Ericast.com Podcasts - DWEEB THOUGHTS

Ericast 115.3: Ericast Update

2009-12-20T16:17:00.005-06:00

Yes, another "update" -- when, oh when, am I going to put out a "real" episode? I don't know... but, in the meantime, I'm still playing with the YouTube browser upload options. As you'll hear from this brief episode... it still ain't ready for prime-time.

But, regardless... Merry Christmas! 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com with any and all comments. Thanks!

Ericast 115.2 - Ericast Update

2009-12-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

I'll admit, this update isn't the "pure, unadulterated" Ericast Update that I had in mind as I recorded it... so head's up that what you're hearing isn't really what a "BT530 to Blackberry 8320" sounds like. But after some work in Adobe Audition with compression and noise reduction, and after pasting the two parts together (you'll find out why when you listen)... here you go.

The two sites I tout (and they're really tout-worthy!) are Vlingo.com and iSpeech.org (which sponsors DriveSafe.ly). Check 'em out!

And let me know what you think -- 206-339-3742 or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com. Enjoy!

Ericast 115.1: Ericast Update

2009-12-07T20:29:00.004-06:00

Just a super-quick update to let you know I'm alive and well. I used YouTube's direct-to-site upload to see how it would work out as a "quick and dirty podcast process"... and it seems to have some hope.

Let me know what you think -- e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com, or call 206-339-3742 and leave a comment. Enjoy!

Ericast 115 - "Succinct Summer Summary"

2009-09-24T22:09:00.007-05:00

I'm back! And, boy, it wasn't easy!

This Ericast actually has video which, under ordinary circumstances, you'd see over in the YouTube channel (available through www.youtube.com/DweebThoughts.)

But you're not going to see it there.

UPDATE: You will see it there! Thanks to a bit of late-night editing, here's the official "Lost Episode"...

But you very nearly didn't see it on YouTube.

Why?

Because Visual Communicator completely hosed the audio. The intro was clipped at the end, the audio echoed throughout it, the levels were way off in what I recorded, and the video itself wouldn't even render the whole way through and stalled at 98% complete.

Hmmm. Something's not right.

The problem is that Visual Communicator (formerly from a great company named Serious Magic, which was bought out by Adobe) is a "live to hard drive" application with no options for post-production editing. The argument is, "Why do it in post when you can do it in real-time? After all, if you need to edit something, you can always open the output in a different video editing application and tweak it there"... which is true, but I'm not talking about a "tweak". Despite sounding fine in tests and despite there having been no problems indicated during the recording, the output is a total mess.

My only option to "fix the audio" in Visual Communicator is to re-record from the start, and I'm simply not willing to do that; an audio-only podcast this time will have to do.

(UPDATE: I decided that, as a matter of principle, I had to bring the video to you. That's how much I care about you, the dedicated Ericast listener/viewer/subscriber! What I ended up doing was force the Visual Communicator output to pubish as a DV .AVI, then brought that into Windows Movie Maker, then re-edited around the intro and outro, then manually balanced the audio levels across the whole thing, then rendered it out as a .WMV for uploading to YouTube. Surprisingly straightforward... but a smidge time-consuming.)

The reason I sound abnormally and atypically frustrated is because this is coming on the heels of a really good two-day EDUCAUSE web conference on the use of technology in higher education (for online collaboration, in this particular case). If I, an instructional technologist, can't leave a computer alone for three months without coming back to an application with a bunch of settings that somehow got hosed even though nobody has touched them... how can we expect faculty to embrace this stuff?!?

Ick! Let me know what you think. 206-339-ERIC is the ever-popular listener feedback line, and you can always e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com. Thanks for listening!

Ericast Update From-The-Keyboard

2009-07-16T08:25:00.002-05:00

Voice synthesis is better than nothing

Just checking in with the dedicated Ericast listeners to let you know I'm alive and well. I'm hoping to get another YouTube video up, though I haven't yet decided on a topic. Feel free to call with a suggestion!

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ericast 114 - "Interactive Audience Feedback"

2009-06-17T21:33:00.003-05:00

An experiment this week on the YouTube side of things: The video has a few DVD-style menus built in. The video will pause, and you get to make your choice as to what you hear (and see) next.

This means that the audio-only podcast will make slightly less sense than usual... but it didn't have very far to fall, so I think you'll be okay.

As always, comments are welcome -- an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast dot com or, better yet, a phone call to 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742).

