Hobbyist Academia #15
Engage and Interact
Tertulia is a new app and book selling co-op. It’s essentially a discovery service for books that draws upon sources ranging from your friends to social media chatter to reviews and lists from industry publications. They also have a unique community ownership offering that gives members the opportunity to actually have equity in the company.
Watch
The Conference took place in Sweden last month, and the recordings from this year’s speakers are now available. I first introduced The Conference in Hobbyist Academia #12. It covers a broad range of topics that are difficult to categorize, but if you’re enjoying this newsletter you’ll enjoy this rabbit hole. Of particular interest to me were Alice Rawsthorn’s keynote address about design and Carolyn Steel’s exploration of the role of food systems in society through history and into the future.
Read
At long last I have managed to finish Still Life. That is not any commentary on the quality of the book; it was great. I just haven’t been great at reading whole books as opposed to shorter-format pieces. Next up, I’ve gone to my shelf of unread books and pulled out Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier.
In newsletters, Scott Galloway wrote a uniquely nuanced take on remote work. I don’t agree with all of it, but it’s a worthwhile read.
I also stumbled upon an excerpt on LitHub from First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human. The author talks about his experience tracing Darwin’s thinking path in person, describes research being done about the effect of walking on creativity and memory, and acknowledges the societal and structural constraints that impact who can walk freely in ways that bolster creativity and memory.
New_Public has had a couple great newsletter editions lately: “Cozy in the Crowd” explores how we can apply principles of physical public spaces to creating intimate digital spaces for authentic connection. “Exactly how concerned should we be about TikTok” looks at TikTok through the lens of its potential sociological impact on teenagers.
The newest edition of Bruce Feiler’s The Nonlinear Life, “Why Festivals, Football, and Other Shared Events Make Us Happy,” dives into how communal gatherings benefit individuals while strengthening the fabric of society.
Listen
Oliver Burkeman was on the podcast Nobody Told Me! talking about his unique view on time management and his book 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. His premise is that we will never conquer time or reach some point of perfect balance and control over every ball we try to juggle. As finite beings in a world of infinite possibilities, we will miss out on far more things than we actually do experience. Once we accept this, we can choose to focus on the people and projects that are truly the most important to us.
Save This for Later
Since the last newsletter, I’ve added the following books to the To Read list:
Care at the Core: Conversational Essays on Identity, Education and Power by Sherri Spelic
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams
Ceremony by Brianna Wiest
Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home by Kate Mangino
How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir by Wednesday Martin
Old Truths and New Clichés: Essays by Isaac Bashevis Singer by Isaac Bashevis Singer
The Sunny Nihilist: A Declaration of the Pleasure of Pointlessness by Wendy Syfret
Design Emergency: Building a Better Future by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
I also continue to add to The Collection on my website. I’m working through a lengthy backlog of items to categorize; once I’m caught up, I’ll start including real time additions in this section of the newsletter too.
[I will receive a small commission should you purchase a book using the Bookshop links included in the newsletter. Bookshop is an Amazon-alternative online bookseller that supports independent bookstores in your local community.]