I recently, not for the first or last time, deleted the Instagram app off my phone. My attention span has been shrinking. I'm tired of my attention not only being sold to grifters trying to sell me things I don't need but of my attention itself being a commodity sold by a right-wing billionaire. That's not fun! I've heard it argued that if you're not paying for a product in the attention economy then you are the product. Not great.
It's sad because social media used to be fun. You took some pictures on a weekend trip? Put it in a facebook album called "Weekend shore trip." Five of your friends say it looks like you had fun. That's a cool looking bird. You say why yes, I did have fun. There were lots of cool looking birds I didn't get pictures of too. I love farting around and sharing little joys with others. Now Instagram is a series of ads, tiny blips of contextless entertainment, uncensored images of horrific massacres, and wouldn't you like to buy these outdoorsy shorts or this funny t-shirt? I feel tired after scrolling through it. The tragedy of so many addictions is the addictive substance isn't even fun anymore.
Blogs are fun. I've been reading blogs lately. I type in the url of the blog I like. The blogger has not written a new post. I close the window. I step outside. I see a squirrel falling off a tall sunflower stalk. No endless scroll, no ads, just the words and images some person thought were worth sharing. Like a book on the coffee table, a blog does not intrude into my life uninvited.
Welcome to my blog.
I do not promise it will be worthwhile, have a consistent theme, a regular publication schedule, or a purpose. You are free to leave.
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My friend Anna turned 40 recently. She rented a cabin and we hung out, shared food, drank beer, clambered up some rocks, looked at fungus, watched some birds. It was nice to see she has so many friends. Some people don't. I'm lucky I do too. Naomi and I camped in a tent with the kids. The night-times were rough. I got an inflatable king-size mattress and tried to go full car-camping mode. It was just too damn cold though. Francis insisted on spooning in my sleeping bag the first night then I got this horrific leg cramp and we started writhing around like a two-headed worm, one head groaning in discomfort, the other in displeasure at being awoken. This ruckus woke up Mary and Naomi. Night two we all slept in a big cuddle puddle and made sure there was a layer of blanket between us and the air mattress. Much warmer that way, but still too cold. Live and learn. I went for a nice bike ride with friends Anna and Stephen.
Here's Nadia taking her bicycle for a walk across a stream. Nadia's always down for a quick ride with me and my bikier friends. A lot of my friends are In To Bikes and know the make and model of every component on their bicycles while Nadia likes the color of her bike and that it's a step-through. She has resisted offers from well-meaning mechanically inclined tinkerers to source her a higher-performing "better" bicycle. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Very possible Nadia is actually bikier than the bikey people. She certainly spends less on bicycle stuff than I do.
An 11-miler with 800 feet of climbing is a great length of ride. Usually when I'm out camping in this area we do longer hillier rides but it's great to do a ride, get back to the campsite, say, "What a nice ride. I'd like to do another ride tomorrow." Saw some deer, blue jays, flickers, woodpeckers, big Blue Heron. You don't have to completely kick your own ass. Nobody is grading you. As far as I know.
I rode my 1994 Bridgestone RB-T, a bicycle I am very emotionally attached to but which I rarely photograph because I tell myself it's not in its final form yet. I think it might be close to its final form now though so here's a photo for your viewing pleasure. It's more compact than my favorite bicycle so good for taking on the train or bus or in/on somebody's car. The greatest downfall of the long-wheelbased Atlantis is how hard it is to take places by means other than pedaling it. Fortunately I enjoy pedaling it. Non-bikey people who do not know what I am talking about need not concern themselves with it.
This is a reminder to myself to adjust the limit screw on the front derailer. It wasn't shifting into the granny gear. I successfully nudged the chain with my shoe to push it to the tiny gear once. Croc power! Photo above shows my mean-spirited taunting of Stephen and Nadia for selecting the wrong footwear for the ride. I tried to bike straight through this creek. I came up a meter or two short. No big deal. These are all-terrain footwear in Sport Mode.
Look. An Osprey. It was just sitting on a branch for a while, unbothered by a flock of humans sunning themselves on a rock in the creek. Then it soared off.
It's leaf-peeping season.
Mary has not earned her amateur radio operating license and should be reported to the FCC ASAP. Children are anarchists.
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This flower that appeared in my backyard is apparently an autumn crocus AKA Saffron Crocus. Fancy! Please note Francis' practical and fashionable footwear.
Look at this guy doing his job. Thank you Bee. You are fuzzy and adorable. Workers of The World includes God's little critters pollinating for us. They neither reap nor sow nor gather into barns but they keep our fragile little ecosystem afloat.
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Links! What's a blog without links?
I'm an AI hater. You're an AI hater. Here are words about AI written by human beings. I used to be a paid subscriber to N+1 magazine. Now I'm not. Oh well. Good read: N+1 Large Language Muddle. While I was reading it a pop-up informed me of a new feature in the browser that could give me an AI summary of an article.
Olufemi Taiwo is a clear-headed thinker and writer. I read his book Elite Capture and liked it so much I pre-ordered his book Reconsidering Reparations and when it arrived I put it on my pile of to-read books. I have not read it. But I have read this article about shame and political correctness. Eric Reinhart wrote a rebuttal/response that is also a worthwhile read in my opinion.
If you want more Taiwo this one's a gem. So much of his writing has me saying, "That's exactly what I would mean to say if I had thought about it more and was also smarter and more eloquent." Using an archive.ph link so you don't give traffic to the Jeff Bezos Washington Post. Would be cool if there were major publications not owned by right-wing billionaires.
Billionaires should not exist. Duh.
Cancel culture and tattle tales, bullies and busybodies. This is a fun read.
Less fun when you consider that the insecure bullies are also causing real suffering with the pointless arrest and humiliation of their political opponents. Here's a story about an old white man who is in jail because he posted a meme about Donald Trump.
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That's enough for today. Go outside if you can.