◼ ► We keep turning away because the microphone. So I was trying to have something else in front of me. Although actually. [TS]
◼ ► This is again is the funny thing for us to be recording because we just put the last episode up [TS]
◼ ► and I know because of some some scheduling uncertainties the next episode will probably not be up until the very end of [TS]
◼ ► People aren't sure people are guessing. Are there going to be more episodes and that we know. [TS]
◼ ► So welcome back and I hope you so stick with us for another ten episodes of two dudes talking on hello internet. [TS]
◼ ► And I've come up with a few possible sort of reasons starting with the least likely options first. [TS]
◼ ► I thought maybe you just might really enjoy talking to me and you like the sound of my voice [TS]
◼ ► Well maybe that's maybe that's the whole reason may be so many people have subscribed to the services. [TS]
◼ ► I have advertised on the pod cast that we just had to do more like it was just ridiculous the number of people going to [TS]
◼ ► audible in square space and using the code the hello internet code and just like they demanded another ten episodes. [TS]
◼ ► and yes I do know from advertisers that they have been happy with the response so far so that certainly helps. [TS]
◼ ► I thought maybe you had more to say you want to bring the teaching profession down further with more of your so [TS]
◼ ► scathing attacks on the education system. Not really you know we were talking about this before. [TS]
◼ ► but that you are going to be trying to trick me into some things that I might regret you're going to have to do it [TS]
◼ ► You have really latched on to this one my friend I can tell you are super excited about having it little segments at [TS]
◼ ► and I don't buy I was quoted I was like quoted in quite Max about saying it like I was like a source of information. [TS]
◼ ► but you were basically the original source of this use of the word so I thought that was very well done to get into the [TS]
◼ ► urban dictionary like that Urban Dictionary might be the stepping stone to the Oxford English Dictionary And so this is [TS]
◼ ► but if we could make it to that that would be the proudest thing that has ever happened to me other than getting into [TS]
◼ ► the Guinness Book of Records nothing will ever top that but Oxford English Dictionary would be a close second. [TS]
◼ ► There's a two day the two most important books in the world surely get the correct words in the dictionary. [TS]
◼ ► but that's probably a topic for like a whole episode one day because it's just such a good story. [TS]
◼ ► Cal's just going to Brady's channel search through several thousand videos and eventually you will find it. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah just watch all of them and you come across I've actually got some follow up. OK follow up. [TS]
◼ ► Now I know you don't want to talk too much more about teaching but you going to have to. OK so I have to. [TS]
◼ ► And the funny thing was the day I sent it to a she had just come back from Iraq. Stan the world education summit. [TS]
◼ ► and all the people who think teaching is really really important so I was I think she was on a real high [TS]
◼ ► and feeling really good about teaching English are going to be recommending me as a speaker on of their future call [TS]
◼ ► because the funny thing was if you can say you're a mouse I can't believe I've even used Gray's videos in the classroom [TS]
◼ ► so she's used to U.K. One a few times in lessons in that but I think I think she might put an end to that now. [TS]
◼ ► Anyway she was she was good spirited about it but she did feel pretty passionately and sent me a bit of a rant [TS]
◼ ► and that was one thing she was particularly passionate about and that was when you kind of said that. [TS]
◼ ► It's a sort of scared or it's sort of an unwritten rule that you don't talk about students not being brought [TS]
◼ ► And she said to choose do you talk about that and it's actually very important that they do talk about it [TS]
◼ ► and what their abilities are so they can ensure that they are not under performing even the ones who aren't going to [TS]
◼ ► You know they need to make sure that people are retaining what they're capable of attaining whether [TS]
◼ ► Yeah little things here the first is again like we discussed in the previous episode it's hard you can't go back [TS]
◼ ► and edit what you were saying. I sort of tried to make it clear there but maybe it didn't come across. [TS]
◼ ► When teachers talk amongst themselves obviously they talk about you know boy that kid is not the sharpest knife in the [TS]
◼ ► What I was what I was trying to get at a little bit is that sometimes pressure from the not the teacher level [TS]
◼ ► but the management level of refusing to acknowledge the shall we say the limits of some children from the managerial [TS]
◼ ► I mean my sister is at that management level there but she she felt strongly she people differently. [TS]
◼ ► But yes she wasn't a manager at the school year etc Another thing I put up with was. Or you P.G. P.G. [TS]
◼ ► and how kind of you know the the bright eyed bushy tailed contenders for often the ones who fell away with all the hard [TS]
◼ ► and show you one of the things she's she said a really important part of that course is where you are placed [TS]
◼ ► and a lot of those brighter people are thrown into some real Lion's Den particularly London scolds [TS]
◼ ► When when people are coming up through the ranks to become a teacher what they're exposed to [TS]
◼ ► I think it is very very unlikely that I might have made it through that course without their support. [TS]
◼ ► So you have those those people mattered quite a lot the mentors that I was with so I know I'm not going to argue. [TS]
◼ ► but I was at schools with some of some of the other students who were on that university course with me as well. [TS]
◼ ► and you're teaching for the first time in the person that you're with then is is incredibly important because yes the [TS]
◼ ► first few lessons can be quite crushing. I remember my first chemistry lesson was just incredibly devastating. [TS]
◼ ► And my mentor just handled it perfectly by just treating it as that's the way it always is right the first time it is [TS]
◼ ► and you know that's the perfect kind of attitude to take the I owe a lot to my first two mentors in my P.T.C. [TS]
◼ ► Another thing we didn't discuss and my sister reminded me of a couple of funny stories from our family. [TS]
◼ ► One in particular I'll share because I really enjoy it and that's the issue of motivation for students. [TS]
◼ ► and was always bottom of the class that she was obsessed with horses that she would run around the school yard [TS]
◼ ► And once you put a blanket over the front fence of the house and to sit on the blanket potential was riding a horse [TS]
◼ ► and all at what for the sake of the story I was say nineteen because I'll be funny but I'm sure he was a little bit OK. [TS]
◼ ► My their father My grandpa said to her when you if you come top of the class I'll buy you a horse. [TS]
◼ ► Confidence in the knowledge there was no chance she would ever come to I think you know what happened next. [TS]
◼ ► The only reason you know in this story is because of what probably happened with a head down she worked like a Trojan [TS]
◼ ► and came top of the class and my completely flabbergasted grandfather had to buy her a horse next year. [TS]
◼ ► and I bet she will see this is also a bill really is in the contract here because we didn't expect that there was going [TS]
◼ ► to ever happen but I bet maybe if the glue factory was on the horizon she would have still been tough. [TS]
◼ ► Let me read what my sister at the end came out just so we've got something on the record in our podcast she said. [TS]
◼ ► I love inspiring students to achieve more than others think they can Bay As a side note you know she pointed out some [TS]
◼ ► of them have just become you know pizza delivery people or something but that's more than what was expected of them. [TS]
◼ ► I'm very lucky to get up in the morning and I love my job and I know we different every day. [TS]
◼ ► Nothing Bates all those Facebook messages and notes I get all the time from ex-students saying thank you very much. [TS]
◼ ► and I was just looking it over before the show I was flabbergasted by this I can't believe that those numbers are [TS]
◼ ► OK So do you have the other listeners what it was like about every head take his which I guess is the top of the hate [TS]
◼ ► and the boss on a sixty three point three I was awake at the end for our American listeners that's basically the [TS]
◼ ► equipment of the principal of the high school is what they're talking about a second primary classroom teachers fifty [TS]
◼ ► nine point three hours secondary school teachers in the classroom fifty five point seven hours per week. [TS]
◼ ► and can you why do you why do you doubt these numbers. Well because they're very long hours. [TS]
◼ ► Before I was awake to have to have to add another twenty hours means you're having to do another four hours every not [TS]
◼ ► every day the way I'm not on I'm not going to I don't want to make the teachers angry at me you want to make them angry [TS]
◼ ► Off air on air no faces numbers of come from a survey that's been run by the Department for Education. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah you know this is this is where it's come from I'm sure we'll put a link in the show I know it's you know you [TS]
◼ ► or who are the surveying so I will say that my experience beginning as a teacher was that my first year I would say I [TS]
◼ ► and infrastructure that needs to be set up so you're going through the lessons for the first time. [TS]
◼ ► and I would say near almost every waking hour of some sort in those the first academic year was spent working towards [TS]
◼ ► and I had a little I had a little friend at my first school who was also in her first year as a teacher I forget what [TS]
