Stuff I Learned Yesterday

Do you recognize the name Roger Bannister? Roger is a famous track athlete. He was born March 23, 1929 in Harrow, England. His first love was science, specifically, medicine. More specifically, neurology. His family was poor and could not afford to send him to Oxford, so he earned his way to Oxford the best way he knew how. He earned a track scholarship. He started running for Oxford in 1946 and he probably had no idea that his love for running would change the landscape of the sport. For many years before Roger ever enrolled at Oxford, runners around the world had been obsessed with breaking a barrier: they wanted to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. The 4:30 mile had been broken in 1861. It would take many more years to bring the record down below 4:10. In 1933 an Englishman named Sydney Wooderson ran the mile in just over 4:06. Sydney’s achievement served as a great inspiration to Roger. In 1944 a Swede named Arne Andersson brought the record down to 4:01.06 and a year later another Swede,

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a great story shared by Coop that is filled with several great lessons. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on the right side of this page. Read More... The post 60- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

You know what I’ve discovered? Life almost never works out exactly like we plan. I am a planning person. We decided last fall that we were going to Hawaii this September, and I immediately started planning. I shopped airline prices almost every day for 7 or 8 months so that I would know the moment I saw an exceptional deal. As a result, I saved over a thousand dollars on airfare. I’m not just that way about travel. Before I launch a podcast there are dozens of things that I do to prepare for it. I plan out various bits of music, I think about what the format of the show will be like, when the show will be recorded, what I want the artwork to include, and many other things. I’m currently going through the process of creating a dedicated portal for my clients that will improve communication, streamline file sharing, and allow me to include assistants and other staff members in the work flow. Before I ever started working on the website, I spent a lot of time thinking about what my needs were and plannin

I don’t know how it happened but I now have a middle schooler in my house. My daughter will be making the transition to 6th grade next year and it just doesn’t seem possible. If you have kids, you know exactly how I feel. Our daughter was a really good baby and we were perfectly content with just one child. However, nearly 2 years later, Colby entered our lives. I can not imagine life without him. Now he’s going into 5th grade. In case you’re wondering if my math is off or I have something mixed up, I don’t Colby skipped a grade so he’s just one year behind Addison even though he’s 2 years younger. My kids are pretty much like most kids. They wake up early on the weekends and sleep late on school days. They love playing Minecraft and having sleepovers with their friends. They hate cleaning their rooms. Bathing is an option. Part of me wishes that my kids could stay this way forever. They’re fun to be around, they still think I’m pretty cool, and I don’t have to worry about them driving or dating

You may remember that I first came up with the idea for Stuff I Learned yesterday 6 months ago at New Media Expo in Las Vegas. I mentioned that moment in episode 1 of Stuff I Learned Yesterday. It took me 3 more months before I finally launched the podcast on March 17, 2014. I had no idea what to expect. My vision for Stuff I Learned Yesterday was simple. I wanted it to be a short form daily podcast that you could listen to and find motivation, inspiration, and positivity. I really wasn’t sure if it would work. As I’ve mentioned several times, I began podcasting in 2008 about the TV show Fringe. I followed that up with a technology and entertainment podcast called Cutting the Cable Podcast. My podcast partner and I then formed Golden Spiral Media and we started another technology podcast and a film podcast. Additionally, we started a podcast for geeky dads. Unfortunately, life changed right after we started those last three podcasts and two of the three shows never even made it to episode five. Late

Well, I warned you. I told you there would be more episodes coming about my flower bed project. In case you don’t remember, both my wife and I are terrible at trying to keep plants alive. This year we recruited our green thumb neighbor, Mandy, to help us. I’ve been really working to stay on top of the flower beds and keep my plants thriving. I know absolutely nothing about gardening or flower bedding or whatever it’s called. I’ve looked it up a dozen times, but I’m still not sure if annuals or perennials are the ones that come back each year. I’m a total novice at this stuff. Fortunately, Mandy really digs it. (pun intended) I go out every single day to check on my plants. I usually go out 2 or 3 times each day and look at them. I love to go out there first thing in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy the cool of the morning with their splashes of color greeting me. The morning light and temperature has a very different effect on the plants than the midday sun and heat does. They look

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today's episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a very courageous and inspirational story shared by Rita. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on the right side of this page. Read More... The post 55- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

