{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-29T19:53:46-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/29/15/",
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/6657ea3acaab335438c5cab0"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "OpenID Board Dinner"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Mastro's Ocean Club",
        "latitude": "36.107768",
        "longitude": "-115.174467",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4b956b98f964a520a1a134e3"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41244370",
    "_source": "16"
}

Roll up, Roll out

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-28T20:18:23-07:00",
    "url": "https://nadreck.me/2024/05/roll-up-roll-out/",
    "category": [
        "social-computing",
        "dark-forest",
        "social-media",
        "warren-ellis"
    ],
    "name": "Roll up, Roll out",
    "content": {
        "text": "I ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole via Warren Ellis, who linked to Jay Springett, who linked to Matt Mullenweg, who linked to some nifty projects, and it got me thinking about what the state of the art these days even really is, as far as blogging and forums and online spaces are concerned.\n\n\n\n\nI\u2019d rather murder myself than ever go near any kind of online forum again. But a return to forum life for people who actually want to think and talk would fit with the current tone of the dark-forest-y online discourse I\u2019ve seen.\nWarren Ellis\n\n\n\n\nI\u2019m personally with Warren on this: I\u2019m not inclined to create, manage, moderate, or even participate in a forum again any time soon. But I appreciate that forums are useful, may scratch a need for some people, and that the tools for forums are in dire need of some attention.\n\n\n\nI must admit, I\u2019ve not really been following the Dark Forest discourse as much as perhaps I should. It doesn\u2019t quite fit for me, as a metaphor. I feel like a lot of the folks I see talking about that particular metaphor for online interaction are people who already built an audience, found their tribe, and then opted to withdraw to their enclaves, taking their tribe with them. That\u2019s not a dark forest, that\u2019s a raiding party.\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t get me wrong, I see what they\u2019re talking about, and how devastating it can be to become that day\u2019s Main Character, and that there is value in keeping a lower profile. But I feel like the metaphor falls down. So much of the online discourse they\u2019re theoretically shying away from is centered around a desire to draw attention to yourself, to build an audience \u2014 in short, a popularity contest. So does that guardedness and wariness to share yourself more openly come from a dark forest where you could be destroyed, or does it come from a desire to control your narrative with the audience you\u2019re trying to grow? I don\u2019t know, maybe I\u2019m missing something.\n\n\n\nAs a side note, I decided to start putting together a Glossary of the New Web, to try and capture various terms, concepts, systems, and tools that are part of the \u201cinternet discourse\u201d these days. It\u2019s not exhaustive, slightly opinionated, and generally brief, but I do try to link to where you might find out more. It\u2019s a start.",
        "html": "<p>I ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole via <a href=\"https://warrenellis.ltd/isles/for-those-interested-in-online-forums/\">Warren Ellis</a>, who linked to <a href=\"https://www.thejaymo.net/2024/05/28/forums-need-some-love/\">Jay Springett</a>, who linked to <a href=\"https://ma.tt/2024/05/wp21/\">Matt Mullenweg</a>, who linked to some nifty projects, and it got me thinking about what the state of the art these days even really is, as far as blogging and forums and online spaces are concerned.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>I\u2019d rather murder myself than ever go near any kind of online forum again. But a return to forum life for people who actually want to think and talk would fit with the current tone of the dark-forest-y online discourse I\u2019ve seen.</p>\nWarren Ellis\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m personally with Warren on this: I\u2019m not inclined to create, manage, moderate, or even participate in a forum again any time soon. But I appreciate that forums are useful, may scratch a need for some people, and that the tools for forums are in dire need of some attention.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I must admit, I\u2019ve not really been following the Dark Forest discourse as much as perhaps I should. It doesn\u2019t quite fit for me, as a metaphor. I feel like a lot of the folks I see talking about that particular metaphor for online interaction are people who already built an audience, found their tribe, and then opted to withdraw to their enclaves, taking their tribe with them. That\u2019s not a dark forest, that\u2019s a raiding party.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, I see what they\u2019re talking about, and how devastating it can be to become that day\u2019s Main Character, and that there is value in keeping a lower profile. But I feel like the metaphor falls down. So much of the online discourse they\u2019re theoretically shying away from is centered around a desire to draw attention to yourself, to build an audience \u2014 in short, a popularity contest. So does that guardedness and wariness to share yourself more openly come from a dark forest where you could be destroyed, or does it come from a desire to control your narrative with the audience you\u2019re trying to grow? I don\u2019t know, maybe I\u2019m missing something.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a side note, I decided to start putting together a <a href=\"https://nadreck.me/glossary-web/\">Glossary of the New Web</a>, to try and capture various terms, concepts, systems, and tools that are part of the \u201cinternet discourse\u201d these days. It\u2019s not exhaustive, slightly opinionated, and generally brief, but I do try to link to where you might find out more. It\u2019s a start.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Nadreck",
        "url": "http://nadreck.me",
        "photo": null
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41234712",
    "_source": "2935"
}

Some Logic Pro 11 updates

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-28T13:59:25-07:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/14495-Some-Logic-Pro-11-updates",
    "name": "Some Logic Pro 11 updates",
    "content": {
        "text": "In my last post about Logic I saw a lot of potential in the chord track but found that the UX was pretty lacking. Since then I\u2019ve seen a few Logic-related videos that have found some better ways of interacting with it:\nYou can type in the chord name textually (which I already figured out but didn\u2019t think to mention in the post)\nBy pressing Tab while editing a chord, it\u2019ll advance the playhead and add a new chord to the progression\nOnce you turn on \u201cListen\u201d mode it\u2019ll stay that way, so you can sorta record from your keyboard using that\nI\u2019m still not totally thrilled with it and wish there were a live recording option, but it\u2019s actually pretty workable as it is.\n\nThis video was particularly helpful (and also has a really nice defense of the AI creation tools in it, including several points which I have always agreed with):\n\nThe UX could definitely be better-documented, though, and I wonder how many other little things are there which just aren\u2019t explained anywhere.\n\nAlso there\u2019s a few other UX papercuts which still exist, like keyboard focus is weird while on the chord track. But things will improve over time, as I said before.",
        "html": "<p>In <a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/3645-Logic-11-a-quick-play-around\">my last post about Logic</a> I saw a lot of potential in the chord track but found that the UX was pretty lacking. Since then I\u2019ve seen a few Logic-related videos that have found some better ways of interacting with it:</p>\n<ol><li>You can type in the chord name textually (which I already figured out but didn\u2019t think to mention in the post)</li>\n<li>By pressing Tab while editing a chord, it\u2019ll advance the playhead and add a new chord to the progression</li>\n<li>Once you turn on \u201cListen\u201d mode it\u2019ll stay that way, so you can sorta record from your keyboard using that</li>\n</ol><p>I\u2019m still not totally thrilled with it and wish there were a live recording option, but it\u2019s actually pretty workable as it is.</p><p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/CKF5na_zXrk?si=ToMvxg80v_yXncx3\">This video</a> was particularly helpful (and also has a really nice defense of the AI creation tools in it, including several points which I have always agreed with):</p>\n\n<p>The UX could definitely be better-documented, though, and I wonder how many other little things are there which just aren\u2019t explained anywhere.</p><p>Also there\u2019s a few other UX papercuts which still exist, like keyboard focus is weird while on the chord track. But things will improve over time, as I said before.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41233276",
    "_source": "2778"
}

