Issue #162 - The Spaces in Between
Adirondack Ribs
It is a bright sunny morning, writing as the light bleeds through the blinds. The coffee maker is gurgling in the kitchen and I’m up and awake. It’s early I thought I would sit and write for a few minutes, let you know how everything is going.
I’m pleased to be home after last week’s travels, a relatively normal week just catching up on emails and articles. On Monday and Tuesday, workers arrived to dig a trench in our basement and fit a new water pump, so I escaped to the office and to the library to work. In the library I booked a small study room, with a comfy chair and desk. The time just whistled past and I got so much done that I may go back again next week.
On Thursday as the weather got warmer, I took a few books outside and put a blanket on an old red plastic Adirondack chair that our neighbor was throwing out, and read for a few hours under the dappled shade of our ash trees. I might have dozed off for a few minutes, but otherwise flicking through pages, writing notes, it felt like I could be here all day.
I hope that you’re doing well, thank you for your comments and a few emails that I received. It is always so lovely to hear from you, sounds like we’re all busy, just getting by somehow. This is going to be a quieter issue, let’s all take a breath.
Stephan
Life Lessons
The end of the semester is rushing towards us and my calendar is filling up with various meetings and check ins. I have some reporting to complete, and articles to finish. Let’s take a quick look at where we’re at.
I’ve made a start on my reappointment document, and I’m going to provide both digital portfolio and more formally presented paper, the latter an adapted version of the former. It has been interesting looking back through my schedule to try and remember the different projects that I’ve been involved in. I have to admit that there were some meetings and collaborations that I had difficulty recalling, which I suppose is a sign that I’ve been busy, at least.
In terms of other articles and papers, these are getting there. It is the first time for ages that I’ve been writing different items simultaneously, not jumping from one to the other, instead assigning a few hours here and there, usually with a break between where there’s been more reading or thinking.
Taking time for good quality thinking is an actual thing, it was lovely being able to ponder a while as I walked through the Harvard campus, or when I was eating or stopping for a coffee. Those solitary moments when, not distracted by my phone, I could actually turn some thoughts around, like a hard boiled sweet in my mouth, sucking on the flavor. I realise I need these times to reset a little, you need time and space occasionally.
Lost and Found
I read a few more articles this week about the demise of Twitter, it does look like it is actually happening, not only is the number of users declining but people are spending much less time on the platform. This doesn’t mean necessarily that people are going elsewhere, but perhaps our habits really are changing and short form doesn’t quite cut it like it once did.
Bit sad and disappointed that BuzzFeed News is shutting down, it was as described by Deadline, as “a scrappy and scoop-driven digital rival to legacy media brands”, and I knew a few friends from the BBC who have spent time there over the years. NeimanLab has a timeline of Buzzfeed scoops, which included collaborations with the Guardian on Edward Snowdon, the Panama Papers, Metoo, the list is long. Buzzfeed also owns Huffpost, which has also suffered cutbacks. There are very few news outlets now where especially younger audiences will regularly tune into.
Following my look at Matt’s Lume Pad, I also came across these new Nreal AR glasses that project a big screen into your view that you can use when plugged into a PC or game console. They look very interesting, and reports are that they are incredibly immersive, especially when you put the cover on.
Did I mention Spline, this is a web-based tool for creating 3D environments, it is super cool and very easy to use. The physics are excellent and the renders are incredibly smooth and sharp. I can see my students using it for pitch decks and prototypes in the future.
Thank you
I don’t mind my own company, but it was nice to be home and back in our busy, chaotic household. I even enjoyed ferrying the boys to practice and heading out to help coach the rugby team. I watched them play for the first time last Sunday, they were great, looked like a real team, working together, supporting each other. I was very proud of them.
One of my TikTok guilty pleasures is @IhateIPAs where Emma tries different IPA’s and doesn’t enjoy them, some of them taste like detergent, or nail polish remover, wet dog, musty kool-aid, etc. These are fun videos, especially as I quite like IPA’s. I thought I’d buy one of her “Perfect Pour” stickers for my sketchbook.
In fact I had an IPA with this week’s truck food, setup at the foot of our steps on the road outside. Regular readers know these trucks are a regular feature on our street, a legacy of the pandemic, when these caterers were struggling to find locations. This week we at succulent, tender ribs dripping in BBQ sauce, with coleslaw and spicy beans. Not bad at all.
Finally, a reminder that all these newsletters are archived and you can click through from this email (if that’s how you receive it) at the top right, to the web version (which often has a few updates, typos corrected etc). You can use the substack app on your phone and leave a comment or like, always appreciated.
There we go, just a short one this week. I don’t feel under any obligation to over report. I hope you’re all good, look forward to catching up next week.
Next week is going to be busy. There’s so much going on, I have no idea if we’ll fit it all in.