full posts

May 24, 2020 ∞

Syllabus #NorthernFires

I’ve started a series where we’ll be examining the lyrics and source material for Silent Planet’s Northern Fires (Guernica). (See the Series Introduction if you missed it.)

Today, I want to share all the lyrics and annotations from the song, as well as links to which versions I’ll be using for the references. You won’t have to read everything I will be, but you may find you want to read some. Most of the referenced works are pretty heady, but they do include some great fiction, including For Whom the Bell Tolls, Altered Carbon, 1984, and Margaret Atwood’s the Robber Bride. Hopefully you’ll want to join along with one or more of the works. But if you just want to read and comment on the posts, that’s fine, too!

The Lyrics

Ration my breath - terror clandestine in my chest. Mangled, I lay on a foreign forest floor. [1] Caught in an instant, divided by distance. Alone in the fray, clutching my trigger I pray as I make amends with death on a distant shore. [2]

Such is the fate of the nation state [3] despite the myths they propagate. [4] The narrative never fits the crime. Democracy’s died this death a thousand times. The masses kneel before the golden cross - held by the priest [5] who bows at the feet of the king. [6] We stand alone in the dust of what could be, fighting to find our humanity.

Bury me with my name in an unmarked grave - another casualty to the vanity of history. [7] The war marches on after the killing ends. [8] Take our lives: Colonize our minds. [9]

I’ve been digging through timelines, historical bylines; I find the fatal flaw in our design lies between thoughts we had and words we knew [10] - between what we’re told and what is true. [11] Who fuels the fascist? [12] A classist - inculcating the masses in passes… under the contrived countenance of contrition. [13]

The victor writes the story [14] - more often burns the manuscript. Set fire to a pyre, cremate the crimes that they commit. [15] But the flames kept us warm, so we bit our tongues and tasted scorn.

The bitter stench of finite men betrayed by the thieves they swore to pretend. The bell will toll [16] and in the end lay only echoes of what could have been. [17]

We stand alone in the dust of what could be, fighting to find our humanity. We stand alone in the dust of what could be; nothing we fought for will set us free. [18]

Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast: [19] The war machine that feeds for eternity. Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast: The war machine that turns for eternity. Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast: The war machine that feeds for eternity. Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast: The war machine that turns for eternity.

The References

1. Spring, 1937. Spain.
1. Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls
1. Leo Tolstoy, Patriotism and Government
1. Plato, The Republic
1. Religion as a means for sustaining the rule of fascist dictator Francisco Franco from 1939-1975
1. Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War
1. Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: The Will to Knowledge
1. Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon
1. George Orwell, 1984
1. Jacques Lacan, The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis
1. Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride
1. Anthony Beevor, The Battle for Spain
1. American corporations, such as Texaco oil, that made large financial gains due to loyal support of Franco’s nationalist forces in Spain, and subsequently Hitler in Europe.
1. Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India
1. The Bombing of Guernica, 26 April, 1937.
1. John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions: Meditation XVII
17 George Santayana, Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies
1. Matthew 26:52
1. Mario Savio

Disclaimer: some of the links above are affiliate links through IndieBound. You can also find the collected books on Bookshop here

#NorthernFires

May 17, 2020 ∞

What are you yearning, learning, and hoping for?

This was our question in church this morning, and this was my response:

I’m thankful that the Lord of Flies is wrong. I’m thankful that people predominantly want to help humanity, and that those that want to exploit it for their own wealth or ego are a minority. I’m thankful that we see more people sharing food, advice, help, seeds, recipes, and tools than we see angry white doomsday preppers that are mad they didn’t get to have apocalypse standoffs.
I’m thankful for coronavirus haircuts, quarantine beards, and hair colors returning, for long walks, sports-season-delays, and the absence of quarterly fast fashion dictates. I’m even thankful for endless stories of sourdough-making and crafts projects. I’m thankful for chats around dinner tables, in backyards, and on patios. I’m thankful for swept porches, tended gardens, and home projects.
I pray that our global reprieve from advertising-based conspicuous consumption will persist, if even in some small degree. I pray that we will find ways to alter world economies towards circular movement and sustainability, instead of just-in-time supply chains and extractive growth. I pray that we will be able to spend more of our time and attention on the things that matter to our friends, family, and community, and less on activities and products that we are told we should want.
I hope that we continue to drive less and walk more, buy less and share more, throwaway less and repair more, consume less and create more, desire less and care more.

