gPodder review

Oh look, features!

If you use linux and podcast fan, then chances are you've heard of gPodder. If you're on windows, mac osx or and n800/n900 then you might not be as aware of this great little podcast aggregator.

Looks!

GPodder is an amazingly useful little tool, with a ridiculously large range of features to make using other clients or music managers as poscast aggregator. The UI is streamlined and easy to use, with a simplistic gtk style as an initial face and a heavy number of options hidden neatly behind the toolbar.

Features!

I find the features listed on the gPodder website too humbling, so here's all the features that I have found useful, big and small.

• Easy 2 pane 2 tab management interface
• Progress bar when updating feeds
• RSS, Atom, Youtube and Soundcloud feed support
• Numbers of downloaded and unplayed episodes to right of podcast name
• Full window for episode details
• Visit website button in menu
• Ability to prohibit deletion of episodes
• Ability to skip podcast when syncing to device
• Ability to download from http/ftp when password is required
• Supports album art well
• Additional components such as iPod synchronization available
• Search for new podcasts feature
• Useful list of tech podcasts available to pick and choose from in search for podcasts
• Ability to import from .opml
• Ability to export to .opml
• Google video and Youtube search
• Ability to upload podcast list to your gPodder account
• Ability to download your podcast list from gPodder account   
• Ability to hide toolbar and episode description
• Populated wiki for help, support and how-to
• Easy bug-reporting via launchapd

Preferences options

• Easily allows you to change default video and auto player to options from a smart drop down list, or a custom command
• Option to check for new episodes on startup
• Ability to check for new episodes after a number of minutes set by the user
• Ability to use proxy settings
• Auto-cleanup option to delete played episodes after a certain number of days
• Easily change download folder
• iPod configuration options inc:

- Only sync tracks that have not been played
- Delete episodes that have been marked as played
- Delete episodes after synchronisation option
- Mark episode as played after synchronisation option

• Filesystem based MP3 player configuration options inc:

- Same as iPod configuration with,
- Custom filename
- Create subfolders
- OGG support
- Sync folder

• Show gPodder icon in system notification area
• Only show tray icon when minimized
• Enable notification bubbles
• Start gPodder minimized
• Auto download new episodes when gPodder is minimized
• Heavily customisable advanced options

Summary

While you can clearly see all the features available, there are other factors such as it's speed, which for a podcast aggregator is fantastic. I'd thoroughly recommend the client and I think you will find it's easy to use UI and synchronisation features will make aspects of your life (specifically the podcasting aspects) immensely easier.

Days 13-19: Everyman sleep schedule

Well it's been about a week since my last post but my mornings are finally free due to the Christmas holidays. Since it's been a week I'll make an out of format review of the last 6 days.

Summary

Essentially it seems to have been a great success. I go to sleep straight away, get up (still with alarms though) easily enough and most importantly feel wide awake for the whole day.

Imperfections

Of course it hasn't been perfect over the last week. It was necessary for me to sleep in 3 and 4 days ago which fairly screwed up my system, making it quite hard to get back into the routine. I can say though that if you do sleep in after you've adapted to the schedule, even miss the schedule for 2 days, you can still relatively quickly go back onto it, aslong as you make sure you wake up and get up at the exact times needed. Yes this is what you've been doing the whole time, but it get so much more difficult after you sleep in. Luckily for me and hopefully for you, the horrible gritty feeling you get when you sleep is a big enough repellent to make you want to go back on the schedule asap. This feeling is the strangest thing of all. If I deprive myself of sleep, even off the schedule, if I simply don't sleep, it feels alot better than when I do. It's a difficult feeling to explain, but I can honestly say it feels like I'm addicted to the lack of sleep. I find it strange, but luckily it doesn't matter when I'm on the schedule as I'm getting a better sleep than ever.
One last little heads up too by the way is that for me atleast, when doing the schedule you adapt to your naps very quickly (ie. you adapt to going to REM phase after about a week) but only now am I starting to get out of bed easier. Some tips would be to get up the second you wake up, as usually tiredness wears off in about 20 minutes.

