There is much I want to tell you, and I might as well start with this:

I’m going off Twitter.

No reads.

No writes.

No more.

It isn’t so much that I’m done with shallow thoughts, or even not-so-shallow thoughts that are being tweet-tested for dinks/donks. It’s that I can’t justify using a system that actively works to destroy people’s lives and livelihoods.

Why didn’t I leave Twitter the first time this happened? Because I didn’t realize what was going on, and how it would become a feature-not-a-bug. Why didn’t I leave Twitter once it was clear that this behavior would continue? Because I thought I needed it for my job, perhaps — or because I thought I could still use it to benefit myself and my work.

But, as I’ve noted in previous blog posts, Twitter offers very little benefit to me at this point in time. It’s a time-suck-brain-suck emotion-manipulator, and it takes value from me without valuing my own contributions. I have 4,000+ followers, and each individual tweet is only seen by 150 people at best. Each article that I share online is only read by two people at best.

Twitter isn’t worth it — and once you factor in the daily main character aspect, it can’t be included as part of my value system.

I wish I had thought of this earlier, because then I could have done it earlier. (I also kinda wish I hadn’t thought of it at all, because it’s the sort of core-value-indicator that once you realize it, you have to do it — and there will be a cost, I am sure, for doing it.)

I haven’t deleted my account yet, but I have deactivated it. This will give me 30 days in which to decide whether this is actually a good idea. I’m not going to put a calendar alert for 30 days from now, btw — if I forget to reactivate before the time is up, that’s also a win.

I’m also not going to share this article on Twitter, even though I could probably get another subscriber or two out of it. If you don’t get why going on Twitter to announce that I’m going off Twitter is gross, I mean — well, I don’t need to tell you what I mean, because I know you get it.

Plus, I can always get another subscriber or two by adding this button:

Interestingly, as soon as I committed to doing this (but before I deactivated my account) I got this message inviting me to lead a weekly freelance advice Twitter chat, and I responded with what I hope will be my standard message, to anyone who cares to read it:

The best way for freelancers to connect with me, request advice, and discuss ideas is on my Substack, Showing My Work.

What I really really really want is for this site to be my primary interface with the rest of the internet (aside from, like, email). I like the Substack system. It has an RSS reader, and you can even add non-Substack publications to your reading queue. It’s committed to free speech. It’s also free of algorithms, emotion-manipulating or otherwise (although its Discover feature does prioritize blogs that charge subscription fees).

Yes, the metric manager in me is asking how I can add value to the greater Substack project so that Substack can in turn add value to my projects.

But my projects, right now (including the project, as noted below), are valuable on their own. So valuable that I cannot afford to participate in anything that might disrupt my focus, manipulate my emotions, or incentivize me to focus on dinks/donks instead of doing excellent work.

More on this next week. ❤️

Who (or what) is currently shaping my thoughts?

How Media Bias Works, Isaac Saul, Tangle

[…] the forces driving much of what is wrong with our current media ecosystem are often more insidious and harder to see than simple bias. It’s not as straightforward as reporters being liberal hacks or living in a bubble — and even the political affiliations of reporters don’t often manifest themselves in the ways you may expect.

On the Artist/Craftsman Divide, Resident Contrarian

If you want a good, usable table, the Craftsman is the right choice nearly 100% of the time. If you want perfection - every joint a work of art, every inch without flaw - then the Craftsman is also your choice; an occasional artist might out-class the occasional craftsman in terms of skill, but for the most part the quality-maximizers are going to beat the novelty-maximizers in terms of quality just as you’d expect.

Olympic figure skating

I swear this happened, although I can’t find video of it — after Kamila Valieva did her short program and as she was walking back towards the kiss-and-cry booth, Tara Lipinski said “it’s like she was programmed.”

L and I immediately said that’s exactly it! that’s the project! which will give you absolutely zero context until you know what the project is, but keep those words in mind as you continue to read this blog.

Where did I get published this week?

How to build credit with a secured credit card, Bankrate

Do secured credit cards build credit? Yes, depending on how you use them. If you want to know how to build credit with a secured card, you’re going to need to understand the fundamentals of building good credit: making on-time payments, keeping your balances low and paying off your debts.

Why I made my child an authorized user on my credit card, Bankrate

Laura Spencer, an educator and design thinker who is currently a Designer-in-Residence at UCSD’s Design Lab, made both of her daughters authorized users on her credit cards. “My oldest daughter is almost 24, and just purchased her first home,” says Spencer. “This is because she learned how to handle money responsibly and had established good credit. I think the credit card definitely helped her credit score.”