
Things We're Grateful For Right Now
05/05/20 • 49 min
Show Notes
- 1:27 — We reflect on our sense of exhaustion with COVID-related news.
- 4:49 — Why gratitude can help us through challenging times.
- 8:10 — Darren reflects on how his parents have been an example to him of how to practice gratitude every day.
- 9:44 — March marvels at the power and expanse of the Internet and the positive impact it has had on the world.
- 14:48 — March shares a visualization of the network of satellites orbiting the Earth.
- 16:19 — Darren explains what a traceroute is and plugs a business idea he had 16 years ago called www.agreener.com.
- 22:10 — Ian explains his belief that anonymity on the Internet will eventually go away.
- 23:45 — Ian shares his most recent passion: coffee and explains why he views coffee as a modern wonder of the world.
- 26:50 — Ian explains what a “pour over” is and the nuance in the technique in crafting a pour over that determines the flavor of the finished beverage.
- 30:01 — We discuss “single origin” coffees and the difference between the different geographies including coffee from Yemen.
- 41:01 — Darren shares a book he discovered titled Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts that has become his favorite book of all time.
- 44:20 — Darren reads one if his favorites a passage from the book.
- 46:20 — Ian shares a book he’s recently heard about that is getting good reviews.
Mentions
- 📰 Website: Visualization of the Internet
- 📖 Book: Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts
- 📦 Product: Chemex pour over coffee container
- 📖 Book: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
- 📰 Article: www.agreener.com
- 📰 Article: Messages of Hope, Gratitude And Safety Replace Ads in Times Square (NPR)
- 📰 Article: Gratitude in the Face of Crisis (NYT)
- 📰 Article: 50 Questions That Will Help You Feel Grateful and Good About Life (Tiny Buddha)
- 📰 Article: Amazon: Coronavirus Tests So Hard To Get We’re Building Our Own Lab (Forbes)
- 📰 Article: Thanks to Sheltering in Place, Animal Shelters Are Empty (Wired)
Show Notes
- 1:27 — We reflect on our sense of exhaustion with COVID-related news.
- 4:49 — Why gratitude can help us through challenging times.
- 8:10 — Darren reflects on how his parents have been an example to him of how to practice gratitude every day.
- 9:44 — March marvels at the power and expanse of the Internet and the positive impact it has had on the world.
- 14:48 — March shares a visualization of the network of satellites orbiting the Earth.
- 16:19 — Darren explains what a traceroute is and plugs a business idea he had 16 years ago called www.agreener.com.
- 22:10 — Ian explains his belief that anonymity on the Internet will eventually go away.
- 23:45 — Ian shares his most recent passion: coffee and explains why he views coffee as a modern wonder of the world.
- 26:50 — Ian explains what a “pour over” is and the nuance in the technique in crafting a pour over that determines the flavor of the finished beverage.
- 30:01 — We discuss “single origin” coffees and the difference between the different geographies including coffee from Yemen.
- 41:01 — Darren shares a book he discovered titled Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts that has become his favorite book of all time.
- 44:20 — Darren reads one if his favorites a passage from the book.
- 46:20 — Ian shares a book he’s recently heard about that is getting good reviews.
Mentions
- 📰 Website: Visualization of the Internet
- 📖 Book: Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts
- 📦 Product: Chemex pour over coffee container
- 📖 Book: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
- 📰 Article: www.agreener.com
- 📰 Article: Messages of Hope, Gratitude And Safety Replace Ads in Times Square (NPR)
- 📰 Article: Gratitude in the Face of Crisis (NYT)
- 📰 Article: 50 Questions That Will Help You Feel Grateful and Good About Life (Tiny Buddha)
- 📰 Article: Amazon: Coronavirus Tests So Hard To Get We’re Building Our Own Lab (Forbes)
- 📰 Article: Thanks to Sheltering in Place, Animal Shelters Are Empty (Wired)
Previous Episode

Things we've learned during COVID-19
Show Notes
- 5:59 — March describes experiencing a “background stress” with a source that is hard to pinpoint.
- 7:29 — Ian and Darren joke about how one of the most stressful things about sheltering in place is the never-ending "bad hair days" now that we haven’t been able to go to the barber.
