[{"content":"\nTechnology is advancing the production process, moving faster than ever. The media landscape is shifting as politics and business models challenge every aspect of our world. As professionals we must strive to stay current from content and engineering perspectives.\nEvery other week, I gather articles that catch my eye, intrigue, inspire, or just feel relevant to our world. The goal is simply to share what I\u0026rsquo;m reading and learn from our great colleagues throughout the industry.\nI hope you enjoy, drop me a note if you have an article or link I may be interested in.\nAM Radio Act Bundled Into Larger Bill Package Source: Media Confidential\nThe push to save AM radio just got a major strategic upgrade. Congress is folding the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act into a must-pass transportation package, making it highly likely that AM radio remains standard safety gear in your next car.\nThe Take: Holding onto local radio in all it\u0026rsquo;s forms is critical in some many ways. AM in particular offers a link to our past, a form of communication that is over 100 years old and remains relevant. I listen to my local AM talk stations nearly every day. Free to the listener, no subscription, no cell phone needed.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/media-tech-roundup/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/techroundup.png\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTechnology is advancing the production process, moving faster than ever. The media landscape is shifting as politics and business models challenge every aspect of our world. As professionals we must strive to stay current from content and engineering perspectives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery other week, I gather articles that catch my eye, intrigue, inspire, or just feel relevant to our world. The goal is simply to share what I\u0026rsquo;m reading and learn from our great colleagues throughout the industry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Media \u0026 Tech Insights Roundup"},{"content":"Sometimes your runner\u0026rsquo;s high gets interrupted. Life telling you to check your ego. The day is not complete. Sitting in the parking lot after an evening run, the sun has already set, when a stranger gets my attention seeking help with a flat tire. A woman in need, I help.\nYet, there\u0026rsquo;s an unchristian hesitation.\nThe situation will evolve, weakness creeps in. What am I getting myself into?\nMission creep is the rusted spare tire that won\u0026rsquo;t lodge free from the underside of the vehicle. Trying to figure out the Rube Goldberg system the car manufacturer used to mount and store the tire and jacks. Then the lug nuts, which I convinced myself must be welded on.\nHow am I going to solve this problem?\nI manage to get two lug nuts to \u0026ldquo;break\u0026rdquo;. Then my son shows up with some muscle, one by one the lug nuts \u0026ldquo;break\u0026rdquo;, AAA shows up after 90% of the work is complete, but the help is welcome.\nNinety minutes in a pitch dark parking lot\u0026hellip;grinding, the job is done.\nTonight\u0026rsquo;s run was an attempt to rid the body of built up rust. Yet the spare tire workout became the most fulfilling.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2026_05_13-unchristian-hesitation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSometimes your runner\u0026rsquo;s high gets interrupted. Life telling you to check your ego. The day is not complete. Sitting in the parking lot after an evening run, the sun has already set, when a stranger gets my attention seeking help with a flat tire. A woman in need, I help.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet, there\u0026rsquo;s an unchristian hesitation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe situation will evolve, weakness creeps in. What am I getting myself into?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMission creep is the rusted spare tire that won\u0026rsquo;t lodge free from the underside of the vehicle. Trying to figure out the Rube Goldberg system the car manufacturer used to mount and store the tire and jacks. Then the lug nuts, which I convinced myself must be welded on.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Unchristian Hesitation"},{"content":"April 2025: 69.2 miles.\nApril 2026: 20.6 miles.\nThe rebuilding phase fights you every day.\nPoor routines hold their grip. The memory of half marathon races taunts. 3-mile base runs hurt more than they should.\nOne mile at a time is the only way out.\nIt is time to dig.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2026_04_30-the-rebuilding-phase/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eApril 2025: 69.2 miles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 2026: 20.6 miles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rebuilding phase fights you every day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePoor routines hold their grip. The memory of half marathon races taunts. 3-mile base runs hurt more than they should.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne mile at a time is the only way out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is time to dig.