A successful failure - The YouTube paradox

I'm usually quite an upbeat guy. I stay happy because I have a positive outlook. It takes a lot to make me feel sad. During the past 8 years I have been making English video lessons on the YouTube platform and without sound too big headed, I became quite popular. In fact to this date I have over 57 million views and 316,000 subscribers. Apparently this makes me a success. However this apparent upturn has its big downside.

From my first months on YouTube till now, I have noticed many changes occurring on the site. One of the biggest changes must be the way in which the site has changed its aim. For example -  who remembers the slogan of YouTube? Don't look for it now on the site because it has long since been removed. The slogan of YouTube was ' Broadcast Yourself '. This strap-line suggested that everyone had the change to make an impact on the site and that it was there for all people. This of course is a lovely sentiment. So why did the slogan disappear?

The reason is simple. YouTube is no longer about people sharing their views and outlooks, or for that matter helping others. It is about pandering to the four or five largest media corporations that exist in the world. These companies own most of the music, movies, and believe it or not, other things such as TV channels, soft drinks and even the food we eat. Since 2012 the YouTube paradigm has shifted from the average guy having a voice to the greedy money-grabbing corporations being pandered to.

To emphasise my point, if you try to find anything critical of YouTube or its policies on the site itself - you won't. Which takes me nicely to the next point. This is a word that has become synonymous with web based sites and computer programmes. I'm talking about - algorithms.

These are the things that determine what gets seen and what doesn't. YouTube functions almost solely on algorithms now. Needless to say, the things favoured just happen to also be the things that the big companies wish to push onto us. Namely -  the latest pop sensation that no one has heard of, or the new unimaginative movie that needs that extra bit of hype. Or the computer game that, with repeated promotion and hype, will make the masses believe they need it, so as to keep up with their peers.

So where do I fit into this? Well to put it bluntly, I don't. I'm not on the algorithmic radar because I deal with education. I do not come up on the 'marketable' radar. Yet I still seem to be amassing many new views and followers. Despite the huge tidal wave pushing me off the map, I'm still here. This is why I see myself as a successful failure.

Of course the longer you hold on, the stronger the force pushing against you becomes. And so we come to 2015. This will be my ninth year producing English teaching videos. The reason why I seem doomed now is because of the recent changes that YouTube has made regrading promotion on their site. Each user channel has a list of related channels next to it. These channels are normally in the same category as the channel being viewed. Quite often my channel would appear on this list, due to its popularity. However since late 2014, a new algorithm has been put in place on the YouTube site. Those appearing in the lists now have a different pattern. My curiosity was stirred up by the apparent absence of my channel on other channels related to my subject. In fact the more I tested it, the more often the same channels appeared. It was as if the algorithm in this case was forcing me to look at these particular channels.

Even when looking randomly at other English teaching channels, the same channels would appear in the list. It is as if I'm being snubbed or blocked from being viewed. But why? My only answer is that YouTube now only promotes those who pay for it. To add insult to injury, I decided to check the auto-generated playlists that YouTube now has. I looked at the languages playlist and was horrified to see the same channels being heavily featured, with none of my videos appearing at all.

Before anyone accuses me of being paranoid, I did not sign into YouTube at all...and still this was happening. So what other conclusion could I reach?

This is of course not a new occurrence. Since 2010, YouTube has become an impersonal company. Have you tried writing to YouTube recently? Do not bother trying, as there are no actual ways of interacting with any of the staff there.

I have in the past actually conversed on the telephone with a YouTube member of staff. Sadly this no longer happens. As I said at the start of this post, I'm not a negative sort of person. I'm optimistic and confident and believe in perseverance. (I would never have done this for 8 years otherwise)

In the past I have been able to make a living from YouTube via their 'adsense' revenue. This allows me to make (some) money from advertising revenue. But even this system is unfair as it favours those who have large followings in The United States. My followers on YouTube are all over the world, in countries where ad revenue is still absent. I have a huge presence in Vietnam and the Middle East. To make matters worse, YouTube has over the years been blocked in many countries. China has been blocking YouTube since early 2009. Now Pakistan and Turkey also block their citizens from viewing YouTube.

Despite all of these huge forces pushing against me, I'm still swimming onwards against the current. But this cannot continue for much longer. I now find myself trapped in doing something that is successful while being unsuccessful. It would be fair to say that YouTube has written me off as a failure, or at least its computer systems have. I'm not a teeny-bopper pop singer, I'm not a multi-million dollar movie, I'm not an over-paid chat show host, I'm not a must-have computer game...

I'm a 50 year old man in England teaching English to the world.

How boring is that?

(Misterduncan)

DECEMBER 2014 - The silence is broken

It has been just over two years since I last posted on this blog. I suppose I could make up some story about being very busy and overwhelmed by my move to Much Wenlock and blame the other trials and tribulations that life has thrown at me, but you would soon see through all that, as I enjoy being busy. So that would all be lies.

I have decided to dust down the old keyboard and put my fingers to work on typing this, my first and last post of 2014. It is tempting at this time to use the well-worn cliché about time going by fast and the years flying by, but there is an element of truth in both of these statements.

So 2014 is almost at an end. It was not the greatest year for the world in general and it will certainly go down in history as being a dark one for humanity. We once again saw the depraved depths that the human being is able to drop to. In this day and age, with all that the human race is able to accomplish, we still find ourselves embroiled in age-old arguments and absurd disagreements.

Clarity is still such an elusive thing and understanding always seems to be just out of reach of those with influence. There is still in existence the misnomer that the loudest voice is the right one. The more extreme/violent the action - the more justified it becomes. These are misguided ideas, yet many continue to cling to them fervently.

Religion has become the focal point of so many conflicts, with idealism and fundamentalism being stirred into one hot boiling pot of aggression and hatred. The rights and wrongs of these battles have become blurred to the point where the victims have become the aggressors and the aggressors have become the victims. While all this is going on, politicians stand back and mutter the usual condemnations and spout the same old rhetoric that we have heard many times before.