at ARIA Convention Center

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-28T15:04:50-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/28/15/",
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/c5634cd7f9355226a9e87e2bc974fc04f84a48ce50663b0be425ff9ced2ac032.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/665655025c4a3b7af61736fe"
    ],
    "name": "at ARIA Convention Center",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "ARIA Convention Center",
        "latitude": "36.10594",
        "longitude": "-115.179448",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4bdf437affdec928ca4feba1"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41233226",
    "_source": "16"
}

at Proper Eats Food Hall

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-28T13:41:55-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/28/13/",
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/bbc822f02e0d668e767503dd7192709662b6d917f1491682a5eba155876b03e5.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/6656419338b7db322955e1d1"
    ],
    "name": "at Proper Eats Food Hall",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Proper Eats Food Hall",
        "latitude": "36.107428",
        "longitude": "-115.177505",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/63a606a9c459fd5a98ca076a"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41232511",
    "_source": "16"
}

at Lift Bar

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-27T21:42:38-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/27/24/",
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/1a3e2ec8c54ec4a33438ecf110a84911def3fe72e7567d17c98ef55875f33a0e.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/665560be4605d348833db754"
    ],
    "name": "at Lift Bar",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lift Bar",
        "latitude": "36.10717",
        "longitude": "-115.173708",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/5daa22976c80e8000813d4b0"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41225616",
    "_source": "16"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20240527/fireworks-above-the-hawthorne-bridge-overlooking-the-willamette-river-a",
    "published": "2024-05-27T08:17:36-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/7321b8e85-c3df53/GX96fbf1nERh/TXGKKRlIf0AC5E6EcsJEoSKGBzsXI6ndyJMYaLRk.jpg\" /><p>Fireworks above the Hawthorne Bridge overlooking the Willamette River. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/portland\">#Portland</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#OregonExplored</a></p>",
        "text": "Fireworks above the Hawthorne Bridge overlooking the Willamette River. #Portland #OregonExplored"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "41224439",
    "_source": "2783"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20240423/western-trillium-a-staple-of-forests-in-the-a",
    "published": "2024-04-23T09:08:10-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/c6a394f69-21cf85/iTRh99jOugSO/iXqcAm6tH27pzoBsIttFqYRJ85rnQdRtZtMaxNhQ.jpg\" /><p>Western Trillium \u2014 a staple of forests in the PNW but only at certain times of the year and not always easy to find. I was immensely grateful they were within easy reach of the trails at Tryon Creek State Natural Area just outside <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/portland\">#Portland</a>. \ud83d\ude0d<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#OregonExplored</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/iphonepro\">#iPhonePro</a></p>",
        "text": "Western Trillium \u2014 a staple of forests in the PNW but only at certain times of the year and not always easy to find. I was immensely grateful they were within easy reach of the trails at Tryon Creek State Natural Area just outside #Portland. \ud83d\ude0d\n#OregonExplored #iPhonePro"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "41224440",
    "_source": "2783"
}

at ARIA Convention Center

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-27T13:47:25-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/27/19/",
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/88de0aa102aba0888d91fc8da1345bb95ab1a0c3a54b2656173ba50d10981b34.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/6654f15d3033443f21136a99"
    ],
    "name": "at ARIA Convention Center",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "ARIA Convention Center",
        "latitude": "36.10594",
        "longitude": "-115.179448",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4bdf437affdec928ca4feba1"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41223704",
    "_source": "16"
}

at ARIA Resort & Casino

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-27T13:38:22-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/27/17/",
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/38438bc604f72f43186c9de9120d2d57e71a99f3e25c74ce906f1a45ea72a094.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/6654ef3eb083114ea38e2f84"
    ],
    "name": "at ARIA Resort & Casino",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "checkin": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "ARIA Resort & Casino",
        "latitude": "36.10781",
        "longitude": "-115.176274",
        "url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4ae61edbf964a520dfa421e3"
    },
    "post-type": "checkin",
    "_id": "41223626",
    "_source": "16"
}

Stuff and things

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-23T14:05:55-07:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/14833-Stuff-and-things",
    "name": "Stuff and things",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41192886",
    "_source": "2778"
}

Feditesting!

