| Voice characteristics |
[Nov. 25th, 2009|02:56 pm] |
Help make my voice sound good.
I need some advice.
I'm recording narration for a series of training videos I'm producing, and I'm suddenly finding myself very self-conscious and self-critical over the quality, tone, and nature of my spoken voice.
Questions:
- What qualities do you need in your voice to effectively narrate a tutorial?
- Can you point me to any resources to describe them?
- What are some of your favorite tutorial narrations? What makes them great?
Leave me a response here (if you can), or @ or DM me on Twitter. |
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| Cell plan termination fees |
[Nov. 23rd, 2009|09:58 am] |
Question: Why are cell phone termination fees legal?
What service, product, or value does the consumer receive for paying the termination fee? The right not to be billed anymore?
I'm irritated that Verizon upped their termination fee to a flat $350 the day after they released the Droid.
I can hear their hypothetical customer "support" agent on the phone, "Well, it's in the contract..."
Eighty years ago, Elliot Ness would be going after them with an army of FBI agents and lawyers. |
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| Motorola Droid |
[Nov. 17th, 2009|01:22 pm] |
Android plusses:
- Keyboard that doesn't allow you to accidentally click on the screen and wind up typing who-knows-where.
- Superior screen.
- Runs Flash applications.
- Works with Verizon and on CDMA networks. (Does this really matter?)
- Multitasking.
- Notifications that don't [expletive deleted] get in the way of what else you're trying to do!!!
iPhone users, help me out. I'm slipping here. I'm actually seriously thinking about this and they've got something. |
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| The Internet is not your Delivery Boy |
[Nov. 17th, 2009|11:27 am] |
A few years back, a CEO interviewing me for a job in his company asked me, "How do you learn?"
I never really gave a convincing answer. But I think I got a little closer just now.
I just discovered this blog:
http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2009/11/the_internet_is.html
The most important line in here is something I've thought for years, but something that's becoming increasingly clear from the advent of "Web 2.0" and related terminology, social networking, community-building:
The Internet isn't powerful because it connects you to information, but because it connects you to other people.
Knowledge sitting there and flapping in the breeze is passè.
Knowledge acquired through interacting with someone that you sought out because you knew they possess it...? That's cool!
Since I know you're wondering, my attempt in that interview pleased the CEO. I went home and wrote a three-page manifesto of how I acquire knowledge. But one of his underlings threw a wrench in the decision, and I didn't get the offer. I was grateful for his question all the same.
We learn because we seek out people who pass on knowledge. We use the best method available to do that.
Question: What expertise are you passing on? To whom? |
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| Chris Tomlin holiday giveaway |
[Nov. 17th, 2009|10:05 am] |
Matthew Paul Turner and EMI are giving away six copies of Chris Tomlin's new Christmas album.
And some other cool schwag. Like a turkey. Really.
And you have five ways to enter. I think that means you have thirty chances to win.
6 x 5 = ... ?
Ok, never mind that last bit. But anyway, here's how you do it:
- Leave a comment on Matthew Paul Turner's blog
- Tweet about the giveaway so all your friends find out, and leave another comment that you did so on his blog
- Become Matthew Paul Turner's "fan" (he hates that term) on Facebook, and leave another comment (there? or on his blog? ...he didn't say)
- Follow his blog/feed and leave another comment that you're doing so
- Provide a link to this contest on your blog (like I'm doing right now), and leave another comment on his blog letting him know that you did so
One grand prize winner will receive
- A copy of Tomlin's Glory in the Highest and Hello Love
- A hardcover copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
- The holiday favorite A Wonderful Life on DVD
- A candy cane basket from Lindale Candy Company (A Tomlin favorite)
- A gift card for one 6lb-turkey from Greenberg Turkeys (A Tomlin favorite)
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| Google Wave collaborators |
[Nov. 14th, 2009|03:43 pm] |
Anyone interested in public collaborations on Google Wave (mostly to try out the toy and see if it's actually worthwhile)?
Leave a comment here with your address, and I'll roll it back into a list of folks.
This list will grow indefinitely. Refer back to the post to find a longer list.
