On this day

February 25th

Consider: Has a podcasting hiatus changed your perspective on the grind of production?

18 Days Ago

You didn’t plan for a hiatus—it just kind of happened. Stepping away from the routine of podcasting, has it changed the way you see the relentless pace of content creation? Do you feel more or less pressure to keep up with a schedule now? Has this break made you rethink what “consistency” really means for a podcaster?

~ Asked by the LLM(1)

Yes, it definitely changed how I look at everything about podcasting. I’ll unpack the reason for the hiatus, so that my take-aways make more sense.

First, in April 2024 we had an unexpected death in the family. Given the scale of things, it was a no-brainer to cancel the several guests who were scheduled for recording sessions. Unfortunately, I over-worked myself for a stretch of days, and that led to my being exhausted and getting sick. In those first days, as I sent “I’m really sorry, but…” messages to the guests, I was thinking about this in a very particular way: This is the right thing to do for these people who kindly set aside time for me.

The first take away from this experience is to be honest and realistic with myself. An unexpected death changed my daily priorities. I’m sick and my voice is crap. I need many weeks to recover, assess, and figure out what I can do in the coming months. In the past, I might have tried to work harder to try to keep juggling everything.

Then in May, a routine blood test returned results which one would prefer to never see. Through June and July, and then into August and September, I worked through a cancer diagnosis. This further “adjusted” my priorities and schedule for the rest of 2024.

The second take away is just having a conversation with anyone is a crazy-awesome gift. And (as I’m getting back to podcasting now, in Feb 2025) to be able to record and share them is just icing on the cake.

As for the grind, consistency, a schedule? No, not any of that. I hope I can hold on to this mindset:

I’m insanely lucky to get to do just one more episode, and it looks like I can do them for years to come. Grinding, being consistent, and sticking to a schedule are all forms of striving for something. (I am a professional even without any of those.) So, nope. No, thank you. I’m not signing up for that mindset again.

ɕ

(1) I’m working with an LLM instance which has access to everything I’ve written about podcasting, and all the episodes I’ve published. It prompts me by asking me these questions.

Why not?

February 25, 2024

Because it’s crazy. It’s insane. It will never work. You’ll hear this a lot if you have a lot of far-out ideas. “Moonshots” is the term I prefer for such ideas, or a really big swing.

And then in an instant he realised that rather than building a cable through the wildernesses of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in the hope of saving a couple of days’ transmission time for the telegraph, one could build a cable directly from Newfoundland to Ireland, under the narrowest point of the entire Atlantic Ocean. If he was able to do that, it would reduce the time for a message to pass between the two greatest cities in the nineteenth-century world from a matter of days to just a few seconds.

~ from, The Death of Slow News

slip:4usoai1.

Why not, indeed. Because what if your idea actually worked?

ɕ

Heart work

February 25, 2023

So much of the job is more emotion and ‘heart work’ than it is ‘head work.’ The head comes in after, to look at what the heart has presented and to organize it. But the initial inspiration comes from a different place, and it’s not the head, and it’s not an intellectual activity.

~ Rick Rubin

slip:4a1086.

Ancestry with Denys Allen

February 25, 2022

What makes genealogical research unique compared to traditional historical studies, and how do these approaches differ in Pennsylvania?

Genealogists uncover micro-histories that reveal intimate details of everyday life in Pennsylvania’s past.

Historians often look at the records of people that are wealthy and famous and own things, while genealogists pursue the stories of just everyday folks.

~ Denys Allen (3:23)

The conversation highlights the differences between genealogical research and traditional historical studies, focusing on Pennsylvania’s unique historical and geographical context. Genealogy often emphasizes microhistories—detailed accounts of everyday life—while traditional history frequently revolves around prominent figures and broader narratives. The discussion explores how Pennsylvania’s rich diversity of religions influenced its records, as well as the challenges posed by fragmented historical documents.

The geographic and political history of Pennsylvania also comes under scrutiny. The state’s rugged terrain and varied cultural heritage led to intricate county boundaries and decentralized records. Efforts by local groups, including Facebook communities, help genealogists connect and share insights. The conversation further reflects on William Penn’s founding principles and their long-term effects on the state’s culture and inclusivity.

Takeaways

Genealogical research—emphasizes stories of ordinary people and their communities.

Microhistory as a tool—connects genealogical research to broader historical themes.

Religious diversity in Pennsylvania—shaped records and marriage practices, requiring specific knowledge for research.

Pennsylvania’s county boundaries—were influenced by political and geographic factors.

Local historical societies—serve as crucial hubs for genealogists in Pennsylvania.

Virtual spaces—such as Facebook groups, foster collaboration and exchange among genealogists.

William Penn’s influence—allowed for early religious freedom in Pennsylvania, creating a unique cultural legacy.

Challenges in genealogical research—arise from the scattered and incomplete nature of historical records.

Resources

Your Pennsylvania Ancestors Podcast — Interviews on Pennsylvania history and genealogical records.

Historical courthouses in Pennsylvania — Repositories of genealogical records and architectural history.

