24 Hour Podcast: segments 1-16 online

The 24 Hour Podcast that was held on the weekend now has 16 segments available for download from the podcast's website here. I will update this message when further segments are available to download. Apart from direct downloads from the website, you can now subscribe to the feed here for the segments listed below.


My segment is nearly due to be online!


The segments available for download so far are:

• Introduction
• Elisabeth Lewin from PodcastingNews.com
• Beach Walks with Rox Darling coming live from a beach in Hawaii!
  
• Cherie Cochrane from CherieCast.com
  
• Matt Hall from John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab talking about the Voyager space program
  
• Geek News Central episode #327 (live)
• Angelo Mandato from Raw Voice talking about podcast statistics
• Susan Bratton from the Association of Downloadable Media & Podcast Network Personal Life Media talking about advertising & marketing in podcasting
• Anna Farmery from the Engaging Brand podcast from the UK
• Jeff Hinz from Rawvoice talking about marketing and promoting your podcast
• Paul Slyvester talks "Podcasting 101"
• Joe DeCarlo talks about his show Technogab Podcast and general info about podcasting
• Ken Crockett from Game Zone Radio talking about console gaming
• The Awful Show gives Todd some comic relief around the halfway mark of the podcast
• Jeffery Powers from the Geekazine podcast
• Jamie Davis from PodcastingNews.com talks about his two podcasts Podmedic & HeadLiner News
• Rick Savoia talks about his podcast The Force Field Podcast
  

The aims of the 24 hour podcast included:

• To raise awareness and funds for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program to benefit children in Third World countries to assist in improving their education
• To increase awareness of and participation in podcasting by podcasters and listeners
• To hear if Todd could talk for 24 hours LOL. Indeed he did and some listeners also tuned in for long periods including some who listened/watched live for 18-24 hours.

Erk Pod audio problem solved!

Photos: Erk (top), Drue (middle), Squeak (bottom)


You may remember that Drue joined me as a host from Erk Pod episode 65. I was using an XLR mic and Drue was using an ordinary mic that I purchased during the week. At the time I was using the original mixer which only has one XLR input. Needless to say, Drue's audio wasn't as good as mine for episode 65 but it was still passable.


One of the things that we both noticed was that Drue was moving the mic around as he isn't used to handling one and I didn't think to bring a mic stand. The mic stand that came with the kit was tiny and lightweight.


So between episodes 65 and 66, I went out and got a new mixer with a second XLR mic input and got a new XLR mic for Drue. I also got a heavy desktop mic stand which Drue used. I wanted to get one for me as well but they only had one in stock.




So Saturday came and we recorded Erk Pod episode 66. The new mixer, mic and mic stand really helped (EXCELLENT!) and Drue's sounding even better than he did in episode 65. I've had some good feedback about my new co-host and you wouldn't know that he's had no podcasting or radio experience prior to Erk Pod.


While we were recording on Saturday, Squeak was over at Drue's as well so I gave him a headset and a mic which was the mic that Drue used the previous week. We tested and everything was OK but after we started recording, Squeak's audio went pear shaped so while he contributed, he probably didn't speak as much as he maybe wanted to. Then I thought that maybe I could fix the problem in post-production and while it sounded a bit better, Squeak's audio wasn't as good as Drue's or mine.


I thought that we have to fix the problem now because we may indeed have a third person on from time to time and I'd prefer them to have their own mic rather than sharing Drue's or mine. Then I thought about the new mixer and my original mixer and between then, they have 3 XLR inputs! So last night (Thursday) I did some testing after linking the two mixers together and it worked well. Obviously I'll test it with Drue and whoever the third person is and test levels before the show but I know that it is possible. All I need is another XLR mic and a couple of mic stands and we are set to go!


I continually am learning stuff about the whole process and I hope that you can notice improvements. Obviously I can notice heaps of differences between early episodes and now. I can even notice a lot of changes (and I need to do a lot less post-production!) since recording episode 49 at Squeak's place a couple of months ago.

Erk caught in credit card scam

Picture this......


It is Friday at lunchtime. I have to work later on Friday afternoon then I have the weekend off. I was going to do my Xmas shopping on Saturday. Monday is Xmas Eve and Tuesday is Xmas Day, both of which I was working on.


I'm supervising a tradesman at my house and a call comes in from my bank. The bank tells me that they need to cancel my card. Turns out that someone was arrested by the Police in the US with a heap of credit card numbers in his possession, including mine. The bank said that it was low risk but they wanted to cancel my card. It looks like they caught the guy in time from my point of view because nothing had been done on my account yet.


Lucky for me, most of my bills come out of my bank directly and I put as little as possible on the credit card. I still needed coin though to survive the afternoon, do my Xmas shopping and do day to day things while the banks were closed over Xmas. So the guy from the bank gave me an hour to get to an ATM to get some coin out to do me for a week because with the Xmas holidays and no postal service, the earliest the new card would arrive would be in a week on Friday. If I needed coin in the meantime I could go to the bank but on Xmas Day and Boxing Day, the bank would be closed.


