![](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2025/905876-carry-on-2024-0-600-0-900-crop.jpg.jpg\"/)
I like both actors - so despite the warnings of ‘the new diehard’ I ploughed ahead. it was a fine movie - but both actors have substantially better performances and films/shows on their cv.
\n", "date_published": "2025-01-06T08:58:11+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2025/01/05/carryon.html", "tags": ["? Films","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/07/02/dear-joe-you.html", "content_html": "🎈184/366 Dear Joe .. you have absolute immunity.
\n", "date_published": "2024-07-02T07:41:18+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/07/02/dear-joe-you.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/07/01/072658.html", "content_html": "🎈183/366 📸 🌊
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/2ea5761d82.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-07-01T07:26:58+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/07/01/072658.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/30/the-monkees-predicting.html",
"title": "🎈182/366 The Monkees Predicting ATS software THIRTY YEARS before it appeared.",
"content_html": "A friend on LinkedIN recently made a comment and referenced a video clip in support of his argument, which truth be told, I can’t recall - but it definitely wasn’t about ‘ATS’.
\n🔗 📼 This is the video clip .. it’s a scene from the Monkees TV show - this particular one directed by Bob Rafelson, written by David Panich - who I had never heard of - but given the subject matter of the clip, was intrigued enough to look him up .. IMHO - serious writing chops.
\nAll this to say that if you have EVER been on the wrong side of one of those bloody ‘ATS’ machines that sift resumes before any human gets to it - this clip will resonate. It is from 1966 Series 1, Episode 3. The reality of ATS in business kicked off THIRTY YEARS LATER.
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-30T11:02:22+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/30/the-monkees-predicting.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? Videos","? LongForm","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/29/if-your-strategy.html", "content_html": "🎈181/366 If your strategy doesn’t fit on one page, do you have a strategy?
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-29T17:25:19+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/29/if-your-strategy.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/28/my-goodness-apple.html", "content_html": "🎈180/366 My goodness - Apple really do not want you to embed an HTML signature into Mail - do they?
\n🔗 How to do just that - just 23 steps - but very thorough instructions.
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-28T15:30:40+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/28/my-goodness-apple.html", "tags": ["? WWW","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/27/spotted-seemed-fun.html", "content_html": "🎈179/366 Spotted - seemed fun - and as accurate as a tongue in your cheek might allow … shared
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/902e05d4ad5a4cf58f5c0c49b9393114.jpg\")
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/7f40bba33ecc4ef9ac1a2bf192a04b2e.jpg\")
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/8d80ecf2cd314a229b52af394bd89e74.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-27T21:59:18+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/27/spotted-seemed-fun.html",
"tags": ["366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/26/blackbird-why-it.html",
"content_html": "🎈178/366 📺 Blackbird
\nWhy it took me so long to watch Blackbird I have no idea. But oh so good.
\nBlackbird on 🔗 Reelgood
\n\n\n
![\"ShowNameBanner\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/df02f13dbd.jpg\")
\n
You can listen to the whole thing 🔗 🎙️here, but if this 40 seconds doesn’t make you sit up - don’t bother.
\n\nI read this today
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/img-2164.png\")
in 🔗 Austin Kleon’s Newsletter.
\nNow let me be clear - I am not so old that I ever used one, BUT
\nI do know what it is and where it was used … and sadly I am old enough to have had a boss who did have such a thing on his desk.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/8abca62e2f.jpg\")
I just looked up Austin on Wikipedia - we aren’t that many years apart … FTW.
\nLATER THOUGHT - In my younger years I was in the U.K. and Austin will have been in the U.S.A. (Clutching at Straws?)
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-24T18:25:45+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/24/age-it-catches.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? Quotes","Quotewise","? LongForm","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/23/reflections-on-a.html", "content_html": "🎈175/366 Reflections on a reflective afternoon.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f0809259d8104ea087760b2cc6060f7a.jpg\")
\nSoggy Doggy.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/4bfa9ab8de1d4ec380abbd78a94b1463.jpg\")
\nLong View.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/85d9ca83c12d4b389a27e1d8fed8bcd4.jpg\")
\nShadow.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/7e86499f71f64bab948d2bfc6bb99a33.jpg\")
\nRocks.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/418d6bd882c641398cf80bc93f83063f.jpg\")
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f9333302fe8f4568865b225e5ac5498e.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-23T16:57:33+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/23/reflections-on-a.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/22/this-this-right.html",
"content_html": "🎈174/366 This. This right here is why Europeans can’t have nice things …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a294258862.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-22T11:03:55+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/22/this-this-right.html",
"tags": ["366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/21/i-know-mighty.html",
"content_html": "🎈173/366 I know Mighty Networks aren’t the only show in town but she is not wrong. I remain amazed how people keep building THEIR communities inside the silos. You explain and the response often includes how they have so many people in their ‘socialsilo’ group. I can’t be bothered to explain any more.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/cde2506dff.png\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-21T10:22:12+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/21/i-know-mighty.html",
"tags": ["? Quotes","Quotewise","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/20/i-know-its.html",
"content_html": "🎈172/366 I know it’s my fault - it always is .. but nevertheless having seen this before can’t help wondering what I did.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/9527e43403.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-20T14:53:48+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/20/i-know-its.html",
"tags": ["366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/19/been-waiting-for.html",
"content_html": "🎈171/366 📸 🌊 Been waiting for a better shot all day - but other than different levels of light - this is has been ‘it’ for the day. All day.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/c352f3abf6.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-19T17:35:21+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/19/been-waiting-for.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/18/over-on-substack.html",
"content_html": "🎈170/366 Over on Substack, Tom Cox dispatched a newsletter : All The Life Coaches Have Life Coaches.
\nThere were some comments, but nobody seemed to be looking at the title, which prompted me to remark that I thought it was Hawking that introduced ‘turtles all the way down’ to a broader audience and went on to wonder if this refinement relates.
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-18T11:45:22+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/18/over-on-substack.html", "tags": ["366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/17/the-most-immediate.html", "content_html": "If all life coaches have a life coach can that life coach coach the life coach that coaches his life? Or is it life coaches all the way down?
\n
🎈169/366 The most immediate existential threat to the world is not climate change, or nuclear proliferation, or growing the population, or anything else. It is Trump. No more. No less. Don’t sit back and think that this is just an American problem.
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-17T07:51:07+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/17/the-most-immediate.html", "tags": ["366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/16/guestbooks-blogrolls-reciprocity.html", "title": "🎈168/366 Guestbooks, Blogrolls, Reciprocity and Paying It Forward", "content_html": "Trying to tie it all together for the occasional visitor.
\nIt all started with Guestbooks. ( 🖇️ I have one ) and yesterday I caught up on reciprocating and getting ahead of the curve. ✅
\nI then created a new page that is connected to and referenced from my guest book page - so that there is a quick check for those I have visited. 🖇️ You can find that here. - and anyone signing mine can move on to the next …
\nAnd then I added a new blogroll. If I sign your guestbook, I add your feed to my NetNewsWire and from there it appears on my 🖇️ ’Guestbook Blogroll’
\nEnjoy.
\nImage courtesy of ChatGPT 4o - prompt - “Guestbooks, Blogrolls, Reciprocity and Paying It Forward”
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/760cf9d248.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-16T10:41:55+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/16/guestbooks-blogrolls-reciprocity.html",
"tags": ["? LongForm","? HUB","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/15/i-kid-you.html",
"content_html": "🎈167/366
\nI kid you not, so frustrated earlier today that I have had to calm down. All my iOS stuff not currently in use is kept in a single place. Yesterday the pile was - shall we say - ‘organised’. All stuff in same place - just a neater pile than usual.
\nToday, I went to pick up iPad and 🍎Pencil - and the pencil was missing. Nowhere. Seperated all devices out - and checked off one by one. Still nothing. I went to the places I usually use it - nada. Lifted couch cushions. Nothing. Stopped search. Started search. Frustration doesn’t even get to it. Two hours and then some. Negotiating with myself - that clearly it was a message from above that my old pencil had run its course - and I could now justify a super duper new one.
\nHere’s what I think happened.
\nThe bank manager got hold of that rationale and somehow planted in my brain that I should take one more look. I did.
\nDid I mention the tray that sits beside the ‘iOS stuff’? I mean it’s there. It’s clearly not hiding - and I had looked under and all around it. The lip of the tray curves down so you can’t see anything behind the lip if you look ‘underneath from the side’. But I knew that and had already looked. I mean - how could anything really be there? It would just fall down again.
\nTODAY I LEARNED …
\n.. that the tray has sufficient Nickel plating that it can attract a magnet in say something like an Apple Pencil and snap that puppy nice and tight into and under that lip.
\n😬
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-15T17:17:10+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/15/i-kid-you.html", "tags": ["366","? Apple"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/14/fascinating.html", "content_html": "🎈166/366 🔗 🎵 Fascinating
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-14T07:59:37+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/14/fascinating.html", "tags": ["? Music","? WWW","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/13/memories-moving-to.html", "title": "🎈165/366 🎵 Memories Moving To The Future", "content_html": "A Musical Box - no, not 🔗 🎵 that one - though in itself well worth a watch - Gabriel at his theatrical finest in 1974.
\nI happened to drift around some music videos on YouTube last night - and well - some of them just needed to be shared …
\n🔗 🎵 1 - Robert Plant at Austin City Limits
\n🔗 🎵 2 - Robert Plant at Austin City Limits
\nMoving on to why Music has a problem. 9 minutes from Rick Beato - listen.
\n🔗 🎵 Rick Beato on Music created by AI - All AI generated tracks come from 🔗 Udio
\nLets see how long it takes AI to do this …
\nAll is not lost - except it might be because we have seen time and time again how the extraordinary is not always understood and often ignored.
\n🔗 🎵 Guthrie playing .. in The Hans Zimmer Show … just watch Zimmer’s face during this 2 minute solo …
\nWho the hell is Guthrie (apart from the finest living exponent of the guitar you will ever hear.)
\n🔗 🎵 Rick spends 10 minutes answering that exact question
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-13T10:26:07+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/13/memories-moving-to.html", "tags": ["? Music","? WWW","? Videos","? LongForm","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/12/am-am-am.html", "content_html": "🎈164/366 📸 🌊 7.03 am
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5b050a6ea08c4816a379eba0be378622.jpg\")
\n7.26 am
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/644c3bc63df3457cb8ed6c19cab47931.jpg\")
\n7.33 am
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f90f70a5cca84c58b42dad1f7312a057.jpg\")
\n7.38 am
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ed3d759edca3456ab665c50f91ad6423.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-12T09:15:58+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/12/am-am-am.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/11/084329.html",
"content_html": "🎈163/366 📸 🌊
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a6afbbcb85.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-11T08:43:29+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/11/084329.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/10/ten-new-albums.html",
"content_html": "🎈162/366 🎵🔗 Ten New Albums I Am Enjoying Right Now - Ted Gioia
\nThis is a track from one of them.
\n\nLOVE IT
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-10T12:20:04+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/10/ten-new-albums.html", "tags": ["? Music","? WWW","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/09/ha-kudos-to.html", "content_html": "🎈161/366 Ha .. kudos to Mr. @danielpunkass .. if it all goes wrong with MarsEdit, he clearly has a future with roles like ‘futurist’ ‘Oracle’ ‘pundit’ .. AI indeed.
\nDaniel is one of a handful of people that circulate in the Apple ecosphere that never forgets why Apple s different .. to (pretty much) any other company.
\nThe extract from his post last year that @gruber called out is a perfect example.
