I was talking with drummer John last night.  Actually, we were very nearly arguing about equipment for Collision, as I was trying to explain to him that if I could not find an eight inch four ohm fifty watt speaker to replace the one that burned out in the nice compact PA columns I wanted to use, this did not mean that I had to replace the entire sound system.  John is a drummer, and although Animal does not capture his personality, he is mildly technophobic and quite justly uninformed about amplifiers.  However, it proved to be a rather productive argu–er, discussion–as in making my point I was reminded that maybe a year ago my sound wizard Grey Vanaman of Audio-clear dropped off a pair of tall columns he had ripped out of a church where he was doing an install.  They had these weird mounting brackets on them and were painted white, and although I checked them briefly at the time to see if they worked I stuffed them in the attic pretty quickly.  But I figured with the compact boxes I really wanted to use out of commission, these four foot narrow columns would have to do.  Turns out they’re pretty decent speakers–Electrovoice Radiators–and so my PA system is now up and running.

I’ve also been loaned a solder iron, so assuming I also can find some solder I hope to repair the Hartke speaker tomorrow and get my instrument amplifier up and running.  Maybe if things go well I’ll put together the effects boxes I’ve intended to construct.

Today things did not go so well.  Fortunately, last week I made a decision to put an end to my participation in the Lutheran forum.  I kept inviting Lutheran friends of mine to participate there, and they never do; and some of the new members of that board weren’t really keen on having input from some weird multi-denominational Baptist when they were really hoping to have their own opinions confirmed by others who shared them.  More to the point, I needed to free up some time, and even though I was visiting them only once a week, it was tending to be a long visit that needed shortening.  I’ve now cleared some time on Tuesdays for other projects.

Today, though, did not go particularly well.  Most of the problems lay in the personal problems areas, and outside the purview of this blog; however, one thing that was a bit vexing is that I attempted to e-mail eight files (attached to separate letters) to the radio station to be four episodes of the Quick Word radio show on Faith and Gaming.  Since I still can’t convert to mp3, these are rather large files, and it seems that once seven were moving I was unable to connect to anything else on the Internet for several hours.  This definitely put me behind schedule, and I really ought in future to send fewer at a time and make sure to do so when I go to bed.

It’s getting late, but I’m not tired, so I’m going to attempt to get through a few forum posts at least.

–M. J. Young

I’m sure I’ve done a number of things since I last posted; I’ve not posted primarily because none of them really are completions, just landmarks along the way.

I’ve written, recorded, and sent a number of episodes in the Quick Word radio show’s Faith and Gaming series.  I still have not found a way to convert them to mp3 format, but I’ll manage.

I’ve made some progress on the equipment for Collision.  I’ve got two obstacles at the moment, one easily remedied and the other not so.  The easy one is that my solder iron seems to have wandered off–as my tools often do.  I will pick up another at my first opportunity.  I need it for a number of projects, but most specifically because a couple wires are loose on one of the speakers I’ll be using for my instruments amplifier, and I need to reconnect these.

The more difficult and frustrating problem is that I’ve burned out a speaker and need to replace it.  This is difficult and frustrating because I can’t find anyone who sells a speaker that will do the job. It must be 8 inches in diameter, and round, and it must be 4 ohms, and it must be rated at at least 50 watts.  I’ve found a few speakers promoted as being able to handle more power than that, but they’re generally rated 15 to 25 watts and then stated to handle more in peak power.  My best hope at the moment is to find something designed for car stereo use–not ideal, but seriously it’s gotten impossible to find anything in the nature of an electronics hobbyist’s store.  I will probably hit Best Buy sometime for that.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all that comes to mind.

–M. J. Young

I am a bit ahead on the Quick Word radio show.  I have resolved some of the delivery issues (although I still need a way to convert the overly large wav files into much more manageable mp3s) and have delivered programs for this week and next, and have four more in the can, recorded and ready to go.  I am working on scripts for the next four beyond that, which will be presenting material from the two Faith and Gaming articles about magic and deities.  Neither subject fit well in a five minute package, but I’m still tweaking to get eight well-timed scripts from it.

