Yet more keen links one might want to share

[hot_pastrami]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Are your podcast episodes just read-aloud versions of your damn interesting articles, or are you hosting discussions with guests about your pieces?

So far only the former; a narrator (sometimes me) reads the article, and then I adorn it with music and sound effects. I've tried to tinker with the latter, but people have proven surprisingly squirrely. I have found people associated with topics that might have interesting things to say, and some have agreed to chat, but then I can never get them to commit to a time and place.

I suspect that it's due in part to my severe introversion subconsciously protecting itself. But I have a good interview recording setup ready, just in case.

Originally Posted by lumberjim

Just tail post until you start to make sense.

Tail-nouning is your answer to all of life's problems, isn't it?

[lumberjim]

Upcatching schmupcatching. Just tail post until you start to make sense.

I'm glad you're having a damn interesting life, brother.

[Undertoad]

Well if you need anything, Clod does professional voice work, and I do semi-pro (which means I got paid for it once) (and my best friend is an audio engineer with a vocal booth and several expen$ive mics)

I actually have a background in semi-pro broadcasting (I ran my college's radio station) and secretly, desperately, want to do a regular show.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I actually have a background in semi-pro broadcasting (I ran my college's radio station) and secretly, desperately, want to do a regular show.

My buddy has a regular radio show on the local independent community radio station in Arlington VA. Low power broadcast and internet streaming. There's got to be something like that near you.

A quick search turned up WPPM in Philly that is putting together community radio shows. As of July, they were still looking for talent.

[hot_pastrami]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Well if you need anything, Clod does professional voice work, and I do semi-pro (which means I got paid for it once) (and my best friend is an audio engineer with a vocal booth and several expen$ive mics)

I have a pretty good setup nowadays, though it doesn't look like much. I invested in a nice mic, and I tacked soundproofing pads all over the inside of an underutilized closet, and it acts as a serviceable one-man recording booth.

The main thing I struggle with is eliminating wet mouth noise. The only thing I've found that helps is to munch on apple slices between takes. That's part of why I haven't done any discussion-style episodes--munching apples on-mic is off-putting, but without them my voice can sound like a cat trying to escape a bucket full of gelatin dessert.

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I actually have a background in semi-pro broadcasting (I ran my college's radio station) and secretly, desperately, want to do a regular show.

If I may ask--and I ask out of genuine curiosity, not in a lazy attempt to be inspirational--why not just start a podcast? Is it lack of time, resources, ideas, motivation, interest, other?

If you have any technical questions about podcasting I can attempt to be helpful (though I have already derailed this thread pretty horribly, so elsewhere might be better). If it's just that you prefer broadcast radio over podcasting, I would say words to urge you to let go of the past and embrace the new.

If it's a shortage of ideas or material, I may also be able to be helpful since I have a surplus of both. But I also understand the human drive to pursue one's own ideas rather than another's.

[Undertoad]

(ETA: I would never work in the broadcast industry, or anywhere close to it, again. Famous Last Words. But in fact Comcast tried to recruit me a few months ago*. I ate their liver with some fava beans.)

On these kinds of things, I think I'm actually just waiting for inspiration. I did a single ep "Pawncasters" with my pawn shop co-worker when I was at the shop, and it was just so perfect and so right. Had tremendous topics, humor, and a dynamic between the two of us. I believe it would have become popular. I haven't seen something like that again. It's like a vision. If I ever see it I'ma jump on it though.

Despite being socially retarded, I don't believe in doing a show alone. It's just not all that interesting.

There are only a few podcasters in this world who can pull off a weekly show of a single person, just talking. After a few minutes, a single voice is just not that interesting. You need another point of view, or something to reflect off of. A tinge of drama always helps.

Mike Rowe is doing a Paul Harvey "The rest of the story" style thing, but that's only about 8 minutes at a time. Plus, it's Mike Rowe. Congenial, intelligent, a great radio voice, I would listen to him read the dictionary.

This gent Mike Carano does it alone, in a weird stream-of-consciousness thought stream, and I enjoy listening to him from time to time, but I wouldn't copy that format.



*an indirect recruiter, for an uninteresting position in their advertising division (which is the only division I won't ever consider, Comcast)

[Gravdigr]

Just listened to a "The Way I Heard It", Mike Rowe's "Rest Of The Story"-type thing. Very Paul Harvey-ish.