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": null,
        "url": "https://herestomwiththeweather.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://herestomwiththeweather.com/2024/05/22/feditesting/",
    "published": "2024-05-22T17:29:29+00:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>It\u2019s cool to see the progress of the <a href=\"https://feditest.org/\">FediTest</a> project.  On March 7, there was a <a href=\"https://fedidevs.org/notes/2024-03-07/\">show-and-tell online meeting</a> and at the end of April, a <a href=\"https://feditest.org/blog/2024-04-30-update/\">FediTest implementation update</a> included a <a href=\"https://feditest.org/docs/quickstart/\">Quickstart</a> to try out some examples.</p>\n\n<p>I was pleasantly surprised by the experience (including the specification annotations referencing each test) and the organization of the testing framework even at an early stage.  I was able to get all the tests for the <a href=\"https://github.com/fediverse-devnet/feditest-tests-fediverse/blob/develop/example-testplans/saas-imp-webfinger-server.json\">sass-imp-webfinger-server testplan</a> passing last night for <a href=\"https://github.com/herestomwiththeweather/irwin\">Irwin</a>.  For each failing test, I created an issue and referenced the test (e.g. <a href=\"https://github.com/herestomwiththeweather/irwin/issues/15\"> Well-known webfinger should respond with access-control-allow-origin header #15 </a> ).</p>\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the output of this example testplan:</p>\n\n<pre><code>TAP version 14\n# test plan: Unnamed\n# started: 2024-05-22 06:33:53.423983+00:00\n# ended: 2024-05-22 06:34:42.924770+00:00\n# platform: Linux-6.5.0-28-generic-x86_64-with-glibc2.35\n# username: tbbrown\n# hostname: agency\n# session: Unnamed\n# constellation: Unnamed\n#   roles:\n#     - name: client\n#       driver: imp.ImpInProcessNodeDriver\n#     - name: server\n#       driver: saas.SaasFediverseNodeDriver\nok 1 - webfinger.server.4_1__2_parameter_ordering_not_significant::parameter_ordering\nok 2 - webfinger.server.4_2__14_must_only_redirect_to_https::must_only_redirect_to_https\nok 3 - webfinger.server.4_2__3_requires_resource_uri::requires_resource_uri\nok 4 - webfinger.server.4_2__4_do_not_accept_malformed_resource_parameters::double_equals\nok 5 - webfinger.server.4_2__4_do_not_accept_malformed_resource_parameters::not_percent_encoded\nok 6 - webfinger.server.4_2__5_status_404_for_nonexisting_resources::status_404_for_nonexisting_resources\nok 7 - webfinger.server.4_5__1_any_uri_scheme_for_resource_identifiers::any_uri_scheme_for_resource_identifiers\nok 8 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_combined_link_rels_in_query\nok 9 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_known_link_rels_in_query\nok 10 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_unknown_link_rels_in_query\nok 11 - webfinger.server.4__3_only_returns_jrd_in_response_to_https_requests::only_returns_jrd_in_response_to_https\nok 12 - webfinger.server.5_1_cors_header_required::cors_header_required\n1..12\n# test run summary:\n#   total: 12\n#   passed: 12\n#   failed: 0\n#   skipped: 0\n#   errors: 0\n</code></pre>\n\n\n<p>Getting these tests passing certainly improved the code and my understanding of the webfinger spec. Thanks to Johannes Ernst and the <a href=\"https://fedidevs.org/\">Fediverse Developer Network</a> community for this.</p>",
        "text": "It\u2019s cool to see the progress of the FediTest project.  On March 7, there was a show-and-tell online meeting and at the end of April, a FediTest implementation update included a Quickstart to try out some examples.\n\nI was pleasantly surprised by the experience (including the specification annotations referencing each test) and the organization of the testing framework even at an early stage.  I was able to get all the tests for the sass-imp-webfinger-server testplan passing last night for Irwin.  For each failing test, I created an issue and referenced the test (e.g.  Well-known webfinger should respond with access-control-allow-origin header #15  ).\n\nHere\u2019s the output of this example testplan:\n\nTAP version 14\n# test plan: Unnamed\n# started: 2024-05-22 06:33:53.423983+00:00\n# ended: 2024-05-22 06:34:42.924770+00:00\n# platform: Linux-6.5.0-28-generic-x86_64-with-glibc2.35\n# username: tbbrown\n# hostname: agency\n# session: Unnamed\n# constellation: Unnamed\n#   roles:\n#     - name: client\n#       driver: imp.ImpInProcessNodeDriver\n#     - name: server\n#       driver: saas.SaasFediverseNodeDriver\nok 1 - webfinger.server.4_1__2_parameter_ordering_not_significant::parameter_ordering\nok 2 - webfinger.server.4_2__14_must_only_redirect_to_https::must_only_redirect_to_https\nok 3 - webfinger.server.4_2__3_requires_resource_uri::requires_resource_uri\nok 4 - webfinger.server.4_2__4_do_not_accept_malformed_resource_parameters::double_equals\nok 5 - webfinger.server.4_2__4_do_not_accept_malformed_resource_parameters::not_percent_encoded\nok 6 - webfinger.server.4_2__5_status_404_for_nonexisting_resources::status_404_for_nonexisting_resources\nok 7 - webfinger.server.4_5__1_any_uri_scheme_for_resource_identifiers::any_uri_scheme_for_resource_identifiers\nok 8 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_combined_link_rels_in_query\nok 9 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_known_link_rels_in_query\nok 10 - webfinger.server.4__1_accepts_all_link_rels_in_query::accepts_unknown_link_rels_in_query\nok 11 - webfinger.server.4__3_only_returns_jrd_in_response_to_https_requests::only_returns_jrd_in_response_to_https\nok 12 - webfinger.server.5_1_cors_header_required::cors_header_required\n1..12\n# test run summary:\n#   total: 12\n#   passed: 12\n#   failed: 0\n#   skipped: 0\n#   errors: 0\n\n\n\nGetting these tests passing certainly improved the code and my understanding of the webfinger spec. Thanks to Johannes Ernst and the Fediverse Developer Network community for this."
    },
    "name": "Feditesting!",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41184244",
    "_source": "246"
}

Calm Tech Institute

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-21T18:16:07-07:00",
    "url": "https://nadreck.me/2024/05/calm-tech-institute/",
    "category": [
        "links",
        "amber-case",
        "calm-technology"
    ],
    "name": "Calm Tech Institute",
    "content": {
        "text": "Amber Case just announced her new project, the Calm Tech Institute. It\u2019s got a lofty goal (encouraging and implementing calm technology design principles in various bits of technology that we use, all the way down to creating a service mark for tech that adheres to the principles), and she\u2019s a leading expert on the topic (she\u2019s been talking about this stuff for a long time, and also wrote the book on Calm Technology for O\u2019Reilly). I figure if anyone has the chops to make headway on this subject, it\u2019s probably her. I\u2019ll be keeping an eye on this space, as it\u2019s definitely a worthwhile topic.\n\n\n\n\nOur ultimate goal is to make our \u201cCTI\u201d stamp nearly as ubiquitous as the \u201cUL\u201d stamp became over the last century. You might have noticed it on lightbulbs and other everyday appliances: a very tiny mark placed on 22 billion products each year worldwide! And while it\u2019s found everywhere, many of us probably don\u2019t know the important historical story behind its origin:\n\n\n\nBut while we depend every day on invisible guidelines which protect us from electric hazards, we have few standards for technology of the 21th century. Consequently, we often encounter products and services that interfere with our time and attention in ways which degrade our well-being.\nAmber Case",
        "html": "<p>Amber Case <a href=\"https://caseorganic.medium.com/designing-tech-that-finally-respects-our-time-humanity-announcing-the-calm-tech-institute-33bac541b133\">just announced her new project</a>, the <a href=\"https://www.calmtech.institute\">Calm Tech Institute</a>. It\u2019s got a lofty goal (encouraging and implementing calm technology design principles in various bits of technology that we use, all the way down to creating a service mark for tech that adheres to the principles), and she\u2019s a leading expert on the topic (she\u2019s been talking about this stuff for a long time, and also wrote the book on <a href=\"https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/calm-technology/9781491925874/\">Calm Technology for O\u2019Reilly</a>). I figure if anyone has the chops to make headway on this subject, it\u2019s probably her. I\u2019ll be keeping an eye on this space, as it\u2019s definitely a worthwhile topic.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Our ultimate goal is to make our \u201cCTI\u201d stamp nearly as ubiquitous as the \u201cUL\u201d stamp became over the last century. You might have noticed it on lightbulbs and other everyday appliances: a very tiny mark placed on 22 billion products each year worldwide! And while it\u2019s found everywhere, many of us probably don\u2019t know the important historical story behind its origin:</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But while we depend every day on invisible guidelines which protect us from electric hazards, we have few standards for technology of the 21th century. Consequently, we often encounter products and services that interfere with our time and attention in ways which degrade our well-being.</p>\nAmber Case\n</blockquote>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Nadreck",
        "url": "http://nadreck.me",
        "photo": null
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41173435",
    "_source": "2935"
}

They Forgot It’s “Bicycle for the Mind”—not “Jet Airplane”

