I think I've definitely settled on making these compilation posts rather than posting links/things as I come across them. I want my overall internet experience to feel slower, so it makes sense that the rhythm at which I spew out content into the world should also slow down. Not that I'd been doing much posting these past few months but still -- I should aim for less fedi, less DW, less tumblr, or at least a more thoughtful version of them. Now that I'm on holiday I've been forced to think again about my relationship with my phone and I don't like what I see (30 hours weekly screen time).
And speaking of slowness and internet and social media --
So I wasn't in love with season 3, but that was still an entertaining watch compared to season 4.
( spoilers spoilers spoilers )
Originally I closed this post with a bunch of thoughts on Neil Gaiman but I think I might like to keep those in a separate, locked post. Partially because it ended up being more personal than I thought it would and partially because it focuses on fan response, which is already dominating the discussion too much at a time when we still don't even have a public statement from the guy and half the SFF world is pretending nothing's happened. Like, it's impossible to keep up with the news browsing the Neil Gaiman tag on tumblr because of the amount of GO fans talking about what this means for their enjoyment/follow up seasons of the show and I don't feel like adding to that energy. But also I'm going to have to vomit my thoughts somewhere at some point or I might implode. So friend-lock it is.
And speaking of slowness and internet and social media --
articles that hit lately
- You; Sitting With Yourself – time spent offline: There weren’t enough tips, tools, tricks in the world, no amount of gimmicks that could save me from the thing that kept me running back to the noise, to the avatars: I disliked myself. which ended up reminding me of -
- How to live without your phone - by Sam Kriss: A phone is a device for muting the anxieties proper to being alive. This is what all its functions and features ultimately achieve: cameras deliver you from time, GPS abstracts you out of space, and an all-consuming screen that keeps you a constant safe distance from yourself. If there’s something you’re worried or upset about, you can simply hide behind your phone and it will all go away.
- Why do we use social media? - by Max Read: As everyone who’s had pain in their thumb from scrolling knows, the actual point of “screen time” is the time part--the hours it allows you to numbly burn up. There’s no “more efficient” version of social media because you can’t pass time any more quickly.
sort-of relevant news
- Internet Archive "glitch" deletes years of user data and accounts | Hacker News or: Literally My Number One Fear. I don't keep anything worth salvaging in mine but apparently this fucks up the discoverability of certain files (uploads don't seem to have been deleted). And also, well, it just raises questions about how safe IA storage is.
- I totally missed that someone spent thousands on fraudulent votes to rig the Hugos. They haven't shared the name fo the finalist favored because they can't establish whether they were aware of anything but I'll be 👀 looking (also, I mean. who spends thousands on rigging an award for someone they don't have a connection with unless it's some 4D chess move to try and get them disqualified?)
media log but it's just me complaining about TUA S4 for 800+ words
So I wasn't in love with season 3, but that was still an entertaining watch compared to season 4.( spoilers spoilers spoilers )
Originally I closed this post with a bunch of thoughts on Neil Gaiman but I think I might like to keep those in a separate, locked post. Partially because it ended up being more personal than I thought it would and partially because it focuses on fan response, which is already dominating the discussion too much at a time when we still don't even have a public statement from the guy and half the SFF world is pretending nothing's happened. Like, it's impossible to keep up with the news browsing the Neil Gaiman tag on tumblr because of the amount of GO fans talking about what this means for their enjoyment/follow up seasons of the show and I don't feel like adding to that energy. But also I'm going to have to vomit my thoughts somewhere at some point or I might implode. So friend-lock it is.
