Barrett

September 29, 2024

5 Ways to Ease the Pain of Returning to the Office 5 Days a Week

I just worked a full week in the office for the first time in two years. It was something of a shock to the system, but also like riding a bike. If you’re planning to take the same plunge, here are my reminders on how to minimize the stress.

I love my hybrid work schedule. It’s the best of both worlds. You still get to see and interact with your colleagues in a real 3D space. But you don’t experience all the wear and tear from a daily commute.

For many years, I took the train from Connecticut to Grand Central Terminal five days a week and then finished my commute deeper into Manhattan. Sometimes I used the subway. Other jobs allowed me the flexibility to hoof it.

That’s just what you did. No questions asked. I optimized my process, cherished my ‘me’ time on the train and enjoyed walking on the streets of New York. But it all took some effort and organization.

I was recently reminded of what that five-day-dance feels like.

Back to the Future

Returning to my daily date with Metro North after my hybrid schedule for the past two years was absolutely a shock to my system. I did it for just one week.
(I know… cue the tiny violins.)

Of course, hybrid work can occasionally mean more days in the office. So, what’s the big deal? The problem is refreshing a skill set that you may have forgotten. Yes, a successful commute is a skill.

But I’m not talking about just showing up. (That’s a given.) It’s how much effort and stress it creates for you… every day.

I’ve done this for enough years to call myself a ‘professional’ commuter. And this professional says that the best commute is the commute you don’t have to think about, because you’re so good at it.

Time Shift
I think we’d all agree that the biggest challenge with returning to your daily commute is all those lost hours the traveling gobbles up. Now, I know that’s an obvious point, but if you don’t plan for that shift, the rest of your life can start to feel out of control.

So, you have to time-shift all those activities you had baked back into your home life.

Minimize Morning Decisions

The other critical factor is you must minimize any time related to your commute that’s actually not part of your commute. All of that should be pre-determined, scheduled and relentlessly followed like you’re training for a marathon. Because it is a marathon.

If you take a commuter train, you clearly need to show up every day at the station before the train does. That takes some precision, which requires leaving your home at the exact same time each day.

Here are five rules I follow to accomplish that.

Wake up and have your breakfast at the exact same time every morning.
Choose your work clothes the night before. That eliminates precious minutes that may get wasted deciding on a shirt color or finding a matching pair of socks (guilty).
Ensure your work bag is packed exactly the same way every day. Your work badge needs to be in the same inside pocket. (I guarantee that will eliminate 99% of misplaced badge moments.)
Pack a portable power bank (and cables) to charge up your tech later in the day. No matter how planful I am with charging up my iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, occasionally one of them needs a jolt of energy. (I can’t tell you how good it feels when a piece of tech starts screaming for power, and you’ve got the juice ready to go.)
Grooming tip: If you’re planning a morning shave, and that’s not been a part of your regular WFH routine, bake in more time. It’s not going to go as fast as you’d think. (You can get away with a quick shave only if you’re doing it every day.)

Speed It Up to Slow Down

Showing up on time at the office is important, but reducing your stress throughout that process is the real key. The less you have to think about your commute, the better you’ll feel.

And that takes automating your ‘pre-flight planning’ as much as possible.

Being ruthlessly efficient will save time and free up brain space to help you regain your focus on the rest of your life.

Whether this is just for one week or every week, it’s my recipe for a healthier commute.

September 22, 2024

Don’t Tell Anyone I’m Watching Star Trek: Prodigy

“Star Trek: Prodigy” is a kids’ show also made for adult Trekkies. Here’s why season 2 is so good.

It’s not logical. But they keep making animated versions of Star Trek. In yet another example, Netflix picked up the cancelled “Star Trek: Prodigy” from Paramount+ and has given us season 2.

Clearly intended for kids by Nickelodeon Animation and CBS’s Eye Animation, “Prodigy” focuses on a group of teens having the same types of Trek adventures usually reserved for the adults in the captain’s ready room.

Talk about watering down a classic science fiction property. Sounds insulting, right? But surprisingly, it’s not.

Star Trek: Prodigy
The writers are clearly Trekkies and have made full use of Federation history. They dig deep and bring back details and characters we all know and love… assuming you’ve been paying attention across these past decades.

The younger target audience couldn’t possibly catch all the easter eggs. Only the adults in the living room will appreciate all the Star Trek references.

And that’s why this series works so well for all ages.

Star Trek: The Animated Series
I must admit I’ve never entirely understood the whole Star Trek animation thing. The original animated series (1973-1975) felt like a cheat instead of bringing back the actual show. But the Saturday morning cartoon was at least something in a world and time that only had the original series’ 79 episodes. It was both terrible and wonderful. A juicy morsal.

Star Trek: Lower Decks
I was confused when I watched the first episode of “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020 to present). An adult comedy? But I quickly figured it out.

This series is poking fun at the entire Star Trek universe. But it’s not a parody. It’s smart, clever and spot on, brought to you by writers who really know their Trek.

And the crossover episode on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” was pure genius.

Star Trek: Voyager Returns?
Then “Star Trek: Prodigy” showed up in 2021. I hardly paid attention. But when I finally checked out the first episode, the series quickly grew on me. Season 2 is even better.

As a Trekkie, how can you not love a show that after more than two decades brings back Captain (now Admiral) Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and our favorite Emergency Medical Hologram doctor (Robert Picardo). Plus, we’ve got a new USS Voyager and a rescue mission to find Chakotay (Robert Beltran) who’s marooned in another time.

