Interview with Ray Steding

Michael J. Jordan, Linux Online Staff

August 7, 2002

This week we're pleased to interview Ray Steding who founded the Linux Public Broadcasting Network. The LPBN's primary function is to webcast Linux, Open Source and other tech related conferences and to provide explanations of Linux setup and installation on streaming video. Their mission statements says that their aim is to put publicly beneficial content to have their video/audio content put on the Internet - for free.

Linux Online:   I'd say that what's extremely beneficial is what you're doing

Ray Steding:   LPBN participants think so.

Linux Online:   How did you start the LPBN?

Ray Steding:   The Linux Labs User Group that met at my apartment on Sundays streamed some things to begin with and then I put a streaming server on a community center server, a cooperating business's server, one at a friend's house and I had a streaming server at my place. I then used a link switching script to switch to a different server each time someone clicked on the link. It worked - 4 times as much upstream bandwidth by cooperatively sharing resources. The real unknown in the beginning was to find out if people would share resources. Then I went out and videotaped events. Friends gave me the contacts and support to videotape bands and public events and Ismet Kursunoglu, president of the Linux Users Group at LAX invited me to videotape the Lilax LUG meetings. Along with the community technology center FSS-Project T.E.C.H., Renu Bora, who now helps manage LPBN, and myself started holding weekly meetings. I then spoke with Mandrake and they decided to help sponsor the LPBN.

Linux Online:   Basically, what you do is "tape" (my apologies for using an antiquated word to refer to what you're doing!) tech conferences and demonstrations and offer them on your website, is that right?

Ray Steding:   http://www.lpbn.org/overview.htm explains the initial concept of LPBN. The system evolved very much like the overview. Currently the content on LPBN is grouped by menu structure titles. Interviews of book authors are in the Etopia Channel section. Marc Strassman and LPBN recently interviewed Stan Lee - creator of Spiderman, Dr. Gregory Stock - author of "Redesigning Humans," a discussion of human genetic manipulation, and Peter Bart, editor-in-chief, Variety to mention a few. The Unwired show hosted by Frank Keeney features Wireless Technologies and Southern California's Wireless User's Group the SOCALWUG. Dr K Linux is hosted by Ismet Kursunoglu, MD and covers Linux and BSD. The Mandrake Hour hosted by Todd Lyons specifically addresses installations and configurations utilizing the Mandrake distribution of Linux. A healthy home cooking show is in the works. Anyone that has a show that will benefit others is welcome to join in.

LPBN is a system of human interaction as well as the infrastructure of a communications system. People use the LPBN as a platform to get up in front of an audience. Viewers listen and watch the content because it is closer to their interests than other available forms of media. Corporations sponsor LPBN because LPBN is an incredibly effective form of advertising. For the cost of sponsorship which in some cases is 0 a company can get in front of people for literally years of viewing.

Linux Online:   Mandrake is a big sponsor of yours?

Ray Steding:   Mandrake understands the benefits of being in front of the public. It works for them because they have a great product.

Linux Online:   And there are others too?

Ray Steding:   Cyberverse an ISP and my personal company Tecwise, Inc. Other companies will surely follow as the power and effectiveness of advertising via the new media of the LPBN becomes known.

Linux Online:   The format of these broadcasts is Real Media. Are you encouraged by Real Network's announcement this past week about their commitment to open source?

Ray Steding:   Yes. The Apple Darwin Streaming Server is being tested by LPBN and it is an open source project. I assume competitive forces are behind Real's decision.

Linux Online:   From a technical standpoint, is bandwidth use a big problem? What I mean is that even Linux Online that serves 99% html files, we start biting our nails when the bills for our T1 lines show up. How do you handle the costs of bandwidth for this service?

Ray Steding:   LPBN doesn't pay for bandwidth. Companies that are resource sponsors provide the bandwidth in exchange for getting their name out through the LPBN. We provide advertising similar to PBS sponsorship during the 70's. Instead of asking for money we trade advertising for bandwidth.

Supporting LPBN with bandwidth may not cost companies anything if they already have a T-1 and let LPBN use the bandwidth during off hours. Typically a company is closed during the times LPBN needs bandwidth for it's live webcasts - in the evenings and weekends. A company that becomes a "off-hours" resource sponsor not only gets powerful advertising free, they also build better communities by providing the community with true public "on-demand" access. So the bandwidth cost to LPBN is $0 and the cost of advertising to the "off-hours" sponsoring company may also be $0.

