Category: post

I’ve been think a lot lately about the whole concept of this site, online writing (blogging) in the traditional sense, and the appropriateness of certain writing for certain venues.
This thinking has been spurred in no small part by two sources. First, the conversations that Gwen Bell has helped to start around these ideas. Secondly, as I’m in the editing process of taking some of this work you see here and turning it into a book.
Now the first is a highly interesting concept, Gwen (and others) have decided to completely wipe the slate clean. Erasing everything from the blog and starting first with rethinking the very idea of what a “blog” should be, what it should contain, the purpose that it serves, and why it should exist in the first place. Years and years of writing and other content gone from the Internet. Instead, Gwen, at least for the time being, is taking future short form writing (that which may have been a blog post) and making it available as a paid subscription based newsletter. For longer works and those curated around a theme, she is producing eBooks (The first of which, Digital Warriorship, is wonderful and well worth the cost).
One reason this is compelling to me is the idea of arts patronage. With a certain view, that is what is going on here. Gwen is asking those who wish to read her longer works to support the production of such with a financial commitment. This is not too far removed from the practice in times past of someone, wanting the custom work of a particular artist, agreeing to support them financially. This was not only in return for the final work but also to insure it’s production (you want to give the artist the freedom to produce without worry of where his next meal would come from). As a writer and, therefore, an artist, one should be able to readily see why I find interest in this.
Then, there is the personal journey I’m going through as I have collected many of the posts here, have sent them to a publisher and editor, and have been in the process of rearranging these pieces around themes to make a narrative whole. It is slowly becoming apparent that perhaps this work should have always been presented in the context of a book. That what you have read here over the years has simply been a rough draft for this final product. That perhaps, once released, those pieces (or even perhaps everything you see here) should be deleted from the blog format and only live on much more polished and only in the context of a collected and curated whole – a book.
Finally, this is all a greater part of my also asking what is the appropriate context for my art. I have discovered that much of what I write is often part of a larger narrative, one yet to be discovered even by myself at times, and should be presented as a book in it’s final form. Although each piece could stand on it’s own as a blog post, should it? I also think about patronage and if I could get a few people to pay for the privilege of having access to longer and deeper work, especially if it had the reward at the end of receiving a completed, edited and curated whole.
I don’t have any answers to these questions yet and have not made up mind to go any particular directions. That said, this partly explains why you have seen a slowdown in my production here and elsewhere and some of the ideas that are forming the basis of what will come next.

Recently, |byiyk|referrer|yysar
the time came to replace the iron workhorse that was our HP Laserjet 4100. It had many long a fine years of service. Many of those long before it came into our possession. It seems is little ethernet card was old and no longer willing to hold a conversation with the network for too long. My wife especially depends on a good laser printer too much than to waste any time worrying about reliability so a replacement was in order.

Therefore, I hoped on over to Amazon to purchase the model I’ve been recommending to my clients for quite a while. It’s one I have even recommended here before. The Brother HL-5370DW Laser Printer with Wireless Networking and Duplex. It a fine printer and one that I would have been happy to have.

Then, as my finger hovered over the OneClick button, a voice from the other room said “Wait, what about this one?”

It was my wife, who proceeded to come in with her MacBook in hand and that special glee in her voice that she always gets when she is about to save us money. I looked at her screen to see, there on Amazon, another Brother Laser Printer, with the same basic features, at a price that seemed too good to be true – The Brother Printer HL2270DW Wireless Monochrome Printer.

She’s a beauty ain’t she? And she can be yours right now for only $99.00. That’s right! A good, dependable, laser printer with wireless networking and duplex printing for less than a Ben Franklin.

Now, that is not the regular price. It’s regularly about $30.00 higher. Amazon seems to drop it to match other national retailer’s specials. So, if you don’t get it right now at that price just wait a bit and it will go on sale again eventually.

I recently had lunch with a dear friend whom I had not seen in a while. This friend has a job that places him in a position that is far more important to the organization than even he readily lets on. He is the linchpin for multiple large projects with dozens of internal and external stakeholders competing for his time and attention.

He picked me up and, shortly after getting in his car, his iPhone was all business – ringing, beeping, and buzzing with potential activity. He silenced it, we continued our conversation, and just a couple of minutes later, the iPhone was back to business again. At this point, he picked it up and placed it in Airplane Mode, which cuts wi-fi and 3G but leaves the phone otherwise functional. Respectfully, I did the same.

My first thought was, wow, what a show of respect for me and our time together. I was honored and humbled by this simple act that broadcasted that nothing was more important to him (and, trust me, he has other things far more important).

Secondly, it got me to thinking why he chose Airplane Mode versus turning the phone off. After a few minutes at lunch it became readily apparent. We were showing photos across the table about our recent travels and activities. We were sharing tips, ideas and links and taking notes. We were communing and catching up by using this tremendously powerful technology in ways that enriched the conversation, not distracted from it.

I think far too often we deride the use of such technology when we are having a conversation or in a meeting as a distraction. This was a reminder to me that the technology can, when used effectively, provide a enhancement to the stories we tell and allow us to capture the things that matter. It’s ability to distract is only as powerful as our ability to not let it do so.

