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<title>1Radio Blog - Paladinleeds' Blog</title>
<description>Here are the latest posts in this blog.</description>
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<lastBuildDate>Fri,24 May 2013 16:30:47</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>Windows Phone Development - Update 12/01/2013 </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	So, here we are again, a week on. Development has slowed down due to the focus on other issues. However, I was able to get the form half working. Now, you are currently able to go to a Contact Form, and while it hasn't been completed yet, it is being worked on. My current stumbling block is around the audio. I can't get that stream to start playing, so this may require taking chunks of code for the AudioStreamingAgent and manipulating it to work for our station. Of course, the challenge gets even better. As there will be swaps between AudioPlayerAgent for the bridge and AudioStreamingAgent for the actual stream itself. This has the potential to go very south very fast. But we'll see what happens.<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=259</link>
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	<title>Windows Phone Development - Update 05/01/2013 </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	So, I've decided I'm going to blog on my progress with the app. I've started learning the basics of Windows Phone development and been messing around with a load of settings. But finally, 6+ months of being mystified, I finally made a big breakthrough (for myself) and got navigation working. I can now go between the various &quot;pages&quot; of the app. Think of each page of the app as like the 1Radio website. You link between each page. So you have your section for contacting the manager, your section for contacting the developer, etc. Separate pages that have to be hyperlinked together. After plenty of &quot;WTF&quot; moments breakthroughs are happening. Wonder how long this will last for though?<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=257</link>
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	<title>Windows Phone development - Starting Soon - UPDATE </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	So, this will be a small blog post but I would like to say that I am planning to be getting started on the Windows Phone app development in the near future, likely after my interview transcript is done. Now, for this to work cross platform, I will be requiring some other developers on board as I am planning to tackle Windows Phone only. By pooling all my resources into Windows Phone I will be able to squash bugs easier as I won't have multiplatform bugs to fix.

Edit 16/12/2012: unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control this app will have more limited functionality, if I can even get it working..<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=253</link>
		<guid>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=253</guid>		
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	<title>Review: Miss FD - Down In The Dungeon </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	Well, having recently stumbled upon a new track, let me first say it's a very nicely done track. Admittedly it's not my favourite genre, but the track itself is something epic. Designed for Halloween, I would say it hits that theme very well. There's also a music video that I have attached.

First of all, let's look at the main focus, the artist herself. The introduction, where she reads from the book, almost like she's reading a story to us all. A very nice touch if you ask me. You can tell it's Gothic from what she's wearing. The black dress really seems to play on that nicely. On a side note, I absolutely love her hair on this video!

Back on topic, she seems to have a flirtatious movement to her in the video, thanks to her body and eye movements. Combine that with the Gothic theme and the chorus's first line &quot;Down down, down in the dungeon&quot; and it screams out sadomasochistic tendencies to me. She then sits as part of a circle, hands connected with everybody, which shows an idea of a ritual. I am in love with this, but it makes me think she's either trying to use spirits to seduce the other people there, or she's trying to sacrifice them. Linking nicely into the next part. You then see other men and women in the video too. All in red or block, which again adds to the Gothic theme quite nicely. You don't hear them, only see them. But they really add to the song. You've got to admit, there's so much mystery surrounding them. It all fits in as part of the song I guess. Perhaps we could have heard a little bit more about them?

