15
Jun
Well, what started off strong as a podcast a week has turned into nothing more than a linkfarm to my Twitter posts. I really enjoy doing the podcast, yet I procrastinate. Why? I guess it just shows that I don’t have the passion for it right now. I have been out of work for 10 months now and every day I grow more complacent. I need to change that.
I recently found the wonderful musical works of Jonathan Coulton (JoCo for short). He is quite amazing and his website is worth checking out. While I was reading about him, I learned that for a year he posted a new song every week. He called this endeavor “Thing a Week.” I am inspired. I am now going to do something similar. No, I am not going to post a song a week. I have only been self learning guitar for about six months, so I have a long way to go before I worry about music. 😉 So what am I going to do?
The WhereIF Experiment: Part II
I started my podcast as an experiment and a way to learn more about the modality for disseminating information. Yeah, I know, a pretentious way to say, “I wanted to learn how to podcast and understand its world.” I know I only have 10 episodes posted (as of this writing), but I have learned a lot about the podcasting world. Is there more to learn, most certainly, but as far as the mechanics go I am down with that. It helps that I have three years experience as a DJ and a bit of time as a radio newscaster.
So, it is time to bring my experiment to the next level. Whatever that is. My raw plan: post “something” every week for six months. What???? Only six months? What the hell? Why not a year? JoCo did it. Julie Powell did it. What gives??? A year is a freakin’ long time. Honestly, I am not sure I am up for six months, but I’ll give it a try. It took me like eight months to put up 10 podcasts. After four months (so, sometime in September) I will make a decision to commit to another six months or not. Lame? Possibly. Copout? I don’t think so. What is so special about a year? Six months isn’t something to scoff at.
What will that something a week be? Right now, I don’t have a plan for that. My brainstorming is that it will be things like: a podcast episode, original poetry or short stories, animation, comics, possibly tutorials or demos. My intent is to have it something more than just a blog post a week. That would be lame. My intent is to post some original work of some sort that is substantial.
When will I post? Hmmmmmm… I don’t have a commitment for that yet. I was thinking I would shoot for every Tuesday. Possibly I will just post sometime in the week (Sunday through Saturday).
So, there is my idea. It doesn’t really matter what you think about it, since I am doing it anyway. Although, as always, I would love to hear your feedback.
Does the Project Have a Name?
Not officially. “Thing a Week” has already been done. The WhereIF Project could have been cool, but it seems too close to Julie Powell’s. WhereIF a Week? What are your suggestions?
When Does “WhereIF a Week” Begin?
There is no time like the present. It begins this week. Since it is already Tuesday, I better think of something to post fast. So, gotta run…
Bill
Where Icarus Flies, Episode 10, trying to educate the masses…
WhereIF Episode 10 Contents
Blog Post Note: It has now been over two months since I last posted a podcast. This podcast was recorded on March 18th, it is not April 28th. Man am I a lame-ass! I just listened to this episode again and wow, my voice was still thrashed due to my bout with H1N1. I sound MUCH better now!!! — Bill
By not posing a podcast in over a month, Where Icarus Flies is in danger of becoming irrelevant. Well, that assumes that we were relevant to begin with. 😉 A lot has happened since Joey and I were last on the air. I joined the 40 club, we went on a trip to Massachusetts, the Vancouver Olympics came and went, I contracted H1N1 and battled the Swine Flu for two weeks, President Obama declared he was not a friend of teachers and Little League Baseball season started. Those are just the major items on the list!
The good news: we are back! My “weekly” podcast may end up becoming a bi-weekly podcast, but I’ll do my best! It is amazing how much life gets in the way! Hey, at least my podcast wasn’t off the air as long as Adam Curry’s!
So, what does WhereIF have in store for you this week? Let’s take a look…
Where Icarus Flies Jambalaya!
Jambalaya is a wonderful Cajun dish of rice with shrimps, chicken, and vegetables. The word Jambalaya most likely comes from the Provençal word  jambalaia, meaning a mish mash. That is what the WhereIF Jambalaya segment is. A mish mash of topics that can sometimes boarder on the spicy! This week I talk about a potential National ID Card, Zurich’s “Fish Lawyer,” and Google vs. the little guy.
Digital Rights Management (DRM)
Digital Rights Management, or DRM for short, is a broad term to indicate one of many possible techniques for restricting the free use and transfer of digital content. The digital content is most commonly a movie, song, game, document (mainly PDFs), audio book or more. The case for DRM is that without a strong system in place to ensure only paying customers can access media, piracy will run rampant and cut drastically into profits for content producers and its distributors. On paper or sitting around a conference room table, this sounds quite reasonable.
