I did not know AI could write bios and eulogies. @lex gives examples in Weird AI, an episode of The Daily Lex.
(Yes, I thought this was going to be about Weird Al Yankovic. Lex is a fan. It’s not about Weird Al, it’s about Weird AI.)
I still pop over to Twitter occasionally. I am working with my friends at Kaleidoscope to help them with copywriting, including the occasional tweet. When I’m there, I’ll have a quick look at my timeline. My favorite accounts are CapybaraMan and Raccoons Hourly.
Yesterday, when I was there, a thread caught my eye. One of my friends had commented “That one secret little trick is patriarchy.” Interested, I decided to follow the thread back and see what prompted the comment. Turns out a guy had posted a tweet thread with his basic GTD tips, but framed it as “here is how I became super successful by my 30s, including a family of 6 kids.” He neglected to note any contribution of his wife to juggling all this responsibility. And he was roasted by Twitter for his cluelessness.
I scrolled and snorted at some of the clapbacks. But then I pulled myself up short. Isn’t this what I hate about Twitter? People can zing total strangers without consequences. The momentum builds and then you have a mob of commenters, who start mining his tweets for more evidence of his hubris.
Did we learn anything? Men can be clueless about their privilege. That’s not new information. Did the original poster learn anything? He will probably not post on Twitter again. This man is a symptom, not the problem. A very old problem. Ideally Twitter would have ignored him. But patriarchy is a triggering topic. It triggers me. I can understand the impulse to fire off a pithy 280 characters targeting one of its representatives. And to feel we have at least done something. But nothing is accomplished with by Twitter mob, except strengthening Twitter’s hold on discourse online.
Daguerréotypes, 1975 - ★★★★ letterboxd.com Director: Agnès Varda Watched: June 13, 2022
When I lived in the 14th arrondissement, I never felt enough confidence to patronize the small, sometimes claustrophobic, shops that are the star of this documentary. The intense human connection, where you must ask for each thing you want to buy, even a simple can of condensed milk, rather than being able to anonymously pick your items and take them to a checkout, was too stressful for me. What if I didn’t know the word for what I wanted? What if I did know the word but the shopkeeper gave me the wrong thing? What if French people were waiting to shop and I was slowing everyone down? So I very often popped into the Monoprix, loaded up my shopping basket, and never had to risk talking to a clerk.
Towards the end of this film, the wife of one of the featured shopkeepers does something rather odd, completely invading the personal space of the teenage girl who is waiting for the shopkeeper to find her a lipstick. Neither the girl nor her mother protest. Everyone in the scene is aware that this elderly woman is not well. They have been making allowances for her behavior for years, maybe decades. The first thought in my mind was “This shows you why supermarkets are popular. No one wants to be made uncomfortable by the quirky shopkeepers, no matter how colorful they are.” Où se trouve le Monoprix, s’il vous plait?
On reflection, I can see that I am projecting my own discomfort. To be fair, I get anxiety walking into any little shop, regardless of my proficiency with the language. I grew up in the 60s, but supermarkets were already well-established in our suburb of Miami. I’d like to know how long these little shops on Rue Daguerre continued to operate. To that end, I’ll be watching Rue Daguerre in 2005.
Super happy to announce a new episode of Micro Monday, the podcast where we get to know members of the Micro.blog community.
Sven aka @sod was kind enough to be the latest guest. More episodes coming fresh weekly so follow @monday or subcribe in your favorite podcatcher. 🎙
Today’s birthday week post features extra treats to cap off this fun challenge.
So many lovely birthday wishes, thanks you all! 🥰
Look for my new book, One Day Is Not Enough: Turn Your Birthday Into A Week…or Longer! 😉
My car turns 10 years old this summer. I just affixed its first bumper sticker. It takes me a while to commit.
(Now you know why I have no tattoos.)
Today’s birthday week treat: a clean car inside and out. I’ve pretty much stopped driving for Lyft now that masks aren’t required. So the car got pretty dusty, because I used to get it cleaned regularly to get good reviews. This is clean just for me!
Today’s birthday week present to myself: an insulated tumbler with a straw lid, for drinking more water while I work in the office and sipping silently during podcast recordings. ⛲️👩💻
Today’s birthday week present to myself: a purple pedicure. Because purple is fun.
It’s my birthday week (Saturday is the day). I am giving myself little presents every day because one day per year is not enough, I’ve learned.
In the meantime, I better remember to send a card to the man who made it all possible, my dad. I was born on Father’s Day Eve. 🥰