This completes the first week of not making an episode of 301. It feels strange not to have a clear creative container to pour my energy into. The energy and drive to create, make and do is there, but over all I’ve felt a bit undirected in where I’ve been putting my attention this week.

I noodled around in my google drive, moving from folder to folder blowing the dust off old google docs. and seeing whats inside.

Thats ok, as I’ve identified some routes and paths I want to walk in the next 3 weeks. Things I’d like to get done and finish.

Most of the effort this week was taken up preparing for the New Centre Course I’m teaching.

I’m working on the new podcast/show too. That’s going ok. Currently in the process of lining up guests.

Most of all I’ve found it difficult to settle.

This might be related to the fact I broke my Bose NC 700 headphoens. The left hand can/cup sheered clean off at the hinge. I forgot to take a phone but they have already gone back to Bose under warranty. The whole experience was super painless – some of the best customer service I’ve ever experienced.

Now that I don’t have them, I’ve been shocked at how quickly – in the last 9 months – I’ve gotten used to using the Noise Cancelling to concentrate. It’s made me feel a little lost.

Sitting down to write, or create, or do anything at the computer is just that little bit harder without noise cancellation. The builders upstairs, kids screaming in the park, dogs barking, cars parking etc. It all magically disappears in to the negative space of the noise cancelling software.

Then again not having them means I’ve spent more time ‘in the room’. Being present. Thats felt nice.

The World Excel Championship

Here’s a cool thing I came across this week. The World Excel Championship. Who the hell knew that Excel is an esport? There’s also such a thing as the Financial Modeling World Cup. Even more amazing it was broadcast by ESPN. Now I really want to go to a sports bar and shout about VLOOKUPS at the TV.

I think as e-sports go, Excel is pretty niche. lol. But if you know our way around Excel as well as I do, seeing masters at literal work is terrific. You can watch whats going on and quickly grock the strategies they are using to solve the problems.

Round three is absolutely electric imo. It’s fascinating to see how each person goes about solving data problems involving unicode symbols.

The real heros aren’t the nerds doing the Excelin’ but the commentators! “He’s gonna need a COUNTIF and then a VLOOKUP in Column G”.

Photo 365

The Ministry Of My Own Labour

• New Centre Course started
• Sent off some interview requests for the ‘new project‘
• Band practice
• Wrote a bajillion words procrastinating on something else that I suspect I’ll throw away
• Thinking a lot about the two phrases: You Play the Hand Your Dealt, and How You Play Is What You Win

Dipping the Stacks

The passive-aggressive colleagues who poison workplaces – BBC Worklife

Research shows employees who have to handle passive-aggressive behaviour regularly suffer from burnout, stress and poorer levels of wellbeing, motivation and job satisfaction,

Artificial Intelligence Discovers Alternative Physics

A new Columbia University AI program observed physical phenomena and uncovered relevant variables—a necessary precursor to any physics theory. But the variables it discovered were unexpected.

The Geometric Landscapes of Lorenz Stoer (1567) – The Public Domain Review

Stoer’s name does not appear in the records, however, until April 8, 1555, when Emperor Ferdinand I grants him the exclusive right to print a book titled Perspectiva a la Laurentia Stoëro

Gen Z Are Using Social Media Less, Reshaping the Internet: Report | PetaPixel

This demographic, many of whom have never known life without unlimited access to the internet, has become increasingly disillusioned with the social media apps they have grown up with.

Inside the Crypto-Bot Ghost Towns of Telegram – Decrypt

These days, the “BitGo” Telegram group features almost entirely spam-spewing bots. The bots speak only to one another, in circular riddles and unintelligible non-sequiturs.

Reading

I finished reading Active Listening Techniques: 30 Practical Tools to Hone Your Communication Skills by Nixaly Leonardo. It was kinda of weird as a grown assed adult to read a book about ‘how to have a conversation’.

Especially as Eve is a therapist and her opinion about the book was ‘I could have told you that’.

It was however packed with great information. There is a chapter on ‘Noise’ both psychological and physiological – It could have been right out of the yoga sutras.

I finished reading Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer by Kathy Kleiman. It was fun to get the story from the point of view of the women who programmed the thing. I think Eniac: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World’s First Computer is a better book about Eniac. But I’m glad Proving Ground exists.

Music

thejaymo.net Spotify Playlist

A Crying Poem – Bloodz Boi, Claire Rousay, & More Eaze

I’ve given a lot of attention to this 6 track album this week. I saw someone online describe it as mesmerising – it certainly is.

This album communicates sadness, pain, nostalgia? – so completely – it’s like turning a tap of emotion on and off.

Whilst only 2m53secs, sleepwalking (above) is wonderful.

I wrote about Claire Rousay and More Eaze’s last colab back in April. Which was a post pandemic lo-fi hyperpop thing.

Remember Kids: