Ericast.com Podcasts - DWEEB THOUGHTS

Ericast 184 - Catching up 2012

2012-02-09T20:46:00.004-06:00

Every so often an episode arrives with so much heart-felt passion that, in my exuberance, I totally forget to mention the episode number at the beginning. This might be one of those... or maybe I just forgot. It's episode 184. It includes a clip from David Allen's "Getting Things Done," which I mention in these show notes not because it's terribly vital but because it gives me a chance of finding the reference when I search for it later so I don't have to depend on dedicated listeners like Chad to do that work for me.

(As promised in the podcast, the quote is from Page 8 in the section titled "The 'Big Picture' vs. the Nitty Gritty"; you can find it with an Amazon text search of the Getting Things Done book itself)

Speaking of dedicated listeners, keep those calls coming to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC), email me (eric) at ericast.com, or get in touch through Facebook and Twitter and all the other places you can find me.

Oh! Drones? Didn't I have a Dweeb Thought related to drones? Here's a link to the Parrot AR Drone on Amazon -- I ought to set up affiliate links on all this traffic I'm sending to Amazon, shouldn't I? -- so you know what I was talking about in that segment...

One last tease: Can you identify the audio clip at the very end of the podcast?

Ericast 183 - A New Podcast

2012-01-16T20:46:00.003-06:00

Yes, indeed, I'm launching a new podcast! Head on over to DweebThoughts.com for my off-the-cuff technology-related observations... or stay right here and listen to this podcast because the same thoughts are polished and rolled in here.

So, don't worry -- this one isn't going anywhere. It's like adding a new member to the family; there's more to love, right?

How's that workin' for you? Let me know -- 206-339-ERIC a.k.a. 206-339-3742 or send an email to me (eric) at ericast.com and give me some feedback on the format.

Ericast 182 - Cars, Part 2

2012-01-12T21:01:00.002-06:00

Wrapping up the "cars of Eric's past" conversation... though I only get a few Mercury Sable comments in before I ran out of time, so I could do a "Cars, Part 3" episode... but I bet nobody would be interested in that.

Would you? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and let me know if you want more car conversation (I dare say "car talk"... no, I won't say that) or if you'd like me to switch to a different topic.

(If there are any other '86 Merc Sable fans out there, let me know! Let's bond over cool cars that were ahead of their time!)

Ericast 181 - A NEW CAR!

2011-12-31T11:57:00.003-06:00

Down to the wire in getting the last Ericast of 2011 out-the-door and the rate of speech in this episode betrays that... but, nonetheless, it's an interesting podcast about my new belated Christmas gift to myself in light of the cars I grew up with.

Having run up to the 20 minute mark without any exciting details of the Mercury Sable, you need to call me and encourage me to finish the story: 206-339-ERIC a.k.a. 206-339-3742, or send an email to me (eric) at ericast.com.

See you in 2012!

Oh... and, to whet your appetite about those photos I mention in the podcast... here's a sample:

Ericast 180 - Defining Biblical Friendship

2011-12-18T21:50:00.004-06:00

This episode features and discusses a clip from James MacDonald's message "The Power of Biblical Friendship" at Harvest Bible Chapel in suburban Chicago. (full video) If you're not Bible-oriented, don't let the title scare you... though, I'll admit, the topic might push you (and me!) out of our comfort zones a little bit as to what a "friend" really is.

Hint: A"friend" isn't just who you connect to on Facebook.

Thoughts? Objections? Refinements to the topic? General holiday wishes and greetings for an upcoming new Ericast year? Call 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC if that's easier for you to remember) and leave a message with your comments!

Ericast 179 - Giving in Secret

2011-12-12T21:02:00.003-06:00

An awkward episode this week, simply because we're spending a bunch of time talking about something that we all agree we shouldn't be talking about. Intrigued? Take a listen, then call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and share your thoughts!

Ericast 178 - Tom on Charity

2011-11-30T22:15:00.005-06:00

For a variety of reasons I've had the topic of "charitable giving" on my mind lately. In what might be a short series (or, who knows -- maybe a one-shot episode if nobody responds?), this week we feature an interview with Tom Oscanyan (long-time occassional Ericast interview subject) as we discuss the "business" of giving to charities.

What do you think? Are we spot-on? Off-base? Other-hyphenated-things? Let us know with a message on the Listener Feedback Line: 206-339-3742 a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC. Or, if you must approach this in a textual form, send an email to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 177 - The Trebuchet Experience

2011-11-17T20:42:00.003-06:00

A special episode for Chad which, I realized after recording, doesn't exactly capture the whole experience of watching a huge trebuchet firing in someone's backyard.

It was cool. Really, really cool. Does that help?

Links:

Olympus WS-320M (which I'm using to record this episode)
Minnov8.com (where I got inspiration for car-recording from Phil Wilson)
Obituary for Tom Keith (sound effects man from A Prairie Home Companion)
Trebuchet information
Vintage (circa 2000) site of NOVA's Trebuchet project
Video (not mine) of the Trebuchet event I attended

Questions? Want more details? Give a call to the Listener Feedback Line -- 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) and leave a message!

Ericast 176 - Matt's Custom Show

2011-11-06T23:08:00.003-06:00

Don't worry -- the rest of you are welcome to listen as well! But, holding to my promise last week that I'd steer the show in whatever direction you, the listener, would like to steer it... and Matt's call to the Listener Feedback Line (206-339-3742) kicks us off!

So, in a way, this is "Matt's show" per his requested topics. Discussion this week: my standards on Facebook posts, antidisestablishmentarianism, my new domain purchase, and my photo scanning technologies.

Questions? Ideas? Call 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) and share!

Ericast 175 - Dark October Skies

2011-11-03T19:58:00.004-05:00

Yes, I'm back! Please tell me you're still listening! Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) right now with a "welcome back!" or a "where have you been?" message.

Topics of this episode? How about autumnal "excitement" that's separate from home life, Facebook etiquette, God as a vending machine, jubilee years, the Year 2000, Amethystium, amethyst, MP3.com, The Outernet, "space music" vs. "new age" music, philosophy, Orion, astronomy, ISS sightings, Fitbit, scanning, birthdays, hamsters, heating vs. air conditioning, domain names, about.me, local candid photography, and "two-thousand twelve" vs. "twenty twelve" decision points. And I didn't even mention my renewed vigor in FTA satellite television.

That's quite a summary of my life overall, isn't it? Let me know what you think -- 206-339-3742 with any and all thoughts or responses.

Comment Spam Inspiration

2011-09-30T16:04:00.002-05:00

Just a quick text-based greeting to my dedicated listeners; I'm not gone and the summer cold wasn't the end of me, but I was clobbered by the usual start-of-term crush at work (plus a few exciting variations thrown in). ..

But "Emma" might just have inspired me to return to the world of podcasting a.s.a.p. with her lovely comment:

Hello there, I was looking for same kind of information what your website have. I kinda like it. Excellent content. Please keep up this good work. Hope to come back again.

Regards,
British Shopping and voucher code directory

I'm so excited to have apparently cornered the British shopping directory market... or, at least, the portion of British shopping directories that include voucher codes (which, when you consider your shopping directory needs, are probably important for the British).

I can just imagine Emma's lilting accent reciting poetic statements like, "I was looking for same kind of information what your website have."

"What your website have" -- how creative! How magical. No need for those "t-words" like "the" or "that" if you have Emma's grace and personality. "I kinda like it too," Emma. I look forward to your next visit; indeed, my good work will continue to be kept up!

Ericast 174 - A Summer Cold

2011-08-25T21:12:00.003-05:00

This hasn't just been a case of "a bad cold" where you blitz yourself on cold medicine and go on with your life; this thing has been going on for weeks and weeks. Thus, my excuse for not giving you an episode in the past month or so.

