I’ve been on a sort of crusade to get more people to blog recently. If I come across a person who is interesting and has something worthwhile to share, I urge them to start a blog. I have a friend at work who, in the early days of the Ukraine war, was sending updates about the conflict to a large group of people via an email distribution list. I suggested he commit his ideas to a blog instead. At first, he wasn’t into the idea. One of the reasons he gave me was that he had too much going on and he needed self-care time, in addition to all the craziness in life. I remarked to him that the activity of blogging is my self-care time.

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I’ll start by showing my cards here and admitting that I can’t wait to see Andor, the latest of the Star Wars shows to premiere on Disney+. The only reason I haven’t already dipped back into the Star Wars universe is that my imagination is currently in Middle Earth, where the harfoots are undertaking a perilous journey and Sauron and his juicy, sunscreen-hoarding orcs are on the move. If I weren’t so deep into the story that Rings of Power is weaving, I would have settled down in front of the big screen with the lights off and watched for that familiar Star Wars logo that has brought joy to me since I was a kid. I’ve been waiting for a while for Andor to come out and I have greater expectations for this show than any of the previous Star Wars episodic TV shows (although I ended up enjoying them all).

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An opinionated tweet recently provoked a strong reaction. That happens many times a day and is hardly news. This Twitter firestorm caught my attention, though, because it shows how people today are coming from profoundly different views of life.

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Frank Yang commemorates the 20th anniversary of Ladytron’s Light & Magic LP in a post on Space Echo. Completely unaware of the significance of the date, I was listening to the album the other day. My favorite song remains the track in the pole position, “True Mathematics.” I’m excited to see a newly produced video for the song. I’m even happier that the video version of the song is different from the album version and has a bit more punch. The vocals are still in Bulgarian, which gives them a certain edge.

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We recently changed our version of the Lord’s Prayer in church. Not to something radically different, but we now have a current, ecumenical version. Included are the words “save us from the time of trial.” Frankly, I was wondering why those words were left out previously. Drew Kadel examines the Lord’s Prayer in a piece on his blog Observations.

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It’s heartening to see what The Verge is doing with their transformation. They’ve stopped trying to optimize for spreading their content on social media platforms.

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I completely understand why my wife and others have no use for the British monarchy. For one thing, my wife is Irish, so amicable feelings for the royals in England do not come naturally. For another, obviously the concept of monarchy and someone who lives in luxury to be a sort of figurehead flies in the face of our shared sensibilities about good stewardship and distributing wealth equitably.

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A fellow microblogger has been posting videos of himself freestyle skateboarding and it has reminded me of how artistic the form can be. One of my favorite freestylers is the Rodney Mullen-influenced Japanese skater Isamu Yamamoto. Yamamoto is sponsored by Powell Peralta (yep, that Powell Peralta). Looking for his videos on the Powell site led me to another amazing freestyler, Kilian Martin.

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Recently, I had to give up one of my favorite pieces of electronics — my M1 iMac. The process wasn’t easy. It was love at first sight when I saw the new, colorful M1 iterations of the iconic Mac desktop. The aluminum and glass combination was sturdy, aesthetically pleasing, and the choice of colors made the machines feel personal. I was grateful to be able to afford a refurbished version. My previous iMac, which I had to give to my son for remote schooling, is over 10 years old (yes, he’s still using it and perfectly happy). I bought the blue iMac the funds I acquired by selling my Star Wars pinball machine.

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In Your Favorite Pop Culture Has Just Gone “Woke.” Now What? by Jason Morehead, the author examines some perceived changes brought to Middle Earth mythology by the new Amazon Prime series Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. If you’ve come across any of the common objections to the show, this is a really helpful piece to read. I mention this in large part because Morehead has a good grasp of the material being examined and brings an informed view to the debate. In discussions over nerdery and pop culture, familiarity with the source material and thus, understanding of authorial intent, generally wins the day.

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I have been trying out the blogging platform Ghost on and off for a couple of years now. It’s a powerful tool, and one that many people make good use of.

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Last week, Frosted Echoes featured a Breeders cover as the Friday Night Video and this week, we’re following closely behind with a song by the band Helium. “Pat’s Trick” is the opening track off the debut record from the band. It has the buzziness of “Cannonball” and that mid-nineties Big Muff grunginess. Indie rockers during this period had no problems mimicking the catchy chorus technique of their major label cousins and this track showcases that dynamic.

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DHH from 37Signals, who is not a believer, writes about nihilism and God’s will. Nietzsche promoted the idea of Amor Fati (love your fate), which DHH likens to acceptance of God’s will. Heinemeier Hanson relishes the idea of intellectual surrender that comes from faith. He brings in Kierkegaard’s leap of faith concept.

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I’m not sure what to think of this piece from Mere Orthodoxy on panic over the direction of Western civilization and its implications for Christians. For one thing, it sides mostly with Rod Dreher, someone with whom I am not usually in agreement. Dreher tends toward the Chicken Little end of the Christian spectrum, and his hand wringing often seems counterproductive. Things can surely get more difficult for Christians as societal mores shift, but the sky will not fall as long as God’s creation stands, and we are part of that creation. Perhaps, despite the references used, the piece brings up important points about the protective effect of institutions for our emotional well-being.

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In a piece for the New Yorker, David Owen writes about the world of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts in the context of his own history and love of keyboards.

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