Episode 92

Year-end Wrap Up

Published on: 16th December, 2024

Today it’s just Martin and I going over a great year of shows, some plans for next year, and some statistics. Merry Yuletide everyone! Happy New Year!

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Show notes with links to articles, blog posts, products and services:

Episode 92 (24 minutes) was recorded at 2015 Central European Time, on December 14, 2024, with Alitu's recording feature. Martin did the editing and post-production with the podcast maker, Alitu. The transcript is generated by Alitu.

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Transcript
Blair:

Foreign ladies and gentlemen, good good afternoon and welcome to episode 92 of the

Blair:

Secular Foxhole podcast.

Blair:

Today it's just Martin and I and this will be

Blair:

a short end of year show where we're just gonna thank all our guests that we've had

Blair:

throughout the year and all their wonderful ideas and comments and commentaries and we

Blair:

wish them all much success in the new year and hopefully many of them, if not all of them,

Blair:

will return sometime in the future.

Blair:

But today I just wanted to say again, this is a wrap up.

Blair:

I've recently retired from 36 years in IT and even longer in work life.

Blair:

So I have a new chapter in life ahead of me and I'm enjoying my days so far.

Blair:

And let's see we the one piece of really good news I have is concerns Professor Brad

Blair:

Thompson of Clemson University.

Blair:

He's got a new book coming out called the

Blair:

Political Thought of the American Revolution A Reader and it's a two volume set and the first

Blair:

volume comes out pretty soon.

Blair:

I know there's no, he doesn't have a published date yet, but he said pretty soon and it says

Blair:

in his substack article about it, he says the first volume, subtitled the Imperial Crisis

Blair:

and Independ, assembles some of the most important tracks in the conflict between Great

Blair:

Britain and her American colonies in the years between 1761 and 1776.

Blair:

The second volume, subtitled Revolutionary Constitution Making and Social Reform,

Blair:

presents dozens of original documents concerned with the attempts by American

Blair:

revolutionaries to construct new constitutions and governments after 1776 and to reform the

Blair:

laws of their societies.

Blair:

Speaking for myself, I think Professor Thompson is as far as 21st century.

Blair:

He's the most competent pro American philosopher, writer, historian that we have

Blair:

today and his work deserves the widest audience possible.

Blair:

And so that's, that was my one piece of, you know what I thought was really a highlight

Blair:

which will happen early in the new year when that first volume comes out.

Blair:

And he also, you know, he's written, he's got his own publishing company called Loco Foco

Blair:

Press and I tried to find the website which I still have not been able to find, which is

Blair:

very strange.

Blair:

But apparently it, that Locofoco is part of a, a movement back in those times that's sort of

Blair:

a, I don't want to say libertarian ish, but certainly freedom oriented if I'm not

Blair:

mistaken.

Martin:

Correct meaning of liber and freedom and liberty and.

Blair:

Yeah, things like that.

Martin:

Libertine or something like that.

Martin:

Yeah.

Blair:

Oh okay.

Blair:

Yeah. And that, let's see, what else could.

Martin:

I comment on that Also, of course, I think in his newsletter he had some news

Martin:

coming up that he will announce also that's happening.

Martin:

So then I sent in an email and also waited for a reply there.

Martin:

So it will be interesting.

Martin:

You are having a good contact there, Blair.

Martin:

And he has his substack newsletter on Substack and it has a special name.

Martin:

Isn't it like a nickname with dread Red.

Martin:

Is it Redneck?

Blair:

And it's called the Redneck Intellectual.

Martin:

Yeah. And that's.

Martin:

Is it the one that down deep down south that

Martin:

you had the T shirt with your neck? Neck T shirt.

Blair:

That could very well be.

Blair:

But of course, since there's so much sun,

Blair:

people's necks get red.

Blair:

So.

Martin:

Yeah, so red.

Blair:

But this also has connotations that are of a slur nature.

Martin:

Yeah, I know it is, but.

Blair:

But I think.

Blair:

I think he uses it all as a pun and fun.

Martin:

Yeah. And that's.

Martin:

That's good.

Martin:

That's good.

Blair:

And go ahead.

Martin:

Yeah, and also you talked about that and I now when I'm recording.

Martin:

So next week it's as I think should be an American holiday.

