Once again, its the week before a long weekend. This time its Labor Day. Amazing how I've had this blog for almost 3 months now, yet this will be my 13th post on it. Funny, I thought I would be more active. Guess I haven't quite gotten excited about this venture yet. Oh well, sometimes you jump onto the bandwagon, other times you ease your way on.
Internet Radio Update
I have broken down my options for a server host. Based on the amount of actual time I have to work on this, I think its safe to say I will need as little interaction as possible. This has led me to the decision of Live365 as my preferred streaming server. They do it all. They post your station on their site, they give you dedicated space for stored music, there's the option of live relay broadcasting, there's a revenue-sharing benefit, and the best part of it all, its cheap. So look out, I will be making an announcement within the next couple of weeks in regards to this momentous occasion.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Friday, August 27, 2004
When you're asked to work on a Saturday, you'd think it'd be easy to say, "No."
Why must I insert my foot in my mouth and agree to work a Saturday? There's no real merit to it for me. I am going to sit here, watch some people who've never worked in my area do a job that I can do myself, and then go home. Is there any real purpose to this? I mean, besides getting time and a half for it? Sigh, me and my bit mouth.
Had a conversation with a co-worker today about the necessity of cheesy forms of entertainment. Basically, I live by a principal of embracing all forms of cheesiness, because you never know when all irony and silliness might dry up and life will become dull and boring. Basically I explained to him the dream I have of a show I like to call, "Saturday Night Cheese".
"Saturday Night Cheese" is a direct descendant of the much scorned guilty pleasure of the 90s, USA Network's "Up All Night with Rhonda Shearer". Gilbert Gottfried hosted the Friday night-edition of this beloved spectacle of all things cheese, but we won't mention it because Friday's show was dedicated to more mainstream movies like "Kindergarten Cop" and "Nuns on the Run". Ms. Shearer's show, on the other hand, was geared more towards what I like to refer to as "hideously unadulterated cheese". While Gilbert would go on and on about Corey Feldman's acting prowess in "The Lost Boys", Rhonda would give us insight into Corey's motivation to take on a role such as the lead character in that box-office-smash sequel to the cult classic "Rock 'n' Roll High School", "Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever". Or the absurdities of evil car-wash magnates in such wonderful, albeit highly censored classics like "Bikini Car Wash Company" and its runaway hit sequel, "Bikini Car Wash Company 2".
This is what I am talking about. This is what's lacking on TV today. Ted Turner saw the need for such a show on TNT and had one going on Friday nights in the late 90s, and a local channel here in Indy used to have a late-late show on Saturday nights called "Drive In Matinee" that would show some of the cheesiest of the cheesy, but it was no match for what I have in mind. I want a pay channel, like HBO, that is dedicated to movies such as what I have mentioned above, but in its uncensored glory. One thing the 80s had going for it with the B-movies was the over-exuberance for gratuitous nudity, with little to no necessity for it in the plot development. Who can forget such celluloid greats like "Hamburger: The Movie" or "Ski School"? And it doesn't just stop there, oh no. We don't need all the boobies, faked sex scenes, and dorky guys winning the hot chicks over when we have a huge breadth of crappy 80s comedies. I'm talking Teen Wolf (and I guess its sequel if you have a strong stomach), Back to School, My Science Project, Midnight Madness, and other greats that didn't rely on unnecessary boobs being flashed or almost shots of man junk. And let us not forget the king of all things cheesy....Troma Films. Man, we have the Toxic Avenger series, the Class of Nuke 'em High movies, and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Can it get any better? It sure can. There are endless possibilities for a station like this...if only I had the money to get it going. Alright, back to work I go.
Had a conversation with a co-worker today about the necessity of cheesy forms of entertainment. Basically, I live by a principal of embracing all forms of cheesiness, because you never know when all irony and silliness might dry up and life will become dull and boring. Basically I explained to him the dream I have of a show I like to call, "Saturday Night Cheese".
"Saturday Night Cheese" is a direct descendant of the much scorned guilty pleasure of the 90s, USA Network's "Up All Night with Rhonda Shearer". Gilbert Gottfried hosted the Friday night-edition of this beloved spectacle of all things cheese, but we won't mention it because Friday's show was dedicated to more mainstream movies like "Kindergarten Cop" and "Nuns on the Run". Ms. Shearer's show, on the other hand, was geared more towards what I like to refer to as "hideously unadulterated cheese". While Gilbert would go on and on about Corey Feldman's acting prowess in "The Lost Boys", Rhonda would give us insight into Corey's motivation to take on a role such as the lead character in that box-office-smash sequel to the cult classic "Rock 'n' Roll High School", "Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever". Or the absurdities of evil car-wash magnates in such wonderful, albeit highly censored classics like "Bikini Car Wash Company" and its runaway hit sequel, "Bikini Car Wash Company 2".
