h. Play

ITW Jaron Lanier

But we can’t do this combination of libertarian and communist ideology. It just doesn’t work. You have to choose one.

We already did that and they both sucked. We should have hybrid and build on that. Example of a concrete libertarian-communist tool designed to help everybody:

A true micro-transaction system with an annual, decent and fixed fee. Shareware apps. The service allows us to drop any amount of money from 10 cents to thousands to someone instantly.

Imagine the impact. Oh Harold is not doing good, here’s some change I have * 10 friends boom; little slice of income. The service itself would probably not make much money if at all, although that’s the case with most of Silicon Valley’s current champs isn’t it. It’s not always about profitability.

It would completely transform the world like the internet did.

Economically, tons of things would change and so it would change the social fabric too. This is an example of true hybrid ideology: pushing freedom and technology to profit everyone and not just the 0.1% of humans on earth. Some guys get it.

The point is, you super extremely absurdly rich people need to step down and do the work. Everyone else is.

I got my bike wheels and saddle stolen at work. Security guard was off.

Motherfuckers were in the library before doing it so we have them on 15 different cameras.

Police will get all that. They will passively track them. The thieves are probably in the system already. If not, now they are.

Being in the police system for 2 beat up bike wheels and a cute saddle is dumb.

But maybe they needed the $40 they’ll get for them. I know what’s like to wait for that kind of money, sadly.

If I had a better bike I wouldn’t leave it outside. But if I had a better bike, I probably wouldn’t work there. Or if buying new wheels and saddle were nothing, I wouldn’t work there either and so my bike would still be complete.

Systems loop. Thieves keep staying poor and in trouble. Broke people keep staying broke. And doing fine people keep not understanding.

It’s going to be Utah VS Houston. Best defense VS best offense.

Donovan Mitchell is the man. Beautiful talent and scoop layups. One thing the Jazz and the Pacers are showing: basketball is a team sport. You win as a team. OKC and Cleveland didn’t deserve to go further. Maybe the Cavs will on Sunday but the truth is that they shouldn’t: That game 5 with LeBron scoring almost everything for them was the most boring game I’ve ever seen. Just awful. The Pacers play well, together and beat them by 34 in game 6 while they always lost by 2 or 3 this series. They should advance to the semi. Facts.

Meanwhile my Spurs are gone (but played well) so I root for the Pels. It’s going to be a rough series for the Warriors, especially for Draymond Green in the paint. I can’t wait to see Jrue clamp Klay because Klay has been fatal to San Antonio.

A Pelicans VS Sixers finals would be awesome.

More than not being employed making games,

More than not really surviving on a day job,

What hurts right now is not designing. I want to think deeply about the thousands of variables. Pondering on the effect of this or that inside the game. Simplifying. Iterating. Simulating. Visualizing. Keeping the damn scope. Game Audio. Gameplay. Game Audio. Gameplay. Updating software.

It’s hard and intense and I miss this so fucking much. Oh, and teamwork.

I’m just helping people with their computers and that makes me so much more aware of what I can do. They can’t remember a password they just created and I smile at them while I want my skull to be overwhelmed with game data, assets, files, schedules. I’m bored to death.

Shooting 3s is nice. When you swish one, it’s a good feeling. When you base an entire team’s offense on it like the Rockets do, it’s complicated.

Sure, during regular season it works well. Scoring is an easiest way to win: don’t move much, shoot a three. Compared to defending –raising arms, running awkwardly- or shooting contested 2s, 3-point shooting is the most efficient way to lead. And James Harden is the most insane contested 3 shooter we’ve ever seen.

Now, during the playoffs it’s way different. Teams expect those shooters beyond the arc and will make sure they don’t get the ball that often. The shooter has all the pressure and that’s where shooting 3s becomes a curse: you miss one. You miss two. Four. It’s the playoffs. Not scoring leads to stressed AF really fast. Then you doubt. Should you try again? Should you pass, drive? If you hesitate, you lose.