Martin:

And that's the December 16th Boston Tea Party, 1773.

Martin:

So we have been celebrating that with friends and Americans in spirit in Gothenburg, Sweden,

Martin:

for many years, several occasions.

Martin:

We'll see what happened this year.

Martin:

But we are.

Martin:

I always on this day thinking about what's

Martin:

happened in Boston.

Martin:

That's very Tea party that they had.

Martin:

And of course, as I said, as I'm a tea

Martin:

enthusiast, for me it's important of the value of beverage and the trading and the plant and

Martin:

why it was, you know, it was boiling over or how do you say, got it happening.

Martin:

I mean, it could be some other commodity or something, but it was that the English men

Martin:

trained or got the colonists that they liked this brew, the cup, and then they taxed it and

Martin:

they didn't have any representation.

Blair:

That's right.

Blair:

That's right.

Martin:

And yeah, I wonder if that's maybe going on during these times also.

Blair:

I think there's certainly trends toward freedom, hopefully.

Blair:

I don't really want to go negative at the end of the year because of the yuletide

Blair:

celebrations and so on.

Martin:

And that's a good word also yuletide.

Martin:

And I will say here in Swedish, yuletide or Xmas.

Martin:

It's called juvel in Swedish.

Martin:

And that's coming from yule log that you put

Martin:

in the fireplace.

Blair:

Yes.

Martin:

And then you count the sparks and thinking of good times and what's coming.

Martin:

And you want to keep warmth during the whole holiday.

Martin:

So that's what the word jewel is coming from.

Blair:

I like that.

Martin:

Yeah. So I know.

Blair:

So as far as the secular Foxhole podcast is concerned, next year we will hope

Blair:

to update our logo and perhaps have a new and.

Blair:

Or different song or jingle.

Martin:

And artwork.

Blair:

And artwork.

Blair:

Right.

Blair:

And then some of the guests we hope to have again, I hope to.

Blair:

I'll reach out to Brad Thompson when this book is published and hopefully have him on.

Blair:

And then we did confirm, at least preliminarily with a gentleman named Scott

Blair:

Powell, who's a homeschool teacher and historian and he's written three books and he

Blair:

is very knowledgeable about literature and history.

Blair:

And so hopefully that will happen very soon.

Martin:

Yeah.

Blair:

And I probably kick off the new year with Mr. Powell.

Martin:

Yeah, great.

Blair:

And. And then hopefully Brad Thompson shortly after that.

Blair:

But go ahead.

Martin:

Yeah. I also want to say that we have been planning and that's also thanks to

Martin:

another returning guest, Robert Beagley, to prepare for a follow up of the Thomas Paine

Martin:

Institute with Alex and Kevin.

Blair:

That's true.

Martin:

And thanks for your support.

Blair:

Yes, very much.

Blair:

Thank you.

Martin:

So that's great.

Martin:

And we'll talk more about.

Martin:

Because we have a milestone coming up.

Martin:

It will probably be around mid mid 2025 or in

Martin:

the spring, late spring.

Martin:

Then if everything goes according to plan, we'll reach episode 100.

Martin:

And that's for podcasters.

Martin:

That's often that you celebrate that in a

Martin:

special way.

Martin:

So if you listener have any ideas how to do it

Martin:

or feedback or input or whatever.

Martin:

And we will try to use this new modern podcast applications and technology and this

Martin:

podcasting 2.0 initiat and this value for value model.

Martin:

So we could do something special for that.

Martin:

But I think every episode is important and

Martin:

valuable and it will be interesting to go back and go through and listen through and take

Martin:

some notes and see what we could come up with.

Martin:

Blair. So and again, I want to do a bit of if I continue with the call to action and also

Martin:

plans to get the guests and others but onboarding to this new way of international

Martin:

lifestyle when it comes to podcasting 2.0.

Martin:

So we could share the splits with the guests and we could get support and donations and

Martin:

booster grams and read on air and all kind of cool things that could happen with new modern

Martin:

podcast applications.

Martin:

And again I want to thank.

Martin:

What's his name now again? Oh, Kevin.

Martin:

No. Is it? No down or in Australia that gave a great

Martin:

review of our show and explained what our show is all about.

Blair:

Yeah, I don't remember his name either.

Martin:

But Dana under So thanks.

