1
00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:06,440
Speaker 1: Alzo Media. The world's got plenty of cowboys, but it's

2
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,440
Speaker 1: short on dancers. This is the award winning Better Offline

3
00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:20,880
Speaker 1: and I'm your host ed Zetron. That's right. You're listening

4
00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,200
Speaker 1: to this week's monologue. And you may wonder why I'm

5
00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,599
Speaker 1: saying award winning, but that's because we won the goddamn

6
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,240
Speaker 1: Webby for best Episode in the Business category. We're winners,

7
00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,000
Speaker 1: all of us, you, me, every listener. You all did this.

8
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,520
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. And before I get started any further,

9
00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:36,680
Speaker 1: as lots of you have been asking about it, we're

10
00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,000
Speaker 1: finally selling Better Offline merchandise. We've got shirts, hoodies, onesies, glasses,

11
00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: tumblers and mugs, and until May twenty second, we're selling

12
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,680
Speaker 1: a limited edition ham. It's all really good stuff. The

13
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,159
Speaker 1: links are in the episode notes by them. Now anyway,

14
00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,240
Speaker 1: the monologue. I've realized that over time I've skewed pretty

15
00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,640
Speaker 1: negatively about tech, and as I've said before, it's because

16
00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,319
Speaker 1: I'm a broken hearted romantic. Tech has made me who

17
00:00:57,360 --> 00:00:59,840
Speaker 1: I am, enabling me a man with a coordinational disability

18
00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,800
Speaker 1: SPRAXA RO if you're curious, severe ADHD and a good

19
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,319
Speaker 1: amount of social anxiety in the past well, it allowed

20
00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,440
Speaker 1: me to thrive. Without the Internet and the associated platforms

21
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,160
Speaker 1: I've used, I would have never had a good life.

22
00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:12,759
Speaker 1: And if that sounds dramatic, you should see my handwranging,

23
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,760
Speaker 1: or hear how awkward I was as a child, or

24
00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,240
Speaker 1: see how I tie my shoelaces. Anyway, so today I

25
00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,240
Speaker 1: want to talk about some of the things I love,

26
00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,120
Speaker 1: why I love them, and why you might love them too,

27
00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,119
Speaker 1: because it's important for you to see that I'm pissed

28
00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,399
Speaker 1: off because I know that tech can be cool. It

29
00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:28,560
Speaker 1: can be so much better now. While some of you

30
00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,080
Speaker 1: might see this as shilling or fanboying, I think it's

31
00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,880
Speaker 1: important that anyone covering tech actually likes him, find something

32
00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:36,759
Speaker 1: exciting about it, and wants it to be better beyond

33
00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:41,200
Speaker 1: the bullshit horse trading or sports fandom style stuff. And

34
00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,080
Speaker 1: this episode will also run down my general daily carries.

35
00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,720
Speaker 1: I optimize for convenience and as little thought as possible

36
00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:48,640
Speaker 1: because I'm a huge baby and I need everything to

37
00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,840
Speaker 1: be easy. I do not have any financial relationships with

38
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:53,960
Speaker 1: any of these companies that have, in some cases given

39
00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:55,880
Speaker 1: them a great deal of my own money, unless I

40
00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,520
Speaker 1: specify otherwise. Everything I've mentioned or linked is something I've

41
00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,920
Speaker 1: bought with my own money. Far enough answer of recording this.

42
00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,400
Speaker 1: So at my desk, I use this insufferable keyboard, a

43
00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,400
Speaker 1: split keyboard called the Moonlander as ZSA, and it lets

44
00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:09,760
Speaker 1: me type and feel like I'm plugged into the mainframe.

45
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,280
Speaker 1: You've got your two hands separa. It's good for the

46
00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,920
Speaker 1: risk because you're not moving them around. And I've got

47
00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,080
Speaker 1: an Apple Magic track pad along with a giant forty

48
00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,760
Speaker 1: nine inch Samsung o lad. It's a G nine connected

49
00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:21,480
Speaker 1: to this thing called the scron No doc where I

50
00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,320
Speaker 1: just slide by MacBook Pro sixteen inch in. Your minage

51
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,080
Speaker 1: may vary, but I really like it when I travel

52
00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:27,800
Speaker 1: between New York and Vegas to just be able to

53
00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,560
Speaker 1: slot the thing in and have the same setup. It works.