Now, for the scene. It's set in what appears to be either a church, or some sort of basement that has been &quot;Gothed-Up&quot;. Again, fits in with the nature of the song, no arguments there. I wish I could have been in that video personally, would have given me so much insight into the Goth culture, but I digress... Looking at some of the CGI and the special effects. For example, the graveyard shot in which you see these spirits rising. She had just mentioned about the legends of these spirits, and that they were having a gathering in a haunted house. In all fairness, it is extremely creepy, but that's the tone behind the song so full marks there. Also, the way the scene comes in on the paper and then flicking to her reading, with extracts of the text popping up. This is extremely well done, and adds to the feeling of her reading. This naturally, also adds suspension into the song, as you think &quot;Well if it's written in the book, what could happen next?&quot;

Now, the final section naturally, is the audio. I think the song is beautifully sung. However, I think there should have been more variety of words in the chorus. It's an even bigger problem in the middle part. &quot;The candles flicker blink and wink in the haunted house tonight, and from the darkness and the shades, the haunts come to life&quot; 4 times one after another, it gets kinda repetitive. Of course, it doesn't change the fact the vocal chords are beautifully hit throughout the song, and it sounds creepy but energetic.

So, overall, I would like to give this song a 9.5/10. The repetition on the bridge, and to a lesser extent the chorus (although there was more variety in the chorus), was what stopped it from getting full marks. Aside from that, it was brilliant. Very entertaining, but can someone PLEASE get the damn chorus out of my head? It's completely jammed in there! I definitely recommend giving this song a listen. You will enjoy it if you like electro or goth music. As an aside, I did originally pull this through my Zune Music Pass, and loved it so much I decided to actually buy a copy from outside of my pass. Well worth it for me!

You can find Miss FD online at these places:
http://www.MissFD.com
http://www.facebook.com/MissFDMusic
http://www.twitter.com/MissFDMusic

And if you're interested in buying a copy of the song...
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/down-in-the-dungeon-single/id549704075
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Down-in-the-Dungeon/dp/B008SAN8O4
Please take note that Zune/Xbox versions are UNAVAILABLE.

UPDATE: I have recently been made aware that the ritual part of the song is actually a s&Atilde;&copy;ance. Thanks to Miss FD for making me aware of this.<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=238</link>
		<guid>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=238</guid>		
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	<title>R.I.P. Zune Music, Hello Xbox Music! </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	So, some of you may remember an article I posted about Zune Music Pass. Well, I received an email from Microsoft over a month ago about Zune being sent to the graveyard. I shall attach the email I received at the bottom of this blog post. Also attached is the introduction video for Xbox Music. Also is it just me or is there no rewind/fast forward buttons in Xbox Music? Or at least, not in the promo video...

So, what does this mean for us users? Well, for those of you currently using the Zune Music Pass, you guys are unaffected. It seems to only affect songs that we have purchased outright from Microsoft (well that's my copy of Nicki Minaj - Starships that I purchased from Zune done for should I ever lose it...)

I can also assure you that my Zune music play count has mysteriously gone missing. So, I can no longer keep track of how many songs I've played. This resulted in quite a few frustrated users over at a tech forum that I frequent, especially as they held competitions for how much music you could listen to. Funnily enough, any music sourced from outside of Zune didn't count towards this. Fortunate as due to Zune settings jingles managed to worm their way into my playlists... I need to finish moving them!

Social tab for the Zune desktop client has also magically disappeared. This was something I found quite nice, even though I very rarely used it. Of course, with iTunes being the dominant music store, this Social tab found very little use. But it was still nice for keeping up to date with the music habits of my friends on Xbox Live.

Xbox Music is also rumoured to launch with a free, ad-supported streaming version of the Music Pass. What does this mean as far as downloads go? This I am not currently aware of, but I will certainly keep trekking the tech blogs to see how this all pans out.

Any of you use the Zune HD? Well, it's time to get rid, because Microsoft are as good as bricking those devices, as apps will no longer be able to be installed onto a Zune HD. As of yet, I am not sure if this affects your music collection, but if Microsoft are bricking one of the major parts of the Zune HD, I expect they'll do the Full English in terms of bricking...

