reading, running and spending quality time
slow life, creating your own web, learning and exploring
✨ Highlights of the last 2 months
Ran the Half Marathon of Pontivy, achieving a PB of 1h42m26s!
Played in an old prison in Rennes for an urban trail, what a cool experience!
Spent time in Rennes with my girlfriend and friends
Spent time with my mom back home
Went to St Malo to enjoy some sunny weather
Spring cleaned physically and digitally to simplify
Attended a friend's wedding which was such a beautiful event
Left my apartment in Nantes and moved back home, closing a chapter to start a new one
📚 What I liked consuming the last 2 months
Let’s dive now into what I consumed the last 2 months and especially liked
I am experimenting with this newsletter layout in this issue and removing article illustrations to make the layout more minimalist. Feel free to share any feedback you might have!
Articles
The Slow Web - Jack Cheng
“What is the Fast Web? It’s the out of control web. The oh my god there’s so much stuff and I can’t possibly keep up web. It’s the spend two dozen times a day checking web.”
I have been interested in bringing more “slow” into my life, including in my web.
“Fast Web is destination-based. Slow Web is interaction-based. Fast Web is built around homepages, inboxes, and dashboards. Slow Web is built around timely notifications. Fast Web companies often try to rack up pageviews, since pageviews mean ad impressions. Slow Web companies tend to put effectiveness first.”
Slowing time by consuming more slowly. Switching to RSS and newsletters instead of 24/7 breaking news websites is something I have been doing for a while and don’t regret at all.
“Fast Web is about information. Slow Web is about knowledge. Information passes through you; knowledge dissolves into you.”
The Slow Web is the web I have been looking for recently, the small bloggers, the individual creators, the indie web, … There is a lot to discover so I highly recommend that you check it out!
Fast Web companies want to be our lovers, they want to be by our sides at all times, want us to spend every moment of our waking lives with them, when sometimes that’s not what we really need. Sometimes what we really need are friends we can meet once every few months for a bowl of ramen noodles at a restaurant in the East Village. Friends with whom we can sit and talk and eat and drink and maybe learn a little about ourselves in the process. And at the end of the night get up and go our separate ways, until next time.
The beauty of finished software - Jose M. Gilgado
I recently learned about the “Numerique Plus-juste” from a friend, and finished software is a topic I had not think about before either. This made me rethink the tools I use and simplify where I was overcomplicating.
“Finished software is software that’s not expected to change, and that’s a feature!”
Stop Acting Like You're Famous - Ash Newman
An article that made me realize that creating a blog, doesn’t make you automatically a content creator, you can just do it as a hobby for fun. This removes the pressure of publishing something perfect on the first try.
“You aren’t famous. Anything you do or create will probably receive little to no attention, so stop optimizing for a non-existent audience and instead focus on what makes you enjoy the activity.”
Realizing that you are not famous can also make you realize that you do not need to receive email notifications, that Do Not Disturb can be on most of the time, … (I have been following this idea for years)
“The most egregious thing you can do with any activity is daydream about how you can make money off of it. That’s the quickest way to optimize for the wrong things and suck the fun right out of it. Most likely you will stop doing the activity almost immediately, so save the money-making schemes for work.”
Monthly Musing - Cissy Hu
“In a world where we strive to maximize optionality, what if the freedom we seek through accumulation is actually found on the other side of simplicity? Perhaps freedom isn’t about having infinite optionality in everything, but rather in the things most meaningful to us.”
I am highly prioritizing the simplification of my life so this quote resonates with me.
“Borrowing elements of the Sabbath from Judaism and Christianity, the purpose of a tech sabbath is to put technology down for 24 hours (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) — to invest time in being more human and return to our bodies after the work week.”
I haven’t tried a tech sabbath for now, but that is something I might experiment with in the future. Feel free to contact me if you did one in the past.
I’m a very slow thinker - Derek Sivers
“When someone asks me a deep question, I say, “Hmm. I don’t know.” The next day, I have an answer.”
Nowadays we need to have an opinion on everything and have it fast, sadly. I prefer to take my time and say I don’t know instead of saying something too fast and wrong because I did not search for an answer. Derek Sivers writes about this idea in this post.
“When you’re less impulsive and more deliberate like this, it can be a little inconvenient for other people, but that’s OK. Someone asks you a question. You don’t need to answer. You can say, “I don’t know,” and take your time to answer after thinking. Things happen. Someone expects you to respond. But you can say, “We’ll see.””
The Internet as a video game - Joan Westenberg
“Too many of us build, create, engage and communicate for metrics rather than meaning.
What if we designed digital spaces that make us feel more alive? Spaces to create, to help, to matter. Where we gather not just for clout, status or entertainment but to build the future.“
Reading challenging books with kids is fun and probably useful - Henrik Karlsson
How his 3-year-old learned to read in a fun way. As someone who has no kids, it still was an interesting read on the process of learning.
'Better than a real man': young Chinese women turn to AI boyfriends - France 24
I know there are some benefits of AI friends to help people dealing with loneliness, but honestly, I am quite scared about the overall negative impact it’s going to have on society.
You are what you read - Jim Nielsen
“The goal of a book isn’t to get to the last page, it’s to expand your thinking.” - Dave Rupert
“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mental time zones - David Gasca
Mental time zones are an interesting way of bringing more slowness into your life.
Under this framework, we can enter many different mental time zones based on how actively we communicate with the outside world. Zones include:
Turbo (e.g., being online non-stop / twitter always open)
“Normal work day" (e.g., open phone or check email every 15 mins or so)
Focused (e.g., check your phone every few hours)
Quasi-sabbath (e.g., check phone 2-3x a day)
Sabbath (e.g., check phone once a day)
Sabbath++ (e.g., check every 10 days)
Quasi-permanently off the grid (e.g., only receive paper mail)
TikTok’s Tourette - David Epstein
An article on the rise of “mass social media-induced illness” and how it happened on TikTok related to Tourette’s syndrome.
