Me: I’m going downtown to play poker tonight.

Her: Wow, really? But there’s no casinos in this city or anything, right?

Me: Well, no, there’s no casinos, it’s just a bunch of people playing. You know that movie Rounders?

Her: You’re gonna play in smoke-filled back rooms with John Malkovich?

Me: We’re a bunch of geeks playing poker in a comic book shop. It’s quite well lit and they don’t allow smoking. John Malkovich won’t be there. It’s pretty much the anti-Rounders. I guess that wasn’t the most apt comparison.

Footnote: came in third again. Won $80 less the $20 buy-in. Go me.

February 3rd, 2010. From then to now: 102 days. 3 months + 13 days. Just over 14 weeks. And I call myself a blogger?

The fact is, I’m a sad excuse for a blogger. Oh, don’t worry. I came to terms with that years ago. I write in fits and spurts. I’ll go two weeks with a post or two each day, then not post a thing for a month or six weeks. I can’t remember the last time I went nearly three-and-a-half months, though. I know – there was that gap in 2008 where I went six months. Okay, but besides that…

Well, I’m back. For now. I’ve got some new things to share, some opinions to give. I’ll space things out a bit over the next few days and weeks, and we’ll see what happens. My topics remain largely the same: affiliate marketing, being a work-at-home geek dad, media.

The Geek Dads Weekly podcast is rolling along – we recently added a third dad to the roster. I’ve also just started a series of videos that I’ll be posting about shortly. I’ve been published in a magazine and will have a second article in the same magazine coming up in a couple of months. I will (fingers crossed) be on a panel at Affiliate Summit in August. I’m applying for… wait for it… a writing gig at a prominent website. Seriously. I haven’t told them that I frequently go months without posting anything.

I’ll be giving more details about all these things.

Hi, I’m Daniel. I’m a pathetic blogger. Get to know me!

I’ve been invited to present at February’s SynerQue meeting here in Albuquerque on the topic of podcasting. My first planned speaking gig – cool! Here are the details I wrote up, reprinted from the SynerQue announcement.

In the Dark Ages (what historians call “The 20th Century”), radio was a dominating force in mass media. Educated and specially-trained on-air talent used their voices to communicate with millions of listeners. Radio itself was dominated by a very small number of voices and it was difficult, though admittedly not impossible, for someone to break in and host their own show. The FCC has long been concerned about pirate radio (as seen in the Christian Slater documentary, Pump Up the Volume). Radio stations seemed intent on keeping the on-air talent limited to people that actually had talent. Thankfully, the Internet has changed all that. Enter: PODCASTING.

At this month’s SynerQue meeting, blogger and podcaster Daniel M. Clark will share his insight and experience in setting up and running a podcast. From equipment to software to marketing the show, he will give tips and advice, and actually record a show during the meeting. It’s far, far easier than you might think. Got $20 and a computer? You can be a podcaster!

Seriously, it’s been a fun intro, but if you’re interested in recording podcasts, this presentation will get you going in the right direction.

• Choosing a topic and planning a show
• The equipment you need, microphones, computers (Mac and Windows users welcome)
• The software you’ll use to record, edit and upload the audio
• The cost you should expect to pay (it really is about $20)
• How to get the podcast into the iTunes directory
• Ideas for promoting your show
• A few ways to monetize your podcast and make a few bucks

In addition, there are prizes! There are two prizes that will go to one winner (we’ll be doing a drawing, so bring a business card (or some other identifying card), and there’s something for everyone that shows up, too.

• One winner will receive a free headset/microphone combo (model to be determined, valued around $20) to get started. The winner will also be invited to be a guest on the Geek Dads Weekly podcast! Talk about yourself, your business, or maybe the new podcast that you’re sure to begin!
• Everyone at the presentation who drops a card and runs a website will get a link from both GeekDadsWeekly.com and DanielMClark.com when the show being recorded at the meeting gets posted. Don’t have a website? A link to a Twitter or Facebook account can be done instead.

Come on out, it’ll be fun – and you might discover that you’re a natural at podcasting!

Coming up on December 6th is the First Annual Webuquerque Holiday Party Extravaganz-o-rama Blowout Bash of Fun. I don’t know if that’s the real name of it or not, but it sounds festive, doesn’t it? The event is being organized by Webuquerque regular Chris Kenworthy (skyhawk133), and he’s asked me to help out by putting together a little game we can play. It’s a Who’s Who game, in which everyone submits a little tidbit, a little factoid about themselves, and the rest of us have to figure out who the factoid is about.

For example, if one of the questions on the sheet is “Who, as of October, is a published author with Peachpit?”, each participant would try to figure out that the answer is Webuquerque co-founder Emily Lewis.

Fun, right? Who doesn’t love party games?

So, my fellow Webuquerque attendees, what I need from you is a little factoid about yourself that you’d like us to put on the sheet. Have a hobby? Any interests? Did you present at Webuquerque? Do you have a pulse? If so, there’s something you can contribute. Shoot me a DM on Twitter, email me via the contact form here at the site, or, if you know my phone number, give me a call.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the party! Here’s the real info:

Sometimes being a Dad ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Fun & games? Not so much this week. There’s no need to go into detail, but let’s just say the past week hasn’t been great. As much as I’d like to post an awesome article about my Drobo system and family pictures, it’s getting put off for a few more days. In the meantime, here’s a few links to a few things that I’ve done recently, in addition to a nice redesign I did for the Geek Dads @ Home site.

• Geek Dads @ Home #32: Wave Over Here
• Not Completely Unnecessary Baby Products
• More Not Completely Unnecessary Baby Products
• Geek Dads @ Home #33: There’s an App for That

For those that get more than just a holiday card from our family, the odds that you’ll be getting something from Walkers this year is extremely high. Just thought you’d like to know. Best. Cookies. EVER.

