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Thursday, September 11, 2003

Regrets...
I've had a few.
But then again,
Too few to mention!
--"My Way",
written by Paul Anka
When I hear that song, I think of Frank Sinatra, and sometimes Elvis or Sid Vicious -- all of whom have been known to perform, in their own unique manner, that wonderful song. Wonderful because -- though I don't always enjoy hearing it, I've heard it so much -- the song is a wonderful personal anthem. That's something we all need: a personal anthem. A song that praises our individuality; a mark of devotion to oneself. After all, they say you're going to have a helluva time loving anyone else unless you've first learned to love yourself, right?

This is not to replace your love for your God, or your spouse, or your family. I'm simply saying that we all need to give ourselves a bit more self-love at this time of year. (No, not that type of self-love !) Too many of us beat up on ourselves throughout the year, and then nearly destroy ourselves at year's end. No wonder there are so many suicides during the Holidays; the messages bombarding us are to Buy Buy Buy and to Give Give Give -- but what if you have nothing to give but love? If you have a dearth of that good stuff, then you'll have a bitch of a time spreading it around to your neighbors.

So be good to yourself, whether you're Christian, Pagan, Wiccan, Athiest, Hindu, Islamic, Mormon, Podcastin, or otherwise. Don't take the pills, they won't do you or anyone else any good; you'll simply miss out on the Next Big Thing (which may turn out to be Your Next Big Thing). Just do things your own way, singing that little hymn as you do so:
For what is a man,
What has he got?
If not himself,
Then he has naught.
To say the things,
He truly feels,
And not the words,
Of one who kneels.
The record shows,
I took the blows
And did it my way!

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Fellow podcasters, webcasters, audiobloggers, here's an economical way to record phone interviews, useful if you have an old computer and are having difficulty recording Skype conversations. Remember to check the laws in your area regarding the recording of phone conversations! Here's what you need:

  1. Standard phone line

  2. Radio Shack Mini Recorder Control ($15; part no. Radio Shack 43-1237)

  3. Swapmeet or yardsale-discovered cassette, microcassette recorder, or, ideally, MP3 or minidisc recorder (also check your storage closet for forgotten recording devices)

  4. Computer (okay, we have to be reasonable here--we're not going to get much done on an Apple ][e or anything)

  5. Soundcard; most modern computers (and all Macs) come with one of these

  6. Audacity software (free, assuming your computer is up to the challenge, and available for Mac, Windows, or Linux; otherwise, Pro Tools FREE is available for most older Mac and Windows systems)

  7. Cable to plug recording device into soundcard

Yes, this setup is a bit cheap and may not produce the most professional sound, but it will do quite nicely for those on a shoestring budget - and it's especially attractive if you already have some of the components listed. Here's how it works:

  1. Plug the phone handset line into the only available input on the Mini Recorder Control, the "Handset" jack. The Mini Recorder Control itself is to be plugged into your phone's handset input. Be sure to set the Control to the "REC" setting (rather than the "PLAY" setting).

  2. Plug the Mini Recorder Control into your recording device. (No cable required; the cable is built-in to the Control).

  3. Place your phone call and record the interview by using the appropriate recording mechanism on your recording device.

  4. When you are finished recording, plug your recording device into your soundcard using the appropriate cable. Digitize the recording by recording using Audacity (or Pro Tools FREE or whatever software app you prefer)

That's it! Remember, you're not necessarily going to get Broadcast-quality sound using this setup - your voice will probably sound about as good as your caller's. Still, I've heard many decent audio recordings using this setup!
posted by Harold  12/22/2004 12:57:00 PM
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I once posted, in this space (this right column), the following:

If I had friends they would be listed here

That particular bit o' text, that silly and idiotic phrase, was repeated a dozen or two dozen or so times and was intended to be temporary. I had been working on a project -- a new layout for this blog -- and had intended for that text to be placeholder content. That is, the text was supposed to temporarily replace the content that had previously occupied this column (which was a list of links to friends -- that is, other blogs and web sites I linked to). I didn't know what content I was going to place into that (this) space, so I placed a bunch of duplicate phrases here as a placeholder so that I would remember to fill in this space again later.

At the same time, I thought I was being cute with the heading:

NEW & IMPROVED FRIENDS!

The fact remains: I still don't know what content to put here, in this column. Links again? Pictures? Video? Audio? Ads? Oh, hell no! It hasn't come to me yet, but I'm sure it will eventually, and when it does it'll come quick and (as usual) with consequences.