Episode 117 features Nick Schiner (aka Obi-Wan Nickobi) an educator, a maker, and a gamer, as well as a family man, who just happens to be this guy I met on the internet who turned out to be cool.
We talk about meeting in a chat room, and how that’s not as bad as it sounds, online communities, reading, being the family IT guy, and much much more…
Mentioned and Helpful Links from This Episode
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00:00:00:01 – 00:00:25:02
Agent Palmer
Previously on Agent palmer.com. Caught stealing might be the most violent book I’ve ever read. Nimona recaptures the underdog magic of the original Shrek. And yes, I do still listen to the radio to the left of the dial. This is The Palmer Files episode 117 with Nick Schiner, who is an educator, a maker, and a gamer, as well as a family man and who just happens to be a guy I met on the internet and who turned out to be cool.
00:00:25:06 – 00:00:44:18
Agent Palmer
We talk about meeting in a chat room and how that’s not as bad as it sounds. Online communities. Reading. Being the family IT guy and much, much more. Are you ready? Let’s do the show.
00:00:44:23 – 00:00:51:21
Agent Palmer
Each.
00:00:51:26 – 00:01:07:40
Agent Palmer
Year.
00:01:07:45 – 00:01:31:44
Agent Palmer
Hello, and welcome to the Palmer Files. I’m your host, Jason Stershic. Also known as Agent Palmer. And on this 117th episode is Nick shiner. Or as I first met him. Obi-Wan Nickobi. You’re going to hear us chat in real time for the first time. That’s what this is. It’s a meeting, but we’ve hung out an hour. Overlapping circle of friends streams chats so we weren’t complete strangers going in.
00:01:31:49 – 00:02:04:33
Agent Palmer
That said, there is plenty about Nick that isn’t covered, and you should definitely check out Stay playing.com for more information about how Nick is working to make sure the future of learning is bright. He is an advocate and architect of playful living and learning, unquote. And really, he’s also a great person. Here in this conversation you are about to listen to, we talk about how we met in a chat room in online communities, remembering how we got into something maybe overrated, turning off the internet, being family tech support algorithms, YouTube streaming services.
00:02:04:36 – 00:02:23:38
Agent Palmer
Is that printer really necessary? And much, much more. But before we dive in, remember that if you want to discuss this episode as you listen or afterward, you can find all related ways to contact my guest, Nick Schiner and myself in the show notes there. You can also find a link to Nick’s site, which will connect you to him in countless ways.
00:02:23:38 – 00:02:43:44
Agent Palmer
You can count them. I choose not to at stay playing.com. Don’t forget you can see all of my writings and rantings at AJ, Paul Wycombe and of course email can be sent to the Palmer files at gmail.com. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
00:02:43:48 – 00:02:48:51
Agent Palmer
Nick, I met you in a chat room on the internet.
00:02:48:52 – 00:02:50:00
Nick Schiner
Yes you did.
00:02:50:04 – 00:02:58:34
Agent Palmer
This would have been a red flag five, ten, 15 years ago.
00:02:58:39 – 00:02:59:43
Nick Schiner
I mean, it still could be.
00:02:59:49 – 00:03:32:07
Agent Palmer
It still could be. I think that, you know, nowadays, I think it’s more likely to develop into some kind of, digital relationship of some kind. First. Yeah. And now we’re talking and I just want to say that, well, we don’t interact all the time. It has kind of been great to like see you in chat with me on occasion.
00:03:32:07 – 00:03:41:25
Agent Palmer
And it’s this little look it, it’s, Triforce. That 1984 was his stream when he was streaming, and hopefully you’ll come back again. I know.
00:03:41:25 – 00:03:41:46
Nick Schiner
I missed.
00:03:41:46 – 00:04:03:11
Agent Palmer
That, and he’s he’s he’s been on the show many times, but I want to say it’s it’s nice that these little pop up communities exist on the internet. And it’s kind of been nice to finally meet you now as it’s just like, no, I met you in a chat rooms. Not like the worst. It’s not bad, right? Like that’s.
00:04:03:12 – 00:04:15:09
Nick Schiner
Catfish. You. This is me. Yeah. This is not an AI. This is not an AI projection. This is actually me. I am here in the pixels.
00:04:15:09 – 00:04:23:07
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I mean, nobody. It I don’t know anybody who’s got that kind of money to catfish on such a level.
00:04:23:11 – 00:04:24:51
Nick Schiner
No.
00:04:24:56 – 00:04:27:30
Agent Palmer
And if you do, could you throw some hours away?
00:04:27:30 – 00:04:29:43
Nick Schiner
Sure. Yeah, I I’ll pick up the next sponsorship.
00:04:29:43 – 00:04:57:27
Agent Palmer
Yeah. Right. What what is it about Twitch and I, I ask this generally, I, I, I don’t know, I guess I would, I would say is Chris is my friend Triforce dad, he’s the only chat I chat with on Twitch. Otherwise I am a lurker for you know that that’s that’s what I am most of the time.
00:04:57:32 – 00:05:15:36
Agent Palmer
I see generally speaking, that other twitch communities are nice and good and like wholesome. What is it for you that like get you to engage not just in, in that one where we met but just in others? Or is that the only one you, you, you engage in?
00:05:15:45 – 00:05:39:15
Nick Schiner
No, I mean, so I, I would say I probably lurk more than I chat. Okay. Usually, usually if I chat, it’s because I already have some form of relationship with that person. Triforce that I feel like that was it was an anomaly. Like Chris was an anomaly. Like, I don’t even remember how how I stumbled upon history.
00:05:39:15 – 00:06:04:59
Nick Schiner
Like, it’s been so long now. Like I have no idea how I stumbled upon his stream. But like, vibes, man. Like, it’s just like. It’s just like, sometimes it’s just. It’s just vibes. It’s like it is so much about the person, what they’re doing and how they you see them engaging with others so often is what makes that like a place where you feel welcome to just chime in.
00:06:05:03 – 00:06:29:28
Agent Palmer
I, I think it’s the same as kind of like almost any other medium, like I don’t I’m if my my audience is going to be sick of hearing this by the time I finish. But like, I’m reading every book in my house as a means to save money and as a means to get rid of books, like, I figure I got it, I’ll know what to get rid of if I read it, and now it’s not worth it, or oh, I want to keep that one or whatever.
00:06:29:33 – 00:06:51:11
Agent Palmer
But it leads me to how you do not remember falling into Chris’s chat. I there are like I a number of books, some I’ve loved, some I’ve hated, some I’m indifferent to, that I have read on enduring over the course of this course of this journey, and it feels like a curse at times because it’s like, what?
00:06:51:11 – 00:07:10:45
Agent Palmer
That where did these come from? I don’t know where some of these came from. I, I have no idea how they ended up in my library. And I think the same is true for, like, I like that show. I can’t imagine not watching that show. I don’t know who introduced me to it. I don’t know where it started.
00:07:10:45 – 00:07:25:07
Agent Palmer
Like, yeah, I, I think we put a little bit too much pressure on ourselves to kind of remember the origin. But I like to ask anyway, sometimes there’s a great story and other times it’s I have no idea.
00:07:25:12 – 00:07:39:21
Nick Schiner
I mean, I think, I think the best story that I can think of that’s kind of related to this is, is the connection psionic monkey. Right. Like, Matt, he is. I’ve known him since middle school.
00:07:39:26 – 00:07:40:15
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:07:40:20 – 00:08:01:42
Nick Schiner
I’ve. We went to middle school together. And the fact, like, he became far more entrenched in Triforce dad’s community. The knight. Because like, I thought, like, I try to, I keep up, I keep in touch in lots of different ways. Like, I, like I said, most of the time I actually have Twitch on on the TV. Like very rarely do I actually have it open on the computer.
00:08:01:42 – 00:08:13:31
Agent Palmer
I am, first of all, I’m with you. Twitch is a it’s a it’s a television for me. Which may be why I’m a lurker. Right. Because the chat function horrible. Unless you’re on a computer.
00:08:13:36 – 00:08:30:48
Nick Schiner
It’s a pain to bring it up on your phone. Then you got the audio playing on your phone. And like, I know they have a way to like, chat just for them, but like, it just doesn’t feel worth it. Most of the time it’s not. But I like again, I don’t even remember the origins of what happened. Like how monkey got into into that jump.
00:08:30:48 – 00:08:52:21
Nick Schiner
But like just seeing that relationship blossom and him become such like an integral part of that community. It’s just it’s it’s I say funny, but it’s just kind of it’s amazing that somebody I grew up like, we grow up in like the same relative square mileage. And he’s connected with somebody that’s not in the state through video games and through online streaming.
