Never Post’s Mike Rugnetta on the creative process and the value of reliable power
Never Post’s Mike Rugnetta on the creative process and the value of reliable power
《Never Post》主持人 Mike Rugnetta 谈创作过程与稳定电力的价值
Mike Rugnetta is a writer, podcast host, producer, audio engineer, educator, musician, sound designer, and father. In short, the man wears a lot of hats. He’s the cocreator and host of the award-winning Never Post, an absolutely must-listen podcast about the internet, as well as Fun City, a TTRPG podcast where he’s the GM. He’s also hosted two different Crash Course series and PBS’s Idea Channel.
Mike Rugnetta 身兼多职：作家、播客主持人、制作人、音频工程师、教育家、音乐家、声音设计师，同时也是一位父亲。简而言之，他拥有多重身份。他是屡获殊荣的互联网主题播客《Never Post》的联合创作者兼主持人，也是桌面角色扮演游戏（TTRPG）播客《Fun City》的地下城主（GM）。此外，他还主持过两个不同的《Crash Course》系列节目以及 PBS 的《Idea Channel》。
If you’re thinking that sounds like a lot, you’re not wrong. It made us want to know how Mike stays focused with so much on his plate, and what tools are most indispensable to him with his hectic schedule. But, what we got was so much more than that. Mike has a lot to say about the creative process, the value of reliable electricity, and how the loss of the headphone jack is evidence of our societal collapse.
如果你觉得这听起来工作量很大，那你的感觉没错。我们很想知道 Mike 在如此繁忙的日程中是如何保持专注的，以及在忙碌的工作中，哪些工具对他来说是不可或缺的。但我们得到的回答远不止于此。Mike 对创作过程、稳定电力的价值，以及耳机插孔的消失如何成为社会崩溃的证据，都有着深刻的见解。
What is your most indispensable tool? 你最不可或缺的工具是什么？
At first, I wanted to say my audio interface. It’s the first piece of equipment I turn on every day and the last I turn off. It’s an RME Fireface UCX II and the second most reliable piece of gear I own. The first is my headphones.
起初，我想说是我的音频接口。它是我每天第一个开启、最后一个关闭的设备。它是 RME Fireface UCX II，也是我拥有的第二可靠的装备。第一可靠的是我的耳机。
I’ve had the same pair of Sony MDR-7506’s for about 20 years. I use them every day. I trust them more than some people I’ve known for as long. Only recently have they started showing the telltale signs of headphone age, but I think I’ll be able to make a repair and get another few years out of them.
我用同一副 Sony MDR-7506 耳机已经大约 20 年了。我每天都在用它们。我对它们的信任甚至超过了一些我认识同样久的人。直到最近，它们才开始显露出耳机老化的迹象，但我认为我可以通过维修让它们再服役几年。
There are some people who say you can’t mix on headphones. These people are cowards. I love mine, and I mix nearly everything on them. On this, Andrew Scheps and I agree (though Andrew says he replaces his pretty regularly; maybe I should, too.)
有些人说你不能用耳机进行混音。这些人是胆小鬼。我爱我的耳机，我几乎所有的混音工作都是在它们上面完成的。在这点上，我和 Andrew Scheps 的观点一致（尽管 Andrew 说他更换耳机的频率相当高；也许我也该这么做）。
Which is the most underappreciated? 哪样东西最被低估？
Let me tell you, it’s reliable power. The landlord of my studio building and I are currently involved in a protracted battle with Con Edison to get them to address the building’s low power service. New York City had a string of brawny snowstorms this winter, and the building lost power for over a week. When it came back, power remained in near-brownout conditions, with really low service voltage.
让我告诉你，是稳定的电力。我和我工作室大楼的房东目前正与联合爱迪生公司（Con Edison）进行一场持久战，要求他们解决大楼电力供应不足的问题。今年冬天纽约市遭遇了一连串强劲的暴风雪，大楼断电超过一周。电力恢复后，电压一直处于接近“棕色停电”（电压不足）的状态，供电电压非常低。
Normal service is around 122V. I’m looking at my power conditioner right now and it says 114V. It often goes as low as 107V. This causes all kinds of weird problems, many of which I have workarounds for except … the minisplit in my space can’t run on voltage this low. So I haven’t had ductless heat or AC for about a month. I brought in a window unit, but it’s loud and really inefficient and connects to the internet even when I tell it not to and turns on and off randomly for reasons I can’t determine.