Consider this idea the next time you have a need to turn off all external communications yet still remain in a full, upright, and locked position with the conversations you care about.

Everyone knows I have more ideas and websites than I do time. Therefore, here’s a gift to the makers of the world. Here is a free website idea that I’ve had for a while and I’m giving it away. For free. I welcome anyone to take it and run. And by all means, let me know when it is up. OK, ready? Here you go…

I would love a site that asks folks for screenshots of preferences, for ious programs, and asks them to explain why they have things set up that way. I’ll go first.

Application: TextEdit

Why?: For me, Plain text is the most basic building block one can use to start something special. I like to get the words down in a format that is easily transportable and upgradeable.

Window size is important. Needs to be long enough to seem like a page but only wide enough to allow one to have two windows side by side. As well as plenty of space around them.

While Menlo is a perfectly fine monospace font, I’m always on the search for one I like more. That said, Helvetica has never left me with longing.

Author? Well who else could that be? I’ll decide the copyright later. Rights are not something my people have not had for very long. I still don’t feel I have a strong grasp of what they really mean.

Thank the closest deity for spellcheck. You and I both know I should check grammar as well but English is a nuanced language and I often disagree with the rules. Speaking of rules, rulers are good when formatting a page, especially if you care how they print. And copy and paste should be smart. As should text replacement.

Update: Wow. That was fast. So was this. Note to self, one or two people actually read this site.

Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want

– DEVO, Freedom of Choice

When you choose Apple, in many ways you are choosing a sensible default. You have made a choice that greatly narrows the field thus making your options, due the the scarcity, that much easier. When you go to buy a new computer, you no longer have hundreds of choices to choose from, as Windows or Linux users do. You now have only a few. All made by one company. Those of us who have made the choice, based on need, to always buy a laptop or desktop, have narrowed that choice even further. Other purpose based needs narrow this even further. Are you are a professional photographer who needs plenty of storage for RAW photos and a large screen for editing, yet needs that in a portable package that can be used reasonably outside for the occasional wedding shoot? Guess you are getting a Macbook Pro with a 500GB drive and a matte screen then.

I’ll bet, at some point, Steve Jobs woke up one morning, looked in his closet, and had to decide what to wear that day. He choose a black Gap mock turtleneck, Levi’s 501 jeans, and a pair of New Balance sneakers. It then occurred to him that it was the perfect outfit for most occasions and weather he found himself in. He may have even worn it around for a few days, in a iety of circumstances and environments, just to test it out and make sure it was the right thing for him. Then, he went out and got a dozen more of everything and threw out the rest. At this point, he made the final choice, to make this outfit his default, thus freeing himself of the weight of having to decide what to wear based on so many temporal and ever changing factors…

Hot? Cold? Raining? Dry? Sunny?

Black Mock Turtle. Levis. Sneakers.

Does he wear shorts sometimes if the situation calls for it? Sure. How about a tux? Yep. But the point is that he has the vast majority of his needs covered with the sensible default.

For many of us, there is a certain freedom that comes from not having to choose. But that freedom does not come from having choices foisted upon us. It comes from having made some decisions, up front, about what is appropriate for the majority of situations we may find ourselves in.  It comes from reduction and filtering. Such decisions are born of evaluation, reflection, and knowledge. But, most of all, it comes from the desire to live a life that is focused not on things like what to wear or to buy, but instead on doing everything else with that much more thought, consideration and care.

So, many may now know that I’m working on a Minimal Mac podcast. We will be recording the first episodes this week and will have the first one up “soonish” after that. With my doing more podcasts for others and working on one of my own, it has become quite obvious that the built in mic just wont do. While it is perfectly fine for a minimal solution, it is past the time to upgrade to something more appropriate.

I recently asked on Twitter for some suggestions for good podcasting mics. My only requirement was that it had to be USB as I will be plugging it directly into my Macbook Air. Here, in no particular order, are the suggestions I got:

• Blue Yeti
• Rode Podcaster USB Dynamic Microphone
• Audio-Technica AT2020 USB
• Blue Snowflake
• M-Audio MobilePre – This was suggested for use with a more traditional microphone for a more “pro” sound.

And here are two excellent resources that were suggested to learn more about microphones in general:

• The Mixdown – Episode #4: Mic Mechanics
• Microphones 101:A Beginner’s Guide to Macs and Mics

Now, the most “minimal” looked to be the Blue Snowflake and I was heavily tempted to just go with that for now then upgrade later if needed. It is small, portable, and gets high ratings as a “good enough” solution but…

The one that I went with was the Blue Yeti. The main reason being that it is the one that my friends at The Bro Show use and, since they are helping to produce the podcast with me, I felt it best to have the same kit on all sides. Plus, I thought with my desk setup the Snowflake would end up too far away from my mouth to get the audio quality I wish. I also liked the humanistic look of the mic and stand. But at 3.5 pounds and a foot tall, it’s about as minimal as a Hummer. 

That said, if money was not an issue, I likely would have gone with the Rode Podcaster because it got a really strong endorsement by Dan Benjamin in the episode of The Mixdown linked above.