This is what I am talking about. This is what's lacking on TV today. Ted Turner saw the need for such a show on TNT and had one going on Friday nights in the late 90s, and a local channel here in Indy used to have a late-late show on Saturday nights called "Drive In Matinee" that would show some of the cheesiest of the cheesy, but it was no match for what I have in mind. I want a pay channel, like HBO, that is dedicated to movies such as what I have mentioned above, but in its uncensored glory. One thing the 80s had going for it with the B-movies was the over-exuberance for gratuitous nudity, with little to no necessity for it in the plot development. Who can forget such celluloid greats like "Hamburger: The Movie" or "Ski School"? And it doesn't just stop there, oh no. We don't need all the boobies, faked sex scenes, and dorky guys winning the hot chicks over when we have a huge breadth of crappy 80s comedies. I'm talking Teen Wolf (and I guess its sequel if you have a strong stomach), Back to School, My Science Project, Midnight Madness, and other greats that didn't rely on unnecessary boobs being flashed or almost shots of man junk. And let us not forget the king of all things cheesy....Troma Films. Man, we have the Toxic Avenger series, the Class of Nuke 'em High movies, and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Can it get any better? It sure can. There are endless possibilities for a station like this...if only I had the money to get it going. Alright, back to work I go.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Cyberspace, are you ready to rock?
Internet Radio Update
My quest to run an internet radio station is inching closer to reality. I have spent the better part of the last month testing the capabilites of my home network for radio broadcasting, which has included several 24-hour test runs of different formats to accurately gain an idea as to what the demand for this venture would be. Below are the results.
Testing details
I utilized the free Shoutcast servers for the three tests. Based on current broadband limitiations, I had to go with the mp3PRO format and 64kbps bitrate to have 6 simultaneous listeners. For those unfamiliar to mp3PRO, click here to learn more. After each test, an analysis of each days streams statistics was completed. This analysis included the total number of unique IPs logged, length of listen, average listenership, and total number of repeat listeners.
Day 1 - Classic Alternative/Modern Rock
During this first 24-hour period, the playlist was a healthy rotation of classic alternative tracks (early 80s alternative music) and more modern flair heard on most alternative rock stations today. Analysis concludes the following:
Total unique listeners: 24
Total repeat listeners: 5
Average length of listenership: 0:57:32
Longest consecutive stream: 3:24:21
Day 2 - Classic Rock/Hair Metal
This 24-hour period featured rock from the 70s, 80s, and early-90s. Examples of the 70s would be Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, BTO, etc. 80s consisted of Tom Petty, Def Leppard, and the hair bands, and the early 90s focused on bands like Faith No More, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Alice in Chains, and Megadeth. Analysis results are:
Total unique listeners: 38
Total repeat listeners: 12
Average length of listenership: 0:46:34
Longest consecutive stream: 1:51:54
Day 3 - Bootleg concerts
This unique format for the last 24-hour period consisted of 10 of my favorite bootlegs that I have gathered over the years. This format was the most structured for an automated process, for I had to actually pick the shows I wanted to broadcast and set their playlist up manually. There was no random function on this stream, so it was straight shows. To alleviate the possibility of stream recording this particular set of shows so that they don't end up being burned onto a CD and sold to unsuspecting kids via ebay, I placed 10-second tags during the show to break it up and destroy the flow of each show. I think it worked rather well. Results:
Total unique listeners: 18
Total repeat listeners: 6
Average length of listenership: 4:27:41
Longest consecutive stream: 13:17:38
According to the results, the most "viewed" format was Classic Rock/Hair Metal, but the format with the most loyal listenership is the Bootleg concert format. For the classic rock format, I assume the lack of quality rock stations that play GOOD rock has caused the mainstream listeners to search for their fix online, so I attribute the larger audience to that. Of course, these listeners also weren't listening for very long, so either they weren't satisfied with what they were hearing, or they got their quick fix and moved on. The modern rock format has more loyalty than classic rock, as more than half the listeners listened for at least 90 minutes, but there were several who listened for a couple minutes, and then dropped out. As for the bootleg concert format, obviously the numbers don't lie. This is probably the most respected and desired format, as everyone digs a live show. Because of bandwidth limits, the numbers are skewed severely in the direction of failure, and had I not scoured over the total listener time, I wouldn't have noticed that the lack of listeners was due mainly to my listener max being MAXED OUT almost 95% of the time. One listener was logged into my stream for over half the entire testing period, which says a lot. So I think what's going to happen is that I am going to start out with the bootleg format, and when that grows tired, I will change it up, mixing choice performances into the normal rotation of rock music. Now, if only I could decide on who to host my content...
