Tag Archives: The Lab at Industry Hill

Ain’t You Cool? or: The Lab

10 Friday Aug 2018

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Salutations™!!

I have been in The Less Desirables Studios in The Lab at Industry Hill for about six weeks, now. And, the only two problems I had with the space were the fact that I have a six-foot round table in the small podcast room where there should a four-foot table and that there was no AC in my suite but was everywhere else in the building.

TvO5n

What I thought I was going to have to do to cool off in the studio!

I’m happy to say that one of those things have been addressed and I hope the other will be in the next few weeks.

On Monday, the awesome folks at Piedmont Sheet Metal came out and rewired the AC unit and now, I have to actually turn the air up to let it warm up a bit because it can get cold. Now, the suite cools down but the podcast studio is still a bit warm. I guess I need to check the vent to see if anything is blocking it. Nothing is on the outside, but it could be on the inside. There are smaller holes and the holes are directional so that could be part of it, but I really just need to check it out. But, at least the suite is cooler.

I sat in there for several hours on Wednesday, prepping, recording and producing The Less Desirables. And yesterday, I was in there over two hours editing a podcast that I produce and while it was a little warm, it wasn’t unbearable. And, after 3B and I cleared the parking lot from the debris left in the lot, I was sweaty. However, that passed not too far in.

On Wednesday night during the TLD taping, guest host Tracy Bush said she was chilly and wished she had brought a sweater. I don’t really understand that as I don’t even want to wear a coat in winter. I don’t mean I don’t get why she’d want a sweater. I guess I’m saying I can’t empathize because I don’t experience cold like most people. I get cold, don’t get me wrong, but I have a wider tolerance for it, I guess.

I’m hoping to get the table situation worked out in the next week, perhaps the week after. I just want the guests and podcasts’ hosts’ to be comfortable when in my studio. I don’t know what I’ll run into when winter comes, but it’s around the corner so we’ll see when we get there. But, thanks to my landlords and Piedmont Sheet Metal for getting me chilly again!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“A name you can trust. Solutions you can rely on.” – Piedmont Sheet Metal

Piggybacking or: A Couple of Piggies

30 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by in Beer, Food, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

So, I’m not piggybacking The Man Who Ate the Town this week. Well, not exactly. TMWATT podcast is going to take a couple of weeks off. The podcast, not the blog. Not the Instagram account. Not the Facebook page. Those aren’t taking a break. The facts are the food scene is a little slow right now, but worry not, Dear Reader, when “breaking food news” comes along, I’ll be reporting it!TBDBottle.png

But, onto the exciting news! The Beer Dads produced their newest episode tonight. It was the first we have done since March. Lots of changes in our lives and, of course, the new digs, right!? So, to hear the “welcome back” episode, check out the post, HERE.

Fan Interference comes back next week and we’re working on Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking. I hope to get the whole TLD Network back up and running, soon!

And, thank you for reading and listening!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“If music be the food of love, play on.” – William Shakespeare

A Weird Night or: Powerless

25 Wednesday Jul 2018

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Salutations™!!

Tonight, after finishing up the recording of The Less Desirables podcast, and after the co-hosts and guest had left, I was trying to do all the website updates and RSS feed when the power suddenly went out. I really don’t know what happened with it but it threw me off completely.

BlackBox

The Lab at Industry Hill around 9am

I’m used to doing things a certain way and that routine was definitely broken. My computers stayed up but my hard drives and most importantly, my internet connection went caput so I had nothing to do but shut off things and go home.

In doing so, it threw everything behind and again, my routine was off. So, here I am at almost midnight having done all the stuff I needed to do, most of it from home instead of the studio, so I had to move some things around to be able to make it work. But, it threw me off schedule so that’s all I’m going to write tonight. Tomorrow should be better.

Until tomorrow, keepin’ the lights on…
Scorp out!

—
“Electricity is really just organized lightning.” – George Carlin

Apartment Where? or: Podcasting

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

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Salutations™!!

I don’t know if I’ve talked much about this or not, but I know that I have at least mentioned it. We know that I produce podcasts for others and I do one every other Tuesday evening called Apartment 5B. The name is based on the apartment number of Kramer on Seinfeld. A5BLogo

The tagline of the podcast is “Irrational Conversations with the Cool Breezes of Anytown, USA.” To quote the website, the aim is to have fun with the everyday, or at least our everyday. That usually is shared agitation, alcohol appreciation, ridiculous journalism, sports, pop culture – you name it, it’s all there, simultaneously inappropriate and hilarious.

