Great read on why being right is not enough to convince people to get on your side. You have to show kindness too. In this post, Ryan breaks down what makes online debates and discussions so toxic nowadays. And how we can hopefully fix it.
As we’ve become more polarized and more algorithmically sorted, we care a lot less about the people who think differently than us and put little effort into persuading them. That’s because persuasion is no longer the goal—it’s signaling. And with signaling, it’s vehemence that matters, not quality. The constraints of social media also reduce the space for any nuance or qualification you might be inclined to offer; 140 characters or even 240 does not leave much room for humility or kindness. And the desire for viral sharing heightens the need for aggressive, simplistic arguments.
Another reason why you should share your thoughts on your blog, instead of on social media. Use social media to point to your blog, instead of making social media your blog.
Elevator.js fixes those awkward “scroll to top” moments the old fashioned way.
Sharing this because it just brightened up my morning. And it might be of use to those working with JavaScript. Totally did not expect that when I hit the “Back to Top” button. That gave a me a good chuckle ^_^x
I know it goes against Write.as' minimalistic design, but it would be totally cool if we could get it implemented on here haha.
One thing I learned this week, is that it is hard to climb up three flights of stairs with a face mask on. By the time I got to my cubicle, I had shortness of breath... Anyway, it's Friday. Last day of the week that I have to work at the office. Then I'll be working from home again for the next two weeks. So I'm gonna celebrate with another music log entry.
First song for today is “Last Day Under the Sun” by Volbeat. Volbeat is that really good Danish rock band that I never knew about. Well, not until I heard them in one of the Top 50 Rock Songs countdown from years past. Volbeat has a very unique sound similar to bands from the late 90s and early 2000s. You'll know the song playing is a Volbeat song, because it sounds like a Volbeat song.
Anyway, this track is a pretty good one. Not too heavy on metal or rock. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. It sounds more like mainstream rock, or maybe it's just plain old rock and roll. Beautiful ending to the music video too.
Cal in his post, shares a wonderful essay about a professional sport climber who ditched social media and improved her career. Both posts, from Cal and Madison are really good reads. Be sure to check out the comments too, especially on Cal's post.
It was then that Madison’s athletic career moved to the next level. “There’s nobody I’m here to perform for,” she writes. “I just train and silently work on achieving my own definition of success.”
That quote above made me reconsider keeping my blog “public”. By that I mean having my posts show up on the read.write.as feed. I sometimes feel that I'm performing for someone when my posts show up on the read.write.as feed. Like I'm in a competition, trying to keep up with everyone else.
You are poor before the sight of God. All you have to offer is yourself.
– Deacon Pete
No matter how wealthy I am, or how big my house is, or how expensive my car is, or how fancy my clothes are — when death comes knocking, I am poor before the sight of God. All I have to offer at that point, is myself.
A good reminder to not get caught up in the consumerism lifestyle prevalent in the world today.
This post is Day 8 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Visit https://100daystooffload.com to get more info, or to get involved.
The Facebook Dilemma is a two part documentary from Frontline. Here is a description of the documentary from their website:
The promise of Facebook was to create a more open and connected world. But from the company’s failure to protect millions of users’ data, to the proliferation of “fake news” and disinformation, mounting crises have raised the question: Is Facebook more harmful than helpful? This major, two-night event investigates a series of warnings to Facebook as the company grew from Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room to a global empire. With dozens of original interviews and rare footage, The Facebook Dilemma examines the powerful social media platform’s impact on privacy and democracy in the U.S. and around the world.
Overall, it was a pretty good documentary. They weren't lying about the original interviews and rare footage. It reveals insights into company culture — why Facebook is the way it is now and how they got there.
No spoiler thoughts on Season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix. It is a pretty good show. The story was interesting, though the way it was told was confusing (more on this further below). The fight scenes were great. The dialogue was funny. Geralt's one liners were hilarious. The bard Jaskier was great as comic relief. The soundtrack was pretty good too. I'm assuming the songs composed for the show were original ones? If so, they were pretty good. For awhile after watching the finale, I kept singing, “Toss a coin to your Witcher, oh valley of plenty.” Damn that song is so catchy! There is some nudity, but not enough to make me feel uncomfortable watching it around kids. Certainly not as much nudity as in Game of Thrones.
Okay, so the way they told the story was weird and confusing. The scenes that focused on Ciri represented the current/present time in the story. The scenes focused on Geralt were flashbacks. The show never tells you this though. I only figured it out 4 episodes into the show. The scenes that focused on Geralt, start as flashbacks and progress forward until you get to the last episode of the season. That is where the story of Geralt finally catches up to the present time in the story. It sounds cool now that I think about it, but it ended up confusing me. They could have handled it better I suppose. Still a really good show. I'm looking forward to Season 2.
This post is Day 3 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Visit https://100daystooffload.com to get more info, or to get involved.
It has been a stressful week for reasons I don't want to elaborate on. But there was good news yesterday and that's all that matters right now. What a coincidence it is, that yet again, these are the kind of songs I have lined up for today. Anyway, it's time for another music log Friday.
The first track today is perhaps my best discovery last year. It is the song “Shine” by Mondo Cozmo. I do not remember where I heard it from. It was probably from the Top 50 Rock Songs of 2019 countdown. Honestly, not the song I expected to hear from an artist who does folk rock/indie rock music. But either way, this is a great song. It is about trusting in Jesus and living life the best you can, without telling others how to live their lives. It reminds me of something I read in the Word on Fire Bible — that each one of us is responsible for our own salvation. Stop looking at what other people are doing and focus instead on what you should be doing.
This song has some really good lyrics too. It starts out with this:
Stick with me Jesus through the comin' storm
I've come to you in search of something I have lost
Shine down a light on me and show a path
I promise you I will return if you take me back
Then on the bridge there's the lyrics below. It nearly brought tears to my eyes when I first heard them. This is such a good song.
Come with me Mary through these modern lines
Stick with me Jesus til' the end of time
Shine down a light on me and let me know
And take me in your arms and never let me go