Steven Splinter

  • Book notes: Silence: In the Age of Noise 📚

    Finished reading: Silence by Erling Kagge 📚

    Overall, a very good book, meditative and instructive. It follows @patrickrhone ’s book For You as a more expansive set of wise perspectives and advice on life.

    Page 30:

    This is not just a new trend, or a fad; it is a reflection of a profound human need. Knitting, brewing beer, felling trees; these are activities that all have something in common. You set yourself a goal and carry it out - not all at once, but over time. You use your hands or your body to create something. By moving yourself, you move your mind. I enjoy experiences where the satisfaction travels from the body to the head, rather than the other way around. The results that you achieve-firewood to warm you, a sweater you have poured yourself into-are not things that can simply be printed out. The fruit of your labour is a tangible product. A result that you and others can enjoy over a period of time.

    Page 53:

    Even if we were to live for a thousand years, our lives would feel short if we threw away the time we actually had at our disposal. We exist, but few of us actually live, argued Seneca two thousand years ago. “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future. When they come to the end of it, the poor wretches realize too late that for all this time they have been preoccupied in doing nothing.”

    And part of the practice of silence is knowing what counts as a life well lived. My time spent reading and writing and enjoying movies may seem dull compared to what others seem to value, but I feel more of what Kagge extolls in my moments than theirs.

    Page 77:

    Humans are social creatures. Being accessible can be a good thing. We are unable to function alone. Yet it’s important to be able to turn off your phone, sit down, not say anything, shut your eyes, breathe deeply a couple of times and attempt to think about something other than what you are normally thinking about.

    Coincidentally, @bryan posted about this today too, with expectations of being immediately responsive at work.

    I think we as people who care about boundaries need to articulate and insist on a difference between “available” and “accessible”. The former means ready at hand to use, the latter more lax. There are times to be available, but most times need mere accessibility. The terminology can help us defend our health and boundaries. I am at work, but not available, just accessible, as I take time for deep work, research, catch up on news, or just take a break.

  • Time for my annual tradition of locking myself out of my house. 🤦

  • Thought of @maique when I saw this at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, with all the cool stickers and designs he posts! 📷

    A painted wall art of a six-armed green monster, a pint of beer in each hand, wearing a blue T-shirt with the Trinity Brewhouse logo. Above and below the picture are the words “Mug House Madness”.

  • Book review: "For You"

    I finished @patrickrhone ’s For You last weekend. It didn’t take long; I finished it in a day, though I found myself lingering over some of the passages.

    Rhone’s daughter is a lucky kid to have Patrick as a father. This is a wise, encouraging, grounded collection of insights that speak to the reader as a gentle, understanding and firm parent speaking to a daughter. It’s never condescending, and you get the sense that his daughter will roll her eyes at some of it the way a smart oh-so-sure kid does, but it rewards revisiting. If some passage doesn’t make sense or doesn’t apply yet, Patrick’s words will be there, without judgement, ready to counsel when she, or the reader, needs to hear them.

    I don’t think this work needs addition or commentary. It stands alone, and meshes in well with other advice books. I did make one note, a comment to the end of “You are the star”:

    And if you find yourself making yourself the protagonist in ways that force others to be extras in theirs, reexamine what you’re doing. That’s a sign of fear, not joy. Look at what that fear is, so you can be an even better protagonist.

    If you want the context, you’ll have to get the book. It’s out now, it’s inexpensive, and it’s the work of a weekend day with some reflection time to enjoy. 📚

  • Article I enjoyed: "The Bits We Usually Ignore

    Bookish Diversions: The Bits We Usually Ignore 📚

    I do unjustly ignore some footnotes and especially endnotes. It’s a bad habit from being overwhelmed with college reading that I really should address.

    Dedications and acknowledgements, though, I fully take the time to read and enjoy. All reading is an interpretation, all writing the same. These feel like a glimpse at the real, complex person behind the performance.