Discussion this week of the Burnsville Center (thanks to input from Jonzer), the Minnesota Twins and Cricuts. How's that all tie together? Listen and find out!

Questions? Comments? Call 206-339-3472 (a.k.a.) 206-339-ERIC or drop an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast-On-The-Road: Old Mall Adventure

2011-07-25T20:17:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update during VBS week... that has nothing to do with Vacation Bible School. Instead, the question: What happened to Burnsville Center?!?

No, really! What happened?

Ideas? Comments? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and leave a message on the Listener Feedback Line!

Download the file from

http://imtransfer.im4mobile.com/vr/uploads/460813116430441613/2011-07-25_08-11-06.MP3

The file will expire in 7 days, if you need to keep the voice message longer, please save the file.

Ericast 173 - Social Media Zeppelinspotting

2011-07-20T07:02:00.005-05:00

We're back with what seems like a discussion of the Airship Ventures zeppelin visit to the Twin Cities but what actually ends up being a discussion of IT support and the idea, hope, goal or dream of "making every potential contributor the center of an unbounded personal network of social and technical resources."

(That comes from an EDUCAUSE Podcast with Sally Jackson and her reference to the vision statement of IT@Illinois.)

It's quite a mix, if I do say so myself. Give a call to the listener feedback line at 1-206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 1-206-339-ERIC) or send an email to me (eric) at ericast.com and check in with your thoughts and comments.

Ericast 172 - Ready... To... Roomba!

2011-06-29T21:38:00.004-05:00

With the vague hope that Michael Buffer will call in to the listener feedback line at 206-339-3742 and leave a greeting for the Ericast community (rather than sending an attorney after us with charges of violating his wrestling catch-phrase trademark with our vacuum-related parody in the title), here's an episode that focuses entirely on a $10 yard-sale find.

Amazing what this podcast can do for your life, isn't it?

Roombas are cool. They are. I wouldn't pay retail for one... but here's the story of how I didn't.

Questions? Comments? Anything else that Patrick Rhone wouldn't ask for on his extremely cool Enough podcast? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or email me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 171 - Quarterly Listener Feedback

2011-06-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

No, it's not really "quarterly feedback," but it feels like it; it's been way too long since I've actually included your calls (rather than just saying, "I should include some calls!" week after week after week without actually doing it).

From iPads to coffee foam to bicycles to dead terrorists to tourist stop-offs, this podcast has it all! Well, maybe not "all," but it has big chunks of stuff.

In the spirit of cool recursive stuff, feel free to comment on the comments by calling 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or emailing me (eric) at ericast.com... or leaving a random off-topic disparaging remark on some form of social media. (Preferably not the latter but, as you'll learn from this episode, even that is useful and appreciated.)

Ericast 170 - Duluth Vacation Reflections

2011-06-17T22:22:00.002-05:00

Back in the metaphorical saddle after a mid-week trip to Duluth, Minnesota. Discussion of touring the William A. Irvin ore boat (which is a diesel-punk's dream... though it's more "diesel" than "diesel-punk") and the Duluth Depot.

Questions? Comments? A burning desire to hear the coupon story teasingly mentioned in this episode? Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and leave a message on the listener feedback line!

Ericast 169 - Social Media Bankruptcy?

2011-05-31T07:58:00.002-05:00

Don't worry -- I'm not going to freak out and break off all my friendships and dump my Twitter and Facebook accounts and podcast from a library or a mountaintop somewhere... but it's an interesting thought, isn't it?

This week's podcast ponders the question of "TMI" in the social-media world -- is it possible to have too much information flooding at you? Is this any different from the wad of dead-tree information that was once dropped on the doorsteps of homes across the country? (Short answer: Yes, it's different, because it comes directly from people you know, hence there's a relationship, hence there's a need -- or at least the feeling of a need -- to engage in that information more closely.)

How do you handle/maintain your relationships (in various communities or "networks")? That's a question regarding a) any practical tools/advice/methods you know of, and b) the mental/emotional "bandwidth" required to keep track of everyone and everything they're up to.

Comments and opinions, as always, are more than welcome at 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or via e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 168 - Education vs. Compliance

2011-05-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

A quick(-ish) podcast on the pretty typical "customer service" theme, this time asking whether complying with a customer's request is always the "best" customer service... or is there a time and a place for "education" that doesn't necessarily jump to do what the customer asked?

Intrigued? Listen to the podcast. Then call with questions or comments of any kind: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or email me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 167 - The Starbucks Experience

2011-05-10T23:57:00.005-05:00

When getting a free cup of coffee isn't just a free cup of coffee, but an opportunity to ponder marketing and customer service and the full use of human resources who can do everything from pouring basic coffee from a glorified percolator to sculpting espresso foam into kitty-cats...

...Yes, welcome to the kind of Ericast episode you've always dreamed of... and one you'd like to comment on, by calling 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or emailing me (eric) at ericast.com.

Bonus resource: "50 Fancy and Pretty Arts of Coffee Foam"

Ericast 166 - Reflections on Killing

2011-05-03T10:00:00.006-05:00

I had a great episode on deck on the topic of customer service... but when news breaks, you'll find it discussed several days later on the Ericast.

So, let's talk about Osama Bin Laden. Remember to call 206-339-3742 with any comments.

Show notes:

Universal Life Ethic = let's not kill people. a.k.a. "consistent life ethic" (a term that implies that others aren't consistent, which I don't think is fair) a.k.a the "seamless garment ethic" (which is a bit too cutesy and unclear for me).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consistent_life_ethic

On Facebook I've got friends quoting Martin Luther King Jr. about not celebrating death:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

There's a fairly complex or "cold" framework I'm coming from: This is a mathematical equation at this point. We can explore the facts as they've been presented over the past decade and don't have to ask, Did Bin Laden ever exist? Did he did years ago only to be replaced by a double? Did he do what we said he did? Is he dead now? How was he killed? etc.

So we have to take our facts at face value. "The variable 'UBL' was responsible for X and was killed in Y manner."

On that (known unrepentant behavior of targeting innocents, etc.)... if anyone deserved to die, wouldn't you say he did?

And from a personal integrity standpoint, if we object or have concerns with Osama Bin Ladin's killing... how much objecting are we doing to executions in Texas? Or other cases of intentional killing that are much, much less clear-cut than this one?

For more on "killing" vs. other kinds of deaths deaths:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_double_effect

(Technical podcast note: I dropped the intro/outro music by -6db so that it didn't obnoxiously blast out your ears since my voice is a bit more subdued in this melancholy episode. Does it sound better than previous episodes?)

Ericast 165 - Contingencies... are Heavy!

2011-04-06T21:55:00.005-05:00

An episode this week on the topic of the simple physical weight of lugging around gadgets to cover various possible opportunities that one might bumble into. How do you handle that? Let me know with a message left at 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or an email to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 164 - Podcasting for Three

2011-04-01T21:57:00.003-05:00

Wrapping up the month -- wait; didn't it just begin?!? -- with some listener feedback and a "roll call" of sorts. Check in and let me know how you are doing. If nothing else, share something that's on your mind -- news, technology, idea, fear, hope, etc. -- and I'll turn it into a show topic! 206-339-3742 a.k.a. 296-339-ERIC or a nice and easy e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 163 - The "Retreat Mentality"

2011-03-08T11:51:00.002-06:00

An update on a "retreat" that I took this past weekend -- not an update on the retreat itself (well, maybe a bit of an update on that) but an update on the concept of a "retreat" and what makes it relaxing.

I open (and close) with some angst that I've driven all my listeners away through a variety of means over the past couple of months, so do give a quick call to 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com and let me know that you're out there and listening so that I know I should keep doing this!

