Ericast.com Podcast - DWEEB THOUGHTS

I was on vacation - a good old fashioned American roadtrip. So this podcast episode is basically a travelog of the random highlights. Curious? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Growing up, I didn't travel outside of Minnesota and Wisconsin. I did "Study Abroad" in Iowa and crossed to Illinois while visiting Dubuque, and did a side-trip to Thunder Bay, Canada while on a ski trip with Ruth and some of her friends. That is, until the RV road trip to Yellowstone through South Dakota, Wyoming, and touched just a bit of Montana. So, that's what the family road trip was this year.  On the way out to Rapid City we encountered Rushmore Shadows - $39.95 for two nights in a "cabin" (single-wide 1/2 length).  Bear in mind that when we were first married, Ruth and I did time-share presentations for sport.  90 minutes was actually two hours, which threw a kink in our schedule, but that's part of the game.  Their offer is a great deal for someone; just not us. Highlights: Lead, SD (with impromptu tourguide Sky) Devil's Tower Wind Cave Hot Springs and Evans Plunge Badlands Minuteman missile tour (at Ellsworth AFB) and museum

Is there a difference between recognition that you did something, and recognition that you're equipped to do something?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Yes, I realize I have lots of "vs" episodes, but "differentiation is good".  However, lawyers speak of a "distinction without a difference" so we have to make sure that we're not doing that.  And I don't think that's the case here. We were talking about faculty motivation.  Tangent: I don't view "motivation" as having connotations of a deficit, but some do. Badges vs. Awards.  In Eric's world... An award is for a past act; a medal or a ribbon A badge - think a sheriff in the Wild West - is something you actively wear in order to give authority to act moving into the future Badging is a hot topic in academic technology: http://www.techlearning.com/news/0002/theres-a-badge-for-that/63725 https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/value-problem-digital-badging Jeff Sanders had a great blog post entitled "How Playing an iPhone Game Made Me More Productive" and in it he summarized the key points of the Bunchball article, "What Is Gamification?" Fast Feedback: receiving immediate feedback or response to actions towards a goal. Transparency: always knowing where you stand in relationship to the desired end result. Goals: having short- and long-term goals to achieve. Badges: showing evidence of accomplishments through visual awards. Leveling Up: always knowing your status within your community. Onboarding: getting up to speed through engaging and compelling methods. Competition: knowing how you are doing compared to others. Collaboration: working with a group to accomplish a goal. Community: sharing the achievements of others to build group rapport. Points: using tangible and measurable evidence of accomplishments. Even here, note that "Badges" are equivocated with "Awards" and I think there's a difference.  The Bunchball summary is: Badges: Evidence of accomplishments An indicator of accomplishment or mastery of a skill is especially meaningful within a community that understands its value. Often used to identify skills and expertise within a group. Again, while "mastery of a skill" is more "beneficial" to the community than merely commemorating an accomplishment, I think that we need to be clear that a "badge" means that you can and should act to improve your community with the skills you've acquired, and should be respected for those actions -- not merely for your accomplishments in the past. Thoughts?  Call 206-339-3742 and let me know what you think.

"My purpose is to provide for my family!"  That sounds good.  But I'm not sure it's right. Intrigued?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Yes, I'm way behind each week, but I'm putting this in last week's queue, under-the-wire. Hang in there with me! So....  What's my "purpose"?  Here's a quote:  "My purpose isn't to provide for my family. Insurance can do that." (That was stolen from someone.  I hope you can tell me who!) Here's the point: What are you uniquely qualified or positioned to do? And... How do you evaluate that? Could you just as easily say, "My purpose isn't to be a role model for my kids; the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization can do that!" Sure, the question/framework isn't perfect.  But it's useful to break out of the mold. By the way, I have an Evernote process.  But it failed me here.  I felt bad about this kind of thing until P. Desmond Adams said the same thing happened to him.  So, nobody's note-taking or memory is perfect.  Moving on... Speaking of, check out "Hours" for time-tracking on iOS.  Free for a limited time!