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-09T07:56:29+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/09/ha-kudos-to.html", "tags": ["? WWW","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/08/early-one-morning.html", "content_html": "🎈160/366 📸 🌊 “🔗🎵📼 Early one morning just as the day was dawning …”
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/6a77b6af13.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-08T08:04:25+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/08/early-one-morning.html",
"tags": ["? Music","? Photographs","? WWW","? Videos","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/07/an-unusually-ordnary.html",
"content_html": "🎈159/366 📸 🌊 An unusually ordinary morning.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5a2b7ce4bf.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-06-07T10:29:21+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/07/an-unusually-ordnary.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366","? Bay"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/06/these-days-reading.html",
"content_html": "🎈158/366 These days, reading about Musk and all follow up commentary is akin to where I have been with The Orange Clown for a while …
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-06T12:02:32+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/06/these-days-reading.html", "tags": ["366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/05/the-conway-family.html", "content_html": ".. yes .. I know .. seen / read it before .. insert ‘expletive descriptor’ .. what a ‘expletive’, but what are you going to do about it, and if the answer is nothing / I can’t then stop wasting my time and petition the people that can .. because if we don’t it will get worse.
\n
🎈157/366 🍿 The Conway family is its own self contained circus. No extras needed.
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-05T07:53:28+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/05/the-conway-family.html", "tags": ["366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/04/interesting-that-gig.html", "content_html": "🎈156/366 Interesting that Gig Young won 3 Oscar nominations (including 1 win). All three roles saw him playing some kind of drunk/ alcoholic. Life imitating art?
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-04T13:09:56+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/04/interesting-that-gig.html", "tags": ["366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/03/the-first-vision.html", "title": "🎈155/366 The First Vision Pro Concert Movie", "content_html": "I have touched on this before but after reading a Lefsetz post over the weekend, decided to expand a little and log the thinking for posterity.
\n🔗 Lefsetz Letter - Company At The Sphere - that’s the link to where 🖇️ this quote came from that I published this weekend. I said I’d be back…
\nAround 2016 - ’the term ‘spatial’ was being coined’. - though I personally think Apple’s ‘spatial’ is a light year or two ahead of where Mr. Scoble was at the time (He’s very quiet these days, isn’t he?)
\n🖇️ But February this year I made some pretty logical predictions about the first Vision Pro Movie.
\n🖇️ And in October last year I was predicting that The Sphere was a pretty good place to start on a ‘Vision Pro Concert Series’ - and I think Apple will be the one to do it. Well, maybe not ‘doing’ it - but certainly financing it.
\nI still think that.
\nBut who will be the director and/or subject matter for this groundbreaking event?
\nDespite Tay Tay’s global appeal, it won’t be her. The Swifties don’t have the money to buy the Pro.
\nPeter Jackson is deep into the latest tech to do great things, definitely a friend of Apple - and his foray into music with The Beatles is interesting - but no, no Sphere experience and besides 🔗 he is deep into his next Trilogy .. as Producer - not Director, but still ..
\n\n\nOriginal “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
\n
Phish? I dunno - not seeing it.
\nTwo very real possibilities …
\nU2 - deeply intertwined with Apple - remember the album? And then they were first up at the Sphere - and Zane Lowe hanging out with them, talking with them. We have seen some of the footage, but who knows what was taken off the ‘back stage’ for the first Vision Pro movie?
\n… but I am wondering - and well out of left field - but …
\nThe Grateful Dead - who have always been at the bleeding edge of touring and spectacle
\nIt’s all fitting in for this bear.
\nThe only hard thing to reconcile is that ‘Tay Tay’ problem. Is there an overlap?
\nI think there just might be.
\nWhat do you think?
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-03T11:06:28+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/03/the-first-vision.html", "tags": ["? Music","? WWW","? Posts","? LongForm","? HUB","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/06/01/systems-the-purpose.html", "content_html": "🎈153/366 🔗 Systems: The Purpose of a System is What It Does - Anil Dash
\nYes?
\nYes!
\n", "date_published": "2024-06-01T13:07:51+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/06/01/systems-the-purpose.html", "tags": ["? WWW","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/31/politics-again-a.html", "title": "🎈152/366 Politics - Again.", "content_html": "My reply to @ridwan got a little long, so I thought I might not reply and start a new thread.
\n🔗 This is Ridwan’s original post
\nThis is my reply to his comment under that post …
\n\n\nWe are in for a Labour government, which is a done deal. However, Is Keir Starmer’s the PM after 14 years of Tory squander? I see him as just another politician who will say anything to get elected and turn his back on the people who voted Labour. I guess, even if people do vote for Labour, how many really vote for Keir?
\n
Like all good British elections - very few people will get to vote for The PM .. 😀
\nThe problem however is the same as ever it was - who the hell would want to get into politics anywhere these days - so you are left with those that do and when they do - you want to know what is wrong with them - and why - and …. I have a three thousand word introduction to the book about all of this - that I have in my head - but it will never reach paper or screen of any kind.
\nVote or Don’t Vote - BUT if you don’t vote - you don’t get to complain later.
\nIf you chose the first option - understand what principle(s) you are voting for - what problems you are wanting solved etc - and base your choice on the best of the candidates to do that. (There is no other choice.)
\n2.1) sometimes those calls are things like\n- ‘he’ll bring back school lunches - the other guy took them away
\n2.2) sometimes they are broader in nature\n- this candidate will ensure that billionaires pay the ‘same rate’ of tax as the rest of us, the other doesn’t get it
\n2.3) sometimes the choice is that there is a clear and present danger to me, society, my country and the world … with the other - not so much.
\nALL ARE VALID
\n.1 , .2 and .3 will vary by voter - sometimes on the day but more importantly - because of their general inability to
\na - conceive of,\nb - understand,\nc - see the impact on themselves should it come that,\nd - concern themselves with others - so long as ‘I’ am ok\ne - just grok …
\nThe possible outcomes of the wrong solution to ‘2.3’ and/or don’t believe them.
\nSo - if enough people at the 2.1 level voted for one person and enough people didn’t vote for the ‘other’ person because they are too old, trips on stairs, mumbles .. guess who wins?
\n(Apologies a US biased set of criteria that is very real at the moment - but you get the drift - e.g. - back in Blighty - compared to David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris (the THREE Prime Ministers that served when Jeremy was the Leader of the Opposition for just 4 1/2 years .. how much worse off would we be?
\nI do know that JC was and is on the side of PEOPLE - and has served in Govt fighting the fight for over 40 years. When he was ousted - he didn’t slink off like the last 4 Tory PMs did to reap their financial rewards, cashing in with the Corporations .. he’s still there , serving the people of Islington and still fighting the fight.
\nAt a broad character level who would you rather have run the country for the past FOURTEEN YEARS? Seriously - FOURTEEN?
\nHeres the thing - the country is being ALLOWED to vote for a party that with one outcome would put Kier in charge. That’s not a bad thing … since Cameron - every single PM has actually been APPOINTED by a few people - it is a few in the Tory party ..
\nCameron won in 2010\nHe won again (just) in 2015 - and I recall resigned over Brexit\nTheresa May was then appointed\nAs the incumbent she then won the next election, but not very well, so was ousted and Boris moved in\nWho went on to win his election until Truss was appointed and then little Rishi.
\nDespite being in power for 14 years - Cameron was the last PM that actually won the election without first having a dry run as a PM because they had previously been appointed.
\nIf Kier turns out to be no good - it is within the power of the Labour Party to remove him and put in someone else - it isn’t the first time - as the Tories continually demonstrate.
\nThe UK isn’t the same as the US. Keep the prize in mind. 14 years of Tory Rule might be broken. Don’t not vote (for Labour) just because you think the leader is
\n\n\njust another politician who will say anything to get elected and turn his back on the people who voted Labour.
\n
You vote for him to get Labour get in power. Don’t like Labour? Vote Tory … clearly they know exactly what they are doing. Just look around the UK - it is clear.
\nIf anybody doesn’t like all of this? Then it is time for action and to do something about it. Get others to join your cause. Change things. Too hard?
\nThat’s why we are where we are.
\nPS - I know you all know all this. Sometimes I just have to wave my cane!
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-31T17:09:58+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/31/politics-again-a.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? LongForm","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/30/and-the-word.html", "content_html": "🎈151/366 And The Word is ‘OM’
\n🔗 Mama - Mother Earth - Om … from Ted Gioia )
\nGreat dive into ‘M’ …
\n🔗📼 But mostly this a short video demonstrating how a repeating rhythm increasingly speeded up just eventually ‘hums’. Quite lovely.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-30T15:32:26+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/30/and-the-word.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? Videos","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/29/sometimes-the-software.html", "content_html": "🎈150/366 Sometimes … the software does exactly what it is programmed to. It is rather easy to forget that and I need to really remember that it is usually always my fault. 🤦♂️
🎈149/366 | 📸 🌊 Some days you see the conflict of the weather over time and I publish a short series - like 🖇️ yesterday. Today the conflict is happening all at once.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/86d345c8ad.jpg\")
\n![\"straight](\"https://philpin.com/wp-content/uploads/johnphilpinblogfiles/StraightLine.png\")
.. and yes this post features in both series I am running at the moment.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-28T11:43:39+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/28/some-days-you.html", "tags": ["? Photographs","? HUB","366","? Bay"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/27/talking-about-series.html", "content_html": "🎈148/366 Talking about ‘series’ .. as we are in the process of closing out ‘May’ - I finally got round to updating my 🖇️ 🔎 366 series
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-27T11:22:49+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/27/talking-about-series.html", "tags": ["? HUB","366","? Searched"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/26/im-enjoying-it.html", "content_html": "🎈147/366 I’m enjoying it but I’m feeling that the pitch was Sliding Doors meets Doctor Who.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-26T18:59:17+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/26/im-enjoying-it.html", "tags": ["? Film Refs","366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/26/behold-the-tiny.html", "content_html": "The ‘Tiny Pod’ 🚧
\nis indeed a thing to 🔗 behold - for those of you that have a watch but don’t want to wear it on your wrist?
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-26T08:57:19+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/26/behold-the-tiny.html", "tags": ["? WWW","366","? WIP"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/25/today-is-my.html", "title": "🎈146/366 Today Is My Anniversary 🚧", "content_html": "It’s 🔗 Towel Day ( thank you @odd ) - but today also happens to be my 25th Anniversary
\nYup - 25 years. Truth be told it had been going on a lot longer - but it was 25 years ago that we actually tied the knot .. and I have had my ‘personal space’ on the internet ever since May 25th, 1999 (Creation Date: 1999-05-25T20:14:36Z).
\nNow of course, we had known each other a lot longer than that - long before the web in fact, but you know when you first connect you don’t really note the dates do you? It’s like a permanent honeymoon. Hours merge into days into weeks into months … who really knows when ‘it’ really all started?
\nI can tell you that I first got ‘involved’ with the internet in 1985. I mean it wasn’t what we know today. My own internet experience in those days was email around our international offices .. but it was the internet (ok, ok - intranet - there’s a word you don’t hear much these days.)
\nAlthough Google Trends suggests I am wrong …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/cleanshot-2024-05-25-at-11.40.582x.png\")
.. again!
\nAnyway, I do remember being annoyed that my messages wouldn’t go out to the people I wanted to talk to - you know customers, partners, vendors - all the people a business should be talking to. .. we could only talk amongst ourselves. I mean the Cerne account team could connect to their customer .. why did I have to use Compusurf (sic)? … but that’s a different story.
\n( .. and no I didn’t do AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve .. they were never for me - maybe even back then I had the innate desire to avoid being locked into a silo.)
\nAnyway, that’s it … 25 Years with my 🔗 own domain ✅
\nOnwards.
\nHow will I celebrate? Why - taking my towel down to the beach of course.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-25T11:48:05+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/25/today-is-my.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? LongForm","366","? WIP"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/24/about-content-stewart.html", "content_html": "🎈145/366 About content.
\n🔗 📼 😂 Stewart Lee on Social Media (Content Provider)
\nDon’t worry, it’s not my usual rant. Just a very funny piece of standup that needs to be watched more than it has.
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-24T17:14:21+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/24/about-content-stewart.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? Videos","? Humour","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/23/advice-from-a.html", "content_html": "
🎈144/366 Advice from a pro
\nIf you are wondering if the croissant that is heating in the oven. Is done .. don’t use your finger tip to test. 🤦♂️
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-23T08:34:35+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/23/advice-from-a.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/22/craft-for-vision.html", "content_html": "🎈143/366 Craft. For Vision Pro.
