LISTEN TO THIS | The Jordache Look
I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from the week. After digesting hours and hours of podcasts, here’s the top 3 must-listen-to moments.
NO BUSINESS IS TOO SMALL - NO BUSINESS IS TOO WEIRD
NPR BUSINESS STORY OF THE DAY | What Ever Happened to Jordache Jeans
Renee Montagne’s quick 4:29 interview with Matthew Boyle on his recent What Ever Happened to Jordache Jeans is a pitch-perfect example of business leaders who are successful because of their ability to adjust to change quickly - moving from retail to manufacturing, going mass at just the right time, and then diversifying into other areas. As Boyle sums up, “It’s weird how they see an opportunity, they move fast, they grab it, but there isn’t much rhyme or reason to the empire.” Ahh, but there is rhyme and reason - continual growth.
TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
THE MEMORY PALACE | Episode 45: Heard, Once
First time listening to The Memory Palace, and I was hooked by this story of how promoter P.T. Barnum managed a wildly successful tour of Swedish opera star Jenny Lind starting in 1850. The entire podcast is only 8:42, but if you’re impatient, skip to 4:25 when Barnum makes his offer to Lind and listen through to the end.
RACE TO THE BOTTOM
ON THE MEDIA | Trust Me, I’m Lying
Brooke Gladstone speaks with Ryan Holiday, author of the new book Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. The best section starts at 3:30 when Gladstone asks about Pastor Terry Jones, and Holiday explains the viral effectiveness of strong emotions. “Anger is the number one predictor of an article making the most popular lists.” I’m eager to learn more about the fine line between influence and manipulation.
Podcast Test Drives:
- How to do Everything - this week’s show was about how to watch the Olympics and contained a charming interview with Sir Patrick Stewart who served as one of the torch bearers for the London Games. I also learned about a special use for honey during the competition. Hap tip to Peter Sagal on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.
- CMD+SPACE - is a reboot of the Bro Show on the 70 Decibels network. Merlin Mann joins hosts Myke Hurley and Stephen Hackett on this inaugural show. Hat tip to Michael Schechter. I was fascinated to hear details of Merlin’s history and his personal lessons along the way.
Unsubscribing from:
Stop Podcasting Yourself - my threshold for morning zoo formats is pretty low. I should quit looking for funny from a podcast. I’d rather spend the time learning and being challenged. I clearly prefer shows that help me grow AND make me laugh along the way.
OTHER PODCAST POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
What about you? What podcasts did you enjoy this week and what do you recommend?
Going into the Silence
“That’s one thing I hate! All the noise, noise, noise, noise!” ~ The Grinch
After seven days in an giant, old New England farmhouse, we decided to stay in more economy-class accommodations for the last two nights of our vacation as we moved up the coast and explored Freeport, Maine. I’m the only morning person in my family, so with four kids and two adults in one hotel room, when I woke up before the sun, I grabbed my computer and headed down to the breakfast area which wasn’t even officially opened yet. The lights were off, but they were starting to set up for breakfast.
I walked in, sat down, connected to WiFi and began my day while patiently waiting for fresh coffee and precooked bacon. In my selection of location, I picked the table farthest away from the giant TV at one end of the room which was blaring The Weather Channel.
As time ticked by, the breakfast buffet opened, and one other traveler entered the room. He sat down about two thirds of the way away from the TV, unfolded his USA Today and began reading. As I was more and more distracted by the repetitive booming meteorological commentary, I decided to act and turn down the volume of the television. I stood up and walked towards the TV, trying to make eye contact with my fellow early bird until I passed him. Nothing. His head stayed down and focused on his paper.
I turned down the volume, and when I turned around, the guy had his paper down, arms out stretched giving me the “What the @#%!” look. So I said, “Do you mind if I turn that down?” Which by the way is what I did. It was down, not off. Still audible. And there were only two of us in the room.
His response back, “Well, I’d like to be able to hear it.”
I wanted to say, “Why? They say the same thing over and over again every 8 minutes. And you’re reading the paper.” But it seemed easier and faster to reach back and click the volume up a little which seemed to please him.
Within a week of that incident I heard two podcast rants about how much noise there is in public places today. The first was on Rodrick on the Line, where John Roderick told of going to visit a friend and how this person kept the TV on as background noise while they chatted. Merlin Mann chimed in about how much airports have changed and that there are no quiet spots to be alone in them anymore. Then, Clay Jenkinson on the Thomas Jefferson hour was discussing how Jefferson managed to be so productive during his life. One secret was he spent a lot of time in solitude. Clay went on to describe how difficult that is today echoing many of John and Merlin’s complaints.
Years ago, I heard Brian Tracy describe solitude as going into the silence. He’s a big believer in the magic of solitude. I started practicing regular, dedicated time to silence: walking, running, just sitting alone with my thoughts. Over the years I’ve drifted away from that habit, and today, I live constantly among noise. I’m regularly updating my running playlist with fresh music. With my addiction to podcasts, if I’m not sitting still or talking to someone, I’m listening to an episode. And I’m constantly online with some device easily within reach.
It’s time to reverse that trend. The ideas, the solutions, the calm that come from doing nothing are wonderful, so here’s my game plan:
- Schedule silence breaks. Three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening) I’ll take a 5–7 minute break of doing nothing. No reading, writing or talking. At the office, I’ll probably go for a quick walk around the block.
- Limit email scans. Turn off email notifications and check it when it works for me instead of constantly scanning what’s in the inbox. Same applies with checking status updates.
- Eat alone. Once a week, go out to eat by myself with nothing to listen to or to read. I know I’ll be surround by noise, but this will still provide good thinking time.
- Once a year, go on a two-day or longer hike. Last year’s trip to the Narrows was magical, and a big reason why was because of the solitude.
What about you? Is silent solitude important to you? If so, how do you carve out some time for it?
July Observation Paper Recap
I continue to grow in my journey of creating quotographs. For July, I'm pleased to share that 16 of the pictures were ones I took myself, and another five where ones I created on my iPad. The win of the month was this sketch of a quote from Merlin Mann on Mac Power Users with 124 notes.
