Dear friends,
The 5th Saker podcast, and the first one in 2015, is now available for download on the Saker podcast page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
The page for the podcast itself is here:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/saker-podcast-5
As always, you can chose from Soundcloud, Internet Archive and Youtube.
It is 23:00 here and the folks in Minsk have still not announced anything, so I am going to bed. I will be on the road most of the time tomorrow and Friday, but I will try to moderate as best I can and update you on the news in the course of the evenings. God willing, by Saturday I will have a full analysis ready.
In the meantime - I hope that you will enjoy the podcast and the open thread.
And, guys, please remember to donate!
Kind regards,
The Saker
Showing posts with label Saker podcast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saker podcast. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Next podcast hopefully in a week or so
Dear friends,
I will try to record the next podcast early next week, God willing. So now is a good time to ask for your questions/comments/criticisms. And since due to my personal circumstances I have not had the time to answer a lot of comments and personal emails, please feel free to re-post them below (but please, do not email me).
As always, topics are "whatever you want" although I should warn you that you give me far more credit than I deserve and that I had to admit "I simply don't know" many times during the last podcast.
Finally, I remind you all that these podcasts are a rather transparent way for me to remind you all that donations are needed and most appreciated ("subtle" hint, right?). So please hit the donation button if you have not done so recently and give me some good old capitalist incentives :-)
Cheers, thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
I will try to record the next podcast early next week, God willing. So now is a good time to ask for your questions/comments/criticisms. And since due to my personal circumstances I have not had the time to answer a lot of comments and personal emails, please feel free to re-post them below (but please, do not email me).
The deadline to post questions/comments/criticisms is this Friday, February 6th at 18:00 UTC/GMT (1PM EST).
As always, topics are "whatever you want" although I should warn you that you give me far more credit than I deserve and that I had to admit "I simply don't know" many times during the last podcast.
Finally, I remind you all that these podcasts are a rather transparent way for me to remind you all that donations are needed and most appreciated ("subtle" hint, right?). So please hit the donation button if you have not done so recently and give me some good old capitalist incentives :-)
Cheers, thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Fourth Saker Podcast now available for download and streaming
Dear friends,
I invite you to go to the (temporary) Saker Podcast page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
where you download the transcripts of the first two podcasts and then to the Fourth Saker Podcast page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/saker-podcast-4
where you can download the fourth and last Saker podcast of the year. I will record the next podcast sometime after the Orthodox Nativity (January 7th). This is also the planned time for the launching of the "2nd new blog" about which I will post all the details before that date.
Please let me know if you want any specific changes in the podcasts next year: shall we continue with the Q&A? Do you like the format? Any specific desires or complaints? If yes, please let me know.
Finally, if you appreciate these podcasts please remember to donate, especially in this end of year (i.e. "bills paying") time of the year.
Many thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
I invite you to go to the (temporary) Saker Podcast page:https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
where you download the transcripts of the first two podcasts and then to the Fourth Saker Podcast page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/saker-podcast-4
where you can download the fourth and last Saker podcast of the year. I will record the next podcast sometime after the Orthodox Nativity (January 7th). This is also the planned time for the launching of the "2nd new blog" about which I will post all the details before that date.
Please let me know if you want any specific changes in the podcasts next year: shall we continue with the Q&A? Do you like the format? Any specific desires or complaints? If yes, please let me know.
Finally, if you appreciate these podcasts please remember to donate, especially in this end of year (i.e. "bills paying") time of the year.
Many thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
Friday, December 19, 2014
Upcoming Saker Podcast & transcripts
Dear friends,
Next week I plan to record my 4th podcast. As always, I invite questions, but also comments. Please post them here until Sunday evening 6PM UTC/GMT time. Please do not email me but only post your questions in the comments section (in English, French, Russian, German, Italian or Spanish - I can translate them into English during the recording). Any and all topics, from very serious to totally non-serious are welcome!
Also, I to let you know the full transcript (in ODT, PDF and RTF format) of the first and second Saker podcasts are now available on the Saker Podcast download page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
For those of you have not already already done so, the audio and the show notes are also available on the download page.
I will let you know as soon as the transcript of the third podcast is posted.
Please don't forget to contribute, especially in this end-of-year & mega-bills season.
Cheers and kind regards,
The Saker
Next week I plan to record my 4th podcast. As always, I invite questions, but also comments. Please post them here until Sunday evening 6PM UTC/GMT time. Please do not email me but only post your questions in the comments section (in English, French, Russian, German, Italian or Spanish - I can translate them into English during the recording). Any and all topics, from very serious to totally non-serious are welcome!
Also, I to let you know the full transcript (in ODT, PDF and RTF format) of the first and second Saker podcasts are now available on the Saker Podcast download page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
For those of you have not already already done so, the audio and the show notes are also available on the download page.
