I Can Hear Clearly Now The Ring Is Gone

I'm in love with this man. Call it a bromance if you like, but he's done for me things no one else can. Specifically, he's given me back my appreciation for music.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="332" caption="George and Slau by Skepticality - truth in podcasting"][/caption]

That's Slau. (No, the one in the jacket. The other one is George. I've talked about him plenty in the past. Look it up.) Professional recording engineer, musican and friend, I called Slau recently when I was looking to upgrade my headphones. You see, I can't hear for squat. Partly genetics, partly stupidity when I was younger, but I've lost the ability to discern subtle audible changes. That causes no end of grief for my wife and co-workers. Yes, I've become my grandfather.

As you might have heard, I do the podcasting thing. Before that, I was in radio. Before that, I was in a semi-pro band. Before that, I was a recording engineer. Back when editing was done with a razor blade. No, not kidding. That's a slightly broken chain of occupations and avocations over 25 years where I spent time -- a lot of time -- with a pair of headphones clamped to my ears. Yet for the last five years or so, I've been getting by with the crappy ear buds that came with my MP3 player. That changed today.

Today I got in my new pair of Sony MDR7506 headphones, on Slau's recommendation. And for the last two hours, I've been re-discovering my music collection. Holy crap, have I been missing things.

For years I've been telling podcasters and home-recording neophytes that the very first piece of equipment they should purchase should be a good pair of headphones. But I wasn't taking my own medicine. So I took the plunge, dropping down a C-note on the MDR-7506s. It's about time I ate my own dog food, as they say.

I couldn't be happier. Yes, I could have spent more, but I didn't. A lot my hearing range is shot, so it doesn't make much sense for me to fork over close to a grand for some super serious 'phones. These do me fine. They fold up nicely to fit in a kickin' little bag, making them easy to transport to work, gigs... whatever. Though I don't gig any more, so they'll likely stay in the studio. Except for the times when I want to listen to music at home. And judging by tonight, that's going to happen more.

Thanks for the recommendation, Slau. I couldn't be happier! :)

Yes, I still write about podcating sometimes

Recently I was asked to write an article about podcasting. I don't do it very often, probably because I've said about all I had to say in the 2.5 books I co-authored on the subject. But this was an article about podcasting and fiction, and I haven't wrote extensively about that. I do that extensively, mostly though the love that is Podiobooks.com. So... why not?

The article on ErgoFiction is now live. And no, it wasn't one huge commercial for the serialized free audiobooks we help distribute on Podiobooks.com. At least, I don't think it was. You decide.

PodCampAZ The Third - The End.

PodCampAZ - Parting Shot

Originally uploaded by evo_terra

It's over. Months of planning and countless hours of work by loads of volunteers all led up to two fantastic days enjoyed by hundreds. That's how I'll remember PodCamp AZ 2009.

Thanks to those of you who came. You're the reason we do this.

Thanks to those who volunteered. Without you, this simply would not and could not have happened.

Thanks to those who presented. You provide the content for which everyone will talk about for weeks and hopefully use in their own lives.

Thanks to those who sponsored. It's not cheap to put on free conference of this scale. Your support was crucial to the success of the event. Well done.

Thanks to those who talked about it. Spreading the word of fun stuff like this is a Good Thing.

Thanks to UAT for giving us -- for free -- a fantastic venue that truly makes the experience better.

Thanks to everyone in the Phoenix community who helped spread the word about this. I had numerous out-of-towners comment on what a fantastic community we have, and how their town simply wouldn't be able to pull this together. While that last part is probably bullshit, you should know that others are envious of what we have done and continue to do. I take it as my personal mission to remind you of that as necessary.

Enjoy the afterglow. You've all earned it.

5 Reasons Why Your Podcast SUCKS preso

5 Reasons Why Your Podcast Sucks

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: podcasting new)

I know not everyone could watch me present this topic in person at Podcamp AZ over the weekend. So I'm posting it here. There isn't any audio, so you may have to struggle to grasp the concept of some of the slides. Someone with more time would have recorded an audio track to go along with it. in fact, you may find such a recording of me giving this talk online. Search for it. If you find it, let me know and I'll link to it.

UPDATE: Dani recorded the session and has made it available, so now you can listen while you watch!

Note The Law of Two Feet applies to viewing this presentation. If it's not for you -- as in you aren't looking to increase your audience size or to improve it's attractiveness to sponsors, advertisers, critics or whoever -- then don't watch. I'm happy to have you tell me why I'm incorrect on some assumptions, but also remember that you're only watching. You don't have my words to back up these slides.

With that, enjoy!