正常供电电压约为 122V。我现在看着我的电源调节器，显示只有 114V。它经常低至 107V。这导致了各种奇怪的问题，除了……我空间里的分体式空调无法在如此低的电压下运行外，其他问题我都有应对方案。所以我已经大约一个月没有暖气或空调了。我搬来了一台窗式空调，但它噪音很大，效率极低，而且即使我设置了不联网，它还是会自动连接网络，并因为我无法确定的原因随机开关。
What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer? 你在新手机或电脑上安装的第一个应用程序是什么？
The answer for both of these is Firefox, Firefox Focus, specifically on my phone. If that’s boring, Signal and Bandcamp would be next on a new phone, since I use those constantly. On a new computer, once Firefox is installed, I’m downloading Alfred and Max simultaneously.
两者的答案都是 Firefox，手机上具体是 Firefox Focus。如果这听起来很无聊，那么在新手机上接下来会是 Signal 和 Bandcamp，因为我经常使用它们。在新电脑上，一旦安装了 Firefox，我会同时下载 Alfred 和 Max。
What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone? 你希望改变手机的一件事是什么？
If I had a “particular set of skills,” I would Taken someone close to whoever happens to be running Apple this week, and my ransom would be putting headphone jacks back in iPhones. The 3.5mm jack is one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments, and its deletion from some of my otherwise favorite devices makes me feel like society is crumbling around my feet.
如果我拥有“某种特殊技能”，我会像电影《飓风营救》（Taken）里那样，绑架本周负责苹果公司运营的人的亲近之人，而我的赎金要求就是让 iPhone 装回耳机插孔。3.5mm 插孔是人类最伟大的成就之一，它从我原本喜爱的设备中被移除，让我感觉社会正在我脚下崩塌。
Some weirdos get on the internet and wax apocalyptical about birthrates and immigration, but their prejudices and personal failings blind them to the real, actual, rotten center of social collapse: ports.
一些怪人在互联网上对出生率和移民问题大谈末日论，但他们的偏见和个人失败让他们忽视了社会崩溃真正、实际且腐烂的核心：接口。
What sites do you have pinned to your tab bar? 你将哪些网站固定在标签栏上？
I have three email accounts for various work things. Then my personal calendar, followed by Never Post’s (a podcast I make about the internet) production Airtable. Up until recently, I had more exciting things pinned, like lines, or the Max forum or Beta list (disclosure: I do a little bit of work for Cycling ’74), or my OldReader account – but I found that keeping those things pinned meant I read them less.
我有三个用于处理各种工作事务的电子邮件账户。然后是我的个人日历，接着是《Never Post》（我制作的一档关于互联网的播客）的 Airtable 生产力表格。直到最近，我还固定了一些更有趣的东西，比如 lines 论坛、Max 论坛或 Beta list（披露：我为 Cycling ’74 做一点点工作），或者我的 OldReader 账户——但我发现把这些东西固定住反而意味着我读它们的次数变少了。
How many tabs do you have open right now? 你现在打开了多少个标签页？
Eighteen, and really, it’s only that many because of stuff I’ve opened to answer these questions. I would say 10 is average for me, 20 is a lot. I am not a ton-of-tabs guy.
18 个，实际上，之所以有这么多是因为我为了回答这些问题而打开了它们。我想对我来说 10 个是常态，20 个就很多了。我不是那种喜欢开一堆标签页的人。
Which social media platform do you use the most (if any)? 你使用最多的社交媒体平台是什么（如果有的话）？
I’m in my 40s, so you already know the answer is Bluesky.
我已经 40 多岁了，所以你肯定知道答案是 Bluesky。
What is your happy place online? 你在网上的“快乐老家”是哪里？
It is 1,000% and without a doubt, Bandcamp. A fun bit of lore: Many years ago, I got coffee with Joe Holt, my computer science instructor from college, and he said, “I’m involved in this fun new startup, where we’re going to sell digital music. Can I tell you the name? You have to promise not to laugh.” If I remember correctly, my Bandcamp fan account is #4 and the first belonging to someone who did not work at the company.
毫无疑问，百分之千是 Bandcamp。一个有趣的轶事：多年前，我和大学时的计算机科学导师 Joe Holt 一起喝咖啡，他说：“我参与了一个有趣的新创业项目，我们要卖数字音乐。我能告诉你名字吗？你得保证不许笑。”如果我没记错的话，我的 Bandcamp 粉丝账户是第 4 号，也是第一个不属于公司员工的账户。