This essay by Jason Velazquez hit a nerve. It’s about the web, how I got to know it, how it used to be, and how it still is if you look beyond the “For You” page in your social media apps. It’s also one reason why I think personal letters (like this one) and active personal curation are still so important. Let’s not let daddy Zuck feed us with slop. Let’s explore the corners of the web that excite us!

Somehow connected to the article above: Arthur C. Brooks in a video essay about the importance of being bored from time to time and some ways to incorporate that into your everyday life. Sounds easy in theory, but in practice, with all these distractions we surround ourselves with, it’s harder than I imagine. Still, it’s something I’m taking to heart this year.

Charli XCX wrote a very personal essay on her Substack last year about what it means, and feels like, to be a pop star nowadays. Sounds damn cool.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the latest macOS redesign. That’s a good thing if you ask me, because it makes us look at things more closely. Even better if you can write down your critique the way Nikita Prokopov does, reflecting on the distracting iconification of menu items shipped with the recent macOS Tahoe update.

Ever wondered who designs those detailed ski maps at your favorite winter destination? Maybe it was James Niehues. One of the artists behind hand-painting (!) some of the world’s most iconic mountains.

As part of the music blog Orange Peel, which I co-founded a long time ago, we curate a playlist each year with our favorite 100 songs of the past year. These were ours. What were yours?

The beginning of the year is usually also the time when I listen to records from last year that I only discovered through hand-curated playlists like the one above. This is one of those missed records. Worth a listen if you’re into disoriented wanders surrounded by deep bass, stompy percussion, and lots of other sonic and ritualistic details.

Is this image real, or AI-generated? I don’t know. But I do know that I’d really like to take a seat there right now and listen to the calm sound of the river passing by. Sometimes AI and reality can feel so close if you only let your imagination take over.

Following up on paradises, this image is real. Taken during some off days in the tropical warmth over Christmas, recharging batteries and getting sunburnt. You can find more photographs, sent directly from my phone, on my website.