Zune's 3 device limit seemed to be flawed somewhat. I tried everything I could to get the Xbox 360 attached to my devices (a nice combination of HTC TITAN with Windows Phone, Windows 7 PC that I will be upgrading to 8, plus the Xbox 360), but to no avail. I even tried streaming music from Zune... So of course, this has me completely stumped. I will instead save the third device for a Surface tablet I will be looking to purchase.
__________________________

Dear Paladinleeds: 
 

As we prepare for the exciting launch of Xbox Music later this fall, we want to make you aware of some pending changes to the Zune Music service that will be made on August 31st. 

Specifically, the following features will no longer be available: 
 

&acirc;€&cent;	Sending and receiving messages, inviting friends, sharing the songs, playlists, and albums you are listening to, and viewing past play history 
&acirc;€&cent;	Mixview playback and channel playlists
&acirc;€&cent;	Apps for Zune HD
&acirc;€&cent;	Purchasing music videos or streaming them as a part of Zune Music Pass from the Zune PC software 
&acirc;€&cent;	Re-downloading, re-activating, or re-licensing previously purchased music videos if / when you upgrade your PC 
These changes will NOT affect music streaming or downloading as part of Zune Music Pass, impact songs that you have purchased from Zune Marketplace, or change your ability to stream music videos on Xbox 360. 
 

We thank you for being an important part of the Zune Music community. 

Soon we&acirc;€™ll have more to share about Xbox Music, our brand new service that lets you access the music you care about on Xbox, phones, and tablets, plus a whole lot more. 
 

Sincerely, 
 

The Zune Music Team<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=236</link>
		<guid>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=236</guid>		
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	<title>A Look Into Zune... </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/sc/33750785-2-300-DT4.jpg
Go on, how many of you recognise the device on the left and how many recognise the device on the right?

So, Microsoft had these Zune devices in the US, but they never made it into the UK. I never owned one of these Zune iPod-like devices, the iPod Touch-esque one being the Zune HD. But as everyone knows, I do have a Windows Phone, which has a Zune built in, a la iPod for iPhone. So, 5 months into owning the device, I am going to look through it's music features.

Now first of all, it has to be said that Zune does not have the marketplace of iTunes. Indie artists will happily submit to iTunes but if like me you're a Zune user, touch luck. Of course, this is due to the way Apple managed to market the iPod as the ultimate MP3 device, smashing the likes of Sony who arguable had better music players. Everybody knows iPod/iPhone/iTunes, most people do NOT know Zune (or even Windows Phone for that matter, although Nokia are fast changing that!), and therefore the money for indie artists is with iTunes. Now, with that negative out of the way...

When you use the Zune desktop software you're treated to a glorious Metro user interface that just screams to be touched, in fact, you may recognise the user interface from the Xbox 360 already, especially if you have a Kinect, or from your phone, if you're one of the 0.5% of the smartphone population with a Windows Phone (note, the percentage may not be accurate), or you may have seen it on the Windows 8 Developer/Consumer preview, if that interests you. Indeed, it is part of the interface that will be standard for Windows products, and I find very intuitive. In terms of music quality, well, I find it the same as any other media player, which is generally quite good. The Music Pass is a great addition for the Zune, but more on that later as the benefits are truly felt on the mobile side of the Zune. Just remember, if you use a Zune device (including Windows Phone), then this will be the software that you use to manage your device.

Of course, when we step away from Zune desktop and onto the mobile version... Well, this is a big one, as your whole consumerate wishes are granted by Zune. You want to listen to music or watch a video? Zune's media will take control. You want to use Facebook as an application? You need to use Zune Marketplace to install the app. While the Zune Marketplace is slim pickings as far as apps are concerned, the apps are generally of good quality and are mostly designed to take advantage of the Metro user interface. Lots of flicking, lots of quirky animations, lots of swiping. Of course, what is a media based brand without a media player on all the devices powered by it?

