Back in this episode of Cal Newport's podcast "Why You're Always Tired & Exhausted (No Matter What You Do)," there was a funny ad read that Cal did for Jesse Skelton.
It was funny enough that not only did I try to make an audio version of Jesse Skelton saying "Get Off Your Phone" (MP3), but another podcast fan made this site for Jesse Skelton.
Enjoy!
Photo by Frank Holleman on Unsplash
In a recent episode of Cal Newport's The Deep Life Podcast -- Episode 238: The Joys Of The Reading Life -- Cal provided his well-thought-out ideas on how to have a deep reading life and how that intersects with our digital technologies.
I agree with Cal that reading deeply needs concentration and is free from distraction. Physical books are excellent for those that want that experience.
I also agree that reading on the Kindle (or other dedicated eBook readers) can be a deep reading platform. My Kindle Paperwhite is my primary device for all my reading with my eyes. [NOTE: Listening to audiobooks is reading. Don't get me started.]
He is also correct that reading on most people's standard mobile phones or digital tablets like an iPad is not a deep reading platform.
If you do end up reading on a phone or tablet, here are my recommendations.
My phone already has very minimal alerts, but with a quick swipe, I turn on "Do Not Disturb." And in my Kindle application on the phone, I have changed the background color (Layout > Page Color) from white (default) to green. The other options are: tan, white, or black. I'd choose tan if you don't like the green color.
I find having that green background - uncommon like the tan - tells my mind that I am now in reading mode and not scanning mode (like with a white or black background). This lets me read more deeply when I don't have my Kindle and only my phone. Once I finish reading, I turn off "Do Not Disturb."
Reading on my iPad is more straightforward, as I have 'Do Not Disturb' always on. And I am only reading content on my iPad with colors: comic books, WWII books with maps, Star Wars guides, recipe books, etc. I don't change the background color on my iPad.
Thoughts? Comments? Feedback is always welcome!
I learned a lot about Adam Smith that I didn't know about in this three part podcast from Freakonomics.com: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Here are a few examples:
You can find out what I'm up to in near real-time via: Twitter (@sholden) Instagram (@sholden), or Facebook (sholden). I also recommend checking out my AztecMedia.net produced sites: Chvrches Fan Podcast (@chvrchespodcast), ThePodCraft Beer Show (@thepodcraft, @techguysteve, Untapped, @techguysteven); Tech News Radio (@technewsradio), Air Gapped Networks (@airgapnet), Jersey Boys Podcast, and Veteran Stories. [Updated: May 9, 2021]
This photo is part of my Blurry collection.
CURRENT HAPPENINGS
All but one of us is vaccinated. Guess which one? Ha Ha! #stay_home_if_sick, #wash_your_hands, #social_distance, #wear_a_mask
Christy and I had a great 2nd retreat to The Oaks to celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary. It was super reflective and restful. Here are some photos!
I recently did a Getting Things Done (GTD) related presentation to Manager-Tools' M Conference attendees alumni group. Here is more information about the presentation with an offer to present to other groups or organizations that are interested in productivity.
My work did a virtual Spring Break scavenger hunt (above are some of the photos). It was super fun and collaborative with friends & family helping out. It was also nice to get out-and-about little bit more. I highly recommend doing something like this if you have the opportunity.
LOOKING FORWARD TO
Carson is going to be graduating high-school soon, and has decided to go to Long Beach State to study nursing. We are very proud and excited for her upcoming college season.
Summer vacation plans seem to be coming together: Mission Beach beach house rental, back to The Oaks, Def Con (Las Vegas), and camping at San Elijo State Beach.
I am hoping that my friend's D&D session (mentioned in previous posts) will get us through this epic battle I have been DMing for months, and on to a new "underwater" related adventure created by our other DM Darren.
TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS
Here are some greate Windows 10 tips from ZDNET. The one about the new Clipboard History is especially useful as I have had to use a 3rd party tool to do this in the past. To open Clipboard History, press Windows key + V. Neat!
I have been experimenting with these Rode Wireless Go Compact Microphone Transmitter & Receiver Systems for The PodCraft Beer Show. So far they are working well, and they definitely decrease the amount of gear I need to drag to each recording. I think they are also making the conversational style of the podcast easier to record, and edit on the back end. I'll probably do a future full review, so standby for more information.
Engadget's article on "Google makes it easy to jump back to the search box by pressing '/' -- The new shortcut makes it easier to refine your search results." should enable you to quickly expand searches to include addition terms.
I knew how to schedule the release of emails, but this article from Wired describes how to do this on Apple iOS devices and on Google Android devices for text messages. Super handy to know.
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” - Peter Drucker
This photo is part of my Blurry collection.
CURRENT HAPPENINGS
All is good health-wise and no major COVID-19 impacts. We are looking forward to vaccines. #stay_home_if_sick, #wash_your_hands, #social_distance, #wear_a_mask
Some how I didn't get around to a February post. Things have been pretty focused at home (taxes, CISSP Continuing Education (CE) credits, ThePodCraft, etc), and work (new role) which is probably why it never got to the top of the priority list.