My quest to run an internet radio station is inching closer to reality. I have spent the better part of the last month testing the capabilites of my home network for radio broadcasting, which has included several 24-hour test runs of different formats to accurately gain an idea as to what the demand for this venture would be. Below are the results.
Testing details
I utilized the free Shoutcast servers for the three tests. Based on current broadband limitiations, I had to go with the mp3PRO format and 64kbps bitrate to have 6 simultaneous listeners. For those unfamiliar to mp3PRO, click here to learn more. After each test, an analysis of each days streams statistics was completed. This analysis included the total number of unique IPs logged, length of listen, average listenership, and total number of repeat listeners.
Day 1 - Classic Alternative/Modern Rock
During this first 24-hour period, the playlist was a healthy rotation of classic alternative tracks (early 80s alternative music) and more modern flair heard on most alternative rock stations today. Analysis concludes the following:
Total unique listeners: 24
Total repeat listeners: 5
Average length of listenership: 0:57:32
Longest consecutive stream: 3:24:21
Day 2 - Classic Rock/Hair Metal
This 24-hour period featured rock from the 70s, 80s, and early-90s. Examples of the 70s would be Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, BTO, etc. 80s consisted of Tom Petty, Def Leppard, and the hair bands, and the early 90s focused on bands like Faith No More, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Alice in Chains, and Megadeth. Analysis results are:
Total unique listeners: 38
Total repeat listeners: 12
Average length of listenership: 0:46:34
Longest consecutive stream: 1:51:54
Day 3 - Bootleg concerts
This unique format for the last 24-hour period consisted of 10 of my favorite bootlegs that I have gathered over the years. This format was the most structured for an automated process, for I had to actually pick the shows I wanted to broadcast and set their playlist up manually. There was no random function on this stream, so it was straight shows. To alleviate the possibility of stream recording this particular set of shows so that they don't end up being burned onto a CD and sold to unsuspecting kids via ebay, I placed 10-second tags during the show to break it up and destroy the flow of each show. I think it worked rather well. Results:
Total unique listeners: 18
Total repeat listeners: 6
Average length of listenership: 4:27:41
Longest consecutive stream: 13:17:38
According to the results, the most "viewed" format was Classic Rock/Hair Metal, but the format with the most loyal listenership is the Bootleg concert format. For the classic rock format, I assume the lack of quality rock stations that play GOOD rock has caused the mainstream listeners to search for their fix online, so I attribute the larger audience to that. Of course, these listeners also weren't listening for very long, so either they weren't satisfied with what they were hearing, or they got their quick fix and moved on. The modern rock format has more loyalty than classic rock, as more than half the listeners listened for at least 90 minutes, but there were several who listened for a couple minutes, and then dropped out. As for the bootleg concert format, obviously the numbers don't lie. This is probably the most respected and desired format, as everyone digs a live show. Because of bandwidth limits, the numbers are skewed severely in the direction of failure, and had I not scoured over the total listener time, I wouldn't have noticed that the lack of listeners was due mainly to my listener max being MAXED OUT almost 95% of the time. One listener was logged into my stream for over half the entire testing period, which says a lot. So I think what's going to happen is that I am going to start out with the bootleg format, and when that grows tired, I will change it up, mixing choice performances into the normal rotation of rock music. Now, if only I could decide on who to host my content...
Monday, August 23, 2004
Busy, busy, and more busy
Things have been rather tough as of late. I am busy as hell at work, and with other things going on, I am just all-around busy. But, I do have enough time to update this...surprise surprise.
If you haven't noticed, there is now a counter at the bottom of the page. I warned that I would probably do something silly like that, so there it is. I see I have had a few visitors, BUT I STILL HAVEN'T HAD ANY COMMENTS!!! COME ON PEOPLE...I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS....DROP SOME WORDS OR SOMETHING!!
