futurish_0007 ❤ Social media manipulation, Our morning routines
I bought a boat at the age of 31
That guy in the middle with a strawberry blonde moustache? That’s me driving our boat ‘Curiosity’ (named after the Mars land rover) for the first time. Me and my friend Rasmus bought it a few weeks ago. It was an incredible deal, as the boat is already more than 30 years old but has been maintained really well (family owned!).
So, why did we name it ‘Curiosity’ and why did I buy a boat?
I remember my first year in Finland, I was invited to join a small boat trip of a friend’s friend. We drove out of Helsinki and cruised through Helsinki’s archipelago. It was mesmerizing. I remember asking if you needed a license for a boat, and I was surprised that you don’t in Finland. That boat trip planted a seed, which took almost four more years until it started to sprout.
Being on the open sea brings so much freedom and calmness. On our first trip out, we drove out to the open sea and parked ‘Curiosity’ close to an island where a lighthouse is stationed. We turned off the engine and just let the ocean take over. Being out in the ocean calms your troubled mind and puts all things in perspective. For these moments, you simply can’t put a price tag on.
Our ‘Curiosity’ is not the fastest lady, she is rather slow with a maximum speed of 7 knots. Yet, she only needs 1l of gasoline / hour, which means she can go very far. Like the Mars land rover ‘Curiosity’, designed to explore the Gale crater on Mars. Hence, the name. Also, Rasmus and I are sci-fi fans and professional nerds.
I can’t wait to find out where our ‘Curiosity’ will take us.
♥ Gerhard
→ Social media platforms are tearing us apart
Pete: This has been something on my mind for quite a while and it’s only been cemented by news stories like the one linked above. My rant here is not going to be about politics or the drivers behind it, as I’m not in any way experienced or knowledgeable of those areas. It’s ultimately, what I feel, is the single cause; the fact that social networks have largely replaced peer to peer communication systems like SMS and email.
I for a long time have been against the societal and psychological triggers that are formed by the constant use of social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Basically, any network that creates a soapbox platform for those to shout their thoughts and block anyone who doesn’t side with them. These networks are then designed to propagate these messages and ultimately create division amongst social groups.
It’s why I largely avoid these platforms, yes I’m on Instagram and yes I’ve countless of times considered removing myself off of it.
So I could go on and on but what’s next? How do we solve this? I honestly don’t think we can with the current format. I see a natural (de)volution to these platforms to revert to group-based chats centered around common interests. It won’t solve racism and politically fuelled rampages but it will help to mitigate the spread and reduce the risk of ownership these social platforms are encountering now.
We have to solve it somehow as I feel like the greatest challenge that faces our future is how we can utilise technology for the greater human good.
♥
Gerhard: There is a saying that it is not technology that is bad, it is just the fact that we humans have not changed much since our early caveman ancestors. Technology itself is not evil by itself, it is what we make of it. Hence, I really believe that the founders of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and so forth did not create those products with evil intentions. But they missed out on taking the responsibility to curb the misuse of their products, such as the ability to spread misinformation and hate. All because of the need to keep on growing and satisfy shareholder needs.
I want to believe that we as a collective, are slowly waking up and realising that those tools are not good for us individually and as a species. It seems like we have forgotten that our goal should be to strive together and help each other to build on what we have created, so people who come after us can push the boundaries of the human race even further.
We are missing a common goal. A vision of where we as a species should aim towards. Hence, we start creating conspiracy theories to fill a void of meaning and belonging.
I personally started to eliminate as much noise as possible from my life and focus on what is around me instead of getting lost in digital realities and distractions. I still have the accounts on Facebook and Instagram, but I don’t have those apps installed on my phone.
I hope we will see products in the future that focus on privacy, inclusion and asynchronous communication. Products that don’t rely on your attention and time to make money. Products where you as a consumer are not the product.
♥
→ [Discussion] Check-in first with yourself, before you check in with the world
Gerhard: Last time Pete and I had our monthly video catch up call, we talked about morning routines. I mentioned that it is so important to first check in with yourself and block enough time in the morning to do so before you check in with the world. So often we wake up, take out our phones and get bombarded with notifications and news. Without having a chance to boot up your system and check in with yourself.
I know that some of you will say, but who has the time for a proper morning routine? Well, that’s the thing. You don’t, you take it. Unless it is an emergency (death, illness, zombie apocalypse), the world can wait.
So, I thought of sharing my morning routine which helps me to check in with myself, before I check in with the world.
I wake up between 6am - 7am, depending on when I managed to go to bed the night before.
I don’t check my phone. I take a hot shower, and I finish with a cold shower. Taking a cold shower exposes your body to micro-stress, which has huge benefits on your wellbeing.
After I take my shower and brush my teeth, I meditate for 20 minutes.
Then I stretch my hips and back. I do 5 exercises of 1 minute each.
Afterwards, I do 3 x 15 push-ups with a 1-minute break.
Finally, I make myself an espresso which I enjoy without checking my phone.
Now I am ready to check in with the world.
The important thing about morning routines is that you find something that fits you. Something that lets you check in with yourself. It might be very likely that my morning routine doesn’t work for you at all.
Yet, I encourage you to experiment. Try one thing at a time and then chain it with another habit, until you have formed a habit chain that you can always trust in, even if you don’t like doing it. Because, after I have done all those things, I know I have booted up my system and I am ready to engage with this busy world we are living in. Trust the process.
What is your morning routine? Or, what would you like to try? What are the challenges you are facing when trying to create a morning routine? Let me know :)
♥
Pete: Well I’m the first one to say I’m not, in any way shape or form, a morning person. I would like to say I’ve tried, but I really do believe I haven’t given it a shot. For me, my nights are my time where I can center myself, destress and take time to think about anything and everything.
It’s arguably the quietest time of the day and that really is a huge draw for me. However! I really need to be a morning person. I find that when I do wake up early I am a lot more energised and pumped throughout the day and that feeling is actually becoming the bigger drawcard.
So what will I do? Well, I’m the worst at sticking with a routine but there are two things that I get the most return from; reading and exercising. Two things I don’t do anywhere nearly enough. I find that if I exercise after work and read before I fall asleep, it creates the best concoction for a pleasant following day.
So that’s my goal this month. Stay tuned for the next issue where I’ll follow up on how I went with it.
♥
Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.James Clear
Around the web
→ Berkshire Hathaway’s Stock Price Is Too Much for Computers - It’s the Y2K bug all over again - Pete
→ Facebook threatens to make iOS users pay. Please do it, Mr. Zuckerberg. Poor Facebook can’t make as much money off our data now - Pete
→ Only 4 percent of US iPhone users have agreed to app tracking after iOS 14.5 - This was the catalyst that forced thinly veiled threats like the link above - Pete
→ Is Dust Mostly Dead Skin? - This video will finally settle the mystery around dust - Gerhard
→ This Unstoppable Robot Could Save Your Life - Remarkable innovation yet so simple - Gerhard
→ Stressed? Chill out with a cold shower
♥ Pete & Gerhard