Leo Laporte and Buzz Bishop in the TWiT Cottage on Flickr

[twitter]It’s the nerd version of a Hajj, a once in a lifetime trip that must be made to the TWiT Cottage in Petaluma, California to visit the master of internet broadcasting, Leo Laporte.

The TWiT Cottage is a small vintage house a few blocks off the main drag in Petaluma. It looks like many of the other dozens of vintage houses in the community that has been converted into therapist offices, yoga studios and workspaces. Inside, however, is the heartbeat of TWiT, the web’s most prolific broadcasting operation, or as Leo prefers to call it “netcasting.”

From inside an old dining room that has now been wired with no fewer than 8 flat screens, 6 cameras, a half dozen lights and 3 microphones, Leo sits and controls an entire network in the same fashion a one man band entertains at a fair.

At his left is a laptop to post images on screen and research answers, at his right is a control board for switching between cameras and adjusting audio. Over his shoulders are monitors to bring up his guests and monitor is incoming and outgoing streams. It looks confusing, but it’s dead simple. A traditional broadcaster would need nearly a dozen people to accomplish what Leo can do on his own.

Want to visit the TWiT Cottage and complete your own Hajj? Send an email to TWiT CEO Dane Golden, he’ll give you the secret knock and address.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?