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I know it looks like I’ve completely given up on Libertydrome, but I am working behind the scenes, preparing the channel to be submitted as a Public Channel. I’ve got another gig going right now that eats into my available time, but I’ll soon be free to devote more time to working on Libertydrome.
However, just so you’ll have an idea of the scope of the task at hand, here’s just one of the things I have to do: Yesterday I downloaded all the Adam vs The Man clips and converted the June archive to the following bitrates: 1320, 996, and 664. Now I have sixty-six 30-minute clips to upload, and that’s just the June archive. I have to do the same for July and August, then on to the next channel. Without going into too much nerdy details, the problem is that I have a bunch of the clips encoded at a bitrate of 1000 kbps, and they need to be under 1000 in order to serve their purpose. Adam vs. The Man and Fee.tv are going to be daunting tasks (it will probably take over a week to complete both channels) but the good news is that editing the .xml files will be a cinch.
I’ve mentioned previously that no content is going to be removed during the overhaul, but some is going to be shuffled around. Allow me to explain… first off, the “Libertydrome” category is going to be renamed, probably to a generic “Misc.” category. Since Adam vs. The Man is no longer in production, the archives will be moved to the “Misc.” category. Punk Rock Libertarians will also be moved to that category. Also being added to the “Misc.” category will be a “What’s New” section, where viewers will be able to review all recently added content; for example, if I add new videos to the Cop Block, Atlas Network and IJ categories, they’ll also be added to the “What’s New” section of the “Misc.” category.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Pete Eyre and Ademo Freeman of Cop Block and Liberty On Tour and Clyde Voluntaryist of Never Take a Plea for their help and support of Libertydrome. As soon as I am able – this weekend, perhaps – I’m going to be experimenting with adding Cop Block’s Police Accountability Report podcast to the channel.
Your patience is appreciated. Stay tuned, because Libertydrome will soon have new content, and better yet… be able to reach a lot more viewers.
Someone emailed me a few days ago about the possibility of taking over Libertydrome. I emailed him all the source code, but I didn’t hear back from him.
After some thought – and a little encouragement – I’m going to continue on with the channel. I still plan on making it a public channel, but I’m not going to rush things. I’ll get back to adding new content soon, and I also plan on moving a few things around – no content is going to be removed, but some things are going to be recategorized to make room for new content that will be updated regularly.
I’d also like to clear something up. I knew when I started this that is was going to be tough, thankless work. I’m not in this for accolades or riches. I simply want the message of liberty to reach a wider audience, and I feel the Roku is an excellent means of doing so. I got pissed because some libertarian organizations – groups that I have financially supported in the past – act like libertarianism is some sort of secret that is to be guarded. If they’re content with the videos being limited to YouTube and blog posts, that’s their prerogative. I’ll simply be grateful to the organizations that have been willing to be a part of Libertydrome. It’s plenty to keep me busy, anyway.
When I started Libertydrome, I knew it was going to be a tough, thankless effort. For the past six weeks or so, I have labored to create a channel that carries the message of individual and economic liberty. Of course, I could not do it without the people who actually created the content that is carried on Libertydrome… therein lies the rub.
I don’t have any qualms about doing this on my own, but it has gotten to be absolutely demoralizing being ignored by libertarian organizations who feel that an offer of making their message available to a larger audience – at no extra cost – is an offer that doesn’t even merit a response. For every group that has agreed to participate in Libertydrome, there is another group that has not even bothered to respond to my offers. Maybe I’m taking it too personally, but it makes me feel like a stalker and a crackpot when my requests aren’t even worthy of the courtesy of a yes or no answer.
To put it another way, the grief caused by trying to put this together has begun to far outweigh the rewards, so it’s time to call it a day. Thanks to everyone who supported Libertydrome. I’m not going to delete the channel, but if anyone wants their content removed, just let me know. You can contact me at jlb *at* libertydrome *dot* com. Apologies to everyone.
I’ve added five clips to the “Activism” section of the Libertydrome category spotlighting last Saturday’s Lemonade Freedom Day. Four of them focus on the Lemonade Liberation event in Washington, DC, (in which three people were arrested) and one clip is an interview with Lemonade Freedom Day organizer Robert Fernandes.
Thanks to Adam Kokesh, Clyde Voluntaryist of Never Take a Plea and Darren Wolfe of The International Libertarian for the clips.
I generally watch Adam vs The Man after I’ve uploaded it to Libertydrome. I usually find it a bit more entertaining than informative, but last night’s episode took the cake. The fun starts at about eight minutes in, when Adam discusses Reason Magazine senior editor Katherine Mangu-Ward’s recent appearance on the Fox Business channel. Adam Kokesh essentially set the stage for Jake Diliberto and Luke Rudkoswski and he did correct Luke’s egregious “mainstream media” error, so I have no quarrel with him. Plus, they all get points for not playing the “for a magazine named Reason…” card.
