Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
All right, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome to episode 92 of the Secular Foxhole podcast. Today it's just Martin and I, and this will be a short end of year show where we're just going to thank all our guests that we've had throughout the year and all their wonderful ideas and comments and commentaries. And we wish them all much success in the new year.
And hopefully many of them, if not all of them, will return sometime in the future. But today I just wanted to say again, this is a wrap up. I've recently retired from 36 years in IT and even longer in work life. So I have a new chapter in life ahead of me.
And I'm enjoying my days so far. And let's see. One piece of really good news I have concerns Professor Brad Thompson of Clemson University. He's got a new book coming out called The Political Thought of the American Revolution, A Reader. And it's a two-volume set.
And the first volume comes out pretty soon. He doesn't have a published date yet, but he said pretty soon. And it says in his Substack article about it, he says, "...the first volume, subtitled The Imperial Crisis and Independence, assembles some of the most important tracks in the conflict between Great Britain and her American colonies in the years between 1761 and 1776."
The second volume, subtitled, quote, Revolutionary Constitution Making and Social Reform, unquote, presents dozens of original documents concerned with the attempts by American revolutionaries to construct new constitutions and governments after 1776 and to reform the laws of their societies. Speaking for myself, I think Professor Thompson is...
As far as 21st century, he's the most competent pro-American philosopher, writer, historian that we have today. And his work deserves the widest audience possible. And so that was my one piece of what I thought was really a highlight, which will happen early in the new year when that first volume comes out.
And he also, you know, he's written, he's got his own publishing company called Loco Foco Press. And I tried to find the website, which I still have not been able to find, which is very strange. But apparently that Loco Foco is part of a movement back in those times, you know,
that's sort of a, I don't want to say libertarian-ish, but certainly freedom-oriented, if I'm not mistaken. Correct meaning of liber and freedom and liberty and yeah. Things like that. Yeah. Libertine or something like that. Oh, okay. Yeah. And that...
Let's see, what else? Could I comment on that also? Of course. I think in his newsletter he had some news coming up that he will announce also that's happening. So then I sent an email and also...
waited for a reply there so it will be interesting you're having a good contact there player so and he has his substack newsletter on substack and it has a special name isn't it like a nickname with red is it redneck and it's it's called the redneck intellectual yeah and that's it is it the one that down deep down south that you had the t-shirt with your neck
neck t-shirt? That could very well be, but of course, since there's so much sun, people's necks get red. Yeah, so red. But this also has a
that are of a slur nature. Yeah, I know. It is. But I think he uses it all as a pun and fun. Yeah, and that's good. That's good. Go ahead. Yeah, and also you talked about that. Now when we're recording, so next week, it's as I think should be an American holiday event.
And that's the December 16th Boston Tea Party, 1773. So we have been celebrating that with friends and Americans in spirit in Gothenburg, Sweden for many years, several occasions. We'll see what happened this year, but we are always on this day thinking about what's happened.
in Boston. That's very, I appreciate that. And of course, as I said, as I'm a tea enthusiast, it's for me, it's important of the value of beverage and the trading and the plant and why it was, you know, that was boiling over or how do you say, got it happening. I mean, it could be some other commodity or, or something, but it was,
that the English men trained or got the colonies, that they liked this brew, the Kappa. And then they taxed it and they didn't have any representation. That's right. That's right. And yeah, I wonder if that's maybe going on during these times also. I think there's certainly trends toward freedom, hopefully. Yeah.
I don't really want to go negative at the end of the year because of the Yuletide celebrations and so on. That's a good word also, Yuletide. And I will say here in Swedish, Yuletide or Xmas, it's called Yul in Swedish. And that's coming from Yul log that you put in the fireplace. Yes. And then you count the sparks and thinking of good times and what's coming.
And you want to keep warmth during the whole holiday. So that's what the word Yule is coming from. I like that. Yeah. So as far as the Secular Foxhole podcast is concerned, next year we...
We'll hope to update our logo and perhaps have a new and or different song or jingle. Jingle and artwork. And artwork, right. And then some of the guests we hope to have. Again, I'll reach out to Brad Thompson when this book is published and hopefully have him on.
And then we did confirm, at least preliminarily, with a gentleman named Scott Powell, who's a homeschool teacher and historian. And he's written three books, and he is very knowledgeable about history.
literature and history. And so hopefully that will happen very soon. Yeah. And I'll probably kick off the new year with Mr. Powell. Yeah, great. And then hopefully Brad Thompson shortly after that. But... Yeah. And also... Go ahead. Yeah. I also want to say that we have been planning, and that's also thanks to another returning guest, Robert Beagley, to prepare for a follow-up of...
the Thomas Paine Institute with Alex and Kevin. That's true. And thanks for your support.
