Weeks of Monday, January 19 to Sunday, February 08
Notes for the week
I haven't told you, {name}, but I've been on a series of doctor and clinic's visits since November or so. And that culminated in my being diagnosed with a chronic pain condition and occupational burnout, and being recommended a temporary leave of absence. (I'm ok, I've just been sleeping more than ever.)
All this to "explain" my not sending Week 4 and 5 of my commonplace pages. I know the call (the pressure) is coming from inside the house (myself), but it still takes an effort to not feel bad about ending a streak. I'm back with my backlog, not for the pseudo-productivity but for the love of the game.
Since we're working with three weeks of logging, I'll prune it more than usual and only give you my highlights.
January
Micro-post from @kiriappeee on Threads about "time to signal" when scrolling social media:
As I've continued my efforts in favouring slow media over fast/social media, I've developed some definitions for myself that I like to experiment with. One of them is TTS, or Time To Signal. You measure it by using a stopwatch and a definition of what a signal looks like to you. As you scroll, you measure how long it takes between each signal. Average it, and you get your TTS. Try it. You might be surprised.
(Article/Essay) An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, from Bruce Mau of Bruce Mau Studio
- There are all of 43 points, so I will feature some of my favorites, not in order of any ranking:
1. Allow events to change you.
2. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).
3. Begin anywhere.
4.
Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven't had yet, and for the ideas of others.
5. Stand on someone's shoulders.
6. Take field trips.
7. Make mistakes faster.
8. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.
Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces—what Dr. Seuss calls “the waiting place.”
42. Remember.
Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction.
43. Power to the people.
Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can’t be free agents if we’re not free.
Cool find: Dragonfly-Eye
Dragonfly-Eye (ꙮ) is an online library and image-bank. We aggregate key texts with peripheral images (reflections, connections, detours, commentaries) that radiate from the readings—transforming fragments into construction sites (reading made concrete), extending their scope.
February
(Article/Essay) Finding Creative Flow, from Anne-Laure Le Cunff of Ness Labs
[…] creative flow depends on two conditions: undivided attention and work that stretches you without overwhelming you. And the encouraging part is that this balance can be found by following four simple principles:
1. Select the right task.
2. Prepare materials ahead of time.
3. Create distance from distractions.
4. Ground your attention before starting
Video from @maalvikabhat on Instagram
You can't mass-manufacture a sense of self. People are not just buying objects; they are buying identity placeholders. And I think in schools, if we were taught how to be in conversation with our identities, consumerism would look very different.
Video from @carmscrolls on Instagram
[…] the question I want to pose is: are we falling into echo chambers of our own algorithmic making? Because it feels like the era of the hyper-personalized social media feed is upon us, and I want to discuss whether this results in an ideal frictionless scrolling experience or the descent into little information bubbles where dissenting opinions and perspectives will never meet us.
Cool find: Mold and Melancholia, a personal essay/creative nonfiction from Madeline Cash for The Paris Review
Cool find: “That Unfamiliar Night”, a short story by Lim Sunwoo, translated and recommended by Chi-Young Kim for Electric Literature
Maybe the shorter, more handpicked rollups are better for you, {name}?
Lovingly,
Apple