Tag Archives: france

Bad Japan

Had a great first day as a podcast consultant for the magazine. Won’t say much more about it, cept that I thought alcohol flowed at the fishtank, at this place they drink in style- starting after lunch.

We got bigger fish to fry; today’s issue is the world. More specifically – I’m pissed off at the Japanese government. Few other nations, but Japan most of all, for this all-out effort to get a permanent seat in the UN security council.

Some of you may need a backgrounder. If you’re really against doing your own research, basically the UN-SC has five permanent seats held by the winning powers of WorldWar II. Recipe for disaster right from the beginning, a group of countries “win” a war and decide the world’s organization for peace and security should be run THEIR WAY. So the US, UK, France, Russia, and China are the only nations in the whole world that have permanent seats, as well as VETO power. 5 nations. Out of the entire world. Oh yeah there are 10 other rotating seats, whenever the music stops – isn’t that cute?

So I’m angry with Japan, and let me not forget Germany, because these two countries are licking all kinds of boots and trying oh so hard to create a new permanent seat for themselves. Japan and Germany, two nations that I normally look to for wisdom and experience, as they have been through it all historically, fighting to be a part of a flawed and unrepresentative body. Instead of demanding change or reform, instead of setting a global example, they just want a piece of the action. – LAME.

If this somehow doesn’t interest you, here’s a movie I think I helped develop, by that famous director xTx.

And if video doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe motorcycles do and you can listen to DucSloerie ride his Ducati somewhere near Amsterdam.

Today’s Sounds: Fugazi – End Hits

tags:,

BM versus Nucs

Hey… Adam Curry is talkin bout lil ol me on the SourceCode today… again. Thanks mon!

Disclaimer: I’m not a scientist, but I play one on the internet.

I hate nuclear energy. It’s over-rated, over-promoted, under-reported, and a general bummer for the earth. Yeah yeah yeah… tons of energy from a very small and potentially deadly scientific process. GREAT. Meanwhile there are missiles in every corner of the world loaded with this fun technology which can potentially murder everyone at once. And the US, Russian, Indian, PAkistani, Iranian, Israeli, French, UK, Chinese, N. Korean, etc. governments think they have the right to further develop this crap, cause despite the good chance everyone will die of some new cancer, they feel it’s worth it so we can charge our Ipods and they can make up for their penis envy. (missile envy since all of those governments are run by men)

And oh the waste. Lots of megawattage, but they have no clue where to put the waste. Tons and tons that will slowly kill us all or just maybe contaminate our drinkin water and kill us nice and secret-like. Some old rich white men in the US congress want to put it in the mountains of Nevada or somethin…. you can bet my friend Ashabot isn’t down with her mountains being a hiding place for nuclear death.

In France they just throw it on trains and stash it overground in small towns where local people are seemingly considered too dumb to actually kick up a big enough fuss. Little do they know we got some crazy and intelligent people ? la campagne!

It’s crazy crazy. Even if you’re up in beautiful Sweden you’re gettin milked for you kroners so these wonderful nuclear facilities can keep bringing you juice and shitting radiation.

I know.. I know.. we like the energy right? What do you know BM… bitchy little C-List blogger that I am. Asking for donations just to buy a powerbook, what makes me qualified to say if its right or not? –back off man… I’m an activist-journalist, this is what we do.

If I had my way.. we’d haul them all to court in the Hague… or in Rwanda.. doesn’t matter. I’d hire a lawyer-blogger to represent regular people, and all this governments and the nuc companies they bend over for, would face crimes against humanity charges.

oooh.. and much love to the Verbal Chameleon for the tip in the jar… a mac user herself I might add.

Today’s Sounds: Daily Source Code from Yesterday

A Peel to Readers

I’ve been racking my brains. For the past few nights… racking my brains. I thought if I watched Anti’s most excellent movieclip in a bank, I would feel better about things. But the truth is, the problem remains: my computer is dying.

Thats right.. you’ve probably been there before; the gigs are drying out, about 8 left of the original 25, and going fast due to the demand and my love for podcasting. My soundcard is defective… I can’t skype or record audio live onto my system. The mic-in jack is jacked and HP doesn’t give a shit cause my baby is from 2002, and the computer experts on the internets have given up. Plus without the help of this under-the-laptop loud-ass cooling fan, my computer will overheat and crash. – By now you gotta be pitying me… bicyclemark; daily blogger, podcaster extraordinaire, and internaut, watching his machine fade.

