Musings of a Tech Writer

Walking along the Sea Wall in Coal Harbour, I question the value of career networking.

I talk about the wearying battle for U.S. marriage rights.

Still in shock from the results of the presidential election, I talk about how the victory feels like a homecoming.

I talk about John McCain's sad and surreal appearance on SNL, falling behind in school, and the podcasting universe. I also beg for votes for Obama. The final words of encouragement are courtesy of the late great Tiny Tim.

From deep within my podcasting closet I compare the Canadian and American elections, reveal my radical financial plan, and tackle the subject of smug Canadians.

I talk about what I've learned about relationships and my upcoming 25th high school class reunion. The crashing waves are courtesy of the Stanley Park seawall.

Back in Vancouver, I talk about my trip to Montreal and Quebec City.

Wearing a hat with microphones attached, I roam around the house talking about Mandy Patinkin and job security.

I talk about the U.S. financial crisis and wonder if we're heading for another depression. Cheery stuff.

Walking the streets of Vancouver, I talk about my bad experiences with a female barber.

This is my first annual housekeeping episode where I clear out my backlog of topics.

As a bit of back story, I talk about my mom's long, chronic illness.

This was the my third attempt to record this episode. Hopefully it turned out this time. The theme of this episode is less is more.

I roam around the house talking about Star Wars and being a worry wort.

I wander around a park and talk about my two-year experiment on the heterosexual highway.

This is my first experiment with the binaural microphones as I wander along English Bay in Vancouver.

Late at night I talk about my first love, Tim.

I rant about male-bashing and, as if that's not thorny enough, gay guys who have marriage-like relationships with women.

I ramble on about movies, climate change, and my first sober summer in 20 years.

I've got the day off and I chat about food, gym guilt, lost musicals, my love of documentaries, and keeping it together past 40. Musical interlude courtesy of B.B.'s legal team.

This is the second part of my conversation with Nick Thomas. Thanks again to Nick for being so honest.

For more information on Nick, see http://nickthomas.wordpress.com/.

This is part one of my interview with podcaster Nick Thomas. Nick was generous with his time and spent an hour chatting with me after I lost our original interview due to audio problems. Thanks Nick!

For more information on Nick, see http://nickthomas.wordpress.com/.

I talk about my trip to the dentist, letting go of my self-consciousness, and being where I am.

I test out my new microphone and muse about money and how the lack of it affected my earlier years.

There have been a lot of changes lately.  I talk about the demise of Mysterious Universe and Hillary Clinton's campaign. I also talk about the unfortunate return of my neighbor and his dogs.

It's a rainy day and I'm hiding from other people, working from home. I talk about getting $300 to stimulate the U.S. economy even though I live in Canada.

My URL has changed to musingsofatechwriter.com. The Libsyn address will still work but you may want to update your bookmark if you download episodes from the web site. My e-mail has also changed and is now mark@musingsofatechwriter.com. Thanks.

I talk about the top ten things that drive me crazy about podcasts:
10. Poor sound quality. Guilty.
9. Podcasters who ask for reviews.
8. Podcasters who frequently discuss the technologies of podcasting.
7. Podcasters who spend half of their podcasts trying to set up Skype calls.
6. Podcasters who ask for money and gifts.
5. Podcasters who don't respect their listeners time.
4. Podcasters who are obsessed with downloads and stats.
3. Podcasters who don't respond to listener e-mails.
2. Podcasters who take their show and themselves very seriously.
1. Podcasters who group together like bats and kiss the ass of the alpha bat.

From the banks of Burnaby Lake, I take you, my dear listeners, back in time to a trip to my doctor's office for some test results. Just where you wanted to go. I also talk about my new computer. Leave me comment on my blog.

I talk about attending DocTrain 2008 and my issues with the Society for Technical Communication (STC). Send your rebuttals to tech-writer@shaw.ca.

Sorry about my voice. I had a cold. I talk about my my preoccupation with years and say thanks to Nick Thomas. You can subscribe to his self-titled podcast at the Itunes.

My computer takes over the podcast this week. The theme is 1966.

I lament some of the tools of our trade. If you have an answer to my problem, please send me an e-mail at tech-writer@shaw.ca

Enough of my yammering. This week it's a bit of a mash-up with a little Queen and Madonna ranting. What more could you ask for?

A dream from a mall.

Unlucky 13. Beware of an upside down McRib. They could be hiding something.

Thanksgiving in spring.

On the way to pick up my takeout I talk about annoying kids, food, and protecting privacy.

Alone at last.

I first became aware of Joan Crawford when I snuck off to see the movie Mommie Dearest when it opened on Mother's Day. Afterwards I had to find out more about Joan and eventually I watched a ton of her movies, from the '20s to the '70s. No matter her age, when she's on screen, my eye goes to her. Today, I read from her one and only book, My Way of Life.

On a work break in Vancouver's Coal Harbor, I talk about my future career plans and the booming housing market.

Returning from a trip to the U.S., I ponder aspects of my home country that I like and don't like so much.

I'm in the kitchen chatting about super Tuesday and podcasting.

I reveal the meaning of life. Actually, I just give it my best guess.

I talk about my mom's passing and its effect on me.

I chat about cleaning up the clutter and separating from the booze.

My very second  podcast (not show). I talk about Libsyn, unsavory podcast dynamics, Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro, and saying "no!" I also give a preview of coming attractions.

Here is my very first podcast. Welcome me to the 21st century. I talk about the purpose of the podcast, give a disclaimer, and prattle on about my insomnia, the U.S. presidential primaries, Survivor, and my disconnect with MySpace.