It is what the title says it is. Because my friends bugged me to and on my whims…Have a show!

Still figuring out exactly what I’ll be addressing, but suggestions are welcome. I know, this is really short notice but sometimes it’s best to roll with inspiration when it strikes.

I also need to test my new recording space and set-up, and testing shows always feel like such a waste of time and effort. So this will be rough around the edges! And heck, I have to start churning out content again, somehow, and I’m not getting any younger…

Rough Show Itinerary:

• Where the F have you been?
• Who the F are you and what do you stand for?
• Why the long silence?
• What the F is up with Boston and surrounding events?
• Open floor for questions.

First: I know, I’m slow getting things started again. Life always takes priority, but thankfully that attitude is bearing fruit as I type this. I am shifting jobs and my future is looking increasingly more in my control then it did just a few months ago. The apartment has been moved into, I have gotten a few pieces of equipment, and I am in the midst of letting some budget milestones get struck along with putting all my energy into training for my new job. (high expectations, but a great company. It’ll be worth the effort and focus.) I will share what I am able to when appropriate. I need to clarify a few legal liability issues.

Second: My goal is in roughly two weeks to begin at the very least twice-once weekly Dougem Quicktake shows. Mixture of explaining philosophy and addressing current events. The bombings in Boston and the surrounding crap have thrown a wrench into these plans, particularly as the story has developed. I have a lot I want to say about the attacks but they must wait for now.

Third: A heavy round of spring cleaning is necessary on my content. Don’t worry — I will not be deleting posts unless there are any I feel are completely worthless (old announcements and the like.) Old formatting errors, defunct content, etc. I want my work to stand polished, and it will help get me back into blogger mode. It may take awhile, this is something I’ll chip away at for a few months. Until I mention otherwise consider any information on here potentially out of date or incorrect!

I know, I was over ambitious with my last post. I usually am with my plans, but always with the caveat of no promises. At least until I actually am completely financially independent. That time table I laid out is still very realistic once I pull the trigger on the first step, and that is going to wait until my training for the new job is done, sometime mid/late May.

Regarding Boston:

History was made last week. Never before has such a monumental crisis played out live via social media, police scanners, and traditional media. I was among those listening to the Boston police scanner while watching updates roll in via twitter feeds and reddit information compilation threads along with the occasional dose of The Blaze radio network. It was incredible in terms of the implications to the power and influence of old media vs. new media, and in terms of the average joe schmuck’s influence in critical events.

This story is not over.

As I have maintained to those who have asked me in person, there is a layer to the events in Boston that we the public haven’t been told yet — at least officially — by our government. As to what this could be or the implications, I am holding my piece but I encourage you to investigate on your own. Ignore the obvious conspiracy theories; as the saying goes the real conspiracy theories are the ones that hide in plain sight. This isn’t Bilderburgs, New World Order types, or lizard people — just simple international corruption, graft, influence peddling and cover-your-ass tactics that can, have, and will get people killed for the sake of placating certain interests and promoting political correctness.

The Boston attacks showed us that the American people are still a brave people. Many people ran toward the blasts in the immediate aftermath, and despite horrific injuries the death toll stands at a mere three people when it should arguably be a dozen or more, thanks in no small part to quick action and advanced medicine. While I am saddened to see the flag once again flying at half mast, I am proud of my countrymen and thankful for those who offer their support and thoughts to the people of Boston.

As always, remain skeptical, take nothing for granted, and continue to pay attention. And for heaven’s sake shun cable TV news media — they do not deserve your time or money.

The GOP sucks at the internet. Libertarians, tea partiers, young republicans, and others are learning, but they are nowhere as coordinated or connected as the democrats are.

As stated on the last Invisible Voice show of the Fall, there is a lot of work to be done.

I’m hunkering just a little bit longer, folks.

But this is important enough for me to drop a small note. Listeners of the podcast (2,000 hits on the last show) on what was supposed to be the End of the World show got a taste of where I’m trying to steer the ship of TheDougem long term. Please pardon me getting a bit wordy as we continue.