I will let you know as soon as the transcript of the third podcast is posted.
Please don't forget to contribute, especially in this end-of-year & mega-bills season.
Cheers and kind regards,
The Saker
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Third Saker Podcast now available for download and/or streaming
Dear friends,
The 3rd Saker Podcast is now available for download and/or streaming from Soundcloud, Mediafire, YouTube and the Internet Archive. Since corporate America prevents me from posting even 30 seconds of copyrighted music, I recommend you download/stream the podcast from the Internet Archive.
I also remind you that the main purpose of these podcasts is to serve as a reminder that my work depends on your donations, so if you can, please help.
Here is the link to the 3rd Saker Podcast download page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/home-saker-podcast-3
Here is the link to the main Saker Podcast page where you can find the previous two podcasts and the transcript of the first one:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
Enjoy!
Kind regards,
The Saker
PS: note about the Podcast: In the podcast I say that the Israeli could not take Bint Jbeil for 33 days. I should have used a more accurate term than "take" because the Israelis did enter Bint Jbeil, they just never succeeded in getting the Resistance out of it. So it would be more accurate to say that the Israelis failed to control or pacify Bint Jbeil.
The 3rd Saker Podcast is now available for download and/or streaming from Soundcloud, Mediafire, YouTube and the Internet Archive. Since corporate America prevents me from posting even 30 seconds of copyrighted music, I recommend you download/stream the podcast from the Internet Archive.
I also remind you that the main purpose of these podcasts is to serve as a reminder that my work depends on your donations, so if you can, please help.
Here is the link to the 3rd Saker Podcast download page:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/home-saker-podcast-3
Here is the link to the main Saker Podcast page where you can find the previous two podcasts and the transcript of the first one:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home
Enjoy!
Kind regards,
The Saker
PS: note about the Podcast: In the podcast I say that the Israeli could not take Bint Jbeil for 33 days. I should have used a more accurate term than "take" because the Israelis did enter Bint Jbeil, they just never succeeded in getting the Resistance out of it. So it would be more accurate to say that the Israelis failed to control or pacify Bint Jbeil.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Saker Podcast #2 on YouTube
Dear friends,
Since some of you have requested it, here is the YouTube upload of the 2nd Saker Podcast. By the way, there are a couple of instances (4 I think?) of a kind of echo in the latter part of the podcast. This is already the case in the original audio track and I am not sure whether my microphone (Zoom H2n) or my software (Audacity) is to blame. Sorry about that and I will try to fix this problem before the next podcast.
Kind regards,
The Saker
Since some of you have requested it, here is the YouTube upload of the 2nd Saker Podcast. By the way, there are a couple of instances (4 I think?) of a kind of echo in the latter part of the podcast. This is already the case in the original audio track and I am not sure whether my microphone (Zoom H2n) or my software (Audacity) is to blame. Sorry about that and I will try to fix this problem before the next podcast.
Kind regards,
The Saker
Monday, November 17, 2014
Second Saker Podcast available for download and streaming
Dear friends,I just finished recording the 2nd podast. You can grab it here:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/home/saker-podcast-2-1
As always, I look forward to hearing your comments, suggestions and criticisms. Please let me know how I can do better.
As I might have mentioned it in the past, the long term solution I have chosen is to have the future podcasts embedded in the new website (which is still being worked on by volunteers). For the time being, the best repository will be this Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/vineyard-saker/
I hope that you will enjoy this podcast, kindest regards to all,
The Saker
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Saker Podcast #2 in preparations - please post your questions now!
In a week or so I plan to record my second podcast. So now is the time for you to post your questions right here, in the comments section under this post.
Please do not email or post these questions elsewhere, only here, okay?
If you have emailed me before or if you have posted a question elsewhere, please do repost it again here.
If it ain't here by Friday 1800UTC I will not answer it.
This time the podcast page (which I will announce here) will include show notes.
Please keep 'em questions coming!
Cheers,
The Saker
PS: none of the "here" above are URLs. They just mean "here, on the comments section under this post". I will post the podcast URLs when the podcast is ready.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Soundcloud "Go Unlimited" plan purchased!!
Dear friends,
I just wanted to let you know that a member of our community - palmtoptiger - sent me the full sum to pay for the Soundcloud "Go Unlimited" plan! Before that, Larchmonter445 also made a donation towards the same goal. So we got it! Full Soundcloud for a year :-)
Thanks a lot to both of you - this will certainly provide the best and most flexible option for the future podcasts. I will still post on YouTube also, but I will drop Mediafire, 4Share and other lesser options are redundant.
This is fantastic news, I am very grateful and very happy!
The Saker
PS to: palmtoptiger and Larchmonter445: I am $25 dollars over the needed figure. What shall I do with it? Split it and return one half to both of you? Please let me know.