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/articles/they-forgot-its-bicycle-for-the-mind-not-jet-airplane",
    "published": "2024-05-21T10:52:09-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/mariposta/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_65/fast-bicyclist.jpg\" /><h2>It\u2019s impossible to know what Steve Jobs would think of where computing has brought us today. But I know what I think. And I believe we should remember something crucial he once taught us about the ultimate purpose of technology.</h2>\n\n<p>Let it be known I\u2019m not a nostalgic person by and large. I tend to appreciate \u201cold and new\u201d in equal measure\u2014in fact, a trend-line I\u2019ve seen in my life across a variety of pursuits and talents is a concept I once termed <em>ancient-future</em>. I believe most innovation happens at the cross section of re-discovering ideas and styles which fell out of favor or were largely forgotten long ago and bringing them into the present day with an attractively fresh spin.</p>\n\n<p>So keep that in mind as you continue reading, because this isn\u2019t a WWSJD (What Would Steve Jobs Do) puff piece or a \u201cgosh, computers used to be fun\u201d kvetch sesh. We have work to do.</p>\n\n<h3>Beating Out the Condor</h3>\n\n<p>Like most famous people in tech, Steve Jobs had a lot to say. Unlike most famous people in tech, he usually said it very well. And <a href=\"https://youtu.be/6kalMB8jDnY?si=RiyIlRUNSa5Z_s0h&amp;t=209\">one of my favorite nuggets in the canon of Jobs</a> is this oft-cited analogy:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n  <p>\u201cI think one of the things that really separates us from the high primates is that we\u2019re tool builders. I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. And humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing, about a third of the way down the list. It was not too proud a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn\u2019t look so good. But then somebody at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle. And a man on a bicycle, a human on a bicycle, blew the condor away\u2014completely off the top of the charts.</p>\n\n  <p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s what a computer is to me. What a computer is to me is it\u2019s the most remarkable tool that we\u2019ve ever come up with, and it\u2019s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.\u201d</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><em>Bicycle for our minds.</em> I love this phrase, <strong>love it</strong>. I\u2019ve thought about it a lot over the years. And I think in this particular moment we find ourselves in, as we see Big Tech lurch from one questionable Next Big Thing\u2122 to another, our ability to truly grasp the significance of this analogy has never been more necessary.</p>\n\n<p>I realize the Steve Jobs\u2019 \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d concept flows from that particular study he referenced\u2026perhaps he could have used another type of locomotion had he found a different source as the hook for his oration. But in my view, the bicycle offers a <em>very particular lens</em> through which to understand the significance of this analogy.</p>\n\n<p>As Jobs illustrates, humans purely on their own power are less efficient than a number of other creatures, with the condor rising to the top. Yes, we\u2019re good at distance running, but we can only run so far, so fast. We reach a limit, and like any other creature, we must accept our limitations.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Except that we don\u2019t.</strong> Through the eons of evolution which produced the human mind, and through the centuries of the human mind producing tools ever more novel and capable, we arrived at an impressive <em>augmentation</em> which answers this question: what if humans were born with wheels instead of legs? That\u2019s essentially what a bicycle is. Wheels that transmit power from the pumping of our two legs to a rolling motion which swiftly propels us forward. The genius of this invention lies in its conceptual simplicity:</p>\n\n<ul><li>It doesn\u2019t require <strong>extra fuel</strong>.</li>\n  <li>It doesn\u2019t require <strong>exotic materials</strong> (unless you consider metal, plastic, and rubber exotic).</li>\n  <li>It doesn\u2019t come with troubling environmental downsides (at least relative to any alternatives).</li>\n  <li>It\u2019s approachable to nearly everyone.</li>\n  <li>While less safe than walking/running, <strong>it\u2019s much safer</strong> than nearly any other form of personal transportation.</li>\n</ul><p>And so a human\u2014augmented with wheels (aka a bicycle)\u2014is suddenly far more efficient than any other creature, and can go <em>farther, faster</em> than is afforded by biology alone.</p>\n\n<h3>\u201cAirplane for the Mind?\u201d \u2026just say no!</h3>\n\n<p>Alas, it\u2019s time for us to stretch this analogy to its breaking point\u2014and for good reason!</p>\n\n<p>The significance of Jobs describing computers as \u201cbicycles for the mind\u201d and not \u201cautomobiles for the mind\u201d or \u201cairplanes for the mind\u201d cannot be overstated. When looking at the history of technological development, we tend to <em>flatten</em> out the relationships between new inventions and view everything on a linear timeline. In this depiction, first humans simply ran, then we had horses/camels/elephants/etc., then we had bicycles, then we had trains, then we had cars, then we had planes\u2014each method of locomotion \u201cbetter\u201d than the last.</p>\n\n<p>Except that timeline is thoroughly incorrect, wrong-headed, and actually <em>dangerous</em> for any legitimate conversation around urban planning, safety, and protecting the health of our planet.</p>\n\n<p>Airplanes do seem very cool and futuristic\u2014except that in the vast majority of cases, people would be better served traveling by high-speed rail rather than by plane\u2026a fact that unfortunately is biting my country (the United States) in the ass right now because we\u2019re <em>woefully</em> behind in our rollout of modern rail systems as compared to most other developed nations.</p>\n\n<p>And as every urbanist on YouTube is shouting from the rooftops at this point: using a combination of public transportation and micromobiles (aka bicycles/e-bikes/scooters/etc.) is vastly superior for the vast majority of inter-urban travel than owning and driving a large motor vehicle. In other words, hashtag <strong>FuckCars</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>This is why I often roll my eyes when people use cars\u2014and they really do, no joke!\u2014as a <em>positive</em> example of technological progress as their point of reference in discussions around emerging technologies like AI, VR, Crypto, etc. \u201cYes, it\u2019s true that cars can be dangerous, bad for the environment, expensive, and socially isolating\u2014but look at all the good they can do!\u201d In other words, we accept all of the \u201cbad\u201d of automobiles in society because of all the \u201cbenefits\u201d they provide.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I hate to break it to ya, but many societies around the world are dramatically rethinking this calculus.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Maybe cars are actually just\u2026y\u2019know\u2026bad. \ud83d\ude05</p>\n\n<p>(Obviously for a variety of specific use cases, cars are certainly the correct approach. Thankfully, there\u2019s a ready solution here: rent a car/truck/van <em>only when you need it!</em>)</p>\n\n<p>And so much of this reimagining is happening regarding air travel as well. Increasingly regions around the world are connecting (or have done so already!) their major metro areas with high-speed rail, largely alleviating the need for short flights altogether. There are a variety of benefits to this, not the least of which is air travel (through the use of jet fuel) is incredibly damaging to the environment!</p>\n\n<p><strong>What if\u2014and please hear me out\u2014they actually got it mostly right ~100 years ago? Bicycles + trains are the futuristic transportation technology we actually need.</strong></p>\n\n<p>I\u2019ll also add another layer of the analogy here. In an \u201cairplane for the mind\u201d scenario, computer technology is entirely passive and thoroughly captive. It may be a \u201cfun experience\u201d, but you have no control over it and you can\u2019t leave. You\u2019re entirely at the mercy of the operators of the aircraft.</p>\n\n<p>Doesn\u2019t that sound a lot like the description of AI? Or of VR? Increasingly, we find ourselves being sold tools which aren\u2019t simply \u201caugmentations\u201d of the capabilities we already have, integrated into the real-world environments and habits and social connections we actually engage with, but are total worlds unto themselves. More and more, we find ourselves <em>captive</em> to our tools, rather than <em>liberated</em> by them. And more and more, we are at the mercy of the platform operators. Our experiences are defined by what Microsoft or OpenAI or\u2014and this is what pains me most of all\u2014Apple dictates is permissible.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Quick tangent:</strong> in a true \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d flavor of the iPad, it would provide an operating system as flexible, extensible, and un-locked-down as macOS or Linux. What we have now is rather a Frankensteinian hybrid: a device which <em>appears</em> to offer a diverse set of experiences under the full control of the user, while in reality offering only that subset of operational range deemed acceptable by its corporate originator. That\u2019s not true freedom, but only a poor imitation thereof and <em>certainly</em> not \u201cthe future of computing\u201d. (Which makes me very sad because I firmly believe the tablet form-factor <em>is</em>.)