Build community outside of work
A couple of months ago I decided to quiet quit the social network, meaning I don't scroll the site anymore and only post links to my own work. I thought I would miss it but I don't, and in general I find myself feeling a lot less anxious. I highly recommend trying the same thing.
That doesn't mean I don't feel bad for the people who work there, though. Twitter was, until recently, one of the few tech companies with a positive corporate culture—one where people with a background in the humanities were allowed to play a role. That's all gone now, as a recent Verge article highlighted so well.
I can't stop thinking about how so many people spent so much time at Twitter trying to build a positive corporate culture, only for one person with too much money to destroy it for no good reason. The lesson I'm taking from this is it's never worth it to burn yourself out trying to build a positive company culture.
I have, in several past jobs, spent way too much of my time and energy trying to help build a positive culture in the places I've worked. I've learned that, unless you're in a leadership position, it's not worth it. You probably won't be rewarded—you may even be punished—and the culture will only last as long as the owners of the company allow it. The urge to make numbers go up, left unchecked, will eventually destroy all that is good in the world. Find something to do with your life that's not based on that urge.
My advice: get paid, do work you're proud of if that matters to you, then focus on building culture in your community, your friend group, your church, whatever it is that gives you meaning. Work will never be that for you.
Stuff I wrote
We’re in the Era of Dirt-Cheap TVs The Atlantic. This article was everywhere a couple of weeks ago, which I'm really happy about.
Stop Using Social Media Apps. The Web Version Is Often Better Wired
Mastodon Features That Twitter Should Steal (but Won't) Wired I was hoping a certain thin-skinned billionaire would get mad about this
This macOS feature will streamline the way you manage and reformat files PopSci The Folder Actions feature is underrated.
Get the Windows 10 taskbar back on Windows 11 PopSci The Windows 11 taskbar is very, very bad in my opinion. Here's how to ditch it.
How to set up F-Droid, the open-source alternative to the Google Play Store PopSci If you're an Android user this is a great way to find apps that are safe, free, and not cluttered with ads.
Proton Drive Review PCMag It's a secure place to store files, sure, but it could be way more convenient.
Stuff I Did
I'm currently brewing a clone of Old Speckled Hen, which seems to be fermenting quickly. I'm a little concerned, after an early taste, that I botched the hop measurements—it's a little more bitter than I'd like. Maybe it will mellow with carbonation, though.
We've spent a few days visiting snow up on Mount Hood lately. Oregon is nice because I have the option to play in snow but almost never have to live with it
Mira is enjoying the winter.
How To Make Friends
Americans have fewer friends than previous decades, which makes sense to me. It's genuinely very hard to connect with people in our increasingly isolated culture of car-oriented infrastructure and perpetual smartphone usage. There's just not many moments to run into people.
I've lived in two Canadian provinces and three US states and basically had to restart in terms of friends each time. I have a pretty big friend group here in Oregon, though, and I think I owe a lot of it to one thing: First Friday.
Every month I email basically all the people I like and invite them to stop by my house. Most don't come, but a handful do every time. The important thing is to make it low pressure. No one needs to feel bad about not coming this month because it will happen again next month.
It's nice to give people an excuse to gather. I, for example, always mention what beer I have on tap. If you bake, cook, or make cocktails, mention that, or perhaps something you'd like to do. A board game you'd like to play, for example, or a fire pit you just set up in the back yard. The things aren't what matter—the people are. Always emphasize that you're excited to see people, and mean it.
You aren't the only person struggling to make friends—statistically most people you know feel the same way. So be intentional about creating space for others to connect with you and each other. I think of it as chance to hang out without the pressure of buying anything, which is rare in our culture.
The really fun thing is that, over time, the people you like become friends with other people you like, then invite you to do things with them. It's a way to create a friend group, and I can't recommend it enough.