Author: dtpennington


  • …this is your brain on drugs

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Less oxygen, more heat, less thinky.

  • Eight Brown Liquids

    Eight Brown Liquids

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Friday Night. John gets to town and we hit up the wood fired pizza place. It’s busy and the people watching is prime. I think my pie should have spent another minute in the oven – the dough was a little iffy. The three of us split a bottle of white wine. We cross the…

  • 6 Months with the Boox Palma

    6 Months with the Boox Palma

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Since day 1, e-reading hasn’t exactly been easy. There is always some kind of chore that stands between where the books are and where you can read them. It’s gotten better over the years as devices, applications, and libraries are more widespread and accessible. And as good as e-readers and digital libraries may have gotten,…


  • Planned Life

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Words about Alex Shakar’s “Luminarium”


  • The Lost Art of Reading

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Some notes and such from David L. Ulin’s The Lost Art of Reading


  • Murder by Death with J. Roddy Walston

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    Thoughts and such from the June 7th, 2024 show at The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC. What does it take for a musician to make a decent living in this always-streaming, algorithm sucking, Ticketmaster-gutting world we live in? For one, they ask for money. “I don’t have any merch,” Walston says. He’s on stage, alone,…


  • Anti Algorithmic

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    I also struggle with the whole “scrolling on my phone for too long” thing. I wouldn’t feel guilty about it if I were seeing something noteable or worthwhile. Lately, it seems my feed is just full of aspirational content about the great life that exists outside of the very feed the content is made for.…


  • Big Dumb Truck

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    The first car I ever bought brand new was a 2013 Tacoma. It was the best truck, the perfect size, and did all the stuff I needed it to do. Over the years I made small upgrades and added a topper to the bed. It was grey and inconsequential; it was one of a million…


  • The Silly Simplicity of Tenkara fishing.

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    “Heaven knows we fly fishers are suckers for every new gizmo we think will give us a leg up on catching fish,” writes Yvon Chouinard in Simple Fly Fishing (a book I’ve had on my shelf for a long while now, only today realizing I have a signed copy). He paints us a picture of…


  • Arbitrary Authority

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    • Loneliness & Company

      Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…

    • Back To Normal

      “The Only Constant Is Change” About three weeks after Hurricane Helene shut down the town and wrecked the region, and we could say that we are “getting back to normal.” But what does that mean when I took a shower in the parking lot of a bank? (In a trailer, full of showers, in a…

    An idea I’m working a lot with lately: nothing is real, there is no control. An extension of “only worry about the things you can control” mixed with “well, I ain’t dead.” Because when you step back and really think about all of it, nothing really matters. Everything that makes us anxious and in a…