( Click here to see list )
Also, anyone know how to create a link to a googlewave account, like how you do a "mailto" href normally? |
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| Zen PowerPoint |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|12:08 pm] |
elegant preso
one slide, no words to distract
just a black background
wide hesychasm
for the exchange of ideas
high tech meets feng shui
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| Jen Deshler's "Retooling your personal brand" |
[Nov. 11th, 2009|09:02 am] |
(Used with permission)
I'm still working on building my "personal brand." It's something I never really heard of until the past six months or so. A personal brand is that public presentation of what you're best at, what you're known for, what your reputation is, what you do.
Jen Deshler wrote a great post a few months ago, and I just noticed it today.
Jen suggests that your brand is something that's always open for revision. She's rebuilt hers on several occasions, as she's recognized where the strengths and weaknesses in her professional reputation lie.
Take a look.
http://jenniferdeshler.com/2009/09/01/retooling-your-personal-brand/
Ms. Deshler is a Marketing Manager at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Currently, her bio says, "I have the privilege of working with the best authors in the business, leading a team of people with unique and wonderful talents, and being constantly on the lookout for ways to gain new readers." I wonder what it will say after the next retooling.
Follow Jeff on Twitter
Consider dropping him a message first so he's expecting it, too.
He blocks people he thinks are spamming. |
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| Uncategorized |
[Nov. 11th, 2009|08:37 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Unwoman - Uninvited | ] |
Ok, get this.
Chris Brogan is reputed to be the #1 blogger in the world.
Chris Brogan's #1 category in his category map is... Uncategorized!
Does this mean that category maps don't matter?
I'm gonna venture a big no here. His #2 and #3 and #4...and so on categories are quite relevant and interesting.
And hey, I have something in common with Chris Brogan. Almost all of my 2,000+ posts are uncategorized, too.
I must be a superior blogger.
:| |
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| Writing a good mission statement |
[Nov. 10th, 2009|09:44 am] |
The sky's the limit!
Whether you're writing on behalf of a corporation or you're an individual working on self-promotion, the same thing is essential. You have to start with a clear statement of your target.
What drives you to undertake the project? Why bother? Do you know? If you can't answer those with definitive, heart-filled statements, you're probably spinning your wheels in futility.
Nancy Lublin, CEO of Do Something, provides this great, short article titled How to Write a Mission Statement That Isn't Dumb.
Follow her advice.
Once you write your mission statement, what do you do with it?
- Read it.
Repeatedly. Daily, at least.
There's a reason we all used to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school when we were kids. Think about that.
- Do it.
It won't happen if it just sits there and looks impressive.
I used to think a mission statement was something that hung on the wall. We were supposed to read it and think that the corporate executives actually thought it was true, so they could puff themselves up with feigned nobility. Boy, did I miss the point, and did they fail to reach their audience. (Test: make your mission statement strong enough to crush my cynicism!)
- Live it.
Do those around you know that this is what drives you? Why are you keeping it a secret?
You wrote it. Do you believe it? Have the balls to stand by your own work!
(If you don't, consider rewriting it to reflect your new sentiments. Or get to work.)
- Achieve.
Don't be embarrassed about celebrating your accomplishments. Be proud! Let us know!
For that matter, don't be embarrassed about being public with your failures. Share lessons. Collaborate. You'll become an indispensable resource to others.
There are far worse things that can happen than becoming so important that other people need you.
Follow Jeff on Twitter
Consider dropping him a message first so he's expecting it, too. He blocks people he thinks are spamming. |
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| Counting letters |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|07:25 pm] |
A conversation at dinner tonight with my 5yo:
ALEX: Daddy, how much letters are in Tomato ketchup?
ME: Well, let's see. T...O...M... uh...six... and seven is 13.
ALEX: Thirt-- HEY! That's the same as in chrysanthemum.
Uhm. Yeah... |
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| Droid vs. iPhone |
[Nov. 6th, 2009|12:49 am] |
Did you see Gizmodo's review?
It said:
It’s this simple: If you don’t buy an iPhone, buy a Droid. It’s the best phone on Verizon, and with Android 2.0, the second best smartphone you can buy, period. It’s flawed, deeply in some ways. But it’s the second best phone around, on the best network around.