LOOK FORWARD TO
Our visit to the The Oaks (our photos from our 1st trip) to celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary is coming up soon. And I am going to be taking some annual leave from work the first full week of April just after Easter.
I continue to be Dungeon Mastering (DMing) for my Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) group. We have been slogging through the "epic" battle over 5 or 6 sessions (3-4 hours of real-time) to play 5+ minutes in game time (each turn has been 6 seconds long). I think the "snatch-&-grab" adventure I was planning is going to be something to do later, as our other DM is ready with his next adventure.
TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS
Wired recently published some great Gmail tips that are worth reviewing if you are a Google Gmail user.
I learned a few things about how to better use Virtual Desktops on Chrome OS in this article. I am currently using four: Main, GTD, Social, & Media.
I am not much of a wine drinker but I thought this graphic I found on Reddit to be helpful enough that I saved it into my REFERENCE library in Google Keep:
I believe I have a pretty good online password strategy. Here are some times related to cracking common password patterns. This is why your passwords need more complexity as of 2021. The bad news is that every year going forward the time to crack passwords is going to get less as processors/memory/storage/cache/technologies/approaches/etc. get better:
I have been using LastPass for several years (paying customer), and I still find it to meet my needs: works across many devices, Family Plan, easy to have different passwords per site, and complex generated passwords can be customized.
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT
“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. - Mary Engelbreit
This photo is part of my Nature Collection!
CURRENT HAPPENINGS
Over the past month we have been celebrating outdoors & socially distanced the Holidays, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. Best of all is that we continue to be blessed with a hedge of protection with regards to COVID-19 and health in general.
Unfortunately I do have some bad news -- on Saturday morning (December 26) we found out our elderly black lab Kaley escaped our yard, and we have not been able to find her. We are all very concerned and sad. But we continue to hold out hope she will be found:
SUPER FUN ADVENT CRAFT BEER CALENDAR
Chris and Charlie -- the hosts of ThePodcraft Beer Show -- gave me this awesome customized Advent Calendar filled with twenty-four excellent craft beers:
You can see photos, descriptions, and top 3 list here!
HOLIDAY SCAVENGER HUNT
The NAVWAR Enterprise had a fun virtual scavenger hunt for employees and their families over the weekend of December 18-20, 2020. The family had a good time working on it. We didn't finish in the Fastest Top 30, but we got everything done!
TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS
If you are looking for a great coffee mug, tea kettle, desk/garden creatures, or unique stickers/t-shirts/etc. then check out Skeletal Dropkick! I am enjoying my new Bear Mug, and custom D&D stickers! I also got an original custom drawing on my box! FUN!
If you are doing "family" tech support for folks on multiple platforms, then check out the free Chrome Remote Desktop tool from Google. It works cross platform, and also works on Chromebooks. I personally use this nearly on a daily basis to get from my Chromebook to my Windows 10 PC for Windows-based activities.
This site puts some things in perspective on what has changed since you were born - https://neal.fun/life-stats/. It includes a lot of positive data, and not so much on data that might be controversial, but definitive worth trying out.
This great calendar visualization of 2021 continuous year from Kairos Cognition (a productivity consulting & consulting firm associated with David Allen's Getting Things Done) inspired me to create my own version in Google Docs which I published in PDF. This is what mine looks like:
In discussing this continuous year calendar on the GTD Connect forms, a fellow member shared his own horizontal version. I copied it (PDF) and here is what it looks like:
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT
“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” — George Carlin
I got the following Christmas Advent Craft Beer Calendar from Chris & Charlie who host ThePodCraft Beer Show (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook):Craft Beer #1:
"Centre" (Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA)) [untapped] from Other Half
Craft Beer #2:
"Motueka Daydream" (Oak Cream New England-style IPA) [untapped] from Other Half
Craft Beer #3:
"Tropic Of Thunder" (Lager) [untapped] from Stone Brewing
Craft Beer #4:
"Yodale" (Coconut Lager) [untapped] from Creative Creature
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
Craft Beer #5:
"Lilikoi Sour" (Sour Ale) [untapped] from Harland Brewing
Craft Beer #6:
"Dort" (Dortmunder-style Lager) [untapped] from Modern Times
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
Craft Beer #7:
"Circle Of Hops" (San Diego Pale Ale) [untapped] from Burning Beard
Craft Beer #8:
"BCN Fog" (Double Dry Hopped Bi-Coastal Double IPA) [untapped] from Humble Sea
Craft Beer #9:
"Pseudo Sue" (Pale Ale) [untapped] from Toppling Goliath
Craft Beer #10:
"Tree Hugger" (Tart Ale with tropical dragon fruit, passion fruit, and coconut) [untapped] from Great Notion with Pure Project
Craft Beer #11:
"The Pupil" (IPA) [untapped] from Societe Brewing Company
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
Craft Beer #12:
"Autumn Gold" (Murky IPA) [untapped] from Pure Project
Craft Beer #13:
"Smacker's Mango Passionfruit" (Fruited Sour Ale) [untapped] from Creative Creature
Craft Beer #14:
"Covington" (American Pilsner) [untapped] from North Park Brewing Co.
