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Every week Richard and Ben explore what opened their eyes, share travel tips, discuss listener feedback and debate conundrums in 12 and a half minutes. Join us!
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012 - Living Eulogies, Hydration, and Amazon's Oversharing: Modern Life Unpacked
Death, hydration, and notification overload might seem like an unlikely trio, but they weave together perfectly in this episode as we navigate the contradictions of modern life. We kick off with a powerful quote that stops us in our tracks: "The tragedy of modern man is he spends more time optimizing what is on his CV than what is in his eulogy." This springboards us into candid reflections on mortality and preparedness – Ben reveals he's written a eulogy for someone still living (who happens to be a listener and will learn this for the first time), while Richard has meticulously curated his funeral playlist chronologically from childhood discoveries to recent indie tracks.
The conversation pivots to practical wisdom with our essential travel tip: stay hydrated! Whether you're battling the moisture-sapping environment of a long-haul flight or navigating the inevitable alcohol consumption of business trips and vacations, carrying water is non-negotiable. We share listener feedback about ingenious travel hacks, including a packable shirt steamer https://amzn.asia/d/eE7uXwd that banishes wrinkles without ironing – perfect for the business traveler who refuses to check luggage.
What truly gets us fired up is modern communication overload. When did humanity collectively decide we needed fifteen notifications about a single Amazon package? Why does a buttonless medical device require a 128-page manual? And the email etiquette minefield – is it appropriate to text someone alerting them you've sent an email, or should you use those contentious read receipts? We're asking the questions everyone's thinking but few are discussing. Between Ben's insights on diabetes technology advancements and Richard's handwritten-but-digital letters to his daughter, we're exploring how communication has fundamentally transformed. Ready to pause the notification flood and think about what really matters? Give this episode a listen and join the conversation!
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Welcome to the Bravo Charlie Club podcast, making you 12 and a half minutes more awesome each week. He's Ben. I'm Richard. Let's go, ben. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm well, mate. I'm well, still recovering from the surgery we discussed in last week's episode, but feeling pretty good, feeling pretty good. I am actually going to start the episode, though on a slightly somber note. I know we don't. You know we list it as a comedy in some of the podcast platforms, but this one, you know, it's a shout-out to a listener, pb, who buried his mother recently. Shout-out to PB that's tough, that is really tough. I haven't had to experience that yet, but it reminded me of a quote and I'm going to read it and make sure I don't get it wrong. The tragedy of modern man is he spends more time optimizing what is on his CV than what is in his eulogy. Wow, what a punch in the face. Obviously it came to mind because Paul had to give the eulogy. But hey, richard, have you ever written a eulogy for anyone? Have you been?
Speaker 1:put in that position? I haven't, although I have prepared my own funeral playlist.
Speaker 2:Okay, so it's a concert at your funeral, is it you know?
Speaker 1:when people have to turn up and listen to terrible music, they're waiting around the last, final request.
Speaker 2:I think every final will should be what's your playlist?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I've got all the songs, all the songs ordered chronologically from when I discovered them, sort of like, through to more recent Indie and electronica versions as well, of course.
Speaker 2:I have. Of course I have Of course, if I was going to predict, that would be the first two things top of mind.
Speaker 1:Yes, I've got the go list as well. If I kick the bucket, here's where all the account numbers, here's all the passwords, here's all the services Probably brings us into a.
Speaker 2:You know that passwords. Here's all the services it probably brings us into a, you know that's password management material, isn't it?
Speaker 1:That's sort of the topic.
Speaker 2:How about yourself, ben? Listen, I have, actually I've written two eulogies one for a person who's passed and one for someone who's still alive, believe it or not, right, and I'll tell you why.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you why. Probably the two most stoic things I've ever witnessed was my father giving the eulogy for his father. So my grandfather and then my best mate giving the eulogy for his mother. Yep, and thinking about those post-event things, there's absolutely no way in the world I'd be able to do it. I gave my grandmother's eulogy and I bawled my eyes out the whole way. Yeah, and I think I asked the priest for some vodka, which he didn't have. Disappointing church we chose the wrong church clearly um the sacramental wine.
Speaker 1:I think is probably the the right ask.