Let me know what you think of this one; it was somewhat tedious to put together, but I think the concept has potential...

Episode 113 - "Dealing With Liars"

2009-06-07T20:22:00.006-05:00

No, not "lyres" -- this really is as inflammatory a title as you think it is. You'll want to comment on this one, and here's the method: call 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC if it's easier to remember the spelling than the number), or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

It's also on the old-time Ericast episode schedule -- a smidge over 20 minutes. What's the topic? This week's discussion is about Proverbs 15:4, as read from the Daily Audio Bible podcast. Want to know more? Stop reading this summary and listen to the Ericast episode!

I also mention in passing my little side-project where you can donate to the podcast: tip-joy.com (note the dash). More info on the story -- there's always a story with me! -- is available at the sister-site of the tip-joy.info blog. But whether you want to read the back-story or not, you can still click the donate button at tip-joy.com and give a few cents directly to me (as little as a dime!) as a "thank you" for the years of dedicated podcast entertainment that I've provided to you and the rest of humanity.

Hey, if you don't do "the ask," there's no chance that anyone will give, right? Let's see if it works...

Ericast 112 - "Selling My Dream"

2009-06-03T20:38:00.010-05:00

The only thing saving this show from the scrap heap of the Recycle Bin is my dedication to you, the Ericast listener. Or viewer. Neither experience is optimal this week; too stilted for a smooth audio recording, too awkward for pretty video. But the topic conveyed is an important one to me, commemorating the death of a dream:

1996-(2001)-2009

Speaking of communication and contact and discussion... do get in touch with me here at the Ericast, even if it's just to say "Hi! I'm listening!" You can call 206-339-3742 and leave a message (quick and painless), or drop an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com. And to clarify that e-mail address, in case it's its cryptic anti-SPAM phrasing here that's keeping you from successfully sending something... you type in the letters e, r, i and c, followed by an "at" sign, and then the domain of ericast.com. "Very simple, very easy" as Chef Tell used to say.

Does anyone remember the late Chef Tell from PM Magazine? Does anyone remember PM Magazine, even? Write or call and let me know!

Ericast 111 - "Enjoying the Night"

2009-05-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

A simple Ericast this week, from the beauty of my front porch on a warm Minnesota evening.

Comments? Complaints about inadequate content? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 110 - "GoDaddy and Micropayments"

2009-05-13T21:36:00.004-05:00

Back on the weekly schedule (shhhh! don't jinx it!) with a discussion of my latest little venture... which has led to other ventures... which gets to be a long story.

Here's the deal: For details, go to http://tip-joy.info and read up on why I bought http://tip-joy.com.

This week's podcast deals with the hosting at GoDaddy that makes all sorts of things (except the ericast.com site; maybe I should change that?) possible -- my good customer service with them when I had to call (because there wasn't an easy way to get their default checkboxes on the site to do what I wanted to do), as well as my good (yes, I said "good") experience with PayPal.

All on the topic of micropayments... which will have to wait for another day (because we ran out of time to deal with it here in more detail).

Remember, tell me what you think! This show is your show! 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or send an e-mail to me ("eric") at (you know that part) ericast.com.

Ericast 109 - "Garage Sale Aftermath!"

2009-05-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's been a month! But I'm back! Usually, if the Ericast were delayed until a Saturday, I'd just push it into the next week and be early on Sunday... but enough people have asked about this one that I figured I'd better get it out slightly earlier.

Like a day matters, right?

Anyway, discussion this week is about Ruth's garage sale in mid-April. If I can dig up some of the photos we took, I'll put them out on one of my web sites.

Speaking of... next week, I think there's going to be some website-related discussion! Wheee!

As always, send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com or call our listener feedback line at 206-339-3742 (which spells out 206-339-ERIC). Enjoy!

Ericast 108 - "Remembering College Video"

2009-04-06T20:42:00.006-05:00

Not entirely useless for those of you in the audio-only world... but I'll admit that this week's episode does sorta drive you to the official Ericast YouTube channel (where the video side of things has been dubbed the "Dweeb Thoughts podcast," thus putting to use the long orphaned subtitle of the Ericast).

This week we talk about the good-old-days of video editing -- something I did quite a bit of in college. Sitting out there now is my imfamous "tree piece" -- done because 1) I thought it was interesting and 2) I wanted the challenge of making an interesting, media-rich story about... trees.