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Rebuilding Phase"},{"content":"We often think of \u0026ldquo;help\u0026rdquo; as someone standing next to us while the work is happening.\nBut the most generous help is often performed in an empty room, days before the curtain rises. It’s the work that ensures the person following behind doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to reinvent the wheel.\nIf you have to \u0026ldquo;figure it out\u0026rdquo; on the fly, you are spending your creative energy on survival. When a friend pre-programs the logic, they aren\u0026rsquo;t just doing technical work. They are giving you the gift of bandwidth.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t just thank people for showing up. Thank them for making sure you don\u0026rsquo;t have to start from zero.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2026_04_29-the-gift-of-pre-programming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe often think of \u0026ldquo;help\u0026rdquo; as someone standing next to us while the work is happening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the most generous help is often performed in an empty room, days before the curtain rises. It’s the work that ensures the person following behind doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to reinvent the wheel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have to \u0026ldquo;figure it out\u0026rdquo; on the fly, you are spending your creative energy on survival.\nWhen a friend pre-programs the logic, they aren\u0026rsquo;t just doing technical work. They are giving you the gift of bandwidth.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Gift of Pre-Programming"},{"content":"We are on family vacation this week. Temperatures hit the 40s today, so we skipped the slopes to avoid the \u0026ldquo;mashed potato\u0026rdquo; snow and headed to the Alton Bay Seaplane Base (B18). In the winter, this is better known simply as the Ice Runway.\nLocated on Lake Winnipesaukee, this is the only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48 states. It is having a banner year thanks to an early winter and consistent cold. The runway has already surpassed the previous season record of 764 landings.\nThe wind was light and the skies were clear, making for a very active airfield. We walked onto the ice near a small patch of open water. Even with a childhood spent ice fishing, standing on a frozen lake gives you pause. I was waiting for a thermal \u0026ldquo;safety crack\u0026rdquo; to startle the family. Some call them ice quakes. They are normal, but the sound can be unnerving if you are not expecting it. We did not hear any during this visit.\nThe airfield (aka THE BAY) is a shared space. A community of ice fishing huts sits right alongside the active runway. Trucks use \u0026ldquo;roadways\u0026rdquo; on the ice to access the airfield or their bobhouses.\nThe coordination is impressive. Since there is no control tower, NHDOT personnel in bright orange vests stand on the ice to manage the logistics. They direct traffic along the taxiway and coordinate the constant flow of take-offs and landings. Pilots use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to broadcast their intentions, but in heavy traffic, the ground crew is essential for keeping the ice orderly.\nStanding at the perimeter highlights the technical complexities of the operation, from monitoring ice thickness—the runway requires 12 inches of solid ice—to the logistics of maintaining a smooth surface. It is rare to be able to walk to the edge of an active airfield and see aviation this close.\nYou can see the action from our February 2026 visit in the video below:\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2026_02_19-alton-bay-ice-runway/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe are on family vacation this week. Temperatures hit the 40s today, so we skipped the slopes to avoid the \u0026ldquo;mashed potato\u0026rdquo; snow and headed to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AltonBaySeaplaneBaseandIceRunway\"\u003eAlton Bay Seaplane Base (B18)\u003c/a\u003e. In the winter, this is better known simply as the Ice Runway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocated on Lake Winnipesaukee, this is the only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48 states. It is having a banner year thanks to an early winter and consistent cold. The runway has already surpassed the previous season record of 764 landings.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Alton Bay Ice Runway"},{"content":"After years on WordPress, I\u0026rsquo;m transitioning my digital journal to a more local, file-based system.\nWhy the Change? Ownership: My notes stay in my vault. Speed: Next.js and Docker on my Contabo VPS are lightning fast. Focus: Writing in Obsidian allows for deep thinking without the clutter of a CMS dashboard. Technology \u0026amp; Learning This blog isn\u0026rsquo;t just a place for updates; it\u0026rsquo;s a project in itself. Learning to containerize this with Docker has been a great Sunday exercise.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2026_02_15-moving-my-musings-to-obsidian/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter years on WordPress, I\u0026rsquo;m transitioning my digital journal to a more local, file-based system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"why-the-change\"\u003eWhy the Change?