Went to the state fair last weekend. Wow, can you say over-crowded? I knew you could. There was some 80,000 people there, just walking around, staring at animals' butts and eating food way too bad for your health. I saw the world's largest pig.....good lord. Saw some black Angus bulls, made me crave a nice steak, so we went to Texas Roadhouse and had one. I wanted Outback, but they were way too busy, and besides, the Roadhouse is right down the street from us. And, I will say, I am not on the deep-fried Twinkie® bandwagon. It was awful. The cream center practically vaporized, and I couldn't taste anything except for the breading, which bordered between pancake and paper towel in taste and texture. Blech. So, needless to say, I won't be wasting my money on that crap anymore. Give me elephant ears and funnel cakes any day.
Someone sent me one of those silly forwards in email that gave the recipe to make me. I'd like to think its pretty spot on. What do you think?
If you haven't noticed, there is now a counter at the bottom of the page. I warned that I would probably do something silly like that, so there it is. I see I have had a few visitors, BUT I STILL HAVEN'T HAD ANY COMMENTS!!! COME ON PEOPLE...I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS....DROP SOME WORDS OR SOMETHING!!
Went to the state fair last weekend. Wow, can you say over-crowded? I knew you could. There was some 80,000 people there, just walking around, staring at animals' butts and eating food way too bad for your health. I saw the world's largest pig.....good lord. Saw some black Angus bulls, made me crave a nice steak, so we went to Texas Roadhouse and had one. I wanted Outback, but they were way too busy, and besides, the Roadhouse is right down the street from us. And, I will say, I am not on the deep-fried Twinkie® bandwagon. It was awful. The cream center practically vaporized, and I couldn't taste anything except for the breading, which bordered between pancake and paper towel in taste and texture. Blech. So, needless to say, I won't be wasting my money on that crap anymore. Give me elephant ears and funnel cakes any day.
Someone sent me one of those silly forwards in email that gave the recipe to make me. I'd like to think its pretty spot on. What do you think?
| How to make a Josh |
| Ingredients:
5 parts intelligence 3 parts brilliance 3 parts empathy |
| Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add a little emotion if desired! |
Friday, August 06, 2004
Back from the dead?
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...I post another entry.
As you can tell, I am not really jumping into this like its an actual diary or anything. Instead, I am using this as a tool to vent my frustrations. My lack of posting has to do with the fact that I have been, for the most part, not very frustrated. Sure, there's the usual crap that puts a frown on my face, but for the most part, things have been pretty close to tip-top.
So then why am I writing now? Why not shut up and go away until I have something juicy to scream about? Well, because I am bored at work and have no better way to spend my break than to jot some things down. A few "projects" in various forms of completion have crept into my social life, leaving me pretty winded. What are they?
Internet Radio Station
That's right, I am working on my very own internet radio station. Now, its not going to be anything huge like www.knac.com or anything of that nature, but it is a springboard that will hopefully launch a side career for me. As you may (if you know me) or may not know, I used to be involved in radio heavily. I worked at a couple stations in Cincinnati, and I even received certification from the Ohio Center for Broadcasting. So as you can see, I am qualified to make this happen. Basically what this entails is running a server from which I will broadcast various types of music through. Am I going to DJ? Well, that depends. As for right now, I am just running music through automation, and that provides for uninterrupted music for as long as I leave the station up. Sometimes its an hour, other times its for a day. It all depends on what I have going. Right now, I mainly use it to listen to something at work, and there is enough slots for 1 other person to listen to what's playing. So, once things get finalized, you'll find out here what's up.
E-zine
OK, this isn't that huge, but basically I am in the process are starting up an e-zine with a couple friends of mine. What is an e-zine exactly? Well, its really something similar to this. Basically its a web-based newspaper that is going to cover various points of interest revolving around the arts. Aside from being the webmaster, I am also going to be a bit of a contributing editor. I'll have a couple columns of differing topics, and perhaps my own review section for albums, movies, books, whatever I can bother myself with. My personal life takes a front seat to all this, and therefore I need to make sure I have my priorities going before I dedicate time and money to that venture.
