TWiT-AM Is On The Air

I like to use my days off to work on projects that I just don't have time to get to otherwise. This morning I set up an audio server for the TWiT Live show that's compatible with the iPhone and other portable devices. This is something many of you have been asking for, even Dane! It's up now if you'd like to give it a try.

http://twit.am/listen

This URL will work in iTunes, WinAmp, and other Shoutcast/Icecast compatible players. I've been listening on the iPhone using NullRiver's $5.99 Tuner Internet Radio (which is quite good for other streams, too, by the way). According to Randal Schwartz, the free FStream works, too, but I haven't been able to figure it out myself. (UPDATE: I was adding .m3u to the URL - that confused Fstream, just use http://twit.am/listen.) The stream works great, even on 3G while driving around. I'm sending a 64kbps stream, so it might not work as well on Edge (UPDATE: worked fine as a drove around Petaluma even with Edge!). I'd love to get some listening reports. For folks who want the technical details, I've set up a dedicated server at Softlayer with a gigabit connection and icecast2. 4TB a month will cost me about $400. That's enough for 4000 listeners at 64kbps 24x7. If we need more I'll get more. Listeners will connect to this server, but the content will be sent to the server from our studios using a Barix Instreamer hardware encoder. The encoder takes the output of my mixer, turns it into MP3 audio, then uses the T1 to send it to the server. This should be a pretty reliable setup. I'll send live audio when we're on the air, and TWiT podcasts when we're not. We're in beta right now - at least until the Barix arrives and the twit.am URL propogates, but I would like your feedback, pro and con.

Security Now Do Over

There was an error in the editing of today's Security Now. We pushed only the first third of the show. I've pulled it down and I'll fix it in the morning. Apologies. UPDATE: The full version has been uploaded and should be available for you in iTunes or on TWiT.tv or in the Radio Leo player on the right.

TWiT 152 Pulled

My apologies - a stray audio track was accidentally left in the mixdown for this week's TWiT, I Dream of E3. I've pulled the episode and am re-editing. A fixed version will be up in an hour or so. Please accept my apologies. UPDATE: I've posted a fixed version. You can get it on TWiT.tv now or download it directly here. The feeds have been updated, as well. Once again, sorry for the error.

The Horror

Thanks to George who sent me this JibJab mashup. It's very funny but be warned - it's kind of gory and a little adult, definitely not for the little ones.
TWiT Goes To Math Camp (PG-13) Can you identify all the TWiTs in this video?

TWiT Livelier

TWiT Live inches closer and closer to reality. The lights are in (thanks to Pat Grosswendt of Litepanels.com). A new Tricaster should arrive tomorrow. We'll be setting cameras this week and working on the network that will allow us to show screens and callers. We've already started broadcasting live on the Internet from 11a-4p Pacific, 2-7p Eastern, 1800-2300 UTC every day except Monday and Friday. You'll see the live video on the Leoville front page, on the Tech Guy site, and TWiTLive.tv. For now, it's mostly me recording the week's podcasts, but we'll add more content bit by bit, including call-ins, interviews, and new shows. Patrick and Dvorak are skeptical, but I think I'll be able to do 25 hours of fresh, interesting, programming each week. Or die trying! For those of you who saw the hour long chat with Scott Bourne about his bird photography last Wednesday, that's exactly what I hope to do with TWiT Live. It's just a matter of getting people into my studio in Petaluma, or via Skype video. I'm confident that between viewer calls and the interesting people I can lure up, we'll have a lot of great stuff. For example, Justine is coming in this Wednesday for MacBreak Weekly and I hope to spend more time with her afterward. Don't worry if you can't see all the live stuff. I plan to offer recordings of the best of these impromptu sessions on Stickam as Flash plus create a high-quality H.264 "Best of TWiT Live" podcast which you can subscribe to in iTunes or Apple TV. The Scott session is a perfect example of that. I hope I can do several like that a week. We may also run them during non-live hours. Eventually I want to go 24-hours with TWiT Live, between me, re-runs, and with any luck, a few additional live on camera hosts. I see TWiT Live as a homegrown CNBC for Geeks within three years.