feed.json

{
	"version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
	"title": "Adam Keys is Linking",
	"icon": "https://micro.blog/therealadam/avatar.jpg",
	"home_page_url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/",
	"feed_url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/feed.json",
	"items": [
		
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/04/08/trim-the-attention.html",
				"title": "Trim the attention sails",
				"content_html": "<p>In America, the 2024 election cycle is unlikely to amuse <em>anyone</em>. Maybe this is a rallying point for “unifying” the country: a near-universal loathing of our politicians, how they get themselves elected, and the outcomes they deliver to us. Let alone the new media that reports on them.</p>\n<p>Ahead of the inevitable hell-cycle, I’ve trimmed my attention sails a bit. The general idea is to remove feeds and notifications from my daily routine which are monetized primarily by writing doom-y, grab-y headlines. I’m looking at you in particular, <em>New York Times</em>. But it applies to just about everything with headlines. I’ve disabled all notifications from <em>The Economist</em> and Apple News. I read them once a week. That’s plenty.</p>\n<p>Unrelated to the election, I deleted the Twitter and Instagram apps. The web app is mostly equivalent in Twitter’s case, no loss there. Instagram’s mobile web app is surprisingly mediocre. The point, in both cases, is to put a few more steps, a bit more friction, between me and randomly scrolling an algorithmic, attention-hungry feed. I’ve since found that the friction of loading these two as web apps is <em>great</em>. I do indeed look at them far, far less. On the other hand, their web apps are intentionally just-okay. It seems to me that any organization that can put together an excellent iOS app should be able to do the same on mobile web. Reader, let me tell you, they don’t.</p>\n<p>I found the settings in Lyft and DoorDash that prevent them from sending advertisements-as-push-notifications. They do exist! Highly recommended.</p>\n<p>Mute lists, they’re also fantastic. All the names and teams and keywords that tend to mean “here’s a post about the political horse-race” are scrubbed from my timeline. Even better, I can see when they’re scrubbed and dip in to see if things are as unproductive as I remember. (Thanks for that little detail, <a href=\"https://tapbots.com/ivory/\">Ivory</a>.)</p>\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts.html\">Think Your Thoughts</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "In America, the 2024 election cycle is unlikely to amuse _anyone_. Maybe this is a rallying point for “unifying” the country: a near-universal loathing of our politicians, how they get themselves elected, and the outcomes they deliver to us. Let alone the new media that reports on them.\n\nAhead of the inevitable hell-cycle, I’ve trimmed my attention sails a bit. The general idea is to remove feeds and notifications from my daily routine which are monetized primarily by writing doom-y, grab-y headlines. I’m looking at you in particular, _New York Times_. But it applies to just about everything with headlines. I’ve disabled all notifications from _The Economist_ and Apple News. I read them once a week. That’s plenty.\n\nUnrelated to the election, I deleted the Twitter and Instagram apps. The web app is mostly equivalent in Twitter’s case, no loss there. Instagram’s mobile web app is surprisingly mediocre. The point, in both cases, is to put a few more steps, a bit more friction, between me and randomly scrolling an algorithmic, attention-hungry feed. I’ve since found that the friction of loading these two as web apps is _great_. I do indeed look at them far, far less. On the other hand, their web apps are intentionally just-okay. It seems to me that any organization that can put together an excellent iOS app should be able to do the same on mobile web. Reader, let me tell you, they don’t.\n\nI found the settings in Lyft and DoorDash that prevent them from sending advertisements-as-push-notifications. They do exist! Highly recommended.\n\nMute lists, they’re also fantastic. All the names and teams and keywords that tend to mean “here’s a post about the political horse-race” are scrubbed from my timeline. Even better, I can see when they’re scrubbed and dip in to see if things are as unproductive as I remember. (Thanks for that little detail, [Ivory](https://tapbots.com/ivory/).)\n\nPreviously: [Think Your Thoughts](https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts.html).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-04-08T09:04:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/04/08/trim-the-attention.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/04/06/detroits-airport-dtw.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Detroit’s airport (DTW) is…kinda decent? It’s got a monorail and a light show set to songs of Motown. At the very least, it’s not a bad coffee shop? 🙃</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "Detroit’s airport (DTW) is…kinda decent? It’s got a monorail and a light show set to songs of Motown. At the very least, it’s not a bad coffee shop? 🙃\n\n<img src=\"https://therealadam.com/uploads/2024/image.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\">\n",
				"date_published": "2024-04-06T07:59:24-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/04/06/detroits-airport-dtw.html",
				"tags": ["Travel"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/03/31/blogs-wereare-a.html",
				"title": "Blogs were/are a fun moment",
				"content_html": "<p>Manuel Moreale, <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/EMdQMyHxCynwUzZ2\">Why I write</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But the reason why I started is long gone at this point. I started the blog as some sort of public accountability tool and it’s now everything but that. I don’t write to be accountable. I probably should.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Manuel asks a <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-manton-reece\">lot</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-chris-coyer\">of</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-taylor-troesh\">folks</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-toby-shorin\">about</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-cassidy-williams\">why</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-jim-nielsen\">they</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-tom-macwright\">started</a> <a href=\"https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-derek-sivers\">writing</a> their blogs. It’s a great question! Some folks want to get weird, others can’t not write and putting it online as good as anything, still others want to connect with a community.</p>\n<p>That last one, connecting with a community, is closest to my answer. I started because there was so much excitement, energy, and connection in the early 2000s blogs. It was a real scene. And, plenty of invention! Before there was centralized social media and web 2.0 there was decentralized blogging. An earnest attempt to take the technology of peer-to-peer file sharing and build something besides music sharing on it. It was a fun moment.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Manuel Moreale, [Why I write](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/EMdQMyHxCynwUzZ2):\n\n> But the reason why I started is long gone at this point. I started the blog as some sort of public accountability tool and it’s now everything but that. I don’t write to be accountable. I probably should.\n\nManuel asks a [lot](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-manton-reece) [of](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-chris-coyer) [folks](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-taylor-troesh) [about](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-toby-shorin) [why](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-cassidy-williams) [they](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-jim-nielsen) [started](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-tom-macwright) [writing](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-derek-sivers) their blogs. It’s a great question! Some folks want to get weird, others can’t not write and putting it online as good as anything, still others want to connect with a community.\n\nThat last one, connecting with a community, is closest to my answer. I started because there was so much excitement, energy, and connection in the early 2000s blogs. It was a real scene. And, plenty of invention! Before there was centralized social media and web 2.0 there was decentralized blogging. An earnest attempt to take the technology of peer-to-peer file sharing and build something besides music sharing on it. It was a fun moment.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-03-31T09:42:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/03/31/blogs-wereare-a.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/03/13/collective-flow.html",
				"title": "Collective flow",
				"content_html": "<p>Dave Rupert, <a href=\"https://daverupert.com/2024/01/play-at-work/\">Play at work</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I’ve talked about this before in the context of prototyping and play and how we worked at Paravel. It’s a lot like playing baseball; each member of the team showing up to practice, volleying work (in screenshots, short videos, or demos), pushing changes, communicating thoughts and challenges in the moment outside the confines of slotted meeting times. Me and my coworkers, having a catch.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Several years ago, when I was doing improv, I was rehearsing for a musical, of all things. At the same time we were getting started with table reads and gel’ing as a cast, two other shows were rehearsing in the same theater. One show was about to open, very much having their thing dialed in. Another cast was somewhere in the middle, having figured out what they were about but still trying to get the execution just right. Everywhere in the theatre, there was creation and exploration energy and it was one of the most awesome things I’ve done. This despite not liking musical theater much!</p>\n<hr>\n<p>I don’t like the idea of “return to office” and I don’t think you could make it work anyway. The social momentum that kept a critical mass of people in one office has been broken, you can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube.</p>\n<p>That said, I have yet to feel that same energy in remote work that I did in a local theatre on rehearsal night while various groups were <em>making</em> something <em>together</em>, in the <em>moment</em>, and iterating on it as quickly as they could share a glance or read through a scene.</p>\n<p>I bet <em>some</em> teams have figured out how to feel this way in remote/async setups. But, it feels like most are still running the old in-person playbook that we learned, and sometimes thrived with, over the past years and decades of our careers.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Dave Rupert, [Play at work](https://daverupert.com/2024/01/play-at-work/):\n\n> I’ve talked about this before in the context of prototyping and play and how we worked at Paravel. It’s a lot like playing baseball; each member of the team showing up to practice, volleying work (in screenshots, short videos, or demos), pushing changes, communicating thoughts and challenges in the moment outside the confines of slotted meeting times. Me and my coworkers, having a catch.\n\nSeveral years ago, when I was doing improv, I was rehearsing for a musical, of all things. At the same time we were getting started with table reads and gel’ing as a cast, two other shows were rehearsing in the same theater. One show was about to open, very much having their thing dialed in. Another cast was somewhere in the middle, having figured out what they were about but still trying to get the execution just right. Everywhere in the theatre, there was creation and exploration energy and it was one of the most awesome things I’ve done. This despite not liking musical theater much!\n\n---- \nI don’t like the idea of “return to office” and I don’t think you could make it work anyway. The social momentum that kept a critical mass of people in one office has been broken, you can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube.\n\nThat said, I have yet to feel that same energy in remote work that I did in a local theatre on rehearsal night while various groups were _making_ something _together_, in the _moment_, and iterating on it as quickly as they could share a glance or read through a scene.\n\nI bet _some_ teams have figured out how to feel this way in remote/async setups. But, it feels like most are still running the old in-person playbook that we learned, and sometimes thrived with, over the past years and decades of our careers.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-03-13T05:42:53-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/03/13/collective-flow.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/28/you-learn-faster.html",
				"title": "You learn faster by falling down",
				"content_html": "<p>Julia Galef, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scout_Mindset\"><em>The Scout Mindset</em></a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The “self-belief” model of motivation assumes that if you acknowledge the possibility of failure, then you’ll be too demoralized or afraid to take risks. In that model, people who believe that failure is unthinkable are the ones who try the hardest to succeed. Yet in practice, things often seem to work the other way around—accepting the possibility of failure in advance is liberating. It makes you bold, not timid. It’s what gives you the courage to take the risks required to achieve something big.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>One of the most impactful ways I’ve adapted my thinking over the years, if only modestly successfully, has been to fear failure less and accept small downsides more easily. There’s way more world out there for those willing to trip or even fall now and then.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Julia Galef, [_The Scout Mindset_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scout_Mindset):\n\n> The “self-belief” model of motivation assumes that if you acknowledge the possibility of failure, then you’ll be too demoralized or afraid to take risks. In that model, people who believe that failure is unthinkable are the ones who try the hardest to succeed. Yet in practice, things often seem to work the other way around—accepting the possibility of failure in advance is liberating. It makes you bold, not timid. It’s what gives you the courage to take the risks required to achieve something big.\n\nOne of the most impactful ways I’ve adapted my thinking over the years, if only modestly successfully, has been to fear failure less and accept small downsides more easily. There’s way more world out there for those willing to trip or even fall now and then.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-02-28T10:30:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/28/you-learn-faster.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/24/use-fewer-algorithmic.html",
				"title": "Use fewer algorithmic feeds, mostly search-based",
				"content_html": "<p>Rob Walker via Austin Kleon, <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2019/04/04/more-search-less-feed/\">More search, less feed</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I’ve been thinking a lot about the search box versus the feed,” he said. “Let’s take Twitter. When I open it, everybody wants me to think about something.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A Ponzi ecosystem of hustle, reality distortion and projection, outright misinformation and propaganda. Plus, folks who just want to tell you the world is miserable. On the other hand, some funny takes and the occasional wholesome content. As goes social media, so goes humanity.</p>\n<p>That bit of (attempted) gallows humor aside, the linked article has a good angle: search for more information and do <em>actual research</em> rather than letting algorithmic-people filter it towards you. Caveat: this may have been more useful when that post was written in 2019 than it is in the reality of junky internet search that is 2024.</p>\n<p>Reminder: <a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts/\">think your own thoughts</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Rob Walker via Austin Kleon, [More search, less feed](https://austinkleon.com/2019/04/04/more-search-less-feed/):\n\n> I’ve been thinking a lot about the search box versus the feed,” he said. “Let’s take Twitter. When I open it, everybody wants me to think about something.\n\nA Ponzi ecosystem of hustle, reality distortion and projection, outright misinformation and propaganda. Plus, folks who just want to tell you the world is miserable. On the other hand, some funny takes and the occasional wholesome content. As goes social media, so goes humanity.\n\nThat bit of (attempted) gallows humor aside, the linked article has a good angle: search for more information and do _actual research_ rather than letting algorithmic-people filter it towards you. Caveat: this may have been more useful when that post was written in 2019 than it is in the reality of junky internet search that is 2024.\n\nReminder: [think your own thoughts](https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts/).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-02-24T11:50:51-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/24/use-fewer-algorithmic.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/14/masters-of-the.html",
				"title": "Masters of the space between notes",
				"content_html": "<p>Virtuosity and speed are nice, in music and life. But you leave some space between the notes or slow things <em>way</em> down? Make some space in between the music for the <em>music</em> to happen? Now you’re cooking something good. For example:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aretha Franklin, the greatest of all time at making the most of the space between notes. As I’m fond of saying: there is no song Aretha Franklin could not perform slower <em>and</em> better than anyone else. Compare the tempo of <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BDw-H_hUzw\">Otis Redding’s <em>Respect</em></a> to <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Itb17PXvw\">Aretha’s version</a>, both recorded in the same year.</li>\n<li>AC/DC, “Back In Black” or “Highway To Hell”. This is where I’d start rock and roll songwriting 101.</li>\n<li>D’Angelo, “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)”. Most of his work is an exemplar, he’s a master of making songs feel <em>spacious</em>.</li>\n<li>Joe Cocker, “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Take a jaunty, mid-tier Beatles song and draw it <em>way</em> out. This makes room for the huge, stacked vocals chorus. Suddenly, it’s right in the feels.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2024/01/23/the-funk-is.html\">the funk is the notes you don’t play</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Virtuosity and speed are nice, in music and life. But you leave some space between the notes or slow things _way_ down? Make some space in between the music for the _music_ to happen? Now you’re cooking something good. For example:\n\n- Aretha Franklin, the greatest of all time at making the most of the space between notes. As I’m fond of saying: there is no song Aretha Franklin could not perform slower _and_ better than anyone else. Compare the tempo of [Otis Redding’s _Respect_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BDw-H_hUzw) to [Aretha’s version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Itb17PXvw), both recorded in the same year.\n- AC/DC, “Back In Black” or “Highway To Hell”. This is where I’d start rock and roll songwriting 101.\n- D’Angelo, “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)”. Most of his work is an exemplar, he’s a master of making songs feel _spacious_.\n- Joe Cocker, “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Take a jaunty, mid-tier Beatles song and draw it _way_ out. This makes room for the huge, stacked vocals chorus. Suddenly, it’s right in the feels.\n\nRelated: [the funk is the notes you don’t play](https://short.therealadam.com/2024/01/23/the-funk-is.html).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-02-14T10:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/14/masters-of-the.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/02/i-love-a.html",
				"title": "I love a good shower-thought",
				"content_html": "<p>Regarding <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard\">Leó Szilárd</a>, a theoretical physicist who first conceived of the possibilities of nuclear chain reactions, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The bath was down the hall. “I remember that I went into my bath…around nine o’clock in the morning. There is no place as good to think as a bathtub. I would just soak there and think, and around twelve o’clock the maid would knock and say, ‘Are you all right, sir?’ Then I usually got out and made a few notes, dictated a few memoranda.”</p>\n<p>— Richard Rhodes, Making of the Atomic Bomb</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Shower thoughts, bath thoughts, lawn mowing thoughts. Great minds think alike, i.e., in similar repose.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Regarding [Leó Szilárd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard), a theoretical physicist who first conceived of the possibilities of nuclear chain reactions, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons:\n\n> The bath was down the hall. “I remember that I went into my bath…around nine o’clock in the morning. There is no place as good to think as a bathtub. I would just soak there and think, and around twelve o’clock the maid would knock and say, ‘Are you all right, sir?’ Then I usually got out and made a few notes, dictated a few memoranda.”\n> \n> — Richard Rhodes, Making of the Atomic Bomb\n\nShower thoughts, bath thoughts, lawn mowing thoughts. Great minds think alike, i.e., in similar repose.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-02-02T09:30:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/02/02/i-love-a.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/23/the-funk-is.html",
				"title": "The funk is in the notes you don’t play",
				"content_html": "<p>Funk is unique amongst musical genres, in my perspective, due to the importance of the notes <em>you don’t play</em>. The <em>space</em> between notes, and not “shredding” every possible moment, is important in all genres. But I find that the funkiest stuff gets that way from missing expected notes and shifting expected notes to moments where they shouldn’t be.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Funk was a rhythmic system of tension and release over time, but also simultaneous tension between some players exercising maximum restraint and others exhibiting maximum expressiveness. Most of all, funk was a science of subverted expectations, syncopation taken to its ultimate destination. With funk, things weren’t always where you thought they’d be.</p>\n<p>– Dan Charnas, Dilla Time</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Digital Underground, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Hlqmdfee0\">Rhymin’ on the funk</a>. Recommended.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Funk not only moves, it can re-move, you dig?</p>\n<p>– George Clinton, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyJzylk8d_M\">P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Funk is unique amongst musical genres, in my perspective, due to the importance of the notes _you don’t play_. The _space_ between notes, and not “shredding” every possible moment, is important in all genres. But I find that the funkiest stuff gets that way from missing expected notes and shifting expected notes to moments where they shouldn’t be.\n\n> Funk was a rhythmic system of tension and release over time, but also simultaneous tension between some players exercising maximum restraint and others exhibiting maximum expressiveness. Most of all, funk was a science of subverted expectations, syncopation taken to its ultimate destination. With funk, things weren’t always where you thought they’d be.\n> \n> – Dan Charnas, Dilla Time\n\nDigital Underground, [Rhymin’ on the funk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Hlqmdfee0). Recommended.\n\n> Funk not only moves, it can re-move, you dig?\n> \n> – George Clinton, [P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyJzylk8d_M)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-23T06:14:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/23/the-funk-is.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/21/the-lfg-called.html",
				"title": "The LFG called life",
				"content_html": "<p>LFG: looking for game. An ad-hoc scheme, often forum-esque, where strangers looking to play an online game that lacks matchmaking find each other and coordinate starting a game.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>No matter how famous they get, the forward-thinking artists of today aren’t just looking for fans or passive consumers of their work, they’re looking for potential collaborators, or co-conspirators. These artists acknowledge that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that the experience of art is always a two-way street, incomplete without feedback. These artists hang out online and answer questions. They ask for reading recommendations. They chat with fans about the stuff they love.</p>\n<p>– Austin Kleon, <em>Show Your Work!</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is how I found so many of my online pals and past/future collaborators. The wonder of blogs, “web 2.0”, and then Twitter. We were out there posting, finding tribes, and, occasionally teammates.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "LFG: looking for game. An ad-hoc scheme, often forum-esque, where strangers looking to play an online game that lacks matchmaking find each other and coordinate starting a game.\n\n> No matter how famous they get, the forward-thinking artists of today aren’t just looking for fans or passive consumers of their work, they’re looking for potential collaborators, or co-conspirators. These artists acknowledge that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that the experience of art is always a two-way street, incomplete without feedback. These artists hang out online and answer questions. They ask for reading recommendations. They chat with fans about the stuff they love.\n> \n> – Austin Kleon, *Show Your Work!*\n\nThis is how I found so many of my online pals and past/future collaborators. The wonder of blogs, “web 2.0”, and then Twitter. We were out there posting, finding tribes, and, occasionally teammates.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-21T10:04:39-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/21/the-lfg-called.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/18/you-have-more.html",
				"title": "You have more writing material than you think",
				"content_html": "<p>Jim Nielsen, <a href=\"https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2023/blogging-and-compositing/\">Blogging and Composting</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But as a byproduct of whatever you’re building you undoubtedly learned, observed, or cursed at something along the way.</p>\n<p>And if you blog, you can make good use of that experience!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Show up (almost) every day, <a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2024/01/12/work-in-progress/\">stack some drafts</a>. Write down what you learned or what surprised you or what amazed you. Sooner than you know it, you’ve got a thing going. Maybe even a thesis or long-running schtick. Works for any kind of writing, not just blogs. 📈</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Jim Nielsen, [Blogging and Composting](https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2023/blogging-and-compositing/):\n\n> But as a byproduct of whatever you’re building you undoubtedly learned, observed, or cursed at something along the way.\n> \n> And if you blog, you can make good use of that experience!\n\nShow up (almost) every day, [stack some drafts](https://therealadam.com/2024/01/12/work-in-progress/). Write down what you learned or what surprised you or what amazed you. Sooner than you know it, you’ve got a thing going. Maybe even a thesis or long-running schtick. Works for any kind of writing, not just blogs. 📈\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-18T08:32:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/18/you-have-more.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/13/weekend-in-portland.html",
				"title": "Weekend in Portland",
				"content_html": "<p>Day two: breakfast, books, public transit! Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (surprise guest: Maya Rudolph!) put on an excellent show. (Not pictured: very, very cold.)</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/3804638b-22c6-473f-ac35-eecbf17549cc-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>Grits ’n Gravy. Enjoyed.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/604b1da7-9d86-42de-9836-6967943cd608-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/a8b8801f-9ef9-43b9-bb5f-93ef6e645991-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>Powell’s Books. Enjoyed, transacted.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/3cc86777-77cf-4678-8127-57601d576375-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/083805ea-b50d-481f-8d0c-9489d36f2d7e-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>The light rail line back to our Airbnb. It’s nice to get around sans car now and then!</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/cb50c1d8-96fa-43df-9514-1147d3286676-1-201-a.jpg\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>Dinner plates say what we meant to say at Bottle and Kitchen.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/903a7fbb-81cb-46a9-8c92-18f9e8d1d70e-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/b3d39df2-8430-434d-803a-73facf84b722-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>Seeing lady comics at a concert hall, not a bad way to spend a night out of town.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Day two: breakfast, books, public transit! Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (surprise guest: Maya Rudolph!) put on an excellent show. (Not pictured: very, very cold.)\n\n![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/3804638b-22c6-473f-ac35-eecbf17549cc-1-105-c.jpeg)\n\nGrits ’n Gravy. Enjoyed.\n\n![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/604b1da7-9d86-42de-9836-6967943cd608-1-105-c.jpeg)![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/a8b8801f-9ef9-43b9-bb5f-93ef6e645991-1-105-c.jpeg)\n\nPowell’s Books. Enjoyed, transacted.\n\n![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/3cc86777-77cf-4678-8127-57601d576375-1-105-c.jpeg)![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/083805ea-b50d-481f-8d0c-9489d36f2d7e-1-105-c.jpeg)\n\nThe light rail line back to our Airbnb. It’s nice to get around sans car now and then!\n\n![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/cb50c1d8-96fa-43df-9514-1147d3286676-1-201-a.jpg)\n\nDinner plates say what we meant to say at Bottle and Kitchen. \n\n![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/903a7fbb-81cb-46a9-8c92-18f9e8d1d70e-1-105-c.jpeg)![](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/b3d39df2-8430-434d-803a-73facf84b722-1-105-c.jpeg)\n\nSeeing lady comics at a concert hall, not a bad way to spend a night out of town.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-13T16:34:51-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/13/weekend-in-portland.html",
				"tags": ["Travel"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/12/weekend-in-portland.html",
				"title": "Weekend in Portland",
				"content_html": "<p>Day one, travel day. Air travel is fine. Green carpets are green. It’s cold and dreary, as expected. There may be snow. We persevere.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/4c3c1a10-b3e6-497b-8040-8780a14b627c.jpg\" alt=\"A Boeing 737 with the good doors.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/2b31848e-b6f5-4c4c-be6b-7ba03d4d2e85.jpg\" alt=\"That canyon is grand.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/b0c6d432-11d9-4de0-8835-f7f079544b69.jpg\" alt=\"The SWA livery looks particularly nice against this sunset.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/531111de-b938-4c25-8ad9-fd088871f1ae-1-105-c.jpeg\" alt=\"Gotta get the PDX green carpet on the social media.\"></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Day one, travel day. Air travel is fine. Green carpets are green. It’s cold and dreary, as expected. There may be snow. We persevere.\n\n![A Boeing 737 with the good doors.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/4c3c1a10-b3e6-497b-8040-8780a14b627c.jpg)\n\n![That canyon _is_ grand.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/2b31848e-b6f5-4c4c-be6b-7ba03d4d2e85.jpg)\n\n![The SWA livery looks particularly nice against this sunset.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/b0c6d432-11d9-4de0-8835-f7f079544b69.jpg)\n\n![Gotta get the PDX green carpet on the social media.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2024/531111de-b938-4c25-8ad9-fd088871f1ae-1-105-c.jpeg)\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-12T15:29:10-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/12/weekend-in-portland.html",
				"tags": ["Travel"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/07/the-status-quo.html",
				"title": "The status quo",
				"content_html": "<blockquote>\n<p>Most fascinating game there is, keeping things from staying the way they are.\n– Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The status quo is a hell of a thing. Path dependence makes this a challenging game.</p>\n<p>The biggest challenge you could take on in life: change it for even the slightest better. A virtuous challenge too, in an <a href=\"https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/\">Aristotelian virtues</a> sense?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "> Most fascinating game there is, keeping things from staying the way they are.\n> – Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano\n\nThe status quo is a hell of a thing. Path dependence makes this a challenging game.\n\nThe biggest challenge you could take on in life: change it for even the slightest better. A virtuous challenge too, in an [Aristotelian virtues](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/) sense?\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-07T09:55:59-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/07/the-status-quo.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/02/software-makes-you.html",
				"title": "Software makes you more productive, otherwise it’s (weird) art",
				"content_html": "<p>Rands in Repose, <a href=\"https://randsinrepose.com/archives/seven-steps-to-fixing-stalled-to-do-tasks/\">Seven Steps to Fixing Stalled To-Do Tasks</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The never-ending question you must ask regarding whatever productivity system you’ve built is, “Does this system make you more productive?”</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The purpose of all this software is to get stuff done (make things), not to fiddle and shuffle tasks around! (This goes for individuals <em>and</em> teams, FWIW)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Rands in Repose, [Seven Steps to Fixing Stalled To-Do Tasks](https://randsinrepose.com/archives/seven-steps-to-fixing-stalled-to-do-tasks/):\n\n> The never-ending question you must ask regarding whatever productivity system you’ve built is, “Does this system make you more productive?”\n\nThe purpose of all this software is to get stuff done (make things), not to fiddle and shuffle tasks around! (This goes for individuals _and_ teams, FWIW)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-02T15:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/02/software-makes-you.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/01/by-the-bullets.html",
				"title": "2023 by the bullets",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>Places visited\n<ul>\n<li>Marfa, Texas</li>\n<li>Las Cruces, New Mexico</li>\n<li>Tucson, Arizona</li>\n<li>Disney World (Orlando, Florida)</li>\n<li>Disneyland (Anaheim, California)</li>\n<li>Prunedale, California</li>\n<li>Salinas, California</li>\n<li>Monterey, California</li>\n<li>Dallas, Texas</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Writers enjoyed\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://craigmod.com\">Craig Mod</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz\">Henrik Karlsson</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Music re-discovered\n<ul>\n<li>John Coltrane <em>A Love Supreme</em></li>\n<li>Return to Forever <em>The Mothership Returns</em></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Concerts attended\n<ul>\n<li>Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band,</li>\n<li>Lyle Lovett and his Large Band</li>\n<li>Thundercat</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>My best writing\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/11/09/my-summer-at-100-hertz/\">My summer at 100hz</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/08/23/i-got-better-at-estimating-projects-with-intentional-practice/\">I got better at estimating projects</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/04/14/err-the-blog-revisited/\">Err the Blog, revisited</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/01/21/turn-the-pages-read-the-code-hear-the-words/\">Turn the pages, read the code, hear the words</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/02/13/natasha-lyonne-is.html\">Natasha Lyonne is my generation’s Joe Pesci</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html\">A vacation is a tool for disconnecting</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Previously revisited\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/12/29/best-of.html\">2022</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/12/31/my-favorites-of.html%0A\">2021</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "- Places visited\n\t- Marfa, Texas\n\t- Las Cruces, New Mexico\n\t- Tucson, Arizona\n\t- Disney World (Orlando, Florida)\n\t- Disneyland (Anaheim, California)\n\t- Prunedale, California\n\t- Salinas, California\n\t- Monterey, California\n\t- Dallas, Texas\n- Writers enjoyed\n\t- [Craig Mod](https://craigmod.com)\n\t- [Henrik Karlsson](https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz)\n- Music re-discovered\n\t- John Coltrane _A Love Supreme_\n\t- Return to Forever _The Mothership Returns_\n- Concerts attended\n\t- Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, \n\t- Lyle Lovett and his Large Band\n\t- Thundercat\n- My best writing\n\t- [My summer at 100hz](https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/11/09/my-summer-at-100-hertz/)\n\t- [I got better at estimating projects](https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/08/23/i-got-better-at-estimating-projects-with-intentional-practice/)\n\t- [Err the Blog, revisited](https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/04/14/err-the-blog-revisited/)\n\t- [Turn the pages, read the code, hear the words](https://therealadam.wordpress.com/2023/01/21/turn-the-pages-read-the-code-hear-the-words/)\n\t- [Natasha Lyonne is my generation’s Joe Pesci](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/02/13/natasha-lyonne-is.html)\n\t- [A vacation is a tool for disconnecting](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html)\n- Previously revisited\n\t- [2022](https://short.therealadam.com/2022/12/29/best-of.html)\n\t- [2021](https://short.therealadam.com/2021/12/31/my-favorites-of.html%0A)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2024-01-01T11:06:04-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2024/01/01/by-the-bullets.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/28/lowkey-toolsforthought.html",
				"title": "Low-key tools-for-thought",
				"content_html": "<p>I have an elaborate, perhaps baroque, setup of journals, notes, tasks, highlights, read-it-laters, feeds, and canvases-for-thinking. I consider it a crucial, and very idiosyncratic, piece of “knowledge worker infrastructure”. Furthermore, I don’t think I could handle a lot of the work and projects that I do, to the extent that I do, without it.</p>\n<p>But, I hope that constructing such a scheme, and doing all the time intensive background research and tinkering, is not something <em>everyone</em> would have to expend effort on to think better and more clearly.</p>\n<p>My hunch here is that the software bundled with iOS/iPadOS/macOS is <em>very close</em> to allowing folks who just want to remember and brainstorm get started <em>immediately</em>. Currently, a couple of elements are missing. This means you have to hit the third-party ecosystem escape hatch and consider a <em>daunting</em> variety of applications, workflows, and identity/quasi-religions.</p>\n<p>Herein, a wishlist of system-level capabilities that would make macOS an even better “bicycle for the mind”.</p>\n<hr>\n<p>In any old macOS app, I want to highlight text (mostly) with any pointer (mouse, stylus, finger) on any device (laptop, tablet, phone) and capture/promote text. I may want to add my commentary or notes too. Afterward, I should be able to search for this in Spotlight, at the least. Even better if the whole document/page/file/etc. the text came from is indexed, so I can find highlights despite imperfect memory.</p>\n<p>macOS already extracts contacts and events from plain text. Faces are identified in photos. Why not make text excerpts/highlights/passages a first-class thing in the system’s information architecture?</p>\n<hr>\n<p>I want to identify key ideas, concepts, people, and other nouns, so I can hyperlink between them <em>and</em> navigate them in <em>something</em> like the Finder.</p>\n<p>This verbs-and-nouns concept was key to AppleScript. I’ve read that it was part of the conceptual bedrock of NeXTStep, but I haven’t found more than a few passing sentences on that.</p>\n<p>Why not carry that idea forward or rediscover it on macOS? Some folks want to do more than scroll, post, and transact.</p>\n<hr>\n<p>Notes and Journal, along with Finder and Spotlight, seem <em>very close</em> to checking all the boxes here. 🤷🏻‍♂️I don’t use those apps, so I’m wildly speculating here. Out over my skis, as they say. That said, this is <em>so close</em> to the core of what you really need to do next-level, thinking-augmented-by-computers.</p>\n<p>Even though I use very particular apps, I feel like Apple has the right foundations here. A journal app for capturing ideas, reflections, and life as it happens. A notes app for putting structure and organization around the ideas that emerge from those moments. Tie it together with search to resurface and rediscover those journals and notes.</p>\n<p>A fellow can dream, right?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I have an elaborate, perhaps baroque, setup of journals, notes, tasks, highlights, read-it-laters, feeds, and canvases-for-thinking. I consider it a crucial, and very idiosyncratic, piece of “knowledge worker infrastructure”. Furthermore, I don’t think I could handle a lot of the work and projects that I do, to the extent that I do, without it.\n\nBut, I hope that constructing such a scheme, and doing all the time intensive background research and tinkering, is not something _everyone_ would have to expend effort on to think better and more clearly.\n\nMy hunch here is that the software bundled with iOS/iPadOS/macOS is _very close_ to allowing folks who just want to remember and brainstorm get started _immediately_. Currently, a couple of elements are missing. This means you have to hit the third-party ecosystem escape hatch and consider a _daunting_ variety of applications, workflows, and identity/quasi-religions.\n\nHerein, a wishlist of system-level capabilities that would make macOS an even better “bicycle for the mind”.\n\n---- \nIn any old macOS app, I want to highlight text (mostly) with any pointer (mouse, stylus, finger) on any device (laptop, tablet, phone) and capture/promote text. I may want to add my commentary or notes too. Afterward, I should be able to search for this in Spotlight, at the least. Even better if the whole document/page/file/etc. the text came from is indexed, so I can find highlights despite imperfect memory.\n\nmacOS already extracts contacts and events from plain text. Faces are identified in photos. Why not make text excerpts/highlights/passages a first-class thing in the system’s information architecture?\n\n---- \nI want to identify key ideas, concepts, people, and other nouns, so I can hyperlink between them _and_ navigate them in _something_ like the Finder.\n\nThis verbs-and-nouns concept was key to AppleScript. I’ve read that it was part of the conceptual bedrock of NeXTStep, but I haven’t found more than a few passing sentences on that.\n\nWhy not carry that idea forward or rediscover it on macOS? Some folks want to do more than scroll, post, and transact.\n\n---- \nNotes and Journal, along with Finder and Spotlight, seem _very close_ to checking all the boxes here. 🤷🏻‍♂️I don’t use those apps, so I’m wildly speculating here. Out over my skis, as they say. That said, this is _so close_ to the core of what you really need to do next-level, thinking-augmented-by-computers.\n\nEven though I use very particular apps, I feel like Apple has the right foundations here. A journal app for capturing ideas, reflections, and life as it happens. A notes app for putting structure and organization around the ideas that emerge from those moments. Tie it together with search to resurface and rediscover those journals and notes.\n\nA fellow can dream, right?\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-12-28T09:27:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/28/lowkey-toolsforthought.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/18/ia-writer-and.html",
				"title": "iA Writer and AI",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://ia.net/topics/writing-with-ai\">Writing with AI</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Writing is not about getting letters on a page. It’s not about getting done with text. It’s finding a clear and simple expression for what we feel, mean, and want to express. Writing is thinking with letters. Usually we do this alone. With AI, you write in dialogue. It comes with a chat-interface, after all. So, don’t just write commands, talk to it.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://ia.net/topics/ia-writer-7\">iA Writer</a>’s integration is the first use of LLMs I’ve seen that I’d consider original. They didn’t slap on a chat interface where one wasn’t needed. It’s not autocomplete-but-smarter.</p>\n<p>Instead, they show authorship/origin of text as either human or machine-generated. As you edit out the AI machine’s writing, the text visually and literally becomes more your own creation. You engage in dialog with the machine and use that to <em>improve</em> your thinking. The machine doesn’t think for you. Bravo!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Writing with AI](https://ia.net/topics/writing-with-ai):\n\n> Writing is not about getting letters on a page. It’s not about getting done with text. It’s finding a clear and simple expression for what we feel, mean, and want to express. Writing is thinking with letters. Usually we do this alone. With AI, you write in dialogue. It comes with a chat-interface, after all. So, don’t just write commands, talk to it.\n\n[iA Writer](https://ia.net/topics/ia-writer-7)’s integration is the first use of LLMs I’ve seen that I’d consider original. They didn’t slap on a chat interface where one wasn’t needed. It’s not autocomplete-but-smarter. \n\nInstead, they show authorship/origin of text as either human or machine-generated. As you edit out the AI machine’s writing, the text visually and literally becomes more your own creation. You engage in dialog with the machine and use that to _improve_ your thinking. The machine doesn’t think for you. Bravo!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-12-18T11:30:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/18/ia-writer-and.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/17/celebrate-the-van.html",
				"title": "Celebrate the van Beethoven guy",
				"content_html": "<p>It’s Ludwig van Beethoven’s birthday. Here are a few ways to celebrate the old <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_conduction\">piano-biter</a>:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>small: try his <em>other</em> famous piano sonata, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcOcKYQX3c&amp;t=53s\">No. 8 “Pathetique”</a></li>\n<li>medium: try the third movement of <a href=\"https://youtu.be/3TiYGxOQDYw?si=WJ42kOZS5l65TMfX&amp;t=1658\">Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”</a>, wherein the transition from the slow/middle movement into the final/fast movement is a brilliant sneak attack</li>\n<li>large: the pretty good (but mid-tier for Beethoven, IMO) Symphony <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP33esCi5g\">No. 3 “Eroica”</a> aka the one where he wrote a piece for Napoleon but got mad and renamed it at the last minute</li>\n<li>extra-large: the symphony that changed the game, <a href=\"https://youtu.be/rOjHhS5MtvA?si=hejnghb61LT23WLM&amp;t=57\">Symphony No. 9</a> (the Ode to Joy one)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html\">Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 7 and 8</a> are top-tier, <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/01/26/beethovens-symphonies-visualized.html\">Beethoven’s symphonies visualized</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "It’s Ludwig van Beethoven’s birthday. Here are a few ways to celebrate the old [piano-biter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_conduction):\n\n- small: try his _other_ famous piano sonata, [No. 8 “Pathetique”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcOcKYQX3c&t=53s)\n- medium: try the third movement of [Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”](https://youtu.be/3TiYGxOQDYw?si=WJ42kOZS5l65TMfX&t=1658), wherein the transition from the slow/middle movement into the final/fast movement is a brilliant sneak attack\n- large: the pretty good (but mid-tier for Beethoven, IMO) Symphony [No. 3 “Eroica”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP33esCi5g) aka the one where he wrote a piece for Napoleon but got mad and renamed it at the last minute\n- extra-large: the symphony that changed the game, [Symphony No. 9](https://youtu.be/rOjHhS5MtvA?si=hejnghb61LT23WLM&t=57) (the Ode to Joy one)\n\nPreviously: [Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 7 and 8](https://short.therealadam.com/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html) are top-tier, [Beethoven’s symphonies visualized](https://short.therealadam.com/2022/01/26/beethovens-symphonies-visualized.html).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-12-17T14:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/12/17/celebrate-the-van.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/26/everythings-a-draft.html",
				"title": "Everything’s a draft",
				"content_html": "<blockquote>\n<p>Publish pretty much everything you write because you can’t predict what is going to be popular. There is a lower bar for quality, but barring dishonesty and literally unreadable prose, everything else should go out somewhere. Incompleteness is no excuse. Publish the first part now and the other parts later.</p>\n<p>– Kent Beck, <a href=\"https://tidyfirst.substack.com/p/publish-everything-pretty-much\">Publish Everything</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Get the idea out there, especially if it feels like there’s depth to explore but you can’t full traverse it in the moment. And, reduce friction to sharing the promising drafts!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "> Publish pretty much everything you write because you can’t predict what is going to be popular. There is a lower bar for quality, but barring dishonesty and literally unreadable prose, everything else should go out somewhere. Incompleteness is no excuse. Publish the first part now and the other parts later. \n> \n> – Kent Beck, [Publish Everything](https://tidyfirst.substack.com/p/publish-everything-pretty-much)\n\nGet the idea out there, especially if it feels like there’s depth to explore but you can’t full traverse it in the moment. And, reduce friction to sharing the promising drafts!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-11-26T11:01:14-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/26/everythings-a-draft.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace","Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/23/listening-november.html",
				"title": "Listening, November 2023",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Andre 3000, <em>New Blue Sun</em> – come for the over-the-top song titles, stay for what sounds to me like an ambient and (astral?) jazz album.</p>\n<p>Earth, Wind, and Fire, “Serpentine Fire” – this is the Certified Jam of the Month™ in our household. It is literally made of slap (bass).</p>\n<p>Return to Forever – been listening to a lot of jazz-fusion lately. If Weather Report isn’t your thing, give <em>The Mothership Returns</em> a try.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-11-23T11:38:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/23/listening-november.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/17/you-cant-read.html",
				"title": "You can’t read the whole internet, so put your energy into something that matters to you",
