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I can remember growing up as a kid in the San Joaquin Valley of California listening to Sam Schwann on KYNO-AM radio. He had the banter and played the “Top 40” of the day…things that we now fondly recall as “Oldies”.

In the late 1950’s we didn’t have computers so I guess the true indicator that I was a “geek” was when I was placed “in charge” of the media equipment (that meant a few Wollensak reel-to-reel recorders and RCA projectors) at Fort Miller Junior High School. By the time I reached college, I decided to major in Radio-TV and broadcast programming to the dorms and the apartments the rimmed the campus.

The closest that I ever got to being in the broadcast industry was training broadcasters and managing an AM-FM Broadcast Group almost 30 years ago. Little did I know then, virtually anyone would be able to broadcast to a worldwide audience with virtually no investment into “over-priced” equipment or regulations from the Federal Communications Commission that would require many hoops to be jumped through and major financial investment.

The potential benefits that you can receive from using podcasting as a weapon for mass domination, have been overshadowed to a degree by the tremendous ease and affordability of video and video sharing. Consequently, this may be one area of Web 2.0 that will allow you to enter and dominate very quickly and cultivate a following for yourself and your expertise.

You will find several available free host and production platforms in the pages that follow. Additionally, you will be able to capitalize on Google’s move to a “Universal” search format that will pull from all forms of media and present them as “organic” free results. Beyond the traditional search engines, you will find a collection of almost 100 potentially, potent Podcast Directories that will make it easier for both your potential audience and the search engine spiders to find you, your tags and keywords with great ease and reliability.

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Web 2.0 is not popular among consumers only. Businesses are now realizing the potential benefits Web 2.0 has to offer. While many consumers think of popular applications like MySpace when they ponder Web 2.0, many fail to connect this technology with its potential for business.

Corporations can reduce much of the expense associated with installing and configuring essential software and applications on individual computers when they take advantage of Web 2.0. Rather than have an IT manager set up, configure and maintain a company’s applications and software on corporate servers, a company can now access a vendor’s server to acquire the information they need for their company.

Companies can now also share information and collaborate with one another in new and interesting ways. This will require business managers to start thinking more horizontally, moving away from a hierarchical model of communicating to one where knowledge is shared freely among employees, suppliers, vendors and even competitors.

Some company’s are even encouraging their customers to take advantage of social networks to help them advertise. GM for example allowed consumers to create commercials for some of their popular vehicles a while back. While many of these left much room for improvement, such integration allows for greater innovation and shared interest among key agents – consumers.

A company can also help businesses make working more practical and simpler. Rather than have individuals use stand-alone systems only, company’s can now encourage the joint use of software and computers among multiple users. Data can easily be shared from one person to next, meetings can be held online, and problem solving can take place from a much broader perspective.

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Ingredients:

* 3 cups bread flour
* 7/8 cup warm water
* 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (Crisco)
* 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

In a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add the water, shortening, yeast, and sugar. Mix thoroughly until yeast has fully dissolved. Add flour and salt. Mix on low until most of the flour and water has mixed, then continue kneading for 10 minutes. The dough will be loose and scrappy at first and will eventually form a cohesive ball. There should be no raw flour or crumbs remaining in the bowl.

The dough will be somewhat dry and dense. Place the dough ball into a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 24 hours in the refrigerator before using. Please note that I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a 24-hour rising time since it is absolutely essential so that the dough will develop its signature texture and, more importantly, its unique flavor! Do not skip this step!

Preheat your oven to 500 F about one hour before you plan to bake the pizza. Turn the dough out onto a large surface and dust with flour. Using a heavy rolling pin, roll the dough out very thin to form a 24-inch or larger circle. If you're using a cutter pizza pan (recommended), dust the pan lightly with flour, place the dough in the pan and dock. Use the rolling pin to trim off the excess dough drooping over the sides of the pan. If you wish to cook the pizza directly on a pizza stone (not using a pan), then place the dough on a dusted pizza-peel, dock, and fold the edge over 1-inch all the way around and pinch it up to form a raised lip or rim.

Next, precook the crust for 4 minutes before adding any sauce or toppings. Remove the crust from the oven and pop any large air pockets that may have formed.

Add your sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and your favorite toppings. Continue baking, rotating the pan half way through so that it cooks evenly, until crust is sufficiently browned and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and slide pizza out of cooking pan onto a large wire cooling rack or cutting board. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving pan. This step allows the crust to stay crisp while it cools, otherwise the trapped steam will soften the crust. Once cool, use a pizza cutter to slice the pie into pieces and enjoy!

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Another aspect of your rod that you should get to know is the guide, or the eyes. The guide is what transmits the signals of the line to the rod so that it's easy for you to feel the fish on the other end. There are several different types of guides available today.

Some guides have rings that are made of ceramic placed inside the outer metal frame. Still other guides have inner rings that are made from silicone carbide, aluminum oxide, chrome plating, or gold aluminum oxide. The rings of the rod are what aid in the reduction of friction that can cause your line to fray.

The length of the rod handle is important as well as what the rod is made of, such as foam or cork. You'll want to choose a rod handle that is still easy for you to hold if your hands become wet.

You won't want to use a light action rod to catch fish since you'll need a strong blank to be able to pull the fish out of its cover. A medium or medium/heavy rod will give you the strength that you need to pull out the fish while at the same time giving you the flexibility to use topwater baits. You might want to use a trigger handle if you're using a long-handled rod so that you have the manageability that you need.

Before you head out fishing make sure that you check the guides on your rod. You want to make certain that none of the guides are bent. Bent guides prevent the line from moving through them correctly. Clean out the inside of the circle of the guides before you start fishing to ensure that your line doesn't fray and break when you're reeling in the fish.

One last thing that you should focus on when you're buying a new rod is how the guides are attached to the rod. The wrapping must be sufficient so that the guides don't become loose and need to be replaced.