SPEAKER_01 0:47

Here's a kind of adventure you only find when you're not in a hurry. This is Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. Stories from the open road where routes are questionable. The stops are intentional. And leisure isn't a reward. It's the plan. If you're looking for speed, well, you're lost. But if you're looking for laid-back adventure, good stories, and even better company, welcome home.

Studio Rebuild And Sound Proofing

SPEAKER_03 1:13

Welcome to Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. I am Adam. I am back in my normal studio. I am happy to be with my good friend all the way from Central Time, my good friend, Mr. Michael Sharp. How are you, sir? I'm doing well. How about you, Adam? I am I'm out of the basement. I've been promoted. It's better than being in the doghouse.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

So I mean we don't have to look at the couch anymore and the cord running up the thing, but I do have to say it looks really nice.

SPEAKER_03 1:46

I appreciate that, sir. I appreciate that. We've got a little bit of a mess behind us right now. Um, I was focused on getting everything functional. I was also really excited to watch the University of Michigan uh basketball team last night, and uh that was exciting. So they took a they yeah, they I mean they they couldn't make anything in the in you know, but but I guess just hard uh hard work and and uh perseverance showed. So interesting year, very fun year. Um, and I'm proud of the gentleman, and it was fun to go to work today. So um a lot of our cycling community reached out and said, Go blue, and people who normally follow another team a little south of us. So I appreciate that. So um, but we have a good game. Yeah, they understand football season's only a few months away, and they'll see. That's right, that's right. So that's right. Um, so we've got a jam-packed show, and uh, I I'm excited. Um, give you a little couple updates here. So um I was giving you some play-by-play um updates along the way in the studio. I put uh acoustic panels. Uh if you picture a room that has four sides, on three of the sides, I put acoustic panels, these are very popular right now. Wooden slats um with felt on the background. Um, and let me tell you, it uh it definitely makes things uh very quiet. Um, and I know he made a joke last time of my new kill room versus my old kill room, and uh good news, uh aluminol has been sprayed, we are clear.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

So um can't wait to 10 years, 15 years when you go sell the house, people are gonna go, what the heck was this guy doing in here?

SPEAKER_03 3:43

Well, I will not lie, I was using Loctite PL3, and so I was watching how to install it, and I kept thinking to myself as I squeezed every drop of is that what you were thinking?

SPEAKER_02 3:59

This is never this is coming off, but guess what? The sheetrock is coming off.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Yes, I think if I sell the house, I will have no other option but to uh it once I take it off, I will rip the paper on the sheetrock and I will have to either be leave it.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

You've got enough rooms in that house, yeah. Market it in-house, in-home studio. That's right. Any musicians, any content creator, you have your very own in-house studio. That's right. Uh it'll be it'll be it'll be good. What? Three other bedrooms. So I mean yeah, good enough. Heck it, you know, that could be or put your noisy high schooler in there. Hey, play your drum, tray, play your drum set. We don't care.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

That's right. That's right. Hey, my daughter wants to learn violin. Uh uh stick her in the studio room. Here's everyone.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

No, that's just our bedroom.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

Uh uh, the the wall behind me, for those of you who enjoy us on YouTube, uh, is a 3D wall, kind of looks like Epcot. Um, and and that was a little bit difficult to put on. That is also put on with the Loftite PL3, so that's never coming off either.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

So um, but not only is it never coming off, even if somebody buys it, they can't hang anything on it. I mean, it's not like once you move the she the the shelves out and you've moved or whatever, it's not like they can go, oh yeah, we can put artwork up here. Because I don't think you can really hang anything on that.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

No, it sticks out about busting it, chipping it, cracking it. I I would bet maybe two and a half inches, like the you know, each one is uh I don't know, whatever you call it.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

It's like comes out to like uh some kind of geometrical thing. So it comes like you said, two and a half inches. Is that what you you know?

SPEAKER_03 5:57

I would I would bet you, yeah. If you if you laid a panel on the ground and you grabbed a tape measure, that would protrude. If you put a tape measure down, it would protrude two and a half inches up in the air. If you so um, yeah, you're right. There's no flat picture hanging there without cutting it. It's plastic. I did have to cut around some outlets and a vent. Um, and so that was uh I really I really got to use my tape measure and measure and then mark and then remeasure. I think they say cut twice, measure once. Oh no, no, just that's exactly what they say, Adam. Good luck with that. So uh then I use some strip lights. If you're not on YouTube, you can get an idea behind the frame of the of the shelves where the where everything is gonna eventually go back and neat and organized. Um, I use some strip lights, stuck those to the back of the frame so you couldn't actually see the bulbs and they are reflecting off the back. And so it's got some cool lighting effect, and and we're we're getting there. Um, I would say it's about 95% done. Um, and so yeah, I just wanted to give a little bit of a studio update.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