Is that the best they can do?
Reminds me of Snapple, proud to be #3.
Apple can relax. |
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| How I became the most famous amateur tech support engineer in the world |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|01:23 pm] |
I am not a professional Apple employee (yet!). I'm just a guy who happens to have TweetDeck open next to him and notices when something interesting comes up.
If anyone had told me 25 years ago that I'd be giving live Macintosh tech support to Sheila Walsh today, I would have peed my pants. Fortunately, I have better bladder control than I did at 13. Or something.
I never got to see her in concert back in the day, but I do have a cassette tape with her singing a live duet with Steve Taylor.
If you are not old enough to know what a cassette tape is, please, tell your parents that you're on my blog. You really should have their permission.
Anyway, one of these days, when I'm no longer tensed up in a semipermanent kegel to keep from embarrassing myself in public, I'll let you know how to identify unneeded files on a nearly-full Mac hard drive so you can keep using your machine.
The instructions even apply to technologically-challenged (but refreshingly involved!) Scottish Texans. Really. That's how easy they are.
Jeffrey will now stop typing and pinch himself to see if this is merely surreal or, as he suspects, is verifiably imaginary.
EPILOGUE (November 9, 2009) ( Read more... ) |
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| Daniel Harkavy Has a Blog? |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|11:47 am] |
Daniel Harkavy started a blog today.
Yes, the Daniel Harkavy who coaches leaders. The Daniel Harkavy who said that social networking and Facebook and Twitter and iPhones were time suckers that could only distract you from realizing your purpose. That Daniel Harkavy. The one who's now on Facebook and Twitter and uses an iPhone.
Why?
Because he decided it was a good way to get his message out to more people. That's why.
Check out his first post at http://www.danielharkavy.com/2009/11/daniel-harkavy-has-a-blog/
(Ok, the real reason is that the student schooled the master. Michael Hyatt can be real persuasive, can't he!) |
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| Quote from the fathers, to keep John Calvin happy |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|12:11 am] |
I came across this quote from a recent Orthodox holy man:
"But if the person has not received the Grace of God, then he can neither govern himself nor help others in order to bring about a divine effect. He must first be immersed in divine Grace, and then utilize his resulting sanctified powers for the salvation of others."
Blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994)
Now doesn't that just warm the heart of the Calvinist?
Well, except, I suppose the heart of the Calvinist is already warmed.
But then, that's my point. |
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| Why do I bother with Twitter? Part two of indeterminate... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|12:06 am] |
Tony Robbins
Is he clapping for me??
Why do I bother with Twitter?
Because of Tweets like this from Tony Robbins.
"Most people's lives are a direct reflection
of the expectations of their peer group."
I want to be surrounded with an intentional accountability structure. On Twitter, I find the right mix of corporate, social, spiritual, literary, and educational influence. My peers expect a certain set of behaviors, qualities, attributes, and achievements from me.
If I am a waste of their time, they lose interest and move on. We trade influence. We pay it forward and pass it on.
I appreciate them more than they can possibly know. I hope that I offer the same for them.
Find JeffHolton on Twitter |
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| Polyamory is wrong |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|03:48 pm] |
The revolution of diversified sexual morals and behaviors in contemporary culture forces me to take a public stand against polyamory. Here is my [partial?] explanation for why it is inappropriate.
( Read more... ) |
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| Conversations with my three-year-old |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|12:20 pm] |
A conversation today with a little girl who just turned three a few days ago...
MEH: I got your nose.
JBH: I need it back.
MEH: Here you go.
JBH: You're good at pretending. What else do you like to pretend? Do you like pretending to be a princess?
MEH: Yeah. I'm going to be a ladybug! And I'm going to have wings!
JBH: That's right! You'll be a ladybug tonight. What does a ladybug do?
MEH: Mmmm...it flies.
JBH: Yes. It has wings like a bird. Do you like flying like a bird?
MEH: No, not like a bird. Well, it is like a bird.
JBH: Yes. And like an airplane. An airplane flies. What else flies like a bird?
MEH: Uh... A telescope.
JBH: No, not a telescope!
MEH: Maybe...a daddy!
Sigh.
