Winning Slowly

Show Notes In which we laugh our way through a podcast about the world’s greatest humor website: homestarrunner.com. Why is it still funny? How does “funny” (of all things) manage to endure? What role does humor play in culture? How do things become timeless(ish)? An image of the main cast of the website. Chapters Intro (0:49) White People Making Rap Videos (0:49–6:26) An Episode of Ishes (6:26–16:43) Put Things in Slow Motion to Make Them Awesome (16:43–26:26) Conclusion (26:26–28:06) Bloopers (28:06–28:49) Music “Everybody, Everybody” – click “Songs, Music, and Balance Transfers” for this and many other songs. “Winning Slowly Theme” – nothing new or unusual about this. Links By “links” we basically just mean: go read Hyperbole and a Half and watch things on HomeStarRunner.com. HomeStarRunner.com History section on Wikipedia (actually rather interesting!) Fish Eye Lens The System is Do

Note: if you downloaded this episode before 8:45pm Eastern time on October 21, 2014, you should re-download it. Chris made an error in mixing it together, leading to his and Stephen’s audio being slightly out of sync for the entire episode (!), which has since been fixed. If you downloaded it after that time, you’re good to go! Show NotesIn which we ask: “Who funds the arts? And how does that impact the artist ethically?” Corporations, individuals, and governments all have distinct downsides as revenue streams for artists, and corporations and governments in particular can be problematic for both artists and consumers in the ways they complicate the expression of artistic intent. Chapters Intro (1:13) No One Would Be Left (1:13–8:56) Drop the Big Bombs (8:56–17:14) To Power Their Evil Machines of Death (17:14–27:21) Conclusion (27:21–29:34) Bloopers (29:34–30:04) Music “Love Me Back” by Seer Group. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho. Used by extra special super neat permission? L

Show NotesIn which we talk about new social media player Ello—some initial impressions, venture capital’s influence in Silicon Valley and its distinctive shape there vs. elsewhere, and thoughts on business model and communication. Chapters Intro (0:44) Definitely Still a Beta (0:44–5:27) That’s Not a Gift (5:27–14:02) How People React to News (14:02–22:32) A Working Business Model (22:32–28:32) Conclusion (28:32–30:04) Outtake (30:04–30:10) Music “Aldebaran Serpent” from Tower by Falcon Arrow. Used by permission. (Isn’t that album art fantastic?) “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho. We asked him for permission, and he said “Yes.” Links Things we talked about on the show that we thought you might want to click a lovely link and read about. Ello About: What is Ello? Who Created Ello? Ello Manifesto: Your social network is owned by advertisers. Every post you share, every friend you make, and every

Show NotesIn which we start with a look at some really neat apps designed to ease political engagement in the United States and then branch out to talk about the limits of political engagement, the importance of valuing other forms of public life, and what it means to be fully-realized human beings. CorrigendaChris said that Countable addresses local politics; it does not. It focuses on national bills in the House and Senate. Also, he mentioned the Westminster Confession but meant the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Chapters Intro (0:29) Techo-Utopianism (0:29–9:24) 8,000 Years of Human History (9:24–18:40) Do You Know Your Neighbors (18:40–24:24) Conclusion (24:24–25:26) Bloopers (25:26–26:08) Music “Those Days” by Noire. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho. He dances a little jig inside every time someone starts whistling this theme after listening to an episode. Or he would if he knew about it. Links The things we talk about

Show NotesIn which we geek out about Doctor Who… and do our best to say something meaningful about the necessity of people who can tell us what we’re getting wrong in life, and who can be strong where we have weaknesses. Correction We said only one episode of new Doctor Who has won a Hugo. We were dreadfully wrong: the show has won six Hugos since the revival in 2006. Whoops. Recommended Moffat Episodes of Doctor Who “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” “The Girl in the Fireplace” “Blink” “Silence in the Library” and “Forest of the Dead” “The Day of the Doctor” (fiftieth anniversary special) Chapters Intro (1:10) I Am Awesome At This (1:10–7:03) Actually It Was a Robot in a Dream (7:03–14:48) Lone Rebel Genius (14:48–20:38) Hip Motion is for Losers (20:38–25:04) Conclusion (25:04–26:30) Things We Cut. Yep. (26:30–27:08) Music “Doctor Who Theme”, by Ron Gra

