Category: News

Introducing the Blogger’s Boot Camp Siminar

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икона за подаръкIf you’ll recall, Charlie White and I wrote a book called Blogger’s Boot Camp in order to help folks learn how to blog. It sold quite well and we also ran a workshop based on the content. I think it was quite useful and people enjoyed it and it really taught us a lot about online seminars.

The same folks who built the class for us also built this, an online, free seminar about blogging for folks who own (or are planning to buy the book).

I think the class, called a Siminar, is quite cool and it offers some of the interactivity available in the “paid” class we’re offering without the rigid structure. If you’re reading our book, also take the seminar. It will help you understand our points.

Good luck and if you’re having trouble, drop me a line at john @ bigwidelogic dotter com.

I Wrote A Story About My Vasectomy For BoingBoing

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You’re welcome.

I had my vasectomy on January 19, 2012, the date memorialized with the iCal notation “Vascect [sic] no lunch 34th st.” At this writing the objects in question are still apparently live, pumping out spermatozoa like a dying pulsar that will soon dwindle into white noise. It takes a certain number of ejaculations to completely clear the pipes, as it were, and by try number twelve I’ll be as barren as the surface of binary moons rising over an alien landscape.

Stepping back from the hyperbolic, let’s explore my reasons for this course of action and why, at 36, I decided it was time to stop all this baby nonsense, at least from my side. My wife and I have two kids, six and three, and for a number of years we thought we were through. A surprising (but definitely not unwanted, if he’s reading this later) third appeared this summer and we decided that 98% effectiveness was less enticing than 100% effectiveness. Rather than risk an invasive surgery for her, we (or I? I like to think we) decided it would be nice for me to have a bit of outpatient work done, go home, wash down a Tylenol with some bourbon(s), and let the old boys rest.

Read more…

My New Stand-Up Desk

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икони цениI’ve just set up a little stand-up workstation in my office in order to get me off my butt. It basically consists of a MacBook Air connected to a Magic Mouse and Logitech Keyboard as well as an old monitor I had that is connected via display port. There’s very little to connect and disconnect – I can leave the keyboard’s receiver plugged in (or I could just get a Bluetooth keyboard later) and the screen mirroring on OS X is superb.

I topped it all off with a FREDRIK Ikea computer desk built with an odd configuration. The top shelf is at eye level and the main desk about 10 inches below. It’s been a little odd so far – I’m basically recreating an experience that millions experience every day, namely working on my feet – but it seems like things will sort themselves out. I may also install a trampoline in front of it, for more of a workout. Thoughts?

Come To Nerdnite To See Me Talk About Watches On October 14

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I’ll be presenting at Nerdnite on October 14. Nerdnite is a great gathering of geeks at a great spot in DUMBO in Brooklyn where you can learn all sorts of great stuff. I’ll be talking about watches. Come on out!

*Presentation #3
From Sausages To Swiss Watches: How The Quest For Barbecue Created Western Civilization (The Abridged Version)
by John Biggs

Description: What does savory slow cooked meat have to do with French monks, a doomed Queen, Rolex, and the Enigma machine? We?re going to explore the connections between early cooks and modern timekeeping technologies that keep us on time and connected.

Bio: John Biggs is a tech writer and bon vivant with a love of old watches. He writes for the New York Times, CrunchGear, and is working on a book about Breguet and the French Revolution.