dead air

notes/house/helene.md

@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ Photos 📷 @ [/wha/glenridge/#helene](https://davidawindham.com/wha/glenridge/#
 
 ## Log
 
-
 - **25/10/20** - Ed - grab bars
 - **25/10/17** - Ken - grab bars
 - **25/10/15** - chimney/chaise caps measure

notes/work/srh.md

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+# SRH
+
+( **25/10/23** ) I first started working for SRH in early 2015 making edits and code changes at the request of another web developer. In early 2016 I was asked to build a physicians directory to replace the existing system. It was published in May of that year, but the first invoice directly to SRH was in 2017. Since then, my schedule has been flexible enough that I've just been helping out however I'm able. Here are a list of related tasks and responsibilities I'm working on:
+
+- maintain and monitor host infrastructure
+  - daily email notices on security, upgrades, and system changes
+  - meetings & communications with hosts and internal IT dept staff
+  - server upgrades / migrations / configuration
+    - associated DNS / configuration changes
+  - backup configuration / restore
+    - localhost development for build and testing
+    - system spec sync to localhost
+  - server upgrades & security patches
+  - database server upgrades
+  - programming language upgrades
+  - operating system upgrades
+  - emergency off-hours 
+    - security and migrations
+    - deter or stop abusive IPs and hacking attempts
+    - recover from errors
+- build 
+  - custom applications & features
+    - banner alert functionality
+    - analytics integration
+    - provider finder w/ Press Ganey review integration
+  - design, build, and publish new websites
+      - current site rebuild
+        - migrating legacy code into new editor
+        - organizing old content/media
+      - urgent care project
+        - two week timeline with Epic widget integration
+  - host proxy for providers
+    - helped the Epic team debug and create a way to proxy using Nginx
+      - multiple meetings with internal staff and Epic team
+    - created exports and spreadsheets of all existing provider data
+  - custom web forms with email functionality
+- maintain 
+  - websites and application code
+    - daily email notices on usage, security, and upgrades
+    - 3 internal applications - marketing, development, and analytics
+    - 7 websites ( Main, Residency, Foundation, Providers, Rehab, Health Partners, Plastic, Dev )
+    - test and run website upgrades
+      - WordPress plugins / themes / core
+        - usually on a bi-monthly schedule unless it's a security vulnerability
+    - database maintenance/repair as needed
+    - log code changes in git repository
+    - monitor 
+      - search console alerts for website errors and performance
+      - API usage reporting
+      - analytics reporting
+      - downtime & error log alerts
+      - web forms
+  - website content
+    - communicate with staff about changes 
+      - usually multiple times per day
+      - reports and graphics for presentations
+    - mockup sites, features, pages & layouts
+    - manage users & permissions
+      - password / security / errors
+    - manage media library files
+      - optimize file sizes
+    - create/edit images, media, copy, & graphics
+    - manage file asset repository
+      - providers images / video
+      - marketing dept assets
+    - media editing 
+      - photo, video, graphics, pdf 
+- debug third party code/web related items
+  - social posts / redirects / QR codes
+  - google maps, business listings, account, youtube, devices, etc.
+- consult & advise on other web and software related projects
+