May 3, 2020 ∞

Introduction #NorthernFires

Ration my breath - terror clandestine in my chest

These are the opening words in Silent Planet’s - Northern Fires (Guernica), from the album When the End Began.

And thus begins a series where we’ll examine the lyrics and read through the annotations for this song.

“Wait, a song has annotations?” Yes! Silent Planet produces footnotes for their lyrics, citing influences and quotes. Northern Fires has 19! (You can read more about them in the syllabus post.)

To follow along on this journey, you can add [the feed](https://blo g.grotenhuis.info/categories/northern-fires/feed.xml) to your reader, or visit the posts page to catch all the entries. The video of the song (with lyrics and footnotes) is available here.

#NorthernFires

Apr 27, 2020 ∞

Conservative and Progressive: why not both?

Wait, is that possible? How could one be both?

Let me propose these broad definitions for the terms:

Conservative: seeking to maintain that which is good
Progressive: seeking to fix that which is bad

You can probably see where I am going here: these are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they can be reinforcing of one another. Holding onto goodness provides a place of safety and strength from which to be able to pursue change. Addressing problems also frees up more people and more opportunities to pursue good.

Naturally, a larger question of “ok, but what exactly is good and what is bad” comes up; however, seeking clarity on this question is often muddied due to team loyalty at the expense of critical reflection. Breaking down that tribalism can improve our ability to discuss this topic more fruitfully.

There are also questions of strategy, tactics, immediacy, etc., different dimensions that are worthy of coverage in another post & discussion.

I am not suggesting a “but both sides” false equivalency, but a broadening of perspective. Let’s consider both the conservative & progressive priorities: what we should cherish and what we should repair. We can do both.

This post was inspired by a conversation between Ezra Klein and Yuval Levin.

Apr 23, 2020 ∞

when one is remote, all are remote

I heard from someone yesterday who said they feel more included in meetings, now. Why? Because they are no longer the “odd person out” in meetings.

Have you ever had that happen, where you you call or video conference in to a meeting and all the others are in a conference room? You get left out of the conversation. There’s table chatter you can’t hear. All the voices aren’t clear. People look at each other but not you.

It’s unfortunate that it took our current situation to remind us of this principle, but here is what our standard behavior for meetings should be:

if you have one remote participant, setup the meeting for all to be remote participants

Don’t reserve a conference room. Have each participant join from their desks.

It establishes equity in the meeting, and makes sure that all can be seen, heard, and considered.

Mar 9, 2020 ∞

Pyramid Arcade Re-boxing

My brother helped 3D print this Pyramid Arcade insert, and now instead of 10 colors of 3 trios, I now have a full stash (5 trios) of all 14 of my current pyramid colors. That includes the special releases of grey, “kickstarter green”, pink, and neon yellow.

I can also fit in all the Pyramid Arcade components, plus some extra dice and black and white glass beads (for classic Zendo).

Just in time to expand the collection with the Pyramid Quartet kickstarter and grab the silver pyramids!

Mar 1, 2020 ∞

🎵 of the Month: Flobots - NOENEMIES

Flobots - NOENEMIES

Flobots have created some of my favorite “protest songs” including White Flag Warrior, Stand Up, and Handlebars. Naturally, I wanted to check out their latest offering.

Flobots is MCs Brer Rabbit and Johnny 5, along with a host of musicians & guests. I really appreciate the electric violin, which frequently shows up in various tracks. Songs tend to blend hip-hop, singalong, and political sensibilities. This album doesn’t disappoint. You’ll find yourself singing the choruses, headbanging to the raps, and probably looking up references in the lyrics.

Favorite Tracks:

5: Quarantine
6: American Dreams
7: Rattle the Cage
12: Voices of the Dead
14: Related
16: Sleeping Giant

Feb 3, 2020 ∞

🎵 of the Month: Moor Mother - Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes

I’ve recently dug back into checking out and buying albums directly, rather than streaming. I’m limiting myself to an album or couple EPs a month, up to what I might spend on streaming. I’m going to share about my picks here, once a month. With that, here’s the first album:

Moor Mother - Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes

I first found out about this artist via The Rebel Beat podcast. Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes is a smart and challenging album. It’s genre, like much of my favorite music is: “ummm, yes?” and contains elements of hip hop, folk, spoken word, punk, electronic, noise, and more. This is not an easy listen, but it’s a good one.

Favorite tracks:

3: After Images
6: Black Flight (feat. Saul Williams)
11: Private Silence (feat. Reef The Lost Cauze)

Jan 28, 2020 ∞

13-yr Mennonite

Sunday, 13 years ago (2007), my spouse and I joined our Mennonite community and church.

