Pausing to wonder where those words came from
Five fragments for the week of February 12, 2024
Hi new readers! Thank you for finding me. I’m Diana Kimball Berlin, a partner at Matrix leading concept through Series A rounds in B2B SaaS and AI startups.
A new area of exploration: workplace software finding an audience on TikTok and Reels. Notion is the canonical example; I’m looking for more.
And now, some notes from a very Fluxus week…
Before I sat down, I grabbed a pint of Chunky Monkey from my freezer and a spoon. I turned on the show, sat back down on my couch, and twisted the crown to turn my living room into a theater. I reached out for the ice cream on the coffee table—but I couldn’t see it. It was replaced by a view of the theater I was in. I fumbled my way to it, and then had trouble getting a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. I missed and accidentally painted my face with Chunky—or Monkey, I couldn’t tell which.
– Dan Shipper, “Should You Buy a Vision Pro?: A Guide,” February 9, 2024. I appreciated this balanced take. I also agree with his conclusion: “If you’re thinking about buying one, you should ask yourself: How much money is a dream worth to you?” Still using mine for a few hours most days. If you’re working on an app for it, I want to be your first user.
The first google search most people do is their name. ChatGPT doesn’t have the same universal first question
– Adam Behrens on X / Twitter, February 5, 2024. His 2024 book thread is also a treasure trove.
Yes, I remember well when I decided to be an artist. It was when my grandmother addressed me as one.
– Alison Knowles, “one of the founding figures of the Fluxus group,” in “The mail-interview with Alison Knowles by Ruud Janssen,” 2007.
Constantly they trailed off in the middle of sentences. They could not utter even common phrases and aphorisms without pausing to wonder where those words came from.
– R. F. Kuang, Babel. Thinking again about this novel recommended to me by Christina Cacioppo, who by the by keeps a majestic books spreadsheet. With two young kids in the house, etymology is ever-present topic of conversation. (This weekend’s puzzle, courtesy of five-year-old Cooper: why is “post,” as in “after,” the same as “post” as in “postman”?)
I could tell Jeffrey was inspired. It’s important to meet people like that.
– Craig Hickman, creator of Kid Pix, in Meeting Mr. Kid Pix, a short film made by Jeffrey Allen Scudder in 2019. (More thoughts on Kid Pix from 2022.)
Until next time,
Diana
https://dianaberlin.com