Author: dtpennington


  • Notes on: Figuring by Maria Popova

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    “So much of the beauty, so much of what propels our pursuit of truth, stems from the invisible connections.” And just like that, with the thesis set, Maria Popova takes us through over five hundred pages of invisible connections between Johanns Kepler in 1617 to the launch of the Voyager space probe in 1977. Between…


  • Recently Read – August 2024

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    Two major novels of note: Heretics – Leonardo Padura Translated by Anna Kushner The back of the book alluded to Padura being “Cuba’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez” – which is quite the statement. Heretic’s is a novel of Jewish diaspora masquerading as a crime novel set across a vast span of time and locations. 17th century…


  • The Firm Pays For It

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    One day I’ll get my print story running again.


  • Notes on ADHD

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    For most of my life, my attention span for any job is about 6 months. Once I hit the 6-month mark I get restless in the company/ position, and I start looking for other stuff to do. This was particularly excruciating in sales and account management roles when every day/ week was more or less…


  • New Rules for Social Engagement

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    I am absolutely the kind of guy who can’t be trusted to spend “just a minute” on social media because I will absolutely lose the next two hours of my life to it. I get sucked in even though I KNOW there is rarely anything interesting out there. If things were perfect, I would just…


  • Algorithms Just Replace People

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    When I lived in Cap Hill in Denver, my Friday night routine involved walking by a little strip mall that had both a Qdoba and a Blockbuster. I suppose I am that old. I would pick up a few DVDs and two burritos for the weekend and keep walking the few blocks to my apartment.…


  • App Zero Progress – August 2024

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    In the six months or so since I first approached the idea of “App Zero,” I’ve stumbled a few times. Here’s the thing: I don’t need another app. I don’t think anyone does. I sure as hell don’t need to be PAYING for any of them. But I like seeing what independent app developers create…

  • Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    Since we attended in 2023, we had option to buy early tickets for $50 for the weekend – worth buying no matter what the case. I don’t recall much about the 2023 lineup other than it bounced between soaking rains and insufferable heat.

  • Like A Bird

    Like A Bird

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    The other night I was watching Jim & Andy – The Great Beyond. This stuck out: “I find it all so abstract….everything are these abstract structures that you’re given and they are supposed to hold you together somehow…I don’t need to be held together.” A lot of who we are was established long before we…

  • The Dead Net

    The Dead Net

    • Locals Only

      These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…

    • Joyful Creation

      via – Reclaiming Joy in the Creator Economy – by Thomas Klaffke (creativedestruction.club)

    • Emergence

      “Inside the word “emergency” is “emerge”; from an emergency new things come forth. The old certainties are crumbling fast, but danger and possibility are sisters.”― Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    The internet is broken. This is particularly problematic when we live in a world where so much is enabled, facilitated, and disabled by “the internet.” Hell, even defining “the internet” is a rough task. What is it? The line that goes into your house. The stuff you scroll through the data connection on your phone.…