I raced to the ATM and got some coin. I did my Xmas shopping and because I've been working, I haven't had much chance to spend a lot of coin for most of this week. Under the circumstances, that isn't a bad thing.


Now it is Friday and the day that I was told that my credit card was due to arrive. I am sweating for the postman (or is it Mail Delivery Person?), to arrive. We don't get mail on weekends. Monday is New Year's Eve and Australia Post are treating that as a Picnic Day/Public Holiday so there will be no mail. New Year's Day is on Tuesday and that is a Public Holiday as well so if I don't get it today, the earliest I could get the card is Wednesday next week!


I do know that I can go to the bank for luckily for me, the bank is close by. However for a lot of people, the bank is not in the same town so they have to travel. I'll survive but it is a pain in the backside for sure and could not happen at the worse time of the year!

Being Artistic At Work

Sometimes when I am at work I get inspired photographically to get some images. I must stress that the work gets done and has to come first. Safety is paramount and work related stuff always gets done. Most of the time, the photos would be taken while stopped at stations or while waiting for trains. Now it is VERY easy with my Nokia N95 mobile phone which has a 5 megapixel camera included.

Boxing Day Monster Trucks!

On the evening of Boxing Day (Boxing Night?), my mum and I went to Fairfield Showground to watch some Monster Trucks. It was my first time to the venue as an adult so I had no idea what it was like.


I'd been wanting to see Monster Trucks before but usually when they have been at Parramatta City Raceway (PCR), I'd been working or otherwise engaged.


It took ages to find a parking space and there was a pretty large crowd. If you weren't prepared to pay extra for a grandstand, you had to try your best to get a good view. This was unlike PCR where you can sit in stadium style seating at no extra charge and everyone can see easily.



As you can see on the picture on the left, the crowd was pretty big. This is the northern half of the crowd but doesn't show the crowd on the southern side, the grandstand or on the infield.


As you can also see, most of the crowd is standing to try and see anything because apart from the grandstand and a couple of other areas, it is pretty flat.




There was one monster truck and a tank driving around giving rides to people. There was a long line for the monster truck especially.


Loading the people into the back of the monster truck reminded me of putting people onto a plane.







This monster truck was basically running the whole time I was there. I wish I could say the same for the other monster trucks. There were long periods where various minibikes were running around and stunt cycles (which were cool) but most people probably wanted to see the monster trucks.


And don't get me started on the theory of having fireworks in the daylight and then later deciding to delay things 20 minutes until it got dark to let fireworks off?

There was also a Jet Van which I'd seen before but it was cool. I thought though they were lucky not to set alight some obstacles and a lighting trailer!


Where I go to see the Monster Trucks again (and to be able to see them properly!), I'd definately do it again at PCR or a similar stadium or the Entertainment Centre. Speaking of PCR, there is a Demo Derby on Saturday night! WOO HOO! And I'm not working! Double WOO HOO!

Xmas Day 2007, Erk Style

Working in an industry such as mine, you have to be prepared to work on days like public holidays when you don't really want to work. For most people, especially people with kids or large families, you would rather have the day off if you could. But for me, I don't really mind either way. So I reported for work as rostered on Xmas Day and I thought I'd have a bit of fun and let some photos tell the story.



The drive in the Forester on the way to and from work was easy. On the way to work there was a lot less traffic on the road but by the time I was driving home, there was a bit more traffic as people presumably moved around from house to house.


Despite double demerit points and the possibility of people drink driving, I did not see a single Police car in either direction on traffic duties.




Fortunately for me, I was not doing super duper early mornings like I did on the same day two years ago so I didn't get to see trains in the shed nor get them ready for service.


I noticed that this shed was nearly empty (unlike the time of this photo) but in the next few days, they will want to have a good look at the trains prior to New Years Eve as we can't afford to have broken trains sitting in depots that night.




I didn't need to get a train ready nor was I "Mr Shed" so there was no need to walk around the yard. Once the trains left in the morning it would have been a pretty quiet day in the yard.


So I signed on, checked what I was doing and then headed off in my car for my first train.








My first stop was at a service station to get a drink. I knew that not a lot of shops would be open today but the majority of the service stations would be. Then I remembered that I needed batteries in my radio so I picked them up at the service station as well. I did have batteries with me but they weren't the right size for my radio!














I had some time to wait at Clyde for my first train to Carlingford. I sent and received some text messages and spoke to Leigh before he was due to go on air at noon. I was due to do three trips on the shuttle service between Clyde & Carlingford.


Needless to say, there was not many people around. I could see the trains to and from the west, the south and the city. The trains going to/from the south seemed busier than the west trains. Maybe there are more people travelling south who do not celebrate Xmas so it was a normal day for them.


When the train arrives at Clyde, there is a bit of a wait before it departs for Carlingford so I had some down time. So I thought I'd take advantage of a quiet day and read last month's Ralph magazine.