</p>\n\n<h3>Value Augmentation, not Substitution</h3>\n\n<p>Rounding out our discussion of this analogy, the tremendous value of early computing lay in its ability to <em>augment</em> our innate capabilities. Like bicycles do for our bodies, computers can help our minds go farther, faster, more efficiently. People talk about their computer knowledge bases serving as a \u201csecond brain\u201d, and people use internet technology to share their creations and discoveries and fluidly converse with other humans all over the world.</p>\n\n<p>But somewhere along the way, Silicon Valley stumbled. They forgot that the value of computer &amp; internet technology rests in <em>augmentation</em>, and they began to think of their inventions as <em>substitutions</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Despite all of Apple\u2019s claims to the contrary, the Vision Pro \u201csubstitutes\u201d a carefully-curated digital environment (entirely at the mercy of Apple) in place of a real one\u2014messy and chaotic though it may be.</p>\n\n<p>Copilot-style chatbots substitute a clever party-trick approximation of human intelligence in place of actual intelligence and the value of real, hard-won expertise.</p>\n\n<p>NFTs &amp; Crypto substitutes a false sense of ownership, value storage, and safe transactions in place of true ownership and trust in transactions.</p>\n\n<p>So much of what I see getting pumped out of Silicon Valley these days feels like the equivalent of \u201cairplanes for the mind\u201d or \u201cautomobiles for the mind\u201d\u2014and nothing is so on the nose here as the failed promise of \u201cself-driving cars\u201d peddled by the likes of Tesla\u2014and very little feels philosophically consistent with Jobs\u2019 \u201cbicycles for the mind\u201d analogy.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps we need more urbanists, sociologists, and other learned scholars of the humanities placed in positions of power. When you listen to the key players in today\u2019s Big Tech ramble on about what they think is the future of humanity, the level of understanding and self-awareness they seem to exhibit around humanist subjects is <em>frighteningly poor</em>. When Sam Altman posts \u201cher\u201d on X and they show off a creepy flirt-bot helping a tech bro learn how to breathe, this total disconnect between technological influence and cultural cognizance is on full display.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s how to cut the crap:</strong></p>\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s Apple, Google, OpenAI, or any other Big Tech company or VC-fueled startup promoting what <em>they</em> have decided we should consider groundbreaking and revolutionary, ask yourself the following questions:</p>\n\n<ul><li>Does this technology augment the work I (and people I respect) already enjoy doing? Or does this try to substitute the work that I appreciate myself and others doing?</li>\n  <li>Does this technology keep me grounded in the real-world culture around me, connecting me more deeply and meaningfully with fellow humans in the urban fabric? Or does it further isolate me and keep me hooked\u2014opium-like\u2014on poor approximations of social engagement?</li>\n  <li>Does this technology offer total freedom to pursue how I choose to utilize (or not) the given technology so as to benefit my lifestyle and my core values? Or do I increasingly find myself beholden to the technology, trapped in a cycle of \u201censhittification\u201d which offers little chance of escape?</li>\n  <li>Does this technology prioritize genuine human creativity, \u201canalog\u201d experiences I can enjoy apart from the digital overlay, true expertise &amp; experience, and that \u201cspecial sauce\u201d which emerges from friction-free human-to-human interactions? Or does the technology downplay expertise &amp; experience and instead attempt to foster a poorly-validated, algorithm-centric view into creativity, productivity, and communication?</li>\n</ul><p>In other words, we must <strong>value augmentation, not substitution</strong>. Never have we needed to understand deeply the importance of the \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d analogy as we do right now\u2014and why specifically that analogy holds up <em>because</em> bicycles are the point of reference and not some other form of locomotion.</p>\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know what Steve Jobs would do if he were alive today, and it\u2019s pointless to speculate. But I know what <em>I would do</em>, having appreciated so much about Jobs\u2019 philosophy and vision for the future of computing. As he stated, the computer is a tool\u2014a remarkable tool, but a tool nonetheless. And like any tool, <em>we</em> get to decide when, where, why, and how we prefer to use it. <strong>Not the tech bros. Us.</strong></p>\n\n<p><br /></p>\n\n<p><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https://pixabay.com/photos/action-activity-athlete-bicycle-71647/\">Pixabay</a></em></p>\n\n\n\n  <br /><p>\n    \n      <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/generativeai\">#generativeAI</a>\n    \n      <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/mindfulness\">#mindfulness</a>\n    \n      <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/creativity\">#creativity</a>\n    \n  </p>",
        "text": "It\u2019s impossible to know what Steve Jobs would think of where computing has brought us today. But I know what I think. And I believe we should remember something crucial he once taught us about the ultimate purpose of technology.\n\nLet it be known I\u2019m not a nostalgic person by and large. I tend to appreciate \u201cold and new\u201d in equal measure\u2014in fact, a trend-line I\u2019ve seen in my life across a variety of pursuits and talents is a concept I once termed ancient-future. I believe most innovation happens at the cross section of re-discovering ideas and styles which fell out of favor or were largely forgotten long ago and bringing them into the present day with an attractively fresh spin.\n\nSo keep that in mind as you continue reading, because this isn\u2019t a WWSJD (What Would Steve Jobs Do) puff piece or a \u201cgosh, computers used to be fun\u201d kvetch sesh. We have work to do.\n\nBeating Out the Condor\n\nLike most famous people in tech, Steve Jobs had a lot to say. Unlike most famous people in tech, he usually said it very well. And one of my favorite nuggets in the canon of Jobs is this oft-cited analogy:\n\n\n  \u201cI think one of the things that really separates us from the high primates is that we\u2019re tool builders. I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. And humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing, about a third of the way down the list. It was not too proud a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn\u2019t look so good. But then somebody at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle. And a man on a bicycle, a human on a bicycle, blew the condor away\u2014completely off the top of the charts.\n\n  \u201cAnd that\u2019s what a computer is to me. What a computer is to me is it\u2019s the most remarkable tool that we\u2019ve ever come up with, and it\u2019s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.\u201d\n\n\nBicycle for our minds. I love this phrase, love it. I\u2019ve thought about it a lot over the years. And I think in this particular moment we find ourselves in, as we see Big Tech lurch from one questionable Next Big Thing\u2122 to another, our ability to truly grasp the significance of this analogy has never been more necessary.\n\nI realize the Steve Jobs\u2019 \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d concept flows from that particular study he referenced\u2026perhaps he could have used another type of locomotion had he found a different source as the hook for his oration. But in my view, the bicycle offers a very particular lens through which to understand the significance of this analogy.\n\nAs Jobs illustrates, humans purely on their own power are less efficient than a number of other creatures, with the condor rising to the top. Yes, we\u2019re good at distance running, but we can only run so far, so fast. We reach a limit, and like any other creature, we must accept our limitations.\n\nExcept that we don\u2019t. Through the eons of evolution which produced the human mind, and through the centuries of the human mind producing tools ever more novel and capable, we arrived at an impressive augmentation which answers this question: what if humans were born with wheels instead of legs? That\u2019s essentially what a bicycle is. Wheels that transmit power from the pumping of our two legs to a rolling motion which swiftly propels us forward. The genius of this invention lies in its conceptual simplicity:\n\nIt doesn\u2019t require extra fuel.\n  It doesn\u2019t require exotic materials (unless you consider metal, plastic, and rubber exotic).\n  It doesn\u2019t come with troubling environmental downsides (at least relative to any alternatives).\n  It\u2019s approachable to nearly everyone.\n  While less safe than walking/running, it\u2019s much safer than nearly any other form of personal transportation.