Martini Hour 001, In Which Colleen Spills Her Drink

Submitted by deke on 10 February 2009 - 12:00am.

Today at dekeOnline we prove that a tech podcast can be warm, friendly, and inviting. Welcome to the first episode of our semi-regular, very-possibly-close-to-weekly, audio-only podcast, Martini Hour. Here's an insanely large graphic to honor the occasion.

Martini Hour logo

Think of it as a mid-season replacement for dekePod, only completely different -- by which I mean unscripted, conversational, altogether relaxed, video-free, and with three olives. The video portion occurs only in your mind as you listen to me and Colleen sip cocktails in the dekeLounge and discuss the digital imaging issues of the day.

In this first episode, I spontaneously answer davep's question(s) about why file size has a tendency to dramatically increase in Photoshop before you create a single layer or apply a single edit. Then Colleen questions the Illuminati-like Conspiracy of Photoshop and why the program makes the simple act of straightening a photograph so absurdly complicated. Hear how you, our beloved dekeItarians, are honored in our first ever Toast of the Week. After all, you are so supportive, intelligent, and good looking.

Here's the regular-quality (192kbps) audio file. For best results, right-click and choose Download or Save. Though, who knows? You might be able to stream.

To subscribe to this singular treat for the ears and mind, subscribe via iTunes. (If the graphic and episode info aren't yet updated, be patient. We're working on that.)

And by all means, we welcome your comments.

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Comments

[Homer] [/Homer]

Submitted by Petra on 16 February 2009 - 10:08pm.
...mmmmm, consumption deck... My daughter once exclaimed concern at my own drinking and driving. She was about 3 y/o and it was during a tv anti drink driving campaign. I was drinking a cardboard cup of coca-cola through a straw at the time of my perceived drink-driving offence. Good times...good times.... ;-p

Martini Hour Review

Submitted by PhotoandMac on 16 February 2009 - 4:44pm.
Deke and Colleen, Nice work on the new dekePod Martini Hour. I got a like confused because my beverage of choice while listening to the show on my commute from Huntington Beach to Los Angeles was hot chocolate from the convenience store 7-Eleven. I even went with those little l marshmallows on top you shake out from a container. Not sure where they find those mini-marshmallows. I didn't realize this was going to be a cocktail hour show. I'm not sure a martini on the road would have been a good idea. The audio podcast was nice for the commute. I don't recommend watching video podcasts or martinis while driving. In California, they sort of frown on it. They even have laws against talking on the cell phone and driving at the same time. Back to the podcast, I still can't figure out why you didn't tell Colleen just to use the crop tool to straighten her photograph. You had to go with the super-cool confusing Photoshop-trick Deke way. Keep up all the great work. Robert www.PhotographyAndTheMac.com

Don't drink and drive!

Submitted by deke on 16 February 2009 - 8:16pm.
We're not condoning illegal behavior. Just enjoying the pleasures that life has to offer, in the environment where those pleasures are meant to be enjoyed. (Watch for our next offering, Graphics for Great Greasy Gluttons. Which we'll record on the Consumption Deck of a cruise ship.)

Straighten Tool

Submitted by crisderaud on 16 February 2009 - 8:04pm.
I know this comment is listed as a reply but I am actually making an interjection here under the same subject: It seems odd to me that Adobe puts the straighten tool in Filter> Distort> Lens Correction> and then tucked in the upper left hand corner as an almost indiscernible icon. Why can't it be in the standard tool bar? Adobe Elements has it up front as well as most other imaging editors. Maybe Adobe doesn't recommend using it so they hide it away. Until they bring it out front, I'm using the Deke Ruler Method. BTW: Crop, Straighten and Size is chapter 5 of Photoshop CS4 1on1 and I would expect Deke to be quoting what he wrote. I also recommend that book as a companion to Channels and Masks for full coverage on using CS4.

You know, I never thought of

Submitted by deke on 17 February 2009 - 11:16pm.
Recommending Lens Correction as a means of straightening an image. But it automatically pops the image to a new layer and previews the results -- not bad! I'll have to think about that one . . . (Then again, someone will probably steal it and podcast it before I get around to it. ;-)

so when will dekePOD return

Submitted by Remiss63 on 13 February 2009 - 4:25pm.
deke i'm getting restless. i've been waiting for a new episode to satiate my natty head. please if you have any sense of decency in you, release a new podcast! otherwise i may have to resort to using harder drugs . . . . and i would except i'm afraid of dropping my camera. help! Remiss63 http://remiss63.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/raimist ps . . . . my copy of Photoshop CS4 Extended is presently in the mail from http://www.JourneyEd.com/. i desperately need something to help me get up to speed. my office is still using Photoshop 7! at home i've been using CS on my Mac for years. i feel as if i'm going to be moving through a time-space tangle and i need some direction!