I’ve been addressing some other matters as well, but I will post on them when I reach milestones worth mentioning.

–M. J. Young

I managed to hear half of my Quick Word radio show this afternoon.  It was not the show I had recorded for today; that suggests that the radio station had trouble downloading the programs, probably because of the file size problem.  I’m going to have to go back and see what I can do about that.

Speaking of file size problems, I ran into one in connection with the cover of Do You Trust Me?  Yes, the good news is I have the front cover; I’m working on the back.  It was delivered to me last night on paper, and I scanned it this afternoon.  I used the very best quality scanning my scanner would provide–and the result was a file so large than none of my art programs could resize it.  I wound up scanning it again at lower resolution, and it is now ready.  I had a couple of quotes I wanted to include on the back from a couple of ministers who read it a few months back; I’ll have to hunt for their letters.  I have been getting eager to the point of antsy to get this in print.

Part of the process of producing a radio program is delivering the program to the station.  Years ago when I was at a station, most programs came to us on tape, usually by mail or parcel service and sometimes hand-delivered by the producers.  Network programs came via dedicated telephone lines.  I watched the advent of satelite delivery of programming to small market stations.  Today I deliver my audio files over the Internet.

Yesterday, though, I encountered a problem.  I had saved my files as CD-quality audio “wav” files.  For some reason, since the upgrade to Windows XP the audio software I use has lost the capability of saving in “mp3″ format, which is what I was sending in the past.  The audio quality of the mp3 is considerably poorer than that of the wav file; however, the file size is also much smaller.  I had not realized just how much smaller until yesterday, when my e-mail program balked at handling even one attached two-and-a-half minute file because of the size, and then my ftp program took several hours to upload the four programs, ten minutes of audio information, to store on my web site for the station to download.  I trust they will be able to download it more swiftly, as I am using a dial-up account and they have the capacity for streaming audio.  However, I am going to have to examine lower-quality files.  After all, there’s no music in the program, and my voice quality does not have to be that good.

I’ve completed a few other scripts for the show, but the seventh column is proving to have too much in it to make a single week’s program.  I’m contemplating how to split it, and whether to combine part of it with the eighth column, which is on a related subject (the one on magic and the other on religion), but I haven’t really given up hope of paring it to fit yet.  Part of my concern is that once I’ve done it once, I’ll be more likely to do it for future columns, and I would rather maintain the one article to one column relationship as much as possible–particularly since it is uncommon for the successive columns to be so closely related as this.  But I might have to succumb.

–M. J. Young

I did not really take today off.  Despite it being Independence Day I had no barbecue, no fireworks, no celebration.  I just never really got started.  I poked at one thing or another, thinking that after I did this, or that, or whatever, I would turn to today’s work.

That is now technically yesterday’s work, and I have to be up in a few hours to start today.  I am thinking that I will tackle today’s work, or yesterday’s, or whatever it is, tomorrow, or tonight, or whenever it will be.

However, my poking and prodding was not unproductive.  I finished at least six scripts and started a seventh for the Quick Word radio show, and got two of them recorded–that is, two weeks worth of programs, four shows.  The ones I recorded I did last night; the other five were done in bits and pieces today.  I haven’t sent them yet (I want to give the snail mail message that the program is being continued time to reach the right department before I start transfering audio files to them), but progress is progress.

I could offer the excuse that I am a bit sore today.  It comes from climbing around in the attic hauling down heavy and bulky audio equipment through a ceiling door down a stepladder.  I did not get it working, but I know the first few diagnostic steps I need to make, and I should find time to make them eventually.

–M. J. Young

I made a decision this week concerning the Quick Word radio show I broadcast every week.  It has been in reruns for several months, and I have been undecided what to do with it as it has not had the level of response for which I had hoped.  However, as of last night I have determined to keep the show going.  I will be starting a new subject next weekend (it is too late to have it on this week) based on the Faith and Gaming book, which I will have to start recording.

