Welcome to Human in the Loop
It all begins with an idea.
Is it still possible to have genuine one-on-one conversations about different topics without worrying about likes and shares?
I have been trying to figure out a way to connect with people without involving 'social media’. You know, the way we used to keep friendships alive before Zuck and Musk and other people got involved to monetise the hell out of it?
Then I had a Eureka moment.
I have been writing down short notes about anything that made me pause and think for a few years. This exercise made me more mindful of what I see and read every day.
Then a thought struck me: Other people might find these scribbles useful - ideas curated by a human rather than an algorithm. A collection of notes about interesting people, amazing ideas, hacks I am trying out, and, honestly, anything that catches my fancy.
Ideas curated by a human instead of an algorithm
I invited 20 friends to join me in this personal experiment. 15 people said yes, and I started sending them a WhatsApp message every 2 weeks with short (10 sentences or less) summaries of stories, thoughts, and life-hacks that I have tried out.
I call it Human in the Loop - personal keep list of knowledge I have collected while wading through information curated by machines for profit.
What do I expect in return? A reply.
Only if they have found any of the information useful, or it has sparked a new thought, or reminded them of something they have read, seen or heard.
That way I can have a conversation with someone about a topic that both of us find interesting or intriguing or fun.
Here you will find every ‘issue’ I have ever sent out. The same rules apply. If you have something to share about the topic in the issue, or generally about Human in the Loop, please leave a comment.
PS. This is not another newsletter 😅
Snails fighting boys, deleting images and walking around the world
It all begins with an idea.
Something that blew my mindOUT OF EDEN WALK
While we go about our lives answering emails and taking care of bills, a journalist is walking around the planet from Ethiopia to Argentina.
Paul Salopek's goal is to retrace the migration path of Homo Sapiens out of Africa, across the Middle East, Asia, South East Asia, North America and then down to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, the place humans arrived last.
He calculated it would take him about 500 lakh steps and 7 years. Eleven years later, he is still walking. He collects and publishes stories about the people he meets, the strangers who walk with him, and how we humans are changing our planet.Read about Paul Salopek's journey and his despatches from the road here:
https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/
A hack I am trying this monthDELETING IMAGES BY DATE
Open the Photos app on your phone.
Feed in a date (for, e.g. 29 Dec.) into the search field, and search. This will shortlist all the images taken on 29 Dec. across the years. Delete the ones you don't need.
Poof! You have just decluttered your photos folder by a few thousand pixels.
I do this in the lull between dinner and bed. Let me know how it works for you.
Credit slinkachu.com
An artist I am following