				"content_html": "<p>Oliver Burkeman, <a href=\"https://www.oliverburkeman.com/river\">Treat your to-read pile like a river</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>To return to information overload: this means treating your &ldquo;to read&rdquo; pile like a river (a stream that flows past you, and from which you pluck a few choice items, here and there) instead of a bucket (which demands that you empty it). After all, you presumably don&rsquo;t feel overwhelmed by all the unread books in the British Library – and not because there aren&rsquo;t an overwhelming number of them, but because it never occurred to you that it might be your job to get through them all.</p>\n<p>I like to think of it as the productivity technique to beat all productivity techniques: finally internalizing the implications of the fact that what&rsquo;s genuinely impossible – the clue is in the name! – cannot actually be done.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You cannot actually read, process, and comment upon the whole internet, or even your little corner of interesting discourse. But, you can click “Mark All As Read” and move on. River-of-news style timelines automate marking items unread instead of automating bringing you the good stuff. <a href=\"https://reederapp.com\">Reeder</a> and <a href=\"https://www.newsblur.com/\">NewsBlur</a> have options for it. I bet others do too. <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2021/09/28/rewinding-your-attention/\">Reclaim your attention</a>!</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Unfortunately, most advice on productivity and time management takes the needle-in-a-haystack approach instead. It&rsquo;s about becoming more efficient and organised, or better at prioritising, with the implied promise that you might thereby eliminate or disregard enough of life&rsquo;s unimportant nonsense to make time for the meaningful stuff. To stretch a metaphor: it&rsquo;s about reducing the size of the haystack, to make it easier to focus on the needle.</p>\n<p>There&rsquo;s definitely a role for such techniques; but in the end, the only way to deal with a too-many-needles problem is to confront the fact that it&rsquo;s insoluble – that you definitely won&rsquo;t be fitting everything in.</p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not a question of rearranging your to-do list so as to make space for all your &ldquo;big rocks&rdquo;, but of accepting that there are simply too many rocks to fit in the jar. You have to take a stab at deciding what matters most, among your various creative passions/life goals/responsibilities – and then do that, while acknowledging that you&rsquo;ll inevitably be neglecting many other things that matter too.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I’m guilty here! All the best in task management, getting things done, note-taking, journal writing, and even <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/11/01/saying-no-is.html\">saying no</a> won’t get the work done. I have to take the gift of clarity and focus generated by all these routines, and <em>do that “big rock” important thing</em>. I have to find peace with the trade-off of doing one thing instead of all the other exciting things.</p>\n<p>Or, maybe <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/11/16/smaller-barriers-to.html\">generative AIs</a> will provide Walt Disney-like agency to direct and sustain diverse projects outside my expertise with Imagineering-quality output. Wouldn’t it be nice!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Oliver Burkeman, [Treat your to-read pile like a river](https://www.oliverburkeman.com/river):\n\n> To return to information overload: this means treating your \"to read\" pile like a river (a stream that flows past you, and from which you pluck a few choice items, here and there) instead of a bucket (which demands that you empty it). After all, you presumably don't feel overwhelmed by all the unread books in the British Library – and not because there aren't an overwhelming number of them, but because it never occurred to you that it might be your job to get through them all.\n> \n> I like to think of it as the productivity technique to beat all productivity techniques: finally internalizing the implications of the fact that what's genuinely impossible – the clue is in the name! – cannot actually be done.\n\nYou cannot actually read, process, and comment upon the whole internet, or even your little corner of interesting discourse. But, you can click “Mark All As Read” and move on. River-of-news style timelines automate marking items unread instead of automating bringing you the good stuff. [Reeder](https://reederapp.com) and [NewsBlur](https://www.newsblur.com/) have options for it. I bet others do too. [Reclaim your attention](https://austinkleon.com/2021/09/28/rewinding-your-attention/)!\n\n> Unfortunately, most advice on productivity and time management takes the needle-in-a-haystack approach instead. It's about becoming more efficient and organised, or better at prioritising, with the implied promise that you might thereby eliminate or disregard enough of life's unimportant nonsense to make time for the meaningful stuff. To stretch a metaphor: it's about reducing the size of the haystack, to make it easier to focus on the needle.\n> \n> There's definitely a role for such techniques; but in the end, the only way to deal with a too-many-needles problem is to confront the fact that it's insoluble – that you definitely won't be fitting everything in.\n> \n> It's not a question of rearranging your to-do list so as to make space for all your \"big rocks\", but of accepting that there are simply too many rocks to fit in the jar. You have to take a stab at deciding what matters most, among your various creative passions/life goals/responsibilities – and then do that, while acknowledging that you'll inevitably be neglecting many other things that matter too.\n\nI’m guilty here! All the best in task management, getting things done, note-taking, journal writing, and even [saying no](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/11/01/saying-no-is.html) won’t get the work done. I have to take the gift of clarity and focus generated by all these routines, and _do that “big rock” important thing_. I have to find peace with the trade-off of doing one thing instead of all the other exciting things.\n\nOr, maybe [generative AIs](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/11/16/smaller-barriers-to.html) will provide Walt Disney-like agency to direct and sustain diverse projects outside my expertise with Imagineering-quality output. Wouldn’t it be nice!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-11-17T11:52:03-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/17/you-cant-read.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/16/smaller-barriers-to.html",
				"title": "Smaller barriers to entry, bigger possibilities",
				"content_html": "<p>James Somer, <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/20/a-coder-considers-the-waning-days-of-the-craft\">A Coder Considers the Waning Days of the Craft | The New Yorker</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In chess, which for decades now has been dominated by A.I., a player’s only hope is pairing up with a bot. Such half-human, half-A.I. teams, known as centaurs, might still be able to beat the best humans and the best A.I. engines working alone. Programming has not yet gone the way of chess. But the centaurs have arrived. GPT-4 on its own is, for the moment, a worse programmer than I am. Ben is much worse. But Ben plus GPT-4 is a dangerous thing.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://simonwillison.net/2023/Nov/14/a-coder-considers-the-waning-days-of-the-craft/\">Simon Willison on the same</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I think AI assisted programming is going to shave a lot of the frustration off learning to code, which I hope brings many more people into the fold</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>We’ve entered the age of AI-powered coding, writing, speaking, and painting centaurs.</p>\n<p>If we play our cards right, we will lower barriers to entry <em>and</em> raise the ceiling of possibility to new levels. If more people can <em>create</em> in mediums that are considered specializations now, that <em>might</em> open allow experts to go deeper in their specialization or branch out into areas that were inaccessible without compromising their specialization.</p>\n<p>The idea of a dilettante, a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge, might become acute or obsolete. We might end up with a new level of “yuck that looks some amateurish and <em>generated</em>”. Or we might end up with reviews like “the artist deftly combines generated and hand-drawn sketches with procedurally generated music modeled on their own previous album <em>I Play Pianos, By Hand, Like Duke Did</em>”.</p>\n<p>Of course, we’ve heard this story before and famed economist <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">Keynes</a> is (infamous?) for predicting mechanical automation would all have us exploring our favorite hobbies at this point. So, we gotta play our cards right.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "James Somer, [A Coder Considers the Waning Days of the Craft | The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/20/a-coder-considers-the-waning-days-of-the-craft):\n\n> In chess, which for decades now has been dominated by A.I., a player’s only hope is pairing up with a bot. Such half-human, half-A.I. teams, known as centaurs, might still be able to beat the best humans and the best A.I. engines working alone. Programming has not yet gone the way of chess. But the centaurs have arrived. GPT-4 on its own is, for the moment, a worse programmer than I am. Ben is much worse. But Ben plus GPT-4 is a dangerous thing.\n\n[Simon Willison on the same](https://simonwillison.net/2023/Nov/14/a-coder-considers-the-waning-days-of-the-craft/):\n\n>  I think AI assisted programming is going to shave a lot of the frustration off learning to code, which I hope brings many more people into the fold\n\nWe’ve entered the age of AI-powered coding, writing, speaking, and painting centaurs. \n\nIf we play our cards right, we will lower barriers to entry _and_ raise the ceiling of possibility to new levels. If more people can _create_ in mediums that are considered specializations now, that _might_ open allow experts to go deeper in their specialization or branch out into areas that were inaccessible without compromising their specialization.\n\nThe idea of a dilettante, a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge, might become acute or obsolete. We might end up with a new level of “yuck that looks some amateurish and _generated_”. Or we might end up with reviews like “the artist deftly combines generated and hand-drawn sketches with procedurally generated music modeled on their own previous album _I Play Pianos, By Hand, Like Duke Did_”.\n\nOf course, we’ve heard this story before and famed economist [Keynes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes) is (infamous?) for predicting mechanical automation would all have us exploring our favorite hobbies at this point. So, we gotta play our cards right.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-11-16T08:40:04-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/16/smaller-barriers-to.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/01/saying-no-is.html",
				"title": "Saying No is the first step",
				"content_html": "<p>Ryan Holiday, <a href=\"https://ryanholiday.net/36-lessons-on-the-way-to-36-years-old/\">35 and 34, 36 Lessons on the Way to 36 Years Old</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>As part of that, I made the difficult decision to call my publisher to push my next book a year or so. This was a massive clearance on my schedule—several hours a day did not have to be spent researching and writing on a project. Yet it was remarkable how little my life changed. Because tasks expand to fill the space, because it is so easy to say yes to other things. <em>Less</em> demands vigilance and discipline, perhaps even more effort than actually doing stuff.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The reward for saying no feels like saying yes to a more important thing. But you still need decision discipline after that first “no”.</p>\n<p>Whenever I&rsquo;ve heard things like &ldquo;the key to serene focus and productivity is saying no more often&rdquo;, it often seems like saying &ldquo;no, thanks&rdquo; on projects and potential work is the top of the hill. Like it&rsquo;s all downhill to doing great work from there. Say no, they say, puts you on easy street to writing the great American novel/album/YouTube channel/large language model.</p>\n<p>Alas, saying no is not one weird trick for exercising all of your decision-making and discipline in one crucial moment. Making great stuff requires many small moments of saying no. Say no to looking up that frivolous fact. Say no to the pull of social media. Say no to taking a day off your habit of making great stuff. Say no to that Oreo cookie. ☹️</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Ryan Holiday, [35 and 34, 36 Lessons on the Way to 36 Years Old](https://ryanholiday.net/36-lessons-on-the-way-to-36-years-old/):\n\n> As part of that, I made the difficult decision to call my publisher to push my next book a year or so. This was a massive clearance on my schedule—several hours a day did not have to be spent researching and writing on a project. Yet it was remarkable how little my life changed. Because tasks expand to fill the space, because it is so easy to say yes to other things. *Less* demands vigilance and discipline, perhaps even more effort than actually doing stuff.\n\nThe reward for saying no feels like saying yes to a more important thing. But you still need decision discipline after that first “no”.\n\nWhenever I've heard things like \"the key to serene focus and productivity is saying no more often\", it often seems like saying \"no, thanks\" on projects and potential work is the top of the hill. Like it's all downhill to doing great work from there. Say no, they say, puts you on easy street to writing the great American novel/album/YouTube channel/large language model.\n\nAlas, saying no is not one weird trick for exercising all of your decision-making and discipline in one crucial moment. Making great stuff requires many small moments of saying no. Say no to looking up that frivolous fact. Say no to the pull of social media. Say no to taking a day off your habit of making great stuff. Say no to that Oreo cookie. ☹️\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-11-01T05:49:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/11/01/saying-no-is.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/24/the-point-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>The point of a commonplace notebook is not to generate immediate enlightenment. Writing a quote or idea now is the tip of the iceberg. The real insight comes when reviewing commonplace notes later and the dots start to connect themselves. That’s when the galaxy brain kicks in and the magic happens.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "The point of a commonplace notebook is not to generate immediate enlightenment. Writing a quote or idea now is the tip of the iceberg. The real insight comes when reviewing commonplace notes later and the dots start to connect themselves. That’s when the galaxy brain kicks in and the magic happens.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-10-24T08:28:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/24/the-point-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/24/my-promise-to.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>My promise to you, and the world: I will never call anything a “rig”. No matter how much people want to read about it, or how many hours I invest in it. Even if it is a car or musical equipment or an RV or something that is literally “a rig”. No matter how rigged up it is, I will find a way to dance around the word. Do unto others as they would do unto you, as they say.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "My promise to you, and the world: I will never call anything a “rig”. No matter how much people want to read about it, or how many hours I invest in it. Even if it is a car or musical equipment or an RV or something that is literally “a rig”. No matter how rigged up it is, I will find a way to dance around the word. Do unto others as they would do unto you, as they say.\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-10-24T05:19:14-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/24/my-promise-to.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/13/the-pace-youre.html",
				"title": "The pace you’re reading is the right pace for you to read",
				"content_html": "<p>Ted Gioia, <a href=\"https://www.honest-broker.com/p/my-lifetime-reading-plan\">My Lifetime Reading Plan</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>IT’S OKAY TO READ SLOWLY</strong></p>\n<p>I tell myself that, because I am not a fast reader.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>By his accounts, Gioia is a prolific and thorough reader. And yet, a self-proclaimed non-speed-reader.</p>\n<p>You don’t have to read super-fast if you’re always reading whatever is right for you at the moment. Doubly so if you’re deeply/actively reading, searching for understanding or assimilating ideas into your own mental arena.</p>\n<p>Once more for the slow readers, like myself, in the back: it’s fine, just keep reading!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Ted Gioia, [My Lifetime Reading Plan](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/my-lifetime-reading-plan):\n\n> **IT’S OKAY TO READ SLOWLY**\n> \n> I tell myself that, because I am not a fast reader.\n\nBy his accounts, Gioia is a prolific and thorough reader. And yet, a self-proclaimed non-speed-reader. \n\nYou don’t have to read super-fast if you’re always reading whatever is right for you at the moment. Doubly so if you’re deeply/actively reading, searching for understanding or assimilating ideas into your own mental arena.\n\nOnce more for the slow readers, like myself, in the back: it’s fine, just keep reading!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-10-13T08:12:02-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/13/the-pace-youre.html",
				"tags": ["Reading"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/02/aristotles-ethical-means.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2023/05/16/virtue-is-in-between-vices/\">Aristotle&rsquo;s ethical means of virtue and vice</a> but for creative work:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Winning is the mean between moving the goal-lines to finish and not finishing due to non-constructive goal-lines</li>\n<li>Quality is the mean between piles of incomplete junk and one or two overwrought ideas</li>\n<li>Taste is the mean between copying and invention in a vacuum of influences</li>\n<li>Flow is the mean between distraction and idleness</li>\n<li>Iteration is the mean between doing it once because you nailed it and doing it once because you gave up</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "[Aristotle's ethical means of virtue and vice](https://austinkleon.com/2023/05/16/virtue-is-in-between-vices/) but for creative work:\n\n- Winning is the mean between moving the goal-lines to finish and not finishing due to non-constructive goal-lines\n- Quality is the mean between piles of incomplete junk and one or two overwrought ideas\n- Taste is the mean between copying and invention in a vacuum of influences\n- Flow is the mean between distraction and idleness\n- Iteration is the mean between doing it once because you nailed it and doing it once because you gave up\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-10-02T05:34:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/10/02/aristotles-ethical-means.html",
				"tags": ["Creativity"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/09/23/stop-writing.html",
				"title": "Stop writing",
				"content_html": "<p>George Saunders on <a href=\"https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/office-hours-8e8\">getting past self-critical/low-energy writing spirals</a> (aka one of the many forms of writer’s block):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Another thing I sometimes suggest is this: stop writing. That is, stop doing your “real” writing. Yank yourself out of your usual daily routine. Instead, today, off the top of your head, write one sentence. Don’t think about what it should be about, or any of that. Just slap some crazy stuff down on the page. (Or it can be sane stuff. The “slapping down” is the key.) Print it out. Then, go do something else and, over the next 24 hours, do your best not to give that sentence a single thought.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The complete method, in my own words:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with a sentence, nothing in particular. Just start.</li>\n<li>Return to that sentence daily, making additions or changes that feel right.</li>\n<li>As the thing grows from a sentence to a paragraph and so on, spend more time with it. But don&rsquo;t sweat the magnitude of the output. A trivial punctuation change is &ldquo;a good day&rsquo;s work&rdquo;.</li>\n<li>Get bolder in the changes. Do what you prefer and don&rsquo;t worry about why it is you gravitate towards that particular change.</li>\n<li>Resist the urge to switch from working on an exercise to working your routine/process. Keep growing it instinctively.</li>\n<li>Eventually you have a whole story/essay/whatever written this way and you&rsquo;re happy to do something with it.</li>\n<li>Now you are un-stuck.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>(Am I using this post to get past a lull in publishing? Yes.)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "George Saunders on [getting past self-critical/low-energy writing spirals](https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/office-hours-8e8) (aka one of the many forms of writer’s block):\n\n> Another thing I sometimes suggest is this: stop writing. That is, stop doing your “real” writing. Yank yourself out of your usual daily routine. Instead, today, off the top of your head, write one sentence. Don’t think about what it should be about, or any of that. Just slap some crazy stuff down on the page. (Or it can be sane stuff. The “slapping down” is the key.) Print it out. Then, go do something else and, over the next 24 hours, do your best not to give that sentence a single thought. \n\nThe complete method, in my own words:\n\n- Start with a sentence, nothing in particular. Just start.\n- Return to that sentence daily, making additions or changes that feel right.\n- As the thing grows from a sentence to a paragraph and so on, spend more time with it. But don't sweat the magnitude of the output. A trivial punctuation change is \"a good day's work\".\n- Get bolder in the changes. Do what you prefer and don't worry about why it is you gravitate towards that particular change.\n- Resist the urge to switch from working on an exercise to working your routine/process. Keep growing it instinctively.\n- Eventually you have a whole story/essay/whatever written this way and you're happy to do something with it.\n- Now you are un-stuck.\n\n(Am I using this post to get past a lull in publishing? Yes.)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-09-23T13:30:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/09/23/stop-writing.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/27/i-wonder-how.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I wonder how Vonnegut might have coped with the <em>acceleration of change</em> we cope with in our modern dilemma.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It’s just a hell of a time to be alive, is all—just this goddamn messy business of people having to get used to new ideas. And people just don’t, that’s all. I wish this were a hundred years from now, with everybody used to the change.</p>\n<p>– Kurt Vonnegut, <em>Player Piano</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>He wrote so much about time, traversing it and getting unstuck in it, that I think he might have shrugged and stuck to an earlier motif: So it goes.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I wonder how Vonnegut might have coped with the _acceleration of change_ we cope with in our modern dilemma.\n\n> It’s just a hell of a time to be alive, is all—just this goddamn messy business of people having to get used to new ideas. And people just don’t, that’s all. I wish this were a hundred years from now, with everybody used to the change.\n> \n>  – Kurt Vonnegut, _Player Piano_\n\nHe wrote so much about time, traversing it and getting unstuck in it, that I think he might have shrugged and stuck to an earlier motif: So it goes.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-27T15:00:10-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/27/i-wonder-how.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/13/i-dropped-in.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I dropped in on historic races (the newest cars were 30 years old) at Laguna Seca. It’s great to see the track at scale, not as video-game or television camera angle. I watched practice sessions from the grand stand, heard the and watched the cars rip by at competitive speeds.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am.png\" alt=\"A very green Porsche 911 race car and a 70s era Porsche prototype racecar\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am-1.png\" alt=\"A BMW Alpina CSL race car in a very striking orange and green Jäegermeister livery\"></p>\n<p>I walked the paddock and infield. So many good cars to see. Felt the energy of mechanics getting cars, sometimes older than me, ready to go fast on track. I smelled a lot of gasoline and oil.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am-2.png\" alt=\"One of the Ferrari F1 cars Niki Lauda raced and a Ford GT40 in a dark blue and orange non-traditional Gulf livery\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-41-am.png\" alt=\"A slant-nose 911 race car and a striking Spyder LeMans race car in Porsche-Martini livery\"></p>\n<p>It was a good day.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I dropped in on historic races (the newest cars were 30 years old) at Laguna Seca. It’s great to see the track at scale, not as video-game or television camera angle. I watched practice sessions from the grand stand, heard the and watched the cars rip by at competitive speeds.\n\n![A very green Porsche 911 race car and a 70s era Porsche prototype racecar](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am.png)\n\n![A BMW Alpina CSL race car in a very striking orange and green Jäegermeister livery](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am-1.png)\n\nI walked the paddock and infield. So many good cars to see. Felt the energy of mechanics getting cars, sometimes older than me, ready to go fast on track. I smelled a lot of gasoline and oil.\n\n![One of the Ferrari F1 cars Niki Lauda raced and a Ford GT40 in a dark blue and orange non-traditional Gulf livery](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-35-am-2.png)\n\n![A slant-nose 911 race car and a striking Spyder LeMans race car in Porsche-Martini livery](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-8-13-23-8-41-am.png)\n\nIt was a good day.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-13T08:45:21-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/13/i-dropped-in.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/11/this-is-where.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>This is where we live, for a few days. I’m hoping “little adventures” like this are a nice compliment to <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html\">vacations</a>. Perhaps the former creates new mental connections and the latter are about disconnecting to consider and build upon existing connections.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/d02c705a0f.jpeg\" alt=\"An older RV parked in Northern California.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/8fe88e100c.jpeg\" alt=\"A row of RVs at a dog agility event.\"></p>\n",
				"content_text": "This is where we live, for a few days. I’m hoping “little adventures” like this are a nice compliment to [vacations](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html). Perhaps the former creates new mental connections and the latter are about disconnecting to consider and build upon existing connections.\n\n![An older RV parked in Northern California.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/d02c705a0f.jpeg)\n\n![A row of RVs at a dog agility event.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/8fe88e100c.jpeg)\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-11T07:11:18-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/11/this-is-where.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/05/now-a-truth.html",
				
				"content_html": "<blockquote>\n<p>“Now a truth,” said the judge. “The main business of humanity is to do a good job of being human beings,” said Paul, “not to serve as appendages to machines, institutions, and systems.”</p>\n<p>– Kurt Vonnegut, <em>Player Piano</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>We’re here to do human things: create for each other, love our friends and family, support our communities, experience and protect our world.</p>\n<p>A life serving only algorithms wrought by corporations<sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup>, engaged with organizations that care more about themselves than their people, or partaking in eco-cultural regimes that disregard our humanity are not worth pursuing.</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>IOW, don’t throw your whole existence into being a content creator, folks.&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "> “Now a truth,” said the judge. “The main business of humanity is to do a good job of being human beings,” said Paul, “not to serve as appendages to machines, institutions, and systems.”\n> \n> – Kurt Vonnegut, *Player Piano*\n\nWe’re here to do human things: create for each other, love our friends and family, support our communities, experience and protect our world.\n\nA life serving only algorithms wrought by corporations[^1], engaged with organizations that care more about themselves than their people, or partaking in eco-cultural regimes that disregard our humanity are not worth pursuing.\n\n\n[^1]:\tIOW, don’t throw your whole existence into being a content creator, folks.\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-05T14:03:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/05/now-a-truth.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html",
				"title": "A vacation is a tool for disconnecting",
				"content_html": "<p>I’m reflecting<sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup> on travelogue’ing my <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/07/30/rule-is-you.html\">recent</a> <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/07/31/rule-is-you.html\">trip</a> <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/01/wherein-favorite-franchises.html\">to</a> <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/02/many-parts-of.html\">Disneyland</a>. In particular, that it was effective at taking my mind off work while maintaining creative writing and publishing habits.</p>\n<p>Lately, I find myself dwelling on work too much or noodling through various puzzles I’m trying to solve. I would rather not bring that with me on vacation. What I removed and what I replaced those thoughts with went pretty well! For my own memory, and perhaps dear reader’s benefit:</p>\n<p><strong>Allow plenty of moments to just exist</strong>. Listen, enjoy where you are. Engage with the folks you’re vacationing with, presuming they’re not in a phone-bubble. Try to put the phone away after you mindlessly open it out of boredom. Cultivate the moments of boredom, if you can.</p>\n<p><strong>Don’t look at feeds</strong> like Slack, Discord, socials, etc. I took the extra step of removing Slack from my phone entirely. It’s easier to remove it entirely and re-add each Slack later than to try to ignore particular instances whenever I find myself mindlessly opening the app. Read a lot, ideally longer form things chosen beforehand. Again: ignore the feeds of people hustling or trying to get their ideas into my attention. Think your own thoughts!</p>\n<p><strong>Replace all those feeds and work-think with written and photographic journaling.</strong> Look for photography opportunities, even if you’re not particularly good at it (yet). Write in a journal, daily, even if you’re not good at it (yet). Write about what you’ve photographed, about whatever you’re thinking while disconnected, about that conversation you just had or the novel thing you just saw/did.</p>\n<p><strong>If you want to share via social networks, do it once a day.</strong> I posted (via micro.blog and <a href=\"https://ulysses.app\">Ulysses</a>) a short reflection on each day. For texture, I included a quad of photos, and wrote a few sentences to reflect on my photography or day so far. Once the post is made, put the computer away and get back to reveling in disconnection.</p>\n<p>YMMV, but I hope you try it!</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>With apologies to Craig Mod for standing on the shoulders of <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/116/\">A Walk is a Platform for Creative Work</a>.&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "I’m reflecting[^1] on travelogue’ing my [recent](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/07/30/rule-is-you.html) [trip](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/07/31/rule-is-you.html) [to](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/01/wherein-favorite-franchises.html) [Disneyland](https://short.therealadam.com/2023/08/02/many-parts-of.html). In particular, that it was effective at taking my mind off work while maintaining creative writing and publishing habits.\n\nLately, I find myself dwelling on work too much or noodling through various puzzles I’m trying to solve. I would rather not bring that with me on vacation. What I removed and what I replaced those thoughts with went pretty well! For my own memory, and perhaps dear reader’s benefit:\n\n**Allow plenty of moments to just exist**. Listen, enjoy where you are. Engage with the folks you’re vacationing with, presuming they’re not in a phone-bubble. Try to put the phone away after you mindlessly open it out of boredom. Cultivate the moments of boredom, if you can.\n\n**Don’t look at feeds** like Slack, Discord, socials, etc. I took the extra step of removing Slack from my phone entirely. It’s easier to remove it entirely and re-add each Slack later than to try to ignore particular instances whenever I find myself mindlessly opening the app. Read a lot, ideally longer form things chosen beforehand. Again: ignore the feeds of people hustling or trying to get their ideas into my attention. Think your own thoughts!\n\n**Replace all those feeds and work-think with written and photographic journaling.** Look for photography opportunities, even if you’re not particularly good at it (yet). Write in a journal, daily, even if you’re not good at it (yet). Write about what you’ve photographed, about whatever you’re thinking while disconnected, about that conversation you just had or the novel thing you just saw/did.\n\n**If you want to share via social networks, do it once a day.** I posted (via micro.blog and [Ulysses](https://ulysses.app)) a short reflection on each day. For texture, I included a quad of photos, and wrote a few sentences to reflect on my photography or day so far. Once the post is made, put the computer away and get back to reveling in disconnection.\n\nYMMV, but I hope you try it!\n\n[^1]:\tWith apologies to Craig Mod for standing on the shoulders of [A Walk is a Platform for Creative Work](https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/116/).\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-04T09:54:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/04/a-vacation-is.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/03/a-pretty-ideal.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>A pretty ideal travel day: start at the pool, wait in the breeze and shade, depart from the open tarmacs of tiny Long Beach Airport.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/15ec6988-ae71-4a7d-ae05-e76d43a44d3b.jpeg\" alt=\"Chillin by the hot tub\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/3e829f2206.jpeg\" alt=\"Luggage and comfy couches in the Disneyland Hotel breezeway \"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/14dbad8e42.jpeg\" alt=\"Looking up a Southwest Boeing 737 from the gate at LGB\"></p>\n<p>Not pictured: returning to the searing heat of central Texas. 😬🙃🫠</p>\n",
				"content_text": "A pretty ideal travel day: start at the pool, wait in the breeze and shade, depart from the open tarmacs of tiny Long Beach Airport.\n\n![Chillin by the hot tub](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/15ec6988-ae71-4a7d-ae05-e76d43a44d3b.jpeg)\n\n![Luggage and comfy couches in the Disneyland Hotel breezeway ](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/3e829f2206.jpeg)\n\n![Looking up a Southwest Boeing 737 from the gate at LGB](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/14dbad8e42.jpeg)\n\nNot pictured: returning to the searing heat of central Texas. 😬🙃🫠\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-03T17:50:35-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/03/a-pretty-ideal.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/02/many-parts-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Many parts of Disneyland are ridiculously easy to photograph.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage.jpeg\" alt=\"Pixar Pier in the golden hour. The Incredicoaster and Fun Wheel reflect on the pool in the foreground.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Radiator Springs at night. The Cozy Cone Motel and Flo’s V8 cafe neon glow against the night sky.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-2.jpeg\" alt=\"Radiator Springs lit up at night. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters on the left.\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-3.jpeg\" alt=\"Fantasyland overlooking Storybook and the Matterhorn in the early morning.\"></p>\n<p>Particularly at dusk and night, and for folks (like me) with very rudimentary photography skills. I’m pretty convinced this is one of the myriad details the Imagineers wrangle as they design these parks.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Many parts of Disneyland are ridiculously easy to photograph.\n\n![Pixar Pier in the golden hour. The Incredicoaster and Fun Wheel reflect on the pool in the foreground.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage.jpeg)\n\n![Radiator Springs at night. The Cozy Cone Motel and Flo’s V8 cafe neon glow against the night sky.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-1.jpeg)\n\n![Radiator Springs lit up at night. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters on the left.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-2.jpeg)\n\n![Fantasyland overlooking Storybook and the Matterhorn in the early morning.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/draggedimage-3.jpeg)\n\nParticularly at dusk and night, and for folks (like me) with very rudimentary photography skills. I’m pretty convinced this is one of the myriad details the Imagineers wrangle as they design these parks.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-02T17:31:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/02/many-parts-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/01/wherein-favorite-franchises.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Wherein favorite franchises are done</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/55ef768e-78b1-4b87-a686-0770494ba10f.jpeg\" alt=\"A topiary of a Formula One car\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/1aa4f1c5-a1c5-4992-8294-71d5c3985f38.jpeg\" alt=\"Pre-ride with Rey and BB-8\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/154dfb00-7267-4b3a-882a-0ffe322a2a75.jpeg\" alt=\"A relatively quiet moment at Oga’s cantina\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/d870bea0-e5a0-4472-a6d3-895dc48ad88e.jpeg\" alt=\"Movie poster for the speculative “The Chipmunk Trap” in a ride queue\"></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Wherein favorite franchises are done\n\n![A topiary of a Formula One car](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/55ef768e-78b1-4b87-a686-0770494ba10f.jpeg)\n\n![Pre-ride with Rey and BB-8](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/1aa4f1c5-a1c5-4992-8294-71d5c3985f38.jpeg)\n\n![A relatively quiet moment at Oga’s cantina](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/154dfb00-7267-4b3a-882a-0ffe322a2a75.jpeg)\n\n![Movie poster for the speculative “The Chipmunk Trap” in a ride queue](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/d870bea0-e5a0-4472-a6d3-895dc48ad88e.jpeg)\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-08-01T14:56:51-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/08/01/wherein-favorite-franchises.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/31/rule-is-you.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Rule #1 is you a) get up early, b) ride stuff early and c) take a break in the middle of the day while (many) folks are at the parks.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-7-31-23-6-15-pm.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of iPhone lock screen clock at 6:42am\"></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-7-31-23-6-15-pm-1.png\" alt=\"The Disneyland Hotel resort, including Trader Sam’s, very early in the morning.\"></p>\n<p>Roz is the unsung hero of the Monsters, Inc. franchise. Impeccable delivery, no notes.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/cded7b6d-2db0-4d6a-8236-edd79797b73c.jpeg\" alt=\"Roz from Monsters Inc., at the end of the Disney California Adventure ride for the same franchise.\"></p>\n<p>One of our favorites is the Animation Academy. It’s a short entertainment, wherein a cast member teaches you to draw a Disney/Pixar character in ten minutes or so. I’m not at all good at sketching, so I think it speaks volumes to the quality of the cast members that you can, maybe, tell that I’m drawing Mickey Mouse here.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/1ffa7dcf-be91-4e42-9487-f4d6df734f31.jpeg\" alt=\"A pencil sketch of Mickey Mouse\"></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Rule #1 is you a) get up early, b) ride stuff early and c) take a break in the middle of the day while (many) folks are at the parks.\n\n![Screenshot of iPhone lock screen clock at 6:42am](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-7-31-23-6-15-pm.png)\n\n![The Disneyland Hotel resort, including Trader Sam’s, very early in the morning.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/image-7-31-23-6-15-pm-1.png)\n\nRoz is the unsung hero of the Monsters, Inc. franchise. Impeccable delivery, no notes.\n\n![Roz from Monsters Inc., at the end of the Disney California Adventure ride for the same franchise.](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/cded7b6d-2db0-4d6a-8236-edd79797b73c.jpeg)\n\nOne of our favorites is the Animation Academy. It’s a short entertainment, wherein a cast member teaches you to draw a Disney/Pixar character in ten minutes or so. I’m not at all good at sketching, so I think it speaks volumes to the quality of the cast members that you can, maybe, tell that I’m drawing Mickey Mouse here.\n\n![A pencil sketch of Mickey Mouse](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/1ffa7dcf-be91-4e42-9487-f4d6df734f31.jpeg)\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-31T19:17:53-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/31/rule-is-you.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/30/rule-is-you.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<img src=\"uploads/2023/image.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" alt=\"\">\n1. Rule #2 is you gotta take a picture of this signage, every time.\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/4d3ec6e0f1.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\">\n2. Matterhorn looks better from almost every angle than it feels to ride it (if you’re over forty). \n\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/100fd1e389.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\">\n3. It’s a lovely day for retro future and wishing they’d put a people mover in at Disneyland. \n\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/3738fa461e.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\">\n4. Spoiler alert.\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-30T14:14:10-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/30/rule-is-you.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/20/magic-ai-is.html",
				"title": "Magic (AI) is what we don’t (yet) understand",
				"content_html": "<blockquote>\n<p>It reflects a sound understanding of the nature of AI — as an uncredited and formless <em>modifier</em> of other technologies. One whose presence is marked by familiar behaviors having slightly magical effects.</p>\n<p>– Venkatesh Rao, <a href=\"https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/magic-mundanity-and-deep-protocolization\">Magic, Mundanity and Deep Protocolization</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The whole magic &amp; AI thing. The most 2023 of vibes!</p>\n<p>Yet, it remains to be seen to what extent AI will yield entirely new media, modalities, and consumption levels or if it will merely modify technology we’re already familiar with.</p>\n<p>Is generative AI the iPhone (entirely new media/modality/consumption), the iPhone camera (displaces <em>and exceeds</em> existing categories), or the ability to scan QR codes with your camera to reduce transactional friction (a game changer for some that quickly fades into the background)?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "> It reflects a sound understanding of the nature of AI — as an uncredited and formless *modifier* of other technologies. One whose presence is marked by familiar behaviors having slightly magical effects.\n> \n> – Venkatesh Rao, [Magic, Mundanity and Deep Protocolization](https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/magic-mundanity-and-deep-protocolization)\n\nThe whole magic & AI thing. The most 2023 of vibes!\n\nYet, it remains to be seen to what extent AI will yield entirely new media, modalities, and consumption levels or if it will merely modify technology we’re already familiar with. \n\nIs generative AI the iPhone (entirely new media/modality/consumption), the iPhone camera (displaces _and exceeds_ existing categories), or the ability to scan QR codes with your camera to reduce transactional friction (a game changer for some that quickly fades into the background)?\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-20T07:25:41-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/20/magic-ai-is.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/evenings-at-the.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/album/evenings-at-the-village-gate-john-coltrane-with/1687727133\">Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane (with Eric Dolphy)</a>. Five tracks, all excellent. Great bass playing by Reggie Workman and Art Davis. Favorite tracks: &#8220;Greensleeves&#8221;, &#8220;Africa&#8221;.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-15T15:54:29-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/evenings-at-the.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/less-but-better.html",
				"title": "Less but better",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/designers-designers-watch-braun-classics\">The Designer&#8217;s Designer&#8217;s Watch – A Look Back At Braun And The Rebirth Of A Few Classics</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Braun watches AW 10 and AW 50 embody simplicity. Just as do the clocks and electrical appliances made by Braun, they truly follow the &#8220;less is more&#8221; dogma that (arguably) stems from the Bauhaus school. Or, as Braun likes to put it: Less but better. Design has been at the core of the brand for seven decades, and its watches and clocks were designed by a team headed by two men: Dieter Rams and Dietrich Lubs.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>✋🏻 &#8220;Less is more&#8221;: easy to say, hard to apply. </p>\n\n<p>👍🏻 &#8220;Less but better&#8221;: easy to say, easy to tell when you&#8217;ve done the first part but missed on the second.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-15T12:40:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/less-but-better.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/this-is-nice.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>This is nice. Once Over’s back patio annex is excellent.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "This is nice. Once Over’s back patio annex is excellent. \n\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/7380ee1117744688a67be1c836556cdc.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\">\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-15T08:18:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/15/this-is-nice.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/08/think-through-making.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Think through making.\n– Matt Webb (by way of Matt Ward) <a href=\"https://interconnected.org/home/2023/05/19/protocols\">Protocol Fiction, Desire, and Belief</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Ideas in your head are shallow next to ideas worked out with craft, material, and context.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-08T09:59:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/08/think-through-making.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/07/the-bear.html",
				"title": "The Bear",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I watched seasons 1 and 2 over the course of a few weeks. Fantastic show, no notes. </p>\n\n<p>I can&#8217;t start to describe it. It&#8217;s not crime-y, not a comedy. It&#8217;s not exactly feel good, but it possibly takes the spot in my brain formerly held by <em>Ted Lasso</em>. </p>\n\n<p>There&#8217;s often a <em>lot</em> of yelling. But it made me start using &#8220;heard&#8221; as a single-word sentence conveying &#8220;I have heard what you said, don&#8217;t disagree, but haven&#8217;t entirely processed it.&#8221;</p>\n\n<p>It&#8217;s about cooking, craft, and running a restaurant. Maybe it&#8217;s <em>Ratatouille</em>&#8217;s darker cousin?</p>\n\n<p>Recommended.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-07T05:53:21-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/07/the-bear.html",
				"tags": ["Watching"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/04/in-the-meantime.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<p>– Austin Kleon, <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Steal Like an Artist<!-- raw HTML omitted --><!-- raw HTML omitted --></p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<blockquote>\n<p>In the meantime, if you’re not into the world you live in, you can build your own world around you. (Now would be a good time to put on your headphones and cue up the Beach Boys song “In My Room.”) Surround yourself with books and objects that you love. Tape things up on the wall. Create your own world.\n\n\n– Austin Kleon, <em>Steal Like an Artist</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Put up the walls you want in the world. Look past the walls you dislike. (<em>Ed. </em>As a metaphor, this works for sure. Literally, in the case of oppressive regimes, not sure how to carry this idea forward.)</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-07-04T11:42:57-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/07/04/in-the-meantime.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/20/in-the-moment.html",
				"title": "In the moment",
				"content_html": "<p>Is pessimism about the past, present, or future? If it says, “we can’t get there from here, based on where we’ve been”, it neglects the present and maybe the future.</p>\n<p>Does optimism favor the future over the past or present? A smart optimist might use the past as a trend-line to the future, and seek to make the most of the present.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Is pessimism about the past, present, or future? If it says, “we can’t get there from here, based on where we’ve been”, it neglects the present and maybe the future.\n\nDoes optimism favor the future over the past or present? A smart optimist might use the past as a trend-line to the future, and seek to make the most of the present.\n",
				"date_published": "2023-06-20T07:16:36-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/20/in-the-moment.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/18/fruitless-activities-and.html",
				"title": "Fruitless activities and hobbies are important!",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Anything you do that doesn’t make you money or help others better be something for your own damned amusement.\n– <a href=\"https://twitter.com/austinkleon/status/1670067739673743360?s=12\">Austin Kleon</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-06-18T09:01:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/18/fruitless-activities-and.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/12/if-this-isnt.html",
