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The Dark Forest
Jason Kottke pointed me to an essay on Medium from Yancey Strickler linking the rise of advertising, tracking, and trolling of the mainstream internet to the movement towards online environments more private such as newsletters, podcasts, invite-only message boards, etc.
Strickler uses the dark forest analogy at the center of Liu Cixin’s science fiction trilogy, The Three Body Problem.
When we look out into space, the theory goes, we’re struck by its silence. It seems like we’re the only ones here. After all, if other forms of life existed, wouldn’t they show themselves? Since they haven’t, we assume there’s no one else out there.
Liu invites us to think about this a different way.
Imagine a dark forest at night. It’s deathly quiet. Nothing moves. Nothing stirs. This could lead one to assume that the forest is devoid of life. But of course, it’s not. The dark forest is full of life. It’s quiet because night is when the predators come out. To survive, the animals stay silent.
Is our universe an empty forest or a dark one? If it’s a dark forest, then only Earth is foolish enough to ping the heavens and announce its presence. The rest of the universe already knows the real reason why the forest stays dark. It’s only a matter of time before the Earth learns as well.
This is also what the internet is becoming: a dark forest.
It’s an incredible read and clearly a movement that’s not going away.
The Rise of Skywalker in Vanity Fair
Lev Grossman wrote some words and Annie Leibovitz took some pictures previewing Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Of course, everything looks incredible.
I am uncharacteristically anticipating J. J. Abrams will actually pull this off.
Puzzle Peace
Patrick Rhone, writing in his email newsletter, tells the story of minimalists and maximalists, puzzles and preconceptions. It is smart and exactly what I needed, especially the last part.
The difference between the puzzle being a soul-draining burden or something that brought me peace was all in how I chose to see and engage with it. The “problem” with being a minimalist living with those who are not is that way too. I can’t change who my wife and daughter are or the stuff that brings them joy. All I can do is accept them as they are. By accepting them as they are I am also accepting all the stuff that they bring. But what I can change is me. I can grumble less about it all and open my heart to the possibility that not all the stuff is useless. That some of it might actually be a benefit to me. And only through compassion, acceptance, and love will I ever know.
Our Guys
Robert Rosenthal, writing on his IlliniBoard.com site, talks about what it’s like to root for Illinois athletics and to root for the players. If you don’t understand college athletics or University of Illinois sports, you might be itching to scroll past this post and story. I would urge you to not do that here.
Rosenthal loves Illinois football and his guys. With the news of Bobby Roundtree’s terrible spinal injury, his essay is a both a love letter to fans and a plea to the football gods that Bobby can live a normal life.
I don’t pray much, but I might give it a shot for this young man. Maybe you can do the same?
The Memory Book
This story is amazing. Emily Buder, writing in The Atlantic, tells the tale of Byron Levy and his grandson Colin in a video that stunned me when I watched it.
The younger Levy came to call it the “memory book.” But it wasn’t just one journal—it was hundreds, filled to the brim with thousands of illustrations, anecdotes, inventions, thoughts, dreams, adventures, misadventures, and historical events filtered through the lens of one family. It was an impressionistic retrospective that began in early childhood and spanned three generations. It was a lifetime of memories, and the memory of an inner life.
The Trauma of Daenerys Targaryen
Jonathan Michael Erickson has put together an in-depth study of the Daenerys Targaryen character arc. Erickson has his doctorate in depth psychology focusing on embodied psychology, the unconscious mind, and imagination.
His analysis is spot on and something I had not thought of throughout the course of her story.
And in the heat of that moment, I don’t think Dany really knows what she’s doing. Calling her the “mad queen” implies that she has genetically inherited some psychosis from her father. But maybe she’s simply the Traumatized Queen? Among the most insidious aspects of trauma is that it can collapse time, confusing what is actually happening in the present, while also dissociating us from ourselves. In this sense, trauma is really the opposite of “character development,” because it throws us outside of ourselves, the people we have become, and leaves us trapped in the past. In season seven Olenna Tyrell tells Dany that she should “be a dragon” — and that’s what we see here: her humanity swallowed by her inner monster, she becomes death from above, and we no longer even get to see her face.
And it’s absolutely heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to see this powerful woman with so much potential for good become consumed by her own shadow. It’s awful to see a person we believe in betray their deepest values. To watch Dany transform into the very monster she set out to destroy. It’s so painful that to really let it in might be hard to bear. Many have complained that the final season of the show lacks emotional resonance, but when dealing with material this dark, I wonder if in part we don’t want it to resonate? If on some level, the expectation for another Marvel movie about heroes runs so deep that when we are presented with a genuine tragedy instead, we want to throw things at the screen?