◼ ► So you're a newly qualified teacher but you have this probationary year and so we were in cuties together [TS]
◼ ► and that was also very helpful for staying in the job to have somebody else who was going through it at the same time [TS]
◼ ► as I was. We would sometimes talk about the horrors of you spend all day at school and you spend. [TS]
◼ ► and since I know everybody loves to hear about dreams this might be the one time in life with these mentioned dreams [TS]
◼ ► when your whole life is obsessed by something your brain only has one thing to work with for dreams at night [TS]
◼ ► and it was it was it was it's a very trying time for newly qualified teachers is that that first year. [TS]
◼ ► So yeah if I was designing a survey where I want to make sure I get those numbers as high as possible I would try to [TS]
◼ ► It's front loaded it's it's very front loaded and then in subsequent years you start recycling worksheets [TS]
◼ ► and I mean this is rounded off here at let's say fifty five sixty hours I would say that this number was more accurate [TS]
◼ ► and then again I'm trying to trying to live censor my thoughts here but but then if I only Here's Hughes. [TS]
◼ ► and this is not necessarily a teacher specific problem I think this is a kind of knowledge economy problem. [TS]
◼ ► Many people even you know yourself and myself have jobs where it's hard to pinpoint when something is done. [TS]
◼ ► And so for your videos you can always make the editing a little bit tighter or for my videos I can. [TS]
◼ ► And teaching is a job that has an endless amount of boundaries that are like this you can always mark a paper a little [TS]
◼ ► You do have a deadline and I eat like you have to eventually give the lesson time in the same room in a set [TS]
◼ ► but I think there's too many decisions with a lot of the kind of work for a teacher that can that can stretch you are [TS]
◼ ► and this is this is where there are super dedicated teachers who both market papers incredibly thoroughly [TS]
◼ ► or I think for example the thing that I hated the most as a teacher was I was writing up profiles of students for for [TS]
◼ ► but they would have to be a long comment at the bottom you know with all sorts of remarks about how the student was [TS]
◼ ► and you know from my perspective as a physics teacher it's sort of like the only thing I care about is the number on [TS]
◼ ► But so those profiles for example are something that you can spend an enormous amount of time on [TS]
◼ ► So because there's a lot of that kind of work I think there is there is room to always be legitimately making your [TS]
◼ ► and if you do this is a man I wish I could edit the next sentence and I'm going to say well destroyed it. [TS]
◼ ► If people hear a big blanket I mean that's a how to put this if you think that you are genuinely make. [TS]
◼ ► It is not an unreasonable calculation to spend an enormous amount of time trying to make everything that relates to [TS]
◼ ► I get that it's a rational decision to improve things to spend an extra hour making something five percent better. [TS]
◼ ► If you're starting from the proposition that you are genuinely influencing the rest of someone's life you know that's a [TS]
◼ ► And so you know your investment of time now pays dividends over the lifetime of an entire other human being [TS]
◼ ► Well I mean I always if you ever ask someone How many hours a week they work I think you should always subtract five [TS]
◼ ► but I don't I don't these numbers don't strike me as as wildly potentially off you know I don't know they don't strike [TS]
◼ ► Do they do teachers think they're making differences in students' lives I would say you know if you ask teachers the [TS]
◼ ► And so it's not unreasonable to spend a lot of additional voluntary time on that kind of on that kind of work you know [TS]
◼ ► I mean I wasn't I wasn't questioning that kind of motivation from there I was just more amazed by the number of hours [TS]
◼ ► and computer games all day I was probably blissfully ignorant to the ten hours a night my mum spent slaving over tests [TS]
◼ ► I've apologized to her and all the other teachers because it sounds like they are working as a house. [TS]
◼ ► The There are a couple of little minor things I had here in the follow up on the notes that we made before. [TS]
◼ ► Oh yeah yeah I just want I just want to mention it for you to listen to someone basically give a better explanation [TS]
◼ ► than I gave about the importance of what's called the signaling in education so this is the guy I mention he's an [TS]
◼ ► economist who I was talking about some of his work about predicting graduation rates from university based on what you [TS]
◼ ► And the pod cast that is run by an economist who interviews other economists I'm a subscriber I do quite like it [TS]
◼ ► and it's an excellent podcast because you you get to listen to people who maybe you don't agree with explain themselves [TS]
◼ ► I'm looking for the link in the show notes if you want to hear more from the professional economist side about how [TS]
◼ ► and research into what is the intrinsic value of schools you can follow this link in the show notes go listen to that [TS]
◼ ► episode I think it's about an hour or so long discussion and I think it's worth following up on [TS]
◼ ► and if you prefer just to hear too much as you have absolutely no qualification in economics to keep listening to [TS]
◼ ► internet. Yes that's exactly right. If you want to hear to dude's just kind of like talk about whatever. [TS]
◼ ► My mum my mum was a teacher when I was a little boy so let me preach to you know that what it's like to be a teacher [TS]
◼ ► Internet this episode is brought to you by Squarespace the all in one platform the makes it fast [TS]
◼ ► and they're constantly improving their platform with new features new designs and even better support. [TS]
◼ ► and they have a ton of style options so you can create a unique experience for you or your business. [TS]
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◼ ► but if you need help Squarespace has an amazing support team that works twenty four hours a day seven days a week [TS]
◼ ► and the new Squarespace metric app for i Pad an i Phone allows you to check website stats like page views unique [TS]
◼ ► And make text updates and drag and drop images and change it to lay out some comments on the go [TS]
◼ ► and I have to say I just recently had an experience of being able to use the Squarespace i Phone app which I had never [TS]
◼ ► and a couple links that I had forgotten to include and one link that went to the wrong place [TS]
◼ ► when the pod cast went live so I could see the comments coming in telling me about the things that I need to fix [TS]
◼ ► and I only had my i Phone with me so I took it out I installed the Squarespace app log in with my regular hello [TS]
◼ ► and I didn't have to have it on the back of my mind all day that I hadn't included what I needed to include so that [TS]
◼ ► So square space is good for everyone whether you need a simple web site solution or you're a developer [TS]
◼ ► and includes a free domain name if you sign up for a year so start a trial with no credit card required [TS]
◼ ► When you decide to use square space for real which you definitely will because they're so good. [TS]
◼ ► Also there's a link in the description that is that squarespace dot com slash hello internet which can get you that [TS]
◼ ► same ten percent discount that you can click. So once again we thank square space for their support. [TS]
◼ ► Squarespace everything you need to create an exceptional website. We've also had an artist at work in the red. [TS]
◼ ► Yes I just I wanted to put together how Crawley I think is the way to say it is a fan on the Reddit [TS]
◼ ► but not one hundred percent sure you never know on the Internet has been Mima flying the pod cast in the most recent [TS]
◼ ► and then a summary of what I was saying in the in the episode so I'll put a link to the one that I like the most from [TS]
◼ ► the last episode which was just says as a some it's a summary of my position from last time it says the more you want [TS]
◼ ► Which I thought was a very funny way of summarizing some of the points I was making last time. So thanks to him. [TS]
◼ ► What was this in the read hunt and peck. Someone asked if you were a hunt and peck typist. Is that the case Brady. [TS]
◼ ► I'm guessing that they thought so based on that little moment where we can hear you typing so I thought I was casting [TS]
◼ ► and I saw that question I think you know it did seem to take him a long time to type whatever he was typing. [TS]
◼ ► and I'm always surprised to discover people who cannot touch type so I would just without even thinking of it just [TS]
◼ ► So my my emotions are thinking maybe you're not a touch typist but my logical guess would be that you are. [TS]
◼ ► So which half of me is wrong here. Gray You should always trust your feelings and emotions. [TS]
◼ ► But now every time we instant message back and forth we're going to have to feel sorry for you. [TS]
◼ ► Always they're trying to find you know the letter S. On the keyboard I don't know where it is. [TS]
◼ ► What are you doing about reading a book or something. I'm looking at the screen while I'm typing. [TS]
◼ ► when you say it like that it's hard to argue with. They think there's something new about you today. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah you just think that little bit less is gradually eroding of I'm definitely a rating because they wouldn't have [TS]
◼ ► noticed that I am slightly disappointed I must admit I thinking of picking and and clicking [TS]
◼ ► and things like that I just wanted to quickly clarify clarify I just wanted to round off a point I started making in [TS]
◼ ► Which was a bit mask leaking that I was hearing on radio show is the reason I wanted to bring it up this partly because [TS]
