On this day

July 27th

Moments you weren’t expecting

July 27

What I’m looking for, in both fiction and documentary, are moments that you weren’t expecting, and which the audience don’t feel prepared for, moments that are candid, like something that just happened in front of the camera, and it’s not going to happen again. Those are the moments you live for as a documentary maker.

~ Kevin Macdonald, from Kevin MacDonald – The Talks

slip:4uteie15.

I’ve lately been on a bender reading many of these really interesting, really short, interviews with countless people. Most of them don’t particularly interest me. “But wait,” you’re thinking, “those two sentences seem contradictory.” I’m glad you asked about that!

You see, once I know that there’s some large body of work and it’s pretty uniform, then I wonder: Why should I think that the ones I like are the really good ones? Since the work is (pretty) uniform, maybe they’re all really good (or pretty good, at least) and the reason I don’t like most of them… is me. If I sift through the work am I identifying the good ones? …or am I reinforcing, via confirmation bias, my narrow view points? If I wanted to grow—growth often being uncomfortable, especially when it comes to shifting one’s own perspectives—maybe I should intentionally read the ones that I think aren’t that good. Maybe I should be seeking out things which I’m misjudging, and that would by definition be the things I think aren’t that good.

ɕ

Drive with Ben Moreno

July 27, 2022

What experiences and insights shaped the transition from video to audio storytelling?

A podcaster’s journey uncovers the nuances of voiceover work and audio engineering.

It just puts you down back to the ground and reflect how quick it happened. I had a bad car accident, and it almost took my life.

~ Ben Moreno (22:48)

The conversation explores Ben’s creative evolution from photography to video production, and eventually to podcasting and voiceover work. This journey was driven by personal milestones, such as the birth of his daughter, and technical challenges, particularly in achieving quality audio for video projects. Craig and Ben discuss the differences in audio storytelling, including the unique demands of podcasting and audiobooks.

Ben shares a deeply personal story of a life-altering car accident, which led to reflection on priorities and values. Stoicism and daily Bible reading play significant roles in their life, providing a philosophical and spiritual foundation. Technical details about microphones and recording setups illustrate their passion for audio production, while their foray into narrating audiobooks highlights their continuous pursuit of creative challenges.

Takeaways

Creative transitions — Moving from photography to video and podcasting as a medium for storytelling.

Technical growth — Overcoming challenges in audio quality and exploring different tools for production.

Personal philosophy — The integration of stoicism and daily spiritual practices as guiding principles.

Adapting to challenges — Building a professional setup from limited resources.

Life lessons — A near-death experience leading to deeper reflections on priorities and faith.

Voiceover insights — The complexities and technicalities of narrating audiobooks.

Resources

Talk Active Podcast — A podcast encouraging the practice of wisdom, courage, justice, and moderation.

ACX — Platform owned by Amazon for audiobook creation and distribution.

Zoom H6 Recorder — A portable audio recorder often used in podcasting and voiceover work.

Rode Microphones — Discussed as a preferred brand for podcasting and voiceover.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ

Perspectives with Robbie Corbett

July 27, 2022

Perspectives with Robbie Corbett

What are the challenges and opportunities in advancing Parkour as a sport, a community activity, and a professional field?

The conversation explores the evolution of Parkour and its integration into schools and professional spaces.

The idea is we want a place that they can be creative, and not just be forced to do [movement] by the book. Maybe they could build stuff, maybe they can make new challenges.

~ Robbie Corbett (1:24)

The discussion begins with reflections on the creation of a pop-up Parkour playground tailored for schools. Emphasis is placed on designing spaces that encourage creativity and adaptability, offering both basic and advanced challenges. Robbie shares experiences working with equipment manufacturers and schools, highlighting the importance of lesson plans and collaborative design to maximize the utility of these spaces.