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So… here’s the email I sent to Adam vs. The Man:
I was surfing the internet after your August 17 show, and I found this image of Luke Rudkowski:
Seriously, it would do your show wonders if you dropped Jake Diliberto and Luke Rudkowski and simply hired a couple of homeless people off the street. For a pack of smokes and a bottle of Thunderbird, I’m sure they can find the incentive to defend liberty much more competently than those two.
So, Katherine Mangu-Ward said Ron Paul has no chance of being president and Jake and Luke take it upon themselves to defend Ron Paul. Do Ron Paul a favor and STFU, you two. First, Luke calls Reason Magazine the “mainstream media”. Sorry, Luke: respectable does not equal mainstream. I’m pretty sure the “Casual Encounters” section of my local Craigslist has a larger circulation than Reason.
And Jake Diliberto, you’re the last person on earth who should be calling attention to someone’s last name, but you had to go there, didn’t you? Stay classy, Jake. Stuff like that belongs on Bill O’Reilly’s show, or worse yet, Nancy Grace. “She has an ugly last name” is an insight for the ages, Jake. Does the Pulitzer hand out awards for cheap shots? If so, you’re a shoo-in this year.
Instead of crying like a couple of girls who read a negative review of The Jonas Brothers movie, you could have at least considered Ms. Mangu-Ward’s position.
1) Ron Paul is running as a republican. Do you honestly think the RNC wants to see him nominated? Do you think the people who fund the RNC want to even imagine a Ron Paul presidency?
2) By some miracle should Paul get the republican nomination, 30 seconds later someone – Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney – will be running as a third party candidate. Campaigns raise money, and any of the names I mentioned will place money before party loyalty when given the choice. Especially if it means keeping Ron Paul out of office.
3) Back to #1: Ron Paul is running as a republican; most of his supporters could care less about the Republican party, or voting for that matter. Hell, three months ago, half of my Facebook friends were firm believers in “voting is violence”, but now they act like party loyalists.
A lot of us would like to see a Ron Paul presidency, but not at the cost of becoming True Believers. Luke and Jake’s response last night epitomized why Ron Paul supporters get tagged with the “Paultard” and “Paulbot” monikers. As far as I’m concerned, they hurt Paul’s campaign a lot more than Ms. Mangu-Ward.
I love your show Adam, but you need to think about dropping the dead weight. Jake Diliberto and Luke Rudkowski belong in a bad Saturday Night Live sketch. Hell, Tim Pawlenty could have done a better job of defending Ron Paul; why don’t you see about getting him on your show? I hear he’s not doing anything these days.
One change that’s coming in the next beta upgrade is a welcome one… for me, at least. The “resume playing” and “play from beginning” buttons drive me nuts. Not only the wording, but the placement. That’s now been fixed on my end and will be available to viewers on the next beta upgrade. What you’ll see now is a “play” button first, then a “resume” button. It looks a lot better and makes a lot more sense, if you ask me.
A note about the “resume” button. In case you didn’t know, it’s only functional if you’ve pressed the pause button on your remote while watching a video. The Roku needs to create a reference point as to where you were last viewing, so if you just press the up button on your remote to go back to the details screen, no reference point has been made. If you pause the video and then press up, selecting the “resume” button will restart the video at a few seconds before you pressed pause.
And about the beta upgrade… if there’s a clamor for the resume and play button issue to be fixed right away, I can do that today or tomorrow. However, I was premature in saying that the upgrade is coming later this week. At present, I would say closer to the end of August would be when the the changes are implemented. This refers only to the upgrade of the inner workings of the channel; upgrades to the videos are still coming along as scheduled.
Someone left a comment on yesterday’s post about the possibility of Free Talk Live and The Liberty Radio Network being added to Libertydrome. I’m not sure if live video/audio can be incorporated into my current channel (it probably can), but it depends on the type of live stream is being used. However…
This is kind of how I’d like things to play out: Once Libertydrome becomes a public channel, I’d like to see about creating a Free State Project channel, featuring the previously mentioned channels, as well as Free Keene TV. I’d be willing to set the channel up and get them started, provided someone is willing to eventually take over the task of updating content and routine maintenance. So, if anyone reading this happens to be from any of those groups – or knows someone who is – feel free to contact me and we’ll see about getting things in motion.
As far as new channels/categories being added to Libertydrome, Mises.org is most definitely coming to the channel. I already have some stuff uploaded, but I want to wait until all the existing content is upgraded for SD TV compatibility before launching their category.