Don't give up

Just thought I'd make this to offer you a little reassurance. You will most likely sleep in a some point. I ended up sleeping in alot. In my 19 days I probably slept in for atleast an hour more than I should have on 8 occasions. But aslong as you keep going with the schedule and try your best, you will eventually get there.

That's all for now, I'll be making a tips and tricks post tomorrow morning which should offer some helpful advice, so keep reading!

Days 10-12: Everyman 2 sleep schedule

Info

Once again, sorry for not updating this on a daily basis. I have exams and once they are over will have alot more time to spend on the blog.

How I feel/Thoughts

It's difficult to remember exactly how I felt on each particular day. However I can say that on a whole, I feel alot better. I have no problems getting up in the morning, and I always feel fantastic after naps. I would put this down to 2 factors, my body adapting to the schedule, and a few tips/tendencies that have developed since starting the schedule that make sleeping and getting up much easier. I'll share these with you another time. As it is, the longer I do the schedule, the more efficient I become at it.

Day 7-9: Everyman 2 sleep schedule

Info

Right so I've missed day 7 and 8, sorry, but I study to do and the morning seems like the perfect time to do it.

How I feel

Well compared to the brilliance that was the energy felt during day 6, I', wrecked. The days can be summed up as followed.

Day 7 Wrecked after core sleep. Awake after naps.
Day 8 Wrecked after core sleep. Awake after naps.
Day 9 Wrecked after core sleep. Had no naps yet.

Thoughts

Well that's irritating, I was sure that my body had fully adjusted, but it seems I still have a stretch to go. Today does seem the worst so far anyway, and I'm expecting tomorrow to be quite a challenge too.

Day 6: Everyman 2 sleep schedule

Info

I didn't make a blogpost yesterday as I slept in the day before and wanted my description of days to be what you would expect should you try everyman 2 and not sleep in. I've made the physical change to my sleep since then of wearing tracksuit bottoms and a jumper to bed during my core sleep, which seems to make getting up in the morning alot easier. This may not be a problem for you, but here, it's cold in the mornings.

How I feel

Well, I don't feel tired anyway. And I didn't feel tired yesterday morning. I'm satisfied that my body is adjusting at this rate and showing some improvement, either that, or wearing extra clothes is the sole factor making it easier to get up. Either way, it's getting easier, which is all the improvement I could hope for right now.

Getting up from naps is also alot easier, however they become alot more difficult when taken soon after exercise.

Day 5: Everyman 2 sleep schedule

Info

It's almost 6am in the morning, got up at 5 without any problems.

How I feel

Whereas yesterday morning I was absolutely wrecked, this morning I don't feel bad at all.

Thoughts

Spelt in: Yesterday morning I slept in an extra half hour, and for the 1st nap I slept in the same amount. I said to myself when I started that if I did sleep in I wouldn't say as it's a real turn off when reading, but I think it's important. The 1st 3 days are easy, simple even, however I can confirm that you do get more tired. But interestingly, I don't think it'll be a problem again, as when you do sleep in, you feel like crap for the rest of the day. You don't feel as tired sure, but you get a gritty feeling as though you've done something morally wrong. At this point I'd prefer to be tired than put up with that for a day.

Day 4: Everyman 2 sleep schedule

Info

6.20am, got up an hour ago. Not much else.

How I feel

Currently I feel quite tired. Getting up was as usual a killer. I find getting up at 5am has become extremely difficult, but by 6am everything's going well. Yesterday was much the same situation, and after each nap I no longer felt tired for quite a while. The hardest thing is getting up from these naps, as you're so tempted to sleep 5 minutes longer, but it doesn't do you any good. I've ordered a extremely loud alarm clock that should get here for christmas that should fix this problem, but hopefully getting up won't be an issue by then.

Thoughts

Feeling alot more tired when having to get up, but lasting longer throughout the day.