Ericast 162 - Final February Thoughts

2011-03-01T17:01:00.004-06:00

In one of those, "Yikes! The month is over!" moments, I figured I'd do a throw-back to the old "Ericast On-The-Road" segments and record this during the commute. It's super-heavily-processed to get rid of the obnoxious road-noise. (That processing then converts the background noise from "noisy rumbling car" to "Eric is recording while wrapped in bubble-wrap and submerged in the ocean"... which may or may not be any better?)

I fully realize that any time you begin a statement (or a podcast) with "I'm not trying to make trouble..." that's probably a sign that you're going to make trouble. But this week's Ericast reaches into the dangerous topic of politics. What I'm looking for, though, is some actual genuine help in trying to figure out the political landscape of the United States today. By picking on the recent chatter about defunding Planned Parenthood, I'm trying to tease out why the major parties believe what they do.

...Because, to this philosophy major, there seem to be some contradictions. And I'm not comfortable around things (or parties) that are internally contradictory.

What do you think? Oh, come on -- you know you have an opinion on this one! Help me out and share it: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or email me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 161 - Pondering Protest Technologies

2011-02-21T21:24:00.005-06:00

Recent protests in Wisconsin and a former colleague's comments about bringing a bullhorn to a rally because "you can't lead a demonstration if nobody can hear you" got me thinking about the concept of "protests" and how technology has influenced them.

Tons of random references in this podcast -- too many to mention. So, if you're bothered by that, just take notes and do some research and leave a comment for those behind you who would like some details on Geraldine Ferraro or Qik.com.

Okay, just one link to tease you: Ultrasonic Devices. Intrigued? Then listen to the podcast!

Comments? Questions? Concerns? Call 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742 if you're not into spelling phone numbers) or send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com and let me know what you're thinking!

Ericast 160 - Blue Butter Churns

2011-02-15T23:06:00.009-06:00

A little trip down memory lane -- maybe a painful one for you? -- back to my first grade experiences with coloring worksheets as compared to those that Chloe is having.

Spoiler alert: Her experiences are better than mine were. As promised (actually, I intentionally didn't promise) in the podcast, here are Chloe's works of art:

Cute, aren't they? And they actually relate to the podcast this week. Really. They do! Listen to it!

Questions? Comments? Want to share your own personal childhood coloring traumas? Call 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or email me (eric) at ericast.com...

Ericast 159 - Where'd January Go?!?

2011-02-08T20:33:00.004-06:00

I'm back! Sorry for the unscheduled absence -- a little laziness, a little cold/flu to strike me down, a few work projects and tasks at home, and all of a sudden you blink and 1/12th of the year has disappeared. Wow; time flies.

Topics this week:

Slide scanning of Argus cartridges in a Polaroid SprintScan
Talk Radio, Jason Lewis and Toyota Sudden Acceleration
Important safety tip: If experiencing uncontrolled acceleration in your car, shift to Neutral and solidly press (don't pump!) the brake
Squaring "complaints" against "vision" in an organization

Let me know what you think! Calling and leaving a message is quick and painless: 206-339-3742 (also known as 206-339-ERIC, which might be a bit easier for you to remember?). Or, if you prefer something textual. send an email to me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 158 - Goodbye to 2010!

2010-12-30T20:18:00.005-06:00

This is it! The end of 2010, which has flown by like a... fast-flowing year punctuated by inadequate similes. (How's that?)

Calls from Jonzer (with Jonzer-in-training), Matt and Chad finish off the year for this listener-feedback episode.

As always, 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) is the number to call with any and all feedback.

See you in 2011!

Ericast 157 - Cat-like Management Reflexes

2010-12-05T20:00:00.004-06:00

Back on an early-week recording schedule, so I didn't give you much of a breather between the last episode and this one. Apologies, too, that last week's episode had some sort of hiccup in the Feedburner "enclosure-making step" -- I've forced this file into the "enclosures" field of Blogger and might just do that from now on to prevent problems.

Show notes (in random link form)...

Teal Ribbon: http://www.trocrf.org/
Challenge Hunger: http://www.dreamteam2010.org/hunger/
Jason DeRusha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_DeRusha
700 Club pledge drive "challenges": http://www.cbn.com/partners/challenge.aspx
Jensen JTA-450 Turntable: http://wize.com/turntables/p1855097-audiovox-jensen-jta-450
Magic Media Talking Books: http://www.magic-media-talking-stories.com/
The Cat That Would Be King: (big long books.google.com reference)

Your assignment: Call 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and let me know how you think the story of The Cat That Would Be King may (or may not?) relate to my life as you know it.

If necessary, you can e-mail me (eric) at emlarson.com -- but only if you're phone-phobic. Otherwise, give a call to 206-339-ERIC and leave a message...

Ericast 156 - Hearing from Chad

2010-12-02T22:19:00.003-06:00

It's listener feedback time! Thanks to Chad for the calls, which provide fodder for Eric's attempt to get back on track after a long and rambling trip down memory lane about Black Friday specials and related shopping trauma.

Enjoy, and remember to share your comments by leaving a message at the official Ericast.com listener feedback line: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742)

Ericast 155 - Unicorns on Velvet!

2010-11-21T21:39:00.007-06:00

In an episode that has to be seen to be believed, you have the opportunity to see it... because this is the return of the Dweeb Thoughts video podcast on YouTube!

And it might be going back on hiatus for awhile because, man, doing the video side of this is a pain! A worthwhile pain to you, the dedicated Ericast listener (or "viewer") but a pain none-the-less.

Speaking of, 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) is the phone number for you to call in and share your thoughts.

In addition to talking about velvet paintings, we throw out a random topic that I've been pondering lately -- "complacency" and, more importantly, what its healthy alternative might be. As I try to explain at the end of the podcast, just because you "DO SOMETHING!" rather than sitting around indifferent doesn't necessarily mean that what you're doing is a good thing.

The "Ready, FIRE!, Aim" method isn't very good... but, I'd say, neither is the "Ready, Aim, Aim, Keep Aiming, Aim, Aim a little more..." alternative.

What do you think? Get off that complacent bottom of yours and call in with an observation or challenge: 206-339-3742 or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 154 - Mandatory Personal Growth

2010-11-18T00:03:00.004-06:00

Based on an emlarson.com blog post of mine from a couple weeks back, we're talking this week about the idea of "mandatory personal growth" in the form of typical college undergraduate education.

Why? Because now that we (i.e. I and most of you, the Ericast listeners) aren't under that kind of "structure" or, I dare say, that kind of "pressure," do we have a tendency to stagnate or lose the drive and motivation to grow?

Sure, this has some concern when it comes to "branching out and doing new things"... but I'm even more interested in the loss of drive to pursue things that we process to value. Maybe I and my friends are just lazy?

Now that's a conversation starter! So start the conversation! 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 153 - Paisley Owl Wallpaper

2010-11-09T21:46:00.007-06:00

No, not "wallpaper" like the kind you put on the background of your computer desktop screen. We're talking about genuine "dead trees glued to house walls" here. Having sorted through my entire life in photographic form (and having successfully encapsulated it into 22 hard-to-find plastic shoeboxes that are now stacked in the basement in two piles each five feet tall), this gem is too good to pass up:

Feel free to click that picture and zoom in on the owls in all their 1970s glory. (Or, technically, their 1960s glory? The wallpaper was probably put up in 1971 or maybe 1972 so I suppose the design itself is from a year or two prior to that...)

I miss that house.

And, as I mention in the podcast, it's not like anyone ever sets out to decorate something as "weird". At the time, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

I wish I could find a photo of the bathroom...

Do you have any similar "tacky decorating memories"? Share them by calling 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mailing them to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Don't forget, too, that you can add in your comments about religion, war, Glenn Beck, the social gospel, Goodnight Moon, or any other form of internet hug.

