When Socrates complained that reading was going to make people dumb and forgetful, this is probably the sort of reaction he had. And maybe like you, it inspired him to be physically and mentally stronger than his peers. He could meditate standing up for 24 hours straight, for example.
All of us now, though, compared to early humans, are pretty dumb and forgetful. Chinless and big-eye'd domestic cousins of our ancestors who memorized thousands of songs, stories, poison plants, dangerous landscapes, knots, and also kill a lion. Now I can't get to the grocery store without a supercomputer.
Vision (and the like) brings that to a new extreme. How far down this path can we go? I mean, pretty soon we're just the Wall-E people, right? Is there a forcing function here?
Wow, I didn't know Socrates went that hardcore. Maybe technology is getting to such a power that the negative side effects (which used to be invisible and take generations to figure out) are more apparent within your own life. The slow pace led to some inter-generational slippage of (natural) cognitive function, but now it's triggering a kind of shock that is forcing me (and others) to evaluate what they use and why. I was talking to a friend the other day who framed some previous nuisances (waiting in line at a grocery store) as a wonderful human experience. I think the trick is to dissolve our binaries (on pro- vs. anti- tech), and really engage critically on smaller decisions. The typewriter is seen as a regression from the keyboard, but even the typewriter automates the act of shaping each letter, which robs me of a trance-like mind space that modulates the nature and pace of my thoughts. There's good reasons for each medium (memory, handwriting, typewriting, typing), but some who is pro/anti writing will be blind to the spectrum. The cult of efficiency has a bias for FAST, but I think the key is to fuse the fast and slow to foster a mindset that's intentional and effective for what YOU specifically want to do and be.
I went though a similar process of de-teching my world. It started with putting a cover on my webcam, then disabling Siri and unplugging Alexa. Then I got rid of all of 'smart-home-gaping-security-hole' devices. And now my phone goes into a lockbox for 8hrs/day. The only way I can tell the time is typically my analogue wind-up watch with no digits. It was my own little butlerian jihad. I suspect this will be a common occurrence, because you are not alone.
Interesting, what have you liked about the analog clock without digits? It takes a second to process, which is still quick, but more friction than the instant impression of digits. Are you less likely to learn the time in a fleeting glimpse?
Interesting position. So then, why use the internet? And what makes clocks so bad? I’m curious what are the values the guide your decisions on which technologies to use and which to discard
I'll have to unpack this and think it through, but in the post I used the phrases "embodied, creative, social, and grateful," which could serve as values.
Clocks aren't inherently bad, but I think knowing the time ~100-200 times per day shapes your mind. It frames time as a currency, and the day as a problem to be solved with reason (not embodied). When I think in terms of fungible hours and minutes, it puts me in manager mode (not creative). The precise measurement of time makes you more likely to be aware of a lack of un-optimization or inefficiency, and that leads to guilt (ungrateful).
I actually still find value in timers and stopwatches for relative time, but only checked in with absolute time twice today (once to coordinate, once by accident). If I were simply able to remove the time from my lock screen and status bar, I wouldn't have to go through a bunch of insane hacks. I think it speaks to our culture's assumption and bias to "rational" time. Jean Gebser has a framework on 4 types of relationship to time (archaic, magical, mythic, rational). They're equally important/valid, and should all be integrated, but in my next essay I'll unpack how it's a problem to be completely lodged in rational time. Lewis Mumford wrote about the mainstreaming of the clock as a symbol for our mechanistic worldview, and how it leads to dehumanization, a severance form nature, anxiety, stress, and the death of leisure.
The Internet is really a constellation of tools. On the best of days, Substack hits 4 of those 4 values. Twitter typically is 0 for 4 (for me personally). Would be interesting to try and evaluate the Internet as a whole though. Assessing VR as a whole is a similar challenge. The AVP today is 0 for 4 for me, but imagine there might be 4/4 singular use cases in the future that make it worth owning one.
I live and work in a world where minutes are critical— I work on the ambulance. I fit creative time in whenever I can, and usually have allowances carved out during the day and week, but as soon as they are done I have to split, go back to the real world and take care of my responsibilities. It is nice though to have those moments of flow when I get totally lost. Usually when I’m reading, watching a good movie, writing, hiking, or hanging with friends.