Most of the problems occurring now hark back over the decades. Many of them can be traced to interference by other nations. European interference and the manipulation of power and politics in other countries by America have caused many grudges to be formed, many of which are still bubbling away right now.

Imagine what the world would be like it we all held grudges and continued with the arguments that began many years ago. There would be no human being left alive. Tolerance and understanding are both two-way streets. One party cannot expect the other to be tolerant, if they themselves refuse to be that way too.

The middle is always the best place to be. There are many things I do not agree with, but I would not take my grievances to such an extreme that they cause misery and distress for others. I have been on the receiving end of intolerance and hatred. I have had to take abuse and even violence from others in the past, but there is a point where the here and now becomes more important than dragging all that pain behind me. People will always hate something, but it does not mean that you have to add to that hate. 

Sometimes aggression and hate is used as a trap to get an even worse reaction, thus escalating the problem and ensuring that it continues without any visible solution in sight. It would be fair to say that 2014 has seen a lot of these 'stalemate' situations and no doubt they will continue to be around well into 2015.

For what it is worth - I wish you a happy new year.

More posts coming soon... (Misterduncan)

Never a dull moment

They say that life is what you make it, so I guess I had better try and make it a good one. Well this year has certainly been one of change and dare I say...progress? Sadly with one new project, another must be pushed aside. I have been trying to stay on top of my video making, with new editions of 'Ask Misterduncan' and my new series 'The Word Stop', as well as my normal full-length lessons too. So the blog was pushed aside (again) and it began to get all neglected, dusty and forgotten.

So as we are now heading towards the end of 2012, I have decided to make a new entry, completely off my own bat. Well that is not exactly true, as I have received many e-mails asking why I have been neglecting my writing for such a long-long time. You all know who you are! Well I suppose we could make some sort of deal. If I promise to carry on writing, you must promise to read the results of my keyboard bashing.

So 2012 has indeed been a busy year, but the most exciting part has come at the very end, as I'm off to new climes. Well in truth, it is just up the road, in Shropshire. What I'm trying to say is that I'm moving house. Are you still reading this? I will be asking questions later!

So where am I going to?

I will be moving to a place, which was the subject of one of my full-length lessons in 2012. The small town of Much Wenlock. In fact the move would never have happened, had I not gone there to film a lesson. It was during that time, when I fell in love with the surroundings there. I have always loved Shropshire and used to visit there as a child, during school trips. My school would take me to Ironbridge and we would go on walks to the Wrekin, which is a large hill and a famous landmark in Shropshire. So the image of that area is imprinted in my memory quite vividly.

So after filming the lesson I kept on going back to Much Wenlock on a regular basis. Well of course after a while, I started looking at the property there. To cut a long story short, I will be moving there in January 2013. There is still a slim chance that I will be moving in December, but realistically speaking, this seems highly unlikely now.

So what will this move men for my work? Well it means that I will have more freedom to film outdoors and I will have a purpose-made studio in the house too, which I will have to build. So there is no chance of stopping my video making. In fact that is one of the main reasons for moving. So I can carry on doing it.

Another bit of exciting news is that my YouTube Channel will soon have over 100,000 (one hundred thousand) subscribers. I know that these days that is not many, but I do value all of those people who have stuck with me during the past 6 years, and I feel honoured every time a new student joins me.

Over on Facebook, I have been posting some old photographs of myself at various stages of my life. This is also being done after receiving many requests from viewers who want to see more of my 'real' life. I'm not sure how much of a good idea it is to expose yourself too much on the internet, but anyway, I will be posting some old pictures of little me onto my Facebook page during the next few weeks. So look out for those.

Finally I was overwhelmed by the response to my latest full-length lesson about image. Lesson 75 was fun to make and is based on some writing I did recently, but it was not published anywhere. So Lesson 75 is a sort of blog post, in the form of a lesson.

There will be many more lessons to come...many more 'word stop' episodes, and maybe even a new 'Ask Misterduncan' too, if there is time before I move.

I must go now...time to feed the birds.

Ta-ta for now...  Misterduncan

'' Will the real Misterduncan please stand up ''

They say that imitation is the highest form of praise. Well maybe in the past this was so, but nowadays this 'flattery' has taken on a more sinister form. As many of you may know - I have a Facebook page, on which I post the latest news about my upcoming video lessons and my life in general. However it has come to my attention that there are people out there in the internet-verse, who are pretending to be me. One particular imposter has actually set up a page and is encouraging people to not only follow them, but also go to a website that has nothing to do with me. Yet they post messages, as if it is me who is running it.

This is what we call 'identity theft'. Someone is literally pretending to be me. So I have decided that enough is enough. So let it be said right now that I am the REAL Misterduncan in England. It is also time to expose this page and the fake site that has been created in my name.

FAKE FACEBOOK PAGE

This Facebook page is not run by me. I have no connection to it. The person who created this page is a fraud and a cheat. Please tell as many people as possible.

This person also runs a website, pretending to be me. The site is not mine. The chat box is not mine. I do not run the site. 

FAKE WEBSITE  

This is a very damaging act because the person is making comments on their page, as me. In fact this is a criminal offence. Once again I say...These two pages do NOT belong to me.

Here are my real OFFICIAL sites...

My main YouTube Channel

My second YouTube Channel

My Facebook Page

My Twitter 

These sites are mine and are run by me.

Of course you know my blog site address because you are on it now  8-))

I suppose I should be flattered that someone wants to be me...but I'm not.

See you all on my Facebook page soon...and of course there will be many new lessons coming soon. I have been very busy filming scenes for them.

As you may now know, I have moved my production studio back to my home. So some of my future videos will look slightly different to the ones from the last two years. But not much different...