Ericast 152 - Mikael, Part 2 (REPEAT)

2010-10-31T20:24:00.006-05:00

A repeat of Episode 70 of the Ericast (posted July 6, 2006) in memory of Mikael Rudolph, who died February 26th, 2010. To round out the war/military/government discussion that we only touched on in this podcast episode, here are clips of an impeachment-related interview that Mikael gave about a year after his Ericast interview:

Part 1

Part 2

My favorite quote from the Ericast episode is Mikael's reference to himself as a "recovering evangelical charismatic contemplative." Listen for it.

Here's the original text of the episode post:

The long-awaited "Part 2" of my interview with performer extraordinaire Mikael Rudolph (info at http://www.MikaelTheMime.com/).

This part of the interview talks about Mikael's show "Swim Home", its Christian perspective/context/overtones, and Mikael's political views -- in general, what it means to be "Christian" and "politically active" in this country today.

Much different from Part 1, and equally interesting (in my opinion)!

Because time was short, we weren't able to talk in detail about additional resources that you, the dedicated listener, might want to browse if you're intrigued by Mikael's comments. But he was good enough to forward the following list of "recommended reading", so-to-speak:

The Project for a New American Century's own published plans for global domination with signers Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowicz, Perle, John Bolton, Jeb Bush and a number of other now Bush Administration officials and/or corporate cronies.
Independent journalist Greg Palast - an American working for the BBC
Independent journalist Dahr Jamail www.dahrjamail.com (a great source of REAL truth from Iraq)
Seymour Hersh (maybe the greatest living journalist in my opinion)
The writings of William Rivers Ritt
Countdown with Keith Aldermann
The website of House Representative John Conyers, Jr.
AlterNet
Truthdig
weekly-spin@prwatch.org
Progressive Democrats of America
AfterDowningStreet.org
911truth.org
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The London Times
British Broadcast Company
Canadian Broadcast Company
Congress.com
Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace and Justice
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Amnesty International
The American Civil Liberties Union
Democrats.com
Minnesota DFL Party
MoveOn.org
People for the American Way
Harper's Weekly
press@worldcantwait.org
School of the Americas Watch
Act for Change
Public Campaign Action
The Colbert Report OF COURSE!!!
The Late Show with John Stewart
Air America Radio
Working Assets
Working Families e-activist Network
PBS - ESPECIALLY THE NEWS HOUR WITH JIM LEHRER
Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! is very dry, but she is incredibly brilliant and cuts to the core of the news
Original documents on the web including very personal correspondence between ENRON criminal Ken Lay and the President

As I mention in the podcast, I agree with about 90% of what Mikael is saying, and it's up to you to figure out the other 10%... so I'm not necessarily endorsing the above references. But if you're intrigured by what Mikael has to say in this episode, you now have some reading that you can do!

As always, if you have any questions/concerns/comments/thoughts, call 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or e-mail eric at ericast.com. And thanks for listening!

2006 UPDATE: Mikael left a comment to the podcast show notes with this update:

Thanks Eric. I really enjoyed the interview. I just need to learn to SPEAK UP!!! (Not that uncommon for a mime, I know). I did want to mention one more resource that might be of interest to you and your listerners: Sojourners Magazine and online Christian resource center: www.sojo.net

Pastor Jim Wallis is a wonderful speaker and writer who really clarifies how being a Christian can be reconciled with a truly compassionate and Progressive political view. Social justice and serving the needs of the poor are Christian values and "Sojourners" is one part of the Christian Church as a whole that can help us all to see that giving to those in most need can and will help us find the true heart of Christ in our actions. Here is one quote:

Poverty is not a family value
by
Jim Wallis 6-29-2006
It is the season when we celebrate the church coming down from that upper room into the streets with the power of the Spirit to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. The good news that he proclaimed in his opening mission statement in the little town of Nazareth: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor."

As I think was clear from the interview, I have a tough time reconciling this calling upon Jesus and upon us with the way the Evangelical Church in American seems so eager to embrace and support our government that summarily rejects continuing support for any and all programs that help the poor and most vulnerable in favor of tax breaks for the rich and no-bid contracts for the even richer.

Ericast 151 - Mikael, Part 1 (REPEAT)

2010-10-24T20:01:00.002-05:00

A repeat of Episode 69 of the Ericast (posted June 29, 2006) in memory of Mikael Rudolph, who died February 26th, 2010. Here are clips of the show that we discussed in this interview:

And here's the original text of the episode post:

A spectacularly interesting interview this week with Mikael Rudolph -- more information at www.MikaelTheMime.com. The name of the site gives you a hint at his profession! The general discussion revolves around the history of Mikael's art and the challenge (and importance!) of non-verbal communication.

Please bear with the odd digital echoes or "hiccups", which come and go through just the first five minutes or so of the interview. I don't know how they got there (something goofy with the Skype recording) and wish I could get rid of them, but I can't... and my biggest fear is that you (the dedicated listener) will get so annoyed by them that you'll tune out. But bear with the bad audio -- the interview is worth it, and it does get better just a few minutes in.

(I think the last blip is at 8:50 and it's completely clear from that point forward. So if you can't manage to listen through the early noise, at least fast-forward to that point in the podcast and try again... though, without Mikael's background from the previous few minutes, the rest of the interview won't make nearly as much sense!)

The only advantage of my little recording problem is that, after suffering through that audio mess, you won't notice the little "dit-dit-dit" teletype sound of audio interference deep inside my computer.

(Hey, this "recording a telephone call" stuff is tricky!)

What was going to be a 20 or 30 minute conversation with Mikael lasted more than an hour, so Part 2 of the interview will appear next week.

If you have any thoughts/comments, be sure to call 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or e-mail eric at ericast.com!

Ericast 150 - Remembering Mikael Rudolph

2010-10-19T20:51:00.005-05:00

Well, here's the punchline: Mikael Rudolph died a few months ago. So, to remember this mime and peace activist who I interviewed in 2006, we're going to re-run our 2006 interview with him in the coming weeks...

As I mention in this week's podcast, the reality in this world is that "people die"... yet this story seems to have particularly sad ending as Mikael had successfully (?) battled one form of cancer only to have another (caused by the very medicine that cured him) take his life when he seemed so healthy and healed.

I didn't have a chance to say goodbye (not that we were close enough that it would have mattered) and, in fact, hadn't seen or spoken with him since 2006... yet I still felt a connection to him. And since this podcast was the vehicle through which that connection was made/formed/developed, I thought it would be fitting to re-share his conversation.

I quote in this episode:

A Fond Farewell to Mikael Rudolph (warisacrime.org)
Remembering Mikael of Impeach for Peace (impeachforpeace.org)
Patriots for Corporate Rights! (corporaterights.org)

See also:

Mikael Rudolph, Activist & Mime, RIP (debra.worldcantwait.net)
Mikael Rudolph Remembered (minnesotaplaylist.com)

And from better days:

Mime uses humor to put cancer in its place (fleshandstone.net)

Share your memories of Mikael, comments on his interview on the Ericast, or other thoughts and opinions: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 149 - Inappropriate Vocal Inflection

2010-10-10T20:56:00.003-05:00

Recorded on Friday -- I'm feeling much better now, thanks! -- this is an example of what happens when a cold goes bad. And, as I mention in the podcast, this isn't a fake voice; it really is "the new normal" when I get a cold like this. (And now that it's Sunday, I'm fairly normally "normal" again.)

Pretty much the entire episode is tongue-in-cheek, so if we were able to all gather together and listen as a drunken group, we'd all be laughing hysterically. But that's not the case, so you're probably going to sit alone in your car or office (or home) and thing that this is really strange or sad.

