Friday, July 24th, 2009 – running time: 00:31:43
So, back, again. Few life updates – new site design for both NNR and kabrenlevinson.com, my personal homepage. I had a wonderful first year in college, and cannot wait for more. I’m going to try and work out a schedule so I can actually record more episodes in college, but expect at least two more for the summer!

Contact Me

Links:
Firefox in the State Department
The Pirate Bay
College Degrees
Google Chrome OS
Google Apps out of Beta
The RIAA (of course)
Nokia Phones in the US
Apple/Microsoft Battle Over Ads
Microsoft Stores

Thanks for listening!

My SXSW Badge

On Tuesday, I got back from Austin, Texas. I was speaking at SXSW Interactive 2009. It was my first time at South-By, and I can say right now that I am going next year – no matter what. My presentation was great (thank you, Alex, for offering me this great opportunity!) – read on for more about my presentation. I met so many incredible people, including Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose, and danah boyd. Being under 21 at SXSW was tough, since so many after-parties were at 21+ venues, but it worked out. SXSW was overwhelming, especially going for the first time. Basically, it doesn’t stop. Day, night, morning, evening – you name it. There is always something going on at SXSW. Just check my Twitter stream. I reconnected with some “old” friends from the Boston Social Media scene, like Steve Garfield, Clarence Smith, and Chris Brogan. The Bigg Digg Schindigg was amazing – I finally saw a live Diggnation! Check my Flickr for pictures. I’ll be uploading many more in the coming days. The panels I saw were amazing. Gary Vaynerchuk was the most inspirational speaker I saw, up there with the “SHIFT Happens” people and the Web and Feminism panel. I made a PDF of all the tweets I tweeted during SXSW. Download it. Most recent at the top.

SHIFT Happens: Benefits of Visual Thinking

My Presentation

As you all _should_ know, I was on a panel about the future of technology in education, called Blackboards or Backchannels: The Techno-Induced Classroom of Tomorrow. Alex Leavitt Moderated, and I spoke along with Archana Ramachandran, Kelly Sutton, and Diana Kimball. Someone liveblogged our panel, check it out! I spoke of my EduTech project and my feelings about, at least in small class settings, the use of off-hours technology only. For example, in small seminar classes, I see laptops as walls and severe distractions. They might be employed to “enhance” communication, but instead, they replace human-human interaction with superficial and removed conversation. Technology cannot replace or fix bad teaching – I was surprised to see some teachers react negatively to that statement, for surely I thought that they would all be in favor of quality teaching, too. I was also surprised to find out that predominately older K-12 teachers and university professors saw my own (and the groups) views as conservative. I never thought about it that way. The educators in the room appeared to want validation from us students. They wanted us to approve the unbridled use of technology in their classrooms. Not to say that risk-taking and experimentation are bad, because they are very crucial to the learning process, but the successful use of technology in classrooms need to be thoughtfully planned out. Technology cannot be there just to be there. One needs a goal. A teacher should be able to answer the question, “Why are you using technology in your classroom?” A teacher does not, or should not, just assign an essay or exam. Just to let you know, my philosophy of technology and education only applies to small class settings. I have yet to seriously consider the implications of technology in large classrooms, simply because I haven’t been in those situations and, I don’t particularly agree with lecture based styles of education.

My Name Plate!

The response to our panel was mixed. Following the Twitter hash tag (#sxswed) was interesting: one person thought she should have been on the panel and did not restrain her anger, and others were frustrated with our “non-techno induced” classroom. Questions were engaging, but somewhat strange. One woman suggested that Kelly and I had been brainwashed by the educational systems in this country. Why? Because we both go to smaller liberal arts colleges? Or because at least I (don’t know about Kelly…) had a very progressive education in high school without standards? Anyways, others were more positive. One man raised the issue of learning, in general – how do you learn of find things on the Internet? Another man, who seemed younger, perhaps a recent college graduate, seemed offended by my advocating against the use of technology in the classroom, and proceeded to give various reasons how Twitter had helped him. Just to clarify, I think Twitter is amazing, but, do you really have a need to use it in class? How about on the weekends, when the students and the professor are not in the same room together?

