Links: misc, mostly cheering
Aug. 22nd, 2020 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaI looked after the alley cats of Kabul. Would they remember me when I returned? by Pamela Constable. Includes cute cat pictures and a happy ending.
On Trouser Pockets by Sam Bleckley. Via one ofsilveradept's linkspams. WANT!
How to Curate Your Zoom Backdrop, and Why You Should by Janine Barchas. The kind of thing that's obvious once you notice it. (I am not personally endorsing any specific bit of advice. See discussion here in comments.)
San Francisco Was Uniquely Prepared for Covid-19 by Daniel Duane. Because AIDS pandemic. And collaborative relationships between government and scientists.
Holding Space for Another: How to Bring Your Body into the Picture by Glen Fielding. Maybe we can listen better when we're centered in our own body.
The Third Promise: Can Judaism’s indigenous core help us rise above the damaging politics of our time? by David Mevorach Seidenberg. A fascinating approach to a very fraught question of Judaism and being indigenous and how to live where you are.
A Basic Meditation to Tame Your Inner Critic by Mark Bertin. I would say "notice" rather than "tame."
A Way to Talk About Race, 6 Words at a Time by Zenobia Jeffries Warfield. I love all the projects people are doing to try to get people to notice and talk about racism.
Systemic Racism Can't Be Fixed Without Tackling It Within Cycling. 14 stories from Black people who love bikes.
Relatedly, Travel Oregon film follows three women on bikepacking trip, a joyful video of Analise Cleopatra, Dejuanae Toliver and Brooklyn Bell on a bikepacking trip.
“Hurting People at Scale" by Ryan Mac and Craig Silverman. Facebook employees dish about how Facebook is failing all of us. Okay, this one is depressing.
On Trouser Pockets by Sam Bleckley. Via one of
silveradept's linkspams. WANT!How to Curate Your Zoom Backdrop, and Why You Should by Janine Barchas. The kind of thing that's obvious once you notice it. (I am not personally endorsing any specific bit of advice. See discussion here in comments.)
San Francisco Was Uniquely Prepared for Covid-19 by Daniel Duane. Because AIDS pandemic. And collaborative relationships between government and scientists.
Holding Space for Another: How to Bring Your Body into the Picture by Glen Fielding. Maybe we can listen better when we're centered in our own body.
The Third Promise: Can Judaism’s indigenous core help us rise above the damaging politics of our time? by David Mevorach Seidenberg. A fascinating approach to a very fraught question of Judaism and being indigenous and how to live where you are.
A Basic Meditation to Tame Your Inner Critic by Mark Bertin. I would say "notice" rather than "tame."
A Way to Talk About Race, 6 Words at a Time by Zenobia Jeffries Warfield. I love all the projects people are doing to try to get people to notice and talk about racism.
Systemic Racism Can't Be Fixed Without Tackling It Within Cycling. 14 stories from Black people who love bikes.
Relatedly, Travel Oregon film follows three women on bikepacking trip, a joyful video of Analise Cleopatra, Dejuanae Toliver and Brooklyn Bell on a bikepacking trip.
“Hurting People at Scale" by Ryan Mac and Craig Silverman. Facebook employees dish about how Facebook is failing all of us. Okay, this one is depressing.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-23 05:07 am (UTC)She says "the crisis mode of spring is over," as part of saying we should no longer be concerned with demonstrating our common humanity and shared burdens. I'm dubious about this standard of professionalism, from the start. (Some pieces of this advice would seem quite reasonable if it was presented in a context of maintaining privacy, or work/life boundaries.) "Professionalism" is usually a code for classism, and sometimes a code for racism.
I agree with some of her recommendations. Close doors, including cabinet doors and closet doors. Make the bed, or at least throw a blanket over it. Turn off lights behind you, turn them on in front of you.
I agree with her that camera angles are important, but she doesn't mention what I consider the most important part: put your computer on a table! I know it's called a "laptop," but if you hold it on your lap, the image wobbles all over the place.
She also says that virtual backgrounds are somewhat distracting, and my experience is that they are consistent migraine triggers. (I'm not sure about them being seizure triggers.) Having the camera off is much easier for me to deal with, but if there are only 1 or 2 people using virtual backgrounds I can keep their zoom windows covered with index cards.
I disagree with other recommendations. Flat white walls are GREAT. (So are corners.) It's fine to sit in front of any bookcase at all, not just ones that show appropriately scholarly books. Any bookcase behind you reduces the chances of having a light behind you. A peek at your unwashed dishes is different from a peek at your shelf of cookbooks or board books.
A disturbing amount of her article seems to be written from the perspective that being in a position to teach at a university implies wealth. "Be modest." FFS. Does she have any idea how many classes are taught by grad students or adjunct professors who are being paid very little? Around here, the salary of a tenure-track professor early in their career will cover student loan repayment and the rent on a remarkably small apartment.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-23 08:26 pm (UTC)I have a conflicted relationship with "professionalism" and presentation myself. It took me a painfully long time to realize it matters, especially as a woman, and not just on the job. I get treated better at doctor's appointments if I take some care with how I dress. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.
So, while I agree that professionalism is often code for classism and racism, it's still useful to pay attention to it, and that's why I linked the article.