My blog n'at

First off, Yes I know I suck. I promised this almost a week ago but eh, shite happens. Now where was I…

Day 2 started with most of us rolling in around 10am. The night before took it’s toll on many people but since I didn’t drink that much I was full of energy. Yup, for once I was THAT GUY. Day 2 was the day we looked forward to because it dealt with new ways for marketing your podcast and advanced publishing tools. We hit the session on how to use Talkshoe With Tommy and Aaron. If you are new to Talkshoe it’s a very cool free conferencing tool. When I was on an episode of the Wrestling Mayhem Show they would record their show live on Talkshoe and also manage phone calls like a real call-in radio show. Take a few minutes and look at the site. We may be using this down the road for some things also.

Lunch arrived and one thing we learned is get there early! On Saturday we waited while we had talked to some people and found out that was a mistake if you’re hungry. By chance the lunch table was right outside the Talkshoe room so we got first dibs. When you have 250 people you sometimes have to think ahead. The food provided the whole weekend was top notch so kudos to the suppliers!

Word got around at lunch that a session on BACN was being put together. What is BACN? View my previous post here about it   This is why I love podcamp. Sessions can come up on a whim because of a hallway conversation. Following the first public meeting of BACN we headed to “Welcoming Podfade into your Artistic Life.” hosted by new friends Alex Landefeld and Dawn Papuga. If you’re not familiar with podfading it’s basically what happens when your show is no more and, like the name states, fades. You produce shows on a regular basis and then there becomes longer gaps until eventually you stop. If you surf the web you’ll see blogs that follow this same process. Everyone has a pod fade (or multiple) at some point. Look at my superunknown.com for example. I chose to podfade that site and start this blog. Superunknown will come back here shortly but for now I just let it fizzle away.

The day wrapped up with a Happy Birthday video to Norm from the Art Institute for all of the hard work he did and an open discussion on “Pittsburgh: A Look to the Future.” I was impressed that local political figure Bill Peduto showed up. Politicians tend to stay away from mediums they cant control. Podcasters and bloggers are usually top on the list of people to avoid because we tell it like it is. I wasn’t a fan of his before this but when the session ended I have to admit, I like what he said. To find out more check out Reform Pittsburgh Now! Bill you get points from me for having the balls to come out in front of us like you did and not make excuses for hiding from technology as others have, not having your PR people deal with it and recognizing the talent that Pittsburgh has in this new media world.

So there you have it, Podcamp Pittsburgh 2. Now, here are the people that I met and those I’d like to thank…

The lovely Grace Piper from fearlesscooking.tv because she needs to a beer show with us, Justin for being a great organizer and Ann for me asking for a blessing from Something to be Desired, Sorg, DJ Lunchbox and Doc Remedy from Wrestling Mayhem Show, Victoria from Affogato, Sam from Vivo/Perque, Kim Reed from Kimberly Reed Photography, Shawn from Geek Riot, Jesse, Josh and Rachel from the Creative Treehouse, Jason Cable from his GLBT Podcast, Dawn Papuga from Lyrique Tragedy, Andrew Smith who is our #1 fan, 3 Sons Dogs n Suds for supplying the beer, Cindy Closkey from My Brilliant Mistakes (and Pittsburgh Bloggers), Mike Woycheck from Have a Good Sandwhich (and Pittsburgh Bloggers), Tommy and Aaron from Talkshoe, Scott Connelly, Locobone for the shots of Jager, Brian Lindner for taking incriminating evidence, Kip Winger for keepin it real and finally BACN because without it I would feel guilty about deleting messages I want but don’t have time for.  If I left you out let me know

Now that’s over maybe I can get some work done around the house… or take a nap.

Once the final session ended we had roughly over an hour to kill before the after party at Bossa Nova so a group of us headed to the Grille on 7th for a beverage. It was right across the street so we didn’t care about the food, just the beer. I had a Victory Hop Devil and as an added bonus hop leaves were placed on the head. nice move and even more deliciousness

Following last year’s tradition we had one of the upper seating areas at Bossa Nova reserved for PodCamper and dinner was provided by Jason Cable’s GLBT Podcast (thanks man!). If you click on the link for the Bossa Nova website you’ll have an idea of the place. From a craft beer guy’s point of view it’s over priced and has a poor beer selection. From someone who was ready to kickback with a few drinks and socialize with all of my new friends it was perfect.