In practice DRM does very little to curb piracy and mainly gets in the way of a consumer’s right to enjoy their legally purchased digital content in ways that comply with reasonable fair use guidelines. Although the public face of DRM would have you believe that its sole purpose is to protect the poor copyright holder’s intellectual property, it does little to do so. At they same time DRM proponents argue that the rights of the consumer are paramount. DRM is mainly about use (or more accurately non-use) of the digital content, not about the rights of the consumer.
This week, I spend tome time talking about DRM. Can you guess which side of the debate I am on?
America’s Public Education Fail
I have talked about this before, Public Education in the United States at the K-12 level is an embarrassment. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a sick joke and President Obama does not have an adequate plan to fix our education woes. Everything about President Obama’s education plan smacks of public pandering. Oh, there are parts that sound good to the general public, but that is only because the general public does not know anything about education. Tying teacher pay and performance rating to test scores is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Especially since the test that are being used are inadequate and our current education standards are not reasonable.
On top of that, President Obama created what can be best described as a secret society to dole out needed money to states in need. The bogus Race to the Top program is a farce. California did not get needed government money because most of the School Districts and Teacher’s Unions in the state would not agree to the out-of-touch, nonsensical mandates of President Obama’s plan. Most everyone remotely knowledgeable about Education will tell you that using standardized tests to identify good vs. bad teachers, is not just a bad idea, it is idiotic!
President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan had no problem showing their true colors when they both supported the firing of all 93 teachers and administrators at a failing Rhode Island School. Proponents of the firing like to paint the picture of an impoverished and helpless student body under the thumb of an evil teacher’s union and a brave and visionary superintendent of schools who would not take it any more. Throwing the fantasy away, we see a school that has a student body that has been below level for a long, long time. A fairly new superintendent who is trying to make a name for herself and and teachers who are shackled down by NCLB and do not know what else to do. Okay, maybe I am painting the picture in reverse, but that is how I see it. The mass firing had nothing to do with helping the kids. It was a hardball negotiation tactic used by the superintendent that now has the teacher’s union back at the table cowering. Oh and the nuclear option of fireing all of the teachers come in spite of a state report written last April that focused on the high school’s reading and writing proficiency, which have gone up 22 percent and 14 percent respectively over the past two years.
Due to President Obama and Secretary Duncan’s support of this draconian move, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers both lambasted the pair. Firing the entire faculty of a school is not a recipe for turning around a struggling school. That plan relies on a magical pool of excellent teachers to spring forth and replace the old teachers. It is a plan that is naïve at best and desperately misguided.
Hoover Report
Joey is in the studio and itching to be back on the air. He takes on sports, pop culture and the St. Patrick’s Day staple: corned beef and cabbage!
Masterworks Theatre
A special Masterwork’s Theatre this week that ties in to my battle with the Swine Flu!
Podcast File Info – Episode 10
I have gone back to making the enhanced version of the podcast (.m4a) the default version in my RSS Feed and on iTunes. If you have any problems with it, let me know (although if you use iTunes, .m4a is not a problem). I have received feedback that some mobile devices have trouble with the enhanced version (yes, that is you Blackberry). You can still get the .mp3 version from the website.
- Running time: 63 minutes
- MP3 file size: 61MB
- M4A file size: 63MB
All show ideas, comments and questions can be sent to feedback@whereicarusflies.com
Bill
Podcast (podcast-mp3): Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
iTunes
For a first time podcaster I think he is doing a fine job. This is an enjoyable podcast to listen to with some interesting points of view. Whether you agree with any of the content or not, it is one person’s take on a variety of issues. I definitely enjoy hearing what is instore for every new podcast and can’t wait to see how this evolves. If you only listen to this once, it is something you should try before moving on to another podcast. Even a Yankee fan can enjoy listening to a Red Sox every now and then.
4 stars out of 5
by South of Boston -December 5th, 2009
I have been waiting and waiting and I finally received the first review of my podcast in iTunes. Well, here it is! One review! An empire is built one stone at a time isn’t it? Wow, my first review! Can’t you see this snowballing into a multi-media empire? Howard Stern who? Sirius/XM HERE I COME!!!! Let’s take a look at the timetable:
- October 28, 2009: Where Icarus Flies goes live and my first podcast is posted. Multiple episodes ensue.
- October 30, 2009: First comment on the Where Icarus Flies blog by Kevin Crossman
- November 12, 2009: Joey Hoover joins show on our 3rd episode. Hilarity ensues and we would never be the same again.
- November 13, 2009: Joey gets a “Twittah” account.
- November 18, 2009: WhereIF has it’s first retweet (RT) regarding the podcast by @kevincrossman.
