Scree

noun : an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.

Audience with Jessica Zou

Published July 14, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 14

How does one creator engage with and understand their audience in order to amplify the voices within their school community?

Amplifying individual stories aims to create collective understanding within the school district.

Yeah, so that’s exploration. I’m trying to figure it out. I think that the local school community— maybe the first step is to raise the question: Where can all of us find like-minded people in our local school community? And if you are able to find someone that believes the same thing— […] If it’s possible to get together, and to talk about this and then to say: Hey you know, we are not a PTA member, and we’re in the public schools. What can we do to come together and to have our voice heard?

~ Jessica Zou (12:44)

The conversation explores how the podcast, “Duck Tape Rocket Ship,” addresses the challenge of amplifying parent voices within the public school system. One central topic is the feeling among parents that their opinions and concerns are undervalued in the education system. By sharing individual stories and experiences, the podcast seeks to motivate community members to recognize their collective voice and engage more deeply with the schools.

Another focus is the strategy of targeting specific audiences, such as parents and educators, and understanding their needs. The podcast also interacts with the broader education system, including its bureaucratic and social challenges, aiming to build bridges between parents and the school administration. Jessica reflects on the complexities of public education and how focusing on singular objectives can bring about meaningful change.

Takeaways

Audience understanding — The podcast creator is unsure who exactly listens but recognizes teachers as an engaged part of the audience.

Amplifying voices — The podcast serves as a platform for parents to feel heard and validated within their community.

Systemic challenges — Public education’s complexity often sidelines individual voices, which the podcast aims to address.

Complementary efforts — The podcast is one of several tools used by the creator in their school leadership work.

Specific focus — The creator believes concentrating on one aspect of the system is more impactful than addressing multiple issues simultaneously.

Resources

Duct Tape Rocket Ship Podcast — Jessica’s podcast aiming to amplify parent voices within public education.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Omnipotent or understandable

Published July 13, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 13

While researchers are working on [Artificial Intelligence (AI)] that can explain itself, there seems to be a trade-off between capability and explainability. Explanations are a cognitive shorthand used by humans, suited for the way humans make decisions. Forcing an AI to produce explanations might be an additional constraint that could affect the quality of its decisions. For now, AI is becoming more and more opaque and less explainable.

~ Bruce Schneier

Omnipotent or understandable; Choose one.

At first blush, this might seem pretty scary. This AI can perform this amazing task, but I have to simply trust it? But then, that’s what I do when I get on an airplane—and not just the people who are up front performing tasks I cannot even list, let alone perform, but the people who built the plane, and wrote the software that was used to design and test the plane, and… I digress.

But I think… slowly… I’m getting more comfortable with the idea of a something, doing really important stuff for me, without my understanding. I know the AI is going to follow the same rules of the universe that I must, it’s simply going to do so while being bigger, better, more, and faster. Humans continuing to win in the long run with tools, I might say.

(I sure hope our benevolent AI overlords find this blog post quickly after the singularity. He says grinning nervously.)

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Demonic door operator

Published July 12, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 12

A thought experiment devised by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1867 stumped scientists for 115 years. And even after a solution was found, physicists have continued to use “Maxwell’s demon” to push the laws of the universe to their limits.

~ Jonathan O’Callaghan from, How Maxwell’s Demon Continues to Startle Scientists | Quanta Magazine

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This is a fun, and well-done, description of what started out as a thought-experiment in 1867—that’s 154 years ago—and which after being solved in theory has subsequently been verified by doing literal experiments on lab benches. They’ve built several of the demons, put them to work and shown why entropy always increases. If you’ve heard of “entropy”, but have always scratched your head, then…

…well, to be honest, this cutesie article won’t explain it all. But it will get you a step in the right direction, so long as you don’t mind the demon working the door.

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Selection

Published July 10, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 10  ·  

In the most general sense, productivity is about navigating from a large constellation of possible things you could be doing to the actual execution of a much smaller number of things each day.

~ Cal Newport from, The Productivity Funnel – Cal Newport

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A decade ago, I was swamped by the sheer number things I could possibly do each day. In one sense, that’s a good problem to have. But good or bad problem, “swamped” and “drowning” are adjacent. I’d committed myself to far too many things. Large swaths of those “possible things” every day came with emotional baggage, and often with the self-imposed weight of “should.” And so I worked on that and eliminated all the negative things.

