Everyone: Shawn, why hasn't there been a newsletter in so long?!?
Me: Well... there really hasn't been anything happening. Until NOW!
This past week I started drawing my comic again. I'm only doing one per week so far (I did 6/week for several years!), but part of the way I'm committing to drawing one every week is that I'm livestreaming myself drawing them!
In fact, that's the other exciting thing (exciting for me anyway!) – I started a regular livestream schedule! The formats for the different days aren't quite locked in, except for Thursday mornings, when I plan to draw a comic. The comic above was drawn during this past Thursday's livestream!
If you want to join in, or even just lurk, the livestream multi-streams to several platforms, but it's always available to watch on my live page: https://shawnp0wers.live - and if you're looking for a Google Calendar to subscribe to in order to see upcoming streams, you can see the public calendar HERE. (thanks for the idea, Tania!) Basically, the breakdown for current streams looks like this:
Sunday: 3:00PM - the same livestream we've been doing for years
Tuesday: 7:00AM - so far just chatting, but if I can get a consistent source for recent tech news, maybe we talk about what's going on in the world of tech.
Wednesday: 7:00AM - Possibly answer questions, respond to questions on YouTube videos, or maybe even record the creation process of making a YouTube video.
Thursday: 7:00AM - this one actually has a pre-planned format in place. Every Thursday I'll be livestreaming myself drawing a comic. Last Thursday was fun, and it's a great incentive to do TWO things at once!
Random days: Afternoonish - I used to do a "Watercooler Wednesday" stream where I would stream myself creating content for CBT Nuggets. It was fun, and it was a great way to keep me on task doing work. I've done this a few times recently, and it's been beneficial. I'll continue to do this, but it's not the sort of thing I can schedule, because the learning/creating stuff makes it difficult to know when I'll be actually recording content for my DayJob.
Other Stuff Going On
Speaking of livestreams, if you've been following me for a while, you're probably familiar with, "BirdTopia." Over multiple years, multiple homes, and using more methods than I can remember; I've been livestreaming and recording the birds where I live. I have that fully automated again.
Every day, when the sun rises, the livestream starts on my BirdTopia Channel on YouTube. There are currently 3 active cameras, and any time motion is detected, the live view switches to the camera with motion. So while there aren't always birds at the feeders, you're more likely to see live birds due to motion detection and camera switching!
Then, when the sun goes down, the livestream stops for the day. But as soon as the live feed shuts down, my local server pulls all the recorded motion for the day, and compiles it into a daily highlight reel. Then it posts the compilation video on the same YouTube channel as soon as it's done compiling all the footage!
Is it silly? Maybe. But I love how complex the automation has become over the years. If you evcr just want to have a live feed of Northern Michigan playing while you work, feel free to tune in any day. You're certain to see some birds!
Lastly, What's Your Latest ADHD Rabbit Hole?
I'm so glad you asked! Fishing.
Earlier this summer, a friend visited and wanted to go fishing. So I went with him and my son-in-law, and while I didn't catch any fish that day (they both did, but I'm not bitter...) – I got the fishing bug!
Since then, I've been fishing pretty regularly. Occasionally I'll go with my son-in-law, but more often than not I'll just take a quick fishing break over lunch or something. (My wife also likes to go on "fish-reading" trips with me, where I fish, and she reads a book. I married SO WELL!)
I'm still not a super talented fisherman, but I catch enough fish that it remains fun while still being quite challenging! My hope is over the winter I can save up some money and get either a small boat or kayak for next summer. Waiting that long will also help make sure fishing isn't just another passing fad brought on by ADHD. If I lose interest, buying a kayak would be such a waste of money!
Anyway, here's to returning to more creative endeavors! Adjusting to my new DayJob is still challenging, but I'm apparently feeling confident enough that I can spend a little time focusing elsewhere. And that, is some exciting Nerdling GNUs!