Yes, very much. Thank you. So that's great. And we'll talk more about, because we have a milestone coming up. It will probably be around mid-2025 or in the spring, late spring. Right. Then if everything goes according to plan, we'll reach episode 100. And for podcasters, that's often that you celebrate that in a special way. Right.
So if you listener have any ideas how to do it or feedback or input or whatever, and we will try to use this new modern podcast applications and technology and this podcasting 2.0 initiative and this value for value model. So we could do something special for that.
But I think every episode is important and valuable. And it will be interesting to go back and go through and listen through and take some notes and see what we could come up with, Blair.
So, and again, I want to do a bit of, if I continue here with the call to action and also plans to get the guests and others, but onboarding to this new way of international lifestyle when it comes to podcasting 2.0. So we could share the splits with the guests and we could get support and donations and boost grams and read on air and all kinds of cool things that could be
happen with new modern podcast applications. And again, I want to thank... What's his name now again? Oh, Kevin... No, is it? No? Down?
in Australia that gave a great review of our show and explained what our show is all about. Yeah, I don't remember his name either, but... Dana Under, so thanks. Yes, yes. I will include in the show notes and Mere Mortals in the podcast. That's right, that's right, yes. Yeah. Again, though, otherwise, we wish everyone...
A very joy-filled Yuletide season. And a great new year full of success and happiness.
Prosperity. Yeah. So that's a wrap for me, I guess, Martin. Yeah, and I will add some stuff here, Larry. By all means, please. Absolutely. So future plans, as you said, the jingle, the artwork, and the milestones here of 100 episodes upcoming, and the pod page that you are taking care of and you secured a great domain there, the Sickler...
foxhole.live and there you could do all kind of cool features and so on with pod page so we'll look into that and also i could tell about what you learn when you're running with sysys that's an expression in the podcast in 2.0 community could say that i i got the albie hub
And then it was recommended to have a certain amount of Satoshis. And now, for some reason, and that's in a good way, but the Bitcoin has increased in value. Or you could say maybe the fiat currency happens with that value, so to speak. So it's getting there, the Bitcoin price. It's over, what is it, 100%?
It's close to 200 or 100,000, I thought. Maybe even more. Yeah. So when I so-called added to the GitHub list this number, 221905 that we talked about, the RANS day boostogram number, RANS birthday, February 2nd, 1905, the first time a couple of years ago, it was like,
$50, I think. Now it's over $200 to send that boostergram. Well, that just proves that Bitcoin is very valuable. Yes. So we'll look into that. And then I also want to say, I mean, as you said, you are retiring. I'm still open for work. Good, good. Yeah. And I'm open for these projects when it comes to podcasting and new media and freedom of expression.
Good. So I've just thought of something, Martin, if you don't mind me interceding. It's all good. One of our guests, Richard Salzman, he praises a woman economist. Her name is Judy Shelton. And she has written a book called, I believe it's called Good as Gold, which is on Kindle for $2.99, which I think is the regular price, not just the sale price.
And of course, it comes out in paperback as well about the gold, perhaps the world returning to a gold standard. I think she's written about that before, but this might be a current, more updated version of that.
And I am going to read that book and reach out to her if I can. Great. And then have her as a guest. That'll be next year. Yeah. But I just thought of that, and I wanted to mention that to our listeners. That's a good point. Because in a way, you're reading my mind. Because the latest episode of Podcasting 2.0 podcast with Adam Curry and Dave Jones. Dave Jones made a comment on...
how you build this initiative. I mean, it's not a company, it's not an organization, it's open source, it's programmers, developers, hosting companies, individuals like me that want to, are a supporter and want to test it and spread the good word. And then he had an interesting thing that it was a small company
time, libertarian, it was some in the Austrian economics or something like that, that had an interesting expression about competition in a friendly way and how that lead to things. You don't have an automatic outcome. You don't know how it, they took the example, for example, with VHS and Betamax and others. Right, right. You know, in a way,
One format could be better, technically wise, and the experts are saying, but then it's up to the market to decide. And the users and the consumers and the producers and so on. So it's interesting to see how we could be really, in a way, supporters of a
free tools and free economy. Absolutely. And spreading the ideas. And that's why it's interesting, again, thanks to Albi, to Tomek, for example, that also have interest in ideas and philosophy.
And so we will look more into that. Yes. And try to get it out to our listeners. Because it's an educational thing. I mean, that's how, for example, you introduced me to Swan Bitcoin, for example. Right. And there I see, I mean, it's interesting to see. But then you have this, again, changes of rules, regulations. Yep. And what's going on. And then you see what's happening now in Argentina. Yeah.
that it's possible to change things. This is certainly true. But then again, you have to have a philosophical foundation. That is absolutely... You have to get it. It's the only lasting way to have it done, with a proper philosophic foundation. So I want to... Also...
