This morning, I was thinking about what to talk about in this week’s blog post as I walked the dog. I wondered what sources I might consult to come up with the meat and potatoes behind the ideas I come up with at various points during the week. I can be anywhere when an idea pops into my head and I hurriedly fumble it into Evernote on my smartphone. But there’s a good deal of fact checking and further information to be gathered after the initial idea. So today, we’re talking about Information In Th Information Age.
Too Long – Didn’t Read
…or tl;dr as the kids say. But that’s true. I don’t usually have time to read through journals and long-form expositions on this and that. I like to consume content – well, in pretty much the same was as I write it! Short, snappy, entertaining articles I can read while the kettle boils.
I really enjoy Gizmodo, HackerNews and TechRadar. But I also tend to show my fanboy status too by lurking around at places like Mac Rumours.
I keep these bad-boys in a “tech” subfolder under my “News” folder in my bookmarks bar. I like to catch up on those bits and bobs when I get online first thing in the morning. If there’s a new critical vulnerability just released into the wild, I want to know at the beginning of my day!
Podcasts Ahoy!
Ah man, I love a podcast. I love to walk my dog, Nigel Maximo, and I usually have my headphones on when I do. I could be listening to some dirty house beats, but really, I’m pretty square and I’m probably listening to a podcast.
podcasts are a great way to absorb information in time where I would otherwise just be wandering around behind the dog, periodically shouting for him not to eat the thing he’s half way through eating. Yeah, if we go out somewhere picturesque for a walk, as we often do here in Cumbria, I will leave all my tech behind. But ordinary walks around our estate, sure.
If I’m super focused, I’ll listen to the AWS Podcast or Security Now. They’re crammed full of facts and practical information which I honestly apply to client estates all the time.
If I want a bit more entertainment, I will listen to the excellent Darknet Diaries. This gives an insight into the mind and world of hackers, social engineers and nation-state cyber warfare operatives. When you understand more about your opponent, you have a much better chance of defending agains them, right?
And if I want a bit of silliness, with a tech twist, I listen to Reply All. These guys often record episodes called Super Tech Support, where someone will call in with a really strange tech support issue. You don’t even need to be super into technology for this one.
Sunday
When I have much more time on my hands, I do actually like to read longer-form content. Yes, I know I said I didn’t have time for that, but even I get Sundays off now and again. But that isn’t to say my love for technology has a day off too. Oh no.
I like to read about abstract problem solving, and the people who do it. The Bletchley Park Codebreakers was one of my favourites, since it talked about the relentless effort of the people involved, and the abstract ways they trained to break the German enigma code.
YouTube
I love YouTube. My feed is full of cars and technology. And sometimes classic Sherlock Holmes, but only when my wife didn’t switch accounts before she binge-watched some of her beloved Basil Rathbone episodes.
I love keeping up with latest in consumer PC technology with Linus Tech Tips, and their spin off channels. I love Computerfile for their expert dissection and explanation computing concepts which have been key to my career. And a guilty pleasure of mine is to watch old episodes of the Computer Chronicles from early 90’s TV. Go and search it out to have a trip down memory lane as they exclaim over 8MB hard disk drives.
Suggestions?
I consume information in all kinds of ways, in different formats and at different intensities depending on my mood. But let me know if you think I’m missing something I would enjoy. I love getting podcast and YouTube recommendations! And of course, keep coming here for your cloud tips and tricks
