Friday, January 13, 2006
The music on my computer
I found Pandora.com by accident. Now it provides me with a musical soundtrack when I need one. This morning I'm listening to music that is similar to Kaiser Chiefs (as decided by the Music Genome Project). Music includes tracks from MeWithoutYou, The Editors, H.I.m and the BeeGees! I have similar 'radio stations' as they term them for Roxy Music, Bowie, Dylan, Tom Paxton, Carly Simon and, in case I need musical education, The Aphex Twin - now there's a wide ranging selection.
RSS from their blog is on my Squidoo Lens. Tune into the evolution of web radio!
RSS from their blog is on my Squidoo Lens. Tune into the evolution of web radio!
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Interviewing
In a comment to my post about 'Kickstarting the Writing Process' David Corking said...
Interviews? : do you transcribe your interview tapes and add them to your pile, or FF through them and transcribe only the interesting quotes, or rely solely on notes made at the time?
The answer is - it depends. Some interviews are crucial to what I'm writing and will get the full treatment whilst others will simply add confirmation to my arguments in the form of quotes. I take notes during the interview - sometimes these are comprehensive and other times the interest in what the interviewee is saying means that I have few, very sketchy notes.
By using a digital machine (currently out of action, sadly), I am able to transfer the interview as a sound file to my PC. I've not yet come across voice recognition software that can handle multiple voices. Dragon Naturally Speaking works well for me when I'm dictating but is useless for interviews. So it is a question of transcribing crucial interviews.
I've looked at using various services to do the transcription for me, but so far, I've found none that provide me with a service I need at a price I'm prepared to pay. When you think that four or five interviews will form the basis for a piece that a magazine will pay between £300 and £600 for, you can see that there is little margin for expense items like transcription - so I trade my time, instead.
I was taught that I should never ask a question to which I didn't know the answer. That isn't always possible but these days, with Google at my elbow, I can do a huge amount of research before interview.
That's not to say, though, that I'll always ask the important question. I'm the interviewer who, when talking to Fiona Richmond in the 80s, asked her about her marriage, the fashion show she was sponsoring for Live Aid but didn't ask a single question about her past as a writer (and alleged sex tester) for the Paul Raymond publication 'Men Only' or about her relationship with Raymond. I hope that I would, these days, ask those questions.
More on writing later....
Interviews? : do you transcribe your interview tapes and add them to your pile, or FF through them and transcribe only the interesting quotes, or rely solely on notes made at the time?
The answer is - it depends. Some interviews are crucial to what I'm writing and will get the full treatment whilst others will simply add confirmation to my arguments in the form of quotes. I take notes during the interview - sometimes these are comprehensive and other times the interest in what the interviewee is saying means that I have few, very sketchy notes.
By using a digital machine (currently out of action, sadly), I am able to transfer the interview as a sound file to my PC. I've not yet come across voice recognition software that can handle multiple voices. Dragon Naturally Speaking works well for me when I'm dictating but is useless for interviews. So it is a question of transcribing crucial interviews.
I've looked at using various services to do the transcription for me, but so far, I've found none that provide me with a service I need at a price I'm prepared to pay. When you think that four or five interviews will form the basis for a piece that a magazine will pay between £300 and £600 for, you can see that there is little margin for expense items like transcription - so I trade my time, instead.
I was taught that I should never ask a question to which I didn't know the answer. That isn't always possible but these days, with Google at my elbow, I can do a huge amount of research before interview.
That's not to say, though, that I'll always ask the important question. I'm the interviewer who, when talking to Fiona Richmond in the 80s, asked her about her marriage, the fashion show she was sponsoring for Live Aid but didn't ask a single question about her past as a writer (and alleged sex tester) for the Paul Raymond publication 'Men Only' or about her relationship with Raymond. I hope that I would, these days, ask those questions.
More on writing later....
Squidoo
I have been pointed at a new(ish) site called Squidoo. It acts like a concentrator of various resources on the Web and allows you to make an individual page around your interests or expertise. I'm told (and haven't confirmed) that Seth Godin is behind it.
I have four lenses (as each set of pages and frames is called) which will develop over time. They include links, RSS feeds, text inputs and Flickr pictures. It is very Beta and has numerous undocumented features (bugs) and is currently very US oriented (Amazon feed is only to Amazon.com and the Google Maps module doesn't recognise UK addresses, town names or postcodes). There is a plan for lensmasters to be able to make money from popular lenses, though I'm not really there for that.
My lenses -
Ecademy Press - with updates and news about my new publishing business in partnership with Mindy Gibbins-Klein.
A Friend in Every City - about the book I'm writing with Penny and Thomas Power of Ecademy.com. Publication planned for April 2006. Blog at www.afriendineverycity.com.
Bizwords - a lens about my writing business with the intention of publishing writing tips and hints.
My Personal Page - a place to pursue non business interests - like photography, creative writing, reading and watching good (and bad) movies.
There is a club for Squidoo users (and potential users) on Ecademy HERE and a list of lenses maintained by members of the club can be found at the bottom of that page.
It's relatively easy to set up an account and start building lenses, but do try to have a theme for each - they're much stronger when they're focused.
I have four lenses (as each set of pages and frames is called) which will develop over time. They include links, RSS feeds, text inputs and Flickr pictures. It is very Beta and has numerous undocumented features (bugs) and is currently very US oriented (Amazon feed is only to Amazon.com and the Google Maps module doesn't recognise UK addresses, town names or postcodes). There is a plan for lensmasters to be able to make money from popular lenses, though I'm not really there for that.
My lenses -
Ecademy Press - with updates and news about my new publishing business in partnership with Mindy Gibbins-Klein.
A Friend in Every City - about the book I'm writing with Penny and Thomas Power of Ecademy.com. Publication planned for April 2006. Blog at www.afriendineverycity.com.
Bizwords - a lens about my writing business with the intention of publishing writing tips and hints.
My Personal Page - a place to pursue non business interests - like photography, creative writing, reading and watching good (and bad) movies.
There is a club for Squidoo users (and potential users) on Ecademy HERE and a list of lenses maintained by members of the club can be found at the bottom of that page.
It's relatively easy to set up an account and start building lenses, but do try to have a theme for each - they're much stronger when they're focused.
Happy New Year
2006 comes in as 2005 went out in cornwall with high winds and squally rain showers. There are great advantages to that, of course - the sea is absolutely massive and there is no way that you don't come back refreshed!
Went to Mullion Cove and Poldhu on New Year's Eve. Brilliant places and very quiet, of course, being midwinter. Poldhu is the place where Marconi made the first radio broadcast to Newfoundland in 1901.
Mullion Cove below
and Poldhu
Went to Mullion Cove and Poldhu on New Year's Eve. Brilliant places and very quiet, of course, being midwinter. Poldhu is the place where Marconi made the first radio broadcast to Newfoundland in 1901.
Mullion Cove below
and Poldhu