I liked it.

[hot_pastrami]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Despite being socially retarded, I don't believe in doing a show alone. It's just not all that interesting.

I can understand that view. But if you cannot find someone to be a podcast partner, you could have your one voice be a host who interviews third parties, and let them be the other voices. A variation of the Science Friday format. Of course that requires reaching out to strangers to talk on the phone/skype/etc, the mere thought of which personally causes me to break out into a cold sweat.

[John Sellers]

20 Medical Benefits of Marijuana You Probably Never Knew

[Flint]

That time The Oatmeal raised over $200,000 for charity, just to get unattributed comics taken down from a sleazy content aggregator. A long, amusing saga if you click through and follow all the links.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by hot_pastrami

The main thing I struggle with is eliminating wet mouth noise. The only thing I've found that helps is to munch on apple slices between takes. That's part of why I haven't done any discussion-style episodes--munching apples on-mic is off-putting, but without them my voice can sound like a cat trying to escape a bucket full of gelatin dessert.

Before you open your mouth to start a sentence, separate your teeth and drop your tongue off your palate inside your still-closed lips. That keeps the sucking noise inside. In slow motion it is three steps, teeth-tongue-lips, at full speed it's opening your mouth from back-to-front instead of front-to-back. Practice enough and it just becomes the way you open your mouth, you won't even think about it anymore. It helps train the muscles if you try to keep your teeth slightly separated within your mouth throughout the day, even when you're not talking. This also, incidentally, can help with overall anxiety levels.

Originally Posted by hot_pastrami

If it's a shortage of ideas or material, I may also be able to be helpful since I have a surplus of both.

If you mean you have a surplus of nonfiction ideas that need to be written about and/or spoken about, I'd happily write a few for you. I remember looking into your website several years ago, but the contribution guidelines said you had more writers than you could cope with, so I didn't pursue it further. That might have been before you were doing podcasts though.

[hot_pastrami]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Before you open your mouth to start a sentence, separate your teeth and drop your tongue off your palate inside your still-closed lips. That keeps the sucking noise inside. In slow motion it is three steps, teeth-tongue-lips, at full speed it's opening your mouth from back-to-front instead of front-to-back. Practice enough and it just becomes the way you open your mouth, you won't even think about it anymore. It helps train the muscles if you try to keep your teeth slightly separated within your mouth throughout the day, even when you're not talking. This also, incidentally, can help with overall anxiety levels.

Thanks for the detailed instructions! I'll see if I can master the process with any success.

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

If you mean you have a surplus of nonfiction ideas that need to be written about and/or spoken about, I'd happily write a few for you. I remember looking into your website several years ago, but the contribution guidelines said you had more writers than you could cope with, so I didn't pursue it further. That might have been before you were doing podcasts though.

Well, I do have such a surplus of non-fiction topics, my "write about this someday" folder tests the endurance of the scroll wheel. But here I was referring to a surplus of ideas/concepts for podcasts. If I didn't have to work a day job, I'd be tempted to launch a couple more podcasts, because there's such huge potential for niftiness. In fact, I'm working on a limited-run side podcast idea in my "spare time," likely to see the light of day approximately when podcasts fall out of style.

In regards to your interest in writing with us, it is still true that our problem is not too few skilled writers, it's too little editing bandwidth. But we do still occasionally welcome new writers who demonstrate considerable skill and interest. The challenge is helping them maintain that interest as they wait for their works to wind through our slow-moving machine. I essentially work three part-time jobs, so I am the bottleneck. But the good news is I *may* have found a way to whittle it down to a mere two part-time jobs, which will free up some time and energy.

I'm rambling. In short, if you really are interested in participating, and you possess a surplus of patience, there's a good chance we can make it happen. I have a Google Doc outlining our process and such, I can share it if you send me a Google Doc email address.

[BigV]

The Jargon File



credit to Happy Monkey "...on the gripping hand..."

[xoxoxoBruce]

Big hair of the stars in the 80's.

[glatt]

Sarah Purcell.

That's a name I haven't thought of in decades. She was in something like That's Incredible, wasn't she?

Edit: Real People. Same thing.