urbpan: (dandelion)
I don't know that I have a specific project for this journal for 2013. I've tried to do that for the past 6 years with varying success, but I think I'll leave it alone for now. I do have several goals for my life in 2013, and checking in with those and doing the snapshots ought to fill up this journal nicely.

Goals for 2013:
  • Lead an Urban Nature Walk each month (there's one planned for this Sunday--how that goes will determine whether I follow through on this goal).
  • Make a batch of beer (I don't even own the equipment yet--this was one of my goals for immediately after moving to the Dedham House, and I chickened out of it) (Chickened out is a funny way of putting it because I chickened out of keeping hens for eggs until Alexis got involved and made things happen. Too bad she doensn't drink beer.)
  • Learn to play one song on an instrument and sing and play it somewhere. (I've been pretending to do this with plastic electronic instruments for 5 years. If I had been playing a real drumkit/guitar/whatever I'd have at least one song down by now.)
  • Expand our vegetable garden.
  • Resume podcasting.
  • Begin visiting livejournal friends in real life space.

Those are pretty personal and selfish but I'm at work on my lunchbreak so I can't think of the Good Works and Family goals at the moment. I appear to be going to serve another term as president of AAZK, and we may get a little more involved with our pit bull rescue agency (our current foster needs heart surgery and it's going to cost the rescue a pretty penny--more on that later when I post the next snapshot). My dad is going to start his first full year of retirement, and I'd like to hang out with him whenever I can. I haven't seen my in-laws in a long time, and it looks like dog issues are going to make it happen later rather than sooner. Also car troubles.
urbpan: (dandelion)
If you are the kind of person who likes what I do but would rather I talk at you for 10 minutes then I have good news: Species of Least Concern #012.

I hope you like it, and if you don't, I hope you tell me what I could do to make you like it.
urbpan: (Default)
I put out another podcast today: Here's the website.

I decided that a biweekly schedule is more realistic. On this episode I talk about snails and slugs, and I get a little philosophical about pest control. I want to ease the podcast into more of me talking about what I believe about natural history and ecology issues, especially as winter comes and there aren't any bugs to talk about.

One of my favorite parts of doing the podcast is making the website post for each episode, because I get to search the archives of this journal looking for pictures of the things in the podcast. I have nine years of livejournal to look at; I'm glad it's still around so that it really can function as a journal. Will it still be around in another nine years?
urbpan: (Default)
I have amazed myself and probably no one else by meeting my own arbitrary deadline. Behold! A new episode of my podcast, which you can listen to at the new website for the podcast. If you know how to do such thing you can acquire an RSS feed of the podcast there.

If you are the downloading type, you may be better served by the Soundcloud link.

Unfortunately we still haven't figured out an easy way to get it on iTunes. It reminds me of when I published a comic book, and was trying to get it distributed. At that time, and now for all I know, there was one giant monolith of a distributor that all comic book stores dealt with. If you couldn't convince them to distribute your comic, you were basically out of luck. I managed to get Tower Records to take a handful of them, but I mostly took them directly to comic book stores to sell them on a consignment basis. Publishing that comic book cost me thousands of dollars over five years.

A podcast is a pretty easy thing to make, it turns out. You don't have to be terribly tech-savvy to record it and mix it down (I'm sure it would be better if I was). It turns out that if you would like to reach a broad audience, you do need to reach one major distributor, and we haven't overcome that step. It seems silly now, and it will seem sillier once we are doing it correctly.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, if you do please share it with your friends, if you have a criticism please share it with me. (So far the only criticism I've received is that the theme music is too New Age/NPR).
urbpan: (Default)
Well the good news is that the Species of Least Concern website is up! The bad news is that the reason we created it--to be able to submit the podcast to iTunes--is moot, since the hosting company will not make it possible. I don't understand the technical jargon, but it boils down to me needing to give somebody more money for something I though I already paid for. I'm fine with the podcast eating up more of my time and energy, but I draw the line at it eating up my money (except that I'm on the verge of buying a microphone). If anyone knows a free and easy workaround to get my podcast up on iTunes I'd be grateful.
urbpan: (Default)
Here's the newest Species of Least Concern Podcast, episode #005! In this episode I talk about our recent BioBlitz, identifying insects that are hiding inside plants, the beauty of plain moths, and how to make the most out of a summer trip to the zoo!


Links mentioned:

The Caterpillars of Massachusetts, a gallery of beautiful lepidopteran larvae by Sam Jaffe.

Bug of the day! Subscribe to get bugs in your email! or, See the whole set on Flickr.

Dedham Natural Wonders also Dedham Natural Wonders on Facebook

Species of Least Concern Podcast page on Facebook

Species of Least Concern website and iTunes availability coming soon!
urbpan: (Default)
Episode 4 features my first correction/clarification (of many, I hope) plus our old friend the freshwater bryozoan, a medicinal herb, and a mysterious flying creature. That leads to some musing about animal phobias, and then I talk about a Strange Pest Control Product. All this for the low price of twelve minutes of your time!

Thanks for listening, "like" the podcast on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SpeciesOfLeastConcernPodcast

Thanks to those of you who bring me weird things, ask me good questions, post pictures of unknown creatures on facebook, and harp on me to be correct. Without you this episode would have been very short.
urbpan: (Default)


My niece, about to completely submerge in the Atlantic ocean for the first time. This event and others led to much of the content of the Species of Least Concern podcast.

Read more... )
urbpan: (Default)
Hey everyone! The second episode of my podcast is up!

http://soundcloud.com/urbpan/species-of-least-concern

Please listen to it and if you like it, "like" it on facebook. If you don't like it, don't be shy tell me why!

If you want me to keep making them, please offer suggestions for topics or send me stuff to identify! Future episodes will have other peoples' voices besides my own, as I hope to hold interviews via skype, or even in person if I can swing it!

It's only eleven minutes long, just put it on as you do the dishes or something.
urbpan: (Default)
I'm still feeling my way through all the technology, but I think I just created the first episode of my new podcast!

It appears to be here: http://soundcloud.com/urbpan/solc-001

There are many things I would like to change (such as knowing the software better so that the intro/outro music I made would actually be there) but I'm happy to have one done. Let me know what you think.


No seriously HERE it is: http://soundcloud.com/urbpan/species-of-least-concern

um. okay. here: http://soundcloud.com/urbpan/speci
*massages temples* *gets drink of water (wait is that really water?)*

Forgive me, I'm still learning the software.
I would still very much like to know what you think about it!
urbpan: (Default)
Okay, I've found just about every possible way to procrastinate, now my life is taking over for me. I can't record the podcast tonight (friend coming over), tomorrow through Saturday (events happening kind of constantly), and I want to be fresh and loquacious for this thing (he means caffeinated). If I say it here then I can't go back on it without public shame, which is so much more effective a motivator than private shame.

This Sunday at 10 a.m., after having a shot of espresso, I will record episode 1 of the Species of Least Concern podcast. I will upload it as soon as technologically possible and make it available either Sunday or Monday, depending on technology and my ineptitude with it. Then from now on that will be my regular time to record the podcast (may have to move it earlier if I start doing Urban Nature Walks again) every week.

I may fail or I may succeed, but I won't have the benefit of either experience if I don't try.

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