I appear on the latest episode of John “Daring Fireball” Gruber’s The Talk Show podcast. John and I talked tariffs, hegemony and colonialism, and mother loving iPhones on mother loving cargo planes. Also about typesetting, printing, and crowdfunding.
As the author of an exhaustive book about Zoom, Take Control of Zoom, I am constantly looking for good tips and missing pieces in people’s Zoom experience. I encountered one in a recent podcast recording with a guest who was unable to record via QuickTime on her Mac. Her employer-issued device locked out USB input selection for QuickTime, even though she could use a USB mic with Zoom!
She was able to record locally within Zoom once I found the setting for that, but the file produced was a composite of both her and I instead of separate files, which are generally useful for audio editing. (Distinct tracks allow an editor to remove coughs or noises from tracks other than the one on which someome is speaking, as well as reduce cross-talk, more easily edit out false starts or digressions, and remove other noise.)
It was only after the
For the last few years, I’ve hosted and produced a podcast at The Incomparable network called Pants in the Boot. It’s a fun romp about what people in the US, UK, and other English-speaking countries call things. We get into lorries and trucks, pants and underwear, boots and trunks, but also into the kinds of foods we eat and meals we have, what items around the house are called, and much more.
I began posting episodes a few weeks ago in the latest “series” (in the UK meaning of each season being a “series”), and you can listen to them as well as the nearly 20 previous episodes recorded over the last two years.
Subscribe via this podcast feed, Apple Podcasts, or in any podcast app.
The latest episodes are:
Last year, I posted five episodes of a new podcast about type and printing history, past and present. It covered pure history (studying the past), how the history influences the present, and how we’re legitimately making history. Between pandemic and Tiny Type Museums and other work, I pressed pause, but restarted the series in March. Three episodes are now out, and another eight are either recorded or scheduled. The plan is to release episodes every other week at least through July, and likely into the fall.
Subscribe to the podcast feed directly via this link, via iTunes, or in any podcasting app.
The three episodes in 2021 so far are:
The latest episode of my new podcast, the Tiny Typecast, is out. This one features my mentor, Jenny Wilkson, who started the letterpress program at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, and Amy Redmond, an artist and designer who is a valued and long-time member of the local printing community. They are buddies, as you can tell from the podcast.
Listen to this episode by subscribing or downloading via Apple Podcasts, search for “tiny typecast” in your favorite podcasting app, or use this subscription URL to add it directly. You can also listen via the episode page.
I get them to talk about what led them into letterpress, which is a fascinating subject for people who are younger than, say, 70 years old. Both started relatively early in their careers and have spent much of their adult lives working in the medium and teaching it to others. Both love
A quick update on the latest in Glenn!
I launched the Tiny Typecast, interviews on location and remotely about how type, design, and printing’s past informs the present and guides the future. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcasting app; if you can’t find a listing, paste this podcast URL in your app.
The topics will be wide-ranging, but I launch with an interview of the folks at Letterform Archive in San Francisco. It’s an incredible collection of graphic design history that’s in active use by modern-day designers as well as historians. I loved it and can’t wait to visit them in their upcoming new location. The second episode is a talk with Keith Houston, author of The Book, about the long-running success of the book format (the codex), and how little has changed, as well as our expectations of what a book is
Join me January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 as I host an episode of his podcast The New Disruptors live at Ada's Technical Books and Café in Seattle with three letterpress printers as guests to talk about making some or all of their living in the 21st century by working in the past with techniques, equipment, and type that date as far back as the 19th century and earlier.
My panel discussion features Demian Johnston, Sarah Kulfan, and Amy Redmond, and we’ll talk about their work and practices, and how they make the past mesh with the present, especially at a time when authenticity is highly prized. The event will end with a Q&A and informal discussion. The printers and I will have some of their work on hand and available for purchase. (Note that this live event will be taped for later online audio
Last year was hard to top. I had a designer in residence position at the School of Visual Concepts, printed a book by letterpress, traveled to New York for a Kickstarter event, Wisconsin for the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum Wayzgoose, and to London to research a book.
2018 started weakly. I got the flu on Christmas Eve, recovered briefly, and then was so knocked out with secondary illnesses that it took me about four months to recover fully. During that time, I was also writing a book, finding new publications to write for, and figuring out what I would do across the year.
It turned out pretty well in the end.
In the first part of the year, I finished researching and writing London Kerning, and then designed the book and had it printed—and then shipped it out to hundreds of people. I undersold myself on demand
I somehow managed to fail to post here that the first episode in the new series of The New Disruptors podcast came out! Last month! I am very good at self-promotion!
Listen to my interview with comics publishing impresario C. Spike Trotman (or use the SoundCloud link below). You can subscribe to the podcast via this link or find it in all podcast directories.
That was episode #100 (I jumped up a few to reset). Episode #101 is coming soon plus a mini-episode. I’ll be creating 12 new full episodes between August 2018 and July 2019, but I also plan some shorter ones in which I ask a creator about their latest project.
You can help support the creation of more episodes and keeping the show running past July 2019 by becoming a monthly or one-time sponsor. Benefits include a private discussion forum, nifty enamel pins, and thanks on
I’m raising funds to bring back a popular podcast I produced from 2012 to 2014, The New Disruptors, and need your help! Backers can opt for support levels that give them early and exclusive access to episodes, video, and live events!
That's the tl;dr — here’s more detail:
For 93 episodes of The New Disruptors podcast, I interviewed artists, writers, musicians, cartoonists, industrial designers, game makers, indie facilitators (like Kickstarter, VHX, and Crowd Supply), app developers, and unique independent operators who had either found an audience for their creative work or helped people make those connections. (All the back episodes are at the New Disruptors web site.)
In October 2014, I put the show on hiatus as I wound down The Magazine, and had to focus on building up my freelance writing career. While I loved The New Disruptors, it was a significant weekly time commitment, and I
I’ve published a number of interesting articles recently and had a spate of podcast appearances. Here’s a short summary. (You can also use my Authory page to see recent articles and search on the full text, and sign up to be notified about new articles.)
I admit I have a very uneven podcast listening habit. I work from home and travel rarely, so I don't have an opportunity to listen to much or a lot of new stuff. I can't listen to podcasts and do most of the kind of work I do, either (writing, editing, audio editing, and podcasting!). But then I'll wind up with a slough of appointments or slack time in the evenings, and catch up. I seem to prefer to binge listen to podcasts than binge watch TV series.
These are shows I think a lot of other geeky people or damned intellectuals will enjoy, not just with my niche interests and quirky tastes. (For instance, while I like listening to Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten, a weekday 10-minute podcast of German news spoken slowly and clearly to aid in learning (or re-learning), I doubt many will.)