Prior to 12 noon, it was a good chance to listen to some podcasts as well. I am gradually catching up on stuff as many shows go off air for Xmas/New Year (and also summer here in Australia).


The temperature was pleasant enough with a lot of cloud but still in the 20's/70's so it wasn't a really hot day for Xmas. It wasn't the picture perfect postcard day that I thought it might be (or tourists were hoping for) but it was warmer than the -4 degrees that my American podcast buddy Richard Jefferies reported to me later from Chicago.


Soon enough it was 12 noon and my mate Leigh (now aka Erk's Voice Over Guy) was starting his 6 hour Xmas Day special on the radio. Had he been on an FM station I could have listened to the whole thing easily but because he works for an AM station, the reception wasn't the best on my trains with all of the electrical interference around.


I did my best though, finding the best place to put the radio (see photo) on my first train but on my second train that has even more electrical interference, it was almost impossible to listen so I went back to my iPod.


Thank you for the shout-out as well, Voice Over Guy! :)





I even found a bit of time for a pole dancing shot at the end of the line at Carlingford. Believe it or not, I can pole dance although I'm no expert!



So far so good. I'm having a relaxing day at this point and there are no hassles. I wish every day was like this.


My next problem was to find something to eat. I was due to eat at Clyde but at that time of day on a normal weekend there is nothing open so I normally go somewhere else anyway. But being Xmas Day, I could not rely on my normal places. I did not feel like going to McDonalds at Auburn after the Xmas Eve incident (it was open, though!).




My first stop was the McDonalds & KFC at Rose Hill. They are located next to each other so if one is closed, the other might be open. They were both closed. Then I thought of Lidcombee but I knew from previous experience that it would be useless so I thought I'd try Auburn.


Auburn is a multi-cultural place so I thought there might be something open. I was right. There are obviously a lot of people who don't celebrate Xmas in Auburn as there was a range of shops open including a furniture shop, an interweb cafe but more importantly, a kebab shop. I'll definately keep Auburn in mind for the next public holiday I work!







Meal completed, it was time to head west to Penrith. I had a Tangara train and it was impossible to listen to Leigh so I listened to Soccergirl instead on my iPod.


I had a nice quick trip out west and it felt strange heading to my own turf for Xmas on a train. While I travel through the area every day to and from work, I rarely catch or drive a train west.


By this stage of the afternoon there were some more people out and about.

I got to Penrith which is my home town. Ironically I was about 5 minutes drive from home but because I was working, I was about 2 hours away from home. Here I am posing in front of one of many trains who (unlike me) had the day off.


Despite the day being a lot quieter than normal, we still run to a weekend timetable in case people want to travel. Some bus companies for instance run a special Xmas Day holiday where the services are halved or not run at all. As an aside, in London there are no Underground (tube), Overground (rail) or long distance train services, very limited bus service and no ferries either. One could imagine the uproar if that happened here!


All that was left for my work day was to drive my last train and then I headed home. Fortunately I was able to enjoy Xmas Dinner with my mum. Afterwards, I felt like I was going into a turkey coma.


So there's my Xmas Day!

Podcasting around Australia, part 1

After my discussion on the 24 Hour Podcast on the weekend, I saw an article on Geek News Central based on an article by The Age (think Melbourne's version of the Sydney Boring Herald) which talks about the acceptance of podcasting in Australia. The Age article here.


My view of Australian podcasting is that it is very much dominated by traditional media outlets, both TV and radio stations. If I was to look into the Australian iTunes store under podcasts right now, I can comfortably predict that it will be dominated by programs not created by podcast presenters.


Leaving out the video podcasts that I have no experience in watching, the radio station podcasts in particular tend to be a highlights show of a particular program. For instance on Triple M, I listen to "The Shebang" (breakfast) and "Spoonman" (late night) to quote two examples. Each program is on air for 3 hours and you can listen to a normal radio, stream live from the Triple M website or download a podcast. Out of the 3 hours of content, Spoonman averages between 20 and 40 minutes per podcast and The Shebang averages around 40 minutes.


The commercial networks will hide behind the fact that "we can not play music on podcasts for copyright reasons" but they are quite happy to stream online live. Of course, Triple M is a music station so you would expect Triple M to be music dominated.


Occasionally on The Shebang, the management of Triple M let hosts Marty Sheargold and Fifi Box pick the music instead of playing the station's playlist. For some reason when this happens, the average 40 minute podcast drops down to 20 minutes if you are lucky because "Marty and Fifi picked the music but we can't play it on a podcast." Does that mean that Marty and Fifi talked less that day and did less segments and played more music?


As a shiftworker, I rarely listen to radio now since I have become involved in podcasting as both a listener and a producer. I like the ability to listen to what I want when I want it and also to listen to the show minus music, ads, news, traffic reports etc. I find that I'd rather listen to a podcast from The Shebang rather than the live version even on the rare occasions that I could listen to them live.


