Another successful week operating Kin Lane. Things seem pretty steady for “me” right now in 2026. I find work to be stimulating. I am actively escaping the drama of the world through my work. It feels manageable. As much as I’d like to be out on the street right now, I feel like staying stable and balanced after the instability of the last five years, makes the most sense to me right now. I am thankful to have our home in NYC and my work building Nafitko-thank you.
Eating at Georgian Restaurant
Right after I finished writing my newsletter last week, Audrey and I walked down 9th avenue and ate at a new Georgian restaurant. The atmosphere and cuisine was a notch above our usual Hell’s Kitchen Georgian restaurant. They really delivered on the service, and the food was amazing. It was one of those amazing walks through Hell’s Kitchen, and lovely dinners with my wife, making for another reason why we absolutely love living in NYC, and eating our way around our neighborhood.
The Cranes
I am part of a Facebook group on infrastructural art, and a painting on cranes from John Stewart recently capture my attention. I am a big systems and infrastructure guy, and these pieces really capture my imagination and get me thinking when it comes to my storytelling and the algorotoscope photos I produce for my storytelling.
Lego Orchids
Audrey and I acquired some Lego plants last year. A bonsai tree and an orchid. I’ve had my bonsai tree put together since last year, but needed to put back the regular tree leaves instead of the blossoms. But Audrey hadn’t put the orchid together at all. So both of us sat down the other day and put them together. Neither of us have much luck with real orchids and find that Lego orchids are much harder to kill.
Working in Tech
I came across this set of images the other day on the Public Domain Review, with this man inside of a wheel. There were other images in the set I am using in blog posts right now, one with a dog in the wheel, and other interesting approaches to transportation, but this one in particular resembled how I feel working in technology any given day.
Norm the Tree
This is Norm. They are my favorite tree in the SW corner of Central Park by Columbus Circle. I spend a lot of time looking at Norm, and thinking about their existence as a tree. I see a lot of trees in Central Park when we ride around and I keep coming back to Norm as I ride around that corner. But I take this photo when we walk by in the morning.
Minneapolis
My heart goes out to Minneapolis. My heart goes out to Renee Good’s family. Their agenda is clear. They want people to be scared. They want the images. Keep fighting and resisting Minnesota. Keep fighting and resisting America. Damn. Damn. Damn.
Samuel Green
I was reading about how Samuel Green freed himself and others from slavery, then was imprisoned over owning a book. His story was a good escape for me. Leaving this moment, and time traveling, while not entirely escaping from the condition that is America. I like thinking about what Samuel thought about as he repeatedly worked to free himself, family, and others. Letting those thoughts live in my head do me some good.
Indigenous Treaties
Along with Samuels story I was reading about Treaties Between the Six Nations and the United States, and got lost in thinking how the Six Nations perceived what was happening to them and their lands. What the white man’s bureaucracy looked like to them. How strange that we would have to have our federal government “recognize” the Haudenosaunee Nations. Their nation is so instrumental in the founding of our nation, it should be the other way around. We are in their nation.
The Poppy Wars
I am reading the second book in the Poppy Wars series by R.F. Kuang, called The Dragon Republic. I miss hanging out with Rin, the main character. I like her. I relate to her world view. She gives me a whole new lens for looking at things. I still call the sidecar for my bike “pig” from the first book, where Rin has to carry a pig up to the top of a mountain every day, which is exactly like me having to carry the sidecar down tot he street each day.
Signal in the Noise
I am lost in noise right now. But I am somewhat comfortable in here. I see the Internet as a series of massive virtual warehouses that have been assembled around us. Think big data centers that we can’t see, but they are all around us. I I have made it a mission to stay within this system we’ve opted to live in. But sometimes I find myself seeking the doors to get “outside” of this claustrophobic virtual space.
Social media is a mess right now. Search doesn’t work like it used to. AI has penetrated all aspects of our lives. It just autocorrected “ives”. It’s finishing my sentences. I feel lost in here most days. Unable to rise to the top or cut through the noise. Where I used to be able to tell stories and be heard. I can still find an audience from time to time, but it has continued to become a very disturbing funhouse of mirrors.
I have found some peace mapping out the system and trying to build a business in here. I enjoy engaging with people while half of them are just interested in automating every interaction, and betting on the ups and downs of our everyday lives. It is a strange way to make a living. I am just looking for the signals. The stories. I don’t know what matters anymore, but I am determined to find it again each day. Over and over.
"More human than human is our motto." - Tyrell Corporation