◼ ► this is become a problem with the advent of digital radio which is something I didn't get across I do most of my radio [TS]
◼ ► and you know it's the same with H.D.T.V. Like everyone so H.D.T.V. Is wonderful but there are a whole bunch of T.V. [TS]
◼ ► Shows and problems and things that have come along as a result of that like I know the fake blood they're using in T.V. [TS]
◼ ► Shows had to be sort of completely changed because all of a sudden blood didn't really warn H.D. [TS]
◼ ► Shows had to be rebuilt because Little joins and seams and things that used to get away with on children's T.V. [TS]
◼ ► Well if you like if you like analog radio so much you can choose to listen to analog radio can't you get rid of your [TS]
◼ ► fancy digital radio player because people start taking their cars to let audio shop saying can he get this like really [TS]
◼ ► expensive X. and Radio and chuck it. Is there not a fuss I have no I don't nothing about cars. [TS]
◼ ► and you do need to go out Why are you not going do that because the digital one is better because the voice because you [TS]
◼ ► OK OK now I'm not going to get away with this right this distress because people always go oh there's pluses [TS]
◼ ► Balance perfectly given doesn't mean I can winge about the minuses I know that you will enjoy about the minuses but [TS]
◼ ► It's like it's not there it's not like they didn't quite make it better by enough. It's a whole new problem came along. [TS]
◼ ► I find that fascinating and we're doing a show here and weather and so I should have something to talk about [TS]
◼ ► but I feel like my brain just has no response to this. This line of reasoning from you it's just. [TS]
◼ ► I mean if you disagree you would certainly say something you know of course a new tech is going to be new problems with [TS]
◼ ► new technology the only way. Yes but your new problems are always better than your old problems. [TS]
◼ ► Well I'm going to say it with regards to technology that is generally true all technological advances are positive is [TS]
◼ ► Now this is a debating problem with you you only need to find one counter example here. Like a nuclear bomb. [TS]
◼ ► Well I know you could argue for a nuclear bomb. Yeah it is. Here's the way you look at it is that the the. [TS]
◼ ► and so I think at any particular stage a certain amount of progress have negative features but in general [TS]
◼ ► when you're summing up of the pluses and minuses the pluses just clearly went out all the time. [TS]
◼ ► and the interesting thing was to see in the first world kind of areas you're talking about death from cancer [TS]
◼ ► and the discussion in the comments about the second hole why you know Why is cancer killing so many people in America [TS]
◼ ► and the answer like Why is cancer killed so many people is because malaria doesn't kill so many people. [TS]
◼ ► I guess as you solve certain kinds of problems you're going to have new problems that that like that is just the way [TS]
◼ ► but I still say on balance your new problems are problems you would much rather have than your old problems. [TS]
◼ ► So you think if you could if there was some way to measure like the happiness of people or of society [TS]
◼ ► It would constantly be rising like someone in the eighteen hundreds of the mid nineteen hundreds is less happy now see [TS]
◼ ► this is where I might be the topic and how long we talk about this this this of this on the drives me crazy. [TS]
◼ ► Happiness is so tricky and I'm always just kind of appalled by people who think backwards in time [TS]
◼ ► Yeah but I get annoyed by people like you who say because I'm going outside to go to the toilet [TS]
◼ ► and didn't have an i Pad They're not capable of being as happy as I am now is that what I'm saying. [TS]
◼ ► I think humans have a natural bias to think that they used to be happier than they actually were [TS]
◼ ► and then this is also just within a single human lifetime. Well I think there's a bias the other way. [TS]
◼ ► Yes we have mobile phones where like somehow superior or better than people who are only in black [TS]
◼ ► but now I think we've got to fix it you can see it's like your line of reasoning sometimes physically hurts me [TS]
◼ ► but people just people just tend to think that they used to be happier than they currently are [TS]
◼ ► I have again this is this is where running a pocket like this we weren't intending on talking about this I can't [TS]
◼ ► and it seems like this is a hot topic in psychology now I don't know if that's if that's actually the case but. [TS]
◼ ► There are just some very interesting experiments that show how people's self assessment of their current happiness can [TS]
◼ ► and the way I've seen these things are usually with with the people crisping the study will be text messaged randomly [TS]
◼ ► and they'll have to rate on a scale from one to five how happy they actually feel at that particular moment [TS]
◼ ► and you compare that with with self reported descriptions of their happiness leader about that actual time you can see [TS]
◼ ► that there's there's like a big difference between the reported happiness and then the measured happiness [TS]
◼ ► Talking about new parents two parents of of of newbie. Yes and that as opposed to parents of a baby. [TS]
◼ ► and that you had your first kid that the reported happiness later just does not match at all the data at the time so [TS]
◼ ► you know if you randomly ask in the first year of new parents how happy they are you always get a like oh God I'm so [TS]
◼ ► but six months later if you ask someone oh how happy were you are you know it was a magical time in there ARE YOU can [TS]
◼ ► and everybody does this a lot with all kinds of things I think this is also why people remember you know past periods [TS]
◼ ► And an interesting thing as well is that people level of happiness doesn't really change very much over the course of [TS]
◼ ► and so their self description is is weirdly out of whack with what we sort of know about people's levels of happiness [TS]
◼ ► but people have a real perception that there are there are variables so I think his history on this whole scales kind [TS]
◼ ► and the answer is like people in the past probably actually weren't that differently happy from people now [TS]
◼ ► but they had just worse problems to deal with than if I were dying of cholera whereas I'm complaining about mouse [TS]
◼ ► or any of the audio fidelity on my digital radio was too high you know that it's just terrible action what's right [TS]
◼ ► and meanwhile you know two hundred years ago you have people needing to give birth to Chen children so that two of them [TS]
◼ ► but you know the actual random happiness of of individuals might not have been wildly different I don't know I don't know [TS]
◼ ► We kind of guesstimating about people's happiness in the past I don't I don't know if you could try to do an analysis [TS]
◼ ► of letters or literature or anything like that but anyway I'm always I'm with the technology. Give me more. [TS]
◼ ► Faster sooner. Because you're right it was fear what. There you go that's the end of follow up. [TS]
◼ ► When did something you would have hated my US because we spent two solid days going through it [TS]
◼ ► Just like just looking at old stuff and little knick knacks and treasures and old furniture and out maps and. [TS]
◼ ► but the question is where you going into the shops looking to purchase items to bring back to the Muslim of your life. [TS]
◼ ► Yes I was shocked they were at museums or antique shops I mean there is a lot of just looking and isn't that wonderful. [TS]
◼ ► Thanks for coming down and you don't actually have to buy a few things I have been in shops many a time [TS]
◼ ► and if I say something lovely I'm like that would be lovely just to have this intent have near me just to have just [TS]
◼ ► Hell how many square feet is your house if you if you want to say that the main thing stopping me is the fact I have [TS]
◼ ► and I just feel like this is a thing that some people say requested a number what would it have meant they would have [TS]
◼ ► but I felt like maybe the maybe the listeners could have some estimate of how much stuff could possibly fit in the [TS]
◼ ► House that the that is that big I don't know probably fit. A lot of stuff in my house at the moment. [TS]
◼ ► You sent me that picture and I could see all the foot the antlers on her wall and things like that [TS]
◼ ► and again I what I want to once again just be super clear I have no problem with someone having an image in their home [TS]
◼ ► because your home should be a place that you like and I want you to have a place that you like crazy. [TS]
◼ ► No You know if you ever get a tell you all will be forgiven if you ever actually agreed to come over for the day [TS]
◼ ► and apparently you have plans to make a video for our exciting day to the tip. No I have no Someone suggested it. [TS]
◼ ► Maybe we could do a podcast from the tip for people of love that people up to they're going to be found. [TS]
◼ ► But OK But I guess I just want to be clear I do not I do not judge other people design aesthetic that just if you're [TS]
◼ ► asking me questions so you can do the whole the whole thing with a picture where you put circles around all the things [TS]
◼ ► but the context of that was Boy look at this beautiful house that they ruined with all of these things I can say you [TS]
◼ ► don't judge but you say they ruin to their house but but the presumption is like it's ruined for me. [TS]
◼ ► Right I guess if I were to live here all of those circles are the things that I would just get rid of [TS]
◼ ► and that thing makes you happy if it's decorating your house with stuff from all of your chips who's going to argue [TS]
◼ ► with that if you're happy if you're you're happy it's your house that's also like that that's great. [TS]
◼ ► What's the story behind these antlers you know what's the deal with these little statues on the on the fireplace. [TS]
