So, I actually did it. I brought back Radio Free Subspace on January 1st. I'm kinda proud of that. I figured that I'd slip the schedule somehow, or just flake on it completely. I did it, and it's been up and running (pretty much) since.

Problem is, no one is listening. Not even me.

Yeah, for 'RandomBits' last Saturday, we had about a half-dozen listeners at one point. And for 'The Suite' on Tuesday we had a listener or two - but for 99% of the time it has been sitting at '0' listeners. I'll admit, 'RandomBits' was a lot of fun to do. The Suite, not so much - as we had 0 listeners for most of the show.

The problem is, I believe, that there are already so many good services out there for getting the music you want. Pandora, for example. Or Slacker Radio. Those streaming services allow you to customize your own station - so you're always getting songs that you want to hear. And I <3 those services, and listen to Pandora a lot.

In fact, when I'm sitting with my phone, I'll choose to listen to Pandora for hours over listening to *my own music webcast* for even ten minutes. So how can I entice others to listen to something that I won't? Is it even worth running a web cast station any more?

I'm considering just shutting down the 24/7 webcasting and just firing it up for 'RandomBits' on Saturday and 'The Suite' on Tuesday. I'm considering just realizing that the time for the 'home webcast' has come, and gone - and maybe it's time to just wrap it up finally and move on.

I'd even consider doing a 'Suite' Pod Cast, but really - half the fun for me is interacting live with the listeners over IRC - and that can't be duplicated via Pod Cast.

If I'm going to keep it around, I need to focus in on an actual format. Playing 'Riverdance' followed by 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' followed by something by Michael Buble, then an Eminem just really doesn't work. It's much *too* eclectic. I've been trying to trim it down, but it's still all over the place.

At any rate, I've got the stream up for the month of January. We'll see how it goes, I guess.

Happy New Year!

I'm pleased to announce the return of Radio Free Subspace! We'll be streaming an eclectic mix of music around the clock, live from the bridge of the USS White Star...

You can listen in at:

http://www.loudcity.com/stations/radio-free-subspace

And you can join us in IRC at: #radiofreesubspace on the FleetChat.org IRC network.

TONIGHT! Join us for the return of RandomBits on Radio Free Subspace. We'll get the party started at 8:00pm Central.

Catch you guys then!

Lately, I've been getting fairly restless.

I hear songs, and think: "I need to play that one on..."

Or, "That would make a great theme for..."

And I've been looking at my system, wondering: "How can I put up a stream..."

I remember back in (some earlier point of the year) I said that Radio Free Subspace would be returning in the fall, and that I wanted to take the time to do it right.

Problem with that was that there was no target date... So.

Radio Free Subspace is returning. We'll be back on the air January 1st, 2011. If I get things worked out properly, it'll be 00:01a, 01/01/11.

Website, IRC Channel, and Webcasting links will be coming soon.

(I promise, really my final post on the election...)

I don't vote because I want to reserve the right to complain.

I vote because it's the right thing to do. Because I pray, against all signs to the contrary, that it makes a difference.

I vote because it is my responsibility to do so, even if all the politicians walk away from their responsibilities to us.

I know I've been more negative about the process than usual this year, but as I just posted in response to a comment on Facebook - Voting is hiring someone. We're choosing which of these applicants should have the job of representing us.

So would you hire someone that spends the entire Job Interview process talking only about how crappy all the other applicants are? Someone that doesn't ever bring up their qualifications, or why they'd want the job, or what they'd want to do with it?

I can't think of anyone that would - yet with rare exception, that is all we (as voters) are faced with.

We deserve better than that. We need to demand better than that. We need to stand up and say 'No More!'

Just random bits, in which, yes, I play 'the game'. The same game I'm bitching about in my previous post.

This does make me a bit hypocritical, but hey - nobody is perfect. :P

* The best thing for Obama right now may *may be* a Republican Controlled Congress.

Democratic Presidents tend to perform the best when they can work with a Republican Congress and strike out for moderate territory. Further, it gives the Democrats something to work against heading into the 2012 presidential election, and they can strike back out as the 'underdog'.

The man is smart, but as President he has been timid, legislatively. Maybe he hasn't wanted to rock the boat with his own party. That's going to work against him - and he's going to have to find his back bone for the next two years - especially if he has to work with a GOP controlled congress. And that will help him in the run up for 2012.

Plus, any further problems could be pinned back on the GOP instead of falling directly onto the Democrats.

Will they be happy if they lose one, or both houses of Congress? Nope. But I think that it may be the best thing that could happen for the Democrats as they get ready for 2012.

* Yes, this is a referendum on Obama, and yes, it will come out strongly against him and yes, every conservative voice from Rush to Glen Beck to Fox News will crow for months about how the people don't like Obama.

It's going to happen. If you are a democrat and/or Obama supporter - just be ready for it. And they may be right. Is it fair? I don't think so, because Obama inherited most of the issues that the right is using against him - but then, EVERY president inherits issues, and they've got to deal with it.

Problem is, people aren't really mad at the democrats. They're mad at politicians, regardless of party affiliation. That'll be the truth of the 'referendum'. The real question shouldn't be 'Do you approve of Obama' but rather 'Do you approve of the current political environment'. People will be answering with a resounding 'NO!'

* Republicans, if they win the house and senate, will not repeal healthcare.

Despite whatever rhetoric they're spewing now, they will not move to repeal healthcare. The left and moderates would destroy them if they did, and they know it.

Instead, I'd expect to see a series of bills to modify healthcare. It's the smarter way to do it, and we could end up with a better system than what originally passed. I think that would provide the most 'win' for both parties.

Of course, I could totally be wrong there. :P