				"title": "\"If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is\"",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/3172-and-i-urge-you-to-please-notice-when-you-are\">Kurt Vonnegut</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, &#8216;If this isn&#8217;t nice, I don&#8217;t know what is.&#8217;</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It’s a kind of way to go about life. Find more activities, people, places that lead to this kind of thought. Find more reasons to say it in regular life. Spend more time doing all those things.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-06-12T05:21:20-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/12/if-this-isnt.html",
				"tags": ["Reading"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/11/monk-and-robot.html",
				"title": "Monk and Robot: very enjoyable chill-future vibes",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built\">Monk and Robot, A Psalm for the Wild-Built</a>, Becky Chambers. An optimistic, non-space/techno sci-fi short novel. For me, it&#8217;s a welcome departure from the Very Serious Ideas of Stephenson, Asimov, Gibson, etc. No big bad, just a nice world and great interactions between a person and a robot.</p>\n\n<p>Highly recommended for a vacation/beach read.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-06-11T10:08:32-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/11/monk-and-robot.html",
				"tags": ["Reading"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/07/it-sounded-like.html",
				"title": "\"It sounded like the kick drum was played by a drunk 3-year old, and I was like ‘Are you allowed to do that?’”",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://pudding.cool/2023/06/groove/\">WONKY</a> – pudding.cool analyzes what makes J Dilla special. Particularly good if <a href=\"https://dillati.me/\">Dilla Time</a> (<a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/11/13/dilla-time.html\">previously</a>) is still in your to-read list.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-06-07T09:09:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/06/07/it-sounded-like.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/28/albums-is-a.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.albumstheapp.com/?ref=bb.place\">Albums</a> is a great app and <a href=\"https://bb.place/the-best-app-for-albums/\">The Best App for Albums</a> is a great review of what makes it good for music enthusiasts and/or organizational hobbyists. I don’t want to jinx it, but Albums checks a lot of boxes for me that Rdio did, back in the day.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Albums](https://www.albumstheapp.com/?ref=bb.place) is a great app and [The Best App for Albums](https://bb.place/the-best-app-for-albums/) is a great review of what makes it good for music enthusiasts and/or organizational hobbyists. I don’t want to jinx it, but Albums checks a lot of boxes for me that Rdio did, back in the day.\n",
				"date_published": "2023-05-28T08:34:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/28/albums-is-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/26/til-jenny-lewis.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>TIL Jenny Lewis covered the Traveling Wilburys&#8217; <a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/album/handle-with-care/1043297885?i=1043298766\">&#8220;Handle With Care&#8221;</a>. 👍🏻</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-05-26T07:55:30-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/26/til-jenny-lewis.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/12/dont-zero-out.html",
				"title": "Don’t zero out the margins",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://fs.blog/slack/\">Efficiency is the enemy</a>, Farnam Street:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>It’s possible to make an organization more efficient without making it better. That’s what happens when you drive out slack. It’s also possible to make an organization a little less efficient and improve it enormously. In order to do that, you need to reintroduce enough slack to allow the organization to breathe, reinvent itself, and make necessary change.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The good stuff happens in the margins. The scribbles in books, the breath between notes, the five minutes before meetings start when folks are real. Driving a car for the <em>sensation</em> of driving fast, rather than driving fast to achieve the best possible time.</p>\n\n<p>It’s the difference between enjoying a hobby and making a profession out of a hobby. Efficiency is the adversary of fun.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-05-12T14:12:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/05/12/dont-zero-out.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/04/01/writing-is-a.html",
				"title": "Writing is a \"do it, somehow, every day\" game",
				"content_html": "<p>Whenever I find myself wishing I was posting more toots/articles/etc., I remind myself that the first step is to get words out of my head and onto the page. The hack is that &ldquo;the page&rdquo; is often a personal journal (I use <a href=\"https://dayoneapp.com\">Day One</a>), a paper notebook (<a href=\"https://baronfig.com/products/confidant-hardcover-notebook\">Baron Fig</a>, currently) , or even a task with a note of a few sentences in <a href=\"https://culturedcode.com/things/\">Things</a>. It all counts.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO5jub2q8us\" title=\"Still my favorite Nike ad, 11 years later\"><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/5c8ec79c2b.png\" alt=\"Just sitting around like The Big Liebowski does not count as writing\"></a></p>\n<p>More importantly, it generates momentum. Possibly, this writer’s most crucial but immeasurable input commodity.</p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https://ruby.social/@therealadam/110072680899591393\">finishing is the skill</a> and <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2017/11/20/a-few-notes-on-daily-blogging/\">Austin Kleon’s notes on daily blogging, and stock/flow</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Whenever I find myself wishing I was posting more toots/articles/etc., I remind myself that the first step is to get words out of my head and onto the page. The hack is that \"the page\" is often a personal journal (I use [Day One](https://dayoneapp.com)), a paper notebook ([Baron Fig](https://baronfig.com/products/confidant-hardcover-notebook), currently) , or even a task with a note of a few sentences in [Things](https://culturedcode.com/things/). It all counts.\n\n[![Just sitting around like The Big Liebowski does not count as writing](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2023/5c8ec79c2b.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO5jub2q8us \"Still my favorite Nike ad, 11 years later\")\n\nMore importantly, it generates momentum. Possibly, this writer’s most crucial but immeasurable input commodity.\n\nRelated: [finishing is the skill](https://ruby.social/@therealadam/110072680899591393) and [Austin Kleon’s notes on daily blogging, and stock/flow](https://austinkleon.com/2017/11/20/a-few-notes-on-daily-blogging/).\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-04-01T09:36:19-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/04/01/writing-is-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/03/25/dock-jackpot-in.html",
				
				"content_html": "<h1 id=\"dock-jackpot\">Dock jackpot</h1>\n<p>In twenty years of using Mac OS X/macOS, rarely has my dock <em>not</em> been all blue icons or a bunch of faces staring at each other. Today is one of those days, bless.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "# Dock jackpot\n\nIn twenty years of using Mac OS X/macOS, rarely has my dock _not_ been all blue icons or a bunch of faces staring at each other. Today is one of those days, bless.\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/05691d963d.png\" width=\"600\" height=\"67\" alt=\"\">\n",
				"date_published": "2023-03-25T11:05:54-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/03/25/dock-jackpot-in.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/02/23/reading-february.html",
				"title": "Reading, February 2023",
				"content_html": "<p>I’m <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/11/09/currently-digging.html\">still</a> reading about the Manhattan Project. The going is slow. Big books, big timelines. At least, for the speed at which I read.</p>\n<p>Rhodes, <em>Making of the Atomic Bomb</em> – I’m 500+ pages in and only up to the early 1940s. That’s a hefty history meatball. That said, it’s a deep dive into the history of science in context with chemistry and quantum/nuclear physics. If you like a hefty but complete book, this one is your jam.</p>\n<p>Wellerstein, <em>Restricted Data</em> – I have very much enjoyed the author’s <a href=\"https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com\">blog of the same name</a> over the years. The author goes deep on the newly created apparatus for keeping the Manhattan Project secret from very nearly the whole world during the war. The pace for this one is a little off, to my preference, so I’ve put this one down for the moment.</p>\n<p>Gleick, <em>Genius</em> – Big Richard Feynman fan here. This book does not disappoint as a biography. Gleick is a great writer, writing with detail but without losing pace or going so deep that the thread is easily lost.</p>\n<p>Reading in <a href=\"https://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/books-and-recommendations/more-from-tyler-cowen-and-russ-roberts-on-reading/\">topical clusters</a> has worked really well for me. The books <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2020/02/13/on-reading-more-than-one-book-at-a-time/\">talk to each</a> other. It’s a bit like a Manhattan Project Cinematic Universe when personalities come together in Los Alamos and then disperse as each book follows a different thread of history. Physicists assemble, I suppose!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I’m [still](https://short.therealadam.com/2022/11/09/currently-digging.html) reading about the Manhattan Project. The going is slow. Big books, big timelines. At least, for the speed at which I read. \n\nRhodes, _Making of the Atomic Bomb_ – I’m 500+ pages in and only up to the early 1940s. That’s a hefty history meatball. That said, it’s a deep dive into the history of science in context with chemistry and quantum/nuclear physics. If you like a hefty but complete book, this one is your jam.\n\nWellerstein, _Restricted Data_ – I have very much enjoyed the author’s [blog of the same name](https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com) over the years. The author goes deep on the newly created apparatus for keeping the Manhattan Project secret from very nearly the whole world during the war. The pace for this one is a little off, to my preference, so I’ve put this one down for the moment.\n\nGleick, _Genius_ – Big Richard Feynman fan here. This book does not disappoint as a biography. Gleick is a great writer, writing with detail but without losing pace or going so deep that the thread is easily lost.\n\nReading in [topical clusters](https://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/books-and-recommendations/more-from-tyler-cowen-and-russ-roberts-on-reading/) has worked really well for me. The books [talk to each](https://austinkleon.com/2020/02/13/on-reading-more-than-one-book-at-a-time/) other. It’s a bit like a Manhattan Project Cinematic Universe when personalities come together in Los Alamos and then disperse as each book follows a different thread of history. Physicists assemble, I suppose!\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-02-23T06:49:50-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/02/23/reading-february.html",
				"tags": ["Reading"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/02/13/natasha-lyonne-is.html",
				"title": "Natasha Lyonne is my generation’s Joe Pesci",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><em>Poker Face</em> is a gem. Do yourself a favor and start watching it<a href=\"#fn:1\" id=\"fnref:1\" title=\"see footnote\" class=\"footnote\">[1]</a>. I didn’t realize I needed a weekly murder mystery kind of show. But I did, in this specific form.</p>\n\n<figure>\n<img src=\"uploads/2023/571c502ab7.png\" alt=\"Poster image of Natasha Lynne wearing sunglasses in the American Southwest\" />\n<figcaption>Poster image of Natasha Lynne wearing sunglasses in the American Southwest</figcaption>\n</figure>\n\n<p>Like murder mysteries of yore, <em>Poker Face</em> has a recognizable and soon-familiar cadence. We see a murder happen in the first few scenes, rewind to a few days previous when Natasha Lyonne arrives on said scene, we see her discover and solve the murder. The format works, even if you aren’t a viewer of crime shows and procedurals.</p>\n\n<p>This being a show about a journey<a href=\"#fn:2\" id=\"fnref:2\" title=\"see footnote\" class=\"footnote\">[2]</a>, each episode brings a few interesting actors in for a cozy, crisp murder mystery. These guest stars are as excellent as you might guess given the show is produced by Lyonne, Maya Rudolph, and Rian Johnson.</p>\n\n<p>The bottom line, in this case, is the star is the show. The show is built around Natasha Lyonne, who is perfect in this role. Lots of little wise-guy energy. The way she uses her arms and voice to fill scenes, it’s great. I can’t stop telling people she is my generation’s Joe Pesci. They’re even the same height!</p>\n\n<div class=\"footnotes\">\n<hr />\n<ol>\n\n<li id=\"fn:1\">\n<p>If you have the means, get yourself an NBC Peacock and watch yourself a great show. <a href=\"#fnref:1\" title=\"return to article\" class=\"reversefootnote\">&#160;&#8617;</a></p>\n</li>\n\n<li id=\"fn:2\">\n<p>This will make more sense after you watch the first episode. <a href=\"#fnref:2\" title=\"return to article\" class=\"reversefootnote\">&#160;&#8617;</a></p>\n</li>\n\n</ol>\n</div>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-02-13T06:34:02-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/02/13/natasha-lyonne-is.html",
				"tags": ["Watching"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/23/corporate-personhood-and.html",
				"title": "Corporate personhood and ants",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://interconnected.org/home/2023/01/17/filtered\">Filtered for ants and laws</a>, Matt Webb:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Let’s say we could chat with ants. Could we trade with them? What would we want from them?</p>\n\n<p>…</p>\n\n<p>In short: people treat almost everything as people, at least a bit, including companies.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<ol>\n<li>We could try to communicate with ants and then include them in capitalism. Would this raise all boats for humans (who currently do low-paying/low-prestige work) <em>and</em> the ants (what is good pay/prestige/standard of living for an ant, I don&#8217;t know!)?</li>\n<li>We attribute person-like qualities to corporations. Infamously, in the case of <em>Citizens United</em> and more innocuously like attributing creativity to Apple, potential then hucksterism with Tesla, or declining design aesthetic with BMW.</li>\n<li>If we bring ants into corporatism and personify them, there&#8217;s an opportunity for some futurist/dystopian sci-fi where a mysterious cadre of house cleaners/chore-doers conceal themselves via surveillance technology and financial engineering of shell corporations. Turns out, it&#8217;s just a mega-colony of ants.</li>\n</ol>\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-23T11:42:15-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/23/corporate-personhood-and.html",
				"tags": ["Commonplace"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/10/songs-you-must.html",
				"title": "Songs You Must Listen To At Maximum Safest Volume",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>&ldquo;Uptight&rdquo;, Steve Wonder</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Summertime Blues&rdquo;, The Who</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Wouldn&rsquo;t It Be Nice&rdquo;, The Beach Boys</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Good Vibrations&rdquo;, The Beach Boys</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Jungleland&rdquo;, Bruce Springsteen</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Once In a Lifetime&rdquo;, The Talking Heads</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Flashlight&rdquo;, Parliament</li>\n<li>“Rhythm Nation”, Janet Jackson</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "* \"Uptight\", Steve Wonder\n* \"Summertime Blues\", The Who\n* \"Wouldn't It Be Nice\", The Beach Boys\n* \"Good Vibrations\", The Beach Boys\n* \"Jungleland\", Bruce Springsteen\n* \"Once In a Lifetime\", The Talking Heads\n* \"Flashlight\", Parliament\n* “Rhythm Nation”, Janet Jackson\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-10T12:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/10/songs-you-must.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/08/albums-you-should.html",
				"title": "Albums You Should Listen To From Start To Finish",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li><em>Born to Run</em>, Bruce Springsteen</li>\n<li><em>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</em>, Red Hot Chili Peppers</li>\n<li><em>Pet Sounds</em>, The Beach Boys</li>\n<li><em>The Blueprint</em>, Jay-Z</li>\n<li><em>Songs in the Key of Life</em>, Stevie Wonder</li>\n<li><em>Sign ‘O The Times</em>, Prince</li>\n<li><em>Symphony No. 9</em>, Beethoven</li>\n<li><em>The Rite of Spring</em>, Stravinsky</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  _Born to Run_, Bruce Springsteen\n*  _Blood Sugar Sex Magik_, Red Hot Chili Peppers\n*  _Pet Sounds_, The Beach Boys\n*  _The Blueprint_, Jay-Z\n* _Songs in the Key of Life_, Stevie Wonder\n* _Sign ‘O The Times_, Prince\n* _Symphony No. 9_, Beethoven\n* _The Rite of Spring_, Stravinsky\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-08T12:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/08/albums-you-should.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/07/the-nap-hierarchy.html",
				"title": "The nap hierarchy",
				"content_html": "<p>Doing a short snooze in the middle of the day? I highly recommend it if you have the means. Ideally, one of these places (in order by quality of rest):</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Couch nap</li>\n<li>Chair nap (recliner/lounge chair, ideally)</li>\n<li>Bed nap</li>\n<li>Sky nap (airplane)</li>\n<li>Train nap</li>\n<li>Car nap</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Places I have napped, for better or worse, and would not recommend:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>A rock concert (The Who, Bruce Springsteen)</li>\n<li>A college lecture</li>\n<li>A piano recital</li>\n<li>Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Walt Disney World, Hollywood Studios)</li>\n<li>Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland)</li>\n<li>American Adventure (Walt Disney World, EPCOT)</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "Doing a short snooze in the middle of the day? I highly recommend it if you have the means. Ideally, one of these places (in order by quality of rest):\n\n1. Couch nap\n2. Chair nap (recliner/lounge chair, ideally)\n3. Bed nap\n4. Sky nap (airplane)\n5. Train nap\n6. Car nap\n\nPlaces I have napped, for better or worse, and would not recommend:\n\n- A rock concert (The Who, Bruce Springsteen)\n- A college lecture\n- A piano recital\n- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Walt Disney World, Hollywood Studios)\n- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland)\n- American Adventure (Walt Disney World, EPCOT)\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-07T11:44:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/07/the-nap-hierarchy.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/06/bruce-springsteen-epochs.html",
				"title": "Bruce Springsteen Epochs",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>Motown Bohemian, curly hair, <em>The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle</em></li>\n<li>Denim, muscles, <em>Born in the USA</em></li>\n<li>The introspective wanderer, bolo tie, <em>Human Touch</em></li>\n<li>Revival, the flavor-saver goatee, <em>The Rising</em></li>\n<li>The rock &lsquo;n roll stateman, dark vest and necktie, <em>High Hopes</em></li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  Motown Bohemian, curly hair, _The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle_\n*  Denim, muscles, _Born in the USA_\n*  The introspective wanderer, bolo tie, _Human Touch_\n*  Revival, the flavor-saver goatee, _The Rising_\n*  The rock 'n roll stateman, dark vest and necktie, _High Hopes_\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-06T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/06/bruce-springsteen-epochs.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/04/what-a-guitar.html",
				"title": "What A Guitar Is Supposed To Sound Like",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>&ldquo;Summertime Blues&rdquo;, The Who, Pete Townsend</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Estranged&rdquo;, Guns &lsquo;n Roses, Slash</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Glory Days&rdquo;, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Highway to Hell&rdquo;, AC/DC, Angus Young</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  \"Summertime Blues\", The Who, Pete Townsend\n*  \"Estranged\", Guns 'n Roses, Slash\n*  \"Glory Days\", Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band\n*  \"Highway to Hell\", AC/DC, Angus Young\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-04T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/04/what-a-guitar.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/02/music-i-wish.html",
				"title": "Music I Wish I Had Written",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li><em>The Rite of Spring</em>, Igor Stravinsky</li>\n<li><em>The Planets</em>, Gustav Holst</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Good Vibrations&rdquo;, Brian Wilson</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Losing My Edge&rdquo;, James Murphy</li>\n<li>&ldquo;I Feel the Earth Move&rdquo;, Carole King</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  _The Rite of Spring_, Igor Stravinsky\n*  _The Planets_, Gustav Holst\n*  \"Good Vibrations\", Brian Wilson\n*  \"Losing My Edge\", James Murphy\n*  \"I Feel the Earth Move\", Carole King\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2023-01-02T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2023/01/02/music-i-wish.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/31/best-david-lee.html",
				"title": "Best David Lee Roth Mid-Song Banter",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>&ldquo;Unchained&rdquo;</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Everybody Wants Some&rdquo;</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Hot for Teacher&rdquo;</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  \"Unchained\"\n*  \"Everybody Wants Some\"\n*  \"Hot for Teacher\"\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-12-31T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/31/best-david-lee.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/29/best-of.html",
				"title": "Best of 2022",
				"content_html": "<p>Television: <em>Severance</em> (Apple TV), <em>Andor</em> (Disney+)</p>\n<p>Movie: <em>Everything Everywhere All At Once</em></p>\n<p>Music: deep dives into Carly Simon, Nina Simone, J Dilla</p>\n<p>Book: <em>Player Piano</em> by Kurt Vonnegut</p>\n<p>Blog: <a href=\"https://seantcollins.com/category/roadhouse/page/1\">Pain Don&rsquo;t Hurt</a> (a 365 day series of short essays on <em>Roadhouse</em>)</p>\n<p>By my calculations, I managed to write about fifty pages between my blogs this year. That’s about double what I wrote in 2021, so I’m pretty happy with where I ended up here! 💪</p>\n<p>My best writing this year, in my opinion:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/12/01/an-ideal-weekend.html\">An ideal weekend</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/05/15/the-paradox-of-producing-process/\">The paradox of process</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/07/11/leadership-keywords/\">Leadership keywords</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/07/18/perspective-you-want-it/\">Perspective, you want it</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts/\">Think your thoughts</a></li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "Television: *Severance* (Apple TV), *Andor* (Disney+)\n\nMovie: *Everything Everywhere All At Once*\n\nMusic: deep dives into Carly Simon, Nina Simone, J Dilla\n\nBook: *Player Piano* by Kurt Vonnegut\n\nBlog: [Pain Don't Hurt](https://seantcollins.com/category/roadhouse/page/1) (a 365 day series of short essays on _Roadhouse_)\n\nBy my calculations, I managed to write about fifty pages between my blogs this year. That’s about double what I wrote in 2021, so I’m pretty happy with where I ended up here! 💪 \n\nMy best writing this year, in my opinion:\n\n- [An ideal weekend](https://short.therealadam.com/2022/12/01/an-ideal-weekend.html)\n- [The paradox of process](https://therealadam.com/2022/05/15/the-paradox-of-producing-process/)\n- [Leadership keywords](https://therealadam.com/2022/07/11/leadership-keywords/)\n- [Perspective, you want it](https://therealadam.com/2022/07/18/perspective-you-want-it/)\n- [Think your thoughts](https://therealadam.com/2022/12/27/think-your-thoughts/)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-12-29T10:48:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/29/best-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/27/classical-music-that.html",
				"title": "Classical music that is terribly edited in commercials",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>&ldquo;Also Sprach Zarathustra&rdquo;, Richard Strauss, the opening</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Symphony No. 6&rdquo;, Beethoven</li>\n<li>the rest of the Western classical music canon</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "*  \"Also Sprach Zarathustra\", Richard Strauss, the opening\n*  \"Symphony No. 6\", Beethoven\n*  the rest of the Western classical music canon\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-12-27T12:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/27/classical-music-that.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/21/driverless-crocodile-nostalgia.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Driverless Crocodile, <a href=\"https://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/sustainability-and-change/nostalgia-revisited/\">Nostalgia Revisited</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Nostalgia: a kind of homesickness for the past.</p>\n<p>Another way of putting it: the longing you will have in future for the places and people around you now.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Time&rsquo;s arrow is a hell of a thing.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Driverless Crocodile, [Nostalgia Revisited](https://www.driverlesscrocodile.com/sustainability-and-change/nostalgia-revisited/):\n\n> Nostalgia: a kind of homesickness for the past.\n> \n> Another way of putting it: the longing you will have in future for the places and people around you now.\n\nTime's arrow is a hell of a thing.\n",
				"date_published": "2022-12-21T07:07:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/21/driverless-crocodile-nostalgia.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/01/an-ideal-weekend.html",
				"title": "An ideal weekend",
				"content_html": "<blockquote>\n<p>Nothing, nothing, nothing makеs me happy</p>\n<p>Nothing brings me nothing but joy</p>\n<p>So if you haven&rsquo;t tried nada</p>\n<p>I really think you oughta</p>\n<p>— C. Fischoeder, <em>Bob&rsquo;s Burgers</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>On minor funks, needing a reset, and indeed doing nothing.</p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The Reset</strong>. Occasionally, the things I do stop <em>doing</em> it for me. Games, shows, books, magazines, etc. I pick them up and realize I’m bored with all of them. I require a break from my breaks.</p>\n<p>Oddly enough, taking a vacation or extended weekend with too little purpose <em>or</em> purpose too close to routine seems to generate the same response.</p>\n<p><strong>The Reset</strong> almost always involves going offline, to some extent. Not like <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/150/\">Craig Mod hiking</a> <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/116/\">through rural Japan</a><sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup>. It sometimes involves catching up on chores, tidying up the house, or <em>extremely</em> low-key home improvement<sup id=\"fnref:2\"><a href=\"#fn:2\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">2</a></sup>.</p>\n<p>Related: YouTube could use a function for this. “All my subscriptions &amp; recommendations aren’t doing it, we need to go weirder/normal-er”.</p>\n<p>Doing <em>absolutely</em> nothing is an option, but ends up feeling a little more hollow than free-ing.</p>\n<p>More often, rebelling against my routines and script-following tendencies works. Binge-watching, grinding a game, ignoring diet, etc. sometimes get me clear.</p>\n<hr>\n<p>The trickiest bit is when I’m in <strong>An Indefinite Funk</strong>. Hobbies seem shallow or meant to impress others or not fulfilling anymore or too much like work or too expensive/intensive to maintain.</p>\n<p>So far, I don’t have a great antidote for that. Last time it happened to me, I reverted two decades to making music, decided it still wasn’t <em>for</em> me, and went back to enjoying and sometimes studying/pontificating on music.</p>\n<p>Going offline is in some ways a luxurious and nice way to reset. We so rarely allow ourselves a moment or location of offline-ness. If you have to book a flight or <a href=\"https://www.996roadtrip.com\">outfit your Porsche 911 for camping</a>, so be it. It’s fine to just put your online devices in another room, too.</p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>Recommended</em>: do yourself an <strong>Ideal Weekend</strong> <sup id=\"fnref:3\"><a href=\"#fn:3\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">3</a></sup>:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get coffee</li>\n<li>Go for a walk in a nice park</li>\n<li>Take a nap</li>\n<li>Read a book</li>\n<li>Go for a swim</li>\n<li>Stroll through the vibrant part of your town</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Any weekend that includes most of those is likely to give me a reset such that any funk that is imminent or currently occurring goes away.</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>But that does sound nice!&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n<li id=\"fn:2\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>I’m not a handy person. Replacing light bulbs, fixing toilet levers. Putting a new battery in the godforsaken smoke alarm at 3 AM. That’s about the extent of what I’m capable of.&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:2\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n<li id=\"fn:3\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>Your particular choices of beverage/location may vary&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:3\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "> Nothing, nothing, nothing makеs me happy\n> \n> Nothing brings me nothing but joy\n> \n> So if you haven't tried nada\n> \n> I really think you oughta\n> \n> — C. Fischoeder, _Bob's Burgers_\n\nOn minor funks, needing a reset, and indeed doing nothing.\n\n---- \n**The Reset**. Occasionally, the things I do stop _doing_ it for me. Games, shows, books, magazines, etc. I pick them up and realize I’m bored with all of them. I require a break from my breaks. \n\nOddly enough, taking a vacation or extended weekend with too little purpose _or_ purpose too close to routine seems to generate the same response.\n\n**The Reset** almost always involves going offline, to some extent. Not like [Craig Mod hiking](https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/150/) [through rural Japan](https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/116/)[^1]. It sometimes involves catching up on chores, tidying up the house, or _extremely_ low-key home improvement[^2].\n\nRelated: YouTube could use a function for this. “All my subscriptions & recommendations aren’t doing it, we need to go weirder/normal-er”.\n\nDoing _absolutely_ nothing is an option, but ends up feeling a little more hollow than free-ing.\n\nMore often, rebelling against my routines and script-following tendencies works. Binge-watching, grinding a game, ignoring diet, etc. sometimes get me clear.\n\n---- \nThe trickiest bit is when I’m in **An Indefinite Funk**. Hobbies seem shallow or meant to impress others or not fulfilling anymore or too much like work or too expensive/intensive to maintain.\n\nSo far, I don’t have a great antidote for that. Last time it happened to me, I reverted two decades to making music, decided it still wasn’t _for_ me, and went back to enjoying and sometimes studying/pontificating on music.\n\nGoing offline is in some ways a luxurious and nice way to reset. We so rarely allow ourselves a moment or location of offline-ness. If you have to book a flight or [outfit your Porsche 911 for camping](https://www.996roadtrip.com), so be it. It’s fine to just put your online devices in another room, too.\n\n---- \n_Recommended_: do yourself an **Ideal Weekend** [^3]:\n\n- Get coffee\n- Go for a walk in a nice park\n- Take a nap\n- Read a book\n- Go for a swim\n- Stroll through the vibrant part of your town\n\nAny weekend that includes most of those is likely to give me a reset such that any funk that is imminent or currently occurring goes away.\n\n[^1]:\tBut that does sound nice!\n\n[^2]:\tI’m not a handy person. Replacing light bulbs, fixing toilet levers. Putting a new battery in the godforsaken smoke alarm at 3 AM. That’s about the extent of what I’m capable of.\n\n[^3]:\tYour particular choices of beverage/location may vary\n",
				"date_published": "2022-12-01T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/12/01/an-ideal-weekend.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/15/how-i-would.html",
				"title": "How I would explain music to an alien",
				"content_html": "<p>Were I faced with an intelligence not of this earth, but one that shares our understanding of what music is/for, these are the exemplars I would hold up for them to understand our cultures through my favorites:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hip-hop: &ldquo;So whatcha want&rdquo;, The Beastie Boys</li>\n<li>Rock and roll: &ldquo;Highway to Hell&rdquo;, AC/DC</li>\n<li>Symphonies: &ldquo;Symphony No. 7&rdquo;, Beethoven</li>\n<li>Pop: &ldquo;Walkin' on Sunshine&rdquo;, Katrina and the Waves</li>\n<li>Jazz: “Giant Steps”, John Coltrane</li>\n<li>Funk: “Mothership Connection”, Parliament</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "Were I faced with an intelligence not of this earth, but one that shares our understanding of what music is/for, these are the exemplars I would hold up for them to understand our cultures through my favorites:\n\n- Hip-hop: \"So whatcha want\", The Beastie Boys\n- Rock and roll: \"Highway to Hell\", AC/DC\n- Symphonies: \"Symphony No. 7\", Beethoven\n- Pop: \"Walkin' on Sunshine\", Katrina and the Waves\n- Jazz: “Giant Steps”, John Coltrane\n- Funk: “Mothership Connection”, Parliament\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-11-15T06:19:01-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/15/how-i-would.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/13/dilla-time.html",
				"title": "Dilla Time",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><em>Dilla Time</em> is a great book for music history enthusiasts. If you’re at all interested in hip-hop, music production, or sample culture, it’s a must-read. The references to lesser-known hip-hop are worth the time investment alone.</p>\n\n<p>I saw a critique of the book saying it is a 200-page book hiding in 400 pages<a href=\"#fn:1\" id=\"fnref:1\" title=\"see footnote\" class=\"footnote\">[1]</a>. I think <em>Dilla Time</em> justifies its page count in a pleasingly clever way. The book overlays the biography of James Yancey with the innovations of J Dilla in much the same way. Chapters on Yancey and Dilla alternate, taking turns. A little bit about Yancey’s musical life, a little bit about his nonmusical life. Once I realized Dilla’s music was about overlaying ideas at odds and the book was about overlaying the man and the music, I was a little giddy and a lot jealous that I hadn’t thought of something like that.</p>\n\n<p>The book is basically two story lines: a biography of James Yancey and the story of his musical innovations and influences as J Dilla. The latter is, in a nutshell, a great explanation of how Dilla programmed electronics (drum machines, samplers, etc.) to overlay musical patterns that had not gone together previously.</p>\n\n<p>Let’s assume it’s safe to say that Stravinsky was the master of (riotously) dissonant harmonies. He put notes that should not go together right on top of each other! In the same way, we’d have to say that J Dilla was the master of wielding time in a way that was not previously accepted in musical rhythm. Stravinsky overlaid perfect fifths (good) and tritones (bad!). Dilla overlaid straight (classical) and swung rhythms (jazz) and even moved notes around the beat, to similar effect.</p>\n\n<p>The tricky thing about listening to J Dilla, as a modern listener, is that it doesn’t sound as drastic as it did fifteen years ago. Similarly, Stravinsky doesn’t sound revolutionary to our ears, one hundred years on. They both “just” sound like how music is made these days. <em>Dilla Time</em> does an outstanding job putting his innovations in context and particularly <em>visualizing</em> how his musical constructs stood apart from what came before him.</p>\n\n<p>Obviously, I enjoyed this book a lot. Check it out.</p>\n\n<div class=\"footnotes\">\n<hr />\n<ol>\n\n<li id=\"fn:1\">\n<p>To be fair, most books could stand to lose a third or more of their page count. <a href=\"#fnref:1\" title=\"return to article\" class=\"reversefootnote\">&#160;&#8617;</a></p>\n</li>\n\n</ol>\n</div>\n",
				"date_published": "2022-11-13T11:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/13/dilla-time.html",
				"tags": ["Music","Reading"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/09/currently-digging.html",
				"title": "Currently digging",
				"content_html": "<p>Listening: <a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/afrobeat-essentials/pl.993d2301e6f446f1a64ac47e0a9d094e\">Afrobeat</a>, e.g. Fela Kuti</p>\n<p>Best musical discovery this week: an excellent Apple Music playlist <a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/shapeshifting/pl.8994321992214b979d4885e9a4463f11\">Shapeshifting</a>, catalogs jazz fusion with indie, hip-hop, electronic; all the modern genres</p>\n<p>Watching: Jon Hamm easily steps into the title character of an apparent Fletch reboot in <em>Confess, Fletch</em>; sharp humor, well written, way better than I expected!</p>\n<p>Playing: <a href=\"https://www.marvelsnap.com\">Marvel SNAP</a> - every few years, I end up playing a card game for a few months 🤷🏻‍♂️</p>\n<p>Reading: Rhodes/<em>The Making of the Atomic Bomb</em> + Gleick/<em>Genius</em> + Wellerstein/<em>Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States</em> - I’m trying reading in clusters. It’s slow going, but I’ve wanted to go deeper on the Manhattan Project for years. Now’s the time!</p>\n<p>Last Bob&rsquo;s episode watched: “Full bars”</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I&rsquo;m rapper slash actor Queen Latifah in her U.N.I.T.Y. phase.</p>\n<p>&ndash; Gene in Halloween costume</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Listening: [Afrobeat](https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/afrobeat-essentials/pl.993d2301e6f446f1a64ac47e0a9d094e), e.g. Fela Kuti\n\nBest musical discovery this week: an excellent Apple Music playlist [Shapeshifting](https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/shapeshifting/pl.8994321992214b979d4885e9a4463f11), catalogs jazz fusion with indie, hip-hop, electronic; all the modern genres\n\nWatching: Jon Hamm easily steps into the title character of an apparent Fletch reboot in _Confess, Fletch_; sharp humor, well written, way better than I expected!\n\nPlaying: [Marvel SNAP](https://www.marvelsnap.com) - every few years, I end up playing a card game for a few months 🤷🏻‍♂️\n\nReading: Rhodes/_The Making of the Atomic Bomb_ + Gleick/_Genius_ + Wellerstein/_Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States_ - I’m trying reading in clusters. It’s slow going, but I’ve wanted to go deeper on the Manhattan Project for years. Now’s the time!\n\nLast Bob's episode watched: “Full bars”\n\n> I'm rapper slash actor Queen Latifah in her U.N.I.T.Y. phase. \n> \n> -- Gene in Halloween costume\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-11-09T07:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/09/currently-digging.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/07/mastodon-me-nd.html",
				"title": "Mastodon \u0026 Me, 2nd Edition",
				"content_html": "<p>A few years ago, I set up a Mastodon account on a now-defunct instance. It didn’t scare me away, is kinda neat in some ways, the Bird has gone chaotic, and so I’m at it again. Like many folks the past few days, I’m setting up a Mastodon presence mostly from scratch.</p>\n<p>If you’re on the fence about Mastodon, here’s how to speed-run it:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>skim <a href=\"https://simonwillison.net/2022/Nov/5/mastodon/\">Simon Willison’s post</a> and follow as many links as you like</li>\n<li>find an instance (i.e. a community/<a href=\"https://twitter.com/garius/status/1588827788261601280\">home-room</a>) that suits you and join it</li>\n<li>use <a href=\"https://pruvisto.org/debirdify/\">Debirdify</a> to find and follow folks who have advertised a Mastodon presence</li>\n<li>start posting to Mastodon; ideally, get as weird as your web presence was before global social networks were a thing</li>\n</ul>\n<p>This brings my web presence to at least four interesting locales. Which raises the question, “hey Adam, why do you have so many websites”. Herein, I will answer that with the question they’re intended to answer 🧠 👴🏻:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://therealadam.com\">My original-ish blog</a> (<a href=\"https://therealadam.com/feed/\">RSS</a>), answering “hey Adam, what are you thinking about or building?”</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com\">This blog</a> (<a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/feed.xml\">RSS</a>, <a href=\"https://micro.blog/adam@short.therealadam.com\">@adam@short.therealadam.com</a>), answering “hey Adam, what’s currently intriguing you?”</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ruby.social/web/@therealadam\">Mastodon</a> (<a href=\"%20https://ruby.social/@therealadam.rss\">RSS</a>, @therealadam@ruby.social), answering “hey Adam, tell me your best one-liners and weirdest hot-takes?”</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam\">Twitter</a>, answering “hey Adam, what are you thinking about, but in a punchier format?”</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "A few years ago, I set up a Mastodon account on a now-defunct instance. It didn’t scare me away, is kinda neat in some ways, the Bird has gone chaotic, and so I’m at it again. Like many folks the past few days, I’m setting up a Mastodon presence mostly from scratch.\n\nIf you’re on the fence about Mastodon, here’s how to speed-run it:\n\n- skim [Simon Willison’s post](https://simonwillison.net/2022/Nov/5/mastodon/) and follow as many links as you like\n- find an instance (i.e. a community/[home-room](https://twitter.com/garius/status/1588827788261601280)) that suits you and join it\n- use [Debirdify](https://pruvisto.org/debirdify/) to find and follow folks who have advertised a Mastodon presence\n- start posting to Mastodon; ideally, get as weird as your web presence was before global social networks were a thing\n\nThis brings my web presence to at least four interesting locales. Which raises the question, “hey Adam, why do you have so many websites”. Herein, I will answer that with the question they’re intended to answer 🧠 👴🏻:\n\n- [My original-ish blog](https://therealadam.com) ([RSS](https://therealadam.com/feed/)), answering “hey Adam, what are you thinking about or building?”\n- [This blog](https://short.therealadam.com) ([RSS](https://short.therealadam.com/feed.xml), [@adam@short.therealadam.com](https://micro.blog/adam@short.therealadam.com)), answering “hey Adam, what’s currently intriguing you?”\n- [Mastodon](https://ruby.social/web/@therealadam) ([RSS](%20https://ruby.social/@therealadam.rss), @therealadam@ruby.social), answering “hey Adam, tell me your best one-liners and weirdest hot-takes?”\n- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/therealadam), answering “hey Adam, what are you thinking about, but in a punchier format?”\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-11-07T06:39:03-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/07/mastodon-me-nd.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/06/sketching-yields-quantity.html",
				"title": "Sketching yields quantity yields quality",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/the-art-of-sketching-strategies-for-getting-started/\">The Art of Sketching: Strategies for Getting Started</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Edouard Manet, the French modernist painter, once gave a still-life painting lesson to another French impressionist, Eva Gonzales. His directions for capturing the moment could be taken as instruction for sketching in any creative discipline; “Get it down quickly. Don’t worry about the background. Just go for the tonal values. See?”</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It’s about making music (ostensibly with Ableton), but applies to any creative endeavor. Coding, writing, whatever!</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sketching with regularity can help you let go of the pressure of perfectionism, and arrive at a place of more casual creativity. Simply start, then sift through your sketches to find the gems later. Raúl Sotomayor has found that aiming for quantity tends to result in quality ideas to build from; “I used to make a beat every morning, spending 10 minutes to an hour, and then go on with my day. That was really helpful, because at the end of a week, I&rsquo;ll have seven beats and most of the time, at least one of them would be useful.”</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>As a creative principle, “quantity creates quality” has served me well over the past several years. You can’t create quality if you don’t have 1) a starting point and 2) freedom to throw away the lowest quality 90% of the work!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The Art of Sketching: Strategies for Getting Started](https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/the-art-of-sketching-strategies-for-getting-started/):\n\n> Edouard Manet, the French modernist painter, once gave a still-life painting lesson to another French impressionist, Eva Gonzales. His directions for capturing the moment could be taken as instruction for sketching in any creative discipline; “Get it down quickly. Don’t worry about the background. Just go for the tonal values. See?” \n\nIt’s about making music (ostensibly with Ableton), but applies to any creative endeavor. Coding, writing, whatever!\n\n> Sketching with regularity can help you let go of the pressure of perfectionism, and arrive at a place of more casual creativity. Simply start, then sift through your sketches to find the gems later. Raúl Sotomayor has found that aiming for quantity tends to result in quality ideas to build from; “I used to make a beat every morning, spending 10 minutes to an hour, and then go on with my day. That was really helpful, because at the end of a week, I'll have seven beats and most of the time, at least one of them would be useful.”\n\nAs a creative principle, “quantity creates quality” has served me well over the past several years. You can’t create quality if you don’t have 1) a starting point and 2) freedom to throw away the lowest quality 90% of the work!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-11-06T12:04:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/11/06/sketching-yields-quantity.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2017/08/10/certified-jams-rhythm.html",
				"title": "Certified Jams",
				"content_html": "<ul>\n<li>&ldquo;Rhythm Nation&rdquo;, Janet Jackson</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Holding Out For a Hero&rdquo;, Bonnie Tyler</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Footloose&rdquo;, Kenny Loggins</li>\n<li>&ldquo;Partyman&rdquo;, Prince</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "* \"Rhythm Nation\", Janet Jackson\n* \"Holding Out For a Hero\", Bonnie Tyler\n* \"Footloose\", Kenny Loggins\n* \"Partyman\", Prince\n",
				"date_published": "2022-10-30T17:26:04-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2017/08/10/certified-jams-rhythm.html",
				"tags": ["Music"]
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/10/12/currently-digging.html",
				"title": "Currently digging",
				"content_html": "<p>Obsession: Ferraris - they’re at a whole other level.</p>\n<p>Listening: Ramsey Lewis, “Japanese ambient”</p>\n<p>Watching: <em>Andor</em>, <em>She-Hulk</em></p>\n<p>Reading: <em>Welcome to the Monkey House</em> - Vonnegut short stories.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I wonder now what Ernest Hemingway’s dictionary looked like, since he got along so well with dinky words that everyone can spell and truly understand.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Last episode of <em>Bob’s Burgers</em> watched (again): “Bad Tina”.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Mommy doesn’t get drunk, she just has fun.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Obsession: Ferraris - they’re at a whole other level.\n\nListening: Ramsey Lewis, “Japanese ambient”\n\nWatching: _Andor_, _She-Hulk_\n\nReading: _Welcome to the Monkey House_ - Vonnegut short stories.\n\n> I wonder now what Ernest Hemingway’s dictionary looked like, since he got along so well with dinky words that everyone can spell and truly understand.\n\nLast episode of _Bob’s Burgers_ watched (again): “Bad Tina”. \n\n> Mommy doesn’t get drunk, she just has fun.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-10-12T06:06:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/10/12/currently-digging.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/10/02/peak-aerosmith.html",
				"title": "Peak Aerosmith",
				"content_html": "<p><em>Permanent Vacation</em>, <em>Pump</em>, <em>Get a Grip</em>, <em>Nine Lives</em>. That’s an excellent run of albums. It was considered a renaissance at the time. IMO, it’s their best stuff<sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup>.</p>\n<p>Moreover, the peak of their MTV-generated fame. Source material for the videos that put Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler on the map.</p>\n<p>I’m feeling very 90’s kid right now 😆</p>\n<p>Anti-favorite: &ldquo;Jamie&rsquo;s Got a Gun&rdquo; – I&rsquo;ve heard it too many times.</p>\n<p>Favorites: “F.I.N.E”, “Hangman Jury”, “Shut up and Dance”, “Pink”.</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>Caveat: nostalgia&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "_Permanent Vacation_, _Pump_, _Get a Grip_, _Nine Lives_. That’s an excellent run of albums. It was considered a renaissance at the time. IMO, it’s their best stuff[^1]. \n\nMoreover, the peak of their MTV-generated fame. Source material for the videos that put Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler on the map.\n\nI’m feeling very 90’s kid right now 😆\n\nAnti-favorite: \"Jamie's Got a Gun\" – I've heard it too many times.\n\nFavorites: “F.I.N.E”, “Hangman Jury”, “Shut up and Dance”, “Pink”. \n\n[^1]:\tCaveat: nostalgia\n",
				"date_published": "2022-10-02T09:37:12-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/10/02/peak-aerosmith.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/09/22/the-flipping-tables.html",
				"title": "The Flipping Table(s)",
