What a week. I have a head full of politics.
We must purge all thoughts of robber barons and dim witted, self-serving sycophants in order to remember what it really means to be human.
#TheAction
Sat here in the shed, sweating and reflecting on the things I’ve been busy with. Video editing, bread making, bike rides and garden maintenance spring to mind. I have given a huge chunk of my time to these things. And these things have meant more to me than anything I’ve seen in pixels. I’ve had little inspiration to share much other than cold drinks and stories under a shady tree.
Speaking of which. This is me stuck up a tree after the ladder fell down. Remarkably happy for someone unsure of the best way down. But it was nice up there.
One of the happiest people I ever met was a German hippy in Goa who lived in a tree. People brought him offerings and food and he’d climb down to eat with them.
And one Christmas I lived in a tree on a Thai Island. It had three platforms and I’d sleep on the highest. It would sway in light breeze and I remember having the best sleep under my mozi net. I think rent cost me 20p a night.
I’m reminded of all these things when I’m in a tree.
#ThePictures
I love this wall calendar design.
Click the pic to see the interactive page with an explainer.
In anticipation of watching the new Top Gun movie. I thought I would revisit the original. It was ok. Better way back in the 80’s when I wasn’t thinking about scientology etc. I should have just watched this movie recap video.
Remember the Welcome to Luton prank? Here is the behind the scenes.
Interesting to hear the breakdown of costs related to pulling off something like this.
#TheWords
I never got the chance to pin David down and record a chat about the Dharma Bums. I wanted to do it as a podcast. And goldfish-like it feels like ancient history now. I’ve reread Animal Farm and Brave New World in the interim.
The copy of Dharma Bums I read last week was a recent gift from @ArtPod and I feel it came at the best time.
On finishing the book I remember being glad I’d not read it when I first got hold of it in the 90’s. It was a selfish thought as I really wanted my own mountain isolation and dabbling in Buddhist teachings to have been just something along my own way. Not inspired by another persons writings. But of course, we are continually inspired by art, literature and any story we might stumble upon.
It really is a wine induced stream of consciousness and I loved Kerouac’s flowery abstraction of buddhism and lust for life. I was reminded of the direct correlation between meditating on something and bringing it into being. How having the courage to take that first step would get you places. But it didn’t matter where. It was really just about taking that step.
I was never really sure of where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do. Some travel to see who and what they want to be, I remember travelling to rule things out. I figured that the side effect of this continued process of elimination means you get to experience so much more.
And it continues.
There are some beautifully painted characters in the book, and it’s obvious he has a great love for all of them. Even the ones who get a slight misogynistic lacquer. I really got into this adventure and hope that ultimately Kerouac enjoyed life as much as the protagonist Ray did.
Buddha knows that in reality he only lived half the life of Gary Snyder, the friend who the character Japhy is based on. In fact at time of writing Gary Snyder is still alive.
I emailed him. It might not go anywhere. But it’s a step in the right direction.
#TheSound
Listening to this at the moment…
I’ve added the non acoustic version to the playlist that accompanies this dispatch.
Dan Bern has written over 1000 songs.
#TheConsumed
I asked supporting subscribers in my last coffee themed dispatch if we might have similar habits and rituals when it comes to coffee. I went on to explain that although I’m keen to try new suppliers, I have stuck with Pact as they work directly with farmers and offer on average 65% above the Fairtrade base rate. Also they offer me these links that give both you and me a fiver off coffee. Although I stressed there was obligation to use the link a few people did as we have all got some free coffee credit.
On the topic of stimulants, if you want to be down with the kids you might want to familiarise yourself with the following list. These are some of the new substances on the block. Not stuff you were aware of growing up. The new unregulated and in some cases potentially deadly kind.