One thing I found out I had in common with many of the podcampers was being cynical. I don’t make it a habit of mocking people in public unless I think you deserve it. This night the gods were smiling on us as a group of ladies walked in that appeared to be a whored up version of the Spice Girls (1998 Spice not 2007). Of course we couldn’t let this go. Each of us decided to play a game and see if we could either 1) figure out their conversation based on the fact that 3 of them had on dresses so tight they spent half the night picking wedges 2) figure out the reason why they were all together. After a couple more drinks I came up with the conclusion that they were “Practice Squad Girlfriends” or women dating football players. 3 of them got up to use the restroom so we sent Dawn in to investigate. Sure enough while in the restroom Dawn heard them talk about their football player boyfriends.

As the night carried on a drinking challenge was brought to us Should I Drink That guys. Tommy Vallier from Talkshoe (and a canadian citizen) came over and asked if we could step up to a Canadian tradition. The shot is called a 649 and is based on the Canadian lottery. The Bartender stands facing the bar and counts off the bottles. 6th from right, 4th from left and 9th from right. Pour 1/3 of each and shoot. Since we never back down we stepped up to the bar as did some other challengers. The shot for this time was Sambuca, stoli vodka and Jose Cuervo 1800 tequila. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds.

Thanks to the shot you could see the love forming around the room and questionable pictures being filmed. Kim Reed, the unofficial photographer of all things rockin around Pittsburgh, did a great job documenting the night. I say that because her pictures are on Flickr and you can see them here. One of my favorites is this one that she took of myself and Mike Woycheck. She’ll go to any lengths to take a picture, even piss off Mike

One final act of our podcast for the night was to convert Dawn. She was not a beer fan but after one glass of a Lambic we had her sold. In fact, to the point she may be joining us for some beer reviews. Mission accomplished. Don’t believe me? Watch the video!

A small group of us decided to head to Bellevue and have an after-after party at Affogato and after-after-after party at Perque. Everything that happened from this point on shall remain with those of us who went. Beer, the largest bottle of Jager I’ve ever seen and rum were involved until the wee hours of the morning. You can find pictures of some events by looking on Flickr and go from there.

Tomorrow: Day 2 and the advent of bacn!

For those who haven’t figured it out yet here is how you find the pictures and video from Podcamp. Use the tag “pcpgh2″ in Flickr and/or You Tube or search for Podcamp Pittsburgh 2. Now I know there are some photos/videos that will never make it public. If you’d like to share those with me leave me a comment

(Change of plans: after i started typing this I realized that day 1 would need to be broken into 2 pieces)

Day 1 of Podcamp Pittsburgh 2 started with a packed 4th floor of the Art Institute. Once thing you can expect is plenty of free things (business cards, stickers, handouts) and tables of food and drink for breakfast/lunch. Justin Kownacki greeted everyone with the kickoff speech with an added hello from the original Podcamp co-founder, Chris Brogan.

We knew that this day was mostly intro/basic classes so we spent most of our time in the newly formed “Loungy lounge” which is used to shoot the shite and sign THE YOU TUBE then over to the Mentor’s Lounge where anyone could go and ask questions they may have on blogging/vidcasting/podcasting etc… Most of our morning was spent watching the live feeds on Justin TV. Yes, not only was Podcamp Pittsburgh the first to repeat hosting an event but every session was also broadcast live over the web for anyone who couldn’t attend. By lunch time we had helped this older lady named Grace develop a memorial video that she wanted to make for her mom so the grandkids could see it when they got older. I had some experience on what to look for since we had one made when my dad passed back in December.

As our session was coming up we and the Wrestling Mayhem Show went outside to collect some thoughts… and do some filming (The video isn’t finished but will be linked eventually). 2:30pm and it was time for Grassroots Podcasting. I have never stood in front a group of people before to talk about our show, let alone give a presentation on podcasting, so this was a treat. As soon as this video is done editing I will have a link for it also. The presentation was great. We nailed everything and were asked quite a few questions by the audience. I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of public speaking before but when it’s for something you’re passionate about, talking comes easy. The session ended with me being on the receiving end of a WMS CHOP! What is the chop? Take a look here. Part of my chest is still sore from it.

