HPR/hpr_website
8
0
Fork 0
Code Issues 1 Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity
Files
main
hpr_website/www/eps/hpr4195/hpr4195_full_shownotes.html

256 lines
12 KiB
HTML
Raw Permalink Normal View History

First batch of extra files
2025-10-28 18:39:57 +01:00
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<base href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/">
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="generator" content="pandoc">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes">
<title>Hacking HPR Hosts</title>
<style type="text/css">code{white-space: pre;}</style>
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script src="http://html5shim.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/html5.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/css/hpr.css">
</head>
<body id="home">
<div id="container" class="shadow">
<header>
<h1 class="title">Hacking HPR Hosts</h1>
<hr/>
</header>
<main id="maincontent">
<article>
<h1 id="what-business-are-we-in">What business are we in ?</h1>
<p>While we may be “dedicated to sharing knowledge”, we are competing
for the time and attention of our Audience. Therefore we are in the
Entertainment Business.</p>
<h2 id="theres-no-business-like">There’s no Business like …</h2>
<p>The clue is in this statement from the about page.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Hacker Public Radio (HPR) is an Internet Radio show (podcast) that
releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Let’s compare that to others.</p>
<p>Any event promoter needs to provide the Who, What, Where, and When,
to their potential audience.</p>
<ul>
<li>U2, UV Achtung Baby Live playing the Las Vegas Sphere, from 23 to
the 30 June 2024.</li>
<li>Richard III in the Globe Theatre, All Summer. (The resident players
is implied)</li>
<li>BBC News at Ten. (The what and when are in the name, BBC News Team
is implied, as is Daily)</li>
<li>Season 2 of Firefly, returns to Netflix in the Fall.</li>
</ul>
<p>A theater will have an address and a schedule for when the events
occur. On TV and radio they have predefined channel locations, and often
have 24x7 schedule of programs.</p>
<p>For Hacker Public Radio (HPR) our “venue” or channel is our RSS Feed,
and our schedule is a show every weekday Monday through Friday.</p>
<p>A podcast production enterprise, like the NPR, BBC, etc have
permanent staff who’s day job is to come in and create content. Other
approaches used by Netflix, or Disney+, etc is to commission external
parties to record unique content. They might also just purchase in
shows. Regardless of the approach, they all have a mechanism to meet the
production schedule.</p>
<p>Unlike other podcasters, HPR has no control of our supply chain. We
do still have a contract to deliver one “product” a day Monday to
Friday, but we also have no control over our distribution channels.</p>
<p>I think it’s important to understand just how much energy goes into
managing this balancing act.</p>
<p>It’s the absolute <strong>core</strong> of the project, and is what
takes up most of our time and energy.</p>
<h1 id="feeding-the-queue">Feeding the Queue</h1>
<p>We have to feed the queue.</p>
<h2 id="control-of-our-supply-chain">Control of our supply chain</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>A supply chain, .. is a complex logistics system that consists of
facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and
distribute them to end consumers or end customers. Meanwhile, supply
chain management deals with the flow of goods within the supply chain in
the most efficient manner. <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain">From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Our supply chain is entirely dictated by the generous hosts who
donate their time to recording a show. Therefore the Janitors have no
control over when shows are sent in. As Janitors, we can only contact
the community to remind them to send in shows.</p>
<p>We need your help to manage this.</p>
<h3 id="boombust-supply">Boom/Bust Supply</h3>
<p>Usually there is a burst of contributions after a “Call for Shows”,
which is itself as a result of a lull in the amount of contributions.
This leads to boom and bust/saw tooth delivery of shows. There is a
painful behaviour that the Janitors observe after a “Call for
Shows”.</p>
<ul>
<li>There is a burst of contributions all taking the first available
slots.</li>
<li>The queue quickly fills up the upcoming weeks.</li>
<li>It takes time for the “Call for Shows” to get to everyone.</li>
<li>A potential host is late hearing the “Call for Shows” and sees a
full queue, resulting in them not submitting a show.</li>
<li>Worse is that it instills the feeling of HPR “<a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf">Crying
Wolf</a>”, incorrectly assuming the subsequent “Call for Shows” can
safely be ignored.</li>
<li>After a few weeks our queue is empty and we need to put out another
“Call for Shows”, which that host ignores.</li>
</ul>
<p>The timely delivery of shows is an inherent challenge with volunteer
contributions. Fortunately this is a well understood problem known as <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queueing_theory">Queueing
theory</a>, and we have implemented the <a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/about.html#reserve_queue">Reserve
Queue</a>, as a means to regulate/<a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_buffer">buffer</a> the incoming
delivery with outgoing supply.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The reserve queue is intended only to be used in the cases where
there is still a gap in the schedule one week prior to release. This was
known as the emergency queue, but now can also be used when the hosts
don’t care when the shows are scheduled. They will be used on a first in
first out basis, when there is no conflict with the scheduling
guidelines. These shows contain a message alerting listeners to the fact
that we had free slots that were not filled.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3 id="scheduling-guidelines">Scheduling Guidelines</h3>
<p>When you are contributing a show, you decide when to post your show.
