5 Favorites from Media Correspondent Tim Johnstone
Sure it’s just stuff. But stuff can make life easier, more enjoyable, etc… Every so often we ask one of our favorite people to rattle off their five favorite things. This is the stuff they’d grab if the house was burning down.
Tim Johnstone is a former Virgin Records Label Rep and current award winning Music Director/on-air host at KRVB, a radio station which has been awarded among other things, the FMQB AAA station of the year for markets 50+. He has an incredible ear, but you’d never hear him say that. Instead, after finding out a bit about you, he might gently put a CD in your hands, and after one listen you’d find yourself asking why the hell you hadn’t ever heard of this amazing band before, which was perfect for your road trip/house party/night-in.
He’s also currently developing a website called thenanigans.com, which is a daily rolling best-of-the-web buffet, minus any caloric guilt. It’s a daily read. Especially Fridays if you like GIFs.
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#1. Levi’s 514’s & white long sleeve button down shirt
“This is a combination that has served me well since high school. I realize this might not be a good thing, but there is comfort in familiarity. The only thing that has changed is the style of Levis. Back then they were 501’s. I’ve upgraded to 514’s with thanks to Joe for the recommendation. (editor’s note: I’m still a big fan of 501s, but 514s provide a slimmer look without getting too skinny.) I feel like the look is clean and simple. Also, versatile. This works with just about most footwear and it looks great with your sleeves rolled up, paired with a blazer, etc…
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#2. Laceless Converse All-Stars – $45 – $55
“These have stepped up (ouch, sorry) as my preferred footwear for the spring and summer months. They even serve me well in an Indian Summer. As much as I’ve enjoyed my John Varvatos editions, those were pre-distressed and expensive. I appreciate the clean lines and non-frayed edges of the genuine, less-expensive deal. I find them, much like the Levi’s and white oxford, clean and simple. Plus, they are equally versatile.”
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#3. iPad
“There is a reason this particular device has changed the way people interact with their virtual world. Because of the iOS interface, if you use an iPhone, you already know how this works. It’s just bigger. Which means that you can actually view the internet. And, more importantly, work via it. You have a keyboard that is practical for extended typing. I can update my blog. E-mail, social media, music and media (including Pandora, Spotify and Soundcloud) all work well.
For personal travel, nothing beats being able to stash a stack of books without, you know…toting a stack of books. Same goes for magazines and games (from classic Atari 200 games to yes, those angry birds). I use it to record interviews with artists on site, away from the studio. I’ve watched movies on planes. I can do just about anything on this that I do on my laptop. And it is portable enough to carry in your hands if needed.”
Photo: Paul Hudson
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#4. Aveda for men Skin and Hair Care
“This is my luxury. I’ve been a fan of Aveda’s skin and hair line since I was first introduced to them in the early 90’s. The company pioneered the concept of aromatherapy via it’s environmentally friendly products. They waited some time before introducing a line specifically for men, but they got it right. The Aveda Men Pure-formance line features shampoos (including the must-have exfoliating shampoo – you get a scalp massage while you shampoo), a conditioner and several options for styling needs, including a couple different pomades, a gel, a cream and a a grooming clay. I also use their shave cream & aftershave moisturizer. All recommended.”
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#5. Cook’s Illustrated
“Because one cannot live on take out alone. Because there will come a time where you will (or should) cook a meal for someone special. Because chances are you might need an assist.
Cook’s Illustrated gets you from beginner cook to ‘hey that’s really good’ without the expensive cooking classes. The largely black and white magazine includes step by step instructions for every kind of dish imaginable. It explains the reason why things taste good when done the right way. They discover short cuts that actually save you time without sacrificing flavor. From comfort food and basics, to haute cuisine and new favorites you get the science behind what makes a perfect dish perfect. And Cook’s Illustrated, like Consumer Reports, doesn’t accept advertising. So when they do taste and product tests on every type of food related consumer product from over the counter consumables to the kitchen equipment, they bring an unbiased, study based approach to their findings. Why subscribe? the archives. the recipes. the how-to’s.“
For Previous editions of “5 Favorites” see the archive here. Very Top “5” Photo Credit: Gunnar Bangsmoen
The commentary about the iPad and Cook’s Illustrated are dead on.
I wish that my company would switch us to being able to use iPad’s instead of our laptops. Right now I end up taking both.
As for Cook’s Illustrated, I think this is a must have for any guy – bachelor or married, young or old. The plethora of recipes, cooking tips, equipment reviews and sometimes witty commentary by editor Christopher Kimball is worth every penny and then some. I consider it a huge bargain to be honest.
and to actually do any real work on an iPad you almost always end up connecting to a RDS or Citrix farm, thus working on Windows. The sooner people realize Apple products aren’t made for work, the quicker we can all get back to getting things done.