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOwnership:\u003c/strong\u003e My notes stay in my vault.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpeed:\u003c/strong\u003e Next.js and Docker on my Contabo VPS are lightning fast.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFocus:\u003c/strong\u003e Writing in Obsidian allows for deep thinking without the clutter of a CMS dashboard.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"technology--learning\"\u003eTechnology \u0026amp; Learning\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis blog isn\u0026rsquo;t just a place for updates; it\u0026rsquo;s a project in itself. Learning to containerize this with Docker has been a great Sunday exercise.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Moving my Musings to Obsidian"},{"content":"\nGarmin recommended long run today, 1hr 10min. Temps in the high 20s, felt comfortable. Enjoyed the frost cover and the thin coating of ice on the Blackstone Canal.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2024_11_30-7-miles-along-the-blackstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\" \" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/7milerun.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGarmin recommended long run today, 1hr 10min. Temps in the high 20s, felt comfortable. Enjoyed the frost cover and the thin coating of ice on the Blackstone Canal.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"7 Miles Along the Blackstone"},{"content":"\nRan a snow covered Blackstone Bike Path this morning. I love the muffled sound after a snowfall. Just cold air, quiet surroundings, and the crunch of the snow.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2024_01_22-refreshing-winter-run/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Selfie running in the winter along the Blackstone Bike Path\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/refreshingrun.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRan a snow covered Blackstone Bike Path this morning. I love the muffled sound after a snowfall. Just cold air, quiet surroundings, and the crunch of the snow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Refreshing Winter Run"},{"content":"Currently in post-production, Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is working on a passion project, ‘Her Name was Moviola‘, a documentary about cutting film the way it “used to be done”.\nWhat is a Moviola? Well, simply put the Moviola was a tool used in the process of editing film from the 1920 all the way to the 1970s.\nNot a flashy device, but a workhorse of the film industry! Editors like Walter used the Moviola to birth masterpieces like “Citizen Kane” and “Gone with the Wind”, shaping the language of film editing for generations.\nAlthough I’ve never used a Moviola, I have an appreciation for the craft of early film editing, decades before the advent of non-linear editors like Avid, Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut Pro.\nI started editing video on 3/4″ U-Matic A/B roll editing systems in the 1990s and although not the same, it was the video’s precursor to non-linear computer-based editing software. Both film and video were tactile experiences, with physical media to manipulate. I can hear the U-Matic tape machines clicking and whirling as it took commands from the editor controller. The Moviola was even more tactile, as editors physically interacted with the film, threading, marking, splicing, and reviewing.\nThere’s no better person to enlighten the future generations of our past than Walter. He has spent a lifetime focused on his craft and giving back. Remarkably open, Walter has shared his thoughts through books, documentaries, interviews, and even a letter to film critic Roger Ebert, “Why 3D doesn’t work and never will. Case closed.”, which is a great example of Walter’s thoughtful views.\n“If we don’t do something like this soon, it will be too late. Those of us with the muscle-memory of how to dance with the Moviola are exiting the scene, and all the necessary support equipment is disappearing into landfills with each passing day.”\n– Walter Murch\nYou can learn more about the film on the website: https://moviolathemovie.com/\nThere’s also an active Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MoviolaTheMovie\nOn October 1st the group announced they were going into the final stages of post-production. A release date has not been announced yet, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one!\nYou can learn much more about this project and the motivations behind it, in this great interview with Walter Murch on the Pro Video Coalition website: https://www.provideocoalition.com/her-name-was-moviola-an-interview-with-walter-murch-about-film-editing-with-the-moviola/\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2023_12_17-moviola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCurrently in post-production, Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is working on a passion project, ‘Her Name was Moviola‘, a documentary about cutting film the way it “used to be done”.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is a Moviola? Well, simply put the Moviola was a tool used in the process of editing film from the 1920 all the way to the 1970s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Moviola Logo\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/moviola-logo.