Had a dream last night about driving through the Snowqualmie Pass in central Washington State. I remember it being very beautiful. Reminded me of a conference I went to in 2019. Look forward to visiting WA again someday soon.
Ever feel like the authour is trying to pick a fight with you, Dear Reader?
There are two words after a person says “Don’t worry…” which trigger the opposite response in me and those are “… I’m armed!”
(currently reading 2666 and this is how he ends a chapter. 😊)
This photo came up in my memories: a massive tapestry that took 1.5 years to complete and depicts 38 kinds of flowers. I wrote a bit about the Kyoto State Guest House a few years ago (with photos of its many modern treasures)
Archery in my Uposatha clothing 😅
Pide time!
Started The Common Good Economy by Mariana Mazzucato 📚
Already have a ton of notes just from the first two chapters!
Academic paper roundup on slop, brainrot, and enshittification
The European Journal of Cultural Studies released a Cultural Commons special issue titled Brainrot, AI slop, and the enshittification of the Internet. From the abstract: What we will suggest is that the terms brainrot, AI slop, and enshittification signal a new phase of digital capitalism—one emerging in the wake of generative AI’s widespread integration into the foundations of platform culture. These concepts, we argue, exemplify a further intensification of what has been described as ‘platform capitalism’ (Srnicek, 2016) or, more recently, ‘vibes’ capitalism (James, 2025), where attention, data, and affect are relentlessly mined for value.
Spent the day at the pow wow
Just before my very last semester of uni I borrowed money to fly to Japan and rescue my long-distance relationship. Was supposed to be only 7 days. Patched things up (we married!) but then all airports shut down and I was stuck. Got a job at a local uni as a translator. 25 years ago today.
Wow this takes me back: defrag98.com
(🔉 sound on)
Went to the new local cafe to do some reading and think I may have overdone it.
Started Soil and Soul by Alastair McIntosh 📚
Been going through the citations of @kissane.bsky.social | @kissane@mas.to’s #ATmosphereConf 2025 talk on “vernacular institutions”
So now my device OS spread is fully maximized:
- Mac Studio: macOS
- iPhone 13: iOS
- iPad Pro: iPadOS
- Boox Go: Android
- MacBook Air: Fedora
- Kindle: Kindle OS
Immediately had to switch to Gnome. So I am now setup with Zen Browser, Bitwarden, Obsidian, Fastmail, all syncing. This is a good setup for my away missions into Z-Space. Just need to sort out the key bindings and I will feel productive.
I migrated from 1Password to BitWarden, installed Linux on my MacBook, then went for a walk in the forest around the lake with the fam. How is your Labour Day weekend going?
Finished Capitalist Realism Is There No Alternative? 📚
Wish I’d read this when it came out but tbh I don’t think I would have got it at the time. Can see why it was popular, but also why it was dismissed. Don’t usually read “cultural criticism” but was a fun lens to explore political philosophy
Made it to 100 pages of 893 in 2666 by Roberto Bolaño 📚
Wow, the detail, the sidebars, the swerves and yaw. I can see how this could be tiring, but so far loving it.
Surgery complete. Now officially a cyborg. (Unfortunately not a centaur)
Back on my archery shi 🏹
