Category: Beside the point

Generally, I avoid social media. However, I find that it’s a good way to keep track of trends and topics. I rarely engage one-on-one, preferring to avoid some of the artificial drama, and just skim most of the time (i.e, “lurk”). I find that too much of it can have a diminishing effect on my…

So, I had to go into Walmart last week. The first time I’ve been in there since early 2020. I have been super-abundantly cautious for 3 years, and have avoided Covid entirely so far. But my wife was just hospitalized for a non-covid health issue, and I needed something from the pharmacy last-minute. So, masked…

“Garbageman” i.e., sanitation worker. In my town, they would hang on to the back of the truck, hop off to empty the cans, then hop back on to the next stop. The truck had a big compactor to smoosh it all down. Five-year-old me thought it was the coolest job.

I don’t think we’re quite aware of the effect AI tools will have from this point. It goes far beyond spitting out some bland, generic blog posts, or ripping off existing art to remix new art. I think it’s significant that the billionaires want to slow it down (most likely so they can either take…

Mr. S did not like me. I didn’t fit in, I didn’t like to draw attention to myself, and I wasn’t in peak athletic physical condition. He taught me two things: 1. Someone you like and look up to can despise you for things beyond your control, and 2. “The bank is not your friend.”…

I work a 9-5 from my home office. It’s a fairly stressful customer-facing job. Sometimes I think it would be nice if I had 4 books (different topics, fiction and non-fiction) in 4 different reading nooks in my house (my apartment isn’t big enough for this). During the day — every hour or two —…