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot a flashy device, but a workhorse of the film industry! Editors like Walter used the Moviola to birth masterpieces like “Citizen Kane” and “Gone with the Wind”, shaping the language of film editing for generations.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Before Ctrl+Z Exploring Film Editing’s Golden Age with Walter Murch’s Her Name Was Moviola"},{"content":"I’ve been taking the time to learn ffmpeg and some of the really useful stuff you can do with this command line tool (CLI).\nHere’s one example of a situation I find myself in frequently and have not had a great solution until now.\nThe ability to trim a video file without re-encoding!\n“Re-encoding” means loss of video quality in my mind. Not quite as bad as copying a VHS tape, known in the analog world as a “generation loss” Having the ability to trim a video file WITHOUT suffering any quality loss, that was a WOW ffmpeg moment for me.\nThis is an issue that comes up frequently in community media and I’m sure all video professionals have delt with this issue.\nYou have some raw footage you wan to keep for the future, but the camera operator forgot to stop recording and the file has a bunch of “junk” at the end.\nOr you digitized some analog tapes and during the process you walk away only to come back to “snow” or “junk” at the end of the tape that you have now just captured.\nOr you have a video file with the standard leader of color bars and countdown at the beginning. You want to trim the footage, but don’t want to lose video quality in the process…\nSo you either keep all the extra “junk” taking up space on your drive or you open up your editing software and edit out the junk and take the hit and re-encode.\nRight now, I’m cleaning up a 70TB Synology NAS that is nearly full. I found several large files that fit the above examples.\nUsing ffmpeg and a rather simple command line, I was able to clean up some of these files and free up some space.\nHere’s an example of the command line I used:\nffmpeg -i BestVideoEver.mov -ss 00:37 -t 51:14 -c:a copy -c:v copy BestVideoEver-trimmed.mov To break this string down just a bit, here’s what’s happening\n-i = Input Video\n-ss 00:00 = In-Point (everything before will be removed)\n-t 00:00 = Out-Point (everything after will be removed)\n-c:a copy = Copy Audio (Copy NOT re-encode)\n-c:v copy = Copy Video (Copy NOT re-encode)\nFinally “BestVideoEver-trimmed.mov” is the ffmpeg output file, which you can set to a specific destination if you want, for example:\nffmpeg -i BestVideoEver.mov -ss 00:37 -t 51:14 -c:a copy -c:v copy /users/michaelwebber/Desktop/BestVideoEver-trimmed.mov Anyway, that’s it! Something I learned how to do recently and wanted to share just in case others find it useful.\nIf you want to learn MUCH more about ffmpeg I recommend reading this blog post. Covers a whole bunch of topics including how to install ffmpeg and many of the cool features. Never knew you could edit video and even add text graphics with ffmpeg. I really recommend this blog post at img.ly, an in-depth, well-organized post.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2023_01_04-trim-video-without-re-encoding-using-ffmpeg/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI’ve been taking the time to learn ffmpeg and some of the really useful stuff you can do with this command line tool (CLI).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere’s one example of a situation I find myself in frequently and have not had a great solution until now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ability to trim a video file without re-encoding!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Re-encoding” means loss of video quality in my mind. Not quite as bad as copying a VHS tape, known in the analog world as a “generation loss” Having the ability to trim a video file WITHOUT suffering any quality loss, that was a WOW ffmpeg moment for me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trim video without re-encoding using ffmpeg"},{"content":"My wife and I have been going on long weekend bike rides for several months now. The COVID pandemic has given us extra time in our busy family schedule to discover a new date night-exercise opportunity.\nWe schedule our start time so that we’re arriving at Colt State Park just in time to see the sunset. Regardless of the weather conditions or cloud cover, that’s our goal.\nThe East Bay Bike Path offers great views along the Rhode Island coastline, passing through various areas including an industrial seaport, small cottage home neighborhoods, parks, and large estate homes.\nSome weeks the temperatures are extremely cold and we’ve had to pack hand and foot warmers. On other weeks the wind is the biggest challenge. We even attempted the trip when ice cover large sections of the route.\nOnce we see the sunset at Colt, the ride back to East Providence is dark and temperatures drop fast. Views on the return trip switch to nighttime city lights.\nThe rides have become a routine and something to look forward to on the weekends. We always take photos of the sunset regardless of the weather, we have a growing collection of photos that I hope to create an album with at some point.