\nIs there anything more niche?
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-22T12:24:35+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/22/craft-for-vision.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/21/a-bucket-of.html", "title": "🎈142/366 A Bucket Of Slop", "content_html": "I am well aware that despite my years long campaign to stop people from describing their words, articles, photographs, thinking … beliefs, soul … Intellectual Property even … ‘content’ … they continue to… unabated.
\n\nBut I am not giving up …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/90e81f5d1b.jpg\")
That said - there are people that ‘get it’. (Though I will freely admit that we are also in the minority there!)
\nMeanwhile the ‘bot farms that have been delivering the real content (sic) to our uncurated feeds and inboxes have been gearing up for the AI revolution - and indeed as reported in many places are already shaping our ’thinking’. (I use the word loosely.)
\nImagine then my delight to read that ‘Slop is the new name for unwanted AI-generated content’.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/9d796d53c9.jpg\")
Sidebar - if you don’t know what a ‘bucket of slop’ is - ‘Slop is the new name for unwanted AI-generated content’.
\nPerfect.
\nThe trick now is going to be how readers will be able to spot the slop - given that they already have difficulties separating content from any kind of value.
\nRead the whole piece …
\n🔗 Slop is the new name for unwanted AI-generated content
\n… and hat tip to John Gruber who referenced this post on Daring Fireball.
\n🔗 Meanwhile, over in Finland, they do have an idea or two.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-21T14:06:59+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/21/a-bucket-of.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? LongForm","? HUB","366","? Searched"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/20/is-scott-galloway.html", "content_html": "🎈141/366 Is Scott Galloway the American Tech version of Clarkson?
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-20T15:01:17+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/20/is-scott-galloway.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/19/you-know-the.html", "content_html": "🎈140/366 You know the problem with great new features being added to Micro Blog?
\nYou have to keep on learning more CSS to keep it ‘pretty’
\nNot complaining now - but seriously the last adjustments were only last weekend!
\nGREAT job @manton
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/907a69b2f1.png\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-05-19T11:24:48+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/19/you-know-the.html",
"tags": ["366","? Asides"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/18/your-browser-does.html",
"title": "🎈139/366 Ami Dar - Founder of Idealist",
"content_html": "\n\n\n\n\nA simple, lovely idea from Ami Dar (on LinkedIN) - founder of Idealist. Enjoy.
\n🎈138/366
\nIf Craft is the Word/Doc online equivalent to what Google Docs had the opportunity to be.
\nAnd Airtable is the Excel/Numbers online equivalent to what Google Sheets had the opportunity to be.
\nThen
\nWhat is the Powerpoint/Keynote online equivalent to what Google Slides had the opportunity to be?
\nFigma, Miro and Canva don’t seem to be it?
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-17T10:10:51+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/17/if-craft-is.html", "tags": ["? Help","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/16/mmmm-whichever-way.html", "content_html": "🎈137/366 📸 Mmmm …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f468b25c765b4487a7cf32fa01a6c591.jpg\")
\nWhichever way you look at it
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ea9b3cca90bc4eecac34258ef1a4c171.jpg\")
\n.. and tasted rather good.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/381c653882c14790b843b4a199ad5e14.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-05-16T07:29:49+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/16/mmmm-whichever-way.html",
"tags": ["? Photographs","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/15/translating-a-transcript.html",
"title": "🎈136/366 Translating A Transcript",
"content_html": "German Language Podcast.
\nIn 🍎 Podcasts - you can see the German language transcription.
\nBUT - you can’t copy the whole thing.
\nLooks like you can.
\nBut you can’t.
I use software to record meetings.
\nOoh I thought.
\nPlay the podcast - and record - at end of podcast one german transcription. Run that through a translator and voila … or so I thought.
\nI did an experiment - thankfully.
\nWhat the software actually seems to have done is taken the german audio and decided as best it could as to what the german audio was saying - as if it was English.
\nThis was the transcription ..
\n\n\n00:00 Here That’s an idea.\n02:05 Like the fruits for real the presidential Here for learn have much of the jobs about completed here in the middle is also provided, you know.\n02:50 Silicon Valley can manage to our design I am gonna Valley There are not only isn’t as operating system for startups on invert one in a ropa want to talk about he knows it happens startups of middle stunt or of course team.\n03:15 What are all in this one entertain?\n03:18 I was eating product on his product and from about yeah.\n03:23 I know what linear ball over with design what is supply?\n03:28 Put on my mobile phones and Seed talk follow-up disabled and antonym of familial torch and lived in solution in California and Silicon Valley and San Francisco on her off my shoulder and startup boat about under startups of cardboard and get a normal about Cosmopolis this year noises Venture on Cosmopolis is some Lisa has been a community have another Community developers and against Trump his own and hell for some spring on this fits here on this is another Simple so that’s called.
\n
Back to the drawing board.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-15T12:21:08+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/15/translating-a-transcript.html", "tags": ["? Help","? LongForm","366","? Apple"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/14/looks-like-sam.html", "content_html": "🎈135/366 Looks like Sam has gone all in on the nuts brigade.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-14T14:29:34+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/14/looks-like-sam.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/13/i-must-have.html", "content_html": "🎈134/366I must have missed the announcement at the time but apparently Break Dancing is now an Olympic sport .. no mention why the centuries old waltz has been an outcast since it all started.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-13T08:31:21+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/13/i-must-have.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/12/seriously-people-this.html", "content_html": "🎈133/366 Seriously people .. this straight quotes and curly quotes difference needs to be fixed. Am I the only one that gets messed up .. regularly.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-12T15:41:00+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/12/seriously-people-this.html", "tags": ["? Help","366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/11/very-happy-with.html", "content_html": "🎈132/366 Very happy with myself. Up at 4:30, sucked back some caffeine made myself and house ready for the day and out - with time to walk down to the 6 o’clock ferry.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/450c4019e4.jpg\")
Got there in record time and plenty of time .. fully 10 70 minutes ahead of departure.
I had forgotten it was a Saturday. 🥳😂🥱
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/62289d51cd.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-05-11T06:21:15+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/11/very-happy-with.html",
"tags": ["? Humour","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/10/three-thousand-years.html",
"title": "🎥 Three Thousand Years of Longing, 2022 - ★★★½",
"content_html": "![](\"https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/4/8/5/2/6/5/485265-three-thousand-years-of-longing-0-600-0-900-crop.jpg?v=2abe84afc5\"/)
Yes, or is it no … not sure. I wanted to love it. But I couldn’t. Except sometimes. You can see that I’m a bit undecided. That’s not going to change.
Oh - and Idris.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-10T22:16:59+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/10/three-thousand-years.html", "tags": ["? Films","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/10/i-know-this.html", "content_html": "🎈131/366 I know this has been raised on the past - and the answer is generally way above my pay grade, but thought I would ask again in case there have been any break throughs.
\nIs there a relatively easy way to add a ’nested menu’ / drop down item/menu on to the ’normal’ Micro.Blog menu?
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-10T13:59:30+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/10/i-know-this.html", "tags": ["? Help","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/09/cough-no-idea.html", "content_html": "🎈130/366 … Cough - no idea how long it has been there @bjhess - but I think that is a first for me. 🙏🏼
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-09T22:35:58+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/09/cough-no-idea.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/08/i-think-it.html", "content_html": "🎈129/366 Siri For MidWesterners 😂
\n🔗📼 Enjoy. … via Chris Lockhead.
\n", "date_published": "2024-05-08T11:58:53+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/08/i-think-it.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? Videos","? Humour","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/07/rafahs-fate-hung.html", "title": "🎈128/366 Cards Played", "content_html": "\n\nRafah’s fate hung in the balance on Monday after Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire-for-hostage deal but Israel responded skeptically and carried out night airstrikes on Gaza’s southernmost city.
\n
… whatever happens now - whatever is said - why on earth would Hamas believe anything being said.
\nMy mum used to tell me that what you say is not important - it is how you act.
\nCards Played.
\n![\"straight](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2023/ca962a7041.jpg\")
🎈127/366 Spotted on the ‘Book of Face’ ….
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/e21f6652bb.jpg\")
\n",
"date_published": "2024-05-06T08:21:29+12:00",
"url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/05/06/spotted-on-the.html",
"tags": ["People First","366"]
},
{
"id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/05/05/i-know-dave.html",
"content_html": "🎈126/366 I know @dave is a fan of Andrew Hickey - me too. No time to listen to them all, but when you do - superb. Absolutely superb.
\n🔗🎙️ Sad to see this in my stream .. disgusted even. Got to say, I thought he was a better person than I could ever have been)
\nMeanwhile - let’s see what happens - and if it doesn’t, we really need to rally round and make sure it does.
\n
🎈125/366 I got a new gizmo yesterday - and all happy that it had USBC charging … to get home, unbox and find that the provide charging cable had USBC at one end and USBA at the other.
\n
🎈124/366 In The UNdaunted Collective I put up a new action group called ‘The Intersection’. I will explain more, I think some of you might be interested in joining.
\nJob 1 : A concise summary of what and why it is.
\nJob 2 : Share with you all - to see if my gut is right.
Job 0 : Launch 🔗 The UNdaunted!
\n
🎈123/366 For your most happy listening pleasure … put me in such a good mood.
\n🔗🎵📼 The Mariachis with Hugh Cornwell perform Golden Brown
\n
🎈122/366 Not dissimilar jobs when you think about it …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b7dadbcae1.png\")
\n
🎈121/366 I had been wondering about 🔗 Keycap Shine.
\nThen @gruber 🔗 explains even more today.
\nIt all makes sense. Still bloody annoying.
\nAt least I can stop polishing my keyboard.
\n
🎈120/366 🔗 The web is not dying
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/023b43ffab.png\")
\n
Consider this that was just sent to me (reproduced in full so you don’t have to sully yourself).
\n![\"Credit](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ab64341b1c.jpg\")
• An Oxford comma walks into a bar where it spends the evening watching the television, getting drunk, and smoking cigars.
\n• A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly.
\n• A bar was walked into by the passive voice.
\n• An oxymoron walked into a bar, and the silence was deafening.
\n• Two quotation marks walk into a “bar.”
\n• A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intensive purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersions on his magnificent other, who takes him for granite.
\n• Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.
\n• A question mark walks into a bar?
\n• A non sequitur walks into a bar. In a strong wind, even turkeys can fly.
\n• Papyrus and Comic Sans walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Get out – we don’t serve your type.”
\n• A mixed metaphor walks into a bar, seeing the handwriting on the wall but hoping to nip it in the bud.
\n• A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.
\n• Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They converse. They depart.
\n• A synonym strolls into a tavern.
\n• At the end of the day, a cliché walks into a bar – fresh as a daisy, cute as a button, and sharp as a tack.
\n• A run-on sentence walks into a bar it starts flirting. With a cute little sentence fragment.
\n• Falling slowly, softly falling, the chiasmus collapses to the bar floor.
\n• A figure of speech literally walks into a bar and ends up getting figuratively hammered.
\n• An allusion walks into a bar, despite the fact that alcohol is its Achilles heel.
\n• The subjunctive would have walked into a bar, had it only known.
\n• A misplaced modifier walks into a bar owned a man with a glass eye named Ralph.
\n• The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.
\n• A dyslexic walks into a bra.
\n• A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines.
\n• A simile walks into a bar, as parched as a desert.
\n• A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to forget.
\n• A hyphenated word and a non-hyphenated word walk into a bar and the bartender nearly chokes on the irony.
\n
🎈118/366
\n\n\nA fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that’s just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it’s a joke.
\n
💬 Søren Kierkegaard
\n
🎈117/366 You’re taking a picture and just want a detail in the distance. Which produces best quality .. zoom as far as can and crop later or pinch on screen to get what you want and then click.
\nOr is there no difference?
