h. Play

I watched the first OVAs. I have seen all the movies. It’s a different vibe from anything with mecha coming from Japan. Mamoru Oshii –Ghost in the Shell- is/was the director. Production backstory:

In the late 1980s, Oshii was solicited by his friend Kazunori Itō to join Headgear as a director. The group was composed of Kazunori Itō (screenwriter), Masami Yuki (manga artist), Yutaka Izubuchi (mechanical designer), Akemi Takada (character designer) and Mamoru Oshii (director). Together they were responsible for the Patlabor TV series, OVA, and films. Released in the midst of Japan’s economic crisis, the Patlabor series and films projected a dynamic near-future world in which grave social crisis and ecological challenges were overcome by technological ingenuity, and were a big success in the mecha genre.

This show is not about mechas. it’s a dad mecha world. It focuses on responsibilities and consequences of having giant robots working in cities, Operating Systems that can fuck up or hackers who are up to no good.

It feels very real now that we have the first tests of giant robots happening. It feels like it’s here but I remember being a kid in 89 and being annoyed at that “serious” angle. When you’re a kid you want the fantasy mecha, flying at mach 2, 300 missiles shot at the same time etc. None of that in Patlabor (do you have 300 missiles launching money?). The unit that operates those police robots is under scrutiny, they’re broke, they’re trying to save money/keep their jobs. Their missions are mostly about heavy construction robots accidents and making sure they don’t damage the city when they operate. They are an elite crew of mechanics and pilots doing boring cop stuff.

There is just a tension, a melancolia in this universe that I haven’t felt in anything else with robots. It makes it unique, it makes me care more. It’s philosophy-based but not going all nuts like Oshii’s future work. It’s simpler: how can we balance our lives with technology? Is technology really that necessary?

It blows my mind that some guys were actively thinking about and designing that world in 1985 and on. Japanese culture is so absurdly good at the “what if” game.

I forgot something in my plans: tons of people live alone or will. Divorces, couples without kids, younger generations scared to love so they end up on their own for a long time… Plenty of social patterns that are not going to fill pretty big family houses anytime soon.

It’s OK! That just means that the subdivision would be smaller, which means a denser density akin to SoCal, but also less spread than the acre plan was creating. I can work with that.

It’s simple. I think about houses and suburbs not just because of LA’s structure and culture but because of the state of the world.

We have got to have more space between us. Regardless of how you think “those” people should be or not be, the best way to nurture empathy and respect is to have your own space. When people who live a very different life and participate into a very different culture are 24/7 in your face, it creates anger and resentment, it is just a matter of time. When you have your safe space you think differently, you don’t feel attacked like when your upstairs neighbor is having a party on a week day. What I mean is that current politics and the entire human history are telling me that we need to flatten a lot of things, starting by cities.

Let’s spread out privilege to everyone. Let’s erase the “being in the good part of the city” or the “most convenient and hip 2017 neighborhood”. The idea is that wherever you live will be on par with anywhere else. For that, you need standards.

That’s too big of a lot. 1 acre is a lot of maintenance to do. 0.5 or 0.4 (1600m²) would be fine.

FLW’s Brodacre City was a good start. Except for the acre subdivision, that might be a little too much (that’s 4000 m²). People immediately lose their shit on the infinite suburbs promises like it’s bad but I just think it would be the best for peace and quality of life. It’s interesting that people want cities like the 19th and 20th centuries created, disregarding how much more diverse population is, disregarding the online and telecommuting possibilities. Those facts change everything about how to design and make cities thrive.

Franky Goes to Taliesin thought that people would drive around –the car was getting mainstream when he designed the Broadacre utopia- which was definitely the case but yeah, we went through the constant driving paradigm from the 50s to 2010s and I guess we are done with that.

Good news is that this ForeverDrivin’ issue has been solved, isn’t that wonderful? Imagine: you’re living in your cool little house with front and back yards, your kids, your pets. You get ready to go see your auntie who lives 150 kms away. You wait on the sidewalk, get in that vehicle that has panoramic views allowing you to look everywhere around. You sit there, listening to music, talking, reading while the vehicle moves you and your family to your destination. You didn’t even flinch or stress out, you are there in no time and the kids were able to do their homework.

You arrive and it’s another suburban house, totally different style and environment but it’s still the same. Your kids ride their bikes around and come back for dinner.

I think it’s the only setting that would suppress the rat race we’re currently living and change the paradigm.

WHAT ABOUT SHOPPING

Well, I think it’s going to be a lot of little stores that you will go to. Local stores. Everything else will be delivered. It’s already so much the case: people don’t want to move to obtain stuff unless it’s special stuff, or if it’s kind of an entertaining thing to do like going to a cool looking coffee shop and flirt, that’s good motivation.

THIS SOUNDS BORING AS HELL

Go live in a warzone tf? Batshit crazy NYC or Paris will still be around for a while, have fun. I’m focusing on what matters to me, you do you.

