My world on the web
Oh my days, how am I only just discovering the latest album by jamie xx (released last September)?
What an absolute banger š¤
https://album.link/gb/i/1746750796
I feel father comfortable swimming in HTML and writing the stuff by hand (I thought at one time everyone would learn to write HTML). It never tops being refreshing to learn one more trick.
Source: Links to Text Fragments by Alan Levine
I never knew that there was an option to select a link to the highlighted text in the browser. For years I have been using the Fragmentation plugin in WordPress, I guess this makes that obsolete?
I really like the prospect of pointing to a particular section of text when linking out from my blog. I like(d) Hypothesis for this, but find the workflow of creating a highlight that I would then link to a bit tedious and time consuming.
My post on automating my /now page was very popular and I am proud of what I managed to do but I’ve been thinking for a while it’s very impersonal. It’s data. It’s not a page written by me in any meaningful way.
Leon had some similar thoughts on this with an idea for each blog post being a section of a page but rendered as one. The end goal for him, and me, is that the new additions get syndicated via RSS, POSSE, and so forth. I like the idea of redirecting /now to the latest post tagged as now so one could see the latest version of what I’m doing now.
Source: On Transient Slash Pages by Robb Knight
I have always been interested in the idea of a Now page, it is something that I miss about my newsletter. However, I felt that replacing the content loses the history. I really like the idea of writing a post and having /Now pick up the latest post.
Now you know why my hopes of reaching eighty diminish by the day. But itās not too late to create my own philosophy. Iāve never felt a more urgent need to do something than this. I have been taking notes on how to live and how great philosophers before our time approach life in general, but in 2025, it is time to grab those notes and rework them into something of my own. Then I too can rest assured that the remainder of my life, all I have to do is to live up to my own set of rules.
Source: You Should Compile Your Own Philosophy by Wouter Groeneveld
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Wouter, the idea of my own philosophy has me thinking about Angus Hervey’s idea of holding on tightly ā¦ and letting go lightly. I feel like my blog probably captures a philosophy, maybe? However, to bring it together? To make it more condense? To eliminate all its contradictions? Here I am reminded of (or haunted by) Michel Foucault:
Aren’t you sure of what you’re saying? Are you going to change yet again, shift your position according to the questions that are put to you, and say that the objections are not really directed at the place from which you are speaking? Are you going to declare yet again that you have never been what you have been reproached with being? Are you already preparing the way out that will enable you in your next book to spring up somewhere else and declare as you’re now doing: no, no, I’m not where you are lying in wait for me, but over here, laughing at you?’
‘What, do you imagine that I would take so much trouble and so much pleasure in writing, do you think that I would keep so persistently to my task, if I were not preparing ā with a rather shaky hand ā a labyrinth into which I can venture, into which I can move my discourse, opening up underground passages, forcing it to go far from itself, finding overhangs that reduce and deform its itinerary, in which I can lose myself and appear at last to eyes that I will never have to meet again. I am no doubt not the only one who writes in order to have no face. Do not ask who I am and do not ask me to remain the same: leave it to our bureaucrats and our police to see that our papers are in order. At least spare us their morality when we write.
Source The Archaeology of Knowledge and The Discourse on Language by Michel Foucault
Reverend (bavatuesdays.com)So acknowledging the definite limits of commenting to save the world, Iām still making a commitment in 2025 to spend a lot more time commenting on other folks work than I have in a long time. I may be overthinking this, but I have gotten the sense that folks might be planning a return to the blog.
Source: The ABCs of Blogging: Always Be Commenting by Jim Groom
Jim, when I first saw the title, I thought it was going to be about the eighties pop group ABC.
In a way, ABC were doing what Roxy Music had done ten years previously, which was create a shiny pop environment, slightly at odds with the times. In ABCās world, men wore suits and women were grateful ā before breaking their menās hearts. The defining quality of their music was its intelligence, driven by a desire to elevate the pop genre rather than simply turn it into a commodity.