Check out the Twitter search for #sxswed. Again, go back a few pages. You’ll find some interesting responses.

Tote Bag

Overall

I’m gong next year. Meet me there. I will try to get myself on a panel (email me if you have ideas or are interested in having me speak on your panel), but we’ll see. Don’t forget to check out my pre-SXSW interview with SXTXState. Want to meet next year? Email me. Check out Flickr photos, too.

K.

I am only speaking for myself in this post. I cannot vouch for the other panelists. Just FYI.

Photos

@kevinrose

Who doesn’t love LEGO’s?

@alexalbrecht

Slideshow

Video

Note: I know it has been a while since I’ve recorded a podcast. And, in all honesty, I probably won’t get to record one before my Spring Break in late march. I sincerely apologize. It’s not right. Hope you’re still interested. After all, it is this Podcast that got me to where I am today. Thank you.

I will be speaking on a panel at SXSW Interactive 2009, in just a few weeks. I’m excited. A year ago, I barely dreamed of attending SXSW, but being able to speak is such an honor. For those of you who don’t know about the organization, SXSW is a company that is devloted to histing and promoting events related to media. They ahve three conferences: Music, Film, and Interactive. For more info, check out their website.

In August, Alex Leavitt, a senior at Boston University, invited me to speak on his panel – he had been loking into my Academic Technology work and was interested in my EduTech program I created at the Cambridge School of Weston. I was amazed – my only previous speaking engagemtns were at PodCamps in the Boston area and at an education conference in Hawaii. I didn’t realize the impact of my work as a high school student. Of course, I accepted his offer.

So, Here I am, creating my own Educational and Technological Philosophy. I’ve just begun rethinking and redefining my thoughts on Education and Technology. Once I have something, I’ll let you know.

Here are the details about my presentatinon and the panel I will be speaking on. If you’re planning on attending SXSW Interactive, it’d be great to meet. Send me an email.

PANEL INFO

Blackboards or Backchannels: The Techno-Induced Classroom of Tomorrow
Room B
Sunday, March 15th
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

The traditional classroom: obsolete? Chalkboards, lectures, and even teachers may be on their way out as social technology enters the classroom. How do kids want technology integrated into the curriculum? Or do they even want it? Five students speak out to debate the potential for Wikis, backchannels, and social tech, and dispute tomorrow’s r/evolution in teaching and learning.

Alex Leavitt / Boston University
Kelly Sutton / Founder, HackCollege
Kabren Levinson / Philosopher, Technologist, Artist, Bard College
Archana Ramachandran / Campus Ambassador, Radar/Tiny Pictures/UT Austin
Diana Kimball / Harvard College

Anyone else going? Let me know.

Mevio {Mevio-bd537d990a9efec26e4ba448079c1264}

Tuesday, December 23, 2008 – running time: 00:28:16
Happy Hanukkah! Back home for a month on winter vacation, nice to be back. Few episodes on their way. And this time, I will actually be podcasting from college. I miss it so much, I created a video about it. Check it out at the bottom of the post. Check out the Facebook group. Also, follow Nerd News Radio on Twitter for the latest NNR Updates!
Contact Us
PodSafe Music Network and PodSafe for Peace

Links:
Apple Announces Last Macworld Without Steve
Calling the cops over Linux?
Gmail Adds a ToDo List
Twitter Rejects $500 Mil. From Facebook
Digg: Not for Sale
First-Ever Picture of Water on Another Planet
YouTube: The 10th Dimension

Video

Nerd News Radio: Thank you! from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

Dear Nerd News Radio Fans,

I’m still here. I have not given up podcasting – I wouldn’t even think of giving it up. I just haven’t had the time. I’ve even lots touch with music – I barely practice these days. I need to figure out how to work my podcast, my music, and other things, back into my life. I want to. I haven’t forgotten Nerd News Radio. I still get emails every now and then, saying something along the lines of “please do a podcast.” It means a lot. I hope you will keep listening – go back, listen to past episodes and give me feedback for how I could improve the podcast and the site. I love Nerd News Radio. I’ve been through “downfalls” before (think 2006), but I will never forget.

