Powered by MailChimp
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today’s episode introduces “Practical Nerd News”, where I review a few headlines from the week, and then I talk about the overdramatic attitudes of people attached to their possessions, i.e., their TVs, gadgets, cable/satellite, etc. If nothing else, tune in for the opening song and the news.
As always, if you can’t see the “play” button at the top of the post, click on the title! Thanks for listening!
Get great, practical advice sent straight to your inbox every week! For more information on The Practical Nerd Rules for Life, click here. Plus, learn how you can get a copy of my FREE ebook!
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Time for another edition of Big Pile o’ Links, where I feature some of my favorite links and groups of articles from all over the wonderful world we call “The Internet”:
Ah, Evernote. It’s one of the most useful and versatile programs/cloud storage ever, and yet so few Cooler People use it. It’s not just for tech bloggers and people with lots of crap to write about – it’s also incredibly useful for normal people in their day-to-day lives. I use mine every day, and I can’t tell you how useful it has been at the office, at home, or even running around. Here are some great links from recent times that list a bunch of great, easy ways you can start using Evernote more often in your life:
Job got you down? Feel like you’re headed the wrong way? Here are a handful of great articles (and one AWESOME documentary!) to help you make some changes:
It makes the world go ‘round. Here’s a quick handful of resources to further your knowledge on the subject:
Phew! There you go! Another Big Pile o’ Links for your pleasure. If you have an article or site or tool or whatever that you want featured in the Big Pile o’ Links, send it my way at tom@thepracticalnerd.com (it doesn’t have to be yours either, just something you like!).
In today’s podcast, I talk about selling my beloved Zune for a simpler MP3 player and the value of cutting back and simplifying your life. I also give more shout-outs to listeners. If you’re a listener, you should probably listen. Drop some feedback in the comments!
(As always, if you can’t see the “play” button at the top of this post, click the post title and it should show up.)
This is a bit of a departure for me, but I figured out two things: I need to have a personality here on the Nerd, and I also needed to have something to put in the “Just For Laughs” category. I’ve been getting a little deep here lately, so I want to cut loose a little and talk about one of the most popular shows on television.
I fell in love with The Office during the Christmas episode of the second season (“YAAAANKEE SWAP!”). Since then, I have followed it regularly, and it has been an overall high-quality show. However, this season has been a bit different from previous seasons. I understand that changes need to happen to further the writing, and I don’t have solutions for all of these, but here are some things that are bothering me about the show, after watching last night’s episode:
Are there too many characters? I think Erin is great, but it stretches the show a little bit. Instead of focusing on how the office employees interact, we’re getting bits and pieces of stuff. We don’t hear much from Angela, Kevin, and especially Kelly and Ryan. Ryan seems to have these little jokes about how he dresses and stuff, but it’s all pushed into the background.
I’m torn about Jim as a manager. He had to do something, I get it. But Jim played the regular Joe really well. Now he’s a co-manager. On the flip side, awkward, babbling Jim is funny too. So I guess it’s a wash.
I can’t stand the guest stars. This show just isn’t for recognizable guest stars. When Jack Black was on in the movie-within-the-show, I couldn’t stand it. It screamed, “Trying to boost ratings!” And just like in The Blind Side, I don’t see any need for Kathy Bates. She annoys me, and any time I see her in anything, I just see Kathy Bates. I don’t see whoever she’s supposed to be. The Christian Slater appearance was perfect as the video satire, but the rest I could do without.
I already miss Dunder-Mifflin as a corporate entity. The buyout fell pretty flat for me, although it did give the opportunity for the great Hannah Montana “Party in the USA” parody. I like the whole Dunder-Mifflin world, and getting rid of all of that really stinks. It shrinks the Office world quite a bit.
Do we have to ruin EVERYbody that’s ever worked at corporate? David Wallace was extremely likable and well put-together. Now he drinks during the day and wants to market a toy vacuum called “Suck It”. I liked the interplay between Michael and Jan, and then Jan went way off-base. Ryan went crazy, and now this? Can we just keep somebody normal?
Dwight has gotten too broad. Good Dwight gives speeches on his favorite ping-pong players and tries to quietly take control of the office. Bad Dwight dresses up like Re-Cyclops (although we all know that’s just a forced storyline to appease NBC’s incredibly stupid “Green Week”) and demonstrates how he would fight himself. I like the idea of trying to get Jim fired – where is that storyline?
It’s STILL a good show, just wildly inconsistent! The show still makes me laugh. Everybody blames Michael getting to be “too much”, but I just don’t. I think he’s about the same, which is a good thing. If anything, he’s gotten a little more heart. But this season, we’ve had masterpieces like Jim and Pam’s wedding episode, immediately followed by the Mafia episode, which fell really flat to me, despite Andy Bernard dressing up like a mechanic wearing loafers. I worry about which Office is going to show up every week. Even last night, we had a so-so episode, but the Christian Slater video was great! I’ve seen orientation videos like that – ones that really tell you absolutely nothing about the company, but are trying to impress you.
All in all, I’ll keep watching. Definitely. I just hope that we can see more office-type storylines and the stuff the show was built on, and not over-the-top ridiculousness. Can we have another Dundies?
Like everybody else, today I talk about the Leno-Conan-NBC feud, past television classics, and how patience plays out in your life. If you don’t see the “play” button above the picture, click on the post title and you will see it. Enjoy, and as always, please feel free to leave some feedback!
