Intro to 'Up for Review'

From the very beginning, we have been storytellers.

Seems an awkward line to be writing on the front page of a sports podcast, but in reality it is the truth that any sports fan can relate to. We watch the games on television, listening to the announcers who either captivate or disgust us. We listen to radio feeds/stations and podcasts listening to people who tell us something about the game or games we love. We watch sports with a blinding passion in person; taken up by the crowd’s intensity--telling everyone we see the next day: “I was there!” or “I saw that!”

We are all storytellers.

In our original concept for FenixTV we thought of a place to congregate the various streams of the Internet; build a ‘network’ of “Internet TV” that we could stream anywhere at anytime. Eight years of change and development in this wonderful field of online content has led to an explosion of innovation resulting in just that; networks of online content. Two years ago, we decided that our idea was no longer necessary; that the Internet had, almost naturally, recreated itself in the way we envisioned and that everyone with a pulse was covering the field of technology.

It was time for a change.

That change began with the simple act of brewing. One of our good friends bought his first supplies to brew wine and collectively we thought: “Where can we learn more about this?”

Of course we would turn to the Internet, but to our shock [and, quite honestly, collective pleasure] we found that there was a lack of online resources in this area.

We began to talk; first about brewing, but then--as our conversations have a tendency to do--the talk drifted into other topics; landing finally at the feet of our once-dead idea: a content service of our own. If other people wanted to cover technology and a few other major topics, we reasoned that we could cover everything else. Diversify. Find fields and hobbies and interests that we loved to devote time to but the Internet didn’t--or couldn’t--adequately cover.

So then how did we settle on sports of all things to become our first, regularly scheduled podcast?

We come, yet again, to another story (but I promise I’ll [try] to keep this one brief). For as long as I can remember I have been around, watched and loved sports. I am the son of a career-coach; and some of my earliest memories of my father are riding around in big yellow school buses with athletes who seemed to tower over me and, much more importantly, watching from just behind the bench as those athletes were directed by a powerful motivator and teacher.

I remember euphoric wins and depressing, soul-wrenching losses. I remember the sweat and tears of athletes both tired and elated. I remember crowds of pure energy screaming, yelling and jumping at the sight of ‘their team.’

Most of all I remember moments. Moments of absolute drama and adrenaline: moments that we rarely see in our everyday lives but spend every moment searching for.

Because of my love for these moments, these feelings of passion and depression, winning and losing, I have unconsciously sought out friends that feel the same, friends that live and die with their teams even as they appreciate the moments that they are witnessing. Fans, not only of teams, but of sports.

With those friends I have spent countless hours talking about the sports that we know and love, and in those discussions one thing consistently popped up: people who normally had no love or interest in sports kept telling us that they loved our discussions because of the intensity with which we spoke or the ferocity with which we argued.

And an idea was born.

We are all still relatively new with broadcasting, but I truly believe that through these initial ten weeks of ‘beta’ podcasts we are developing a product that people will truly love to have. We strive every week not only to bring the news of sports to our listeners, but to give them a feeling or a moment or an idea about sports.

That was what I grew up with—the feeling that I fell in love with—and, when it is all said and done, our goal is to give that gift to you too.

Because, in the end, we are all storytellers.

Rick Lewis
rick ( at ) fenixtv ( dot ) net

'Up for Review' premieres on www.fenixtv.net and on iTunes on February 24th.

Beginning a New Year

A year ago I set for myself ten goals that I wanted to achieve over the course of the year. Like many, I drifted away from some of these ‘resolutions’ after a period of time, however as I look back over them I find that I am fairly happy with myself for keeping true to my goal. That said, I thought it fitting to go over those ten goals from last year—pointing out successes and failures—before revising/adding/subtracting a new list for 2012.

#1 – Get at least 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.

For the first 6 ½ months of this year I worked incredibly hard toward this goal and the results were fairly obvious. I both looked and felt much better than I had previously. Sadly, as soon as I got off of work for summer break and began traveling around the state/area these habits kind of went out the window. Even so, I’ve been more active in the last year than I had been in the four/five previous.

STATUS: FAILED

#2 – Drink more water.

This was an easy fix. I have carried a Nalgene water bottle around with me since my days working summers out on the baseball fields. Just doubled up on the intake.

STATUS: SUCCESS

#3 – Write at least 200,000 words in 365 days.

Yeah…this did not happen. No excuse.

STATUS: FAILED

#4 – Save at least 10% of everything.

This was going really well…until I decided to get more into photos/video…and then went to the World Series…

STATUS: FAILED (BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT)

#5 - Start [and maintain] at least one podcast.

This was going well for awhile…and then wasn’t. But more recently some other friends and I have gotten together to form a sports podcast. So far it is going much more smoothly and we are looking forward to an early 2012 release.

STATUS: SUCCESS

#6 - Cook a real meal at least 3 times a week.

I have been really into cooking ever since moving off campus, however living by myself last year made it a lot more difficult to do expense-wise. Another thing that limited my cooking was my poor time management. It’s still fairly bad [my time management; not my cooking] but I cook quite a bit more than 3 times a week now; limiting myself to only 1 night of junk food and 2-3 quick meals per week.

STATUS: SUCCESS

#7 - Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

To me this goes right along with 6. Previously I was notorious for buying these types of food but letting them spoil while I went for the quick meal that I could make and eat quickly while doing something else. Taking the time to cook on a day to day basis really made me evaluate what I was eating and as a result things did improve (though I still occasionally mix these good foods with the quick meals…).