I will say that currently, it is the podcast that I have the most fun on. We’re off the hook, we talk about everything and, truthfully, we can get a little “blue.” Not blue in the X-rated sense but we just say anything we want. Generally, it’s not crude, but we just talk openly. The participants, or “residents” of Apartment 5B are Jeff Evans, Rory and Producer Tim. I’ll let you guess which I am.

There are segments that we do including an episodic “throat punch” which according to The Office‘s Dwight Shrute, “you can Never go wrong with ​a Throat Punch.” LeBron James is the “Throat Punch Emeritus” which means he gets a proverbial throat punch each week.

We also highlight some odd-ball or hard-to-believe or hard-to-care-about news article from various news outlets. They are legitimate news articles and this episode it was about some dude in Oregon that broke into an “Escape Room” and had to call 9-1-1 because he couldn’t get out. There is more to it than that but you’ll need to listen to hear us spout about it.

We also do a segment called “Back in Time” which talks about pop culture subjects such as music, movies, television and so on. This episode we talked about Billboard’s Top 100 Songs of Summer, all-time. I think we all had a problem with the #1.

And, then on certain weeks, we have a wheel that we spin with a variety of topics and we jump on whatever pops up. The wheel is actually there, too (wink). We didn’t do the wheel this week. That’s because we went a little long. We try to stay right at an hour. It doesn’t always happen but mostly it does.

The podcast has two sponsors right now, Old Winston Social Club and The Satornino Group. And, of course, the show is recorded and produced in The Lab at Industry Hill.

This show isn’t on The Less Desirables Network but it feels like it is. It’s just good fun and it’s entertaining. You should give it a listen. It’s available on most platforms but if you want to hear it, you should just click HERE. When you realize you love it (and you will), subscribe. There are a lot of features that we’re throwing around about adding, so you’ll want to hear those things when they happen.

Thanks for listening and thanks to Jeff and Rory for letting me be part of the show.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Yea, we’re cultured…” – Jeff Evans

Happy Fourth or: TLD Lite

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

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Salutations™!!

The BCPF went into The Lab at Industry Hill with me today and we did our own little version of The Less Desirables. We talked music and ‘Murica. Listen HERE.

1-4th

But, it’s the holiday and I’m off now. Have a great time grilling and chilling, Dear Reader.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Kiss is a Fourth of July fireworks show with a backbeat.” – Gene Simmons

A New Sponsor or: X1 Marks the Spot

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by in Blogging, Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

So, the entire The Less Desirables Network got a new sponsor this week! I am so very proud to announce our partnership with X1 Communications, the standard of internet providers in the downtown WSNC area!X1 Logo

Nathan Geipel, the owner-operator of X1 Communications is a member of TBD Referral Group that I’m part of (that stands for The Best Damn Referral Group) and I know that most of the businesses in the downtown area rely on them for their internet needs. So, when I was going into The Lab at Industry Hill, I called on him to see if they serviced that location. Wait, what? Don’t all internet providers in the area service all the area?

Nope.

X1 Communications are different than traditional internet providers in town. First of all, X1 uses “Fixed Wireless” technology. According to their website: Fixed Wireless is the process of enabling communications between two locations, using a radio as a wireless link. Say what!? Yes, they do not use wired technology. They’re not renting lines from bigger communications companies. They have radios on a few of the taller buildings downtown. In order for them to service your business, they have to have a line-of-sight connection with your business from those points. At that point, the data is transferred between radios using passwords and high-level encryption to ensure fast and secure data transfer. This stuff is high speed!

Does the line-of-sight provision limit their reach? Well, kind of, but what it does is allows Nate and Josh to take care of and provide high-level service to the folks they do serve. I think that’s important.

They own their entire network. Unlike their competitors who rent wires from the phone company, they are not beholden to those primitive measures and can guarantee 99.99% uptime. Which, is imperative to business owners, especially those like me who are internet-based. I didn’t have to buy any special equipment, either. They put the radio on the roof of the building and the building was already wired internally. I plugged my router into the port and BAM! I’m surfing and uploading.

I don’t have to worry about weather problems, either. Their network is on the 5Ghz bandwidth so it is “weather resistant.” I’m not really sure what that means and it doesn’t matter if I know or not, it’s taken care of.

I know what you’re asking. “Is it safe?” Oh yes. X1 uses AES 256 Encryption – the same
level of security as the Dept. of Defense. So, my info, data, properties and all that are quite secure. And, man… it’s fast. The only thing worse than slow internet is no internet. X1 guarantees consistently high speeds, so you focus on your work, not your broadband service. That helps.

Are you like me and tired of dealing with Spectrum and AT&T? Well now, you don’t have to. No more hassle in dealing with the major telecommunications companies. You’re in the capable hands of a local provider, with a history of excellence.

