Five Bullets 7.19.24
Digital environmentalism, Brian Eno, Paul Auster & more
Good Morning & Happy Friday!
The heat wave this week finally broke and its a cool morning here in New York City.
Earlier this week I watched an interview with writer Paul Auster which really resonated as I’m working on a fictional project. I blogged about it and included Auster’s tips on writing and engaging with your art.
How do you practice your medium? What engages you? What practices do you employ to do the best you can?
Bullets this week:
Environmentalism: Every Time You Post to Instagram, You’re Turning on a Light Bulb Forever. The emails you sent this morning, the videos of your kids, even this newsletter, are all stored on a data server somewhere powered by electricity mostly from fossil fuels. This article takes a look at the web’s increasing electricity consumption while weighing users responsibility and looking at how we can be better digital environmentalists: delete old, unused data; use less ‘smart’ devices; block third-party tracking; and perhaps reconsider taking that photo or sending that email. Even if an individual’s digital footprint is difficult to quantify, or, is minute compared to the output of the tech giants, it’s good practice to think about how, why, and when we use our digital tools.
Documentary: This Documentary About Brian Eno Is Never the Same Twice. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s documentary about generative musician Brian Eno was created using software (not A.I.) which creates a different film each time you see it. Listeners familiar with Eno’s work will understand the concept, which Hustwit has adapted for the film. Averse to typical documentaries, Eno says “Our lives are stories we write and rewrite…there is no single reliable narrative of a life.”
NYC: The Chrysler Building may be up for sale soon. If you can’t imagine a city skyline without this iconic building, let’s hope the new owners invest in some much needed repairs. Fun fact: the land which the Chrysler building stands on is owned by Cooper Union.
Olympics: Why No One Wants to Host the Olympics. For this year’s Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) only had two bidders, Los Angeles and Paris, so it awarded this year’s games to Paris, beginning at the end of this month, and the 2028 games to Los Angeles. Over the past few years, the list of cities competing to host the Olympics has dropped significantly due to the IOC’s demands and economic costs of hosting the games far outweighing the possible benefits to a city’s growth and cultural standing. The answer may be to hold the games in a fixed location.
Writing: In this interview Paul Auster reflects on how Willie Mays helped make him a writer, his process, and how good writing is like music. Read more in my blog post:
That’s all for this week! I sure love getting this weekly list together. It gives me something to work on, to explore my interests, to learn more and share it with you.
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Great interview with Paul Auster! Thank you Keith.