So you look good, sounds good. I'm gonna say for anybody who's not looking, the background is reminding me of anybody who's familiar with the old 1980s show Miami Vice. Very Miami Vice-ish in a good way. I'm not not saying that in a bad way. Oh, yeah, no, no, no. It's got that cool kind of neon without the neon. That's right. And then it changes and it's got the the curvatures of the geometric in there. So yeah, very nice.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

I uh I sprung from my new hot pink uh to match my hot pink uh microphone cable. I got the pop filter for my microphone. I figured I would I would try to give uh some trim pink stuff.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

He's wearing a shirt right now that I am quite sure was stolen or borrowed from Elton John. I mean, come on. I'm at least wearing best cat dad ever t-shirt.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

Goodbye, yellow break room. By the way, I can't tell you how excited I am to have all my toys back. So uh I mean we've got Michael is my friend, and we can we can do all kinds of good stuff. So I'm I'm excited to have everything back. So depends on what you consider good stuff, but oh, you know what else they have? Yes, sensor button. Exactly. That's what I'm excited to have my one.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

I was hoping you'd be in the basement for the next four more months, but he got a little ambicious, sorry.

Listener Spotlight Answer Revealed

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Well, you're not wrong. I was invited to go on another conference, and I was like, uh do the conference or get my studio done. And I was really tired of being in the basement. And let's be honest, Mrs. Baransky is very, very, very willing to put up with my shenanigans, but it was getting kind of old to have everything. I mean, literally, I just threw up all this stuff out of this room into multiple rooms, and so she was a trooper, so I appreciate that. So um cool. All right, before we go on, since I know we have a lot of good stuff, um, I am thinking it must have been Easter and spring break. Normally we do really well with um our community making listener spotlight guesses, unless you made it extremely difficult. And so before we get in there, because I finally can ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for listener spotlight.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

That's right. Did I make it hard? I don't think so. Okay, but here were the guesses. Uh this community was named for a water feature. It was settled in the late 1700s. It is best known for one of its stone buildings. The town knows something about moving. This town has a strong connection, or excuse me, the town has a strong Colorado connection. The city has hosted has hosted several counties. And no one was able to guess it.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

Well, I don't have a guess either.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Well, I would like to thank our listeners from Eddyville, Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 10:43

But now my brain is thinking, a Colorado connection in Eddieville, Kentucky? Let me explain.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

It was named for a water feature, it was named for the Eddies in the Cumberland River, settled in 1798. It is best known for one of its stone buildings. That stone building is called the Castle on the Cumberland, which is the Kentucky State Penitentiary. It's this large, massive stone structure. The town knows something about moving because the entire town uh in 1959 was relocated due to the construction of a dam. Literally, the whole town just up and moved. It has a strong Colorado connection uh because it is the hometown of John Long Root, R-O-U-T-T, who was the governor of Colorado not once, but twice and not consecutively, back in the 1870s and 1890s. The city has hosted several counties. Uh the city of Edyville has served as the county seat for three separate counties. But the good news is I think they've got that county thing settled now, so I don't think they'll be a fourth.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we appreciate all of you for listening. But this time, what did you say? Eddington, Kentucky? Eddieville. Eddieville, Kentucky. Sorry about that. Eddieville, Kentucky. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

And I do want to say also, welcome to the latest country that has joined our little show. Welcome to the country of Jordan. Yeah. Up there near Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, right in the middle there is Jordan. And uh somebody's listening from Jordan. So thank you very much for for listening from uh from the Middle East there. We appreciate it.

Shoutouts And Missed New Orleans Ride

SPEAKER_03 12:36

Well, all right. I assume, as usual, I'll get to play with my listener spotlight button at the end of the show. Uh, if you'd like, absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, sir. People really look forward to that. Let's talk about cycle zydecom. We were we had a nice interview.

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Go ahead. Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 12:59

Oh, that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

The ride that we're we're supposed to be at. Thanks for bringing that up, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 13:04

Appreciate it. I wasn't gonna mention that, but uh, yes, we were we were going to be there. As a matter of fact, my calendar um said, Hey, you're checking into a hotel. Then I'm like, no, I'm not. And then it was the hotel that was gonna be in in uh New Orleans, and then uh so this part I believe is the um jamming on the trace or or the first couple days, yeah. First couple days, and then but um we've got our friends there's yeah, we're a lot of friends there, so I think I wanted to give a shout out. We heard from our good friend Juan Soto, and he uh reached out and asked how we were doing and if we were coming, and I explained that no, we would not be coming. And uh not that we didn't want to, but um that leads me to my next thing, sir. Do you have any update for our community regarding employment or maybe some forward thinking?