Source: Sweet Dreams – The Story of the New Romantics by Dylan Jones
To play on Jones’ description, maybe the ABC of Blogging might be something like:
In a way, bloggers were doing what the creators of zines had done ten years previously, which was create a shiny pop environment, slightly at odds with the times. In this world, bloggers wrote posts and readers were grateful ā before then leaving a comment. The defining quality of blogs are their intelligence, driven by a desire to elevate ideas rather than simply turn it into a commodity.
Each year, you, along with hundreds and thousands of people from all around the world, choose the songs that have soundtracked your life, leading to one hell of a listening party in January. Itās a countdown curated by you, for you!
Source: Hottest 100 2024 – triple j by @triplej
I must be honest, I am more Double J, than Triple J these days, however I always find it interesting to stop and reflect upon my favourite songs of the year. So here my list of the ten songs that grabbed me this year:
There was no new music from Jake Webb this year, but he did produce annie hamilton’s Stop and Smell the Lightning. For me, without you was the standout track.Ā The song’s intensity builds and builds, without exploding. I also love how the drums slap.
Ibibio Sound Machine were a new discovery this year (found via Pitchfork’s new music). With the strong groove throughout, this song feels like it could be placed in the middle of a Chemical Brothers set. Alongside the Hot Chip produced Electricity (which I subsequently bought on vinyl), these albums soundtracked a few of my jogs this year.
I really was not sure about Brat based on the early singles, 360 and Von Dutch. However, as a whole, I feel that the album really clicked. My favourite track ebbs and flows and depends on the moment, but I think about it all the time is a real standout for its rawness and honesty. “I think about it all the time / That I might run out of time.” This stands out even more on the album as it is following by the contrasting 365.
Jamie xx’s In Waves ebbs and flows throughout like the crashing of waves, but it really hits with Life. As a track, I find it gives me life and possesses me every time I listen to it. Whether it be my feet or my hand, something always starts tapping.
I had Celebrate the Failure on high rotation earlier in the year, I felt that it captured the sentiment of a moment, even if it was written for a different time. I feel that Un-Australians builds upon this with its reflection of the current political climate. “You were in, now youāre out / And the cost of living is all you want to talk about/ Itās pain / Cos weāre the Green, woke, vegan, yes-voting Anzacs.”
St. Vincent has spoken about the electricity that runs throughout All Born Screaming. For me, this is epitomised in Sweetest Fruit with the way the different flows – synthesiser, melody, drums – interlace throughout the track.
The opening single from the long awaited self-titled debut album, Blackmail Boogie is a sonic spell that begins with the opening oohs and aahs and comes to a crescendo with the epic guitar solo that conjures up a crowd seemingly out of nowhere. No matter my mood, this song has the magical ability of both taking me to another place, as well as reminding me that I am not alone. I wonder if the secret that Twinkle Digitz has – “If you don’t do as I do / I’m telling on you / I’m telling the truth” – is that no matter how serious we think we are, we are all a bit phony in the end?
Across nearly ten minutes, this songs is always moving. Although the groove stays the same , there is always an ingredient being added, changed or removed. It never quite leaves you settled. I feel it is akin to running on a treadmill where the pace is just that bit too fast leaving your breath always out of sync. Genius?
I came across Griff via her cover of Charli XCX’s Apple. I subsequently fell into her album Vertigo. Some have criticised it for being safe (is that because there are no swear words), but sometimes there is nothing like a warm blanket on a cold day? Personally, I am a sucker for how slick this track is (and album is). Also, after watching some live clips, I appreciate that it is something more than Ableton and a Launchpad.
My daughter and I bonded over The Tortured Poets Department this year. It is also my Jack Antonoff track of the year (although Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter was pretty good too.) I really like the way in which this track has some many sonic layers.
Anyway, if youāre looking for something to do instead of playing with AI, try embodying a squirrel and start planting seeds for a better future. You can even forget where you plant things, the forest will grow regardless. Help a neighbour, plant a tree, do something kind. The AI isnāt going to spread kindness, it cannot. Kindness is a human thing.