54
00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,000
Speaker 1: It works really well, And like I said, I'm a

55
00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 1: huge baby, so if it didn't, I be complaining endlessly

56
00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,600
Speaker 1: now when I'm out and about. I really like what

57
00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,280
Speaker 1: companies like Anchor have been doing with gallium nitride GAN

58
00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,520
Speaker 1: for short, and they're charges in batteries. GAN lets you

59
00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,320
Speaker 1: put way more power in the much smaller profile, meaning

60
00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,320
Speaker 1: that you can now get charges that are dramatically smaller

61
00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,440
Speaker 1: that can first charge your iFund or your iPad or

62
00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,160
Speaker 1: even your MacBook Pro. The reason I like Anchor stuff

63
00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:54,800
Speaker 1: is because it works and it can take a beating,

64
00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,600
Speaker 1: and the batteries tend to come with a cable built in,

65
00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,280
Speaker 1: which I love because I hate having to have cables

66
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,600
Speaker 1: in my pocket. If you were cost me on the street,

67
00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,160
Speaker 1: I probably have one of their fast charging USBC batteries

68
00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,560
Speaker 1: in my pocket, mostly because it can fast charge either

69
00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,239
Speaker 1: my iPhone or right my iPad. They also just released

70
00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,359
Speaker 1: this giant one hundred and sixty five what power bank

71
00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,320
Speaker 1: with two cables. I'm lusting for it. I wanted so badly,

72
00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:15,799
Speaker 1: but I cannot justify it. I al really have a

73
00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,359
Speaker 1: really similar battery pack that I bought years ago. I

74
00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,639
Speaker 1: have no justification for it now. What's cool about these

75
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,520
Speaker 1: is that they can also be charged using their built

76
00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,160
Speaker 1: in cables. I hate carrying it's to shit around, so

77
00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,600
Speaker 1: this works very well for me. I also use an

78
00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,840
Speaker 1: Anchor Prime charger when I'm traveling. It's got the ports

79
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,840
Speaker 1: to power on my stuff include my MacBook, along with

80
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,600
Speaker 1: the Maggo wireless charging station, which is kind of a

81
00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,440
Speaker 1: little fold up thing, charge your AirPods Pro, your Apple Watch,

82
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,560
Speaker 1: and your phone via mag Safe. It all just kind

83
00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,680
Speaker 1: of works, which is kind of the theme of everything,

84
00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,480
Speaker 1: and for those curious. I also really like the Airpod's Max.

85
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,280
Speaker 1: They sound great. They're way too expensive, They're like five

86
00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,920
Speaker 1: hundred bucks, but they sound lovely and they fit these

87
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,200
Speaker 1: giant goddamn ears. I've got. Some of you have said

88
00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,320
Speaker 1: I'm an Apple fanboy. I'm an Apple fan boy in

89
00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,080
Speaker 1: the past, and I'm really What I really am is

90
00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:00,720
Speaker 1: a suck of for stuff that all works together, and

91
00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,240
Speaker 1: I realize I am being monopolized. You do not need

92
00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,560
Speaker 1: to tell me. I know, and I've also really I

93
00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,360
Speaker 1: will say it again like Apple's app store is horrifying.

94
00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,920
Speaker 1: I believe that they are responsible for fueling truly evil industries. Anyway,

95
00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,080
Speaker 1: though it's not tech per se. I really need to

96
00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,120
Speaker 1: tell you about the Pac twenty five l travel Duffel.

97
00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,440
Speaker 1: I think it might me later. I don't know. It's

98
00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,320
Speaker 1: where I put on my crap when I'm traveling. If

99
00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,600
Speaker 1: it's under the sea in front of you on Southwest,

100
00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:26,240
Speaker 1: It's able to fit a lot of crap, has lots

101
00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:28,520
Speaker 1: of slots for your laptop, and generally feels comfortable over

102
00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:30,479
Speaker 1: your shoulder. I know It's weird to bring up a

103
00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,360
Speaker 1: bag and a tech thing, but this bag is amazing.

104
00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,440
Speaker 1: I've gone through like five different other bags to find

105
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,600
Speaker 1: this one. And I can throw my Prime charger in it,

106
00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,080
Speaker 1: my MacBook, my iPad, maclothes, medicines, all sorts of crap

107
00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:42,919
Speaker 1: and it all fits in and it opens that the

108
00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,520
Speaker 1: top so you can look inside of it without having

109
00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,920
Speaker 1: to pull it fully out. I love it. I love it.