Hope others in the market find all of this info useful.

It’s OK not to have anything to write about. But if you want to call yourself a writer, you kind of have to write. So, even if you have no idea what to put on that page, just sit down and write the first things that come to mind.
You could write about how busy things are. About how life keeps “getting in the way” of your writing. You could talk about all of the scribbles of ideas you would love to expand on but don’t quite have it together enough yet to do so. Because, for many of us, developing ideas takes quiet spaces and empty schedules and those are hard to come by right now.
You could write about how much more interested in reading you are than writing. About how that reading, even though brief, further keeps you from expressing your thoughts. Because you feel you just can’t measure up. But even this is an opportunity to explore those feelings with words. Just simply force yourself to sit down and start typing.
Because, ultimately, it is all of these things that you experience and observe, from the most exciting, to the most philosophical, to the most mundane, that are your potential subjects. Life, is your muse. Look around you.
Those wooden boxes. Made of bamboo. Chosen not just because they fit those impossible cubby holes in the hutch of your desk, but also because the soothing blond tones juxtapose nicely with the cherry wood desk. That desk that you knew you must have when you saw it but was gone at the original location by the time you actually decided to buy it. The one that caused you to then drive to seven other locations before finally finding the last two. Both of which you bought. On sale.
These little small coups that make you happy just by remembering them are perfect fodder for when you need to get the fingers warmed up to type.
See, there’s plenty to write about. Plenty you have to say. Even about nothing at all. Even if it’s writing about not writing.

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is a year beginning post. Don’t think about the past. In fact, don’t ruminate on the year to come. Think about today. Think about one thing that you can do this day to make a difference in the way you begin…
What task can you knock off to ensure it does not follow you?
What bill can you pay to start off with reduced debt?
What simple deed can you do for another who needs it?
What item can you remove from your desk to make the space more productive?
What email can you answer or archive to start of with a cleaner inbox?
What project can you launch? (Ready or not. The details will sort themselves out later.)
I’m answering at least three of these questions as soon as I hit the “Publish” button… Who’s with me?

“For everything we take, someone else must give.”

– Patrick Rhone

There is a reason for that self-quote above. A few days ago, I was reviewing my modest goals for last year and that is a paraphrase of the last sentence in that post. I have been reflecting on it ever since. I now think it should have been my only goal for last year, as it really does encapsulate or eclipse the rest.
The fact is that this world operates on the principle of give and take. Yet so few of us look at it this way. I think we should. I think we would feel a much greater connection to all that we have if we did. We also would have a greater consciousness about the effect of everything we consume and create.
This computer I’m typing on I had to give money for, but someone also had to gather the resources to allow the capacity to take money in exchange for it. A website had to be built to allow me to order it. Parts had to be manufactured to build it. Minerals and precious metals mined. And, all of it was done through a process of give (labor) and take (wages). And though I know Apple’s profits say otherwise, when I think about the hundreds (thousands?) of hands that went into producing this singular piece of technology it hardly seems fair.
Therefore, this year, it will be. This will be a guiding reminder to be more aware of the giving that goes into the things I take. Particularly where money and time are involved. Also, doing all I can to give more. Because, I know that, for me, doing something for others (give) has the end result of making me feel so much better (take). Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.

I keep this text file on my computer called “Bits of Words and Wisdom” for capturing nice sentences and word pairings. It’s not quite a Text Playlist (I keep one of those as well) but sort of it’s shorter and faster brother. I’ve been doing this for years and the list has grown quite large. I often refer to this list whenever I want to be inspired. Here is a snippet from the list to give you an idea of the sort of things that end up here:

• dear thursday, please me kind and gentle. my defenses are worn down and my exhausted heart is weary – DIYSara

• Through stacks of unread books, seas of feeds, people, invitations, events, and unanswered emails, if we stand still long enough, if we listen and look, if we pause, we see that nothing is ever the same again tomorrow. – Liz Danzico

• You’re defined by your inspiration, your vision, your creativeness and in trusting your instincts to break away from your comfort zone and not trying so hard to be different but in being you. – Jorge Quinteros

• One gets better at writing by writing and reading good writing. – Frank Chimero

• Lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless. And lonely is healing if you make it. – Tanya Davis, How to be alone

• For me, form is beauty. Get the structure of a sentence right, make every word work as hard as it possibly can, and you’ll have yourself a beautiful sentence — Iain Broome

• Sometimes the voices we miss most are the only ones we can hear, calling us out into the night, filling the darkness with howls. — Jenny Browne – We Should Dance While We Can

• When everything works best it’s not because you chose writing but because writing chose you. It’s when you’re mad with it, it’s when it’s stuffed in your ears, your nostrils, under your fingernails. It’s when there’s no hope but that. – Charles Bukowski

As you can see, it could be anything. Represented above are snippets from blog posts, tweets, things spoken in videos, things written in letters. If I read it, or hear it and it causes me to pause, I capture it here. There are even a few things I have written that I have been proud of.

Mainly, I’m sharing this with you so that maybe it will spark a similar idea or at least a mandate to remember and appreciate some well crafted words.