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Uh I still don't have a job, okay, but I have uh started retooling everything. I'm kind of resetting everything. Okay. Clearly, what I had what I was doing wasn't working. So then I started looking into the latest software out there that most companies employ uh to scan your resume. And uh that actually changed like right at the end of last year. Okay. They they've rechanged some of their algorithms and things like that. So now I'm retooling my LinkedIn and my resume and all that stuff to meet those guidelines because that's really the gatekeeper to the whole thing. Goes through these AIs, AI will like look for its stuff, score you, throw out the bottom, you know, 85, 90 percent, and the rest move on to like a real person. So I'm I'm uh learning how to game the system. Okay, hopefully that'll work for me.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

Well, um, and you you mentioned to me something off this, is they even recommended some some changes to your LinkedIn and stuff. So have you seen any traction on that?

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Not yet. Uh I'm finally finishing putting all the finishing touches on the LinkedIn thing. Apparently, I wasn't doing it right. I mean, who knew you had to do LinkedIn a certain way, but apparently there's rules to that too.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

So uh frowned upon to share the podcast on there? Um probably. I I mean I'm not gonna lie, I've shared the podcast on mine, but you've got a job, so it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Um but uh yeah, there's all these rules, and you know, for I was I was like looking at LinkedIn, and to me, LinkedIn kind of is just Facebook for professionals. I mean, quite honestly, you get to reading a lot of that, and you get a lot of people on there that just want to, hey, look at me, I know about this, so you know, I want to be a top contributor or whatever. I'm just gonna like throw out a bunch of stuff about business and all this kind of thing, and then you got some people that get way too political on this stuff, and I'm just like, I don't know, but I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing according to all the latest hiring trends, so we'll see.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

You remember when we went to Podfest?

SPEAKER_02 16:23

I I do I do first time or second time?

SPEAKER_03 16:27

Uh second time. I uh yes. And you remember how you were getting points for replying and just interacting with people? Yes. That's exactly what you just made me think about, like with LinkedIn. Like, uh, hey, uh, like if you've and if anyone ever been to a conference, they have a digital platform on the uh to to kind of kick up conversations. They give you points for inter interacting and engaging with people, and then like, hey, we're gonna have a you know, a cocktail by the pool if you come here and okay, I'll be there, and you get points for saying you'll be there.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

And I don't know if you get any actual points for being there or not, but yeah, it's it's this platform, and uh they want you to engage with each other that's going to the conference ahead of time, and so they like you get points, but you don't even have to do anything meaningful, you can just say, Hey, welcome Cindy, welcome, John, hey, hope to see you there. Just meaningless stuff, and you get points for it. And so I had some time. So uh I was just hey John, hope to see you there. Hey, great podcast sounds interesting. You know, just I was just going to town, and then people were, you know, then people were getting competitive. It's like, who's this clown? And then they started like trying to so then I just it got to the point where it's like I'm just gonna stay ahead of you. So I did I think I finished third, yeah. Fourth, somewhere like in the top uh top five, but um I I don't know, you win a prize or something.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

I don't know, I didn't get a prize, but that's what you made me think about when you just talk about LinkedIn, but uh exactly, exactly the same thing. I do see some people are like, oh, I I just completed this this certification. And then I go, I can't help myself, I go look at the certification, and it's like some of them are very, very difficult. I won't, I mean, I'm not trying to be insulting, but and then some of them are like, oh, you took a 15-minute course and you passed a 10 10 10 10 question quiz at the end that you probably could have stole the answers off of Chat GPT.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

Why are you laughing at my certification, dude? Oh, oops.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Uh oh, that wasn't yours. No, anyways, let's move on. No, um so I know what you mean. So um wrapping wrapping that up, you you feel good? You feel you feel like now you've maybe got a better chance now that you've made the changes?

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Well, I I think I have a better chance. I I think now that I know how AI is looking at this, I think I can position myself better to like get through. You know, you're like, I gotta get through the enemy lines or whatever, I've got to figure out a way to do that. I think now I can game the system, and that's really what you're doing. You're gaming the system to try to get in the door before you know all these other people. Um, but I know I think I've I've got this figure. So I mean I'm feeling pretty good about it now. If I'm sitting here three months or four months from now going, I'm still gaming the system. Clearly, I won't be gaming the system at that point. So we'll see. It's it's something different that might yield a different uh return.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Have you still considered that the app needs to be uh facing the transportation industry and bus driving? No. Okay. All right. Well okay, moving on.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Because then you're gonna make me, you know, admit there's this yellow standee line, even though it's not real, you just make these things up as transportation people, and it that's difficult for me.