For those who do not know, A Quick Word comes on in two segments of one hundred fifty seconds each, on Sunday afternoon between five thirty and six o’clock on Lift FM, which you can hear locally in Bridgeton and Hopewell at 98.5 FM, and on a different frequency I do not remember out at the New Jersey shore southern regions such as Cape May and Wildwood, and over the Internet from their web site at www.LiftFM.com.  It is in a half hour block of music by local artists sandwiched between two local preachers.  I strongly suspect that my dearth of response is because I am in that broadcasting ghetto–I know others who advertise on the station who have gotten good response, but their ads fall during the week when it’s almost all music.

That means I have to write and record a few scripts based on the first chapters of that book, but at least I have an outline of what I plan to do for most of the next year.

I have just sat down with dinner after frantically racing about attempting to set up equipment for a Collision rehearsal which is not going to happen.  It seems that Brittany pinched a nerve trying to lift something and can’t stand, and Baxter couldn’t call me because he is out of minutes on his cell phone but managed to let Brittany know that he was sick.  Adam is, I believe, here, but exhausted.  His girlfriend had minor surgury yesterday, and he spent the night at her grandparents’ house caring for her, came home to shower and change and asked if he could go back, then fell asleep.  I will probably wake him in a bit, insist that he eat some dinner, go over a part or two with him that I think are important, and then let him go back to caring for his girlfriend.  She is important to him, and that makes her important to us, too.

Of course, I have more equipment in the living room than I’ve had yet, and the fact that we did not wind up rehearsing makes it less justifiable–but I will finish setting up what I have, and make certain it is all functional, and that will be good for something.  I am distressed that I cannot find the nice pair of self-powered monitors which I have long known were probably the one solid piece of the sound system on which I could depend.  I have searched the attic (where I put some things) and the basement (where the people who helped my wife clean her kitchen and living room put more things) and am rather concerned that I don’t know where they went.  I might have to give Tyler a shout, to see whether I left them at his place at some point, but I’m pretty certain I didn’t.

Anyway, it gives me more time to work on stuff here, so I’d better use it wisely.

–M. J. Young

It seemed today that every time I turned around, there was another interruption, another disruption, another added task. As I was about to sit down to my morning study, I was cajoled (more than asked, less than ordered) to go on what I saw as a fool’s errand to check on something, only to have that struck from the list when I was ready and no longer had an unbroken hour before the next obligation. Returning to that later in the afternoon, the disruptions stretched one hour into something well over two. Then I was pinned between the need to make supper early enough for the schoolboys to get to bed and the need to get my mother-in-law to the store at a decent hour. The boys won, and so it was after eight thirty before I left for the shopping trip, and after midnight that I was on my way back.

I did put a bit of time into scripts for the Quick Word radio show. I was surprised to find that I had not yet reached the point in the passage I’m using for my outline (Hebrews 11) that was going to require me to do a lot of digging for information. I had overlooked the fact that David is mentioned there. The danger with David is that I could probably spend the next six months on stories about his faith, and I really shouldn’t–or at least, I think I shouldn’t. Maybe I have to think more, since really I should not be in a hurry to finish this subject, as it’s an excellent subject and I’m not sure what I will do next.

Anyway, it is after one in the morning and I still have a few things to finish, so I’d better get to them.

–M. J. Young

I am very happy with how much I accomplished on Saturday.

I set up enough of our new web site, Multiverser.org, that people will be able to find it and still find M. J. Young Net without too much inconvenience. There a few apologetic placeholder pages, a few dead links, and a few existing pages that need attention, but there is something there on which to build.