Way Back When

I started off my online ‘career’ for real just over three years ago with this small testing video. Since then I started and “retired” Total War Tracker, ran a slightly successful livestream channel of the same name, worked with Slaguth and VonGreyson for near two years, discovered the wonderful world of podcasting - I’ve got quite a bit under my belt, a lot of fun time and experience spent with too many people to list!

I had a lot of energy and passion as I ran through these different projects. But always, as now, my worry was that I was taking on too much at one time, promising too much, spending too much time on what wasn’t really giving me much of a return other then the satisfaction that comes with getting Fun work done. So this past year has been a relatively quiet one for me – and to be honest, it’s been more like a year and a half.

Why?

This video, the effort involved in making it, and the reception it drew clarified a number of things for me and also confirmed a number of ideas that had been spinning in my head since the time the Total War Tracker livestream was drawing a consistent viewer-base.When I focus on a project, put my all into it, make a plan to turn it around quickly, stick to it, and work with at least one other person – the quality of my work changes drastically.I felt that I had reached a point where because I could, I should hold myself to a higher production standard.

I also figured out very fast that time is extremely valuable, and that if one’s serious about being an online content producer one has to have money, time, and a stable life. So I took a step back, began to focus on personal things, and take some time to grow. And now is about the time that I feel comfortable sharing a few of my goals for this year, as well as long term. I passionately call for transparency as part of my political commentary – why should my own professional conduct via a hobby I dearly love be any different?

Framing

The biggest reason I am posting this tonight is that I am about to cross a significant benchmark in my life that I set two years ago – a small degree of independence. If all goes as planned, a good friend of mine and I will soon have an apartment of our own that we will pay for entirely with our own income and without crippling ourselves financially. It will be our space – and most importantly, it will be a -small- production space for my efforts that is dedicated almost entirely to creative pursuits and being my little corner of the universe – something I’ve been missing for way too long!

It’s a modest start. It’s supposed to be. Those who know me well know that I like to make moves that are more careful and stable long term. The floodgates on Stuff won’t part when we move in, but the path will start moving again. I will have a studio again – a place where I can reliably record without interruption and without bugging the other people I live with, and without feeling I’m burdening others by spending time on it. I refuse to -beg- for money – I want to earn it IF I get it. As I work on in my current job, settle financial issues, and make this move – I will be putting myself in a much happier place, and I will have the freedom to simply -work- again.

That paired with how listens on the podcast have been lately – a larger audience dictates I take my work much more seriously, which means I have to be taking life seriously and maintain that attitude!

Nutshell:

To put it simply: I had a time where I was making stuff like crazy. Then I learned I could do better. I wasn’t comfortable with the life position I was in, so I did things to change it. Those changes are bearing fruit and will continue to, so I can now safely be a dreamer again while being responsible and not pestering you, the audience, for Stuff because seriously nothing is more annoying then constant fundraising.

Rough Goals

You should not take any of these goals as promises, they are what they are: Goals.

January

• Either Skeptic Conservative (one hour once weekly) or Invisible Voice (two hour once weekly) resumed
• This current blog cleaned yet another time to be more useful
• One commentary piece a week (starting week of the 13th)

February

• Maintain once-a-week current events show
• Maintain once-a-week writing
• Start ‘TheDougem Quick-takes’. Podcast/youtube segments on a single topic. Roughly half hour, variable pace.
• Pair show with active production efforts once more
• Populate soundboard for the show (bumper music, break clips, intro/outro)
• Explore modern streaming options

March

• Once weekly podcast fully produced (no webcam)
• TheDougem Quick-takes twice weekly
• Revive Imperial Gaming with SupCom retrospective and Planetary Annihilation prep/beta/alpha footage (if able), youtube + streaming

April through August

• Maintain above
• Re-establish with Slaguth and VonGreyson, at least two collab works by end of summer
• Focus on Planetary Annihilation – strengths, weaknesses – overall how interesting it is to watch a Kickstarter funded game be made.

September

• Back to school – drawdown to:
• Once weekly podcast
• More quick-take segments
• Less gaming content, less full article writing

October to December

• Maintain above
• Small streaming of PA development as time allows.

Overall:

A steady small trickle of stuff, gaming and current events (and some pure-writing content). Learning how to publicize without being a pest. Accomplishing all of the above with minimal advertising/monetizing.