I hope.

Take care and...  Ta-ta for now!

(Misterduncan)

'Better Late Than Never'

So this is my first blog posting of 2012. I'm all too aware that I was going to start posting regularly on here from January, but sadly other things got in the way. So as we say in English - 'it is better late than never'. So 2012 is well and truly with us and so far it has been a wild ride. With one thing and another occurring, I have found myself looking for new studio premises, which seems to be taking up more and more of my time. I also had a slight health scare in January, which caused a few worrying moments. However all is fine there now.


You do not need me to tell you that times are tough right now. here in the UK we are experiencing the early effects of the so-called austerity measures that our government is implementing. Needless to say, with rising costs and tighter budgets, I have been affected by this. This is also part of the reason for my move to new premises. There are so many things I wish to do with my English teaching videos, but sadly reality has stepped in and I have had to re-think everything.


During 2010 I set up a PayPal account, which I had intended to use for donations from any individuals or large companies that wished to help out. However I decided against it, as I did not wish to appear to be begging for money. Something I would never wish to do. That is of course, in normal circumstances. However I'm not in a normal situation right now. So I have taken the step of making the PayPal button clickable - here on my blog. (At the top right of the screen)


If you wish to help in some way, then that would be most appreciated. It is a pity that I have got this far and now it all seems to be suddenly coming to an end. That is all I will say on this subject as my pride has popped up and told me to stop writing at this point. All I really care about is continuing my online video teaching, helping those who cannot get access to formal training or expensive materials. The internet is a powerful educational tool, and through it I hope that I can continue to make a difference.


(Misterduncan)

GOODBYE 2011

So we have come to the end of what must be, one of the most traumatic and eventful years for a long - long time. Twenty eleven will be remembered for so many reasons. Most of them tragic and some of them needless. Natural disasters and political unrest, with a smattering of scandal here and there, along with the passing away of some notable people made 2011 the year it was. Of course all of these things occur, but the regularity and impact that these events had on the world, still reverberate now...and will for the foreseeable future. So we wave a slightly relieved goodbye to 2011, what will 2012 have in store for us? Well if I knew the answer to that, I would be on TV with my own show, 'Misterduncan - sooth-seer extraordinaire'. Sadly I do not posses any psychic powers and come to think of it, nor does anyone else for that matter. (Obviously)


January 1st will see in the new year again and I'm sure by now, you must have some resolutions made, such as lose some weight, work harder, make more friends, stop smoking, stop drinking, phone mum, start talking to the neighbours more, be more happy....and so on.


From my own point of view there are many new challenges ahead. Not least of all the one facing many people across the world. The financial crises affecting many so-called 'power' economies will no doubt put an even greater strain on the people living in those countries affected by the 'meltdown'. Needless to say, the UK is one such place. So as to keep on making my lessons and supporting myself, I will need to make some changes and cutbacks. My ideas are big, but the effort (and money) needed to see them through present many obstacles.


But those are for me to worry about and I will not be looking on the bleak side too much, as almost nothing is certain, even if, at times, it may seem so. However one thing is for sure - the following 12 months will present us with some surprises and maybe the odd shock or two, but I like to think that it surely cannot all be doom and gloom. I still believe in maintaining a positive attitude and being optimistic. As the old saying goes...''Hope springs eternal.''


My English lessons will continue and a new series of lessons will begin in February. I hope to do more travelling this year as well. All though that all depends on how other things progress. As we say in English I will 'play it by ear', in other words, I'll see what happens and deal with the problems as they occur. 


For 2012 I have decided to return to writing pieces for my blog. You could say that it is one of my new year's resolutions. So expect regular updates and the occasional comment on what is going on around us and my humble opinion. Whether you agree or disagree...is up to you. That is one of the great things about sharing over the internet. A force that should never be underestimated. As 2011 has well and truly shown.


I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2012.


(Misterduncan)

<< IN WITH THE NEW >>

Misterduncan & Mr Steve at the new 'Hat For Rent' studios.

So as we say a cheery hello to mid-February and with the prospect of springtime just around the corner, now is a good time to begin something new. In my case there are two new ventures. First I have obtained my own production studio, which I moved in to a few days ago. This was not an easy process as I was right in the middle of filming lesson 55, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and did some of the filming during the setting up period. So my months of searching for premises and the many hours trying to explain what I do in a formal way has finally come to fruition. Hat For Rent Productions now has a studio base. From now on all of my filming will take place there. Also I have some nice new outdoor locations to film around and at...some of which you can see in my new lesson, all about love (Lesson 55).

The other big change for me this month will be the launch of my new YouTube Channel. The first new videos will be available on Saturday 20th February. The Channels name is 'askmisterduncan' and will offer my viewers the chance to send in questions about learning English. The e-mail address will be posted on this date, as well as the first (Pilot) edition of 'Ask Misterduncan'. This second Channel will offer a new video every week!

So it is all go for me and no time to sit back and rest. I hope you will enjoy my new work and find it helpful. So the first video will be posted there on 20/02/10. Next week I will be building a new set in the studio, but before then you will be able to see what this new base looks like when you watch 'Ask Misterduncan' on Saturday.

This is an exciting time and I hope together we can all have a fun and exciting time in the world of English!

Channel URL -- http://youtube.com/askmisterduncan

(Misterduncan) ................................................................

(( End of an Era ))

The cut throat world of business is not one for the faint-hearted. Maybe now more than ever, running a business requires a certain type of thinking. The biggest threat of course are your rivals. The ones doing the same thing as you. The choices are simple. Beat them or Buy them! This has been the case with the recent events concerning one of the oldest companies in the world. The chocolate makers Cadbury.

This company was founded 186 years ago by John Cadbury in the Midlands City of Birmingham. From a small shop, he grew the business into the huge global company it is today. Of course being a large global company means that the one or two other large global companies may feel that they are losing out in some way. So in steps huge USA company Kraft, who in 2008 really wanted that firm for themselves. Rather like a child pressing their nose up against the window of...well...a sweet shop!