\n
🎈116/366 Coming Home The Other night 📸
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/img-0019.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0019.jpeg\\"")
\n
🎈114/366 Today I discovered and then learned about Scoped Tags in Drafts - only 10 versions later I think - but now I know and thank you @Agiletortoise
\n
🎈113/366 I am at a good point now. Time to stop for a while and let it digest .. but still ‘goodenough’ to have a link on the site that takes you down the rabbit hole for any passing observer interested enough to click.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f87526da74.png\")
\n
🎈112/366
\n\n
I have a fundamental objection to Uber. (You might have heard.)
\nWhich is why down here in New Zealand, when one of those kind of pickups is needed I use Ola.
\nMake that ‘used to use’
\nThey pulled out! Gone. No longer here. Removed themselves …
\nChatting to a ‘Corporate Cabs Taxi Driver - who was doing the usual complaining about ‘Ride Share Companies’ (to be fair - I did prompt him) and I pointed out that IF there was an app I could go to and call up a real cab like I could a Lyft, Ola or MAYBE an Uber - it would make it a darn sight more convenient … and he very kindly referred me to an app called 🔗 Your Ride.
\nBrilliant I said. Will try it out.
\nI tried to try it.
\nApp is not available on ‘my App Store’.
\nMy App store is the U.S.A. store.
\nI have written to them.
\n
🎈110/366 I think I broke the Internet - so stopping now.
\n", "date_published": "2024-04-20T18:44:37+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2024/04/20/i-think-i.html", "tags": ["366","? Asides"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2024/04/19/i-see-lots.html", "content_html": "🎈109/366 There IS a better way.
\nI see lots of posts these days on LinkedIn from recent ‘arrivals in the work force’, where the message is some version of ..
\n‘I am available .. if you need a python developer.’
\nI wonder if their request might be better served by ‘writing’
\n‘I am available .. if you need someone to solve your (x marks the spot) problem.
\nI, along with a few others have many problems. We have no idea if we need ‘python’ developers.
\n
🎈108/366 Early Start to a busy day
\n📸
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b8f0b94a75.jpg\")
\n
It is lost in the mists of time but I seem to recall a post by @brentsimmons from years ago - maybe even last century? The advice was to reply to emails as a post, so that when a second email comes, you can modify the material on your blog and send the link. (I more than likely have over simplified, taken it out of context, changed the essence if not meaning / idea - but that’s what we do right? The point is that the core thinking has stuck with me … write once - use many.
\nIt’s good advice and indeed many corporate processes follow this idea. Think help desk, somebody asks a gnarly question, it isn’t available in your ‘knowledge repository’, so you reply with original thought and then publish that answer into the repository so that anyone else who has the question can find the answer.
\nBUT - when it comes to the personal blog, even I - who has this ingrained in my brain, still doesn’t do this as routine and - even more frustrating - when i do .. it gets forgotten about over time because I don’t have a real system to manage such things - and why would I?
\nSo it is about memory - but also I have found the Micro Blog Search-Space PlugIn by @sod absolutely excellent for unpacking such posts’.
\nAll this to say that I have just put up a page on my blog that is the start of attempting to provide help to others that ask.
\nEnjoy.
\n🖇️ Getting Started With Your Own Micro Blog
\n
🎈106/366
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/34364c0ad7.jpg\")
Not a new one. Just stumbled across it in ’the collection’. It is real - took it myself - in Burford.
\n
🎈105/366
\nI just sent this to Readdle.
\n\n\nI hit inbox zero and you invite me to share with x - as a Ukraine Company I am surprised that you would promote a space owned by someone who’s goal is to solve the war by handing Ukraine over to Russia.\n
\n
\nIf you must .. at least give your customers the chance to promote their success into a platform that we use or at least a free, fair, open platform - which that fiasco most certainly isn’t.
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b609fea43e.jpg\")
\n
🎈104/366
\nYesterday 🔗🎙️ Timothy Rybak and Kara Swisher
\nToday 🔗🎙️ Christopher Lyon with Lyndsey Stonebridge talking about Hannah Arendt
\nOne common observation. by Timothy and Lyndsey (I paraphrase)
\nTrump is an overweight, obnoxious nothing - it is the apparatus around him that is the problem.
\n
🎈103/366
\n💬
\nManu writing (about) how I feel.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/87f7a4e8b8.png\")
\n
🎈102/366
\nFiled in the bucket of ‘Things That Are Wrong With The World’ .. that moment that you discover that your translator has stolen $16 million from your bank account.
\n
🎈101/366
\nRemember all that kerfuffle about Apple and Beeper - well - as reported just this week Automattic just bought Beeper - which personally I thought was a GREAT move. Even greater - in the same week Beeper launched their new app!
\nInstalled - and ready - because even without iMessages - I still have a Unified Inbox for everything else.
\n
And - not that anybody is watching me - but why this article should pop into the stream today - I have no idea - but it’s all about those other Beepers!
\n🔗 The Forgotten War on Beepers - by Louis Anslow
\n
🎈100/366
\nONE HUNDRED? A timely reminder that I need to bring these ‘dailies’ into alignment. Once ’the daily’ became too much (because of the approach I was taking), I worked out how to simplify - but still not on top of it.
\n
🎈099/366
\nYou are tired at night so go to bed early - so you wake up earlier - so you are tired even earlier at night - so you go to bed even earlier - so you …
\n
🎈098/366
\n\n![\"Six](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/370ac8cf4c.jpg\")
🎈097/366
\nOOH OOH - here’s an idea - let’s take a movie from 25 years ago and turn it into an 8 part mini series.
\n
🎈096/366
\n\n\nSeperately I still look forward to having MicroBlog and Readwise just synch with my chosen folder in Newswire. And then I thought I read the other day that this is indeed possible. Is it? I can’t find anything about it anywhere. 🥺. But there’s more. I want the opportunity to change the order dynamically, based on ‘last post in’ - but no plans according to Manton.
\n
.. from 🖇️ here - where i have just published V4 of my ‘blogroll - but still no answers to those question - plus - I wonder if there is any plan to offer a ’nested’ list. (If you click through - the need becomes clear. 🤒
\n
🎈095/366 🚧
\n
🎈094/366
\n🔗 Google to delete search data of millions who used ‘incognito’ mode.
\n‘Incognito’ is not ‘incognito’ and barely a flutter in the ether.
\n
🎈093/366
\n🔗 Johnson Warns Jeffries Could Become Speaker
\n‘Warns’ …
\n… the article suggests Hakim is the House Minority Leader- I would suggest that if indeed he ‘assumes the mantle’, that he would then be the House Majority Leader … it’s just that the definition of which ‘majority’ ii is - like different to the usual donkeys and elephants.
\n
🎈092/366
\nUmm - a new record?
\n![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/014f8ad078.jpg\")
// @mguhlin
\n
🖇️ After this .. another one from May last year. This one wasn’t as ‘finished, so tweaked a bit for clarity.
\nSeparate question - what was going on in my life in May last year?
\n
Just off a loooong web session with 50 or 60 very wise people talking about AI and ESG. Specifically ‘The Future of Sustainable Decisions in the Boardroom.’ Great session, and they are regular sessions, so ping me if you would like to join the next one.
\nIt came up, so I will report … though I have said this before AND I am going to keep saying it in different ways.
\nAI used to be about being the best. If the chess program couldn’t beat a grand master then clearly it wasn’t very good. And then it was - so then they said what about ‘GO’ … it never won - and then it did. Clearly AI doesn’t work - until it does.
\nBut this stuff is new.
\nYes - it doesn’t write like Stephen King or paint like Monet .. but most of us don’t and …
\nAND that’s not the point.
\nThe point is that it can write better than the average person.
\nSo (to begin with ) only the below average people will be replaced.
\nProblem 1 - ask anyone how good they are at anything - they will ‘generally’ see themselves as ‘better than average’.
\nProblem 2 - statistically - 50% of those people are wrong.
\nProblem 3 - a substantial part of the population can’t see it coming.
\n
This video is more recent and is an ad - been circulating in places like the book of faces - but makes for a good two minute watch and relates.
\n\n\n\n\n
🎈090/366
\nThe new blogroll functionality has taken me down a rabbit hole as I have come to realize how disorganized my feeds were - are, despite appearing very organized.
\nAnyway. 🖇️ V2 is now in place. V2 ≠ Final.
\n
🎈089/366 🚧
\n
🎈088/366
\nMassive shout out to @danielpunkass for #awesome support. Thank you sir.
\n
🎈087/366
\n📸 I walk by this sign a lot. So finally popped into the store to enquire about renting an electric bike for a week - $99 seemed bargain.
\n\n\nNah - we don’t do them that cheap.
\n
But your sign says … showing him
\n\n\nOh yeah - old sign - been meaning to update it - we can do one for you for $300.
\n
(Which is still not a bad price in all honesty ($200 US) - good way to try the idea out.)
\nI walked off.
\nI was walking by again a yesterday - the sign is still there.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a6a625f3c9.jpg\")
\n
🎈086/366
\nThis very much resonates with my My People First thinking. 🔗 via Stowe Boyd - essentially - when you hear ’the powers’ talking about how people are their most important assets and blah blah blah - would be interesting to learn how they really sit against this list/
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ca1e54d22b.jpg\")
\n
🎈085/366
\nWhen you talk about 🔗 Blank Faces … and you get Blank Looks.
\n
🎈084/366
\n📸
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/3f474d4ac8.jpg\")
\n
🎈083/366
\nReading all the various commentaries around DoJ v 🍎, I am finding ‘heads on Threads’ making good arguments.
\nWalt Mossberg for one.
\nBen Thompson for another.
\n
🎈082/366
\nA few pundits have been remarking that part of the story behind the Apple v Feds is that Apple won’t let Super Apps onto their phone like they do in China.
\nPutting aside the obvious “well that’s good then”, I am bound to ask why Apple controlling all my life and having to work out how to keep me there is any worse than some dubious super app seeking to do the same, and whatever phone I use - there it is. Yes - convenient - but is that what we want?
\n
🎈081/366 🚧
\n
A truly excellent letter - read by Stephen Fry, written by Nick Cave.
\n📼 🔗 Just in case you think AI is going to take / has taken over the world.
\n
🎈079/366
\n📸 So good they named it twice …
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/83b8755fcd.jpg\")
\n
🎈078/366
\nI’m surprised that ‘toxic asbestos’ was banned in 2024 .. I mean, we’ve known about the problem for a year or two THIRTY years. Why did it take so lon … (of course …. 💰)
🎈077/366
\n📸 Good Morning World it’s A Brand New Day
\n![](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/e447e1aa83.jpg\")
\n
🎈076/366
\nI know .. I know .. and if you have been tracking my ‘366’ series you will know as well. It is tough.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/2b66ed081c.png\")
\n
🎈075/366
\n🔗 📼 Why is England called England?
\n.. and lots more besides if you have interest in the history of names.
\n
🎈074/366
\nDear Lorri
\nThen why are you writing to me?
\n![](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ea2f10ac82.jpg\")
\n
🎈073/366
\nOne day - just one day - I will wake up and it will be a normal lovely day .. and will stay that way.
\n
🎈072/366 📸
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/6bf4aacdcc.jpg\")
\n
🎈071/366 📸
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/8ce9883270.jpg\")
\n
🎈070/366
\n🔗 Salesforce’s Marc Benioff is buying up land in Hawaii (Apple News)
\nEllison and Zuck are also doing this … it’s a disease.
\n
🎈069/366 🚧
\n
🎈068/366 🚧
\n
🎈067/366 🚧
\n
🎈066/366 🚧
\n
🎈065/366
\n📸 Farewell my favorite Barista
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/03905fc6b4.jpg\")
\n
🎈064/366 🚧
\n
🎈063/366
\n📸 my presumption is that this is a ‘bicycle for the mind’ .. cos it sure ain’t traveling in one of the usual dimensions.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/3bf35ff642.jpg\")
\n
🎈062/366 🚧
\n
🎈061/366
\nIt was all going really well … and then it wasn’t. Handbrake turn, rubber scorching the road and now we have what I believe is a better name and a much improved URL ( and a dot com at that) … now all we have to do is start again.
\n
🎈060/366 🚧
\n
🎈59/366
\nIf this ship were to ‘pass in the night’ - I think we’d know about it.