Seriously, these things are addictive. Half my body weight can probably be attributed to these cookies, which might not be the best selling point (sorry, Walkers), but they are just too damn good.

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by Jen Goode of JGoode Designs. Jen’s a friend of mine, and was looking to interview other stay-at-home/work-at-home parents for her gig with Examiner.com. My interview was published this morning! If you’re interested in working at home, especially with kids in the picture, this might be of interest to you. Check it out: “Some daddies are geeky, an interview with Daniel M. Clark”

Big thanks to Jen Goode!

It’s been just about three months since I last updated this site… technically. There were two posts that were made more recently, but after reorganizing and reconsidering the direction of my online activities, I removed them. I have also removed a few dozen older posts, from an era that I wish to put behind me.

Going forward, this is what I’m up to online:

• This site will focus on a bit of everything that interests me, with an emphasis on comics, being a stay-at-home Dad, movies, music… general life stuff.
• The Geek Dads @ Home podcast is alive and kicking, despite our missing a week here or there. We’re up to episode #19 now! The podcast is me, Scott Jangro and Joe Magennis. Sam Harrelson is gearing up for a teaching job and has bowed out, but we look forward to him joining us periodically as his schedule allows.
• The Big Book of Spam is no more. Sufficient interest in the project couldn’t be generated.
• Kids and Comics remains open, and will be updated in the near future. Kid-friendly comics were listed there as far as 5 months in advance, so I don’t have too much catching up to do. Next month, I will finally publish Comic Book Movies: Not For Kids?, a series of articles reviewing and recommending kid-friendly movies based on comic books. You won’t believe what I’ve had to go through… subjecting myself to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3? Yeah, done it. I’ll never be the same.
• Mediocre Web Comic was an interesting little project, but ultimately, not for me – not regularly, anyway. That site will stay up, but updates will be very infrequent.
• I have a few minor affiliate sites that will remain open, and I will continue to spend time learning the ins and outs of the affiliate marketing industry. Regretfully, I can’t make it to Affiliate Summit in New York this year, but I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to swing the West conference in 2010.
• I’m on Twitter and Facebook, but I will be limiting Facebook to only close friends and family in coming weeks.

Here’s what I’m not up to online:

• I am not involved in any way with AffSpot.com or it’s owner. If you hear differently, please let me know so I can take action.
• I am not involved in any way with CafePress.com or the print-on-demand industry in general. I will no longer reply to emails regarding that company, that industry or the book that I published in 2006 about them.
• Review Builders is still live, but is no longer being maintained. As far as I’m aware, all the Builders are still functional. They will likely break sometime in the very near future, though I have assurances from Debbie Carney that the Loxly Gallery-based Builders will be just fine for quite some time to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

I know it’s easy to blame everything on “the economy” these days, but honestly, who wants to pay $55 a month for basic cable service, even in a good economy?

In an effort to reduce our monthly bills a bit while we ride out the poor economy, we decided to axe the cable television service. Our rationale is that we never watch TV on a schedule, and we’ve got broadband internet access, so why pay? We can watch all the shows we’re interested in online. Granted, we won’t be able to watch the season premiere of Lost next week as it airs (ABC.com will have it available for online viewing the following day, if they do it the same way as they did with season four), but is it really that important? Is it $55 a month important, just to see it as it airs? I say no. Two days ago, I spoke with Comcast and cancelled our service. Yesterday, the technician showed up to collect the box and do whatever it is that technicians do to the lines. This is an account of our first day, yesterday, without cable television service.

Quitting Cable: Day One

I woke up to the sound of the house alarm being turned off and the cable guy coming into the house. Angela dealt with him while I got up, and by the time I made it downstairs, we were a cable-free house. First order of business: figure out…

Okay, the first order of business actually had nothing to do with this. But after I was finished, the next order of business was to figure out my audio/video situation and how to tune in our local channels. Our TV is a five-or-six-year-old Sony, standard. It’s got the coaxial connection and component connections in the back, and that’s it. Needless to say, simply setting it to channel 5 had absolutely no effect. Lots of lovely snow.

Well, I figured that with the digital transition coming up next month, it would make sense to just go ahead and get the converter box and an antenna. I had a chiropractic appointment at noon, and stopped by Best Buy afterward to pick up the necessary equipment before heading home.

Side note – I didn’t bother to wait for the government coupon, or even to apply for it yet, because according to a report on the radio a few days ago, the government is out of money for the coupon program. I’ll get on the waiting list later, and try to work something out with my receipt from the store if I ever get a coupon (I’m not holding my breath). If it doesn’t work out, well, I still paid less than I would have for a full month of cable service.

Installing the converter box and antenna took about five minutes. Using the remote control, it searched for signals and found a few dozen – far, far more than I expected. The downside? Nearly all the stations seem to be either Spanish-language or Christian. It’s the strangest thing… there’s NBC, there’s ABC, there’s PBS… then there’s about 32 channels in a row with names like “God TV”. Weird.

Winter was watching me work on the TV with great interest, and asking if she would watch Word Girl, to which I could only respond with, “not right now, honey. Daddy’s working on fixing the TV”.

Many months ago, I connected my MacBook Pro to the TV and home theater system, so I didn’t have to worry about setting that up. I’m able to move a browser window over to the TV and stream shows from a variety of sources.

For the rest of the afternoon, we watched a few shows online on the TV and, well, that was about it. Dinner. Bedtime for the kids. A bit of online poker, then some work on my sites, with the TV off the whole time.

So far, I’m not missing cable.

Ian Christopher Clark was born three days ago, Saturday the 20th. He’s happy and healthy – a very content little guy – and we couldn’t be more thrilled. His big sister is doing great, too! She’s very excited to have a baby brother.