So the offers and negotiations began. The offering of money to shareholders was the most viable way of 'sweetening' the deal. After the first couple of offers from Kraft the management at Cadbury stood firm and gave a resounding 'NO' to the crafty people at Kraft. They stood firm and refused to budge. The great British firm was safe from the meddling 'Yanks'!

Then something happened. The crafty Kraft people offered even more money. They thought that this would help melt the stubbornness of the management and shareholders. Hey Guess what? It did! Cadbury accepted the deal, realising that those with lots of share will stand to make loads of cash. Suddenly all that gritty patronism and steadfast solidarity did indeed melt like a bar of Dairy Milk on the dashboard of a car on a summer's day. The boys and girls at Cadbury flaked!! Such is the power of money eh? So a great British institution, which has flown the flag of the UK for 186 years has been snapped up in the blink of an eye. Well almost. As they still do not fully own the company, then they can not say that Cadbury is part of the Kraft Group. They merely are the chief owners. A subtle difference maybe, but it should prevent Kraft from messing with the branding and design of the products...for the time being.

Of course the big worry now is how this takeover will affect jobs. It is only a matter of time before cost-cutting measures are taken and it is inevitable the the birthplace of Cadbury (Bournville in Birmingham) will suffer job losses. They say it will not happen, but we all know it will.

My feeling is of sadness, as here in the UK we have so little of our own industry or commercial enterprise still intact. Most is owned by the USA, China...and Russia! I suppose this is the way business is done these days. It is the price we must pay for globalisation, but for me I feel that it is a slightly too high price to pay, when a chunk of Britain's past is broken off and gobbled up.

.....................(Misterduncan)..................................

< 2010 - Change is coming !! >

So January has already flown by and is about to bid us all 'adieu'. It is strange how the transition in to this particular year has gone so smoothly. I usually find myself sensing a feeling of confusion and disarray during the first month, but this year is different. Maybe it is because I have so many plans for this particular coming twelve months.

If you are a follower of my YouTube channel, you will know that there have already been some changes taking place. Well, there are more to come...

During January I announced the launch of a second YouTube Channel. This has already been revealed, but the official launch has not taken place yet. Although this has not stopped almost 500 people already subscribing to it. This channel will work in a different way to my first one because you will be able to directly contact me via e-mail and ask me a question about learning English, or a query about my video teaching work. Not surprisingly, this channel will be called 'askmisterduncan'. I have not yet announced the e-mail address. That will happen in early February. The great thing about this new channel is that there will be a new video made every week!! Needless to say this will give me a lot more work to do, but if there is a real need for it, then I'm willing to give up my time to do it.

Also this year I will be making some changes to the videos already on my first channel. You may notice some of the earlier lessons disappearing over the next few weeks. I have decided to remake some of my earlier lessons and in some cases slightly re-edit other ones. I'm already doing this with...Lesson 17, Lesson 28 and with Lesson 52. These lessons will all be back on soon with some slight changes made to them.

I have been overwhelmed by the response to the new Lesson 6. This lesson is all about being happy and feeling sad. The comments and personal messages I have received about this video have really moved me. It was not an easy lesson to make. I really wanted to put across the deep emotions connected to these feelings through the visuals, the music, and of course the words. Most people have commented on the scene where I sit alone under the tree and the message I convey during that sequence.

I have just posted my newest lesson (54) to my channel. This was filmed during the recent heavy snow which fell all across the UK. I took advantage of this weather and did quite a lot of filming over two days, including some bits to camera. It is not as easy as it looks, performing and conveying long passages whilst standing in the freezing cold, but I managed it. I ended up spending a total of 6 hours outside in the snow. Setting up the camera in these conditions is really tricky. Especially on the second day, when the snow was still falling as I filmed. I had to constantly wipe the lens as the snow landed on it. In some scenes you can see little blobs of snow on the lens slowly melting as I'm filming. A little annoying, but there is not much I can do.

So back to my plans for this year. Well I'm still hoping to get some studio facilities soon, which will allow me to have a permanent base and give me more freedom to create many more lessons. The weekly video filming will require a new look and this will only be possible in a studio environment.

(Wish me luck!)

So I hope that 2010 will be a fun year...for all of us!

That is all for now. I'm re-editing lesson 17 now.

Thank you for reading and a big hello to my new followers here on blogspot.

Stay Happy !!

...........(Misterduncan)............................................................

Learning English-Lesson Fifty Four ( Winter Snow )

This is my latest lesson. Number 54.
Taking a walk in the English winter wonderland !!

Learning English - Lesson Six ( Happy / Sad )

The new Lesson 6. I talk about feeling happy and sad. The lesson was filmed between December 21st and 24th 2009. The Wrekin shots were filmed on December 28th 2009.

<<< 2010 is here !! >>>

So this is my first post of 2010. I would like to wish all of you a happy new year and let us hope that it will be better than the last one. Although it could have been worse I guess. Here in the UK we saw the old year out with some drama, provided by mother nature herself. Yes you have guessed it...the weather! We have been experiencing a very cold spell, which began in mid-December and has continued to bite into the nation right up until now. Needless to say the news media really got themselves into a tizz over this sudden outbreak of...'winterness'. The various news outlets seemed unable to decide just how bad this weather actually was. Some said it was the worst winter since 1991...some said it was worse than the winter of 1984 and some just threw out all those statistics and went the whole way, by saying it is the worst winter weather for over 100 years! Oh yes that terrible winter of 19-0-something or other. Yes that was quite a bummer! We all remember it so well. Of course I should not be surprised by all this (over) reacting. If there is one thing the British people love talking about - it is the weather. In fact I have written a similar post here before, way back in 2007.

