tonygoodson

Things I like

I thought I’d do a recap on things I like right now, instead of the slight blogging bias towards whinging, complaining and ranting! It’s easy to write about the things I like, I just look out across my table/desk and see what’s lying around and closest to me;

Podcasts – I’m loving listening to Adam Carolla, Fighting Talk, Danny Baker, Sportsweek, 606 Football Phone-in, TWiT, Jonathan Ross, Desert Island Discs, and where has Christian O’Connell gone?

Audio Books – WoW!  Audible audio books, the two I’ve listened to recently are fantastic, The Outliers read by Malcolm Gladwell, and A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson, which I’m certainly getting my money’s worth on that audio book!

iPhone – Yes, easy to use, this is my first phone which gives me web and email access, some of the apps, audio books, maps,  access to everything

Keyboard – 15 bucks for a Microsoft keyboard.  Excellent.

Sansa Clip – My portable, cycling, walking, on the train, mp3 podcast player.  Excellent.

My Job – Loving the job.  Not easy on some days, but it’s something I can really get my teeth into.

Piano – My 6 year old son has cleaned me out of every simple piano duet I know, in less than 2 months.  Playing piano duets with your kids, a dream come true!

Using old stuff – I’ve resurrected my old Samsung LCD screen, it’s nearly 9 years old but going strong, as a second screen for my netbook.

Cheapo Copy Aftershave – The alcohol works a treat inside my shoes!!

And finally, Ergonomic Cycling HandleBar Grips!!  I can’t explain how much better my riding position is, being able to rest the palms of my hands on these grips.

“When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad!!”

Dr Who’s perfect music choice

WoW!  I was listening to David Tennant’s (Dr Who) music choice on Desert Island Discs, and it almost perfectly matches my own choice, such that anything David Tennant recommends or additionally listens to I’d give a go.  I’m sure there are music sites and Amazon where I can find accurate recommendations, but I’ve never found one as close as Dr Who!

I’ve always loved Desert Island Discs. It’s one of the longest running radio programmes in the UK.  A simple format, a celebrity guest is alone on a desert island, what 8 pieces of music would they take with them, which one would they choose, which luxury item would they choose, which book to go along with The Bible and The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

It’s really moving when someone David Tennant gets it with your own musical choice.

The Proclaimers – Love ‘em

Elvis Costello – Not my absolute favourite but mostly love

The Housemartins – Love ‘em

Deacon Blue – I’ll take Dr Who’s word for it

Eddie Izzard – Love Him

Kaiser Chiefs – Don’t know that well but I’m now listening

Tim Minchin – Great song

Billy Bragg – Like Elvis Costello, like most of his stuff

Oh and Kirsty Young is fantastic as the host, and I found her in Room 101.  A Desert Island Discs interview with Michael Caine last week threw up something I thought only I knew…that the song My Way by Frank Sinatra, though written by Paul Anka, is in fact Comme D’Habitude by Claude François.

Actually, what are my Desert Island Disc 8 songs;

Father and Son – Cat Stevens

The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding – Elton John

Living Years – Mike and The Mechanics

Paradise by the Dashboard – Meatloaf

Lying Eyes – The Eagles

The Promised Land – Bruce Springsteen

Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy

Sansa Clip+ podcast problem

I love the Sansa Clip+ mp3 player. 

Just one problem, that is proving a bit painful.  The Clip is automatically putting podcasts that are tagged “podcast” into the Clip’s “podcasts” folder.  Nice idea.  It means that each podcast in the folder can be paused independently and I can return to several podcast that I’ve part played. 

However, that’s not how I play podcasts.  I create an order of podcast listening on Windows Media Player 11 and then upload.  The order is very important to me, because the first few podcasts are those that are relevant to this week, such as sport, I.T, news, so they lose their relevance if listened to next week, but are great in their context.  Others such as Napoleon, Henry V, people interviews, don’t have an immediate time context, so I can listen to at a later time.

So playing order is very important, especially when I’m cycling and don’t want to stop and fiddle around and it’s very sunny and I can’t see the screen.  It also helps me know which podcasts I’ve played.  The only work around I’ve found so far, is to edit the “Genre” tag away from “Podcast” to anything else, using a tag editor or WMP11, but this takes up additional time, and for some reason not all tags can be edited in Window Media Player.

It’s not at all clear from the documentation, or maybe not possible to switch off the auto podcast folder on the Clip+.  So c’mon Sansa, nice idea, but you can do better on this.  Give me the choice and document it.

My Productivity for 2010

My productivity for 2009 has been shocking!

Partly because I have some very big issues to sort out, which can be kinda distracting, and it makes it very difficult for me to concentrate at times.  Consequently, most of my good productivity systems collapsed in 2009.  My MindManager mindmaps, my Weekly Review, my capture tools and filing (not that my filing was ever any good!).

What I’m most struck by is the difficulty in planning and setting aside time for the thing I most want to do, Podcast.  Why is it, we have our dreams and we don’t fulfil them, even when we are able to.  I had a good crack at my dreams in 2009, but just couldn’t seem to keep them going.  Also, there are some things which happened, including work, which just needed complete narrow focus, to the exclusion of everything else, and sometimes, no time or energy for anything else.  And in the latter part of 2009, I really enjoyed my work.