00:08:52:34 – 00:09:20:08
Agent Palmer
Yeah, and it’s if I were to put too fine a point on it, it’s what we always hoped the internet would be honest. I mean, this was I mean, I, I’m, I’m 40. So for me, as an early adopter of the internet, this was always the promise. This is this is not what is this is not the reality.
00:09:20:13 – 00:09:39:40
Agent Palmer
And I think we are explaining and talking about very, very specific cases. But this was always the promise was that you were going to meet someone and start a friendship. You didn’t have to go hang out with them at the bar, which I have done with monkey. Yeah. And we.
00:09:39:40 – 00:09:40:32
Nick Schiner
But it’s amazing.
00:09:40:34 – 00:10:00:59
Agent Palmer
We don’t have to, you know, you know, do what? You know, Stef, who moved in with me from meeting her on Twitter through a podcast community like that doesn’t have to have it. Can just be as simple as Nick’s cool. You should maybe talk to Nick and it’s like, oh, sure. Yeah.
00:10:01:04 – 00:10:03:41
Nick Schiner
Why not? Yeah, I like cool people.
00:10:03:46 – 00:10:25:32
Agent Palmer
It I it makes me like it makes me kind of. Look, I’m a pessimist generally, but it makes me slightly optimistic that like, some of these connections are tangible and aren’t just about like. But are you catfishing me? Like, is this the wrong game somehow?
00:10:25:37 – 00:10:47:46
Nick Schiner
Yeah. I mean, I feel like I feel like this isn’t a shame. Anybody who’s ever been catfished, but, like, I feel like it’s really hard. Like it’s it’s pretty easy to tell. Like, if there’s a robust online presence and again, like, Twitch also takes some of that out of it. Right? If the person if you see the person streaming and they’re not like a VTuber.
00:10:47:46 – 00:11:04:09
Nick Schiner
Yeah. Like I know that Triforce that is Chris. Like that would be an a really elaborate ruse to your point from earlier, if you like, hired somebody else to stream The Legend of Zelda and then it was just a completely different person on discord.
00:11:04:11 – 00:11:05:15
Agent Palmer
Yeah.
00:11:05:20 – 00:11:33:32
Nick Schiner
So like, I think that and I think that to a pretty great degree like that is kind of the like the bar for me is like, I don’t like I don’t oftentimes just connect with like absolutely random people on the internet. Like I would say like Chris Triforce. Like that is probably one of the more like one of the more random ones that I’ve just been like, oh, yeah, like, gamer doc as well, who was with Evil Geniuses for a while?
00:11:33:32 – 00:11:57:06
Nick Schiner
Like, she and I connected like, we went to Awesome Con in DC a couple of years ago. Those are like. But again, like, it was easy to verify, like, okay, you have an Instagram you stream on Twitch. Also, strangely, with streaming Legend of Zelda, but like, like and then playing games with them, like, there’s enough interaction that you’re like, okay, you’re verifiable like you.
00:11:57:10 – 00:12:00:20
Nick Schiner
And if you’re not, like, honestly.
00:12:00:25 – 00:12:03:16
Agent Palmer
Good for you. Like, you fool, fool.
00:12:03:16 – 00:12:06:07
Nick Schiner
You like, okay. Like you got me.
00:12:06:12 – 00:12:38:52
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I, I remember in my very early podcasting career, one of the questions that was in the circle I was in often was, if you could turn off the internet, would you? And, at the time, I was, a serial podcast guest, but I was a blogger. I still am a blogger. Yeah. And I always leaned towards turning it off like there was never a part of me that was like, you know what?
00:12:38:57 – 00:13:07:43
Agent Palmer
Keep it going. Like, there was never. And I still to this day, think about that question sometimes and go, I think I’d rather turn it off than leave it on. I think, I think even though I’ve made these connections and I’ve seen the good that can happen, I get more frustrated at the internet as a whole, as a large entity, than I do, or our connectedness to it.
00:13:07:56 – 00:13:34:40
Agent Palmer
Then I do, see the benefits, because for every one random relationship, friendship, you know, colleague business opportunity that you get on here, it’s me sitting on in my living room with my friends and somebody, three of them are on their phones, and I’ve made it a point to keep it in my pocket, put it in the other room.
00:13:34:40 – 00:13:54:38
Agent Palmer
I’ve made it a point to disconnect, and I’m not telling other people how to live their lives. But it sucks when I’m the like, okay, now I’m bored because everybody else is on their phone. Nobody else is here though, like they might as well not be here. And so that’s kind of where I always end up being like, just turn it off.
00:13:54:38 – 00:14:22:16
Nick Schiner
So like but on the flip side of that, to your point. Those three friends could be the three friends that are on their phone talking to you and, and so like, and how many connections you’ve made in that way. You know, I think like I talk a lot about this at work, like digital diet, like digital habits, like being too online is obviously a very real thing.
00:14:22:21 – 00:14:28:26
Nick Schiner
But like, you’ve got to curate your digital lifestyle just like you curate everything in real life.
00:14:28:28 – 00:14:43:57
Agent Palmer
This is something I get made fun of all the time. Okay? Because I, Stephanie, and I use YouTube, it may be our number one streaming platform. I would.
00:14:43:57 – 00:14:45:17
Nick Schiner
Say mine is that is as.
00:14:45:17 – 00:14:55:11
Agent Palmer
Well. And and and my YouTube because I’m logged where logged into my account is the main YouTube we use.
00:14:55:16 – 00:14:56:35
Nick Schiner
00:14:56:40 – 00:15:21:46
Agent Palmer
And occasionally we’ll be hanging out in the living room where just like Twitch YouTube goes on the TV. It’s not, a computer thing. And somebody will be like, oh, I’d really like to. Whatever. Like there was one time we were having a conversation about old classic 90s VH or music videos, and I was like, hold on, let me log out of my account.
00:15:21:50 – 00:15:22:55
Nick Schiner
You don’t want to mess up your algo.
00:15:22:57 – 00:15:56:37
Agent Palmer
I don’t want to mess up my algorithm. Like we talk about, digital, balance and and and and moderation. But I also think that that that algorithm curation which I have at the top of my head because I’ve been in marketing and I understand how the algorithm can be used against you. I look at it like right now, if I put on my YouTube channel, it’s going to give me creators and content that I want, not just random, like it’s all designed to get you to watch it.
00:15:56:42 – 00:16:05:06
Agent Palmer
I want to maintain in what I’ve curated homeostasis. Yes.
00:16:05:11 – 00:16:23:42
Agent Palmer
Like, yeah, that’s how I get it. I more people need to I think this is the other like I don’t know if people quite realize, like just throw the log out, just do something else. Do it in a different browser.
00:16:23:47 – 00:16:51:36
Nick Schiner
Into the mix. Man. It’s I thank God YouTube kids has its own separate app because the the algorithm would be bonked for me. Like I think. Thankfully I can just use the YouTube kids app, but otherwise like I would have number blocks and cocomelon and like Spiting is amazing. Friends is really great. The the cartoon on Disney Junior is fantastic.
00:16:51:36 – 00:17:17:52
Nick Schiner
Love it. Highly recommend. Not not really for adults, but like like Green Goblin like throws goo and like ruins birthday party. It’s like he’s not like. Yeah, but like I, I agree with you. I don’t want that. I don’t want that in my feed. And like, you can go in and you can fix it. But I mean, I think the best way to handle that is depending on the device you’re using, like the smart device, like you can actually have them beam it from their phone.
00:17:17:57 – 00:17:18:46
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:17:18:51 – 00:17:20:44
Nick Schiner
Like that’s actually by the like that way.
00:17:20:44 – 00:17:30:20
Agent Palmer
As opposed to just logging out and logging back in where you’re at some point, let’s be real, you’re gonna forget to log out. Yeah. At some point.
00:17:30:25 – 00:17:49:16
Nick Schiner
Yep. And then you’re going to get a bunch of randoms like I hate like even even myself. I worry that I’m going to mess up my algorithm because, like, I will. I mean, I have multiple YouTube accounts, like one for where like all the all of these different accounts, but like, I’ll be like, I need to look up how to do this thing.
00:17:49:30 – 00:18:10:52
Nick Schiner
Like I want to build, I want to build something or like I need to troubleshoot this on my computer. And then all of a sudden I start getting like tutorials for things I just have no interest in whatsoever. But I needed it in that moment. So it’s like I even then, like sometimes I have to remember to like bring up YouTube in incognito mode so that I don’t mess up my my own algorithm by myself.