Unfortunately, selecting what to tackle each day remains just as challenging. I’ve a habit of creating a “page for today” that I scribble on early in the morning. As the day progresses, I cross things off, jot down notes, scribble things which I need to add to my other systems, etc.. Over the years, I’ve used various bits of random paper; for a time, I was using the back-side of all the printer paper from the recycle bin. I’ve used spiral notebooks, tablets, and even a custom spreadsheet, (which I printed on 8.5×11 paper and cut in half to make my own table of half-sheet daily schedule/grid.)

Recently, I realized that the size of the paper I was using was getting progressively smaller. I’m currently using a 3×5-size of Rhodia notebook. (These, if you’re interested. Durable, great paper, and, critically, every page is micro-perforated so I can tear out each day to start fresh the next day.) The sublime recipe of page size, line space, handwriting style and hours in the day goes a long way to keep my selection of what to do tending towards the possible. Whether the sheet for today feels cramped or airy is a good indication of what I’m setting myself up for.

And to be clear, I don’t plan every day into this little book early each morning. On the days when I’ve something big planned—a day trip to the beach, a long weekend away—I throw all structure to the wind. But most days I do.

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Mike Araujo: Coaching, World Chase Tag, and community

Published July 9, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 9  ·  

Mike Araujo: Coaching, World Chase Tag, and community

What role does movement, particularly parkour, play in fostering personal growth, connection, and creativity?

Playing tag on national television was never something Mike Araujo imagined when he started training parkour. He discusses his path in parkour and the opportunities he’s gained from it. Mike shares his experiences with World Chase Tag, and his thoughts on competition. He explains his personal definition of parkour, sharing it with others, and his thoughts on how the community has changed.

Everyone needs to find the thing that moves them to move. Whether that be parkour or whatever other sport. I think as long as you’re moving and connecting with people and your environment then you’re on the right path.

~ Mike Araujo (7:07)

Mike Araujo is an athlete and head coach with the Movement Creative. He has trained parkour in NYC for over a decade, and coached nearly as long. Mike often travels for parkour, and recently competed in World Chase Tag’s first USA based event.

The conversation explores the transformative power of parkour as a practice that transcends physical movement. Parkour serves as a medium for personal growth, offering opportunities to connect with one’s body and environment intentionally. The practice is presented as adaptable, requiring no specific equipment or space, which makes it accessible to anyone seeking a meaningful connection with movement.

The discussion also examines parkour’s evolving culture, from intimate, small gatherings to large-scale global events. Topics include the impact of structured competitions like World Chase Tag, the community’s adaptation during the pandemic, and the balance between maintaining the sport’s original spirit while embracing its growth. Reflections on coaching and transitions in life highlight the importance of aligning passion with action, even when faced with uncertainty.

Takeaways

Movement as nourishment — Physical activity is essential for mental and physical well-being.

The intention behind practice — The focus should be on personal growth and meaningful connection, not just the movements themselves.

Accessibility of parkour — As a discipline, it requires minimal resources and emphasizes adaptability.

Coaching philosophies — Evolving as a coach means shifting from making others love the discipline to helping them find their own path.

Parkour and community — The growth of events and gatherings showcases how parkour fosters connections among practitioners worldwide.

Competitions and novelty — Events like World Chase Tag add new dimensions to training, blending creativity and structured athleticism.

Resources

Mike Araujo @pyro4pk

The Movement Creative — Parkour coaching and event organization company.

World Chase Tag — Competitive tag event blending parkour with high-speed athleticism.

Jump London — A documentary showcasing the origins of parkour.

Max Henry @maxhenryparkour — Parkour athlete and author known for his innovative approach to movement.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Platform with Melissa Way

Published July 9, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 9

How does the concept of offering a platform influence the selection of guests and the dynamics of conversations in podcasting?

The process of creating meaningful conversations involves balancing guest selection with the organic nature of dialogue.

I feel there’s a responsibility to seek out people who don’t have so much of a platform, and who have good things to say, and give them a space to say it and get that out in the world.

