What I Find Interesting - September 9, 2021
Typically, on this Substack I pick out something notable I have read, listened to, or watched as a springboard for an in-depth post. But I get asked all the time what else I find interesting. So, I decided as part of this newsletter’s posts I'm going to occasionally offer links to a few of the random things I find fascinating that pull me in enough to consume them. I’ll date the headings to differentiate the posts. Sometimes I’ll pluck one of these out for deeper analysis and elaboration in one of my usual longer posts.
I’ve categorized these but many of them will cross over into multiple disciplines or areas of interest. The categories are in no particular order. Also, I take notes on these as I encounter them and when put together here they might not be edited as smoothly as I normally try to do. Forgive any grammatical or formatting mistakes.
Climate Change/Environment
The U.S. Is Not Ready for Climate Reality by Brad Plumer. I've followed climate change science for years and never thought the United States was anywhere near ready to deal with its ramifications. Recent disasters support that contention. We need to rebuild our infrastructure to withstand the worsening climate change impacts we will all inevitably experience. We need to do this now, not far in the future.
Welcome to your new planet: There's no such thing as a local disaster by Aria Bendix. The effects of climate change will be severe in many parts of the world but nowhere on the planet will be free from repercussions. We're all truly in this together and maybe that realization will spur more people into action.
We’re Spending Peanuts on a Problem More Deadly Than Malaria by Damian Carrington. We need to stop funneling money into fossil fuel extraction and instead start addressing the air pollution it creates.
The first commercial carbon removal plant just opened in Iceland by Adele Peters. Carbon capture will undoubtedly be one of the many new technologies we deploy to address climate change. It’s nice to see this one launch, but we need many more to being to make a dent in the damage already done.
Europe will miss its 2030 climate goal by 21 years at current pace. Europe has been good about their efforts to address climate change, but even they're falling short. The entire world needs to consider climate change the top worldwide issue and address it collectively if we're to avert outright disaster.
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells. Brace yourself when you read this bestselling book about climate change and the dire impact it will have on the planet and our lives in the here and now and even more so in the future. Tough read and might even be depressing to some, but this is incredibly important information everyone should know.
Relationships
‘I’d rather be alone’: the influencers pushing for ‘relationship minimalism’ by Sarah Logan. I’m one of those people that requires a lot of alone time. A lot. I understand the desire to be alone. Those without the predilection to sequester away alone are befuddling to those who seek out people more than not, but a lot of people are quite happy being alone and also quite happy not in a romantic or committed relationship.
Retirement
America's new retirement age is 62 — or younger. The 'Great Resignation' is giving boomers their golden years back. by Ben Winck. Being 67, retirement is certainly something I'm pondering. It's interesting to see people are often doing it at a younger age these days. I wonder if that trend will continue.
Science
It’s still not fully understood how placebos work – but an alternative theory of consciousness could hold some clues by Steve Taylor. An interesting article about the placebo effect.
Personal Development
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Silence by Vijay Eswaran. I don't typically follow other people's systems and I'm not likely to wholeheartedly adopt this one. But I think the Sphere of Silence practice has merit.
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. I read this book as part of a mastermind group exercise and found it useful. I won’t adopt its strategies as is, but it does provide an organized way you can determine your life’s priorities and how to get there better than most such books I’ve read.
Psychology
The Dunning-Kruger Effect Is Probably Not Real by Jonathan Jarry. I have referenced the Dunning-Kruger effect many times myself, but I am always willing to challenge what I know when new information arises. In short, the Dunning-Kruger effect as commonly understood tries to explain why dumb people don’t know they’re dumb. We need to reconsider what has become a truism in our culture. “Dr. Nuhfer’s own papers, which used both computer-generated data and results from actual people undergoing a science literacy test, his team disproved the claim that most people that are unskilled are unaware of it (‘a small number are: we saw about 5-6% that fit that in our data’) and instead showed that both experts and novices underestimate and overestimate their skills with the same frequency. ‘It’s just that experts do that over a narrower range,’ he wrote to me.”
