Ramblings of a Woodworking Geek

June 22, 2007 | Filed Under Blog 

I was just sitting down to play a rousing game of World of Warcraft on my fancy little iMac, while listening to a podcast on my MP3 player, as Nicole is having a chat on her Motorola Q and I cant help but realize that I am completely surrounded by technology. And as many of you noticed, my affinity for the techno-clutter has found its way into the podcast and the website, for better or for worse. With all this high tech stuff on my brain, I am constantly thinking of ways to integrate the newest online tools into a place that serves as a resource for an age old craft. You see the irony here? As all of you know, things don’t change very much in the world of woodworking. Perhaps this is what you love about it. A new tool may come out every once in a while (just take a look at some of the newest offerings from our sponsors), but the core concepts are always the same. And although there are always faster ways to get woodworking done, I have a great deal of respect for the folks who continue to use hand tools simply for the love of the task. Anyone who has run a properly tuned hand plane over a piece of cherry will know what I mean.

The problem:

Some of my most powerful learning experiences came directly from another woodworker. Not a book or a magazine article. But a real live person giving me advice, either in person or in a forum. Sometimes all we need is a direct answer to our questions. And forums can be great for that. Take Woodnet for example. If you post a question there you will more than likely have 10 answers within a few hours. Thats great! But the problem with these threads is they usually go off topic and there is no real opportunity for a true dialog between the woodworkers involved.

The opportunity:

Now unless you’ve been sleeping quietly under a large rock, you’ve heard the term Web 2.0. In fact, its a bit over used. As I like to say to Nicole, “Its soooooo 2006!”. One of the hallmarks of Web 2.0 is improved communication. And in the last 6 months alone we have seen an explosion of new technologies, such as user-generated live streaming video. There are so many cool things out there, but how can I harness that technology here at The Wood Whisperer. And more importantly, how much is too much? This is the topic of conversation at the Spagnuolo household almost daily.

The solution:

So what you see here at The Wood Whisperer is a work in progress……a real-time live experiment if you will. I want to provide an environment where people can stop by and watch a professional woodworker do his job on a daily basis. Its kind of like watching Norm’s webcam at The New Yankee Workshop (which I used to do all the time when I worked in an office). But imagine if you could interrupt Norm for a minute to ask him a question about the project he is working on! How cool would that be?!?! Now I don’t mean to compare myself to Norm, but I think you catch my drift. With these emerging technologies, that exact situation is now a reality. I hope that The Wood Whisperer will not only provide helpful videos and tutorials, but it will also serve as that apprenticeship very few of us have the time for. Lets face it. Most of my viewers barely have enough time to work in the shop, let alone take classes and sign on as someone’s apprentice. But if you spend a little time in the chat room and watch our streaming videos at TheWoodWhisperer.tv, you can’t help but learn a few things and pick up some tips here and there. And I am by no means the only one with the answers. The chat room is full of knowledgeable woodworkers who are ready to offer assistance with any question you might have. And if you just want to chat about the weather, you can do that too. I usually have the chat room up while Im working so if you ever have a question and you see TheWoodWhisperer in the chat room, ask way.

So I suppose the purpose of this babbling session is to let you know what my current mission is here at TheWoodWhisperer.com. And this is something that seems to change and morph on a regular basis. After all, technology slows for no one. And honestly, I don’t want it to. There is always something fresh and new out there and if it might be useful to my readers and viewers, I will incorporate it into the site. So please, take advantage of all we have to offer here at the site and be sure to check out our extended family using the links in the left column. We are all in this together.

As always, Nicole and I thank you all for your positive energy and your support.


Comments

10 Responses to “Ramblings of a Woodworking Geek”

  1. Herman on June 22nd, 2007 8:39 pm

    It’s Hip to be Square Marc! I’ve said it in the past - if you were a stock offered on the stock market I would certainly be betting on your success. You are making woodworking exciting again for lots of us, so keep up the good work. Your getting the respect you deserve!

  2. Schwigs on June 22nd, 2007 9:48 pm

    Tech is what I do for a living, I build databases and the code to access them. Woodworking for some reason fits so well into that realm, it IS a little ironic. I think the connection there is the yearning to build something and produce something that people will use. That is what you do on a daily basis whether it be an armoir for a customer or a chat room and streaming video, its all producing an end product that people will use and enjoy.

    Cheers Spags…and keep up the good work.

    Schwigs

  3. Vic on June 23rd, 2007 6:31 am

    As I’ve told you before, you are a tremendous resource for me. Everything you’ve added to the experience of the The Wood Whisperer website has been another tool for me in my quest to become the best woodworker I can be, and the chat room
    friends I’ve met along the way are an inspiration. You and Nicole are true pioneers. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

  4. Northern Wood on June 23rd, 2007 6:45 pm

    Hey, Marc -

    That is great news for us! I for one am very happy that you go out of your way to not only show us your talents, but to help share the info with us so we can learn as well. This site is an awesome example of the efficient use of technology and education. Who would have thought 10-15 years ago that a guy in a shop in Arizona could give real-time advice with pictures to a guy in Minnesota???

    You and Nicole have done and continue to do great things with technology. Thanks for letting us come along for the ride!

    Regards,

    Mike in St. Paul, MN

  5. muddler mike on June 24th, 2007 12:18 pm

    your mission has been clear and I believe your success is a direct result, Marc. My early woodworking mentors basically exposed me to general possibilities, but it wasn’t until just a couple of years ago when I discovered that fine woodworking was within my scope. Thanks mostly to you, David Marks’ show, as well as TNYW, of course. Finding you along with the rest of the online woodworking community has provided me with the knowlege base to fuel my creative fire and pursue projects I would have never thought possible.
    So many of us have careers that wouldn’t allow the time needed to truly study under a master, but we still have the desire to create and craft with our hands when we’re not at work. Until recently, those desires to take this hobby to the next level was all but impossible. But now, I have volumes of resourses in books, articles, and the availability to have my questions answered by a professional - and quickly at that. You, Matt, and the rest of the professionals who take the time to provide so much information to those of us wishing to make more than a paper towel rack have revolutionized this hobby - and I couldn’t be happier.
    so, a big thank you to you and Nicole for taking on this site and for all you offer. Every time you stop and take a little time to answer a question, it may be minor to you but it’s worth volumes to us.

    Thanks,
    Mike

  6. Ian on June 24th, 2007 4:11 pm

    So what realm do you play on? :)

    I enjoy your site a tonne. Keep up the great work!

  7. Schwigs on June 25th, 2007 7:54 am

    I like how all of the comments come from chatroom regulars. :-D

  8. thewoodwhisperer on June 25th, 2007 8:23 am

    Hey Ian. I am on both Anvilmar (BigMarc) and Dragonblight (Ballzout).

  9. Tim aka Mopardude on June 26th, 2007 3:46 am

    Dang! Why is there so many WOW servers? I thought the world was supposed to be huge? I know about 20 different people in RL and on the internet who play WOW and some have been trying to get me to switch from Lineage 2 to WOW but not a single one of them is on the same server! LOL

  10. dagboi on June 28th, 2007 2:36 pm

    Ballzout, eh?…….

    Subtle,…..reaaal subtle :)

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