Fernando Gros

@fernandogros.com

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Writer and Social Creative
Lived in 🇨🇱🇦🇺🇬🇧🇮🇳🇭🇰🇸🇬🇯🇵
Worked in academia and music
Naarm - Melbourne

https://fernandogros.com/blog/

Made in Chile, grown in Australia, polished in Japan

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If I had a time machine I’d go fetch Alexis de Tocqueville and show him America today. Maybe pick up Jean Baudrillard on the way. I wonder what they’d make of it.

It still surprises me that homes don't have 12v DC lines built in. Feels like life would be a lot better if every room also had low voltage outlets for modern devices and lights.

I love that the dismantling of the verification system is a big part of the EU's case against X/Twitter under the Digital Services Act. The fine could be as much as 6% of global revenue. Sweet, sweet news.

Reached Inbox Zero today. It felt quite emotional. The past five years have been tough for me. Sometimes I felt like I was operating on 25% of my capacity. Lately it's like a cloud has lifted. There's been far more moments of deep clarity. Feeling so deeply thankful tonight.

In a reply on threads (about Int. Schools) someone wrote "expat medal for doing everything in the most challenging way" and this made me laugh so hard. Reminded me of so many weirdly combative things I've read over the years from people trying to brag being better at life as a foreigner somewhere.

It amazes me how Threads and Bluesky didn't include location in each user's bio.

Today was scheduled to be my bike ride or long walk day. The weather is wet, windy, and wild. Time to stay indoors and read a book or two.

Kind of surprised nobody is talking openly about boycotting the US if the thing that could happen in November happens.

For some people everything online is just a "take." Maybe social media has fed this misconception. But being unable to distinguish between opinions and experiences is pretty catastrophic for our ability to have conversations or learn from each other.

Elections ≠ Democracy

Being against being against things feels like a useful position in a lot of ways. I labored for decades in a cultural moment that cringed at sentimentality. That always felt wrong and restrictive. And of course, blogging and social media were derided for being confessional. That also felt narrow.

I love the way UK election results are declared. Once all votes counted. All candidates on the same stage at the same time. First past the post might not be the best system. But winners giving their speech to a shared audience and nothing being called till it's decided is appealing.

Threads is overrun with travel influencer and digital nomad content. One post I saw today was someone talked about "moving to Japan for three months." I get that that they meant. But it sounds odd to me. What's your threshold for "moving somewhere?" Time? Process? Tell me.

Back in Melbourne. It was 2 degrees when I left the airport this morning. Which was a welcome shock after a few hot days in Tokyo.

This is one of the most fascinating books I've read on nutrition.

The domain for a Tokyo thing I did years ago is coming up for renewal in 60 days... ...ah the memories.

I’ve shared this story on socials a few times over the years and it never garners any response. That makes me think it matters. Like it should become an essay.

Friday evening in Tokyo. Visited my hairdresser. Walked out feeling renewed.

If you have published work online then please make sure you have PDF versions of your work saved for future reference. Don't rely on publications and websites staying up forever. Or wayback machine or other archives. Archive your work.

"We had H 2O." The US presidential debate was a sad spectacle.

fernandogros.com/on-leaning-t... Completely forgot I wrote this. And before Stoicism became cool. 2009 was a long time ago I suppose.

What The Stoics Can Teach Us About Saying No - Fernando Grosfernandogros.com We could all do with a lesson in setting boundaries and learning to say no. Thankfull the Stoics had some good ideas on the subject.

New writing fernandogros.com/the-bridge-o...

The Bridge Of Resentment - Fernando Grosfernandogros.com When we embark on ambitious projects we hope our friends will support us. It doesn't always turn out that way.

Wanted to try @buffer.com given support for Threads and Bluesky are coming soon. Went to connect my Instagram and apparently I have to have a Facebook account to do that. But, I quit Facebook in 2009 and am not about to reverse that decision.

The concept of religion as a category separate from other aspects of life is a relatively new idea we tend to impose on cultures.

One of my favourite podcasts, Longform, is coming to an end. I'm quite sad about it. The podcast has been a constant companion during this last decade of my creative journey. Hearing writers, and especially essayists, being interviewed by other writers has taught me so much. And given me hope.

My coffee stop today

Does any of the language experts here know the Akkadian word for soap? #langsky

Threads was fun for a long time. But now it seems to be drowning in engagement bait. So much of it is just cut and paste from the typical stuff that gets people replying. No doubt harvested from places like Hypefury. But a lot of it is also like bad stand up. Writing from worn out prompts.

This whole story is wild. I wonder how much broader coverage it will get. www.reuters.com/investigates...

Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to incite fear of China vaccineswww.reuters.com The covert effort began under Trump and continued into Biden’s presidency, Reuters found. Health experts say it endangered lives for possible geopolitical gain.

I just wrote a draft blogpost. It's about 480 words. I think it's an interesting personal essay. A vulnerable story and broader reflection. But, from an SEO perspective it's crap. No keywords. Would need to shoehorn in unnecessary headings. This is the angst of contemporary blogging.