Let Me Be Clear

Posted on by
1

I’m just getting the feeling from some of your comments, that you think I’m going somewhere, or won’t be making stuff on the internet anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I explained everything in great detail on SHaFT last night, which will be available to download as of Sunday night.

Like I said in my last post, I can’t and am not leaving Simply Syndicated. What I do intend to do however, is turn the whole thing upside down and inside out. Everything must change, but that doesn’t mean I have to suddenly start work in a completely new field. I’m a new media creative, it’s what I do, and I have to keep doing that. The best place for me to do that is Simply Syndicated. It’s just that it’s time to change what Simply Syndicated does.

This is not a sad day, or an end to shows. I’m very grateful for your kind words of encouragement, it keeps me going.

We need to talk about Rich.

Posted on by
12

I have started this post many times and I still don’t really know what to write. I know there are a couple of things that must be explained to you. There’s the issue of why I haven’t been podcasting much. Then there’s the issue of what the future holds.

I’ve been running a podcast network, full time, for about six years now. While it is true that a lot was achieved, it’s also true that things have fallen short. If there’s a way to get rich from podcasting, I haven’t found it yet, or at least haven’t actually done it yet. Allison claims you can set your watch to my “second week in December breakdown”, and she’s right. This time of year puts a lot of financial pressure on all of us, and really helps to make me regret what I do. Breaking point, is usually the second week of December. What makes things feel worse, is the knowledge that I’m only so badly off financially because of either my own failings, or lack of action. I really only have myself to blame. I’m well educated, well supported. I come from a stable family home, where both parents were professional people. From birth I was set good examples of hard work, and the rewards it brings. People that come from where I come from, generally do far far better than I do. Of all the people who completed my sixth form, I’m one of very few to not be very well off. In short, I should be doing better in life than I am.

I have managed to make it through the last few years by reminding myself of the following quote:

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” – Steve Jobs

The money doesn’t matter as long as you’re doing something you’re proud of. Yeah? That’s absolutely brilliant if you’ve got millions of dollars in the bank, but it sucks when there’s nothing there. My cupboard is bare, and really it’s my fault. If I’m honest, I had a little success, let it go to my head, then let it wallow. If you want to see a straight line, I’ll show you a graph of Simply Syndicated’s web stats. If there was a board of directors, I’d have been fired.

Emotionally, I have fired myself. I think I kind of gave up on things a while ago because they weren’t going how I wanted. The silly thing was that they weren’t going how I wanted because I wasn’t making it happen. Without knowing it, I was making myself the the worlds foremost mind on how to not run a podcast network. I keep reading that last sentence back and it is correct. It thought it should be “how not to run a podcast network” but “hot to not run a podcast network” is more correct. I haven’t made any mistakes. I haven’t failed at anything. I haven’t been told no. At the same time, I haven’t made headway with sponsorship for shows. I haven’t done shows. I haven’t fixed websites. And I haven’t moved forward. Saying that I know how to not run a podcast network is very correct.

So what caused this and why should it change, and why should I get another go? Well, it was caused by me thinking things would just keep growing, and panicing when I turned out to be wrong. I managed to convince myself that I had been successful and had no need to concern myself with things like growing an audience. When new podcasters were inspired to create shows, I then managed to convince myself that I was some sort of person who had “made it”. I haven’t made it at all yet, and I stopped trying.

Working alone all day, not having things turn out how you hoped, that’s demotivating and depressing. Then before you know it, you’re in a downward spiral of lack of motivation and depression about your lack of motivation.

My initial reaction to this is to convince myself that I need to get a “proper job”. Because I think I’m qualified for nothing, I convince myself further that this job should be in some sort of shop or call centre. That’s even more depressing. Last night I realised how stupid that is. I needed to take long hard look at myself and decide what it is I am and what it is I do. What am I good at? I’m a creative person. That can be writing, talking, joking, websites, whatever. It’s what I enjoy, and I’m good at it. When buying car insurance, I selected Broadcaster as my occupation. That’s such a broad word that can mean so much, and it definitely applies to me. Just because Simply Syndicated isn’t doing as well as I’d like, doesn’t mean I suddenly have to go and work in a shop. That brings me to what will change.