00:18:10:54 – 00:18:42:33
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I’m pretty good at logging using another browser when I need to. It’s just it, it it is an extra level of vigilance. You almost you have to be on guard for it. Like if you want to make your algorithm your own, your algorithm, you have to be on it all the time. You you can’t not think about it because yeah, it only takes one bad search and a video.
00:18:42:33 – 00:19:13:19
Agent Palmer
You watch and all of a sudden, sorry. Good luck. Right. And what’s worse, and this is the reason that I think I prefer YouTube on my TV is YouTube will auto play on hover and that goes into your history. And it’s like, I just wanted to move my mouse from one screen to the other. I didn’t know that’s not what are you doing?
00:19:13:23 – 00:19:16:43
Agent Palmer
And and all of a sudden, bam, here we are.
00:19:16:45 – 00:19:18:22
Nick Schiner
Do you have YouTube premium like.
00:19:18:36 – 00:19:20:48
Agent Palmer
No, no, I.
00:19:20:53 – 00:19:22:26
Nick Schiner
I’ve been considering it.
00:19:22:26 – 00:19:54:56
Agent Palmer
It’s I’ve, I don’t know where I fall on it other than, we currently have sling and as a platform slings. Okay. But by the same token, Paramount Plus is a pretty crappy platform. Look, all of these are great on my computer. But that’s not how I enjoy them. And so I, I’m, I’m watching Star Trek on Paramount Plus I turn on Paramount Plus and I go make a cup of coffee because I got that much time for it to load.
00:19:55:01 – 00:20:00:01
Agent Palmer
It would load instantly on my PC, but I don’t want to watch it on. No. What device?
00:20:00:01 – 00:20:01:28
Nick Schiner
What are you using to stream it?
00:20:01:29 – 00:20:17:37
Agent Palmer
Fire a fire stick? Yeah. And it’s. You know what? Here’s this is everything you need to know. It’s like a six year old fire stick. Because I refuse to buy into planned obsolescence. It has to start at actually working first.
00:20:17:42 – 00:20:28:42
Nick Schiner
I get it. I honestly like I used Apple TV for a really long time. Like, I love my I love Apple TV, like my app, like the actual box. Not the not the not Apple TV, plus the other streaming service.
00:20:28:42 – 00:20:37:18
Agent Palmer
Yeah, yeah of course. Sure. Like, let’s name the, there’s also Peacock and Hulu. Let’s name them all I. So my name.
00:20:37:23 – 00:20:58:01
Nick Schiner
But but we, we went with Samsung TVs. We need it one TV. Like I bought myself the Samsung frame like a year or two ago. As, my is right around the holidays, so I always get do a joint birthday holiday present. Oh, nice. Okay. So the Samsung frame is amazing. Like, you get amazing art on it, which is awesome.
00:20:58:12 – 00:21:22:13
Nick Schiner
And then our our TV in our living room went up. So we, I put another Samsung there and there. Smart platform is actually pretty great and pretty responsive loads quickly. So I’m actually not even using like an external streaming thing anymore. And it’s just so it’s so preferred. It’s, it’s less less, less little remote controls to use.
00:21:22:17 – 00:21:42:20
Agent Palmer
See for me, I, I know what my preferred platform is, but all the TVs in my house are old. And again, I’m against planned obsolescence. So until these TVs, I’m riding those TVs. But my preferred future option is streaming from a laptop that I. That’s my preferred future option.
00:21:42:20 – 00:21:44:23
Nick Schiner
Just because plug an HDMI in.
00:21:44:26 – 00:22:19:32
Agent Palmer
No, just, hopefully beaming it wirelessly. Oh, yeah. Because I believe that. And there are probably like, marketing executives for, like, each of the individual platforms that will say otherwise. But I think that all of the devices that we use to to connect those services to our TV are genuinely crap, and they’re, they’re the programing that goes into them is spotty at best.
00:22:19:41 – 00:22:45:19
Agent Palmer
So you do get frustrated. And by the next one and the next one, and I just want my laptop to look and look, I said I was 40. This also means that I was a part of, well, windows XP last forever. Sure. So like I think they learned their lesson of like, well, if we make something and support it for long enough, people will just hold on to it, right?
00:22:45:24 – 00:22:54:38
Agent Palmer
But it’s also why, you know, some of our parents can use technology and some of them can’t.
00:22:54:43 – 00:22:59:59
Nick Schiner
Oh, yeah. Oh, God. What are your IT support for the family as well? I’m.
00:23:00:00 – 00:23:18:16
Agent Palmer
I was also IT support for a non a 15 person nonprofit organization for a while. And yeah before that job I was it for the I am I am the worst I.T. professional. I just have no patience. What did you burn.
00:23:18:16 – 00:23:19:12
Nick Schiner
The company computer.
00:23:19:12 – 00:23:26:13
Agent Palmer
Got? Did you? Yeah. So, Yeah. 100%. Yeah. It’s like I didn’t do anything. Sure you didn’t I? Yeah. Now get.
00:23:26:27 – 00:23:34:35
Nick Schiner
Frustrated. It’s really. It’s really like. I don’t think people understand the burden of being family and friends. Tech support.
00:23:34:36 – 00:24:11:05
Agent Palmer
I think the only people that understand it are, mechanics, because I find that the conversations I have with, like, actual mechanics, where it’s like, I can’t rep to replicate your problem. And I’m like, I know, but I had a problem. I understand what you’re talking about because, like, you as the IT professional, whether for friends, family or professionally, the moment you walk into their cubicle, their office, or in front of their workstation, it solves itself in proximity for no apparent reason.
00:24:11:10 – 00:24:36:23
Agent Palmer
And then you’re like, I, I can’t fix it if there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s like, well, it wouldn’t print ten minutes ago. Yeah, but it’s printing now, so I cannot help you. And I think that, you know, it professionals are not paid enough. And I definitely think that they should be allowed to go off on people.
00:24:36:28 – 00:24:51:20
Nick Schiner
Yeah, I like for me, like, especially the family and friends thing, it’s like, just be like, my, my talent with it. Work is like, I don’t I’m not I have no no formal certification record.
00:24:51:27 – 00:24:54:23
Agent Palmer
I am with you. I also have no formal service.
00:24:54:23 – 00:25:14:19
Nick Schiner
I, I learned this all myself. So like figure it out or go pay somebody. Yeah like go go. There’s Geek Squad for a reason. There’s your strip mall gadget gurus and all those like for any other problem, you wouldn’t ask me for it. You hate me.
00:25:14:19 – 00:25:21:13
Agent Palmer
Hey, my toilet keeps running. Nick, do you mind? Like. Like.
00:25:21:18 – 00:25:37:22
Nick Schiner
It’s like I just. And, like. The problem is, I do like fixing those things, but I want to do it on my terms. And then the problem is, like, if it’s complicated enough, then I’m like, okay, well, now my whole day’s shot because I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about this unless I fix this for you.
00:25:37:33 – 00:26:03:59
Agent Palmer
Oh, see, for me, some of it is also like I have I have been able to explain, like, I can’t do that. Like I’ve actually gotten fairly lucky that many of the hard or very difficult problems I’ve run into, and family and friend tech are things that I have unfortunately dealt with myself. So I oh, that’s the hard drive needs to be completely reformatted.
00:26:03:59 – 00:26:25:41
Agent Palmer
Like that’s 12 hours. I know you can’t afford to pay anybody else to do that, but you aren’t going to get me to do that till next weekend or whatever it is. So I’ve been a little bit lucky with that, but a lot of it is also like you, you bring the average age down of people I associate with on a regular basis.
00:26:25:46 – 00:27:14:42
Agent Palmer
My average age is retirement. These are the people I hang out with more often than not, and some of them are extreme, are probably more technical than I am, and the rest of them are complete novices. So it’s like they don’t want to upgrade to windows 15 or whatever the next one is. I want this one to work and it it it reminds me, I go back 20 years to when my, my, my mom’s mom died and I think about my rich uncle who bought her in succession like an electronic typewriter and then web TV, and then tried to get her computer and then tried to like all the things we tried to
00:27:14:42 – 00:27:36:07
Agent Palmer
get her connected at a time when, you know, I was worth the 13, 14, 15. I was on the internet. All my cousins were older than me and on the internet, like she can. She wanted a letter that you were net like, I love my uncle who tried and I appreciate that he tried, but she wanted a letter.
00:27:36:12 – 00:27:57:27
Agent Palmer
She wanted a handwritten letter and she was never going to reply to you right on that. Like she tried and and and basically when I remember going through the house being like, these are all of the attempts we made. She was a smart woman. She taught, you know, English and journalism for like 100 billion years in a high school.
00:27:57:37 – 00:28:03:39
Agent Palmer
But like, she she didn’t want it. She just didn’t want it. It was never going to happen.