Of course this current situation could not continue without some sort of drama...and we got one, when the media found out that there may not be enough salt and grit to treat the roads with. As the snow had fallen over a period of two days and some local councils had not been able to clear all of the roads, then this was taken as some sort of crisis. News reporters were going to remote locations and standing in snow-covered fields or even better, at salt storage depots. 'The salt and grit is running out!'. We were told again and again. 'It is like gold-dust!', they exclaimed. 'We are all doomed!'. Well they did not actually say the last one, but it was inferred a number of times during the very frequent and tedious segments, which news channels had decided to churn out every few minutes. 'And now the latest on the weather'. Having only just shown us a frozen news reporter shivering next to a frozen lake, we really did not need an update. It was unlikely that a mass-thaw had occurred anywhere within the last few minutes, but still they all blathered on, giving us their forecasts of more terrible weather to come and using words such as 'Grip' and 'Hit' and 'Battered' and 'Clutch'. You would think were were listening to a report on a wrestling match rather than the consequences of a season which has been an annual fixture in this part of the world for millions of years. Every year we act surprised by these sudden seasonal changes. It is as if we had never seen winter, or come to think of it, summer, ever before. When it suddenly becomes hot, we panic...and when it suddenly becomes chilly, we panic.

During my time in China, I was able to bear witness to some pretty extreme weather. As the City I was staying in was stuck right in the middle of nowhere and its nearest neighbour was the Gobi Desert, I was guaranteed some wild and wacky conditions. The summers were hot and dry and the winter months were grey and bitter with what can only be described as an ever-present Arctic wind blowing through every nook and cranny of your soul. I was lucky enough to get the chance to experience sub-sub zero temperatures of -30. Yes 30 degrees below zero! This is one of the most barren places on earth. Having experienced this particular climate over a four year period I can safely say that winter 2009 in the UK felt like a beach-towel in July, when compared with the Inner Mongolia ones.

So what is the situation today? Well everyone has calmed down a little and we seem to have survived this wintry calamity relatively unscathed. Of course during this harsh weather, there will always be those individuals who think it would be a good idea to walk over to the middle of a frozen lake or river and see what happens when their body weight is exerted onto the thin icy surface. Of course they fall through the ice and die. I wonder how long it will be before death certificates can have the cause of a persons demise to be... 'Death caused by STUPIDITY'. It would certainly speed up the coroners job.

I think each British household should have a booklet pushed through their door, giving all the 'hidden' dangers that lay in wait for us all. Maybe I can publish my own!

1- Do not eat razor blades

2- Do not push broken glass into your eye

3- Do not stick your wet finger into the power outlet.

4- Do not jump off a tall building

.....(Unless death is the result you wish)

5- Do not put your new-born baby inside a microwave oven.

6- Do not store poison in a cough medicine bottle.

7- Do not buy the box set of 'How I met your mother'.

8- Do not drive a car after consuming lots of alcohol

9- Do not drink scolding hot coffee or tea,

......or pour it into your lap.

10- Do not walk on frozen lakes or rivers.

(Misterduncan) .......................................

<< Un-Welcome To London >>

Every year people from all over the world flock in their thousands to see the sights and experience the atmosphere of the glitzy, fashion-conscious, cool, sophisticated, chic, centre of all which is hip and happening. Yes, the City of London! But for all those of you who are thinking of booking that dream tour of the gold-paved cosmopolitan capital of Europe, think again. For the tourist has been deemed a terrorist threat and the London Police are going out of their way to make sure you do not have a nice time. There is no finer example of this paranoia, than the ever increasing number of people being verbally intimidated by security guards and police officers on duty in the capital. What is the reason for this harassment? For doing nothing more than taking a nice snap-shot of their visit to bendy-bus land. Yes if you are one of those shady characters who enjoys nothing more than taking a trip and recording the happy times by taking photographs, which you will stick into a big album or make a video postcard with, then think again.

People are now being told NOT to take photographs in London, for fear that they may be gathering information for a terrorist attack. In some cases the victim of this harassment is told to hand the camera over to the official, or they are forced to delete the 'offending' pictures. There have been more and more documented cases of people being made to feel like criminals, when all they are doing is taking a picture to send to Auntie Freda! I would have guessed, like many others, that if someone wanted to get a lay of the land in Laaaandan, then all they need do is click on 'Google Street View'. Lots of nice shots from both the sky and the ground. Maybe instead of picking on the public we should arrest the owners of Google?

This situation has affected me personally and my work has suffered. I was planning to do some video filming in London for a future lesson, but after various enquiries I found that I would not be allowed to film in most parts of the capital. This seems almost unbelievable as I'm a British citizen and will be using the camera for legitimate purposes. Of course there is another side to this story. Yes you have guessed it...Money! You can get permission to film in some places but you may find yourself having to hand over cash for that privilege. Still want to visit London? The UK is a big place and I can assure you that there are far better places to see here than the smelly, fume-filled 'Smoke' (A slang word for London).

The problem with cities like London is that they are born from an image, which is often given through the media and movies as a friendly, chic, sophisticated metropolis. Of course after you have paid for the flight and the over-priced hotel accommodation and been cheated by the cab drivers, and had to fight off aggressive 'big issue' sellers and the abusive drunk...well it is all a little too late to complain. So the new threat of being accused of working for Bin Laden can be added to the list of merry moments which can only come from spending time in one of the most unfriendly, pretentious, impersonal, over-rated cities on this planet.

Welcome to London - Enjoy your stay !!

(Misterduncan) .......................................................................