STATUS: SUCCESS

#8 - Participate in a writing group, workshop or class.

Though I have signed up for two free online courses through Stanford University they do not start for a few weeks yet.

STATUS: FAILURE

#9  - Give at least 10 hours to charity.

Looking for somewhere to volunteer my time, I found myself coaching middle school basketball last year. I am doing it again this year, and on top of this I spend time helping out around the school with various volunteer projects and club activities.

STATUS: SUCCESS

#10 - Look forward: gather ideas, create a plan and move toward personal success.

In retrospect, perhaps I do this too much but…

STATUS: SUCCESS.

So to sum things up: I was successful in making 6 changes in my life that while I feel they are not quite fully a part of my life are definitely changes for the better that will continue on into the future. As I look back at 2011 I have to say that I am fairly happy with the way things turned out, but I am not satisfied. Therefore, I present my ten goals for 2012:

1. Get at least 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.
2. Write at least 200,000 words in 365 days
3. Save at least 10% of everything.
4. Participate in a writing group, workshop or class.
5. Give at least 10 hours to charity.
6. Maintain ‘Up for Review’ and work more diligently on other podcasts.
7. Take at least 1 photo per day.
8. Start AND FINISH a major project (book, video, major audio production, etc.)
9. Organize resistance to the alien invasion. Help Sarah Connor defeat Skynet (aka Watson). Find a cure to the zombie infection. (The Mayans never said how the world would end…)
10. Continue to monitor, revise and develop. 2011 was a good first step; hopefully 2012 is even better!

Oh and #11. Write more on the blog—three posts in a year is not acceptable.

So that, I think, will do it. I am hopeful that 2012 will bring about a lot of exciting and interesting changes. I’m not sure an impromptu World Series trip can be topped, but I look forward to trying!

Can Someone Please Compete!? -- 5 Things Tablet Makers Should Consider Before Sending Their Product to Market

Ever since Apple released the now-famous iPad in the spring of 2010, everyone has been looking for the product that will challenge the hardware giant’s dominance of the market. So far, however, none of the many tablets that have been released have been able to emerge as any sort of competitor. 

So the question commonly answered is: “What is Apple doing right?” I, however, would like to ask another question; one that I feel more accurately describes Apple’s dominance over the tablet market: What is everyone else doing wrong?

So to all those companies looking to make a quick buck off the tablet market (I’m looking at you HP and Blackberry…) I say; ‘You’re in the wrong business.’ Because getting into this niche is not something that is going to yield instant profits, and it is going to require a lot of vigilance in the creation and release of any product that is going to compete with the iPad. So get away now. Only those who are willing to buckle down for the long haul should try to get into this market, and for those devotees I have five important issues that tablet manufacturers should consider before conceiving, creating and marketing their product. Consider the following a ‘to-do’ list of sorts… 

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Why Netflix’s Price Hikes Might Actually be in the Best Interests of its Users

Everyone that has access to the Internet already knows: Netflix has jacked up their prices. But what not everyone seems to understand is the reason why Netflix decided to drop this bomb on their users, even though the answer is perfectly clear: content. By looking at the new Netflix terms of service and their recent deal renewal with NBCUniversal, some general conclusions can be made that lead to a not-so-startling conclusion: Netflix’s price hikes are in the best interests of its users.

Rising prices seems to be a theme when it comes to Internet in recent months, and Netflix proved that it would not be the exception to the rule when it separated its DVD and streaming services into two distinct plans. Now if you wish to have unlimited discs [1 at a time, unlimited per month] you must pay $7.99 per month. Likewise, if all you want is access to their streaming service, which can be achieved through any number of consoles, set-top boxes, televisions and even just a basic browser on your computer, you will pay that same $7.99. If you had and want to continue both services, you just combine the price: $15.98.

The common understanding of this price change is that Netflix is doubling the price of its most popular plan, but is that really the case? Netflix has, from the beginning, been more interested in its digital service than its disc service. Even at the advent of Blu Ray Netflix was pushing away, which to some degree explains the lackluster selection of titles in its HD catalog. What if Netflix was not trying to squeeze more money out of their customers? What if instead they were trying to nudge them in the direction of streaming-only?

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Looking forward to a New Year

If there is anything I have learned in my 18(ish) years of involvement with sports, it's that you need to have a plan in mind in order to achieve something; i.e. you have to hit 1000 baseballs to be able to see the ball better, shoot 1000 free throws to perfect your shot. Having goals gives us something to look forward to; even if we aren't quite able to meet them. All those years of sports did not leave me the perfect athlete, and they certainly didn't make things any better once I lost the ability to participate, but the time for moping has come and gone. It's time to make a change.

I have set out ten goals for myself to attain in 2011. Some are easy fixes, but most will require followthrough; time, effort and genuine change. Most are a return to the way things were in the summer of 2005; when life was simple and I was in the best shape of my life. I want that person back. So even though I am likely the only person to ever care about these words as they are written, I will record my goals here to be reviewed every so often and remind myself why it's important to followthrough.

1. Get at least 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.
2. Drink more water.
3. Write at least 200,000 words in 365 days.
4. Save at least 10% of everything.
5. Start [and maintain] at least one podcast.
6. Cook a real meal at least 3 times a week.
7. Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
8. Participate in a writing group, workshop or class.
9. Give at least 10 hours to charity.
10. Look forward: gather ideas, create a plan and move toward personal success.