Recent events have made me slightly more optimistic about how things might end up with this whole AI thing. Investors are souring on pouring endless funds into the doubtful outcomes that the big corporations are selling, and voters are showing their displeasure with data center rollouts that put them on the bottom of the energy and water priority list. That might mean we’re finally heading in a better direction.

There are a host of areas in my life that feel as though they’re in a good place right now, not just this AI news. While I’m doing my best to be grateful and live in the moment, I’m also finding myself looking for the catastrophe that’s always lurking around the next corner. Caution can certainly be beneficial, but too much keeps me from recognizing and embracing it when I’ve reached a place that I should just shut up and enjoy.

My Picks

Out There by Malwarebytes

Enter your email address to see what scammers already know about you and can use to phish for more personal information. Scary, but important to know. (You’ll get on their marketing list, alas, but it’s easy to unsubscribe.)

Radiohead Live

This playlist features Radiohead performances from across the years, including the legendary 2006 Bonnaroo set. I’ve seen them twice, and each experience was life-changing.

Tiny Little Office

If you’re ever on an unfamiliar computer and need to get some work done, this set of no-login, browser-based tools might provide everything you need. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, calculator, calendar, and presentation builder.

Free Online Tools

Another bunch of free tools where all of the work is done in the browser, not on some server. I’m loving this no-login, no-server trend! At least I hope it’s a trend. This group has PDF, image, text, coding, color, and timer tools, among others. Super useful.

Recently Published

Zephatron Drift

This is my first music post in quite a while, and I am very happy about it. It’s my only live performance thus far, too, and I had a blast with creating the accompanying video. Here’s where you’ll find a description of my new music video studio from a creative standpoint.

The Long Way Around

The creation of the aforementioned music video studio, and particularly the rabbit holes it takes me down, has resulted in a workflow that is one of the most creatively fulfilling endeavors I’ve ever tried. Now I just have to figure out what this thing truly is, and what it means for me.

In the Groove

When I went away to summer camp in June of 1982 at the age of twelve, I had no idea that my world would change in a way that continues to reverberate today. My cabin’s mohawk-pated junior counselor, Carty, had a collection of punk, indie, and electronic music that filled our space with wondrous sounds from places that seemed completely alien and exotic.

It’s where I realized that certain bands and albums could get me through tough times and give me a place to go when things felt like too much. In those seven weeks, I discovered and came to develop a lifelong love for Led Zeppelin, The Clash, and, above all else, Kraftwerk.

Computer World, released in 1981, was not made with a computer. IBM wouldn’t introduce their PC until months after its release, and technology was not as much a part of people’s lives at that point. It amazes me that it dealt with topics that are as relevant as ever today: surveillance, convenience, and how humans are “programmed” by society.

The sound is what hooked me. It’s cool and sparse, meticulous and propulsive. It’s repetitive and a bit cheesy at times, but in all the best ways, and in my Walkman’s headphones I could get lost in its grooves for hours. I think it holds up well today, and so do a lot of others based on the way it continues to be sampled. The way Numbers transforms into the Computer World reprise still gives me chills. Check it out for yourself.

Until Next Time

I’ve come to realize that there are certain things I can’t change about myself, no matter how aware of them I become. Perhaps, at least, I can work at the margins a bit to make things better. I suspect much of the “work” I’d assign to myself, however, is just learning to accept and be okay with who I am. I hope you have an easier time of it than me!