There’s just no way that I can suddenly have nothing further to do with Simply Syndicated. So many reasons why I could never just shut it down, or stop appearing on shows. Besides, I very much enjoy Tech It Or Leave It, and having a show with your name in the title is cool. What’s very important is that things change, a lot, very quickly. For a while I was toying with the idea of just starting again with something else. But seeing as I can’t walk away from Simply Syndicated it makes more sense to use what is there and build it up again. Different this time. I have plans.

I also need to spend some more time on myself. Spend more time with my own audience, and spend more time working for them. There should be more stuff on my own website. I realise that’s a very general statement, but again, I have plans.

Everything has to change.

So why will it change? Because it has to. It simply HAS to. I can’t live like this anymore, and I’m not sure what the alternative to that is, but I’m sure I don’t like it. I have to be who I am and do what I do. I also need to be able to live. I have spent so long thinking about what I’d like to achieve that I didn’t get on and achieve it. The time is now. If I don’t take hold of my life and get my money’s worth, I may as well just go out and find a big thing to fall off.

Everything has to change.

Do me a favour to help me out here. Go get your copy of A Christmas Story and watch the scene where they go to see Santa. The whole thing is a wonderful metaphor for the last six years of my life. All the anticipation, waiting in line, knowing exactly what I’m going to ask for. Then the moment comes, it’s all just too much and you end up on Santa’s lap mumbling something about a football. Then, just as I started to fall down that slide with a dumb look on my face, a little voice in my head woke me up. I am presently clawing my way back up that slide to shout at Santa.

In some places my focus has been to wide, and in other places too narrow. I am no longer a podcaster, and I no longer run a podcast network. Everything has to change.

Natwest Customers Get Basic Account

Posted on by
Reply

I have been a customer of the Natwest Bank for over a decade. I have the most basic of bank accounts. It’s just a case of them holding on to my money until somebody asks them for some of it. There are no credit cards, no overdraft, nothing at all. All they do is hold my money.

Not long ago I found that my debit card wasn’t working in a lot of ATMs. It always worked in shops, it just had the problems with ATMs. I was calling the bank to order a new card, when a recorded message told me something interesting.

I was directed to call a number so it could be explained to me why my card wasn’t working. I called and they explained. Apparently Natwest has asked its customers what they want from their bank account, and what they want is a more basic account. My account has been changed to be one of these new accounts, and the inability to use anything other than Natwest ATMs is a feature. That’s right, Natwest customers were finding their money too easy to get hold of, so they asked to have things restricted. Natwest are only responding to customer demand.
And so I enquired what kind of account I need to be able to use ATMs. It turns out I need to have an account that comes with an overdraft. Full ATM use is only available to customers who borrow money from the bank. But if gets worse.

Even if I get that kind of account that has to come with an overdraft, and just don’t use the overdraft, I still need to be depositing £1500 per month to get the account. To give you some context for that, the wages from my full time job running a podcast network this month came to £200. Not quite what the bank are looking for.

So, long story short, I no longer earn enough money to be allowed to use all the cash machines that are available to people who earn more than me, and borrow more than me.

It’s just a shame that when Natwest asked their customers what they want, they didn’t ask me. I have considered changing banks, but I’m told that Natwest are actually one of the last banks to introduce this rule.

It’s good to be a bank.

The iPhone 5

Posted on by
Reply

When the iPhone first came out it was called the iPhone. The next one was the iPhone 3G because it had 3G and the first one didn’t. Then came the iPhone 3G S. So called because it was a faster iPhone 3G. Then came the iPhone 4. It was the fourth iPhone, and the first time that the number in the name indicated the generation of the device. Now we have the iPhone 4 S. That basically says that it’s a faster version on the iPhone 4. The next iPhone won’t be the fifth generation of the iPhone. There is no technology associated with the number 5. With the iPhone 4 and 4S being of the same external design, the next phone won’t even be the fifth new look of the device. There’s no way I can think of that happily links the next iPhone and the number 5. Maybe it will be the iPhone 4G next.

iPhone 4S Battery Life

Posted on by
2

iPhone Owner 1: Hey! Have you seen those location services on Android? They’re shit, they run down your battery really quick!

iPhone Owner 2: Yeah, iPhones are better because their batteries last for ages!

iPhone Owner 1: Actually my iPhone 4S is getting terrible battery life.

iPhone Owner 2: I think it might be to do with those new location services we got?

iPhone Owner 1: Really?