Source: [FBT] on Hokums and Heretics by Laura Hilliger
Nice to hear from you Laura. Although, I read your newsletter via Mastodon as it did not come through into my inbox. With the annual “I did xyz this year” cycle in full swing, I realised I read a lot of books this, but did not actually process a lot of it. I have therefore been left thinking whether it matters. I have also been thinking about sharing and remembering more, while at the same time wondering if in fact I actually need to forgot some things?
If youāre inspired to start your own digital garden, here are a few tips to help you:
- Start Small
- Focus on a handful of ideas or notes to begin with. Itās better to start small and grow over time.
- Use Templates
- Consistent templates for different stages of notes (like seeds, plants, and evergreens) will help you stay organized.
- Embrace Imperfection
- A digital garden is always evolving. Donāt feel pressured to publish perfectly polished content.
- Leverage Backlinks
- Whenever you create a new note, think about how it connects to existing ideas.
- Experiment with Tools
- Obsidian is incredibly flexible. Play around with plugins and workflows until you find what works best for you.
Source: Tools Iām Using to Build My Digital Garden by Ian O’Byrne
My take-away from all of this is that the cost of these things is really adding up. I feel like my ‘Sunday drive’ of a blog really does not cut it. It would seem to do all this properly I am going to end up with a multitude of subscriptions. I guess in not paying for the various efficiencies gained with Sync or Readwise then it is costing me my time? Food for thought I guess.
David Truss (daily-ink.davidtruss.com)Along the way there will also be more lasts, and while I know they will come too, I will only think of them afterwards, unable to recall when such moments came to an end. Such is life. And so as I look to the future, I canāt wait for more first, and yes, more lasts too. Moments to cherish, milestones to achieve, adventures to experience.
Source: Firsts and Lasts by David Truss
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Thank you for sharing this David. It is a strange feeling wondering how long until the children are able to put themselves to bed, knowing that on the flip side there will be a time when I will miss those days of reading stories before bed. Will we ever be happy.
Personally, your discussion of ‘firsts and lasts’ reminded me of the lasts at the other end of life. I remember my last proper conversation with my mother. It was only later that I realised that it would be the case.
My last real one to one chat happened when I was least expecting it. With my step dad out picking up my brother and sister from school, I had a few moments with my mum. All of the sudden the tone of the conversation changed from being chatty, talking about this and that, but nothing in particular, to being more serious. I am not sure if it was something that I said or whether it was something that mum was just waiting to say, but she learnt forward from the couch and told me that I was a great brother, an amazing son and a fantastic husband and that I should not listen to anyone who says otherwise. In my usual manner, I tried to dodge these compliments. Like my mum, I just donāt like being pumped up. However, it didnāt occur to my till much later that these were mumās last meaningful words for me.
Source: Celebrating Other Voices in the Moment – Read Write Respond by Aaron Davis
Oh how fleeting life can be I guess.
David Shanske (david.shanske.com)Currently tracking with WordPress 6.2, they are committed to a leaner version of WordPress that focuses on a classic editor experience. Version 2.3.0 just came out, and updates dependent libraries, removes Javascript in favor of HTML5 elementsā¦instead of layering on more and more client side Javascript to help things run.
Source: Switched to ClassicPress by David Shanske
Thank you for the nudge David, I really should just move my bookmarking site to ClassicPress. I cannot see any benefits to the block editor for this sort of stuff. At the very least, I feel like it is probably time for a shake-up of some of my outdated workflows.
In the spirit of Groomian #BlogOrDie, rather than just append some more ideas to my recent post on podcast listening, why not just blog anew? No rules here except the ones I concoct. Left Of My List I only realized yesterday when I drove for errands, and as usual, flipped on the Overcast player to […]
Stephen Downes does point out that the Android app AntennaPod does support import/export of sets of feeds as OPML, and shares a nifty example from some guy named āEdā who shares his listens as an OPML file rendered readable on the web using the ālost artā (Stephenās accurate description) of an XSL Stylesheet. The link lists links to all showās web sites and RSS feeds.
