Personal thoughts
This topic is for personal opinions or stuff that’s going on in my life, which doesn’t fit more neatly into another category.
The selfish case for public libraries
I don’t use libraries out of a sense of civic duty; I use them because they make me a happier, more adventurous, and more prolific reader.
Dreaming of a ten-year computer
Modern computers are more powerful than I know what to do with, but the norm is still to upgrade every few years. I want my current computer to last a decade, and I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
Slipstitch, Queer Craft, and community spaces
Remembering Slipstitch, a queer-friendly yarn shop and the fortnightly crafting meet-ups that were a highlight of my week.
We all lose when art is anonymised
When art loses its creator, we lose the story behind the image – a plea for attribution in our endless scroll culture.
Digital decluttering
I’m resisting my temptation towards digital hoarding and “save everything”, and trying to be more selective about the data I’m keeping.
Mountaintop moments
The amazing events that let us temporarily escape from our lives, and how to deal with the emotional crash that comes afterward.
I deleted all my tweets
I used TweetDeleter to delete about 35,000 tweets, and cut my remaining ties to the site formerly known as Twitter.
Going through my old school papers
Digitising and pruning my boxes of paper from school. In which I have nostalgia, sadness, and the sense that everything old is new again.
How do you work with non-engineers?
Building a relationship founded on trust and respect.
“Non-technical users”
Social media as a growth culture for opinions
Using social media can lead us to have more opinions than we really need. Can we fix that?
Make it safe to admit mistakes
You can’t stop people making mistakes, but you can make it more likely that they’ll admit their next mistake to you.
Give your audience time to react
Rehearsing a presentation only tells you the minimum length of time you’ll take. If you’re speaking to a time limit, remember to leave some slack.
Thinking about your gender
Cis people are allowed to think about their gender too.
Adventures in euphoria and embodiment
We all have bodies, and I’ve been trying to become more self-aware and connected with mine.
Access to information is a privilege
An inescapable conclusion
After months of introspection and soul-searching, I’ve had some big realisations about my identity.
Some low-tech ways to get more ideas
A few suggestions for “low tech devices” that aid in the process of generating ideas.
My new standing desk
A standing desk that I built solely from IKEA parts.