Markus said...

Case. Justin Case. (An action hero on the off chance you need another one.)

These are bad times for men named AL. I had to capitalize the name for you to even understand what I mean.

I like people. Some of my best friends are people!

- What do you put in the description of an unpopular telegram channel? - “All views are my own”.

"It is alive." You likely had no idea, but I had an operation two weeks ago, which went well, and I'm getting back to work now. My doctor wants to see me again in 6 months; in my neck, two titanium disks now replace those that were damaged (one causing excruciating pain in the arm, the other silently threatening paralysis at an unspecified point in a dark branch of a future, now averted). Some 12-18 months later, three of the now fused vertebrae in my cervical spine will have grown together into one mega-vertebrum — and, unfortunately, I didn't get any useful augmentations like sub-dermal armor, night vision, or needle-casting capabilities in the style of Altered Carbon. I am, however, again fully capable of lying down flat — and working on being able to sleep (which will probably take a while longer, but I'm off most of the meds and past the worst of the withdrawal effects). Both of those skills feel very good to practice after four months. If you're wondering why I'm going into so much detail, it's to make you consider improving your work environment: • Never use laptops without a stand • Keep your phone and any other screens at eye level, like you're filming the sunset • Use a chair and table/desk, never work from a couch or armchair • Set a short timer that will remind you to improve your posture and position • Set a longer timer that will remind you to get up and walk around a bit • And screw drinking water — dehydrated people never suffer like I have. In case you need some more convincing, here's the same story laid out in @verse (which will tell you a bit more of the "fun" that is suddenly stopping heavy painkillers): https://t.me/verse/86

A channel’s gotta get its custom colors on, after all. Not to mention ‘par avion’ style replies. 📮

Fix Tourist Spots Problem: Crowds ruin the vibe. Solution: Rent era-appropriate but practical clothes at destination. Perks from local shops for participants. Result: Authentic feel, social media buzz.

I made a habit of publishing small collections of poems on my birthdays, but this year's harvest is both diverse and plentiful – and we're well past July 23. While I'm figuring out which of the 60 or so scraps of verse should stay and which will go, here are a few ghosts of Christmas past from the 2021-2022 season. (P.S. For no apparent reason, I spent most of the past year thinking I'm 37 already – so this second year of 37 will be a strange one to live in. Deja vu.) https://telegra.ph/Five-Cities-07-31

Dvhjf

You are (mostly) not here to read poetry. And neither am I here to post it. This channel has been around for almost 7 years, but today it occurred to me for the first time that I could make a new one where you would be to read poetry. And so I made one. And now comes the Maxwell’s Demon moment: will the slow-moving molecules please step to the left – and the rest join @verse. 😈

Wodehouse 2022: Jabs and Boosters

7. Respect your audience. When you're 100% sure it's flawless – show it to a few people you trust. Then fix what they find, check two more times – and ship. 7 things I learned from Pavel Durov

6. Be your own tester. You don't need the opinion of others to know what's wrong: you can feel it. So find it and fix it. 7 things I learned from Pavel Durov

5. Simplify. Simplicity is the most valuable substance in the universe. Zoom out to find it. 7 things I learned from Pavel Durov

4. No partnerships. Never partner with outsiders to do your job: they'll want those partnerships for a different reason. 7 things I learned from Pavel Durov

3. You are enough. The Renaissance isn't over: you can still do everything by yourself. 7 things I learned from Pavel Durov