◼ ► That's all great. It is a different question of if I were to buy your house and you left all that stuff there. [TS]
◼ ► How much of it would I keep I don't think it's not criticizing to couch it in the terms you just couched in I still [TS]
◼ ► think is criticizing. No it's people have people have a different people have difference of opinion. [TS]
◼ ► and start pointing at all the things going like mad to get rid of all the stuff right this is only come up on the five [TS]
◼ ► but I mean I've done a couple of road trips across America and I mean it's always just just quirky weird local shops [TS]
◼ ► but I'm just I'm the guy in the store with no intention to actually purchase anything have you ever bought something [TS]
◼ ► And any more context for this I quit What do you mean like Have you ever bought what you would describe as a knick [TS]
◼ ► Have you ever bought something is and I doubt that to borrow a term from last time you regretted. [TS]
◼ ► Really you've never been to the purchase is going to quickly factor to our definition of grand like the data are [TS]
◼ ► but I don't own filled with regret and sit down and feel all sad about it well that didn't work [TS]
◼ ► and now I'm going to get rid of this thing because it doesn't work. Yeah. When looking around. [TS]
◼ ► It's because like this bothers you and I think you always know more than you are bothered by my hunting [TS]
◼ ► and pecking typing that's just a surprise mixed with disappointment I guess I just feel like maybe I'm missing out on [TS]
◼ ► some of the texture of life. I am very happy with my life pretty well as long as you know happiness good for you. [TS]
◼ ► If for some crazy reason we were renting a house together we would then have to have some disagreement over how that [TS]
◼ ► house a protector a man actually whether that be really that you couldn't you can decorate your room the way you want [TS]
◼ ► and all the common areas are decorated the way I want I think that was that that would settle it. [TS]
◼ ► Our expanding papercut that they will follow up now it's going to be a breakaway five you know. [TS]
◼ ► and confront you about why you once followed them. Really. Have you had this happen to you. Yes How do you do that. [TS]
◼ ► Well I don't know if it depends on the reason I had followed them and there are many reasons on to put it on file. [TS]
◼ ► I know and it's not that sometimes it's not personal sometimes it's just managing certain things [TS]
◼ ► and I mean one of the ones I've been followed recently was simply a case of just management I was unfollowing them from [TS]
◼ ► one account but I still follow them from a different account and I just didn't want them clogging multiple strains [TS]
◼ ► but you know sometimes you can follow someone because they're a bit too a bit too active and they're crowding out. [TS]
◼ ► but anyway I think I don't think one should be confronted about this is the Twitter versus Facebook topic [TS]
◼ ► It doesn't come with any of the or at least I don't think it should but apparently some people do [TS]
◼ ► If you make that one hundred to none of this expectations that you people you know in real life [TS]
◼ ► Whereas with Twitter it's you're following people who you think are interesting to follow for whatever reason [TS]
◼ ► but it's not it's not a list of your friends on Twitter. That's that's one of the reasons why I really like it. [TS]
◼ ► So I pick up be at be pretty baffled if I unfiled someone and they got mad about it a bit like I'm mad if you unfairly. [TS]
◼ ► but here's one of the also the great things about Twitter is that for those kinds of relationships I could just mute [TS]
◼ ► and then not actually hypothetically hypothetically I could. So I would not be upset if you unfollowed me. [TS]
◼ ► and I think people on Twitter I think have more people I don't know who I follow on Twitter than people I do know that [TS]
◼ ► and there's no way I would make Twitter just a list of of my friends that is ruined the whole the whole use of it [TS]
◼ ► that's not that's not what it's for so if I get a perfect refuge notice whatever unfollowed someone [TS]
◼ ► and start talking to me about it it's not Facebook you know go go cry about this on Facebook [TS]
◼ ► but not here this is not this is not what this thing is for a plane crash that you're on a plane crash going I [TS]
◼ ► deliberately have to post this so it's easy if you do you honestly have to talk about plane crash live. [TS]
◼ ► Well I just wanna keep going so I was actually going to dove into the vote of plane crashes [TS]
◼ ► and now it doesn't have to be a weekly thing. But I want to tell you about the worst plane crash ever to know about it. [TS]
◼ ► Really this is where you're super into a topic and you over assume other people's knowledge [TS]
◼ ► and I wouldn't have the slightest idea I just assume this is like one everybody knows I don't think I could name a [TS]
◼ ► single plane crash in an identifying way you know where people say oh flight a one six five [TS]
◼ ► and just began talking about straight away I have never heard of this. Well this was the worst plane crash ever. [TS]
◼ ► Might as well you might as well I mean you can cap this just send me the audience by personal pleasure. [TS]
◼ ► and you'd actually quite like it because it was one of these perfect storms of things going wrong [TS]
◼ ► and human interaction because basically this guy flying a plane at the end of a at the end of the runway was quite [TS]
◼ ► He misheard some communication and he thought he was clear to take off and he was impatient [TS]
◼ ► He's in theory it was probably the first officer actually but his his inferior knew he was doing the wrong thing [TS]
◼ ► but was too shy almost. He was he didn't he didn't say he was right. You know he didn't speak up. [TS]
◼ ► and there was another Pan Am plane crossing the runway at the time and the plane took off and the two collided. [TS]
◼ ► but it's interesting because of some of the factors especially the human factor side of things [TS]
◼ ► and this was the crash that really really started getting people interested in human factors [TS]
◼ ► but if you're going to put the blame on one human you'd put it on the pilot of this Carol implying [TS]
◼ ► when the crash happened the first thing all the airline executives said was you know we've got to get Jacob on the [TS]
◼ ► phone and he's going to head the investigation. What I realized that he was the pilot that had caused the crash. [TS]
◼ ► and like I always say every plane crash has lots of interesting little stories and bits of trivia [TS]
◼ ► and one of my favorites is this particular plane the Pan Am plane that kind of was the sitting duck that got hit by the [TS]
◼ ► and then was the one of the participants in the worst air disaster still that has ever happened to the airplane. [TS]
◼ ► That's a curious claim. Thank There we go you can just semi that already if it doesn't make the final cut. [TS]
◼ ► This episode of hello internet has been brought to you by Harries dot com And for those of you who don't know what [TS]
◼ ► Harry's is it's basically an online way to take care of you sort of shaving and raise and you can buy razors [TS]
◼ ► Now the business was born out of a personal experience one of the founders went along to what he calls a drug store [TS]
◼ ► but I guess what I would call the pharmacy or chemist to buy replacement blades for his razor [TS]
◼ ► and he had to wait for ages while they unlocked the case and then paid a fortune for the blades [TS]
◼ ► and he basically thought this could be a better way than this. So they started this Web site. [TS]
◼ ► Harries dot com where you buy razors and then you get the replacement blades like everyone does [TS]
◼ ► and that's because I've actually been sent one of the kits from Harry's to use so I can tell you about it. [TS]
◼ ► I've got it here in my hand that's what it sounds like you have to go to the Web site to see what it looks like I was [TS]
◼ ► actually really impressed by the whole thing it comes in a really sort of impressive looking box. [TS]
◼ ► I gave it a test run in the bathroom and I was really impressed with the shave as well nice [TS]
◼ ► but the key thing here is the ability to order new blades at a fair price that got really good blades made in Germany [TS]
◼ ► They're not following that printer ink a business model of getting you on board to start with [TS]
◼ ► and then ripping you off later. They really fair if you don't believe me again have a look at the website. [TS]
◼ ► Harries dot com I think one of the things I like best I was sort of the look of the product the font in the text. [TS]
◼ ► Only fifteen dollars gets you the starting can't which seems like a really good price to me. [TS]
◼ ► And besides being something you could buy say so which is probably what I'd do the other thing that did occur to me [TS]
◼ ► when it arrived was this would make a really good gift for kind of like you dad or your brother or boyfriend [TS]
◼ ► or something like that it sort of looks like an expensive present although it doesn't cost a fortune so go on have a [TS]
◼ ► and you see why name it so if you want to check it out go to Harry's dot com Now I should say at the moment they're [TS]
◼ ► only delivering to the U.S. and Canada I was a bit lucky they sent one to me here in the U.K. [TS]
◼ ► And I think they do want to get international shipping happening at some stage but they haven't done that yet. [TS]
◼ ► and now I know that you came to the Web site from a podcast which is good for us. Harry's done. [TS]
◼ ► A calm promo card as in how the Internet and thanks again to them for supporting. Hello Internet in the podcast. [TS]
◼ ► Well I guess I guess what this is is the hello internet season two opening extravaganza. Excellent marketing. [TS]
◼ ► Yes there's a big topic and this is going to be difficult because you are or you are a consumer of news [TS]
