#429 - MDMA Therapy, Why Russia is invading, and New York underwater
I did an MDMA couples therapy session with a psychologist team based in the East Bay that was very helpful for me and my partner. Let me know if any of you want a referral for that kind of work - I hear even more glowing reviews from others who have done it solo or in pairs to confront trauma.
I also returned to Angel Island for the first time since an elementary school field trip, and had a lot of fun shooting Nerf darts around the abandoned buildings in the old garrison on the east side of the island.
Turns out my rosy memories of the place were either false, propaganda, or the result of the non-woke education system of the noughts, because it was a nasty place where we generally treated Asian immigrants worse than the European ones on Ellis Island.
Beautiful, large, with great Bay views for a hike, though.
Tech
I finished New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson, who has pioneered the genre of 'cli-sci' science ficiton focusing on the effects of climate change.
It was a great read exploring the Manhattan of 2140 flooded by rising seawaters, where lower manhattan is flooded, but people still live there by diamond sealing the lower floors and staying above water level.
Upper Manhattan has even taller superscrapers for the super rich to park their capital, Denver is a new cosmopolitan center due to its high elevation, and traders profit off of the new intertidal zone by predicting which buildings will fall next.
Overall it's a well written indictment of capitalism encapsulated within prose, with plenty of links and sources and explanations throughout (and very plausible overall!)
Looking forward to his lauded Ministry of the Future (where a UN agency litigates on behalf of future generations)
Lifehacks
Why Russia is Invading Ukraine — www.youtube.com
My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people under invasion by Putin's Russia right now, including the main developer on my startup's team who I'm in contact with from a bomb shelter. :(
This video is the best resource I have seen to date explaining as to why Putin is doing this. In short, it's oil, oil, and geostrategic defense. I didn't realize what extent Russia was a petrostate, nor that Ukraine had oil reserves, nor the Eurasian plain that stretches all the way from Germany.
Here are some links my friends have recommended for donating:
Fun
On the lighter side, this guy has created several animations and pages that help you visualize exactly how much money billionaires have, for instance, and other fun little tricks of the real world.