Beautiful meanings and long forgotten feelings [389]

Greetings from the shed...

Since we were last here I managed to find attention, awareness, and discipline.

It was under a pile of crap on my desk.

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#TheAction

It’s been a week of writing. Mostly offline with dusty journals. Simple words, honest and at some times moving. I’m being taken to places where I got to know myself. Memories once as lost as the friendships of the people in them. I’m resurrecting some wonderful moments and with them, beautiful meanings and long forgotten feelings.

Reliving is relearning, and as much I wince at how naive I was, I’m pleased to see my heart was in the right place. Bouncing around my chest. Beating for all it’s might and occasionally — for a brief moment here and there, sitting on my sleeve.

Little of this will see a printed page. It will sit on a hard drive somewhere. For any future relative curious enough to fire up some antique tech and take a peek.

It’s the best idea I had. Turning that world into words. So that now I could live and breath it again. This is the best bit about writing. Travelling without moving. Re-living and breathing those words. Saving stories from the past to add to something bigger than the sum of it’s parts. Something that might quietly speak to another. To tell them a story that will connect us in some way, and remind us what it means to be human.

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#ThePictures

As a kid I was fascinated by the crazy action in silent and early movie re-runs. As soon as I realised that there was a particular type of actor called a stuntman I wanted to be one. And I was for a bit. Sort of.

Although my favourite modern stuntman was Dar Robinson my fascination started with Buster Keaton. His vaudeville upbringing had him doing his own stunts from the age of three. In fact there is only one recorded instance in his six decade career where Buster used a double. That was when he needed a trained pole-vaulter to finish a scene. If you have never seen the man in action you are in for a treat. This video is narrated by Buster's great-granddaughter Keaton Talmadge.

While reminiscing Keatons work also I found this old TV clip of his appearance on ‘This is your life’.

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An instagram account called ‘Life imitates A.I Art’. all the images are real and not generated.

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#TheWords

‘TikTok’s capacity to stupefy people, both acutely by encouraging idiotic behavior, and chronically by atrophying the brain, should prompt consideration of its potential use as a new kind of weapon’ Read more?

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How will journalists use ChatGPT? Clues from a newsroom that’s been using ai for years.

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Moist. (Might be paywalled)

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#TheSound

Been listening to as much noise this week as I have silence. This podcast from Benjamen Walker contemplates the continued rise in decibel levels and turns to two listening experts for help.

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Also focusing on noise this 20,000Hz podcast asks “In a noisy, tumultuous world, how can we find inner peace?”

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And this made for some lovely listening… Imagining the permafrost from Between the Ears and BBC Radio3.

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#TheConsumed

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Carolina Reaper Chilli is the hottest chilli in the world. I have a pot of this ‘insanity in edible form’ dried. It was grown by my mate Ross.

It measures at least 1,641,183 SHU (Scoville heat units) and is over 800 times hotter than a jalapeño.

You might wonder why anyone would want to eat something so spicy just the aroma can burn your eyes. And I had no intention to. Until it arrived in the post.

I immediately sliced off and ate a tiny piece. I felt it’s heat char out my mouth and numb my teeth before administering a prickly sweat. When my kids told me they also wanted to try the hottest chilli in the world there was a pause. Then I forgot for a moment that I was a responsible father and instead cut them both a speck and offered it on cheese. I wish i’d videoed it. They ran around making weird noises fanning their mouths with their hands till I shouted loud enough to be heard over their screaming “MILK MIGHT HELP!”

It did and my daughter stopped crying and told me to throw that evil stuff away.

I won’t of course. I will cook with it properly at some point. Just sparingly. As despite its weaponised nature and the need to use protective gear when handling— it has a really interesting flavour. I added it (just for me) to a Thai dish last night and it was potent and flavoursome.

But mostly I have been eating low carb stuff this week. Not with that chilli. And normal bread is out. We do have a weird low-carb bread-type-thing that tasted like sorrow, but I’d rather go without. I’ve had lots of protein though. My favourite thing is thrown together salads. This is smoked haddock, spinach, and left over roasted veg with a blue cheese and cream dressing.

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#TheBody

Got a holiday booked on an island with a few things planned. One of those things is pony trekking. These ponies being small have a weight limit that is about 4kg less than a naked me. So I asked Chat GPT how best I can lose 4kg. This was my fitness plan:

1. Create a calorie deficit: To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Aim to create a calorie deficit of 250-500 calories per day, which should help you lose around 0.5 kilogram per week. You can do this by reducing your calorie intake and increasing your physical activity.

2. Eat a healthy and balanced diet: Focus on eating a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Try to limit your intake of processed foods, sugary drinks, and high-fat foods.

3. Exercise regularly: Aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. This can include activities such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or strength training.

4. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help you stay hydrated and feel full.

5. Get enough sleep: Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, as lack of sleep can interfere with weight loss.

If you follow these steps, you can expect to lose around 4 kilograms in 8-10 weeks. However, it's important to remember that everyone's body is different, and weight loss can be affected by factors such as genetics, hormone levels, and lifestyle habits. It's also important to focus on making sustainable changes to your diet and exercise habits to maintain your weight loss in the long-term.

It reads like a healthy dose of common sense and according to a friend who knows a lot about these things, is pretty decent advice. I just need to figure out the difference between ‘moderate and vigorous-intensity exercise’.

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#TheThings

A fantastic thread from Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic@mamot.fr) @doctorow

The masked car-thieves who stole a #Volkswagen SUV in #LakeCounty, IL didn't know that there was a two-year-old child in the back seat - but that's no excuse. A violent car-theft has the potential to hurt or kill people, after all. 1/

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If I needed a key safe i’d get this one ← (AMZ affiliate link incase you do)

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Watch the one millionth Brompton being built.

Quite therapeutic. If you own one of these freedom machines you might get a little emotional. I’d love to be their content creator in residence.

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Did you know there was a Bruce Lee of Combat Juggling? Or perhaps like me you hadn’t heard of Combat Juggling at all till someone like Stuart Witts linked you and sent you down the Skill Con rabbit hole and with it the Moxie Games.

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#TheThanks

Thank you to those that bung me a few quid a month. If you are able to do the same, please upgrade to become a paid supporter.

Either way… Thank you opening this email.

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#TheWeb

• If you are looking for digital and media literacy resources for young people then Tactical Tech are a great place to go. They are available in 15 languages.

• Do you know anyone in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North and South Dakota, or Nebraska who might like to subscribe and help fill a hole on the Documentally community map? And let’s not talk about Texas. Frankly I’m disappointed in Texas.

• ‘Can Big Pharma cure your sloth, lust, wrath, envy, pride?’

• This is pretty intense. Stable diffuse being trained to read minds?

• How AI technology will transform design.

• Check Documentally@octodon.social to find me on Mastodon. You can send me a tip via PayPal. No idea what the upper limit is but there is a prize for the person who sends the most. (Worth a try) I also write a Ham Radio focused email here.

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#TheEnd

I have a couple of draft posts I’d like to finish for supporting subscribers. One is about working in audio production and the other is a guided meditation. I can’t remember if I have ever had a go at doing one but I thought it might be fun. Not sure it will ever see the light of day.

I hope all is well with you and yours. Like, comment, share or raise a glass if you feel like it. Have a great weekend and once again, thank you for reading.

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“Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology toward the organic, the gentle, the elegant and beautiful.” ~ E.F. Schumacher

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Practice,

See you out there.

Over…