I don’t have much of a salary, to say the least. But I’ve had important conversations with good bloggers and podcasters out there. From Madame L in France, to Anti in LA, to DucSloerie in the NL, etc… everyone has urged me to take action. After listening to the long podcasts from Madge Weinstein, where she skypes with the whole world, and then thinking of how I’d like to do that, and really just be able to skype with my own brother and NEPHEW, I am hereby starting a campaign.

Oh it’s a bit of a shot in the dark. A risk. But I have seen what you the readers and podcast listeners are capable of. You back me up when I need backing. Sending fantastic gifts from every corner of the planet. Like cash to pay for the hosting, music for my brain and soul, bumperstickers for my wall, and you’ve even bought wacky goods from my souvenir shop. Don’t think for a second I don’t feel so greatful for all that — but this is much bigger.

I will buy a MAC! Yes a MAC! An IBook I think, since it’s most affordable. BUT — I must appeal to all of you, as much as a lame-ass that it makes me feel. I’m appealing for some support. Tips if you will. I get around 140 conventional readers per day, and my subsribe stats say 600+. So I’m askin that, if you feel so empowered and capable, and want to keep me on the internets and doing what I love to do, while sharing with you… send me some money, whatever you think my work is worth to you. Click on the tipjar in the left hand column… the paypal.. it’s hassle free.. and toss me a few bucks. I’m hoping to raise at least half of the cost of a new IBook.

Man… I feel dirty talking about money. and even dirtier asking for it. But whatever, I’ve seen so much beauty and coolness in the blogosphere and podcast world… I forsee trouble ahead if I don’t do this. And of course, I loves you even if you don’t wanna throw some cash to help me out. Thanks friends, back to REAL blogging tomorrow.

Today’s Sounds: Charles Mingus – Moanin’

How to bake a podcast

There’s no one right way to do a podcast. And all of us who are doing it, are no doubt changing and adjusting things as we go along. Preparing a podcast is as complex and yet simple as your grandma recipe for ummm.. baked Alaska. Why anyone would BAKE alaska, I have no idea, but baking a podcast can produce delicious results, and it’s VEGAN.

Therefore, by popular demand, especially from certain residents in France, I present my very own family secret (me being a family of one)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BAKING A PODCAST:

Ingredients –

  • Computer with audio-in jack.
  • PC microphone, whatever you can afford and maybe looks nice on your desk.(mine cost 8 euros)
  • OR – you can splurge on a professional mic and a mixer, if you like that sort of thing, and connect that to your audio-in. I will do it someday… when I have a real salary. Or celery, YUM.
  • (note: if you’re me and your soundcard is defective, you can record audio using your portable mp3 player, either an IPOD (for those with the cash) or IRIVER, which I swear by. Mine cost 120 USdollars when I was in the USA in January (256MB IFP-790). IT’s perfect, and the new one’s are even more perfecter. (note-firmware upgrades are available)
  • Audio recording software: Audacity is freeware and good enough. Mac’s come with Garageland, which reminds me of Garage-sales. I swear by Adobe Audition (expensive if you don’t know the right people), I love its endless list of options memory sucking habit. Some like Soundforge, which sounds medieval.
  • Your voice, or if you’ve lost yours, a program on your computer that generates a voice. Or a robot… hire a robot.
  • A pinch of soundeffects.
  • A tablespoon of MP3s
  • Hopefully an original concept, but then again, that’s not required.

Directions –

Step 1 – I first decide what audio, besides my voice, I’m going to use in the show. I import the audio, which is usually in mp3 format, into a new Audition file. These usually include music mp3’s and other audio clips I want to use.

Step 2 – I then lay it out.. side by side… til it stretches about 18 minutes long. I also import my previously made intro and slap it in the beginning of the track.

Step 2.5 – Usually by this time, I’ve jotted some notes; chicken scratch that I won’t even look at once I start talking. But hey, some might actually need a guide.

Step 3 – I then adjust the volume, also called “envelope” in most audio programs. I usually reduce the background music volume to about 6 percent of its original, occasionally letting it play at full volume if I want to just hear music. I also take the time to fade in and out at the beginning and end of songs.

Step 4 – Now comes the vital part. My lil ol voice. Normal humans with normal computers could just play the layed out tracks and record a new track at the same time. But both me and the computer are defective, so I stick in headphones and record my voice audio (in sync hopefully)on my IRIVER mp3 player.