◼ ► Which really makes me worry that I could be very very boring here boring. I will edit you out as much as is necessary. [TS]
◼ ► but I guess the focus for this discussion is a little bit like the news call and why is it so awful. Question mark. [TS]
◼ ► That's that's kind of the headline in my mind of the discussion to have around this particular topic because the news [TS]
◼ ► I think that I want to set the guidelines that I want to talk mostly about sort of the big newspapers and the big T.V. [TS]
◼ ► News channels as the focus of this because in this modern Internet world there's this very interesting blurring [TS]
◼ ► When we're when we're discussing the news today and like. They say the major websites rather than newspapers. [TS]
◼ ► but I guess the thing is in my mind I interact with all the newspapers in their Internet form [TS]
◼ ► and I were both in a newspaper article in the paper and it wasn't in the online version and I called you up [TS]
◼ ► and so if you say in this article that were in your online Arsenal come buy the paper because it's in there [TS]
◼ ► and don't do something you want I'm not going to touch a newspaper you were like notified No I was. [TS]
◼ ► OK so some newspaper had done a big feature on people making a living on You Tube as I remember correctly you were in [TS]
◼ ► and I guess I was just disbelieving that you couldn't just send me a link that this was only available on a piece of [TS]
◼ ► Hence I I don't know if I've ever bought a newspaper before then that was an explicitly for a project in school back in [TS]
◼ ► and I don't think I had purchased a newspaper since that So it was a big event for me and I had to go in [TS]
◼ ► And yes that was the first time I touched a newspaper in probably ten years. Well if you're a newspaper Yeah. [TS]
◼ ► So I'm guessing that the overall tone you're going to have towards the big newspapers and the big T.V. [TS]
◼ ► I can think about this from from from a couple points which is for most people reading the news. [TS]
◼ ► You are probably not involved with basically every news story you ever read across your entire life that the news is [TS]
◼ ► But if you ever are in the position where you are directly involved with something that ends up in the news that can be [TS]
◼ ► or maybe the newspaper is talking about the company that I work with and I'm familiar with whatever they're discussing. [TS]
◼ ► And I would say that that is often just a very surprising experience to see how stuff that you know about first hand is [TS]
◼ ► then communicated to a wide audience. Yeah very often it is communicated in a in a way that are just wildly inaccurate. [TS]
◼ ► And that's not something that happens to most people because again most of the time the news is about something else.. [TS]
◼ ► You assume like oh yeah you know maybe they left out the details but that's basically the story. [TS]
◼ ► But if you're ever involved in something you can quickly see how that is that is not the case that that it is often [TS]
◼ ► just very different than what you expect. Yes I mean that's that's true for life in general as well but yeah yeah. [TS]
◼ ► And over the first year of doing this I very rapidly came to the conclusion that newspapers were basic. [TS]
◼ ► Just worthless as as resources to rely upon because it usually factual claims that were made. [TS]
◼ ► If I try to follow up it was just either impossible to follow up or it was just wrong or wildly misleading [TS]
◼ ► and that's also a very disappointing kind of thing to come across because you think this is the newspaper this is the [TS]
◼ ► Just like if you have school that is maybe different from the reality of the situation you know maybe you know if we [TS]
◼ ► talk about what the news is actually doing in presenting an accurate view of the world to news consumers is not what [TS]
◼ ► As a guy who spent many many years writing those stories and then making those T.V. Reports later. [TS]
◼ ► Yes so I will say nothing because I'm now i think i'm now that fear we have all the teachers have felt listening to the [TS]
◼ ► and I think this is this is going to be impossible for this next sentence to not sound sarcastic so I just want you [TS]
◼ ► I think since you are much better than probably many say most of your former colleagues you know I don't know any of [TS]
◼ ► but you know you are you are someone who has ended up in a situation where in some strange way you are almost like a [TS]
◼ ► and I think the kind of person who ends up in that situation is obviously maybe a little bit different than most of the [TS]
◼ ► Yeah I think the side of me that is about to be offended is the side of me that worked for Rupert Murdoch newspaper for [TS]
◼ ► and then worked for the baby safe for seven years I think that's the side of me that's about to get a shellacking. [TS]
◼ ► Even to this is again just as I was saying that if I was writing this is an article I know I would go back [TS]
◼ ► and revise the previous thing that I said about the reporters themselves because I actually think I was thinking a lot [TS]
◼ ► about this because I've I've had some some interactions with reporters who tried to get in touch with me to do stories [TS]
◼ ► I don't I don't think that's a good answer to the kind of question about maybe why isn't the news super accurate. [TS]
◼ ► and the writers that makes it difficult for them to maybe necessarily produce the best pieces that they possibly can. [TS]
◼ ► but I'm I'm going to guess for example that there is just an enormous amount of pressure to produce lots of articles [TS]
◼ ► Yeah I mean as long as they're not as long as they're not wrong and cause problems for the newspaper. [TS]
◼ ► But also you're required to have Apple in most cases every day. And that's yes that is a constraint in place. [TS]
◼ ► It's an issue you could call an artificial constraint that is you know created by the need to have newspapers every day [TS]
◼ ► and then of course history papers the cold newspapers so that constraint that it is done quickly [TS]
◼ ► and all of the problems that come with the need to do it quickly including accuracy and things like that. [TS]
◼ ► and yes you cannot then rely on as a you know a source in fifty years time for a seat to be grave. [TS]
◼ ► But then I started with documents in a way and if if every article was triple checked to the nth degree. [TS]
◼ ► It wouldn't be news anymore and you could say and I know there are people who don't care much for news [TS]
◼ ► but if you don't have news if you don't have day to day accountability you have a lot of other problems in society as [TS]
◼ ► well to do with the way your government to do with things that are happening you don't know about. [TS]
◼ ► and minuses of everything the pluses of news shouldn't be discarded because of some of the minuses that you've already [TS]
◼ ► but that's not a rant like this is this is why I think it's an interesting conversation to have with someone who was on [TS]
◼ ► and you know it's I want to hear what you have to say about you know your perspective from having actually worked about [TS]
◼ ► and I'll say a negative thing because that was so kind of a positive actually stick vision of news [TS]
◼ ► and you don't have to have been a journalist to express those thoughts that I just expressed [TS]
◼ ► and that's kind of more the fourth estate you know I taught you I think the one thing that I think you're a bit too [TS]
◼ ► when you sort of say that they are just a product of the machine they work in which they are now. [TS]
◼ ► So while that while they have got bosses who are saying say that they used to say that based [TS]
◼ ► and they also have their own impulses which is saying get the story get get get enough of the story [TS]
◼ ► or get the best possible story that will get me on to page one or get me the lead story on the news [TS]
◼ ► when there is a there is a corrupting force is a force where you know you may not you find out just enough to get your [TS]
◼ ► story in the paper or you find out what you need to know the shots you need to get your story on the T.V. [TS]
◼ ► That is a negative side of of journalism. Yeah yeah that humans there are humans who you know who want glory. [TS]
◼ ► I mean that's I guess that is also in all fields that as a human issue humans want glory I guess as good as a general [TS]
◼ ► When you put it this way this is a huge topic this is a huge topic isn't no you get no I mean it's all one reason [TS]
◼ ► and with newspapers it's the suspicion of noticing that they like the phenomenon of twenty four hour news channels [TS]
◼ ► The things that are important or the things that humans should be informed about in their society. [TS]
◼ ► There's not an equal amount of that every day it would be a remarkable coincidence if the exact number of important [TS]
◼ ► And so since that isn't the case you have to know that that a lot of the stuff that's in on T.V. [TS]
◼ ► News or that is in the newspaper is not necessarily there because it's important it's there to fill space. [TS]
◼ ► I came across this article by a blogger I've been a guy really a guy I've been following for years called Paul Graham. [TS]
◼ ► He writes and some very good essays He's a venture capitalist out of California but he used to do some other things. [TS]
◼ ► and was discussing the number of press releases that come in from companies that then just get immediately re written [TS]
◼ ► Yeah but he was talking about the kind of kind of news article where once you tune into it you can't unsee it. [TS]
◼ ► And he said his his example was talking about an article a newspaper that'll be something like. [TS]
◼ ► Men's business suits are back into fashion in the office and you know some some survey about how more [TS]
◼ ► and more companies are deciding that the casual look is over and we're going to do more business suits now [TS]
◼ ► and you know some graph about sales of business suits that were always based on a survey of someone's commission. [TS]
