Yet another Dave Thorvald Olson project - this one serves up all the leftover bits which don't fit elsewhere - more craft than the art - nuggets perhaps noticed or observed, announcements of fresh paintings, podcast and/or publications, static montage, various snippets of prose, sites of note or ones you might enjoy, messages to future self, relics from past, snapshots i'd like you to see, fleeting reminiscences, future predictions, occasionally lurid predilections and mysterious items uncovered. In short ephemera e-phem-er-a - n
1) A range of collectible items that were originally designed to be short-lived
2) Something that is transitory and without lasting significance
At Fresh Media conference at W2 Arts + Media Centre, participants riff a spontaneous blurb about a hero from a Dossier of Importantancy in a workshop about storytelling + podcasting by Dave Olson (AKA Uncle Weed).
I’ve found that the podcast episode “album art’ pieces are hard to keep sorted. I’ve also found that there are a lot and in a variety of sizes. For a flashback and convenience, here’s a batch of them all in one place with more to come as i find them. Find more Podcast Album Art in Flickr. Many are by me, the rest are by my pal Bread. See also Misc. Canucks on Flickr and Hockey NW and Canucks Outsider art archive on Flickr.
Here’s my (Dave Olson’s) submission to SXSW Interactive 2010 – Starting August 10, you’ll have a chance to vote for SXSW Panels and Presentations until Aug. 28th and your vote constitutes a portion of the selection process along with staff and an advisory board.
After the enjoyment of presenting F@ck Stats, Make Art spiel at SXSWi 2009 (which garnered favourable reviews BTW), I mulled over my options and have some pretty entertaining in mind which will entice me to dig deep in my older travel files and more modern Internet biz binders of artifacts to support my story-telling.
For F@ck Stat, Make Art, i went fully analog with no projectors, laptops etc. but this time i will use some photos to share what i have in mind including stories from time spent as mushroom farmer in Japan, beach club host in Guam, searching for the kind in Palau, gathering grapes and chestnuts in Germany or following the Grateful Dead through the hinterlands of America in a VW bus.
Not all business lessons are learned in an MBA program, nor management skills gained in seminars. This inter-disciplinary conversation distills a decade of working odd jobs in 20+ countries, followed by 14 years of Internet biz endeavors, into unique problem-solving skills as well as inspire attendees with a replenished toolbox of usable tactics.
10 questions that will be answered in this panel / presentation
How can I reach the top without a fancy degree?
Why should you bring “yourself” to work?
How do you diffuse a$$holes (especially when they are your boss)?
How can I find mentors, teachers and miracles?
How can I develop recession-proof business ideas?
What are the advantages of communicating with an audience in their language?
Why should I forget pre-conceptions and surprise myself?
Why is an inter-disciplinary perspective important?
Why should I consider hitting the road (and not look back)?
How can I figure out what truly matters to me – and make it happen?
50-word bio for this speaker
Dave Olson is a world-traveling renaissance guy who has published essays, poetry and fiction, wrote and produced a documentary film, and traveled to 20+ countries working jobs from mushroom farmer to private beach club host. An experienced story-teller, Dave’s presentation style is unique, visually compelling and free of jargon, cheesy buzzwords and bulleted lists.
get out of the cublicle you deserve more! (photo KK)
I am qualified to speak on this topic because:
{pardon the 3rd person} An experienced media pundit, Dave made dozens of TV/radio/newspaper appearances discussing web media technology, public policy activism, entrepreneurship, hockey and more on outlets ranging from CBC to BBC to High Times.
Most recently, he’s worked as a professional web community builder and marketing evangelist for a variety Vancouver web companies.
He regularly speaks at events and conferences about using technology to enable artistic expression and using social media for social change.
He graduated in 2004 from the noted Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington with a degree in Inter-disciplinary studies after studying public policy, philosophy, global affairs and writing – he also attended the Universities of Utah and Guam.