Martin:

Yes, yes, I will include in the show notes and

Martin:

mere mortals since the podcast.

Blair:

That's right, that's right, yes.

Blair:

Yeah.

Blair:

Again though otherwise we wish everyone very joy filled yuletide season and a great new

Blair:

year full of success and prosperity.

Blair:

Yeah, so that's a wrap for me I guess, Martin.

Blair:

Yeah.

Martin:

And I will add some stuff here.

Blair:

By all means, please.

Blair:

Absolutely.

Martin:

So future plans, as you said, the jingle, the artwork and the milestones here of

Martin:

100 episodes upcoming and the POD page that you are taken care of and you secured a great

Martin:

domainware with secular Voxel and there you could do all kind of cool features and so on

Martin:

with POD page.

Martin:

So we'll look into that.

Martin:

And also I could tell about what you learn when you're running with CSS.

Martin:

That's an expression in the podcast in 2.0

Martin:

community.

Martin:

Could say that I got Albi Hub and then it was

Martin:

recommended to have a certain amount of satoshis and now for some reason, and that's

Martin:

in a way good way.

Martin:

But the bitcoin have increased in value or you could say maybe the fiat currency have, you

Martin:

know, happens with that value, so to speak.

Martin:

So it's getting there.

Martin:

The bitcoin price, it's over.

Martin:

What is it? Hundred reached?

Blair:

It's close to 200 or 100,000, I think, maybe even more.

Martin:

Yeah. So when I so called added to the GitHub list this number 221905 that we talked

Martin:

about, Ran's day boostergram number, Ran's birthday, February 2, 1905.

Martin:

The first time a couple of years ago it was like $50 I think now it's over $200 to send

Martin:

that boostogram.

Blair:

Well, that just proves that bitcoin is very valuable.

Martin:

Yes, so we'll look into that.

Martin:

And then I also want to say, I mean as you

Martin:

said, you are retiring.

Martin:

I'm still open for work.

Blair:

Good, good.

Martin:

Yeah. And I'm open for these projects when it comes to podcasting and new media and

Martin:

freedom of expression.

Blair:

Good. So I've just thought of something, Martin, if you don't mind me

Blair:

interceding, it's all good.

Blair:

One of our guests, Richard Salzman, he praises a woman economist, her name is Judy Shelton

Blair:

and she has written a book called I believe it's called Good as Gold, which is on Kindle

Blair:

for $2.99,

Blair:

which I think is the regular price, not just the sale price.

Blair:

And of course it comes out in paperback as well.

Blair:

About the gold, perhaps the world returning to a gold standard.

Blair:

I think she's written about that before, but this might be a current, more updated version

Blair:

of that.

Blair:

And I am going to read that book and reach out

Blair:

to her if I can.

Blair:

Great.

Blair:

And then have her as a guest.

Blair:

That'll be next year.

Blair:

Yeah, but I just thought of that and I wanted

Blair:

to mention that to our listeners.

Martin:

That's a good point and because in a way you're reading my mind because the latest

Martin:

episode of podcasting 2.0 podcast with Adam Curry and Dave Jones.

Martin:

Dave Jones made a comment on how you build this initiative.

Martin:

I mean it's not a company, it's not an organization, it's open source, it's

Martin:

programmers, developers, hosting companies, individuals like me that want to or supporter

Martin:

and want to test it and spread the good word.

Martin:

And then he had an interesting thing that it was small time libertarian, it was some in the

Martin:

Austrian economics or something like that that had an interesting expression about

Martin:

competition in a friendly way and how that lead to things.

Martin:

You don't have an automatic outcome.

Martin:

You don't know how it.

Martin:

They took the example, for example, with VHS and Betamax and others.

Blair:

Right, right.

Martin:

You know, in a way one format could be better technically wise and the experts are

Martin:

saying, but then it's up to the market to decide and the users and the consumers and the

Martin:

producers and so on.

Martin:

So it's interesting to see how we could be really in a way, supporters of free tools and

Martin:

free economy.

Blair:

Absolutely.

Martin:

And spreading the ideas.

Martin:

And that's why it's interesting with again,

Martin:

thanks to Albi, to Tomek, for example, that also have interest in ideas and philosophy.

Martin:

And so we will look more into that.

Blair:

Yes.

Martin:

And try to get it out to our listeners and because it's.

