Too many long, rambling podcasts

I started listening to the This Week in Photography (TWiP) podcast (episode 65) on my way in to work this morning. Over seven minutes into a one hour and 20 minute episode, and they hadn't really started talking about photography. So I skipped ahead to the next podcast in my playlist.

I much prefer the Tack Sharp podcast. The average length of the episodes is about 20 minutes, and each episode focuses on one subject only. I've learned something from every one of the six episodes so far.

Alex Lindsay and Scott Bourne, the founders and two of the regulars on TWiP are also regulars on MacBreak Weekly (MBW). So it's understandable that the style and format of their podcast is very similar. (They even have "picks of the week".) But what makes MBW (and TWiT) worth listening to (even when they rat-hole or ramble--although I'm often tempted to skip them when they're particularly long--the last MBW was just sort of two hours) is that I feel like I've gotten to know the personalities so each week feels like listening to old friends. (And Leo Laporte does a great job of keeping both podcasts interesting.) Perhaps if I kept listening to TWiP I'd get that same comfortable familiarity with it, but I only have so much time.

The TWIPPHOTO.COM blog has excellent show notes for the episodes, and there's plenty of other material there worth reading. So I'll probably favor their blog over their podcast. (But I find it harder to make time for blog reading than podcasts.)

I use two iPhone Twitter apps

Twitter has plenty of meta-discussion. (TODO: It would be interesting to approximate the percentage of tweets that are about Twitter.) Very frequently (at least among the people I follow) the discussion is about iPhone apps for Twitter. More often than any other, I see people recommend Tweetie. Though Twitterrific is mentioned frequently, and I see TwitterFon come up increasingly often.

I use Tweetie and Twitterrific Premium. The contrast between the two is interesting. They're both excellent, well-polished apps that illustrate two different approaches to designing a quality iPhone application.

I use Tweetie often enough that it gets a spot on my main launcher screen (reserved for the apps I use more frequently). It's full-featured. In fact, it seems like I can do just about anything in Tweetie that I can do from twitter.com.

But I use Twitterrific more often than any other iPhone app, so it gets the privileged spot on the bottom left (on the strip on the bottom that appears on all launcher screens). Twitterrfic is a good example of the "do one thing only and do it well" school. Twitterrific's one thing is reading tweets. It does that so well that I prefer it to twitter.com on my MacBook Pro (though I haven't tried any desktop Twitter apps).

Twitterrific Premium's killer feature (which I haven't seen or heard of in any other iPhone Twitter app) is how it "maintain[s] a reading position between launches of the application". (I think this feature is not in the free version of Twitterrific.) This is why Twitterrific is my most used iPhone app. I can very quickly launch is and scan through all the new tweets since the last time I checked.

As I'm reading in Twitterrific, if I see a tweet with a URL that looks interesting that I want to take the time to look at later (especially if I don't want to take the time to wait on EDGE), I'll mark it as a favorite.

Then later (when I'm on WiFi on my iPhone or my MBP), I'll use Tweetie (or twitter.com) to scan through my favorites and un-mark them after I read them.

I also use Tweetie occasionally to check for replies.

And Tweetie is better for writing tweets, especially if I want to include someone's name or a URL. And the new version 1.2 has an optional landscape keyboard.

Loren Brichter updates Tweetie much more frequently than Craig Hockenberry updates Twitterrific. But that is expected when you think about it, since there is always plenty of opportunities for new features and improvements to a full-featured app like Tweetie, whereas Twitterrific is so specialized and so polished that @chockenberry should be very careful not to fix something that isn't broken. But if @atebits adds a "maintain reading position" feature to Tweetie that works reasonable well, I may give up using Twitterrific and give Tweetie the place of honor on my iPhone.

But when/if that happens, I won't regret the $10 I spent on Twitterrific Premium. I use both often enough and both are so pleasant to use that the $10 and the $3 for Tweetie was money well spent. I recommend both.