Nothing too deep or comment on... but if you want to say anything, call 296-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 148 - Where'd September Go?!?

2010-10-05T22:04:00.003-05:00

In an episode that causes everyone to ask, "What kind of cold medicine is Eric on?!?" (answer: "none"... which might explain things?) we have a bold and brash return to the Ericast with a collection of listener feedback from the summer.

Shouts out to Chad, Jonzer and Matt -- I've missed you guys! Glad to be back in the saddle here (metaphorically speaking).

The occasional microphone pop and wind noise (sorry! poor placement!) and scratchy voice means that our brief hiatus didn't help us to improve our production values on the Ericast, but it did allow us to revitalize our use of the "majestic we" and refer to ourselves as plural as much as we can.

Comments or future podcast topics or identification of obscure 1980s sitcom references should take the form of a quick phone call to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or, if necessary, an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com. Enjoy!

Ericast 147 - Big VR-Plus FAIL

2010-09-01T17:39:00.003-05:00

What happens when your podcaster has a problem with the tool he plans to use to help him make his podcast? Well... he makes a podcast about it.

I had super-high hopes for VR+ from ShapeServices but ran into a teeny tiny problem: The recordings disappeared.

That's not cool.

I have no idea what happened to the files that it uploaded to imtransfer.im4mobile.com -- as of this writing, my first and second one are giving 404 errors but the third one (which I left unpublished) is fine. Weird.

I'm not too demanding; I understand that technology isn't perfect. But when something just plain doesn't work (and there's nothing out there like a "Shape Services status blog" or such)... now what?

So, I'm back to where I started from... unless I have better luck playing with this in the next couple of weeks... but at that point, what's the point in buying it if it just keeps on working in a "kinda-sorta okay" way?

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

Ericast On-The-Road: Audio quality? What audio quality?

2010-08-31T13:50:00.002-05:00

The last VR+ test sounded like a payphone under water from the other side of the planet, so here's one last best-case-scenario for the app before my trial runs out!

Remember to call the listener feedback line and leave a comment! 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC). Thanks for listening!

Ericast On-The-Road: Playing With VR Plus

2010-08-26T17:45:00.002-05:00

Just a quick test -- listen to it for the details! -- but by the fact you're seeing this, it looked like it worked. Props to Chad for the tip!

Sorry for the lack of a full podcast this week... but maybe this update will help? :)

Remember to call the listener feedback line and leave a comment. 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC). Thanks for listening!

Ericast 146 - Planning the Staycation

2010-08-16T23:08:00.003-05:00

What am I doing this week? NOTHING! Or, "A LOT!" It depends on your perspective. I'm planning to hang out at home with the family. So, this week's episode is just a couple quick "reflections on life" plus a plea for the "silent majority" of you to check in and let me know you're out there.

It's easy: Just a quick call to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or, if you insist, send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Quote of the podcast: "It's like Foursquare, except verbal!"

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ericast 145 - Yup, It's Late

2010-08-12T20:24:00.006-05:00

Another late episode and I'm taking this opportunity to talk about how we might avoid late episodes in the future... by asking you (the Ericast listener) to share ideas for a phone-to-podcast solution that 1) still exists and 2) might work for the Ericast...

AudioBlogger.com worked great in 2005 but is gone (having been bought by Odeo.com, which is also gone -- at least at the moment)
Gcast.com merged with GarageBand.com and GarageBand.com merged with iLike.com... and in the process, all of their phone-to-podcast offerings went away
Gabcast.com went to a paid model -- not much cost to it, but still paid. Never used it more than the basic "play with it and check it out" level of experimentation.
Cinch and AudioBoo seem like possible contenders?
Drop.io has a phone-in offering (no security on the phone number and no way of knowing if you dialed the right one, which makes me uneasy...)
Google Voice seemed like a logical option but I don't think there's an "automatic" way of getting the audio out of it -- voicemail isn't really the right solution for this kind of thing, anyway
K7.net is outstanding for a listener feedback line or other voicemail option but it doesn't mail out MP3s (just WAV and some other non-MP3 format I forget at the moment)

Also mentioned is iSpeech.org, which is a neat text-to-speech-to-podcast option... but I still have the "how do I merge these feeds together?" question (and it seems like it doesn't automatically update its audio podcast; you have to go to the site and "ping" your blog, which is an extra step that I'd like to avoid.)

What are your thoughts/suggestions? You know the drill: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com. Thanks for listening!

P.S. For those who don't get the SNL "Pete Twinkle" references that I make here and there in the podcast, here's a clip from Hulu... which I probably don't need to explain is not "work safe". (In this particular "Ladies Bowling" sketch they proudly and colorfully tout their sponsorship by Vagisil. You've been warned.)

Ericast 144 - Emotions vs. Principles

2010-08-05T09:48:00.002-05:00

A late one, yes indeed, but a conversation starter for us all: What are our strongly-held opinions/beliefs/preferences based on? Sometimes they're based on logically-argued principles, and the solution to that is to put those principles head-to-head and hash it out.

But then... there are those opinions/beliefs/preferences that are based on an emotional connection to something. And that's okay. The point is, you can't argue against an emotionally-based preference by throwing more "data" at the emotion.

Does that make any sense? Does it make more (or less) sense after listening to the podcast? Let me know -- 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 143 - Non-Profit Sales Gimmicks

2010-07-28T22:20:00.004-05:00

What a fun, fun episode! Whoo! That could be because I'm in the "giddy" stage of post-seminar and mid-VBS exhaustion but, hey, if this is what it's like then it's not so bad.

Having talked about the Social Media Breakfast and the launch of a promotional "don't give any money to these charities" thing (yes, it really is that... quirky?) here's the link I promised:

Eric's special DreamTeam 2010 link

Please visit that and sign up... if nothing else, to verify that my signups really are counting toward my "credit". (That seems odd here, but listen to the podcast and it'll make sense.)

Also, we have a new famous fan! You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out who it is, though... and, in all honesty, I don't think he's really a "fan". Just a cool guy and good sport.

You too can be (or continue to be) a cool guy (or gal) by calling in to the listener feedback line: 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mailing your comments and questions to me (eric) at ericast.com. Thanks for listening!

Ericast 142 - Freaky Helicopter Search

2010-07-21T20:23:00.003-05:00

A quick podcast (which, somehow, still ended up being nearly 20 minutes) touching on an interesting local news tidbit -- a boy and his mom lost on bike trails in the woods. Sounds interesting? No? Well, listen and see what you think...

By the way, here's a YouTube video (not mine) of a bike ride on the trails in question. This was shot in springtime a year ago; remember that the brush has had an extra couple months to leaf out, and then imagine being on these trails when it gets pitch dark:

I also promised a link to the TV antenna towers that Chloe and I looked at up in Shoreview. In case you didn't know it already, 1,400 feet is really tall. Really, really tall.

Comments, as always, should be phoned in to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mailed to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 141 - Tim Lemmens Interview!

2010-07-11T21:34:00.008-05:00

Finally! The long-awaited Tim Lemmens interview! I had a chance to catch up with Tim for a few minutes and ask some of the "tell me about your life as a musician" questions -- more than just "what's a day-in-the-life" like, but something along the lines of "what makes you tick?"

As an aside, I realized after recording this that Ericast listeners outside my church and close circle of friends might get confused between musician Tim Lemmens in this podcast who's alive and well, vs. musician (and worship pastor) Tim Vanderveld at our church who, as of this writing, is still doing ministry during his end-stage gallbladder cancer. Very different Tims.

On a technical note, this podcast is in stereo because the interview was recorded with two lav mikes and a dual-mono-to-stereo combiner in an Olympus WS-320M portable recorder. Tim's on the left channel, I'm on the right. (Personally, I love separating out the channels and hearing the distinction between the two participants -- do you like that in your particular listening environment?)