110
00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,560
Speaker 1: I've got Instagram targeted with it, which annoys me. I

111
00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,880
Speaker 1: don't like that the Internet manipulated me. But thanks to

112
00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:54,960
Speaker 1: all this gear, I can basically walk around all day

113
00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,120
Speaker 1: without worrying about anything dying probably two days, honestly. And

114
00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,000
Speaker 1: I've got this little bag of cables and extra bags

115
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,680
Speaker 1: that I can hand out to friends who haven't been

116
00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,600
Speaker 1: planning ahead like I have. Skill issue moving on, though,

117
00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:07,520
Speaker 1: those of you who follow me on Blue Sky will

118
00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:09,160
Speaker 1: know that I've been on a big fitness push, and

119
00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,440
Speaker 1: a big part of that has been Tonal. Tonal is

120
00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,640
Speaker 1: this giant wall mounted exercise machine with a big screen

121
00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:16,839
Speaker 1: in the middle, along with big adjustable arms that could

122
00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,719
Speaker 1: be moved around to fit different exercises. It's hard to explain,

123
00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:22,320
Speaker 1: but advice you'd go to the website. So if you

124
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,000
Speaker 1: want to do bench press, you put the arms down,

125
00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,839
Speaker 1: you go on the bench, and you push up with

126
00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,760
Speaker 1: the cables. It works really well, and it uses magnetic

127
00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:30,840
Speaker 1: resistance to create up to one hundred and twenty five

128
00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,599
Speaker 1: pounds away either side, and uses on screen prompts either

129
00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,240
Speaker 1: through classes or your own custom workouts, which is what

130
00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,679
Speaker 1: I use to tell you both what to do, critique

131
00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,280
Speaker 1: your form using the built in camera, give your feedback,

132
00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:43,440
Speaker 1: and actually count your reps, which I love because again

133
00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,480
Speaker 1: huge baby, don't like ranking stuff down, don't really like

134
00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,120
Speaker 1: having to do anything. If they could do the workout

135
00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,559
Speaker 1: for me, i'd let them. But nevertheless, it works really

136
00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:56,080
Speaker 1: well and like I must say, though, it is egregiously expensive.

137
00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,320
Speaker 1: It's over four thousand dollars before tax and requires a

138
00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,280
Speaker 1: great dealers space around it. But it's possibly my favorite

139
00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,479
Speaker 1: piece of tech ever made. It just works. I dropped

140
00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,040
Speaker 1: from two hundred and forty pounds to one hundred and

141
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,359
Speaker 1: sixty five pounds since the show began, gaining real muscle

142
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,640
Speaker 1: definition and physical strength. Since getting Tonal in twenty twenty one,

143
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,000
Speaker 1: I realize that's much longer. I've done hundreds of workouts. Look,

144
00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,080
Speaker 1: I'm a simpleton, and thus having something count my reps

145
00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,240
Speaker 1: and tom Mey exactly what to do is extremely effective.

146
00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,880
Speaker 1: And Tunnel also has cool shit like eccentric mode, where

147
00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:25,240
Speaker 1: they add more weight on the eccentric movement of the exercise.

148
00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,400
Speaker 1: So if you're thinking of the bench prest, it starts

149
00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:30,200
Speaker 1: by your chest and you push up and then went

150
00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:32,960
Speaker 1: and you've done the push up that's in the pushy part.

151
00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,279
Speaker 1: As the weight is coming down, it adds weight to

152
00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,640
Speaker 1: that eccentric weight. There are studies that suggest it it

153
00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,720
Speaker 1: works more it feels good, though I also say the

154
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,520
Speaker 1: form correction works and the workouts have varied in equivalent

155
00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,920
Speaker 1: to working out with reallyian. It's got bar bells, it's

156
00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,640
Speaker 1: got dumb bell exercises, and I've got real muscle as

157
00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,840
Speaker 1: a result, which is the best endorsement I could actually give.

158
00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,599
Speaker 1: I love it, I've happily paid for it, and Tunnel

159
00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:55,960
Speaker 1: is worth it if you're going to use it like

160
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,000
Speaker 1: any gym membership, except done, like any gym membership, you

161
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,719
Speaker 1: have a bloody thing nail to your wall if you

162
00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:02,839
Speaker 1: don't use them. Don't get this. If you're not going

163
00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,039
Speaker 1: to use it, seriously, it's so expensive, but if you are,

164
00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,799
Speaker 1: if you are truly going to it is the best

165
00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,640
Speaker 1: money I've ever spent. Really, I'm sure that there are

166
00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,880
Speaker 1: more important things, but nevertheless it's I cannot. I just

167
00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,960
Speaker 1: upgraded to Tonal two, which has like smoother action and stuff,

168
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,000
Speaker 1: but I beat the ever living shit out of my

