Yesterday, I noticed the signage at the gas station up the street was showing prices for unleaded gasoline and E85, the fuel made of 85% ethanol and just 15% petroleum. E85 can be made from sugar cane, corn, wheat, just about any starch. Here in the midwest the obvious choice is corn. As a quick …
Author Archives: Garrick van Buren
The IKEA Furnishings Subscription Model
I had a couple of apartments completely furnished via IKEA. As I’m sure you know, once assembled Billy isn’t going anywhere. Drooping and wabbly, the Billy entertainment system lasted – to the day – as my last rental lease. Not a bad thing, I didn’t have to move it. Though it did leave me without …
First Crack 45. Cayenne Chris’s Sketch Comedy Podcast
On a beautiful Minneapolis summer day, Cayenne Chris Conroy from Teknikal Diffikulties and I sit down for a backyard-cast to discuss his sketch comedy podcast, creating and keeping track of characters, sound effects, radio theater, the right length for a podcast. Other things we touch on: Little Gray Book Lectures Sam and Jim go to …
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First Crack 44. Building Community, Building Bridges
David Motzenbecker, Mark Hinds, and I talk about how to get a bridge built. Specifically, a pedestrian bridge to re-connect the Bryant and Kingfield neighborhoods of south Minneapolis, two neighborhoods long separated by interstate highway 35W. Listen to Building Community, Building Bridges [33 min]
Lucero Survived the Culling of SXSW Showcase Music
I’ve got a smart iTunes playlist set up entitled ‘Getting Things Done’ – it holds my tried and true favorites, songs that are just the right combination of ‘covering background noise’ (lawn mowers and road construction) and ‘keep me motivated’. Specifically, the list contains tracks I’ve rated greater than 2 stars that aren’t in my …
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Podcasting is Ron Popeil for the Radio
Mark Ramsey at Radio Marketing Nexus nails the value of podcasting to business: Podcasting is to Radio spots as infomercials are to TV spots. I’ve used the informercial comparison before, I’m glad others see it also. The traditional model of commerical spots interrupting a regularly scheduled program falls apart in podcasting. Podcasts can shrink and …
A Reel Mower vs A Real Mower
Last year, when we moved into our place, I picked up a Scott Classic reel mower. It seemed like a quiet, environmentally conscious, energy efficient solution. It was the wrong tool for a number of reasons: the Siberian Elm that sheds its branches like a cat, the odd divets perfect for twisting ankles, and dandelions …
The Guthrie’s ‘She Loves Me’ From the Cheap Seats
On a whim this morning, Jen and I caught the Guthrie’s She Loves Me matinee performance. This isn’t the first time we’ve hit the Guthrie rush line, definitely won’t be the last. Getting decent seats (or seats at all) is always a gamble. Last time, excellent seats – front and center. This time, front and …
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Star Wars III: Unsafe at Humanscale
Jen and I caught an early showing of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith tonight. Kraig Larson warned I should bring earplugs to avoid the dialog and try to look past the robotic direction. He was right and I appreciated the tip. Unfortunately, that was just the half of it. Lucas’ best work is …
“Because of” Not “With” in Traditional Media Also?
Last night, I was chatting with a copywriter about some story ideas. She mentioned how tough it is to get a story in free ad-subsidized weekly newspapers. Even when you get the by-line, the monetary compensation isn’t all that. Over in the music industry, Steve Albini reminds us how record companies put artists in the …
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