I heartily second the recommendation of Cook’s Illustrated. Everything I cook reasonably well (that is, everything I get any compliments on) is based on a Cook’s Illustrated recipe.
I don’t know anything about RDS or Citrix (not much of a tech person), but I got an iPad as a birthday gift and it’s definitely not a laptop replacement. For one thing, an actual keyboard/case adds $100 to the iPad’s price tag. And it doesn’t even have a decent word-processing app available, for goodness’ sake. The highest-rated app I’ve found and paid for is still jaw-grindingly clunky and mediocre, and to my chagrin MS Word has no plans on ever making an app. An iPad might make a nice personal accessory, but I would never qualify it as a work tool. It simply lacks the necessary functionality. At the same price as a mid-range laptop or a really nice desktop, it’s hard for me to see the iPad as much more than an expensive toy.
P.S. Who’d have ever thought I’d be singing Word’s praises….
Now I understand haters gonna hate (“The sooner people realize Apple products aren’t made for work, the quicker we can all get back to getting things done.” Classy!) so I’m not going to make an argument for or against the iPad (everybody already seems to have their own opinion) but I just wanted to drop a couple facts.
(a) Steve is making the ludicrous assertion that anybody who needs to work on an iPad uses RDS or Citrix. What he is saying is that people who need to work on iPad can only do so if they access a desktop computer remotely with the iPad. While this would certainly be true for my work (we use proprietary software that only works on Windows so I would have to log on with something like Citrix if I wanted to use it), this obviously isn’t the case for Tim above. He makes a pretty clear case about how he uses his iPad for work and doesn’t need RDS or Citrix to do so.
(b) BenR, I assume that you tried Pages as I think that is the top rated WP on the iPad. Shame you don’t like it (I myself enjoy IA Writer as it is the opposite of clunky but I still don’t think it’s your thing) and, again, it’s not my desire to get you to like the iPad but I just wanted to point out that you don’t need to shell out $100 for a keyboard. Any bluetooth keyboard will work and you can get them for as low as $15. Hopefully the same thoughtless but wealthy person who bought you an iPad will buy you a tablet you like in the future and $15 won’t be too much money to augment the otherwise free thing you just got.
Ironically my iPad just ate the long response I wrote, so I will try to condense it here:
The “thoughtless but wealthy person” who gave me my iPad was my parents, who incidentally, haven’t given me a birthday gift in a number of years, which probably explains why they decided to be so generous this year.
My Zagg keyboard cost $100, but it also included a case and a stand, without which the iPad would be nonfunctional (for me). If I’d bought a $15 bluetooth keyboard, I would have also had to buy a case and a stand and some kind of bag to keep them all together, which may still have been cheaper than $100, but certainly would have been a less elegant and functional solution than an iPad-specific keyboard/case/stand combo.
I don’t dislike the iPad. All I’ve said, and all I’m saying, is that it makes a poor laptop replacement. Unless you have a somewhat unconventional job, I don’t think it makes a very good or functional work tool. For 95% of people who own an iPad, it is an expensive toy/accessory. A basic laptop may not be as sexy, but if you need a gadget to get your work done, it is probably a much better bet. I use my iPad to take notes because it is so small and lightweight relative to my laptop, but at the end of the week I still have to transfer all my notes to my laptop in order to be able to do much with the documents outside of some useless formatting options. The iPad may be able to do most of the things my laptop can do, but it doesn’t do them intuitively or as efficiently as my laptop can do them – i.e., I can highlight and copy text with my laptop with a swipe of the mouse and ctrl+c, but on the iPad I have to double-click on a word, wait for the little blue dots to show up, drag the blue dots around with my finger to get the actual text I wanted, wait for options to pop up, tap “copy,” and then double-tap where I want to put the copied text, wait for the options to pop up, and tap “paste.” When you do as much document-reading and writing as I do, those extra seconds add up and become extremely disruptive to the flow of my work process. I can’t even begin to imagine the futility of trying to write up a labor- and formatting-intensive document like a motion or a brief.
P.S. again – I’m not trying to pooh-pooh the choice of the iPad as your favorite. I’m sure you, and a lot of people, get a lot of good use and value out of their iPads or other tablets. I’m just agreeing with Steve – the iPad is not a device that is well-tailored to my work needs, nor likely the work needs of most other people. I would categorize my iPad with my Xbox360 – it’s a lot of fun but hardly essential to my life, and for me at least, not a “favorite” either in a gadget sense, a style sense, or a general life sense. I appreciate it as a gift, but I would not have spent my own money to buy one and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to others.
P.P.S. I am/was obviously confused as to whether @AlwaysBeenTim and Tim Johnnstone are the same person but evidently they are not – my apologies for the confusion.
