The Total Perspective Vortex was a machine built with the intention of showing beings the infinity of creation, which became used as a method of torture.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the show and that it gave you those Douglas Adams vibes - that's a huge compliment.
I really appreciate your thoughts on the packaging and pacing. You've made an excellent point about the episode structure, and it's given me food for thought. The idea of shorter, more digestible episodes is intriguing, and it's something I hadn't considered before.
I initially chose the longer format to dive deep into each topic, but I can see how it might feel repetitive for some listeners. Your suggestion of ~7 minute episodes could indeed make the show easier to consume and fit better into people's daily routines.
I'm always looking to improve, so I'll definitely consider this idea for future episodes. Thank you again for your constructive feedback.
I mean, I can always use pause and hope that my podcast player will remember where I stopped to be able to continue from that point later on. That's true. But why did I need to think about it in the first place? By running 4 episodes back to back I actually binge-played it without even realising. And, for me personally, no matter how good a show is (from Futurama to Black Mirror), once they start running consecutively, I start recognizing patterns and repetitions and it makes it feel stale a bit. Maybe I'm just old school where TV/Radio broadcast would force me to wait for the next episode, for at least 24 hours (or longer), which would make it feel fresh and make me really looking forward to continue.
Few months ago I watched Star Trek Picard season 3, and I remembered this principle and I paced it so I would watch one episode daily and I enjoyed it tremendously.
It's not that I didn't enjoy 29 minutes of episode 1 of The Multiverse Employee Handbook - I did. But, when the first 7 minute episode ended, I was thinking to myself "wow, this is great!", and I was expecting the podcast playback to stop leaving me wanting to look for more. But it kept going, and, 22 minutes later I was thinking " ah, cool, will definitely continue tomorrow". The wow factor was gone. That's like me giving you a delicious slice of cake, and, as you are still full of impressions about how good it was, I shove three more slices onto your plate. :) Now you're feeling like you're about to explode.
Anyway, looking forward to enjoying more episodes. Keep up the good work!
> "All of my life I've been attracted to the idea of being a writer, but like all writers I don't so much like writing as having written. … each time I meant to try to write something, I'd miss the deadline by two weeks."
Having written several works without ever completing or publishing any of them, I find this comment from Adams particularly resonates with me. That said, I’ve had success with a narrative podcast, which is heavily influenced by his genius—his wit and comedic writing style shine through. While I’ve always admired what he brought to the sci-fi comedy genre, in hindsight, I probably owe just as much gratitude to his editor and publisher.
Considering how much he loved everything else and how well he was able to do things like radio shows or video or inspire text adventures, I do have to wonder if forcing him to write books was pounding a square peg into a round hole.
I had a coauthor once who loved to show off and give away copies of "his" book once it was published. But getting them to do work on it? That was pulling teeth.
You know, not really. You've touched on something. I wonder if part of my failing so far has been around the way I'm marketing myself. As in, 'this is who I am and my accomplishments' vs 'given my experience, this is what I can do for your startup'. Thanks for your reply
Definitely promote the value you can offer. In some ways coming from a large business is a plus- it gives you different insights that a bunch of 20 something founders may not have. You know what works really well and what doesn't in terms of operations, have experience with different types of sales channels, can help the company grow, etc. Too bad you aren't interested in B2B startups. ;)
I'm realizing given my experience, operations management is probably the area where I would contribute most, at least early on. As an organization matures, sales strategy and execution are areas where I'd ultimately offer value. As I mentioned in another reply, I help co-launch a (failed) startup prior to moving into enterprise. The experience for me was really the school of Fort Knox in the sense that it wasn't just one role but was many (sometimes all at the same time).
I agree with your description of the problem. It's your solution I'd have trouble with - money is invested in secure but low yeild areas - the wife is extremely risk adverse. She's supportive of my aspirations as long as they don't touch the nest. Although it's something I'll need to consider. Thanks so much.
Thanks for your concise response. I think you've hit the nail on the head. I've gotten myself up a proverbial grain silo in terms of salary. I'm going to give serious thought to all 3 of your suggestions.
Worst part is, I actually co-launched a (failed) startup years ago before moving into the enterprise. I did 3 years of hard time with it. I remember it fondly (my wife, not so much) as a time where I could do 18 hours days x7 and still wake up pumped for the next day, because we were building something that was going to change the world! I also haven't forgotten the stress and struggle with burn rate and how we going to shut down as funds dried up. Still, some wonderful memories. I looking to create something again, that's really what this is about. Thanks again.
If I were you, start reading about startups, check out Sam Altman's awesome site on startup theory, it'll be a good place to refresh yourself and start thinking about things: http://startupclass.samaltman.com/