Bittersweet Taste
More thought required. But I liked the #GameofThrones finale. I did not love the majority of this last season, but I thought they ended it in a fitting manner. Which is to say, a coda. Bittersweet in nature. Yes, like ‘Lord of the Rings’ and many tales before it.
— M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) May 20, 2019
And so it ends.
I don’t really have a hot take. Besides there are already plenty of them out on the net. For me, I may need to ruminate a bit more on the end and endings in general. Mostly, I just wish everything was a tad bit more satisfying than what we got. It’s just far too rare to hit that sweet spot. Far more easier to go for the bittersweet end and sometimes that’s enough.
The Big Bang Theory Theory
Todd VanDerWerff, writing in Vox, explains in perfect detail the rise of The Big Bang Theory and why it endured for as long as it did at the top of the sitcom game. Here’s the kicker:
…the secret of The Big Bang Theory’s popularity: It was never about nerd culture so much as it used nerd culture for what felt like a novel setting when it debuted. The jokes themselves were always about sex or interpersonal relationships or the characters’ foibles. The geek references were simply window dressing.
The hatred the show generated is also an interesting point.
The Big Bang Theory’s ratings prowess — undeserved in the eyes of viewers who consider their comedy tastes more rarefied — has long been enough to mark the show as something to scoff at. But the sheer hatred the show inspires comes from a handful of unlikely other sources.
One is that in 2010, when the show was just beginning its ascension to megahit status, CBS moved it from Mondays to Thursdays. So its fourth season aired at 8 pm on Thursdays, directly opposite the second (and best) season of the beloved geek-friendly sitcom Community, which took as a point of pride its ability to actually make accurate pop culture jokes. On Community, jokes about the show’s characters were often told via their incredibly specific tastes, not the most generic version of geek culture the show’s writers could dream up.
Community’s fervent fan base helped keep it on the air for six seasons, despite it never becoming a huge hit. But its continued survival didn’t matter: Having the very traditional Big Bang Theory air opposite the much cleverer Community drew the lines for battles to come. The Big Bang Theory was fake geek culture. Never mind that it was written by math and science nerds, and never mind how many geeks really did see themselves in it. It was always, on some level, going to go for the broadest possible audience rather than the narrowest one, and that was the opposite of being a geek.
This all led to one of the more unfortunate strains of Big Bang Theory dislike — calling the show “nerd blackface,” meaning that it was built around big, trope-y portrayals of geeks that were meant to draw derisive, jeering laughter. Equating the show’s clumsy portrayal of geeks and geek culture to a decades-long history of systemically portraying black people as bumbling fools is, I hope I don’t have to tell you, pretty dang offensive. Yet the idea of describing the show in such a fashion keeps cropping up, because many self-proclaimed geeks feel like the show takes a hectoring or even bullying tone toward them.
I’ve never heard the term “nerd blackface” before and, honestly, I’m shocked by the term. The Big Bang Theory does not deserve this kind of derision.
For me, I liked the show quite a bit but it was getting tired. I missed a majority of this last season, but I’m sure I’ll catch up and I’ll laugh right along at the dumb joke about the TARDIS or Star Wars.
The End of the Great Game
I’ve watched every episode of Game of Thrones. I haven’t read any of the books. The anticipation of this season and the upcoming series finale is palpable. However, after watching the penultimate episode, it seems quite obvious how the showrunners are going to end everything. I mean, I guess they could really swerve all the viewers with an out of left-field ending, but I highly doubt it.
Daenerys has turned into a “mad queen.” Sure, the “turn” has been rushed and probably hasn’t quite been earned. I mean, it’s not Anakin Skywalker into Dark Vader-level speed, but it’s pretty fast. For most of the series, she was set up to be the savior of the seven kingdoms. However, a turn like this is really par for the course of the show.
If you’ve been paying attention, the good guys don’t always win. The bad guys don’t always either. Ultimately, it’s cunning and ruthlessness that take the day.
From the Starks getting killed when they were obviously the characters we were “supposed” to be rooting for to Jon Snow meeting a nasty end (and coming back), this show has upturned traditional fantasy stories. It’s why the show and books are incredibly popular.
