Getting fit completely reorganized my schedule, and I think it also forced me to refocus my mental energy.  I go to bed early and get up early- usually 5am.  I exercise for an hour or two then its off to work.  After work we usually make dinner and then do nothing until its time for bed- around 10PM if not earlier.  I would like to be more productive in this five hour window but the truth is I’m  exhausted.    I could probably cut back on working out, but the truth is I really enjoy it, and I’m terrified of reverting back to the pre-fit era me.

2.  Podcast Addiction

I got really accustomed to listening to podcasts during my workouts and while riding the bus.  In doing so, I think I’ve slowly edged out a lot of my critical thinking time in favor of listening to people talk about stuff.  Thus I have less to say.

3.  Life

Even without the baby on the way, it seems that life has just accelerated in some way lately.  We always have something to do and not enough time to do it.  How did I go to grad school and work simultaneously for four years!?

4.  Gaming

While I usually limit my game time to an hour before workouts, and sometimes in the evening, it cuts into any writing I might do purely by keeping me from tending to it.  Oh well.

So with all that said, I hope to return to blogging.  The format of this blog may change, as will the look.  Hopefully writing this will be the first step.

Last year, in a thread on the “oddboard“, I happened upon this:
I find this image absolutely hilarious and have been sending it around here and there for a while now. When it came time to discuss 24 on the January 15th episode of Luke and His Dad, I decided to link to it in the show notes.

Upon seeing his image linked from Luke and His Dad, Jason Feifer of happyscrappy.com left a message regarding our disparaging of 24. Ok, I admit it, Jack Bauer kicks ass and I really do hope that the last episode of 24 features Jack kicking Satan’s ass.

Happy to receive a comment from a new listener, we included a robovoice-recording of Jason’s comment on the January 22nd episode of LaHd. To which Jason commented by posting about the episode on his blog, and also asking his readers to participate in a similar project, except instead of robo-voicing comments, he was going to play them through his didgeridoo. Of course I had to leave a comment.
Which brings me to the finale of this grand conversation:

I love the internets.

I don’t have the attention span to cover everything point by point but reading over it all and thinking about it has lead me to reconsider some of what I’ve said, or at least look at it in another way.

First off, I want to be clear that I do not in any way believe that sponsorship of podcasts or an event like podcamp is a bad thing.  My previous post would most certainly lead one to believe that I do, but I will say that courting sponsors and working with them will inevitably lead to questions regarding your motives in what you produce- whatever you produce.

With that said, we can discuss how new media producers are supposed to earn money from what they do.  Making money is difficult enough, and doing so with a freely distributed good is nearly impossible.  It is the fundamental problem of digital distribution.  Currently advertising certainly seems like the best means to this particular end.  No one would argue with the kinds of numbers Google is doing.  As long as we are able to maintain an editorial line between advertisers and content, then we are safe.

Now, there will be those who cross that line, as there are in every medium.  This is expected and inevitable.  However, the difference is that we are working in an age where reputation is everything, and as Calacanis has pointed out, the community of media consumers will not put up with content that is bought and paid for by moneyed interests when it gets in the face of the openness and “truth” of the blogosphere.  Authenticity is king, after all.

Which leads me to my final point in this long and winding road:

Sponsorship is a necessity, but it must not frame the discussion. 

Podcamp would not work without its incredibly gracious, incredibly giving sponsors. Most conferences have sponsors and the attendees still have to pay!  I am so thankful for that.  But despite the “unconferenceyness” of it all, I really feel that having sponsors leading discussions, shilling their products and then disclaiming those shills is really disingenuous of those participants.  I think Network2 is a great idea, and I thought Chris was a really nice guy, I have purchased clothing from SpreadShirt, but when you open a panel called “The Future of Video” with a five minute pitch about the company you work for, I’m calling bullshit.  Even if that company has no business model, yet.
We are treading a very fine line, for sure.  Podcamp needs sponsors.  We all need to eat.  We all want to represent our stuff- I was there to talk about 54 hours as much as I was to network and learn.  Part of what is great about all of this is that people get to talk about what they love and we all get to hear about it.  I just don’t want to watch something with so much potential be subverted so quickly without at least calling attention to that subversion.