				"content_html": "<p>This is a story about a tiny toy table. Well, a couple of them.</p>\n<p>Courtney and I play pub quiz, a lot. We play with a regular group of people at a couple of venues across town. We aim to take a “podium place” home. We come up with a fresh, topical team name every week. We are a bit competitive. It’s a thing.</p>\n<p>One of our team rules is: avoid second-guessing ourselves<sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup>. The first reasonably confident person to provide the answer to our “quiz scribe” holds sway. Typically, they’re right or confident enough that no further discussion is needed and the answer is scribed to the answer sheet. A terrible way to run a company or government, but an okay way to run a quiz team.</p>\n<p>Occasionally, it happens, during a quiz, that two folks will feel that the answer to a question <em>must</em> or <em>must not</em> be something. For instance, there are very frequently questions on the numerically outstanding planets in our solar system. It’s almost always Jupiter or Saturn, but it’s hard to say which. “It’s Jupiter because it has a ton of moons” or “it <em>can’t</em> be Jupiter because Saturn has even more moons”! Well, given the no-second-guessing rule, now we have a pickle. Two conflicting answers, or a non-answer, and what to do about it?</p>\n<p>Regardless of how we arrive at it, we can only write one answer. This leaves the door open for us to <em>have</em> the right answer, but <em>write down</em> the wrong answer. Little indignations in jest. We are a bit competitive.</p>\n<h2 id=\"enter-the-flipping-table\">Enter the flipping table</h2>\n<p>Possibly, you’ve seen the table-flip “emoji”: (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻. It’s a shorthand for “this makes me have a big, not-good feeling” in online conversation. If not, here’s the late, great Alan Rickman “performing it”:</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/2c7201e19d.gif\" alt=\"Alan Rickman turning a table over\"></p>\n<p>That’s how it feels when you suggested the right answer and your quiz team went with the wrong answer anyway. <em>Actually</em> flipping tables would get us kicked out and banned from the venues we frequent, so that’s not an option. However, it happens, tables come in <em>all</em> sizes. Including, very tiny simulacrum of tables.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/1d12a90c23.png\" alt=\"This is a toy, not an actual dining set\"></p>\n<p>So one night after quiz, I scoured the internet for tiny tables that we could flip. Once I dialed in the search (there are many ways to search for “toy table” on Amazon that will not yield tables that are toys or tables that are flippable amongst polite company), a table was ordered. A few days later, thanks to the magic of just-in-time supply chain logistics<sup id=\"fnref:2\"><a href=\"#fn:2\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">2</a></sup>, we had a toy table. So it came that every night, as we were preparing for the quiz, we set out our little (toy) table on top of the (actual) table in case there was a moment of indignation.</p>\n<h2 id=\"our-reputation-precedes-us\">Our reputation precedes us</h2>\n<p>Turns out, flipping a tiny table with your finger is pretty cathartic. The tiny table got a lot of use. We really liked our tiny table.</p>\n<p>Even better, a table of adults with a tiny toy table in the center of them is a curious thing. Other teams and quiz hosts inquired about our table. We explained it, let them flip the table. People liked it.</p>\n<p>Word of our flipping table spread amongst the Austin pub-quiz community. When new hosts would fill in for our normal quiz host, they would introduce themselves and ask to see our flipping table.</p>\n<p>Our reputation for flipping tables preceded us. One could have a worse reputation!</p>\n<h2 id=\"epilogue-for-a-tiny-toy-table\">Epilogue for a tiny toy table</h2>\n<p>As is common of tiny toys delivered by a logistics machine optimized for low cost, the flipping table was not particularly strong. Eventually, we lost or broke it, I don’t remember which.</p>\n<p>In any case, a second, slightly larger and fancier flipping table was provisioned. This one even had place settings. Fast-forward a few months, it too broke. One of our quiz teammates took it upon themselves to <em>repair</em> said table. At this point, we had a very robust flipping table, and <em>some</em> of its place settings remaining.</p>\n<p>Sadly, our regular quizzing was curtailed by the pandemic, shutting down basically all bars wherein one would play pub quiz. I’m not sure where the flipping table ended up; we haven’t used it in the year since we started quizzing again.</p>\n<p>But those months we had a flipping table; glory days!</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>Other rules:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>rounds with two options for answers should have some symmetry for the first and second choice</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>if the answer is numerical, there’s a good chance it’s the same as the number of the question, e.g. the answer for round 2 question 3 is probably 3</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></li>\n<li id=\"fn:2\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>Back when supply chains <em>worked</em>&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:2\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "This is a story about a tiny toy table. Well, a couple of them.\n\nCourtney and I play pub quiz, a lot. We play with a regular group of people at a couple of venues across town. We aim to take a “podium place” home. We come up with a fresh, topical team name every week. We are a bit competitive. It’s a thing.\n\nOne of our team rules is: avoid second-guessing ourselves[^1]. The first reasonably confident person to provide the answer to our “quiz scribe” holds sway. Typically, they’re right or confident enough that no further discussion is needed and the answer is scribed to the answer sheet. A terrible way to run a company or government, but an okay way to run a quiz team.\n\nOccasionally, it happens, during a quiz, that two folks will feel that the answer to a question _must_ or _must not_ be something. For instance, there are very frequently questions on the numerically outstanding planets in our solar system. It’s almost always Jupiter or Saturn, but it’s hard to say which. “It’s Jupiter because it has a ton of moons” or “it _can’t_ be Jupiter because Saturn has even more moons”! Well, given the no-second-guessing rule, now we have a pickle. Two conflicting answers, or a non-answer, and what to do about it? \n\nRegardless of how we arrive at it, we can only write one answer. This leaves the door open for us to _have_ the right answer, but _write down_ the wrong answer. Little indignations in jest. We are a bit competitive.\n\n## Enter the flipping table\nPossibly, you’ve seen the table-flip “emoji”: (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻. It’s a shorthand for “this makes me have a big, not-good feeling” in online conversation. If not, here’s the late, great Alan Rickman “performing it”:\n\n![Alan Rickman turning a table over](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/2c7201e19d.gif)\n\nThat’s how it feels when you suggested the right answer and your quiz team went with the wrong answer anyway. _Actually_ flipping tables would get us kicked out and banned from the venues we frequent, so that’s not an option. However, it happens, tables come in _all_ sizes. Including, very tiny simulacrum of tables.\n\n![This is a toy, not an actual dining set](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/1d12a90c23.png)\n\nSo one night after quiz, I scoured the internet for tiny tables that we could flip. Once I dialed in the search (there are many ways to search for “toy table” on Amazon that will not yield tables that are toys or tables that are flippable amongst polite company), a table was ordered. A few days later, thanks to the magic of just-in-time supply chain logistics[^2], we had a toy table. So it came that every night, as we were preparing for the quiz, we set out our little (toy) table on top of the (actual) table in case there was a moment of indignation.\n\n## Our reputation precedes us\nTurns out, flipping a tiny table with your finger is pretty cathartic. The tiny table got a lot of use. We really liked our tiny table.\n\nEven better, a table of adults with a tiny toy table in the center of them is a curious thing. Other teams and quiz hosts inquired about our table. We explained it, let them flip the table. People liked it.\n\nWord of our flipping table spread amongst the Austin pub-quiz community. When new hosts would fill in for our normal quiz host, they would introduce themselves and ask to see our flipping table.\n\nOur reputation for flipping tables preceded us. One could have a worse reputation!\n\n## Epilogue for a tiny toy table\nAs is common of tiny toys delivered by a logistics machine optimized for low cost, the flipping table was not particularly strong. Eventually, we lost or broke it, I don’t remember which. \n\nIn any case, a second, slightly larger and fancier flipping table was provisioned. This one even had place settings. Fast-forward a few months, it too broke. One of our quiz teammates took it upon themselves to _repair_ said table. At this point, we had a very robust flipping table, and _some_ of its place settings remaining.\n\nSadly, our regular quizzing was curtailed by the pandemic, shutting down basically all bars wherein one would play pub quiz. I’m not sure where the flipping table ended up; we haven’t used it in the year since we started quizzing again.\n\nBut those months we had a flipping table; glory days!\n\n[^1]:\tOther rules:\n\n    - rounds with two options for answers should have some symmetry for the first and second choice\n\n    - if the answer is numerical, there’s a good chance it’s the same as the number of the question, e.g. the answer for round 2 question 3 is probably 3\n\n[^2]:\tBack when supply chains _worked_\n",
				"date_published": "2022-09-22T04:57:54-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/09/22/the-flipping-tables.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/09/07/great-albums-little.html",
				"title": "Great Albums: Little Rock",
				"content_html": "<p><img src=\"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/619S7wxMacS._SX466_.jpg\" alt=\"Album cover for \\_Little Rock\\_\"></p>\n<p>Or: Texas, the Good Parts. (Despite the title!)</p>\n<p>Or: it sounds like Texas, to me. (Again, despite the title.)</p>\n<p>Hayes Carll is my favorite under-the-radar, “this is what country music should sound like” musician. Wit, remorse, nostalgia. Storytelling, quirky characters, relatable characters. Little bit of rock, little bit of western. An ideal Americana mix. It’s all there.</p>\n<p>Plus, at 40 minutes, it’s a perfect road trip selection. Always moving forward, but never long-winded.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "![Album cover for \\_Little Rock\\_](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/619S7wxMacS._SX466_.jpg)\n\nOr: Texas, the Good Parts. (Despite the title!)\n\nOr: it sounds like Texas, to me. (Again, despite the title.)\n\nHayes Carll is my favorite under-the-radar, “this is what country music should sound like” musician. Wit, remorse, nostalgia. Storytelling, quirky characters, relatable characters. Little bit of rock, little bit of western. An ideal Americana mix. It’s all there.\n\nPlus, at 40 minutes, it’s a perfect road trip selection. Always moving forward, but never long-winded.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-09-07T05:31:03-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/09/07/great-albums-little.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/08/24/an-unconference-appears.html",
				"title": "An un-conference appears",
				"content_html": "<p>I jumped into a short <a href=\"https://twitter.com/andy_matuschak/status/1561504734892023808\">un-conference organized/hosted by Andy Matuschak</a> last weekend. Within this humble Gather, I came across lots of intriguing people and energizing ideas. Some notes and a few follow-up ideas:</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/e1baddc3b8.png\" alt=\"My notes from the event\"></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.napkin.one\">Napkin</a> is <em>space</em> for ideas and not, it seems, about note capture as an end. Rather, it&rsquo;s about throwing ideas or quotes at the (metaphorical) wall and letting the system organize them into clusters or connections. If you like some of those idea, you organize the ideas into a linear outline and export that to whatever you like to write with.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://ncase.me/nutshell/\">Nutshell</a> is about adding an extra dimension to documents on the web. The creator, <a href=\"https://ncase.me\">Nicky Case</a>, described it as a &ldquo;tool for expandable explanation&rdquo;. Those explanations take the form of popovers that may contain a bit of text (like a footnote/annotation), a scraped reference to another page (transclusion), or a fully interactive gizmo to explore an idea in a more tactile manner.</p>\n<p>Excitement about applying language models (e.g. GPT-3 or DALL-E) to generative creativity came up a few times. Some of the applications demoed were already using language models to augment insight or obviate manual human organization. Using models to &lsquo;read between the lines&rsquo; of captured notes/human input and generate new ideas came up as well.</p>\n<p>Dissatisfaction with some current PKM tools came up a couple times. In particular, seeking note capture or memory recall as a (customer) engagement end rather than as a means to thinking more/better thoughts. I <em>think</em> I heard a couple criticisms that some tool was &ldquo;too IT&rdquo;, but I&rsquo;m not sure I even heard it correctly or what that would even mean! 😆</p>\n<p>Overall: highly recommend seeking folks using computers to augment their ability to create and remember instead of stopping at “finally got my notes app just the way I like it”!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I jumped into a short [un-conference organized/hosted by Andy Matuschak](https://twitter.com/andy_matuschak/status/1561504734892023808) last weekend. Within this humble Gather, I came across lots of intriguing people and energizing ideas. Some notes and a few follow-up ideas:\n\n![My notes from the event](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2022/e1baddc3b8.png)\n\n[Napkin](https://www.napkin.one) is _space_ for ideas and not, it seems, about note capture as an end. Rather, it's about throwing ideas or quotes at the (metaphorical) wall and letting the system organize them into clusters or connections. If you like some of those idea, you organize the ideas into a linear outline and export that to whatever you like to write with.\n\n[Nutshell](https://ncase.me/nutshell/) is about adding an extra dimension to documents on the web. The creator, [Nicky Case](https://ncase.me), described it as a \"tool for expandable explanation\". Those explanations take the form of popovers that may contain a bit of text (like a footnote/annotation), a scraped reference to another page (transclusion), or a fully interactive gizmo to explore an idea in a more tactile manner.\n\nExcitement about applying language models (e.g. GPT-3 or DALL-E) to generative creativity came up a few times. Some of the applications demoed were already using language models to augment insight or obviate manual human organization. Using models to 'read between the lines' of captured notes/human input and generate new ideas came up as well.\n\nDissatisfaction with some current PKM tools came up a couple times. In particular, seeking note capture or memory recall as a (customer) engagement end rather than as a means to thinking more/better thoughts. I _think_ I heard a couple criticisms that some tool was \"too IT\", but I'm not sure I even heard it correctly or what that would even mean! 😆\n\nOverall: highly recommend seeking folks using computers to augment their ability to create and remember instead of stopping at “finally got my notes app just the way I like it”!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-08-24T06:11:39-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/08/24/an-unconference-appears.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/08/16/very-handsome-task.html",
				"title": "Very handsome task tracking, offline and online",
				"content_html": "<p>About a year ago, I added a curiously pretentious object to my repertoire of productivity hacks. <a href=\"https://ugmonk.com/pages/analog\">Analog</a> is a) a paper productivity notation not unlike Bullet Journaling b) printed on pleasantly thick index cards and c) a bit of desk furniture to prop up the cards and store the last couple dozen of them.</p>\n<p>The idea is you write your tasks down for today/later/someday. Those tasks sit right in front of you, taunting you. You cross them off as you get stuff done. Now you’ve done a productivity!</p>\n<p>Reductionist jokes aside, it’s a fine system. The cards are printed with “Today”, “Next”, or “Someday” at the top and lines to encourage writing down several, but not too many, tasks. It’s a good way to think about organizing what you need/want to get done. As productivity systems go, it’s clear and non-invasive<sup id=\"fnref:1\"><a href=\"#fn:1\" class=\"footnote-ref\" role=\"doc-noteref\">1</a></sup>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://daverupert.com/2021/02/one-month-on-analog/\">Dave Rupert uses/tried Analog</a> too and has a good take on it.</p>\n<p>Tactility is Analog’s leg up. It’s nice to start the day writing out some tasks, looking over the previous day’s cards, shuffling the cards from previous days. Even <a href=\"https://culturedcode.com/things/\">Things, the best task software</a>, can’t provide the tactile “ahhhh”-moment of crossing an item off your list. Tasteful animation, design, and haptics get close, but touching glass isn’t as good as pen and paper.</p>\n<p>That said, I’m not tempted to discard Things. It’s literally one of the best applications I’ve used, ever. That said, it’s charming to have a redundant, back-up scheme for reminding myself of the most important things to accomplish today. Analog is like having a (very handsome) back-up alarm clock to the alarm clock one <em>intends</em> to wake up to. It’s always pleasant to look at, and every so often it is the difference between an energetic day and a day played catching up.</p>\n<section class=\"footnotes\" role=\"doc-endnotes\">\n<hr>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn:1\" role=\"doc-endnote\">\n<p>Many productivity schemes feel like they want to take over your life to realize their benefits. IOW, they fantastically fail the “is this sufficiently distinguishable from a cult?” test.&#160;<a href=\"#fnref:1\" class=\"footnote-backref\" role=\"doc-backlink\">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</section>\n",
				"content_text": "About a year ago, I added a curiously pretentious object to my repertoire of productivity hacks. [Analog](https://ugmonk.com/pages/analog) is a) a paper productivity notation not unlike Bullet Journaling b) printed on pleasantly thick index cards and c) a bit of desk furniture to prop up the cards and store the last couple dozen of them. \n\nThe idea is you write your tasks down for today/later/someday. Those tasks sit right in front of you, taunting you. You cross them off as you get stuff done. Now you’ve done a productivity!\n\nReductionist jokes aside, it’s a fine system. The cards are printed with “Today”, “Next”, or “Someday” at the top and lines to encourage writing down several, but not too many, tasks. It’s a good way to think about organizing what you need/want to get done. As productivity systems go, it’s clear and non-invasive[^1].\n\n[Dave Rupert uses/tried Analog](https://daverupert.com/2021/02/one-month-on-analog/) too and has a good take on it.\n\nTactility is Analog’s leg up. It’s nice to start the day writing out some tasks, looking over the previous day’s cards, shuffling the cards from previous days. Even [Things, the best task software](https://culturedcode.com/things/), can’t provide the tactile “ahhhh”-moment of crossing an item off your list. Tasteful animation, design, and haptics get close, but touching glass isn’t as good as pen and paper.\n\nThat said, I’m not tempted to discard Things. It’s literally one of the best applications I’ve used, ever. That said, it’s charming to have a redundant, back-up scheme for reminding myself of the most important things to accomplish today. Analog is like having a (very handsome) back-up alarm clock to the alarm clock one _intends_ to wake up to. It’s always pleasant to look at, and every so often it is the difference between an energetic day and a day played catching up.\n\n[^1]:\tMany productivity schemes feel like they want to take over your life to realize their benefits. IOW, they fantastically fail the “is this sufficiently distinguishable from a cult?” test.\n",
				"date_published": "2022-08-16T07:42:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/08/16/very-handsome-task.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/07/20/dad-rock-is.html",
				"title": "Dad rock is a beautiful tapestry",
				"content_html": "<p>Spooky dad rock - Trent Reznor</p>\n<p>Sad dad rock - the National, LCD Soundsystem</p>\n<p>Quirky dad rock - Cake</p>\n<p>Over-enthusiastic dad rock - Foo Fighters</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Spooky dad rock - Trent Reznor\n\nSad dad rock - the National, LCD Soundsystem\n\nQuirky dad rock - Cake\n\nOver-enthusiastic dad rock - Foo Fighters\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-07-20T06:07:47-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/07/20/dad-rock-is.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/07/13/notes-from-the.html",
				"title": "Notes from the Miles-verse Part 3 and final thoughts",
				"content_html": "<p>This ended up covering late Davis stuff. He’s basically inventing a new genre of jazz every album or two now.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>On the Corner</em>: Davis invents funk/soul jazz.</li>\n<li><em>A Tribute to Jack Johnson</em>: Davis invents rock/jazz fusion.</li>\n<li><em>Tutu</em>: Davis invents synth-jazz/the thing that would get distilled and warped down to New Age/Kenny G jazz in the 90s.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>There are numerous live albums! I didn’t go down the rabbit hole on this part. <em>Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux</em> features Quincy Jones and is a pretty great end-of-career retrospective.</p>\n<p>“Willie Nelson” on <em>Directions</em> is surprisingly funky.</p>\n<hr>\n<p>Overall, I could have gone for less <em>Birth of the Cool</em>-esque and more <em>Bitches Brew</em>. 🤷I like bop, but funk and fusion are more legible to my modest jazz-harmony ear.</p>\n<p>Highlights: <em>On the Corner</em>, <em>Jack Johnson</em>, <em>Tutu</em>. The last was originally planned as a Miles Davis/Prince collaboration (❗ ❗ ❗) which fell through. Still pretty good.</p>\n<p>What I’d hoped to get out of this, and indeed did, was hearing the invention of large swaths of the jazz landscape over time, album by album. In this way, Miles Davis was a singular influence on the course of music, a lot like Beethoven was.</p>\n<p>Hopefully, in my lifetime, we’ll realize another musician has come around and broadly invented entire genres of music every few albums. (I’m assuming we’ll still have albums!)</p>\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2022/05/14/notes-from-the.html\">Notes from the Miles-verse Parts 1 and 2</a>, <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/09/11/into-the-milesverse.html\">Into the Miles-verse</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "This ended up covering late Davis stuff. He’s basically inventing a new genre of jazz every album or two now.\n\n- _On the Corner_: Davis invents funk/soul jazz.\n- _A Tribute to Jack Johnson_: Davis invents rock/jazz fusion.\n- _Tutu_: Davis invents synth-jazz/the thing that would get distilled and warped down to New Age/Kenny G jazz in the 90s.\n\nThere are numerous live albums! I didn’t go down the rabbit hole on this part. _Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux_ features Quincy Jones and is a pretty great end-of-career retrospective.\n\n“Willie Nelson” on _Directions_ is surprisingly funky.\n\n---- \nOverall, I could have gone for less _Birth of the Cool_-esque and more _Bitches Brew_. 🤷I like bop, but funk and fusion are more legible to my modest jazz-harmony ear.\n\nHighlights: _On the Corner_, _Jack Johnson_, _Tutu_. The last was originally planned as a Miles Davis/Prince collaboration (❗ ❗ ❗) which fell through. Still pretty good.\n\nWhat I’d hoped to get out of this, and indeed did, was hearing the invention of large swaths of the jazz landscape over time, album by album. In this way, Miles Davis was a singular influence on the course of music, a lot like Beethoven was.\n\nHopefully, in my lifetime, we’ll realize another musician has come around and broadly invented entire genres of music every few albums. (I’m assuming we’ll still have albums!)\n\nPreviously: [Notes from the Miles-verse Parts 1 and 2](https://short.therealadam.com/2022/05/14/notes-from-the.html), [Into the Miles-verse](https://short.therealadam.com/2021/09/11/into-the-milesverse.html).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-07-13T05:30:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/07/13/notes-from-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/05/14/notes-from-the.html",
				"title": "Notes from the Miles-verse Parts 1 and 2",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Wherein I&#8217;m listening to Miles Davis&#8217; studio albums in chronological order. Priors: I have listened to <em>Kind of Blue</em> and <em>Bitches Brew</em> a lot. I&#8217;m mostly familiar with &#8220;earl years&#8221; sort of stuff.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"basicallybop\">Basically bop</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Collector&#8217;s Item</em>: this album starts to sound &#8220;Idiomatically Miles Davis&#8221;. Which I guess means &#8220;rather abstract bop-vibe&#8221;.</li>\n<li><em>Bag&#8217;s Groove</em>: this is very hip.</li>\n<li><em>Cookin&#8217; with the Miles Davis Quintet</em>: I&#8217;ll take basically any version of &#8220;My Funny Valentine&#8221;, same as I will listen to any version of &#8220;Caravan&#8221;.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The albums Davis made with Gil Evans are my early new-favorites. <em>Miles Ahead</em>, <em>Porgy and Bess</em>, and <em>Sketches of Spain</em> all sound more lofty, less improvised than the earlier stuff. Almost composed, classical music, not unlike some of Mingus&#8217; work.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"verymuchnotbop\">Very much not bop</h2>\n\n<p>Getting into Davis&#8217; fusion era (1968&#8211;1991) is my big discovery. I know <em>Bitches Brew</em> is a thing, but where it fits chronologically is the missing piece. Davis entirely switching gears from bop to <em>an entirely different vibe</em> must have been as jarring as <em>Rite of Spring</em> was to Parisans. Favorites so far: <em>Filles De Kilimanjaro</em>, <em>A Tribute to Jack Johnson</em>, <em>On the Corner</em>. <em>In a Silent Way</em> is entirely different from the albums around it in this era, but I like how it&#8217;s basically a long song.</p>\n\n<p>Currently listening: <em>Circle in the Round</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/09/11/into-the-milesverse.html\">Into the Miles-verse</a>.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2022-05-14T09:10:32-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/05/14/notes-from-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/04/21/get-lost-in.html",
				"title": "Get lost in an idea",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.rabbitholeathon.com\">Rabbit-hole-athon</a> - it doesn’t look like an event is scheduled, but I dig the idea:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Tl;dr, we are organizing a weekend long IRL rabbit-hole-athon for technologists: an intimate retreat/hackathon dedicated to reading, thinking deeply about a topic, and sharing your learnings with others.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Like a hackathon or BarCamp, but with the intent to <em>focus</em> an individual&rsquo;s attention on a topic of their choosing instead of <em>diffusing</em> it. (Which is fine, on balance!)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We believe that being a good builder and problem solver is rooted in being a clear thinker. Intentionally dedicating time to exploring, pursuing your curiosity, and understanding things deeply is an important part of exercising this muscle. We believe this is essential in shaping the next generation of technologists, builders, founders, and researchers.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That’s a snappy manifesto! The notion of taking an afternoon/day/weekend to throw tactics to the wind and go deep on a topic is exciting. I’m already thinking about topics I could go down the rabbit hole on. 🧠</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Rabbit-hole-athon](https://www.rabbitholeathon.com) - it doesn’t look like an event is scheduled, but I dig the idea:\n\n> Tl;dr, we are organizing a weekend long IRL rabbit-hole-athon for technologists: an intimate retreat/hackathon dedicated to reading, thinking deeply about a topic, and sharing your learnings with others.\n\nLike a hackathon or BarCamp, but with the intent to _focus_ an individual's attention on a topic of their choosing instead of _diffusing_ it. (Which is fine, on balance!)\n\n> We believe that being a good builder and problem solver is rooted in being a clear thinker. Intentionally dedicating time to exploring, pursuing your curiosity, and understanding things deeply is an important part of exercising this muscle. We believe this is essential in shaping the next generation of technologists, builders, founders, and researchers.\n\nThat’s a snappy manifesto! The notion of taking an afternoon/day/weekend to throw tactics to the wind and go deep on a topic is exciting. I’m already thinking about topics I could go down the rabbit hole on. 🧠\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-04-21T05:38:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/04/21/get-lost-in.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/04/12/two-snappy-covers.html",
				"title": "Two snappy covers",
				"content_html": "<p>I saw this local band Adam’s Farm (no relation, promise) a few times when I was 15 or so. In the era of mixing bass guitar <em>out</em> of rock music (no thanks, Metallica), these fellows stood out by being having an EP where I could clearly hear <em>all</em> the instruments. It was almost 25 years later that I’d learn that “Girlfriend” in particular is a Modern Lovers cover.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<p>Sidenote: it seemed like this local band was lost to the internet until recently as well. I figured I’d ripped one of the only copies of this CD, but Adam’s Farm music appeared on YouTube recently. Fancy that!</p>\n<p>William Shatner’s cover of “Common People” is less difficult to find, but possibly equally obscure. Back in the late ’90s, Shatner did some voice overs on a Ben Folds pre-solo album <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_Pop\"><em>Fear of Pop</em></a>. In the mid ‘00s, Folds produced William Shatner’s album of songs with tons of guests doing the singing and Shatner mostly <em>talking</em> about mortality and aging. Again, it was several years before I heard the original of “Common People”.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<p>I rather like these two covers better than the originals. So it goes with a notable cover!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I saw this local band Adam’s Farm (no relation, promise) a few times when I was 15 or so. In the era of mixing bass guitar _out_ of rock music (no thanks, Metallica), these fellows stood out by being having an EP where I could clearly hear _all_ the instruments. It was almost 25 years later that I’d learn that “Girlfriend” in particular is a Modern Lovers cover.\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/d9mYEsswDZ8\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\n\nSidenote: it seemed like this local band was lost to the internet until recently as well. I figured I’d ripped one of the only copies of this CD, but Adam’s Farm music appeared on YouTube recently. Fancy that!\n\nWilliam Shatner’s cover of “Common People” is less difficult to find, but possibly equally obscure. Back in the late ’90s, Shatner did some voice overs on a Ben Folds pre-solo album [_Fear of Pop_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_Pop). In the mid ‘00s, Folds produced William Shatner’s album of songs with tons of guests doing the singing and Shatner mostly _talking_ about mortality and aging. Again, it was several years before I heard the original of “Common People”.\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMXhWf0vE7c\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\n\nI rather like these two covers better than the originals. So it goes with a notable cover!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-04-12T05:41:28-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/04/12/two-snappy-covers.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/31/logistics-is-endless.html",
				"title": "Logistics is endless intrigue",
				"content_html": "<p>The modern marvel that moves commodities, sub-assemblies, finished product, and people across the planet is largely invisible. Except when I’m bumped from an overbooked flight. Or when I can’t buy your favorite kind of candy because the trucks to move the containers from the ships to the stores are in the wrong place. Or when one can’t build a car in Germany because semiconductor fabrication plants aren’t as elastic as some executive thought they were. Then it becomes all too apparent that the default state of transportation is, absent considerable effort and coordination, for the wheels to fly off constantly.</p>\n<p>Hence, <a href=\"https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PHmYhE4sKnwzYgvkh/a-brief-introduction-to-container-logistics\">A Brief Introduction to Container Logistics</a> is a great primer for understanding the weird state of our world:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The whole shipping process involves dozens of actors, from the exporter, through a long chain of companies who handle the container (incurring costs on behalf of the shipment), all the way to the importer. This creates a trust problem: who is responsible for the problems that arise when one part of this chain goes wrong? Some of these companies are hired by the shipping company, others by the exporter or importer, or even by a logistics company acting as a middle man. This is usually solved by some kind of chain of custody, where any problem with the container must be immediately noted and complained about by the relevant party.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Adjacent: Venkatesh Rao, <a href=\"https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/remystifying-supply-chains\">Remystifying Supply Chains</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Supply chains are a new class of engineered-emergent artifact, one that includes a few other globe-spanning things like the internet, the air travel system, and low earth orbit, that exist at a level of Gaian phenomenology, terraforming, and planet-scale husbandry. We only ever catch local glimpses of these things. The wholes are too big to fit in a single human mind, and the physical embodiments are too vast to capture even on a single map, let alone in a single photograph.</p>\n<p>We have to understand these beasts, in all their evolving, learning glory, while living within their bellies. Abstract slicing and dicing of the phenomenology, via aspects like computation, circularity, and situatedness, can only get us so far. To finish the picture, we have to develop a sensitivity to how we inhabit these beasts at a human scale.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "The modern marvel that moves commodities, sub-assemblies, finished product, and people across the planet is largely invisible. Except when I’m bumped from an overbooked flight. Or when I can’t buy your favorite kind of candy because the trucks to move the containers from the ships to the stores are in the wrong place. Or when one can’t build a car in Germany because semiconductor fabrication plants aren’t as elastic as some executive thought they were. Then it becomes all too apparent that the default state of transportation is, absent considerable effort and coordination, for the wheels to fly off constantly.\n\nHence, [A Brief Introduction to Container Logistics](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PHmYhE4sKnwzYgvkh/a-brief-introduction-to-container-logistics) is a great primer for understanding the weird state of our world:\n\n> The whole shipping process involves dozens of actors, from the exporter, through a long chain of companies who handle the container (incurring costs on behalf of the shipment), all the way to the importer. This creates a trust problem: who is responsible for the problems that arise when one part of this chain goes wrong? Some of these companies are hired by the shipping company, others by the exporter or importer, or even by a logistics company acting as a middle man. This is usually solved by some kind of chain of custody, where any problem with the container must be immediately noted and complained about by the relevant party.\n\nAdjacent: Venkatesh Rao, [Remystifying Supply Chains](https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/remystifying-supply-chains):\n\n> Supply chains are a new class of engineered-emergent artifact, one that includes a few other globe-spanning things like the internet, the air travel system, and low earth orbit, that exist at a level of Gaian phenomenology, terraforming, and planet-scale husbandry. We only ever catch local glimpses of these things. The wholes are too big to fit in a single human mind, and the physical embodiments are too vast to capture even on a single map, let alone in a single photograph.\n> \n> We have to understand these beasts, in all their evolving, learning glory, while living within their bellies. Abstract slicing and dicing of the phenomenology, via aspects like computation, circularity, and situatedness, can only get us so far. To finish the picture, we have to develop a sensitivity to how we inhabit these beasts at a human scale.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-01-31T14:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/31/logistics-is-endless.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/26/beethovens-symphonies-visualized.html",
				"title": "Beethoven’s symphonies, visualized and interpreted",
				"content_html": "<p><img src=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/whats-on/exhibit/qs_sym7-4sh_web_600x900.jpg\" alt=\"Abstract art poster of Beethoven Symphony No. 7\"></p>\n<p>This is extremely my jam. <a href=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/mo-willems-beethoven-exhibit/\">Beethoven Symphonies Abstracted</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>To accompany the National Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven &amp; American Masters concert series, author and illustrator Mo Willems presents Beethoven Symphonies Abstracted, an exhibition of nine large-scale, painted abstractions inspired by the music and genius of Beethoven. Each large-scale work is a response to one of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, divided into panels that visually interpret each symphonic movement.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>(Via <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com\">Austin Kleon</a>)</p>\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html\">my affection for symphonies seven and eight</a>, John Coltrane’s <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh6WTAHKYTc\">“Giant Steps” animated</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "![Abstract art poster of Beethoven Symphony No. 7](https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/whats-on/exhibit/qs_sym7-4sh_web_600x900.jpg)\n\nThis is extremely my jam. [Beethoven Symphonies Abstracted](https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/mo-willems-beethoven-exhibit/):\n\n> To accompany the National Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven & American Masters concert series, author and illustrator Mo Willems presents Beethoven Symphonies Abstracted, an exhibition of nine large-scale, painted abstractions inspired by the music and genius of Beethoven. Each large-scale work is a response to one of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, divided into panels that visually interpret each symphonic movement.\n\n(Via [Austin Kleon](https://austinkleon.com))\n\nPreviously: [my affection for symphonies seven and eight](https://short.therealadam.com/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html), John Coltrane’s [“Giant Steps” animated](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh6WTAHKYTc).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-01-26T14:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/26/beethovens-symphonies-visualized.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/25/cool-things-to.html",
				"title": "Cool things to do with your spaceship besides launching billionaires",
				"content_html": "<p>Fancy some near-term imagination on the opportunities the re-commercialization of space presents us? Yes, have some! <a href=\"https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/science-upside-for-starship/\">Science upside for Starship</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It is, however, a fun exercise to enumerate all the ways in which Starship and related technologies can help execute bold, ambitious missions of scientific discovery.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Giant, poly-lithic space telescopes? Sure.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Probably the coolest telescope concept enabled by Starship, though, is the giant segmented telescope to end all giant segmented telescopes. An unmodified Starship can deliver perhaps a dozen 8 m monolithic hexagonal free-flying segments per launch to a target location such as L2, where they self assemble, calibrate, and then focus incoming light. Over a few dozen Starship flights, a truly enormous spherical mirror section perhaps 1000 m in diameter and with a focal length of 1000 km or so can be assembled behind a free-flying sun shade, pointed in a direction of general interest.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Heating (low-key terraforming) Mars with constellations of mirrors? Okay.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The second is mass producing light sails on Earth, launching them into LEO, then flying them to Mars where they can lurk near Mars-Sun L2 and reflect light back at the planet, reducing heat loss during the Martian night.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>“Flood the zone” of our planetary neighbors with exploratory robots? As you wish.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Why shouldn’t we have a dedicated orbiter, lander, rover, helicopter, and submarine on every discrete body in the solar system over, say, 100 km in diameter? Let’s build a fleet of clockwork automatons for Venus and an armada of submarines for Europa, Enceladus, and Titan. Let’s darken the Martian skies with helicopters. Let’s drive rovers across the frozen nitrogen plains of Pluto.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I’m sure it’s a lot more complicated than it sounds from these pull-quotes. I’ll bet that SpaceX’s starship won’t meet some of these expectations. We will have to hold our nose or plug our ears as Musk bloviates. Despite all that, it’s exciting that folks are thinking, writing, and blogging about this and <em>some</em> of it could come to fruition in my lifetime!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Fancy some near-term imagination on the opportunities the re-commercialization of space presents us? Yes, have some! [Science upside for Starship](https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/science-upside-for-starship/):\n\n> It is, however, a fun exercise to enumerate all the ways in which Starship and related technologies can help execute bold, ambitious missions of scientific discovery.\n\nGiant, poly-lithic space telescopes? Sure.\n\n> Probably the coolest telescope concept enabled by Starship, though, is the giant segmented telescope to end all giant segmented telescopes. An unmodified Starship can deliver perhaps a dozen 8 m monolithic hexagonal free-flying segments per launch to a target location such as L2, where they self assemble, calibrate, and then focus incoming light. Over a few dozen Starship flights, a truly enormous spherical mirror section perhaps 1000 m in diameter and with a focal length of 1000 km or so can be assembled behind a free-flying sun shade, pointed in a direction of general interest.\n\nHeating (low-key terraforming) Mars with constellations of mirrors? Okay.\n\n> The second is mass producing light sails on Earth, launching them into LEO, then flying them to Mars where they can lurk near Mars-Sun L2 and reflect light back at the planet, reducing heat loss during the Martian night.\n\n“Flood the zone” of our planetary neighbors with exploratory robots? As you wish.  \n\n\n> Why shouldn’t we have a dedicated orbiter, lander, rover, helicopter, and submarine on every discrete body in the solar system over, say, 100 km in diameter? Let’s build a fleet of clockwork automatons for Venus and an armada of submarines for Europa, Enceladus, and Titan. Let’s darken the Martian skies with helicopters. Let’s drive rovers across the frozen nitrogen plains of Pluto.\n\nI’m sure it’s a lot more complicated than it sounds from these pull-quotes. I’ll bet that SpaceX’s starship won’t meet some of these expectations. We will have to hold our nose or plug our ears as Musk bloviates. Despite all that, it’s exciting that folks are thinking, writing, and blogging about this and _some_ of it could come to fruition in my lifetime!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-01-25T14:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/25/cool-things-to.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/24/130000.html",
				"title": "Great albums: Blood Sugar Sex Magick",
				"content_html": "<p><img src=\"https://static.fanart.tv/fanart/music/8bfac288-ccc5-448d-9573-c33ea2aa5c30/albumcover/blood-sugar-sex-magik-540dda11a6d0e.jpg\" alt=\"Cover art for Blood Sugar Sex Magick\"></p>\n<p>Favorite tracks: “Suck My Kiss”, “Sir Psychosexy”, “Power of Equality”, “The Righteous &amp; the Wicked”.</p>\n<p>The essential (in my opinion) Red Hot Chili Peppers album is, for me, a few things:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>One of the first albums I heard with good bass playing (I ‘grew up’ in the age after Metallica had mixed bass guitar entirely out of their albums and many others followed suit)</li>\n<li>One of the first albums I heard that was <em>great</em> from end to end and where many of the songs flowed into each other as if played live, meant to fit together, or like they weren’t even separate songs</li>\n<li>Extremely teenage and horny, of which I was both when I first heard it</li>\n</ul>\n<p>It’s an album that has aged well for me. It was an excellent album when I first heard it, and is <em>still</em> an excellent album when I listen to it today.</p>\n<p>There are other nice qualities too: Rick Rubin’s production work. When it’s not extremely horny, it has some good lyrics. It’s rooted in the RHCP musical predecessors with intelligent awareness, not than blind copying. They are seeing further by standing on the shoulders of George Clinton, not just sitting on his shoulders for a free ride. It’s just good funk.</p>\n<p>And yes, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnvpU0d7vyM\">the RHCP joke in <em>The Good Place</em> is superb</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "![Cover art for Blood Sugar Sex Magick](https://static.fanart.tv/fanart/music/8bfac288-ccc5-448d-9573-c33ea2aa5c30/albumcover/blood-sugar-sex-magik-540dda11a6d0e.jpg)\n\nFavorite tracks: “Suck My Kiss”, “Sir Psychosexy”, “Power of Equality”, “The Righteous & the Wicked”.\n\nThe essential (in my opinion) Red Hot Chili Peppers album is, for me, a few things:\n\n- One of the first albums I heard with good bass playing (I ‘grew up’ in the age after Metallica had mixed bass guitar entirely out of their albums and many others followed suit)\n- One of the first albums I heard that was _great_ from end to end and where many of the songs flowed into each other as if played live, meant to fit together, or like they weren’t even separate songs\n- Extremely teenage and horny, of which I was both when I first heard it\n\nIt’s an album that has aged well for me. It was an excellent album when I first heard it, and is _still_ an excellent album when I listen to it today.\n\nThere are other nice qualities too: Rick Rubin’s production work. When it’s not extremely horny, it has some good lyrics. It’s rooted in the RHCP musical predecessors with intelligent awareness, not than blind copying. They are seeing further by standing on the shoulders of George Clinton, not just sitting on his shoulders for a free ride. It’s just good funk.\n\nAnd yes, [the RHCP joke in _The Good Place_ is superb](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnvpU0d7vyM).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2022-01-24T12:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2022/01/24/130000.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/12/31/my-favorites-of.html",
				"title": "My favorites of 2021",
				"content_html": "<p>Gotta sneak this one in under the wire, otherwise it’s just a sparkling list of things.</p>\n<h2 id=\"movies\">Movies</h2>\n<p><em>Summer of Soul</em> - Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone. Heck yes.</p>\n<p><em>Dune</em> - loved the world building here and I’m willing to look past the decision to split this into two movies.</p>\n<p><em>Somewhere You Feel Free</em> - I didn’t realize <em>Wildflowers</em> was so pivotal for Tom Petty. Made me want to get in my car and listen to the whole thing, which I did and greatly enjoyed.</p>\n<h2 id=\"shows\">Shows</h2>\n<p><em>Only Murders in the Building</em> - is there a greater showbiz duo than Martin Short and Steve Martin?</p>\n<p><em>Hacks</em> - inside baseball on standup comedy plus Jean Smart is 👨‍🍳</p>\n<p><em>What We Do in the Shadows</em> - a mockumentary sitcom expanding its world, taking chances with changing things up, and absolutely nailing the landing.</p>\n<h2 id=\"albums\">Albums</h2>\n<p>Funkadelic, <em>Maggot Brain</em> - hits more emotional points than I’d ever expect from a George Clinton thing.</p>\n<p>Miles Davis, <em>Sketches of Spain</em> - nudging into Very Intellectual, nearly classical, jazz, Davis is at least as good as Mingus was at this.</p>\n<p>Prince, <em>Welcome 2 America</em> - recorded ten years ago, but it absolutely works today.</p>\n<h2 id=\"books\">Books</h2>\n<p>Neal Stephenson, <em>Cryptonomicon</em> - I finished re-reading the whole Baroque Trilogy plus this one and they surpassed my recollection of how good they are.</p>\n<p>Adrian Newey, <em>How To Build a Car</em> - a memoir on designing three decades of winning Formula 1 cars.</p>\n<p>Austin Kleon, <em>Steal Like an Artist</em> - enjoyed the whole trilogy on writing motivation.</p>\n<h2 id=\"my-best-writing\">My best writing</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2021/11/01/dont-be-spooky/\">Don’t be spooky</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2021/06/12/rationalize-and-solve-doesnt-help-someone-who-is-venting/\">“Rationalize and solve” doesn’t help someone who is venting</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2021/06/01/one-priority-is-like-wind-in-the-sails/\">One priority is like wind in the sails</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2021/03/27/the-long-game.html\">The long game of notes</a></p>\n<h2 id=\"my-best-tweeting\">My best tweeting</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1362929430054731776%0A\">On emerging from a winter storm </a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1354272305732612099\">On accordions</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1456349294722789381\">Finishing is the hardest part</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1383963875679248385\">The Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. no shoes/shirt policies</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1423345008279707653\">Proof of work is a better idea for sustaining recurring meetings than for software currency</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Gotta sneak this one in under the wire, otherwise it’s just a sparkling list of things.\n\n## Movies\n_Summer of Soul_ - Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone. Heck yes.\n\n_Dune_ - loved the world building here and I’m willing to look past the decision to split this into two movies.\n\n_Somewhere You Feel Free_ - I didn’t realize _Wildflowers_ was so pivotal for Tom Petty. Made me want to get in my car and listen to the whole thing, which I did and greatly enjoyed.\n\n## Shows\n_Only Murders in the Building_ - is there a greater showbiz duo than Martin Short and Steve Martin?\n\n_Hacks_ - inside baseball on standup comedy plus Jean Smart is 👨‍🍳\n\n_What We Do in the Shadows_ - a mockumentary sitcom expanding its world, taking chances with changing things up, and absolutely nailing the landing.\n\n## Albums\nFunkadelic, _Maggot Brain_ - hits more emotional points than I’d ever expect from a George Clinton thing.\n\nMiles Davis, _Sketches of Spain_ - nudging into Very Intellectual, nearly classical, jazz, Davis is at least as good as Mingus was at this.\n\nPrince, _Welcome 2 America_ - recorded ten years ago, but it absolutely works today.\n\n## Books\nNeal Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_ - I finished re-reading the whole Baroque Trilogy plus this one and they surpassed my recollection of how good they are.\n\nAdrian Newey, _How To Build a Car_ - a memoir on designing three decades of winning Formula 1 cars.\n\nAustin Kleon, _Steal Like an Artist_ - enjoyed the whole trilogy on writing motivation.\n\n## My best writing\n[Don’t be spooky](https://therealadam.com/2021/11/01/dont-be-spooky/)\n\n[“Rationalize and solve” doesn’t help someone who is venting](https://therealadam.com/2021/06/12/rationalize-and-solve-doesnt-help-someone-who-is-venting/)\n\n[One priority is like wind in the sails](https://therealadam.com/2021/06/01/one-priority-is-like-wind-in-the-sails/)\n\n[The long game of notes](https://short.therealadam.com/2021/03/27/the-long-game.html)\n\n## My best tweeting\n[On emerging from a winter storm ](https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1362929430054731776%0A)\n\n[On accordions](https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1354272305732612099)\n\n[Finishing is the hardest part](https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1456349294722789381)\n\n[The Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. no shoes/shirt policies](https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1383963875679248385)\n\n[Proof of work is a better idea for sustaining recurring meetings than for software currency](https://twitter.com/therealadam/status/1423345008279707653)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-12-31T13:07:47-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/12/31/my-favorites-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/12/28/a-more-evocative.html",
