This post is part of a series I started after reading “Notice, Collect, Share” by Russell Davies. I’m more inspired than ever to get back into the habit of…noticing, collecting and sharing. As part of that return to habit, I’m going to try and find five things that interest me every week, and share them here on my blog. 5 things per week, for 20 weeks, equals 100 Interesting things. Maybe one of these things will inspire you. Maybe one of them will inspire me. We’ll all learn something along the way.
I’ve also been tracking all of the stuff I find in my “Deck Of Interesting” - it’s screenshots, links, and assorted notes of things that might make into one of these posts.
#41 Mathew Ingram Welcomes Us To The Torment Nexus I’ve been a big fan of Mathew Ingram ever since I met him almost 20 years ago in Toronto. It was a different era of the internet then. It felt exciting. The world of social media felt new. At the time, he was working at The Globe & Mail to help them transform the newspaper for the digital age, and he was
His new newsletter, The Torment Nexus, promises to be interesting:
“What I'm hoping to do with this newsletter is to bring a critical eye and some historical context to discussions of how technology impacts both individual users and society as a whole. If the tech is being used in ways that are helpful, I will say so. If I think it—or its creators—are being misunderstood, then I will say that. And if the technology is being created or used in negative ways, or there are aspects people should be wary of, I will point that out too. It's even possible that in some cases, all three of the above things will be true. If you disagree or think that my perspective is wrong, I hope you will let me know!”
Check out The Torment Nexus here, and see below for Ingram’s inspiration for the name of his newsletter.
#42 ICEHENGE and Ursula: Foundational Reading To Understand Kim Stanley Robinson I’m a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson. I’ve given away lots of copies of his books for Christmas presents or just to people who I think would read them. I’ve devoured almost everything he’s written.
But only recently have I gone back and re-read ICEHENGE. I’m currently partway through it, and it’s amazing how many elements of his later books are explored here. I’ve also spent the last few years absorbing almost everything that Ursula K. LeGuin has written, and coming to a better understanding of a.) just how great of a writer she was and b.) the enormous influence she had on KSR’s own writing.
And I’ve also enjoyed watching earlier Michael Mann and David Mamet films. They’re not as polished as the later ones in their careers but, like Icehenge for KSR, this makes them better. They’re more pure visions of what these creators are pursuing.
I’m not here to recommend Icehenge to you (Aurora is better). It probably isn’t as accessible or well-written as KSR’s latest books. But I am encouraging you to explore the roots, inspirations and early work of your favourite artists. You’ll probably appreciate them more. You’ll learn more about their creative process. And you’ll probably learn a bit about yourself and your own creative process at the same time.
#43 The Hand-drawn Carousel Story I had never heard of Semi Rad until I came across this beautiful little hand-written and hand-drawn carousel about a bike lock.
This is a reminder that there are still real humans out there, creating and sharing because they care. Because they’re drawn to it. And not because they’re trying to feed the algorithm.
#44 How The Great One Became Great To be great, you have to know what great looks like. And you have to practice that greatness. You have to dissect it. You have to understand it.
And Gretzky, The Great One himself, knew this from a young age. In the clip linked below he talks about how he’d watch hockey games on TV when he was a kid and would trace the players movements on a piece of paper. And how when he was a little bit older (but still only 14!) his coach told him to watch the player Bobby Clarke, and to study his movements.
#45 Bad Space Comics Are Very Good The infinity of space, the limitations of humanity, and the unfathomable nature of the universe are the protagonists in the Bad Space Comics Instagram account.
The writing is poetic. The drawings are beautiful and raw. The stories are simple, dreadful, and profound.
I love it because it’s a reminder that different types of stories work for different mediums. Instagram (or social media carousels) are perfectly suited for the mounting tension in these comics, then the sudden release.
As the bio says: “Short, sharp, shocks in ten panels.”
This week’s photo is fro NASA’s photo of the day and is of the “The Large Magellenic Galaxy”.
