansprucht, da sie ihre Marke iPod schützen will. So wurden unter anderem die Macher der Software iPodder von Apples Rechtsabteilung gezwungen, ihr Programm umzutaufen. Nun kann man damit zwar immer noch Podcasts abonnieren und herunterladen, doch die Software heisst nun Juice. Etliche Podcaster befürchten, dass Apple auch ihnen gegenüber solche Forderungen aufstellen könnte, was bisher allerdings nicht passiert ist.
Eigentlich ist Apple ein grosser Förderer der Podcasts, da man diese direkt in der zum iPod gehörigen PC- und MacSoftware iTunes abonnieren kann. Drei von vier Podcasts werden auf diesem Weg heruntergeladen. Der iPod-Hersteller ist dabei natürlich alles andere als selbstlos, denn sein namensstiftender MP3-Player profitiert von jeder Nennung des Begriffs Podcast.

Podcasts kommen auch ohne iPod aus
Umgekehrt führt dieser Name allerdings auch zu Missverständnissen. "Es passiert mir immer noch zu oft, dass Leute auf mich zukommen und sagen, sie würden ja gerne meine Podcasts hören, hätten aber leider keinen iPod," beklagt sich der US-Podcaster Leo Laporte. Die Mehrheit des Publikums hört die Podcasts direkt am Computer und gar nicht auf einem MP3-Player. "Ich danke Apple für alles, was sie für uns getan haben, aber es gab uns schon, bevor sie aufgesprungen sind," sagt Laport.
Diese Kritik kommt nicht etwa aus dem Mund eines notorischen Mac-Hassers, im Gegenteil: Laporte hat schon zahlreiche Bücher über Macs geschrieben und macht in all seinen Podcasts, die bis zu 300 000 Hörer zählen, kein Geheimnis daraus, dass der Ex-Radio-Sprecher und frühere Mac-Programmierer ein grosser Apple-Fan ist. Vor kurzem wurde er zur "Podcast-Person des Jahres" gawählt. Laporte nutzt die Gelegenheit zu einem Aufruf, die Bezeichnung zu überlegt öffentlich, den Begriff schützen zu lassen. "Nicht für mich selbst, ich würde ihn umgehend einem unabhängigen Konsortium abtreten," versichert er.

Ncast, Zencast oder gar nichts
Denn Apples Unterstützung schreckt andere Hersteller davon ab, ebenfalls auf den Begriff Podcast zu setzen. So versucht etwa Creative, wenn auch erfolglos, diese als Zencast vor den Wagen ihrer eigenen MP3-Player namens Zen zu spannen. Nokia hätte sie neuerdings gerne als Ncast auf ihren Handys der N-Serie.
Noch schlimmer aber ist es, wenn namhafte Hersteller ganz auf die Unterstützung von Podcasts verzichten. So sucht man etwa im Menü des kommenden Zune von Microsoft vergeblich nach Podcasts, auch unter keinem anderen Namen werden sie unterstützt. Dasselbe gilt für den Windows Media Player oder Windows Vista generell. Microsoft hat verständlicherweise wenig Lust, auf ihrem MP3-Player indirekt Werbung für die Konkurrenz zu machen. "Das schadet uns Podcastern," so Laporte, "und es schadet den Hörern, weil sie je länger, je mehr nur noch eine Quelle für Podcasts haben, nämlich iTunes."

Für Netcast ist es schon zu spät
Laporte ist Medienprofi genug, um zu wissen, dass der Zug für eine Umbenennung längst abgefahren ist. "Podcast als Name wird erhalten bleiben, ich bin nicht naiv. Aber unser Hauptanliegen als Podrespektive Netcaster muss es sein, unser Publikum zu erweitern. Darum stosse ich letztlich diese Diskussion an," sagt Laporte.
Die Podcaster-Gemeinde reagiert denn auch eher verhalten auf Laportes Ideen. Zwar stimmen die meisten seiner Argumentation zu, doch den Namen jetzt zu ändern, halten sie für schlicht unmöglich. "Optimal wäre es gewesen, wenn wir von Anfang an einen neutralen Namen benutzt hätten" schreibt ein Kommentator auf Digg.com. Doch mittlerweile steht der Begriff Podcast ja schon im Duden, und alle grossen Medienhäuser, die selber entsprechende Angebote produzieren, setzen voll auf den Begriff Podcast.

