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Lines are interesting natural-occurring and man-made phenomena that structure our thinking and provides sensemaking both in the spatial and metaphorical.

A line not only appears on purpose by drawing it or through construction, but also simply through being the contrast or border of two separated parts. Take the horizon. A line that separates air from land. And in an unobstructed view both needs to be present in the field of view for it to appear. Ask a child to draw the horizon and all you will get is a line. There is a lot of beauty in lines, a golden hour horizon is one of the most photographed scenic views, and it is the line that provides this eclipse.

...continue reading "The dreaded lines"

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2020 is the first year since 1986 that vinyl surpasses CD sales. This has been quite an observable change. Record stores are popping up left and right and I’ve spotted many ads on and offline for vinyl players. In a digital world you can imagine that there is an appeal to going back to something more physical. The physicality of playing records is most likely only one reason for its revival, another could be that acoustically it gives that sweet cracklin’ and other sound characteristics that listeners yearn for. But these arguments can work just as well for playing CDs. What precisely makes vinyl so appealing?

...continue reading "Vinyl; Rejecting the digital or a nostalgic postcard?"

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A year of idleness and full-time entertainment consumption has put me in the ideal spot to provide my unwarranted recommendations to you, ranging from all categories across the board. Recommendations are not necessarily limited to anything published in 2020, merely something I have watched/read/listened to this year.

First off; books.

While finishing the last book of my 24-reading goal it’s quite fitting that this latest addition to the challenge is also the one I provide as recommendation. Fresh in mind fresh in heart aye? I’ve chosen this first and foremost because we all can use a travel book in these times to lose ourselves in, especially with such a friendly and erudite guide.  Patrick Leigh Fermor writes about his journey on foot from Hoek of Holland to Constantinople in a surprisingly educating and highly entertaining manner. The first of the trilogy: A Time of Gifts spansfrom the start all the way to the middle Danube. It is worthy to note that he travels in 1933/3, with what Germany was going through at that time it is incredible to hear the voices of both sides during his travels. Second, he wrote this book 30 years after he travelled so it also provides a lot of reflection as occurs in such retelling. Now it is by no means a comparison to a historical travel book such as Geert Mak’s In Europe. It is much more a story of an intelligent but compassionate 18-year-old that decides to talk a long walk and meet the most amiable characters on the way. The element that instantly will amaze any reader is the hospitality of those he meets on the way. As Patrick was at that time a student with little funds it is astonishing to see how his reliance on strangers was almost unavoidable due to the heavy insistences of the offers. If you won’t read it for the travel, do read it for Fermor’s internal rambling on art, nature, history, and politics. His 5-page spanning reflection of Brueghel the Elder’s work is a good example. Without giving away too many spoilers, if you, regretfully, have put away your wanderlust somewhere on a dusty shelf than do read this amazing travelogue to take a sip of all things absent.

...continue reading "Yearly recommendations"

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“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle.

But how do you know or ‘find’ your true self? Well, you got travelling the world, reading a book a week, joining a spiritual meditation retreat, or diving into neuroscience. However, for those that, like me, can’t be bothered with any of the above, the answer is closer than you think. Reach deep down, not into yourself but your pocket and just open up your Google Privacy settings. ...continue reading "Finding yourself: A Google sponsored guide"

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In no particular order - except for the first, cause it's among equals.

How to do nothing
Jenny Odell: An adaptation of her book on "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy." this 'short' medium article is a refreshing read and approach of the busy digital lives. It isnt a quasi-self-help article as the title suggests, rather it is a delightful exploration of abstract subjects and and pure curiosity of things in our immediate surroundings. [book review]

"Eric Hobsbawm, the Communist Who Explained History."
Corey Robin reviews Richard Evan's biography of Eric Hobsbawn: A life in History. It is the perfect summary of a book too long to read, about a most influential historian & communist. [philosophy]

The Distance Between Us
Micah Meadowcroft Why we act badly when we don’t speak face-to-face. The old message of the flip side of a coin called social media in a pleasing to read sleeve. [technology, philosophy] ...continue reading "April & May 2019: Interesting reads"