William Penn’s personal writings — Primary source material on his beliefs and founding principles.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ

Reflection: Day 56

February 25, 2021

WHAT IS MY TALK-TO-LISTEN RATIO? — It’s better to listen to understand, rather than to, (for example,) listen to refute. Silence is fine provided one’s own thoughts are pleasant company. When speaking, think first about why you are about to say whatever it is you’re about to say.

Awareness occupied our practice during our fourth week. Inward. Outward. Simply being aware is awesome.

ɕ

Arrived in the middle? Visit the first post, Where to begin?
(The entire series is available to download as a PDF ebook.)

Instead, have a compass

February 25, 2020

These three interviews, along with many others in the Roadtrip Nation archive, all undermine the notion that you should simply follow your passion, and you’ll immediately be happy. For Glass, Steele, and Merrick, the path was more circuitous. This doesn’t mean, however, that their success is entirely serendipitous.

~ Cal Newport from, The Pre-Med and Ira Glass

slip:4ucabo22.

Newport has written a lot geared toward helping college students navigate, (college, life, time management, everything.) This piece is of use to everyone, whether or not you feel you are currently following your passion.

I think, (and I’m not saying this is in contradiction to what Newport wrote—I’m just wandering off here,) it’s far more useful to follow your own compass—whatever it points toward. It’s not even critical that you always make progress in the direction is points. Having a compass simply keeps you oriented. Which is, obviously the opposite of disoriented. And who wants to be disoriented. Having some orientation, gives you at least some confidence, and confidence enables you to move.

ɕ

Digging into Ketosis and the Ketogenic diet

February 25, 2018

Dom D’Agostino — The Power of the Ketogenic Diet (#172)

slip:4utido1.

This is a superlative question-and-answer session where Dr. Dagostino answers questions collected from Tim Ferris’s listeners.

It’s not so much a pitch about why you should do it (ketosis / the diet), but rather, it’s a deep discussion of all the details. What exactly is ketosis, how does it work, how do the systems in your body interact (at the various levels of organ, glands, hormones, cells, biochemics, and molecules.) Dr. Dagostino is obviously very much in favor of ketosis, but there’s a ton of useful information here.

ɕ

slip:4c2ke1a.

Scaf 101: Build 3, parallel-sorta-bars

February 25, 2016

(Part 8 of 13 in series, Scaf 101)

This is another variation on the cube (the next build I’m going in a totally different direction ;). basically, take the 7-foot side pipes and turn them into stabilizing legs, so you can do some limited laché (there’s a better build for that though), pullups, climbing and under-bar stuff.

Here’s the layout shot:

IMG_1470

Assemble the ride side (which will be vertical). Do the two uprights and the top 3-foot first. Note the 45° single outlet tee on the righthand vertical.

IMG_1472

Next, clamp the verticals to the 90° two outlet tee (we’re not using one of its outlets though.) Then clamp the 90° two outlet tees to the 7-foot base pipe. I just eyeballed the centering.

IMG_1473

Stand this side up, and put a 7-foot pipe into one side. Remember to slip the other 45° single outlet on here. (Again, I snug these clamps down a bit so they don’t go sliding.)

IMG_1477

Assemble the other side; verticals, top pipe and bottom. Remember the 45° single outlet on the opposing vertical. Position the two assemblies like this:

IMG_1480

Stand up the side, lift up the 7-foot pipe and convince them to line up:

IMG_1481

Fiddle the other 7-foot long side pipe into place. Make up both braces. (Bonus, if you have the extra 45° single outlet tees, you could add two more braces to this build.) Stick the feet on it (otherwise the 7-foot base legs don’t actually touch to add stability – but you could shim them with whatever.)

IMG_1484

I took the above shot at about eye level – obviously, it’s a 5-foot tall setup. And stable enough to do climbing and some gentle swinging.

IMG_1485

ɕ

Scaf 101: Build 2, railings

February 25, 2016

(Part 6 of 13 in series, Scaf 101)

This is simply a slight variation on the “cube” build. You can either assemble it this way, or slide the 90° two outlet tee clamps along the vertical legs when you’re done with your cube.

In the cube build, when you’re assembling the upper frame – the second half of the build – simply lower the position of the 90° two outlet tees. Alternatively, you can convert the cube into this by loosening the 90° two outlet tees on the four corners and then slide the frame down the verticals. (Truth be told, I had to coerce the frame down with a rubber mallet.)

ɕ

If you win the rat race, you’re still a rat

February 25, 2015

(Part 12 of 72 in series, My Journey)

Don’t ever confuse the two, your life and your work. That’s what I have to say. The second is only a part of the first. Don’t ever forget what a friend once wrote to Senator Paul Tsongas when the senator had decided not to run for reelection because he’d been diagnosed with cancer: “No man ever said on his deathbed I wish I had spent more time at the office.”

Don’t ever forget the words on a postcard that my father sent me last year: “If you win the rat race, you’re still a rat.”

~ Anna Quindlen from, A Short Guide to a Happy Life

slip:4ubaie4.

From Maria Popova’s A Short Guide to a Happy Life: Anna Quindlen on Work, Joy, and How to Live Rather Than Exist.

ɕ