Her brother was only a few months older than this when I interviewed him, too. |
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| Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn |
[Oct. 28th, 2009|10:22 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Cheap Seats - Alabama | ] |
Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn
I think my ubergeekcoolTM just went SQUEEE.
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch
You must first invent the universe
See more from MelodySheep. |
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| Cool video |
[Oct. 27th, 2009|12:43 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Yael Naim and David Donatien - New Soul | ] |
I didn't make this one. I'm just sharing it.
I think it's a really well-written music video.
Yael Naim & David Donatien - New Soul |
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| Happy Halloween! Two pandemic books for you. |
[Oct. 27th, 2009|08:46 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Classical - Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Phantom of the Opera) cathedral pipe organ - | ] |
My vlog post recommending two great books about the end of the world.
Happy Halloween. |
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| Bono, U2, YouTube, and a world of people with their eyes open |
[Oct. 27th, 2009|12:59 am] |
I watched the U2 concert last night. It was more than great performance. Although I *like* to be entertained, I'm not that impressed by career entertainers, because entertainment serves no *practical* benefit.
But U2's Bono, Edge, Clayton, and Mullen are changing and have changed the world. How many lives have been saved because of their use of their talents to promote a message and influence the involvement of others? I'm not sure you can quantify the good that they're doing.
Yes, they're rich. Really rich. Stinkin' rich. And it's really, really, really rare to see rich folks who DEFINE their life's work not by how well their talents were recognized, but by how many deaths they've averted...
I remember in the late 80s and early 90s listening to songs like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" and thinking that Bono's pinko misguided pacifism was going to marginalize him to just being another musician who tried to spew out a political statement that would get him laughed at. It didn't take more than a few years to figure out that Bono's not a liberal. He's a human being who's tired of political differences resulting in executions and murders. He's not a pacifist who thinks it's okay for tyranny to run rampant. He's a human who's tired of violence resulting in the deaths of innocent people.
I can't find anything wrong with that perspective. Nothing at all.
we're one, but we're not the same
we've got to carry each other
carry each other... |
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| How to fix Facebook's latest limitation |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|10:46 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | U2 - One [live...no, like RIGHT NOW live] | ] |
Friday's changes to Facebook's site limit you to seeing 250 randomly-selected friends on your news feed and live feed.
Here's how to fix it.
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| Video notes: using Quicktime to fix common problems |
[Oct. 22nd, 2009|10:34 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Souvenirs - Internal Faith Relation | ] |
Two things I've learned using Quicktime Pro in the past half hour:
- Perian
If you want to convert FLV files (common format for movies online, e.g,, YouTube) to Quicktime so you can actually do something useful with them, I can't think of any better way than to download Perian.
Within about 45 seconds of clicking on the download button, I had an FLV file saved as a Quicktime. You just open it in Quicktime and save it as a self-contained movie.
That's. It.
Perian requires OS X 10.4.7 or higher "because 10.3 makes the iceweasel cower in fear."
- How to fix the problem of “sound is out of sync with the video”
See here.
I just tried it. It works. So simple.
I saved a PDF of it in case that website ever ceases to exist. It's over three years old already, but the tutorial still works just perfectly.
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| New Apple wireless keyboard |
[Oct. 21st, 2009|04:32 pm] |
...Apple did indeed update its Apple Wireless Keyboard yesterday. The change, however, is entirely internal—it now uses just two AA batteries instead of the three that the older model used.
From ArsTechnica...
This means a great deal to anyone who knows how frequently wireless keyboards eat through batteries.
And as someone who probably is in the market for an iMac in the next few years, well, yeah. |
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| Short-lived 80s television nostalgia |
[Oct. 21st, 2009|02:06 pm] |
Before there was Stargate, there was Otherworld, all 8 episodes of it.
Does anyone other than me remember watching this every week?
I mean, aside from the creators of Stargate, obviously.
Why did all the shows I really like just disappear after a few episodes? Like Misfits of Science.
And Manimal.
And Voyagers!
But especially Misfits of Science. Mmmmm...Courteney Cox. |
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| Renaming my journal |
[Oct. 19th, 2009|11:46 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Jars of Clay - Overjoyed ["You name me..."] | ] |
For my birthday next week, I want a $15 rename token so I can change the name of my journal.