Show NotesIn which we talk about something Apple did this week… but not the thing they announced, and almost certainly not what you’d expect. Namely: the death of the iPod Classic: Apple’s oldest consumer product outside the Mac, and a veritable gamechanger for the music industry. It’s gone, and Stephen is upset. (Chris, not so much.) Chapters Intro (1:32) It’s Probably Pastel White (1:32–9:45) You’re Probably in my Hundred Friends (9:45–14:45) What the Corporate Overlord Giveth (14:45–19:45) How You Relate to an Object (19:45–26:45) Conclusion (26:45–27:58) Music “Carry Oceans”, by Montoya – used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho, who can use his own music in public context whenever he so desires. Links iPod Classic (Wikipedia) Flipboard Lumosity Inkpad Follow/Subscribe iTunes Twitter Facebook App.net

Show NotesIn which we talk about the recent celebrity nude selfies leak from just about every angle: the people who hijacked the photos, those who took the photos, the technology used to store the photos, and society at large. We talk about what individuals’ relationship with technology should look like, how we should view those who behave wickedly, and where there might be hope for solving these kinds of problems in our society. Chapters Intro (0:58) The Internet is Not “Safe” (0:58–07:23) Degrading Women (7:23–15:51) People Do Wicked Things (15:51–20:57) No Better Answers (20:57–27:45) Conclusion (27:45–28:45) Music “Trap” from Believers by Remedies. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho, who can use his own music in public context whenever he so desires. Links Nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and others posted online by alleged hacker (The Guardian) Update: What Jennifer Lawrence can teach you about cloud security (Ars Technica) Apple confirms celebrities’ accounts breached in “h

Show NotesIn which we talk about the drive to publish all the time and the value of publishing more substantive content at a slower pace. We talk about the way the internet has driven us toward rapid-fire publishing models and how long-form and high-quality content is difficult (if not impossible) to publish on this model. We look at how to build an audience via quality and the slow route instead of the click-driven model, note that this is difficult to sustain as a means of income, and even think a bit about the history of long-form and serial publishing. Chapters Intro (1:23) Peak Stream (1:23–6:44) Winning Slowly Quickly (6:44–11:14) Winning Slowly Slowly (11:14–23:33) Conclusion (23:33–24:35) Music “Seasons” from Palm Ghosts by Palm Ghosts “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho. Mmm. Piano. Links “2013: The Year the ‘Stream’ Crested” – the Atlantic Chris’ favorite podcasts (the ones he gets sad if they come out late): The Incomparable Accidental Tech Podcast Independent Clauses – Stephen’s ind

Show NotesIn which we talk about Taylor Swift, Twitter, and changes in expectations. We admit that Chris is a Taylor Swift fan and that Stephen is a hipster. Then we get down to the business of talking about how these two changes differ both in messaging and in contente, and look at the ways that both consumers and Chapters Intro (1:20) Haters Gonna Hate (1:20–07:40) Turning Itself Into Facebook (07:40–16:33) Artists and Corporations Are Not the Same (16:33–24:15) Social Media of Record (24:15–28:48) Conclusion (28:48–29:40) Music “Betamax”, by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho: still super neat. Right? Links “Shake It Off” – official music video “Haters, Keep Hating: Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ Will Take Over the World” “This is how Twitter is starting to fundamentally redefine itself” “Twitter now officially says your timeline is

Show NotesIn which we discuss the necessity of extending charity to each other in our conversations, especially conversations on controversial issues. Springboarding from public/internet reactions to Christian musician Michael Gungor’s discussion of his views on Genesis, we talk about the necessity of charity, Chris’ Rules for Argument, the importance of taking a long-term view on friendship and persuasion, and what to do in the face of serious disagreement about important issues. Chapters Intro (2:06) Act Like Grownups (2:06–6:15) Rules 0 and 1 (6:15–15:55) But We Still Disagree (15:55–23:58) Calling People on the Carpet (23:58–30:50) Conclusion (30:50–31:45) Music “Perfect World”, from I, by Americano: used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho: designed to make your ears giddy. Links “What Do We Believe?” – Michael Gungor’s original blog post “Gungor drifts from biblical orthodoxy” – Jeff Kock at World Magazine “I’m With You” – a follow-up blog post by Michael Gungor “I’m With You (Pa