~ Melissa Way (3:05)

The conversation explores the intricacies of offering a platform through podcasting, particularly focusing on the responsibility and power it entails. The discussion examines how guest selection is guided by values and ethos, such as avoiding topics like diet culture while amplifying insightful voices. Emphasis is placed on providing a space for lesser-known individuals who possess valuable perspectives to share.

Another central theme revolves around the organic nature of conversations and how they often reveal unexpected insights. Guests frequently surprise themselves with the depth and relevance of their contributions. The dialogue also touches on the balance between preparation and spontaneity, highlighting how meaningful connections emerge through a combination of intentionality and adaptability.

Takeaways

A platform’s power — It amplifies voices and carries the responsibility to ensure content aligns with ethical standards.

Guest selection — It reflects the host’s ethos and values, influencing the broader impact of the podcast.

Creating space — Fostering an environment where guests feel comfortable leads to deeper, more meaningful conversations.

Balancing structure and spontaneity — Preparation aids in focus, while adaptability ensures authenticity in interactions.

Highlighting unheard voices — Offering a platform to those with limited exposure brings fresh, valuable perspectives to light.

Resources

Melissa Way — Artist. Mover. Explorer.

Movers Mindset Podcast — A podcast focusing on the interplay between movement and personal growth.

Open + Curious — A related project exploring themes of curiosity and reflection.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Technology with Rob Slater

Published July 9, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 9

How can skills and tools from podcasting be applied innovatively in professional practices, such as orthodontics, to improve outcomes and creativity?

Exploring the intersection of dental innovation and audio technology for patient care.

There are these occasional little sort of strands that bring them together. But in a way, what I quite like with the podcasting is to keep it separate, because what it is for me is, it’s this regular creative thing that I’m under pressure to produce.

~ Rob Slater (18:44)

The conversation explores the intersection of creative podcasting practices and professional orthodontic work, specifically how Rob applies podcasting tools and techniques to benefit his patients. He discusses using audio analysis software like Audacity to monitor the impact of orthodontic treatments on musicians, particularly those who play brass instruments. He describes innovative approaches, such as using aligner systems that allow for reversible adjustments, accommodating the unique needs of musicians and minimizing risks.

The discussion also highlights the broader influence of creative endeavors like podcasting on professional work. Rob notes how the regular creative demands of podcasting stimulate his imagination, even shaping how he approaches professional challenges. The dialogue touches on balancing innovation with safety in a medical context and the potential of niche specializations to enrich professional practices.

Takeaways

Using aligner systems — Allows for reversible orthodontic adjustments tailored to patient needs.

Leveraging audio software — Employing tools like Audacity to analyze the impact of dental treatments on musicians.

Balancing innovation and safety — Ensuring medical creativity aligns with professional standards and patient safety.

Interdisciplinary inspiration — How podcasting influences problem-solving and creativity in professional contexts.

Niche specialization opportunities — Developing expertise in addressing specific challenges for musicians.

Resources

Dad Sofa — Rob’s podcast where he talks about the stuff of life, what makes us curious, what connects us.

Audacity — Audio software used to visualize and analyze sound quality during orthodontic treatments.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Personal space

Published July 9, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 9  ·  

While the software has been an essential tool for productivity, learning, and social interaction, something about being on videoconference all day seems particularly exhausting, and the term “Zoom Fatigue” caught on quickly. In this article, I focus on nonverbal overload as a potential cause for fatigue, and provide four arguments outlining how various aspects of the current Zoom interface likely lead to psychological consequences.

~ Jeremy N. Bailenson from, Nonverbal Overload: A Theoretical Argument for the Causes of Zoom Fatigue · Volume 2, Issue 1

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This is more science-y than usual for this ‘ol blog. That’s a link to a journal article, (albeit not a peer-reviewed, “real” Journal-with-a-capital-J,) which presents an actual theory about “Zoom fatigue.” We all know it’s real, but why?

There are four parts to the theory. But the one that jumped out as glaringly obvious once I’d read it is about personal space. The distance around oneself within which another person’s presence begins to feel intimate varies among cultures. Americans like a goodly full arm’s length, and—my personal experience and opinion here—Europeans are cool with noticeably less. Regardless of the specifics, if people are in your personal space, that gets tiresome. Not “omg this is lame” tiresome, but physically tiring. (That’s apparently settled psychology and science.) Guess what? It seems the apparent size of the people on your screen triggers our brain’s perception of “how close is this person?”

