Simon Woods

In Manners Maketh Man, Davey Craney states:

This bitter growing rumbling spiteful hosepiped rage directed towards these truly inconsequential matters. Imagine the multitude of ways this bitter buffon could channel his energy better within his day.

I largely agree. However, the word “growing” caught my eye.

Davey, I like a lot of what you have written here. Regarding the position of “nowadays” and “the political landscape”, though, I have to disagree. I see a lot of this viewpoint — to me it’s similar to the mentality that leads to making things great again — and I can hardly ever agree.

What made the multiple bad experiences I had in service 20 years ago happen? Or, more importantly, when my cousin was racially abused as a child by other children? Did somebody travel back in time from now and poison the well? Nah I don’t think so. Instead, I think this is just looking for patterns where there are none; seeking certainty because, as an animal, we hate uncertainty.

I’m happy you happen to have the right mix of personhood to handle stress and disappointment in such a cordial manner; not only do I strive, as you do, to always maintain my composure in this way I also believe we’d all be better off if everybody attempted to do so. However I do think it’s important to remember that not everybody is the same and that’s ok. An assertion that your way is undeniably correct seems a little short-sighted, given the vast differences in the lives of people even on our tiny island — again, I am happy for you but I see a lot of this viewpoint as well and I’m not comfortable with casting aspersions in this way.

Your view seems to be “This happened to me? Things must be getting bad.” and that idea makes complete sense when looking to make order out of the chaos of life. I’m not convinced, though, that it’s a particularly helpful way to process these events.

I’m probably missing your specific, nuanced point; it just caught my eye in the way I’ve seen some of the more generalised aspects of these issues presented by others. And I struggle to reconcile that with my own experiences, overall.

I wrote a short post which I’m half-regretting and was then inspired by the ensuing conversation to waffle on a bit.

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I’ve tried to become much more careful when talking about this type of thing, not least because MB is in a bit of an odd place; plenty of people are trying to volunteer but the tools to do so are limited, whilst there is no way to know whether such efforts are going to be bolstered by fully-equipped, paid official help.

Whilst I think there is a lot we in the community can talk about regarding these issues and generally have greater interaction to help foster the best environment possible, I also believe a lot of that particular work won’t be worth much if the team isn’t able to reciprocate in the best way.

This situation might be much better than I believe it to be, and I just haven’t been involved enough with conversations that happen elsewhere — this is mostly how I see it based on the public spaces for the community.

I am looking forward to better conversations about these issues, especially beyond just text and timelines, and hope to see some of my doubts proven wrong.

Vincent asked:

I am still very much of the same opinion that replacing “insert popular social network here” with something more open which behaves and looks very similar… isn’t the way. Maybe just me. Thoughts?

To me, it seems a lot of problems arise for people when they’ve confused their personal issues with systemic social structures.

tbh a lot of the hand-wringing I’ve seen from people tends to not only be inaccurate but 99% of the time just basic projecting with approximately 0 effort applied to introspection from the individual.

And I mean for all social networks. From the moment I started using the web more than 20 years ago.

Could we do better as a group? Yes, of course — this is always true, and the point of existing if we’re being honest about it. However the web changed the entire definition of that idea (“as a group”) and we’re still in the earliest stages of that process; it honestly feels like a lot of the criticism or disillusionment is way too harsh for such an early stage.

(edit: the critique I have for “hand-wringing” I also apply to myself — I am never happy when I fall into this trap and work on removing it from my life as much as I can; our new home already helps)

A new feature on Micro.blog inspired a discussion over what I think of as the ongoing friction caused by the dual nature of the platform as a paid blogging host, with free(ish) social network attached.

My reply got longer than I like to see in my own timeline so here we go…

The reason I would prefer to use a different label is that it helps me maintain a sense of place, to be aware of the context. To me:

• Conversation = timeline
• Replies = blog

(Edit: actually, this makes sense now that I’ve written it out. Conversation works because that’s where the link goes. My question now is: why is there a link to the timeline mixed in with my blog posts?

Maybe this would be easier to understand if Conversation.js was better equipped as a commenting system.)