Martin:

It's an educational thing.

Martin:

I mean that's how for example, you introduced

Martin:

me to Swan Bitcoin, for example.

Blair:

Right.

Martin:

And there I see.

Martin:

I mean it's interesting to see.

Martin:

But when you have this again, changes of rules, regulations and what's going on and

Martin:

then you see what's happening now in Argentina that is possible to change things.

Blair:

This is certainly true.

Martin:

But then again you have to have a philosophical foundation that is absolutely.

Martin:

You have to get it.

Blair:

It's the only lasting way to have it done with the proper philosophic foundation.

Martin:

So yeah, also.

Martin:

And then again, if you value this, you could support us in different ways and we will

Martin:

include the support page on Captivate.

Martin:

And so we have got that in the past and we

Martin:

could have it in the future also.

Martin:

Thank you very much in advance.

Martin:

And then doing this onboarding and I will talk

Martin:

Again with Sam Sati for the next year, how we could onboard in an easy and secure way and in

Martin:

a positive way get this gamification on its way.

Martin:

So I will end, if it's okay, Blair, with a little bit of stat stats and.

Martin:

But not damn stats.

Blair:

Well, let me.

Blair:

Let me tip my hat to captivate and POD page

Blair:

for all the outstanding.

Blair:

Do what they do for us and it's all yours,

Blair:

Martin.

Martin:

Yeah, and that's also with Sam Seti.

Martin:

I mean, it is not about the numbers and the

Martin:

downloads and how many.

Martin:

We are very niche podcast, but we see the

Martin:

potential.

Blair:

Yes.

Martin:

So every individual, every listener is important.

Martin:

So it's not downloads as such.

Martin:

And the good thing is our small podcast is

Martin:

that we are not dependent on numbers in that way.

Martin:

And that as a new media advisor, I'm very interested in this.

Martin:

What's going on in advertising, in the big shows.

Martin:

We shouldn't talk about this now, but what's happening in the election, for example, the

Martin:

importance of podcasting there, if you appeared on a podcast or not.

Martin:

And the mainstream media, what's going on there or not going on.

Martin:

And the opportunity with like newsletters, tools like Substack, for example, and Bradley

Martin:

Thompson coming across in a positive way, changing one individual.

Martin:

How to say it? Yeah.

Blair:

One mind at a time.

Martin:

Yeah, thanks.

Martin:

So with that said, Sam's setis talk about the download numbers versus like time spent or

Martin:

listening or engagement or feedback or booster grams.

Martin:

So it's not the download number as such.

Blair:

Okay.

Martin:

But that could be one figure.

Martin:

But we will see then in the future as we have

Martin:

seen the feedback from our guests, listeners, donations, booster grams, comments, the POD

Martin:

page, as you said, for example, you could do that.

Martin:

But anyway, we kept it there with the stats around average.7 downloads per day is average.

Blair:

Okay.

Martin:

We have had unique listeners and this is a number that I've been thinking about.

Martin:

It's pretty big, I think.

Martin:

But according to Captivate then unique

Martin:

listeners over the whole, in total, over time, 5,796.

Blair:

I'll take that number.

Martin:

Yeah. And in total downloads, 10,981.

Martin:

And that's if you do it comparison with the

Martin:

big shows or pretty big shows or seven big shows.

Martin:

You know, they could have that download number in one episode.

Martin:

But that's only the small minority that have that.

Blair:

That's true.

Martin:

The average is like 150.

Martin:

I think Libsyn's, that official podcast, the

Martin:

feed is saying that still it's around 150.

Martin:

And we are, you know, if you take seven downloads per day.

Martin:

And we have about two episodes per month, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Martin:

We are, you know, we are not in the top, but we are not in the bottom either.

Blair:

No, we're not.

Martin:

And we see the potential.

Martin:

But if we could, as I said, reach one individual that will think about this.

Martin:

And I'm so happy to.

Martin:

Again, thanks to all the guests that saying

Martin:

that they like to, you know, to be in the foxhole, the secular foxhole with us.

Blair:

Yes.

Martin:

They're taking their time and that's why I wanted to add them onboard them and add

Martin:

them to the split because this will be the future.

Martin:

They change.

Martin:

So. And in total, new modern podcast app, for

Martin:

example, Fountain, it's like 2%.

