Blocking thinking with information
In the interest of posting more, I’m not going to be as diligent about making links to everything since for some reason that always takes more time than anything else. You can google for anything you want to find more about anyway.
Since almost the creation of the format of podcasting, I’ve been an avid listener to podcasts of all kinds. I was an early listener to ITConversations and for a time listened to every single program they put out. I phased most of them out except for select ITC shows and some other technical programs (the list of what I listen to can be found below). I was listening to a talk given by Tom Kelley from IDEO, one of my favorite writers on innovation from one of my favorite companies, and he talked in there about how he used to listen to tons of audiobooks (also a love of mine) but when he started writing his own book he found that listening to the audiobooks blocked his own creative process.
I thought about this and I think that it’s true to an extent. I fill most of my time listening to new shows and learning, but I definitely notice when I’m thinking and not paying attention to the show. I don’t want to get into the position of just stuffing new information into my head without giving myself time to think on it. I’m doing a couple of particularly boring tasks at work recently and usually I’d be listening to some program or another at the same time. Today though, I just turned on music the whole day so right now I’m listening to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album instead of the most recent Planet Money show. I’m going to have to get past the feeling I always get where I’m falling behind on my shows but maybe this will just make me go to the gym more. I can’t bring myself to get on the elliptical without something to zone out to.
My podcast subscriptions
Since almost the creation of the format of podcasting, I’ve been an avid listener to podcasts of all kinds. I was an early listener to ITConversations and for a time listened to every single program they put out. I phased most of them out except for select ITC shows and some other technical programs (the list of what I listen to can be found below). I was listening to a talk given by Tom Kelley from IDEO, one of my favorite writers on innovation from one of my favorite companies, and he talked in there about how he used to listen to tons of audiobooks (also a love of mine) but when he started writing his own book he found that listening to the audiobooks blocked his own creative process.
I thought about this and I think that it’s true to an extent. I fill most of my time listening to new shows and learning, but I definitely notice when I’m thinking and not paying attention to the show. I don’t want to get into the position of just stuffing new information into my head without giving myself time to think on it. I’m doing a couple of particularly boring tasks at work recently and usually I’d be listening to some program or another at the same time. Today though, I just turned on music the whole day so right now I’m listening to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album instead of the most recent Planet Money show. I’m going to have to get past the feeling I always get where I’m falling behind on my shows but maybe this will just make me go to the gym more. I can’t bring myself to get on the elliptical without something to zone out to.
My podcast subscriptions
- Java Posse
- Stack Overflow
- Planet Money
- This American Life
- Software Engineering Radio
- SPaMCast
- Mark Kermode’s movie reviews
- Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
- various IT Conversations technical shows