This tripped me up because it appears to be an ongoing issue; I regularly see lots of people struggle with these ideas and there is no apparent proof of intent from the design side of things — what’s the idea, why was it done that way, will it change over time, how much does feedback matter in these decisions, etc —and I wonder if these choices add to the uncertainty and difficulty? I’m probably over-thinking it.

Now a very short way into the future, an update;

• a basic phone;
• an MP3 player;
• [own] maybe a laptop;
• [own] a few reliable notebooks;
• [own] a selection of analogue watches;
• [own] and a camera.

Feeling good about the progress I’ve made, although at that point I already owned a camera. I am also happy to grow my collection of the bottom three items in particular.

To be clear, since I didn’t mention it in my first post these aims are for my personal life in particular. If my work demands use of other hardware and software then I’ll use whatever is needed. Given the increasing capabilities of laptops, I wouldn’t mind if that was all I truly needed for any professional work whilst also giving me the bare necessary access to the digital world I might need for personal use.

Our start to life in Cornwall has been so good that I believe this goal is achievable rather than fanciful, and I look forward to completing the list so that I can put my ideas to the test. That includes expanding on those ideas in some sort of digital public space.

Myself, Claire, and the beasties are moving… again! It’s an exciting opportunity, and this time I am freeing up the appropriate space to make it work well. As such any posting here will be sporadic at best.

On this site:

• The home page is now a single-page design with plain text info and a navigation menu.
• Hello is my new page for an introduction to where I am, why, and the best ways to send me a message.
• Links is my new page for getting quick access to my work and related sites.
• Now is my new page for my current status.

Elsewhere, I have a new email address that I am using exclusively for speaking to other folks: hi@swoods.net — I am happy to receive any and all messages about anything at all.

Also, I have reactivated my photo blog. This is primarily for the Micro.blog Photoblogging Challenge but I would love to keep the blog up once that is complete, not least because our new home promises to give us easy access to a variety of awe-inspiring locations.

Finally, as a result of the move, the ensuing chaos, and my determination to mitigate the massive potential for health-endangering stress I am also shelving public updates for TIL. The work will continue where I can fit it in — switching to all-laptop computing after almost two years with the desktop should be fun — but I cannot justify fitting unpaid work alongside The Move. As with the photoblogging, I am already impatient to get back to full working status on TIL; especially with regard to the imminent updates.

We’re holding our breath for this move, since it has the potential to be the last time we ever cross county borders for home and as such I cannot wait to get settled into a house in which we can properly commit to an ever-growing list of goals to accomplish and desires to fulfil.

In the meantime I’ll see you on the Micro.blog timeline, via email, or elsewhere on the web. 👋

The following is mostly in response to John Philpin’s comment in a Micro.blog conversation, specifically the third paragraph:

To be clear - likely all very theoretical since micro blog is well below the radar, but it highlights how ‘clarity’ on MicroBlog, takes work and iterations - and you can even break the rules and not know 😬.

(emphasis mine)

If we could find some lost treasure — and thus fund an expansions to the Micro.blog team — then it would be possible to produce regular mini-versions of the “State of Micro.blog” session from Micro Camp, focused on how these issues are being tackled on the platform.

I say that because social issues — ethics, people, incidents, etc — are a moving target that require regular updates and can’t be properly accounted for with the “just trust us” model that has been in use on social platforms for the past twenty years.

For example: rahaeli’s minimum expectations when signing up for a new service could be the type of checklist against which the team’s efforts could be regularly self-reported as part of the aforementioned mini-session.

I mean, maybe this kind of thing is already being discussed — I know there was an invitation for people to get involved via email last year and I failed to do so — and it’s all still private at the moment. Either way there doesn’t appear to be much going on, in an overtly public manner. Otherwise I don’t think there would be a need to ask such questions for the concerns raised in the original thread.

I am no expert on Classical Music - but I don’t see it as ‘junk’ and as novice, I have found it interesting enough to explore. @gdp references the meta data problem - which is very valid and should be fixed - but the Music app has that problem aswell - as does Spotify. I don’t know anything about the app they bought, do we know if it is worse than that?

— John Philpin, in a conversation about Apple’s newest app

“interesting enough to explore” is valid in the existing Music app. This is specifically aimed at Classical music for which, as an expert has already told us, metadata is a core feature.

