Erk Pod 2.0: all Erk, all the time .... & then some!

NEW WEBSITE - PLEASE READ

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:49:00 +0000

From today (Tuesday 8 January 2008), I will be using Word Press to host the Erk Pod website.

All of the Erk Pod posts, show notes and features are on the new site. No content will be added to this site from this time. Erk Pod Mini & Erk Pod episodes will continue as normal and there is no change to feeds or hosting of these episodes.

VISIT THE NEW SITE - CLICK HERE

I hope you visit the new site and keep listening to the podcast and keep visiting the site. The new website will enable me to quicken up the front page and spread things out rather than do everything on the one page. With the new site, I will be able to do things over multiple pages accessible via the main page. The new site looks great and I can change it easier if required.

For the moment while I tinker with the site, Erk to the Diary Room will stay on it's current site here but may at a later stage go to a new Word Press site.

NEW WEBSITE - PLEASE READ

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:49:00 +0000

From today (Tuesday 8 January 2008), I will be using Word Press to host the Erk Pod website.

All of the Erk Pod posts, show notes and features are on the new site. No content will be added to this site. Erk Pod Mini & Erk Pod episodes will continue as normal and there is no change to feeds or hosting of these episodes.

VISIT THE NEW SITE - CLICK HERE

I hope you visit the new site and keep listening to the podcast and keep visiting the site. The new website will enable me to quicken up the front page and spread things out rather than do everything on the one page. With the new site, I will be able to do things over multiple pages accessible via the main page. The new site looks great and I can change it easier if required.

For the moment while I tinker with the site, Erk to the Diary Room will stay on it's current site here but may at a later stage go to a new Word Press site.

Erk Pod Mini 07 - Show Notes. Monday 7 January 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:44:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 7 - 5 minutes. Photo: Birds in flight

Gyms, Trains (or Train!) and Coin!

Welcome to Erk Pod Mini for episode 7, Monday January 7, 2008.

In this episode:

* Vote Me Up announces the end of the podcast. Thanks for the laughs, Tom, Marie & Lara!

* Being on the same train all day.

* Finally got my credit card activated!

* Testing with Drue various things including Talkshoe, Skype and 3 mic/headphone setup.

* My gym wants coin from me despite me not doing there for nearly 3 years.

* Thanks to Evo for the comment on the blog.

* Coming up - Mr Shed, Mr Wash, Mr Training

* Interview planned for Saturday - details later in the week when locked in

* New look website under construction. More details soon.

Erk Pod Mini 06 - Show Notes. Sunday 6 January 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:20:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 6 - 5 minutes. Photo: A blue car!

Welcome to episode 6 of Erk Pod Mini for Sunday 6 January 2008. In this episode:

* Book shopping - "Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies" by Evo Terra & Tee Morris. Find out how easy (or hard!) it is to buy a book about podcasting!

* Cricket - Australia won!

* Weather - HOT. About 35C/95F

* Website - New look coming. More details soon!

Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies - Book

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 06:24:00 +0000

Following on from the original "Podcasting for Dummies" book and companion podcast, authors and podcasters Evo Terra and Tee Morris have combined again to publish the sequel. Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies. The book is designed for people who are already podcasting to help them get to a new level. In addition, it is a good update and refresher for those who read the original book that was published 2 years ago.

Getting the book was a challenge in itself and I decided to try to get the book myself rather than ordering it online. I thought it would give me an insight into how many podcasting books are available here in Sydney. Firstly I tried yesterday at my local book shops but their computer sections are very small. Needless to say, there was no luck there.

Then today I thought I'd try again, this time in the middle of Sydney. Firstly I went to the Sydney City Myer store and I looked and looked and then I asked where their computer book section is - they don't have one! They are quite happy to sell you a computer a couple of levels above the book section but no computer books at all? WTF? Or as I mistyped into Twitter "WTE?" The guy suggested to go around the corner to Dymocks which is where I got the original book from and I knew they have a large computer section.

