Comments on: Why I don’t watch videos or listen to podcasts

By: Roo

Roo — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:00:33 +0000

I actually don't find it hard to read novels. I read very quickly, but immerse myself in them in a different way than most blogs or podcasts would allow. Probably a quality thing; the very best writers never get boring. I did recently get very fed up with The Earth is Flat, but that doesn't count as a novel. :-) Good point on the microwave though. I do think our sense of entitlement to time has been growing as our pace of life has increased, and our sensitivity to having our time wasted is heightened.

By: Imagine

Imagine — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:52:44 +0000

As you said, Ze’s ‘cast is, like, less than five minutes. Even unmedicated, most folks should probably be able to work their way through it.

Do you have trougle making it through novels? The ‘boring bits’ would be a slog, I would think, for someone with attention difficulties. . .

I’m starting to think we *all* have ‘microwave syndrome’ though. Remember when making a cup of tea required boiling water in a kettle? Now, two minutes in the microwave and I’m grumbling that it is taking too long.

By: Andrew Ferrier

Andrew Ferrier — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:48:26 +0000

I just remembered that I wrote an article trying to analyse some of this a while back: http://www.andrewferrier.com/blog/2006/09/21/media-consumption-control/

By: epredator

epredator — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 23:27:36 +0000

I agree, the attention needed to enjoy audio or video does not fit with Digi Daves Continuous Partial Attention Podcasts never make it to my ipod and my ipod only gets listened to walking from the car to the office, which is when I need a blasting tune to prepare me for the politics. I am having a wade through youtube and co at the moment but do keep wanting to fast forward to the 'good bits'.

By: kellyd

kellyd — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 21:18:15 +0000

I always intend to download podcasts to my iPod and listen to them in the car, but my attention to that matter flags as soon as I think about it.

By: Andrew Ferrier

Andrew Ferrier — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:22:13 +0000

Roo, you’re quite right that podcasts don’t allow you to take things at your own pace, and a lot of the time reading is simply more efficient. I find, though, that there are times of day when I just want to give my reading eyes a rest and listen instead. There is some compelling content about (such as the EconTalk podcast that Richard Brown and I keep raving about) which I find hard to find substitutes for in writing. It’s so much easier to transfer emotion and character via podcasts: only the best writers are able to do this well via words alone. Having said all that, I only manage to listen to 1-2 hours a week: it is an activity bounded by time.

Vodcasts are rare anyway (or at least good ones), so it’s hard to comment on them in the general case yet. My observation so far has been that there’s some compelling content out there (e.g. TEDtalks), but you have to search hard for it.

By: andyp

andyp — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 06:56:29 +0000

Sounds a lot like my way of working, and DigiDave’s, which I referred to in comments on my recent “Web 2.0 quicksand” post. I knew we had a lot in common. The question is, how many FF tabs do you have open on average at one time? :-P

I have to say that longer podcasts are a struggle for me. Not only that, but I tend to listen to them on a train, when I may also want to be reading, which makes it impossible to listen to and absorb a speaking voice which is attempting to educate or entertain me.

The IBM Shortcuts series is pretty good, as each episode is (as the name implies) short.

I haven’t got into videocasts at all… but I’ll be sure to check out Ze Frank now.

Incidentally, I’m sure you’d have just as dedicated a fanbase as Ze Frank if you turned your hand to podcasting. Right now, the fanbase around the world is debating your interest in rock balancing, with particular reference to the topic of whether you will be entering competitions once you’ve mastered it (as you undoubtedly will).