Author: Seth Werkheiser

NOT KEEPING UP

One site I hit everyday is Daring Fireball. I switched to Apple computers back in 2003 and haven’t looked back.

John Gruber started the site in 2002, and it’s pretty much been the same every since, from what I can remember.

Grey, rarely any images, and no comment.

I don’t subscribe to his newsletter (I don’t think he has one), followed on a social media network, or added his podcast feed to a podcast player.

But when I want someone’s opinion on Apple stuff, internet news, tech happenings, or other big events, I just start typing “dar” into my browsers address bar, autocomplete fills in the rest, and I hit enter.

Rather than go to one site (Twitter) that funnels 1000 people onto a soapbox I just go to one person for this.

ROUND AND ROUND

I keep watching as Twitter implodes, and seeing Facebook further incinerate its relationship with legit news, and realizing that I’m not jumping to another social media network. I mean, I’m just tapped out.

It’s wild that the boomers latched onto Facebook as hard as they did, which makes sense since so many of their kids got tired of their racist, xenophobic shit, and got tired of hearing how they paid for college working a 12 hour a week summer job, but still… I just can’t imagine being 60 something and going, “you know what? I want to spend more time on a computer.”

So I keep optimizing (read: spending) for adventure. Bikes, more running gear, gas in the car to head to the hills. Even though I have to drive through some sketchy traffic to get to the park pictured above, it’s very worth it. A paved one mile loop with no cars? Sign me up.

Life is here, in front of me, and that’s just fine.

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

The decline of Twitter has really intrigued me, and it’s sort of bittersweet. I mean, I love seeing a rich jerk completely shit the bed, but dammit, I’ve been on Twitter since July 22, 2006. I’m user #2,873. This site has been a major part of my life, and now it’s just burning to the ground.

I mean, I know it hasn’t been great, and it hasn’t been a joy to use since 2016 and all that nonsense (ahem), but wow.

It’s not that I’m going to “miss everyone,” as I see the same people around Instagram or Facebook, and I text with some of them, and have phone calls with others.

That idea (above) is what gets me. You can literally post something in the morning, and be on a late-night TV show later that evening.

Tweet something before you get on a plane, get fired before you land.

You could Tweet at a major musical idol, or movie star, and they might reply.

So there was a lot of tension on there. The ability to call truth to power, gather support, raise funds – big stuff.

It was all in one place, and now it might be gone.

RIVER RAMBLING

The day started at 5:30am, as I had to get to a friend’s house, then up to the Delaware Water Gap for the 10th running of the River Ramble.

The weather report said there was a 7% chance of rain by 9am, but there was a light rain pretty much the entire time. And it was also like 65F, with 90% humidty.

Like, train all summer with the dreadful humidity then reap the rewards during races in the Fall when the humidity is supposed to be gone, but the air was thick and heavy. I was supposed to run the 10K route, but I knew at mile one I’d only be doing the 5K.

My pace went up at each mile (11:26 > 11:07 > 10:14), and averaged a 140bpm rate, so I was happy with all that.

Finished in 32:13, which is a 10:23/mile pace, which I’ll take since I haven’t ran that pace consistently in any of my running this year! I guess my slow mileage has paid off.

ROAD TO NOWHERE

Since 2006 I’ve been logging onto Twitter. That’s 16 years of checking in on a website or app. I was 30 when I signed up, living in NYC at the time. I made some friends, lost some friends, traveled around, and now I’m 46 years old and there’s lots of wondering of what’s next.

I’m no fan of the new ownership, but I haven’t been a fan of the service for a few years now, or social media in general, given the algorithmic bent towards gossip, horror, extreme viewpoints, and other nonsense.

Gone are the days of logging in and seeing art and joy from my friends, and instead being served ads for shit I don’t need, and people I don’t follow. Great.

I don’t think there’s any new place I’ll go. I’m pretty okay with the small group of people I chat with on the phone, swap texts with, and private DM here and there. I think that can be enough.

Because last thing I need is a 3rd party company run by a bunch of morons coming between me and the personal communications with friends.

Messages (via the iPhone, Mac), phone calls (iPhone), and some Instagram messaging, which I need to break away from.

I think that’s good enough.

NOT KNOWING

Remember running into an old friend and catching up? Learning what’s new in their life? Maybe hearing bad news, horrible news, or the best news in the world?

Then social media came alone and I know what some people have for dinner every night. Job promotions or layoffs announced far and wide. New kids, bad luck, and everything in between.

I think about my younger days, when we ran with smaller crews. Yes, we were on IRC and made friends and met up at shows in cities an hour (or more) away. Now we’re taking in a steady flow of everything from everyone, not just our friends, but also a toxic mix of the worst shitbags we wouldn’t hang around for one minute, yet we let them seep into our life on a minute by minute basis.

It used to be Trump, then Kayne… at this moment in time it’s Kyrie Irving.

Like, why do I know all this shit? How are there 10 articles per hour coming out about each detail, old interview, and random quote?

I’m not saying ignorance is bliss. I’m not saying I want to live under a rock.

I’m just saying that maybe we don’t all need to go to another social media network to keep up with what everyone is doing all the time.

Like the lights came up after a show, and we all went home.

Call, text, send an email. I don’t know.

I’m just pretty sure I’m not jumping to a new social media network.

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ARE BLOG POSTS

We’d all leave social media if there was just somewhere else to go, right?

Somewhere else, though, is “a service run by tech-bros that wish to create value for shareholders.” Like, we just want reverse chronological order, photos, and the ability to message or leave replies.

You know that’s a blog, right?

Come on – you’re smart. You can set up a smart phone, navigate your state’s DMV website to renew your car registration, figure out Calendly, pay for tickets and use your phone as entry into a show – you’re fucking smart, you can set up a blog.

THE FALL IS ALL I NEED

Had a nice chill 15 mile bike ride on Saturday. This trail is a rail to trail, so uphill for the first half, than downhill for the second half, but it’s easy and chill. I wanted something I could ride without much thought, and just enjoy scenery.

Then on Sunday I had my first run in three weeks, probably the longest time I’ve taken off since I started running in 2016. I tweaked my foot a few weeks back when running a little too fast downhill, and paid for it by needed to take some time off.

I ran a full mile, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Felt good, felt like I could have ran more of it, but figured I’d take it easy, and will continue to do so for this week and next, probably.

Thought of how neither of these efforts was hard. Neither worked up much of a sweat, but neither were a waste of time. They probably didn’t help me achieve peak physical prowess, but it’s all foundational, one brick at a time.