I guess my answer to the question would be any technology that helps me get things done in an effective way- whether work or chores or creative stuff. The balance is also key, for me. I agree that Twitter and most social media is a waste of time. Sometimes I even feel that substack is inferior to reading books. But pieces like this make a difference, so thanks
Really love your Dean’s List format. It’s such a good overview of where your curiosity has led you in a month. Also it effectively becomes the meeting agenda for when we catch up, as each item prompts follow up questions and reflections of my own. Truly a rotating sushi conveyor belt of delights 🍣
Three thoughts I'll share here ahead of our next convo:
1. Why is the Apple Vision Pro all or nothing? Why can't it be something you use for 30-90min, then take off?
2 (Part 1): Is there a way within Substack to demo the first 2-3 sentences from Typewriter essays to unpaid subscribers, similar to what you do with Craft Essays. I think more people would be likely to upgrade if there was a hook to whet their nose of the fragrances it's missing. If not, even just leaning into more descriptive titles for them --- "Batman" --- gives me absolutely no reason to read it. I'm sure you have a unique take, but the barebones keyword title is giving me none of it.
2 (Part 2): Dunno how wedding DJ you wanna go, but if there was some kind of request function to hear you typewriter riff on a given topic, I could see that being a cool experiment. Exact format might take tweaks, but a thought to consider.
3. Truly beautiful to see you in the momentum of full blitzkrieg creator mode of such a generative state, projecting from your own voice. Was thinking how the difficulty you'd have recording audio for one of your posts is a great indicator for how much it tests the medium massage limits of 'essay'. The more it HAS to be read to be experienced, vs. listened or watched. One measure of a creator is how fast their new work jumps to the top of my queue. Another is how much of it I continue through to finale. I read Dean's List #3 in a single continuous grin. Fav one yet :)
Damn, Tommy! I love the specificity of these questions.
1. I'm still 100% down for using XR for specific applications. I might upgrade from the Quest 2 to Quest 3 strictly for an upgraded ping pong experience. I imagine Apple might come out with a revolutionary form of remote communication that will emulate teleportation, and that would unlock a whole new range of experiences that will probably be worth it.
Much of the potential around spatial computing is exploding the dense arrays of information all locked in one abstract screen, and arranging it around your apartment. It's data/media turned architectural. In some ways, this feels natural & human, BUT, since all that stuff is only useful in an ambient way (you remember something because you walk into a room and see it), the implication is that you have to always wear it. And even when the device gets smaller and lighter, we don't understand the psychological, perceptual, or biological effect of living most of your day through a camera feed (my next essay will try to put words to this).
The Verge review said "passthrough XR" is a dead-end route, and I didn't understand it until I tried it.
Currently the Vision Pro sucks for creativity or collaboration (or at least, offers no serious benefits on top of what you can already do on your computer). It IS a paradigm shift in entertainment. Watching a great movie on a 160" monitor does make a difference, but, it come with a bunch of trade-offs; socially, culturally, and logistically. I simply didn't watch a full movie in the AVP because watching movies is something I do with my wife.
I imagine as this technology matures, people will find specific use cases that empower them to new heights. I still love the idea of using XR to fuse the typewriter into the digital world. But without the functionality or intentionality, I fear the average use-case and OS usage will pull people more and more into the sensorium. I found myself mindlessly watching more YouTube when I had it.
Thanks for helping me draft next essay lol.
2a. Agree - if you go to my Analog tag, each essay has a sub-title that I think gives it both the specificity and curiosity to make you wonder. It's a bummer the Substack S (Small) preview doesn't show these. I could use the L (Large) preview, where it actually shows you maybe 10 vertical lines, but it takes up a lot of space and this was already past max length. In past editions I showed one full essay + manual hyperlinks with titles: you're comment is going to make me return to that.
2b. It's official. Paid subscribes can AMA and I will answer with a full-page typewritten response.
