June 2008

Content
I’m smoking now,
my dog by my side.
I think he likes it
when I smoke.
When he barks I know it
is time for me to light up and
sit with him.
He is content and so am I.
My pipe is almost done now,
my tobacco mostly ash.
My dog is asleep.
We are together;
me and my dog and my pipe.
What could be more perfect?

By Rick Frederics

The Oom Paul Podcast, Website & Newsletter................. By Nelson Pidgeon

Back in January I wrote a piece called "The War on Tobacco: Is the pipe community doing enough?" My conclusion was "No,” we weren't doing enough to bring attention to our ailing hobby, to educate people that cigar and pipe smokers are different than cigarette smokers and should be treated differently, and to have a bigger voice against tobacco laws. The cigar community was way ahead of us in all categories.

Since that article I'm happy to report I have found that a couple of new pipe related podcasts have emerged. I'd love to be able to take the credit by saying my article spurred these folks into action but I'm pretty sure neither of them ever read it. As a matter of fact, I didn't receive one response to that article but based on my conclusions, I was surprised in the least.

Anyway, for this issue I will focus on the OomPaul.com Podcast. For those of you who may still not be familiar with what a podcast is it’s like a radio show only its broadcast on the internet. You can listen online from your computer or download it and listen to it on your iPod or MP3 player at your leisure. You’ll never miss an episode

So a month or so ago Dock Perry had sent me a heads up about the Oom Paul website but never mentioned anything about the podcast. When I finally got a chance to check the out the site that Olie Sylvester and his wife Vanessa put together I was overjoyed to see not only a very nicely done website but they were also 4 episodes into their podcast. The format Olie is using is to interview notable personalities from the pipe community and he already has a great cast of characters including Bjarne Nielsen, who as we all know passed away recently, Mark Tinsky, Frank Burla of the Chicagoland Pipe Show, Pipestud, a familiar name on many forums, and in their fifth and latest podcast, Frenchy of Frenchy’s Pipes. Now this is what I’m talking about.

However, upon looking closer I realized that all the podcasts were in a Mac (.m4a) format which was not compatible with my non iPod MP3 player used with Windows Media Player. I was a little disappointed because I'm not one who likes to sit in front of the computer to listen to a podcast; the beauty of a podcast is that it’s mobile. I download all my favorite podcasts each week, load them on my MP3 player and listen to them during my hour long commute into work and it’s become a bit addicting. I hardly ever listen to the radio anymore and I’m always looking for new and exciting show to keep me entertained. Since all of the other podcasts I listen to are in the MP3 format and are available to both iTunes and Windows Media Player users alike I decided to contact Olie and see if he had any plans to change his format. He was very receptive to the idea and said he’ll get his technical expert (Vanessa) on it right away. A week later I received an email from Olie letting me know that episode 5 with Frenchy would be available in both formats with others to come later. I downloaded it as soon as I could and enjoyed the excellent interview on my way home from work.

I’d like to applaud Olie and Vanessa for putting in all the hard work that I know goes into producing a podcast. You have a knack for interviewing and it definitely shows. Its shows like this that will help keep the fires burning brightly in this great pastime of ours and bring new life to the pipe community. I hope more people follow your lead and begin to produce more podcasts about pipes, tobacco and the people who love them. So tonight I smoke this bowl of Full Virginia Flake in my 2005 SHPC Club Pipe by Mark Tinsky in your honor.

Please take some time to check out OomPaul.com. It’s a beautifully done site with lots of info to keep you entertained for quite a while. Ask the Expert, join the Oom Paul society and add a picture of yourself in your favorite pipe smoking attire. Read the musings, add your pipe club to the list, check out upcoming events and more. This is one of the nicest sites I’ve seen in a long time so load up an Oom Paul, sit back and enjoy the ride.