In You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) by Mike McHargue 📚:
“You are a miracle because 86 billion neurons in your brain form into thousands of structures and networks, built from a map created over billions of years to understand the world you live in. But sometimes, you are a pain in your ass because all these networks are running a playbook that’s been around a lot longer than you have. The cells in your body have survived through the eons by eating every delicious calorie they come across, allowing fear to make them run, and using anger to make them fight for their lives.”
Spotting a scam email
The most Mexican thing I’ve seen yet is a guy who has a table to sell so he’s just carried it around the neighbourhood singing out if anyone wants to buy a table. Take that, Zuckerberg, and your stupid Marketplace.
Don’t believe everything AI tells you. This bio sounds right, but it’s not. From what I understand I’ve never been in Vogue, The Knot, or Martha Vomit Stewart Weddings. I am not a founding member of the AFCC, and I’ve not been Sydney-based for over a decade. I also don’t write my couple’s vows.
Dan Shipper writes:
“Honestly, I’m usually annoyed when something gets trendy”
and I felt seen. So his article Permission to Be Excited About AI obviously spoke to me.
From Love Matters More by Jared Byas 📚
“Social media encourages the myth that who we are is defined by the opinions we type. But the older I get, the less interested I am in how well people can script their beliefs in front of a computer and the more interested I am in how tenaciously they go about grinding out their moral existence. I’m impressed when someone can get up every single day, determined to be a better human being than he or she was yesterday. Typing out what we “stand for” is easy. But loving well isn’t. I am not down on typing out our opinions—clearly. I’m only down on thinking that typing in and of itself constitutes an ethical life. May we stop thinking that becoming the kind of person we want to be is as easy as typing “me too” at those we agree with and “stupid people” at those we don’t. That’s a distraction from the real work of being human. And I’m ready to work.”
The duo behind Instagram - who sold for good coin and then left Instagram/Facebook in 2018 - have a new thing and it’s right in my ballpark. Think TikTok’s algorithmic feed but for text: artifact.news.
The many branches of the Fediverse by Per Axbom.
Do you know the most disappointing thing about the United States of America?
That the entire narrative of and about the country is defined by a small handful of topics recycled so quickly that outsiders often don’t even know which Police Officer killing, which mass shooting, which disappointing President, or which sexually abusive old white male you’re all angry about this week. It’s hard to keep up, and you need new stories. Not new fake stories so the rest of the world thinks you’re cool again. You need new truths so the new stories just kinda flow pretty easily.
Or be like Iceland. No-one ever hears about Iceland unless it’s a photo of some cool landscape.
Luna just asked Britt, “will you ever kill me, mummy?” And honestly, at the age of four it’s impressive that she’s already assembling friends and enemies lists, and that I got an auto-invite to the friends list but her mother required some investigation first.
One Million Downloads on Unsplash
Ive always secretly thought that when I reached 1 million downloads on Unsplash I’d stop posting there.
But as I passed the landmark this week I realised that sometimes we set silly goals about silly things.
I still don’t know why I share my art there, but I know I get more messages, emails, and commissioned paid work from Unsplash than I do from any other of my networks or communities.
It might be 8yrs late, but you’re finally getting my book: The Rebel’s Guide To Getting Married is coming in 2023. It’s a book about planning a wedding with intention and purpose, written by yours truly, Oz’s most hated celebrant & I’m writing live on my wedding blog.
Every time Buzz Aldrin comes up in the news or conversation I think of this Rhys Darby standup piece from 15-odd years ago. Starts 2:30 in.
Current status: forgot to put coffee in the percolator.
Throwback to that time ten years ago when I had awesome not-grey hair
Judging by the many different recordings I’m hearing and also seeing pop up on the web of Rick Rubin doing the circuit to promote his new 📚 book, The Creative Act, he’s much better in conversation than the written word. I’m reading the book and I’m struggling to stay tuned in.
📚 The Art of Growing Up by John Marsden:
“A friend of mine told the story of driving along a country road one day with her little son, when he remarked: ‘Look at the beautiful tree, Mummy.’ She replied: ‘Yes, it’s a manna gum.’ There was a long silence from the back seat, broken at last by her child asking: ‘So is there a name for everything, then?’”
Current status: horizontal at El Pescadero
E.B. White in Here Is New York:
“New York blends the gift of privacy with the excitement of participation; and better than most dense communities it succeeds in insulating the individual (if he wants it, and almost everybody wants or needs it) against all enormous and violent and wonderful events that are taking place every minute.”
If you’re wondering how Starlink is going, at my local Todos Santos (Baja California Sur, Mexico) post office today there 16 new Starlink packages and they say that every day there’s “lots.”