Pioneer Breweries of Western Wisconsin - A Virtual Visit.

I was going to do a somewhat scholarly version of my "Forgotten Brewery Caves" program for the local history museum.  It likely would have been a bit less fun - and perhaps less well received - for being done in a stuffy auditorium versus the brewery taproom where I gave version 1.0 last year.

And then the Corona Virus hit the area.  So.  No live programs.

They asked if I'd be able to manage a "virtual" form of this.   Uh....sure?  Anyway I recorded commentary and sent the files off to them.  And according to their facebook page its actually going to happen tomorrow at 6:30pm, central time for those of you far afield.

https://www.facebook.com/events/640874566746935/

Beats me how this will work. (I'm now told there will be a link to a YouTube version)  Or if it will.  But if you are so bored sheltering in place that hearing me ramble for an hour plus on "Pioneer Breweries of Western Wisconsin", well I can guarantee you'll get your money's worth.  With it, you know, being free and all.

As an aside it is interesting to compare a prepared versus live format.  In the prepared version you do have a chance to run through several times, and can re-do parts that don't sound quite right.  And it still only comes out fair to middlin' due to my cheap microphone. 

But you lose some important things. You can't see your audience, can't tell if jokes work, can't modify your pacing.  Also you lose facial expressions and gestures as communication adjuncts.  I honestly think that's about 1/3 of real communication.

Also you won't know if people are falling asleep/playing with their phones etc.  So  that there's on the plus side of things.

Tune in tomorrow evening for stories of beer, mad women, caves, home made bombs, bootleggers etc.