Yes, there’s time travel. Plus, alternate universes. And surprise iconic cameos. You’ve got to break out your full Trekkie knowledge to take it all in. In fact, the plot is somewhat complex. (You may need a kid to help you keep track of it all.)

And this beautifully animated series is the only format that could have possibly made this “Star Trek: Voyager” reunion happen after so many years.

These are the Voyages of the Starship Protostar
Beyond the Voyager thread, there’s a new set of characters who drive the story. Led by young Dal (voiced by Brett Gray), six misfit teens from different worlds are thrown together by circumstance. Through a series of fortunate events, they’ve also got their own baby-sized starship (USS Protostar). And of course, the Protostar transports them through their many adventures.

They’re a silly bunch, but totally endearing… again designed for a younger audience.

This team’s journey through a complex and well-designed “Star Trek” storyline, fully emersed in Trek canon, makes it so enjoyable for any adult in the room. (Seasons 1 and 2 both contain 20 episodes.)

The Kid in All of Us
Yes, “Star Trek: Prodigy” is a cartoon for kids. But, if you’re a life-long Trekkie, it’ll latch onto you faster than a Borg implant.

Each nostalgic episode offers a little gift of Trekkie joy, as it taps into the optimism and can-do attitude that centers around everything Star Trek.

It’s not encumbered with the need to reimagine Starfleet into the darker and edgier versions reflected in “Discovery” or “Picard.” Dangers are presented, but we all know how it’s going to work out.

Live Long and Prosper
Some people practice meditation. Others work out to maintain their balance. Watching a geeky dose of “Prodigy” fuels my Zen.

It’s entirely uplifting and continues what is an illogical but successful tradition of Star Trek animation.

I shouldn’t admit that I’m watching “Star Trek: Prodigy.” But I am. Each short episode, which I often stream after dinner has left me with a smile on my face and a little less stress to end my day.

If you know the difference between a Klingon and a Cardassian, I present “Prodigy” for your pointy-eared consideration.

September 15, 2024

How to Rescue Family History Locked Away in an Old DVD

You’ll need to first extract your unusable ‘VOB’ video file that’s buried in your DVD and convert it to a file format that your computer can play. Here’s how I did that with this fifteen-year-old DVD I made for my father about his life.

You may recall that DVDs were once used to save VHS and analog video files from extinction. It was the magic ‘digital’ solution! Then technology moved on, and DVDs effectively disappeared as streaming and cloud platforms took over our lives. Physical media was history! (Well, not completely.)

All the DVDs that I had ‘authored’ containing family videos simply went to the back of my closet, forgotten for another day.

Is that your story too?

Old DVDs are Drink Coasters
Should you eventually want to play one of these DVDs again, you’ll need a working DVD player hooked up to a TV or a computer with a DVD drive. Both scenarios are increasingly unlikely. So, it’s time to face the reality that you really need to rescue your video files before it’s too late.

I recently confronted that exact moment with a DVD I had burned fifteen years ago. It was originally a gift to my dad for Father’s Day. It was a little documentary I had made for him about his life. Now, of course, it’s an irreplaceable keepsake, and it came back to me after he passed in 2022. But if I can’t access the media, it’s effectively a worthless drink coaster.

Copy the VOB File to your Desktop
The first step is to find a way to copy the video file off the DVD to a computer. And that may not be a simple process. Fortunately, I still own a portable optical Apple drive that I had purchased with an old iMac. (They still sell the Apple USB SuperDrive for $79.)

When you look at the file structure of an authored DVD from your computer screen, it’s complex. The file you’re looking for is the ‘VOB’ file (mostly likely the largest one).

Dragging the .VOB over to my Mac Studio took some time. (My old SuperDrive is a USB-A relic.)

But don’t get too excited just yet. Clicking on the VOB file on your desktop is useless. You’ve got to convert it to be able to play it. Here’s how to do that…

Rename the Extension from VOB to MPG
That’s right. All you need to do is rename it as a .mpg file. That’s because it’s really an MPEG-2 file. Once you name it that way, it should play fine on your Mac. But you’re not totally done.

That’s because .mpg is an old, bulky codec. Sure, it may play on your computer today, but it’s not that compatible anymore. So, the next time you click on it, who knows what may happen. You should take the next step and convert it to an .mp4 or .mov.

Convert the MPG to MP4 or MOV
There are any number of ways to do this. If you’ve purchased the ‘Compressor’ app for your Mac, that will do the trick.

Alternately, if you own Roxio’s ‘Toast’ software, that will also convert VOBs directly to MP4s. I had to pay to upgrade my older Toast software to Toast 20 Platinum to get it working on my Mac Studio.

And if you’re looking for a free software solution, ‘HandBrake’ is another path to take.

Where’s my Original Edit?
You may be wondering why I didn’t just find my original video edit from fifteen years ago. That way, I could have avoided my whole DVD file-conversion dance. But that assumes I still knew where that old file is.

Sadly, I’m not as digitally organized across the decades as I had hoped.

The good news is I still had my drink coaster to convert. And this message in a bottle is now found, updated and living happily in its converted form.

Rescue your Past
DVDs are history. Computer hard drives won’t live forever either. Cloud solutions offer better future-proofing comfort, but that assumes these companies stick around for the decades to come. It can make your mind spin faster than a DVD in an optical drive!

I think the only way to address this challenge is to just take it… one decade at a time. For now, focus on extracting your video files from your old DVDs.

Good luck!

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