What’s Missing:

• Tournaments
• Game-a-thons
• Total War Campaign Tracking
• Dedicated Let’s Plays of depth
• Minecraft server (I have the save files still!)
• Insane/aggressive focus on gaming

Unfortunately, some things WILL be too much when living on a budget, and a lot of my more ambitious ideas have to wait until I have a staff. Period. That requires me drawing much more income then I do now, and also means that I will be running or part of some sort of production group.

I can’t quite say when podcasting will resume precisely, nor when the -real- end of the world show will happen, except for saying that I hope it will be soon(c). 

As always, I cannot thank all of you enough for being patient and understanding, and continuing to stick around as long as you have. You are a great – quiet – audience, and that’s fine.

-Doug

I know, I’ve gone and done it again – a content drought. There’s easy explanations however.

FIRST: The End of the World Show at 8PM, december 21st, is a confirmed go. This has been scheduled for nearly 6 months, I cant back down! It’ll be a fun lighthearted show, I’ll yank out the prediction sheets from last January and we’ll make some collective judgement calls on who was an Idiot and who wasn’t.

Observant readers and listeners will note that I just bumped the show ahead a day – since I was silly and forgot exactly what day the world is supposed to end on. We can now properly dance together in the ashes on the correct day.

The Actual News: The current quarter at UCSD ended, and Tom and I were unable to run the last scheduled show of Invisible Voice season 2 owing to Finals Being Dumb. The other bit of actual news is that BOTH of my computers – the tower and the laptop – failed catastrophically within one day of each other. I’m currently using a borrowed cheap laptop. I’m in the midst of desperate repairs, and if all goes to plan I will have things fixed just in time for the podcast on Friday.

UPDATE: I did the first part of the show, then dove into Hour Two of Flyover’s show, which can be found here. A make-up show should be due some afternoon this next week.

There WAS  a show last week! Sadly, work had stolen me away, but Tom stepped up and took the helm for the full two hours. I am currently processing the raw KSDT audio which you can find here. Show audio starts roughly five minutes in. I intend to upload slightly polished audio to BTR sometime this weekend, hopefully Sunday – I only have so much free time these days, so it will be a rough job.

There WILL be a show this coming Tuesday, in spite of me running a closing shift monday night. As usual. I’ll have it scheduled sometime tomorrow once I confirm a few things. Feel free to leave notes on this post as to suggestions, topic ideas, questions, and so on. We’re likely to get heavy on issues framing the realm of US politics and conservative vs. progressive ideology, so be warned!

Finally, friend-of-the-show FlyOverTerritory had a revival on the 29th – one I was very sorry to miss! The show kicks off roughly seven minutes in. Please give him a listen – strong broadcaster, has a nice, bristly style, and he pulls clips like almost no other show.

The listening stats on the last batch of shows continues to be incredibly heartening and disturbing. I can’t thank you lot enough, both for your time and patience. My living situation will be adjusting soon in a way that will allow me to throw more of myself into my craft – hopefully coming by the tail end of this holiday season. More details as they come – until then, enjoy the weekend.

Last week, Tom was sick. This week – we’re both sick. So – sorry folks, no dice

I can recommend Red Eye Radio instead – very intellectual show for one oriented towards late night truckers and workers, free podcast, three full hours of content from a condensed five hour show. Certainly worth the time.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and thanks for your continued listenership! The stats have been impressive lately – I just can’t force a thing, particularly when my boss has a nasty habit of scheduling me late monday nights and leaves me little time for sleep..

Have fun.

Hat tip to Instapundit

Reblogged from According To Hoyt:

or there – KSDT’s page

Show starts LIVE at 7am pacific! BTR link will take you to the archive a few minutes after the show ends at 9am.

Details forthcoming, as always, but I will drop this post here regarding the failure of Long Island to prepare for any big storm, really.

UPDATE: Tom is out sick today, so I am flying solo – which means I have to drop a few things in favor of focusing on the show above all else. This posting as well as the UCSD College Republicans page will be monitered for comments and questions. Issues linger with BTR chatbox, do not expect it to be monitored, much less run unless I indicate otherwise.