posts/2025/2025-10-26-posts.md

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+---
+title: Dead Air
+slug: dead-air
+description: Today I learned not to rely on a third party backup vendor.
+<!--- authors:
+  - name: David Windham
+    title: Something Else
+    url: https://davidawindham.com
+    image_url: https://davidawindham.com/wp-content/themes/daw/img/opengraph_image.jpg -->
+tags: [tech]
+image: https://davidawindham.com/wp-content/themes/daw/img/opengraph_image.jpg
+hide_table_of_contents: true
+---
+
+Today I learned that CBS had six minutes of dead air when Dan Rather walked off the _Evening News_ set because a U.S. Open tennis match was running long.
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+Dead air[^1] is the term used for broadcasting silence. Watching the World Series last night got me to thinking about it so I figured I'd share some of my hot air on it. I'm pulling for Toronto like much of America even though I think Shohei Ohtani ( 大谷 翔平 ) is amazing. I don't like the constant announcer chatter sometimes about unrelated nonsense. Personally, I think it'd be a much better viewing experience if the announcers would just lay off every once in a while and listen to the atmosphere of the ballpark. Or maybe zoom the audio into players or the audience. I've also started watching tennis matches without the announcers - just the sounds of the players, crowd, court, and so on. It's nice. I might even be able to stomach an NFL game if it wasn't for the constant whizzing graphics and nonsense commentary surrounding the approximately 7 minutes of game play[^2]. 
+
+I used to do a radio show for a couple of years down in Charleston. It was simulcast to four other radio stations so the audience was pretty spread out. I would get a good amount of coaching and the idea of dead air was basically that it encouraged listeners to the dreaded outcome of changing the channel. I read the weather, took requests, and mostly tried to fill the air with lighthearted tidbits about local news or the music being played. Sometimes the music was very serious. The format was rhythm & blues and I particularly liked the hard hitting blues. I would speak very softly and leave long pauses in on purpose. I liked it, but my bosses did not. One night I got a call while on the air asking me to do something or another and I said "I'll tell you what... how about you come do it" and the proceeded to just cut the radio station off before I left and drove home. That was some serious dead air. 
+
+But my point is that the unspoken, the ability to listen, the subtleties of body language, and so on are important. I don't mind some stats or some commentary but you don't need to fill every ounce of silence. And while it might just be me, I don't think it only applies to watching sports on TV. Silence and dramatic pause are absolute killers in drama and comedy too. Sure, there are places for nonstop attention gathering action - the circus, an auctioneer, and some actions movies. But I don't need the entire highlight reel in the preview. It's just cheap thrills. Perhaps we've just become accustomed to the non-stop action - or perhaps, and hear me out, it's just been a sort of commercial mindset of trying and fit more and more into less and less. Isn't it part of the reason we doomscroll or are glued to our dopamine driven phone algorithms of video shorts designed to keep us engaged[^3]. Isn't trying to keep our engagement just another form of avoiding dead air? 
+
+I've actually learned that dead air is one of the absolute best tools in conversation. When an important point comes up, I'll purposefully stay quiet just have the awkward silence further emphasize the moment. I'll do it in emails and text threads too. If something hits hard, I'll just let it sit there as long as possible even though someone else is usually trying to step in quickly to fill the dead air. Back when I was coaching tennis, I like to just ask my players questions and let them try to answer their strengths and weaknesses with as minimal guidance as possible leaving long pauses of silence so that they could really think about it. Dead air happens in our interactions too and it's seriously effective. 
+
+The legacy of radio broadcasting for sports announcers might be playing a part... back when I needed you to tell me everything that was happening on the field because I couldn't see it. The colorful commentary of Bob Ueker[^4] or Harry Caray[^5] was absolutely needed to paint the action over radio. I've noted our tendency to apply legacy thinking to modern solutions - make the website look like the newspaper, make the audio player look like a stereo, put the EV plug in the side like a gas cap, or put the car seats up high so you can see over the horses. I think at some point, there will be pushback for dead air against the whiz bang attention circus. It's evident in the long form six hour videos of trains across Norway[^6] or thousands of YouTube meditation videos. It's in yoga pants and all the other neo-hippie bo-ho mediation garb and wellness and mindfulness products with names like 'quiet calm' and 'serene soul'. 
+
+Baseball is already pretty slow which kinda explains the whole evolution of the Savannah Bananas[^7] like the Harlem Globe Trotters genre of exhibition sports. I like the slowness of it. I like to watch the subtle body language of the pitcher and batter. I think it's a really important part of the game that just gets chattered over with stats. I just want to watch and hear the players, coaches, and ballpark audience. For now, I just wish there was an option to watch The World Series without the announcers or the commercials. Don't worry Fox Sports or whomever the broadcast company is, I'm not going to 'change the channel' because there are no 'channels' and your signing exclusive broadcast rights anyway. The gamble you took to broadcast those advertisements might also work out better without commercials. And I'd be willing to bet that there are plenty other folks out there like me that would be willing to pay for it. Until then, I'll likely ignore some of the World Series broadcasts and just watch the highlight reels directly from the various MLB 'channels' unless it's the final games.
+
+
+<div><br/><br/></div>
+---
+
+[^1]: Dead air - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_air
+[^2]: [_American Football_](/posts/american-football) - https://davidawindham.com/til/posts/american-football
+[^3]: Doomscrolling - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomscrolling
+[^4]: Bob Uecker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Uecker
+[^5]: Harry Caray - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Caray
+[^6]: _Enter the calming world of full-length train journey videos_ - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/oliver-burkemans-blog/2013/jul/17/exciting-train-videos-calming
+[^7]: Savannah Bananas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_Bananas

src/pages/index.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ description: A place to keep notes and documentation
 # Today I Learned
 
 - **2025**
+  - 25/10/26 - [Dead Air](/posts/dead-air)
   - 25/09/19 - [Easy Start](/posts/easy-start)
   - 25/09/12 - [Typepad](/posts/typepad)
   - 25/08/31 - [Air Quality](/posts/air-quality)