SPEAKER_03 20:07

So our good friend Jeff, who works with me, who listens to the show and such, he says, uh, hey, there's a yellow standee line. He said, Do you think Michael believes in a yellow standee line? And now we've kind of made it a joke. I said, Nope. I said, he's still learning what a what a federal yellow standee line is. I said, but he'll get it. He'll get it.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

You'll paint a yellow line on there. It's like, oh, we're gonna make a federal law that you can't stand in front of this line. It's like, you know how many buses I've been in where they're just like, oh yeah, it's fine, stand there. You know how many buses you've been in, sir. On bike rides, they jam as many people as they can. We're standing in the thing, we're past the yellow standey line. I'm standing in the well by the door.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

I'm just saying. Hey, didn't that night that um we were in Ragbri? I know you know what I'm talking about, and the young lady, unfortunately, her boyfriend left her downtown and you and I went into like protection mode, like, okay, we gotta get this. We gotta we gotta go.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

She was severely intoxicated. Yeah, and so we actually we got some We had to get her on the right bus and get her to the right place, and yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:17

I remember that. I mentioned that because if you remember, we were definitely in front of the Yellow Federal Standy Line that night. So we were indeed. That bus was packed, and then we we wanted to find some female like ragbry staff to help her get back to where she was going. So we did that, by the way. We were we earned our uh we earned our safety wings for the next day because we did a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 21:39

So uh Yeah, you know. Not not that anything would have happened, but we wanted to ensure that nothing did happen.

SPEAKER_03 21:46

So yeah, that's for sure. But yes.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

Okay, well, all right, then scratch the transportation job. I will keep it open. I'm just saying at this point I'm not willing to admit that the yellow standee line exists. Oh I may I may get to the point where I have to, but not yet.

Fan Mail Voicemail And Replies

SPEAKER_03 22:02

All right, I will keep the I will keep the the wheels a rolling, as they say. So um our platform, we've mentioned it a few times on this show, um, a company called Buzz Sprout. If you are looking to start a podcast, if you thought I am so close, please get our affiliate link. I really appreciate that because we both get something from it. But if if you're just listening to our show, first of all, thank you. Um there's some new stuff, and and I I I thought we could we could take some time to talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

It so you're not gonna get all nerd out of here, are you?

SPEAKER_03 22:42

No, no, no, no, no, no. This this is fun. Do you remember when we were younger? I mean, unfortunately, we I'm gonna be fifty in a week and a half, but do you remember when we used to got our when we had our first voicemail machine with a tape on it?

SPEAKER_04 23:02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 23:03

Yeah, oh yeah. And you were like, hi, this is Michael, thanks for calling, or whatever, the sharps. This is the sharps, you know, we're not home right now. Or and sometimes you had some fun. Remember Spencer's they you could buy those tapes where you'd be like, I'm sorry you've reached Jack's mortuary or whatever, you know, or something like that. Or well, I say that because what if I told you that officially moving forward our community can leave us a voicemail. So you remember in a new phone number or something, or what? 1-900 mix a lot. No. Um the you remember how we have our fan mail? Fan mail for those of you who do not know, and some of you have taken advantage of it, uh, was originally a way for you to send us a one-way message. We always joked and said, you suck, and we can't say anything back to you. Um and that's changed as well. But but what they've done with fan mail is every show that we have, you can go look at our show. The first thing in the show notes is fan mail. It's the link right right before the description of the show is there. Well, now let's say you have you and I talk about something. Maybe we talk about a distillery or a ghost story at Halloween, and someone's like, no, that's not true. They don't have it right, and somebody is passionate and they really want to tell us how wrong we are, because we do have a correction for this show. It has to do with our last show. But um, if someone wants to add add something or or something that we either maybe we but they want to add something to the story, like, oh yeah, Adam and Michael were talking about you know um the theory of relativity, and they want to add something. Okay, that's probably not true. But uh now through the fan mail.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Uh on our next episode, we'll be talking about string theory. Is it real or is it just a bunch of yarn?

SPEAKER_03 25:16

I would say it's a bunch of yarn. No, just kidding. Um here's a better one. Our friend Bill texted me this morning, big Ohio fan, wrote me this morning and said, Go blue. But let's say he wanted to do that by his voice. He can now go to fan mail, he or anyone who wants to tell us anything, and he can say, Hey, this is Bill, and I just want to say go blue. And they get 60 seconds, or as otherwise known as a minute. And a minute sounds short, but let me tell you, you start talking, and minute's a long time. And they can leave us up to a one-minute message. You and I can then take that audio and we can put it on the next show. So then they could be on the on the show, or maybe they don't want to be on the show. They could start off by saying, Hey, please don't put this on the show. Just want to let you know I'm thinking about you guys, or whatever, or I want to add this, or hey, add this or talk. Yes? They could put their listener spotlight answer on there. They sure could. In person, I mean in voice. It's um, um, they do have to enter an email address, no big deal. Um, and then they can record up to a minute, they get to hear it before it gets sent. So if they're like, Oh, I I didn't like that, they can redo it. Um, I I sent one in just testing it last night, and um I said for you to enter your credit card, and you did not enter your credit card, but that's okay. So um, and then uh also to piggyback off of it, let's say you're a person who doesn't like voice, but you want to send us a message, and you can say, Hey guys, just want to let you know. You can type the message. Uh, are you guys gonna be at spring tune-up? Now the answer is no, we're not gonna be at spring tune-up. And we know a lot of our team say what we missed it already, so oh, okay. Um, but um, or are you guys gonna be a big brag or you know, whatever? And and and hey, I'd really like an answer back. Now it's not a messaging service, but the new feature is we can write you back. So it's no longer a one-way message of you saying, You suck, because we could write back and said, Thank you. I appreciate you saying that. So uh feedback. So, anyways, uh fan mail, check it out. Every episode that you and I have done, um, I think for a long, long time, has had fan mail. And uh now those are two new features. So before I yammer on and see if you had anything to add on that.

