New month, new weather? Here’s hoping.
#TheAction
The rain is on a short break from pounding the shed roof. As it has done for most of February. I’ve been timing the dog walks to fit between the deluges. But I have also enjoyed being out in the rain. When dressed for it.
Yesterday I was thinking how there is nothing like a walk in the wilds (ok paths through farmland) immersed in nature. But on that morning, although surrounded by it, I wasn’t as immersed as I normally am. Or at least not in the traditional sense.
It was a tech heavy stroll. I was walking a new path and wanted to explore it with more than just my feet. As I left the house I set my watch to start recording exercise. Like I do on every longer walk. Completing the green wheel is one of my healthier addictions.
A few metres onward and I had switched on the Radiacode, strapped to my leg which was measuring ionising isotopes at ground level. I then opened the accompanying app in order to start logging those finds on a map that plotted the measurements as I walked.
As I began to ascend the first incline (we don’t have much in the way of hills round here) I snapped a photo of the dog, then plugged my Meshtastic node into a small battery in my top pocket. This caused it to boot up and start beaconing, looking for other nodes, in order to create a mesh network.
Then when I got into open space, I took out my amateur radio, put a call out, and started chatting with a friend on the local repeater. Sensing, logging, mapping, snapping, chatting. Sharing, news, findings and an appreciation of my environment.
Most of this stuff is set and forget. Something to check back on later. Apart from the analogue radio chat. Where two people can abolish the distance between them in order to share thoughts and feelings.
I still got to see rabbits, squirrels, red kites and swans flying low. All of them either oblivious or tolerant of this techno-nerd traversing nature in an RF bubble. A node subconsciously reaching out in all directions.
It’s not always like this. Sometimes I just pack poo bags and head to the woods.
Gaia help us when all of these sensors and comms channels are crammed into a pair of goggles. A potentially more insular technology. I’m not yet sure how a glut of data and information overlays will enhance our perception or connection to the natural world. At the moment I feel it will act like a digital veil, filtering our physical experiences and interactions, diluting our organic appreciation of nature and distancing us from what’s really important.
But the current trajectory has most of us destined to interface more deeply with our computers. To retreat into personal digital spaces that plug us into everywhere and brings all things to us.
I fear this always everywhere existence might isolate us from the truly visceral. From physical, communal and shared experiences. And all at a time when we desperately need to remember our place in nature, and widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living things.
#ThePictures
I’m so pleased I chose to dig deeper into the work of Hungarian Photographer André Kertész. This is the second book of his photography I’ve enjoyed. I feel like I’m really getting a feel for the intimacy in his work. From his still-life observations, high perspectives and use of shadow. It’s obvious how his experimental, pioneering vision inspired many of the great photographers that followed.
Started watching the German Netflix production called Dark. Creepy.
Fascinating talk on what we eat and how dying early from bad diets has over taken early deaths from tobacco use.
#TheWords
“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”
~ Wendell Berry
Using books as her map, Preti Taneja finds in contemporary Palestinian writers a model of feminist literary resistance to Israeli occupation.
#TheSound
Ten years ago I was wondering what kind of impact Machine Intelligence (A.I.) might have on humanity. Today this conversation is everywhere. And things have certainly moved on. Back then my fears were alleviated by Blaise Agüera y Arcas. You can hear our conversation here as we discussed the impending mass job losses and the need for a Universal Basic Income. But that was ten years ago, and with these concerns now on our doorstep, I’ll be interested when I see him talk at TEDx in Manchester on Sunday, if his thoughts and opinions have changed.
This was lovely. ‘Val Wilmer on Desert Island Disks’ It came to me via ArtPod
#TheConsumed
If ultra processed foods typically have around five or more ingredients, then all of these Turkish snacks I’ve been reviewing (so you don’t have to) fit the category perfectly. Take this weird muffin thing.
Ignoring the false advertisement (where the gooey torrent of chocolate caramel represents the coagulated lump of sugar goo somewhere in the dry muffin type thing), have a guess how many ingredients are in this UPF. A bog standard muffin might have seven. Flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, egg, oil and vanilla extract. But this monstrosity above had 18 (mostly unrecognisable) things in it. 2/5
And the aptly named Kat Kat Tat (‘puff pastry’ with hazelnut and cocoa cream) only had 14. It came in a cardboard sheath to protect its hyper-light-flakeyness. If I was marking it for eating sensation i’d give it a 4/5. But it would get a zero for nutrients. As would all these life shortening snacks.
If you want to read more about Ultra Processed Foods there’s a flurry of news pieces out at the moment. The Guardian, and Times lead the charge and there is some research here. I expect the naff food lobbyists will be out in force to offer another angle explaining that UPFs blah blah, part of a balanced, diet yada yada. Or words to that effect.
#TheThings
All recent camera talk has been of the X100VI and despite shifting production to China they still can’t keep up with demand.
Here is a little review of the Quadlock 360 Suction base. Just a ramble into a GoPro no external microphone.
Although I use the app VRP7 for most of my recordings on the phone, I tend to forget that Apple’s Voice Memos exist. I’m wondering that if I add it as a shortcut on the Apple Watch’s Home Screen, I might use it more.
Should you wonder what the quality is like, here is an audio sample.
It’s perfectly fine in-doors, but as expected, suffers a little wind noise outside. Perhaps something a sleeve might protect against.
#TheThanks
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And a heartfelt thank you to those that do.
#TheWeb
Tools for thinking about censorship
I might be near James, Tim and Darren this weekend in Manchester according to the Documentally community map. Have you added yourself.
Riders in the smog
Building blocks of a digital caste panopticon
This weekend I’ll use Swarm to share my location in Manchester. (I’m on there as Documentally) Some of my other places include Letterboxd, GoodReads, FarceBook, Flickr, Strava, Untappd, LinkedIn, YouTube, Mastodon, a ham radio newsletter or search ‘Documentally’ on Wire, Birdsite or Bluesky.
I have missed my window on this word of warning. How alcohol affects teens and young adult’s brains.
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#TheEnd
Thanks for reading. Tomorrow, I head to Manchester and hope to roam the streets before having dinner, getting sleep, and then attending talks on Sunday. I hope you have a great weekend engaging in activities with the physical presence of fellow human beings in natural surroundings.
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news” ~ John Muir
Enjoy it while you can.
See you out there.
Over…
Well, there’s a first for me, I let the app do audible playback for your newsletter… Strange hearing an algorithm take pauses where pauses aren’t written but are needed, very interesting.
Now I know Apple has this thing where you can get it to talk with your voice, and if youset it up, I don’t know if you can get it to work on third-party apps if you can, having you talk to me with a slightly degenerated computer voice would be quite freaky