Fiction
"Gravity" by Etgar Keret. Keret is one of my favorite short story writers and I like flash fiction (short short stories). So reading this was a joy. If you'd like to read a beautiful collection of his stories, I highly recommend Fly Already: Stories.
Still Life by Louise Penny. Murder mysteries are my favorite nighttime reading before bed. I’ve loved them since I was a kid. I just started this new series (there are 17 books total) and really like it.
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz. I don’t read a lot of science fiction lately, but this book came highly recommended, and I really enjoyed it.
San Francisco
Parklets, politics and weed: Why San Francisco is the best city in the world right now by Clara Hogan. If you have not been to San Francisco lately, we have weathered the pandemic far better than most American cities. Our local culture is reviving quickly. I love my city.
Work/Work Culture
Eventbrite sheds most of its SF office space a year after mass layoffs by Joshua Bote. I believe the future for many industries will require hybrid working solutions with many workers full-time remote. I work remotely and at this point in my life can't imagine working any other way.
Exercise/Health
The #1 Best Exercise for Your Immune System, Says Science by John Anderer. This syncs with what I've read elsewhere and it's one of the reasons I try to do a brisk walk for at leat 30 minutes every day.
SF AIDS housing transitions to new model of care by John Ferrannini. I'm glad to see this reality regarding HIV acknowledged. As someone HIV+ myself with an abundance of people in my sphere HIV+ as well, all of them who have debilitating health issues are those dealing with co-factors and not HIV itself. With rare exception, if someone is diagnosed early and put on medications quickly, their HIV becomes entirely manageable, often with a single pill a day. Despite my first partner dying of HIV (AIDS), and too many friends who have died during the worst of that epidemic’s years, I often go weeks or longer and don't even think about my own HIV. My once-a-day pill regimen is simply consumed each morning with a couple of other medications and my vitamins. It's just routine and not remarkable. We need to start viewing HIV through the lens of being a chronically manageable condition and not a dire one. Many of our cultural and policy decisions are still understandably based upon the PTSD-laden era when so many were dying. For those on medication, that's rarely the case these days and we need to accept that and adjust accordingly.
Online Culture/Digital Freedom
Seriously, Stop Saying “First World Problems” by Patrick Flores. I see this "first world problem" trope bandied about online frequently and I agree with the writer that it's essentially meaningless and simply a way to shut down what someone else thinks is trivial when it might not be trivial to the person posting at all.
Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate by Digital Rights Watch. While this is not taking place in my own country, reading about another country's encroachment on our digital freedom is an alert to remain vigilant everywhere. The United States has some horribly crafted legislation such as SESTA/FOSTA that result in the squelching of our online freedoms in a misguided attempt to protect the vulnerable.
Life is one big status game by Ed West. We witness this when we see online bullying or the pile on effect some engage in when a small or large group attack another person's views in ruthless ways. People who feel the need to always be the caustic voice in a discussion are engaging in a power game using perceived virtue as their weapon. And we can all recognize immediately the worst offenders.
Politics
Can American Democracy Survive Another Pandemic? by Robert E. Rubin. I think Adam Tooze makes valid points that the United States is in a precarious position right now and if we're hit with another national catastrophe it might end up being worse than what we're going through with COVID-19. We need a citizenry and government that keeps its eye on what's best for all of us or we're going to be ill prepared to endure another pandemic or other disaster.
NH Dems Surprise Victory in Bedford — Special Election Fluke or 2022 Omen? by Michael Graham. Never believe your vote does not count. Democrat Catherine Rombeau flipped a New Hampshire House District from red to blue. She won by just 63 votes. Vote, in every election. If you are not currently registered to vote, visit the When We All Vote site and register now.
I Dissent by Dan Rather and Steady Team. A Substack writer I subscribe to is Dan Rather and his Steady newsletter. With the recent decision by the Supreme Court to allow the horrific and draconian Texas anti-woman abortion restriction law to stand, some sitting on the Supreme Court have signaled they are ready to enact their extreme right-wing agenda and we should all be afraid of that level of activism from the nation's highest court.
