Day 115: Oh No Summer Sillies

2026-06-01

Hello!

I got back from the New Jersey Renaissance Faire, which I like talking about purely to gloat to my friends (you know who you are) who weren't able to go. I had a great time and I'll be sure to come back next year. Stories from my time there will be written in the near future, but today I've got more rambly things to talk about.

Like the photo itself. I don't know what a balanced composition is supposed to be. So long as I don't cut off an important element like the dog bone sign or the water bowl, I'm good. Enough margin of green grass on each side of the frame, that's fine. The tent pole it's leaning on points its way out of the image but that'll have to do. Basically, the photo is reasonably centered.

As I was in a rush (and with the giddy energy of a kid in a candy shop) it took me three attempts to center this shot. One had too much grass at the top, the second had too much grass to the left, and the text at a weird angle to become less legible. So even for a quick snap like this, it's good to make sure you captured the photograph well before moving on to the next thing, even if it ruins your momentum a little.

I wasn't alone, but I was the only one dressed up in costume for the Ren Faire. Again, a story for the near future. I'm getting ahead of myself.

I also remember this conversation I had about "running out of internet", the idea that even a supposedly-infinite scroll has stopped producing enough content to keep you and your slushy brain staring at the screen. Where nothing in the algorithm apps can interest you anymore, and you're not willing to lower your standards even further than you already have to stay on your couch and continue the scroll. You've reached the bottom of the infinite internet barrel.

I've found another barrel (in the form of RSS, which I've talked about at length) but mostly I just close my computer or phone and go on a walk. I've signed up to loads of local events, and I find myself being invited to many others like this one. It's great resting your eyes on shiny water and feathery birds instead of a browser game or an aggressively-cut video.

Finally, the custom license plates on the back of US cars. Some cost extra money to support a related cause, some just look cool, and some give a nod to the Matrix's digital rain. Which one's your favorite?

Cheers,
David