It’s the holidays and I think about my dad a lot. It’s been a minute and I saw Christmas pictures of him and he doesn’t look happy but when I skype he’s always super joyful.

Thinking about the future, thinking about building houses, thinking about that independent gene that I have, I have so many memories of my dad and I doing things. Starting them, not really knowing what the fuck we’re doing and then completing them.

I remember him getting some pile of sand delivered to make concrete slabs for the family house. I was a kid so it seemed like an entire dune was sitting there on the patio. Of course the first thing I wanted to do what to run on top of it and slide down and scream and laugh. And dad would always be really calm and straight up like “hey, I need this sand to build something, if you jump on it it will get mixed up with the dirt and disappear in the ground, do you know how much that pile of sand costs?”

Oh yeah we fixin’ that too. It’s easy. You just start doing it and then at some point it’s done.

Bam. He was right though. So I quickly became more serious about that, trying to help him out. I remember one day annoying the hell out of him like “can I help you please? I’m bored” and him being like “there’s a broom over there and if you could clean up this area that would help me a lot”. I remember being mad, thinking I’m worth more than that you know? But it taught me that everything is important when you build things and that you have to start somewhere.

We built/fixed/installed so many things I can’t believe it: tiles on the floor, radiant heat concrete slabs, full windows, doors, entire electric systems, full bathrooms, roofs that didn’t exist. Everything. I still remember back when I had just tasted California in 09 I was back home in August to goddamn replace 20m/65 feet of underground sewer pipes in the front yard with PVC pipes and two years later we had to fix a big ass roof, cleaning up every single tile. I mean. My bedroom didn’t exist and my dad was like “yeah it will be up there and I’ll install a small shower in your closet too” and I wasn’t happy about that because it seemed like it was too much, delaying my room –I had a good sense of the importance of getting shit done already- but he fucking did it anyway and it was dope as hell.

That’s his room now.

And that’s what I remember the most. His absolute and brutal persistence. This mental state of I Will Make This Work. Fast forward now and I’m like him, always surprised that most people are scared to do anything if they haven’t done it all their lives. My whole life is about going for it, going at it even if it’s pretty much unfamiliar. Scared, but not scared. Very useful for design stuff.

But also, it’s so insanely satisfying. Taking on a challenge, building something that didn’t exist and then it does! You use and enjoy it and it’s just one of the best feeling ever. You don’t feel like you need to buy shit. you don’t feel like you need to know what others are doing. You’re simply happy and proud. It’s beautiful.

I owned knowing that to my dad. I just wanted to honor him while he’s alive. Merci ‘pa, t’es le meilleur.

What. A. Year. First it feels like 2015-2016 has just been one giant, mad, crazy year. Janet Jackson had a new album out in fifteen called Unbreakable and it’s like well girl TOO SOON. A whole lot of things broke this year.

I DID NOT. I didn’t snap. I could have. Because of work, because of the heat sometimes, because of politics often. Holding strong, in the best shape of my life, my back hurts a bit though. I know why.

A lot of famous people passed away but I still can’t believe Prince is gone. The average speed of gentrification in my neighborhood is now over Mach 3. Yes, black-owned businesses and black tenants are the first to leave and layered with the rest –Philando to Barack- it hurts my god. So much love around though. Yeah, I keep it vague. We all do now that we know that it’s the only way to maintain something nice for a little bit, right?

So there’s that. Onward. Don’t forget to live because wow, things are fragile.

As usual, terrific article. When Ta-nehisi describes the indescribable joy of having so much black excellence around, taking over the very highly symbolic White House (built by slaves if you didn’t know), it’s… It’s something very strong man. Like something that will never not make me weep a bit.

As beautiful as it is though, some things need to happen for a better world. Things that need to happen to a whole lot of people, not just one amazing family.

the president accomplished major feats. He remade the nation’s health-care system. He revitalized a Justice Department that vigorously investigated police brutality and discrimination, and he began dismantling the private-prison system for federal inmates. Obama nominated the first Latina justice to the Supreme Court, gave presidential support to marriage equality, and ended the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, thus honoring the civil-rights tradition that had inspired him.

Actual, real world for most people out there:

– health-care? Still absolute trash and about to get worse.

– justice? Where?

– prisons? Nothing has really changed at all. Probably about to get worse too.

– Sonia Maria Sotomayor as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States? Great.

– marriage equality thumbs up? Great.

– military reforms? Sort of, great.

Those points don’t achieve shit for 99% of people. Nothing has changed because economic rules have not changed one bit. Banks can still do whatever the fuck they want, bailed out by governments. Companies get the fuck away from workers, automating as fast as possible and we love it as customers. Redlining and gentrification are happening, displacing people. Reparations –that have been scrutinized by the UN and validated- are not on the table of discussions and even just writing it down feels like an achievement to myself. Taboo af.

