Never have those who are invisible been more visible in our society, and while they have always merited more gratitude than they have been given, never have we owed them quite as much as we do this year. Let’s take a moment and thank every single one of our essential workers who have kept the society moving during the pandemic.
2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for our planet, and it is not a surprise that many of us are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, anxious, and depressed. According to a study by Boston University’s School of Public Health, the rate of adults experiencing depression symptoms climbed from 8.5 percent before the pandemic to 27.8 percent by mid-April. I bet these numbers are even higher today.
My way of dealing with anxiety and negative feelings is to decrease my exposure to online stimuli. Less news is good news. I spent fewer minutes on online social services, and I have also reduced my Zoom usage. I intend to take the long weekend off and not bother with the news or the social web. I don’t use Facebook and its related services, but I am on Twitter.
Here is a smart way to stay sane on Twitter: no alerts, view in latest tweets mode, never use it between 7 pm and 7 am. Forget about using Twitter on the weekends. Liberally mute accounts and mute words. Block accounts that exceed the boundaries of propriety. Set your trends location to a place where you don’t know the language or is sparsely populated. I also use the Nuzzel app to get stuff worth reading on Twitter.
Instead, I want to read a whodunnit. And drink some great coffee. I intend to download a couple of albums from Bandcamp. On the first Friday of every month, all money goes to the artists. Given the persistent smoky conditions, and my desire to not be outside as much, I also have some shows I want to watch this weekend:
Young Wallander: If you were a fan of Kurt Wallander, a fictional detective created by Swedish writer Henning Mankell, then this one would be an excellent series to watch on Netflix
Enola Holmes: Wait, Sherlock Holmes has a sister? Enough said—more goodness on Netflix. Sadly it is not launching till September 23rd. But for now, the trailer will do!
What to read this weekend:
The Eco-Slumlords of Brooklyn: I have not stopped thinking about this story. It so well encapsulates our society’s rot.
The Big Tech Extortion Racket: Harpers joins the “everybody hates big tech” party with their unique twist.
How UFO culture took over America: I can’t find a better way to spend about 45-minutes reading this magnum-opus in the Rolling Stone magazine.
The event industry is being confronted by its Napster moment: Skift founder Rafat Ali is right. The pandemic has forced a change in the industries that have resisted change. It is not good news for cities like San Francisco that depend on revenues from conventions and events.
Who is Facebook’s, Joel Kaplan? Find out about one of the more controversial people in technology.
It is also the end of summer, and that means a chance to blast the quintessential summer tunes for one last time. Here is my Spotify playlist. You can add your favorites since it is collaborative.
September 4, 2020. San Francisco.