Links: thinking

I've had this tab open for a few days (happy belated Naz!) that commemorates forty-seven loops around the sun — with a collection of guideposts for each year that exude a sense of calm, curiosity, kindness and delight.

"Now is also the time to kinwork—to reach out to people you know, people whose company you enjoy, whether you’re old friends or new" Mandy Brown shares this and more approaches to moving toward work that makes lives better.

"...This is something far beyond simple doomscrolling, this is full-on doom living. And it's completely untenable." Dan Sinker has thoughts on the matter

Merlin fired up a new blog thing, and he has some notions to share. This one's about developing a muscle to notice good things. He also helps you find a pencil sharpener in another post. / via Merlin, but reminded by Luke

I've had this in a tab for a week, but I'm saving this 35th edition of The Dice because there are a lot of approaches for establishing footing on shaky ground. "Your brain learns through patterns. The more you interrupt the dread... the easier it gets." Related: Your World Is Burning. Here's What You Can Actually Do About It

Matt Haughey shares the passing of a friend and it resonated on many levels. I think we all know the sort of person that feels instantly like an old friend when you first meet. And the short video profile about Pableux is very worth watching. I've long since wanted a bigger table. I'm reminded that I need to use the one I have. Now.

They had me at the headline. Hang with abandon, no need for pesky agendas! (Doing nothing is also good by yourself)

I _just_ got through a stack of RSS that spanned back to December 14th, specifically this post from Naz Hamid. Today seems like a good day to share. With the moderation nonsense of Meta and after reading Dan Sinker's Pulling the Threads, I updated my Threads profile with a tombstone. I'm sad there aren't many good elsewheres, but happy to collect thoughts here.

I was just trucking along enjoying every one of these things and got to 77 and was all awwwww. An unexpected reminder of a project that spanned most of 2024 that I hold dear.

This long read by Rosie Spinks bundles anxieties of *waving arms around* and weaves viewpoints I found sturdy and helpful.

Julia Rothman has a wonderful tradition to frame goals for a new year (and a fantastic website to explore). via SwissMiss

I've been working through this long read by Ed Zitron and taking pause while nodding furiously. This is a distillation of concepts he's been putting forth for some time about the tech industry’s pursuit of growth at all costs. The most deceptive patterns and practices has led to a degradation of user experience with dire consequences. Heavy stuff, but important to note so we can plant new approaches.

Jane Fonda and and Ashton Applewhite provide an angle you might not have considered to extend the length and quality of life. Related: The film Join Or Die is now available to stream, download and for community screenings.

Matt Webb collects a list of songs that are lists of moments and folds reflections in-between. Lovely thoughts, a long list of words and pondering a vibe shift.

Created by Seth Godin, this downloadable document offers readings to those gathered at a table. It's inspired by the US holiday, but could be applicable to any moment, anywhere when breaking bread.

Toward the bottom of Toni's about page he's got a section with names and checkboxes of folks to meet IRL. As a fan of making lists, this sort is particularly grand. (Which after digging deeper, was inspired by Rafael Conde.)

I've a stack of links about the '24 election piling up. This one hit different. John Gruber's Daring Fireball is in my RSS favorites folder. I can always expect solid, spicy takes of Apple news on his site. There have been sports and political posts in the mix, but one hits different. "How It Went" is not just poignant, it's personal, and left me wondering.

Upon seeing this link thanks to Jessica Hische, my reply was "Ooo! Thank you for this. I love the inclusion of a call for speakers in addition to early bird tickets. I always like to imagine what to share in such a context. (Who am I kidding? In ANY context!)"

I have THOUGHTS (Figma got me through a rough patch, no lie). And pardon the length of this link post, but here's the beauty of such things — Let's say you throw your hat in the ring... If it doesn't pan out? Those notions are YOURS to SHARE. No matter what.

Dominik Hofer has a wonderful personal website. In this note he shares a moving passage from “Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman with additional thoughts. I'm always looking for simple approaches to address a moment. This one is going in my emotional toolbox.

Simple approach to organize activities that fuel good feelings. My menu would definitely not include "scroll social media" on the list. / a tip of the hat to Kari for this

Erik sent a link to the video by Matthias Hilse where he presents a method for organizing thoughts using Apple Notes. I've only watched the video once, but I know there is much to glean.

Austin Kleon sent questions to Lynda Barry and he put her responses in the mailbox. I'm adding a new goal of more "recreational sleeping" to the list of things to do with regularity.

On October 31, 2024 I completed looking back at photos from every day of the last 20 years or so and wrote this letter to my sister.

It's slight! But they form a base unit to articulate radioactivity exposure. And as Seth Godin points out, sometimes we need equivalents to put things in context.

Scott Boms pulls a quote from a favorite book (Orbiting the Giant Hairball). It's about letting go and a concrete way to do that. / via this lovely thread that expands on the post.

Kari whittles down a list of 8,879 ways to give yourself and others good fortune from a book by Barbara Ann Kipfer. Lists of advice can be overwhelming, but if something percolates from such I feel it's a win. I'm hoping if I read enough of these things they'll sink in, like, plant tulips at Thanksgiving.