I remember some kids smoking at school, that was about it. When we moved to Rugby (nicknamed Drugby) I stayed at my village school but was aware that Rugby schools had glue and gas ‘huffers’. I think one of my brothers friends died from it. It wasn’t till I left school that I came across some of more commonly known substances like shrooms, speed, weed, coke and smack. Being wannabe biker geeks, me and my closest friends heard about the heavy stuff but rarely saw it as we didn’t move in those circles. We favoured cheep wine and perhaps once a year, hand picked magic mushrooms stored in honey. But living in Rugby, you were not far from the news of another heroin death. I lost a couple of friends to overdoses.
With so many different substances being abused right now I hope to get my kids a lot more clued up than I was at their age.
Things to watch out for:
Flakka - Sometimes called Gravel and similar to ‘bath salts’, it is an addictive and toxic stimulant/that can cause psychotic symptoms.
Isotonitazene (ISO) - A powder that for humans is 60 times more potent than morphine.
Xylazine - An animal sedative also known as ‘Tranq’. Sometimes used as an adulterant with heroin cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine and even when not mixed it’s not deemed safe for humans.
Phenibut - Normally found in tablet form with effects similar to benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium.
Carfentanil - A potent opioid sometimes cut with other drugs and can be found as a powder, patch, tablet, spray, or on blotter paper. It is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, and 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
Here are some links should you know someone who might need assistance with drug addiction.
#TheThings
After reading a post from Fifty Things From Fifty Years by Alan Williams I pondered my own compulsion to ‘collect’ things.
Recently I’ve begun to feel a little weighed down by the years of stuff I’ve accumulated. I find it easy to drop things off at charity shops. Even to eBay some things. But listing things for sale and then posting is such a faff and when writing descriptions of the item I’ve occasionally talked myself out of selling them. I’d much rather have someone else do it. I remember that there used to be eBay trading assistants where you could leave a box of things with them and they would photograph, list, sell and dispatch for you. They would get a percentage of the goods sold. eBay even had a dedicated page so you could find these assistants in your area. I can’t find anything now.
I still have journals and photos I need to digitise. That I feel I must digitise. Sometimes all I need is a photograph of the sentimental stuff and then I can either let it go, or ceremoniously burn it like I did to an old chair I was holding onto.
Things fill pockets and spill into bags, bags then fill cupboards and boxes, lie under the bed, and hang from pegs. I feel liberated from the pockets and backpacks when I’m my cycling. But only because even my bike has bags and carried the burden of stuff for me.
I’m told “If it’s useful or beautiful keep it. If not get rid.”
That’s not going to work.
I wonder if I could minimise just enough to make space for this…
The BeTriton is an e-trike that you can sleep in and pilot on the water. Yes it’s a an electric pedal powered camper and boat.
The moment I took off those protective glasses I’m wearing in the photo of me in a tree, I got a stick in my eye. It bloody hurt. Still does a bit. Wear protective glasses! Especially in a tree! These are better than nothing. These are just better, and these should be worn clubbing.
#TheThanks
I must thank the paying subscribers that pay $5/month to get all the content I share into this feed. The is roughly £1 a week. I know times are a little harder at the moment but if you are able to do so, please upgrade to become a paid supporter. I’d love to make a living out of writing and curating these dispatches. Or even just fund it’s existance.
#TheWeb
SCOTUS Justices ‘Prayed With’ Her — Then Cited Her Bosses to End Roe
Greetings new people on the Documentally community map
When Raspberry Pi met Brompton bicycles. via @IanKath
Autonomous vehicles and drug smuggling.
Musk ends his bid to buy Twitter.
Snap hire the head of the Secret Service. [eyeroll]
Prime Day. The deals aren’t really deals.
If you have an iPhone and suffer a high security threat level you’ll like Lockdown Mode.
You no longer need a Facebook account to use oculus quest. But does it really matter? You will still be inside Facebook/Meta.
What’s in a name? When you’re a dolphin.
#TheEnd
Despite the impending heatwave, I have a feeling something cool will happen over the next few days. I actually have something cool penciled in for tomorrow. If it happens it happens. Either way, I hope something cool happens for you.
Speak soon I hope.
“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” ~ Karl Marx
Stay cool,
See you out there.
Over…