Summer has flown away, the trees are turning and autumn has hit with a punch overnight. All of a sudden it's a bit grim outside and we hunker down, gather straw around us and hibernate until winter. Ah well, here's some things that I enjoyed in September, and you might too:
- Had this poem by Don Marquis flagged for a long time, but finally got round to reading it. Not much to say, other than it's great. Can't remember how I found it, but I know very little about the poet and their work.
- This article by Andrew Sullivan about reconnecting with yourself in an age of distraction has been everywhere and with good reason. He makes a compelling case for slowing down and stopping the rush of information:
We almost forget that ten years ago, there were no smartphones, and as recently as 2011, only a third of Americans owned one. Now nearly two-thirds do. That figure reaches 85 percent when you’re only counting young adults. And 46 percent of Americans told Pew surveyors last year a simple but remarkable thing: They could not live without one. The device went from unknown to indispensable in less than a decade.
I often struggle with this myself. I have found value in single tasking, in reducing the amount of information and focusing more on what i want to rad. The problem is with all knowledge ever at our fingertips, it's hard to control that.
- This really long Alan Moore interview is absolutely worth it. Really fascinating read about one of the most interesting writers around.
- Speaking of writing, this creepy story from cnet is a well written, well thought-out sci-fi story about a world where love can be brought and sold as a drug.
- Creativity is a muscle, you just have to use it. Like practising scales or writing every day, good things happen when you decide to work every day on a project. You get better over time. It is ably proven by this great post of John Cutler who decided to doodle every day. I find the drawings fascinating and his analysis is spot on.
That's it for now. Enjoy the darkening skies
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