I can guarantee I will record an episode of Nerd News Radio over Thanksgiving break, and maybe even sooner, though I doubt it. I will record over winter break, too. Send me emails, it helps. I have a lot of work, but I have been able to keep up with my blog. Check it out.

Sincerely,
Kabren Levinson
Founder, Host, and Producer, Nerd News Radio

Sunday, September 21, 2008 – running time: 00:21:22
Coming to you from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York! First podcast from college, folks. I’m still getting back into podcasting, from my eyes, this episode was pretty rough, it will take me a little while to get the hang of it, again. Few updates: slight site redesign, Skribit suggestions, new schedule. Check out the Facebook group.
Contact Us
PodSafe Music Network

Links:
Google Chrome
Mozilla’s Ubiquity
Let’s Rock: New iPods
EFF Sues Bush, Cheney
Wireless Power

Sunday, July 13, 2008 – running time: 00:28:21
I’m back from vacation! Had a great trip overseas. I’m also presenting at PodCamp Boston 3 next weekend, and I’d love to see some fans come out. This week I talk about the new iPhone 3G, Apple’s newly released MobileMe service, Parking, The State of the Web, Anonymous Identities, and The Pirate Bay.

Contact Us
PodSafe Music Network

Links:
Difficult Activation
Where is MobileMe
Can’t find a parking space?
The State of the Web
Internet Encryption

Nerd News Radio #48 for Wednesday June 11th, 2008!

I’m taking a big month-long trip overseas. I will be in Israel for 2.5 weeks, Vienna for a week, and Berlin for a few days. I prerecorded an episode to release over the next week or so. I will not be recording podcasts while I’m away, it’s too much to bring audio equipment with me.

Email Me
PodSafe Music Network

Shownotes:
2012: The year the Internet ends?
Firefox 3 RC 2
MacBook Air
Android and Android Scan
Solar Power

I will be back in town June 9th. I’d love to hear from you guys while I’m away.

-Kabren

Nerd News Radio #47 for Monday June 9th, 2008!

I’m taking a big month-long trip overseas. I will be in Israel for 2.5 weeks, Vienna for a week, and Berlin for a few days. I prerecorded an episode to release over the next week or so. I will not be recording podcasts while I’m away, it’s too much to bring audio equipment with me. I will not be doing WWDC coverage this year, but check out MacFocus Magazine, they’ll have good coverage over the next few days.

Email Me
PodSafe Music Network

Shownotes:
WWDC ‘08 Rumor Roundup
Revision 3 and MediaDefender
Mars on the brain?
Airport Body Scanners
Net Neutrality (Video)

I will be back in town June 9th. I’d love to hear from you guys while I’m away.

-Kabren

Nerd News Radio #46 for Wednesday, April 30th 2008!

New release schedule starting today! Episodes released at 3:30 PM EST on Sunday’s and Wednesdays. 2nd episode this week! It’s pre-recorded, I made the episode on Sunday. We’ll see how this goes. Give me your feedback!

Email Me
PodSafe Music Network

Shownotes:
Firefox 3 Bookmarks
Dell Eco-PC
3G iPhone June 9
Future of OLPC
Twitter Spam
High End Web Design from Scratch

Be back on Sunday!

Nerd News Radio #45 for Sunday, April 27th, 2008!

New release schedule starting on Wednesday: Episodes released at 3:30 PM EST on Sunday’s and Wednesdays. 2 Episodes a week, actually. I have again pre-recorded an episode I will release on Wednesday. Give me your feedback! We’ll see how it goes…

Email Me
Podsafe Music Network

Shownotes:
Brain Cells and the Universe
From Win32 to Cocoa
Still no word from Microsoft
OLED Table Lamp
LED Lightbulbs
YouTube University: A Failure

Stay tuned for an episode on Wednesday!

Nerd News Radio #44 for Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008!

2nd episode this week! It’s pre-recorded, I made the episode on Sunday. We’ll see how this goes. Give me your feedback!

Email Me
Matthew Ebel

Shownotes:
The Internet will be full by 2010
Words Matter
Vertical Farms
PayPal Blocks Safari!
Vista is a “work in Progress”
the un-American U.S. Cellphone System

Be back on Sunday!

Nerd News Radio #43 for Sunday, April 20th, 2008!

