Related thought - Is there a good way to search for projects like this? I know there are hundreds of these passion projects that never show up in google.
Ex) This year I want to get better at playing piano. Reddit and google bring up a few consistent big name links. I'd love to support a well-produced course by a creator like this, but have no idea how to find it.
The video game example resonates. I realized recently that I load up walkthroughs by default. Before I’ve even turned the game on, I’m already following someone else’s ideas of best practice.
I think it comes from a misplaced belief about saving time and optimizing for “best” solutions. Taking a less optimal path is scary, even in a game with 0 real world consequences. I’ll consider that next time.
CICO is the mechanical answer. The question OP is getting at is "why" they naturally eat less. The poster is saying "I eat until I'm full and don't gain weight". For other people, they eat until they're full and gain weight.
Personally, my "satiated" level is very low. When trying to gain weight while weightlifting, it was difficult to eat the amount of calories needed. I know others who can easily eat twice as much as me in a sitting and not feel full. Something different in happening in our bodies to signal "stop".
I love this idea. My high school our english program had us write letters to ourself 10 years in the future. Such a joyous surprise when that teacher actually sent the letters 10 years later.
I wonder though - How is this different than journaling? Doesn't a written record from the past you can refer back to in the future accomplish the same goal?
I would say that with journaling you're not guaranteed to look back at specific notes, you need somehow to force yourself to do so and have a way of easily finding that specific note at a specific point in the future. Sending a letter fixes this issue.
Here in Texas the Community Impact newspaper has been growing with a monthly print edition. They serve local content with multiple editions per city. ~50% of the content is broader city related and ~50% specific to the suburb / neighborhood. I find it incredibly helpful to keep up with local govt, business development, etc.
It's free and ships via mail monthly. I never signed up, it simply shows up. Their website[1] says they currently publish 40+ distinct editions across Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio.
I have no idea how their finances work, but they seemingly found a model that could possibly be duplicated elsewhere.
Unfortunately in my area of the USA south, there simply isn't much free land to explore. We have contained city parks and a few state parks. Less than 2% of all land in state. Everything else is either developed or privately owned.
"I studied my map for a while and found what appeared to be its most boring grid square: no roads, houses or rivers, just a single footpath, one pond and the merest flutter of a lonely contour line. Here, it seemed, was nothing at all, neatly outlined within crisp blue lines."
Near me that boring grid would almost certainly be fenced off. Untouchable.
Your mileage may vary, but my experience in the South was that most people (especially people with a few to many acres) don't care if you use their land if you ask. I've hunted or fished on a few strangers' land. I've used land I didn't own without asking, but did live in the neighborhood and the woods were largely considered communal if people weren't jackasses.
A lot of people own land because they want access to it, not because they want to deny everyone else access. Just go up to the nearest house and ask if you can walk through their land, or if they know who owns it so you can ask. People are generally nice about it.
You can also largely ignore corporate ownership of large swaths of land for stuff like logging or mining. They don't monitor it, and are unlikely to make a big deal of a hiker crossing through if you don't walk directly through the part they're working.
There's a greater conversation about private ownership and access to nature, but asking is a practical workaround in the mean time.
> Just go up to the nearest house and ask if you can walk through their land, or if they know who owns it so you can ask.
This doesn't seem like such a great idea these days, with armed people holed up on their property thinking they are "under siege" when someone accidentally enters their property[1][2][3]. People are too unhinged to risk knocking on a random door.
Be careful with corporate land. Find Weyerhaeuser recreation (in the south primarily for hunting not grazing like BLM out west) here...
https://recreation.weyerhaeuser.com/Leases/Search
Note: Weyerhaeuser combined with Plum Creek.
Corporate ownership rings true. Especially land marked off for future development. You'll likely need to jump a fence, but no one is watching once you're inside.
Private land I'm more concerned about simply due to firearm ownership & laws surrounding it. I'm sure many citizens would welcome respectably sharing. There's just no way to know that in advance and the downside risk feels higher than I'm willing to accept.
Then you look outside and it's nothing but 4-lane stroads, fast food places, payday loan/pawn shops, and liquor stores. Where the fuck are the kids meant to go, the local casino?
I believe the system and those who pull the levers currently would prefer if the kids were in juvenile detention(1) or working low wage jobs at risk of their own health safety and future(2). Might be better off with the casino option.
In USA National Parks & National Forest are open for exploration. I'm incredibly grateful for the park service maintaining them.
Unfortunately, their locations are not evenly distributed. They are highly concentrated in the Western portion of the country. The closest national park to me is 8+ hours away.
Illegal activity is as American as apple pie. I don't have much free land around me and I have a lot of fun going into abandoned buildings despite it's own set of hazards such as asbestos and mold.
Deep South here as well. This place absolutely sucks for exploring. Dangerous heat, mosquitos galore, "nature trails" often have pictures of hunters on government sites. I need to freaking leave.
Seconded. I buy 2 varieties of Muji pens -- 0.38 and 0.5 Gel Ballpoint -- and stash them everywhere.
A while back I heard the phrase "If you ask 'where is the good XYZ' it means you have a 'bad' XYZ". I was inspired to throw out all of my cheapo pens and always have a good one nearby.
Same with power cables, scissors, tape, and other small household accessories. They're too cheap to have to worry about 1. where they are and 2. where the "good" one is.
Thanks for the link. Seems like a well built ecosystem. The pixel art pairing with the card/audio is a nice hardware touch.
On one hand, feels like extra work to purchase and duplicate existing Spotify lists.
On the other hand, I’m attempting to keep my kids in “physical” world as much as possible. This is the best solution I’ve seen for audio. Could be worth some ongoing dollars.
Have your kids enjoyed it? Any sense of how often you’ll be buying new cards?
We bought about half a dozen to start with. We have a few more on some Christmas wishlists shared with family and there will probably be one in the stockings.
So far it's been popular. Not an every day toy yet but it is becoming more popular. My oldest is well under 5 years old so I imagine they have a few years to really grow into some of the rest of the content.
We originally got it as another option for some kind of media that wasn't always too high-energy as we got later into the evening. We're trying to ensure they don't stay glued to the TV until just before bed. They like having this as an option alongside books or other music. They haven't really figured out or cared for the streaming media content. We use it as a night time noise maker and nightlight for one child.
I do get it's kind of weird buying content based on nfc tags. It really showcases the hyper-drm landscape for this content. But in the end it's a decently built and high quality product that's incredibly smooth for a child to operate.
All makes sense. I currently use the Hatch for bedtime light and noise. Don't feel any need to replace it.
I'm picturing this as more a daytime thing. Kiddo is likely too young to appreciate the "choose yourself" aspect of it, so I'll revisit around age 3-5.
There's an interesting progression watching him over time. While his technical ability has dramatically improved, so too has the engagement. Now you start to get more clips of people saying "Wait. I've seen you on Youtube/TikTok". Love his journey.
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