\nColt State Park, January 23, 2021\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2021_03_05-covid-sunsets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy wife and I have been going on long weekend bike rides for several months now. The COVID pandemic has given us extra time in our busy family schedule to discover a new date night-exercise opportunity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe schedule our start time so that we’re arriving at Colt State Park just in time to see the sunset. Regardless of the weather conditions or cloud cover, that’s our goal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe East Bay Bike Path offers great views along the Rhode Island coastline, passing through various areas including an industrial seaport, small cottage home neighborhoods, parks, and large estate homes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"COVID Sunsets"},{"content":" Backmagic Web Presenter, the perfect tool for the job.\nAfter several weeks on backorder, our Blackmagic Web Presenter arrived from BH Photo!\nThe “black box” is a simple device that works out of the box. No drives, no software. Simply take the output of your video production switcher, professional SDI camera or HDMI source into the BM Web Presenter. Then connect a USB cable to your PC/Mac and the audio/video signal appears as a 720p HD webcam to the computer.\nWe had ours installed and working with Zoom within minutes.\nProgram Return for Zoom On a daily basis, we’re producing live interview programs and government meetings using Zoom. We need the guests and participants on Zoom to be able to see our in-studio hosts, graphics, roll-ins, and graphics.\nFeeding program video from our production switcher through the Blackmagic Web Presenter into Zoom gets this done.\nAvoiding Video Feedback on Zoom If you are not careful you can easily create a video feedback situation in Zoom. Once you have the production switcher feed working with Zoom I suggest clicking the three dot menu and select “Hide Self View” to prevent those issues.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2020_05_08-production-switcher-to-zoom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/webpresenter.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eBackmagic Web Presenter, the perfect tool for the job.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter several weeks on backorder, our \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115035055/https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicwebpresenter\"\u003eBlackmagic Web Presenter\u003c/a\u003e arrived from \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115035055/https://www.bhphotovideo.com/\"\u003eBH Photo\u003c/a\u003e!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe “black box” is a simple device that works out of the box. No drives, no software. Simply take the output of your video production switcher, professional SDI camera or HDMI source into the BM Web Presenter. Then connect a USB cable to your PC/Mac and the audio/video signal appears as a 720p HD webcam to the computer.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Production Switcher to Zoom"},{"content":"\nUPDATE: My setup for Zoom has evolved and somewhat less dependent on StreamDeck now. You may want to check out my new Blog Post with our updated Zoom setup for TV interviews.\nThis week I purchased a Stream Deck XL ($235) to help streamline our video productions with Zoom remote guests.\nSince the COVID-19 crisis hit mid-March our community television station scrambled to adapt and help disseminate important information. Zoom quickly became the go-to platform for setting up meetings and remote show guests.\nIn the past few weeks, we’ve produced more than a dozen programs using Zoom. Initially, we had an in-studio host and multiple remote guests displayed on an in-studio monitor. Now, most of our interview shows a produced entirely on Zoom.\nDespite the limitations, we are making every effort to maintain high production values, focusing on:\nGood Clean Audio Well Composed Shots (eyes on the upper third!) Shot sequencing, Close Ups / Multi-Box Switching Graphics, Lower Thirds, Etc. Open/Close Music Still Store for Inserts Our existing television studio was not set up well for the shift in production style. This prompted us to build a temporary video production console on several folding tables right inside our studio.\nAdding Steam Deck XL into the Workflow Using the Zoom keyboard shortcuts certainly helps the production value. I find myself using Shift-Command-W (Mac) constantly to switch between Speaker view and Gallery View in Zoom. To me that’s the key to using zoom for video production. You can force a better cadence of switching that matches the conversation.\nI do wish there was a way within Zoom that I could force a certain camera view to appear full screen, similar to the normal workflow of a video production switcher. Zoom does offer a “spotlight video” option which does this, but it’s not mapped to a keyboard shortcut and requires too many mouse clicks to make it useful.\nAnother shortcut I use often hides the control panel buttons on the lower part of the screen.