(The opening shot is the impressive one.)

As always, keep the comments coming -- not just about this particular show and my video-related life, but about any Ericast topics past or present. Call 206-339-3742 (which spells out 206-339-ERIC for the alphabetically inclined) or send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com.

And a special embedded treat -- the "tree story" mentioned in the podcast, from November of 1995:

Ericast 107 - "Credit Card Issues"

2009-04-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

Continuing with video-related podcasts, though (to be overly honest) this one is better in audio-only form. Why? For one reason, I was able to boost and compress the calls from Matt Beckwith and Jonzer, which I didn't do in the YouTube video. So, if you want something that sounds good, this is the thing to listen to.

That is... as Ericasts go. Right?

Comments to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mailed to me (eric) at ericast.com. You can even do what Digital Dan did and sent along a video to that e-mail address.

Or, something else entirely -- surprise me!

The discussion this week, by the way -- yes, there's a topic! -- is the "Verified by Visa" surprise that I got when trying to order my electric bike (which is not a moped!). It almost led to a lack-of-coffee tragedy; listen to hear all the exciting details!

Ericast 106 - "An Electric Bike?!?"

2009-03-22T19:16:00.003-05:00

The video theme returns (thanks to the positive comments from last week's Dweeb Thoughts premiere!) with this week's discussion of my new "E-Zip 2008 Mountain Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike" (the official bike of the Ericast).

The video version has a few still shots but no action-video of the bike itself. That'll come... eventually. In the meantime, you can bask in the glory of the infinitely improved production values on the video this week (as I learn the features of the software I'm using). Remember, it's all about learning through experimentation, right?

Questions, problems, worries, concerns or comments should be phoned in to 206-339-ERIC, which is easy to punch in to your Blackberry thanks to Digital Dan's tip that you get to hear this week! Dial 206-339-3742 if you didn't pay attention. Or, keep things simple and e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com and we'll handle the conversation in the old-fashioned printed way.

Ericast 105 - "Moving to Video!"

2009-03-15T14:43:00.004-05:00

Celebrating 4 years! Happy Birthday to the Ericast! Send belated birthday greetings to us by calling 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. "206-339-ERIC") or e-mail me ("eric") at ericast.com.

How are we celebrating? With... VIDEO! Be sure to watch all the way to the end to spot the special family cameo.

Ericast 104 - "Remembering Our Past"

2009-03-09T19:43:00.002-05:00

I think that most of you will never have heard this before. ("never will have heard"? "will have never heard"?... whatever...) This "very special episode" of the Ericast will lend a little bit of perspective to a lot of things.

Or, it'll be nothing but a little bit of interesting trivia.

Questions? Comments? Worries? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. "206-339-ERIC") or e-mail me ("eric") at ericast.com.

Ericast 103 - "Revisiting Leadership Again"

2009-03-04T22:01:00.003-06:00

Discussing the old "leadership" topic that used to be a favorite of the Ericast. What do you think? Are "leaders" "better" people? 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC for the phone-spelling inclined) is your place to leave a message and tell us what you think. (That's the "majestic We" there -- there's really no "us"... it's just "me".)

We (there I go again) also briefly discuss the Altamont Pass Wind Farm and the fate/function of sites like Everyzing.

Note that the Leadership interview is from EDUCAUSE, and you can find the unedited video on the web as well (look for the EDUPUNK Battle Royale at that link).

Speaking of, let me know what you think of the "edupunk" concept. As someone who was home educated through my junior high and high school years (and was in a small Montessori school before that) it rings true to me... but I'd like to hear your opinions before I start pontificating on the topic.

I close the show with a reminder that next week is a "very special episode" of the Ericast. What might it be? Tune in next week and find out!

Ericast 102 - "Catching up... Slowly"

2009-02-27T13:12:00.003-06:00

No good excuses for why the Ericast is falling behind despite my best intentions; it's just been busy here in the Larson household.

Interesting tidbit: I had my BlackBerry in my shirt pocket during recording, and in at at least one point in the podcast (as I played it back during assembly) I hear the tell-tale "dit-da-dit-dit-da-dit-dit" of cell phone communication. This didn't come through at all during the recording process itself. I'm curious how many other times that happened during the recording; take count, phone in your answer to 206-339-3742, and maybe we can turn it into some kind of contest...