Speaker 2:Bed and and, and the second eulogy I've already written is is for my.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, and interestingly, I don't think she even knows this and she's a listener, so she's about to learn something. But the reason for that is she's such an important part of my life that I can't imagine being without her and being in a condition to write something, even meaningful, that respects her life. Should that time come and I hope I never need it, trust me, I hope I never need it, but I'm also a realist and it's a 50-50 bet, right. So I made the decision to write that and it's tucked away ready and again, just pray that it's a long time in the future, yeah, yeah there you go Interesting Don't mean to bring the tone down too much on our usually jovial sort of podcast.
Speaker 2:It was a bit of a punch in the face when I was thinking about that and thinking about my mate.
Speaker 1:Fully awake. That's what it's about. Yeah, I wanted to raise that one.
Speaker 2:Hey, travel tip, I've got a very simple one for you.
Speaker 2:Stay hydrated and I'll tell you my theory, tell you my theory If you're on a long haul, the plane is going to suck the juice out of you and you need to stay hydrated, yes, yeah. And if you're on a short haul, you're either going for two reasons You're going for pleasure, and there's probably going to be alcohol involved, so you need to stay hydrated. Or you're probably going for business, and there could be business drinks involved, and you need to stay hydrated. I mean, we're Australian, so that's the mentality. For those who are non-drinkers, more power to you. But for the average punters and probably for most of our listener base, just carry a bottle of water, guys. Let's just be smart about this. So there, you go.
Speaker 2:That's a very basic travel tip.
Speaker 1:This Well, and you can get them on the plane too. You just have to ask.
Speaker 2:And the long haul you know. Obviously you've got to take an empty water bottle through. As soon as you're through the gates you can fill it up.
Speaker 2:So, that's worthwhile. Hey, listener feedback. We're blessed, aren't we? We get plenty of comments and texts, and a few people in the inner sanctum on the WhatsApp channel are messaging us as well. But if anyone actually knows how to use that star rating feature on their favourite podcast platform and I don't, so don't ask, and if you feel we're worthy, please go ahead and drop a rating there too. I'm sure it means something, yeah definitely. But you had a listener write in with a travel hack of his own.
Speaker 1:I did. Yes, listener PA writes in with his shirt travel hack. No ironing needed. I've got to try and describe this visually for the listeners at home. It's like a coat hanger with a built-in steamer and you can buy it on Amazon. He's got a link. I'll put it in the show notes and yeah, no ironing needed. You just kind of hang your shirt on the shirt steamer and it steams out all the wrinkles Interesting.
Speaker 2:So does it fit our other theory that you shouldn't check luggage Like can it be taken as carry-on? Like it's not a violent-on, like what's is it?
Speaker 1:it's not a violent object I don't think it was that big actually. I think it was kind of like the size of kind of like a portable speaker cylinder kind of kind of size.
Speaker 2:So packable coat, hanger, shirt, steamer. Didn't you tell me once that you should never iron in the nude and use the shot of steam?
Speaker 1:it's generally good advice.
Speaker 2:It sounds like it's got danger written all over it um it'd be a double warning for a coat, hanger, shirt, steamer wouldn't it like yeah, it's probably got warnings all over it hey, speaking of amazon, you raise it, not me, but I'm I'm homebound and so i've've had to use Amazon. Obviously the last few weeks and it's highlighted something to me which I need to unpack with you when did we become so needy on communication specifically? So there must have been a moment in time where the human race said tell me everything. Oh yes, don't leave anything out.
Speaker 1:You know, you buy something on Amazon and then you get a message the purchase is about to be shipped. The purchase is shipped. The purchase is reached. We received your order in.
Speaker 2:Yahoo. We're on the way to the warehouse and, yippee, we've chosen the perfect bowl wrap. Like just give me a link to tell me if it's coming or not. Like what is going on there, it's, it's, it's. And ebay does it as well, and I'm sure other platforms that listeners use and enjoy are experiencing the same thing. Even australia post, the clunkiest, probably, organization on the planet, are sending multiple you know communications to us.