However, music radio stations are not the only ones podcasting. While I can't comment on the ABC based content, podcasting is seemingly not high on the agenda of the two major commercial talk networks Macquaire & Southern Cross. Based on my home market of Sydney, you may be lucky to hear 10-20 minutes of a 3 hour talk program. While our talk programs do feature the occasional song, there are not as many songs as on the music stations. The one shining light so far that I have found is the "Chip for Brains" segment about technology on 2GB on Thursday nights at 10pm as a part of the Brian Wilshire program. Out of an hour's content live on air, an average podcast lasts for 40 minutes.


Radio stations in Australia have seemingly not picked up on the LBC model in London where you can get a "free sample" of a program that lasts for about 20 minutes. However the difference here is that via LBC, you can pay to hear the entire program minus news, traffic reports and ads. Based on a 3 hour program, the 20 minutes in the free version jumps to between 2 and 2 and a half hours. For this, you can pay as little as 2 pounds per month for all LBC shows on a 6 month subscription (which is what I have). I am not sure if Australian stations will go down this path, however.


Before I move to other podcast content here in Australia in part 2, here is today's top podcasts in Australia based on the Australian iTunes store's listing. These listings rarely seem to change.


Where possible, I'll list the origin of these podcasts.

• 1: The Chaser (ABC) - TV program
  
• 2: Summer Heights High (ABC) - TV program
• 3: Thank God You're Here (10) - TV program
• 4: Family Guy (Fox) - TV program
• 5: Best of You Tube - internet
• 6: The Simpsons (10/Fox) - TV program
• 7: Ricky Gervais - comedian
• 8: Hamish & Andy (Austereo) - Radio program
• 9: Happy Tree Friends
• 10: High School Musical 2 - Movie
• 11: Enough Rope (ABC) - TV program
• 12: American Dad - TV program
• 13: National Geographic video
• 14: Triple J: new music podcast - Radio
• 15: War on Everything Chaser - parody based on a TV program
• 16: Scrubs - TV program
• 17: Ministry of Sound - Music
• 18: Sex Tips @ Entercourse TV
  
• 19: Rove Love (10) - TV program
• 20: Comedy Central Stand Up Comedy - TV
• 21: Get This (Austereo) - axed radio program
• 22: Global Service (BBC) - radio program
• 23: Extras (HBC)
• 24: Discovery Channel Video - based on TV programs
• 25: Australian Mac World Weekly
  

This illustrates perfectly my point - Australian podcasting is dominated at the top of the iTunes tree by programs that are not true podcasts but there is hope that I will talk about in part 2 of this article.

Erk Pod Boxing Day Update

G'day everyone. I hope that you all had a good Xmas Day. I spent a relatively relaxing and easy day at work. Photos soon!


Anyhoo just prior to Xmas, I did some more work on the Erk Pod and Erk to the Diary Room (ETTDR) sites and for your information:

• I have joined a new podcasting networking site called Blubrry where podcasters and listeners can get together and interact. This was a direct result of listening to Geek News Central and taking part in the 24 Hour Podcast. By becoming more involved in podcasting communities and having the shows available to a wider audience, the shows will continue to improve and grow.
  
• On both sites, it is now possible for you to subscribe to either feed (or both!) using iTunes, Microsoft Zune or any other player that requires a podcast RSS feed.
• You can easily switch between sites by clicking on the blue button in the under the host information on both sites.
  
• Host info changed.
• I have completed my initial look at my first lot of 2008 Big Brother (Australia) auditionees and this information is on ETTDR.
  

Erk Gets McAngry!

What a day Christmas Eve turned out to be! I went to work wearing the Santa hat (see left) and even got a compliment from a male passenger and various smiles and waves. I'll be repeating the effort tomorrow for Christmas Day. There is at least one other driver that I saw today wearing a Santa hat as well. I thought that I might as well get into the spirit!



Anyhoo after an eventful day, I decided to get some food on my way home from work after having a "meal in a machine" at Campbelltown. For a big area, there are no shops across the road from the station and it is a far walk to some shops if you only have a short meal break or if the shops are even open.







So as you could imagine, I was hungry and wanted some quick and easy food and McDonalds at Auburn is a handy stop on the way home. I was talking on the phone with my co-host and friend Drue when I pulled up at the Drive Thru speaker. I doubt if he didn't hear the conversation for himself that he would have believed it. I thought I'd start with a bit of humour seeing as though I was wearing the Santa hat. I wish I was recording this!


The conversation basically goes like this:


Window 1: Can I take your order?

Me: Ho! Ho! Ho! Can I please have 20 Mc Nuggets with no sauce?

Window 1: Sorry?

Me: Can I please have 20 McNuggets with no sauce?

Window 1: You want coffee?

Me: No, I want 20 McNuggets with sauce.

Window 1: 20 McNuggets, no sauce. Anything else?

Me: A large Chocolate Shake and large fries

(lucky for me, they have a screen confirming your order)

Window 1: Anything else?