A couple relevant links:

www.PizzaGoHere.com for the Beckwith family podcast
Press Release about Siemens wind turbines from Duluth

Ericast 101 - "Moving the Studio"

2009-02-17T21:31:00.002-06:00

New year, new milestone, new location! In addition to the Feedburner-to-Google move, the Ericast is coming from a new physical location.

Really, I have to admit, that's about as exciting as this episode gets. So give me a call and feed me some topics! 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC for the spelling-inclined) or e-mail me (eric) at gmail.com.

Ericast 100 - "Being Emotionally Healthy"

2009-01-30T21:08:00.002-06:00

THIS IS IT! Lucky episode 100! Thanks to all my loyal listeners, and greetings to all my new ones! I'm happy to have both of you on-board.

An important warning to all Ericast subscribers: Next week (the week of February 1st) I'm going to "push the button" on the conversion from Feedburner to Google. I have no idea what's going to happen... but I have a sinking feeling that a bunch of old Ericast episodes are going to come flooding back into the feed. If so... my apologies in advance.

This week's episode is a celebration of work-life balance. I wish I could say something more dramatic, but I can't. At least it's out in-the-wild now!

Call in with comments to 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742 for the letter-challenged) or send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com. Follow my daily updates with my Twitter account at twitter.com/emlarson. And don't forget to connect to me on LinkedIn or Facebook (if you need help, send me an e-mail and ask me how).

By the way, speaking of e-mail, you'll notice that I only reference the fact that you can e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com. Why is that? Because I don't want any horrible evil SPAM-bots to figure out what my e-mail address really is. It's not rocket science, sure, but if I put my exact e-mail address "in print" I think I'd be in trouble. When in doubt, call the Ericast listener feedback line and get in touch with me that way.

Ericast Update From-The-Keyboard

2009-01-12T08:40:00.002-06:00

This is just a quick update coming through the old "Ericast Update From The Keyboard" function, which was built on a service by Talkr.com. (That's T-A-L-K-R .com, with no 'E'. All the cool Web 2.0 services have to drop out the vowels, right?) From the looks of it, the feeds and the service are still active, which surprises me -- most services like this, rather than getting more popular, have actually disappeared. Here's hoping that this one stays around.

If you know of anything similar -- that is, a web service that takes written text and converts it to a spoken MP3 which can be pulled into a podcast -- let me know. As always, you can drop a note to eric at ericast.com, or call our listener feedback like at 206-339-3742.

Until next time... take care!

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Episode 99 - "Scanning Old Photos"

2008-12-29T20:57:00.002-06:00

A quick podcast to close out the year, commenting on my latest side-interest of getting hundreds (probably thousands) of old family snapshots scanned. How should I do it? Does it even matter? Give a poor podcaster some advice -- call 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) and let me know what you think!

Ericast 98 - "Building the Tree"

2008-12-01T18:37:00.003-06:00

Has anyone noticed that we're closing in on "Episode 100"? Wow. Call and let me know what you think of that, if nothing else. 206-339-3742 (which spells out "206-339-ERIC" on your telephone keypad).

Discussion this week starts out with geneology-related things (like Geni.com and Ancestry.com) before moving forward to Matt's calls from a few weeks ago about job/career progress and politics/spirituality.

Fun, fun stuff. Enjoy!

Ericast 97 - "Happy Thanksgiving Week!"

2008-11-24T17:37:00.004-06:00

A quick pre-Thanksgiving podcast because, seriously, I'm very thankful for my listeners and for the life I've been given (which allows me the time and the topics to podcast).

Topics this week range from podcast show assembly (or lack thereof) to invasive biological species. How's that for variety and range?

Be sure to e-mail (eric at ericast.com) or call (206-339-3742) with any and all comments; while I didn't include any thing week, I do promise that I listen... and I care!

One more thing. Does anyone remember the "Word-Of-The-Week" feature from Ericast-days gone by? Well, here's one that doesn't work nearly as well in audio form: Introducing... the "Bird-Of-The-Week"

Ericast 96 - "Summer is Gone!"

2008-11-10T18:40:00.003-06:00

What happens when you expand the "Ericast On-The-Road" concept into an entire podcast? Something that's surprisingly listenable (is that a word?) thanks to dumb luck and decent equipment.

Remember to call the listener-feedback line at 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com with any and all comments.

A teaser of one of this episode's topics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0__ctD48nfQ

Yup -- the Ericast gets controversial! Maybe. What do you think?