MacBreak
Encyclopedia
MacBreak is an internet TV show hosted by Leo Laporte
, Kendra Arimoto, Alex Lindsay
, Justine Ezarik
and Emery Wells from the TWiT.tv network
and the Pixel Corps
. The podcast is dedicated to Apple's
Mac computers and other Apple products such as the iPod
.
MacBreak was the first podcast in 1080p
high definition
format, with the release of an episode on the TWiT web site in the format. According to Leo Laporte
on the TWIT
podcast, MacBreak caused bandwidth problems for its service provider, Libsyn.
MacBreak is a production of the TWiT.tv network in association with Pixel Corps. It is filmed in San Francisco, California on a greenscreen set at the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
. Each episode, the live-action greenscreen footage is keyed and composited over a virtual 3D set by members of the Pixel Corps
. This process is explained in the "Road to 1080p" episodes.
Starting in April 2007 with the release of MacBreak #65, "MacBreak Minutes" hosted by Merlin Mann
and Kenji Kato began to appear along with full MacBreak episodes. MacBreak Minutes are short tips that consisted of an application or tool featured in a one-minute condensed video.
Regular MacBreak guests/alternate host have included Weezer
drummer Patrick Wilson
, Kenji Kato, Mark Spencer, Craig Syverson, Cali Lewis, Don McAllister
and Dr. Kiki Sanford.
As of MacBreak #29, the opening titles were changed to reflect the new lineup of hosts. Amber MacArthur
was no longer listed, replaced by Merlin Mann and Kendra Arimoto. Justine Ezarik
became a host on January 12, 2007.
A spin-off called MacBreak Weekly was started on August 13, 2006. It distributed in audio and video formats and features many of the video version hosts as well as special guests. The intro theme is made by Ashley Witt at tenthauser.com. The usual "Mac pundits," as they refer to themselves, are Leo Laporte
, Alex Lindsay
, and Andy Ihnatko
. The content differs from MacBreak in that the discussion mainly covers Apple related news from the previous week. Other segments include a "Pick of the Week", where the hosts discuss various software and hardware they find useful.
Sections and features
There used to be a "Whine" section where the hosts complain about certain features of various Mac OS X applications they wish would be improved. A running joke is that Alex Lindsay tends to pick products with exorbitant price tags, and thus the panel has created a unit of currency, the “Alex” which is equivalent to the retail price of the current version of Adobe Photoshop
(approximately $700.00 US). It is sometimes used as a unit of price for the "Picks of the Week" segment, while free items are said to be “zero Alexes”. Macbreak Weekly 125 saw the introduction of two new units of price; the "Scott" is equal to 11 "Alexes", and the "Great Scott" is equal to 10 "Scotts." The show is often very casual and relaxed, and the hosts get off topic quite a bit which seems to contribute to the overall tone of the show. A recent feature on the show includes a special jingle first introduced by Merlin Mann and then supplied as a full blown song titled "Rathole!" which is played when the conversation veers very far off from the original topic. Another recurring theme is Leo Laporte's habit of buying Apple products just before they are discontinued, the price cut or the product changes. This started when he bought a Power Mac G4 Cube
on the day it was discontinued. (This was referenced in episode 12; "Smokin", see: http://twit.tv/mbw12) It has become a joke throughout the shows, mostly between Merlin Mann
and Scott Bourne
. Due to other commitments Merlin Mann has been absent for most shows since episode 104, although he appeared in episode 122.
The podcast has show notes published on the TWiT Wiki, under the MacBreak Weekly section.
Leo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
, Kendra Arimoto, Alex Lindsay
Alex Lindsay
For the Scottish footballer see Alex Lindsay Alex Ben Lindsay, founder of the Pixel Corps, has been involved in computer graphics and computer animation for nearly 20 years. Alex has extensive experience in digital production including print, real-time graphics, multimedia titles, forensic...
, Justine Ezarik
Justine Ezarik
Justine Ezarik , is an American viral video comedian, and Internet personality. She is best known as iJustine, a lifecaster who communicates directly with her thousands of viewers on her Justin.tv channel, ijustine.tv. She has made more than 400 videos, including videos on such subjects as Lost and...
and Emery Wells from the TWiT.tv network
TWiT.tv (network)
The TWiT Netcast Network, which is the operating trade name of TWiT LLC, is a podcast network run by technology broadcaster and author Leo Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of This Week in Tech. Security Now was the second podcast on the network, debuting in...
and the Pixel Corps
Pixel Corps
Pixel Corps is a training and production group composed of development personnel in digital media. It was founded by Alex Lindsay. The guild offers training as well as a means of communication between aspiring media professionals. They have done extensive work with Leo Laporte in producing the...
. The podcast is dedicated to Apple's
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
Mac computers and other Apple products such as the iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
.
MacBreak was the first podcast in 1080p
1080p
1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV high-definition video modes that are characterized by 1080 horizontal lines of resolution and progressive scan, meaning the image is not interlaced as is the case with the 1080i display standard....
high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
format, with the release of an episode on the TWiT web site in the format. According to Leo Laporte
Leo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
on the TWIT
Twit
Twit may refer to: A person of lesser intelligence, it is normally used in a humors way.*Idiot, a mentally deficient or self-defeating person*TWiT.tv, a podcast network**This Week in Tech , a podcast on the previously-listed network...
podcast, MacBreak caused bandwidth problems for its service provider, Libsyn.