Productivity Porn - Caleb Schoepp
“Keep in mind that productivity is a personal thing. It can look like a variety of things: founding a startup, working out at the gym, building a side project, reading a book, growing a garden. Regardless, the key is that you benefit from doing the actual activity, but not from thinking about doing it. Hence the problem with productivity porn.”
What’s wrong with Bryan Johnson - Sherry Ning
“I think a lot of people who wish to cheat death are just too afraid to live. The time you spend plotting ways to live longer might be better spent doing things that actually matter, because life isn’t meant to have a mission, it’s meant to become one. Living just for the sake of being alive is…pointless.”
“An obsession with longevity is a submission to death: when you let death dictate your entire life — what you eat, when you eat, how many steps you can take per day, what position you can sleep in — you reduce yourself down to an organism merely breathing.”
My mother declared my bedroom a disaster - Shaun Usher
How Ronald Reagan responded to a child who did not want to clean his bedroom.
The Folly of China’s Real-Estate Boom Was Easy to See, but No One Wanted to Stop It - The Wall Street Journal
A deep dive article on the China real estate bubble.
Tending Evergreen Notes in Roam Research - Maggie Appleton
I am currently reading how to take smart notes so this blog post is a good companion to illustrate some notions.
To share a cup of tea with Pierre Sernet - Sabukaru
Books
Slow Productivity - Cal Newport
The latest book of Cal Newport on why the concept of productivity is broken and how we can make it more meaningful and avoid burnout.
La Tyrannie du Divertissement - Olivier Babeau
How free time evolved over the centuries and how it is impacting our societies and what we can do about it.
Right Behind You - Lisa Gardner
Not tired of reading Lisa Gardner awesome thriller books and Right Behind You is again a fantastic one!
The Woods - Harlan Coben
The Woods is a great Harlan Coben that IMO could be a movie or small series as the story is captivating to read.
Podcasts
Guest host Hank Green makes Nilay Patel explain why websites have a future
Interesting point of view of Nilay Patel from the Verge, on the future of the Internet, ActivityPub, the Indie Web, …
Videos
Making a Macintosh Studio - SYJ
Red Bull Doesn’t Sell Cans Anymore - Fatche
The kids Who Hacked The CIA - fern
The Conway’s Game of Life - Ego
This video was mind-blowing to me on the topic of life at the cells level.
Billionaire Bunker Home Tour - Simon Puech
Apple’s Lie on the Vision Pro - Léo Duff
How Grand Theft Auto Became So Big - Tejas Hullur
The Story of Eliud Kipchoge - Mathaf
As I run more, I consume more running-related content to learning about Eliud Kipchoge life story was very interesting.
What the French Post Would Look Like As A Tech Startup - Mickael Marquez
Living in An Abandoned Lighthouse - CNBC
Discovery of The Most Nuked Place on Earth That You Probably Don’t Know About - Yes Theory
Empress: the controversial queen of video Games Piracy - Sylvqin
What’s inside Berghain? - Hoog
Visit of The $1B Copy of Paris in China - Yes Theory
Trapped in The Deadliest Forest in Europe - Simon Puech
How Ghibli Became The Studio we Know Today - Sofyan
Techno & Tiktok - Arte
Smartphones are probably listening to us - Underscore_
Anecdotes About the Toy Story Movie for The Pixar Aficionados - Clara Runway
A video of hundreds of emperor penguin chicks jumping a 50-feet cliff in Antarctica, yes why not?
Documentaries
Squeezie - Merci Internet
I am an Internet Kid, I grew up online and Squeezie has been part of the content I have been consuming for years (fun fact: I even met him in 2017) He is an inspiration so learning about how Lucas Hauchard became Squeezie, with the positive and negative aspects, was eye-opening on certain things. I highly recommend it even if you don’t watch Youtube at all.
Each Night is a Unique Experience
As a DJ who performed at the Warehouse, It was great to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of this club. (I even make a quick cameo for a quick second haha)
Movies
The Talented Mr Ripley
Defending Jacob
Ennemi Public
Music
Hard Techno Set - Omora - Cord Room
My friend and APEX cofounder played his first video set at Cordroom in Rennes, a concept showcasing talented local DJs and it was a blast!
Eden Roc - Ludovico Einaudi
I discovered one of the latest Ludovico Einaudi songs.
Trassiberian - Thylacine
A friend of mine made me discover this Thylacine album and I am looking forward to relisten to it while exploring a new place, which my friend did while listening to it.
Interstellar - Hans Zimmer - Electric Harp Cover
Jump 4 Joy - Pegassi
George Benson - Give Me The Night (Dj S Rework)
👀 What I’m up to the next 2 months
Doing my first closing set on May 4th in Rennes, playing Techno Acid Rave for the first time in a full set.
With APEX, we are hosting the pregame open-air party of the Rock’n Solex festival at the Morex Custom House on May 8th.
Playing for the first time on a festival stage, at the Rock’n Solex Festival in Rennes on May 19th, with other DJ friends on the small stage! Rock’n Solex is the oldest student festival in France.
Starting a 10K running plan with Kiprun Pacer, trying to improve my 10k time.
Beginning working on my new personal website, excited to experiment while building it!
Continuing planning for what’s next professionally for me.
Spending time with family and friends as a big priority right now.
And that’s it for this May 2024 issue of Full-Time Curious 😁 If you enjoyed reading this bimonthly issue, you can like this newsletter by clicking the ❤️ below, subscribe or respond to this email so we can chat.
Thanks for reading and see you in 2 months!
Alexandre
Full-Time Curious