Update: I remembered one more situation where Tweetie comes in handy. Twitterrific has a limit on the number of tweets it will hold, so if I can't make time to check it for a while, or if the number of tweets is much greater than usual for some reason (such as the inauguration), then when I come back to Twitterrific I'll notice that the "last read" tweet is at the bottom of the list and I won't remember reading it. In Tweetie's advanced settings I've changed the "Initial Load" to 100 (from the default of 20), so I can catch up on missed tweets often by just opening Tweetie and scrolling down (or maybe touching "Load more..." a single time). Yes, I know that Twitter isn't email, and I don't feel the need to read every single tweet that goes by, but if I've just missed an hour or two's worth, Tweetie makes it easy to read them.

Can I wait to upgrade iLife & iWork?

I'm quite eager to try the new iLife '09, especially the Faces feature of iPhoto.  I think I'll also enjoy using the Places feature, and the Facebook & Flickr integration.  If I ever get time to use it, iMovie '09 also sounds like a big improvement.  And I'd like to play with the "learn to play piano" feature of GarageBand.  I don't use iWork often, but I've paid for the previous version and I expect it's worth upgrading.

But ironically the "Mac Box Set" may keep me from upgrading.  Or I suppose more accurately, the lack of an iLife/iWork bundle may keep me from upgrading.  iLife '09 costs $79, as does iWork '09.  (There's no discount for people who have previously purchased iLife '08 or iWork '08.)  The "Mac Box Set" is a bundle of iLife '09, iWork '09, and Mac OS X 10.5.6  Leopard, for $169.  But the new MacBook Pro I got in August came with Leopard, and I've already bought Leopard for my old PowerBook G4.  So that bundle doesn't save me any money.  But knowing the bundle exists makes me think I should wait for when Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) is released (probably this summer) and buy the inevitable update of the "Mac Box Set" then.

At least I'm not bored

I just read 10 Essential Steps to Take BEFORE You’re Laid Off after seeing the link in Cosmin Stejerean's tweet. (He also links to three more in Hacker News--I also very much disagree with #13; some very interesting comments follow that articulate my distaste better than I could.)

I practiced a lot of these while I was at Altera. (I instinctively knew they made me more marketable professionally.) I'm quite sure that many of these made it much easier to get interviews and find my new job when I decided it was time to move on. I spent quite a bit of time updating my skills: before I joined Altera (in Sept. 2002) I had never used Python, Ruby, or CSS. I had limited experience with Java. I studied many other technologies, practices and tools over those six years (such as Test-Driven Development, Scrum, Django, Javascript, AJAX, etc.). I started this blog, and PyPap. I created and updated my LinkedIn profile. I started using Twitter and Facebook. I continued running regularly, and kept myself in good shape. And almost all this was on my own time, since I was careful to "Avoid being laid off in the first place". I put in at least a full eight hours of work (often more like nine or ten) every weekday, and was careful to avoid getting accustomed to doing personal tasks while at work. I constantly juggled my very limited available time, since my wife gave birth to our three kids over those six years.

The juggling has become even more difficult now that I have so much to learn at VMware. I need to make sure I focus on "Avoid being laid off in the first place", but I don't want to drop everything else. I want to find time for "Do extracurricular work that showcases your abilities". (I have no shortage of ideas for that work.) And the ideas for things to blog about (both here and on PyPap) are piling up. I just don't know where to find the time. I already get up between 5:30 and 6:00 so I can work on personal projects when I'm at my best in the morning. But there's so much to learn at work that most mornings I just end up starting work early. I'm usually too exhausted after the kids are asleep to do anything that takes any real mental energy. (And I need to go to bed early so I can get up early.) The kids get priority on weekends since they get so little of my time during the week. (And that's the only time I have for chores.)

At least I'm not bored.

The Road

This morning on the way to work I finished "reading" The Road by Cormac McCarthy. (If you haven't read it yourself, don't read the plot summary on the Wikipedia page.) I listened to it as an audio recording: 6 hours 40 minutes unabridged. I agree with Leo Laporte--listening to an audiobook feels like reading.