\nAnd so a human\u2014augmented with wheels (aka a bicycle)\u2014is suddenly far more efficient than any other creature, and can go farther, faster than is afforded by biology alone.\n\n\u201cAirplane for the Mind?\u201d \u2026just say no!\n\nAlas, it\u2019s time for us to stretch this analogy to its breaking point\u2014and for good reason!\n\nThe significance of Jobs describing computers as \u201cbicycles for the mind\u201d and not \u201cautomobiles for the mind\u201d or \u201cairplanes for the mind\u201d cannot be overstated. When looking at the history of technological development, we tend to flatten out the relationships between new inventions and view everything on a linear timeline. In this depiction, first humans simply ran, then we had horses/camels/elephants/etc., then we had bicycles, then we had trains, then we had cars, then we had planes\u2014each method of locomotion \u201cbetter\u201d than the last.\n\nExcept that timeline is thoroughly incorrect, wrong-headed, and actually dangerous for any legitimate conversation around urban planning, safety, and protecting the health of our planet.\n\nAirplanes do seem very cool and futuristic\u2014except that in the vast majority of cases, people would be better served traveling by high-speed rail rather than by plane\u2026a fact that unfortunately is biting my country (the United States) in the ass right now because we\u2019re woefully behind in our rollout of modern rail systems as compared to most other developed nations.\n\nAnd as every urbanist on YouTube is shouting from the rooftops at this point: using a combination of public transportation and micromobiles (aka bicycles/e-bikes/scooters/etc.) is vastly superior for the vast majority of inter-urban travel than owning and driving a large motor vehicle. In other words, hashtag FuckCars.\n\nThis is why I often roll my eyes when people use cars\u2014and they really do, no joke!\u2014as a positive example of technological progress as their point of reference in discussions around emerging technologies like AI, VR, Crypto, etc. \u201cYes, it\u2019s true that cars can be dangerous, bad for the environment, expensive, and socially isolating\u2014but look at all the good they can do!\u201d In other words, we accept all of the \u201cbad\u201d of automobiles in society because of all the \u201cbenefits\u201d they provide.\n\nI hate to break it to ya, but many societies around the world are dramatically rethinking this calculus.\n\nMaybe cars are actually just\u2026y\u2019know\u2026bad. \ud83d\ude05\n\n(Obviously for a variety of specific use cases, cars are certainly the correct approach. Thankfully, there\u2019s a ready solution here: rent a car/truck/van only when you need it!)\n\nAnd so much of this reimagining is happening regarding air travel as well. Increasingly regions around the world are connecting (or have done so already!) their major metro areas with high-speed rail, largely alleviating the need for short flights altogether. There are a variety of benefits to this, not the least of which is air travel (through the use of jet fuel) is incredibly damaging to the environment!\n\nWhat if\u2014and please hear me out\u2014they actually got it mostly right ~100 years ago? Bicycles + trains are the futuristic transportation technology we actually need.\n\nI\u2019ll also add another layer of the analogy here. In an \u201cairplane for the mind\u201d scenario, computer technology is entirely passive and thoroughly captive. It may be a \u201cfun experience\u201d, but you have no control over it and you can\u2019t leave. You\u2019re entirely at the mercy of the operators of the aircraft.\n\nDoesn\u2019t that sound a lot like the description of AI? Or of VR? Increasingly, we find ourselves being sold tools which aren\u2019t simply \u201caugmentations\u201d of the capabilities we already have, integrated into the real-world environments and habits and social connections we actually engage with, but are total worlds unto themselves. More and more, we find ourselves captive to our tools, rather than liberated by them. And more and more, we are at the mercy of the platform operators. Our experiences are defined by what Microsoft or OpenAI or\u2014and this is what pains me most of all\u2014Apple dictates is permissible.\n\nQuick tangent: in a true \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d flavor of the iPad, it would provide an operating system as flexible, extensible, and un-locked-down as macOS or Linux. What we have now is rather a Frankensteinian hybrid: a device which appears to offer a diverse set of experiences under the full control of the user, while in reality offering only that subset of operational range deemed acceptable by its corporate originator. That\u2019s not true freedom, but only a poor imitation thereof and certainly not \u201cthe future of computing\u201d. (Which makes me very sad because I firmly believe the tablet form-factor is.)\n\nValue Augmentation, not Substitution\n\nRounding out our discussion of this analogy, the tremendous value of early computing lay in its ability to augment our innate capabilities. Like bicycles do for our bodies, computers can help our minds go farther, faster, more efficiently. People talk about their computer knowledge bases serving as a \u201csecond brain\u201d, and people use internet technology to share their creations and discoveries and fluidly converse with other humans all over the world.\n\nBut somewhere along the way, Silicon Valley stumbled. They forgot that the value of computer & internet technology rests in augmentation, and they began to think of their inventions as substitutions.\n\nDespite all of Apple\u2019s claims to the contrary, the Vision Pro \u201csubstitutes\u201d a carefully-curated digital environment (entirely at the mercy of Apple) in place of a real one\u2014messy and chaotic though it may be.\n\nCopilot-style chatbots substitute a clever party-trick approximation of human intelligence in place of actual intelligence and the value of real, hard-won expertise.\n\nNFTs & Crypto substitutes a false sense of ownership, value storage, and safe transactions in place of true ownership and trust in transactions.\n\nSo much of what I see getting pumped out of Silicon Valley these days feels like the equivalent of \u201cairplanes for the mind\u201d or \u201cautomobiles for the mind\u201d\u2014and nothing is so on the nose here as the failed promise of \u201cself-driving cars\u201d peddled by the likes of Tesla\u2014and very little feels philosophically consistent with Jobs\u2019 \u201cbicycles for the mind\u201d analogy.\n\nPerhaps we need more urbanists, sociologists, and other learned scholars of the humanities placed in positions of power. When you listen to the key players in today\u2019s Big Tech ramble on about what they think is the future of humanity, the level of understanding and self-awareness they seem to exhibit around humanist subjects is frighteningly poor. When Sam Altman posts \u201cher\u201d on X and they show off a creepy flirt-bot helping a tech bro learn how to breathe, this total disconnect between technological influence and cultural cognizance is on full display.\n\nHere\u2019s how to cut the crap:\n\nWhether it\u2019s Apple, Google, OpenAI, or any other Big Tech company or VC-fueled startup promoting what they have decided we should consider groundbreaking and revolutionary, ask yourself the following questions:\n\nDoes this technology augment the work I (and people I respect) already enjoy doing? Or does this try to substitute the work that I appreciate myself and others doing?\n  Does this technology keep me grounded in the real-world culture around me, connecting me more deeply and meaningfully with fellow humans in the urban fabric? Or does it further isolate me and keep me hooked\u2014opium-like\u2014on poor approximations of social engagement?\n  Does this technology offer total freedom to pursue how I choose to utilize (or not) the given technology so as to benefit my lifestyle and my core values? Or do I increasingly find myself beholden to the technology, trapped in a cycle of \u201censhittification\u201d which offers little chance of escape?\n  Does this technology prioritize genuine human creativity, \u201canalog\u201d experiences I can enjoy apart from the digital overlay, true expertise & experience, and that \u201cspecial sauce\u201d which emerges from friction-free human-to-human interactions? Or does the technology downplay expertise & experience and instead attempt to foster a poorly-validated, algorithm-centric view into creativity, productivity, and communication?\nIn other words, we must value augmentation, not substitution. Never have we needed to understand deeply the importance of the \u201cbicycle for the mind\u201d analogy as we do right now\u2014and why specifically that analogy holds up because bicycles are the point of reference and not some other form of locomotion.\n\nI don\u2019t know what Steve Jobs would do if he were alive today, and it\u2019s pointless to speculate. But I know what I would do, having appreciated so much about Jobs\u2019 philosophy and vision for the future of computing. As he stated, the computer is a tool\u2014a remarkable tool, but a tool nonetheless. And like any tool, we get to decide when, where, why, and how we prefer to use it. Not the tech bros. Us.\n\n\n\n\nPhoto credit: Pixabay\n\n\n\n  \n\n    \n      #generativeAI\n    \n      #mindfulness\n    \n      #creativity"
    },
    "name": "They Forgot It\u2019s \u201cBicycle for the Mind\u201d\u2014not \u201cJet Airplane\u201d",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41171761",
    "_source": "2783"
}