Again, I really don’t care whether you like your iPad or not. As far as I’m concerned that is either Apple’s concern or your parents (and really, don’t downplay your parent’s generosity because I have never received a $500 gift from my folks since I became an adult so good on you!) Your original post said that you can’t find a keyboard for less then $100 and I just wanted to make sure that you knew that you could (you can even find keyboard/case combos for less than $ 100 too but I guess they wouldn’t suit your means)
Now, Steve’s original assertion was that people can’t use an iPads for work unless they use it to remote into a desktop (which is silly) and that people like Tim who claim to use their iPad for work need to stop (which I find a little offensive). Again, the full quote is “The sooner people realize Apple products aren’t made for work, the quicker we can all get back to getting things done.” which is an a-hole statement if I’ve heard one.
I don’t use an iPad for work. I know many people who do who work in many fields who use iPads from small business owners to executives in my Fortune 500 company to the guy in the food cart down the road but it would be just as silly for me to claim that 95% of all people could use iPads for work as your claim that they can’t. Personally, I found Tim’s (the other Tim) description of his job and how he uses an iPad for it interesting and I would think if you would find it somewhat novel that he gets so much use from a ‘toy’
@Tim Johnstone
Your shoes are missing their laces.
@Ipad debate
You know what I hate about Ipads (or touchscreens in general)? People trying to use them in places they have no business being used. I have a daily routine that involves me signing into & out of a building (not work related) which used to transpire on a piece of paper. This organization recently replaced the paper sign in sheets with 3 or 4 Ipads. The tricks I have to go through to now enter the time & my initials takes 3-4 times longer than entering the time & my initials manually on a piece of paper ever did. Now, I am a huge proponent of saving paper (everytime I walk by our printer I pull paper out of the trash & put it in the recycling bin), but spending $1200?? (plus $ to recharge them) to do so is a waste of money & an absolute time killer for me. Not to mention I am unable to view the entire sheet on the screen unless at unreadable zoom levels so I am constantly filling in on the wrong lines & anyone that wanted to could easily forge my initials.
No worries. We are not one and the same. Nobody likes my music choices at all
I personally think people should just use the tech items they like and not cast stones against people who chose differently. Why do you care if someone has a different preference than you?
Also @Tim Johnstone….top 5 albums of the year. Go!
This slightly reminds me of when CBS awkwardly tried to shoe-horn ipads into their pre-game show. The guys were making picks, and instead of just having the graphics team fire them off, Sha-NON and the rest of the guys had to physically touch their iPads to have their picks pop up.
It… didn’t always work.
BUT, I have to admit, the iPad is pretty slick. I personally need something with a mouse and a keyboard to do anything other than consume. But I do really like my Kindle Fire (yes, a Kindle Fire) for the couch.
@Marshall Lilly – you asked for it. This is what my top 5 list would look like today. I’m not saying this would read the same in a month. Just, well, for today. “Some Nights” by Fun, “Blues Funeral” by Mark Lanegan Band, “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean, “Fear Fun” by Father John Misty and “Sweet Heart Sweet Light” by Spiritualized. For today, anyway.
Nice!
I’ve picked up 30 albums so far this year (and that will increase quite a bit over the next few weeks since September is very heavy on good releases). As of right now, here are my top five in no specific order:
Beach House – BloomIslands – A Sleep & A ForgettingThe Walkmen – HeavenPallbearer – Sorrow & ExtinctionMoonface – Heartbreaking Bravery
2012 is looking to be a bit weaker than 2011 in my book. I bought 60 albums last year, and I think the strongest albums from 2011 will end up being stronger than the ones from 2012. But that’s just one man’s opinion…
Ah…I have an idea what you like. Nice. I’ve got a couple of those at home. It will be interesting to see what the year has in store yet. Don’t give up.
I cant decide if I really like this post bc of the great picks, or bc I’m biased as a music man myself. I’ll say both… Great post!!
That Moonface album has potential, I will have to find a copy to listen in its entirety. I had never heard the Islands before, but their 1st album appeals to me. Thank you for providing the research material.
Sure they’re neat & I don’t denigrate anyone using them in whatever manner they choose; but sometimes they simply are not a proper replacement. Technology should make our lives easier & quicker. In my experience with this particular usage, the opposite is true.
I’m a HUGE Spencer Krug enthusiast, so I was excited to see that he was pairing up with an established band for the new Moonface record. I had never heard Siinai before, but it’s definitely a good pairing. As for the Islands record, I’ve been following Nick Thorburn ever since the last Unicorns album came out in 2003. This new one is pretty brutal though. He basically wrote this after having his heart broken, so the lyrics can be intense. Case in point on the track This is Not a Song: “If penny rolls away I will have lost everything, in many subtle ways, I already don’t have anything.” The new Jens Lekman album “I Know What Love Isn’t,” is in the same vein. These guys need to do a heartbreak tour together…
I hate laceless Converse SO HARD.
I hate laceless Converse SO MUCH.
Also I find Serious Eats to be a much better resource than Cook’s Illustrated.