Author: Carl Setzer

KPLU, KUOW, Evolutions and Deaths

Carl Setzer

I care deeply about journalism. Having quality, full time staff to dive deeply into issues is critical for our culture, for our democracy. Additionally critical: willingness to dive deeply into serious issues that need coverage, regardless of ratings. It’s critical from the national level all the way down to the local/hyperlocal. And, I’d argue, it’s most critical at the local.

So, KUOW is buying KPLU. The region’s two biggest public radio stations are at stake. This whole acquisition disturbs me. I noticed KUOW’s declining coverage of local events years ago and gave up on the station. KPLU has been a mainstay for my radio listening for years, long before and above and beyond their jazz programming. KUOW’s abandonment of local programming and unwillingness to listen to the community on major concerns regarding programming and personnel give me deep concerns about the plans for KPLU, which has taken up the slack as KUOW fell. I stopped listening as KUOW became irrelevant. And KPLU got my ears and dollars.

Reading The Stranger’s interview with Caryn Mathes only deepened my concern. She didn’t give any details or rationale about this merger. We know it’s not about the financial state of KPLU or Pacific Lutheran University, for what that’s worth. Perhaps she summed it up well when she said “If we’re relevant, if we’re resonating with people’s lives, people will give us money.” I haven’t given them money for years. Not out of protest (though their firing of Cliff Mass and their “spit-in-my-face” response to the community push-back might be good enough), but, like Cliff posted on his blog last year, they’ve stopped serving the community ages ago.

So, clearly, I don’t think this is a good idea for anyone, except perhaps the managers at KUOW and, I guess, the regents at PLU (with their tasty bit of cash) . The community is left with the promise of “not screwing this up” by the leader of the organization that has done exactly that, and much stonewalling. It’s a sad time for journalism lovers and those who see deep value in public radio, especially here in Seattle.

More reading:

A new post on Medium: Upon The Horizon

Carl Setzer
Rumi and Change

I started writing this while on an evening walk in my Lynnwood neighborhood. Currently, I live where I grew up. Stepping out my backdoor, I can see my parent’s house. My son goes to the same school I went to. This depth of familiarity gave me pause. I consider community, faith and a few other things close to me. I wrote this before Friday’s Parisian horror, though. Oddly, though, it’s still timely, especially considering how laden the world became with invective and rage. It’s challenging to maintain hope for humanity at these moments.

It’s best to focus on the peacemakers, diving deeper into love. Slowly, slowly we transform ourselves and, thus, the world around us. Therein lies my hope.

My latest post on Medium: Conversations, Child Rearing, Hyperbole and Hope.

Carl Setzer

Just loaded this up on Medium: Conversations, Child Rearing, Hyperbole and Hope. Take a few minutes and give it a read!

Fundraiser for #Edmonds Church of the Beloved on October 24th

Carl Setzer
Church of the Beloved’s boiler has broken and “winter is coming!”

They have an offer of free labor, but need to raise the $8,000 to buy a new boiler.

So they are hosting the following fundraiser:
Sound of Music Sing-A-Long
and
Octoberfest Events
Saturday, Oct 24
Movie Showings at 5pm & 8pm
Song lyrics provided!
Doors Open at 4:30pm
$10 Adults; $5 Kids
$3 Lagers, Pretzles, & Brats!
Church of the Beloved / Rosewood
8104  220th Street SW
All proceeds go to replace the broken boiler at Rosewood. Tax deductible donations gratefully accepted at belovedschurch.org/give

Check out this song: Cloud Castle Lake

Carl Setzer

This Irish band with ethereal melodies and intricate harmonies I find glorious. Please give them at least a few minutes of ear-time.

Sausage And Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Carl Setzer
 Made this tasty creation last night. It was fantastic.

I’ll quickly sum up the Facebook video. Do watch the video, and, heck, give Tasty a quick “like”.

  • Ingredients:
  1. One Acorn Squash
  2. One Onion
  3. Two Stalks Celery
  4. One tsp each salt & pepper
  5. One tsp Rosemary
  6. Three Cloves Garlic
  7. One Half Pound Sausage
  8. One Apple
  9. One Cup Bread crumbs
  10. One Half Cup Parmesan cheese

It’s a pretty straightforward recipe. NOTE: the video is mean for global audiences. 200 C  *OR* 400 F. 

Halve the squash, then lightly coat the halves with olive oil, season with a bit of salt & pepper, then bake for 40 minutes at 400F.

