7:03am, and the snow is coming down still. Greetings.
There is a winter weather advisory effect in my area until 7pm tonight, which is perfect in a sense. Why, you may ask? Well, it’s Friday, a day I am usually scheduled to be in the office, which is 36 miles away. Even as stopped by my boss’s office (him with his coat and hat on, ready to leave, head home, grab his wife, and drive them to NJ where he’ll be working today), we got into a discussion about liberal leave being issued today. Even if it isn’t, (which I’m sure it will be), this man is not going into the office to work today. I have one meeting at 9am, that’s it…yaay Friday.
That said, I’m sitting in my studio in the quiet of the morning, the usual tea concoction brewed, sitting to my right. Quiet to me is as the sun is to a plant – very necessary for growth. While there are some that can’t stand to be alone with themselves, I cherish it. It’s a time where thoughts are clearest without the interruption of social media notifications/posts, radio, TV, chatter etc. It’s an atmospheric condition that helps me focus on a set direction for the day (even if I unknowingly will stray off path later – I HATE THAT). It’s my veritable “me time” and I really enjoy if, probably because the greater part of me is introverted, though I never mind social interaction.
In any event, since I am sitting in mar recording studio, I’ll shift gear to review one or two music production videos as I sip, hoping 9am seems to take longer to get here than. not. Good thing the meeting usually lasts only 15 mins.
Well, here we are, six days in. It’s been pretty quiet thus far. I didn’t expect bringing in the new year, still testing positive from COVID since the day after Christmas, but it is what it is.
One thing I’ve been monitoring is my use of social media since before the 2024 started. I’ve continued to participate in music production related Facebook groups, especially since I admin a few of them. X and Bluesky haven’t seen much of me, and I’m fine with it as I just don’t have the desire to engage there too much right now. Instagram has mainly been for sharing what I’ve been doing with music production. My partner and I, known as AfterSix Productions, just released our latest single, “Simply Chilled”, at the end of last year. You can find it on all the major streaming services by now, as well as on Bandcamp for purchase. Check it out, if chillout is your thing, we hope you enjoy it. I’m still trying cut down on social media use, primarily scrolling, by keeping the phone out of my hands more and more. Time redemption is definitely of utmost importance going forward.
Essentially that’s it. I said, on Bluesky, last year that I wanted to blog more, so here we are. One focus this year is to drop a sixteen track music project that I’ve been working on way too slowly for years and get back to playing more in church. In addition, get my catalog put to get to finally enter the world of sync licensing. All that will require a shift in where/how time is spent. I’ll be stating here. Thanks for the read.
6:44am. Another work from home day. A 5:30am rise time has allowed me to pray, get in my morning core workout, and have some time to post this blog. As mentioned in yesterday’s post (and previously on Bluesky), I’ve decided to return to blogging. I enjoy it but don’t feel I have to be consistent in doing it (as seen from my past history). I tried and succeeding in doing a 30 day blog challenge a year ago, as well as as a 30 day podcast challenge. They were both fun, BUT, it didn’t result in my forming a habit to keep doing both. I’ve been blogging just as long as I’ve been podcasting – 15 years, but podcasting takes far more prep work. Blogging, I enjoy the best, when I just sit down and do it when I topic comes to mind. If I have to think about it for more than 60 secs, I lose interest. Weird, maybe, but it just seems like a natural decision point because I don’t feel like it’s “work”.
On to the topic at hand. Companies strive to their very best to draw and retain customers – that is obviously their life blood. The same goes for any entity, in principle, that strives to retain the largest interest base possible. Nike is one of two companies that have been able to do that with me (the other I will blog about, or plan to, at some point).
It’s not Nike’s products that have retained me as a customer, but the advertising through the stories they tell. For me it all started with the Nike+, Nike Fuel Band ecosystem. I am the first to say that discipline trumps motivation, hands down. Consistency develops discipline and out of discipline, habits are built (good or bad). There is something strangely and strongly motivational about the stories Nike tells. So influential that I watch these YouTube stories every time I do my home workouts. Motivational and inspirational, even DURING the workout, is what always happens. I recently discovered their YouTube series “What Are You Working On?”, and I love it. The series title itself extends itself beyond physical fitness, so it makes me answer that question on many levels and, in a way, facilitates focus. Foundationally, I think they’ve just mastered the art of storytelling regarding their company. While many love listening to music, I love watching Nike videos like this – they draw me into what I’m doing as I work out and causes me to think about the incremental progress of doing so.
Speaking of “what are you working on”, time to shift gears to that which brings home the bacon. Have a great day.