Picture: Leo Laporte, alter Medienfuchs und "Podcast-Person des Jahres"

The term "Podcast" Pushes at its Borders

Instead of the established term, the most well-known podcaster in the USA wishes to rename it to "netcast".

by Roger Zedi

It sounds like a completely crazy idea. In a span of not even two years, a new medium is set for a jump from the "Freak Corner" to "Mainstream", a controversy over its designation has erupted. But the criticism of the name "podcast" has its authorization with [nooo idea whatsoever].
The trigger is the circumstance that Apple is increasingly aggressively asserting that the term "Pod" is theirs, since it wants to protect their [trade]mark "iPod". Thus among other things the developer of the software iPodder was forced by Apple's legal department to rename the program. Now, you can still subscribe to and download podcasts, but the software is now called "Juice". Some podcasters fear that Apple could make the same demands to them, but this has not happened so far.
Actually Apple is a large promoter of podcasts, and one can subscribe to them, through the Mac and PC software iTunes, directly to the iPod. Three out of four podcasts are downloaded this way. The iPod manufacturer is thus naturally unselfish because the donation of its name means MP3 players profit from each usage of the term "podcast". [note: I'm pretty sure, but not 100% positive, that I've translated this correctly.]

Podcasts get along fine without an iPod
On the other hand, this name leads to misunderstandings. "People still come and say to me, 'I'd gladly listen to your podcasts, but I unfortunately have no iPod,'" US Podcaster Leo Laporte bemoans [ed: "bemoans" doesn't imply that Leo is "whiny", correct? I don't mean to imply that with the translation]. The majority of the public listens to podcasts on their computer and not on an MP3 player. "I thank Apple for everything they have done for us, but we were already here, before they got on board," says Laporte.
This criticism comes not from the mouth of a notorious Mac hater; on the contrary, Laporte has written numerous books about Macs and makes it no secret in all his podcasts (which number as many as 300,000 listeners) that this ex-radio host and former Mac programmer is a huge Apple fan. Recently he was chosen as "Podcast Person of the Year." Laporte uses this opportunity [I removed "die Bezeichnung zu überligt öffentlich"] to deliberate publicly how to protect the term [I did not translate this sentence well, I know; it's beyond me what it exactly means]. "Not for myself, I would hand it over immediately to an independent consortium," he assures.

Ncast, Zencast, or nothing at all
For Apple's support deters other manufacturers to likewise settle on the term "podcast." As with Creative, who has tried unsuccessfully to call these "Zencasts," after its own MP3 player named "Zen." Nokia recently would have gladly called it Ncast, after its moble phones of the "n-serie."
Even worse it is if major manufaturers go completely without the support of podcasts. One looks, for instance, in the menu of the upcoming Zune by Microsoft for "podcasts," and it is not supported even under another name. The same generally applies to Windows Media Player and Windows Vista. Microsoft understandably has little desire to indirectly advertise for the competition on its own MP3 player. "That harms us podcasters," says Laporte, "and it harms the listeners, because they have only one source for podcasts, namely iTunes."

For "Netcast" it is already too late
Laporte is media professional enough [is knowledgeable enough about the media?] to know that the chance to rename it went away long ago. "Podcast as a name will remain, I am not naive. But our main objective as Netcasters [how to translate "Podrespektive"? Those who netcast like podcasters?] must be to extend our audience. Thus, I bring up this discussion," says Laporte.
The Podcaster community reacts cautiously to Laporte's ideas. Most agree with his reasoning, but they consider it simply impossible to change the name now. "It would have been optimal, if we had used a neutral name from the outset," writes a commentator on Digg.com. But meanwhile the term "podcast" is in the Duden [note: a German spelling dictionary], and all large media houses, which produce appropriate offers, are decided fully on the term "podcast."

Picture: Leo Laporte, an old media hand and "Podcast Person of the Year"

Wow

Holy crap, Chris Pirillo is here

And here's me.
--
Kyle Goetz
BS Pure Mathematics, BA Japanese 2006
The University of Texas
v2sw4+5Yhw3+6ln6+8pr6Ock0ma9u6+7Lw7Xm5l7Ge4t6Mb9Ten5+8g7HPa22s4MSr4p6/9 hackerkey.com
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Capturing Old Audio Cassettes

A couple days ago, my mom pulled all the old tapes that my brother and I used to listen to when we were kids -- imagine my excitement that the audio I had longed to capture and put online was in the box! Presently, I am capturing The Disney Afternoon from cassette; the quality is excellent and I'm capturing in 44.1KHz, 16-bit stereo into WAV by means of
Cassette Player [name unknown] > component cable > ATI video card [my brother's PC] > ATI Tuner in order to use the component-ins > Cool Edit Pro 2.0.
Kyle is happy, and will most likely be torrenting this when he gets back to Austin.