Warning: this episode touches on some very difficult topics, including both death in general and suicide in particular. If these are especially sensitive topics for you, we recommend you skip this episode. Maybe go back and listen to Superhero Movies! instead. Show NotesIn which we talk about The Collection’s new album, Ars Moriendi (“The Art of Dying”). We cover the musicality of the album itself, then dive into the way it wrestles with hard topics in a faithfully Christian way without either succumbing to despair or giving into the lure of trite and reductionistic answers. We talk about what good art is and does and how utilitarianism is a fundamental misstep in the making of good art, and we note that culture at large and evangelical subculture could do with a great deal more of this sort of thoughtful reflection on death. Chapters Intro (“The Gown of Green”) (0:30–3:09) This Is An Orchestra (3:09–12:03) “Broken Tether” (12:03–13:47) Those Lyri

Show Notes In which we talk about superhero movies as context for dealing well and poorly with success and failure. And geek out about superhero movies. (Honestly, we mostly just geek out about superhero movies.) But along the way, we do note that DC, Marvel, Sony, and Fox have dealt with their successes and failures in some radically different ways, and note some ways in which we might all learn from our superhero friends. Also, we unabashedly make mistakes ourselves, own them, and laugh at them. One of them might even be after the theme music at the end. Chapters Intro (1:23) Marvel/DC/Sony/Fox (1:23–5:22) Reboots (5:22–8:53) Copying the Other Guy (8:53–15:34) Not Learning From Failure (15:34–19:25) The Gold Standard (19:25–28:12) Conclusion (28:12–29:28) “You Just Forgot to Do the Other Half of That” (29:28–29:39) Music “Break Away”, from A Million Miles Away, by Afterlife Parade. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, b

Show Notes In which we look (rather critically) at the tech sphere’s tendency to assume everything not only can but should be disrupted. Snarky asides on smartwatches and smartshoes segue into a discussion of the necessity of humility and the importance of recognizing what technology cannot do and what it should not do. Note: by “disruption” we are focused not on the particular concept developed by Clay Christensen, but on the popular view of the word. We are aware of the distinction, but decided to set it aside for the purposes of this particular episode. MOOCs: Massively Open Online Courses Chapters Intro (2:09) MOOCs! Watches! Shoes! (2:09–9:06) The Cult of Disruption (9:06–15:32) Technological Imperialism (15:32–21:22) Recognizing Tech’s Limitations (21:22–27:36) Conclusion (27:36–28:36) Music “Cado Año (Version Two)”, from For Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself, by Fiery Crash. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, b

Show NotesIn which we talk about one of the longest views: family. In particular, we look at the ways that all our pursuits—especially those having to do with family—force us to make choices about what we value most and to allocate our time accordingly. After all, one’s impact on one’s family is far more long-lasting than nearly anything else we do. We also spend some time thinking about the responsibilities of corporations to develop expectations that support families as genuinely valuable to culture Chapters Intro (2:43) You Can’t Have It All (2:43–11:55) Singleness Not a Disaster (11:55–16:32) Family, Work, Innovation, and the Long View (16:32–28:50) Conclusion (28:50–32:09) Music “Walls For The Wind”, from Nature’s Burrito by The Parmesans. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. Used by dint of being written the show. Not too bad for a digitally voiced piano.