2 Episodes a week, actually. I have pre-recorded an episode I will release on Wednesday. Give me your feedback! We’ll see how it goes…

Email Me

Shownotes:
Twitter Saves UC Berkeley Student
Head Games
Net Neutrality
Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo
P2P Bill of Rights
“The Internet of Things”
Visual Search

Stay tuned for an episode on Wednesday!

Hey everyone,

I just got done recording Nerd News Radio #43, but Garageband crashed before I had the chance to safe. It’s my fault, I should have saved before adding the song, etc. I won’t have time to re-record tonight, but expect NNR #43 on Wednesday. I’m sorry!

-Kabren

Nerd News Radio #42 for Sunday, April 6th, 2008!

I got lots of great feedback about last weeks special segment, I plan to do more. Podcasts will now be coming 2 days a week – Sunday’s and Wednesday’s. Also, check out the Teen Podcasters Network and Teen Media Productions where I’m a board member.

Email Me
Muse

Shownotes:
Take my book. It’s free.
Internet Safety Lessons
ISP Protects and Serves
Dean Kamen
The Color Magenta
Apple to NYC: Bite Me
Microsoft Surface
I’ve Found God

Be back on Wednesday!

This is a Nerd News Radio special segment about the 700MHz Spectrum Auction. I am joined by Mark Peck from the TelcoTalk podcast.

Shownotes:
Spectrum Maps and General Info
Google’s Loss

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you know I’ve upgraded the wordpress installation running on www.nerdnewsradio.com to Wordpress 2.5. So far it looks like an amazing update. I will be doing a formal review in the coming weeks on NNR as well as on my blog. Stay tuned for the special NNR segment!

Keep on listening,
Kabren

Nerd News Radio #41 for Wednessday March 26th, 2008!

I said I was going to do a short podcast tonight, but hell, it ended up being 30 minutes. I rant a lot, so if that’s not your thing, meh. The website is upgraded and all that goodness. Expect a Nerd News Radio “Short” on Friday, with a guest (maybe).

Email Me
Justice

Shownotes:
Google Haunted by the Patriot Act
Kids Brought up by Technology
Mini Spaceship
OpenSocial
MacBook Touch Concept
iPhone 3G

Be back on Sunday!

Nerd News Radio #40 for Saturday March 22nd, 2008!

Been a long, long time since I’ve recorded a podcast. May take me a little while to get back into the loop. On Monday the 24th I’ll be running some upgrades on Wordpress, so there will be some downtime. All the Apple iPhone SDK news is at the end of the show.

Email Me
Ratatat

Shownotes:
The ‘Wikipedia’ Approach Will Change Congress
Internet Lessons from NIN and Obama
Dropbox
HD DVD is Dead
Free Voicemail for SF Homeless
An Even Happier Ending
SDK
Safari 3.1

Be back on Wednesday!

Hey folks,

I apologize. It’s been about a month since I last recorded an episode. I had the episode for today, Sunday the 9th, all planned out, but now, my G5 is experiencing a crash. After having my mother’s G5 crash earlier in the day, I don’t have the time or energy to record a podcast on top of the schoolwork I must complete and the tech support I need to administer. I’m going to try my best, and I mean that, to record the podcast tomorrow night, Monday, March 10th. It is a school night, so I can’t guarantee it, but I’m going to try.

Photo Credit: bbsc30

Stay subscribed, keep listening, I’m sorry. I’ll be better in the future.

Sincerely,
Kabren

Nerd News Radio #39 for Sunday February 10th, 2008! Streamed live again!

I am creating a new segment of Nerd News Radio, called NNR Q&A. It’s where you, the listener, can send in questions/comments and I’ll read them on the show. When I’m streaming live, these questions can be asked Live, and I will respond, Live. We’ll see where it goes…

Some links:
Email Me
Every Color by Matthew Ebel

Shownotes:
Microsoft and Yahoo
What does Google think?
iPod Touch and iPhone
Google and the Environment
Facebook Apps
Cables Cut
RIAA and Desktop Software
Google Apps Team Edition
Who’s Who in Web 2.0

Be back next week!

Nerd News Radio #38 for Sunday, February 3rd, 2008!