Nothing has changed. Besides one thing: black people are doing better than ever. So that’s annoying.

That’s where with all the optimism Barack Obama brings in and that I understand very well –like him, I by default trust white people- I share Ta-nehisi Coates pessimism on the future.

Because I know what’s happening: people are reaching for cover. When you reach for cover, you side with people who look like you, it’s probably some reptilian habits and some lack of courage/good ol’ fear. Many white people will side with powerful racists not because they want it but because ultimately it profits them. Survival requires as we know, to do whatever it takes. Asians don’t side with black people as minorities for those reasons, they don’t want to upset their better relationship with white people. They stay neutral (though it’s changing, which is good). Same with Mexicans (25% of y’all voted Trump, let that sink in).

It’s a trip.

The article wonders about what it’s like to be a black man growing up like Barack or Ta-nehisi. I grew up like both in the way that I was surrounded by white people like Barack but I was in a working class and upper middle class setting like Ta-nehisi. What I got from that is that if you look at yourself in the mirror and see a black person, you are black now and forever. It’s simple, not easy. Your environment will shape a lot of your style –that is, I definitely stand out as “different” in a sea of black folks- but you’ll always be black. You will lean black even if it’s only from time to time. Black things and black culture will titillate your senses in ways other things will not. Sometimes it will annoy you sometimes you will embrace it fully.

I guess it’s the same for all cultures and people like me who grew up in a non-traditional culture.

Anyway next time I’ll write about my solutions to all that.

Almost 40 emails to transfer a domain name I own since 2001 to myself. It’s probably easier to walk in the NSA building.

Root and then branches. Ever since books happened, we categorize and navigate information through the same system. Dictionaries follow this rule: letter B, the root. Words starting with B, branches.

During the days of the command line, computers used a tree representation for things. As a kid, it was easy to understand: up and down branches where my stuff is, the root where operating system files were.

Then GUI happened. At first not really a big change, just a graphic tree. But then, shortcuts. Most people still don’t get where their stuff is because of that mapping shit that confuses them.

Then the internet happened. It followed the tree rule too: tree.com/branches. BUT. For some fucking weird reason, engineers thought that it would be super cool to have something that means the exact same but completely destroys the consistency: branches.tree.com

They allowed the branch to be “under” the root so that people really don’t get confused…

in the same vein: websites end with a dot whatever, right? Nope! Let’s have .co.uk and .or.jp (yeah in Japan .org are .or), let’s have weird exceptions to help people out! Medium introduced another stupid thing: instead of having medium.com/user they have a medium.com/@user because fuck your face that’s why. Fuck that website.

In the end, those design decisions mess up a consistent system that we all knew, for no other reason than we can mess up something that worked fine. And subdomain.domain will never not sound weird or fishy.

And so of course people stay on Facebook. Engineers, you suck at design consistency. But more importantly, you drive people away from independence. You foster their weaknesses with your decisions.

1983: 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the US.

1987: 29 companies.

2012: 6 companies.

2016: Those six companies are filtered out through one company, Facebook.

There is so much concentration of power, I don’t even know what to say. We just stare at it. It’s virtually impossible to have an influential, independent voice today unless you have a Patreon and someone is bankrolling you. And even then, a powerful person can destroy your independence real quick it’s a thing now and worse, a lot of people think it’s fine.

News are terrible. They are tailored and shaped to attract you because they rely on ads. They all use gross marketing techniques to make you click, even the most prestigious “news brands” do that. We see it all the time. How come the NYT says that! I’m going to share it and get mad! I’m not playing that game anymore, I’m avoiding news especially on my phone when it’s downtime I don’t want to inject my eyes with awful, dreadful news.

Puppy cams are the shit.

One morning hitting Jefferson Blvd, I felt something had happened. Something was missing. Something big and peaceful wasn’t here anymore and it was like Totoro had passed away.

This tree and his healthy 17 brothers and sisters on this block are gone. The city cut them down. How it happened?

Some LA sidewalks are busted, usually by trees roots. It’s the city’s responsibility to take care of them, if a LA resident can’t use the sidewalk he/she can sue the city for that (“trip and fall’ lawsuits). On this stretch, one tree definitely had busted the sidewalk wide open. One tree. What does the city do? Cut them all down including this gorgeous one that wasn’t destroying the sidewalk at all. And of course it’s LA, no one’s walking around and now that this entire block has been deprived of natural shade…

What is sad is how no one wants to do the work and fucking move on. I’ve cut down trees before. It’s a neighborhood issue: take 4 dudes over a weekend to cut the one tree that is annoying, another day to repair the sidewalk and those trees live, the sidewalk is fixed, the city didn’t pay shit, the neighborhood is tighter, people got to know each other and kids can still marvel at that wonderful green giant. Instead it’s a barrage of “if the city had done its job ten years ago” “property owners should have done it” “wasn’t me” BS.

Sorry my big beautiful dude. I miss you.