  • Enjoying what’s become a weekly ritual: catching up on newsletters and mailing lists over tea at my local tea shop. ☕️📚

    An iPad with text on the screen is angled towards the viewer on the left of a table. On the right, a nearly empty clear mug and tea sit. In the background, an empty chair faces the viewer on the opposite side of the table, and beyond that, more tables, chairs, and a cafe counter with people ordering.

  • Movie Review: Silent Running

    Silent Running (1972)

    Another classic movie I’m sorry to have suffered through.

    Don’t get me wrong, there are some good ideas, just shallow and heavy handed instead of properly developed, like the producers and writers fell in love with the vision in their heads instead of the work they were producing. I don’t think this execution deserves the cult classic status it has developed.

    I’d like to see it redone today. Same starting concept, but make the escape part of a network. There are lots of fleets of these eco ships, with rumors of some of the lost ships actually being commandeered and run away. Valley Forge becomes one of them; Lowell has to find them and network with them while being pursued.

    I did like two aspects that were hinted at- the Berkshire’s captain seemed genuinely concerned for the people of Valley Forge and wanted to help, and the main crew noted how everyone has a job, everywhere on Earth is 72 degrees, everything is the same. Why is that? Why does Lowell want to flee, why exactly does he value nature over stability, when the wilds are hard and the rest of humanity wants to help him return? Yes, I know they’d arrest him when they discover his crimes, but they never discover those crimes, making their concern genuine. It sounds like a nice place to live in, and anyone who’s tried to live apart from others finds is very hard, very quickly. What does it lack that Lowell wants? Because, while I agree with this sentiments, the conservation angle just isn’t enough to justify what he does.

    So, that’s that. Crossed off the list. 📽️

  • Back from the wedding and eclipse. My brain is having trouble accepting it’s not Sunday, and I have a three day work week this week instead of five. I have a feeling I’m going to have a bumpy day tomorrow.

  • Panoramic view of the eclipse! 🌘

    A winter mountain landscape with snow, an open wooden frame, and a frozen lake. The sky is dark; a bright light is cut off in the top center, being the eclipse.

  • Currently visiting Montpelier, Vermont on my way to the wedding. I don’t know if this is intentional, but it looks and feels like an old west town ripped from the 1800s and patched with modern utilities. I half expect a varmint to call out the sheriff outside the window.

  • This is not a drill: The Mummy is returning to theaters! Classic 90s era movie fans, and queer people who realized they were queer through this movie, get ready! 🎥 🏳️‍🌈

  • I’ll say this for being in New York: avoiding the overstimulation has been a great focusing motivation to get writing done!

  • The Zelda Tournaments

    My new favorite way to spend my evenings is the Zelda 1 Randomizer 2024 Winter Tournament. Allow me to share my joy and maybe convince you to join in!

    The game is streamed on Twitch, on a modded version of the original NES Legend of Zelda. The overworld map is the same, as are the locations of the dungeons and hidden secrets. What is in each location is different, though; the official second dungeon might hold a store, while the actual second dungeon might be in a wall you have to bomb open. The items in each dungeon and the location of the triforce is random too. You still need the bow, silver arrows, and completed triforce to defeat Gannon. You start at a random overworld screen, and have the choice of one of two random items to start the game with along with the sword, say, the ladder or the blue candle.

    Each round, two players launch the same randomized level and start exploring. They’re looking for secrets, where the dungeons are, and will inevitably run into blocks - the room with the triforce might need a ladder, which is in a dungeon they haven’t found yet. The first player to find all the needed items, kill Gannon and find Zelda wins.

    The randomized levels introduce chance and luck and are what make this competition fun to watch. There’s skill, yes, and it’s astounding to watch these defeat rooms full of wizards with little more than four hearts and a wooden sword. If the game were a copy of the original game, though, it would merely be a demonstration of skill. Instead, one player may find a dungeon with a critical item quickly, while another burns minutes finding the triforce in an especially hard dungeon. We worry when player one is behind by three dungeons while the other is about to enter the last dungeon, only for player one to find the critical item player two needs in a secret area they’d skipped, and now we anticipate when player two will realize their mistake and how much time it will cost to find it. Games have been decided methodical versus rushed playing styles, by luck of which dungeons are found first, by choosing to clear a room versus rushing through to keep exploring, even by an errant arrow costing a player critical seconds.