The best medicine for time travel

Submitted by deke on 17 February 2009 - 11:21pm.
Is lynda.com. Spend a few hours with Photoshop CS4 One-on-One: Fundamentals, and time will eventually stand still. And yes, dekePod will be back "in action" next month. (Gosh, that's clever. Must have something to do with actions. Damn, I ruined it!)

Return of dekePod

Submitted by colleen on 13 February 2009 - 4:34pm.
Deke's off the grid, but I can safely say dekePod will be back with new episodes with the flowers of early Spring. Meanwhile, feel free to medicate yourself with a delicious Martini Hour. It's here to help.

The house band!

Submitted by mooatr on 12 February 2009 - 2:59pm.
What is your arrangement with Buzz and co.? Great podcast, brilliantly different to the equally fantastic dekepod. You are great guys (is that a gender neutral term now? I think so).

Yeah, Budz and the Pimm's Quartet

Submitted by colleen on 12 February 2009 - 7:30pm.
They rock. Or groove as the case may be. I'll let them know you want to book them for your next party.

For the record, the spill was out of clumsiness not inebriation

Submitted by colleen on 10 February 2009 - 4:30pm.
and its real purpose was to keep Deke from over doing it. ;-)

clearly deke's fault

Submitted by jeremyv10 on 10 February 2009 - 8:20pm.
He was asking you to pass him the computer whilst you were trying to refill. A party foul, if ever I heard one

Um, that is in fact

Submitted by deke on 11 February 2009 - 4:40am.
Exactly how events transpired. So you're right, this inaugural episode should be titled, "In Which Deke Inspires Colleen to Spill Her Drink." Forgive me, C.

I believe you, Colleen

Submitted by Petra on 10 February 2009 - 7:24pm.
...even if no one else does. ;-p You guys didn't sound too Bacchanalian; though you did sound like you were getting a nice glow on - warm and inviting, relaxed yet fully awake. Just like good hosts should be. :-)

One for the road!

Submitted by jolemayo on 10 February 2009 - 11:02am.
What do you mean I've had enough! You don't tell me when I've had enough! I'll tell YOU when I've had enough! (hick)

Awww, that was really nice.

Submitted by Petra on 10 February 2009 - 3:15am.
You guys have such great chemistry and a wonderful sense of fun. Loved the techy bits, too. I had to rewind a few times to grasp the concept - particularly with regard to how disk compression works. And it's a good thing you like us, 'cos we're squattin' down for the duration, man. 8^] Wee suggestion - dunno how easy it would be to implement, though. The file opened to my random visualisation thingy, and that got a bit annoying so I switch the visualisation setting to "Album Art". The resulting image (if you can call it that) does not live up to the magic and mayhem that is Martini Hour. How possible would it be to get the player to register the glamabulous* MH graphic as backdrop? *i don't think this word is in the dictionary. :-o

We're working on fixes

Submitted by deke on 10 February 2009 - 3:18am.
Much is broken. Within 48 hours, much will be remedied. Such is the case with newness of the new.

Don't fix too much

Submitted by Petra on 10 February 2009 - 3:34am.
...unless it's more Martinis for Colleen. :-D

Wonderful

Submitted by DrWatson on 10 February 2009 - 3:10am.
But you're a bit late, aren't you? iTunes delivered the first episode on Feb 5, so I almost find myself impatiently waiting for episode 2... ;) Nah, really, wonderful podcast, tech talk the way I like it, with exactly the right amount of teasing Adobe (we love them, we need them, so we have the constitutional right of teasing them). I hope it's as much fun to you as it sounds like.

Well, we thought

Submitted by deke on 10 February 2009 - 3:17am.
We'd get the iTunes feed working before our site posting. Previously, we hadn't thought such a thing possible. ;-)

Shhhmooove

Submitted by Petra on 10 February 2009 - 2:07am.
I'd like to order the blue plate special please. :-p