For the better part of four decades, I’ve put my thoughts in many different places. Some of these thoughts have thankfully disappeared into the ether and some of them are rotting away in digital graveyards like Facebook and twitter. As the internet becomes more of an inhospitable place, I’ve been keen to keep my thoughts all in one place, on a platform I have as much control over as possible. I’ll still probably share on instagram and I may fire off the odd post on bluesky, but I’m going to compile them all here, too. Not because I think they’re worthy of preservation, but just so I don’t feel so digitally schizophrenic, so I don’t accidentally lose my thoughts when an account closes or a new billionaire buys up a platform, so my thoughts won’t get buried by an algorithm because I didn’t share it with a 30 second clip of a song that I’ve never heard all the way through.
Sometimes these thoughts will be accompanies by photos. Sometimes they will be long and sometimes short. Often times they will be very stupid. I have tagged the thoughts using a system that makes sense to me and ultimately I am unconcerned as to whether or not it makes sense to you, but I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. For now, there is an option to comment on my thoughts, though I will not allow anything I deem annoying or unkind to remain published. It’s my party, I can do what I want.
Fungi foray
Much like beauty, if you really look for it, fungus is everywhere.
Ed and I took a guided walk organised by the Southborough Society to explore the funtastical world of fungi that, when you really look, is everywhere around us. It was a nice way to start a Saturday morning and mushroom hunting, in particular, is always a great way to forget about the bullshit that fills our lives and focus the mind on seeing. The goal wasn’t to forage (as is my usual goal when mushrooming) but rather to open ourselves to the wonder of the natural world. Or that’s what I took away from it, anyway.
Though I’m far from an expert on fungi or the expansive world of mushrooms, I’m keen to learn more and am always interested in research that suggests that these types of organisms might help us to heal our bodies, minds, and environments. Though the news is filled with stories of ecological degradation and destruction, there are some hopeful stories out there - like this one:
“Scientists are increasingly looking at microorganisms, such as fungi and bacteria, to help tackle some of the most pressing challenges of the modern age, including the rising tide of plastic pollution. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced annually, with a steep increase in levels of plastic pollution since the 1970s… To date, 436 species of fungi and bacteria have been found to degrade plastic and Kew scientists and partners believe their latest findings could lead to the development of efficient enzymes designed to biologically degrade plastic waste.”
It’s such a bummer that the billionaires of the world are more focused on water-guzzling data centres than plastic-eating fungi, that the average person is more likely to fill their brain with ai slop than eat a lion’s mane mushroom, but there are glimmers of hope, and though I would have loved to see more young people represented on our fungi foray yesterday, it’s encouraging that a group of 12-15 people showed up on a Saturday morning to really look around and learn a thing or two about something that might just be the key to our sustained survival on this dying planet.