- 8:41 — We take a detour to appreciate the Floebee! self-haircutting product from the 1980's.
- 10:50 — Ian shares his difficulty in setting boundaries between his “work time” and his “personal time”.
- 14:02 — Darren is completely losing track of the days of the week confusing Wednesdays with Saturdays.
- 15:57 — March reflects on how quickly all of our circumstances changed.
- 19:19 — Darren is surprised by how much we still don’t know about this strain of Coronavirus and how different the guidance from experts changes from day to day.
- 20:51 — Ian is enjoying working from home way more than he would have expected and no longer feels like an “outsider” when attending meetings remotely.
- 26:02 — Ian is grateful for the reduced pollution and positive impact social distancing has had on the environment and hopes we find ways to use this moment as a turning point for changing destructive habits we otherwise haven’t considered.
- 29:17 — March takes solace in the improved sense of solidarity among his community in Ireland.
- 30:50 — Darren describes a silver lining for him for the shelter at home situation is having more quality time with his wife, Mardee, and their Boston Terrier, Maggie.
- 32:12 — March is surprised by how effective the “stay-at-home” orders have been in the West despite the cultural value on individual liberty.
- 34:55 — Darren describes how he was briefly rendered speechless by the sheer magnitude of the jobless claims in the US.
- 36:33 — Ian reflects on how people’s social circles are defined by the value of relationships instead of geographic proximity.
- 38:35 — March has a deeper appreciation for the impact of technology as a force for good in the world.
- 40:37 — Darren shares the heartwarming feeling he’s had watching communities globally appreciate the brave work of medical front line workers.
- 42:10 — Ian applauds the respect finally coming to the role teachers play in our society.
- 43:50 — March and Ian share some additional observations about the result of the COVID-19 pandemic including: the public’s awareness of medical data, the role of the office in one’s work experience, and the idea of anonymity being a thing of the past.
- 48:52 — Darren calls for planning to start on some publicly significant way to celebrate our successful emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mentions
Next Episode

Better Video Conferencing Tips: Part 1
Show Notes
- 7:19 — The benefits of connecting with others via video and why a quality video conferencing setup matters for you and for the people with whom you are connecting.
- 12:15 — Ian shares his experience with video conferencing and confesses that he’s never really given much thought to the quality of his setup for video calls.
- 15:52 — March discusses how his move to Ireland necessitated that he pay additional attention and make some additional investment in the quality of his video conferencing setup.
- 20:48 — We kick off the tips & tricks part of the show with tips on high quality audio.
- 22:44 — The importance of good quality audio and options to improve the audio you project to others, including a dedicated headset and a product called the Blue Yeti.
- 26:20 — Microphones that will upgrade you to a professional level of audio.
- 25:35 — Tips for good camera placement and also a few things to avoid.
- 31:19 — The good, better, and best options for webcams.
- 34:20 — Using your smart phone as a video camera.
- 36:39 — Using an DSLR camera for video conferencing and which models to look for when shopping for an inexpensive DSLR that you can use for video conferencing.
- 42:35 — The importance of lighting and tips to get your lighting just right.
- 46:09 — The very best option for lighting: key lighting.
- 49:10 — The rise of online video streaming among gamers and a supplier of premium hardware and software for streamers.
Mentions
- 📰 Article: Good, Better, Best: Creating the ultimate remote worker webcam setup on a budget (Scott Hanselman, Microsoft)
- 📰 Article: 7 things you need for better video calls (Wirecutter)
- 📰 Article: The best podcast microphones on the market (The Podcast Host)
- 📰 Article: How to look good on camera, according to Tom Ford (NYT)
- 📰 Article: How to look good on video calls for Zoom FaceTime Skype (HotandFlashy)
- 📰 Article: Use your Canon camera as a webcam! (Scott McKenna)
- 📦 Product: 3 Best Smartphone Tripod Mounts (Think Media)
- 📰 Article: How to make a $300 camera look pro! (Nigel Barros)
- 📦 Product: Godox SL60W Video Light Review (Sam Holland)
- 📦 Product: Recommended camera to use as webcams
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