Speaker 1:Now what's going on. I don't know, but the interesting thing, though, with with os post, and particularly if you live in in a capital city or sort of like a major region, is that quite often by something, they're waiting for AusPost to pick it up and then it goes into the AusPost system and it's not available for like 24 hours. Sometimes I actually receive the package before I've actually got the tracking information on the package that I've received.
Speaker 2:It doesn't work anyway and we're not just talking about online ordering too. I got this new CGM sensor, the charger.
Speaker 1:What's CGM Ben?
Speaker 2:So continuous glucose monitoring. Most of the listener base know that I'm type 1 diabetic by now.
Speaker 2:This is a device with no buttons, right, you literally put the sensor transmitter into it to charge so it has a 128 page user manual and no buttons, no buttons I'm not even kidding now, I'm I'm pretending a little bit, because it's like written in you know six languages or something, but like how, even if you divide that by six, what's that? 20, 20 plus pages, yeah, describe a device with no buttons, like what is going on. What is going on? I will give a shout out that the opposite happens in this. Actually, in this same category, there's a brand called type strong which make the cgm patches. Um, anyone's on video they can see. It's a big black dot which covers, um the the sensor. They just come in a packet. You know what they are, you know they work. Um, it's also a massive big black dot which so hang on those things.
Speaker 1:Do they have a bluetooth sensor in them, like do? They and they transmit to you sort of like to the monitor yeah, so every five minutes I get a blood glucose reading transmits yeah makes a decision on whether I need insulin or it should turn off.
Speaker 2:And, man, it's really easy to be a type one diabetic these days, hey. So, um, yeah, it's. Uh, it's not the death sentence that it was A hundred years ago. If you were diagnosed with diabetes, I'd say I'm sorry. Yeah, how can we make you comfortable? It's not, it's not that anymore. So, yeah, shout out to Ryan at TypeStrong Great product and the fact that he believes in it and doesn't put a fricking manual in there which describes in different languages how to use it when it's just a patch. Let's not overcomplicate this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cool.
Speaker 2:I've got a counter question, though, because I am pretty frustrated by the amount of communication. What happens, what's the expected response time on an email? These days Is it rude to use the delivery and read receipts? And if you've emailed someone, should you which I've experienced have to then WhatsApp them or text message them to say, hey, I've sent you an email. Oh no, what is going on there?
Speaker 1:I think that's dangerous territory. What is going on there? I think that's dangerous territory, although I mean, sometimes, though, it's right though. Sometimes they're like oh, sorry it went to spam or something like that, which I have had happen. I think if they're people that you've emailed before, like I think if you're sending contracts and things like that, then I think it's fine to sort of follow up with a hey, you know, sort of just a sort of a second channel.
Speaker 2:But my question is is there an expected response time on an email these days Like where do you see it?
Speaker 1:Well, I think it depends on the contents of the email. Right Is the email? If the email is something I can resolve straight away, I'll attempt to resolve it straight away. If it's something that needs investigation or I've got to perform an activity, then it's like two to three days. Yeah, but do you respond to?
Speaker 2:say you've got it, I'll get back to you, or do you just do it and not respond Because you're a geek?
Speaker 1:I'm interested in your response here because probably 50, 50 actually, which isn't really helpful, is it um? So I'm more operational.
Speaker 2:My style is to respond say got your message, uh yeah, here's.
Speaker 1:Here's when I would set an expectation yeah, yeah, but that's yeah.
Speaker 2:No, that's not every person you know, I think.
Speaker 1:If it's work-related, I reply, although these days all those things kind of go through Slack and Teams and other sorts of channels.
Speaker 2:And that's sort of different, isn't it? That's the magic dust, knowing which communication channel to hit people on.
Speaker 1:Well, you can throw an emoji, a thumbs up or something on there to say that you've sort of read it, which is sort of a bit different than read receipts and other sorts of things Crazy fact, I actually write my daughter letters and she reads them In the post.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, no, it's a digital letter. I use a remarkable and then text it to her. Oh yeah, she reads them. Yeah, it works well, nice, hey, that's it to her. Oh, yeah, she reads them. Yeah, it works well, nice, hey, that's it. Richard. Listeners have been BCC'd on our week Next week. We ask why does dental floss have an expiry date? See you next week. Bravo, charlie, Club Out and that's the pod.
