This is a little video clip I shot with my new camera at the D.C. Fishmarket this morning.

As 1-800-SUICIDE marks its tenth anniversary this year, the hotline needs your help. It was founded in 1998 by Reese Butler in memory of his wife, Kristin who had committed suicide. The Kristin Brooks Hope Center has helped almost three million callers connect to help and hope.

As they enter their second decade of service to the public, continued support is needed to ensure that the confidentiality of every caller is protected. Because they are totally privately funded, they need to prove to the government that they are capable of supporting 1-800-SUICIDE to keep control of the line from being taken over by the federal government. The money you donate will not only be used to pay the phone bill that connects about 50,000 callers each month to the Hopeline Network, but will also be used to pay for training of online crisis counselors who will provide the same support via online counseling. This is where the young people of today reach out for help.

The success of 1-800-SUICIDE is based on individuals in crisis knowing that any personal identifiable information is kept strictly confidential. The Hope Centerâs volunteer staff and Board remain committed to preserving confidential suicide prevention programs. Your action today assures their sustainability!

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center and its national 1-800-SUICIDE hotline is a great asset to our society â one of those private-sector initiatives called a âpoint of light.â For reasons of their own, certain officials within the government tried to snuff that light. With your help and support together we can prevent that tragedy from occurring and help the Hopeline achieve success in liberating 1-800-SUICIDE from government control permanently.

Howdy Hyattsville! I know you have missed the Hyattsville H4X podcast and our inane ramblings about life in Prince Georges County, but I've been very busy helping folks to replicate our beloved wiki and podcast for organizations, individuals and other communities. I promise we will get back on the ball soon, but in the mean time, here is a "pod" I uploaded to Current TV (Channel 107 on Coma-cast Cable) that is doing well on their charts. Enjoy.

Here's a video I filmed for the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (1-800-SUICIDE) and the Youth America Hotline 1-877-YOUTHLINE (968-8454) who have created a walkathon to help honor and remember loved ones that have been lost to suicide.  The walk serves to not only pay tribute to their lives, but to also create awareness, to help erase the  negative stigma associated with suicide, and to help try and prevent future suicides. By coming together as a community to show support for families and friends who have lost a loved one, we also stand together in showing that we are not ashamed and that we are dedicated to trying to get more support for our cause.

Hyattsville H4X goes to the theatre to see the history of microbiology in nine scenes of gags, burlesque, drollery and song.

Produced by Active Cultures, the vernacular theatre of Mt. Ranier, Maryland, Petri Dish Circus is a play loosely based off of the classic non-fiction novel Microbe Hunters by Paul Henry de Kruif. Much like the original book first published in 1926 that describes 12 historical milestones in science, Active Cultures reenacts "the daring-do of Louis Pasteur in his Parisian lab, the Scotch fortitude of Ronald Ross as he travels through disease-stricken Africa, and the melancholy saga of Walter Reed as he battles Yellow Jack in Cuba" - all with a healthy dose of humor.

In this episode, we interview Mary Resing, artistic director for Active Cultures, who talks about Microbe Hunters as inspiration for theatre and her whimsical, and slightly pointed, approach to the portrayal of women featured in de Kruif's work. Excerpts from the actual performance are also featured.

Some of the headlines for this issue include:

Some of the headlines for this issue include:

Yet still we had a blast!

What you are about to hear is the second, or third take, of the podcast done in the wee hours of a Monday night at Greg's house. Rumor has it that our stunt mayor Scott Wythe was taken home in a Franklin's Taxi - essentially carted back home in one of the City's new 96 gallon toter trash cans. The real Mayor, Bill Gardiner, had the good sense to bow out early like the gentleman our Hyattsville hotties have come to adore. Special guest number three, Stuart Eisenberg managed to keep Wythe in check and put that wonk into our policy discussions right where it belongs.

Yes, a fabulous disaster sums up quite well how the events proceeded this late Monday evening/early Tuesday morning and if you want to hear some of our most outspoken residents gone wild, this is the episode to listen to.

Topics include:

1. The new City of Hyattsville logo, did it go out with the new trash toters?

2. The limoncello that Scott Wythe missed out on but made up for with Busch Lite causes him to wax poetic about Mayor Bill Gardiner (tears will stream down your cheeks - get a tissue).

3. Three people who have no relation to academia, Tim, Stuart Eisenberg and Chris, debate the physics of a near miss at Riverdale's railroad tracks. Scott Wythe insists he could have rolled his body over the tracks just in time to grab an Italian sub from Dumms pizza. The H4X declare Dumm's the best pizza in Hyattsvile (sorry Riverdale you have been annexed, except for your voodoo chicken bones that keep popping up in your town).

4. Some chit chat about letters under the guise of junk mail sent out to Fairfax, Va., residents from Comcast basically telling them that if they don't respond they give up rights to pursue legal action against the company for poor service. Hyattsville residents be aware!

Music by the Low Budgets, "Wipe My Ass with the World," Chunksaah Records (Hi Kate!)
Get their old record "Aim Low, Get High" on iTunes.
Get the new record "Leave us A Loan" from the Chunksaah store.

That's right, episode 50 of the Hyattsville H4X will air live at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, August 27th. Please come back to this site to watch. We have a new set up and will be able to take your phone calls live at 301-637-6060, god willing and the creek don't rise.