A bad experience with metadata in this app is the definition of junk, since the app is no longer useful. Apple often refuses indie third-party apps for being non-functional (“you can’t use it without an account”, and all that other bullshit) and so it’s only fair to hold them to the same standard.

The aforementioned Spotify, along with other companies such as Meta and Uber would be rightfully criticised by you for such a thing. I don’t know why you’re defending such a sloppy release by the so-called premium brand.

As for Primephonic, I was aware it had a good reputation, and if this What Hi-Fi? review is anything to go by it seems like it was well earned. Certainly its customers were upset at being bought by Apple and I don’t imagine that’s purely based on them being too lazy to try an alternative.

Even so, again, I don’t care if it’s better than Primephonic. This is Apple; the whole point of this company is to be the best no matter what they do. It should be better than Primephonic from the start and get better from there. When it does get better — which I hope it does though I don’t feel as confident in that as I should — I don’t think they’ll deserve praise until it is much better, and even then it should not be forgotten that they should have done a much better job from the start.

In the past year we moved for work (my wife got opportunities that were not available in our previous location) and ended up in a fairly affluent, yet still diverse region; we’re lucky in that there is a good mix of accepting technological changes but not excluding stable, traditional methods of, well, most aspects of life.

Given that, I’ve noticed that without the distortion field of an immediately nearby major urban centre people are much less inclined to be constantly driven by whatever latest shiny waste of time appears, whether from startups or desperate monopolists. Rather, people observe the wider world at a slower pace than heart-attack-inducing and most often continue to rely on well-established lines of communication; specifically, speak to your neighbours as first priority, care about your local politicians above all else, and so on.

This has helped me to understand certain trends and opinions that I’ve observed of people from outside of the tech/web/news bubble that so often dominates and defines online communities. It seems that people have got lives to live, and real changes to make rather than taking up their time screeching at a website.

Overall, this makes me happy. If we’re going to make important changes, and generally improve our world as much as possible we need people who are capable of maintaining perspective whilst doing the best they possibly can.

(this post was inspired by this conversation on Micro.blog)

… mainstream levels of ease of use …

— Jason Becker, on his blog

When I read the words “mainstream levels of ease of use” all I can think about is The Good Place:

There’s something so human about taking something great, and ruining it a little so you can have more of it.

To me, the idea of the big social web and the silos and convenience and everybody on the web altogether… it all just feels like that quote.

Perhaps I’m too cynical but I don’t want to see people throw their lives away for this anymore. The web, open and decentralised, can handle virality and all of that; let the networks be smaller, more secure, and given closer attention by actual humans with an emphasis on effort and care as can be seen in smaller physical communities.

Just now, over my morning coffee, I’ve been listening to an album from the 70s, deep in the Era of LPs. Fortyish minutes long, twenty-odd minutes to a side.

Robert has been considering the language used between LP and CD, and it immediately made me think of a conversation within this household as of late.

My wife and I have been talking about our plans for music; we’re both in agreement that we need to get CDs back into the home, and she even surprised me by suggesting the addition of vinyl. My memories of the latter are much weaker, though we do have a five-year age gap and she grew up in more of an affluent environment.

My feeling of resistance against streaming and all of its internet-dependent and closed infrastructure has only grown. Given how digital music removes the enforced structure of physical storage (there are no sides in bits, of course) and yet there are still people who apply arbitrary limits on the web, I feel even less inclined to include streaming at all; it just feels dishonest, you know?

At this point I have Apple Music but have set it as no-download, stream online only; it is entirely an option only available whenever I happened to have access to a decent internet connection, and I think that works well since it is now in a distinct and appropriate context.

I’m confident that, at least for now, we’re ready to stay clear of what is bound to be an absolute mess of phrasing within the ever-muddled world of streaming and online music.

Clearly need to communicate this better.