◼ ► and he discusses how these kinds of things are coming in to wherever he worked as a newspaper just an enormous amount [TS]
◼ ► of the time and they just get kind of slightly modified and sent into the newspaper as though they're. [TS]
◼ ► but they're basically something that the association of business suit manufacturers has just handed to the newspapers [TS]
◼ ► Yeah and and also even when you just talk about like the number like that like what should should people know. [TS]
◼ ► News are are more they're more reflection of what do various interests want people to be told as as opposed to an [TS]
◼ ► But you can it's not hard to like scale this up to governmental levels of like you know what. [TS]
◼ ► It sounds like you know what I mean you know when there was two fax machines you just have piles [TS]
◼ ► and journalists do have again the ego of the journalist has a natural revulsion to doing things that come from press [TS]
◼ ► It's partly a pride and it's partly a well I don't want to be spoon fed attitude there is a natural revulsion to it [TS]
◼ ► Here are officers who are so skilled at writing press releases that they might be able to get around that [TS]
◼ ► and coach it in such a way that the generals thinks they're doing something they're not doing I mean this is this is a [TS]
◼ ► when you're under pressure to find a story you haven't got a good story that the writer of this is you know is that. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah that's what I mean by that the systematic pressure you know you no one can blame a reporter for doing that if they [TS]
◼ ► have deadlines to meet that their job depends on it and it isn't like that. That why the press releases work. [TS]
◼ ► They're feeding into this system as well and the newspaper wants a certain amount of material. [TS]
◼ ► and to feel you know say you don't need as many stuff because you know having to send them all I have to go [TS]
◼ ► or in a car park if that is sitting at their desk rehashing a really nice real reporting to go a long time that is a [TS]
◼ ► and I'll say this now I don't know if you've read Flat Earth News by Nick Davies And yes I mean how this everything [TS]
◼ ► and we'll talk about if people find this even a little bit interesting there is a book I should rate which is excellent [TS]
◼ ► and the press release exploits this channel istic culture so I mean what you're saying rings very true [TS]
◼ ► and it gets manipulated and you can spot these press release stories if you know you're looking for. [TS]
◼ ► When I hear people defending the news as an industry going to talk about you know in informing people [TS]
◼ ► Just like once you know about the existence of press releases you can see this kind of thing more easily in newspapers [TS]
◼ ► I think there's a there's a similar kind of thing which again I assume that this comes from the. Time pressure. [TS]
◼ ► but nobody can understand this problem in a meaningful way unless we are through stand how did we get here. [TS]
◼ ► I mean you've got to have a this is where you have a problem of knowledge like like how much background can you [TS]
◼ ► You could probably talk to them for half an hour about everything that's come before this point. [TS]
◼ ► But for someone who's watches the news every night this is just the next chapter of the story. [TS]
◼ ► You don't read the previous nineteen chapters of a book every time you go to bed you read the chapter you're up to now. [TS]
◼ ► but I would say that the majority of stuff that I see is presented in a in a totally context less void of we're going [TS]
◼ ► to talk about this this problem this event that is happening but there is no future and there is no past [TS]
◼ ► This goes back to to my system's way of thinking is like so many of the things that are being discussed in the news. [TS]
◼ ► but they're just the bottom layer of something where the next layer up is the thing that really matters [TS]
◼ ► And a lot of those things seem to come down the way the news presents them as stories about particular people. [TS]
◼ ► But there are there are systemic answers as to why they say is Congress more divided now than it has ever been before. [TS]
◼ ► One level up to that question there are structural changes that have happened to the voting system that have made that [TS]
◼ ► You know it's always just like let's look at this guy who is yelling about this one thing in this other guy who's [TS]
◼ ► You know or why why does the system now encourage much more partisanship than it ever did before. [TS]
◼ ► You can't it's very hard to give people the amount of information you want to give them I mean. [TS]
◼ ► But let let's let's say a few things about your five minute videos that they take a long time to make their research [TS]
◼ ► They have a lot of information in them spoken very quickly that you could never give to just you could never put on the [TS]
◼ ► Dinner off their lap at the same time that that much density of information you want to you have this desire to give [TS]
◼ ► people all this information that you cannot give them in the finite amount of space in which they are willing to absorb [TS]
◼ ► the information and then you're left with a choice. Do people want to watch Billy punch Fred in the face. [TS]
◼ ► and you know of course if I said to you I've got I've got two videos here one's eight seconds of someone punching [TS]
◼ ► someone in the face. Them One is a twenty minute spoken word piece about why people don't get along with my punch. [TS]
◼ ► but I guess that the conflict for makeup here comes from. I totally agree but I would not disagree. [TS]
◼ ► and so I guess the tension for me is what I get irritated by is the kind of exalted position that news has for itself [TS]
◼ ► He doing this how this how the fourth estate holding politicians to account stuff I was spouting I didn't want to say [TS]
◼ ► but I I it's like I wouldn't mind the news so much if we could be more straightforward about what it is it's much more [TS]
◼ ► but this whole like oh the news all of the government of you count and we you know we inform the city [TS]
◼ ► and I have just I just don't think that's what it's actually doing that's what it claims it does [TS]
◼ ► but that that is not really the case of one of them not even that they don't want to like I'm the first to tell us that [TS]
◼ ► So I acknowledge that I understand the market demand for that again that's another kind of system right that the [TS]
◼ ► And so you're going to write shorter stories are not going to context. I'm fine with all of that product of it. [TS]
◼ ► Two or three hours about voting that when you make your You Tube videos they're like five minutes long [TS]
◼ ► and have interesting visuals and lot stuff gets left out because you think people won't watch a long video [TS]
◼ ► but I am not claiming to be holding society to account. Yeah that that is the thing that just really really gets me. [TS]
◼ ► It's like letting you think that pompous and self-important I both think that they're pompous and self-important [TS]
◼ ► and I also think that normal people give the news too much credit that the normal people know it was a terrible word to [TS]
◼ ► use but if you just if you're just not paying attention it's easy to over assume you know what the news is doing [TS]
◼ ► and it's like hey guys hey guys that was like forty years ago now can we you know I love that one off no it wasn't [TS]
◼ ► but in the modern world I think it's really interesting that someone like someone like Snowden exists [TS]
◼ ► and he has you know so many more options about how to actually disseminate that information [TS]
◼ ► and so we do live in a different kind of world where informants can get out their information more easily [TS]
◼ ► and he went to several newspapers if I remember I don't remember because I wasn't following that super closely [TS]
◼ ► or four newspapers he released it with I don't remember the details of her involve the papers but [TS]
◼ ► but I mean he went to multiple multiple newspapers we have to do that because of you know us different markets [TS]
◼ ► but my guess is that he he may have done something like that because he wanted to to make sure that other other people [TS]
◼ ► and so you want to be in a newspaper because people assume that newspapers are where the serious stuff happen. [TS]
◼ ► and then if he has Snowden dot com slash blog slash secrets it just is just not going to have the same kind of impact [TS]
◼ ► but I just I think that that's the kind of it's like a shared delusion almost like everyone believes it [TS]
◼ ► but I don't I don't think that's necessarily the case and one of the things that I'm interested in. [TS]
◼ ► His just in the in the past couple weeks there been a few reporters who have launched their own smaller scale [TS]
◼ ► Yeah and the one that I'm most interested in that I haven't I haven't had too much time to look at [TS]
◼ ► but I'm going to be curious to see where it goes. Is do you know Nate Silver of five thirty eight. [TS]
◼ ► I know vaguely he was a former baseball statistician I believe who then moved into politics [TS]
◼ ► And surprise surprise the introduction of science into a field makes that much more accurate [TS]
◼ ► and I think that the super interesting thing about him is that I followed a lot of his reporting in that previous [TS]
◼ ► This is always where I get my news because I try to find individuals that I think are very trustworthy [TS]
◼ ► and his News reporting on the elections was just so different than anything you would find in the major newspapers [TS]
◼ ► and it's like this is a guy who is concerned about accuracy about actually getting it right [TS]
◼ ► and it was interesting to see how someone could still report on the elections but from a very different perspective [TS]
◼ ► And so what I'm curious is now that that's the Internet is just so established you have people like Nate Silver who [TS]