You might be surprised that a Mennonite is here on the Internet, talking about things like cybersecurity. So let me give you the world’s shortest history of Mennonites and a few quick points about modern Mennonites.

History

Mennonites are descendants (sometimes literally) of the reformation, specifically, what’s often called the “radical reformation.” In that movement, the radical reformers believed that that one’s place of birth or government should not dictate one’s religion, and that one should profess their faith once they were capable of freely accepting one. For this, the label "anabaptists” or “re-baptizers” was used as an epithet, and it stuck.

Anabaptists also opted out of the violence and warring between religious and political factions, choosing to disassociate or flee to a new location, as needed. They practiced a “priesthood of all believers”, meaning that there was no formal clergy and that all were called to hold each other accountable in interpretation and life. They put a focus on Jesus’s teachings and life, not just his birth and death.

None of these stories are without exception, and I could write several other posts about the asterisks. But I promised you a short history.

Modern Anabaptists include Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Bruderhof, Church of Brethren, Brethren in Christ, and several variations on all these.

Modern Mennonites

Here are what I see as the most-common traits of modern Mennonites:

Reconciliation: conflict mediation, healing relationships, restoring ecology, practicing redemption, disaster-relief
Peacemaking: nonviolent struggles for peace & justice, echoing the voices of the voiceless, reducing harm, operating from subversive & prophetic weakness instead of domination
Simplicity: living intentionally, being kind to animals & the earth, humility, avoiding consumerism
Christocentrism: viewing the whole of the Bible through the lens of Jesus’s teaching and action, seeing the image of God in our neighbors & enemies

Again, this is very short list with exceptions omitted. If you want to read a short book with more, I’d recommend The Naked Anabaptist or (somewhat longer) The Upside Down Kingdom.

Jan 27, 2020 ∞

4 Values

I was meeting with one of the folks that I mentor/coach today, and they started a great conversation around ikigai. That led to a question for me about some of my top values or principles in my work. Here are four that I discussed:

Enablement: I don’t want to be a bottleneck. My aim is to equip and empower others through education, tools, patterns, etc. so that they can take on more responsibility and help us all be more successful.
Mutuality: Decisions should include the context & perspectives of the stakeholders. Directly, if possible. I aim for win-win solutions.
Resilience: Solutions should account for issues of scalability, safety, and sustainability. We ought to design things such that they can adapt to change in graceful ways. Ideally, becoming stronger & better as they do.
Authenticity: I want be be open & direct without being a jerk. I aim to make it safe for people to be themselves, to speak up, and to do what’s right.

It’s probably no surprise that these four are strongly-interrelated.

Jan 21, 2020 ∞

📚 Review: The Benedict Option

Note: This book came up in conversation recently, and I took a moment to move my review onto my current blog, with some minor changes. This review is from August 2017.

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher ⭐️

This was an incredibly disappointing book. If you are looking for a better account of modern “Options”, read something from one of the “new monastics” or spend some time learning from an intentional Christian community (such as Catholic Worker houses, Reba Place Fellowship, Rutba House, the Simple Way community, the Bruderhof, or Hutterite communities).

Dreher’s focus in this book is much less about saving faithful Christianity, and much more about saving Conservatism. He laments the fall of corrupt Christendom but doesn’t appear to embrace the subversive and loving alternative of the Kingdom of God. He struggles more for power & control than mercy & justice.

He seems obsessed with issues of sexuality, spending a great deal of the book talking about his personal perspectives on it, but doing little to engage actual scholarship on the topics. It far outweighs the time he spends on other topics, and he gives little attention to the life and teachings of Jesus.

To underscore the point about his conservative priorities: Dreher spends time revering Mormonism and Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism over Christian traditions that aren’t Orthodox/Catholic.

My specific alternative recommendation to reading this book: get a copy of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, and start using it with your family, friends, small group, house church, and/or faith community.

Further recommended reading: this review from an actual Benedictine Monk.

Jan 1, 2020 ∞

2019 🎙 Review

When I’m commuting, doing chores, taking a walk, or even playing open-world video games, I often listen to spoken word. Sometimes these are audiobooks, but the rest of the time it’s podcasts.

I recommend Overcast for listening to podcasts, and am a happy subscriber.