Source: One More Thing on Podcast Listening (well maybe two) (or three) by Alan Levine
Thank you for sharing this Alan. I felt all old school, delving into the ‘lost art‘ of stylesheets. I posted my podcasts OPML here.
I had maintained an OPML via the links in WordPress, but really like the way that the file is presented via the stylesheet. I wonder if there is a way of applying a stylesheet to the WordPress file, for now I think that is just an itch.
I also really like Podcast Index too. Thank you for sharing. Sadly, it looks at ‘podcasts’ as a whole, rather than episodes. At least it is a start.
Itās been a very good year for vinyl, with lots of top-of-their-game releases from favourite artists and a few new ones Iāve discovered. Iām stealing Pitchforkās use of RIYL (Recommended If You Like this year, so here are ten of the new releases Iāve enjoyed the most this year
Vinyl of the year by Martin Weller
Martin, I really like your use of RIYL in reviewing 2024.
Also, what I find interesting with all of these reviews are the differences with what stood out.
One of the things that I often struggle with is with the purpose my online meanderings. Although I agree about ‘collecting the dots‘, it can sometimes be hard to justify in amongst the everyday hustle and bustle. However, again and again I find myself diving into something I read long after the fact. Today I […]
=IMAGE("https://quickchart.io/qr?text="&ENCODEURL(A2))I just found this one. Works fine.
Source: Alternative for charts.googleapis.com for generating QR code in google sheets
What I got out of this week is that we are operating as humans in a world of humans. Everything we do comes back to our relationships with others and how we go about them.
Source: Tim Klapdor (@timklapdor@mastodon.social)
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There are many things I miss as my work as ebbed and changed over the years, one is the connections and relationships. I am reminded of a post I wrote ten years ago:
Creating new connections is what ALL conferences should be about. Building relationships and expanding your PLN. This sense of people connecting with people, both digitally and online, is what makes them such a fantastic place to learn. To riff on +David WeinbergerāsĀ point, āThe smartest person in the conference is the conference.ā
Source: Presentations Donāt Make a Conference, People Do by Aaron Davis
Did y’all get my newsletter yesterday? Cause it says it went out but I didn’t get it… I think I really need to move off mailpoet…
Source: Laura Hilliger (@epilepticrabbit@social.coop) by
Sorry Laura, no email.Ā Mailpoet not for the win š
David White (daveowhite.com)Iām going to blame Descartes for all this complexity as mind-body duality seems to be behind it. Whatās the difference between thinking about work and doing work? When it comes to teaching, and many other types of work, I donāt think there is a difference. Iād go as far as to say that defining work in these terms is a category error. This unhelpful duality amplifies our inability to define not-quite-real-time forms of text based exchange as dialogue and erases a key mode of work from our institutional consciousness. No wonder we feel overstretched when much of the work we do is difficult to account for.
Source: Blame Descartes: why the way we work online is difficult to describe. by David White
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David, I am left wondering about your blur between āteachingā and āprepā and comparing this with Arendt’s discussion of the action associated with thought in The Human Condition:
If labor leaves no permanent trace, thinking leaves nothing tangible at all. By itself, thinking never materializes into any objects. Whenever the intellectual worker wishes to manifest his thoughts, he must use his hands and acquire manual skills just like any other worker. In other words, thinking and working are two different activities which never quite coincide; the thinker who wants the world to know the ācontentā of his thoughts must first of all stop thinking and remember his thoughts. Remembrance in this, as in all other cases, prepares the intangible and the futile for their eventual materialization; it is the beginning of the work process, and like the craftsmanās consideration of the model which will guide his work, its most immaterial stage. The work itself then always requires some material upon which it will be performed and which through fabrication, the activity of homo faber, will be transformed into a worldly object. The specific work quality of intellectual work is no less due to the āwork of our handsā than any other kind of work.