I just wanted to let you know that a member of our community - palmtoptiger - sent me the full sum to pay for the Soundcloud "Go Unlimited" plan! Before that, Larchmonter445 also made a donation towards the same goal. So we got it! Full Soundcloud for a year :-)
Thanks a lot to both of you - this will certainly provide the best and most flexible option for the future podcasts. I will still post on YouTube also, but I will drop Mediafire, 4Share and other lesser options are redundant.
This is fantastic news, I am very grateful and very happy!
The Saker
PS to: palmtoptiger and Larchmonter445: I am $25 dollars over the needed figure. What shall I do with it? Split it and return one half to both of you? Please let me know.
Podcast options - the choice is yours
Dear friends,
I wanted to give you a heads-up on my response to your numerous comments and give you a choice of where to go from here.
First, thanks a lot for all your comments. And, no, no, no, no, no - I do not sound like Bibi Netanyahu! Or do I? :-)
Seriously, your comments were useful and I will follow your suggestions:
Technical:
1) I will increase the microphone gain
2) I will decrease the encoding bitrate
3) I will rework and improve the mp3's metadata
Hosting:
Here I need your feedback. The options are:
1) Mediafire and/or 4Share: free and more or less okay, though far from good
2) YouTube: check out here and see for yourself. I personally don't like this solution at all, but I can keep doing it just to reach more people
3) Soundcloud: that is the best option, by far. See for yourself here. Problem: for free, SC only gives me 3 hours max, 3 podcasts and, I think, 1000 downloads plus other restriction. See the SC plans here. Frankly, the only logical option with SC is to get a "Go Unlimited" plan, but that is $135 a year. So, here is my appeal to donors and sponsors: if you send me that money, I will get that plan and we will get by far the best solution. If you do donate, please indicate "for podcast" in the notes. As soon as I get $135 I will let you know by a post here.
Structure:
1) I will keep the Q&A format just to make sure that there is interest for you - the listeners - and because that is very dynamic and informal. If needed, I will use a full podcast to reply just to one question, but the normal format will be "as many questions as possible".
2) Show length: I will keep that flexible. Why decide that in advance? Let's see what comes in. I think that somewhere in the range of 60 minutes is perfect, but that will be a target, not a rule.
3) Music. If promise not to speak over any music, can I still play a little something before (very short) and after (a tad loner) the show? I have to confess that I love music above any other form of art. I have played acoustic jazz guitar for years and I want to share music with everybody, especially my friends. I do believe that music is a universal language (yes, I am a romantic idealist) and it also is an expression of emotions, often emotions which cannot be put in words. And Dostoevsky was right - beauty will save the world. So unless you really hate it, I would like to keep a little music into and a musical show end (which you can ignore). Deal?
Scheduling:
1) I my target would be to have a podcast every 2 weeks. I cannot promise that this will happen, but I will try.
2) One week before the podcast I will post an announcement for the upcoming podcast and ask for questions. You will have one week to ask anything you want on any topic you chose, and then I will collect these questions right before recording.
Posting:
1) Until the new blog is fixed (they are working on it) I will use the Google Sites page to post the links to the podcast along with the show notes. As soon as the new blog is fixed, I will move the podcast posting page to the new blog.
Extra information:
1) I will write up some short show notes for each podcast with, for example, links to sources I mentioned, the spelling of names, or any other reference material.
So that's the plan. Let me know if you approve or if you have other views or suggestions. My goal is to give you a podcast you will really enjoy and find interesting. Please let me know what you think.
Kind regards to all,
The Saker
I wanted to give you a heads-up on my response to your numerous comments and give you a choice of where to go from here.
First, thanks a lot for all your comments. And, no, no, no, no, no - I do not sound like Bibi Netanyahu! Or do I? :-)
Seriously, your comments were useful and I will follow your suggestions:
Technical:
1) I will increase the microphone gain
2) I will decrease the encoding bitrate
3) I will rework and improve the mp3's metadata
Hosting:
Here I need your feedback. The options are:
1) Mediafire and/or 4Share: free and more or less okay, though far from good
2) YouTube: check out here and see for yourself. I personally don't like this solution at all, but I can keep doing it just to reach more people
3) Soundcloud: that is the best option, by far. See for yourself here. Problem: for free, SC only gives me 3 hours max, 3 podcasts and, I think, 1000 downloads plus other restriction. See the SC plans here. Frankly, the only logical option with SC is to get a "Go Unlimited" plan, but that is $135 a year. So, here is my appeal to donors and sponsors: if you send me that money, I will get that plan and we will get by far the best solution. If you do donate, please indicate "for podcast" in the notes. As soon as I get $135 I will let you know by a post here.
Structure:
1) I will keep the Q&A format just to make sure that there is interest for you - the listeners - and because that is very dynamic and informal. If needed, I will use a full podcast to reply just to one question, but the normal format will be "as many questions as possible".
