• [[18]] is [[right understanding]] in the [[flancia]] [[pattern language]].
  • Flancia is in some ways a [[calendar]]. I usually revisit the Flancia Pattern language daily, considering the current date as my default focus.
• [[drishtis]] ~ [[29]] might be particularly interesting as it is a list; 29 tends to remind me of items on which my focus is trained on by default in the running month.
  • on this note [[7]] and [[17]] this month were beautiful as usual
  • [[20]] ~ [[agora slides]] this month as I'll present it to [[fotl]] in whichever shape it is :)
• At this point I decided to start writing in the Agora assuming I have [[autopush]] on, even though I haven't implemented it.
  • It will work like this: if you [[wikilink]] or #tag once node [[autopush]] in a resource, the Agora will try to push blocks for you even without mentioning #push; so the following would result in [[poems]] getting a push of this node without further ado.
• [[poems]]
  • I wrote [[Agua]] again today on my paper notebook.
  • [[Fork]]
    • Fork
    • Fork, fork!
    • As we fork we'll [[merge]]!
  • [[Merge]]
    • Merge
    • Merge, merge!
    • As we merge we'll [[fork]]!
  • [[Flow]]
    • Flow
    • Flow, flow!
    • As we flow we'll do kindly!
• Hello from [[paramita]] :)
  • [[fork]]
    • [[nostromo]] music
    • [[paramita]] [[agora slides]]
    • [[sila]] [[letters]]

2023-09-18

• Listened: [[Kohei Saito on Degrowth Communism]]

• Some good [[right to repair]] news lately. What with the Californian repair bill passing state legislature. And the EU ecodesign requirements on smartphones and tablets.

• And also: [[STATEMENT: Google announces 10 years of tech support for Chromebooks]]

• Not all good though: [[Google won’t repair cracked Pixel Watch screens]]