I also organized my notes for today’s directors meeting–a task which turned out to be of less importance than anticipated. One of our directors had informed me over a week ago that he was going to be out of town this weekend; one had a death in the family midweek and between the funeral and the visiting relatives anticipated being otherwise occupied; one did not make it for reasons that are as yet unclear to me. Two directors is not sufficient for a quorum, so our meeting notes were more a mental exercise for me to work through what I needed to remember.

I made an appearance at the funeral Saturday morning before church, and connected with the couple who were interested in the audiobook version of What Does God Expect? at the fellowship meal following Sabbath school to deliver the two-disk set for their perusal.

The meeting was not a loss, however, as the two directors present happened to be the vice president for development–me–responsible for product and product support, and the vice president for public relations–not me–responsible for publicity and promotions. As you probably can deduce, between us we split responsibility for website design and content, and this gave us an opportunity to talk about what steps to take next.

I also managed to pick up the 7dB equipment. I still have to decide where it will live for the present now that it’s here, but at least it’s not there anymore. Late in the evening I remembered to send the other four Quick Word radio show recordings, and even managed to listen this week, to hear the show myself.

Of course, not everyone was happy with what I accomplished on Saturday, and I got reprimanded for failing to do a few important errands, which I did this afternoon instead, so I’m not too terribly unhappy. I also remembered to update the autoresponder letter on the e-mail account for the radio show, so that people who write for information will get information immediately, and I can answer their letters leisurely.

So I’m headed into the week with a good feeling about the accomplishments of the weekend, despite the amount on my plate in the days ahead.

–M. J. Young

I am like way behind today, and it’s really my own fault.

I knew quite well that on Thursday I was going to have to launch the new book, About the Fruit, and that having launched it I would have to update my own website to announce this. I also knew that once I was certain of its availability I would have to send a special program to the radio station for my Quick Word radio show to announce the book, followed by the new programs that have been sitting on my drive for the past couple of weeks. I knew this would all be a frustrating process of jumping through hoops. Even so, for some insane reason on Tuesday night I decided to start recording an audiobook version of What Does God Expect?, which I continued to do on Wednesday night, giving me a nearly finished project this morning.

Then I got a request to drive someone to work unexpectedly; then by the time I’d finished my morning study I was being asked to go on a couple of quick errands which turned into a three hour tour, making dinner (still not served) rather late, and later because no one did the dishes as instructed.

However, About the Fruit is now available, and in fact is for a limited time on special at a twenty-five percent discount from my intended price. The paperback does not yet bear the ISBN, which is being processed, but you can get copies without it if you’re interested.

I have uploaded the new pages to the web site; I hope I caught all the incomplete bits. I’ve also sent the announcement program to the radio station, but still have to send the four new shows to follow it.

I also have a rather important major undertaking that I should be doing tonight, as instructed by our company president; but I’ve been advised to discuss it with our vice president for public relations before I proceed, which makes sense, since it’s as much his area as mine (development). It just means that in addition to getting everyone fed, I’ve got to make a visit to Delaware tonight to catch him at his day–er, night–job. It should be good to get together with him outside of meetings and pressures, but I’m going to be beat tomorrow.

This is not to mention that my mother-in-law needs to get her social security check to the bank; my sympathy for her is low, because she insists that she needs the assurance of actually taking the check to the bank herself, but doesn’t understand the inconveniece to me of two hours of driving just for that purpose. I also promised my pastor’s wife that I’d have the remaining 7dB audio equipment out of their basement this week so they can get the rugs cleaned, and it has just been a crazy week for transportation anyway. The engine of the new car is currently disassembled to fix a broken rocker arm and a bad engine mount, and one of those parts won’t be in until maybe Monday, so I’m still dealing with the one car problem.

I’ve also had to delete a few comments whose sole purpose for their vapid remarks was to add a link to a commercial interest that has nothing to do with our purpose.  That’s not a problem, really, except that the upload of the radio program files was tying up my bandwidth and making the process run like molasses, which increases the frustration level a bit.

You didn’t come here to read me complaining, though, so let me let you go while I find out what else I have to do tonight.

–M. J. Young