Martin:

So if we could increase that a little bit,

Martin:

that will get some interesting impact in the future.

Martin:

Okay, so check out the new modern podcast app.

Martin:

And we will include that in show notes also.

Martin:

And the total numbers, Blair, in countries is as follows.

Martin:

Now, United States, 65%.

Blair:

Great.

Martin:

So that's the main market, so to speak.

Martin:

Canada is 5%.

Blair:

Very nice.

Martin:

Sweden for some reason is third place here.

Blair:

That's fine.

Martin:

Yeah. And United Kingdom.

Blair:

Good.

Martin:

India, Australia, Norway, Belgium and Germany.

Martin:

And in total, we are in 102. 102 countries.

Blair:

That's staggering, to be honest.

Martin:

And the latest periods, like 28 days over the last month, we had some downloads in

Martin:

Singapore.

Martin:

That's something to reflect on.

Blair:

I would love to go to Singapore, believe me.

Blair:

Yeah.

Martin:

And there you are again.

Martin:

That's probably after, you know, Hong Kong is, you know, it's a big country, but it's pity to

Martin:

say it's belonging, so to speak, in quotation mark with mainline China.

Martin:

It shouldn't, but it does.

Martin:

But Singapore is economically wise.

Martin:

It's probably one of the freest, I think.

Martin:

But then you have again with the philosophical lack of foundation, whatever, or to really

Martin:

integrate the freedom.

Martin:

Freedom in every aspects of your life.

Blair:

That's true.

Blair:

I mean, they're just using.

Martin:

But it's great that somebody in Singapore could listen to our show.

Blair:

I'm glad.

Blair:

Yes, I'm thrilled.

Blair:

Believe me.

Blair:

I love that.

Blair:

But it's the standard worldwide now.

Blair:

You allow some economic freedom, but you can continue to control most of everything else,

Blair:

which.

Blair:

Okay, we have to eat.

Blair:

So let's open the capitalist, as I think one of objectivist intellectuals, he put it some

Blair:

years ago, he says, we'll loosen the noose a little bit.

Martin:

Now I interrupt you, but that's what I like with Richard Van Saltzman, that he

Martin:

explained the word capitalism.

Martin:

I think with the cap, the thinking cap.

Blair:

Right? True. Good point.

Blair:

Yeah.

Martin:

Yeah. With that note, Blair, do you want to wrap it up or do you have anything

Martin:

else you want to say?

Blair:

Martin, it's.

Blair:

It's been a great ride.

Martin:

Yeah.

Blair:

And we'll.

Martin:

Likewise.

Blair:

We'll take the.

Blair:

We'll take it into the new year.

Martin:

Yeah.

Blair:

And thank you again for everything you do.

Blair:

I really sincerely mean that same player.

Blair:

And happy.

Blair:

Happy Yuletide.

Blair:

And Happy New Year.

Blair:

And we'll talk again soon.

Martin:

Yeah, we will.

Martin:

Thanks.

Blair:

All right.

Blair:

You're welcome.

Blair:

Thank you.

Martin:

Bye for now.

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The Secular Foxhole
Separation of Religion and State
As a freethinker, are you looking through binoculars out at the world in the safety of a foxhole? Get fuel for your soul and intellectual ammunition by listening to The Secular Foxhole podcast, in order to fight for the separation of religion and state.

Blair chose this name (The Secular Foxhole) to dispute the myth that there are no atheists in foxholes, but also as a place to share ideas and defend Free Speech. The co-hosts both advocate the separation of Church and State, but also Economics and State. In short, Liberalism, Individualism, and Capitalism.
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About your hosts

Blair Schofield

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I'm a 'lapsed' blogger who turned his blog into a podcast. Now the task is to keep both up to date! My co-host Martin Lindeskog and I have already celebrated our one year anniversary, with the podcast.

Martin Lindeskog

Profile picture for Martin Lindeskog
Creator, ✍🏻 Tea Book Sketches. Indie Biz Philosopher ⚛️ & New Media 📲 Advisor, TeaParty.Media. Blogger since 2002 and podcaster🎙since 2006. First podcast: EGO NetCast. Latest podcast: Pluck the Day. Support 💲My Work and 🗽 Freedom of Expression: https://bio.link/lyceum