Wikidata: a Wikimedia project for linked/machine readable data
Wikipedia is amazing, everyone loves it. The point of Wikidata, then, is not just to create a database. It's to be able to answer questions. Let's say you're on Henry VIII. You're interested in the wives of course. Well right in the infobox there's a list. But let's say you wanted to know the birthplaces of all of Henry's wives? Yes you could click through all the links and jot down all the places in a spreadsheet. But Wikidata lets you just run a query and export a CSV: Birthplaces of Henry's Wives And all the "QIDs" as we call them link to other things, that then have their own properties, etc. Here's The Dark Side of the Moon. Enjoy your linked data!
Building your own website
I'm not talking about AI... Building a website is a fun, easy process that anyone can do. And I'm not talking about Squarespace or Wordpress either. I'm talking about opening TextEdit, typing <h1>Hello world!</h1> and saving it as index.html, then double clicking it and seeing it in your browser. Congrats, you have made a website! Where you go from there is up to you, but there are large communities out there (indie web and small web for example) of people who build independent, non "big tech", personal websites of mudane, interesting, or weird things. It doesn't have to be a blog, it doesn't have to be professional, and you don't need to worry about "buying a domain" (https://neocities.org/ like the old GeoCities)
Editing Wikipedia
You can "just do it"! Wikipedia just celebrated it's 25th anniversary, but it's never too late to get started editing and contributing. Remember, the slogan is "The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". It can seem intimidating. If you bite off a big project right away you might get reverted, or scolded by one of the "big wig editors" who like to act as gatekeepers. But really they're more like strict librarian chihuahuas, they just want to keep their information neat. Think if it this way, if you post something on Twitter, it lasts for a day. Post someting on Wikipedia and it could be there for years, plus you're helping all of humanity...
Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan's music is inextricably linked to his biography, and that's the whole damn point. He sings about the backroads of New England, people he's loved, lost and driven away. He sings about his own flaws, heartbreakingly enumerating them night after night to a stadium crowd that is singing every word with him. The reason the whole thing works is not because by the end of the show you're empathizing with Noah. You are, but that's superficial. What lurks beneath is the denial that manifests as hope. "Look at him, he's so sweet and beautiful and charismatic. Surely he's not that bad. I'm flawed just like him, but he's alright, so I must be too". Maybe this is an overly pessimistic reading of Kahan and his fans. Maybe that premise is ultimately true. Humans are flawed, pobody's nerfect, but Kahan gives us a path to secular salvation with his shimmering guitar and baritone swagger. Or maybe the point isn't to solve his or your problems. Maybe the point is to just confront them, cathartically reflect while screaming the lyrics, and walk a Vermont trail with Noah.