Still with me? Wake up!

Step 5 – Now say goodbye to your social life, cause after making your voice tracks, you’ll be editing for hours and hours. Cutting useless bits, especially if you’re trying to keep it under 20 minutes. I tend to add voice effects here and there… sometimes.

Step 6 – Save this big-ass audio file in its entirety. If your computer is old, it will moan in pain at this point. (mine does)

Step 7 – Find the “Export Audio” option and export it as an mp3. I strongly recommend 64kbps at 24,000 or 20,050 mhz. You’re not producing a CD, I hope, so 128 is overkill and too dam big a file for downloading. Anything above 80kbps better be excerpts from the London philharmonic or something.

STEP 8 – ID3Tags, the little info that comes with your mp3 file: title, aritist, date, whatever. I use my musicmatch jukebox which has an option to edit the track tag. I figure whatever mp3 software you use should have it too, or else stop using that crap program. Then go an upload it to your server, which hopefully has plenty of bandwith for when you get all famous and mentioned on the daily source code or the sloeriesource! I use liberated syndication and they rock the house for 5 USclams per month. (donations in the tip jar appreciated to help fund all this!)

Optional STEP 8.5 – In your post where you include the link to the mp3, make sure to add the following bit of code within the link tag rel=”enclosure”. (within the brackets <>) Thats so it appears as an enclosure and all of us RSS users and more easily grab your podcast. Also from here you can make an OPML or an HTML file with shownotes. But thats up to you. I like when people say the length, quality, and file size too. Cause if its too big, my laptop will throw up.

OK friends… long list and very nerdy. But podcasting is taking the world by storm, and I guess as a podcaster, this is my contribution to all of you out there. Maybe I suck at explaining and you should head over to ipodder.org Anyway- Go forth, be fruitful, and multiply. Tell ’em bicyclemark sent you!

Today’s Sounds: Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days (thanks Chris Missick!)

Paris South Iberia Left

Before getting to today’s business, I got a lil announcement: I’ll be podcasting from none other then Par?s, France this weekend! Yes… thanks to hitchhikers.org I got hooked up with a bunch of students who rented a bus and are going down for the weekend.. 40 euros round trip, I couldn’t turn it down.

This means the AudioCommuniqu? will have a decidedly Fran?ais flavor to it and just wait for all the madness that comes out of bicyclemark in that environment. Remember April 2004, my last visit? Gotta make sure all my batteries are charged and equipment is ready, cause we’re talking soundseeing, interviews, language melange, etc.

I’ll also be visiting with a laundry list of my favorite people ever, who have all migrated to that city in the past years: Shakespeare who studied with me in Aix, BlueBerry Girl who handles the World’s Bank money, Big Jim who’s still settling in, and my Polish compadre who studied with me here in the ‘dam. I’m psyched… anybody need anything from Paris?

Onward to business. I consider myself an Iberian blogger, because my heritage and my legal status is tied to Portugal and hence, the Iberian peninsula. And sometimes, amidst all the stupidity and debauchery, Spain and Portugal do some cool shit that I like watching. Which is exactly what happened this weekend.

The political left is back in business in PT, with the socialist party taking a big ol majority. More importantly, my boys the Left Block, the thinkers, the guys who don’t dress well for parliament, they gained seats! Even the Communist/Greens gained, which is fun too. Don’t get me wrong, its typical political crap, less then 6 years ago they got all pissy with the socialists and kicked them the hell out, and now they welcome them back like potential saviors.. same shit.. hooray for democracy and its goldfish memory.

Also quite interesting, the Spaniards went to the polls.. well.. some of them, and they voted YES to the European Constitution. I understand some of the criticism out there about this document, but overall it promotes a standard of human rights that I think is a pretty good start, so I’m psyched the voters support it. Lots of countries in Europe, including my dear Netherlands and Portugal look like they might reject it in a referendum, but at the very least, it was cool to see Spain go for it.

What… you don’t like European Politics? 25 countries… 10 languages or whatever… how can you not be curious? I find it fun in a very watching paint dry type way.

For real fun, consult the HUN, my new daily read, and BigTanky who sent a nice email.

Anyone wanna go to paris from amsterdam friday? 40 euros round trip.. 2 spots left.. use the email.

Today’s Sounds: Slackers – The Question