This year, I started my own Podcast and Newsletter, Resilient. The frequency is low-volume while I find my bearings. Note: Resilient newsletter posts are free, but you do have to subscribe to get access to the podcasts. This is not expected to be a money-making endeavor for me, but I do want to limit the availability of the voice recordings to those who are truly interested. I charge the lowest price that Substack (my provider) allows and then add a hefty discount on top of that. If you would like a free gift subscription to the podcasts, please message me directly.

While I appreciate the idea of “chatty”, “actual-play”, and “review”-style podcasts, you won’t find those here.

Recommended Podcasts

Code Switch: If you don’t know what code switching is, you definitely need to listen to this. If you already do, you will likely enjoy the variety of topics and perspectives and the charming hosts.
Cyber: covering information security from the perspective you’d expect of Motherboard/Vice
The Ezra Klein Show: this is my new favorite show, overtaking Farnam Street as the best big ideas podcast, due to having a perspective, better back-and-forth, and deeper-dives
Freakonomics Radio: granted, some of this is “pop econ”, but it’s entertaining and frequently has good investigative research or covers big ideas.
From Embers: this is a Canadian anarchist podcast that often covers indigenous rights and our climate catastrophe
Invisibilia: a charming and perspective-widening show from NPR
The Knowledge Project: this podcast is interviews with “big thinkers”. The interviews often wander, but there are almost always important takeaways or food for thought.
Long Now - Conversations at the Interval & Seminars About Long-Term Thinking: the perspective of these podcasts is incredibly important, and the topics are often enlightening. They suffer a bit from being Silicon Valley focused, but are otherwise very good.
The Peter Attia Drive: deep dives on health, medicine, and longevity.
Note to Self: a philosophical take on technology trends.
Radiolab: entertaining, sometimes enlightening, and incredibly well-produced.
The Rebel Beat: a source for a wide variety of radical political music.
Rebel Steps: how-tos for people learning about organizing for direct action, solidarity, and mutual aid.
Risky Business: information security current events coverage, with excellent analysis. Skip the branded interviews
Scene on Radio: As you add this podcast, make sure you have your app setup to listen to a season in order. Seasons 2 & 3 (“Seeing White” and “Men”, respectively) were excellent, and I’m looking forward to season 4.
Sleepwalkers: in-depth discussion around the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!: a humorous weekly news quiz that you probably already know about.

Further Notes

Last year’s podcast recommendations can be found here. I have re-used some of it as appropriate. You can read about my book recommendations here: non-fiction and fiction.

Jan 1, 2020 ∞

2019 📚 Review: Fiction

Overview

I set a goal of reading 63 books in 2019, which was a 10% increase over 2019. I met this goal exactly. I have again increased my goal by 10% plan to read at least 70 books in 2020.

About half of the books I read (32, to be exact) were fiction. I tend to read from the sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, classics, and RPG categories. These are all categories that help explore ideas and/or history.

How I Read

I get my books multiple ways. If I don’t know if I’ll like the book, I look for the audiobook or ebook in my Scribd subscription and then Libby (to borrow digitally from my local library). If it’s a book I’ll want to reread or lend, I order a hardback via Indiebound or Alibris. I only buy fiction ebooks if there are massive discounts on something I want and it’s not already in Scribd. I use Bookbub to watch for these discounts.

My book (and article) highlights and notes from all sources go automatically into Readwise.io, where I review 15 highlights each day to aid in retention and reflection. This is one of the ways I start my day, and it’s incredibly valuable.

I rate books between ⭐️ and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, with ⭐️⭐️⭐️ being the cutoff for a worthy book. Thus, I will only share about the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ through ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ books, here.