Have you ever run in to a situation where you know something really important, and you're trying to convince someone - boss, family member, whatever -- that they really need to step up and pay attention to that issue?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Aside:  I love doing this show.  Studio A moved over the years… but the feeling of sitting down in front of the computer and recording an episode?  I love it.  It's work, but I'm a happier person every time I do it. Despite the show title, people do care; we close this show with a call from listener Chad, renewing the old tradition of "listener feedback in the last episode of the month". But that didn't motivate me; it was the thought that P. Desmond Adams from the once weekly Mental Mastery Moment, now daily podcast series might listen. May has been a busy month - when you work in higher-ed and your spouse teaches High School, that kind of thing happens.  There’s been a transition at work with a new CIO (the vice president of technology; Chief Information Officer is our industry term) which is why I kept running into "Listener Chad". And it was there that I was talking to another colleague, explaining this upcoming episode and noting it had nothing to do with work. Those who know me know that if I have an example, it's coming from Work or Church. Those are my two “leadership circles".  And this one doesn't come from work. Draw your own conclusions from that. Caveat: Pondering this episode is like parenting, in that I can't dump 30 years’ worth of knowledge into the girls' heads.  And I've told Candela and Chloe that directly, because that's how I roll.  I know what I know because I learned it by personal experience.  Learning from others' personal experience is great -- it's what all "education" is based on.  But I worry that it might short-circuit the learning process. So I say now that I wish someone had explained this to me -- that podcasts had been invented 15 years ago and I had listened to this one from someone else.  But now I'm that someone else, giving this message having learned it personally, and that might not have happened otherwise. The topic:  Not everyone has your passionate about an organization’s need. That's reality. Reasons: They don't understand. Or, they understand but don't care as much as you do. Throwing more data won't solve issue #2 Caveat: Is it a moral or safety issue? (Be honest; is it really?)  If so, then you need to keep working ad making sure the right thing happens.  But is it, really?  Really? So, this is an episode encouraging mental stability, and letting go of the fight when you need to.  But if everyone in the your organization jumps to the casual acceptance, that's bad too.  Fight, but fight while accepting reality... maybe?

There's living in the past. Then there's living for the future. Somewhere between those is living in the moment.  But I think they all weave together. Wonder how?  So do I.  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Part of me wants to live in the past.  Part of me wants to archive everything for the future.  Part of me wants to celebrate the concept of "mindfulness" and live in the moment.  How do we hold all those things together? As a tangent off an already disjointed collection of reflections, how do we embrace/explore the concept of people outside of a particular generation adopting it as their own passion?  I think the late 1930s (epitomized by the New York World's Fair) is a fascinating example of the U.S. coming out of the Great Depression, on the brink of another world war, but (apparently) optimistic for the future.  Yet I wasn't alive in the 1930s. (My parents barely were.) In this episode we mention a young woman (I consider her "young," perhaps in part because I'm getting old) who has adopted the 1980s cyberpunk persona even though she was in single-digits at the time. My 1980s reminiscing, at least, is based in a reality I personally experienced. There's nothing wrong with either one, but they're different from each other. More than usual, I'd love your commentary on this one.  Call 206-339-3742 and give me some thoughts, and we'll work off of those in upcoming episodes.

"I wanna know what you're thinking."  That's not just a reminder that we're doing a collaborative podcast here. For a certain generation - mine - that's a kind of anthem.  And 30 years later it's just as real as it was in the 1980s.  Recognize it? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! I'm not much of a concert person... but when the chance to re-live key 1980s memories comes along, you take it.  ("When you see a chance, take it.."  Wait.  Wrong artist.)  So this podcast touches on the experience of seeing Information Society back in their hometown this year.  Can you relate?  Or not?  Give a call (or reach out in other ways - I'm easy to find) and let me know what you think.

I'm back!  Where'd I go? I was fulfilling a near-lifelong dream. Wonder what it was? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! So much for the good regular show-habit... but there's a good reason. When I was a kid I was a huge Road Runner cartoon fan; I loved the background scenery. So, for years, I've wanted to get down to the desert southwest and see if for myself. I decided this was the year: Stop dreaming and start doing! Ruth is back to teaching, in our same school district, so she and the girls have the same break. But, "break" for teachers doesn't mean "do nothing." So, how about a June road-trip, rather than to do Duluth?  But "Desert in Late March" is different from "Desert in Late June" So, how about I hop a cheap flight to Vegas and drive north to scout it out?  Good idea... and once you get a hotel and rent a car and are buying meals... for just the cost of one more plane ticket I could add Candela. So that's what I did.  It was spectacular. Sunday night it snowed in St. Paul -- 6" or 7".  (We needed the moisture in the ground!) Monday: Take off around 7:45 a.m., land at 9:00-something, get a car, stop at McDonalds, and head north! Virgin River gorge at the Arizona border - wow! Zion - shuttle buses because it's already the start of the busy season there Tuesday: Back into Zion, then out of Zion, north to Bryce Canyon Tuesday night: Astronomy! Wednesday: Bryce Canyon itself. The surrounding area looks like northern Minnesota.  (It's here that Candela goes "splat" on her knee while admiring the view like I told her to.) Thursday: Out through Red Canyon, north end of Zion, St. George (tabernacle, temple, petroglyphs) Thursday night: Mesquite (and big comfy waterproof band-aids). Outdoor hot tub Friday: Out through Valley of Fire, a depressing Lake Mead, a few blocks of the strip Early to the airport thanks to quick rental car return and TSA-pre treatment for some reason Rented a locker and wandered the terminal to kill time Flight home at 11:55 p.m.  Candela managed to sleep a bit, but was asleep for the initial descent and hosed her ears Picked up around 5:30 a.m. Saturday Home to sleep, then off to the circus at 2:30 p.m. Conclusions: Utah and Nevada (and Arizona) are beautiful.  But so is Minnesota, in a different way. Want to see the photos?  Here's the entire vacation album of Eric and Candela's 2015 Utah Trip...

