D&F 12-4-22

中目黒で今日は！I’m writing this from a cute soba shop in Nakameguro, close to the cute Meguro river. Today I’m wandering Tokyo by foot, with plans to look at books, listen to music, and spend a fair amount of time dawdling.

This is my tenth trip to Japan, I think, and my third solo with no work responsibilities. It’s also my second trip during COVID, with my last being March 2020. Japan is masked place: on the streets, in cafes, on transit. There’s a certain safety from the over-caution that folks practice, though the lower vaccination rates still worry me. At least this trip I no longer thing fomites on onigiri packaging will be my downfall.

I landed yesterday and continued on to Shibuya, where I’ve never stayed. It’s bustling and bright, but decidedly different than Kōenji; comparing a shopping hub with a sleepy art town. I have few plans, beyond a work party and in-person lessons with my teacher, but getting out of the house for a ramble was overdue.

But enough about Japan!

Remember the Tumblr porn ban? The Automattic CEO does, and he’s working on addressing it to the extend that 2022 Tumblr can. “Female-presenting nipples” is one of the all-time great policy wordings. Truly cursed. If Tumblr adds Activity Pub and becomes part of a more open web alongside Mastodon, I think we all are better for it. The rise of facism online, and the new allowance of white supremacy on Twitter is horrible, but fortunately normal, non-supremacist users are migrating elsewhere.

Do you buy bottled water? You might want to read this before you buy more, unless you perversely enjoy being scammed. This newsletter endorses perversion, if it’s not clear. I drink less water than I did a few years ago—being in an office made me down water like it was going out of fashion. These days, whether traveling or at home I tend to enjoy a liter or two of the clear stuff a day, and enjoy peeing less often than once an hour. Much like food, I’ve heard if you drink or eat when you feel thirsty or hungry you’ll be just fine.

Would you unlock your phone for a stranger? What about for “research?” If you answered no, you might be surprised at how you act in the actual situation.

If I am exploded by drones in San Francisco, please make sure they’re banned again. Robots are just as racist as the cops flying them, and giving lethal force to anyone is a bad plan.

Closing

I’m working on a post for my site on my second year of serious road cycling, and if that’s your thing, it should be a fun one. A previews: I’ve biked 5400 miles and climbed over 300,000 feet this year and gotten stronger but not any lighter.

My soba water just arrived, which means it’s time to savor the end of a meal, and wander off again. Until next week, stay safe, drink heartily, and walk down a new side-street, space cowgirls~

D&F 12-4-22

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Closing