Michael Arrington would appear to share the same hearing issue I suffer:

One problem I have is very bad hearing. When there is background noise/music/conversation I often cannot understand what a person is saying right in front of me. Sometimes I try to follow the conversation from fragments that I pick up. Other times, I ask for them to repeat what they said. It?s frustrating.

I’ve suffered the same thing since my late teens. Crowds, be they pubs, parties whatever are the problem. The louder the background noise the worse it is. I had a speech pathologist tell me a couple of months back that I should seek treatment (the golden child is seeing one). I told her that I’ve gone this long without cure, no need to fix it now.

From what I can gather it’s often related to Juvenile Tinnitus. I attended a “rock concert” when I was 15, I ears rang at low levels for the better part of the next 5 years. At 18 I’d convinced myself that I could hear high pitched sounds that others couldn’t hear (note: there was NO internet back then to give a diagnosis). The ringing eventually went away, but the issue with background noise has been present ever since. I was also heavily involved with Jazz and Concert Bands until my early 20’s which probably didn’t help.

I’d note some of the trolls of Crunchnotes have been harsh. It is both unfair and uncalled for. I’ve never seen my inability to easily define conversations in crowds as a disability. You’ll often see me stand slightly side on to people in a conversation so I can better focus on what is being said. There are of course times where you just nod your head and agree with everything someone is saying to you because you haven’t got the faintest idea what they are saying, but certainly (at least for me) it is the exception to the rule. The thought (as one commenter argued) that if you cant hear properly you shouldn’t put yourself in that situation is beyond offensive. Just accept that some people find it difficult to hear in crowds.

Introducing On The Pod: my weekly podcast on what ever takes my fancy at the time. It will be mostly tech but not strictly so, it will depend on the guest. The aim is to talk to folks who might not otherwise have a voice, people who are interesting. I’ll also be aiming to interview most of Australia’s Web 2.0 crowd, so be warned. 🙂

My first show is with David Krug. We cover blogs, blog networks, user generated content and unionised blogging. It’s a little longer than I’d planned it to be (I’m aiming for 30mins per show) but it was worth it. A great conversation and for those with the time to listen I hope you enjoy it, audio issues aside (I’m a little quiet). Great fodder for your next car commute or plane trip 🙂

Back home after a week offline. Looks like the only things I missed were Scoble kinda quiting blogging again. Tip Robert: take a holiday, a long one and take it somewhere you cant get online: like Victoria. Oh, and then there’s a spat between Winer and Calacanis. I like and respect both of them, so apologies in advance, but fuck me, do we really need to bring reality television style spats to the blogging world? C’mon guys, there is nothing that cant be resolved in private over a pint or 10 of Guinness?

But back to the post headline. My Acer (heap of shit) laptop was my last vestige of me being a PC user. It sucked when I was in the Valley, and the little time I had online in Melbourne it sucked as well. Solution: a 17″ Macbook Pro with 2 gig ram etc etc… The start up speed alone is enough to dazzle even the most diehard PC user. It’s a little big, but you get that with a 17″ LCD, but other than that it’s pure bliss, not that I’ve got to use it a lot yet. Western Australian Web Awards Friday so I’ll give it a run at the Duxton then a conference in September. There is still 1 working plugged in PC in the house, but my just turned 5 year old cant quite tell the difference yet. Maybe an iMac next year, and Flyakite OS (the Mac skin for Windows program) in the mean time 🙂

A short note that I’ll be offline for a week, heading to Melbourne and then the snow for a break (also the golden child’s 5th birthday). Limited or no internet access at this time.

Back on the 15th. I’d appreciate it if no one burgled the house in my absence 🙂

Warning: anyone religious will find this offensive.

(via Larvatusprofeo)

One of the last things I did in San Francisco before leaving Wednesday local time was go shopping. It’s not New York but they have a Macys so the golden child has some great polo tops for summer (how is it that I can buy 3 Polo Ralph Loren tops in the US for less than 1 in Australia…go figure).

I visited the Apple store twice.

First time I thought this is mad, I’ll come back later. Second time it was just as mad.

Was it bad though?

Well for starters they don’t stock a firewire webcam…I know they’ve discontinued the iSight but surely they could stock a third party firewire cam. No such luck, and yet half (maybe more) of USB cams don’t work with a Mac (ie: mine…well at least properly anyway).

Here’s my thing, strictly from a customer perspective. Fighting to see computers and iPhones and others things isn’t a pleasant shopping experience. Not being able to get help isn’t a pleasant shopping experience. Having to put my name on a list and wait to be called for further advice isn’t a pleasant shopping experience.

OK, so it wasn’t as retarded as the AT&T store I visited the day I got there. That was awful; rude staff and being yelled at that to get served you had to put your name on the waiting list. It made you’re average Telstra Shop feel like a Gucci Store.

Overall: after having visited an Apple store you come to understand why buying online has that much more appeal. They need to either make bigger stores + hire more staff, or get out of shop front retail. Cool products don’t stay cool forever if the retail purchasing experience is 3rd rate.