De-crufting Google Search

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-20T16:39:43-07:00",
    "url": "https://nadreck.me/2024/05/de-crufting-google-search/",
    "category": [
        "links",
        "technical",
        "google",
        "search"
    ],
    "name": "De-crufting Google Search",
    "content": {
        "text": "Just a quick one, but I know some folks might want to know this: it sounds like Google finally added a way to remove all the AI and other self-insert bullshit from their search results. This post by Ernie Smith over on Tedium explains more, but the TLDR is: at the end of your search query URL, add udm=14. So, for example, if you do a search for Buckaroo Banzai, then go into the URL of the search and update it to https://www.google.com/search?q=buckaroo+banzai&udm=14, all the cruft drops away and you just get links to stuff again. (That may seem like kind of a pain, but as that post points out, there are ways to make your searches insert that automagically, depending on your browser.)\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve mostly migrated away from Google search and tend to default to DuckDuckGo, but it\u2019s still good to know. (Personally, I\u2019d love to see a way to customize which tools get turned on or off. Like, I don\u2019t want the AI, and I don\u2019t need the quora answers etc, but it\u2019d be nice to leave the calculator feature turned on. Stuff like that.)",
        "html": "<p>Just a quick one, but I know some folks might want to know this: it sounds like Google finally added a way to remove all the AI and other self-insert bullshit from their search results. <a href=\"https://tedium.co/2024/05/17/google-web-search-make-default/\">This post by Ernie Smith over on Tedium explains more</a>, but the TLDR is: at the end of your search query URL, add <code>udm=14</code>. So, for example, if you do a search for Buckaroo Banzai, then go into the URL of the search and update it to <code><a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=buckaroo+banzai&amp;udm=14\">https://www.google.com/search?q=buckaroo+banzai&amp;udm=14</a></code>, all the cruft drops away and you just get links to stuff again. (That may seem like kind of a pain, but as that post points out, there are ways to make your searches insert that automagically, depending on your browser.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve mostly migrated away from Google search and tend to default to DuckDuckGo, but it\u2019s still good to know. (Personally, I\u2019d love to see a way to customize which tools get turned on or off. Like, I don\u2019t want the AI, and I don\u2019t need the quora answers etc, but it\u2019d be nice to leave the calculator feature turned on. Stuff like that.)</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Nadreck",
        "url": "http://nadreck.me",
        "photo": null
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41163693",
    "_source": "2935"
}

Please stop using open captions

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-19T11:17:36-07:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/1723-Please-stop-using-open-captions",
    "name": "Please stop using open captions",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41153501",
    "_source": "2778"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-18 17:07-0700",
    "url": "https://tantek.com/2024/139/t1/indiewebcamp-dusseldorf-btconf-inspiration",
    "category": [
        "IndieWebCamp",
        "btconf",
        "BarCamp"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Still sitting with the awesomeness that was this past week and weekend\u2019s 1-2 combination of:\n\n#IndieWebCamp D\u00fcsseldorf \u2014 https://indieweb.org/2024/DUS\n#btconf D\u00fcsseldorf \u2014 https://beyondtellerrand.com/events/dusseldorf-2024\n\nGreat seeing old friends and meeting new amazing people as well. So many thoughtful inspiring conversations germinating new ideas for creative projects.\n\nTook lots of photos and notes.\n\nWe recorded all the IndieWebCamp day 1 #BarCamp style breakout sessions, and I believe all the Beyond Tellerand talks were recorded as well. I\u2019m looking forward to rewatching the sessions and talks and reconnecting with all the ideas and open tabs in my browser.\n\nAside: this past Tuesday, the second day of the 2024 Beyond Tellerand talks, was also the five year anniversary of my closing talk at btconf DUS 2019: _Take Back Your Web_ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBLob0ObHMw )",
        "html": "Still sitting with the awesomeness that was this past week and weekend\u2019s 1-2 combination of:<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">IndieWebCamp</span> D\u00fcsseldorf \u2014 <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/2024/DUS\">https://indieweb.org/2024/DUS</a><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">btconf</span> D\u00fcsseldorf \u2014 <a href=\"https://beyondtellerrand.com/events/dusseldorf-2024\">https://beyondtellerrand.com/events/dusseldorf-2024</a><br /><br />Great seeing old friends and meeting new amazing people as well. So many thoughtful inspiring conversations germinating new ideas for creative projects.<br /><br />Took lots of photos and notes.<br /><br />We recorded all the IndieWebCamp day 1 #<span class=\"p-category\">BarCamp</span> style breakout sessions, and I believe all the Beyond Tellerand talks were recorded as well. I\u2019m looking forward to rewatching the sessions and talks and reconnecting with all the ideas and open tabs in my browser.<br /><br />Aside: this past Tuesday, the second day of the 2024 Beyond Tellerand talks, was also the five year anniversary of my closing talk at btconf DUS 2019: _Take Back Your Web_ (<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBLob0ObHMw\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBLob0ObHMw</a> )"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
        "url": "https://tantek.com/",
        "photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "41149320",
    "_source": "2460"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-17T20:49:17-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2024/05/17/8/fedcm-indieauth",
    "category": [
        "fedcm",
        "indieauth"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://bsky.app/profile/aaronpk.com/post/3ksqdhkzsqc2w",
        "https://bsky.app/profile/aaronpk.com/post/3ksqdhzecmc2e"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Well this is moving quickly! You can now spin up FedCM on your own website and log in to https://webmention.io thanks to this open source project from Sam Goto! This is so much better than having to type out your website or even email address when logging in! Full instructions here: \n\nhttps://github.com/fedidcg/FedCM/issues/240#issuecomment-2118606184",
        "html": "Well this is moving quickly! You can now spin up FedCM on your own website and log in to <a href=\"https://webmention.io\"><span>https://</span>webmention.io</a> thanks to this open source project from Sam Goto! This is so much better than having to type out your website or even email address when logging in! Full instructions here: <br /><br /><a href=\"https://github.com/fedidcg/FedCM/issues/240#issuecomment-2118606184\"><span>https://</span>github.com/fedidcg/FedCM/issues/240#issuecomment-2118606184</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "41142185",
    "_source": "16"
}

