Today in Madison, Wisconsin USA I saw half a dozen pregnant women firing off model rockets in a field….

I think I will call this picture, “Rocket Moms“

(c) 2007 Tim Barrett, All Rights Reserved

Warning: You have now reached the end of the Internet.

Unless you’ve been living on planet Marklar, you’ve no doubt heard of the SBS Show.  And if you’re smart, you’ve listened to some, if not all of the over 2 dozen episodes of SMB goodness!

Well, the beat goes on and the SBS Show is now in 2.0 mode.   For unbeatable price of exactly ‘zero dollars’ you can get your SMB learn on at the new www.sbsshow.com website, sign up for the newsletter, download current and past episodes, and subscribe to the RSS feed to get it while it’s hot!

So be sure and join Vlad, Susanne and their guests as the SBS Show jaugernaught rolls into 2007!

P.S. Also, be sure to check out the Vladfire video podcasts and our good buddy Chris Rue!

After SMB Nation wrapped up, geeks from around the globe split up and went their separate ways.  Some went back to the hotel to relax, some had to catch a plane, and others went to parties, etc.  But nearly a dozen geeks hung out together for a special behind-the-scenes tour arranged by Allen Miller and the Seattle Aquarium staff and management.  So if you were one of the SBSers invited on the tour and weren’t able to attend, you totally missed out on a fantastic time!

Here’s the roster of attendees:

• Tim Barrett – Louisville, Kentucky USA
• Paul Bonathan – Chatham, Kent UK
• Mark Creamer – Cincinnati, Ohio USA
• Susanne Dansey – Chatham, Kent UK
• Jeremy Hunt – Ponsonby, Auckland New Zealand
• Vlad Mazek – Orlando, Florida USA
• Allen Miller – Cincinnati, Ohio USA
• Eriq O. Neale – Denton, Texas USA
• Scott Ontjes – Dayton, Ohio USA
• Chris Rue – Northport, Alabama USA
• Mohit Vij – Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA

On with the show… (And be sure to turn up your speakers because the dialog on this tour was as good as the pictures – seriously!

Title: No Geek Left Behind – Episode 005
Subject: Seattle Aquarium Geek Tour
Run time: 19 minutes 40 seconds

Pocket PC Version: WMV 27.5 MB (208×160)
Windows Version: WMV 35.1 MB (320×240)
Mac version: MOV 79.8 MB (320×240)

Episode 003 gets a touch of class with a brief voice over intro from our favorite UK SMB girl across the pond, Susanne Dansey. (Thanks Susanne!) And after that high point, everthing pretty much goes down hill.

But seriously, 003 is a video tour inside the Microsoft Across America (MSAM) Technology Truck / Bus / RV / whatever you want to call it. I hosted the MSAM truck for an event last fall and took some time in the afternoon to chat up Mike Voorhees, the Technology Specialist onboard.  Mike was kind enough to give us the nickle tour and to endure my stupid jokes about socks in the RV attic and Microsoft BOB. 

And even though the video talks about only Certified and Gold Partners getting the truck, Microsoft Small Business Specialists can get it too (talk to your PAM).  Case in point, Jon Been at Beechtree IT Solutions (a Microsoft Small Business Specialist) is hosting the Microsoft Truck in New Albany, Indiana on 14 September 2006.  It’s one of the brand new trucks, even bigger than before.  I’ll be there too, so come check it out! 

On to the video..

Title:  No Geek Left Behind – Episode 003
Subject:  The Magic Bus (MSAM Truck)
Run time:  16 minutes 48 seconds

Pocket PC version:  WMV 22.2 MB (208×160)
Windows version: WMV 29.1 MB (320×240)
Mac version: MOV 36.2 MB (320×240)

As promised in Episode 1, I’m making the NoGeekLeftBehind video blog available in WMV format for your Windows viewing pleasure.  There is a regular Windows WMV version for your Windows Media Player, and a smaller size for Pocket PCs.