Novel(s)
Yeah, you read that right. I am working on several novels of different subject matter. I am not going to drop titles or anything as of yet, seeing as I put quite a lot of thought into these and I would hate for someone to steal these titles and make them their own. Screw that, this is my work, dammit, go create your own. I have a semi-autobiographical in there, as I have lived quite an interesting life, mixed with some fiction to spice up boring parts. I am also working on a comedic space epic in the vein of Douglas Adams' fantastic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series and Monty Python. I am also working with a couple friends on a reference guide to all things related to rock. Its not an encyclopedia of rock music that you usually think of...no no no. Its actually a listing for up and coming bands who want to try to get into the biz. Basically I was having conversations with a couple friends of mine who are in bands and how they are sick of not being able to cut a break because of lack of connections. Well, considering I still have a few friends in radio, I tend to have some pretty good connections in this regard, so I decided to put together, with their help, a guide for young, aspiring bands to help get them in the door. I have venues, promoters, studios, rehearsal spaces, and small, independent record labels all listed with write-ups on them. This is going to be a must-have for bands that are deciding to take it serious but not knowing what to do next. This has the potential of being released first, as there are a lot of interested parties who'd love the info we've gathered. Well, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so you'll have to buy it like everyone else.
Anyway, that's what's been up. I just realized that I didn't say a word on this blog for the whole month of July, so I guess this update to what's been up was a bit rewarding. Until I get pissed again, this is your old pal Josh.
As you can tell, I am not really jumping into this like its an actual diary or anything. Instead, I am using this as a tool to vent my frustrations. My lack of posting has to do with the fact that I have been, for the most part, not very frustrated. Sure, there's the usual crap that puts a frown on my face, but for the most part, things have been pretty close to tip-top.
So then why am I writing now? Why not shut up and go away until I have something juicy to scream about? Well, because I am bored at work and have no better way to spend my break than to jot some things down. A few "projects" in various forms of completion have crept into my social life, leaving me pretty winded. What are they?
Internet Radio Station
That's right, I am working on my very own internet radio station. Now, its not going to be anything huge like www.knac.com or anything of that nature, but it is a springboard that will hopefully launch a side career for me. As you may (if you know me) or may not know, I used to be involved in radio heavily. I worked at a couple stations in Cincinnati, and I even received certification from the Ohio Center for Broadcasting. So as you can see, I am qualified to make this happen. Basically what this entails is running a server from which I will broadcast various types of music through. Am I going to DJ? Well, that depends. As for right now, I am just running music through automation, and that provides for uninterrupted music for as long as I leave the station up. Sometimes its an hour, other times its for a day. It all depends on what I have going. Right now, I mainly use it to listen to something at work, and there is enough slots for 1 other person to listen to what's playing. So, once things get finalized, you'll find out here what's up.
E-zine
OK, this isn't that huge, but basically I am in the process are starting up an e-zine with a couple friends of mine. What is an e-zine exactly? Well, its really something similar to this. Basically its a web-based newspaper that is going to cover various points of interest revolving around the arts. Aside from being the webmaster, I am also going to be a bit of a contributing editor. I'll have a couple columns of differing topics, and perhaps my own review section for albums, movies, books, whatever I can bother myself with. My personal life takes a front seat to all this, and therefore I need to make sure I have my priorities going before I dedicate time and money to that venture.
Novel(s)
Yeah, you read that right. I am working on several novels of different subject matter. I am not going to drop titles or anything as of yet, seeing as I put quite a lot of thought into these and I would hate for someone to steal these titles and make them their own. Screw that, this is my work, dammit, go create your own. I have a semi-autobiographical in there, as I have lived quite an interesting life, mixed with some fiction to spice up boring parts. I am also working on a comedic space epic in the vein of Douglas Adams' fantastic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series and Monty Python. I am also working with a couple friends on a reference guide to all things related to rock. Its not an encyclopedia of rock music that you usually think of...no no no. Its actually a listing for up and coming bands who want to try to get into the biz. Basically I was having conversations with a couple friends of mine who are in bands and how they are sick of not being able to cut a break because of lack of connections. Well, considering I still have a few friends in radio, I tend to have some pretty good connections in this regard, so I decided to put together, with their help, a guide for young, aspiring bands to help get them in the door. I have venues, promoters, studios, rehearsal spaces, and small, independent record labels all listed with write-ups on them. This is going to be a must-have for bands that are deciding to take it serious but not knowing what to do next. This has the potential of being released first, as there are a lot of interested parties who'd love the info we've gathered. Well, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so you'll have to buy it like everyone else.
Anyway, that's what's been up. I just realized that I didn't say a word on this blog for the whole month of July, so I guess this update to what's been up was a bit rewarding. Until I get pissed again, this is your old pal Josh.
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