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisin: from one of my favorite authors of 2018, this collection of shorter fiction is excellent.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie: highly-recommended fantasy where one of the perspectives is a god, and the plot constantly snowballs.
The Power by Naomi Alderman: an excellent allegorical tale about power and gender.
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman: second in the Arc of a Scythe, Shusterman continues to deliver high intensity young adult fiction with lots of opportunities for deep discussion. I only wish it had a discussion guide like the first book!
Whitehack 2nd Ed. - Notebook Edition by Christian Mehrstam: this is an old-school RPG game with new school sensibilities. Includes pages for your own characters, notes, rules, etc.
Curse of Strahd by Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford: this D&D 5 adventure has had some solid updates from previous Ravenloft stories, including addressing problematic areas in better ways.
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan: the first of the Powder Mage trilogy, this has a fresh take on fantasy and mystery. McLellan feels like a disciple of Sanderson.
Still Life by Louise Penny: the first of the Armand Gamache novels. I appreciated the attention Penny gave the the psychology and relationships of the characters.
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon: a comic that asks big questions about war and freedom from a unique angle.
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson: the 12th book of the Wheel of Time, and the really picks up and gets good, again. With this book, I can now see why folks like Egwene.
Mouse Guard Sketchbook: Legends by David Petersen: this is Petersen’s art that is homages-to-the-homages that show up in the Mouse Guard Legends collaborations.
Freefall by Jessica Barry: an accelerating thriller with fast-switching perspectives between a daughter trying to stay alive and her mother who thinks she is already dead.
In a Dark, Dark wood by Ruth Ware: feels like an old-school-but-modern thriller mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dawn by Octavia Butler: the first book in the Xenogenesis series, I’m looking forward to where this goes.
Last Tango in Cyberspace by Steve Kotler: a fun near-future cyberpunk-noir mystery.
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy: this short fiction is a mashup of anarcho-punk aesthetic and modern supernatural horror.
Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan: the 11th book, where the plot started to finally advance, again!
The Good Detective by John McMahon: the first P.T. Marsh mystery, one where it’s possible the detective’s actions led to the death of the prime suspect.
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman: Neal’s son joins him on this new book, and a whole cast are involved in the audio recording. Not as good as Shusterman’s normal work, this is still an enjoyable book.
Atmosphæra Incognita by Neal Stephenson: a hard scifi short story from a collection about building possible futures.
X-Files: Cold Cases by Joe Harris, Chris Carter, and Dirk Maggs: new audio stories in the X-Files universe, setup like full-audio dramas.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: in a deviation from the norm, this book is more about the sensory experience than the characters or plot.
Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez: I find most Lovecraft unpalatable, but this comic interpretation was spellbinding.
Cable & Deadpool: If Looks Could Kill by Fabian Nicieza, Mark Brooks, & Patrick Zircher: this comic has all the weirdness you might expect from Deadpool & Cable.

Further Notes

For a review of my non-fiction read in 2019, see here. For 2018 books, see here.

For the Goodreads overview of my reading, see here.

Note: this post has affiliate links. I am linking to things I truly enjoy, and have not been paid or pressured to recommend any of them.

Jan 1, 2020 ∞

2019 📚 Review: Nonfiction

Overview

I set a goal of reading 63 books in 2019, which was a 10% increase over 2019. I met this goal exactly. I have again increased my goal by 10% and plan to read at least 70 books in 2020.

About half of the books I read (31, to be exact) were non-fiction. I seek books that may be “eye-opening”: those that challenge my understanding, worldview, and conceptions. I look for books of criticism, history, philosophy, ethics, theology, psychology, business, economics, and politics.

How I Read

For nonfiction, I get the books multiple ways. If I’m not sure I’ll like it and don’t expect I’ll need to take a lot of notes, I look for the audiobook or summary first in my Scribd subscription and then Libby (to borrow digitally from my local library). If I know I’ll want to reference the book a lot after finishing it, I order a hardback via Indiebound or Alibris. If I expect to learn a lot and/or take lots of highlights and notes, I’ll borrow the ebook via Libby or buy it from an ebook seller.