MacBreak is a production of the TWiT.tv network in association with Pixel Corps. It is filmed in San Francisco, California on a greenscreen set at the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking, also known as SFSDF for short, is a vocational film school in San Francisco, California. The school was founded by Stephen Kopels and Jeremiah Birnbaum in 2005 and works in conjunction with Fog City Productions, a local independent production company, to...
. Each episode, the live-action greenscreen footage is keyed and composited over a virtual 3D set by members of the Pixel Corps
Pixel Corps
Pixel Corps is a training and production group composed of development personnel in digital media. It was founded by Alex Lindsay. The guild offers training as well as a means of communication between aspiring media professionals. They have done extensive work with Leo Laporte in producing the...
. This process is explained in the "Road to 1080p" episodes.
Starting in April 2007 with the release of MacBreak #65, "MacBreak Minutes" hosted by Merlin Mann
Merlin Mann
Merlin Dean Mann III writes the blog . He received a B.A. from New College of Florida, and he currently resides in San Francisco, California with his wife, Madeline Mann, and their daughter, .-Writing:...
and Kenji Kato began to appear along with full MacBreak episodes. MacBreak Minutes are short tips that consisted of an application or tool featured in a one-minute condensed video.
Regular MacBreak guests/alternate host have included Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
drummer Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson (musician)
Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....
, Kenji Kato, Mark Spencer, Craig Syverson, Cali Lewis, Don McAllister
Don McAllister
Don McAllister is an English former professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Vitoria Setubal, and Rochdale.-Football career:...
and Dr. Kiki Sanford.
As of MacBreak #29, the opening titles were changed to reflect the new lineup of hosts. Amber MacArthur
Amber MacArthur
Amber Dawn MacArthur is a Canadian television and netcasting personality. MacArthur is currently the co-host of BNN's App Central....
was no longer listed, replaced by Merlin Mann and Kendra Arimoto. Justine Ezarik
Justine Ezarik
Justine Ezarik , is an American viral video comedian, and Internet personality. She is best known as iJustine, a lifecaster who communicates directly with her thousands of viewers on her Justin.tv channel, ijustine.tv. She has made more than 400 videos, including videos on such subjects as Lost and...
became a host on January 12, 2007.
MacBreak Weekly
Leo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
, Alex Lindsay
Alex Lindsay
For the Scottish footballer see Alex Lindsay Alex Ben Lindsay, founder of the Pixel Corps, has been involved in computer graphics and computer animation for nearly 20 years. Alex has extensive experience in digital production including print, real-time graphics, multimedia titles, forensic...
, and Andy Ihnatko
Andy Ihnatko
Andy Ihnatko is a technology journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and tech author. He currently resides in Massachusetts. He frequently appears on Leo Laporte's podcasts, specifically MacBreak Weekly and TWiT...
. The content differs from MacBreak in that the discussion mainly covers Apple related news from the previous week. Other segments include a "Pick of the Week", where the hosts discuss various software and hardware they find useful.
Sections and features
There used to be a "Whine" section where the hosts complain about certain features of various Mac OS X applications they wish would be improved. A running joke is that Alex Lindsay tends to pick products with exorbitant price tags, and thus the panel has created a unit of currency, the “Alex” which is equivalent to the retail price of the current version of Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
(approximately $700.00 US). It is sometimes used as a unit of price for the "Picks of the Week" segment, while free items are said to be “zero Alexes”. Macbreak Weekly 125 saw the introduction of two new units of price; the "Scott" is equal to 11 "Alexes", and the "Great Scott" is equal to 10 "Scotts." The show is often very casual and relaxed, and the hosts get off topic quite a bit which seems to contribute to the overall tone of the show. A recent feature on the show includes a special jingle first introduced by Merlin Mann and then supplied as a full blown song titled "Rathole!" which is played when the conversation veers very far off from the original topic. Another recurring theme is Leo Laporte's habit of buying Apple products just before they are discontinued, the price cut or the product changes. This started when he bought a Power Mac G4 Cube
Power Mac G4 Cube
The Power Mac G4 Cube was a small form factor Macintosh personal computer from Apple Inc. It was sold from 2000 to 2001. Its cube shape is reminiscent of the NeXTcube from NeXT, acquired by Apple in 1996. The machine was designed by Apple industrial designer Jonathan Ive...
on the day it was discontinued. (This was referenced in episode 12; "Smokin", see: http://twit.tv/mbw12) It has become a joke throughout the shows, mostly between Merlin Mann
Merlin Mann
Merlin Dean Mann III writes the blog . He received a B.A. from New College of Florida, and he currently resides in San Francisco, California with his wife, Madeline Mann, and their daughter, .-Writing:...
and Scott Bourne
Scott Bourne
Scott Bourne is an author, nature photographer, lecturer, podcaster, and producer specializing in new media and technology.-Books:Scott Bourne has authored three books about photography....
. Due to other commitments Merlin Mann has been absent for most shows since episode 104, although he appeared in episode 122.
The podcast has show notes published on the TWiT Wiki, under the MacBreak Weekly section.