---
title: "Dispatch #19 (September 2024)"
date: 2024-09-15T22:25:59-04:00
draft: false
tags:
- dispatch
references:
- title: "It's okay to lower the bar"
url: https://rachsmith.com/lower-the-bar/
date: 2024-09-11T16:15:07Z
file: rachsmith-com-8l0g9q.txt
- title: "Cultural Stasis Produces Fewer Cheesy Relics like Rocky IV"
url: https://culture.ghost.io/cultural-stasis-produces-fewer-cheesy-relics-like-rocky-iv/
date: 2024-09-15T20:39:02Z
file: culture-ghost-io-yb12ir.txt
- title: "Okay, I really like WezTerm | Alex Plescan"
url: https://alexplescan.com/posts/2024/08/10/wezterm/
date: 2024-09-15T20:40:18Z
file: alexplescan-com-ffcy9q.txt
- title: "P(Dumb)"
url: https://doriantaylor.com/p-dumb
date: 2024-09-15T20:41:25Z
file: doriantaylor-com-ua6hkk.txt
- title: "Stock and flow / Snarkmarket"
url: https://snarkmarket.com/2010/4890/
date: 2024-09-15T20:45:50Z
file: snarkmarket-com-axj6mr.txt
---
Highlights this month were our annual trips to Rehoboth Beach and Beaufort. There's something I really like about travel traditions, especially with kids. You get the benefits of breaking the normal routine, but you're able to build familiarity and not feel the need to see and do everything. It's different than visiting some place you probably won't see again.
{{}}Smiling beach day: mom relaxing under a blue umbrella while cradling her sleepy baby.{{}}
{{}}Three little buddies in matching pinks giggling on a sunny stroller ride.{{}}
{{}}Two excited little captains-in-training taking turns at the helm of a docked boat.{{}}
{{}}Tiny nap coach keeping dad company on the couch.{{}}
Half-marathon training is going well. The timing of the Rehoboth trip couldn't have been better, hitting at 4 weeks into my 12 week training program. I love running up there -- the weather's better, the terrain's flatter, and the gravel trail at Cape Henlopen is just perfection. Felt like I could run forever.
We got Nev's art table set up in the living room. It's been a delight to see her take to it, defaulting to creative pursuits during downtime. I added some [LED lighting][1] and [coat hooks][2]. That's the nice thing about making your own stuff: the freedom to modify and adapt.
{{}}Toddler quietly painting at a wooden activity station stacked with tidy bins and colorful toys.{{}}
{{}}Sunlit kid’s art station with a tiny sink, cubbies of supplies, and a little stool ready for the next craft.{{}}
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R66Z71S
[2]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M3Q6QHN
Musically, I found a good deal on a pretty nice [polyphonic analog synthesizer][3] which I think will be helpful in properly learning subtractive synthesis (though this thing has a _lot_ going on). So far just enjoying poking around w/ all the various settings. I'm also slowly working through a [book on drum programming][4].
[3]: https://sequential.com/product/prophetrev2/
[4]: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6399596-drum-programming
I finished [_Moonbound_][5] -- I liked it, though it didn't knock me over. It was definitely unlike anything I've read before, which I appreciate. I also listened to the [_Brotherhood of the Rose_][6] trilogy during my runs and long drives. I liked these a lot -- tight, efficient spy thrillers.
[5]: https://www.robinsloan.com/moonbound/
[6]: https://www.goodreads.com/series/60498-mortalis
### This Month
* Adventure: [Pigeon Forge, TN][7] for my birthday
* Project: start thinking about the next iteration of my home studio + some ideas for Nev's room
* Skill: drum programming; I'd like to get a good set of samples (hi-hats in all positions, multiple toms, etc.) and actually program in all of the patterns the [drum programming book][4] I mentioned earlier
[7]: https://www.pigeonforge.com/
### Reading
* Fiction: [_Son of the Black Sword_][8], Larry Correia (recommended by [Kev Quirk][9])
* Non-fiction: [_The World Beyond Your Head_][10], Matthew B. Crawford (still)
[8]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/son-of-the-black-sword-volume-1-larry-correia/7419811?ean=9781476781570
[9]: https://kevquirk.com/blog/son-of-the-black-sword
[10]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-world-beyond-your-head-on-becoming-an-individual-in-an-age-of-distraction-matthew-b-crawford/8484056?ean=9780374535919
### Links
* [It's okay to lower the bar][11]
> I had to remind myself that it’s okay to lower the bar. That an average version of something is better than a perfect version of nothing. All I can do is have a go.
* [Cultural Stasis Produces Fewer Cheesy Relics like Rocky IV][12]
> The much-maligned 1985 boxing film provides a few hints about the causes of 21st century artistic stagnation: namely, popular artists now work in a risk-averse creative paradigm that avoids making instantly-outmoded artworks
* [Okay, I really like WezTerm][13]
> I tried it again with a bit more patience and I’m glad I did. My terminal is prettier than it’s ever been, more functional, and I can finally justify my mechanical keyboard purchase with all the keybindings I’ve configured.
* [P(Dumb)][14]
> I think this is a fantasy. It’s concocted by people rich enough to already enjoy human servants, assuming—probably correctly—that there are people out there of lesser means who want the same kind of access. My instinct is that a product like this would be extremely touchy, and that’s assuming you could even get it to work.
* [Stock and flow][15]
> But I actually think stock and flow is a useful metaphor for media in the 21st century. Here’s what I mean: Flow is the feed. It’s the posts and the tweets. It’s the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that reminds people you exist. Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the content you produce that’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’s what people discover via search. It’s what spreads slowly but surely, building fans over time.
[11]: https://rachsmith.com/lower-the-bar/
[12]: https://culture.ghost.io/cultural-stasis-produces-fewer-cheesy-relics-like-rocky-iv/
[13]: https://alexplescan.com/posts/2024/08/10/wezterm/
[14]: https://doriantaylor.com/p-dumb
[15]: https://snarkmarket.com/2010/4890/