Today's NPR segment was about a subject dear to my media-blood-soaked heart, TV on the Web. Some weeks, I have no idea what I'm going to say about a specific topic that is put on the table. On weeks like this, it's more work to figure out what not to say.

Do you talk about the accelerating trend of Web content making its way to set-top boxes and, more directly, to next-gen HDTVs that will have Internet connectivity built-in? Do you talk about what's good online? About how the networks are shoving their shows and movies online in a rush to grab eyeballs they didn't seem to care about just a few years ago?

It's a bit too rich of a topic, like a cherry cordial, but in situations like these, I go in with a rough script and expect a lot of left-field questions. I try to roll with it as best I can.

Here's the segment. This one was one of the more fun ones to record. It was a little weird to mention Television Without Pity in the context of having to disclose employment by NBC.

And speaking of changing technology, I did a story for the Statesman that was the Sunday Life & Arts lead -- it was a look back at the five tech trends I thought were most important in 2008. I also listed five trends I think are work looking ahead to in '09.

I'm really curious to hear what other people think are the top tech trends of the last year -- if you have any thoughts, please post a comment on the Digital Savant blog entry I wrote to go with the story.

I'm getting a very small glimpse into what my life would be life if I were single and childless again. It sucks, really.

I pine for some time alone to read and watch movies and be a slothy man, but the truth is the house is far too quiet and lonely without my girls. I came back home from the family trip a few days early because of some commitments in Austin (one is listed below). My wife and Lilly arrive tomorrow. So, really, it was only one night I spent by myself (and tonight, both my brother and brother-in-law came by; the in-law is sleeping downstairs as I type this), but I slept shittily.

My wife thought I needed a day or two to myself to really revel in my vacation time, but turns out I probably didn't need it. I just want them here.

In other news: a story I wrote for "Masters of their Domains" about the pronunciation Web site Inogolo.com ran in the paper on Sunday. A very tiny video ran with it as well (below):

And today, a segment I did for NPR on video games and "Rock Band" aired. I could have talked for several hours about each aspect of this story, but instead I was tasked with presenting the present and future of video games in about three or four minutes. Daunting!

You can hear the segment in three parts (don't ask my why they split them up like this; they sometimes run in the wrong order on the Tech podcast). Here they are in order: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

I actually got to hear it on the radio as it aired when I was running errands in Austin and it was a bit of a thrill. I usually am in the office when it's on and only get to hear it afterward, online. I'm still blogging for the All Tech Considered community site, too.

I go back to work Wednesday, then I'm off Thursday, then back in the office Friday. It's gonna be a weird week, schedule-wise.

Our last episode of 2008 of Trailers Without Pity has been posted. With it comes another change: in '09, we're going biweekly (wait, did I get that right? Dictionary says that can mean twice a week or every two weeks, but I'll be damned if I'm using the word "Fortnightly.").

Every two weeks. Skipping a week. Not weekly anymore is what I'm trying to say.

Which means we'll have more time to work on them; that'll be a nice stress reliever.

Anyway, here's the one for Terminator Salvation. Hope you enjoy!

This has been the weirdest week, and it hasn't helped that one day we're in an arctic freeze, then the next we're back up to 70 or 80 degrees. That's not cool, weather. That kind of shit does things to a man. Makes the brain go in all different directions. It ain't kind.

So, this week, I was asked to speak authoritatively on NPR about how technology is affecting the world of charities and non-profits. This would be great if I knew a single thing about that topic. This is where I take off my Expert hat and throw on my OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT AM I GONNA DO!? hat. This is then replaced by my Oh Yeah, I'm a Reporter hat. What putting on that hat usually means is that there's a lot of work ahead.

The NPR segment went well, all things considered (ha! Get it? Heh. Heh. Sigh...), except I was trying to keep so many facts and Web sites in my head at once that I called Donors Choose "Donor's Choice," which is completely wrong. Maybe I was thinking about "Folger's Choice," which is not so much a charity but a set of coffee crystals.

Anyway, you can hear me try not to stumble in this segment (part one; part two) and then see some links to other organizations and people that were mentioned, but probably edited out for time, at the blog post I wrote to accompany the segment.

Also, this week, people seemed to have liked this post I did on Digital Savant called "What Not To Tweet," listing things that people do which annoy me on Twitter. I also included some great suggestions from people I talk to on Twitter who were nice enough to send me their own pet peeves. Tweet peeves? Pet Tweeves? I don't know. You guys come up with something for that.

I also had a story in the paper on Tuesday about five good games that stretch your videogaming dollar.

Now then... I don't know what it is, but this has been the most fucking STRESSFUL holiday season, I think ever. A lot of that is dealing with a very demanding toddler who needs attention every moment she's awake, which makes it impossible to try to finish Christmas cards or write blog posts or wrap gifts. I mean, that's absolutely expected, par for the course, all included in the parenting package, I know. But I think I've underestimated how much of a mindfuck it can be when you have a set number of things you have to do and a set amount of time to do them and you've spent years perfecting that balance. Then a (very cute, but still) child comes in and your equation is completely useless and means nothing.

