Notes
Happy Armistice Day
I hope you had as peaceful a day as I did.
/sarcasm
11 November 2019 — French West Indies
8 letter word. Abdicate.
From an interview between Manoush Zomorodi (Note to Self Podcast) and David Hohusen (creator of Two Dots) in Manoush’s book Bored and Briliant.
I like to think that users are smart enough that when they realize they’ve been tricked into a game with too many push notifications or other sleazy tactics, they will delete it.
Whenever anyone says “I like to think people are smart and can figure it out for themselves” they are totally abdicating their responsibility. Given the evidence in numerous scientific studies, it is clear that most people are incapable of resisting the temptations cynically preyed upon by these applications and aggregators.
6 November 2019 — French West Indies
Birmingham, UK had one of the most vibrant record shop scenes in the country
During the 70s and 80s, Birmingham became a Mecca for record stores. You could find almost anything, and what you couldn't find someone could import it for you,
This list of 30 stores in the city brings me find memories of how I used to take the bus every Saturday from my town to Birmingham, for £3.50 return:
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/nostalgia/nostalgia-30-birmingham-record-shops-7607715
I'd leave on an early bus, the take the last bus home, spending all day at my favourite store that is strangely not on this list — Don Christie’s. It was THE place to get the best Dub, Reggae and Hip Hop imports of the time.
The base was so loud, the shop windows vibrated almost to breaking point. Warnings were posted to ensure you closed the door when entering the store. What great times I had.
5 November 2019 — French West Indies
Intentions to realisations
In trying out this idea to write and publish something everyday for a month, I inevitably had a look at some of the ideas I've had for articles, blog posts and my newsletter.
There's a lot of stuff there. A lot of ideas, most of whom will remain that way for good reason,
And that is what this is all about, practicing and practicing some more, to help me turn my intentions to realisations. Something tangible, something interesting or — who knows — something brilliant.
4 November 2019 — French West Indies
Every device
Every device with a non-user replaceable battery should be available on a subscription bases, with manufacturers and distributers bound to recover and recycle.
This would allow the insatiable desire for consumerism, and allow sales to continue to grow, whilst preserving as much as possible the environment.
Sure, some would game the system and some would ignore the incentives by dumping products, I suspect, however, that the numbers would be substantially reduced over time.
3 November 2019 — French West Indies
Only day two
It’s only day two into my self-imposed folly of NaBloPoMo, and it is already difficult to find something to write about that is worth publishing.
I like writing, I like blogging too, but barfing out whatever in my head just isn’t what I’m wired to do.
I’ll keep it up though. If nothing else just to prove I can. Who knows, perhaps something of worth might come out if the experience.
2 November 2019 — French West Indies
NaBloPoMo
Every November a writing challenge is started, NaNoWriMo. The goal is to write every day for the 30 days of November to complete a novel, hence the name — National Novel Writing Month.
I’m not a novelist, but I do write and write quite a lot. Some of it is personal and private in my journal, and some is published on my newsletter. A lot just gets written and nothing much done to it.
I thought I might take on the challenge, but in my own way, by writing and publishing on this blog every day for the 30 days of November.
29 days to go.
1 November 2019 — French West Indies
Quick takes
I’m always surprised how many pundits and commentators publish comments on as yet unreleased or unavailable products.
Today is a great example, Apple announces AirPods Pro and those that should know better are already predicting that they fall out of ears, have bad battery life or are otherwise the best thing since the end of the Second World War.
First post in comments. Oh dear.
28 October 2019, F.W.I
The Joy of Tech comic... Zuck, the Champion of Free Speech!
Zuck, the Champion of Free Speech?
A better perspective:
The BBC killed the paragraph
Is it just me?
Am I alone?
The only one that thinks that the way the BBC writes it's articles is awful to read?
They have taken to writing one sentence per paragraph.
Perhaps to break up the text.
But it makes it more difficult to read.
And mentally, the associated parts of the text that should be in one paragraph, are disconnected.
Making your brain work harder to rejoin what's related.
I do hope they stop doing it.
It's distracting and frankly l, looks awful too.
My opinion.
14 October 2019 — French West Indies