Recommended Books

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi: it’s rare for me to give 5 stars to anything, but Kendi did an excellent job sharing complex and important perspectives in an informative and actionable way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport: Highly recommended book exploring how you can focus your digital time on the things that matter most. Unlike many minimalism-focused works, Newport goes into great detail in what to do with the space & time that you free up. My full review/reference (as well as links to my experiment and a podcast I recorded for Resilient) are found here.
Educated by Tara Westover: an incredible memoir of someone who grew up in an abusive, anti-intellectual, conspiratorial home environment without any real schooling (home or otherwise) and went on to earn a prestigious PhD.
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan: an informative book about psychedelics and their applications in medicine.
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell: incredible narratives and insights of how things can go wrong when we talk to strangers, along with some (admittedly light) recommendations on how we can change structures and systems to do better.
Offscreen edited by Kai Brach: I read issues 17 through 19 of this large print-only magazine in 2019, and often found value in the interviews, perspectives, and recommendations. “Offscreen is an independent print magazine that examines how we shape technology and how technology shapes us. "
Southern Horrors by Ida B. Wells: this classic and important work is a reminder of how fear, power, and violence were (and still are) wielded to subjugate people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: All about the various factors that affect habit formation and change. You can see my full reference and review here.
Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson: the folks at Basecamp continue to bring countercultural guidance on simplicity, focus, agility, and sustainability for operating an organization.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek: over and over, Sinek reminds us that our why is what people are drawn to, and that the rest is rationalization.
Ultralearning by Scott H. Young: a collection of tips from Young’s ultralearning experiments and research.
Technopoly by Neil Postman: a book of criticism that asks more questions than it is prepared to answer, but still an incredibly important work to grapple with. I read this as part of Strangers Book Club, which I highly recommend.
The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman: this is a book about continually asking the helpful question “What else can we do to rise above our circumstances and get the results we want?”
Food Rules by Michael Pollan: short summaries of Pollan’s research on eating, including many tips on how not just what to eat.
Open Borders: the Science and Ethics of Immigration by Bryan Caplan and Zach Weinersmith: a collaboration presenting the case for open immigration. Unfortunately heavy on the economic benefits and light on the ethical rationale, but still a useful work to bring exposure to this important topic.
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier: this is a good companion to Digital Minimalism, detailing some of the reasons that most social media is manipulative and unhealthy for people and our digital ecosystem.
Ancient Civilizations of North America by Edwin Barnhart: an excellent background on the history of North America before modern colonists.
Heretic! by Matthew J. DiStefano: the title refers to judgments aimed DiStefano, due to theological interpretations rooted in love & justice instead of fear & hate.
Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans: originally called Growing Up in Monkey Town, this memoir shares Evans’s tale of reclaiming her faith back from a fear & judgment paradigm.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: stories about how ideas and behaviors gain traction.
The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond: a look at how humans are and aren’t different from the “other chimpanzees”.
The Alcohol Experiment by Annie Grace: an informative, judgment-free journey with solid grounding in psychology and behavioral science.
The World in 2020 by the Economist: this is Economist’s yearly comments and predictions for the coming year.
The Pioneers by David McCullough: this book by the acclaimed historian covers those who colonized the Ohio Valley.

Further Notes

For a review of my fiction read in 2019, see here. For 2018 books, see here.

For the Goodreads overview of my reading, see here.

Note: this post has affiliate links. I am linking to things I truly enjoy, and have not been paid or pressured to recommend any of them.

Dec 27, 2019 ∞

📚 Micro-Review: _The Power of Habit_ by Charles Duhigg

📚 Finished The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book is mostly useful narratives that introduce the factors that affect habits. It also includes a short “how-to” on changing habits.

Some Insights

Individuals have habits, organizations have routines
Keystone habits are great for building other habits and producing momentum through repeated small wins
Keeping a food journal, making your bed, and working out are all habits which have many seemingly-unrelated positive impacts on your life
“Willpower” is stronger when people feel agency or impact

How to Change Your Habits

Identify the routine

Figure out what your habit loop is so that you can work to supplant it with another.

Experiment with rewards

Try altering variables like a scientist, in order to see which reward you were actually seeking, and which you might like
Jot down the things that come to mind with each test; this helps with awareness and attention
Use 15 minute waits/alerts to help with elimination and analysis

Isolate the cue

Each time you experience the feeling, write down answers to the following:

1. Where are you?
2. What time is it?
3. What is your emotional state?
4. Who else is around?
5. What action preceded the urge?

Have a plan

Write it like the following:

When I see cue i will do routine in order to get reward
This is your implementation intention and should be explicitly stated

I tried running [Dungeon World](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/108028/Dungeon-World ?affiliate_I’d=21283) for them last year, which was a bit too tricky of a rule set for them at the time. This time, I decided to start with Risus, a very simple system that uses ratings called “clichés”.

Since we play Team Fortress 2 as a way to hangout and talk, we decided to set the game in the TF2 setting and use the TF2 classes (scout, soldier, pyro, demoman, heavy, engineer, medic, sniper, and spy) as our clichés. Having this pick list gave them enough, but not too much, variety to choose from.

I used a semi-standard Risus setup of starting ratings at 4, 3, 2, 1 (for the total of 10). I also told them their agency would give them 1 basic weapon and 1 tool, or 4 tools. They both chose the first option. (Maybe I should have made it 5 tools, as it didn’t seem like a hard choice but for them.) They also picked code names and their “real names”. I encouraged them not to have the same things as each other in 3 and 4. Their characters started off like this:

Codename: Z7 Real name: Megan 4: Engineer 3: Scout 2: Spy 1: Heavy Basic Weapon: shotgun Tool: Wrench

Codename: H6 Real name: Jace 4: Heavy 3: Pyro 2: Scout 1: Sniper Basic Weapon: rifle Tool: binoculars

We didn’t have enough d6s, so I used d10s. I also used the Risus variant where you look at the best die in the roll, instead of the total. To play, when they wanted to do something interesting with an uncertain outcome, I asked them to describe it, told them which of their cliches was appropriate, and gave them a difficulty between 6 and 10. I also brought in the Risus conflict rules, again using versus instead of totals.

