LenEdgerly.com

Yesterday I created and uploaded Episode 1 of a new podcast, The Kindle Chronicles. I'm very excited about the project, because the Kindle has changed the way I read, and I know that I'm not alone. The weekly podcast, scheduled for release each Friday by noon, will comprise Kindle News, a Tech Tip, the "What's on Your Kindle?" interview, and a Kindle Quote. Baratunde Thurston hit a homer as the first interview subject for the podcast. I listened to our conversation in the car this morning and was really struck with the power of Baratunde's ideas about how social media could combine with the Kindle for shared reading experiences. Jeff Bezos, are you listening?

Please join the conversation by subscribing (the iTunes directory listing is under review) and commenting on the podcast. If you are a Kindle reader and are interested in being interviewed, please let me know. If you are Jeff Bezos's scheduler, don't delay--there are still some good openings available!

Labels: Kindle podcast

Monday, July 28, 2008

Friday, July 25, 2008

Christopher S. Penn and Chris Brogan exhorted us PodCampers to focus on action, to get beyond talk about social media to, basically, changing the world. They inspired me as I woke up this morning to gather my own personal action items before they drift back into the haze of pleasant memory. To wit:

1. Improve this web site using ideas Chris Penn shared in yesterday's "Extreme Makeover" session. He showed us a very cool web site grader which gives my site a 60-out-of-100 score. One problem is that I am redirecting the Blogger URL to the domain name I purchased at GoDaddy, which screws up the meta tags. That sentence alone indicates that fixing my web site will involve arcane under-the-hood tools and facts, the scary and essential Ninja powers of which Chris is a master.

2. Press ahead with my still photography. I was motivated and energized by the Flickr feedback I received on the above photo, of Phil Campbell interviewing Chris Brogan, and other shots I took during the two days. I have loved photography since I learned how to develop black and white photos in pungent chemical baths at The Harvard Crimson, the college's daily newspaper. I recently bought a "real" camera, a Nikon D40, in preparation for a Chris Marquardt's "Tips from the Top Floor" landscape photography workshop in Fort Collins August 21-24th.

3. Figure out what the dream "Mystery Rig" was that I saw a woman shooting on Saturday. I didn't want to interrupt her filming, so I got close enough to see it was some kind of Sanyo Xacti camera with an external mic and a hand mount. This could be the next generation of my Video Pod Chronicles gear.

4. Stay in touch with David Beaudoin, Stephanie Davis, Suki Fuller, Lisa Czejdo, Sarah Vela, Michael Gaines, Daniel Patterson, Christina Hills, and other new friends I met in the high-ceilinged hallways of the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School.

5. Check out the podcasts I heard about during interviews that will make up Wednesday's episode of the Audio Pod Chronicles, especially Dan Patterson's Quixotic friend in Spearfish, South Dakota, whose name escapes now but I have it on the Edirol R-09.

That's it for now. I'm late for a meeting and then we will be returning to Ocean Park, Maine, where I hope to meet the elusive Amy Greenlaw, who was also at PodCamp but we kept missing each other. The adventure continues. I am VERY grateful to the Incredible Chris Duo for all the work that went into this event. They personify a generoisity of spirit and energy that I hope to live up to in the coming weeks and months.

Labels: pcb3 "PodCamp Boston"

Monday, July 21, 2008

Sunday, July 20, 2008

It's a bright, sunny day here at Ocean Park, Maine. After lunch, I took a break from my podcast prep and decided to try out the Kindle at the beach. I took a folding chair and had to run quickly over the hot sand in my bare feet. Once set up, I was delighted at how easy on the eyes the e-ink screen was. Just like reading a newspaper or a book.

I'm deep into Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns, so I read wonderful tales of Lincoln's presidency for about 10 minutes until I felt my legs getting burned, then retreated to the cottage. Now I'm looking out the window, dreaming of my next Kindle-on-the-Beach break...

Labels: Kindle beach Maine

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

An Apple Store on 3G Day from Len Edgerly on Vimeo.

This was the scene inside the Cambridgeside Apple store on July 11, 2008 as I began the process of buying an iPhone 3G. What I thought would take 15 minutes turned into a two-hour ordeal in which I got caught in the great iTunes Store server meltdown and left with my phone unactivated. Activation was accomplished at home at about 3 p.m., and all's well. I love the phone, and the Apple staff were great, even the guy who politely asked me to stop filming with my Flip camera.

Labels: Apple iPhone CambridgeSide Galleria

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

I love trains, and the two-hour Downeaster from Old Orchard Beach, Maine, to Boston's North Station is one of my favorites. The OOB stop is seasonal, available only in the summer, when I can walk to it from the cottage or get a lift for the five-minute drive if I've got luggage. I treat myself to Business Class, not much more than Coach on this trip, but more room and a free non-alcoholic beverage. I had a hot dog and a cup of Legal Seafood's clam chowdah for lunch, downloaded a guilty-pleasure beach read to the Kindle, The Beach House by Jane Green (excellent so far), and now am happily ensconced at a table in the cafe car, surfing a strong 3G signal from AT&T wireless, enjoying the photo that the cafe hostess took on my iPhone. Ah, life!

Saturday, July 05, 2008