\n![](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/d3359cca2e.jpg\")
\n
🎈058/366 🚧
\n
🎈057/366 🚧
\n
🎈056/366 🚧
\n
🚧
\n![\"surrealistic](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/762d1d99e3.jpg\")
Gah!
\nThat moment you realize that you should have paid more attention to that message about your phone account needing ‘topping up’.
\nThe exact moment?
\nWhen your Internet service breaks.
\n
🎈054/366 🚧
\n
🎈053/366 🚧
\n
![\"lost](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/1921a085aa.jpg\")
Someone is going to be unhappy this morning. 🥺
\n
🎈051/366
\nTIL that 🍎 is not quite as open and sharing with the Windows world as we might believe.\nYES - you can install an app called iCloud for Windoze on your PC\nBUT - for it to work - you need to authorize it from any device you have that is part of the 🍎 eco system.
\nChanneling Henry F - you can use any OS you want to use iCloud - but to authorize it you have to have an iOS device.
\nFiled In The Fucked Up Bucket … unless I read the tin wrongly?
\n
🎈050/366 🚧
\n
Caveat ‘Navigation is 🚧’
\n\n![\"boys](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/cleanshot-2024-02-20-at-17.56.292x.png\")
I don’t know which I am more amazed by.
\nThat I was half way up a hill looking down on this beach over the weekend and mesmerized by these 4 guys kicking a ball between themselves for close to a couple of hours in pretty intense sun. It was truly amazing - just gentle self control of moving a ball between them - you gotta know that i am no football fan - but they had me.
\nOR
\nThat being half way up that hill my 5 year old iPhone recorded a video of them - which I then cropped to focus just on the game and it’s ‘just there’.
\nWho needs a new iPhone? Really.
\nClick on the green arrow to watch the video.
\n\n \n \n \n \n![](\n\"[john.philpin.com/uploads/2...](https://john.philpin.com/uploads/2024/89cd96e59f.jpg)\")
\n \n \n\n
🎈048/366 The Next Morning
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/ca51dfdd10.jpg\")
🎈047/366 Hello Oneroa
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/d9d5f58b32.jpg\")
🎈046/366 Not ‘Goodbye’ Auckland - Just ‘Au Revoir’
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b0db53a685.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/2a85619e10.jpg\")
🎈045/366 🚧
\n
🎈044/366 🚧
\n
🎈043/366 🚧
\n
🎈042/366
\nJust letting this one sit. I mean it’s obvious what it should be … isn’t it? What is your favorite quote?
\n
I think 41 marks the point where I have to accept that the 366 format is too hard and intensive to manage. So this is where we are headed … wherever ’this’ is. As I type this into the 41st entry it is actually day 80! I have had too much going on - so have been just dropping markers. I needed to make it easier. I have made it easier.
\nGone - the little emojis in the title - I mean sometimes they didn’t work anyway!
\nGone - that fancy last / next navigation.
\nGone - always having a big picture.
Don’t get me wrong - they will appear - just not going to force it.
\n
![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/0a18ad0206.jpg\")
… it’s also February 9th .
\nStretching?
\n
![\"machine\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/cc6f06d972.jpg\")
Back in the day a technological marvel such as this would cost you hundred and hundreds of dollars. (No joking kids). Of course the number of people you could communicate using such a device - back in the day - could be counted in the millions. So $10 does sound like a bargain, except.
\nBack in the Day - the cost to connection ratio was very, very small.
\nFor example and being conservative and for the sake of round numbers …
\nCost : $1000
\nNumber of People You Can Connect To : 10,000,000
\nCost to Connection Ratio : $0.0001
Today’s numbers … with the same simplicity assumptions;
\nCost : $10
\nNumber of People You Can Connect To : 10
\nCost to Connection Ratio : $1
Now THAT is inflation … not to mention that back in the day the Network effect meant that you cut per connection was falling daily., whilst today, growing exponentially.
\n
![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/032c5d465d.jpg\")
.. no, not exactly. Not a submarine - a sub .. like a subway?
\n![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/91c9993be3.jpg\")
A Train Station?
\n🤦♂️
\nOh no. Not a ‘Subway’ … A ‘Subway sandwich’.
\nIn fact make it a stack.
\nThat’s right …A ‘stack of subs’.
\n![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/33d5a5dc00.jpg\")
![\"Serendipity\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5bd6c8700e.jpg\")
Is it catching❓Or is it just plain old serendipity❓
\nIt was January 1st when I had the idea for the 366 series. It wasn’t fully formed, but I had to start. And, as the posts started to happen over the next few days, there were different ideas and formats running around in my head and being tried out. With the layouts, every time I locked down on a new one - I went back to the older 366 posts and adjusted. (Not the post itself - the layout.) I have never been diagnosed with OCD, but I have my suspicions.
\nIt has now all settled down, a flow has been building, so much so that I have topics in my head that are maybe a week out.
\nThe trouble is that some of the topics are big, and I know I don’t have time on that day and some get really big so have to flag with 🚧 - my signal that I will be coming back.
\n🖇️ Like this one for example, which I flagged with the emoji - but I know there is so much more to say that I even added words for more context.
\nI happen to share 366 posts into specific, yet different communities to solicit feedback. 🖇️ This one for example, has spawned comments applying the thinking to a game, which then moved on to applying that game to corporate workshops. Which is just brilliant really. No idea if any of that will take off - we will have to see .. I just like the idea that
\n… and that’s where we have got to so far. In amongst all of that I have some actions I need to do to close some loops - but it’s all because of the serendipity of the different people coming together in this chain of thinking. #Awesome
\nBut - and here’s the weird part … this wasn’t the serendipitous event that I was referencing when I first ideated the theme of this post. Not at all.
\nThe thread started as a simple idea that as I came up with this project - so too did Om, who I follow and read anyway - but within his ‘river’, he has a sub-theme called 🔗 Project 36
\nI don’t really follow his photos (though they are really rather good), and I became aware of it because of 🔗this post on his blog, which ends with these words …
\n![\"As](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f24cad093b.jpg\")
They really resonated with me. ()Om often does) and on the 3rd🖇️ January I linked to his New Years message because those words there in my mind right at that point because just three days in I was already feeling the enormity of what I had challenged myself to deliver, daily.
\nI also have a couple of posts in the 366 series that are very short - to maintain the flow - but they don’t take much time. Like🖇️ this one from the 28th January - it’s a quick photo!
\nBut there’s more. fellow MicroBlogger 🔗 TeeJay seems to have also latched on to the one a day post. In his case - every single day he is putting a lovely image that he takes on that day.
\nTurns out - for him it is not a new idea. 🔗As his new year post points out. and now his daily photo comes into my RSS feed each and every day - reminding me to stay the course.
\nAnd to tie it all back. This whole post was one of those quick throwaways. I had the idea for a ‘serendipity’ post when I had seen Om and Teejay - it was up my sleeve to write it when I was short of time. Like today.
\nThe observant amongst you will have spotted that an ’eye candy’ image accompanies every post. In this case, I wrote my two lines and hopped over to Leonardo to generate my image.
\nThis was the first image to come out …
\n![\"Earlier](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/df32bfb940.jpg\")
Seriously? Cubes? After just writing a a long post that featured a cube. Is Leonardo watching me? Of course I had to connect those dots and unpack that serendipity.
\nAnd with that … done. Time to post. A quick check reveals the word count to be roughly 100 times my original target. I know I am hitting the send button with the post not fully proofed, which is why 🚧 is at the top.
\nI will come back later to make whatever inevitable fixes I will need to do. For now though … I feel I have rambled to the end of this garden path and I can sense it has come around full circle back to where it all started.
\nIf you are still with me. Thankyou for seeing it through.
\n
![\"36](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/0a6e33ae93.jpg\")
I mean you could see this as a filler - but it couldn’t be a filler tomorrow. Could it?
\nAnd yes .. a very early post .. time is that short today.
\n
![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/0a52432349.jpg\")
🚧
\nOut in the wild - and really - these days what else would you call ‘LinkedIN’, I 🔗 read a post by 🔗 Tim Parsons that had garnered a few comments. It was touching on a pet peeve of mine, despite TL;DR being a technique I use from time to time.
\nThis was the essence;
\n\n\nSometimes it just can’t be any shorter and still be useful. Some lynchpin bit of data or context would have to be sacrificed, a risk go unnamed, a requirement remain unidentified.
\n
\nSometimes information exchange has to include all the information AND the meta data it needs to build a bridge from you to me.
\nSometimes “Too Long; Didn’t Read” is a terrible risk/reward proposition, and you have to go all the way to “Very Long; Must Read.”
\nWhen everything extra has been distilled out, but there’s still a lot there, that’s a sign of something complex enough to be fascinating, or at least full of critical, decision-influencing intel.
He ended his post with a reference back to the source.
\n\n\nI remember 🔗 Marjorie Anderson activating that thought in my head weeks ago, and now it won’t leave.
\n
This resonated ….
\n\n\nSometimes TL;DR simply must yield to VL;MR
\n
Which got me to thinking.
\nYou know how I am with that word … ‘content’.
\nTo remind from one of many posts on the topic - just on this blog ….
\n\n\nAs long as ‘we the creators’ keep using low cost, homogenous, non-descript words like ‘content’ to describe our work, our soul, our passion, our beliefs then our work will continue to be viewed as ‘free - to - cheap - to - low - cost’, ‘homogenized, non differentiated, interchangeable fodder’ (which coincidentally is what silos have always been used for), then, we only have ourselves to blame as the resultant payment for our art, our thinking and our ideas, will continue to race to the bottom.
\n
And whilst on the topic of silos ….
\n\n\nYou should never … ever … trust a Silo. It’s theirs. The stuff you put there is theirs. Even our’ handle is actually ‘theirs’.
\n
All this and more can be found in an earlier post here : 🖇️ Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Content
\nAnd it is not just me …
\nJust today
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/d74ba293da.png\")
and last year .. Dana Carvey and Will Arnett brought it up (listen it’s a one minute snipped) on the Smartless podcast.
\nAnyway, with that all said … ‘set up’ done … ✅
\nIt struck me that ‘TL;DR | VL;MR’ is the second axis I have been looking for in my one man war on ‘content’. So I drew the picture.
\n‘content | material ’ on the x axis and ‘TL;DR | VL;MR’ on the y axis - and I was left with ‘Yeah .. so what?
\nThe ‘so what’ was because I realized that it was missing the third axis …‘Entertainment | Understanding’
\nThe fact is that so much that is running around the ‘interwebs’ is ‘Entertainment’. Nothing wrong with that, but VL;MR is really about Understanding.
\nMoreover, the front facing 4 quadrants are all about ‘Entertainment | Understanding’ and TL;DR | VL;MR - not ‘Content | Material’
\nSo I drew it again.
\n![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/af86c5d388.jpg\")
The coloration isn’t quite right for all occasions, but in this particular context
\nBut generally that is not the case, because what triggered me is that context and history and space and time and .. is needed to really bottom out ‘Understanding’
\nSo far so good?
\nI added the third dimension.
\n![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/9908723c18.jpg\")
And we are there … nearly.
\nThe dimensions are right - but the colors remain at odds with my thinking. I have the image in my head plus the colors need to be fading from one color to the next - depending on the context. I am not a graphic artist … and I could draw what I am thinking … eventually … and maybe I will return to complete / correct this.
\nBut before I do that. Make sense? See where I am coming from?
\n
![\"Time](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/dedf655b74.jpg\")
Not much of it today. Sorry.
\nExcept to say - that when you hear all the complaints from creatives how the AI engines are ‘stealing their soul’, if not ’the bread from their children’s mouths’, you see this and understand it.
\nToday’s prompt had no tweaking.
\nThis was the first image generated.
\nBut “no … no .. ‘our’ images are absolutely created from scratch.”
\nYes - and then there is ‘pattern matching’.
