DriveTime 2005 Winter Hiatus

DriveTime has officially entered its 2005 Winter Hiatus (ie. no commuting going on right now, so no studio time right now).

We'll be back in 2006 with new episodes, surprise guests, near-misses and other fun!

Episode Eleven

In the conclusion to episode ten, writer Peter Bebergal reads a piece about Chanukah and Christmas for Ravi -- and a "digital Sonia." Finally, as Ravi and Peter chaw over some Australian licorice, a somewhat semi-regular proposition is offered.

(QuickTime, 09:15)

Episode Ten

As the holidays approach, Ravi and Sonia talk frugal gift giving, cuss up a storm, and run the clock out before their guest even arrives. Plus, Ravi comes up with a plan for next week that's so crazy it just might work.

(QuickTime, 07:52)

Production Update

The next episode (10) will be up later today.

Thanks for your patience.

Episode Nine

It's a full house, as Liz Tambascio and Dale Cumberbatch visit DriveTime to talk about Shangosoul -- a dance and personal training company. Plus, Ravi and Sonia are "blinded by the light".

And in a shocking coda to the episode, Ravi tends to a disabled Studio-A amid sub-freezing temperatures.

(QuickTime, 10:39)

Episode Eight

Star St.Germain inaugurates Music Studio-A with her performance of irrelevant (uke remix) and tells Ravi and Sonia about the upcoming SIM Big Show. And the DriveTime Viewer Comment Glovebox is cracked open again.

(QuickTime, 09:27)

Production Update

Episode Eight will be delayed slightly.

It's in the "digital can" -- recorded this morning -- but due to out-of-town commitments, I won't be able to edit/post until later this weekend, probably Sunday evening.

Thanks for your patience.

Episode Seven

In a special DriveTime: Weekend Edition, Ravi and Sonia welcome Dennis Crowley from the mobile social networking company Dodgeball -- and travel through time?

(QuickTime, 09:59)

Episode Six

Ravi welcomes Kim Watkins of Beyond Tomorrow -- a science and technology television show from "Down Under" -- and lets an Australian production crew have its way with studio A. Finally, Sonia and Ravi plunder the treasures buried in the trunk.

(QuickTime, 09:49)

Host "issues"

So close, yet so far.

The latest episode is done and uploaded, but the Internet Archive is experiencing some problems in accepting the metadeta for the clip.

So it's not viewable.

Again, I think I need to find another host.

Thanks for your patience.

Episode Five

Veteran Radio Producer Tony Kahn joins Ravi on some lunchtime errands to talk about the Morning Stories podcast. Sonia and Ravi recap their sneak preview of Massachusett's first IKEA. And the trunk is cracked opened...

(QuickTime, 09:07)

Episode Four

Waltham artist John Carrera tells Ravi and Sonia about Open Studios in Waltham and offers DriveTime viewers an exclusive discount on art -- and "bloodballs". Plus, a sneak peek at a November Sweeps DriveTime event.

(QuickTime, 07:55)

Problem fixed

The bad juju with episode three seems to have been resolved. Oh the fiery hoops I had to jump through.

There was some sort of weird corruption on the video it seems (which I think goes back to a bad tape?) I wound up exporting the edited file back to tape then recapturing to drive; re-encoding and uploading. I tightened up the data rate a bit also, so the file is a bit smaller.

Long story short, the "fast start" now works.

"We are experiencing technical difficulties..."

please stand by."

Urgh! I'm not sure what the heck is going on with episode three -- doesn't seem to even want to load in Safari (?).

Hmmm... I might have to re-run the whole output process tonight (Final Cut --> QT Pro --> FTP to archive.org).

If *anyone* is able to get the episode to download/play, let me know! Thanks.

Episode Three

James Hull of the Gallery at Green Street describes the Mad Dash to Ravi and Sonia. Plus, a dip into the DriveTime Glovebox for some viewer mail.
(QuickTime, 09:30)

iTunes presence

DriveTime is available on Apple's iTunes! Any early adopters with 5G iPods to test playback?

Episode Two

In episode two, a co-host is introduced, the guest chair is christened and a lesson in driving is learned.

(QuickTime, 11:30)

Guest FAQ

Okay, here's a FAQ for potential guests. Let me know if I missed anything ('Q' away!) and I can add it to the list.

Q: What's the deal with DriveTime?

A: Same as all my deals: "Volume, volume, volume!" (tip of the hat to 80's Letterman). The deal is I'm doing a show from my car as I commute to and from work.

Q: What kind of guests are you looking for?

A: I'm pretty open-minded and the more varied the make-up of guests, the better. It would be nice if the guest had something upcoming to talk about (ie. an event, project, or new release), if only to make it more topical and relevent.

Q: I'm interested in being a guest. What should I do?

A: Write to me at drivetime@ravijain.org and we can talk about it!

Q: How will you pick up guests?

A: I'll arrange a meeting place and time with potential guests, so I can pull over and pick them up.

Q: How long is an interview?

A: A few minutes -- however long it naturally takes.

Q: What's your driving route?

A: I've posted a map at http://ravijain.org/pressroom/drivetime_routes.jpg

Q: I hate looking at maps. Give me some landmarks along your route.

A: Jamaica Pond, Longwood T stop, Coolidge Corner, The Paradise Rock Club, Allston Public Library, Harvard Square (a slight deviation), BU Bridge, Fenway area, MassArt, JP Center.

Q: Can you make any detours? I'd love to come on the show but I need to go to [insert remote location here].

A: I can make slight detours with enough advance planning, in fact, I often do if I have errands, or I'm dropping my wife off at work. The evening commute is probably more flexible. Write me and we can discuss.

Morning/Evening Route Map

I've created a map detailing my morning and evening commutes as a high-resolution JPG, for the benefit of potential guests (or those who wish to view a few seconds of taping as I whiz by).

It's a very "vertical commute" when viewed in the old N/S/E/W orientation.

Episode One

Episode One
Ravi explains his "driving to work" video blog to all -- and looks for some guests.
(QuickTime, 5 minutes)

What is DriveTime?

DriveTime is a video blog that I produce during my daily commute to work.

My commute to work takes me from Jamaica Plain through Coolidge Corner and on to Allston. My evening commute: Allston, brief foray into Cambridge, Fenway area, Jamaica Plain. My hope is to pick up some guests along my commute -- folks that have something going on in and around Boston.

I'm already tardy in posting the first episode! It's in the "digital can" so to speak, but I still need to get all my "vlog" ducks in a row.