Includes Kondo getting Kondo’d.
#thrifting, #downsizing, #sparkjoy
Author: James Aaron
Oregonian, father, tinkerer, gardener. I like to build things. I'm a #sciencefiction writer (jamesaaron.net/books) and #retrotech curmudgeon. Member of the Wordos, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Bought a used notebook at the thrift store
and peeled off the price tag to find the previous owner’s label. Too bad the journal was blank.
#thrifting, #secretstory, #therapy
This copy of Dune has seen some stuff
Spotted this library binding copy Dune at the local thrift store. It had been ridden hard but was in very readable condition. I put it back for someone else to enjoy. I’ve already got too many copies of Dune.
#dune, #frankherbert, #thriftscores, #thrifting
Catching the White Wolf
I went down the rabbit hole on Robert Gould, the cover artist for several Elric novels I read as a kid. A seller on ebay had several prints from the 1990 Worldcon still available for a good price and I grabbed one up. Always liked this cover with Stormbringer.
#robertgould, #michaelmoorcock, #ebayfinds, #stormbringer
Buy-Nothing January 2024
A list of impulse purchases as they occur to me this month. Normally I would jump to Amazon, Ebay, Aliexpress, etc, and buy these things if they’re under $50. This month I decided not to do that. This won’t include necessities like gas or groceries.
I’ll re-evaluate this at the end of the month and see what I really need. I might push this longer than a month.
- Heavy-duty Glue Gun that doesn’t fall over when I set it on the desk
- Dehydrator for my truck
- (Finally!) the complete Expanse on Blu-ray: https://amzn.to/3RAsyju
- T-Deck by LilyGo: https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-deck?variant=43087936422069
- The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One https://amzn.to/3RKp51U
- Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept https://amzn.to/3RKpcdQ
- The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower https://amzn.to/41OxgPu
- Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy America https://amzn.to/3H5v4cv
- Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World https://amzn.to/3H2Y9pf
- T-Beam Supreme by LilyGo: https://www.lilygo.cc/products/softrf-t-beamsupreme
- Project: Keyyyyys Keyboard https://www.stavros.io/posts/keyyyyyyyys/
- WiPhone: https://wiphone.io/
- TTGO LORA32 433/868/915Mhz SX1276 SX1278 ESP32 OLED 0.96 Display SD Card Module https://www.ebay.com/itm/253947618343
- Beepy: https://beepy.sqfmi.com/
- MeshCom: https://icssw.org/en/meshcom/
- LilyGo on AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805505920840.html
Saved: Is the Turing Test Dead?
Saved: Resonance as a Design Strategy for AI and Social Robots
Saved: An Ephemerist
Q: “I tend to either act as a data hoarder, but most of the time end up being overwhelmed with anxiety about having so much data. Even when I just look at my personal photos, I just feel impeding doom knowing it can only grow and grow, it will never get smaller.
“I was wondering if this had a term.”
A: An ephemerist, someone who enjoys things that are fleeting, temporary, out of sight and out of mind once they’re used.
Saved: Getting to Handheld AI
Mental Budgets
We're in the time of year where I am reminded that I like to spend money. It goes back to deprivation as a kid, not getting the toys other kids had, not getting the good corn flakes. Not understanding why those things didn't matter much, only that I was being told no. Now it's a powerful drug to be able to buy the things I want.
Combine this with an obsession with prices, the retail cycle, and tech, and I can spend a lot of money during Black Friday sales. I'm not buying a jet ski, but a 3D printer is still a good purchase, especially when I didn't budget for my dog's teeth cleaning that's going to cost $700.
Mint is going to cease operation and become part of Credit Karma. If I come back and read this in 20 years, all I should remember is how this is the most recent example of useful software that I used got acquired by a company (Intuit) and then killed.
Goals for this week:
- At least 2000 words a day on Lyssa's Control. I'm going to finish this book.
- Spend time with family.
- Get in habit of taking notes as thoughts occur to me. How: carry a notebook and pen. Make a habit of transferring better notes to computer
- Clean up and organize office. Organize projects so they aren't sitting all over the place.
- Take Sawyer for a walk every day that I'm off.
I read an article about Ozempic (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/ozempic-wegovy-social-revolution-weight-loss/676002/) that mentioned the “Constant Food Noise” in people's heads. Thinking about what they're going to eat, worrying about food, wanting food. Three weeks into low carb again and I feel like the noise has subsided. I'm not feeling the desire to eat all the time and have to remind myself to eat. I like this and want to continue this way. I'm down 13 pounds. Seeing my wife in pain from her Crohn's is also not helping my appetite. We're moving into a new relationship with food, where everyone in the house is eating something different at meal times. We still sit down together, but it's different. We'll adapt.
Started listening to the series that I might be writing in and am already reminded of why I like it. I hope to learn new things from this process.
We're also planning a brunch with friends, coming soon, and a party for local writers at the end of December. I feel good about social engagement, so that's a positive sign.