More fun than watching the City Council Meeting on Channel 71 - we sure hope so. If you don't want to call in, you can ask us questions or make comments live on the website in our chat room. This will all be happening in real time. Plus, we have some special guests lined up for the show.

Of course the audio rerun will be available on the this page the following day and delivered to your iTunes account if you are a subscriber (subscribing is free and easy, try it), and soon we hope to have video podcast versions of these future episodes available.

In celebration of this milestone, Chris will break out the bottle of homemade Limoncello he just completed (if we don't finish it before hand!!! See recipe) and we will be eating some birthday cake as well.

It's a party y'all! And everyone's invited.

Limoncello is a delicious lemon liqueur produced in Southern Italy. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. It is bright yellow in color, sweet and lemony, but not sour since it contains no lemon juice.

My neighbor turned me on to the idea of making it myself and gave me his recipe. I also scoured the web in search of others to compare it to. One blog named Not Knowing & Trusting Simultaneously on the social network called Vox had a very interesting post about how to make it, and 46 comments to boot. Since it differed from my neighbors quite a bit I decided to give it my own twist, and so far the results taste astonishing.

Here's my version:

1. We're live on the internet and Chris' trip to Gnomedex in Seattle.

2. Discussion about the new trash toters that have been issued to all of Hyattsville's residents.

3. The latest issue of the Hyattsville Life & Times. Articles discussed include Michael Martucci's "Antedote for the Antedote" and John Aquilino's very personal piece on therapists.

4. Tim brings up the article "City Council reserves right to revoke rental licenses" from Thursday's Gazette.

5. Greg talks about his fine dining experience at Outback Steakhouse and their great customer service.

(Note: Chris once again forgets to insert the interview with Sarah Nemeth on her new role at the Hyattsville Life & Times.)

Music by The Descendants, When I Get Old, Epitaph Records. Courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

The song "Copland" is by Yamasaki, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

This video podcast is an mpeg 4 file formatted for the video iPod and it can be played on computers using Quicktime. Or, you can watch the flash version below by clicking play. (Note: If you want to view a better quality version of this video, click on the "pod" icon at the top left of this post. You will also need to have Apple's Quicktime 7 installed on your computer.)

Sorry Bill, I just couldn't resist.

Photo by: Chris Condayan

Essentially Gnomedex boils down to a crossroads of where the forward thinkers and developers of the tech world meet with tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in search of the next internet hit or trend. Overall, everyone is extremely friendly, opinionated, and not afraid to heckle the hell out of the folks that dare take the mic at the podium.

From my hallway discussions with past Gnomedexers, this year was different and not really about the shiniest new application or website, as evidenced by RSS godfather Dave Winerâs vocal criticism of Jason Calacanisâ new human powered search product called Mahalo. Instead, the feeling I picked up on was that this year was more of a philosophical discussion about the potential use of these new media tools â where do we go from here?

Speaker Darren Barefoot perhaps had the clearest observation for its potential impact with the suggestion that instead of following Justin.tv and his trips to the restroom we put some cameras on the people in Darfur so we can broadcast the real situation on the ground in Sudan.

However, cluttering up this potential thought thread were three speakers that really seemed out of place and would have probably been more appropriate as guests on Coast to Coast with George Noory. Robert Steel, ex-marine and CIA agent, called for open source intelligence and the dismantlement of the current intelligence gathering infrastructure. Up next was Michael Linton from Vancouver who rattled on about open source money with the end goal of creating a more viable and real economy. The only analogy that seems to work for me in summing up his presentation is that his ideas are very similar to that of my wifeâs babysitter co-op that uses hours for currency â âif you take care of my child for two hours, I promise to take care of yourâs for two hours at a later date.â? Finally we witnessed Sterling Allan, CEO of Pure Energy Systems, claim that someone was actually killed in the quest for âopen energyâ? after creating a car that runs on water. Seriously.

Other presentations that stood out were Guy Kawasikiâs on how to be an evangelist (apparently, a canned speech, but nonetheless extremely enjoyable for me seeing it the first time) and Greg Spiradellis of JibJab did an amazing job in making a viable business case for his online entertainment business.

And the most moving of all, bringing it back to Darren Barefootâs premise, was the video conference call with past Gnomedexer Derek Miller of penmachine.com who couldnât make it this year because he is currently going through chemotherapy for severe colon cancer that has spread to his lungs. For me, the very ability to have this very emotional conversation with everyone in the audience provided by the latest tools of new media, proves that Web 2.0 can do more than allow conversations, it can also touch our hearts. There wasnât a dry eye in the house.

Photo by: Chris Condayan

To see some great photos from the event, visit Kris Krug on Flickr. He really captured the essence of the conference through his keen eye for the moment. Iâd also like to give a plug for my friends Russel and Bryan from Podcast Ready, The quizzical Kosso who I met for the second time, Neal and Cali from GeekBrief TV, Dave Olson for turning me on to some very amusing podcasts, John C. Dvorak for just being there, dentist 2.0 Greg Birch, Drupal developer Mark Yuasa from Raincity Studios, Francis Larkin from SimplyHired for the cool lunch conversation, Sue Schmitz from Waggener Edstrom for the laughs at the opening reception, Mark Chernesky from CNN, Deepak the lonely science blogger at Gnomedex, the gentleman whose name I didnât catch from NPR, and to my favorite Gnomedex hooker Dingo Stewart for calling me out! It was a blast yâall.