Pan fry the onion, celery, salt & pepper, add rosemary, garlic, then sausage, then apple, then breadcrumbs and cheese.

Add the stuffing to the squash, return to the 400F oven for another 20 minutes.

Sausage stuffed squash for dinner

A photo posted by Carl Setzer (@carlsetzer) on

Sausage And Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Posted by Tasty on Monday, October 12, 2015

 

Spotify, Apple Music, And The Masses Of Online Music Choices

Carl Setzer

A few months back, I gave the new Apple Music a go. As a long time Spotify user, I was mainly compelled by access to Apple’s library, with the expectation that the service would have access to the full catalog. Well, that’s not the case. With that, it’s not quite clear when a song is available for streaming vs. only for download. Well, at least that’s how I found it. Ultimately, I found the whole experience underwhelming. Particularly sad considering Apple’s aura as masters of design. Another compelling piece was the price of the family plan. Spotify has been making some noise of matching that plan, though. That would make the Apple benefit small, very small. Lastly, there’s the bit where Spotify’s been arguing with artists over pay. I need to agree that the public discourse Spotify launched was very defensive and, to sound like Wil Wheaton, “dickish”. However, as I dug around the internet for data, I didn’t find much to support that artists are making more with Apple, or that the Apple Music service was going to make them able to subsist.

I cancelled the renewal of Apple music. However, I’m not entirely convinced that Spotify is the best. There are so damn many of these services out there and I’ve only scraped the surface. And, as a Seattle guy, I need to consider to home-spun entries into the space: Real Network’s Rhapsody, probably the oldest streaming service out there.  Then there’s Microsoft’s Groove. As a former Microsoftie, I feel compelled to give my chums in Redmond a fair shake.

My next steps need to include giving some thought to what constitutes “the best”. I know I want access to a large library, one that includes great jazz and classical content besides the latest pop hits. I want to work with a company that’s working hard to ensure their artists are compensated fairly. The interface needs to be clean and intuitive. And music discovery is critical. I want a family plan, so the three of us can all use it with independent accounts. Oh, and it needs to excel across platforms. Any given day I’ll be on Windows 7, 8, Mac, and Android.

So check in and see where this leads. And let me know what you’ve discovered, what you recommend, what pitfalls I should be considering. Your wisdom is what I value you most.

Blogging & Vlogging

Carl Setzer

Just watched Chris Pirillo getting interviewed by Press Play Consulting. Pretty interesting stuff. Chris has done great work both blogging, then evolving into vlogging. I haven’t been in any hurry to move into the vlog world. However, listening to Chris, I’m thinking of reconsidering this. People seem to be getting better engagement with vlogs now. However, I’m primarily a writer, which is why I’ve been reluctant to make the move, besides a few experiments over on YouTube.  Personally, I have always felt the internet is a big place, with room for all kinds of content. In that regard, I guess the real answer should be “what’s the most fun?”

What about you? Where do you think the internet is heading? Watch Chris and let me know your thoughts.

 

The Life of a Real Estate Office Manager

Carl Setzer

I loved seeing this piece featuring Christy Belt Grossman, the office manager for the Belt Team, a real estate team with Keller Williams in Virginia. We have pretty solid parallels and do much the same kind of work. It’s really a delight to see the “behinds the scenes” folks getting some credit and appreciate for what we bring to the world.

It reinforces why I’ve stuck with the C&K Team (also part of Keller Williams): I get a solid sense of satisfaction helping people with their home buying. It’s a powerful part of most everyone’s life. Continuously listed as one of the highest stressors in life, it’s gratifying to help people navigate this process successfully.

Changes Afoot In Lynnwood

Carl Setzer

Over the past few weeks, major construction projects have started which will significantly impact Lynnwood. In particular, there are three large multi-family projects in process. 1) The CityCenter apartments on 196th & 36th, right across from the Convention Center, 2) the Lynnwood CityCenter Senior Living Apartments just north of 196th on 40th, 3) Lynnwood Place, next to where the new Costco is going and the 4), another round of apartments across Alderwood Mall Boulevard from the Alderwood Fred Meyer. Lots of construction, lots of new people, and with that, cars. This is the most concerning piece. Traffic around Lynnwood will be getting dramatically heavier over the next few months.

In most respects, I think the coming changes are positive. I like the mixed-use design that’s been incorporate and am looking forward to seeing the new businesses that rise up to support our new neighbors. But there are some costs, and it’s best to be prepared.

What do you think? Are there issues I’m missing? Let me know!