Me: And some carrots for the reindeer

Window 1: Sorry?

Me: Don't worry about it, it was a joke.


So I get told to go around to Window 1 and I pay my coin and get wished a Merry Xmas. Then I get to window 2.


Window 2: I'm sorry but the shake machine isn't working.

Me: Can I have my money back that I paid for my shake please?

Window 2: No you can't as it is a part of a combo.

Me: No it isn't. 20 McNuggets, a shake and fries is not a combo. If you can't give me my shake I want the money back that I paid for it.

Window 2: Do you want a Coke instead?

Me: No I don't. I want my money back for the shake.

Window 2: You can't. It is a combo. You have to have a drink.

Me: No it isn't and I want a shake or nothing. I want to see your supervisor.

(waiting)

Random Maccas Guy: G'day mate, how are you going?

Me: I might be wearing a Santa hat but I'm not happy.

(Random Maccas guy walks away)

(Supervisor looks INSIDE restaurant for angry customer and starts to walk away when I call her over).

Supervisor: What happened?

Me: I paid for a shake at the first window and I get here and I get told that the machine isn't working so I can't get a shake and I can't get my money back.

(Supervisor walks to machine, gets shake)

Supervisor: The machine was being cleaned so you couldn't have got your shake.

Me: I understand that but I couldn't have got my shake and I wanted my money back.

Supervisor: You would have got your money back.

(Supervisor walks off after handing Erk a shake. Erk is still waiting for the rest of his food)

Me: I was told that I could not get my money back because the meal (details meal again!) is a combo and it isn't. I was offered a Coke but I do not want a Coke but I wanted a shake. I've got my shake now but if I didn't get it, I wanted the coin that I paid back.

(more time passes, Erk looks in his rear view mirror to see cars banked up)


Then someone asked me to move to the waiting bay which I did to await my food after never being told there was a wait on the food. A McWorker comes out a few minutes later with my food with no apology or anything and I drive off. Needless to say I am not happy and I will be emailing McDonalds HQ with a complaint.


I tell my mum this story and then she tells me that a photo of me wearing my sunglasses fell down today and co-incidentialy I was wearing my sunglasses all day which I haven't done for a while!

24 Hour Podcast update

The 24 Hour Podcast that was held on the weekend now has 13 segments available for download from the podcast's website here. I will update this message when further segments are available to download. Apart from direct downloads from the website, you can now subscribe to the feed here for the segments listed below.


The segments available for download so far are:

• Introduction
• Elisabeth Lewin from PodcastingNews.com
• Beach Walks with Rox Darling coming live from a beach in Hawaii!
  
• Cherie Cochrane from CherieCast.com
  
• Matt Hall from John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab talking about the Voyager space program
  
• Geek News Central episode #327 (live)
• Angelo Mandato from Raw Voice talking about podcast statistics
• Susan Bratton from the Association of Downloadable Media & Podcast Network Personal Life Media talking about advertising & marketing in podcasting
• Anna Framery from the Engaging Brand podcast from the UK
• Jeff Hinz from Rawvoice talking about marketing and promoting your podcast
• Paul Slyvester talks "Podcasting 101"
• Joe DeCarlo talks about his show Technogab Podcast and general info about podcasting
• Ken Crockett from Game Zone Radio talking about console gaming
• The Awful Show gives Todd some comic relief around the halfway mark of the podcast

The aims of the 24 hour podcast included:

• To raise awareness and funds for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program to benefit children in Third World countries to assist in improving their education
• To increase awareness of and participation in podcasting by podcasters and listeners
• To hear if Todd could talk for 24 hours LOL. Indeed he did and some listeners also tuned in for long periods including some who listened/watched live for 18-24 hours.
  

The long and the short of ......... Erk's Backyard

It is summer here at Erk HQ but the weather for a lot of December was tropical - high humidty, mid to high temperatures but also rain in the afternoon. We need the rain here in Australia so we shouldn't complain and I'm not. However, it did make it difficult to keep my back lawn under control.


On one of my days off, I decided to start mowing the lawn relatively early to avoid the afternoon heat and/or storms. That plan worked OK until it started to rain. The next chance I got to mow the lawn again after a few days of rain etc, I got halfway through the lawn and then the mower broke down with the lawn half mowed!


So the mower was in the repair shop for a week and a half and the rain and humidity continued. The photo here was taken from near my carport. The longest grass in places was up to near my knees and was in areas that I didn't get to before the mower broke down. In the background there is Snow White & several dwarfs that can hardly be seen. So I investigated several options while the mower was being serviced including hiring a ride on mower (I've always wanted one!) and getting a guy in to mow it. The prices of the ride on was too expensive so in the end, I got a mower guy in.



It normally takes me about an hour and a half maximum to mow the back and front lawn. On this occasion, it took 3 guys a total of 90 minutes each to get it to the start you can see here in the second shot. Now you can see Snow White and her dwarfs! In fact, I slept through the whole thing! Best $70 I ever spent!

