Modern Tech

The internet is listening as you type; scraping your yet unpublished thoughts with JavaScript. Terabytes and terabytes of data are dumped onto the internet every single day. For profit and not for profit ventures alike scramble to segment your virtual page views into interactive client side dashboards, widgets, and modals, oh my. Engineers,  scientists, mathemeticians, business administrators, and bankers all know one thing - they want your metadata, and all they have to do for it is give you an app. With a single set of files - because that is really all an app is, right - they are in your phone. IN YOUR PHONE. It is not  a conspiracy. This is our modern reality. Just like a human tracks DNA through a room, so does your device track packets of metadata à la IP hopscotch, pinging like pong, all the while leaving a trail of trackable characteristics for software to guzzle down into a third party analytics integration. Yeah, baby. And at the end of the day we pay a lot of money for telecom; for tiny phones and high speed connections. Yeah, you know it's true. We are paying them to do it to us.

This prose is brought to you by Why Am I Still Awake Productions.

Self Love and Fitness Must Include Injury Prevention

I was cycling too fast on the streets of Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, and I hit another person's bike. I flew off my bike and made impact with my elbow and ribcage before (quite luckily) rolling out of it. No one hit their heads, thank the stars, but I will replace the other bike's rear wheel to the tune of €75. I got off cheaply, frankly.

What I miss most is my mobility and previously unbroken rib bones, so I am making a conscious decision to slow down while riding in the city, and replacing my normal workout with yoga for the next month. Most importantly, I finally got the message that injury prevention is equally as important as any other aspect of fitness. I am sick of losing time in my athletics simply because I was careless. Therefore I will be adding academic time to my athletics schedule for researching technique and injuries.

With patience, understanding, and yoga...I will become a better me.

How to be your own person

Don't wait around for anyone to do or give you anything. Be resourceful. Make your own money. Stick to your guns. Don't be afraid to make your own decisions, and do not be afraid to be wrong in them. If you are wrong, take it on the chin and keep going. Don't ask permission. Do not apologize unless you were rude. Do not get out of their way. Do not waver when your strength is insulted, they are only looking for weakness. No one is entitled to have you, to move you, possess you, block your way, or assume credit for any of your successes. You are mere humans; not gods, not monsters. You can belong to yourself, but you must be vigilant. You must prefer to stand alone than to sacrifice your independence for someone who would expect you to trade part of your identity for their help.