Ooh, this is going to be another good lecture series to look forward to... and at!! Thank you for these extra learning opportunities, Wraith.

Good morning, Moody Blue.

I had to give up on the Flash Player I was trying out. There were too many lock-ups happening where the audio would keep going, but the video would freeze.

I'll get that kink ironed out, but I'll run this whole series through YouTube... provided, that is, YouTube doesn't shut me down because I'm posting too many. I actually had to set up a new account (ProfessorWraith2) because YouTube wouldn't let me upload this first video in the Money Economics series under my old account (ProfessorWraith).

Apparently, YouTube doesn't concern itself much with copyright violators, but Heaven forbid someone should be using too much server space for original-content educational videos.

The Dark Wraith is being a little too fussy about limits on free services.

Good afternoon, Wraith.

There were too many lock-ups happening where the audio would keep going, but the video would freeze.

Hi Dark Wraith,

really appreciate the lectures! Very informative.

Nice new format! Did you have much trouble with the move?

Good afternoon, PoliShifter.

The move was my equivalent of passing the Washington Monument as a kidney stone.

The good news, of course, is that, once having been passed, the resultingly larger presence is something people will notice at a distance.

The Dark Wraith will now drop that metaphor.

even metaphorically that produces an ouch. (having experienced the real thing once and never, ever, wishing to repeat it)

excellent work. thank you very much. who knows, maybe this year i will sound like less of an idiot when i discuss my return and my plans with my uncle the filthy rich tax attorney.

Good evening, Dark Wraith.

That was quite an enjoyable video. Sometimes, I can tell when you're looking at your class, but are you also, at other times, looking at a teleprompter, like Christopher Walken (love that guy-he's such a funny host) does on SNL?

Thought the dollar bill and the head hunter was quite apt. You certainly keep the watchers entertained and learning. No naps, during your lectures, I'm sure.

Good evening, Old White Lady.

I don't work from a teleprompter. In fact, I don't work from "lecture notes," either. My glances over to the upper left were to keep an eye on a sound and video display that was keeping me apprized of the shaky state of the network connection: the audio had been giving me fits just before I began, but I had gotten it to the point where I was able to stabilize it, but only at the cost of turning up the mikes at the remotes, which is why you heard all that background noise at the beginning. Fortunately, the echo chamber feedback died down less than a minute into the filming, but I kept seeing these very short-lived spikes, which turned out to be bursts of amplifying feedback through remote mics. I had to cut out chunks of the lecture, which you might have noticed. I couldn't hear any of this while speaking, so the only way I knew it was happening was by watching the sound board (which is actually on a televion display).

As annoying as that was, I was getting a video warning that the camera wasn't able to hold focus. I thought the whole video might be ruined, but whatever it was, it apparently didn't come through on the video as a visually distracting problem.

Okay, my face always comes through as a video problem, but that's because my nose is big and points to one side. Unfortunately, I can't find a stage make-up that corrects for that.

The Dark Wraith is open to suggestions.

Good evening, Minstrel Boy.

It has been my experience over the years that, for some reason, attorneys and economists don't get along all that well. The irony is that I go from teaching economics to teaching legal environment of business classes just about every day.

The trick is to remember which group I'm supposed to disrespect in which classes: I have to make fun of economists in the business law classes, and I have to make fun of lawyers in the economics classes.

Obviously, I could treat both groups with genuine respect in every class, but I don't think I'd have enough humorous material to make it through an entire semester if I were to adopt such a generous attitude.

Then again, I can always make fun of the neo-conservatives, which I suppose means I'm set for life with funny stuff to say.

The Dark Wraith is going to have fun with Alberto Gonzales in class this week.

Yuppy caves? Heh, mine has a four dino garage.

I was glad to hear you touch on oil. Oil is going to become a very hot topic. It looks like we're coasting along an extended peak now. So industry will remain stagnant as governments continue to attempt to use fiscal policy to spur growth.

We're entering some very exciting times.

BTW, I can't see the text I type in the name and http fields.

Musician accounts on YouTube get more space than regular accounts do.

Good evening, DW.

Please know that the work you put into these videos and lectures are truly appreciated. I found the videos easy to follow.

The move was my equivalent of passing the Washington Monument as a kidney stone.

@.x;

*takes that image with him as he goes back to work, considering that it aptly describes some of the tech support educational tasks he's had to go through these days*

Very enjoyable DW. Who would ever have thought that I'd enjoy economics class? I had an economics professor who just read notes to us (slowly) and expected us to copy them down in our notebooks. That was it. I got a sore hand and nothing out of the class. I didn't know what the hell he was talking about either. That was over 30 years ago.
BTW, you have cute chipmunk cheeks.