Erk Pod 69 - Show Notes

Erk Pod episode 69 - 62 minutes. Photo: Erk the blonde mullet westie, 2005.

Special Magical Number Xmas Eve Eve Eve Solo Episode

Welcome to episode 69 of Erk Pod which is a special episode because 69 is my favourite number. Erk is flying solo in this episode and notices the difference about having no Drue opposite him.


In this episode:


* Introduction to new listeners - welcome.


* Thanks to Leigh for the voice over work! Cheers mate! I can't wait to record an episode with you!


* Wrap up of the 24 hour podcast with Todd Cochrane. It was a great experience. The podcast episodes should be available soon for the complete 24 hours (24 X 1 hour episodes) here.


* Dress restrictions at hotels (or at least the hotel I went to last night after being on the 24 Hour Podcast) even apply to Santa hats, apparently!


* More talk about westies and Australian slang and regional language. Thanks again to Broady for his theory and thanks to Timbo for pointing out an excellent site which I have described as an Australian version of Urban Dictionary which is an ABC site in conjunction with the Macquaire Dictionary. It could also be described as another version of Wikipedia. The site is http://www.abc.net.au/wordmap and you can search for words and discover where these words are used. Erk will definately have to share this information with Drue!


* The NSW Roads & Traffic Authority has released new figures announcing objects that people hit and when is the worst time for accidents on Sydney's roads.



NOTE - Erk Pod 67 will be my portion of the 24 Hour Podcast. Erk Pod 68 is the first 2008 edition of the Big Brother podcast "Erk to the Diary Room" and will not feature on the Erk Pod feed.


Have a good Xmas, everyone!

Erk Pod 66 - Show Notes

The "I'm About to Talk to Hawaii" Pre Xmas Podcast



Erk Pod episode 66 - 33 minutes. Photo: Erk celebrates Xmas at work in 2005 and will do the same in 2007.


Welcome to Erk Pod episode 66.


This episode was recorded about 30 minutes before talking to Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central in Hawaii as a part of his 24 hour podcast. Erk's contribution will become Erk Pod episode 67. For more info on the 24 hour podcast go to http://www.24hrpodcast.com - podcast episodes of the entire 24 hours will appear on that website soon after uploading etc.


In this episode, Erk was joined by new co-host Drue (it's Drue's second episode) and also our mate Squeak (who briefly appeared on Erk Pod episode 49 recorded at Squeak's house).


In this episode:



* 24 Hour Podcast preview and update


* Xmas Shopping & sequel to Westiefield's 36 hour shopping marathon


* Westie update from the previous episode (thanks Broady!)


* New Podcast Announcement - Erk and Drue will be hosting a new (Australian) Big Brother podcast called "Erk to the Diary Room". All 2007 BB content and all future 2008 content is at http://www.erktothediaryroom.com and you can also subscribe via iTunes via the site or by searching for "Erk" on iTunes.


* Speaking of iTunes, have you subscribed to the new feed hosted by Podshow? Again, search for "Erk" on iTunes and select the Erk Pod with NEW FEED in the title.


* To give you a taste of what to expect on Erk to the Diary Room, there was much discussion about the people applying to be Big Brother 08's House Mates. There will also be a BB 08 update episode on the Erk to the Diary Room feed shortly with this information and a lot more to bring you up to speed.


NOTE - I know that Squeak's audio wasn't too good. It was my second episode with a new co-host and my first with 3 people participating. I'm working on a solution!


Have a safe & Merry Christmas and New Year!

ANNOUNCEMENT - Erk Pod episodes 66, 67, 68, 69

It's been a busy couple of days at Erk Pod just before Xmas and the following episodes have been released, are waiting to be edited or are planned. I'll update this message as required.



Erk Pod 66 - Recorded on Saturday afternoon prior to talking to Todd Cochrane in Hawaii as a part of the 24 hour podcast. This episode has been uploaded and is now available for upload.


Erk Pod 67 - This will be Erk's chat with Todd from the 24 hour podcast recorded after Erk Pod episode 66. Erk was on air at various stages between 6pm and 7.30pm on Saturday night. I was planning to record this from my end as well as it being recorded at Todd's end but due to a technical issue, that did not work. So I am hoping to be able to upload this special chat soon via the podcast recording. All of the podcast recordings will be available soon here.


Erk Pod 68 - This episode has been recorded solo on Sunday and is now available. This episode will become the first podcast episode covering Big Brother 2008 here in Australia. This episode & show notes will only appear on the website & podcast feed at "Erk to the Diary Room" and will cover BB news in the BB off season including news about the new hosts and the audition process. This includes the relevant discussion about the auditions that featured in Erk Pod 66.


Erk Pod 69 - This episode has been recorded solo on Sunday and is now available. It covers topics that Drue and I didn't get to or cover in enough detail in Erk Pod episode 66. Also, I'll reflect on the 24 hour podcast.

