Just a single camera shot of a single day in my single life. At 7:49 am. In Hawaii.

The electric bike has become a regular part of life for me now… but repetitive jolts to the hindquarters don’t have to be.

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

We as Americans face difficult economic years ahead. So what?

Once upon a time a young prince named JFK proposed a voyage to the moon. No one knew how we would get there. Throughout the voyage we endured a money- and life-draining foreign war, a faltering economy, constant saber-rattling with Russia, and the assassination of three of our most inspiring leaders. With the exception of the latter, we’re in the same boat now as we were in the 1960’s.

So there we were- broke, bleeding, and bound for the moon. Because of our ability to focus on a unified vision, we somehow survived. We shot, landed, and brought back souvenirs from the moon like Velcro, advanced food preservation, advanced electronics, a new understanding of of our universe, microwave ovens, and mylar. Oh, and some rocks.

We created hundreds of thousands of American jobs and created new industries. We invented technologies that spread to the rest of the world. These jobs and technologies didn’t necessarily put men on the moon either, they made models. They assembled lunch boxes and action figures. They marketed the image of the astronaut as a rock star comparable to the Beatles (who also broke up during this period).

We have a bright future ahead of us. It may not be a voyage to the moon, but as Barack Obama has suggested, it may be a voyage to energy independence. Imagine the jobs, technologies, and prestige we can build with American hands if we commit ourselves to clean power.

It’s astounding the talents you develop when one half of your face is numb.

OHMYGOD WE’RE ALL FINANCIALLY SCREWED! Or, um, maybe not. All that’s happened is our money on paper has grown so far beyond our money in actual value that the economy suddenly realized we’re living in a mansion made of credit cards. How can we as American taxpayers¹ help solve this problem?

Remember all those terrorist-loving liberals that told you not to ship jobs overseas, to buy American goods, and to find domestic energy sources? They were right. That is what will save us. Our economy is not built around lending houses to each other, it’s built around items and services of actual value. If we’re not selling American-made goods and services, we have no money.

And as my friend Chris Penn points out, if we’re borrowing money for things we can’t really afford, we make the problem worse. Our personal economies dictate our national economy and we must live within our means. Believe me, I could’ve qualified for a loan at my old day job, but I knew I couldn’t really afford a house. I didn’t yet (and still don’t) have the value in my own pocket to back up the value of a house.

Of course, I should mention that American musicians sell their American-made wares both at home and abroad via the internet and international touring. You already knew that, though.

The important thing here is to realize that the solution to our problem will not come from some complex economic magic. The problem will be solved when we as consumers start making and buying products of value right here in America.

¹This is not meant to diminish the contributions and financial woes of my friends in other nations. My point is that we as Americans seem to have forgotten that in a capitalist economy, national or global, we have to be selling as much as we’re consuming if the balance sheet is going to even out in the end.

I just got another check from my Performing Rights Organization, BMI. To those of you out there actually paying your BMI license for the music you’re podcasting, THANK YOU!

Just like the previous check (my first one), it’s not enough to retire. Not enough to pay rent either. Heck, it’s not even enough to celebrate with sushi and sake. It’s encouraging, though, to see that one old-media establishment does indeed work in the new media world.

If you’re a podcaster, this is the part I want you to focus on: Once you can afford your bandwidth and hosting, get a BMI license. Every reported podcast play puts another drop of gasoline in my touring tank. BMI is not a big evil monolith like the RIAA (assholes), it’s a well-established system where songwriters (me) get paid for radio and internet play (you). Even on a small scale, it works.

If independent music is making your podcast better- and especially if your podcast is sponsored or making affiliate sales or ad clicks, etc. -then please help us fill up our tanks (and stomachs). This system actually works, but only if you make it fair.