00:28:03:44 – 00:28:25:52
Nick Schiner
It. Because the other end of the spectrum is like my grandfather, every year he wants to upgrade his iPhone. Oh, and he’s like, what do you think? Should I do it? I’m like, if you want like what’s really nice about it? And I’ll explain it to him and I’ll say to him, you’re not going to use any of it.
00:28:25:57 – 00:28:49:44
Nick Schiner
You’re not going to use any of it. So if you want to upgrade it, you have the means to do that. Go ahead. The other one is like my my father in law, God bless him. I, my my in-laws are absolutely amazing and but they like they are also hilarious and my father in law has bought more inkjet printers than I know what to do with, and I.
00:28:49:44 – 00:29:04:51
Nick Schiner
I texted my wife, my wife and my brother in law in a chat and I’m just like like the man ever. Every time I talk to him, he needs me to help him with the new printer. And my favorite thing is, and this is why, like, he’s so kind about it and I know he doesn’t want to bother me.
00:29:05:02 – 00:29:36:03
Nick Schiner
It’s to the point now where when he wants me to help set up his new printer, he brings over the printer and his laptop to my house so that I don’t have to go to his house and set it up, which is wonderful. But then, without fail. And actually this last time, like a week or two ago, was the first time he didn’t get home and say, well, you connected to the internet at your house, but I’m home now and it’s not connected like I’m not connected to the internet anymore.
00:29:36:08 – 00:29:37:06
Agent Palmer
Okay. So yeah.
00:29:37:11 – 00:29:56:56
Nick Schiner
For the longest time explaining to him that like, the internet is not ephemeral and everywhere. Yeah, like connecting to my internet does not mean when you get home you are connected to your internet. So we’ve just gone with the hard wired solution now, like I gave him a USB plug. I’m like, he always has them sitting right next to each other.
00:29:56:56 – 00:29:59:47
Nick Schiner
I’m like, let’s just take the Wi-Fi out of the equation.
00:29:59:47 – 00:30:14:15
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I, I, I also feel like I’ve hell, I’ve been babying one printer with a little bit of ink for like three years now. So funny. And it’s like a.
00:30:14:19 – 00:30:16:11
Nick Schiner
Little eyedropper of water on there.
00:30:16:11 – 00:30:38:25
Agent Palmer
Like, we’re just we’re at this point, we’re just like, okay, I think as long as I only print out the three things we print out a year. Yeah, it’ll last another I don’t like. There’s a part of me that wants a printer, but at the same time, if I have a big printing project, I’d rather I’d rather pay and go somewhere else than have a printer in my house and.
00:30:38:25 – 00:30:39:30
Nick Schiner
A high quality print.
00:30:39:30 – 00:30:42:55
Agent Palmer
I don’t want to die, I, I what, is he printing?
00:30:42:55 – 00:30:43:57
Nick Schiner
Invoices.
00:30:43:57 – 00:30:44:47
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:30:44:51 – 00:31:01:33
Nick Schiner
But like, he’s mostly he’s retired. Like I think he does. Like, I don’t know, I like not not many invoices. Like I said, he’s retired. He’s retired. So. But like he wants to be able to put like at that point like don’t buy the printer like you said go to Fedex and print it for $0.15.
00:31:01:35 – 00:31:15:56
Agent Palmer
I, I, I, I have a consulting business, I haven’t printed an invoice. The only invoices I’ve ever seen printed of my own are the few that people print out and send back to me with the check.
00:31:16:07 – 00:31:16:45
Nick Schiner
Sure. Like.
00:31:16:45 – 00:31:19:34
Agent Palmer
But otherwise it’s all digital like. Well, I don’t know.
00:31:19:41 – 00:31:39:30
Nick Schiner
I mean, it’s definitely it’s definitely a generational thing. My, my grandfather, the one I was talking the iPhone one before, like again, like it’s the dichotomy of this is so funny because it’s like he wants the new iPhone every year, but it’s mostly because he just wants to say he has the new iPhone. But like, man sold life insurance and and did financial planning for years.
00:31:39:30 – 00:32:00:30
Nick Schiner
Still works to a little bit of a degree. Just like crushed it in both of those industries. And we bought some life insurance policies in like other like other like insurances from him. And when I tell you that man would come into my house with a yellow legal pad and policies actually printed out on paper.
00:32:00:41 – 00:32:01:55
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:32:02:00 – 00:32:30:32
Nick Schiner
I’m like, I like and my and my cousin did this like my cousin worked with him for for a while and he’d be like, yeah, like every everybody else just does all of this on the computer. But like my grandfather’s like sitting there, like showing me the math on paper and like, pulling up like charts of, like, premiums and like, how much, how much the term term life insurance will cost if I buy it at 30 as opposed to 35, I’m like, dude, this has got to be on the internet somewhere.
00:32:30:32 – 00:32:42:47
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I, I oh, I see, I have a little dichotomy to like, I, I want to read a book, I want to hold the book I to. Oh yeah, I don’t want it on a Kindle. No thank.
00:32:42:47 – 00:32:44:05
Nick Schiner
You.
00:32:44:10 – 00:33:01:35
Agent Palmer
But books take up space, which is how I started doing the whole like, well, I’m gonna read all the books in my house thing is like, well, some of these. I’ve been moving for a few moves and some of them. But I, I, and I have a few old magazines and I go, I miss the old magazine.
00:33:01:40 – 00:33:07:36
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I really do. But, you know, I think I.
00:33:07:36 – 00:33:09:55
Nick Schiner
Always buy a magazine or a book when I’m at the airport.
00:33:10:09 – 00:33:11:02
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:33:11:07 – 00:33:29:56
Nick Schiner
Always. And like when I buy, when I, when I want, if there’s something I want to read, I buy it, I buy, buy like the physical copy of it. I’m not I’m not going to sit here and lie to you like when, when I, if I’m, I have a Kindle. I love my Kindle. It’s super convenient. It obviously takes up less space, but if I’m, if I’m reading on my Kindle, I Jack Sparrow at it like.
00:33:29:58 – 00:33:46:19
Agent Palmer
I’ve been, I’ve been told that were I to have a child, the Kindle will be my lifeline. But I also feel like I. I’m so attached to the book, like I honestly.
00:33:46:21 – 00:34:04:47
Nick Schiner
I love my kids seeing me read a physical book for as much time and like I’m not I’m not a screen like screen time doesn’t bother me. Like I have no problems with that stuff at all. Like there’s there’s all sorts of conversations around that. But like, I do like my kids to see me reading a physical book and I like the feel of a physical book.
00:34:04:47 – 00:34:09:28
Nick Schiner
I like the smell of a physical box, like it’s just it just hits different.
00:34:09:28 – 00:34:38:36
Agent Palmer
I also feel like there are too many, even even on a Kindle. There are too many distractions for a book. And especially as we’ve gotten into like I have, the Kindle I have is like the second generation. Yeah, you need a light to read with it. Very old. And I feel like now that now that they can have pop ups and notifications, it’s, that’s where I have a problem with the screen time.
00:34:38:48 – 00:34:57:03
Nick Schiner
I have Wi-Fi turned off on me. Okay, I have the Wi-Fi. I have the Wi-Fi turned off. Like I said, I sideload anything I want to read, I sideload on it. Okay. Because I don’t want to I the other like, I don’t want to. I have a hard enough time buying digital video games, because they can be taken away at any point.
00:34:57:03 – 00:35:27:52
Nick Schiner
And I remember, like, pretty early on in, like the Kindle like explosion. It’s so fun. And it wasn’t even a paid book. It was a free copy of Orwell’s 19. The irony of this, it was 1980. Do you remember this? Yeah, it’s happening. No, there’s a copy of Orwell’s 1984, and something happened with the licensing. And like, I think that’s what it was that like the license like that like expired and they couldn’t sell it anymore even though it was free.
00:35:27:57 – 00:35:53:24
Nick Schiner
And the anybody, anybody who had it and your device was connected to Wi-Fi, it pulled it off the device. Wow. I don’t I don’t want to pay to rent a book. If I’m going to do that, I’m going to go to the library or I’m going to use Libby like Libby. Libby. So that I will tell you, Libby is great, like overdrive, like when if there’s something I want to read and I’m traveling and I don’t feel like carrying a bunch of books and I’m gone for like a week.
00:35:53:29 – 00:36:12:10
Nick Schiner
Kindle is great. It’s absolutely great. But like, when I’m home, I’ve got a stack of books on every floor. I pick up the one I want and like, I don’t read as much as I’m making it sound like I’m like this, like, voracious reader, I wish I was. I get distracted by many things. Well, but I do like to be surrounded by books.