				"title": "A more evocative word for mega-corps",
				"content_html": "<p>Kevin Kelly, <a href=\"https://kk.org/thetechnium/the-third-way/\">The Third Way</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Huge monopolistic companies running platforms like Facebook and Amazon are not mere corporations, nor are they governments, even though they have many of the attributes of both government and corporations. They are a new third thing: platforms. We should not expect to regulate platforms like companies, nor expect them to behave like governments. We need a third category of rights and responsibilities for them.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Platform-principalities. Bank-states (which, oddly enough, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggUduBmvQ_4\">includes airlines</a>). Energy-sovereigns (British Petroleum, Exxon). Media-empires (Disney, Universal).</p>\n<p>We require a better term for companies that have grown so extraordinarily. Those like Apple that run international diplomacy programs with China. Those like Amazon or Google, that regard their employees as de-facto citizens. Those like airlines that can print a currency (in the form of loyalty programs).</p>\n<p>And, as Kelly notes, we should look at them in an entirely different way. We shouldn’t treat Amazon the same we treat a local retailer, just like we don’t treat your local HOA the same way we treat the European Union. “Platforms” is a good start, but a word that connects the tremendous influence modern mega-corps have with the power that Standard Oil or The British East India Corporation had at their apex would be even better!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Kevin Kelly, [The Third Way](https://kk.org/thetechnium/the-third-way/):\n\n> Huge monopolistic companies running platforms like Facebook and Amazon are not mere corporations, nor are they governments, even though they have many of the attributes of both government and corporations. They are a new third thing: platforms. We should not expect to regulate platforms like companies, nor expect them to behave like governments. We need a third category of rights and responsibilities for them.\n\nPlatform-principalities. Bank-states (which, oddly enough, [includes airlines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggUduBmvQ_4)). Energy-sovereigns (British Petroleum, Exxon). Media-empires (Disney, Universal). \n\nWe require a better term for companies that have grown so extraordinarily. Those like Apple that run international diplomacy programs with China. Those like Amazon or Google, that regard their employees as de-facto citizens. Those like airlines that can print a currency (in the form of loyalty programs).\n\nAnd, as Kelly notes, we should look at them in an entirely different way. We shouldn’t treat Amazon the same we treat a local retailer, just like we don’t treat your local HOA the same way we treat the European Union. “Platforms” is a good start, but a word that connects the tremendous influence modern mega-corps have with the power that Standard Oil or The British East India Corporation had at their apex would be even better!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-12-28T10:57:41-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/12/28/a-more-evocative.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/29/great-albums-endtroducing.html",
				"title": "Great albums: Endtroducing",
				"content_html": "<p><img src=\"http://img.wennermedia.com/920-width/rs-138992-djshadow-306x306-1370036314-25baa14d-0f6a-40f0-a4db-4884a008eb69.jpg\" alt=\"Entroducing album cover\"></p>\n<p><em>Endtroducing</em> is my canonical example of a revealing album. I heard “Building Steam With a Grain of Sand” completely accidentally in a college business writing class, of all places. A fellow student used it in their presentation, ironically. Afterwards, I asked “what <em>was</em> that?!”, my mind still blown.</p>\n<p>I downloaded it and was immediately like “wow”. A whole new angle on music became apparent. I was vaguely aware that hip-hop quotes other music, but didn’t really understand sampling. I’m <em>just</em> old enough that hip-hop has always been a thing. But this was so different, like an other-worldly quote-fest. But, in a good way. A great way, even.</p>\n<p>I later learned <em>Endtroducing</em> is notable in that it was made <em>manually</em>. Ableton didn’t exist, so if you wanted to change tempos on samples, you had to pitch correct them yourself. You didn’t have to tape splice anymore, thankfully. But it was still far tricker than making this album would have been today.</p>\n<p>This album would spark many musical explorations. Mash-ups like <em>A Night at the Hip-Hopera</em>. The Roots, J Dilla, Soulquarians, and a myriad of other artists. “Building Steam With a Grain of Sand” sparked amazement, curiosity, and appetite for more music I was previously unaware of.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "![Entroducing album cover](http://img.wennermedia.com/920-width/rs-138992-djshadow-306x306-1370036314-25baa14d-0f6a-40f0-a4db-4884a008eb69.jpg)\n\n_Endtroducing_ is my canonical example of a revealing album. I heard “Building Steam With a Grain of Sand” completely accidentally in a college business writing class, of all places. A fellow student used it in their presentation, ironically. Afterwards, I asked “what _was_ that?!”, my mind still blown.\n\nI downloaded it and was immediately like “wow”. A whole new angle on music became apparent. I was vaguely aware that hip-hop quotes other music, but didn’t really understand sampling. I’m _just_ old enough that hip-hop has always been a thing. But this was so different, like an other-worldly quote-fest. But, in a good way. A great way, even.\n\nI later learned _Endtroducing_ is notable in that it was made _manually_. Ableton didn’t exist, so if you wanted to change tempos on samples, you had to pitch correct them yourself. You didn’t have to tape splice anymore, thankfully. But it was still far tricker than making this album would have been today.\n\nThis album would spark many musical explorations. Mash-ups like _A Night at the Hip-Hopera_. The Roots, J Dilla, Soulquarians, and a myriad of other artists. “Building Steam With a Grain of Sand” sparked amazement, curiosity, and appetite for more music I was previously unaware of.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-29T09:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/29/great-albums-endtroducing.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html",
				"title": "Great albums: Beethoven Symphonies No. 7 \u0026 8",
				"content_html": "<p><img src=\"https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0001/080/MI0001080790.jpg?partner=allrovi.com\" alt=\"\"></p>\n<p>These are my favorite of Beethoven’s “more approachable” symphonies. Symphony No. 9 is my favorite, but it requires a bit more context to take in. Further, it’s a solid seventy minutes of music, ramping up the difficulty of attention span.</p>\n<p>Symphony No. 7 (hereafter Seven, etc.) is my favorite outside of Nine, which is sort of its own <em>pivotal</em> thing. It’s a definitive no-skip symphony. Every movement is sublime in its own way. The first movement for its vigor and speed. The second for its solemn opening that builds and builds into a big, emotional moment. The third for its frolic. The final movement for feeling several minutes of emphatic, resolving punctuation and resolution.</p>\n<p>Symphony No. 8 has a wonderful opening. The structure and melodic quality is closer to what came <em>before</em> Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. It sounds like a nod back to Haydn or Mozart, Beethoven’s predecessors. But the harmony and orchestration is distinctly of Beethoven. It’s a great bridge from Beethoven’s Very Good symphonies to his <em>Amazing Symphony Number 9, The One with Ode to Joy</em> (not the official title as recognized by music historians).</p>\n<p>These two symphonies fit together <em>really well</em> on CDs. So, you can find basically any conductor/ensemble you prefer performing it. I listened to the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic version when I was playing music in high school. I’ve found this piece easy to hear little variations between conductors, so if that’s your thing, queue up a few interpretations and go hunting for little distinctions!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "![](https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0001/080/MI0001080790.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)\n\nThese are my favorite of Beethoven’s “more approachable” symphonies. Symphony No. 9 is my favorite, but it requires a bit more context to take in. Further, it’s a solid seventy minutes of music, ramping up the difficulty of attention span. \n\nSymphony No. 7 (hereafter Seven, etc.) is my favorite outside of Nine, which is sort of its own _pivotal_ thing. It’s a definitive no-skip symphony. Every movement is sublime in its own way. The first movement for its vigor and speed. The second for its solemn opening that builds and builds into a big, emotional moment. The third for its frolic. The final movement for feeling several minutes of emphatic, resolving punctuation and resolution.\n\nSymphony No. 8 has a wonderful opening. The structure and melodic quality is closer to what came _before_ Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. It sounds like a nod back to Haydn or Mozart, Beethoven’s predecessors. But the harmony and orchestration is distinctly of Beethoven. It’s a great bridge from Beethoven’s Very Good symphonies to his _Amazing Symphony Number 9, The One with Ode to Joy_ (not the official title as recognized by music historians).\n\nThese two symphonies fit together _really well_ on CDs. So, you can find basically any conductor/ensemble you prefer performing it. I listened to the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic version when I was playing music in high school. I’ve found this piece easy to hear little variations between conductors, so if that’s your thing, queue up a few interpretations and go hunting for little distinctions!\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-28T09:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/28/great-albums-beethoven.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/27/what-makes-a.html",
				"title": "What makes a great album",
				"content_html": "<p>There are four-ish kinds of great albums, in my mind:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Pivotal albums: the artist or genre was distinctly different before and after the album came out. e.g., classical music was distinctly different after Beethoven, particularly <em>Symphony No. 9</em></li>\n<li>Revealing albums: pivotal to my perspective or knowledge of music. e.g., my understanding of hip-hop was distinctly different after I heard DJ Shadow’s <em>Endtroducing</em></li>\n<li>Consistent albums: no track justifies skipping, you can listen to the thing end to end, every time. e.g., Tom Petty’s <em>The Last DJ</em></li>\n<li>Under-rated albums: albums that are outshined by their extraordinary peers or contemporaries. Most folks know that <em>Born to Run</em> is great, and all other Springsteen albums (generally) rank below it. But that shouldn’t let otherwise excellent and out-of-sequence later albums like <em>The Rising</em> or <em>Human Touch</em> go unnoticed.</li>\n</ol>\n",
				"content_text": "There are four-ish kinds of great albums, in my mind:\n\n1. Pivotal albums: the artist or genre was distinctly different before and after the album came out. e.g., classical music was distinctly different after Beethoven, particularly _Symphony No. 9_\n2. Revealing albums: pivotal to my perspective or knowledge of music. e.g., my understanding of hip-hop was distinctly different after I heard DJ Shadow’s _Endtroducing_ \n3. Consistent albums: no track justifies skipping, you can listen to the thing end to end, every time. e.g., Tom Petty’s _The Last DJ_\n4. Under-rated albums: albums that are outshined by their extraordinary peers or contemporaries. Most folks know that _Born to Run_ is great, and all other Springsteen albums (generally) rank below it. But that shouldn’t let otherwise excellent and out-of-sequence later albums like _The Rising_ or _Human Touch_ go unnoticed.\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-27T08:44:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/27/what-makes-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/09/the-finest-transit.html",
				"title": "The finest transit system you’ll ever find in a swamp",
				"content_html": "<p>Imagine all the busses, boats, monorails, trains, and gondolas in Disney World as (quasi-public) transit system. Then make a transit-style map of said system. It’s fun, but a little dismal once I think about it.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2021/e2778c787f.jpg\" alt=\"Disney World transportation imagined as a transit map\"></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/grescoe/status/1450482255965691912\">Walt Disney World has significantly better transit than most cities in the US.</a></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>America&rsquo;s fantasy world, it turns out, is a place you can get around without getting into a car.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Definitely a top 10 reason (but probably not top 5) I enjoy and find Walt Disney World so intriguing.</p>\n<p>Adjacent: if the best transit system many middle/upper-class Americans will experience is a rigorously-top-down, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reedy_Creek_Improvement_District\">corporate quasi-state</a>, well, that’s a pretty sick burn on capitalism.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation” — Gustavo Petro, Mayor of Bogotá</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Imagine all the busses, boats, monorails, trains, and gondolas in Disney World as (quasi-public) transit system. Then make a transit-style map of said system. It’s fun, but a little dismal once I think about it.\n\n![Disney World transportation imagined as a transit map](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2021/e2778c787f.jpg)\n\n[Walt Disney World has significantly better transit than most cities in the US.](https://twitter.com/grescoe/status/1450482255965691912)\n\n> America's fantasy world, it turns out, is a place you can get around without getting into a car.\n\nDefinitely a top 10 reason (but probably not top 5) I enjoy and find Walt Disney World so intriguing.\n\nAdjacent: if the best transit system many middle/upper-class Americans will experience is a rigorously-top-down, [corporate quasi-state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reedy_Creek_Improvement_District), well, that’s a pretty sick burn on capitalism.\n\n> “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation” — Gustavo Petro, Mayor of Bogotá\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-09T12:00:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/09/the-finest-transit.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/04/very-famous-white.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Very famous white guys from history who were not famous for, but known to bite pianos: <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jordandrsn/status/1455553728526827525\">Thomas Edison</a> and <a href=\"https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/deaf-hearing-loss-composing/\">Ludwig van Beethoven</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Very famous white guys from history who were not famous for, but known to bite pianos: [Thomas Edison](https://twitter.com/jordandrsn/status/1455553728526827525) and [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/deaf-hearing-loss-composing/).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-04T05:45:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/04/very-famous-white.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/02/before-the-porsche.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Before the Porsche 911, there was the 356&hellip;and the 904. It a looker!</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2021/88443fc0bc.jpg\" alt=\"Porsche 904 GTS\"></p>\n<p>Back in the &rsquo;60s, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utihJ2j0f7k\">you could buy a street-legal version of Porsche&rsquo;s top racing car</a>. And just, ya know, drive it on the road! They are pretty pricey today, but at least <a href=\"https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/news/g5929/1965-porsche-904-photo-gallery/?slide=1\">the auctions have great photos</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Before the Porsche 911, there was the 356...and the 904. It a looker!\n\n![Porsche 904 GTS](https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2021/88443fc0bc.jpg)\n\nBack in the '60s, [you could buy a street-legal version of Porsche's top racing car](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utihJ2j0f7k). And just, ya know, drive it on the road! They are pretty pricey today, but at least [the auctions have great photos](https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/news/g5929/1965-porsche-904-photo-gallery/?slide=1).\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-11-02T15:21:32-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/11/02/before-the-porsche.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/09/11/into-the-milesverse.html",
				"title": "Into the Miles-verse",
				"content_html": "<p>I’m kicking off a new “listening project” - Miles Davis. Inspired by <a href=\"https://samenright.com/2021/06/06/a-beginners-guide-to-miles-davis/\">A Beginner’s Guide to Miles Davis</a>, I’m going to grind my way through the Miles-verse in chronological order. For posterity, my favorites from before this journey are <em>Sketches of Spain</em> and <em>Bitches Brew</em>.</p>\n<p>(I think <em>Kind of Blue</em> is properly rated but not noteworthy because it’s the jazz album that everyone knows and reveres, whether they like jazz or not. And, rightly so.)</p>\n<p>Previously in listening projects:</p>\n<p>Circa 2008, I got a little bored/annoyed with what I was listening to and decided to play through all the songs in my iTunes library, in order by artist. Discoveries (to me) lurking therein: Bruce Springsteen <em>Born to Run</em>, Talking Heads, <em>Stop Making Sense</em>. Getting through the B-artists was a real endeavor. I have a <em>lot</em> of Ben Folds, Beethoven, Billy Joel, and Brahms albums.</p>\n<p>Circa 2016, I listened to all of the Radiohead albums in chronological order. I’d previously really only known them as “the Creep guys” and “the dudes who released an album of MP3s way before everyone else”. (But probably not before Prince, who also performed <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzzRQe6lms\">“Creep”</a>, eventually.)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I’m kicking off a new “listening project” - Miles Davis. Inspired by [A Beginner’s Guide to Miles Davis](https://samenright.com/2021/06/06/a-beginners-guide-to-miles-davis/), I’m going to grind my way through the Miles-verse in chronological order. For posterity, my favorites from before this journey are _Sketches of Spain_ and _Bitches Brew_. \n\n(I think _Kind of Blue_ is properly rated but not noteworthy because it’s the jazz album that everyone knows and reveres, whether they like jazz or not. And, rightly so.)\n\nPreviously in listening projects:\n\nCirca 2008, I got a little bored/annoyed with what I was listening to and decided to play through all the songs in my iTunes library, in order by artist. Discoveries (to me) lurking therein: Bruce Springsteen _Born to Run_, Talking Heads, _Stop Making Sense_. Getting through the B-artists was a real endeavor. I have a _lot_ of Ben Folds, Beethoven, Billy Joel, and Brahms albums.\n\nCirca 2016, I listened to all of the Radiohead albums in chronological order. I’d previously really only known them as “the Creep guys” and “the dudes who released an album of MP3s way before everyone else”. (But probably not before Prince, who also performed [“Creep”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzzRQe6lms), eventually.)\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-09-11T11:11:16-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/09/11/into-the-milesverse.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/08/23/an-exercise-in.html",
				"title": "An exercise in CPU design, in the small",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://github.com/revaldinho/opc\">One Page CPU Project</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Welcome to the OPC series of CPUs, where everything fits on one page - one page each for specification, emulation, HDL. For details see the OPC Project web pages.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Computer architecture, Verilog code to implement the design, simulation and testing of the design, writing an assembler and assembly to test the system. All within my favorite kind of constraint - fitting each component on one page.</p>\n<p>They’re not particularly useful machines, but they do de-mystify the bridge from electrical engineering to software engineering.</p>\n<p>When I was an intern at Texas Instruments, the tools for this were enormously complex, slow, and expensive. Whole clusters of Sun machines set aside for simulating the upcoming designs and verifying they did the right thing in software. Not to mention the tremendous effort of verifying the design that was coded was possible to build in the company’s chip fabrication plants and processes.</p>\n<p>That this depth of tooling is now available to hobbyists would have blown me away in 2002.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[One Page CPU Project](https://github.com/revaldinho/opc):\n\n> Welcome to the OPC series of CPUs, where everything fits on one page - one page each for specification, emulation, HDL. For details see the OPC Project web pages.\n\nComputer architecture, Verilog code to implement the design, simulation and testing of the design, writing an assembler and assembly to test the system. All within my favorite kind of constraint - fitting each component on one page.\n\nThey’re not particularly useful machines, but they do de-mystify the bridge from electrical engineering to software engineering.\n\nWhen I was an intern at Texas Instruments, the tools for this were enormously complex, slow, and expensive. Whole clusters of Sun machines set aside for simulating the upcoming designs and verifying they did the right thing in software. Not to mention the tremendous effort of verifying the design that was coded was possible to build in the company’s chip fabrication plants and processes.\n\nThat this depth of tooling is now available to hobbyists would have blown me away in 2002.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-08-23T05:46:15-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/08/23/an-exercise-in.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/07/17/following-up-on.html",
				"title": "Following up on recommendations, for the forgetful",
				"content_html": "<p>It&rsquo;s hard to land music, books, etc. recommendations from friends because timing is everything. The best case is a recommendation for a thing I didn&rsquo;t know of and it&rsquo;s <em>precisely</em> what I need to read or watch at the exact moment. Beyond that, it&rsquo;s likely I&rsquo;m reading some 900-page book (humble-brag) or deep into a peak television series (humble-brag) that I&rsquo;m trying to finish before my attention wanders.</p>\n<p>I&rsquo;ve come up with a couple of ways to more immediately act on recommendations, so they aren&rsquo;t for naught:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Download a Kindle/iBooks sample right away and read the first several pages of whatever they recommended. If I&rsquo;m into it maybe I&rsquo;ll stick with it. At least, it&rsquo;s on my backlog of books until I forgot why it&rsquo;s there and delete it (i.e., 2-3 times a decade).</li>\n<li>Watch the first several minutes of the thing on Netflix or whatever. See if it&rsquo;s any good instead of watching random YouTube videos recommended by the algorithm.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>For everything else, there&rsquo;s always the long, scary list of things I&rsquo;d read/watch/play/listen to if we stopped doing billionaires and gave everyone a living wage. 🤷‍♂️</p>\n",
				"content_text": "It's hard to land music, books, etc. recommendations from friends because timing is everything. The best case is a recommendation for a thing I didn't know of and it's _precisely_ what I need to read or watch at the exact moment. Beyond that, it's likely I'm reading some 900-page book (humble-brag) or deep into a peak television series (humble-brag) that I'm trying to finish before my attention wanders.\n\nI've come up with a couple of ways to more immediately act on recommendations, so they aren't for naught:\n\n- Download a Kindle/iBooks sample right away and read the first several pages of whatever they recommended. If I'm into it maybe I'll stick with it. At least, it's on my backlog of books until I forgot why it's there and delete it (i.e., 2-3 times a decade).\n- Watch the first several minutes of the thing on Netflix or whatever. See if it's any good instead of watching random YouTube videos recommended by the algorithm.\n\nFor everything else, there's always the long, scary list of things I'd read/watch/play/listen to if we stopped doing billionaires and gave everyone a living wage. 🤷‍♂️\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-07-17T13:23:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/07/17/following-up-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/07/08/craig-mods-simple.html",
				"title": "Craig Mod’s simple search",
				"content_html": "<p>Craig Mod, <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/cmod/5410eae147e4318164258742dd053993\">Fast, instant client side search for Hugo static site generator</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I believe <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/essays/fast_software/\">Fast Software is the Best Software</a> and wanted keyboard-based, super fast search for my <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/\">homepage</a> / online collection of essays. This method was highly inspired by Sublime Text&rsquo;s CMD-P/CMD-shift-P method of opening files / using functions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I love that this is a Gist, an idea floating around. Not to reuse wholesale but to adapt and make your own. More like a recipe, less Professional Software Development 🤵‍♂️. Not packaged software, almost a thought-experiment wrought of relatively-accessible code incantations.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Craig Mod, [Fast, instant client side search for Hugo static site generator](https://gist.github.com/cmod/5410eae147e4318164258742dd053993):\n\n> I believe [Fast Software is the Best Software](https://craigmod.com/essays/fast_software/) and wanted keyboard-based, super fast search for my [homepage](https://craigmod.com/) / online collection of essays. This method was highly inspired by Sublime Text's CMD-P/CMD-shift-P method of opening files / using functions.\n\nI love that this is a Gist, an idea floating around. Not to reuse wholesale but to adapt and make your own. More like a recipe, less Professional Software Development 🤵‍♂️. Not packaged software, almost a thought-experiment wrought of relatively-accessible code incantations.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-07-08T05:40:52-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/07/08/craig-mods-simple.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/06/28/what-makes-an.html",
				"title": "What makes an excellent design doc",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"#\">Replicache Detailed Design</a>(<a href=\"https://doc.replicache.dev/design)\">https://doc.replicache.dev/design)</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Replicache runs alongside your existing application infrastructure. You keep your existing server-side stack and client-side frameworks. Replicache doesn&rsquo;t take ownership of data, and is not the source of truth. Its job is to provide bidirectional sync between your clients and your servers. This makes it easy to adopt: you can try it for just a small piece of functionality, or a small slice of users, while leaving the rest of your application the same.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Conflicts are a fact of life when syncing, but they don&rsquo;t have to be painful. Replicache rewinds and replays your transactions during sync, sort of like git rebase.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I haven&rsquo;t used Replicache, but this design document makes me think it has the qualities that excite me when I discover infrastructural software:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>it solves a tricky problem (distributed application state)</li>\n<li>by compressing the problem down to essential concepts</li>\n<li>those concepts are solved in a way that I can imagine &ldquo;how would I use this?&rdquo;</li>\n<li>and writing clearly about that solution</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "[Replicache Detailed Design](#)(https://doc.replicache.dev/design):\n\n> Replicache runs alongside your existing application infrastructure. You keep your existing server-side stack and client-side frameworks. Replicache doesn't take ownership of data, and is not the source of truth. Its job is to provide bidirectional sync between your clients and your servers. This makes it easy to adopt: you can try it for just a small piece of functionality, or a small slice of users, while leaving the rest of your application the same.\n\n> Conflicts are a fact of life when syncing, but they don't have to be painful. Replicache rewinds and replays your transactions during sync, sort of like git rebase.\n\nI haven't used Replicache, but this design document makes me think it has the qualities that excite me when I discover infrastructural software:\n\n- it solves a tricky problem (distributed application state)\n- by compressing the problem down to essential concepts\n- those concepts are solved in a way that I can imagine \"how would I use this?\"\n- and writing clearly about that solution\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-06-28T06:44:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/06/28/what-makes-an.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/06/05/perspectives-on-writing.html",
				"title": "4 perspectives on writing",
				"content_html": "<p>Spoiler alert: it&rsquo;s all about organizing what they wrote in the past, finding it later, and remixing it into something they need in the moment. 🧠</p>\n<p>Austin Kleon, <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2021/05/20/indexing-filing-systems-and-the-art-of-finding-what-you-have/\">Indexing, filing systems, and the art of finding what you have</a>: writing is meticulously indexing what you may have jotted down in the past. Come for the bit on classic American authors, stay for Phyllis Diller and Joan River&rsquo;s massive card catalogs of jokes! 🤯</p>\n<p>Cory Doctorow, <a href=\"https://doctorow.medium.com/the-memex-method-238c71f2fb46\">Writing is accumulation</a>: it&rsquo;s easy when you accumulate a pile of text files from blogging over twenty years. He searches and surfs tags to find material for whatever he wants to write about today. An external brain.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>That’s how blogging is complimentary to other forms of more serious work: when you’ve done enough of it, you can get entire essays, speeches, stories, novels, spontaneously appearing in a state of near-completeness, ready to be written.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Shawn Wang, <a href=\"https://www.swyx.io/writing-mise-en-place/\">Mise en Place Writing</a>: writing is like cooking. Separate the preparation/creation and the cooking/editing.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>By decoupling writing from pre-writing, I can write more, faster, and better.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Nat Eliason, <a href=\"https://www.nateliason.com/blog/better-writer\">Tactics to Help You Become a Better Writer</a>: writing is rules. The better your rules, the better (and more) your output.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Spoiler alert: it's all about organizing what they wrote in the past, finding it later, and remixing it into something they need in the moment. 🧠\n\nAustin Kleon, [Indexing, filing systems, and the art of finding what you have](https://austinkleon.com/2021/05/20/indexing-filing-systems-and-the-art-of-finding-what-you-have/): writing is meticulously indexing what you may have jotted down in the past. Come for the bit on classic American authors, stay for Phyllis Diller and Joan River's massive card catalogs of jokes! 🤯\n\nCory Doctorow, [Writing is accumulation](https://doctorow.medium.com/the-memex-method-238c71f2fb46): it's easy when you accumulate a pile of text files from blogging over twenty years. He searches and surfs tags to find material for whatever he wants to write about today. An external brain.\n\n> That’s how blogging is complimentary to other forms of more serious work: when you’ve done enough of it, you can get entire essays, speeches, stories, novels, spontaneously appearing in a state of near-completeness, ready to be written.\n\nShawn Wang, [Mise en Place Writing](https://www.swyx.io/writing-mise-en-place/): writing is like cooking. Separate the preparation/creation and the cooking/editing.\n\n> By decoupling writing from pre-writing, I can write more, faster, and better.\n\nNat Eliason, [Tactics to Help You Become a Better Writer](https://www.nateliason.com/blog/better-writer): writing is rules. The better your rules, the better (and more) your output.\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-06-05T12:54:49-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/06/05/perspectives-on-writing.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/31/desktop-vibes.html",
				"title": "Desktop vibes",
				"content_html": "<p>I&rsquo;ve got three &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; desktops going on my Mac right now. The idea each is its own functional workspace. I don&rsquo;t have three separate physical workspaces to do my writing/thinking, coding/building, or communicating/collaborating. So a digital approximation is the second closest thing. 🤷‍♂️</p>\n<p>Leftmost is where I do the thinking. The background is one of the &ldquo;scenic&rdquo; images included in macOS. The idea is, if I had a little writing hut, ala <a href=\"https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2019/11/06/dickinson/dickinson-thoreau.w700.h467.jpg\">Thoreau in <em>Dickinson</em></a> for looking off into the distance and plying some kind of writing craft, this is the kind of thing I would see when I look up.</p>\n<p>Rightmost is where I communicate with the world and my colleagues. The background is also a built-in macOS dynamic desktop of swoopy, abstract colors. Like <a href=\"https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/oliver-1-1024x576.jpg\">John Oliver comes to our living room from a featureless void</a>, so I think of this desktop. Ideas, questions, and data points come to me from the void of the internet, end up in this imagined space, and I respond to them in turn through this medium and back to the void. Heavy, eh?</p>\n<p>In the middle is where I do the building and coding. The background here is a flat color. I got it by color picking a photo of the <a href=\"http://www.12-gaugegarage.com\">12-Gauge Garage</a>. I noticed later that it&rsquo;s close to &ldquo;<a href=\"https://insidethemagic.net/2021/04/disney-go-away-green-lp1/\">go away green</a>&rdquo; as used in Disney&rsquo;s theme parks to draw the eye away from backstage areas where the magic may be in-progress or under-repair. The idea is I shouldn&rsquo;t really see this background. I should focus on whatever I&rsquo;m coding/testing/making/etc.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I've got three \"virtual\" desktops going on my Mac right now. The idea each is its own functional workspace. I don't have three separate physical workspaces to do my writing/thinking, coding/building, or communicating/collaborating. So a digital approximation is the second closest thing. 🤷‍♂️\n\nLeftmost is where I do the thinking. The background is one of the \"scenic\" images included in macOS. The idea is, if I had a little writing hut, ala [Thoreau in _Dickinson_](https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2019/11/06/dickinson/dickinson-thoreau.w700.h467.jpg) for looking off into the distance and plying some kind of writing craft, this is the kind of thing I would see when I look up.\n\nRightmost is where I communicate with the world and my colleagues. The background is also a built-in macOS dynamic desktop of swoopy, abstract colors. Like [John Oliver comes to our living room from a featureless void](https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/oliver-1-1024x576.jpg), so I think of this desktop. Ideas, questions, and data points come to me from the void of the internet, end up in this imagined space, and I respond to them in turn through this medium and back to the void. Heavy, eh?\n\nIn the middle is where I do the building and coding. The background here is a flat color. I got it by color picking a photo of the [12-Gauge Garage](http://www.12-gaugegarage.com). I noticed later that it's close to \"[go away green](https://insidethemagic.net/2021/04/disney-go-away-green-lp1/)\" as used in Disney's theme parks to draw the eye away from backstage areas where the magic may be in-progress or under-repair. The idea is I shouldn't really see this background. I should focus on whatever I'm coding/testing/making/etc.\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-05-31T10:27:23-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/31/desktop-vibes.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/03/tumblelogs-a-thousand.html",
				"title": "Tumblelogs, a thousand weird flowers",
				"content_html": "<p>I miss <a href=\"https://kottke.org/05/10/tumblelogs\">tumblelogs</a>. Especially <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20180724075432/http://project.ioni.st/\">projectionist</a>. Twitter and Tumblr fit the mold, functionally. But the vibe is not the same. That time right before centralized social media achieved critical mass was a great moment. Let a thousand weird flowers bloom in their own meadow.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I miss [tumblelogs](https://kottke.org/05/10/tumblelogs). Especially [projectionist](https://web.archive.org/web/20180724075432/http://project.ioni.st/). Twitter and Tumblr fit the mold, functionally. But the vibe is not the same. That time right before centralized social media achieved critical mass was a great moment. Let a thousand weird flowers bloom in their own meadow.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-05-03T07:46:25-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/03/tumblelogs-a-thousand.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/01/shawn-wangs-principles.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Shawn Wang&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://www.swyx.io/35-principles/\">35 Principles for 35 Years</a> are a good read. A few of my favorites:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li>Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. Don&rsquo;t get defensive about your point of view or perception of reality - understand theirs first. Either you will learn something new or you&rsquo;ll understand how to better get your point across. Hold multiple perspectives in your head and be able to summarize the best arguments of all major parties in a way that THEY agree with.</li>\n</ol>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<ol start=\"15\">\n<li>Don&rsquo;t offer unsolicited help. Make Sure Help Is Wanted Before Offering It. Men - be especially wary about this when women are talking about their problems. Sometimes they just need support, not solutions.</li>\n</ol>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<ol start=\"23\">\n<li>Separate Your Identity from Your Work. You can learn a lot on the Internet for the low, low price of $YOUR_EGO.</li>\n</ol>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Shawn Wang's [35 Principles for 35 Years](https://www.swyx.io/35-principles/) are a good read. A few of my favorites:\n\n> 8. Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. Don't get defensive about your point of view or perception of reality - understand theirs first. Either you will learn something new or you'll understand how to better get your point across. Hold multiple perspectives in your head and be able to summarize the best arguments of all major parties in a way that THEY agree with.\n\n> 15. Don't offer unsolicited help. Make Sure Help Is Wanted Before Offering It. Men - be especially wary about this when women are talking about their problems. Sometimes they just need support, not solutions.\n\n> 23. Separate Your Identity from Your Work. You can learn a lot on the Internet for the low, low price of $YOUR\\_EGO.\n\n\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-05-01T11:19:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/05/01/shawn-wangs-principles.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/27/the-long-game.html",
				"title": "The long game of notes",
				"content_html": "<p>You can do a lot of fancy stuff with your notes these days. Backlinks, graphs, embedding, “transclusion”, knowledge databases, and digital gardens are all tempting sirens. But <strong>building up a collection of ideas over time and ease of search is the most important thing.</strong></p>\n<p>Matt Webb, <a href=\"http://interconnected.org/home/2021/02/10/reservoirs\">Memexes, mountain lakes, and the serendipity of old ideas</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I’ve noticed that smart people keep notes, and in particular use their notes in a certain way, and it made me think of something I read recently about viruses.</p>\n<p>…</p>\n<p>And it’s interesting, right, this accretive note-taking and the process of taking core samples through the deep time of your own ideas. I’ve built something similar, not as consistently, but for about two decades too, and I keep all my notes in plain text, and all in the same searchable database. I develop nascent ideas in part by typing in keywords, spelunking my own <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex\">memex</a> for things I’ve previously spotted, connections I’ve made, turns of phrase… most of which I had forgotten, but there they are. And old ideas come back and get recombined and become fresh again. That database of notes is my greatest asset. It’s how I write here, and it’s also how I pretend to be clever when I’m working.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The endgame of having extensive notes accumulated over a long period of time is not to put them in a grand, unified theory. <strong>The point is to play the long-game to think in them, search them for new insights, and to develop ideas over weeks and months. An antidote to thinking in Slack messages and tweet-storm hot-takes.</strong></p>\n",
				"content_text": "You can do a lot of fancy stuff with your notes these days. Backlinks, graphs, embedding, “transclusion”, knowledge databases, and digital gardens are all tempting sirens. But **building up a collection of ideas over time and ease of search is the most important thing.**\n\nMatt Webb, [Memexes, mountain lakes, and the serendipity of old ideas](http://interconnected.org/home/2021/02/10/reservoirs):\n\n> I’ve noticed that smart people keep notes, and in particular use their notes in a certain way, and it made me think of something I read recently about viruses.\n> \n> …\n> \n> And it’s interesting, right, this accretive note-taking and the process of taking core samples through the deep time of your own ideas. I’ve built something similar, not as consistently, but for about two decades too, and I keep all my notes in plain text, and all in the same searchable database. I develop nascent ideas in part by typing in keywords, spelunking my own [memex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex) for things I’ve previously spotted, connections I’ve made, turns of phrase… most of which I had forgotten, but there they are. And old ideas come back and get recombined and become fresh again. That database of notes is my greatest asset. It’s how I write here, and it’s also how I pretend to be clever when I’m working.\n\nThe endgame of having extensive notes accumulated over a long period of time is not to put them in a grand, unified theory. **The point is to play the long-game to think in them, search them for new insights, and to develop ideas over weeks and months. An antidote to thinking in Slack messages and tweet-storm hot-takes.**\n\n",
				"date_published": "2021-03-27T15:10:35-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/27/the-long-game.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/16/i-never-thought.html",
				"title": "I never thought I'd think this much about wallpaper",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daveed_Diggs\">Daveed Diggs</a> mentioned this awesome wallpaper, <a href=\"https://www.flavorpaper.com/wallpaper/patterns/ez-papes/bay-area-toile\">Bay Area Toile</a>, <a href=\"https://www.architecturaldigest.com/video/watch/open-door-inside-hamilton-star-daveed-diggs-and-emmy-raver-lampmans-la-home\">in a tour of his house</a>. Amongst the Bay Area celebrities whose likenesses it features is <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_G\">Humpty Hump aka Shock G</a> of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Underground\">Digital Underground</a>. <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorma_Taccone\">Jorma Taccone</a> of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lonely_Island\">Lonely Island</a> was involved in designing it.</p>\n\n<p>That&#8217;s a hell of a thing right there. And, I never thought I&#8217;d think of wallpaper as awesome.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-03-16T07:56:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/16/i-never-thought.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/10/nina-simone-mississippi.html",
				"title": "Nina Simone, \"Mississippi Goddam\" 🤘",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>&#8220;This is a showtime, but the show hasn&#8217;t been written for it&#8221;</p>\n\n<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/LJ25-U3jNWM\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-03-10T15:51:29-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/10/nina-simone-mississippi.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/03/a-ripping-yarn.html",
				"title": "A ripping yarn of hunting bugs in Destiny 2",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/50140\">The Case of the Missing Rewards</a> - Luckily, in my many hours playing Destiny 2 I haven&#8217;t been bitten by this bug. Seeing behind the curtains of something I interact with so often is pretty neat though!</p>\n\n<p>It&#8217;s fascinating to read the tale of a gnarly bug from a domain I have no practical experience working in. In this case, large-scale, long-term game development. The volume and detail of data they work with to find a strange little bug that only manifests in certain kinds of game activities and involves weird decisions made in sizing networking subsystem buffers is amazing.</p>\n\n<p>See also, <a href=\"https://nee.lv/2021/02/28/How-I-cut-GTA-Online-loading-times-by-70/\">How I cut GTA Online loading times by 70%</a></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-03-03T06:44:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/03/a-ripping-yarn.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/01/a-good-newsletter.html",
				"title": "A good newsletter is an interesting conversation, not a monologue",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>A good email newsletter is like the conversation you may have had over coffee with an interesting pal. A surprising topic, a novel theory, perhaps an amusing tangent or two.</p>\n\n<p>I&#8217;m feeling the trough of newsletter overload, like many folks. I&#8217;ve put my own on hiatus because it seems more useful to write broadly on the web than narrowly via email.</p>\n\n<p>I suspect that email newsletters have evolved from interesting conversations to (mostly) yet another medium to build eyeballs to sell to someday. Or, newsletters were the mold that blogging reinvented itself from.</p>\n\n<p>But, I still think good newsletters could still exist. But, they have to feel more like a conversation and less like a monologue.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-03-01T09:06:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/03/01/a-good-newsletter.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/21/walking-through-the.html",
				"title": "Walking through the current customer acquisition hypothesis",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Paul Ford, <a href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/the-secret-essential-geography-of-the-office/\">The Secret, Essential Geography of the Office</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Offices have their own mental maps. “Oh,” they say, “she’s moving to the 17th floor.” And everyone says: the 17th floor! And you know, being a social primate, exactly where you are in the organization relative to that floor. Offices all have their formal and informal maps, whether inside a bank, statehouse, cathedral, museum, school, or open-plan tech firm. I say “West Wing” and you know what I’m talking about. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I once worked at a company where the hypothesis behind customer acquisition was currently in flux. A couple times a quarter, a new concept would come along. With a new concept almost always came a change in the sequencing of handoffs between teams. This month, outside sales hands off to the onboarding team hands off to customer support. The next month, marketing hands off to outside sales hands off to onboarding.</p>\n\n<p>It so happens this company had a large, somewhat raucous open office layout. All of sales, support, and marketing were in one big room. (With three different Sonos systems playing three different songs at any given time. Madness.)</p>\n\n<p>It also so happened that this was a high-energy sales culture. (Are there kinds of sales culture? Someone tell me there are monk-ish sales people, making one call per day, speaking only a few quiet words, ringing a small bell, and going home for the day. 😆)</p>\n\n<p>Thus, when the current concept of how customers were handed off from the top of the funnel downward, a few people would move the desks around so hand-offs happened across aisles of the office and not from one corner of the office to a remote corner sixty feet away.</p>\n\n<p>The upside of all this apparent chaos was that on any given day, you could walk into the office and see the current hypothesis of customer acquisition. As long as you knew who was in sales, marketing, support, etc. or their typical posture (walking around talking on a headset, answering emails as quickly as possible, looking at marketing campaign mockups), you could tell what&#8217;s going on. One could literally walk through the funnel, from marketing to sales to onboarding (assuming that was the hypothesis of the day).</p>\n\n<p>Besides the madness of open offices with multiple songs within speaking distance of each other, I think this is not the worst way to arrange a physical workspace.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-02-21T13:25:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/21/walking-through-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/21/chonkr.html",
				"title": "CHONKR",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I saw this BMW at <a href=\"https://www.radwood.com\">Radwood</a> in Austin last year. </p>\n\n<p><img style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2021/a5d3e8b009.jpg\" alt=\"IMG 1152\" title=\"IMG_1152.jpeg\" border=\"0\" width=\"1035\" height=\"1035\" /></p>\n\n<p>In hindsight, I would kinda like to know the whole story behind this car <em>and</em> the custom plate.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-02-21T13:25:02-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/21/chonkr.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/20/notes-on-the.html",
				"title": "Notes on the invention of networked video gaming",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://fabiensanglard.net/quakeSource/johnc-log.aug.htm\">QuakeWorld by John Carmack</a> - the .plan notes (basically a Unix-local blog) written during the development of internet networking (not just LAN-local) for Quake. It&#8217;s amazing to read the notes of a super-sharp person inventing the foundations of the multi-billion dollar gaming industry as we know it today.</p>\n\n<p>Of course there&#8217;s great technical details, like this bit that should be familiar to anyone who has mysteriously died in an online gaming match:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>I am reining in the client side prediction to a fairly minimal amount.\nIt has too many negative effects in different circumstances. The problem\nof running away from or in front of your missiles was so bad that I\nconsidered simulating the missiles on the client side, but that is the\nsecond step on a slippery slope. If just the missiles were simulated,\nthen a missile would fire through an enemy until the server informed\nyou it exploded on them. Then you consider simulating interactions,\nbut then you have to guess at other player inputs (which is hopeless)&#8230;</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>And complaining about Ferrari ownership, which is always a rich-people tragicomedy:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>My testarossa snapped another input shaft (the third time).<br/>\ndamn dman damn.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://fabiensanglard.net\">Fabien Sanglard&#8217;s website</a> is full of this stuff, if that&#8217;s your jam.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-02-20T13:35:38-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/02/20/notes-on-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/29/darlene-love-re.html",