I also brought in “bennies” to the system, in order to give us a little more flexibility. I awarded them 1 at the start of their mission, and told them they’d get another any time I thought they did something really interesting or clever. They could give me a bennie when they failed a roll and wanted to re-roll it. However, when I got a bennie from then, I could put it back in the pool to add a twist to the story. (In retrospect, I could have instead set it up where I “pay” it to whoever was affected by the twist, but this gets complicated when it could affect both of them.)

I did one more piece of prep. I marked up a pile of note cards with “standard exits” at each cardinal direction and various paths connecting them.

To play, I asked them to pick a card (from a face down spread). I added some more rough drawings to this card to turn it into their headquarters for their agency (which they decided was called the “Adventurers Agency”).

They were given their mission: to shut down the Mann Co factory that was producing robots that were being created and sent out to take over the city. They were also warned that some of the robots had been designed to look like humans! They were able to requisition a little more equipment, based on the mission. They ended up with a stun stick (with 3 charges), 1 stick of dynamite, and x-ray googles that could look through a nearby surface and maybe detect false robots.

The rest of it played out through the story. When they traveled “off a card” on our map, I had them pull a random card to place in that direction they went, and I added a few more light details to that section of the map that was being built out. I had decided at the beginning which one would represent the final factory, but of course I provided a lot of challenges to them along the way.

The finale was when they ended up using the stick of dynamite to disable the power supply for the plant. We had a lot of fun, and they keep asking to do another mission!

I’m happy to answer any questions about how I setup or ran this!

Aug 4, 2019 ∞

#GenCon19 Day 3

It was back to Games on Demand, again. Miles and I got to try out Maze Rats. I confess I have avoided a lot of the “OSR” space due to encountering so much toxic behavior from that community. That said, this was a simple and fun game, and I may add it to my toolbox along with new-school old-school games like Whitehack, Torchbearer, and Vagabonds of Dyfed.

We also got to try out another card-based RPG. I’m always eager to try these, because I love cards and have been tossing around ideas for my own game for years. Capers is a dual-named game because in it you play both supers (caped, get it?) and are involved in prohibition era-capers.

We had a pretty inexperienced (I think?) GM, so I’m not sure I got a good shake of this game, but I learned enough about how it’s setup to see what I liked and didn’t.

Saturday was also the day I got the David Peterson AKA Mouse Guard commission of our beloved dog Siku!

Aug 2, 2019 ∞

#GenCon19 Day 2

I started today off with some Games on Demand, and Miles, Christian, and I got to try the Penthouse playset with a couple others. It was epic in both the funny and horrible ways that Fiasco should be. Fiasco at GenCon seems to now be an annual thing for Miles and me.

Then, it was time for our Aecer’s Light Burning Wheel game with Mad Jay. We had a great time, and I’m very interested in what he is doing with the Wolfen and Roden in Burning Wheel. The zine and scenario are going to be great!

I got a chance to swing by the Burning Wheel Headquarters booth and see David Peterson (AKA Mouse Guard) in action, working on the piece I commissioned. That was quite the treat, and I’m really excited about how it is going to turn out!

I also found a good-condition used physical copy of the D6 System book, which you may recognize as the core rules that powered West End Games Star Wars (and other games).

The day ended with a fun dinner with friends. Looking forward to another great day at #GenCon19

Aug 1, 2019 ∞

#GenCon2019 Day 1

I started GenCon off right by going to the gym before opening ceremonies! I am happy of myself!

