Tech in the Trenches

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Category: Observations Page 15 of 90

Practice > Tools

By

On December 31, 2017

In Observations

Tools aren’t important, it’s the practice that makes good content.

From Warren Ellis

My problem with this emerging narrative is that doing a podcast is a relatively low-tech, cheap enterprise. Beg or borrow a microphone and a laptop. Use a smartphone and earbuds with a mic. Process in something free like Audacity or Garageband. Look at apps like Opinion or Anchor before spending real money on Libsyn or a WordPress front end. It can be easier than you think. If you have something to say or do and audio is your thing, don’t dismiss podcasting just because other people are telling you it’s becoming professionalised.

Figure out what you want to do. Pre-record three episodes and upload them all at once as your launch. Keep it simple, always. Get things out into the world. And then tell me about them, please. Thank you.

I saw the excerpt from Warren Ellis’ newsletter on Twitter earlier and it made me think about a similar post I saw.

https://twitter.com/Ian_Barnard/status/844151943496945664

The tools aren’t important. Practice is important.

The Internet™

By

On December 30, 2017

In Observations

The Internet Demands Progress.
The Internet Hates Change.

This applies to everything on the Internet.
And everything in business.
Every new season of television.
Every new movie.
Everything.

People want something that’s familiar enough to be comfortable and relate-able and different enough to feel good about the price of money and time.

Patience of an Echo

By

On December 28, 2017

In Observations

Sometimes, my niece has shockingly long, in depth conversations with Alexa. Straight up, there is no better person to talk to a curious, chatty five year old than Alexa. It’s so delightful to watch. Also, it took only two visits for my niece to figure out how to talk to Alexa. The first time, she would shout, “Alexa,” but then wait an excruciating minute to say something else, by which time Alexa had moved on to other things. The next visit, she was ready for Alexa, had her requests and jokes ready. She asks Alexa to play Ariana Grande and music from Frozen, A LOT. She never runs out of questions for Alexa and Alexa never runs out of patience. Hell takes on different forms for us all.

From Uses This / Roxane Gay

I wish I had the level of patience Alexa has for small children’s endless questions.

Claw Machines

By

On December 27, 2017

In Observations

I’ve noticed this with newer claw machines. I was once good at claw machines. I would walk out of an arcade with four or five stuffed animals because I knew the two most common tricks.

The first trick was to see how far forward and back the claw would actually reach. Many machines owners would group animals at the very front and back of the machine, beyond where the claw would be able to reach. The same goes for the claw machines in a row, where the inside walls are short so prizes can sometimes fall out of the claw and between the machines. These machines also grouped prized next to those middle walls where the claw could not reach them. So a well-stocked machine would actually have very little available to win.

The second trick was to pack the stuffed animals in so tightly, the claw would not be able to grab anything at all. It would descend on to a pile of stuffing and lay there uselessly grasping at air, then retract with a lot of nothing. I would walk over to a claw machine and see if anything was actually available to win. A prize that was previously almost-won and dropped on the pile was a good choice. So were slender animals with bodies the claw could easily grab. I was even lucky enough to grab a prize by its tag once.

Even though I still enjoy claw machines, I don’t play them nearly as often because I’ve seen where they simply don’t try to grab the prize. I didn’t know it was all controlled by the machine, but it does not surprise me. The claw that simply doesn’t grab is the biggest letdown because no amount of skill will lead to a win. I might as well hand two quarters to the next child I pass, my return will be just as good.

What we lost today.

By

On December 14, 2017

In Observations

Net Neutrality prevented the Internet from becoming toll roads.

The rules, put in place in 2015, banned cable and telecom companies from blocking or slowing down any websites or apps. They also prohibited broadband providers from striking special deals that would give some websites or apps “priority” over others.

Source: FCC Votes To Repeal Restrictions On Internet Providers

Now the lawsuits begin. And service providers can now extort companies. They can bundle access to web sites like cable TV channels. If Comcast is licking its chops you better believe the rest aren’t far behind.

Municipal Broadband is a threat to these companies which is why they spend money fighting it.. Cities like Chatanooga, Tennessee have been very successful. Let’s hope the trend continues.

But an often overlooked problem in this country remains access for rural areas those without the money to for the access. Did I mention rural areas? My father lives 60 miles West of Washington DC and to this day cannot get broadband Internet access without cellular or satellite being involved.

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