I went to Dymocks and found the computer section and the original book. The original was filed with a couple of other podcast book on the MISC shelf of the computer section. Then with limited time to go elsewhere I asked for help and the guy looked it up on the computer. He said that the book was in stock and I showed him where I found the original. Then I made the suggestion of a dedicated "Dummies" section for all the Dummies books.

He then looked in the Internet section as that is where the computer said the book was located and he found it in the next aisle away from where I found the original. With the new book was a couple more podcasting books. So I suggested that it would be a good idea to put all the podcasting books together and he thought of one better and would look at moving the books, changing their location on the computer and also a label for the shelf.

I paid for the book and then spent some of the afternoon reading it. I haven't read the whole book yet but already I have a couple of more ideas. I will also re-read the original.

Erk Pod Mini 05 - Show Notes. Saturday 5 January 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 5 - 5 minutes. Photo: Where's Erk?

Due to rain, lawn mowing has been cancelled for today only!

Welcome to episode 5 of Erk Pod Mini for Saturday 5 January 2008.

In this episode:

* Only had today off. No lawm mowing due to rain.

* Westiefield was busy, parked on level 4 in lieu of level 2.

* Finally got the movie "Shortbus" as mentioned on Triple M's "Get This" last year as well as "The 40 year old Virgin" on DVD. Thanks Squeak & Man!

* December 2007 stats done. 571 downloads for December WOO HOO!

* I hope to be recording an interview next weekend, not totally confirmed yet.

* No Erk Pod episode today (or as BJ calls it now, Erk Pod Maxi) but Drue and Erk will get together Monday.

December 2007 stats

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:37:00 +0000

Here are the stats for December 2007 for Erk Pod, Erk to the Diary Room (ETTDR) and Erk Pod Mini.

Blog posts – Erk Pod	42
Blog posts – Erk to the Diary Room	72
Total Blog posts	114

Episodes – Erk Pod (Mypodcast.com)	9
Episodes – Erk Pod (Podshow)	9
Episodes – Erk to the Diary Room	26
Episodes – Erk Pod Mini	18
Total episodes uploaded	62

Downloads – Erk Pod (Mypodcast.com)	182
Downloads – Erk Pod (Podshow)	279
Downloads – Erk to the Diary Room	74
Downloads – Erk Pod Mini	36
Total Downloads	571


HIGHLIGHTS
Drue joined Erk Pod/ETTDR as co-host	Erk Pod episode 65
Erk to the Diary Room, separate feed/website	19 December
Guest spot on 24 Hour Podcast	22 December
Erk to the Diary Room launched	22 December
1^st 2008 ETTDR episode produced	23 December
Erk Pod Mini Launched	29 December

Announcement - Erk Pod episode 71

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:41:00 +0000

For the last few weeks, Drue & I have been recording an episode of Erk Pod on a Saturday afternoon. However this Saturday afternoon this will not be happening. I am busy (and would have even busier had it not rained!) and Drue has headed away for the day.

But never fear!

I have put my contribution up to the 24 Hour Podcast up as Erk Pod episode 67 as this was recorded just after Erk Pod episode 66. Thanks again to Todd for allowing me to use the audio and place it on my feed.

Drue and I will be getting together on Monday afternoon and I hope to test Skype and Talkshoe with him as well as possibly be recording other stuff as well.

Don't forget that I am powering along with Erk Pod Mini which is a 5 minute daily podcast - or as BJ said, it is bitesized pieces of Erk! Erk Pod Mini is on a separate feed to the Erk Pod feed, use the link of choice to subscribe to it.

Erk Pod 67 (24 Hr Podcast) - Show Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:32:00 +0000

Download here, 42 minutes.

Photo: Yes Todd, we have Target here too, mate! In country areas, it is known as "Target Country".

This is my contribution to the 24 Hour Podcast hosted by Todd Cochrane from Geek News Central. My audio isn't the best (it sounded better when we were talking!) but it was an interesting discussion. It was my first chat talking to someone in another country.

