Step Backward for Youtube Phenom

I’m kind of bummed out today. I was hoping to take the little Ivanka to the range, but it seems kind of pointless until I can mount the laser.

This is a very small gun. I don’t think a rest would work with it, and using a bipod would be like attaching a rake handle to a fork. I would be limited to shooting with the iron sights, unsupported. I’m not knocking that. I mean, it’s what the gun is for. But I really want to find out whether I can hit anything from the hip, with the laser.

I’m hoping the rest of my shotgun parts arrive soon. I need to get that machine up and running. One sad note: once it’s converted to a real AK, it probably won’t fit in the nice Bulldog bag that came with it. I suppose I can retire one of my older bags. The quality of the Bulldog seems superior.

Here’s some other horrendous news. Zo from Macho Sauce Productions has decided to besmirch his reputation by doing Pajamas Media TV. This poor guy. He really has something, but he’s going to wreck it by associating it with the laughingstock of the conservative movement. People are going to call him “Zo the Plumber.”

This man was made for radio. He has a voice and style that will keep people from turning the dial. By doing PJTV, which has no hope at all of being anything but a stillbirth, he’s going to turn himself into media kryptonite. I’m a fan, but there is no way I’d pay to see him or anyone else on the Internet. And I’m right in line with the vast majority.

I never dreamed that the PJ curse would get him. I can understand why people who are really bad at what they do and have no other hope have signed up to do video. But if you have a marketable talent, what’s the point? Joe signed up because PJTV was his only option. He seems like a fine person, but no one at a real media outlet would ever give him a job. Zo is a highly marketable young black conservative with original ideas. Surely he didn’t have to settle for this.

Speaking of video, it looks like the Internet personal broadcasting revolution has stalled. Nowlive will not be able to give members video as a matter of course. In the past, anyone who signed up could have a video broadcast. Now only a few will be so privileged. I don’t understand why they don’t do what real broadcasters do. Interrupt for commercials. Choose advertisers suited to the content of the shows. It worked for Blogads.

This stuff will eventually work. That’s my prediction. Bandwidth’s natural tendency is to become cheaper. But for now, no joy.

I never realized they were in such straits. I don’t know what they pay for bandwidth. I just assumed they had a business plan, and that they weren’t emulating the PJs by running on venture capital with no strategy for generating revenue.

The Internet is like the New World. At first, everyone who showed up was like a king. Then it got crowded, and success began to require more effort and ability. If you start a web media enterprise, the odds against you are astronomical.

The other day I realized that there are still people who do very well for themselves, using the web. If you can offer something unique and valuable, the web is a great way to sell it. Example: Tromix. It’s a couple of guys who machine gun parts and modify weapons. The things they do are not rocket science. There are millions of Americans who have similar skills. But there’s a strong demand for their parts and services, they promote themselves on niche websites, and they are highly competent. So they have to turn away business. That’s fantastic. It gives you hope, doesn’t it? America is sliding down the socialist drain, but individuals can still do well.

It occurred to me last night that it would be wonderful to market an invention on the web. The problem with this plan is that I have no invention. Another problem: you can put your inventions in the public domain by revealing them on a blog. So if I invented anything, I’d have to keep it to myself while I worked on it, and I wouldn’t be able to benefit from showing it to readers and asking for advice.

Last night I watched more milling DVDs. Man, it was beautiful. They skimmed layers off a block of aluminum using a fly cutter. I could watch that all day. Don’t ask me why. They machined aluminum at the start; this is a clean operation, because the only lube you need is WD40. When they went to steel, the guy had to hold a squeeze bottle and shoot oil onto the cutter continuously. What a mess. I didn’t realize it was necessary to do that every time you cut steel. Still cool, however.

Maybe I’ll get off my butt and hit the range. It has been too long.