And so to 2010, loaded with my iPhone, my Sansa Clip+ mp3 player, and my Dell Netbook.  I’ve stopped using my thin leather pocket Filofax for note capture and diary/calendar.  I’m currently using a cheapo spiral A4 book for capture, and no diary system, because my time has been in blocks of months.

Given that I’m on Gmail and iPhone, I think Google calendar and some kind of iPhone note capture would be nice.  Today, I’ve just created a simple shopping list on a Google Docs spreadsheet, and my Actions in columns, on another Google Docs spreadsheet, so that I can view them easily from my iPhone.  I’m having a play with a few iPhone productivity Apps but nothing has hooked me yet.  Dan Bricklin’s Note Taker to finger write notes on the iPhone, Evernote, iThought mindmaps, and gCalWall which produces a photo of your Google calendar and puts it up as the wallpaper.  Not long before that will be automatic.

My main obsession right now is listening to podcasts and audio books rather than producing podcasts and audio books! One may lead to the other.

Every decade for me has been significant in terms of moving onto the next decade, but this time, 2009 feels like it’s dribbling into 2010!!  Is it just me or did decade ends used to me more exciting!  And so, my productivity is dribbling into 2010!!

2009 Purchases of the year!

Just got a Sansa Clip+ 4GB mp3 player via eBay, and it set me thinking what my favourite purchases of 2009 are.  I’m not a big consumer of goods, not a big shopper, brick or online, so there’s not much to choose from.  I tend to choose well, and hence my goods last a long time, if I use them!

1. Hush Puppies – Zinc classic formal shoes

You wouldn’t think there would be a pair of formal shoes I’d actually look forward to wearing.  Given that I’m on my feet, training groups a lot, I thought I’d treat myself and spend a bit more. Well worth it.  Comfortable, “Extra Wide”, “Bounce Technology”.

2. Apple iPhone 3GS

So, I claim I’m not a typical consumer!  Well I am with this one.  Never fallen for the Apple hype, but I have to say, the iPhone is fantastic.  Easy to use, beautiful usability, great as a phone, and of course the Apps.

pUniverse – See the stars as you move around the night sky, find the planets.

AlarmT Lite – Alarm Clock which enables me to wake to my MP3s

Games – FreeCell, Sudoku, Action Blox, Touch4, Labyrinth 3D, Racer Free

tramTracker and Metlink for Melbourne transport

Getting Things Done – Notes, Google Apps (inc Gmail), Guitar Tuner, Laptop Cafe, Evernote, Note Taker (finger write), iThoughts (MindMaps)

3. Sansa Clip+ MP3 player

See, I don’t fall for the Apple hype.  I’m sure iPods are fantastic, but are they value for money?  I reckon the Sansa Clip+ is the best player, depending on how you use an MP3 player.  It’s small and it clips on!  If you cycle, walk around a lot, and go on public transport, it fantastic.  Also the Clip+ has more sound options than the Clip.  Volume/Equalizer adjustments, Audio Book options for double play speed, and micro SD slot for an extra 16GB.

4. Audible Audio Books

I’ve been an Audible user since 2006 for the Ricky Gervais podcasts, but only recently started listening to audio books.  My first book was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was a bit dire as a book, but I persisted, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers read by Malcolm Gladwell, is unbelievably good.  Just listened to some other Ricky Gervais podcasts and more to come.  I was crying with laughter.  And currently listening to Scott Adams’ (Dilbert) God’s Debris.

Just one product I wouldn’t buy again, the Dell Mini Netbook, on the Vodafone plan.  The keyboard is too small to enjoy using and they’ve moved the apostrophe ‘ key and made the right hand shift key smaller, which makes it a pain in the arse to try typing with.  It’s still a good data plan, but would I buy this netbook again?  I don’t think so.  I’ve seen better netbook keyboards.

Audio and Podcasts and Audible

I’m loving audio!  I’m listening to more and more podcasts, and I’ve just signed up to an Audible Gold Account, which gives me 1 audio book per month.  I’ve been with Audible since 2006, originally to listen to the Ricky Gervais podcasts when they moved from Series 1 on The Guardian, to a Series 2 pay version on Audible.

All those Audible ads on the podcasts I listen to must be having an effect on me, because I thought I’d try some audio books.  The first book was a bit difficult.  I was finding Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas unreadable in the printed form.  Heavy Going.  So I thought I’d give the audio version a go. Slightly better, and even better on double speed!!  I got through it.

Initially I’d tried loading the audio book on to a Sansa Clip mp3 player, which I love to use when I’m moving around, the iPhone is a bit heavy to carry, and of course doesn’t “Clip” on.  However, the Sansa player kept jamming with the audio book loaded, so I gave the iPhone a go.  Much better usability, easy to bookmark, with chapters, and double speed reading. which works really well.

So having signed for a Gold Audible account, my first book to listen to is Malcolm Gladwell’s The Outliers which I’ve been meaning to read for a while.  Really loving listening to Malcolm Gladwell reading his own book.