For the other segments from the 24 Hour Podcast go to http://www.24hrpodcast.com. In the spirit of the podcast, the audio has not been edited (it's not an Erk highlights package) so there will be some audio without me being involved.

Todd went on air at 3am Sydney time on Saturday 22 December (6am Friday, Hawaiian time) and continued all the way until 3am on Sunday 23 December Sydney time. I was on air from just after 6pm until about 7.30pm on Saturday night, Saturday time.

Topics included:

* Christmas in Australia, the US and Hawaii

* Travelling around Australia

* NSW sounds like Texas (in relation to driving times at least).

* Can you get lost driving in Hawaii?

* Sailors coming to port - Australian ladies love American sailors

* Has Todd been to Australia?

* Being isolated from the mainland

* Australia's geography is a lot easier to learn than America's!

* Australia is becoming the 51st state of America.

* Australians don't all speak like Steve Irwin!

Thanks for Todd for the opportunity to participate (sight unseen!) and also for providing the audio. I hope we can do this again with better audio some day!

Erk Pod Mini 04 - Show Notes. Friday 4 January 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:17:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 3 - 5 minutes. Photo: My Eric Cartman doll walks through long grass.

Erk emails Erk and some woo hoo'ing!

Welcome to episode 4 of Erk Pod Mini: 365 Days of Erk. Friday January 4, 2008.

In this episode:

* Finally got my credit card WOO HOO

* Erk sends an email to Erk.

* Erk's contribution to the 24 Hour Podcast is online and this will become Erk Pod episode 67. Also go to http://www.24hrpodcast.com

* WOO HOO I have a week off now. I wish!

* Being almost dead and not going to meet Leigh at Central.

* Thanks to BJ for the first Erk Pod Mini feedback. Cheers mate!

24 Hour Podcast Update - segments 1-22 online

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:20:00 +0000

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 online but will also become Erk Pod episode 67.

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
Mike Smith from the Mike Tech Show
Carl Weisbrod has several podcasts and also has podcast tutorials.
Carey Holzman from Computer America
ME ME ME ME ME
Two hour open discussion
Andy McCaskey from Slashdot Review

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 Mini 03 - Show Notes. Thursday 3 January 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:54:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 3 - 5 minutes. Photo: Unusually empty meal room at Lidcombee!

No Card, Still Waiting......

Welcome to Erk Pod Mini episode 3, Thursday 3 January 2008.

In this episode:

* Long days again. One day off on Saturday and then day work. Luckily no super duper early mornings! Not a bad fortnight coming up!

* No credit card STILL

* Busy Saturday

* No Erk Pod episode being recorded on Saturday. Erk & Drue getting together on Monday.

* Mini roster rant.

* Waiting for McDonalds complaint.

Erk Pod Mini 02 - Show Notes. Wednesday 02 January 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:50:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 2 - 5 minutes. Photo: "To report or not to report, that is the question!" My train radio is ready for instant communication.

No Card, No Fire......

Welcome to Erk Pod Mini, episode 2.

In this episode:

* Still no credit card after being caught in a credit card scam. It has nearly been two weeks!

* Long shift today.

* When a fire isn't a fire and when a fire is a fire.

* Podshow stats OK and December 2007 stats collated shortly.

* Next Erk Pod episode with Drue will not be recorded on Saturday as normal, possibly next Monday.

Stay tuned for Erk Pod Mini again tomorrow!

December 2007 Stats Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:19:00 +0000

In a couple of days I will go through the stats for December 2007 for Erk Pod, Erk to the Diary Room and Erk Pod Mini. I will give it a couple of days to give the servers some time to catch up as I did the stats on December 1 for November then on December 2 or 3, the stats for November changed somehow!

I am looking at around 500 downloads for December. Podshow's stats went north for the winter for about a week and a half but they came good and presented me with some good figures. I was worried because it was saying that no one downloaded Erk Pod 66, 68 (ETTDR 1/2008) or 69 when I knew that not to be true.

To say that I am happy with the stats so far is an understatement!