				"title": "Darlene Love re: Phil Spector 🔥",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/959057719/the-voices-of-black-women-were-essential-to-phil-spectors-wall-of-sound\">The Voices Of Black Women Were Essential To Phil Spector&#8217;s Wall Of Sound</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Darlene Love began her partnership with Spector in 1962, when she came to the attention of Lester Sill, Spector&#8217;s business partner and co-founder of their label Philles Records. In a hurry to record the song &#8220;He&#8217;s a Rebel,&#8221; but unable to cut the song with the vocalists they had under contract, the New York-based group The Crystals, Sill and Spector turned to Love, who lived in Los Angeles. Spector was racing to release his version of the Gene Pitney-penned tune before a version recorded by Vikki Carr could come out and pre-empt his sales. Spector paid Love a flat fee and triple scale to record the song and to allow him to release it under the name The Crystals. The arrangement, made without consulting with The Crystals, was indicative of the power producers had over artists. Describing her experience recording with Spector in her memoir, Love recalled that Spector encouraged what Love calls &#8220;the low, growling side of my voice, the righteous indignation and in-your-face testimony that I usually saved for church.&#8221; Accentuating vocal Blackness in the early 1960s was a daring move in the segregated U.S., but it paid off.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I saw Darlene Love perform, oddly enough, at EPCOT Center. I wonder if they offer musicians a big vacation package for that, of it was just a price-is-right situation?</p>\n\n<p>Between songs, she alluded to having worked with Phil Spector. She basically called him out for the shady behavior described in the NPR story. I&#8217;m guessing it was not for the first time. She concluded the retelling of her history by saying &#8220;I don&#8217;t care if he hears about me saying this! He&#8217;s in jail, can&#8217;t do anything about it!&#8221; 😆</p>\n\n<p>Wall of Sound is one of my favorite maximalist musical styles and all, but I hope Darlene Love is updating her sick burns on (convicted murderer) Phil Spector to end with &#8220;don&#8217;t matter because he&#8217;s dead now!&#8221;</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-01-29T07:01:52-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/29/darlene-love-re.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/20/when-i-first.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>When I first walked past the TV and saw Biden behind the big-fancy desk in the Oval Office, it sunk in for me: competence is back. Bluster and bullying, for the moment, are on the decline.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">President Biden begins signing a tall stack of executive orders during his first Oval Office appearance for press. <a href=\"https://t.co/oh1JqG0iJP\">pic.twitter.com/oh1JqG0iJP</a></p>&mdash; Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jeneps/status/1352016112687439872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-01-20T16:31:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/20/when-i-first.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/15/on-repeat-which.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>On repeat (which I rarely do, lately): <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empyrean_Isles\"><em>Empyrean Isles</em></a> by Herbie Hancock. Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, heck yeah.</p>\n\n<p><iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"450\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https://embed.music.apple.com/us/album/empyrean-isles-remastered/724298445\"></iframe></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-01-15T07:15:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/15/on-repeat-which.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/09/perspectives-on-creativity.html",
				"title": "Perspectives on creativity for 2021",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Austin Kleon - <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2020/03/11/a-working-from-home-manual-in-disguise/\">A working from home manual in disguise</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<ol>\n<li>Make lists.</li>\n<li>You can be woke without waking to the news.</li>\n<li>Airplane mode can be a way of life.</li>\n<li>Naps are a secret weapon.</li>\n</ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>David Perell - <a href=\"https://perell.com/note/open-mode-and-closed-mode/\">Beer Mode and Coffee Mode</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Creatives have two ways of working: beer mode and coffee mode. </p>\n\n<p>Beer mode is a state of unfocused play where you discover new ideas. In contrast, coffee mode is a state of focus where you work towards a specific outcome. </p>\n\n<p>The see-saw of beer and coffee mode is like breathing. Your best ideas emerge when you balance the inhale of beer mode with the exhale of coffee mode. Coffee mode rewards action, while beer mode rewards laughter. Coffee mode rewards focus, while beer mode rewards conversation. And while coffee mode rewards clarity, beer mode rewards serendipity.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>What way of working is thinking big thoughts in the shower?</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2021-01-09T12:34:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2021/01/09/perspectives-on-creativity.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/12/26/sunset-or-perlin.html",
				"title": "Sunset or Perlin noise?",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><img style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2020/acd7e2b0a3.png\" alt=\"IMG 1631\" title=\"IMG_1631.png\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" /></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-12-26T13:46:39-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/12/26/sunset-or-perlin.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/12/14/mike-perham-redis.html",
				"title": "Mike Perham: Redis is a Swiss-army knife",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/getajobmike\">Mike Perham</a>: <a href=\"https://www.mikeperham.com/2020/12/14/grouping-events-for-later-processing/\">Grouping Events for Later Processing</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>But we see enough traffic that we don’t want to turn every single click into a background job. We want to aggregate the clicks and process them regularly. There’s several ways to do this; I’m going to show you how to implement it using a cron job running every minute.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Redis and some creativity scales really well. In other words: you may not need microservices, part 34.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-12-14T16:13:24-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/12/14/mike-perham-redis.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/11/11/better-meetings-but.html",
				"title": "Better meetings (but also fewer, mostly)",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Christof Damian, <a href=\"https://christof.damian.net/2020/11/my-thoughts-on-meetings.html\">My thoughts on meetings</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>I used to really hate meetings. As a developer they seem to just get into the way of doing real work&#8230;But at some point you specialise, teams grow and you need some way to sync up.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve learned in the work-at-home times that it&#8217;s definitely possible to have <em>too few</em> meetings. After passing that threshold, the cart to play is creating <em>better</em> meetings. Lots of good ideas and guidelines in this article.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-11-11T09:21:23-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/11/11/better-meetings-but.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/29/annabel-scheme-the.html",
				"title": "Annabel Scheme, the New Golden Gate, and the misplaced metropolitan nostalgia",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.robinsloan.com/books/annabel-scheme-serial/read/#\">Annabel Scheme and the Adventure of the New Golden Gate</a> - a short story by Robin Sloan. Fantastic world building for a short story. Highly recommended. </p>\n\n<p>Nostalgia and the “this city used to be cooler” sentiment comes up (and is rejected). Funny that the sentiment in the story is about San Francisco, where many Austinites came from and was allegedly cooler when it had fewer former-San Franciscans.</p>\n\n<p>Maybe cities are like <em>Saturday Night Live</em>: there are very few real stinkers, just casts or episodes or locales for which one isn’t nostalgic.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-10-29T08:13:16-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/29/annabel-scheme-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/28/product-hunts-async.html",
				"title": "Product Hunt’s async work: everyone in their own swimlane",
				"content_html": "<p>How Product Hunt does asynchronous work: everyone in their own swimlane, unblocked. I really dig how they haven’t siloed work between front-end/back-end developers.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://blog.rstankov.com/collaborative-single-player-mode/\">Collaborative Single Player Mode</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A developer should be able to execute a feature from start to finish &ndash; from the database to the backend, API, frontend, and CSS. The goal is never to get blocked.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are missing a design, mock the UI, designers can fill this in later</li>\n<li>If you don&rsquo;t know how to do something technically, hack it or fake it</li>\n<li>If a product decision is missing, try to make this decision yourself - it&rsquo;s better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Sounds like they use feature flags so they can move quickly and decisively, but safely. And of course, plenty of testing and code review automation.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "How Product Hunt does asynchronous work: everyone in their own swimlane, unblocked. I really dig how they haven’t siloed work between front-end/back-end developers.\n\n[Collaborative Single Player Mode](https://blog.rstankov.com/collaborative-single-player-mode/):\n\n> A developer should be able to execute a feature from start to finish -- from the database to the backend, API, frontend, and CSS. The goal is never to get blocked.\n> \n> - If you are missing a design, mock the UI, designers can fill this in later\n> - If you don't know how to do something technically, hack it or fake it\n> - If a product decision is missing, try to make this decision yourself - it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission\n\nSounds like they use feature flags so they can move quickly and decisively, but safely. And of course, plenty of testing and code review automation.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-10-28T07:57:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/28/product-hunts-async.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/04/a-slice-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/a-slice-of-the-old-way/\">A slice of the old way</a></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-10-04T13:40:57-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/10/04/a-slice-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/15/073015.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><img style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2020/b19971510a.jpg\" alt=\"Sunset\" title=\"Sunset, before the rain\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-09-15T05:30:15-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/15/073015.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/13/how-to-succeed.html",
				"title": "How to succeed at blogging by not even trying too hard",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://simonwillison.net/2020/Sep/10/15-rules-blogging-and-my-current-streak/\">&#8220;Perfect is the enemy of shipped&#8221;</a> - Simon Willison</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://interconnected.org/home/2020/09/10/streak\">15 rules for blogging</a> - Matt Webb</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://duncandavidson.com\">Lists, emoji, and consistency</a> are totally working for Duncan Davidson</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-09-13T12:16:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/13/how-to-succeed.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/01/austin-kleons-list.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Austin Kleon&#8217;s list of perfect albums: <a href=\"https://austinkleon.com/2020/08/31/perfect31/\">#perfect31</a>. Non-compilation albums, no songs worth skipping. Discovering these albums is one of my favorite things about listening to music. <em>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</em> was the first one I found myself, when I was sixteen. Blew my mind.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-09-01T09:01:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/09/01/austin-kleons-list.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/30/matt-webb-on.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Matt Webb on <a href=\"http://interconnected.org/home/2020/08/27/foundation\">Asimov’s Foundation, and what’s unique about science fiction</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Like any scientific endeavour it starts as a phenomenological exercise: what’s happening? How does this thing behave in various circumstances? Then beginning to probe: what are its limits? How do we break the premise? And finally consequences… what does it mean for this phenomenon to be wielded deliberately; what are the second order effects when others can see the effects …and so on. Dynamical systems are all the same; the reader can readily draw parallels and discover new truths.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Writing is thinking. Sci-fi, at its best, is thinking about an idea taken to its end. Most sci-fi is a miss, but every once in a while it describes upcoming realities with absolute clarity, e.g. <em>Neuromancer</em>.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-30T10:13:51-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/30/matt-webb-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/22/let-me-tell.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Let me tell you about my theories on art and fishing. </p>\n\n<p>This Ernest Hemingway story is <em>definitely</em> about <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/08/pursuit-as-happiness\">fishing</a>. </p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, I have a theory that most Billy Joel songs are either a) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVlDSzbrH5M\">definitely about a fisherman</a> or b) <em>could</em> exist in <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCuMWrfXG4E\">one world where the protagonist is a fishing professional</a>. Kinda the same thing with Bruce Springsteen song; the whole canon is <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc6F47Z6PI4\">one working-class world</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Except for songs about cars. Those are a whole <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQrVDDSkH4\">other</a> <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmN4CNTni3I\">thing</a>.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-22T10:09:41-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/22/let-me-tell.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/17/ios-feature-request.html",
				"title": "iOS feature request: write-only interfaces \u0026 \"smoke-break\"",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Two iOS wishlist items:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Any app that can send &amp; receive messages (emails, direct messages, photos, chats, tweets, etc.) should require a narrow, write-only affordance for sending a one-off message without distracting yourself in all the engagement loops.</li>\n<li>&#8220;Smoke-break&#8221;, an extension of the current screen time affordance. Only allow yourself access to e.g. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. for seven minutes of the hour. The easy part is integrating this into the operating system. The hard and most impactful part is keeping the Smoke-break name and all its negative connotations.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The best way to achieve these outcomes now is to <strong>delete the app</strong> from your device and only dip into the web interface when you absolutely must. That&#8217;s contrary to Apple&#8217;s goals. It&#8217;s not bad for the web platform, though🤔.</p>\n\n<p>In short: nerf the engagement loops at the operating system level. </p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-17T07:24:35-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/17/ios-feature-request.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/12/determined-disney-fan.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Determined <a href=\"https://twitter.com/djcarson/status/1292836604663304200?s=12\">Disney fan recreates the original Disneyland version of the Alice In Wonderland</a> ride-through in 3D. Same, but for <a href=\"http://virtual-toad.com\">Mr. Toad</a>, one of my top 3 Disneyland favorites.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-12T08:13:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/12/determined-disney-fan.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/10/in-my-toofrequent.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>In my too-frequent skimming of German sports cars for sale near me, I came across a BMW 135i with a black exterior <em>and</em> interior. It&#8217;s a tempting car, but I&#8217;m afraid it says &#8220;I listen to two kinds of music: Kraftwerk on cassette and Kraftwerk on vinyl&#8221;.👴</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-10T08:06:06-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/10/in-my-toofrequent.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/08/do-texans-dream.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/do-texans-dream-of-summer-days/\">Do Texans Dream of Summer Days?</a></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-08T09:21:31-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/08/do-texans-dream.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/06/lancia-delta-integrale.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-lancia-delta-integrale-martini5/\">1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Martini 5 Evoluzione</a>, Bring a Trailer fodder for the day. I can&#8217;t resist Martini Stripes. Or bright yellow, extremely 80s instruments.</p>\n\n<p><img style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2020/cc03e86650.png\" alt=\"Martini Stripes\" title=\"UntitledImage.png\" border=\"0\" width=\"598\" height=\"399\" /></p>\n\n<p><img style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" src=\"https://therealadam.micro.blog/uploads/2020/3ca22ef045.png\" alt=\"Lancia Delta instruments\" title=\"UntitledImage.png\" border=\"0\" width=\"598\" height=\"399\" /></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-06T05:28:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/06/lancia-delta-integrale.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/02/watched-jim-gaffigans.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Watched Jim Gaffigan’s <em>The Pale Tourist</em>. I’m surprised one can dedicate an hour-long set to Canada alone, but he makes it work. Gaffigan’s not the edgiest comedian or most insightful orator, but he is delightful. And delightful is mostly what I want out of entertainment right now! Recommended.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-08-02T16:06:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/08/02/watched-jim-gaffigans.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/29/unlocking-value-with.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://medium.com/ft-product-technology/unlocking-value-with-durable-teams-a70efb435a19\">Unlocking value with durable teams</a>, Anna Shipman:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you build teams around projects, this means that there is a ramp-up period while the team go through the early stages, and if the team is not together for long enough, it’s possible they won’t spend very long (if any time at all) in the performing stage. This happens if new initiatives come in and the team is disbanded to form other, new teams.</p>\n\n<p>It takes a lot of effort to form a team; you need to find the right balance of skills, someone to tech lead, delivery manage and be the product owner; you need to find engineers, customer researchers, product designers and possibly business analysts and you need to make sure that the work they are currently doing can be finished or stopped.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Specialization and matrix&#8217;d teams seem inevitable as an organization grows. I suspect that a cross-functional, self-sufficient team that has time together and knows how to work together will almost always outperform teams of specialists spread across multiple projects and priorities.</p>\n\n<p>h/t <a href=\"https://simonwillison.net\">Simon Willison</a></p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-29T06:19:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/29/unlocking-value-with.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/id-never-seriously.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I&#8217;d never seriously listened to Mazzy Star before today. Had really only heard &#8220;Fade Into You&#8221;. Now I&#8217;ve listened to all four albums and they&#8217;re a) pretty good! and b) kinda ahead of their time?</p>\n\n<p>I&#8217;m a little surprised that something so straight-forward and sounding very much of the nineties can predate music I associate more with the &#8220;indie sounds&#8221; of the 2000s and 2010s. Maybe I&#8217;ve just got my history wrong!</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-28T15:02:15-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/id-never-seriously.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/marketing-folks-should.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Marketing folks should dispense with &#8220;this is familiar-thing two point oh&#8221;. It&#8217;s always &#8220;Underpants 2.0&#8221; or &#8220;Butter Knife 3.0&#8221; and never &#8220;Non-stick pan 2.3&#8221;. Just call it like a straight-up Hollywood sequel. &#8220;Chair 4: The Sittening&#8221; or &#8220;Ball-point Pen 7 Part 1: The Penultimate&#8221;. 🥁👴</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-28T14:07:54-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/marketing-folks-should.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/bunkerpunk-short-scifi.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://sudowriters.com/anthology/bunkerpunk/\">Bunkerpunk</a>, short sci-fi from sudowriters, &#8220;a speculative fiction writing group&#8221;. My first foray into collected short science fiction. Recommended for modern, addled attention spans, those who are intentionally avoiding mega-tomes/epic fiction worlds, and/or the biographies of Robert Caro.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-28T07:45:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/28/bunkerpunk-short-scifi.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/27/i-would-never.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I would never have guessed that &#8220;video memos&#8221; would become a thing in remote working. Rather than sending a wall of text (which people are unlikely to read or even expand in Slack), record a short (~5 minute) video summarizing the ideas in context with metrics, screenshots, etc.</p>\n\n<p>The jury&#8217;s still out on how this compares to a written memo culture. But, a marginal benefit of a video memo is you can watch it at greater than 1x speed and feel like you&#8217;re getting more out of your time! 💪</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-27T09:47:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/27/i-would-never.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/24/awesome-cold-showers.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://github.com/hwayne/awesome-cold-showers\">Awesome Cold Showers</a> - &#8220;\nIt&#8217;s great when people get excited about things, but sometimes they get a little too excited.&#8221; A collection of papers for when you don&#8217;t believe the hype and need to help others think that way too.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-24T12:30:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/24/awesome-cold-showers.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/24/by-some-kind.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>By some kind of coincidence I&#8217;ve read <em>The Difference Engine</em> by Gibson &amp; Sterling followed by <em>Quicksilver</em> by Stephenson (re-read) and both are set partially in a London where covering once&#8217;s face for safety is prevalent. History repeats itself, historic/science fiction doubly so.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-24T07:15:44-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/24/by-some-kind.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/23/the-freud-moment.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Alex Danco: <a href=\"https://danco.substack.com/p/the-freud-moment\">The Freud Moment</a> - You could draw a line from all of America’s divisiveness and much of the culture wars down to ego vs. superego.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>America’s egotistical bent doesn’t mean we lack a conscience: we carry around a ton of guilt, as part of the cost of letting egos run wild the way we do. The narrative of “the coastal elites want to tell you what to feel guilty about; we won’t let them” is effective for a reason: because we are collectively guilty of so many things, from climate change to police brutality and everything else. The Trump candidacy figured out how to exploit this better than anyone else: in a complex and interdependent world, everyone is basically guilty of everything. And when that’s true, no one can say “you should feel guilt” without sounding hypocritical. It’s a perfect judo move, because not only does it neutralize the superego’s ability to effectively level any criticism, it opens the door for the ego to go be as offensive as possible.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-23T15:36:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/23/the-freud-moment.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/22/the-garden-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://aaronzlewis.com/blog/2020/07/07/the-garden-of-forking-memes/\">The Garden Of Forking Memes: How Digital Media Distorts Our Sense Of Time</a> - grab a beverage, this one made me think of time in a whole other way and reframed our narrative-heavy, fact-light information situation:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>The de-centralization of timekeeping brought about by digital media harkens back to a much older style of measuring time. Before the invention of the telegraph, there was no way to instantaneously synchronize timekeeping devices across long distances. No time zones, no universal standard against which clock towers could be evaluated for accuracy. Timekeeping was more an art than a science. Each village emitted its own time zone. Much like the townships of old, every internet community has its own “subjective time zone”.</p>\n\n<p>The disruption of the old timekeeping regime created a void that’s being filled by new online communities, cliques, and cults. Whereas the industrial schedule provided a sense of structure and stability and continuity, D.I.Y. timekeeping often feels aimless and disorienting and uncertain. People are seeking out groups and ideologies that put them “back in time”, and many internet subcultures do exactly that.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-22T05:23:36-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/22/the-garden-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/21/tom-armitage-props.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://tomarmitage.com/2020/07/20/weeks-391-393-props-and-prototypes/\">Tom Armitage » Props and Prototypes</a> - props for movies are like prototypes for building technology. A hero’s lightsaber exists as different props for stunts, close-up shots, costuming, plus a digital version for CG shots. Clickable mockups, short video demos, and working code all serve different phases of a project. See also: <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2020/07/18/conceptual-tools-for.html\">tools for thinking</a>.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-21T07:58:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/21/tom-armitage-props.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/20/we-had-a.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>We had a real dinger of a sunset last night</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "We had a real dinger of a sunset last night\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2020/82e0640374.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" alt=\"\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-20T16:25:58-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/20/we-had-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/20/i-finished-the.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I finished the last season of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_(2008_TV_series)\"><em>The Clone Wars</em></a> over the weekend. Recommended for all Star Wars fans. Hot take: the last four episode arc is a better Star War than <em>Rise of Skywalker</em>.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-20T08:03:12-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/20/i-finished-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/18/oddisees-new-ep.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Oddisee&#8217;s new EP <a href=\"https://www.stereogum.com/2091852/stream-oddisees-gorgeous-surprise-new-ep-odd-cure/music/\"><em>Odd Cure</em></a> has skits, but they&#8217;re recorded phone calls keeping up with his family and friends. Kind of a perfect version of the <a href=\"https://short.therealadam.com/2020/07/17/albums-with-acceptable.html\">interstitial skit</a> for this moment in history.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-18T10:03:57-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/18/oddisees-new-ep.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/18/conceptual-tools-for.html",
				"title": "Conceptual tools for thinking",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://untools.co/\">Untools</a> is a collection of mental models for thinking about problems, projects, and ideas. For example, the latest tool, the <a href=\"https://untools.co/cynefin-framework\">Cynefin framework</a> is useful for assessing the kind of problem you face (complex, complicated, chaotic, or obvious) to determine what kind of strategy is appropriate for tackling it. Makes for a handy afternoon research dive.</p>\n\n<p>There&#8217;s something interesting about Untools as website. Under the hood, there&#8217;s not much to it; you could implement it with a static site generator. By that measure, I might describe this as a &#8220;brochure&#8221; site. But the attention to design and organization makes it feel much more like a product. Delightfully, one that doesn&#8217;t seek a commercial transaction. More like flipping someone&#8217;s personal but well-organized notes on conceptual tools. Feels novel, in an obvious way.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-18T09:17:30-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/18/conceptual-tools-for.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/17/albums-with-acceptable.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Albums with acceptable skits between tracks:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Three Feet High and Rising</em> by De La Soul</li>\n<li><em>The Listening</em> by Little Brother (TIL!)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>That&rsquo;s it, as far as I know. It&rsquo;s <strong>exceedingly</strong> difficult to pull off skit tracks.</p>\n<p>p.s. there may be an Outkast or Goodie Mob album with <em>nearly</em> acceptable skits?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Albums with acceptable skits between tracks:\n\n- _Three Feet High and Rising_ by De La Soul\n- _The Listening_ by Little Brother (TIL!)\n\nThat's it, as far as I know. It's **exceedingly** difficult to pull off skit tracks.\n\np.s. there may be an Outkast or Goodie Mob album with _nearly_ acceptable skits?\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-17T08:19:04-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/17/albums-with-acceptable.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/17/how-i-got.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://craigmod.com/essays/how_i_got_my_attention_back/\">How I Got My Attention Back</a> - doing a residency and totally disconnecting is implausible for most people. But the idea is great and Craig Mod spins a great story every time I read him.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[How I Got My Attention Back](https://craigmod.com/essays/how_i_got_my_attention_back/) - doing a residency and totally disconnecting is implausible for most people. But the idea is great and Craig Mod spins a great story every time I read him.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-17T05:44:13-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/17/how-i-got.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/16/writing-better-typesafe.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://engineering.shopify.com/blogs/engineering/writing-better-type-safe-code-with-sorbet\">Writing Better, Type-safe Code with Sorbet</a>. Hot take: gradual typing of large Rails codebases is going to make developers more productive than microservices, radical decoupling, and splitting out SPAs has. Combined.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Writing Better, Type-safe Code with Sorbet](https://engineering.shopify.com/blogs/engineering/writing-better-type-safe-code-with-sorbet). Hot take: gradual typing of large Rails codebases is going to make developers more productive than microservices, radical decoupling, and splitting out SPAs has. Combined.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-16T16:10:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/16/writing-better-typesafe.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/16/how-starship-troopers.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-starship-troopers-aligns-with-our-moment-of-american-defeat\">How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat</a></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>For most of “Starship Troopers,” humanity, in every possible facet, gets its ass kicked. A culture that reveres and communicates exclusively through violence—a culture very much like one that responds to peaceful protests with indiscriminate police brutality, or whose pandemic strategy is to “dominate” an unreasoning virus—keeps running up against its own self-imposed limitations.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Well that hits home.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-starship-troopers-aligns-with-our-moment-of-american-defeat)\n\n> For most of “Starship Troopers,” humanity, in every possible facet, gets its ass kicked. A culture that reveres and communicates exclusively through violence—a culture very much like one that responds to peaceful protests with indiscriminate police brutality, or whose pandemic strategy is to “dominate” an unreasoning virus—keeps running up against its own self-imposed limitations.\n\nWell that hits home.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-16T05:27:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/16/how-starship-troopers.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/15/terrace-martin-in.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Terrace Martin in heavy rotation this week: <a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/album/808s-sax-breaks-ep/347401498\">808s and Sax Breaks</a> and <a href=\"https://music.apple.com/us/album/dinner-party/1518676061\">Dinner Party</a> 👍👍 Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington mean you can&rsquo;t lose!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Terrace Martin in heavy rotation this week: [808s and Sax Breaks](https://music.apple.com/us/album/808s-sax-breaks-ep/347401498) and [Dinner Party](https://music.apple.com/us/album/dinner-party/1518676061) 👍👍 Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington mean you can't lose!\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-15T13:25:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/15/terrace-martin-in.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/15/tips-from-hbos.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://qz.com/1879381/tips-from-hbos-watchmen-on-building-an-inclusive-workplace/\">Tips from HBO’s Watchmen on building an inclusive workplace</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The most valuable thing a showrunner—or any manager—can do to create an inclusive workplace is to listen carefully and respectfully to what their employees have to say, while checking their own defensiveness.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The overlap between showrunning and managing a team creating software continue to intrigue.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Tips from HBO’s Watchmen on building an inclusive workplace](https://qz.com/1879381/tips-from-hbos-watchmen-on-building-an-inclusive-workplace/):\n\n> The most valuable thing a showrunner—or any manager—can do to create an inclusive workplace is to listen carefully and respectfully to what their employees have to say, while checking their own defensiveness.\n\nThe overlap between showrunning and managing a team creating software continue to intrigue.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-15T04:48:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/15/tips-from-hbos.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/14/periodic-reminder-that.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Periodic reminder that we are worse off for letting folks run Kathy Sierra off the social parts of the internet.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Periodic reminder that we are worse off for letting folks run Kathy Sierra off the social parts of the internet.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-14T08:42:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/14/periodic-reminder-that.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/13/peak-texas-weather.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Peak Texas weather. The moment I step outside, I’m thoroughly warmed by the sun. A pleasant glow. For 5 seconds. Then it’s time to plan how I’m getting back to climate control. Rinse and repeat until mid-September.</p>\n<p>I probably write this every summer because every summer I love it.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Peak Texas weather. The moment I step outside, I’m thoroughly warmed by the sun. A pleasant glow. For 5 seconds. Then it’s time to plan how I’m getting back to climate control. Rinse and repeat until mid-September.\n\nI probably write this every summer because every summer I love it.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-07-13T18:10:51-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/07/13/peak-texas-weather.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/06/06/the-cool-zone.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://kneelingbus.substack.com/p/128-the-cool-zone\">The Cool Zone</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The pandemic that has dominated the past three months strikes a useful contrast with what’s happening now. Unlike coronavirus, racism and police violence are problems caused by humans. There’s a saying, “You aren’t stuck in traffic, you are traffic.” Similarly, the unrest occurring right now isn’t something that is happening to anyone, but a phenomenon that everyone is a part of, even if they haven’t left home or directly participated at all. Like traffic, the reason you’re surrounded by protests is partially because of you, regardless of your perceived level of involvement.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "[The Cool Zone](https://kneelingbus.substack.com/p/128-the-cool-zone):\n\n> The pandemic that has dominated the past three months strikes a useful contrast with what’s happening now. Unlike coronavirus, racism and police violence are problems caused by humans. There’s a saying, “You aren’t stuck in traffic, you are traffic.” Similarly, the unrest occurring right now isn’t something that is happening to anyone, but a phenomenon that everyone is a part of, even if they haven’t left home or directly participated at all. Like traffic, the reason you’re surrounded by protests is partially because of you, regardless of your perceived level of involvement.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-06-06T08:22:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/06/06/the-cool-zone.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/31/never-give-up.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/never-give-up-on-reading-the-whole-internet/\">Never give up on reading the whole internet\n</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Never give up on reading the whole internet\n](https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/never-give-up-on-reading-the-whole-internet/)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-31T15:20:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/31/never-give-up.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/29/210628.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><!-- raw HTML omitted --><!-- raw HTML omitted --></p>\n",
				"content_text": "\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2020/9d57ead097.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" alt=\"\" /><img src=\"uploads/2020/cf45b37564.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" alt=\"\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-29T19:06:28-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/29/210628.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/29/a-tale-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://fabiensanglard.net/cpc/index.html\">A tale of Ghosts&rsquo;n Goblins&rsquo;n Crocodiles</a></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>There is something noble about developing on a dead platform &ndash; it is so completely for the joy of the development, without any commercial motivation.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Carmack</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>When does a platform truly &ldquo;dies&rdquo;? A &ldquo;dead language&rdquo; is defined as &ldquo;a language which is no longer in everyday spoken use&rdquo;. By analogy, a dead platform would die not when it ceases to be profitable or when it is obsolete, but when people stop playing it and caring about it.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Now the question becomes &ldquo;what draws people to retro-computing?&rdquo;. Is it nostalgia, the diversity, the creativity, the simplicity, or is it inexplicably fun?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Come for the sentiment, stay for the backstory of an old computer you may have never even known existed.</p>\n",
				"content_text": " [A tale of Ghosts'n Goblins'n Crocodiles](https://fabiensanglard.net/cpc/index.html)\n\n\n> There is something noble about developing on a dead platform -- it is so completely for the joy of the development, without any commercial motivation. \n> - John Carmack\n\n> When does a platform truly \"dies\"? A \"dead language\" is defined as \"a language which is no longer in everyday spoken use\". By analogy, a dead platform would die not when it ceases to be profitable or when it is obsolete, but when people stop playing it and caring about it. \n\n> Now the question becomes \"what draws people to retro-computing?\". Is it nostalgia, the diversity, the creativity, the simplicity, or is it inexplicably fun?\n\nCome for the sentiment, stay for the backstory of an old computer you may have never even known existed. \n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-29T16:46:33-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/29/a-tale-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/yin-and-yang.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.perell.com/tweetstorms/yin-yang\">Yin and Yang: Lessons of Creativity — David Perell</a></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Flow states are the holy grail of productivity. To achieve flow, we need a proper skill-challenge ratio.\nSkill: Yin (Order)\nChallenge: Yang (Chaos)\nWe do best when we’re pursuing goals that are a little bit tougher than what we can easily accomplish.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A little bit of disorder makes many things better!</p>\n",
				"content_text": " [Yin and Yang: Lessons of Creativity — David Perell](https://www.perell.com/tweetstorms/yin-yang)\n\n> Flow states are the holy grail of productivity. To achieve flow, we need a proper skill-challenge ratio.\n> Skill: Yin (Order)\n> Challenge: Yang (Chaos)\n> We do best when we’re pursuing goals that are a little bit tougher than what we can easily accomplish.\n\nA little bit of disorder makes many things better!\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-27T17:32:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/yin-and-yang.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/dear-apple-music.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Dear Apple Music algorithms,</p>\n<p>The center item is not at all like the others.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "Dear Apple Music algorithms,\n\nThe center item is not at all like the others.\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2020/4f53efc443.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"169\" alt=\"Album covers of J-Dilla, Madlib, Shaquille O’Neal, Big Krit, Slum Village\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-27T06:27:52-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/dear-apple-music.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/h-is-magic.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://sidbala.com/h-264-is-magic/\">H.264 is Magic</a>. There&rsquo;s so much amazing stuff you can do with math in the pursuit of distinctly non-math-y endeavors. I’ve always thought compilers, and their cousins the query optimizer, are magic. Computer graphics too. Turns out video compression is also uniquely amazing.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[H.264 is Magic](https://sidbala.com/h-264-is-magic/). There's so much amazing stuff you can do with math in the pursuit of distinctly non-math-y endeavors. I’ve always thought compilers, and their cousins the query optimizer, are magic. Computer graphics too. Turns out video compression is also uniquely amazing.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-27T05:32:30-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/27/h-is-magic.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/26/bonus-quote-from.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Bonus quote from <a href=\"https://www.wired.com/1999/01/eno/\">Revenge of the Intuitive</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Years ago I realized that the recording studio was becoming a musical instrument. I even lectured about it, proclaiming that “by turning sound into malleable material, studios invite you to construct new worlds of sounds as painters construct worlds of form and color.” I was thrilled at how people were using studios to make music that otherwise simply could not exist. Studios opened up possibilities. But now I’m struck by the insidious, computer-driven tendency to take things out of the domain of muscular activity and put them into the domain of mental activity.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I am, in general, a sucker for the notion of the studio as a kind of musical instrument unto itself. It&rsquo;s a very maximalist, Romantic-era symphony sort of thinking. I want to be <em>Pet Sounds</em>-era Brian Wilson or <em>Rite of Spring</em>-era Stravinksy when I grow up.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Bonus quote from [Revenge of the Intuitive](https://www.wired.com/1999/01/eno/):\n\n> Years ago I realized that the recording studio was becoming a musical instrument. I even lectured about it, proclaiming that “by turning sound into malleable material, studios invite you to construct new worlds of sounds as painters construct worlds of form and color.” I was thrilled at how people were using studios to make music that otherwise simply could not exist. Studios opened up possibilities. But now I’m struck by the insidious, computer-driven tendency to take things out of the domain of muscular activity and put them into the domain of mental activity.\n\nI am, in general, a sucker for the notion of the studio as a kind of musical instrument unto itself. It's a very maximalist, Romantic-era symphony sort of thinking. I want to be _Pet Sounds_-era Brian Wilson or _Rite of Spring_-era Stravinksy when I grow up.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-26T05:23:16-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/26/bonus-quote-from.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/25/the-revenge-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2020/05/25/the-revenge-of-the-intuitive-and-developer-tools-in-2020/\">The Revenge of the Intuitive and developer tools in 2020</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The Revenge of the Intuitive and developer tools in 2020](https://therealadam.com/2020/05/25/the-revenge-of-the-intuitive-and-developer-tools-in-2020/)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-25T11:25:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/25/the-revenge-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/24/they-say-never.html",
				"title": "They say never let a good crisis go to waste",
				"content_html": "<p>We should use the pandemic to reevaluate how we value service, child care, and education labor. It’s apparent we undervalued them. Their value is now explicit for those clamoring for a return to paying people to handle their chores and obligations. So let’s pay them more when we emerge from this!</p>\n<p>The burden of navigating urban sprawl to reach our offices, shops, and entertainment is now explicit. Density won’t be the answer for this is in the short or medium term. Perhaps we could value the ease by which we can drive around right now and work backwards from there.</p>\n<p>The bit that has worried me is how density is no longer a virtue. Public transport and dense neighborhoods won’t be desirable for a while. What’s the alternative that reduces our environmental toll and increases the cohesion of our neighborhoods?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "We should use the pandemic to reevaluate how we value service, child care, and education labor. It’s apparent we undervalued them. Their value is now explicit for those clamoring for a return to paying people to handle their chores and obligations. So let’s pay them more when we emerge from this!\n\nThe burden of navigating urban sprawl to reach our offices, shops, and entertainment is now explicit. Density won’t be the answer for this is in the short or medium term. Perhaps we could value the ease by which we can drive around right now and work backwards from there.\n\nThe bit that has worried me is how density is no longer a virtue. Public transport and dense neighborhoods won’t be desirable for a while. What’s the alternative that reduces our environmental toll and increases the cohesion of our neighborhoods?\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-24T09:24:56-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/24/they-say-never.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/21/building-quality-things.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>“Building quality things of substance takes time.” - Rands in Repose, <a href=\"https://randsinrepose.com/archives/one-thing/\">One Thing</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "“Building quality things of substance takes time.” - Rands in Repose, [One Thing](https://randsinrepose.com/archives/one-thing/)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-21T08:08:49-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/21/building-quality-things.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/20/why-netnewswire-is.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://inessential.com/2020/05/18/why_netnewswire_is_fast\">Why NetNewsWire Is Fast</a> - I love it when Brent Simmons writes about system design and principles.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Why NetNewsWire Is Fast](https://inessential.com/2020/05/18/why_netnewswire_is_fast) - I love it when Brent Simmons writes about system design and principles.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-20T06:50:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/20/why-netnewswire-is.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/12/tools-for-plaintext.html",