Abbott Considering Other Measures to Prevent People from Ever Setting Foot in Texas by Andy Borowitz. Sometimes things are so bad you must laugh at them to regather strength to address the problems. The consistently funny satire of Andy Borowitz helps in that regard.
This Cruelty is the Trump Effect on America by John Pavlovitz. My left-leaning politics is no secret to my readers and social media followers. Pavlovitz has been providing important commentary from the viewpoint of a practicing Christian who is outraged by his faith being weaponized by Trump and the modern Republican party to hurt people.
September 6, 2021 by Heather Cox Richardson. You're probably going to see this writer referenced by me often. Richardson is one of the few people I try to always read and I read her Substack almost every day. Her work is an ongoing education in contemporary politics and the history behind it. Highly recommended.
Self-Improvement
The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome | Lou Solomon | TEDxCharlotte by Lou Solomon.
We have all likely suffered from some version of impostor syndrome. I sure have. Like Lou Solomon, I think 70% is far too low a number. I think it's probably closer to 100% of people who have experienced some version of impostor syndrome. It will sabotage a successful career. It will sabotage relationships. It will sabotage your entire life. If you let it.
Learning
Understand This Rarely Mentioned Concept and You Will Never Stop Learning by Eva Keiffenheim. Keiffenheim writes one of my favorite newsletters. How we learn best is a longstanding interest of mine. In this article Keiffenheim explains the half-life of knowledge and the importance of being open to changing your opinion based on new learning or understanding. This is something we should all take to heart.
LinkedIn Learning’s most popular class of 2021 is about unconscious bias by Jennifer Liu. You might find these 20 classes interesting, and they also illustrate trends in what topics are of interest among workers and companies.
Life Advice
Why I Choose to Live a "Boring Life" by Sena Shimotsuma.
This short 12-minute video delivers a single but important message. It's entirely fine if you want to live what others consider a boring life and not constantly reach for goals, possessions, and status others might be clamoring for to make themselves happy. But are they happy? How can one be happy in the moment, here and now, if one believes attaining something specific will "make you happy"? I recommend this video to everyone. It applies to us all.
The Power Of Being A Loner by Sena Shimotsuma.
This video by Shimotsuma is rather simple in concept. Being alone (a loner) is an entirely valid way to exist in the world. I'm an odd combination of introvert and extrovert (ambivert) and I like spending a lot of time alone. Sure, I like hanging out with other people, but I need a tremendous amount of alone time to recharge and do those things I like doing by myself such as reading, writing, and exercise (yes, I prefer exercising alone rather than in a gym or class).
Work/Career
Welcome to the era of the Great Office Unknowing by Alex Christian. I work at home full-time for my company. I did so long before the pandemic. But COVID-19 and its impact on work life can't be underestimated. I’m a strong proponent of empowering remote work to the extent possible depending on the nature of the work. I think remote work is now embedded into our work future, but time will tell if that prognostication is correct.
Entertainment/Series/Animation
Q-Force on Netflix. I love this new series. In this series "a handsome secret agent and his team of LGBTQ+ superspies embark on extraordinary adventures." As a gay man, it's satisfying to see my LGBTQ community with mainstream media representation. I recommend it, but it likely will appeal mostly to a certain demographic.
Only Murders in the Building on Hulu. I love this how! It’s exactly the kind of intimate murder mystery I enjoy. The show’s great reviews are warranted. Highly recommended.
Food
A Brief History of Pickles by Michele Debczak. A fascinating history of pickles.
Sex
You're in the Club by Alexander Cheves. Queer men, this post by Alexander Cheves is so good! Most of my gay friends should read this. Some of it may apply to non-gay readers as well. Cheves is one of the best young people writing about sex and while his writings typically address the gay male experience much of his advice and wisdom crosses gender and orientation lines.
Culture
Media, Truth, and Community by Apex. This explains so much. Political tribalism getting worse. The rise of rogue groupthink mobs. The segmentation of our networks to the point that no one feels deeply tight with anyone in particular. And more.
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