Some of the headlines for this issue include:

Bullshot: good sportsmanship, darts and board 37

This issue includes the City of Hyattsville's July 11 issue of the Hyattsville Reporter.

(Note: Some of the pictures in the PDF file of this issue are missing but the text is all there)

]]> Hyattsville Life & Times Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:54:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=235592# Cafritz, Landy, Development, Hyattsville, Maryland, Sarah Nemeth, Politics, Business, America Chris and Tim The July 2007 issue of the Hyattsville Life and Times Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=233398# Items in this audio podcast episode include:

1. Welcome to episode 45! T-shirts are still selling (we've got special orders even) and Chris and Greg talk about how to see films for free at the Hyattsville Royale movie theater.

2. Chris and Tim visit the Qwik-E-Mart in Bladensburg, MD. Click here for pictures.

3. Hyattsville's Art District Pioneers. Could a new type of Hyattsville snobbery take root?

3. An interview with Hyattsville's Mayor Bill Gardiner about the annual Maryland Municipal League conference in Ocean City. (Unfortunately, the Gazette did not publish their opinion piece online, but it is available in the Thursday, July 5th, Port Towns edition.)

4. Three listener phone calls regarding the "Not My Councilman" incident from episode 44. The call in number is 301-637-6060.

Music by The Evens, You Won't Feel a Thing, recorded live by the H4X at Fort Reno in Washington, DC on July 2, 2007. (With permission of course.) To purchase The Even's music visit the Dischord Records Store online.

(Note: This episode is rated explicit because some wise-acre decided it was a good time to scream the F-bomb twice during the end of the live recording of The Evens. The song is very much still worth listening to.)

]]> podcasts Mon, 9 Jul 2007 02:47:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=233398# 01:03:37 Hyattsville, Bill Gardiner, Ian MacKaye, The Evens, Dischord, Mark Matulef, Simpsons, Kwik-E-Mart, Bladensburg, Maryland, EYA, Chris and Tim Welcome to the Kwik-E-Mart! Please come again. Yes http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=231810#

 

Need to quench your thirst Hyattsville? Stop by Bladensburg's new Kwik-E-Mart and grab a Squishee, say hello to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, and pick the kids up a box of Krusty O's cereal. No, you're not in Springfield, dude! You are actually in a 7-Eleven that's part of a national campaign to hype the July 27 opening of "The Simpsons Movie," the big-screen debut for the television series that often pokes fun at America's fascination with convenience stores and all the shtick that comes with them.

Don't believe the Hacks? Check it out for yourself. The Bladensburg Kwik-E-Mart is located at:

4199 Kenilworth Avenue
Bladensburg, MD 20710

Unfortunately, they won't be selling any Duff beer, Doh!

(Note: This blog post is neither paid for nor endorsed by 7-Eleven or 20th Century Fox. We just think Kwik-E-Marts are cool.)

]]> general Tue, 3 Jul 2007 15:55:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=231810# Simpsons Movie, Qwik-E-Mart, 7-1, Bladensburg, Maryland, stores, business, entertainment Chris and Tim Spingfield comes to Bladensburg, MD No http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=230271# Items in this audio podcast episode include:

1. Welcome to the Bumpkin episode! T-shirts are selling like ho cakes. Thanks for the donations.

2. Greg's Great Moments in Hyattsville Sports History.

3. EYA's model homes and the Hipster Dufus.

4. Hot Yoga in the City.

5. Customer service in Prince Georges County, hold the allen wrench please.

6. Hyattsville's Landy and Cafritz properties.

Music by Garry Lee and Showdown, The Rodeo Song, Damon Productions.

Warning: This episode is Explicit. Tim drops the S-bomb towards the end and the song has a few randy lyrics.

]]> podcasts Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:29:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=230271# 01:02:14 Landy, Cafritz, Hyattsville, Maryland, Real Estate, Mark Matulef, T Shirts, Not My Councilman, Northwestern Highschool, EYA Chris and Tim Yee Haw!!! Outlaw Country in Hyattsville MD. Hang 'em High! Yes http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=227663# The hottest, must-have, Hyattsville fashion statement of the summer is now available in limited quantities. The Not My Councilman T shirt is perfect for all occasions, whether it's a city council meeting, the summer jam, family vacation, or a beer on the porch with friends.

These high quality shirts are made in the same style as American Apparel T's and cost only $10 each. Available sizes are XL, L and Med. Please add $3 for general shipping in the US or $7 for overseas. PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and American Express are accepted by clicking the PayPal button below.

Be sure to include your address, contact information, number of shirts and sizes. If you live in Hyattsville, MD, and would like to pick your shirt up from one of the hacks or have it delivered, please indicate so. Thanks for your support and let's have a great summer everyone!

]]> general Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:39:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=227663# Mark Matulef Hyattsville Maryland Politics TShirts T Shirts Chris and Tim Mark Matulef Not My Councilman T Shirts Are Available Now No http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=225679# Items in this audio podcast episode include:

1. Welcome back, travel to Buffalo, Toronto and Rehoboth Beach.

2. Al Gore, light bulbs and Subtle Technologies.

3. Hyattsville Royale 14 and the new June issue of the Hyattsville Life and Times.

4. Sarah Nemeth's quick departure from the Gazette's Hyattsville beat. What really happened?!

5. Upcoming events, Dogs for the Arts, the Spitfires United reunion at thee 9:30 club and the best place in Hyattsville to purchase bulk chicken's feet.