Nothing is ever easy in Westeros. Daenerys and Jon aren’t going to rule as aunt/nephew/lovers. Dani’s turn has sealed that potential “happy” ending. Someone is going to have to kill Daenerys, and it’s either going to be Jon or Arya. If I was writing it, Arya would take Jon’s face without killing him, meet Dani late at night and kill her. Jon would take the blame, join the Night’s Watch and rebuild the wall with Bran and possibly Drogon. That would leave the question of who sits on the Iron Throne.
It makes sense that Tyrion would succeed his sister on the throne, but Gendry Baratheon would have a legitimate claim as well. Of course, I’m not sure Tyrion survives the trial that will surely happen at the start of the last episode. Freeing Jamie was a betrayal of Daenerys, and even with the Lannister twins apparently buried under rubble, she won’t forgive him.
If Tyrion survives, I could see an alliance with Sansa in marriage, and they rule the seven kingdoms. I could also see Jon ruling just long enough to declare the kingdoms independent. Arya will no doubt go off and become an adventurer of some kind, maybe off west on the Sunset Sea. Brienne will be kingsguard to Sansa either in Winterfell or King’s Landing. Greyworm will take the unsullied and Dothraki back across the Narrow Sea to free slaves or join Jon north. Samwell Tarly could get Winterfell or become the new Grand Maester. Davos Seaworth could be on the council and maybe the new Hand.
I think they might show Gendry plotting to take the throne, but I doubt it. I’m sure the final shot will be a sigil of the Night King, letting us all know winter is still coming.
Brick Mode
There’s a new idea that’s been floating around lately regarding productivity and dealing with the distractions of owing a device that is quite good at doing so. It’s called Brick Mode.
Thomas Sobal outlines the whys and the hows of this approach to “significantly improve” one’s life.
When my phone is in Brick™ Mode and I’m completely disconnected from the internet (at dinner with a friend, on a hike, or reading a book) anyone who texts me will get an automatic reply saying that I’m off my phone and I’ll get back to them when I’ve reconnected. This simple auto-reply relieves my “always on” pressure because I know that anyone who texts knows I haven’t seen the message yet.
It’s a smart approach. It might even mesh well with Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism.
Worry Monsters
Do you know those Pom Wonderful TV commercials where a giant “worry monster” complains about not being able to keep their human counterparts from leading healthier lifestyles? The monsters are the inner voices of anxiety. I get the hook, but I sure wish it would take just drinking some Pom to make my own personal worry monster go away.
I worry about everything.
I worry about saying the wrong thing, getting fired, being criticized, having reviews, and lots and lots of other things. Mostly I worry about things I don’t have any control over. I know I’m not alone in my anxiety.
We think we have more control over situations, but it’s not really true. However, we can control our personal responses and behaviors. How things turn out, though, and what others do or say is beyond our ability to control.
Insecurity is a result of fear. For me, most times, that fear is pushed down and ignored. It’s a struggle. I haven’t had a panic attack in a long, long time. Be that as it may, I’ve done a few things to ease those creeping thoughts of fear and anxiety.
One way to remove the fear is by acknowledging just how often our fears come true, which is quite rare. Fear is just a “what if scenario,” and the odds are the majority of those situations just don’t come true. Plus, the ones that do follow that wrong path are seldom as worse as a creative imagination might visualize.
Another thing I’ve done lately is ease off social media and 24-hour news channels. There’s far too much news, both the real and “fake” kind, which will automatically induce anxiety in me. Using Facebook and Twitter can trigger anger and anxiety even if you curate and cull it to the point of erasing much of the algorithmically-optimized crap. Curate your lists and “friends,” and you’ll feel less worried. Watch less television news and go for deep dives into news stories via magazines and newspapers instead of hot takes. Better yet, stop watching the news and delete social media altogether. Of course, I’m not there yet. I bet you aren’t either.
One thing I’m still not very good at is asking for reassurance constantly. It’s my way of easing my anxiety and worry. I look to my wife, mostly to tell me everything is fine. It’s only a part-time fix, and my wife is way better than me at recognizing my seeking reassurance than me actually asking for it. She usually puts me in my place when I do this and doesn’t reinforce the pattern. I’m not sure why I need reassurance. Sometimes I think it’s a variation on the “imposter syndrome” feeling.
When I get down to it, I’ve got enough problems in my present to worry too much about tomorrow’s imaginary problems. Of course, plan for the future but don’t hide in the corner worrying over what might happen. Worrying about tomorrow won’t make it better.
Make a plan. Be flexible. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Move forward.
And, apparently, drink Pom Wonderful.
100 Words: Write
Nicholas Bate wrote 100 words on writing and it’s delightful.