Have you ever misheard a song lyric? Sure you have. Can you turn that into an entire podcast episode? Let's find out.  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! When is our birthday?  The first Ericast episode was March 7, 2005. So it's this week, or next. When you're this old, forgetting when your birthday is could be a "theme."  Next week might be a fairly deep-ish topic on "arrogance" lining up with Episode 2; we'll see. Background:  I like "dance music" -- e.g. Ace of Base. (On Pandora, it's epitomized in my "Ace of Base Radio")  But my current Pandora favorite is Basshunter.  (Note that it's pronounced Base-hunter; it's not music related to fishing.) "Tweets do not imply endorsement"...?  Pandora stations are somewhat the same for me.  But I can endorse these: My oldest is "Eric's Dance Radio" and you can also enjoy "Eric's WI Memories" from "the golden age of dance music - 1990, give or take a year or two." So, that explains the music part.  You also need to know that when my wife and I were first married, we had a pet hamster.  (More than one, actually. But not at once.) This episode topic crossed my mind.  And then I mentioned our hamster piterest in Jeff Goins' MOOC.  And then Paul Debeddings mentioned hamsters: Paul DeBettignies | February 28 at 10:13pm · Minneapolis, MN For the next 36 hours I am going to stay away from any topic that can turn into a debate. So I am only going to post hamster videos and Kenny Chesney videos. If you don't like hamster & Chesney videos, well... that's on you ‪#‎36HoursOfHamsterChesneyVideos‬ That clinches it.  I needed to do a podcast episode about this. So, that brings us to "Paradise" by Sam La More, originally from Sydney Austraila. (He's almost exactly one year younger than I am, which means he's old.) I know he's not talking about hamsters... but, you have to admit, it sure sounds like he's talking about hamsters!

Reminiscing is fine... but how 'bout we bring the next generation along for the ride down memory lane? In a modern way?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Featuring The Choosatron, which I fell in love with at the August 2013 MinneDemo in Minneapolis. The Choosatron Deluxe Adventure Matrix is a Wi-Fi connected Choose Your Own Adventure®-inspired story printer, blending digital and analogue storytelling. It is designed to be easily assembled by kids into a small interactive fiction game box, and encourage social reading, learning, and play. And I have one.  Now. Also... I have to admit, it's really weird seeing "256" as an episode number on the Ericast...

You know those "iPad-on-a-stick" robots like the one Sheldon was driving in "The Big Bang Theory"? Ever wonder what it would be like to drive one of those?  I did.  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! This past week has been a really strange blip in the personal and professional schedule.  (See "Gus T. Guppy" as an example, though you have to listen to the episode to find out how that's even relevant to anything.) Note to non-Ericast-fans: The core of the Beam discussion starts at the 8:00 minute mark.  If you want to skip the context on who I am and what I think of remote conference attendance, you can jump to that point.  But if you can spare eight minutes, I'd suggest listening to the whole thing... So... the primary focus of this episode is my driving a Beam Pro robot from Suitable Technologies.  (Which is quite a bit more elegant than Sheldon's "Mobile Virtual Presence Device") The venue?  The EduCAUSE ELI 2015 conference in Anaheim, California (which generated a lot of Tweets with the #eli2015 hashtag...) How'd I get picked?  I said "Yes".  I'm not sure if having met Malcolm Brown had anything to do with it, but I had indeed met him in Madison, Wisconsin at the 2008 EduCAUSE "Learning Technology Leadership" program. Driver's Education memories.  Scary, unfamiliar. Robocop reboot movie mirror "reveal" moment.  Clip below (not for young kids!) Paparazzi. Now I know exactly how the stars feel, except that I totally don't.  Being a Beam driver was a privilege, and I'm not complaining, but it's still distracting to have "fans" Accessibility.  Being dependent on a technology-mediated experience and human "handlers;" I knew I was being awkward/embarrassing to those around me -- trying to have the experience but also trying to be out of the way. Cool to encounter people. "Felt" like making connections Malcolm Brown and Veronica Diaz when I saw them in front of me. Might not be terribly practical, but most F2F stuff isn't.

