Milk, No Sugar: Otherness; Techno-optimists; Twitter's death
Issue #362
đĄThink
Happy nearly the end of the year everyone đ
As the year has closed, and the build up of tension from an intense period has whirred, Iâve found myself looking to disconnect more and more. Or, I should say specifically, a disconnect from distraction.
Itâs been a pretty simple switch, but not using my headphones on walks or on my commute to the office has felt quite transformative.
Hey, you know what, Iâve been able to actually hear my own thoughts rather than be plugged by a podcast or music in every waking empty second.
Give it a shot, keep your headphones in your pocket the next time you head out for your morning or afternoon walk, and see what ideas come into your mind.
If I donât see you again this year, make it count âď¸
đˇ Look
đ Read
âś Reciprocal otherness
This isnât the usual kind of article, as itâs more literature focused than tech, but I think youâll enjoy it. Itâs a discussion about the author Simone de Beauvoirâs work, and specifically her investigation into what itâs like to be âotheredâ. Firstly, as a woman, but also politically and culturally. Enjoy!
⡠The techno-optimistâs fallacy
This is a juicy one. Has the internet, overall, been a force for good? Has software ultimately made the world better, or are we just more entertained and addicted?
⸠How Twitter broke the news
This is a nice long read, with lovely illustrations too, about how for a solid decade Twitter was essentially the place for everything. News, sports, scandal, it was all viewed on the bird. How did it pip Facebook and others to the post, and what the heck happened to allow itself to implode so violently?
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Bonus round
Why scientists are making transparent wood
Social media is not heroin (a loooong study)
đ§ Listen
How to waste time
This podcast is a similar sentiment to the opening section of todayâs newsletter. Itâs a discussion between co-hosts about how they treat their free time. It opens in a funny way with one of the hosts explaining that she struggled to wait 4 minutes without feeling a crushing and immense amount of boredom. Sound familiar?
Have a great week,
@disco_lu