◼ ► and not entrenched enough to possibly want to spin off their own news organizations to some extent that actually to me [TS]
◼ ► I imagine a future where there are smaller scale operations that are run by people who are maybe less directly attached [TS]
◼ ► to the current system as it exists and can produce much more interesting and still accurate stories [TS]
◼ ► and not have to have a you know we're going to publish fifty articles every day. OK people let's go. [TS]
◼ ► We're going to have a much smaller volume but we're going to produce higher quality content. [TS]
◼ ► So I'm kind of hopeful about that stuff. I'll be curious to see in a couple years where that is. [TS]
◼ ► What about all the people in the world who are not so much like you with very specific interests [TS]
◼ ► and a desire for great data to want to know lots of things what about the person who wants to know. [TS]
◼ ► There was a plane crash in Malaysia. Manchester United sacked manager David Cameron did this. [TS]
◼ ► To summarize for them how in a graceful way and I mean that's what that's the definition of a newspaper almost. [TS]
◼ ► Again I have no problem with this kind of like stock ticker news almost you do you just want to like a little one [TS]
◼ ► I can totally understand that it's just it's like the mid length news that I often have have problems with stuff that [TS]
◼ ► I don't know I guess again this is just a particular frustration of mine because of how many times people send me stuff [TS]
◼ ► There could be a really interesting video in this newspaper article and so I go off and I research it [TS]
◼ ► but again I have no problem with people just wanting to be aware of sort of of what's going on in the news [TS]
◼ ► They need to have more stuff for people to actually read and to go to. Maybe that's why they don't. [TS]
◼ ► and I mean the great thing about the Internet is if you are super into something there's going to be a place that has [TS]
◼ ► all the in-depth news you could ever want about your super narrow topic you know whatever whatever it is like those [TS]
◼ ► but the last one of the one of my favorite blogs you've written so make sure you put that in the shadows where you kind [TS]
◼ ► News report this is actually one the rare things that I wrote I wrote this basically in an afternoon because I got [TS]
◼ ► But this is a good example as well as some of the things that frustrate me with with the news is. [TS]
◼ ► This example happened to be about a particular thing that was happening at the last the last debt ceiling in the United [TS]
◼ ► and there was there was talk on the news for a while about is the mint going to make this trillion dollar coin [TS]
◼ ► and this article I want to be a kind of thing that just like being aware of press releases. [TS]
◼ ► I would like people to be aware of a particular kind of thing you often see on the news which is these video segments [TS]
◼ ► I'm sure nothing like the video segments you have produced Brady but these video segments that are done. [TS]
◼ ► It's seems almost like by third parties you know that the anchor like turns it over to you know [TS]
◼ ► and here's some guy you've never seen before talking about a thing or just like little video segment. [TS]
◼ ► If you pay attention to them you will realize are entirely content free that you basically learn nothing more than the [TS]
◼ ► title told you and so and so in this particular example Kember what news channel it was on or whatever [TS]
◼ ► but they made some so little three minute explanation about you know is the United States going to make the trillion [TS]
◼ ► and just show how it's almost like it's trying to trick you into thinking that they're saying something [TS]
◼ ► and think Wait what do I know now that I didn't know two minutes ago. The answer is basically nothing. [TS]
◼ ► but this kind of thing I see a lot in the News of the weird little sidesteps that I was only aware of because I happen [TS]
◼ ► Even though everybody's talking about it there's nothing here to discuss. So I never put it in the video itself. [TS]
◼ ► But yes so what. Once you're aware of that like watch the news people and then think how do you know what it actually. [TS]
◼ ► or two you know twenty minutes worth of stuff that you watch so this is why I am not a big consumer of the news [TS]
◼ ► but in general terms still millions upon millions of people watch the news every night and buy newspapers every day. [TS]
◼ ► and it's impossible to be aware of the things that are wrong unless you know the things you know like [TS]
◼ ► and so I don't think it's obvious to people that that a lot of the news is kind of worthless or pointless [TS]
◼ ► or wrong because there's no reason that they would they would know that so you can expect people would necessarily [TS]
◼ ► Like if I read some new story about a topic that I'm unfamiliar with I have no ability to judge its correctness you [TS]
◼ ► I only happen to know if I'm if I research it more than discover the thing is the thing is wrong. [TS]
◼ ► There are a few topics of conversation that I sometimes get into arguments at like dinners with friends [TS]
◼ ► or you know acquaintances and things and one of them is this the thing about how I don't really follow the news [TS]
◼ ► and part of that is keeping up on the news. So it's not irresponsible of you to not know what's going on in the world. [TS]
◼ ► Yes that's that's usually the response that I get from a lot of people sometimes like great anger that I don't follow [TS]
◼ ► when they find out that I don't follow the news I go you know I have to think less of you now because this is a kind of [TS]
◼ ► but it does amaze me that someone who is interested in the things you're interested in is not more interested in news [TS]
◼ ► like this. I guess you're a history buff. That's what I think and I couldn't be a more wrong description of me. [TS]
◼ ► and that's kind of what that's what history is history is waiting till the dust of news has settled [TS]
◼ ► and we can just rationally go through what happened and how things work and why things happen the way they did [TS]
◼ ► and the confusion of what's going on now seems to appeal to you want to wait and see the result [TS]
◼ ► and then just dissect and think ahead and I went down I couldn't I couldn't disagree with you more. [TS]
◼ ► Well I guess I have no problem with with the confusion of what's going on now with a very different issue from [TS]
◼ ► following the news I don't think that following the news is enlightening about confusion on particular issues. [TS]
◼ ► There are there are things that I follow that are confusing in the present that I don't have to wait until things are [TS]
◼ ► all settled I mean I guess but you know this is a minor example bit of a story that I'm very interested in. [TS]
◼ ► I have been sort of following the stories of the protests against the Google and Yahoo buses out in San Francisco [TS]
◼ ► and it's you know relatively small and sort of local story but it's caught my interest in a bunch of ways. [TS]
◼ ► And for those who aren't who are not familiar the gist of it is it's a story of gentrification. [TS]
◼ ► and the residents who were previously there and so Google has buses that pick up their employees [TS]
◼ ► and those are excellent targets for you know protests are complaining about because it's a big. [TS]
◼ ► and this is not a the dust is settled kind of issue it's doesn't bother me about that story in fact I'm very interested [TS]
◼ ► in that and I don't know how to resolve the kinds of problems that are that are happening there I guess. [TS]
◼ ► My my my disinterest in following the news just has more to do with the information density is very low [TS]
◼ ► and I feel like this is the next this is an experiment that you do your listener can kind of run on yourself which is [TS]
◼ ► I think in your mind how many of the things that you're reading now or that you're watching now. [TS]
◼ ► At least when I do this I think the result is you know very few of the things that you're consuming [TS]
◼ ► and I think that again that's a bias because of the way the news reports. We acknowledge it's a structural requirement. [TS]
◼ ► Just the stuff that's happening right now I would say it's an interesting exercise for the listener to think OK well if [TS]
◼ ► or reading the newspaper like what is this activity of mine contributing towards like why why am I doing this now. [TS]
◼ ► If you like reading the news again I have no objection to this just like before I'm a very live [TS]
◼ ► and let live kind of recreation not playing a game like if it's recreation there's no argument there. [TS]
◼ ► but if you are doing it you know as I've had conversations with people out of some sort of feeling that you need to be [TS]
◼ ► and you start paying attention to what are you actually reading and watching and how much of this stuff is. [TS]
◼ ► and so I don't think that it is it is actually necessarily informing you about what's going on I think it is informing [TS]
◼ ► you of what's going on. It's just what's going on when it mattered what was going on then white matter in three months. [TS]
◼ ► By that there's a much better way to fix it I said the exact opposite of what I meant which is what happened. [TS]
◼ ► But but do you need to know or know that words or more importantly is that how you want to spend your time [TS]
◼ ► and I think that if if people are following news out of out of a feeling of obligation that that is that is a bad way [TS]
◼ ► to go to spend that time if you want to know about stuff you're better off possibly doing other things [TS]
◼ ► News every night doing it like it's a chore like clearing out the gutters or mowing the lawn. [TS]
◼ ► I think they're doing it because. Like I don't think people do it like against their Again you know. [TS]
◼ ► but I think they're doing it for a different reason I don't I think you're right that people put a lot of importance [TS]
◼ ► If you think they are consuming you I think I think they're doing it because they're entertained by [TS]