Apology And Better Chapter Features

SPEAKER_02 27:57

No, I think that's great. It's another way for the community to engage, and we can get you know some different voices on, so I think that's good. But you did say something about having to apologize.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

Yes, sir. I that's in my list here. So our friend Mandy, uh, she she wrote us one of the original cycling women of leisure. She said, Hey guys, I am sorry to tell you, but the sounds that Michael was playing with his uh wonderful style of music. Okay, she didn't say that, but she was just saying that the sounds to the music was not coming through. Um, and so we wanted to apologize. We did not know that our processor was gonna cut that out, and so uh we are going to re-upload that audio um very shortly. I was waiting to get the studio done, and literally I got it done last night. So um I'm gonna re-upload that audio, and I believe I can fix that problem. So if you're curious and you want to go back, which leads me to my next thing is chapters. Now, Michael, I I have asked you before, and I don't think, and no offense by any means, but I don't think you have a regular podcast you listen to, besides, of course, the road adventures of cycling men at leisure, those two distinguished gentlemen who are charismatic and okay, never mind. Um, but do you enjoy a regular podcast besides recording and making ours? I do not listen to other podcasts. In fact, I'll be honest, I don't listen to ours.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Okay. I mean, I don't go back clearly I'm here, but I don't go back and listen. And there's a reason why I don't listen to other people's podcasts. Because for me, we have worked hard and we always promote that we are original and we do our own thing and everything is organic and that type of stuff. What I worry about is if I start listening to other people's podcasts, I'll hear, oh, that's a great idea. We got to do that. And then we start, you know, trying to take, trying to change our format because I thought that was really cool format, or we try to do other things. And it's like, if I don't get involved in any other podcast, then I am not in any way influenced by other podcasts. So that's the reason why I I don't listen to other podcasts.

SPEAKER_03 30:21

You don't even enjoy shows about how not to kill your wife. I mean dateline or 2020 or anything like that. No.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

Oh I'm glad you brought that up. I cannot no, I don't listen to stories about you know, murders, cold cases, you know, serial killers. Don't I mean? I know you do, which is cool, but I'm just like, ah, this does not excite me at all. This person is really weird, and I yeah, so no. But you keep doing that because then it makes you a prime suspect when somebody ends up missing.

SPEAKER_03 31:01

Yeah, on uh so I I I do I'm gonna get to the chapters on purpose here in a second, but I do enjoy shows like that when I'm working out, it's like a story and I can listen to it.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

Is that motivating? And he buried his wife in the backyard, and you're like, hey, I'm on mile two. Well, you gotta listen to some music, something upbeat, something to like get you going. Not like, and he murdered his wife, his second wife.

SPEAKER_03 31:27

You know, it's have you ever heard Keith Morrison talk? I mean, he's very inspiring. Like, did he kill her or didn't he? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

We wouldn't be talking about him if he hadn't killed her. Ms. Michael.

Apple Video Podcast And New Transcripts

SPEAKER_03 31:44

No, just kidding. Uh well, anyways, I asked you about chapters because our platform is gonna give us more control over our chapters. Um, we are gonna be able to to, I guess, um electrify, if you will, chapters. Hypothetically, if we were doing a chapter with our good friend Mr. Franklin Johnson and Ron, Ron Ward, and we did a show with them, which we have many times, for that chapter, we can now enter a thumbnail for the chapter. And if someone is driving down the road, it is now going to be a podcast industry standard. Because sometimes some will do it, some will not. Uh, but now you're supposed to be able to see, like, if they're in their car and they're like, hey, Adam and Michael are talking to Ron and Franklin, the Bragg logo could come up in people's cars or on their show on their on their phones or whatever. So I thought that's really cool. Um and our little podcast, actually, it's not little, has been selected by the company of a oh 50-year company called Apple. And sir, I was keeping this a secret until we recorded. I'm like, where's he going with this? Like because I wanted you to have a real reaction. Apple has selected Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure to be part of its brand new video podcast. So we really are going through the process. I was hoping you wouldn't see the emails coming across because I know they get sent to you as well. I had to send a key, a big like 35-digit key. I had to send all kinds of stuff. Uh, but yes, our video is not only gonna be on YouTube, but sir, we are gonna be now, we were selected by Apple uh due to the number of downloads that we have to be part of the Apple video podcast. So that's so awesome. I had no honestly, no idea. I promise I did not tell him. I was waiting to record first.