One Libertydrome subscriber suggested I add LibertyPen. They have some nice looking content, but I’m not sure if they’re the copyright holder on the material. I’m sure a lot of the material qualifies under Fair Use, but streaming internet video on televisions is still a tricky area (even though it’s basically using your TV as a computer monitor), so as long as there are groups producing their own quality content, LibertyPen is sort of on the back burner for the time being. (Don’t worry, I haven’t completely ruled it out).
Here’s a list of groups I plan on contacting in the near future about adding to Libertydrome:
Reason.TV would be a huge undertaking, but they would be an excellent addition to the channel. I occasionally pester them in the comments at their blog, but I’ll send them a more formal request once the upgrades are done and Mises.org has been launched.
Here’s the list of groups I have given up on trying to add:
It’s a shame, because I would personally love for The Alyona Show to be part of Libertydrome, and apparently so would a lot of other people; I get more requests for The Alyona Show than any other show/organization. However, as it also stands with Freedomain Radio, I have done everything short of setting up a tent in their front yards and harassing their children in schoolyards in my attempts to get them to Libertydrome, and I have recieved no responses. I haven’t ruled them out, but I have definitely ruled out putting forth any further effort to add them to the lineup.
If you look at the right of the page, you’ll now see a “Help Support Libertydrome” button, which is linked to a page where you can now make donations to Libertydrome through Amazon.com. (Note: There is also a link to the page at the top of the webpage.)
If you want to give and can, please do. It will be greatly appreciated, and the money will go towards the upkeep and improvement of Libertydrome. If you want to give but can’t, that’s perfectly understandable. These are indeed rough times.
The donation page has the details, but I’ll repeat them here: Libertydrome will always be free of charge. I do not wish to make money off of content produced by other people. That said, putting the channel together requires a lot of hard work, so any donation – no matter how large or small – will help keep me trudging through xml files with my best face forward.
Donations will go strictly towards maintenance of Libertydrome; you’re not going to be buying me DVD box sets or new Xbox 360 games (although if anyone wants to pre-Order Skyrim for me, I won’t turn it down). If a couple of people donate 5 bucks each month, that will offset the extra money I pay for faster upload speeds. If a bunch of people donate 5 or 10 dollars, that money will go towards the creation of some Libertydrome swag – t-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs… that sort of thing, which will in turn enable me to support the channel through the sale of merchandise as opposed to hustling donations.
The bottom line is, if you want to give, don’t be afraid to do so; no one is under any obligation. I’m not going to threaten to stop working on the channel if no one gives and I’m not going to conduct weekly fundraising drives. However… one thing that money might go to is toward hiring a freelance programmer to assist with upgrades to the channel. Should the need arise, I might bring it up that I’m looking for help in improving Libertydrome.
Thanks to everyone – viewers and content providers alike – for your support. The reaction to Libertydrome has been overwhelmingly positive, and things are only going to improve in the coming days.
NOTE: If anyone decides to make a donation and encounters any problems, let me know. Since I can’t put donate money into my own account, I have no way of knowing if it works properly or not. I made it as far as the Amazon login page, so that’s kind of encouraging…
Apologies in advance for such a long post. I haven’t been updating the site that much, so there’s some catching up to do.
I’ve finished upgrading the videos in the Cop Block category. Now all the Hi Def videos are viewable on Standard Definition sets. There will also be some new content added to Cop Block as soon as possible. Now it’s on to FEE.tv.
As a follow up to my previous blog post, I called Time-Warner cable the other day and learned that it wasn’t too cost prohibitive to upgrade my account and get a faster upload speed, so I went ahead and did it. The difference is very noticeable. What used to take 8 or 9 hours to upload now only takes about 2 hours. This is not only going to make the upgrade go faster, it will allow me to get new content on the channel sooner.
I will most likely be doing an upgrade to the beta channel later this week. Two big changes will be noticeable: 1) The star ratings will be gone. The rating isn’t enabled anyway, so this is just cleaning up some wasted space. 2) The content will now be rated for those of you with children. For the most part, all the content will be given a “TV-G” rating. Yeah, I know a six year-old child probably has no interest in watching a lecture on Austrian economics, but a large majority of the content on Libertydrome is suitable for all ages. The exceptions are Adam vs The Man, which will be given either a TV-PG or TV-14 rating, I’m undecided. I’ll probably go with TV-14, since there is some talk about – insert blood-dripping horror letters here – drugs that might upset those with delicate sensibilities. Also, there are a few videos in the Cop Block, Liberty on Tour and Punk Rock Libertarians channels that have profanity and violence that will merit a TV-MA rating.
