I
love
websites
The web got big in the 90s.
It was started as a.... as a...
What was that called again?
...as a memory prosthetic for humanity.
The story goes, the web was meant to be a shared brain.
A way to link ideas.
The reality?
"The internet was designed with the idea that it should survive nuclear war."
"The protocols assume that the network is unreliable at all times."
— Vint Cerf (worked with DARPA)
The web was never meant to be free.
But where has purity ever gotten us?
You have to use the tools your forebearers made for you.
You have to inherit the past.
You can't
ESC
None of us can
ESC
It's not as big a bummer as it sounds, I promise.
Do you know how
multi-cell organisms
like you and me
evolved?
It was not with foresight, strategy, nor a plan.
Once upon a time, some funny little single cells realized they could live longer if they stayed together. So they lived the longest. QED
They didn't know
what they were adding up to.
But here we are—
—because someone wanted to live—
—because someone kept moving.
You can't change history.
Today is your history.
So, what does it
mean to win?
A lot of the time when we thinking of "winning" and getting it all, it's a little house, perhaps secluded (definitely with a fence) with lots of room for children and pets to run around. It's something my family in Guatemala has.
I'm reminded of my grandmother telling me how they used to wash laundry in the river. The rocks had a base or chemical that turned into soap. Or something like that. We don't choose our materials or tools, but we make the best of them.
I'm reminded of quipu, a loose system of knots and strings invented by the Inca to keep track of things locally. It was spreadsheets and numbers—before the invention of numbers.
What is winning? It's doing stuff. Doing anything is winning. Being alive is winning.
"So if I just buy the most stuff,
I'll win?"
No, see your idea of abundance is warped.
Winning isn't about having stuff in your hands. Having a guitar is not the same thing as knowing guitar.... Knowing guitar empowers you because you realize anything is changeable. You realize your internal locus of control.
I know how to make REALLY good potatoes. No, believe me, everyone goes nuts for these.
My potatoes
1. Thick slice russets. 2. Soak them in cold salted water for 2 hours. 3. Parboil them for 5 minutes in salted water. 4. Deep oil. 5. Don’t stack them or crowd them. 6. Keep the oil clean. 7. Salt them (be sure to oil down the salt on both sides). 8. Once they’re crispy on both sides, let them cool on a single layer. 9. Salt them again.
Yes, we could just buy Lays for the party. But it means more if I know all that. I’m a richer individual for the trial and error I went through. This is what we remember about our relatives when they pass: the things they knew.
WINNING IS KNOWING.
FORGETTING IS LOSING.
Letting other people do everything for you robs you of that.
Especially
when you don't even
have to
talk
to anyone.
Just sign here, and pay at kiosk please.
Everything disintegrates. It's the curse. It's Maya, the illusion. We're always gonna forget. We're gonna remember for a blip and then forget again. Thats why we need reliable archives. Not social media sites. Especially not short form video ones: How long does it take you to make a video? How much do you get in return? how much encouragement do you get? How much hate do you get? Who benefits from your video content? (Hint, it's the platform) Who takes the brunt? Who is harmed? Who is under surveillance? Why can't you document as much as you wish? (Because every piece requires polishing.) We can't stop entropy. But you can slow down.
Make
more
websites
