Author: dtpennington


  • Consolidation to Reduce Anxiety

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    Too many apps. Too many profiles. Too many inboxes. Not enough of the right attention going to the right places. The joke used to be: the first step to any new business idea is securing the domain name. The result was a lot of clever domain names that were registered even though they never went…


  • I Am Bad at Sharing Ideas

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    I came across On Idea Hoarding. Damnit, it’s me. Stop hoarding your best ideas. Just put them out there, immediately. This isn’t a new problem, I just have horrible ways of coping with it. Early on, I had a notebook that I would keep in addition to all of the other notebooks to jot down…


  • Half-Baked

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    The gist: ideas shouldn’t be hoarded. More info here. As ideas get a little more action, I will give them their own page and link to it. You’re welcome. The Trash of Tulum. It’s everywhere, so much so that it seems like a normal part of the landscape. It’s the indicator of a town collapsing…

  • On: Scotch Whisky and Head Colds

    On: Scotch Whisky and Head Colds

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    Yes, I wanted to go. I had the genetic right to see what this land was all about! I wanted my own pictures of copper stills and peat fields! I wanted to nurse my own hangovers and wash the taste of smoky, peated belches from my mouth with imported Italian espresso and a quick bite…


  • Your Apps Are Worthless

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    The more apps I use, the more things I need to tend, the less energy I have to write/ read/ nap/ think/ whatever. Think of it like “app zero.”


  • The Gallery Next Door

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    Show me what you are. Don’t wait to pick up on a clue of something you think I might like – I’d rather you show me what you’re into. Let it be strange, let it be weird, let it be normal, just let it be. Find the stuff that speaks for you and collect every…


  • Entertained to the Death of It

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    The viewers of Entertainment can’t look away and their bodies rot while they watch TV. Why read a book when you can scroll through Instagram? Why read the history of the news report when the headline gives you just enough to keep up at social hour? Why have a salad when you can get the…


  • All The Good Stuff Is At The Bottom

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    “Having to read footnotes resembles having to go downstairs to answer the door while in the midst of making love.”


  • I Won’t Like It

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    It’s not that I think pop culture creates sub-par stuff. It’s how we’re asked to perceive popular culture that steps on the significance it could have. We’re not asking questions or critiquing it – we’re just giving it a thumbs up/down and then moving on to the next thing.


  • What The Hell Is a Hobby?

    • 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…

    • QuestionStorming

      The expectation is that people will show up to a brainstorming session with a grip of solutions ready to go. I previously worked through an alternative approach to brainstorming for those who have teams of people with varied personalities (introverts, extroverts) and how to ensure the loudest idea wasn’t mistaken for the best idea. A…

    This all reminds me of Parkinson’s Law: work contracts to fit the time you give it. My goal is fairly simple: restrict my “work” to 15 hours a week. Three, five-hour days sounds simple enough. But when someone asks what I do for a living I sardonically respond: “Whatever the hell I want.” This makes…