For the latest Tim Lemmens' music, check out Tim's MySpace site as well. And if you're curious, you can read more about the 24 Hours to IMPACT conference that I mentioned (and, on the same site, check out the other teaching opportunities driven through the "BoldPath Life Strategies" group...)

Comments, as always, are welcome via 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 140 - Your 'Internet Hug'

2010-07-06T22:26:00.004-05:00

What a fun episode. Fun, fun, fun. That's all I'm sayin'.

Okay, I'll say one more thing: I swear I didn't know how this podcast was going to come together as I built it. Didn't have a clue about the undertones of popcorn and Chloe that run throughout. Amazing. And it all started with an outtake...

While I'm at it, the not-yet-official site I'm experimenting with is flavors.me/emlarson, so check it out and tell me what you think about the concept overall and the two different competing "lifestream" versions that I'm toying with. (Its RSS imports do seem to lag, which is frustratingly odd...

And don't forget the "Is Technology Making Your Students Stupid?" article:

A. There's a study called "The Laptop and the Lecture" that divided a class into two sets. One-half of the students could use their laptops in a classroom while listening to a lecture. They were free to surf the Web. And the other half had to keep their laptops closed. And then there was a test of comprehension. And the students who used their laptops scored significantly lower on the comprehension test for how well they could remember the content of the lecture. An interesting twist was that students who visited sites relevant to the content of the lecture actually did even worse on the test than students who browsed unrelated sites. It indicates that, even if you think that allowing students to look at other information relevant to what they're being taught might enhance their learning, it actually appears to have the opposite effect.

Never heard of a Google Jockey? There you go; a new term for you!

And, while I'm at it... famous assasinated World War I figure of the podcast is Archduke Ferdinand, and I stand by my assertion that the causes of World War II are more complicated than the simple answer of "Hitler."

On that cheerful note... 206-339-3742 or e-mail to me (eric) at emlarson.com to add to the conversation!

Ericast 139 - Tidying my Identity

2010-06-27T21:51:00.007-05:00

Following up from yesterday's UnSummit4 (www.unsummit.org) here in the Twin Cities and reflecting on the fact that we've flown through the month of June. Touching on personal branding with career coaching topics and my personal web site, with experiments into flavors.me thanks to Patrick Rhone. (Be sure to check out his Practical Opacity website!) Even a reference to WordPress 3 and its multiblogging options.

Overly-used word of the podcast: "quirky"

Also, discussion of my life mission or personal philosophy or whatever you call it that I... support learning. The introvert side of me keeps me from finding my energy and fulfillment in "people themselves". But I'm still excited by triggering or basking in the "lightbulb moments" of the people I help (touched on over at my blog's "Living the Lightbulb" post)

In case you haven't heard of it, my passing reference at the end of the last call is to Open Theism -- a very interesting theology to read up on but not one I'd necessarily endorse.

And, finally, the question of "information" vs. "meformation" -- the Ericast is heavy on the "meforming" side and, hey, you probably knew that.

But it's still a two-way street! Comments, as always, in verbal form to 206-339-ERIC (206-339-ERIC) or written form to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Reed Timmer's storm chasing video from Minnesota this month (the storms that passed a couple dozen miles to our north and south, sparing Eagan):

Ericast 138 - Small Town Mentality

2010-06-22T21:08:00.002-05:00

An entertainingly provocative title for a podcast that has an endearing reflection on small-town life -- not romanticized, but realistic.

Wait. The reflection itself isn't endearing. Maybe it is; you tell me. I guess it's a rambling reflection on the endearing qualities of small-town life.

Why bring this up? Because for years I've questioned whether I should concentrate on a niche for this podcast (or for other chunks or my life) -- something like the "Church and Non-Profit Podcast" or "Insights on Learning Technologies" or such. But that kind of focus never resonated for me here, and I wonder if it's because my "formative teen years" were spent in a small town where nobody could afford the luxury of "specializing" in only one thing.

So, let me know what you think: is this a small-town thing, or just a "real-world thing" that might be a bit more visible in a small town, or neither, or both, or something else entirely. 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 137 - Prayer Inside Time

2010-06-13T19:36:00.001-05:00

Two things in this podcast:

1) A freaky synergistic connection to last week's time-warp hometown experience, with this morning's sermon reference from Roger Thompson at Berean Baptist Church regarding the sequential nature of life and how prayer could ever possibly "work" with an omniscient God.

2) Non-stop interruptions from Candela and Chloe including references to lawn mushrooms and Lebanon Hills Regional Park.

Featured word: "Occasionally"

Closing song by Tim Lemmens

As always, comments of any and all sorts (impulsive ones, even!) are a simple phone call away: 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742). Or, for the textually inclined, send an e-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com. Or, for the social medians among you, send me something through Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn.

This week's conversation starters of angels and other supernatural topics are worth a phone call, no matter what your religious or spiritual persuasion!

Ericast 136 - Struggling with Memories

2010-06-07T21:28:00.004-05:00

I think time-travelers would go crazy if they visited their past.

We're back from something of a stealth-vacation (fairly unpublicized on the InterWebs because of my dad's paranoia that someone was going to break into our empty house and steal... not very much...) and this week's Ericast deals with a really mentally disturbing phenomenon.

The memories themselves were great ones -- nothing to struggle with. But I truly felt as if I had stepped into a time warp when I visited my old hometown of Cornucopia, Wisconsin.

And it was an extremely... "disquieting" feeling. An "unnerving experience."

Driving home today, after having recorded the podcast, I explained it to Ruth this way: "I feel like I don't ever want to die, because I could spend a thousand lifetimes reliving those years... but I'm also realizing that 'living' is nothing but creating memories. The 'now' is really just composed of reflections on a series of personal 'thens'."

I was completely sober when I said that.

So what you might be privileged to hear in this week's Ericast is some form of mental breakdown in the making. I don't think that's the case... but, then, would one who's losing touch on reality really know that he's losing touch? Hmmm.

On a production note, if the background waves and crunching stones drive you nuts and you get frustrated that you can't hear me over noise, rest assured that I sit down on a peaceful rock at 4:30. So you don't even have to make it 5 minutes into the podcast and it gets much easier to hear. Also, this is another stereo podcast, so you can get the full stereophonic effect of me turning my head as I talk, walking next to waves, hearing seagulls fly overhead, etc.

Podcast recording location: 46.785773,-92.093282
Vacation location: Inn on Lake Superior

Comments or other memory-related things are more than welcome at 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or e-mailed to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 135 - May? June? Whenever.

2010-06-02T21:53:00.007-05:00

If it's the end of the month (which it is, in Ericast time, even though this is published in the early part of June, hence a title that artfully reflects the confusing nature of reality)... then it's listener feedback time!

206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) is where you, too, can add your voice to the conversation!

What's on desk this week? Well, for the benefit of "Olaf" (who liked the summary text), here's what we've got:

Sincere thanks for listening!
Summer is "fleeting by" and now it's June; I don't like that it's slipping by!
Tweet! Google Buzz! Facebook me!
Chad's May 25th comment about authorization prompts (akin to Gigavox/Podango or PremiumCast.com), frogs, and buzzwords
Olaf's call about collaborative deep tagging (though he didn't know that it already had a... wait for it... buzzword!)
Matt Beckwith calling in with a better headset and comments on the "brilliant episode" (#132) and the fight against complacency in customer support (plus learning about the logistics of big concert events)
Jonzer on episode #131 about leadership and "plausible deniability" - boldly implementing your vision and blaming your underlings if your vision falls through
Digital Dan Hook walking on his commute talking about his industry connection to Matt -- small world! Plus, a bonus call of consuming audio on the iPad vs. the Droid, and fireworks viewing
Eric's odd tangent on SNL routines and over-the-top announcers
Fireworks observation from the base of the Eagan water tower with views of displays dozens and dozens of miles away
An anti-apology statement; "let's just celebrate who we are and where we want to be!"
Chad on episode #133 (the "Fantasy Project"), hot-or-not, the hotness of normalcy. Plus, how we met our wives.
Eric on the value (or lack thereof) of physical attractiveness in relationships.