In the case of a company that is a resource sponsor and decides to provide LPBN with publicly beneficial content...we make their video available to the public...if the video is really good or interesting it will literally be watched for over a year of man hours in a relatively short time. No other media can offer as powerful a form of advertising at that price. This is the reason BMW went as far as paying for online movies to be made to present their automobiles in. Take Mandrakesoft for example. They are providing instructional videos that may be watched for years (total man hours viewed) within a few months. Compare the LPBN form of advertising with the costs of running ads and you'll understand why LPBN is becoming popular.

Linux Online:   A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. I was quite impressed by the idea in general. Do you see this as a next-generation How-To format so to speak? Do you think this system might be more attractive to new Linux users who find wading through long html How-Tos a turn-off?

Yes, My experience with the How-Tos is that they are not specific enough, don't cover all distributions and are often outdated. If a video How-To can be created easily then the time for an author to create the How-To will be greatly reduced. No wording and text to edit to create the How-To. Simply put the camera or video capture on and go through the tutorial. If you run into trouble stop the camera until you get that part worked out and continue. Once the whole subject matter of the video How-To is complete cut the sections that don't apply and there you have your How-To. The difficulty is to get the quality to where viewers will watch it.

Unlike traditional text based How-Tos, the viewers can watch the videos while doing other things on the computer. When they hear a part that has info they need they can stop the video write down the info and resume the video. You can't do that with a Text based How-To. You can also obtain valuable info from a video How-To, that's playing on the computer, while you are washing dishes or cleaning. Can't do that either with text based How-Tos. Of course the best solution is a combination of video along with html.

Linux Online:   You're also covering state and local government in California as well. Are you covering only tech related issues in government or everything in general?

Ray Steding:   Everything. All audio and video that is available to the public. More exposure for politicians and greater public awareness of what they are up to is a win/win situation. We'd like to get everything that has already been videotaped by public access cable companies but have had no cooperation from the cable companies. I think they understand that what LPBN is doing is at odds with their survival. Public access companies are in business. If they actually offered on-demand public access to what they have on tape...well that would not be good business even though it would be good for the public. On demand viewing would make their current programming less attractive. LPBN doesn't have the typical "Internet dilemma" that other media companies are at odds with. We want everything made available - on demand.

Linux Online:   If I understood correctly from one of the videos I watched, you're going to package the software necessary for making a portal of this kind so others can do it. Is that correct?

Yes but anyone can install the packages if they are good with Linux. The CD or download version of the media node will make it easier for those that might not have a sufficient level of expertise with Linux.

Linux Online:   What's the most popular presentation on your site?

Ray Steding:   The UNWIRED show. SOCALWUG, which is included in the UNWIRED show is a wireless user group. It is quite agnostic as far as operating systems go, but they differ from many others that ignore Linux and Open Source completely. They really don't care what OS is running, as long as it's the best tool. In many cases, Linux and OpenSource tools are the best.

Linux Online:   Do you have a ratings system - sort of like the major TV networks?

Ray Steding:   PostNuke has statistics and a top list that give us a general idea. But, the statistics feature of PostNuke was designed for text based websites and doesn't work correctly at this time for video content sites. We will have to re-write the code to the statistics module to have it accurately reflect page views and video views. If someone watches a two hour video on LPBN it is not a part of the statistics and yet if it were a text based site that they spent two hours on they may have read 100 pages in that time.

Linux Online:   Have you contacted Linus Torvalds about a doing an interview?

Ray Steding:   No. LPBN would definitely welcome an interview with Linus. LPBN is taking the spirit of open source and integrating it into the social fabric. People are working together to create a wonderful new media via the platform of the LPBN. That in turn is creating a healthier society. Businesses, community and government are benefiting. This would not have been possible without open source software. It would be an honor to have an Interview with Linus on the LPBN.

Linux Online:   What new presentations are you lining up for the rest of the year?

Ray Steding:   Don't know for the rest of the year, but the opportunity to cover events is getting easier and the size, importance and frequency of the events are increasing. For this month we have planned the media only conference at Linux World Expo. The Etopia Channel this month will interview the world's most famous mime, Marcel Marceau and feature [an interview with] Jaclyn Easton, author of "Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology." We're scheduled to broadcast a presentation at the Catfish Club in San Diego by Michael Tiemann, Chief Technology Officer of Red Hat and Jim Weynand, VP for HP/Compaq.

Also of note is the planned Andy Warhol picture gallery by Walter Steding - my brother. Warhol was my brother's manager for eight years. The site will be created from the photographs and memorabilia that Walter accumulated over the years he spent at Andy Warhol's Factory. And, many more Linux meetings.

Once again, our thanks to Ray Steding for taking time to do the interview with us. We invite you to check out The Linux Public Broadcasting Network and the invaluable Linux resources it offers at http://www.lpbn.org/