NEWSLETTER No.1: My brain feels like a salad
I don’t know what happens next, except I do know what they will try to make happen next.
What did Socrates say was the only thing one can know with certainty?
That there are things we don’t know. All knowledge can be disproven, and every new thing we learn proves the certainty of unknowing.
In times of instability the unpredictable is certain. We have Project 2025’s guidebook, but we don’t know when and how its impacts will be felt or what the pushback will be like. We don’t know how violent things will be. We don’t know how seemingly tame. Every day has been exhausting and destructive so far. It’s easy to infer that it will continue this way.
Communal Uncertainty. Is that a thing? Join me in knowing fucking nothing and sitting in mess. Everything’s not going to be ok. But we can choose to have as much good in our lives as we have control over.
The Socratic Paradox:
I know that I know nothing - Wikipedia
RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM
I’m buying weird sh*t to fill the void. Anticipating a lack of reliance on the wonderful well built things society has provided: the FAA, CDC, weather people. The government will ALWAYS be lacking. You can COUNT ON bullsh*t. EXPECT inequality. But it also provides a lot of services that we pay money for with those taxes everyone’s always talking about.
The federal assclown government is destroying everything, so now we have to expect states (and let’s be serious, only blue states will do this) to build their own CDCs and FAAs and disability services and what have you. With what money?? We’re already paying federal taxes. Fat chance Trimp and his psycho f*ckhead brigade will stop taking our money for golf, hookers & blow. States rebuilding things the federal government provided will be expensive. Our state taxes will have to go up, so everyone will be mad at the only people who can make this country livable. And maybe they’ll be dumb enough to vote them out? We don’t know.
Rugged Individualism. States rights! Doing stuff yourself? We’re being forced into it.
Leaving the grid however we can.
Stuff I bought:
- Flipper Zero
All the Legal and Illegal Things You Can Do With a Flipper Zero | Lifehacker
Despite its toy-like looks, The Flipper Zero is a pocket-friendly multitool that can be used for all kinds of hacking and penetration testing. It gives anyone, even newbs, an easy-to-understand way to interact with RFID, NFC, Bluetooth, wifi, or radio—a hacker Swiss army knife that you can buy for less than $200.
If a crazy tool like this exists, I want to learn it and know. I want to know what risk and harm exists out there, and be able to channel it for useful purposes, and also know how to protect myself from others using it on me & my loved ones!
- Water quality meter: I discovered my tap water & brita filter are not up to snuff with very high PPM parts per million contaminants above the EPA's recommended levels.
GOOD NEWS: I went further to test what was actually in the water and was happy to report that many concerning contaminants were not present, at least not on the test strips I used. The highest levels were of Carbonate. Carbonate isn't that bad for your health. It consists of calcium, magnesium, and sodium. It makes for very hard water, bad for clothes, skin, plants, and plumbing. But still, their levels in LA water, at least where I live in Atwater Village, are extremely high. Good news is my test results were low in every other area, including lead and chlorine. It's possible there's other concerning elements that my test strips don't look for. And also, I'm not a scientist!
- Air quality meter
As recommended to me by a friend who’s an air quality activist
Temtop LKC-1000S+ 2nd Particulate matter, formaldehyde and VOCs Meter
Long-term exposure to VOCs can create many health problems, especially in indoor environments, it can create irritation eyes, nose, and throat. There are certain level acceptable that will not affect our health. LKC-1000S+ 2nd will help you monitor the level of pollutants in your surroundings. Free shipping in the USA.
It was very interesting to see air quality change in different rooms, neighborhoods, in my car, at work. I like knowing what's in the invisible, if I need a mask, if I should be running my air purifier. The Air Quality weather measurement was accurate, and indoors it was better. My bedroom was worse, maybe because bad air gaps are near my air conditioner. But also, my air purifier worked in a matter of minutes. Running my oven made a dramatic negative impact on the air quality that surprised me since it wasn't even smokey. Good to air out cooking!
- Reverse osmosis countertop water filtration system
I got a Bluevia system. Tested the water quality, it’s actually incredible & leagues ahead of what a Britta can do. It also has a filter to add good minerals back into the water. Apparently water that’s TOO pure can leach minerals from your bones, so it’s important to add good minerals while taking out the bad stuff. You can also buy trace minerals liquid drops for this. My dad always had the trace minerals & we had his special filters in the house growing up.
LEARNING
How the hell do I keep up with a rapidly changing world? Learning helps. Here’s my list of things I plan to learn in the coming months
Python computer programming language
Krav Maga
Adobe creative suite
What do you think is most useful to learn in the world at hand?
HEATHERFINK DOT COM
Were any of you here reading original heatherfink dot com? It started in 1999 as an html low fi website, then developed into a blog with a very active commenter community and daily readership in the 2000s. As I figure out how to best communicate in the caustic hellscape, I considered bringing back a low fi website. But that’s also public facing. A newsletter has the benefit of better privacy and a more controlled audience.
Continuing to try things. What do you think? What do you like?
THE FOOD CHAIN
How can any of us wrap our heads around how sh*tty this all is? How miserable? Why destroy everything? Why so much suffering?
One thing in our design I can pinpoint that leads to this: the food chain. You have to literally kill to live. Kill or be killed, take life, plant or animal. Destroy and consume. It’s in our DNA. Of course there’s better ways to consume and destroy. We can mindfully and ethically rip the life from the things we eat. But we’re definitely not doing that.
THE FEAR
I want to reiterate the importance of boundaries over our mental wellbeing and strength. You’d heard people speak of joy as resistance. The key to that is not letting them live in your head rent free. Do not let them in. Keep them out of your birthday parties, dinners, bedroom. They can’t come in there! Keeping them in your mind gives them energy, drains your strength, talent and time. They are pathetic creeps! Not nearly worthy of any of us! Even sitting little a little king in the White House, he’s still a piece of sh*t. They don’t get an ounce of our respect no matter what they do.
Our ancestors lived through horrors. War, famine, depression, atrocities. But they still made babies, art, music and invented wondrous things. You better stay strong and persevere because there’s a big picture to our lives and human history. Stay strong, talented, creative and productive through it all. Have fun. Fight them when you can, and you’ll maintain energy for that fight by not letting them in.
DOWNLOAD YOUR STUFF
Since Elon's gang of teenage boys have access to our sensitive financial information: Please download and print your financial records.
Save your social security statement here: https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action
That's all for now. Feel free to share this with friends if you felt anything was worth sharing.
Feedback welcome!
- Heather https://buttondown.com/heatherfink/