Geek News Central 24 Hour Podcast

On episode 65 of Erk Pod and on various blog posts here, I have mentioned the Geek News Central 24 hour podcast hosted by Todd Cochrane. I appeared between about 6pm and 7.30pm Saturday night and I hope to have the audio uploaded soon. After the event, there will be several podcast episodes uploaded covering the 24 hours here. Indeed, Todd went 2 minutes overtime and he could of kept going!


I enjoyed the experience and it was a lot of fun talking to Todd. Indeed, he was the first person that I have ever spoken to who was in another country via the phone or the internet. There were some technical problems first of all but a change from my mixer to a normal headset and mic.


I haven't been able to listen to all of the guests so I am looking forward to the finished product. What I have heard was interesting and Todd did an awesome job and he has the patience of a saint.


I hope to upload my contribution on Sunday (my time).




Here is a list of guests as per the original plan. Add 21 hours to the Hawaii times listed (HST) for the Sydney time.



Schedule of Guest that will be joining Todd. Hawaii is GMT -10

* 0600 HST, 0800 PST, 1100 EST - Kickoff

* 0630 HST, 0830 PST, 1130 EST
o Elisabeth Lewin - Publisher PodcastingNews.com

* 0730 HST, 0930 PST, 1230 EST
o Roxanne Darling – Beach Walks with Rox

* 0800 HST, 1000 PST, 1300 EST
o Cherie Cochrane – CherieCast.com

* 0830 HST, 1030 PST, 1330 EST
o Matt Hill - Voyager II Scientist

* 0900 HST, 1100 PST, 1400 EST
o Angelo Mandato – Podcast Statistics Expert (RawVoice)

* 1000 HST, 1200 PST, 1500 EST
o Susan Bratton – Association of Downloadable Media

* 1100 HST, 1300 PST, 1600 EST
o Anna Famery – (UK) The Engaging Brand Podcast

* 1130 HST, 1330 PST, 1630 EST
o Jeff Hinz – Podcast Marketing Expert (RawVoice)

* 1230 HST, 1430 PST, 1730 EST
o Live Recording of Geek News Central Podcast

* 1400 HST, 1600 PST, 1900 EST
o Paul Sylvester and I Talk Podcasting 101

* 1500 HST, 1700 PST, 2000 EST
o Joe DeCarlo – TechnoGab Podcast

* 1530 HST, 1730 PST, 2030 EST
o Ken Crockett – Game Zone Radio

* 1600 HST, 1800 PST, 2100 EST
o Nerraux – The Awful Show

* 1630 HST, 1830 PST, 2130 EST
o Jeffery Powers – GeekaZine Podcast

* 1700 HST, 1900 PST. 2200 EST
o Jamie Davis – Headliner News, Podmedic
o Special PodcasterNews.com Announcement

* 1730 HST, 1930 PST, 2230 EST
o Caffination Paul – Caffination Podcast
o Rick Savoia – The Force Field Podcast

* 1800 HST, 2000 PST, 2300 EST
o Gabe Taviano – GodsMac Podcast
o John Wilkerson – Jesus Geek Podcast

* 1830 HST, 2030 PST, 2330 EST
o Mike Smith – Mike Tech Show

* 1900 HST, 2100 PST, 0000 EST
o Carl Weisbrod PHD – Podcasting open Forum

* 1930 HST, 2130 PST, 0030 EST
o Carey Holzman - Computer America

* 2000 HST, 2200 PST, 0100 EST
o Tom Marquette – Footnote Podcast
o Lets Talk Music and Podsafe Music

* 2100 HST, 2300 PST, 0200 EST
o ME! – Australia Erk Pod

* 2200 HST, 0000 PST, 0300 EST
o Available Slots

* 0030 HST, 0200 PST, 0530 EST
o Andy McCaskey – Slashdotreview

* 0100 HST, 0300 PST, 0600 EST
o Brad McFadden – TwoBlindSquirrels.com

* 0200 HST, 0400 PST, 0700 EST
o Cal Curtis – Australia CalCast Podcast

* 0300 HST, 0500 PST, 0800 EST
o Big O Techno Fodder Podcast

* 0400 HST, 0600 PST, 0900 EST
o Available Slot

* 0500 HST, 0700 PST, 1000 EST
o Alan Lew -Podcaster and GNC Ohana

* 0530 HST, 0730 PST, 1030 EST
o Wrap Up
o Raffle of OLPC Laptop or Laptops if we hit Goal

* 0600 HST, 0800 PST, 1100 EST
o Good Night

NEW PODCAST/WEBSITE Erk to the Diary Room

In 2007, I started covering the Australian version of reality TV show Big Brother via a blog on Myspace called "Erk to the Diary Room". Then I listened to some podcasts (Big Brother Weekly, Behind Big Brother and Reality Cast) and decided that I could do that. So after week 5 of BB, I decided to podcast and Erk Pod and Erk to the Diary Room (ETTDR) was born.


