D&F 12/18/22

Hello again from Oakland. I’m safely ensconced under a blanket on my beloved couch at home as I write this. My trip was great, but it’s great to be back with Snorri. With my return, I’m trying to test regularly to make sure I didn’t pick anything up in transit but the hardest part of travel is kicking my jet lag. Yesterday I fell asleep in the afternoon, and was fortunately able to sleep again from midnight till 4 when an earthquake woke me, then again till 7. I’m not a morning person, but if I can use the lag to get me up early enough for a pre-work bike ride, that’s a rad outcome.

It’s fortunately almost time for the holiday shutdown at work, and I’m glad. I can’t wait to spend some time cycling, watching movies, and relaxing at home. I may not have much in the way of plans, but I really don’t mind that. Normally I would have a few people over for hot pot and glögg, but with COVID cases spiking in the bay again, maybe I’ll keep this year solo.

For now, let’s get into the:

Links

• My pal Jenny wrote about the deleterious effects of Twitter on our sense of time for the NYT just in time for almost anyone worth reading to move to Mastodon as the spoiled boy in charge of the site continued to rule it by whim. What began for me in 2007 as a fun way to stay in touch with friends turned into a burden and a psychological war zone before I jumped-ship two years ago. As of this week, I no longer have any Twitter accounts, and I feel free. One guy at least did a decent job with the social site he bought.

• Just little drones, hovering around

stevevsninjas @stevevsninjas@ohai.social

I hung a live USB cable outside my kitchen window and now a variety of beautiful quadcopters come to drink from it.

10:24 PM • December 1, 2022 (UTC)

• Always remember, you can leave parties, apps, and groups that aren’t serving you. I think it’s healthy to reevaluate what we put our time and energy into regularly, lest we end up looking back at endless scrolling with a deep regret. There isn’t anything inherently more edifying in tv or books, but longer-form entertainment is at least a good little change in pace from the fast-blasting advertisements of 2022 internet or the infantilizing language of Yelp or Duolingo.

• TFW every hobby is actually just more capitalism in a mask:

Amy @lolennui@mstdn.social

Every time I think I’ve found a new hobby it turns out I just like to buy stuff

5:01 PM • December 14, 2022 (UTC)

• Ah, the good old days of reading in the park with your pals. Reading this piece made me immediately grateful I didn’t have Instagram or Snapchat in school. It’s easy as a young person to become obsessed with your appearance or whether everyone secretly hates you even without live reactions to the photographs or jokes you post online, so I’m glad these kids are taking a step back from the mobile web.

Closing

I think I’m a bit screwed sleep-wise today, because it’s the afternoon as I finish writing this week’s newsletter, and I already feel myself getting sleepy. I’m excited to get back on my bike and ride up some hills this week, and maybe that will help me stay up. Next week’s newsletter will be the last one for the year I think, so I’ll probably post a little bit of wrap-up for 2022 in addition to the usual links. Whether you’re staying close to home or going out of town for the holidays, I hope you have a safe and healthy one. Until next week, keep it cozy, space cowgirls~