Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Fly on the wall? Not any more!

After missing weeks of my favorite podcasts because of an internet block at work, I have recently discovered that I can view and listen to the Daily Breakfast via ustream in my office. I've been pretty put out by the block because of mp3 downloads by students, so I understand the policy, but I'm still put out by it.

Anyway, part of this ustream thing is that Father Roderick, host of the Daily Breakfast and podcasting priest supreme, is running an experiment by broadcasting live all day. Weird? I dunno. We are definitely in a voyeuristic society. I can't decide if I tune in to this 21st Century version of the Romans watching the gladiators for entertainment, or if it is really a social experiment with merit.

Who cares, it's entertaining, and has led to some interesting discussions. It is, oddly, a very fascinating way to be available to people who have deep and profound questions of faith. Perhaps, his improvised "Truman Show" or rather, "Roderick Show" can impact someone (many ones).

It's also pretty funny. Today, he was annoyed by a fly, and got the greatest looking fly swatter (it looked like a mini tennis racket) and wandered about his living room in pursuit of the offending fly. I wanted the fly to escape. Really! But we heard the demise of the fly: first the splat, and then his satisfaction in squashing the fly.

What Would St. Francis Say?

Note: It does not escape me that I need a hobby if I am entertained by a priest chasing a fly on the other side of the world. In my defense, I just finished grading research papers and final exams, and needed some mindless entertainment. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

3 comments:

Stephen said...

Perhaps a local box feeding a torrent could allow mp3's in without trashing bandwidth in general. Besides, there are ways to tunnel, and the motivated student knows them. Better to make it official. That's advice from a sysadmin.

It wouldn't be Roderick if he called it the "Roderick Show". My new shorter commute is over before his show is, so i had to drop it. But he did just release a Secrets of Harry Potter installment. I've read the books, and you'd think i know all that stuff already... Still, i can't help thinking it's a better use of time than watching him stalk a fly. Part of what makes his shows work is incorporating feedback from his fans. I may have infinite ideas, but they all have the same smell. Fan ideas freshen.

Zina said...

I missed the fly swatting, but I think I spend too much time in the Rodfather's chat box. I have had to ration my time on line now. Voyeuristic don't you think? I was wondering what Fr's work schedule was like. Now I now.

vicky said...

stephen -
you have effectively spoken greek to my oh-so-technologically-challenged mother.

it continues to amaze me that she can handle blogging, instant messenger, and all those podcasts!

:)