Android Owner: [FACEPALM]

Triple Play Blu-Ray

Posted on by
Reply

I’m sitting here looking through my new triple play Blu-Ray set of Senna, great film by the way. This little pack has the Blu-Ray version of the film, a DVD copy of the film, and kind of almost a digital copy of the film. That’s the triple play idea. I can see the day coming where such a thing isn’t necessary. I only need a DVD copy of the film because I’ve got just the one Blu-Ray player. Can you imagine buying a DVD that came with a VHS copy of the film? That would be silly, but it’s effectively what we’re doing with these triple play sets.

However, what I’m interested in today, is the digital copy of the film. So why include a digital copy? I presume it’s so I don’t rip the DVD. Soon in the UK we’ll be legally allowed to transfer media from one medium to another, which will apply to ripping both CDs and DVDs. If the movie company are happy for me to have a digital copy, then why not include some software that would rip the DVD to a format of my choosing? DRM.

Saying that there is a digital copy included is true, but not the whole story. Each triple play set comes with a code which allows you to download the movie from iTunes. The digital copy included on the disc is encoded with Windows Plays For Sure DRM, which at this point means you can play it on a Windows PC and nothing else. I’m struggling to think of a popular portable device that can play this particular flavour of DRM. iOS can’t, Android can’t. As far as I know, even Windows Phone 7 can play Plays For Sure files. It’s safe to say that most people who buy triple play sets, are going to download the iTunes copy. It’s the only option I’ve ever taken because there’s just no way the Windows version will play on my Mac.

What I find most interesting about all this, is what this does for Apple. Making the iTunes version of the film be the digital copy, means that every triple play set is a reason to buy an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Mac. It’s safe to assume that if you’re buying a Blu-Ray that comes with a digital version, then you intend to watch that movie on a portable device. Whether it’s your phone, or tablet. The only phones or tablets available that play the digital copy, are i devices. Genius.

This little move by Apple does something very special. It changes iTunes from being a store like Amazon or Play, into a format like DVD or Blu-Ray. Steve Jobs once described Blu-Ray as a bag of hurt. I don’t think he always felt that way.

Anyway, while we’re talking about this, isn’t it obvious that Google have to do something about this? I don’t doubt that iOS will become the default standard for people who buy tablets, but the closest competitors will be running Android. There are also more Android phones out there in the world, than there are iPhones. Wouldn’t it make the most sense if the two files that were available to you in your triple play set, were the iTunes copy, and something that runs on Android? Because, well, here’s the thing. I want a copy of my film that plays on my Android phone, so I’m ripping the DVD, which is what they didn’t want me to do in the first place. And I plan on getting an iPad so I’m downloading the iTunes versions too. Why not? I payed for them.

But HANG ON! I just thought of something else. That code for the iTunes movie, only works once. As soon as I use it, the code becomes useless. That means that I no longer own a triple play Blu-Ray set, I own a double play one. At least as far as anyone buying my used copy is concerned. By making the digital copy on the disc totally pointless, and by giving you a code for a one time only download of the useful copy, they give a swift kick to the second hand film market. Movie companies hate it when normal people sell their old DVDs and Blu-Rays to each other, because somebody new sees the movie, and they don’t make any money off it. I suddenly feeling dumb for going through all my discs and making sure I’ve downloaded the digital version from iTunes. Just rip the DVD.

iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Start

Posted on by
Reply

Today is the day you can pre-order your new iPhone 4S. I took a look at the prices of the handset on the 3 network in the UK. They’re the network that I’m on with my Galaxy S2 so there I can do the fairest comparison.