Misterduncan's Triple X X Xmas !! (2009)

This is my festive holiday video. It took two weeks to film and edit. All music was paid for by myself...from my own pocket! Feel free to sing along...The words are next to the video. Seasons greetings and have a happy 2010 !!
(Misterduncan)

<<< 2009 - An Up-Down Year !! >>>

So as we approach the final month of 2009, it is time to look back over the past year and take stock of what has occurred. From a personal perspective, my life has been fair to middling. I have been quite busy with my work. I feel a little disappointed that I did not achieve all of my goal this year. I had intended to make more video lessons, sadly due to the fact that I make these lessons all by myself, this task is not an easy one. In the early days I could film and edit a lesson in a week, but these days, because of the very nature of the videos and the techniques I use to make them, they now take much longer to produce. There are various reasons for this. As I said just, the filming is much more complicated and due to the fact that they are made in my house means that there is a great deal of setting up involved before any filming can start. Filming can take up to five days to complete and sometimes there is a break between shoots, of up to a week. I also find these days that I'm more willing to re-shoot parts of a lesson I'm unhappy with. This happened during the making of lessons 51 and 52. In fact I was so unhappy with how lesson 52 was going that I actually thought seriously of scrapping the whole project. Something I have never done before.

My plan this year was to find a place to film my lessons in. My first thought was to use a small office space. I thought that there would be somewhere I could rent and set up my studio permanently. However the costs involved here would have been sky-high. My new option is to move into a proper studio, which will give me more space to move in and will also allow me to have a permanent base from which to work. So I have replaced the office idea with the purpose built property proposal. This will mean that I will have to structure my work more carefully and try to make a real living out of my work. It is strange how my teaching work and my interest in video making has combined is this way. What I need to do now it make it pay.

As you all know my video lessons are posted for free and this will continue in the future. My aim is to keep this going, as I want as many people as possible, in as many countries as possible to have the chance to practice their English....for free!

So how to make something for free and make a living? This is a tough question and not one I have a definite answer to. So I'm hoping that by expanding what I do, I can earn enough to run a studio, with all the facilities needed to carry on making the lessons, and make them more interesting and vivid. I have already taken on private video making work and this was a good experience for me as it gave me the chance to expand my skills and earn a little cash. I was lucky enough to be asked to film a couple of amateur stage performances, which were both warmly commented on by those who watched them on DVD.

Many people have asked if there are any DVD's available of my lessons. At this time the answer is no. But in the future, if there is a demand for it, I may issue a Misterduncan DVD. We will see what happens. So as you can see, my aims are high, but the same problems exist as before. How to pay for it? I'm not the sort of person who desires wealth or riches. My one and only concern is to be able to do what I do well enough to help others, while being able to keep my belly full for a day!

So my resolution and plan for 2010? Of course I will be making more video lessons, plus I will be launching a new channel in January. This will still be aimed at those who are learning English, but there will be something extra special added to it. I will reveal more as the time draws nearer. I should be doing some more private video work next year too. One project is already in its early stages. Also hopefully next year I can find a suitable home for Hat For Rent Productions, which will allow me to produce more videos at a steady rate. We will see what happens.

My next project will be to replace lesson 6, which will be done in December. Right now I'm planning my Christmas message video. This should take a couple of weeks to make.

Before I finish today...I would like to say a special hello to all my new followers here at Blogger. I'm amazed that so many people are interested in my ramblings, but I do appreciate your joining me here....very much!

Till next time... Ta-ta for now!

(Misterduncan)

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<<< The Zzzzzzzzzz Factor >>>

During the 1970's, here in England there was a TV talent show called 'New Faces' and on this show people were given a chance to show off their skill or talent, be it dancing, singing, or telling jokes. Each performer would do their little act in front of a panel of judges and after, these 'experts' would offer their opinions on the act and give it points. Each week a person would be chosen as a winner to go through to the semi final, and so on. It was always a rule on this show that one of the judges had to be really mean and nasty and deride each contestant one by one. This formula proved very successful and many people tuned in, not only to see the acts, but to hear the 'nasty' remarks which the 'evil' judge would make. This show had a good run in the 70's but was eventually axed, due to new shows coming along. However this show was revived in the 1980's and enjoyed a short run, but people were not interested in 'end of the pier' acts anymore. It all seemd so lame, pointless and exploitive.

Now here we are in 2009 and once again the 'talent' show has become king. Once again we have the helpless and hopeless lining up in the desperate hope of being famous and loved. There can be no doubt that shows such as 'X-Factor', 'Britain's Got talent', 'Pop Idol', and...well the list goes on (depending which country you live in) are nothing new at all. The format is just a copy. Right down to the nasty judge who everyone loves to hate. The most annoying thing about this is the way in which it is being hawked as something new and exciting. In fact the TV talent show can be traced back to the 1950's, with a programme called 'The Gong Show'. Where a person would perform their act for a judge, who, as the shows title hints at, was holding a gong. If the act was terrible or boring, the judge would strike the gong and the contestant would leave the stage. Some of the acts on this show were awful, which added to the 'fun' of the show. Seeing someone humiliated on television is always going to draw a crowd. So you see all of this is nothing new. These tacky talent shows have been around for years and programmes such as X-Factor are nothing more than a combination of all of them.

Of course let us not forget the commercial value of these shows. There is a lot of money to be made from them. First from the commercial spots during each broadcast, then the phone voting system, which the viewers are charged a fee for using, and then the winning act itself, which will be nurtured and exploited by the same people who produce the show. If you still think this is worthwhile entertainment, then think again. It is mass exploitation and for the people behind these types of shows, it is very easy money...A win win situation.

If you are under the age of 25, these shows will seem fresh and new and you will be amazed at how a person could come up with such a wonderful shows. But in truth these are all reheated meals...and not particularly tasty ones at that. Sadly these days, television makers have run out of ideas and the best thing to do is remake the stuff that our dead grandparents would sit down to watch after putting our parents to bed. And while we are on the subject of entertainment, it is worth noting that whatever type of music you listen to...be it Jazz, Pop, Rock, or R'n'B. The money you spend on this music goes into the pockets of only two or three huge companies, who now own the rights to most of the music published on this planet. There are no independent music companies around anymore. Just like the television and movie industry....they are all in the hands of a few people. I tried to watch these talent shows, but from them I sense the feeling of 'this has all been done before'. The X-Factor? .....More like the 'Zzzzzz-Factor'. I feel sleepy just thinking about it.

