Porygon is Better Than Cybertruck
I know it feels like this newsletter turned into a bi-weekly one but it’s not on purpose. Last couple months had too much going on and I also have to leave the house tomorrow and won’t be back until next Wednesday, and there is also another weekend work trip the week after I return.
Hopefully, starting with 2020 I’m planning to become a full time hermit. Actually I have to, because someone has to finish that Masters thesis. Yeah, there’s still that one going on too.
Help me!
So, you’re probably wondering what’s up with the Porygon and Cybertruck comparison and where I’m trying to go with that. You all probably read a lot of takes and words about how Cybertruck is basically nothing but Elon Musk prepping for the class war apocalypse but since I saw that polygon design, all I could think of is Porygon. And it’s not just because it’s my favorite Pokemon.
Hear me out.
First of all, if we really need some polygon designs in our lives, Porygon has a much better design than that metal abomination. Also it’s much more colorful. I’d much prefer something with color.
Second, Porygon is much more cyber than that truck. It’s the only digital Pokemon in the whole universe. And it’s made of nothing but code. Cybertruck is just a weird car.
Since Porygon is fully cyber, it can do whatever it wants, like flying. So if you have a Porygon, you don’t need roads like when you have a car. According to the “official information” it can even move freely in cyberspace.
And most important part, although Cybertruck makes you feel like you’re ready for war, it doesn’t have any defence mechanism. Porygon? It has bunch of different attacks that will defend you from anything. Including a Cybertruck driving towards you.
In short, I don’t care about Cybertruck. If you really want to do something cyber and polygon shaped, start working on Porygon and then we can talk.
From the Blog
New Books in the Library – 26.11.2019
Since I’ve started to minimize my social media usage, and presence with that, I’ve noticed that I din’t actually do much to make my stuff visible. Like my blog posts, this newsletter and other things I wrote gets auto-shared etc but when it comes to self-promotion there isn’t actually anything going on.
Now I’m more convinced that these are going to be my main online presence, I think I should do more about it. But to be honest, I don’t know how. I’ve been online forever but still, self-promotion is something I’m really bad at. If you have any advice, go for it.
But in the meantime, you can also help me to make the stuff I write more visible. For example, I knew Substack had likes but never noticed that it also helps it become more visible. So, if you like the things I wrote, click that heart at the top. Or share it on the platforms you use. Maybe some of the people you know will see and read it too.
WADI Filter
Notes on AI in Journalism — Johannes Klingebiel
Using the Internet to Raise Your Children — Quinn Norton
MURKETING / AGENCY — Paul Graham Raven
Internet world despairs as non-profit .org sold for $$$$ to private equity firm, price caps axed — Kieren McCarthy
Planet Zoo is, temporarily, a game about mass-producing knackered warthogs — Nate Crowley
Peak billionaire: a billionaire tries to purchase a party nomination to outflank anti-billionaires so he can run against another billionaire — Cory Doctorow
Recent blog posts from Warren and Paul helped me notice something about myself which I’ve been dealing for a while. Taking time out to just think and Figure Shit Out is something vital if most of the stuff you do depends on that. Being always on the move and going places to do stuff makes it hard to think about things.
Recently I was having hard time to think or write about the things I wanted and knew I could. It was (and still is) just like my brain forgot how to function properly. When I read those posts, it clicked me. For a while, I never had time to just sit down and think about all that stuff I’ve been putting (or trying to put) in my brain. Both my brain and my body in general feels exhausted. And at least for a while, things doesn’t seem to change.
Now I have to find a way to train my brain to not lose that much power during these periods. Not sure where to start but right now even this feels like a start.
Guess that’s all I have for this week. Take care of yourselves and if you think that you need to just stop and think for a while, do that. Trust in your brain.
See you soon!
Who Writes This?
Ahmet A. Sabancı (that's me), writer, journalist and researcher. Writing about many things including technology, surveillance, censorship, philosophy, science fiction and futures and occasionally about politics and Turkey. There’s a good chance you found me through my blog or Twitter or maybe some nice people recommended this newsletter to you. You can find more about me here and small selection of my writings here.