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
Craft Beer #15:
"H-C (Hecto-Cooler)" (Fruited Imperial Sour Ale) [untapped] from Creative Creature
Craft Beer #16:
"Fingers Of Gold" (Murky IPA) [untapped] from Pure Project
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
Craft Beer #17:
"Where Vultures Fare" (German-Style Pilsner) [untapped] from Burning Beard
Craft Beer #18:
"Blueberry vs. Lime" (Sour Smoothie Ale) [untapped] from Creative Creature
Craft Beer #19:
"Bluemeboshi" (Imperial Sour Ale with salted plum & blueberries) [untapped] from Pure Project
Craft Beer #20:
"SuperFun!" (Double Dry Hopped Pale Ale) [untapped] from Other Half
Craft Beer #21:
"Reality Maze" (Imperial Stout with Coconut & Vanilla) [untapped] from Modern Times
Craft Beer #22:
"Passion Pool" (Gose Style Ale with passionfruit & sea salt) [untapped] from MKSD (Mikkeller San Diego)
Craft Beer #23:
"Strata Rocket" (Wet Hopped West Coast IPA) [untapped] from North Park Beer Co.
Craft Beer #24:
"Larry's Latest" (Sour Ale) [untapped] from Bell's Brewery
Customized glass from Glass To Mouth
My favorite top three beers from this year's advent calendar:
This photo is part of my Wood Collection. Also check out my Nature Collection!
CURRENT EVENTS
We are AOK on the COVD-19 front. We continue to be vigilant and focused: #wear_a_mask; #wash_your_hands, #social_distance, and #stay_home_if_sick.
My candidate for President of the United States in 2020 continues to be Jo Jorgensen. I think she would have been great in the 1st debate (#letherspeak, #letherdebate), but that didn't happen. I think the Presidential Debates need to move back to a non-partisan group like League of Women Voters as the Presidential Debate Commission is just run by the Republican & Democratic parties with no interest in real republican democracy and a free marketplace of ideas.
Christy and I had a wonderful opportunity to do a self-guided retreat with COVID-19 protections at The Oaks the last weekend in September. It was an amazing weekend -- where we were able to relax, connect, and grow. Here are some photos of the amazing facilities and grounds. And here are some pictures of nature from around the area. Highly recommended! If you have any questions, then please let me know.
I also managed to record the event bell on the last day. There are two versions. One with little changes from the original recording:
And another where I tried to clean up the audio a little bit:
OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING WELL
EXPERIMENTING WITH MEDITATION
I'm still enjoying my emerging meditation practice. I got a couple of emails about my meditation post from last month, and the benefits others have had with meditation. The Oak app that I have been using to help me build out my practice has three main functions (HOME, COURSES, GROWTH):
Under the HOME you will see (I use the Meditate > Unguided):
And under COURSES you will see (at the time of this post) just one available course (but more are planned):
If you press on GROWTH you will see your personal tracker on how you are doing by day. I can see my current streak and my longest streak for Meditate > Unguided since this the only one I am using at this time. It is pretty simple and well designed. I recommend it if you are looking for something to experiment with.
TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS
My favorite audio editing program is still the open-source application Audacity. It works on Macs, Windows, and Linux.
The two days a week I am riding my bike with a stationary-trainer on our backyard porch, I am nearly always watching videos from this You Tube channel Indoor Cycling Videos. They are excellent!
For the last month or so, I have been trying to look at my Getting Things Done (GTD) Next Action lists and my Projects list as something doable in the next 7 days. So far, I've seen more throughput in completing more projects and tasks. Items that are outside of 7 days are moved to the Later list in Nirvana for my personal system, and a similar Next Actions (Later) list in Microsoft Outlook Tasks for my work system. These Later lists are then reviewed using a lens of -- "is this doable in a month" -- and if the answer is "No", then the item moves to Someday/Maybe. This has definitely increased the number of "Someday/Maybe" items, but that has been manageable since I am reviewing them once a week during my Weekly Review.
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT
“Having resentment against someone is like drinking poison and thinking it will kill your enemy.” ― Nelson Mandela
I was recently catching up on some podcasts, and this Random Show with Kevin Rose and Tim Ferris was very interesting. I usually don't miss them when they happen.
This one got really interesting about half-way through when Kevin started talking about really good craft beers. In the area of COVID-19 he has been trying to drink more really good craft beers. Over the last seven weeks my level of interest in craft beer in general as gone up because I've been helping Chris & Charlie with their The PodCraft Beer show. In addition my palate has started to change from very IPA focused, to also enjoying a stout or a mild sour, and definitely fruit beers. Here are some of the links that Kevin mentioned that I studied after listening:
If you are interesting in learning more about craft beers, then check out this guide that Chris from ThePodCraft recommends.