If you don't say anything to anyone, you won't hear many complaints. But is that a good way to live? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! This week: A week-in-the-life. (And, my studio chair squeaks. FYI) Years ago we asked a post-event review question of "Is there anything that could've made this better?"   Someone's answer?  "Get rid of Eric Larson as a presenter. He uses too much self-deprecating humor." It's at that point I decided to stop doing that, and to start deprecating others. That weird bitter shot gave me my best self-deprecating joke ever! It's awesome!  I would've done just fine without that feedback, and I do just fine with it.  So don't fear feedback. "With all those windows on the west side, in the afternoon, that side of the 4th floor just gets baked" "Yeah, I've heard.  But what about the sunshine?" Panel Discussion on tips/tricks/experiences with "synchronous online learning," where I was facilitating (vs. moderating). Say you want to buy a car.  Ford vs. Toyota.  How not to get ripped off at the dealership. "Wait!  I don't buy into this whole 'car' thing" That could be outdated bias -- "My uncle sells buggy-whips and he thinks sales are picking up!" Or that could be wise insight -- "Have you seen light rail and the bike-share programs?" But that's not the right world -- not the right direction or set of questions -- for the people who've decided they need a car and are going to walk in a dealership and need some tips on negotiating or brand comparison. Did we miss-market the event?  Well, if we'd been really specific and targeted really well, we could've had a quarter of the numbers in the room and they'd have all said we were awesome. And that would've eliminated the bottom 10 percent who made some really snide complaints But what about that extra 50, 60, 70% in the middle?  Who got exposed to some new stuff and thought it was pretty good and have some new stuff to think about? This isn't a call to be sloppy or unclear. But if you've got a message you believe in; if you think you're doing good work, if you think you have something to offer to the right people... be willing to expose yourself to the wrong people, because that's what it's going to take if you speak up and seek out the right people. Reflection:  I've got my stuff together and want to do _____.  Maybe you do, maybe you don't. "Humble learner" is a difficult position.  Coaching someone into humility doesn't work; that's basically seen as the definition of arrogance (and maybe it is).

What happens when your friends lose, and then find, someone they love? Find out. Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Coming in under the wire for this week, but still on the calendar! Full disclosure:  I don't like this episode.  It's bumbling.  It's awkward.  But it's a topic that ought to be discussed, and I'm not going to let my lack of eloquence keep us from starting the conversation. That's what I mean by "Find out." Period.  Find out how these things unfold now, before you need to know. This week's topic began with a tweet from Kate-Madonna Hines.  While we disagree pretty passionately on abortion and the work of Planned Parenthood, I trust her judgment and ethics. She'd fall into the category of one of my personal "thought leaders" over the years. In the process, I Twitter-met Alison Feigh.  (Word-of-the-week transforms into Name-of-the-week:  Would it be "FEE," or "f-EYE"?)  Alison Feigh serves as the program coordinator at the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, a program of the National Child Protection Training Center. When dealing with a missing person, where do you go?  Twitter.  Facebook.  Whisper (where, it turns out, someone said he used to know her).  And then, go back to spread the good news that she's been found.

Whether this is your first episode or you’ve been listening through the ups and downs of the past 10 years, you’ll like this recap on what’s new and what’s changing in the Ericast’s tenth year. Here’s your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 206-339-ERIC (206-339-3742) and comment! Yes, the "Tradition and Tweaks" Ericast really did show up this week! This week's question:  Does it hurt when your fancy gets struck?  (No, that's not really a question...) iPodder, Juice, Lemon... I just use (and love!) Downcast these days.  K7.net is still alive and well and I still love them.  Almost as much as I love my fluffy new Costco body pillow.  Yes, this is random. What’s changing:  Not much.  The pre-intro summary is new – it’s a common “best practice”.  What do you think? Three-word titles.  A tradition since my undergraduate paper-writing days; unless there was an external mandate imposed by the faculty, I always used a three-word title.  Celebrating constrains per Joseph Rueter. Better show notes...  Because I find myself referring back to them when I listen to other people's podcasts.  And structure is good. More batching, so I can keep a regular schedule.  What’s contemporary and what’s batched?  You might never know. More Chesterton:  If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. Reviving the Dweeb Thoughts feed, and I need help for that; Posterous was so awesome that I can’t cope without it. DailyMugShot.com is now gone and has turned into a Thai dating site.  Really.