The conversation then shifts to broader topics, such as the evolution of Parkour as a sport and its interaction with other industries like film, Ninja Warrior, and tag. Challenges include appropriation of Parkour concepts without acknowledgment and competition from larger organizations like FIG. Despite these issues, the conversation recognizes the diversity and creativity within the Parkour community, showcasing its potential to innovate through unique events and grassroots gatherings.

Takeaways

Designing adaptable spaces — School playgrounds and pop-up structures can encourage creative movement and multi-age participation.

Challenges in recognition — Parkour faces appropriation from industries and organizations, hindering its independent growth.

Opportunities in collaboration — Collaboration with schools and communities can enhance Parkour’s accessibility and value.

Creativity in competition — Events like jams and non-traditional gatherings showcase the sport’s diversity.

The struggle with governance — FIG’s control over competitions creates barriers for Parkour’s self-regulated development.

Community engagement — Bridging small, insular groups could foster a more unified and collaborative environment.

Resources

World Freerunning and Parkour Federation (WFPF) — A global organization promoting Parkour through events and certifications.

Parkour Certification — Provides training for coaches and athletes, ensuring safety and skill progression.

MoveNYC — A unique event blending competitions, workshops, and communal activities for Parkour practitioners.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ

Have we become wiser?

July 27, 2022

We live in the age of philosophy, science, and intellect. Huge libraries are open for everyone. Everywhere we have schools, colleges, and universities which give us the wisdom of the people from many previous millennia. And what then? Have we become wiser for all this? Do we better understand our life, or the meaning of our existence? Do we know what is good for our life?

~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

slip:4a960.

Perspective and awareness

July 27, 2022

The thing about status dynamics, though, is that they aren’t in one spot. There isn’t a whole world that is being fully and accurately perceived, except for one blank space that’s being glossed over.

~ Duncan Sabien from, The metaphor you want is “color blindness,” not “blind spot.” — LessWrong

slip:4ulepo16.

This is an interesting unpacking of some metaphors. If one has a blind spot in vision, simply shifting your gaze or moving slightly, will reveal what one is not seeing. This is a key way in which the “blind spot” metaphor is inaccurate and insufficient for systemic differences (in people, culture, society, etc.). The metaphor of red-green color blindness carries more utility because it points out that the things, or the distinctions, which one can’t see are everywhere; they are not literally in one stationary location (the problem is not simply under this X on this map), and no matter what one does—gaze shifting, moving around, thinking a great deal—those invisible thing are not going to appear.

The only way I’ve found to get through such problem is to engage with others whose literal and conceptual perspectives differ from my own. I’ll sum that up as: Discovery.

ɕ

Iterative

July 27, 2021

This is the iterative method of purpose exploration. You try a mini-version of something for a couple weeks. Maybe longer. And keep doing this until you hit on something.

~ Leo Babauta from, A Well Lived Life of Purpose – Zen Habits Website

slip:4uzewe1.

What do you think of the common advice, “follow your passion!” (Or sometimes it’s, “follow your bliss!”)

It’s utter crap. If I knew what my passion, (or “bliss”,) was, well no shit! …that would make it easy. The hard part is figuring out what I’m passionate about. The impossible—literally not something you can do in a lifetime—part is figuring out what my one, true passion is.

The advice I find useful is to follow my interests [discovery], find things I’m passionate about [via reflection], and then pursue them [efficacy]. It’s critical that I build in some feedback to reality-check what I’m doing—my commitments to others, my morals, my values—to make sure I’m not off on narcissistic navel navigation. But an interative approach is the best way to live the actual purpose life.

ɕ

Most people are not yet born

July 27, 2020

[…] recognize that at least in terms of sheer numbers, the current population is easily outweighed by all those who will come after us. In a calculation made by writer Richard Fisher, around 100 billion people have lived and died in the past 50,000 years. But they, together with the 7.7 billion people currently alive, are far outweighed by the estimated 6.75 trillion people who will be born over the next 50,000 years, if this century’s birth rate is maintained (see graphic below). Even in just the next millennium, more than 135 billion people are likely to be born. 