\n
![\"and](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5a9b78de79.jpg\")
This 366 project is officially one month in, so I thought I’d take a look at how we are doing on the ‘view’ front .. I won’t use ‘read’ (no assumptions here 😀).. so, without further ado, and for your delectation, coming in at Number 5 …
\n5 : 🖇️ 013/366 ⌨️ Typewriters .. and more.
\nAnd so on down the line …
\n4 : 🖇️ 026/366 | 🆔 The ’entity’ in Identity.
\n3 : 🖇️ 004/366 | 🏢 Demonstrating The Pace Layer).
\n2 : 🖇️ 003/366 | 💬 A New Purpose.
\nAnd the winner - at least for this month, coming in at number …
\n1 : 🖇️ 002/366 | ♟️ Is There Planning In Strategy❓
\nNumbers 1, 2 and 3 are respectively the 2nd, 3rd and 4th posts in the series, so not surprised.
\nI am surprised at the 26th post coming as high as 4th, after all, It only had 5 days to get there.
\nBy the time you get down to Number 5 - well, it’s a topic that resonates, and had a full half month to ‘move on up’, so once again, no real surprise.
\nI will run the numbers again next month, for February - and again for January - and will also provide a ‘year to date’. Be interesting to see the comparisons. (BTW, I am specifically running the data between specific dates - in this case for example Jan 1 to Jan 31 - not just ‘last month’.)
\nI am also interested to see if this posts gives a jump on these particular posts, so I will check the data in 7 days.
\nThat’s all for now - except to say, my many thanks to 🔗 Vincent who wrote and maintains the 🔗 tinylytics app that in turn produces the data I need to write this email. Couldn’t do without it.
\n
![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f17ee05fff.jpg\")
So it is out in wild and the reviews are in … and this is not another ‘one of those’.
\n‘My man’ Om 🔗 also posted about Vision Pro - he himself also highlighting that his post was not one of those. A big difference between us (as if there were just a few - there are not - there are many) is that he has actually tried one out! So there is that.
\nIn his post he talked about 4 magic moments on day one of owning his new toy. This is the fourth on the list.
\n\n\nMy last magic moment came when the Vision Pro became what I have always wanted — the future of television (and video.) A screen like none before. I opened up the Apple TV app, and picked an immersive video film of highliner Faith Dickey.\nI watched Dickey walk across a highline across the cliffs of Norway, but I felt as if I was there. It was so breathtaking — and in that moment, I thought maybe someday this is how all movies, televisions, and even home videos are going to be made for all to experience them live.
\n
And it got me to thinking about that last sentence (that is my bold in the quote that you see).
\nChristopher Nolan famously produces movies for iMax first Sure, you can watch them in other spaces … but the real experience can only be found on iMax - and not any old iMax .. the best iMax.
\nObvious question … how long before the first movie is made that is ’tuned’ for ‘Vision Pro first’?
\nTo clarify … (‘this new movie’ will be to ‘Vision Pro’ as as ‘Oppenheimer’ is to ‘iMax’)
\n1] ’Such a’ movie will be released in 2025. Maybe early 2026.
\n- (Confidence 70 to 80%)
\n2] It won’t be a GREAT movie - like Oppenheimer. The timeline for that? 2030.
\n- (Confidence 25% - 75% lots of variable in this one - because ‘Great’ is hard to calibrate AND also the demand needs to connect to there being sufficient headsets out there for the story of success to work.)
\n3] It will be financed by Apple.
\n- (Confidence 100%. Because it is totally in their interests and are already funding movies and can give the makers a LOT of help well beyond dollaroos.)
What do you think?
\n
![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f59c112eea.jpg\")
A lot going on today - net net, 🎵 📼 this came to mind.
\nWhen all is said and done and after it’s all come together I’ll come back and explain in the comments.
\nIf you can’t wait - there’s a clue in both audio and visual.
\nUntil then. Enjoy …
\nLATER
\n1st February
\nTeejay and om
\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a362c5c901.jpg\")
Still battling with my ‘in process’ (I am being generous) archive that 🖇️ I referenced here. Tucked away I had literally hundreds of links - some of which I have no clue why I saved them to drafts - rather than 🔗 Raindrop (a far more logical place). This is a random election from said list. Trust me - you don’t want the whole thing!
\n
![\"You](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/11a81b67cb.jpg\")
Don’t worry - this isn’t what you think it is.
\nIf you are married or single, a writer or manager, paid for what you do or just for the love, delivered or received feedback, good or bad this is worth every minute of the 11 minutes and 44 seconds it will take you to listen to it.
\n\nI think this is my absolutely favorite podcast.
\nW H A T - I S - N O T - T O - L O V E ❓
\n
![\"Just](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/7920ee6863.jpg\")
Because somedays 🖇️ Ain’t Nobody Got Time For ‘Dis’. Sorry.
\n
![\"Ain’t](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5b05f6a1e3.jpg\")
I remember a segment in Trevor Noah’s Daily Show that was called ‘Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That’
\nToday I learned that there was a whole video and thing from years before. Is that where he got it from?
\n\n
![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/e16b57e768.jpg\")
Identity continues to be core thinking in the work I do with people. In particular with a company down here in Aotearoa.
\nThe Founder is a deep thinker - as are his communications. One of my jobs is to take those thoughts and write words that ordinary people might understand.
\nIn the ‘biz’, it’s a different challenge. Like any other ‘biz’, there are words and phrases that get used and we all think we understand them. But do we? Particularly when you are trying to reset thinking. Even a little bit. Why? Because specific words have specific meanings in certain contexts and ’the experts will hear th word and some they know what comes next.
\nTherefore you have to be careful when you use them. BUT, if you don’t use them, you find yourself having to keep redefining things so you don’t lose the frame of reference!
\nThat’s the hard part, but now lets get back to the plot.
\nLast week I needed a ’twofer’.
\nI needed to summarize the essence of what we are talking about in ‘*everyday English’. I knew the recipients were on the ‘fringe’ of the biz, so they had an understanding of ‘identity’, but our pitch was to have them look at identity in a different way. Plain English needed but reset required.
\nWhen he saw my email he wrote;
\n\n\n“I like the Johnising of Alan.”
\n
… which I am taking positively and assuming I am not too off beam - recording for posterity - with a few tweaks to protect privacy.
\nIdentity is about people - ordinary people - not devices, not technology … people.
\nAND
\nPeople necessarily have to deal with businesses in three main contexts
\nIn person
\nOn the phone
\nOnline
\nAND
\nA lot of identity processes are really kluges that get bypassed all the time. (Personal experience just last month with a bank where I had to prove who I was - and every single proof that they needed I failed - since I had been out of the country and all the ‘check points’ had changed. It took me about 15 minutes together my access back - and I know I legally failed.)
\nThink of it as ’theater’. Like taking your shoes off at the airport.
\nAND
\nThere is no single safe mechanism that allows for all three contexts. In fact some things you need to do just cannot be done in certain contexts.
\nAND
\nThe tech industry’ is mainly working on ’number 3’. (Even though numbers 1 and 2 will not be going away. They are mainly being ignored because I suspect that the tech industry really thinks about ’tech’ and seems to exclude ‘people’ and ‘place’. You only have to recognize that if you have someone’s device, then to all intent and purposes, you can assume their identity and place … who needs ‘place’ - we are all in one place. It’s called the internet!
\nOK - I am being a little unfair - but you know what I mean. Right?
\nAND
\nThey are often only working on two party authentication - I am me - here is my proof that I am me - and you will believe me on providing that proof to you.
\nAND
\nThe complexity, problems and potential losses are exponential when you consider three party authorization … i.e. I (party a) have an account with a business (party b) that grants me a discount at another business (party c). How do you make that work efficiently - across all three contexts?
\nClear use cases include KYC (Know Your Customer) .. a global process that is increasingly necessary as part of more and more laws - to ‘protect’ us. But it is theater. It’s a theory gone amok leaving with organizations that deal with people as a business have been forced to implement expensive, drawn out, and costly (for both business and customer) processes that are not really working.
\nThere are many many more cases we will (are) work(ing) on.
\nSometimes you will hear that ‘Web 3’ is going to solve it. Sometimes ‘DIDs’. Hell - even the NFT unicorns were making promises at one point. ‘Cyber’ … ‘AI’ … there is an ongoing barrage of people that talk hypothetically about the problem - but there still isn’t really a solution. They might well be the answer - maybe - but not today
\nWe call all that Identity 3.0 - and who knows - just like Web 3.0 it may happen one day.
\nWe call our solution Identity 2.5 - because it does not use tech that is not available - rather it sits in existing infrastructure that is already in place.
\nWe have a working demo. We have patents. We have commitment from the NZ Govt. We believe we are unique - and nobody that has seen it disagrees.
\nWe are moving forward.
\nThis seems to have caught attention since I originally posted it, so in order to save you time, if you are interested in what I am talking about and want to learn more, you can drop me an email - and be sure I will get right back to you. My thanks for your attention.
\n\n\n\n\n\nAt the beginning of the year I had grand plans for this series. A daily long-form post about something that was rattling my brain that day. And then life. For a while, I was even just dropping markers - to revisit. I came to realise that part of the problem was the complexity of the structure for each post - so that went away. Simplicity really is rather nice. As I write on 240413, I am now going back and filling in the gaps. PLUS - unless something strikes me immediately, I will not classify until the end of the day and go back to move one of the posts of the day into the 366. Also - if you are wondering how I have update the words at the bottom of over 100 posts at a stroke, well - THANK YOU Andy Sylvester and his Glossary plugin.\n\n![\"Do](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5b9c40685b.jpg\")
Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of time and respect for 🖇️ Dana Blankenhorn - as you can see … so this one caught my attention
\n\n\nThere’s a single rule I’ve learned studying technology this last half century.\nProduct must be in charge.
\n
.. and 🔗then he goes on
\nI totally disagree, so had to comment and did. Reproduced here for posterity
\nI don’t disagree on taking the finance wonks out .. but not sure I agree on putting product in … I know lots of companies that lead with product .. and it doesn’t work unless there is wider purview which is often missing in product thinking. Our friends in Cupertino don’t lead with product .. though many pundits think they do .. they lead with vision, experience and story that the product delivers against.
\nThe ‘top’ needs to be market, future market, visionary oriented. Disciplines that used to fall under marketing … though sadly not anymore .. as they are all chasing data and models and RoI .. but those people exist. In all of those disciplines. The dude at the top can still be a focussed finance wonk … their ancillary skill (beyond those three core requirements) is to listen to everyone, take advice and pay attention.
\nAgain .. the man at the top of Cupertino is ‘operations and supply chain’ ( by history ) but to the casual observer, that isn’t so obvious. Meanwhile, the man before him was vision and experience and story .. sure he definitely had a say in product … but from an holistic viewpoint -
\nJust one slice of the holisticism (is that even a word)… how many ‘product’ people get what good design can do.
\nIf they do .. I mean REALLY do .. why are there so many badly designed, poorly performing products out there?
\nPostscript - sometimes the Leonardo images take a few tweaks to get even close to my underlying message - but in this case - third go - and was only generating 1 image at a time. Sometimes I run out of the 150 free credits that I get every day - and have to choose from a bad lot.
\nThis image just spoke volumes to me as ‘the house that ‘product’ built.
\nFunnily enough - today’s emoji was also absolutely clear.
\n
![\"Tim’s](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/9efedc0dcf.jpg\")
🖇️ This fine piece of writing dates back to June 2016. What? 7 1/2 years ago?
\nIt popped up yesterday when I was searching my site for something else. A few things dawned on me, not least of which … whatever happened to Scoble? Not that I care.
\nDon’t get me wrong. I am sure he is bouncing around somewhere - I just don’t track him. I am guessing that at some point in time I just closed him out of my mind, because he more often than not wrote rubbish.
\nThat certainly seemed to be my opinion .. what? 7 1/2 years ago! 😃
\nThat all said, posting this as an early (quasi) ‘claim chowder’ (tip o’ the hat to @gruber) entry. I didn’t believe him (Scoble) then - and said so - and though the jury is strictly still out - I am firmly in the camp that the vision pro IS the next big thing and more importantly that it is because of ‘Tim Apple’ - not despite him. In short - I don’t think Tim needs to worry too much. Certainly not about ‘Bob’.