3. Appreciate your support for the roundup format! Just yesterday I was questioning the future of the format, so this helps.
So far I've only learned what time it was once today (and I'm assuming I'm around 6 hours in, I don't know what time I woke up). I also know I have a meeting in 1 hour 48 minutes and 52 seconds. Our devices make them impossible to use without knowing the time, and so the modern person knows the time 100-200 times per day (or more). I'm going for <5. My experiment is to see if I can coordinate with others without being addicted to orienting myself in the day and treating time as a fungible currency.
You should check out Jean Gebser's "The Ever-Present Origin," he writes about how our model of time affects our consciousness. There are four relationships to time (archaic, magical, mythical, rational). Each has a role, but we're over-indexed on rational time (manager mode). For me, archaic time = mindfulness, magical = creativity, mythical = perspective. He talks about a 5th level which is about integrating the lower levels.
incredible, i’ll check out the book! my perception of my time has been so different since i left my job and started traveling; it moves differently without meeting reminders, working hours when i have to be online, etc. excited to read more about it — thanks for the rec.
There a few languages that have number that look different from the standard 0>1. Of those options, Cambodian least matches to what’s familiar. Military time works for me because if I see 19:48 there’s at least a slight calculation involved. The goal is to reduce knowing the time accidentally. I find analog clocks are generally helpful too. Digital time is just so fast that I subconsciously learn the time from my peripherals or a quick passing glance.
Chanced upon your post via Notes and appreciated your changing perspective on digital technology. My husband Peco and I have been writing along these lines and you might find some resonance with other readers and writers in this piece "Sowing Anachronism: How to be Weird in Public, and Private" https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/sowing-anachronism-how-to-be-weird
I loved this, Michael. Got a fantastic chuckle reading about your Cambodian lock screen and other anti-tech strategies but I also deeply relate to the thesis in regards to "an unspoken religion of tyrannical convenience."
I've been on a tear the last few weeks trying to cut down on tech time, or at least unproductive tech time because I still fritter away at my laptop for 8+ hours per day. Yet some of the most enjoyable moments of my days are when I'm journaling in candlelight with pen on paper or walking without the weight of my phone. I feel the gravitational pull of that little black box from when I wake to when I crawl into bed. Sometimes for no reason, or to use its calculator to do mental math I'm capable of doing, or to look for directions I could probably figure out on my own...
The human-tech relationship is complicated and will likely only become more so, but I think a good rule is to move slowly and with caution before becoming any more dependent on technology than we already so desperately are.
Do you keep any analog habits that are hard to justify to others?
... i got a couple of crystal meditations done once, does that count? I DJ so I think having a massive record collection counts, but then again maybe it is just a time and space sucker (or succulent?)...i have no studies or datas beyond my mind to prove it true, but abandoning tech for even an hour does incredible things to my brain space...there is a freedom to using the greatest analog tech we have...our five senses and shoes...that said sometimes i look at pictures i take on a hike and feel like hey that is cool...not once, not ever have i ever thought, hey that is cooler than the real thing or memory...we are collectors of silicon garbage...
Thoughts and feelings on emerging technology in 2024?
---
...the dumbening has begun...an ai blog i hate read was just celebrating that AI can now copy anyone's voice, even yours!...the excitement to not even have to do the hard work of being ourselves is such a let down...i keep reading ai is an enhancement tool, but work more why? work faster why? build more why? if the end result is just bored ape metaverses haven't we wasted enough of what good there is to be done...give me a live action remake of the goonies 2 video game before i have to see another crypto meme coin sell me fake land on my eye couch...
Which logs stand out? What should I bake into an essay?
---
...The sex life of plato?...would be way into a deep dive on not only how you score essays, but also what have you been gaining from so much information of various qualities entering your mind...is there a value to the worst stuff?...is it equivalent to the best?...is there a place in the essay world for the equivalent of B-Movies? I want (to write) the essay equivalent of They Live or Mac & Me...how would one approach making an A+ be minus...
When Socrates complained that reading was going to make people dumb and forgetful, this is probably the sort of reaction he had. And maybe like you, it inspired him to be physically and mentally stronger than his peers. He could meditate standing up for 24 hours straight, for example.