Revisiting the need for Third Places

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-16T20:20:26-07:00",
    "url": "https://nadreck.me/2024/05/revisiting-the-need-for-third-places/",
    "category": [
        "links",
        "community",
        "third-places"
    ],
    "name": "Revisiting the need for Third Places",
    "content": {
        "text": "Over at Vox, Allie Volpe has a piece talking about a perennial topic for me: \u201cIf you want to belong, find a third place\u201c. Third spaces and their role in fostering a sense of connection and community I feel is pretty well understood at this point, yet despite the clear value for people (and the community), these sorts of spaces are constantly defunded and deprioritized. The way things are economically, there is a real sense that if you\u2019re not maximizing your profitability (reduce lingering, high customer rotation), you\u2019re not going to make it. (It\u2019s not an entirely unreasonable assumption, unfortunately.) Further, even public spaces (or semi-public \u2014 plaza courtyards, malls, et cetera) are set up to actively discourage spending time in them, and then get defunded when people stop using them precisely because the space has become hostile to humans.\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s all a bit maddening. But the article isn\u2019t all doom and gloom, and points out a number of actions people are taking to identify, use, and encourage third places. I also liked that they pointed out that a good third place is heterogeneous:\n\n\n\n\nAs\u00a0Oldenburg described them, third places are great equalizers, spots where regulars of different backgrounds and perspectives can mingle in a location that is comfortable, unpretentious, and low-cost.\nAllie Volpe, \u201cIf you want to belong, find a third place\u201c\n\n\n\n\nUnpretentious, low cost, and made up of people of different backgrounds and perspectives. Good goal for any space, in my opinion. We\u2019ve been traveling to a lot of different regions and cities around the country, and thinking about it, that describes a lot of the places we\u2019ve liked the most: places where folks live, aren\u2019t caught up in some sort of weird regional exceptionalism, and generally seem more willing to talk to you than to make assumptions. (I realize our experience might not always be what others experience on that front \u2013 we\u2019re white and are generally pretty \u201cpresentable\u201d, so we might get more of a pass than others.)\n\n\n\nJust some food for thought. As we figure out where we want to land after this walkabout wraps up, I think this is probably going to rattle around in the back of my brain, trying to consider where I feel like I could cultivate a third place that I\u2019d enjoy.",
        "html": "<p>Over at Vox, Allie Volpe has a piece talking about a perennial topic for me: \u201c<a href=\"https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/24119312/how-to-find-a-third-place-cafe-bar-gym-loneliness-connection\">If you want to belong, find a third place</a>\u201c. Third spaces and their role in fostering a sense of connection and community I feel is pretty well understood at this point, yet despite the clear value for people (and the community), these sorts of spaces are constantly defunded and deprioritized. The way things are economically, there is a real sense that if you\u2019re not maximizing your profitability (reduce lingering, high customer rotation), you\u2019re not going to make it. (It\u2019s not an entirely unreasonable assumption, unfortunately.) Further, even public spaces (or semi-public \u2014 plaza courtyards, malls, et cetera) are set up to actively discourage spending time in them, and then get defunded when people stop using them <em>precisely because the space has become hostile to humans</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s all a bit maddening. But the article isn\u2019t all doom and gloom, and points out a number of actions people are taking to identify, use, and encourage third places. I also liked that they pointed out that a good third place is heterogeneous:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>As\u00a0<a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Oldenburgs-1999-eight-characteristics-of-third-places_tbl1_227515447\">Oldenburg described them</a>, third places are great equalizers, spots where regulars of different backgrounds and perspectives can mingle in a location that is comfortable, unpretentious, and low-cost.</p>\nAllie Volpe, \u201c<a href=\"https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/24119312/how-to-find-a-third-place-cafe-bar-gym-loneliness-connection\">If you want to belong, find a third place</a>\u201c\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Unpretentious, low cost, and <em>made up of people of different backgrounds and perspectives</em>. Good goal for any space, in my opinion. We\u2019ve been traveling to a lot of different regions and cities around the country, and thinking about it, that describes a lot of the places we\u2019ve liked the most: places where folks live, aren\u2019t caught up in some sort of weird regional exceptionalism, and generally seem more willing to talk to you than to make assumptions. (I realize our experience might not always be what others experience on that front \u2013 we\u2019re white and are generally pretty \u201cpresentable\u201d, so we might get more of a pass than others.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just some food for thought. As we figure out where we want to land after this walkabout wraps up, I think this is probably going to rattle around in the back of my brain, trying to consider where I feel like I could cultivate a third place that I\u2019d enjoy.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Nadreck",
        "url": "http://nadreck.me",
        "photo": null
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "41132269",
    "_source": "2935"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2024-05-16 16:13-0700",
    "url": "https://gregorlove.com/2024/05/just-saw-five-iron/",
    "category": [
        "music",
        "SanDiego"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://bsky.app/profile/gregorlove.com/post/3ksndqp2j4k23"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Just saw Five Iron Frenzy is playing in my backyard in August, and with Craig\u2019s Brother! Didn\u2019t know CB was still around. Looking forward to it.",
        "html": "<p>Just saw Five Iron Frenzy is playing in my backyard in August, and with Craig\u2019s Brother! Didn\u2019t know CB was still around. Looking forward to it.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "gRegor Morrill",
        "url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
        "photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "41131481",
    "_source": "95"
}