\n
![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/d520eafca2.jpg\")
A different theme for today’s 366 … nine links to yesterday’s news - complete with pithy comment - courtesy of this author
\n
1️⃣ 🖇️ Remember my post from a couple of weeks ago?
\nWell, it turns out that though he might have been expecting .. hoping for that … it might not be a slam dunk.
\n🔗 Tories hire coordinator to get expat supporters to vote in general election.
\nWho knew?
\n2️⃣ 🔗 Trump Says He ‘Aced’ Cognitive Test, Mind Is ‘Stronger’ Than 25 Years Ago
\n.. not exactly a high bar.
\n3️⃣ 🔗 Flanders government looks to force TikTok and YouTube to share revenue | Belgium.
\nSome lessons here. Most Governments pay (they don’t use that word … but that is what they are doing) to attract film production.
\nI think this is the right way round.
\n4️⃣ 🔗 Rise in measles cases prompts vaccination campaign in England.
\nOh .. so it’s ok to get vaccinated now?
\n5️⃣ 🔗 The Musical Instruments Market Size Is Expected To Reach $14 Billion By 2027.
\nWonder what constitutes a ‘musical instrument ‘ these days?
\n6️⃣ 🔗 January 21, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson
\n![\"Even](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/13b115f361.jpg\")
\n\nI wonder if Dobbs, with its announcement that when Republicans are given power over our legal system they do not consider themselves obligated to recognize an established constitutional right, will turn out to be today’s version of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
\n
No Comment. Yet.
\n7️⃣ 🔗 Thousands of Māori gather to tell New Zealand’s government: you cannot marginalise us.
\nGot to say .. ‘Cristopher (sic) and crew’ were warned.
\n8️⃣ 🔗 DeSantis Might Be the Worst Presidential Candidate in Recent Memory
\nSay what now?
\nIsn’t The Orange Clown a Presidential candidate? Problem nailed .. ‘they’ve forgotten already .. and he is in the fucking race!
\n9️⃣ 🔗 It seems that ‘God sent a quitter’
\n\n\nIf his campaign is remembered at all, it will be for setting fire to a pile of money big enough to be seen from space in order to win a grand total of nine Iowa delegates.
\n
ROTFFLOL
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b2fd56a9c8.jpg\")
… is a picture I took this morning while I sat with a cup of coffee.
\nIf you have been following along with these posts recently, you will have noticed that a lot of images I use in the 366 series are generated by an AI. (More often than not Leonardo.ai) I do not spend a lot of time on creating the perfect prompt. I am really just playing around and creating a little eye candy whilst learning what I can. Which got me to wondering, what would Leonardo make of my view?
\nI used this prompt.
\n\n\n“I am looking at Auckland Harbour from a balcony in the viaduct. The sun is shining, but the day is still quiet. Create an image for me that you think reflects what I am seeing.
\n
I ran the prompt three times and these were the results.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/cleanshot-2024-01-22-at-08.03.572x.png\")
I decided this was the closest to the right result as in ‘matching the prompt’.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/e151e37095.jpg\")
So - why no boats in the AI images? Because they weren’t included in the original prompt.
\nJust for kicks I modified the prompt
\n\n\n“I am looking at Auckland Harbour with some moored boats from a balcony in the viaduct. The sun is shining, but the day is still quiet. Create an image for me that you think reflects what I am seeing.”
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f6bae31939.jpg\")
Am I happy with the finished results? Well - no.
\nBut if i didn’t have access to the actual image, for a few minutes of work - the results weren’t too bad.
\n(These are the results from the free version of Leonardo. I know they would be massively improved if I subscribed and added access to the other models they have available. First though, I want to learn as much as I can for free.)
\nWhat do you think?
\n
![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f3fa5ba52b.jpg\")
I was listening to 🎙️this podcast and of course duly reminded of Kim Cameron’s 7 Laws of Identity, so replaying here for posterity. You can 🔗 read a quick summary here.
\n\n\nLaw 1: User control and consent
\n
\nTechnical identity systems must only reveal information identifying a user with the user’s consent
\nLaw 2: Minimum disclosure for a constrained use
\nThe solution which discloses the least amount of identifying information and best limits its use is the most stable long-term solution
\nLaw 3: Justifiable Parties
\nDigital identity systems must be designed so the disclosure of identifying information is limited to parties having a necessary and justifiable place in a given identity relationship
\nLaw 4: Directed Identity
\nA universal identity system must support both “omni-directional” identifiers for use by public entities and “unidirectional” identifiers for use by private entities, thus facilitating discovery while preventing unnecessary release of correlation handles
\nLaw 5: Pluralism of Operators and Technologies
\nA universal identity system must channel and enable the inter-working of multiple identity technologies run by multiple identity providers
\nLaw 6: Human Integration
\nThe universal identity metasystem must define the human user to be a component of the distributed system integrated through unambiguous human-machine communication mechanisms offering protection against identity attacks
\nLaw 7: Consistent Experience Across Contexts
\nThe unifying identity metasystem must guarantee its users a simple, consistent experience while enabling separation of contexts through multiple operators and technologies
Down here in sunny New Zealand, I have been helping a local man with his identity solution. More on that in due course - because - guess what - its pretty much ‘tops’ .. and expression I learned last night which is the antonym of ‘pants’ … but I digress.
\nIt turns out his system hits all seven laws - and that’s just how it worked out, to because he designed to them. This gives me even more confidence that we are on to something. It would be kinda like building a robot and then realizing it is ‘Asimov compliant’.
\n
![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/3fdf8e2663.jpg\")
Over the holidays, down in Wellington, I somehow constantly found myself in conversations about ‘local politics’ … council, city, region … and dare I even say national? (On a global scale ’national thinking’ for a small country like New Zealand is still ‘local’.) No need to talk about the topics discussed - the usual, but my recurring observation that was never rejected is that long term planning anywhere for housing, climate change, infrastructure, EV cars, bike lanes … you name it .. is never that long term because the elected officials - even if they had the vision .. and often they don’t’ (but that is a different story) - don’t think beyond their election cycle.
\nAs a result it is a brave group of politicians that put in place 25 to 30 year plans for anything … much less real long term!
\nEnter 🔗 The Ministry for the Future - New Ideas From Ancient Wisdom. - with my highlights and annotations on Readwise. It’s not quite the same idea and far more ‘financially technical’ than I might ever hope to completely understand - much less explain - but it is all connected and makes for a fascinating - if technical - read.
\n\n\nUnless you’re a policy wonk or a certain kind of federal contractor, you can be forgiven for not knowing what the discount rate is.
\n
BUT - so you know …
\n![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/c9d202e6-3588-433d-bd5b-d75082e3ac86-4-5005-c.png\")
Seperately …
\n📼 A Long Now talk from Kim Stanley Robinson : Climate Futures: Beyond 02022 (referenced in the article, not yet watched - but is now in my queue). Also, that 02022 is not a typo - it’s a ‘Long Now’ year. I like them just from that simple switch in thinking. It positions us in time very differently to 2022. (Not sure if it is also unseen inspiration behind the numbering system of my series for 2024.)
\n‘nuff said for now. Suffice to say, I am going to do some further exploring around the ‘social discount rate’. This bear hadn’t stumbled across it previously - but it seems to be an excellent way of thinking about a reason why ‘our’ policies are so broken.
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/51ee0958cd.jpg\")
You might think today’s choice of ’image’ is a little odd. I mean, is a black rectangle even an image? And what does it mean anyway? But for me it speaks volumes.
\nIt is a similar theme to yesterday’s post … The Future … and yet, I’m talking about a totally different future. A more personal one, not a societal one.
\nThat all said, not yet ready to talk more publicly about what is going on. I just wanted to capture this day in the ‘live journal’ to remember that the business cards were ordered yesterday, Jax catching a plane to the U.S.A. on Saturday and will be gone for the next three weeks working on this.
\n‘Pumped’ doesn’t even start to describe my feelings.
\n
![\"democracy](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a18fa40646.jpg\")
A short one today because the 🔗 📼 Biden video speaks for itself.
\nFor me? One of the best, passionate most comprehensive campaign speeches I have ever heard. In fact, the qualifier ‘campaign’ is probably unnecessary.
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/4162019a90.jpg\")
No. Not the song.
\nI don’t blame you if you haven’t been keeping up with ‘SubstackGate’. I have .. so you don’t have to … you are welcome.
\nBottom line .. Fascism, Nazis, Support, Deplatform … you get the picture.
\n![\"quote\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/5bf7dab03c.png\")
![\"quote\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/64420b15d3.png\")
My Thoughts?
\nI am on Substack and read some bit of it each and every day. Never seen a single piece by a Nazi. Never been recommended to go visit a Nazi. The fact is that they are always going to be somewhere - even in real life. On the blogging / newsletter side of the platform - I don’t see the issue - BUT - on the social side of it - yes - it COULD - and when / if I do - I will reconsider - but for now … kinda like Bernard wrote up there.
\n
![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f11a10b7ec.jpg\")
Somebody else’s grass is greener. Always.
\nJust finished a conversation with a Turkish gentleman who has now lived in New Zealand for 10 years. Came here to learn English. He has. Now moving to Perth …
\n\n\nYou can earn twice the money and buy twice the house for half the money. What can go wrong?
\n
Indeed, what can go wrong? So much, but then doing nothing solves nothing and it still can go wrong. Plus his journey time ‘home’ will be halved - as will the cost of the flight.
\nIf people leaving their own country to get a better life in New Zealand are leaving to get a better life in Australia - is it any wonder that so many Kiwis do exactly that?
\nI hear of this talked about amongst people - a lot. At the policy level - not so much.
\nIf you think housing is expensive where you live, consider New Zealand - where a ’tradie’, a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a coder, a … pretty much any skill class you can think if can emigrate across the Tasman sea, earn twice the money and buy a similar property for half the price - is it any surprise that they are?
\nMeanwhile, I know a few Kiwis who have lived abroad for most of their life and will be ‘coming home’ to retire.
\nDoes anyone else see a problem?
\n
![\"they](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/f490456e57.jpg\")
“We are all going to be saved by King Harry.”
\nDon’t’ you mean King Charles?
\n“No no no. He is the evil one. Like his son William. The dynasty is evil. Harry has seen the light. He will come back and save us - together with the son of the Shah. Palestine will once again be reunited with Persia and the descendants of the devils that destroyed us will be no more.”
\nThe son of the Shah?
\n“Yes yes - he is ready. He has been tutored to show the way. God is on our side. He is the light in the darkness. God, the son of our Shah and Harry are our saviors.
\nI paraphrase .. but this was roughly the flow of a ‘conversation’ in a ‘rideshare’ the other night in Wellington.
\nI elected to not engage too deeply. I am far from a mid Eastern scholar, much less of Persia. Although I am pretty sure that for Palestine to be ‘reunited’ with Persia would also require some fundamental changes in countries such as Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq? But what do I know?
\nHere’s what I do know.
\nHis vehicle was spotless. His timing punctual. Hair neatly cut, his glasses giving a façade of ‘accountant’ were you to meet him at a party. That is what I know.
\n
![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/fa3735ad40.jpg\")
An excellent show from the mighty John Oliver taking on McKinsey in this one. You know … the company that advised Purdue on how to sell more Oxy. Spin through to 15:50 … to hear this one.
\n\n\nMr. Sternfels they didn’t have experience - they were the identical humans working for both at the same time.
\n
💬 Katie Porter
\n\nCleaning out the swamp, stopping the revolving door of public service and corporate interest … it really doesn’t matter what you call it - what is clear that the swamp / cesspool / revolving doors are very much alive and well - no matter what anyone claims.
\n
![\"a](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a073d5d2b5.jpg\")
A quite lovely story which I have chosen to share through my Readwise account, so you can speed through my highlights if you so wish.
\nAlternatively, 🔗 this is the original New Yorker article, written by Ann Patchett.