A podcasting pioneer, Dave creates several long-running series including Postcards from Gravelly Beach – a spoken word literature show, Choogle on! – gonzo international sound-seeing adventures, and Canucks Outsider, a wildly-popular audio magazine about Vancouver hockey culture.
Regular listeners of Choogle on With Uncle Weed have likely got to know my British counter-part The Dopefiend – we’ve recorded a few shows while i visited him and Max Freakout in London and a trip to the seashore in Brighton, then he and Dopegirl allowed me to return the hospitality with a long North Van visit which resulted in a heap of podcasts including visits with Herby, a true herbsman, hunkered down in a boutique grow room.
Current listeners know that Herby fell into some dicey situation with the law and on the newest Dopecast, i discuss Herby’s situation and the importance of knowing your rights including understanding probable cause, your right to an attorney, and why to shut up when the cops starting yapping!
On this week’s episode of the Web’s Favourite Cannabis Podcast, the Dopefiend talks to Canadian Cannabis Crusader Uncle Weed about the difficult situation featuring Canadian grower and Dopecast favourite Herbie, forced to spend his weekends in jail thanks to an increasingly tough stance on Cannabis taken by the Canadian authorities, why it’s not as easy as it may sound to some, and why it’s yet more evidence of injustice in the war on drugs.
The Dopefiend then talks to Uncle Weed about the case of Dopecast listener Snoogins who was busted on a marijuana paraphernalia charge, and why it’s important for all stoners to know their rights and to exercise their civil liberties, and also gets his views on the continuing debate over abuse vs experimentation and his thoughts on the recent Big Chill gonzo extravaganza, knowing your own limits and how you have to decide what constitutes abuse on your own terms, whether there is any value in Nitrous Oxide or MDMA, and how important ritual and careful planning is to a successful entheogenic experience.
Duff Gibson and Gold Medal in Vancouver, BC, May 2006, photo by Dave O
Here’s the description to the 10 minutes podcast to encourage you to checkit out:
Torino 2006 Skeleton Gold Medalist athlete Duff Gibson chats with Olympic Outsider host Dave Thorvald about having a beer named after him, life as a Calgary fireman, being Canada’s (and the world’s) oldest gold medalist, training for technical and speed courses, the Whistler track, athletic challenges and the future of the sport at an Olympic rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery in May 2006.
My attempt to drink at this noted literary haunt which oozes with counter-culture history from the underground railroad to prohibition to dog laws (damn health authorities), was thwarted by de-construction and i was met by a mass of scaffolding rather than a tasty pint. You can follow along on my ill-fated, personalized tour at: NYC Speakeasy Stroll with Bubble Bands and Falafel Bars – Choogle on #45.
[photo Wally G The interior of Chumley’s, pre-collapse.]
So what’s going on? A conundrum betwixt landlord, leaseholders, building permits and neighbors and drinkers … here’s a snippet fromt he Observer article by Chris Shott,
Nearly eight months after a brick wall collapsed, forcing famed Greenwich Village tavern Chumley’s to indefinitely lock up its notably unmarked entrance, the once illustrious literary haunt remains a mere shell of its former self.
Barely a shell, even; the old bar is beyond gutted.
“A gutted building implies that there are walls standing,” said Steve Shlopak, proud proprietor of the former Prohibition-era speakeasy turned fully liquor-licensed landmark turned much-lamented pile of rubble at 86 Bedford Street.
“There are only two walls that are still up,” Mr. Shlopak said. “The rest of the building is held up with construction scaffolding. There is no ceiling and there is no floor; it’s just a dirt hole.
“It’s almost as if you’re watching an old World War II film,” he added. “You know how soldiers would gather in the corner of a bombed-out farmhouse where just two walls are still up? That’s what we’ve got here.”
I took the liberty of commenting at the Observer’s remarkably decent site, thusly (pardon the redundancy):
As an enthusiast of tasty beer and quality literature, I was disappointed to find the scaffolding surrounding the building on a recent trip from Vancouver BC. I recorded a Choogle on! podcast while out and about in the village so all was not lost (i love falafel at 3AM). I’ll be watching for the reopen and hope to make another trip east from the idyllic left coast to imbibe a few pints in the legendary atmosphere.