Source: The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt
I used to really like Twitter. I was active on it a lot. It opened doors for me. It allowed me to find and meet my heroes. I wrote many posts about Twitter, explaining why it mattered, how it worked, and convincing others to give it chance, even if it seemed like a weird idea. It was the one social network that I felt had true value, and the one I would hang onto long after I let the others go. I believed in the people there, because I saw Twitter as giving us all a voice, democratising our ability to connect and share and learn together.
But enough is enough. I have been hanging onto Twitter/X for nostalgia more than utility. Despite having nearly 12,000 followers I canāt remember the last time Iāve had a proper exchange of ideas or a conversation.
Source: Ex-Twitter by Chris Betcher
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Chris, I appreciate your point about nostalgia. I too have found myself in Twitter less and less in the last few years. Personally, what I miss is reaching out, replying or mentioning people. Just wondering, have you found any other space that fills the space associated with developing a PLN etc?
In one sample listen, you might be wowed. But over a series, Biff and Buffy sound like a bunch of gushing sycophants, those office but kissers you want to kick in the pants.
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Beyond the point of showing that this can be done (reference the old saying about why a dog does something) ā what is the use? Will people really use this as a mode to consume content?
Source: Wow Us with your AI Generated Podcastā¦ by Alan Levine
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I agree with you Alan about the initial amazement about what is possible, I am not sure how purposeful it is. I listened to David Truss’ podcast he posted and was left thinking about my experience with David Truss’ writing. I imagine that such tools may provide a possible entry way into new content, but I am not sure what is really gained by putting this into an audio format? If as David has suggested (quoting Adam Grant), “The future belongs to those who connect dots.” Does an autogenerated podcast help with that? (On a side note, anytime someone talks about connecting dots, I am reminded of the wonderful work of Amy Burvall.) I wonder in this case if the focus on the product overlooks the learning gained through the process of highlighting the patterns and finding a trace through all the dots?
I personally listen to a lot of text using the phone’s accessibility features. I think that a text summary read in this manner is both sufficient and maintains the divide, whereas I feel that the artificial voices sit somewhere in the uncanny valley. However, the more I think about this, I wonder what is the uncanny valley anymore and whether we are “all already interpolated” within the system, especially after reading Jill Lepore’s dive into the world of the talking chatbot.
Jeremy Cherfas (eatthispodcast.com)āInsect farming mostly adds an inefficient and expensive layer to the food system we already have.ā
Thereās just one fly in the ointment, so to speak. Most of the food that insects are fed isnāt waste at all, and after absorbing large amounts of investor cash, some of the biggest companies have gone bust. Dustin Crummett, executive director of the Insect Institute, shared his many reasons for saying that eating insects will not save the planet.
Crunch Time: Insects Are Not Going to Save Us ā Eat This Podcast by Jeremy Cherfas
Many years ago, I remember eating a bag of crickets cooked in oil and garlic in Phnom Penh. I have always wondered about the prospect of insects ever since. This is clearly not the case.
The discussion of feed used to develop insects reminded me about Johann Hari’s discussion of processed food in his book Magic Pill:
Thirty years ago, it took twelve weeks for a factory-farmed chicken to reach its slaughter weight, but now it only takes five to six weeks. Broiler chickens are three times higher in fat today than they were when I was born, and the standard factory-farmed turkey now has such an obese chest that it can barely stand up.
So how did they do it? It turns out it was partly by restricting the animalsā movementālots of them canāt even turn around in their cages. But even more importantly, they totally transformed their diets. If you feed a cow the whole food it evolved to eatāgrassāit will take a year longer to reach its slaughter weight than if you feed it something different: a newly invented kind of ultra-processed feed, made up of grains, chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics. Because the animals donāt like the taste of this fake food, the agricultural corporations often add artificial sweetness to itāJell-O powder is popular, especially with a strawberry-banana flavoring. When you mix a sweet-tasting formula like this into their processed food, lambs will rapidly add 30 percent to their body weight.
If you deliberately want to make an animal fat, you take away what its ancestors ate and give it an ultra-processed and artificially sweetened replica instead. In other wordsāBig Agriculture does to animals precisely what the processed food industry is doing to us and our children every day.
Source: Magic Pill by Johann Hari