• A [[story]] shows [[change]] in someone over [[time]].
• The Casper Tiny Business Book Club: a way to bring tiny [[business]] starters together in Casper.
• [[Communities]] benefit from a fear of missing out, which come from [[barriers]] to entry. At the most basic level, [[time]] and [[space]] are barriers to entry. collapsed:: true
  • Nodes need a way to connect to other nodes directly. Lots of small gatherings are needed to make a bigger [[group]] healthy.
• Questions to ask to find a [[business]]: collapsed:: true
  • What [[problems]] do people have?
  • How many people share that [[problem]]?
  • Who do people get [[advice]] from in that [[space]]?
  • What are their [[weaknesses]]?
  • Which [[distribution]] models are most effective?
  • What problem isn't being solved?
• Kevin Von Duuglas-Ittu talks about "building a net with the world" to describe how competent Muay [[Thai]] [[fighters]] slowly stop [[movement]] in an [[opponent]]. This parallels "setting traps" or "creating luck". [[Position]] in an [[environment]] is used to [[block]] off movement for whoever is being [[hunted]].
  • "it is quite often a [[stalking]] [[game]] of techniques, exerting [[pressure]] on [[space]] and [[time]], until the [[kill]] can happen. At it’s highest, I suggest, it is 'building a net of the world'"
• "It's not going [[fast]] that's [[dangerous]], but stopping fast"- also applies to [[throws]] and [[unarmed]] [[combat]].
• [[Change]] creates [[tension]].
• [[Sailing]] with the [[wind]] limits speed more than sailing against it because the sail acts as a [[parachute]] and the boat can only go as [[fast]] as the wind (rather than faster).
• hips higher, square to the ground, spine aligned, between [[earth]] and [[sky]], be upright
• "[[Magic]] only happens in a spectator's [[mind]]...focus on bringing an [[experience]] to the [[audience]]."
• Who are the passionate [[outsiders]] with no [[tribe]] yet? collapsed:: true
  • Who's bored with yesterday and demands tomorrow?
• When to take a [[slow]] bend, and when to go [[fast]] to float over a [[problem]]?
• Things [[fans]] of Jack Carr talk about from his [[books]]: collapsed:: true
  • Nonstop action (how would one make [[written]] [[action]] [[flow]]?)
  • --some chapters are still considered too long for fans
  • Cell workout routine- a fan says they're stealing the character's workout routine.
  • People are annoyed with how many books seemingly minor plotlines take.
  • Funny glimpses to the author's worldview through the glossary.
  • You know the end (Reece will escape). You know the beginning (people have cornered Reece). People read to find out the middle (how?).
  • Hatchet patches- something for people to wear or display that shows that they are fans of the story. collapsed:: true
    • -A fan made a tomahawk to mimic the tomahawk used by characters.
    • -people are making breakfast dishes from the books.
    • -fans are wishing for the ability to purchase patches from the units in the series
    • -people are ordering watches that characters use in the books
  • "I have never felt as much [[anxiety]] and adrenaline listening to something before."
  • A reader has a feeling that anyone, including someone close to the [[protagonist]], could be a spy. This creates [[tension]]. Carr casts suspicion on someone close to Reece that Reece is putting all his eggs in- so the [[stakes]] are high.
  • Less politics, more ass-kicking.
  • Sucking air out of someone's throat underwater.
  • Reece's dad leaves him a note that suggests a puzzle. This puzzle is not solved until book 7.
  • People want to go to the [[places]] referred to in the book, even if they're not real- they get the idea that it is a reference to something real.
  • Who is going to die? <- creates [[tension]]
  • Redacted portion of the book.
  • How did X happen?
  • Most fans are [[listening]] to [[audiobook]], rather than [[reading]].
  • In the Blood ending.
• Things [[fans]] of Heinlein talk about from his [[books]]: collapsed:: true
  • Quotes about the nature of humanity.
  • Quotes about political dynamics.
  • Introduction to alternative views on sexuality (polyamory, bisexuality, sexual acceptance).
  • Competent man as celebration of man.
  • A character who is what a male reader admires in women (freedom of embodied expression), followed by trauma closing the expression up. The reader cried on the scene about her having her lover come home in a coffin and hearing Taps.
• Things [[fans]] of qntm talk about from his [[books]]: collapsed:: true
  • [[Worldbuilding]] doesn't overexplain, which gives it room to breathe.
  • "It's nice to get a story of [[existential]] [[horror]], in the face of vast and inimical entities from beyond human comprehension, that isn't just another Lovecraft pastiche."
  • Uplifting good vs evil end despite an extremely uncertain world.
  • Human feeling contrasted against existential alienation.
  • Endings that are touching and deeply personal, as well as with a grand [[vision]] for the future of humanity.
  • Putting human life into a galactic perspective and making the reader feel insignificant in a vast world.
  • Appreciating anti-fascist just-so stories.
  • Plausible explanation of magic (perhaps echoing Wattsian vampires).
  • Hard scifi magic (the paradox attraction thingy)
  • A sense of people getting punished for being confident (the protagonist gets punished)
  • Some things remain unknown, and unexplained.
• [[Cold]] [[air]] = [[high]] [[pressure]] [[Warm]] air = [[low]] pressure

• Monday, 09/18/23 ** 10:00 Thinking about the impact of wearing something that acts as a focal point for your identity. The huge camera shapes your day - who you are - what you intend to do with your day in a way that the Ricoh in the pocket never will. The huge accessory gives you a quest, a way for others to visually identify you and a way for you to talk to others about what you do that day. The huge accessory gives you a quest, a way for others to visually identify you and a way for you to classify yourself.

I think that sentence may have been duplicated.

This idea is reminiscent of Stephen Wolfram's laptop setup - propped up at his waist, ready to type, at all times.

The way that this device inconveniences you is a constant reminder that you /want/ to accept this inconvenience - that you're making a sacrifice every minute of the day to do what you love - and other people can see it; they can at least observe the mission you're going on.