169
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,720
Speaker 1: old one. I used the crap out of it. It's

170
00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,560
Speaker 1: something I kind of dreamed of as a kid, Like

171
00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,120
Speaker 1: I really wanted something like this, something that direct me

172
00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:31,520
Speaker 1: and allow me to do these exercides and tell me

173
00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,040
Speaker 1: what to do without having to go to the gym,

174
00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,080
Speaker 1: because the gym feels like a very judgmental place. And

175
00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,240
Speaker 1: on a higher level, I have up until recently, really

176
00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,280
Speaker 1: not liked my body or how I look, and connected

177
00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,200
Speaker 1: fitness stuff has really helped me fix that. For those

178
00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,120
Speaker 1: curious or those who aren't want to get pissed off

179
00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:50,080
Speaker 1: at me. I woke out about three to five times

180
00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:52,960
Speaker 1: a week, either lifting on Tonal or doing my cardio days,

181
00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,560
Speaker 1: which include Peloton's yoga classes and another one of my

182
00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,360
Speaker 1: favorite tech products, fight Camp, which puts you got putas

183
00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:02,080
Speaker 1: trackers in the wraps and yeah, they've got great classes.

184
00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,840
Speaker 1: Shout out to coach PJ. I love fight camp, I

185
00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,400
Speaker 1: really do. And I love boxing as well. If you've

186
00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,160
Speaker 1: ever wanted a cardio exercise that just feels perfect, really

187
00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,040
Speaker 1: boxing is there. You're probably throwing a puntrong. I certainly

188
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,840
Speaker 1: was like smiling as I read this, Ben, But this

189
00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,280
Speaker 1: was this was a large part of how I changed

190
00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:25,280
Speaker 1: my view of fitness from this kind of punishment, kind

191
00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,520
Speaker 1: of a penance for the sin of sloth, for feeling

192
00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,000
Speaker 1: bad about how I looked in the mirror, for feeling lethargic,

193
00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,680
Speaker 1: but just feeling fat. And I'm sure there are listeners

194
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,680
Speaker 1: who totally get this as well. And I use this

195
00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,640
Speaker 1: kind of stuff to find it as a joyous alternative

196
00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:41,760
Speaker 1: to typing all day, something that makes me feel happy

197
00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,840
Speaker 1: and strong, like I'm building something that's just for me.

198
00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:47,400
Speaker 1: I'm building an image. And I know that sends for

199
00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,880
Speaker 1: a dramatic who gives a shit, it's a monologue. Come on,

200
00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,000
Speaker 1: we can have some fun. But having data the work

201
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,720
Speaker 1: I've done, my heart rate, the volume of what I've

202
00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,040
Speaker 1: I've been lifting, my output on the heavy bag, it

203
00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,240
Speaker 1: all lets me see gris sure, but it gives me

204
00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,800
Speaker 1: a body of work and the connected fitness aspect let

205
00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,199
Speaker 1: me do it alone, which helped my social anxiety and

206
00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,880
Speaker 1: going to the gym. Now I'm extremely socire and I'm

207
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,400
Speaker 1: very confident in who I am, and I think a

208
00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,800
Speaker 1: lot of that came from this came from the fitness side.

209
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,680
Speaker 1: If you ever want to talk about this, my email

210
00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,199
Speaker 1: is easy at Better offline dot com. It's Echo Zeta

211
00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,760
Speaker 1: at better Offline dot com. Always happy to talk fitness,

212
00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,120
Speaker 1: always happy to give advice. I'm not a personal trainer,

213
00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,200
Speaker 1: but I've found so much joy through this, and it

214
00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:33,120
Speaker 1: is through the tech side. Yet beyond the connective fitness

215
00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,760
Speaker 1: aspect was this thing that I truly love the most

216
00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,360
Speaker 1: about technology is the connections I've made with real human

217
00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,840
Speaker 1: beings that have made my physical life so much better.

218
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,080
Speaker 1: A few years ago, I started chatting to a guy

219
00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,240
Speaker 1: called Ben Rudolph on Twitter and we, along with a

220
00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,800
Speaker 1: few friends Tatiana Kleb, ended up starting a group DM

221
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,800
Speaker 1: for Fitness, which truly changed my life, in part because Ben,

222
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,240
Speaker 1: out of the kindness of his heart, patiently explained everything

223
00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,040
Speaker 1: from how to build a sustainable lifting routine to showing

224
00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:58,400
Speaker 1: me a video of how to throw a punch and

225
00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:00,840
Speaker 1: a kick. I'm proud to called Ben my friend, and

226
00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,560
Speaker 1: had the Internet and not existed, I'd never have got

227
00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,800
Speaker 1: to share my fitness journey with him, and probably never

228
00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,640
Speaker 1: got out of the hole I was in. I was

229
00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,880
Speaker 1: injured after really overtraining because I got very depressed, and

230
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,160
Speaker 1: Ben helped me out. Ben is not in fitness himself.