00:36:12:10 – 00:36:13:09
Nick Schiner
They make me happy.
00:36:13:09 – 00:36:17:18
Agent Palmer
Okay, how how many? How many books do you read at once?
00:36:17:22 – 00:36:27:07
Nick Schiner
One I would read I like, I’ll read one fiction book, but I’ll read multiple nonfiction. I could have anywhere between 1 and 5 nonfiction books.
00:36:27:07 – 00:36:52:14
Agent Palmer
I mean, I I’ve, I read one at a time. And what’s funny to me is that when I talk to other readers, I’m in the minority, like most readers I encounter are like, yeah, I’m reading about 3 or 4 books. Like one fiction, sure. Or like one, you know. You know, results may vary, but generally speaking, I don’t run into a lot of people that read just one book at a time.
00:36:52:14 – 00:36:54:00
Agent Palmer
Like me. I just can’t.
00:36:54:05 – 00:37:17:08
Nick Schiner
If I if I’m on like a fiction kick, I’m reading one book at a time, okay? I’m reading one book at a time. If I’m if I’m reading fiction. But I would say most of my nonfiction reading is either related to work or just something I’m interested in, and I’m not necessarily reading it cover to cover. Okay. And like a lot of times I will pick up a book when like one of those books when I need something from it, like I’m reading.
00:37:17:08 – 00:37:37:45
Nick Schiner
Do you know Ali Abdul? The, he’s on YouTube. He’s he’s former. He was a doctor, like, got big on YouTube. Because he, like, created content around, like studying for, like, the boards and like, getting into Ivy League schools and stuff like that. And then didn’t like being a doctor, so moved into, like, productivity hacks and things like that.
00:37:37:45 – 00:37:49:07
Nick Schiner
And he his content is great. I’m reading his book right now. Feel good productivity and like I’ll read a chapter at a time. Okay. But like I almost treat it like I just read a magazine article.
00:37:49:18 – 00:37:51:45
Agent Palmer
Okay, I got to think about like it’s time to.
00:37:51:45 – 00:38:13:54
Nick Schiner
Process and I’m like, I need, I like I just like the first chapter is actually great. It’s all about play and like the like the interplay, no pun intended, of play and work and like how all these like, Nobel Prize winners all attribute. They’re winning the prize and like their discoveries to play. Okay. So like I read that and then I’ll put the book down for like a week or two.
00:38:13:59 – 00:38:33:05
Nick Schiner
And in the meantime, like, I’m reading another book, I’m like, building community because, like, that’s the work I do most of the time. So like, I’m like, okay, like, what does starting a community look like? So I’ll, I’ll pick up like three books that are related to that. And I’ll read like the first section to see which one sticks, and then maybe one I dive into more and then all of a sudden I’m like, oh, you know what?
00:38:33:05 – 00:38:37:19
Nick Schiner
I really want to go back and read more productivity hacks. Okay, so yeah.
00:38:37:24 – 00:38:47:52
Agent Palmer
I, I mean, I’m not afraid to dig in, but like one at a time, it seems to be and I will say this, I, I’ve read some bad books that.
00:38:47:57 – 00:38:52:41
Nick Schiner
You have to finish a book.
00:38:52:46 – 00:38:58:39
Agent Palmer
So here’s the here’s what I will say. I don’t know what happens if I don’t, because I’ve never not.
00:38:58:44 – 00:39:01:30
Nick Schiner
That’s why I say you always finish a book.
00:39:01:35 – 00:39:03:23
Agent Palmer
As of right now. Yeah.
00:39:03:28 – 00:39:06:00
Nick Schiner
Even even if you don’t like it, you still.
00:39:06:05 – 00:39:33:01
Agent Palmer
I’ve hate read at least two books in my life now. Okay. And one of the last books I read. I don’t know when the review comes out because, the aforementioned Chris helps me with my blog on occasion as editor. And he was like, dude, you don’t have a book blog, you have a geek blog. So, like, make sure that your book reviews are only every other post.
00:39:33:01 – 00:39:52:36
Agent Palmer
And I have a weekly blogs, and at that time it was like, well, here’s two month’s worth of book. And I haven’t written about any other medium. And so he’s like, spread it out. So I don’t know when this is going to come out, but the last book that I didn’t hate read, but that I just kind of trudged through, I called just the worst Ted talk I’ve ever read.
00:39:52:41 – 00:39:53:10
Nick Schiner
00:39:54:21 – 00:40:32:51
Agent Palmer
But I’ll finish it. I, I don’t know if there’s, I also think there’s some value in the bad like I, I and so thankfully it’s not happened that much, although I have a lot of hand-me-down, Jewish neighborhood ish type books where it’s not about the religion but it’s about religious people. That I got that those I know I, inherited from cleaning out houses.
00:40:32:56 – 00:40:49:47
Agent Palmer
Right. So those are ones where I’m like. Hey, there must be something of value in here. It came from my grandfather. He must have found. Then again, I don’t know if think like I have no validation that they read this. It could have been on their shelf.
00:40:49:52 – 00:40:54:59
Nick Schiner
Like someone may have, just, like given it to them. And they just throw it on their bookshelf and they’ve never actually touched it.
00:40:55:01 – 00:41:38:43
Agent Palmer
But but I just feel like, I, I’m still learning my own writing voice, like I’ve been blogging for over a decade now, but I feel like I’m just for starting. And if I, I’ve even starting, like, I think I’m finding my voice. And I don’t know if the podcast helps or hurts, because I know you shouldn’t write the way you speak necessarily, but as I’ve taken on new things, and I think part of the reason that like reading a book that may or may not appeal to me is, there’s one exhibit A that will always, push me to finish the book.
00:41:38:43 – 00:42:09:07
Agent Palmer
And that is, I read The Magus by John Fowles. I think now it’s not his first book and it’s not his most famous book, from what I understand. But The Magus is a book that I could have gotten to in any number of ways. Okay, I ended up getting to it because I happened to be on Reddit one day and somebody was like, I read the mages and it changed my life.
00:42:09:12 – 00:42:38:24
Agent Palmer
And that was the headline. And I went, well, now I’m kind of curious of what the mages is about, so I bought it. Now, this is completely unrelated to the fact that Agent Palmer is based on Michael Caine’s portrayal of Agent Palmer, Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File, and he was in the movie adaptation of The Mages, which I had seen but had forgotten about until I finished reading The Mages.
00:42:38:28 – 00:43:04:06
Agent Palmer
Now back to the mages itself as exhibit A for why I will finish a book. The mages is like 5 or 600 pages. It was written in the mid to late 60s or something like that. I was 300 pages in to this 5 or 600 page book and had no clue what the hell. I couldn’t have even told you what it was about that far in.
00:43:04:11 – 00:43:34:58
Agent Palmer
And the last 200 pages were so amazing, based on what was set up, that I was still lost on exactly what the plot was that far into the book, and it just turned around. Now, I understand that that’s probably something that can only happen in fiction, but I like to think that even a nonfiction person could find a way to turn it around, or give you at least a good punch line, or leave you with something at the end that made it worthwhile.
00:43:35:03 – 00:43:42:22
Agent Palmer
And so even if I don’t like the book, I’m probably going to finish it because I want to know what’s in there.
00:43:42:29 – 00:43:51:58
Nick Schiner
Like I told you, I totally respect that. Like, I respect the grind. I, I have not finished far more, but many, far more books than I finish now.
00:43:51:58 – 00:43:54:13
Agent Palmer
How about movies?
00:43:54:18 – 00:43:55:16
Nick Schiner
I’ll turn them off.
00:43:55:21 – 00:43:58:23
Agent Palmer
Okay, I I’ll, I’ll.
00:43:58:28 – 00:44:02:07
Nick Schiner
I’ll talk TV shows. Like I have TV shows.
00:44:02:07 – 00:44:28:21
Agent Palmer
I’m will TV shows. I, I feel like it’s just because I’ve given up on FOMO, so like, whatever. Like I can name you the series that Steph and I started together, that we just never got back. There’s so much. I don’t think we consciously were like, yeah, let’s stop watching that one. It’s just like, we just kind of never went back to it.
00:44:28:26 – 00:44:42:47
Nick Schiner
Yeah. No, I mean that that that definitely happens. But I will tell you, I’m like, this is why, like, I also recognize that I shouldn’t do this all the time. But sometimes I can’t fight my nature like, I, I stop Breaking Bad. Like Breaking Bad is obviously like.
00:44:42:47 – 00:44:43:58
Agent Palmer
I never started it.
00:44:44:03 – 00:44:47:10
Nick Schiner
Classic. I mean that’s that. So like so.