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Peripheral vision

Published July 7, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 7

This last one is my favorite. Start on one leg or tandem stance and begin to look far into the distance about 100 meters. While staring at one spot far in the distance start to take notice of everything in your peripheral vision. Call out what you see, but do not move your gaze.

~ Emily Splichal from, Balance & the Basal Ganglia | The Power of Eye Movement Exercises – Barefoot Strong Blog

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Frequently, I perambulate through the enormous amounts of information I’ve bookmarked—in every sense of that word. Often I read things which cause me to discover some new thread of thinking. But just as often I find things that simply make me go, “hmm, that’s interesting.” So tomorrow I think I’ll assemble some pipe scaffolding to make something upon which to balance, simply so I can try this exercise.

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Calm

Published July 6, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 6  ·  

Information competes for our conscious attention: the web of thoughts with the greatest activation is usually the one where we direct our attention. The calmer our mind, the fewer thoughts we generate in response to what happens in the world—and the greater the odds that intuition will speak to us.

~ Chris Bailey from, The science of how to get intuition to speak to you – Chris Bailey

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I’m not sure if I truly remember the following story, or if I simply heard it told so many times and subsequently retold it so many times that I believe I saw it first hand, but here it is in first person regardless.

Sitting in an enormous church service early one morning, two parents down front where having increasing difficulty with a precocious young child. With each noise, question, request, and pew kicking, the parents were taking turns playing the, “If you don’t be quiet…” game. The massive church was known by all to have a well-appointed “cry room” at the back complete with a view of the proceedings, amplified reproduction of the goings on, double-pane and mostly scream proof windows, games, rocking chairs and so forth. Meanwhile, in the main hall, everyone could hear the “if you don’t be quiet…” game escalate to defcon 5: “If you don’t be quiet, I’m taking you to the cry room.” The opposing forces countered with a volley of indignation at being forced to… “That’s it!” And the patriarch hoisted the youngster and performed the mandatory “excuse me pardon me excuse me…” incantation across the pew, and started up the aisle with a writhing 3-year-old in Sunday’s best. From the moment of hoisting, the winding-up siren of shock and horror got up to speed until said child was screaming. “I’LL BE QUIET! I’LL BE QUIET!!” The minister had paused, as the father strode briskly for the doors at the back. Hundreds of people sat silently as they passed through rear doors—the child’s screaming dropping instantly in volume as the door swung shut. “I’LL BE QUIET! I’LL BE QUIET! …i’ll be quiet!” At which point, as far as I could tell, everyone collectively giggled at the humor of it all.

While one part of my mind wants to be touring the facility and taking up slack, the petulant child is not to be taken on by main force. When it’s in the mood, the child part can be a source of great power and inspiration. (Apropos, the quote sticking up from the Little Box today reads: “Genius is the power of carrying the feelings of childhood into the powers of manhood.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge) The inner-child mind has its own agenda and demands its outlets too.

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Starting

Published July 4, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 4  ·  

The tendency to put off difficult tasks that we don’t want to face is almost universal.

And it turns out, the moment of starting a task is often so much harder than actually doing the task.

~ Leo Babauta from, Getting Good at Just Starting a Difficult Task – Zen Habits Website

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Tom Petty’s lyrics not withstanding, I agree with Leo. Starting is definitely the hardest part. Unfortunately, I don’t understand why it is so difficult for me.

Take this blog post. It’s 9pm. I go to sleep at 9:30. (Why, is an entirely different story, see, Sleep.) I’ve a long drive tomorrow, and I’ve a few things left to stuff in my overnight bag. I’ve waited all day to do this small task. Writing these blog posts is straightforward; I have a well-oiled process for dropping into the right mindset and dipping into a fertile sea of cached ideas to find one to inspire. Invariably, a few minutes into the process, I’ve found an interesting thread to pull on. This is so much fun, I could—quite literally—do this all day. So why then do I wait until 9pm?

Because you see, it’s not just writing this blog post. I feel all the things on my to-do lists—both literal and in my head—are like writing this blog post: Straightforward, self-chosen, in line with my priorities and goals, inherently interesting, generally worth doing, immediately rewarding in most cases. And yet, the proverbial 9pm rolls around before I feel enough pressure to start.