~ Roman Krznaric from, Six Ways to Think Long-term: A Cognitive Toolkit for Good Ancestors – Long Now

slip:4ulosi1.

50,000 years is, of course, somewhat arbitrary. But it’s a good estimate of the span so far of recognizably-like-current-us human history. It’s obvious that today, most people are already dead. It’s those trillion yet to come that warp the brain and create perspective.

This article from The Long Now Foundation has 6 good examples of explicit ways to think long-term, rather than short-term.

ɕ

I am aware

July 27, 2019

This makes an argument for two particular life skills:
1) Learning to notice the feeling of wanting something, without buying the mind’s story that it is necessary for happiness, and
2) Learning to pay attention to the present moment without habitually evaluating it — analyzing how it could be better, more secure, cleaner or fairer or otherwise more gratifying.

~ David Cain, from The missing ingredient to happiness

slip:4urate18.

I’ve spent so much time—all of my life so far in fact—trying to figuring it out, that it’s probably impossible to believe myself when I think I have something figured out.

The present moment is perfect, and I am blissfully aware of the present moment. I could write a full page right here and now detailing the last moment. And in the past, I’ve done exactly that in my journal as a pop quiz to verify that I “get this.”

Meanwhile my problems remain, and they are quite real. I’ll not share details because this blog is about me and my journey, not the others in my life. Suffice it to say that I am simply serving out my remaining days. They’re very nice days, to be sure, full of very nice moments which I enjoy. But those enjoyed days and moments aren’t related to making progress on the problems because they are orthogonal ideas.

ɕ

Seed thought

July 27, 2018

(Part 1 of 11 in series, A Tracer's Manifesto)

( In late 2016 I began a small discussion with a few friends about an idea. Eventually the project became a web site [now gone] and this series contains the posts from that site. The project continues in the Parkour Forum. )

Originally published Nov 28, 2016

[The following is a direct quote of what I initially wrote. Some of it is already supplanted as I write this.]

I don’t recall who (if anyone) I discussed the following idea with, but it has again bubbled to the surface of my brain: Let’s create a Code of Conduct for parkour/ADD. I’m envisioning a very simple web site; Just a sort of billboard that says this is the Code of Conduct. Then we start grass-roots spreading the word and expecting that every group/team step up to support this CoC by mentioning/linking to the CoC.

At first I thought of making it more complicated by having individuals register (with a closed loop email signup), or having people contact us (uh, me I suppose) to add back-links when they link… but then I thought. Nah. All it needs is to be a bit of a community discussion to settle on the Code (many such codes already exist, shouldn’t be too different for parkour/ADD). Then we enlist a few people to translate it into a few languages, and we put it up.

Thoughts? I know it’s doable… but I’m wondering if it’s *useful*…

META

In late 2016 I began a small discussion with a few friends about this thought. The discussion went — roughly — in three directions, and I wanted to lay this out here to begin a history of the project:

Goal – Discussion of what are we trying to create with this project; What is the concrete, objective thing we are creating? How do we define success; Is it creation of some artifact (a “code” of ethics/conduct?), or is it to reach some level of “adoption” of it?

Code – The most difficult part of the project. Statements of ethics are inherently complex and there is an enormously wide range of scope available. Part of this project will involve sorting out the “height of the bar”; The more complex a social/moral concept embodied in a statement, the more discussion and dissent will be evoked. We will have to balance the desire for achieving wide-spread, grass-roots adoption of the “code” against how far onto the moral high-ground the code sits.

Technology – What technologies, formats and forums are we to use for this project. We’re beginning in a “secret” Facebook group, but I expect to quickly outgrow this forum. I expect we’ll ultimately have to produce a web site to house the finished product, and I hope that can also include a narrative (aka “blog”) capturing the discussions and process. The later point being another reason I want to move “out” of a Facebook group asap, so we can capture as much of the discussion, permanently outside of FB.

ɕ