Sorry for the late release, everybody. I streamed the show live, it was a lot of fun. Around five people watched, chatting, I had fun! The audio will be low quality, because I lost my initial recording of the show. Enjoy!

Nerd News Radio #37 for Sunday January 20th, 2008!

Some links:
A new partnership withTelco Talk
Email Me
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

Shownotes:
MacBook Air
Time Capsule
What does Sony have to say…
Apple TV, take 2!
iTunes 7.6
iPod Touch
iPhone 1.1.3
Back from the Dead
Civil Disobedience: 1, and 2
Mac OS 10.5.2

Be back next week!

Nerd News Radio #36 for Sunday January 13th, 2008!

Some links:
A new partnership withTelco Talk!
Email Me
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

Shownotes:
‘Open’ Breakthrough
CES – TV’s, Huge Monitors, USB 3.0
AT&T and Privacy
HD-DVD Blu-ray
OLPC America (go here for more)
MacWorld 2008 – New Gear, Spy Shots

Be back next week!

NNR Reviews the XO Laptop on Sunday January 6th, 2008! Happy New Year!

Some links:
Telco Talk
Email Me
Music: Kina Grannis

I’ve had major technical problems today. So, instead of an episode, I’m giving you my hands-on review of the One Laptop Per Child Laptop, or the XO Laptop. My G5 crashed twice, so I recorded on my MacBook and it’s a little impromptu. So, I apologize. I’ll be back on Wednesday with a fully functional audio system, and with a real episode!

Anyways, Mark Peck from Telco Talk and a friend from school lent me his XO Laptop for the evening. Here’s my review of the Open Source Initiative.

one laptop per child

See you Wednesday!

(Last one had some issues, so here it is again)

Nerd News Radio #35 for Saturday December 29th, 2007!

I’m podcasting from Hawai’i! The quality may be low, mobile setup.

Some links:
Think Tech Hawai’i
Facebook Page
Email Me
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

Shownotes:
Benazir Bhutto
Think Tech Hawai’i
Apple’s for the Army
David Airey
OLPC: Peru
Netscape
Why the iPhone Ruled
Cheap Laptops

Be back next week!

Nerd News Radio #34 for Sunday December 2nd, 2007!

I feel good about today’s episode. Forums Launched, IRC Channel…

Some links:
NNR Forums
NNR IRC Channel
Facebook Page
Email Me
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

A lot to talk about. First of all, the Nerd News Radio Forums have launched. Please go and create an account, and post away! Listen to the episode for more details. In other news, I have an IRC Channel! The server is irc.macium.com, and the channel is #nnr. You can get to it via this link: irc://irc.macium.com/nnr

Shownotes:
NNR Forums
Banning Wikipedia
The Pirate Bay
Mission to Mars
Maglev and Steel: High Speed Trains
LEDs
iPhone 3G
YouTube HD
NNR IRC Channel

Be back next week!

Nerd News Radio #33 for Sunday November 25th, 2007!

Something was wrong with today’s episode…I can’t pinpoint it!

Some links:
10 Minute Blitz
Facebook Page
Email Email Email
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

Shownotes:
Sleep
Apple and VW
Bad Consumer Tech Trends
M/S Explorer
Pas d’Internet pour vous
LEGO Flash Drive
Street View
Why is digg blocked?

I’ll be back on Wednesday!

Facebook recently launched their new pages feature, so, naturally, I went ahead and created a page for Nerd News Radio. It’s meant for people to promote their businesses, services, brands, etc. It’s integrated with their new ad campaign feature. People can become fans of these pages, so, you all should go ahead and do so!

This isn’t a replacement for groups, but rather an addition for more professional businesses and services.

Here’s the Nerd News Radio Facebook page, the Facebook group, and my personal profile.

Nerd News Radio #32 for Sunday November 4th, 2007!

Some links:
del.icio.us/nnrpodcast/show31
Email Email Email
Music: Flux from Bloc Party

Shownotes:
PodCamp Boston: Here’s my blog post, it was such an amazing experience, I can hardly begin to speak about it.
Gmail: IMAP and 2.0
Trent and OiNK
Apple OS X Leopard
Jailbreak!

I’ll be back on Wednesday with more about PodCamp, and a bit more news!