Due To Technical Difficulties...

I was planning to bring you another edition of our podcast, The Sleazecast, today. However, I'm afraid that there have been some technical difficulties. The whole thing has been recorded with no problems, but unfortunately I can't get the recording off of my voice recorder due to the fact that the USB cable has, quite literally, fallen apart. Of course, being a cheap generic Chinese voice recorder cum MP3 player, the B end of the cable seems to be of a design unique to these devices. Certainly, none of the other USB cables with a mini-B type plug at one end will fit the socket on the recorder. So, you'll imagine my relief at finding an online seller who could apparently supply a replacement cable. Except, it turns out, they can't. Despite listing the cable on their site, and despite being able to order one, I've now had my payment refunded with no explanation. A check on the supplier's site shows the item removed. All of which leaves me severely pissed off - if you can't supply something, then don't bloody have it on your site!

Obviously, I'm left with the problem of the inaccessible files. Despite the fact that none of the USB cables I've seen online seem to have the right type of B plug, I'm going to take a chance on a couple of cheap cables from Amazon. As far as I can see from the poor photos, these might just fit. If they don't, well at least they are very cheap. Some of the other cables I looked at cost more than I paid for the voice recorder itself. The only other alternative I can see is to buy another cheap Chinese voice recorder, as they all appear to use the same type of USB connector, (probably because they are all made in the same factory, I assume). Another advantage of this alternative is that I could actually 'upgrade' my voice recording capability, as some of the devices currently available at low prices have rechargeable batteries and far better laid out displays and controls than my current cheap recorder. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that the already delayed sixth dose of The Sleazecast will be further delayed.