First of all, my handset was free. I get 500 minutes, 5000 texts, and 1GB of data for £30 per month, on a 24 month contract.

Then to compare that to the iPhone 4S. I’m comparing the 32GB model, because that’s what my S2 has. You can get the 4S on the same tariff that I’m currently on, except that the monthly fee is £35, not £30. £5 per month extra for 24 months is £120. And on this particular tariff, the handset costs £139. That means that over the life of the contract you’re paying £259 more to own the iPhone 4S.

I know some of you out there have actually gone and pre-ordered the phone, so I have to ask. What feature in particular do you think is worth an extra £259 over what Android has to offer? What makes the iPhone 4S that much better than everything else. Is it Siri? If Siri came out as an Android app, and offered exactly the same functionality as the iPhone version, but cost £259, would you think it was worth it?

Maybe it’s the camera? Maybe the camera is worth £259, even though you can pick up a Panasonic Lumix TX20, the best point and shoot camera available, for £229.99.

Maybe it’s the retina display? Event though the Nexus Prime has the same 320dpi pixel density, on a much larger screen, and will almost certainly be available for free.

The iPhone 4S

Posted on by
Reply

My last post was written before the iPhone announcement. This post is my initial early reaction, or the part I like to refer to as “Before Simon explains to me why I’m wrong”.

The thing that makes me feel bad is that I know some of you have been waiting for this phone. I mean really waiting, over-running the end of your contracts, just to wait for the next iPhone, and this is what Apple have given you. They took an extra four months over this handset and came out with something that would have been slightly dated back in June, and is just a joke now.

There’s no doubt that the iPhone 4S is better than the iPhone 4. That’s what the S stands for – better. Unfortunately I just don’t think it’s better enough. Lets take a look at it. For starters there’s a 1GHz dual core A5 chip, which Apple fans will tell you is just as good as the 1.5GHz dual core chips that are now available in Android phones, and will certainly be better than the 2GHz quad core chips we’re expecting to see in Android phones at the beginning of 2012. There’s a new 8MP camera that will apparently be a great deal better than every other 8MP Android phone. The retina display remains the same, but I’m sure it will in some way be classed as better than the higher resolution and bigger screened Android phones.

There’s also the new voice control. You’ll be able to control all sorts of things on your iPhone just by talking to it. For me personally, voice control still lives in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category of technology. The voice control in Android works brilliantly in nice quiet environments. The noisy environment of a car, which is the only place I ever want to use it, just causes too many problems for it to actually work. Right now I’m willing to bet that the iPhone will work just as well, but of course I’m happy to be proved wrong with that one. Working or not, I’m not a fan of voice control, but I’m sure there’ll be some people out there who love it and use it many times each day.

And that’s your lot for iPhone 4S specific features. There are new functions added to iOS 5, but being honest, they read like a list of new features for a two version old copy of Android. For example, iOS 5 will include Apple versions of Google Talk, Android Notifications, and extremely limited social network integration that only works with Twitter.

Remember, I love Apple products. I’m writing this post on a MacBook while watching something on the AppleTV. As I look up from the screen, there are at least three iPods in my field of vision. However I think the iPhone continues to be the Emperor’s new clothes. Only Apple can put out a phone with features and technical specs that match an eight month old Android handset, and have the world call it amazing.

On the 11th of this month, Google and Samsung are going to announce the next Android Nexus phone. Expect it to have at least an 8MP camera, 1280x720p 4.5″ screen, and 1.5GHz processor. It will also come with the next version of Android, which we don’t really know anything about yet, except that it will have all the features of iOS 5 that are already in there.

So should you buy the iPhone 4S? I really can’t think of a compelling reason to do so. Not even if you’ve got a load of iOS apps. Just take the £200 you were planning to spend on the iPhone, get yourself the Nexus phone instead, buy Android versions of all your iOS apps, and then spend the remaining £150 on a nice treat for yourself. On Tech It Or Leave It, I said that iOS and Android were just too close to each other to keep arguing over which was better. Now I’m going back on that to say that the Apple emperor is actually naked. He doesn’t really have new clothes, just his meat and two veg hanging out there for all to see.