J.D. Moyer

science fiction author, beatmaker, against fascism

Author: J.D. Moyer Page 21 of 104

J.D. Moyer is a science fiction author and electronic music producer from Oakland, California.

Nostalgia

By

On August 28

In Culture Rants/Shares

Lately I’ve been taking a megatrip down memory lane over on the new Qoöl Instagram, sorting through the bazillions of snapshots taken from the heyday of my clubbing past life in the late 90’s and 2000’s.

Were we happier back then? Maybe, maybe not. I remember joyful nights and great friendships but also stressful times and some not-so-great decisions. Most of us (not everyone) made it through and are now thriving.

I used to regard nostalgia with suspicion, but I’ve revised my view. Part of that is just getting older and realizing that I have as much of my life behind me as in front of me (if I’m lucky). But looking back is important even for young people. Our identities are formed from our experiences, and if we don’t examine those experiences, we don’t understand ourselves. The past is just as important as the future.

And looking back is important for hope, especially now. We looked carefree because we were young, but also because the world wasn’t quite as on fire as it is now (here in California, literally). Those fires will burn themselves out, as will our current tyrannical government and the hatred, fear, and stupidity that consumes our nation.

Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Luck is the Opposite of Efficiency

By

On July 13

In Lifestyle Experiments, Metaprogramming

I have a repeating to-do item in my Todoist: do something to increase luck.

To remind myself of the things I can do to get more lucky, I include the following subcategories:

  • Do something nice/kind
  • Meet someone new
  • Show up (purposefully vague)
  • Bring someone up (signal boost, advise, or otherwise help someone with less power than myself)
  • Put myself or my work out there (submit something, publicly speak up, etc.)

Those subcategories have evolved somewhat since I first performed my 30-day luck experiment. I’ve picked items that mesh well with my personality and that are easily actionable.

Some people do these things naturally everyday without a second thought. But I’ve had to train myself, and I still consider myself a luck beginner.

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How to Survive the Plague

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On June 21

In Health/Body-hacking

So, we’re in the midst of a global viral pandemic. Want to survive it? So do I.

Unless you live in New Zealand, Hawaii, or on another island that has successfully managed to contain COVID-19, then it’s up to you to do what you can to prevent getting the virus and passing it on.

But even if you do everything right, there’s a still a good chance you’ll be exposed. So what can you do to mitigate the chance of infection, and the severity of any illness?

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Three Overlapping Problems: Racist Police, an Authoritarian Police State, a Complacent Citizenry

By

On June 8

In Culture Rants/Shares

In recent weeks, police forces have brutally assaulted U.S. Black Lives Matter protestors in record numbers. Here are numerous graphic examples if you’ve somehow been unaware of this epidemic of unnecessary violence. Here’s a massive Twitter thread with more examples. Police have violently attacked peaceful protestors, bystanders, medics, and journalists in thousands of reported cases, many of which have gone viral on social media. The evidence is right there in front of us, for everyone to see. I’ve been trying to understand how we got here and what we can do about it.

If you’ve been paying any attention at all, you know we’ve been here a long time. Police brutality and the abuse of police power has been around longer than our republic.

In the recent BLM protests, cops are triggered by being called out about their historically abusive and racist behavior. In many cases, police have reacted with even more intensively abusive behavior, not only against peaceful Black protestors but against anyone who dares to criticize police behavior. Sure, cops are people too, just as stressed as the rest of us from the global pandemic, stressful working conditions, and whatever personal problems they might have. But what we’re seeing is highly reactionary and racist. When heavily armed White protestors protested pandemic restrictions on government property, cops reacted calmly. But peaceful BLM protestors demanding that police no longer casually murder Black citizens in the “line of duty” have been met with tear gas, rubber bullets, and medieval military tactics.

Not all the protests have been peaceful, and some individuals have reacted to police murdering citizens by destroying property and looting. But the vast majority of reckless, abhorrent behavior has been on the part of police themselves, who have systemically and brutally attacked peaceful protestors, and willfully turned peaceful protests into chaotic melees.

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Remote Learning Parenting Strategies (while also getting your own work done)

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On May 25

In Education

“Remote learning” as it is called, has been a mixed bag for us so far. Our daughter is twelve and much more interested in her friends and gaming than her schoolwork. However she seemed to be on top of it. Every time I asked if she had completed all her assigned work for the day, she answered in the affirmative.

In her mind, that meant she’d done all the work that she’d been able to do. She failed to mention that she was having trouble accessing many of the assignments from many of her classes.

Teachers and school districts are doing their best, but most are relying on a hodgepodge of tools provided (often for free) by private corporations: Google Classroom, Google Drive, instructional videos on YouTube, Zoom for meetings and lectures, etc. It’s great that these tools are available, but using them to assign and complete schoolwork produces a steep learning curve for teachers, students, and parents.

In our case, we ended up near the end of the school year with our daughter on a trajectory to receive no credit for most of her classes. Enter crunch week (which we’re still in): a massive push to wrangle and complete her missing school work.

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