Have I done an ample job of pushing X1 Communications? I hope so, because not only are they my sponsors, I think they have a great product and we know that I love promoting local businesses, especially the ones that I can get behind. But, if you’re looking for more testimonials, I’m sure you can ask Alma Mexicana, Krankie’s, Inmar, BB&T Ballpark, The Ramkat, WBFJ, Camino Bakery and fellow TLD sponsor, Underdog Records. I am sure all of them would give you raving reviews of X1 Communications, too. If you’re in line-of-sight of the taller buildings downtown WSNC and want high-speed broadband internet, contact X1 Communications at (336) 773-9950.

Here’s welcoming X1 Communications to the CrewTLD family! Thanks, Nate and Josh!

Until tomorrow, broadcasting at breakneck speeds…
Scorp out!

—
“With more than 20 years of combined experience in the field of Digital Communications, X1 is proud to provide custom internet solutions to a variety of businesses and residents.” – X1 Communications

The Space Within or: Mad Lab?

28 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

Last night, Danielle, Bethany and I recorded the first ever episode of The Less Desirables from our new digs. I have used that term a lot in the last bit but I feel it’s appropriate for this location. Anywhat! Now that we have all the ducks in place, I am in a position to tell you guys of the new space and give you a (virtual) tour.

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Main Office Area

First, the location itself. You know, Dear Reader, that we were in the Test Pattern Studios that were in the back of, you guessed it, the Test Pattern bar; right across from The Garage on 7th Street. Well, we are now about 4 blocks north, almost exactly, from that location. We are now on N Chestnut Street. The area is called Industry Hill (or at least we’re trying to make it so). It’s between 7th Street and Northwest Blvd. It’s where the Warehouse District is/was and whilst some are saying there’s no industry here, I say poppycock. Warehousing is an industry. Textiles is an industry. Furniture is an industry. There is plenty of industry here.

But, my plan to expand Such-N-Such Media into a real media company that goes beyond just podcast production and voice-overs. My new location is more than just a podcast studio. Here’s how it works out.

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The NC Libations Collection

First, there’s the main area. It sits about 300 square feet. I plan on getting a TV and streaming programming on it, including offering some advertising space to sponsors. Yes, the traffic is limited but we do get a good bit of guests coming through for the various podcasts (and other future things) so it’s just another incentive. That’s where the beer fridge is and out great friends over at Machine Gun Graphics are going to make me a huge TLD logo like we used to have in the Chatham Bldg studio. It leads to all the other rooms and studios. It also has all the bottles and libations from the guests on Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking podcast.

 

Then there’s the podcast/VO/production room. This is where all the magic happens. The six-foot round table that we have had for the last several years is too big. It fits but it makes it hard for people to sit around the table. So, our pals at Sunnyside Mill Works is going to custom make us a four-foot round table. So then we have something special; something no one else has.

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The Podcast Studio

Next, the video room. It’s awfully plain right now but I’m going to hang a green screen, a black muslin sheet and a white muslin sheet so I can create nearly any background I need to for video and photography. That opens up my service availability and scope of operations.

Something that I’ve never had before? An actual office for Such-N-Such Media, Such-N-Such Limited (the company that owns the media company) or any of the podcasts. Now, I do. Odd blue walls and all. I don’t know how much I’ll be in there as of right now but I do plan on using it in the future.

vidroom

Video Studio

I have my own bathroom that I don’t have to share with the rest of the building. The rest of the building has to use the communal restrooms. One of the coolest things in there is an old Wachovia bank vault. Well, it’s night drop safe with a Night Depository “slot” that is made of die-cast iron and what appears to be brass. It’s still pretty cool.

The building we’re in used to be the EG Forrest main offices. EG Forrest was a food distribution company that sold their company a few years back. Being as they were a food distributor, their breakroom actually had a hood system like in restaurants, although there is no stove or grill under it. I am sure there used to be. There is also a commercial grade dishwasher that was left behind and it powers on. Chef Travis said they use the same one at Willows Bistro and is getting me in touch with their technician so I can have him check it out and see if we can get it to work. That would mean I can get clean glasses without having to hand wash them. I hate doing that. So, keep your fingers crossed.

office

The Office

Ideas for the name of the building has been floating around among the landlord and me. We have had a few other names which I think are cool but, for now, we are going with The Lab at Industry Hill. It’s sleek and classy. Odd-kind of something of a name for a podcast called The Less Desirables, huh?

So, there’s the big secret. I did a sweep today of Test Pattern Studios to make sure that I had everything out as it was my deadline. It’s clear. Onto bigger and better things in the Lab at Industry Hill!

Check out the first podcast recorded there, last night, HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I find podcasting an enticing space.” – Jason Calacanis