00:44:47:15 – 00:44:48:11
Agent Palmer
The first.
00:44:48:11 – 00:45:07:42
Nick Schiner
Season is fine, but like and like we my wife and I started it, we watched a couple episodes and we just kind of like you said, just kind of like, didn’t like work and weren’t unhappy with it. Just were like, okay, like, this is fine, but like never got and like then we were like, okay, well, maybe we should start this again.
00:45:07:54 – 00:45:26:11
Nick Schiner
And we were like, we actually were like, I, we have to start it over. Like at this point. Like, I don’t want to, like, just pick up where we left off. Like, let’s just start it over and like, commit to the season and see where it goes from there. And like, I mean, it it like I know everybody says it’s one of the best shows I it’s a great show.
00:45:26:11 – 00:45:55:37
Nick Schiner
Like it’s not one that I necessarily would go back and watch again. I know people who watch it over and over again. That’s just not that’s not my my thing. I don’t really love heavy drama on repeat. But it’s it’s an amazing it’s an amazing show. And and I’m so glad that I, like, pushed through what I didn’t love to get to what I loved, but, like, maybe I and I don’t know, like, I think maybe I used to push through, but, like, now I, I really just don’t like.
00:45:55:37 – 00:46:13:50
Agent Palmer
I think it also has to do with, like, what’s your tolerance level? Like, I’ve got friends that are like for me, I’ll tell you the one I didn’t finish, I didn’t finish the animated Clone Wars. I got two and a half seasons in and I went, I’m not really feeling it. And everybody’s like, oh, but it gets really good at season four.
00:46:13:50 – 00:46:17:22
Agent Palmer
And I’m like, I’m sorry, I’m not. I’m washing my hands.
00:46:17:28 – 00:46:18:29
Nick Schiner
You can I get it?
00:46:18:31 – 00:46:25:45
Agent Palmer
You, you’re you’re going to have a hard time convincing me that it gets good at season four.
00:46:25:50 – 00:46:29:06
Nick Schiner
I mean, they’re not wrong. It does.
00:46:29:06 – 00:46:32:56
Agent Palmer
But I still have a season and a half of, like. I don’t really care.
00:46:33:10 – 00:46:40:22
Nick Schiner
I’d argue you could skip, like, you could go right to it. And, like, I know like, I like I have a completionist thing that like.
00:46:40:22 – 00:46:50:59
Agent Palmer
I do to a little bit like it’s not. And I know the, the book thing is, but like for generally speaking, I do like to finish things. Yeah. And go in order so.
00:46:51:04 – 00:47:10:56
Nick Schiner
But I it does it does get really good. Like it does get really, really good. But I could also totally see like again, like you could totally skip the first few seasons and when, but when it gets good and when they, they, they get like similar to if you’ve watched any of the shows like that or not like Ahsoka or Mandalorian, like, no.
00:47:11:01 – 00:47:23:38
Agent Palmer
No, I and I, I think part of it was I stopped all of it. I, I, I, I echo looks good, but we’d never finished Secret Invasion and I.
00:47:23:43 – 00:47:26:11
Nick Schiner
I don’t get I mean the MCU I but.
00:47:26:17 – 00:47:52:50
Agent Palmer
But I look at Star Wars now the same way as I look at the MCU. Yeah. And it’s just it’s one of those things where it’s like, you know what, I, I enjoyed, I enjoyed those 20 movies up to, up to, you know, Endgame and infinity War. That journey was wonderful. Yep. I’m okay not taking the next train.
00:47:52:55 – 00:47:55:39
Nick Schiner
They just I mean, they started doing too much like.
00:47:55:42 – 00:47:57:25
Agent Palmer
But I think they’re, I.
00:47:57:27 – 00:48:01:19
Nick Schiner
They got greedy with, with like, let’s just pump out as much content as possible.
00:48:01:19 – 00:48:27:32
Agent Palmer
So I would I would argue it was also a thing where around that time I found Minecraft, YouTube and Hermit Craft, and I found these ways of I found loading ready run and I found I found these independent and independent internet creators that pump out equally good quality. I’m not going to say it’s Marvel level, but if you’re interested in good storytelling, it’s there regardless of where you’re going to look.
00:48:27:32 – 00:48:52:56
Agent Palmer
And it’s like they don’t need Star Wars. Ahsoka doesn’t need my view. But like, this is an independent creator who’s going to care that they went from 100 to 101? I’m I guess I’m just going to support the little guy now. And so I’ve kind of moved on. And that’s why YouTube has become the first thing I check in the morning before anything else.
00:48:53:01 – 00:48:56:39
Nick Schiner
It’s funny. So you do a lot of fiction on YouTube too?
00:48:56:43 – 00:48:57:20
Agent Palmer
Yeah.
00:48:57:25 – 00:49:24:43
Nick Schiner
It’s like it’s so funny. Like I’m, I’m just now realizing like, and I love, I love, I mean, there’s tons of fiction that I love, but so funny, like, growing up, my grandfather was like, this is my other, another grandfather, like, just like voracious reader read multiple, multiple books a week, like 2 or 3 books a week. And it didn’t go to college and grad like they did the brilliant, like, answer every question right on on jeopardy reading, like I said, like 2 or 3 biographies a week.
00:49:24:43 – 00:49:47:55
Nick Schiner
And I always thought it was so fascinating because at that point in my life, like constantly reading fiction, like, basically only fiction, like like I remember this is I’m 39, so I’m right behind you. So like the peak of like, Star Wars expanded universe novels like that was my jam. Like, like the the Thrawn trilogy, like all of that stuff.
00:49:47:55 – 00:50:07:33
Nick Schiner
Like, I just like, that’s I loved reading fiction, and I still do, but, like, I find that I’m just drawn to nonfiction so much more. Like all of my, all of my YouTube content is like, people making stuff and like, people like, I like I love watching like, people’s like, studio tours and.
00:50:07:34 – 00:50:15:45
Agent Palmer
Well, studio. I’m a little bit of a of a because it’s all like, well, what’s, what’s their setup like there’s a series of two it two.
00:50:15:53 – 00:50:33:08
Nick Schiner
I like, I like, like mkbhd like like that. Like, but like I don’t think I really like, I don’t the closest thing to a narrative structure that I watch on YouTube is like video game documentaries. Like I was watching one on the making of Ocarina of Time earlier today while I was on the elliptical.
00:50:33:23 – 00:50:36:55
Agent Palmer
I’m I’m gonna I I’ve got some suggestions for you.
00:50:37:00 – 00:50:53:23
Nick Schiner
Oh I yeah. No that’s great. I’d love to I’d love to try it like I’m like I but I think part of like my attention is I’m so I, it’s so I’m, I find it so much harder to pay attention to fiction than it is nonfiction. And I don’t know why I.
00:50:53:27 – 00:51:11:25
Agent Palmer
I mean, I’m always on the lookout for a good doc, but like they are, they do tend to be like few and far between where like, there’s a story in everything and everyone, and that’s true. That story is not always worth telling.
00:51:11:30 – 00:51:21:56
Nick Schiner
Sure. Yeah, I like, I well like, I think I may I think maybe my preference for nonfiction like I don’t like, I don’t I hate using preference, but I guess it’s like a subconscious. But it’s what.
00:51:21:56 – 00:51:32:22
Agent Palmer
You lean towards. Like if I put YouTube in front of you right now, you’re going to click on a documentary before you click on a random sketch from somebody.
00:51:32:27 – 00:51:33:30
Nick Schiner
No. So like.
00:51:33:37 – 00:51:34:26
Agent Palmer
Okay,
00:51:34:31 – 00:51:50:33
Nick Schiner
Comedy sketch like, I like they’re almost like an in-between for me. Like, okay. But like, and it’s funny because, like, I, I, I’m like your classic. I put the officer Parks and Recreation on to fall asleep just because, like, again, I’m.
00:51:50:33 – 00:51:52:57
Agent Palmer
For things I missed completely.
00:51:52:57 – 00:51:53:44
Nick Schiner
You didn’t watch them.
00:51:53:54 – 00:52:08:24
Agent Palmer
I get some of the references. I’ve seen it in syndication, but it’s like a I don’t like. I’ve, I’ve been present for conversations about the office that I understand and can follow.
00:52:08:28 – 00:52:08:52
Nick Schiner
00:52:08:54 – 00:52:15:57
Agent Palmer
And I still go I love The West Wing more than you love The Office. And I still don’t talk about The West Wing like that.
