ginger coons - Not so obvious (Page 5)

Screen capture of a peach-beige background with a wall of small text in the middle. It is mostly unformatted, except for paragraph breaks.

coping

Coping 5: This

Coping is short posts on Fridays about coping methods for doing creative and focused things in an unfocused world. In Coping 5, a little bit of recursion as I explain why the very text you're reading is a form of coping.

A black and white photo of a wall with a series of metal panels fitted into it. Each panel has several switches and buttons.

technology

Public-private predicaments

Public sector bodies can be very dependent on private sector software and technology providers, spending public money in ways that don't always put public values first. Some governments are beginning to demonstrate that there are other options.

A book lying on a concrete surface. The book is partially red, partially occupied by an image of office workers in front of a large, old computer.

bookpile

Bookpile 5: The New Patriarchs of Digital Capitalism

Bookpile is short posts on Fridays about what I’m reading now and what I’m liking about it. This week, it’s The New Patriarchs of Digital Capitalism by Ben Little and Alison Winch.

A slightly low-contrast image of a sheet of yellow material with paths cut out of it. At the ends ofthe paths, there are strips of sheet metal sticking up and out.

creativity

The trap of significance

The feeling that it's mandatory to achieve significance, originality, or novelty can be paralyzing. Where does the impetus come from, and can we escape the trap of significance?

Image of a camera viewfinder without a lense. It is predominantly grey, and the centre of the image is occupied by a series of concentric circles.

coping

Coping 4: Wednesday focusday

Coping is short posts on Fridays about coping methods for doing creative and focused things in an unfocused world. In Coping 4, why I've made Wednesdays sacrosanct.

A horse points its nose at a card with the number "0" on it, having selected that card from a line of other number cards.

automation

Stupid smart things

Automation does not, by its nature, need to be bad. Can we disentangle ourselves from automation that disrespects user rights and makes heavy use of computation? I make the argument for the importance and value of "stupid smart things."

On a concrete background, a light-blue book. The book is The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges.

bookpile

Bookpile 4: The Garden of Forking Paths

Bookpile is short posts on Fridays about what I’m reading now and what I’m liking about it. This week, it’s The Garden of Forking Paths, a very small collection of stories by Jorge Luis Borges.

A photo of a small, metal weight within several layers of protective glass cloches. A pair of tongs are placed next to the outermost cloche. The background of the photo is black.

standards

My love affair with measurement

The brief story of how I came to love the topic of metrology, the study of measurement. Why are such basics as centimetres or kilograms really things of wonder?

Photo of a beach and a bright but cloudy sky. There is a ship far away on the horizon, and a yellow sign in the foreground that says "Danger Soft Mud."

technology

At The Hare

This week, I'm breaking from the norm. Instead of an essay, a piece of short fiction about exoskeletons, logistics centres, and darts. It's called "At The Hare."

Close-up of the front panel of a dishwasher. Over the power button, there is a label which says "party."

coping

Coping 3: Noticing

Coping is short posts on Fridays about coping methods for doing creative and focused things in an unfocused world. In Coping 3, the importance of noticing.

A mostly dark image of landmasses at night with spots of light where there are urban area. The patterns of lights look like networks.

F/LOSS

Better tech worlds

The move towards European digital sovereignty needs careful thought before duplicating existing technology ecosystems. Now is the time to imagine a more open, independent, and intentional computing future.

Full-screen image of letterpress type, showing both upper-case and lower-case letters.

Friday bonus: On not capitalizing my name

A brief explanation of the choice to not capitalize my name, where it came from, and what it means to be a common noun instead of a proper noun.