\nIt’s from 2021, it’s mainly about removing clutter from your life, but sharing it here because of the ending which focuses on the typewriters in her life, and thought this was quite beautiful.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/15fea1adef.png\")
.. and beyond beauty …
\n\n\nAfter he died, Tavia found two laminated cards.
\n
‘He’, being Kent, ‘Tavia’s father’, who had seemingly continually transformed his life, leaving behind a veritable museum of artifacts .. and yet these two laminated cards tell the entire story.
\nI don’t know .. it just stopped me in my tracks.
\n
![\"A](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/69978f5225.jpg\")
It’s true. My ‘under the rock’ habitat continues into 2024.
\nI asked a six year old yesterday if he liked music … yes … so what’s your favorite song?
\n\nI hadn’t heard of DNCE - but liked this one enough to poke around … wait … it’s Joe Jonas?
\nPersonally, never a big fan of the Jonas brothers - but adding this to my list of (two so far) singers that switched me. The other one is Harry Styles (never a big fan of One Direction).
\n
![\"Future](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/3edb0db61e.jpg\")
A couple of click throughs in this morning’s review triggered this post.
\nIt started here … 🔗 Substack Barely Does The Bare Minimum
\nwhich linked to here … 🔗 gilest.org: Make the indie web easier
\nwhich then linked to here … 🔗 gilest.org: More on the easier indie web
\nA few links to interesting places that are about the indie web - but with an undercurrent of something that I have been banging on about forEVER …
\n\n\nIf we truly want to open up the web for everyone to publish on, we have to make it easier. Let’s give people choices. Let’s give people options for tools they can set up and use, with no more knowledge than the knowledge they already have.
\n
💬 Giles Turnbull'
\nThere are a few - and indeed MicroBlog is one such example (that is not listed in those links) … although even MicroBlog has its challenges.\nI think the overall challenge is two fold;
\n1] It is not easy.
\n- so requires significant resources to make it a reality.
\n2] Does ‘everybody’ care enough?
\n- because if they don’t - I feel the TAM might be pretty small - and will include a large number of people already in the camp of what we have is good enough.
![\"Current](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/29f8cc870a.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b5f7818861.png\")
🔗 Interesting piece from Om today.
\nI think he’s right about that up there. What I am not so sure about is this down here.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/73bd2627f0.png\")
Why?
\nBecause it will bring all those ‘EEJITS’ out of the woodwork, who maintain that ’Steve’ did everything and Tim has done nothing, isn’t innovative, riding the coat tails etc …
\n(Count me in the camp of the people that believe that had Tim NOT done what Tim did when he did it, that there wouldn’t even be a significant enough Apple to do what he is doing now.)
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/fa185625c2.png\")
… at least I think it will.
\nThe furor as to the how and why ’The Facebook’ are ’allowed’ to do this will continue unabated as people continue to post these questions on Facebook … and Instagram … and WhatsApp … and Threads.
\n
![\"solving](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a49f07641a.jpg\")
Today’s Sketchplanations resonated, even though I had never heard of the ‘problem’ being ‘🔗 The XY Problem
\nBack at Group Partners we would help people ‘avoid solving the wrong problem really well’
\nOthers talk about ‘peeling back the onion to get to the root cause’ (think a doctor treating your hip to solve your back pain), etc etc.
\nWhatever it is known as, this is what anyone should do to solve a problem. Never treat the symptom.
\nIf you don’t agree, comment below.
\nIf you do agree - do you have other names you use?
\n
![\"Pace](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/e7e05b20f7.jpg\")
A couple of days ago I wrote a little (very little) about Stewart Brand’s 🖇️ Pace layer. It’s worth clicking through - not just to my short piece, but in turn the links in that post.
\nStill - to the point.
\nAndy Hamilton dropped a post on LinkedIN a couple of days ago referencing an Australian report called ‘Barriers to collaboartion and commercialization’ asking if there were lessons that can be learned fro New Zealand. And so ‘the people’ weighed in - with the inevitable group waxing lyrical about business and government working hand in hand to innovate and become world leaders in ….
\nPipe dreams - and ‘Pace Layers’, illustrated above explain why.
\nThe model was developed by Stewart Brand and Brian Eno of all people. A quick study will reveal why government involvement in innovation is flawed. If you are still missing the challenge comes down to the
\n\n\nThe order of a healthy civilization. The fast layers innovate; the slow layers stabilize. The whole combines learning with continuity.
\n
💬 Stewart Brand
\nIt reminds me of something 🔗 Venkatesh Rao wrote about many years ago - and which I in turn referenced in my 🔗 book a couple of years ago.
\n![](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/fourforces.png\")
\nI have always had a fundamental problem with government being joined at the hip with business. In principle, it sounds lovely. It can work. It does work … but not if you want to be fast, innovative, different, leading edge, using new technologies - all of these things are not part of a government’s DNA - the pace layer model reveals why it won’t work.
\nWhatever speed government works at, it still wont be fast enough for business and if you slow down business to more readily accommodate government, then others will beat you to market.
\nJust three case studies out of the hundreds if not thousands just in the software industry; Uber, AirBNB and Facebook.
\nAnd don’t get me started on Tesla, The Boring Compnay, SpaceX, X, xAI, Neuralink and the rest of the ‘Musk Suite.
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/8bf882d421.jpg\")
Today marks the completion of the first set of 6 days. There will be exactly 61 such collections over the next year. I (at least) find this interesting because this year there are only roughly 52 collections of 7 days and roughly 73 collections of 5 days.
\nAs long as I can remember, my mind has always played such number games, so I am not surprised to find myself thinking this way. Then again, I am reading a lovely little book by Mark Haddon so I wonder if I am even more tuned in. (If you’ve read it, you will know what I mean.)
\n
![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/bc7ae04331.jpg\")
Continuing on from yesterday’s post (4/366), Martinborough is actually a planned town, originally laid out by
\nIts center square and the roads running into it were laid out to represent a Union Jack.
\n\n\nLife imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life
\n
💬 Oscar Wilde
\nThe names of the roads through ‘old Martinborough’ are named after towns in Europe that Mr. Martin travelled to on a world tour before he laid out his new town. Later - as the world moved towards World War 1, some of the more germanic sounding street names were changed to celebrate important Military leaders of the time - hence Kitchener.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/73a7bd9151.jpg\")
Meanwhile - head down Kitchener Street to the square and back out along Jellicoe Road there are three mural on the wall. This is one of them celebrating The Martinborough Hotel.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/507aeb89c4.jpg\")
The Artist seems to have an understanding of how the town came to be - or are the bags on the Fiat actually those of the visitors to Martinborough - and not of Mr. Martin. Then again - when Mr. Martin was traveling, I am not sure the car had been invented, much less the Fiat 500.
\nMaybe Oscar had it right? Maybe the artist is predicting the arrival of the Fiat 500 - so that life can indeed imitate art?
\n
![](\"https://cdn.micro.blog/books/9781101562642/cover.jpg\")
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/1a079a5301.jpg\")
Over the break, I had the fortune (not committing to whether that’s good or bad, since that is a whole different story) to visit Martinborough in the Wairarapa - one of New Zealand’s wine regions. It’s a cute little town that includes a single ‘supermarket’.
\nOn one visit I noticed two photographs on the wall - the building from the early part of the last century, photographed in 1906 ….
\n… and a second of a different building (same site) in 1949.
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/a636a173b3.jpg\")
As I took the photographs of the photographs, I commented to a couple passing by and watching me that it was a shame that a beautiful building such as the original was replaced by the ‘flat pack’.
\nI assumed that some bright spark had decided to pull the old one down in favor of the ‘modern, sleek lined building’.
\nNever assume.
\nYes the old one was pulled down - but after a major earthquake rendered part of it flat and part of it unsafe - and I get why you would want to modernize and I know why the designs changed - but that’s not what this is about.
\nWhat it’s about is that the photographs and conversation reminded me of a 🔗 recent post from Stowe Boyd that referenced Stewart Brand’s book 🔗 How Buildings Learn which in turn built on the ideas of British architect Frank Duffy.
\n\n\nBuildings aren’t made out of glass, concrete and stone: they’re made out of time, layers of time.
\n
💬 Frank Duffy
\nBrand’s model is clear;
\n![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/eyjidwnrzxqioijhc3nldhmuchvichvilm9yzyisimtlesi6im52yjdjyzdslzaxnteznzgymde.png\")
… and the two images reveal it in action. No images from the inside of the store - though for the Kiwi’s amongst you, I can say that the Martinborough FourSquare is the nicest (and largest) FourSquare I have ever visited. (For Brits, think of a FourSquare as something like one of those Tesco or Safeways Mini-marts we find in ever increasing numbers around the British Isles. Think of the Martinborough Foursquare as more akin to a mid sized Waitrose. For American readers … Wholefoods? High end Safeways?
\nAll that said - look at Brand’s model carefully and consider buildings you know and how they relate.
\n
![\"It](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/d61738efdb.png\")
Interesting to read 🔗 this from Om. I definitely did not feel that all of last year, but definitely in the past couple of months, something in me has been coming together. It’s as if bits of Lego have been suddenly snapping together, around writing, my work programmes and the connected thinking.
\nIt’s not just the new year. There’s a fundamental shift I am feeling.
\nThe question is whether it is an aberration, or something that will translate to something that will stay for part of the journey.
\nI think it’s the latter.
\nLATER
\nFunny .. as I published this post, someone sent me this;
\n![\"caterpillar,](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/b68497e301.jpg\")
![\"Is](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/86ca5e8e87.jpg\")
In one of my work programmes there is an ongoing debate around planning and strategy .. one of the team going as far as to suggest that ‘strategic planning’ is an oxymoron (my words). This seems to nicely channel an aspect of that thinking.
\nThis particular quote
\n![\"If](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/8bb5b7e5ed.png\")
is taken from 🔗 this article, which in turn arrived with me from discussions over at the UNdaunted. You’ll be hearing more about them over the next year.)
\nI think it also plays into the old adage (I paraphrase) ..
\n\n\n“All plans are a waste … but planning is essential.”
\n
For me. I think there is truth in this line of thought.
\nWhat do you think?
\n
![\"New](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/97f7394415.jpg\")
There’s a 🔗 Stonehenge in New Zealand.
\nSpent a lovely afternoon there today.
\nIf you have interest its 🔗 three words are ‘enable.improves.preperations’.
\n![\"The](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/2529/2024/10b8d817cc.jpg\")
![](\"https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/9/9/6/0/9960-the-parking-lot-movie-0-600-0-900-crop.jpg?v=ff778f76f0\")
Accidentally found this movie on TV … q super way to spend an hour and ten minutes … a documentary revealing humor and humanity.
\n", "date_published": "2023-01-09T10:52:14+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2023/01/09/the-parking-lot.html", "tags": ["? Films","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2023/01/09/the-hundredfoot-journey.html", "title": "🎥 The Hundred-Foot Journey, 2014 - ★★★★", "content_html": "![](\"https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/1/6/0/5/2/6/160526-the-hundred-foot-journey-0-600-0-900-crop.jpg?v=235ed18216\")
Another one of those ‘little’ movies. Highly recommend.
\n", "date_published": "2023-01-09T10:49:52+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2023/01/09/the-hundredfoot-journey.html", "tags": ["? Films","366"] }, { "id": "http://johnphilpin.micro.blog/2016/07/12/lest-we-forget.html", "title": "Lest We Forget ...", "content_html": "\n\nSpeaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) led the push for Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Following a disappointing election in November 1998, he announced he was stepping down as Speaker and resigning from Congress.
\n
\nGingrich later admitted that, while he was pushing for Clinton’s impeachment, he was engaged in an affair with a Congressional aide. “There were times when I was praying and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong. But I was still doing them”, Gingrich said in 2007.
\nHe later said the situation was ‘complex and, obviously, I wasn’t doing things to be proud of.
You mean like now ?
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-13T05:06:50+12:00", "url": "https://john.philpin.com/2016/07/12/lest-we-forget.html", "tags": ["? WWW","? LongForm","366"] } ] }