This is the darkest novel I can remember reading. I was wondering as I approached the end if McCarthy would be able to give it a positive ending. I want to avoid any spoilers, but I will say I found the ending satisfying, and I could imagine much darker conclusions to the story.

I found the novel especially moving because I am a father, and I can identify with the theme of trying to guide your children towards becoming a self-respecting, respectable adults, while keeping them safe and trying to gain every advantage possible for them, within sometimes fuzzy moral limits. I'm glad I'm not raising my kids in a world as dark as that in the novel. But I admired "the man's" very human heroism--his struggles to keep his son safe but also continue to "carry the fire" of "the good guys".

Another theme that resonated for me is how to live life after confronting the existential crisis. How do you live your life in a world with no ultimate purpose or external meaning? I spend quite a bit of time thinking about this. I keep coming back to the answer that one must find one's own meaning for life. Mine is rather selfish. I want to make the most of the great luck I've had in this particular combination of genes being born at all. "Making the most" is a constant struggle and balancing act between doing what provides me satisfaction over the short term and what will provide me satisfaction over the long term. That sounds selfish, but many of the things that provide me both short-term and long-term satisfaction are related to sharing with and caring for my family (as well as myself). I guess this should be the subject of a longer essay, that may take me a lifetime to write.

I may come back to this novel occasionally, for it has given me a renewed appreciation for nature and our environment. McCarthy paints the picture of a world with absolutely no life at all so vividly that like being separated from a loved one for too long, I want to give it a big hug now that we're back together. (Others have had the same reaction: see the last paragraph under "Awards and nominations" on the Wikipedia page. Again, skip the plot summary.)

I see that a film adaptation will be released soon. It may be a good movie, and I'll certainly seek it out. But I recommend you read (or listen to) the novel first. If you see the movie first you may forever lose the opportunity to experience this story in all its power.

Instant relief from back troubles, again

A little more than six years ago (I remember Claire was pregnant with Elleda, who just turned 6) I woke up one morning, stretched, and *click*—something happened to my upper back and I was in extreme pain. But the urge to urinate was even stronger than the pain of getting up, so I forced myself to my feet and staggered towards the bathroom. I remember one shoulder being much higher than the other—my back felt all twisted up. Somehow I made it to the bathroom and relieved myself, and then I think I mumbled something to Claire and lost consciousness.

Claire had never seen anyone faint before, and called 911. I think the paramedics were there almost immediately after I regained consciousness—or at least that's how I remember it. They found me upstairs in the bedroom lying flat on my back. They (of course) took this seriously and took my vitals, gave me an IV (if I recall correctly) and carefully strapped me onto a backboard and carried me downstairs and to the nearest hospital in an ambulance.

At the hospital they hooked me up to various monitors and asked me questions. Once they were satisfied that it was "only" back pain (and that my loss of consciousness was a "vasovagal syncope") they had me stay for a couple hours to make sure. (I happened to be in very good shape at the time—I had been running assiduously in preparation for my pending fatherhood—so I was proud that I kept setting off an alarm when my pulse dropped below 40.) But in the end there was nothing they could do—back pain is the sort of trauma they're not trained to deal with—and they sent me home (with a prescription for some kind of painkillers).

The pain wasn't nearly as severe (especially with the Vicodin or whatever they gave me), but after a couple days something still felt wrong in my upper back. I went to see my primary care physician (PCP) who (lucky for me) wasn't available and so I saw someone else. This doctor asked me a few questions and then examined my back. (This was the first time anyone had done that.) He found a vertebrae had slipped out of place, and asked if I had ever seen a chiropractor. I explained I'm a skeptic and that I've read about many that have made quite outrageous claims, and I don't know how to find a "good one". He then had me lie down on a massage table, asked me to take a deep breath and pushed on my spine and I felt instant relief. He had popped the vertebrae back into place. He explained that the muscle pain was spasms as they tried (vainly) to pull the the vertebrae back into place. I asked him if there was anything I could do to keep this from happened again, and he said he didn't think so.

I still felt a little soreness, but that subsided after a couple days.