And then again, if you value this, you could support us in different ways. And we will include the support page on Captivate. And so we have got that in the past and we could have it in the future also. Thank you very much in advance. And then doing this onboarding, and I will talk again with Sam Sattie for the next year, how we could onboard in an easy and secure way.
And in a positive way, get this gamification on its way. So I will end, if it's okay, Blair, with a little bit of stats. But not damn stats, but positive stats. Well, let me tip my hat to Captivate and Podpage for all the outstanding work they do for us. And it's all yours, Martin. Yeah. And that's also with Sam Setti. I mean, it is not about...
the numbers and the downloads and how many. We are very niche podcast, but we see the potential. Yes. So every individual, every listeners is important. It's not the downloads as such. And the good thing is our small podcast is that we are not dependent on numbers in that way. And that as a new media advisor, I'm very interested in this, what's going on in advertising,
in the big shows. We shouldn't talk about this now, but what's happening in the election, for example, the importance of podcasting there, if you appeared on a podcast or not, and the mainstream media, what's going on there or not going on, and the opportunity with newsletters, tools like Substack, for example, and Bradley Thompson coming across in a positive way, changing one individual perspective
How do you say it? One mind at a time. Yeah, thanks. So with that said, Sam said he's talking about the download numbers versus like time spent or listening or engagement or feedback or boostograms. So it's not the download number as such.
Okay. But that could be one figure. But we will see then in the future, as we have seen the feedback from our guests, listeners, donations, boostograms, comments, the pod page, as you said, for example, you could do that. But anyway, we kept it there with the stats. Around average, seven downloads per day is the average. Okay.
We have had unique listeners, and this is a number that I've been thinking about. It's a pretty big ice thing, but according to Captivate then, unique listeners in total over time, 5,796.
I'll take that number. Yeah. And in total downloads, 10,981. And that's if you do it in comparison with the big shows or pretty big shows or seven big shows, you know, they could have that download number in one episode. But that's only the small minority that have that. That's true. The average is like 150. I think Libsyn's that official podcast number.
The feed is saying that still. It's around 150. And we are, you know, if you take seven downloads per day and we have about two episodes per month, sometimes more, sometimes less. We are, you know, we are not in the top, but we are not in the bottom either. No, we're not. And we see the potential. But if we could, as I said, reach one individual that will think about this.
And I'm so happy to, again, thanks to all the guests that saying that they like to, you know, to be in the foxhole, the second foxhole with us. Yes. And that's why I wanted to add them on board them and add them to the split because this will be the future.
make change. So, and in total, new modern podcast app, for example, Fountain, it's like 2%. So if we could increase that a little bit, that will get some interesting impact in the future. So check out the new modern podcast app, and we will include that in show notes also. And the total numbers, Blair, in countries,
is as follows now. United States, 65%. Great. So that's the main market, so to speak. USA. Canada is 5%. Very nice. Sweden, for some reason, is third place here. That's fine. Yeah. And United Kingdom. Good. India, Australia, Norway.
Belgium and Germany. And in total, we are in 102 countries. That's staggering, to be honest. And the latest periods, like 28 days over the last month, we had some downloads in Singapore. That's something to reflect on. I would love to go to Singapore, believe me. Yeah.
And there you again, that's probably after, you know, Hong Kong is, you know, it's a big country, but it's pity to say it's belonging, so to speak, in quotation marks with mainland China. It shouldn't, but it does. But Singapore is economically wise, it's probably one of the freest, I think. But then you have again with the philosophical question,
lack of foundation, whatever, or to really integrate freedom in every aspect of your life. That's true. I mean, they're just using... But it's great that somebody in Singapore could listen to our show. I'm glad, yes. I'm thrilled. Believe me, I love it. But it's the standard worldwide now. You allow some economic freedom, but you can continue to control most of everything else, which, you know, okay, we have to eat. So let's open the capitalist...
As I think one of the objectivist intellectuals, he put it some years ago, he says, we'll loosen the noose a little bit. Yeah, now I interrupt you. But that's what I like with Richard Van Solsman, that he explained the word capitalism, I think, with the cap, the thinking cap. Right, true. Good point. With that note, Blair, do you want to wrap it up or do you have anything else you want to say?
Martin, it's been a great ride. Yeah. And we'll take it into the new year. Yeah. And thank you again for everything you do. I really sincerely mean that. Same, Blair. And happy Yuletide and happy new year. And we'll talk again soon. Yeah, we will. Thanks. All right. You're welcome. Thank you. Bye for now. Bye.
Thank you.