It’s time for the Lightning Round!
Get ready for a roundup of items that are too short to be a main essay, but meatier than your typical Fun Fact. It’s a jambalaya of thoughts, quotes, news, and yes, even poems – it’s the Lightning Round!
I have to warn you, there’s going to be a wiiiide range of topics. So strap in! First item:
Typewriters are beautiful
It turns out there’s an amazing typewriter repair shop is just a ferry ride away from us. So I brought in my father’s old manual Hermes to the Bremerton Typewriter Company for an overhaul. And while we were there, Mari fell in love. So of course we had to adopt the little guy (play the video to see the surprise it’s hiding):
Mechanical devices fascinate me. Up until the creation of the transistor, even the most sophisticated devices were tactile – you could open them up and see how they work, you could visually find their problems and repair them by hand. Even the submarines and airplanes of WWII were just large mechanical devices: diesel engines and clockwork that had spaces hollowed out in them for their human operators. There is an undeniable beauty to a well running pre-electronic machine. (And now I sound old...)
I spend way too much time thinking about Predator
If you, too, are a fan of the Predator franchise, then you will lurve this (if you aren’t a fan and/or gore-averse, maybe give it a pass):
It even gave me a new head canon fan theory: you see several different sizes of Predator throughout, from very large to absolutely honking huge. It made me think: what if the Predators (the Yautja, in Predator canon) are a species that continues to grow throughout their life, like alligators? The older they are, the bigger they get. And the only reason they aren’t all giants is that their lives tend to end violently in the hunt.
I’m not saying that’s true (for Predator franchise values of true). I’m just saying I really appreciate a world that has those kind of nooks and crannies in it. The best “universes” don’t try to answer everything. They just build cool playground equipment, and let people play.
“For a student who used AI to write a paper”
Take a moment and check out this short poem by Joseph Fasano. That last line...
Poets.org - Academy of American Poets
“Study finds?” WHAT STUDY?!?
I’m just going to leave this here and tiptoe away...
Mark Twain: still relevant
A key quote from the video below:
Twain wrote, 'Patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it."
Pete’s whiskey haiku
My friend Pete went to Japan, and got to taste some spectacular whiskey. Befitting the locale, he wrote his tasting notes as haiku. They’re beautiful, evocative, and describe the different phases and sensations of a sip of whiskey so perfectly:
Hakashu 187
spring blossom opens, sweet nectar gives life today, gentle breeze within
The Yamazaki 18
bold ideas wake, a long slow journey worth while, dark forest onse
Hibiki 21
butterfly wanders, joyful flight of happiness, spring comes tomorrow
The Yamazaki 25
wisdom over age, mindful persistent effort, quiet here and now
Why do airports remind me of Mount Everest?
Above 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) is what mountaineers call “the death zone.” There’s not enough oxygen to sustain a human. So basically, if you’re above 8k/m, you’re dying. Slowly, sure, but you only have so long to get your business done and skedaddle back down to breathable altitudes. And having to deal with the whole weakness-and-impaired-judgement thing while up there makes your survival even more problematic.
I thought about this the last time I was in an airport. They, like 8k/m+ altitudes, are not really suited to sustaining human life. Oh sure, they try, and you can definitely stay in one far longer that you could stay above 26,200 feet. But boy, that "weakness-and-impaired-judgement” things sure applies as you’re waiting for your flight that just got delayed for the third time, doesn’t it? Even the airport “lounges" are like hanging out in a weird Applebees.
So that’s how I view airports now – not actively hostile, but a place that requires planning and supplies to get out of intact. Get me on that plane, so I can encounter an entirely new set of challenges and discomforts!
Your telephone is your signet ring
I was watching some historical thing with breeches and castles and quill pens and stuff, and I saw someone sealing an official document with wax and then embossing it with their signet ring. And I thought, “Hey, medieval 2-factor authentication!”
Only the duke is supposed to have the ring that makes that particular mark, and only you are supposed to be holding the phone that receives that particular login code. It’s amazing how good concepts hang on – even the Nazi Enigma code machine was based on a cipher used by Napoleon.
Speaking of guys with rings...
I was not part of the latest papal conclave, but back in college, when I was still a Catholic, I announced my write-in candidacy for the October 1978 election. Unfortunately, I only announced it to my friends at Cal, and they had surprisingly little influence in Rome. Lucky break, actually – red’s not really my color.
"Corgi Descending a Staircase"
Finally, I put my English Literature degree to use to enter the mind of a stumpy-legged dog:
My body is long
My legs are not
And so down the stairs
I hop hop hop hop
Over to you
A lot of these items came from a Discord server I share with some friends. I know that most social media wants you to launch your thoughts into a worldwide maw of judgement and trolling, but boy howdy, I am not ready for that kind of scrutiny. Using Discord with a group of trusted friends is such a useful space for me to express – and hear – thoughts that may not be “ready for primetime."
Discord, Slack, text threads, actual physical postcards – there are a lot of ways to maintain personal contact with a select group of friends. It takes some effort to set up, but the dividends are enormous. I hope you can find your method of keeping your friends close, and of letting your voice be heard. Because friends, and you, are so important right now.
And I hope you enjoyed this departure from our standard format. Is there a particular piece that spoke to you? Anything you’d like me to expand on? Let me know in the comments.
Until we talk again, I remain,
Your pal,
Jamie