Welcome to 5 Quick Things that I saw since last month that I thought were interesting enough to share with you. None of them are particularly timely so feel free to just enjoy 🙂

>Number One<

Let’s Get Weird

This article is interesting because it’s arguing for something I kind of believe it. There’s definitely been a flattening of culture on the mass media angle and because there’s less spaces available for people to express themselves without censoring or self-censoring both because of the omnipresent platforms but also because of the increase in surveillance and the inability of society to ever forget any minor transgression, people don’t do little off-beat things anymore. As a person who grew up doing a lot of off beat things and idolizing weirdos doing stuff at conventions/in sci fi spaces I think this makes a solid case for bringing all that back.

>Number Two<

Rethinking Rest (Really)

This article is a few years old but no one has really learned its lessons. I struggle with the narratives that happen around rest because I spend a lot of time in the disability community and people there do not have the ability to rest to “become more productive at work” or to “accomplish tasks” but the truth is your body needs to do nothing a lot and we didn’t build society in a way where that’s available to us, almost at all. We don’t really respect or think about how much energy our micro-decisions take. Anyway it’s like every couple of years the internet discovers that everyone is nuts because they can’t sit down for 5 minutes but that isn’t even resting so it doesn’t refresh you! You gotta go deeper.

>Number Three<

Lost in AI Translation

In this video, Nil Nilgiree explain why AI translations / auto-dubbing on YouTube are bad. I think there’s a great use for translation tools in basic settings or specific use cases but unfortunately, like most new technology as it searches around for use cases to latch on to it instead does some really horrific things. Maybe we should…not do that?

>Number Four<

Healthcare System Collapse

I think the Pro Publica piece on the hospital/healthcare complex in Albany, Georgia is probably the most important news piece people missed this year. It’s just a microcosm of all the things coming to you or that are already on your doorstep.

>Number Five<

Get The Look

Trying to close out the year with a little levity instead here is a really interesting tool that lets you pick through aesthetics.

That’s all for this month and hopefully I’ll see you back again next month with some more exciting and cool things!