In 2001 I took over as the store manager of a bookstore in Wichita Falls, Texas. Even though I was only 25 years old, I was confident in my abilities to manage over $1 million in inventory and a staff of 30 people. Of course, I had no idea just how much I didn’t know and the best way to learn is by doing. So I dove in head first. The store had a really good staff. Unfortunately, the previous two managers had made some very poor decisions and the store was in rough shape. The store was dirty, poorly stocked, and morale among the staff was low. To be honest and completely truthful, just the simple act of changing the manager was enough to bolster morale. It could have been Mr. Peanut that stepped to the helm, but it was me. Even though they would have reacted positively to Mr. Peanut, their enthusiasm would not have lasted long with him or me if they didn’t see positive things happening soon. I had every intention of taking the support and confidence they had offered me and making it count. I felt lik

Ready for another Chicago story? I have a lot of Chicago stories because I’ve traveled there more than any other city. I love Chicago, but it hasn’t always been that way. The first time I traveled to Chicago I went there for a work related conference. I was there for 4 days. The conference was about internet technology and lasted all day each day I was there. I was the only person from my company to attend the first year it was in Chicago but there were 4 or 5 people that were attending the conference that worked for a sister company of the one I worked for. I had met one or two of them before, but didn’t really know them that well. The first night there was a travel night so we all just grabbed some food and crashed at the hotel. On the second night we all had a dinner schedule with one of our mutual vendors. The dinner lasted quite a while so once it was over, we went back to the hotel and called it a day. The next night I asked a couple of the people that I knew if they were doing anything outside

Now that the calendar has passed Memorial Day, it seems that summertime is upon us. My kids are out of school until August so forget that summer solstice stuff, summer is here. Believe it or not, when my daughter arrived home from school last Friday and my wife asked her if she was excited to have the next 3 months off from school, my daughter complained that she only had 3 months off! I took that opportunity to let her know that as an adult she can expect to work through the summer months and maybe get a few weeks off from work each year. For some reason those words did not bring her great joy and anticipation of being an adult. I know that when I was her age, I didn’t look forward to the days when I’d be an adult and have to work year round. I doubt there is a kid in the world that feels that way. Summers for me were always fun. Sure, there were always chores to do. Cleaning up the kitchen, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning my room, and so forth. We had to mow the lawn, help my dad lay carpet on the wee

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States.  It’s a day we set aside each May and remember those who have served our country as a member of the armed forces, and we especially take time to remember those who gave their lives or have passed on.  We want to remember them and the service that they provided. To be honest, Memorial Day didn’t really mean a whole lot to me growing up.  To me it was just a day to eat some burgers and hang out with my family.  Sometimes it might also include going to a car show and I’d see people displaying their flags, but that was about it. You might think that I was not brought up in a family that served in the military, but that’s not the case.  My grandpa, Roy Wolf, served our country as a member of the United States Army and fought in the Korean War.  My dad, Larry Darnell, and uncle, Johnny Darnell, both served in the U.S. Navy and were aboard the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War. Maybe it was because each of these men had come home safely that I really didn’t think

Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday.  My name is Darrell Darnell, my favorite subject in school was English, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.  In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I’m happy to share another installment of the Friday Forum Teacher's Edition. Golden Spiral Media now has a Patreon page!  Patreon provides a way for you to financially support Golden Spiral Media for as little as $1 a month.  In return, we’ll be able to do some cool things and improve some of the things that we do.  Additionally, you’ll get some cool stuff in return for your support.  Head over to www.goldenspiralmedia.com/patreon for more info. Friday Forum Today is the Friday Forum!! Friday Forum is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU.  It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long.  It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others.  You can participate in Friday Forum by calli

Remember back in episode 38 when I talked about Kevin Durant’s MVP acceptance speech?  While there are countless examples I could point to for today’s episode, I’d like to use that one again.  Since it’s still so fresh in our minds and we know about it, it will serve as a great example to bring us all on the same page here today. As a refresher, Kevin thanked EVERYONE in his speech.  He thanked his teammates one by one, his coaches, trainers, and the team owner.  He thanked his brothers, father, and his mother.  He did the whole thing unscripted and without notes.  He spoke from his heart and it was awesome.  It was also awesome to hear him acknowledge that he didn’t get to that spot on his own. Today I want to consider just how important to remember that we don’t go anywhere or accomplish anything on our own.  Even “self made” people got to where they are with the assistance of someone.  Take a moment and think about where you are today.  Maybe you’re a high school student, a recent college graduate or a you