It becomes a curse. You try to focus on making those 3s and suddenly your defense sucks hard. The Rockets have showed that over and over. If they score, they’re defending pretty well. If they don’t, it’s like an open boulevard in the paint. My Spurs are doing the opposite: they focus on defense, which makes them shoot badly from 3 quite often.

But once they get it going, they win. They kept the NBA champions to 90 and their 3s went in on Sunday. 13 point lead. It’s easier to go for scoring 3s than to go for strong defense. But defense is crucial.

Pop is right. Defense first. Then your mundane bullshit like crazy threes and all that.

I have started to really forget what I own back in France. I know I have two guitars, that I miss a lot sometimes. A few pedals and gear. I remember a few t-shirts. My foster dad’s bike that I customized with a dope handlebar and a white tire on the front wheel.

I still remember where to jump inside the train so that I’m right next to the exit at multiple stops through Paris though. I don’t miss the train life at all.

I’m restless and exhausted at the same time. It used to be one feeling after the other, now it’s a combo with fries. I want to stretch out my body forever 24/7. My immune system goes wild sometimes. I need to get out of the city and recharge in the woods. In the desert. By the pool. In the pool.

It will be awesome.

Escape the echo chamber.

What fuels echo chambers is as usual, the same nasty thing: greed. It’s power greed. Cult-like influence greed. Take health: we know how to be at the best health possible. It’s not that deep: don’t eat too much, eat a variety of things, move your body. 365 days a year. That’s about it and that’s how Asian and European populations age very well.

Enter influence junkies who absolutely need to create their echo chamber about something basic like nutrition. People here in Cali really think they need a gym card and a paleo/cross-fit/juice combo to stay in shape. It’s not a big deal –do what you want- and it’s for the good. Yet it’s absurd. Echo chamber, y’all.

Echo chambers arise because we trust others too much.

Trust is making us vulnerable but it’s also all we have. There’s no weakness to me: if it’s the only way (and it is) to get shit done, so be it. Trust is like an open and secure protocol. It sounds paradoxical because it is. Yes it’s not perfect, but we built some insane stuff based on that so, I’ll take it.

I think echo chambers arise when we stop verifying trust. that’s the “secure” part. We just stop trusting, we start believing because it’s easier. We’re lazy creatures.

What is going there? It’s the largest country on earth. Once the USSR was dissolved in 1991, I’ve never really understood what happened or what’s happening over there. It’s the country of people good at maths and programming I guess? And unafraid youth jumping from skyscrapers to cranes.

And then we hear about them like they’re Machiavel. But they were allies at many points in history, they kind of are right now with Europe against Syria or maybe not? Nothing makes fucking sense. And we really don’t know much about what’s going on there. The largest country on earth.

It’s super weird isn’t it?

Playoffs!

Them Wolves could upset the Rockets after winning their spot into the playoffs, Butler on Harden and shit could go wrong. Even though Houston leads the league, those games are so boring: iso/3s, a few lob passes for a dunk and that’s it. Their defense is still sometimes very bad so we’ll see.

The Spurs could upset the Warriors, they know them well and they’re missing Steph. I believe in them. Aldridge dropped 45 points on the strongest defense (Utah) a few weeks ago, when they click and that Patty shows up, they still are a difficult-to-decipher threat. They’ve been ass on the road this season though, it’s going to be ultra tough. If Kawhi comes back then Spurs in 6. Big if true amirite.

Pels and Sixers are exciting and scary. They’re hungry, have everything rolling in their favors. I wouldn’t like to be the opponents. Nobody can’t stop AD, Mirotic has been insane, playoff Rondo is so ready and Jrue has been amazing. Good luck with that shit. Sixers are a bit different, younger but packing great depth and talent.

OKC could do it too but I’d go for the Pels over them, too irregular. Raptors shaking again, even though they really have everything for them with a great bench now. They need DeRozan and Lowry to show up and lead. Come on the North, bring it on.