All of us now, though, compared to early humans, are pretty dumb and forgetful. Chinless and big-eye'd domestic cousins of our ancestors who memorized thousands of songs, stories, poison plants, dangerous landscapes, knots, and also kill a lion. Now I can't get to the grocery store without a supercomputer.
Vision (and the like) brings that to a new extreme. How far down this path can we go? I mean, pretty soon we're just the Wall-E people, right? Is there a forcing function here?
Wow, I didn't know Socrates went that hardcore. Maybe technology is getting to such a power that the negative side effects (which used to be invisible and take generations to figure out) are more apparent within your own life. The slow pace led to some inter-generational slippage of (natural) cognitive function, but now it's triggering a kind of shock that is forcing me (and others) to evaluate what they use and why. I was talking to a friend the other day who framed some previous nuisances (waiting in line at a grocery store) as a wonderful human experience. I think the trick is to dissolve our binaries (on pro- vs. anti- tech), and really engage critically on smaller decisions. The typewriter is seen as a regression from the keyboard, but even the typewriter automates the act of shaping each letter, which robs me of a trance-like mind space that modulates the nature and pace of my thoughts. There's good reasons for each medium (memory, handwriting, typewriting, typing), but some who is pro/anti writing will be blind to the spectrum. The cult of efficiency has a bias for FAST, but I think the key is to fuse the fast and slow to foster a mindset that's intentional and effective for what YOU specifically want to do and be.
Why choose Cambodian and military time specifically ?
I went though a similar process of de-teching my world. It started with putting a cover on my webcam, then disabling Siri and unplugging Alexa. Then I got rid of all of 'smart-home-gaping-security-hole' devices. And now my phone goes into a lockbox for 8hrs/day. The only way I can tell the time is typically my analogue wind-up watch with no digits. It was my own little butlerian jihad. I suspect this will be a common occurrence, because you are not alone.
Interesting, what have you liked about the analog clock without digits? It takes a second to process, which is still quick, but more friction than the instant impression of digits. Are you less likely to learn the time in a fleeting glimpse?
“Frictionless sensorium” 🙌🏻 Dude your phrases are killer!
Not gonna lie tho, after reading this, I only wanna try vision pro more
Interesting position. So then, why use the internet? And what makes clocks so bad? I’m curious what are the values the guide your decisions on which technologies to use and which to discard
I'll have to unpack this and think it through, but in the post I used the phrases "embodied, creative, social, and grateful," which could serve as values.
Clocks aren't inherently bad, but I think knowing the time ~100-200 times per day shapes your mind. It frames time as a currency, and the day as a problem to be solved with reason (not embodied). When I think in terms of fungible hours and minutes, it puts me in manager mode (not creative). The precise measurement of time makes you more likely to be aware of a lack of un-optimization or inefficiency, and that leads to guilt (ungrateful).
I actually still find value in timers and stopwatches for relative time, but only checked in with absolute time twice today (once to coordinate, once by accident). If I were simply able to remove the time from my lock screen and status bar, I wouldn't have to go through a bunch of insane hacks. I think it speaks to our culture's assumption and bias to "rational" time. Jean Gebser has a framework on 4 types of relationship to time (archaic, magical, mythic, rational). They're equally important/valid, and should all be integrated, but in my next essay I'll unpack how it's a problem to be completely lodged in rational time. Lewis Mumford wrote about the mainstreaming of the clock as a symbol for our mechanistic worldview, and how it leads to dehumanization, a severance form nature, anxiety, stress, and the death of leisure.
The Internet is really a constellation of tools. On the best of days, Substack hits 4 of those 4 values. Twitter typically is 0 for 4 (for me personally). Would be interesting to try and evaluate the Internet as a whole though. Assessing VR as a whole is a similar challenge. The AVP today is 0 for 4 for me, but imagine there might be 4/4 singular use cases in the future that make it worth owning one.
Makes sense, thanks for the thoughtful response.