Music by The Weber Brothers, Higher Ground, self-released.

]]> podcasts Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:05:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=225679# 01:04:21 Hyattsville, Mark Matulef, Manipulation, deceipt, politics, Sarah Nemeth, Weber Brothers, Maryland, Chicken Feet Chris and Tim Subtle technologies, Mark Matulef vs. Sarah Nemeth, New movie theater and more. Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=225474# The Hyattsville Life & Times, June 2007 print edition, is now available in .pdf format for subscribers to the Hyattsville H4X podcast or for download by clicking on the "pod" logo on the left side of this entry. Some of the headlines for this issue include:

Route 1 Arts District on the Upswing

This issue includes the City of Hyattsville's June 13 issue of the Hyattsville Reporter.

]]> Hyattsville Life & Times Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:21:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=225474# Hyattsville, Life, Times, News, Violence, Virginia Tech, EYA, Route 1, Development, Politics Chris and Tim June 2007 Hyattsville Maryland Life & Times Newspaper Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=215988# Hyattsville H4X may or may not be on a hiatus. Chris is off to Buffalo, NY to head up a session on podcasting lectures, then to Toronto for a microbiology meeting, and the Subtle Technologies Festival where he will interview some folks who use the biological as a medium for "BioArt." Should be some interesting stuff, considering one of the folks he plans to talk with has created her own line of cosmetics out of the E.coli from her own feces. Better than whale blubber? Who knows? But at least it's more environmentally friendly.

In the mean time, we may try to do a podcast via Skype since there is some very interesting news breaking as I type this, but alas Chris has to pack for his flight tomorrow.

]]> general Fri, 18 May 2007 03:37:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=215988# Toronto, Canada, Travel, Buffalo, New York, Podcasting, Subtle Technologies, BioArt Chris and Tim No http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=213631# Items in this audio podcast episode include:

1. Welcome, happy birthday to Ann Barrett and the meaning of life.

2. Election results and the photos on Flickr.

3. WTOP's Neal Augenstein leaves a listener voicemail and directs Hyattsville H4X viewers to his great series "Places that are Gone" on the music clubs in the 80's that started the DC punk/hardcore music revolution.

4. Another fine episode of Garth's Feelings.

5. The Hyattsville Historic House Tour on May 20.

6. Discussion on the latest issue of the Hyattsville Life and Times.

7. Greg's experience playing Jesus in the 48 Hour Film Festival.

Music by Modest Proposal, I've Seen Your Face Before - Nobody Says No.

]]> podcasts Fri, 11 May 2007 14:07:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=213631# 01:03:32 Neal Augenstein, Bill Gardiner, Anthony Patterson, Modest Proposal, 48 Hour Film Festival, Politics, Elections, WTOP Chris and Tim Hyattsville's 2007 Election Results, WTOP's Neal Augenstein, Garth's Feelings and more. Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=213087# The Hyattsville Life & Times, May 2007 print edition, is now available in .pdf format for subscribers to the Hyattsville H4X podcast or for download by clicking on the "pod" logo on the left side of this entry. Some of the headlines for the May 2007 Hyattsville Life & Times include:

DeMatha Breaks Ground on Convocation Center

This issue includes the City of Hyattsville's May 9 issue of the Hyattsville Reporter.

]]> Hyattsville Life & Times Thu, 10 May 2007 01:22:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=213087# Hyattsville, MD, Maryland, Real Estate, Development, Politics, School, Hyattsville Middle School, DeMatha, Global Warming, Wiki Chris and Tim Hyattsville, Maryland's Monthly City Newspaper for May 2007 Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=210973# 1. Welcome and Tim announces his candidacy to be the green mayor.

2. Sarah Nemeth from the Gazette talks about Hyattsville politics, negativity and voter apathy - all with a smile.

3. Charles Schulz's take on the current City Council with a special appearance from Spiderman and the Three Stooges.

4. Special Feature: Garth's Feelings

5. Cottage City and eminent domain.

6. Greg waxes on about the 48 Hour Film Festival in DC and his comedy troupe's YouTube channel.

7. HH4X election predictions.

Music by the Pietasters, Trust Yourself, Fueled by Ramen

]]> podcasts Fri, 4 May 2007 03:07:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=210973# 00:50:15 Hyattsville, Elections, Sarah Nemeth, Charles Shulz, Spiderman, Three Stooges, Film, Lawn Mowers, Tim Rogers, Mayor Chris and Tim The H4X talk with Sarah Nemeth from the Gazette and make Hyattsville election predictions. Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=209493#  

 
When I think about retiring in my golden years, I've always imagined a nice house on one of Hawaii's smaller islands or one in the Caribbean. A place where I can just sit on my back porch during sunset, watch the waves roll in on the coast, sip my evening cocktail with my wife, and reflect on our wonderful life together.

But thanks to The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission at NASA and Google Maps, it looks like I won't have to move at all. Alex Tingle from the United Kingdom has created a great flood map tool that allows you to look at sea level change and the amount of land the oceans' will reclaim.