◼ ► and also because there's nothing humans like more than gossip and knowing what other humans are doing. [TS]
◼ ► People just love gossip and I mean gossip in every sense of the word in that in the in the pointless. [TS]
◼ ► but also in the you know one hundred people died in a landslide sends people people people like that. [TS]
◼ ► People don't like the ads and people don't read papers because someone tells them they have to [TS]
◼ ► But everything's corrupted by something and that doesn't mean it's acceptable but that's just the way it is [TS]
◼ ► I think people have as lofty a view of the news as maybe you think they do that doesn't mean it's not important people [TS]
◼ ► when if I get into these arguments with people that they are there these are their go to arguments the news is [TS]
◼ ► important and I am I am reading about important things and people don't want to say that it is kind of like it. [TS]
◼ ► There is there is medicine in the dog food that there is some medicine put in the dog food from time to time [TS]
◼ ► and I think you know yes I could mention Watergate and yes you could mention the Snowden stuff [TS]
◼ ► but even on that even in that even in the little day to day ways whether it's the local council being held to account [TS]
◼ ► A ban dogs off the leash in the local park opposite the road which is a purely hypothetical scenario I don't think I [TS]
◼ ► But like even on that even on that micro level like amongst all that rubbish that's in my local newspaper here at my [TS]
◼ ► and the local people are protesting about don't like like there is that public accountability [TS]
◼ ► and newspapers are being replaced by new technology but that new technology is still doing that fourth estate job [TS]
◼ ► Again the notion of the something holding society to account is something that I am I am very much in favor of like I'm [TS]
◼ ► OK with that and I'm very interested to see where some of these newer younger News projects go [TS]
◼ ► and I actually have a link here that I added to the show notes because I thought I thought it was an interesting [TS]
◼ ► Look at think it was The Washington Post in the States but they did as an example of positive news that was good. [TS]
◼ ► and it was kind of an unbelievable article because it it goes into details about how this it sounds it sounds like it's [TS]
◼ ► but there is an underground facility in West Virginia that's an old abandoned coal mine that has been turned into a [TS]
◼ ► football length paper processing facility that has to do with processing all the paperwork for the United States [TS]
◼ ► when you read about this you think how can this exist this is appalling that this is the system that is in use [TS]
◼ ► Because I thought that's an interesting example that I came across recently of something in a major newspaper that you [TS]
◼ ► get I'm presuming that it's right. Sheds light in an interesting way on a particular kind of problem. [TS]
◼ ► That's the part of their nature that's fine I don't expect them to be as as quick changing as companies [TS]
◼ ► but maybe a unbelievable mine under the ground processing paperwork for forty years is like maybe we should update that [TS]
◼ ► and wring out of all I have to say I thought math never in West Virginia and I want to see that. Sounds great. [TS]
◼ ► That said that is produced there are many systems that act like this in life where there's there's an enormous amount [TS]
◼ ► of stuff that maybe isn't worth very much and there's there's a couple of diamonds in the rough [TS]
◼ ► You know because you need some kind of publishing medium you need to be able to speak to the broader world. [TS]
◼ ► but in a post Internet world I'm sufficiently confident that those diamonds can be found without the existence of the [TS]
◼ ► and what you're saying is being completely borne out by commercial reality to I mean obviously newspapers are now struggling. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah. Because because a lot of that roll out of of these sort of overarching curators is no longer necessary. [TS]
◼ ► when they free boot our videos as often as they do with downline sections which they're the worst about now. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah yeah that's the photo is not super respectable I don't see that much with smaller sites [TS]
◼ ► but there is this slight concern that if we no longer have a commercially sustainable way for people to put resources [TS]
◼ ► All this irrelevant stuff and I am the first to admit that happens they usually have like one man [TS]
◼ ► and is allowed to beaver away on some story that was unlike those that kind of luxury doesn't exist as much in this [TS]
◼ ► kind of mainly an Internet world where I think you're wrong about that I think you're wrong about that [TS]
◼ ► and I'm going to I'm going to give an example that is going to sound like the crazies example to people who are on the [TS]
◼ ► Yes OK So so people on from Buzz Feed produces If you go to their Web site it looks like at a glance it looks like some [TS]
◼ ► sort of terrible click BT Web site that has like Top ten celebrity surgery disasters you know which I mean I think that [TS]
◼ ► but they must they must be running some kind of internal team that does this exact same function because every once in [TS]
◼ ► a while they come out with some amazing piece of original reporting one of the examples that that just happened [TS]
◼ ► recently which is why it's on the top of my mind was a total investigation into how has the United States. [TS]
◼ ► Let let say how has the executive branch of the government gamed so many powers in the war on terror to do all kinds of [TS]
◼ ► and they recently ended up doing just a show with radio land that goes into this and I'll try to find the article [TS]
◼ ► and I think a couple of these other things from Buzz Feed as well that I might be totally wrong here I'm speculating [TS]
◼ ► about their internal struck. Sure but but it seems like oh OK you guys are doing a similar kind of thing your Muppet. [TS]
◼ ► Are you articles you're using that to fund probably much longer much more in-depth pieces you know unflattering [TS]
◼ ► occurring you know completely agreeing with my argument that to sustain responsible labor intensive journalism you need [TS]
◼ ► some kind of commercially successful or as you would describe a relevant vehicle Aranda why I guess I have that. [TS]
◼ ► and now if we want to look at it on the Internet we need to clip eighty per state that this is this is I agree with you [TS]
◼ ► but I'm much more interested to see like I said some someone like five thirty eight try to do like an in-depth [TS]
◼ ► respectable thing every day all day. Like that's the that's the experiment that I'm very curious to see. [TS]
◼ ► The Buzz Feed does not have an aura of respectability around it and I just think that Buzz Feed is what it is. [TS]
◼ ► Again I'm just speculating about their internal structure but they are a commercial entity they want to exist [TS]
◼ ► and I like Buzz Feed almost more because then they're more honest about what it is like a lot we have a whole bunch of [TS]
◼ ► and they using that repeatable stuff to to improve their reputation and brand to become sane and more respectable [TS]
◼ ► and more appealing I mean I mean that's just I'm sure when newspapers started they were probably these young upstart [TS]
◼ ► and papers of record I mean I would I would disagree just because of the presumed amount of resources you had for [TS]
◼ ► starting a newspaper versus starting starting a website you know that like pre-existing newspapers had had to come with [TS]
◼ ► but I know nothing about the history of these papers I have no idea mate maybe people were complaining about you know [TS]
◼ ► like I can't deal with all of these you know which Saint are you articled knew this newfangled piece of paper that [TS]
◼ ► and then eventually you know they're exposing articles about the you know the I don't know the feudal lord down the [TS]
◼ ► Boy that's really great because it looked like a length skirts are going to ruin society you know who knows who knows [TS]
◼ ► but I guess I get that it's also just like like I have I have no complaints about people who just read stuff because [TS]
◼ ► It's just a question of of for a for a lot of how do you want to spend your time if you like reading [TS]
◼ ► or watching the news I think that that's fine as long as you sort of face it for what it is [TS]
◼ ► and I would argue that maybe I get I just don't like the aura of respectability that is attached to a lot of the old [TS]
◼ ► school news stuff and I think that the Internet can replace a lot of that maybe in a more honest and maybe [TS]
◼ ► I guess my final parting word of advice is like I think for people who are people people who want to try like find out [TS]
◼ ► I think probably an optimal strategy right now is to try to find individuals that you trust follow those people [TS]
◼ ► when I was going around the world maybe follow individual people so unready Flat Earth News by Nick Davies because of [TS]
◼ ► and say if you want to know the problems of being a journalist and why journalism is the way it is. [TS]
◼ ► Yeah I feel you could have read that book and still have any kind of positive view about the news like that [TS]
◼ ► You know that that that book is just piles of poo on top of more miles of that's what it is [TS]
◼ ► but it's interesting reading I did I read the book just after I'd left the baby say and obviously a lot of my family [TS]
◼ ► and they do get a bit upset at me so maybe I mean I guess I've been the advocate of journalism to a certain extent in [TS]
◼ ► and pretty honest picture of of a lot of the problems that face journalism at the moment you know realizing what this [TS]
◼ ► Then you do these big gaping wounds of society where you just bring down over issues like the education system [TS]