Sound Bytes
Encyclopedia
Sound Bytes is the title of a weekly program that airs on WGMC
, a Rochester, NY
radio station. It can be heard Saturdays starting at noon Eastern Time
, and lasts approximately two hours. The name is a play on words
of the words soundbite
and byte
.
The focus of the show is computers, computer users, and the computing industry, and also sometimes covers technology in general and its social and political implications. It is hosted by Nick Francesco, Dave Enright, and Steve Rea. The format of the show also allows computer users to call in to try to get assistance with their computer problems. Unlike many strictly local radio station programs, the Sound Bytes crew allows those who are listening to the show via the Internet
to get on the air as well.
As anyone who has worked in retail
can attest, sometimes customers need to be taken to task for their lack of forethought or reasonableness on issues. "Uncle Dave's Story Hour" is a regular feature of the show which is a rant about something that happened that raised the ire of Dave Enright in his shop. It's always good for a chuckle.
Each of the hosts is a specialist in the computing field. Nick is a Systems Administrator for the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology
. Dave runs a computer sales and repair shophttp://www.enrightpc.com./ which concentrates on Intel architecture
PCs. Steve works for a computer sales and repair companyhttp://www.mac-ave.com./ that concentrates on Apple products.
The hosts of the show have come up with a methodology of ridding a computer running Microsoft operating systems of malware called The Security Tango. It consists of deleting files from the computer and running tools that flag and remove malware
. It also makes recommendations of what programs (firewalls
, antivirus
, etc.) users should be running regularly on their computers to keep them relatively secure. Most of the tools and programs in The Security Tango are freeware
.
Having been on the air in some form since September 2, 1989, their "claim to fame" is the longest running show about computers.
WGMC
WGMC is a listener-supported station in Rochester, New York, USA, broadcasting on 90.1 MHz FM and streaming on the Internet at www.jazz901.org. On air, the station is identified as "Jazz 90.1" in reference to its FM frequency. WGMC specializes in all styles of jazz, but is also an important outlet...
, a Rochester, NY
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
radio station. It can be heard Saturdays starting at noon Eastern Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, and lasts approximately two hours. The name is a play on words
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
of the words soundbite
Soundbite
In film and broadcasting, a sound bite is a very short piece of a speech taken from a longer speech or an interview in which someone with authority or the average "man on the street" says something which is considered by those who edit the speech or interview to be the most important point...
and byte
Byte
The byte is a unit of digital information in computing and telecommunications that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, a byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the basic addressable element in many computer...
.
The focus of the show is computers, computer users, and the computing industry, and also sometimes covers technology in general and its social and political implications. It is hosted by Nick Francesco, Dave Enright, and Steve Rea. The format of the show also allows computer users to call in to try to get assistance with their computer problems. Unlike many strictly local radio station programs, the Sound Bytes crew allows those who are listening to the show via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to get on the air as well.
As anyone who has worked in retail
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
can attest, sometimes customers need to be taken to task for their lack of forethought or reasonableness on issues. "Uncle Dave's Story Hour" is a regular feature of the show which is a rant about something that happened that raised the ire of Dave Enright in his shop. It's always good for a chuckle.
Each of the hosts is a specialist in the computing field. Nick is a Systems Administrator for the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
. Dave runs a computer sales and repair shophttp://www.enrightpc.com./ which concentrates on Intel architecture
X86 architecture
The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU. The 8086 was launched in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit based 8080 microprocessor and also introduced segmentation to overcome the 16-bit addressing barrier of such designs...
PCs. Steve works for a computer sales and repair companyhttp://www.mac-ave.com./ that concentrates on Apple products.
The hosts of the show have come up with a methodology of ridding a computer running Microsoft operating systems of malware called The Security Tango. It consists of deleting files from the computer and running tools that flag and remove malware
Malware
Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming that is designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, or gain unauthorized access to system resources, or that otherwise exhibits abusive behavior...
. It also makes recommendations of what programs (firewalls
Firewall (computing)
A firewall is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass....
, antivirus
Antivirus software
Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware...
, etc.) users should be running regularly on their computers to keep them relatively secure. Most of the tools and programs in The Security Tango are freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
.
Having been on the air in some form since September 2, 1989, their "claim to fame" is the longest running show about computers.
External links
- http://www.soundbytes.org/ The show's page on the Web.
- http://www.jazz901.org/ The radio station's Web page.
- http://www.securitytango.com/ The Web site of The Security Tango.
- http://www.udsh.net/ The Uncle Dave Story Hour archive