Are you looking for some new podcasts to try in a new year, or you’re just curious about what I’m listening to while you’re listening to me?  Here's your show! Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! The "Tradition and Tweaks" Ericast is coming up next week.  And, yes, I’m promising an episode next week.  We’ll talk about that promise… next week. Favorite pod-catching application in iOS (for the iPhone of iPad): Downcast  (Other apps also mentioned: Cyber Dust and Loot) Three broad categories: Technology, religion/spirituality/Christianity/etc., and personal-development Formerly-listened-to podcasts:  Daily Audio Bible Better Conversations with Derek and Carrie Olsen. (maybe I’ll bring this back in 2015?) Instant Sales Podcast with Steve Kloyda Late Night Internet Marketing with Mark Mason (podfaded? Last episode October 2014) Mental Mastery Moment with P. Desmond Adams (also podfaded at episode 91) New for my 2015: Remodeling Clay podcast (I like this one! Fun former-radio-guy persona) The World Changer Show with Matt McWilliams (I like this one too, so far) Tim Ferriss (NSFW language) The New Man (NSFW language) – interview podcast good exposure to new people/ideas Ask Pat (Pat Flynn’s near-daily short-form podcast) The Makeover Mentor with Danna Demetre (targeted at women so I might drop it) Coach Comeback (can’t figure out if it’s episodic or random on-the-spot or both; sounds like some of my years of the Ericast) Live Life Aggressively with Sincere Hogan and Mike Mahler (found via Cyber Dust which was found via Loot) Technology: APM Marketplace Tech (formerly Future Tense with Jon Gordon) EDUCAUSE (had to drop them because of a repetitive file problem) Spirituality: The Meeting House AudioCast with Bruxy Cavey.  If you check it out, make sure it’s one of Bruxy’s episodes.  Anabaptist movement, which is tied to pacifism.  Not what you’d expect. John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart Phil Vischer podcast (yes, the creator of Veggie Tales… but he’s much more than that) Subset of "faith communities I’m connected to": River Valley (Apple Valley, Minnesota) Berean Baptist (Burnsville, Minnesota) IronWorks (ministry of/at Berean) Awaken Community (Mendota Heights / St. Paul, Minnesota) Joel Osteen (transitioning to Self Help concepts here…) Self-Help/Productivity: Ray Edwards Show Dan Miller’s 48 Days Podcast Achieve Your Goals podcast with Hal Elrod 5 A.M. Miracle with Jeff Sanders This Is Your Life with Michael Hyatt Forever Jobless with Billy Murphy (disappeared after I mentioned him! He does have a good recent post on his site.  Great back-catalog of content) Get-It-Done Guy, Stever Robbins.  Short, entertaining, good concepts; if you’re fairly straight-laced, don’t be put off by the quirky persona). Reinventure Me Smart Passive Income podcast with Pat Flynn EntreLeadership (Dave Ramsey) Chris LoCurto show (formerly with Dave Ramsey) Dose of Leadership with Richard Rierson Leadership Answerman with Hans Finzel (though I don’t quite trust his judgment in editing audiobooks per my twitter conversation with Hans…) Other - Entertainment or "Guy and a Mic" (like mine): Flashback Twin Cities Higher Human Performance and Leaning Toward Wisdom with with Randy Cantrell The Tobolowsky Files (actor Stephen Tobolowsky, irregular schedule)

Click here to listen to this week's podcast! Wrapping up 2014 with the question of "what is 'faith' and when is it okay for 'people of faith' to act confidently with their fellow humans rather than 'relying on God' for direct intervention with a solution?" I'm not sure if it's as deep as that makes it sound... but, check it out, then let me know what you think by calling 206-339-3742 (a.k.a. 206-339-ERIC) and leaving a voice message with your comment. What triggered this conversation was the heart attack of pastor Rob Ketterling of River Valley Church in the Twin Cities.  If you want to know the back-story ("Why is Eric talking about someone Tweeting a heart attack?") here's a great video where he summarizes his whole experience: