So this stuff is crazy, obviously. But could it not be the case that we’re in a fad period and everyone will be slightly embarrassed by it in a few years? Don’t people mostly return to a sane baseline? That’s not to say it won’t cause real destruction, but does it seem likely to redefine humanity?
As your accountant, I don’t recommend a fifty-year mortgage.
There are a few signs that my iPhone is nearing the end of its life, so I’ve been thinking about the Light Phone lately. Today I was discussing it with Rachel and she suggested turning my iPhone into something like a Light Phone to see how it goes. I took her advice. Turns out, I didn’t end up with exactly a Light Phone equivalent, but it is drastically different than it was.
My worldview is more aesthetic than rational—and I’m fine with that, since no one is looking to me for answers about anything.
Adam Kotsko: “That time I unexpectedly stopped ruining my own life” I’ve found Kotsko’s writing helpful for many years now—but I was never a fan of his relentless sarcasm. I’m glad he’s getting over that. It’s depressing how many good, intelligent folks are ruining their lives with social media.
Actor and humorist Nick Offerman on what he has learned from Wendell Berry. When Offerman asked to adapt Berry’s stories for the screen, Uncle Wendell replied:
I like you, and I like your letter, but I consider the whole of my writing to be an ongoing project, and, as such, I’m not interested in seeing anybody else’s take on it.
Thank God for that.
Reading this by Alan Jacobs brought back to mind a question that occurred to me as I was reading Kingsnorth: why haven’t we seen something like the Timber Wars or Luddite machine breaking over data centers? I’m sure the answer is complicated. I wonder if leftists aren’t as worried about Big Tech?
James Bridle points out that solar panels are getting cheap enough that they’re being used as fencing in places. I still worry about Michael Moore’s argument that renewable energy is just as resource intensive as fossil fuel energy. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
Today’s earworm: Punch Brothers cover of “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. A very good song to have looping in your head. 🎵
A fool and his advice are easily parted.