FAQ

What is a podcast?

Think of it as radio on demand…if most radio was made by amateurs.

A podcast is a recording (either audio or video) which is distributed via the internet. Most of them are free and are produced by amateurs. You can find podcasts on just about any subject you care to name.

Most podcasts are distributed according to some sort of schedule…daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

For more detailed information, you can read the Wikipedia article here.

Do I need an iPod to listen to a podcast?

No. The majority of audio-only podcasts can be listened to using any portable MP3 player. In fact, you don’t really need a player at all. You can listen to a lot of podcasts (including Happily Domesticated) right inside your web browser.

On the top left-hand corner of each Happily Domesticated post you’ll find a built-in player. Click ‘play’ (the triangle button) to hear that episode.  The newest episodes are always listed first on the web page.

How much does it cost?

Podcasts are generally made available for free. Some podcasters make money by inserting advertisements, others sell advertising space on their web pages, and many don’t worry about making money at all. For them, the chance to connect with an audience is reward enough.

Happily Domesticated is free.

What does “subscribing” to a podcast mean?

Subscribing to a podcast is a way of having your computer get the latest episodes for you. For example, if you use iTunes, you can subscribe to Happily Domesticated. Each week, when I produce a new episode, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically.

If you don’t have iTunes there are other software programs you can use (called aggregators) to automatically get the newest episodes of this or any other podcast. I personally use an open-source program called Juice. It’s free and it runs on a variety of operating systems. You can find it on-line at http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/

Another popular free receiver is Winpodder.

How do I subscribe to Happily Domesticatd?

If you’re using iTunes, click on the ‘Add to iTunes’ button in the panel on the right-hand side of this page. From there, you’ll be taken to the Short Cummings Audio presents Happily Domesticated page in your iTunes program. Click subscribe to complete the process.

If you’re using some other aggregator, you’ll need to right-click on the ‘RSS 2.0′ icon and select ‘Copy Shortcut’ from the link that comes up. Then you can open your aggregator and find the ‘add new feed’ function (may be called something different if your aggregator). Paste the shortcut into your aggregator and you should be good to go.

If you’re a visual-type learner and want to see a quick tutorial, click HERE to learn how to subscribe.

Happily Domesticated is a weekly funny story delivered in podcast form. The subject matter varies, but mostly focuses on some aspect of modern, domestic life. (What can I say, I drive a mean minivan and I’m utterly — and happily — domesticated.)

One of my main goals in doing this is to produce a different kind of podcast. There are plenty of good podcasts out there in the talk-radio format. There are music podcasts, and sci-fi podcasts, and old-time radio revival podcasts.

Many of these run between 30 and 60 minutes. You can only listen to so many of them in a day. I wanted to produce something shorter and more focused.

So why the humorous essay format?

About fifteen years ago, I was a stringer for a local paper. To fill space one day I wrote a funny piece about travelling with a two-year-old. The editor liked it and asked for more in that style. Short Cummings was born.

I joke that I wrote an allegedly humorous column, but that there was never enough evidence to convict.

After I’d been writing for about a year, the paper underwent an editorial change and my services were no longer required. I archived my old files and turned my hand to other kinds of writing.

From time to time my wife would pull out the old columns and tell me I should take up writing them again. To my mind, without an audience, there wasn’t much point. However, when I started looking for a format for a podcast, it all sort of came together.

For the first three years, the podcast was just known as Short Cummings Audio.  In September of 2009, to mark the release of a book-length collection of my writing, I re-titled the series Short Cummings Audio presents Happily Domesticated.

Are these essays any good?

I think so, but that’s just one man’s opinion. I’ve gotten some very nice reviews in the iTunesmusic store. Let me share a few quotes:

…reminds me of Dave Barry or Erma Bombeck. He’s witty and relevant to everyday life.

…all the warmth and humor of A Prairie Home Companion with none of the padding. His observations are spot on as is his comedic sense.

A short well designed poscast. it is very amusing and worth listening to.

Well written, well produced, and so true.

Where did the name Short Cummings come from?

Well, my name is Kevin Cummings and the column is short. Get it? Hi-lar-i-ous, right?

There’s truth to that first statement, but there’s another reason as well. My dad is only 5′ 4″ tall and gets a might feisty if you call him short. During his military career (22 years U.S. Air Force) he routinely scratched the word Short Cummings out of memos and replaced it with “foibles” or “failings”.

When I needed a name for the column fifiteen years ago, I recalled that facet of dad’s personality and capitalized on it.

What do you do in real life?

I’ve spent the last 20 years working at a vocational/technical college in northern Utah. I’m currently serving as the Director of Student Services. I have the privelege of working with a great bunch of folks and helping students succeed in their education.

I have other hobbies, though; I read a lot and hang out with my family.

What podcasts do you listen to regularly?

Funny you should ask…in no particular order:

• The Daily Breakfast — Hosted by Fr. Roderick (a Dutch priest) this is a daily (more-or-less) show that deals with movies, TV, video games, the news, and occasional snippets of Catholic theology. Although it’s hosted by a priest, it’s not a particuarly religious show…just good entertainment.
• The Signal — Okay, I’ll ‘fess up. I’m a browncoat; a true fan of Joss Whedon’s TV-series Firefly. The Signal is a twice-a-month ‘cast about all things in the ‘verse.
• Decoder Ring Theater — Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear. Um…something like that. DRT is produced by a very talented Canadian theatre troop. Every two weeks you’ll get a new epsidoe from one of their original series. If you didn’t know better, though, you’d swear you were listing to some forgotten classic from half a century ago.
• Comedy 4 Cast — Clinton puts out a weekly show that is even shorter than mine! Four minutes of funny every week. What more could you ask for?
• Slice of Life Podcast — Produced by WFAE and listed on the NPR podcast page, this is a weekly humor essay that runs around minutes per epsiode.
• Liam Humor — A Blog and podcast. Liam Johnsons’ life experiences seen from a witty, off-center view of the world.