💬 "When they email or text me about a post it feels like applause from a dark corner of a large, empty theater where I rehearse."
https://daniel.industries/2025/11/22/why-write-online/
/cc @writingslowly
Daniel kindly replied to my meandering questions about writing online, which circled the theme of ‘what’s the point?’
His blog is a commonplace book, written first for himself. He says blogs got hit hard by social media. I called it the Rapture. There’s only us left!
But not quite. You’re here too.
💬 “You cannot transcend a craft you have not yet learned.”
#shuhari #LifelongLearning
🎬 Paper Films! In the 1930s, Japanese films were made on fragile paper rolls. Nearly lost forever, researchers have digitized and preserved this unique history! Learn more: Japanese Paper Films.
#PaperFilm #FilmHistory #JapaneseFilm #LostMedia #JapaneseFilmFestival #JapaneseHistory
Japanese paper films
Japanese paper films! What?
Yes, in the 1930s the Japanese made a whole bunch of short movies using rolls of paper instead of celluloid.
With the aid of a bright light and some clever mirrors this actually worked. But the technology never really took off and these paper movie reels, originally made for showing at home, were basically forgotten. Worse, the paper was fragile and highly susceptible to disintegration.
Game over for paper films?
Not quite.
Researchers eventually realised what a treasure trove this is, if only it could be rescued. They worked out a way of restoring, or rather preserving, and digitising the remaining movies and now, amazingly, it’s possible to view them in all their preserved (not restored) quirkiness.
I was lucky enough to be able to experience these paper films in a presentation to a packed house at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. There was live music too, which was exquisite, and really complemented the films that didn’t have an original ‘78 record soundtrack, which was the majority.
The presenter was Professor Eric Faden, who has devoted an impressive amount of time and effort to ensure these unique cultural artifacts weren’t lost to decay. They’re now a showpiece of the 2025 Japanese Film Festival and a valuable element of Japanese and international film history.
Now, through the magic of the Internet, you can see many of the recovered paper films for yourself, on the project’s Bluesky account.
And here’s a news story from Japanese TV (English language).
I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri. The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, available now.
“Each person possesses a mind with powers that are… always unique. — César Aira.
In an age of ‘thinking’ machines, what is the feat that only you could have carried out?
#WritingCommunity #UniqueVoice #AIandWriting #Blogging
💬 “The way we organise our online lives bleeds into the way we organise the rest of our social interactions. If it’s just assumed without question that the online space is a fiefdom, then democracy everywhere is undermined.”
Why niche blogs and small rooms still win
#DigitalLife #Blogging #OnlineCommunity #SmallWeb #Fediverse #Decentralization
What is the feat that only you could have carried out?
💬 “Each person possesses a mind with powers that are, whether great or small, always unique, powers that belong to them alone. This renders them capable of carrying out a feat, whether grandiose or banal, that only they could have carried out.” ― César Aira, The Literary Conference
I love Aira’s work, and his unique writing method, the constant flight forward, which belongs to him alone.
I’ve previously claimed that more than ever, embracing your humanity is the way forward.
That’s partly because there’s plenty we can’t beat machines at doing, so we might as well lean into not being machines. But also, as Aira observes, each human is a unique creation, with something unique to offer the world.
I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, available now.
Remembering Tea Master Sen Genshitsu (1923-2025), who spread peace through sipping.
His philosophy is quoted on page 53 of my book, Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning: writingslowly.com/shuhari-b…
#SenGenshitsu #Chado #Peace #ShuHaRi #UNESCO
💬 “By jumping off your roof into a paddling pool with a goat in it you’ve probably enjoyed millions of views. You’ve probably gone totally viral. But the thing is… I don’t want to be a serf on someone else’s plantation.”