SPEAKER_02 33:55

Yeah, so that's awesome. That's that's fantastic. I believe as we got that the downloads from Jordan, but just my suspicion.

SPEAKER_03 34:05

Uh well, the one that one from Jordan pushed us over, and they're like, Oh, we gotta get this guy. Two, two, yeah, repeat offender. But uh uh Tim from Apple, little CEO, he did write us and said, Hey. He wanted to know why we don't have anybody from Wyoming.

SPEAKER_02 34:27

So um we're still looking for Wyoming. No one because everybody in Wyoming is like a Michael Sharp. I ain't listening to a podcast.

SPEAKER_03 34:38

Obviously, Tim Cook did not give me a call, but I am not lying. We were selected by Apple, and so our show was selected. So we are going through the process. So maybe by the time this is out, that we might be able to log on to the Apple platform, Apple Podcast platform, and see a video as I had to upload our last video so it would only start with our last show, um, and then it would be starting now, so um, which is pretty cool. So I just wanted to tell you that. So sweet. Um transcripts. I know that when you watch a television show and you watch closed captioning, um, and then you know, I won't lie, I don't look at a lot of podcast transcripts, but there are a lot of individuals pushing very hard to have better transcripts. Now I thought our transcripts transcripts, excuse me, I apologize. Uh I thought our transcripts were really good when you and I would look at them, you know, in the past. But now they have backwards cataloged all 96 shows of ours. Wow. And the transcripts have been redone. Um, for those of you who enjoy transcripts, a lot of the podcast apps, not just Apple, are now um, you could actually put your phone on a screensaver, and as you are listening, it could actually come up with our voices um and say, you know, you know, uh Adam said this or Michael said this.

SPEAKER_02 36:06

So it's like closed caption.

SPEAKER_03 36:08

Yeah, it's closed captioning, and and so um but the other thing that is neat about the transcripts is you and I are going to be able to do some really good deep dives on our own shows. What I mean is I think any show should do homework on their own selves. Well, now that the transcripts have been redone, we could use certain AIs, run all the transcripts through there and say, okay, um, you know, what what has worked, what has not, based upon what they talked about, based on how many downloads. So I'm really excited about that. And I I I wanted to share that out loud, not just to you privately, so uh we can we can maybe uh get some get some more talking points and and share with our community what worked and what didn't. So we'll we'll share that on a on a later show. So um how many times did Adam talk about de Brem? No one cares about the sensor button is I love my sensor button uh okay. So uh by the way, rode my bike the other day, no de brim. Look, mom, no de brim. So um and it looked good because you sent me a picture.

SPEAKER_02 37:16

I was like, oh finally, the guy looks like a real cyclist.

SPEAKER_03 37:19

I am uh think I'm gonna save the de brim for the events. Uh it's getting a little sunbeaten. So I figured you can't just buy another one. Well, I guess I could, but uh next one I get, I wanted to say follow the podcast or cycling men of leisure.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

That'd be good running around the brim when you lift your head all the way back. It could say cycling road adventure cycling men of leisure, in it. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 37:43

That's right. Uh I was gonna buy you one, but I figured I would get you a garden hose first. So um okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:56

Uh well played, sir. Well played. I'll give you points for that one.

Rants On Public Audio And Customer Service

SPEAKER_03 38:01

Um, so uh that leads me to um open floor discussion. I wanted to see what you had, sir. What I had, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 38:14

Oh, I've got a lot of stuff. I don't think we have enough time for it. But I've got two things. I've either got some leisure news or I've got some rants. Oh, I'll take the rants. You'll take the rants? Yes, sir. All right, give me my entry.

SPEAKER_03 38:33

Oh, dysfunction.

SPEAKER_02 38:38

That was horrible, but you've been out of practice, so we'll let it slide. Thank you. I pushed the button too early. We have not had rants of dissatisfaction for quite a while. And let me tell you, I've got a couple here that are just really driving me insane, and I thought I needed to voice them to the community. I'm I'm listening. Okay. Um the first one is people who listen, people who listen to podcasts, wait, wait, wait. People listen to podcasts, uh, they take calls from their wife, uh, they listen, they watch YouTube videos, whatever, in public places without headphones.

