Eric Rothman
@ericmsandwich
Filmmaker, editor, animator, stationary bicycle rider, sandwich enthusiast. My work has won very few awards. I currently reside in Dayton, Ohio.
Eric Rothman
newhappystar.com
This has gotta be one of the best songs ever. Just a tragic yearning for opportunity and a better life, and kindof knowing deep down that running away isn’t going to be the answer, but doing it anyway because it’s a source of hope. I love so much toward the end of the song, we are tragically seeing into the future at how things do, in fact, fall apart, but then landing back in this moment of decision to go–now or never, this or nothing. And then there’s something deeply American about it all too: the promise of self-reliance as the spoils of hard work, and the romance of hitting the road and the freedom of that.
It’s dark because you are trying too hard.... See more
Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly.
Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply.
Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.
I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humorless little prig.
Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me.
When it
Tina Roth Eisenberg • Learn To Do Everything Lightly
Something else happens in a world of superabundance, and an attention economy. Because you can’t find what you want, you start to dig yourself into very specific niches, and join sub-groups. Everyone atomizes into millions of groups connected by very specific interests. In more benign ways, it can be great – you find your fellow travelers, and I... See more
Ten (Big) Trends
Reminds me of Yuval Noah Harari’s, Sapiens, and his thesis about shared stories. Has the story of America been fractured into thousands of competing ones?
Also, I love the last sentence here, “…because you read this newsletter I’ve got your attention and we are a tiny polarized sub-group who know something others don’t, right?!” Phew, if that ain’t what makes a good newsletter!
The solutions to society’s problems are at the end of a curious interview.
Fantastic advice, for software builders:
Headline driven development
Here is a simple process for shipping software projects that works. First, decompose the project into a stream1 of headlines. Then pick an aggressive date to ship the first headline and work like hell to meet that date. Have everyone work only on one headline at a time– the
... See moreI am an artist first and foremost. No matter how I spend my time, no matter how i make money, no matter what responsibilities or identities I take on .. I am an artist because I have the mind and soul of an artist. I am a creative force of nature, I am an innovator, I am brave and smart and loving and experimental in my approach to life. I was put... See more
Just a moment...
There’s this whole thing about street photography where, if you want “authenticity” you’re supposed to steal shots, and just assault people with your camera. That always felt wrong and strange and uncomfortable to me, and this is just another reminder (a necessary reminder) that you can do things however you want. Do things the way you want to do them and the way that feels right to you. Don’t let some imaginary ruleset control you.
Also, the way Sara talks about hanging out with her friends—instead of going out to bars or partying or whatever people do on the weekends—just walking around with cameras to see what’s going on in the world. That sounds so fun to me. Why am I not doing that?