On what would have been Steve Albini's birthday, Dan Sinker highlights a passage from an interview in Punk Planet where Steve shares some life philosophy. It's solid and resonates.

These rules are golden and could (and should) apply to just about anything. I'll also mention I grew up in mosh pits and both miss them and feel like I never moved past them and should learn how to dance less violently. / via Cory Dransfeldt

Loved these. "Always look forward, except when there’s wildlife or really beautiful parks..." (and also the wind in your face bit.)

I've been waking up each morning and starting the day by revisiting 20 years of daily photos to find hidden gems since Halloween 2023. This is the story behind the ritual.

With illustrations by Gaia Alari. This is easily among my favorite scrolls of the year. This essay about a hamster, two wiener dogs and life itself is so good. It has inspired me to listen to to the podcast it is drawn from: Animal. / via WAXY

Each time I come across this list I get something out of it even though I don't necessarily feel number 8. Some folks are night people, some are morning people — it brings balance to the force. But this is Frank talking to his 30s self, and it's so very solid.

As Joan Westenberg posits, it isn't selfish, it is essential and I agree. (Don't give it all away, I tell myself.)

Seen many links to this piece by Molly White that the good ol' days of the web are not gone at all. "...we have tools in our arsenal: the memories of once was, and the creativity of far more people than ever before..." It really is easier than ever to carve out a home online.

I was cleaning out a folder of potential and this link re-emerged. Steve Albini passed yesterday and has shaken me a bit. Hearing him speak passionately helps ease the loss. In this video, Kmele Foster searches for the meaning of life and speaks with him, Godfrey Reggio and Fred Armisen. They offer wildly different perspectives, not necessarily about life, but totally about the essence.

It's not a pretty picture, but Gregory Bennett paints a view of the online experience with exceptional detail. (And one of the reasons why I try and engage to fight the desire to disengage!) / via Ben Brown

Cap Watkins lays out an approach to compromise and it can certainly be used in every instance where decisions need to be made. Really simple framework. / via Dan Mall & Brian Feeney (sometimes you need to see something twice for it to click)

Another way to look at things... / via A Thousand Shades of Gray

Matt Haughey shares his favorite YouTube video from 2023. It's 11 minutes of Andrew Bashford explaining new ways to approach and experience poetry and it’s well worth the time.

A short story about love, loss and letting go by John P. Weiss, who uses photos to inspire writing. / via Dave Rogers

Chris Coyier just posted a list with 43 items and this nugget was in there. I agree with this simple advice, as showing up for mediocre ideas puts them in front of others to become better. And persistence? A big part of that (for me) is to not spend all my time consuming.

"It’s the shortest month, so it should be the easiest for a daily 'practice and suck less' challenge." says Austin Kleon. He even made a PDF calendar you can print out to inspire said feat. I think I might try to practice walking.

(Admission, I try not to swear on this site. I don't know why.) But this short essay by Mandy Brown is worthy of it.

Dig this annual clock that takes an entire year to complete as a way to connect more emotionally with time. The gradient version represents seasons. There are other versions for a single day and moon cycles.

Nico Chilla considers a personal website as a living space, “I want to use my website to order and document my own activity, and to interact with things and people that I care about.” Sames. / via Rachel’s updated The internet used to be fun

Swissmiss shares intentions and reminders for the new year and they're all solid. Please excuse me, I’m on the hunt for a disco ball.

I keep coming back to this thought by Anson Yu to capture good notions through writing, drawing, or some other medium to save for later. This output gets filed into ‘Emotional Tupperware’ — a resource to inspire clarity and health. (Also, I love Anson’s website Collections that include gems like “Times I’ve Said Wow.”)

Rachel updated her The internet used to be fun table and there are some new gems like this poem of a page. I could spend many afternoons wandering these paths.

Dave Rupert has been posting a bit here and there about getting fitter, with candid insights that have been quite motivating. This post about making water fun is one that seems so simple, but might break me of drinking Coke Zero, which is likely better for cleaning car engines.

There are always new discoveries to be made about yourself, about the world.

“Combining favorites to make new life happinesses.” (It isn’t just about making crayons)

Rachel collected of articles “that to some degree answer the question ‘Why have a personal website?’ with ‘Because it’s fun, and the internet used to be fun.’”

Replace “can” with “should” and you have a piece of advice I would give. You can certainly work for people you do not like, but make sure the sacrifice is brief and very worth it. (Then find the good people for your next thing.)

This app is indeed delightful and reinforces the idea that meditation can come in many forms.

An app to track emotions and discover patterns — with tools to articulate, understand and shift things.

 Robin Rendle on updating and maintaining a personal website and considering the details, like type, but also just all the things.

Hank Green on investing in connection to others and yourself. / via Andy Baio

Stumbled on this video by Neal Foard and immediately dug his vibe and what he’s sharing. This story and parable will inspire deeper exploration of his online footprint.

Naz Hamid gathers some perspectives on his birthday. Resonating this morning is “opt for joy, delight, or energy.”

Erica Heinz shares perspective on why low-fidelity is a better approach for product development. In some sense, this is a great approach for any notion...