				"title": "Tools for plain-text thinking",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://margin.love\">Margin</a> is a plain text notation for thinking in lists, notes, and structured data. I have a soft spot for notations for thinking like, e.g. <a href=\"https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/\">Markdown</a>, <a href=\"https://www.taskpaper.com\">TaskPaper</a>, even <a href=\"https://bulletjournal.com\">bullet journaling</a>.</p>\n<p>The mark of a nicely designed plain text format is that it works equally well in a well-crafted app, a text editor, and on a sheet of paper. Margin meets that criteria.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Margin](https://margin.love) is a plain text notation for thinking in lists, notes, and structured data. I have a soft spot for notations for thinking like, e.g. [Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/), [TaskPaper](https://www.taskpaper.com), even [bullet journaling](https://bulletjournal.com). \n\nThe mark of a nicely designed plain text format is that it works equally well in a well-crafted app, a text editor, and on a sheet of paper. Margin meets that criteria.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-05-12T06:12:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/05/12/tools-for-plaintext.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/26/no-way-through.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/now-way-through-but-together/\">No way through but together</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "[No way through but together](https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/now-way-through-but-together/)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-26T12:38:08-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/26/no-way-through.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/24/the-bremont-argonaut.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-bremont-argonaut-hands-on\">The Bremont Argonaut</a> - there&rsquo;s a lot of &ldquo;ink&rdquo; on this watch face, but it doesn&rsquo;t seem busy. Even more, the marks on the crowns are the real winners.</p>\n<p>![https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1586281720176-9qegaqjnjs7-0243d3e3c71e5244dc4c03c63b5282cd/L1180502.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&amp;fm=jpg&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=820](Bremont Argonaut crowns)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The Bremont Argonaut](https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-bremont-argonaut-hands-on) - there's a lot of \"ink\" on this watch face, but it doesn't seem busy. Even more, the marks on the crowns are the real winners.\n\n\n![https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1586281720176-9qegaqjnjs7-0243d3e3c71e5244dc4c03c63b5282cd/L1180502.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&fit=crop&w=820](Bremont Argonaut crowns)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-24T07:51:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/24/the-bremont-argonaut.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/22/the-second-best.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>The second best sunset of the week (Monday)</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "The second best sunset of the week (Monday)\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2020/3bab02ae35.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-22T18:14:03-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/22/the-second-best.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/19/airpods-as-a.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://julian.digital/2020/04/19/airpods-as-a-platform/\">AirPods as a Platform</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You could also think about the Apple Watch as the main input device. In contrast to the AirPods, Apple opened the Watch for developers from the start, but it hasn’t really seen much success as a platform. Perhaps a combination of Watch and AirPods has a better chance of creating an ecosystem with its own unique applications?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Bingo.</p>\n",
				"content_text": " [AirPods as a Platform](https://julian.digital/2020/04/19/airpods-as-a-platform/):\n\n> You could also think about the Apple Watch as the main input device. In contrast to the AirPods, Apple opened the Watch for developers from the start, but it hasn’t really seen much success as a platform. Perhaps a combination of Watch and AirPods has a better chance of creating an ecosystem with its own unique applications?\n\nBingo.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-19T15:27:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/19/airpods-as-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/19/machine-supply-knowing.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"http://interconnected.org/home/2015/07/22/machine_supply\">Machine Supply</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Knowing what books someone loves is to know their perspective and their journey, to have something special in common, to share a language.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "[Machine Supply](http://interconnected.org/home/2015/07/22/machine_supply):\n\n> Knowing what books someone loves is to know their perspective and their journey, to have something special in common, to share a language.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-19T08:56:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/19/machine-supply-knowing.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/13/the-cwc-mellor.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/cwc-mellor-72-hands-on?mc_cid=0ee87fdfa9&amp;mc_eid=1e5968a7ea\">The CWC Mellor-72</a> - I love the overall shape, but especially the arrow icon above the 6.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1584970703548-koucm44eowq-d72751d7feb37bd2fac25812da92efc4/CWC_Mellor-9.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&amp;fm=jpg&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=820\" alt=\"Mellor-72 and Swiss army watch\"></p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The CWC Mellor-72](https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/cwc-mellor-72-hands-on?mc_cid=0ee87fdfa9&mc_eid=1e5968a7ea) - I love the overall shape, but especially the arrow icon above the 6.\n\n![Mellor-72 and Swiss army watch](https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1584970703548-koucm44eowq-d72751d7feb37bd2fac25812da92efc4/CWC_Mellor-9.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&fit=crop&w=820)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-13T05:01:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/13/the-cwc-mellor.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/12/my-law-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>My law of music: there is no song that Aretha Franklin could not perform <em>slower</em> and therefore <em>better</em> than everyone else.</p>\n<p>Newly discovered corollary: except possibly <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXDXMI7PW6M\">Pierre Boulez and Beethoven&rsquo;s 5th</a>. So slow, nearly belabored. Love it!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "My law of music: there is no song that Aretha Franklin could not perform _slower_ and therefore _better_ than everyone else. \n\nNewly discovered corollary: except possibly [Pierre Boulez and Beethoven's 5th](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXDXMI7PW6M). So slow, nearly belabored. Love it!\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-12T10:49:05-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/12/my-law-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/11/drew-austin-on.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Drew Austin on high/low-brow music, how it fits into album reviews and club culture, and how all that has shifted in our current state of distance. <a href=\"https://kneelingbus.substack.com/p/122-energy-flash\">Energy Flash</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“For Reynolds, “at home and at album length” refers to a process of decontextualization, the musical equivalent of the modern gallery’s white cube: a belief that any cultural product meriting serious appreciation must prove that it can survive outside of its native habitat by becoming a fungible unit of culture, fitting into the standardized format of Pitchfork album reviews and solitary, focused listening. If music sounds good in a packed nightclub at 3 a.m. but not through headphones on your couch, is it real in the same way that Kid A is real? Right now in quarantine, the contextualizing environments in which culture traditionally incubates are closed off and dormant, so everything has to sound good in the living room whether it’s meant to or not. We live in the white cube now; anything that relies on a specific source of external context is an endangered species. We’re one month into a worldwide experiment to learn whether the internet alone can produce sufficient meaning on its own, or whether we must keep mining our memories of an embodied shared reality to bridge this gap.”</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Drew Austin on high/low-brow music, how it fits into album reviews and club culture, and how all that has shifted in our current state of distance. [Energy Flash](https://kneelingbus.substack.com/p/122-energy-flash):\n\n> “For Reynolds, “at home and at album length” refers to a process of decontextualization, the musical equivalent of the modern gallery’s white cube: a belief that any cultural product meriting serious appreciation must prove that it can survive outside of its native habitat by becoming a fungible unit of culture, fitting into the standardized format of Pitchfork album reviews and solitary, focused listening. If music sounds good in a packed nightclub at 3 a.m. but not through headphones on your couch, is it real in the same way that Kid A is real? Right now in quarantine, the contextualizing environments in which culture traditionally incubates are closed off and dormant, so everything has to sound good in the living room whether it’s meant to or not. We live in the white cube now; anything that relies on a specific source of external context is an endangered species. We’re one month into a worldwide experiment to learn whether the internet alone can produce sufficient meaning on its own, or whether we must keep mining our memories of an embodied shared reality to bridge this gap.”\n\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-11T17:12:50-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/11/drew-austin-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/11/a-new-cannonball.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/speeding-tickets-cars-coronavirus.html\">A new cannonball run record set</a> - a surprise and unintentended consequence of pandemic and shutting down the economy. It’s now much easier to drive a car really fast from New York to Los Angeles. The new record is just a few hours over a day.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[A new cannonball run record set](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/speeding-tickets-cars-coronavirus.html) - a surprise and unintentended consequence of pandemic and shutting down the economy. It’s now much easier to drive a car really fast from New York to Los Angeles. The new record is just a few hours over a day.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-11T10:12:32-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/11/a-new-cannonball.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/09/the-majestic-monolith.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-majestic-monolith-can-become-the-citadel/\">The Majestic Monolith can become The Citadel</a> - when a function of the monolith becomes unwieldy, split off an Outpost to service that need specifically. I like to call them sidecars, because that seems more fun!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The Majestic Monolith can become The Citadel](https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-majestic-monolith-can-become-the-citadel/) - when a function of the monolith becomes unwieldy, split off an Outpost to service that need specifically. I like to call them sidecars, because that seems more fun!\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-09T05:54:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/09/the-majestic-monolith.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/08/introducing-watchsmith-i.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://david-smith.org/blog/2020/04/08/introducing-watchsmith/\">Introducing Watchsmith</a> - I love the idea of using customizable, bespoke complications to get a foot in the door of customizable Apple Watch faces. I’m trying it right now, so far so good!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Introducing Watchsmith](https://david-smith.org/blog/2020/04/08/introducing-watchsmith/) - I love the idea of using customizable, bespoke complications to get a foot in the door of customizable Apple Watch faces. I’m trying it right now, so far so good!\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-08T18:23:33-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/08/introducing-watchsmith-i.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/ever-forward-eventually.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/ever-forward-eventually-to-the-new-way/\">Ever forward, eventually, to the new way</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Ever forward, eventually, to the new way](https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/ever-forward-eventually-to-the-new-way/)\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-05T17:52:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/ever-forward-eventually.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/im-no-good.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I’m no good at photography, but Texas sunsets make it easy.</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "I’m no good at photography, but Texas sunsets make it easy.\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2020/c781b75224.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" alt=\"\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-05T17:48:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/im-no-good.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/ive-been-tinkering.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I&rsquo;ve been tinkering this weekend and <a href=\"https://andybrewer.github.io/mvp/\">MVP.css</a> may be one of my new favorite tools. Drop in some CSS and then just use HTML elements as their name would suggest. No layout, no grids, no typographical system. No classes to memorize. Build now, worry about all the other stuff later.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I've been tinkering this weekend and [MVP.css](https://andybrewer.github.io/mvp/) may be one of my new favorite tools. Drop in some CSS and then just use HTML elements as their name would suggest. No layout, no grids, no typographical system. No classes to memorize. Build now, worry about all the other stuff later.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-04-05T11:41:13-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/04/05/ive-been-tinkering.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/28/this-weekend-im.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>This weekend, I&rsquo;m revisiting some of David Perell&rsquo;s writing on writing, thinking, and aiming high. My favorites: <a href=\"https://www.perell.com/blog/why-you-should-write\">Why You Should Write</a>, <a href=\"https://www.perell.com/blog/learn-like-an-athlete\">Learn Like an Athlete</a>, <a href=\"https://www.perell.com/tweetstorms/network-writing\">Networked Writing</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "This weekend, I'm revisiting some of David Perell's writing on writing, thinking, and aiming high. My favorites: [Why You Should Write](https://www.perell.com/blog/why-you-should-write), [Learn Like an Athlete](https://www.perell.com/blog/learn-like-an-athlete), [Networked Writing](https://www.perell.com/tweetstorms/network-writing).\n",
				"date_published": "2020-03-28T12:36:24-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/28/this-weekend-im.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/24/that-is-a.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>That <em>is</em> a <a href=\"http://fabiensanglard.net/the_beautiful_machine/index.html\">beautiful machine</a>. I must have a soft spot for extensive air-cooling schemes. If Windows/PCs were a thing I could get with, I would get with this hardware.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "That _is_ a [beautiful machine](http://fabiensanglard.net/the_beautiful_machine/index.html). I must have a soft spot for extensive air-cooling schemes. If Windows/PCs were a thing I could get with, I would get with this hardware.\n",
				"date_published": "2020-03-24T07:48:56-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/24/that-is-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/we-took-all.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>We took all the dogs on a walk today. Even the sixteen year old one who walks janky. I have never seen so many people out walking in our neighborhood. So that’s nice! Add that to the list of things we should considering preserving once we reach the new normal.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "We took all the dogs on a walk today. Even the sixteen year old one who walks janky. I have never seen so many people out walking in our neighborhood. So that’s nice! Add that to the list of things we should considering preserving once we reach the new normal. \n",
				"date_published": "2020-03-22T16:58:15-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/we-took-all.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/stop-the-coronavirus.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/stop-the-coronavirus-corporate-coup\">Stop the Coronavirus Corporate Coup</a>. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The aerospace giant of course wants a $60 billion bailout. Financial problems for this corporation predated the crisis, with the mismanagement that led to the 737 Max as well as defense and space products that don&rsquo;t work (I noted last July a bailout was coming). The corporation paid out $65 billion in stock buybacks and dividends over the last ten years, and it was drawing down credit lines before this crisis hit. It is highly politically connected; the board of the corporation includes Caroline Kennedy, Ronald Reagan’s Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, three Fortune 100 CEOs, a former US Trade Representative, and two Admirals, one of whom is the board’s only engineer. Using the excuse of the coronavirus, Boeing is trying to get the taxpayer to foot the bill for its errors, so it can go back to making more of them.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "[Stop the Coronavirus Corporate Coup](https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/stop-the-coronavirus-corporate-coup). I’ve got a bad feeling about this.\n\n> The aerospace giant of course wants a $60 billion bailout. Financial problems for this corporation predated the crisis, with the mismanagement that led to the 737 Max as well as defense and space products that don't work (I noted last July a bailout was coming). The corporation paid out $65 billion in stock buybacks and dividends over the last ten years, and it was drawing down credit lines before this crisis hit. It is highly politically connected; the board of the corporation includes Caroline Kennedy, Ronald Reagan’s Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, three Fortune 100 CEOs, a former US Trade Representative, and two Admirals, one of whom is the board’s only engineer. Using the excuse of the coronavirus, Boeing is trying to get the taxpayer to foot the bill for its errors, so it can go back to making more of them. \n",
				"date_published": "2020-03-22T10:59:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/stop-the-coronavirus.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/the-jazz-icon.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/24/magazine/sonny-rollins-interview.html?referringSource=articleShare\">The jazz icon Sonny Rollins knows life is a solo trip</a>. Seems like a surprisingly wise, grounded performer.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[The jazz icon Sonny Rollins knows life is a solo trip](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/24/magazine/sonny-rollins-interview.html?referringSource=articleShare). Seems like a surprisingly wise, grounded performer. \n",
				"date_published": "2020-03-22T06:32:29-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2020/03/22/the-jazz-icon.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/17/locality-module-systems.html",
				"title": "Locality, module systems, coherence",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/mfeathers/status/1188522838078218240\">Michael Feathers on locality</a> in software design:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You have locality when you don&rsquo;t have to look beyond your gaze to understand how you are affected or how you affect.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I find languages with a strong module system (Rust, Clojure, sometimes ES6-by-the-books) make each source file more coherent and easier to read than languages where methods or state have more sophisticated/powerful lookup schemes (Ruby, React-flavored ES6).</p>\n<p>Plus, strong module systems seem to come with the side benefit of encouraging us to make up names for the functions and state we import, again improving coherence and readability.</p>\n<p>A strong sense of locality, module systems, and coherence aren&rsquo;t in a causal relationship, but they sure do taste great together.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Michael Feathers on locality](https://twitter.com/mfeathers/status/1188522838078218240) in software design: \n\n> You have locality when you don't have to look beyond your gaze to understand how you are affected or how you affect.\n\nI find languages with a strong module system (Rust, Clojure, sometimes ES6-by-the-books) make each source file more coherent and easier to read than languages where methods or state have more sophisticated/powerful lookup schemes (Ruby, React-flavored ES6). \n\nPlus, strong module systems seem to come with the side benefit of encouraging us to make up names for the functions and state we import, again improving coherence and readability.\n\nA strong sense of locality, module systems, and coherence aren't in a causal relationship, but they sure do taste great together.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-17T16:29:44-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/17/locality-module-systems.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/the-longines-heritage.html",
				"title": "The Longines Heritage Military 1938 ",
				"content_html": "<p>The <a href=\"https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-longines-heritage-military-1938?mc_cid=3bceda9230&amp;mc_eid=1e5968a7ea\">deep-black, serene face</a> on this watch is a real winner. The numbering and proportions are also ace.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "The [deep-black, serene face](https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-longines-heritage-military-1938?mc_cid=3bceda9230&mc_eid=1e5968a7ea) on this watch is a real winner. The numbering and proportions are also ace.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-16T15:11:00-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/the-longines-heritage.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/i-guess-brian.html",
				"title": "I guess Brian Wilson didn't recede into his pocket dimension after all",
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/dwj07j/oc_share_of_lead_vocals_by_each_beach_boy_on/\">Who sang lead the most on each Beach Boys album?</a> - Brian Wilson is way more active after <em>Pet Sounds</em> than I would have imagined.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Who sang lead the most on each Beach Boys album?](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/dwj07j/oc_share_of_lead_vocals_by_each_beach_boy_on/) - Brian Wilson is way more active after _Pet Sounds_ than I would have imagined.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-16T14:52:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/i-guess-brian.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/team-organization-matters.html",
				"title": "Team organization matters",
				"content_html": "<p>On <a href=\"https://rcrowley.org/2019/team-composition.html\">team composition</a> and the distribution of higher/lower experience team members:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Even though pretty much any team can deliver results, suboptimal team composition is still a problem.  It’s a problem when teams working on very straightforward projects take longer than necessary.  It’s a problem when teams stacked with senior engineers are neither mentoring junior engineers nor taking moonshots.  Most importantly, these problems are hard to notice because, again, everyone’s delivering results.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>Richard Crowley</li>\n</ul>\n",
				"content_text": "On [team composition](https://rcrowley.org/2019/team-composition.html) and the distribution of higher/lower experience team members:\n\n> Even though pretty much any team can deliver results, suboptimal team composition is still a problem.  It’s a problem when teams working on very straightforward projects take longer than necessary.  It’s a problem when teams stacked with senior engineers are neither mentoring junior engineers nor taking moonshots.  Most importantly, these problems are hard to notice because, again, everyone’s delivering results.\n\n- Richard Crowley\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-16T07:15:19-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/16/team-organization-matters.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/14/dave-quah-made.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Dave Quah made a pretty dang good HTML &amp; CSS version of the <a href=\"https://codepen.io/Milleus/pen/XWWEKqm\">Destiny loading animation</a>. I see a lot of this thing and that’s pretty a pretty dang awesome achievement.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Dave Quah made a pretty dang good HTML & CSS version of the [Destiny loading animation](https://codepen.io/Milleus/pen/XWWEKqm). I see a lot of this thing and that’s pretty a pretty dang awesome achievement.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-14T15:48:24-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/14/dave-quah-made.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/13/i-dont-often.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I don&rsquo;t often have the need for a tiny spreadsheet on my phone, but I love everything about <a href=\"https://postlight.com/labs/tinysheet\">Tinysheet</a> by Postlight.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I don't often have the need for a tiny spreadsheet on my phone, but I love everything about [Tinysheet](https://postlight.com/labs/tinysheet) by Postlight.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-13T06:21:12-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/13/i-dont-often.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/13/how-dj-premier.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/how-dj-premier-changed-hip-hop.html\">How DJ Premier Changed Hip-Hop</a> - I did not realize he&rsquo;s the producer on so many tracks. Particularly, Nas (&ldquo;New York State of Mind&rdquo;, even), D&rsquo;Angelo, and (checks notes) Christina Aguilera.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[How DJ Premier Changed Hip-Hop](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/how-dj-premier-changed-hip-hop.html) - I did not realize he's the producer on so many tracks. Particularly, Nas (\"New York State of Mind\", even), D'Angelo, and (checks notes) Christina Aguilera.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-13T06:15:07-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/13/how-dj-premier.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/11/the-desirable-qualities.html",
				"title": "The desirable qualities of good tests",
				"content_html": "<p>I often say that learning test-driven development is comparable to learning a whole other programming language. The practice of TDD is a mirror world of depth and trade-offs. Kent Beck underscores that depth in listing all [the desirable qualities of good tests], some of which are at tension with each other. Tests aren’t the easiest thing to get right, but there’s no better way to improve your design skills than to wrestle with the feedback loop of writing tests for the code you’re currently working on.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I often say that learning test-driven development is comparable to learning a whole other programming language. The practice of TDD is a mirror world of depth and trade-offs. Kent Beck underscores that depth in listing all [the desirable qualities of good tests], some of which are at tension with each other. Tests aren’t the easiest thing to get right, but there’s no better way to improve your design skills than to wrestle with the feedback loop of writing tests for the code you’re currently working on.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-11T06:06:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/11/the-desirable-qualities.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/10/i-just-wrote.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>‪I just wrote &lsquo;Automotive form, Eddie Murphy, DC, the Goodfellas/My Blue Heaven connection&rsquo;. <a href=\"https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/automotive-form-eddie-murphy-dc-the-goodfellasmy/\">buttondown.email/therealad&hellip;</a>‬</p>\n",
				"content_text": "‪I just wrote 'Automotive form, Eddie Murphy, DC, the Goodfellas/My Blue Heaven connection'. [buttondown.email/therealad...](https://buttondown.email/therealadam/archive/automotive-form-eddie-murphy-dc-the-goodfellasmy/)‬\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-10T10:44:59-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/10/i-just-wrote.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/10/the-fulltext-search.html",
				"title": "The full-text search future we were promised",
				"content_html": "<p>I&rsquo;ve been reorganizing some notes and considering moving specific topics/tags out of Bear. Turns out I can search across Bear, OmniOutliner, Ulysses, and random text files on my Mac w/ Spotlight pretty well now. Just type in a few words I vaguely recall and boom I’m there. That&rsquo;s a promising development, the future we were promised!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I've been reorganizing some notes and considering moving specific topics/tags out of Bear. Turns out I can search across Bear, OmniOutliner, Ulysses, and random text files on my Mac w/ Spotlight pretty well now. Just type in a few words I vaguely recall and boom I’m there. That's a promising development, the future we were promised!\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-10T10:05:13-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/10/the-fulltext-search.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/09/a-great-twitter.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>A great <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nmsanchez/status/1191829481180155904\">Twitter thread</a> on the importance of training managers. It boggles my mind we just throw so many people in the leadership pool and hope for the best. Every manager had a manager at some point! Why did we only start writing it down in the past few years? 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️</p>\n",
				"content_text": "A great [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/nmsanchez/status/1191829481180155904) on the importance of training managers. It boggles my mind we just throw so many people in the leadership pool and hope for the best. Every manager had a manager at some point! Why did we only start writing it down in the past few years? 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️\n",
				"date_published": "2019-11-09T14:50:43-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/11/09/a-great-twitter.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/08/13/current-obsession-the.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Current obsession: the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_962\">Porsche 962</a> racecar. A spacecar GT/LeMans design. Bubble-esque cockpit, ground-effect body. It won some races. A <a href=\"https://canepa.com/1985-porsche-962c/\">great shape with the body panels on or off</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Current obsession: the [Porsche 962](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_962) racecar. A spacecar GT/LeMans design. Bubble-esque cockpit, ground-effect body. It won some races. A [great shape with the body panels on or off](https://canepa.com/1985-porsche-962c/).\n",
				"date_published": "2019-08-13T05:32:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/08/13/current-obsession-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/07/18/personal-choices-outperform.html",
				"title": "Personal choices outperform technology choices",
				"content_html": "<p>This dinger at the end of <a href=\"https://nshipster.com/wwdc-2019/\">Mattt&rsquo;s WWDC wrap-up</a> is everything:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Taking care of yourself — sleeping enough, eating right, exercising regularly — will do more to improve your productivity than any language or framework out there. Your ability to communicate and collaborate with others will always be a better predictor of success than your choice of technology stack. Your relationships with others are the most significant factors of success and happiness in life.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "This dinger at the end of [Mattt's WWDC wrap-up](https://nshipster.com/wwdc-2019/) is everything:\n\n> Taking care of yourself — sleeping enough, eating right, exercising regularly — will do more to improve your productivity than any language or framework out there. Your ability to communicate and collaborate with others will always be a better predictor of success than your choice of technology stack. Your relationships with others are the most significant factors of success and happiness in life.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-07-18T05:40:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/07/18/personal-choices-outperform.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/29/when-the-db.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Data, it turns out, is far more valuable than code. Google and Facebook are unprecedented in economic history because of the data they&#8217;ve amassed; their applications, languages, and vast infrastructure merely enable the data. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://blog.jessitron.com/2019/06/27/when-the-db-is-the-interface/\">When the db is the interface – Jessitron</a>: &#8220;There are two huge sources of inertia in software: data, and interfaces.&#8221; Therefore, it makes sense, as Jessica points out, that 1) databases are the interface that matter most in your system and 2) a few patterns of databases and interactions thereof can make the difference between an evolvable system and one that grows from unwieldy to untenable.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-29T12:54:02-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/29/when-the-db.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/23/do-something-syndrome.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://fs.blog/2015/06/do-something-syndrome/\">Do Something Syndrome: When Movement Trumps Results</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.</blockquote>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-23T09:51:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/23/do-something-syndrome.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/21/til-that-codemod.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>TIL that <!-- raw HTML omitted -->codemod<!-- raw HTML omitted --> is a (Python, target language agnostic) thing for doing large-scale find/replace refactorings in code bases, <!-- raw HTML omitted -->react-codemod<!-- raw HTML omitted --> is a tool for doing the same specifically for React APIs and idioms, based on <!-- raw HTML omitted -->jscodeshift<!-- raw HTML omitted --> for doing large-scale refactorings specifically on JS codebases. All come from Facebook. This is not at all confusing.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "TIL that <a href=\"https://github.com/facebook/codemod\">codemod</a> is a (Python, target language agnostic) thing for doing large-scale find/replace refactorings in code bases, <a href=\"https://github.com/reactjs/react-codemod\">react-codemod</a> is a tool for doing the same specifically for React APIs and idioms, based on <a href=\"https://github.com/facebook/jscodeshift\">jscodeshift</a> for doing large-scale refactorings specifically on JS codebases. All come from Facebook. This is not at all confusing.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-21T12:37:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/21/til-that-codemod.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/21/deray-mckesson-from.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/deray\">DeRay McKesson</a> from <a href=\"https://twitter.com/deray/status/947892677768613889\">January 1, 2018</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\"I’ve found that the people who “play all sides” eventually get played in the end. The world does not need you to pretend to be a neutral party on everything. Stand for the things & people you believe in.\"</blockquote>\n\n<p>Wise words that are going to apply for a long while as we work through our weird, often dismal world.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-21T05:48:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/21/deray-mckesson-from.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/19/jessica-kerr-the.html",
				
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>Jessica Kerr - <a href=\"https://medium.com/@jessitron/the-future-of-software-complexity-a4d4d663653f\">the future of software: complexity</a>: &#8220;Complexity: Fight it, or fight through it, or embrace it? Yes.&#8221; On leverage, the intellectually rewarding kind of software complexity, and tackling accidental software complexity.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-19T05:40:26-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/19/jessica-kerr-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/15/craig-mod-on.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://craigmod.com/roden/027/\">Craig Mod, on returning to the internet after forty days without</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Strong net connection burbling up above, smartphone in hand, put the right apps on the thing and we are all Odysseuses. Except we didn’t strap ourselves to the mast of our ship, we walked straight up to those beautiful singing bird-women and handcuffed ourselves to Thelxinoe’s silken leg.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "[Craig Mod, on returning to the internet after forty days without](https://craigmod.com/roden/027/):\n\n> Strong net connection burbling up above, smartphone in hand, put the right apps on the thing and we are all Odysseuses. Except we didn’t strap ourselves to the mast of our ship, we walked straight up to those beautiful singing bird-women and handcuffed ourselves to Thelxinoe’s silken leg.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-15T13:02:19-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/15/craig-mod-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/12/thea-flowers-from.html",
				"title": "Thea Flowers - From API keys to tamper-proof encryption",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<p>I didn&#8217;t expect <a href=\"https://twitter.com/theavalkyrie\">Thea Flowers&#8217;</a> <a href=\"https://blog.thea.codes/building-a-stateless-api-proxy/\">Building a stateless API proxy</a> to end up explaining public-key cryptography and motivating JSON Web Tokens (JWT) from first principles. But it did! Great read.</p>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-12T05:39:30-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/12/thea-flowers-from.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/12/im-the-bug.html",
				"title": "I'm the bug",
				"content_html": "<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "<ol>\n<li>Write about <a href=\"https://therealadam.com/2019/05/28/these-are-computers-i-know-this/\">how computer programs are fun to solve and everyone can solve programming problems</a></li>\n<li>Run into a computer program that involves multiple black boxes in multiple computer programs you can&#8217;t look at the source code for, find good docs, or ask a human about</li>\n<li>Sometimes you&#8217;re the bug, sometimes you&#8217;re the windshield</li>\n</ol>\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-12T05:29:47-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/12/im-the-bug.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/01/zdog-is-d.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://zzz.dog/\">zDog</a> is 3-D rendering and animation with ~2k lines of JavaScript and only rectangles/spheres. I’m extremely impressed. This is the kind of playful but compelling technology I wish was more prevalent in the world.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[zDog](https://zzz.dog/) is 3-D rendering and animation with ~2k lines of JavaScript and only rectangles/spheres. I’m extremely impressed. This is the kind of playful but compelling technology I wish was more prevalent in the world.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-06-01T13:28:42-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/06/01/zdog-is-d.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/28/if-time-is.html",
				"title": "If time is money, investing time in your tests can save money",
				"content_html": "<p>Sam Saffron - <a href=\"https://samsaffron.com/archive/2019/05/15/tests-that-sometimes-fail\">Tests that sometimes fail</a>. Fantastic advice on maintaining a test suite over time. A test suite is either an albatross or an asset, depending on the quality of effort your team invests.  Via <a href=\"https://benbailey.me\">Ben Bailey</a>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Sam Saffron - [Tests that sometimes fail](https://samsaffron.com/archive/2019/05/15/tests-that-sometimes-fail). Fantastic advice on maintaining a test suite over time. A test suite is either an albatross or an asset, depending on the quality of effort your team invests.  Via [Ben Bailey](https://benbailey.me).\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-28T15:47:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/28/if-time-is.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/28/i-dont-know.html",
				"title": "“I don’t know everything, but I can learn anything.”",
				"content_html": "<p>Rachel McQuater, <a href=\"https://spin.atomicobject.com/2017/08/29/strategies-new-developer/\">On Becoming a Wizard: Strategies for Keeping Up as a New Developer</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The difference was that wizard developers perceived problems as artifacts of error by rational humans in otherwise rational systems, whereas I perceived them as mysteries beyond my control.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Rachel McQuater, [On Becoming a Wizard: Strategies for Keeping Up as a New Developer](https://spin.atomicobject.com/2017/08/29/strategies-new-developer/):\n\n> The difference was that wizard developers perceived problems as artifacts of error by rational humans in otherwise rational systems, whereas I perceived them as mysteries beyond my control.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-28T05:41:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/28/i-dont-know.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/27/the-damn-dumbest.html",
				"title": "The damn dumbest smart kid I know",
				"content_html": "<p>Partial explanation for smart folks, like Paul Graham or Mark Zuckerberg, making consistently bad predictions - <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/how-to-predict-the-future/588040/\">The Peculiar Blindness of Experts</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In Tetlock’s 20-year study, both the broad foxes and the narrow hedgehogs were quick to let a successful prediction reinforce their beliefs. But when an outcome took them by surprise, foxes were much more likely to adjust their ideas. Hedgehogs barely budged. Some made authoritative predictions that turned out to be wildly wrong—then updated their theories in the wrong direction. They became even more convinced of the original beliefs that had led them astray. The best forecasters, by contrast, view their own ideas as hypotheses in need of testing. If they make a bet and lose, they embrace the logic of a loss just as they would the reinforcement of a win. This is called, in a word, learning.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Partial explanation for smart folks, like Paul Graham or Mark Zuckerberg, making consistently bad predictions - [The Peculiar Blindness of Experts](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/how-to-predict-the-future/588040/):\n\n> In Tetlock’s 20-year study, both the broad foxes and the narrow hedgehogs were quick to let a successful prediction reinforce their beliefs. But when an outcome took them by surprise, foxes were much more likely to adjust their ideas. Hedgehogs barely budged. Some made authoritative predictions that turned out to be wildly wrong—then updated their theories in the wrong direction. They became even more convinced of the original beliefs that had led them astray. The best forecasters, by contrast, view their own ideas as hypotheses in need of testing. If they make a bet and lose, they embrace the logic of a loss just as they would the reinforcement of a win. This is called, in a word, learning.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-27T10:21:32-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/27/the-damn-dumbest.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/25/chernobyl-on-hbo.html",
				"title": "Chernobyl on HBO",
				"content_html": "<p>We&rsquo;re three episodes into the <a href=\"https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl\"><em>Chernobyl</em> miniseries</a>. Great acting, sets, and costumes. I had no idea how much worse the historical situation could have gone. Recommend.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "We're three episodes into the [_Chernobyl_ miniseries](https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl). Great acting, sets, and costumes. I had no idea how much worse the historical situation could have gone. Recommend.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-25T06:09:59-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/25/chernobyl-on-hbo.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/24/brent-simmons-on.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://micro.inessential.com/2019/05/24/on-seeing-playdate.html\">Brent Simmons on Playdate</a> - “the thing that seems very difficult, maybe even impossible, that may fail, but is the best expression of our talent and love”</p>\n",
				"content_text": " [Brent Simmons on Playdate](https://micro.inessential.com/2019/05/24/on-seeing-playdate.html) - “the thing that seems very difficult, maybe even impossible, that may fail, but is the best expression of our talent and love”\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-24T18:15:49-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/24/brent-simmons-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/24/web-assembly-browser.html",
				"title": "Web assembly + browser editor + CDN edge = wow",
				"content_html": "<p>I&rsquo;m still impressed that the web platform has progressed to the point we can build web apps entirely in the browser with <a href=\"https://glitch.com\">Glitch</a>, <a href=\"https://codesandbox.io\">Code Sandbox</a>, and friends. That we are now starting to build web apps to run (partially) on edge CDNs (<a href=\"https://www.cloudflare.com/products/cloudflare-workers/\">Cloudflare</a>) and edit those kinds of web apps in a browser (<a href=\"https://wasm.fastlylabs.com\">Fastly Terrarium</a>) is kind of blowing my mind. (Via <a href=\"https://simonwillison.net\">Simon Willison</a>)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I'm still impressed that the web platform has progressed to the point we can build web apps entirely in the browser with [Glitch](https://glitch.com), [Code Sandbox](https://codesandbox.io), and friends. That we are now starting to build web apps to run (partially) on edge CDNs ([Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/products/cloudflare-workers/)) and edit those kinds of web apps in a browser ([Fastly Terrarium](https://wasm.fastlylabs.com)) is kind of blowing my mind. (Via [Simon Willison](https://simonwillison.net))\n",