10:37pm…sitting here (like many) on this day (well, night) saying “Where has the year gone?. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the “12 (final) days of 2024. Since I don’t do New Year Resolutions (I believe they are for procrastinators who don’t believe “there is no time like the present), from September 1st of thus year to the present, I’ve been thinking about and cultivating movements for the coming year. The most important overall move is to form habits out of creating systems. Systems are the foundation of reaching goals, but systems are nothing without enabling consistency, which in turn builds discipline. Easy to say, but remain as empty words unless actions/execution takes place.
So I continue, especially the continual thwarting of over thinking. In many cases (at least for me), the simplistic but heavy weighted Nike slogan, “Just Do It” carries a lot of weight. That said, I intend to remain up for that, as long as I keep that mindset at the forefront.
If you reading this, my wish for you and yours is a healthy, happy prosperous wideout of 2023 that will directly ride into 2024.
Got my bike out of the shop 10 days ago and finally took it for a short spin. It’s a 1988 Nishiki Rally 12-speed racer. The ten minute spin was long enough yo see how it rides after the tune up, get the HR up for a bit, but to really test out mirroring the AW, via the iOS Accessibility feature, to my phone so I can use it mounted like a pseudo-bike computer.
I had taken it for two rides up the block when I got home from the shop but the weather was too hot for the following days to ride unless I went really early in the morning or later in the evening, so I waited for an opportune time – which happened to be this evening because the temperature dipped below 80 degrees.
I mounted the phone and set the cycling workout on my watch, which mirrored to the phone perfectly. The whole idea behind the mirroring is to not have to look at my watch for any metrics while I read, as this would mean raising my hand from the bike to try and focus on the screen, instead of glancing down at the phone.
I started the workout and headed out around the neighborhood.
The bike rides well but I was disappointed that, despite riding in pavement, there was enough vibration through the bike to to turn off mirroring. I wonder how I can prevent this next time, because I’d really like to take advantage of the new cycling features when WatchOS 10 drops.
In any event, I’ll do some research in between now and the next ride to see what I can come up with as a solution. If anyone reading this has any suggestions, drop a comment below – thanks.
Greetings. I hope you’re well at the time of reading this post. Over the last few months (I forget what prompted me to do so), I’ve been back to using my Nikon D3100 DSLR and have rekindled my love of photography. As I type this, what may have brought me back to it was seeing some photographs on Instagram and remembering the days of using an SLR camera prior to have a phone that can take decent photos (which currently is an iPhone 12 mini). Again, I think these photos I saw were on IG, but despite using the site for music production posts, I highly despise the ads, shopping features, and most the annoying algorithms. I had some recent discussions over the last few months with a long time friend, tech brother, and photo fan, DarrenKeith, about the merits of Flickr over Instagram for photo sharing. The main advantage is no algorithms. In addition, for me, Flickr’s features allow you to see the camera the photo was taken with along with lens type, shutter speed, aperture. EXIF data (if available). Since the camera name is shown, you can click on the camera graphic, and Flickr will show you all other photos on the site taken with the same camera you’ve used. Aside from that, Flickr allows for different ways of categorizing your photos via album and collection. I haven’t used similar photo sharing sites, but what Flickr does, it does well.
What also took me back to the D3100 was actually a few things. First was a user on Bluesky that goes by the name lilyannadream. She was posting photos taken with her Nikon D5600 and they are all very nice. I said to myself that her camera is probably just a few years older than mine (actually 5 years older and with a pixel resolution of 24.2 pixels vs my D3100 from 2010 with 14.2), so let me see what mine can do. Incidentally I just learned that the D5600 is the last DSLR Nikon made and they have been focusing on mirrorless cameras. Secondly, another new user to Bluesky, who gos by PWH3, is a NYC-based photographer who has some really nice shots and mentioned he has shot with a Nikon D700, which was released in July 2008 and is still highly respected in the DSLR world. That said, I again wanted the flexibility of shooting with different focal lengths, shutter speeds, etc instead of having to shoot everything in auto like the iPhone constrains you to do. Secondly, it takes me back to the days of shooting 35mm SLR print film in the 90s with a manual camera, my Minolta XG-7 to be exact. Then you had to understand how film ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and focal length come together to compose a great (or not-so great) photograph. After the XG-7 bit the dust, I purchased a Nikon N60 SLR with two lenses, which I still have. I would like to shoot print film again, but realize that in the end, I’ll be spending anywhere from $2 – $3 a shot, but the good thing is it will take me back to the days I mentioned above. I’ve been looking at places I can get fresh film and get it developed and printed, just in case.