The only thing I can think of is that some part of my mind just knows that the list will never be done. No matter how many times the “let’s get stuff done” part of my brain were to rise to the occasion, there’s some other part of my brain that will roll Sisyphus’s rock back to the bottom. Maybe this is all there is to it? Is the problem, not the “doer” side, but the “setter upper of things to do” side? Is the problem that I don’t know how to simply be?

Have I, perhaps, only learned instead how to be a human doing?

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That’s a problem

Published July 3, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 3  ·  

How much energy do we need? Just to give everyone in the world the per-capita energy consumption of Europe (which is only half that of the US), we would need to more than triple world energy production

~ Jason Crawford from, Why has nuclear power been a flop?

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The nature of the problem: Insufficient total, global energy.

How insufficient? Even if the United States magically cut its energy use in half, and then magically distributed that saved energy to some other countries… the world would still be far short of the energy we need to lift everyone up to even the EU’s per-capita energy level. When you factor in continued population growth, the problem—the amount of new energy we need to find—only gets bigger.

Set aside what you know about how, or where, we might get additional energy. The problem currently faced by the human race is not: How do we reduce our per-capita energy consumption? The problem is not: How do we change equal units of energy from old sources to new, or even renewable, sources.

The problem we face is…

How do we INCREASE the available energy for the entire planet by a factor of 4, or possibly even 5?

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Destroy later

Published July 1, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 1

I’m a process person. Recently, I was asked if I thought some course-material would be better if it included more process instruction; more step-by-step processes on how to do things. I pointed out that I’ve never been very successful simply handing people a process. I think it’s easier to teach people how to think about processes as a way to solve problems once. When the problem appears again, the earlier thinking—in the form of creating and refining a process—pays off.

Anyway. Today I’m going to do the exact opposite and try to hand you a process. :)

You have “sensitive” papers— things you need to keep around for a while, but probably not, you know, forever.

You have a good shredder— omg if you don’t own a good shredder, stop here and buy a good cross-shredder.

And therefore you have tension between wanting to remember to safely destroy “sensitive” papers— and not wanting to destroy them before you are sure you’re done with them.

  1. Create a set of “destroy later” file-folders. Find a place to keep them where they won’t be randomly disturbed. (On a shelf out of the way, in your safe, whatever.)
  2. Grab some file folders. If you want to keep things for 3 months, you need four, file folders. If you want to keep things for 6 months, you need 7 folders.
  3. Every time you have a “sensitive” paper, place it into the topmost/frontmost folder.
  4. Each month, take the topmost/frontmost folder full of “sensitive” stuff and move it to the back/bottom.
  5. Destroy the contents of the folder which is the new topmost/frontmost.

Revel in that tension evaporating, knowing all things will be appropriately destroyed later.

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Postscript: This is a “tickler file” system. But instead of the usual reminders in a tickler system, we’re reminder ourselves to shred the contents of the tickler system.

Diatoms

Published June 30, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 30

Diatoms are a major group of algae found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of the Earth’s biomass: they generate about 20 to 50 percent of the oxygen produced on the planet each year, […] and constitute nearly half of the organic material found in the oceans. The shells of dead diatoms can reach as much as a half-mile (800 m) deep on the ocean floor, and the entire Amazon basin is fertilized annually by 27 million tons of diatom shell dust transported by transatlantic winds from the African Sahara.

~ From Diatom – Wikipedia

I had grasped long ago that diatoms where single-cellular plants. But somehow I missed the, “with shells,” bit. Diatomaceous earth suddenly makes sense. I had always pictured the microscopic little individual diatoms that I’d seen in books; various shapes and sizes, floating in water. But I hadn’t imagined the shapes, structures and types of shells they’re building out of silicon! Turns out, people interested in nanotechnology are particularly interested in diatoms. Wonders never cease.

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And sometimes I trip over answers

Published June 28, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 28

Why do great writers write?