When the expo hall opened, I made a straight line to the BWHQ booth, as has become my tradition:

Checked to see if there are any play tests this year (more on that, later)
Picked up an (additional) copy of Miseries & Misfortunes, to supplement the Kickstarter
Got the small zine game Catch the Devil
Most excitedly, I commissioned a toned paper sketch from David Peterson AKA Mouse Guard

Indie Press Revolution is always a good booth to check out physical RPG products. Bonus: they email you a copy of the digital book when you buy physical. I found some great stuff:

I’m a fan of the Vampire the Masquerade product line (before problems with 5th edition and their catering to abusers and the alt right, anyway). I’d been wanting Beckett’s Jyhad Diary for a while, but held off due to cost. IPR had a nice sale, so I got a copy.
Also on the Vampire front, they had physical copies of the Prince’s Gambit. This is another type of game I’m always up for: parlor/social-deduction game.
I also grabbed Companions’ Tale, because it’s a mapmaking and collaborative storytelling game. I like the idea of examining what version of the stories live, too.
IPR also had physical decks for the small LARP Winterhorn, which is a game where you play the regime trying to stop peace & justice activists. Understandably, this is an educational LARP which can help to threat-model our own activism efforts, examining how we might be more resilient and effective.

I also swung by Posthuman Studios, and picked up my Kickstarter version of Eclipse Phase 2nd Ed. As usual, these folks were really cool to chat with at the booth.

Our coupon book had a free copy of Dwar7s Duel so I had to grab that, because Dwarves. It looks to be a simpler version of Dwar7s Fall, maybe?

And finally, I couldn’t let a GenCon go buy without my customary Timid Monster. These are very cool and I have a little stand for them in my office.

After the expo hall, I enjoyed a hilarious game of Goblin Quest with Miles at Games on Demand, my favorite place to try cool RPGs.

Up next was the update panel from Burning Wheel Headquarters. We heard about what’s going on with the Burning Wheel universe. In summary:

Torchbearer 2 has a ton of revisions, they’re very excited about it, and they’re looking at how they can get some great playtesting and feedback before publishing
Miseries & Misfortunes is going to start having some setting, scenario, & lifepath expansions because the 5 years in Paris (1648-1652) is concurrent with interesting things happening in many other places in the world (and is apparently called “the general crisis” by some historians)
The “secret playtest” we did at #GenCon2018 has had more playtests, and much of the design work is complete, but i’ts been a bit on the back burner as other projects have taken front stage (and the challenging parts of component, art, etc. production have come up)

Tonight, I’ll be joining a big game of Torchbearer that got coordinated via the Burning Wheel forums.

Jul 6, 2019 ∞

#MennoCon19 Delegate Report Day 5 #BringThePeace

Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2, Day 1

We started our final delegate session by discussing the Churchwide Statement on the Abuse of Child Migrants, including the changes that had been made to the draft. There was a short time for Q&A, in which several folks urged for stronger language in parts, or more details on next steps. MCC and others will continue to help with materials for going forward.

The vote for the resolution passed with only 2 dissenting (of 495). One of those two dissented because they wanted a stronger resolution.

We received reports from the Step Up program, and three amazing representatives from the program.

We also got an update on the Voices Together hymnal project, which is expected to be ready in fall 2020.

Our final discussion around our Renewed Commitments was for the third item: Experience Transformation.

“How have you experienced the transformation of the Holy Spirit in your life? How might that inform the transformation of our shared life as a church?”

At my table, we had a joyous moment of thanks and blessing from a retired (and now volunteer) pastor. I asked him a little bit about how he came to see such beauty and hope in change, even as some struggle with it.

He shared the following wisdom:

“My first rule is: you’re not in charge anymore.”

“Second rule: give only blessings. Let others do the critique.”

“It’s about letting go, letting God. Trust the Sprit of God.”

He commented on why some folks struggle with change:

“It has do with fear, and thus wanting to be in control. People who can’t let go are unhappy.”

We also had all-group Q&A, again, with many great comments. One person reminded us that sometimes the Spirit moves in spite of us.

Our final worship session had Executive Director Glen Guyton as speaker…

…and he kicked it off by singing his rendition of Nirvana’s Come as You Are with the worship band.

(Believe me, I’ll add video here, if they release it. Update: here’s the video!)

Glen reminded us over and over that “God is Bigger”.

God is bigger than our documents
God is bigger than our issues
God is even bigger than the Bible

He repeatedly gave us the call to #BRINGTHEPEACE, and even reminded us of his own background:

“I was an officer in the military & now I’m part of a historic peace church, so don’t tell me your message doesn’t work”

Glen’s charge for us is to “put some action to our words”

“What are you going to do to #bringthepeace after you leave?”

full posts

The Lyrics

The References

History

Modern Mennonites

Recommended Podcasts

Further Notes

Overview

How I Read

Recommended

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Further Notes

Overview

How I Read

Recommended Books

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Further Notes

Some Insights

How to Change Your Habits

Identify the routine

Experiment with rewards

Isolate the cue

Have a plan

Further Reading