I'm just sayin'.
ADDENDUM:
Thank you, O generous Christmas-bonussed benefactor. :) |
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| How to get SnagIt 7.2.5 for free |
[Oct. 19th, 2009|10:21 am] |
| [ | music |
| | The Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace | ] |
Any Windows user who regularly needs to capture all or part of a screen should be using SnagIt. The features and graphics quality are amazing. Putting together documents that include screen captures WILL MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD.
My personal favorite look is the "torn paper" filter.
Unfortunately, SnagIt can be cost-prohibitive. Ok, it's no Microsoft or Adobe suite, but still, it's not free.
Well, no, actually, it is.
The current version, SnagIt 9.x, was a significant improvement over SnagIt 8.x. It turns out that version 7.2.5 is free. Granted that it's older, but free is nothing to shake a stick at.
Here's where to download SnagIt 7.2.5:
http://www.oldapps.com/SnagIT.php?old_snagit=12
Here's the link to instructions on how to get the key. Yes, this is legit:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/07/04/snagit-7-2-5-full-version-free-download-with-genuine-software-key-code/
EPILOGUE:
My Mac makes it very easy to perform a capture of all or part of a screen
But I have yet to discover a great mechanism for making annotations that are as high-quality as those offered by SnagIt.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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| Cool tech |
[Oct. 11th, 2009|06:36 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Fighting 17th - Hans Zimmer | ] |
...Carnegie Mellon wows its visitors...with toys that can read a person's fingerprint from across the room, reverse-engineer a 3-D model of a face from a simple 2-D snapshot, and recognize a moving iris at 13 meters. Nearly every gadget here would give a civil libertarian a stroke.
--Building a Better Password, by Nick Summers |
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| Notes from the misanthropic extrovert |
[Oct. 9th, 2009|11:22 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | John Reuben - Word of Mouth | ] |
Here are some essay questions from past SAT exams:
2007
- Should modern society be criticized for being materialisitc?
- Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
- Is it always best to determine one's own views of right and wrong, or can we benefit from following the crowd?
- Do circumstances determine whether or not we should tell the truth?
2008
- Do people put too much emphasis on winning?
- Is it possible for something to be truly original?
- Do we have to compare ourselves to others to truly appreciate what we have?
2009
- Are some people more highly accomplished than others mainly because they expect more of themselves?
- Is it necessary to be impolite sometimes?
- Do feelings and emotions matter more than logistics and analysis when solving problems?
- Are people defined by what they do?
- Has today's abundance of information only made it more difficult for us to understand the world around us?
- Should people let their feelings guide them when they make important decisions?
- Should we pay more attention to people who are older and more experienced than us?
Do you see the general theme? Most of the questions have to do with how we interact with each other.
Apparently, whoever writes the SAT thinks it's of paramount importance to define how we relate, how we allow ourselves to learn from others, and what level of influence we have on others.
I would pay huge money to go back in time and tell my younger self that this is important.
When I finished up with high school (and even when I finished up with college, and maybe when I finished up with grad school), I didn't know that the most important thing was how we interrelate. I thought that the most important thing was doing the right thing, starting with when I was alone. Even in the midst of my extroversion, I have always found the greatest solace when I am alone, outside of interactions with other people, not to prepare me to interact with them, but to rescue me from interacting with them.
Unfortunately, human relationships are unavoidable. Even if we spend the rest of our lives in the desert.
What about you?
- Are you more likely to be positively or detrimentally influenced by others? Why?
- Are you a positive or a negative influencer? Have you achieved the status you want to achieve? (Have you even given it any thought yet?)
What would you rather be? What sort of impact do you want to have? What legacy would you like to leave?
EPILOGUE:
Here's a great video. It tells a story of politics and industry, ingenuity, altruism, idealism, conformity, good and evil, conservatism and liberalism, progress and management and innovation, creativity, and influence. It demonstrates how we can destroy others by our unkindness, unintentional or otherwise. And it shows just how powerful a good idea can be.
I love this video.
you can tell somebody
to tell somebody
that the next new thing
is the same old thing |
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jeffholton's journal