It’s definitely good to be shooting with a DSLR again and doing so makes me want to get back to shooting scenic photos, especially of the urban type. I’ve done some low light indoor shots of my recording studio and will do more. As the summer continues, I’ll really try to visit various events around down, with camera in hand. I’m already thinking about possibilities of such for tomorrow.
Greetings. It’s 11:31 pm, Friday night. It’s been awhile since I posted a blog, as a matter of fact, the last post was at the end of the 30-Day Blog Challenge in November 2022, so I just decided to do a brain dump of a few things.
The tech world has been in a headsmen since that time, what with ChatGPT, advances in AI (which, I frankly prefer to call it really what it is – machine learning) and all the HYPE, and creation of various Twitter…umm, er…. X replacements that are planning on being decentralized and entering the fediverse.
I’ve been on Bluesky since April 20th of this year and joined at about 29,000 members. As of this post, it’s well over 300k now. I’ve seen a lot of things happen in the three months I’ve been a member, particular in their struggles to improve moderation. While I won’t get into the two major events that happened (you can do a web search on “Bluesky” “moderation” to find the top stories at places like The Verge and Engadget), the site is still in beta and continually growing. I’ve seen very regular posting members leave and the same type still there. For me, it’s been a social media site that I’ve had the most diverse group of people follow me and vice versa. I posted a question earlier about wondering what it would be like when it finally goes public. As for X, I joined almost 17 years ago when it was Twitter. Right now I still don’t plan on leaving until Bluesky offers what the aforementioned site can offer me for the past 16 years. I disagree and dislike a lot of what Elon has and is doing and often still have mixed feelings about staying on the site. What makes it easy (aside its offerings) is I’ve always made an effort to be aware of who I choose to follow and vice versa, keep my settings locked down in a certain way that allows me to keep a lot of what many hate off my timeline. In the end, I use social media as a tool and never take it seriously as some do (or some have to because their livelihood has grown to depend on it).
Work is very rewarding and continually challenging. At this phase, it’s really making me aware of time management and work-life balance.
Music production is my passion, and I’ve been applying the same productive-life balance in that aspect as well. As a matter of fact, time management considerations are heavy across different paths because of things I’m trying to accomplish. Without getting deep, I’ll keep striving.
Summer seems to be flying by and I don’t care for that realization so it seems I need to do things to put myself in a mindset not to think it is. Foundationally, this too aligns with the time management thing, feeling I don’t enough time to do what I’d like to do. The REAL truth of it is…I need more focus not more time. Achieving the former will take care of the latter.
I could go on but [Dump mode: OFF]. Back with another post in the future.
Greetings all, I hope this reading finds you well. This is my first blog post for 2023 and, while I have nothing specific to blog about, it’s one of those occasions where I just felt the need to post a brain dump of sorts.
It’s my second of two scheduled work from home days and I like to get up and relax, with some tea, in the quiet of my home before the workday has to get started. I was perusing Reddit after taking out the trash this morning (as it is Tuesday) and happen to come across a post in the r/fieldrecording subreddit that described a user’s website that caters to the sounds and soundscapes he’s recorded, globally, over the last 6 years (or more). What caught me eye about the site (which should be the approach for a well designed sites) is capturing the viewer’s attention, prompting them to stay as long as possible. By the way, the site is Mindful Audio. I got interested in field recording a few years ago and, after some research, picked up an entry-level Tascam DR-07X. For the type of field recording I do (which is no where near a professional level), it’s served me well so far, allowing me to add a nice sound effects to my library, especially foley that may be useful for original music composition for film (it’s still referred to as film today, right?) In any event, it was actually the presentation (and listening to a few of sound libraries) of the Mindful Audio site that urged me to post this blog.
As for the day job, things are starting to get a little busier as opposed the workload in the last quarter of 2022. I’m pretty much splitting my time between work on two NASA planetary missions and the biggest thing is to manage my time and maintain focus on the work needing to be produced on schedule. I won’t make it any more complicated than that. Working from home is massively convenient (I don’t miss the commute of 45 to 60 min one way), but at the same time, provides more distraction. I make it habit to review a collection of visual productivity quotes I’ve collected via IG posts of the years and it does help. The main thing I know needs to be done is to exercise discipline and consistency like I exercise my body – discipline is a muscle too.
On the tech side of things, how about that ChatGPT? Definitely the massive buzzword in 2023. I’ve read my fair share of articles, but just like DALL-E(?), Lensa AI, and the like, I have no desire to use it. There is no doubt that it is an invaluable tool, even in it’s infancy stages, but I prefer to sit back and quietly watch its development. I’m back to my Python coding journey and the goal is to complete Round 3 of the #100DaysOfCode challenge. That primarily involves finishing the remaining chapters I’ve chosen in the Python Crash Course, Volume 1 text (yes, Volume 3 is now out, but the differences don’t warrant me jumping to it until I get a good grip on the basics taught in Volume 1).