\nThe Stream Deck XL simply automates the keyboard shortcut process and reduces keystrokes to a single button. Allowing new users in the video production environment to get up to speed faster and with better results.\nTIP – ENABLE GLOBAL SHORTCUT Enabling global shortcuts really helps the Stream Deck configuration. This setting allows the shortcuts to work even when Zoom is not in focus.\nWe’re also using VLC shortcuts to play intro/outro music.\nBottom row of buttons on our Stream Deck are all shortcuts for Zoom.\nThen I added several shortcuts to websites we use for our live broadcasts.\nA work in progress, but thought I’d share what we have setup so far. If you’re using Stream Deck for video production I’d be curious to hear your use case.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2020_04_09-stream-deck-for-zoom-meetings/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/20200408_100246-compressor-scaled.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPDATE:\u003c/strong\u003e My setup for Zoom has evolved and somewhat less dependent on StreamDeck now. \u003ca href=\"https://www.michael-webber.com/zoom-tv-interviews/\"\u003eYou may want to check out my new Blog Post with our updated Zoom setup for TV interviews\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis week I purchased a \u003ca href=\"https://www.elgato.com/en/gaming/stream-deck-xl\"\u003eStream Deck XL\u003c/a\u003e ($235) to help streamline our video productions with Zoom remote guests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince the COVID-19 crisis hit mid-March our community television station scrambled to adapt and help disseminate important information. \u003ca href=\"https://www.zoom.us/\"\u003eZoom\u003c/a\u003e quickly became the go-to platform for setting up meetings and remote show guests.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stream Deck for Zoom Meetings"},{"content":"What a day today, just an incredible temperature jump this weekend. Two days of 60-degree temps in January is rare, so I made an extra effort to get a run today. The Blackstone Bike Path was really busy today, again highly unusual in January. The parking lot had 20ish cars and the traffic along the bike path reminded me of early spring when everyone is excited to be outside.\nToday we also started our Pinewood Derby car designs. The plan right now is to complete three cars, my oldest son may also enter a car which would be a fourth car.\nThis is our last Pinewood Derby race with Pack 12, in March my youngest son will be crossing over into Boy Scouts, my wife and I will be stepping down from our positions in the Pack (Cubmaster and Den Leader).\nLastly, we took full advantage of the warm day and cooked on the grill tonight. We used my wife’s Meater “smart” thermometer for the first time and it worked out well. The steak was cooked perfectly, often I overcook meat on the grill “just to be safe”.\nFor me this falls into the extravagant, overkill, bordering on ridiculous category. That said, it’s a really cool device and I can clearly see how it makes the “home gamer” cook better and more efficiently. You can bring the meat to the exact right temperature and it even alerts you when to remove it from the heat, which is just a few degrees BEFORE it reaches temp. The meat rises a few more degrees after removed from the grill and hits the desired temp.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2020_01_11-60-degree-day/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhat a day today, just an incredible temperature jump this weekend. Two days of 60-degree temps in January is rare, so I made an extra effort to get a run today. The Blackstone Bike Path was really busy today, again highly unusual in January. The parking lot had 20ish cars and the traffic along the bike path reminded me of early spring when everyone is excited to be outside.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/20200111_111647-scaled.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"60 Degree Day"},{"content":" Picked up my copy of Marty On The Mountain at The Village Book Store in Littleton, NH.\nMount Washington and Television, two of my life passions in one book.\nMarty on the Mountain is a wonderful book full of neat stories about life as a TV engineer on top of Mount Washington. Only 157 pages, the book is a fun read over a quiet weekend.\nI’ve had the opportunity to hike and visit the mountain on a number of occasions. In fact, I proposed to my wife after a hike up Tuckerman’s Ravine.\nI had a clear image of the location as I read about the different buildings on the summit.\nGreat book, I picked up my copy at the Village Book Store in Littleton, which is always part of our family vacation trips. I usually pick up at least one book. I know the store downsized in 2014 and is now under new ownership, known as Little Village Toy \u0026amp; Book Shop but still a great place.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2014_09_28-mount-washington-tv-geeks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/MartyOnTheMountain.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003ePicked up my copy of Marty On The Mountain at \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20141220053352/http://www.booksmusictoys.com/\"\u003eThe Village Book Store\u003c/a\u003e in Littleton, NH.