After a great session a group of us went outside for some air. As we walk outside Dawn from Lyrique Tragedy is there and since we were in the chatting mood the cameras came up and the following was recorded.

Tomorrow… Day 1 – The Afterparty

This is going to be a 3 part series with each post summarizing a day. For anyone new to this blog, part of my association with new media in Pittsburgh is that I ‘m a co-host to a craft beer review podcast and serial blogger. This weekend Pittsburgh became the first city ever to host a second Podcamp. Quick summary of Podcamp, it’s a FREE BarCamp-style community UnConference for people who create, enjoy or are interested in learning more about blogs, vlogs, audio podcasts, web video, content networks and new media monetization., Go to the website for more information.

Friday night was the Meet and Greet at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh which was also the host for the whole weekend. My podcast was in charge of the beverages for that evening. Only fitting since, well, we review beer. Thanks to a generous donation from 3 Sons Dogs n Suds we were able to server a case each of Leinenkugel Honey Weiss, Stone Pale Ale, Erie Hard Cock Ale and *cough* Coors Light *cough*.

From 6pm until 8pm it was non-stop serving beer, talking beer and our show, pimping 3 sons and also receiving an education on wine. Personally I can’t stand wine and I admit that I know nothing about it… because I hate the taste wine. It’s not that I haven’t made an attempt, it’s because I find it dull and boring. Don’t try to change me on this, really… don’t. It’s like eating deer. Everyone says “Well you’re not eating the right stuff” or “You’d like it if I made it.” and quite frankly I just don’t care for it. OK, Clarion River Red I’d drink again but that’s it.

Part of my education in wine this evening was how to open wine with a screwed up opener, what chills and what “breathes”. Part of the issue was that someone submerged the wine in a tub of ice/water so the foil cutter wouldn’t even work. I have 8 wine keys at home (I used to serve drinks and my wife loves the vino) so I can usually open a bottle but this wasn’t working. I found someone who knows a thing or 2 about wine and asked them to help with serving and talking. What can I talk about it? I’m the beer guy! I’ll talk your ear off on how beer is made, what temperatures to serve/store it at, what glass to use and how to pour. Wine… I don’t think so. I’m fine with that.

By the end of the second hour all of the beer had just ran out as did the wine so the supply we planned was perfect. We wrapped up and headed to the after-party at Houlihan’s at Station Square. As we’re walking up to meet everyone, who do I see tuning up for an outdoor show but Kip friggin Winger. Yeah, the teeth guy. I shout out “It’s Kip f’n Winger!” He looks up from backstage, looks at me and gives “the nod”. You know, the “what’s up” nod. I laughed and said to my friends “that guy thinks he can give me a nod… HA!”.

We walk in and spent the next few hours having drinks with some of the new people we met and those we’ve known for awhile. Couple hours later we left and that was the night. Podcamp was starting at 9am the following morning so we need some rest.

There you go, part one is done. Pictures are still being collected so you won’t see those just yet and I’m sure many have to be edited. The next post will be a fun day as I recall the afternoon session I spoke at and the mayhem that was the after party, the after-after party and of course the after-after-after party.

Tomorrow >> Day 1 and the afterparty!

(photo from Locobone)

While attending Podcamp Pittsburgh 2 last weekend I was able to take part in something very exciting. The first ever group discussion of bacn! What started as a hallway conversation became the talk of the Podcamp within hours. Sunday afternoon was an unplanned session to discuss bacn with roughly 12 of us and what we can do about it.

So what is bacn? Bacn is a new problem now plaguing our email inboxes. Putting it simply, Bacn is email you receive that isn’t spam… And isn’t personal mail. It’s the middle class of email. It’s notifications of a new post to your Facebook wall or a new follower on Twitter. It’s the Google alert for your name and the newsletter from your favorite company.

This is an issue I currently have and really didn’t know what to do about it. Thanks to Podcamp Pittsburgh I realized I wasn’t along in this. Over the next 3 days I will be recapping Podcamp Pittsburgh 2 and all of it’s glory. Sit back, this was one helluva great weekend.