I grew up in a very middle class home. We didn’t lack for anything we needed, but we didn’t have many extras. I think having 3 teenage boys was tough on my parents. I don’t even want to know what our grocery bill was each month. I don’t know if it was because we couldn’t afford it, or if my dad wanted to teach me a lesson, but I didn’t get a car for my 16th birthday or high school graduation. If I wanted a car, it was entirely up to me to save up the necessary money and then buy it myself. I know that my parents definitely couldn’t afford to buy me one, so I never felt cheated in any way. But my dad is the kind of guy who appreciates hard work, and even if we could have afforded it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did make the same decision in order for me to better appreciate the car and responsibility that comes with owning one. Since we lived in a very small town, there weren’t a lot of job opportunities. Most kids worked on their family farm or other family business. There were a couple of jobs to b

Tomorrow will be the end of an era. On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, the final episode of Revolution will air on NBC. Once it ends and we record our podcasts on Thursday night, it will mark the first time since we started podcasting in 2008 that Golden Spiral Media will not have a podcast about a currently airing TV show. Yes, we’ll still have our LOST podcast, and Triplecast is coming back in the next couple of weeks, but it’s a distinction that’s worth noting. It’s worth noting because we have tried very hard to avoid this situation. When we weren’t sure if Fringe would get a fifth season, we made the decision early to find a show that we could get excited about and start covering it. We didn’t want there to be a lapse in our shows and take the risk of losing the audience we’d spent four years (at that point) building. It turned out that Fringe did get a fifth season, albeit a shortened one, so for several months, we had two shows that we were covering. When the show runner for Fringe announced he had a ne

Some of you that are in your 40’s or older may remember a show named 8 is Enough and a character named Tommy Bradford.  If you’re a bit younger than that then you may remember a show called Charles in Charge and a character named Buddy Lembeck, the goofy best friend of Scott Baio’s character, Charles.  Both of these characters were played by a guy named Willie Aames. I never really watched 8 is Enough.  I saw a few reruns when I was a kid, but it never really interested me that much.  However, I did watch Charles in Charge.  That was a funny show to me.  When I started working at the bookstore in the mid 90’s, we started carrying a new video series named Bibleman.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that Bibleman was portrayed by none other than Buddy Lembeck himself, Willie Aames.  Go ahead and think about that for a minute. Okay, now I don’t know if you’ve ever seen an episode of Bibleman or what you just imagined in your mind, but it wasn’t as bad as you may think.  It was a live action super hero style sh

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode I share a very special story of adoption from John McGrail. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on my website, GoldenSpiralMedia.com. Read More... The post 45- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

15 years. It really doesn’t seem like it’s been 15 years since I married Kari Maechelle Brunson, but today is our 15 year anniversary. We met while working at a bookstore. I was the assistant manager. She and her family had just moved to Oklahoma City from Texas and she was hired to work in the teacher supplies department and work customer service. It was not love at first sight. I was coming off of a break up with a girl that I was pretty serious with, so I wasn’t really looking to date anyone at that point. Kari had a funny Texas accent and I would make fun of the way she said certain words, but that was about the extent of our relationship. One day one of our regular customers named Cindy told me that she thought Kari and would be good together and she encouraged me to ask her out. I still wasn’t really looking to date anyone, but it was a comment that stuck with me. I began to notice Kari more after that day. Often times after work, a group of us would go get coffee or grab some food a together.

We all know that college students are usually broke.  I certainly was when I was in college.  I had a couple of small scholarships that covered most of the expense of books, but nothing more.  All of my tuition was paid for by saving money earned from my part time job.   After my freshman year, my roommate and I got a small apartment just off of campus.  It was the cheapest one we could find.  It wasn’t fancy at all, but it was more than enough for us.  It was a one bedroom apartment and we worked it out that he got the bedroom and I got the couch.  I really didn’t mind.  For 4 years I slept on the couch every night.   When we first moved in, there was no couch, or bed for that matter.  We had a computer desk and my drafting table.  The previous tenant left a chest of drawers with a mirror and the landlord said we could use it and just leave it for the next tenant.  I bought a used futon from another friend, and my roommate got a bed from his parents.  I also bought a dinette set from a co-worker.  We were li

I think most people dream about being a singer at some point as a child. For me the first memory I have of dreaming what it would be like to be a rock star was when I was first introduced to Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. I was 6 years old. I don’t think I ever really thought I’d make it as a big time singer and never really pursued it. In fact, I never even sang in front of anyone except for the occasion when my brother would catch me singing along to the radio. That all changed on a random day after I graduated high school. We had a new youth pastor, named Tim, at the church I was attending and since I we were pretty close in age. I thought it would be cool to get to know him a bit so I asked him if he’d like to hang out sometime. He invited me to go to the city with him one day when he was meeting up with some of his other friends and I agreed to tag along. I had just discovered this really cool a cappella group and was really amazed by how much music they could make with only their voices and I b