2) Show length: I will keep that flexible. Why decide that in advance? Let's see what comes in. I think that somewhere in the range of 60 minutes is perfect, but that will be a target, not a rule.
3) Music. If promise not to speak over any music, can I still play a little something before (very short) and after (a tad loner) the show? I have to confess that I love music above any other form of art. I have played acoustic jazz guitar for years and I want to share music with everybody, especially my friends. I do believe that music is a universal language (yes, I am a romantic idealist) and it also is an expression of emotions, often emotions which cannot be put in words. And Dostoevsky was right - beauty will save the world. So unless you really hate it, I would like to keep a little music into and a musical show end (which you can ignore). Deal?
Scheduling:
1) I my target would be to have a podcast every 2 weeks. I cannot promise that this will happen, but I will try.
2) One week before the podcast I will post an announcement for the upcoming podcast and ask for questions. You will have one week to ask anything you want on any topic you chose, and then I will collect these questions right before recording.
Posting:
1) Until the new blog is fixed (they are working on it) I will use the Google Sites page to post the links to the podcast along with the show notes. As soon as the new blog is fixed, I will move the podcast posting page to the new blog.
Extra information:
1) I will write up some short show notes for each podcast with, for example, links to sources I mentioned, the spelling of names, or any other reference material.
So that's the plan. Let me know if you approve or if you have other views or suggestions. My goal is to give you a podcast you will really enjoy and find interesting. Please let me know what you think.
Kind regards to all,
The Saker
Sunday, November 2, 2014
First Saker Podcast now available for download and streaming
Dear friends,
It is with some (a lot, really!) trepidation and nervousness that I am announcing to you that my first podcast ever is now available for download and streaming. Please simply to to the following page to access is:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/
There you will be able to download the podcast in mp3 format from Google Drive or download and stream it from Mediafire and 4Shared. The reason why I am not posting the links right here is that I use the download page as a reminder to all that your donations are much needed. But doing that on a separate page I avoid doing that here and cluttering this page with donation requests/reminders. Please let me know if this solution seems reasonable to you.
Also, more than ever before, I invite and request your sincere reaction to this first "test podcast". It's length, format, sound quality, etc. In the future what changes would you like to see implemented? I will do my best to adapt to your requests.
One thing that will change for sure is that as soon as the new blog is up I will use a dedicated podcast page rather then the google.sites page I used today.
Okay, now it's your turn. Listen to the podcast and please let me know what you think. Shall we repeat this or not? And, if yes, how much would you want that? How often would you want to me record such a podcasts?
Many thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
It is with some (a lot, really!) trepidation and nervousness that I am announcing to you that my first podcast ever is now available for download and streaming. Please simply to to the following page to access is:
https://sites.google.com/site/sakerpodcast/
There you will be able to download the podcast in mp3 format from Google Drive or download and stream it from Mediafire and 4Shared. The reason why I am not posting the links right here is that I use the download page as a reminder to all that your donations are much needed. But doing that on a separate page I avoid doing that here and cluttering this page with donation requests/reminders. Please let me know if this solution seems reasonable to you.
Also, more than ever before, I invite and request your sincere reaction to this first "test podcast". It's length, format, sound quality, etc. In the future what changes would you like to see implemented? I will do my best to adapt to your requests.
One thing that will change for sure is that as soon as the new blog is up I will use a dedicated podcast page rather then the google.sites page I used today.
Okay, now it's your turn. Listen to the podcast and please let me know what you think. Shall we repeat this or not? And, if yes, how much would you want that? How often would you want to me record such a podcasts?
Many thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Podcast project - let's give it a first try, okay?
Dear friends,
Since several of you have expressed interest for this, let's give it a try.
I invite you post your questions in the comments section below (on any topic) and I will try to record a podcast with my replies. Please do not send me questions by email (I have way too many emails to answer already!). Also - and just to make clear - I don't promise to necessarily reply to all questions, but only those that will inspire me to reply. Any topic seems legit to me - feel free to ask any question you want. Also, if you have suggestions, comments or criticisms about the blog, our community, or anything I wrote or did - please feel free to post them here. I will try to answer the best I can.
Let's see if you guys enjoy this. I think I might :-)
Cheers and kind regards,
The Saker
Since several of you have expressed interest for this, let's give it a try.
I invite you post your questions in the comments section below (on any topic) and I will try to record a podcast with my replies. Please do not send me questions by email (I have way too many emails to answer already!). Also - and just to make clear - I don't promise to necessarily reply to all questions, but only those that will inspire me to reply. Any topic seems legit to me - feel free to ask any question you want. Also, if you have suggestions, comments or criticisms about the blog, our community, or anything I wrote or did - please feel free to post them here. I will try to answer the best I can.
Let's see if you guys enjoy this. I think I might :-)
Cheers and kind regards,
The Saker
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