This month’s achievement was posting the first episode of my first podcast:
The Podcast Process
The jump from 5 minute videos to a 30 minute podcast felt big. YouTube requires creators to post video with podcasts. But I considered a YouTube podcast to be a mostly audio experience. So I hoped I could get away with basic graphics. This kept production more manageable. However, creating this podcast still took a lot of work.
I’ve been wanting to do something with Bill Gates’ climate book for a while. I first read it back in 2021. The project sat at the back of my mind for a while. Then a few months ago, I started putting together notes. Later I created slides. Eventually, I recorded a draft audio, wrote and edited a transcript of that audio, followed by editing and more editing. Each step took a while. I would move on to other things but kept coming back. Finally I completed a draft I thought was good enough to share.
I sent a draft to kind friends. They said it was good to publish so I did after making even more edits.
New York Times Climate Forward Event
This episode was already in the works when I learned the New York Times was hosting an event with Bill Gates. In addition to interviews about climate change, the New York Times hosted a slack channel for participants. I rushed production of this episode to have something to share on the slack channel.
I think a few participants did link to my video as I saw a little surge on my YouTube analytics after posting to the NYT slack channel. However, my views remain modest.
Online events like this can be a great way to network and find people who are interested in climate change. I need to keep practicing posting my material.
I started getting into some promotional efforts such as creating clips of the podcast. Asking people to listen to 30 minutes of talk about technology and climate is a big ask. So I found a few sentences I thought could help show potential listeners what the full episode is about.
Podcast Topic
I felt this book represented conventional thinking on climate change and therefore provided a good contrast to the more aggressive climate solution that I want: internet transport. As I went through the book, I found quotes that prompted discussion about internet transport. I introduced the concept, discussed why internet technology could be a good climate solution and then looked at the emissions categories Bill Gates uses to show how internet technology could lower emissions.
One thing I really liked was the way Bill Gates grows emissions data by activity (making things, plugging in, growing things, getting around, keeping warm and cool), which is similar to my approach (emissions from making, moving, stashing and trashing things). He notes in a footnote that transportation emissions exclude oil and gas production and vehicle manufacturing.
I only got about a third of the way through “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” when I decided the episode was complete. I have more to say about the rest of the book, however, I can do part 2 and 3 later. For now, I’m working on the next episode which is finding a connection to internet technology from an online workshop on climate hosted by the Hollywood Climate Summit.