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.