Thanks to some new compression tools the file size is smaller too (*WAY* smaller).  I chopped the Apple QuickTime version from 48 MB down to 10.5 MB, and it still looks smooth. It’s all in the software kids   Video links below:

Title: No Geek Left Behind – Episode 002
Subject:  September 2006 Microsoft SBS Partner Group Tour
Run time:  4 minutes 41 seconds

Pocket PC version: WMV 5.8 MB (208×160)
Windows version: WMV 7.4 MB (320×240)
Mac version: MOV 10.5 MB (320×240)

Gavin, let me know if that Pocket PC version works on your sweet new Motorola Q phone!

No Geek Left Behind – Episode 2 is born! 
September 2006 Microsoft SBS Partner Group Tour 

As you already know from previous posts on this blog, the FREE tour will hit 13 cities next month.  And our little video gives you a nice visual overview of the locations with a light touch of humor.

No video blog has ever done humor better than RocketBoom 1.0.  But in Amanda Congdon’s absence I’ve switched to Sunny in San Diego for my non-technical RB-ish vlog fix.

And for you low-bandwidth / non-QuickTime-havin’ flunkies out there, we do have a version of Episode 2 on YouTube, though it’s doing some funky Kung-Foo lip sync stuff, so I’m not going to post the URL to it just yet.  (I may do a VideoEgg embedded video player).  Anyway, enjoy!

Title: No Geek Left Behind – Episode 2
Subject:  September 2006 Microsoft SBS Partner Group Tour
URL:  http://www.nogeekleftbehind.com/nglb_002.mov
Run time:  4 minutes 41 seconds
Screen size:  320×240
File size: 48.2 MB
Format: Quicktime

My iMac and I finally learned to work together, and I’m happy to report that Episode 1 of the No Geek Left Behind video blog has finally been born.

I want to personally thank a few folks who really helped make this happen:

• Vlad – Thanks for the ENORMOUS patience, for being an excellent web host, and for being such a world-class Mac H8R.  I probably would have done this entire project on a PC if you didn’t hate Macs so much.
• Chris – Thanks for help with the WordPress migration, video pointers & for being there on IM when I needed to vent.  You’re always there in a pinch man.
• Elsa – Thanks to you, Mark Mulcahy, Polaris and Mezzotint Label for the tunes!  You guys TOTALLY rock!
• Ryanne & Michael – Thanks for the excellent vlogging tutorial!  I couldn’t have done it without you.
• Steven Washburn at Apple – Thanks for helping me learn to like (not love) my iMac.  The Apple Juice is sweet.
• Seth – Lastly, thanks for constantly pestering me with Vista questions, for ruining good footage by talking over the video, and for generally making this project take longer than necessary to get off the ground.  Seriously though, thanks for camera work dude.  

And here it is in all it’s QuickTime glory (the WMV version will have to wait until after the weekend):

Title: No Geek Left Behind – Episode 1
URL:  http://www.nogeekleftbehind.com/nglb_001.mov
Run time:  5 minutes 18 seconds
Screen size:  320×240
File size: 26.7 MB
Format: Quicktime

I uploaded two versions of the intro credits for the No Geek Left Behind Video Blog today – one is Quicktime, the other is WMV, and both were created on a Mac. (Yes, I’m still drinking the Apple Juice).

Please take a look at both video intros and vote for your favorite file format. Also, keep in mind – this is not the first episode, just the intro. If I get a lot of feedback from iPodders, I’ll use Quicktime, and if the Windows / Pocket PC folks are louder, I’ll use WMV:

Title: No Geek Left Behind Video Blog Intro (Beta) Quicktime
File size: 904.43 KB
DESCRIPTION: No Geek Left Behind Video Blog intro credits
Format: Quicktime (beta 1 – 2006-07-14)

Title: No Geek Left Behind Video Blog Intro (Beta) WMV
File size: 1.3 MB
DESCRIPTION: No Geek Left Behind Video Blog intro credits
Format: WMV (beta 2 – 2006-07-14)
Note: The WMV intro is actually shorter in length than the Quicktime, because the file is larger and I wanted to save download time for the beta. The real deal will be full length.

You can post your comments directly on this blog, or you can e-mail nogeekleftbehind at mac.com Thanks for checking it out!!