This reminds me of going on a walk with a problem held in your head; with carrying a burden or task and idea that you're obsessed with, can't stop thinking about until you find an answer. ** 12:49 The only two ways I can ever imagine taking photos of people are:

• Across the table from me at a restaurant or dinner
• Across the room, in their apartment or mine

Maybe 40mm is for people and 28mm is for things. ** 12:50 The clothes that I'm wearing today feel too generic.

• Black wool sweater
• articulated pants
• Sock darts
• Bose headphones
• Black tote

This outfit is consistent but not distinctive - there is no focal point for someone to remember me by. Nothing I wear tells someone else what I'm interested in. There is no band tee or tracksuit or football jersey to talk to someone else about.

My camera's too discrete now to stand out.

That's a good thing; the Ricoh can replace my phone. ** 20:56 Thinking about ways to more deliberately improve my photos.

I wonder if I'm using the right camera or the right focal length. I feel too wide in so many circumstances. The 28mm is just right for home life, for shooting indoors, for recording life day-to-day, but for walking outdoors - and expecting to find great photos - it's quite hard to use. Maybe the GR3x would be a better fit for me; maybe that camera would get me the depth of field I want from a friend in a cafe.

I'm not sure. I think the ability to easily and unobtrusively make more and more and more photos with a camera in the pocket is brilliant. I think having a large sensor with a high resolution is good. I think carrying a camera everywhere I go without any effort - and without showing others - is so powerful. A camera smaller than a phone is a beautiful tool.

How do I set practices to get better?

I can:

• Walk through my photos every night, trying to get better
• Revisit places day after day, perfecting the same kinds of photos. This gets boring really quickly and doesn't generalize to everywhere. Scratch that!
• Keep walking into new places. New places will help you learn from old ones.
• Try new cameras. The Ricoh is an experience I've really been learning from. We'll see how that process continues.

I noticed that the Magnum photographers take tons of shots of a particular scene - 50, 100, in a location - rather than moving on. I need to learn to stay in places longer. I'm out to take good photos. I'm not in a rush to the next location.

I like the idea of talking through and presenting my ideas to others. Is there a way to workshop photos with other people to improve deliberately? Try to find someone else to talk through photos with.

The curved lines of the Ricoh - and the way they show up in-camera - isn't fun.

On the bright side - I love the way my images of the Stockholm Library around the corner turned out. Wondering how possible it is to make more, similar photos.

Likewise - the hostel sign, the images inside my apartment, the subway system, the office - all photos that this camera was able to handle extremely well. This focal length is indoors and intimate.

Also - particularly in Stockholm - the focal length allows me to capture the entire facade of a building opposite me on the street and still have room for some action in the foreground. I didn't anticipate this. It's a useful tool I'll have to keep using as I wander around.

This was all basically what I expected when I purchased the camera; I shouldn't be surprised that it wasn't able to capture some of the tricky frames - like the woman through the white window on the green background - as well as I really wanted to. Maybe I have learned a bit about taking photos. I'm just not sure that it's best suited for my street photography work a lot of the time. I'll keep pushing it for the rest of this week - at the office, after work, and so on - and we'll see how it goes.

Decision: I am keeping the camera.

Will I use it daily?

I'm not sure yet.

I'll still try to take the Fuji out on weekends and longer trips. This isn't a replacement for those circumstances. We'll think about the GR III x though... ** 21:28 I like being able to pick games I don't want to play; to say one vector is good enough and investigate others. No subject is simple, but some subjects interest me less than others. It's okay to follow internet rabbit holes. Abandon the leaves that lead in the wrong directions. ** 22:30 Daily reminder that cooking is a gift, a privilege, and you have more of the best ingredients in the world - more than any other person has had available here at this point in history - down the street. Learning to cook is learning to love a process. ** 22:34 Instinctively I want to hate that I don't have the time to be good at everything in the world, but I love that I can fill in all of the gaps that friends and people I meet can't.

I just have to get as good at what I can now and meet those people when I can't. ** 23:23 I guess I just need to do more work.