Visit the official bacn page at bacn2.com!

WHAT: PodCamp Pittsburgh 2 (or PCPGH2)
WHEN: August 18-19, 2007@ 9 AM – 5 PM
WHERE: The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (420 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh PA 15219)
COST: FREE!

The session schedule is open! Please visit the website to view the schedule or add your own if you want to conduct a session and share your knowledge!

• Meet social media creators (like me) — and fellow viewers / listeners / readers!
• Exchange tips, build contacts and launch new ideas!
• Learn how to integrate (or improve) podcasting, blogging and social networking into YOUR business!

Questions? Sponsorships? Registration?

For more information, please visit the website:
http://podcamppittsburgh.com

You can also add them at Twitter: http://twitter.com/pcpgh

Now I know why he’s always shown from the waist up or at a desk. These are pics I took of the TV yesterday morning with my camera phone of the man in action. I’ve never been a fan of his reporting. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Here is his profile from MSNBC

Jim from sportsocracy.org and the Creative Treehouse hosted the 2007 Pittsburgh Celebrity Bloggers fantasy football pool last Friday night. This was my first ever live draft for fantasy football so I really didn’t know what to expect. I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing about picking football players. I like to watch the game but hands down I’m a hockey fan so this was a nice change of pace. Some of the teams spent time and energy analyzing players and team stats while I walked to the board and picked whomever looked familiar

So here we go, my team for 2007 in the order they were picked:

01) Steve Jackson (RB)
02) Antonio Pittman (RB)
03) Marvin Harrison (WR)
04) Kellen Winslow (TE)
05) Tony Gonzalez (TE)
06) Tony Romo (QB)
07) Joey Galloway (WR)
08) Terry Glenn (WR)
09) Chad Pennington (QB)
10) Antwaan Randle El (WR)
11) Stephen Gostkowski (K)
12) Chris Henry (RB)
13) Colts (D)
14) J. J. Arrington (RB)
15) Anthony Gonzalez (WR)

Here is the list of people in the league and who they represent…

• TheJim – Sportsocracy.org
• Justin Kownacki – Something To Be Desired
• Norm Huelsman – Art Institute of Pittsburgh
• PittGirl – The Burgh Blog
• Josh Sager – Star Dot Star Comics
• Cindy Closkey – Big Big Design
• Pat Lackey – Where Have You Gone, Andy VanSlyke
• T-Ray – Sportsocracy.org
• Mike Woycheck – PGH Bloggers
• me
• Cory Humes – MVN
• Gene Bromberg – GeneBromberg.com

I’ll keep you update as the season goes on! Week 1 has my team vs PittGirl (The Burgh Blog)

I love BINGO. Absolutely love it. I only play instant lottery when it’s the BINGO game and can spend hours playing it at a church festival. This can be attributed to the endless summers at various church festivals in Erie while growing up. The first weekend of every August I would spend 3 days at St James in the gym playing bingo with all of the crazy old ladies of the parish. Nothing chaps their ass more than when a teenager wins the big pots.

I was at a local parish festival this past Sunday and as expected, I dragged the Mrs. into the bingo hall with me. The pic above is of the cards I played. I have a superstition when it comes to playing. No I don’t have good luck charms or those fug trolls that look like Jeff Reed but each card must have 21 on it.

I didn’t win anything…

I’m exhausted. I have beer. The Steelers game is on…

fokker out!

Ladies and gentlemen… Steely McBeam

This disturbing creature is the Steelers new mascot. 70,000 names submitted by Steelers fans all over and THIS is the best you could agree on?  I don’t know if it’s the porn quality of his name that I laugh at or the story behind how Diane Roles came up with it.  I’m looking for the video right now but to paraphrase… “The name Steely from Steelers. Mc because the Steelers are Irish and Beam because my husband loves Jim Beam!” ahhh a true yinzer, or as my wife said “jesus christ… < expletive > <expletive > yinzers!”

Why is there a need for a mascot? WHY! Steelers games are almost always sold out and the fans are the most loyal in the NFL.  If this is an attempt to “bring family to the game” I’ll puke.  It could be worse and look like their new neighbor.