LISTEN TO THIS | Geek On
I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from this week. After digesting 11 hours and 12 minutes of podcasts this week, here’s my top 3 must-listen-to moments.
EERIE SAMENESS
SYSTEMIC | On Evernote, Organization and Metal
Guest Brett Kelly and host Brett Terpstra share more than their first names. Both are on a never-ending quest to find little hacks here and there to improve their lives. I loved the oh-my-gosh-I-do-that-too realization they shared at 10:53 when both described how they use photos in Evernote to remember where stuff gets buried in junk drawers and storage boxes. I saw an immediate application with things I only get out once a year like Christmas decorations.
ONION SKIN PAGES
THE CULTURE GABFEST | Bengal Tiger Giving Birth Edition
I would have never guessed that a discussion on the 50th anniversary of the Norton Anthology could be so engrossing, but I really enjoyed how they dissected the editing process and highlighted the value of literature in pushing new ideas. Fast forward to 26:45 and gain a fresh perspective on curated lit.
GET OUR GEEK ON
MIKES ON MICS | The Write Stuff
Yesterday morning I had a parking lot moment listing to Mikes on Mics. Their discussion on writing was so engaging I couldn’t stop listening. At 20:30, Schechter explains the benefits of beginning or ending your day with writing when he answers “Why do you write so much?” For practical advice on writing productivity, jump to 25:50 and hear Mike and Mike walk through two different step-by-step approaches on how they each crank out volumes of written work.
Podcast Test Drives:
History of English Podcast - Hooked after the introduction episode and looking forward to this series - getting my Germanic origins geek on.
Other Podcasts Posts You Might Enjoy:
What podcasts did you enjoy this week and which ones do you recommend?
LISTEN TO THIS | Salty Margaritas
I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from this week. After digesting 12 hours and 36 minutes of podcasts this week, here’s my top 3 must-listen-to moments.
Sweet Roles for Mom
Sometimes Stephen Tobolowsky is overly dramatic and a titch didactic in his storytelling, but that never stops me from enjoying it. He has a wonderful way of tying elements together, building momentum throughout, and exploring lessons learned in everyday events. He’s originally from Dallas, and this episode explores how he overcomes the fear of disappearing memories as buildings come and go and as his parents age. The context of the entire story is important to see how it all connects, but I especially related to his narrative at 38:35 where he describes taking his mom to Starbucks and the tactics he used to get her to eat something.
I Particularly Like the Color
WAIT, WAIT, DON’T TELL ME | Ambassador Peter Westmacott Plays Not My Job
This week’s interview with Ambassador Peter Westmacott was absolutely delightful. I loved the part at 22:28[1. This time refers the full episode, but the link in the heading goes to just he interview portion of the show.] when host Peter Sagal asks him to illustrate his skills at diplomacy by answering a series of questions like, “Does this dress make me look fat?” and “Would you mind reading a draft of my first novel?”
We Would Do a Training Before Each Crawl
HOW TO DO EVERYTHING | The Bedbug Strategy
In answering, “How do you start a conversation with perfect strangers?” Ian interviews Brandon Silverman about what he learned from spending eight years crashing corporate holiday parties in Philadelphia. Start at the beginning or skip to 1:20 to hear more about these two shared tips:
- The Bedbug Strategy - find a common enemy to complain about. “Man, this line to the bar is so long,” or “These margaritas sure are salty.”
- The Superman - start with a totally hyperbolic comment. “This has to be one of the best bands on the entire east coast.” The best part is the statement doesn’t need to be true or even sincere.
Podcast Test Drives:
Brett Terpstra’s relatively new podcast Systematic. I liked when Brett did a workflow episode on the Mac Power Users, and Michael Schechter gave a surprisingly good interview on this this week’s show. I plan to go back and listen to Brett’s interview with Merlin Mann last week, and I’ve added this to my subscriptions. Getting lots of techy/productivity interview shows on the list. Still searching for a good one about learning and training issues.
OTHER PODCAST POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
What podcasts did you enjoy?
The Social Media Parable of the Orange Marble
I facilitated a recent lunch and learn on social media for a small group of about 20 people. Most of the group felt overwhelmed by all the information available, so I came up with a simple little analogy. Then over the weekend, I borrowed a few props from my children. Think of this video as a Yuvi Zalkow knockoff for those that can't afford the real thing. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8FATWxeAK4']
Transcript:
Imagine information as a giant set of marbles. Billions and billions of marbles. And every single marble is unique - different colors, different designs, different sizes, different textures. The way we used to access these marbles of information and the way we can access them today has changed - dramatically.
These marbles used to live in a remote mountain lake. Calm and serene. A colorful majestic masterpiece. But there were two major problems with this information set up: visibility and access. Not all the information was visible, in fact most of it was hidden below the surface. And while learning was technically open to anyone, it was difficult to access. You either had to hike up to the lake with your canteen and fill it up, or someone else hiked up there and brought information back down to you. Learning required a significant amount of work. Someone had to hike up the mountain. Plus if what you wanted to learn what was on the other shore or in the middle of the lake, it required even greater effort.
Today, the dam on lake has broken open and information is on the move. Picture Nigahiga Falls with marbles. Millions of gallons of information flowing over the falls every second. While we can now see what was once hidden below the surface, the flow of information is too fast and powerful. If you tried drinking from that big of a waterfall, you'd likely drowned.
Fortunately, there are several tips and tools that give us the power to control the flow of information for our specific, individual needs.I can say, give me only orange marbles. Look at those and say, not focused enough, give me only plain orange marbles that are 9/16 in diameter. That's much more manageable.
Social media at its simplest from is about consuming and sharing information. The trick is simply to learn to filter to your specific interests and pace.