attention

People have always lived in their own realities. A person’s intuition helps them decide what to pay attention to, how to perceive the world, and what to value.

We can explore the ways in which our attention is generated, manipulated, valued and degraded. Sometimes attention might simply be a lens through which to read the events of the moment. But it can also force us toward a better understanding of how our minds work or how we value our time and the time of others. Perhaps, just by acknowledging its... See more

At heart, magic embraces the power that small solidarity networks have to change the world through changing their own perceptions of reality.

I recently declared feed bankruptcy.

At various points in my week // day, I type "kottke.org" into my browser, hit enter, and read whatever is there. Then I type "chorus.fm" and do the same thing. Then Daring Fireball. Then Hacker News.

I read good things, on good websites.

And it feels like an exercise in nostalgia.

Between 2010 and now, we... See more

Attention is a bit like the air we breathe. It’s vital but largely invisible, and thus we don’t think about it very much unless, of course, it becomes scarce. If that’s the case — to extend a tortured metaphor — it feels as if our attention has become polluted. We subsist on it, but the quality has been diminished. 

When you choose whom to follow on Twitter, you’re choosing what types of mindsets and aesthetics to expose yourself to on a regular basis. You’re choosing what types of conversations to have. You’re choosing to be reminded regularly of certain things, and not of others. This is a kind of Programmable attention.