I live and work in a world where minutes are critical— I work on the ambulance. I fit creative time in whenever I can, and usually have allowances carved out during the day and week, but as soon as they are done I have to split, go back to the real world and take care of my responsibilities. It is nice though to have those moments of flow when I get totally lost. Usually when I’m reading, watching a good movie, writing, hiking, or hanging with friends.
I guess my answer to the question would be any technology that helps me get things done in an effective way- whether work or chores or creative stuff. The balance is also key, for me. I agree that Twitter and most social media is a waste of time. Sometimes I even feel that substack is inferior to reading books. But pieces like this make a difference, so thanks
Really love your Dean’s List format. It’s such a good overview of where your curiosity has led you in a month. Also it effectively becomes the meeting agenda for when we catch up, as each item prompts follow up questions and reflections of my own. Truly a rotating sushi conveyor belt of delights 🍣
Three thoughts I'll share here ahead of our next convo:
1. Why is the Apple Vision Pro all or nothing? Why can't it be something you use for 30-90min, then take off?
2 (Part 1): Is there a way within Substack to demo the first 2-3 sentences from Typewriter essays to unpaid subscribers, similar to what you do with Craft Essays. I think more people would be likely to upgrade if there was a hook to whet their nose of the fragrances it's missing. If not, even just leaning into more descriptive titles for them --- "Batman" --- gives me absolutely no reason to read it. I'm sure you have a unique take, but the barebones keyword title is giving me none of it.
2 (Part 2): Dunno how wedding DJ you wanna go, but if there was some kind of request function to hear you typewriter riff on a given topic, I could see that being a cool experiment. Exact format might take tweaks, but a thought to consider.
3. Truly beautiful to see you in the momentum of full blitzkrieg creator mode of such a generative state, projecting from your own voice. Was thinking how the difficulty you'd have recording audio for one of your posts is a great indicator for how much it tests the medium massage limits of 'essay'. The more it HAS to be read to be experienced, vs. listened or watched. One measure of a creator is how fast their new work jumps to the top of my queue. Another is how much of it I continue through to finale. I read Dean's List #3 in a single continuous grin. Fav one yet :)
Damn, Tommy! I love the specificity of these questions.
1. I'm still 100% down for using XR for specific applications. I might upgrade from the Quest 2 to Quest 3 strictly for an upgraded ping pong experience. I imagine Apple might come out with a revolutionary form of remote communication that will emulate teleportation, and that would unlock a whole new range of experiences that will probably be worth it.
Much of the potential around spatial computing is exploding the dense arrays of information all locked in one abstract screen, and arranging it around your apartment. It's data/media turned architectural. In some ways, this feels natural & human, BUT, since all that stuff is only useful in an ambient way (you remember something because you walk into a room and see it), the implication is that you have to always wear it. And even when the device gets smaller and lighter, we don't understand the psychological, perceptual, or biological effect of living most of your day through a camera feed (my next essay will try to put words to this).
The Verge review said "passthrough XR" is a dead-end route, and I didn't understand it until I tried it.
Currently the Vision Pro sucks for creativity or collaboration (or at least, offers no serious benefits on top of what you can already do on your computer). It IS a paradigm shift in entertainment. Watching a great movie on a 160" monitor does make a difference, but, it come with a bunch of trade-offs; socially, culturally, and logistically. I simply didn't watch a full movie in the AVP because watching movies is something I do with my wife.
I imagine as this technology matures, people will find specific use cases that empower them to new heights. I still love the idea of using XR to fuse the typewriter into the digital world. But without the functionality or intentionality, I fear the average use-case and OS usage will pull people more and more into the sensorium. I found myself mindlessly watching more YouTube when I had it.
Thanks for helping me draft next essay lol.
2a. Agree - if you go to my Analog tag, each essay has a sub-title that I think gives it both the specificity and curiosity to make you wonder. It's a bummer the Substack S (Small) preview doesn't show these. I could use the L (Large) preview, where it actually shows you maybe 10 vertical lines, but it takes up a lot of space and this was already past max length. In past editions I showed one full essay + manual hyperlinks with titles: you're comment is going to make me return to that.
2b. It's official. Paid subscribes can AMA and I will answer with a full-page typewritten response.
