Tag Archives: kickstarter

2014 Professional Podcast Studio

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Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide breaks down the buying decisions for someone who wants to go from zero to podcasting superhero. Everything in this setup is pro-level and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a better setup that wasn’t just trying to show off.

This package was put together based on what the leaders of the podcasting world use. From the mixers to the mics to the headphones, everything here has been tested and proven to be top quality.

When building a studio you can of course spend as much money as you want. I could have designed a $100,000 audio-only podcasting setup but that isn’t the point here. This is a professional setup at a price that is approachable by really anyone that is serious about podcasting. Yeah it’s a few thousand dollars but these days with Kickstarter and other crowd-funding options, getting the funds would be cake for someone with the drive. Continue reading →

MetaWatch Strata, a Smart Watch for Nerds by Nerds

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I’ve had the MetaWatch Strata for a few weeks now and thought it was about time that I share some thoughts on it. But first I’ll answer the question you’re probably asking, “What the heck is a ‘MetaWatch?'” It’s a smart watch, a watch that connected via bluetooth to your iOS or Android phone. “Oh so you mean a Pebble watch?” No. I mean a MetaWatch.

That is the MetaWatch I have, the Olympian Blue with Digital Camo Band. I’ve had mine for just under a month and I can confidently say that it has changed my life for the nerdier (and maybe even for the better).

MetaWatch was brought to life and into our lives via a successful Kickstarter campaign. It wasn’t quite as successful as the Pebble Watch campaign, not even close really, but it was a success none-the-less. In all honesty I don’t know why so many people got so excited about the Pebble. It got over $10,000,000 in Kickstarter funds and a second round of $15,000,000 after the campaign ended.

Pebble raised over $25,000,000 and yet they had issues getting them to customers. Meanwhile MetaWatch raised just over $300,000 and they were shipping to customers a month later. That’s impressive. Also the MetaWatch is both dorkier, cooler and just overall a better watch than the Pebble. I’ll never understand why Pebble won the money race. Continue reading →

The Veronica Mars Kickstarter is Awesome

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Everyone loves Kristen Bell. Whether she’s the uncredited voice on Gossip Girl, being forgotten as Sarah Marshall, an electrified hero on NBC’s Heroes or the crime-solving sleuth known as Veronica Mars. Her ability to be absolutely adorable on screen is only matched by her ability to be the silver tongued protagonist everyone wants on their side.

Veronica MarsRob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars, has been pitching a movie version of the cult TV show for a while now. Sadly Warner Bros., who owns Veronica Mars, kept saying no due to the relatively low ratings the show got (ahem, Firefly). However, Warner Bros. said their mind could be changed if Rob Thomas could prove the fan interest was there. Continue reading →

Keith and the Girl 30 Hour Marathon Kickstarter Campaign

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Back in 2005 I made a huge decision to leave behind my school, my friends and my life in Columbia Missouri. I was heartbroken, mentally disheveled and felt like my life was spinning a slow spiral down a shallow drain. The decision was made in haste but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in my life. As you all know by now.

As a side effect of moving into a cabin in the words of wine country is I was limited to forms of entertainment. I didn’t have TV, there was no cell service to speak of and I was miles away from anyone with a head full of teeth (river folk are an interesting breed).

What I did have was a high speed internet connection and a new thing called “Podcasts” in my iTunes. Living alone with little human interaction can make you go crazy in no time. These podcasts kept me sane by entertaining me and taking my attention away from the problems in my life, by allowing me to laugh again and grow to know things would be OK.

One of the first podcasts I subscribed to was Keith and the Girl. Back then they were two professional clowns (seriously) who were dating and trying to make a name for themselves in NYC, in between gigs as Elmo at children’s parties. One a standup comedian, the other a talented if not under-appreciated singer. Keith Malley and Chemda became my friends, even if they didn’t know it. Continue reading →

The Gay Rights Movement

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I just stumbled upon this video through a friend’s Facebook update and immediately felt compelled to share here. It’s a trailer for a documentary titled “Second Class Citizens” which you can sponsor via Kickstarter.

This documentary is something that is very near and dear to me; someone who is considered by my state and country a second class citizen. By extension, I am a second class citizen to all my friends and family members who continue to vote for people who fight against equality, donate money to organizations and churches who cast aspersions on who I am and look the other way all the while.

Explaining what it is like to be gay isn’t easy. I kept it a secret until I was 18 years old because I feared that I might be made a victim of harassment beyond what I was already experiencing in junior high and high school. I was so stressed out about being gay that I became physically ill; acid reflux, debilitating migraines, panic attacks & major depression.

If it wasn’t for the friends I made in college, I don’t know that I would have survived to be where I am today. Far too many people like me don’t make it through the bullying. They are commit suicide or are murdered because they or someone else was unable to accept the person they were born to be.

I can’t tell you the number of times I was verbally or physically harassed, my property vandalized and my life threatened. My first semester in college a neighbor in the dorms threaten to hang me in the stairwell because I was gay. Try explaining to your parents why you have to switch dorms when that is your reason. I never did because I never had the courage to do so.

Ryan James Yezak is hoping to produce a documentary titled “Second Class Citizens” and has created a Kickstarter campaign to help fund it. I implore you to check it out and if you find it worthy, to invest in his film. I am going to do that right now.

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