I am because we are…

Twice in the last week I’ve come across Ubuntu design thoughts - from two vastly separate mediums. The first was in a twice annual print publication called The Spark from Humanities Washington, which we received at a recent local poetry reading. It had an article by Michelle Liu, who interviewed Itohan M. Idumwonyi (she/her). Below are some of my favorite quotes from the interview

"You cannot say you are who you are, without looking back at those who have been in your life: your parents, your family, your neighbors. Ubuntu asks you to think of all the little and huge ways all these people support you."

"Ubuntu's mantra is, 'I am because we are, and we are because I am interconnectedness' (emphasis mine). It doesn't matter whether you are American, whether you are Asian, whether you are African. Irrespective of where you are from, there is this essence of humanity that we all go to or come from, that we draw from before you became African, Native, American, Asian. You are human first (emphasis mine)."

You can join me and register to attend a free online event about Ubuntu with Itohan in January.

The second was a LinkedIn post about Jason Mesut’s interview on the Beyond the Interview Podcast, from which I then found a recent episode with Batsi Madzonga and The Ubuntu Design Framework. I immediately ordered the book. This has so much application in so many arenas.

Whew, connections are flowing. Happy to be riding the wave.

I've wrapped up Project Studio, and I am three weeks and two assignments from completing my Masters in Social Work! I think Grover can demonstrate best how I am feeling. Wait for it...

Dave Gray is hosting something of a show and tell about year one of School of the Possible, and the initial experiment that is/was Project Studio. I will be on my way to the airport for a work trip, so unfortunately won't be able to present, but my project (a recommitment to this Drifter Life project) will be on the project board and there are so many other wonderful reasons to attend. You can sign up for free here. It has been an amazing experience and I'm so thankful for the opportunity and community.

I've recently been enjoying Bluesky, like many folks. I'll have more on that in a separate post, but connect with me there if you haven't already. In short, it's like O.G. Twitter, like way before the P.O.S. bought it, like pre-ads and algorithms Twitter. Nice.

I found this amazing article there, about the teeth of various animals around the globe. Absolutely fascinating. Also, hooray science!

"From the iron-laden teeth of Komodo dragons to the horns on unicorns of the sea, the animal kingdom is filled with marvelous dental adaptations that will have you thinking again."

"Sharks are covered in toothlike scales called denticles." Yes, I LOL'd at that.

"This woven structure affords one square inch of a parrotfish’s beak the ability to withstand a force equivalent to the weight of 88 elephants." 😱

Some random fun stuff:

I have been playing alphaguess a lot recently (found via Kottke). It's simple but challenging, and has an easy share option to compete with friends and family if that's your jam.

📘 What I'm Reading:

• Think Again by Adam Grant
• Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.

🎧 What I'm Listening To:

• David Shaw's "Take a Look Inside": Sarah and I saw him live last week at The Crocodile in Seattle with Leah Blevins. We randomly met Leah before the show when she sat next to us at the Cyclops Bar. What a life. Great album, great experience. Live music, y'all.
• Season 2 of the upEND Podcast: "Season Two of the upEND Podcast will draw connections between movements to deepen our political education, build solidarity between organizers and activists, and bring new people to the fight for our collective liberation. As Maya Angelou said, 'The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.'"

📺 What I'm Watching:

• I watched Room (2015) for my Trauma in Social Work film analysis. TW: sexual abuse, childhood trauma, abduction. An excellent film. A harrowing story.
• I'm finally catching up on the Autumn Nations Series (rugby) on Peacock. So far I've watched some incredibly entertaining matches. Where was the 50-22 when I was in my prime? IYKYK.

⌛ Worth Your Time:

• "No planes and no 'spoilers.' How one man trekked from Egypt to Japan without flying" (via David)
• Om Malik on Carl Sagan on Books: "Without books, it would be hard to dream of going to Mars or conjure up the desire to link brains to computers. Books are the collective knowledge of the human race. Books are the ultimate time machine."
• "Tiny robot ‘kidnaps’ 12 big Chinese bots from a Shanghai showroom, shocks world" – yeehaw AI!

Photo of the Week

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