The point of podcasts

A few weeks ago, there was a bit of a disaster in regards to the podcast app on my phone. It seems I’ve lined up so many shows to the queue that the memory load completely overwhelmed the system, and the app refused to function correctly. Every time I scrolled to the list of saved podcasts, the app would crash. At first unwilling to accept the reality, I did everything I could to resuscitate the app, including multiple trials of restarts. However, it was not meant to be, and the only method to get podcasts functioning again was to delete and re-download it from the app store.

My preciously curated queue of podcasts was wiped clean.

I could’ve painstakingly put the list back together once again, but the lazy part of my being compelled me otherwise. The rationale is that ever since I started listening to podcasts during my commute, the upcoming list have been growing and growing, with no end in sight; what’s the use of constructing it again only to potentially lose it once more? Some of the scheduled shows have been on the queue for the better part of a year, so purging it wasn’t really that big of a lost, other than the mental blow to my obsessive compulsive tendencies.

The problem with online content is that there’s so much of it, the well goes forever down into an endless hole. Each week brings in new stuff, and like a dog chasing its tail, you simply can’t hope to consume it all. This is true no matter the medium, be it podcasts, videos on Youtube, streaming television, or even physical books (I’ve made a pact with myself to not buy another book until I’ve read every single one that’s currently on the shelves.) It’s easy to fall into the trap of attempting to consume everything, which explains how my podcasts list got to be long enough to crash the app.

And also why I listen to podcasts at faster than normal speed (usually at 1.5x.) The point became to devour as much shows as possible, rather than listening closely and maybe learn a thing or two.

The unfortunate circumstance with the podcast app crashing presented the perfect opportunity to start over, to remind myself what the point of podcasts is. These days I’ve returned to listening at normal speeds, and only putting a few shows on queue to avoid having to take out the phone to select a new one when an episode ends.

Making haste slowly.

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iPhone 11’s new Night mode continues to amaze. I wouldn’t do prints with it, but for a simple capture, smartphone photography technology have advances a very long way.

Another Monday

Today is one of those days where I genuinely don’t know what to write about, so I’m just going to put things down as they come to mind for the next half hour or so. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend finishing up part five of the Japan Escape photo stories, so please check that out if you haven’t yet the chance. I am somewhat ashamed to say it’s taken nearly three months since I’ve returned from the trip to finish writing about it; it’s a lot of work, but honestly I could’ve done it faster and moved on to other things.

The common person have little idea how time consuming it is to put together pictures and words into one coherent story. As a person who cares about photography, the process of editing the pictures alone can take a huge amount of time. Then there’s the writing portion, the part where I describe what’s going on in those photos, and attempt to weave up something coherent and interesting (you can tell me if it isn’t.) It takes about eight to ten hours combined to produce one photo stories article; in contrast the finished piece can be read in around 10 minutes.

It’s like spending two hours cooking an elaborate dinner, only for it to be wolfed down in 15 minutes.

Let’s be clear: I am not lamenting this situation at all. The contents of this website is something I enjoy putting together, and even if there weren’t a single person out there reading my stuff, I’d be perfectly fine with it, and would still continue to put in the many hours required to produce more. I’m merely pointing out the utter disparity between time spent consuming content and the time it takes to make the content; it’s easy to forget or not realize how much goes into making what seemingly is not a lot. Next time maybe think about this before you badger your favorite Youtube channel why they haven’t upload any new videos recently.

I have tremendous respect for freelancers and creatives putting in the work, especially those who’ve chosen to follow their passion full-time. forgoing the comfort and security of a steady 9-5 paycheck. Of course, passion alone doesn’t pay the bills, and it’s tough out there to monetize to sustainable level. The people making tremendous bank from Youtube are the outliers, not the mean. I make sure to support a few of my own favorites on Patreon, or I actually buy the stuff they make.

Because some day - and that day may never come - I may need those favors returned towards me.

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Thoughts on Motor Trend going subscription model

One of my favorite car-related Youtube channels was Motor Trend. I say was because about a month ago Motor Trend took its amazing content and put it entirely behind a pay-wall on a dedicated website. I can still watch videos for free, but not without numerous ads littered throughout. Suffice it to say I did not follow Motor Trend’s exodus from Youtube. The videos are wonderful and entertaining (who doesn’t love Roadkill?), but the friction of having to go to another site is difficult to overcome. 

And I can’t be the only person. 

Indeed Youtube’s monetization model can’t possibly be sustainable for Motor Trend’s surely armada of personnel producing its videos. Supposedly the payout per one play of a video on Youtube is lower than the already absurd 0.007% of one cent per-stream earning to the artist on Spotify. Difficult for Motor Trend to feed its crew when 1 million views returns a scant $4,000 dollars. Only the Doug DeMuros of the world - one man operation with super low production value and cost - can make a decent living within than framework. 

So I understand completely why Motor Trend moved to a proprietary subscription platform. As an artist myself I appreciate the fundamental of creators getting paid for their output. 

However, Youtube is such a juggernaut in providing potential eyeballs. I bet Motor Trend’s pure viewership count have dropped significantly once it went off the platform, due partly to people’s unwillingness to pay for a monthly subscription, and due partly to viewers like me who can’t be bothered to leave Youtube. I don't wish ill towards the team: I hope Motor Trend has got enough subscribers to sustain them for a long long time. 

Few years ago another car Youtube channel I also favored called 'Drive' did the same as Motor Trend and put its content behind a subscription. The number of paying customers was more than enough to keep the lights on, but the raw view count on the videos decreased so dramatically that car manufacturers became reluctant to lend them cars to test - the kiss-of-death for an automotive channel focused on new cars. Needless to say Drive did not survive its prosperity. 

A historic and renowned publication like Motor Trend wouldn't have that problem, right? 

The one man mowing band.