D&F 9/22/24

It’s new Apple device week around these parts, so I wrote about iOS 18 and a new phone. Normal people have almost no reason to upgrade their phone every year, but every 2-3 there are significant-enough camera or screen differences to be worth it. Considering that the iPhone is the only camera and computer I use most days, it’s almost a steal at $800 bucks, especially now that you can plug it into a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. At work, my number even came up such that I can get a modern phone and laptop—no more hurricane fan Intel MBP for this manager.

If you’re not a device person, or don’t keep up with the trades, there was plenty of political news this month to hold us over for a year. Everything from “dooky chutes” to weirdo grifter affairs to the continued racist attacks on black residents of the US, I’m ready for what I hope is a chiller 2025. Polls are showing Kamala/Walz up on K-Mart Lich Trump, but I’m sure his homicidal followers will allow for a peaceful transition in January, just like last time…

Luckily politics and iPhones aren’t the only things going on lately.

Links

If the previous topic has you a little worried, that’s the point. Capitalism, and especially the hoarding of most wealth by a dozen or so billionaires thrives on our bad feelings and our lack of connection to each other. The solution is banding together and building a class consciousness that rebels against anxious apathy:

Solidarity, in the end, is one of the most important forms of security we can possess — the security of confronting our shared predicament as humans on this planet in crisis, together.

This week I did my annual Michael Clayton rewatch, and became very interested in the Realm + Conquest prop book that plays an important role in the film. One of the coolest things in movies and tv, to me, is the world-building of small props and details easily-missed. A lived-in world is such a fun place to revisit and I’ve found it’s the mark of a clever creative person.

An all-time great at just those small details is the sadly departed Satoshi Kon. His films and the tv show Paranoia Agent rival any live-action program and inspired (or were jacked by) Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Even if you’re not an animated film fan, I recommend Tokyo Godfathers or Millennium Actress as a gorgeous introduction to Japanese cinema—Paprika and Perfect Blue are a bit strangers, with Paranoia Agent being the most out-there, in my opinion. If you watch any of these and want more recommendations, I’m happy to post a Letterbox list of “cool anime for normal people” or something. Let me know

Closing

It’s nearly October, and it’s Octoberfest in the East Bay, which means sausage and a stein full of beer. I moved to drinking one night a week a month or two ago, and it’s done wonders for my sleep, but I’ve learned that even if I do drink, as long as my last beer or whiskey is consumed three hours or more before bed, I’m not haunted by alcohol-related restless sleep. I turn 40 in two months, and in addition to making more noise when I sit or stand, I’m learning what my body needs for the next decade or two of life. My sincere hope is that just like my 30s were way better than my 20s, my 40s are the best years of my life yet.