~ Shane Parrish from, Why Great Writers Write

Why, indeed. I write—and this reason is one of many mentioned in that article—because it’s the only way I know to be sure I actually understand a concept. I used to think that, at least some of the time, I was writing because I had something which I found interesting, and I’d wanted to share it. But I now realize that, no, what makes me want to share it is that I don’t want to forget it [the interesting thing.] Wait, sorry. I’m not explaining this very well. I write because the act of pinning-down my thoughts, to create concise— no wait, it’s not really about concision. (Score! It’s a rare day in mixed metaphors that I get to use that one.) The act of choosing one idea, from my usual flurry of thoughts, forces me to evaluate them; Choosing forces me to decide which of these thoughts is the most important— *derp* I was talking about why I write, and now I’m talking about how I write. I’ve gone astray. With word play. Clearly then, I am not a great writer, and actually I never claimed to be one, nor have I ever, truth be told—interjections be interjected… Do you know the difference between using—these guys—or these guys, to delimit an aside, (versus going full-on into parenthesis)? Swimming. Dashes are when you expect the swimming reader to duck their head under water, and commas—but never comas—are for a brief dive in the shallow end, (and we get out the parenthesis when our swimmer needs the warning that a deep breath will be required before we dive to the bottom of the deep end to investigate something sparkly spotted therein.) Quite proud of that ridiculous, previous sentence which uses as it espouses the variations thereof. *glancing up* Wait no, I’ve written a rambling wall of text.

Why, indeed, do I write? CLEARLY I have no frickin’ clue.

Perhaps I should settle for: Why did I write this post? Why did I use that linked article, combined with a title hinting that I learned something over which I’d tripped? Because It contains a larger block of context around a quote which I already, very much liked about the Muse.

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PS: The title is a reference to, Sometimes I look stuff up.

Something different

Published June 27, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 27  ·  

The Wolfram Physics Project: A One-Year Update—Stephen Wolfram Writings

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I think you should click through on that, just to see the really really long amount of text. You’re back? …good.

I have no idea what he’s talking about. I mean there are large sections of it—to be clear, I did not read all of it—that I understand what it’s saying, but I cannot follow the discussion. But he’s quite literally talking about how their research project (it’s computing software they’re running simulations within) is apparently making steady progress towards solving all of Physics. My undergrad degree is in Physics, I was a Physics grad student (but didn’t finish my Masters, to be fair about it.) This stuff from Wolfram—his writing, the software, physics research—is my wheel house. Or it used to be. I haven’t been in the wheelhouse for a while as I’ve been working on much other stuff for decades.

My reaction to this sort of research, (from Wolfram and other soruces,) is always to get sucked into it; Drawn in to try and understand how and where mankind was pushing back the curtains of the unknown. It’s exactly the sort of thing I always lived to deep-dive into. “Understands, and is into, Physics,” was a big part of my identity…

Why is this post titled, “Something different?”

It was a big part of my identity, until—so it seems—one day it was no longer. My reaction is now different.

I’ve got all these other cool projects that light me up, but physics? meh.

And that made me think: That’s something different.

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Side quests

Published June 25, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 25  ·  

I [generally] hate the Internet. I wanted to start this post with a reference to a little children’s TV skit I saw many (many) moons ago, on Sesame Street or maybe it was the Muppets… about a guy named Henry with a bucket with a hole who tried to fix it based on another character’s—named Liza—ministrations, but which eventually lead him to need the hole-y, original bucket to haul water to complete the bucket-repair process. If you’re not yet grabbing your head, try reading: “There a hole in my bucket. Dear Liza. Dear Liza.” Fortunately, Wikipedia, and a pile of YouTube clips I managed to not watch, have me covered. Long live the Internet!

“Holey-bucket-fixing” is a long chain of tasks which turn out to be circularly dependent. Obviously, I don’t realize it’s holey-bucket-fixing at the start of the side quest. I start off on some simple problem. To do A, I need B. To do B, I need C. To do C, I need… A? Where’s the Tylenol?!

But sometimes, I start off on some simple problem and it goes very well. As in . . .

Your merry band enters the dimly lit inn, glad to find shelter from the stormy night. The rogue among you sticks to the shadows to the left, the dwarf angles right, (in both senses of the word,) towards the bar, and the elf-archer, with the balance of the band in tow, strides for a long table against the doorless, far wall. The dwarf orders the first round of whatever-it-is-they-serve-around-these-parts, and the bartender strikes up a conversation. “Haven’t seen you folks around before. You look like you might be up for an adventure.” If you want to go on an adventure, turn to page 42. If you just want this idiot to shut up so you can drink your whatever-it-is-they-serve-around-these-parts in peace, continue reading.

