things i think about while powerwashing 134

Shortcut to anonymous subscriber submission link: https://forms.gle/2MABf8jNr2V8kEY87

One of my favorite parts about my new apartment is that the balcony and western window have amazing views of the Queensboro Bridge and the East side of Manhattan.

As esteemed subscriber Stephen Davis once told me: “When I moved to Manhattan, no one told me the best views of the skyline were off the island.”

Every few weeks my eyes will be graced with beautiful saturated sky, with crimson colors spilling down into the horizon, dripping down between the murky shadows of the buildings and the tiny lights of their windows turning on one by one as the sun sets.

Though this indeed is beautiful, there’s one thing that kind of irks me. It’s about the same every time. As a photography enthusiast I do enjoy taking photos of new scenes and things and new (to me) frontiers. But I’m somehow drawn to the same “boring” scene of the sky melting towards the sea week after week.

But in another way, it’s been the slow restart to my interest in photography. I think for a while, I’d been too caught up in trying to get legitimized. To be a “side hustle” photographer. But slowly by leaning on more exaggerated colors and taking some risks in this way, I’ve been enjoying it again.

Reject form. Embrace fun colors?

Too often in our modern society, hobbies have endured a force pressuring them towards monetization and business. Where ever did joy go in writing? In programming fun projects? In pottery and photography?

As this week starts, remember to take some time to do something for yourself. Whether that be related to your hobby or not, do something for the sake of your own joy!

museum of the week

I have, admittedly, been going to a lot of dusty old museums. No modern art. Nothing new. Why would you have a museum for new things?

The MIT Museum was just that. A museum for relatively new things. Compared to the ancient rocks of The Met, the computers and even the early sketches of the Scratch mascot were shining by comparison.

It took some time to get used to, but as I walked through the museum, I slowly started to understand the beauty of it. Here was not only was there a hyper-specific museum to the history of MIT, but also one looking to the future and how MIT-ers (engineers? what is the boilermaker equivalent here) are contributing. There were electrity-less coolers, little avatars you could create, and even exhibits detailing the effects of wildfire smoke on sourdough starters.

A lot of the time we look to the past to guide our future. But are there times when that view holds us back from what we could achieve? Maybe not in the Elon Musk or OpenAI way. But maybe in a way where coolers built using two nested pots with gravel between them is how we help keep food fresh for longer in extremely rural parts of the world. Or where surgical devices can be powered by batteries carried in backpacks.

anonymous subscriber news

Congrats to everyone! Lots to celebrate here. And ... yes I will take those dinosaurs.

Submit here: https://forms.gle/2MABf8jNr2V8kEY87

• anonymous subscriber said: I have been going to a gym twice a week now for a month and I am so proud of myself!
• anonymous subscriber said: it was my birthday i’m 24 now and thanks for the camera!
• anonymous subscriber said: I shall go to a dinosaur exhibit (kind of) this weekend. Can dinosaur replicas be submitted as animal of the week?

animal of the week

Sometimes the pictures of pet animals take wild swings between civilization and the great, great outdoors. Special thanks to esteemed subscriber Jason J!

Southern Elephant Seal bellowing on Deception Island, Antarctica. Spent nearly a month on the 7th continent and never once got tired of seeing these immense and incredible creatures. One of the deepest diving mammals in the world, known to reach depths of over 6,000 feet!

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co!