With a 14-meter rise in water, Magruder Park will become Magruder Beach Park. Greg Tindale from WhyHyattsville.com will be able to use that surfboard we used for the 2006 Summer Jam video podcast, and that issue with the WSSC building will be washed away with gently lapping tides.

Posted by Chris

]]> general Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:28:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=209493# Hyattsville, map, maryland, flood, flood map, real estate, global warming Chris and Tim No http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=207505# The Hyattsville H4X 2007 Mayoral Debate was held this evening with incumbent Mayor William Gardiner. The challenger for the Mayorâs seat, Linn Taylor, declined to participate by responding to our invitation via email with âThanks. But no thanks.â? In wanting to be as fair and balanced as possible, subsequent emails and phone calls were made and flexible dates for the debate were offered to Ms. Taylor in hopes she would reconsider. Within a weekâs time, no response was received.

Following are the questions we posed to William Gardiner. A few of these questions are similar to those posed by The Gazette in their April 19 interview with Ms. Taylor. This was done on purpose so undecided residents can compare Mayor Gardinerâs responses to Ms. Taylorâs. Also, Ms. Taylor is free to respond to each of the questions within our comments section at the end of this post.

For the next episode we have plenty to talk about regarding the upcoming elections, the new zinc loft development project in University Town Center, the EYA sidewalks on Route 1, and how the Hyattsville H4x was represented at Maryland's African American Heritage Film Festival.

Also a new Hyattsvile Life and Times should be out in a day or so that we will post to our podcast feed.

In the mean time, please enjoy this video podcast produced by Chris for the Koshland Science Museum's interactive exhibit on Infectious Disease featuring interviews with Erica Shugart, Ph.D., deputy director and exhibit curator, Dr. Eliott Kieff, Harvard University, and Dr. David Relman, Stanford University.

The Koshland Science Museum is on 6th and E Sts., NW, D.C. and it is well worth the visit.

Click on the "pod" icon at the top left of this post for the high quality version, or watch the YouTube version below.

P.S. If you would like to help us defray the costs of this new equipment feel free to donate whatever amount you can afford by clicking on the PayPal button in the right-hand column. We will apppreciate it greatly.

It's nice to see a company that not only monitors the "blogosphere," but respond to it as well with due diligence. In fact, there are hundreds of pricey conferences every year on how companies should handle and respond to blogs, podcasts, etc. This incident is a good example for internet marketing/relations on how to reply to an upset "wired" public and achieve positive results to boot.

Now skip on over to EYA's Arts District Hyattsville office on 5705 Baltimore Avenue and invest in our City's future or give them a call at 301-209-0116 to thank them.

Thank you EYA.

1. Welcome and the upcoming elections.

2. Campaign Finance Reform

3. Mark Matulef and his political ambitions.

4. Hyattsville's newly annexed areas and police enforcement.

5. Operation Safe Cities and its potential impact for residents.

6. Hyattsville's $30 million bond and parking garage, explained.

7. DeMatha's new Convocation Center.

8. Dining at Hyattsville's Professional Coffee Shop on Route 1.

1. Welcome and a discussion about MySpace.com.

2. PEPCO addresses Hyattsville residents' concerns.

3. Hyattsville's 30 million dollar bond and parking garage.

4. Verizon's hybrid FIOS fleet.

5. A special heart-felt ad for WhyHyattsville.com.

6. Soviet intelligence expert Paul Joyal shot in Adelphi, MD. Speculation abounds.

7. Gazette letter-to-the-editor by Mark Hanna criticizing Hyattsville Code Enforcement.

Music by Hotbox, Recipe for Insanity, Self-released.

The Low Budgets brand of "ValuRock" started 7 years ago after the break up of two Philadelphia bands, Butterfly Joe and The Town Managers. They have released two records, Go for Broke and Aim Low, Get High, completed three US tours, and one European tour. Word on the street is that the Low Budgets are preparing to unleash a third album and they are playing several of these new songs during their upcoming winter and spring shows.

The Dead Milkmen's first album Big Lizard in My Backyard was released in 1985. In 1988, the band hit a milestone with the song "Punk Rock Girl" which received loads of commercial radio airplay, and the video for the song winning regular rotation on MTV. The Dead Milkmen went on to release several more records, finally calling it quits in 1995. In 2004, they did two back-to-back reunion shows at the Trocadero in Philadelphia in memory of Dave Schulthise, the original bass player for the band. Fans travelled from as far away as Scotland and Australia for these special shows.

The interview covers Joe's life as a Low Budget, a Dead Milkman, and a solo performer. The songs featured are "Oh Yeah" and "Thriftstore" from the Low Budget's Aim Low, Get High record, a live acoustic performance of the Dead Milkmen's hit "Punk Rock Girl," and a bootleg demo version of the Dead Milkmen song "Dollar Signs in Her Eyes," which is on the album Metaphysical Graffiti.

Interesting highlights include Joe's take on playing punk rock for a living in the eighties compared with the scene today, the issue of DRM protected music and internet piracy, and what is was like to hang with the Butthole Surfers.

This episode has few curse words in it, hence the explicit tag in iTunes.

Enjoy!

(Click here for a delicious blue plate ValuBonus! And, here for life coach Rodney Anonymous' life affirming weblog)

1. Intro, a Tangled Skein's grand opening party, and Scott Wythe's editorial on Del. Myers proposed ban of plastic genitalia.