(Misterduncan) ...........................................................................

<<< 3 !!! >>>

October 31st 2009 was a special day for me. This point in time marked yet another milestone in my Online teaching career. I celebrated three years of producing and sharing my video lessons on YouTube. I suppose for many this does not seem like such a big deal, but the fact remains that doing anything over a long period of time takes a great deal of determination and motivation. Fortunately for me these two things have been around me in abundance, although I have had my moments of doubt and disillusionment.

Of course the biggest set-back for me comes from those who choose to criticise and knock what I'm trying to do. There are those in life who wish to improve their own outlook as well as those of others and there are those who only want to take, while offering nothing in return. Then there are those who achieve nothing, blame others for it, then spend the rest of their time pulling down those who are trying to do something with their lives. Fortunately this last group are not the majority, but their existence is still a disruptive one.

From my own point of view I suppose I should be one of those bitter ones. Not everything in my life was easy. I did not get everything I wanted. My early life was not an easy one and I certainly did not come from any sort of privileged background. In my younger years I was not a very confident person. I was shy, gauche, introverted--call it what you like. Everything was a challenge to me. Even walking to school was a daunting task for me, as my tallness and geeky appearance made me a target for bullies and the constant threat of name-calling and intimidation would lay heavily on my conscience, which meant every morning walk to school was accompanied by a feeling of dread and nausea. . The weird thing was that inside I was happy. A strange sort of optimism burned in my heart. I would look up at the sky and watch the clouds drifting by. In my mind, I was one of those clouds, drifting aimlessly, with no purpose or direction, yet their presence still made a difference and I would find myself wondering if mine ever would.

All these moments have long since passed, but that little flame of optimism still burns. The motivation I have now comes from this desire to add a little something to the world, to make a small difference. I will never find a cure for Cancer, or win the Nobel Prize, but at least I'm trying to add something to this increasingly over-cynical world of ours. My real life-changing time came during my stay in China. Many memories of that time still play in my head, again and again. During that time I was finally able to see the human spirit for real. Not in a religious sense, but from a sense of inner optimism. In my line of work I would travel to many small rural villages, visiting community schools, many of which were old and run-down, with battered desks, tattered text books and at the front of each classroom, fixed into the wall, was a large chunk of painted stone which acted as a blackboard. As patronising as this may sound, it is all true and for the young people living there, it was their reality.

When devoid of people, these rooms presented a feeling of gloom and despair, but that soon vanished, once the students walked in. All at once I would be standing in front of a sea of smiling happy faces, the excitement probably intensified by my own presence, as for most of them I would have been the first 'foreigner' they had ever met. (Which was true on most occasions) Now it would be too easy to assume that there would be no way in which anyone sitting in these classrooms would be able to speak English very well at all and I would not blame anyone for thinking this. But let me tell you...this could not have been further from the truth. The thing which struck me on each of these visits was how well and confidently the students spoke English. Bearing in mind that many of these classes consisted of very young children, aged around eight to twelve, living as I said, in very 'poor' and remote areas. When I look around me now, here in the UK, we are constantly being told about the neglected underclass and those who live in 'poverty'...here! We make excuses for all the bad behaviour, we look for reasons for our failure. We blame everyone but ourselves. Great achievements come from determination, motivation and courage. Anyone can criticise and maybe that route is the easiest... I always tell myself, 'Don't be bitter, be better!', It is so easy to attack others, and at the end of the day, all you are really doing is attacking yourself. In the end you lose.

I believe that the Chinese children in those rural schools appreciated everything around them. Their optimism was nurtured by the teachers and in the hearts of each one of them burned that small flame of hope. In China, nature is revered and the passing of each season is celebrated. It is a kind of appreciation of how all things have a purpose. The sun, the moon, The breeze....and lets not forget those clouds, apparently moving aimlessly, but in reality, doing many things to help us survive.

The phrase I use at the start of each lesson...''Are you happy?'' comes from my time in China. It was a question I was frequently asked, normally by a passing student as I walked to my next class, or as I went to collect my bicycle at lunchtime or in the classroom itself. In this increasingly materialistic world, we seem to be looking for happiness in all the wrong places. If you do not find happiness within, you will always be without.

(Misterduncan) ........................................................................................

<<< Merry Christmas?? >>>

Ho - Ho - Noooooo!

Hi and welcome to my blog. Once again I have gained some new followers, so I would like to welcome you to Misterduncan's blogosphere. October is here and the first signs of Autumn have arrived, with the leaves on the trees turning yellow and the long cold nights once again closing in. Oh and the approach of Christmas has already started too. Each year the preparation for this event seems to begin earlier and earlier. Last year it started around October 20th. This year the shops were already selling the Christmas merchandise by October 5th! For me this is far too early. But I must consider one important factor before I get myself into a tizz. The economic crisis which has continued to grip many parts of the world has seen many businesses fail and flounder during 2009, so I would imagine that the earlier the Christmas shopping begins, then the less of an impact this long-term recession will have on us. This is certainly a testing time for all of us here in the UK. Not least of all because we are constantly hearing conflicting news stories on a daily basis about whether things are getting better or becoming worse. The term 'green shoots' is often used when talking about the recovery. Just like a tiny flower stem when it first emerges from beneath the soil. A green shoot is a sign of new life or a positive change of fortune. Sadly each story of positive change is destroyed the following day by a story of gloom. Things are getting better one day and then the next day, things are getting much worse. This only adds to the confusion and the reluctance to spend any money at all. So maybe businesses and large companies see this Christmas as an opportunity to jump-start the economic recovery. Of course this will mean that many people here will once more get themselves into debt or deeper debt...again!