Mind you, I’m not a big fan of ratings systems for media content, but this is just some self-policing that will be helpful when Libertydrome goes public.
The major hurdle in the next beta upgrade is that I am going to have to go back and edit every single xml file. That means manually typing (or best-case scenario cutting and pasting) entries for each and every video on the channel. However, the work is going to pay off, as the channel is going to look much nicer.
I’ve also added the ability to post here at libertydrome.com using your Facebook account. If you’re logged into Facebook, you can leave a comment without having to fill out your name, email address, etc. Yeah, I just saved you ten seconds!
On the subject of comments… I don’t get a lot of comments here. I have askimet, which does a bang-up job of catching the spam comments, but a few comments have been held in moderation that I ended up trashing. Recently someone left a long screed about 9/11 on the “About” page, with about a dozen links attached. I’m sure whoever posted it thinks that I’m in the pocket of The Bilderbergers and David Icke’s Lizard People, but seriously… As a rule, comments aren’t moderated here. I have the standard WordPress setting of any comment with more than two links in it gets held in the moderation queue, but that’s about it. I guess what I’m trying to say is… if you post a comment and it doesn’t show up, you’ve probably done something wrong. I’m all for free speech, but shit on your own front lawn, so to speak.
Also… apologies to anyone who’s following me on Twitter. I’m really bad about checking retweets, mentions (I don’t always get notifications in my email), etc and someone offered some a very constructive criticism regarding HD vs SD in a tweet. As a rule, if content is available in HD, I’m going to make that option available on the channel. As it currently stands, a 1280×720 video encoded at a 2500 kbps bitrate isn’t that much larger than a 720×480 clip encoded at 2000 kbps, so it’s not too much of a strain on upload times.
Thanks to everyone for tuning in to Libertydrome.
I’m writing this mainly just to vent. I’ve emailed politicians, newspapers and television networks in the past and I’ve learned that most people just don’t care. I, however, do care, so when there are times I feel the need to speak up, I choose to do so. This is a rather trivial issue, but it’s driving me nuts.
That said… what the fuck is wrong with Time-Warner Cable?
Last night I looked into upgrading my internet account so that I can get faster upload speeds. My upload speed is currently 512 kbps, which is pathetic; I might as well be on dialup. After going through a needless registration process just to find out what options are available for residential internet plans, I got an error message telling me that I was not able to purchase services online and I needed to contact someone, and a link to their contact page was given. Mind you, I was not trying to purchase anything at all. I was merely trying to find out what options are available.
So… I go to the contact page and chose the first option, “Live Chat”. I waited about 20 minutes for someone to show up in the chat window and was told, “Yes, you can upgrade your account and get faster upload speed; just go to this link.” I go to the link and get the same “You are not able to purchase services online, please contact us” message.
While I was waiting for a service representative, I was able to browse the website of Time-Warner’s competitor, Grande Communications, where I learned that for the same price I am presently paying, I can get an upload speed of 3 mbps. That’s six times faster than what I have now. Not only that, for the first six months, I get it at half of what I’m now paying. The bad news is, the service isn’t available at my current address. Nevertheless, it’s nice to know that if I decide to move when my lease is up, I have the option of moving to a place where I can get faster upload speeds at the same price I am currently paying.
Time-Warner must be doing great business if they can afford to make it easier to get information from their competitors than it is to get information about their own services. What really sucks about all this is that I’m going to have to call them and I’ll wind up speaking to “Scott” or “Linda” in New Delhi, India.
I’ve been trying to find a healthy balance between upgrading existing content so that it is viewable on both HD and SD televisions and adding new content. I have been adding new episodes of Adam vs. The Man as promptly as I can, and behind the scenes I have been uploading videos from The Ludwig von Mises Institute. Once I get all the existing content up to snuff, I will launch the Mises.org category.
Currently, I have all the clips in the Economic Liberty section of The Atlas Network’s category available in HD and SD, as well as lower-bitrate versions that will play if your connection slows down. So that I am better able to keep track of what’s been upgraded and what hasn’t, I plan on doing the upgrades by category.
Keep in mind that this is a time-consuming project. For a hi-definition video I have to upload four different versions of the clip, and an hour+ hi-def video approaches the two gigabyte mark and can be an all-day upload. I am going to look into upgrading my internet connection so I can upload clips faster, but if it’s much more expensive, I’m not going to be able to do it. Here in South Texas, my electric bill eats into my funds during the summer. Maybe I should look into getting some of that sweet Koch Foundation money to subsidize this project, hmm?
There is a new FEE.tv lecture on the way and I will do my best to not only keep things fresh, but keep things working for all viewers. Thanks for your patience.
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