2. McMansions.

3. The Wiki, the Bike and Pedestrian Safety Committee and the upcoming article in the Hyattsville Life & Times.

4. City Elections. Seats up for the May 7 Election include, Mayor: Bill Gardiner, Ward 1: Chris Currie, Ward 2: Bill Tierney, Ward 3: Mary Elwood, Ward 4: Paula Perry, Ward 5: Nicole Hinds. Chris Currie to retire after 2nd term.

5. When the levee breaks.

6. Hyattsville Police 2006 Annual Report.

Music by The Make*Up, Here Comes the Judge, Dischord Records.

For reasons unbeknown to me, people have begun to dangle tescticle replicas from the back of their cars and trucks. In response, Delegate LeRoy Myers has introduced legislation to ban this practice. Both events are equally funny, and equally ill-advised.

Governments love to ban things. In the past few years, I can't smoke in a bar, eat trans-fat in a restaurant, or use a consenting midget as a bowling ball. It may be the case soon that a government will require my daughter to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease before she can see plastic testicles. I can't imagine how James Madison would have incorporated this into the Federalist Papers.

Madison would at least be impressed that the testicles of the minority were not being subject to the tyranny of the testicles of the majority. The legislation is all-inclusive; the testicles of the white and the black, the Asian and Hispanic, the Republican and Democrat -- all our testicles are positioned directly under the stubborn erectness of this law.

It can no longer be doubted that individuals in today's society are in the midst of a legal scramble to wear the laurels of "Most Offended". Offense at testicle display is merely one instance of this. On the female side, there was recently an issue in Florida involving a theater that was showing a performance of The Vagina Monologues, an award-winning play focused on women's relationship with their own sexual apparatus. After a complaint to the theater, the owner changed the marquee to read "The Hoohaa Monologues". An agreement with the producers of the play made him change it back. In any event, the amount of mirth in the universe increased, with a corresponding decrease in dignity.

I tease my friends who are lawyers because none of them are practicing the law they thought they would; I tease my friends who are politicians (and I was one of them) because none of them are writing the legislation they thought they would. The lawyers, the politicians, and of course ourselves; at some point we have to be slapped awake and think "what is that I want to do"? If that can happen, there will be no scrotums flying from pick-ups, there will be no politicians writing legislation forbidding it, and there will be no lawyers willing to prosecute a testicle ordinance violation. Imagine.

Kaysha rocks the Crystal in Hyattsville/Langley Park - Afro-Caribbean style.

Hyattsville Fire Department - smoke, flames, axes and chain saws.

Stranger - A man in a wheelchair wakes up, shaves and wanders the streets of Hyattsville. (wierd)

Who is Dr. McKean? Sick! (explicit.)

When two MARC trains pass through Hyattsville.

This video podcast is an mpeg 4 file formatted for the video iPod and it can be played on computers using Quicktime. Or, you can watch the flash version below by clicking play.

(Note: If you want to view a better quality version of this video, click on the "pod" icon at the top left of this post. You will also need to have Apple's Quicktime 7 installed on your computer.)

Following are the artists featured on this podcast:

1. Happy Holidays!

2. The proposed Hyattsville campaign finance reporting legislation with Council members Mark Matulef (Ward 2), Chris Currie (Ward 1) and Paula Perry (Ward 4).

3. The Amongst Friends Holiday Jam.

4. Hyattsville Life & Times December issue and the car chase.

5. The Washington Post on the new Arts District and search engine results.

Music by The Dwarves, Drinking Up Christmas, Podsafe Music Network.

Please remember the H4X this holiday season and give the gift of cash. The money will be used for our hosting and broadband fees, new equipment and features on the website. On the right side of this page, click the PayPal button if your feeling the holiday spirit. Thank you.

1. Welcome and Jim Groves on Cool Cities and the Community Green Festival.

2. Napa County and the Podcast and Portable Media Expo. (Links: Etude Wines, Gary Danko, ICAAC, MicrobeWorld, Rocketboom, Digg, Diggnation Podcast, The Broken,Web Drifter, This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte, Ben "Bendrix" Williams of Digital Media Tips n' Tricks, The Overnightscape, The Evil Genius Chronicles,Podcast Pickle, Blubrry, Todd Cochrane, Father Roderick, Podzinger.)

3. Octoberfest at the PG Pool.

4. Boarding houses and the rental housing ordinance.

5. Congrats to Dr. John C. Mather on winning this year's Nobel Laureate in Physics for his discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.

6. Hyattsville's new logo.

Music by Brother Love, Summertime (remix), self-released.
(See Brother Love's "in-flight" video of "Summertime".)

1. Listener feedback, creative economies and artist housing.

2. Voting woes in Prince Georges. Share your experience with the Interim Elections Administrator, Robert J. Antonetti, Sr., 16201 Trade Zone Avenue, Suite 108, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774-8758. You can also call Mr. Antonetti at 301-430-8020.

3. Neighborhood block parties

4. The Ethics Ordinance 2006 and local politics.

5. The new interactive Hyattsville crime map.

Music by the Powersteppers, Babylon System, www.dubport.com

This video podcast is an mpeg 4 file formatted for the video iPod and it can be played on computers using Quicktime. Or, you can watch the flash version below by clicking play.