Erk Pod Mini 01 - Show Notes. Tuesday 1 January 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:57:00 +0000

Erk Pod Mini episode 1 - 5 minutes. Photo: Sydney Harbour Bridge on a normal day - definately not NYE!

New Year, New Erk Pod podcast!

Welcome to episode 1 of Erk Pod Mini: 365 Days of Erk. Tuesday 1 January, 2008.

* Introduction to Erk Pod Mini

* Weather has been great.

* Watched the fireworks on TV but Drue missed the clock striking 12.

* Heaps of people coming early for NYE.

* Channel 10 showed fireworks and then went into environmental mode.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:53:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I hope that you all have a great 2008. The fireworks on Sydney Harbour were spectacular and I had a good spot in front of the TV. I'll let Drue tell you in the next episode of Erk Pod where he was at midnight!

Anyhoo, don't forget that my new podcast "Erk Pod Mini: 365 Days of Erk" starts today where I record a daily 5 minute podcast episode. You can subscribe or listen by using the links or players on the right hand side of the page. Typically I'll do it at the end of the day but it will vary according to work but I am aiming for every day regardless of where I am.

Smoky Lack of Power Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:35:00 +0000

I was looking forward to a quiet Sunday at work. That SO did not happen.

I woke up to the news that there was a fire at Lidcombee station which turned out to destroy the newsagency that I talked about in Erk Pod episode 70. The fire started in the early hours on the morning and there was extensive smoke, fire & water damage to the shop and the surrounding areas. I thought a lot about the amount of time I'd spent in there talking to the guys that run the shop and put myself in their shoes. The shop can be replaced but I'm glad that no one was hurt. There's a lot of work to be done but I know these guys work hard so they'll either decide to get in and get the work done as quick as possible or have a break first and get someone else to clean up. I don't know.

When I got there, the smell of smoke hit me as soon as I left my car. There was devastation inside the shop but in one of the drink fridges, I could still see some labels on the (now smoked flavoured!) Pepsi.

So I went to my meal room where the smell of smoke was quite strong and there were no phones, no running water and no toilets. How anyone could sit in that room for a long period is beyond me but they were.

Then it was time to head west. It was strange for me to head east from home to go to work in the car and then go straight back west in a train and then head back east in the train again.

I had the company of a driver going home and then there were some trainee guards and a guard trainer coming for a ride to learn about the network. I had a pretty uneventful trip west and when I was heading back east, I was zooming along when I heard a big bang and the train told me that there was no power in the overhead wires. No power equals no move once I'd stopped.

So I stopped at a station that I wasn't supposed to (are we equal after the one I missed the other day?) to do some fault finding. I won't bore you with the technical details of what I had to do but I got the train going again and we headed to the next station only to find that I had 1 power car working out of 4.

So I struggled (needless to say) to get to the next station and soon another train came past us on another track (luckily, there was another track available) so we transferred all the passengers (except for one lady who slept through the whole thing!) to the other train and then I worked to repair the train. Again, I won't bore you with the details but I eventually managed to get 2 power cars out of 4 working and I was able to leave to head to Sydney for further checks before it's next run. I left the train in the hands of another driver and the Train Tech and because I was late, I'd missed my next train so it was now time to eat.

After my meal break I was supposed to drive on a line that I haven't been down for a long time so I can't technically drive on that line so someone else did. In that time I met up with BJ and also Arthur who was in my Driver's school who I seem to bump into once every 6 months or so. And to think - if I was doing my roster like I was supposed to, I would not have met up with either bloke! So the longer the day went, the better it got!

Blonde Mullet Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:12:00 +0000

I thought I'd start today's posting with a happy memory. I met up with my mate BJ today at work and after our discussion I thought I'd post these pics all together in the one post. My day ended a lot better than it started but let's think happy thoughts first before I post about the not-so-good stuff that happened.

Above: Me in 2002 pre-mullet in one of my blonde stages.

Above 2 Photos - Driver's School, December 2004

Above - Me, March 2005.