00:52:16:02 – 00:52:46:25
Nick Schiner
I mean people, people are weird and also kind of annoying about the office. Like it’s, you know, it’s a cultural touchstone, like, it’s it’s like I loved it. It was fantastic. I watch it more because it’s comfort, like I say, like I like to put, I like to put on that kind of stuff in the background because I already know, like they say, like there’s, there’s studies that show, like, people who are high anxiety like myself that like putting that on is comforting because you know what’s going to happen.
00:52:46:25 – 00:52:55:18
Agent Palmer
I used to have that. I used to have that. And now I just put on I and now it’s creator based. For me. I think that’s that’s my shift.
00:52:55:19 – 00:53:14:02
Nick Schiner
I do that because I don’t want my I don’t want to miss something that I might enjoy. I worry like I won’t, I won’t, I won’t put on a new like a show. Like I’ve been what I’ve been I never watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I’m watching that now and.
00:53:14:06 – 00:53:20:55
Agent Palmer
That that’s an active watch for you. You’re not putting that on in the background while you’re doing something else you want. I have 25 minutes.
00:53:21:00 – 00:53:29:31
Nick Schiner
And like, I will I will turn it off if I sense myself starting to doze off like a lot of people just they’ll just doze off and they’ll just come.
00:53:29:31 – 00:53:30:40
Agent Palmer
Back, you know, like.
00:53:30:44 – 00:54:07:58
Nick Schiner
I can’t do it, okay? The anxiety of falling asleep during something that I want to watch. It’s too much. I have to turn it off, turn on something I’ve already seen or something that I truly just don’t care about at all. And I think nonfiction, like anything like nonfiction or like tutorials of like, like, I feel like they’re easier for me to turn off because, like, you’re not, like, in the middle of a story a lot of times, like, it’s easier for me to like, say, like I’m, I’ll finish watching the studio tour later, like it’s not a huge cognitive lift or shift for me.
00:54:07:58 – 00:54:18:12
Nick Schiner
It’ll start or stop that content.
00:54:18:16 – 00:54:35:40
Agent Palmer
So what have we established? We’ve established that if you aren’t the family tech support, you should probably be thankful you have someone who will do that stuff for free. There’s a fairly good chance that your printer isn’t as much of a necessity as it once was, and there’s a lot to be fixed when it comes to streaming platforms and devices.
00:54:35:45 – 00:54:57:45
Agent Palmer
But most of all, two strangers can meet online and create a meaningful connection. Do I still want to turn off the internet, or at least slow it down? Absolutely. But becoming friends with Nick has softened my resolve, so there’s that. In the meantime, we both encourage you to read, though if you’re like Nick and you don’t need to finish a book, I won’t blame you.
00:54:57:50 – 00:55:20:26
Agent Palmer
Support local libraries and be excellent to each other. That’s probably too Bill and Ted, but that’s fine. Thanks for listening to The Palmer Files episode 117. And now for the official business. The Palmer Files releases every two weeks on Tuesdays. If you’re still listening, I encourage you to join the discussion. You can find all related ways to contact my guest, Nick shiner and myself in the show notes.
00:55:20:31 – 00:55:54:36
Agent Palmer
There you can find more information about Nick and his work at state. Playing.com. The music for this episode was provided by Henno Heitur. Email can be sent to this show at The Palmer Files at gmail.com. And remember, you’re home for all things. Agent Palmer is Agent palmer.com.
00:55:54:41 – 00:56:06:45
Agent Palmer
See?
00:56:06:49 – 00:56:21:02
Agent Palmer
You.
00:56:21:07 – 00:56:23:53
Agent Palmer
All right, Nick, do you have one final question for me?
00:56:23:58 – 00:56:33:57
Nick Schiner
I do, so I see behind you. I saw your Indiana Jones figure, and I need you to move your head, and you move. Right? Is it. Is it Indy? Is that who it is that that’s there?
00:56:33:57 – 00:56:35:00
Agent Palmer
Yeah. There.
00:56:35:11 – 00:56:37:06
Nick Schiner
You got Cal Ripken behind you, too.
00:56:37:16 – 00:56:48:13
Agent Palmer
Yeah. So? So it’s where I am. Yeah. I wasn’t born in Baltimore, but I was born into the fandom. Do you ever.
00:56:48:13 – 00:56:50:11
Nick Schiner
Come down for games? That’s not my question.
00:56:50:17 – 00:57:16:38
Agent Palmer
Yes, I do come down for games. No, it’s so, so it’s it’s it’s the Cal Ripken Wheaties box. It’s Cal it’s classic Cal’s classic O’s, which was a, a novelty Cal Ripken cereal. And then it’s a, an Avengers, novelty cereal. And on top of them, still in package. Still in box is R2d2.
00:57:16:43 – 00:57:17:27
Nick Schiner
Okay.
00:57:17:31 – 00:57:30:00
Agent Palmer
Indiana Jones and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Love that from the original. So not oh, not that amazing. That and so or from the original series. I don’t think their original 1970s Kenner.
00:57:30:05 – 00:57:37:42
Nick Schiner
No. They look like the 90s. They look like the 90s, which are still amazing, amazing figures. And like, I love getting my hands on those when I can.
00:57:37:42 – 00:58:15:12
Agent Palmer
And so yeah, that’s that. I, I’ve downsized a little bit because, like, I’ve been on this kick where I’m trying to get rid of stuff because I realized when I moved into my house from my apartment and filled it up that I was like, I have too much stuff. And then at the top and then I had a girlfriend leave before Steph moved in and I the house was still full of stuff, and then Steph moved in and I was like, I have too much stuff.
00:58:15:17 – 00:58:42:14
Agent Palmer
So those are the things that I have at the moment. Survived. I also have a six pack of classic Coke bottles, the smaller ones that set that that are in honor of 21, 31. Okay, those are just all on a bookshelf. And instead of classic Coke, it says classic Cal.
00:58:42:19 – 00:58:50:24
Nick Schiner
Oh, I love that. That’s super cool. Well, if you cut in when you when you, when you come down for a game, let me know. It’s like 15 minutes from my house.
00:58:50:24 – 00:59:08:07
Agent Palmer
It’s it’s it’s it’s the only place I go these days. I, we usually go in for a series. We’ve, I, I, I keep telling Steph, so I’ve turned Steph into a, sports fan.
00:59:08:12 – 00:59:08:41
Nick Schiner
Okay.
00:59:08:43 – 00:59:26:52
Agent Palmer
Because it’s not just for. I’m not just a Baltimore fan, so I, the Orioles are my team, but like, I don’t I’m not a Ravens fan because I grew up in a household where my father was still bitter. The Colts left, so the Ravens weren’t there. And and I grew up in a household that is open to many, many sports.
00:59:27:03 – 00:59:34:00
Agent Palmer
So the Kffl and the stallions were pretty big and the stallions.
00:59:34:00 – 00:59:35:50
Nick Schiner
And so I’m Oriole Stadium, I’m.
00:59:35:50 – 00:59:58:21
Agent Palmer
Still a big fan of I, I’ve actually taken the Montreal West. No, no, I it’s Toronto. For me it’s the Argonauts but I’m, I’m Jason so the Argonauts works. And and I’m a I’m in Pennsylvania, but Michigan’s my favorite, college football team. But Duke’s my favorite college basketball team, and I. I’m okay. And I enjoy watching F1.
00:59:58:21 – 01:00:23:58
Agent Palmer
And I will watch Daytona, but I won’t watch all of the NASCAR season. I’m a sports guy, and I’ve turned her into this. She she won’t watch all of the things with me, but she watches enough of them with the things. But baseball, because it’s so long and it happens on a daily basis. I’ve gotten her into and, you know, she, she, she had her first heartbreak, having nothing to do with wins and losses when she fell in love with Trey Mancini.
01:00:23:58 – 01:00:43:42
Agent Palmer
And then he got traded at the deadline and she felt she, you know, she she kind of had to deal with that. And then but it also means she’s never really had to deal with. She’s only had to deal with one losing season. Yeah. Because they’ve now won since she’s started following. And I was like, don’t get used to this.
01:00:43:47 – 01:00:45:51
Nick Schiner
That correlation or causation.
01:00:45:56 – 01:00:59:10
Agent Palmer
I it’s I don’t think it’s either. I think it’s just that I have turned her into a sports like she was. It’s at a point now where like when she visits her mother without me during baseball season, she’ll watch the game.
01:00:59:15 – 01:01:00:08
Nick Schiner
Oh that’s cool.
01:01:00:23 – 01:01:12:15
Agent Palmer
Or listen to it if she can or whatever. Like so I have I have corrupted her in such a way that now she’s got expectations for this upcoming season. Oh, perfect.
01:01:12:15 – 01:01:15:05
Nick Schiner
Background that I can fall asleep to baseball to.