Phew! I think that about covers it. Enjoy!

Ericast 134 - A MinneBar Debriefing

2010-05-25T03:18:00.008-05:00

An interesting mix this week: A stereo podcast (using my typical two-channel interview setup with an old Olympus WS-320 digital recorder) while I was wandering around in our neighborhood at 3 a.m. on a beautiful 77-degree Minnesota evening, talking about my 2010 MinneBar (un)conference experience. Killing "two stones with one bird," as Dad always said.

Apologies for the wind noise and squeaky shoes and I-35E traffic and random screeching and screaming in the distance (listen for details!)... but, hey, I'm keepin' it real. :)

(Seriously, please do let me know what you think of the "production values" of this particular episode as you play it in your personal environment -- too distracting? perfectly fine to listen to? richer and more interesting than usual? too hard to hear? file size too big for the small gain stereo brings you? stereo too confusing while listening? etc.)

Anyway, on the MinneBar topic... Here are the sessions I attended:

The interesting thing to me is that the MinneBar experience could have been a radically different one depending on which sessions you went to -- and for some, "radically different" from my experience would have been a good thing. For me, what I got was incredible; I couldn't have designed a better track for myself if I'd tried.

I'm curious what you -- the particular, individual, Ericast listener -- think of these sessions. Which one strikes your fancy? Let me know, and I'd be happy to talk about that topic more: 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 133 - My Fantasy Project

2010-05-19T21:41:00.003-05:00

Yup, there's a bit of a pun in this week's title, but its true meaning is "a little project that I sure think would be cool to see happen by someone, somewhere."

Basically, we're talking about studying "physical attraction" and tools that might help people discover what they find particularly attractive in others.

A couple links: A good example of my "haircolor box" illustration is to look at Garnier boxes, and I figure I better include a link to some photos of Robyn Lively because a doubt many people in my audience have heard of her.

Think it's... Crazy? Creepy? Brilliant? Does a tool like this already exist? Share your thoughts or reactions at 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or to me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 132 - The Rockstar Experience

2010-05-10T20:54:00.003-05:00

A discussion this week of a concert a few weeks ago by Casting Crowns -- something that's interesting in and of itself given that I'm really not a concert-goer in general.

Obscure Rush song reference (video - go to 2:00)
Stomp
Ginny Owens, Geoff Moore and the Distance, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua
Boy George and Culture Club
Tenth Avenue North vs. Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories

Faxes or calls of any sort to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or e-mails to me (eric) at ericast.com

Ericast 131 - Possibilities? Trends? Vision?

2010-05-03T21:39:00.005-05:00

A topic this week is a "thought in progress" based on a post I made over on my Posterous blog (which isn't the same as my old "educating eric" blog), all about "vision" and whether we should place a value judgment on having it (in the same way we often do for "leadership")

Anyway, here's the framework:

Ideas/Facts -> Possibilities -> Trends (prediction) -> Vision (decision)

Does this fit in with some other framework? Does it ring a bell? If so, what's it from?

Let me know what you think of this episode, and help me flesh out the concept I'm working on. E-mail to me (eric) at ericast.com, or call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742)

Ericast 130 - Wrapping up April!

2010-04-25T22:38:00.010-05:00

It's listener feedback week! Whoo! Interesting calls this week from Matt and Jonzer... and, as is often the case, things are a bit random... but that's okay!

Topics this week:

Distracting distantly screaming daughter - a great way to open a podcast (listen carefully)
Obscure 1950's GM commercial clip
Calls and cell phone issues
Pondering fondness of the 1980s, 1950s, and other decades
Social Media Breakfast here in Minneapolis/St. Paul (http://www.smbmsp.org/)
Eclectic tastes and Eric's lack of niche other than himself
Upper Peninsula Michigan accents
Lack of interest in sports and cars
Jonzer's call on canonization, sainthood and miracles (referencing Eric's not-so-secret workplace as something super-secret)
Canonization information from ReligionFacts.com
Matt Beckwith on commuting, spacial memory, Podcast Stockton
Commute times, olfactory memories, Chuck Tomasi and ChuckChat
Fame: Neighbor Shawn Turek and the Keith King show ("Just A Show")
Misplaced popularity among the SMBMSP folks in Eric's listings in Twitter
Personal branding struggles: "Personal podcasting" vs. topical podcasting
Chloe's cleft lip and palate, personal connections, and Eric's spectacular humility
Eric's explanation of Matt's failed calls and speeding police cars
Matt's iPad and its use as a "consumption device"... or is it?
"The world is shrinking"... or is it? It's small, yet it's big
And... every title of this month's podcasts mentions "April"
CALL! 206-339-3742 a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC: "Feel personally empowered to call and say 'Hi'!"

Now, one last question: Do you like the outline above? I ran through the podcast recording in its entirety just before posting this because I had a nagging feeling that I'd accidentally left a "blown take" in it somewhere, and while I was listening I jotted the quick notes above. Does it help? Hinder? Clarify? Destroy the magic? Call or comment here with opinions, and thanks for listening... assuming you don't use those notes as an excuse not to listen!

Ericast 129 - Where'd April Go?

2010-04-22T08:22:00.002-05:00

Ummmm... Yeah... this probably isn't the most coherent Ericast episode ever. I even reverted to old habits and forgot to say "Episode 129!" at the beginning. My bad. That's what I get for figuring, "I can't sleep; I might as well record a podcast!" But one way or another I wanted to get an update out there because, otherwise, the entire month of April is going to slip away!

Comments, as always, go to 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or can be e-mailed to me (eric) at ericast.com. Next week is the "listener feedback" show, so get your feedback in NOW!

Mentioned this week:

PlayOn (which I'm testing out with the Wii now)
TVersity (the software I couldn't remember; I didn't have much luck with it)
Boxee Box (which looks promising but doesn't exist yet)
Review of the Roku box (which doesn't seem to support Hulu... yet?)

Ericast 128 - April Showers Bring...?

2010-04-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

And... we're back! This week, we catch up on listener feedback. Thanks, listeners, for feeding back! For those of you who didn't... are you still out there? Just checking.

I didn't do anything special to mark episode 128 which, to you 8-bit computing fans, is a meaningful number. Maybe we'll celebrate when we hit 256.

Questions, comments, and criticisms to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or email me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 127 - Happy Birthday, Ericast!

2010-03-19T21:43:00.002-05:00

Five years! Five years! Well, actually more like "Into our sixth year!"... but that doesn't have the same ring to it.

This week, just a couple quick reflections on how how the world of podcasting (and a couple other aspects of the world... but mostly the "world of podcasting") has changed in the past half-decade... or how much it hasn't changed, in a lot of cases.

Comments, questions and criticisms go to 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) or can be e-mailed to me (eric) at ericast.com. Keep 'em coming!

Ericast 126 - Dying to Live

2010-03-09T20:45:00.008-06:00

Going a different direction for this week's Ericast... we have a clip from Tim Vanderveld, Worship Ministries pastor at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, Minnesota.

So what?

Well, barring a miracle (which is certainly possible, in theory... but not likely, because miracles aren't "normative")... Tim will be dead in a few weeks.