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMount Washington and Television, two of my life passions in one book.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarty on the Mountain is a wonderful book full of neat stories about life as a TV engineer on top of Mount Washington.  Only 157 pages, the book is a fun read over a quiet weekend.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve had the opportunity to hike and visit the mountain on a number of occasions.  In fact, I proposed to my wife after a hike up Tuckerman’s Ravine.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mount Washington TV Geeks"},{"content":"\nSome thoughts on running and a few training updates as the summer comes to an end.\nI never thought running would become my “thing”. When I first started going to the gym I’d always avoid the treadmill, it just seemed boring and frankly I could not understand why anyone would want to run in-place for any length of time.\nRunning is now a passion, which I’ve come to embraced over the past few years. Something clicked for me a about three years ago and I’m so thankful that I was open to the idea. Thankful that I was willing to give it a serious try.\nThe trigger for me was social media of all things. I had several facebook friends in our community who had been running and sharing their experience , it looked like fun.\nWhen I look back the first year was not pretty, I had lots of ups and downs. Running can be extremely frustrating, it continues to be…yet I’ve learned it’s all part of the journey.\nI have my days where I think I’m making real progress and pull off times that I didn’t think I was capable of. Some days it’s just plain ugly. I’ve learned to go with the flow and this year I’ve been able to ramp up my distance to 100 miles in a single month for the first time.\nRegulating my diet has improved slightly, but still a constant struggle. I’m known to be a scavenger around the house. Normally I have a good healthy lunch, usually a salad with chicken. Breakfast is also usually a good meal for me, my default is a veggie omelet. Diet is my weak link, no doubt.\nMy goal to run a half this year is still pending, hope to register for a race within the next week. Hopefully the annoying ankle pain subsides before race day.\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2014_09_17-make-running-a-habit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/thoughtsonrunning.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome thoughts on running and a few training updates as the summer comes to an end.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI never thought running would become my “thing”. When I first started going to the gym I’d always avoid the treadmill, it just seemed boring and frankly I could not understand why anyone would want to run in-place for any length of time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRunning is now a passion, which I’ve come to embraced over the past few years.  Something clicked for me a about three years ago and I’m so thankful that I was open to the idea.  Thankful that I was willing to give it a serious try.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Make Running a Habit"},{"content":"The future of 3D is blurry at best, as more and more industry leaders express their concerns with the technology and its long-term viability. Hollywood editor and sound designer, Walter Murch is the latest skeptic to come out, explaining his viewpoint in a letter to Roger Ebert:\n\u0026ldquo;…dark, small, stroby, headache inducing, alienating. And expensive. The question is: how long will it take people to realize and get fed up?\u0026rdquo;\nYou can read Walter’s full letter here: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html\nI must say, I tend to agree with Murch, but enjoy watching the industry try to figure this out. In the end, it’s all part of the creative process. Some love it, some hate it…and the technology is evolving. For me, I think 3D has it’s place, maybe not to the extent some TV manufacturers are hoping, but suspect it will stick around for years to come. Do I plan on purchasing a 3D TV anytime soon, NO!\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2011_01_30-murch-says-3d-will-never-work/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe future of 3D is blurry at best, as more and more industry leaders express their concerns with the technology and its long-term viability.  Hollywood editor and sound designer, \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20110201113055/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Murch\" title=\"Walter Murch Wikipedia Listing\"\u003eWalter Murch\u003c/a\u003e is the latest skeptic to come out, explaining his viewpoint in a letter to Roger Ebert:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;…dark, small, stroby, headache inducing, alienating. And expensive. The question is: how long will it take people to realize and get fed up?\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Murch Says 3D Will Never Work"},{"content":"10 PRINT “SNOW”\n20 GOTO 10\n","permalink":"https://michael-webber.com/posts/2011_01_26-enjoy-the-snow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e10 PRINT “SNOW”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20 GOTO 10\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoy the Snow!"}]