Reflecting on my first year in retirement - media consumption
My comsumption habits have changed a lot since I retired. Here’s a sweeping outline.
Note: if you don’t consume a lot media then this story will bore the pants off you.
Since retiring exactly a year ago, my online reading habits have changed and expanded. I read the occasional enterprise apps story but find most of them depressingly dull. In my mind, very little progress has been made, despite the opportunities afforded by the pandemic. I’m a The Information subscriber but wish I wasn’t. It’s going the schlock way so much tech media has gone. For me, it is too full of itself with far too much ‘people familiar with’ (aka folk with an axe to grind) bullshit. I’ll be cancelling next time around.
I subscribe to the Daily Telegraph or Torygraph as it is better known. This is largely so I can see for myself the extent of delusion that exists among the entitled class and elites in the U.K. Some of their writers are barking mad but on occasion turn in decent stuff. The Telegraph offers useful extras. Last week’s subscriber live chat with Joanna Lumley was delightful although somewhat spoiled by interviewer Camilla Tominey’s sashaying between a slobbering fawning approach and trotting out softball after softball. I also regularly read The Guardian to get the same type of hit but from the soppy lefties in U.K. politics.
For real news I prefer Private Eye. It has the right blend of hard investigative reporting and cynical sarcasm that appeals to me. It’s also one of the very few true subscription led titles that refuses to go online. As its editor Ian Hislop has said on many occasions, quality investigative reporting is long run and expensive and has to be paid for. Why would anyone in their right mind give that away? The Eye doesn’t and I am happy to pay for receiving it’s dead tree tech each fortnight supplemented by its Page 94 podcast.
For my transatlantic fix I’ve settled on WashPo. Again, that’s a subscription thing. I get just enough to keep me reasonably well informed while also benefitting from reading the US take on all things EU/U.K.
For pure reading delight, Matt Taibbi is hard to beat. His command of language and use of hyperbole to squish hyperbole and fluff is magical. I wish I had his talent. Sometimes his long reads are too long but then he packs a huge amount into each missive which keeps me going to the end.
If I’m feeling especially masochistic then I’ll check out how ‘furious’ or ‘enraged’ some half wit is as often headlined in the Daily Express’s coverage of Brexshit. I give the Daily Mail a wide berth unless I’m imagining running out of toilet paper.
Francine McKenna’s The Dig continues to entertain me in my life long interest about corrupt accounting, auditing and the Big Four. If you want deeply reported content on this vitally important topic then Francine’s The Dig is your place to go.
Thomas Otter’s semi-blog cum listicle newsletter is my go to source for all things HR and especially as it relates to the truly new stuff happening in that world.
Phil Fersht’s acerbic blog posts, copiously pimped on LinkedIn, continue to amuse and inform in equal measure. It’s a very popular read, especially among the outsourcers who are moving their business models to reflect 21st century requirements.
If you’re wondering how that brief round up squares with my moving away from tech I have a simple explanation. These authors have decades of real experience and knowledge that is unparalleled in their chosen areas of expertise. They bring that depth of understanding to their stories in a way that exudes authority yet remain digestible. I still want to learn. I’m sure that list will expand over time but for now, it’s enough.
In audio, I enjoy how Scott Galloway parses politics, marketing, the economy and a (limited) slice of tech. I love that he doesn’t give a shit yet comes at you with a slew of facts that make you think. Hard. I also like his brutal self honesty. If you’ve not checked out his ProfG newsletter/podcast then you should. I am tempted to sign up for one of his brand strategy sprints just for giggles.
I regularly listen to Pivot though I feel that Galloway and Kara Swisher would do better taking turns rather than talking over each other. I’m not sure if their media owners realise this but skipping over the awful in show ads is easy.
Tom Raftery’s Climate 21 podcasts keep me where I want to be in the world of climate change. Tom always gives me something else to find and study as I continue to invest in sustainable ventures.
On video, Nigel Ng and his alter ego Uncle Roger amuse me no end with playful digs at Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. I hope to see Nigel live this year. Vincenzo’s Plate has me hooked on easy, authentic Italian cooking while the variety of street food videos I see on YouTube opened up a world about which I know little.
I’ve watched hundreds of documentaries on YouTube/Netflix/Amazon Prime/ Disney and U.K. main channels. It won’t surprise anyone to learn that I’ve spent a lot of time watching documentaries covering the two 20th century world wars, especially the land wars. Given where we are today in the Russia-Ukraine war, that historical learning helps me make better sense of what I’m hearing about the current war.
I’ve not been limited to these topics, vast though they are. There’s so much content to consume, and my interests have broadened to include micro gardening, sustainable agriculture, rare books and their history, Japanese carpentry, 3-D printing, beading, and much more.
Again, it won’t surprise regular readers to know I’ve added to my collection of cookery books as I discover more about cooking science. For that I’m grateful to Heston Blumenthal and his obsession with excellence. But I am selective. I’m going back to books that talk in depth about techniques, especially in baking and Asian cooking. I’m also drawn to modern cooking styles, with Ottolenghi (middle east) and Meera Sodha (vegetarian Indian) taking pride of place. This fusion of reading encourages me to develop my takes on food that can be served inside an hour while also learning how techniques like making a poolish open up many bread making opportunities.
Films? There’ve been so many but of all I’ve watched Frances McDormand’s performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri blew me away. Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson we’re outstanding too. I’m not particularly fond of Tom Hanks but his tortured performance in Greyhound was standout. It helps that the subject matter has been underserved in the past. Daniel Craig’s Bond swansong gave him the chance show that he can act rather than provide us with an extended gymnastics display in No Time To Die but I wasn’t as fond of the film as others.
Thank goodness I retired! I’m way too busy consuming content to work!!
Onwards…