SPEAKER_03 39:20

Oh, I can get behind that. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 39:23

I mean, you're sitting there and they're like watching their their little YouTube videos and they're like laughing, and it's like, dude, I'm trying to have my chicken sandwich here or whatever I'm eating. I don't want to listen to your don't want to listen to your YouTube videos. I don't want to listen to your chuckling to yourself. I, you know, can you just put a pair of head? I mean, you don't need a fancy Apple, you know. I don't care. Earphones are cheap. Put them in so everybody does not have to enjoy your stuff. There we go. The masses are with me. Uh, rant number two. Is waiting 20 plus minutes really customer service? No. Exactly. I hate it. Nowadays, I mean, some of these things, you're waiting like an hour. It's like, uh, and and you have to listen to their 90-second music loop for like an hour or you know, 30 minutes or 45 minutes, and it plays that minute and a half, same loop, and then plays it again and plays it again, and about after the fourth time, they'll say, Thank you for holding. We'll be with you as soon as possible. Uh, what drives me even crazier is when they're like, your uh, you know, you being a customer of ours is greatly appreciated. We uh, you know, no, apparently it's not if it's taking 45 minutes for you to get to my call. And I think what bothers me the most, and I started out years ago as a telephone representative for a mutual fund company. That's where my business basically began. So I I I get it, it's hard to manage those kind of things. But the point is nowadays when you've got like the ability to have like a queue line, or they're like, hey, if you leave us your number, we'll be happy to call you back when your name gets to the queue. It's not expensive technology, and that is way better because then I don't have to stand around carrying the phone around, doing whatever I'm doing and worry about it. So that drives me crazy. Uh I think the last one that we'll just talk about today is also in the customer service thing. I have been calling this company for at least four and a half years, and every time I call them, and you can relate to the anybody can relate to this, I get on there and they're like, Thank you for calling XYZ. Please listen to all the uh please listen as our options have changed. Your options have not changed. Four and a half years I've been calling this company, probably once or twice, once a month at least, maybe once every two months, been calling them and they keep telling me I've got to listen because their options have changed. Their options have not changed. When did they? I don't get it. I know what my option is. It's one, four, one, one, two. That's what I need. I don't need to listen to the options because your options did not change.

SPEAKER_03 42:23

What company is this? I'm just kidding, because I'm thinking one, four, one, one, two.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Yeah, and then it's just, you know, getting through the little tree thing, but you got to listen because our options have changed. They have not changed. Why are you telling me they've changed? You're lying to me. And as a customer, I don't appreciate you lying.

SPEAKER_03 42:41

I think that's built in. I, you know, I do the phone system at my work, and I actually say the same thing. I do say the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 42:49

But your options haven't changed.

SPEAKER_03 42:51

We did actually have to change.

SPEAKER_02 42:53

Wait. And I guarantee you, in a year from now, that nothing will have changed, and you'll still be running that. Hey, please listen, as our options have changed.

SPEAKER_03 43:03

You are correct. I mean, so we you know this, uh, but we joined forces with our veteran services. We were both providing transportation in the same places, and so it was kind of silly. And so then our change, our options did change. So if you were a veteran, you could call. And so we had to say, hey, our options have changed, but they have not changed in like two years, and everybody who calls hears me say that.

SPEAKER_02 43:26

See, that's my point. Why do you keep telling people, please listen, as our options have changed? You're disrespecting your customers. So then why can they believe you? See, here's your problem. Then this is why we're running a problem. You're telling me your options have changed, they haven't changed in two years, but don't push that button. But you want me to believe there's this yellow line that's a federal thing. Gotta sit down, can't be in front of it. See, you've lost your credibility with me. So there you go. There's my rants for today. I feel better now.

New Listener Spotlight Clues

SPEAKER_03 44:03

Got them off your chest. Ah, yes. I was telling a buddy at work that that I had said on our last show that I got frustrated that you fill out your medical forms and they make you fill out again. He's like, Yes, that just happened to me. He's like, I threw the clipboard back at him. I said, Don't you read your own online form? Exactly. Uh well, all right. I always enjoy seeing you. I'm happy to be back in the studio, back out of the basement. I'm um living on the hog again. I'm upstairs. Uh, but With that being said, I am uh getting a little bit better back on the board here. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for listener spotlight.

SPEAKER_02 44:53

All right. Listener Spotlight for this week. The clues are as follows. This city was established uh after a treaty in the 1830s. It started as a center of trade. It could be said that this town was the original blue ribbon city. This city is not San Juan, but one president did overcome adversity here. And Alice Cooper, you know, the rock singer, may or may not know something about this city? I know.

SPEAKER_03 45:39

It's you think it's St. Louis. You had me until the Alice Cooper thing, because I I was thinking, possibly for a second, is this his way of tricking me? But does Alice Cooper have a St. Louis song or connection?

SPEAKER_02 46:01

Hmm. These are questions we must ponder. Oh, I'll even I'll even give you a bonus guess. Oh to maybe help you. Or a bonus, uh not guess, but a bonus uh clue. Clue. German settlers played a large part in this city's development.

SPEAKER_03 46:22

I don't think it'd be St. Louis then.

SPEAKER_02 46:26

Why not?

SPEAKER_03 46:29

Wasn't St. What wasn't St. Louis French?

SPEAKER_02 46:36

I don't know. Was it? You're the St. Louis expert. You want me to give away stuff here?

SPEAKER_03 46:41

No, I don't want you to give it away.

SPEAKER_02 46:44

It's like, uh, wasn't that French?