Initial Erk Pod content was mainly ETTDR but after ETTDR and BB finished, Erk Pod has grown as has my podcast ability. I was undecided whether to continue my BB coverage for 2008 but with the new hosts and newish audition procedure, I thought I'd continue ETTDR in 08.


However, I realise that not everyone is a BB/reality TV fan and for some people (especially those listening from outside Australia) so they might want to listen to ETTDR/BB content. But for those who do, I have now started a website and podcast feed for ETTDR. Starting with 2007 content from ETTDR podcast episodes and then with ETTDR blog entries as posted on Myspace, this will continue into 2008 with new podcast episodes and blogs.


You can visit the new ETTDR site here at the easy to remember www.erktothediaryroom.com address and you can listen to episodes there. I am working to put all the 2007 content online ASAP and I may indeed be producing the first ETTDR episode for 2008 shortly which will cover the start of the audition process. I have placed ETTDR on iTunes but it is waiting to be approved. If you can't wait, you can get onto the feed here.


Also, my new Erk Pod co-host Drue will also be joining me for ETTDR. Drue is a big fan also and we watched the 07 BB finale and other episodes together. He will have some opinions from a different point of view of another demographic to draw from.



At the moment, it is my plan to have at least 1 "studio" type Erk Pod episode a week as well as a separate ETTDR episode also at least weekly while BB is in season. Out of season, ETTDR episodes would only be done as required, possibly once a fortnight or once a month. I'll record with Drue whenever possible.

Erk Pod episode 66 & 24 Hour Podcast announcement

At this stage, Drue & I will be recording Erk Pod episode 66 on Saturday afternoon (Sydney time). Then we will be appearing on the Geek News Central 24 Hour Podcast. You can listen live to the podcast from 3am Saturday (Sydney time) and I am due to appear between 6pm and 7pm Sydney time on Saturday night. It is also possible that we will be also recording an episode of "Erk to the Diary Room" after the 24 Hour Podcast.

New Mixer & working on Skype

As a result of testing done between Erk, Drue & Leigh after the recording of Erk Pod 65, I have purchased a new mixer which will enable me to improve the sound of Erk Pod and to allow for more expansion. For instance, Drue and I will be able to use the same type of mic now.


The mixer is the Behringer Xenyx 1002 FX (left). Apart from all the usual mixing type stuff, it does many effects that were previously only possible with post-production. I'll be re-recording intros and promos to take advantage of this and also to include Drue and the new slogan on the intros.


I have also been experimenting with the new and old mixers (and also without the mixer) in relation to Skype so I can interview people and Drue and I don't have to be in the same room if our schedules don't meet up. The new mixer passed the first test with Drue but can it pass Leigh's test? Let's find out at lunchtime tomorrow!


There is nothing wrong with the old mixer and I'll most likely use it on the road or when flying solo.

Geek News Central 24 Hour Podcast Update

UPDATE: As I mentioned last week on this site and also with Drue on Erk Pod episode 65, Todd Cochrane from Geek News Central is hosting a 24 hour podcast commencing early Saturday morning Australian time. I volunteered my services as a guest and I have been allocated a time between 6pm and 7pm Sydney time on Saturday night which is about halfway through the podcast. There will be live audio and video streaming of the event as well as plans for 24 X 1 hour podcast episodes to be released as well. I will update this article with further information about how you can listen and be involved when it is released.


The marathon podcast is due to start at (time conversion done here):

• 6am, Friday December 21 - Hawaii (GMT - 10)
• 8am, Friday December 21 - West Coast USA (GMT -8)
• 11am, Friday December 21 - East Coast USA (GMT -5)
  
• 4pm, Friday December 21 - London (GMT)
• 1am, Saturday December 22 - Perth (GMT + 9)
• 2.30am, Saturday December 22 - Adelaide (GMT + 10.30)
• 3am, Saturday December 22 - Sydney (GMT + 11)
• 5am, Saturday December 22 - New Zealand (GMT +13)

150th post - some podcasts for Drue to listen to!

This is my 150th post here on Blogger which isn't too bad in just over 2 months. Of course, 65 of these 150 posts are Show Notes. Anyhoo, rather than just say "this is post 150" and that's it, I thought I'd make a short list of podcasts for my new co-host Drue (left) to check out to increase his list of stuff that he might want to listen to. He hasn't had his new iPod for long.


Of course, you don't need to be my co-host to listen to these podcasts. Links to websites and feeds etc are on the right hand side of each page. Here's some to get you started in some different categories:


In no order and a mere selection of what's on the total list:


Light entertainment

• Vote Me Up
• Wasting Time
  
• Reality Cast
• Dawn & Drew
• Soccergirl Inc

Tech/Computers

• TWiT (This week in tech)
• Geek Central
• Cranky Geeks

The Podcast Network

• G'day World
• On The Pod
• Connections Network

Podcasting

• Podcasting for Dummies
• The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy
• Podcast 411
• Podcasting Underground