Jon is thinking about the future:
In light of all the interesting times going on around us, I was exploring some possible future scenarios. I don’t know how things will go. There are as many wonderful outcomes possible as there are awful ones. But scrolling back from these futures back to the present day, I seem to land on three distinct actions I can take today. These hopefully nudge the space-time around me in slightly more opportune and fortunate futures.
Action one is solid and evergreen advice, no matter what future you see unfolding:
Meet and love the people nearby. Get into relationships with them. Figure out what they want to accomplish and build, and help them do that. Offer support and resources towards their goals. Have dinners together. Help them clean up their lawn. Build reciprocal trust that is resilient to the whims of the government and the colors of the party last voted for.
That said, I think this one is an increasingly important one, too:
If I had to add a fourth, it would be to publish more to the internet about the people, projects, futures you care about.
I’d proffer that the best place for publishing is on your own website, that you control, and that reflects you as a person—not an algo-driven viral lottery machine that simply uses your “content” to make some billionaire even more money. Start in a human space, your space, and if necessary, POSSE to other platforms where some of your friends might be..
It’s day two of being laid up with bad back spasms; my rx muscle relaxers don’t seem to be helping. When this first happened back in 2021, I had to be transported via stretcher to the ER, a fate I’d love to avoid this time (though Jen might enjoy the firemen who show up to to help with transport).
Dave Karpf on the “Five things I believe about actually-existing AI today.”
I have a task in Things that’s listed as “hootenanny” and I have no idea—really, no idea—of how to complete this apparently(?) important task. 🤔 Any ideas?
Nate Shivar referenced a blog post about losing the childhood pastime of biking in the neighborhood. I’m similarly bummed about this, though the kids in my ‘hood still tool around a bit. With the emergence of ebikes, I am hopeful that we can invest in more biking infrastructure/design.
Remember last summer-fall when I had to get all of those travel vaccinations (23 was it?) for our 100-day adventure around the world? Yeah, well, I just today finished the last shot in all the various regimens. Whew!
Whoa! Many moons ago, I used to participate in the “Lost Boobs” kennel of the Phoenix Hash House Harriers. I was active for several years, even “earning” a hashing name. It’s been a decade since I’ve participated, but apparently there’s a hash starting at my local brewery tonight—the 700th in fact!
Does anyone have a good use for a Mighty Networks community? I have a grandfathered account that is about 80% off today’s rate that I’d be willing to transfer to a good cause.
If you live in Arizona and don’t have a will, health care power of attorney, or any of those sorts of important documents, here’s your reminder to get on top of it. The state provides standardized language online that you can use; I can also share ours as an example (but not as legal advice 🤐).
Hey photographers: have you ever considered submitting your prints to a photo show? If so, Alex Kunz has a bunch of tips for you, after his latest experience being a judge in the nation’s oldest and largest photo show.
I only very rarely peak at instagram, but almost my entire feed over there is posts from friends mourning the wildfire on the North Rim. Such a gut-punch, it feels like we’ve all lost a good friend.
Hey bloggers: I’m considering whether or not to renew my blogprompts.fyi domain name. If I didn’t, I’d keep the site up but move it to blogprompts.rscottjones.com instead. Just wondering if it’s been a useful enough resource to keep paying for an (admittedly cheap) domain name. Thoughts?
Wendover historic airfield
One of the unexpected surprises of our Utah-Idaho trip, we toured the historic airfield at Wendover, Utah. At one time, it was among the busiest air bases in the country.
We stopped by because it became home to the secret squadron tasked with training to drop the atomic bomb—an important objective in our quest to see the major sites of the Manhattan Project.
The museum was worth a visit, but not a must-do. Instead, I’d recommend the “behind the scenes tour,” which is the same price but loads more interesting. I won’t get into all the details here, but the base was responsible for a number of important facets of the last phase of the Manhattan Project: successfully preparing to actually drop the bomb.
The museum
The airfield tour
This tour was a bus tour to various important buildings on the edge of the tarmac. We toured a large hanger, a fire station that had once been the bombardier training facility, and the vault building where the all-important Norden Bombsights were securely stored.
The best part of the tour was that each of the participants was given a “role.” Jen, for instance, was the navigator and I was the bombardier; others were the pilot, co-pilot, gunner, etc. Then throughout the tour, the docent would explain each of our roles and even have us role-play particular aspects of the mission.
The Enola Gay Hanger
Of course the highlight of tour, for us, was the Enola Gay hanger, which was being used by some young cadets at the time of our visit. Tibbet’s office was on the second floor on the south side of the building; they’re currently renovating it. We also visited the bomb pits where they loaded the bombs onto the B-29s (we saw the corresponding ones in Tinian).
🏷️25.06B
Absolutely terrible news: Grand Canyon’s historic North Rim Lodge has been destroyed by wildfire. This was among my favorite nat’l park lodges, centered around massive windows that frame an amazing vista of the Canyon. Really disappointed I didn’t stop by as I passed thru Jacob Lake last month. 😭
Here’s a gofundme for the park and concessionaire staff.
I’ve added some photos from the NPS (first three) and NationalParksTraveler.org (last) for those who haven’t been there:
I updated and added to my /uses page.
Q1: Do you have an aging parent? Q2: Do you have your own website?
If you’ve answered yes to both questions, create a permanent contact page for your parents.
Oh boy do I feel heard. ⛺
Well, hmmm…
We just pulled the trigger on buying new windows 💸 something we’ve needed to do for…like 7 or 8 years now? Half are broken; we haven’t dared to even open them in ages. We’re also springing for plantation shutters and new sunscreens. Perhaps we’ll have a whole new house vibe after installation!
I’m currently purging some old hiking guidebooks and happened across this old entry when my ex-wife and I got engaged while hiking in Yellowstone. We got engaged in Yellowstone NP, married in Yosemite NP, and divorced in Hohokam Pima NM—each on a July 15th. Feels like a lifetime ago at this point!