And whilst I’m at it, I’ve just updated my list of podcasts I listen to.  There are some unbelievably good podcasts.  My favourites right now that I’ve recently added;

The Christian O’Connell Solution – Very funny solutions to life

The Adam Carolla Podcast – The meaning of life

Desert Island Discs – At last

The Danny Baker Show – Quirky Football

Murray Lovejoy’s Sports Express – More Quirky Football

Liquid Courage Podcast – Drunk men talking shit!

More or Less – Understanding the Stats behind the headline

This Week in Google

This Week in Startups

Which MP3 Player?

What gets me blogging again after a few months?  Dropping my current MP3 player in the toilet!!  Looks like the player isn’t working, wonder why!!  Bizarrely, I received an email on Friday, promoting a product which dries out wet electronic devices that have been dropped in water, Bheestie Bag.  Leave the wet electronic device in the Bheestie Bag, and the bag dries out the device, hopefully making the device work again.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering what new mp3 player to buy to replace my Sansa e260 4GB player.  I’ve enjoyed having this player, with just one main issue, it doesn’t play Audible books with the V1 firmware.  I don’t use the player for video or to show off photos, just for podcasts and music, so I’ve “borrowed” my wife’s Sansa 2GB Clip which I think is just what I need for my travelling and cycling, something which is very light and clips on, and perhaps the 4GB version.  Here in Australia, there’s a pricing gap for mp3 players.  There are the cheapo sub $80 players,but they don’t always play all mp3s, and then there’s the range of Apple iPods, but they’re priced near $200.  I would have thought the $100 to $130 range is perfect, but there’s very few players in that range, Sansa, iRiver, Samsung?  Maybe the Australian market consists of, Cheapo, iPod and mobile phones, but that’s not what I want.

I do have an iPhone, but it’s too heavy for running, cycling, travel, and I’d rather not carry a mobile phone too near my body, and it’s an extra task to keep switching the iPhone on and off to flight mode.  So it’s a Sansa 4GB Clip unless anyone recommends better. 

Oh and I’m tempted to try out an audio book from Audible, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Passwords

I’ve just published another Productivity Show.  This time it’s with David Freer of Symantec, Norton Internet Security and all that.  I’m going to give Norton another go, and see if it really is less bloated, runs faster, and does virus checks quicker.

Our talk, set me thinking about my passwords.  The passwords I have are fairly robust, it’s just that with so many websites, I use so few passwords, so one password may unlock several of my website accesses.  My greatest fear, is human access to servers containing my passwords, and one known password could lead to several websites I use.

I don’t know what to do.  If I move some of my mid level secure accesses up to a different password, then the same password will crack all my mid level secure accesses!!  Maybe mix the website word into my password.

Here’s a good article on levels of passwords.

And I think I’m going to try a some password software for looking after passwords. Looks like there are Firefox extensions, and open source software such Password Safe, just for this type of thing.

Typepad - Fail on Audio and Design

I've been trying to put an audio player in Typepad.
This Typepad recommended player works.  Just one problem, if you open this blog page or the front page of the blog which has the player, all the links in the players start to open.  In other words, every time you go to this blog page, if I have a 40MB file I want you to listen to, it starts to download when you go to the page.  That's a lot of downloads and bandwidth, which neither you nor I can switch off.  The song file I've enclosed is only 500KB but even that's quite a load.
Typepad just seem to shrug their shoulders and say that's how it is or suggest a third party player.

And yet how come in WordPress there's a flash player which only starts to download if you click on the play button.  Here it is.

The bonus is that it doesn't create an enclosure, which is best left to having a download link "Click here to download"

All it took was a Google search to find Mr Black and White's Audio Test, a link to Mindy McAdams at Macloo for the instructions, and a download of the flash player from 1 Pixel Out.  Thanks for nothing Typepad.

I've been a Typepad user almost from the start in 2003.  Maybe I'm getting itchy feet.  Trying to set up and design a new blog/website in Typepad is very easy.  There's a good reason for that.  The templates are very basic and a variation in 1,2, or 3 columns.  And don't shrug us off with claiming an amazing number of templates, which are just a variation in colours and font, and maybe a banner, but what about something a bit more flexible like Laurel Papworth's wordpress blog, which has 3 x blog entries and then a change in column width.  Too much for us Typepad users to code, but why not have some templates like that.  Gone are the days of serial long blogs.  We need to fit more onto a single page in a magazine style.

Come on Typepad.  Market leader.  You'll lose that soon.

Another Cluetrain Podcast, and more Podcasts

Just put up another podcast interview, this time with Rick Levine, another co-author of Cluetrain.  So that’s 2 podcast interviews in a week, with Cluetrain authors, first Chris Locke, and now Rick Levine. 

I’ve also added a sidebar list of New and Old podcasts (Look right now!)

It’s late at night, and I’m hooked on improving my websites, and publicising on Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In.  I don’t want to be a pain in the arse and overdo it with the self-publicising, but it’s interesting to see what it takes to make something go exponential and viral.