Yup, been meaning to scribble something about Northern Voice but wanted to take the time to do it right, … since magical time expansion is unlikely, here it goes …
First off, massive thank yous to all the folks who rolled into my presentation: Three “P’s” of podcasting – Plan, Produce, Promote [note the intentional misspellings and grammatical errors - keepin' it real ;-)].
The Podcast Spot guys recorded and posted a podcast of the podcasting show … but here is an alternate version recorded on my beloved M-Audio Microtrack and remixed by Bread the Producer. Might as well make a podcast feed for this eh.
T’was really a treat to have so many amigo y amiga grinning back at me plus cool that a lot of other “veteran” podcasters were along for the ride plus folks making podcast software, podcast networks, consulting about podcasts etc. While the inclinations are different for various casters the process for making shows is really the same.
I advocate taking the time to work on your presentation style and “embracing your internal dialouge” in order to deliver a compelling conversation on on cue in order to make consice and listenable shows. Planning the idea and then busting out the production with Macgyver skill using the vast array of kiss-a$$ software apps and thrifty hardware out there.
The visual aid of my schtick was a series of 75(?) pieces of 100% hemp cardstock (no trees harmed) – each painted with one or maybe two words each in black acyrlic. A few cards had lists or phrases written with oil pastels and even a couple of doodles to deliver the feeli.
I filled the time for 59 minutes from Planning to Producing to Promoting and Partying and tossed the cards in the air and to the floor as the routine rolled on. Yes certainly inspired by Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues. In the spirit of non-commercialism, i stayed away from personal or professional plugs or even listing all my fave podcasters (many makers in the audience even) so i didn’t leave anyone out.
Also, thanks to Roland for steering the ship and trusting in me to get r’ dun. I was a late substitution and managed to cobble together my “Paper Point” moments before the gig but managed to keep the folks enjoying my edu-tainment, .. but don’t take my word for it, plenty of comments abounding, so, if you’ll indulge me in a moment of repose, i’ll post a round up below.
Derek K. Miller’s Fakeout was gonna be the official theme music but Roland racked up a different one (Clouds or Smoke IIRC) and though i stumbled my good vibes message a wee bit, the thought is what counts eh. DKM was following along via backchannel and mediacasting too adding in his humour and opinions. Gouranga & Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
By not plugging my shows, folks had a reason to come up to chat and ask for my addys to check it out (yeah that was the plan). Since you good people wanna know, here’s the list – each show series is entirely unique and each are handcrafted with care and attention.
I note that, like younglings, each podcast series has a unique personality and i love each equally (sniff, sniff). However unlike children they are basically free and require no diapers nor nutritional sustinence (just occasional cables and doo-dads and frequent enthusiasm) to sustain.
