Fewer than 6 months after seling the first keg of Surly Beer, Omar Ansari and I talk about starting a microbrewery in Minnesota. He shares the challenges of finding brewing equipment, zoning, and getting Surly into local bars and restaurants. We also do a live tasting of Surly’s new Belgian Saison-esque CynicAle Listen to Omar […]
Category: Interviews
First Crack 80. Robert Metcalf and FlySpy.com to Find Better Airfare
A quick conversation with Robert Metcalf from FlySpy.com on the need to find better airfare and the power of TechCrunch.com as a PR channel (same way Ryan talks about Digg). Drop a message on the First Crack voicemail line: 612-284-4148 Listen to Robert Metcalf and FlySpy.com to Find Better Airfare [12 min]
First Crack 76. Paying Attention with J Wynia
Back from SXSW 2006, J Wynia and I grabbed a morning tea and talked about: Using email clients for reading and managing RSS feeds J’s Windows Attention Recorder and Edison Thomaz’ OnLife and the AttentionTrust Recorder Comparing technology adoption to the ebb and flow of tides The ethics and benefits of attention recording Some thoughts […]
First Crack 74. Uplifting the AmigoFish with Dave Slusher
As part of the Dave Slusher 2006 Over-Exposure Tour, Dave and I talked about his AmigoFish and the Uplifter.org projects. Upfront I talk about: Laughing with my son The March 25, 2006 Uplifter Minnesota Weblog, Podcast, Videoblog Workshop at the Acadia Cafe from 2-6pm Playing a song from Marlee MacLeod Podcasting the DEMO LoFi Showcase […]
First Crack 73. The Banjo Brothers Bicycling Bags
I sat down with Mike, Eric, and Pete of Banjo Brothers for the low down on their grocery pannier and what got them started in cycling bags. There’s also some bits in there about how they’re partnering with bloggers like The Fat Cyclist to improve their bags. Of course, you can buy their bags from […]
First Crack 71. Peanut Butter Goes Nuts at PBLoco
I grabbed a few moments with Keri, Jodene, & Ken – the owners of PBLoco and they share the history of their company and some peanut butter sandwich recipes you probably haven’t tried. On the business side, they went into the rationale behind launching in Minnesota, rather than either coast. Listen to Peanut Butter Goes […]
First Crack 68. Dan Carroll Talks about the IMP Media Player
Dan Carroll and I grab lunch at Joes Garage and we talk about IMP – his music and movie distribution platform currently in beta. We talk about how it benefits independent artists, how it’s different than iTunes, the decision to go with BiTorrent, and who this platform is intended for. We start off with a […]
First Crack 65. First Crack Turns One Through Rich Tatums Ears
Rich Tatum listened to each of the First Crack podcasts in linear sequential order. I thought he’d be the perfect interview for First Crack’s 1st Birthday. I was right. After we do a run down of the best and worst of the First Crack Podcast, we talk about: Podcasting’s bandwidth problem (it isn’t what you […]
First Crack 64. Urban Exploring with Filmmaker Melody Gilbert
Just in time for a mid-production fund drive, St. Paul, MN-based independent filmmaker, Melody Gilbert and I talk about her latest documentary, Urban Explorers into the Darkness and the independent, DIY, MacGyver, hack-your-environment, attitude shared by Urban Explorers, podcasters, and other high-tech geeks. Check out excerpts of film and support Minnesota independent filmmaking by attending […]
First Crack 63. Coffee Technology with Timothy Tulloch of EuroRoast.com
Timoth Tulloch, CEO and Roastmaster at Minnesota-based European Roasterie (EuroRoast.com), and I talk coffee technology, from brewing to packaging, and why he’s aggressively moving into the single-serve coffee pod program (declaring the Black & Decker Home Cafe the best pod brewer). We wrap up with the culture of specialty coffee and how independent coffee shops […]