As usual, I find myself in disbelief that another year is nearing its end. My Goodreads Reading Challenge count stands at 11 out of 12, and I’m halfway through a book right now, so I guess I’ll just make it before New Year’s. Which, incidentally, I’ll now be spending overseas thanks to some last minute plans. I’ll say where and post some photos after I’m back.
On reflection, it’s a bit of a shame that almost all the books I’ve read this year were just 3-star affairs. It’s like I’ve held back from tackling the big names on my reading list, choosing lighter and more inconsequential fare. In some ways, this has been a calmly chaotic year, with instability in the wider world putting everyone on edge, and that may have influenced my need for soothing, low-stakes entertainment. I saw a mention somewhere that the self-care industry is “sedating women”, making them focus on trying to fix something in themselves instead of fixing the problems out there. I can relate.
The holiday overeating has begun (although I may have forgotten to stop after last year), which I think is linked to a feeling of letting go and treating yourself in the evenings as work slows down (or seems less important) at this time of the year. We ended up eating out a fair few times, and as I write this I’m looking forward to another trip to Maji Curry this evening.
It’s not just fat cushioning my bones — while at Tokyu Hands this week (now simply called Hands), I saw a $75 wavy seat cushion and decided I had to have it for all the sitting around I do when working from home. Does it do anything for me? I don’t really know! But I’m treating myself. And then on the weekend we wandered into some kind of fancy organic bedding store and walked out with a pair of new pillows. Kim unfortunately may have chosen the wrong height/density for her sleeping style, but after one night I can cautiously report that mine cradles my noggin just fine.
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Where’s the usual AI garbage, Brandon? I can hear you thinking it! Well okay, so Peishan mentioned she’d made a new zine, which reminded me of a project idea I’d written down and filed away. It was to make a zine on the subject of “Breakfast”, but using only AI-generated words and images.
If you’re thinking that sounds like a pretty mediocre zine, then you understand the challenge here. We’re now at a point where generative AI’s infinite supply threatens to drive down the perceived value of all but the best; content vs. art. So I’d like to see if my human labor of directing an AI worker to deliver above-average quality and packaging its output as a coherent product, can create something worth looking at. The only way to find out is to make it! And now that we can do custom GPTs, I decided to start by making one that acts like a diverse team of writers and artists, with a range of different styles, which can then be applied to a zine on any topic you like.
I’m still testing it out, but so far I’ve gotten a handful of articles. And in doing so, I’ve realized that I know nearly nothing about print layouts or how to design an attractive zine. I’ve read my share of mags, of course, but without effectively taking in their details. I’m making it with Pages on my Mac, and using its “Free Layout Mode” has been the best approach I’ve found. It’s sort of like a digital version of making a physical zine: I’m moving chunks of text and cut-out imagery around on A4 canvases; almost like scrapbooking. I just need more fonts and more imagination and more time.
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- I listened to no new music this week.
- I didn’t turn my Switch on once.
- I haven’t seen any films.
- We did start Season 2 of Bosch Legacy though, and that’s still as great as ever. Not just the modern noir vibes and great jazz soundtrack. It’s a show that respects its audience and their time, without overelaborating on plot points or explaining every term or acronym that comes up. We’re already on episode 7 of 10, and I’ll be sad when it’s over. Thankfully a third season has been confirmed!
(This week’s featured image was taken while walking around Tiong Bahru, edited with a Ricoh GR Positive Film effect simulation preset I made.)
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