Knowing when NOT to share something online

It’s really easy to share stuff online (that’s the point of social media, isn’t it?). At the same time, just because we can share something online, doesn’t mean we should share it.

With all this talk about the term “fake news” that a certain president made popular, there is plenty of material that is misleading, and inaccurate, and yet not so easy to discern. Being able to spot the fakes is a great way to fight growing disinformation online, often from the very people who portray accurate reporting as fake.

This Smarter Every Day episode includes an interview with Katy Byron, the Editor & MediaWise Program Manager at MediaWise that’s worth watching:

unsplash-logoFeatured image by The Climate Reality Project

Today’s alternative to my usual run

Frisbee and a ball
Our frisbee and ball

I finally took some time to get outside, and exercise for the first time in about a week. I was going to do my usual run (it’s effective but I don’t particularly like it) when my daughter asked me to take her to the park.

I was about to say “No”, and that I wouldn’t have time, and then it occurred to both of us that I could take her to the park, and get my cardio workout.

So we took a ball and a frisbee. Our daughter (and, later, her friend too), threw the frisbee, or kicked the ball, and I ran around fetching it for them.

This worked out to be a win-win, I think.

Growing up in an Israeli settlement

I enjoyed Iris Zaki’s documentary titled “What It’s Like to Grow Up in an Israeli Settlement“. The interviews seem to be part of Zaki’s documentary film titled “Unsettling“.

I especially like how it was an interview with Israelis living in Tekoa, a settlement town, by an Israeli. If you’re interested in what seems to be a pretty honest perspective from Israelis living in one town, it’s worth watching this:

“This week we bring you Iris Zaki’s thought-provoking short film “Natural Born Settlers.” A self-described liberal from cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, Zaki wanted to get behind the politics of Israel’s controversial settlements in the occupied territories — so she moved there, temporarily, setting up an improvised cafe where she could chat with settlers from her own generation.”

I also enjoyed the Vox documentary series (1, 2, 3) about Israeli settlements. Most of the documentaries I’ve watched tend to present pretty dramatic, skewed perspectives of the settlements, and the Vox documentaries seem to be more balanced, given my experiences in Israel so far.

Going to bed early … in theory

My wife: I’m going to bed early, I’m exhausted.

Me: Good idea! I’m just going to have my tea (decaf), watch some quick, random video on YouTube, then I’ll also head to bed early.

I finally get to bed about an hour later, after watching about half a dozen videos about having ADHD.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best movies I’ve seen

We finally watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and it’s comfortably one of the best movies I’ve seen.

The story is compelling, the animation is brilliantly done. It’s just an incredible movie. If you haven’t seen it, and you’re curious, it’s well worth watching.

This movie was the first of two movies we have planned for today. This afternoon, we’re going to watch Aquaman. DC movies tend not to be as good as Marvel movies, so I’m holding thumbs that Aquaman lives up to the hype. Update: I enjoyed Aquaman, but Spider-Man still won the day for me.

Featured image: Spider-Man Miles Morales Minimalist Poster descktop by Abijithka, licensed CC BY SA 4.0 International

Postscript: Not only was the movie really good, but I love the soundtrack. Actually, there are two soundtracks: Daniel Pemberton’s instrumental soundtrack, and the music from (and inspired by) the movie. Of the two, I definitely prefer the instrumental soundtrack, and I suspect it will be on heavy rotation in the coming days:

This one track from the other soundtrack, “What’s Up Danger” really appeals to me too!

Happy 30th birthday to the Web

The Web turned 30 yesterday, so I guess this is a belated birthday post about the invention that made so much of how I live my life, and my various careers, possible.

In 1989 the world’s largest physics laboratory, CERN, was a hive of ideas and information stored on multiple incompatible computers. Sir Tim Berners-Lee envisioned a unifying structure for linking information across different computers, and wrote a proposal in March 1989 called “Information Management: A Proposal“. By 1991 this vision of universal connectivity had become the World Wide Web.

30th Anniversary of the World Wide Web | Web at 30: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Invention of the Web

I love that the comment on Tim Berners-Lee’s original proposal for the Web was “Vague, but exciting” 😂.

The CERN team put together a Spotify playlist including music from when the Web was created. If you were alive back then, this may bring back memories:

It’s also pretty interesting to read what people have to say about this anniversary of the Web. Take a look at this Twitter stream based on the #Web30 hashtag.

Image credit: CERN (I didn’t see a specific license, so hopefully it’s an open license)

Feeling a bit better with this song

I’ve had a rough week or two with more anxiety and depression than usual. Music tends to help my mood, and “Like Gold” by Vance Joy is one of those songs for me:

Actually, I’m really enjoying Vance Joy generally at the moment. Here’a a great playlist to binge with:

Why people with ADHD take medication – it often helps us function

I’ve started watching Jessica’s channel, How to ADHD. Actually, I’ve been binging a little this morning. I’m watching one video at the moment in which she explains what happened when she ran out of her medication, and just couldn’t focus:

Many people with ADHD are embarrassed that they need to take medication to function. I don’t feel that way at all because I remember far too many days when I sat staring out a window, or doing everything other than the work I needed to do to earn a living.

Heck, I think back to my early career, and even my school years, when I probably spent more time looking out a window, and unable to focus on my office/school work, than actually getting my work done.

This is why I take my pill every morning. It helps me participate in my day to day life, and function more effectively.

unsplash-logoFeatured image by Gabriel Tenan
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