š„¾ What the ruck?
Ep 35: Rucking for fitness, quality audio for remote workers, and some music recommendations you'll die for.
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Can you hear me now? You speak with others using a cell phone, computer, or a device that supports streaming audio. Regardless of the path your voice takes, make sure your voice quality is as good as possible. Itās one of the impressions you make when youāre working remotely. You donāt want to be the person with the horrible voice connection. Think about quality (it varies with Bluetooth accessories and shock-mounted external mics) and portability. It's nice to be untethered from your desk, but not at the expense of voice quality. Finally, test your setup with someone you trust.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. My laptopās audio output is routed through the headphone port to a pair of powered speakers behind the monitor. I enjoy not having something on my head or in my ears when Iām in a meeting.
On the input side, Iām either using Logitechās Blue Yeti X or Aftershokz OpenCommUC. The latter are bone-conducting headphones that I use when Iām away from my desk but within Bluetooth range. Iāve tested the quality of both of these configurations with colleagues, so am confident that Iām coming across with the best possible audio connection.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
I've been thinking lately about scales, and the beautiful thing is that typically they are relative
How do you measure up? I wonder what prompted me to draw this. Was it the frustration of extra holiday pounds begging to be jettisoned as the weather gets nicer? Or the few cases I use a scale with the ability to tare: making cold brew coffee or homemade pizza dough? Or being at a delightful bakery where they measure amaretti cookies by the pound? Mmm. Yeah, that.
Commentary
Looking for something low-impact but high cardio? We recently got into rucking (which auto-correct just tried to turn into trucking, which would be a very different story). What is rucking, you ask? Itās walking or hiking while carrying weight on your back. Itās hard, true, but rucking is good for you in so many ways. I opted for a 30-pound plate and Amyās using a 20-pound plate (both from GoRuck), and we found that they work just fine in our Deuter backpacks that we normally use for camping. The waist belt is really useful, allowing you to take some (or all) of the weight off of your shoulders. We also use Leki trekking poles that we got at Mazamas Mountain Running Camp (MRC) in 2017. Theyāre good for ultras, and theyāre good for rucking!
Miscellanea
š Itās showtime! Tonight is the sold-out Dead & Company show at Cornellās Barton Hall. You can still listen to it if you donāt have tickets or canāt be here: the free livestream starts at 7:30 p.m.
š§āš»ļø Amy put a lot of work into a workshop on digital integrity for our school. Depending on the age of your child, you may find a lot of the pre-recorded things to be great things to watch or listen to together as a family. The archived presentation will be available for a limited time.
š Worth a watch (and included in one of the lead-in slides for Amyās presentation): āThe song āIf I Were a Fish (Apple Music, YouTube),ā by Nashville-based songwriter corook, is a weird, joyous song that likens its narrator to a fish, a rock, and a sock. It is also a deeply serious anthem of belonging, and what itās like to always feel like an outsider.ā ā Berklee