				"date_published": "2019-05-24T06:17:27-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/05/24/web-assembly-browser.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/22/possibly-the-biggest.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Possibly the biggest upsight I&rsquo;ve had on software estimation in a while - the blowup factor: <a href=\"https://erikbern.com/2019/04/15/why-software-projects-take-longer-than-you-think-a-statistical-model.html\">erikbern.com/2019/04/1&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Possibly the biggest upsight I've had on software estimation in a while - the blowup factor: [erikbern.com/2019/04/1...](https://erikbern.com/2019/04/15/why-software-projects-take-longer-than-you-think-a-statistical-model.html)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-22T16:54:07-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/22/possibly-the-biggest.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/09/typod-graphql-as.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Typo&rsquo;d GraphQL as &ldquo;GraphSQL&rdquo; and was like &ldquo;that&rsquo;s a little on the nose there, fingers&rdquo;</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Typo'd GraphQL as \"GraphSQL\" and was like \"that's a little on the nose there, fingers\"\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-09T09:18:02-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/09/typod-graphql-as.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/08/a-nice-reminder.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>A nice reminder that our work is often more about storytelling than we think - <a href=\"https://overreacted.io/name-it-and-they-will-come/\">Name It, and They Will Come — Overreacted</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "A nice reminder that our work is often more about storytelling than we think - [Name It, and They Will Come — Overreacted](https://overreacted.io/name-it-and-they-will-come/)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-08T15:11:06-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/08/a-nice-reminder.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/04/til-vim-hybrid.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>TIL, Vim hybrid absolute + relative line numbering: <a href=\"https://jeffkreeftmeijer.com/vim-number/\">jeffkreeftmeijer.com/vim-numbe&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "TIL, Vim hybrid absolute + relative line numbering: [jeffkreeftmeijer.com/vim-numbe...](https://jeffkreeftmeijer.com/vim-number/)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-04T09:19:41-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/04/til-vim-hybrid.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/03/does-clojure-style.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Does Clojure style still rely on writing a lot of  chains of higher-order functions (with -&gt; IIRC) or have they moved on to something else?</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Does Clojure style still rely on writing a lot of  chains of higher-order functions (with -> IIRC) or have they moved on to something else?\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-03T06:07:31-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/03/does-clojure-style.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/01/sometimes-software-rewrites.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://medium.com/@herbcaudill/lessons-from-6-software-rewrite-stories-635e4c8f7c22\">Sometimes software rewrites don&rsquo;t fail</a> - if you focus on escaping a local maximum for the <em>product</em> and <em>customers</em>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Sometimes software rewrites don't fail](https://medium.com/@herbcaudill/lessons-from-6-software-rewrite-stories-635e4c8f7c22) - if you focus on escaping a local maximum for the _product_ and _customers_.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-04-01T06:05:31-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/04/01/sometimes-software-rewrites.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/31/leaning-into-the.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Leaning into the impostor syndrome here, I did a little bit of GraphQL hacking to see how the ecosystem is coming along. Not too badly! <a href=\"https://github.com/therealadam/outliner-graphql/blob/master/graph.js\">github.com/therealad&hellip;</a></p>\n<p>Also, semi-literate programming 🤓🤠💪!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Leaning into the impostor syndrome here, I did a little bit of GraphQL hacking to see how the ecosystem is coming along. Not too badly! [github.com/therealad...](https://github.com/therealadam/outliner-graphql/blob/master/graph.js)\n\nAlso, semi-literate programming 🤓🤠💪!\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-31T14:45:28-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/31/leaning-into-the.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/31/stephen-anderson-on.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Stephen Anderson on <a href=\"https://medium.com/@stephenanderson/the-future-of-design-computation-complexity-a434d2da3cd5\">The Future of Design: Computation &amp; Complexity</a>. Like everything else, its going to get more weird. But, the large-scale outcome remains the same - design is deciding which elements are essential and which elements to remove:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The real world isn’t so simple, and often has many competing goals and constraints. As a designer, what are you already doing, to help define the objectives and goals for a project? As critical as this is to teamwork, it’s the single, driving factor for machines. We can — and should — absolutely lean into defining these things. This has always been important, but will be vital as we hand over more decisions to Machine Learning.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This definitely sounds like the future…</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Now, what if I told you nothing could be designed that can’t be pitched, coded up, and released in an afternoon. Sound insane? I know of at least one company — the largest in their industry — that works this way.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>…and we have to invent a future where we solve this future we created without thinking through the ramifications:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Never before has technology allowed individuals to do more harm (or good) with such low effort.\n— Christian Beck</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>​Any practice where we can drive the iteration time to zero will end up requiring a new way of working where the computer generates a bunch of possible designs/systems/artifacts and a human applies education and intuition to determine which one to keep:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Play this out, and the role of human shifts from that of hands-on creator using software to render an idea to that of a conductor (or curator or cultivator?) working with software to explore possible options. In a sense, we develop a sort of symbiotic relationship with the machine; the machine generates possibilities that we then direct or tweak until arriving at an optimal solution. We see this playing out in nearly every industry, from manufacturing to the design of web sites to healthcare.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>​A phase transition has already happened where the most successful systems occasionally touch the lives of city-sized populations. “Scale” means the most successful systems/platforms touch entire societies and a major fraction of the human population. I missed this forest amongst the trees of frameworks, languages, and databases. I suspect leaders like Zuckerberg and Dorsey missed it amongst the trees of growth and market acquisition.</p>\n<p>Again, we have to invent a future where we fix the future we accidentally created:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What is new in all this is visibility into the scale and scope of problems we now work on — we have to ask questions about impact and outcomes. Facebook and Twitter are platforms that have changed the world. The addictive properties of Pinterest and SnapChat are changing human behavior and social interactions. We can’t treat these things like simple web apps. They aren’t.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Part of inventing the future to fix the future is thinking more about feedback loops and how small changes in forces and incentives create outsized results:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Much of the literature on formal systems thinking is dedicated to this topic of small changes. Reinforcing loops and balancing loops are the two foundational structures of systems thinking. The idea goes like this: Want to introduce a change? Don’t try to change the system (you can’t!). Instead, introduce a small change, or tweak an existing rule, then see what happens.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>More optimiscally, this last bit leads me to (continue to) think that the skills designers need aren’t so far off the skills developers need:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I’ve identified about 11 ways of being that describe design. I won’t go into them all — there’s a post coming for that. But you’ve heard me mention some of these:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frame &amp; Reframe Problems</li>\n<li>Work from Principles &amp; Values</li>\n<li>Think in Systems and Contexts</li>\n<li>Focus on Human Needs &amp; Motivations</li>\n<li>See Possible Futures (where Others See Present Realities)</li>\n<li>Thrive on Ambiguity</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n",
				"content_text": "Stephen Anderson on [The Future of Design: Computation & Complexity](https://medium.com/@stephenanderson/the-future-of-design-computation-complexity-a434d2da3cd5). Like everything else, its going to get more weird. But, the large-scale outcome remains the same - design is deciding which elements are essential and which elements to remove:\n\n> The real world isn’t so simple, and often has many competing goals and constraints. As a designer, what are you already doing, to help define the objectives and goals for a project? As critical as this is to teamwork, it’s the single, driving factor for machines. We can — and should — absolutely lean into defining these things. This has always been important, but will be vital as we hand over more decisions to Machine Learning.\n\nThis definitely sounds like the future…\n\n> Now, what if I told you nothing could be designed that can’t be pitched, coded up, and released in an afternoon. Sound insane? I know of at least one company — the largest in their industry — that works this way.\n\n…and we have to invent a future where we solve this future we created without thinking through the ramifications:\n\n> Never before has technology allowed individuals to do more harm (or good) with such low effort.\n> — Christian Beck\n\n​Any practice where we can drive the iteration time to zero will end up requiring a new way of working where the computer generates a bunch of possible designs/systems/artifacts and a human applies education and intuition to determine which one to keep:\n\n> Play this out, and the role of human shifts from that of hands-on creator using software to render an idea to that of a conductor (or curator or cultivator?) working with software to explore possible options. In a sense, we develop a sort of symbiotic relationship with the machine; the machine generates possibilities that we then direct or tweak until arriving at an optimal solution. We see this playing out in nearly every industry, from manufacturing to the design of web sites to healthcare.\n\n​A phase transition has already happened where the most successful systems occasionally touch the lives of city-sized populations. “Scale” means the most successful systems/platforms touch entire societies and a major fraction of the human population. I missed this forest amongst the trees of frameworks, languages, and databases. I suspect leaders like Zuckerberg and Dorsey missed it amongst the trees of growth and market acquisition. \n\nAgain, we have to invent a future where we fix the future we accidentally created:\n\n> What is new in all this is visibility into the scale and scope of problems we now work on — we have to ask questions about impact and outcomes. Facebook and Twitter are platforms that have changed the world. The addictive properties of Pinterest and SnapChat are changing human behavior and social interactions. We can’t treat these things like simple web apps. They aren’t.\n\nPart of inventing the future to fix the future is thinking more about feedback loops and how small changes in forces and incentives create outsized results:\n\n> Much of the literature on formal systems thinking is dedicated to this topic of small changes. Reinforcing loops and balancing loops are the two foundational structures of systems thinking. The idea goes like this: Want to introduce a change? Don’t try to change the system (you can’t!). Instead, introduce a small change, or tweak an existing rule, then see what happens.\n\nMore optimiscally, this last bit leads me to (continue to) think that the skills designers need aren’t so far off the skills developers need:\n\n> I’ve identified about 11 ways of being that describe design. I won’t go into them all — there’s a post coming for that. But you’ve heard me mention some of these:\n> \n> - Frame & Reframe Problems\n> - Work from Principles & Values\n> - Think in Systems and Contexts\n> - Focus on Human Needs & Motivations\n> - See Possible Futures (where Others See Present Realities)\n> - Thrive on Ambiguity\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-31T13:00:07-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/31/stephen-anderson-on.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/29/since-i-can.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Since I can never remember their individual names, it&rsquo;d help me a lot if all pugs were named &ldquo;Puggers&rdquo; from here on out. &ldquo;Mugsy&rdquo; would also be acceptable, but I might get them confused for bulldogs idk.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Since I can never remember their individual names, it'd help me a lot if all pugs were named \"Puggers\" from here on out. \"Mugsy\" would also be acceptable, but I might get them confused for bulldogs idk.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-29T12:00:54-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/29/since-i-can.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/29/at-least-once.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>At least once a week, I wish I could go show fourteen-year-old Adam <em>Diamonds and Pearls</em> and <em>Enter the Wu-Tang</em> so that I&rsquo;d have much better musical taste much earlier.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "At least once a week, I wish I could go show fourteen-year-old Adam _Diamonds and Pearls_ and _Enter the Wu-Tang_ so that I'd have much better musical taste much earlier.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-29T09:35:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/29/at-least-once.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/27/coding-without-a.html",
				"title": "Coding without a computer, designing without a design",
				"content_html": "<p>A thing I want to try is coding offline, per se. Without a functional computer (like a tablet). Think first. Outline and sketch a solution. Maybe pseudocode it up. Then fill it in and make it work once a “real” computer is available.</p>\n<p>Related: think first, outline/sketch a solution, only use the computer once I’m ready to build.</p>\n<p>Related related: what if frameworks like Rails, Django, etc. are scaffolds that we attach boilerplate-ish behavior to while we’re trying to figure what a program <em>really</em> wants to be? How many essay-sized programs are hiding in novel or encyclopedia-sized systems?</p>\n<p>Basically: I want to code without computers more often, and discover more program designs that are lurking within the design of a framework.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "A thing I want to try is coding offline, per se. Without a functional computer (like a tablet). Think first. Outline and sketch a solution. Maybe pseudocode it up. Then fill it in and make it work once a “real” computer is available.\n\nRelated: think first, outline/sketch a solution, only use the computer once I’m ready to build.\n\nRelated related: what if frameworks like Rails, Django, etc. are scaffolds that we attach boilerplate-ish behavior to while we’re trying to figure what a program _really_ wants to be? How many essay-sized programs are hiding in novel or encyclopedia-sized systems?\n\nBasically: I want to code without computers more often, and discover more program designs that are lurking within the design of a framework.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-27T15:08:47-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/27/coding-without-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/27/vacation-reads.html",
				"title": "Vacation reads",
				"content_html": "<p>It used to be that all the programmers were ladies. Arguably, they were higher skilled programmers since they didn&rsquo;t have little luxuries like text editors, REPLs, and online communities to problem solve with! Things were different back then, and they could be better again - <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">The Secret History of Women in Coding - The New York Times</a></p>\n<p>I finally looked into The Pudding and came upon many a delightful visual essay:  <a href=\"https://pudding.cool/projects/vocabulary/\">Rappers, sorted by the size of their vocabulary</a> and  <a href=\"https://pudding.cool/2018/02/stand-up/\">The Structure of Stand-Up Comedy</a> on the cycles in Ali Wong&rsquo;s famous set.</p>\n<p>A list of non-hacks, mostly about sleep, that might help you feel better. <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/03/top-biohacks/584584/\">7 Biohacks That Actually Work - The Atlantic</a></p>\n<p>A bit dismal: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2019/03/14/feature/the-strongmen-strike-back/\">Dictators have reemerged as the greatest threat to the liberal democratic world - The Washington Post</a>. Improvements to liberalism that could counter said rise of dictators and nationalism: <a href=\"https://www.economist.com/essay/2018/09/13/the-economist-at-175\">The Economist at 175 - Liberalism</a>.</p>\n<p>The degree to which the tradecraft of national intelligence agencies are applied in the private sector continually appalls me. But apparently its part of the game for at least one activist investor. <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/paul-singer-doomsday-investor\">Paul Singer, Doomsday Investor | The New Yorker</a> I think probably we&rsquo;re doing capitalism wrong at this point?</p>\n<p>On James Cameron. A man creatively possessed, but a crude man at a best.<a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/26/man-of-extremes\">Man of Extremes | The New Yorker</a></p>\n<p>Javier Grillo-Marxuach (<em>LOST</em> and a bunch of other stuff) on <a href=\"http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf\">running a television show</a>, but absolutely applicable to any creative leadership discipline.</p>\n<p>On <em>Barry</em>, the loveliness, and apparently the sadness that is Bill Hader.  <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/18/bill-hader-kills\">Bill Hader Kills | The New Yorker</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "It used to be that all the programmers were ladies. Arguably, they were higher skilled programmers since they didn't have little luxuries like text editors, REPLs, and online communities to problem solve with! Things were different back then, and they could be better again - [The Secret History of Women in Coding - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share)\n\nI finally looked into The Pudding and came upon many a delightful visual essay:  [Rappers, sorted by the size of their vocabulary](https://pudding.cool/projects/vocabulary/) and  [The Structure of Stand-Up Comedy](https://pudding.cool/2018/02/stand-up/) on the cycles in Ali Wong's famous set.\n\nA list of non-hacks, mostly about sleep, that might help you feel better. [7 Biohacks That Actually Work - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/03/top-biohacks/584584/)\n\n\nA bit dismal: [Dictators have reemerged as the greatest threat to the liberal democratic world - The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2019/03/14/feature/the-strongmen-strike-back/). Improvements to liberalism that could counter said rise of dictators and nationalism: [The Economist at 175 - Liberalism](https://www.economist.com/essay/2018/09/13/the-economist-at-175).\n\nThe degree to which the tradecraft of national intelligence agencies are applied in the private sector continually appalls me. But apparently its part of the game for at least one activist investor. [Paul Singer, Doomsday Investor | The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/paul-singer-doomsday-investor) I think probably we're doing capitalism wrong at this point?\n\nOn James Cameron. A man creatively possessed, but a crude man at a best.[Man of Extremes | The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/26/man-of-extremes)\n\nJavier Grillo-Marxuach (_LOST_ and a bunch of other stuff) on [running a television show](http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf), but absolutely applicable to any creative leadership discipline.\n\nOn _Barry_, the loveliness, and apparently the sadness that is Bill Hader.  [Bill Hader Kills | The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/18/bill-hader-kills)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-27T14:23:47-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/27/vacation-reads.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/21/i-think-with.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I think with my mouth. Often that means I start talking with some idea, realize that the idea isn&rsquo;t as hefty as I originally thought, and end up talking until I reach a moment of mild truth. Which often ends up being a platitude.</p>\n<p>Shutting up: it&rsquo;s a thing I&rsquo;m working on.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I think with my mouth. Often that means I start talking with some idea, realize that the idea isn't as hefty as I originally thought, and end up talking until I reach a moment of mild truth. Which often ends up being a platitude.\n\nShutting up: it's a thing I'm working on.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-21T05:44:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/21/i-think-with.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/17/in-the-world.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>In the world where data-privacy and GDPR compliance matter, owned/onsite analytics stacks like this seem promising <a href=\"https://bostata.com/post/client-side-instrumentation-for-under-one-dollar/\">bostata.com/post/clie&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "In the world where data-privacy and GDPR compliance matter, owned/onsite analytics stacks like this seem promising [bostata.com/post/clie...](https://bostata.com/post/client-side-instrumentation-for-under-one-dollar/)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-17T13:38:12-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/17/in-the-world.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/12/technologies-which-i.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Technologies which I am 🤔 about adding to a product but 🤷‍♂️ if someone has already gone through the process of setting them up and getting the developer experience right: React, Docker, ELK, (probably others)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Technologies which I am 🤔 about adding to a product but 🤷‍♂️ if someone has already gone through the process of setting them up and getting the developer experience right: React, Docker, ELK, (probably others)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-12T15:13:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/12/technologies-which-i.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/a-thing-people.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>A thing people don’t like is hearing that a foundational component of their project is mathematically impossible. Corollary: never tell people about the halting problem.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "A thing people don’t like is hearing that a foundational component of their project is mathematically impossible. Corollary: never tell people about the halting problem.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-11T06:13:25-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/a-thing-people.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/programming-languages-frameworks.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Programming languages &gt; frameworks &gt; libraries &gt; domain languages &gt; domain modeling</p>\n<p>(Things on the left are higher leverage than things on the right. Things on the right are easier to build than things on the left.)</p>\n<p>In the brief moment when I start a new application, I work from left to right. The rest of the time, I’m working right to left.</p>\n<p>It’s easy to learn languages, frameworks, and libraries in the abstract. It’s harder, for me, to find domains to model and build languages for outside of teamwork/professional contexts.</p>\n<p>I continue to suspect that developers are undervaluing the ratio of leverage to development effort of frameworks.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Programming languages > frameworks > libraries > domain languages > domain modeling\n\n(Things on the left are higher leverage than things on the right. Things on the right are easier to build than things on the left.)\n\nIn the brief moment when I start a new application, I work from left to right. The rest of the time, I’m working right to left.\n\nIt’s easy to learn languages, frameworks, and libraries in the abstract. It’s harder, for me, to find domains to model and build languages for outside of teamwork/professional contexts.\n\nI continue to suspect that developers are undervaluing the ratio of leverage to development effort of frameworks.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-11T06:01:29-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/programming-languages-frameworks.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/markets-are-eating.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/02/28/markets-are-eating-the-world/\">Markets Are Eating The World</a>. A non-obnoxious meditation on how blockchains could reduce coordination costs and makes large, corporate-like entities less necessary in the same way division of labor and technology have in the past.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Markets Are Eating The World](https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/02/28/markets-are-eating-the-world/). A non-obnoxious meditation on how blockchains could reduce coordination costs and makes large, corporate-like entities less necessary in the same way division of labor and technology have in the past.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-03-11T05:55:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/03/11/markets-are-eating.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/02/02/little-rust-learning.html",
				"title": "Little (Rust) learning victories",
				"content_html": "<p>I’m attempting to learn Rust. And really make it stick this time around. A lot of the “making it stick” part is making lists and having the discipline to stick with crossing items off them!</p>\n<p>A smaller part is figuring out how I can notch very small victories no matter how much progress I make. This is crucial because I’ve got about a half an hour each morning to work on this!</p>\n<p>My current favorite sort of small victory is to write up what I’ve learned if it doesn’t seem like I’m going to get far enough to commit new code behavior. This happens a fair bit when you’re working with a type checker after years of using a very implicit language.</p>\n<p>So far I’ve written up what I’ve learned about the web frameworks <a href=\"https://github.com/therealadam/rust-web-bakeoff/blob/master/docs/actix.md\">Nickel</a> and <a href=\"https://github.com/therealadam/rust-web-bakeoff/blob/master/docs/actix.md\">Actix</a> so far.</p>\n<p>The motivation for these little chunks of progress are the <a href=\"http://inessential.com/vespersyncdiary\">learning journals Brent Simmons has published</a> over the years.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I’m attempting to learn Rust. And really make it stick this time around. A lot of the “making it stick” part is making lists and having the discipline to stick with crossing items off them! \n\nA smaller part is figuring out how I can notch very small victories no matter how much progress I make. This is crucial because I’ve got about a half an hour each morning to work on this!\n\nMy current favorite sort of small victory is to write up what I’ve learned if it doesn’t seem like I’m going to get far enough to commit new code behavior. This happens a fair bit when you’re working with a type checker after years of using a very implicit language.\n\nSo far I’ve written up what I’ve learned about the web frameworks [Nickel](https://github.com/therealadam/rust-web-bakeoff/blob/master/docs/actix.md) and [Actix](https://github.com/therealadam/rust-web-bakeoff/blob/master/docs/actix.md) so far.\n\nThe motivation for these little chunks of progress are the [learning journals Brent Simmons has published](http://inessential.com/vespersyncdiary) over the years.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-02-02T15:46:44-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/02/02/little-rust-learning.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/15/was-way-more.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Was way more into this playlist when I thought it was &ldquo;Eels!&rdquo;</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "Was way more into this playlist when I thought it was \"Eels!\"\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2019/2b58427bb1.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"311\" alt=\"\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-15T09:57:55-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/15/was-way-more.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/pardon-the-dust.html",
				"title": "Pardon the dust, learning in progress",
				"content_html": "<p>I&rsquo;m trying a few things while I learn how <a href=\"https://github.com/therealadam/rusty-ray\">ray-tracers work</a>:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>learning Rust and graphics programming</li>\n<li>collecting my thoughts and discoveries in the repo, aka blogging</li>\n<li>doing it all in public, rather than a private repo</li>\n<li>tackling very math-y programming and domain problems, despite my lack of acumen in the area</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Brought to you by: more folks should do blogging-like things, even if it’s not entirely on their own platform or using blog-software <strong>and</strong> more veteran programmers should be naive and not know everything <em>in public</em>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "I'm trying a few things while I learn how [ray-tracers work](https://github.com/therealadam/rusty-ray):\n\n- learning Rust and graphics programming\n- collecting my thoughts and discoveries in the repo, aka blogging\n- doing it all in public, rather than a private repo\n- tackling very math-y programming and domain problems, despite my lack of acumen in the area\n\nBrought to you by: more folks should do blogging-like things, even if it’s not entirely on their own platform or using blog-software **and** more veteran programmers should be naive and not know everything _in public_.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-13T14:56:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/pardon-the-dust.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/its-true-that.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>It&rsquo;s true that Twitter took some air out of blogging. I suspect it’s also true that they formed a positive feedback loop when they overlapped. Longer-form writing informed tweets, tweets responded to or inspired longer-form writing. We can have our tweets and eat blogs too!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "It's true that Twitter took some air out of blogging. I suspect it’s also true that they formed a positive feedback loop when they overlapped. Longer-form writing informed tweets, tweets responded to or inspired longer-form writing. We can have our tweets and eat blogs too!\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-13T14:10:39-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/its-true-that.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/listening-to-a.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Listening to a DJ live set and it opens with the whitest, most English version of a 90’s hip-hop sketch I’ve ever heard. This person learned the exactly wrong lesson of possibly every album after <em>3 Feet High and Rising</em>.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Listening to a DJ live set and it opens with the whitest, most English version of a 90’s hip-hop sketch I’ve ever heard. This person learned the exactly wrong lesson of possibly every album after _3 Feet High and Rising_.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-13T13:56:19-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/listening-to-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/gil-scott-heron.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Gil! Scott! Heron! <strong>man crush on LCD Soundsystem intensifies</strong> <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/losing-my-edge-live-at-madison-square-garden/869319713?i=869319791\">itunes.apple.com/us/album/&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Gil! Scott! Heron! **man crush on LCD Soundsystem intensifies** [itunes.apple.com/us/album/...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/losing-my-edge-live-at-madison-square-garden/869319713?i=869319791)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-13T13:06:07-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/13/gil-scott-heron.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/12/why-blogs-are.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Why blogs are still lovely, part fourteen: <a href=\"https://shawnblanc.net/2019/01/snow-day-2/\">shawnblanc.net/2019/01/s&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Why blogs are still lovely, part fourteen: [shawnblanc.net/2019/01/s...](https://shawnblanc.net/2019/01/snow-day-2/)\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-12T14:22:25-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/12/why-blogs-are.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/08/corollaries-to-new.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Corollaries to “new languages won&rsquo;t achieve career-sustaining critical mass&quot;: 1) frameworks  become the important point of leverage 2) framework/language harmony or outright integration ala Elm or Erlang become even more important.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Corollaries to “new languages won't achieve career-sustaining critical mass\": 1) frameworks  become the important point of leverage 2) framework/language harmony or outright integration ala Elm or Erlang become even more important.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-08T06:36:48-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/08/corollaries-to-new.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/07/long-bet-java.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Long bet: Java, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and C# will be the last languages that achieve a critical mass such that they can sustain developers through their whole career. From here on out, it’s a melting pot of framework and technology choices.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Long bet: Java, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and C# will be the last languages that achieve a critical mass such that they can sustain developers through their whole career. From here on out, it’s a melting pot of framework and technology choices.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-07T06:40:06-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/07/long-bet-java.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/03/increasingly-convinced-houses.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Increasingly convinced houses only exist in two states: brand new and invisibly needing repair, lived in and visibly needing multiple repairs. This adage may apply to societies too.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Increasingly convinced houses only exist in two states: brand new and invisibly needing repair, lived in and visibly needing multiple repairs. This adage may apply to societies too.\n",
				"date_published": "2019-01-03T16:39:53-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2019/01/03/increasingly-convinced-houses.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/27/who-has-two.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Who has two thumbs and is pretty excited for Enumerable#to_h and the proc composition/chaining stuff in Ruby 2.6! 👍👍</p>\n<p><a href=\"http://anamaria.martinezgomez.name/2018/12/21/ruby2_6.html\">anamaria.martinezgomez.name/2018/12/2&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Who has two thumbs and is pretty excited for Enumerable#to_h and the proc composition/chaining stuff in Ruby 2.6! 👍👍\n\n[anamaria.martinezgomez.name/2018/12/2...](http://anamaria.martinezgomez.name/2018/12/21/ruby2_6.html)\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-27T13:22:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/27/who-has-two.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/26/which-came-first.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Which came first: the theory of productivity or the Singularly Great Work?</p>\n<p>Point: GTD and XP are both based on what worked Really Well for One Singularly Productrive person.\nCounterpoint: we all need our own theory of what might work for us personally before we get started.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Which came first: the theory of productivity or the Singularly Great Work?\n\nPoint: GTD and XP are both based on what worked Really Well for One Singularly Productrive person.\nCounterpoint: we all need our own theory of what might work for us personally before we get started.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-26T10:13:59-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/26/which-came-first.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/13/in-honor-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>In honor of Ms. Jackson&rsquo;s imminent induction into the Rock Hall of Fame: is <em>Rhythm Nation 1814</em> a concept album? 🤔 ✋🖐️✋</p>\n",
				"content_text": "In honor of Ms. Jackson's imminent induction into the Rock Hall of Fame: is _Rhythm Nation 1814_ a concept album? 🤔 ✋🖐️✋\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-13T10:40:13-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/13/in-honor-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/06/fortnite-creative-looks.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p><a href=\"https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news/creative\">Fortnite Creative</a> looks like a combination of private servers and exposing most of the map building tools through a clever game item. Seeing as how nothing in Fortnite should work, on paper, I’m excited to see what folks do with it!</p>\n",
				"content_text": "[Fortnite Creative](https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news/creative) looks like a combination of private servers and exposing most of the map building tools through a clever game item. Seeing as how nothing in Fortnite should work, on paper, I’m excited to see what folks do with it!\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-05T20:32:49-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/05/fortnite-creative-looks.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/04/in-lieu-of.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>In lieu of coffee, I took a five minute walk yesterday when I hit the mid-afternoon groginess. This was at least as effective, if not more than a coffee. 100% success rate, would recommend! 😉</p>\n",
				"content_text": "In lieu of coffee, I took a five minute walk yesterday when I hit the mid-afternoon groginess. This was at least as effective, if not more than a coffee. 100% success rate, would recommend! 😉\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-04T10:33:34-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/04/in-lieu-of.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/01/i-like-how.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>I like how the module systems in ES6 and Clojure solve the “where the heck did this function come from?&quot; problem. I&rsquo;m optimistic that adding some kind of module system to Ruby can make working with Rails and large apps even more pleasant!</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/ciconia/modulation\">github.com/ciconia/m&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "I like how the module systems in ES6 and Clojure solve the “where the heck did this function come from?\" problem. I'm optimistic that adding some kind of module system to Ruby can make working with Rails and large apps even more pleasant!\n\n[github.com/ciconia/m...](https://github.com/ciconia/modulation)\n",
				"date_published": "2018-12-01T14:19:17-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/12/01/i-like-how.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/25/the-new-yorkers.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>The New Yorker&rsquo;s “Touchstones” essays on classic albums are quite good. The inline samples of <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/touchstones/an-appreciation-of-missy-elliotts-1997-album-supa-dupa-fly\">Missy Elliott’s musical references</a> and supercuts of other artists borrowing <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/touchstones/an-appreciation-of-janet-jacksons-1989-album-rhythm-nation-1814\">Janet Jackson&rsquo;s chair dance</a> are a great evolution of online music writing. (There&rsquo;s also one on Nirvana 🤷‍♂️)</p>\n",
				"content_text": "The New Yorker's “Touchstones” essays on classic albums are quite good. The inline samples of [Missy Elliott’s musical references](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/touchstones/an-appreciation-of-missy-elliotts-1997-album-supa-dupa-fly) and supercuts of other artists borrowing [Janet Jackson's chair dance](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/touchstones/an-appreciation-of-janet-jacksons-1989-album-rhythm-nation-1814) are a great evolution of online music writing. (There's also one on Nirvana 🤷‍♂️)\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-25T14:08:46-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/25/the-new-yorkers.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/18/wherein-a-mind.html",
				"title": "Wherein a mind is kept clear(er)",
				"content_html": "<p>A couple things making me feel more productive lately:</p>\n<p><strong>Jot down a theme for the day</strong>: at the beginning or end of the day, I make up some kind of near-platitude to help me focus and get stuff done. Recently: “Hack like a writer”, “Finish like a shipper”, “Focus on code”. They&rsquo;re a bit hustle-y, nearly cringe-y, and function only to get me back on track should I field a bunch of curveballs.</p>\n<p><strong>“Sync&quot; written notes to a daily page</strong>: usually after lunch and before I wrap up work for the day, I transcribe any notes/sketches/todos/etc. I wrote down, on pen and paper, to a note (in <a href=\"https://bear.app\">Bear</a>). This seems to help me keep a clear head and not get overwhelmed on hectic days.</p>\n<p>A couple things that feel right but haven&rsquo;t &ldquo;stuck&rdquo; as habits yet:</p>\n<p><strong>Set out clothes for tomorrow before I go to bed</strong>: check the weather, set out what I&rsquo;ll wear tomorrow. I often forget, but when I don&rsquo;t I thank myself the next day.</p>\n<p><strong>One big thing, a dozen or so little things</strong>: I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll go so far as eschewing a productivity/todo app, but using <a href=\"http://randsinrepose.com/archives/one-thing/\">One Thing</a> as a guideline when organizing my tasks often helps me reduce implausible lists to tractable plans.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "A couple things making me feel more productive lately:\n\n**Jot down a theme for the day**: at the beginning or end of the day, I make up some kind of near-platitude to help me focus and get stuff done. Recently: “Hack like a writer”, “Finish like a shipper”, “Focus on code”. They're a bit hustle-y, nearly cringe-y, and function only to get me back on track should I field a bunch of curveballs.\n\n**“Sync\" written notes to a daily page**: usually after lunch and before I wrap up work for the day, I transcribe any notes/sketches/todos/etc. I wrote down, on pen and paper, to a note (in [Bear](https://bear.app)). This seems to help me keep a clear head and not get overwhelmed on hectic days.\n\nA couple things that feel right but haven't \"stuck\" as habits yet:\n\n**Set out clothes for tomorrow before I go to bed**: check the weather, set out what I'll wear tomorrow. I often forget, but when I don't I thank myself the next day.\n\n**One big thing, a dozen or so little things**: I don't think I'll go so far as eschewing a productivity/todo app, but using [One Thing](http://randsinrepose.com/archives/one-thing/) as a guideline when organizing my tasks often helps me reduce implausible lists to tractable plans.\n\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-18T13:27:12-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/18/wherein-a-mind.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/our-evil-corgi.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Our evil corgi, national champion Fran is now an evil corgi cover girl 😃😃😃</p>\n<!-- raw HTML omitted -->\n",
				"content_text": "Our evil corgi, national champion Fran is now an evil corgi cover girl 😃😃😃\n\n<img src=\"uploads/2018/7edd7117c0.jpg\" width=\"448\" height=\"600\" />\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-14T15:23:16-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/our-evil-corgi.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/bobs-what-would.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Bobs: What would you say it is you do around here?</p>\n<p>Me: I curate and repost cute animal memes from various Slacks into our company Slack&rsquo;s pets channel.</p>\n<p>Bobs: This guy&rsquo;s a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Bobs: What would you say it is you do around here?\n\nMe: I curate and repost cute animal memes from various Slacks into our company Slack's pets channel.\n\nBobs: This guy's a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-14T13:48:33-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/bobs-what-would.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/currently-enjoying-what.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Currently enjoying: <em>What Now</em> from Sylvan Esso. Love the edge on the lyrics and the shape of the synth sounds.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-now/1206174094\">itunes.apple.com/us/album/&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Currently enjoying: _What Now_ from Sylvan Esso. Love the edge on the lyrics and the shape of the synth sounds.\n\n[itunes.apple.com/us/album/...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-now/1206174094)\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-14T12:44:33-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/14/currently-enjoying-what.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/12/ruby-library-designs.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Ruby library designs based on plugins and/or extensive module composition make me worried I’m going to spend a lot of time understanding the flow of control between modules (e.g. CarrierWave, AuthLogic).</p>\n<p>I’d rather something that’s already integrated with “common” problems of coupling. I have a lot more experience troubleshooting those and don&rsquo;t have to &ldquo;play computer&rdquo; so much. 🤷‍♂️</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Ruby library designs based on plugins and/or extensive module composition make me worried I’m going to spend a lot of time understanding the flow of control between modules (e.g. CarrierWave, AuthLogic).\n\nI’d rather something that’s already integrated with “common” problems of coupling. I have a lot more experience troubleshooting those and don't have to \"play computer\" so much. 🤷‍♂️\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-12T09:04:33-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/12/ruby-library-designs.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/its-never-a.html",
				"title": "Its never a bad time to educate the kids about their rock and roll heritage",
				"content_html": "<p>Speaking of rowdy Springsteen: found this anachronistic and slightly surprising performance of “Ramrod&quot; from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn2-b7KiWP4\">www.youtube.com/watch</a></p>\n<p>Presumably he was out promoting <em>The Rising</em>, a sincere collection of 9/11 songs. Nonetheless, I guess he decided it was a good time to educate the kids about their rock and roll heritage.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Speaking of rowdy Springsteen: found this anachronistic and slightly surprising performance of “Ramrod\" from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.\n\n[www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn2-b7KiWP4)\n\nPresumably he was out promoting _The Rising_, a sincere collection of 9/11 songs. Nonetheless, I guess he decided it was a good time to educate the kids about their rock and roll heritage.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-11T14:51:09-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/its-never-a.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/maximum-theoretical-sincerity.html",
				"title": "\"Maximum theoretical sincerity\"",
				"content_html": "<p>Pitchfork: <a href=\"https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/talking-heads-remain-in-light/?mbid=social_twitter\">Talking Head: <em>Remain in Light</em></a></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>By 1980, the conflict in music between what was thought and what was felt was in full cry. As disco continued to monopolize music you could dance to, rock reached a point of maximum theoretical sincerity. Pink Floyd’s The Wall, possibly the least ironic recording of all time, was the No. 1 album in America for 15 weeks. It was finally unseated by Bob Seger’s Against the Wind, which was knocked out of the top spot by Billy Joel’s Glass Houses. Ostensibly, these were works of deep sentiment. To a generation of punks, though, they were rock at its most bloodless and calculating.\n&hellip;\nThe central insight of Talking Heads—what made them not just weird but exciting and relevant—was that their art-house affectation felt more sincere than a lot of American culture.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Completely unrelated but somewhat adjacent: the unseen magic trick Bruce Springsteen pulls off, for me, is to thread the needle between sincere storytelling, grandiose maximalism, and bar band raucousness.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Without Afrobeat, though, there is no Remain in Light. The central role of West-African polyrhythms in the album’s sound draws attention to a curious aspect of its longevity. Could a group of white musicians playing Afrobeat be taken sincerely in 2018? Virtually every genre of American music, including punk and especially rock, is taken from black forms. Afrobeat is not African-American, though; it’s straight-up African. The 21st-century sensibility finds something problematic in a band of white art-school types playing West African music. Earlier this year, the Beninese musician Angelique Kidjo released her own version of Remain in Light, which NPR described as “an authentic Afrobeat record” compared to the original. Given how closely Kidjo followed the Talking Heads’ arrangements, this description raises questions about what we mean when we say “authentic.”</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a great review and a pretty good read.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Pitchfork: [Talking Head: _Remain in Light_](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/talking-heads-remain-in-light/?mbid=social_twitter)\n\n> By 1980, the conflict in music between what was thought and what was felt was in full cry. As disco continued to monopolize music you could dance to, rock reached a point of maximum theoretical sincerity. Pink Floyd’s The Wall, possibly the least ironic recording of all time, was the No. 1 album in America for 15 weeks. It was finally unseated by Bob Seger’s Against the Wind, which was knocked out of the top spot by Billy Joel’s Glass Houses. Ostensibly, these were works of deep sentiment. To a generation of punks, though, they were rock at its most bloodless and calculating.\n> ...\n> The central insight of Talking Heads—what made them not just weird but exciting and relevant—was that their art-house affectation felt more sincere than a lot of American culture.\n\nCompletely unrelated but somewhat adjacent: the unseen magic trick Bruce Springsteen pulls off, for me, is to thread the needle between sincere storytelling, grandiose maximalism, and bar band raucousness.\n\n> Without Afrobeat, though, there is no Remain in Light. The central role of West-African polyrhythms in the album’s sound draws attention to a curious aspect of its longevity. Could a group of white musicians playing Afrobeat be taken sincerely in 2018? Virtually every genre of American music, including punk and especially rock, is taken from black forms. Afrobeat is not African-American, though; it’s straight-up African. The 21st-century sensibility finds something problematic in a band of white art-school types playing West African music. Earlier this year, the Beninese musician Angelique Kidjo released her own version of Remain in Light, which NPR described as “an authentic Afrobeat record” compared to the original. Given how closely Kidjo followed the Talking Heads’ arrangements, this description raises questions about what we mean when we say “authentic.”\n\nThis is a great review and a pretty good read.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-11T14:24:50-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/maximum-theoretical-sincerity.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/elvis-costello-is.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Elvis Costello is a jewel unstuck in time, simultaneously timeless and of his time. His most recent album, no exception. <a href=\"https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-the-imposters-look-now/\">pitchfork.com/reviews/a&hellip;</a></p>\n",
				"content_text": "Elvis Costello is a jewel unstuck in time, simultaneously timeless and of his time. His most recent album, no exception. [pitchfork.com/reviews/a...](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-the-imposters-look-now/)\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-11T14:02:37-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/11/elvis-costello-is.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/10/seth-godin-get.html",
				"title": "Wherein writing the dang memo is the easy part",
				"content_html": "<p>Seth Godin, <a href=\"https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/579463060/0/sethsblog~Get-your-memo-read/\">Get your memo read</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The unanticipated but important memo has a difficult road. It will likely be ignored.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I find this is one of the unexpected challenges of taking on engineering leadership responsibilities. First off, you have to do all the writing things right: use a clear and concise subject, say all the important things up front (probably in bullets!), and develop the important details in thoughtful prose. Even if you nail it there, some people just won&rsquo;t read, retain, and/or care about the information you have conveyed to them.</p>\n<p>Hence: Always Be Repeating Yourself. Always.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Seth Godin, [Get your memo read](https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/579463060/0/sethsblog~Get-your-memo-read/):\n\n> The unanticipated but important memo has a difficult road. It will likely be ignored.\n\nI find this is one of the unexpected challenges of taking on engineering leadership responsibilities. First off, you have to do all the writing things right: use a clear and concise subject, say all the important things up front (probably in bullets!), and develop the important details in thoughtful prose. Even if you nail it there, some people just won't read, retain, and/or care about the information you have conveyed to them.\n\nHence: Always Be Repeating Yourself. Always.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-10T13:30:18-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/10/seth-godin-get.html"
			},
			{
				"id": "http://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/10/now-i-am.html",
				
				"content_html": "<p>Now <em>I am the one</em> who microblogs.</p>\n",
				"content_text": "Now _I am the one_ who microblogs.\n",
				"date_published": "2018-11-10T08:32:11-07:00",
				"url": "https://therealadam.micro.blog/2018/11/10/now-i-am.html"
			}
	]
}