01:01:15:09 – 01:01:34:24
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I can’t yeah, a little bit, but I, I for me all of those sports I mentioned by the way I usually except two really tense moments I’m reading. Well all of those things happen. Like I can watch college football game and pay attention to it while reading a book or watch nine innings, and you’re.
01:01:34:26 – 01:01:38:40
Nick Schiner
Definitely more passive. That’s definitely more passive entertainment for me.
01:01:38:45 – 01:02:00:41
Agent Palmer
But I, I’ve, you know, I’ve kind of ruined her a little bit in that way where it’s like, you know, by the way, I hope, you know, I scheduled my podcast for Thursday night because the Orioles have a day game, so I won’t miss anything like I, I very much looked at the schedule ahead when I get to spring and summer, and it’s like looking around it.
01:02:00:43 – 01:02:27:50
Agent Palmer
Yeah. Playing her. I, you and I have scheduled this a few times, and I know that the, the one time we were supposed to go on Tuesday was because I didn’t want to go against the national championship. Michigan one on Monday night, I, I am I am that guy. I’m also that guy would like that. My friend, not my friend, my best friend.
01:02:27:50 – 01:02:46:54
Agent Palmer
And we talked about him. Chris was telling me about a trip he and his wife were going to take to the Finger Lakes. And I was like, you know, that, NASCAR is going to be there that weekend. And he’s like, really? Like, yeah, they’re in Watkins Glen. So just stay away. Like, I’m that friend. Like, I don’t even I wasn’t even going to go.
01:02:46:55 – 01:02:48:17
Agent Palmer
I’m not going to watch.
01:02:48:22 – 01:02:48:54
Nick Schiner
The sports are.
01:02:48:54 – 01:03:05:12
Agent Palmer
Happening. I’m just aware, you know, I’m just like, maybe, you know, pay attention. So yeah. No, I’m. Yeah, I’ve I’ve never decided like, I’ve never, like, solidified like what I want the background to be. So I was like, well, I’ve, I’ve got a, a shelf back there.
01:03:05:12 – 01:03:07:13
Nick Schiner
Let’s just fill it around all the time. I mean.
01:03:07:13 – 01:03:39:49
Agent Palmer
Like, as, as a, as a testament to how geeky I can truly be next to. I don’t know if it’s in frame, but next to Cal Ripken Wheaties box, I have a magic The Gathering deck, which is based around squid and Kraken in a tin of old Bay because it felt right. All right. So, just like, you know, everybody, I love that you got, you know.
01:03:39:54 – 01:03:57:14
Nick Schiner
Yeah. But seriously, let me let me know when you’re down here and we’ll we’ll we’ll catch up. We’ll catch a game. Absolutely. Here’s my question. So did you see the new. So this is the question leading into the question. Okay. Did you see the new trailer for the new Indiana Jones video game?
01:03:57:21 – 01:04:13:19
Agent Palmer
No. Damn. No, I because I don’t I outside of Minecraft, okay. Which I’ve gotten into by watching other people and getting inspired to do it myself. I don’t play games anymore.
01:04:13:23 – 01:04:14:20
Nick Schiner
Okay?
01:04:14:24 – 01:04:33:52
Agent Palmer
I used to, but I just I don’t play games anymore, and I there, there’s a part of me that misses it. But I just explained that I’m reading a lot and I’m watching all of these sports and it’s just like, I’m I’m okay. Not like I don’t.
01:04:33:57 – 01:04:53:32
Agent Palmer
Sometimes I miss it in like a faint way, but I don’t miss it enough to be like, let’s plug in the Gamecube. No, I don’t, I don’t miss it that much. Yeah. No, I and I, I’d like to say I follow along with that stuff, but I didn’t even know they were still making Indiana Jones games.
01:04:53:36 – 01:05:18:24
Nick Schiner
Yeah. So Bethesda’s making it like Skyrim Starfield. Those guys like they’re making this game and it looks pretty cool. I there’s a there’s a kerfuffle online because a lot of the game is in first person. And people are very mad that you’re getting to play Indiana Jones in this like 4K, like high resolution, like Indiana, like Harrison Ford’s face.
01:05:18:29 – 01:05:22:10
Nick Schiner
And for most of the time, like you are in first person perspective.
01:05:22:10 – 01:05:28:12
Agent Palmer
But don’t you want to be like, isn’t that what did did the did the.
01:05:28:17 – 01:05:30:28
Nick Schiner
Fifth person or third person? What do you prefer?
01:05:30:30 – 01:05:36:53
Agent Palmer
Did the purpose of video games change? I want to experience what it’s like to be Indiana Jones.
01:05:36:55 – 01:05:39:26
Nick Schiner
As opposed to being able to control Indiana Jones.
01:05:39:26 – 01:06:04:09
Agent Palmer
Yeah, I don’t know. So like I guess it depends on the game too. Like, I, I, I go back to my earliest gaming experience, like my earliest true gaming. Not the first games I played, but the first like games I played where I was like, all right, let’s go. It was quake. Yeah, and Wolfenstein and then and I don’t count civilization because it’s so like, not even third.
01:06:04:15 – 01:06:05:56
Agent Palmer
Like that’s just a real time strategy.
01:06:05:56 – 01:06:07:16
Nick Schiner
It’s basically a board game.
01:06:07:22 – 01:06:25:43
Agent Palmer
Yeah, that’s a board game. And so it wasn’t until Diablo that I get that third person experience. And if given the choice at that time, at the height of my gaming, I’m picking quake over Diablo every single time.
01:06:25:48 – 01:06:27:04
Nick Schiner
Yeah. I mean.
01:06:27:09 – 01:06:32:04
Agent Palmer
I want to hear it’s the thing not, you know, it.
01:06:32:09 – 01:06:35:22
Nick Schiner
I think people I think people’s concern is like.
01:06:35:27 – 01:06:35:50
Agent Palmer
Do you.
01:06:35:50 – 01:06:39:57
Nick Schiner
Will you lose track or will you lose sight of the fact that you are Indiana Jones? So like.
01:06:39:57 – 01:06:44:28
Agent Palmer
I absolutely, absolutely will. But the the purpose of games is.
01:06:44:28 – 01:06:46:17
Nick Schiner
To be well in it.
01:06:46:21 – 01:07:10:08
Agent Palmer
The purpose of games is to be in it. But let’s be real, just like we talked at one point about, there being too much content, the purpose of games is to sell games. It’s not to make you happy. Are you kidding me? Like that’s a that’s a different episode all on its own. But like, people aren’t making games and movies and television to make you happy.
01:07:10:13 – 01:07:13:10
Agent Palmer
They want you to buy it. That’s it.
01:07:13:14 – 01:07:17:01
Nick Schiner
Yeah, but will you buy it if you’re happier?
01:07:17:06 – 01:07:17:55
Agent Palmer
I don’t know.
01:07:18:00 – 01:07:19:46
Nick Schiner
I people also just like to complain about everything.
01:07:19:48 – 01:07:21:13
Agent Palmer
That again it was.
01:07:21:13 – 01:07:23:35
Nick Schiner
Like the like they just saying like like.
01:07:23:38 – 01:07:40:51
Agent Palmer
When I turned 40 I you know somebody said old man and I went, yeah I can now yell at crowds. I can now yell at clouds. Also if if you ever talk to somebody who knew me in college, I felt this grumpy and old for decades.
01:07:40:56 – 01:08:01:28
Nick Schiner
I will tell you, for the first time ever, this was like a week or two ago. Like we had a bunch of rain and it was still like that warm spell that we had, and it was a nice day. It was like in the 50s, probably. And I live in a townhouse, a townhome community, and the kids all play in the backyard, and they’re playing in the backyard and they’re playing football.
01:08:01:28 – 01:08:23:11
Nick Schiner
And like, they’ve just torn like 3 or 4 lawns up. And I’ve never I didn’t do it, but I have never been closer to yelling at kids to stay off my lawn than I was in that moment. Like I went, I actually like I went outside to grill dinner and they’re still. And I’m like, Nick, don’t yell at them.
01:08:23:11 – 01:08:38:39
Nick Schiner
They’re children. They haven’t torn up your lawn. Do not say, stay off my lawn. And and I didn’t, and I’m proud of myself. But at the same time I’m like, if these kids mess up my lawn and I’m not even a lawn guy. Like, I just like, I don’t want it to be a mud pit for my own kids.
01:08:38:39 – 01:08:43:43
Nick Schiner
Yeah. But like, I was very, very close. Like, get off my lawn.
–End Transcription–
This transcription was processed by PalmerTech 3.1 and may contain errors for HUMINT (human intelligence).