– Manton Reece

Some rambling thoughts:

• The homepage has;
  • the Discover timeline prominently placed with posts from 15 months ago;
  • a link to Brent Simmons from four years ago;
  • the Micro.blog team featured at the bottom with no links to anything.
  • Nothing at all about recent updates, like some sort of news alert message or… anything really.
• Maybe redirect my old Updates blog to News, or wherever you will show updates? Or just replace that blog with a new update-based blog? The last posts on there might leave a bad impression with regard to activity.
• Activity on the News blog is good at times, but at times sporadic and still seems to be basically another of your blogs, Manton. I think people often expect “a company voice”; it’s familiar and an indicator that this isn’t just an indie side-project.
  • I thought there was some promise in the official news releases for the big 2.0 updates.
• Even with News considered, there are also other blogs and the Help forums and different things at different times. It’s all quite disparate, which is great for the indie ethos but not good for clear and consistent and reliable communication.
• If there was one main blog for the team with each post authored – using the Teams feature obviously – that could help.
• Although there is still the issue of what is being said. Is it enough? Can you know without looking at all of the posts together; the dev posts, the community posts, the big-picture posts.

… And this is mostly stuff that is insular to Micro.blog, the timelines, and whatnot. Beyond that there is the Twitter account, which is ok but again not what I think most people expect.

I know decentralisation and going slow are both important to Micro.blog but there’s a point at which you have to compromise and go where people are used to going; to offer a hand rather than stay in your spot and expect people to be as motivated as the heart of your community.

I think about when a few years ago Belle Cooper said “It feels to me like we’re all at a party at Manton’s house.” and how I didn’t consider that to be too much of a problem at the time, given that it was still the early stages in the development of Micro.blog. Now, however, I think it’s correct to expect Micro.blog to have a clear representation of how the product is not just “for Manton, by Manton” but so much more.

Google search isn’t as good as it used to be—I suspect foul play through SEO

– Rene van Belzen

These days we’re often looking for a search engine that provides high quality results for specific questions, for free.

The problem here is that Google has sold everybody the complete lie that this is possible. Their results, their service, their websites, are all worse because products built on the back of money-free business models inevitably trend to that point.

Here are the different prices:

• money
• work
• attention

The more you leverage the third one – the one that the mainstream web is now built upon – the worse your product becomes over time.

Of course, Rene has put some work in – two hours no less! – and he still has to deal with an inferior product. It’s as if a bad standard has spread throughout all of Google Search. When the foundation of a platform is built with rotten ingredients, the rest is doomed to crumble into useless crap.

We have to change the way we think about things. It’s one of the lessons I learned thanks to Micro.blog; the perception we had of the web as a result of the monopolistic behemoths, is false. Much of it is false, with very little effort put towards sustainability or any of the necessary energy required to build a healthy environment.

In a lot of ways it the web works better for you if you take on an older mindset; say, 5 to 10 years back, and spend less energy relying on whatever marketing spin comes from your behemoth service provider. I do this for every piece of tech I own and it serves me well.

Oh, as for Rene and his question, unfortunately I don’t have the answer. I only know that it isn’t so simple, or at least not as simple as a mega-corp’s marketing department would have you believe.

Earlier today I put out a short post to ask for help.

Unfortunately my wife and I have discovered that we will be short of money to cover all of our bills this month, and it is making what is an otherwise life-changing event into an all-too familiar ball of stress, anxiety, and frankly, shame.

With that in mind I’m going to step outside of my usual tight-lipped approach and provide a preview of the direct benefit to donating towards my efforts with Today I Learned.

Here are the things your donation can help me make:

• Guides: The existing Guides will be updated, and more importantly a whole new batch will be published over a short period of time. This will relaunch Guides as a regular post type, including special editions in which related Guides are published over the space of a week.
• Return to regular posting. Everything from before the break – Tips, Updates, Introducing, Lookup, the recently launched Linked posts, and ICYMI: the weekly catch-up edition of the newsletter – plus the return of The Macro Report.
• The rest of the special edition of The Macro Report.
• Reactivation of the Twitter account, with which I’ll make it easier for people outside of Micro.blog to see just how awesome our community is.
• Further design improvements to the site and Post Haste (the newsletter).
• Brand new regular post types, starting with a micro-guide that is entirely image-based.
• A new edition of Post Haste, built around staying updated with urgent Micro.blog events.

… and more. My plans reach well into the future, with everything built on a steady and sustainable timeline. On the Support page I state that I won’t make promises, so this feels even more uncomfortable to write.

However, I hope that highlights just how urgent my current needs have become. You wouldn’t just be helping my family, you would also be securing the path to Today I Learned 2.0. 🙏

Today I Learned donations