The choice of slot may even encourage others to submit a show
themselves.</p>
<p>Our observations show that there is a <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldilocks_principle">Goldilock
Zone</a> where there are just the right amount of free slots to
encourage contributions.</p>
<h4 id="too-many-free-slots">Too Many free slots</h4>
<p>When there are too many free slots some people get disheartened and
don’t want to contribute to a dying project.</p>
<p>On the other hand too many free slots can send regular hosts into a
panic to fill them. We all suffer from this, and it can lead to burnout.
Fortunately we now have the <a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/about.html#reserve_queue">Reserve
Queue</a>, where they can post their backup shows at a time that is
convenient to them.</p>
<p>The idea that some shows are sub par because they are rushed in to
fill free slots can now be put to rest. All the shows in the <a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/about.html#reserve_queue">Reserve
Queue</a> are there because the Host did not feel the need to rush the
shows out.</p>
<h4 id="too-many-free-slots-1">Too many free slots</h4>
<p>On the other hand seeing too many free slots some people get
disheartened that their show won’t be aired for weeks, so end up not
recording a show in the first place.</p>
<h4 id="hacking-human-behaviour">Hacking Human Behaviour</h4>
<p>So the HPR Community can influence the supply chain by been smart
about how we schedule the shows.</p>
<p>When you upload consider the <a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/about.html#scheduling_guidelines">Scheduling
Guidelines</a> when picking your slot.</p>
<ol type="1">
<li>You must have your audio recording ready to upload before you pick a
slot.</li>
<li>New hosts, Interviews, and other time critical shows should use the
first free slot.</li>
<li>Always try and fill any free slots that are available in the
upcoming two weeks.</li>
<li>When the queue is filling up then leave some slots free for new
contributors.</li>
<li>Post non urgent shows into the first empty week.</li>
<li>If you are uploading a series of shows then post them one every two
weeks.</li>
<li>If you have a non urgent show that is timeless, then add every
second show to the <a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/about.html#reserve_queue">Reserve
Queue</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>This way <strong>your</strong> (person hearing this) actions, give
the HPR Community complete control over the supply of shows in a general
sense.</p>
<p>Remember the HPR Community have not missed a day since September
2009.</p>
<h1 id="janitors-covenant">Janitors Covenant</h1>
<p>The Janitors will continue to process and post the shows, so long as
<strong>you</strong>, the HPR community, continue to send them in. The
Janitors Covenant is to continue to produce shows as long as people send
them in. If people stop sending them in we will shut the project down
with grace and a big send off.</p>
<h3 id="the-order-of-the-mop">The order of the Mop</h3>
<p>Before we go any further we should give a nod to the people who give
up their free time to keep the shows pumping.</p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0039.html">Enigma</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0010.html">p0trill0</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0001.html">droops</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0055.html">StankDawg</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0078.html">Klaatu</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0003.html">dosman</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0042.html">slick0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0030.html">Ken
Fallon</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0162.html">code.cruncher</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0225.html">Dave
Morriss</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0293.html">Rho`n</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0342.html">norrist</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0266.html">Keith
Murray</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 id="distribution-channels">Distribution Channels</h1>
<p>Getting our podcast distributed is no problem what so ever.</p>
<p>While NPR, BBC, Netflix, Disney+, etc can afford to record unique
content, unique content is very, very expensive. Amazon, Apple and
Spotify may have the resources to do this, but they and others, make use
of the freely available content to inflate their inventory of
content.</p>
<p>We provide these platforms with our feed and our blessing. So long as
they adhere to the
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative
Commons Attribution Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA
4.0) License</a>. Our prime directive at work.</p>
<p>We publish a RSS feed, and that feed is then picked up by others such
as
<a href="https://archive.org/details/hackerpublicradio">Archive.org</a>,
<a href="https://music.amazon.fr/podcasts/9d9e6211-ff78-4501-93b6-6a9e560c4dbd/hacker-public-radio">Amazon
Music</a>,
<a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2hhY2tlcnB1YmxpY3JhZGlvLm9yZy9ocHJfcnNzLnBocA">Google
Podcasts</a>,
<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-hacker-public-radio-30994513/" target="_blank">iHeart
Radio</a>,
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hacker-public-radio/id281699640">iTunes</a>,
<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/de/podcasts/hacker-public-radio-hacker-public-radio-mNH-jsI7LcJ/">Listen
Notes</a>,
<a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/hackerpublicradio/">MixCloud</a>,
<a href="https://player.fm/series/hacker-public-radio">PlayerFM</a>,
<a href="https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/hacker-public-radio-76781">Podchaser</a>,
<a href="https://nl.radio.net/podcast/hacker-public-radio">Radio.net</a>,
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7e2hYcnHj9vKgUzsIOf4r3">Spotify</a>,
<a href="https://toppodcast.com/podcast_feeds/hacker-public-radio/">Top
Podcasts</a> and now for some reason
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30528560">IMDB</a>.</p>
<p>We have no control over what they do with the feed, how often the use
it, if they cache it, if they use the images from it, if the show the
explicit tag, or as in this case, if they <a
href="https://repo.anhonesthost.net/HPR/hpr_hub/issues/11">display the
host</a> or not.</p>
<p>That’s why you can help by taking up the mop and becoming the Janitor
for your Distribution Channel.</p>
</article>
</main>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Reference in New Issue Copy Permalink