Since it is probably a good idea to have any list anyhow, here’s the “DaveO Podcast Round Up” (which should maybe be feed of it own ;-)) …
Choogle on with Uncleweed – Feed – iTunes- wild soundseeing rumpus from tokes on the porch to emerging rock bands plus art, transportation, economics and more ganja hi-jinks – but make no mistake – this is no lightweight drivel, serious stuff included on public policy and growing killer buds
Postcards from Gravelly Beach – Feed – iTunes- my original show of spoken word literature mixing my original creative writing (often culled from my Mountain Highway notebook) with classics from Kerouac to Tolstoy to emerging writers, backed by an eclectic assortment of music, sometimes spontaneous, sometimes from a dusty shoebox
Canucks Outsider – Feed – iTunes – hockey mayhem with a buzz, sometimes in game, sometimes on the porch with a beverage, often both, always irreverent and solid, serious hockey talk – not recaps per se, but sweeping observations and overviews and analysis of the team, game and culture
Urban Vancouver -Feed – sorta like the mellower side of Choogle on – out and about at Vancouver festivals, meeting entreprenuers, activists and characters around Vancouver diverse neighborhoods and cultural groups (also available on the Choogle on itunes
Olympic Outsider – iTunes – Feed - interviews with Winter Olympic athletes, updates on Vancouver Whistler 2010, featured frequent analysis during Torino 2006 and interviews with Gold Medalists Ross Rebagliati and Duff Gibson and Olympian (and big Nucks fan, Crispin Libscomb coming soon)
+ Bonus casts
Clubside Breakfast Time – Feed – this is Cosmo G. Spacely’s show which i am a frequent guest on and this was my first podcast appearance (thanks Jay), Olympia music, peace politics, local eccentrics and rock and roll anecdotes and other fine guests (Dingo, Damien, Old Timey Dave)
Ephemeral Feasthouse – you are here … for all the stuff which doesn’t fit elsewhere to keep it handy so i can find it again … i.e., the outtakes, blurbs, random clips, promos and miscellania, grab a podcast feed for your convenience
(secret day-job identity) Get Elastic – this will blow my cover as a edgy hipster ;-), … but here i am riffing on about ecommerce with pundits, memes, shameless promotion and fascinating discourse on online bidness
Comment bonanza follows for posterity (pardon the self-indulgence):
Another great highlight for me was Dave Olsen’s “The 3 P’s of Podcasting,” as much for his presentation style as for the easy-to-absorb content. Using what was later jokingly referred to as an “underhead projecter,” he whizzed through 60 or 70 slides in a manner that was reminiscent of both Bob Dylan and a certain scene from the film Love Actually (one of Mrs. Behan’s favorites). I’ll have to find a video of Dave’s talk, as it has to be seen by all podcasters.
But on Saturday I met Uncle Weed, aka Dave Olson — a local who semi-regularly puts out SEVEN podcasts!!!!!!! In a mile-a-minute, Dylanesque, low-tech performance of tossing out cards with short messages like “podcast”, “passion”, and “plan”, Uncle Weed made it seem easy. Like all it took to become a podcaster was some time, an idea, a computer, a little enthusiasm, and $20.
A photo session followed, lead by Kris Krug. In my opinion, he and Dave had the best presentations of the day. They were both laid back, had practical and useful tips, and told it like it is, plain and simple. Things don’t have to be complicated.
And the expected: Dave Olson, social media rockstar (his 3P’s of Podcasting session was superb; it was my favourite of the few I managed to squeeze in between organizing!),
Then I moved on to Dave’s podcasting session. I have to admit that the Uncle Weed persona did put me off a bit. I guess I’m a stiff. So the subject matter of his podcasts doesn’t excite me, but the session did. Dave knows his shit. He cares about what he’s doing and it shows. So he had some great pointers and interesting presentation covering everything from getting a concept through recording and producing all the way up to promoting your podcast once you’ve got a few in the can. I only went in to the session with idle curiosity – but when he started in about how to vet an idea to see if it’s worth starting a podcast, I started to get inspired. I’ve done a couple podcasts, well they’re not episodic so some say that’s not a podcast … so I’ve recorded a couple audio file of me speaking which were syndicated in the RSS feed from my blog… But anyway, I’ve done a couple of those and I think I might like to do some more over a limited time, like a short series around a topic I like to talk about. One of the reasons I identified with Dave’s attitude was the focus on getting it out there. Get good audio quality but don’t go overboard buying equipment before you start recording. He recommended starting with a laptop if you already have one and showed the M-Audio device he uses (a Microtrack 24/96). It looks pretty sweet – two channels of audio and a CF slot. A far cry from the crap RCA puts out (which, by the way, doesn’t use any normal formats for files or connectivity).
I also really enjoyed Dave Olson’s session on podcasting. His whimsical, and sometimes hysterical presentation was void of PowerPoint and instead, supported by single word cue cards ala Bob Dylan. Podcasting is something I’m becoming more fascinated with and how it can be integrated into brand marketing and communication activities.