1. Interview with Robert Dobkin, Principle Media Representative, PEPCO, on Hyattsville's frequent power outages.

2. My Hyattsville named wiki of the month. New features added to the wiki include a calendar of events and a video library.

Music by NOFX, Electricty, Vagrant Records

Video of NOFX's Franco Unamerican.

1. Announcements - Final Summer Jam and the Bicycle Friendly Community workshop.

2. Wireless Hyattsville - parking meter salvation? (Links: Times-Standard & www.govtech.net.)

3. PEPCO, power outages and the H.O.P.E. list-serve.

4. September 12 - get out the vote in Prince Georges.

5. Hyattsville and Page 1 of the Washington Post.

Music by the Hula Monsters, Cat's Island. ]]> podcasts Tue, 5 Sep 2006 02:16:00 GMT http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=127026# 00:45:55 Hyattsville, Jack Johnson, Rushern Baker, wireless, parking meters, summer jam, hula monsters, politics, PEPCO, HOPE list Chris and Tim Clean http://hyattsvilleh4x.com/index.php?post_id=122733# Items discussed in this episode follow in order:

1. Sorry for the delayed episode and a phone call from Jim Groves.

2. University Town Center unveiled.

3. Hyattsville's free-range fowl. See the video by Chris Currie, Ward 1 council member and poultry poacher.

4. Wire-free Hyattsville. Podtech News links follow:

5. Dog park discussion.

Music by The Goons, "Everyday," Torque Records.

See the The Goons' video.

Hyattsville logo modification by Chris Currie.

1. Stuart Eisenberg on Washington Gas' plans for liquefied natural gas storage at Hyattsville's Chillum Road facility.

Music by Jonathan Matis & Brian Fending, "071505-06 (udu)," self-released.

(Photo by Greg Tindale. See more photos and videos of the wreckage of Hyattsville's old municipal building at www.whyhyattsville.com.

In other news...

The majority of registered voters in University Hills voted in favor of annexation by the City of Hyattsville. According to unofficial results posted by the City, the referendum vote was close with 138 in favor of annexation and 103 opposed.

1. Don't forget - happy hour at Franklins, Tuesday August 8. Sponsored by the Hyattsville H4X and H.O.P.E.

2. National Night Out Against Crime.

3. We're famous. the Gazette's coverage of the H4X.

4. Interview with Glen Hellman, CEO for Intellipark, on the new smart parking meters in Hyattsville.

5. Annexation of University Hills featuring former council member Douglas Dudrow and University Hill's Tristram Kruger, DDS.

Music by Nick Cave, Bring it On, from the album Nocturama. See the video.

This video podcast is an mpeg 4 file formatted for the video iPod. It can also be played on computers using Quicktime. The video podcast can also be viewed on www.youtube.com.

This video podcast is an alpha test. Hopefully, there will be more to come soon once the Hyattsville H4X gets a real video camera. This was filmed with the video function on a Nikon Coolpix P2 digital camera and edited in iMovie.

1. Happy hour, trucker hats & t-shirts, MySpace, National Night Out Against Crime, and Summer Jam.

2. Salt Lake City and hate crime.

3. Jim Groves and corn stoves.

Music by Jesuseater, Longbail, Deathwish, Inc.

Explicit rating in iTunes is the result of a curse word in the song Longbail by Jesuseater.

Here's an excerpt from the article in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

Speaking of image: A group of science and technology managers are in Salt Lake City for the annual Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives conference.

One of the speakers, Chris Condayan of Washington, D.C., was walking from the Sheraton Hotel to the Salt Palace on Wednesday morning when three men in a car crossed two lanes, stopped where he was walking and began screaming obscenities at him, calling him gay, and telling him to go back where he came from. When he showed them his wedding ring, they drove off.

Condayan is the manager of public outreach for the American Society of Microbiology. That was his first impression of Utah.Who says we don't need a hate crimes law?

Exactly!

"Where you can finally meet all the people who you only know online"

WHO: Hyattsville Area List-serves, wiki, podcasts, blogs, and online community members (and kids).

WHEN: Tuesday August 8th, from 5-8:30 pm (Happy Hour discounted drink prices until 6:30pm)

WHERE: The upstairs bar at Franklin's, 5121 Baltimore Avenue.

WHY: Share a drink with friends. Learn about all the different online resources in Hyattsville. Generate ideas to make Hyattsville great. Meet Chris and Tim from the podcast and have a good time on a Tuesday night. Plus, there will be a kid's table with crayons!

Please mention "podcast" when you pay your bill, 20% of all purchases will be donated to help defray the Hyattsville H4X podcast hosting, bandwidth and software costs!

1. Welcome, music request and video camera request.

2. Congratulations to Bill Tierney, Council Member-elect for Ward 2.

3. Hyattsville's new logo designs and interview with the artist, John Snogren.

4. The dog park.

5. Hyattsville's police mutual aid agreement with Prince Georges County.

Music by DJ Ted Stevens, Network Neutrality Techno Remix. See the video.

Net Neutrality Videos

The Daily Show with John Stewart
Clip with John Hodgman (guy from the mac ads who plays the PC).

PBS Now on Net Neutrality
Part 1
Part 2

Vint Cerf, Google's Chief Information Evanglelist
Video

Find out more at www.savetheinternet.com

Congratulations to Bill Tierney on his win. The Hyattsville H4X would also like to congratulate the other candidates for a campaign hard fought.

