Checkpoints vol. 3
Getting sick, decolonial computing, home-cooked software, barber beats, how to promo your work as a creative, socials graphs, musicsss and more!
Yo!
I had quite a full past three weeks.
I went on a short trip to a resort in Mexico. While it was relaxing, I couldn’t help but feel like I was still in the US. The whole place was literally filled with Americans, lol. It was nice to be away, though, and the weather was really nice there.
After returning from my trip, I was hit with a really nasty flu that got me bedridden for weeks. The crappy thing about being sick, besides feeling like shit, is that you can’t do anything. This was the worst for me, especially as someone who likes to feel “productive” all the time. The silver lining was that I finished the thick-ass book “Death’s End” (part of the Three-Body Problem Trilogy) while I was sick. It was perfect because my delirious state added to the surreal narrative of the book, lol. It’s a cool book, though; everyone should read the trilogy!
On a more serious note, I’m grateful. I’m thankful that it’s summer and the weather is nice, which means I get to go out and see my friends more and do summery things (like grilling outside with my fancy yakitori grill with binchotan charcoal).
Every couple of months, I write “checkpoints” where I share cool links and reads I’m into. I’m sure there’s something in here that will catch your fancy. If you have links/reads/stuff that you think I might be into, please send them my way (feel free to reply to this email).
Anyway, I hope you’re having a great summer! Remember to enjoy it, wear your SPF, and hydrate!
<3
Mark
Tech
Turning the tables on AI - This article offers strategies on how to thoughtfully use LLMs that start with you, the human.
A brief introduction to decolonial computing - A must read for the decolonial hackers and technologists.
Curating my Corner of the Internet with a freehand web editor -Maybe I’m getting old, but I miss the old internet.
Home-cooked Software and Barefoot Developers - This piece talks about the rise of the “Barefoot Developer” — a middle ground between professional programmers and end-user.
Culture
Barber Beats: The Future of Vaporwave - For those who are unfamiliar, Vaporwave is an aesthetic and musical movement that was born in the 2010s using slowed down funk/city pop samples (usually with very minor editing) and Japanese typography and imagery. Living through this time, I’d call it one of the most internet-native musical movements of the 2000s. This article offers a primer on “Barber Beats” movement and how this could be an evolution (or maturation?) of Vaporwave.
Work/Life
Useful and Overlooked Skills - TLDR; soft skills - but there’s more on this article I promise.
Perfectionism is optimizing at the wrong scale - “Precision is expensive. A perfection-mindset should be applied to the end goal. Assuming limited resources, it isn’t always possible to do everything — let alone do everything right. Applying a perfection mindset to subtasks can come at the cost of perfection at the project- or life-scale.” (emphasis mine).
Start Presentations on the Second Slide - As someone who presents often (sometimes technical subjects), this is a welcome tip. Pulled from film making and fiction writing, the short of it really is to drop the audience where the action is, then tell the story of how you got there. Even though this piece is written for programmers, it is incredibly useful even if you are not one.
Promotional Principles for Creative People - a collaborative work-in-progress document from Metalabel that shares principles on how to promote yourself. I definitely needed to read this.
First we shape our social graph; then it shapes us - Part of a 4-part series. The author Henrik Karlsson talks about finding your milieu (or your unique cultural intersection) and how to use that to develop one’s self. I love it.
Music
Sure Sure, Beachy Keys - “Two Ships”. That chorus is like really thick molasses I can’t help but have seconds.
BADBADNOTGOOD, Charlotte Day Wilson - “In Your Eyes”. When I first heard this song I had to stop what I’m doing and saved it. So good.
corto.alto - “Slope”. This what I imagine “future jazz” to sound like.
Mejiwahn, Daniel Bitran - “Sesebo”. It took me a few listens to grasp the hook. It’s so good.
Khruangbin - “Todavia Viva”. Been a Khruangbin fan for a while now and love their whole vibe. This one delivers as usual. That sweet bassline is so delicious.
Gene Harris - “Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong” - Here’s another song with a sweet bassline. Definitely bass-face inducing. The hook is also catchy as hell.
Meridian Brothers, El Grupo Renacimiento - “Hipnosis”. I’d call this… “psychedelic salsa” and I’m very very into it.
Some projects I’ve done lately
Local Minima - a gather of artists-technologists in Los Angeles. Next one coming soon! (follow me on socials to keep updated, @markredito)
Started crafting a presentation on Stable Diffusion. A wise man once told me “do presentations, it accelerates your learning”. I believe that. If you’re thinking of having me present a “gentle overview” of Stable Diffusion’s architecture, let me know!
Books I’ve started/finished this month
Death’s End (3 Body Problem Trilogy) by Cixin Liu
Writing to Learn by William Zinsser
A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Bennett