+++ template = "static.html" title = "Other Things You Might Enjoy" +++ #### People I Read: - [Eric S Raymond](http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/) - [Gwern](https://gwern.net) - [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://yudkowsky.net) - [Richard Carrier](https://richardcarrier.info) - [Scott Alexander](https://astralcodexten.substack.com) - [Applied Divinity Studies](https://applieddivinitystudies.com) - [Slime Mold Time Mold](https://slimemoldtimemold.com) - [Continuous Wave](https://kernelpanic.cafe/) #### Useful Things Other People Have Made: - [Crowdsupply](https://www.crowdsupply.com)
crowdsourcing for open hardware products. - [tindie](https://www.tindie.com/)
marketplace for DIY hardware products. - [wiby](https://wiby.me/)
a human-curated search engine that crawls user-submitted sites. fewer SEO results and more personal blogs. - [Delightful Apps](https://delightful.club)
a curated, categorized list of open source projects. use this instead of searching "best Linux application for \". - [Linux Phone Apps](https://linuxphoneapps.org)
a directory for apps which run well on Linux phones. #### Things I'm Glad I Read - Henry George - [Progress and Poverty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_and_Poverty)
timeless 19th-century book which provides a genuinely useful explanation for how wealth, capital, and labor interact. makes the case for a Land Value Tax specifically, and a tax on finite natural resources more generally. - [Elizier Yudkowsky](https://yudkowsky.net)
viewing everything through the lens of incentives and information theory, in a very accessible format. gives one some tools to reason about why things are the way they are. - Charles Stross - [Accelerando](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando)
a fast paced and relatively concise view of one possible future. neither explicitly utopian nor dystopian: just "what could things look like if technological trends continue" through a cyberpunk lens. - Cory Doctorow
vaguely cyberpunk, but often looking at one _particular_ development (distributed manufacturing, cloning, human-level AGI) and thinking about the unexpected effects. - Terry Pratchett
incredible wit, good natured fun that points out some silly human tendencies without being too overt about it. - Brandon Sanderson
vivid storyteller and excellent world builder. my favorite is his Mistborn series. #### Things I'm Glad I Viewed Studio Ghibli still represents the peak of animated film, as far as i'm concerned. remarkable pacing, captivating worlds & artstyle, and adventurous. my favorites are: - [NausicaƤ of the Valley of the Wind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica%C3%A4_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind_(film)) - [Spirited Away](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away) besides Ghibli i've enjoyed a few other short-running anime/films: - Made in Abyss
amazing character- and world-building, great artwork, and an adventure-driven -- but dark -- plot that left me contemplative. - Nichijou
short, hilarious and sometimes over-the-top skits which build on eachother over time. good, simple fun. it's a crowded genre but Nichijou is the best in class. - Kill la Kill
unbelievably over-the-top, tropey, and a bit low-budget, but Studio Trigger leans into these things and makes something that's _so absurd_ you can't forget it. - Madoka Magica
deconstruction of the "magical girl" genre. starts out slow and mysterious, then accelerates through some ambitious twists as you and the characters begin to learn what's *really* happening in the world. watch it if you're a softie who likes bittersweet (but satisfying) endings. cartoons: - Bravest Warriors
it's what you'd get if you were to squash Adventure Time into 4-5 minute episodes. witty and fast-paced humor. like Nichijou, it's simply the best in its class. TV: - Who's Line is it Anyway?
peak improv. Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Wayne Brady riffing off each other and the audience week after week. - The Expanse
sci-fi series with a great production centered in a harsh world with a bit of everything, set off by a sudden new discovery. a bunch of players stuck in political games they don't know how to escape. it's a wonder we've made it this far. film: - Everything Everywhere All at Once
an exploration of what it _means_ if the world is a multiverse. it's not too in-your-face, leaves plenty open to interpretation which is fun if you have basic familiarity with the concept. runners up: - Yuru Camp
cozy series to relax to. a laid-back story of friendship and self-discovery. - Zombieland Saga
it's got some likable characters, a fun theme, and a good deal of unexpected turns. given it centers around _zombie popstars_, you'd think it'd stand out more, but in the end it's just a well-executed slice-of-life (with great music).