My vacation started last Friday, but here it is almost Wednesday and I feel like I'm still waiting for my vacation to start. Seriously. I am EXHAUSTED. Add to that a complete breakdown in my gift-giving skills this year and a lot of last-minute scrambling and I've just had a very tough time of it. A big chunk of it is being hard on myself and letting it all build and I'm trying very hard to relax and just let go of some things that I feel I have to do.

What makes me feel even worse is that I feel like a shit even complaining about any of this when so many people are in such a financial quagmire this year. When close friends have had their Christmas travel plans ruined. When we are healthy and happy and safe. It just seems churlish to even get caught up in one's own emotional state when there's so much going on out there that is bad and desperate and oblivious to my needless whining. When I think about it like that, I feel even worse.

So I'm resolving to start fresh tomorrow, Christmas Eve, and try to just be here and be happy and stop trying to go 100 miles per hour. That's my Christmas wish, I think.

Most of the movies we do on "Trailers Without Pity" are ones that I plan to see at some point, but I can say without equivocation that unless I end up on a transatlantic flight next year, I don't plan to ever see the lace-adorned turd that Bride Wars looks like it will be.

So it made it pretty satisfying to be able to do rip on the trailer a little.

Here's this week's episode, featuring Animated Samuel L. Jackson:

Next week, we're doing Terminator: Salvation.

Last night, I woke up at 3:45 a.m., sure that I was forgetting something.

I grabbed a snack and sat down in front of the computer and skimmed through my RSS feeds on Google Reader until I felt a little more caught up. I thought maybe I had a story due at work I hadn't finished or a video that needed scripting or something to e-mail to NPR. It was tough to lie still in bed with this feeling of owing something to somebody.

Usually this is a sign that I need a break.

Luckily, I'm getting one: next week I'm no vacation, I won't be doing an NPR segment (it'll be recorded in advance) and we're getting a week off from "Trailers Without Pity." I'm looking forward to doing absolutely nothing for at least a few days.

Until then, though, things are bouncy-busy: in today's paper, I had a story in Life & Arts about places on the Web where people vent about their jobs. This was a story I worked on for months. It was even pushed back at one point because there just wasn't enough juice and my editor was kind enough to give me more time to work on it. I posted a few extras on Digital Savant that didn't make it into the print version as well as Don Tate II's lovely illustration. Stories like this are very tough to organize and sometimes take a very long time to do, but I'm always thrilled when they finally appear.

I also got a chance to see a very high-tech guitar from Gibson, the "Dark Fire." And an extra treat was that two brothers from the band Del Castillo demonstrated it for me. Awwwesome. You can see the video I shot yesterday below. Sometimes I'm very blessed to get to spend work time doing stuff like this:

Yesterday's NPR "All Tech Considered" segment was a mini tech holiday gift guide. I've written two of these already, one for work, one for Television Without Pity, so I'm pretty gift-talked out. Irony: I have not yet done my own Christmas shopping. I posted links to the items mentioned in the piece on the NPR All Tech Considered blog.

And now I'm completely pooped. I'll post the newest "Trailers Without Pity" video for Bride Wars later today.

False starts, benevolent Nazis on Christmas and a cousin just released from jail. This week's episode of "Trailers Without Pity" has it all (or at least as much as we could fit into a semi-animated four-minute piece of entertainment).

Our take on Valkyrie has been posted. This was one of the ones where as soon as the audio was recorded, I couldn't wait to see the final video.

The process of doing these is getting speedier, I think, and we're getting less freaked out by our deadlines and a little more confident in our approach (changing up the opening, for instance; I want us to try new things so we don't get bored or bore anybody else). Our next episode is Bride Wars and we haven't recorded the audio yet, which is making us a little antsy. A week goes by so fast. But I'm not worried it won't get done.

The plan is to do two more episodes after this one, then take a holiday week off.

Hope you enjoy!

Today's NPR "All Tech Considered" segment was all about webcams. My part was easy: just talking about how much they cost, what you need to get a decent video image and what are some sites and applications to do it.

(You can hear the segment in two parts on the NPR site by clicking over there on "Listen Now." Part one. Part two.)

The great part of the segment, I thought, was the stories from listeners about how they're using the technology to stay in touch with loved ones. Those stories came from a call to the community on the All Tech Considered blog and we got almost 100 stories like those.

Also, Robert Siegel continues to amuse and disarm me, this time with some awesome audio he brought in from his family archives.

We were actually Webcamming as the segment was being recorded using Skype. I took a little screengrab as we were talking:

Fun!

The other thing I've got is that I had a piece in the Tech Monday section of the paper about a little start-up called Wiggio that's doing some cool stuff for managing groups (mostly aimed at college students). Check it out.

I don't really Trek these days. I at one time I Trekked, mostly because my dad really liked to Trek and I got dragged to movie theaters or in front of the TV whenever a new Trek made itself available.

I thought Trek: The Next was good, but I never watched it religiously. Trek: Voyager and Trek: Enterprise and Trek: Space Station Number I believe I gave tries, but they never really caught my imagination.

I guess the take has always been that Trek was the thinking man's Star Wars, but the new trailer for th J.J. Abrams movie version suggests that this will be the non-thinking-man's Trek.

We tackled it this week for Trailers Without Pity and it, of course, came ready-built with all kinds of comedic baggage.

Hope you like it! Despite some technical glitches this week, we still had some fun with it and had even more fun recording the audio for next week's episode about Valkyrie.