Getting key information quickly without friction is my idea of heaven on earth. Hell is network TV.
I understand the TV networks built their business model on commercial interruption. Free TV attracted a lot of viewers who otherwise couldn’t have afforded the content. Yes, I get the profit motive in making the content appeal to as many people as possible. I’m also starkly aware that many people like things explained in the simplest possible terms.
That doesn’t change the fact that I want to learn a lot, and quickly. I’m impatient and I don’t like friction in my information flow. And so I’ve learned not to wait for other people to help me learn. At least not the people who depend on the traditional mass media business model.
I wrote about why podcasts are useful, using the example of how I get the scoop on NFL football quickly by listening to Bill Simmon’s podcast. I just listened to the latest episode of his podcast where he and Michael Lombardi explain everything you need to know about the NFL. Once again, I’m in awe: the podcast is pure speed learning.
No commercial interruptions. Great questions, and provocative discussion. They assume you know a certain amount about football, or that you’ll figure out the obscure references on your own (hey, anyone know how to work this Internet thing?!)
Maybe one day the podcast will become more popular and Simmons will be pressed into making it more commercial (e.g. putting in more ads, and dumbing it down so the lazy-minds can follow along).
Sure, not every Simmons podcast is about football. Most of them I don’t care about. But when he has Michael Lombardi on and they talk about football I get as much information in 30 minutes as I get in a year of watching the NFL Network.
P.S. If you want a better practice, start using the 80/20 Principle.