Above - April 2005 just after waking up one morning. Regrowth!

Above 2 photos - Xmas Day at work, 2005.

Erk Pod 70 - Show Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:57:00 +0000

Erk Pod episode 70 - 69 minutes. Photo: White Water Rafting is on Erk's "to-do" list.

The New Year's Eve Eve Eve Eve edition - Erk Gets McSad

Welcome to Erk Pod episode 70, the final episode of Erk Pod for 2007. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In this episode:

* Erk & Drue talk about their Xmas and also their plans for New Year's Eve.

* 24 Hour Podcast: segments are being uploaded to the 24 Hour Podcast site. 16 segments have been uploaded so far. My segment is very close to being uploaded. Erk has started to listen to CherieCast which is very inspirational.

* Erk Pod Mini - Erk Pod Mini is a podcast challenge that I have started where I will do a 5 minute podcast every day of 2008. I called it "Erk Pod Mini: 365 days of Erk" then Drue says that 2008 is a leap year and has 366 days! Can Erk restrict himself to 5 minutes? More details

* Blubrry - Erk Pod is now a member of the Blubrry network where podcasters and podcast listeners can get together. This was inspired by the 24 Hr Podcast & Geek News Central.

* Erk to the Diary Room - ETTDR is your one source for Big Brother news and commentary by Erk & Drue.

* "Whispers At the Edge" and "The Survival Guide To Writing Fantasy" podcast crossover. Hosts Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine did a cross over where Tee presented an episode of Pip's podcast and vice versa. So you could hear an American presenting a New Zealand podcast and vice versa. It was interesting to get a different point of view but remain true to the format of the podcast. Maybe Tee & Pip will get together in an episode together in 2008! See the Haka that Tee made for the episode here

* Thanks to my mate Richard Jefferies of the "Wasting Time" podcast for telling me what his Xmas weather was and for giving some nice feedback on Drue's co-hosting role. Cheers, mate.

* We have solved the mic issues that we had with Squeak's audio in Erk Pod 66.

* Erk gets caught up in a credit card scam and has a McSad experience with McDonalds & Monster Trucks. Drue explains the process of going through an internal de-tox program.

Welcome to Erk Pod Mini: 365 Days of Erk. Another Erk podcast!

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:21:00 +0000

Photo: Erk got very wet while photographing a Fire Cadet competition in 2004.

Erk Pod is a personal podcast produced in Sydney each week that features news, sport, entertainment, music and more. Each episode has Show Notes that you can view on this site which gives you a guide to each episode as well. Also, Show Notes for some episodes feature some content (pictures and/or video) that you can't see on a podcast.

There are two styles of Erk Pod episodes and you can choose to listen to one or both of them here.

If you have limited time, you can listen to Erk Pod Mini: 365 days of Erk. Erk Pod Mini is a new project where Erk decided that you may like a smaller podcast limited to 5 minutes (which will be a challenge in itself!) in length and is released daily (another challenge!). From the 1st of January 2008, the goal is to record and release an episode of Erk Pod Mini daily regardless of where I am and what I am doing. Erk Pod Mini will give you a brief insight into life Erk style, Erk Pod & Erk to the Diary Room episodes.

I have uploaded the introduction episode (episode 0) of Erk Pod Mini and episode 1 will be recorded on January 1, 2008. I also have placed some promos on that feed that I made for various podcasters in November.

However you will probably want to listen to the original format of Erk Pod as well. Erk Pod is produced usually on a weekly basis and runs between 45 and 90 minutes and contains news, entertainment, talking and more. Erk Pod is sometimes serious, sometimes funny, sometimes totally down the wrong track but is always entertaining (WE HOPE!) and is hosted by Erk & new co-host Drue (from episode 65).

You can subscribe to Erk Pod & Erk Pod Mini via this website on the right hand side of this page. iTunes link will be available when it is approved by iTunes.

24 Hour Podcast: segments 1-16 online

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:37:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:16:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:59:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:05:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Erk) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:38:00 +0000

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!