Show Notes We talk about Facebook’s much-discussed study of user responses to variations in their News Feed: what did Facebook do, exactly? Was it ethical? What responsibilities do users and consumers of different media (social included) have? What reponsibilities do companies have to their users? Chapters Intro (1:08) Facebook’s Social (Network) Science (1:08–12:02) User Responsibility (12:02–17:46) Corporate Ethics (17:46–27:00) Conclusion (27:00–30:00) Music “Summerooms Social”, from Summerooms [original master] by Summerooms. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. Used by dint of being written the show. Also: it’s sweeeet. Links Facebook tinkered with users’ feeds for a massive psychology experiment, by William Hughes In Defense of Facebook, by Tal Yarkoni (and see the comments for a helpful back-and-forth)

Show Notes In which we talk about how watching companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook try to “pivot”—that is, attempting (and usually failing) to do something outside their core areas of competency—highlights the difficulty of institutional change in general. We apply this idea to everything from the strengths and weaknesses of different Christian denominations to the way structural change occurs in the government. A few explanatory comments: Yes, we’re fully aware that the PCA (of which Stephen is a member) has lots of missionaries on the field, and that Southern Baptists’ views on alcohol are a great deal more complicated than just generic grumpiness. But those details are less important to the particular discussion we were having today. “The most open of [the Creative Commons licenses]” (from when Stephen’s mind blanked trying to refer to it at the end of the show) is the Attribution 4.0 license. Read more about it here. Chapters Intro (1:32) T

Show Notes In which we talk about App.net closing down, how even good business models do not guarantee successful businesses, and the future of paying for things on the internet—especially whether social media will ever be the kind of thing people are willing to pay for. Chapters Intro (0:53) Follow-up: Fixed and Marginal Costs (0:53–1:44) What Happened to ADN? (1:44–7:26) Paying to Socialize (7:26–17:41) Free or Not Free (17:41–23:00) Conclusion (23:00–24:47) Music “Mountain Song”, from Lion’s Den by Little Chief. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. Used because we don’t need permission to use our own stuff! Links App.Net State of the Union – in which Dalton Caldwell (founder of App.net) announced publicly the layoffs and future of the service.

Show Notes In which we talk about headline-writing in general, click-bait headlines in particular, and why we don’t think that click-bait headlines are a “best practice”—or really a good thing at all. How these realities shape all sorts of discourse, not just headline-writing, including political stances. Note: Chris kept talking about Slate when he meant not Slate (and specifically “Pajiba.com”). His bad. Chapters Intro (1:26) Headline-Writing (1:26–6:58) Whether Ends Justify Means (6:58–12:30) Means Shape Ends (12:30–16:47) Truthy, or Truly? (16:47–21:07) Conclusion (21:07–22:10) Music “Nightingale Movement I”, from Birds… Fly South!, by The Duke of Norfolk – used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. Used because it was written just so you could hear it at the end of every show! Links “How Salon.com Rewrote My Headline and Turned Me Into an Internet Troll”

Show Notes In which we tackle copyright (or left, as you like), barely touch on patents, and generally try to think about how to handle questions of intellectual property as consumers and creators thereof in the brave new world of digital economics and cheap copies of everything (even Nike shoes). Chapters Intro (1:02) The Reason for Copyright (1:02–8:22) Valuing Products in Different Ways (8:22–19:55) “Pay Me For This Thing” (19:55–26:55) Conclusion (28:10) Music We know. Pretty sweet sounds. Even if we do say so ourselves. “New Life”, from New Life, by Stephen Carradini. Used because we can do whatever we want with our own music! (Turns out, in this case, so can you…) “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. See above! Links Things we talked about in the show you might want to read some more about. We give them to you for free! Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture, by Henry Jenkins Stratechery.fm Episode 02: F

Show Notes In which we talk about how anyone with a camera can be a “photographer,” anyone with a laptop can be a “musician,” anyone with a SquareSpace account can be a “designer,” and so on—and how these things are both beautifully empowering and incredibly frustrating for the pros in these fields. Chapters Intro (2:54) Prosumerization (2:54–12:42) I’m-Trying-To-Be-A-Professional Buttons (12:42–20:15) The Digital Economy (20:15–27:51) Conclusion (27:51–29:08) Music “Old Foes”, by Yaquina Bay. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme”, by Chris Krycho. Used by dint of being written for the show. Links Things we mentioned in the show you might care about: Squarespace design kerfuffle Ben Thompson/Stratechery