Well, it has to be said, companies like HTC are allowed to get involved with the camera and sound, and indeed HTC have with their &quot;Camera Modes&quot; and &quot;Sound Enhancer&quot;, which believe it or not I don't use the latter, and infrequently use the former! But the music player on the Windows Phone is solid, has all the basic functions. It is worth noting though, that to &quot;scrub&quot; through a track, you tap and hold the Previous Track or Next Track button, which you shouldn't miss. All rudimentary functionality is present, nothing much else to say really about that. However, your music experience can really be enhanced by the Zune Music Pass. Now this media pass, costing &Acirc;&pound;8.99 a month, or &Acirc;&pound;89.90 a year, grants you unlimited music streaming and downloads (which are provided in WMA format, and are DRM protected, with a bitrate of 192kbps). Not bad value if you ask me. They are linked to your Windows Live ID from what I can tell, yet they work in Windows Media Player, which I haven't linked to Windows Live, yet try and load them onto my HTC tablet, and they will not play ball. Maybe Android can't handle WMA files?

All in all, I find the Zune ecosystem to be very powerful and full of potential. The interface is a dream to use, and is really worth considering.<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=218</link>
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	<title>Mobile Site Update </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	Hey guys,

As you may not be aware I am developing an updated mobile site for use on 1Radio.org - with the intention of bringing the brand mobile as opposed to being an extension for the current users. I am planning to upload a ZIP file later on as a progress report. As the whole site is beyond my spectrum of knowledge, I am instead setting the foundations from which Tim can further develop.

Why a mobile site, you ask? Well the applications will be built from the mobile site, as this is a solid base in which to work on an application. However I plan to pay attention to design standards of the application (e.g. Metro for Windows Phone) in order to bring a familiar interface.

Tim is supporting me in the project and hopefully we will be able to release the applications as official (but one can dream can't they ;) )<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=209</link>
		<guid>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=209</guid>		
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	<title>The 1Radio.org App </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	Ok, so Stephen has kindly asked to help build an app for some platforms that will let you access 1Radio listener features on your mobile device.

Presumably, this app will support for the following:
Webcam
Show features
Show live stream
Requests
Private Messages
Show Info
Schedule
and many more.

DJs BTS stuff (show bookings, promos, show editing, etc) would be left out of this app, it would be designed for listening.

So, my question to you is, if this app was to come out, would you get it. What mobile platform you on. For example I'll be using BBOS5 (BlackBerry Curve 8520), to be BBOS6 (BlackBerry Torch 9800), and QNX (BlackBerry Playbook). Comment below :D<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=195</link>
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	<title>TuneWiki - A way to see lyrics, as they're spoken </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	Now, having recently invested in another free app for my BlackBerry smartphone and finally getting the damn WiFi working back home again, I decided to try out this TuneWiki.

TuneWiki is an app (available on a variety of platforms) that streams mobile content from shoutcast servers, amongst other things like linking you to YT videos about the song.

But where TuneWiki really comes into it's own is in that it STREAMS the lyrics from it's lyric database as it plays the song. It probably uses a method like Shazam in order to recognise the song. But I've not really tested it's effectivity extensively yet, however on a rival station I was listening to for a bit, it picked up the song (pop song), and streamed the lyrics to go with it.

Nice, well, you can download said app from here: http://www.tunewiki.com/apps.aspx

Happy karaoke singing ;)<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=193</link>
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	<title>The War Has Begun </title>
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	<![CDATA[
	I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but one of our DJs has made a group saying to remove all things DragonForce. Fair enough, he may dislike them, but should they be deleted?

In outrage of this, some DJs are now stepping up to the plate and throwing a huge backlash against this group. I myself for example, am trying to get a huge rally of support going for DragonForce, and have decided on tactics to try and beat DragonForce into the DJ that made the group against them.

Stay tuned, this station is gonna get controversial with a Pro-DF vs Anti-DF style dispute. Expect a lot of stuff being said about DF, they could just become the highlight of the station for now!<br>	Posted by Paladinleeds	]]>
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		<link>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=144</link>
		<guid>http://1radio.org/blog/view.php?ArticleID=144</guid>		
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