David Herrold
The ‘Net is a waste of time, and that’s exactly what’s right about it. - William Gibson
Hi, my name is David Herrold and I work at the Houston Chronicle. I'm interested in: mobile technology, social media, networking, web design, usability, publishing, software, hardware, search engine optimization and management tips. Feel free to drop me a note and let me know what you think.
4th
AUG
Edouard schmedward
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Science
It looks like Tropical Storm Edouard will hit Houston tomorrow around lunchtime.
All things considered, I think Edouard hitting Houston is much better than Edouard hitting New Orleans. I think we can take the blow to the chin much easier than they can right now.
Tomorrow should be an interesting day. If past performance is any indicator, the television media will do its best to whip the public into a frenzy of worry and panic. Do we really need 3D spinning storm graphics pounding our TV screens in high definition?
We’ve stocked up on olives, vermouth and vodka - just like we did for Rita a couple years ago.
What are you doing to prepare for the storm?
3rd
JUL
Photos of Rocky Mountain National Park
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Photography

I took some photos yesterday when Justine and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park.
Enjoy.
Tags: colorado, estes park, rmnp, rocky mountain national park
30th
JUN
Some Colorado photos
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Photography

I posted some photos on my Flickr account of our trip to Pikes Peak, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. I also posted some photos of the wedding we attended at the Arrowhead Golf Course.
Enjoy.
Tags: arrowhead golf course, colorado, littleton co, pikes peak, red rocks
26th
MAY
Consumption versus creation
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Productivity

I consume a lot.
On a regular basis I consume podcasts, RSS feeds, emails, phone calls, text messages, books, magazines, TV, movies, radio, social networking noise, music, advertisements and occasionally sky writing.
It’s comforting to know I am not alone in my maddening consumption of information.
The population of th United States consumes an staggering amount of information every day. Luckily our brains are the most sophisticated recorders of video, audio and text known to man. While we’re awake our surroundings are meticulously captured and stored for later recall (although, certainly not perfect recall in my case).
I was half-listening to a podcast the other day while I was doing a little work at home. After typing away, not really paying attention to the podcast, I heard the phrase “I want to create more than I consume.” I must have heard this between mouse clicks or browser refreshes, because I heard it clearly and it stuck in my head for a couple days.
I considered the ramifications of creating more than I consume on a daily basis. The idea was so completely foreign to me I didn’t know where to begin.
As I write this post, I am listening to a podcast, watching my Twitter & FriendFeed streams, answering some emails, and trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight. This is ridiculous, now that I think about it.
And probably means several things.
One. I am doing none of these things very well because you can only stretch your attention so far, right?
Two. I have a very short attention span.
Three. My rate of consumption far exceeds my rate of creation.
Is it honestly possible for us to create more than we consume? If you are a painter, is it possible for you to paint more pictures than you are able to see in a lifetime? Not comfortably - without locking yourself in a room with brushes, canvas and a steady supply of coffee.
Regardless of the possibility, the idea is an interesting one.
How much do you create?
(Photo by reflexer on Flickr)
Tags: consumption, creation, Productivity, time management
9th
MAR
More SXSW2008 Fire Dancers
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal
Tags: fire dancers, fire dancing, frog design, south by southwest interactive, sxsw2008, sxswi
8th
MAR
South by Southwest Photos Day 2
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal
Some photos I took at the South by Southwest day two. The fire dancers at the Frog Design party were amazing. See the short video I took of them below.
Tags: fire dancers, fire dancing, frog design, south by southwest interactive, sxsw2008, sxswi
8th
Fire Dancers at Frog Design party
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal
Music by the Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
Tags: fire dancers, fire dancing, frog design, south by southwest interactive, sxsw2008, sxswi
5th
MAR
No Media Night ™
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Productivity

Justine and I have been doing our best to have at least one night a week that is totally media-free.
No TV. No internet. No movies. No radio. No phone. Just us.
We’ve been doing it on and off for a several months now and it’s been great so far. The first few times were a bit twitchy, but we made it through no worse for the wear.
We are both far too connected; living inside our email, web browsers, AIM, Blackberries, etc far too many hours every day. At some point our brains need to cool down and stare at something that emits zero pixels-per-square-inch.
Like a banana. Or a book. Perhaps meatloaf. Or matching socks.
Merlin Mann, of 43 Folders fame, posted a great article on this topic a few days ago. It reminded me of what Justine and I try to do each week with No Media Night ™.
You can read the article here.
If you haven’t already tried it, you should consider a no-media-night just to see what it feels like to unplug. After the initial twitching and digital withdrawls are over (this takes about an hour or so) it’s actually pretty relaxing.
You should try it sometime.
15th
DEC
Declutter your mind
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Productivity
Leo Babauta has a great article about decluttering your mind:
You can declutter your mind with simple actions, things we’ve discussed here before, but things that are almost guaranteed to have a positive effect. Little things that can make a big difference, especially when used in combination. Choose a few to try out, and see if they work for you.
I use several of the techniques he talks about in his article, but find myself wishing I used more of them.
Tags: focus, organization, Productivity, simplicity, zen
1st
DEC
Winter wonderland
Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Photography

I realized this past thanksgiving how much I miss snow during the holidays. I stumbled upon this great photo in Flickr that Rick Harris took of a Canadian winter.
He has a great eye for framing a shot. You can see the rest of his photos here.
Enjoy.
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