Just dropping a quick note to say I look forward to this show every week - I love the variety and the experimentation. Every episode has been thought-provoking and fun - it makes it hard to get out of the car and get started on my day :)
So glad you’re back! A story I found similarly fascinating - Crashing Through by Robert Kurson - about a blind man deciding whether or not to have a procedure to give him sight
I’m sure you’ve had this recommendation many times after doing this episode, but anyway I strongly recommend the writing of Ryan Knighton. He is a Canadian author and professor. His first book is very well written and it’s about his similar experience going blind with RP. His second is about parenting as a blind father. He’s also been a contributor to This American Life and others. The way he describes losing his sight has stuck with me for a very long time. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/812811
I very much enjoyed listening to this episode and learned a lot about the experiences of those who have limited or no sight.
I would like to add that without the context given at the end of the program (cool in its own right), I felt the music interludes to be randomly inserted and distracting from the discussion. After I heard the explanation from the sound artist, I found myself wishing I would have had that information BEFORE I heard the composition. It would have added excitement and anticipation to what was coming next. If you try something similar in the future (I hope you do!), I might suggest some sort of intro to set it up for the listener.
One final thing. I often listen to podcasts in the car with the windows down. With that background noise, it was impossible to hear the initial music tracks and both people in my car thought the podcast had stopped. This was such an interesting audio experience that it may benefit from a note at the beginning of the episode to listen in a quiet environment.
I've been losing my night-driving vision and also my see-the-cards-on-game-night vision for two or three years now, and I have been fear-avoiding seeing an opthalmologist about it. This episode convinced me to set an appointment. It's not till January 2, though, so I won't have news anytime soon. Stay tuned, I guess?
Apart from my own eye woes, I really enjoyed hearing about the school for blind people interacting with the world. My very good friend at grad school was legally and progressively blind due to macular degeneration, the end game being total blindness. He told me about going to a similar training program. I remember bits of it, like if you're going to cross a street you use very exaggerated body language when you step off the curb so that drivers understand your intent even though you can't make eye contact.
I learned a lot as we got to know each other better. Over time I got a lot better at not asking if he needed help and instead just being willing if he asked.
Another fascinating episode! I'm coming to terms with the depths of my own anxiety (I'm a perfectionist, and if you're deeply anxious about everyday events, you're not perfect, so you deny these things to yourself...), so I really appreciated your approach on this one.
And Andrew's right - mindfulness meditation really can help. It doesn't have to be sitting in a silent room for hours - I really like short guided meditations that tell me what to focus on. Smiling Mind is a free app with good starting points if you want to take the plunge...
Great episode! I do have a technical issue to share ... I use Castro on iOS, and for some reason this episode persistently failed to download; I could only listen as a stream, and I haven't seen that with any other shows. Not a huge problem, but just thought I'd note it.
The podcast app I use - Pocket Casts - shows Search Engine is trending which I'm so happy to see.
Thanks, PJ. You’re the best!
Glad you’re here.
Just dropping a quick note to say I look forward to this show every week - I love the variety and the experimentation. Every episode has been thought-provoking and fun - it makes it hard to get out of the car and get started on my day :)
So glad you’re back! A story I found similarly fascinating - Crashing Through by Robert Kurson - about a blind man deciding whether or not to have a procedure to give him sight
Ooh, thanks for the rec.
I’m sure you’ve had this recommendation many times after doing this episode, but anyway I strongly recommend the writing of Ryan Knighton. He is a Canadian author and professor. His first book is very well written and it’s about his similar experience going blind with RP. His second is about parenting as a blind father. He’s also been a contributor to This American Life and others. The way he describes losing his sight has stuck with me for a very long time. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/812811
I very much enjoyed listening to this episode and learned a lot about the experiences of those who have limited or no sight.
I would like to add that without the context given at the end of the program (cool in its own right), I felt the music interludes to be randomly inserted and distracting from the discussion. After I heard the explanation from the sound artist, I found myself wishing I would have had that information BEFORE I heard the composition. It would have added excitement and anticipation to what was coming next. If you try something similar in the future (I hope you do!), I might suggest some sort of intro to set it up for the listener.
One final thing. I often listen to podcasts in the car with the windows down. With that background noise, it was impossible to hear the initial music tracks and both people in my car thought the podcast had stopped. This was such an interesting audio experience that it may benefit from a note at the beginning of the episode to listen in a quiet environment.
thanks for the feedback Jim! Always helpful to know how people are hearing these.
I've been losing my night-driving vision and also my see-the-cards-on-game-night vision for two or three years now, and I have been fear-avoiding seeing an opthalmologist about it. This episode convinced me to set an appointment. It's not till January 2, though, so I won't have news anytime soon. Stay tuned, I guess?
Apart from my own eye woes, I really enjoyed hearing about the school for blind people interacting with the world. My very good friend at grad school was legally and progressively blind due to macular degeneration, the end game being total blindness. He told me about going to a similar training program. I remember bits of it, like if you're going to cross a street you use very exaggerated body language when you step off the curb so that drivers understand your intent even though you can't make eye contact.
I learned a lot as we got to know each other better. Over time I got a lot better at not asking if he needed help and instead just being willing if he asked.
Another fascinating episode! I'm coming to terms with the depths of my own anxiety (I'm a perfectionist, and if you're deeply anxious about everyday events, you're not perfect, so you deny these things to yourself...), so I really appreciated your approach on this one.
And Andrew's right - mindfulness meditation really can help. It doesn't have to be sitting in a silent room for hours - I really like short guided meditations that tell me what to focus on. Smiling Mind is a free app with good starting points if you want to take the plunge...
How do you spell the name of the recommended band??
https://open.spotify.com/artist/40sPlPGgON8MBAiW4CIFTP?si=T7vwJfeBSSiE9I_7GJKfEQ
Thank you!
Hoping this is of some interest, aid or use.
Please, what is the song at the end? I absolutely adore it and want it on my playlist!!!
Is there a place we can hear the theme song and show music? The groove at 12:40 in this episode is total ear candy, and the theme song is awesome!
Edit: Oops, I was thinking of 12:40 in Episode 4.
Great episode! I do have a technical issue to share ... I use Castro on iOS, and for some reason this episode persistently failed to download; I could only listen as a stream, and I haven't seen that with any other shows. Not a huge problem, but just thought I'd note it.
Interesting. Will look into it. Thanks Paul.