231
00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,880
Speaker 1: He is a mountain of a man, a formidable muscled fella,

232
00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,520
Speaker 1: but he works in tech. It just so happened that

233
00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,320
Speaker 1: we had a mutual interest. This is the reason I

234
00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:29,120
Speaker 1: log onto the Internet and like, this is really what

235
00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,800
Speaker 1: I love the most about technology. As dark and ominous

236
00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,040
Speaker 1: and brutal as the world feels right now, as noxious

237
00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:38,120
Speaker 1: and poisonous as social media can feel and seem, there's

238
00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,680
Speaker 1: such joy to be had connecting with others about just

239
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,760
Speaker 1: about anything. I love using Reddit, and if you're on

240
00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,960
Speaker 1: the Better Offline Reddit, I truly love you for posting there.

241
00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,280
Speaker 1: And the way all of you responded to the webby

242
00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,000
Speaker 1: thing actually made me cry in the best way. Thank you.

243
00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,800
Speaker 1: And I love Blue Skuy too, because for every sickly

244
00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,480
Speaker 1: little pedant correcting me, there are hundreds of wonderful souls,

245
00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,400
Speaker 1: many of whom choose to email me when I make

246
00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,000
Speaker 1: this show. At the core of my critiques and complain

247
00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,440
Speaker 1: points is the sense that I know what technology has

248
00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,640
Speaker 1: done and will do for me, in a frustration that

249
00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:07,160
Speaker 1: there are those who would interfere with that process as

250
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,600
Speaker 1: much as possible for profit or growth. I guess, and

251
00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,160
Speaker 1: I realize it's bland and obvious to say the Internet

252
00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,720
Speaker 1: is good for connecting people, but it really is, and

253
00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,160
Speaker 1: had it not done so for me, I don't know

254
00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,400
Speaker 1: if I'd have made it out of my teens. And

255
00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:22,360
Speaker 1: you can choose what you want to make that meme.

256
00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,480
Speaker 1: I find such joy and love in my friends. I'm

257
00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,560
Speaker 1: so incredibly grateful for them. At times I well up

258
00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:30,640
Speaker 1: with the love in my heart for their kindness and

259
00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,800
Speaker 1: their generosity that they continually show me. And almost every

260
00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,400
Speaker 1: single friendship I've made has started online. I can connect

261
00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:38,839
Speaker 1: with them wherever they are in the world. I can

262
00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,079
Speaker 1: send them what I'm doing, or hear what they're doing

263
00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,280
Speaker 1: and what I'm feeling, and vice versa, and for that

264
00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,199
Speaker 1: I'm eternally grateful. Nothing about this gratitude stops me from

265
00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,680
Speaker 1: critiquing these companies, and indeed, the love that I've fostered

266
00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,800
Speaker 1: through digital connections drives my fury at those who would

267
00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,640
Speaker 1: interfere with or exploit it. True cynicism doesn't come from

268
00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,360
Speaker 1: a place of emptiness. It comes from a determin to

269
00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,720
Speaker 1: defend that which makes us feel whole. Thank you for listening,

270
00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,880
Speaker 1: and again, by the way, thank you for voting for

271
00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,559
Speaker 1: me in the webbys. It fucking rocks me one. Actually,

272
00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,560
Speaker 1: you know what, before I go, I was gonna log

273
00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,120
Speaker 1: off there. I just want to thank everyone who works

274
00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:17,559
Speaker 1: on Better Offline. I forget whether we put the thing

275
00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,640
Speaker 1: at the bank that says all of these things again,

276
00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:23,400
Speaker 1: but thank you to Mattasowski, Robert Evans, Sophie Lichtman, Ava Warrender,

277
00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,280
Speaker 1: Daniel Goodman, Ian Johnson and everyone who works on this show.

278
00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,560
Speaker 1: You've been extra normally supportive. It's a pleasure to do this.

279
00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,440
Speaker 1: And yeah, thank you to the listeners as well. It's

280
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,840
Speaker 1: my cheesy way of thanking you all for the Webby anyway,

281
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:36,600
Speaker 1: the episode's really done now. Cheers,