Let's skip ahead all the way to last weekend. I had noticed my back was a little sore at work last Thursday and Friday, but I thought it was probably due to the new chair and desk at my new job, or the workouts from the fitness "boot camp" I had signed up for there. On the weekend I noticed my back was quite sore especially when I leaned over or lay on my side to play with the kids. Claire noticed that my shoulders were far from level. But it wasn't until Monday that I made the connection. The discomfort became pain, especially after the stress of the drive home.

I went to see a doctor Tuesday morning. I described my symptoms and told her my story of how I was sure this was the same problem as before. She told me (even after I explained how the other doctor had previously "fixed" me) that all she could do was prescribe muscle relaxants and ibuprofen, and give me some back strengthening and stretching exercises. Most of the time, she explained, back pain subsides after days or a couple weeks. If it was still a problem after 30 days then I could return for "imaging". I protested saying that I was sure it was the same vertebrae problem, and she did a quick exam and I was able to clearly identify where the problem was, but she said there was nothing she could do. I asked her if she could refer me to another doctor who could, and she explained she is an MD and the doctor I had seen way back was possibly an osteopathic physician (DO). Kaiser (my HMO) employs DOs as well as MDs as PCPs, but she couldn't refer me to another PCP. I asked if there were any DOs at that Kaiser facility (in Mountain View) and she looked it up and kindly gave me a list of the DOs at nearby facilities (none in Mountain View). I recognized the one name in Campbell—I was pretty sure it was the same doctor I had seen over 6 years ago.

I called to make an appointment (and ended up having to make him my PCP in order to do so); the next available appointment was the next afternoon (today), so I suffered through another drive home and painful night. The muscle relaxant (cyclobenzaprine) helped a little, but also dulled my senses in an unpleasant way.

This afternoon I saw that doctor and was pleased that he was the same one. This time it took him three tries to get the vertebrae (T4) back into place. I didn't feel the same immediate relief I remember from last time, but my back has been feeling progressively better every hour. I asked him if I should try the strengthening exercises and he replied "Can't hurt." I asked if there's anything I can do to prevent this from happening again, and he said hopefully there's no need to worry about that since it last happened over 6 years ago.

I'm going to avoid drawing any sweeping conclusions from this experience, but in this case an osteopathic physician was better equipped to help me than a "plain old" MD. I don't think this is an argument for "alternative medicine" (which I remain skeptical about), but it does appear there are some legitimate alternatives to standard medical practice.

A couple Henry anecdotes

Claire took Elleda to a sleep-over birthday party yesterday, so it was just the boys yesterday and this morning. Today I was telling Claire about Henry's accident yesterday where he said "I have to go potty" and then couldn't hold it and made a puddle on the carpet. Henry was in the other room, but was eavesdropping. He looked at me and said "You said 'Ugh.'". That cracked us both up. I wish we had it on video.

Henry and I have found a rather elaborate bedtime ritual. After reading him some stories (usually Claire reads to Elleda and Gabe separately), he says "I want to sleep in my Thomas bed" (meaning his Thomas the Tank Engine toddler bed). I tuck him in, and warn him that if he gets out of bed (he always does), I'll put him in his crib. (Which we're glad we've kept in his room. He either hasn't figured out how to climb out of it--or the thought just hasn't occurred to him.) I then sit down and wait outside his room for a couple minutes until he opens the door. Then I tell him he needs to go in his crib, and (usually) smell something and ask him if he has a "poopy". If he does (and he often does), I change his diaper and give him another chance in his toddler bed. Then I wait outside his room again until he opens the doors and I put him in his crib. Tonight though, he had another poopy diaper, and he got one more chance. (This wasn't the first time that's happened.) But even though I told reminded him (again) that he'll go in his crib if he gets up, he couldn't resist. He asked me "Where's Mommy?" and when I replied "She's downstairs." He said "You go downstairs with her!" He didn't want me waiting outside his door.

No poopy diaper the third time though. And after about 45 minutes I could finally go downstairs.