But for now he's fine, and he spoke to a gathering of "adult Sunday schools" this past Sunday. It's a very strange situation, and one that I think has not only given Tim a lot of wisdom but has allowed him the strength to voice that wisdom to others. I thought there would be a lot of value in sharing his words with a wider audience.

(For those of you not tied to Berean, Tim's initial remarks have a few family notes that might not seem very interesting -- do you really care about his daughter's college schedule? -- but I left them in because it gives context to how Tim is living out his final days.)

For more information:

Ericast 125 - Filing February Feedback

2010-03-01T21:39:00.005-06:00

Loads and loads of feedback for the month of February... all from two people, but loads nonetheless! Thanks to Jonzer and Matt!

A couple links, just for fun (and because they're a bit relevant to the podcast):

Map of Mt. Diablo
"All Your Base" description and video
Debate formats - "Policy" vs. "Lincoln-Douglas"
Still pondering Luke 18:9-14

You, too, can add your comments to the world of the Ericast by calling 206-339-3742 or e-mailing me (eric) at ericast.com (the official website and home of all-things-Ericast)

Ericast 124 - Principles, or Particulars?

2010-02-23T20:56:00.002-06:00

This week we shift gears to a theological topic: Is something that Jesus said (recorded in Luke 18) a timeless principle that Christians today need to obey, or is it something that was particular to the religious leaders 2000 years ago that we can safely ignore (or outright contradict) today?

I probably manage to offend a few folks in this one... but it's good to stir things up and get everyone thinking, right? Remember to direct the hate-mail or angry commentary to 206-339-3742 (206-339-ERIC) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 123 - The Stockdale Paradox

2010-02-15T20:13:00.002-06:00

The title says it all: this week we talk about living out what Jim Collins in Good to Great called "The Stockdale Paradox"

(A day late because we were having some server hiccups yesterday; I didn't want to publish the podcast only to have it unavailable to everyone...)

Call me at 206-339-3742 or write me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 122 - It's Pronounced feb-U-ary

2010-02-07T16:36:00.002-06:00

Tackling a looming Constitutional crisis in America today, this week's Ericast addresses the question of how to pronounce "February".

Share your thoughts! 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com, or leave a comment on the Ericast.com blog.

Ericast 121 - Picking up Piano

2010-01-31T15:47:00.004-06:00

A quick-ish episode this week with thanks to my listeners, a bit of feedback, and comments on the new CoCo collaborative working space (links here and here) and my new-used Yamaha PSR-270.

Comments to 206-339-ERIC (a.k.a. 206-339-3742) or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Ericast 120 - Coping Without Cutaways

2010-01-24T20:29:00.003-06:00

A discussion this week on the lack of an easy way to do "cutaways" in video editing, which is a super-basic concept that used to be really easy. All this was spawned by a video comment from Digital Dan Hook, which has great content but could have been even better if the video examples of Blackberry apps didn't need to break up the original track.

Yes, I know it's technically possible to hack apart your video in Windows Movie Maker and emulate a cutaway, but if it was a piece of cake on a linear system in 1995 it should be even easier 15 years later!

Rather than me trying to flesh out what I talk about in the podcast itself, here's Dan's video (so you have an easy way of knowing what I was talking about). And, speaking of talking, do leave a message at 206-339-3742, e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com, or make a YouTube video like Dan's:

Ericast 119 - "Formative Teen Years"

2010-01-17T20:35:00.005-06:00

You know, I just spotted that last week's episode had its ID3 tags completely messed up because I was off one row -- so the "year" was http://www.ericast.com/, the "track number" was 2010, the "genre" was 118, the "lyrics" were podcast, etc.

Anyway, this week's episode is about where I spent my teenage years. In hindsight I guess I don't talk much about my actual life and adventures there... but at least you get the basic geography of the place.

Let me know what you want to know: call 206-339-ERIC (206-337-3942) right now, or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

Links/locations/things mentioned:

Matt Beckwith and PizzaGoHere
K7.net
Cornucopia, Wisconsin
Hayward, Minong, and Solon Springs
Cedar Lake (with its nearby speedway) and Boner Lake
Poet David Kubach and our old 40 acres
A 1979 Ford Fiesta
Blueberry Lane in Cornucopia
A blue Huffy bike (with blue tires!) like what my friend Jeff owned
Knotty pine paneling similar to what we removed
A really well-done write-up of Cornucopia (scroll past half-way down for it)

Ericast 118 - "Inside Eric's Brain"

2010-01-10T18:30:00.007-06:00

I just realized what an interesting date it is today -- 20100110. That's undoubtedly binary for something-or-other (except for the "2")... but I'm not going to bother to figure it out.

That alone might tell you something about me, as this week's podcast explores my personality. As always, messages at 206-339-ERIC (a.ka. 206-339-3742) or e-mails to eric at ericast.com are eagerly anticipated and appreciated upon arrival.

So, what do I do? I support learning, explore solutions, battle entropy, and explain reality. The podcast goes through all that in a bit more detail. What energizes me is using technology to preserve history so it's accessible to others... but, in reality, I end up pondering "solutions in search of a problem." But I like producing a "product" too, which is almost the exact opposite. In some ways, my brain is a mess.

Links related for this week's topics...

HRD again
Apostle Paul's writings in Romans 7
WebTrends, Google Search and MovableType
New Shelter magazine from the 1980s (example article)
A "Crossette" fireworks shell

Yes, that list is as random as it looks; that fits this week's topic just fine.

Ericast 117 - "Who Am I?"

2010-01-03T22:45:00.010-06:00

Welcome to 2010!!! This week's Ericast is a brief overview (which turned out not-so-brief; I think it's going to be a two-parter?) about my background -- the stuff that made me "me."

As always, 206-339-3742 is the way to get in touch (a.k.a. "206-339-ERIC"), or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

A few relevant links:

Ericast 116 - "Goodbye to 2009"

2009-12-28T22:49:00.004-06:00

Goodbye 2009; Hello 2010! A quick audio-only podcast to wrap up the year, take a call from Jonzer, and let you in on a few things that have been rattling around in my head.

Please do take me up on the request for information on what you, the Ericast listener, want from the podcast in the coming year. I'm happy to make this your own personal niche podcast (though, if lots of people have conflicting desires, the podcast will become as random as I am... but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it).

Calls, as always, should be placed to 206-339-3742 RIGHT NOW - DO IT NOW! (Three kinds of communication: "subliminal, liminal, and superliminal...") Or e-mail me (eric) at ericast.com.

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?

Ericast 95 - "Considering the Kindle"

2008-09-19T22:01:00.003-05:00

Hot on the heels of another Social Media Breakfast (see http://smbmsp.ning.com for an idea of what the excitement is all about), it's another Ericast!

Be sure to call 206-339-3742 (that's 206-339-ERIC, which makes it a bit easier to remember) and leave a comment. Why? Because, as you'll discover from this show, our content is about 50% listener-driven.

I'm starting to sound like a pledge drive, aren't I?

Discussion this time is about the concept of using a Kindle ebook reader from Amazon as a platform for getting basic e-mail where wifi or other network options are unavailable. Listen for the full story!

Ericast 94 - "Have I Podfaded?"

2008-07-21T21:59:00.002-05:00

YIKES! It's been, like, what, three months? More? Thus the question, "Have I podfaded?"... but the act of asking that question in a podcast means that I haven't. I guess. What do you think? Share your thoughts, feelings and emotions by calling 206-339-ERIC (that's 206-339-3742) or e-mailing me (eric) at ericast.com

Topics of this fairly brief podcast include a reference to the EduCAUSE LTL seminar in Madison, and a lengthier discussion of our HR department's vacation policy. (Don't worry -- it's not particularly controversial. Though, if that motivates you to listen, then let's say it's incredibly controversial and use that to intrigue you.)