3. Appreciate your support for the roundup format! Just yesterday I was questioning the future of the format, so this helps.
i… need to hear more about this time (timeless?) experiment
So far I've only learned what time it was once today (and I'm assuming I'm around 6 hours in, I don't know what time I woke up). I also know I have a meeting in 1 hour 48 minutes and 52 seconds. Our devices make them impossible to use without knowing the time, and so the modern person knows the time 100-200 times per day (or more). I'm going for <5. My experiment is to see if I can coordinate with others without being addicted to orienting myself in the day and treating time as a fungible currency.
You should check out Jean Gebser's "The Ever-Present Origin," he writes about how our model of time affects our consciousness. There are four relationships to time (archaic, magical, mythical, rational). Each has a role, but we're over-indexed on rational time (manager mode). For me, archaic time = mindfulness, magical = creativity, mythical = perspective. He talks about a 5th level which is about integrating the lower levels.
incredible, i’ll check out the book! my perception of my time has been so different since i left my job and started traveling; it moves differently without meeting reminders, working hours when i have to be online, etc. excited to read more about it — thanks for the rec.
There a few languages that have number that look different from the standard 0>1. Of those options, Cambodian least matches to what’s familiar. Military time works for me because if I see 19:48 there’s at least a slight calculation involved. The goal is to reduce knowing the time accidentally. I find analog clocks are generally helpful too. Digital time is just so fast that I subconsciously learn the time from my peripherals or a quick passing glance.
Chanced upon your post via Notes and appreciated your changing perspective on digital technology. My husband Peco and I have been writing along these lines and you might find some resonance with other readers and writers in this piece "Sowing Anachronism: How to be Weird in Public, and Private" https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/sowing-anachronism-how-to-be-weird
I loved this, Michael. Got a fantastic chuckle reading about your Cambodian lock screen and other anti-tech strategies but I also deeply relate to the thesis in regards to "an unspoken religion of tyrannical convenience."
I've been on a tear the last few weeks trying to cut down on tech time, or at least unproductive tech time because I still fritter away at my laptop for 8+ hours per day. Yet some of the most enjoyable moments of my days are when I'm journaling in candlelight with pen on paper or walking without the weight of my phone. I feel the gravitational pull of that little black box from when I wake to when I crawl into bed. Sometimes for no reason, or to use its calculator to do mental math I'm capable of doing, or to look for directions I could probably figure out on my own...
The human-tech relationship is complicated and will likely only become more so, but I think a good rule is to move slowly and with caution before becoming any more dependent on technology than we already so desperately are.
...do the doohickey...
---
Do you keep any analog habits that are hard to justify to others?
... i got a couple of crystal meditations done once, does that count? I DJ so I think having a massive record collection counts, but then again maybe it is just a time and space sucker (or succulent?)...i have no studies or datas beyond my mind to prove it true, but abandoning tech for even an hour does incredible things to my brain space...there is a freedom to using the greatest analog tech we have...our five senses and shoes...that said sometimes i look at pictures i take on a hike and feel like hey that is cool...not once, not ever have i ever thought, hey that is cooler than the real thing or memory...we are collectors of silicon garbage...
Thoughts and feelings on emerging technology in 2024?
---
...the dumbening has begun...an ai blog i hate read was just celebrating that AI can now copy anyone's voice, even yours!...the excitement to not even have to do the hard work of being ourselves is such a let down...i keep reading ai is an enhancement tool, but work more why? work faster why? build more why? if the end result is just bored ape metaverses haven't we wasted enough of what good there is to be done...give me a live action remake of the goonies 2 video game before i have to see another crypto meme coin sell me fake land on my eye couch...
Which logs stand out? What should I bake into an essay?
---
...The sex life of plato?...would be way into a deep dive on not only how you score essays, but also what have you been gaining from so much information of various qualities entering your mind...is there a value to the worst stuff?...is it equivalent to the best?...is there a place in the essay world for the equivalent of B-Movies? I want (to write) the essay equivalent of They Live or Mac & Me...how would one approach making an A+ be minus...