Take a sheet of paper. Blank, unlined is good and just write. But what? Well, start your novel. Or what’s worrying you at the moment? Or how about things to appreciate, things you’re excited about this week? Keep it narrative. Don’t stop: if you feel like stopping, put an ‘and’ and get on with it. Keep going and aim to fill at least one page. And you know what? After all the irritation you were feeling at the top of the page, some of that is dissipating and you have re-discovered one of the reasons to write: it’s remarkably healing.
Can’t Do Attitude
Here’s a question I saw recently, “Would you rather believe you can’t achieve something you haven’t but that others have, or that you chose not to?”
I find this kind of internal monologue question interesting mostly because I don’t usually have internal monologues with myself. I told this to my wife and stepdaughter the other day, and they looked at me like I was an alien.
The question feels like, “do you want to lie to yourself or not?” It’s the “I can’t ask her out” versus “I chose not to ask her out.” Can’t or won’t.
It’s a mindset and one that everyone can control. Make a choice and follow through.
Want to get healthier? Choose behaviors that match the goal. Instead of “I can’t work out” or even “I chose not to work out,” why not simply avoid those internal dialogues completely and lead with “I’m going to work out.” You make it a no-brainer choice, a thing you do each day, so it becomes a habit, and you eliminate the internal question.
Believing you can’t is enough to not even try for a lot of people. You have to change your mindset. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and having a “can’t do attitude” is detrimental.
Change your thinking and change your life.
All Other Noise is Cancelled
Olga Khazan, writing in The Atlantic, has a great piece that’s superficially about noise-cancelling headphones, but does a bit of a deep dive into some of the reasons why she continually wears headphones. I loved this paragraph:
This auditory selectivity is, in some ways, part of a trend toward bespoke experiences, particularly in upper-middle-class life. Many Americans don’t befriend their neighbors anymore; they befriend people with our same hobbies and interests. We don’t date the girl next door; we date the girl who has been served up by an assortative algorithm. With the help of Facebook, we read the news we want to read, instead of the news we should. Social media connected us, and then the connection grew too close for comfort, so now we “cancel” those we don’t want to hear from.
Tim Conway, RIP
Tim Conway passed away today. He was 85.
I remember watching the Carol Burnett Show and hoping I would catch a sketch where Conway made everyone break character. Writer John Scalzi summed up my feelings perfectly.
“It occurs to me that one day every celebrity I ever loved growing up will be gone, and it will feel a little bit like being orphaned.”
No Need to Impeach?
William Saletan, writing for Slate, outlines recent polls showing there are smarter ways to hold Trump accountable before the 2020 election. His ultimate idea is that the upcoming election will be the “impeachment.” I’m not sure.
I have no fantasy dream that impeachment would actually remove Trump from office, but it would shine a brighter light on his maleficence. Impeachment could play into Trump’s hands, but I’m just not sure the normal oversight process will be enough.
Personally, I think what most Americans want is a presidential candidate who can beat Trump so everyone can finally breathe easy for a bit.
What Is Writing and Does This Count as It?
[Mia Mercado](https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/what-is-writing-and-does-this-count-as-it), writing for The New Yorker, set up a “helpful” guide for those times when you are wondering if the thing you just did was actually writing. A few of the bullets –
• Writing is when you have an idea for a book and then spend three decades telling people about that idea.
• Writing is when you sit—fingertips hovering over your keyboard, cursor blinking on a fresh blank document—and open Twitter for the twenty-eighth time.
• Making lists of ideas, reading novels, scheduling time to sit down at your computer, researching new coffee shops at which to work, and establishing weekly word goals may seem like parts of writing, but they are not. They are procrastination, which, if you think about it, is actually writing in its purest form.
I’m quite good at that last one.
One-Handed Dudes
Luke Skywalker and Jaime Lannister are both one-handed dudes who’ve made out with their twin sisters.
Illinois Nazi
Patrick Redford, writing for Deadspin, outlines a report and the result of a racist fan using the OK gesture behind Doug Glanville, an African-American sports reporter. The Cubs have permanently banned the individual from Wrigley Field.
I’m glad they didn’t ignore the act. I’m glad they banned him. Still, I prefer Jake and Elwood’s way of dealing with Illinois Nazis.
From Chicago, with Love
Steve Greenberg, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, has full-color, cover feature on Illinois basketball soon-to-be-a-sophomore star, Ayo Dosunmu. It’s a great read and, hopefully, a harbinger of things to come.