Weeknotes #2

After eating far too much terrible food over the Christmas break, I’ve started time-restricted feeding again. While I think it would be better to just eat healthier, of all the adjustments I tried making to my eating habits last year, this was the one I was able to maintain and that resulted in consistent weight reduction.

One difference from last year is that I’m using the app Zero to track how successful I am at completing my fasts. I don’t know if I’ll actually use this data for anything but like a lot of ‘quantified self’ stuff, it seems helpful to have it.

I almost bought a Mac Mini after seeing a top-of-the-line 2011 model on Craigslist for ¥30,000. I’ve been thinking of getting a Mini for some time and while I had intended to wait until the current line is refreshed, the price got my attention. Why ‘almost’ then? Well, the seller cancelled on me at the last minute on Thursday and didn’t respond to an offer to meet on Friday. We’re supposed to meet today but I’m now only 20% sure this is really going to happen.

I can’t believe that Rise of Skywalker didn’t use these designs for the Star Destroyers. Some might consider the tweet contains mild spoilers so avoid if you’re still waiting to see the film.

I’m very late to this piece by Ian Bogost about Untitled Goose Game but you really should read it if you haven’t already. Bogost takes what in lesser hands might be some interesting observations about a pretty niche game and turns it into a deeper meditation about the relationship between games and work.

Speaking of deep meditations, Kurt sent me a link to ‘Dark Ecology’, a piece in Orion from more than seven years ago. I disagree with it but found it a stimulating read nevertheless.

I guess Friday is now my day to listen to new music because this week it was Fazil Say’s new release of the Complete Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas (Apple Music). Yes, that’s more than 10 hours of a man alone at a piano.

Eri, the kids and I spent Australia Day meeting for lunch with another Australian here in Tokyo and his family. We didn’t end up doing anything particularly Aussie but then perhaps that was the Australian thing to do? Speaking of which: this tweet.