IN OTHER NEWS

Police Mutual Aid Agreement

On Monday, July 17, Hyattsville's City Council unanimously approved the Police Mutual Aid Agreement between Prince George's County and the City of Hyattsville.

Will Campos, Prince George County Council member for District 2, and Major Kevin Davis, Police Commander for District 1, addressed Hyattsville's City Council to voice their support for the motion.

"This agreement gives the County the ability to call Hyattsville for help in non-incorporated boundaries," said Major Davis. He went on to say that police office staffing for the County is not where it is supposed to be in District 1, which has 28% of Prince Georges' population within a 36-mile area.

Hyattsville's New Look

Members of Hyattsville's Marketing Task Force presented three new logos for the City of Hyattsville to review. The logos will be presented to the public through a variety of mediums, one being the My Hyattsville wiki site. Residents are being asked to offer comment on the designs.

Ethics Ordinance 2006

Mark Matulef, Hyattsville Ward 2 council member, proposed the Ethics Ordinance 2006, which calls for the City to update its ethics laws on the receipt and reporting of gifts, protect against conflicts of interest, regulate lobbying by former public officials of the City, and establish campaign finance disclosure requirements.

"It's a bit of political grandstanding," said John Aquilino, resident of Ward 2, who calls the ordinance an incumbent protection act. "I don't think it will inject any ethics or morality in election campaigns."

Council members Marc Tarturo (Ward 1), Chris Currie (Ward 1) and Krista Atteberry (Ward 3) questioned the purpose of Matulef's proposal.

Mayor Bill Gardiner conceded that some campaign reporting mechanism may be good, but not at the level of detail Matulef proposes.

Carlos Lizanne (Ward 4) supports the proposal and Mary Elwood (Ward 3) wants to offer a substitute motion.

The City Council will act on Matulef's proposed ordinance on August 7.

1. Weâre sponsored!, the myhyattsville wiki, all music podcast â submit your music & call for a digital video camera.

2. Running down the Ward 2 special election candidates.

3. Intellipark meters or my parking spot has a big brother.

4. Anonymous blogs with opinions from Barbara Runion, Stuart Eisenberg, Jim Groves, Mark Matulef and Vincent Swanson.

5. Artway North comes to Jefferson Street

Music by Good Clean Fun, âThe Myspace Song,â? from the album Between Christian Rock and Hard Place.

See the video.

1. Thanks to Nathaniel Kelso, our first donator, and the new My Hyattsville website/wiki.

2. Thunder, lightening, the way you strike Hyattsville is frightening.

3. Senator Ted Stevens on net neutrality - did you get your "internet" today?

4. Hyattsville's Ward 2 candidates react to the H4X and the Gazette. (Vincent Swanson's award winning article, "Laurel Student Arrested for Wearing T-shirt at School.")

Music by The Egerton Boyz, The Dog Ate My Homework, Podsafe Music Network.

"On the afternoon of July 4th Severe storms the evening of July 4 caused widespread power outages. While crews were able to restore large numbers of customers during the night and continue working, there remains extensive damage on the Pepco system that is still being assessed. Updates on estimated restoration times will be available later on 1-877-Pepco-62."

Last night, when Tim called PEPCO, they claimed power would be restored by 10:00 p.m. today, July 5. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this happens sooner.

Also, Channel 9 News visited Hyattsville this morning with Jeff Napshin reporting on the damage caused by falling trees and the power outages. Click here to see the video.

Currently, Comcast, Hyattsville's cable Internet provider, along with AT&T and Verizon, is lobbying Congress to allow for a tiered internet that will give preference to website access and broadband speeds to customers willing to pay more. Comcast argues that this arrangement will help them to recoup their investment in the backbone of the Internet and provide a better way to manage bandwidth and ensure quality of service.

What is at issue here is a concept called "Net Neutrality." Adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in August of 2005, Net Neutrality requires network operators to provide free and non-discriminatory transport and access on their networks to everyone at an affordable price.

As of now, Net Neutrality is not law and many providers such as Comcast would like it to stay that way so they can charge more for preferred internet service.

A bill currently before the Senate called the Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 contains amendments that would enforce Net Neutrality, ensuring unfettered access to the Internet stays intact.  To learn more about this issue or to get involved visit Save the Internet or it's our net. Also, the fine folks at Rocketboom have produced a great video podcast episode (.mov, .wmv) on Net Neutrality that really illustrates what's at stake.

After all, you wouldn't want access to Hyattsville H4X's podcasts and website to be compromised, would you?

1. Heavy rains, floods and a hand from Will Campos. Click here to see I Am Not My Hair, I am Not My Skin's Myspace blog for flood pics.

2. The Hyattsville Stalker.

3. Chief Holland carries the Special Olympics Flag.

4. Trader Joe rears his ugly head again.

5. Ward 2 candidates speak out.

Music by Lickity Split, Deep in the Hate, Torque Records.

1. Happy belated Father's Day, Rock n Romp, Mobilize It! and the Hyattsville Life & Times.

2. Questions for the top contender - Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD) interview.

3. Washington Gas LNG Update - the saga continues.

4. Hyattsville Fire Department on youtube.com.

5. Web 2.0 Minute - Mashups and www.zillow.com.

Music by Faraquet, Cut Self Not from The View from this Tower on Dischord.