Maris Kreizman: Against Disruption: On the Bulletpointization of Books:
It seems to me that there is a fundamental discrepancy between the way readers interact with books and the way the hack-your-brain tech community does. A wide swath of the ruling class sees books as data-intake vehicles for optimizing knowledge rather than, you know, things to intellectually engage with.
For those of us with lofty reading goals (including myself), a reminder that genuine appreciation of reading is about taking one’s time to appreciate the complexity and richness of what books have to offer.
Finished reading: Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish 📚
Unlike many books about business and productivity, the most meaningful chapters of Clear Thinking were at the end. Also really classy acknowledgements at the end of the book.
Over the last few days I’ve been catching up with a sizeable backlog of RSS feeds on Reeder. I’m all caught up to early December with just under 1500 articles left to scroll through (thank goodness for keyboard shortcuts). Reading feeds a few months after their publishing date is an excellent filter - so many posts seem initially relevant but lose traction very quickly. Other posts stand the test of time exceptionally well. These are the ones that I aim to think the most deeply about.
Found a Leuchtturm weekly planner on sale for $10 today. Fountain pen is a 1960s Pelikan. 🖋️
Susan Eichhorn Young: What Kind of Colleague are You?:
In our business, there are also those who are generous, kind, attentive, open, empathic, compassionate. This doesn’t mean you have no backbone to stand up for yourself in the face of the negative behavior. It means you truly are recognizing what you do and who you are has purpose and reason, and that each colleague around you has their purpose and reason.
Wise words from Susan. I have many colleagues with whom I’ve shared years of experiences, trust, and camaraderie. And all of those relationships must be earned.
Rebecca Toh: small unknown complex life:
You can have a good experience on social media if you are very intentional and mindful. There are accounts I really enjoy on social media and I have found a lot of inspiration there. But I still believe the corrosive effects of social media outweigh its good, because I know for a fact that social media apps CAN be re-designed to be less addictive and less manipulative, and they are not because of the ultra-capitalistic world we live in. I’m not sure who or what I’m angry at or if it’s even anger I feel. Maybe it’s sadness instead.
All that to say, it’s easier to breathe and write here. The energy here is so much cleaner.
Rebecca’s blog has always been one of the saner places on the internet, and I’m glad that there are still independent sites where one can still experience the quiet web. Rebecca also links to ooh.directory, an actual old-school blog directory, just like in the early days of the web.
I feel
This has been my office for the week. Greetings from Jamaica!
After nearly a year, I finally got an invite to Bluesky. You can follow me there at @chrisfoley.bsky.social.
Finished reading 2023: The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami 📚
Finished reading 2023: Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata 📚
Each of these stories had a twist, either about the society in which the characters live, or the nature of the narrator’s way of looking at the world. Lots of things to think about with the nature of identify, what sides of ourselves we show to others, and what we take for granted in society.
At the Scriptus pen show in Toronto. 🖋️
Currently reading: Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata 📚
Finished reading 2023: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (thank you @Munish for the recommendation) 📚
On a quick break. Then into the studio for four hours of teaching.
Currently reading: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 📚
Finished reading 2023: Discourses, Fragments, Handbook (Oxford Worlds Classics) by Epictetus 📚
This was a long read, as most good philosophy books are.
The weather continues to be glorious. This is a few blocks from where I live.
These free libraries have been popping up in our neighborhood. It’s always fun to take a look at the titles when I’m walking.
Finished reading 2023: Attention Span by Gloria Mark 📚
One of the more memorable books I’ve read this year. There’s a battle going on for our attention and this book addresses how we might reclaim it.