{"id":32350,"date":"2018-10-12T11:37:40","date_gmt":"2018-10-12T18:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=32350"},"modified":"2018-10-12T11:37:40","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T18:37:40","slug":"laura-cochrane-content-strategist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/laura-cochrane-content-strategist\/","title":{"rendered":"Laura Cochrane, Content Strategist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our guest this week is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lauracochrane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Laura Cochrane<\/a>. Laura Cochrane is a content strategist living in Berkeley, California. She currently works at <a href=\"http:\/\/neo.life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NEO.LIFE<\/a>, a biotech publication. Before that, she was an editor at two different DIY project publications: MAKE magazine, where she worked alongside Mark, and Instructables. Her hobbies include rock climbing, drawing, dancing, and yoga.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/513417645&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/cool-tools-show-and-tell\/id605920446?mt=2\">Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/feedpress.me\/cooltoolsshow\">RSS<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1uggV67ZiZ5M4C61lZHD33AQrwBpD70bGwTRpSfE4mzM\/edit?usp=sharing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Transcript<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/tracking.feedpress.it\/link\/7810\/10550005\/513417645-cool-tools-144-laura-cochrane.mp3\">Download MP3<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/tag\/cool-tools-show\/\">See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Show notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/tombihn-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"tombihn\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-32357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/tombihn-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/tombihn.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tombihn.com\/collections\/every-day-carry-backpacks\/products\/daylight-backpack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Bihn Daylight Backpack<\/a><br \/>\nA couple years ago, before a trip to Europe, I was on the hunt for a new day backpack. The JanSport I had had since high school had holes in it. I wanted something with a clean, minimal design. It\u2019s actually a challenge to find a backpack that doesn\u2019t have a bunch of random zip compartments, pouches, folds, mesh details, and gratuitous textures added for seemingly no reason at all. So I was excited when I found the Tom Bihn Daylight Backpack. It\u2019s got a simple rounded trapezoid shape with a single diagonal zip that provides access to the front pocket. I got it in this really nice French blue color that looks good with most everything I wear. It also shipped fast, and as I recall there was a handwritten note thanking me for my order. It\u2019s made in Seattle, and the quality is solid. I\u2019ve stuffed it until it\u2019s quite full and the seams have held up for the past two years as I\u2019ve used it as a work commuter backpack.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/foundphotos-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"foundphotos\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-32354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/foundphotos-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/foundphotos.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foundphotos.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FoundPhotos.net<\/a><br \/>\nI\u2019ve loved this website for a long time. It\u2019s an online photo gallery born out of the era of peer-to-peer filesharing. It was started in 2004 when a musician named Rich Vogel was using a filesharing program to find music and instead stumbled on a folder of photos. It\u2019s still getting updated periodically, though I\u2019m not sure how often. The collection is thoughtfully curated, like an epic mix tape. Though I can\u2019t always put my finger on why one photo works so well next to another that seems unrelated in every way. When I want to be reminded of how beautiful the imperfection of real life is, I go here. These photos are often the mistakes, the ones the photographer never intended. Some are blurry, poorly framed, or double exposed. People have been captured with weird expressions or unflattering angles, but that\u2019s part of the appeal. They\u2019re stills from the cutting room floor of life. I find humor, horror, love, and glory, in a way that feels rare.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/audio_dharma_itunes-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"audio_dharma_itunes\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-32353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/audio_dharma_itunes-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/audio_dharma_itunes-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/audio_dharma_itunes.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/audiodharma.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Audio Dharma podcast<\/a><br \/>\nAudio Dharma is a regularly updated collection of all the talks and guided meditations given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. A massage therapist recommended it to me after a particularly emotional session a few years ago. I started out mostly listening to the guided meditations, but lately I\u2019ve been more into listening to the talks. They work well for someone who is listening in short bursts, so I\u2019ll put it on for my 15-minute work commutes in the morning and evening. In moments where I\u2019m feeling particularly stressed or sad, these talks can have the effect of helping me change what feels like a less-than-ideal metaphorical posture: when I\u2019m overly focused on the future or the past I have this sense of leaning forward, like my mind is two steps ahead of my body. Audio Dharma helps me realign to something closer to upright \u2014 a posture of gentle curiosity. My favorite talks are the ones where the teacher picks a simple human experience, like uncertainty, desire, grief, or generosity, and they explore it in a way that usually leaves me feeling like I have a new perspective on a very common human experience. Most of the podcasts or music I listen to feel like they fill my head with noise that requires additional processing or decompressing afterward, but this feels like the opposite. To use a computer analogy, Audio Dharma defragments my brain.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/pocketdisc-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"pocketdisc\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-32356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/pocketdisc-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/pocketdisc-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2018\/10\/pocketdisc.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pocketdisc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PocketDisc crocheted frisbee<\/a><br \/>\nI like throwing around a frisbee, but I enjoy it even more with my crocheted frisbee. I don\u2019t remember how I came into possession of one of these, but I love it. The main things that make it awesome are that it never hurts if someone throws it at you hard, and it folds up and can fit easily in pockets, purses, and bags. Also: it flies quite well, it can be given as a gift to people of all ages, and it\u2019s safer to use inside the house. When I\u2019m feeling silly, I\u2019ve been known to flip it inside out and wear it as a hat. The only places I wouldn\u2019t recommend it are around dogs, because I imagine they would quickly chew it to shreds, and on beaches. On the beach, the lip of the disc picks up sand when it lands on the ground, and then the next time someone catches it next, the sand gets released into the catcher\u2019s face. I\u2019m sure I could brush up on my crocheting skills and make myself one from scratch, but I feel like these are a good deal, for the money. They also make great gifts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>We have hired professional editors to help create our weekly podcasts and video reviews. So far, Cool Tools listeners have pledged $377 a month. Please consider\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/cooltools\">supporting us<\/a>\u00a0on Patreon. We have great rewards for people who contribute! \u2013 MF<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cool Tools Show 144: Laura Cochrane<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1559],"tags":[1555,1472],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32350"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32359,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32350\/revisions\/32359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}