Aw, geez, Liz!

I haven't even sent you that picture yet that I said you'd be given permission to post at BlondeSense.

The Dark Wraith sees real trouble on the horizon.

Good Afternoon, Dark Wraith.

I finally had the opportunity to listen to your lectures and I must say, I was not disappointed. Who knew economics could be so sexy?!?!
Are you plagued with students that developed crushes on you?
I personally would have a difficult time focusing in your classroom. I'd be hard pressed to stay in my seat and would no doubt mortify you with my shameless flirting and sucking-up.
(Hey, wishing is not a felony, yet!)

Good evening, Missouri Mule.

I am glad you finally got a chance to watch some of the lecture videos. More will be coming soon: I've been having a devil of a time with the audio in this series, though. As I had suspected while the lecture was proceeding, the sound system was getting ready to head south, and viewers probably noticed, near the end of the second part, it started its breakdown. I've been trying to level out the ups and downs of the rest of the audio in the lecture ever since I posted the second part on YouTube, so it might be awhile before I get it to the point where I can publish it.

From now on, I'll be using my own sound recording system during lectures so I won't have to rely on that antiquated equipment in the studio.

And unfortunately, higher education has become a really ugly place as far as student/professor interactions are concerned. For the most part, and especially because my office is at the dead end of a backwater corridor, I don't even meet students in that office anymore. I hold my office hours for students in a big, open area where there's a security camera that can at least partially verify that nothing inappropriate has happened.

Several other professors do the same thing. The ones who don't worry always like to brag about how they're "not afraid." In my judgment, they're fools: although they might very well finish their careers without getting burned, some of us just don't see any point in taking the risk of getting hanged for something we didn't do. My principal place of employment has gotten so tough on sexual harassment that I can be fired for failing to report my suspicion that someone is bothering someone else (and this affirmative duty applies to any suspicions I might harbor concerning student-on-student or teacher-on-student incidents).

To paraphrase the doomed Replicant named Leon in the movie Bladerunner, "It's no fun living in fear!"

Expressing the same sentiment, my version is, "It's no fun living in the 21st Century."

The Dark Wraith once in a while misses fun.

Good Morning Mr. Wraith...

One more day, and my store can live without the benifit of my expertise (as well as the many hours of unpaid work I have done), though I'll still be available-on my terms-to give instruction and advice, since I only move to the food service side in the same physical location. But I digress...

As I live in the boonies, where a high speed connection costs $50/month or so (I'm on a telephone cooperative, rather than an actual mega network), my ability to download your lectures is about zero, unless I go lurk at a friend's and use his conmputer(and he doesn't have a CD burner...and forget about getting YouTube to load in a reasonable time here at home, or completely even) I humbly request that you make available your various lecture series for a nominal charge on CD by mail...I would be quite happy to pay postage and such. I highly appreciated the CD you sent of the first, but would prefer to foot the bill, since while I am not rich, neither are you, and you are the provider of a great deal of enjoyment and information in my life, as well as many others who lurk and post here.

Luckily, I do not have to try and read my run-on sentences out loud, I don't have the wind for it.

On a sadder note, my boyfriend Chester, passed away the other day-he was over 16, the last surviving of three brothers born in Imp...'s dresser drawer many years ago to a rescued stray cat. All orange tabbies with a rare kitty blood type, so had been blood donors as younger kitties. He was an extermely grumpy cat when we met, with a hatred of all humans not his "Mrom"(he would call for Imp... like that when he couldn't find her, as well as yowl "Nrowo" when removed from the seat he had stolen from you), until one night when he observed some friends visiting indulging in some BDSM play. The next morning he was loving on everyone. This is the cat I had spent a moth petting to just shy of getting scratched, loving on folks he'd just met. But after that, he always wanted to sleep on or near me, so he became "my boyfriend", while Imp... was mommy.

Now I have 2 dead cats in my freezer awaiting burial or cremation. Sigh. I need a day off.

Good morning, Wild Clover.

My beloved cat of many, many years passed away last October, Wild Clover. She was likely killed by the poisoned cat food I fed her. She trusted me, and I failed her miserably.

Like Mr. Bojangles, after 30 years I'll still grieve.

The Dark Wraith offers the shared and vast waiting room of sadness to you, Wild Clover.