Musings – Page 3 – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

Things We Know But Don’t Admit

There are things we know. There are things we don’t know. And there are those damn known unknowns.

There are also things we know but don’t want to admit we know. Some of those things keep us in quiet denial. Some of those things allow us to loudly vent outrage at forces beyond our control. (We love forces beyond our control.) Regardless, those things are things. Admit it or not.

One thing we can be grateful to the rotting orange turd blossom for is that he cracked open some of the myths we’ve all been hiding behind like an egg-sucking dog in a hen house. Although lately the current that wants to drag us swiftly back into the safe harbor of myth seems to be rapidly increasing. But I think it’s probably taking us under. Again.

Broken beyond broken is the “no one is above the law” saw. You can also call it the “we’re a nation of laws” myth. Yeah, we have them. Yeah, for most of us they mean something. But hey, get real. There’s a Department of Justice memo that basically says that whomever we elect as president is above the law. If you aren’t paying attention, that pretty much de-myths the myths. At least until someone decides the principle of the unitary executuive that spawned that memo gets tossed into the shredder. (Hint: That’s not going to happen. Hint 2: We apparently love to be governed by memos.)

So indictments may come for the rotting orange turd blossom and his blossomettes. Headlines will scream. Lower thirds will find new shades of red to burn our retinas. But folks I’m sorry. We’ve been playing a game with rules we thought we knew until recently. And the house always wins.

Admitting we know that would open up a can of worms nobody wants to fish with.

Curtain Up

This is the third act of Life on The Wicked Stage.

There was a an Act 1 on the long since dead Windows Live Spaces (sorry no links available). There was an Act 2 on TypePad. Both of which seem like a several lifetimes ago. In addition there was some tech geek blogging and gadget reviewing on GottaBeMobile and some writing on various subjects on Medium.

So. Curtain up on Act 3. You don’t find many plays in the three-act form these days, which dates me. But I prefer to think of it has having the benefit of wisdom acquired through age. Or you can just call me old.

Where the Mastodons Roam

So I’m hanging out on Mastodon these days. It’s the social networking site that quite a few folks have found to continue their social networking addiction, thanks to Elon Musk’s behavior as the new owner of Twitter. So far I’m liking it quite a bit. Scratch that. I’m liking it a lot. So do many of the folks I’m hanging out with.

If you’ve come to this blog post from Mastodon you’ll recognize most of the things folks are saying in my thoughts. Yes, it’s more civil. Yes, the Mastodonians are working hard to keep it that way in reacton to the Musk melon’s mucking up the joint. Yes, it’s not Twitter. Yes, the engagement is richer. And yes, it’s fun.

I’m here to tell you that I haven’t had as much fun with an Internet thingie since, well… since Twitter first came along.

While Mastodon has existed for awhile (I first staked out a piece of turf in May of last year), it picked up a fast blossoming head of steam once Musk’s purchase of Twitter went through. That momentum seems to be continuing. And those who’ve set up shop in these recent waves of refugees seem to be enjoying themselves as much as I am.

In addition to hanging out there it led to this blog. I stopped blogging and writing on the Internet primarily due to Twitter’s existence. I’m not alone in that. But as Mastodon is gaining in popularity, there appears to be a parallel resurgence in personal blogging. That urge hit me as well and here we are.

Twitter may have turned into the place of “owning” someone with a witty response, but “being owned” accelerated into a whole new nasty meaning in the last few months. So, Mastodon or no, it was time for a change.

For those who don’t know, Mastodon is set up as a decentralized network where no one person has control or ownership. It exists in a place(?) called the Fediverse. There are many Instances (or servers) where folks can find a home, and those Instances are interconnected through the Internet. If you’re not paying attention to that structural distinction Mastodon feels like a similar experience to Twitter. I’m reasonably certain that Mastodon will run into some issues down the road given its structure and philosophy. But that’s for another day.

There are other types of services in the Fediverse as well. Pixelfed is an Instagram-like service Yes, I’ve staked out a spot there as well, though I’m not that active currently. And if you’re starting to sense that these services on the Fediverse sound reactionary, then you’re correct. I’ll probably spew out some words on that in the future.

But for the moment I’m enjoying that fun I referred to earlier. Not only is the service new (we all like new things and self-validate our new choices) but the energy in the eco-system surrounding Mastodon feels very much like the days when mobile tech exploded after the launch of the iPhone. I’ve tried out more new apps in recent months than I have in the last couple of years. I’m re-discovering folks who I followed but somehow lost sight of on Twitter while discovering new folks in abundance.

So, if you choose to visit this blog you’ll be hearing more about Mastodon in the future. If you choose to find your way there you can check me out at this link.

End of the Year Lists for 2022

There’s a lot I didn’t see/listen to/consume but from what I did ingest here are some thoughts. NOTE: I don’t believe in “best of.” So these lists contain what I most enjoyed.

Films:

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Prey

RRR

Everything, Everywhere All at Once

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

The Howard Stern Interview: Bruce Springsteen

Spirited

Glass Onion