    The commentators add to the joy. They’re previous competitors themselves, and generous with their knowledge of tactics and answering spectator questions. The best ones, though, are as enthusiastic as the players, moaning in disappointment when the player meets a dead end, and often chiding the players like annoyed parents when they go into the wrong direction. They make the games worth watching just for the conversation!

    I can’t speak for the other games the SpeedGaming organization runs. I’ve tried watching them, but either they’re not randomized or the games don’t have the same pull as the NES Zelda for me. This competition has brought me a lot of joy over the past few days, though, and I’m going to see it through! 🎮

  • Enough About Hard Times - Caitlin Candy 🎵

    A good song for when you need to stop worrying get on with living.

    And there’s no way of knowing If it got lost or stolen But now my arms are open wide Enough about hard times you fell on your own knife Enough about leaving unless you’re going to go

  • Chandler - NOTHIN TO IT

    Am I going mad, or does this guy sound like Nick Offerman doing rap in a lost episode of Parks and Rec? 🎵

  • Ani DiFranco’s 32 Flavors surfaced today. So many memories flooded me, this time with the perspective of nearly 20 years since I was a young queer something, hearing a calling I couldn’t quite make sense of. I should listen to her again, and see if there’re any new insights I can glean. 🎵🏳️‍🌈

  • 📷 #mbapr Photo Challenge, Day 2: flower. A brave yellow one getting a head start on spring!

    At foot-level, a yellow daffodil grows through some mulch along with other shoots of plants almost ready to bloom. Behind the mulch, a sidewalk path leads to a closed brown metal gate with signs for Groundwork Rhode Island. The top floors of apartment houses are in the background.

  • 📷 #mbapr April 2024 photo challenge, day 1: toy. These are my DnD fidget spinners that I keep at my desk.

    On a palm facing the camera, two flat wooden fidget spinners, one grey in the shape of a shield with axe and sword cutouts, the other a green hexagon with lines implying a die. Each have gears sticking out of edges that can be spun by fingers.

  • I love the peace and contentment that settles over me when I finish a good book. 📚

    (Review to come later, when I’ve had time to digest it.)

  • Reading Light From Uncommon Stars reminded me of a quote from Le Guin’s Orsinian Tales: 📚

    What good is music? None … and that is the point. To the world and its states and armies and factories and Leaders, music says, ‘You are irrelevant’; and, arrogant and gentle as a god, to the suffering man it says only, ‘Listen.’ For being saved is not the point. Music saves nothing. Merciful, uncaring, it denies and breaks down all the shelters, the houses men build for themselves, that they may see the sky.

  • After a busy few days at work (including last week), today has no projects due, no issues pressing. I can work on tidying up loose ends, filing notes and trackers away, and organizing my projects. It’s pretty calming, to be honest.

  • The Web That Never Was

    An hour long walk down an alternate timeline of the web. Good for an entertaining distraction as you relax or catch up on paperwork. 💻

  • Aristophanes, in his theory of love from the Symposium, wrote that in the miraculous event that a person finds his or her other half-the same half she was ripped away from when the gods split every essence into two bodies-she knows it. “When one of them meets with his other half, the actual half of himself… the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and one will not be out of the other’s sight, as I may say, even for a moment,” Aristophanes argued. “These are the people who pass their whole lives together, and yet they could not explain what they desire of one another.”

    This metaphor goes deep when you think about it. Ripped edges are rarely neat and tidy, and when torn, sometimes pieces fall away. The connecting edges may never be a perfect fit for their other halves, but they’ll almost match with others. The missing bits, overlapping pieces, and mismatched patterns are made whole by our actions, and the skill of doing this is what we call the intersection of maturity and love.

    Also, why does it have to be one two halves? Why can’t it be multiple pieces? That’s polyamory, or what happens when we meet multiple loves at different times in our lives.📚

  • Currently reading: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki 📚

  • Finished reading: Sex with Shakespeare by Jillian Keenan 📚

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