Lastly, Twitter. I mentioned to another long time friend, tech/podcasting brother, DarrenKeith, that Twitter seems far less “Musk-ified” these days, BUT, that could only be because of the paths/actions I take (which provide avoidance of certain things). I kind of new, all along, that Twitter wasn’t going to crash and burn, despite the initial doomsday posts about such and seemingly massive exodus to Mastodon. I did establish an account there just in case, but haven’t been back to visit for quite some time, mostly likely because my tweets are crossposted there via a tool suggested by fellow blogger and Twitter maven, Clay Lowe.
In any event, time to begin transitioning into the workday. Thanks for reading, I hope your day (or whenever you’re reading this) is all you need it to be.
Well, the challenge has been met. Thirty days. thirty blogposts – done. I knew it wasn’t going to be a difficult challenge. If you go back to my first post of this challenge on November 14th, you can read about the origins of this challenge and how it started on a whim via a discussion between Clay Lowe, DarrenKeith, and myself. So, what have I learned by reaching this challenge goal?
Two days ago on December 9, I published a post about accepting challenges and how I look at the ROI to determine whether going through with the challenge is worthwhile. I summed it up by just that, the ROI is a very important gauge to assess as a catalyst in moving forward. As mentioned in the November 14th post, I’ve been blogging officially since 2007, and it’s been pleasurable when I have. After 15 years, the blogging scene has changed a lot.from monetization purposes to more of a huge push in audience growing (the latter always being a desire to any blogger), but it just seems like it’s become more commercialized (like podcasting).
What I have seen, is that I’ve never pushed to grow my blog reading audience as it’s always just been a pastime to engage in self-publishing from my own digital garden (as DarrenKeith says). With that comes a circling back to audience growth. If growth is what you want, especially from your own platform where you make the rules and are not subject to algorithms and the like, you have to put in the work to increase reader. This is where the ROI comes in for me. Theres not one person I know that doesn’t enjoy readers engaging with the content they publish, but when you do publish from your own space, it’s imperative that you put in the work to, at least, increase the reach of your blog to the masses. The easiest (read most convenient) way to do this is to crosspost your post links to the huge social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, IG, TikTok, etc. Once that occurs, you’ve done just that BUT that doesn’t guarantee engagement (comments) on your post. Perhaps another way to achieve that is blog on sites like Medium or Tumblr but, again, the work needs to be put in.
My takeaway based on my ROI for this challenge, is this: reaching the goal of this challenge will NOT cause to blog on a regular basis because the desire is not grow readership based on the work it will take to do so. Conversely, I’ll just go back to enjoying the desire to blog when the whim hits me and engage with anyone who chooses to leave a comment or comments. I like it that way,
For those who have commented on any of my posts during this challenge, I highly appreciate you sharing your thoughts on my topics. Thank you!
‘Chocolate coated, freaky and and habit forming. Doin’ it to you in 3-D, So groovy that I dig me. Once upon a time called Now! “
The above lyric is from the iconic track from Parliament, entitled P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up). I won’t even go into the “iconism” of this track, nor its effect on my since the day I’ve heard it, because it transcends that particular lyric. What I will talk about is forming habits (good or bad).
Suffice it to say, we all want to develop good, consistent, game-changing, positive habits, yes? There are many ways to do this and those ways are best only to the individual will to do so. Thousands of articles and books have been written on this topic. One that comes to mind and which I’ve purchased and read is James Clear’s Atomic Habits. While you can read many reviews of the book, explore his website, follow his social media feeds, and the like, there is one key principle that James Clear has stated, I believe rises to the very top like cream, and my long time friend and professional organizer, Deb Lee, recently tweeted it: “Yes 100% to all of this. Keep it simple!”
Discipline/showing up breeds discipline, which births consistency. I really can’t say it any simpler for forming any habit (good or bad). Simple concept, yes? Sure it is. Executing is the key (can you hear that echoing in your head?) I dare you to come up with anything that disputes this. I believe it 100%. That said, why has it become so difficult for me at times? It’s not because of extenuating circumstances beyond my control that interrupts consistency and flow. The real reason, for me, has been not immediately acting on strengthening the development of the habit. In other words, I think to long about why I shouldn’t, can’t, or don’t want to do it. I’m at the point where there’s really nothing else to consider when I believe this is the case. Deb’s tweet above and Nike’s slogan pretty much sums it up: Keep it Simple and Just Do It. If nothing uncontrollable is stopping me – execute immediately and strive for doing it consistently. That’s my strive, not for 2023, but right now.