- December 5, 2009: Our first review is posted in iTunes by South of Boston. The positive buzz it generates is incalculable!
- December 11, 2009: Additional iTunes reviews begin poring in!
- December 14, 2009: Where Icarus Flies is top link on Digg and #WhereIF becomes a top Trending Topic on Twitter!
- December 21, 2009: The Where Icarus Flies buzz is felt all over The Net. Where Icarus Flies is featured on ABC KGOTV, Channel 7, 6pm and 11pm newscasts.
- December 22, 2009: NBC KNTV, Channel 11 and FOX KTVU, Channel 2 also have feature stories.
- December 23, 2009: OK Magazine interviews Joey for the January edition.
- December 27, 2009: Where Icarus Flies tops Bing, Yahoo! and Google’s revised top searches for 2009
- December 30, 2009: Bill & Joey appear on NBC’s The Today Show. Joey begins dating Meredith Vieira who leaves her husband of 20+ years, Richard Cohen.
- December 31, 2009: Joey breaks up with Meredith Vieira after he realizes she is not Katie Couric. Bill & Joey become the new hosts of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (now called WhereIF Rocks the New Year). Ryan Seacrest is outraged and decides to quit American Idol and live on a mountain in Tibet. Dick Clark doesn’t seem to notice.
- January 4-8, 2010: Bill & Joey make the rounds, appearing on Connan, Leno, Letterman, Kimmel & Fallon.
- January 12, 2010: Bill takes over as the host of American Idol. Joey begins dating Kara Dioguardi, who ends her 7 month marriage to Mike McCuddy.
- January 22, 2010: Joey becomes both a columnist for ESPN’s Page 2 and an anchor for Sports Center.
- January 25, 2010: Joey breaks up with Kara Dioguardi. She dives into deep depression and must be removed form American Idol. Joey takes over as the new 4th judge.
- January 26, 2010: Bill is hired as a voice actor on The Simpsons & Family Guy.
- January 30, 2010: Bill & Joey host SNL. Joey begins dating Kristen Wiig.
- February 2, 2010: Joey breaks up with Kristen Wiig after realizing that she is not Amy Adams.
- February, 4 2010: Bill appears on Larry King and Joey appears on The View. Joey begins dating Elisabeth Hasselbeck who leaves husband Tim Hasselbeck.
- February 7, 2010: Bill & Joey become the new CBS Sports Superbowl booth duo. The game is a dream come true as an improbable Patriots victory over the Saints, 40-34.
- February 8, 2010: Joey breaks up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck after he realizes he broke up a relationship between two BC Eagles.
- February 10, 2010: Joey counsels Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Tim Hasselbeck back together. They thank him with lifetime tickets to The Beanpot in the BC section.
- February 12, 2010: Bill & Joey attend the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver, Canada. Bill is given the honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron!
- February 13, 2010: Bill & Joey are asked to visit the White House and have lunch with the President and First Lady. Joey begins dating Kristen Jarvis (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady).
- February 17, 2010: TMZ posts pictures of Joey with Rachel Uchitel and Nicole Bobek. Scandal ensues after TMZ reports Bobek is on bail for a methamphetamine bust in July. Joey denies any drug involvement. Â Kristen Jarvis stops taking calls from Joey.
- February 20, 2010: Bill and a very emotional Joey Hoover sit with Barbara Walters in a new 90-minute special. Joey clears his name.
- February 25, 2010: Joey appears on Oprah and Bill appears on Ellen. Joey cries a lot and gets a makeover while Bill has fun in a guest chef segment with Ellen.
- March 1, 2010: Bill & Joey enter into discussion with Sirius/XM for a Where Icarus Flies show and channel.
- March 7, 2010: Bill & Joey host the 82nd Academy Awards. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are stunned at the last minute change. Highest rated Oscar broadcast in 30 years. Joey begins dating Jennifer Aniston.
- March 10, 2010: Sirius/XM sign Bill & Joey for an undisclosed amount ($120 million).
- March 13. 1010: Joey beats the crap out of Brad Pitt for his treatment of Jennifer. Joey is heard screaming, “Fight Club this bitch!” Brad understands and is sorry. Bill and Joey are brought into the inner circle of Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
- March 20, 2010: Where Icarus Flies goes live on Sirius/XM to overwhelming critical success. Brad Pitt is their first live guest. After the show, Bill & his family, Joey & Jen, Brad & George fly off to Clooney’s estate in Italy. Angelina is pissed she does not get an invite. They all have a great time!
Wow! All of this because of my first review on iTunes! I can’t wait!!!
I would love for you to add a review of my podcast in iTunes.
Bill