I’ve been using Microsoft Edge for Mac today, and I’m not hating it. I’ve gone so far as to download it for iOS as well.
Happy Birthday
2020 wasn’t meant to be this way. I have distinct memories of working in government when up-beat policy visions with ambitious names like Towards 2020 and 2020: A Forecast of our Future were being pumped out1. These reports all had a commonality in that 2020 was guaranteed to be great! As long as we did whatever the document was promoting, from its publish date to 2020, things would be brilliant.
We must have failed miserably because 2020 is a shit show. On this I think we can all agree.
It is within this environment, that today I celebrate(?) my 43rd birthday. Honestly though, I’m happy enough to simply celebrate being alive. There have been more worthy souls than I that have had the fortune that I’ve experienced to avoid the range of ways that 2020 is trying to rain death upon us.
Actually, that’s unfair to a poor defenceless year. 2020 has nothing against us specifically. Rather we are the architects of our own doom. Whether it be through improper health controls allowing coronavirus to gain a foothold in China, or countries demonstrating a lack of leadership and coordination to corral a community towards effective COVID-19 transmission prevention, or racist hatred leading to people being killed for the skin they’re born with, we have created this 2020. This is our reality - not the one that was promoted in the glossy policy brochures in 2003.
And I haven’t even mentioned climate change. That doozy is still out there and I don’t see our humanity rising to face that challenge in a coordinated way anytime soon. The worst is yet to come.
A good thing about the past year has been that I have figured out who I am. No more am I self-conscious about the person I am or the way I think and perceive the world. I’m sure this realisation comes to others sooner but for me it has been this 42nd year that has provided me with the answers to my own universe2. This discovery has unlocked confidence in my approach to the world around me. I’ve overcome most vestiges of introversion shyness (except phone calls, I still hate them). Now at 43 years old I feel fully-formed with the confidence to deal with and respond to things I understand, the wisdom to learn about things I don’t, and the confidence to defer to experts without fear of appearing incompetent.
In turning 43 it’s not about me anymore. More importantly I’ve got two kids - aged 8 and 4 - and they are growing into a world that needs changing. I’ve been unsuccessful in making that change happen. Life is a lottery and I didn’t win the “become a leader of a country” prize. Look at who did and it appears obvious that it often relies on luck ahead of competence, intelligence or desire.
So this final statement I address to my children, and all the others in generations younger than my own. I wish that when you reach your own 43rd birthdays that you have the opportunity to look over the history of your own lives and the society you’re in that you can see positive world change.
Just remember that as you’re working on all of your Towards 2050 vision statements, that it doesn’t mean shit if you don’t take the hard steps towards enacting the change. Learn from us.
Does micro.blog support footnotes? I’ve drafted a post and they don’t seem to work? cc: @help
A public thank you to @manton for creating micro.blog. This service allows me to easily activate my creativity whether it be written word, photography, video or audio. All wrapped up around a social fabric. I love it.
Keep Practising: 09 - Racism is not cool, featuring David Canion
Today I welcome my son to the show. He wanted to address the issue of racism, which has been on his mind of recent times.
I’ve trawled the internet searching my own past, collecting the more noteworthy bits. I leave quite the digital exhaust.
Marked 2 as teleprompter
Marked 2 as teleprompter, revisited - BrettTerpstra.com:
Once you have the theme, you can start prompting just by hitting the ‘s’ key in a Marked preview. That will start autoscroll at the slowest speed. Use left and right arrows to speed up/slow down the scroll speed. (You can also click and drag on the meter that appears in the lower left of the screen.) That’s all there is to it.
So this is amazing. Love it.
I don’t need Hindenburg Journalist PRO but I want it. For my hobbyist needs though, price puts me right off.
Some great insight into social media models on this episode from @martinfeld overcast.fm
Keep Practising: 08 - Joe from NBL Pocket Podcast
I am joined by special guest Joe, host of the NBL Pocket Podcast. We talk about Joe’s experience making the podcast that is focused on the Australian National Basketball League.
We discuss favourite players and coaches, his best interviews, the NBL product today, and how the league engages with its fan base.
We also consider what makes for a quality NBL TV experience.
This is me.
I signed on as a Patreon of The Unmade Podcast. As I disassociate from big social media I recognise that direct financial relationships between creators and their audience is the best model.
Racing cars.
I had to visit the dentist today because of a sore gum. Anaesthetic injection and some digging around saw the job done. Now it hurts more than when I went in!
It was brilliant to be welcomed as a guest by @martinfeld on his Lounge Ruminator podcast. We dived into our respective histories of computing. So much fun. feldnotes.com
I feel sad for my American friends, who are experiencing so many civic challenges. Change the leader; change the country.
The latest Lounge Ruminator podcast by @martinfeld is a good one. I agree that being still does result in strange looks from others.
My son David’s eyes lit up when he heard his own voice introduce this podcast. I’m proud to be a patr(e)on of the Like You: Mindfulness for Kids podcast.
Keep Practising: S01, E07 - The Last Dance
Keep Practising: S01, E07 - The Last Dance.
I give my thoughts on “The Last Dance”, and remember the time that I met Phil Jackson and Luc Longley.
I celebrate the big news from the NBL, and specifically the Perth Wildcats.
In Nerd Corner this week, I’ve been improving my webcam setup and installing Windows on my iMac.
Given all the lockdown protocols how the heck have I caught a cold? I feel terrible.