One thing which has startled me is how we are already being urged to buy products and pay for them over a long period of time. In other words they want us to borrow money. Credit cards are once again being advertised on TV and banks are encouraging us to take out loans and overdrafts. Even my own bank keeps offering me a credit card, almost to the point of harassment. Needless to say I refuse. If I do not have the money, then I do not buy anything. If I cannot afford something, then I save until I can. There is of course a strange irony to all of this. The British government saved many of our banks by giving them billions of pounds, which effectively means that the country has bought them. This money came from the British tax payer. So now we find ourselves in the unique position of owning the very same banks that we bailed out and as if that was not bad enough, now are being urged to borrow our money from them and pay it back...with interest! I have to say that I never thought I would live to see such a topsy turvy financial world as the one we are living with now. So Christmas is coming! Well actually it is over three months away, but shop we must...spend we shall...and everything will be all right. Oh look! A green shoot!

(Misterduncan)

<<< LESSON 51 >>>

September arrives, almost too soon. This year has really flown by! It really is ironic that the more you do, then the faster time goes by. This has been very true during the past two months. July and August seem like a blur to me. A non-stop routine of writing, filming, editing, and then more writing. The task of remaking my early lessons became an obsession for me. I was pleased the I managed to remake lessons 2, 3, 4, and 5. having done that I decided to return to the continuation from Lesson 50. Once again I made the decision that the later lessons should be more involved and contain much more information and new words. The filming for Lesson 51 took over 6 days to complete, with some shots being created as tests. In fact I probably spend a quarter of the production time making test shots, which will never be seen by my students. These serve a very important role by making sure that when it comes to filming the real scenes, everything will look right and there will be no serious issues with things such as lighting or added effects. There were quite a few special effect scenes in lesson 51. The opening shot of me sitting on the globe and the lesson title sequence, with the hand holding the microphone and my character of Dick Sharpe popping up took a total of five days to make. and they only appear on screen for no more and 35 seconds in total.

This lesson was different in many ways. It is the first one where I have added extra light and colour elements to some of the shots. Each new lesson is a challenge for me, and there is nothing I enjoy more than a nice juicy challenge.

This latest lesson is all about giving your opinion. This may seem like a simple subject, but on closer inspection I realised that I would need to cover more than the aspect of what one person thinks. It would need to also encompass the way we think as groups or nations. I have always been wary of discussing politics in my lessons, but this time I would have to grab the subject and approach it head-on.

I was conscious of not appearing to favour any particular political view, so I decided to use the USA political system as an example of how party politics is set up. The other area I felt conscious of was making a point about far-right ideology. I knew at the time that this may get me into trouble, but I went ahead and mentioned it. However I resisted the temptation to drag myself into discussing particular far-right or far-left politics as individual ways of thinking. In fact I did not mention far-left politics at all. Does that make me a communist? Well of course not. Had I not mentioned far-right thinking, would that have made me a Nazi? Maybe some people will try to find an agenda in this lesson. But I can assure you that there is no bias on my part in this lesson whatsoever. But if anyone wants, I can make a whole lesson on the negative aspects of Socialism and Communism and Leninism and Stalinism.

There is a phrase in English...'Never discuss religion or politics.' This is mainly due to the fact that they represent definitive divisions between us. But to me they are just another area of opinion and thinking. This was the point I was making at the end of the lesson . We may agree to disagree, but at least we are talking.

(Misterduncan)..........................................................................

<<< My Korean Visitors >>>

Saturday 25th July 2009 was a very special day for me, as it was the day I met my online students from South Korea in Stratford Upon Avon. Of course they had not only come to the UK to see me, they also visited many other places too and no doubt had many other interesting experiences as well. It is worth noting that Stratford Upon Avon happens to be the birthplace of the playwright William Shakespeare, so it seemed like an apt place to get together.

It just so happened that the day we met was also the day when a big music festival was being held in the town so the railway station was a little crowded and chaotic due to all of the concertgoers arriving by train, but I managed to spot my little group as they walked from the platform and was successful in capturing their surprise at seeing me, complete with camera and of course Mr Steve, who was there to help with the arrangements. (and supplying the ice cream)

There were seven students in all, a chaperon and Miss Demi, their teacher. I had spoken to Demi a while ago and she mentioned the fact that she was planning to visit the UK and asked if would it be OK for us to meet up. Of course during my time in China I had met hundreds of students and teachers, while visiting city and rural schools around the Inner Mongolia region, but this was the first time that I had met any online students here in the UK. Needless to say, the prospect was quite an exciting one for all concerned.

Our time together was short and at first the children seemed a little disoriented, but over time we chatted and by the end of the afternoon we were all having a good time. Ice cream was eaten, which pleased me more than the kids it seemed! We only filmed a small part of our time as I wanted to find out more about my visitors. However I did film a short introduction from each student and Miss Demi also made a heart-felt and passionate speech to camera, clearly expressing her delight and excitement.

There was one strange moment when one of the students told me that she thought she had caught Swine Flu and was told that most people in the UK now had it, but I assured here that the virus had not become that serious yet, which seemed to calm her down. I was told Miss Demi that one of the boys is a famous child actor in South Korea and that he has appeared in many TV plays there.

In total we spend just over 4 hours together and the time went by very quickly. We managed to take a look at Shakespeare's birthplace before it was time for Demi and her class to depart for their journey back to London.

It was a sad moment when it came to saying goodbye and I felt as if the afternoon had been a pleasant one for all concerned. It was clear to me that Demi enjoyed her role as teacher and it was very nice to meet a person who showed such great dedication to both her many students and her profession.

How was the day for you Misterduncan? For me it was a great experience to meet some of the people who watch my video lessons from so very far away.

Would you do it again? .... Sure why not?

(Misterduncan)............................................................................