And so, with a hole in my bucket, or a simple question in mind, or—challenge-loving dwarf-at-the-bar that I play so well—just too curious for my own good… I almost always turn to page 42.

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Practicing peace

Published June 24, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 24  ·  

Walking is a deliberate, repetitive, ritualized motion. It is an exercise in peace.

The Buddhists talk of “walking meditation,” or kinhin, where the movement after a long session of sitting, particularly movement through a beautiful setting, can unlock a different kind of stillness than traditional meditation.

~ Ryan Holiday from, Take A Walk: The Work & Life Benefits of Walking – RyanHoliday.net

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Running is also a deliberate, repetitive, ritualized motion.

But gosh do I hate running. There’s no peace at all. At the very least, I’m glad that I can run (in the shoes I like to wear, for the general health of my feet,) without injury. I can go a good mile—where “good” refers to the length, I’m not cheating calling the distance “a mile”… I emphatically do not mean the running of said mile is A Good Thing. I digress. I can go a good mile and I’m confident that the next day I will not be in agony. I know that running is exceedingly good for me. I sleep better that night, am in a better mood the next morning, and something about that level of effort just turns the volume down on the rest of the world for a good day or even two.

But I know people who swear that running is peaceful. …that running is meditative. …that running is an enjoyable part of their life. …something they even look forward to.

I sure wish I could figure out how to reconcile those two alternate realities.

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Responsibility with Jule Kucera

Published June 23, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 23

How can podcast hosts ethically navigate sensitive conversations while protecting their guests’ vulnerability?

Creating a safe space for guests involves mindful preparation and ethical guidelines.

Vulnerability is okay. Nakedness is not.

~ Jule Kucera (3:52)

The conversation explores ethical storytelling in podcasting, focusing on the host’s responsibility to protect their guests while crafting engaging stories. The discussion highlights moments when personal content felt too raw and decisions were made during editing to maintain respect. The concept of “vulnerability versus nakedness” is introduced as a guiding principle for ensuring sensitive topics are handled appropriately.

The discussion touches on the impact of post-production choices and the host’s editorial power, emphasizing the importance of maintaining trust and authenticity. Strategies for preparing guests, understanding their boundaries, and creating a safe conversational space are discussed as integral to fostering meaningful and ethical interviews.

Takeaways

Creating a safe space — Ensuring guests feel comfortable and supported during conversations.

Editorial responsibility — Making mindful choices in post-production to protect the integrity of the conversation.

Avoiding exploitation — Being cautious not to engage in “trauma porn” or exploit guests’ vulnerabilities for dramatic effect.

Guiding principles — Using mottos or guidelines, such as “vulnerability is okay, nakedness is not,” to navigate sensitive storytelling.

Lasting impact — Recognizing the permanence of recorded conversations and respecting how they represent both hosts and guests.

Resources

Jule Kucera

Reflections — Jule’s podcast.

Movers Mindset podcast — A podcast mentioned during the conversation as an example of careful and intentional storytelling.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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The grind

Published June 22, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 22

Sometimes, programming feels like magic: you chant some arcane incantation and a fleet of robots do your bidding. But sometimes, magic is mundane. If you’re willing to embrace the grind, you can pull off the impossible.

~ Jacob Kaplan-Moss from, Embrace the Grind – Jacob Kaplan-Moss

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I’m not 100% a programmer, but that’s a big part of what I do. I’ve been grinding so long that the impossible… accomplishing the impossible isn’t even interesting any more. I command an army of robots— but I’ve no idea what would be worth doing with them.

It’d be as if I did a magic trick and no one noticed. After doing that show six-days-a-week for a while, that got old. And so now I’ve become a sort of tottering crazy wizard. “Strange sounds and lights, and sometimes odd smells, arose from the tottering fool’s workshop at the top of the tower. No one dared go there any more, and few even thought to wonder at the long shut oaken door.” You know, that sort of crazy.

I do so love Alice’s take: Curiouser and curioser.

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