h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just had a brilliant conversation with the producer of the BBC Ouch podcasts. Now, bearing in mind no-one has actually said we can do this yet, I've been asking around as to how we *might* go about this.

One suggestion was arranging conversations on a thing called Skype. Now I admit I know next to nothing about this but he seemed to think it'd suit our needs. I'll get back to you on this, but if anyone knows how it works, do let us know.

*If* we get the go-ahead for an h2g2 'radio show-style MP3', I think it'd be good to have some kind fo format, and off the top of my head, I'm thinking that it could be loosely based around the Life / Universe / Everything /All About h2g2 structure of the categorisation system.

For example:

Introduction with a run-down of this episode's features.

A snippet from an Edited Entry on organising a dinner party, focusing on the lighter, funnier aspects of the entry.

An interview with a few members of the community discussing something a bit like our Talking Points / Topics of the Week. The discussion could then be a kick-start of a new topic of the week onsite, or could discuss an existing oen that hasn't yet been written up into a full entry yet.

An interview with Robbie Stamp (co-founder of h2g2) looking at how the site came about.

We could go out into the street to ask memebrs of the public questions about Life, the Universe and Everything in a 'roving reporter'-style segment. Questions this week are about naming pets, so we just go to the park and try to interview people out walking their dogs. Sadly, the recording was a disaster because no-oen would stop to speak to us, but we can still make a feature about it - and actually the real feature is about how beautiful this particular park is (an unconventional approach to the subject, by coming inf rom a different angle).

Closing comments, maybe quoting an interesting fact from an entry.

Total running time, 20 mins.

That's off the top of my head, but it has structure, is relevant to the site and could be of interest to people outside of the site too.

One word:

(ok, so it's not a word as such, but you get my drift)

My brother in law uses Skype, let me pick his brains

Sounds good. Must get myself a mic so I can participate in these damn things.

B

Well, Skype is just a messenging service like MSN really, but allows for free calls to other Skype users. Perhaps if there was an AV account then conversations could be recorded or fed live on-site? Dunno.

I suspect the plan is to have some sort of group discussion or interview function through Skype, which would then be recorded and stuck in with other stuff. Plus Skype is less technical than making your own MP3 files, as the people who know how could do the recording and converting.

I'm in the process of setting up my own Skype account to test things out with the in-law - will keep you posted as to how it goes - if it's easy - what it offers etc.

You can record a Skype conversation straight into Windows Sound Recorder (not that you'd want to) or something like Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). I can't find a way of recording different people onto different channels though, which would be handy for mixing conference-call conversations.

The TWiTs http://www.twit.tv/ already do something like this. Each week they get together - all in different locations (mostly around California, but there is a London-based Twit) and via Skype - and record a Twitcast which is then released through various podcast suppliers, in various formats through AOL radio, and it can also be downloaded with a BitTorrent client. Which is just one of many *legal* uses for BitTorrent. I also dloaded the latest version of Opera with it, and Ubuntu Linux.

Anyways. The s at the BBC shouldn't have too much trouble giving advice and maybe helping to put this together.

For those that aren't familiar with it, a link for Skype: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/

Download, sign up (the Skype name can be different to, and doesn't show, your email address), chat for free. Conference calls & video calls can be done, and it can be recorded.

And I've done just that matt.jamesh2g2

And mine's AlexAshman. Kinda obvious, I hope.

Well...it looks to have worked...ish

...ish?

???

I don't se any fish yet - does that mean Skype isn't working?

So what's the theme-tune going to be?

I think we might need a competition.

Anybody from the MuG about?

How'd that inpromptue recording you made Roymondo, the other night... last night when we were on SKYPE come out? (asides the fact it was with the not that great windows soudn recorder)? oooo can I adds you to my SKYPE? I'ts a very megre list of 'friends' I have thus far I must get to grips ... literally with this new SKYPE Phone I got... loverly neat features on it, like voice activated diealing (need to train the voice rec software first though) think its got talking menus too I must get back to CAkewalk and finish this damn song.... has taken me all day... asides those bits spent cooking and eating just to get a bit of drum recorded