SPEAKER_03 46:46

Man, I'm talking out loud. Well, we will let the community search. We will let the community okay, I'm gonna search.

SPEAKER_02 46:58

Well, wasn't one of the famous famous residents of St. Louis? Anheuser Busch or Anheuser.

SPEAKER_03 47:07

Well, I know that Germans own Anheuser-Busch now. But wasn't he originally German?

SPEAKER_04 47:14

Hmm.

unknown 47:15

Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 47:16

Maybe. Maybe. All right. Well, we're not gonna solve it now.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

I don't need to solve anything. I know what the answer is, but you can continue on your quest. I did like the the fishing thing. Uh St. Louis was uh French, wasn't it? Not giving you any clues. I gave you an extra one, so there you go.

Pause Status And Laser Memories

SPEAKER_03 47:37

All right. Well appreciate you always doing the hard work. Uh, I know a lot of people enjoy it. Um what's up for us next? Um, I got asked that question, and we are still on pause. Um just to just to be transparent. Um, Mr. Sharp is focusing on getting a J O B to be able to support the family.

SPEAKER_02 48:06

Laser focused, which by the way, is not a good catch term to use in business anymore. So just so you can't.

SPEAKER_03 48:12

Laser focused is not laser focused, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:15

Not a good key word. I don't know, they just don't use it anymore. It was a horrible word to use to begin with, but I'm a laser focused.

SPEAKER_03 48:27

Fun fact for those of you who like to listen to our shenanigans, the first time I ever saw a laser. A laser was at a Neil Diamond concert in Carbondale, Illinois, and I was a young tyke. My mother and father took me, I think they had to, they wanted to go to the concert, and they're like, what are we gonna do with him? And so can't send him to military school for another four years. What are we gonna do with him? And they uh they took me and he played I Am I Said, and on the ceiling of the dome, he used green lasers or his team or whatever used green lasers. And that was the first time that I'd ever seen a laser in like a laser light show. Like a laser light show on the ceiling of the dome.

SPEAKER_02 49:20

Uh in the So you heard a little sweet Caroline, huh?

SPEAKER_03 49:24

Oh yeah. Sweet Caroline.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

I, if this was normal or somebody, some other singer, would laugh at you because you've been to a Neil Diamond concert. But you've also been to a I have also been to a Neil Diamond concert, so I can't laugh at you at this point. So, but uh the first time, bins were reminiscing here, the first time I ever saw a laser light show would have been in 1986 at the Kansas State Fair. And who was there? Uh they they just had this tent thing you could go in. Uh, and uh they did this laser light show to like uh it was probably I don't know. Some some I mean there wasn't like a live rock group there, but they had gotcha probably who knows, uh playing the music, and they had a laser light show going up above there and that type of thing.

SPEAKER_03 50:24

So that's pretty cool. Yeah, that's uh you know, now we just kind of take it. I mean, lighting is is almost every concert you go to, it's just part, it's not only are you going for the music but everything else going on. So um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:39

It was very it was very rudimentary. I mean, it wasn't, you know, the polished, fancy laser light shows then, but I mean this was back in the mid-80s, so yeah, it was new for technology.

SPEAKER_03 50:51

And and just like the the seagulls that that Neil Diamond had on the ceiling, they were very, like you said, polygony. Very, is that a word, polygony? Very yeah, exactly. Very squared off. They were not like you know, nice and shaped and not high resolution.

SPEAKER_02 51:09

They were definitely rigid, very it moved very like kind of like you're playing with your cat and the laser type thing. I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 51:17

The guy in the raptors is blind now, but that's not important. So show went on. He won the lawsuit. It's okay. That's right. The show had to go on. So exactly. Um well uh we will hope to have positivity for you. I I uh a lot of people, you don't realize this. Sometimes I don't tell you because I don't want to make it worse, but a lot of people will reach out and ask about you. So uh a lot of people care and compassion.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

Uh I don't know what you did to earn their in their place in their hearts, but well, they realize that uh I've got a co-host that I have to manage, and that it I'm sorry, was it you saying something?

Wrap Up And Next Time Tease

SPEAKER_03 52:00

I wasn't saying anything. Well, listen, uh really enjoy being with you, sir. I I uh I missed this, and and it's nice to be back in my home area, and I I look forward to what we can produce for the next few shows because pretty soon we're 100. 100. We're getting close to 100 extra.

SPEAKER_02 52:23

100 milestone. And uh next next episode, we're gonna do a little bit of uh leisure news. I've got a couple articles I'd like to share with everybody. Um one is one is around bicycling, very inspiring. Uh and the other is um I won't give it away, but we'll we'll talk about those two things the next episode.

SPEAKER_03 52:46

Well, that sounds good. Uh hopefully somewhere, somehow, some way, uh, it is a great day for a bike ride. For a bike ride, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 53:02

Thank you for riding along with Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. However, you travel, find the leisure your way. See you next time.